Kim Kardashian announces end of 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians'

LOS ANGELES -- Fans will have to find another way to keep up with the Kardashians, as the mega-celebrity family announced Tuesday that their reality show will end next year.

"It is with heavy hearts that we've made the difficult decision as a family to say goodbye to 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians,'" Kim Kardashian wrote in a post to her 188 million Instagram followers.

"After what will be 14 years, 20 seasons, hundreds of episodes and numerous spin-off shows, we are beyond grateful to all of you who've watched us for all of these years -- through the good times, the bad times, the happiness, the tears, and the many relationships and children," she said.

"Our last season will air early next year in 2021," wrote the businesswoman and wife of rapper Kanye West.

"Without 'Keeping Up with The Kardashians,' I wouldn't be where I am today," she added. "This show made us who we are and I will be forever in debt to everyone who played a role in shaping our careers and changing our lives forever."

The statement was also shared by Kardashian's mother, Kris Jenner, the family's highly adept "mom-ager." The post was signed by the three Kardashian sisters -- Kourtney, Kim and Khloe -- their mother, their brother Rob, their half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner and Scott Disick, the father of Kourtney's three children.

The family gave no explanation for the decision to end the popular show.

The announcement comes after rap star West, who has four children with Kim Kardashian, said he is running for US president.

West has also recently made enigmatic and disjointed, even incoherent, remarks on Twitter and at a campaign event, prompting his wife to open up about his bipolar disorder and ask for "compassion and empathy."

"Keeping Up with the Kardashians" skyrocketed the entire family to fame, turning them into regulars in celebrity tabloids and helping them leverage their notoriety into multi-million dollar careers in makeup, perfume and modeling.

Agence France-Presse

US streetwear star Williams takes over at French label Givenchy

Paris- The American streetwear designer Matthew M. Williams was named Monday as the new head of aristocratic French fashion house Givenchy.

The 34-year-old creator is the second US streetwear star to be given the reins of a major French luxury label, after his friend Virgil Abloh, who designs Louis Vuitton menswear.

Like Abloh, Chicago-born Williams first worked with the rapper Kanye West before going out on his own with his 1017 ALYX 9SM brand.

Based in Italy, where Williams now lives, it has become so hot it got a name check alongside Nike in Canadian singer Drake's new song "Toosie Slide."

"It's been my life-long dream to be in this position, and it is really surreal that it is finally here," Williams said in a post on Instagram.

"I have worked every day for 15 years towards this single goal. 

"At the same time, it's bittersweet because we are living in unprecedented times and I just hope in some way I can bring hope and with my community create positive change for the industry and for the world," he added.

Williams has previously said that he owes everything to Kanye West, who is married to Kim Kardashian.

Kanye West is his mentor 

"He is the person that gave me my first break. I created a suit jacket for him to wear to the Grammys when I was 21. He then asked me how much I got paid, to which I replied, 'Nothing.' And he said, 'Okay, I'm going to give you double nothing to come work with me.' 

"The next day I was on a plane with him to Japan. He's been an amazing friend and mentor," Williams said.

The designer later founded the cult music and fashion collective Been Trill with West, Abloh and fellow US streetwear sensation Heron Preston.

Their most notorious creation was a set of laces bearing the words "Fuck Off" that cost $100.

Sidney Toledano, of LVMH, the French fashion giant of which Givenchy is a part, said it had "watched Williams grow into a great talent.

"I believe his singular vision of modernity will be a great opportunity for Givenchy to write its new chapter."

The name of Williams' own brand comes from his daughter Alyx (pronounced "a-leeks") and his own date of birth, October 17.

Something that deserves to exist

As well as his street cred, Williams has eco credentials from his belief that clothes should be made to last a lifetime.

"There are too many clothes on this Earth. If I am going to take the responsibility of making clothing, I need to make something that deserves to exist," he told GQ magazine.

The American replaces the British designer Clare Waight Keller, who stepped down in April after three years at the fabled, but until her arrival rather faded house.

Her biggest coup was making the wedding dress for Meghan Markle when she married Britain's Prince Harry in 2018.

Waight Keller, 49, also created a menswear range for the label that was once the favorite of Audrey Hepburn as well as bringing it back into the Paris haute couture ranks.

Williams, however, will only design Givenchy's men's and women's collections, which is sure to spark speculation that the brand is withdrawing from the elite Paris shows.

His first Givenchy show will be in Paris in October.

Agence France-Presse

Kanye West now officially a billionaire: Forbes

WASHINGTON - Rapper Kanye West is now a billionaire thanks largely to the basketball shoes bearing his name that he developed with Adidas, Forbes magazine said Friday.

The rough figure of the wealth of Kim Kardashian's hubby is $1.3 billion, the magazine said in announcing the musician is now on its list of people worth at least $1 billion.

The 42-year-old Chicago-born rapper's Yeezy footwear often sells for more than $200 a pair in the United States and elsewhere.

West was associated with Nike for years but broke away in 2013, lending his name to Adidas as they launched their first shoe together in 2015.

Forbes said that for years West has been pressing the magazine to be listed as one of its mega-rich but that it declined, for lack of proof.

The magazine said tongue in cheek that for years it had applied what it called the Trump rule to West: "Take whatever the future president insisted he was worth, divide by three, and start honing from there."

Much of the rest of West's wealth comes from real estate he owns, the magazine said.

West is the second American rapper to make the Forbes list after Jay-Z, who made the cut last year.

Agence France-Presse

Kim Kardashian names fourth child, a boy, Psalm West

Reality television star Kim Kardashian announced on Friday she has named her fourth child, a boy born last week via a surrogate, Psalm West.

Kardashian wrote "Psalm West" in a post to her 60 million followers on Twitter that included a photo of the infant wrapped in a blanket in a crib with a caption that read in part: "We are blessed beyond measure. We have everything we need."

Kardashian and her musician husband Kanye West have three other children - Chicago, a girl who was also born via a surrogate in January 2018, a son, Saint, 3, and daughter North, 5.

Kardashian has said she decided to use a surrogate after doctors warned of serious health risks if she became pregnant again following the birth of Saint in 2015.

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Kim Kardashian announces birth of 4th child

LOS ANGELES - Kim Kardashian on Friday announced the arrival of her fourth child, a boy born via a surrogate.

"He's here and he's perfect!" Kardashian told her 60 million Twitter followers in a posting.

"He’s also Chicago’s twin lol I’m sure he will change a lot but now he looks just like her," the reality star added.

Kardashian and her musician husband Kanye West have three other children - Chicago, a girl who was born in January 2018 also via a surrogate, son Saint, 3, and daughter North, 5.

The new baby's name was not revealed.

Kardashian has said she decided to use a surrogate after doctors warned of serious health risks following the birth of Saint in 2015 if she became pregnant again. 

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Kim and Kanye expecting 4th child

LOS ANGELES - Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are expecting a fourth child - again using a surrogate, according to multiple media reports on Wednesday.

Celebrity magazines Us Weekly and People quoted sources close to the couple as saying the surrogate was pregnant and expected to give birth in May.

Representatives of the reality TV star and her rapper husband did not respond to a request for comment.

Kardashian and West's third child, Chicago, was born via a surrogate in Jan. 2018. The couple has 2 other children North, 5, and Saint, 3.

They turned to surrogacy after doctors warned Kardashian of serious health risks if she became pregnant again after her first 2 children.

Us Weekly reported that the couple put their plans for a fourth child on hold about 6 months ago as West was struggling with mental health issues. The rapper said last year he suffers from bipolar disorder and embarked on a bizarre Twitter spree that culminated in a rambling October meeting at the White House with US President Donald Trump, who West supports.

"Kim wanted their carrier to be pregnant shortly after Chicago’s birth, but they put those plans on hold when Kanye was having his issues,” an anonymous source was quoted as telling Us Weekly. 

"Kanye has been great. He’s been healthy, happy and his head is clear. They are both very excited for this new baby," the source added.

West, who said after the Trump meeting that he was distancing himself from politics, kicked off the New Year with a series of tweets reiterating his support for the Republican president.

"Trump all day," the musician wrote on Twitter on Jan. 1, saying he planned to perform wearing the "Make America Great Again" hat made popular by Trump and his supporters.

"One of my favorite of many things about what the Trump hat represents to me is that people can’t tell me what to do because I’m black," West added on Twitter.

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Kim, Kanye donate $500,000 to California wildfire relief efforts

LOS ANGELES - Kim Kardashian and Kanye West on Wednesday donated $500,000 to firefighters and victims of a massive Southern California wildfire that came close to destroying the celebrity couple's own multimillion-dollar mansion.

Kardashian, appearing on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," said she and West hired private firefighters to protect their home and others in their neighborhood in rural Calabasas, north of Los Angeles.

Kardashian, West, and their 3 children were among thousands of people forced to evacuate their homes during the 93,000-acre (37,635-hectare) Woolsey fire 2 weeks ago that spread into coastal Malibu, destroying 1,500 buildings and killing 3 people.

Kardashian, a businesswoman and star of reality show "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," said the flames "got to our gate. We are still not in our home now. The smoke, the smell is too intense."

She said the couple felt blessed at being able to hire private firefighters.

"Our house is right on the end of a big park," she said. "We were able to get private firefighters... and they saved our home and saved our neighborhood. I had them make sure they controlled every house on the edge, so it wasn't just our home."

Kardashian, West, and the rapper's fashion company Yeezy and sportswear company Adidas, which makes his sneakers, donated $400,000 to victims of the fire and to California firefighters.

They also donated a further $100,000 to firefighter Michael Williams, who fought the blaze in his neighborhood after narrowly escaping from his own burning home.

The Woolsey fire is now 93 percent contained. A separate fire in northern California destroyed more than 12,000 homes and businesses in the town of Paradise and killed 81 people. Another 700 are still unaccounted for almost 2 weeks after the blaze swept through the town, beginning on Nov. 8.

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Kanye West says he's been 'used' in politics

NEW YORK -- Rapper Kanye West, who has been outspoken in his support for President Donald Trump, now says he's going to focus on his music and fashion after being "used" in the world of politics.

In a series of tweets, the 41-year-old West lashed out at conservative pundit Candace Owens for saying he had designed apparel for the so-called "Blexit" campaign, or "Black Exit" from the Democratic Party.

"My eyes are now wide open and now realize I've been used to spread messages I don't believe in," West wrote. "I am distancing myself from politics and completely focusing on being creative!!!"

He did not say if his support for Trump had changed in any way, but he was unsparing in his criticism of Owens.

"I introduced Candace to the person who made the logo and they didn't want their name on it so she used mine. I never wanted any association with Blexit. I have nothing to do with it," he wrote.

"I would like to thank my family, loved ones, and community for supporting my ACTUAL beliefs and my vision for a better world."

Earlier this month, West met with Trump in the Oval Office -- a surreal tete-a-tete that included a hug from the rapper as well as an on-camera rant featuring an expletive not often repeated for the White House press corps.

The rapper, who is married to Kim Kardashian West, has broken ranks with much of the left-leaning entertainment industry to support Trump.

At the White House, he said he felt like "Superman" when wearing one of the red baseball caps handed out at the president's raucous "Make America Great Again" rallies.

On Tuesday, West said: "I support creating jobs and opportunities for people who need them the most, I support prison reform, I support common-sense gun laws that will make our world safer."

He also voiced "love and compassion for people seeking asylum" -- a position seemingly at odds with Trump's anti-immigration platform.

Two weeks ago, West was in Uganda finishing up his delayed ninth studio album "Yandhi." He visited the country's president Yoweri Museveni, and gave him a pair of his own Yeezy brand sneakers.

"Yandhi" -- first expected to be released on September 29, to coincide with West's appearance on "Saturday Night Live" -- is now due out on November 23.

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Kanye West is now Ye, but unchanged on backing Trump

NEW YORK -- Kanye West has decided that he now wants to be called Ye. But on political matters, nothing has changed for the pro-Trump rapper.

"The being formally (sic) known as Kanye West. I am Ye," he wrote on Twitter. 

Ye has long been a nickname for West, along with Yeezy, and he chose "Ye" as the title of his last album. 

He has previously said that he found a spiritual significance to "Ye" -- the plural or formal version of the second-person pronoun in Middle English -- as he so frequently read it in the Bible.

West -- or, rather, Ye -- announced the name change shortly before he appeared on "Saturday Night Live," the widely watched television skit show.

He performed with fellow rapper Lil Pump dressed as water bottles, drawing an overwhelmingly negative reaction on social media where a number of professed fans questioned his creative direction.

West closed the show by singing a track off "Ye" while wearing one of President Donald Trump's signature red "Make America Great Again" caps.

After the live show ended, West stayed on the microphone and gave an impromptu speech about politics, again voicing his support for the president.

"So many times I talk to a white person about this and they say, 'How could you like Trump? He's racist,'" West said, according to footage posted on Instagram by comedian Chris Rock.

"Well, if I was concerned about racism, I would have moved out of America a long time ago."

He also accused the rival Democratic Party of seeking to keep people dependent on welfare payments and repeated his interest in running for president himself in 2020 -- when Trump would face re-election.

His speech was met with a smattering of applause but louder booing from the New York audience.

West has stunned fans by becoming one of the few celebrities -- as well as one of the only prominent African Americans -- to support Trump.

West went to visit Trump in 2016 shortly after the rapper disappeared to seek mental health treatment. His wife, reality television star Kim Kardashian, has gone twice to see Trump at the White House.

West recently promised that a new album, called "Yahndi," would come out on Saturday but no work immediately appeared.

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Cardi B, Drake lead American Music nominations, Kanye West snubbed

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rappers Cardi B and Drake led nominations on Wednesday for the American Music Awards with eight apiece in a line-up that included Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran but snubbed Kanye West and made Beyonce, Ariana Grande and Rihanna also-rans.

Late musician XXXTentacion, 20, who was shot dead in an apparent robbery in Florida in June, earned two nods, including best new artist and best soul/R&B album for his debut release “17.”

The fan-voted American Music Award nominations also included five nods for Cuban-born singer Camila Cabello, including new artist and best female artist, four for Bruno Mars, and six for hip-hop star Post Malone.

Boy band BTS became the first Korean group to be nominated for an American Music Award and will compete in the favorite social artist category.

Beyonce and Ariana Grande earned just one each, for tour of the year with husband Jay-Z and social artist respectively. Rihanna got a single nomination, for best female soul/R&B artist.

Kanye West, who released his chart-topping album “Ye” in June after grabbing headlines for an erratic Twitter storm, was empty-handed.

In the artist of the year category, Drake will compete with Taylor Swift, Post Malone, rock band Imagine Dragons, and British singer-songwriter Sheeran.

New York rapper Cardi B, who has had a breakout year with hits like “Bodak Yellow,” and “Finesse” with Bruno Mars, will compete for best new artist as well as best female artist in both the pop and rap categories.

“Perfect” singer Sheeran and Post Malone earned six nominations apiece while Swift got four, including best tour and pop album for “Reputation.”

The American Music Award nominations are based on streaming, album and digital song sales, radio airplay, social activity and touring between September 2017 and August 2018.

The winners are chosen by fans online and will be announced at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Oct. 8.

Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Marguerita Choy

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Judge clears way for trial over Kanye 'exclusive'

NEW YORK, United States - A judge cleared the way Friday for Kanye West to face trial for allegedly duping fans into subscribing to the Tidal streaming service to hear the rap superstar's album "The Life of Pablo."

A fan is seeking a class-action case -- in which other disgruntled fans could join and win damages -- after West tweeted that the 2016 album would only be available on Tidal, the platform spearheaded by fellow rapper Jay-Z.

West tweeted that his album "will never never never be on Apple" -- but, with Tidal trailing in subscriber numbers, his album became available six weeks later on the tech giant's streaming service Apple Music as well as largest streaming platform Spotify. 

The rapper's lawyers argued that his statement was true when made and that, as he was repeatedly fine-tuning "The Life of Pablo" on Tidal, the album was effectively a new, remastered version when it went live on other platforms.

Gregory Woods, a federal judge in New York, called West's argument "tenuous."

"Regardless of whether or not Mr. West's argument will persuade a jury at a later stage in the case, the court has little difficulty concluding that the (plaintiff) plausibly pleads that Mr. West's statement that his album would never never never be on Apple Music or for sale was false," Woods wrote.

He largely cleared Tidal's parent company Aspiro, saying that its tweet about "The Life of Pablo" -- saying "it's streaming exclusively on Tidal.com" -- was indeed correct at the time.

But complicating the case, the judge said there was no reason for it to move forward in New York as both the plaintiff, Justin Baker-Rhett, and West live in California. Aspiro had requested moving the trial from California to New York.

Baker-Rhett enjoyed a one-month free subscription to Tidal and then paid $9.99 for a second month before he canceled. A self-described fan of West, he said he would never have signed up had he known it would be available elsewhere.

The chaos over "The Life of Pablo" has led to a feud, fought through song lyrics, between onetime collaborators West and Jay-Z. 

Despite the star power behind it, Tidal has struggled to catch up with Spotify and Apple Music. Tidal saw a burst of new app downloads last weekend when Jay-Z and his wife Beyonce released a surprise joint album, "Everything is Love," exclusively on the platform.

But in a telling sign, the couple kept it as a Tidal exclusive for barely a day before distributing it widely.

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Back from therapy, Kanye announces 2 albums

NEW YORK, United States - Kanye West, the once-omnipresent rap superstar who vanished a year and a half ago amid a purported mental breakdown, on Thursday re-emerged to announce not one but two albums.


The 40-year-old rapper and fashion designer who has likened himself to Michelangelo tweeted that he will release a seven-track album on June 1 and another album a week later with his protege Kid Cudi.

West, who returned to Twitter earlier this week nearly a year after deleting his account, said little about the new albums. But he wrote that his collaboration with Kid Cudi will be called "Kids See Ghost."

The husband of socialite Kim Kardashian in 2016 cut short a tour after increasingly erratic behavior on stage, including alleging that rap mogul Jay-Z was out to kill him and throwing his support behind now-president Donald Trump, a rarity for an African American celebrity.

His associates said he went into therapy for a breakdown and he has made few appearances since -- other than showing up shortly after the 2016 election to meet the then president-elect at his Trump Tower residence.

Once known for his introspection, West became become increasingly boastful in his lyricism, interviews and social media postings although he has consistently won high marks for his musical skills.

His last album, 2016's "The Life of Pablo," broke from the traditional recording model by initially coming out only through streaming, with West tinkering with it even after its "release."

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Kim Kardashian announces baby's birth via surrogate

LOS ANGELES - Kim Kardashian and her rapper husband Kanye West announced their third child on Tuesday, a girl born to a surrogate.

"Kanye and I are happy to announce the arrival of our healthy, beautiful baby girl," Kardashian said in a message on her app.

The couple thanked the unidentified surrogate "who made our dreams come true with the greatest gift one could give."

They said the baby was born on Monday but they did not announce a name.

Kardashian, 37, and West are already parents to North, 4, and Saint, 2. The "Keeping Up with the Kadashians" reality and social media star has said she decided to use a surrogate after doctors warned of serious health risks if she became pregnant again.

Kardashian has given detailed accounts on her blog about the difficulties she experienced during her two labors.

Two of Kardashian's sisters are also expecting babies. Khloe Kardashian, 33, announced in December that she is six months pregnant with her basketball player boyfriend Tristan Thomas, while their half-sister Kylie Jenner, 20, is reported to be expecting her first child soon.

The arrival of Kardashian and West's third child swiftly became on of the top five trending topics on Twitter.

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Kim Kardashian said to have hired surrogate for third baby

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's family may be growing, according to reports on Wednesday that the celebrity couple have hired a surrogate to carry their third child after a doctor advised the reality star against another high-risk pregnancy.

People Magazine and E! News, citing unidentified sources, said the couple had hired a surrogate, and TMZ.com said they had agreed to pay the surrogate more than $113,000 to carry a child.

It was not clear whether the surrogate was already pregnant. Kardashian's representative did not respond to a request for comment.

Kardashian, 36, has two children with rapper West and has spoken openly about her medical struggles during her pregnancies with daughter North, born in 2013, and son Saint, born in 2015, on her E! reality show "Keeping Up With the Kardashians."

In a recent episode, Kardashian spoke about considering surrogacy for future children with West.

The reality star has given detailed accounts on her blog about the difficulties she experienced during her two labors, and the TV show has followed her various surgeries and doctor consultations in a bid to resolve them.

"I think I always knew that surrogacy was an option, but I didn't think it was that realistic of an option, and now I feel like that's my reality," Kardashian said in an April episode of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians."

The surrogacy reports come after a difficult year for the couple.

Kardashian was the victim of a robbery in Paris last October, in which millions of dollars' worth of jewelry was stolen from her. That led her to boost security measures and to take a temporary pause from public engagements and prolific social media postings.

Late last year, West canceled a December tour and was hospitalized after an apparent mental health breakdown.

The couple have embraced a more modest social media presence over the past few months, with Kardashian occasionally posting glimpses into their family life.

On Wednesday, the reality star launched her own solo make-up line, which sold out within hours.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Bernadette Baum)

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Kanye West unveils new Yeezy line during New York Fashion Week

NEW YORK -- Three months after being hospitalized for exhaustion, rapper Kanye West made his first major public appearance on Wednesday, turning up for his Yeezy fashion show during New York Fashion Week.

With his wife Kim Kardashian West in the front row next to Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour, West debuted the fifth season of his high-end athleisure wear collection for Adidas to the fashion world's elite.

The show, which has become one of the most exclusive presentations during recent fashion weeks, was not live-streamed on the music streaming website TIDAL as some of West's shows have been in the past.

Many social media users expressed their frustrations when they learned they would not be able to watch online, but critics were positive about the 39-year-old singer's latest runway show, saying the emphasis was on his new collection, rather than him.

"To me it felt like the most traditional fashion show that he's done," said Rickie De Sole, W Magazine's fashion market and accessories director, who was at the show.

"It had a polish to it. It felt like a serious fashion show. It felt substantial and there was less hoopla. It really was all about the fashion," De Sole added.

The collection was dominated by denim, high-waisted jeans, hoodie sweatshirts, baseball caps, cargo pants, knee-high boots and, of course, sneakers.

Muslim model Halima Aden, the 19-year-old Somali-American who competed for Miss Minnesota wearing a burkini and who recently scored a major modeling contract with talent agency IMG, strutted the catwalk wearing a floor-length fur coat and a hijab.

Buzz had been building around the appearance of the so-called "Yeezy Runner" after West was photographed wearing the oversized white sneakers by paparazzi in January.

Kardashian appeared in athleisure wear herself, a sleeveless, see-through turtle neck shirt, track pants and an over-sized winter coat, all of which were maroon.

During the presentation, there were roughly 150 posts per minute about the Yeezy line on Twitter, according to social media analytics firm Zoomph.

The "Jesus Walks" singer emerged as one of Donald Trump's most high-profile supporters during the 2016 election campaign and met the then president-elect at Trump Tower in New York on Dec. 13, making him the target of outrage and sarcasm from fans on social media.

(Reporting by Melissa Fares and Gina Cherelus in New York; Editing by Tom Brown)

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Adele, Beyonce each nominated in three top Grammy categories

LOS ANGELES — Beyonce became the most-nominated female artist in Grammy award history on Tuesday as she received a leading nine nods this year, followed closely by Drake, Rihanna and Kanye West with eight nominations each.

Beyonce's haul of nine included album, song and record of the year, the top three Grammy accolades, for her hit song "Formation" and visual album "Lemonade," a collection of songs about race, feminism and empowerment.

The R&B singer, 35, has been nominated 62 times in Grammy history and has won 20 Grammy awards over her career spanning two decades. Rapper Kanye West, who has eight nominations this year for his "The Life of Pablo" album, has notched 68 Grammy nominations over his career, and won 21 awards.

British singer Adele is also up for the top three awards with her hit ballad "Hello" and album "25" and has a total of five nominations. The singer previously swept all three top categories in 2012 with her "21" album.

Canadian pop star Justin Bieber's "Purpose," Canadian hip hop star Drake's "Views" and country music singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson's "A Sailor's Guide To Earth" rounded out the contenders of album of the year.

The Grammy Awards are the top U.S. music honors and each year, members of the music industry choose nominees and winners across more than 80 categories.

This year's winners will be announced at a star-studded televised ceremony in Los Angeles on Feb. 12.

Other record of the year contenders include Lukas Graham's "7 Years," Rihanna's "Work" and Twenty One Pilots' "Stressed Out." Graham's "7 Years" is also nominated for song of the year alongside Mike Posner's "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" and Bieber's "Love Yourself."

Drake and Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna shared three of their eight individual nominations, two for their steamy duet on Rihanna's sultry "Work" and one for Rihanna as a featured artist on Drake's "Views."

Chance The Rapper landed seven nominations including the best new artist category, in which the 23-year-old Chicago native is up against pop duo The Chainsmokers, California rapper Anderson Paak and country music singers Kelsea Ballerini and Maren Morris.

Late British singer David Bowie, who died in January two days after the release of his final album "Blackstar," received four nominations including best alternative album.

Late music star Prince, who died in April, also landed one Grammy nomination for his final record, "Hit n Run Phase Two," in the best engineered non-classical album category alongside Bowie's "Blackstar."

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Kim Kardashian held at gunpoint in Paris, reports CNN

Kim Kardashian West was held up by masked men in her Paris hotel room on Sunday, CNN said, prompting her husband, rapper Kanye West, to abruptly end a performance in New York, citing a family emergency.

"Kim Kardashian West was held up at gunpoint inside her Paris hotel room this evening by two armed masked men dressed as police officers," Kardashian West's spokeswoman, Ina Treciokas, said in a statement reported by CNN.

"She is badly shaken but physically unharmed," the statement added.

Kanye West left his set early at the Meadows Festival in New York.

"I'm sorry I have a family emergency, I have to stop the show," West said in video footage posted on Twitter by fans who were filming the performance in the New York borough of Queens.

@themeadowsnyc pic.twitter.com/IUwdaZ5aI9

— Toby™ (@Toby_Hernandez_) October 3, 2016

West had been on stage for just under an hour when he said he had to leave. He did not specify the nature of the emergency.

Kardashian West, as well as her sisters Kendall Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian have been in Paris, Billboard magazine reported on its web site, citing their recent Snapchat posts. Kardashian has been a fixture at Paris Fashion Week, which was being held in recent days.

Fan reaction on social media sites to West's departure was mixed, with some saying emergencies can happen to anyone, but others complaining they had paid $300 for tickets and didn't get their money's worth.

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No shaking off Taylor Swift-Kanye West 'Famous' feud

Taylor Swift and Kanye West won't be shaking off their bad blood anytime soon, as the feud between the pop star and rapper over the lyrics of his single "Famous" took an ugly turn with the release of a video and phone call between the two music stars.

The video, released online on Sunday by West's reality star wife, Kim Kardashian, was a recording of West chatting by phone with Swift earlier this year in which the "Shake It Off" singer gave her approval -- at least in part -- to the song, which she later deemed offensive and misogynistic.

    do u guys follow me on snap chat? u really should ;-)

— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) July 18, 2016
 
"Famous," released by West in February, contains the line, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. I made that bitch famous."

The trio, three of the biggest pop culture celebrities, have been fighting long distance via tabloid and social media for months over West's insistence that Swift gave her blessing for the lyrics, and Swift's strenuous denials.

According to video of the phone call, released by Kardashian on social media on Sunday after an episode of "Keeping up with the Kardashians," Swift told West of the song, "I really appreciate you telling me about it. That's really nice," she says. "It's all very tongue-in-cheek either way."

PART 1: Kanye calling Taylor Swift to tell her about the #FAMOUS lyrics. Courtesy of KKW. pic.twitter.com/TIiqxxzLUh

— TeamKanyeDaily (@TeamKanyeDaily) July 18, 2016

"If people ask me about it, I think it would be great for me to be like, 'Look, he called me and told me about the line,'" Swift says in the call, which took place before the February release of "Famous."

On Sunday, however, Swift said that she had been secretly recorded by West and accused him of character assassination.

That moment when Kanye West secretly records your phone call, then Kim posts it on the Internet. pic.twitter.com/4GJqdyykQu

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) July 18, 2016

"Where is the video of Kanye telling me that he was going to call me 'that bitch' in his song?," the 10-time Grammy winner wrote on her Instagram account on Sunday.

"It doesn't exist because it never happened ... While I wanted to be supportive of Kanye on the phone call, you cannot 'approve' a song you haven't heard. Being falsely painted as a liar when I was never given the full story or played any part of the song is character assassination," added Swift.

"Famous" refers to an infamous 2009 MTV Video Music Awards incident in which West snatched the microphone from Swift during her acceptance speech and declared that Beyonce should have won.

The pair publicly made up in August last year when Swift presented West with an lifetime award.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

The Lumineers topple Kanye West's reign on US Billboard chart

Folk rockers The Lumineers knocked Kanye West off the top spot on the weekly US Billboard 200 album chart on Monday.

"Cleopatra," the second album from the Colorado-based Lumineers, best known for their 2012 hit "Ho Hey," sold 125,000 units from album and song sales and 17 million streams.

Rapper West's "The Life of Pablo," which topped the chart last week based on the strength of streaming activity, dropped to No. 4 this week with 47,000 units, comprising 1,400 physical album sales and 69 million streams.

The only other new entry on the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart this week was "Gore" by metal rockers Deftones at No. 2, selling 71,000 units.

On the Digital Songs chart, which measures online single sales, Canadian R&B artist Drake ousted his own "Pop Style" with his "One Dance" song featuring Wizkid and Kyla, which sold 119,000 digital copies. "Pop Style" dropped to No. 5.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Kanye West set to complete community service over photographer assault

Kanye West has nearly completed the community service hours imposed on the rapper after he pleaded no contest to charges that he assaulted a photographer outside Los Angeles International Airport, his attorney told a court on Tuesday.

West did not appear at the progress hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court, but his attorney Blair Berk said at the hearing that her client has completed 228 out of 250 hours of community service and will likely finish the rest by a Sept. 15 court date, allowing him to fulfill the terms of his probation.

West was involved in a fight outside of Los Angeles International Airport in July 2013 with photographer Daniel Ramos, an incident that followed a 2008 encounter he had with a photographer at the airport that had resulted in his arrest.

In a video posted by celebrity news website TMZ of the 2013 incident, the rapper appeared to lunge at Ramos, and prosecutors accused him of trying to take equipment from the photographer.

West, who has been in the spotlight since his 2004 album "The College Dropout," started garnering even more frequent paparazzi attention when he began dating reality TV star Kim Kardashian in 2012. The couple has since married and they have a daughter, North West.

In 2013, West pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery and grand theft charges stemming from the incident. In March 2014, he was sentenced to two years of probation, which included a requirement to complete community service and anger management counseling.

Berk told Reuters on Tuesday that the rapper has completed all of his anger management counseling.

West last year avoided a civil trial over the fracas when he settled a lawsuit brought by Ramos.

(Reporting by Phoenix Tso, Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Eric Beech)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com