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I'm over the whole swearing thing. Guys - he's 55 years old. It was cute for the time but it wasn't really something for Will to make a big deal about. The title is weird to me. Almost fearful it's a pop title for an album. I just hope it's Will really rapping and going in hard. No more Latino vibes or weird experimental half-singing/half-rapping crap - just rap and spit bars! and....why ain't Jeff involved?? C'mon.

I don't know how to feel about Will swearing on the new album. I got no problems with swearing but to hear it coming out of Will's mouth on a hip hop track is gonna sound weird to me. Also seeing a Will Smith album with the Parental Guidiance sticker on it will look strange. I'm excited though

I mixed it with the drums from King Of Rock. https://traxsfv.bandcamp.com/track/still-t-r-a-x

Loved this performance!

Joyner Lucas says it is a lot more serious and Will swears on the new album. Sounds like it’s more for the streets. Also J Balvin says he has heard the album and wants to be on it. To be honest I’d prefer this over the Latino vibes or dance music like Get Lit Will was doing about 6 years ago. This sounds like a hip hop album. Of course no involvement from Jeff I always find bizarre.

I've subscribed and received a video. Maybe the intro to his new album?

Great performance! Let's hope this is the start of some more music related stuff.

Joyner Lucas and J Balvin have been talking about his new album and new music. So let's hope we really get something this time.

If that's the album title, it's interesting. I gives the impression that there could be some heavier, series stuff mixed with fun, upbeat stuff.

JBalvin sort of mentioned it in his last instagram post as well.

Looks like we have a new Will Smith album coming called, "Dance in your Darkest Moments." Omar who does Will's music is using the hashtag #danceinyourdarkestmoments , Will has a new phone number you can sign up to get updates, similar to the old JJFP hotline which will probably alert you to the drop. <- Also Will has changed his Instagram profile to this pic - which has also been updated in WIll's Spotify. Also Joyner Lucas has been talking about the music Will has been doing saying he's been sitting on it waiting for the right temperature to release it and for all of Will's people to be on board. Looks like things have been set in motion. I suspect it will be released close to Bad Boys 4 coming out.

Looks like we have a new album coming called Dance in your darkest moments.

Will just launched a text service. You can sign up here: https://willsmith.ffm.to/signup or text 215-244-9455. There's a WhatsApp option, too. I suppose this is his new attempt to keep in touch with his supporters, following the app he launched back in 2016.

The appearance was a good look. Just a fun, light moment. The MIB-accurate suite is on point. I'm not sure why the first video was removed. Here's one from the audience. He sounds great.

J Balvin posted this on Instagram thanking Will for coming out, and in the caption put..."Also I heard the album, Don't leave me out of it".....Could something be brewing? https://www.instagram.com/jbalvin/reel/C5zDX_ayyD6/?hl=en

Just great to see him popping up on stage a bit more consistently. I just wish I knew where/when he was going to perform next.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/will-smith-men-in-black-j-balvin-coachella-surprise-appearance-1235874074/ Will Smith Performs “Men in Black” With J. Balvin at Coachella in Surprise Appearance The rapper-actor was dressed in sunglasses and a black suit, like his character in the 1997 film. BY KIMBERLY NORDYKE APRIL 14, 2024 10:11PM Will Smith performs at Coachella on Sunday night. ARTURO HOLMES/GETTY IMAGES FOR COACHELLA Will Smith was a surprise guest at Coachella on Sunday night. The rapper-actor hit the stage alongside J Balvin to perform his hit song “Men in Black,” from his 1997 box office blockbuster film of the same name. Smith appeared in sunglasses and a black suit, the standard uniform of his character in the film, which starred Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as investigators in a secret organization who monitor and police extraterrestrials. Smith and Balvin rapped the song together, while backup dancers dressed as aliens and a giant alien head prop added to the effect. At the end of the performance, Balvin was dragged off by two people in black suits. Then, Smith was seen holding up the device used in the movie to erase the memories of people who witness alien activities, in addition to wiping out the memories of agents ready to retire. The movie, which made $250.7 million at the domestic box office (not adjusted for inflation), spawned three sequels: 2002’s Men in Black II, 2012’s Men in Black 3 and 2019’s Men in Black: International, the latter of which was considered a stand-alone movie set in the same universe but did not feature Smith or Jones. Coachella’s performances were full of surprise guests this weekend, including Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Shakira, Paris Hilton and Kesha, the latter of whom changed the lyrics to her hit song “Tik Tok” to say “**** P. Diddy” during her performance with Reneé Rapp. Watch part of Smith and Balvin’s performance below.

https://hiphopdx.com/news/q-tip-new-music-teaser?fbclid=IwAR0pplwj8RRmJpkApKGpcsQhEK_s6n3mwEn5CG0YkRyPEMmL_Qcw69IC0eU_aem_AajERYxMn995o2KWWXJA4x0V0AH9mY_4Jse7M7PQvwBDUkzSfjOXTBM2L8sq8n_9naWm7KrySwgE0NCl4WJM3CR7 by JOE WALKER Published on: Apr 12, 2024, 5:30 AM PDT Q-Tip fans have been waiting for a new album from the A Tribe Called Quest legend for well over a decade, but they’ve been given renewed hope that the drought will soon be over. While thanking fans for their birthday wishes on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday (April 11), the now 53-year-old Tip dropped a teaser that new music is on the way. “Love you guys and thanks for the wishes,” he wrote. “Music coming stay tuned.” When a fan asked: “when you say Music…..do you mean all 3,” he replied: “3 but some title changes on 1 of em. No algorithm. A new seed has sprouted.” The “all 3” comment refers to the three solo albums Q-Tip announced he was working on in 2020: AlGoRhythms, Riotdiaries and The Last Zulu. “Thank u for all the bday love… but I have something to share w u… 3 albums,” he wrote at the time alongside a video of himself playing the guitar. He then revealed the album titles and added: “Thank u God willing I will get with u soon.” Q-Tip released his last solo album Kamaal the Abstract in 2009. The project was intended to come out in 2002 as the follow-up to his 1999 debut Amplified, but it was shelved by his record label at the time. Since then, Tip has briefly reunited with A Tribe Called Quest to release the group’s final album, We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service, which dropped in 2016 shortly after Phife Dawg’s death. The critically acclaimed effort featured the likes of André 3000, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes and Anderson .Paak. Meanwhile, The Last Zulu has been in the works for over a decade, with Q-Tip previously detailing the album during an interview with Vibe Magazine back in 2012. “It’s gonna be me straight up and down … I’m coming with that boom-bap, unrelenting, lyrical, thoughtful, edgy, street, I’m just gon’ put it all in compass,” he said at the time. “So I’m really excited about it. It’s called The Last Zulu. And it’s gonna be a thing, so I’m looking forward to it.”

'Bad Boys: Ride or Die' Posters https://www.instagram.com/p/C5oURevpL_-/

https://rockthebells.com/articles/rock-the-bells-exclusive-rakim-dj-jazzy-jeff-jazz/ ROCK THE BELLS EXCLUSIVE: RAKIM & DJ JAZZY JEFF TALK JAZZ AHEAD OF THEIR KENNEDY CENTER APPEARANCE By Jay Quan Published Wed, April 10, 2024 at 8:00 AM EDT Jazz music has always been an integral part of Hip-Hop. Many of the culture's foundational breakbeats were created by jazz artists. JAZZ & HIP-HOP: AN EARLY MERGER From "Take Me To The Mardis Gras", and "Nautilus" by Bob James to "Kool Is Back" by Funk Inc. and "Mr. Magic" by Grover Washington Jr., jazz records have always been part of Hip-Hop's "sacred crates", a term popularized by Grandmixer D.ST. In the early days of rap recordings, jazz artists such as Pieces of A Dream ("Mt. Airy Groove"), and Herbie Hancock ("Rock It") have experimented with Hip-Hop to great commercial success. In Hip-Hop's sample heavy era of the mid 1980's through the early 2000's many artists scored hit records, and established their signature sounds with samples from jazz records. Ahead of The Rakim & DJ Jazzy Jeff & Ravi Coltrane Project Produced by Jill Newman Productions at D.C.'s Kennedy Center on Friday April 19, Rock The Bells sat down for an exclusive interview with Rakim and DJ Jazzy Jeff about how jazz informed their formative years. Rakim, who has long compared his game changing cadence and flow to that of a saxophone, comes from a lineage of great musicians, and music played a major role in his upbringing. "My mother sang everything from jazz to opera, and one of her favorite artists of course was Ella Fitzgerald," he explains. "There was also Sarah Vaughn and so many others," he said further. - DJ Jazzy Jeff to Rock The Bells, 2024 GROWING UP WITH JAZZ Rakim, the youngest child in his household credits his siblings with contributing to his love of jazz. "We listened to a lot of jazz, and a lot of r&b/soul," he revealed. "I was the youngest, and my oldest brother and sister went out and bought vinyl, and I had the privilege of enjoying music from all generations. There was Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye from my parents, and then Sly & The Family Stone from my brother, and Stephanie Mills from my sister." DJ Jazzy Jeff shares a similar childhood experience with the God MC. "I was the youngest of six, and being the youngest, I was the last person that was able to pick music," he recalls. "I became a sponge because my dad who passed away when I was ten was an MC for Count Basie, and we had all these 78's [78 RPM vinyl records] in the house. Records by Wes Montgomery, Jimmy Smith, and Arthur Prysock, and my brothers were into the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock, while my sisters were into Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder." Jeff explains that as a result of the musical melting pot that he experienced growing up, he had a stack of music that was played in his house, once Hip-Hop hit the scene. "I have to give credit to my brother for showing me how to take a record out of a jacket when I was eight years old. You put your thumb on the side so you don't get fingerprints on the records. He showed me how to put a record on the turntable, and he gave me the ability to use a hi-fi system when he wasn't home. I was making Herbie Hancock mixtapes at 9 years old. I didn't know what I was doing, but the music that made me feel a certain way, I'd put on tape. RAKIM: THE SAXOPHONIST The musicianship in Rakim's family rubbed off on him, leading to him playing instruments early in his childhood. "My oldest brother played piano, and my brother above me played the saxophone," he explained. "Luckily my brother was lazy and would put his sax down and lay it on the sax case, and when he left I'd pick it up and try to play what he just played, or my favorite song that was out at the time. I got a chance to experience the sax early before kindergarten. I played the recorder until I was able to get my sax in the fourth grade." Being able to play his brothers piano and saxophone really gave Rakim a little more love and understanding of music, he says. "My oldest brother Ronnie was in [Kurtis Blow's touring band] Orange Krush, and he played with Mighty Sparrow, so it was dope to hear those stories. My brother just above me, Stevie Blass played on my records, and was a go to whenever I needed a bassline or something replayed. Actually both of my brothers played on my records, but Stevie was my go to." Rakim remembers his parents basement as a place that he would go to zone out to music. "I was sitting in the basement kinda wrapped up in the music, and my mom and pops had a little section in the basement where they had all their records on the shelf. If they played a record, the album cover would be sittin' there, and we read the covers a lot while the song was playing." Ra says that as he went through the album covers in the basement, he was immediately inspired by a Coltrane tune. "I remember this day sittin' in front of the album covers, not focused on any one in particular," he says. "My mother was playing a John Coltrane record, and I don't remember him playing the same melody twice. When it went off, it felt like the world cut off. It was just so dope how he attacked the record. He basically solo'd or improvised through the whole song. I remember saying 'That's how I wanna flow. I don't wanna repeat a cadence throughout a song. I'm gonna change by cadence every few bars.' It just felt like an adventure that he took us on, that's why when it went off it felt like everything stopped. I felt like if I could emulate that, I figured my songs would have an energy, like he took me on a journey." "I fell in love with the sax, and I felt that if I wanted energy on a track, nothing did it like the horns," Rakim says. "It's a sound that stands out, the bass is the backbone, but them horns set the scene and let you know that something is about to happen, or if this is a laid back scenery. I always love incorporating the horns to bring that energy." A TOUCH OF JAZZ "When Hip-Hop came along, it was a natural evolution for me to fuse what I grew up with to what we were doing,' Jazzy Jeff says. "It wasn't a stretch for me to use 'Mr. Magic', 'Fallin' Like Dominoes, and Bobbi Humphrey because these were records that we had in the house, and just from your siblings and parents you started a record collection. My love of jazz started because I was a victim of being the youngest and listening to whatever was in the house." As far as his later years as a producer and DJ, Jeff says that his "love of music brain" didn't mix with his "producer brain". "I'm a massive fan of Pat Metheny, The Yellow Jackets and stuff like that, but never in a million years thought about using any of it until later on in life. I was using what my brothers played. For my enjoyment I knew the CTI label because of Bob James, and when I started getting into production I learned that all of these labels had a sound. Most of the songs were recorded at the same studio, and I wondered 'how do they make it sound squished', before I knew about compression and limiting." When speaking of Jeff's classic "A Touch of Jazz" from Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's debut album Rock The House, Jeff says that the records that he used on it - Donald Byrd's "Change", Bobbi Humphrey's "Harlem River Drive", and "Mr. Magic" by Grover Washington Jr. were all records introduced to him by his brother. "Those were the records that my brother played, that I'd put on a mixtape," he explained. "One day I decided to make a beat and cut those records in, but I was really self conscious about playing it for anyone. Me and Rakim often talk about this. Early on me and Will did a show with Eric B. & Rakim in a place like North Carolina or somewhere, and after the show we were hanging out in my room and there were a bunch a people and a boombox. I walked into the bathroom, and one song was going off and my rough version of 'A Touch of Jazz' was coming on. I ran out of the bathroom to cut it off, and Eric B. asked 'What the **** is that?' I said 'Something I'm working on.' He was like 'That **** is incredible', and that's what made me do it. That song wasn't supposed to ever see the light of day." THE PHILLY CONNECTION As early as 1982 major jazz figures were experimenting with Hip-Hop. "Mt. Airy Groove" by Pieces Of A Dream was produced by the late great Grover Washington Jr., and contained an instrumental as well as a rap version. Eight years later Grover Washington Jr. would collaborate with Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince for "Jazzy's Groove". "Pieces Of A Dream were my age, and some of the members actually did my prom," Jeff reveals. "Pieces Of A Dream are from Philly, so I knew them from Philly. Grover Washington Jr. is from Philly as well. Once me and Will started, we got love [from older musicians]. Kenny Gamble [of Gamble & Huff and Philly International Records] is like one of my big brothers, so we got love from Teddy Pendergrass and Gamble & Huff. It was like we were being accepted as part of the Philly lineage. I remember Kenny Gamble being like 'That Touch Of Jazz is bad man!'" Jeff says that he had no problem securing Washington for the collaboration. "We put together 'Jazzy's Groove', and he said that he'd love to do it. This was pre Tribe Called Quest, when everybody started diggin' for jazz records. The music was so new that we were still searching for legitimacy, and that's what Grover gave us. " When discussing "A Touch Of Jazz", Jeff explains that the original version released by Word Up records was an instrumental, but when they signed to Jive Records Will wanted to rap on it. "We were in the studio, and Will wanted to rap over it, and I was mad," says Jeff. "That was my piece, but once he put the rap on, it was kinda hot. It was good having two versions though, because there were stations in Philly that only played the instrumental, then the Hip-Hop stations played the one with Will's vocal. BOB JAMES Jeff shared that during the Covid pandemic he received a call with an offer to remix some Bob James songs for an upcoming project. "Bob James actually sued us many years ago for sampling 'Winchester Lady' on 'Here We Go Again'," Jeff shares. "Hip-Hop was new and we were using ****, and people didn't know. During the pandemic, I was forced to shut down and spend a lotta time in the studio and I've never been more creative. During that time I got a call to remix some Bob James classics. I was excited initially then I thought, Bob James isn't dead. Instead of remixing something, I'd like to do something new with him. So we got on the phone and the first thing he said was 'Is this the DJ Jazzy Jeff that we had an issue with?' We laughed about it, and I explained to him why we sample in Hip-Hop. I explained to him that I was able to produce Jill Scott and Musiq Soulchild because I went down the rabbit hole and discovered who played on his records, and he loved it!" Check out The Rakim & DJ Jazzy Jeff & Ravi Coltrane Project Produced by Jill Newman Productions D.C.'s Kennedy Center on Friday April 19. Tickets available here.

What Will did at the Oscars was wrong but people really need to get over it. I'm sick of all the jokes and pearl clutching and with the way people talk you'd think Will beat Chris into a coma FFS.

https://www.vibe.com/news/movies-tv/de-la-soul-fresh-prince-of-bel-air-1234857817/?fbclid=IwAR1C0NpztmRK2IzaGkGVgGi7faHPpIAzumEmyICZ3oT3mKOznTfUpuNu13c_aem_Aa0aYgiraUXIh-qylSJgW5eMRe-SNNhhCsU-31eUt8alB2aLsPvN5FSWVCk4H4Urajc9104XVaRxi4Tt-la9o5ph De La Soul Reveals They Almost Starred In ‘Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air’ The group revealed the information on their new Apple Music 1 show, 'Art Official Intelligence Radio.' BY MARC GRIFFIN MARCH 5, 2024 3:22PM Members of De La Soul arrive at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 21, 2001. Photo credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images Winter/Getty Images De La Soul revealed they were initially approached with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air show before Will Smith. The rap group discussed the fun fact on their new Apple Music show Art Official Intelligence Radio. Queen Latifah joined the iconic group for the conversation as they took a trip down memory lane. Posdnuos explained why the group didn’t go forward with the television series, stating they were “scared.” “A lot of people don’t know, yo, the Fresh Prince thing was offered to us,” Posdnuos said, recalling the early stages of the hit show. “They want us to do this? Russell [Simmons] was like, ‘Yo, y’all need to try out. Go out there.’ We was like, ‘Nah. We do rap and stuff.’ Honestly, we were scared. Seriously, we were scared. And sh*t, I could have been Will Smith. I could have got married to Jada. Damn.” Queen Latifah reassured the emcee, expressing to him that his life still turned out just fine. “You definitely could have. But I think you good where you at right now. I think you good,” she said. Art Official Intelligence Radio with De La Soul debuted on Tuesday (Mar. 5) on Apple Music 1. The show is a limited five-episode series honoring the magical 35th anniversary of their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising. The show, hosted by Posdnuos and Maseo, will feature new interviews, never-before-heard De La lore, and more. Guests set to appear on the show are a wide range of artists and creatives who have been influenced by or worked with the group. Fans can expect appearances from Tyler, The Creator, Common, Questlove of The Roots, Queen Latifah, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, DJ Prince Paul, Rapsody, and Dave Chappelle. The show will also feature a segment called “DemoListen,” where “De La rarities, demos, and early versions of signature hits will be shared with fans for the first time,” according to the official press release. The show is also dedicated to their childhood friend, band member and brother, the late Trugoy the Dove. “Having this show means us being able to connect into every ear listening to serve up our Art soaked in Official Intelligence,” Posdnuos said about the show. “We’ve been blessed to do this since 88 up to 2024 and god willing beyond!” “Having this show is an extension to a dream already fulfilled,” Maseo added. “So, from here on out everything is truly a blessing beyond our expectations.”