Drake Is the Most Streamed Artist on Spotify in 2016 (And All Time)

Spotify has released their year-end charts, presenting the most streamed artists, songs, albums, and genres throughout 2016. For the second consecutive year, Drake tops the most-streamed artist list, with over 4.7 billion streams (more than doubling his 1.8 million from last year). His album Views is the year’s most streamed album and its single “One Dance” is the year’s top song.  Rihanna, Kanye West, Justin Bieber all appear behind Drake on the lists, and Zayn is designated the year’s top “Breakout Artist.” Check out the full “2016 Wrapped” details.

Drake’s dominance on Spotify’s 2016 charts was forecasted earlier this year. In May, Spotify announced that he had topped Bieber as its most played artist, and in October, they announced that “One Dance” was the most streamed song in the history of the platform.

Meanwhile, Drake also charted the most songs on Pandora’s “Top Thumb Hundred 2016” list, with 14 of the most-liked songs of the year.

Read “Drake’s VIEWS: The 5 Most Important Things to Know” on the Pitch.

via Sam Sodomsky

Kanye West Out of Hospital: Report

Kanye West was hospitalized on November 21, when he was willingly taken to the UCLA Medical Center “for his own health and safety.” After a week, reports emerged that he was going to remain admitted without a release date because he was “still not stable.” He has is now reportedly back home, TMZ reports. He is reportedly in the care of his wife Kim Kardashian West and his personal physician. Pitchfork has reached out to West’s representatives for more information.

Following his initial hospitalization, West’s doctor told TMZ that the artist “suffers from temporary psychosis due to sleep deprivation and dehydration.” Prior to entering the facility, West canceled the remainder of his Saint Pablo tour. The latest TMZ report notes that Kanye “needs ongoing psychological and medical treatment.”

via Matthew Strauss

Hamilton Leithauser and Rostam Cover Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man”: Listen

Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij and the Walkmen’s Hamilton Leithauser have shared a new two-song session recorded at Spotify Studios NYC. In addition to a new rendition of their I Had a Dream That You Were Mine track “The Morning Stars,” they delivered a cover of the Bob Dylan classic “Mr. Tambourine Man.” Listen to both below.

Read Pitchfork’s feature, “Rostam’s Next-Level Art Music.”

Watch Hamilton and Rostam perform “1959” in a Pitchfork.tv session:

via Evan Minsker

Jamie Foxx Producing Marvin Gaye TV Series

Jamie Foxx will executive produce an upcoming TV series about Marvin Gaye, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He will produce the series alongside Passe Jones Entertainment’s Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones, and it will be the first series to be authorized by the Gaye family. Marvin Gaye’s son Marvin Gaye III (also an executive producer on the project) says the series will be “a powerful and definitive telling of Marvin Gaye's life story.” Jones and de Passe are currently talking to Sony/ATV about using Gaye’s music for the series. 

Read our feature “I Want You Still: Celebrating 40 Years of Marvin Gaye’s Sensual Classic.”

via Kevin Lozano

Lincoln Center to Host Leonard Cohen Memorial

Lincoln Center has announced a Leonard Cohen memorial that will take place on December 5 from 12 p.m to 4 p.m. The event is an “informal gathering” at the outdoor Hearst Plaza, and will feature “recordings of Cohen’s vast body of work, chosen by friends and fans,” according to a description on the Lincoln Center’s website. There will not be any speakers or live performances at the event, which takes place rain or shine. Find more information here.

Earlier this week, San Francisco’s the Chapel hosted a Leonard Cohen tribute show that featured Mark Kozelek, Christopher Owens, and more. Since Cohen’s passing passing on November 7, numerous artists, including Justin Timberlake, Beck, Lana Del Rey, and Car Seat Headrest, have paid tribute to Cohen.

Find more tributes to Leonard Cohen here and read “Leonard Cohen’s Grand Tour and His Brilliant Final Act” on the Pitch.

Revisit Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” which appeared on the Hot 100 chart for the first time earlier this month.

via Kevin Lozano

New York Criminalizes Ticket Bots, Scalpers Can Now Get Jail Time

The use of “ticket bots,” automated software that allows scalpers to buy up huge blocks of tickets for concerts, theater performances, and other events ahead of average customers, will soon be a crime in New York. Earlier this week, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a new law making the use of a ticket bots a class A misdemeanor that could result in substantial fines or even imprisonment.

“These unscrupulous speculators and their underhanded tactics have manipulated the marketplace and often leave New Yorkers and visitors alike with little choice but to buy tickets on the secondary market at an exorbitant mark-up,” Cuomo said in a statement. The law goes into in effect in February. The bill Cuomo signed was passed by the New York state legislature in June.

As The Journal News notes, ticket bots were already banned in the state, but the fines for using them were small.

Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda advocated for the increased penalties on ticket bots in a June op-ed for The New York Times. “You shouldn’t have to fight robots just to see something you love,” Miranda wrote.

A report issued in January by the New York attorney general found that from 2012 to 2014, three brokers alone bought more than 140,000 tickets to New York shows using bots.

About 12 states have laws banning ticket bots, according to the Council of State Governments. Legislation against bots has also been introduced in Congress. In August, Hamilton’s Miranda stood by Senator Chuck Schumer at a press conference calling on Congress to pass the Better On-line Ticket Sales Act of 2016, or the BOTS Act, which would aim to crack down on scalpers using ticket purchasing software.

Music fans’ frustration over bots crested earlier this year, when tickets for Adele and Bruce Springsteen tours sold out almost as soon as they went on sale, as Billboard reported. 

via Marc Hogan

Vic Mensa Protests at Standing Rock

Watch Andre Royo (Bubbles From “The Wire”) Narrate Nick Cave’s Story “The Lonely Giant”

Waxploitation has shared a new video from its forthcoming book project Stories for Ways and Means. The clip features Andre Royo (best known for playing Bubbles in HBO’s “The Wire”) narrating Nick Cave’s contribution–a story called “The Lonely Giant.” It’s about a crying giant whose tears cause trouble for his neighbors. Below, watch Royo narrate in a garden.

Stories for Ways and Means feature stories by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, Tom Waits, Pixie’s Frank Black, Laura Marling, Devendra Banhart, Kathleen Hanna, and more. Yesterday, Waxploitation shared the animated video for Jim James’ “Oslo and Plum.” Future videos will feature guest narration from Lizzo, King Krule, Danny DeVito, and others. Proceeds from the book will go to three education-focused non-profits: Room to Read, Pencils of Promise, and 826. Pre-order it here.

Recently, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds released their album Skelton Tree, which was chronicled in Andrew Dominick’s feature-length film One More Time With Feeling.

via Kevin Lozano

Bob Dylan Skipped White House Nobel Prize Event

Bob Dylan has passed on another Nobel Prize formality. Today, he skipped President Obama’s White House meet-and-greet with American Nobel Prize winners, according to The Hill (via Rolling Stone). “Unfortunately, Bob Dylan will not be at the White House today. So everyone can relax,” Obama’s spokesman Josh Earnest, told reporters.

Last month, Dylan was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature, but remained conspicuously silent after the honor was announced. Reports emerged that he was not responding to the Nobel Committee’s emails. Once he finally accepted the prize, it he told the Swedish Academy that he would not attend the December 10 ceremony in Stockholm.

Upon the announcement of Dylan’s Nobel, Obama tweeted, “Congratulations to one of my favorite poets, Bob Dylan, on a well-deserved Nobel.” In 2012, Dylan received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (pictured above).

Read our new Sunday Review of Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, as well as the op-ed on Dylan’s Nobel on the Pitch.

Congratulations to one of my favorite poets, Bob Dylan, on a well-deserved Nobel. https://t.co/c9cnANWPCS

— President Obama (@POTUS) October 13, 2016

via Matthew Strauss

Local Natives Cover Kanye’s “Ultralight Beam”: Listen

Local Natives have shared a new cover of Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo opener “Ultralight Beam.” It arrives as part of Spotify’s “Singles” program, and comes with a live rendition of “Fountain of Youth,” from their latest record Sunlit Youth. In an accompanying tweet, the band wrote that they recorded the cover back in July, “but need the prayer of peace & serenity now more than ever.” Hear Local Natives’ “Ultralight Beam” cover below.

Revisit Pitchfork’s feature interview with Local Natives

We covered Ultralight Beam by Kanye for @Spotify in July but need the prayer of peace & serenity now more than everhttps://t.co/NK84DRBeCr

— Local Natives (@localnatives) November 30, 2016

Watch Local Natives perform “Breakers” via Pitchfork.tv:

via Kevin Lozano

Lil Wayne’s Bus Driver Sues Young Thug, Birdman Over Shooting

In April 2015, Lil Wayne’s tour bus was shot up in Atlanta following a performance. Reports later alleged that Young Thug and Birdman were conspiring to kill Wayne. Later, in November 2015, Jimmy Carlton Winfrey (aka Thug affiliate Peewee Roscoe) pleaded guilty to shooting at the bus, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Now, Wayne’s former tour bus driver Alvin Lewis has sued Thug, Birdman, and Roscoe, as well as Cash Money and Young Money, for placing him “in immediate fear of death and severe bodily harm by attacking and attempting to kill him without any just provocation or cause,” Courthouse News reports (via AllHipHop).

In the suit, Lewis’ attorney details the events that led to the bus shooting, including a confrontation where Roscoe allegedly said to Wayne, “This my city, keep fucking around I’ll spray the bus.” He also states that neither Thug nor Birdman “repudiated Winfrey’s acts of violence.” Lewis is seeking unspecified damages for “substantial and continuing pain, anguish, suffering, discomfort, medical expenses, lost personal and professional property, and lost wages.”

via Matthew Strauss

Watch Justice’s New “Fire” Video Starring Susan Sarandon

Justice have shared the new music video for their song “Fire.” It’s taken from their recently-released third album Woman, and stars Susan Sarandon. Watch it below. Directed by Pascal Teixeira, the new visual depicts Sarandon and the French duo joyriding a convertible down a desert road. 

According to a statement from Teixeira, the idea behind the video came after a “hot summer afternoon” of “collectively daydreaming about washing a car.” Sarandon was chosen to star due to her “iconic mix of cool, allure and strength.”

Justice have previously shared the video for their song “Randy.” 

via Noah Yoo

Chance the Rapper Writes Foreword for Poetry Book A People’s History of Chicago

Chance the Rapper has written the foreword for an upcoming book of poetry by Chicago writer and activist Kevin Coval. The book is called A People’s History of Chicago, and it will be released on April 11 by Haymarket Books. Coval’s book is composed of “seventy-seven poems (for the city’s seventy-seven neighborhoods)” that “honor the everyday lives and enduring resistance of the city’s workers, poor people, and people of color, whose cultural and political revolutions continue to shape the social landscape” according to a description on Haymarket’s website.  

Kevin Coval is the founder of Louder Than A Bomb: The Chicago Youth Poetry Festival and the artistic director of Young Chicago Authors. Chance is an alumni of Young Chicago Authors’ workshops, and he appeared at last year’s Louder Than A Bomb.

Last week, Chance revealed that he is working on his debut album. 

Read “Inside Chance the Rapper’s Brain Trust” on the Pitch.  

Watch the music video for Coloring Book’s “No Problem”:

via Kevin Lozano

Preview Aphex Twin’s Custom Presets for New Korg Synthesizer

Aphex Twin recently collaborated with Japanese musical instrument manufacturer Korg on a new monophonic synthesizer called the Monologue. According to the company, he came “onboard as advisor for the implementation and also to offer scales, sounds and sequences as part of the factory presets.” In particular, he provided custom microtuning settings for the Monologue. Korg has now shared a new series of videos showing some of the synth’s features, including the Aphex Twin presets. Watch the clips below, including a microtuning demo at the 4:34 mark of the fourth video.

Next month, Aphex Twin will play his first U.S. show in over eight years when he takes the stage at Houston’s Day for Night festival. He is already lined up to play London’s Day for Night and Barcelona’s Primavera Sound in 2017.

Read our Cover Story, “Strange Visitor: A Conversation With Aphex Twin.”

via Matthew Strauss

U-God Sues Wu-Tang Clan for Millions

Original Wu-Tang Clan member U-God has sued the group for $2.5 million, TMZ reports. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, U-God alleges that he has not seen royalties from Wu-Tang’s music for the past six years. In addition, he claims he has not received his biannual payments for his share of Wu-Tang merchandising profits, nor as he gotten any money from Martin Shkreli’s infamous $2 million purchase of the one-of-a-kind Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.

Along with “at least” $2.5 million for “numerous breaches of contract,” U-God is requesting “a complete accounting of Wu-Tang’s various revenue streams,” according to TMZ.

U-God has appeared on all of Wu-Tang’s studio albums. Most recently, he is credited as a writer on five songs from 2014’s A Better Tomorrow. His latest solo album, The Keynote Speaker, came out in 2013.

via Matthew Strauss

Krist Novoselic and Tool’s Maynard James Keenan Agree: “Part of Nirvana’s Success Was Due to Timing”

Last week, Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan said that Nirvana’s success may have been due to “timing.” He told Yahoo! Music, “It just happened to be a perfect time for Nirvana to emerge ’cause people were tired of hair bands. I don’t know. It might have had nothing to do with Nirvana. It was just timing.” Now, the band’s former bassist Krist Novoselic has responded, telling Alternative Nation, “Maynard James Keenan is right that music was set to change in the early ’90s and part of Nirvana’s success was due to timing.”

Novoselic continued, “I have always said that bands like Faith No More and Jane’s Addiction broke ground for us with the mainstream.” He also agreed with Keenan’s hair band assessment, stating, that the “movement was exhausted and musical cycles used to give us new interpretations of Rock.” He later called Nirvana “the last of the pre-internet bands.” Read Novoselic’s full statement here, and check out Keenan’s interview–where he discusses his new biography–here.

Watch Pitchfork.tv’s “Liner Notes” video on Nevermind:

via Matthew Strauss

Listen to Angel Olsen Dissect “Shut Up Kiss Me” on “Song Exploder”

Angel Olsen was a recent guest on the “Song Exploder” podcast, where she discussed how she made My Woman’s “Shut Up Kiss Me.” She revealed that the piano sections in the song were “a nod” to David Bowie’s “Changes.” She also talked about an injury she sustained during rehearsals (according to her doctor she was playing the guitar the wrong way), the song’s “tongue in cheek” lyrics, her initial desire for “Shut Up Kiss Me” to be more “50s and relaxed,” and more. You can listen to Angel Olsen’s episode of “Song Exploder’ below.  

Read our feature “This Woman’s Work: The Many Lives of Angel Olsen.”

Watch Angel Olsen perform “Some Things Cosmic” at Pitchfork Music Festival 2013:

via Kevin Lozano

Iggy Pop and Danger Mouse Team for New Song for Matthew McConaughey Film Gold

Iggy Pop and Danger Mouse have come together for a new song, “Gold.” It’s for Stephen Gaghan’s upcoming film Gold, starring Matthew McConaughey. Gaghan and the film’s composer Daniel Pemberton also worked with Iggy and Danger Mouse on the track. Previously, Iggy and Danger Mouse collaborated on Dark Night of the Soul’s “Pain.” In a press release, Iggy said:

This beautiful and unpredictable film spoke to me of violence, desire, destiny, lust and the inescapable twists of fate. The actors and the story spun a web of excitement that left me spent and breathless, so I tried to perform the vocal with that feeling in mind... I found myself at a new level of communication, standing there in the studio with Steve Gaghan and Danger Mouse, singing “GOLD”—a song for our times.

Inspired by a true story, Gold stars Matthew McConaughey as Kenny Wells, a man looking for gold in the jungles of Indonesia. Édgar Ramírez (Carlos, Zero Dark Thirty) and Bryce Dallas Howard (The Twilight Saga) also appear in the film, which sees a nationwide theatrical release on January 27, 2017. Watch the trailer below.

Listen to Dangermouse & Sparklehorse’s “Pain” featuring Iggy Pop:

Watch Marc Maron tell a story about Iggy Pop on Pitchfork.tv’s “Frames”:

via Kevin Lozano

Childish Gambino Shares New Virtual Reality Video

In September, Childish Gambino premiered material from his upcoming album “Awaken, My Love!” at a series of concerts held in Joshua Tree, CA. Today, he’s shared a virtual reality video depicting a performance of “Me and Your Mama” at one of the PHAROS concerts. You can watch the video on his smartphone app “PHAROS Earth.” You’ll need a virtual reality headset to stream the performance. Download the app here. 

Yesterday, the rapper announced that “Awaken, My Love!” will be released as a limited edition “virtual reality” vinyl. What exactly that entails is still unknown, but you can find more information on his website. Awaken, My Love!” will be released this Friday. 

via Kevin Lozano

Watch Drugdealer’s New Video With Mac DeMarco and Weyes Blood

Michael Collins recently released a new Drugdealer album called The End of Comedy. Today, he’s shared music video for the title track, which features Weyes Blood. Directed, filmed, and edited by Andrew Storrs, the video was shot in and around Collins’ home and studio in Los Angeles’ Chinatown. Mac DeMarco makes a cameo. Watch the video, and read Collins’ statement about it, below.

Read our new Rising feature “Weyes Blood’s Hymns for the Incoming Apocalypse.”

Andrew Storrs, an old friend of mine and Natalie Mering’s, came to visit us in Los Angeles and document a few days a little while ago. I’ve always loved his filmmaking—capturing moments in our friends lives in a really magical Cinéma vérité form. Basically, it’s a snapshot of a particular moment while living downtown here in L.A.; playing piano, seeing friends and skating around. The song here is one of my favorite collaborations of all time—me and Nat recorded the whole thing very naturally when she was still living in Far Rockaway, NY about a year ago. It was simple and fun to make, and no one better to represent this on video than Andrew Storrs.

via Sheldon Pearce

Belle and Sebastian Seek Cover Stars for New EPs

Belle and Sebastian have opened a casting call, searching for fans to grace the covers of new vinyl EPs. In a note on the band’s website, frontman Stuart Murdoch writes, “We’ve been recording music, and it comes to the point where we’re starting to think of artwork. I’m thinking this might be a series of vinyl EPs.” Murdoch will take the photos himself, and would like about 50 volunteers as “a representation of the population.” If interested, shoot an email to info@belleandsebastian.com with the subject line “HEADSHOT.” Read Murdoch’s full note here.

Belle and Sebastian’s last studio album, Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance, came out in January 2015. Earlier this year, they released a box set called The Jeepster Singles Collection. They also shared an unofficial theme song for the 2016 Rio Olympics called “Olympic Village, 6am.”

Read our 5-10-15-20 interview with Stuart Murdoch.

Watch Belle and Sebastian’s “The Party Line” music video:

via Matthew Strauss

Watch Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Episode of “Drunk History” With Dave Grohl

Lin-Manuel Miranda was the star of last night’s episode of “Drunk History” on Comedy Central. As promised, he told the story of Alexander Hamilton with the help of special guests who acted out the story, including Alia Shawkat, Aubrey Plaza, Tony Hale, and David Wain. Another guest was Dave Grohl, who plays a gossiping founding father. At one point, the story is interrupted by a FaceTime chat between Miranda and Questlove. Another moment: Miranda and host Derek Waters sing “Closing Time” by Semisonic. Watch the full episode here, and see clips below. 

The Hamilton Mixtape, a compilation of remixes and covers inspired by the musical featuring contributions from Chance the Rapper, Alicia Keys, Common, and more, will be released on December 2. 

Read “How Hamilton Sets the Stage for the Future of History” on the Pitch. 

via Sam Sodomsky

Watch ANOHNI’s New “Marrow” Video

ANOHNI has shared a video for “Marrow,” her HOPELESSNESS track, as Teco Apple points out. In keeping with the album’s visual aesthetic, it’s an intimate, one-shot portrait of an actor—her, the artist Lorraine O'Grady—miming the lyrics to the camera. Watch it below. 

Read our feature “Anohni Finds Hope in Hopelessness.”  

via Jazz Monroe

Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Frank Ocean, the xx, Aphex Twin, More Announced for Primavera Sound 2017

Primavera Sound 2017 takes place from May 31 to June 4 at the Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona. Today, the lineup has been revealed. Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Frank Ocean, The xx, Aphex Twin, Grace Jones, Slayer, Solange, and Van Morrison top the bill. Other artists booked include Run the Jewels, Angel Olsen, Elza Soares, Death Grips, Seu Jorge performing David Bowie songs, the Descendents, the Magnetic Fields, Miguel, Skepta, Flying Lotus, Mac DeMarco, Broken Social Scene, John Talabot and Axel Boman, Bicep, Wolfgang Voigt’s Gas, Joy Orbison, DJ Tennis, Pond, Against Me!, Priests, Gojira, Converge, the Damned, the Afghan Whigs, the Zombies, King Sunny Adé, Annette Peacock, Mitski, Junun performed by Jonny Greenwood, Japandroids, Shye Ben Tzur, and the Rajasthan Express, BADBADNOTGOOD, Sampha, Glass Animals, Joey Purp, King Krule, Kevin Morby, Weyes Blood, Hamilton Leithauser, the Make-Up, Teenage Fanclub, Swans, Whitney, Local Natives, !!!, Sleaford Mods, Wild Beasts, Shellac, Preoccupations, Huerco S., Swet Shop Boys, Romare, and many more. 

Watch Vince Staples perform at last year’s Primavera Sound:

via Jazz Monroe

Childish Gambino Selling “Virtual Reality” Awaken, My Love! Vinyl

On December 2, Donald Glover will release his third album as Childish Gambino, Awaken, My Love! It will be released on Glassnote. Along with the regular CD, Glover’s website is selling what it refers to as limited edition “virtual reality” vinyl. What exactly makes it virtual reality is currently unknown. “Vinyl pricing subject to change as package content is finalized,” the site says. It comes on two 45 RPM 12” vinyl records, and the order includes a poster and digital downloads of “Me and Your Mama” and “Redbone.” Find more information here. Gambino released his sophomore LP, Because the Internet, in 2013.

Revisit Childish Gambino’s “Me and Your Mama”:

via Sheldon Pearce

The Smiths Announce 7” With Two Previously Unreleased Tracks

The Smiths have announced the release of a new 7” single, Morrissey fansite True to You reports. It contains two previously unreleased tracks: a demo mix of “The Boy With the Thorn in His Side” and an unreleased version of “Rubber Ring.” Check out the cover art below, which was designed by Morrissey and features a photograph of actor Albert Finney. A release date for the single has not yet been announced. Recently, Morrissey postponed the remainder of his U.S. tour and Johnny Marr released his memoir Set the Boy Free.

Watch our episode of “Liner Note” on the Smiths’ The Queen Is Dead:

via Sam Sodomsky

The-Dream Announces New EP Love You to Death

Watch Tegan and Sara, Jenny Lewis, Lil Bub, More Perform in Bed for Bedstock

Bedstock is an online “music festival” initiative by MyMusicRx, a program from the Children’s Cancer Association. Artists such as Moby, Tegan and Sara, Jenny Lewis, Norah Jones, Alessia Cara, Warpaint, Panic! at the Disco, and more contributed videos of themselves performing from their beds for sick kids who are stuck in their own beds. (Internet famous cat Lil Bub is also in the mix, acting all cute to an electronic instrumental.) Watch some of those performances below and check out the full selection of videos here. 

via Noah Yoo

Vince Staples Announces the Life Aquatic Tour With Amazing Poster

Vince Staples has announced a 2017 North American tour with Kilo Kish. It’s called “The Life Aquatic Tour,” and features fantastic Wes Anderson-inspired artwork. See the poster and dates below.

Staples toured with James Blake and Moses Sumney earlier this year. He released the Prima Donna EP in August. Read “Part of God’s Plan: How Vince Staples and Kendrick Lamar Portray Black Faith” on the Pitch.

Announcing the Life Aquatic Tour https://t.co/tPqbCciXUJ http://pic.twitter.com/M1Xlle1GQe

— Vince Staples (@vincestaples) November 29, 2016

Watch “Vince Staples vs. The Internet” on Pitchfork.tv:

via Matthew Strauss

Desiigner Cleared of All Charges in New York Drug and Gun Arrest

In early September, Desiigner was arrested in New York City on gun and drug charges following a road rage incident. A few days later, two charges had been dropped: criminal possession of a loaded weapon and criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. But Desiigner (real name: Sidney Selby) still faced misdemeanor charges of menacing and criminal possession of a controlled substance. It was later reported that the remaining controlled-substance charge was based on false information. Today, prosecutors moved to drop the drug charge and seal the case, TMZ reports and the New York City District Attorney’s office has confirmed to Pitchfork.

The DA’s office told Pitchfork that Desiigner and three co-defendants—Michael Davis, CJ McCoy and Utril Rhaburn—accepted ACDs, or “adjournments in contemplation of dismissal,” deals that typically result in a case being dismissed and sealed. The ACDs applied to all charges, according to the DA’s office. None of the four co-defendants appeared in court.

Two lawyers for Desiigner, Ian Nyles and Stacey Richman, told TMZ, “We’re happy he’s been exonerated.”

via Marc Hogan and Sheldon Pearce

Paul Simon Joins the Social Experiment’s Nico Segal and Nate Fox for New Song “Stranger”: Listen

Paul Simon has shared a new song titled “Stranger,” produced by Chance the Rapper collaborators and the Social Experiment members Nico Segal (fka Donnie Trumpet) and Nate Fox. Listen to it below. The new track is an interpolation of two other Simon songs, “The Werewolf” and “The Clock,” both of which appear on the singer-songwriter’s latest album Stranger to Stranger, released earlier this year.

Watch Paul Simon’s video for “Wristband”:

via Noah Yoo

The World Is a Beautiful Place... Share New Song “Body Without Organs” to Benefit ACLU: Listen

The World is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die have shared a new single, “Body Without Organs.” Listen to the new song below via Bandcamp, where it is also being sold at “name-your-price.” The band will be donating all proceeds from the new song to the American Civil Liberties Union. “It’s unsettling to see the voices of positive change in the community around you get drowned out within a world of dated and regressive ideals,” the band said in a press release. “Body Without Organs” was recorded around the same time as their 2015 album Harmlessness, but was left off because it “didn’t seem to fit.”

via Noah Yoo

The xx Perform New Songs at Tour Opener: Watch

Watch My Morning Jacket’s Jim James’ Strange New Children’s Story

My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James is among the many artists who contributed to Waxploitation’s new book project Stories for Ways and Means. His story is called “Oslo and Plum,” and he has now shared its visual accompaniment–narrated by Phil LaMarr and illustrated by Jacob Escobedo. It centers on Oslo the Duck, who loses his dear friend Plum the Cat while they visit Ice Cream Mountain. Watch it below.

Stories for Ways and Means is a 350-page-plus book that has been 10 years in the making. It features 30 total storywriters, including Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, Tom Waits, and Kathleen Hanna. Future short film accompaniments will feature guest narration from Danny DeVito, Joey Bada$$, King Krule, Lizzo, Zach Galifianakis, and more. Proceeds from Stories for Ways and Means go to Room to Read, Pencils of Promise, and 826.

Revisit our 2013 interview with Jim James.

Watch Jim James cover Mazzy Star with Twin Limb and Bo Koster, via Pitchfork.tv:

via Sam Sodomsky

Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock Designs Shoe, Donating Proceeds to Planned Parenthood

Beastie Boys’ Ad-Rock has collaborated with Los Angeles vegan footwear company Keep on a new shoe. The “Keep x Ad-Rock midtop” is available for pre-order here. It features “a weather resistant, nylon cordura body,” and is lined in “synthetic fleece and accented with channel quilted, silicon coated nylon.” Net proceeds from the shoe will benefit Planned Parenthood. Below, see Ad-Rock with his shoe, and read his statement on the collaboration. Keep has previously partnered with Bon Iver, Animal Collective’s Deakin, and more.

Ad-Rock joins a growing list of artists who are donating to charity, following Donald Trump’s election. See more examples of artists giving back here.

Winter’s cold and I couldn’t find a warm sneaker to walk around in. Given the outcome of our current election, it’s gonna get a lot colder before we can feel that summer sun again. So I collaborated with my friend Una [Kim, founder of] Keep shoes not just because I wanted warm sneaks, but because I support small business. I support women run business. I support Asian-American run business. Net proceeds of this shoe will be donated to Planned Parenthood because I support a woman’s right to choose and feel that women should not be punished for making decisions about their own lives and bodies. If you have similar beliefs, you might wanna grab a pair. Or, if you simply support fresh styles, then you too can be part of what peeps in Keeps are doing.

Watch Pitchfork.tv’s “Liner Notes” episode on Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill:

via Sam Sodomsky

The Weeknd Earns Most Spotify Streams in Single Day

The Weeknd has set the new record for most Spotify streams in a single day, the company confirmed. The achievement follows the release of his third studio album, Starboy, which features contributions from Daft Punk, Lana Del Rey, Kendrick Lamar, and more. The Weeknd unseats Justin Bieber, whose music was streamed 36 million times on November 13, 2015.

This past May, Drake became Spotify’s most streamed artist of all time, also replacing Bieber in the top spot. In October, his “One Dance” became the service’s most streamed song ever, accruing over 880 million streams when it took the record from Major Lazer, DJ Snake, and MØ’s “Lean On.”

Read “The Dark Knight Returns: A Conversation With the Weeknd.”

Watch the Weeknd’s new short film, Mania:

via Matthew Strauss

Kate Bush: British PM Theresa May Is “The Best Thing That’s Happened to Us in a Long Time”

In recent weeks, Kate Bush has granted the press rare interviews in support of her new live album, Before the Dawn. The latest, with Canadian magazine Macleans, touches on politics, Bush’s concern for the environment, and her stance on gender equality issues. On the last point, Bush spoke in support of British prime minister Theresa May, who took the job this year when David Cameron resigned over the Brexit vote. 

The interviewer asked Bush whether, having spoken in the past about “the fear of women’s power,” she felt that fear was stronger than ever in light of the U.S. election. Bush replied:

We have a female prime minister here in the UK. I actually really like her and think she’s wonderful. I think it’s the best thing that’s happened to us in a long time. She’s a very intelligent woman but I don’t see much to fear. I will say it is great to have a woman in charge of the country. She’s very sensible and I think that’s a good thing at this point in time.

Before taking the PM’s office, May made headlines for her hard anti-immigration policies as home secretary. Around the 2015 election, she was behind a campaign in which billboards demanding illegal immigrants “go home or face arrest” were stuck to advertising vans and driven around the country. She was also behind Tyler, the Creator’s controversial UK visa ban, which Tyler addressed in a song. He later argued he was “getting treated like a terrorist.”

May also raised the wage threshold for immigrants in the UK, meaning any non-EU immigrants earning less than £35,000 (or $43,000, almost 40% more than the average British salary) faced deportation. Although May tentatively supported Remain in the Brexit referendum, she had previously denounced the European Human Rights Act; in her subsequent leadership bid, she backtracked, admitting she didn’t have parliamentary support to scrap the act. She’s recently attracted criticism for pursuing a “hard” Brexit, despite lacking the mandate of an electoral victory. 

via Jazz Monroe

Frank Ocean Announces First Show in Three Years

Frank Ocean has announced his first live date behind Blond, as the BBC points out. He’ll headline London festival Lovebox on Friday, July 14 next year. It’ll be his first ever U.K. festival appearance and one of just two next year, according to Lovebox.

In an interview this month, Ocean hinted that Blond live dates were on the horizon:

I need to know how many records I've sold, how many album equivalents from streaming, which territories are playing my music more than others, because it helps me in conversations about where we're gonna be playing shows.

Read “Frank Ocean’s Blond: 6 Things to Know” on the Pitch. 

Watch the music video for “Nikes”

via Jazz Monroe

Watch Gucci Mane and Travis Scott’s New “Last Time” Video Featuring Harmony Korine

Gucci Mane and Travis Scott have shared a new video for their collaborative single “Last Time.” The wintry clip stars both rappers as well as filmmaker Harmony Korine. Watch it below. Gucci previously appeared in Harmony Korine’s 2012 film Spring Breakers and is set to star in Korine’s upcoming film tentatively titled The Trap alongside Al Pacino, Benicio del Toro, and James Franco. Gucci’s next release, The Return of East Atlanta Santa, is due out December 16.

via Sam Sodomsky

Stones Throw Announce Vinyl Subscription Service, Share Jaylib Track: Listen

Stones Throw Records have announced a vinyl subscription service for 2017. The series will include every new release from the label, including “albums, EPs, 45s, box sets, and special edition reissues.” The subscription service begins on January 1 and runs through the end of the year. It costs $250 plus shipping. Below stream “Da Rawkus,” a previously unreleased recording from Jaylib’s Champion Sound Remix, which will be the first release in the series. This year, Stones Throw celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Watch Freddie Gibbs and Madlib perform “Scarface” at Pitchfork Music Festival 2015:

via Sam Sodomsky

Paisley Park Throwing Prince Celebration on Anniversary of His Death

Prince’s Paisley Park estate—which is now officially operating as a museum—has announced “Celebration 2017.” It’s a four-day event, from April 20-23, that falls on the one-year anniversary of Prince’s death. The event will feature performance from several of Prince’s bands. The Revolution, New Power Generation, members of 3rdEyeGirl, Morris Day & the Time, and Liv Warfield & Shelby J are all set to perform. Tickets start at $499 for general admission (and $999 for VIP passes). In addition to the concerts, the event will feature panel discussions, presentations, guided tours, and more. Find info here.

Read more on Prince and his legacy here.

Watch Prince and Kendrick Lamar perform at Paisley Park in 2014:

via Evan Minsker

Woods Announce Live at Third Man Records Album

Back in May, Woods performed at Nashville’s Third Man Records. Their set is now receiving a vinyl release through the label’s ongoing Live at Third Man Records series. The album is out December 9 and includes songs from their latest release, this year’s City Sun Eater in the River of Light. Check out the cover art and tracklist below and stream “Suffering Season,” originally from 2010’s At Echo Lake.

Live at Third Man Records:

01 Morning Light
02 Politics of Free
03 Leaves Like Glass
04 Hollow Home
05 Sun City Creeps
06 The Take
07 Suffering Season
08 Cali in a Cup
09 Moving to the Left

Watch Woods perform “Sun City Creeps” at Pitchfork Music Festival 2016:

via Sam Sodomsky

Arca Opens Casting Call for Mysterious New Project

Beyoncé Launches Christmas-Themed Merch Line

Beyoncé has launched a new line of Christmas-themed merchandise, as the Fader points out. The holiday collection includes red and green hoodies with the phrase “I Sleigh All Day” printed on them, as well as sweatpants, a shirt featuring a stocking full of lemons, and wrapping paper featuring even more lemons, as well as Beyoncé’s “Formation” look. Check out the items here.

Revisit “The Beyoncé Lemonade Merch of Our Dreams, Realized,” over on the Pitch.

via Noah Yoo

John Lennon’s Sgt. Pepper’s Piano, Bob Dylan Lyric Sheets, More Up for Auction

A new Sotheby’s auction, “A Rock & Roll Anthology: From Folk to Fury,” will feature various lots of rock and roll history, as Rolling Stone points out. The most notable items include the upright piano that John Lennon used to write songs off the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (including “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” “A Day in the Life,” and more), the final handwritten manuscript of the lyrics to Bob Dylan’s “Blowin' in the Wind,” original paintings created by the late David Bowie, and more. Other Lennon items include the jacket he wore in the film Help!, and lithographic prints of his drawings. The handwritten manuscript of the Eagles’ “Hotel California” is also on the auction block, complete with scrawled edits from Don Henley and Glenn Frey. Find more details on the auction here; it takes place December 10 in New York.

via Noah Yoo

Devendra Banhart Announces 2017 Tour

Devendra Banhart has announced a 2017 tour of the United States. The newly announced dates kick off January 23 at the Showbox in Seattle, and will take the singer-songwriter to Boulder, Austin, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, New York, and more. Find his full tour itinerary below; tickets for shows through February 4 are available now. Banhart’s latest album, Ape in Pink Marble, was released earlier this year.

Devendra Banhart:

12-02 Mexico City, Mexico - El Plaza
12-03 Acapulco, Mexico - Trópico
01-23 Seattle, WA - The Showbox
01-24 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
01-26 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
01-28 San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park
01-29 Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory
01-31 Los Angeles, CA - Mayan Theater
02-01 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
02-03 Boulder, CO - Boulder Theatre
02-04 Telluride, CO - Club Red
02-12 Taos, NM - Mesa Brewery
02-13 Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf
02-15 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
02-16 Austin, TX - Emo's
02-17 Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
02-18 Baton Rouge, LA - Varsity Theatre
02-20 Atlanta, GA - Terminal West
02-21 Athens, GA - Georgia Theater
02-23 St. Petersburg, FL - State Theatre
02-24 Orlando, FL - Beacham Theater
02-25 Miami Beach, FL - North Beach Bandshell
03-05 Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center
03-06 Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
03-07 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
03-09 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theater
03-10 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis
03-11 Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall
03-12 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
03-14 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
03-15 Washington, DC - Sixth & I
03-16 New York, NY - Webster Hall
04-01 Brooklyn, NY - BAM
04-20 Tokyo, Japan - Billboard Live
04-22 Osaka, Japan - Billboard Live

via Noah Yoo

Deafheaven Announce 2017 Tour

Deafheaven just wrapped up a tour with Carcass and Inter Arma that also included some stops with Slipknot. Now, the California black metal band have announced a 2017 U.S. tour. Following a pair of January shows with HEALTH, they’ll tour with This Will Destroy You and Emma Ruth Randle. See Deafheaven’s full itinerary, as well as the tour poster, below.

Deafheaven released their third LP, New Bermuda, in 2015. Revisit our feature “Hate It or Love It: The Return of Deafheaven—Metal’s Most Divisive Band,” and check out our “This Is How We Do It” podcast with the band’s George Clarke.

Deafheaven:

01-12 Los Angeles, CA - The Echoplex *
01-13 Los Angeles, CA - The Echoplex *
02-23 San Francisco, CA - The Independent (Noise Pop) ^
02-26 Las Vegas, NV - The Bunkhouse Saloon ^
02-28 Albuquerque, NM - Sister ^
03-02 Austin, TX - The Mohawk ^
03-03 Dallas, TX - Trees ^
03-04 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live Studio ^
03-05 New Orleans, LA - The Republic NOLA ^
03-07 Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade ^
03-08 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge ^
03-10 Charlotte, NC - The Underground ^
03-11 Richmond, VA - The Broadberry ^
03-12 Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Sound Stage ^
03-13 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts ^
03-14 Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw ^
03-15 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club ^
03-17 Detroit, MI - Shelter at St. Andrew's Hall ^
03-18 Bloomington, IL - The Castle Theater ^
03-19 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater ^
03-20 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line ^
03-21 Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room ^
03-23 Denver, CO - The Summit Music Hall ^
03-24 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge ^
03-26 Seattle, WA - Neumos ^
03-27 Eugene, OR - WOW Hall ^

* with HEALTH
^with This Will Destroy You and Emma Ruth Rundle

Watch Deafheaven play “Dream House” at Pitchfork Music Festival 2014:

via Matthew Strauss

Neil Young Writes Powerful Statement About Standing Rock, Trump, and Thanksgiving

Neil Young has shared a lengthy statement on Facebook about Thanksgiving, the #NoDAPL protestors at Standing Rock, president-elect Donald Trump, and more. The singer-songwriter reiterates the “fictional” history of the Thanksgiving holiday before describing the plight of the non-violent protestors currently occupying the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota. He then goes on to urge President Obama to intervene at Standing Rock, calling on him to “step in and end the violence against the peaceful water protectors at Standing Rock immediately.”

Later on in the note, Young refers to Trump as the “surprise president,” saying, “Like water on the garden of activism, America’s surprise president brings a bounty of opportunity. The great issues of our time are now brightly illuminated and people are becoming more aware of them than ever... Do not be intimidated by the surprise presidents' cabinet appointees as they descend the golden escalator. Those who behave in racist ways are not your leaders. The golden tower is not yours. The White House is your house.” Read the full note below, along with Young’s live rendition of the song “Show Me,” off his upcoming album Peace Trail. 

Young went to the Standing Rock reservation earlier this month to stand in solidarity with protestors and perform for them.

via Noah Yoo

Dennis Hopper’s Vinyl Collection Could Be Yours For $150K

The late actor Dennis Hopper’s vinyl record collection is being sold for $150,000, as FACT points out. Womenswear retail site Moda Operandi is hosting the sale of the 110 records, which are taken from the personal archive of Hopper’s daughter Marin Hopper (whose Hayward luxury brand also sells products on the site). The collection includes records by The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Fleetwood Mac, Leonard Cohen, Miles Davis, and more, as well as “handwritten notes to the actor from various artists and several unreleased records.” Part of the sale price will be put towards The Future Heritage Fund. You can find more details on the sale here.

via Noah Yoo