Prince was a legend with no true equal, whether it was as an entertainer or on the court. And even though he’s been gone for five years now, we are about to get some new music from the iconic artist, as his estate is releasing a previously unpublished album from 2010.

The Prince Estate and Legacy Recordings announced earlier this month a forthcoming release of “Welcome 2 America”, recorded by the star in 2010. The press release described it as a “powerful creative statement that documents Prince’s concerns, hopes and visions for a shifting society, presciently foreshadowing an era of political division, disinformation and a renewed fight for racial justice.”

If you can’t wait for the full album, along with the release of a previously recorded full concert, you can hear the title track from “Welcome 2 America” on Spotify and Apple Music. Along with the album, the unreleased concert film (recorded from his 2011 tour of the same name) includes him covering some Bob Dylan and Janet Jackson.

The visionary reportedly had a treasure trove of unrecorded material, a mysterious vault of music intended for the children he never had. His bandmates say Prince’s “Welcome 2 America” is disillusioned funk and ‘perfect for the times’, and will be absorbed in a different way in 2021 than it would have a decade prior.

He never said why the album wasn’t released at the time, but for material that covers commentary on social media, celebrity culture, and the state of the country, it will probably still make a pretty poignant statement about the world he left behind.

The album will drop on July 30th.

Over the past decade, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has dominated pop culture. The 20+ movies that made up the Infinity Saga saga helped Marvel’s superheroes dominate movie culture and recently moved onto TV. With Jeremy Renner unleashing an album in 2020, you could even say the MCU has infiltrated music as well.

But they never got to Broadway, where Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton has been the big name for the past five years or so. The MCU and Alexander Hamilton never had their paths cross – until now.

Lauren Gallaway works at IGN, and clearly loves both the MCU and Hamilton, and she recently made a bit of a mashup to prove it. She took Hamilton’s final song, about the titular character’s death and questions of his legacy and reworked it to be about Tony Stark.

Clutching Tony Stark’s signature sunglasses, she sings the new lyrics from the perspective of Tony’s daughter Morgan, pledging to tell the Avengers’ stories. (Probably on Disney+.) Teary-eyed, Lauren as Morgan sings about her efforts to maintain her father’s legacy after his death. “I try to make sense of your thousands of pages of blueprints, you really do build like you’re running out of time…”

The song closes with Tony’s posthumous speech from Endgame, complete with images of all the many Avengers fading in over Lauren’s video.

Check it out:

Hamilton x Marvel

Be prepared to FEEL THINGS 😭

“Morgan Stark” pic.twitter.com/utWvgsri8h

— Lauren ✨ Gallaway (@LaurenGallaway) April 2, 2021

It’s one of the best sketches of all time, featuring a truly bonkers Hollywood story, and now we have more confirmation that it was all true. Eddie Murphy was promoting “Coming 2 America” on The Tonight Show when he was asked about the infamous basketball game between Eddie and Charlie Murphy (and friends) and legendary musician Prince. And he said it was totally true.

Of course, as most remember, it was a legendary sketch from “Chappelle’s Show.” The same sketch show that can now be seen on Netflix (with David Chappelle’s blessing.)

It was one of the “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories” as the comic told the story of the time he and brother Eddie and friends got absolutely destroyed in a basketball game against Prince and his blouse-wearing posse. Truly belongs in the pantheon of funniest sketches.

On the Tonight Show, Eddie confirmed that the legendary comedian brothers got their butts kicked by Prince and Co. He also revealed a previously unknown detail, that one of the good players from Eddie’s team got sneakers from Prince to play in. Prince had smaller feet, so it wasn’t the easiest for the player to compete in.

Both Prince and Charlie Murphy left us too soon, but it’s awesome to hear more concrete confirmation about what really took place in that late-night showdown on the court.

The story keeps popping back up, first when Chappelle brought his sketch show back to Netflix, then again when Eddie was on The Tonight Show. Most recently, it was because Prince was trending for his basketball skills he flexed mid-concert.

Prince just hitting a quick jumper mid concert pic.twitter.com/iyvAdgj4XM

— (@freezep0p) March 18, 2021

Ultimately, it’s one of the funniest stories ever (one Prince LOVED), and a unique way to remember the two stars who left us too early.

Matthew McConaughey loves his home state of Texas – so much so, that he’s even considering running for governor. After the state was devastated by winter storms, McConaughey refused to sit idly by. In the immediate aftermath of Winter Storm Uri, McConaughey and his wife Camila hit the ground running. Working with organizations around Texas, they helped provide support to the community. But Matthew and Camila vowed to do more, and in record time, they’re seeing their vision through.

On March 21, Matthew and Camila are throwing a virtual benefit concert to help rebuild Texas. “Announcing ‘We’re Texas’, a virtual revival where we can all come together to help Texas recover from the winter storm,” McConaughey said on Instagram.

 

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A post shared by Matthew McConaughey (@officiallymcconaughey)

Over the past week, a slew of artists have been added to the list of “We’re Texas” performers. Maybe it’s because we’ve gone a year without concerts, but this lineup looks truly incredible. Willie Nelson, George Strait, Kelly Clarkson, Kirk Franklin, Kacey Musgraves, Leon Bridges, Khalid, and Post Malone are just some of the musicians donating their time and talent to the cause.

McConaughey even started his own YouTube channel through which he’ll be streaming the benefit concert, and honestly, his intro video is perhaps the most Matthew McConaughey thing we’ve ever seen.

To virtually attend the “We’re Texas” concert, head over to McConaughey’s YouTube channel on March 21 at 7 pm CST. The money raised by the benefit concert will go to organizations such as the Austin Disaster Relief Network, Meals on Wheels Central Texas, Salvation Army of Texas, Save the Children, and more.

“100% of all the donations will benefit so many organizations on the ground now and in the months to come,” McConaughey explains. For more information or to make a donation, visit Matthew and Camila’s just keep livin Foundation website.

Some of the best moments as a dad are when you see your kid loving life and they don’t even know you’re there. They are just totally themselves in that moment. One dad went viral recently when he shared a video of his 8-year-old daughter absolutely belting out Alicia Key’s “Girl on Fire” song and her vocal ability blew away millions.

Tom Coverly heard his 8-year-old daughter Anni singing as she was cleaning out the family pool. He flipped on his camera, and quietly observed his little girl just singing her damn heart out, and CRUSHING IT.

@tomcoverlytourTAG anyone who loves to sing 🎶 @aliciakeys #girlonfire #sing #singing #music #careeradvice #poolgirl #talentedkids #aliciakeys #coversong #viral♬ original sound – ♣️♦️ The Illusionist ♠️ ♥️

He shared it on Tik Tok and the rest of the world agrees with the crushing it statement, as MILLIONS of people watched it. It was over 10 million views recently and climbing. Coverly, who is a motivational speaker, told Good Morning America his wife is the singer in the family, and that he had no idea Anni had that ability until he saw her cleaning the pool.

There is a pivotal moment of filming when she finally realizes her dad is there with the camera on, and you wonder what her reaction is going to be. Whether she’s going to flip out for an invasion of privacy or feel embarrassed. She mostly just laughs it off though, and maybe that’s because she knows she owned it.

In what has to be considered the absolute highest praise for it, Alicia Keys herself commented on the performance, saying “I love this!!! Sing Mama!!! You are amazing!! And you ARE on fire!!!”

Her dad said it’s been the biggest boost of confidence for her, and that the whole thing has been “beautiful.”

So dads, let this serve as a lesson, you are now given carte blanche to secretly record your kids at their most passionate to share with the world via social media. Sure, it could be mortifying for them (for most kids), but who knows,  maybe you’ll end up with something like this, which has put a smile on the faces of millions of people.

When your kid doesn’t sleep, no one is happy. A toddler with nightmares is enough to bring all business as usual to a screeching halt. The remedy is usually never as simple as using “monster spray” to clear their room. Sometimes it means sleeping on their bedroom floor or letting them sleep in your bed. Annnnnnnd no one is sleeping well now.

One dad got even more creative to help his daughter with her nightmares; he worked with one of her favorite music groups to craft a special lullaby just for her and then it was recorded over Zoom.

Rick Kane is a music teacher in Pennsylvania, and when his 5-year-old daughter Roslyn started having nightmares, he reached out to a British choir Rick and his daughters are fans of. They found them online over the summer (of course it was a sea shanty that brought them into the fold), and since, both Roslyn and her sister became big fans.

With Rick facing sleepless nights, he reached out to the group on a whim, hoping they might be willing to help. And the group came through, in a big way, with a lullaby crafted especially for the two girls.

“Roslyn, Evelyn, sing goodnight / Roslyn, Evelyn, close your eyes / Sweetest dreams, all warm and bright / Roslyn, Evelyn, sing goodnight.”

The choir director says the group was really flattered by the request and got to work on perfecting the lullaby with simple lyrics. He said it boosted their spirits, and the Bristol MAN Chorus performed the song along with their stuffed animals. Rick said it did the same for his girls, with Rosyln finally sleeping better.

There are many ways to handle sleepless children. On one end of the spectrum is me yelling “ugh go to sleep!” And on the other, arranging a personalized lullaby from a choir across the world. Feel free to go either way and do what works best for you.

Entire festivals are built around the incredible power music has to bring people together. People with nothing else in common uniting to celebrate the music that keeps them going – few bonds happen as quickly and purely once you hit adulthood. Though many of us try to share our favorite music with our kids, it doesn’t always land. This TikTok dad, however, demonstrates that maybe the trick is starting early. Very early.

Marcel Desobeau, a dad and firefighter from Texas, can’t get enough of heavy metal music. When his daughter Lane was born, he began sharing his favorite tunes with her, and what followed was every dad’s dream come true – Lane freaking loved it.

In January of 2021, Desobeau shared a video of himself and Lane rocking out to Slipknot’s All Out Life on TikTok, a video that’s accumulated over 750,000 views. Helping Lane hold onto a pair of drumsticks, Desobeau goes all out. He mouths the lyrics, bobs his head, and moves the drumsticks to the beat as the music blasts in the background. Lane grins, a metalhead in the making, thrilled by the whole experience.

@heavymetalbaby##slipknot ##heavymetalbaby ##drummergirl ##dadsoftiktok ##firefighterdad ##babygirl ##jamming ##babiesoftiktok ##cutebaby ##girldad ##daddysgirl ##paramedic♬ original sound – lane

“On behalf of all people here right now … we demand you do more of these at once … please … thank you,” commented one viewer.

Desobeau heard the pleas of his newfound fans, and more than delivered. The father-daughter duo have headbanged to Three Days Grace, a bunch of Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, and so many more. Dad keeps the beat, Lane keeps being adorable.

@heavymetalbaby##heavymetalbaby ##bodies ##drowningpool ##babiesoftiktok ##fyp ##dadsoftiktok ##drummergirl ##girldad ##foryou ##metal ##daddysgirl ##cutebaby♬ original sound – lane

The pair now have over 200,000 followers on TikTok, and even received a surprise virtual visit from Blink 182’s Travis Barker during an appearance on the Drew Barrymore Show. Though Marcel and Lane have quickly gained attention for their uniquely adorable videos, the most important thing is how much fun they have together.

During his appearance on the Drew Barrymore Show Desobeau explained, “It’s what I enjoy doing, and it’s what I’m going to continue doing every day.”

I don’t know a thing about bitcoin. That’s not true: I know it’s a cryptocurrency, and I know its value is volatile, and I know 50 Cent has some. But that’s about it.

To be honest, most of us don’t really need to know a lot about it. It’s a finance bro kind of deal. I’m too busy surviving my life to worry about the future of currency. That may be shortsighted of me, but in terms of day-to-day life, cryptocurrency doesn’t really play much of a part.

But if artists follow Kings of Leon’s lead, that may change.

Last week, the southern rock group released their seventh studio album, in a brand new way. No, according to Rolling Stone, the album is being issued in the form of a non-fungible token (NFT), which is a form of cryptocurrency that doesn’t hold actual money, but instead holds assets, such as art, tickets, or music. They are the first band ever to release an album this way.

KoL is actually releasing three non-fungible tokens as part of a series they’re calling “NFT Yourself,” a special album package, one with concert-related items like front row seats for life, and one that is just audiovisual art. The NFTs were created by YellowHeart, whose mission is to use blockchain technology in the service of music and fans.

Have no fear, you can still get the album the old-fashioned way, or the new-fashioned way via Apple, Spotify, Amazon, but you can only get the special perks via the NFT, including a limited edition vinyl pressing. It will cost you $50.

“Over the last 20 years — two lost decades — we’ve seen the devaluation of music,” Katz, the CEO of YellowHeart, told Rolling Stone. “Music has become great at selling everything except music. There’s been a race to the bottom where, for as little money as possible, you have access to all of it. Previously, it cost $20 to go get one song.”

He thinks the Kings of Leon release is the future. “It’s early stages, but in the future, I think this will be how people release their tracks: When they sell a 100,000 at a dollar each, then they just made $100,000.”

I barely understood the bulk of this article or any of what YellowHeart does but hey, more power to them. The future is now?

Rapper and actor Ludacris is a prime example of just how thoroughly becoming a parent changes you. In the late 90’s, Ludacris was busy forming his own record label, Disturbing the Peace. Now a father of three, the Fast & Furious actor is more concerned with keeping the peace. Ludacris recently shared a video of himself with his two youngest daughters on Instagram, and in under a minute, he showcases exactly what it means to be a girl dad.

In the adorable video, Ludacris kneels on the beach covered from head to toe in sand. With the defeated look of a dog who knows he’s going to the vet, Ludacris sits quietly as his two youngest daughters, Cadence and Cai, paint him with damp sand.

“You know, they say sand is a natural exfoliant for the skin,” Ludacris explains. “But what do I know? I’m just a dad that’s on spring break with his kids.”

“So you guys put this on Daddy?” A voice likely belonging to the rapper’s wife, Eudoxie Mbouguiengu, asks from behind the camera.

“YES!” The girls respond happily.

 

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A post shared by @ludacris

Sometimes half the fun is letting your kids think they’re getting away with something when in reality, you’re loving it just as much as they are. Ludacris captioned the video, “When You are a Girl Dad, You damn near say Yes to everything.”

After becoming a parent, the multitalented dad turned his attention to not only his own kids, but to kids around the country. He founded The Ludacris Foundation in 2001, an organization that serves youth and families in urban communities. Its website explains, “We inspire urban youth to live their dreams and envision new possibilities for their lives through experiences we create through our programs and partnerships.”

His KidNation initiative fuses Ludacris’s love of music with his passion for fatherhood, sending empowering messages to kids through song. He demonstrates that you don’t have to give up the things you love when you become a parent, but instead, you can share your passions with your kids.

Despite the look on Ludacris’s face in his Instagram video, he’s clearly found a renewed sense of self in fatherhood. And even when things get messy, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Nicole Paris and her father Ed Cage have traveled around the world together, performing and inspiring others with their enormous talent. In the 1980s, Cage immersed himself in St. Louis’s hip-hop scene. He developed a passion for beatboxing that has endured to this day, a passion that he even passed down to his daughter. The bond over a shared passion is something many parents hope to have with their kids, but very few take it to the impressive level of this beatboxing duo.

After finding out he was going to become a father for the second time at just 19 years old, Ed Cage wanted to share his love of beatboxing with his future child. “When mom was pregnant with you, I would get right up on her stomach and beatbox to mom’s belly and you would feel the vibration,” Ed explains to Nicole during a StoryCorps conversation. “And when I did that, you would just shake.”

When Nicole was growing up, Ed worked four jobs, and desperately wanted to find a way to connect with his daughter during his limited free time. After realizing how much Nicole loved hearing him beatbox, that’s exactly what he did with her whenever he got the opportunity. Over the years, Nicole went from bobbing her head to the beat as she sat on her dad’s lap to becoming a master beatboxer herself.

After sharing a video of a father vs. daughter beatboxing face-off, the impressive duo quickly went viral. Nicole absolutely slayed, undeniably winning their first-ever public challenge – and Ed could not have been more proud. Nicole and Ed went on to create a series of YouTube videos, adorably titling them “Mentor vs. Apprentice.”

The father-daughter duo gained a massive following, with multiple videos racking up over a million views each. Nicole has performed both with her mentor dad and on her own, gaining national recognition for her incredible skills. But even with the world taking notice, the most important support came from home.

“You go to sleep beatboxing, when you wake up we’re beatboxing, when we’re cooking, when we’re driving — so when you and I communicate with each other, we can do it by beats,” Ed proudly told Nicole. “It’s something, Nicky, to see you go out into the world continually trying to be the best that you can be, I just absolutely love that about you. And as a father that’s all I can ask for.”

The internet doesn’t forget.

Years and years ago, back in the dark ages of the internet and social media, Metallica angered the tech gods by thwarting Napster, the music-sharing software that allowed everyone everywhere to download all the music they wanted – for free.

Was it legal? It was pre-legal, in that there weren’t any real laws preventing it, or, at least, no real way to regulate it. Until Metallica made a stink and Napster essentially got shut down.

In fairness, Metallica, and countless other artists, were being robbed by this widespread pirating, but they still came off like old men yelling at clouds. And now, some 20 years later, the internet got a little payback.

The elder statesmen of metal were playing a concert for BlizzCon – an annual gaming convention held by Blizzard Entertainment – that was being live-streamed on Twitch. The only problem is, Twitch didn’t want to get sued for sharing music they don’t have the rights to, so users who tuned in didn’t hear For Whom the Bell Tolls or One or Enter Sandman or Unforgiven.

Instead, they heard some bland, 8-bit music that made for a hilarious juxtaposition with the band’s hard-rocking histrionics.

According to Eurogamer, the dubbing didn’t occur everywhere, only on the Twitch Gaming channel.

Regardless, the irony was noted:

There’s something really funny about Metallica being dubbed over during Blizzcon due to copyright concerns.

The band famously went to war with file sharing service Napster 21 years ago to prevent copyright infringement on their music. Kind of a Frankenstein’s monster situation.

— Colin McNeil (@McNeilColin) February 20, 2021

Metallica not being able to play their own music live because of DMCA that came about in large part due to Metallica’s advocacy of it is a hell of a full circle.

— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️‍🌈 (@cmclymer) February 20, 2021

Watch the beautiful disaster unfold:

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is mostly filled with musicians your dad loved. It hits differently, though, when they start inducting the people who made YOUR music, and the stuff you loved growing up. That’s the case more than ever with this year’s nominated artists, with likely inclusions Jay-Z and the dad-rocking Foo Fighters are leading the way.

The nominations were announced this month by the Rock HOF, with a pretty wide-ranging group of artists hoping to leap the final hurdle to inclusion. There were some older legends, overlooked in the past but finally getting their due, like Dionna Warwick, Carole King, and Tina Turner.

But Jay-Z and the Foo Fighters are first-timers on the ballot, both eligible for the first time. Which means…we are old. Because they are old. Artists aren’t eligible until 25 years after their debut.

While there are always surprises and snubs, and plenty of debate, both are seen as pretty much locks for the R-HOF. It will be a second inclusion for Dave Grohl, King of Dad Rock, as he is already in with Nirvana.

It’s that time again: The ballot for the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class is here and it features Jay-Z, Foo Fighters, Tina Turner, Iron Maiden, and Carole King https://t.co/y9HUyn087r pic.twitter.com/pB7aofLinI

— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) February 10, 2021

Jay-Z will become only the third(!) rapper in the Hall (I suppose it is technically the “rock and roll” Hall of Fame, although it’s definitely now just the “music” Hall of Fame). He will be the first rapper to be at his induction though, as both the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac were shown love posthumously.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame said it was the most diverse class of nominees since 1996, and that they have all left their mark on music.

“This remarkable ballot reflects the diversity and depth of the artists and music the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame celebrates,” Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation Chairman John Sykes says in a statement. “These nominees have left an indelible impact on the sonic landscape of the world and influenced countless artists that have followed them.”

But really, Jay-Z and the Foo Fighters have been around for so dang long, they are going to be in the Hall of Fame. Which makes a lot of us feel older than we thought we were.

Ryan Reynolds, Diddy, and David Beckham walk into a bar. And they try to make a drink. They combine each of their three liquors. Reynolds adds his Aviation American Gin, Diddy contributes his DeLeon tequila, and Beckham adds his Haig whisky.

The result? It is utterly disgusting. Maybe worse than it sounds, and the trio has the spit takes to prove it.

It started as an idea for a cocktail for the Super Bowl and ending with a string of expletives and bleeps from all three, before acknowledging the importance of a good mixologist. Reynolds looked like he was going to vomit, Diddy said the combination tasted like “ass feet” (how does he know what that even tastes like??) and Beckham said it wasn’t going to work.

And so the trio announced they would be combining to donate $1 million to bartenders. The video was a bit (for the last person who still didn’t get the joke), but also a chance to give some money to people that need it and promote a few charities. The money will be split up between Another Round, Another Rally, which is a nonprofit for the hospitality industry in the good ‘ol USA, the Bartender’s Benevolent fund, which is like the same thing but in Canada, and Drinks Trust UK, an organization that provides support to drinks industry workers overseas.

Reynolds again coming up big for people during the pandemic. He had his “feud” with Hugh Jackman, that benefited children’s charities, and now he teams up with some other famous friends with their own liquor companies to help an industry that has been totally ravaged by the pandemic.

And, as always, the man knows good content, and how to get people to pay attention, so it’s especially heartwarming that he uses those powers for good.