James Blake Drops New Song, ‘Say What You Will’; Album and Tour in September

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJustin Bieber and Megan Thee Stallion led the nominations for MTV’s 2021 VMAs, which were unveiled by the network Wednesday.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorTwo years after R. Kelly was jailed on multiple sexual assault and misconduct charges, his trial in New York begins with jury selection after months of Covid-related delays.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie has sold her 115-title song catalog to Hipgnosis, the fast-growing music company that has spent more than $2 billion in three years acquiring rights to a vast number of popular songs.McVie, who first joined Fleetwood Mac in 1970, is the writer of many of the long-running group’s biggest hits, including “Don’t Stop,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Over My Head,” “Songbird,” “Say You Love Me” and others.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAnother week, another blown Kanye West release date — this time, for a second time, with his long-delayed “Donda” album. First it was coming out last July, then July 23, then August 6, now it’s apparently August 13 — or maybe August 15! — according to eagle-eyed sleuths who spotted the dates change on iTunes and Apple Music a few hours after it failed to arrive yet again this past Friday.Of course, an album drop is never JUST an album drop for Kanye.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter unveiling it during a performance at Boston’s Fenway Park on Tuesday, Guns N’ Roses have released “Absurd,” their first official new song since their 2008 album “Chinese Democracy.”However, to call the song “new” is a relative term: The song, formerly called “Silkworms,” has been knocking around for two decades and was reportedly written during the years of sessions for “Chinese Democracy.”The fast-paced track features Axl Rose singing with an almost comical

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMost fans have a favorite Beatle, but there’s not much debate about which Beatles solo album is the best: George Harrison’s epic “All Things Must Pass.”Released in November 1970, just seven months after the group’s breakup was belatedly confirmed, it has become synonymous with the concept of suppressed brilliance.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter an epic buildup — starting with a cryptic statement about “the dawn,” back in May, then some social media teases, then placement in an ad for the Olympics, and then news that it was banned from IMAX theaters — the Weeknd’s new single and video “Take My Breath” has arrived, and it sounds like another smash.As promised, the mood of the song is lighter, with a pulsing disco beat and a chugging “Another Brick in the Wall” guitar riff, but the video — directed by

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorShowtime has released a trailer for “Bitchin’: the Sound and Fury of Rick James,” a new documentary directed by Emmy-nominee and hip-hop journalist Sacha Jenkins (“Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men”).

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorDaBaby has been dropped from two more music festivals, despite issuing a second apology on Monday for homophobic comments he made at and after his performance at the Rolling Loud Miami festival on the weekend of July 23.Reps for the iHeartRadio Music Festival and Austin City Limits confirmed that he will no longer be performing at their events.“DaBaby will no longer be performing at the iHeartRadio Music Festival Daytime Stage” and “DaBaby will no longer be

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter a long break, Grammy-winning singer Lizzo is returning with a new single called “Rumors” on August 13, with an album presumably on the way,  although reps did not immediately respond to requests for further information.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorA day after DaBaby was dropped from the Lollapalooza lineup for his homophobic comments last week, New York’s Governors Ball canceled his performance at the festival, which takes place in September.In a tweet labeled “Stay tuned for a lineup addition,” the festival’s promoter wrote in a social media message: “Founders Entertainment does not and will not tolerate hate or discrimination of any kind.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Weeknd teased new music early Monday morning in a snippet posted on social media called “The Dawn Is Coming” and talked generally about it in a new GQ article, calling it “the album I’ve always wanted to make.”The song has a heavy electronic dance groove reminiscent of “Alive 2007”-era Daft Punk, but with the Weeknd’s haunting, echo-laden melody soaring over it.The Weeknd teased the song with three days of hints (a wiped Instagram account followed by a new post

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSilk Sonic, the lusciously retro duo of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak that debuted back in March with the smash throwback single “Leave the Door Open,” continue their loving tribute to the mid-1970s with the smooth R&B of “Skate.”Where the first single was based around 1974-era groups like the Commodores and the Chi-Lights, “Skate” pivots forward a couple of years with a sound more reminiscent of disco-era acts like Tavares and mid-tempo tracks from the “Saturday

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRange Media Partners, the fast-growing management company launched last year, has entered into a worldwide distribution agreement with Capitol Music Group and Virgin Music & Artist Label Services.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Weeknd will be honored with the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award at the first annual Music in Action Awards, hosted by the Black Music Action Coalition and taking place September 23 at the 1 Hotel in West Hollywood.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorClive Davis and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the artists who will be joining Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and Jennifer Hudson at the New York City “homecoming concert” in New York’s Central Park on August 21: Andrea Bocelli, LL Cool J, Kane Brown, Elvis Costello, Earth, Wind and Fire, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Cynthia Erivo, Jimmy Fallon, Wyclef Jean, Journey, the Killers, Gayle King, Don Lemon, Barry Manilow, Polo G, Patti Smith, Rob Thomas with

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter days of unconfirmed reports that Kanye West’s new album “Donda” — which was first announced in 2019, then shelved, then suddenly revived last week, then bumped again — will be released on August 6 th, although as with all things Kanye, that date is a moving target.West held a listening session for the album in Las Vegas on July 17, then announced another, larger one at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Arena for Thursday, to be followed by the album’s release that

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorTravis Scott premiered a new song apparently titled “Escape Plan” during his headlining set at Day Two of the Rolling Loud Miami festival on Saturday night. Scott had teased the song and video earlier on Saturday with a minute-long clip — lensed in a wide variety of locations, including a private jet, a yacht and a number of expensive-looking tropical locales — with the caption “Hmm someone [asked] me how I’m starting I said this is how.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorKanye West premiered his long-delayed studio album “Donda” at a listening event at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium on Thursday that was broadcast live on Apple Music.

James Blake has shared new song “Say What You Will,” the first track from his forthcoming album Friends That Break Your Heart. A video for "Say What You Will," featuring a cameo from Finneas, can be seen below.