Month: February 2019

Anderson .Paak Announces New Album Along With Upcoming U.S. Tour

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California native Anderson .Paak is getting ready to release a new album, Ventura, this coming April. Following his previous album Oxnard, which was released last November, .Paak stated that he recorded both projects at the same time.

You can read .Paak’s press statement below:

“Growing up in Oxnard gave me the grit and the church to find this voice of mine. One town over I went further and found my depth. The duality of each place inspired me greatly and from that I made two albums at the exact same time but held one back because that would have been too many songs to perform live for you all! I like ending things on an even number so welcome to ‘Ventura'”

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Along with Ventura, .Paak announced on Twitter an upcoming tour titled “Best Teef In The Game Tour”. Beginning on May 17 in Nashville, TN, the tour is scheduled to have 21 showcases around North America. Producer and song-writer Thundercat will perform at all the show listings, along with special guests such as Earl Sweatshirt, Jessie Reyez, Noname, and Mac DeMarco on select dates and locations.

General public tickets will go on sale March 8th on Live Nation, with pre-sale select markets for American Express card members on March 5th. Each ticket purchase will include a CD or digital copy of Ventura.

You can see the “Best Teef In The Game Tour” dates and locations below:

May 17 – Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater
May 20 – Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
May 21 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia
May 23 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
May 26 – Westbrook, ME (Portland) @ Maine Savings Pavilion at Rock Row
May 28 – Baltimore, MD @ MECU Pavilion
May 30 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
June 1 – Toronto, ON @ RBC Echo Beach
June 2 – Detroit, MI (Rochester Hills) @ Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
June 4 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
June 6 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater
June 7 – Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
June 8 – New Orleans, LA @ Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square
June 11 – Houston, TX @ Revention Music Center
June 12 – Dallas, TX (Irving) @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
June 14 – Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
June 16 – Las Vegas, NV @ Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort
June 19 – Vancouver, BC @ PNE Forum
June 20 – Seattle WA @ WaMu Theater
June 22 – Portland, OR @ McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheatre
June 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

 

 

 

LeBron James Announces Space Jam 2 Release Date with Official Poster

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Spring Hill Entertainment, the film and television company founded by LeBron James and business partner, Maverick Carter, announced the release date for the long expected sequel, Space Jam 2.

The announcement was made Thursday night on Twitter with the official Tune Squad poster; you can see the official image above. Space Jam 2 is the long awaited sequel to the 1996 basketball movie classic, Space Jam starring NBA legend Michael Jordan, actor Bill Murray, and a bunch of the original Looney Tones characters like Bugs and Lola Bunny.

The movie will be directed by Terrence Nance, creator and director of HBO’s “Random Acts of Flyness“, along with Ryan Coogler, director of “Fruitvale Station”, “Creed”, and “Black Panther”, as the producer.

The movie is said to start filming this Summer and is expected to debut in July, 2021. James will be staring as the lead role in the sequel instead of Jordan, as well as being executive producer.

 

 

 

21 Savage Released From ICE; Takes Private Jet Back to Atlanta

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21 Savage, government name She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, has been released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody on Wednesday morning.

“After spending more than one week in detention, 21 Savage has been released on bond” attorney Charles Kuck said. 21 was arrested and detained by ICE in an operational sting targeting another Atlanta rapper, Young Nudy, on February 3rd. ICE claimed that 21 is a U.K. citizen who has overstayed his Visa for the past 13 years.

On the day of 21’s release, TMZ tweeted a picture of the rapper and his mother boarding a private jet near the detention center where 21 was held for approximately 9 days. Artists and activists alike have continued to condemn the way individuals are treated under ICE’s care.

Kuck has stated his client has a current pending U-Visa application with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services that has been filed since 2017.

21’s detention has raised awareness of the immoral and problematic circumstances a number of undocumented citizens/immigrants have gone through and still experience.

The website, Mic, released a video on Twitter showing unity with 21 and other undocumented immigrants facing deportation. The video is filled with a number of stars including J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, DJ Khaled, SZA, America Ferrera, Jesse Williams, and others.

At the end the video, viewers are asked to sign the #Free21Savage Petition.

 

 

Kelly Rowland to host 2019 Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards

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Essence announced on Tuesday that Kelly Rowland will be the 2019 host for the 12th annual Black Women in Hollywood Awards later this month.

The two-time Grammy award winner and six-time nominee said in a statement, “I’m so honored to host this year’s Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards and shine a light on four exceptional women for their art and social activism.” According to Essence, Rowland can’t wait to join the celebration at one of the most anticipated Oscar-weekend events, saluting Black women in Hollywood.

During this years ceremony, Essence will be honoring Regina Hall (Black Monday), Jenifer Lewis (Black-ish), Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give), and Kiki Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk). This years timely theme will be: The Power of Our Presence: Art & Activism.

Along with her role on Empire, Rowland will be starting off the year staring as Gladys Knight in BET’s new upcoming series, American Soul. The show is expected to give insight on the work done behind the scenes that went into creating the series, Soul Train.

The Awards ceremony will be held on February 21, 2019 at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, California.

You can watch Kelly Rowland’s American Soul Exclusive below:

21 Savage Arrested by ICE; Allegedly Overstaying his Visa

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Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have arrested and detained Grammy-nominated rapper, 21 Savage, government name Abraham-Joseph, early Sunday morning. The arrest took place during a targeted operation in Atlanta. The agency is claiming that 21 is actually a U.K. citizen who has overstayed his Visa for the past 13 years.

“We are working diligently to get Mr. Abraham-Joseph out of detention while we work with the authorities to clear up any misunderstandings,” lawyer Dina LaPolt stated, “Abraham-Joseph is a role model to young people in the U.S., especially in Atlanta.”

According to the Associate Press, it turns out 21 entered the U.S. legally in July 2005 when he was 13, but has remained in the country illegally since his visa expired in July 2006, ICE spokesperson Bryan Cox said in an emailed statement.

It was learned from an ICE official that back when 21 was arrested in 2014 for felony drug charges, ICE was not yet aware of his immigration status and only learned later.

Reports from CBS News claimed that fellow Atlanta rapper Young Nudy, real name Quantavious Thomas, was the law enforcement’s original target for different reasons. Nudy was allegedly pulled over with 21 and two others in the car. Only after 21 was booked into the system did ICE take notice to his apparent U.K. roots.

It was later learned from DJ BJ, who works closely with both artists, that Nudy and 21 weren’t even in the same car, and platforms are stating that as fake news.

https://twitter.com/RealDJBJ/status/1092264877958316032

In response to the arrests, many have taken to social media to show support and some even give their own takes on the incident.

 

While others have taken this as an opportunity to crack jokes about the arrest: