Hip-Hop Lives Here
Hip-Hop Lives Here
Livestreaming has quickly become an essential part of being an artist today. More rappers and singers are either teaming up with well-known streamers or hosting their own multi-hour sessions on personal channels. This past week, Justin Bieber joined in by launching his official Twitch channel and streaming several days in a row.
Between lighter moments of him shooting hoops or chatting with his circle of friends, the streams became most interesting when Bieber stepped into the studio. Whether he was alone in the vocal booth or sitting behind the mixing desk with his crew, he used those times to tease smooth, R&B-inspired songs—tracks that could easily belong on a potential third installment of Swag, if they ever get released.
The most fascinating moments came from the unfiltered footage of Bieber working through ideas, producing himself, and perfecting a lyric or melody. On the fourth day of streaming, he was seen testing out what could become a new hit, improvising melodies and playing around with different tones and lines until something clicked.
The behind-the-scenes studio moments offered a rare look into Bieber’s creative process, especially for someone once viewed as a pop star with little control over his music. In these streams, he appeared open and confident, freely exploring ideas in real time—even with thousands of fans silently tuning in.
Still, Bieber admitted the experience made him anxious. During one session with a few collaborators, he spoke candidly about what it feels like to create publicly.
“Going on Twitch is vulnerable as hell because people who just feel shitty about themselves project and then they write mean-ass things. It’s already hard enough to put yourself out there and then you gotta read all this,” he said.
He recalled reading a comment after coming home from playing basketball one night, when he was completely drained. “They were like, ‘Justin is not as exuberant. He will never be his exuberant self ever again. He’s lost his charisma.’ I was like, ‘What? I just played basketball last night, I’m just tired.’ And we’re talking about emotional things … And I start getting in my head, like ‘Ma, did I lose my charisma? My exuberance?’ I have a zest for life … It just sucks that you can have a million people say the nicest thing and then the one comment gets in there.”
In other parts of the stream, Bieber appeared more at ease, playing golf or practicing the drums—experimenting with the format as he figured out how he might continue sharing his world with fans in the future.
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Paul McCartney has reflected on the unforgettable day The Beatles met Elvis Presley, calling it one of those surreal “pinch yourself” moments.
McCartney and the rest of The Beatles famously crossed paths with Presley just once in 1965, when they visited his Los Angeles home during a meeting arranged by NME writer Chris Hutchins.
Now, during a new appearance on BBC Radio 2’s Tracks Of My Years, McCartney looked back on the legendary encounter and shared his memories of the late rock and roll icon.
“He was really great. He was a very handsome guy, but we kind of knew that. We were fans.
“We just followed everything he did, and we looked at any photo we could get. He wasn’t a disappointment at all,” McCartney said.
He went on to explain that over the years he and his former bandmates, including Ringo Starr, have often discussed the meeting, although everyone seems to remember parts of it differently.
“I say that we rang the doorbell and Elvis came to the door and said, ‘come in guys’,” he recalled. “He invited us in and we sat around and he had a jukebox, and played ‘Mohair Sam’, the record.
“Ringo says he didn’t come to the door, we went in and he was sitting there. So who’s right? I am,” he joked.
McCartney described the evening as a special experience and remembered Presley casually picking up a bass guitar during the visit.
“He had a bass there and he was talking about the bass so we could talk, sort of, bass talk. He was great, very personable, very nice.
“He had a bunch of his minders with him, and you read stuff later, and I think they were mainly his cousins, his gang.”
The Beatles legend also remembered meeting Priscilla Presley, describing that part of the night as another standout memory.
“You’re inviting four guys into your home, probably the last thing you need is them to be all over your wife.
“It was great, she was great, Elvis was great,” he continued, before adding: “You pinch yourself. I met, I actually sat with, like I’m sitting with you, Elvis.”
McCartney has previously named Presley as one of the major inspirations behind The Beatles’ landmark album ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’.
In other news, McCartney is preparing to release his new album ‘The Boys Of Dungeon Lane’ on May 29. The project has already been previewed with tracks including ‘Days We Left Behind’ and ‘Home To Us’, which marks his first official duet with Ringo Starr.
Ahead of the release, McCartney was also interviewed by actor Paul Mescal, who is set to portray him in the upcoming Beatles biopic series.
Currently titled The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, the movies have been written by Jez Butterworth, Peter Straughan and Jack Thorne. The cast includes Mescal as McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. The films are currently scheduled for release in April 2028.
McCartney later joked about Mescal taking on the role during his recent appearance on the final episode of The Late Show. After performing ‘Hello, Goodbye’ with host Stephen Colbert before symbolically turning off the lights inside the Ed Sullivan Theatre, he was asked which of them was more attractive.
McCartney smiled, pointed to himself and answered: “Me.”
After the audience reacted with applause and laughter, he quickly clarified that he was joking, adding: “No, he’s very cute, he’s very cute.”
Elsewhere, McCartney has also recently spoken about struggling to understand what songs Bob Dylan was playing during a concert, why he dislikes taking selfies, and why he still finds much of influencer culture confusing.
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