Music News

Lil Wayne thinks he's a better rapper than Drake.
The 'Lollipop' hitmaker claims he is responsible for the success of the 'Take Care' star by giving him a platform for his music, when he signed him to his label Young Money Entertainment in 2009 and helped launch his career, but admitted he isn't worried he will out shine him because he is still the better hip hop artist.
Asked who is the better rap star he said:"I annihilate that guy. I don't feel like I be deserving anything from him. Only thing I did was put him on a good platform.
"I discovered Drake. He left everything behind. At the time he was singing and rapping. His image was the Drake we know now, he never changed his image. But back then it wasn't accepted too well. Singing and rapping at the same time. He was getting shunned by a lot of people. He was getting rejected."
The 32-year-old star advised Drake not to "change anything" and to rap about whatever he wants and not to try and be like him and be true to his Canadian self.
He told ESPN Radio podcast 'Giving Major Prop': "I was the one to tell him, don't change anything. Don't think 'cos you're coming over here by me you gotta start rapping bout the things I rap about. Please rap about your little TV show, whatever you wanna rap about, rap about girls, do that. That's what you're good at."
He added: "It's only natural for you to come over and just think, if I'm wit Wayne, I gonna rock like Wayne. Don't change anything. Don't start singing about killing nobody, don't start singing about the streets. Keep it Canadian man."

Duran Duran hope Sam Smith made his James Bond song 'Writing's on the Wall' his own.
The 'Rio' hitmakers famously penned the theme for 1985's 007 adventure 'A View to a Kill' and were pleased when they discovered Sam had been chosen to provide the title track for 'SPECTRE' starring Daniel Craig as the suave spy for a fourth time.
The band think the 'Stay With Me' hitmaker is a "fantastic singer" and have urged him to just "enjoy" the experience of working with one of the biggest movie franchises in history.
Asked what advice they would give the 23-year-old pop star in an interview on 'Loose Women', frontman Simon Le Bon said: "Sam Smith is a fantastic singer. You make it yours that's what I would say because that is how we approached doing it. We didn't try and write one that sounded like Eartha Kitt or Tom Jones. We wanted to make a Duran Duran Bond theme and make sure it sounded like that. That's what you've got to do, enjoy the journey. The James Bond franchise is massive and you get on the train and take it all in."
Duran Duran have just released their new LP 'Paper Gods', which they worked on with previous collaborators Nile Rodgers and Mark Ronson.
They insist the album is "classic Duran Duran" but their sound has been updated for this generation.
Le Bon explained: "It's classic Duran Duran and I think one of the reasons it took us two years make the album, was on the one hand we were trying to write 12 great songs, which sounds simple enough, but we are also re-designing the sound of the band for 2015."

Newton Faulkner is making a comeback with new LP 'Human Love' this autumn. The 'Dream Catch Me' hitmaker will release his first studio album since 2013's 'Studio Zoo' on November 20 and will head out on a run of UK tour dates in support of the forthc...

Duran Duran hope Sam Smith made his James Bond song 'Writing's on the Wall' his own.
The 'Rio' hitmakers famously penned the theme for 1985's 007 adventure 'A View to a Kill' and were pleased when they discovered Sam had been chosen to provide the title track for 'SPECTRE' starring Daniel Craig as the suave spy for a fourth time.
The band think the 'Stay With Me' hitmaker is a "fantastic singer" and have urged him to just "enjoy" the experience of working with one of the biggest movie franchises in history.
Asked what advice they would give the 23-year-old pop star in an interview on 'Loose Women', frontman Simon Le Bon said: "Sam Smith is a fantastic singer. You make it yours that's what I would say because that is how we approached doing it. We didn't try and write one that sounded like Eartha Kitt or Tom Jones. We wanted to make a Duran Duran Bond theme and make sure it sounded like that. That's what you've got to do, enjoy the journey. The James Bond franchise is massive and you get on the train and take it all in."
Duran Duran have just released their new LP 'Paper Gods', which they worked on with previous collaborators Nile Rodgers and Mark Ronson.
They insist the album is "classic Duran Duran" but their sound has been updated for this generation.
Le Bon explained: "It's classic Duran Duran and I think one of the reasons it took us two years make the album, was on the one hand we were trying to write 12 great songs, which sounds simple enough, but we are also re-designing the sound of the band for 2015."

The Vamps are making a comeback. The British band have today confirmed they are to release their brand new single 'Wake Up' this October and will follow it up with their second LP of the same name on November 27. The 'Can We Dance' hitmakers sophomo...

Ant & Dec have confirmed they are hosting next year's BRIT Awards.
The duo took on presenting duties in February, 14 years after they first hosted the ceremony in 2001, and after initially being reluctant to return they are "thrilled" to be coming back for 2016.
They said: "In all honesty we only intended to do it for one year but had such a good time we are thrilled to be doing it again. Both of us are looking forward to what will be an incredible night, and we can't wait to celebrate the achievements of British music once again."
The 'Saturday Night Takeaway' funnymen proved contributed to a rise in viewing figures by 1.2 million and a record breaking 7.8 million tweets were posted on the night about the event, which featured performances and appearances from Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, Royal Blood and Paloma Faith as well as Madonna's infamous 'cape fall'.
BRIT Awards Chairman Max Lousada has praised the boys' contribution to the ceremony, saying: "We're delighted to welcome Ant and Dec back to host the BRITs next year. They played a huge role in the success of this year's event and we're all looking forward to another great show in 2016."
The annual music awards will return to The O2 in London on Wednesday February 24.

Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson could "never be a typical rock star".
Throughout his time in the heavy metal band over the last four decades, Bruce has never felt the need to conform to the hellraising stereotypes that come with being the frontman of one of the biggest-selling groups of all time, and was always more interested in his second career as a commercial pilot.
The 57-year-old singer - who has just overcome tongue cancer - said: "I never could be a typical rock star. In my case you don't get the stereotype. Rock stars should be tall, skinny and blond, concave-chested and wasted - I'm short, brown-haired and English. I'm a bit of an anorak, sadly."
The 'Run to the Hill's' hitmaker decided in the early stages of his career that he'd avoid taking drugs after seeing how "messed up" the people around him got from taking illegal substances and he introduced his children - Austin, 25, Griffin, 23, and Kia, 21 - to the first hand effects of drugs to put them off experimenting.
He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "What was great for my kids was when they were growing up and we took them out on the road. I got some cracking questions from five-year-olds, 'Daddy, why is that man doing that?'."
"The best possible antidote for people not to take drugs is to go and see a bunch of people who are completely messed up, out of their brains. They got a good education in drugs and made good decisions."
Iron Maiden are currently flying high on the success of their 16th studio LP 'The Book of Souls', which is currently number one in the UK, and Bruce is getting ready to fly his bandmates - Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Nicko McBrain and Janick Gers - around the world on their 60-date 'The Book of Souls' tour in 35 countries on a Boeing 747.
He added: "One of advantage of being a pilot is you've only had couple of bottles of water and everyone else gets off with a terrible hangover."

Amy Winehouse's best friend wants people to remember the singer for her talent rather than her death.
The 'Rehab' singer died four years ago at the age of just 27 from alcohol poisoning, after battling drink and drug addiction for years, and Juliette Ashby - who has known Amy since they were both four years old - hopes people won't forget her talent.
When asked what she thinks of people who say Amy was just a junkie, Juliette told E! News: "That's not the truth. She does not deserve to be known like that. It's not fair. I want people to celebrate my best friend the same way that I do in my own head.
"Everyone looks at her and thinks of the horrible things that happened to her. I want people to focus on the fact she had a wonderful life. At the end she had clarity. She was just like you and me, she had a great life with great friends and she had a lot of fun but when it all got too big, it went wrong. That's the truth. She loved life and she was very happy and she was no different from anyone else."
Juliette also revealed that Amy never wanted to be famous but just wanted to make good music.
She said: "When we were young teenagers she wanted to be a roller waitress, a writer or a comedian. Fame wasn't an incentive for her. Music was. It was just part of who she was, and that's what I am like too. That's why we were best friends, we both completely understood one other.
"She had a short attention span and if you mix that sort of personality type with life situations and then you add fame and money and influences, people who don't say no to you or [who] have other intentions for their own benefit, then it's a recipe for destruction.
"It's like putting someone on a train to destroy themselves."

The Libertines' Gary Powell believes Pete Doherty's group of 'friends' are to blame for his disappearance last week.
The 45-year-old drummer has claimed Pete's pals outside of the band are a bad influence on him and are probably the reason the group was forced to cancel two gigs when the troubled singer failed to turn up in time for the set.
Gary told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "A lot of people are blowing smoke up his a** for no reason whatsoever."
He added: "Peter was shoved in the spotlight. He didn't really want it, let alone warrant it.
"It was that difficult for him to digest as it was for me to read about the fact that one of my closet friends - who still is one of my closet friends - was being pushed around in circumstances that were beyond his control."
The British star - who is the eldest in the rock foursome - sees it as his responsibility to look after his fellow bandmates Pete, 36, Carl Barat, 37, and John Hassall, 34.
He explained: "I've always felt like an elderly brother towards them. For a while I ignored everything Peter was doing musically because he was so shoved into the spotlight."
The band were forced to apologise to fans last week after they left them waiting inside The Electric Ballroom in Camden Town, London while they frantically searched for the missing lead co-frontman, before calling off the concert.
Their gig the following night at the Ritz in Manchester was also cancelled, despite Pete later being found safe and well.
Rumours quickly began to surface online suggesting the recovering drug addict had had locked himself in a Wetherspoon's pub toilet.
The gigs were part of The Libertines intimate gig tour to promote their third album 'Anthems For Doomed Youth.'