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The Alchemist is on a historic run in 2025 that already concluded in a flurry of releases that all should land comfortably on AOTY lists at the end of the year. After a buzzing meme online suggests The Alchemist work on an introspective jazz album with Young Thug, it came out that Thugger doesn’t have a clue who the producer and rapper is.
It appears the meme of the completely fake collaboration album between Young Thug and The Alchemist got its legs back in 2024, and fans have kept the false dream alive since the release of the Atlanta rapper.
In a twist of fate, Ian Connor took to social media to share a private message exchange between him and Thug, with Connor responding to a Young Thug fan account featuring a video of Dylan Hull asking The Alchemist about the album at the most recent ComplexCon event. For what it’s worth, it appears that Uncle Al isn’t against the idea.
Connor looks like he’s on the case of educating Young Thug on the greatness that is The Alchemist’s production abilities.
Given that Alchemist has worked with the likes of Freddie Gibbs and earned a Grammy nomination to boot, along with works with 2 Chainz, Larry June, Hit-Boy, and underground kings Armand Hammer this year alone, maybe the connection would be fruitful.
Stay tuned.
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Trending on Billboard Thought you’d seen it all? Not quite. Jeezy just proved that he’s always climbing to new heights after accomplishing something that’s never been done before, earning himself a place in the Guinness World Records. On Saturday (Nov. 1), the trap-music tastemaker made history by performing with 101 orchestra musicians on stage at […]
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Carlos Rivera chose the Day of the Dead celebration to launch VIDA, a six-song EP filled with nostalgia, delving into mariachi, sierreño and even tumbado music. The Mexican pop star, born in Huamantla, a small town in the state of Tlaxcala, recently presented this material there, proudly showcasing his roots.
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“I want the world to know more about my country’s traditions,” Rivera tells Billboard Español. “We Mexicans celebrate the lives of those who have passed away in a very unique way, with flavors, colors, and music.”
“Mexico is mariachi, Día de Muertos,” adds the singer of “Recuérdame,” a song that was part of the Disney-Pixar animated film Coco (2017), famous for celebrating the way Mexicans deal with the subject of death. “I always thought that if I was going to do a project like this, it had to be looking at life from a different angle. This EP is inspired by loss and grief.”
Released by Sony Music Mexico on Oct. 30, VIDA opens with “Larga Vida,” a song about enjoying every moment with our loved ones. It includes a collaboration with Ana Bárbara accompanied by traditional mariachi, “Cuento de Nunca Acabar,” about trying to forget someone without success. And songs like “Calavera,” a huapango about denying death, and “Alguien,” which talks about being used to replace someone.
The singer says that after his father passed away three years ago, he began composing and searching for songs as a form of catharsis to ease the pain a little and help others who have been through the same situation.
“There are a couple of songs I wrote for my dad when he died,” he says. “One of them is ‘No Es Para Menos,’ in which I talk about the pain coming all at once so that whatever needs to hurt hurts and the suffering ends. In ‘Almas,’ the guitars practically cry from the beginning; the lyrics are about the absence of a person when they leave and places like an armchair are left empty.”
With “Larga Vida,” the focus track, “rather than honoring those who died, I wanted to talk about the importance of enjoying those who are alive and whom we never want to see leave,” Rivera explains. “Originally it was with guitar, which was very beautiful, but I thought we could put more energy into the requinto. So it sounded very sierreño and even tumbado, but using mariachi instruments.”
Regarding the only collaboration on the EP — “Cuento de Nunca Acabar,” with regional Mexican star Ana Bárbara — he says: “From the very beginning, I thought of her to sing it together. Her style of practically crying the songs fit perfectly.”
After participating in the soundtrack for Coco, Rivera had sporadically experimented with regional Mexican music. He did so with mariachi on that occasion and in “100 años” with Maluma. Later, in 2023, he invited Carín León and Edén Muñoz to accompany him on “Alguien Me Espera en Madrid,” and in early 2025, he released “Tu Amor Es Mío” with Fato and Alfredo Olivas.
“I love the genre. It’s my roots, and I want to take it everywhere,” says Rivera. “Fortunately, my music is heard in many places in Latin America and Europe, so I want to take the whole concept of VIDA on my next tour.”
He revealed that he is putting together a band of musicians that will include mariachi, and that he will also perform in palenques. The two-year tour will begin in 2026, during which the artist with two decades of experience will bring his fans hits such as “Que Lo Nuestro Se Quede Nuestro,” “Te Esperaba,” and “Me Muero.” The dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
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NLE Choppa is on NBA YoungBoy’s head top, and now he took it to another level.
Recently, fans spotted a billboard in YB’s hometown of Baton Rouge for Choppa’s newest song, “KO”. This record was a direct shot by the Memphis rapper, making it clear he doesn’t rock with YoungBoy. The billboard shows NLE holding a fake head resembling NBA YoungBoy.
Gloves completely off.
Throughout the last 5 years, the Shotta Flow rapper has sent indirect shots at YB, but “KO” was crystal clear. Coming for his character in the diss saying, “You poison the youth, nothin’ positive you do. You the reason n*ggas beating b*tches thinking that it’s cute.” The diss track flips a classic diss track, “Hit Em’ Up” by Tupac. In the music video, he also randomly pays homage to Michael Jackson & Mike Tyson in multiple scenes. NBA YoungBoy has not yet responded to NLE The Great’s diss track.
In fact, the beef between both rappers has seemed to be one-sided from the very beginning. As YB never seems to address Choppa’s subtle disses in the past. Even after King Von’s tragic passing after a dispute between YB’s affiliates, Quando Rondo & Lil Tum, Choppa made sure to make it clear he was team OTF. Before that, NLE seemed to have fallen back and even made a song titled, “Free Youngboy” in 2024.
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Zohran Mamdani seems poised to win the 2025 mayoral race in New York City this coming Tuesday (Nov. 4), and while the far-right continue to do what they can to smear his name and character in an effort to tank his campaign, the man is out here living his best pre-election life, as proof from clips that surfaced on social media over the Halloween weekend.
Much to the chagrin of his haters and mayoral competitors Andrew Cuomo and Curti Sliwa, Zohran Mamdani hit up the club in New York City this past weekend and showed New Yorkers that he’s very much like us, as he turned up to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” while kicking it in the DJ booth much to the delight of the New York crowd.
Andrew Cuomo could never.
Keeping the good vibes going, Mamdani took the time out to visit a gay bar and rile up the crowd in attendance there, as he continues to campaign for their vote, which, needless to say, looks like he’ll be getting.
Curtis Sliwa would never.
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As Mamdani’s popularity continues to grow amongst New Yorkers, billionaires continue to pour money into trying to stop his ascension in the political arena, as he’s looking to tax the ultra-wealthy once he’s sworn into office. Something that rich people fear more than anything.
Heck, even Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from New York City if Mamdani is elected the next Mayor of New York (we still can’t believe y’all voted us into this fascist timeline).
Still, it looks like Mamdani has this election in the bag, as New Yorkers want change and a fresh new face that will bring change to the city that actually helps everyday people and not just the top 1%. It also helps that he isn’t in the Epstein files. So there’s that too.
What do y’all think about mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani hitting the club scene this past weekend in NYC? Let us know in the comments section below.
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The government shutdown continues into a fifth week, and the prolonged situation carries a new risk as millions of Americans are poised to miss their food stamp benefits on Nov. 1. The United States Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), issued a memo stating that no benefits will be distributed earlier this week, which affects 42 million people or 1 out of every 8 Americans.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a program that was created in 1939 to help no-income and low-income families needing assistance to purchase food to maintain a baseline of health and nutrition. The USDA runs the program through the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), which distributes the benefits to those who qualify through specific departments at the state level.
Those benefits first took the form of food stamps, which were a booklet of coupons with various denominations from $1 to $10. These days, SNAP recipients can make their purchases using digital electronic benefit transfer accounts, or EBT accounts, thanks to the revamping of the Food Stamp Act of 1977. Each month, the benefits are posted into the accounts and accessed through a debit card. Purchases can be made at supermarkets, convenience stores, and other retailers, including some farmers’ markets.
To qualify for SNAP, a family of four’s net income can’t exceed $31,000, which is the federal poverty line. On average, recipients get $187 monthly. Federal rules attached to the program stipulate that recipients should get their benefits, despite the Trump administration saying it’s not allowed to use a contingency fund with $5 billion in it designated for that purpose. Democratic Party-led states have argued that the money should be used, along with a separate fund of $23 billion that could be tapped into.
States have already begun advising those with EBT funds left from October to use them next month, but sparingly. Twenty-five states, including the District of Columbia, are suing the Trump administration over the suspension of benefits. A federal judge in Boston is leaning toward issuing a ruling that the government use the emergency funds. “If you don’t have money, you tighten your belt,” District Court Judge Indira Talwani said. “You are not going to make everyone drop dead because it’s a political game someplace.”
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On Thursday (Oct. 30), Buckingham Palace issued a statement that King Charles had “initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours” of his younger brother, Prince Andrew. The move was made to distance the British monarchy from the pressure brought about by Andrew’s ties to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. “Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor,” the statement read, formally stripping him of the title of The Duke of York.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was also directed to leave his home at the Royal Lodge, close to Windsor Castle. “His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation,” the statement read. He will reside at the royal family’s private estate at Sandringham. “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse,” the statement also said.The move is striking and rare – Andrew is the first prince to have been stripped of his title in over 100 years, after the Duke of Cumberland, who sided with the Germans in World War I. He voluntarily gave up the Duke of York title two weeks ago, after the memoir from Epstein accuser Virginia Guiffre was published, citing “the continued accusations about me” and not wanting to “distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.” His daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will retain their titles and their place of succession in the royal bloodline. As for his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, she is also expected to move out of the Royal Lodge and will no longer be referred to as the Dutchess of York.
In the book, entitled Nobody’s Girl, Giuffre wrote of having been forced to have sex with Andrew on three distinct occasions. A photograph of Andrew with Giuffre and Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001 is part of the files of Jeffrey Epstein publicly released by the U.S. government. The former royal denied that the photograph was real, but did settle a financial suit Giuffre filed against him in 2022. Giuffre would take her own life in April of this year.
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The annual Music Tectonics conference kicks off Tuesday (Nov. 4), bringing together music industry professionals, entrepreneurs, and investors alongside the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, Calif.
Music Tectonics was founded in 2019 by Dmitri Vietze and his team at public relations firm Rock Paper Scissors. The three-day gathering not only has a great location — the first two days are beachside — but a valuable position on the calendar: After Music Tectonics, music industry events wind down to accommodate the holidays and won’t pick up until Grammy week in Los Angeles in late January.
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The first day of Music Tectonics’ three-day event takes place at the Santa Monica Pier Carousel. On Wednesday, the conference moves to the Annenberg Community Beach House about a mile up the coast. Thursday’s events — which are focused on entrepreneurism and startups — take place at Expert Dojo, a startup accelerator located near the Santa Monica Pier. A closing party will take place at Universal Music Group’s nearby headquarters.
To help attendees know what to expect from the event, Billboard is highlighting some of the most promising programming.
Optimization is Not Enough: Are You Ready for Streaming’s Reckoning?
MIDiA Research’s Tatiana Cirisano talks about the future of music streaming. In a fireside chat moderated by Music Tectonics founder Dmitri Vietze, Cirisano will argue that focusing on optimization — getting the most out of existing subscribers with higher prices and value-added perks — won’t attract the next generation of customers.
The Investor Panel
AI startups have commandeered an astounding 51% of venture capital funding in 2025, according to CB Insights. To find out if music is less one-sided, a panel of seasoned investors will discuss what business ideas excite them and where music and technology are headed. They are also expected to give attendees tips on how to pitch them.
Featured speakers: Aadit Parikh from Sony Ventures, Conor Healy from Yamaha Music Innovations Fund, and Lucas Cantor Santiago from Mindset Ventures. Entrepreneur and advisor Angel Gambino will moderate.
What Everyone Should Know about the New Frontiers: Music, Gaming, AI, and Beyond!
If you want to know where the music business is headed, it’s best to hear from the people who help build the products, create the partnerships and advise the companies that are pushing music into the future. The panelists’ many decades of expertise covers streaming platforms, gaming, social media and musical instruments.
Featured speakers: Elizabeth Moody from Granderson Des Rochers, Paul McCabe from Roland, and Kirsten Bender from Universal Music Group. Music Tectonics’ Dmitri Vietze will moderate.
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Tools of the Trade: Platforms That Launch You Out of DIY
The best conference panels are often those that offer practical tips that are worth the price of admission. At the “Tools of the Trade” panel, music professionals will give their thoughts on the services that help independent musicians operate in the marketplace.
Featured speakers: Kevin Lazaroff from Amuse, Charles Alexander from ViNiL, and Crystal Desai from HiFi Labs. Tetris Kelly from Billboard will moderate.
The New Direct-to-Fan E-Commerce
“The future of fandom is direct,” says the page for the panel on direct-to-consumer e-commerce. In fact, the future is already here. Direct-to-consumer sales accounted for “two-thirds to 75%” of sales of Universal Music Group’s new releases, COO Boyd Muir said during the company’s Oct. 30 earnings call.
Featured speakers: Joshua Stone from Stuff.io, Shannon Herber from Wise River Consulting, and Fabrice Sargent from Bandsintown. Billboard’s Taylor Mims will moderate.
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Hilary Duff‘s musical comeback has an official release date now. The singer announced on Monday (Nov. 3) that she will break a decade-long music hiatus on Thursday (Nov. 6) with the release of the single “Mature.”
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The 37-year-old former Disney Channel star has been preparing to return with her first new music since 2015’s Breathe In., Breathe Out. album and the cover art of “Mature” features a moody triptych of the singer staring pensively into the distance. “So happy this is finally yours to hear. Been keeping this one quiet too long,” Duff wrote in an Instagram post on Monday afternoon (Nov. 3) officially announcing the single and debuting the cover art.
Duff has spent the better part of the past decade focused on acting, including starring roles in the TV series How I Met Your Father and Younger. In addition to the new music, s parallel docuseries chronicling Duff’s long-awaited musical return and personal journey is in the works as well.
Longtime LGBTQ+ community ally Duff recently told Variety that her musical return was a love note to her queen fanbase. “You know it’s all for them. It’s just to impress them,” Duff said about excitement from gay fans about the news. In that same Variety chat, Duff teased that new music was coming “really soon,” adding that she’d been in the studio working with her husband, singer/producer Matthew Koma, and “a few other amazingly talented people.”
The doc, executive produced by Grammy-nominated director Sam Wrench (Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour), promises to give an inside look at Duff’s long-awaited musical return and personal journey. “Embracing the ups, downs, and everything in between, fans will ride shotgun as she balances raising a family, recording new music, live show rehearsals, and preparing to perform on stage for the first time in over a decade,” reads a release announcing the project, noting that it will feature a mix of “vérité footage, stylized interviews, performances, and videos from her personal archive.”
Duff rose to fame on the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire in the early 2000s and then crossed over to pop music in the mid-2000s with Hot 100 hits including “Come Clean” (No. 35) and “Wake Up” (No. 29), with her most recent Billboard Hot 100 appearance coming in 2015 with the Breathe In. Breathe Out. single “Sparks.”
Zohran Mamdani is a known Kendrick Lamar fan, and showed his support for the rapper over Halloween weekend. With New York City’s mayoral election set for Tuesday (Nov. 4), Mamdani — who is running to lead the city — made campaign stops at various night clubs around the city over the weekend. One video making […]
