Wireless Festival review: big talk from Drake after the most bruising time of his career
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Metro
16 hours ago
- Metro
Fans slam iconic 80s rockers for calling Trump appointment ‘great honour'
Kiss has infuriated fans by calling their inclusion in US President Trump's Kennedy Center Honours a 'great honour.' The 80s band has been named alongside soul singer Gloria Gaynor, country star George Strait, and actors Sylvester Stallone and Michael Crawford. This is the first Kennedy Center Honours since President Trump took over as chairman of the arts and culture center in Washington DC earlier this year. The highly controversial move has been pointed to as a sign of encroaching authoritarianism in the US, as Trump's first action was removing Biden-era appointees from the board and stacking it with loyalists. Yesterday, in a press conference to announce the honourees, Trump said: 'We'll be honouring one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Kiss. So Kiss was formed in 1973 in New York City by founding band members – and incredible people, by the way – Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss 'Kiss became a global phenomenon. Sold more than 100 million records worldwide and produced 30 gold albums and lots of other things. They produced, they made a fortune. And they're great people and they deserve it and they work hard and they're still. 'And they're going to do something very special. Kiss is going to be here a little bit before the show. I think they're gonna do something very special. We're gonna have a good time.' In response to the announcement, Gene Simmons told TMZ: 'Kiss is the embodiment of the American dream. We are deeply honoured to receive the Kennedy Center Honour.' 'From our earliest days, Kiss has embodied the American ideal that all things are possible and that hard work pays off,' adds Paul Stanley. 'The prestige of the Kennedy Center Honours cannot be overstated, and I accept this on behalf of the long legacy of Kiss and all of the band members who helped create our iconic band.' Many Kiss fans are extremely disappointed by the band's reaction, accusing them of capitulating to Trump's growing censorship of American arts. One Reddit thread saw users embroiled in a heated discussion, with @Mr_pootatohead writing: 'Is Gene going to lick Trump's boots now after saying, a couple of years ago, 'I knew him before he entered politics. Look what that gentleman did to this country and the polarization — got all the cockroaches to rise to the top. Once upon a time, you were embarrassed to be publicly racist and out there with conspiracy theories. Now it's all out in the open because he allowed it.' Would they be allowed to wear their drag-inspired costumes?' One user disagreed, writing: 'They should decline because you don't agree politically? I hate Trump personally, but the Kennedy Honours is just a PR event to celebrate American arts & culture.' In response @twoquarters posted: 'Indeed that is what it was but the accelerated movement into authoritarianism has seen a contamination of nearly all politically? No. I don't even know we are in an era where politics even works. It's far beyond that now.' X users are also displeased, with @LeeJohnson65 writing: 'Nope. I've been a KISS fan since the beginning but if they support this regime, I'm out.' @OxfordBuckeye agreed: 'Always thought Kiss were overrated garbage. This proves it.' Indeed, Trump made no mention of how critical members of the band have been of him in the past. In January 2021, as Trump sought to call the results of the 2020 election into question, Stanley described his actions as 'abhorrent,' 'mob boss behavior,' and 'a true danger to our democracy.' Four months earlier, Stanley also wrote on Twitter: 'REGARDLESS of who you support, it is incendiary & abhorrent for ANY candidate to say 'If I lose, the election is rigged. It's an insult to those who have fought for the free, safe elections we have and dangerously implies that citizens who don't share your views are the enemy.' More Trending Simmons also countered Trump's election fraud lies in 2020, posting that '60 courts in various states and 60 Judges (including Pres Trump appointed Judges) UNANIMOUSLY, and without exception, dismissed ALL allegations of a rigged that Includes Trump appointed US Attorney General Bill Barr!!!' Back in March, Trump outlined his intention to not only host the ceremony himself, but also to choose honourees who aligned with his political views. He said: 'We'll go slightly more conservative, if you don't mind, with some of the people/ There are people out there that would not be considered that are much bigger stars than the ones that were being honoured…In the past, I mean, these are radical left lunatics that have been chosen. I didn't like it. I couldn't watch it. And the host was always terrible.' View More » It seems that, according to fans, the members of Kiss are willing to put aside their beliefs for another moment in the spotlight. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Keir Starmer embraces Volodymyr Zelensky on Downing Street ahead of Trump-Putin meeting MORE: Hollywood star made massive life change after his body 'gave up' in near-death experience MORE: South Park's latest savage Donald Trump takedown scores 6,200,000 viewers in 3 days
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Rapper Lil Pump reveals he nearly lost his life in horror car crash as he shares pictures of his smashed-up vehicle
Lil Pump has revealed he nearly lost his life in a horror car crash as he shared photographs of the wreckage. The American rapper, 24, whose real name is Gazzy Fabio Garcia, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share details of the terrifying incident. He explained he crashed his car four days ago while driving in a downpour of rain as he issued a stark warning to others not to drive in bad weather. Lil Pump said he would have died if he hadn't kicked his window to get out, sharing a photograph of his vehicle overturned on the side of the road. 'Guys I almost lost my life four days ago. GOD is real!! Do not drive in the rain,' he penned in a caption. 'Health is wealth I had to kick down the window to get out. If not, I was dead. On my birthday I will be going to church to thank God for all the blessings.' His comments section was flooded with well wishes from his fans as they wished him a speedy recovery. Comments included: 'Glad you're ok I can't even imagine'; 'Birthday gift from God, stay alive and receive blessings'; 'Holy f**k glad you're good bro'; 'Insane, glade you're not hurt g, I crashed in the rain too s**ts crazy'; 'Count your blessings!'; 'I'm praying for you brother you gotta thank em every day for real.' Lil Pump got his start in the music industry at 13 when his cousin introduced him to Omar Pineiro, known professionally as Smokepurpp. He then rose to prominence as part of the SoundCloud rap scene in the late 2010s before he gained mainstream attention for Gucci Gang. He signed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records in June 2017. He was 16 at the time. The contract, which is said to have been worth millions, was voided shortly after he signed it due to his age. In March 2018, he was reported to have signed a $8million (£6.2million) contract with Warner Bros. His first studio album was finally released in October 2017. It was called Lil Pump and featured appearances from Smokepurpp, Gucci Mane, Lil Yachty and more. Since then he has gone on to release three albums, however his third, Lil Pump 2, which was released in 2023, failed to make it into the charts.
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
Drake lawyers allege Universal head Lucian Grainge ‘personally involved' in Kendrick Lamar diss track
As Drake's lawsuit continues against his record label's parent company, Universal Music Group (UMG), his lawyers have claimed that UMG's British chair and chief executive Lucian Grainge had a 'role in and knowledge of the scheme to defame and harass' Drake, and have requested that UMG produce texts and emails by Grainge. UMG has previously denied access to those communications, stating that Grainge has 'no meaningful involvement in the matters and decisions at issue in this litigation'. Drake is suing UMG over its release of Kendrick Lamar's diss track Not Like Us, which contains the line 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young … Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles'. The track was hugely popular, reaching No 1 in the US and UK, and was performed at the 2025 Super Bowl half-time show. Its artwork features an image of Drake's home dotted with icons used to identify the homes of registered sex offenders. Drake has strenuously denied the allegation that he is a paedophile. In his lawsuit filed in January, UMG is alleged to have 'approved, published and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track', that was 'intended to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal paedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response'. Drake is not suing Lamar himself. UMG said the suit was 'utterly without merit' but in April, Drake's lawyers added an amendment to the suit, arguing that the Super Bowl performance 'further solidified the public's belief in the truth of the allegations against Drake'. UMG said Drake was 'being misled by his legal representatives into taking one absurd legal step after another'. On Tuesday, Drake's lawyers filed two new motions in the case, calling on the judge in the case to compel UMG to 'collect, review, and produce' relevant documents from Grainge, arguing: 'UMG's refusal to permit relevant discovery into its CEO's files is unsupported by law and would prejudice plaintiff's ability to test and prove his claims.' The motion argues that Drake 'now also has reason to believe that Grainge was personally involved in decisions made regarding the marketing and promotion of [Not Like Us] around its release … Given that plaintiff has alleged Grainge to be one of the individuals at UMG who acted with actual malice, plaintiff is entitled to seek discovery into Grainge's files for the purpose of proving Grainge's actual malice'. A letter from UMG's legal team to Drake's in July, denying access to Grainge's documents, reads: 'UMG has maintained since our first meet and confer on this topic that Sir Lucian had no meaningful involvement in the matters and decisions at issue in this litigation. Sir Lucian runs a global multinational company; he is not involved in record releases or marketing activities around individual tracks, even high-profile ones.' It adds that 'to the extent his documents and communications contain any (limited) relevant information, it is expected to be cumulative and duplicative' of other UMG staff communications that the company has agreed to make available. Lawyers for Drake claim UMG's position has slightly changed from a previous claim of 'no role in the matters', to 'no meaningful involvement'. The second motion from Drake's team seeks a different set of documents, 'related to UMG's historical censorship' of artists, arguing that UMG has the right to censor works when they contain defamatory statements, and has previously exercised that right. It also argues that UMG encouraged competition between two of its labels: Republic, which releases Drake's music, and Interscope, which releases Lamar's. The specific allegation is 'that the incentive structure for executives at UMG's labels motivated UMG to defame Drake'. The motion requests various financial documents, as well as Lamar's unredacted record contract. UMG has not commented on the newly filed motions. The Guardian has contacted the company's legal team for comment. UMG is seeking to have the case dismissed, claiming in March that Drake 'lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated … diss tracks are a popular and celebrated artform centred around outrageous insults, and they would be severely chilled if Drake's suit were permitted to proceed'.
