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Pop-rock artist Role Model has signed with Good World Management’s Brandon Creed and Dani Russin, Billboard can confirm.
Role Model joins a stacked roster of superstars at the firm, including Charli xcx, Troye Sivan, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato.
In April, Role Model parted ways with his manager, Best Friends’ Danny Rukasin, who helped the artist become a breakout star. The singer-songwriter recently scored his first Hot 100 hit with “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.” The song is off the deluxe edition of Role Model’s 2024 album, Kansas Anymore, which arrived in February.
Role Model signed to Interscope in 2018 and released his debut album, the more alternative-sounding Rx, in 2022. But last year’s Kansas Anymore — which featured a softer, more Americana-inspired sound — changed the course of his career and helped solidify him as one to watch.
Since the release of Kansas Anymore, Role Model has opened on tour for Gracie Abrams and, more recently, celebrated two sold-out shows in Los Angeles; at one of those shows, he welcomed Reneé Rapp on stage as a surprise guest during “Sally.” Attendees at the L.A. concerts included Laufey, The Kid Laroi, Shaboozey, Shaboozey and Jason Sudeikis.
In May, it was announced that Role Model will make his acting debut in the upcoming Lena Dunham-directed Netflix film, Good Sex, starring Mark Ruffalo and Natalie Portman. He will be credited under his born name of Tucker Pillsbury.
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Creed founded Good World in August 2023. At the top of 2025, he was named Billboard‘s Manager of the Year along with his tight-knit team. In the interview, he said of signing new talent: “We are extremely discerning,” before adding, “We have room, don’t get me wrong, for the right thing.”
A federal judge has rejected R. Kelly’s emergency request to be let out of prison due to an alleged jailhouse murder plot against the disgraced R&B star, who’s serving more than 30 years for multiple sex crime convictions.
Kelly’s attorney, Beau Brindley, has been petitioning a Chicago court for Kelly’s release since last week, saying prison guards are trying to have the singer (Robert Sylvester Kelly) killed to stop him from uncovering prosecutorial misconduct in his case. Brindley claims jail officials attempted to solicit a fellow inmate to carry out the hit, and that when that didn’t work, they fed Kelly an overdose quantity of sleeping pills and denied him medically-necessary surgery for blood clots.
Prosecutors have dismissed the allegations as a “fanciful conspiracy” and “deeply unserious.” Judge Martha M. Pacold denied the bid for release on Thursday (June 19) without addressing its merits, saying such a request must be brought as a civil rights lawsuit or habeas corpus petition in North Carolina, where Kelly is imprisoned.
“Jurisdictional limitations must be respected even where, as here, a litigant claims that the circumstances are extraordinary,” wrote the judge.
Judge Pacold issued her decision ahead of a hearing that had been set for Friday (June 20), canceling the court date after seemingly learning all she needed to know from voluminous court papers that have been filed on the issue.
In a statement shared with Billboard on Thursday, Brindley said his team is “not surprised by this ruling as we knew that technical jurisdiction would be a challenge under these circumstances.”
“However, we had no choice but to act immediately given explicit evidence of a threat to Robert Kelly’s life,” Brindley added.
On Friday (June 20), Brindley tried another avenue to convince the Chicago judge to release Kelly: filing a motion for a new trial and asking for emergency bail in the meantime.
The Friday motion reiterates Brindley’s previous allegations that prosecutors unlawfully pressured a witness to testify against Kelly and intercepted Kelly’s communications with his lawyers ahead of his federal trial in Chicago.
“If someone dies in prison, it seems commonplace,” writes Brindley. “With that in mind, it becomes easy to understand how the people who committed this corruption and those that helped cover it up would rather kill a disgraced inmate convicted of sex crimes than face consequences that could ruin their lives and careers.”
The motion repeatedly notes that President Donald Trump is prioritizing rooting out corruption in the justice system. Brindley has publicly asked Trump to pardon Kelly in conjunction with the jailhouse murder plot claims.
A spokesperson for prosecutors did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday.
Kelly was convicted in Chicago of child pornography and enticing minors for sex in 2022, one year after a separate federal jury in New York also found the singer guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking
The former R&B star was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the New York conviction and 20 years in the Chicago case, though all but one year of the second sentence will overlap with the first. Both convictions have been upheld on appeal.
There’s no question that Broadway‘s Hamilton was (and still is) one of the most engrossing musicals on the Great White Way, but according to an original cast member, Madonna herself had other things to focus on. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news During his Thursday (June 19) appearance […]
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Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill have been playing music together for some 48 years, most of them in Simple Minds. Kerr assures us that familiarity has bred fondness; he even says the “parallel story” in the band’s 2023 documentary Everything Is Possible is “the friendship of Charlie and I, which is quite remarkable because usually in long-working relationships in music people hate each other after 20 years. But Charlie and I still go on. There’s a great friendship there.”
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Despite that, Kerr tells Billboard that it’s not always a lovefest between frontman and guitarist, either, as Simple Minds is in the midst of its first full-scale North American tour in seven years. “We’re still able to have our rows and our fights. We’re not always on the same page,” Kerr acknowledges, adding with a laugh that, “We had a screaming match last week and everyone around us…. First of all they said, ‘I’ve never heard such a f–kin’ intense screaming match,’ so afterwards Charlie and I felt embarrassed. Y’know, usually it’s not even (about) a thing. You’re not on the same page, and it’s frustrating. Someone will just say the wrong word, and it triggers.
“But here’s the good news; at the end of the day there’s no scars, no wounds. We get up the next day and everything is fine. How amazing that we’re still so passionate about it. How amazing that we still care. How amazing we’re in the rehearsal room, trying to make it as great as it can be for our audience, and how amazing the next day we go to breakfast with each other.”
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During its current trek, whose U.S. leg wraps up Saturday (June 22 in Noblesville, Ind.), Kerr, Churchill and the latest incarnation of Simple Minds have been supporting their new concert album — Live in the City of Diamonds, which came out in April — and the 40th anniversary of an eventful 1985 that included: the Billboard Hot 100-topping single “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” from the hit film The Breakfast Club; a performance at Live Aid that summer; and the band’s best-selling studio album, Once Upon a Time, which came out that fall.
“It was beautiful,” Kerr recalls. “It was so unexpected in a sense. You had the movie, you had the song, Live Aid, MTV, ‘Alive & Kicking’ [a No. 3 Hot 100 hit], the Once Upon a Time album itself…and lo and behold, 40 years later we’re still here talking about it. That’s what 1985 felt like to us.”
Simple Minds was famously ambivalent about recording “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” which was written by producer Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff for the John Hughes-directed film. The group had already planned to make an aggressive assault on the U.S. market in the wake of its 1984 album Sparkle in the Rain and was confident “we had songs up our sleeve” for what would become Once Upon a Time.
“Then out of nowhere these phone calls start to come in about this movie, and the record company thinks it would be a good thing to bridge to the next album,” Kerr recalls. “We were like, ‘Yeah, we want to do it,’ then ‘Oh, hang on a minute. They want us to record someone else’s song? That’s not what we do; we’re credible artists. We write our own songs, and we’ve got some good ones in the pipeline, so we’re not sure about that.’ But after meeting the people involved we decided to do it.”
The key, Kerr adds, was that his band found a way to make the song its own. “I’m not taking anything away from the song and Keith and the guys who came up with the music. You can find the demo of the song online; it’s a good little song. But Simple Minds, what we brought to it was 10 years of playing live, and we put our heart and soul into it and we put our lifeblood into the record. It would’ve been a different song if OMD did it, or the Psychedelic Furs — it would’ve been a different record, rather. So it’s not our song, but it is our record.”
Simple Minds will follow the North American tour with a jaunt through Europe, starting June 27 at home in Glasgow, where the band plans to play Once Upon a Time in its entirety. That trek wraps up July 27 in Italy, after which Simple Minds plans to return to working on a new studio album — the follow-up to 2022’s Direction of the Heart — which Kerr, Burchill and company began working on before hitting the road.
“We’ve got a whole bunch of songs up our sleeves,” Kerr says. “They’re not finished yet, but the backing tracks are down, the rough mixes. So we’re excited. People might say, ‘What’s the impetus?’ because obviously records don’t sell like they used to and there’s a limited appeal for new stuff no matter whether you’re Bruce Springsteen or whoever you are. But this is who we are. This is what we do. It just goes on. It’s all about creativity and you have it in you and you’ve got to get it out. That’s the same now as it’s ever been, and for us every time you do something new you’re still using those muscles. It’s like a chapter to a book; it seems to refresh the rest of the story and stops you from calcifying.”
Erykah Badu and The Alchemist are really making an album together, and their first single is finally here. Badu and the West Coast producer dropped their new song “Next to You” at midnight after she performed Badu Presents: Echos 19 in her hometown of Dallas as part of Forever in Rotation, Amazon Music’s Juneteenth celebration. […]
This week, Billboard’s New Music Latin roundup and playlist — curated by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — features fresh new music, including Karol G’s Tropicoqueta, Xavi’s “El Malo” and Yami Safdie and Emilia’s “+ Te Vale.” In their strikingly vulnerable ballad, Safdie and Emilia narrate the POV of a heartbroken woman who is watching her ex move on, and she […]
Creepy Nuts shared the details of its highly anticipated Creepy Nuts ASIA TOUR 2025 set to take place later this year. The “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” hip-hop duo’s first-ever Asian tour will start in October and make stops in five cities including Beijing and Seoul. Ticket sales for each venue will begin at different times, so check out […]
Jim Jones makes his case after a 22-year-old college student from New Jersey said he was influenced more by the Harlem rapper than by Nas on the Don’t Quote Me podcast.
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While stopping by the Joe and Jada podcast posted Thursday (June 19), Jimmy discussed the viral video. “I admired Nas,” Jones admitted. “When it came to dressin’, the wordplay, the music, everything. I was a superior Nas fan, period. I’ll never take that away from him.”
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However, once Jones became a professional rapper and found himself on the frontlines of the Jay-Z and Nas beef when the Diplomats were signed to Roc-A-Fella during the early 2000s, the rapper he once looked up to became an adversary. “But then, as I got in the game, you gotta realize, your idols become rivals,” he said, “Not to take away anything from that. I developed my own style and my own lane that these kids started to gravitate towards to, the same way I gravitated towards Nas when I younger.”
Jadakiss pushed back a bit on that claim, though, and said his son is around the same age and is aware of Nas’ impact on the genre, but Jim brushed it off, attributing it to him being around Jada. “He’s your son,” he retorted. “My son can’t tell you one Nas record. Let’s keep it a buck here. There must be some type of misconception when it comes to Jim Jones and what Jim Jones has done in this game. A lot of these rappers have done a tremendous job. And I take nothing away from them. But they forget, I got a helluva catalog. Gold records, platinum records. Gold albums, platinum albums … Check my track record. Then check everybody else track record.”
“I’m not taking anything away from nobody,” Jones adds. “But I hear the comparisons. N—as be trying to act funny. No, I been spanking a lot of this s–t. I’m talking about the industry. I been putting on … If you want to go to the Billboard entries, pull up Nas’ Billboard entries and pull up my Billboard entries.”
For the record, Jim Jones has two songs (“We Fly High” and “Pop Champagne”) in his catalog that have hit the Billboard Hot 100 with one top 10 hit and no No. 1s. Nas, on the other hand, has 27 songs that reached the Hot 100 with two top 10 hits while also having no No. 1s.
When it comes to albums, Jim has nine entried in the Billboard 200 with three top 10 albums and no No. 1s, while Nas has 27 entries, 16 top 10 albums, and six that have reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
You can watch the full episode below.
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Solange has shared the secret to her flawless makeup routine with ILIA, and it’s only five steps.
The “Cranes in the Sky” singer cultivated a small collection of products from ILIA titled The Eldorado Ballroom Edit. The edit consists of top products from the brand, including its Super Serum Skin Tint, Limitless Lash Mascara and In Frame Brow Gel.
“When I’m on the curatorial side of my practice with Saint Heron and The Eldorado Ballroom, it’s truly about finding a balance of being rooted in the work, the research and the expression of these performances, but also showing up with the ease of feeling grounded in looking and feeling myself, and my best,” said Solange in a press release.
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“As a longtime ILIA fan, I’m grateful to them for allowing me to create the Eldorado Ballroom Edit, one that is rooted in our shared philosophies of natural skin and luminosity so that I really represent my most radiant, joyous and present self for these nights that I hold so close to my heart. ILIA’s and Saint Heron’s brand DNA in art, architecture and design made it a natural choice to partner on bringing the Eldorado Ballroom Edit to life.”
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The full edit can be shopped now on ILIA’s website for $133.45 — that’s a $157 value. You can also shop each product separately if you’re not ready to snag five products. We’re breaking down each piece in the collection from serums to eyeshadow sticks to help you make informed decisions before shopping.
Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 in Shade Dominica ST14
A serum-esque skin tint with SPF 40.
It’s a skin tint and sunscreen all in one. Retailing for $48, this product is truly the best of both worlds. The tint offers light coverage that protects the skin from harsh sun thanks to the SPF 40 built right in. The tint comes in a multitude of shades, but for reference, Solange’s is Dominica ST14. Skincare ingredients such as shea butter and squalane help moisturize while aiming to beef up the skin’s barrier.
Squalane is also an anti-aging ingredient that helps smooth the appearance of wrinkles. If you take a closer look at the tint’s ingredient list, the active ingredient is 12.0% zinc oxide. That’s your mineral sunscreen. Sometimes, sunscreens in makeup can leave a white cast, especially mineral sunscreens, but not ILIA’s. To apply, use the dropper to disperse onto the back of the hands or in the palm of your hand; a few drops will do. You can blend out with a stipple brush, buffing in circles, or use your hands. The product is so good that Allure gave it the stamp of approval back in 2020, naming it the best clean foundation.
Limitless Lash Mascara in After Midnight
A deep black mascara in a white and black package.
Looking for lashes with limitless length and volume? Well, look no further than ILIA’s Limitless Lash Mascara. This mascara both lifts and separates lashes, preventing a nasty clumpy look. Solange uses the After Midnight colorway, a jet-black formula.
The formula isn’t flakey and resists smudging for up to 12 hours. We think that the secret to the product’s success is in the brush. The wand’s dual-sided construction is equipped with a multitude of thin bristles. One side features shorter bristles, while the other side is slightly longer. This construction works like a comb for your lashes, separating while evenly coating each strand in the product. Say hello to lash extension-worthy lashes every time.
Eye Stylus Shadow Stick in Opulent
A creamy eyeshadow stick in a champagne hue.
Solange achieves a sparkling eye look in one swipe using ILIA’s Eye Stylus Shadow Stick. Her shade of choice is Opulent, a champagne hue with a dazzling finish. These eyeshadow sticks offer maximum color payoff in numerous shades from sparkling shimmers to vibrant mattes. For our on-the-go makeup lovers, these sticks are easy to use. Just swipe on and blend with your fingertips. Or if you want to be extra, blend away with a fluffy crease brush. These shadow sticks are all about high impact with low effort.
In Frame Brow Gel
A clear brow gel in a black and white tube.
The summer heat is here, which means a lot of sweating. This makes locking down your brows virtually impossible. Not to fear. You can count on ILIA’s In Frame Brow Gel to keep your brows in place no matter the conditions. Retailing for $24, this clear gel is lightweight, sculpting and setting the brows for a fluffy and lifted look for up to eight hours. The formula includes key ingredients such as hydrolyzed quinoa that may help give your brows a fuller look. Simply brush the spoolie up through your brow hairs to shape them as you please. Let them dry and they should remain in place through even the hottest summer days.
Lip Wrap Reviving Balm
A clear lip balm with a shiny finish.
Moisture is key to a plump lip look. Quench your lips’ thirst this summer with ILIA’s Lip Wrap Reviving Balm. The product gives your lips a glossy finish, while nourishing. This barrier-building balm features potent levels of hyaluronic acid and sea succulent, ingredients that impart intense hydration to heal dry and cracked lips.
Beyond the ingredients, the balm is also pleasantly scented with lavender and chamomile, creating a calming effect. It also includes a ceramic applicator that creates a cooling sensation that feels extremely good on hot days. If you’re looking for a product in this edit that leans toward skincare rather than makeup, the Lip Wrap Reviving Balm is for you.
