The ACM's Are Tonight, Eric Church Dropped an Incredible New Album, Young Thug Dropped "Slime Language 2", A New Album From The Offspring, Another New DMX Track, And More Caps Off A Big Week In Music

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Here's what happened this past week in the music world-

- Kid Cudi put on a bizarre performance on Saturday Night Live last week. Wearing a dress in honor of Kurt Cobain and all-

- Taylor Swift dropped by The Late Show on Tuesday night for a fun chat with its host Stephen Colbert, most of which centered on the origins of her Fearless song “Hey Stephen.”

But was there something crucial most of us missed? By chance, were there tips about the release of another re-recorded album, specifically 1989, hidden behind layers of innuendo and in-plain-sight clues?

Swifties believe so.

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Taylor Swift fans are the QAnon's of the music world.

POP

- Julia Michaels released a new single, "Love is Weird" and she went on Apple Music Radio to discuss to project with Zane Lowe

- There's a new track from Bebe Rexha called, “Sabotage”. Not a huge fan of this direction she's headed in-

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- Iann Diorr released Still Here 

RAP

- Young Thug, Gunna, and Young Stoner Life Records have released their second label compilation. Slime Language 2 includes the previously shared “Take It to Trial,” “GFU,” “That Go!” It also features appearances from Drake, Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, Kid Cudi, Big Sean, Lil Baby, Meek Mill, Future, Rowdy Rebel, Lil Keed, NAV, YNW Melly, and more.

The first Slime Language arrived in 2018. In 2019, Young Thug dropped his most recent solo album So Much Fun. The following year, he released a project with Chris Brown titled Slime&B.

- Another new posthumous DMX song “Been to War” dropped featuring Swizz Beats and French Montana

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- Conway The Machine unleashed a new ‘La Maquina’ album and its dope-

- Chet Faker announced a new album Hotel Surrender, and shared “Whatever Tomorrow”

ROCK

- The Tom Petty Estate unveiled Finding Wildflowers (Alternate Versions) featuring 16 alternate takes, long cuts, and jam versions of songs from Petty's seminal album

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- The Offspring released a new album Let the Bad Times Roll. The LP, their 10th, marks the band’s first album in roughly nine years, following 2012’s Days Go By.

- Greta Van Fleet dropped their new album, Battle At Garden's Gate and it bangs. The haters can suck it because this one sees the boys beginning of trying to part ways with the sound that their detractors accused of being too similar to Led Zeppelin. This newest effort sees them looking for their own true identity, trying to forge its sound, and showcasing an ambition to continue conquering the hard rock skies. 

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- The Black Keys unveiled a blues cover of “Crawling Kingsnake”, a preview of the band's upcoming blues cover album Delta Kream

- Alanis Morissette shared a new song “I Miss the Band”

- Paul McCartney released a new covers album McCartney III Imagined featuring reworkings by St. Vincent, Damon Albarn, Phoebe Bridgers, Massive Attack's "3D", and Radiohead's Ed O'Brien

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- Wild Pink covered Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, and Carly Rae Jepsen on their new EP 6 Cover Songs

- The prodigy Grace VanderWaal released "Repeat"

- Beach Bunny and Tegan and Sara have teamed up for a new version of ‘Cloud 9’

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EDM

- Kygo released a two-sided single with James Gillespie, ‘Gone Are The Days’

- New hit from Regard feat. Troye Sivan & Tate McRae, “You” 

- Imanbek, Sean Paul, and Sofía Reyes collaborated on ‘Dancing On Dangerous’

- Tchami, ZHU share new music video for joint single, ‘All On Me’

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- Pendulum returned with new single, ‘Come Alive’

- Dvbbs released their first single off their new project, titled "Fool For Ya"

COUNTRY

- The American Country Music awards are tonight at 8PM Eastern on CBS. The awards show will take place in Nashville, across three different legendary Music City stages: the Grand Ole Opry House, the Bluebird Cafe and the Ryman Auditorium. Select performances will also take place at the Bridge Building and the Station Inn, and on Lower Broadway.

Keith Urban is back to host the ACM Awards this year, for a second consecutive year; however, this time around, he'll have a co-host: Mickey Guyton, who Urban accompanied on piano during her 2020 ACM Awards performance. It was that performance, in fact, that convinced showrunners to ask Guyton to co-host with Urban.

"I'm sitting with the executive-producer team at Dick Clark Productions and we were watching that live performance, and we literally had goosebumps just watching her blossom onstage like that," recalls ACM CEO Damon Whiteside. "It was so powerful watching Keith play piano for her. We were so moved by it. Literally, right after that, we were like, 'We've got to ask her to host with Keith next year.' We let the show cool and gave it a little time to breathe, but we were thinking about it from then."

When she steps on the ACMs stage, Guyton will make history once again: this time, as the first Black woman ever to host the show, and the first Black artist overall to do so since Charley Pride did it in 1984.

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As for performances tonight, here's what to expect-

Jimmie Allen, "Freedom Was a Highway"
Kelsea Ballerini and Kenny Chesney, "Half of My Hometown"
Gabby Barrett, "The Good Ones"
Dierks Bentley with the War and Treaty and Larkin Poe, "Pride (in the Name of Love)" at the Station Inn
Brothers Osborne, "I'm Not for Everyone" and "Deadman's Curve"
Kenny Chesney, "Knowing You"
Eric Church, "Bunch of Nothing"
Luke Combs, "Forever After All"
Dan + Shay, "Glad You Exist"
Mickey Guyton, "Hold On"
Ryan Hurd and Maren Morris, "Chasing After You"
Alan Jackson, "You'll Always Be My Baby" and "Drive (For Daddy Gene)"
Lady A, "Like a Lady"
Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram and Jon Randall, "In His Arms"
Miranda Lambert and Elle King, "Drunk (and I Don't Wanna Go Home)"
Little Big Town, "Wine, Beer, Whiskey" on Lower Broadway
Ashley McBryde, "Martha Divine" at the Bridge Building
Carly Pearce and Lee Brice, "I Hope You're Happy Now"
Thomas Rhett, "What's Your Country Song" and "Country Again"
Blake Shelton, "Austin" and "Minimum Wage"
Chris Stapleton, "Maggie's Song"
Carrie Underwood, My Savior gospel songs medley featuring CeCe Winans
Keith Urban, "Tumbleweed"
Chris Young and Kane Brown, "Famous Friends"

And as for nominees, here you go-

Entertainer of the Year

Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton

Female Artist of the Year

Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Ashley McBryde
Maren Morris
Carly Pearce

Male Artist of the Year

Dierks Bentley
Eric Church
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton

Duo of the Year

Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Maddie & Tae

Group of the Year

Lady A
Little Big Town
Old Dominion
The Cadillac Three
The Highwomen

New Female Artist of the Year

Ingrid Andress
Tenille Arts
Gabby Barrett
Mickey Guyton
Caylee Hammack

New Male Artist of the Year

Jimmie Allen
Travis Denning
Hardy
Cody Johnson
Parker McCollum

Album of the Year

Born Here, Live Here, Die Here, Luke Bryan
Mixtape Vol. 1, Kane Brown
Never Will, Ashley McBryde
Skeletons, Brothers Osborne
Starting Over, Chris Stapleton 

Single of the Year

"Bluebird," Miranda Lambert
"I Hope," Gabby Barrett
"I Hope You’re Happy Now," Carly Pearce and Lee Brice
"More Hearts Than Mine," Ingrid Andress
"The Bones," Maren Morris 

Song of the Year

"Bluebird," Miranda Lambert
"One Night Standards," Ashley McBryde
"Some People Do," Old Dominion
"Starting Over," Chris Stapleton
"The Bones," Maren Morris 

Music Event of the Year

"Be a Light," Thomas Rhett featuring Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin, Keith Urban
"Does to Me," Luke Combs feat. Eric Church
"I Hope You’re Happy Now," Carly Pearce and Lee Brice
"Nobody But You," Blake Shelton feat. Gwen Stefani
"One Beer," Hardy feat. Lauren Alaina and Devin Dawson
"One Too Many," Keith Urban and Pink 

Songwriter of the Year

Ashley Gorley
Michael Hardy
Hillary Lindsey
Shane McAnally
Josh Osborne

Will have a full breakdown of tonight in it's own blog tomorrow.

- Eric Church dropped a monster 3 vinul album, ‘Heart & Soul’. The latest project is his most ambitious to date: a 24-song triple album released over the course of a week in three segments. It's so fuckin great so far that it deserves its own dedicated blog which is coming tomorrow. In the meantime you can listen to the first part of it here-

For submissions or suggestions - dante@barstoolsports.com