By Jon Wiederhorn
photo: Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesMay 2, 2013 was supposed to be a day to celebrate metal. Hundreds of musicians, press people, and fans were traveling across the country to Los Angeles to attend or take part in the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards. Then at about 3pm PT, word broke that one of metal’s heroes, Slayer co-founder and guitarist Jeff Hanneman, had died at 11am that day from liver failure, at the age of 49.
Gucci Mane's March mugshot (Photo: Fulton County Sheriff's Office)Gucci Mane is reportedly no longer behind bars. According to TMZ, the rapper, who was arrested April 13, is now out of jail and free to enjoy his weekend.
Mane (real name Radric Davis) was originally arrested back in late March after allegedly hitting a man over the head with a bottle at an Atlanta club., causing an injury requiring stitches He was released on bail April 12--only to get re-arrested promptly the following day for violating probation.
The case involving the alleged assault at the nightclub is still pending.
Mane is reportedly slated to appear in court later this month.
Read More »from Gucci Mane Free From Jail After Three Weeks
Chris Smith (l), Chris Kelly (r) of Kris Kross [Photo: Paul Natkin/WireImage]The exact cause of Kris Kross rapper Chris Kelly's untimely passing is still up in the air. An autopsy has been completed, but more investigation is necessary to determine why the 34-year-old died.
According to various sources, the Fulton County Medical Examiner determined Thursday that there was no sign of trauma or foul play in Kelly's case. However, a toxicology report still needs to be completed , which could take at least three weeks.
Reports have been swirling that Kelly died as a result of a drug overdose, and the autopsy results seem to support that theory.
Read More »from Kris Kross’s Chris Kelly: Autopsy Complete, No Foul Play
photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty ImagesThroughout the annals of pop music history there have been several songs titled "Somebody to Love," including certifiable classics by Queen and Jefferson Airplane. Pop sensation Justin Bieber released a track bearing that title in 2010; it became his fourth consecutive top 20 hit and was subsequently released as a remix featuring the Bieb's mentor, Usher. Then Usher released his own version of the track, with him on lead vocals and Justin in the featured role.
Both artists got a lot of mileage out of the track, and now two songwriters are suing Usher and Bieber for $10 million, claiming they stole their song, TheWrap reports. In a complaint filed on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Virginia, Devin Copeland (who performs under the stage name De Rico) and songwriter Mareio Overton claim they wrote a song titled "Somebody to Love," and De Rico released it on his album My Story II in 2008. De Rico's track can heard HERE for compare-and-contrast purposes.
[Related: Justin Bieber Visits
Read More »from Justin Bieber, Usher Get No “Love” in Song Suit
The gold-plated Promethean coffinAs fans celebrate the late James Brown's 80th birthday May 3, it's a suitable occasion to remember the final time that the King of Soul went gold.
That was when a horse-drawn carriage bore Brown's body in a procession through the streets of Harlem on December 28, 2006, before a memorial service at the Apollo Theatre that drew thousands of fans to line up and file past his body. Some of them might have been angling to get a look at the casket as much as at Brown himself.
Brown was decked out in a casket called the Promethean, which is plated in 14-carat gold, with a body of solid bronze, lined with blue velvet. Retail value: $22,000-30,000, making it one of the world's most expensive coffins, if not the most pricey, at the time.
Michael Jackson spent five hours in the funeral home when the body was returned to Augusta, Georgia, studying the lifeless visage of Brown and, no doubt, the coffin as well. Little wonder, then, that as Jackson had followed in Brown's nimble footsteps in life,
Read More »from James Brown’s 80th Birthday: Remembering a Gold Casket Befitting a King
Tyler, The Creator [photo: Roger Kisby/Getty Images]Even before N.W.A famously fired their 1988 warning shot "F*** tha Police," hardcore hip-hop was known as the rebel music of the day. Like the previous generations' early rock 'n' roll that championed spending the night together, glam metal that wouldn't take it anymore, and punk rock out for revenge, it reached out to disenfranchised youths and in the process alienated parents, conservative groups and corporate America.
Eventually, onetime rebels become acceptable parts of mainstream culture. The Rolling Stones are currently celebrating their 50th anniversary with a series of high-priced shows. Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna to Take It" is now being used by Extended Stay America to rage against the bathroom coffee machine. And even AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, Ice Cube, is now shilling Coors Light--but only after he made the transition from gangsta rapper to film star in such lighthearted fare as Are We There Yet?
Read More »from Tyler, The Creator and the Dews and Don’ts of Advertising
Chris Smith (l), Chris Kelly (r) of Kris Kross [Photo: Paul Natkin/WireImage]Chris Kelly, half of the kid hip-hop duo Kris Kross, died Wednesday night of an apparent drug overdose at the age of 34. While most of us will remember him as "Mac Daddy," one of the backward-clothes-wearing kids that rapped the monster hit "Jump," here are five things you may not have known about him and Kris Kross.
By Jon Wiederhorn
photo: Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesBeyoncé has been pretty particular about controlling her environment in the past. For example, for her Super Bowl performance, she reportedly demanded that her daughter Blue Ivy’s nursery be decorated with rose-scented candles and that the infant's crib be shipped from New York to New Orleans. Also, apparently Beyoncé asked that her dressing room be stocked with expensive cigars and liquor for her husband, Jay-Z. And after the show, she tried to prevent the press from using unflattering photos of her performance.
Now, the diva seems to be upping the ante on those demands (which the NFL dismissed as fantasy). According to the U.K. tabloid Daily Star, Beyoncé’s rider for her London residency at the O2 arena (which runs through May 5) includes some fairly bizarre and expensive items.
Read More »from Beyoncé’s Tour Rider Still Isn’t as Crazy as Katy Perry’sBy Laura Ferreiro
(Dominique Charriau, WireImage)Kanye West knows how to make a statement. Often criticized for his long-winded rants that bash the music industry or tout his own artistic prowess, West kept things short and sweet, taking to Twitter on Thursday morning for a brief but powerful announcement.
"June Eighteen" is all he wrote. What's more, it's the only Tweet his 9.5 million followers can see, since he deleted all the other Tweets from his Twitter account a few months ago.
Read More »from Kanye West Posts Cryptic Twitter Announcement ‘June Eighteen’By Jon Wiederhorn
In tribute to Kris Kross rapper Chris Kelly, who died yesterday at a hospital in Atlanta at the age of 34, rock band Deftones played the duo's hit "Jump" during their set last night in St. Louis, Missouri.
Read More »from Deftones Play “Jump” in Tribute to Kris Kross’s Chris KellyPHOENIX (AP) — It was the customer service disaster heard around the Internet.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kellie Pickler came into the final "Dancing With the Stars" episode in second place but finished in first.
NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft is the last of the three big video game console makers to unveil its latest gaming system. The unveiling comes nearly eight years after the Xbox 360 went on sale. It follows last fall's debut of Nintendo's Wii U and a preview in February of the upcoming PlayStation 4 from Sony.
By Andrea Burzynski NEW YORK (Reuters) - Country singer Kellie Pickler won the 16th season of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" on Tuesday night, winning over judges and TV audiences with her graceful style and high-jumping jives with partner and professional dancer Derek Hough. Pickler, who first grabbed attention as a contestant on "American Idol" in 2006, screeched and jumped up and down when she learned she had won. "This is amazing! Oh, my God!" she exclaimed, before fellow finalist and NFL player Jacoby Jones hoisted her on his shoulders to celebrate. ...
CHICAGO (AP) — An 87-year-old woman who alleges Donald Trump cheated her in a skyscraper-condo sale told jurors Monday she had qualms about suing the real estate mogul and TV celebrity. But, she quickly added, "Somebody had to stand up to him."
CANNES, France (AP) — The Cannes Film Festival is missing one of its biggest stars of this year's festival: Ryan Gosling.