Too busy to care? Algorithms broken? Each week we recap the most interesting music headlines from the past 7-or-so days. Simply put, we want to catch you up on what's happening in the world while others were busy writing about "isms." …
1. Everyone's favorite dinosaur butcher, alien antagonizer and overall polite naysayer, Jeff Goldblum, announced he'll be be releasing a debut album sometime later this year. Goldblum, who has been a jazz pianist performing in and around LA for decades, says this is his first go-'round with a proper studio release and that he's “so happy to be in cahoots with the wonderful people at Decca, one of the coolest and most prestigious labels of all time.”
2. Lily Allen, the in-the-spotlight-out-again British singer/songwriter, is never one to mince words with the media. Recently, she went after the #MeToo movement in an interview with New Statesman saying the wave hasn't yet hit the music industry — blaming drugs, alcohol and label strongholds for the lapse. "It’s probably because we’re all in long term contracts,” she said.
3. An anonymous letter sent to the Swedish Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra wasn't very nice. It complemented the wine served at the hall, but then went on to say the company jumped aboard the "fag train" and just went further south from there. Composer Fredrik Österling didn't toss it aside though, saying he couldn't "let hate with such poetical ambitions go unnoticed" — eventually turning it into a cantata titled "Bögtåget" (“The fag train”). It premiered on May 26.
4. Overnight rap sensation Cardi B only just recently figured out "Childish Gambino" and Donald Glover are the same person. "It’s amazing how Donald Glover and Childish Gambino look soo much alike,” she tweeted. “I think they secretly the same person!!!! Sooo dope!!” The tweet has since been deleted. She's going to be a mom soon …
5. NPR needs your help. Beginning July 4, the media outlet "will zero in on 50 different anthems across a range of themes: patriotic, civil rights, anti-war, female empowerment, sports, mental health and more" in a series they're calling American Anthem. To catalog which songs mean what to the American people, its asking for you to send in a favorite anthem and why. Easy: TLC's "Waterfalls" — no explanation needed.
6. Dude went parabolic there for a minute, then quietly faded into obscuri … oh, no, wait, Lil Dicky's been busy. Not just a single-hitter talent anymore, the hip-hop goofball is out there co-creating a show with Kevin Hart and Scooter Braun (Justin Bieber's manager) loosely about his own life — a white twenty-something out to prove he's the greatest rapper of all time. It's just a pilot order for now, but given the starpower behind it, Lil could go yuge.
7. In May, the streaming behemoth Spotify rolled out a new plan to not promote shitty artists (or at least, ones they found to be terrible in real life or songs with hate speech in them). People weren't as impressed as it hoped. Since, CEO Daniel Ek admitted it was wrong in how the rollout happened, but that it really doesn't care about hateful people's feelings.
8. Live Nation, in its unending quest to take over the planet, recently acquired hip-hop concert promoter ScoreMore — a group that's responsible for over 200 shows a year including the JMBLYA, Neon Desert and Mala Luna festivals in Texas. “This company is just getting started, and we are all very excited about their future, as we know what they are going to accomplish even greater things as part of the Live Nation family,” said Bob Roux, Live Nation’s president of U.S. concerts.
9. And in less than satisfactory news, SZA claims her voice has been permanently damaged from touring non-stop for the past 11 months. Top Dawg Entertainment president, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, replied to concerned fans saying they'll be getting her the best doctors the company can find. Bless up to SZA — the world needs you.
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