Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
Smokey Robinson and Sheila E are among the artists set to perform live on A Capitol Fourth, the annual PBS special celebrating Independence Day.
The celebration, America’s longest-running live national July Fourth TV tradition, will air July 4 at 8 p.m. ET and will feature a telecast of the fireworks live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The program will once again be hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro, with Smokey headlining a tribute to Motown’s 65th anniversary.
The night will also feature performances by Sister Sledge featuring Slegendary, Fantasia, Darren Criss, Fitz and Noelle from Fitz and The Tantrums, the National Symphony Orchestra and more. There will also be a salute to Team USA ahead of the Paris Olympics, featuring gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson East.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Photo by Monica Schipper/WireImage
If you’re attending the 2024 Global Citizen Festival, you “Need to Know” that Doja Cat will be onstage. She’ll be headlining the New York event on Sept. 28 alongside Post Malone, Jelly Roll and Rauw Alejandro.
“It’s been a few years since I was last on the Global Citizen Festival stage in Paris, and I’m excited to join forces with Global Citizen once again in Central Park this September to drive as much action as we can to make the world a better place,” Doja said, per Billboard. “We all have a part we can play to help end extreme poverty and stand up for equity. I’m looking forward to being part of this major evening of positive change.”
Hosted by Hugh Jackman, the festival will go down on the Great Lawn in Central Park. UN Messenger of Peace Jane Goodall and Coldplay’s Chris Martin will also make appearances, with other talent to be announced at a later date.
Tickets to the Global Citizen Festival are now available, but fans also have the option of earning free tickets by calling “on world and corporate leaders for urgent action to Defeat Poverty, Defend the Planet and Demand Equity,” per the website.
Defeat Poverty calls on G7 countries to support anti-poverty programs around the world; Defeat the Planet seeks to raise $1 billion to protect the Amazon rainforest; and Demand Equity hopes to help the poor gain access to healthy foods, health care and education.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Ice Spice is getting fans ready for her new song. The rapper teased the track on her socials Monday, sharing a video in which she rapped, “Got these b****** copying my pose/ Got these b****** biting all my flows/ Like ballerinas, keep ’em on their toes/ And I really write, like f*** a ghost.” Many social media users likened her flow to that of Nicki Minaj.
A street has been named after Fantasia in her hometown of High Point, North Carolina. During the street renaming ceremony, she received the key to the city and the county. “I realized how much I miss my city ( High Point Nc) the place where I was born and raised, the place that taught me everything I know,” Fantasia wrote on Instagram. “They showed up today and gave me a street name, highway signs, a key to our City and for the first time Ever a key to the County. It’s so much I want to say, but I’m still in awe of all the Love and support from today.”
As a woman in the music industry, Tems has noticed moments when she’d distract men in the studio. To prevent this from happening and keep the focus on work, she only wears baggy clothes to her sessions. “I want you to not be seduced by me,” she said in a recent interview.
50 Cent announced the lineup for his Humor & Harmony Festival, taking place in Shreveport, Louisiana, from Aug. 8 to Aug. 11. Jeremih, Muni Long, Katt Williams, DC Young Fly, Gary Owens and Bill Bellamy are on the bill, as well as Cam’ron, French Montana and 2 Chainz.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Derek Blanks with crowdMGMT
After a few decades in the music industry, Missy Elliott is finally going on her first solo headlining tour, and it’s simply because she “felt like it was time.”
She tells Variety, “It’s just a good time. Especially for my era of fans out there to just see me do my own headline tour, they never got a chance to see that. And a new generation, too.”
She adds that her trek will “definitely [have] a different vibe” than the tours on which she previously served as a supporting act.
“I feel like a kid in a candy store, for real. So you know, I’m going to try to put everything on the stage,” Missy said. “But also I have Busta [Rhymes] and Ciara and I’m excited about that because I made sure that I didn’t just pick people who were hot out there. They’re hot anyway because they have so many timeless hits.”
“I wanted that energy to match the energy that I have so I believe that all of us have the same energy. It’s you and me dancing the whole time,” the producer added.
She’s also trying hard to put together a set list that will satisfy her fans’ requests.
“That’s the part that’s probably the most difficult because you have people all day underneath your posts or tweeting, ‘I hope you do this record.’ Y’all have me on stage for five hours!” said Missy. “So I’m trying, I’m trying to blend the stuff together so I can try to please everyone, but I know I won’t be able to.”
However, she added, “I’m getting close to it.”
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Photo by Joy Malone/Getty Images
“U Don’t Have to Call” Usher for his daily routine, because he’s shared some of it in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal.
Here’s a quick rundown of what he said:
— Usher wakes up “early enough to have a moment of reflection,” followed by either meditation or some reading. A frequent practice in his life is yoga, to activate “my organs and get my mind moving in the right direction.”
— Usher typically drinks celery juice in the morning and has recently been drinking a hot concoction of lemon, ginger, water and cayenne pepper. Whether he drinks coffee depends on how the previous night ended.
— When it comes to breakfast, Usher eats eggs and cheese, sometimes scrambled but most times poached or over easy. Whatever he has, though, must be consumed after he’s worked out.
— Usher practices fasting, a habit he picked up from his grandmother. On Wednesdays he only drinks water.
— Finally, when it comes to exercise, he enjoys swimming and bike riding and often refrains from weight lifting. However, he must start off “walking or with certain knee activations and reverse walking that I do to really engage my quads, my knees and glutes.”
Elsewhere in the article, Usher discusses his Super Bowl routine, talks about the process of recording his Coming Home album and shares some advice, among other things. The full interview is on wsj.com.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Chief Keef performed at Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash on Sunday, marking his first performance in the Chicago area since Lollapalooza in 2012. “I’m back muthaf*****,” he said while onstage. He performed “Don’t Like,” “Love Sosa” and “Faneto.”
Meanwhile in Brooklyn, Cardi B took the stage in Coney Island, tapping Sheff G and Sleepy Hallow as surprise guests. She also performed “Tomorrow 2” and “Wanna Be (Remix).”
Snoop Dogg took over the MLB game Saturday between the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds. Aside from throwing out the first pitch, he provided commentary, which was met with laughter and social media reactions. He’ll be covering the 2024 Paris Olympics with NBC in July.
Latto opened up about her Brazilian butt lift, which she hoped would boost her self-esteem. According to a video shared to social media, she got the procedure done at 21, after she gained some weight and was called “bad-bodied.” Post-surgery, however, Latto says the criticism continued. “Moral of the story, I just think everybody should just stop worrying about everybody. Natural girls are winning. Surgery girls… BBL girls are winning,” she said. “Do what works for you and mind your own business.”
Vocalist and songwriter Angela Bofill died June 13 at age 70, as confirmed by her manager Rich Engle and members of her family. “With heavy hearts, we can confirm the loss of Angela Bofill, our mother, grandmother and sweet songbird to the music industry and dear friend to many,” her daughter Shauna Bofill-Portuguez said. “She loved every one of her fans and was always reading letters and kind notes from those who (adored) her and continued to support her wonderful legacy in music.” Angela was known for the songs “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter,” “I Try,” “I’m On Your Side” and “Tonight I Give In.”
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
ABC/Randy Holmes
If you’ve been champing at the bit to see Oscar winner Jordan Peele‘s directorial follow-up to his 2022 hit Nope, you’re going to have to wait until around Halloween — of 2026.
The writer-director just posted to social media the date 10/23/26 — and nothing else — about what’s next for him at the movies.
And while the movie’s a mystery, a big reason behind the release date may not be. Back in March 2023, it was said Jordan would be back at the movies with another Universal Pictures release on Dec. 25, 2024 — but that was before the dual writers and actors strikes brought Hollywood production to a standstill.
In January 2024, Peele didn’t spill any tea about the forthcoming project to Conan O’Brien on his Conan Needs a Friend podcast, but he did allow, “I do feel like my next project is clear to me, and I’m psyched that I have another film that, you know, could be my favorite movie if I make it right.”
We’re waiting, Jordan.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage
Fat Joe is ready for fans to “Say Goodbye” to Chris Brown‘s past. In a recent Instagram Live, he called Chris “the most talented singer, artist, performer, hitmaker of our time” and claimed he’d be deemed the Michael Jackson of our time if he had “never got into the controversy with Rihanna.”
“There’s nobody even close to Chris Brown, and it’s time we move past it,” he said of the incident in which CB assaulted Rih. “It’s been 20-something years that I know of — there’s no more incidents. We gon’ let this lifetime go by without saying the truth?”
“What happens is, when the truth is an unpopular decision, everybody gets scared to say it. They get canceled — especially famous people,” he continued. “But you know, the streets — they know what it is. Streets always know, they tell you the truth.”
While Joe noted he doesn’t condone the behavior, he said Chris was just a kid at the time and mentioned there are artists the streets still listen to despite their current behavior, including R. Kelly.
He argued that Chris’ past doesn’t take away from his talent and music.
“So what I’m tryna say is that it’s a shame that we lying and we not giving it up to the king of R&B,” Fat Joe said. “We be thinking he could battle Michael Jackson, that’s all I’m tryna say. I’m not lying. If you really look at his body of work and you look at all his hits, you see what he does.”
If you are affected by abuse and needing support, or know someone who is, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). You can also chat online at thehotline.org or online.rainn.org, respectively.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Photo by Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
Brandy and Monica merely appear in the video for Ariana Grande‘s “The Boy is Mine,” but they do a lot more on the song’s remix. Announced Monday, the two will be featured on the track, named after their 1998 hit. It’s set to release on June 21.
“i ……… cannot believe this is real (i don’t know if i will even long after it’s out),” Ariana wrote on Instagram. “My deepest and sincerest thank you to Brandy and Monica, not only for joining me for this moment, but for your generosity, your kindness, and for the countless ways in which you have inspired me. it is near impossible to say how much this means to me.”
“this is in celebration of you both and the impact that you have had on every vocalist, vocal producer, musician, artist that is creating today,” she continued. “I loooooove you both so so much. thank you !!!!!!!”
With all three women on the song, who will the boy belong to?
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage
Nas may only need “One Mic,” but there will likely be several in the musical stage adaptation of the classic hip-hop film Beat Street.
The rapper will expand and create new material inspired by the soundtrack of the original film, for which Arthur Baker served as co-producer, composer and music producer. Nas teamed with Baker, Richard Fearn and Beat Street associate producer Michael Holman to produce the musical, which they’re hoping to bring to Broadway.
“Beat Street wasn’t just a film – it spread the revolution of hip-hop culture throughout the country and the world. It left an indelible mark, inspiring generations of young artists and creating new hip-hop fans alike,” Nas said in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s a thrill for me to join the creative team of Beat Street, bringing the raw energy of hip-hop into the fabric of Broadway. It’s an honor to breathe new life into this iconic work and celebrate its enduring legacy.”
The original Beat Street, released in 1984, follows the journey of a graffiti artist, a DJ and a breakdancer in the South Bronx who are trying to make it in the hip-hop scene. It features music by Harry Belafonte, and appearances by Doug E. Fresh, DJ Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa & The Sonic Force and more.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
