djfrosty

10 Sep 2024

Tyler, the Creator Calls Out Ye for Not Rapping ‘Yeezus’ Lyrics at Korea Show: ‘Just Say the Words’

Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — jogged fans’ memory when he ran through hit after hit from his decorated discography during his show with Ty Dolla $ign in Seoul, South Korea, earlier in September.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Ye posted a highlight from the concert on Instagram Monday (Sept. 9), which saw him performing “On Sight” and Tyler, the Creator hopped into the comments section wondering why the 24-time Grammy winner wasn’t rapping the lyrics to his Yeezus opener.

“N—a u was right there just say the words,” Tyler wrote. The comment has nearly 100,000 likes, and fans echoed the “Earfquake” rapper’s sentiments.

Trending on Billboard

Ye’s Vultures collaborator added a goat emoji into the comments, while Chicago rapper Joey Purp chimed in, “This my 5 am alarm.”

Yeezy and Ty Dolla $ign have performed a handful of Vultures listening parties over the months, but that typically involves no rapping and gives fans a chance to hear the music rather than a conventional concert.

West gave fans a taste of what a tour could look like when rapping along to some of his anthems at the Seoul show, which consisted of a 70-track set spanning his entire Hall of Fame discography.

Ye will have a chance to build on the Korea performance with his next show slated for Haikou, China, on Sept. 15 at the Haikou Wuyuan River Sports Park. He’ll be without Ty Dolla $ign, so Ye will have to do the heavy-lifting at the concert.

The Chicago native — who faced widespread criticism and lost deals after repeatedly doubling down on his antisemitic hate speech in 2022 — hasn’t embarked on a traditional tour since 2016’s Saint Pablo Tour, which was cut short following West’s hospitalization due to extreme exhaustion and dehydration in November 2016.

Vultures 2 arrived on Aug. 3 after multiple delays, and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 107,000 total album units sold in the first week.

Watch the “On Sight” clip below.

10 Sep 2024

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Hit With $100M Default Judgment In Inmate’s Sexual Assault Lawsuit

A Michigan inmate has won a $100 million default judgment against Sean “Diddy” Combs in a sexual assault lawsuit, an eye-popping figure handed down after the rapper did not show up in court or file any formal response to the case.

The huge judgment, confirmed by Billboard from court records, was issued by a Michigan state judge in Lenawee County to Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith – one of numerous people to accuse the embattled rapper of sexual abuse over the past year.

The ruling is a so-called default judgment, a kind of legal award granted when an accused party doesn’t respond to a legal action. At a hearing last month, a judge said that Combs had been properly served with the lawsuit, and court records indicate that he never answered the claims.

Trending on Billboard

In a statement to Billboard, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo strongly denied that his client had ever been served with the lawsuit and said the rapper “looks forward to having this judgment swiftly dismissed.”

“This man is a convicted felon and sexual predator, who has been sentenced on 14 counts of sexual assault and kidnapping over the last 26 years,” Agnifilo said. “His resume now includes committing a fraud on the court from prison, as Mr. Combs has never heard of him let alone been served with any lawsuit.”

If lawyers for the rapper now respond to the lawsuit, they could seek to overturn the default judgment and proceed to normal litigation, where Cardello-Smith would need to prove his allegations to a jury before securing a judgment.

Once one of the most powerful men in the music industry, Diddy has been hit with at least seven civil lawsuits alleging sexual abuse over the past year, including claims by ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura that were later followed by a video showing him assaulting her. The hip-hop mogul is also facing an apparent federal criminal investigation after authorities raided his homes in March.

Though the rapper has denied the legal allegations against him, he issued an apology in May over his conduct captured on the video of the Ventura attack: “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video.”

According to Michigan inmate records, Cardello-Smith, 51, is serving multiple, decades-long sentences for a variety of crimes, including first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of kidnapping. The earliest he can be released from prison is 2036.

Cardello-Smith sued Combs in June, claiming the rapper had spiked his drink and sexually assaulted him at a party in 1997. At a court hearing last month, he told a judge that the rapper had personally visited him in prison after he filed the lawsuit and offered him $2.3 million to drop his case.

At that same hearing, the inmate alleged that Combs had told him that he would not appear in court or respond to the lawsuit, saying “You know how we get down.” Cardello-Smith told the judge that he responded by telling Combs “I disagree with how you get down” and rejecting the settlement offer.

The lawsuit against Combs is not the first civil action Cardello-Smith has filed from behind bars. Last year, he sued a Detroit-area Catholic archdiocese, alleging he had been sexually abused by a priest and others between 1979 and 1993. The case was dismissed last month by state appeals court, which ruled that Cardello-Smith’s allegations were barred by the statute of limitations.

10 Sep 2024

Suki Waterhouse’s ‘Memoir of a Sparklemuffin’ Creative Process, Upcoming Tour & More | Billboard News

Suki Waterhouse’s second album, Memoir of a Sparklemuffin, is coming soon. The singer, model and actress shares how she recorded the album while pregnant, how her role in Daisy Jones and the Six inspired her to tackle her solo career, a glimpse into her upcoming tour and more!=

Hey, I’m Lindsey Havens for Billboard News, and we are here with artist, singer-songwriter, actress, model, whatever, Suki Waterhouse. 

Hi! 

I feel like I need to say that’s a song title, which we will get into — you just, like, do so much.

She’s a model, actress, whatever. 

Your second album, Memoir of a Sparklemuffin album,  I want to ask first how it was different this time compared to the making of your debut album.

The first record I made, I’d never made a record before. I’d been releasing things by myself for, like, 10 years, 8-10, years, so  I didn’t have a label, I didn’t have any team. There was no sort of, like, there was nothing behind me at that point. And then I kind of went and asked a couple of people if they would sign it, and everyone said no. And then Sub Pop said yes, but I had to kind of really bang down the door. And it took like, six months of writing emails, and they said, “No, we don’t want to listen to any songs from models or actresses, whatevers.”

So it was a completely different experience this time. I’ve been able to collaborate with different people, and, you know, have, yeah, have different artists that I could call up, and a few more people wanted to get in the room with me than they did before. So it was, like, very, very different in that way. 

10 Sep 2024

NFL’s Marquise “Hollywood” Brown Talks The Thrills of Being a GM in ‘NFL Rivals: Year 2’

HipHopWired Featured Video

Kansas City Chiefs v Jacksonville Jaguars

Source: Kevin Sabitus / Getty

In an exclusive interview, HipHopWired spoke with Kansas City Chiefs receiver Hollywood Brown about his partnership with the hit NFL Rivals game.

On Thursday (September 5), the National Football League kicked off its 2024-2025 season with a highly anticipated rematch between the Baltimore Ravens and the defending Super Bowl LVIII Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. The day will also see the release of the second season of the officially licensed mobile video game from Mythical Games, NFL Rivals. The new season is dubbed Year 2 and promises new gameplay features to fans which include exclusive pack drops and an expanded marketplace which fans can check out on the game’s website.

Another new element to NFL Rivals: Year 2 is the partnership between the game and the Chiefs, organized by OneTeam Partners with the hopes of growing the audience from its impressive inaugural season performance of 5 million downloads and 115 million games played. “With the upcoming release of our multiplayer mode, and the expansion of our Synergy System, fans have new and fun ways to play,” said Billy Schautz, the executive producer of NFL Rivals in a press release, “and with the introduction of the ‘Road to the Playoffs’ and its season-long ‘reward road’, during the 2024 NFL season, we’re raising the bar and setting a new standard for sports gaming as a whole.”

One of the Chiefs’ stars, wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown has been a key figure in NFL Rivals’ first season. HipHopWired got the chance to talk with him about his experience playing the game and his expectations for the upcoming season.

HipHopWired: So how’s the feedback been on your involvement with the game so far for you?

Marquise “Hollywood” Brown: the feedback has been wonderful, man. I’ve been enjoying the game myself, making me feel like a GM, building my squad up, and everything like that. And then it’s a mobile game. So I’ve been on the go playing it, its a fast-paced action game, and it’s been fun.

HHW: What’s the one appealing factor of it for you outside of being mobile? Is it tapping in when you can, you know, check on some stats or need to make quick additions?

Brown: I think building the team is what’s fascinating about it for me. It helps fans feel like they’re a GM, building a squad, getting their favorite players – and everyone has a phone, pretty much. So everyone that doesn’t have a game system, you get on here and you build your team up and go play.

HHW: I’m curious (laughs), how do you have your team set up? Who are your standouts?

Brown: I’ve obviously got the Chiefs, and my team is full of Chiefs players. I mean, I’ve got myself, I’ve got Xavier Worthy, Pat, Travis. I’m just gonna be naming Chiefs players all day because that’s my team. (laughs)

HHW: I figured, had to get it on the record. How do you feel that they’ve worked on this season, as opposed to, like, last year, with improvements?

Brown: I didn’t play a lot of season one, but it’s fun. I feel like the gameplay is fun. It reminds me of NFL Blitz.

HHW: Oh yeah, that was my game! (laughs)

Brown: So I feel like you have a lot of fun with it, and then it’s, like, all offense. So that’s what I like about it as well.

HHW: What’s the energy like for you heading into this new season with the Chiefs?

Brown: I’m so excited for the season – week one got here so fast. Just excited, you know, to see the guys battle and take on this journey. It’s a long season, and every week it’s going to be a different challenge.

HHW: So you figure a lot of teams are pretty much going to come at you, but I have a sneaking suspicion that you all are prepared.

Brown: Yeah, definitely. The guys here, they’ve played a lot of big-time games, and they understand, what it takes. And you know, for me, it’s just fitting in and bringing my element to the team, and helping the team get that three-peat.

HHW: For anybody who’s looking to get into NFL Rivals, what tips would you give them?

Brown:  Get you a quarterback – preferably Patrick Mahomes. (laughs) Get you a couple of fast guys, preferably Marquis Brown and Xavier Worthy, and get you a good tight end, preferably Travis Kelce, something like that. I’m just playing (laughs), but just be yourself with it. I mean, have fun and get the players you want, and have fun with it.

10 Sep 2024

Brooks & Dunn Set Neon Moon Tour for 2025

Country Music Hall of Famers Brooks & Dunn are set to bring their high-octane live show and stacked arsenal of hit songs to arenas in Texas, North Carolina, Illinois and more in 2025, as they have revealed the dozen-concert initial slate of shows for their Neon Moon Tour.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Produced by Live Nation, the Neon Moon Tour 2025 will launch March 13 in Lubbock, Texas. Joining them is “Dust on the Bottle” hitmaker and storied songcrafter David Lee Murphy.

For more than three decades, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn have staged concerts that are essential viewing for country music devotees, thanks to their energetic performance style, nearly two dozen No. 1 Billboard Hot Country Songs chart hits (many of which they wrote), and Dunn’s always formidable lead vocals.

Trending on Billboard

The namesake of the duo’s tour is their 1992 hit “Neon Moon,” which topped Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart. The song has become a favorite for both fans and other artists. On the duo’s Reboot album, Kacey Musgraves joined them in covering the song. Meanwhile, in 2019, The Voice coaches Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani and John Legend covered “Neon Moon.”

Tickets will go on sale starting Friday, Sept. 13, at 10 a.m. local time on the duo’s website. 

See the full list of Brooks & Dunn’s Neon Moon Tour dates below:

  • March 13: Lubbock, Texas – United Supermarkets Arena
  • March 14: Austin, Texas – Moody Center
  • March 15: Corpus Christi, Texas – American Bank Center
  • March 27: Raleigh, N.C. – PNC Arena
  • March 28: Charlotte, N.C. – Spectrum Center
  • March 29: Charlottesville, Va. – John Paul Jones Arena
  • April 3: Indianapolis – Gainbridge Fieldhouse
  • April 4: Peoria, Ill. – Peoria Civic Center Arena
  • April 5: Rosemont, Ill. – Allstate Arena
  • April 24: Des Moines, Iowa. – Wells Fargo Arena
  • April 25: St. Louis – Enterprise Center
  • April 26: Louisville, Ky. – KFC Yum! Center

10 Sep 2024

Chappell Roan Says a Lot of Female Artists But ‘Not a Lot of Boys’ Have Reached Out About Toxic Fan Behavior

As Chappell Roan dealt with backlash to her comments on toxic fan behavior over the last month, the singer says a huge number of fellow female artists have offered her their support.

In a new cover story for Rolling Stone, Roan said that a number of her fellow pop girls reached out to her and offered their words of encouragement. The list of singers included Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Hayley Williams, Katy Perry, Lorde, Muna, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski. “I’m not trying to name-drop,” she explained. “I’m trying to tell you there are girls who are good people, who are helping other girls out. I’m name-dropping them because people just need to know that people are good people.”

Trending on Billboard

Roan specifically thanked Sabrina Carpenter during the conversation, saying that the pair had a long heart-to-heart about their similarly huge years and the implications that has on their mental health. “We’re both going through something so f–king hard … she just feels like everything is flying, and she’s just barely hanging on,” Roan said. “It was just good to know someone else feels that way.”

The “Pink Pony Club” singer did point out that she’s noticed a worrying trend among the artists reaching out to her. “Not a lot of boys have been like, ‘Let me know if you ever want to talk about it,’” she said, before revealing that a few — including Orville Peck, Troye Sivan and Noah Kahan — have offered her their support.

One living legend who has supported Roan throughout her career also reached out — Sir Elton John. The “Rocket Man” singer told Rolling Stone that he felt “protective” over Roan. “She is kind, innocent and wonderful. She is not ‘Chappell Roan’ off stage – a bit like me,” he said. “She is one of those people who I felt like I have known for a long time.”

Roan added that as much as audiences like to pin the toxic fan discussion on her, she is far from the only artist feeling this way. “I don’t want to be agoraphobic. That’s [how] most of my peers [feel]. Every f–king artist is on this page,” she said. “Everyone is uncomfortable with fans. Some people just have more patience. I f–king don’t.”

Elsewhere in her interview, Roan revealed a number of specific instances of fans being inappropriate with her, including a fan kissing her without consent and a stalker showing up to her parents’ home in Missouri. “[Fans] need to see me as a random b—h on the street,” she said. “You can’t yell at a random b—h who’s on the sidewalk that you don’t know. It’s considered catcalling or harassment.”

10 Sep 2024

Watch Flavor Flav Ring the New York Stock Exchange’s Closing Bell & Send the Gavel Flying Into Crowd

Flavor Flav knows how to work his way around a clock, but maybe don’t let him get a gavel in his hands. The lesson was learned when the Public Enemy rapper joined U.S. Women’s Water Polo Team goalie Ashleigh Johnson at the New York Stock Exchange on Monday (Sept. 9).

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

That’s when Flav got a bit overzealous with the gavel when attempting to ring the closing bell, which saw him lose control of the hammer and accidentally send it into the crowd. “FLAVOR FLAV::: They said it was good luck if I hit it hard,” he captioned his Instagram post.

Fans hit the rapper with jokes in his comments section after he nearly decked an onlooker with the gavel. “Is catching the gavel from flav akin to catching the bouquet at a wedding,” one person asked. Another added, “Opening the stock exchange?! What happened to fighting the power?”

Trending on Billboard

The 65-year-old hadn’t had the opportunity to be at the NYSE in his career, and he basked in the honor after watching it on television all these years.

“This means the world to me right now to be here at the Stock Exchange,” Flav added. “The only time I ever seen it was on TV. Now I get to be here part of it. Yeah, boy!”

Flavor Flav signed a five-year sponsorship deal with the U.S. Women’s and Men’s Water Polo Teams, for whom he served as the hype man at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. His sponsorship came with a $1,000 check to each player and a cruise voyage for the women’s team.

It’s a busy week running around the Big Apple for Flav. After stops at the U.S. Open tennis championship and the NYSE, the New York native is slated to appear at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday (Sept. 11).

Watch some of the highlights from his NYSE trip below.

10 Sep 2024

She Is The Music Day Unites Women in Music for Panels, Networking & More: See The Photos

She Is The Music Day took to New York City for its third installment and welcomed 100 local college women for an opportunity to connect, grow and empower each other. 

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Held at Soho’s lush Casa Gessi event space, the afternoon affair sponsored by Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream saw a number of women gather for conversation, networking opportunities, free swag, photo opps and tunes provided by DJ Adi Oasis. Industry expertise ranged from women in Publicity, Brand Partnerships, Production/Engineering, International Marketing and Touring. 

Four key speakers who have worked with the likes of SZA, H.E.R., Maeta and more came together for the main speaker conversation to spotlight their experience and support for their industry peers. Among the panelists included Shari Bryant (Founder & CEO of Knip Agency & PINKESTLUV), Sam Selolwane (Head of Promo for Hip-Hop & R&B for RCA Records), Jeanine McLean (President of MBK Entertainment and CEO of Castlight Media) and Shardé Simpson (co-founder of Simpson & Reed, PLLC).

Trending on Billboard

Additional breakout workshop speakers included Kathy Iandoli (journalist and author), Alexis Johnson (Interscope), Gloria Kaba (producer/engineer), Danielle Geiger (Atlantic Records) and Marissa Loil (UTA).

For more on the She Is The Music organization and their mission to provide equality, inclusivity and opportunity for women in music, head over to their official website. 

10 Sep 2024

Beyoncé Says She Prefers to ‘Disappear’ Between Albums Because Fame Can Feel ‘Like Prison’

Beyoncé has a reputation for staying aloof and enigmatic in spite of being one of the most famous women on the planet, with her public appearances remaining few and far between even when she’s in the midst of an album cycle. And in a new GQ cover story published Tuesday (Sept. 10), the multi-hyphenate explains why. 

In the interview conducted over email, Bey was candid about the fact that creating art and performing are what she loves to do — but everything else that comes with superstardom? Not so much. “I create at my own pace, on things that I hope will touch other people,” she told the publication. “I only work on what liberates me.”  

“It is fame that can at times feel like prison,” Bey continued. “So, when you don’t see me on red carpets, and when I disappear until I have art to share, that’s why.” 

Trending on Billboard

Because of her love of music, the 32-time Grammy winner hasn’t shied away from experimenting with new genres — for example, her Billboard 200-topping country LP Cowboy Carter — and making albums based on what she loves, not on what’s popular. For instance, in 2011, when she could’ve played things safe by releasing a dance-pop album to keep up with the time’s radio-friendly trends, she instead turned in 4. 

“I wouldn’t say that I was anti-pop,” she recalled of the 13-year-old project. “I respected pop. But it was a time where everyone was doing pop/dance music, and R&B and soul were getting lost. It was popular and fun, but it wasn’t my thing. It was not where I was going with my music career at that time. I was yearning for something deeper with more musicality.”  

The cover story comes amid fan outrage that Cowboy Carter was snubbed from the CMA Awards, eight years after the incident that Bey seemingly hinted in March was the catalyst for her releasing a country album in 2024. In 2016, her performance of “Daddy Lessons” with The Chicks at the award show sparked backlash from critics who felt she didn’t belong in the space; almost a decade later, the vocalist wrote on social media that Cowboy Carter was “born out of an experience” she’d had years prior where she “did not feel welcomed.” 

But as Bey told GQ, she’d still be singing even if she had no stage to perform on. “Singing is not work for me,” she said. “There’s magic in the way it feels on my throat, a resonance that vibrates through me. When I am at my lowest, when I’ve been sad or in a heavy fog, sick or anxious with sleepless nights, I sing. And, often, I sing alone.” 

“It steadies my heartbeat, it’s my best hit of dopamine,” she added. “It’s one of the deepest joys of my life, a necessity as vital as breath.” 

See Bey’s cover of GQ below:

10 Sep 2024

Chappell Roan Planned to Protest Instead of Perform at White House Pride Event: ‘All I Wanted to Do Was Yell’

Chappell Roan caused a stir earlier this year when she rejected the White House’s invitation for her to perform at a Pride event in June. Now, the singer is saying that had she attended, she would have done much more than just perform.

For the latest cover of Rolling Stone, Roan told the publication that she originally intended to accept the White House’s invitation to the event — but she planned to protest the Biden administration’s involvement in Israel’s attacks on Gaza instead of performing one of her songs.

“I had picked out some poems from Palestinian women. I was trying to do it as tastefully as I could because all I wanted to do was yell,” she said. “I had to find something that’s tasteful and to the point and meaningful, and not make it about me and how I feel. I don’t know if I’ll ever get that close in direct sight of the president ever in my life. This is my shot.”

While Roan said that her publicist ultimately talked her out of her protest (saying, “You f–k with the president and the government, your security is not the same, and neither is your family’s”), she firmly stands by her decision not to attend the event. “I’m not going to go to the White House because I am not going to be a monkey for Pride,” she explained, before criticizing the administration’s walked-back statement about gender-affirming surgery for minors. “Thank God I didn’t go because they just made a huge statement about trans kids.”

When performing at Gov Ball, Roan took a moment during her show to tell her audience that she refused the White House’s invitation to perform, dedicating her song “My Kink Is Karma” to the administration. “We want liberty, freedom and justice for all,” she said. “When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.”

The “Good Luck, Babe!” singer also dispelled a rumor that her distaste for the Biden administration’s treatment of Palestinians and trans youth meant that she was a supporter of former president Donald Trump. “I saw a couple of TikToks where they were like, ‘So she’s pro Trump?’ It is not so black and white that you hate one and you like the other. No matter how you say it, people are still going to be pissed for f–king some reason,” she said.

The singer later told the publication that she was supporting Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House this November. “Right now, it’s more important than ever to use your vote, and I will do whatever it takes to protect people’s civil rights, especially the LGBTQ+ community,” she said. “My ethics and values will always align with that, and that hasn’t changed with a different nominee. I feel lucky to be alive during an incredibly historical time period when a woman of color is a presidential nominee.”