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Hailed as one of the greatest soulful R&B singers to ever take to a microphone, fans of Marvin Gaye's music span generations. The musician's life was wrought with controversies as he became a heavy drug abuser and attempted to take his own life on multiple occasions, yet his ability to have his ear to the streets translated into ever song he sang. Prior to being murdered by his father in 1984, Gaye fathered three children: Frankie, Nona, and his adopted son (his first wife Anna Gordy's—and her brother Berry Gordy's—niece's son) Marvin Gaye III. Although he and his father were rumored to have had a rocky relationship, Marvin III followed in the Motown legend's footsteps and attempted to have a music career of his own. While he didn't gain much traction on the fame front at the time, a music video from Marvin III titled "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" featuring D'Extra Wiley has resurfaced. The 53-year-old tapped the far opposite of Marvin Gaye on the music scale and released a club-dance-electronica-pop type of hit that, if we're honest, we can see being played at a nightclub. Somewhere. The video itself left the internet with plenty of opinions, and social media users weren't afraid to share them all. The visual stars Marvin III's wife Wendy Gaye as his leading lady, making the whole project a tad wholesome. Check out the video, and a few reactions, below. View the full article

There has been an ongoing conversation in the hip hop culture and beyond regarding ethnic inclusions and exclusions of Latinos in the Caribbean. The most recent, and notable, artist to tackle this topic has been Cardi B who has been vocal about her Dominican roots while sharing that she considers herself to be a black woman. She has shared, however, that there are plenty of people who don't share her same views. During his visit to Hot 97, New York rapper Fat Joe, who is of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent, was involved in a discourse about the controversial topic with Ebro Darden. The talk show host shared a clip of the conversation that began with Joe emphasizing "all music is African" and that he's been in tune with Afro-beats throughout his career. Things quickly moved from music to the are-Caribbean-Latinos-black dialogue, in which Joe stated that the answer is yes. "All the music is African, but you right, even in Puerto Rico when you go to the Caribbean—alright, let's speak about Latinos not being black. Latinos are black. In Cuba, at one time, there was eight million Cubans," Joe said. "Five million, unfortunately, were slaves. Three million were actual Cubans, and the integrated and had babies. Same thing with Puerto Rico when you go to Loíza. You talk about Santeria, that came from the motherland Africa. Sometimes, Latinos may even identify themselves with African and black culture more than black people. This ain't no crazy thing. Fat Joe ain't on crack. He know what he talkin' 'bout." Thoughts? View the full article

He may only be 29-years-old, but Charlie Heat is climbing the ladder of superproducer status. The Very G.O.O.D. Beats artist is a six-time Grammy-nominated producer who has worked with the likes of Madonna, Soulja Boy, Meek Mill, Kehlani, Denzel Curry, Travis Scott, Kanye West, Big Sean, Lil Uzi Vert, Vic Mensa, Rich The Kid, Yo Gotti, Gucci Mane, Quavo, Pusha T, Lecrae, and many more. On Wednesday, Charlie Heat, real name Ernest Brown, dropped off his debut album, FIREWORKS. The production falls in line with the rousing work he's shared in the past, but on FIREWORKShe's allowed to bend and move tactically and artistically. Obviously, as this is his own work, Brown expressiveness cannot be ignored, and FIREWORKS is an eclectic body of work that gets more impressive with each spin. On FIREWORKS you'll also find features from artists like Denzel Curry, Lil Baby, DRAM, Freeway, Cyhi The Prince, G Herbo, 24hrs, Syd, Tommy Genesis, Ant Beale, Shawn Smith, Amanda Reifer, Tdot Illdude, and Evander Griim. Let us know what you think. Tracklist 1. LIGHT FUSE, GET AWAY (feat. Amanda Reifer & Shawn Smith) 2. TROPIFANTA (feat. Evander Griiim) 3. CELEBRATE LIFE with Charlie Heat, DRAM & Ant Beale 4. 2PC (feat. 24hrs) 5. WWYA (feat. Lil Baby & G Herbo) 6. DREAM with Charlie Heat & Tdot Illdude 7. ALOHA with Charlie Heat & Denzel Curry 8. KINDNESS with Charlie Heat & Tommy Genesis 9. HAVE A GOOD TIME with Charlie Heat & Syd 10. NEVER LOOK DOWN (feat. Freeway & Cyhi The Prynce) View the full article

In addition to dropping off his single "Too Loud" featuring Nef The Pharaoh on Wednesday, G-Eazy also delivered his E-40-assisted track, "No Rappers." Both singles have been added to G-Eazy's growing list of B-Sides records that he's been steadily releasing since he gave us "Bang" featuring Tyga, "It's Eazy," and "Spectacular Now" back in June. On "Too Loud," G-Eazy paid tribute to the Bay and shared what he was like pre-fame, but on "No Rappers" the Bay Area spitter gets a tad more sexually explicit as he boasts about his bedroom antics. The premise of the song, along with the crux of the chorus, is spelled out in the title of the track as G-Eazy chants, "Don't ever let your girlfriend kick it with no rappers / She used to f*ck wit a actor / she don't like him no more / now she like rappers." Give it a few spins and let us know your thoughts. Quotable Lyrics This lifestyle's crazy I had to just laugh F*ck my model chick when she fresh out the bath I'm tryin' to put it in I could only fit half View the full article

Getting a leap ahead of the onslaught of Friday morning releases is G-Eazy who returned on Wednesday with another two-pack of songs. The Bay Area rapper has been steadily releasing new music for months now, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. Back in June, he dropped three tracks, "Bang" featuring Tyga, "It's Eazy," and "Spectacular Now." It was released under the titled B-Sides, so we believed that the three-pack was all there was. However, G-Eazy soon added to the collection with "All Facts" and "Got a Check." On Wednesday, he shared "Too Loud" featuring Nef The Pharaoh and "No Rappers" with E-40. For the former, the Bay rappers collaborated on a track that was crafted to be bumped at high volume. The production stays true to G-Eazy's musical roots as he spits rhymes about being true to his 'hood before he even entered into the rap game. Check it out and let us know what you think. Quotable Lyrics Long before I ever went on tour Used to cop white tees from the liquor store But I always knew that I was destined for more Now my socks as Gucci and my draws Tom Ford View the full article

The world of Major League Baseball was shaken this weekend after reports surfaced that Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez was arrested on charges of soliciting a minor for sex. The 28-year-old reportedly began corresponding with the now 15-year-old (some publications list her as 16) teen when she was 13-years-old. Vazquez stands accused of sending her sexually explicit videos, including some that show Vazquez performing sexual acts. There are also allegedly messages where the professional baseball player tells the girl that once the season was over, he wanted them to meet up to have sex. Twenty-four hours after we first reported on this, more details regarding the case have emerged per ESPN. The publication shares that Vazquez faces six counts, many of which are felonies, including unlawful contact with a minor, statutory sexual assault, indecent assault, and corruption of a minor. His bail has been denied. According to the report, Vazquez and the then-13-year-old met in Pittsburgh while he was in the bullpen at PNC Park. They exchanged information and the two kept in contact on social media and through texts. The baseball player told police that he initially didn't want to communicate with her because she was too young but later admitted that he and the teen traded nude photos. Vazquez also revealed that he did make the hourlong drive to visit her at her home where she got into his car and, according to her, he pulled down her pants and attempted to engage in a sexual act. He confirmed with authorities that he did try to have sex with her on that occasion. The only reason that this came to light was because the teen's mother found photos of Vazquez on one of her daughter's devices. The league has placed him on leave until they decide what to do. View the full article

It looks like the longstanding feud between Azealia Banks and Elon Musk continues. The drama between these two surfaced in 2018 after Banks had a rift with Musk and his former girlfriend—and Banks's former friend—music artist Grimes. Banks made claims that Musk was on drugs, she called him an alien, and revealed an alleged private business conversation she overheard him engaged in on the phone while she was visiting his home. By now, most of us know that if Banks has a bone to pick with a foe, she does so brashly and publicly, and it looks like Musk is still a target. Banks made a cryptic post-and-delete announcement on Instagram where she stated that she has an unreleased track titled In "96' Corolla (Motorman)" that describes the tale of a fictional character named "Alon Dust." "It tells the story of an ungrateful technocrat who's ego become too big for his britches." She adds, "Set in 3030, a wealthy technocrat devises the perfect scheme to entice poor people into allowing their brains to be used as na interface: Neuralink. The Venture turns out to be catastrophic with his own device being recognized by the software as a threat. The A.I. Overlord, (originally played by @impoppy, now played by me) sings the soundtrack to his deactivation. The technocrat's neural activity is cut off via satellite, rendering him a vegetable and erasing him as a threat to humanity. The World is saved and the people rejoice." Neuralink, of course, is Musk's real-life, highly-clandestine project that, when completed, will help paralyzed individuals to control electronic devices. There are certainly concerns regarding brain reading/threading devices, hence Banks's story of the creator of Neuralink's life being ended by, in her words, a "public execution." Check out Banks' now-deleted post below as well as her previous comments about Musk below. View the full article

Jordyn Woods has been close family friends of the Smith family since she was just a baby. The 21-year-old has posted throwback images of her and Jaden Smith many times over, solidifying the family's closeness. When Jordyn was cut from the Kardashian family earlier this year after she kissed Tristan Thompson, it was Jada's Red Table Talk show she paid a visit to so she could speak her truth with someone she felt comfortable with. Jada recently stated how "a lot of things transpired behind-the-scenes" making it "imperative" for her to interview Jordyn on her show. In light of Jada's 48th birthday, Jordyn has come through to pen a sweet note about the actress and how much she means to her. "Always watching our backs Happy Birthday to a woman that means so much to me," she captioned an image of Jada looking over a young Jordyn hugging a baby Jaden. “I don’t believe in clapping back, or reacting out of emotion," Jordyn recently explained of the Tristan kiss. "I could have handled this a million different ways, but I just went with what felt the most natural to me. Would I ever have wanted this to happen? Never. But sh*t happens. And in the end, I never want to see anyone hurt; I would hate to be the reason for anyone’s pain. We all have to go to sleep with ourselves at night.” View the full article

When we think about celebrities who take risks with their style and wardrobe, Whoopi Goldberg doesn't make that list. Throughout her career, whether it be on or off-screen, Whoopi has remained consistent with her looks. So, when she debuted new white locs on The View, the public was surprised that she was mixing things up. However, her hairdo isn't about platinum blonde's having more fun. Whoopi shared that she's filming a miniseries adaptation of thriller novelist Stephen King's The Stand for CBS. The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic era where 99 percent of the entire world's population has been killed off by this flu strain that was modified to be used as a weapon of warfare. There are multiple editions of King's 1978 novel where the years the story takes place changes, but it's somewhere in the 1980s or early '90s. "The woman I’m playing is over 100," Whoopi shared with the hosts of The View about her character, a prophet from Nebraska named Mother Abagail. "When [King] first wrote this book, Mother Abagail was probably this tall [short], and she looked like Miss Jane Pittman on steroids,” Whoopi joked. "She was so wrinkly, and the reason for that was people had no idea what older black women looked like because no one ever looked at old black women like that. So now we look at an older black woman and you’re looking at amazing faces." Whoopi added that this was going to be her new look for the next four months so people should get used to it. Check out what else she had to say about her forthcoming role below. View the full article

Klay Thompson is one of the most impressive shooters to ever play the game of basketball and this past summer, he signed a huge contract extension with the Golden State Warriors. When it comes to endorsement deals, Thompson is actually one of the highest-paid players in the league thanks to his sneaker deal with Chinese company ANTA. While it may not be a traditional sneaker brand, Thompson has been putting in work with ANTA and this season, he will be releasing his fifth silhouette. This latest silhouette has been revealed and the images below, courtesy of Sneaker News, show off what the ANTA KT5 is all about. As you can see, the shoe is made with a plethora of materials with an overall colorway of black, red, and blue. This first colorway is being called "Klaytheism" which is a pretty hilarious yet clever name. If you're looking to cop these, they will be dropping in the United States sometime in October of this year for $120 USD. Stay tuned for all of the latest updates as we will be sure to bring them to you. Image via Sneaker News Image via Sneaker News Image via Sneaker News Image via Sneaker News View the full article

Genre-busting, chart-topping singer-songwriter Maren Morris, one-fourth of supergroup the Highwomen, showed off her versatility at the Greek Theatre. View the full article

Talking to Rolling Stone, Taylor Swift opened up about the polarizing "Game of Thrones" finale, Kanye West and Scooter Braun's purchase of her back catalog. View the full article

Center Theatre Group opens "On Beckett," violinist Itzhak Perlman plays Northridge and Sandra Bernhard is in Long Beach. Keep reading for more. View the full article

This week's best local gigs include part of a record-setting Forum stand for some Latin stalwarts, plus L.A.'s top jazz ambassador. View the full article

Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter said Tuesday that he's seeking a restraining order against his younger brother, fellow pop singer Aaron Carter. View the full article