Latest news with #TheNextEpisode
The Herald Scotland
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
How Average White Band 'touched the core' of Black America
Yet a group of six guys from Scotland are among the most influential figures in the contemporary sound of all those genres, and that's despite literally being called the Average White Band. "Those are some Scottish guys," former U.S President Barack Obama said in an interview with Bruce Springsteen. "And those boys can jam." The Boss concurred. Read More: Chuck D of Public Enemy said seeing them on Soul Train was "a revelation", they've been sampled by NAS, N.W.A, The Beastie Boys, De La Soul and Del tha Funkee Homosapien to name but a few. Glasgow's David McCallum may have provided the basis for Dr Dre's 'The Next Episode' but the AWB leave him in the dust - the website WhoSampled credits 169 to one song alone. Go one step removed and you can probably trace Kendrick Lamar's funk and soul infused To Pimp a Butterfly to the Average Whites, Eminem once said "I'm a product of Rakim", who famously sampled the group's 'School Boy Crush'. Anthony Baxter, the director of You've Been Trumped, is currently in the process of making a film about the group entitled Soul Searching. A snippet will be shown at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, with some of the biggest names in music already on board. He tells The Herald: "I've been blown away by how deeply their music is revered in the United States, I've spent the best part of the last couple of years filming extensively and whether it's the audiences they had on their last tour, which was 80% black in pretty much every place I went to, or they incredible impact they've had on some of the biggest names in music today, predominantly hip-hop artists and music producers, they've told me what the band means to them. 'Whether it's Flava Flav, Questlove, or a woman called Melody Spann Cooper who runs Chicago's longest-running black music station who told me: 'they touched the very core of who we were'. "Chuck D said to me, 'you just feel it and that was the epitome of soul'. DJ Premier said 'their funk wasn't made up, it was from their heart and soul'. Average White Band (Image: Supplied) "Questlove told me that when he came across the band on Soul Train it was at that moment he decided he wanted to become a drummer. He played their live album every day for 10 years, because he just loved it so much. "In Scotland everyone knows their songs but I think the story of how they've impacted hip-hop and black music culture in America is one that really surprised me with how deep it goes. 'In Detroit there was this band of brothers called The Jitterbugs who pioneered this dance move called The Jit, and 'Schoolboy Crush' was one of the real influences on that dance move. 'In Los Angeles I spoke to two former Crips and the infamous Crip Walk was really influenced by 'Schoolboy Crush'. Their music has penetrated the culture in America in a much deeper way than I'd initially thought and it's just been a real joy to see how revered the band is." On the face of it, it's a pretty unlikely combination. Six white guys who grew up in post-war Scotland not just doing R&B and funk, but doing it so well they became adored in the places which gave the world that sound. Mr Baxter says: "There were six of them in the beginning and they listened to this kind of music coming in from the United States – Aretha Franklin was their heroine. 'They would search through all the latest Black music coming in, it was being played in one or two pubs around Scotland and they would seek out that music. 'They've explained to me that their Scottishness helped, not only just in the sound of their voices in singing this very soulful, funky music but also when they were growing up after the war it was extreme austerity and I think people like Chaka Khan were going through a similar kind of thing – so there were parallels there." The filmmakers are hoping to have it finished by the end of this year, which marks 50 since the Average White Band topped the charts Stateside. It's produced by Montrose Films along with Screen Scotland, Kartemquin Films, Vertigo Films, and Sky Originals, and it's hoped with the threat of Trump tariffs in the air there will be some Hollywood interest. Mr Baxter says: "I came to know the music of the band when I was growing up but I didn't really know much about their backstory until I read a piece a journalist friend of mine wrote about them. 'I contacted Alan Gorrie about three years ago and sat down with him and spoke about making a film. Since then I've embarked on a journey and found this extraordinary story which was far more multi-layered than I had ever anticipated. "There are still one or two very high profile musicians who are keen to speak to me for the film but what we have already is a terrific story. 'We've uncovered some amazing archival footage along the way, part of the ambition I have is to put the viewer back in 1970s America when they've come across there. "This is more than a music documentary, people will celebrate the music but also be able to immerse themselves in the world of Average White Band and that profoundly important point in music culture. "It's funky, it's R&B, it's soul… it's Average White Band.'
Fox News
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Snoop Dogg slams Trump inauguration haters, tells them ‘get your life right'
Rapper Snoop Dogg is unphased by those who criticized his pre-inauguration performance as he shows his support for President Donald Trump. Earlier this week, the "Gin and Juice" rapper shared a video of himself as he gave a blunt response to the backlash. Snoop, 53, was listening to gospel music as he appeared to be smoking marijuana in a car. "It's Sunday, I got gospel in my heart," he said in the video clip posted on Instagram. "For all the hate I'm going to answer with love, I love too much." "Get your life right, stop worrying about mine. I'm cool. I'm together. Still a Black man. Still 100% Black. All out 'til you ball out or 'til you fall out." "The Next Episode" rapper additionally spoke out about how he has previously dealt with negative responses on the heels of his pre-inauguration performance. "For all the hate I'm going to answer with love, I love too much. Get your life right, stop worrying about mine. I'm cool. I'm together. Still a Black man. Still 100% Black." "You 'gon deal with hate when you get to the top, no matter who you are… Me, personally, I answer it with success and love. That's my answer to any hate and negativity that comes my way, 'cause it's the strongest force that can beat it," he shared on the "R&B Money Podcast," Saturday. Snoop's comments came after he performed at the Crypto Ball as he hyped up Trump supporters and sent a positive and inspirational message through music. Snoop performed at the event and played fan favorites from Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" to Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds (Don't Worry About a Thing)." He also performed a few of his own hits, including, "Drop It Like It's Hot." Other high-profiled guests who attended the Crypto Ball included rapper Rick Ross and UFC star Colby Covington, who both posted about hanging with Snoop. "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang," Covington shared on X. The "Young, Wild and Free" rapper performed after he recently changed his tune about President Trump. Years after Snoop appeared on "The Apprentice" in 2007, he called Trump a clown and mocked him in a music video. In his video for his song "Lavender" in 2017, Snoop depicted Trump as a clown and shot the president in the head. Snoop also delivered laughs during a Trump roast in 2011. In 2020, during an appearance on Big Boy's radio show, Snoop argued Trump should not be in office at the time. "I ain't never voted a day in my life, but this year I think I'm going to get out and vote because I can't stand to see this punk in office one more year," the rapper said on "Big Boy's Neighborhood on Real 92.3." The 53-year-old rapper explained he did not believe he was allowed to vote at the time due to his criminal record. Snoop was convicted of felonies in 1990 and 2007. However, after a long history of condemning the president and his supporters, Snoop praised Trump in January 2024. "Donald Trump? … He ain't done nothing wrong to me. He has done only great things for me. He pardoned Michael Harris," Snoop told The Sunday Times. "So, I have nothing but love and respect for Donald Trump." Michael "Harry-O" Harris, an associate of Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight and the founder of the label's parent company, Godfather Entertainment, was pardoned in 2021 as one of Trump's final decisions before leaving office. Snoop Dogg was famously signed by the label only to leave later in his career. Snoop acquired Death Row Records in 2022. Harris was imprisoned on charges of conspiracy and attempted murder for over three decades. Snoop Dogg praised Trump at the time for his commutation of Harris.
