Lauryn Hill’s Cover of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” Will Give You Life
Lauryn Hill may rap like the Fu-Schnickens on newer material, but her cover of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” is like homemade chicken soup for the soul. The remake of Nina’s 1965 classic is one of six L-Boogie contributions to the soundtrack of Netflix’s upcoming Liz Garbus-directed documentary What Happened, Miss Simone?, which features contemporary artists like Mary J. Blige, Alice Smith, Common and Usher paying homage to the iconic singer. The compilation is titled Nina Revisited: A Tribute to Nina Simone, and it’s set to drop on July 10. “Because I fed on this music, both hers and others like her, like my basic food, I believed I always had a right to have a voice,” said Ms. Hill, who, along with Robert Glasper, serves as the project’s producer. “Her example is clearly a form of sustenance to a generation needing to find theirs. What a gift.”
Janet Jackson Drops First New Song in Five Years (43 Seconds Long and Great)
It’s been a long five years since the world has heard a new song from Janet Jackson. That is, until yesterday (June 17), when the legendary singer threw fans a bone via a 43-second song showing her appreciation for their unwavering support. “Never for a single moment did I go without your love,” Janet sings on the sparse, untitled track, which she unveiled via Twitter. It’s another piece of what’s expected to be a grand 2015 comeback, said to include new music and her Unbreakable World Tour.
Listen at Billboard.
Nia Long to Star in Key & Peele’s Debut Feature Film Keanu
One of Hollywood’s perennial baddest in the game, Nia Long, is flexing her funny bone in Keanu, the first feature film from comedy tandem Key & Peele. According to Deadline, the movie (which is definitely not about the star of The Matrix) focuses on “a group of friends who plot to retrieve a stolen cat by posing as drug dealers for a street gang.” Ha! Nia’s role is the wife of the character played by Key (also known as Keegan-Michael Key, or, in this context, “lucky guy”). Keanu, which also features Method Man, is slated for an April 22, 2016 release date.
