Music
Country music pioneer Alice Randall digs into the genre’s roots in “My Black Country”

Director Ken Burns’ film “Country music” – an eight-part, 16-hour 2019 documentary about the origins and history of country music – inevitably includes details about Black contributions to what singer Kris Kristofferson calls “white man’s soul music.” Viewers learn that the banjo (one of the main instruments of country music) is of African origin; Black blues guitarist Gus Cannon taught Johnny Cash how to play; Louis Armstrong played on the song “Blue Yodel #9” that put country legend Jimmy Rodgers on the map and so on. How first black woman to write a No. 1 country hit, Alice Randall, award-winning novelist and longtime songwriter, served as the talking head of Country Music. Now, in a new cultural memoir, she continues her role as a black artist in the genre, “My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music’s Black Past, Present and Future“
How did a Motown-raised, Harvard-educated black woman turn out to be a Nashville country music songwriter?
I used to be born in Detroit in May 1959, the same 12 months as Motown Records, in the same place. My family knew the Gordy family. Just like other people find out about teachers and policemen, I knew as just a little girl that being a song publisher and starting a record label was a business, and being a songwriter was a career because I knew songwriters.
I made my first cut two years after moving to Nashville, before I signed with Sony/ATV Tree. It was “Mindless Night” by the forester sisters B-side of single #1. I had “Girls also ride horses” (Judy Rodman), which is in the top ten, and I had “Many residences” (by Moe Bandy), which made the Top 40. I used to be successful. But I also desired to make a foray into black musical country-westerns; to higher explore the relationship between movies and country music in black spaces. To do that, I needed extra money than a big publisher could offer me. Trying to interrupt into Hollywood wasn’t something I could have done alone.
Hollywood has released only a few black westerns: “The Harder They Fall,” “Django Unchained,” “Posse.” What was your experience in Hollywood like?
My first project that I actually desired to take to Hollywood was picked up by Quincy Jones and Oprah Winfrey’s company: “Mother Dixie,” which got here with a complete album of country songs. In the book I say that it’s, in a way, my best artistic achievement – even though it was never published. … The demos are truly amazing. That’s one in all the next things I would like to do on the agenda is to release it. We are reconsidering the possibility of bringing the original script to Hollywood. World is changing. (Director) Reggie Hudlin just contacted me and said, “Do you have the script for ‘Mother Dixie’?!” (laughter)
What did you’re thinking that of “Cowboy Carter”?
I feel “Cowboy Carter” is a remarkable achievement. When it involves popular and country music, it is a high bar for each genres. The precedent can be for Ray Charles to desert “Modern sounds in country and western music” in 1963, which played a vital role in the country music space and the history of popular music recording. I feel potentially this moment overshadows it because the music has turn out to be more complex.
It’s a really wealthy album. In some ways that are not just hyperbole, “Cowboy Carter” is like Shakespeare. It’s full of content – deep, flexible text that may reflect many individuals. It’s fun on the surface, but it surely rewards the deepest commitment. In that sense, it’s like Shakespeare to me.
As a rustic music scholar, what are your favorite songs?
“16 wagons– I feel – talking to “Sixteen tons”, a piece song (Tennesse Ernie Ford). He is in conversation with “Strawberry Wine” (Deana Carter), about loss and innocence. He’s talking to my very ownXXX and OOO (American)” (recorded by Trisha Yearwood), about the balance between love and money. It’s also elegiac. It is in conversation with (Christian hymn) “Will this circle remain unbroken“about death. But it’s its own, extraordinary, original work.
I also think “Texas Hold’Em” is a dance tune where you shake your ass, much like the song (Billy Ray Cyrus) “A sore, broken heart“or (Brooks & Dunn’s)”Boot Scootin’ Boogie” in country music, but it’s actually a very deep song. The thing is, life is not a game of cards. I think country music has four basic themes: Life is hard; God is real; road, family and alcohol are significant compensations; and the past is better than the present. But in the Black Country, “the past is best than the present” is the earlier part of your childhood, when you were protected by your parents or at an earlier stage of a relationship. But honky-tonk, the road and family are all in “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
In “My Black Country” I speak about the importance of “These Boots Are Made for Walking” (Nancy Sinatra) as a link to the country world. That’s exactly in my book – after which Beyoncé sampled “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” (in her song “Yes Yes“)! I Think Too (Beyoncé’s rendition of the Beatles classic)Blackbird” may be very essential since it gives an embodied lesson on what it takes to take the pop-folk song that’s Paul McCartney and switch it into a rustic song by adding black voices, black gospel aesthetics and sounds. But he also points to the Stoney Edwards song “Kos (hold your head high)” from 1976. I do not think it is a coincidence. Stoney Edwards is a black artist.
(Photo: Jason Davis/Getty Images)
On “My Black Country” you support DeFord Bailey, Lil Hardin, Charley Pride, Herb Jeffries and Lesley “Eslie” Riddle (aka Esley Riddle) as the Mount Rushmore of black country music. What was their fundamental contribution?
I’m considering DeFord Bailey father of black country music. He is the godfather of all country music. He was the first superstar of the Grand Ole Opry. He helped launch the careers of Acuff-Rose and Bill Monroe, not to say the profession of Charley Pride. And he (was) the first black member of the Grand Ole Opry. He was an incredible harmonica player. He was a political artist in a way that folks often don’t recognize. In 1927, he’ll play the first notes we hear after we first hear the words “Grand Ole Opry”. And he’s a third-generation black hillbilly musician. He doesn’t appear out of nowhere; comes from his own Black family and becomes country music’s first superstar.
Lil Hardin Armstrong she is the mother of the Black Country to me. He will play on the first country single (Jimmie Rodgers) “Blue Yodel #9”, which sold tens of millions of copies. She will play every bar of this song and be completely erased from the history of this song from the day it was recorded in 1930 in Los Angeles because she was a black woman. Three geniuses played on this album: Louis Armstrong, Lil Hardin and Jimmie Rodgers. The files included the name of just one person.
Charley’s pride he’s the first black country artist to be recognized as a superstar by a majority of a rustic in the world. DeFord Bailey was a superstar, but he wasn’t 100% recognized as such. Charley Pride can be (Country Music Awards) Artist of the Year 1971and once I got here to Nashville in 1983, he had already topped the country charts 29 times.
Jeffries coat of arms, “The Brown Buckaroo” – People should know that in the Nineteen Thirties and Forties, a black man starred in, produced and directed black country and western movies. At one point he was so famous that Herbie Hancock was allegedly named “Herbie” after Herb Jeffries. He shot “Brown Buckaroo” movies on a Black-owned ranch in California. He was a real-life Marcus Garvey in the Black Country world. He did business with other black people; he hired them and is a monument to the real nineteenth century Black cowboys he portrayed in his movies.
Traditionally, it is alleged that the mother of country (music) is the Carter family… Eslie Riddle is a particularly essential musician who taught the Carter family songs and guitar techniques. He is the foundation of country music that has been erased, pushed to the side, (and, I consider, had much of his mental property stolen from him).
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Is Nashville Resisting Black Country Artists?
I call it cultural redlining. I feel there are layers to it. Music Row and radio are small town; small towns are smaller for women, but even smaller for black girls. …Until Beyoncé, no black woman had achieved this (level of success in country music). Cultural redlining is intersectional and focuses specifically on the exclusion of Black women from these spaces.
Historically, all women, even Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, have struggled on country radio. Cultural redlining shouldn’t be nearly radio play, as songs can now be published outside of radio. It is (who is taken into account worthy) an investment in the first place. It’s the putting together of a team – marketing, promotion, clothing, publishing deals – that enables someone to grow as an artist. It’s the belief that it may well occur.
One thing that is so interesting that changes that is the Beyoncé moment. I’ve been here 41 years; we have heard, “Bring me a black woman who sings well enough, is attractive enough, disciplined enough, has the right songs, and I’ll make her a star.” The consequence of this was that each one these women who got here weren’t suitable in a way, which in my opinion was not the case. Two black women who must have had primary songs an extended time ago are Rissi Palmer and Rhiannon Giddens. They are each extraordinary singers, great songwriters, beautiful by traditional American standards. They lacked nothing. For me they were culturally crossed out.
Beyoncé avoided cultural constraints. She stormed the citadel herself and proved it may very well be done.
What impact will “Cowboy Carter” have on the country music industry?
Only time will tell. But there may be a difference between zero and one. If something has never been done, many individuals will think it’s inconceivable. Once you do that, you’re much closer to being “again.” This will allow black artists, especially black female artists, to proceed to do that and think that they’ll do it. They also see the large black audiences which have all the time existed turn out to be visible in latest ways. This large audience of white, Asian, indigenous and black people listens to “Cowboy Carter” and makes their presence felt across social media. This is a worldwide event. It’s obvious to anyone looking that folks throughout the world are willing to listen to country music sung by a black woman.
Do they wish to hearken to Beyoncé but not anyone else? We already know that folks are downloading (album highlights black country singers) Linda Martell, Brittney Spencer and (and) Tanner Adell; they see Beyoncé’s reflection. I feel Beyoncé’s album began a worldwide conversation. I predict that the summer of Black Country will come and all of America will realize how rooted in black genius the best country is.

Miles Marshall Lewis (@MMLunlimited) is a Harlem-based author and cultural critic whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, GQ, Rolling Stone, and plenty of other magazines. Lewis is currently completing a cultural biography of comedian Dave Chappelle, a sequel to “Promise You’ll Sing About Me: The Power and Poetry of Kendrick Lamar.”“
Music
SALT-N-PEPA SUE WEPTER

Salt-n-Pępa They say that their label doesn’t push, fighting for the rights to their music.
A groundbreaking duo behind hip-hop classics, including “Shoop” from 1993 and “Push It” from 1987, say within the lawsuit that the Universal Music Group violates copyright law, refusing to consent to transfer rights to its predominant recordings.
Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton filed a lawsuit on Monday on the Federal Court in New York, stating that the Copyright Act of 1976, which says that after several many years, artists can terminate previous agreements and regain the property of their recordings, apparently now it concerns them.
The fight, which led to the extraction of Salt-N-Pepa music from streaming services, comes because many artists with their beloved legacy are lucratively selling their catalogs, while others got stuck in classic battles with discs on old contracts.
“UMG pointed out that it would be a hostage of plaintiffs, even if it means refueling the value of the musical catalog of plaintiffs and depriving fans of access to their work,” says the lawsuit.
Representatives of UMG didn’t immediately reply to the e -mail with a comment.
The claim suggests that situations comparable to Salt-N-Pepa are the rationale why the Copyright Act exists. It allows artists who made transactions “at the beginning of their careers” once they were relatively powerless to make use of the cultural and musical heritage, which they later determined.
In the lawsuit, James and Denton submitted a request to terminate the agreement under the Act in 2022, “wanting to regain the full property of art and heritage,” but “inexplicable, UMG refused to honor his rights.
James and Denton say that, in accordance with the law, they need to now have the option to have early recordings, including from the debut album from 1986, “Hot, Cool & Vicious” and “Push It” from 1987, page B, which the remix caught and have become their breakthrough hit.
They say that other recordings must be legally later, in 2026, including the album “Very necessary” from 1993, which incorporates “Shoop” and “Whatta Man”.
The duo is searching for each actual damage for lost money and criminal compensation within the amounts that must be determined for the activities of UMG. The claim claims that actual damage can “significantly exceed $ 1 million”. They also need a everlasting order confirming their rights to recordings.
They said, pulling out songs from streaming and other industrial platforms, the label “maliciously punished” Salt-N-Pępa “too brave to confirm their rights.”
Lawyers of the label said in letters contained as exhibits within the lawsuit that they encouraged mediation and need to realize a “mutually acceptable solution”.
But the lawyers of UMG said in letters that James and Denton weren’t even personally parties within the 1986 contract, which included their initial albums, and there isn’t a evidence that they gave Copyright labels that may now get well.
UMG maintains that the recordings were “works of the rental”, which might not allow the rights to be recovered. Salt-N-Pępa’s lawsuit says that ladies’s agreements with label explain that they weren’t.
Queens, New York, the James duo and Denton became Salt-N-Pepa in 1985. Later he joined them DJ Spinderellawhich was not a part of the early contracts within the dispute and will not be involved within the lawsuit.
“Salt-n-entpa boldly changed the appearance of rap and hip-hop,” says the lawsuit. “They were not afraid to talk about sex and share their thoughts about men. Their solid recordings” let’s speak about sex “and” lack of your interests “, for example they were huge hits. They honestly talked about women’s sexuality and strengthening when such topics were frowned, heavily criticized and called taboos. “
In 1995 they became the primary rap woman who won Grammy, and in 2021 they received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Later this yr they’ll grow to be members of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame once they receive the organization of the organization.

(Tagstotranslate) Entertainment
Music
The Weeknd’s Return: New Music, Grammys and its next era

The artist currently often called Weeknd spent the last 15 years, constructing his popularity “Dark Prince of Pop”. Starting as an enigmatic artist who released his songs anonymously, The Weeknd became a worldwide superstar and a house brand. But now-a few albums from the list Nickname Weeknd In favor of his real name Abel Tesfaye.
This is just one other step within the evolution of Tesfaye as an artist. To understand its influence on contemporary music, let’s take a have a look at the modest beginnings of Mixtape Weeknd, his meteoric known and what next for a person standing behind the nickname.
Musical Evolution Weeknd: from Mixtapes to Supergowy
Early dark mixtape
After spending most teenage years to party and problems with the law, Tesfaye began to release music anonymously in 2009. His first effort was a group of leaked demonstrations entitled “Noise”. Songs comparable to “Love Through Her” and “Material Girl” aroused the interest of online listeners, establishing a dark sound R&B and hedonistic topics from which he could be known.
Transition to the mainstream pop
In 2011, Tesfaye used the noise generated by his first editions, spending a variety of additional mixtapes – “House of Balloons”, “Thursday” and “Echo of Silence” – which might later switch to the platinum album of the “Trilogy” compilation.
But this was his contribution to the soundtrack within the dirty film “Fifty Shades of Gray” from 2015, which might really drive The Weeknd music from the bedrooms and basements to the national pop radio. Combining the sexy delivery of Tesfaye with a skillful pop approach, “Zarach IT” not only reached the number three on the Billboard Hot 100 list, but was nominated for the ACADEMY ASCADEM Award for the perfect original song and his first Grammy Award for the perfect R&B performance.
Albums and Weeknd era

“Kiss Land” and “Beauty for madness”
Before Tesfaye released his official debut album “Kiss Land” in 2013, he was already a recognized R&B trailblazer. The Canadian artist prepared for the album, traveling to Tokyo and beginning to handle more experimental and film styles that may turn into central for later Tesfaye works.
While his second album from 2015, “Beauty Behind the Madness”, nodded to his dark R&B roots on songs comparable to “Shameless”, he also leaned in POP with hits comparable to “Can’t Feel My Face”.
“Starboy”, “My dear melancholy” and “After hours”
The seeds he planted on “Kiss Land” and “Beauty Behind the Madness” would bloom the next project The Weeknd, “Starboy” from 2016. With the assistance of the electronic duo Daft Punk, Tesfaye successfully combined his experimental tendencies and fresh production in several primary pop hit, including “I Feel It Come” and the title song.
Later, the older work of Wieknd fans was treated with a brief return to the shape for the EP “My Melncholy” from 2018, which studied his breakup with the singer Selena Gomez and the model Bella Hadid. But EP was not an indication that The Weeknd abandoned his latest path. Two years later, he published “After Hours” inspired by the Nineteen Eighties, which began the second trilogy.
“Dawn FM” and “Hurry up tomorrow”
Thanks to the “Dawn FM” from 2022, Tesfaye selected a nostalgic radio program as a crap device to make sure moody meditations on fame, life and death. The album was a critical and industrial success, setting a brand new Billboard Global 200 list record and pushing Weeknd to #1 for the perfect Spotify listeners.
His latest project “hurry up tomorrow”, limited the trilogy with even darker treatment of those topics, while pointing to the artist’s next evolution. While melancholy, as all the time, Tesfaye sings a couple of sense of readiness to vary his ways, especially on the title track.
Innovation and Strategy: The Weeknd’s Vision in music and film

Weeknd joins “Idol”
Until 2023, Tesfaye proved his power as a pop star and began to look for brand new artistic efforts. HBO series “Idol“-who co-founded with the director of” Euphoria “, Sam Levinson-he offered him many latest challenges, including delays, prescribing and hasty changes.
Critical party and fans
Working along with Lily Rose-Depp and sharing writing inscriptions with Levinson, The Weeknd was largely chargeable for what led to an enormous critical and industrial failure. The charged sexual nature of the narrative of the series didn’t resonate with the audience, who recognized “Idol” each disturbing and it’s difficult to follow. The result was the primary real Tesfaye brush with failure as a mainstream artist.
Grammy return: change of perspective

The failure of “Idol” could change the attitude of Tesfaye to greater than just television as a tool for telling stories. When “After Hours” was neglected by the Grammy 2021 awards without nomination – even for the hit hit “Olinding Lights” – the artist criticized the Recording Academy and began a boycott of annual ceremonies.
Over the next 4 years, Tesfaye refused to submit his music to contemplate Grammy. But this boycott would end the surprising end in 2025, when he returned to the Grammys stage to make just a few songs from his album “Has hurry up tomorrow”.
Was it a tip on the next change within the profession of the controversial singer?
Rebranding as Abel Tesfaye: Why did The Weeknd change his name?
Tesfaye’s experience working on “The Idol” had one other significant impact on the artist: the sport within the series reminded him of the artificiality of his character, The Weeknd.
After removing within the series, Tesfaye said within the WW magazine: “This reaches the place and time when I prepare to close the Weeknd chapter.”
The artist quickly explained that he didn’t intend to completely withdraw from the music: “I will continue to create music, maybe like Abel, maybe like The Weeknd,” he thought. “But I still want to kill Weeknd. And I will do it. Finally. I definitely try to lose this skin and reborn.”
Live trips and performances Weeknd

After hours, until performance and location at dawn
If you hope you will notice the weekly live, before you get to the nickname, you may still catch him in his record place after the hours of the Dawn route, which has turn into strong since 2022. The route-which will stop within the United States and Canada this summer, including cities comparable to Detroit, Chicago, Denver, Seattle and Vancouver-Union in September.
What to expect
The route program leads fans through a guide journey of the Weeknd era, made a characteristic artist’s style for moody glasses. According to reviewers of Tesfaye live shows, he organizes a stunning program, together with spare dancers, pyrotechnics and thrilling interpretations of hits comparable to “victim”, “can Feel My Face” and “often”.
Cultural influence and heritage: redefining R&B and Pop

Redefination of recent R&B and Pop
Music Weeknd has all the time been a refreshing contrast with the industry dominated by squeaking pop stars and conventional forward R&B. Thanks to the polarizing theme and daring aesthetic election, Tesfaye isn’t applying to create music that provokes.
Influence on emerging artists
Unfilted Weeknd texts and experimental sound landscapes inspired many more moderen artists to understand authenticity and innovation of their music. Young artists, comparable to 6lack and Partenextdoor, take obvious recommendations on Tesfaye music and even peers, comparable to Drake, Usher and Miguel, turned on some Weeknd sounds in their very own music.
Expanding in film and business
Despite the error from “Idol”, Tesfaye still imprints its trail on television and film. He made his debut within the film in “Uncut Gems” in 2019, he expressed the primary character within the upcoming animated film “Ari The Bat” and is working on a brand new film with director Trey Edward Shults.
In addition to the movie and TV, Tesfaye also borrowed his creative eye of cooperation with Puma, H&M clothing corporations and a washing monkey.
New music chapter and identity
Is this an actual revival for Abla Tesfaye or simply a brief change on his creative path? Regardless of its name, nothing can erase the massive influence he had on R&B and pop music. He influenced various artists – even a number of the biggest pop stars within the industry – to wear latest genres and tell their most intimate stories through music. Regardless of what’s going to occur next, Tesfaye has already strengthened his heritage – in music and more.
Still interesting Canadian star? Check our archives for more information The Weeknd.
(Tagstranslate) The Weeknd
Music
Chris Brown arrested in Great Britain in connection with the incident at the Night Club in London in London

Chris Brown was arrested on Thursday at Lowry Hotel in Manchester in England, in connection with the incident at the London Night Club in 2023, in keeping with American edition Sun. On May 14, he flew to Manchester, where the authorities were notified of his presence.
The arrest results from a quarrel on February 19, 2023, between the bronze and the music producer, Abe Diaw, who claims that Brown attacked him with a bottle, after which hit him and kicked him at the nightclub in London. Diaw was taken to the hospital, where he had to make use of KUL after discharge. London Metropolitan Police are holding Brown in terms of “suspicion of causing severe damage to the body.”
DAW also made a civil claim against Brown for $ 16 million (12 million kilos) compensation related to the incident.
This isn’t Brown’s first brush with the right to attack at the nightclub. In 2012, Brown was involved in the Night Club in New York, which included the NBA star All-Star Tony Parker and Rapper and the pop star, Drake. As early as 2024, Brown was accused of assaulting 4 live shows behind the scenes at the TEXASA concert bus stop; Brown is the defendant for $ 50 million in connection with the alleged incident.
Over the years Brown had a litany of runs with the authorities for allegations and accusations of varied arguments, fighting and assault and was accused of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Brown is He planned to make a limited series of live programs in Manchester from June 15 and is preparing for his stadium “Breezy Bowl XX”, which he made available In the Instagram post On the occasion of his 20 years in the music industry. The program includes Summer Walker at the American stage of the trip and Bryson Walker for the European leg, which is able to start on June 8 in Amsterdam.
“Celebrating 20 years of cb. So excited that I can share this moment with the world and my amazing fans. I can’t wait to see all the beautiful faces. Taking you these eras, but most importantly, give you my heart and soul,” reads the signature.
The brown song “Remains” is currently 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and spent 35 weeks on the chart and it arrived No. 1 on the adult R&B AirPlay taber.

(Tagstranslate) Chris Brown (T) Chris Brown Assault (T) London (T) Manchester
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