Category: Music

It’s been nearly 30 years since Busta Rhymes released his The Coming debut album, and Bus-a-Bus was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday (Aug. 1).

Prior to Busta, a star-studded lineup of guest speakers took the podium, including LL COOL J, whose flow Busta mimicked when penning his first-ever rhymes, Big Daddy Kane and Public Enemy’s Chuck D.

“I worked so hard and I never asked for a shortcut, I never asked for a cheat code,” Busta said while teary-eyed on stage. “I was never raised by a support system that made it seem okay to try to go around honestly earning your rite to passage. I want to thank those people.”

The New York native recalled times of hustling leading him to trouble with the law at 12 years old, forming his Leaders of the New School crew and Chuck D being the one to give him his iconic rap name.

“I want to thank you Chuck for giving me my first shot and being one of the first to believe in me. I say you gave me the name even though you say you presented it,” he explained. “If you didn’t present it, it probably wouldn’t have been one of the greatest gifts in my life because my name before Busta Rhymes was Chill-O-Skee.”

Busta continued to “big-up” plenty of people who helped him on this journey, like his children, Epic Records CEO Sylvia Rhone, members of his team and his mother.

“I feel complete today. As we completed this chapter and started giving birth to a new one. I’m no longer Daniel-San in this s—t, I’m Mr. Miyagi now,” Busta said in a mic drop moment to finish off his speech.

Busta Rhymes then posed for photos alongside LL COOL J, radio royalty Big Boy, Chuck D and Big Daddy Kane.

In addition to receiving his Hollywood star, Busta has a role in The Naked Gun reboot, which was released on Friday. He’s also plotting the arrival of his Vengeance album in September.

Watch the full ceremony below.

Hatebreed’s founding bassist Chris Beattie has brought a lawsuit against the metalcore band, alleging frontman Jamey Jasta unceremoniously kicked him out after 30 years so he could get a larger cut of the band’s profits.

The legal complaint provides a window into Beattie’s abrupt departure from Hatebreed earlier this year. The bassist made clear at the time that the move was not his choice, calling his ouster “uncalled for” in a statement and hinting that he’d take “future actions” to address the situation.

Beattie is now indeed taking action, suing Hatebreed and Jasta (James Shanahan) on Wednesday (July 30). The lawsuit claims Jasta abruptly ejected him from Hatebreed this past November after he’d dedicated 30 years to the band.

According to the complaint, Jasta said at the time that Beattie was being fired because of complaints that he’d harassed a Live Nation security guard at Connecticut’s Toyota Oakdale Theater earlier that month. But Beattie says these allegations were “patently untrue” and that he never harassed any Live Nation employee.

“Despite Beattie’s denying the incident, Shanahan abruptly terminated Beattie from Hatebreed,” says the complaint. “Shanahan had structured a false narrative about Beattie — not supported by any evidence — to other band members following the Oakdale show in an effort to discredit Beattie’s reputation and persuade the other band members to justify Shanahan’s desire to kick Beattie out of the band.”

So what’s the real reason Beattie was ousted from Hatebreed? According to the bassist, it’s money.

“Shanahan stood to profit from Beattie’s termination, as he would be entitled to a larger share of band proceeds and profits without Beattie in the band,” says the complaint. “In addition, Beattie and Shanahan were the primary songwriters for the band and together earned the majority of publishing proceeds for their work. With Beattie out of the band, Shanahan likely believed that he could stand to recover significantly more in the way of publishing proceeds.”

The lawsuit claims that Jasta had become “more secretive” about Hatebreed’s finances in recent years. Beattie says he suspected Jasta wasn’t paying him the full 25% cut of the band’s profits that he was supposed to receive, and that the singer refused to let him see their balance sheets.

Beattie claims his termination from Hatebreed “has had a significant negative impact on his
career, reputation, and health and well-being.” He is seeking financial damages from the band and Jasta, noting that he’s been cut off from touring profits and has lost brand deals since being ousted.

A rep for Hatebreed did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday (July 31).

Quavo and the Rocket Foundation have launched an emergency trauma therapy fund in response to the 49 shootings that took place last weekend.

Two of the shooting victims were directly connected to the Rocket Foundation. 18-year-old Deshawn Johnson, who attended Rocket Camp in 2024, and Offender Alumni leader “Coach Ball” were both killed at the hands of gun violence.

All donations to the Therapy Support Fund will go directly toward providing therapy support and mental health resources for the youth and children of the communities affected by the tragedy.

“After the tragic weekend in Atlanta, where at least 49 people were shot, including the tragic loss of Rocket Foundations 2024 Rocket Camper Deshawn Cooper and Rocket spark grantee leader of Offenders Alumni Association, Coach Ball, Rocket Foundation is creating an emergency trauma therapy fund for the youth and families impacted,” the Rocket Foundation wrote to Instagram.

The organization continued with a call-to-action: “These resources will go directly to two of our Spark Grantees @cureviolenceoaaa and @hope.hustlers working directly with those impacted. Please honor the pain and loss of those impacted by spreading the world and donating! Nothing can replace those lost, but together we can help our community heal in this trying time.”

Quavo initially launched the Rocket Foundation in 2022, shortly following the loss of his nephew and Migos running mate, TakeOff, who was a victim of gun violence.

On the music side, Huncho teamed up with Anycia in June for her “Put Up” single. Quavo’s last solo release came in May with “Dope Boy Phone.”

Those looking to donate can visit the Rocket Foundation website.

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If you love music, there’s a good chance that you’ll be heading to Coachella, Stagecoach, Lollapalooza or another music festival or concert this summer like Blackpink’s world tour. And you’ll need the right festival accessories or travel gear to pack for the trip. 

There’s nothing worse than traveling to a music festival only to get stuck outside in the heat without necessities like proper sunglasses, a hat to keep your head cool, a portable phone charger just in case you’re low on juice, hand sanitizer, face masks, bandanas and other essentials such as sunscreen, portable fans, waterproof mascara and liquid eyeliners; and a bag to carry everything from your identification to water bottles.

To help you out, we rounded up a list of music festival necessities, some of which you can buy at Amazon and Walmart to ensure that they get delivered quickly.

Adidas Unisex Alliance 3 Backpack

$16.00 $20.00 20% off

Buy Now On adidas

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First up, the Adidas Alliance Backpack is a comfy, convenient and great backpack for music festivals. It features a zipper pocket for valuables and two mesh slip pockets for water bottles. The back compartment is roomy enough to fit your wallet, Airpods and other small items, while the front pocket can be used for your ID, money, room key, etc.

Anker Portable Charger, Power Bank, 10,000 mAh Battery Pack with PowerIQ Charging Technology

$17.99 $19.99 10% off

Buy Now On Amazon

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A portable charger comes in handy regardless of whether you’re traveling to a music festival or not. Casely’s Here Comes the Sun Power Pod is an iPhone charging deck that fits in the palm of your hand. The power pod features MagSafe wireless charging and is available in tons of different colors and cool designs. Shop our favorite portable charger for iPhone and Android below.

Nike Apex Swoosh Bucket Hat

$30

Buy Now On Amazon

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Looking for headgear? This simple bucket hat from Nike will keep you cool and block out the sun. The mid-depth design is made with soft woven twill and features an embroidered, color contrast Swoosh logo on the front panel for a clean, Nike finish.

KIRALUMI 8 PCS LED Glow Bracelets, Light Up Wristbands –

$15.99 $21.99 27% off

Buy Now On Amazon

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Get the glow! An LED wristband bracelet is a cool festival accessory if you’re traveling in a group. The bracelet set above comes with eight bracelets (batteries included) featuring three light modes: fast blink, slow blink and full glow.

Alo Yoga Explorer Fanny Pack

$74

Buy Now at alo yoga

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How about a fanny pack? Apart from being timeless and easy to find, if you’ve seen Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, then you know that fanny packs can be used for more than carrying personal belongings. Alo Yoga’s Explorer Fanny Pack is available in a limited-edition espresso color, black, white, limestone and fog. If you’re looking for a cheaper option, this Amazon fanny pack is available in 12 different colors.

USPECLARE Clear Purse/Messenger Bag Stadium Approved

$9.99 $15.99 38% off

Buy Now On Amazon

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Clear bags are required for entry into Lollapalooza (unless smaller than 6 x 9 inches to be clear bags are required it’s unless smaller than 6 x 9 inches) (no liquids). Bags must be made from vinyl or PVC and no larger than 12 x 12 x 6 inches, like the option pictured above. The clear purse is available in 14 colors including black, blue, green, purple, red and pink. Walmart has a clear bag on sale for $6.98. Click here to shop clear backpacks.

Coleman Broadband Mesh Quad Camping Chair

$35.14

Buy Now On Amazon

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Plan on standing in line? Get a portable lawn chair! If you’re looking for a basic option, the Coleman Broadband Mesh Chair pictured above is on sale for $20 at Amazon. The chair has cup holder with a mesh back, supports up to 250 pounds and fits into a carry bag. This Alpha Mart camping chair ($43.98) is another good option (that we’ve personally used) for long days in the sun. Click here for more portable, camping chairs.

Stanley IceFlow Flip Straw Tumbler

$35

Buy Now at stanley

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Staying hydrated is the healthiest way to endure long days in the festival sun. Stanley released a summer-ready collection of vibrant colors for its bestselling IceFlow Flip Straw Tumbler. The collection is available in pink messa, pistachio and dew drop. Click here for more tumbler cups.

Jiyugala Hats Men Women Cowboy Hat Western Cap Wide Brim Sunhat

$1.59

Buy Now at walmart

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You can expect to see a lot of Cowboy hats this summer thanks to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter. Hop on the cowboy hat trend with this Walmart hat, currently on sale for less than $2. The hat is available in black, red and brown.

Sun Hats for Men Women Fishing Hat UPF 50+ Breathable Wide Brim Summer UV Protection Hat

$8.99

Buy Now On Amazon

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The proper hat will help keep you cool in the desert heat, which is especially useful if you plan on hitting up Lollapalooza. The sun hat pictured above offers UPF 50+ protection and has been tested to ensure safety from harsh UVA and UVB rays. The mesh fabric allows for moisture and heat to easily escape to keep your head cool and reduce sweating.

Achiou Neck Gaiter Face Mask Scarf Dust Sun Protection Cool Lightweight Windproof, Breathable Fishing Hiking Running Cycling

$6.99 $8.99 22% off

Buy Now On Amazon

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You’re probably tired of wearing face masks, but it can get dusty outside, so you might need some form of face protection at festivals like Coachella. If you don’t want a cloth face mask or the more durable N95 mask, the reusable cloth face covering pictured above is perfect for the dessert and other dusty destinations. The washable face mask features four-way stretch and fits snugly on all size heads and faces, and it’ll stay in place, even if you’re running or doing other vigorous exercises. Find disposable face masks here.

SOJOS Retro Oval Sunglasses for Women & Men Trendy Sun Glasses

$20.99 $32.95 36% off

Buy Now On sojo vision

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Finding the perfect music festival sunnies depends on your style preference and budget, but there are a bunch of affordable sunglasses online like these Sojo oval sunglasses. Another festival options, these polarized glasses pictured above have a chain attached, so you won’t have to worry about misplacing them while you’re out. And they’re available in seven different lens frames including red, black, green, grey, blue, gold and red. Click here for more festival shades.

FEISEDY Retro Square Aviator Sunglasses

$12.78 $17.99 29% off

Buy Now On Amazon

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The sunglasses pictured above offer up a classic aviator style in nine different colors, including mirrored pink, brown and black.

Princess Polly Mora Sunglasses

$30

Buy Now at princess polly

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Another trendy option, these ’90s inspired sunglasses feature a wraparound design and UV protection.

Festival Blanket: Stripes Retro

$30.64

Buy Now On Amazon

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This portable picnic blanket folds up into a purse, so you can store your keys and other belongings. The waterproof blanket is available in different sizes including 60 x 79, 53 x 58 and 60 x 75 inches.

This fan-favorite, striped blanket from Nomadix is perfect for festivals, is another options for camping, picnics and other activities. Featuring a soft, microsuede top, the water resistant, sand-resistant and pet-hair resistant blanket measures 60 inches x 70 inches and is made from recycled polyester. Not into stripes? Find more Nomadix blankets here.

What to Wear to Music Festivals

Not sure what to wear to a music festival? Shorts, tees and comfortable shoes are a few fashion staples that you might already have in your closet, but if you’re looking for something more curated, you can find festival gear online at retailers such as Revolve, Nasty Gal, ASOS, StockX, Amazon, Walmart, and Farfetch.

See below for a few examples of clothes to wear to a music festival.

Breathable Boxers

Pair of Thieves Superiair Boxer Briefs (3Pack)

$19.99

Buy Now on pair of thieves

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After selling out, the super light and breezy Superiair boxer briefs are available again right in time for Lollapalooza. Grab yourself a pair or a three pack to keep your private parts feeling breathable and cool all festival-long.

Cargo Pants

Uniqlo Ultra-Wide Cargo Pants

$39.90

Buy Now at Uniqlo

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These Uniqlo ultra-wide cargo pants Aeropostale cargo shorts offer a comfortable fit and plenty of pockets, making them great for a music festival or concert. They are baggy, light and very on trend for summer fits. Grab these cargo bottoms in brown, black or green for only $40.

Short-Sleeve Shirts, Tees and Tank Tops

Abercrombie Camp Collar Summer Linen-Blend Shirt

$44.99 $60 25% off

Buy Now at abercrombie

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When it comes to festival clothing, T-shirts and tank tops and linen short-sleeve shirts like the one pictured below will keep you cool in the festival heat, but you’re clothing choice will probably be depend on the weather. If you want to stay cool but don’t want to sacrifice style, this Abercrombie linen camp shirt is perfect for you. It’s available in a wide variety of colors and striped patterns for $60.

Lovers and Friends Meaux Scarf Top

$148

Buy Now at revolve

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Add some flower power to festival season with the Lovers and Friends Meaux Scarf Top. This scarf top and matching skirt would be perfect for Lollapalooza and other music festivals. You can wear it with a bikini underneath and the pieces are sold separately, so you can mix and match.

Denim Shorts

Denim Jean Shorts

$17.50 $44.95 61% off

Buy Now at garage clothing

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These denim festival shorts are on clearance at Garage Clothing and only available in select sizes. Denim shorts aren’t very hard to find but the price can vary depending on the brand. Wrangler, Walmart, Urban Outfitters, Abercrombie & Fitch, Revolve, Anthropologie and Gap has a bunch of denim shorts on sale.

Comfortable Shoes

1906 Utility Sneaker

$119 $159.99 26% off

Buy Now at new balance

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Shoes can make or break an outfit, and if you’re trekking through a festival in the wrong shoes, you’ll definitely be sorry. There’s actually a science to picking the perfect shoe but if you don’t have the time to test out different styles, go for comfortable platform boots, walking shoes or running shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty such as Nikes, Pumas, Adidas, Salomon, New Balance, Cariuma, Vans or Converse Chuck Taylors. Other good options: Dr Marten, Burkenstocks, platforms and cowboy boots.

For more festival-related gear, see our recommendations for the best ear plugs for concerts, best travel backpacks and tote bags, and venue-approved bags.

The wife of former Maroon 5 bassist Mickey Madden says in new court filings that he physically assaulted her after she confronted him about “sexting with teenage girls.”

In court documents seeking a domestic violence restraining order against Madden, his wife, Kate Bowman, says he attacked her on July 21 at their Los Angeles home after she discovered sexual messages with “at least two high school girls,” including “fantasies” about “raping one of the girls.”

“I am completely traumatized by the discovery that respondent has been engaging in behavior with high school girls that is probably criminal,” Bowman writes in the document, filed Wednesday (July 30) in Los Angeles court. “When I discovered this, I approached him about it and said that I knew what was going on. Respondent then physically beat me repeatedly.”

Bowman says in the document that Madden “became enraged” when she grabbed his phone away from him during the confrontation.

“He put both his arms around my body around my abdomen and arms to restrain me,” she says. “He then slammed my body against the marble kitchen counter. I felt pain in my hip and waist area. He shoved me to the ground and was out of his mind. I landed on my knees. He kept screaming for me to give him the phone. He appeared literally insane to me.”

Bowman says that later, when she ran from the home to escape him, he followed her outside and “shoved my body against the metal gate.” After allegedly chasing her down the street, she says he “slammed my body into the rock wall that bordered the street with his body.” When she was finally able to hide from him, she says she was able to look through his phone.

“The communications were so upsetting, I was crying hysterically,” Bowman says. “I was absolutely disgusted to be reading his texts about raping her and horrendous other details. His Cash App showed he was paying them as well, in exchange for sexual content and sexual acts.”

In the court filings, Bowman says she believes that Madden has since “entered into sex addiction rehabilitation program.” She says that he has repeatedly apologized via text and included screen captures of the exchanges.

“Please forgive me. This all felt like a private and fake harmless fantasy it has no bearing on real life at all,” the alleged text reads. “I am so ashamed and so sorry can you please come back and talk to me in person.”

On Thursday (July 31), a Los Angeles judge granted the restraining order against Madden, barring him from any contact and ordering him to stay 100 yards away from his wife and their shared home where the alleged incident took place. A further order requiring him to move out of the house entirely was deferred until a court hearing can take place.

A representative for Madden could not immediately be located for comment on Thursday.

Madden was a founding member of Maroon 5 after also playing alongside Adam Levine in their earlier band, Kara’s Flowers. But he left Maroon 5 in 2020 after being arrested over accusations of domestic violence. It’s unclear if that alleged incident involved Bowman or another alleged victim.

“I have some things that I need to deal with and address right now and so I have decided to leave Maroon 5,” Madden said in a statement at the time. “I do not want to be a distraction to my bandmates. I wish them the absolute best.”

No charges were filed following Madden’s arrest, but he never returned to the band after the incident.

The Grateful Dead, which is now celebrating its 60th anniversary, contained multitudes. Its best music was both of the Sixties and out of time, improvised in the moment yet collected like relics by the faithful — first on traded cassettes, then CDs and now vinyl. Its members played as though they were of one mind, but they came together from very different places — Phil Lesh from the avant-garde, Pig Pen from R&B, Bob Weir from blues and country and Jerry Garcia from every genre all at once. And although the Dead disbanded in 1995, after Garcia died, they never really went away: The successor group Dead & Company will play three shows in San Francisco on the first weekend of August 2025, and the band just released a 60-CD archival set, Enjoying the Ride. In a way, the Dead are peaking right now.

In the name of stunt journalism, I wanted to listen to the 60-CD album, which includes 20 shows, 17 complete, adding up to 60 hours of music, recorded between 1969 and 1994. Then I realized that this would take the better part of a week. Instead, I listened straight through to The Music Never Stopped, a three-CD, four-hour collection of highlights. It’s familiar ground for me: I’ve been a Dead fan since the late Eighties, and I saw the group about a dozen times between 1988 and 1993. And I’ve heard enough concert recordings over the years that I recognized the compilation’s 1984 jam of “Scarlet Begonias,” “Touch of Grey” and “Fire on the Mountain.” The band played fast in those years.

The Music Never Stopped plays like a sampler platter of incredible performances: a stunning 1978 version of the title track, all funk tempo and guitar madness; a 1971 cover of “Hard to Handle” that shows its roots in R&B; a searching, jazzy take on “Estimated Prophet” and “Eyes of the World” from 1979. It shows the sheer range of a band that put its own stamp on more kinds of American music than any other, from the traditional folk of “Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad” to the early rock of “Not Fade Away” to its own nods to rock (“Brown-Eyed Women”), psychedelia (“Bird Song”) and jazz (“Let it Grow”). Multitudes. For all that, fans may find that it lacks the organic throughline of a single show, since it jumps around so much in years and styles, and it’s too dense to be a good introduction to the group. (For that, start with American Beauty or Live/Dead.)

Among the most remarkable things about the Grateful Dead, and there are plenty, is that the band has released far more music in the past decade than it did in its first three. Yes, really. Until 1995, the Dead was really a touring act. In its first three decades, it released 13 studio albums — of which only Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty hold up well as recordings (though my colleague Dan Rys thinks I’m nuts) — and nine live albums. It’s not much for a band that by the late Eighties would play the New York area three times a year — a few spring performances in suburban arenas, a couple of summer concerts at Giants Stadium and as many as nine shows at Madison Square Garden in September. Then, in 1993, the band started to release “Dick’s Picks” albums of past concerts, which took its name from band archivist Dick Latvala.

At the time, most Dead fans listened to concerts on cassette, which the band allowed them to record and trade, but not make a business of selling. The idea of curated concerts on CD was a revelation. And over the next decade, the band put out another 34 volumes of “Dick’s Picks” (36 in total), plus 12 “Grateful Dead Download Series recordings,” eight retrospective live albums, and a half dozen live box sets, plus a compilation of Bob Dylan covers and one of live performances handpicked by Lesh. The Dead was just getting started, though.

In 2006, the Dead signed a deal with Warner Music’s Rhino Entertainment to manage its official albums (its early ones came out on Warner but it released others independently and then on Arista), live recordings and direct-to-consumer merchandise business. (The band renewed the deal in 2016.) Since then, under Rhino President and “resident Deadhead” Mark Pinkus, the label has released 17 “Road Trips” albums; 55 “Dave’s Picks” albums (named for Dead archivist Dave Lemieux); 15 box sets, including a 73-CD set of every show of the band’s 1972 tour of Europe and an 80-CD 50th anniversary box, plus a variety of smaller of box set highlights and vinyl editions of individual shows. Some Dave’s Picks albums have come out on vinyl, while others are marketed with glassware, coasters or other tchotchkes.

As I said, peaking. The vault is not infinite — there are only so many tapes of so many shows — but there’s plenty in there. It’s a good business: The 60-CD Enjoying the Ride was limited to 6,000 copies, but it sold for $600, and it will help market The Music Never Stopped, which is available on CD, vinyl and streaming services. Rhino has never shared much information about this business, but a rough estimate suggests that the Dead brings in about a gold record’s worth of revenue in physical albums alone — at a good margin, since the recordings already exist, not much marketing is needed and most items are only sold by mail order. This also fuels a merchandise business that is astonishing in its scope.

If you listen closely to The Music Never Stopped, you can hear this kind of potential — the way the band could play psych-rock or folk or another genre well enough to suggest that this was all it did, but in fact it was only a small part of a bigger picture. Listen even closer and you might hear something that sounds like nothing else but itself — instantly identifiable but different enough that you can’t stop listening, comparing, even following. To me, those differences can be stark — I’m not much interested in most of what the Dead did from 1979 to 1988. But when the band was at its best — I’d say 1969 to 1972, most of 1977 and parts of late-1989 and early-1990 — there wasn’t anyone better. That kind of specificity might sound ridiculous to the uninitiated — is there that big a difference between spring and fall 1989? To me there is, and I’m hardly alone. The Dead was a cult band so big that it could not only sell out stadiums — it could do so for multiple shows, every summer, in cities it played three times a year.

The Dead’s catalog is an odd one because most of its albums just aren’t that good, and only one had a real hit, in “Touch of Grey.” Its best recordings were never intended to be recordings at all — they’re in-the-moment improvisations, captured on tape and stored in a vault, that somehow retain their immediacy decades later. Some of them bring back memories, like the Road Trips recording of the first show I went to, when a high school buddy rhapsodized about how amazing it was to see this concert outdoors, under the stars — when we were in an indoor arena. OK, maybe you had to be there for that one. But the recording sounds pretty great even if you weren’t — even if you weren’t even born yet. So do many of these other meticulously packaged moments, created in and for a specific time and place, that seem to have taken on a life of their own.