Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 45

Grammys 2016: Bet On Big Nights For Taylor Swift And Kendrick Lamar

Don’t be surprised if Taylor Swift walks home with quite a few more Grammys on Monday. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images).

When Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar teamed up for a remix of “Bad Blood,” the fourth single off Swift’s smash1989, the critical focus was more on its star-studded video–featuring guests including Selena Gomez, Karlie Kloss and Jessica Alba–than its artistic merits. But the track earned a Grammy for Best Pop/Duo Performance, a prelude to what should be a big night for t...

The Top-Earning Grammy Nominees Of 2016

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What do Taylor Swift, Diddy and Lady Gaga have in common? Not much, musically speaking. But at this year’s Grammys they do—together they’re the three highest-paid nominees—Swift earned $80 million and Diddy pulled in $60 million, followed closely by Gaga at $59 million.

Making the best music doesn’t always translate to making the most money, though. Of the ten highest-paid musicians in the world, only the aforementioned trio earned nominations, and within t...

Jay Leno And The Secrets Of A Turbocharged ‘Retirement’

Not Slowing Down: Leno left the Tonight Showtwo years ago, but he’s busy as ever–and serves as a perfect example for those pursuing second acts. (Photo by Ethan Pines for FORBES).

Deep inside a football-field-size garage near the Burbank Bob Hope Airport, Jay Leno crouches over a silver 1957 Corvette, spilling oil into the car’s exposed engine–a labor-intensive morning activity typical of his “retirement.”

Since leaving his late-night-TV gig two years ago, Leno has been evenly pouring time in...

A$AP Rocky’s Sequel: A Cash Prince Aims For The Fashion Crown

A$AP Rocky has secured his status as an elite rapper. Now he’s attempting to build a creative collective to match. (Photo by Uyen Cao).

“That guy’s Margiela shoes are f—ing amazing,” says A$AP Rocky in a hushed tone, staring across a crowded room in the midst of a fashion shoot at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Philadelphia.

“You see them?” he asks me, lowering his voice to a whisper, as though we’ve just spotted a pair of rare birds that he’s trying not to startle. “Are they Margiela? Do you know...

Hip-Hop Cash Princes: The Class Of 2016

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Lovebug Starski almost recorded the first rap song to crack the charts back in 1979. Almost.

The 55-year-old rapper-DJ’s “hip-hop-you-don’t-stop” routine piqued the interest of producer Sylvia Robinson, but when he couldn’t get out of a conflicting contract, she assembled the Sugar Hill Gang to replicate it in “Rapper’s Delight.” Starski still pops up to perform DJ gigs from time to time, where he often plays hits by the next generation—Fetty Wap’s “Trap Que...

Hip-Hop Cash Princes 2016: Preview & Contest

Cash Princes: Which rappers and producers are set to collect the most currency inthe coming years? (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

What do J. Cole, Big Sean and A$AP Rocky have in common? Aside from being successful young rappers who rake in millions per year–J. Cole alone banked $11 million in 2015–they’re all alumni of our Hip-Hop Cash Princes list.

These are the rappers and producers under the age of 30 that we think have the best chance of one day joining the likes of Jay Z, Diddy and...

Why Coldplay And Beyonce Won’t Be Paid For Their Super Bowl Halftime Gig

ColdplayWarmup: Chris Martin and his band won’t be paid for their Super Bowl gig, but it should prove valuable for the group’s upcoming tour. (Photo credit: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images).

The Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show’s list of performers would make the promoters of any major music festival jealous. Coldplay will serve as headliner with a confirmed guest appearance from Beyoncé; Bruno Mars is reportedly slated to join the festivities as well, and Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem...

For David Bowie And Glenn Frey, Different Paths Loom For A Rich Afterlife

The Man Who Fell To Earth: David Bowie’s death is the latest in a string of otherworldly transformations. (Photo: AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

“Look up here, I’m in heaven,” sings David Bowie in “Lazarus,” a song released just days before his untimely death last week. Then, a few lines later: “Dropped my cell phone down below, ain’t that just like me?”

If Bowie means beaming art down to Earth from another realm, it sure is. During his half-century-plus career, the U.K native has inhabited his share...

Straight Outta Compton–And Into The 30 Under 30 Class Of 2016

NWA 2.0: O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell earned their spots on our 30 Under 30 list thanks to their roles in Straight Outta Compton. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images).

When O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson started to tell his son he’d won the role playing his father in Straight Outta Compton, O’Shea Jackson, Jr. thought he was in trouble.

“I was driving, and my dad called and told me he wanted to talk to me when I got home,” recalls the younger Jackson. “I was thinking, ‘Wha...

Bryshere Gray: From Yazz The Greatest To Hakeem Lyon To 30 Under 30

‘Empire’ State of Mind:Fox’s hip-hop drama gave Gray a platform for his career, both as a rapper and an actor. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for GQ Magazine)

Up until 2015, Bryshere Gray was better known as the Philadelphia rapper Yazz The Greatest. He gained enough stature as such to earn a spot openingfor 2 Chainz and Fabolous at Jay Z’s Made In America Music Festival in 2013.

But landing a role on Fox’s Empiresupercharged his career, and now his profile as fictional rapper Hakeem Lyon...