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Tag: Hip hop and rap

  • How to watch the 2026 Grammys, where Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga go head-to-head

    NEW YORK — 1. The 2026 Grammy Awards are right around the corner. Who will win big?

    The 68th annual Grammy Awards will take place Feb. 1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. This year marks a return to normalcy after the 2025 award show was altered to focus on supporting relief efforts following the devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires.

    “I think we will see some history-making moments,” Recording Academy CEO and President Harvey Mason jr. told The Associated Press. “With artists being nominated in categories they haven’t been previously nominated in, and a new crop of talent coming through the system this year — I think we’re going to see some really exciting results.”

    Here’s what you need to know about the 2026 Grammys, including how to stream and where you can see music’s biggest stars walking the red carpet.

    The main show will air live on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern on Feb. 1.

    The Grammys can also be watched through live TV streaming services that include CBS in their lineup, like Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV and FuboTV.

    Paramount+ premium plan subscribers will be able to stream the Grammys live; Paramount+ essential subscribers will have on-demand access the next day.

    The premiere ceremony will take place just ahead of the Grammys’ ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Eastern, 12:30 p.m. Pacific at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. It can be streamed at the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel and on live.GRAMMY.com.

    Comedian Trevor Noah will host the show for the sixth consecutive time — and it will be his last.

    “I am beyond thrilled to welcome Trevor Noah back to host the Grammys for his sixth, and sadly, final time,” Grammys’ executive producer Ben Winston said in a statement. “He’s been the most phenomenal host of the show. He’s so smart, so funny, and such a true fan of the artists and music. His impact on the show has been truly spectacular, and we can’t wait to do it together one last time.”

    The only other people to host six or more Grammy telecasts were musical artists: Andy Williams hosted seven shows, followed by John Denver with six. Noah previously tied LL Cool J, with five.

    Noah himself is a four-time Grammy nominee and is up this year in the audio book, narration, and storytelling recording category for “Into The Uncut Grass,” a children’s story.

    “He’s a special host. He really finds the right balance between being funny and smart and knowledgeable but also being a fan of music. And I love that. It’s so hard to find that combination,” Mason jr. said.

    As for his departure? “Every person at some point in their career, they decide they want to do something else,” Mason jr. said. “And we’re so appreciative of the years that we got from Trevor. He’s really helped define the show and make the show what it’s become over the last six years.”

    The Associated Press will stream a four-hour red carpet show with interviews and fashion footage. It will be streamed on YouTube and APNews.com.

    Kendrick Lamar leads the nominations with nine total. He’s up for record, song and album of the year — marking the third time he’s had simultaneous nominations in those big categories — as well as pop duo/group performance, melodic rap performance, rap song and rap album. He’s also nominated twice in the rap performance category.

    Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff and Canadian record producer/songwriter Cirkut follow Lamar with seven nominations each.

    Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, Leon Thomas and Serban Ghenea all boast six nominations. Andrew Watt, Clipse, Doechii, Sounwave, SZA, Turnstile and Tyler, the Creator have five each.

    And in the best new artist category, Thomas, global girl group Katseye, Olivia Dean, The Marías, Addison Rae, sombr, Alex Warren and Lola Young will go head-to-head.

    There are a number of first-time nominees as well this year, including Tate McRae, Zara Larsson, PinkPantheress, JID and … Timothée Chalamet. You read that correctly.

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    For more coverage of this year’s Grammy Awards, visit: www.apnews.com/hub/grammy-awards

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  • What music and television to stream: A New Year’s Eve tradition

    The end of the year brings fewer new streaming options, but it’s a great time to catch up on 2025’s best movies, TV, music, and games

    It’s the end of the year and there are fewer new streaming options headed to a device near you.

    But it’s a great time to catch up on some of best movies,television,music and video games of 2025. The Associated Press has comprehensive guides on the best releases of the year on its Year in Review page.

    One of the new offerings this week doubles as a music and television option, just in time for New Year’s Eve.

    — The new year is nearly upon us. Why not ring it in with a few all-star performances? There is no shortage of New Year’s Eve specials to watch, but give “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest,” available to stream online at ABC.com, a whirl. Catch performances from Chappell Roan, 50 Cent, Diana Ross, Chance the Rapper, 4 Non Blondes, 6lack, AJR, BigXThaPlug, Busta Rhymes, Demi Lovato, Charlie Puth, Ciara and many more.

    — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

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  • ‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ co-hosts are Chance the Rapper, Rob Gronkowski, Julianne Hough and Rita Ora

    NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Ryan Seacrest will have some starry help ushering in 2026 on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” — Chance the Rapper, Rob Gronkowski, Julianne Hough and Rita Ora have all signed up.

    ABC said Monday that Seacrest and Ora will anchor the celebrations from New York City at Times Square, Chance the Rapper will do the same from his native Chicago, while former NFL star Gronkowski and Hough will beam from Las Vegas. Details for a Puerto Rico celebration will be revealed soon.

    Seacrest inherited ABC’s “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” from Dick Clark and has been involved with the show since 2006.

    “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026” airs Dec. 31 live on ABC beginning at 8 p.m. EST, and the next day on Hulu.

    More performers will be announced later.

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  • What to Stream: ‘Freakier Friday,’ NF, ‘Landman,’ ‘Palm Royale’ and Black Ops 7

    Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan re-teaming as the body-swapping mother and daughter duo in “Freakier Friday” and albums from 5 Seconds of Summer and the rapper NF are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

    Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys team up for the new limited-series thriller “The Beast in Me,” gamers get Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Apple TV’s star-studded “Palm Royale” is back.

    New movies to stream from Nov. 10-16

    — Richard Linklater’s love letter to the French New Wave and the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless,” “Nouvelle Vague,” will be streaming on Netflix on Friday, Nov. 14. In his review, Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle writes that, “To a remarkable degree, Linklater’s film, in French and boxed into the Academy ratio, black-and-white style of ‘Breathless,’ has fully imbibed that spirit, resurrecting one of the most hallowed eras of movies to capture an iconoclast in the making. The result is something endlessly stylish and almost absurdly uncanny.”

    — Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan re-team as the body-swapping mother and daughter duo in “Freakier Friday,” a sequel to their 2003 movie, streaming on Disney+ on Wednesday. In her review, Jocelyn Noveck writes, “The chief weakness of ‘Freakier Friday’ — an amiable, often joyful and certainly chaotic reunion — is that while it hews overly closely to the structure, storyline and even dialogue of the original, it tries too hard to up the ante. The comedy is thus a bit more manic, and the plot machinations more overwrought (or sometimes distractingly silly).”

    — Ari Aster’s latest nightmare “Eddington” is set in a small, fictional New Mexico town during the coronavirus pandemic, which becomes a kind of microcosm for our polarized society at large with Joaquin Phoenix as the sheriff and Pedro Pascal as its mayor. In my review, I wrote that, “it is an anti-escapist symphony of masking debates, conspiracy theories, YouTube prophets, TikTok trends and third-rail topics in which no side is spared.”

    — An incurable cancer diagnoses might not be the most obvious starting place for a funny and affirming film, but that is the magic of Ryan White’s documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light,” about two poets, Andrea Gibson, who died in July, and Megan Falley, facing a difficult reality together. It will be on Apple TV on Friday, Nov. 14.

    — AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

    New music to stream from Nov. 10-16

    — There’s nothing worse than a band without a sense of humor. Thankfully 5 Seconds of Summer are in on the joke. Their sixth studio album, “Everyone’s a Star!,” sounds like the Australian pop-rock band are having fun again, from The Prodigy-esq. “Not OK” to the self-referential and effacing “Boy Band.” Candor is their provocation now, and it sounds good — particularly after the band has spent the last few years exploring solo projects.

    — The R&B and neo soul powerhouse Summer Walker has returned with her third studio album and first in four years. “Finally Over It,” out Friday, Nov. 14, is the final chapter of her “Over It” trilogy; a release centered on transformation and autonomy. That’s evident from the dreamy throwback single, “Heart of A Woman,” in which the song’s protagonist is disappointed with her partner — but with striking self-awareness. “In love with you but can’t stand your ways,” she sings. “And I try to be strong/But how much can I take?”

    — Consider him one of the biggest artists on the planet that you may not be familiar with. NF, the musical moniker of Nate Feuerstein, emerged from the Christian rap world a modern answer to Eminem only to top the mainstream, all-genre Billboard 200 chart twice, with 2017’s “Perception” and 2019’s “The Search.” On Friday, Nov. 14, he’ll release “Fear,” a new six-track EP featuring mgk (formerly Machine Gun Kelly) and the English singer James Arthur.

    — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

    New series to stream from Nov. 10-16

    — Apple TV’s star-studded “Palm Royale” is back just in time for a new social season. Starring Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Leslie Bibb, Kaia Gerber, Ricky Martin AND Carol Burnett, the show is campy, colorful and fun, plus it has great costumes. Wiig plays Maxine, a woman desperate to be accepted into high society in Palm Beach, Florida, in the late 1960s. The first episode streams Wednesday and one will follow weekly into January.

    — “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” cast member Heather Gay has written a book called “Bad Mormon” about how she went from a devout Mormon to leaving the church. Next, she’s fronting a new docuseries that delves into that too called “Surviving Mormonism with Heather Gay.” The reality TV star also speaks to others who have left the religion. All three episodes drop Wednesday on Peacock.

    — Thanks to “Homeland” and “The Americans,” Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys helped put the prestige in the term prestige TV. They grace the screen together in a new limited-series for Netflix called “The Beast in Me.” Danes plays a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who finds a new subject in her next door neighbor, a real estate tycoon who also may or may not have killed his first wife. Howard Gordon, who worked with Danes on “Homeland,” is also the showrunner and an executive producer of “The Beast in Me.” It premieres Thursday.

    — David Duchovny and Jack Whitehall star in a new thriller on Prime Video called “Malice.” Duchovny plays Jamie, a wealthy man vacationing with his family in Greece. He hires a tutor (played by Whitehall) named Adam to work with the kids who seems likable, personable and they invite him into their world. Soon it becomes apparent that Adam’s charm is actually creepy. Something is up. As these stories go, getting rid of an interloper is never easy. All six episodes drop Friday, Nov. 14.

    — “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints” returns to Fox Nation on Sunday, Nov. 16 for a second season. The premiere details the story of Saint Patrick. The show is a passion project for Scorsese who executive produces, hosts, and narrates the episodes.

    — Billy Bob Thornton has struck oil in the second season of “Landman” on Paramount+. Created by Taylor Sheridan, the show is set in modern day Texas in the world of Big Oil. Sam Elliott and Andy Garcia have joined the cast and Demi Moore also returns. The show returns Sunday, Nov. 16.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    New video games to play from Nov. 10-16

    — The Call of Duty team behind the Black Ops subseries delivered a chapter last year — but they’re already back with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. The new installment of the bestselling first-person shooter franchise moves to 2035 and a world “on the brink of chaos.” (What else is new?) Publisher Activision is promising a “reality-shattering” experience that dives into “into the deepest corners of the human psyche.” Beyond that storyline there are also 16 multiplayer maps and the ever-popular zombie mode, in which you and your friends get to blast away at relentless hordes of the undead. Lock and load Friday, Nov. 14, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S or PC.

    — Lumines Arise is the latest head trip from Enhance Games, the studio behind puzzlers like Tetris Effect, Rez Infinite and Humanity. The basic challenge is simple enough: Multicolored 2×2 blocks drift down the screen, and you need to arrange them to form single-color squares. Completed squares vanish unless you apply the “burst” mechanic, which lets you build ever-larger squares and rack up bigger scores. It’s all accompanied by hallucinatory graphics and thumping electronic music, and you can plug in a virtual reality headset if you really want to feel like you’re at a rave. Pick up the groove Tuesday on PlayStation 5 or PC.

    — Lou Kesten

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  • What to Stream: Gucci Mane, ‘Loot,’ Danielle Deadwyler, Pokémon and ‘The Diplomat’

    A new Pokémon game and Danielle Deadwyler starring in the apocalyptic thriller “40 Acres” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

    Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Rapper Gucci Mane returns with a new full-length titled “Episodes,” an animated Roald Dahl adaptation and Keri Russell’s political drama “The Diplomat” premieres its third season.

    — An animated adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “The Twits” is coming to Netflix on Friday, Oct. 17. The mean, hateful couple are voiced by Johnny Vegas and Margo Martindale, in this film about their rise to power in the city and the group of children who team up to fight for goodness. Animation veteran Phil Johnson (“Wreck-It Ralph,” “Zootopia”) directed and co-wrote the film, which features a starry voice cast including Natalie Portman, Emilia Clarke and Jason Mantzoukas. David Byrne also contributed some new songs, with Paramore’s Hayley Williams.

    — Danielle Deadwyler stars in the apocalyptic thriller “40 Acres” about a family, the Freemans, surviving on a farm while the rest of society has collapsed in the wake of plagues and wars. But their survivalist existence is put in jeopardy when her eldest son meets a woman outside of their property. It will be on Hulu starting Friday, Oct. 17.

    — Two standout Sundance documentaries are also worth checking out. “The Alabama Solution,” about horrifying conditions in the Alabama prison system, is already streaming on HBO Max. The Associated Press has written extensively about the problems in the state’s prison system, including high rates of violence, low staffing, a plummeting parole rate and the use of pandemic funds to build a new supersized prison. Also coming on Friday, Oct. 17, to Netflix, “The Perfect Neighbor” from Geeta Gandbhir uses police bodycam footage to reconstruct a neighborhood dispute in Florida that turns deadly. It’s a riveting real life look at the state’s “stand your ground laws.”

    — AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

    — The rapper Gucci Mane returns with a new full-length, “Episodes,” two months after his Gangsta Grillz mixtape “Greatest of All Trappers” dropped. What more would you expect from one of the most prolific trap stars of the last few decades?

    — The influence of Australian psychedelic musician Kevin Parker, aka Tame Impala, is hard to undersell – there’s a reason some of the biggest names in the business have been running to work with him, a list that recently includes Dua Lipa for her “Radical Optimism” album. On Friday, he’ll release his fifth album, “Deadbeat,” his first full-length in five years. It’s as dreamy as ever.

    — In independent music circles IRL and URL, the subgenre shoegaze (marked by distortion, feedback, loud guitar pedal effects as popularized by the Jesus and Mary Chain ) has experienced a revival. In the modern era, those familiar-to-some sounds are meshed with other indie rock styles. No band has been simultaneously influential and underrated for said impact than Philadelphia’s They Are Gutting A Body of Water. That may change on Friday with the release of their next album, “LOTTO” their first for ATO Records and their best to date. For those who like their bands fuzzy, freaky and future-seeking.

    — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

    — Alex Murdaugh, the disbarred South Carolina attorney convicted of murdering his wife and son along with committing financial crimes, is serving a life sentence in prison. The story is told in a new true crime dramatization for Hulu called “Murdaugh: Death in the Family,” premiering Wednesday. It stars Jason Clarke as Alex and Patricia Arquette as his wife, Maggie. The series is based on the reporting by South Carolina journalist and podcaster, Mandy Matney, whose investigative work was pivotal in the coverage of Murdaugh. Matney is also an executive producer and Brittany Snow plays her in the series.

    — If you need a palette cleanser, the delightful comedy “Loot” returns to Apple TV+ Wednesday for its third season. Maya Rudolph stars as a billionaire who finds her purpose in philanthropy after her tech-bro husband divorces her. It also stars Nat Faxon, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Joel Kim Booster and Ron Funches.

    — Keri Russell’s political drama “The Diplomat” premieres its third season Thursday on Netflix. Allison Janney also returns as a series regular alongside… wait for it… her old buddy from “The West Wing,” Bradley Whitford. He plays her husband.

    — Another one for the true crime fans: a new limited-series on Peacock is about the serial killer John Wayne Gacy.“Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy,” premieres Thursday, and dramatizes the time period in 1978 when police begin to suspect Gacy for the murder of a young man in Des Plaines, Illinois. As they conduct surveillance 24/7, Gacy seems to at first enjoy the attention but his behavior becomes more and more erratic over time and leads to his arrest.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    — Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings a major change to Nintendo’s 30-year-old franchise: For the first time, the creatures are competing in real-time fights rather than turn-based battles. That means more of a focus on timing and reflexes, though it will also give your monster the ability to dodge enemy attacks. The story takes place in Lumiose City, a Paris-like metropolis that turns into a battle zone when the sun goes down. Plenty of old favorites like Pikachu and Charizard are on the roster, and if your Pokémon scores enough hits it may undergo “Mega Evolution” to become truly fearsome. You can start trying to catch ’em all Thursday on Switch.

    — Keeper is another bizarre concoction from Double Fine Productions, the studio that gave us the trippy Psychonauts. This time, you are a long dormant lighthouse that breaks free of its foundation and gains four legs. Joined by a curious seabird, you wander inland, passing through surrealistic, unpopulated villages as you make your way toward a looming mountain peak. There are no words — just a series of puzzles that look like they were conjured up by Salvador Dalí. The hike begins Friday, Oct. 17 on Xbox X/S and PC.

    — Lou Kesten

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  • What to Stream: Documentaries on John Candy and Victoria Beckham, Battlefield 6 and ‘Family Guy’

    Documentaries on comedian John Candy and pop artist-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham as well as a “Family Guy” Halloween special are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

    Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Keira Knightley stars as a journalist in “The Woman in Cabin 10,” Electronic Arts is ready to get back in the fight with the game Battlefield 6 and hip-hop group Mobb Deep will release “Infinite,” their ninth and final album.

    — More than 30 years after his death at age 43, John Candy might be even more beloved than he was during his all-to-short career. “John Candy: I Like Me” (Friday, Oct. 10 on Prime Video), a documentary directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds, is a kind of eulogy and tribute to the actor of “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” “Uncle Buck” and “Stripes.” The film, made with the cooperation of the Candy family, includes many famous faces, from Bill Murray to Mel Brooks.

    – In “The Woman in Cabin 10” (Friday, Oct. 10 on Netflix), Keira Knightley stars as a journalist aboard a luxury yacht for an assignment. In the middle of the night, she sees a woman go overboard, but the ship has no record of her, and no one believes her. Simon Stone, who directed 2021’s underrated “The Dig,” directs this thriller, based on Ruth Ware’s bestselling novel.

    — It being October, just about everything streaming service has by now trotted out their best horror offerings. By why mess around when you can go to the source? Or, at least, one of the richest B-movie legacies of synths and scares? In Directed by John Carpenter, the Criterion Channel gathers some of the filmmaker’s most vivid nightmares, including “The Fog,” “Escape Form New York” and “They Live.”

    — AP Film Writer Jake Coyle

    — Mobb Deep hath returned. On Friday, Oct. 10, the hardcore New York hip-hop duo will release “Infinite,” their ninth and final album and first since the death of Prodigy in 2017. It features P’s distinctive flow on a few posthumous tracks, produced by his other half Havoc and their frequent musical collaborator, the Alchemist. It’s clearly a labor of love.

    — Indie fans might remember the upcoming and coming folk-rocker Avery Tucker from his previous project, the primitive punk duo Girlpool. His debut album, “Paw,” out Friday, couldn’t be further from that material — but both lead with the heart. Start with “Big Drops,” “Like I’m Young,” “Malibu,” and the ascendant closer “My Life Isn’t Leaving You.” The album was co-produced by A. G. Cook, the hyperpop virtuoso best known to many as one of Charli XCX’s “Brat” collaborators. This is not a release for the club, but it one that grows and grows more bodily with each listen.

    — It has been six years since Jay Som, the project of multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Melina Duterte, released a new album. On Friday, the wait is over. “Belong” is an expansion of her once nascent talents, a rush of electro-synths, punk-pop and other variously nostalgic indie genres, presented in a new way. Perhaps it has a little something to do with how Duterte has spent the last few years: ranking up production credits on a number of beloved albums, including the Grammy-winning boygenius’ “The Record” and Lucy Dacus’ “Forever Is A Feeling.”

    — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

    — It’s spooky season and “Family Guy” has a new Halloween special debuting Monday on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. The episode, titled “A Little Fright Music,” features Brian and Stewie’s attempt to write a hit Halloween song and Peter learning about the dangers of lying about trick-or-treating.

    — David Beckham’s 2023 Netflix docuseries was both an Emmy Award winner and internet fodder thanks to a scene where he repeatedly told his wife Victoria to “be honest” about her family’s economic status as a child. It’s only fitting that the filmmakers turned their sights on her next and she agreed. “Victoria Beckham” is a three-part docuseries launching Thursday on Netflix. Viewers will see the former pop star-turned-fashion designer share her story — and it’s TBD whether David weighs in.

    — On the subject of Emmys, Kathy Bates didn’t win this year for best actress in a drama series as predicted for her work on “Matlock.” The award instead went to Britt Lower for “Severance.” You can still watch the performance that got Bates nominated though when the show begins streaming its second season Friday, Oct. 10 on Paramount+. A third season of “Elsbeth” will also begin streaming then, too.

    — Another docuseries debuting Friday, Oct. 10 on Tubi also follows a celebrity but this one’s on the come-up. “Always, Lady London” features the rising rapper, Lady London, as she records her first album and gets ready to go on tour.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    — When it comes to video-game warfare, there are two superpowers: Call of Duty and Battlefield. The latter hit a rough patch with its last major installment, 2021’s Battlefield 2042, but Electronic Arts is ready to get back in the fight with Battlefield 6. You are part of an elite Marine squad trying to stop a private military corporation in a single-player campaign that bounces around the globe. There’s plenty of gut-wrenching infantry combat, but you also get to drive tanks and fly helicopters and fighter jets. And there will be the usual assortment of multiplayer mayhem, including the new Escalation mode, in which the territory shrinks every time a team captures a control point. Take up arms Friday, Oct. 10, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.

    — Bandai Namco’s Little Nightmares games specialize in the kind of things that terrified when you were a kid, presenting them in a gloomy yet vivid world reminiscent of Tim Burton’s stop-motion animation. Little Nightmares III promises more of the same, with one major addition: You can now confront your night terrors with a friend in co-op play. One of you gets a bow and arrow, while the other uses a wrench to fix things or clobber enemies. Britain’s Supermassive Games, the studio that has taken over the series, is known for horror gems like Until Dawn and The Quarry, so don’t expect pleasant dreams. The haunting begins Friday, Oct. 10, on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One, Switch and PC.

    — Lou Kesten

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  • British court throws out terror-related charge against hip-hop group Kneecap member

    LONDON — A London court on Friday threw out a terror-related charge against a member of the controversial Irish-language hip-hop band Kneecap, basing its decision on a technical error in the way the charge was brought forward.

    Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who is also referred to by his anglicized name Liam O’Hanna and performs under the name Mo Chara, had been charged after waving a flag of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is banned in Britain as a terrorist organization, during a London concert last year.

    Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring sitting at Woolwich Crown Court said the case should be thrown out, agreeing with O’Hanna’s lawyers that there was an error in the way the rapper was charged.

    “These proceedings were instituted unlawfully and are null,” he said.

    The three-member Kneecap, which hails from Belfast, Northern Ireland, has faced criticism for political statements seeming to glorify militant groups including Hamas and Hezbollah. Canada and Hungary have previously banned the group.

    Kneecap has accused critics of trying to silence the band because of its support for the Palestinian cause throughout the war in Gaza. The band says it doesn’t support Hezbollah and Hamas, nor condone violence.

    O’Hanna, 27, had claimed the prosecution was a politically motivated effort to silence the band’s support for Palestinians.

    “We will not be silent,” the rapper told supporters outside the court after the charges against him were thrown out.

    Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill welcomed the move, saying the charges were part of “a calculated attempt to silence those who stand up and speak out against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.”

    “Kneecap have used their platform on stages across the world to expose this genocide, and it is the responsibility of all of us to continue speaking out and standing against injustice in Palestine,” she added.

    The Crown Prosecution Service said it was “reviewing the decision of the court carefully” and pointed out that it can be appealed.

    London’s Metropolitan Police said it was working with the prosecutors to “understand the potential implications of this ruling for us and how that might impact on the processing of such cases in the future.”

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  • Italian rapper Fedez apologizes for lyrics targeting Jannik Sinner after being accused of racism

    MILAN — MILAN (AP) — Italian rapper Fedez has apologized for publishing musical lyrics saying that tennis player Jannik Sinner speaks with “Adolf Hitler’s accent,” which prompted the musician to be accused of inciting racial hatred.

    Fedez recently posted an Instagram story featuring lyrics of a new song that said in Italian: “Italian has a new idol named Jannik Sinner. Pure-blooded Italian with Adolf Hitler’s accent.”

    A city council member in Bolzano — the capital of the German-speaking autonomous province of Alto Adige in northern Italy where Sinner is from — on Thursday filed a formal complaint with prosecutors over Fedez’s lyrics based on an article in Italy’s penal code that sanctions incitement of racial hatred and propaganda.

    “I wanted to take a paradox and it came off terribly, about athletes who are born and raised in Italy but often are not considered Italian due to the color of their skin and apply it to Italy’s top athlete,” Fedez said during a concert in Milan on Friday, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport.

    “I wasn’t able to pull it off and all I can do is apologize,” Fedez added. “If something like this isn’t understood, it’s because of a mistake made by whoever wrote it. So I take responsibility.”

    The reference to “pure-blooded Italian” recalls Italian fascist propaganda from the 1930s, according to Giuseppe Martucci, the city council member, who added that the reference to Hitler was unacceptable.

    “I felt it my duty to act and hold up the founding values of our constitution,” Martucci said. “We can’t allow language the evokes racism and hate to be normalized by public figures.”

    By winning four Grand Slam titles over the last two years, Sinner has exceeded Italy’s soccer stars to become the country’s most popular athlete. He lost the U.S. Open final to Carlos Alcaraz this month and lost the No. 1 ranking to his Spanish rival.

    This is not the first time that Sinner has faced an underlying sentiment that he isn’t fully Italian.

    Before he won his first Grand Slam title and opted not to play Davis Cup for Italy in September 2023 — saying he hadn’t recovered in time from tournaments in North America — he was widely criticized.

    “Caso Nazionale” (National Issue), said the front-page of Sportweek, the Gazzetta dello Sport’s weekly magazine, in a headline with a double meaning.

    Then when Sinner won his first Grand Slam title at the 2024 Australian Open, he was treated as a national hero on his return home and met with Premier Giorgia Meloni at the Chigi Palace.

    Sinner and Meloni posed for photos as they held aloft together first the Australian Open trophy and then the Italian flag. Sinner then gave Meloni a warm embrace to end the meeting.

    ___

    AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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  • Celebrity birthdays for the week of Aug. 17-23

    Celebrity birthdays for the week of Aug. 17-23:

    Aug. 17: Actor Robert De Niro is 82. Guitarist Gary Talley of The Box Tops is 78. “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes is 76. Actor Robert Joy (“CSI: NY”) is 74. Singer Kevin Rowland of Dexy’s Midnight Runners is 72. Bassist Colin Moulding of XTC is 70. Country singer-songwriter Kevin Welch is 70. Singer Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Go’s is 67. Actor Sean Penn is 65. Jazz saxophonist Everette Harp is 64. Guitarist Gilby Clarke (Guns N’ Roses) is 63. Singer Maria McKee (Lone Justice) is 61. Drummer Steve Gorman (The Black Crowes) is 60. Singer-bassist Jill Cunniff (Luscious Jackson) is 59. Actor David Conrad (“Ghost Whisperer,” “Relativity”) is 58. Rapper Posdnuos of De La Soul is 56. Actor-singer Donnie Wahlberg (New Kids on the Block) is 56. TV personality Giuliana Rancic (“Fashion Police,” ″E! News”) is 51. Actor Bryton James (“Family Matters”) is 39. Actor Brady Corbet (“24,” “Thirteen”) is 37. Actor Austin Butler (“Dune: Part Two,” “Elvis”) is 34. Actor Taissa Farmiga (“American Horror Story”) is 31.

    Aug. 18: Actor Robert Redford is 89. Actor Henry G. Sanders (“Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”) is 83. Drummer Dennis Elliott (Foreigner) is 75. Comedian Elayne Boosler is 73. Country singer Steve Wilkinson of The Wilkinsons is 70. Comedian-actor Denis Leary is 68. Actor Madeleine Stowe is 67. TV news anchor Bob Woodruff is 64. Actor Adam Storke (“Mystic Pizza”) is 63. Actor Craig Bierko (“Sex and the City,” ″The Long Kiss Goodnight”) is 61. Singer Zac Maloy of The Nixons is 57. Musician Everlast (House of Pain) is 56. Rapper Masta Killa of Wu-Tang Clan is 56. Actor Edward Norton is 56. Actor Christian Slater is 56. Actor Kaitlin Olson (“The Mick,” ″It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) is 50. Comedian Andy Samberg (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” ″Saturday Night Live”) is 47. Guitarist Brad Tursi of Old Dominion is 46. Actor Maia Mitchell (“The Fosters”) is 32. Actor Madelaine Petsch (“Riverdale”) is 31. Actor Parker McKenna Posey (“My Wife and Kids”) is 30.

    Aug. 19: Actor Debra Paget (“The Ten Commandments,” “Love Me Tender”) is 92. Actor Diana Muldaur (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) is 87. Actor Jill St. John is 85. Singer Billy J. Kramer is 82. Country singer-songwriter Eddy Raven is 81. Singer Ian Gillan of Deep Purple is 80. Actor Gerald McRaney is 78. Actor Jim Carter (“Downton Abbey”) is 77. Singer-guitarist Elliot Lurie of Looking Glass is 77. Bassist John Deacon of Queen is 74. Actor Jonathan Frakes (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) is 73. Actor Peter Gallagher is 70. Actor Adam Arkin is 69. Singer-songwriter Gary Chapman is 68. Actor Martin Donovan is 68. Singer Ivan Neville is 66. Actor Eric Lutes (“Caroline in the City”) is 63. Actor John Stamos is 62. Actor Kyra Sedgwick is 60. Actor Kevin Dillon (“Entourage”) is 60. Country singer Lee Ann Womack is 59. Former MTV reporter Tabitha Soren is 58. Country singer Clay Walker is 56. Rapper Fat Joe is 55. Actor Tracie Thoms (“Cold Case”) is 50. Actor Erika Christensen (“Parenthood”) is 43. Actor Melissa Fumero (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) is 43. Actor Tammin Sursok (“Pretty Little Liars”) is 42. Singer Karli Osborn (SHeDaisy) is 41. Rapper Romeo (formerly Lil’ Romeo) is 36. Actor Ethan Cutkosky (TV’s “Shameless”) is 26.

    Aug. 20: News anchor Connie Chung is 79. Trombone player Jimmy Pankow of Chicago is 78. Actor Ray Wise (“Reaper,” ″Twin Peaks”) is 78. Actor John Noble (“Lord of the Rings” films) is 77. Singer Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) is 77. Singer Rudy Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers is 73. Singer-songwriter John Hiatt is 73. Actor-director Peter Horton (“thirtysomething”) is 72. “Today” show weatherman Al Roker is 71. Actor Jay Acovone (“Stargate SG-1”) is 70. Actor Joan Allen is 69. Director David O. Russell (“Silver Linings Playbook,” “American Hustle”) is 67. Actor James Marsters (“Angel,” ″Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) is 63. Rapper KRS-One is 60. Actor Colin Cunningham (“Falling Skies”) is 59. Actor Billy Gardell (“Mike and Molly”) is 56. Singer Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit is 55. Actor Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”) is 55. Guitarist Brad Avery of Third Day is 54. Actor Misha Collins (“Supernatural”) is 51. Singer Monique Powell of Save Ferris is 50. Actor Ben Barnes (“Westworld,” ″Prince Caspian”) is 44. Actor Meghan Ory (“Once Upon a Time”) is 43. Actor Andrew Garfield (“The Amazing Spider-Man”) is 42. Actor Brant Daugherty (“Pretty Little Liars”) is 40. Singer-actor Demi Lovato is 33.

    Aug. 21: Guitarist James Burton (with Elvis Presley) is 86. Singer Jackie DeShannon is 84. Actor Patty McCormack (“Frost/Nixon,” “The Ropers”) is 80. Singer Carl Giammarese of The Buckinghams is 78. Actor Loretta Devine (“Boston Public”) is 76. Newsman Harry Smith is 74. Singer Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath) is 73. Guitarist Nick Kane (The Mavericks) is 71. Actor Kim Cattrall (“Sex and the City”) is 69. Actor Cleo King (“Mike and Molly”) is 63. Singer Serj Tankian of System of a Down is 58. Actor Carrie-Anne Moss (“The Matrix,” ″Chocolat”) is 55. Musician Liam Howlett of Prodigy is 54. Actor Alicia Witt (“Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” ″Cybill”) is 50. Singer-chef Kelis is 46. Actor Diego Klattenhoff (“The Blacklist”) is 46. TV personality Brody Jenner (“The Hills”) is 42. Singer Melissa Schuman of Dream is 41. Comedian Brooks Wheelan (“Saturday Night Live”) is 39. Actor Cody Kasch (“Desperate Housewives”) is 38. Musician Kacey Musgraves is 37. Actor Hayden Panettiere (“Nashville,” ″Heroes”) is 36. Actor RJ Mitte (“Breaking Bad”) is 33. Actor Maxim Knight (“Falling Skies”) is 26.

    Aug. 22: Newsman Morton Dean is 90. TV writer/producer David Chase (“The Sopranos”) is 80. Correspondent Steve Kroft (“60 Minutes”) is 80. Guitarist David Marks of The Beach Boys is 77. Guitarist Vernon Reid of Living Colour is 67. Country singer Collin Raye is 65. Actor Regina Taylor (“The Unit,” ″I’ll Fly Away”) is 65. Singer Roland Orzabal of Tears for Fears is 64. Drummer Debbi Peterson of The Bangles is 64. Guitarist Gary Lee Conner of Screaming Trees is 63. Singer Tori Amos is 62. Keyboardist James DeBarge of DeBarge is 62. Country singer Mila Mason is 62. Rapper GZA (Wu-Tang Clan) is 59. Actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (“Oz,” “Lost”) is 58. Actor Ty Burrell (“Modern Family”) is 58. Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis is 55. Actor Melinda Page Hamilton (“Devious Maids,” ″Mad Men”) is 54. Actor Rick Yune (“Die Another Day,” “The Fast and the Furious”) is 54. Guitarist Paul Doucette of Matchbox Twenty is 53. Rapper Beenie Man is 52. Singer Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys is 52. Comedian Kristen Wiig (“Bridesmaids,” ″Saturday Night Live”) is 52. Actor Jenna Leigh Green (“Sabrina the Teenage Witch”) is 51. Keyboardist Bo Koster of My Morning Jacket is 51. Bassist Dean Back of Theory of a Deadman is 50. Actor and TV host James Corden is 47. Guitarist Jeff Stinco of Simple Plan is 47. Actor Brandon Adams (“The Mighty Ducks”) is 46. Actor Aya Sumika (“Numb3rs”) is 45. Actor Ari Stidham (TV’s “Scorpion”) is 33.

    Aug. 23: Actor Vera Miles is 95. Actor Barbara Eden is 94. Actor Richard Sanders (“WKRP In Cincinnati”) is 85. Country singer Rex Allen Jr. is 78. Actor David Robb (“Downton Abbey”) is 78. Singer Linda Thompson is 78. Actor Shelley Long is 76. Fiddler-singer Woody Paul of Riders in the Sky is 76. Singer-actor Rick Springfield is 76. Actor-producer Mark Hudson (The Hudson Brothers) is 74. Actor Skipp Sudduth (“The Good Wife”) is 69. Guitarist Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots is 64. Singer-bassist Ira Dean of Trick Pony is 56. Actor Jay Mohr is 55. Actor Ray Park (“X-Men,” ″The Phantom Menace”) is 51. Actor Scott Caan (“Hawaii Five-0”) is 49. Singer Julian Casablancas of The Strokes is 47. Actor Joanne Froggatt (“Downton Abbey”) is 45. Actor Jaime Lee Kirchner (“Bull”) is 44. Saxophonist Andy Wild of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats is 44. Actor Annie Ilonzeh (“Chicago Fire”) is 42. Musician Sky Blu of LMFAO is 39. Actor Kimberly Matula (“The Bold and the Beautiful”) is 37.

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  • Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade will feature Ariana Madix, T-Pain, ‘Gabby’s Dollhouse’ and pasta

    Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade will feature Ariana Madix, T-Pain, ‘Gabby’s Dollhouse’ and pasta

    NEW YORK — A eclectic group of stars — including reality TV’s Ariana Madix, Broadway belter Idina Menzel, hip-hop’s T-Pain, members of the WNBA champions New York Liberty and country duo Dan + Shay — will feature in this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

    The War and Treaty, Lea Salonga, Kylie Cantrall, The Temptations, Chlöe, Charli D’Amelio, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, Coco Jones, Walker Hayes, Bishop Briggs, Joey McIntyre, Natti Natasha, Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia and Rachel Platten are also slated to perform. The Associated Press got the list early.

    The holiday tradition will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 28 in all time zones and will be kicked off by actor Alison Brie, the “Glow” star currently starring in Apple TV’s “Apples Never Fall.”

    This year’s parade will feature 17 giant character balloons, 22 floats, 15 novelty and heritage inflatables, 11 marching bands, 700 clowns and 10 performance groups.

    “The work that we do, the opportunity to impact millions of people and bring a bit of joy for a couple of hours on Thanksgiving morning, is what motivates us every day,” Will Coss, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade executive producer, said in an interview.

    The parade airs on NBC and streams on Peacock. Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker from “Today” will host and a Spanish language simulcast on Telemundo will be hosted by Carlos Adyan and Andrea Meza.

    There will be six new featured character balloons, including Minnie Mouse, Extraordinary Noorah” with The Elf on the Shelf, “Gabby’s Dollhouse,” “Goku” and “Spider-Man.”

    The “Gabby’s Dollhouse” float will include a 55-foot-tall (17-meter-tall) balloon featuring Gabby and Pandy Paws that will have 10 different shades of pink.

    “As a little girl growing up in New Jersey, the Thanksgiving Day parade was what you always tuned into and the balloons were, of course, the best part,” says Traci Paige Johnson, the co-creator of “Gabby’s Dollhouse” with Jennifer Twomey.

    “That little 7-year-old girl in me is just like, ‘Oh my God!’ — something from your brain that you created that all the world watches floating down New York City is just absolutely incredible.”

    She and Twomey, who also produced “Blue’s Clues,” are the rare creators who get to celebrate having a second balloon in the parade. Johnson advises watchers this time to look for all the hidden cats in Gabby’s sneakers and costume.

    The Macy’s parade has been a traditional holiday season kickoff and spectators line-up a half-dozen deep along the route to cheer the floats, entertainers and marching bands. The parade has lately asked icons to be the last guest before Santa, with last year Cher fitting the bill. This year’s headliner will be revealed later.

    Broadway will be represented by performances from “Death Becomes Her,” “Hell’s Kitchen” and “The Outsiders,” as well as the iconic Radio City Rockettes and “Riverdance” dancers.

    New floats include ones from brands like Disney Cruise Line, Haribo, “Wednesday” from Netflix,” Universal Orlando Resorts and “The Grannies Car” from BBC Studios’ “Bluey.” Nickelodeon and Paramount’s “Dora the Explorer” will have both a float and a balloon.

    One new float will spotlight the Rao’s food brand, featuring a knight and a dragon in battle made with actual pasta elements.

    “It’s one of those opportunities to really combine the whimsy and the artistry of our great artists and artisans at our studio and deliver on that iconic spectacle that’s known and loved of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” said Coss.

    The marching bands will hail from Massachusetts, Indiana, Tennessee, Texas, Arkansas, South Dakota, Georgia, South Carolina, West Virginia and New York.

    Members of the New York Liberty, who earlier this month won their first-ever WNBA Championship, will march alongside their popular mascot, Ellie the Elephant.

    The Macy’s parade team, if you can believe it, are already working on sketches and ideas for the next parade, since each cycle takes 18 months. Coss calls it “the largest variety show on television.”

    ___

    Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

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  • What to stream: Tyler, the Creator, ‘The Substance,’ Olivia Rodrigo concert film and ‘The Diplomat’

    What to stream: Tyler, the Creator, ‘The Substance,’ Olivia Rodrigo concert film and ‘The Diplomat’

    The body horror film “The Substance” and an album by Tyler, the Creator are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

    Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: “Despicable Me 4” arrives on Peacock, the political series “The Diplomat” starring Keri Russell and Rupert Sewell, drops its second season on Thursday and the concert film “Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour” on Tuesday.

    — Coralie Fargeat’s provocative body horror “The Substance” is streaming on MUBI on Halloween. The film stars Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, a faded Hollywood star who is fired from her aerobic television show on her 50th birthday. In a moment of distress she decides to take a black market injectable called The Substance which promises to take her back to her younger self (Margaret Qualley). In her AP review, Krysta Fauria wrote that “what begins as a dread-inducing but still relatively palatable sci-fi flick spirals deeper into absurdism and violence, eventually erupting — quite literally — into a full-blown monster movie.”

    — Two new documentaries focused on familiar names are coming soon. First up, Netflix has the Martha Stewart film “Martha” streaming on Wednesday, Oct. 30. The film from R.J. Cutler promises to recontextualize the life of the teen model turned lifestyle mogul. Then, on Friday, Nov. 1, Disney+ premieres “Music by John Williams,” about the life of the composer behind so many iconic film scores. It seems everyone in Hollywood turned out to speak about the five-time Oscar winner, now 92, including Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

    — Playwright Annie Baker makes her directorial debut with the quiet and finely observed “Janet Planet,” coming to MAX on Friday, Nov. 1. The film follows a mother (Julianne Nicholson) and her 11-year-old daughter (Zoe Ziegler) one languid summer in rural Western Massachusetts in 1991. It’s the kind of film that transports you back to the wonder, boredom and agita of an endless summer break, before smart phones and social media.

    — And for the kids looking for some Minion madness, “Despicable Me 4” finds its way to Peacock on Oct. 31. AP Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote that it’s “a silly and breezy installment from Illumination Entertainment that passes by with about as much to remember it as a Saturday morning cartoon.”

    — AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

    — On Friday, Willie Nelson will release “Last Leaf On the Tree.” It’s his first album produced by his son Micah, but the firsts stop there: This marks his 76th solo studio album and 153rd album overall, according to Texas Monthly’s in-depth taxonomy of his work. The release includes covers of Tom Waits’ “Last Leaf,” Nina Simone’s “Come Ye,” Neil Young’s “Are You Ready For The Country,” Beck’s “Lost Cause,” the Flaming Lips’ “Do You Realize??” and more. One element of Nelson’s magic musicianship has always been his ability to completely transform a cover song, making it his own and simultaneously, everyone’s. The wizardry continues here, his second full-length album this year.

    — Few contemporary artists have managed to create the kind of mythology that surrounds Tyler, the Creator – a multihyphenate talent that has maintained an air of unpredictability, danger and prescience since his debut studio album, 2011’s “Goblin,” rewired the creative brains of a few musical generations. On Monday, he releases his seventh album, “Chromakopia.” Little is known about the release — but expectations of transgressive hip-hop are in the right place, as made clear in the claustrophobic “NOID” and its inventive sample of a 1977 track by the Zambian rock band Ngozi Family.

    — On Halloween, Amazon Prime Video will release “Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words,” a documentary film on the fiery MC with the unmistakable flows and larger-than-life Hot Girl Summer purveyor. Across her career, Megan Thee Stallion’s pop persona has been one of empowerment and self-belief — appearing impenetrable in an unforgiving and unkind industry. Of course, it is never so simple — and who could forget the onslaught of criticism she received during Tory Lanez’s assault trial, what experts described as a clear example of misogynoir, a specific type of misogyny experienced by Black women. In this doc, Megan Thee Stallion tells her story – and reminds her audience of Megan Pete, the woman behind the career.

    — First, there was Taylor Swift’s blockbuster concert film “The Eras Tour.” Then there was Beyoncé’s concert film, “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé.” And on Tuesday, there will be “Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour,” the concert film, available to stream on Netflix. Bring the arena home, scream along to big-throated pop-punk kiss-offs and open-hearted piano ballads, and never forget the message of Rodrigo’s pop: that there are few forces more potent than a young creative woman’s dissatisfaction.

    — Lanny’s “BLISS!! BLISS! BLISS” is the debut solo project of Lan McArdle, best known for the exuberant indie-pop band Joanna Gruesome and the fuzzed-out power punk group Ex-Vöid. Their undeniable penchant for hooky guitar pop exists throughout Lanny’s work, too – now delivered in new forms: digital, electronic soundscapes, off-kilter and asymmetrical layering, an articulation of chaos through subtle tools like flute organs and washy percussion. Fans of McArdle would be wise to start with the single, “ur an angel im evil.” There is a reason all of their distinctive projects continue to connect.

    — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

    — Just in time for Halloween, the long-awaited “Wizards of Waverly Place” sequel debuts its first two episodes Tuesday on Disney Channel. The first eight episodes will also begin streaming on Wednesday on Disney+. “Wizards of Waverly Place” was Selena Gomez’s breakout role as Alex Russo, a teen in a family of witches, herself included. “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,” centers on Alex’s older brother Justin (played again by David Henrie), who strives to live a magic-free life until Alex brings him a young wizard in need of training. Gomez will guest star on the series.

    — The political series “The Diplomat” starring Keri Russell and Rupert Sewell, drops its second season on Thursday on Netflix — picking right up where the first season ended. Russell plays Kate, a new U.S. diplomat to Britain and Sewell is her husband, Hal, who is also a diplomat but who is now without a post. Their marriage is rocky but in the new season, Kate begins to believe Hal is the only person she can trust. Allison Janney joins the cast as the Vice President.

    — Ten men compete in a reality competition show for a leading role in a Hallmark holiday movie in “Finding Mr. Christmas” for Hallmark+. “Mean Girls” actor Jonathan Bennett is both the show’s host and a co-judge alongside Melissa Peterman. There are also a number of guest judges throughout. The contestants take part in challenges like pulling Santa’s sleigh and an ugly Christmas sweater fashion show. The winner will star opposite Jessica Lowndes (“90210”) in the new original “Happy Howlidays” premiering in December on Hallmark Channel. The competition begins Thursday on the streamer.

    — A new Spanish-language series for HBO adapts the novel “Like Water for Chocolate.” It follows a forbidden love story between Tita de la Garza (Azul Guaita) and Pedro Múzquiz (Andrés Baida) against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution. Tita and Pedro long to be together but cannot because of a family custom that forbids Tita from marrying. Salma Hayek Pinault is an executive producer. It premieres Sunday, Nov. 3, on Max.

    — Alicia Rancilio

    — BioWare built its reputation on enormous, immersive role-playing games like Baldur’s Gate and Mass Effect. It’s been way too long since we got a new RPG from the studio, but Dragon Age: The Veilguard is here at last. A couple of cranky Elven gods are raising hell across the mythical land of Thedas, and it’s up to you to put the old geezers back in their place. That means assembling a team of fighters, rogues and mages to battle the monsters that have been unleashed. BioWare promises dozens of hours of the character-based storytelling its fans love — and maybe a few cameos from the heroes of earlier Dragon Age chapters. Take up arms Thursday, Oct. 31, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.

    — Lou Kesten

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  • Rapper Fatman Scoop died of heart disease, medical examiner says

    Rapper Fatman Scoop died of heart disease, medical examiner says

    HAMDEN, Conn. (AP) — Hip-hop artist Fatman Scoop, who collapsed onstage while performing in Connecticut last month, died of heart disease, the state medical examiner’s office has determined.

    The official cause of death for the performer, born Isaac Freeman III, was hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a spokesperson for the Connecticut medical examiner’s office said Wednesday.

    Fatman Scoop, 56, collapsed while performing in Hamden on Aug. 30 and was taken to a hospital.

    His family said later on Instagram that “the world lost a radiant soul, a beacon on stage and in life.”

    A New York City-born rapper and hype man, Fatman Scoop was known for his single “Be Faithful,” which topped charts in Europe in the early 2000s, and for his contributions to hits by Missy Elliott, Mariah Carey and others.

    His family cherished him as “the laughter in our lives, a constant source of support, unwavering strength and courage,” his relatives said.

    “His music made us dance and embrace life with positivity,” his family members said. “His joy was infectious and the generosity he extended to all will be deeply missed but never forgotten.”

    __________

    This story has been corrected to note that Fatman Scoop was 56, not 53.

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  • Celebrity birthdays for the week of Sept. 22-28

    Celebrity birthdays for the week of Sept. 22-28

    Celebrity birthdays for the week of Sept. 22-28:

    Sept. 22: Singer-dancer Toni Basil is 81. Actor Paul Le Mat (“American Graffiti”) is 79. Singer David Coverdale (Whitesnake, Deep Purple) is 73. Actor Shari Belafonte is 70. Singer Debby Boone is 68. Country singer June Forester of The Forester Sisters is 68. Singer Nick Cave is 67. Actor Lynn Herring (“General Hospital”) is 67. Singer Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde is 67. Opera singer Andrea Bocelli is 66. Musician Joan Jett is 66. Actor Scott Baio is 64. Actor Bonnie Hunt is 63. Actor Catherine Oxenberg (“Dynasty”) is 63. Actor Rob Stone (“Mr. Belvedere”) is 62. Actor Dan Bucatinsky (“24: Legacy”) is 59. Bassist-guitarist Dave Hernandez (The Shins) is 54. Rapper Mystikal is 54. Singer Big Rube of Society of Soul is 53. Actor James Hillier (“The Crown”) is 51. Actor Mireille Enos (“World War Z”) is 49. Actor Daniella Alonso (“Revolution,” ″Friday Night Lights”) is 46. Actor Michael Graziadei (“The Young and the Restless”) is 45. Actor Ashley Eckstein (“That’s So Raven,” “Sofia the First”) is 43. Actor Katie Lowes (“Scandal”) is 42. Bassist Will Farquarson of Bastille is 41. Actor Tatiana Maslany (“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” “Orphan Black”) is 39. Actor Ukweli Roach (“Blindspot”) is 38. Actor Tom Felton (“Harry Potter” films) is 37. Actor Teyonah Parris (“Mad Men”) is 37.

    Sept. 23: Singer Julio Iglesias is 81. Actor-singer Paul Petersen (“The Donna Reed Show”) is 79. Actor-Mary Kay Place is 77. Musician Bruce Springsteen is 75. Director George C. Wolfe (film’s “Nights in Rodanthe,” stage’s “Angels in America”) is 70. Drummer Leon Taylor of The Ventures is 69. Actor Rosalind Chao (2020’s “Mulan,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”) is 67. Actor Jason Alexander (“Seinfeld”) is 65. Actor Chi McBride (“Hawaii Five-0,” ″Boston Public”) is 63. Steel guitarist Don Herron of BR549 is 62. Actor LisaRaye (“All of Us,” ″Beauty Shop”) is 58. Singer Ani DiFranco is 54. Singer Sam Bettens of K’s Choice is 52. Rapper-producer-record head Jermaine Dupri is 52. Actor Kip Pardue (“The Rules of Attraction,” “Remember the Titans”) is 48. Actor Anthony Mackie (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”) is 46. Singer Erik-Michael Estrada of O-Town is 45. Actor Brandon Victor Dixon (“Hamilton”) is 43. Actor David Lim (“S.W.A.T.,” ″Quantico”) is 41. Actor Cush Jumbo (“The Good Fight,” ″The Good Wife”) is 39. Actor Skylar Astin (“Pitch Perfect” films) is 37.

    Sept. 24: Singer Phyllis ″Jiggs” Allbut Sirico of The Angels is 82. Actor Gordon Clapp (“NYPD Blue”) is 76. Actor Harriet Walter (“The Crown”) is 74. Actor Kevin Sorbo (“Hercules: Legendary Journeys”) is 66. Singer Cedric Dent (Take 6) is 62. Actor-writer Nia Vardalos (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”) is 62. Drummer Shawn Crahan of Slipknot is 55. Drummer Marty Mitchell (Ricochet) is 55. Singer-guitarist Marty Cintron of No Mercy is 53. Guitarist Juan DeVevo of Casting Crowns is 49. Actor Ian Bohen (“Yellowstone,” “Teen Wolf”) is 48. Actor Spencer Treat Clark (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Animal Kingdom”) is 37. Actor Grey Damon (“Station 19”) is 37. Actor Kyle Sullivan (“Malcolm in the Middle”) is 36. Actor Ben Platt is 31.

    Sept. 25: Polka band leader Jimmy Sturr is 83. Actor Josh Taylor (“Days of Our Lives,” “Valerie’s Family”) is 81. Actor Robert Walden (“Lou Grant”) is 81. Actor Michael Douglas is 80. Model Cheryl Tiegs is 77. Actor Mimi Kennedy (“Dharma and Greg”) is 76. Actor Anson Williams (“Happy Days”) is 75. Actor Mark Hamill is 73. Actor Colin Friels is 72. Actor Michael Madsen is 66. Actor Heather Locklear is 63. Actor Aida Turturro (“The Sopranos”) is 62. Actor Tate Donovan (“The O.C.”) is 61. TV personality Keely Shaye Smith (“Unsolved Mysteries”) is 61. Actor Maria Doyle Kennedy (“Orphan Black,” ″The Tudors”) is 60. Actor Jason Flemyng (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” ″The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”) is 58. Actor-singer Will Smith is 56. Actor Hal Sparks (“Queer as Folk”) is 55. Actor Catherine Zeta-Jones is 55. Actor Bridgette Wilson-Sampras (“The Wedding Planner,” “I Know What You Did Last Summer”) is 51. Actor Clea DuVall (“Heroes”) is 47. Actor Robbie Jones (“One Tree Hill”) is 47. Actor Joel David Moore (“Avatar”) is 47. Actor Chris Owen (“American Pie” films, “October Sky”) is 44. Rapper T.I. is 43. Actor Lee Norris (“One Tree Hill,” “Boy Meets World”) is 43. Actor-rapper Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) (“Atlanta,” ″Community”) is 41. Actor Zach Woods (“Silicon Valley,” ″The Office”) is 40. Actor Jordan Gavaris (“Orphan Black”) is 35. Actor Emmy Clarke (“Monk”) is 33.

    Sept. 26: Country singer David Frizzell is 83. Actor Kent McCord (“Adam 12”) is 82. “The Weakest Link” host Anne Robinson is 80. Singer Bryan Ferry is 79. Actor Mary Beth Hurt is 78. Actor James Keane (“Bulworth,” TV’s “The Paper Chase”) is 72. Singer-guitarist Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos is 70. Country singer Carlene Carter is 69. Actor Linda Hamilton is 68. Singer Cindy Herron of En Vogue is 63. Actor Melissa Sue Anderson (“Little House on the Prairie”) is 62. Singer Tracey Thorn of Everything But the Girl is 62. TV personality Jillian Barberie is 58. Guitarist Jody Davis of Newsboys is 57. Actor Jim Caviezel (“Sound of Freedom,” “The Passion of the Christ”) is 56. Actor Tricia O’Kelley (“The New Adventures of Old Christine”) is 56. Actor Ben Shenkman (“Royal Pains,” “Angels in America”) is 56. Actor Melanie Paxson (“Descendants”) is 52. Singer Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men is 52. Music producer Dr. Luke is 51. Jazz trumpeter Nicholas Payton is 51. Singer and TV personality Christina Milian is 43. Actor Zoe Perry (“Young Sheldon”) is 41. Singer-songwriter Ant Clemons is 33.

    Sept. 27: Actor Kathleen Nolan is 91. Actor Claude Jarman Jr. (“The Yearling”) is 90. Singer-guitarist Randy Bachman of Bachman-Turner Overdrive is 81. Actor Liz Torres (“Gilmore Girls”) is 77. Actor A Martinez (“LA Law,” ″Santa Barbara”) is 76. Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (“Pearl Harbor”) is 74. Actor-opera singer Anthony Laciura (“Boardwalk Empire”) is 73. Singer-actor-director Shaun Cassidy is 66. Comedian-podcaster Marc Maron is 61. Singer-guitarist Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind is 60. Actor Patrick Muldoon (“Melrose Place”) is 56. Singer Mark Calderon of Color Me Badd is 54. Actor Gwyneth Paltrow is 52. Actor Indira Varma (“For Life”) is 51. Singer Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down is 46. Bassist Grant Brandell of Underoath is 43. Actor Anna Camp (“The Mindy Project,” ″True Blood”) is 42. Rapper Lil’ Wayne is 42. Singer Avril Lavigne is 40. Bluegrass musician Sierra Hull is 33. Actor Sam Lerner (“The Goldbergs”) is 32. Actor Ames McNamara (“The Connors”) is 17.

    Sept. 28: Actor Brigitte Bardot is 90. Actor Joel Higgins (“Silver Spoons”) is 81. Actor Jeffrey Jones is 78. Actor Vernee Watson (“Bob Hearts Abishola,” “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”) is 75. Writer-director-actor John Sayles is 74. Guitarist George Lynch (Dokken) is 70. Actor Steve Hytner (“Seinfeld”) is 65. Actor-comedian Janeane Garofalo is 60. Country singer Matt King is 58. Actor Mira Sorvino is 57. TV personality and singer Moon Zappa is 57. Actor Naomi Watts is 56. Country singer Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town is 55. Country singer Mandy Barnett is 49. Rapper Young Jeezy is 47. Actor Peter Cambor (“NCIS: Los Angeles”) is 46. TV personality Bam Margera (“Jackass”) is 45. Actor Jerrika Hinton (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 43. Guitarist Luke Mossman of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats is 43. Musician St. Vincent is 42. Comedian Phoebe Robinson (“What Men Want”) is 40. Drummer Daniel Platzman (Imagine Dragons) is 38. Actor Hilary Duff is 37. Actor Keir Gilchrist (“United States of Tara”) is 32.

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  • For rapper Lil Tecca, there was only ever a ‘Plan A.’ His new album reflects the journey

    For rapper Lil Tecca, there was only ever a ‘Plan A.’ His new album reflects the journey

    NEW YORK (AP) — There’s the story everyone knows about Lil Tecca, and then there is Tyler Sharpe, the rapper-producer with big aspirations and the dedication to see it through. His fourth studio album, appropriately titled “Plan A,” out Friday, isn’t a culmination of his career to date — but it does reflect the journey.

    “‘Plan A’ summarizes my plan for life,” he told the Associated Press. “It’s never a plan B.”

    The popular narrative goes a little something like this: Five years ago, a then-teenage MC from New York released “Ransom,” introducing the world to his singsong-y, AutoTune-inspired flow and hook-heavy melodies. People loved it, and quickly. As of last month, the Recording Industry Association of America has accredited it eight-times platinum.

    A hit at the start of a career is usually a sure-fire way to kneecap it, to burn bright and fast, but Lil Tecca managed to avoid the cliche. He has a loyal and fervent fanbase, and he never let the hype overwhelm him. The music was always first. It’s why his last album, “Tec,” which arrived almost exactly a year before “Plan A,” was celebrated in hip-hop circles, with tracks like “500 lbs” and an inspired collab with Kodak Black, “Hvn on Earth.”

    For this album, Tecca enlisted the producers he’s been working with since day one — like Rio Leyva, Taz Taylor and the like — to evolve the sound he’s spent the last few years cultivating. “My most favorite people to collaborate with are producers,” he says. “We mainly create with no expectations.”

    Their process hasn’t changed much from the early days: Tecca picks a beat and freestyles or writes to it. “Sometimes I might just rap on the loop. No beat, no drums, no nothing,” he says. “The only difference is just sharpening the craft.”

    There’s only one listed feature on the album — Don Toliver on the futuristic trap-rock, “I Can’t Let Go.”

    “Don Toliver is fire,” he says, simply. “When it came to having the Don song on there, it just felt like the perfect moment, honestly, for what I was trying to achieve in that first half of the project.”

    Part of that goal is transparency.

    “This one is definitely way more personal. I’m speaking about things I’ve never spoken (about) like my mom and stuff like that,” he says, referring to the smooth throwback, “MAMA.”

    “So I kind of just wanted to let people take another step closer to me, on the personal side.”

    It’s found in songs about relationships and miscommunication, too, like the single “Taste.”

    Tecca says the many elements that make up “Plan A” manifest in a few different ways, fashion among them. He’s been wearing a lot of leopard print lately; it appears on the album cover, the single artwork for “Bad Time,” and elsewhere. “Fashion, specifically, is just another way I express myself,” he says. “I kind of learned it from going to a uniform school. It’s like those Fridays where you get to wear what you want. You feel different… It’s definitely another layer to who I am.”

    As for future plans — he’s got those mapped out. Video games, film, TV, they’re all ambitions. “I honestly want to do everything that I’m into, I want to show my version of it,” he says. “So I’m into games. I want to show my version of what like, the best game is. I’m into movies. I want to show my version of what the best movie is.”

    “Mentally, I’m definitely already in the next chapter,” he says.

    But for now, it’s all about “Plan A.” And he hopes new listeners and his dedicated fans will join him for the ride.

    “My music isn’t just about me. My music is sort of just the soundtrack to the people that support me in the world that I put my music in,” he concludes. “My No. 1 priority is to inspire the people that actually believe in me.”

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  • Rich Homie Quan, Atlanta rapper known for trap jams like ‘Type of Way,’ dies at 34

    Rich Homie Quan, Atlanta rapper known for trap jams like ‘Type of Way,’ dies at 34

    LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rich Homie Quan, the Atlanta rapper who gained mainstream fame through the trap singles “Type of Way” and “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh),” has died. He was 33.

    Quan, whose legal name is Dequantes Devontay Lamar, died at an Atlanta hospital, the Fulton County Medical Examiner confirmed to The Associated Press. The medical examiner was informed of his death Thursday, said Jimmy Sadler, senior medical examiner investigator. The cause of death was not immediately available, with an autopsy scheduled for Friday.

    Quan was one of the biggest names in hip-hop in the mid-2010s. He released a slew of mixtapes before he broke through in 2013 with the infectious “Type of Way.” The song became such a success that several other rappers jumped on the remix, including Jeezy and Meek Mill. He maintained his momentum, appearing on a YG track with Jeezy and releasing the London on da Track-produced song “Lifestyle” through his Rich Gang rap collective that included Young Thug and Birdman.

    Quan followed up with “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh),” a song produced by DJ Spinz and Nitti Beatz. It became his highest charting solo single at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He also featured on Lil Dicky’s viral “$ave Dat Money.”

    In 2018, Quan debuted his first and only studio album “Rich as in Spirit,” which mostly went without any features — except for “Think About It,” a single with Rick Ross.

    Quavo, Lil Boosie and Playboi Carti are some of the music artists who paid tribute to Quan on social media.

    “Rest in Peace my brother Rich Homie Quan,” said singer Jacquees, who also called him a “legend” on X. “I love you for Life.”

    Quan spoke with The Associated Press in 2022 about returning to music after an abrupt hiatus. At the time, the rapper said he was going through litigation with independent label T.I.G. (Think It’s a Game Record), but was prepared to make a comeback.

    During that time, Quan ended up in a feud with his old collaborator Young Thug — who along with rapper Gunna — were among a group indicted on charges of conspiracy to violate Georgia’s RICO Act and also accused of participation in a criminal street gang.

    Quan said there was no beef between him Young Thug and was open to having a conversation with him if the opportunity presented itself. He said he hated to see Young Thug locked up, adding that rappers were being targeted by law enforcement.

    “I wouldn’t say unfairly targeted because at the same time, some of these rappers are putting guns in videos and, you know, it’s like social media — it goes back to the social media thing,” he said.

    “I think we showing too much, I think they’re showing too much, you know what I mean. Like that’s the difference in my music, I’ma tell a story but I ain’t going to tell you how I did it,” he added. “It’s still Black art, but we’re definitely being targeted. So that’s why I’m mindful of what I say in my music.”

    ___

    Landrum and Dalton reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Gary Gerard Hamilton contributed to this report from New York. ___

    This story has been updated to correct Quan’s age to 33 based on information from the medical examiner.

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  • In Senegal’s thriving hip-hop scene, this beatmaker insists women have a seat at the table

    In Senegal’s thriving hip-hop scene, this beatmaker insists women have a seat at the table

    DAKAR, Senegal — In a classroom at the House of Urban Culture, tucked away in the narrow streets of Dakar, Senegal, Aminata Thiam claps her hands in time with a beat she created on her computer.

    “You just have to find the loop that you want. Cut it, duplicate the sample, and then add your effects,” she says.

    She is teaching a beatmaking class to five young women, each working intently on beats of their own on the computers in front of them.

    Thiam, 31, is a beatmaker, one of only a few women in Senegal who call themselves such. Their discipline is the art of “making beats, making rhythms,” Thiam says. She traces a line from American DJs like Afrika Bambaataa and DJ Kool Herc, credited as among the founders of hip-hop, to beatmakers today.

    Those DJs made beats in the 1970s and ’80s using synthesizers or by isolating specific beats in a song and playing them on a loop by switching between two record players. “Now when we talk about beatmaking, we are talking about doing this with a computer,” Thiam says, crediting technology — including the advent of software — with democratizing the art.

    The House of Urban Culture sees a rotating crew of anyone and everyone part of Senegal’s burgeoning hip-hop scene — rappers, slam poets, skaters and even the graffiti artists whose works adorn the walls. The center that opened in 2018 hosts rap concerts and beatboxing festivals, and offers free training in everything from DJing to photography in an effort to transform young people’s interest in hip-hop into professions.

    Thiam’s stage name is “Myamy the Ay Girl,” a mixture of English and Wolof that means “the girl who can.” She was first drawn to beatmaking as a student a decade ago in Dakar, where a beatmaker had installed a studio at her university. She later trained with a program called Hip Hop Akademy, which now partners with the House of Urban Culture. Her current class here is only open to women — a necessity, she says, if there is to be any kind of equality in the field.

    “Not just for music, but for audiovisual work, for cinema,” she says, emphasizing that knowing how to make music on a computer isn’t just applicable to hip-hop.

    Although widespread access to computers has made beatmaking more accessible, the reliance on technology has also created a barrier inhibiting many of her students from continuing their work after the course has ended.

    “In one household you may find that almost all of the men have a computer, but the women might only have a phone,” she says. According to the 2020 GSM Association Mobile Gender Gap Report, women in Senegal’s urban areas have almost the same access to the internet as men, but much less financial autonomy: Only 26% of women have bought their own smartphone, compared to 68% of men.

    Djeneba Sylla, 21, is a singer who wanted to take Thiam’s class to learn how to make her own music.

    “For the time being I don’t have a computer. But I hope to have it by the end of the class,” Sylla says. Thiam has started a campaign to raise money for her students.

    The question of accessibility looms over much of the House of Urban Culture’s work in Senegal. Amadou Fall Ba was the center’s coordinator for 10 years, and now works with the city of Dakar on an initiative to create more public spaces for young people in an aim to make hip-hop more accessible.

    He says hip-hop came to Senegal through the country’s middle class, “people who had TVs, who could watch the private channels, who could watch what was happening in the U.S.” It eventually made its way to the masses, and he says that now, 80% of the stars in Senegal’s larger urban culture scene are from working-class neighborhoods.

    Women are still severely underrepresented though, he said.

    “Mentalities have changed a little bit, but we are still in a conservative country. A young woman who is 25 or 30 years old who isn’t married — there is a strong social pressure on her,” he described.

    In Thiam’s beatmaking class, the room is silent, each student lost in a different world underneath noise-canceling headphones. After six weeks of classes, the students are now able to produce beats of their own. They produce mostly modern hip-hop beats, though less refined than what Thiam can throw together in minutes in the studio.

    As they continued working, Thiam stepped outside in the courtyard to speak about her own history. She says there are only three women working as beatmakers in Senegal — often producing beats for Senegalese rappers, but also making an income as sound technicians for concerts and stage productions. She hopes that the more women who are active in the art, the more other women will be inspired to start.

    “If we train women who are capable of going far in this industry, this will encourage other women to join us,” she said.

    She added that, in Senegal, women in music are often encouraged to sing or join a choir, things seen as acceptably feminine.

    “I always liked music, but I didn’t want to be a singer,” she said. “I wanted to do something different.”

    ___

    The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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  • BeatKing, a Houston rapper known for viral TikTok song ‘Then Leave,’ dies at 39

    BeatKing, a Houston rapper known for viral TikTok song ‘Then Leave,’ dies at 39

    AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Houston rapper BeatKing, whose booming voice and eccentric songs brought him fame in nightclubs and on social media, has died, his manager said Friday. He was 39.

    The rapper, whose name was Justin Riley, died Thursday after fainting during a recording session, Tasha Felder told The Associated Press. Felder, his manager, said Riley was taken to a hospital and that he had a pulmonary embolism.

    “His daughters were with him the entire time,” Felder said. “It is truly sad, we loved him so much.”

    BeatKing, whose club music anthems earned him the name Club Godzilla, achieved his biggest hit in 2020 when his song “Then Leave” went viral on social media and peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. He also scored hits with the songs “Crush” and “Thick.” His final album, “Never Leave Houston on a Sunday,” was released last month.

    He was known for humorous, raunchy lyrics and broke through the Houston music scene in 2010 with “Kings of the Club,” reaching Houston’s younger generation not as familiar with the city’s famous slowed music style from The Screwed Up Click and Swisha House.

    As a rapper or producer, BeatKing collaborated with major artists including 2 Chainz, Bun B, T-Pain and Ludacris. Although BeatKing didn’t achieve the national prominence of fellow Houstonians such as Travis Scott and Megan Thee Stallion, he found fame throughout the South among fans who admired his sound and authenticity to Houston.

    “My condolences @clubgozilla,” 2 Chainz wrote on social media. “God Bless your soul and family.”

    “Just a great spirited person,” Bun B said in a tribute to the rapper on Instagram.

    Fans on social media recalled BeatKing’s dominance over the club scene in the 2010s. He formed an image for himself by wearing black T-shirts with phrases such as “I unfollow back” and “Stop moving to Houston.”

    He is survived by two daughters and his partner.

    ___

    Hamilton reported from New York.

    ___

    Lathan is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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  • Music Review: Ice Spice flexes her flow on brief debut album, ‘Y2K!’

    Music Review: Ice Spice flexes her flow on brief debut album, ‘Y2K!’

    Virality, it could be assumed, is a gift and a curse.

    Hit big online and channel that momentum into mainstream appeal, then the work comes: How does an artist sustain success? Ice Spice, the laidback Bronx rapper born Isis Naija Gaston with the too-cool-for-school, lackadaisical flow and the bright orange curls now iron straight, knows a thing or two about the topic. First came the raunchy “Munch (Feelin’ U),” with its delightful dismissal of “You thought I was feeling you?” (the song inspired the name of her fanbase, who are called Munchkins). Then there was the effortless, SpongeBob SquarePants-referencing “Bikini Bottom.”

    Her 2023 debut EP, “Like..?,” produced by her longtime collaborator RiotUSA, only further confirmed her talents; “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” with U.K. hyperpop-garage producer-artist PinkPantheress became the song of the summer. Hell, even Taylor Swift tapped her for a remix of her hit “Karma.” Ice Spice, in two short years, has become a four-time Grammy nominee — and one of the most divisive names in mainstream rap — before she even released an album.

    “Y2K!” is Ice Spice’s first full-length project, but don’t expect an introduction. (The title functions in that way, sort of: Ice Spice was born on Jan. 1, 2000, perhaps emblematic of her aesthetic ideology and prescience for her future, social media-indebted success. It is hard to think of another MC that better encapsulates the current moment.) At the core of “Y2K!” are her immediately quotable — and let’s be honest here, meme-able — booty-shaking bars, ripe for internet consumption. And so are the cheeky hooks that made her household name.

    Image

    A few songs directly recall the Ice Spice listeners have grown to know: Like “Think U the S—- (Fart),” which leans into her characteristic playfulness while maintaining her necessary bravado. “Think you the s—-?” Ice Spice recites in the chorus. “You not even the fart.” Or “Gimme A Light,” which samples Sean Paul’s dancehall classic “Gimme the Light.”

    Across the release’s 23-minute run time, drill is still a priority, as she mentions on “Gimme A Light”: “Let’s talk drill / Who bigger than she?” she posits. Brevity is also a strong suit of Ice Spice’s — she understands modern attention spans and she cuts the fat across the album.

    Previously released single “Phat Butt” might’ve been the clearest tease of some new sonic explorations in the world of Ice Spice, still one indebted to Nicki Minaj. She launches into a quick nod to Minaj’s “Beez in the Trap” in the intro (“Uh, Man”) and works in a sample of the 2005 hit “I Think They Like Me” by rap group Dem Franchize Boyz with Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat and Bow Wow. Closer “TTYL” sees Ice Spice raising her voice for a rare rap-rock kiss-off. Standout “BB Belt” is bed-squeaking Jersey Club.

    The 10-track release uses collaborations sparingly: the self-referential, trap “Oh Shhh…” with Travis Scott, nods back to “Deli” in certain lyrics, the hard-hitting “Bitch I’m Packin’” with Gunna, and the infidelity-revenge anthem “Did It First,” brings the hottest contemporary rapper, Central Cee.

    Across “Y2K!”, Ice Spice flexes her lackadaisical flow and traverses new territory, pushing her voice in subtle moments — if only there were more. If anything, this is the New York rapper further manicuring her distinctiveness, offering listeners a hot, short and sweet album.

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  • After Drake battle, Kendrick Lamar turns victory lap concert into LA unity celebration

    After Drake battle, Kendrick Lamar turns victory lap concert into LA unity celebration

    INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Not content with merely taking a victory lap after winning his battle against fellow rap superstar Drake, Kendrick Lamar turned his Juneteenth “Pop Out” concert at the Forum into a cathartic livestreamed celebration of Los Angeles unity.

    Lamar curated a three-hour concert featuring a mix of up-and-coming LA rappers and stars including Tyler, The Creator, Steve Lacy and YG. When it was his turn to take the stage, the 37-year-old rapper powered through a set with Black Hippy collaborators Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock, performed his Drake diss songs “Euphoria” and “6:16 in LA,” then was joined on-stage by Dr. Dre.

    The two West Coast titans performed “Still D.R.E.” and “California Love” before Dre quieted the roaring crowd by calling for a moment of silence. It was a misdirect. He then delivered the “Sixth Sense” quote that opens Lamar’s chart-topping “Not Like Us”: “I see dead people.”

    A crowd of 17,000 that included The Weeknd, LeBron James, Ayo Edebiri and Rick Ross rapped along to every word of the biting-but-jubilant DJ Mustard production, which Lamar restarted twice after the first verse and performed four times in full.

    Shuffling, frolicking, dancing and spinning around him as Lamar strode the stage in a red hoodie: NBA stars Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan, Mustard, rapper Roddy Ricch and even a teenage dance troupe led by the krumping innovator Tommy the Clown.

    Lamar reveled in the moment: “Y’all ain’t gon’ let nobody disrespect the West Coast. Y’all ain’t gon’ let nobody imitate our legends, huh,” he said, referring to Drake’s use of an AI tool to mimic 2Pac’s voice on one of his diss records.

    But Lamar had more on his mind, calling out to specific men and women to join him on-stage for a group photo.

    “Let the world see this,” he said. “For all of us to be on this stage together, unity, from East side … LA, Crips, Bloods, Piru — this … is special, man. We put this … together just for ya’ll.

    “This … ain’t got nothing to do with no song at this point, ain’t got nothing to do with no back and forth records, it’s got everything to do with this moment right here. That’s what this … was about, to bring all of us together.”

    After the final song, Lamar exited, saying “I promise you this won’t be the last of us.” The stabbing horns of the “Not Like Us” instrumental kicked in once again and the crowd rapped the lyrics without Lamar as they filed through hallways out to the parking lot.

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  • Today in History: May 24, first night game in Major League Baseball

    Today in History: May 24, first night game in Major League Baseball

    The Associated Press

    Today is Friday, May 24, the 145th day of 2024. There are 221 days left in the year.

    Today’s Highlight in History:

    On May 24, 1935, the first Major League Baseball game to be played at night took place at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field as the Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1.

    On this date:

    In 1844, Samuel F.B. Morse transmitted the message “What hath God wrought” from Washington to Baltimore as he formally opened America’s first telegraph line.

    In 1937, in a set of rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Social Security Act of 1935.

    In 1941, the German battleship Bismarck sank the British battle cruiser HMS Hood in the North Atlantic, killing all but three of the 1,418 men on board.

    In 1961, a group of Freedom Riders was arrested after arriving at a bus terminal in Jackson, Mississippi, charged with breaching the peace for entering white-designated areas. (They ended up serving 60 days in jail.)

    In 1962, astronaut Scott Carpenter became the second American to orbit the Earth as he flew aboard Aurora 7.

    In 1974, American jazz composer and bandleader Duke Ellington, 75, died in New York.

    In 1976, Britain and France opened trans-Atlantic Concorde supersonic transport service to Washington.

    In 1980, Iran rejected a call by the World Court in The Hague to release the American hostages.

    In 1994, four Islamic fundamentalists convicted of bombing New York’s World Trade Center in 1993 were each sentenced to 240 years in prison.

    In 1995, former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson died in London at age 79.

    In 2006, “An Inconvenient Truth,” a documentary about former Vice President Al Gore’s campaign against global warming, went into limited release.

    In 2011, Oprah Winfrey taped the final episode of her long-running talk show.

    In 2017, Ariana Grande suspended her Dangerous Woman world tour and canceled several European shows due to the deadly bombing at her concert in Manchester, England, two days earlier.

    In 2018, Jerry Maren, the last surviving Munchkin from the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz,” died at a San Diego nursing home; he was 99.

    In 2022, an 18-year-old gunman opened fire at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 children and two teachers. The gunman, Salvador Ramos, a former student at the school, was also killed. It was the deadliest shooting at a U.S. grade school since the attack in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, almost a decade earlier.

    In 2023, Tina Turner died at age 83. She teamed with husband Ike Turner for a dynamic run of hit records and live shows and survived her horrifying marriage to triumph in middle age with the chart-topping “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”

    Today’s Birthdays: Actor-comedian-impressionist Stanley Baxter is 98. Jazz musician Archie Shepp is 87. Comedian Tommy Chong is 86. Singer Bob Dylan is 83. Actor Gary Burghoff is 81. Singer Patti LaBelle is 80. Actor Priscilla Presley is 79. Country singer Mike Reid is 77. Actor Jim Broadbent is 75. Actor Alfred Molina is 71. Singer Rosanne Cash is 69. Actor Cliff Parisi is 64. Actor Kristin Scott Thomas is 64. Actor John C. Reilly is 59. Actors Dana Ashbrook and Eric Close are 57. Actor Carl Payne and rock musician Rich Robinson are 55. Former MLB pitcher Bartolo Colon is 51. Actor Dash Mihok is 50. Actor Bryan Greenberg is 46. Actors Owen Benjamin and Billy L. Sullivan are 44. Actor-rapper Jerod Mixon (aka Big Tyme) is 43. Musician Cody Hanson (Hinder) is 42. Dancer-choreographer-singer Mark Ballas is 38. Country singer Billy Gilman is 36. Rapper/producer G-Eazy and actor Brianne Howey are 35. Actor Cayden Boyd is 30.

    Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

    By The Associated Press

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