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#FMSpotlight: Laurentis – “Signora” (Listen)

Laurentis seems to notice that everything around us became significantly more digital in the past couple of years. Things you wouldn’t have imagined to be on the web are now available in one click. Today, people can party, work, and treat chronic diseases online.

At the same time, such fast technological advancement has come from the chain of very tragic events, which also affected Laurentis. It’s also unclear whether working, partying, and treating diseases online will serve us well in the long run.

Still, it affects us, here and now. The music industry is no exception, as artists faced some of the most tragic COVID economic consequences. Social distancing restrictions and the lack of concerts brought down many musicians and record labels. So, Laurentis adapts.

The Soundtrack Of Today

Laurentis seems to get used to the new realities, slowly but surely. His latest single, “Signora,” sounds like the perfect soundtrack of today. The love ballad packs so many sound effects that it sounds apocalyptic. The ideal way to describe Laurentis’s track would be the “Fight Club” ending scene. Which is also somewhat of the fitting image of today.

“​​With “Signora” I wanted to try my interpretation of a classic serenade,” Laurentis explained. “I wanted to take some of the mixing and production techniques I’ve been learning over the past couple of years and use that to beef up a track that was inspired by my musical roots.”

Laurentis’s sound experiment has gone well enough. Whether the times apply or the artist figured something out, the song sound surprisingly organic, which you would probably not expect from an electronic serenade remix.

“When I wrote the track, I closed my laptop and turned off all the lights just sitting on my bedroom floor with my guitar like I used to back in high school,” Laurentis shared on the song production. “The little voice memo I recorded on my phone I sampled, and that became the base for the track, playing over the intro and hook. It felt like the song wrote itself after that.”

Listen To “Signora” By Laurentis Below:

Written by Nikita Serdiuk

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Did Hollywood Unlocked Guess The Death Of Queen Elizabeth?

I woke up on February 22nd like it was any other day. After I brushed my teeth, I checked my phone for messages. I responded to a couple of emails and then I got on Instagram. I was scrolling and I came across a Hollywood Unlocked post. Queen Elizabeth Dead was the headline above a smiling picture of Queen Elizabeth.

Jason Lee
Jason Lee
Credit: IMDb

A Hollywood Unlocked Breaking Story

Hollywood Unlocked reports that the Queen of England was found dead. Queen Elizabeth was set to attend the wedding of Edward Enninful but was unable to. Hollywood Unlocked was the first and only source to report this story. One of two things was true. Either Jason Lee and his team have done some excellent reporting or their source has provided them with false information.

“Sources close to the Royal Kingdom notified us exclusively that Queen Elizabeth has passed away” via Hollywood Unlocked

Hollywood Unlocked uses the news of Queen Elizabeth recently contracting Covid-19 to validate their report. People have been losing their lives in large numbers ever since the pandemic started and Queen Elizabeth is not exempt from this pandemic.

The Hollywood Unlocked Spread Across The Internet

Many on the internet took the news to be true and begin spreading the news. Condolences for the queen started to pour out but things took a change in direction after the news received pushback.

The Pushback

On the following day, a fake Hollywood Unlocked Twitter account posted a retraction to the story. Jason Lee quickly denounced the recreation statement. He informs his audience that the retraction came from a fake account but the confusion had already set in.

Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth
Credit: Biography.com

BuzzFeed received a denial from the Palace and the prime minister’s office spokesperson who says Queen Elizabeth attended a meeting that afternoon. Jason Lee still hasn’t released a retraction and the story can still be found on their website and social media pages. The next few days will reveal the truth but as of this moment, the news reported by Hollywood Unlocked is untrue.

 

Xavier “Writer X” Griffin | Facebook @WriterX93 |Twitter @WRITER_X_713

 

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FM News Trending

India Arie Plans To Remove Music From Spotify Over Joe Rogan’s Podcast

Like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, R&B legend India Arie plans to take down her songs from Spotify due to Joe Rogan’s podcast.

india arie
India Arie plans to pull her music from Spotify.

On Monday, January 31st, Arie took to Instagram to say she disagrees with Rogan’s “language around race.”

“I have decided to pull my music and podcast from Spotify,” she wrote. “Neil Young opened a door that I MUST walk through. I believe in freedom of speech. However, I find Joe Rogan problematic for reasons OTHER than his Covid interviews… FOR ME ITS ALSO HIS language around race. What I am talking about is RESPECT – who gets it and who doesn’t.”

According to Hip Hop DX, the artist did not reveal what she thought was an issue. However, Joe Rogan received backlash for his choice of words. The podcast host said it’s “weird” to call people Black unless they’re “100% African, from the darkest place, where they’re not wearing any clothes all day.”

India Arie Not Only Had An Issue With Joe Rogan But Came For Spotify As Well

As of February 1st, Aries music still plays on Spotify. However, she didn’t seem too thrilled with the company and how they pay each artist. She continued her Instagram post by saying, “Paying musicians a fraction of a penny and HIM $100M?” she added. “This shows the type of company they are and the company they keep.”

Joe Rogan has yet to respond directly to Arie’s statement on Instagram. Spotify, though, chimed in to say, “We want all the world’s music and audio content to be available to Spotify users. With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators.”

india arie
Arie is not happy with Spotify for allowing Rogans Content.

FMHipHop reported early in January that this is not the first time the R&B artist called out the music industry. Arie stated in an old Instagram post referring to the 10-year challenge, “seeing old pictures reminds me of how TRASH the music industry is.” She explained the industry’s tendencies towards emphasizing racism, sexism, and deceit.

 

Stephanie Kinberg | Twitter @Waviii_S | Instagram @Waviii_S

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FM Education Trending

Questlove’s “Summer of Soul” and the Similarities Between 1969 and 2020

The Rolling Stone Music Now podcast had Questlove as a guest star. He is there to talk about the many documentaries that he is working on. However, he said something that intriguing. He compared the world of “Summer of Soul” to the year 2020. You can listen to the podcast below.

It begins with talks of how he started thinking about demographics. This came after his incident with President Obama, where he was asked to play more recent music. This was the first thing that he asked himself when he started making his “Summer of Soul” documentary. The documentary is about the Harlem Culture Festival in 1969. The festival lasted from June 29-August 24, with 6 concerts.

He knew that most of the living generations would understand enough of the things that were going on back then. All of the generations besides Gen Z would have enough of a cultural understanding to know enough about what was happening back then. “Then a weird thing happened, and that’s called life after March 16, 2020. In which… you could not tell the difference between our stock footage of 1969 and what’s happening in real-time in 2020.” He professed that March 16, 2020, was what led to a similar political context to the world back then. Covid was not the only part of 2020 that is similar to 1969, but many other parts of 2020 as well.

The political context of the stock footage is now very similar to the current state of the world. The political context is similar for both Covid and Black Lives Matter.

Covid and the Cold War

Covid and the cold war are the most obvious, well-known similarities. They are both concerns hiding within the back of the mind, that is their general safety. The main difference is just how pronounced the fear was in their daily lives. The Cold War was in the back of the general citizen’s mind, while Covid was more in the forefront. However, they both led to general uneasiness.

Black Lives Matter and Vivian Strong

On June 24, 1969, Vivian Strong and at most 8 other teenagers were having a party at a vacant apartment in Nebraska. There was a call to the police about a suspected robbery. When the 2 officers arrived, the teenagers ran out the back door, where Jame Loder, the white officer of the two, shot without warning. He shot Vivian in the back of the head. Both Carol, Vivian’s sister, and Loder’s African American partner, asked him “why did you shoot her?” to which he gave no reply.

There were riots in the streets of Ohama for the next 3 days. 2 days after that was the first day of the Harlem Culture Festival. There was massive distrust between African Americans and the police, so instead of having the police provide security, they instead had the Black Panther Party do it.

Police brutality was just as much of a problem back then as it is today. It is nowhere as obvious as the George Floyd case, where a police officer knelt on Floyd’s neck and back for 9 and a half minutes because the store clerk suspected that Floyd used a counterfeit bill.

The major difference between the two, however, is how long the civil unrest remained from these murders. Strong lasted three days, while Floyd continued for a full year, with the aftereffects still being felt to this day.

Politics in 1969 and 2020

The one case where there is no major connection between the two is, ironically enough, one of the things that made Questlove consider 1969 and 2020 close enough for Gen Z. In 1969, there was no uncertainty in the upcoming reelections, from what I could find online. They were under the Nixon registration. From what I could find, people generally liked Nixon, even after Watergate in 1972. People did not stop liking him until he stepped down.

History repeats itself. If we do not learn from it, we are doomed to follow it. Summer of Soul is a vertical slice of life in the 1960s for an African American. It can be watched on Hulu.

Written by Justin Acosta

Twitter: @hahalacka

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Soulja Boy Boasts About Making “$7 Million a Month” Amid Pandemic, Ridiculing “Broke-*** N*ggas”

It has been a rough couple years for most of us, but not for Soulja Boy Draco. The rapper and accused sexual assaulter just posted a story to Instagram making wild claims about his monthly and yearly income. While it is nice to see the joy that his success has brought Draco, the video is riddled with derogatory remarks directed at those who are less fortunate.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by DJ Akademiks (@akademiks)

Soulja’s Questionable Claims

The video features Draco in what appears to be one of his tour buses. While speaking to the camera, Soulja showcases a massive stack of $100 bills and rattles off boasts about his income. He starts by saying that he makes $100,000 a day, a staggering amount of wealth. He then follows up by saying that he makes $2-3 million a month, which seems to check out. However, he concludes his video by boasting about making $7 million last month, which would require a tremendous leap in income. Draco would need to make more that $250,000 per day, which is well over the claim he made seconds before.

While it is clear that Soulja Boy is extremely successful, this rapid change in claims could indicate a degree of exaggeration. At least, this is how viewers commented on the video seemed to react. “Why do I feel like he lying ? Lmao 🧢,” states one commenter. Another more succinctly replies with just, “Cap 🧢.” Others chose to focus on his attitude during the video, stating, “[I’m] so tired of this dude.” Regardless of the specific comment, the majority of people seemed to react negatively to being insulted about their wealth. Strange, huh?

To be clear, it is absolutely fantastic that Soulja Boy has been so successful; it would just be nice if he could enjoy that without feeling the need to insult everyone else, particularly in the wake of COVID.

by Chris Colasurdo
@cfcolasurdo on Twitter

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Nicki Minaj’s COVID Balls Conspiracy Tweets Fuel Existing Concerns in Trinidad

Nicki Minaj’s wild Twitter conspiracy about her cousin in Trinidad, swollen balls, and the COVID-19 vaccine has raised concern worldwide. However, Trinidad’s health professionals told VICE News they learned about the fears even before Nicki got involved.

Nicki claimed her cousin’s friend who received the vaccine ended up with swollen testicles and a subsequent broken engagement. Nicki’s conspiracy, fueled by her widespread tweets, has reportedly raised existing vaccine hesitancy in Trinidad. Consequently, Trinidadian officials say the number of people willing to vaccinate has shortened.

Dr. Lester Goetz, founding president of the Caribbean Urological Association, addressed the rumors, saying he doesn’t think that “a majority of men really believe it to be true.” However, he continued: “Once doubt has been suggested, then they do not want to take the chance, even if there’s no scientific basis for it.”

Trinidad and Tobago’s Health Minister, Terrence Deyalsingh, denied the conspiracies about the vaccine as well, and expressed frustration at having to debunk them. “What was sad about this is that it wasted our time yesterday trying to track down because we take all these claims seriously,” Deyalsingh said last Wednesday.

Main Concerns About Vaccine’s Side Effects

One of the main vaccination concerns among the masses seems to be worsening sexual performance. Nina Khan, Trinidad’s Ministry of Agriculture assistant, said that one of her colleagues shared he “would prefer to die before his libido dies.”

“There’s a lot of sexuality involved in our culture,” Rhoda Bharath, a lecturer at the University of the West Indies, told VICE News. “What you find is that there’s a preoccupation with male sexual performance all the time. Men here believe that there are a number of things that they need to eat, drink, and do on a regular basis to be able to enhance their sexual performance.”

Some of the vaccine hesitancy likely also stems from cultural beliefs, such as Trinidad’s collective fear of needles. According to Dr. Fuad Khan, a urologist based out of the Trinidadian city of St. Augustine, that fear originates in childhood. Firstly, parents scare their children with shots at the doctor’s. As a result, the youthful fear transforms into an adulthood phobia.

Vaccines, Nicki Minaj, and Controversy

Nicki’s Twitter storm first began two weeks ago, when she tweeted about refusing to attend Met Gala due to the mandatory vaccine requirement. She followed that tweet up by sharing the infamous tragedy of her cousin’s friend in Trinidad.

The media backlash from Nicki’s tweets went wild, with the conspiracy even making it to the British government. In response, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared Nicki’s claims false. Moreover, Johnson said he’s more “familiar with Nikki Kanani” than Nicki Minaj.

However, FOX News personality Tucker Carlson disagreed. He has dedicated parts of his shows to Nicki’s perspectives, claiming them “sensible.” Subsequently, Nicki shared Carlson’s comments on Twitter, captioning the video with a bullseye emoji.

What do you think of Nicki’s comments? Let us know by interacting with us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook @FMHipHop.

Written by Nikita Serdiuk | IG: @nikitasrdk | Twitter: @nktserdiuk

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FM News Trending

Nicki Minaj Engages In a Twitter War Over COVID Vaccination

Earlier this week, Nicki Minaj  canceled her attendance at the Met Gala in NYC, due to the required COVID vaccination certificate. Nicki, who has decided to not get the shot yet, explained her decision on Twitter. “They want you to get vaccinated for the Met. if I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met,” she stated. “It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research. I’m working on that now. In the meantime my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one.” Nicki also explained that she doesn’t want to do unnecessary travel that could endanger her child’s health..

Nicki backed her controversial vaccination statements with personal experience, sharing a story about her cousin’s friend in Trinidad. Apparently, his wedding was coming up, but now his testicles are swollen, and the wedding is canceled. All because of “the vaccination.”

Media Weighs In on Nicki’s Vaccination Statements

Eventually, the backlash became loud enough to make it on MSNBC news. Nicki Minaj, however, fought back, calling MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid an “uncle tomiana doing the work” and “a lying homophobic coon.”

By the morning, the British government had jumped on the case. The Chief Medical Officer for England, Chris Whitty, stated that Nicki should be “ashamed” of her anti-vax message. Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, added that he’s “unfamiliar with the work of Nicki Minaj.”

Nicki responded on Twitter  in a one-minute voice message “to the prime minister,” where she offered to share her work, spoke with a British accent, and claimed she had gone to school with Margaret Thatcher.

Finally, after the attacks from the British government, Tucker Carlson from FOX News spoke. He’s also not very informed on Nicki’s music, but said he’s “sure she is one of the biggest in the world.” Tucker has talked about Nicki’s tweets and “skeptical” view on vaccination. “Which seems sensible,” according to Carlson.

https://youtu.be/eq0R77U4sgU

Written by Nikita Serdiuk | IG: @nikitasrdk | Twitter: @nktserdiuk

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FM Sports

Atlanta Falcons become the first NFL team to reach 100% vaccinated against Covid

The Atlanta Falcons announced on Monday that the whole team has been vaccinated against Covid-19, making them the first NFL team to do so. “Each player will now enjoy the benefits of being able to work out and eat together. They won’t have to test daily, won’t have to wear masks around the facility, and won’t have to quarantine following a close contact with someone who tests positive,” the team’s website stated.

The news comes after the Atlanta Falcons announced a 92 percent immunization rate among players on July 23. COVID-19 safety standards for testing, masking, social distancing, and access to team facilities are reduced for teams with an 85 percent immunization rate. According to NBC Sports, all 32 clubs in the league had immunization rates above 75% as of Saturday, with 15 teams exceeding 95%.

NFL Imposing Strict Restrictions on Unvaccinated Players

(Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

For this upcoming season, the league has put in place significant restrictions for unvaccinated players. When COVID-19 outbreaks occur in 2021, the NFL expects to cancel games rather than postpone them like it did last season. In a canceled game, the team having an outbreak among unvaccinated players will lose. Players on both teams will lose their game checks, forcing them to keep an eye on one another.

“As we learned last year, we can play a full season if we maintain a firm commitment to adhering to our health and safety protocols and to making needed adjustments in response to changing conditions,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said in the memo, obtained by The Associated Press.

According to ESPN, the Atlanta Falcons provided vaccines to the community during their preseason game on Friday. At the team’s practicee at Mercedez-Benz Stadium, vaccinations were also provided. This preseason, the Falcons were one of two teams to suffer from a COVID-19 outbreak. The Atlanta Falcons will face the Miami Dolphins in preseason action this week before opening the regular season on September 12 at home against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Instagram: @jgalietta17

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Erykah Badu Apologized for Posting from Obama’s Private Birthday Party

Erykah Badu has posted apologies after sharing a video from Obama’s private birthday party

Singer Erykah Badu apologized for breaking the no-recording rule and posting on Instagram during 60th Obama’s private birthday party at Martha’s Vineyard. During the event, Erykah had been posting videos with the former President on the dance floor.

 

Erykah Badu offered apologies on Twitter: “Mr. And Mrs. Obama Please forgive me 4 being the “terrible guest “at such a sacred event for your family. I was so inconsiderate, Thank you for all your love. What an example of ‘how NOT ‘to be …… erica.” Erykah has also removed the videos from social media. She also said offering an apology is the “right thing” to do.

Backlash on the Right

Right-wing media and talking heads are intensely commenting on the news. Fox News-related New York Post wrote an article. They also presented a whole range of “comments from “outraged” detractors who, under the hashtag #ObamaVariant, bashed the 44th commander-in-chief for hosting the jam-packed jamboree.”

Those “Comments” are mainly located on Twitter, often belong to right-wing affiliates, and usually involve a question of the former President not wearing a mask.

Around a week ago, the announcement of Obama’s birthday party had already caused controversy. Chair of the House Republican Conference Rep., Elise Stefanik, had said, “This is what socialism looks like.”

In Rep. Stefanik’s opinion, “socialism” is “unscientific mask mandates and more lockdowns, while President Obama is hosting over 500 elites at his Martha’s Vineyard mansion.” Rep. Andy Biggs had also offered to “imagine if this party was for Trump.”

Bigg’s tweet responded to the earlier White House’s statement, ensuring that President Obama had taken all the precautions and followed the general safety guidelines. Obama also had to cut guests from 500 to 200 due to the rapid spreading of the Delta Variant.  

Check our website and read Obama’s story about breaking a friend’s nose after being called a racial slur.

Written by Nikita Serdiuk | IG: @nikitasrdk | Twitter: @nktserdiuk

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FM News Updates

Lil Baby Concert to Take Place in Columbia

Lil Baby is one of the first to return to in-person concert venues.

The Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina announced its first in-person concert since the pandemic has started. The show, which will headline Lil Baby, is titled “The End of Summer Jam.” Additionally, the lineup will include Kevin Gates, City Girls, and Blacc Zacc. The show will take place on August 14, and tickets will go on sale on May 28, at 10 am.

Lil Baby
Lil Baby at a Black Lives Matter protest for his music video, “The Bigger Picture.” (2020)

“This concert is much anticipated as concert enthusiasts are eager to get back to live entertainment,” arena officials said in the announcement. Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic closed down the venue for close to a year. This announcement came as big news to rap fans and concert lovers in the area.

Additionally, the concert will follow the anticipated release of Lil Baby and Lil Durk’s collaborative album. Hopefully, the LP will make an appearance at the end-of-summer concert. With such an impressive lineup, any rap fan in the southeast will want a part of this concert. Finally, this event is sure to be an eventful one with tickets going fast!

Would you attend a Lil Baby show?

Written By:

Hannah Botnick (@hcbotnick)

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