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10 Sep 2024

Wu-Tang’s Raekwon, Ghostface & Method Man Unite For Tommy Hilfiger’s NYFW Show On SI Ferry

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Raekwon, Ghostface, Method Man for Tommy Hilfiger

Source: @dazed / Instagram

With the 90’s era of style seemingly making a comeback in 2024, Tommy Hilfiger got creative for this years Fashion Week in New York City and not only rented out a decommissioned Staten Island Ferry to host his show, but got some Hip-Hop legends to partake in the festivities.

This past Sunday (September 8), Tommy Hilfiger gave the passengers on his Staten Island ferry show quite a treat when he had the Wu-Tang Clan pop up and perform for everyone who was lucky enough to be in attendance for the event. Having the likes of Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon The Chef decked out in Tommy Hill-Fly sh*t on the boat, the Hip-Hop icons took everyone through a trip down memory lane as they rocked out classic hits such as “C.R.E.A.M.,” and “Ice Cream” as Questlove manned the 1’s and 2’s on the wheels of steel.

We’d be lying if we didn’t say we’re hella jealous of everyone that was on that boat for that experience.

While we know this was probably a once in a lifetime performance, we wouldn’t be mad if the Wu bit this idea and threw a Staten Island Ferry concert series at some point in the future. Just sayin.’

Check out the Wu-Tang Clan legends do their thing and let us know if you’d buy tickets to this kind of show in the comments section below.

10 Sep 2024

How to Watch the Presidential Debate: Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump

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Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump are set to face off in their first presidential debate airing live ABC on Tuesday (Sept. 10).

The debate will be held at Philadelphia’s National Center and moderated by ABC News anchor David Muir and ABC News Prime anchor Lindsey Davis.

Keep reading for details on how to watch and stream the 2024 Presidential Debate live from anywhere.

What Time Does the Presidential Debate Start?

The Trump-Harris presidential debate starts at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Tuesday. The debate will air live on ABC and stream on Hulu, Disney+, ABC News Live and the ABC app. ABC will air Race for the White House, a pre-debate special, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, and a post-debate special after the debate.

How to Watch the Presidential Debate on ABC

If you don’t have access to ABC or a digital antenna for local channels, you can stream the presidential debate live on Fubo, Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV. The debate will also simulcast on Disney+, Hulu, Peacock and Paramount+ with Showtime.

How to Watch the Presidential Debate on Other Channels

What channel does the presidential debate come on?  If you’re a DirecTV customer who lost access to ABC, there are plenty of ways to livestream the debate, which will simulcast on several other networks including CBS, NBC, PBS, the CW, CNN, Fox, Fox News, MSNBC, Newsmax and C-SPAN.

Peacock Premium subscribers can stream the debate with live access on NBC. Those who have Paramount+ with Showtime can live stream the debate on CBS, and Max subscribers can watch debate coverage through CNN Max.

How to Watch the Presidential Debate Internationally

Want to stream the debate from outside of the country? You’ll need ExpressVPN or another VPN subscription to access a number of channels and streaming platforms from outside of the U.S.

Presidential Debate Guidelines

The presidential debate will have a run time of 90 minutes with two commercial breaks, according to guidelines released by ABC last week. Candidates will have two minutes to respond to each question, two minutes for rebuttal and one minute for additional clarification, if needed. Microphones will be muted when the candidate isn’t answering a question.

Trump is slated to deliver his closing statements ahead of Harris. The 78-year-old candidate won a virtual coin toss giving him first pick at podium location and delivering closing remarks. Trump chose the left podium and Harris will be on right.

10 Sep 2024

UMG Mobilizes Its ‘Use Your Voice’ Voter Education Campaign

Universal Music Group is revving up its Use Your Voice voter education campaign to mobilize eligible voters ahead of election day on Nov. 5. This year’s efforts range from a digital content series outlining important issues, an outreach program targeting HBCU’s and a get-out-the-vote initiative aimed at driving voting registration — and then ensuring people can get to the polls.

Use Your Voice, which launched its first campaign in 2020, is supported by three UMG entities: All Together Now Foundation, the Task Force for Meaningful Change and °1824, the company’s creative marketing division. For this election season, UYV will provide information and resources to help power the work of partners including the ACLU, BallotReady, HeadCount, the NAACP, National Coalition of Black Civic Participation, the National Council for Negro Women (NCNW), the Voto Latino Foundation, When We All Vote and Xceleader. 

Susan Mazo, evp and chief impact officer of UMG, said that “since we started the program in 2020, it has helped tens of thousands of voters get to the polls and vote with confidence. This year, it will do so again through the work of our colleagues, our passionate artists, songwriters and labels, and our incredible voter resource partner organizations.”

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One such partner, HeadCount, will work alongside UMG for Use Your Voice and Vote About It, a short-form digital content series taking a much-need look at issues that voters may see on their local ballots. The initiative includes a voter hub with information, resources and digital tools, plus there’s a corresponding tote bag sold by Social Goods benefiting HeadCount. UMG is also supporting HeadCount’s Vote HBCU ‘Say It Louder’ Tour of 10 campuses with the goal of registering more than 10,000 students to vote. The program, built in partnership with Xceleader, and will collaborate with UMG to amplify messaging around National Voter Registration Day, coming up on Sept 17. 

This year, HeadCount has also partnered with artists from UMG’s labels including AJR, Ariana Grande, Barenaked Ladies, Billie Eilish, Clairo, Chappell Roan, Chelsea Cutler, Em Beihold, Glass Animals, Gracie Abrams, Hootie & the Blowfish, Maggie Rogers, Mt. Joy, Noah Kahan, Olivia Rodrigo, Rapsody and Remi Wolf, among others. 

“As we head into this pivotal election, our partnership with Universal Music Group through the ‘Use Your Voice’ campaign is about more than just registering voters,” said HeadCount executive director Lucille Wenegieme. “Together, we’re making sure that every voice is not just heard, but impossible to ignore.  At HeadCount, we partner with organizations that see the value of a multi-pronged approach to civic engagement to ensure we are reaching as many voters as possible – this is no different. We are so grateful for UMG’s strategic support during this election cycle. Together, we’re inspiring a new generation to actively participate in shaping their future.”

Additionally, UMG’s °1824 is producing a digital content series called By the Numbers targeting young people and possible first-time voters to check their registration status and inform them on their potential impact on election results. BallotReady and UYV are also jamming on a series of co-branded assets urging users to make a fully-informed voting plan.

UMG’s Task Force for Meaningful Change unveiled its Pull Up to the Polls initiative providing resources including a plan to provide 15,000 ride share codes to voters through NAACP, NCNW and When We All Vote. TFMC is also working with Voto Latino Foundation with the goal of registering over 7,200 eligible voters, and will work with Black Voters Matter, the National Coalition of Black Civic Engagement/Black Women’s Roundtable and others to mobilize and educate voters ahead of Nov. 5. 

“The NAACP is proud to work with UMG in ensuring that democracy works, for everybody. Black voices matter, and we know that when our communities Pull up to the Polls, we’re heard,” said Dominik Whitehead, NAACP svp of campaigns and mobilization. “That’s why partnerships like these are so important in bringing the resources and tools necessary to ensure that every vote is counted, and every voice is heard. Let’s make this an election to remember!”

10 Sep 2024

Ben Stiller Reveals His Favorite Kendrick Lamar Song Is a Drake Diss

Ben Stiller has long been a rap fan, and he’s looking forward to seeing Kendrick Lamar headline the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show in New Orleans in February.

The star offered a simple response to seeing Kendrick announce his Super Bowl appearance on Sunday (Sept. 8). “Yes,” the Dodgeball actor wrote.

Fans flooded Stiller’s replies and pried his favorite song from the Compton rapper out of him. “What’s your favorite song Ben,” one person asked.

Trending on Billboard

The 58-year-old’s response may come as a shock to some, as he went with one of Lamar’s Drake diss tracks. “Euphoria,” he replied.

“Damn Goat,” one person said while another chimed in: “BEN KNOWS BALL.”

“Euphoria” arrived on April 30 and served as Kendrick’s first diss track response to Drake following Drizzy’s “Push Ups,” which was released over two weeks prior. Lamar’s psycho-analyzation of Drake’s existence in hip-hop raised the stakes for the war that was to come, as he displayed lyrical dexterity throughout the six-minute plus showcase.

There’s been much made about the track’s title as fans tied it to theories about Drake serving as the executive producer of HBO’s Euphoria, while the cover art gave the dictionary definition of the word. “Euphoria” eventually peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in its first full week of tracking on the charts. President Joe Biden even used “Euphoria” to diss Donald Trump in a campaign clip when he was still in the presidential race in May.

Stiller never publicly took a side in the Kendrick versus Drake feud, and he was spotted sitting courtside at a New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers game with the 6 God at Madison Square Garden back in 2013.

Lamar will hit the Super Bowl Halftime Show stage on Feb. 9 when the big game arrives in New Orleans.

10 Sep 2024

Suga of BTS Fined for Driving Electric Scooter While Under the Influence of Alcohol

BTS‘ Suga has been fined without a trial for driving an electric scooter under the influence of alcohol in August, officials told South Korean news agency Yonhap on Tuesday (Sept. 10). He also previously had his license suspended over the same incident.

Used for minor offenses, a summary indictment requests that the court impose a fine or confiscation through an expedited process without a full trial.

The news comes more than a month after the 31-year-old K-pop star was questioned by police after falling from his electric scooter in the Hannam neighborhood of the Yongsan district Aug. 6. According to Yonhap, the star’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.227 percent, nearly three times the 0.08 percent threshold. The news agency also reports that according to the Road Traffic Act, violations in which the BAC is above 0.2 percent indicates two to five years behind bars, as well as a fine of 10 million won (approximately $7,442) and 20 million won (approximately $14,884).

Trending on Billboard

Billboard has reached out to BTS’ reps for comment.

Shortly after the incident, Suga — who is currently in the middle of serving out his mandatory service in the South Korean military — revealed that his license had been revoked. He also said sorry to fans in two heartfelt posts on Weverse, explaining in the first that he didn’t realize he couldn’t operate an electric scooter while under the influence, which he’d attempted after going out to dinner.

“In the process of setting up an electric kickboard at the front door of the house, I fell alone, and there was a police officer around me, so I took a breath test,” he continued in the Aug. 7 post, apologizing to “everyone who was hurt by [his] careless and wrong actions.”

BTS’ record label, BigHit, also issued a statement at the time, apologizing “for the disappointment caused by the artist’s inappropriate behavior.” “As a social service agent during his military service, he is prepared to accept any disciplinary actions from his place of work for causing a social disturbance,” the label added at the time. “We will take greater care to ensure that such incidents do not happen again in the future.”

Toward the end of August, Suga again took responsibility for his actions. “It’s all my fault,” he wrote in his second post about the incident on Weverse. “My carelessness is giving everyone who cares about me a hard time. I will try not to do anything wrong again and live with repentance. Due to this incident, I have greatly damaged the precious memories I made with the members and fans and put a lot of pressure on the name of the BTS.”

Since the incident, BTS fans have stood behind the musician, even issuing a statement in support of all members of the global group in recent days. “Global ARMY fan bases, both domestic and international, have gathered to affirm with one voice that we continue to support all seven members of BTS,” read part of the statement representing 127 ARMY divisions globally.

10 Sep 2024

Here Are the Performers & Presenters for the 2024 People’s Choice Country Awards

Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Lady A, Parker McCollum and The War and Treaty have been added as performers for the 2024 People’s Choice Country Awards, which will air Thursday, Sept. 26, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and Peacock. Kane Brown, who is set to receive the Country Champion Award, and Miranda Lambert, who is set to receive the Country Icon Award, had already been announced as performers.

The two-hour show, hosted by Shania Twain, will air live from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. A two-hour red-carpet pre-show, Live From E!: People’s Choice Country Awards, will kick off the night at 6 p.m. ET/PT on E!.

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Ballerini, Lady A and The War and Treaty received CMA Awards nominations in key categories on Monday (Sept. 9). Ballerini is nominated for female vocalist of the year, Lady A for vocal group of the year, and The War and Treaty for vocal duo of the year. A strong performance on the People’s Choice Country Awards could conceivably help them in the CMA voting. (CMA final-round voting opens on Tuesday, Oct. 1, five days after the People’s Choice Country Awards, and extends for four weeks.)

Additionally, Carly Pearce, Dan + Shay, Little Big Town and comedian Nate Bargatze have been announced as presenters. Additional names will be announced.

A limited number of show tickets and VIP packages are available now at Opry.com.

People’s Choice Country Awards is produced by Den of Thieves. Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager and Barb Bialkowski will executive produce along with RAC Clark as executive producer and showrunner. 

The pre-show is produced by Den of Thieves with executive producers Ignjatovic, Prager and Bialkowski.

Here are all the performers and presenters that have been announced. This will be updated when additional names are announced.

Performers

Kane Brown

Keith Urban

Kelsea Ballerini

Lady A

Miranda Lambert

Parker McCollum

The War and Treaty

Presenters

Carly Pearce

Dan + Shay

Little Big Town

Nat Bargatze

10 Sep 2024

JD Vance Gets Weirder & Racist, Attacks Haitians By Claiming They’re Eating Pets

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CLOSE

Republican Vice Presidential Nominee Senator JD Vance Delivers Remarks On The U.S. Mexico Border

JD Vance, the candidate for Vice President of the United States and Donald Trump’s running mate, gets a little weirder and racist after making an explosive claim. JD Vance shared a baseless rumor that Haitians converging in an Ohio town are taking pets from homes and eating them.

On Monday (September 9), JD Vance took to X to share a video of him appearing on the CNBC network and used the caption field to attack Vice President Kamala Harris and her position on immigration.

“Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio,” Vance wrote. He added, “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country. Where is our border czar?”

Springfield, Ohio has become ground zero for an ongoing debate about immigration laws in the country and part of Trump and Vance’s strategy to highlight any perceived weaknesses in Vice President Harris’ plans to protect the border. Trump has been running his campaign from the standpoint of bringing the country back from ruin without mentioning his showing in the White House and handling of several policy matters he is now aiming attacks at the Harris and Gov. Tim Walz presidential campaigns.

Melanie D’Arrigo, the Executive Director of The Campaign for NY Health organization, shared a reply on X debunking the rumor spread by Vance and others who shared those sentiments across social media. In the reply

D’Arrigo’s reply caption read as follows:

• No local police reports of pets being stolen

• Man mentioning the ducks is a local podcaster promoting his mayoral bid

• Photo *taken in Columbus* of the guy holding the duck isn’t an immigrant

• Woman arrested for eating a cat isn’t an immigrant

There have been several reports from major outlets regarding the Haitian immigrants in Ohio in recent times, including NPR and the New York Times. On X, users are shooting down JD Vance and his racist and xenophobic remarks regarding the Haitians in Springfield.

Those replies can be viewed below.

—

Photo: Getty

10 Sep 2024

Streaming Fraud Indictment, White Stripes v. Trump, Spotify’s Eminem Victory & More Music Law News

This is The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between.

This week: Prosecutors file a first-of-its-kind criminal case against an alleged streaming fraudster who made $10 million with fake songs; the White Stripes file a copyright case against Donald Trump over use of their music; Spotify wins a strongly-worded ruling dismissing a long-running lawsuit filed by Eminem’s publisher; and much more.

THE BIG STORY: Streaming Fraud Finally Goes To Court

When Manhattan federal prosecutors indicted a North Carolina musician named Michael Smith last week, accusing him of stealing $10 million in streaming royalties as part of a “brazen fraud scheme,” they told a story that much of the music industry already knew. 

Streaming fraud – artificially boosting traffic for certain songs – has been a growing problem for years. One study found that 1% to 3% of plays in France in 2021 were fraudulent; a 2022 report by fraud-detection service Beatdapp estimated that more than 10% of global streams were fake.  

And this isn’t the scam from “Office Space,” stealing fractions of a penny from a faceless tech giant. Because royalties are calculated as a percentage of a finite pie, every phony stream represents real money being diverted away from music that consumers actually played and the artists who created it. 

In the first-of-its-kind indictment, the feds say Smith created thousands of fake songs, then used an army of bots to play them billions of times on Spotify and other streamers. At one point, Smith estimated that he could play his songs 661,440 times each day, raking in as much as $1.2 million per year. 

Prosecutors say Smith’s plot was aided by artificial intelligence – another growing problem for the industry. When he couldn’t create enough fake tracks to make the scam work, Smith allegedly partnered with an unnamed executive at an A.I. music company to produce grist for his mill, funneling money back in the form of percentage cuts. 

For more details go read Kristin Robinson’s stories – on the filing of the charges, and on an AI company with strong ties to the accused fraudster. 

Trending on Billboard

Other top stories this week…

“SUES FASCISTS” – The White Stripes filed a copyright lawsuit against Donald Trump for using their iconic “Seven Nation Army” in a social media post, arguing that any association with the president was “offensive” because they “vehemently oppose” his policies and his bid for another term in the White House. In announcing the case, Jack White included a screenshot of the complaint with the caption “this machine sues fascists” – an allusion to Woody Guthrie’s famous use of a sticker reading “this machine kills fascists” on his guitar during World War II. The White Stripes are the latest in a long list of musical artists to threaten or take legal action against Trump over his use of music. 

LOSE YOUR CASE – Spotify defeated a long-running lawsuit filed by Eminem’s publisher, Eight Mile Style, that claimed the rapper’s music had been streamed illegally “billions” of times on the platform. Rather than order Spotify to pay, the judge sharply criticized Eight Mile for suing in the first place, ruling that the company had effectively manufactured the lawsuit in an effort to win legal damages. “Eight Mile Style was not a hapless victim,” the judge wrote. 

DIDDY DAMAGES – A Michigan inmate named Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith won a $100 million default judgment against Sean “Diddy” Combs in a sexual assault lawsuit — an eye-popping figure that was handed down after the rapper did not show up in court or file any formal response to the case. Following the ruling, Combs’ lawyers strongly denied that the rapper was served with the lawsuit and said he “looks forward to having this judgment swiftly dismissed.” 

GUESS WHO TRUCE – The members of classic rock band The Guess Who settled a bitter trademark lawsuit in which two bandmates (Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings) referred to a recent iteration of the group run by two others (Jim Kale and Garry Peterson) as nothing more than a “cover band.” 

COPYRIGHT CLAPBACK – Verizon fired back at a lawsuit filed by Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment over allegations of “staggering” piracy on its network. The labels claim Verizon “buried its head in the sand” and enabled illegal filesharing, but in a motion to dismiss, the telecom giant blasted the “legally deficient” premise of the case: “When people do bad things online, their internet service providers are not typically the ones to blame. This lawsuit claims otherwise.” 

10 Sep 2024

Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show: Our Dream Setlist

Yesterday, Kendrick Lamar revealed that he’ll be headlining the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show in New Orleans next February. This won’t be his first time performing at the Big Game: Kendrick first popped out during the Dr. Dre & Friends set at the Super Bowl LVI Half Time Show in his hometown of L.A., where he performed “M.A.A.D City” and “Alright.”

What a year it’s been for the Compton MC. Even with no album out, Lamar dominated the charts while engaged in a rap battle with Drake. “Like That,” “Euphoria,” and “Not Like Us” all reached the top five of the Hot 100 chart, staying there for weeks, and reminding doomsayers and critics that rap is still America’s top genre, and hip-hop its greatest export.

Some fans and artists alike have voiced their opposition to the decision made by the NFL and Jay-Z because they feel New Orleans native Lil Wayne should’ve been the pick. And while one can certainly make the case for the Cash Money Millionaire, it’s hard to ignore the cultural imprint K. Dot was able to leave over the past year. Also, who’s to say he won’t bring Weezy out to do a couple songs?

With that being said, we selected some of the biggest and best songs from each of Kendrick’s albums along with a couple B-sides that we know the people will want to hear. And, of course, we included one of his Drake diss tracks. He’s only going to have about 15 minutes, so we had to cap the list at 13 — and even that’s probably stretching it.

Check out our list below.

10 Sep 2024

Joey Bada$$ & Method Man Talk Best Get Up Anthems of New York | Billboard x Tres Generaciones Tequila

Billboard and Tres Generaciones Tequila are partnering to find out the Get Up Anthems of select cities, and for this stop, we’re in New York City, New York. In conversation with Rocsi Diaz, Chicago natives Joey Bada$$ and Method Man sat with Billboard’s Carl Lamarre to honor a few Get Up Anthems for New York City. The discussion includes songs that inspired and energized their city by New York artists, presented by Tres Generaciones Tequila.

Be sure to follow the multi-city conversations at billboard.com/get-up-anthems/

Rocsi Diaz:

Hey guys I’m Rocsi Dias alongside Billboard and Tres Generaciones Tequila. We’re embarking on a journey to celebrate the profound impact of music both personally and within the communities. And today we’re in the iconic city of New York where skyscrapers touch the sky and hip-hop beats fill the streets. Contributing to this discussion I’m joined by the legendary Method Man. A trailblazer in hip-hop, known for his electrifying performances and innovative style. Alongside him is Joey Bada$$, a captivating star who’s authentic storytelling and raw talent have touched audiences onstage. And Billboard’s Director of Hip-Hop/ R&B Carl Lamarre, a music historian and vital heartbeat of the Billboard editorial team. Just a few days ago, we kicked off the selection process for New York City’s Get Up Anthems. It was a challenge, but using Billboard’s exclusive chart data, we narrowed down almost 40 songs to just a few tracks which are in this bowl. Now before we get into the discussion, let’s raise a glass fellas to New York City’s rich musical heritage, courtesy of triple distilled Tres Generaciones Tequila. Cheers to the city that continues to inspire and innovate. We’re going to start with our boy Busta Rhymes, “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See.”

Method Man:

This was Busta’s break out record from leaders of the new school. This was Busta’s solo album, and this was the first time anyone ever heard him rhyme in this cadence.

Keep watching for more!