Artists record songs for Juneteenth
Several artists including Bun B, Lupe Fiasco, 6LACK and Brittney Spencer have recorded songs honoring Juneteenth for Apple Music.
Performers from different genres composed new tracks, while others recorded cover songs for the second annual playlist, “Juneteenth 2022: Freedom Songs,” which launched Friday on the streaming platform.
The playlist was released more than a week before the annual holiday — also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day — that commemorates when the last enslaved African Americans learned about their freedom on June 19.
The 16-song playlist also features reggae-dancehall singer Kranium, gospel singer Koryn Hawthorne and Latin rapper-singer Eladio Carrion.
Fiasco said he wanted to take a different approach in creating the original song “Galveston” for the playlist.
“I try to make things that establish emotion and utility so that not only can people feel it, but they can actually do something with it,” said the Grammy-winning rapper. “There’s only so much utility you can have in music, but it all boils back down to education and instruction. ‘Galveston’ is about taking Juneteenth, which is normally a celebration of a very specific set of events — the manumission from slavery of Black folks — and approaching it from a different angle.”
Alex Isley covers “We Are One,” a song by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.
“I am a daughter, I’m a mother, I’m a friend,” said Isley, the daughter of Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers. “So, just practicing gratitude. I think that’s a big part of Juneteenth: the gratitude and celebration of who we are and the pride of that and the beauty and the richness of our culture and our power.”
Campbell passes on ‘Scream 6’:
Neve Campbell, who has carried the “Scream” franchise for decades as iconic final girl Sidney Prescott, recently confirmed that she won’t return for the next installment, citing a pay dispute.
“Sadly, I won’t be making the next Scream film,” the actor said in a statement.
“As a woman, I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to ‘Scream.’ I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”
Noting that the decision to walk away from the project was “very difficult,” Campbell thanked the “incredibly supportive” fans of the “Scream” movies for their loyalty.
Campbell, 48, was 23 when the first “Scream” film hit theaters in 1996 and made her a movie star.
“Scream 6” is slated to open on March 31, 2023.
Freevee picks up ‘American Rust’: “American Rust” fans can now rest easy, as it was announced Thursday that the series — adapted from Philipp Meyer’s 2009 novel of the same name — has been picked up for a second season by Amazon’s Freevee, the free streaming service formerly known as IMDb TV. Stars Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney are set to return according to a Freevee news release. “American Rust” was canceled by Showtime in January. June 13 birthdays: Actor Bob McGrath is 90. Actor Malcolm McDowell is 79. Actor Stellan Skarsgard is
71. Comedian Tim Allen is 69. Actor Ally Sheedy is
60. Singer Deniece Pearson is 54. Musician Rivers Cuomo is 52. Actor Chris Evans is 41. Actor Kat Dennings is 36. Actors Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen are 36.