The 1990s and 2000s are BACK, everybody. Pretty much everyone and everything you loved as a preteen is back in style, and music is no exception. Ja Rule and Ashanti are working on an album, for one. For another, Ashlee Simpson is back in a big way. This time she’s not a solo act (so sadly we won’t get a “Pieces of Me” reprise), but she’s teamed up with her husband Evan Ross for a sound that’s a little more bluesy. For what it’s worth, I think Ashlee and Evan work better as a team (don’t @ me, 90s kids). Ashlee and Evan have released a new music video for their acoustic track, “I Do”, and you can check it out here at Betches basically before you can see it anywhere else. It’s a simple video, with just Ashlee and Evan singing. I know, groundbreaking, right? No storyline that makes no sense, no cheesy special effects, just musicians playing music in their music video. Mind. Blown.
Ashlee and Evan recently released an EP together, called Ashlee + Evan, consisting of six tracks in total. With the release of the “I Do” acoustic video, the husband and wife duo also announced they are going on a North American tour. It’s kicking off on January 7, 2019 and it will hit Washington DC, Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Tickets are on sale now, and trust me, even though January 2019 seems like, years away, it’s going to come up sooner than you think.
Check out the video for “I Do” below and start blowing up your group chat to tell them Ashlee Simpson is going on tour.
Image courtesy of High Rise PR
Happy new music Friday, everybody! We have so much good stuff this week. From Anderson.Paak to R.LUM.R to Alessia Cara, there’s tons of new music on the horizon. Also of note is Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross’s new song, which is not at all what you would have expected from Ashlee. Check out all the tracks I’ve highlighted below, and follow the New Music playlist on the Betches Spotify for all of these songs in one convenient place.
“Tints” by Anderson.Paak feat. Kendrick Lamar
Yes lawd, Anderson.Paak is BACK with some new heat. I love him so much. His music is so funky and great. Malibu was obviously a classic, but I especially love Yes Lawd!, his project with producer NxWorries. Now you see what I did there in the first sentence? Anyway, “Tints” features King Kendrick. It is flames. Anderson.Paak’s album is going to be so f*cking good, I cannot wait.
“With My Words” by R.LUM.R
Not going to lie, I’m salty I wasn’t personally notified of R.LUM.R’s new release, because I stan for him so hard. Like, I’ll tell random guys I meet at the bar about him—that’s how hard I stan. In any case, R.LUM.R seems to be going in less of a slow crooning direction with his music and more towards slightly up-tempo stuff that’s still soulful. I still love this, obviously, and it shows off his smooth-as-velvet voice.
“Baby Don’t Talk” by LEON
You guys, LEON is f*cking awesome. She has such a killer voice and she makes amazing pop music. It’s not boring or bubblegum-y, I promise. It’s honestly pop at its best. The video for this song just dropped, and it’s very 60s (or is it 70s? I can’t tell). But it’s an aesthetic. I love it.
“Cold Blooded Creatures” by AlunaGeorge feat. Bryson Tiller
Ugh I know I include an AlunaGeorge song on basically every roundup, but I like all their new music so DEAL WITH IT. And this song features Bryson Tiller, so I physically would not be able to live with myself if I didn’t include it. Not going to lie, I feel like this song was made specifically for me. Like, it’s got an EDM backtrack with some good buildup and drops, and beautiful vocals AND Bryson Tiller. I um, might be crying. Happy tears, though.
“I Want You” by Ashlee & Evan
You guyssss, this is Ashlee Simpson’s new song with her husband, Evan Ross. Talk about a #FBF. And I actually like this song. It’s like, slow and bluesy. I would give everything I own to get Evan and Ashlee on SNL. Can we start a change.org petition?
“How It Ends” by Emily Warren
Emily Warren has written some of the biggest hits you’ve heard (she writes for The Chainsmokers like, all the time) and now she’s finally breaking out with music of her own. Her album, Quiet Your Mind, dropped today. I like the first song, “How It Ends”. It’s upbeat but still emotional.
“Bloodshot” by Amir Obè
If you can’t get enough of melancholy contemporary R&B (hi) then you’ll love Amir Obè. He’s kind of like a Roy Woods mixed with a Partynextdoor, but darker and grittier. To be clear, this is NOT pregame music, unless you’re pregaming your next good cry. IDK your life. But if you’re like me and you listen to moody music to make you even moodier, try this one.
“Trust My Lonely” by Alessia Cara
I mean, this is more or less just like any other Alessia Cara song. We’ve got emotional lyrics, soulful vocals, and a surefire radio hit. I do think this one is a little lighter than her other songs—at least in terms of beat/melody.
“Gmail” by Sheck Wes
You probably know Sheck Wes from “Mo Bamba”, his viral single that came out in January. Today, he released his album, Mudboy, and I’ll just say that it does not seem like it was meant for me, a softspoken white girl who lives in the nice, family-oriented part of Queens. In any case, I’m here, and “Gmail” is one of my favorite tracks on the project. It’s just hard not to get into and it makes me feel gangsta af, even if I’m aware that by putting “af” after the word “gangsta” I have immediately shot any and all gangsta credibility I may have had.
Also as a fun sidenote, I saw Sheck Wes live at Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island as part of the Rap Caviar live showcase featuring Chance the Rapper, and he was a highlight. Very energetic, and he performed “Mo Bamba” twice. Great concert, and I’d recommend the venue because it had seats AND cupholders. It was basically my dream. But uhh, anyway, check out “Gmail”.
Is there anything better than a celebrity family? While I love talking sh*t about all celebrities equally, there’s something about an added family dynamic that just makes everything messier, and a lot more fun. Obviously kids deserve privacy and blah blah blah, but everyone on this list is over the age of 18, and therefore fair game to roast. When thinking about my favorite famous families, there are some obvious choices, but there are also some underrated ones that don’t get enough appreciation for the drama they bring into our lives. I ranked the best famous families by messiness, so you’re welcome.
The Hadids
No one really knew or cared about the Hadids until a few years back, but times have changed. Gigi and Bella are both major stars now, and their little brother Anwar is quickly following in their footsteps. Add to that their mom Yolanda’s tenure on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and there’s plenty to talk about. The main thing to know about Yolanda is that she had Lyme disease for years, and Lisa Rinna accused her of faking it. It was a whole thing, but back to the kids. After years of on and off dating, it looks like Bella is officially back with The Weeknd, which feels correct. Gigi dated Zayn Malik for a long time before breaking up this year, and Anwar is now rumored to be seeing Kendall Jenner, which almost feels like incest? Their dad, Mohamed Hadid, is a real estate developer worth hundreds of millions, and he’s also best friends with Lisa Vanderpump.
The Simpsons
It’s easy to forget how big of a deal Jessica Simpson was in the early 2000s. Her little sister, Ashlee, was also a pretty big deal for a while, with her own reality show and a hit album, until her career was ruined by a lip-syncing scandal on Saturday Night Live. Ah, times were so simple in 2004. Ashlee is now married to Evan Ross (Diana Ross’ son), and they have a new reality show together, which I am very much not watching. But let’s not forget that Jessica was the first Simpson to have a reality show with her husband. Jessica’s reality show with her then-husband Nick Lachey is really wild to revisit now, because Jessica was just so dumb. The best moment is when she is shook by the realization that buffalo wings are not made of buffalo meat (but it’s a very close second to the time she thought Chicken of the Sea was made of chicken). Jessica and Ashlee are the famous ones, but the Simpson family wouldn’t be complete without their dad Joe. If you’re wondering about Joe Simpson, think of him as a prototype for Kris Jenner, which makes him a…dadager? Idk.
The Cyruses
Even though Billy Ray Cyrus is famous, I firmly believe that Miley has been in charge of this family since she was like, 12 years old. She started making that Disney money, and the rest is history. Now, over a decade later, Miley has gone through major transformations in her career, from Disney starlet to horny teen to horny adult baby to hippie stoner. I might have missed some steps in there, but you get the gist. Miley now seems pretty chill, and is still engaged to Liam Hemsworth, whose famous family has had much less drama. These days, the most interesting member of the family is Miley’s little sister Noah, who you know from her iconic (but short-lived) relationship with Lil Xan.
The Hiltons & Richards
This family often gets forgotten, because Paris Hilton is the only one who really matters here. Paris is one of my favorite people of all time, whether she’s making a fool of herself on The Simple Life or pretending to DJ at nightclubs around the world. She’s an icon, the leader of a business empire, and the epitome of a betch. Also, her sister Nicky married into one of the most famous families in Europe, the Rothschilds, and I am very jealous. But it’s important not to forget that Paris and Nicky’s aunts are none other than Kim and Kyle Richards, the messy duo from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The drama between the sisters has been a main plot line on the show for years, and their sister Kathy (Paris’ mom) is so above it. For months, both Kim and Kathy weren’t speaking to Kyle, because she decided to produce a TV show based on their life story. The show, American Woman, got canceled after one season, so was it even worth it?
The Kardashians & Jenners
For our generation, the Kardashian-Jenners are the holy grail of famous families. In the past, we had families where multiple generations were Oscar winners or Broadway stars, but I like the Kardashians just as much. I won’t bore you with all the details that you already know, but it’s really spectacular to think about all this family has given us in the last decade. A 72-day marriage. Secret pregnancies. Cheating scandals. Jail time. Lip kits. And don’t forget, it all started with a sex tape. All these other families can try, but no one has ever brought the drama at a level that approaches the Kardashians. The devil works hard, but Kris Jenner truly just works harder.
The Trumps
Look, I know we all hate Donald Trump, and therefore we hate most of his family just by association, but there’s just so much material here. Ivanka paints herself as this iconic businesswoman and champion of feminism, but really her greatest achievement is a clothing line known for making designer knock-offs, which subsequently got dropped from most stores. Then we have Donald Jr. and Eric, who basically do nothing but wear suits and follow their dad around. Oh, and Don Jr. also allegedly had an iconic affair with Aubrey O’Day of Danity Kane, who appeared on The Celebrity Apprentice. I could go in on Melania, but I’ve been done with her since the moment she plagiarized Michelle Obama’s speech at the GOP convention in 2016. My personal favorite Trump is Tiffany, the daughter that DJT basically didn’t acknowledge until he was running for office. While Ivanka is busy fighting for women’s rights (lol), Tiff spent her summer at Lindsay Lohan’s club in Mykonos, so she’s winning. Ha ha ha how tf did we let these people control our country?
Images: @yolanda.hadid , @krisjenner, @tishcyrus, @kylerichards18, @jessicasimpson, @donaldjtrumpjr / Instagram
