Getting ready for the big fest this weekend Lollapalooza has released its merchandise for the 2017 fest.

There are several different collections for this year. The Lolla Classic collection is the basic collection with graphics from the festival, including a cloud with a lightning bolt and an ice cream cone. The Chicagoland Collection features graphics from the City, including the lion from the Art Institute of Chicago. The Chicago Sports Team Collaboration features festival graphics with sports team Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs and new this year, the White Sox. Lolla also collaborated with labels, Aviator Nation and Camp Collection for merchandise.

 

You can get Lolla gear in three places: The Pop-Up shop on the Magnificent Mile, online, or at the Lolla shop at the festival set. You can also pre-order Lolla merch from Sidestep and pick it up at the festival.

I think the Chicago Sports collection is super cute with the added guitars in the logos. I also like in the Chicagoland Collection that the lion has on wristbands for the festival. I’ll definitely be hanging out in the air conditioned shop during the festival between sets.

Yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of “Acid Rap,” and while he asked his fans what their favorite song were on Twitter, I instantly thought of “Lost,” the song about a troubled relationship featuring Noname. This was a while ago, before Noname had “Telefone” and she was called Noname Gypsy.

“Lost” features the signature sound the Chance was known for during the Acid Rap era; this foggy vibe with drums that accompany his moan-like rap. It perfectly matched the melancholy of the song, which is basically about a “relationship” that only exist when they are high and trying to forget their problems.  Whether involving drugs are not, we have all had those people that we only reach out to when we want to escape and isn’t based on anything else.

Chance said in an interview with Hannibal Burress that Noname’s verse is his favorite guest verse.

Check out the song below.

“Behind The Lyrics,” Spotify’s feature that brings up facts and a deeper background to song lyrics, will now be on Android as well. Originally only available on iPhone when it was released in January 2016, this is the first time it was on Android.

I’m a huge fan of both Spotify and Genius. I love reading lyrics and getting to know random factoids about the song, the thought process of the lyrics, etc. Having that integrated while I’m actually playing the song is very convenient. I also love when artists give actual annotations to their song. To celebrate the expansion to Android, Khalid will add annotations to all of his track to his album “American Teen.”

Festival season kicks off with Coachella this weekend and if you couldn’t grab tickets (money, them being sold out, not wanting to be in a desert) here is the streaming schedule for Coachella.  All times are in PST time zone.

Acts that I’m trying to catch include Banks, Mac Miller, The xx, Travis Scott, Little Dragon, ScHool Boy Q, Bastille, Lady Gaga, Goldlink, and of course Kendrick who I’m pretty sure is releasing another album on Sunday.

 

Friday, April 14th:
03:35 – Tennis (1)
03:35 – Preservation Hall Jazz Band (2)
03:35 – Klangstof (3)
04:10 – King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (1)
04:15 – Joseph (3)
04:25 – SOHN (2)
05:00 – Bonobo (1)
05:00 – The Lemon Twigs (3)
05:10 – Sampha (2)
05:10 – Broods (2)
05:45 – Stormzy (3)
05:50 – Mac DeMarco (1)
06:00 – Francis and the Lights (2)
06:30 – Broods (3)
06:50 – Oh Wonder (2)
06:55 – Glass Animals (1)
07:20 – Big Gigantic (3)
07:40 – Banks (2)
07:45 – Father John Misty (1)
08:20 – Crystal Castles (3)
08:30 – Richie Hawtin (2)
08:45 – Phantogram (1)
09:10 – Mac Miller (3)
09:30 – Jagwar Ma (2)
09:35 – The xx (1)
10:00 – Steve Angello (3)
10:20 – DJ Shadow (2)
10:40 – Radiohead (1)
11:00 – Empire of the Sun (3)
11:20 – Travis Scott (2)
11:55 – Dillon Francis (3)
12:15 – Capital Cities (2)

Saturday, April 15th:
03:35 – Local Natives (1)
03:35 – Arkells (2)
03:35 – Blossoms (3)
03:55 – Kaleo (2)
04:20 – Shura (3)
04:30 – Chicano Batman (1)
04:45 – Car Seat Headrest (2)
05:00 – Banks & Steelz (3)
05:15 – The Head and the Heart (1)
05:40 – The Atomics (2)
05:45 – Autograf (3)
06:10 – Bastille (1)
06:25 – Roisin Murphy (2)
06:35 – Little Dragon (3)
07:15 – DREAMCAR (2)
07:20 – Two Door Cinema Club (1)
07:25 – Mura Masa (3)
08:05 – Moderat (2)
08:15 – Gryffin (3)
08:20 – Future (1)
09:05 – Warpaint (2)
09:10 – Tory Lanez (3)
09:15 – ScHoolboy Q (1)
09:55 – Tycho (2)
10:00 – Röyksopp (3)
10:15 – Bon Iver (1)
10:45 – DJ Snake (2)
10:55 – Martin Garrix (3)
11:25 – Lady Gaga (1)
12:00 – Gucci Mane (2)
12:05 – Classix (3)

Sunday, April 16th:
03:35 – Ezra Furman (1)
03:35 – Grace Mitchell (2)
04:15 – Anna Lunoe (3)
04:25 – Whitney (1)
04:25 – Preoccupations (2)
05:15 – Toots & The Maytals (1)
05:15 – Goldlink (2)
05:15 – NAO (3)
06:10 – Grouplove (1)
06:10 – Jack Garratt (2)
06:55 – Kaytranada (3)
07:00 – Kiiara (2)
07:20 – Future Islands (1)
07:55 – Tove Lo (2)
08:10 – DJ Khaled (3)
08:15 – Porter Robinson & Madeon (1)
08:40 – Hans Zimmer (2)
09:00 – Galantis (3)
09:20 – Lorde (1)
09:45 – Kehlani (2)
09:45 – Justice (3)
10:25 – Kendrick Lamar (1)
10:30 – New Order (2)
11:05 – Marshmello (3)

Billboard announced the nominees for 2017 Billboard Music Awards. Drake and Chainsmokers lead the nominations. While I wasn’t a fan of “Views,” I did like the song “One Dance” and I have to admit that Drake did well on the Billboard charts this year. Other highlights includes Beyonce and Rhianna.

Here are my picks for each category I’m familiar with. The only category that I did not vote for that I am familiar with was Best Rap Album because I did not love any of the choices.

The BBMA will air on May 21.

Top Female Artist Nominees
Adele
Beyonce
Ariana Grande
Rihanna
Sia

Top Male Artist Nominees
Justin Bieber
Drake
Future
Shawn Mendes
The Weeknd

Top Hot 100 Song Nominees
The Chainsmokers & Halsey – “Closer”
The Chainsmokers & Daya – “Don’t Let Me Down”
Drake & Wizkida & Kyla – “One Dance”
Justin Timberlake – “Can’t Stop The Feeling”
Twenty One Pilots – “Heathens”

Top Billboard 200 Album Nominees
Beyonce – “Lemonade”
Drake – “Views”
Rihanna – “Anti”
Twenty One Pilots – “Blurryface”
The Weeknd – “Starboy”

Top Artist Nominees
Adele
Beyonce
Justin Bieber
The Chainsmokers
Drake
Ariana Grande
Shawn Mendes
Rihanna
Twenty One Pilots
The Weeknd

Top New Artist Nominees
Alessia Cara
Desiigner
Uzi London
Lukas Graham
Zayn Malik

Billboard Chart Achievement Award Nominees
Luke Bryan
The Chainsmokers
Nicki Minaj
Twenty One Pilots
The Weeknd

Top Duo/Group Nominees
The Chainsmokers
Coldplay
Florida Georgia Line
Guns n Rosies
Twenty One Pilots

Top Song Sales Artist Nominees
The Chainsmokers
Drake
Prince
Justin Timberlake
Twenty One Pilots

Top Radio Songs Artist Nominees
Justin Bieber
The Chainsmokers
Drake
Rihanna
Twenty One Pilots

Top Streaming Songs Artist Nominees
The Chainsmokers
Desiigner
Drake
Rihanna
Twenty One Pilots

Top Social Artist Nominees
Justin Bieber
BTS
Selena Gomez
Ariana Grande
Shawn Mendes

Top Touring Artist Nominees
Justin Bieber
Beyonce
Coldplay
Guns n Roses
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

Top R&B Artist Nominees
Beyonce
Bruno Mars
Frank Ocean
Rihanna
The Weeknd

Top R&B Tour Nominees
Beyonce
Lionel Richie
Rihanna

Top Rap Artist Nominees
J Cole
Desiigner
Drake
Future
Rae Sremmurd

Top Rap Tour Nominees
Drake
Future
Kanye West

Top Country Artist Nominees
Florida Georgia Line
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban
Chris Stapleton
Jason Aldean

Top Country Tour Nominees
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Dixie Chicks

Top Rock Artist Nominees
Coldplay
The Lumineers
Metallica
Twenty One Pilots
X Ambassadors

Top Rock Tour Nominees
Coldplay
Guns n Roses
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

Top Latin Artist Nominees
J Balvin
Juan Gabriel
Los Plebes Del Rancho De Ariel Camacho
Maluma
Nicky Jam

Top Dance/Electronic Artist Nominees
The Chainsmokers
Calvin Harris
Major Lazer
DJ Snake
Lindsey Stirling

Top Christian Artist Nominees
Lauren Daigle
Hillsong Worship
Hillary Scott & The Scott Family
Skillet
Chris Tomlin

Top Gospel Artist Nominees
Jekalyn Carr
Kirk Franklin
Travis Greene
David and Tamela
Hezekiah Walker

Top Soundtrack/Cast Album Nominees
Hamilton Musical
Moana
Purple Rain
Suicide Squad
Trolls

Top R&B Album Nominees
Beyonce – “Lemonade”
Bruno Mars – “24k Magic”
Frank Ocean – “Blonde”
Rihanna – “Anti”
The Weeknd – “Starboy”

Top Rap Album Nominees
J Cole – “4 Your Eyez Only”
Drake – “Views”
Kevin Gates – “Islah”
DJ Khaled – “Major Key”
A Tribe Called Quest – “We Got It From Here, Thanks 4 Your Service”

Top Country Album Nominees
Jason Aldean – “They Don’t Know”
Florida Georgia Line – “Dig Your Roots”
Blake Shelton – “If I’m Honest”
Chris Stapleton – “Traveller”
Keith Urban – “Ripcord”

Top Rock Album Nominees
The Lumineers – “Cleopatra”
Metallica – “Hardwired… To Self-Destruct”
Radiohead – “A Moon Shaped Pool”
Red Hot Chilli Peppers – “The Getaway”
Twenty One Pilots – “Blurryface”

Top Latin Album Nominees
J Balvin – “Energia”
CNCO – “Primera Cita”
Juan Gabriel – “Los Duo 2”
Los Plebes del Rancho de Ariel Camacho – “Recuerden Mi Estilo”

Top Dance/Electronic Album Nominees
The Chainsmokers – “Bouquet/Collage”
Flume – “Skin”
Kygo – “Cloud Nine”
Lindsey Stirling – “Brave Enough”

Top Christian Album Nominees
Casting Crowns – “The Very Next Thing”
Lauren Daigle – “How Can It Be”
Joey and Rory – “Hymns”
Hillary Scott & The Scott Family – “Love Remains”
Skillet – “Unleashed”

Top Selling Song Nominees
The Chainsmokers & Halsey – “Closer”
The Chainsmokers & Daya – “Don’t Let Me Down”
Drake & Wizkid & Kyla – “One Dance”
Justin Timberlake – “Can’t Stop the Feeling”
Twenty One Pilots – “Heathens”

Top Radio Song Nominees
The Chainsmokers & Halsey – “Closer”
The Chainsmokers & Daya – “Don’t Let Me Down”
Drake & Wizkid & Kyla – “One Dance”
Sia and Sean Paul – “Cheap Thrills”
Justin Timberlake – “Can’t Stop The Feeling”

Top Streaming Song (Audio) Nominees
The Chainsmokers & Halsey – “Closer”
Drake & Wizkid & Kyla – “One Dance”
D.R.A.M. Featuring Lil Yachty – “Broccoli”
Rihanna – “Needed Me”
The Weeknd & Daft Punk – “Starboy”

Top Streaming Song (Video) Nominees
The Chainsmokers & Halsey – “Closer”
Desiigner – “Panda”
Zay Hilfigerr & Zayion McCall – “JuJu On That Beat”
Rae Sremmurd & Gucci Mane – “Black Beatles”
Twenty One Pilots – “Heathens”

Top Collaboration Nominees
The Chainsmokers & Halsey – “Closer”
The Chainsmokers & Daya – “Don’t Let Me Down”
Drake & Wizkid & Kyla – “One Dance”
Sia and Sean Paul – “Cheap Thrills”
The Weeknd & Daft Punk – “Starboy”

Top R&B Collab Nominees
Drake & Wizkid & Kyla – “One Dance”
The Weeknd & Daft Punk – “Starboy,” “I Feel It Coming”
Rihanna & Drake – “Work”
PartyNextDoor & Drake – “Come And See Me”

Fresh off the success of “I Don’t Want To Live Forever” with Taylor Swift, Zayn has released new music with PARTYNEXTDOOR with “Still Got Time.”

I think PARTYNEXTDOOR and Zayn’s voices meld well together. PARTYNEXTDOOR has written several pop tracks, so its interesting to see his vocals actually on the song.

Check out the new single below.

Yesterday, March 15,  marked the 6th anniversary of Nate Dogg’s death. Known for bringing an R&B hook to a song, he basically invented the rap/sung collaboration that is go-to formula today.

While I can think of many great Nate Dogg songs off the hook, my favorite Nate Dogg moment was when he was in “Head of State,” the 2003 Chris Rock movie in reach he was a Greek Chorus narrating the story. I found it to be hilarious, fun and just a great way to remember him.

Check out clips from the movie below.

For his partnership with H&M, The Weeknd has released an acoustic performance of his song “Nothing Without You” from his latest album “Starboy.”

I actual prefer this version rather than the one from the album. I’m a huge The Weeknd fan, but my problem with the “Starboy” album is that I’m not a fan of the production. This bare bones version really highlights the lyrics and The Weeknd’s voice, which I think is missing from the album. What do you think? Listen to the original version below.