Author: djfrosty
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AJ Tracey and Jorja Smith have linked up once again for an absolute banger. The pair started promoting the Rhythm & Grime song earlier this week with a clip on social media, with Jorja rapping her verse in a driveway with a beautiful money-green BMW E30 and AJ Tracey dipped in a pink Palace and […]
Influential French electronic duo Justice has been a staple in the dance/electronic community since the early 2000s, but the pair finally earns its first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 (chart dated Feb. 15) with a new collaboration with The Weeknd, “Wake Me Up.”
Released Feb. 7 on The Weeknd’s new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, the song opens at No. 45 on the Hot 100 with 10.9 million official U.S. streams, 1.4 million radio audience impressions and 1,000 downloads sold in its opening week, according to Luminate. The set launches at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 490,000 equivalent album units earned in its first week, the largest opening figure since Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department in May 2024.
“Wake Me Up,” the first cut on Hurry Up Tomorrow, interpolates the classic title track from Michael Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller and Georgio Moroder’s “Main Title” from the 1983 film Scarface. The late Rod Temperton, who wrote “Thriller,” is credited as a co-writer of “Wake Me Up,” along with The Weeknd, Justice, Belly, Mike Dean, Johnny Jewel and Vincent Taurelle; The Weeknd, Justice, Mike Dean, Johnny Jewel produced it. Moroder, notably, is credited as a featured artist on Hurry Up Tomorrow track “Big Sleep,” which just misses the Hot 100, opening at No. 3 on the list’s Bubbling Under ranking. He has charted two songs on the Hot 100: “Chase” (No. 33 peak in 1979) and “Reach Out,” featuring Paul Engeman (No. 81, 1984).
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Justice, which comprises Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, first appeared on Billboard’s charts with Cross, which debuted at No. 1 on the Top Dance Albums chart dated July 28, 2007. The project is noteworthy for including hundreds of samples, helping usher in the bloghouse era and, later, the EDM boom.
The duo has charted six additional projects on Top Dance Albums, including four other top 10s: A Cross the Universe (No. 8 peak in 2008), Audio, Video, Disco (No. 4, 2011), Woman (No. 1, 2016) and Hyperdrama (No. 1, 2024).
Justice has also charted three hits on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart: “D.A.N.C.E.” (No. 13 peak in 2013, from Cross), “One Night/All Night,” with Tame Impala (No. 10, 2024) and “Neverender” (No. 8, 2024).
“Neverender” won best dance/electronic recording at the 67th Grammy Awards. It’s the pair’s third Grammy win, joining trophies for best remixed recording, non-classical for “Electric Feel (Justice Remix)” in 2009 and best dance/electronic album for Woman Worldwide in 2019. Cross was nominated for best electronic/dance album in 2008, while its breakout song “D.A.N.C.E.” earned a nod for best dance recording.
Justice’s collaboration with The Weeknd was first teased more than a year ago, when a demo leaked online. In an interview ahead of the release of Hyperdrama, Justice’s longtime manager Pedro Winter told Billboard that the duo had been inspired to partner with collaborators who felt like authentic fits.
“Justice has been a band saying ‘no’ to everything, exactly like when I used to work with Daft Punk,” he said. “They really wanted to focus on their own music. Now it has been a 20-year career, so it’s time to open the door and work with other people,” adding “Of course, a lot of [their fans] will not get the Justice sound … but out of those millions, let’s try to grab the attention and love of some of them.”
Saquon Barkley is in the midst of celebrating his 2025 Super Bowl win with the Philadelphia Eagles, but he’s not feeling so celebratory about the way some of his team’s supporters treated Taylor Swift at the Big game over the weekend. During a SiriusXM interview with Howard Stern on Wednesday (Feb. 12), the superstar running […]
Lady Gaga is the latest star to take on First We Feast’s Hot Ones challenge, and the superstar deals with an uncomfortable wardrobe choice in a teaser for the upcoming episode. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In the one-minute clip, Gaga rocks a dress with a […]
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Streamers like Kai Cenat are known for their bold reactions, but his take on Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime performance raised some eyebrows. While reacting to Kendrick’s performance, Kai made a claim that caught many off guard. He suggested that the NFL added crowd noise behind Lamar’s performance to make the crowd’s reaction sound louder and more intense than it actually was.
Lamar’s halftime show was widely praised for its depth, artistry, and the way it brought hip-hop to the biggest stage. Fans saw it as a celebration of culture, and many argue it was one of the best Super Bowl performances ever. However, Kai’s comment, implying that the NFL enhanced the sound, caused an immediate uproar. He was quickly met with backlash from Kendrick Lamar fans who vehemently denied any fake crowd noise.
They argued that the raw emotion and energy of Kendrick’s performance was enough to elicit a powerful crowd reaction without any artificial help. Despite the controversy, Kai stood by his point, claiming that it was something he noticed while watching the show.
Despite the controversy, Kai stood by his point, claiming that it was something he noticed while watching the show. His statement led to heated discussions across social media platforms, with fans debating whether the NFL might have enhanced the sound for dramatic effect. While the debate rages on, it’s clear that Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance is still a defining moment in halftime show history.
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Google isn’t done kissing Donald Trump’s ring. Not only did they adopt the stupid Gulf of America name change, but they have also removed Black History Month from the calendar.
Spotted on NewsOne, Google is getting in line with Donald Trump and his administration’s continued assault on DEI and “woke” initiatives as part of his mission to make America white again; oops, we mean “great again,” the Alphabet-owned company has removed several cultural observances from Google Calendar, including Pride Month, Black History Month, and Holocaust Remembrance Day.
In an email, the company explained its reasoning for its head-scratching move in an email sent to Newsweek that the previous system it had in place to update the calendar was “unsustainable” and that from now on, Google would only display public holidays and national observances.
Google Calendar users quickly noticed that events like Black History Month (February), Pride Month (June), Women’s History Month (March), and Indigenous Peoples Month (November) were no longer on the calendar after being there in previous years.
As expected, the decision sparked outrage on x, formerly Twitter.
“Hey @Google yall do realize your president declared February Black History Month, even though it was already Black History Month so I think you need to put that back. I don’t fuck with that man, but he is your president and you do need to listen to him,” one user wrote.
Another user added, “Disgusting @Google. Even Trump recognized Black History Month. You are trying to outdo him? Disgusting. The excuse is worse. You are using are global calendar that doesn’t have federally recognized honorifics on it. Wow. Your own search engine recognizes Black History Month.”
https://x.com/hawkgrrrl/status/1889488355311886829
In response to the pushback, Google spokesperson Madison Cushman Veld noted that the company received feedback about the missing events, noting that manually adding hundreds of cultural observances was not sustainable.
Maybe they should use AI to do it. Just saying.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
Sam Asghari’s relationship with Britney Spears was never going to be normal, given the fact that Spears is one of the most famous women on the planet. But on top of all of that, the singer was famously under a conservatorship for about 13 years — something Asghari says was “strange” for him before their split in 2023.
On the latest episode of The Viall Files posted Wednesday (Feb. 12), Asghari opened up about his relationship with Spears — whom he started dating in 2016 after co-starring in her “Slumber Party” music video — as well as the way her legal predicament affected him as her partner. “She was under the conservatorship, and that was very strange for me to deal with,” he told host Nick Viall. “I got hit with that at the beginning.”
“[Britney] didn’t explain,” Asghari continued, sharing how he learned about the conservatorship through an unnamed third party. “Somebody called me and said, ‘Oh, just so you know, this is this. Make sure you’re obeying by our rules.”
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Wanting to be as supportive as possible, the actor added that he “didn’t go look up what’s happening on the news” and instead tried to understand on a personal level why the conservatorship was “ever in place to begin with.” “You don’t get much to say, especially if you’re just a boyfriend or someone that’s just there,” Asghari noted. “Maybe I was afraid they were going to make me not see her. So you have to be gentle and provide as much support as you can.”
The pop star was first put under a conservatorship in 2008, when a judge gave her father, Jamie Spears, legal control over her life and career. Following a yearslong, fan-led “#FreeBritney” movement, the musician was finally able to get the conservatorship officially dismissed in November 2021, a few months before which Brit and Asghari got engaged after about five years together.
On Viall Files, Asghari recalled that the proposal was “overdue.” “We wanted to get married way before, and because of everything and the situation, we had to wait,” he added. “I was holding her hand when she was speaking to the judge and talking about, she wanted the conservatorship to be done with. The second that happened, that’s when it was the right time to propose.”
The couple eventually got married in a star-studded ceremony in Los Angeles in June 2022. And though the relationship would come to an end the following year, with Asghari filing for divorce that August, the model/actor only has fond memories of the superstar. “I always say, even though it’s over now, I’m never sad it’s over,” he said. “I’m grateful it even happened.”
As for the headline-making video Spears posted of herself dancing with knives shortly after the split — the one that led to the police performing a welfare check on the star, after which she assured fans the cutlery had been fake all along — Asghari shared that he wasn’t fazed. “I’m not someone that’s [like], ‘Let me take your phone from you and not allow you to do anything and restrict you from posting your own content,’” he said of the clip.
“She’s a genius artist,” he added. “What’s in her head is gold, and it’s what made her who she is.”
Listen to Asghari’s full interview on The Viall Files below.
Ty Dolla $ign has released a statement condemning all forms of hate speech. The California artist took to his Instagram Story on Tuesday preaching a message of unity and love. “I do not condone ANY form of hate speech against ANYONE,” he wrote alongside different skin tones of emojis. Dolla $ign didn’t name-drop Ye — […]
Halle Bailey is ready for her next musical era. The Little Mermaid star took to Instagram on Tuesday (Feb. 11) to announce that her upcoming single, “Back and Forth,” will be arriving on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14). The corresponding cover art fits the romantic theme, featuring the 24-year-old singer lounging on a pink platform, dressed […]
Colombia is known for its very rich and diverse culture, including its array of musical styles from vallenato to salsa to champeta to música popular, and beyond.
Among its numerous international artists that include Shakira, Feid, Carlos Vives, Karol G, Juanes, and more, are key Afro-Colombian artists that have also shaped the country’s music industry: salsa giants Grupo Niche and the Latin Grammy-winning ChocQuibTown, for example.
The former, co-founded by the late Jairo Varela and Alexis Lozano, is named “Niche” after a name that is used to refer to dark-skinned people. Last year, Grupo Niche celebrated 40 years of its timeless hit “Cali Pachanguero,” dedicated to the city of Cali, Colombia — with its bustling carnivals, lively atmosphere and beautiful people — narrated by someone who’s far away and yearns to go back home.
“This song was already born big,” the group previously told Billboard of the song’s impact. “Just by the success it had at the fair in 1984, it began to move masses. In fact, at the beginning of those years, the song was only played in Cali because it was from that city. But today, the song has to be played everywhere. It’s a must-play song [at our concert]. Everywhere [in the world], people assume it as their own.”
Other Afro-Colombians that have led the charge include Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Totó La Momposina; Mr. Black, credited with helping steer the champeta movement; and Mauro Castillo, known for his lead role on “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” in Disney’s blockbuster Encanto.
Now, in honor of Black History Month, Billboard Latin highlights a wave of emerging Afro-Colombian artists that we have discovered, and should be on your radar. Check them out in alphabetical order below:
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