djfrosty

Gibson CEO Recruits Guns N’ Roses’ Slash and Duff McKagan For New Single

Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian has called upon some famous friends for his latest single, “I Can Breathe”

Released under the artist Gibson Band, it’s the second single released via Gueikian’s project following on from the arrival of “Deconstruction” last December. That song also featured some well-known names, including System of a Down‘s Serj Tankian and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi.

This time around, Guns N’ Roses are the source of the talent, with guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan joining the project, which aims to raise money for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) via their Gibson Gives foundation.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

According to Rolling Stone, the lyrics for “I Can Breathe” were penned by McKagan, while Slash added “bluesy guitar licks”. Gueikian wrote the riffs and performed both rhythm guitar and keyboards, while Seta Von Gravessen took on bass duties and Jota Morelli played drums.

Trending on Billboard

The final version of the track clocks in at just under six minutes, having apparently been halved from the original demo’s runtime of 12 minutes.

“It was such a pleasure to work with Cesar and his whole crew on this tune,” McKagan said of the experience in a statement. “The musical slant and progressive rock-ness of this huge epic pushed me in a whole new direction.

“I love a challenge and Cesar killed it! Most importantly, to be of service for mental health issues and awareness is super important to me at this time. Let’s rock!”

All proceeds of the track will be donated to NAMI, with a pair of auctions also launching alongside its release.

The first is a painting by Tankian titled “They’re Coming” which serves as the cover art for “I Can Breathe”. The other is a Les Paul Guitar which features Tankian’s artwork and the signatures of all involved. Both auctions can be found via Julien’s Auctions.

Francis Ford Coppola Eyes ‘Strange ’30s-Style Musical’ For Next Project

Francis Ford Coppola has got some self-admitted “strange” ideas in store for his next project.

The veteran director – who has been releasing fims for over 60 years now – has just celebrated the release of his latest film, Megalopolis, which arrived in September as his first major project in 13 years. Though critical response to the ambitious film has been mixed, Coppola remains undeterred, telling the world that his latest epic will not be his swansong, with more work on the way.

In September, Coppola noted that his next film would begin shooting in 2025, with Glimpses of the Moon coming together as a loose adaptation of Edith Wharton’s 1922 novel of the same name. “I’ve turned it into a very odd confection,” he told The Telegraph.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Now, in a new profile with The Washington Post, Coppola discussed his next project, claiming that his “strange ‘30s-style musical” with “strong musical and dance elements” will begin production in London in 2025.

Trending on Billboard

So far, very little has been revealed in regard to the film, though Wharton’s original novel focuses on a young couple whose pursuit of wealth sees them attempting to enter high society but resulting in less than stellar consequences.

However, Coppola has admitted that the film will be funded “the conventional way, with the help of national subsidies, because I’m all borrowed out”. He added the film won’t be an “epic” like Megalopolis, but claimed it won’t “be cheap by any means”.

Megalopolis reportedly boasted a budget of between $120–136 million, and has since only recouped around $14 million. Coppola previously crafted a musical when he co-wrote and directed 1982’s One from the Heart. That film was also deemed a box office failure, having cost a reported $26 million and bringing in only $637,000 in revenue.

Coppola also claimed Glimpses of the Moon will precede his planned final film, the previously-announced experimental work, Distant Vision. Having been in the works for at least a decade, it remains to be seen when a potential release date for the latter will be set.

TV On The Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe Appears in New ‘Star Wars’ Spin-Off, ‘Skeleton Crew’

TV On The Radio have already made a huge return to stages, but now, at least one of their members is making a return to our screens as well.

Founding vocalist Tunde Adebimpe has taken to social media to reflect upon his latest acting role, having been cast in the new Star Wars spin-off, Skeleton Crew. Premiering its first two episodes on Disney+ today (Tuesday, Dec. 3), the new series features Adebimpe cast as the character Wendle, the father of Ravi Cabot-Conyers’ character Wim.

Skeleton Crew tells the story of four kids searching for their home planet after getting lost in the Star Wars galaxy, and the strange aliens and dangerous places they encounter on their adventure,” the synopsis for the show reads.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Taking to social media ahead of its premiere, Adebimpe shared a picture of himself as a young child wearing a Star Wars belt buckle. “Been about it since ‘82. Trust,” he wrote.

Trending on Billboard

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is ON! First two episodes are up and they’re great,” he added. “INCREDIBLY psyched to be a part of this show, and very excited for everyone to check it OUT. Huge congrats to all involved, it’s a very special one.”

Adebimpe’s acting career stretches back to 1998 with a number of voice acting roles and short film appearances. While his acting roles became lesser as he focused on his work with the Brooklyn-based TV On The Radio, appearances on the likes of Portlandia and Adventure Time took place alongside the band’s career. More recently, he’s showed up in films such as Marriage Story, Ultrasound, and 2024’s Twisters.

His latest role in the Star Wars universe takes place just months after the long-awaited return of TV On The Radio following a lengthy hiatus.

Having released their last album by way of 2014’s Seeds, the band performed sporadically until 2019. In August, the band reactived their social media before announcing a number of reunion shows for New York, Los Angeles, and London throughout November and December. Preceded by a couple of surprise shows, the group’s tour began at New York City’s Webster Hall on Nov. 25.

Currently, founding member Dave Sitek is not performing as part of these live dates, though a press release asserted he remains part of TV On The Radio.

Karol G’s ‘Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido’ Dominates Latin Airplay Chart for 20th Week

Karol G’s smash “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” claims a 20th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart (dated Dec. 7).

With the new week in charge, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” ties with four other songs for the second-most weeks at No. 1 since the chart launched in 1994. The song now ties Son By Four’s “A Puro Dolor” (2000), Juanes’ “Me Enamora” (2007-2008), Flex’s “Te Quiero” (2008), and “Bailando” by Enrique Iglesias, featuring Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona (2014). Ahead of them is Shakira’s “La Tortura,” featuring Alejandro Sanz, with 25 weeks at No. 1 in 2005.

“Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” rules Latin Airplay in its 20th week with 15.5 million audience impressions earned in the U.S. during the Nov. 22-28 tracking week, according to Luminate. That’s a 23% gain from the week prior. The song takes the Greatest Gainer honors, awarded weekly to the title with the largest increase in audience.

Earlier in 2024, Karol G became the first artist to rule the Hot Latin Songs, Latin Airplay and Tropical Airplay charts simultaneously since 2014, when “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” landed at the summit on the multi-metric tally, the overall radio list, and the Tropical Airplay tally (July 29-dated charts).

Trending on Billboard

Further, on the Oct. 19 chart, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” claimed the record for the most weeks at No. 1 on Latin Airplay for a song by a female soloist, unaccompanied by any other act, when it reached its 14th week at No. 1. Previously, the most weeks atop the list for a song by a female artist unaccompanied by another act was Pilar Montenegro’s “Quítame Ese Hombre” (13 weeks in 2002).

Elsewhere, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” adds a 21st week at No. 1 on Tropical Airplay, the third-longest leading song, after Prince Royce’s “Carita de Inocente” which continues to dominate with 29 weeks on top, and Daddy Yankee and Marc Anthony’s “De Vuelta Pa’ La Vuelta” with 22 weeks in charge.

Billie Eilish Delivers Soaring Live Version of ‘Skinny’ for Amazon Music’s ‘Songline’ Series

Billie Eilish has taken part in Amazon Music‘s docu-performance series, Songline, this week, delivering a live version of her Hit Me Hard and Soft standout ballad, “Skinny.”

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“People say I look happy/ Just because I got skinny/ But the old me is still me and maybe the real me/ And I think she’s pretty,” she effortlessly sings in the heart-wrenching chorus, accompanied in the video by her brother Finneas on guitar as well as a circle of orchestral instrumentalists.

Eilish has been open about her struggles with body image over the years, in a 2020 interview with British GQ, explaining, “I have never felt desired. My past boyfriends never made me feel desired. None of them, and it’s a big thing in my life that I have never been physically desired by somebody.”

Trending on Billboard

She added that she often wear’s baggy, oversized clothes for that reason. “I dress as I don’t like to think of you guys — I mean anyone, everyone, judging it, or the size of it, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t wake up one day and decide to wear a tank top, which I have done before.”

“Skinny” appeared on the multi-Grammy winner’s third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, which arrived in May. Upon release, the album soared to No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart, and featured additional hits like “Lunch,” “Wildflower” and “Birds of a Feather.”

Watch Billie Eilish’s live performance of “Skinny” for Amazon Music below.

From ‘Wicked’ to ‘Moana 2,’ Musicals Are Taking Over the Box Office

It’s been a very musical couple of weekends at the box office, with the release of Wicked followed by Moana 2. And on Dec. 20, Mufasa: The Lion King also arrives in theaters.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Why are all these major musical movies converging at once? On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking about how the two movies have dominated at the box office — with the Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo-starring Wicked already becoming the highest-grossing Broadway musical film adaptation domestically in its week-plus in theaters — and how it compares to other recent musical-theater films.

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Kendrick Lamar and the new Wicked soundtrack take over the charts, as the former’s surprise album GNX debuts atop the Billboard 200, while the latter makes a historic arrival on the same ranking. Plus, all 13 songs on Lamar’s album debut on the Billboard Hot 100 — including seven in the top 10, and the entire top five.

Trending on Billboard

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard’s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard’s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

10 Times Eminem Referenced His Mother Debbie Nelson in Songs

Eminem’s mother, Debbie Nelson, died at 69 years old as Billboard confirmed the tragedy on Tuesday (Dec. 3).

TMZ was the first to report the news as the publication cited Nelson suffering from complications related to a lung cancer diagnosis and passed away in St. Joseph, Mo.

As the oldest of five children, Nelson gave birth to a future rap phenom in Marshall Mathers III on Oct. 17, 1972 as just a teenager. Eminem and his mother’s relationship had been complicated and turbulent over the years. He had no issue incorporating parts of their relationship into his music, referencing Nelson on tracks such as “Cleanin’ Out My Closet,” “My Name Is” and more.

Nelson even sued Em for defamation in 1999 seeking $11 million. Per ABC News, a judge ruled in her favor but for only $25,000 and she profited less than that after legal fees.

“One of the things that I said and that I realized is, I mean at the end of the day, she’s my mother and I love her, because she’s mother,” Em said on BET’s 106 & Park in 2009. “I mean, even though we don’t really speak, she is my mother. I do love her and I think I got a better understanding of what she was going through or what she may be going through, now that I see myself and how I actually became. I think that’s there a little compassion factor that goes with that.”

Over the years, Em began to understand what his mother was going through and he brought that to his music when extending an olive branch and expressing regret for how he handled certain things and apologized to Nelson on “Headlights” in 2013.

In more recent times, things appeared to be going better between the two. Nelson publicly showed her son some love on Eminem’s induction day into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. “Marshall, I could not let this day go by without congratulating you on your induction to the Hall of Fame,” she said in a video. “I love you very much. I knew you’d get there. And it’s been a long ride.”

Here are 10 songs Eminem made touching on his relationship with his mother below.

Dave East & Cruch Calhoun “30 For 30,” Kodak Black “Versatile 4” & More | Daily Visuals 12.3.24

HipHopWired Featured Video

As of late Dave East has been on his grizzly and popping up in new music videos whether they be his own or via guest appearances in those of his rap peers and today he continues to mush on with his homie, Cruch Calhoun.

Linking up for the visuals to “30 For 30,” Dave East and Cruch Calhoun link up in the studio to lay a track down before hitting the streets of New York and hit up some parties and ultimately rock some shows. Dave East really seems like a busy man these days.

Back in Florida, Kodak Black gets in the Halloween spirit and in his new clip to “Versatile 4,” KB goes trick-or-treating and surprisingly gets himself a healthy amount of candy even though he wasn’t wearing any sort of costume. We guess people assumed he was dressed as a rapper.

Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from Kash Doll, Fendi P, and more.

DAVE EAST & CRUCH CALHOUN – “30 FOR 30”

KODAK BLACK – “VERSATILE 4”

KASH DOLL – “PLOT TWIST”

FENDI P – “HIBACHI TWICE A DAY”

LOU GRAM & RMC MIKE – “SHAKE DOWN”

SHEFF G – “BUTTERFLIES”

COCO JONES – “CALL ON CHRISTMAS”

BOLDY JAMES – “PROOF IN THE PUDDIN’”

Chris Brown Ties for Second-Most No. 1s on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Chart

Chris Brown bags a milestone 20th No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart with “Residuals.” The single crowns the list dated Dec. 7 and was the most-played song on U.S. monitored mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations in the tracking week of Nov. 22 – 28, according to Luminate.

“Residuals” ascends from the runner-up spot after a 4% gain in weekly plays. As the track rises, it knocks GloRilla’s “TGIF” to No. 2 after the latter completed a 10-week nonconsecutive reign, including the last nine straight frames. The new champ is Brown’s second chart-topper on the radio ranking in 2024, after “Sensational,” featuring Davido and Lojay, ruled for one week in March.

With a 20th No. 1, Brown matches Lil Wayne’s career count for the second-most among all acts since the chart began in 1992. The pair trail only Drake, who sits in first place with 46 leaders. Here’s a recap of the artists with the most No. 1s on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay:

Trending on Billboard

46, Drake
20, Chris Brown
20, Lil Wayne
17, Usher
13, Beyoncé

“Residuals” appears on the deluxe edition of Brown’s latest studio album, 11:11, and became a fan favorite, with many clips shared of Brown performing the track during spring and summer tour stops. Rising attention sparked its debut on the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs chart in April before its official push to radio began in mid-August. The single received a Grammy Award nomination for the upcoming ceremony for best R&B performance.



Brown first topped Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay when he and Johnta Austin featured on Bow Wow’s “Shortie Like Mine” on the Dec. 9, 2006, chart. His first champ in a lead role came exactly a year later – on the Dec. 8, 2007, ranking – when “Kiss Kiss,” featuring T-Pain, captured the summit.

Here’s a full review of Brown’s No. 1 collection on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay:

Song Title, Artist (if other than Chris Brown), Weeks at No. 1, Date Reached No. 1
“Shortie Like Mine,” Bow Wow featuring Chris Brown & Johnta Austin, two, Dec. 9, 2006
“Kiss Kiss,” featuring T-Pain, two, Dec. 8, 2007
“With You,” one, March 22, 2008
“Deuces,” featuring Tyga & Kevin McCall, 10, Sept. 4, 2010
“No BS” two, Feb. 5, 2011
“Look at Me Now,” featuring Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes, seven, April 4, 2011
“Strip,” featuring Kevin “K-Mac” McCall, two, March 31, 2012
“Birthday Cake,” Rihanna featuring Chris Brown, three, May 19, 2012
“It Won’t Stop,” Sevyn Streeter featuring Chris Brown, eight, Nov. 30, 2013
“Loyal,” featuring Lil Wayne & French Montana or Too $hort or Tyga, nine, May 17, 2014
“New Flame,” featuring Usher & Rick Ross, Oct. 18, 2014
“Hold You Down,” DJ Khaled featuring Chris Brown, August Alsina, Future & Jeremih, three, Nov. 15, 2014
“Only,” Nicki Minaj featuring Drake, Lil Wayne & Chris Brown, four, Jan. 10, 2015
“Post to Be,” Omarion featuring Chris Brown & Jhene Aiko, six, May 23, 2015
“All Eyes on You,” Meek Mill featuring Chris Brown & Nicki Minaj, three, Sept. 19, 2015
“No Guidance,” featuring Drake, 10, Aug. 10, 2019
“Go Crazy,” with Young Thug, six, July 18, 2020
“Under the Influence,” eight, March 11, 2023
“Sensational,” featuring Davido & Lojay, one, March 16, 2024
“Residuals,” one (to date), Dec. 7, 2024

Elsewhere, “Residuals” holds at No. 2 for a third consecutive week on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks songs by combined audience on monitored adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations. There, it climbed to 15.6 million in weekly audience, up 6% from the previous period. It also inches 28-27 on Adult R&B Airplay, thanks to a 9% pickup in plays.

Ghislaine Maxwell Lead Prosecutor Joins Diddy Trial

Maurene Ryan Comey, a lead prosecutor in the sex trafficking case against Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, has joined the prosecutors’ team in the ongoing case against Sean “Diddy” Combs. 

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Comey, who also happens to be the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, filed a notice at the United States District Court in the Southern District of New York on Monday (Dec. 2), and the document obtained by Billboard notes that the attorney will be joining the legal team in the case.

The news of Comey’s contribution to the case comes less than a week after a Manhattan federal judge denied Diddy bail for a second time, ahead of his sex trafficking and racketeering trial next year, citing the Bad Boy Records founder’s “propensity for violence” and evidence that he poses “a serious risk of witness tampering.”

Combs was indicted in September on multiple charges that allege he was the figurehead of a massive criminal operation for decades aimed at satisfying his need for “sexual gratification.” The case centers on his elaborate, well-known “freak off” parties, in which the rapper would allegedly give victims drugs and then coerce them into sexual acts. He was also accused of acts of violence to keep victims silent.

His trial is currently set to start on May 5. If convicted on all of the charges, Combs faces a potential life prison sentence.