Schoolboy Q is sick of answering questions about Mac Miller, so don’t ask him.
During a recent concert Q&A, a fan brought up Miller, who died in 2018 from an accidental overdose involving fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol. Afterwards, Schoolboy Q replied very candidly.
“I wish people would stop asking me about my dead friend like it’s f**king something I’ma be so happy to talk about,” the rapper said. “Like, that s**t gets old. Everywhere I go, people are asking me about my dead friend like it’s a f**king fun time to talk about my dead friend.”
Ultimately, the fan apologized, and Schoolboy Q responded, “I appreciate it, bro.”
Mac Miller died in 2018, with his death ruled an accidental overdose
To be fair, Schoolboy Q has publicly talked about Mac Miller’s death and how it impacted him. In a 2019 interview with Charlamagne Tha God, Schoolboy was very transparent about how he was feeling.
“To this day I don’t understand how I can’t call my n***a no more,” Q explained in the clip shared on Instagram. “Losing a soul to gangbanging is way different than losing a friend that’s like… an innocent kid… super pure.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Schoolboy Q grew teary as he talked about Miller. “Man, that’s my n***a bruh. I’ve got memories with that n***a. I could never write a song,” he paused to wipe away tears. “Man, I don’t even know if I want to put this in the thing, man. I don’t want to look like I’m exploiting the situation because I’ve got an album out and I’m crying and sh*t.” He later wrote a comment on the post, calling his explanation “weak.”
Notably, Schoolboy Q revealed that he did have a chance to play his CrasH Talk (2019) album for Mac Miller before he passed. The pair’s final conversation was a FaceTime call. At the time, Miller was in the studio shooting a video.
Schoolboy Q has gone on to drop one more record since CrasH Talk: 2024’s Blue Lips. He will reportedly drop his next album, THank Que, in 2027.
You made it through another week, and you deserve some new tunes as a reward! Enjoy!
“OVER THE VIOLENT SUN” by Tony Iommi
Heavy metal godfather Tony Iommi drops his newest solo album, From The Dark, featuring the song “Over The Violent Sun”.
You should definitely listen to the entire record, but this track is a killer starting point. With a killer band behind him and vocalist Jørn Lande behind the mic, Iommi has crafted a dark, powerful metal epic. It’s very reminiscent of Black Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell album/spin-off supergroup.
Queue it up and just wait for that solo at the end. It is *chef’s kiss*.
“Panic Attack” by MXPX
The legendray PNW Punkers are back and as good as ever!
Today, the band released “Panic Attack”, a new song from their forthcoming 12th studio album, Living In The Chaos.
This is good ol’ fashion pop-punk the way god intended: fun, fast, and friendly. It’s got a driving drum beat, dope guitar riffs, and anthemic vocals.
Play this one loud, with the windows down, and sing along!
“Runaway” by The Yagas
Fronted by actress Vera Farmiga, The Yagas seem hell-bent on their mission to revive 80s goth rock.
Somewhere between Blondie and the Sisters of Mercy falls “Runaway”, The Yagas’ newest single. There are some great New Wave elements at play here, and there’s an underlying manical quality that’s held down by a really solid rhythm section.
It all crescendos into a great guitar solo, heralding the end. Make sure you add this one to your Halloween 2026 playlist.
“Let There Be Light” by Polyphia
I’m gonna be screaming Polyphia’s praises for all my days.
The instrumental prog metal band has finally unveiled their fifth album, Be Not Afraid, and it’s just banger after banger.
AS part of the album’s rollout, the band has released a music video for the song “Let There Be Light”, and I don’t know that there’s a better way to define what is happening here. The track is bright; it moves with Polyphia’s well-honed sense of timing; and overall it just feels like being bathed in a warm, comforting light.
I’m gonna call this Djent Gospel, and I am so here for it.
“Crackology” by PeelingFlesh
Finally, anchoring the list this week, is the Oklahoma boys from PeelingFlesh.
The slam band dropped a new tune this week, “Crackology”, and it’s an absolute a**-beater.
There’s really not anything else you need me to say.
Every hip-hop fan knows the canonical classic mixtapes in the genre and culture. There’s Section.80 by Kendrick Lamar, Kush and Orange Juice by Wiz Khalifa, Pilot Talk by Curren$y, and So Far Gone by Drake are some of many all-time projects from the blog era alone. That doesn’t even account for the days where Lil Wayne was proving he was the best rapper alive or 50 Cent was hosting G-Unit Radio. You used to have to get your tapes out of the trunks of cars if you wanted what was hot.
However, there are many classic mixtapes that can often go overlooked in history for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, they’re just not on streaming services for copyright issues. People got comfortable with the easy convenience of having it on Spotify and Apple Music. Consequently, if it wasn’t readily available, it risked being forgotten entirely.
Moreover, some mixtapes get tossed aside by other classics in their catalogue. Then, it’s as if the others don’t exist at all. But in the spirit of remembering projects that might go forgotten otherwise, we highlighted three classic projects fans desperately need to revisit.
Three Fantastic Mixtapes That Fans Absolutely Need to Revisit
The Champ is Here by Jadakiss
Jadakiss embodied the true spirit of hip-hop on his The Champ is Here tapes. The rap game was founded on competition and he viewed himself as the heavyweight champion of the world due to his barrage of punchlines. DJ Green Lantern gassed him up constantly throughout the project like a cornerman coaching him into another round. Mixtapes like these proved to be exhibition for Jadakiss, giving him firm arguments in the best rapper alive conversations with Lil Wayne and Jay-Z.
Chapter 16 – Late Night F**kin Yo B***h by DJ Screw
There’s so much Houston hip-hop history that only locals and diehard rap fans know about through YouTube uploads and physical copies of DJ Screw mixtapes. Rappers you may have never heard of would get their careers off the grounds through freestyles on his projects. Moreover, certain songs took on new contexts completely due to the chopped and screwed nature of Screw’s mixes.
Some of his most inspired works came from reworking R&B slow jams through his syrupy vision. Chapter 16 – Late Night F**kin Yo B***h is dedicated completely towards turning a hot and raunchy anthems into molasses. Teddy Pendergrass’s hefty voice goes even deeper on “Love TKO” and Screw lets you savor Janet Jackson’s intimate whispers by chopping them on “Any Time, Any Place”. Chapter 16 acts as the most approachable Screw tape for anyone unfamiliar with his style because he operates with tried-and-true classics in R&B.
Verda Terrace by Curren$y and DJ Drama
Frequently, Curren$y fans will cite his classic Pilot Talk mixtapes or Covert Coup with The Alchemist as his opuses. However, that fact constantly undermines some of his equally strong material during his historic blog era run. Take Verda Terrace, Spitta’s answer to yacht rock where he breezily raps with a blunt in hand and sand in his feet.
DJ Drama’s endearing hype-man antics makes the chill time energetic, keeping listeners from lounging too deep into the record. Quietly, we can point to Verda Terrace as the blueprint for Tyler, The Creator’s effort at a Gangsta Grillz tape in 2021 with Call Me If You Get Lost.
Photo by Ben DeSoto/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
It’s only a week before Halloween, and Ryan Gosling is reanimating his indie-art-rock duo with musician Zach Shields just in time. Dead Man’s Bones is back from the dead with new music on the way, according to a post on the band’s Instagram.
17 years after Gosling and Shields collaborated with the Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir for their solitary self-titled album, the duo is releasing something new on October 27. Dead Man’s Bones was built around Halloween from the start, and the teaser makes it clear that wasn’t a one-off theme.
The announcement features a green spiral slowly spinning against a black backdrop. Resembling a grainy retro television, the spiral turns for a moment before the ghostly visage of a man appears.
He then speaks the words, “Dead man’s bones must wait to rise, from the house where shadows cry. All of this must change Oct. 27, when our ghosts must leave our world for this, to dance with us at twilight time, and bring your hand to lie in mine.”
Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields Are Back as Dead Man’s Bones Just In Time for Halloween
For those who have been watching closely, Ryan Gosling’s partner Eva Mendes actually teased new music from the duo on social media. She made a post with the caption, “Trying to summon new music from Dead Man’s Bones.”
In a roundabout way, we have Mendes to thank for this Halloween treat. Like Victor Frankenstein, she shocked Dead Man’s Bones back to life. Cue a mob of fans shouting “It’s alive! It’s alive!” Or, maybe she just asked Ryan Gosling to make more music with Zach Shields, and he said yes.
Following the confirmation, Mendes posted, “He came through on his promise to me.” So, most likely the latter scenario then.
Dead Man’s Bones has been dormant since their 2009 album, but they’ve never lost their cult following. The news of upcoming music has fans wondering what they’ll do next. Another collaboration with the Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir almost 20 years later? An elaborate concept? More puppets?
Whatever it is, it’s a Halloween miracle that Gosling found time to get together with Shields again. Between the Oscar campaign for Project Hail Mary and likely prepping for the Star Wars: Starfighter press tour next year, plus appearing in Marvel’s next Ghost Rider adaptation? He’s definitely been busy with his day job. But if the Dead Man’s Bones comeback proves anything, it’s that Halloween will find a way no matter how busy you are.
Black Sabbath released their final album, 13, after an 18-year break following Forbidden from 1995. This album marked Ozzy Osbourne’s first with the band since 1978, and also brought bassist Geezer Butler back after almost 20 years. For the first time in decades, three original members of Black Sabbath were making an album together—Osbourne, Butler, and guitarist Tony Iommi.
But as Iommi revealed in an October 2026 interview with Planet Rock, working with legendary producer Rick Rubin on that album wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. Rubin is widely known for his eccentric work ethic and philosophies. But in this case, Iommi found his behavior more strange than eccentric.
“On our last Sabbath album we did with [producer] Rick Rubin, we didn’t have time to absorb what we’d done,” Iommi began. “Because Rick wouldn’t talk to the others. He talked to me, and I’d have to tell them. I don’t know what happened there.”
Producer Rick Rubin Only Spoke to the Rest of Black Sabbath Through Guitarist Tony Iommi During ’13’ Recording Sessions
Speaking of the recording sessions for Black Sabbath’s 2013 final album, Tony Iommi recalled a specific moment of weirdness. They recorded most of the album at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La studio in Malibu, California, and Iommi described an incident that occurred right before taking a weekend off.
“Rick phoned me on the Friday and said, ‘Oh, could you come up with a song like ‘Planet Caravan’ [from Black Sabbath’s 1970 album Paranoid] to record on Monday?'” Iommi said. “I went, ‘What?!’ [He said] ‘You come up with a song.’ [I went], ‘Blimey!'”
He added, “So, I worked on this idea and [Rubin] said, ‘We can record it Monday.’ But nobody else [in Black Sabbath] knew.” Because of Rick Rubin’s unexplainable decision to only speak with Black Sabbath through Tony Iommi, no one else in the band was aware of the new song.
“We got in there Monday, and Rick said, ‘We’re going to put this song down,'” Iommi continued. “Geezer went, ‘What song?!’ [Rubin replied], ‘Well, Tony’s done a song here. We’re going to put that down.’ [Geezer] went, ‘I don’t even know what it is. I don’t know what key [it] is.'”
Talk about being blindsided. The band ended up getting the song down, said Iommi, “But it was such an awkward situation.”
Geezer Butler Called Rubin’s Work Ethic ‘Mad’, but Also ‘Good For Publicity’
In 2022, Geezer Butler discussed 13 on an episode of The Eddie Trunk Podcast, recalling the process of working with Rubin. While his own opinions on the producer leaned more favorable overall, he did recall several moments that seemed a bit ridiculous. For example, Rubin told them to pretend they weren’t a heavy metal band.
“That was the first thing [Rick Rubin] said to us,” said Butler. “He played us our very first album, and he said, ‘Cast your mind back to then when there was no such thing as heavy metal or anything like that, and pretend it’s the follow-up album to that.’ Which is a ridiculous thing to think.”
Butler also mentioned that Rubin pushed Ozzy Osbourne to redo so many vocal tracks that the frontman eventually exploded. “I think Ozzy one day went nuts ’cause he’d done, like, 10 different vocals, and Rick kept saying, ‘Yeah, that’s great, but do another one,'” said Butler. “And Ozzy was, like, ‘If it’s great, why am I doing another one?’ He just lost it.”
Blueface and Chrisean Rock have split again. This time, the breakup comes just days after they got engaged, following rumors that Rock was pregnant.
According to XXL, the pair got into a hug fight on Oct. 21, 2026. This was after Blueface was arrested and released from jail in connection to a swatting incident the pair endured. The rapper allegedly delayed or obstructed a police investigation.
The couple livestreamed their war of words on Kick, and it all apparently started after Rock made some comment about Blueface’s arrest. “That’s why you went to jail,” he recalled her saying. Blueface asked her to leave his room so he could vent in his stream room, but she wouldn’t go. Instead, she told him to “calm down” repeatedly, and eventually he had enough.
Blueface and Chrisean Rock share one child
Blueface finally shoved Rock out of his room and began talking to his chat followers. “She think she run something, she control something,” he said. “You think the program finna change for you?”
The rapper then brought up Rock’s quote about him going to jail. “I equate that to if something tragic happened to you in your life and a muthaf**ka tried to validate that. What?” he questioned. “That sounds like you got a little satisfaction. [That comment] just f**ked my whole state of mind up with her. What do you mean by that? You’re happy about that? That validated you? Her telling me that earlier let me know that b**ch is here to prove a point.”
Citing comments from Rock in her own livestream, XXL reported that she said their relationship is over. She also reportedly said something regarding Blueface asking “her to wipe him after going to the bathroom.” This was ironic to her since she feels that he allegedly often labels her as clingy.
Chrisean Rock started dating Blueface in 2020
In yet another separate livestream, Blueface offered some more explict comments on his feelings for Rock. “Just talking while I’m talking and s**t. B**ch, shut the f**k up! B**ch, let me talk! You not even saying s**t,” the rapper told his chat followers. “I can’t do that s**t for years and years, chat. That’s for sure gonna end in domestic violence. I’ll pass. I identify with that.”
“She doesn’t know how to calm me down,” he continued. “She actually hypes me up a little too f**king much. It’s just not a good mixture for me. I’ve grown up a little bit. See sh*t before it happens. I don’t want that to happen.”
Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Lemuel Plummer/ Zeus Network
Prince has never been a stranger to controversy. He constantly challenged gender and sex norms both musically and aesthetically. Back in the 80s, it was extremely taboo to try and tackle any of those kinds of ideas. But he released enough timeless records and fantastic albums at such a prolific rate, it was impossible to ignore him.
However, there is one song in his catalogue that has gone under the radar for years, and it’s his most controversial by far. Back in 1980, Prince released his subversive, rugged album Dirty Mind. Towards the end of the album, there’s “Sister”, an inflammatory song about incest. He sang about being 16 years old and being preyed upon by his 32-year-old sister and how it sparked his sexual awakening.
“My sister never made love to anyone else but me/She’s the reason for my, uh, sexuality/Showed me where it’s supposed to go/A blow job doesn’t mean blow/Incest is everything it’s said to be,” the Minnesotan legend cooed.
Naturally, fans and skeptics alike were aghast at how he could sing about such a wild topic. Moreover, it begged the question: did he actually have sex with his sister?
Prince Released an Insanely Controversial Song About Incest Back in 1980
The Purple Rain star never made it explicitly clear whether or not “Sister” came from a real place or not. The initial instinct is to believe that he’s trying to spark a reaction from the audience, given the rest of the X-rated songwriting on Dirty Mind.
However, a 1981 interview with the Kingsport Times-News suggested that Prince only wanted to write from his own experiences. Not doing so made him especially thorny towards the state of the industry at the time.
“I only write about things that occur,” he told the publication. “I’m not going to sit around and make up a bunch of phony stories about fantasies and such and put that out. That would make me a lot of money, but it’s not the way it should be done. I’m not going to bow down to the establishment to make records like they want me to make. That’s why there’s a record sales slump.”
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Prince talked about it as just another part of life. “It’s something that’s inside of all of us to some degree, whether we like it or not. We may think about it or encounter it in some form or other,” he said.
Longtime drummer for Finnish rock band The 69 Eyes is stepping away for a bit due to illness. Jussi 69, real name Jussi Vuori, posted a statement to the band’s social media on October 22, 2026. He shared the news with fans of his temporary departure following a viral meningitis diagnosis.
“Dear all! I’m truly sorry to share that I’ve been diagnosed with nasty infection (viral meningitis),” he wrote. “I need to rest and follow my doctors orders, which means no physical activity or drumming for now.”
The glam-goth band has several dates scheduled throughout Finland until the end of 2026. For the remaining shows, Jussi will be replaced by his drum tech, Vilho Rajala. In the statement, Jussi gave Rajala his seal of approval as his temporary replacement.
The statement continued, “The 69 Eyes will play all upcoming tour dates, with my amazing drum tech Vilho Rajala, who knows our songs by heart, filling in for me for the first couple of weeks.”
The 69 Eyes Drummer To Take Temporary Break Following Illness, Fans Send Supportive Messages
Jussi concluded the post with a personal note to fans, sharing his hopes that he’d return to the stage soon. “I’ve always given 100% at every show, but right now I need to focus on getting better so I can come back stronger than ever!” he wrote. “I hope you understand. I love you all and hope to see you at the shows very soon!”
The comment section of the post was full of support from fans and famous friends. This included a comment from Rajala, who wrote, “I’ve got your back & will do my best. Get well soon!” Samy Elbanna, guitarist for Finnish metal band Lost Society, commented, “Get well soon brother!!!!”
Fans commented well-wishes, urging Jussi to take his time to fully recover. “Sending you lots of good vibes and love. Wishing you a smooth and speedy recovery!” one fan wrote. Many others commented similar statements, flooding the post with support.
The 69 Eyes most recently released one of their older hits as a single. In September 2026, the band gave “Brandon Lee (Forma Acustica)” a standalone release after 26 years. It was initially featured on their 2000 album, Blessed Be, and became a huge international hit. Another big hit was “Lost Boys” from 2005, which has since become a staple of the Halloween season.
As for their current I Survive Tour, the band is scheduled to play 11 shows in Finland starting on October 30. They have a hometown show in Helsinki on December 5, before ending the year with a show in Munich, Germany, on December 31.
The last time “Cold Little Heart” singer Michael Kiwanuka visited Seattle, I mistook the 7 o’clock start printed on my concert ticket for the doors-open time, only to arrive as he performed the “Big Little Lies” theme . . . and bid the audience goodnight. I sheepishly assured my husband that was OK; we’d catch his next tour.
Cut to a September 2026 interview with The Guardian, a month before his fifth album, “Fudge,” was due to come out: Kiwanuka revealed he’d suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in July 2025. He’s rehabilitating but still struggles to speak, in addition to other impairments he’d rather not make public. Suffice it to say, no one knows when Kiwanuka will tour again. His full, peaceful recovery comes first, of course. This news also reminded me to never take anything or anyone we cherish for granted.
Until we can applaud the performer’s return to the stage, attending a vinyl bar’s listening session for “Fudge” is about as close to that elating experience as a person can get for now. That’s what I did last week, driving across town to hear it a week before its release.
No recording can ever replace the feeling of hearing a singular talent like Kiwanuka live, although his music’s airy psychedelia stirs the soul whether it plays through headphones, tinny car speakers, or the most modest of home sound systems. But top-of-the-line audio equipment allows his work to truly soar.
Kiwanuka is a sonic artificer of the highest level, capturing lofty hope and languid melancholia in liquid waves that crash and surge around his voice. That comes through magnificently on “Fudge,” which was modestly engineered compared to 2024’s “Small Changes.” That was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Inflo and Danger Mouse, whereas this came together in a simple Southampton studio in the U.K. As such, a close-to-home comfort infuses “Fudge” with real tenderness without sacrificing any of Kiwanuka’s signature sonic luxuriance.
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Kiwanuka’s latest is a sun-soaked daydream of an album awash in afternoon light. It’s easy to get lost in its layers of strings, to chase a cello’s lusty glide past innocent piano notes. But it also has a purposeful solidity, announced by a snippet of an interview with jazz legend Chick Corea that leads into the nostalgic “Summer Clothes.”
“The simplest thing to forget is that what music is about, and any kind of art form is about, is creating the kind of things that you think are beautiful,” says Corea. With “Fudge,” Kiwanuka has certainly done that.
Is there such a thing as rocking out too hard? For Nile guitarist and vocalist Karl Sanders, apparently, there is, and doing so has radically altered the trajectory of his life. In a message shared across social media, he revealed that he underwent a “multilevel spinal fusion surgery” in his neck.
Apparently, after years of head-banging in the band, the effects took a massive toll on his neck. Now, after the much-needed operation, he’s going to be well enough to join the rest of Nile for the European leg of their Underworld tour. Additionally, had Sanders tried to endure the pain any further, he could’ve risked being paralyzed for the rest of his life.
“Disc degeneration, decades of headbanging, a martial arts injury 11 years ago, and a long stretch of stress have taken a toll on my health. I’d been dealing with pain from pressure on my spinal cord and nerves,” Karl Sanders said.
“But when I developed constant numbness in my right hand this year, I knew I couldn’t put it off. Scans showed severe narrowing around my spinal cord, along with signs of injury to the cord itself. My doctors made it clear that surgery was necessary. Without it, I was facing further permanent damage, including a very real risk of paralysis.”
Nile’s Karl Sanders Revealed He Could’ve Been Paralyzed If He Didn’t Go Get Surgery on His Neck
Additionally, he joked that the operation left him with “a little more metal in me now.” Now, he’s on the road to recovery that should prepare him for tour starting in late November.
“The surgery went well, and I’m putting in the work on recovery. The neck and shoulder pain is easing, and my throat is healing,” Karl Sanders shared. “I’m walking 2–3 miles a day, doing Occupational Therapy for my right hand three times a week, following my doctor’s instructions, and playing LOTS of guitar.”
The only real downside is that he won’t do the same head-banging he’s used to. However, the surgery allows Sanders to continue to do what he loves and put food on the table. “Making music is what I love, but it’s also how I make my living. Metal doesn’t come with paid medical leave,” Karl Sanders added.
“I won’t be doing any more onstage headbanging, but that’s OK. I have done more than my share of headbanging during my career, and I am thankful that I can still actively tour and Make Metal for the fans.”
It’s been 31 years since Circle Jerks released their final album, Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities in 1995. But as of October 2026, the L.A. hardcore icons have announced a new release, slated for November 20.
The band is releasing a four-track EP, titled Revenge of Nervous Breakdown. While the tracks themselves aren’t completely new compositions, they’re re-recordings of existing songs from frontman Keith Morris’ time with Black Flag. “Depression”, “Fix Me”, “Revenge”, and “Nervous Breakdown” originally appeared on Black Flag’s 1979 debut EP Nervous Breakdown.
Longtime Circle Jerks fans can get Revenge of Nervous Breakdown on 7″ vinyl, CD, and cassette, as well as digital format. Additionally, the EP includes new artwork by Raymond Pettibon, who designed Black Flag’s earliest album art.
Morris formed Circle Jerks in 1979, when he left Black Flag after two years. His new band went on to become hugely influential in the hardcore punk scene, inspiring everyone from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to The Offspring to Pearl Jam.
Circle Jerks To Release EP of Re-Recorded 1979 Black Flag Classics
Alongside this exciting EP release, Circle Jerks also have a run of live dates scheduled. On November 14, they’re among the lineup for Darker Waves Festival in Huntington Beach, California. They’ll join acts like Morrissey, The Smashing Pumpkins, Bad Religion, Buzzcocks, The Damned, Manic Street Preachers, and more.
Then, in December, they kick off a handful of exclusively California shows. The live performances include a screening of the 1984 film Repo Man, which notably featured Circle Jerks performing “Coup d’État”. Shows begin in Sacramento on December 4, hitting Monterey, San Francisco, Fresno, and Los Angeles before concluding in Gardena on December 12.
Circle Jerks have disbanded several times in their storied history. After gaining popularity following their appearance in the 1980 Penelope Spheeris documentary The Decline of Western Civilization, they disbanded in 1984. This allowed guitarist Greg Hetson to join Bad Religion full time, however. Once reunited in 1994, they released their final album, Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities, the following year. Another break-up, another reunion in 2001 with periodic live shows. What seemed to be their final split came in 2011.
However, the band reunited once more in 2020 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their debut album, Group Sex. Since then, they’ve spent time touring with Descendants since 2023, and played Coachella in 2025. Now, fans are finally getting the current Circle Jerks sound in its studio-recorded glory.
Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella
80s rock singer Kip Winger has revealed he’s suffered from vocal-cord paralysis. The revelation comes amid confusion concerning the retirement status of his band, Winger.
During an October 2026 episode of SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, Kip Winger opened up about his band playing shows this year, even after announcing their retirement in 2025. Their final gig was originally an August 2025 show at the Rainbow Bar & Grill Backyard Bash in West Hollywood, California. According to the singer, it was necessarily a planned hiatus, but there had been talk of slowing down.
“We toured a lot for the last five years,” Kip said, as transcribed by Blabbermouth. “I was wanting more time to focus on the other writing I’m doing. I had a lot of trouble with my voice.” He then shared his medical diagnosis: “I’ve got this paralysis in my vocal cord, so it’s very difficult to get my voice up and running, but I can do it.”
Kip Winger revealed that he has been dealing with vocal cord paralysis
Kip then brought up that Rainbow Bar gig from 2025. He sincerely thought it would be his final show for a while. “I was telling everybody, like, ‘This is gonna be my last show for a while, because I’m doing other s**t.’ And f**k if Marq Torien [of ’80s rock band the BulletBoys] didn’t go out there and go, ‘This is Kip’s retirement gig.'”
“He said it the whole set,” Kip added. “So that’s how it got spread. I never announced it, but I was thinking we were gonna go from 35, 40 shows a year down to, like, six or seven, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Speaking about Winger’s 2026 gigs, Kip confirmed that they haven’t played too many. He noted that the gig they were at—The Sands.rocks music festival in Cancún, Mexico—was nearly the end of the line.
“Ten, maybe. Twelve,” he said, counting the band’s 2026 concerts. “This is our last show of the year. No — we’re going to Chicago and Detroit in two days. And that’s our last show. And then the first show of next year will be the [Monsters Of Rock] cruise. And then we’re getting some offers and stuff, which is weird, because I told my agent — I quoted a number that I thought was so high we’d never get it, and we’re getting it.”
If you've been feeling nostalgic for your old iPod, you can head over to Apple Music's 404 page to listen to music on a virtual re-creation of the first-generation iPod. The hidden iPod was spotted by users on social media on Friday. It's appropriately stocked with music from the early 2000s, like Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" or Gorillaz's "Feel Good Inc." The iPod seems to pop up on any non-existent Apple Music page, so you can find it by just adding a string of random letters after the main Apple Music URL.
Cardi B is no stranger to beef. She’s bickered back and forth with seemingly everyone, from Nicki Minaj to Latto to BIA. Typically, a lot of her biggest feuds have died out uneventfully, largely due to the fact that she spent several years between dropping albums. But after a while, making enemies so often has to be exhausting.
Consequently, during a Spaces talk with fans on X, Cardi stated her intentions to leave the beef alone and mind her own business. But it’s not just out of sheer exhaustion— she’s really just bored with it.
“I don’t even give a f**k about these b***hes anymore,” Cardi B told fans. “To be honest with you, it’s like, I don’t even like beefing with rap b***hes anymore, because it’s kinda boring. I wanna be for street b***hes, ‘cause y’all? Y’all boring me, for real. Like, I don’t even give a f**k about this s**t anymore. It’s just like, whatever. Matter of fact, I don’t even wanna be for nobody… I feel like I’m outgrowing a lot of s**t.”
Of course, this is easier said than done. If other women in hip-hop throw shots at her, wouldn’t she be compelled to respond? Cardi said she plans on actively ignoring any subliminal shots because she’s too old to engage in petty drama.
Cardi B Tries to Leave the Beef Alone After X Spaces Session
“So no, I don’t give a f**k if a b***h wake up, mad as f**k, and start dissing me and start subbing me,” she stressed. “B***hes been f**king fake trying to sub me and s**t for months straight. … I’m a 34-year-old woman.”
For what it’s worth, Cardi B has went above and beyond trying to repair old feuds. Back in June 2026, she responded to a leaked phone call where she called Atlanta rapper Latto, “p***y a** Latto.” Rather than double down on the slander, the Bronx MC admitted that she shouldn’t have been so cruel and belligerent.
“On that call I didn’t even mean to call you that, I didn’t mean any harm,” Cardi B said in a lengthy apology. “There’s a difference in what I said vs what I meant. What I could have said was you was too forgiving and gave too much mercy in that situation.. But it was a heated conversation and I let my mouth get the best of me.”
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
The pseudoscientific self-help book by Rhonda Byrne rode a 2006 Oprah Winfrey endorsement to the tune of tens of millions of copies sold. It pushes the “law of attraction,” the idea that the universe is built on positive and negative energies, and that like sticks with like. In short, if you think regularly about the things you want and maintain a positive attitude, those things are more likely to come your way.
That’s the gist, anyway. Honestly, I never read it. But its ubiquity in the aughts, its reputation for being largely composed of quotations and the relative unoriginality of the premise — which adds a bit of woo-woo to the idea that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar — makes it feel like I have. Even if I was completely unaware of the New Thought movement, or if I’d never heard the name Norman Vincent Peale, I’d have some idea of what Byrne was on about. I’ve been a Jay-Z fan for most of my life.
The rapper has been manifesting his second act as a power player for nearly his entire career. Outside of some early, Das Efx-indebted features in the early ‘90s, Shawn Carter has been manifesting moguldom across his discography.
It’s right there on the cover of his 1996 debut “Reasonable Doubt.” The black-and-white photo and early computer-assisted graphic design look chintzy now, especially when held up to the art-directed and museum-curated sheen of his later work. But there’s no mistaking what Jay-Z is going for with his fedora, scarf and cigar. This kid from Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects is no street-level striver. He’s a boss.
It carries into track one, where a middleman is warning some lackey not to cross Carter. The first thing anyone hears about Jay-Z is in reverential tones, fit for a short-tempered kingpin. You get the sense that you might get to meet him someday, if you play your cards right. But for now, he’s out of your reach and your tax bracket. What follows is nearly an hour of opulent sh*t talk, laid over lush soul and jazz samples handpicked by producers with names like DJ Premier. It sounds slick and established. It sounds expensive. Most importantly, it sounds unhurried and in control. This was oligarch rap from the latest king of New York.
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In 1996, Jay-Z was far from the billionaire multihyphenate we know today. He was co-owner of Roc-A-Fella Records, but at that time the label was mostly a means to release his debut after being turned away by several majors. He kept putting out the idea that he was already a magnate to anyone with a Walkman, while still scrabbling behind the scenes.
Case in point: Two platinum records weren’t enough to convince the copyright holders of the musical “Annie” to clear a sample for Jay-Z’s third album. The multi-billionaire of 2026 might have flashed a wad of cash. ‘90s Jay Z (sans hyphen in several ways) wrote a letter.
It’s just the latest example of Jay-Z putting what he wants out into the universe and getting it back.
“I made up this story about how when I was a seventh grader in Bed-Stuy, our teacher held an essay contest, and the three best papers won the writer a trip to the city to see ‘Annie,’” he told Grantland in 2014. “I wrote that from the moment the curtain came up I felt like I understood honey’s story. Of course, I’d never been to see ‘Annie’ on Broadway. But I had seen the movie on TV.”
That album went platinum six times over, but even in the heady pre-Napster era, that wasn’t private yacht money. You wouldn’t know that if you saw the “Big Pimpin’” video, though. Jay-Z kept up the facade of globe-trotting mogul through several more albums, and that fantasy inched closer to reality with each release. He launched a clothing brand. He opened a nightclub. He was still talent, though, calling for the suits to “pay us like you owe us” on his hit “Izzo.” More than a decade later, Jay-Z would make good on the idea that “money talks so talk more bucks” when he launched a streaming service that paid higher royalty rates than its competitors.
On mic, he started referring to himself as the “best rapper alive.” Knowing that hall-of-famers go out with a bit of ceremony and their jersey in the rafters, he announced a short-lived retirement with “The Black Album.” Briefly free from a grueling release schedule, he bought a stake in the NBA’s Nets and pushed them to move to Brooklyn. He became the CEO of Def Jam Records. His mogul dreams made real, Jay returned to rapping with the flair and distant remove of a bored emperor. He was a moneymaker first and foremost, not a businessman but a business, man. He’d spoken it into existence 16 bars at a time.
In that context, it’s not at all surprising that Jay-Z may have hand-selected himself to headline next year’s Super Bowl halftime show. Puck broke the news that Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s entertainment conglomerate, had tagged the rapper for the championship game. Roc has produced the halftime show for the NFL since 2019, and Jay-Z is currently touring to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his debut album. It would be a natural fit, even without the hitmaker’s behind-the-scenes ties. He’s already a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. He just wrapped up the release of an eight-part docuseries with producer/guru Rick Rubin on HBO Max.
Pressed on the leaks, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell took on the tone of intelligence services, refusing to confirm or deny the news.
“I am not aware of a leak,” Goodell said in a news conference earlier this week. “I’ve been in the committee meetings. So, I’m not sure it’s a leak. We haven’t announced anything. Until we do, we won’t make any comment on that.”
If it turns out to be true, it’s just the latest example of Jay-Z putting what he wants out into the universe and getting it back. He turned down an offer to perform at the halftime show over a decade ago, telling The New York Times that he did not appreciate the way the league negotiated. Per Jay-Z, the NFL’s offer hung on bringing along Kanye West and Rihanna, who were two-thirds of his 2009 hit “Run This Town.”
“Of course I would have,” Jay-Z said in 2020, “but I said, ‘No, you get me.’ That is not how you go about it, telling someone that they’re going to do the halftime show contingent on who they bring. I said forget it. It was a principle thing.”
Jay-Z got the last laugh. After the 2019 halftime show landed with a thud, he was brought on to produce the event and has helmed it since. Rhonda Byrne told readers that “your thoughts become things.” Jay-Z told us that he would always pick himself. Who does he know fresher than Hov? Riddle him that.
Hip-hop mogul Dame Dash has reportedly auctioned off his life rights for $550,000. The sale was a result of Dash’s ongoing bankruptcy issues. The rap icon won’t receive any of the revenue, as it will all go to repay his creditors.
According to Complex, on Oct. 21, 2026, a trustee managing the Roc-a-Fella co-founder’s bankruptcy process served notice that the auction was complete. The trustee reported the life rights sale to a Florida court that has been supervising Dashing’s bankruptcy.
The winning bid was Everlasting Films, LLC. The company paid $550,000 for exclusive, global rights to Dame’s life story. The deal also included “100 hours of video content, photographs, and memorabilia.”
Dame Dash has sold his life rights to a film company
Additionally, Everlasting Films will get the rights to “an unreleased, in-development documentary/film project” related to the music mogul. Notably, Everlasting Films was the same company that made a $37,000 “stalking horse” bid at the beginning of the process.
However, there is a caveat. If Everlasting Films does not close the deal within the required period, the rights will pass to a runner-up bid. Also, for half a million dollars, the runner-up bid was made by a man named Doug Peters.
IN 2015, Dame Dash filed for bankruptcy
Back in September 2025, Dame Dash filed for bankruptcy. At the time, the former Roc-a-Fella boss claimed he was $25 million in debt, with only $4,350 in liquidated personal assets. One year later, the process of selling Dash’s life rights began.
In August 2026, Trustee Traci K. Stevenson filed court documents requesting approval to auction off the rights. It was clear, up front, that all the money would go to cover Dash’s debts.
Stevenson noted that Dash had not listed his life rights among his assets when he filed for bankruptcy in 2025. This was despite their “evident value in light of the Debtor’s public profile and his historical association with Roc-A-Fella Records and [Jay-Z].”
“[T]he monetization of an individual’s name, image, and likeness has become a well-established and actively regulated commercial market,” Stevenson wrote. “That market confirms that rights of this character — a person’s name, image, likeness, persona, and life narrative — are recognized as commercially valuable, transferable property, further supporting the Trustee’s business judgment that the Property is a marketable Estate asset appropriate for sale.”
As the new report indicates, the plan was court-approved, and the process has since been completed.
In the late 90s and 2000s, a New York rapper emerged with a familiar vocal cadence, though he was hidden behind a mask. This rapper created a brilliant persona as a supervillain. He leaned heavily into comic book villains and animated superhero shows for sound bites and references. He took on the name MF Doom, covering his face with a signature metal mask. The majority of his persona was based on Doctor Doom, but also on other Marvel Comics villains such as Destro and the Phantom of the Opera.
It didn’t take long for New York underground rap fans to pinpoint whose familiar voice this belonged to underneath the mask. MF Doom’s real name was Daniel Dumile. In the early 1990s, he performed under the name Zev Love X. Dumile was part of the rap group KMD, which stood for “Kausing Much Damage”, with his younger brother DJ Subroc. They made the group a trio, with another rapper by the name of Jade 1. Just before the rap group signed with Elektra Records, they replaced Jade 1 with a rapper going by the name Onyx The Birthstone Kid.
Together, they recorded two albums, with only one being released during their time together. Their debut album, Mr. Hood, was released in 1991. The album charted decently for a debut album from an unknown group. It peaked at No. 67 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Their lead single, “Peachfuzz”, peaked at No. 11 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. The follow-up single, “Who Me?” peaked at No. 19 on the chart.
The Tragic Death of DJ Subroc
In 1993, DJ Subroc and his brother formed another group called Monsta Island Czars. Additionally, he had taken up producing and produced tracks for his fellow Monsta Island collaborators. This group included artists such as 3rd Base, MF Grimm, and Kurious Jorge.
His original group, KDM, began recording their follow-up album in 1993. Tragically, before it was finished, Subroc was struck by a vehicle while attempting to cross the Nassau Expressway on Long Island in New York. Dumile wasn’t with his brother, only hearing about the incident later that same day. Following this tragedy, he stepped away from his rap career and experienced hardship. At one point, Dumile reported that he was nearly homeless and had been sleeping on benches on the streets of Manhattan. He then relocated to Atlanta in the mid-90s.
In 1999, Dumile secretly returned as MF Doom, a supervillain rapper. His brother’s death directly influenced this shift in direction. He began performing at open mics, freestyling without exposing his face. Eventually, he adopted a mask, inspired by the 2000 film Gladiator. He released his debut solo album, Operation: Doomsday, on October 19, 1999. The album became a minor hit, peaking at No. 17 on the Independent Albums chart and No. 24 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Chart. Soon after, the previously unreleased KMD follow-up album was released in 2000.
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, MF Doom released multiple solo albums and collaboration albums, either under the name MF Doom or under a handful of aliases and variations. He became a critically acclaimed and notorious underground rapper. In October 2020, Doom was hospitalized in Leeds, England, due to respiratory issues. He died on October 31, 2020, due to a reaction to his blood pressure medication. His family announced his death two months later, on December 31.
It looks exactly like what you’d expect a Teenage Engineering guitar amp to look like. | Image: Teenage Engineering
Teenage Engineering is branching out into instrument amps with the previously leakedEP-35, a multi-input, multi-instrument, battery-powered amp with built-in effects. The back of the unit has a line-in port, as well as a 1/4-inch guitar input and an XLR input for mics, including mics that require phantom power. You can also stream audio to it via Bluetooth and connect multiple EP-35s together over Bluetooth using Auracast. If you have them paired in stereo, tilting a unit to the left or right sets it to the appropriate stereo channel, which is pretty neat.
There are separate effects processors for guitar and vocals, though you have limite …
One of Eminem’s former employees has confessed to illegally leaking over two dozen of the rapper’s unreleased songs.
The man—48-year-old Joseph Strange of Holly, MI—worked at Eminem’s music studio for 14 years. He was charged in the music leak case back in March 2025. On Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, Strange pleaded guilty to criminal infringement of a copyright.
“Joseph Strange abused a position of trust to unlawfully copy and sell unreleased music belonging to Eminem, profiting from works that were not yet authorized for public distribution,” Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
“His conduct undermined both legal and artistic rights. The Criminal Division remains committed to protecting intellectual property, holding accountable those who seek to profit from theft of creative content, and working with our law enforcement partners to deter and disrupt these crimes.”
Eminem’s recording studio staff member, Joseph Strange, leaked more than two dozen songs
Strange worked at Eminem’s studio in Ferndale, Michigan, from 2007 to 2021, approximately. His job responsibilities included setting up and operating computer systems that stored Eminem’s music. This gave Strange tremendous access to password-protected hard drives. The music contained on the hard drives was unfinished and not intended to be shared publicly.
According to a Department of Justice press release, Strange took some of the songs without permission and sold them.
“At some point Strange—without authority—copied 10 or more audio files of music and material in various stages of development from one or more of these drives,” the DOJ stated. “Between July and August of 2024, Strange sold and transmitted ten or more of these music files to purchasers via the internet for a total of approximately $50,000. Strange did so without Mathers’s knowledge or authorization.”
The tracks that Strange stole eventually landed on streaming services without Eminem’s knowledge. Data provided by multiple platforms indicated that they had been accessed over 8 million times. The infringement amount reportedly totaled roughly $750,000.
Previously, a rep for Eminem said the situation did “significant damage” to the “Real Slim Shady” rapper’s legacy and integrity.
Joseph Strange is reportedly “remorseful” for the role he played in leaking Eminem’s music.
Following the guilty plea, Strange’s attorney told PEOPLE that his client has “tremendous remorse” over the situation. However, he noted that it is a “far more complicated and nuanced matter than a man just unabashedly stealing.”
“Joe Strange is a good man whose children have suffered greatly in all of this. The hyperbolic commentary from the Justice Department and others has not only subjected my client’s family to the anonymous mob, but the words also bear little resemblance to the facts of the case,” Strange’s lawyer continued.
“It is a far more complicated and nuanced matter than a man just unabashedly stealing. Nevertheless, my client has taken accountability for what he has done, has tremendous remorse for what has happened to his family, and has great faith, as do I, in the judges of our district to see this case for what it is,” the attorney added.
Strange is set to be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2027. He faces a maximum of five years in prison.
Sarah McLachlan released “Building a Mystery” on her 1997 album Surfacing. Its charming, whimsical premise backed by McLachlan’s ethereal vocals made the song an immediate hit. It became Canada’s best-selling single of 1997, and reached No. 13 in the U.S. McLachlan ultimately reigned in the 90s with a folksy, angelic presence that remained accessible.
“Building a Mystery” is a great song for those wanting a whimsigoth fall. It’s mysterious, intriguing, and almost alchemical in the way it presents its themes. According to McLachlan, it’s about everyone having insecurities they try to hide. However, being truly yourself is more interesting than any of those perceived flaws. In this way, “Building a Mystery” almost has a warmth to it, perfect for keeping the autumn chill away.
“Duvet” by Bôa
“Duvet” appeared on Bôa’s 1998 album Twilight, and it’s a song that existed simultaneously of its time and decades ahead. Hearing “Duvet” without knowing it came out in the 90s, it’s easy to assume it’s way more recent. Like, maybe 2023 recent. Granted, its viral moment on TikTok that year may have something to do with that.
But really, “Duvet” has an otherworldly quality to it that takes it out of time all on its own. Jasmine Rogers’ ethereal vocals puts Bôa on par with Mazzy Star and The Cranberries, their hazy, jangly, dreamlike quality amplified into something truly timeless. Overall, this song is amazing for the whimsigoth atmosphere of rainy fall days.
“How Soon Is Now” by Love Spit Love
Love Spit Love, formed by Psychedelic Furs vocalist Richard Butler, covered The Smiths’ “How Soon Is Now” in 1996. It appeared on the soundtrack for The Craft, also a great option for a whimsigoth fall with a little more attitude. Similarly, this “How Soon Is Now” cover has more bite than the original.
However, its attitude doesn’t take away from its delightful whimsy. Butler’s languid, mercurial vocals rough it up a bit, but it still possesses the dreaminess of the original. A couple years later, Love Spit Love’s “How Soon Is Now” became the opening theme to Charmed, yet another perfect moment for 90s whimsigoth atmosphere.
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