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This year’s Grammy week will be looking a little different, as the show will take place shortly after Los Angeles was devastated by wildfires in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Music’s biggest night will mark the first awards show to take place in L.A. since the tragedy began on Jan. 7, and many of the typical Grammy events have been canceled as the usual players — including Spotify and the major labels — redirect resources to aid wildfire relief efforts.

However, a handful of events will carry on with a charitable component, including the starry Clive Davis party and MusiCares tribute concert. Check out this year’s still-on Grammys celebrations below.

Wednesday, Jan. 29

DisCo House

Live Nation Headquarters in Beverly Hills

Rampd (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities) will present DisCo House, which aims to amplify disability inclusion in the music industry in partnership with the Recording Academy’s Raa+D Network,...

Grammys 2025 (Photo Credit – Instagram)

The awards season of the year was inaugurated by the widely talked about 2025 Golden Globes. Now the rest of the annual events will follow as they recognise talents of various fields. Even though the unfortunate California wildfires have affected the programming of the awards, the ceremonies will still be hosted. From the SAG Awards and the Oscars to the Grammys.

The latter is one of the most recognised and renowned awards in the music industry. The 2025 edition is set to take place soon and here’s everything we know about it including the date, the streaming details, the performers, and what changes the wildfires have caused in the production of the event.

Grammys 2025: When & Where Will They Happen?

The 67th edition of the annual Grammy Awards will be hosted on February 2, 2025. The much-awaited ceremony will be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles...

The Recording Academy says its Clive Davis Gala and Special Merit Awards will go on during Grammy week but has canceled its Black Music Collective event honoring Alicia Keys.

Each of the Academy’s events, including MusiCares’ Person of the Year and the Grammys telecast, will now have a fundraising element. And since launching the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to Support Music Professionals last week, the Academy and MusiCares have raised and pledged more than $2 million in emergency aid.

“We understand how devastating this past week has been on this city and its people,” Harvey Mason Jr., Academy and MusiCares CEO, says in a statement. “This is our home, it’s home to thousands of music professionals, and many of us have been negatively impacted. So after thoughtful consideration, and multiple assurances from state and local elected leaders, public safety agencies, and with support from our incredible artist community,...

Gold Derby rounds up today’s top stories in entertainment for Dec. 20, 2024.

Update:

Sza releases Lana album after long delay

The highly anticipated album features collaborations from Kendrick Lamar, Lil Yachty, and Benny Blanco. This serves as the deluxe edition of Sos, which won three Grammys for Sza in 2022 for Best Progressive R&b Album, Best R&b Song (“Snooze”), and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (“Ghost In The Machine”). Fans previously assumed Lana would be released in February, as that’s when the “Saturn” song dropped, but now it’s finally here. Is it worth the wait?

The Talk says goodbye after 15 years

Hosts Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell, and Sheryl Underwood shared some laughs and tears today during CBS’s final broadcast of The Talk. Morales thanked the audience for “watching and laughing, sometimes even crying” with them every morning, and then a series of...

Prince, the Clash, and the Four Seasons’ Frankie Valli are among the artists who will receive lifetime achievement awards at the Grammys’ upcoming Special Merit Awards ceremony, the Recording Academy announced Friday.

Pioneering Juice Crew rapper Roxanne Shante, Maze’s Frankie Beverly, blues great Taj Mahal, and gospel singer Dr. Bobby Jones will also be given lifetime achievement awards at the Feb. 1 event, while jazz legend Erroll Garner, Cuban composer Tania Leon, and producer Glyn Johns will receive the Recording Academy’s trustees award.

“It’s an amazing privilege to...

While the 2025 Sundance Film Festival is just around the corner, January also brings an opportunity to revisit one of the highlights that made a splash nearly three decades ago, now newly restored. Jim McKay’s feature debut Girls Town, which was written in collaboration with stars Lili Taylor, Bruklin Harris, and Anna Grace, also features an ensemble including Guillermo Diaz, Michael Imperioli, Stephanie Berry, Tom Gilroy, and John Ventimiglia. Newly restored in 4K by nonprofit lab IndieCollect, Film Movement Classics has acquired the film for a North American theatrical release which will begin January 17 at New York City’s IFC Center, followed by a national expansion and digital and home-entertainment debut.

Here’s the synopsis for the film, originally released by October Films: “When high school senior Nikki (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) commits suicide, her shocked friends set in search of the reasons why. Their discovery that Nikki had been raped but...

LL Cool J talked about his new album, “The Force,” collaborating with Eminem on the track “Murdergram Deux,” crediting Michael Jackson as a writer on the song “The Force,” learning to rap again, and much more during a track-by-track album special on his new SiriusXM channel, LL Cool J’s The Force Channel.

The Force ChannelAvailable until 10/3 at 3am ETListen on the App

Listen on the App

Featuring LL Cool J’s Rock the Bells Radio host Roxanne Shanté and a live audience, “LL Cool J ‘The Force’ Track-By-Track Album Special” premieres on LL Cool J’s The Force Channel on Friday, September 6, at noon Et and will be available to stream on the SiriusXM app (see more details below). During the show, LL went through his process working with Eminem.

“Me and Em actually went to Dr. Dre’s studio and recorded it out in LA,” LL Cool J said.

Grammy Award-winning artist and Futurist will.i.am appeared on Roxanne Shante’s “Have A Nice Day” show on LL Cool J’s Rock The Bells Radio, revealing that Roxanne is one of his heroes. Listen to “Have A Nice Day” on the SiriusXM app and car radios on channel 43 with a subscription and free trial.

“This is surreal to me because I wanted to rap because of you and Biz,” will.i.am told Roxanne. “This is emotional for me right now, because you kept me safe when I was in the projects.”

“I appreciate that,” a humble Roxanne responded. “I love being your big sister, and keeping everyone safe. I love that I can take people back to a point in their childhoods when they can remember when it was like this and you did it like this, but I am also thankful that y’all are doing it like this!

Jeezy, Common, Chika, and more discuss the entwined histories of rap and politics in the new trailer for Hip-Hop and the White House, an upcoming documentary premiering April 22 on Hulu.

Directed by Jesse Washington, the film will examine the fascinating, frequently contentious relationship between hip-hop and the presidency. The trailer hits several major beats of this story, starting with the rise of crack cocaine and over-policing during the Reagan era and the responses of artists like N.W.A. and Tupac. “Reagan’s the father of crack cocaine as far as we’re concern,...

Rap and hip-hop music have a long legacy of challenging oppressive powers. In upcoming Hulu documentary “Hip-Hop and The White House,” injustices against music creators of color are re-examined within the historical lens of political movements.

The film is written and directed by Sundance alum Jesse Washington, who has documented hip-hop since the 1980s and has been a senior writer at Andscape since it launched in 2014 as The Undefeated. His film credits include “Bearing Witness: A Portrait Of Darnella Frazier” for ESPN+ and “March On Washington: Keepers Of The Dream” for Nat Geo.

Atlanta rapper Jay “Jeezy” Jenkins narrates and executive produces the documentary alongside Washington. Jeezy’s song “My President” came out ahead of President Barack Obama’s historical 2008 election. Additional onscreen interview subjects include Common, Yg, U.S. Representative Maxine Waters, Krs-One, Roxanne Shante, Bun B, Bakari Kitwana, Farai Chideya, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Curren$y, Dave “Davey D” Cook,...

"You don't have to be a political hip hop artist to make a political statement." Hulu has revealed the official trailer for a new documentary film titled Hip-Hop and the White House, made by writer / filmmaker Jesse Washington (from Andscape) as his feature directorial debut. This is set for streaming next week on Hulu. Hip-hop's rise from marginalized urban culture to powerful mainstream force is explored alongside its intersections with presidential politics and policies from the 1970s to present day. "We feel this is the perfect time to discuss how hip-hop has influenced presidential politics, and to ask what we can expect from the culture in this upcoming election season," Washington states. Based on material generated & reported by Andscape's team of award-winning journalists, this doc will be the first in a series produced by this team. It's narrated by Atlanta's Jeezy and includes interviews with Common, Yg, U.S. Rep.

Exclusive: Andscape, the Black multimedia platform from Disney and ESPN, on Monday revealed &360, a new documentary anthology intended to explore the influence of Black culture on American society, expanding perspectives, telling previously untold stories, and revealing truths about some of the biggest sports and cultural moments of our time.

Based on material generated and reported by Andscape’s team of award-winning journalists, the series’ first title to launch will be the documentary Hip-Hop and the White House, premiering April 22. All docs in the collection will be available to stream exclusively on Hulu.

“We are energized by the incredible storytellers working today, and we are thrilled to use our platform to spotlight the work of Black creators,” said Jason Aidoo, VP and head of Andscape.

Narrated by Jeezy, the Atlanta rap giant who predicted the future when he released “My President” several months before the election of Barack Obama, Hip-Hop...

As the 50th anniversary of hip-hop comes to a close, the Recording Academy has one last trick up its sleeve to honor the pillars of the culture.

The Academy joins forces with CBS for “A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop,” an aural spectacular that’s as much an ode to the culture as it is a documentation of it. Throughout the two-hour special, rappers and DJs from all walks of life come together to celebrate what started in the Bronx in the 1970s and spread across the world, charting its impact through a strong lineup of rappers, beatboxers, dancers, DJs and presenters.

The special, filmed at Inglewood’s YouTube Theater on Nov, 8, features a laundry list of performers spanning both decades and regions. Just a sampling of the artists: Queen Latifah, Common, Public Enemy, Rakim, Doug E. Fresh, Mc Lyte, Rick Ross, Jeezy, Jermaine Dupri, Yg, Too Short, E-40, De La Soul,...

A Grammy Salute To 50 Years Of Hip Hop is airing tonight!

The star-studded tribute celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip hop will air Sunday, December 10, at 8:30 p.m. Et/8 p.m. Pt on CBS and stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

The two-hour live concert special will feature incredible performances from hip hop legends and Grammy-winning artists, and promises to showcase and celebrate the genre’s profound history and monumental cultural impact around the world.

The special taped November 8 at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles.

Keep reading to find out more…

A Grammy Salute To 50 Years Of Hip Hop Performers List:

2 Chainz

Akon

Arrested Development

Battlecat

Big Daddy Kane

Black Sheep

Black Thought

Blaqbonez

Boosie Badazz

Bun B

Chance The Rapper

Coi LeRay

Common

Cypress Hill

D-Nice

De La Soul

Digable Planets

DJ Diamond Kuts

DJ Greg Stree

DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince

DJ Quik...

Now, this is a story all about how the Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff will reunite for A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop.

The live concert special, airing Sunday, Dec. 10 at 8:30 pm Et/8 pm Pt on CBS and streaming on Paramount+, will feature an on-stage reunion between Will Smith and Jeffrey Allen Townes (aka DJ Jazzy Jeff), who collaborated musically on hits like “Summertime” and co-starred together in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

More from TVLineYellowstone's Return Finally Set at Paramount NetworkFX's Shōgun Miniseries Sets February Premiere Date - Watch an Epic TrailerHalloween Ratings: World Series Grows,...

Parents just don’t understand, and they haven’t been alone in trying to make sense of Will Smith’s angry assault on Chris Rock a year and a half ago at the Oscars. Perhaps to remind the world that he was once wholesome and didn’t have to cuss in his raps to sell records, he’s reuniting with his old compatriot DJ Jazzy Jeff for a surely noncontroversial performance at A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop.

The event, which Billboard reports will tape at YouTube Theater in Inglewood,...

Kamala Harris marked the 50th anniversary of hip hop on Saturday with a first-of-its-kind celebration at the vice president’s residence on Saturday.

“Half a century later, it is clear, hip hop will not be erased. Hip hop is here to stay,” Harris told guests, according to a pool report.

Among those at the event, per the pool report, were Common, Jeezy, Mc Lyte, Roxanne Shante.

Among the 400 or so also present at the event were Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-ga), Rep. Cori Bush (D-mo) and Maryland Governor Wes Moore.

“This is a hip hop household!” said Doug Emhoff, the first gentleman, after he was introduced by comedian Deon Cole.

The event was held in collaboration with the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Live Nation Urban.

Harvey Mason Jr., the CEO of the Recording Academy, told guests, “There is not a single genre that has not absorbed something essential from hip hop.

The US Vice President Kamala Harris is throwing a house party to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop music, and honour its legacy at her residence in Washington D.C. Nearly 20 acts are said to be participating in this party, partnering with the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Live Nation Urban for the event. Some of the big hip-hop names performing at the event, performers include Common, Mc Lyte, Jeezy and Roxanne Shante, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

This commemoration will mark the first time a sitting Vice President has hosted a celebration of this kind. As such, more than 400 guests — including musicians, artists, industry leaders and cultural trail blazers will be attending.

The party was scheduled for September 8, though reportedly was shifted to September 9 due to reasons unknown.

Harris will speak at the event and discuss hip-hop’s profound impact on American culture and how the genre...

Vice President Kamala Harris is throwing a house party to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

Harris is partnering with the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Live Nation Urban for the event taking place Saturday at her residence in Washington, D.C. Dozens of artists will participate, including Common, Mc Lyte, Jeezy and Roxanne Shante. Nearly 20 acts will perform.

This commemoration will mark the first time a sitting Vice President has hosted a celebration of this kind. More than 400 guests — including musicians, artists, industry leaders and cultural trailblazers — are expected to attend.

Harris will speak at the event and discuss hip-hop’s profound impact on American culture and how the genre has reached people around the world. She will also highlight and reinforce the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to celebrating the arts.

“The Recording Academy and the Black Music Collective have had a tremendous year paying tribute to...

Public Enemy and Ice-t will link up to headline a special, free concert in Washington D.C. celebrating hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. The two-day National Celebration of Hip Hop show will take place Oct. 6 and 7 at West Potomac Park on the National Mall.

The concert will feature an array of rap luminaries and legends, including the Sugarhill Gang, Kurtis Blow, Kid ’N Play, Soulsonic Force, Roxanne Shanté, Melle Mel and Scorpio, Peter Gunz, Cl Smooth, DJ Kevie Kev Rockwell, Mad Skillz, and Busy Bee. DJ Hurricane will also be on...

Public Enemy and Ice-t have been announced as the headliners for The National Celebration of Hip Hop, a free two-day concert being held this fall at the National Mall in Washington, DC. It all goes down at West Potomac Park on October 6th and 7th.

There will also be a Beastie Boys tribute set from DJ Hurricane with special guests, as well as performances from hip-hop luminaries including Kurtis Blow, The Sugarhill Gang, Kid ‘n Play, Soulsonic Force, Roxanne Shante, Cl Smooth, Melle Mel and Scorpio, Peter Gunz, DJ Kevie Kev Rockwell, Mad Skillz, Mc Sha-Rock, Busy Bee, Joe Ski Love, Positive K, Boogie Black, Mick Benzo, Gumbo and Donald D.

Tickets are free by pre-registering at the festival’s website. VIP packages are also available for purchase, ranging from $399 to $999.

“We are honored to continue to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop against the backdrop of America’s...

Award-winning producers Mimi Valdés and Nina Yang Bongiovi are teaming up for a new venture, Fly Green Socks, a multicultural media company focused on producing hip-hop narratives in film.

“Hip-hop is a culture defining superpower, influencing fashion, technology and even politics. But it’s severely underrepresented in Hollywood as its own film genre,” Valdés and Yang Bongiovi said in a statement announcing their partnership. “Our goal with Fly Green Socks is to create a new lane of films dedicated to uplifting the hip-hop ecosystem.”

According to an Ifpi survey, over 1.85 billion people worldwide listen to hip-hop.

The co-founders added: “With hip-hop celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, there’s a goldmine of untapped stories for us to champion with innovative filmmakers. We look forward to using our combined experience and deep relationships in music and film to deliver high-quality storytelling that impacts culture.”

Valdés and Yang Bongiovi first met while producing “Dope,...

Netflix’s Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop revisited the real OGs of the Hip-Hop movement for women and transformed Black culture through their poetry, art, and music. Directed and produced by Dream Hampton, Hannah Beachler, and Raeshem Nijhon, this groundbreaking series showcases how women reshaped the music industry and inspired generations. Despite Hip-Hop not being my favorite genre, what I appreciated about the documentary series is how it prompts us to contemplate the dedication and passion of these artists in pushing boundaries and becoming inspirations.

Even though many people around the world vibe with the music of contemporary Hip-Hop stars like Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, and Megan Thee Stallion, not everyone is familiar with the original trailblazers of the genre. In a male-dominated world, the story of how a woman became the first female Mc is often overlooked. However, thanks to this documentary, we gain valuable insights...

‘Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop‘ is a four-part documentary series that delves into the rich history and profound impact of women in the hip-hop genre, spanning from its early beginnings to the present day.

Hip-hop has rightfully become a cultural phenomenon, with African American women being one of its main pillars. This documentary is dedicated to them, the ladies of hip-hop, and the evolution of this music starting from the song “Rapper’s Delight” that gave it its name. It explores how this style quickly turned into a multi-billion dollar business, while also commenting on the social issues faced by African American women. Hip-Hop is a product of the inherent need to express the rights, wrongs, injustices and dreams that were deeply rooted in the struggles of the underprivileged classes.

‘Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop’, a Documentary about Women, Music and Society

“Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop...

‘Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop‘ is a four-part documentary series that delves into the rich history and profound impact of women in the hip-hop genre, spanning from its early beginnings to the present day.

Hip-hop has rightfully become a cultural phenomenon, with African American women being one of its main pillars. This documentary is dedicated to them, the ladies of hip-hop, and the evolution of this music starting from the song “Rapper’s Delight” that gave it its name. It explores how this style quickly turned into a multi-billion dollar business, while also commenting on the social issues faced by African American women. Hip-Hop is a product of the inherent need to express the rights, wrongs, injustices and dreams that were deeply rooted in the struggles of the underprivileged classes.

‘Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop’, a Documentary about Women, Music and Society

“Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop...

Hip-hop turns 50 on Aug. 11, and it seems that the whole world is celebrating. From concerts organized by Amazon and Mass Appeal to block parties put on by New York City, the festivities are plentiful. There is also a wide range of exhibits and galleries curated by artists of the hip-hop generation. It would be impossible to reference every single event happening for rap’s birthday, but here’s a list of notable Hip-Hop 50-related events happening this August.

Concerts and Events

Amazon Music: 50 & Forever: New York (through Aug. 10)

Rotation,...

There are a lot of firsts associated with Mc Sha-Rock, hip-hop's "mother of the mic." The Bronx, NY, native is the first female Mc in hip-hop history and the first to sign a record deal; the first woman to battle rap; and she was among the first to spit hip-hop rhymes on national television (appearing on "Saturday Night Live" in 1981 when she was pregnant with her first child). The original member of Funky 4, which later became the Funky 4 + 1, didn't just contribute to the history of women in hip-hop - she's the blueprint.

Despite her pioneering efforts in the '70s, Sha-Rock, born Sharon Green, has hardly been given her just due as a hip-hop trailblazer. The "That's the Joint" rapper also says she was never properly compensated for her music in her '80s heyday, as she, along with other hip-hop pioneers, later sued her former label Sugar Hill Records...

Editors’ Note: This interview is the first in a series commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop on August 11

“I mean, there were people who used to look at us at that time and say, ‘Where is the band?’” recalls LL Cool J of hip-hop’s early years and the reaction audiences would have.

As the genre hits its 50th birthday on August 11, no one is asking where the band is anymore. The culture that has emerged out of what Kool Herc was doing that night in 1973 in the rec room of 1520 Sedgwick Ave. in the West Bronx is the most popular musical genre on the planet.

One of the first mainstream stars of hip-hop, LL Cool J himself has come a long way from dropping his “I Need a Beat” single back in 1984. A multi-Grammy winner, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and the first rapper to receive a Kennedy Center Honor,...

British rapper Monie Love released her debut album in 1990, making her part of a generation of women in hip-hop who put the genre on the map worldwide. She was only 20 at the time of her debut album, and eventually received two Grammy nominations - making history as the first British female hip-hop artist to hold that distinction.

She has since held a long career in the music industry, including as an artist and a radio personality; you can listen to her on weekdays on Atlanta's Kiss 104.1 FM. She's also performing at the Rock the Bells festival in New York on Aug. 5.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, Love reflected on the women who paved the way for her, what it was like to come of age as a performer, and what this milestone means for someone who remembers being told the genre was just a fad. Read it all,...

Women in hip-hop are getting a major spotlight from Netflix next month in a new limited docuseries. Per the streamer, "Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop" aims to recall the history, impact, and influence of women in the culture, as well as "their role in the genre's 50 years by reinserting them into the canon where they belong: at the center, from day one to present day."

The trailer, which was released on July 26, plainly states that "Black women are crushing it in hip-hop right now," from "dominating the charts" to "being the ultimate influencers of the culture." So, in their own words, the docuseries gives women in hip-hop the floor to share their stories and honor the sisterhood that's contributed to their success.

The Netflix series has four installments that each feature a parade of iconic women rappers and originators, such as Mc Lyte, Queen Latifah, Rah Digga,...

Netflix has shared a trailer for its upcoming docuseries Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop, which will tell the history of the genre through a new lens, giving credit to the countless women who shaped it. Watch the trailer below.

The documentary will explain how Black women came to “dominate the charts” and become the “ultimate influences” of hip-hop culture, focusing both on pioneers of the genre as well as current-day superstars. Many influential rappers sit down for interviews, including Roxanne Shante, Mc Lyte, Queen Latifah, Rah Digga, Tierra Whack, Saweetie, and more. Notably, as commenters on YouTube have pointed out, the trailer makes no mention of Nicki Minaj, the best-selling female rapper of all time, but with four episodes, it’s still possible the series itself will correct this omission. The series is set to premiere on Netflix on August 9th.

“This timely limited doc series recontextualizes...

Mass Appeal is teaming up with Live Nation and Yankee Stadium to celebrate hip-hop’s birthday. Billed as “on the day it began in the Bronx, where it all started,” the triumvirate will host Hip Hop 50 Live on Aug. 11. The star-studded lineup will feature sets from a slew of artists, including a headlining, guest-filled set from Run-d.M.C., whose performance is being billed as “Bottom of the 9th … the Walk-Off.”

“I am honored to hit the stage in the Bronx, the birthplace of hip-hop and celebrate all of my heroes,...

After a long and heart-wrenching break-up last year, my final task in the moving-out process involved lugging box-after-box of back-breakingly heavy, hernia-inducing vinyl records. Woeful, sure, but what really made all those heaves and humps solemn was that I actually find a huge chunk of those records – mainly the hip-hop ones I bought as a young man and never sold – to be absolute trash today. Vile, bigoted, offensive trash. Welcome to the life of grown-up music fans everywhere: concerned about cultural sensitivity and back pain in equal measure.

It wasn’t always like this. I cut my teeth as a DJ playing hip-hop. The first time I ever played a club was bottom-of-the-bill supporting turntable pioneer Grandmaster Flash. In a maverick move, during a misunderstanding about DJ equipment, he went out of his way to tell me I was a disgrace to hip-hop. Maybe he was right, ultimately. The stuff...

After a long and heart-wrenching break-up last year, my final task in the moving-out process involved lugging box-after-box of back-breakingly heavy, hernia-inducing vinyl records. Woeful, sure, but what really made all those heaves and humps solemn was that I actually find a huge chunk of those records – mainly the hip-hop ones I bought as a young man and never sold – to be absolute trash today. Vile, bigoted, offensive trash. Welcome to the life of grown-up music fans everywhere: concerned about cultural sensitivity and back pain in equal measure.

It wasn’t always like this. I cut my teeth as a DJ playing hip-hop. The first time I ever played a club was bottom-of-the-bill supporting turntable pioneer Grandmaster Flash. In a maverick move, during a misunderstanding about DJ equipment, he went out of his way to tell me I was a disgrace to hip-hop. Maybe he was right, ultimately. The stuff...

Exclusive: A murderer’s row of rap talent including Ice-t and Nwa’s Arabian Prince is behind a new animated series that features an original score from Dr Dre.

Death For Hire: The Origin of Tehk City is a project that includes both a graphic novel and animated series.

The project will launch as a graphic novel from Z2 Comics, created by Ice-t, founding Nwa member Arabian Prince, and artist Tommy The Animator before the IP is rolled out as an animated series, music, toys and NFTs.

The graphic novel introduces a brutal ensemble of pushers and murderers in a world where the line between anti-hero and arch-villain blurs quickly.

The animated series, which is in production with conversations with streamers and networks, will feature the voice talent of the likes of Ice-t, his wife Coco, Snoop Dogg, Tracy Morgan, Busta Rhymes, Mike Epps, Treach, Arabian Prince, Peter Scanavino, Roxanne Shanté,...

Exclusive: Oscar- and Emmy-nominated director Lisa Cortés has signed a new first-look deal with Blue Ant Studios.

Running over two years with an option for more, the multiyear agreement will see the All In: The Fight For Democracy filmmaker collaborate with the Laura Michalchyshyn-led production company on a variety of scripted and unscripted projects.

With an emphasis on documentary, music, biography and history, the deal has already spawned an adaption of Clover Hope’s 2021 book The Motherlode: The 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop. Cortés and Blue Ant are in the process of developing a docuseries based on the book and innovators such as the legendary Roxanne Shanté, as well as Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott and Lizzo. In addition, the new deal has seen development on the scripted drama No Retreat, focusing on female Black and Indigenous soldiers fighting in World War II, and the superhero-fueled Little Apple from Riley S.

LL Cool J has an announcement to make, but first he has to make a quick stop at the bodega to pick up a few things. There’s the Rick Ross cigar, the Jadakiss chapstick, a few Digable Planets gumballs, a canister of Fat Joe and Remy Ma espresso ground coffee, Lil Kim chocolates, a DJ Scratch card, and the DJ Mister Cee peanut butter. Everything he couldn’t find there, he’ll just pick up in Queens, New York, where he’s headed with Ice Cube in the official...

Michael B. Jordan is aware of the fact that audiences will leave “A Journal for Jordan” talking about his booty.

There are a number of intimate and heartfelt moments in the Columbia Pictures romantic drama directed by Denzel Washington, which tells the true story of the late 1st Sgt. Charles Monroe King (Jordan) and his love, journalist-turned-publisher Dana Canedy (Chanté Adams). But in one particular love scene, the camera captures Jordan in the buff, with the frame just wide enough to show the actor’s butt.

It’s a brief (or lack thereof) moment, but if a woman’s ear-piercing scream in this reporter’s screening of the movie is any indication, there’s no way audiences will miss it.

When Variety asked the award-winning actor what reaction he expected when he first learned of the scene, Jordan chuckled as he searched for the appropriate words.

“I don’t think it was written like that,...

Biz Markie, the rapper, singer and actor behind the 1989 hit “Just a Friend,” died Friday in Baltimore. He was 57.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce, this evening, with his wife Tara by his side, hip hop pioneer Biz Markie peacefully passed away,” his rep Jenni Izumi said in a statement.

“We are grateful for the many calls and prayers of support that we have received during this difficult time. Biz created a legacy of artistry that will forever be celebrated by his industry peers and his beloved fans whose lives he was able to touch through music, spanning over 35 years. He leaves behind a wife, many family members and close friends who will miss his vibrant personality, constant jokes and frequent banter. We respectfully request privacy for his family as they mourn their loved one.”

He had been suffering from complications due to diabetes, according to TMZ.

Markie...

Exclusive: Sarah Catherine Hook and Imani Lewis have been cast as the leads in First Kill, Netflix’s upcoming series executive produced by Emma Roberts.

Written by Felicia D. Henderson and best-selling author Victoria “V. E.” Schwab, First Kill is based on a short story by Schwab.

In it, when it’s time for teenage vampire Juliette (Hook) to make her first kill so she can take her place among a powerful vampire family, she sets her sights on a new girl in town named Calliope (Lewis). But much to Juliette’s surprise, Calliope is a vampire hunter, from a family of celebrated slayers. Both find that the other won’t be so easy to kill and, unfortunately, way too easy to fall for…

Hook’s Juliette Fairmont is a shy, kind teenage girl who was born a vampire and determined to not be a monster. Her family has always...

Producer Mimi Valdes got a call from Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali in 2016 and she nearly had a panic attack. Valdes knew Ali just rehearsed with the lead actress of her upcoming film, a newcomer who just signed on to the project days ago. Was she bad? Did she have to recast with only a few days left before the start of shooting?

“That girl is a star,” Ali reassured her.

That star is Chanté Adams, who joined Valdes at the Landmark Theatres in Los Angeles Monday for a Q&A and screening of their film “Roxanne Roxanne.”

Also Read: 'Roxanne Roxanne' Star Nia Long on Film's Relationship With Hip-Hop Roots (Video)

Valdes had a reason to be scared at the time. This was Adams’ first role since graduating from Carnegie Mellon in 2016. The film’s casting director had seen her senior showcase and invited her to audition for the role.

Netflix collects reams of data, but it keeps most viewing metrics close its vest. That leaves third-party measurement firms to try to estimate what’s trending on the streaming service.

Occasionally, though, Netflix does dribble out a few stats — to promote its own original TV shows and movies. That’s despite the fact that the majority of subscriber viewing time is for content licensed from other studios according to independent research.

For what it’s worth, Netflix announced its three most-rewatched original movies of 2018: teen rom-coms “The Kissing Booth” and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” and “Roxanne Roxanne,” a biopic about rapper/hip-hop artist Roxanne Shanté. According to Netflix, almost 50% of viewers who watched “Kissing Booth” and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” rewatched them at least once.

Those three were tops among original films released between Jan. 1-Nov. 28, 2018, based on global viewing, Netflix said.

Though she stars opposite the wildly talented Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, newcomer Chanté Adams steals the show as the titular character in the hip-hop biopic “Roxanne Roxanne.” Writer-director Michael Larnell (“Cronies”), aided by producers Forest Whitaker and Pharrell Williams, tells a powerful true story of a spirited girl who must contend with a hard life of poverty, absent parents, assault and spousal abuse. Set mostly in the 1980s, this engaging story focuses on a decade in the life of rapper Roxanne Shanté (Adams). A girl from the projects in Queens, she went from shoplifting to provide for her family to...

At the age of 14, the Queens-based Roxanne Shanté emerged on the hip-hop scene, becoming a young star in the process. Now the subject of a new biopic Roxanne Roxanne, after premiering at Sundance Film Festival last year, Netflix picked up the film and ahead of a release in a few weeks, the first trailer has arrived. Written and directed by Michael Larnell, and starring Mahershala Ali, Nia Long and newcomer Chanté Adams, the film comes from the producers of Dope and Fruitvale Station.

“Get ready to hear the name Chanté Adams,” we said in our review. “She’s the stand-out in Michael Larnell‘s by-the-books, but nevertheless engrossing Roxanne Roxanne. Backed by producers, which include Forest Whitaker and Pharrell Williams, Larnell can count on more than just Adams’ star-making performance to make the film feel vitally alive as Nia Long and Mahershala Alialso provide captivating supporting turns.”

See the trailer below.

Netflix has unveiled a new trailer for Roxanne Roxanne, the biopic on rap pioneer Roxanne Shanté. The film, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, traces the life of Lolita "Roxanne Shanté" Gooden from the Queensbridge Projects to the national spotlight.

The Michael Larnell-directed film stars newcomer Chanté Adams in the titular role. Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) portrays the rapper's abusive boyfriend and Nia Long plays Shanté's mother, Peggy Gooden. The new trailer depicts the real-life struggles of the young aspiring rapper as she navigates her tumultuous romantic relationship, conflicts...

Back in the early 80s, one of the most feared battle rappers in the cradle of hip-hop, Queens, New York, was a 14-year-old girl.

The incredible and little-known true story behind Lolita “Roxanne Shanté” Gooden is now coming to the big screen, and People has the exclusive first trailer for the upcoming Netflix original.

The film was screened last year at the Sundance Film Festival, where Chanté Adams, who plays Shantê, won the festival’s Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance. Moonlight Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali and Nia Long also star in the biopic.

Shantê’s career kicked off after meeting fellow rapper Tyrone Williams,...

Back in the early 80s, one of the most feared battle rappers in the cradle of hip-hop, Queens, New York, was a 14-year-old girl.

The incredible and little-known true story behind Lolita “Roxanne Shanté” Gooden is now coming to the big screen, and People has the exclusive first trailer for the upcoming Netflix original.

The film was screened last year at the Sundance Film Festival, where Chanté Adams, who plays Shantê, won the festival’s Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance. Moonlight Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali and Nia Long also star in the biopic.

Shantê’s career kicked off after meeting fellow rapper Tyrone Williams,...

Exclusive: Wme has just signed Chanté Adams, the star of the Sundance film Roxanne Roxanne. All the agencies courted Adams after they saw her play Roxanne Shanté in Michael Larnell's biopic Roxanne Roxanne, opposite Mahershala Ali and Nia Long. Wme Global sold the film to Neon, which will release it later this year. Adams was awarded with the 2017 Sundance Special Jury Prize for Breakthrough Performance. It’s the first professional job for the 22-year-old since she came…...

Newcomer Chante Adams stars in one of Sundance’s biggest hits this year, “Roxanne Roxanne,” as one of the pivotal figures of 1980s hip-hop, Roxanne Shante. “It was a little nerve-wracking because I want to do her justice. I want to do this piece what it deserves.” Luckily, the real Roxanne Shante was on set for the shoot and made herself available for any help she could give. “Whenever I had a question about anything, it was great to have the source right there, and we had some fun times in between takes.” Also Read: Tupac Shakur Biopic Releases First Trailer on.

Get ready to hear the name Chante Adams. She’s the standout in Michael Larnell’s by-the-books, but nevertheless very engrossing Roxanne Roxanne.

Backed by producers which include Forest Whitaker and Pharrell Williams, Larnell can count on more than just Adams’ star-making performance to make her film feel vitally alive. Nia Long (Lemon) and, recently Oscar-nominated actor, Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) are particular standouts here as well.

Taliyah Whitaker plays Shante as a little girl living in the Queensbridge projects challenging men twice or even three times her age to freestyle rap battles. As she gets a little older her talent gets refined, but so does her chronic ability to shoplift. Shante wants out and knows the only way is through her raw talent for music. At home it isn’t any better, as her prone to alcoholism mother Peggy’s (Nia Long) bad choices in men seeps through Shante’s...