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B-Sides Report for 08/20/2015



Iggy Azalea Denies Heroin Rumors Sparked By Alleged Track Marks Photo

(Radio.com) Rumors circulating that Iggy Azalea is using heroin have been denied by the rapper, as she took to Twitter to dispel the accusations. The allegations surfaced when pictures of the musician appeared to some to show track marks on her hand.

"Just landed in Australia and I am dying with laughter because nicks just showed me an article that says I'm a heroin addict," Azalea tweeted. "WHAT?! LOL."

"could be injecting heroin into my hands�." she continued, "OR could just be scratches from @AleHerself's evil cat that attacked me the other week." A look at the pictures certainly shows some ambiguity as to what the cause of Azalea's injury could be. Read more here.

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Lady Gaga Vs. Breast Milk Company

(Radio.com) Lady Gaga is taking on an old rival over copyright infringement--The Licktators, a U.K.-based breast milk ice cream company. Billboard reports that she sent the company a cease-and-desist letter after the company began selling an ice cream named Royal Baby Gaga, in honor of the royal baby.

Gaga--rather understandably--believes that the name is an infringement on her stage name. Nadine O'Connor, a spokesperson for the company, told the U.K. magazine The Mirror that The Licktators had been asked to remove all products from stores within 14 days.

She explained that "We will not be bullied into removing content from social media relating to our product and subsequent media coverage. However, we will send complimentary tubs of our ice cream to Lady Gaga for chilling out to, as a gesture of peace and goodwill." Read more here.

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Mumford And Sons and Mark Hoppus Cover 'Sweet Dreams'

(Radio.com) Blink 182's Mark Hoppus joined recently electric English rockers Mumford And Sons on stage on Tuesday night at The Forum in Inglewood, CA and video has surfaced.

Hoppus and Mumford were joined by tour openers The Vaccines and Jack Garratt for a cover of The Eurythmics' 1983 classic "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)".

Mumford and Sons have one more stop on their Gentlemen of the Road tour before heading overseas for festival dates. The final mini festival, or Stopover as the band refers to them, will take place on August 22nd and 23rd in Salida, Colorado and will feature The Flaming Lips, Jenny Lewis and Dawes among others. Watch the video of the "Sweet Dreams" performance here.

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Dr. Dre And Ice Cube Want Out Of Suge Knight's Wrongful Death Lawsuit

(Radio.com) Lawyers for Dr. Dre and Ice Cube have asked a judge to let them off the hook as defendants in a wrongful death lawsuit, in which Suge Knight hit a man with his SUV near a shoot location for the film, Straight Outta Compton.

The lawsuit, filed by the wife of the deceased, blamed Dre and Cube as the film's producers for her husband's death. It asserts that it is part of a "tragic tale of how reckless corporate greed, disguised as a quest for authenticity, lead to a foreseeable altercation that resulted in the death of a successful businessman named Terry Carter, and left his wife of 28 years, and his two daughters asking why his death ever had to occur," as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

Suge Knight, Dre's former partner at Death Row Records, has long plagued Dre with taunts and threats since their splitting in the 1990s. The motion blames the parties involved for not averting the risk that Suge presented with his mere presence and history of violence.

"These allegations plainly demonstrate that allowing Suge to remain at the base camp posed a serious risk that Suge could have injured someone at the camp--including Dr. Dre� or one of the numerous cast and crew working on the film. Certainly, the risk that Suge might leave the base camp and proceed to his fatal confrontation with Carter was no more foreseeable than the possibility that Suge would injure or kill someone else if he had been permitted to stay." Read more here.

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Taylor Swift Shares 7 Year-Old Piano Prodigy's '1989' Medley

(Radio.com) Jacob Velazquez is a 7 year Taylor Swift fan. But that's not what makes him different from other boys his age. No, it's not the Autism either. Jacob is a piano prodigy and has recorded a frankly pretty incredible medley of songs from Swift's 1989 album.

Only hours after posting it, the omnipresent "Bad Blood" singer retweeted a link to the Autism Speaks website showcasing the young talent. "My 7 year-old son Jacob was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4," explained his mother Tina. "He is a gifted pianist and loves Taylor Swift."

"I sometimes sit with him at the piano and call out track numbers from her most recent album," Tina continues. "Jacob will play the song that corresponds, without ever being taught the music notes."

According to his mother, Velazquez listens to her album every day and is constantly watching her videos on YouTube. Read more here.

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The Weeknd Previews Kanye West Produced 'Tell Your Friends'

(Radio.com) The Weeknd's new album Beauty Behind the Madness arrives on August 28th but we got a taste of the new track 'Tell Your Friends" when the singer played a snippet of the Kanye West produced song over a PA system during his concert in Las Vegas on Tuesday night.

It's not the only timely collaboration between Yeezus and Abel Tesfaye. The Weeknd recently modeled a few pieces of Kanye West's YEEZY Adidas collaboration for a GQ photo shoot and according to the 'Can't Feel My Face" singer, the army surplus-inspired gear felt like it was designed for someone like him.

'I really felt like he targeted someone like me," The Weeknd told the mens fashion magazine. 'The camo, the army look, the black boots, the nonchalant kind of vagrant look. I relate to it. It relates to my story. Kanye is such a great friend of mine as well, when he asked me I couldn't say no. It was the least I could do."

Watch the clip here.

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Rick Ross Releases New 'Heavyweight' Video

(Radio.com) Rick Ross isn't done using his most recent album Hood Billionaire for creative inspiration--he just premiered a new video for the song 'Heavyweight" off the 2014 release through WorldStarHipHop.

The video is comprised of a variety of clips of Ross from the last few months. We go behind the scenes of his luxurious lifestyle--the camera follows him as he flits between club performances in front of packed crowds, moves in and out of a variety of luxury vehicles, and sprays champagne all over the place. He's joined in his adventures by his associate Slab, who features on the song.

One part of the video takes place in a setting that seems incongruous with the otherwise fancy hotels, clubs, and vehicles where the video takes place--a humble kitchen where Ross sips on a beer like a dad after work.

All becomes clear though, at 3:14--we see Ross flaunt his ankle monitor, related to his recent house arrest on kidnapping charges. Sometimes sitting around the kitchen isn't out of character for Rozay. Watch the very NSFW video here.

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Madame Tussauds Reacts To Inappropriate Nicki Minaj Wax Figure Photos

(Radio.com) Nicki Minaj's wax figure is unlike most celebrity likenesses at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas. Guests are not only welcome to take photos with the figure, but they are encouraged in what the museum calls an "interactive and immersive experience."

Unfortunately, a recent trend has developed where patrons have been posing in sexually suggestive positions with the Minaj look-alike. While a group of women recently groped the wax figure, one particular fan hopped up on the table posed himself behind Minaj's likeness in a rather racy manner.

After a public outcry, Madame Tussauds has issued an apology and says the tourist attraction will beef up security next to the popular display. It appears they will also create some type of barrier.

"We are taking immediate steps to ensure more staff are present in this area and that the set around this particular figure is redesigned so that a picture like this cannot be taken like this again," Madame Tussauds said in a release Tuesday. Read more here.

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Selena Gomez Releases NSFW "Good For You" Remix Video

(Radio.com) A few short weeks after the release of the official "Good for You" music video, Selena Gomez has put out a beefed-up remix of the sensual track, offering an intensified web of production behind her vocals and an added feature from rapper A$AP Rocky. Now, there's a video for the remix, and don't worry, Selena spends just as much time in the shower.

For fans of the original video, this one won't offer many surprises. Selena still finds herself writhing around on the floor and chartreuse couch of that same warehouse space. Added to the video are superimposed images of Rocky, either pacing around, or rapping in front of glitchy green-screen images.

If the slightly adapted video proves one thing, it's that Selena is officially reborn, more sexy, mature, and devious than we've seen her--and she wants us to know it. The singer's upcoming album should offer a broader picture of her transformation, and as indicated by an Instagram hint, the aptly titled Revival hits shelves on October 9. Watch the explicit video here.

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Rihanna and Nicki Minaj Took A Pass On Major Lazer's 'Lean On'

(Radio.com) One of the songs of the summer is, for sure, Major Lazer's "Lean On" which is as notable for the production as it is from the vocal lines sung by Danish singer Mo.

Though the singer had been receiving considerable buzz before the collaboration (also due to his appearance at Coachella this year), the moment has without a doubt been a major breakthrough for her.

So, considering the minimal popularity that Mo� had going into the project, it is not surprising to hear that she was not the first choice to sing on the song. In an interview with Time (via NME), Diplo says that the song was written with Mo� as a slow reggae track and then offered to Nicki Minaj and Rihanna as possible collaborators, but both passed on the song.
Read more here.

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Watch Mike Epps' Parodies Ghostface Killah and Action Bronson Beef

(Radio.com) Comedian Mike Epps has given Ghostface Killah the parody treatment, in which he captures the Wu-Tang member's video rant against Action Bronson.

"I gave you a green Now & Later," Epps jokes. "You ate all my s-' Don't ask for no more of my donuts�" The real beef stemmed from an Action Bronson interview that took place in July. The rapper, whose rhyme style and vocal tone is often compared to Ghost's, told ESPN's SportsNation that Ghostface "isn't rapping like this no more."

The beef between then seemed to die down after Ghost's video rant was met with a Twitter apology from Bronson. See the tweet and watch Mike Epp's parody here.

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Alessia Unplugs For Cover Of Drake's 'Hotline Bling'

(Radio.com) Canadian singer Alessia Cara has made a splash with her debut single "Here," anti-anthem ode to high school parties. Now the nineteen year-old is covering another famous Canadian, Drake.

Watch her acoustic take on the "Started From The Bottom" rapper's "Hotline Bling," which Drake famously teased at his barber's wedding. Cara's version was recorded for a Sydney television station.

Alessia's debut EP Four Pink Walls is set to be released on August 28th via Def Jam. Watch the video of her unplugged performances of Drake's "Hotline Bling" here.

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Rob Thomas Talks New Single 'The Great Unknown'

(Radio.com) Rob Thomas, solo artist and Matchbox Twenty frontman is back with The Great Unknown. The first single, "Trust You," is, according to Thomas, "About that friend everyone has, who, no matter how stable you are, will call you up, you'll go out, and it'll be four in the morning and you've wound up in some weird Thai bar playing Russian roulette. You don't know how you got there, but all of a sudden, you're Frank from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia down in the basement with a towel wrapped around your head."

Everyone may not actually have a friend quite like that, but we get what he means. The title track, however, is a bit more serious. It's about the well-documented health problems his wife Marisol has experienced lately (and she has occasionally updated fans on her condition via Rob's Facebook page).

"I am amazed at how strong and resilient she is," he says. "I realized that I had written songs about her like, 'Ever The Same' and 'Her Diamonds' and they almost paint her in a victim light, and I didn't like that. It was important to me to write a song that shows how strong she is."

When Thomas played Marisol the song, she suggested it be the album's title. 'She said, 'Because any endeavor you go into is the great unknown. Your motive, your intention, and your purpose are the only things you can control. Whatever is going to happen when it's done, you have no hand in.' It's funny, success is really only 50 percent up to you." Read more here.

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How Kip Moore Avoided Sophomore Slump With 'Wild Ones'

(Radio.com) It's the cliche about second albums: artists have their whole life to write their first album, and then only a year or so to write their second. But Kip Moore tells Radio.com that he didn't experience any sophomore slump on Wild Ones.

"I didn't have to 'cram' to write this record, because I never stop writing," he said. He also has a lot riding on this album. "I have a family--and when I say a 'family,' I mean my band and crew--and they rely on me to write these songs and make another successful record to keep this thing going. But then, there's the pressure from me. That was the pressure for me, this time around. "

The pressure also came from his record label and management. Moore both values that input (to be sure, not all artists do). "You don't want to tune it all out, there's a lot of valuable advice coming your way from all directions. I just noticed that with the success of the first record, there's a lot more riding on this one. For someone like me who has always had such a clear vision, it's about filtering out the bad advice and running with the things that are good ideas. But these people [at the label and management company] know a lot, they know what they're talking about. But you have to be firm and know what your stance is. There were a lot of fights to get the things that I wanted from this record. Like the cover art."

Indeed, the cover looks more like a rock album from the '70s or '80s than anything you've seen in country. Which is appropriate, as some of his biggest influences are Springsteen, Petty and Seger.

"That's a very different album cover for country music. I wanted my album cover to embody who I am as an artist, and who we are as a band. And to symbolize what the record is. For me, it was about creating something that's really gonna stick out and that embodies what the album is. The album has so much desperation in it, and that people screams that. It was just about capturing that." Read more here.

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