Watch: Helen Mirren Stars as Kendrick Lamar's Therapist in New Video for 'Count Me Out'

Since dropping in 2022 "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers," the fifth studio album by rap wunderkind Kendrick Lamar, has proved to be one of his most successful.

A critical darling, it has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards including Album of the Year, Best Rap Album, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. It was also the first hip-hop album of 2022 to reach one billion streams on Spotify.

Now, on the heels of the tour for the album — which has been praised as one of the best of his career and was called "the greatest hip-hop show of all time" by The Guardian — Lamar is releasing new visuals for his songs that seem just as well crafted.

The latest is a video accompaniment for the hit "Count Me Out." Co-directed by Lamar along with frequent collaborator Dave Free, the setup finds the rapper in therapy with Helen Mirren and juxtaposes real-life events with the metaphorical symbolism of the song.

Mirren, the Academy Award-winning actress who stars in the upcoming “1923” series opposite Harrison Ford, elevates the premise with her presence alone, while Lamar proves adept at emoting as well visually as he does aurally with the right direction.

Watch the full video for "Count Me Out" below:

New Edition Reuniting for 2023 tour, Bringing New Jack Swing Powerhouses Guy and Keith Sweat Along for the Ride

Courtesy Photo

The members of New Edition (from left to right) are: Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill.

Following the success of last year's The Culture Tour, one of the preeminent boy bands of the '80s is ready to hit the road again for another reunion — and it's bringing some very special friends along with it.

New Edition is launching its Legacy Tour in 2023. The 30-date engagement is scheduled to begin on March 9 and run through April 30.

In addition to the group, which will feature all six of the original members, the tour will serve as a reunion for prominent New Jack Swing era acts.

Guy, featuring its original lineup of Teddy Riley, Aaron Hall, and Damion Hall, along with R&B crooners Keith Sweat and Tank, round out the performers.

“Few recording artists can attest to a superior 40-year career that stands the test of time, but New Edition can,” said Black Promoters Collective CEO Gary Guidry in a statement. "When we partnered with NE for “The Culture” tour, although I knew it would be stellar, their show exceeded my expectations, the guys were nothing short of miraculous. We are excited about partnering with New Edition to further the legacy of the foundation they have already laid.”

With their founding inspired by the Jackson Five, since dropping their debut album "Candy Girl" in 1983, the Boston-bred group has sold nearly eight million albums worldwide. Several group members have enjoyed successful solo careers, including breakout star Bobby Brown, along with Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant.

The group's remaining members formed the multi-platinum hip-hop act Bel Biv DeVoe in 1989.

In 2022 New Edition was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

Find the complete list of Legacy Tour dates below:

New Edition Legacy Tour 2023

Thursday, March 9: Columbia, SC – Colonial Life Arena
Friday, March 10: Charlotte, NC- Spectrum Center
Saturday, March 11: Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at BJCC
Sunday, March 12: Memphis, TN – FedExForum
Thursday, March 16: Washington, D.C. – Capital One Center
Friday, March 17: Hampton, VA – Hampton Coliseum
Saturday, March 18: Atlantic City, NJ – Boardwalk Hall
Sunday, March 19: Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Thursday, March 23: Chicago, IL – United Center
Friday, March 24: Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Saturday, March 25: Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Sunday, March 26: Cincinnati, OH – Heritage Bank Center
Thursday, March 30: Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Friday, March 31: New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
Saturday, April 1: Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Sunday, April 2: Fort Worth/Dallas, TX – Dickies Arena
Thursday, April 6: San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena
Friday, April 7: Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
Saturday, April 8: Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
Sunday, April 9: Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Thursday, April 13: Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
Friday, April 14: Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
Saturday, April 15: St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
Sunday, April 16: Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Thursday, April 20: New York, NY – UBS Arena
Saturday, April 22: Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Arena
Sunday, April 23: Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
Friday, April 28: Miami, FL – FTX Arena
Saturday, April 29: Jacksonville, FL – Vystar Arena
Sunday, April 30: Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena

Velvelettes' Bertha McNeal Dies at 82, Following Battle With Colon Cancer

Photo Courtesy  Helen L. Fox Gospel Music Center

Bertha Barbee-McNeal, of the Motown group the Velvelettes, has died. She was 82.

The Motown Museum broke the news Sunday on its official Twitter account.

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Motown alumnus Ms. Bertha Barbee-McNeal, a founding member of the Motown group The Velvelettes," it wrote.

The Motown Museum added, "A true pioneer of American girl groups, Bertha helped promote the Motown sound and style worldwide."

According to reporting from The Detroit News, Barbee-McNeal passed away Thursday in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she had been in hospice care for several weeks after her colon cancer advanced.

Founded by Western Michigan University students Bertha Barbee-McNeal and Mildred Gill Arbor in 1961, the Velvelettes were best known for their 1964 hit “Needle in a Haystack."

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Motown alumnus Ms. Bertha Barbee-McNeal, a founding member of the Motown group The Velvelettes. pic.twitter.com/ffXeSOsjXC

— Motown Museum (@Motown_Museum) December 18, 2022

Overseen by Motown super-producer Norman Whitfield, the single reached No. 45 on the Billboard 100 chart and charted internationally in Canada and Australia.

Another hit, “(He Was) Really Saying Something,” was covered by the British group Bananarama.

“She was an angel. I’ve lost my dearest friend,” Cal Gill-Street, lead singer for the Velvelettes, said in a statement. “She was the group historian, and the glue that kept us together.”

Gill-Street, the younger sister of Velvelettes' co-founder Mildred Gill, was recruited to the group as a 14-year-old when she was in ninth grade along with her friend Betty Kelley, a junior in high school, and Barbee-McNeal's cousin Norma Barbee, a freshman at Flint Junior College, to round out the group's original lineup.