Ella Langley's ''Choosin' Texas'' Gets the Drake Treatment

Drake may be getting ready to put his own spin on one of country music’s biggest songs of the year.

Billy Eff is the Content Director for Rolling Stone Canada. An award-winning journalist and columnist, he has previously contributed to outlets including VICE and Urbania. A passionate advocate for underground music and a musician himself, he has conducted several hundred interviews with artists and industry professionals across a wide range of styles and genres over the past 15 years. He is based in Montréal, Québec.

Drake is doing well on the charts this year, but it looks like he's going after 2026's biggest hit so far.

At an appearance at a Toronto club this weekend, Drake previewed what appears to be a remix of Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas,” giving the country hit the Drizzy treament. In the brief clip circulating online, Drake can be heard crooning over the reworked production, following the melody of Langley’s original hook, though lyrics are hard to make out. Neither artist has announced a release date for the remix.

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Drake has been a vocal supporter of Langley's music, having first showed public interest in “Choosin’ Texas” earlier this year and playing the song during a Houston club set. In August, he responded to a video of Langley rapping along to his 2011 track “HYFR” by praising her songwriting, calling her pen “goated.”

Then, on Aug. 22, Drake turned up at Langley’s sold-out concert in North Little Rock, Arkansas, where he was filmed singing and dancing along to “Choosin’ Texas.” The two were photographed together backstage afterward.

“Choosin’ Texas” has been the defining song of 2026, spending 19 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and breaking record after record along the way. It is now tied for the longest-running No. 1 in the chart’s history among non-holiday songs.

Jelly Roll on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'

On his final night of guest-hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live this week, Jelly Roll finally addressed his political views.

At the Grammy Awards in February, Jelly Roll was asked about his politics, but he declined to answer. “I have a lot to say about it and I’m going to in the next week,” he said at the time. “And everybody’s going to hear exactly what I have to say in the most loud and clear way I’ve ever spoken in my life. I look forward to it.”

The musician didn’t follow through — until now. Jelly Roll cracked jokes at the expense of Donald Trump and his administration throughout this week, leading some to speculate about his political affiliation.

“A lot of people seem to think these Jimmy Kimmel writers have secretly been pulling the strings and forcing this good old country boy to poke fun at our commander-in-chief,” he said last night during his final monologue. “But let’s be real about this y’all: Do you think I would take orders from some sweaty little dork named Josh? No, I was just telling it like it is. And for some reason that seemed to freak a lot of people out. I guess now that I’ve lost all this weight folks can finally see I have balls.”

He added, “It is funny that before this week everybody thought I was MAGA. And now they think I’m some sort of liberal snowflake.”

The musician clarified his identity. “Sure, I lean left on some things, but like most folks I’m pretty down the middle,” he said. “I am a Christian. I am a country music singer. I’m a farmer. I’m a bow hunter. And most of things I eat I prefer to get with a stick and a string. That’s the truth.”

Jelly Roll explained that while he enjoyed hosting the late-night show, he had been most looking forward to having a platform to “get some very personal stuff off my chest.”

“For the last six months, I’ve watched people decide who I am, what I am, what I believe, what I support and what I don’t support,” he said. “And I felt that even more this week, just because I told a couple of jokes. And honestly, this goes back further for me, y’all. This goes back to February this year. I won my first. Actually, somehow on that night, I won three of them.”

He continued, “It was the single greatest moment and greatest honor of my career. I got called on that stage. I got handed my award that I’ve been dreaming about since I was a child. And immediately after, I was asked to make what I felt at the time was a political stance. I fumbled my words. Looking back, I don’t necessarily regret asking for more time before I spoke. I wish more people took more time before they spoke. But I do wish I had found the words to express my heart just a little bit sooner. But I was afraid that anything I was going to say was going to be immediately taken as a political statement.”

“And, ironically, by trying so hard not to make a political statement, I became one,” he noted. “I spent my entire career trying not to belong to a political party. Partly because until March of this year, I wasn’t even allowed to vote. But now that I have that right, it’s one I plan to exercise this coming November.”

Jelly Roll didn’t specify which party he plans to vote for in the midterm elections in November, but said he wanted to represent “those without representation.”

“I try to speak for the unspoken for,” he said. “And that night at the Grammys, I had an opportunity to speak up for people who were scared, hurting, and felt like nobody was speaking for them. I had a microphone and I didn’t use it the right way.”

The singer got teary. “My daddy always told me it is never too late to do the right thing,” he said. “So I am going to try to do the right thing right now because human dignity isn’t Republican nor Democrat. Compassion isn’t left wing and mercy isn’t right wing. Pain and healing knows no partisanship. Hurting hearts are more important than poll numbers and there are no boundaries or borders for broken families.”

He describes himself “a man of second chances” and said it was America that allowed him to become that. “Here’s what I know: The American Dream can’t just be for people like me,” he said. “Second chances, grace, dignity, opportunity, it can’t just be for people like me. Redemption, empathy, decency, and hope, it can’t just be for people like me. The American Dream should be for everybody.”

The singer explained that because his father was a veteran and because he respects people who serve in the military, he will always shake the hand of the U.S. president, regardless of their politics. “My father would have been disappointed had I done anything other than that,” he said. “I’m proud that I was able to shake the president of the United States’ hand. I’m also proud that I’m in a country where I can make jokes about him.”

He added that “a handshake is not an endorsement” and “a conversation is not an allegiance.” “And a joke is not a political point of view,” he confirmed.

Jelly Roll finished his monologue with a personal story about his father, a “blue back Democrat,” and his uncle, a “red hat Republican.” “This might be hard for people to understand out there, but they were absolutely best friends,” he recounted, explaining that his father told him there were hundreds of things they did agree on and only a few they didn’t.”

“Politicians and algorithms make an absolute fortune convincing us that the person across the street from us is the reason our life is hard,” Jelly Roll concluded. “I just want us to remember that the person across the street is a human being before they’re a voter.”

After months of anticipation (and a few leaks), Grand Theft Auto fans finally got a closer look at what will await them in the latest installation in the series. Due out next November 19, GTA VI is one of the most anticipated games of the past decade. It has been oft-delayed, and has more recently been at the center of controversies, notably a series of leaks, which hackers blame on developper Rockstar's announcement that the game will only be available digitally, meaning no physical copies will be printed.

Despite the scandals, fans were eagerly awaiting the recently announced partnership between Rockstar and Netflix, which saw the streaming giant preview an extended look at the game today on its platform. The 23-minute long trailer gives us more insight into what awaits us when the game comes out in approximately three months. Alternating between cinematics and gameplay footage, we can follow the two protagonists, Lucia, who has recently been released from prison, and Jason, a U.S. Army veteran, in various and often dangerous situations around the fictional state of Leonidas, based on the state of Florida.

Aside from the new weapons, cars, and characters we discovered in the extended look, we also got a very small sample of what awaits us music-wise. Though no official soundtrack has been provided, the trailer does contain a number of songs we could reasonably expect to find in the game. Here is every song we could identify. Among them, a YMCMB throwback, some dad rock courtesy of Def Leppard and even Canadian duo Bob Moses. GTA VI Extended Look Tracklist:

Stella and Dolly Parton, 2014

Dolly Parton‘s younger sister Stella posted a tribute to the late country icon today on Facebook. “My sister was one of the most generous, thoughtful, and kind people I’ve ever known,” she wrote. In the lengthy post, she talked about how she kept in touch with Dolly, who was three years older than her.

“Every Tuesday about this time, before the sun came up and the world was still asleep, she and I for many years had our coffee together over the phone,” she wrote. “Being little farm girls we’ve continued to be early risers.” Stella wrote that the sisters would gossip and Dolly would joke, “We get more work done before the sun comes up than most folks do all day long!” Later in her missive, Stella acknowledged, “My Tuesday morning coffee time will never be the same but her love, respect, and goodness will remain.”

The public perception of Dolly as a generous person concerned for the future of humanity, Stella wrote, was “exactly who she was.” As an example, Stella wrote that Dolly once said that if she learned her health was terminal, she would allow doctors to try experimental drugs on her if it would help others in the future. “My sister was always thinking of others and if you want to honor her legacy, show more kindness, lift others up, and give more of your time and resources, as she continued to do to the very end,” she wrote.

Stella wrote that Dolly was a role model who encouraged her to focus on what matters most. “Dolly loved the world and everyone in it,” she wrote. “I would criticize and complain about it, and she would laugh and say, ‘Shoot, Tedda, we’ve got more important things to do than worry about their silly asses.’ She was right and she proved it every day.” In her closing, Stella wrote that Dolly “left the world a better place by being in it so let’s follow her example.”

Since Parton’s death on Tuesday following a cancer diagnosis, celebrities, politicians, and luminaries have mourned her loss. Every living president shared words of praise for Parton’s generosity and role in American culture. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and many others wrote about the effect she had on their lives. Others, including Jack White, Harry Styles, and John Mayer, performed her songs or acknowledged her loss at their concerts.

Bryan Adams has been feeling pretty patriotic, lately. After having released ''51st State'', a tongue-in-cheek clapback at Donald Trump's comments, the Canadian rock star released “The Ballad of Terry Fox” Thursday, a tribute to the athlete whose 1980 Marathon of Hope became one of the most important moments in the country’s history. The song arrives alongside a music video directed by Sean Menard, whose upcoming documentary Run Terry Run explores Fox’s journey and legacy.

Adams recalls being 20 and touring Canada in small clubs when Fox began his cross-country run. He remembers following the story as Fox made his way through the country, including his stop near Thunder Bay on Sept. 1, 1980.

“Thinking back, it was a pivotal time in Canada,” Adams said in a statement. “Without knowing it, Terry gave our slightly fractious country a ‘something’ and ‘someone’ that everyone could agree on and unite behind.”

Fox set out to run across Canada after losing a leg to cancer, hoping to raise money for cancer research. Although he was forced to stop after developing further health complications, his Marathon of Hope went on to inspire a nationwide fundraising movement that continues more than 45 years later.

“The Ballad of Terry Fox” is also featured in Run Terry Run, which includes previously unseen archival footage and previously unheard material. The documentary will premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival before opening in Canadian theatres nationwide on Oct. 9.

Nettspend

First Class Fest is heading into its biggest weekend with a different lineup than expected, but the show must go on.

The Toronto underground rap festival, which starts tomorrow, Aug. 28, has lost four artists in the days leading up to its debut at The Bowl at Sobeys Stadium. Che, Black Kray, Skaiwater and, most recently, Nettspend have all withdrawn, Stereogum reports.

Che's cancellation was announced last weekend, with organizers calling the change "unforeseen and beyond our control." Xaviersobased has been added to Friday's lineup in his place. Black Kray, meanwhile, has been replaced by TwentyThree, and Diamond* and Jaeychino were added following Skaiwater's departure.

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Nettspend's cancellation came Tuesday. The rapper announced on social media that he would not be making it to Toronto, without giving a reason. First Class Fest later said Nettspend had not provided an explanation and criticized the cancellation, calling the situation ‘disappointing’ both for the festival and its attendees.

Luckily, organizers moved quickly to fill the remaining gap. 1oneam and Apollo Red have been added to Saturday's bill, while Friday headliner OsamaSon will return for a second performance featuring leaks and unreleased material.

Despite the last-minute shakeup, the festival is scheduled to proceed as planned. Starting in 2022, First Class Fest started booking shows designed to bring underground rap acts to Canada. This weekend marks its first outdoor festival, and approximately 9,000 fans are expected to attend each day.