.

B-Sides Report for 09/29/2015



Young Thug Denies Lil Wayne Murder Plot Rumor

(Radio.com) Rapper Young Thug is hot on the promotional trail for his new album, Slime Season. He spoke to GQ Magazine about his upbringing and the weird relationship he has with Young Money leader Lil Wayne.

Thugger told the mag that he linked up with Cash Money boss Birdman because he idolized them his whole life, which is evident when he named a project Barter 6. "I wanted to stunt like Birdman, which I f-ing am. And I wanted to be like Wayne," he said.

Weezy has made it clear he has an issue with Young Thug. Thug says it does bother him. "But of course it bothers me some, because that's what I always wanted. It was so weird: I always wanted to be in the studio with Wayne. I would tell Birdman to bring him over, but he never f-ing came."

There were rumors Birdman and Young Thug were involved in a plot to have Lil Wayne killed. GQ asked the rapper if he had any part in the plan and Young Thug with an adamant "F- no." Read more here.

More on Young Thug - Young Thug Music, DVDs, Books and more - Young Thug T-shirts and Posters

Drake and Future Top The Album Chart With 'What A Time To Be Alive'

(CMR) Drake and Future have debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart with their new joint release mixtape, "What A Time To Be Alive," which was only released digitally. We were sent the following details:

The mixtape was released exclusively at Apple Music and on iTunes and sold over 375,000 copies. It also broke the previous Apple Music one-week record of 25 million streams which was held by Dr. Dre with 41 million streams in just over four days.

The figure more than doubles the initial first week of streaming numbers earned by Drake's acclaimed February release, "If You're Reading This It's Too Late," at all partners combined.

More on Drake - Drake Music, DVDs, Books and more - Drake T-shirts and Posters

Carly Rae Jepsen Announces North American Fall Tour

Carly Rae Jepsen has announced the initial dates for a North American fall headlining tour that she will be launching in support of her new studio album "E�MO�TION."

Jepsen has revealed four stops for the trek in major markets on the east coast. The tour will be kicking off in Washington D.C. on November 9th at The Fillmore.

The other announced dates include Boston on November 10th at The Paradise, New York City on November 11th and Philadelphia at The Trocadero on November 13th. Additional dates are still to be announced.

More on Carly Rae Jepsen - Carly Rae Jepsen Music, DVDs, Books and more - Carly Rae Jepsen T-shirts and Posters

Bobby Brown's Lawyer Blames Bobbi Kristina's Death On Her Boyfriend

(Radio.com) Officials recently announced they were keeping the autopsy report of Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, sealed. In no time, attorney's for Bobby Brown praised the decision and pointed a finger at Bobbi Kristina's beau Nick Gordon for having played a part in harming Bobbi Kristina.

Billboard reports Brown's lawyer, Christopher Brown released a statement, "In regards to civil litigation, we believe we know who harmed Bobbi Kristina Brown and his name is Nick Gordon."

The attorney also brought the public's attention to Gordon withdrawing a motion to dismiss the $40 million lawsuit the Houston family brought against him.

Christopher Brown allege Bobbi Kristina's boyfriend did that "so that he could avoid having to give his deposition which was scheduled for the day he withdrew the motion. Mr. Gordon will now have to give his deposition under oath." Read more here.

More on Whitney Houston - Whitney Houston Music, DVDs, Books and more - Whitney Houston T-shirts and Posters

Chris Brown Makes Deal For Las Vegas Residency

(Radio.com) Chris Brown's Las Vegas residency is taking shape, in a new deal that will give the singer a steady stage in Sin City. According to Billboard, Brown has signed a deal with Drai's Beachclub & Nightclub in Vegas.

But "the specifics being reported are incorrect," said a Brown rep to Billboard. The early reports from TMZ said the singer will receive $50k per show and will include Trey Songz.

Chris Brown joins a long list of performers who have taken up a residency in Vegas, including Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez-who announced the title of the show, 'All I Have," last week. Read more here.

More on Chris Brown - Chris Brown Music, DVDs, Books and more - Chris Brown T-shirts and Posters

Bleachers Giving Away Female-Fronted 'Terrible Thrills Vol. 2' Album

(Radio.com) Bleachers are re-releasing the Strange Desire album, but this time it features female singers replacing frontman Jack Antonoff's vocals in each and every song. With the re-imagination, the album would also receive a new title, Terrible Thrills. Among the singers replacing Antonoff are Charli XCX, Sia, Elle King, Sara Bareilles, Tinashe, Susanna Hoffs, Natalie Maines, Brooke Candy and MØ.

Antonoff explained how the project went from concept to reality. "i love female voices. i wish i had one. when i write songs i typically hear things in a female voice and then match it an octave lower so i can hit the notes. that's why so many bleachers' songs are sung so low. i could change the key but i like things sounding like a male version of what in my head was a female-sung song. I've always written this way. so with that in mind i wanted to release a version of my record that spoke to how it was written and the ways i originally heard it in my head before i recorded and sang it. i think it's important for people to know where the songs come from and why the songs come out sounding the way they do. i hear my music as my interpretation of a song I'm writing as a female in my head, so i wanted to make that a reality with the artists who inspire me to write in the first place.

"i first had this specific idea 6 years ago when i was making the 3rd steel train album. that's why this is volume 2 - because volume 1 happened for the self titled steel train album. the 'terrible thrills' concept is something i see being a thread through different bands and projects i do. its non specific to any band or record - it's just speaks to the way i hear music. i think every record I make should have a female companion record to go with it.

"the process making this was all over the place. some artists fully recorded and recreated the versions, some i worked with them on. the collection is completely bizarre thing for me to listen to because it feels so personal as to how i write. it feels like the part of my process that I'm suppose to keep to myself or something and hearing it in headphones is utterly strange and wonderful.

"one more note on TT is that this is and was always meant to be free for everyone to hear. this project took a year and tons of recording sessions and through that we all felt very proud that something as intense as a full album could be given to the people who bought the original work as a further look into it. I've loved how the strange desire record cycle has grown and changed constantly over the past year and a half. as i write this from the studio where I'm making the second bleachers album, i see terrible thrills as the final chapter for strange desire. ok- enjoy it!! talk soon"

As the New York Times points out, one famous female absent from the album is Taylor Swift, whom Antonoff worked with on her album 1989. He explained, "The body of work that Taylor and I have put out there stands separately."

Terrible Thrills is available now as a free download via Google Play. Listen to the full album here.

More on Bleachers - Bleachers Music, DVDs, Books and more - Bleachers T-shirts and Posters

Wiz Khalifa Streaming New Track 'King of Everything'

(Radio.com) Wiz Khalifa released a new track called "King of Everything" on Monday. Produced by Cosmo and ID Labs, the track backs up Wiz Khalifa's boast with a hard-driving beat.

This isn't the only new music from the star that has surfaced latterly. Earlier this month, Wiz Khalifa released new music with Rae Sremmurd called "Burn Slow," which followed up his number one-filled summer.

The rapper's track from Furious 7, "See You Again," featuring Charlie Puth, reached the top spot on Billboard's 100 and stayed there for several weeks. Check out the new song here.

More on Wiz Khalifa - Wiz Khalifa Music, DVDs, Books and more - Wiz Khalifa T-shirts and Posters

Young Thug and The Game Feud Reignited

(Radio.com) Young Thug and The Game have re-ignited their beef, after Game spoke about Thug during an interview with a New York radio show. This time Thug responded via Instagram on Sunday (Sept. 27) to the Game's recent comments about their ongoing feud.

"See I was minding my business trying to promote my little video I got to work for the song Power, And I go on the Breakfast Club being nosey and see this p-y ass n-- Game talking to p-y ass n-- Charlamagne' you is not about that action. I'm fittin' to upload this video."

The video, which was uploaded to Instagram, shows Game apologizing to Young Thug via iChat, in what was apparently a private conversation. "Real n--s apologize," Game could be seen/heard saying through a cracked iPhone. "I got a lot of respect. We got too many n--s all up in the s-. So it's all love my n--. I'm gonna take that for the team." Read more here.

More on Young Thug - Young Thug Music, DVDs, Books and more - Young Thug T-shirts and Posters

The Staple Singers Earliest Recordings Part Of New Box Set

A new 4-disc box set from The Staple Singers, covering material from the group's entire career, is set to be released on November 13th and will include a special vinyl 7" that features their earliest known recordings.

The set will be entitled "Faith and Grace: A Family Journey 1953-1976" and will be released by Stax/Concord Music Group in a limited edition deluxe box set version with 4CDs and the 7" vinyl disc, and digitally. Fans can preorder it here.

The box set will be housed in an old-school "45-folio" and will include a book with rare photographs and liner notes from Mavis Staples, James Miller, Opal Louis Nations and producer Joe McEwen.

The special 7" vinyl bonus disc will feature the acclaimed group's earliest known recordings, "Faith and Grace" and "These Are They," which were created in 1953 in the Chicago basement of a friend of Pops Staples.

The only time that these recordings had previous been available was directly from the group who released a limited run of about 500 copies that they had pressed on 78 RPM records.

The set will also include the 1960 live performance in Clarksdale, Mississippi "Medley: Too Close/I'm On My Way Home/I'm Coming Home/He's Alright (Live)," which has previously never been released in its entirety. See the full tracklisting here.

More on The Staple Singers - The Staple Singers Music, DVDs, Books and more - The Staple Singers T-shirts and Posters

Justin Bieber Reveals Details About Selena Gomez Relationship

(Radio.com) Justin Bieber opened up about a variety of topics, from his many run-ins with the law to his highly-publicized relationship with Selena Gomez in a Q&A session for Complex's October/November 2015 cover story.

While speaking about his famous ex-girlfriend, the "What Do You Mean?" singer made several big reveals, likening their on-again/off-again relationship to a marriage and saying they started living together when he was just a teen.

"I moved in with my girlfriend when I was 18. Started my own life with her. It was a marriage kind of thing," Bieber explained. "Living with a girl, it was just too much at that age. But we were so in love. Nothing else mattered. We were all about each other."

However, Bieber mused that being so invested in one another actually lead to 'Jelena's' downfall as a couple, saying, "Your girl or your dude, they're always going to disappoint you. Your full identity can't be in that person."

"My identity was in her. Her identity was in me," he added. "When stuff would happen, I would lose my freakin' mind, and she would lose her mind, and we would fight so hard because we were so invested in each other."

The 21-year-old pop superstar also seemingly admitted to the fact the he's been casually dating, and because of that, he's come to the realization that he's still very scarred from his relationship with Gomez. Read more here.

More on Justin Bieber - Justin Bieber Music, DVDs, Books and more - Justin Bieber T-shirts and Posters

Swizz Beatz To Host 4th Annual Global Spin Awards

(5W) Swizz Beatz has been announced at the host of The Fourth Annual Global Spin Awards which will be taking place on November 17th at the Best Buy Theatre in New York City. We were sent the following details:

"The Global Spin Awards has quickly grown into a movement that celebrates and recognizes the enormous contributions DJs have made to both the music and entertainment industries," said Shawn Prez, Founder of the Global Spin Awards. "DJs are not only the gatekeepers to what's next in music but they are at the forefront of culture, serving as the tastemakers for our generation and generations to come. They are the driving force and influencers that impact diverse audiences globally and across various genres. We are honored to have Swizz Beatz host this year's GSA and know that his unique expertise will allow him to set the shows tone and easily connect with his peers to the fans at home."

Categories include DJ's and producers from all regions, spanning all genres. Highlights of this year's nominees are DJ Mustard, DJ Envy, and DJ Skrillex. DJ Khaled and Diplo were among the few nominated for the producer category, while DJ Esco and DJ Clue were among the few nominated for mixtape of the year. Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon, DJ Daddy Kat (Wiz Khalifa) and Paris Hilton were nominated for top celebrity DJ's while top album nominees included Calvin Harris and Funkmaster Flex to name a few.

"I am thrilled to host this year's fourth annual Global Spin Awards," said Swizz Beatz. "This award show gives talented DJs the overdue recognition they deserve. Every individual that has been nominated contributes to the culture and more importantly, the music. I am honored to serve as the host of the fourth annual award show and be a part of this universal team of phenomenal DJs."

Last year's show was hosted by Lala Anthony and attended by some of the industry's biggest entertainers including Sean "Diddy" Combs, Ne-Yo, and DJ Khaled. Previous winners of the 2014 Global Spin Awards include: DJ Mustard (DJ of the Year); Jermaine Dupri (Celebrity DJ of the Year); and Diplo (EDM DJ of the Year). See the full list of nominees

More on Swizz Beatz - Swizz Beatz Music, DVDs, Books and more - Swizz Beatz T-shirts and Posters

Dierks Bentley, Jake Owen Lead Stars and Strings Lineup

(Radio.com) CBS Radio has announced the first ever "Stars and Strings" concert event, featuring the biggest names in country music including Dierks Bentley, Gary Allan, Hunter Hayes, Jake Owen, Justin Moore, Kip Moore, Lee Brice, Little Big Town and The Band Perry.

The stripped-down acoustic concert will see all of the artists perform solo and in various combinations for our nation's heroes and their families on Veterans Day, November 11, at the Chicago Theatre.

As a tribute to those who currently serve or have previously served in our armed forces, a portion of the proceeds will benefit Folds of Honor, which provides educational support to spouses and children of America's fallen and wounded soldiers. There are more than one million dependents adversely affected by military deployments and of that number, nearly nine out of ten do not qualify for federal scholarship assistance.

The Stars and Strings concert is presented by The United Association's Veterans in Piping Program, offering returning veterans a career in the Union Pipe Trades. Read more here.

More on Dierks Bentley - Dierks Bentley Music, DVDs, Books and more - Dierks Bentley T-shirts and Posters

TomorrowWorld Attendees Slam Event's Promoters

(Radio.com) Festivals can fall prey to bad weather or poor coordination at times, but those who attended TomorrowWorld over the weekend encountered deplorable conditions thanks to what some believe was the promoters' lack of preparation (via YourEDM).

Held in Chattahoochee, Georgia, the electronica musical festival has been making headlines after leaving many festival goers stranded in the rain without transportation. But, really, it's much worse than a few thousand people getting wet.

After inclement weather overtook the area, organizers closed all roads leading to or away from the festival and canceled all hotel shuttles. As dirt roads quickly turned muddy, some festival goers decided to make the nearly five-mile trek back to their accommodations because Uber and other means of transportation were unavailable. Others decided to sleep on the side of the road. For those who chose to stay on the festival grounds, organizers failed to provide any kind of shelter, food, water or other necessary resources.

On Monday, attendees have taken to social media to share their disdain with the entire experience. Kaskade even went on Twitter to sympathize with festival goers, throwing in a disparaging remark about how the festival treats its artists. See some of the tweets here.

More on EDM - EDM Music, DVDs, Books and more - EDM T-shirts and Posters

Kanye West Explains The Importance Of Sweatshirts

(Radio.com) Kanye West is at it again. This time the producer, rapper and clothing designer opened up in an interview with Vanity Fair, which focuses on the importance of sweatshirts.

In the Vanity Fair interview, West discusses his season 2 line of Yeezus, which features muted earth tones. "I was so happy to just show so many sweatshirts. It's as simple as that. I think sweatshirts are the way of the future," said West.

He added, "Sweatshirts are f-ing important. That might sound like the funniest quote ever. How can you say all this stuff about running for president in 2020 and then say sweatshirts are important? But they are. Just mark my words. Mark my words like Mark Twain." Read more here.

More on Kanye West - Kanye West Music, DVDs, Books and more - Kanye West T-shirts and Posters

Thomas Rhett Talks New Album 'Tangled Up'

(Radio.com) Thomas Rhett's new album Tangled Up was written all over America, during a year-long tour in support of Thomas Rhett's first album, It Goes Like This, which yielded three #1 singles.

Apparently, something about the highway made him feel creative, and he got inspiration to write new songs while coming down from the rush of playing to the crowds. Something about the sold-out shows that made him want to return to the tour bus and write something exciting. And so, with the help of a handful of co-writers, Rhett came up with a new batch of songs before sound checks, after encores, and during the long rides from one city to the next.

Which is probably why Tangled Up feels like such an upbeat, energetic record; after all, he wrote much of it will still feeling the adrenaline rush of a concert. "At our shows, there aren't any rules," he says. "There's no such thing as standing still and just singing a song.I love jumping into the crowd. I love to dance. The whole show is very uptempo, high energy, and completely unpredictable." Read more here.

More on Thomas Rhett - Thomas Rhett Music, DVDs, Books and more - Thomas Rhett T-shirts and Posters

Cold War Kids' Nathan Willet Discusses Hit Song 'First'

(Radio.com) Cold War Kids frontman Nathan Willet spoke with Radio.com about their new hit single "First," a song that, Willet says almost didn't make the album. The track is currently No. 3 on Billboard's Alternative Chart.

Radio.com: We're talking about "First" because it's so huge. There are so many interpretations of the lyrics, because you use so many metaphors. Does the video depict the real story, or just one interpretation?

Yeah, I think it's another interpretation. It definitely is not--I think the story, or whatever there is to be interpreted, is an interesting one because it truly is one of those songs that came out so fast and so kind of stream-of-conscious style, and very unlike so many of our other songs we've done.

But then in a way I think it's got something in common with probably a large number of Cold War Kids songs, kind of overcoming some doubt. There's a story there where there's like somebody just kind of burning out and needs to get their life back together. There are some very clear things in there; it's just the idea of like waking up in somebody's front lawn with the sprinklers turning on and not knowing where you are.

Radio.com: What is it about the song that connected so quickly with fans?

Probably simplicity is a lot of it. It's one where we just kinda let it be what it was. There's not a lot of major changes, a lot of kinetic movement or explosive sound happening. It's just something that kind of like, it sets in, and it does--I think it lets the vocal be very up front.

It was I think as surprising to us that so many people connected to it. It was literally just the last, last, last song for the record where we were thinking it was just maybe a B-side or something, and we thought, 'Okay, we'll finish this one." And the minute that we were sending these songs in to the label and management and said, 'Okay, these are all done," and people freaked out the minute they heard that song. And we were shocked. And they were like, 'This is gonna be a great single," and we were like, 'Wow, okay. So we'll put it on the record, we won't just let it be a B-side." Read the rest of the interview here.

More on Cold War Kids - Cold War Kids Music, DVDs, Books and more - Cold War Kids T-shirts and Posters

Share this article

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it Share on Reddit email this article

Click here to read today's full Day in Rock report