Rap lyrics can't be used against artist charged with killing Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay, judge rules
The man accused of killing Run-DMCโs Jam Master Jay canโt have his rap lyrics used against him at trial.
Hit-Boy enters Grammys with producer nod while helping father navigate music industry after prison
When Hit-Boy walks the Grammy red carpet, he expects to proudly strut into next yearโs awards ceremony with his father beside him for the first time.
Q&A: Hit-Boy talks Grammy producer nod, rapper aspirations
Hit-Boy won top Grammy rap honors with some of hip-hopโs biggest heavyweights, from Jay-Z, Kanye West, known as Ye, to Nas, and now he is ascending into a new musical weight class as a producer.
![New this week: 'Friends' again, Mike Tyson doc & 'Cruella'](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/7xp1UQTxq6TkyYF_eKtUam89ZkE=/800x394/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65):fill(FFF)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/TSEXO4LQZFEQZJGDJCDIJ7VJIY.jpg)
New this week: 'Friends' again, Mike Tyson doc & 'Cruella'
This weekโs new entertainment releases include DMXโs first posthumous album, the documentary โMoby Docโ and the gang from โFriendsโ getting together again.
![Legends come out for hip-hop museum groundbreaking](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/2-1g_lDnnDbbH28kripia5fVuVs=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65):fill(FFF)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/LKKKCQYHX5BLVGHYEVOA4GY2CM.jpg)
Legends come out for hip-hop museum groundbreaking
Musical luminaries including Nas, LL Cool J, and Fat Joe came out to the birthplace of hip-hop for a ground-breaking ceremony to launch the capital campaign for the new Universal Hip Hop Museum.
![Grammys overhaul process for picking nominees for top awards](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/cwCvSqXaiHQTasDz0a8ZksqVHd0=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/CNO3I3HGSFH3JKKJAPHEMKHPEE.jpg)
Grammys overhaul process for picking nominees for top awards
The Grammy Awards have changed its tune and voted to remove its nomination review committees โ groups that determined the contenders for key awards at the coveted music show.
![Recording Registry adds albums by Janet Jackson, Nas](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/2-JMG2ek-uc5jS3lZ-gA3aUTZOM=/2048x954/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/6CFSG2NLRRG6VMQZK4OMHTFNY4.jpg)
Recording Registry adds albums by Janet Jackson, Nas
Jacksons socially conscious album Rhythm Nation 1814, Armstrongs jazzy When the Saints Go Marching In and Nas debut release Illmatic are among 25 recordings being inducted to the National Recording Registry. (AP Photo)LOS ANGELES โ Janet Jacksonโs socially conscious album โRhythm Nation 1814,โ Louis Armstrongโs jazzy โWhen the Saints Go Marching Inโ and Nasโ debut release โIllmaticโ are among 25 recordings being inducted to the National Recording Registry. The Library of Congress announced Wednesday that Labelleโs song โLady Marmaladeโ and Kool & the Gangโs โCelebrationโ are some of the titles tapped for preservation this year. โThe National Recording Registry will preserve our history through these vibrant recordings of music and voices that have reflected our humanity and shaped our culture from the past 143 years,โ Hayden said in a statement. The library selects titles for preservation because of their cultural and historic importance to the American soundscape.
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Super Bowl ads aim to comfort and connect
NEW YORK โ Super Bowl ads each year offer a snapshot of the American psyche. The chance to break into the psyche and (virtual) watercooler talk of an estimated 100 million viewers who will be watching the CBS broadcast of Super Bowl LV on Sunday. This yearโs Super Bowl will showcase more than 20 first-time advertisers โ more than double the 8 from last year if you exclude campaign ads, according to a tally by research firm iSpot. Itโs a bellwether when a brand can afford the estimated $5.5 million cost-of-entry for a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl. In stark contrast to last year's Super Bowl, which featured campaign ads from both Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg, politics is out of sight this year.
![Dr. Dre back home after reported brain aneurysm treatment](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/s-GDy6jsMU8IFSDC7H3MM2Cysho=/1600x1175/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/RMPE7ER75VCPFEABMXQ3MKINO4.jpg)
Dr. Dre back home after reported brain aneurysm treatment
Peter Paterno, an attorney for the rapper and producer, said Dre was home but offered no other details in an email exchange Saturday. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)LOS ANGELES โ Dr. Dre was back at home Saturday after being treated at a Los Angeles hospital for a reported brain aneurysm. Peter Paterno, an attorney for the music mogul, said Dre was home but offered no other details in an email exchange Saturday. On Friday, actor and rapper Ice T posted that he had connected with Dre on FaceTime and that he had โjust made it home. Dre founded Beats Electronics in 2008 with Jimmy Iovine, and six years later they launched a streaming subscription service, Beats Music.
![Leslie West, guitarist of rock band Mountain, has died at 75](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/ozXUC9S5RzLugj4mKSHiX0ppaRI=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/BQW6S423OJETPCO6SAEYBJYBUQ.jpg)
Leslie West, guitarist of rock band Mountain, has died at 75
West, an iconic guitarist-vocalist who was behind several 70s rock anthems including Mississippi Queen with the popular band Mountain, died Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020, in Palm Coast, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File)LOS ANGELES โ Leslie West, an iconic guitarist-vocalist who was behind several '70s rock anthems including โMississippi Queenโ with the popular band Mountain, has died. His spokesman Steve Karas said West died Wednesday in Palm Coast, Florida. Karas said West died from cardiac arrest after being rushed to the hospital. West and Pappalardi ended up starting the hard rock band Mountain, which was named after Westโs debut solo album.
![12 Grammy facts: BTS and Dr. Luke in, The Weeknd out](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/zRdA-CxQg7hAEsbuXtSG3etA-8Q=/1600x1325/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/X2O66E5HTNHKXIOVQUHEVJULUY.jpg)
12 Grammy facts: BTS and Dr. Luke in, The Weeknd out
And it earned him his first Grammy nomination in six years. 3 spot on the pop charts โ is up for best rap song and best rap performance. And Anderson .Paak's โLockdown," about police brutality and racial injustice, is up for best melodic rap performance and best music video. JAY-Z, THE SONGWRITERS, SHINESHappy wife, happy life: Jay-Z has lent his songwriting hand to his wife Beyoncรฉ and he's earned Grammy nominations for it. PAUL McCARTNEY, THE ART DIRECTORPaul McCartney scored his 79th Grammy nominations this year โ as an art director.
![New this week: 'Enola Holmes,' Public Enemy and Bonnaroo](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/6XN7AXug-PxXS2_YQk92BSGEI9Q=/1600x739/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/WGMH4ZKMEVFKLBHASRH6OSH3WE.jpg)
New this week: 'Enola Holmes,' Public Enemy and Bonnaroo
Hereโs a collection curated by The Associated Pressโ entertainment journalists of whatโs arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. MOVIESโ โEnola Holmesโ: Itโs somewhat fitting that โStranger Thingsโ breakout Millie Bobby Brown gets her first starring role in a Netflix film, โEnola Holmes,โ coming to the streamer Wednesday. โ The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival was supposed to take place in June in Tennessee but was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. This week, though, the festival is launching Virtual ROO-ALITY, a three-night live broadcast featuring new performances as well as content from the Bonnaroo archive. The two-hour film will be available at 7 p.m. EDT Tuesday at pbs.org/frontline and on YouTube at 9 p.m. EDT.
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Country music reckons with racial stereotypes and its future
This combination of photos shows country singer Rissi Palmer, from left, Chuck Harmony, left, and Claude Kelly of Louis York and country rapper Breland. Black artists say the country music industry still needs to do the hard work of addressing the systematic racial barriers that have been entrenched in country music for decades. The genre has historically been marketed to white audiences and reinforced white male artist stereotypes. (Chris Charles via AP, left, Jeremy Ryan via AP, center and Paul R. Giunta/Invision/AP)