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B-Sides Report for 12/09/2015



2 Chainz Pays Military Veteran's Rent For An Entire Year

(Radio.com) Rapper 2 Chainz is a well known and very successful hip-hop artist, but as a child his family struggled to make ends meet. Today, he doesn't take his success for granted. And in a beautiful act of "paying it forward," he rapper surprised military veteran Deirdre Plater by paying her rent for an entire year and refurnishing her home.

He was able to do this thanks to the sales of his "Dabbing Santa" ugly sweater. A portion of the proceeds of the sweater's sales go to his T.R.U. Foundation, which helps needy families who receive financial support from the state of Georgia.

The special moment 2 Chainz told Plater what he had done for her was caught on camera. "#DabbinSanta started out as a trendy guy but has grown & become a blessing. Not only did he stop eviction for this lady who served our country and help keep a roof over her sons head but he fully furnished there home!!

"All of that was made possible by YOU supporting #DabbinSanta Lets keep it going!!! If you know someone in need this holiday please share your stories [email protected] A photo posted by 2 Chainz Aka Tity Boi (@hairweavekiller) on Dec 6, 2015 at 9:56am PST" Read more and take a look at the emotional video here.

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Iggy Azalea Accepts Erykah Badu's 'Apology'

(Radio.com) In what has to be the world's silliest "beef," Iggy Azalea and Erykah Badu may finally be burying the hatchet. Azalea posted on Twitter Tuesday that she accepts Erykah Badu's half-hearted apology.

Amid pressure from her kids, who are big Iggy fans, Badu posted an "apology" to Twitter Monday (Dec. 7). Not one to fully give in to demands, though, she flippantly told her kids to go "be with her then" if they love Azalea so much.

Still, Iggy responded on Twitter, penning a surprisingly thoughtful and slightly hilarious response to Badu. "Tell the kids I'm a big fan of mom, even if we don't agree where to file my music in their iTunes folders," she posted on Twitter. Read more here.

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Adele Song Plagiarism Allegation Dismissed By Critic

(Radio.com) Adele has had an unstoppable six weeks with the release of her blockbuster album 25 and its lead single "Hello." With record-breaking sales and universal public admiration, the English songstress is on top of the music world.

However, the singer has come under fire from fans of Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya: They claim her song "Million Years Ago" bears a more-than-passing resemblance to his 1985 track "Acılara Tutunmak."

Kaya's career in Turkey spanned 20 albums of protest music and other social justice anthems. His devoted fans were quick to notice similarities between the artist's song and the new Adele track, which she performed on the Today Show last month. "Adele has stolen from us," wrote one Twitter user.

It didn't take long for experts to weigh in on the controversy. Turkish music critic Naim Dilmener told the Andolu news agency, "I don't think Adele listened to Ahmet Kaya's song and copied it deliberately." He noted the tune was easy to "figure out."

The Kurdish artist's widow Gulten Kaya told Turkish newspaper Posta that plagiarism was unlikely. Check out the clips and decide for yourself here.

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Coldplay's Late Late Show Appearance Goes Online

(popmusiclife) Coldplay performed a pair of tracks from their newly-released album "A Head Full Of Dreams" on CBS-TV's The Late Late Show with James Corden on Monday and video from the appearance has gone online.

The group played the project's lead single, "Adventure Of A Lifetime", and closed the program with the title track - which included a guest appearance by the host on piano.

Earlier in the broadcast, Coldplay sat down with Corden to discuss their seventh record, which includes guest appearances by Beyonce, Noel Gallagher, Tove Lo and Merry Clayton.

"A Head Full Of Dreams" was produced by Norwegian duo Stargate and Rik Simpson and recorded in Malibu, Los Angeles and London. Available most places upon its release last Friday, the group held the record back from Spotify for one week; it will be on the streaming service as of December 11.

Coldplay will perform the Super Bowl 50 halftime show at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA on February 7. The band is set to launch a 2016 world tour in support of the project in Buenos Aires, Argentina on March 31. Watch the TV appearance here.

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Ellie Goulding Performs 'On My Mind' On The Voice

(popmusiclife) Ellie Goulding performed her single "On My Mind" on NBC-TV's The Voice on Monday. The lead track from her newly-released album, "Delirium", is currently sitting at No. 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

The UK singer's third album debuted in her native country and on the US Billboard 200 chart at No. 3 while delivering Goulding her highest-charting record in the States and her highest first-week sales figures in both territories.

Goulding has just been nominated for a pair of Grammy Awards at next February's event in Los Angeles. Issued earlier this year as a single from the Fifty Shades Of Grey soundtrack - and also available on "Delirium" - the tune "Love Me Like You Do" is up for Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Song Written For Visual Media.

The 58th Annual Grammy Awards will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 15 and broadcast on CBS from 8-11:30 p.m. ET.

Goulding will launch the Delerium World Tour in Hamburg, Germany on January 21. A European and UK trek will be followed by North American shows, which will start April 1 in Vancouver, BC. Watch The Voice performance here.

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Jared Leto Apologizes To Taylor Swift and Her Fans Over TMZ Video

(Radio.com) Yesterday we reported some fighting words Jared Leto had for Taylor Swift's 1989. The Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman appeared in a video leaked by TMZ disparaging audio of Swift's triumphant blockbuster, nominated this week for seven GRAMMYs.

While Leto gave positive notes on Song and Record of the Year nominee "Blank Space," he was less forgiving of the critically maligned "Welcome to New York."

The Academy Award-winning actor took to Twitter to put the "Bad Blood" to rest." "The truth is I think @taylorswift13 is amazing + an incredible example of what's possible," he tweeted. "If I hurt her or her fans my sincerest apologies." Read more here.

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Justin Bieber Covers Beatles, Drake At Acoustic Show

(Radio.com) Justin Bieber went acoustic at a Toronto show on Monday night (Dec. 7), pleasing fans with covers of The Beatles, Drake and others. The concert, called An Evening with Justin Bieber, was a homecoming affair of sorts at Toronto's Danforth Music Hall.

He ran through a string of Purpose hits as well as an acoustic version of "Boyfriend" from Believe. "I'm having the best time of my life right now," Bieber said. "I think this is the best crowd that I ever been a part of. He also shouted out his grandparents and father who were in attendance before serenading a fan onstage with "Lonely Girl" from his debut album.

Bieber covered The Beatles' "Let It Be," on piano and more surprisingly, ripped through a rendition of Drake's hit "Hotline Bling," according to CBC News.

The show was a benefit for Stratford House of Blessing, that feeds and clothes low income families and once helped his mother. Check out performances from A Night With Justin here.

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Gucci Mane's Team Hints He May Soon Be Released From Prison

(Radio.com) Gucci Mane-or his social media team-posted a photo to the Atlanta rapper's Instagram account on Tuesday that hinted he might be out of prison "sooner than later."

The post also encouraged any interested talent bookers to contact Amina Diop Concierge Booking Agency if they're interested in promoting future performances by Mane.

Gucci Mane has been in prison since 2013 on felony counts of weapons possession. No official word about when he will be released has been revealed. Read more here.

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Craig David May Plot Comeback With Drake Mixtape Collaboration

(Radio.com) After dominating the early 2000s with hits like "Fill Me In" and "7 Days," British singer Craig David faded into obscurity, but if this rumor is true, that's about to change.

David recently visited BBC's 1Xtra where he hinted at a possible collaborative project with one of the most popular rapper in the game, Drake.

David shared a story about a chance meeting he had with Drake in Miami. "When I saw Drake in this restaurant we walked up to each other and there was this moment when I was like, 'Oh man that tune is all I'm listening to," David said. "And he was like, 'Man I need to call my producer, if I can tell him right now that I'm with you, 'Born To Do It'! The tunes you have.' And this was kicking off."

David further explained, "When the time is right, when it's really right, and there's the Craig David/Drake mixtape, I promise you, not on a 'get gas, beg a man to be on his record' kind of thing, because he's the hottest thing right now. But he'd easily be like, 'Yeah man I want to do that.'"

Check out the full interview here.

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Matthew and Gunnar Nelson Giving Christmas Song Proceeds To St. Jude's

(Webster) Matthew and Gunnar Nelson are donating proceeds from the title track of their new holiday album This Christmas are being donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. We were sent the following details:

The song has hit no. 17 on adult contemporary radio and no. 6 on the holiday music chart. "We've been changed men ever since our first visit to the St Jude Children's Research Hospital a decade ago. It's a humbling, inspiring experience. What struck us is that everyone at St. Jude truly CARES. No child is ever turned away due to an inability to pay. There's nothing like it in the world�it's simply magical. So, we're stepping up and getting into the spirit of giving that makes Christmas so special. We have committed to donating 100% of our profits from the download sales of our current holiday single 'This Christmas' to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. We are honored to be allies in hope and healing with our family and friends at St. Jude. We hope the mood and our music move fans to get involved, contribute and support St. Jude," said Matthew and Gunnar.

Written by Matthew, Gunnar, Michael Bonagura from Baillie & the Boys and his daughter Alyssa Bonagura, who also contributed vocals, "This Christmas" features a unique narrative twist.

"It's a challenge to write a Christmas song that's not like something people have heard a million times before," said Gunnar. "So we started talking about this concept of two best friends that realize, on the night of miracles, that actually they're in love with each other and always have been. If miracles can happen on Christmas, maybe that's the night people in love can risk telling each other."

This Christmas, Matthew and Gunnar's first-ever holiday album, is available digitally on iTunes and Amazon and in stores. More than just a collection of holiday songs, the album, which was produced by Matthew and Gunnar, affirms the power of their unique bond and family heritage.

"In addition to our original single 'This Christmas,' we were able to rearrange Christmas classics that people the world over have loved like family members for generations," said Matthew. "We've made them sound fresh and new while at the same time respecting their integrity and history. We're absolutely thrilled with the results, and hope our listeners will be too," added Gunnar. See the album tracklisting and Christmas tour dates here.

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5 Seconds of Summer, Fall Out Boy and More For New Year's Rockin' Eve

(dcp) 5 Seconds of Summer, Fall Out Boy, Andy Grammer, Ellie Goulding, Elle King, Tove Lo, Rachel Platten and Walk The Moon are the latest artists added to this year's ABC telecast of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve."

They will join the roster for the Billboard Hollywood Party in Los Angeles that is set to be hosted by Fergie and will feature a headline set from the UK pop group One Direction.

This year's broadcast is set to feature over 38 performances and 5 and half hours of music. The ABC television network will kick off coverage at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Thursday, December 31.

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Lil Kim Returns With Stream Of New Remix Track

(Radio.com) Brooklyn rapper Lil Kim took some time away from music to focus on other business ventures and motherhood. She recently made a triumphant return to the stage as a surprise guest at Busta Rhymes' holiday concert, performing with Diddy and Mary J. Blige. Now, Kim is continuing to build on that momentum by releasing a new song called "That B--."

Switching between rapping and singing, Kim drops some overtly sexual rhymes that throw back to her hardcore days. Kim spits on the hook, "Every freakin' night, every freakin' day, I want to f- and get paid in every freakin' way."

Lil Kim spoke to a pair of NYC radio DJs about her return to music and putting out new material. "I'm working on a new album for next year. I put up a post not too long ago, I was at my old record label, so maybe. I've got a couple tours that I'm going to be a part of," she teased.

Check out "That B--" here.

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Logic Compares Drake to Tupac With 'Incredible True Story'

(Radio.com) Just ahead of Logic's Late Night performance, he stopped by Play.It's Rap Radar Podcast to spread the word about his latest set, The Incredible True Story, and the tales behind it.

The Maryland-based rapper used to be frequently compared to Drake; his sophomore set (released in November) sees him establishing his own voice a bit more, but Logic used Drake to illustrate a point about rap fans who refuse to embrace the new.

This came up when Logic was discussing comments made by Vince Staples to Time about his preference for post-90s hip-hop. 'The '90s get a lot of credit, I don't really know why," Staples said, while giving Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac credit for their contraptions.

"I get where he's [Vince] is coming from," Logic said, before quoting a line from "City of Stars" off The Incredible True Story. "F- all these cats on the internet/ I love hip-hop and I hate hip-hop / 'Cause people who love Tupac hope Drake gets shot/ 'Cause he raps about money and b--es for heaven's sake / 'Pac did the same s-, just on a drum break"

"That's not to discredit what Tupac stood for," Logic explains. "He literally changed hip-hop. He helped change this world. It's not like everything he was talking about [was] 'I got my bitch'' He's got 'Keep Your Head Up' and songs about his mother and single women. At the same time, Drake comes with heartfelt s- like 'Too Much' and so many more records.

"But just because Drake might have a different vibe or sound, let's not pretend that Tupac didn't touch on a lot of the club happy-going aspects that Drake is doing currently." Read more and listen to entire podcast and watch his performance on the Tonight Show here.

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Wiz Khalifa Reveals More 'Cabin Fever 3' Details

(Radio.com) Wiz Khalifa fans may have cabin fever after waiting a year for new music from the Pittsburgh rapper, but not for long. While he's been busy in 2015 with collaborations and performances, it's been over a year since he released his last solo effort, Blacc Hollywood.

Wiz Khalifa plans to release his new mixtape, Cabin Fever 3, soon. Although it still doesn't have a release date, and on Tuesday he tweeted the covert art and tracklist.

The guestlist features names like Kevin Gates, Juicy J, K Camp, Problem and more. Earlier in November, Wiz Khalifa released the mixtape's bonus track, "F- Day. Check out the art and tracklist here.

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Kanye West Gave Lamar Odom Early Listen To 'SWISH'

(Radio.com) Fans have been dying to hear Kanye West's upcoming seventh album titled SWISH. Although Kanye is keeping the project a heavily guarded secret, one person got a chance to hear it. During a hospital visit, West played SWISH for his brother-in-law Lamar Odom. According to Kanye and his wife Kim Kardashian, Odom didn't like the project; he loved it.

A video was posted to Khloe Kardashian's personal app showed pieces of the Kardashian-Jenner Thanksgiving dinner. Khloe asked everyone to go around and say something they were thankful for.

Kanye immediately said, "I'm thankful Lamar like my album." Kim explained to her family, "'We did visit Lamar today and we played him [Kanye's] new album, and then when I was done I said, 'Did you like the music?' and he said, 'I loved it.'" Check out an excerpt of the video here.

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Singled Out: Garek's Save The Queen

New York City artist Garek has been turning heads with his new single "Save The Queen". For today's Singled Out we learn the story behind the song from Garek. Here is the story:

Once upon a time there was a boy. He was a happy boy, an energetic boy, but he was no ordinary boy. He enjoyed the finer things that toddler life had to offer: Barbie's playhouse, the color pink, dresses that would flow and twirl with him as he danced. He found G.I. Joes bland. Their feet, an immobile puddle of congealed plastic, left little room for grace. He found football terrifying. The thought of a spiraling pigskin hurled at him the stuff of nightmares. And he never understood why the other boys would resort to clenched fists and bloodies lips, when words would have been quicker and more effective. It was for these reasons, and many others, that he was different from the other boys, and they made it their mission to make him aware of this difference.

This boy was taught to believe that everything he enjoyed, the things that made him the happiest of all the boys, were things from which he was supposed to abstain. They were "girly" things. "Girly" things were bad, the other boys said. Since he was, in fact, the only boy that enjoyed these things he figured they must be right. "Girly" things should be avoided.

As he grew older, this boy internalized the message that the other boys kept preaching: anything effeminate was bad. He was effeminate. Therefore, he was bad. He was wrong. There was something about him which, although he would've given anything to do so, he was unable to change. The boy believed his inability to change to be a failure, and he began to hate himself for it.

The years flew by and this boy grew into a man. As a man he left his small town in Northern Wisconsin and moved to New York City. It was there, as he immersed himself in the color and variety of New York, that he began to question everything he had been taught to believe. He had spent the majority of his life trying to suppress who he was, but here he was free to be whomever he wished.

It was then that this man began exploring the side of himself he had kept so long in the shadows: his feminine side. It was a terrifying experience, but once he began to accept and befriend his feminine side he realized the gifts that she had been waiting to share with him all these years.

She embraced him, held out her hands and said, "Be not afraid, for I come bearing three gifts. The first is the gift of cunning. Where most men will use their strength, you will use your brain, for it is the smart man that makes slaves of the brutes. The second is the gift of creativity. You, like a mother, now hold the power to give birth to forms and ideas that previously did not exist. The third and final gift is the gift of determination, for your ruthlessness to pursue your dreams will rival that of a Queen's. Go now, and make yourself known to the world; I am here for you always, my Queen."

As a boy he was taught to suppress his femininity. As a man he discovered its gifts, and created a Queen.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and watch the video for the track here and learn more about Garek right here!

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