Category: Music

co-founder Jann Wenner has made quite a mess of things. Following Friday’s disastrous , wherein Wenner failed to explain why no Black or female artists appear in his new interview collection, and , Wenner has apologized for diminishing “the contributions, genius, and impact of Black and women artists.” “In my interview with I made comments that diminished the contributions, genius, and impact of Black and women artists, and I apologize wholeheartedly for those remarks,” he said. “ is a collection of interviews I’ve done over the years that seemed to me to best represent an idea of rock ’n’ roll’s impact on my world; they were not meant to represent the whole of music and its diverse and important originators but to reflect the high points of my career and interviews I felt illustrated the breadth and experience in that career. They don’t reflect my appreciation and admiration for myriad totemic, world-changing artists whose music and ideas I revere and will celebrate and promote as long as I live. I totally understand the inflammatory nature of badly chosen words and deeply apologize and accept the consequences.” The apology comes hours after the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced Wenner’s dismissal from the board of directors that he helped found. “Jann Wenner has been removed from the board of directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation,” the statement read. Wenner said the quiet part loud for anyone who’s ever wondered why Black and female artists were often denied the preferential treatment Wenner’s guys received . While contains one new interview (with Bruce Springsteen), it’s a collection of Wenner’s older talks with Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Springsteen, Pete Townshend, and Bono. Apparently, in his decades as the architect of the American rock ’n’ roll canon, he didn’t do a single interview with a Black or female artist worthy of inclusion. The reason: He didn’t think they were “articulate enough.” “It was kind of intuitive over the years; it just fell together that way. The people had to meet a couple criteria, but it was just kind of my personal interest and love of them,” Wenner said. “Insofar as the women, just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level.” Wenner wasn’t done yet. The response gifted interviewer David Marchese a perfect follow-up: “Oh, stop it. You’re telling me Joni Mitchell is not articulate enough on an intellectual level?” Nevertheless, after being given a chance to rephrase, the former rock ’n’ roll kingmaker decided to take sideswipes at Grace Slick and the late Janis Joplin (“Go have a deep conversation with Grace Slick or Janis Joplin. Please, be my guest ” ) and Joni Mitchell, who he says, “ was not a philosopher of rock ’n’ roll.” He had a similar answer for Black artists, name-checking Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye as articulate enough to write and but not answer Wenner’s questions about those works. “Of Black artists — you know, Stevie Wonder, genius, right?” he continued. “I suppose when you use a word as broad as ‘masters,’ the fault is using that word. Maybe Marvin Gaye, or Curtis Mayfield? I mean, they just didn’t articulate at that level.” Interestingly, he admits to allowing interview subjects to edit transcripts, including a bombshell 1970 chat with John Lennon, because these weren’t “confrontational” interviews. He spends much of the conversation arguing that these are yacht-side chats with his old rock buddies, meaning they aren’t held to the same journalistic standards as others.

Skepta confessed he hadn’t eaten in more than a day at a preview of his Mains collection in his Soho studio. It was a little over 24 hours before the artist presented his debut LFW show in the Art Deco confines of London’s Banking Hall, and he was feeling nervous. “I’m feeding off butterflies,” he said, stretching out on a bench surrounded by samples, while his head of design, Mikey Pearce, added rivets to a pair of leather shorts in one corner, and siblings Oscar and Emilia Boateng tried on looks in an impromptu casting in the other. There’s a lot riding on the reboot of Mains for the British grime star, currently enjoying a new side hustle as a house music DJ in Ibiza, though he insists he’s already achieved his goals for the label. These included securing a magazine cover (he wore Mains on the cover of , the style supplement of the ); nailing a cult product (he claims the caps he designed, which will go on sale exclusively at Dover Street Market on Sunday, have prompted numerous inquiries since they debuted); and concocting an iconic campaign photograph (they shot the campaign in New York last week and he’s pretty sure they nailed it). A quick recap: Skepta founded Mains in 2017 with support from a major sportswear brand. When that relationship ended, he spent a year or so wrestling back sole control, then negotiated a new deal with Puma. The German sports brand is providing production assistance, and he’s collaborated with them on a sneaker. But the embroidery comes from his own deft hand. He whipped out a sample with the M of the Mains logo traced in beads and rhinestones. “This took me, like, two days. For me, creativity is attention to detail, patience, and library digging,” he said. “I don’t restrict my talent to one thing.” Besides, he used to make his own clothes when he was a kid. The collection was inspired by things Skepta wants to wear now, spliced with some Miami references, influenced by a recent trip. He describes his style as “hood luxury.” He explained: “No matter how nice I think I am, I walk into a room and people look at me and they’re like, ‘You’re that guy from the streets.’ Doesn’t matter what I do. So I like to elevate—tracksuit with a shirt and tie.” Other things he’s feeling right now: ’90s-style leather pants, baggy embroidered indigo denim dungarees, school-uniform-style sweaters and shorts, white bouclé wool suits with a sportswear attitude. The denim and leather looks chimed best with the audience at this show, held on a giant Astroturf tennis court in the middle of Banking Hall. His friends were out in force to support: His former girlfriend Naomi Campbell sat front row, just down from Givenchy creative director Matthew Williams and designer Ozwald Boateng, musicians Stormzy and Little Simz, and broadcaster Louis Theroux. But the best ensemble had to go to Alton Mason on the runway, showing off his Naomi-inspired strut in a slouchy suit with Puma sneakers, a metal-tipped umbrella clutched dramatically to his chest. The Mains team would do well to lean further into that jazzy vibe next season. Still, as Skepta wisely put it, this show was more of a mood setter: “We’re just trying to make a great brand, so that if people say the word , it’s a nice feeling. Don’t want to run too fast.”

Demon Slayer wrapped up Season 3 of the anime earlier this year with the Swordsmith Village arc, and now one awesome cosplay is gearing fans up for the Insect Hashira Shinobu Kocho's return to the anime with the upcoming Demon Slayer Season 4! Following the end of the Swordsmith Village arc earlier this year, it was quickly announced that the anime would be continuing with a fourth season tackling the Hashira Training arc from Koyoharu Gotoge's original manga . This means we'll get to see the Hashira in action in the anime once more when the new episodes make their premiere. With the Hashira needing to mobilize even further as Muzan Kibutsuji's Upper Ranks have started to make their move towards his ultimate goal, they'll need to train to make themselves stronger for the tough fights ahead . This includes Shinobu returning to the anime and the center of the action as well following her debut in the first season, and artist @kallisi_vamp on Instagram has brought the Hashira to life in a cool new way ahead of Demon Slayer Season 4 with some perfect cosplay! Check it out: View this post on Instagram A post shared by KALLI' 👑 (@kallisi__vamp) What to Know for Demon Slayer Season 4 Shinobu Kocho and the rest of the Hashira line up will be returning with Demon Slayer Season 4, which is now in the works for a release in the near future. A release date or window has yet to be announced for the new episodes, but it will be adapting the Hashira Training Arc from Koyoharu Gotoge's original Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga. Featuring a returning staff and cast from the previous anime releases, you can catch up with everything that's happened so far in the first three seasons of the Demon Slayer TV anime and Mugen Train Arc movie now streaming with Crunchyroll. If you're jumping into the franchise for the first time, Crunchyroll teases the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime as such, "It is the Taisho Period in Japan . Tanjiro, a kindhearted boy who sells charcoal for a living, finds his family slaughtered by a demon. To make matters worse, his younger sister Nezuko, the sole survivor, has been transformed into a demon herself. Though devastated by this grim reality, Tanjiro resolves to become a 'demon slayer' so that he can turn his sister back into a human, and kill the demon that massacred his family." Where does Shinobu rank among your favorite of Demon Slayer 's Hashira? Let us know all of your thoughts about it and everything Demon Slayer in the comments! 0 comments Related: Demon Slayer Zenitsu Protecting Nezuko's Box Funko Pop Exclusive Is On Sale Now Demon Slayer Singer LiSA Meets Stray Kids in K-Pop Music Video: Watch Demon Slayer's Third Season Announces Netflix Release Demon Slayer Wave 2 Figures Launch From McFarlane Toys

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, listening to a presentation with Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Nikolai Yevmenov, left, while accompanied by Minister of Defense of Russia Sergei Shoigu, second from right, while aboard a warship during a visit to Vladivostok, Russia, Sept. 16. EPA-Yonhap A train with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on board has left the railway station in Russia's Far Eastern city of Artyom bound for home, wrapping up his visit to Russia, Russian news agencies reported on Sunday. The distance from Artyom to Khasan station on Russia's border with North Korea is over 200 km (124 miles). The video, published by the state-run RIA news agency, shows Kim ― who seldom leaves his country ― walking along the red carpet to the train carriage to the music of a military band and waving goodbye. Russian Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov, Moscow's ambassador to North Korea, Alexander Matsegora, and the governor of the Primorye region, Oleg Kozhemyako, saw off the North Korean leader, RIA reported. Earlier, Russian media said Kim and Russia's defence minister had discussed practical issues to boost military cooperation, in what Pyongyang called a "fresh heyday" for bilateral relations. During his week-long visit to Russia, Kim met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday and they discussed military matters, the war in Ukraine and deepening cooperation. (Reuters)

Suga of K-pop boy group BTS / Courtesy of BigHit Music Suga, a member of the K-pop sensation BTS, will begin his mandatory military service this week, his agency announced Sunday. BigHit Music said Suga, 30, will fulfill his military duty by doing an alternative service beginning Friday. Suga will be the third member of the group to join the military. Jin enlisted in December 2022, and J-Hope followed suit in April this year. In early August, Suga, rapper and producer for the group, withdrew his request to delay the start of his mandatory service. Unlike Jin and J-Hope, Suga has been ruled unfit for the regular combat duty. While all able-bodied men must serve in the military, those with health issues may be assigned to alternative services, which include working in an office for a municipal government. Though reasons for the decision on Suga have not been disclosed, it is believed to be related to a surgery he had to repair a torn labrum in 2020. Mindful of the public nature of Suga's service, BigHit Music urged the group's fans not to frequent Suga's place of duty. In May, Suga reached No. 2 on Billboard 200 with his solo debut effort, "D-Day." He performed in 10 cities on a solo world tour, drawing over 300,000 fans. (Yonhap)