LionsgateKerry Washington plays a secret agent who’ll stop at nothing to protect her son in the thriller, Shadow Force, out in theaters Friday. She says she was drawn to the film because it balances action and emotion.”It’s this incredible opportunity to do action and stunts and weapons training and all of that,” she tells ABC Audio of her role as Kyrah in Shadow Force, which marks her first time in the driver’s seat of an action movie. “But at the heart of it, it’s really about these two parents who love each other and love their child so much that they’re willing to do everything and anything to protect him.”Kerry notes she was also drawn to the shift in gender roles that’s portrayed in the film between Kyrah and her son’s father Isaac, played by Omar Sy.”I really love that you get to see this bada** mom who’s kind of out conquering the world but also this really nurturing dad who’s doing the primary parenting and super present and connected with his son,” she explains. “To see a Black dad and son in that light, I think is so important and really beautiful in the culture.”As a mother in real life, she says her character is an exaggerated reflection of mothers all over the world.”I do think, to some extent, every mom I know is a bada** mom,” Kerry says. “We’re not all walking around with AK-47s and killing people for a living, but to be a mom requires an enormous amount of courage and strength and discipline and also love and nurturing. So that balance I think is part of what motherhood really is and Kyrah just does it sort of at the extremes.”Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty ImagesFetty Wap has been behind bars since 2021, and he’s ready to share his story through music. Taking to Instagram Wednesday, his team announced his new single, Forever, will be coming out on Friday.“His freedom was taken, but not his voice,” the post read. “A raw, emotional track straight from Fetty Wap’s heart. This isn’t just music — it’s his truth, his story, and his fight. The petition to help Fetty fight for a pardon and his freedom is live now. … Let’s bring our brother home.”Fetty was arrested in 2021 on federal drug charges for his involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle and distribute more than 220 pounds of heroin, fentanyl and other drugs into the New York City area between June 2019 and June 2020. He was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to one charge of conspiring to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine. His sister has since called for the commutation of his sentence.His 2015 song “Again” recently went viral on Instagram Reels and TikTok thanks to posts capturing users playing the song through 10-year-old JBL speakers. It led the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart back in February.Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images/Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Fashion Trust U.S.Vic Mensa expressed his admiration for Kehlani and her support of Palestine in an Instagram post Wednesday, following the cancellation of her shows at SummerStage and Cornell University.“Few artists, and even fewer at your level of success, have chosen to center humanity and courage as boldly and uncompromisingly as you have, let alone at the peak of their popularity,” he wrote to the singer. “Although newer to religion, i have a deep seated belief that god, or the universe, or however you categorize the all-powerful presence of the divine, is taking note – of every selfless action, of every sacrifice, of every time we [jeopardize] our security to do what’s right. i toe the line with you.”He admits that he’s often kept quiet to keep food on the table for his family and shared his hope that “when the smoke clears, i’ll look at my past with pride.””I’ve been awe inspired by the way you’ve stood up,” he wrote. “Especially at a time when i fell back. and i asked myself, ‘although i need to feed my son, what kind of man do i want to inspire him to be?'””I have often thought about your choices over the last 18 months. wished i was more brave. and more self sufficient,” Vic continued. He indirectly referenced the cancellations, adding, “the truth is, your people love you. not because of an opportunity provided to you by a booker here, or a city there, but because they cherish the depth of your soul. none of this can change that. as long as you have them you can never lose. the powers that be may be great, but i do believe we can all agree – there is a greater power.”Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty ImagesDoechii is reacting to critics who claim she was mistreating her team ahead of the 2025 Met Gala.Questions arose after a clip surfaced on social media in which the rapper demanded more umbrellas to further hide her Met Gala look from surrounding fans and paparazzi.“I’m ready. … No, stop, give me another umbrella, now!” Doechii can be heard saying in the video, as she’s blocked by an umbrella and rolling box made out of a clothing rack. “And another one. Who has an umbrella? I need four f****** umbrellas,” she continued. “Because they’re gonna try to stick their f****** cameras in here.”She was also heard shouting profanities as she told her team to keep the umbrellas still.Doechii later took to social media and made light of the situation, posting a video of herself to the song “Easy” by The Commodores. She wrote, “God forbid a girl needs more umbrellas” over the post.Doechii reflected on the Met Gala in an Instagram Story, writing, “and all jokes aside I’m so so so proud of my glam team and the LV team for an incredible night !””We’ve been dreaming about this Met for a long time and the theme this year is in such alignment with who I am what I stand for. it’s nothing but God that this year was our debut,” she continued. “Everyone killed it. We nailed the theme. and a time was had.”Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Janelle Monáe and Grace Jones are part of the lineup for the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, a free outdoor festival in New York. There will also be a tribute to Quincy Jones and a performance by Lyricist Lounge, and a showcase of rappers, emcees and DJs. Janelle and Grace will perform on June 9, while the Quincy tribute will go down June 27 and July 26. The Lyricist Lounge will perform on Aug. 9, celebrating their 34th anniversary and the 30th anniversary of a hip-hop album that will be revealed in July.After losing her home to the Pacific Palisades fire earlier this year, Jhené Aiko returned to the site Wednesday. “finally saw it for myself…3 months later,” she wrote on her Instagram Story. “Sometimes a sigh is not enough…you gotta scream,” she wrote in another Story, before ending with, “idk who needs to hear this, but you absolutely MUST cry about it…as often as the feeling comes.” Photos of the site show burned vehicles, burned vegetation and more.Stormzy has released a new freestyle, “Sorry Rach,” on which he addresses accusations he deleted his pro-Palestinian post for a collaboration with McDonald’s. The song also finds him discussing jet setting, betrayal, his complicated relationships with women and more.DDG has dropped the music video for the opening track of the album blame the chat. Featuring Bia, “Fine Shyt” sees the two trading bars and turning up at a house party. The video is available to watch on YouTube.Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now” featuring Busta Rhymes was certified Diamond by the RIAA on his 36th birthday. It’s his third Diamond song following “No Guidance” with Drake and his feature on RVSSIAN and Rauw Alejandro’s “NOSTÁLGICO.” Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWhile entertaining fans in stadiums nationwide as part of his Grand National Tour, Kendrick Lamar has become the top nominee of the BET Awards 2025.The rapper has secured 10 nominations, including best male hip-hop artist and album of the year for GNX. “Not Like Us” earned nods for video of the year and viewer’s choice award, while “Luther” featuring tour mate SZA was nominated for viewer’s choice award and video director of the year with Dave Free. Finally, K. Dot’s “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin was nominated for viewer’s choice award and best collaboration, where it will compete against SZA’s “30 for 30,” on which he’s featured.Doechii, Drake, Future and GloRilla have each secured six nominations. Doechii’s nominations include best female hip hop artist and album of the year for Alligator Bites Never Heal, while Drake is competing for album of the year for $ome $exy $ongs 4 U with PartyNextDoor, best male hip hop artist and best male R&B/pop artist, among other awards.Five of Future’s nominations are for his work with Metro Boomin: best group; album of the year for We Don’t Trust You; video of the year for “Type S***,” also with Travis Scott and Playboi Carti; and best collaboration and viewer’s choice award for “Like That” featuring Kendrick.And GloRilla’s six nominations include album of the year for Glorious, viewer’s choice award for “TGIF,” best collaboration for “Sticky” with Tyler, The Creator, Sexyy Red and Lil Wayne, and the Dr. Bobby Jones best gospel/inspirational award for “Rain Down On Me.”The Weeknd, Arya Starr, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Maverick City Music, Playboi Carti and Tyler are also among the 2025 nominees.The BET Awards, celebrating its 25th anniversary, air June 9 at 8 p.m. ET on BET.Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Gravitas VenturesArt imitates life in the Apple TV+ movie Die Like a Man. Speaking to ABC Audio, Cory Hardrict, who plays a recently paroled gangster in LA, recalls the interaction his cast had with real-life gangsters in the east side of the city.”I remember when we shot this movie, we were shooting in East LA and we were shooting in a neighborhood where like the real gang bangers were like trying to tax the set, like saying, they can’t shoot over here unless you pay ’em,” he says. “And I had my braids, I had the teardrop. And you know, they [had] the real teardrops and stuff.”“It was kind of frightening and entertaining at the same time, like dealing with that,” Cory adds. He says “everybody was scared,” including the security guards, the police, the filmmakers and the actors.However, he says the experience “brought, like, an authenticity to the set because we felt like we had to really make something good. If we gonna be using the community, we couldn’t like do nothing that they felt like, ‘OK, this ain’t it.’”Die Like a Man is a coming-of-age story about Freddy, a teen who attempts to prove himself as a man to his mentor, Solo, and the local tribe of gangsters, taking instruction that eventually leads him down a path of destruction.When asked what advice he’d give Freddy, Cory replied, “Listen to your mom … mother’s instincts always know best.””You can actually do something positive. And even if you start off negative, it’s never too late to turn it around,” he continues. “Get a good support system, support friends. And just stay away from negativity.”Cory says he’d also tell Freddy to “think things through.”Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

DDG thinks his process of recording an album live on Twitch will change the music industry. “The music industry getting boring, I had to spice it up,” he told TMZ. “I don’t really like how mysterious the music industry is, for real. I feel like it’s better when artists connect closer with the fans so they can feel like they’re more of a part of the process rather than just being surprised.” He also said he’s good despite telling fans he would “go broke ASAP” if he stopped working. He added he’s looking into more acting roles.Montell Jordan says it was a “wild surprise” to hear Drake sampling his song “Daddy’s Home” on “Papi’s Home.” “The content in the song, with the language and stuff like that, is stuff that’s not on brand for me, but it’s on brand for him,” Jordan told the We Sound Crazy podcast. He also said the song helped him pay off his debt to Def Jam. “It advanced the publishing of the original song more which allowed me to recoup faster,” he said. “After Certified Lover Boy dropped, my recoupment of my publishing and royalties finally recouped after [29] years.”Ciara and Rihanna have come a long way since 2011, when Ciara’s story about an unpleasant run-in with Rih led to a Twitter argument between the two. After the two posed together at the Met Gala, Ciara spoke to Sherri Shepherd about the interaction, noting, “It was so sweet running into her. I just have to shout her out because I’m so proud of her.” Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty ImagesAl B. Sure! has a lot to say, and he’s doing it in his new book, Do You Believe Me Now? Scheduled for a Sept. 9 release under Simon & Schuster, the memoir will share with fans his journey to becoming a new jack swing superstar and signing with Uptown Records, where he was a witness to the label’s early days and became its first artist to have a Platinum song.The book will also get into Sure!’s health struggles, including a near-death experience and coma in 2022. He tackles several allegations made against him, like claims of alleged gang stalking, surveillance, death threats, human trafficking and more. He also makes mention of his past romance with the late Kim Porter, as well as his connections to Sean “Diddy” Combs.In an Instagram post announcing the news, Al says the book is his way of reclaiming his power after waking up from a two-month coma, reconnecting with God and obtaining inner peace. It also allows him to reclaim his narrative after years of being “labeled cryptic, delusional, and out of my mind” for exposing shenanigans and attempting to alert authorities.”Out of humble gratitude, I owe it to you to finally break my silence,” he wrote in the caption. “Thank you for being so patient with the OG!”Do You Believe Me Now? is now available to preorder.Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Photo by Astrida Valigorsky/Getty ImagesWith Drake, Nicki Minaj and Tyga now veterans in the rap game, Lil Wayne is introducing the world to the new generation of Young Money. In a recent episode of his Apple Music show, he presented new artists Jay Jones, Allan Cubas, Domiio, Euro, Lucifena and Poppy.Speaking of Cubas, Wayne mentioned hearing him go into his “Latin s***,” noting, “That’s something we’ve never had at Young Money.” He said Domiio has confidence “through the roof” and Poppy was someone he helped to raise as his “motherf*****’ son.” He also added that he was so impressed by Lucifena’s scream on a song titled “Tyrant,” he hopped on a verse and laid a guitar solo on the track.Elsewhere in the episode, Wayne caught up with signees Peter Gunz and Lil Twist, who opened up about the direction they’re taking in their careers. Gunz said he was focused on elevation after dropping Loosie Pack 3 and The Militia. “We got to make each thing better than the last one,” he said. As for Twist, he discussed stepping into “a whole ‘nother genre” following the addition of a live band. “I’m rocking with the alternative hip-hop rock,” he said.Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty ImagesBobby Shmurda canceled his Still Alive Tour a week before its start and apologized to fans on social media while suggesting the cancellation was caused by promotion issues. “I have to go through lawsuits with these guys … that I knew better to do business with,” he wrote. “let this be a life lesson to all business owners and affiliate .Don’t leave nothing in no one hands don’t matter how much you gotta work. Nobody’s gonna treat your work like it’s you except if you got a top pause, done expert,, but that happens once in a blue moon because you have money does not make you a boss.”He continued, “I apologize again to all of my fans I might have to go through some lawsuits and lawyer fee money a.k.a. The industry most wanted ain’t nothing new I been fighting.”Bobby also shared screenshots of his argument with Oakstreet Media CEO Sergio Patillo and Halo Touring booking agent Philip Stengel, who claimed the real reason the tour was canceled was poor ticket sales.”Let’s be clear: the tour was canceled because average ticket sales across markets were 10 per city. That’s not viable under any circumstances-no matter the artist or budget,” Stengel said, sharing screenshots of Bobby’s ticket sales in D.C., Hampton and Denver in an Instagram Story.“Bobby Shmurda chose to publicly vent rather than acknowledge performance metrics. His frustration is understood, but the numbers don’t lie. The problem wasn’t promotion-it was demand. This industry isn’t about emotion; it’s about execution. If 10 people are buying tickets, there’s no show. Period,” he continued. “This post was a distraction. The facts are the facts.”Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty ImagesThe 2025 edition of the Blue Note Jazz Festival has been announced, complete with a date, location and a star-studded lineup. Set for Aug. 29-31 at The Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa, California, the event will feature headliners The Roots, Jazmine Sullivan, artist-in-residence Robert Glasper and a mystery guest.Others tapped to entertain fans with performances include Questlove, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Anthony Hamilton, Willow, DJ D-Nice featuring Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane featuring Talib Kweli and Lupe Fiasco. D-Nice, Questlove, Jazzy Jeff and Talib will also curate the vibe at the afterparty, alongside Bryan-Michael Cox and Jahi Sundance. Sway and Heather B. will serve as MCs, with Affion Crockett, Deon Cole and Sam Jay set to make an appearance.“Black Radio Experience and Robtober are the platforms I use to bring all my favorite artists and collaborators together as one big family reunion and this year is no different!” Glasper said in a statement, per Uproxx. “I’m honored to be part of such an amazing community and bring that community back together for another dope weekend in Napa.”Tickets for the Blue Note Jazz Festival go on sale via presale Wednesday, with general tickets going on sale Friday at 12 p.m. ET. More information can be found onbluenotejazz.com/black-radio-experience/.Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

SZA revealed she owes Beyoncé some money when she commented on a post claiming Bey gives credit to anyone who steps in the studio as she’s making music. “I literally owe her half my publishing off interpolation alone on SOS and she never pressed me lmao,” SZA wrote in response to influencer Zuhaila Jama’s post. She then called Beyoncé “a generous QUEEN.” SZA’s SOS title track interpolates Queen Bey’s Dreamgirls track “Listen.”Speaking of Beyoncé, her Cowboy Carter tour has positively impacted her album sales. Renaissance jumped from #8 to #5 on the Top Dance Albums chart in the April 25-May 1 tracking week, according to Luminate. Her general catalog garnered 57 million U.S. streams during the tracking, an 18% increase from the week prior. Cowboy Carter benefited the most, seeing a 73% increase in units, which brought it from #193 to #64 on the Billboard 200.Young Thug’s Uy Scuti album will be coming out soon. In a video of fans asking him when he’d be releasing the project, he simply responded, “June.”Playboi Carti did not attend the 2025 Met Gala, but it’s not because he didn’t want to. In a post shared to Instagram, he wrote, “MET GALA BANNED ME FELT LIKE WE GOT KICKED OUT OF PROM BUT WE GOOD [GIO] WITH ME IM A HAPPY MAN F*** EM,” he wrote.David Oyelowo says his kids don’t think he’s cool. “I’m transitioning into full-on uncoolness,” he recently said on The Jennifer Hudson Show. “I was cool for so, so long and this was really typified the other day. My son is in the music scene, I’m not … and I made the mistake the other day of seeing this word on my phone and saying, ‘What’s a Doechii?’ And they went, ‘Like Doechii?’” Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Photo by Theo Wargo/FilmMagicA$AP Rocky has a lot on his plate: he recently served as a co-chair for the 2025 Met Gala; he’s in the headlines for expecting his third baby with Rihanna; and he’s featured in the teaser trailer for the upcoming movie Highest 2 Lowest. In the Spike Lee-directed film, he acts opposite Denzel Washington, which he says was a “dream come true.””It was difficult to not fan the f*** out every millisecond of the f****** duration. It was crazy — it’s f****** Denzel, man,” he tells Variety. He notes Denzel was in Malcolm X, one of the first movies he ever loved. “I don’t give a f*** how successful [I am]: I’m always gonna be a student and a fan of certain people, and I’m always going to give them their flowers. I’m never going to be too big to be able to say that I had to hold my composure from not fanning out.”As big as the moment was, Rocky says he wasn’t at all nervous to work with Denzel. “I was born for this. I’m not gonna waste nobody’s time,” he says. “This is what I do — this is the same approach you would take to making an album or to directing or designing anything: You’ve got to give it your all.”Highest 2 Lowest will premiere at Cannes Film Festival, featuring Rocky as Yung Felon, an aspiring rapper trying to get noticed by a music mogul (Washington). He says the film was his “only escape” during his gun assault trial and similarly included a courtroom reckoning that allowed him to “embody the character so well.”He explains, “I was able to act like a piece of s*** who was going away for a long time but didn’t realize the consequences, because in real life, I knew exactly what the consequences felt like.”Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Photo by Bennett Raglin/BET/Getty Images for BETIn honor of the 25th anniversary of the BET Awards, the annual celebration will include a tribute to its music video countdown show 106 & Park. Former hosts Free and AJ Calloway will reunite onstage with Julissa Bermudez, Keshia Chanté, Rocsi Diaz and Terrence J, who subsequently took control of the reins. There will be also performances from Amerie, B2K, Jim Jones, Mya, T.I. and of course Mr. 106 & Park himself, Bow Wow.106 & Park will also be celebrated with events taking place during the BET Experience Fan Fest, including a Freestyle Friday Battle on June 7 and June 8. A recreation of the set complete with photo ops will go down June 8 with former hosts looking back on their favorite moments. On June 9, Terrence J will host the Red Carpet preshow, which will feature its own set of freestyle battles, throwback performances and an exclusive world premiere music video.“106 & Park was more than just a music countdown show; it was the heartbeat of Black youth culture and one of the highest-rated BET programs for over a decade,” BET President Scott Mills said in a statement. “From Freestyle Friday to unforgettable live performances, it launched careers, influenced fashion, and became a platform where voices, style, and sound converged. 106 & Park both celebrated and fueled many of the most important musical and culture evolutions that occurred during its two-and-a-half-decade tenure.”The 25th annual BET Awards will air live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 9 at 8 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Roots Picnic Pride is returning to Philadelphia for a second year, continuing its mission to celebrate Black and queer artists and community. A partnership between Houses of Luv and the vice president of Philly Black Pride, Jacen Bowman, the event will kick off May 30 with a pre-event, followed by an on-site ballroom showcase on May 31, where Bowman will serve as commentator for a vogue performance competition. Roots Picnic Pride will kick off the annual Roots Picnic festival, happening May 31 and June 1, and featuring performances by Lenny Kravitz, D’Angelo, Latto, Tems, GloRilla, Kaytranada and more.”We are incredibly excited to bring Roots Picnic Pride back for the second year, expanding our celebration to include the dynamic world of ballroom,” said James June, Houses of Luv founder and Live Nation Urban creative lead. “Collaborating with Jacen for Philly Black Pride helps us to further amplify LGBTQ+ artists and culture, creating a powerful platform for visibility and celebration. I’m also thankful for having allies at Live Nation Urban for championing this community.””I’m beyond thrilled to be part of Roots Picnic Pride again,” Bowman adds. “This year, we’re bringing the energy of the ballroom scene directly to the festival, showcasing the incredible talent and artistry within our community. This is not just a competition; it’s a celebration of our culture, our strength, and our undeniable style. We’re making history by highlighting the art of vogue on such a prominent stage.”Tickets for the Roots Picnic are currently on sale.Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

BET+Tyler Perry’s creative juices continue to flow, as he has a new show making its way to BET. Titled Divorce Sistas, it follows the sisterhood of close friend Rasheda, Geneva, Naomi, Tiffany and Bridgette, who go through challenges in their circle while dealing with the highs and lows of their respective love lives.Tyler created, wrote, directed and executive produced the new series, which expands on the Sistas universe. He got help from the ensemble cast, which features LeToya Luckett, Khadeen Indréa Ellis, Porscha Coleman, Briana Price, Jennifer Sears, RonReaco Lee, DeVon Franklin, Donovan Christie Jr. and Robert Christopher Riley.The show is set to premiere on the day of the BET Awards, June 9, and will be available to stream the following day on BET+.The news of the show arrives days after Khadeen, a social media influencer, author, host and one-half of the new podcast Ellis Ever After, teased she’d be getting into her acting bag.”I’ve taken the last just about 15 years of life to grow our family,” she told ABC Audio. “That’s roughly 15 years of having a baby, getting back, starting to work again, having a baby, getting back, having a baby, getting back. That was four times. So I am looking forward to getting back into my acting bags more consistently. And maybe that’s what happened this year. Y’all are gonna have to stay tuned to see what I have next. But this is something that I’ve been trying to do and wanting to do for some time.””I might have stumbled on an opportunity. So let’s just say all the years of investing in the family, but also going to school for performance and all, it’s going to come to fruition for me soon,” she continued. “I’ve never felt so alive in a professional space till this moment.”Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagicKehlani’s pro-Palestinian stance has gotten her nixed from yet another headlining concert. Her June 26 performance at New York’s SummerStage in honor of Pride month was canceled following pressure from Mayor Eric Adams and his team, as well as potential security concerns that could arise if Kehlani stayed on the bill.”We have been notified by the Mayor’s Office that they have concerns for security and safety issues regarding the June 26 Kehlani concert, produced and presented at Live Nation,” read a statement from SummerStage. “Those concerns are due to the controversy surrounding Cornell University’s decision to cancel Kehlani’s concert at the University, as well as security demands in Central Park and throughout the City for other Pride events during that same time period.””We strongly and emphatically believe in artistic expression of all kinds,” it continued. “However, the safety and security of our guests and artists is of the utmost importance and in light of these concerts, the concert has been cancelled.”Kehlani responded to the news on her Instagram Story, saying she learned of the cancellation via SummerStage’s Instagram post.“I’m so deeply grounded in my purpose, my mission, my art, my contribution,” she wrote in another Story. “Back to this album. See you this weekend LA!”The SummerStage concert marks the singer’s second publicly known show to be canceled due to her support of Palestine, following Cornell University’s decision to drop her from its Slope Day lineup. She has also claimed her pro-Palestinian stance has resulted in other canceled opportunities.Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Disney/Gilles MingassonQuinta Brunson is being honored with the key to the city of Philadelphia.ABC and the city of Philadelphia made the announcement about Brunson’s honor on Tuesday. The Emmy-winning creator and star of Abbott Elementary will be presented with the key as part of a celebration what will take place at Andrew Hamilton School, the elementary school she attended as a child, on May 28.“I am so grateful to be receiving the key to my hometown, Philly. This city shaped me—and now I get to give back with a mural that celebrates all it gave me. I am truly honored,” Brunson said in a press release.Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker will present Brunson with the key at the special event, which will also include the dedication of an original mural to Andrew Hamilton School.The mural, called “Blooming Futures,” was designed by Philadelphia-based artist Athena Scott. It was created with input by students and staff from Andrew Hamilton School. Brunson spearheaded the mural, which features an allegory of the school as a garden that helps its students to blossom and grow.It was made in association with Mural Arts Philadelphia, an organization dedicated to arts education and uniting creative individuals with their community. Brunson featured Mural Arts Philadelphia in season 2 of Abbott Elementary.“The City of Philadelphia is beyond grateful to have someone as inspiring and compassionate as Quinta Brunson,” Parker said. “She doesn’t just represent the spirit of Philadelphia on television, she brings her success home and shares it with the city that loves her back.”Abbott Elementary has aired for four seasons and has been renewed for a fifth. It has been nominated for 24 Emmys and won four.Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Epic RecordsAndré 3000 wore a piano on his back as part of his Met Gala look, and it turns out it was all by design. Shortly after walking the blue carpet Monday, he released a collection of piano instrumentals titled 7 piano sketches. The album was recorded nearly a decade ago, when he was staying in Texas with his son in a house that only had a piano, beds and TV screens, with no other furniture.”These piano pieces weren’t recorded with the intention of presenting them in any formal way to the public. They were personal, at home recordings. I would sometimes text them to my family and friends,” Three Stacks wrote on Instagram. “Pardon the sound quality, they were all recorded with my iPhone sitting directly on the piano or my laptop microphone with the exception of ‘Blueberries’. (recorded in studio).”He jokes that the album, recorded before his latest, New Blue Sun, was supposed to be called The Best Worst Rap Album In History, sharing part of the original liner notes.“It’s jokingly the worst rap album in history because there are no lyrics on it at all,” the liner notes read. “It’s the best because it’s the free-est emotionally and best I’ve felt personally. It’s the best because it’s like a palette [sic] cleanser for me.”Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.