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By Las Vegas Sun Staff
LL Cool J will open an 11-show residency at 8 p.m. May 15 at Dolby Live at Park MGM, organizers announced Thursday.

The production, “Rock the Bells”: The Residency, will continue at 8 p.m. May 16, 19, 21 and 22, and July 9, 10, 11, 14, 16 and 17. It will trace hip-hop from its New York roots to its rise as a worldwide movement, with DJs, storytelling and special guests to be announced in the coming weeks.

“This isn’t me doing a show in Vegas. It’s all of us,” LL Cool J said in the news release.

Citi cardmembers can buy presale tickets starting at 10 a.m. today through Citi Entertainment. Artist fans, MGM Rewards members and Live Nation and Ticketmaster customers can buy presale tickets starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. Presales end at 10 p.m. Sunday, and tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Monday at ticketmaster.com.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted LL Cool J in 2021, and he founded Rock the Bells in 2018 as a hip-hop platform. In 2017, he became the first rapper to receive a Kennedy Center Honor.

Cool J will open an 11-show residency at 8 p.m. May 15 at Dolby Live at Park MGM, organizers announced Thursday.

The production, “Rock the Bells”: The Residency, will continue at 8 p.m. May 16, 19, 21 and 22, and July 9, 10, 11, 14, 16 and 17. It will trace hip-hop from its New York roots to its rise as a worldwide movement, with DJs, storytelling and special guests to be announced in the coming weeks.

“This isn’t me doing a show in Vegas. It’s all of us,” LL Cool J said in the news release.

Citi cardmembers can buy presale tickets starting at 10 a.m. today through Citi Entertainment. Artist fans, MGM Rewards members and Live Nation and Ticketmaster customers can buy presale tickets starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. Presales end at 10 p.m. Sunday, and tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Monday at ticketmaster.com.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted LL Cool J in 2021, and he founded Rock the Bells in 2018 as a hip-hop platform. In 2017, he became the first rapper to receive a Kennedy Center Honor.

Now Streaming!

Wanda and Leon’s stories continue as L.A. enters a new era. Get plot and streaming details about the 90s-set follow-up to FX’s Snowfall.

What is FX’s The Drop: A Snowfall Sagaabout?

The show follows FX’s Snowfall characters Wanda Bell, played by Gail Bean, and Leon Simmons, played by Isaiah John, as they fight to reinvent themselves in 90s Los Angeles, where the fallout from the crack epidemic is fueling a new game: the rise of West Coast rap.

Wanda starts the show driven by the clear belief that West Coast rap has the power to reshape American culture.

She sets out to put together a ragtag group of geniuses and lead them to the realization of all their dreams. To do it, she must navigate the dangerous overlap of music and street politics, pulling in those closest to her, including her cousins Lamar Kinsey, played by Asante Blackk, and James Kinsey, played by Peyton Alex Smith, and pursuing volatile local rapper Artillery, played by Simmie “Buddy” Sims III, who is already in a tangle with law enforcement.Her internship with former D-boy-turned-label-owner Darryl “DG” Grant, played by Brandon Mychal Smith, creates opportunities but also deepens tensions between Wanda and Leon. Leon has vowed to leave the streets for good and chase down his own atonement through his free legal clinic.

As ambition, loyalty, and survival collide, how much is everyone willing to risk in order to build something lasting in a world that threatens to pull them down?

How is FX’s The Drop: A Snowfall Sagaconnected to FX’s Snowfall?

The story resumes shortly after the events of FX’s Snowfall, continuing the lives of fan-favorite characters Wanda and Leon.

FX’s The Drop carries forward the character-driven storytelling and authenticity that were hallmarks of FX’s Snowfall, and you don’t need to have watched the original to get caught up in Wanda and Leon’s next chapter.

Where can I watch FX’s The Drop: A Snowfall Saga?

You can watch new episodes as they air on FX and stream the same day on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers.*

When was FX’s The Drop: A Snowfall Sagareleased and what’s the episode schedule?

The show premiered on FX, Hulu, and Hulu on Disney+ on September 8. New episodes release weekly through October 27.

Who created FX’s The Drop: A Snowfall Saga?

Produced by FX Productions, the show’s executive producers include Malcolm Spellman, Thomas Schlamme, Dave Andron, Julie DeJoie, Paul Garnes, Trevor Engelson, Michael London, and Ben Younger.

#thedrop #FX #Reclassics

Anyone who profits from or enjoys Hip Hop Culture should definitely attend this event in the Bronx on November 13th and 14th!

The 53rd Anniversary of the Universal Zulu Nation and the 52nd birthday of hip-hop culture take place on Friday, November 13, and Saturday, November 14, 2026, in the Bronx, New York.

Event Details
Dates: November 13–14, 2026
Location: Bronx, NY
Theme: Honoring the Fathers of the Funk & Hip Hop Culture
Featured Lineup & Honorees
Funkmaster Flex (Hot 97) – Opening Night
Chuck Chillout (WBLS)
Jazzy Jay (The Original Jazzy J)
DJ Kevie Kev Rockwell (The Art of Rap)
Special salutes and appearances from hip-hop pioneers including Grandwizzard Theodore and Chief Rocker Busy Bee.

PREMIERING SEPTEMBER 1 ON PARAMOUNT+

Martin’s fan-favorite character Varnell Hill is ready for his close-up on Paramount+ Tuesday, September 1.

The Varnell Hill Show reunites Martin Lawrence and Bentley Kyle Evans nearly three decades after Tommy Davidson’s Varnell made his unforgettable debut on the iconic sitcom.

The eight-episode comedy series stars Davidson alongside Kym Whitley, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Nick Cafero, Emmanuel Hudson and Chris Williams, with special appearances by Lawrence and renowned guest stars including Ms. Pat, Deon Cole, Damon Wayans, Mike Epps, Omarion and many more.

Set behind the scenes of Varnell’s long-running late-night talk show, The Varnell Hill Show finds the larger-than-life host fighting to stay relevant in an ever-changing television industry.

Surrounded by network executives with big ideas, a writers’ room trying to keep up, celebrity guests and a team tasked with managing his outsized personality, Varnell remains convinced of one thing: he’s still the biggest star in the building. Blending workplace comedy with satire, cutaways and fourth-wall breaks, the series explores the corporate, creative and personal chaos that goes into keeping “The Varnell Hill Show” on the air.

In association with BET Studios, the series is executive produced by Lawrence, Davidson, Jesse Collins and Dionne Harmon for Jesse Collins Entertainment, Stacy Lyles, Rae Proctor, and Robert Lawrence for Runteldat Entertainment, Mark Greenberg, Andrew Horne, and Evans for Harvest Studios, who also serves as showrunner, writer and director.

About Paramount, a Skydance CorporationParamount, a Skydance Corporation (Nasdaq: PSKY) is a leading, next‑generation global media and entertainment company, comprised of three business segments: Studios, Direct-to-Consumer, and TV Media. The Company’s portfolio unites legendary brands, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Television, CBS, CBS News, CBS Sports, Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, Comedy Central, SHOWTIME®, Paramount+, Pluto TV, Skydance Animation, Film, Television, and Interactive/Games, and the newly established Paramount Sports Entertainment. For more information, please visitwww.paramount.com.

“Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself”



A Candid, Intimate 8-Part Conversation With JAŸ-Z And Director Rick Rubin Airs Two New Episodes Each Friday Through Friday, October 9

“Writing, Writing, Just Writing…. Everyday”

• The revelatory HBO Original documentary series JAŸ-Z IN 8, a candid and intimate conversation with JAŸ-Z and Rick Rubin, debuts FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 (8:00-8:42 p.m. ET/PT).

Executive produced by JAŸ-Z and Rick Rubin (“McCartney 3,2,1”), the premiere episode will be immediately followed by episode two (8:45-9:22 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO. Both episodes will be available to stream on HBO Max at 8:00 p.m. ET. Two new episodes will debut weekly on Fridays, concluding with episodes seven and eight on Friday, October 9. 

In Rick Rubin’s directorial documentary debut, the series unfolds over many hours of candid conversation between two creative superstars.

The career-spanning series closely studies the ingenuity of JAŸ-Z’s lyrics as he breaks down his writing process and traces how his words reflect his childhood, the experiences that shaped him, and the evolving world he navigated as his career grew. As JAŸ-Z guides us through the words and music that informed the work, he shows the deep inextricable connection between art and life.


• Synopsis: 30 years after his landmark debut album “Reasonable Doubt,” artist, icon, philanthropist, entrepreneur JAŸ-Z sits down with longtime friend, producer, and director Rick Rubin for an intimate reflection on his storied career, revisiting the music together and unpacking his work and life through a shared listening and illuminating conversation. Featuring many of JAŸ-Z’s iconic tracks and album cuts, including “99 Problems,” “Brooklyn’s Finest,” and “4:44,” the eight-episode series offers a deeply revealing portrait of the artist and his work, exploring the influences and inspiration that shaped both the man and his music.


• Episode Descriptions: 



Chapter One 
Debut date: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 (8:00-8:42 p.m. ET/PT)
Episode one features “Intro,” “Meet The Parents,” “Can’t Knock The Hustle,” and “What More Can I Say”. 



Chapter Two
 Debut date: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 (8:45-9:22 p.m. ET/PT)
Episode two features “Brooklyn’s Finest,” “I Love The Dough (featuring JAŸ-Z & Angela Winbush),” and “What More Can I Say”.



Chapter Three
 Debut date: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 (8:00-8:41 p.m. ET/PT)
Episode three features “Lyrical Exercise,” “This Can’t Be Life (featuring Beanie Sigel),” “You Must Love Me,” and “4:44”.



Chapter Four
 Debut date: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 (8:50-9:51 p.m. ET/PT)
Episode four features “Where Have You Been,” “Allure,” “Where I’m From,” “Can I Live,” and “Don’t You Know”.



Chapter Five 
Debut date: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 (8:00-8:42 p.m. ET/PT)
Episode five features “U Don’t Know,” “Politics As Usual,” and “Regrets”. 



Chapter Six
 Debut date: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 (8:45-9:38 p.m. ET/PT)
Episode six features “Jail,” “Ignorant Shit,” “Hovi Baby,” “Kill Jay-Z,” “99 Problems,” “Threat,” “Dead Presidents II,” and “Public Service Announcement (Interlude)”.



Chapter Seven 
Debut date: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 (8:00-8:47 p.m. ET/PT)



Chapter Eight
 Debut date: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 (8:47-9:42 p.m. ET/PT)
Episode eight features “New York (Concept de Paris),” “The Story Of O.J.,” “No Church In The Wild,” “Family Feud,” and “Legacy”.


• Featured Participants: JAŸ-Z, Rick Rubin.


• Credits: HBO Documentary Films presents JAŸ-Z IN 8, a Tetragrammaton production. Directed by Rick Rubin; executive producers, Shawn Carter, Daniel Kaluuya, and Rick Rubin; producers, Leila Mattimore and David Rohde; co-producers, Harlin Lawal and Will Mavronicolas; director of photography Bradford Young. For HBO: executive producers, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Sara Rodriguez.

• Featuring stars Aaron Pierre, Kyle Chandler, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, and co-creators Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King. The eight-episode season debuts SUNDAY, AUGUST 16 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.


• Logline: The series follows new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Lantern legend Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery with cosmic ties as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.


• Cast: Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Laura Linney, Jason Ritter, Ulrich Thomsen, Nathan Fillion, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Jasmine Cephas Jones.


• Credits: HBO in association with Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios. The LANTERNS pilot is co-written by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, who are co-creators for the series. Mundy serves as showrunner. The first two episodes are directed by James Hawes, with Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel, and Alik Sakharov also tapped to direct. The series is executive produced by Mundy, Lindelof, King, James Gunn, Peter Safran, Ron Schmidt, and Hawes. Based on the DC comic characters from “Green Lantern.”

August 28, 2026 // Five-time GRAMMY-winning global icon Angélique Kidjo today releases “Bando [Orchestral] (feat. Pharrell Williams & Quavo),” a sweeping new rendition of the standout from her acclaimed album HOPE!!, alongside an official music video starring Kidjo, Williams and Quavo.

The visual was directed by acclaimed filmmaker Paul Hunter, whose legendary music video catalog includes The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize,” Mariah Carey’s “Honey,” D’Angelo’s “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” and Michael Jackson’s “You Rock My World.”

Produced by Pharrell Williams, the new version expands the original “Bando” with the soaring sounds of Voices of Fire, the gospel choir founded by Pharrell’s uncle Bishop Ezekiel Williams, and the full force of L’Orchestre du Pont Neuf, the Paris-based orchestra led by composer and conductor Thomas Roussel.

The result transforms the song’s recurring declaration, “We’ll survive,” into an even more powerful collective anthem of resilience, possibility and joy.

Seeking to spotlight the vitality of the communities that inspired the song, Kidjo, Williams, and Quavo filmed the video for “Bando” with director Paul Hunter in La Grande Borne, a public-housing project in Grigny, in the suburbs of Paris.

Even as a historic heat wave swept through the area, residents filled the streets and danced for hours, embodying what Kidjo views as a much-needed counter-narrative to rampant stereotypes.

“Most of the time, people only talk about the pain and the struggle of people in the projects, but there’s also pride and joy and celebration,” she says. “When we made the video the whole community came out, and you could feel how proud they were to be seen and recognized. Even in the crazy heat, the kids were so happy and so hopeful. I hope that the song will do them justice, and lift them up even more.”

“The visual world of ‘Bando’ is rooted in culture and community,” says director Paul Hunter. “I was moved by the song and inspired to explore the world it evokes beyond the music itself. The most powerful moments came from observing people simply being together, seeing the younger generation supported by those who came before them, and capturing those natural moments of connection. The goal was to create an experience that felt lived-in and honest, while honoring the culture and people who give the song its meaning.”

“Bando” takes its title from a term for an abandoned house, but the song looks beyond a physical place to the lives and creativity that exist within communities shaped by poverty and inequality. At its core is Kidjo’s conviction that where someone begins should never dictate where they are able to go.

“So much of the art that we love comes from people who created something out of nothing,” says Kidjo.“When you have so little, making art becomes a way to have agency and protect your humanity. It proves that you have something of value to share with the world.”

Angélique Kidjo has released a new orchestral version of HOPE!! standout “Bando,” featuring Pharrell Williams and Quavo, alongside an official music video starring all three. Pharrell produced the track, which expands the original with Voices of Fire and a 50-member orchestra, and the visual was directed by legendary filmmaker Paul Hunter(Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize,” Mariah Carey’s “Honey,” Michael Jackson’s “You Rock My World”).

The video was filmed in La Grande Borne in Grigny, outside Paris, with residents from the community joining Angélique, Pharrell and Quavo throughout the shoot. It’s a joyful, celebratory visual centered around community, resilience and the idea at the heart of “Bando” that where you begin should never determine where you can go.

The orchestral arrangement was first unveiled earlier this summer as the finale of Louis Vuitton’s Spring-Summer 2027 Men’s Show in Paris, where Pharrell serves as Men’s Creative Director.

The release also comes on the heels of a huge few weeks for Angélique: she just made history as the first African musician and first Black African to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, before returning to New York to headline SummerStage in Central Park.

By Ann Marie Barron | ABarron@siadvance.com

The project features collaborations with Raekwon, Cappadonna, Czarface, Ransom, Skyzoo, Che Noir, and KXNG Crooked among others, according to a recent antiMUSIC report.

The project’s title is a look back at Deck’s career — from the Clan’s foundations on Staten Island to the comic-book-noir world of Czarface and back again.

Wu-Tang Clan was formed on Staten Island in 1992 by the rappers, who mostly grew up in the Park Hill section of Stapleton.

“Dragon’s Breath was designed to bring the culture and the true hip-hop experience of beats and rhymes back to the listener,” Deck said in an antiMUSIC interview. “It is also a testament to the OG’s and the legacy artists who have been told to hang up the gloves. Inspectah Deck is still spitting fire 30-years later.”

After the release of Dragon’s Breath, Deck will return with a new Czarface project on Aug. 28, 2026. Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer is the latest entry in the long-running “Czarface Meets…” collaboration series.

This installment welcomes Frankie Pulitzer (his alias will be unveiled soon) into the Czarface fold, according to antiMUSIC.

As of July 28, Deck has reunited with Wu-Tang Clan for the remaining dates of The Final Chamber tour.

The Clan will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Nov. 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles as part of the Hall’s 2026 class, antiMUSIC reports.

Inspectah Deck’s new solo-album Dragon’s Breath is now available at all DSPs. Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer arrives Aug. 28, 2026.

You can now Purchase, Stream, Add and Favorite Dragon’s Breath at your preferred DSP here.

• Director and Producer: Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Joanna Natasegara (The White Helmets, The Edge of Democracy), in her feature directorial debut.
• Producers: Abigail Anketell-Jones, Lauren Dark and Vanessa Kirby.
• The Disciple: A Wu-Tang Fable is a Netflix Documentary in association with Studio Gebbia, Film4, 36 Cinema, Sony Music Vision; an Aluna Entertainment and Violet Films production.
• Executive Producers: The RZA, Joe Gebbia, Jason Ropell, Abazar Khayami; David Kimbangi, Farhana Bhula and Ollie Madden for Film4; Trevor Burgess, Gary Hess and James Costa for Bird Street Productions.
• Editors: Chloë Lambourne and Chris Dickens.

Synopsis: The true story of an outsider whose relentless determination catapults him into the Wu-Tang Clan’s inner circle, where ambition and creativity converge to record an album destined to ignite global controversy.

Academy Award-winning producer Joanna Natasegara makes her feature directorial debut, tracing the decades-long journey of Dutch-Moroccan rapper and producer Cilvaringz, who transformed himself from the group’s most devoted fan into the unlikeliest of disciples to his childhood heroes, including The RZA, whose mentorship shapes the odyssey that follows.

That journey culminates in Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, a 31-track album packaged in an ornate, handcrafted silver box and auctioned to the highest bidder in 2015. Only one copy will ever legally exist. Its scarcity is a form of protest, and an argument that music still holds intrinsic worth as art in a digital age.

The result is one of the most controversial artifacts of our time that sparked ongoing conversations about technology, creation and ownership. It’s also a story about how far one outsider went to belong.

• The film had its World Premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
• Quote from Director and Producer Joanna Natasegara: “For the last 5 years making this film has been a labour of love and discovery for me. Initially I was inspired by a teenhood love of Wu-Tang and a story about the secret album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin too intriguing to miss. In the making I discovered so much more about why Tarik, myself, and so many of us idolise them. They stand for so much that is so needed right now — community, talent, tenacity, innovation and love. I’m so thrilled audiences will get to spend time in this world I’ve loved so much.”