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27 Dec 2024

Drake Quotes Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Euphoria’ Diss While Showing Love to Sexyy Red

Drake hosted his Drizzmas Giveaway alongside Adin Ross to help those in need this holiday season. At one point in the livestream on Thursday (Dec. 26), Drizzy spoke about his relationship with Sexyy Red and shrewdly quoted Kendrick Lamar’s “Euphoria” lyrics.

The 6 God raved about his “Rich Baby Daddy” collaborator. “I really talk to Sexyy Red. She like checks in on me and s–t. She sent me the nicest message for Christmas,” he said.

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Drizzy continued to gush: “She hits me! She’ll be like, ‘Man, I’m always with you, man. I just be thinking about you, man.’ Shout-out to Sexyy!”

Before moving on, he mixed in Kendrick’s bars about him and Sexyy from “Euphoria.” “When I see her, I see two bad ones, n—a, what’s up? F–k what y’all talking ’bout. Shout-out, Sexyy. W Sexyy in the chat,” he added while making light of Lamar’s diss.

Drake has largely avoided directly addressing Kendrick Lamar since their feud earlier in 2024. During the Drizzmas Giveaway stream, he was actually reading a letter from a fan who appeared to write “F–k Kendrick,” but Drake stopped short of saying it aloud.

The OVO boss and Sexyy Red have enjoyed a fruitful relationship since connecting in 2023. She served as an opener on certain stops of his It’s All a Blur Tour, and they exchanged verses on “Rich Baby Daddy” (No. 11 Billboard Hot 100) and “U My Everything” (No. 44 Billboard Hot 100).

Watch the clip of Drake talking about Sexyy Red below.

27 Dec 2024

Fans Choose Aventura’s Cerrando Ciclos As Best Latin Tour of 2024

Aventura’s Cerrando Ciclos has been crowned the best Latin tour of 2024 by Billboard readers, earning more than 44 percent of the votes.

The trek — which once again reunited Romeo Santos with group members Henry, Lenny and Max — is followed by Santos’ solo stint La Formula Vol. 3 tour. Meanwhile, Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito tour and RBD’s Soy Rebelde tour landed at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, on the fan-based poll.

A week ago, Billboard published a poll with the Top 10 Highest-Grossing Latin Tours of the Year, including Luis Miguel, who topped the list, grossing $290.4 million across 128 shows, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. Bad Bunny’s Most Wanted tour, which grossed $211.4 million across 49 concerts, was also on the poll, in addition to Peso Pluma’s Éxodo tour, Don Omar’s Back to Reggaetón tour, Fuerza Regida’s Pero No Te Enamores tour, and The Trilogy Tour featuring Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin and Pitbull.

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In Cerrando Ciclos, produced by CMN Events, the timeless group known as the “Kings of Bachata” performed all of the fan favorites, including “Mi Corazoncito,” “Obsesión,” “Enséñame a Olvidar,” “Dile al Amor,” “Amor de Madre” and “Por Un Segundo,” to name a few classics.

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About the tour, Romeo Santos said in a statement: “This year there is something I must accomplish and conclude. I want you to join me on a journey where I will be definitively closing cycles. Because it is not the same to remember beautiful times as it is to be a prisoner of the past. We cannot stagnate in the nostalgia of yesterday, but rather move forward, discover new horizons, and show other facets.”

The 20-date trek kicked off May 1 in Sacramento and wrapped in Dallas on June 11, with two additional dates in Canada.

See the poll results below:

27 Dec 2024

Spanish Singer Raphael Is Undergoing Brain Cancer Treatment, Pauses International Tour

Spanish singer Raphael has been diagnosed with primary brain lymphoma while hospitalized at the 12 de Octubre University Hospital in Madrid, according to a report the medical center his manager shared with Billboard Español. Per the document, the “El Tamborilero” singer has begun treatment, which he will continue as an outpatient after he is discharged.

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The musician’s medical team also noted in its report that Raphael has “two brain nodules in the left hemisphere that justify the neurological symptoms he presented a few days ago.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, primary central nervous system lymphoma “typically confined to the brain, eyes, and cerebrospinal fluid without evidence of systemic spread.”

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The singer’s management office issued a statement on Thursday (Dec. 26) announcing the cancellation of Raphael’s concerts for his Victoria 2025 tour planned for the early months of 2025, which included stops in the United States, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and Mexico. According to the statement shared with Billboard Español, this decision was made following the doctors’ recommendation for a prolonged period of rest while Raphael undergoes outpatient treatment.

“With hopes for a speedy recovery, Raphael trusts that he will be able to resume his schedule and reunite with his audience soon,” the statement noted, thanking fans for their support and noting that those with tickets for his upcoming concerts will soon be contacted about refunds.

According to Spanish news agency EFE, the 81-year-old — who received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 Billboard Latin Music Awards — has been under the care of 12 de Octubre University Hospital since Dec. 18. Prior to that, he was at Clínico San Carlos for less than a day, after checking in due to feeling unwell while filming the TV show La Revuelta.

27 Dec 2024

Social Media Celebrates The First Day of Kwanzaa


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Kawanzaa Parade

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The celebration of African-American culture, known as Kwanzaa, was observed by many on social media on its first day.

On Thursday (December 26), many paid homage to those celebrating the first day of Kwanzaa, expressing their greetings through social media despite some detractors looking to discredit the tradition. The annual celebration of African diasporic culture is observed the day after Christmas for seven days, each of those days dedicated to the seven principles of Kwanzaa, known as Nguzo Saba. They are the cornerstone of the Kawaida, or common philosophy of the holiday, which is inspired by various cultures from the continent.

Kwanzaa was first crafted by the Black activist Maulana Karenga in California in 1966 as a way for Black people to become more in touch with their heritage, taking inspiration from the first fruits festivals in Southern Africa and incorporating terms from the Swahili language. The Seven Principles are Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination, Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith). The karamu ya imani is a communal feast typically held on December 31 to honor the ancestors and those in the community. Kwanzaa is notably marked by the seven red, black and green candles representing each of the seven principles in a candle holder known as a kinara. New York City and Baltimore have had large public kinaras on display in years past.

Numerous figures, from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to cultural institutions and corporate brands, marked the first day of Kwanzaa on social media with their well-wishes. Others celebrated with some lighthearted observations, including noting that Elmo from Sesame Street observing Kwanzaa (in a segment featuring actor Michael B. Jordan) proved that the character is Black. They would outweigh a small faction of naysayers, particularly on X, formerly Twitter. Those people were a mix of those citing Karenga’s check-marked past in clashes with the Black Panther Party as head of the US activist organization aided by the FBI through their COINTELPRO program, and right-wingers claiming that Kwanzaa is “racist” towards white people.

27 Dec 2024

Rapper OG Maco Dead at 32 Years Old

OG Maco died at 32 years old on Thursday (Dec. 26), his manager, Poppa Perc, confirmed to Billboard on Friday (Dec. 27).

Maco — born Benedict Chiajulam Ihesiba Jr. — died while surrounded by friends and family at a Los Angeles hospital, according to TMZ, who was first to break the news.

His family later shared a joint statement confirming his death on his Instagram account. “With heavy hearts, we share the breaking news of the passing of our beloved Ben, known to the world as OG Maco. His life was a testament to resilience, creativity, and boundless love. Through his music, passion, and unwavering spirit, he touched so many lives and left a lasting impact,” they wrote. “While we grieve this immense lose, we also celebrate the extraordinary life he lived — one that will continue to inspire and uplift others. Maco’s influence, both as an artist and as a person, will remain forever etched in our hearts.”

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His family first revealed in a Dec. 16 statement on his Instagram that the rapper had been hospitalized. “We want to inform OG Maco’s fans, friends, and supporters that he is currently in critical but stable condition,” the statement read. “He is receiving the best possible care, and we are staying hopeful as he continues to fight.”

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While they did not share the cause for the rapper’s need for medical care, Poppa Perc previously told AllHipHop that the “U Guessed It” rapper had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The manager, who has kept fans updated on the rapper’s condition throughout the last few weeks, also appeared to post about the Atlanta rapper’s death on Friday. “We lost a legend last night,” he wrote to his Instagram Story with a broken-heart emoji.

OG Maco rose to fame out of Atlanta behind his viral hit “U Guessed It” in 2014. He signed a deal with Quality Control Music during the same year.

The OG Parker-produced “U Guessed It” peaked at No. 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a remix featuring fellow ATLien 2 Chainz. OG Maco’s last solo studio album, The God of Rage, arrived in 2021.

Read the full statement from OG Maco’s family confirming his death below:

27 Dec 2024

Grimes Tells Azealia Banks She Wasn’t ‘Dumped’ by Elon Musk: ‘I Bounced’

Grimes is setting the record straight about her breakup with Elon Musk after Azealia Banks claimed that the billionaire “dumped” the “Oblivion” artist.

The interaction was sparked by, of all things, a misunderstanding over a piece of AI-generated Wicked artwork that portrayed Grimes as Glinda and Banks as Elphaba, aka the Wicked Witch of the West. When the Canadian musician jokingly tweeted that the casting “wouldve been kinda lit,” the New York rapper wasn’t happy.

“girl the way u are still trying to hold out on some weird a– innocent bulls–t years later after u got dumped, cheated on …,” Banks wrote on X Thursday (Dec. 26). “and still trying to paint me like the villian and act like ur above me … U can really quit mentioning me. I know you wish you could be my bestie but b—h….. it’s f–king boring as hell.”

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Grimes quickly responded, telling Banks, “It’s just a funny joke bro. not trying to paint u as a villain.”

“i didn’t ‘get dumped,’” the Elf Tech founder continued of her split from Musk, with whom she shares three children. “I bounced. My amazing baby is asleep in my bed beside me, I’m in love. no regrets. Life is as beautiful as u want it to be.”

“Ur insanely talented,” Grimes added. “even after all this, I want u to win. god bless Mlady.”

Later, the singer conceded that Banks is “the best hater on the planet” in a response to a fan. “The da Vinci of insults,” she added jokingly. “At a point I just gave up and accepted that I appreciate the madness of existence.”

Grimes and the Tesla businessman had an on-again, off-again relationship that lasted from 2018 to 2022. In 2020, they welcomed their first child — a son named X Æ A-Xii — and later became parents to daughter Exa Dark Sideræl (now 3) and son Techno Mechanicus (2). Musk is also Dad to seven children he shares with his first wife, Justine Wilson, and twins Strider and Azure, whom he shares with Neuralink director Shivon Zilis.

In November, Grimes alluded in a lengthy tweet to having struggled through a custody battle. “Spent a year locked in battle in a state with terrible mothers rights,” she wrote at the time. “having my instagram posts and modeling used as reasons I shouldn’t have my kids and fighting and detaching from the love of my life as he becomes unrecognizable to me, with a fraction of his resources (or iq/ strategy experience), all the while I didn’t see one of my babies for 5 months. And this is only what can be said publicly, since most of my experience these last years should remain behind closed doors.”

The X exchange isn’t the first time Banks has had things to say about Grimes and the soon-to-be co-chair of government efficiency, as newly appointed by president-elect Donald Trump. In 2018, the “Luxury” musician vented on her Instagram Story that she’d “been sitting at Elon Musk’s house alone for days waiting for Grimes to show up” so that the two musicians could collaborate.

“Staying at Elon Musk’s house has been like a real life episode of Get Out,” she’d added shortly afterward.

27 Dec 2024

Here’s Why Fans Think Dua Lipa Is Engaged to Callum Turner

Dua Lipa‘s fans believe she may soon be levitating down the aisle, as they are convinced that the pop star is engaged to Callum Turner after about a year of dating.

Speculation that the two stars are planning to get hitched began after the “Houdini” singer shared a festive Instagram post chronicling her Christmas break Tuesday (Dec. 24), with a ring on that finger spotted in some of the snaps in the carousel. Then on Friday (Dec. 27), she shared another carousel of her Christmas. Wedged in between photos and videos of Lipa modeling a Santa hat, showing off her home-cooked turkey and watching old family tapes, a couple of snaps show the musician again wearing what appears to be a sparkly band on her ring finger.

That detail did not go unnoticed by Lipa’s fans, who flooded her comments sections — which have limited commenting on posts dating back to late September — with questions about her relationship status with the Fantastic Beasts star. “ARE YOU ENGAGED!? That ring on the first pic omg,” one fan commented on the Tuesday post.

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“are youuu engaged dua!? happy for you?” another person asked on the Friday carousel, while another fan wrote, “Can we see the ring?”

Billboard has reached out to reps for Lipa and Turner for comment.

The pop star didn’t provide any further hints in the caption of her Friday post — “Christmas was vvvv cute ? the turkey was some of my best work ?‍??,” she simply wrote — nor did she feature the British actor in it. Turner did, however, appear in her photo dump two days prior, with Lipa sharing a sweet, semi-blurry selfie with her boyfriend captioned, “home for the holidays.”

Lipa and the The Capture alum first sparked dating rumors in January, when the former reportedly attended the latter’s Masters of Air premiere in London. In July, the couple went Instagram official, with the three-time Grammy winner sharing adorable snaps from Glastonbury with Turner at her side.

In addition to nurturing her romance with Turner, Lipa also dropped her third studio album this year. Radical Optimism arrived in May and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

In her December cover story interview with Billboard U.K., the “Levitating” artist reflected on 2024 being “the best year of my life.” “There came a point in the year where I was thinking, ‘I’ve got to sit down and write some new dreams and new plans and other things I wanted to do,’” she said at the time. “I feel like I ticked so many of my boxes this year. It’s amazing.”

27 Dec 2024

OG Maco Reportedly Passes Away At 32

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According to TMZ, rapper OG Maco has passed away at age 32. After weeks of attempting to recover from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the ATL rapper has reportedly transitioned.

On Dec. 13, reports came out that Maco was fighting for his life after shooting himself in the head. On Thursday morning, OG Maco was found unconscious at his home after a neighbor reported hearing a gunshot. He was quickly taken to the hospital for surgery and was on life support. His family made a statement on his current state of health at the time, “We want to inform OG Maco’s fans, friends, and supporters that he is currently in critical but stable condition. He is receiving the best possible care, and we are staying hopeful as he continues to fight.”

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We send our thoughts and prayers to OG Maco’s friends, family, and fans. More news to come as the story develops.

Suicide is a real problem, but you don’t have to face it alone. If you’re struggling, reach out for help. Call 1-800-273-8255 for free, confidential support.

27 Dec 2024

Not So Efficient: Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy Catch MAGA Wrath On X For Various Reasons

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Speaker Johnson Speaks To The Media Before Meeting With Elon Musk And Vivek Ramaswamy At The Capitol

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Elon Musk‘s X is now firmly the main meeting space for all things MAGA, offering a safe haven for the hateful and belligerent who fell in line with the movement. However, “First Buddy” Elon Musk and his DOGE Bro Vivek Ramaswamy are catching MAGA wrath on Musk’s social media platform.

To illustrate what is happening with the proposed DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) coalition of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, we look into their recent activity on X as the impetus of the critique both are receiving. On Christmas Day (Dec. 25), Musk posted a missive on X shooting down the idea that more American engineers should be hired over foreign workers, sparking a testy debate.

“The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low. Think of this like a pro sports team: if you want your TEAM to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever they may be. That enables the whole TEAM to win,” Musk wrote.

An X user fired back with, “There are over 330 million people in America. Surely, there must be enough among them to build your ultimate team? Why would you deny real Americans that opportunity by bringing foreigners here?” to which Musk fired back and doubled down with, “Your understanding of the situation is upside-down and backwards. OF COURSE my companies and I would prefer to hire Americans and we DO, as that is MUCH easier than going through the incredibly painful and slow work visa process. HOWEVER, there is a dire shortage of extremely talented and motivated engineers in America.”

The H-1B visa, which allows foreign nationals to work for American companies in special capacities, has been criticized by President-elect Donald Trump in the past and he has shown his preference in hiring American workers first.

Ramaswamy added fuel to the proverbial fire by siding with Musk, who is an immigrant, and pushing the concept of hiring outside of the United States to bring a standard of excellence to the nation. It was a lengthy post from Ramaswamy and we’ll share a portion below.

From Vivek Ramaswamy’s X account:

The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over “native” Americans isn’t because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation). A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture. Tough questions demand tough answers & if we’re really serious about fixing the problem, we have to confront the TRUTH:

Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the 90s and likely longer). That doesn’t start in college, it starts YOUNG.

A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers.

A culture that venerates Cory from “Boy Meets World,” or Zach & Slater over Screech in “Saved by the Bell,” or ‘Stefan’ over Steve Urkel in “Family Matters,” will not produce the best engineers.

The posts from Musk and Ramaswamy have created quite a firestorm of comments from the likes of Laura Loomer and other conservative figures who believe that the pair are getting this wrong. You can read one of Loomer’s X replies to Musk here.

On X, observers are taking note of the MAGA infighting and potential for implosion within the incoming Trump administration and he hasn’t even been sworn in yet. We’ve got reactions below.

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Photo: Getty

27 Dec 2024

21 Savage Affiliate Lotto Savage Drops Freestyle at Hip-Hop Wired

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Rapper, Lotto Savage stopped by Hip-Hop Wired to drop an exclusive freestyle. Check out the full freestyle here:

Who is Lotto Savage?

Lotto Savage is an Atlanta rapper, part of Slaughter Gang, and a close homie of 21 Savage. He popped up in the rap game out of nowhere in 2015, bringing that real talk about trapping, hustling, and surviving the streets. He got noticed with his features on 21 Savage’s mixtape Slaughter King and later dropped his own mixtape Don Slaughter, with beats from Sonny Digital and a collab with Lil Yachty. His tracks “Trapped It Out” and “Stack Up” blew up and did major numbers on streaming.

Growing up in Atlanta, Lotto Savage was surrounded by hip-hop culture, with the city’s rich history of rap legends like OutKast, Jeezy, and Gucci Mane. But it was 21 Savage who really inspired him to start rapping. Seeing 21 come from the streets and blow up with his raw, real music made Lotto realize that he could do the same. The way 21 blended street life with his unique sound pushed Lotto to pick up the mic. Watching 21’s success showed him that, with hard work and authenticity, he could make it out of the trap and into the rap game.