Diddy faces public scrutiny over alleged sex crimes as questions arise about future of his music

Diddy faces public scrutiny over alleged sex crimes as questions arise about future of his music

LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs created a hit-making empire with big name performers, earning his place as a savvy music mogul and becoming a three-time Grammy winner while securing high-profile deals across other industries. But now, Combs’ kingdom is collapsing under charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. He was arrested … Read more

Yolanda Adams is still in the blessing business with ‘Sunny Days’

Yolanda Adams is still in the blessing business with ‘Sunny Days’

NEW YORK — If happiness is a journey, rather than a destination, then Yolanda Adams has used her faith and smile to sustain her through life’s ebbs and flows along the way. “I think I was born with that happiness gene that people talk about,” said the gospel music superstar. “I want people to come … Read more

H.E.R. will sing at the Paris Olympics’ closing ceremony as part of the handover to Los Angeles

H.E.R. will sing at the Paris Olympics’ closing ceremony as part of the handover to Los Angeles

PARIS — H.E.R. will perform during the closing ceremony at the Paris Olympics. The five-time Grammy winner is expected to sing the U.S. national anthem live at the Stade de France as part of the handover for the Los Angeles Summer Games in 2028. H.E.R. has won an Oscar, Emmy and Grammy awards during her … Read more

Anderson .Paak flexes new musical muscle on Olympic-themed song with Gwen Stefani and Ryan Tedder

Anderson .Paak flexes new musical muscle on Olympic-themed song with Gwen Stefani and Ryan Tedder

PARIS — When Anderson .Paak was tapped for an Olympic-themed song, the Grammy winner felt eager to record the track until he hit an unexpected hurdle: The normally free-flowing artist had to work within a tight framework. Paak embraced the process, seeing it as an opportunity to flex a new creative muscle. It helped him … Read more

Lady Gaga dazzles at Olympics opening ceremony with prerecorded French performance

Lady Gaga dazzles at Olympics opening ceremony with prerecorded French performance

PARIS — PARIS (AP) — Lady Gaga delivered a dazzling performance as the first musical act during the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony — except it was all prerecorded. The Grammy- and Oscar-winning performer kicked off her performance on steps along the Seine River, singing “Mon Truc en Plumes” in a tribute to French ballet … Read more

Celine Dion makes musical comeback at Paris Olympics with Eiffel Tower serenade

Celine Dion makes musical comeback at Paris Olympics with Eiffel Tower serenade

PARIS — PARIS (AP) — Celine Dion made a triumphant return Friday with a very public performance: closing out the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony from the Eiffel Tower. Nearly two years after revealing her stiff person syndrome diagnosis, Dion belted Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” (“Hymn to Love”) as the finale of the roughly four-hour … Read more

Olympics opening ceremony moments: Lady Gaga, Zinedine Zidane

Olympics opening ceremony moments: Lady Gaga, Zinedine Zidane

PARIS — The Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony got underway after a rough start to the Summer Games on Friday, with rainy skies over the Seine and suspected acts of sabotage targeting France’s flagship high-speed rail network. French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane kicked off the opening ceremony with the Olympic flame in his hands. In a … Read more

How reggaeton stars are driving a basketball boom in Puerto Rico

How reggaeton stars are driving a basketball boom in Puerto Rico

CAROLINA, Puerto Rico — Vianca Braña never used to attend basketball games in her hometown of Carolina, Puerto Rico — or anywhere else in the United States territory. But in recent years, the 23-year-old has left the arena with a hoarse voice, often wearing a T-shirt that reads “Carola,” a nickname for her town. “We … Read more

LL Cool J relearned ‘how to rap’ on his first album in 11 years, ‘The FORCE.’ Here’s how

LL Cool J relearned ‘how to rap’ on his first album in 11 years, ‘The FORCE.’ Here’s how

NEW YORK — The Grammy award winning rapper-actor- author LL COOL J will release his first new album in 11 years, “The FORCE” in September — 40 years into his hip-hop career. Not that he hasn’t been making music in that time. “I’ve always tinkered around in the studio here and there,” he told The … Read more

Tank and the Bangas to pay tribute to their New Orleans roots at Essence Festival

Tank and the Bangas to pay tribute to their New Orleans roots at Essence Festival

NEW ORLEANS — Seven years ago, New Orleans band Tank and the Bangas squeezed into the corner of a classroom and recorded themselves performing their song “Quick,” for National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk contest, the nonprofit’s annual search for the “next great undiscovered artist.” Their video — a lively mix of funk, soul, hip-hop and … Read more