After the announcement of his participation at Wireless this year fans have been waiting on bated breathe to see whether or not Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd was going to play a solo show in the city or not. Thankfully prayers have been answered as the Toronto hailing enigma has just confirmed his debut show at Wiltons Music Hall on June 7th.

Tickets go on sale May 28th at 9am. See you there…?

Pop-culture superstar Maya Arulpragasam, otherwise known as M.I.A has signed a management deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation company. The British singer, who’s new album Matangi is due out later this year joins an impressive list of artists signed to the agency including Rihanna, Santigold, J. Cole, Wale, Mark Ronson, Shakira, Willow Smith, Melanie Fiona, Jay Electronica and Rita Ora.

M.I.A recently announced recruiting Missy Elliott, Azealia Banks and Rye Rye for the official remix of her single ‘Bad Girls’. Expect that soon.

After a string of successful tour dates in Europe earlier this year, D’Angelo sits down with GQ Magazine for his first interview in years. The Grammy award winning singer discusses a whole range of topics including the effects his infamous ‘Untitled’ video had on his life/career, a weird encounter with Madonna at a party and the powerful (sometimes evil) effects music can have on people. The interview also includes a shocking story from D’Angelo’s ex-wife Angie Stone…

The feature also includes new photos of D’Angelo (above) – check them out after the jump.

D’Angelo on the “forces” in music

“There’s forces that are going on that I don’t think a lot of motherf-ckers that make music today are aware of,” he says. “It’s deep. I’ve felt it. I’ve felt other forces puling at me.” He stubs out his cigarette and leans toward me, taking my hand. “This is a very powerful medium that we are involved in,” he says gravely.” “I learned at an early age that what we were doing in the choir was just as important as the preacher. It was a ministry in itself. We could stir the pot, you know? The stage is our pulpit, and you can use all of the energy and that music and the lights and the colors and the sound. But you know, you’ve got to be careful.”

Paul Hunter (Director of Untitled) on the video being misunderstood

“Most people think the ‘Untitled’ video was about sex, but my direction was completely opposite of that. It was about his grandmother’s cooking. Think of your grandmother’s greens, how it smelled in the kitchen. What did the yams and the fried chicken taste like? That’s what I want you to express.” The video may have looked like foreplay, but it was actually about family, Hunter insists-about intimacy.
Later when I tell D’Angelo this, he says, “It’s so true: We talked about the Holy Ghost and the church before that take. The veil is the nudity and the sexuality. But what they’re really getting is the spirit.”

Read more…

Finally the Michael Jackson estate is doing something right. After a string of terrible posthumous albums, the legal team looking after Michael Jackson’s legacy (and thus their bank balances) is finally releasing something that will have fans genuinely excited and something that respectfully honours MJ’s name.

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Jackson’s classic Bad album, which spawned five consecutive #1 singles, the estate is releasing his legendary concert at Wembley Stadium in full on DVD. Not only that but they’ll also be including some unreleased private studio sessions and a re-mastered edition of the LP.

Dope.

Course, for every step forward, they take 10 back. MJ’s image was recently licensed to Pepsi – the company who Jackson teamed up with in the 80′s for a series of historic deals/commercials. MJ’s “dancing image” will be used on “a billion cans”. Sigh.

After announcing the release date for her forthcoming 1991 EP, Azealia Banks has now set July 4th as the day her mixtape titled Fantastic will drop. The news was confirmed via her twitter. These two projects will be precursors for Banks’ debut album Broke With Expensive Taste – which is currently schedule for a September release.

She’s going in with those releases…

5-time Grammy Award winner, regarded by the world as the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer has passed, aged just 63. According to TMZ the singer died this morning after a battle with cancer. They also report she was in Florida at the time of her death.

Summer rose to fame in the 1970′s with legendary hit songs like ‘Last Dance’, ‘Bad Girls’ and ‘Hot Stuff’. She ushered in a new dawn with her own brand of sensual and at times erotic Disco – establishing herself as one of the pioneers of the genre.

Our condolences go out to her friends and family…

Pharrell Williams is launching a new label named I Am Other. To set things off he’s just released a highly over the top promo video promoting the ‘new’ venture. Hopefully this will usher in a new round of exciting music from Skate Boy P / The Neptunes. If Buddy’s last single with Kendrick Lemar was anything to go by – that’s exactly what might be happening.

We’ll see…