In celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, ABC Audio is breaking down each decade with important dates and memorable moments of the genre — with the fashionably forward aesthetic of the ’80s and the many hip-hop “firsts.” 1980 — Hip-hop emerges as mainstream, with all the major components of the genre in place: DJing, MCing, B-boying and graffiti painting. “Old school…
UMG Recordings Two of Quincy Jones‘ classic albums have gotten new, expanded edition digital releases as part of the continuing celebration of the legendary music producer’s 90th birthday this year. The new releases include 1989’s Back on the Block, which featured musicians such as Chaka Khan, Dionne Warwick, Luther Vandross, Ice-T and Ella Fitzgerald. The expanded edition includes 27 new tracks, including remixes, edits…
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Dej Loaf, the singer and rapper behind 2014’s viral sensation “Try Me,” makes her return to music with two new Afrobeats songs. After first dropping “Please Don’t Go” with Nigerian singers Teni the Entertainer and Cheekychizzy, she follows it up with her new single “Lighters Up” featuring Orlando rapper Tyla Yaweh. The new tracks comes two years after Dej suggested she’d be retiring…
Live Nation / Mass Appeal Fans all over the globe will be able to take part in Hip Hop 50 Live, Mass Appeal’s star-filled concert taking place at Yankee Stadium on Friday, August 11. In honor of hip-hop’s 50th birthday, the milestone event, which will be live-streamed exclusively on YouTube, features a slew of artist of the genre,…
Peacock In an appearance in the season finale of Hart to Heart, Kevin Hart sat down over some wine with his friend Will Smith, and the pair discussed Will’s global big-screen success. Will explained that when his movie career was starting, studios were convinced a Black actor couldn’t find an international audience. “That was like…
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Hennessy Before Offset dropped “Jealousy,” the chart-topping single with his wife, Cardi B, he teased the new track by recreating the infamous 1988 James Brown “Let’s talk about some music” interview. Featured in the spoof and the song’s music video is Oscar-wining actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who, before agreeing to the project, requested Offset do one simple thing: follow…
Carlijn Jacobs Beyoncé appears to really love her fans. So much so, the Grammy-winning singer paid $100,000 to D.C. Metro to extend train service in the area after severe weather postponed the start of her Renaissance show on Sunday, August 6. The move kept more than 95 stations open for customers to exit an hour after…
Rich Fury/Getty Images After a two-year hiatus, Simone Biles made a triumphant return to gymnastics. The four-time gold medalist won her first competition at the Core Hydration Classic in Chicago Saturday, since taking a mental health break from the sport in 2021. Biles placed in top spots for her balance beam and floor routines and earned the highest score for vault,…
In celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, ABC Audio breaks down each decade with important dates and memorable moments of the genre — from its humble beginnings in the ’70s to the genre’s massive impact on today’s music. August 1973 — Clive “DJ Kool Herc“ Campbell develops the “break” in the Bronx, New York. The Jamaican-American DJ threw a dance party where he used…
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy Former dancers for the Grammy Award-winning singer Lizzo are speaking out after filing a lawsuit against the pop star over an alleged hostile workplace environment that included harassment, discrimination and weight-shaming. “You can see a public figure and all you know about them is what they present to you when the cameras are…
