Recent articles
July 15, 2026
R. Kelly Formally Asks Trump to Commute 30-Year Sentence
R. Kelly has formally asked President Donald Trump to commute his 30-year sentence, according to court records made public this week by the Office of the Pardon Attorney. The request for commutatio...
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July 13, 2026
Jay-Z Closes Yankee Stadium Residency With Epic Late Night Show Featuring Beyoncé, Rihanna, Usher, Teyana Taylor and More
“We’re going to go until like 5 a.m., so don’t be scared,” said Jay-Z not long after he started the third and final show of his Yankee Stadium residency on Sunday night, the concluding chapter to a...
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July 12, 2026
Jay-Z Celebrates ‘The Blueprint’ 25th Anniversary With Eminem, Pharrell Williams and Slick Rick at Yankee Stadium
Jay-Z was almost entirely truthful to the source material for his 25th anniversary Yankee Stadium show on Saturday to celebrate “The Blueprint,” setting guests artists to high wattage but low frequ...
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July 11, 2026
Jay-Z Brings Out Beyoncé, Blue Ivy Carter, Nas, Alicia Keys and More for ‘Reasonable Doubt’ 30th Anniversary Show at Yankee Stadium
Jay-Z did appear to promise far in advance that his “Reasonable Doubt” 30th anniversary show would, in fact, be a celebration of the debut album that he dropped back in June 1996. That didn’t stop ...
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July 7, 2026
Jermaine Dupri Sues Sony Music for $18 Million Over Unpaid Mariah Carey, Usher Royalties
Jermaine Dupri has filed an $18 million lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment, alleging that the company failed to properly pay royalties for releases from Mariah Carey, Usher, Xscape, Kris Kros...
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July 6, 2026
Zara Larsson Signs to RCA Records
Zara Larsson has left her decade-plus home at Epic Records and signed with RCA Records, Variety can confirm. Two sources tell Variety that the pop star has inked a new deal with RCA. The sources sa...
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July 6, 2026
Lauren Bennett, ‘Party Rock Anthem’ Singer and G.R.L. Member, Dies at 37
Lauren Bennett, best known as a member of the groups Paradiso Girls and G.R.L. and for her appearance on LMFAO’s 2011 smash “Party Rock Anthem,” has died. She was 37. Bennett’s fellow G.R.L. member...
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July 5, 2026
Ateez Lands Third No. 1 on Albums Chart With ‘Golden Hour : Part.5’
K-pop group Ateez has scored its third No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with “Golden Hour : Part.5.” The album starts with 228,000 equivalent album units, with 223,000 accounting for pure album sales tha...
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July 4, 2026
Beyoncé Drops Unreleased Song ‘Morning Dew (Donk)’ Ahead of ‘B’Day’ 20th Anniversary Reissue
Beyoncé is ringing in July 4 with a treat for her fans, dropping the long-unreleased song “Morning Dew (Donk)” ahead of the 20th anniversary of her sophomore album “B’Day.” “Morning Dew (Donk),” wh...
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July 3, 2026
Madonna’s Dance Floor-Dominating ‘Confessions II’ Is Her Best Album in Decades: Album Review
“Sometimes I like to just hide in the shadows,” mutters Madonna at the start of “I Feel So Free,” the opening track on her 15th album “Confessions II.” “Create a new persona. A different identity. ...
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June 30, 2026
Spymob Returns: How the Pop-Rock Group Went From Backing Pharrell Williams’ N.E.R.D. to Reuniting 20 Years After Their Debut
In 2005, Spymob decided to call it quits. The pop-rock quartet had spent the last few years expanding their global footprint as the opening and backing act for N.E.R.D., the alt-rock project of the...
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June 29, 2026
Lauryn Hill Receives All-Star Tribute From Queen Latifah, SZA, Doechii, Doja Cat, Nas and More at BET Awards 2026
Lauryn Hill was honored with the Living Legend Icon Award as well as a very robust all-star performance featuring Doechii, Nas, Doja Cat, SZA, Common and Queen Latifah, among many others, at the BE...
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June 29, 2026
BET Awards 2026: Kehlani, Teyana Taylor Among Early Winners (UPDATING LIVE)
The BET Awards 2026 are in full swing, taking place on Sunday evening at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Among early winners at the ceremony are Kehlani and Leon Thomas, who took home best fema...
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June 25, 2026
Jay-Z Documentary Series Set at HBO
Jay-Z is set to sit down with Rick Rubin for the eight-part documentary series “Jay-Z in 8,” debuting on HBO this fall. Rubin is directing the series and will interview the rapper about his music, ...
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June 25, 2026
Landon Barker Signs to Big Loud Rock, Preps New Single ‘If I Ever Talk to God’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Landon Barker has signed with Big Loud Rock and is set to release his first single on the imprint, “If I Ever Talk to God,” on Friday, Variety can exclusively reveal. “I haven’t released music in a...
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June 25, 2026
Lionel Richie Cuts Set Short After Falling Ill During Opening Night of Tour in Minnesota
Lionel Richie fell ill during the opening night of his joint tour with Earth, Wind & Fire, cutting his set short after about an hour on stage at St. Paul, MN’s Grand Casino Arena. Several video...
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June 24, 2026
Live Nation Discloses That CEO Spoke With Trump Before Surprise Antitrust Trial Settlement
Live Nation has confirmed that the company had several meetings with the Department of Justice and the Office of the White House Counsel before a surprise antitrust trial settlement, while its pres...
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June 24, 2026
Sam Smith Announces New Album ‘Hazel Eyes,’ Releases ‘My Guy’ Single
Sam Smith has announced the release of their fifth album “Hazel Eyes,” releasing on August 21 via Capitol Records. Smith co-produced “Hazel Eyes” with Simon Aldred and David Odlum, touting 12 songs...
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June 23, 2026
Muni Long Had a Double Lung Transplant After Doctors Said She Only Had One Week to Live: ‘You Can Either Go to Hospice or Get These Lungs’
Muni Long is opening up about a recent health scare where she had to undergo a double lung transplant after doctors told her she had one week to live. Last fall, the Grammy-winning R&B singer w...
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June 22, 2026
Ryan Beatty on How Finding Happiness in Love Shaped His New Album ‘Sweet Fortune’: ‘This Record Has a Really Big Heart to It’
Ryan Beatty was about to embark on the final leg of his “Calico” tour in 2024 when he cut the song “Phantom” with frequent collaborator Ethan Gruska. He was in Los Angeles, the city he calls home, ...
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June 22, 2026
Olivia Rodrigo Sets All-Women Music Festival With Chappell Roan, Stevie Nicks, Katseye and More
Olivia Rodrigo has announced her inaugural Daisy Chain Fields Festival, taking place at Irvine, CA’s Great Park on August 29 and touting an all-female lineup. The festival will feature performances...
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June 22, 2026
Carly Rae Jepsen Announces Double Album ‘Day and Night’
Carly Rae Jepsen has announced a 24-track double album titled “Day and Night,” releasing September 18 via Interscope Records. The album will be divided into “Day” and “Night” sections, each of whic...
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June 21, 2026
Olivia Rodrigo Earns Third Consecutive No. 1 on Albums Chart With ‘You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love’
Olivia Rodrigo has earned her third No. 1 on the Billboard 200 as “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love” bows atop the chart. The album, which was released on June 12, enters at the chart summ...
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June 16, 2026
Rapper Mystikal Sentenced to 20 Years in Rape Case
Rapper Mystikal has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to raping a woman at his Louisiana home in 2022. The victim appeared before the court on Tuesday and asked for the max...
variety.com
June 16, 2026
Sheryl Crow Slams Trump Administration for Staging UFC Fight at White House: ‘Disgraceful and Void of Decency’
Sheryl Crow has slammed President Donald Trump and his administration for staging the UFC Freedom 250 event last night at the White House, describing it as “disgraceful and void of decency.” The si...
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June 12, 2026
Ariana Grande Expands Philanthropic Efforts With Launch of Brighter Days Ahead Foundation
Ariana Grande is expanding her philanthropic efforts with the launch of the Brighter Days Ahead Foundation, focusing on youth mental health, arts education and community support causes. The Brighte...
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June 12, 2026
Taylor Swift Tears Up While Thanking Family During Songwriters Hall of Fame Acceptance Speech: ‘You’re the Reason I’m Here Tonight’
Taylor Swift gave an epic 21-minute acceptance speech at the Songwriters Hall of Fame 2026 induction ceremony, which took place at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on Thursday night. Bef...
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June 11, 2026
Ariana Grande Slams Trump’s White House for Using Her Song to Promote ICE Deportations: ‘Barbaric, Inhumane, Heinous Nonsense’
Ariana Grande has blasted the White House for using a version of her 2024 song “Bye” in a TikTok post that depicted ICE agents arresting and handcuffing people. Grande commented on the TikTok post ...
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June 8, 2026
Ariana Grande Earns 10th No. 1 on Singles Chart With ‘Hate That I Made You Love Me’
Ariana Grande has earned her 10th single to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as “Hate That I Made You Love Me” bows atop the chart. The song marks her eighth debut at No. 1 on the singles chart a...
variety.com
June 5, 2026
Madonna to Release ‘Confessions II – The Film’ on YouTube Next Week
Madonna has announced that she will release “Confessions II – The Film” on YouTube on June 8 at 11 a.m. ET. The film, directed by David Toro and Solomon Chase (Torso), is set to have its world prem...
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