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08 Nov 2024

Kissing The Ring: These Tech CEOs Waste No Time Congratulating Donald Trump Following His Election Win

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Source: The Washington Post / Getty / Donald Trump

The nightmare of another Donald Trump presidency is once again a reality following his election win, and everyone, including these tech CEOs, is lining up to kiss the ring of the orange menace expeditiously to ensure they are on his good side.

Donald Trump has not yet taken power, but the ominous cloud of what his 4-year reign will bring looms large over the heads of Americans and corporate Americans as he enacts disastrous policies.

Tech CEOs who weren’t outside with Trump jumping up and down on his rally stages, looking as silly as Elon Musk did for the most part, sat back and kept quiet, awaiting the results of the 2024 presidential election.

Kiss The Ring

Now that the dust has settled and Trump is returning to the White House, the congratulatory messages from the tech giants quickly started rolling in.

“Congratulations President Trump, we’re looking forward to engaging with you and your administration to drive innovation forward that creates new growth and opportunity for the United States and the world,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nedella wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Apple CEO, Tim Cook, who Trump hilariously called Tim Apple wrote on X, “Congratulations President Trump on your victory! We look forward to engaging with you and your administration to help make sure the United States continues to lead with and be fueled by ingenuity, innovation, and creativity.”

One time rival of Trump, Jeff Bezos, who told his paper, The Washington Post to not endorse Kamala Harris, definitely seemed very happy in his congratulatory tweet. “Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love,” Bezos wrote. 

Former Microsoft CEO, Bill Gates wrote on Threads, “Congratulations to President Trump and VP-elect Vance. America is at its strongest when we use ingenuity and innovation to improve lives here in the U.S. and around the world. I hope we can work together now to build a brighter future for everyone.”

Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg wrote on his app, “Congratulations to President Trump on a decisive victory. We have great opportunities ahead of us as a country. Looking forward to working with you and your administration.”

Well, given Trump is once again one of the most powerful people in the world, these CEOs want to ensure they get a decent piece of the deregulated pie.

It’s already being reported that Trump’s win added a record $64 billion to the wealth of the 10 richest people in the world, Bezos and Musk are on that list.

So, of course, they have a lot to be thankful about regarding Donald Trump. Don’t bet on any of that wealth trickling down to “forgotten working class.”

You can see more congratulatory tweets in the gallery below.

1. Amazon CEO Andy Jass

2. Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai

3. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

4. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger

5. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon

08 Nov 2024

Which LP Do You Think Should Win Album of the Year at the 2024 Latin Grammys?

It’s a tight race for album of the year at the Latin Grammys, where both commercially and critically acclaimed albums are vying for the award.

This year, the 10 nominated LPs are Bolero by Angela Aguilar; Camilo’s Cuatro; Xande Canta Caetano by Xande De Pilares; Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season); García by Kany García; Juan Luis Guerra’s Radio Güira; Mon Laferte’s Autopoiética; Boca Chueca, Vol. 1 by Carín León; Residente’s Las Letras Ya No Importan; and Shakira’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran.

Last year, the album of the year award went to Karol G for Mañana Será Bonito, which became the first album ever by a Latin woman to top the Billboard 200. The set also won best urban album. “This album changed my life, and it’s incredible that it’s changed the life of so many people,” she said during one of her acceptance speeches that night.

The 2024 Latin Grammy nominations are led for a second consecutive year by Mexican hitmaker Edgar Barrera, who scored nine nods this year, including songwriter of the year and producer of the year. He is followed by superstars Karol G and Bad Bunny, who got eight mentions each.

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The three-hour telecast of the Latin Grammys on Nov. 14 will be produced by TelevisaUnivision, and will air live on Univision, UniMás, Galavisión and ViX from the Kaseya Center in Miami beginning at 8 p.m. ET, preceded by a one-hour pre-show starting at 7 p.m.

Which LP do you think should win album of the year at the 2024 Latin Grammys? Vote in the poll below.

08 Nov 2024

Drake Makes Surprise Appearance at Latto’s Show to Perform ‘Housekeeping Knows’

Latto’s Sugar Honey Iced Tea Tour rumbled through Toronto on Thursday night (Nov. 7), and Drake popped out to make a surprise guest appearance.

The Atlanta rapper and Drizzy teamed up for “Housekeeping Knows,” which arrived earlier this year as part of the 6 God’s 100 Gigs drop.

While the track isn’t typically part of her setlist, Drake hopped on the mic from the VIP balcony to deliver. “What’s up?” he asked Latto as the instrumental began to play in fan-captured footage. Sporting a blue jacket and his braids in pigtails, Drizzy hopped into the performance with ease. “Make some noise for my motherf–king dog Big Latto,” he told the audience.

The show went down at History in Toronto, of which Drake is a co-owner. The 2,500-capacity venue opened in 2021 with a joint venture between Drizzy and Live Nation.

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“Some of my most memorable shows were playing smaller rooms like History,” Drake said of the venue in 2021, according to an Instagram post from History in September that year. “I wanted to take those memories and what I learned to create an incredible experience for both the artists and the fans.”

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“Housekeeping Knows” eventually hit streaming services in August while packaged into the 100 Gigs EP alongside “Circadian Rhythm” and “It’s Up.” The Latto-assisted track debuted at No. 85 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Next order for business for Drake? It seems he and Partynextdoor’s joint project is on the horizon. “Finito party people. Everybody, thank you, reloading,” Partynextdoor teased on Instagram, while Drake chimed in, “$$$ THAT TIME.”

08 Nov 2024

Sarah Sherman Is Super Confused About the Spelling of Mk.gee’s Name in ‘SNL’ Promo

Not for nothing, but singer/producer Mk.gee literally taught us how to say his name on his 2018 EP, Pronounced McGee. But, here we are with this week’s Saturday Night Live promo featuring host comedian Bill Burr, in which cast member Sarah Sherman just can’t do the math on how to sound out the Two Star & Dream Police performer’s stage moniker.

“Hi, I’m Bill Burr and I’m hosting SNL this week with Mk.gee,” says Burr, who will anchor the first show following this week’s historic election in which former President Donald Trump beat out Vice President Kamala Harris. “Mk.gee, how do you spell your name?” a confused Sherman asks.

“M, as in Mk.gee,” responds the enigmatic indie singer-songwriter, who recently revealed that he’s working in the studio on Justin Bieber’s next album. “Yeah, ‘K’ as ‘Kiss From a Rose,’ by Seal,” adds Burr. “Dot as in ‘dot com,’ the host continues as the musical guest concludes, “G as in ‘gee.’”

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“Okay, never mind, forget I asked,” an exasperated Sherman tells the men.

In the second bit, Sherman is very impressed with herself, rolling her eyes and saying, “Thank you, I do look ravishing today!,” to which Burr says, “I didn’t say you looked ravishing” as Mk.gee stands silent in a giant brown coat and matching hued shirt and black baseball hat. “I’m talkin’ about Mk.gee,” Burr assures her.

“Your hotel room tonight?,” Sherman goes on, as she pretends to be having a private conversation with a suitor via a non-existent earpiece. “What?” a confused Burr wonders. “Sorry, I’m on a call. Let me know when the promo starts,” Sherman tells him. “Sorry about that… where were we, Mickey Rourke?” Sherman coos while holding a finger to her ear to continue the phantom chat. The latter finally gets the attention of Rourke superfan Burr, though it’s too late at that point.

This weekend’s gig will mark 27-year-old New Jersey native Mk.gee’s SNL debut. Mk.gee is currently on a world tour that take him to Australia in December.

Watch this week’s SNL promo below.

08 Nov 2024

Grupo Niche on Keeping Jairo Valero’s Legacy Alive, ‘Cali Pachanguero’ Success | Billboard News

Grupo Niche explains how they are preserving Jairo Varela’s legacy, their reasons for continuous touring and how each member preserves their unique essence. The band discusses the success of “Cali Pachanguero,” their acclaimed album Niche Sinfónico and winning a Grammy for it, and more!

Leila Cobo:
Hello, everyone. Today, we welcome at Billboard singers from Grupo Niche!

Grupo Niche:
Yeah, hurray!

You don’t know how excited I am to have you here because I grew up with Grupo Niche, because I never had you all sitting here. The last time I talked to Grupo Niche was with Jairo Warela.

Wow!

So it’s been a long time. So what are you doing in New York? Tell me.

We’re happy to bring our Pachanguero tour. We celebrate 40 years of this iconic song. This big tour started in Australia. We went to Europe, Central America and America, and now we are in North America, sharing this beautiful legacy with you that master Jairo Varela and his Grupo Niche left us.

Now, I think you’re touring more than ever. When Jairo was alive, he played all weekends, but now I get the feeling that Niche … I get the press releases and I say, “These people don’t stop!” What happened? Why are people so excited with Niche after so long? 

Thank God. It’s a blessing. The truth is we enjoy so much. As you said, our schedule begins and ends in January. We make our bags, we left in January and next January, we just exchange bags. We always make jokes about it, but it’s true. We really enjoy the love of all Nichistas worldwide. 

Nichistas?

Nichistas. 

That’s new for me. 

Those are Grupo Niche fans. Are you Nichista? 

I am mega Nichista, darling!

Keep watching for more!

08 Nov 2024

Friday Music Guide: New Music From Karol G, Zach Bryan, XG and More

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, Karol G leads a Colombia all-star team, Zach Bryan stays prolific and XG take a step forward. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Karol G feat. Feid, DFZM, Ovy on the Drums, J Balvin, Maluma, Blessd & Ryan Castro, “+57” 

The first words uttered on “+57” are “Colombia gang,” and they are apt: this all-star collaboration, headlined by Karol G but making room for notable names across the Latin music community, honors the music of Colombia through sheer strength in numbers, as well as a hypnotic beat that never wears out its welcome across nearly 5 minutes.

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Zach Bryan, “High Road” & “This World’s a Giant” 

Following the July release of The Great American Bar Scene, Zach Bryan is back this week with a pair of singles, “High Road” and “This World’s a Giant,” both of which present somber reflections of a man wrestling with demons and not ready to step outside amidst mournful strums and stately country production.

XG, AWE 

If the breathless single “Something Ain’t Right” hinted at the promise of XG’s next era earlier this year, then its host project, AWE, fully realizes the Japanese group’s potential: AWE only run 23 minutes but features a slew of giddy pop moments and a sharp mix of the members’ respective personalities.

Ferg, Darold 

Titled after his birth name, Ferg offers an intimate portrait of the A$AP Mob mainstay and the family members who helped shape his worldview, while also bringing in top-notch guests like Future, Coco Jones, Denzel Curry and Mary J. Blige, with the lattermost featured on back-half highlights “Casting Spells” and “Chosen.”

Charlie Puth, “December 25th” 

As Charlie Puth is gearing up for a new album release next year, he’s unveiled a stocking stuffer to tide over fans before the calendar flips, with “December 25th” translating his wide vocal range, melodic gifts and penchant for classic pop nostalgia into a jingly, slightly melancholic holiday single.

Editor’s Pick: Griff, “Last Night’s Mascara” 

“Would you look at me now?” Griff asks multiple times within the chorus of new single “Last Night’s Mascara,” the remnants of the pop singer’s tears still evident the next morning as she literally prays for resolution; like all of Griff’s best tracks, the emotional resonance of her voice guides the thematic construction and provides weight to every hook.

08 Nov 2024

Cori Broadus Opens Up About Stroke & Gets Wedding Advice From Dad Snoop Dogg: Watch

Wedding planning is hard for everyone, even Snoop Dogg‘s daughter, Cori Broadus — especially considering the health challenges she’s faced this year.

In a new trailer posted Thursday (Nov. 7) for the family’s upcoming three-part E! docuseries Snoop Dogg’s Fatherhood: Cori and Wayne’s Story, the 25-year-old bride-to-be details the difficulties of putting together her nuptials to fiancé Wayne Deuce before opening up about the stroke she suffered earlier this year. “My health was declining,” she recalls in the two-minute teaser over footage of her in the hospital.

“Doctor comes in, ‘Cori, you had a stroke,’” continues Broadus, who also battles Lupus. “I’m hurting, I’m scared. Why is this happening to me?”

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The preview of the docuseries — which premieres Dec. 5 and also finds Broadus struggling with her relationship to Deuce and battling online trolls accusing the groom of only being with her for clout — comes nearly a year after Broadus revealed on Instagram Stories that she’d “had a severe stroke” in January. “I started breaking down crying when they told me,” she wrote at the time. “I’m only 24. What did I do in my past to deserve all of this?”

Shortly afterward, Snoop told People that his daughter was “doing a little bit better” and agreed that the scare had put his own life in perspective. The 53-year-old rapper shares Cori with wife Shante Broadus, along with sons Corde and Cordell. He also has a son named Julian from a previous relationship.

Elsewhere in the trailer for Snoop Dogg’s Fatherhood, the “Drop It Like It’s Hot” artist gives his daughter advice on planning her lavish wedding, which is set to cater to a guest list of 750 people. “Y’all got your life together … whatever you want, manifest it,” he tells her before squashing Cori’s dream of having Justin Bieber attend the big event. “You got too many godd–n dreams!”

But, as Cori says in the clip: “I’m a princess, so the princess gotta do it big.”

Watch the full Snoop Dogg’s Fatherhood: Cori and Wayne’s Story trailer above.

08 Nov 2024

Justice, Four Tet, Kaytranada & Charli XCX Lead 2025 Dance/Electronic Grammy Nominations

Nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards were announced Friday (Nov. 8), with the Recording Academy recognizing a wide range of artists in the four dance categories.

The fields were introduced by Kylie Minogue during the Grammy nominations livestream, with the Australian icon last year being the first-ever recipient of the pop dance award, newly introduced to the ceremony in 2024 and now called dance pop.

The dance artists with the most nominations this year include Justice, who clocked a nom for recording and album with their 2024 singler “Neverender” and the album from whence it came, Hyperdrama. Four Tet is also a double nominee this year, in the album category for his release Three and its track “Loved.” Zedd also scored an album nomination for his first LP in nine years, Telos.

Meanwhile Charli XCX make three appearances in the dance nominations, with her club-ready Brat in the album category, the electro throwback “Von Dutch” in recording and the A.G. Cook remix of that same song in best remixed recording.

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See the complete list of dance related nominees below:

Best Dance/Electronic Recording

  • “She’s Gone, Dance On” – Disclosure
  • “Loved” – Four Tet
  • “Leavemealone” – Fred Again.. & Baby Keem
  • “Neverender” – Justice & Tame Impala
  • “Witchy” – Kaytranada Featuring Childish Gambino

Best Dance/Electronic Album

  • Brat, Charli XCX
  • Three, Four Tet
  • Hyperdrama, Justice
  • Telos, Zedd
  • Timeless, Kaytranada

Best Dance Pop Recording

  • “Make You Mine” – Madison Beer
  • “Von Dutch” – Charli XCX
  • “L’Amour De Ma Vie (Over Now Extended Edit)” – Billie Eilish
  • “Yes, And” – Ariana Grande
  • “Got Me Started” – Troye Sivan

Best Remixed Recording

  • “Alter Ego” – Kaytranada Remix – Kaytranada, Remixer (Doechii Featuring JT)
  • “A Bar Song (Tipsy) [Remix]” – David Guetta, Remixer (Shaboozey & David Guetta)
  • “Espresso” (Mark Ronson & FNZ Working Late Remix) – FNZ & Mark Ronson Remixers (Sabrina Carpenter)
  • “Jah Sees Them” – Amapiano Remix – Alex Antaeus, Footsteps & Mrmyish, Remixers (Julian Marley & Antaeus)
  • “Von Dutch” – A.G. Cook Remixer (Charli XCX & A.G. Cook Featuring Addison Rae)

In June, the Recording Academy unveiled a flurry of rule tweaks that will be implemented at the 2025 awards. Among these 10 changes, three were directly related to the dance/electronic categories, with a fourth also affecting those categories.

One of the changes involves an award that was introduced to the Grammys just this year, with the best pop dance recording category now being called best dance pop recording. This tweak is not just a matter of aesthetics, but meant to make the category more accurately reflect the well-established style of dance pop music it was created to showcase.

The next rule change involves the best remixed recording category, which has long focused on dance/electronic artists but was never an official dance/electronic category. That changes in 2025, with this category being moved from the production, engineering, composition and arrangement field into the pop and dance/electronic field

08 Nov 2024

Sacramento Kings Owner Wears ‘They Not Like Us’ Shirt Amid Drake’s Feud With DeMar DeRozan

Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has come to his superstar DeMar DeRozan’s defense and he’s channeling Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” anthem, possibly to needle Drake.

Seated near former Raptor and No Limit boss Master P, Ranadive was courtside at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., on Wednesday night (Nov. 6) wearing a black T-shirt inscribed with “They Not Like Us” as his Kings took on Drizzy’s Toronto Raptors.

Fans liked seeing the Kings owner stand up to Drake and defend DeRozan, who previously played for Toronto. Sacramento ended up throttling the Raptors 122-107 to improve to 5-3 on the young season.

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“This level of petty >>>,” one fan tweeted, while another called Vivek the “goat.”

For context, the Kings took on the Raptors over the weekend of Nov. 2 in Toronto, where Drake joined the TV broadcast and called DeRozan a “goof.”

On the same night, Vince Carter’s No. 15 went into the rafters, the 6 God — who is an official ambassador of the Raptors — trashed the idea of the franchise retiring DeRozan’s No. 10 one day. “If you ever put up a DeRozan banner, I’ll go up there and pull it down myself,” Drake said during the broadcast.

DeMar was asked about Drake’s comments in his post-game presser, which he brushed off. “He’s going to have a long way to climb,” the athlete quipped. “Tell him good luck.” 

DeRozan spent nine seasons with the Raptors and delivered a close friendship with Drake, but Drizzy appeared to feel a type of way about DeMar — a Compton native — seemingly siding with Kendrick Lamar during their feud. DeRozan also made a cameo in the “Not Like Us” music video.

Joe Budden chimed in on the DeRozan-Drake beef, and while he understood Drizzy’s feelings toward the NBA star for seemingly switching up on him, he doesn’t appreciate how he’s navigated the conflict.

“I’m not mad at [Drake] for feeling — he should feel that way,” he explained on a recent episode of his eponymous podcast. “It’s never the conflict. It’s the inability to navigate the conflict … But all that standing at the game … the mumbling under his breath … You a b—h. I’m not about to sit here and do a bunch of unpacking. You went to the game and cut his eyes.”

“Not Like Us” arrived in May and proved to be a decisive blow in the Drake-Kendrick feud, which Billboard declared K. Dot the winner.

The Mustard-produced anthem has continued to haunt Drake and be part of pop culture throughout 2024, as it broke the record for most weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart when it held firm for a 21st week at the apex in early October.

Drake has yet to respond to Vivek’s move, and he’ll have to wait until next year to see DeRozan again, as the Kings won’t make another trip to Toronto for the rest of the season.

08 Nov 2024

Bill Ackman Calls On Universal Music Group to Move Listing to U.S.

Billionaire hedge funder and Universal Music Group board member Bill Ackman called for UMG to move its stock listing and legal headquarters to the United States from Amsterdam after violent attacks on Israeli soccer fans overnight in the Dutch capital.

Amsterdam’s Mayor Femke Halsema said fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv were attacked and “pelted with fireworks” overnight by “antisemitic hit-and-run squads” after the city’s AFC Ajax soccer team beat Maccabi in a Europa League match. At least five people were treated in hospital, Reuters reports.

Ackman, UMG’s second-largest shareholder, said on X that moving UMG’s domicile—where the company pays taxes—and where it is publicly traded from Amsterdam to the United States will have “highly material benefits” and will align the company with “moral principles.”

“Leaving a jurisdiction that fails to protect its tourists and minority populations combine both good business and moral principles,” Ackman wrote in the post which he began by writing he is seeking board approval to move Pershing Square’s listing to London.

“I have also begun the conversation with UMG (on whose board I sit) which is domiciled in Amsterdam as well as listed there, about moving its domicile and its listing to the United States, which will offer similar as well as other highly material benefits.”

Pershing Square Holdings, in which Ackman said his family has a 23% stake, owns a 10.25% of UMG’s stock. Vincent Bollore, the former chairman of Vivendi, owns 1% of UMG.

Ackman said Pershing Square will exercise its “contractual right to cause UMG to be listed in the US… and achieve a US listing for UMG no later than some time next year.”

Ackman said UMG trades at a discount and with limited liquidity in part because its primary listing is on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange, not the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq. It is also not being eligible to be included in the S&P 500 index or other U.S. bellwether indices

“We are going to fix this. Now is a good and appropriate time to do so,” Ackman wrote.

UMG did not immediately respond to a request for comment.