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Wale, Ludacris and Kendrick Lamar Keep Hip-Hop in Top Three Spots of Billboard Albums Chart
Wale, Ludacris and Kendrick Lamar helped ensure that hip-hop took the top three spots on the Album Sales Chart for the second week in a row. Wale, who was also no. 1 on the Billboard 200, sold 90,500 copies of his new record The Album About Nothing. Ludacris got a boost from the strict album sales format of this chart (he placed no. 3 due to stream numbers helping the Furious 7 soundtrack on the 200) and placed no. 2 with Ludaversal, selling 59,000 copies of his new album. Kendrick Lamar was at no. 1 for two weeks with To Pimp A Butterfly but he'll settle for no. 3 this week after selling another 52,500 copies. -
How Will Rihanna's 'Bitch Better Have My Money' Be Affected by Exclusive Tidal Streaming Rights?
The biggest announcement in the music industry last week was the details of Tidal, a new streaming service kickstarted by Jay Z and held by a number of big-name performers such as Beyoncé, Kanye West, Jason Aldean and Jack White. The future looks promising for the service as part owner Rihanna has released two tracks—"Bitch Better Have My Money" and "American Oxygen"—for exclusive streaming on the service. Billboard brings up a good question however: How will serving Tidal exclusively affect the way a song or album charts? -
Drake Search Engine Ties Young Money Rapper to All Results, from "Lil Wayne" to "Bag Jacking"
Everyone knows that the world is mere steps away from a Kevin Bacon connection but new evidence has suggested that everything is a lot closer to Drake than you might think. Lmdraketfy.com is a new search engine that serves to take anything you enter into its search bar and...connect it to the Young Money emcee. -
EXO and 'EXOdus' Break 2NE1's Record for Bestselling K-Pop Debut in American Music History
EXO and its new album EXOdus have taken advantage of the growing market for K-Pop in the United States, as the release became the highest-selling American debut in the genre's history. The band came in at no. 95 after selling 6,000 copies in its first week. -
Suge Knight Wheelchair-Bound in Ongoing Murder and Robbery Cases; Attorney References 'Silence of The Lambs'
Suge Knight's ongoing murder trial for the hit-and-run of Terry Carter in Compton was destined to be a media spectacle and new details continue to keep our attention. The headlines on Wednesday reported that Knight was brought to the courtroom, handcuffed to a wheelchair. The former Death Row Records head wasn't happy about it however. -
Black Sabbath Pulls out Of Own Farewell Show...No Word on When Ozzy and Company Will Make Last Stand
One of the bands that won't be appearing at Black Sabbath's so-called farewell show in Tokyo: Black Sabbath. A report from NME indicates that the band has cancelled the Japanese date, which will take place as part of vocalist Ozzy Osbourne's Ozzfest, and that the frontman would be performing by himself instead (along with a slew of opening acts). -
5 Examples of Rand Paul in Music: Candidate Deals with Mark Ronson, Rush and SXSW 2015
Rand Paul has announced his candidacy for president during the 2016 election, making him the second member of the Republican Party to throw his name into the ring. The first was Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who came out several weeks prior to the Kentucky politician. Music Times gathered together five connections between Cruz and music, and we admit that several of them were tenuous at best. Senator Paul is a different story however. The candidate has dealt with Mark Ronson, Rush and South by Southwest 2015 in recent years. -
Wale's 'The Album About Nothing' Continues Hip-Hop's Billboard 200 Streak, 'Furious 7' Accelerates
Hip-hop continues to be the genre to beat on the Billboard 200 as Wale and his The Album About Nothing ensures that rappers dominate the equivalent album sales chart for a fourth consecutive week. Nothing is the emcee's second no. 1 album, selling the equivalent of 100,000 copies during its debut week. -
7 Longest Climbs to No. 1 on Hot 100: John Legend, Creed and More Took Months to Get to Top
The classic charity anthem "We Are The World" reached no. 1 on this date 30 years ago, but it was far from when the single debuted: It took more than three months for the song—which featured Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Lionel Richie and many more—to climb up to the no. 1 spot. That's far from the longest a single has had to wait before it arrived at no. 1 on the Hot 100 however. John Legend, Creed and UB40 know a thing or two about waiting. -
Billboard's Emphasis on Barack Obama Sex Joke Leads Azealia Banks to Quit Interviews for 2015
Azealia Banks has claimed that she's done working with the media for the rest of 2015 but we doubt that will mean fewer stories on the outspoken emcee. The Harlem rapper didn't appreciate the way that her most recent feature, in Billboard magazine, was framed and as such has decided to give interviews a rest for the near future. -
Death Cab For Cutie Extends Tour in United States to Support New Album 'Kintsugi' [DATES]
Death Cab for Cutie has announced a new tour to go along with the release of tis new album Kintsugi, which debuted last week. The band had already announced a slew of festival dates and an international tour (both of which you can see with the full schedule at the bottom of the page with the new dates) and now the group has announced some concerts in its homeland as well. -
Niall Horan Taking Break from One Direction...to Caddie for Rory McIlroy at The Masters Par 3 Contest
What's next for One Direction, following the leaving of Zayn Malik? It looks like some of the boy band's members are already weighing new careers, as vocalist Niall Horan will be working as a golf caddie this week. OK, maybe not, but he will be stepping in to assist PGA star Rory McIlroy during the Masters Tournament Par 3 competition on Wednesday. -
Crowdsourcing Campaign for Suge Knight Bail Money Not Going So Well...to Tune of $0
Suge Knight is in dire straights but he's got at least one friend on the outside, as a crowdsourcing campaigns continue in hopes of raising bail money for the embattled Death Row Records head. Unfortunately, the "Help Bail Out Suge Knight Fund" is both behind the times and behind pace in terms of reaching its goal. -
T in The Park 2015 Under Fire as Organizers Seek to Meet Needs of Nesting Ospreys
Scotland's T In The Park Festival has a new home for 2015 but the old Spring residents aren't excited for them to be there: Organizers have an unusual issue in dealing with the protected ospreys that enjoy nesting in the area of Strathallan Castle. Promoters have ensured fans that the festival will go forward, and the birds will be able to nest accordingly. -
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Bracket Challenge Championship: Green Day and Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
The voters have spoken, and only two performers remain in Music Times' annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tournament: Green Day ad Joan Jett and The Blackhearts. By combining the obsessive bracketology of March Madness with the annual naming of nominees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we allow you, the fans, to vote for nominees competitively, and therefore choose just one winner. Last year's champ was Peter Gabriel, who overtook KISS in the championship. Vote below and check back on Friday to see who the readers of Music Times have chosen to join him in the halls of our bracketology Hall of Fame: Green Day or Joan Jett? -
The Best Choices for MLB Opening Day Anthems: Tinashe, Taylor Hicks, The Four Tops and More
The Major League Baseball Season is upon us and fans are flocking to their hometown stadiums to check out their respective squads begin the 162-game (more, if you're good) slog that is professional baseball. Part of the appeal of Opening Day is its emphasis on otherwise typical a facets of game day, including bringing in bigger names to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner," as is tradition. Here are seven teams that brought in professional musical talent for the season's first rendition of the national anthem, including Tinashe, The Four Tops and Taylor Hicks. -
Toto and Yes Touring Together; Original Bassist David Hungate Back Following Death of Mike Porcaro
Eighties icons Toto are taking to the road with another group of classic rockers, Yes, as part of a duel tour across the United States. -
Coachella and Stagecoach Music Festivals Get New, Glorious Bathroom Facilities
Coachella may have just made a major step in becoming the de facto king of American music festivals: Goldenvoice, the promoter for the event, has built a new restroom facility on the Empire Polo Club fields. -
Jay Z Pulls 'Reasonable Doubt' from Spotify, Leaves It on Tidal; Will More Owners Pull Out of Spotify Soon?
The first shots may have been fired in Tidal's quest to dominate the streaming world Jay Z's Reasonable Doubt has disappeared from competitor Spotify. However, those with a Tidal subscription see that they can still stream the debut album from the rapper and part owner in the service, suggesting that this is a symbolic shot from Hov to demonstrate how much power he (and the rest of Tidal's part owners) holds in this game. -
VIDEO: Plies Gets Slammed Offstage, Attacker Acknowledges 'I F*ck With You Bruh'
Rushing the stage has become an increasingly dangerous problem for the hip-hop genre as two prominent cases have made headlines in the last few weeks: First Run The Jewels member Killer Mike tore his rotator cuff after being attacked by a crazy at South by Southwest, and now video has emerged of Fort Myers emcee Plies getting body slammed onstage...and offstage. -
Expert Analysts Chart How Likely Beats Music, Spotify, Tidal and Others Are to Provide Minimum Wage to Performers
The debate over streaming and which services best reward artiest for their work rages on, and one of the major analysts in the argument has updated his numbers. David McCandless first brought attention to streaming and other format earning for musicians with his 2010 study "Selling Out: How Much Do Music Artists Earn Online," and now he's updated the numbers to deal with new offerings and new policies at preexisting companies. -
Zayn Malik Recording with The Vamps? New Photo Evidence Says 'Yes'...Ex-One Directioner Seen in Studio
New rumors have emerged in the future of Zayn Malik and they involve him recording with a certain boy band...and it's not One Direction. New photos suggest that the recently-solo vocalist was at a rehearsal with fellow Brit pop group The Vamps. -
California Artists Sing About Drought: E-40, Vienna Tang and Honorary Citizen Jake Owen with Jimmy Kimmel
Things are pretty dry in the Golden State as the sun's rays are little brighter and golden than farmers and the governor might hope. Due to a lack of rain, Governor Jerry Brown has ordered mandatory water usage regulations for the first time, encouraging citizens of the state to be as conservative as possible when using H2O in the southern half of the state. Music Times came up with a few songs about drought sung by (and to) residents of California, including E-40, Jake Owen and Vienna Tang. -
Skeletonwitch Fires Chance Garnett for Alcohol Issues; Touring Again with What Established Vocalist?
Skeletonwitch fans might have been surprised to see earlier this week that the thrash band would be returning to the road with a new vocalist, and not Chance Garnette, the frontman of the last decade-plus. Garnette himself was himself surprised to find out that he had been fired from the group. -
Newport Folk Festival 2015 Reveals Part 1 of Lineup, Featuring Courtney Barnett, Sturgill Simpson, Laura Marling and More
The Newport Folk Festival has released the first half of its lineup—borrowing from the trend in EDM of releasing lists of performers in "phases"—announcing that Courtney Barnett, Sturgill Simpson and Dinosaur Jr's J Mascis will be among the performers. Granted, none of the performers named thus far will serve as headliners, but the list should tide over those waiting for information on the long-running Rhode Island music festival. -
'The Osbournes' MTV Reboot Under Legal Fire Tied to Surprising/Least Dramatic Member of Ozzy's Family
MTV's reboot of The Osbournes is facing some legal drama and it's coming from the least dramatic member of Ozzy Osbourne's curious brood: Several companies affiliated with son Jack Osbourne have brought lawsuits in the last week. -
SoundExchange Brings Second Lawsuit Ever, Alleging Streaming Services Abusing Grandfathered Royalty Rates
SoundExchange has brought the second lawsuit of its 12-year existence, alleging that the Mood Media Corporation—owner of streaming service Muzak and others—filed its royalties improperly. -
Rihanna Debuts BBHMM Follow-Up 'American Oxygen' at March Madness Festival in Indianapolis [WATCH]
Basketball wasn't the only madness happening in Indianapolis on Saturday night, as Rihanna debuted the new song "American Oxygen" as part of her set at the March Madness Music Festival. Her one-time beau Drake may have left Lucas Oil Stadium disappointed as his no. 1 ranked University of Kentucky Wildcats fell to Wisconsin, but pop music fans were pleased to get another sample of Rihanna's forthcoming album, produced by Kanye West. -
Robert Burns Jr. Dead in Car Crash as Lynyrd Skynrd's Original Lineup Remains Jinxed
The original drummer for rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, Robert Burns. Jr., has died in a car accident, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Georgia State Patrol said that the musician's vehicle left the road and struck a mailbox and tree. It's believed he was killed instantly, although the event remains under investigation. He was 64. -
5 Ways Muddy Waters Changed Music: Amplified Blues, Chuck Berry and More (A 100th Birthday Tribute)
Today marks what would've been the 100th birthday of blues legend McKinley "Muddy Waters" Morganfeld. Kind of. Still waters run deep, but Muddy Waters runs deeper. Here are 5 ways modern music would be different without the legend, from the amplification of the blues to the discovery of Chuck Berry.
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