The priest who okay’d the filming of a controversial Sabrina Carpenter music video at his Williamsburg, Brooklyn church has been relieved of his duties. According to the Associated Press, Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello was stripped of his position on Monday (Nov. 18) after church officials said an investigation revealed other evidence of mismanagement.

Bishop Robert Brennan said in a statement issued by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn that Gigantiello was relieved of “any pastoral oversight or governance role” after an investigation found that Gigantiello made unauthorized financial transfers to a former top aide in embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, which is being investigated on charges of corruption.

The investigation was sparked following outrage over the bloody video for Carpenter’s “Feather” shot at Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish in Williamsburg, in which the singer facilitates the deaths of a number of obnoxious men who are attempting to hit on her. The final scene, filmed at the church, found Carpenter dancing around the sacred space at the men’s funerals while wearing a short black dress and veil and posing with religious items on the altar, including a coffin with a sign that reads, “RIP B–ch.”

Gigantiello was relieved of his administrative duties last November after the video’s release, with Brennan saying at the time that the parish did not “follow diocesan policy regarding the filming on church property, which includes a review of the scenes and script.”

Following Gigantiello’s sanction, Carpenter told Variety that her team got “approval in advance,” and besides, “Jesus was a carpenter.” Her comments came after Gigantiello posted an apology on the Church’s Facebook page, in which he said he approved the filming of the video and did not find anything negative about Carpenter online, green-lighting the shoot in an effort to “further strengthen the bonds between the young creative artists who make up a large part of this community.”

He also said that he reviewed the video’s funeral scene plan and noted that the actual final scene shot was “not what was initially presented to me.”

In his statement announcing Gigantiello’s sanction, Brennan said, “I am saddened to share that investigations conducted by Alvarez & Marsal and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP have uncovered evidence of serious violations of Diocesan policies and protocols at Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Annunciation Parish. In order to safeguard the public trust, and to protect church funds, I have appointed Bishop Witold Mroziewski as administrator of the Parish.”

Though Mroziewski will now have “complete authority over the parish, Gigantiello will still be allowed to say Mass with Mroziewski’s approval. In addition, Brennan dropped Gigantiello from his fundraising duties as vicar of development for the diocese as a broader review uncovered other instances of administrative impropriety, including an ongoing investigation into Gigantiello’s use of a church credit card for “substantial” personal expenses.

During a Madison Square Garden show in September, Carpenter appeared to make light of the “Feather” dust-up, just days after Adams became the first New York Mayor to be indicted while in office. “Damn, what now?” she asked the crowd. “Should we talk about how I got the Mayor indicted?”

J. Cole is taking y’all back, man, as he does so well. Cole surprised fans with the release of his debut mixtape The Come Up hitting streaming services for the first time on Tuesday (Nov. 19).

Hosted by DJ OnPoint, The Come Up Mixtape, Vol. 1 arrived back in May 2007 and has never seen the light of day on DSPs until Tuesday. The project boasts 17 tracks in total and includes early Cole World fan favorites like “School Daze,” “Simba” and “Dollar and a Dream.”

The move got fans excited and had the Dreamville faithful wondering if Cole plans to bring his entire adored mixtape discography — which boasts classics like Friday Night Lights and The Warm Up — eventually to streaming in the coming weeks.

The fan theory could make some sense with J. Cole reminiscing on his decorated career with the release of his Inevitable audio series, which will take fans on an audio journey featuring Cole detailing the origins of his rap dreams through the release of 2014 Forest Hills Drive.

The 10-episode series — which Cole sees as more of a “movie in the form of a conversation” is hosted by Cole and his right hand manager Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad as they reveal never-before-stories about the North Carolina rap legend’s career.

Episode one is fittingly titled The Come Up and it was released on the Inevitable platform website where fans can purchase the entire series for $10. New episodes will be released weekly.

“If you rocked with me at any point so far on my journey, I hope this will give you even more perspective and fill in a lot of blanks,” Cole wrote when announcing the series. “If you have your own dream in life that you hope to achieve, in any field, I hope that this will feed your spirit, giving you confidence to believe in that dream and the encouragement to push through the tough times. To go for it even when you may be afraid to.”

Stream The Come Up below.

Primus are on the hunt for a new drummer, and it could be anyone.

The veteran rock band – who celebrate their 40th anniversary this year – shared an open call out for a new drummer on social media today (Nov. 18) following the recent and unexpected departure of longtime percussionist Tim ‘Herb’ Alexander.

“We are currently taking submissions from all points in the universe for the position of Primus drummer/percussionist,” the group wrote. 

“Seeking a well-mannered, affable individual with original sensibility and aesthetic, possessing a desire to open new doors in the creative world,” they clarified. “Flashy chops are wonderful, but groove, pocket, and the ability to listen, react, and contribute to the musical conversation is a must.”

The band closed their post by urging potential applicants to submit both a resumé and a recent video performance to a dedicated email address.

The search has begun just week’s after Primus mainstays Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde revealed that Alexander had resigned suddenly on Oct. 17 via email “effective immediately”, citing a “loss of passion for playing”—a reason that Claypool and LaLonde admitted “came as a complete shock.”

“On the heels of a wonderful spring & summer of touring and some fabulous plans ahead, it has been a bit bewildering for us that Herb would so abruptly opt out,” Claypool and LaLonde said.

“After several attempts to communicate with Herb, his only response was another email stating that he has ‘lost his passion for playing.’ As disappointing as that is, we respect his choice and it’s forced us to make some tough decisions.”

In an interview with Rolling Stone following his exit, Alexander confirmed that his initial passion had become more like a job during his time in the band. “Over time, I started realizing that it was affecting my physical life, it was affecting my mental life, and it was affecting my family life, and my heart just wasn’t in it,” he said.

Alexander initially joined Primus in 1989, performing on their first four albums until his first departure in 1996. Replaced by his predecessor Bryan ‘Brain’ Mantia until the band’s 2000 breakup, Alexander rejoined the group for their 2003 reunion, leaving again in 2010 before coming back to the fold once again in 2013.

Primus will reportedly move forward with their New Year’s Eve show in Oakland, California, enlisting members of Claypool’s other projects, Holy Mackerel and Frog Brigade, for a “special, one-time event.” Additionally, for their upcoming Dominican Republic festival date, they’ll be joined by Tool drummer Danny Carey. 

The search for a new member echoes the efforts of the Smashing Pumpkins, who announced in January 2024 they would be holding an open audition process to replace former guitarist Jeff Schroeder. Frontman Billy Corgan later took to social media to reveal that within just 11 days, they had received over 10,000 submissions, with Kiki Wong ultimately being announced as their new member in April.

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When Queen Bey calls, the BeyHive answers.

While some fans are gearing up to watch Beyoncé headline the Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens halftime show on Netflix next month, others are planning to see the performance in person. VividSeats saw a 40% spike in resale ticket prices following Sunday’s (Nov. 17) surprise announcement, Forbes reports.

The holiday matchup, taking place at Houston’s NRG Stadium, will mark Beyoncé’s first live performance since the release of her Grammy-nominated Cowboy Carter album and a must-watch moment for members of the Hive. For those who want to watch from the stadium, we’ve rounded up the best ways to score tickets.

Keep reading for more information on game day tickets.

How to Get Beyoncé Tickets

Beyoncé is no stranger to packing stadiums, but the Houston native took a break from live performances after wrapping up the Renaissance Tour last fall, meaning the Ravens vs. Texans game will be the only chance to see her perform live before the year ends.

Game day tickets are available at SeatGeek, Vivid Seats, StubHub, TicketNetwork, GameTime and Ticketmaster. Prices range from approximately $243 at StubHub, $238 at SeatGeek and as low as $219 via Vivid Seats. The most expensive seats can cost you anywhere from $375 to more than $1,900.

If you happen to miss out on tickets to the game, there are a few passes left for the Premium Tailgate Party hosted by Tailgating Hall of Fame. The party starts at 11:30 a.m. local time.

No matter how you watch, whether it’s at home, a watch party or in person, the performance will be a treat for fans. The halftime set will reportedly include “special guests” featured on Cowboy Carter.

Released in March, Beyoncé’s eighth studio album earned 11 Grammy nominations including album of the year and country album of the year. This latest round of Grammy nods brings Beyoncé’s total to 99 – the most nominations of any artist in history.

Chris Stapleton and Ashley Gorley were top winners of the 2024 ASCAP Country Music Awards, celebrating the songwriters and publishers of country music’s most-performed ASCAP songs of the past year. The awards were presented at an invitation-only gathering in Nashville on Monday (Nov. 18).

Stapleton received the ASCAP Country Music Songwriter/Artist of the Year honor. Gorley won his 11th ASCAP Country Music Songwriter of the Year honor, which is more than anyone else in the 62-year history of the ASCAP Country Music Awards. 

Stapleton and Gorley will be competing for song of the year at the CMA Awards on Wednesday. Stapleton is nominated for co-writing his own hit “White Horse”; Gorley for co-writing “I Had Some Help,” the Post Malone smash featuring Morgan Wallen. Fun Fact: Stapleton and Gorley, both Kentucky natives, were born just 34 miles and less than one year apart. Stapleton was born in 1978 in Lexington; Gorley in 1977 in Danville.

Stapleton’s “White Horse” (co-written by ASCAP member Dan Wilson) and “Think I’m in Love with You” were among ASCAP’s 50 most-performed country songs of the year.

Gorley co-wrote Wallen’s megahit “Last Night,” which is the ASCAP Country Song of the Year. Co-written by JKash and Gorley, the song marks Gorley’s fourth ASCAP Country Song of the Year win. He previously won for “You Proof” (2023), “One of Them Girls” (2021) and “You’re Gonna Miss This” (2009).

Sony Music Publishing, Kobalt Songs Music Publishing, Domain Capital Group, Poppy’s Picks, Prescription Songs and Rap Kingpin Music shared in the honor for “Last Night.” The Grammy-nominated single spent 16 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023.

Gorley had a total of 11 songs among ASCAP’s 50 most performed country songs of the year. The others, and the artists who made them famous, are: “All I Need is You” (Chris Janson), “Bulletproof” (Nate Smith), “Cowgirls” (Wallen), “God Gave Me a Girl” (Russell Dickerson), “I Had Some Help” (Wallen and Post Malone), “Save Me the Trouble” (Dan + Shay), “This Town’s Been Too Good to Us” (Dylan Scott), “Truck Bed” (Hardy), “World On Fire” (Nate Smith) and “Young Love & Saturday Nights” (Chris Young).

Gorley was nominated last week for induction to the Songwriters Hall of Fame; eligible voting members have until midnight ET on Dec. 22 to turn in their ballots.

Sony Music Publishing was named ASCAP Country Music Publisher of the Year for the 11th time, with 24 of this year’s most-performed songs. Sony Music Publishing Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston accepted the award.

Among Sony Music Publishing’s top songs are “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey’s mega-hit that has spent 17 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, as well as “Can’t Break Up Now” (Old Dominion and Megan Moroney), “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” (Kelsea Ballerini), “Texas Hold ‘Em” (Beyoncé), “Outskirts” (Sam Hunt), “Bulletproof” (Nate Smith), “Save Me the Trouble” (Dan + Shay), “I Can Feel It” (Kane Brown), “Light On in the Kitchen” (Ashley McBryde) and “Austin” (Dasha).

ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews, ASCAP chairman of the board and president Paul Williams and ASCAP vice president of Nashville membership Mike Sistad handed out awards. Rising duo Everette performed their recent single “High and Lonesome.”

A complete list of ASCAP Country Music Award winners can be found at: ASCAP.com/countryawards24.