Prince and 3rdEyeGirl to Release “Experimental” The Hit & Run Album

Prince is dropping a new project this year called The Hit & Run Album, and we’ve got a feeling it has nothing to do with fender benders. His band, 3rdEyeGirl, spilled the news about the LP—Prince’s 34th(!)—in an interview with BBC 6 Music, saying it’s a record made for his hardcore fans. “It’s super funky. It’s weird, there’s a lot of experimental sound. It’s just hit after hit and definitely caters to those fans who just love to hear what Prince has to say, rather than wanting to always hear that classic Purple Rain Prince sound.”

The Hit & Run Album is a collaborative project with 3rdEyeGirl that will reportedly feature “HARDROCKLOVER,” and “1,000 Hugs and Kisses,” a new version of “This Could Be Us,” from Art Official Age. A release date hasn’t been announced, but the band insists that the LP is coming “soon.”

Read it at Spin.

Jay Z and Will Smith to Produce an HBO Miniseries on Emmett Till

It’s been 60 years since the horrific murder of Emmett Till, who was killed for allegedly flirting with a White woman. Will Smith and Jay Z are making sure that his story is not forgotten. The duo, who previously backed last year’s Annie, is teaming up once again to produce an HBO miniseries about Till, whose death and subsequent open-casket funeral was a major driving force for the Civil Rights Era. Details are scarce thus far, but Roc Nation, Overbrook and Kapital Entertainment are the production companies tied to the project. Earlier this year, it was announced that the book Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America, would also be adapted into a feature-length film about Till.

Read it at Entertainment Weekly.

Questlove Says He Was Stopped at Gunpoint By Police as a Teen

For years, it’s been clear as glass that the American police system needs to be reformed. As outrage builds over the recent death of Sandra Bland while in police custody, Questlove has candidly shared a story of being held at gunpoint by an officer when he was just 16 years old. He wrote about the incident in an Instagram caption, vividly recalling how a trip to a U2 concert nearly cost him his life. “This flashlight blinded us & voice on a PA said ‘put your hands in the air,’ ” Quest recalls. “I almost had an instant colonic… I hated the guilt of just being me. Nothing more degrading in life than the helplessness you feel when you get pulled over.” The drummer was moved to tell the story after being enlisted by U2 for a performance at MSG. While Quest and his two friends were not physically harmed in the police stop, he admits that the rock band’s music has haunted him ever since.

Read it at The Root.

Jay Electronica Offers a Bullied Fan an Unreleased Song

Jay Electronica played big brother to a fan on Twitter who was being bullied—and it just might lead to the world receiving a new track from the New Orleans lyricist. In a scenario straight out of a ’90s sitcom, a guy named Rob was being teased about his sexual experience, or lack thereof, on Monday afternoon (July 20). Then, the Roc Nation MC swooped in like Batman with words of encouragement. “Don’t worry sir, you’re [sic] time is coming and all your buddies gonna be sick when you strike gold,” he tweeted. “One day soon Rob will be Lord over you all!”

But things got even cooler for Rob, who Electronica renamed Raab (Arabic for “lord”). The elusive lyricist offered to email him an unreleased song that he is free to share with the world whenever he sees fit. “Everyone do me favor and follow my guy @robbyeezy,” Jay Electronica tweeted before signing off. “He’s truly rare.” As of Tuesday, the track had not been sent, according to Rob, err, Raab.

Read it at HipHopDX,