A man believed to be 20-year-old rapper Pop Smoke has been “shot and killed” in a suspected armed burglarly on Wednesday morning (19 February). According to Los Angeles police, a number of masked men broke into a property in the Hollywood Hills. Pop Smoke, whose real name is Bashar Barakah Jackson, was at a house in the Hollywood Hills at approximately 4:30am when … Read more
BBC DJ Greg James failing to turn up to his Radio 1 Breakfast Show was pre-planned, it has been revealed. Fans were led to believe that James had been too hungover after attending the Brit Awards afterparty to come in for work. However, his colleague Clara Amfo has since confirmed that James was “taken” and … Read more
Lewis Capaldi had a pithy response to a critic who tried to shame him for drinking at the Brit Awards. The Scottish singer-songwriter, who took home Best New Artist and Best Song at this year’s ceremony, brought a bottle of Buckfast with him as he collected his second prize of the night. Labour activist Leah Franchetti … Read more
Tributes have been paid to 20-year-old rapper Pop Smoke, who is believed to have been “shot and killed” in a suspected armed burglary. According to Los Angeles police, a number of masked men broke into a property in the Hollywood Hills. Pop Smoke, whose real name is Bashar Barakah Jackson, was at a house in the Hollywood … Read more
Neil Young has published a searing open letter in which he bashes Donald Trump as “a disgrace to my country”. Young posted the missive online on Tuesday. The Canadian-born musician, an outspoken opponent to the US president, announced last month that he had become a US citizen and intended to use his new voting rights … Read more
The music video for the hit 1985 song “Take On Me” by A-ha now has more than 1bn views on YouTube. It is only the second music video from the 1980s to reach the milestone, following in the footsteps of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses. The Norwegian pop three-piece had a number one single … Read more
Dave has resurfaced Boris Johnson’s controversial comments about African people, in order to strengthen his claim that the prime minister is “a real racist”. The rapper added lyrics to his song “Black” at this year’s Brit Awards, saying: “The truth is our prime minister is a real racist.” Home secretary Priti Patel then denied this claim, … Read more
The 1975 frontman Matty Healy has confessed that he was too scared to ask Taylor Swift for a collaboration. The singer previously revealed he wants to work on an acoustic album with Swift, but when he met her at this year’s NME Awards, he wasn’t able to broach the subject. Speaking to Zane Lowe on New … Read more
Lana Del Rey has cancelled her entire European and UK tour. The singer announced the news “with regret”, citing illness as the reason. “Sorry to let everyone down so last minute but this illness has taken me by surprise and have totally lost my singing voice,” she said. Download the new Independent Premium app Sharing … Read more
Lil’ Kim has announced that her “check has cleared” after being asked to play Snoop Dogg’s music festival, allaying fears it could have been another disaster similar to the fraudulent Fyre. Shortly after Goldenvoice announced Lovers & Friends Festival, artists featured on the poster, including Lil’ Kim and Ma$e, denied having anything to do with the … Read more