At a time when Chief Keef really can't afford any more legal trouble or controversy, he's managed to stir some up. The 17-year-old rapper on Thursday said of Katy Perry: “Ill Smack The S--- out of her," followed by an emoticon of an open hand.
UPDATE (5.28.13, 7 p.m. EST): A limited number of additional tickets will be released Wednesday at 10 a.m. for Healing in the Heartland, the Chesapeake Energy Arena confirmed Tuesday afternoon. The $25 tickets will be available only through Ticketmaster.com, will be limited to four per person and limited to residents of Oklahoma. (Scalpers across multiple states previously snatched up tickets early this past Saturday, subsequently reselling tickets for hundreds of dollars.)
Note: We will be streaming the event online on our website Wednesday night.
UPDATE (5.28.13, 3 p.m. EST): We can confirm exclusively that Adam Levine/Maroon 5 will not be performing during tomorrow's benefit concert. As we previously reported, he had been approached about it, but according to his rep, it came down to scheduling. Levine's camp tried to pre-tape, but it apparently wouldn't work for the show's format, much of which is still in the works.
UPDATE (5.27.13, 9 p.m. EST): We can confirm that both Usher and Darius Rucker have been added to Wednesday's benefit concert.
UPDATE (5.26.13, 2 a.m. EST): There have been reports on Saturday (throughout the week as well, but specifically on May 25) that Garth Brooks and Toby Keith may be performing on Wednesday. Both singers have received many requests over social media for their participation, given their strong ties to Oklahoma. While we know both have been approached, at press time, neither has been confirmed.
UPDATE (5.25.13, 11 p.m. EST): We can confirm that Luke Bryan, Rascal Flatts and One Republic's Ryan Tedder (who hails from Tulsa, Okla.) have been added to Wednesday's lineup. We understand many people have questions about other Oklahoma natives and if they will participate (or why not), but there are a lot of schedules currently being adjusted, and there are many people involved trying to make this happen. We know that Carrie Underwood, Adam Levine and Usher are likely to be involved, but at press time, discussions are still underway and they have not yet been confirmed by NBC.
Earlier Saturday, we confirmed that tickets for Healing in the Heartland sold out in 30 seconds. Granted, many of those tickets were snatched up by scalpers and bots, and they've been springing up on Craigslist, eBay, etc.
UPDATE (5.24.13, 1 p.m. EST): Grammy Award-winning artists Miranda Lambert, Reba and Vince Gill will perform, in addition to Blake Shelton (host). More performers to be announced. Lineup was originally expected earlier Friday. The concert will be televised live at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. It will also air on cable networks Style, G4, Bravo, E! and CMT.
Tickets will go on sale May 25 at 10 a.m. CT. Individual tickets are $25, with a limit of eight per person. Tickets can be purchased at the Chesapeake Energy Arena box office, all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at (800) 745-3000 and online at Ticketmaster.com.
UPDATE (5.23.13, 10:30 p.m. EST): We've confirmed with organizers the event will be called Healing in the Heartland, and it WILL air live on Wednesday (May 29) from Oklahoma City's Chesapeake Energy Arena (known to many as the home of the Thunder). Still expecting details (including ticket information) early Friday.
It's one of the most buzzworthy stories of the past few days. Following Kanye West's viral Saturday Night Live performances and news of his forthcoming album, Yeezus, releasing on June 18, fellow rapper J. Cole on Monday decided to move up his own album release to the same date, explaining that West "is one of the greatest artists of our generation. Which is exactly why I'm moving my release date up."
