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Jacquees pulled up to Hip-Hop Wired to celebrate the 9th anniversary of his classic mixtape Mood, which dropped on January 10th, 2016. The mixtape was a huge moment in Jacquees’s career, and he performed his track “New Wave” to honor the project that still has fans bumping to this day. Mood gave us hits like “Come Thru,” “B.E.D.,” and “Them Other Girls Interlude,” tracks that became anthems for many. The project also had some fire features, with rappers like Kevin Gates, Dej Loaf, Young Scooter, Kirko Bangz, Rich Homie Quan, and even Birdman hopping on some songs.
It was one of Jacquees’s best projects, mixing smooth R&B vibes with that street energy that made his sound unique. This mixtape put Jacquees on the map and made fans really connect with his style. Nine years later, Mood is still a favorite, and Jacquees’s anniversary performance was a reminder of why people still rock with him. It’s a piece of his legacy, and that Mood vibe will always be remembered.
During his Hip-Hop Wired performance, Que surprised everyone by announcing he was dropping a Mood 2 mixtape. This comes right after he and Dej Loaf dropped a new song together called “Just Another Love Song.” Fans went crazy seeing them team up again, ’cause their chemistry is unmatched. With Mood 2 on the way, people are hyped for more of those smooth tracks and catchy vibes Jacquees is known for. The buzz around both projects shows how much love fans still have for him and Dej Loaf, making it clear they’ve got something special coming.
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, Teddy Swims is still delivering the soul, Lil Baby has even more WHAM and Wallows drop a new favorite. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Teddy Swims feat. Giveon, “Are You Even Real”
Following the smash success of “Lose Control,” which topped the Hot 100 chart last year and helped yield a best new artist Grammy nod, Teddy Swims is kicking off 2025 with some more snappy soul-pop: “Are You Even Real,” which previews the upcoming I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy, Part 2, sways delicately between the singer-songwriter’s earnest croon and guest star Giveon’s booming flourishes, with some pinpoint harmonies in the back half.
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Lil Baby, WHAM (Extended Edition)
A week after making his return with the concise, rock-hard WHAM, Lil Baby has added four new tracks to the album by way of a deluxe edition, with the sizzling Future team-up “99” serving as both the highlight of the new collection and an instant follow-up to “Dum, Dumb, and Dumber,” the Baby-Future-Young Thug summit challenging for a strong Hot 100 debut next week.
Wallows, “Your New Favorite Song”
Wallows’ upward trajectory continues with “Your New Favorite Song,” a dreamy slice of pop-rock that could serve as a crossover hit for a Los Angeles trio that’s become a sizable touring act over the past few years. Following 2024’s Model, “Your New Favorite Song” nudges Wallows forward with subtle details in the arrangement, including horns that accentuate instead of trying to dominate the mix.
JADE, “IT Girl”
“Angel of My Dreams,” JADE’s 2024 debut solo single, established the Little Mix star as a bold, forward-looking pop auteur; that reputation remains intact with new single “IT Girl,” which immediately showcases the pop star’s expansive voice before slamming into thick drums and wobbly harmonies — creating a sonic juxtaposition that worked so well with her breakthrough track, and once again succeeds here.
Warren Zeiders, “Can a Heart Take”
With new album Relapse, Lies, & Betrayal due out in March, rising country star Warren Zeiders prepares for a potentially major year with “Can a Heart Take,” a wistful rumination on loss that demonstrates the singer-songwriter’s range in the span of its chorus — he starts off speak-singing the line “How much pain can a heart take?,” then brings the sentiment to life with a wounded roar.
Editor’s Pick: Blondshell, “T&A”
Sabrina Teitelbaum’s next album as Blondshell promises to be a major leap forward from a songwriting and production standpoint, and lead single “T&A” hints at the evolution to come: with glum recollections of a regretful hook-up, an anthemic chorus that asks unanswerable questions and electric guitar work that charges up the song’s energy, “T&A” is a home run of an opening statement, and the sound of Blondshell becoming an indie star.
What sonic characteristics led to The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” claiming the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century chart?
In 2021, Hit Songs Deconstructed, which provides in-depth analysis of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits, held its Max Martin Deconstructed Masterclass, led by Hit Songs Deconstructed co-founder Dave Penn. Martin co-wrote and co-produced “Blinding Lights” (with The Weeknd, among others), which contributed to his 27 No. 1s as a writer and record 25 leaders as a producer.
“Blinding Lights” led (LED?) the Hot 100 for four weeks in 2020, logged a record 57-week in the top 10 and charted for a dazzling 90 weeks total.
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Class is in session again (spit out your gum): Here’s a reprinted rundown, according to Penn’s insights as presented in 2021, of the songwriting and production elements and more that helped “Blinding Lights” beam brighter than any other song on the Hot 100 over the first 25 years of the century.
David Penn of Hit Songs Deconstructed: “Like most hits, ‘Blinding Lights’ features a meticulous combination of the typical and the atypical, which helps the song sound familiar to people while still standing out from the pack. But when it comes to this song, it’s really the writing and production team’s stellar arrangement techniques, along with Max Martin’s melodic genius, that make it such an interesting and captivating hit.
“For instance, its 28-second intro is almost unheard of currently; the average [intro on a] Hot 100 top 10 in 2020 was just 13 seconds. So, it really comes down to the way that the ‘Blinding Lights’ team arranged the intro to keep the listener engaged, all while establishing many key aspects of the song, including its atypical instrumental hook; most hooks in today’s hits are vocal.
“Another atypical quality is its, what I call, disappearing chorus. While many top 10 hits give the listener more chorus as a song progresses, the ‘Blinding Lights’ creators actually shorten the chorus as the song progresses. Like with everything else, there is purpose behind this. In this case, it makes the listener long to hear that full chorus again and return for another listen.
“Also, the song’s 1980s-influenced production qualities, a la ‘Take On Me’ by a-ha, come across as new and fresh to younger audiences while creating a sense of nostalgia for older audiences, which ultimately broadens the song’s reach across demographics.
“But perhaps the song’s most notable quality is the expert use of motifs and hook foreshadowing techniques that take its catchiness and memorability to the next level, whether the listener realizes it or not. This is a hallmark of Max Martin’s melody writing throughout his career. For example, the synth hook in the intro melodically foreshadows lines two and four of the chorus vocal melody. And the verse that follows rhythmically foreshadows lines one and three of the chorus.
“So, by the time listeners arrive at the first chorus, they’re already familiar with the entire melody, which makes it that much easier for them to sing along and remember it. And this goes on throughout the entire song; almost every line relates to some other line in the song, which gets it ingrained in the listener’s head without ever becoming monotonous.
“Along with promotional factors, these are just of a few of the many qualities that helped ‘Blinding Lights’ achieve its mass success.”
Browse Billboard’s Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century chart, Top Artists of the 21st Century chart and Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century chart, as well as all coverage of Billboard’s 21st Century charts here.
Billboard’s Top Artists, Top Billboard 200 Albums and Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century recaps reflect performance on weekly charts dated Jan. 1, 2000, through Dec. 28, 2024. The Top Artists category ranks the best-performing acts in that span based on activity on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100. (Titles released prior to mid-1999 are excluded, although such entries that appeared on the Billboard 200 or Hot 100 in that span contribute to the calculation of the Top Artists chart.)
The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” shines brightly as the No. 1 hit on Billboard’s recap of the first 25 years of the 21st century, leading Billboard’s Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century chart. The survey is based on performance on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart from the start of 2000 through the end […]
Maná has spoken out about the devastating ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles, asking their fans and colleagues to make donations. “Los Angeles is like hell. There are devastating fires that are affecting the houses…it’s tremendous how the fire is raging,” frontman Fher Olvera said in a video message posted on Thursday (Jan. 9). He continued: […]
The worlds of hip-hop and reggaeton have been intertwined in both style and sound since the origins of both genres, particularly in their common affinity for opulent jewelry. Large, flashy bling has for years marked the elites of these two musically akin cultures, representing a display of wealth and a symbol of defiance, a bold claim to hard-won success and status.
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Parallel to this trend, the current Mexican music generation has also absorbed hip-hop’s aesthetics into its contemporary revival. Yet, some of the most successful artists in the scene have opted for more refined choices.
Van Cleef & Arpels — known for its sleek designs of metal and precious stones inspired by nature, like the four-leaf clover — has notably emerged as a favored brand among a bevy of corridos tumbados stars. The subtle luxury of these pieces has become a symbol within the genre — whether flaunted in outfits seen in music videos or lyrically celebrated in tracks.
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This was evident in 2023 when Peso Pluma was spotted donning a Van Cleef chain in the billion-stream music video for “La Bebé – Remix” alongside Yng Lvcas. The trend was underscored again in June when Natanael Cano sported the chic chain in the video for “Vino Tinto” with Peso Pluma and Gabito Ballesteros.
In a recent interview, Oscar Maydon, who arrived at the Billboard offices in New York wearing a Van Cleef bracelet, commented, “It’s something that became fashionable. They’re very pretty, they’re very practical, they go with everything. People like them, they are very youthful, all the kids adapted them very well.” The Mexicali artist — whose hit “Tu Boda” with Fuerza Regida has been at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart for 11 weeks — also talked to us about an unreleased corrido that mentions the French brand.
And there’s more. For example, last September, Interscope artist El Padrinito Toys released a romantic turned ominous sierreño directly titled “Van Cleef,” further articulating the brand’s appeal: “Si no te tengo no me palpita el corazón/ Eres como una pesadilla, la neta ya te compré una Van Cleef amarilla/ Te está esperando tu silla, voy bien jalado y atrás viene la policía” (If I don’t have you, my heart doesn’t beat/ You’re like a nightmare, I already bought you a yellow Van Cleef/ Your chair is waiting for you, I’m riding hard and the police are coming).
Others have expressed their spirit of camaraderie by gifting such jewelry. Darey Castro, the leader of Los Dareyes de la Sierra, for example, has given Van Cleef & Arpels products to colleagues, a source told Billboard Español.
When Billboard Español reached out to a Van Cleef & Arpels representative for comment, they stated, “Regarding the use of Van Cleef & Arpels pieces by Mexican artists, I would like to confirm that we do not currently lend to celebrities; therefore, this phenomenon is completely organic.”
While the incorporation of Van Cleef & Arpels into Mexican music culture has become notable, its influence has also been felt in other fields of Latin music. Myke Towers included the track “Van Cleef” with Pirlo on his latest album, and AMF recorded “Exoticón (Van Cleef)” with Victor Mendivil, illustrating the brand’s far-reaching cultural resonance.
In her 2023 book Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion, Sowmya Krishnamurthy delves into the intersection between hip-hop and fashion and how their relationship is deeply symbiotic. She highlights how the DIY ethos of hip-hop artists and their communities has progressively influenced luxury fashion houses.
Because of the way Latin music artists are wearing Van Cleef, their chains feel more like an integral aspect of their musical and cultural identity than a simple accessory.
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Jay-Z is not wasting any time in clearing his name. He has filed a new motion to dismiss the sexual assault lawsuit against him.
As spotted on Variety, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native has submitted another request to have a rape case terminated. Back in October, an unidentified woman filed a claim against Jay-Z and Diddy alleging the two raped her at a MTV Music Video Awards after party in 2000. As expected, the news of the allegation soon went viral to which the “Song Cry” rapper quickly responded with a written statement denying the claims. Jane Doe would go on to participate in an interview with NBC News and seemed to contradict her original statements detailed in the original filing.
http://WWW.TWITTER.com/RocNation/status/1865917852542247358
Soon after Jay-Z’s legal representation filed a request to dismiss the claim. On Dec. 26, 2024, Judge Analisa Torres denied it and ruled that Jane Doe can move forward with her lawsuit anonymously. The judge has since granted Jay-Z permission to request for a dismissal. His lawyer, Alex Spiro, filed a new motion Wednesday (Jan. 8), and according to Variety, the new document cites a “series of inconsistencies in the woman’s account.” This new filing also asks that Tony Buzbee, the lawyer representing Jane Doe, be imposed with a fee for “alleging facts without a sufficient investigation or by failing to withdraw those allegations once it is clear that they are false or exceedingly unlikely to be true.”
The legal professional has responded via a formal statement to Variety saying, “They are dead wrong. We won’t be bullied or intimidated, ever.”
LONDON — The British government has launched a public consultation into the ticketing industry, including the heavily criticized use of dynamic pricing for popular tours, as part of wider efforts to stop music fans from “being fleeced” by “greedy ticket touts.”
The 12-week consultation was announced by the Department for Business and Trade and Department for Culture, Media and Sport on Friday (Jan. 10). It sets out a range of measures to transform the U.K.’s secondary ticket market, including a proposed cap on the price of ticket resales and new legal regulations for ticket platforms around transparency and the accuracy of information they provide to fans.
“From sports tournaments to Taylor Swift, all too often big events have been dogged by consumers being taken advantage of by ticket touts,” said business secretary Jonathan Reynolds in a statement. “These unfair practices look to fleece people of their hard-earned income, which isn’t fair on fans, venues and artists.”
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Government ministers are additionally reviewing pricing practices across the entire live events business, including the use of dynamic pricing by primary vendors whereby prices surge based on demand.
The use of dynamic pricing for concert tickets came to the fore in the U.K. in September when it was used on the U.K. and Ireland legs of Oasis’ Live ‘25 reunion tour, prompting hundreds of complaints from fans after tickets unexpectedly soared from around £150.00 ($200) for standard admission to £355.00 ($470) without prior warning.
The angry consumer backlash was accompanied by fierce condemnation from British politicians, including the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, who called the “vastly inflated” prices “depressing to see.”
Soon after, the U.K. competition regulator launched an investigation into Ticketmaster examining whether the Live Nation-owned company broke consumer protection laws and engaged in “unfair commercial practices” by failing to notify ticket buyers in advance about the price rises. Ticketmaster has consistently stated that ticket prices are set by the artist team and event organisers, not itself.
Starmer had previously vowed to cap resale prices on secondary ticketing platforms, such as Viagogo and StubHub, in the run up to July’s election win.
According to the Competition and Market Authority (CMA), around 1.9 million tickets were sold through secondary platforms to British consumers in 2019, accounting for between 5% and 6% of all tickets sold that year. Tickets sold on secondary sites are typically priced more than 50% higher than their face value, reports CMA, which estimated the U.K. secondary ticketing market to have been worth around £350 million ($430 million) a year pre-pandemic.
“For too long fans have had to endure the misery of touts hoovering up tickets for resale at vastly inflated prices,” said Nandy announcing the three-month-long consultation, which closes April 4.
The government said it was seeking views from live industry stakeholders and music fans on a number of proposed measures designed to make ticket resales fairer and more transparent.
They include capping the price of resale tickets at up to 30% above face value and banning resellers from listing more tickets than they can legally buy on the primary market. These measures would disincentivise industrial scale touting, said the government.
Ministers are also proposing to pass tougher regulations for ticket resale companies and issue tougher fines for offenders. At present, the maximum fine that can be issued by Trading Standards against companies that breach ticketing sale rules is £5,000 ($6,100). The consultation will investigate whether this cap should be increased.
The primary ticketing market is also under scrutiny with ministers calling for evidence on whether fans are protected from “unfair practices,” including the use of new technologies and dynamic pricing.
Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at consumer protection organization Which?, said the government must use the consultation “to regulate the industry properly, ensure ticket resales don’t exploit fans and decide when the use of dynamic pricing is unfair and shouldn’t be allowed.”
As in other countries, the practice of dynamic pricing is commonly used in the U.K. by travel companies, taxis and hotels, but it has only been fleetingly used in the British touring market with Oasis’ comeback tour – which is being jointly promoted by Live Nation, SJM Concerts, MCD and DF Concerts – marking its most high-profile roll out for live music concerts in the United Kingdom and Ireland so far.
The British government’s probe of the ticketing business is the latest attempt by authorities to tackle the persistent issue of large-scale ticketing touting in the U.K.
In 2021, watchdog the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) concluded its long-running investigation into secondary ticketing platforms by making a series of recommendations to government on how to fix the sector. Those recommendations were rejected by the then Conservative government, but now form the basis of the Labour Party’s proposals.
There has also been a number of investigations by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) into secondary sites, with a particular focus on Viagogo.
When reached for comment, a Viagogo spokesperson insisted the company will “continue to constructively engage with the Government and look forward to responding in full to the consultation and call for evidence on improving consumer protections in the ticketing market.”
Responding to the public consultation, a spokesperson for Ticketmaster U.K. said the company was “committed to making ticketing simple and transparent” and supported plans to introduce an industry-wide resale price cap.
“We also urge the government to crack down on bots and ban speculative ticket sales,” said the U.K. arm of Ticketmaster, which has capped resale prices to face value on its platform since 2018. StubHub did not respond to a request to comment.
Adam Webb from U.K. campaign group FanFair Alliance called the government’s proposed measures “potentially game-changing” and highlighted the success of other countries, including Ireland, in passing legislation that has effectively banned ticket scalping. “The U.K. simply needs to follow their example,” said Webb.
The road to Super Bowl LIX kicks off this weekend with the NFL Playoffs and while Snoop Dogg’s Pittsburgh Steelers will look to punch their ticket to New Orleans, the West Coast rap legend will already be in the Big Easy Super Bowl weekend. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, […]
Billy Joel announced a one-off summer 2025 gig with fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Rod Stewart at New York’s Yankee Stadium. The one-night-only event will take place on July 18 at the iconic ballpark as part of the Piano Man’s ongoing string of stadium shows with A-list guests. Citi cardmembers will have access […]