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Music News: Lionel Richie plans Curtis Mayfield biopic

Curtis Mayfield performs in 1972.
Curtis Mayfield performs in 1972.Hulton Archive/Getty Images

by Jay Gabler

October 11, 2017

Lionel Richie is planning to produce an authorized biopic of late soul great Curtis Mayfield. Richie's acquired the rights from Mayfield's estate, saying, "It's an honor for me to bring the life of one of my idols and friend to the screen." Mayfield's widow Altheida Mayfield made a statement of support, but no further details have yet been announced regarding the planned movie. (Rolling Stone)

Eminem attacks Trump in freestyle

Eminem furiously attacked President Donald Trump in a freestyle rap recorded on video and played at Tuesday night's BET Hip-Hop Awards. The rapper accused Trump of "racism, hypocrisy, disrespect of military veterans and more," notes the New York Times.

The music world waited for Trump to respond, although in 2004 he praised Eminem's alter ego Slim Shady: "He's got brains, he's got guts and he's got Donald Trump's vote." It's also true that Trump isn't the first politician Eminem's criticized; previously, he's made critical comments about Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and George W. Bush.

White Stripes plot cassette reissues

The White Stripes are reissuing their first three albms — on cassette. The White Stripes, De Stijl, and White Blood Cells will all be out on tape at participating stores this coming Saturday, Oct. 14, for Cassette Store Day. In Minnesota, that means Dead Media (Minneapolis) and Down in the Valley (Golden Valley). (Pitchfork)

Remembering Bunny Sigler

Singer-songwriter Bunny Sigler has died of a heart attack at age 76. Writing and producing songs for artists including Patti LaBelle and the O'Jays, Sigler was key to the development of what became known as the soulful "Sound of Philadelphia" in the 1970s. "Love, Need, and Want You," a 1983 song he wrote with Kenny Gamble for LaBelle, has been widely sampled by hip-hop artists including OutKast and Nelly. (New York Times)

Sammy Hagar plans all-star birthday celebration

How do you celebrate your 70th birthday when you're Sammy Hagar? With a four-day celebration in Mexico, filmed for a documentary to screen in theaters across the country for one night only. That night will be Dec. 5, and there's no better way to get in the Christmas spirit than to watch the former Van Halen frontman frolicking in Cabo with guests including Chad Kroeger (Nickelback), Bob Weir (the Grateful Dead), Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels (Run-D.M.C.), and Eddie Money. (Rolling Stone)

Beyoncé releases new "Freedom" video for International Day of the Girl

To mark the International Day of the Girl on Wednesday, Beyoncé, released a new awareness-raising music video set to her Lemonade song "Freedom." As Rolling Stone notes:

The video cycles through a series of shocking statistics, including that a girl dies as a result of violence every five minutes, that one in four girls gets married as a child, that 71 percent of human trafficking victims are female, that 63 million girls have undergone female genital mutilation, that 130 million girls are out of school and that girls are twice as likely to become infected with HIV.