Pop Smoke’s second posthumous album, Faith, has debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The standard 20-track Faith features more than 20 guest stars, including Future, Dua Lipa, and Kanye West. A deluxe version of Faith, with four bonus tracks, was released on July 21.
Pop Smoke previously topped the Billboard 200 with ‘Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon,’ which also debuted at No.1 in July 2020, spending 2 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1.
J Balvin released his rendition of the Metallica classic “Wherever I May Roam,” one of the covers from the band’s upcoming Metallica Blacklist collection.
Metallica Blacklist is a compilation of 53 artists covering their favorite songs from Metallica’s ‘The Black Album,’ including Miley Cyrus with Elton John, St. Vincent, Phoebe Bridgers, Kamasi Washington, Juanes, My Morning Jacket, Corey Taylor, and Weezer. The collection also features country artists including Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Chris Stapleton, Mickey Guyton, Darius Rucker, and Jon Pardi, whose also recently released his take on “Wherever I May Roam.”
Take a look at the video of J. Balvin’s “Wherever I May Roam” – here.
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The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs announced on Monday that it will mandate COVID-19 vaccines for healthcare personnel. The VA secretary said in an announcement the mandate applies to Title 38 VA healthcare personnel, such as physicians, nurses, dentists and chiropractors, “who work in Veterans Health Administration facilities, visit VHA facilities or provide direct care to those VA serves.” The mandate gives each of them up to eight weeks to become fully vaccinated. It’s the first such mandate at a federal agency in the United States.
The announcement comes on the same day over 50 major healthcare groups advocated for employers mandating COVID-19 vaccines for healthcare workers. Both moves come after Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky comes recently warned that COVID-19 was becoming “a pandemic of the unvaccinated.” The CDC chief explained that there was a rise in COVID-19 cases and deaths due to the Delta variant, especially among the unvaccinated population.
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President Joe Biden said at the White House on Monday alongside Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi that the United States’ combat mission in Iraq will be over by the end of this year. Biden told reporters in the Oval Office the U.S. focus in Iraq will shift to an advisory one before 2021 is over, saying, “I think things are going well. Our role in Iraq will be to be available to continue to train, to assist to help, and to deal with ISIS as it arrives. But we’re not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission.”
Biden’s announcement came as al-Kahdhimi visited the White House to talk about the continued presence of U.S. troops in the country, and possibly changing their role. The U.S. military presence in Iraq, which dates to former President George W. Bush, hit a crossroads in January 2020 when a U.S. airstrike killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, leader of that country’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, while he was in Iraq.
Lil Nas X’s new video for “Industry Baby” portrays the rapper three months into a five-year stint in Montero State Prison, where he dances naked in the shower before escaping with the help of featured artist Jack Harlow. Nas also posted a teaser ahead of the music video that shows him in court over a fictitious Nike case regarding his infamous “Satan Shoes” (which were actually recalled as part of a settlement with the label).
The “Industry Baby” video has obviously sparked controversy. Harlow said that he was “honored to be a part” of the video, writing; “Nas wrote the whole treatment for this video and I followed his lead every step of the way. If he had asked me to be in that shower scene I woulda been in that shower scene. I just let the mastermind cook.”
Nas also responded to a tweet that took aim at his sexuality, comparing him to artists “who happen to be gay” (Freddie Mercury, Elton John, and more) and claiming he’s an “industry plant created for pure shock value”. Said Nas: “Many, if not all, of these artists had to hide their sexuality for majority of their career. You seem to only respect gay artists when the gay part is tucked away. you don’t like me because i embrace my sexuality instead of hiding it and never speaking on it for your comfort.”
Watch the controversial ‘NSFW” video for “Industry Baby” – here.
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The Roku Channel shared a trailer for the new series “The Demi Lovato Show,” consisting of 10-minute episodes. Lovato says in the trailer: “To say I’ve been through a lot is an understatement. This show is a safe space for honesty and vulnerability, and I’m so grateful for everyone who’s joining me.”
The preview shows Lovato speaking to actresses Lucy Hale and Jameela Jamil, YouTube star Nikita Dragun, rapper YG and other guests about topics including sex positivity, racial injustice and Lovato’s 2018 drug overdose. Other guests include Olivia Munn, Dr. Steven Greeg, Elyse Resch, Maatthew & Sirah and Jay Shetty.
An official description from the streaming service reads: “Demi Lovato, joined by guests, dives into important contemporary topics such as body positivity, mental health, feminism, identity and many more.”
The Demi Lovato Show premieres July 30 on The Roku Channel.
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On Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Ilinois to serve on the select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Pelosi noted Kinzinger’s experience as an Air Force veteran and Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard, and said he “brings great patriotism” to the committee after vetoing two of five selections for the committee made by House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy. Said Pelosi: “On January 6th, insurrectionists attempted to overthrow the government during the worst assault on the Capitol since the War of 1812. It is imperative that we get to the truth of that day and ensure that such an attack can never again happen. That is why we established the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, which is bipartisan.”
Kinzinger tweeted that he has accepted Pelosi’s nomination: “For months, we have searched for answers and what process we should use to get them. For months, lies and conspiracy theories have been spread, threatening our self-governance. For months, I have said that the American people deserve transparency and truth on how and why thousands showed up to attack our democracy, and ultimately, what led to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Complex on January 6, 2021.”
Kinzinger will join Pelosi’s other picks: Republican Rep. Liz Cheney; Reps. Zoe Lofgren, Adam Schiff, Pete Aguilar, Stephanie Murphy, Jamie Raskin, Elaine Luria, and Rep. Bennie Thomas, who will chair the committee nomination.
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Fire officials said Sunday that California’s Dixie Fire — the largest active blaze in California — has destroyed 16 structures throughout the state as multiple wildfires continue to burn on the West Coast. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, more than 10,700 structures in Butte and Plumas Counties remain threatened by the Dixie Fire as it has grown to 190,625 acres and is just 21% contained
Officials deployed 5,022 fire personnel to combat the fire, but weather conditions have made efforts difficult. The U.S. Forest Service said in a statement: “Atmospheric conditions are less stable and therefore large pyrocumulus clouds are expected to develop over the fire increasing the potential for spot fires and rapid fire growth.”
Firefighters in Oregon worked to improve containment on the Bootleg Fire, the largest active blaze in the United States, increasing containment to 46% as the blaze has burned 408,930 acres. Joel Hessel, incident commander for the Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team said: “The progress that we have made is due to the continuous, vigilant work by our crews. Severe fire weather conditions and extremely dry fuels continue to challenge us on this fire.”
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To celebrate the first anniversary of the release of her album folklore, Taylor Swift shared the original version of the album’s bonus track “the lakes.”
Swift wrote on Instagram: “It’s been one year since we escaped the real world together and imagined ourselves someplace simpler. With tall tall trees and salt air. Where you’re allowed to wear lace nightgowns that make you look like a Victorian ghost every day & no one will side eye you cause no one is around. It’s just you and your imaginary cabin and the stories you make up to pass the time. To say thank you for all you have done to make this album what it was, I wanted to give you the original version of The Lakes. Happy 1 year anniversary to Rebekah, Betty, Inez, James, Augustine, and the lives we all created around them. Happy Anniversary, folklore.”
Listen to ‘the lakes (original version)’ at the link- here.
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Billie Eilish’s “Happier than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles” will premiere globally Friday, September 3 on Disney+
The cinematic concert experience is set to be released shortly after Eilish’s highly anticipated new album, Happier than Ever, drops. The Disney+ original will feature an intimate performance of every song in the album’s sequential order – for the first and only time – from the stage of the legendary Hollywood Bowl.
The special will also include animated elements, taking viewers on a dreamlike journey through Billie’s hometown of Los Angeles and its most iconic backdrops. “Disney is incredibly iconic, so to collaborate on something like this is a huge honor,” said Billie Eilish. “To be able to present my album in this way and dedicate it to the city that I love and grew up in is so exciting to me. I hope you love it.”
Take a look at the trailer for “Happier than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles” –here.
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