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22 Oct 2024

Mike Will Made-It’s ‘R3set,’ Lil Yachty & Lil Wayne on ‘High3r,’  Miley Cyrus ‘Inspires’ Him | Billboard News

Mike Will Made-It is releasing his first album in seven years, R3set. He shares what his fans can expect from his new work, what it was like to work with Rihanna and Beyonce, why Miley Cyrus constantly “inspires” him, his journey as a producer and more!

Catrise Johnson:
Hey, everyone. It’s your girl, Catrise J, and we are here with Mike Will Made-It. Congratulations on your new album, R3set. It’s your first album in seven years. How do you feel? 

Mike Will Made-It:
Man, it’s been a journey for real. Like it’s Ransom 3. So like each Ransom is like over, like different phases, and like Ransom stands for, like, releasing all new songs, orchestrated by might well. When I came out with the first one, it was like me coming after that, 2012, 2013, 2014 run. But it was a buzz tool for me at the time, because I was like, “Man, I can put together Kendrick, Wayne and Future in the song and make ‘Buy the World.’ I can put together Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J. I could put Future and Swae Lee, and on the track and make ‘Drinks on Us.’” Like that’s how I was coming about the first Ransom, and I wanted to do it as many times as possible.

And the second Ransom, I wanted to do like a little refined version of that, Gucci Mane, Kendrick, Rae Sremmurd, “Perfect. Pint.” YG, 21 and the Migos “Gucci On My.” We had some cool collaborations on that. And that was also a long project. And around that time, right there, I had lost my hard drives. My hard drives had gotten stolen. 

I heard about that. 

Yeah, I really eased back from the music. And then I started buying real estate. So I bought about my studio that I work here right now in Atlanta, like when I first got that, it would just be like, couple TVs on the wall, we’d just be in there gambling on 2K. I wasn’t even, I wasn’t really tripping on the music like that. 

Keep watching for more!

22 Oct 2024

Why the Grand Ole Opry, a Country Staple for a Century, Is Broadening Into New Genres

Scott Stapp acknowledges that the 99-year-old Grand Ole Opry, whose storied membership includes Johnny Cash, George Strait and Tanya Tucker, is not the natural setting for “outliers like me.” But as the singer known for bombastic hard-rock Creed hits like “One Last Breath” and “Higher” prepares for his Opry debut Wednesday night (Oct. 23), he suggests he may be more country than people expect. “When I was young and poor, my grandparents were huge fans of country music and bluegrass. They would watch The Opry on TV in Florida. I can remember laying down on the floor with my hands under my chin with my grandparents behind me,” Stapp tells Billboard. “That’s why it’s a tremendous honor, and I want to do my best to bring my A-game.”

In the past six years, the Opry, which began in 1925 with Uncle Jimmy Thompson playing his fiddle at Nashville radio station WSM, has been more aggressive about opening its stage to non-traditional country performers. Post Malone, the pop and hip-hop star who this year released a chart-topping country album, performed in August; retired Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, a singer-songwriter who put out an album this year titled Hey Y’All, made his debut in March; jam band Leftover Salmon and Andrew Farriss of INXS are scheduled for dates later this year. In 2018, 53 artists made their Opry debuts; last year, that number increased to 131, plus another 101 so far in 2024. For its 100th anniversary in 2025, the Opry is planning 100 debuts, beginning Jan. 18 with Shaboozey, whose “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” this year became the first song in history to reach the Top 10 of the Country, Pop, Adult Pop and Rhythmic Airplay charts.

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“It’s a great thing. It’s important, because it expands what country music is,” says Jared Cotter, Shaboozey’s co-manager, adding that the singer accepted the Opry invitation “in about two seconds.” “It needs to evolve. We’re really excited to be what I think is at the forefront of it.”

Shaboozey photographed September 12, 2024 at Seret Studios in Brooklyn.

Shaboozey

Eric Ryan Anderson

Dan Rogers, the show’s senior vp and executive producer, says his artist-relations team has emphasized “artists you might not normally expect to see at the Opry” — whether that’s African-American stars, like Shaboozey, who have historically been largely absent from the Opry stage, or performers who’ve built their music careers outside country, like Stapp. This is part of the broadcast’s tradition, Rogers adds — James Brown and Stevie Wonder, not known for their country inclinations, performed in 1979, as did rocker Peter Frampton in 2013. Similarly, in a throwback to Hee Haw, Jerry Clower, David “Stringbean” Akeman and others, the Opry inducted comedians Gary Mule Deer and Henry Cho as members last year. Until that point, the Opry had not inducted a comedian since 1973.

“It’s no secret we have opened our doors more broadly since the pandemic,” Rogers adds. “We’re always working to be steadfast in our programming philosophy, which is [to] present the past, present and future of country music every time that big red curtain goes up.” The strategy has worked so far — although he declines to provide attendance numbers, Rogers says “visitation” and “demand for Opry performances” has increased yearly since 2020 in terms of increased numbers of the 4,400-capacity shows.

The Opry’s inclusive definition of “country” in recent years reflects pop music in general, according to Brian Mansfield, a Nashville writer, historian and managing editor of radio-industry trade publication Country Insider. “You don’t really think of Post Malone as a country artist, but if you talk to him, he grew up knowing that stuff,” he says, then cites Beyoncé‘s Cowboy Carter album, even though the pop superstar has never performed at the Opry. “She wanted to show how the country music she grew up with in Houston, which has this unique blend of country and R&B and everything in its DNA, was part of what she was.”

Stapp, by contrast, did not set out to make a country song when he and his Nashville songwriting collaborators came up with “If These Walls Could Talk,” even though he spent his childhood watching Hee Haw on TV when it was recorded on the Opry stage throughout the ’80s. “The song was just born and created as-is,” says Stapp, who has lived in Nashville since 2016. “I don’t have any intent to try to change it into some kind of more country-leaning song just because I’m playing it at the Opry.” For his debut, Stapp plans to perform the song for the first time with Dorothy, the hard-rock singer who duets with him on the recording. 

In emphasizing new and unexpected performers, the Opry is being savvy about expanding its audience. “Our research shows that 50% of the audience in the seats love country music, and that’s why they came to the Grand Ole Opry. And the other 50% are in Nashville, and they know they’re supposed to see the Grand Ole Opry,” Rogers says. “Both of those halves will appreciate when someone they wouldn’t expect shows up at the Opry.”

Post Malone, Grand Ole Opry

Post Malone at his Grand Ole Opry debut on Aug. 14, 2024.

Chris Hollo

NBCUniversal and a private-equity firm, Atairos Group, invested $296 million for a 30% stake in the Opry’s parent company, Opry Entertainment Group, in 2022. (The group also owns the Ryman Auditorium, which hosts numerous Opry shows, and Blake Shelton‘s Ole Red brand of country bars.) It makes sense that investors are happy to see the lineup expand as widely as possible — in the first half of this year, Creed’s catalog streamed 263 million times, and its 2024 reunion tour is headlining arenas, including Madison Square Garden next month. Of Stapp, Rogers says, “I’ve read two or three times now, people saying to him, ‘This sounds country, were you influenced by country artists?’ So that made sense. And the fact that he is so passionate about songwriting feels really authentic. It turns out, as it often does, he fits really interestingly with the show.”

Another recent unexpected Opry debut was Katharine McPhee, the former American Idol runner-up who is best known as a pop singer, although she starred on 2021’s Netflix series Country Comfort. In her Oct. 12 debut, McPhee performed two songs, “She Used to Be Mine” and Gretchen Wilson‘s “Redneck Woman,” and dueted with fellow performer Riley Green on “Don’t Mind If I Do.” Unlike Stapp, McPhee didn’t grow up watching country music on TV, although she was a fan of Martina McBride, Shania Twain and Faith Hill.

“I didn’t know [Opry attendees] would be so attentive and friendly. They’re just music lovers. They just want to be there and root for whoever’s up on that stage,” McPhee tells Billboard. “I walked out to an audience full of smiling, warm faces, and that was really delightful.”

22 Oct 2024

Kendrick Lamar Opens Up About “Not Like Us” In New ‘Harper’s Bazaar’ Interview

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2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival - Weekend 1 - Day 1

Kendrick Lamar shifted the entirety of the culture via his war of words with Drake, with the diss track “Not Like Us” becoming a top-charting smash in the process. In a new interview with SZA for Harper’s Bazaar, Kendrick Lamar opens up about the larger meaning behind “Not Like Us” and what he hopes listeners truly get from him and his message.

Employing the “artist interviews artist” strategy that has seemingly enraged a vocal group of journalists, SZA and Kendrick Lamar’s interview session read as a candid conversation between good friends and artistic collaborators.

After an introduction from writer Kaitlyn Greenidge, SZA and Lamar engage in a breezy serve and volley about creativity, reflections of self, and their journeys into the realms of faith. The conversation then turns into SZA asking the question everyone wanted to know but the answer some surprisingly open-ended in some respects.

From Harper’s Bazaar:

S: Can I ask you a hypermasculine question? You can also tell me to shut the f*ck up. What does “Not Like Us” mean to you?

KL: [Laughing] Not like us? Not like us is the energy of who I am, the type of man I represent. Now, if you identify with the man that I represent …

S: Break the man down for me.

KL: This man has morals, he has values, he believes in something, he stands on something. He’s not pandering.

He’s a man who can recognize his mistakes and not be afraid to share the mistakes and can dig deep down into fear-based ideologies or experiences to be able to express them without feeling like he’s less of a man.

If I’m thinking of “Not Like Us,” I’m thinking of me and whoever identifies with that.

The entire conversation is a vital one because Kendrick Lamar isn’t one to hit the interview circuit at this stage of his career and SZA gamely asks questions that a delivered with the care of a friend. There is also a shared vulnerability between the pair that jumps off the page.

Read the whole discussion here.

—

Photo: Getty

22 Oct 2024

Jelly Roll Surpasses 100-Pound Weight-Loss Goal on Tour: ‘You Won’t Recognize Me’

The same week Jelly Roll scored his first-ever No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with Beautifully Broken, the country star revealed he also hit another impressive milestone: losing 100 pounds.

In a video update shared with fans on Instagram Monday (Oct. 21), Jelly pulled back the curtain on his fitness regimen while touring. “Next year when y’all see me, you won’t recognize me,” he says in the clip, which then cuts to the “Son of a Sinner” singer’s personal chef.

“Jelly’s been crushing it,” nutrition coach Ian Larios tells the camera in between clips of Jelly working out and performing on stage. “Walking the arenas, playing basketball, boxing. He just surpassed his 100-pound weight loss.”

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The post comes about six months after the two-time Grammy nominee revealed that he’d lost 70 pounds while preparing for the 2 Bears 5K in April. Jelly has long been open about his weight-loss and fitness goals, sharing back in 2018 that he at one point weighed more than 500 pounds.

In addition to succeeding in his health journey, Jelly also currently has the No. 1 album in the country with Beautifully Broken, which dropped Oct. 10. With 161,000 equivalent album units in first-week sales, the project becomes his first to top the Billboard 200 and follows his previous peak at No. 3 with 2023’s Whitsitt Chapel.

Also on Monday, Bunnie XO — who is married to the “Need a Favor” musician — shared her reaction to the chart news. “You guys!” she wrote on Instagram Stories, adding a sobbing emoji. “We did it!!!!!!”

Watch Jelly’s weight-loss update below.

22 Oct 2024

Eminem to Introduce Former President Barack Obama at Kamala Harris Rally in Detroit

Eminem is set to make a rare public appearance on Tuesday evening (Oct. 22) at a Detroit rally supporting Democratic party candidate Kamala Harris.

According to CNN and the Wall Street Journal, Slim Shady is slated to introduce former president Barack Obama at the event supporting the VP and her running mate, Tim Walz.

Michigan is reportedly a tight race as a swing state in the upcoming presidential election — which is only two weeks away.

Rather than perform at the rally, Em is expected to speak and give his thoughts on the election before introducing Obama to the crowd.

Billboard has reached out to Eminem’s reps as well as the Harris-Walz campaign and Democratic National Committee for comment.

Eminem co-signed the Biden-Harris presidential ticket in 2020 when his Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Lose Yourself” provide the soundtrack to an ad for Joe Biden just a day prior to the 2020 election. Obama also cited the 2002 8 Mile soundtrack anthem as an inspiration behind his presidential run in ’08.

Eminem hasn’t been one to mince words about Donald Trump. He’s been critical of the former president on different occasions in the past, dating back to his “Campaign Speech” prior to the 2016 election and his “The Storm” freestyle at the 2017 BET Awards.

“I get almost flustered thinking about him — that’s how angry he makes me,” he told Vulture in 2017. “The people that support him are the people he cares about the least and they don’t even realize it.”

Em continued: “At what point do you — a working-class citizen, someone who’s trying to make s–t better for you and your family — think this guy who’s never known struggle his entire f–king life, who avoided the military because of bone spurs, who says he’s a billionaire, is really looking out for you? He’s got people brainwashed.”

The rally is slated to run from 5 p.m. ET to 9 p.m. ET. Harris ramped up efforts in Michigan while hosting an early voting event over the weekend that featured appearances from Lizzo and Usher.

“They say if Kamala Harris wins, the whole country will be like Detroit,” Lizzo said. “Proud like Detroit. Resilient like Detroit. The same Detroit that innovated the auto industry and the music industry. Put some respect on Detroit’s name!”

22 Oct 2024

Kylie Minogue Said She Almost Recorded One of Britney Spears’ Most Iconic Songs: ‘I Can’t Imagine It Being Anything Else’

Kylie Minogue has done it all during her gold-dusted 45-year career. But even with two Grammys on the shelf and her mantle as the best-selling female artist ever from her native Australia, Kylie as a few “what-ifs?” in the closet.

She revealed one in a new chat with Audacy Check In, telling host Mike Adam that at one point she almost recorded one of Britney Spears’ most iconic songs. “Yeah, there’s a little song called ‘Toxic’ that was headed my way, and I was like, ‘Toxic? I don’t know if I want a song called Toxic’…,” said Minogue of the dance banger from Spears’ fourth album, 2003’s In the Zone. “As it’s turned out, it was meant to be a Britney Spears song, I can’t imagine it being anything else.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Minogue was asked to name which other vocalists she would tap if asked to put together an all-star “We Are the World”-type song. “It might be a girl group,” she said before rattling off a list that included Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Lana Del Rey, Miley Cyrus and Madonna.

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Minogue also talked about pulling the set list together for her upcoming first U.S. tour in more than a dozen years, promising that she’ll hit songs from this month’s Tension II, as well as its 2023 predecessor Tension, 2002’s Disco and 2018’s Golden, and, of course, her 1987 breakthrough smash cover of “Locomotion.”

The 56-year-old singer who has tapped into a musical fountain of youth that has kept her relevant for decades — see her 2023 global dance hit “Padam Padam” — also delved into the changes she’s seen for women in the music industry.

“It’s very encouraging that I’m proof, I’m sat here. Now we bring up the age topic, but I think it’s at least with a positive spin on it,” she said. “It wasn’t that many years ago that I felt I was in quite awkward positions where people would question me to my face in an interview, ‘When are you too old to be a woman in this business?’ Firstly — rude, but secondly — I don’t know. I guess I’ve always had women in the industry that I’ve looked up to, I didn’t really think about their age at the time.”

Minogue recalled “obsessing” over fellow Aussie singer Olivia Newton-John as a grade schooler, as well well as disco diva Donna Summer, before moving on to worshipping Whitney Houston, Madonna and Cyndi Lauper as a teen. “I guess there wasn’t such an age gap between my teenage years and their years,” she said. “But I don’t know what happened where it was suddenly deemed distasteful or, I don’t know. But thankfully, it is becoming, certainly, for the younger generation… they’ve just got new minds and open minds.”

Watch Minogue on the Audacy Check In below.

22 Oct 2024

50 Cent Talks Las Vegas Residency, Drake’s Next Move & Reflects on ’07 Sales Battle With Kanye West

50 Cent made history with his 2023 Final Lap Tour when he joined Kendrick Lamar to become the second rapper ever to gross over $100 million ($103.6 million to be exact across 83 shows in North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia) with his global trek, according to Billboard Boxscore. (Drake, Nicki Minaj and Travis Scott have since joined the $100 million club with their own lucrative hip-hop tours)

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Even with a discography largely built off a dominant 2000s run, filled with inescapable street records and a trio of titanic studio albums, 50’s voice has stood the test of time.

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The Queens native has remained a fixture in the hip-hop world while transitioning to elder-statesman status. His polarizing and hilarious cultural commentary has racked him up over 34 million Instagram followers, with no topic seemingly off limits or person safe from being roasted.

The 49-year-old continues to run laps around peers who have long moved out of the spotlight, and 50’s shrewdly been able to evolve within the digital space and social media era with sharp-wittedness. His relentless work ethic hasn’t wanted in the slightest either: His “Hustler’s Ambition” still burns like he’s back in the Southside of Jamaica, Queens.

He took home Hustler of the Year at the BET Hip Hop Awards last week, an honor he locked up in my opinion after headlining Dreamville Fest in April, and then flying 500 miles to make his Atlantic City club appearance at Harrah’s the same night. Only 50.

And the grind doesn’t stop for 50 Cent: Next up, the film and television mogul will be heading to Las Vegas for his first-ever residency to ring in the New Year. Announced earlier in October, 50’s slated to perform at Ph Live at Planet Hollywood for six different shows coming up on Dec. 27, Dec. 28, Dec. 30, Dec. 31, Jan. 3 and Jan. 4. Tickets are currently on sale.

“I get to take it up a notch [with] the production value of the show and put on a special show,” 50 promises in conversation with Billboard, regarding the concerts at the 7,000-capacity venue in Vegas. “The show itself is a dream. We gotta turn it up a notch. I’m gonna be there for New Year’s [Eve]. That’s the real turn up.”

Give the rest of our interview with 50 Cent a read as he goes long on his Las Vegas plans, the Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud, his 2007 battle with Kanye West and what he texted Eminem on his birthday.

The 50 Cent: In Da Club

The 50 Cent: In Da Club

Courtesy Photo

We gotta talk about the Vegas residency, congrats on that. Why now?

Yeah, it’s super cool, man. I could do things in the show I couldn’t do if it was a moving show. And I’ll change the setlist and do different things. Some that I wanted to do that I didn’t actually perform on the last run, I’ll be integrating those things and creating things to connect to them. 

I can actually expand it. Don’t think there’s not a part of this that got me into the film production. I’m able to add that into it. The technology’s so different. Remember Limitless, like the opening sequence? It was crazy when you saw it for the first time. It’s easier to create things like that [in a residency], and I can do different s–t. I want to use a dream sequence thing.

It’s dope to see rappers getting residencies now. Even legacy acts like Wu-Tang Clan and Nas have them. 

It’s super cool. These guys are alive. Those groups are a lot older, like Wu-Tang and Nas. It’s something they want to catch. I may not have them expose what the show is. I’m building everything into the set. How to transition from one song into the next into the room. 

What do you think about having this discography that’s been able transcend generations? For me, I was 10 years old when Get Rich or Die Tryin’ came out, and that’s like the soundtrack to our lives. To now we got careers, jobs, money to spend. You did a $100 million on your world tour last year. 

It’s cool. You don’t usually have artists that sustain themselves this long in our culture. Hip-hop has a low attention span, and it’s out with the old and in with the new repeatedly. There’s even a point they’ll create a resistance for you. You have so much consistency, even when there’s not a break in the material, they’ll ask about your record and say, “That’s good, but it’s not like his first one.” And you don’t get a second chance at a first impression. That’s what the artist community does to the artist that are already in pocket. They wanna see you go up, but they want to see you come down — because if you don’t, how am I gonna have my chance to go up?

Drake is in that position right now. They trying to resist the music, because he put out some things that are dope. I say a lot of things on social and they get upset because they look and go, “Ahh, I’m automatically supposed to be on Kendrick’s side because of my association with Dre.” And I love Kendrick, but I’ll say it to you — I didn’t see where what [Drake] did was wack at any point. They giving [Drake] the, “Oh you wack, you finished.” I’m like, “Nah, come on.” That’s the system trying to make some sort of resistance and it’s from the consistency. When you win consecutively, that part of the hip-hop demographic wants you out of there. I started to feel the resistance for the Curtis album. 

I was going to touch on that, with you and Kanye [West] facing off in 2007. What do you remember about that time? Because it represented to two different sectors of rap.

We made the highest sales week for hip-hop culture, doing that and being competitive. People that were participating as fans were buying more than one copy of it, because of the competitive side of it. When you look at it… we had to stand together to face off, but we never had an issue. That was his “break” album that broke him in. If I was trying to combat that, I would’ve went on tour with him. I would’ve had all of the material with the albums that worked ahead of [Graduation] to draw from, while he had that one record. 

That’s some Art of War s–t right there, 50. It represented two sides of rap back in 2007, with 50 being the street dude making hit records and Kanye’s representing the high-fashion with a different production looking for stadium status. 

Anything that was less aggressive. Look at The College Dropout, or the themes of his records versus Get Rich or Die Tryin’, The Massacre and Curtis. Those albums were a lot more aggressive, but they gave him all the trophies. They would rather hip-hop be what he was at that point… He was like, “F–k that! Beyoncé’s supposed to have that.” I’m like, “Yo, they be tweaking.” But I don’t think anybody’s been through more or have more reasons to fall apart than Kanye. The success of his project comes, and his mom passes away. So what you been praying for — the gift is a curse. You lose that, and he had real reasons to f–king be out of it. He did the right thing. He went to work. 

When you linked up with Drake, did you have advice for him as far as his next move?

I was telling him, it’s not him. I’m listening on the outskirts, it’s not you. Don’t let yourself think that for a second. On some real s–t, I said, “They said you lost, okay. Well what did you lose?” What exactly did he lose, if he got $300 something million on his last tour? You didn’t lose a motherf–king thing, man. If that’s the moment, you keep your creative energy in the right place, and keep creating. If you slow down because you feel, “What the f–k?” The resistance will make you feel like your material isn’t good. Then you gotta figure out how to keep pushing, how to keep creating — because that’s what it feels like to you at the moment. That s–t was good for hip-hop. It made both of them create quality material faster. 

I feel like people cared about lyrics again.

It was about the lyrics, but that s–t was on a different level. The f–king [good kid, m.A.A.d city] car in the video. That s–t was a mystery. Everything was tied to something. I was like what the f–k? That wasn’t in hip-hop before that. Before that battle, I do not remember this was the car from this and that was this. Everything that was a part of it was some other s–t. It was almost encrypted. 

Then they’re making some crazy allegations against each other. Do you think you lose once you get on the defensive? I thought Drake lost his footing a little bit there. 

When you say something that isn’t true, and the person wants to defend themselves, they encourage — the public likes that you’re vulnerable. Because it matters to you that it wasn’t true and they jump on you. That’s like Meek Mill. When they say Meek is fruity or gay with Puff in the situation now. It’s how he responds to it that makes people talk about it more. It gets bigger and bigger and it turns into a thing going on out there. You don’t hear one thing about French Montana. And French was in that circle and around that a lot. Not one thing, and Meek’s s–t is all over the place. It’s the way they respond to what people say about them publicly. They feel like, “That bothers you?” If you say anything, then they start harping on that harder. They want the fight to continue. 

It’s Eminem’s birthday. Do you hit him up? What’s that message like? Did you hit him up about being a grandpa?

I texted him, “Happy birthday.” Not about the baby. He’s gonna be a granddad. It’s crazy because a lot of times when we were going on tours, they would offer Em ridiculous amounts of money for us to tour and him go out on a run. He would just be like, “Nah, I just don’t wanna go out and then come back and Hailie’s grown.” I didn’t know what the f–k he was saying. I’m looking at him like, “What are you talking about? Did you not hear how much money they gonna give us?”

I had a moment where I told him at the wedding — because I went to Hailie’s wedding — I told him I understand now. That s–t happened really fast. The time went by really fast, and she’s grown. I’m like, “What the…?” She was right there with us the whole time. It’s ill. The time goes by. He’ll be working on a project and be working on the next record. Simple but complex at the same time, because he’s putting intricate things inside the records. I had to listen to it for three or four days before I understood it. I kept finding new s–t on the records. 

What did you think about Power Book II: Ghost coming to an end?

I feel good about it. Every time we have an ending, something good happens. This was when the first original Power went six and a half seasons. I was betting seven, because of the success of The Sopranos that went seven seasons. They didn’t want to pay for the other half of the seventh season. It’s a continuation, so you felt the effects of Power and it went to a whole new space. When we get to the development like Raising Kanan, Kanan will go on, while the next one matures. Then the next couple of seasons will go into the origin story. So you’ll see the original Tommy and Ghost. We just needed a little time to get Kanan to be the driving force of what was going on. He got another season. 

I remember reading your Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter book about Omari Hardwick not doing too well in the original Power Ghost audition, and you went and got him after and told him to lock in. 

Yeah, you know what it was? He was reading the material low. He was internalizing the material while he was reading it. Joseph Sikora was already performing as Tommy. He already read everything. It was a little lopsided — but I had a communication with Chris Albrecht at the time, and he was like, “Are you sure this is the guy?” All it takes is for you to be betting on the wrong guy. I’m like, “Nah, he’s the right guy.” I seen him in Next Day Air with Mos Def and Wood Harris and I knew he could play the character. When I called him, I was like, “They questioning if you’re the right guy.”

He goes, “If they want to give it to somebody else, then they can give it to somebody else.” I’m like, “N—a, you got another plan?” What you talking about, “Give it to somebody else?” I’m telling you that to get you pumped up so you could get focused and be ready. Not for you to say, “Give it to somebody else.” I’m like, “God d–n, man.” We spent about an hour and a half on the phone and before we got off, he was in the right space. Thinking about it the right way. We took off and it worked out. 

Yeah, he was perfect for that role. It’s crazy we’re here 10 years later and even after him getting killed off, the show was still so popular and kept going. What were some early memories of Las Vegas for you?

A lot of good times in Drai’s Nightclub. I don’t understand what they just did with BET [Hip- Hop Awards] though. 

They had the award show in the nightclub. I’m like, “What the heck is this?”

I’m done with them. God d–n it! Is there anything else that’s gonna indicate we’re running out of money? What the f–k is going on at BET, bro? An award show in a nightclub? I can’t wait to see where they’re doing the Country Music Awards. It’s not gonna be at club Drai’s.

Would you ever stop doing club appearances?

When I go to the nightclub, this is when I’m kinda hearing everyone’s work, too. For me, I didn’t go to the nightclubs in the beginning of my career. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ took off so fast I had already sold 1.6 million copies by the second week. I was in arenas — I didn’t go to nightclubs. Only reason why I go to nightclubs is [because of] my spirits brand. 

With you being a mentor, how big of an artist do you think Pop Smoke would’ve been?

I think he would’ve been the biggest one out here by now. He would’ve had a run that allowed him to be that. He was doing different kinds of music. He was singing and doing all these different things on these records. That’s why it was important for me to make sure the album went the right way. I stepped in and made sure it got executive produced. The second one wasn’t as good. Of course, it was because I wasn’t involved at that point.

There was records on the first album with young artists. I’m like, “I don’t give a f–k about rapping with these guys.” They’re not my peer group, where I’m excited to be on the song with them. I knew Roddy Ricch was in pocket all the way. That’s why I reached out to him and told him, “I need you to be on this record “The Woo.” That’s what really catapulted the album.

22 Oct 2024

Cardi B Slams Anonymous Caller Who Sent Child Protective Services to Her House, Threatens to Sue Them

Cardi B was the victim of an horrible prank when an anonymous tipster called Child Protective Services to her home alleging that she was abusing her three children.

Cardi hopped on Instagram Live to address the prankster early Tuesday (Oct. 22) from what appeared to be a hospital bed (she said she’s been hospitalized since Oct. 19) while vowing to get to the bottom of whoever attempted to mess with her family.

Billboard has reached out to reps for Cardi B and CPS. The Grammy-winning rapper and Offset are the parents to three kids — 6-year-old daughter Kulture, 3-year-old son Wave and a newborn daughter they welcomed in September.

“I swear to you I’m gonna get to the bottom of it. For you motherf—–s to do a little prank call with Child Protective Services to come to my gated mansion at 11 p.m. while my children are sleeping because there’s an anonymous call that my kids have been getting abused and beaten,” she said. “Are you f–king dumb? This is when the pranks start getting too far — when you a——s think it’s funny.”

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She continued: “We’re the only people of color in my neighborhood completely and for motherf–kers to pop up in my house with cops and Child Protective Services because you motherf–kers want to do an anonymous call involving my children.”

Cardi also defended her spoiling her kids as she revealed she sends Kulture to a private school costing her and Set $45,000 in tuition fees each, while a nanny for their newborn comes with a $700 daily price tag.

“My kids live great,” she added. “My kids have never been touched, never gotten hit, no matter how annoying they are. I never hit my kids. We take very great care of our kids. Don’t you ever in your f–king life play with my motherhood or my ex-husband’s fatherhood.”

Cardi promised to get to the bottom of it, saying she’ll be reaching out to her lawyer along with a pair of private investigators. She also threatened litigation against CPS as well as “sue the person that did this anonymous call.” She added that the individual will be dealt with by herself and sister Hennessy if it happens to be a woman, or Offset will be involved if it ends up being a male who made the call to CPS.

“If you’re a boy, my baby father is gonna beat you the f–k up,” she said. “If you’re a woman, me and Hennessy are gonna beat you the f–k up because you playing with my motherf—–g kids.”

Watch the IG Live below.

22 Oct 2024

Chappell Roan Producer Dan Nigro Reveals Singer’s Next Album Will Be a ‘New Version’ of Her

Chappell Roan has attracted millions of new listeners in the year since she dropped her acclaimed debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, many of whom are eagerly waiting to hear what she makes next — and luckily for them, producer Dan Nigro has an update.

In a New York Times profile published Monday (Oct. 21), the 42-year-old hitmaker — who co-wrote and produced the pop star’s first LP — shared details about Roan’s sophomore effort. According to him, the duo has already completed five tracks for the project, including a “fun, up-tempo country song,” a “couple of ballads” and a “mid-tempo rock song.”

Plus, CR2 will also feature a track with a fiddle. “I’ll say that much,” Nigro told the publication. “It’s a new version of Chappell.”

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One song on Roan’s next album that fans have already heard is “The Subway,” a belted ballad that the VMA winner premiered at Gov Ball in New York City this summer and has been performing on tour ever since. Roan has been very open about the downsides of fame she’s faced as her star has risen this year — from “predatory” fan behavior to mental-health strain — but Nigro also said that the topic “hasn’t come up in any songs” so far.

“We’re still writing from a really fun place,” the producer added to the publication. “We’ll see what happens.”

Nigro — who also works with Olivia Rodrigo and Conan Gray — has been writing with Roan since 2020. After Atlantic Records dropped her that year, the As Tall as Lions guitarist started his own label, Amusement Records, to release Roan’s music.

“Dan always believed in me,” the 26-year-old singer told NYT. “He has been there from the beginning, and brought me into realizing what makes me feel good to perform, what makes me feel good to sing, to write about. Because he believed in bringing that part of myself to life, I started to believe in it, too.”

22 Oct 2024

A Bold Idea to Improve Grammy Voting (And Why You Shouldn’t Hold Your Breath for It Happening)

Being a Grammy voter may sound glamorous, but it’s a lot of work if you do it right, or even close to right. That’s because, in the first round of voting, the Recording Academy presents voting members with really long lists of titles and asks them to select the five they think are most worthy of a nomination.

How long is “really long”? This year, voters had to wade through alphabetical lists of 780 entries for record of the year, 707 for album of the year, 978 for song of the year and 323 for best new artist. And that’s just the Big Four categories!

Can you imagine how much time and mental effort it would take to contentiously pick your five favorite anythings from a list of 978 contenders? If that task were less overwhelming, it seems likely that the quality of voting would go up – and that the percentage of voting members who completed it would go up. If the voters were presented with a list of, say, 100 contenders, it would turn a daunting task into a manageable, and maybe even pleasurable, one. (That number could go up a bit, to 125, 150 or 200, but of course the higher it goes up, the less benefit would be realized.)   

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My idea is to have a group of knowledgeable, plugged-in and fair-minded people cull the massive entry lists and bring them down to a more reasonable length. Big hits would probably remain on the list, as would non-hits that people on the panel spoke up for.

You might say, “Didn’t the Recording Academy just get rid of Nomination Review Committees a few years ago — now you’re talking about bringing them back?” Good recall on the review committees, including the primary one, which determined the final nominees in the Big Four categories every year from the ceremony held in 1996 through the one held in 2021. Most Grammy-watchers (including me) were happy to see that committee disbanded, but there’s an important distinction to be made: The academy had the review committee at the tail-end of the process, after voting members had voted and just before the nominations were announced.

Here’s how it worked back then: The committee members selected their five favorites from the top 20 or 25 vote-getters from rank-and-file voters. They essentially second-guessed the voters, which always struck me as elitist, as if their taste and judgment was superior to that of the voters. I’m suggesting putting the committee at the front-end of the process. They wouldn’t be second-guessing anybody, but simply performing a reality check by eliminating the records, albums, songs and artists that have little to no chance of being nominated, but which clog up the list.

And why do I say you shouldn’t hold your breath for this actually happening? Many voting members like to see their entries on the list. If they didn’t see them anymore, they might not see any point in renewing their membership. Member dues are $150 per year. If, say, 2,000 of the current 13,000 voting members walked away because they missed seeing their names on the entry list, that’s $300,000 in lost revenue each year for the Recording Academy. But do the Grammys really want people voting who are that shallow and motivated only by narrow self-interest?

It’s not just the Big Four categories that have large numbers of entries. A total of 33 categories on this year’s Grammy ballot had 200 or more entries. Of those 33, 14 had 300 or more entries. In addition to the Big Four, the categories with 300+ entries are best music video (637), best global music performance (456), best engineered album, non-classical (456), best arrangement, instruments and vocals (444), best jazz performance (420), best instrumental composition (395), best American roots song (373), best alternative music performance (331), best pop solo performance (314) and best American roots performance (310). These categories could also stand a trim, either by this committee or by committees closer to these genres and fields of endeavor.

A small point, but just so there’s no confusion, voters are tasked with picking their five favorites in the Big Four categories, even though there are eight eventual nominees in those categories. That slight numerical difference doesn’t matter, but presenting the voting members with a reasonable task does.