State Champ Radio Author: djfrosty
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If you’re looking for vinyl records that sound better than streaming, it’s a great time to be a music fan. For years, executives wondered how big the vinyl business could get — I remember being told it would peak soon in 2014, when the format accounted for $315 million in U.S. revenue, according to the RIAA, […]
November: Julia Wolf
Image Credit: LE3AY
Since her days as a kid on Long Island, pop-rock singer-songwriter Julia Wolf has been fascinated by horror films. “My mom was putting on slasher films from when I was in the womb,” she says. Over time, such grisly themes began to spill over into her music, including the darker, grungy “In My Room.” Since its March 2024 release, Wolf has moved from the indie shadows into a hitmaker, leaning on her cult Twilight fandom to push her breakthrough hit — and adding a Drake collaboration and a number of upcoming shows at arenas in support of mgk to her ever-growing résumé.
Read her full profile here.
Trending on Billboard
While ugly Christmas sweaters have become an annual holiday tradition, they’re not in the dress code for every festive event.
Jimmy Fallon finds that out the hard way in his latest Christmas song, the twangy “Ugly Sweater,” featuring Nashville newcomer Carter Faith. The song and video will debut on the Thanksgiving episode (Nov. 27) of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, but Billboard has the first sneak peek for you right now.
It all starts out as a classy affair in the clip, with Faith in a gorgeous off-the-shoulder red cocktail dress and an Aperol spritz in her hand, surrounded by similarly formal friends. “But I found out when you opened the door,” she sings — just as Fallon makes his entrance in a goofy red-and-green-striped sweater covered in scattered appliqués of a giant treble clef, Santa and his reindeer, and the words “FA LA.”
“I was the only one in an ugly sweater,” Fallon sings in a deep twang as he awkwardly makes his way through the party. “Red in the face, it don’t get better/ Pretty clear I’m no trend-setter/ I’m the only one in an ugly sweater.”
The song was written by Fallon and produced by Dave Cobb, and will be released by Republic Records. Watch the preview below:
Fallon is no stranger to holiday music, bringing cheer to Billboard’s charts over the years with seasonal tunes and albums, including his debut Christmas album Holiday Seasoning. Released in 2024, the set spent eight weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Comedy Albums chart and jingled to a No. 2 peak on Top Holiday Albums.
Fallon has also gifted Billboard’s lists with holiday jams like 2021’s “It Was a (Masked Christmas)” (with Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion, a No. 38-peaking hit on Pop Airplay); 2022’s “Almost Too Early for Christmas” (with Dolly Parton, No. 30 on Adult Contemporary); 2023’s “Wrap Me Up” (with Meghan Trainor, No. 2 on Adult Contemporary and a top 40-charted hit on Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay); and 2024’s “Holiday” (with Jonas Brothers, No. 1 on Adult Contemporary) — Fallon’s first No. 1 on a radio airplay chart and a top 40 hit on Adult Pop Airplay.
Faith was Billboard‘s Country Rookie of the Month in March, when she signed a music publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville. She released her debut album, Cherry Valley, via MCA Nashville in October.
You can watch the full premiere of “Ugly Sweater” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday night (Nov. 27) at 11:35 p.m. ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock. It’s a very musical episode, as the night’s guests also include Ed Sheeran, Brad Paisley and Joe Keery (aka Djo).
Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Thursday, November 27, 2025.
Todd Owyoung/NBC
Few names are as synonymous with reggae music as Jimmy Cliff.
The Grammy-winning artist, whose music traversed reggae, ska, rocksteady, soul and rock ‘n’ roll, passed on Monday (Nov. 24), as announced by his wife, Latifah Chambers, in an Instagram post.
“It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia,” Chambers wrote. “I am thankful for his family, friends, fellow artists and coworkers who have shared his journey with him. To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his whole career. He really appreciated each and every fan for their love.”
After amassing a handful of local hits in the mid-1960s thanks to his trademark soulful tenor, the Kingston-born star achieved his international breakthrough with his eponymous 1969 LP (released as Wonderful World, Beautiful People in the States in 1970), which included the hits “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” and “Vietnam.” Bob Dylan famously called the latter of the two singles one of the greatest protest songs he’d ever heard. Wonderful World also housed the timeless “Many Rivers to Cross,” an evergreen reflection on navigating the industry that also appeared on the soundtrack for 1972’s The Harder They Come.
The first major commercial film release from Jamaica, The Harder They Come, is a classic crime drama musical that employs several elements native to spaghetti westerns. Cliff starred as the film’s main character, tackling payola, bad faith contracts, lust, loyalty, religion, and a tireless quest for stardom. Noted for its use of Jamaican patois, The Harder They Come proved that Cliff could continue specifically dedicating his art to his people while reaching new heights internationally. By 1976, he made his Saturday Night Live performance debut ahead of a decade that included a smash hit in 1983’s “Reggae Night,” a Bruce Springsteen co-sign, and a best reggae album Grammy win for 1985’s Cliff Hanger.
Cliff’s success continued throughout the ’90s, thanks to film-adjacent hits like his 1993 cover of Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now” (from Cool Runnings) and 1995’s Lebo M-assisted “Hakuna Matata” (from a compilation accompanying The Lion King). In the ’00s, Cliff delivered a pair of new albums (2002’s Fantastic Plastic People and 2004’s Black Magic) before Wyclef Jean officially inducted him into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, making the icon just the second Jamaican artist to receive the prestigious honor, after Bob Marley. In 2012, Cliff won his second career Grammy for Rebirth; ten years later, he unleashed his final studio album, Refugees.
Boasting eight top 10 projects on the Reggae Albums chart and three Billboard Hot 100 hits — “Wonderful World” (No. 25), “Clearly” (No. 18) and 1970’s “Come Into My Life” (No. 89) — Jimmy Cliff has left an indelible legacy across music and film that highlights the rich cultural heritage of Jamrock.
Here are our staff picks for Jimmy Cliff’s 10 all-time greatest songs.
“House of Exile” (Music Maker, 1974)
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is set to produce a four-part documentary aimed at the rise and fall of Sean “Diddy” Combs. Since Diddy’s imprisonment, 50 Cent has delivered several jabs at the Bad Boy Records mogul, highlighting Combs’ legal woes.
As spotted in Deadline, Fif had teased the development of the documentary series nearly two years ago, and now, Sean Combs: The Reckoning will make its debut on Netflix in December.
Filmmaker and documentarian Alexanderia Stapleton (Pride, The Playbook) is the director of the four-part series and one of its producers. Also joining the production side, along with Stapleton and Jackson, are Stacy Scripter, David Karabinas, Ariel Brozell, and Brad Bernstein. The documentary is produced by House of Nonfiction, G-Unit Film & Television, and Texas Crew Productions.
From Deadline:
Diddy. Puff Daddy. Love. The public knows the hip-hop icon by many names — but who is the real Sean Combs? Sean Combs: The Reckoning is a staggering examination of the media mogul, music legend, and convicted offender. Born with an insatiable drive for stardom and a knack for spotting talent, Combs made a quick ascent through the ranks of the music industry with Bad Boy Entertainment and was crucial in bringing hip-hop to the pop masses and launching the careers of dozens of generation-defining artists like The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, and Danity Kane.
“Being a woman in the industry, and going through the Me Too movement — watching giants in music and film go on trial, and to know what their outcomes were…When Cassie dropped her lawsuit, I just thought this could go a million different directions,” says director Alexandria Stapleton. “As a woman, I wondered how she had the confidence to go out there against a mogul like Sean Combs. As a filmmaker, I instantly knew it was a stress test of whether we’ve changed as a culture as far as being able to process allegations like this in a fair way,” Stapleton shared.
Sean Combs: The Reckoning makes its streaming debut on December 2 via Netflix.
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Photo: Getty
Trending on Billboard
Normani knows her way around the Dancing with the Stars dance floor. The former Fifth Harmony member and solo star came in third place during her run in season 24 and she was back on the boards on Tuesday night (Nov. 25) to lend a surprise hand to Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles during last night’s season 34 finale.
Chiles made her entrance in style to the strains of Beyoncé’s “Bow Down (Homecoming Live),” seated regally on a silvery couch shaped like a pair of lips as four hunky backup dancers spun her around in the air and then brought her back to the ground, where she ripped off a series of end-over-end round-offs while rocking a black bra top and leather pants with her first name down one leg.
Joined by a group of eight backup dancers, Chiles ripped off a series of fierce body rolls, spins and an easy-as-pie standing backflip as Bey growled “bow down b–ches!” Then, halfway through the routine, Chiles sprinted to a chain link fence at the back of the floor and climbed up as the male dancers lifted the section of fence and laid it flat, revealing Normani striking a pose underneath.
With the music, and vibe, shifting to Normani’s 2019 Billboard Hot 100 No. 33 debut solo hit “Motivation,” Chiles leapt off the fence to join ‘Mani on the floor. The women touched hands and proceeded to tear it up with a freestyle routine that had them popping their hips and executing perfectly coordinated, side-by-side cartwheels.
With Normani twerking up on the fence, Chiles moved center stage with professional dancing partner Ezra Sosa for a final round of dips, sways and high leaps that helped earn the tumbler third place in this year’s competition.
Speaking to E! News afterwards, Chiles said that the double-up was Normani’s idea. “She’s the one that actually said, ‘I think I should be in your freestyle,’” Chiles said, describing how Normani pitched the idea while attending a taping as an audience member in late September. “I didn’t know she was serious until her manager called me and was like, ‘No, she’s being serious. She wants to be in it.’”
Chiles did not hesitate, detailing how she told Sosa that they were definitely going to include the pop singer in their routine. “We’re gonna make it one of the most iconic freestyles,” Chiles said she told Sosa of the dance that judge Carrie Ann Inaba dubbed the best freestyle routine she’s seen in the show’s 20-year history.
Watch Chiles and Normani dance below.
Source: Prince Williams / Getty
Mario has made it clear, keep your hands to yourself when he’s performing.
A fan of the R&B singer completely disregarded his personal space during a recent performance in Detroit. As the Crying Out For Me artist was singing his heart out and interacting with the crowd, one fan went too far and began touching him in his manhood area. He immediately pulled back, clearly uncomfortable, and told the woman, “Stop playing with me.”
Many fans found it inappropriate and was violating the superstar’s personal space.
The Baltimore native has had a few interesting moments on stage this year. Back in October, he performed at the Big Fresno Fair, and if you’ve ever been to a Mario show, you know he loves to work the stage. While a videographer was filming him during the performance, Mario snapped and told him to “get the f*ck off the stage.”
The following day, the photographer, Ryan Hudgins, posted a statement saying that Mario and his team were respectful. He wrote, “How the night ended in comparison to how it began. Thank you to @bradjauriquepromotions for bringing me on to capture these amazing artists. Every single artist and their team were incredible and, most importantly, respectful towards my wife @nailsbymair21. Even @marioworldwide team and security were respectful.”
The Let Me Love You singer ended up apologizing after this incident and explained to non-artists why he was upset, “A cameraman is not supposed to be that far down stage unless he’s with you and shooting you that close for a reason. It really can throw you off.”
Trending on Billboard
It was 20 years ago this week (Nov. 29) that 16-year-old Chris Brown vaulted onto the scene with his self-titled debut studio album and triple platinum-certified Hot 100 No. 1 “Run It!” And in celebrating that anniversary, Brown — under the guidance of manager Anthony “Ant” Wilson of Tycoon Music — has achieved various other career milestones during what’s become an even more momentous year for the singer-songwriter.
Brown kicked off 2025 with the best R&B album Grammy for his latest album 11:11 (Deluxe) — his second win in that category after 13 years. He’s now closing out the year with two more nominations for the 2026 Grammy ceremony: best R&B song and best R&B performance for “It Depends” featuring Bryson Tiller, which peaked at No. 16 on the Hot 100. Prior to that in 2024, Brown picked up his first RIAA Diamond-certified single for “No Guidance” featuring Drake.
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Of witnessing Brown’s second Grammy win, Wilson — a 2025 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players honoree — told Billboard in August, “Winning isn’t everything, but it feels good. And the consistent recognition of his artistry continues to solidify him as one of the biggest artists in the world.”
Between those Grammy bookends, Brown embarked on what’s since been logged by Billboard Boxscore as his highest-grossing live outing to date, the Breezy Bowl XX World Tour. Spanning 39 cities and 48 shows, his 20th anniversary and first-ever stadium run (June 8-Oct. 16) earned $300 million and drew 2 million fans across North America, Europe and the U.K. Accompanied by Tiller as a special guest through the run and Grammy-nominated artists Jhené Aiko and Summer Walker on select dates, Brown also welcomed pop-up performances along the way by Usher, 50 Cent, GloRilla, Tyga, Bow Wow, Sexyy Red and Davido during his three-hour, 56-song set.
It’s Brown’s indefatigable energy and love of performing that Wilson first focused on strategically when he became the global star’s manager 10 years ago after predecessors Tina Davis and Mike G.
“We started off doing club and spot dates,” Wilson recalls. “Then we got the Heartbreak on a Full Moon tour [2018 with H.E.R., 6lac, and Rich the Kid]. I just wanted to get him back to the touring part of the business because I felt he could touch the most fans there. That was my initial goal.”
Wilson also created the annual Tycoon Music Festival. Presented this year in association with Live Nation and 313 Presents, the festival marked its sixth anniversary on April 19 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Headlined by Brown, the lineup also starred Skilla Baby, Fabolous, Gucci Mane and Wiz Khalifa with surprise appearances from Sexyy Red, G-Herbo, Payroll Giovanni and Tee Grizzley.
Based in Las Vegas, as is Brown, Wilson recently spoke with Billboard about what’s next on the drawing board for him and his superstar client.
Chris Brown and Anthony “Ant” Wilson
Travis Colbert
What’s it like managing such a tireless artist as Brown?
We don’t sleep too much over here [laughs]. That’s because he stays up working in the studio he has in his house. He’s in that studio every day until we put out an album. And then the hard part before that is figuring out what songs are going to make the album. Chris also has a billion ideas about different things. So another hard thing is trying to get those billion ideas down to at least 10.
Talk about the rapport between the two of you, which is an important part of the artist/manager collaboration.
I met Chris when I was working with Bow Wow. that’s when Tina was involved. She’s a friend of mine as well. So I used to help out whenever she needed some assistance. Mike G was there too; we were all together then. But Chris is my brother first then it’s business, I don’t hope that he wins. He has to win because he’s my family. So that’s why there is no sleeping because I’ve got to make sure he does. I don’t know if there’s a blueprint on how to manage an artist. Every artist is different. But there is one key thing: understanding the artist and the fans of that artist.
Very few artists have made the successful transition from teen to adult star. Why has Brown been able to cross that bridge?
A lot of artists can do one thing; they can either sing or they can dance. But not a lot of artists can perform the way that he does: he’s singing, he’s dancing, he’s crying, he’s laughing, he’s flying, He’s doing everything he can to please fans. He’ll take less money just for the production to be what it is. He just wants [his performance] to stand out. Breezy XX was originally three and a half hours. I’m like, “Chris, come on. We’re going to run into overtime on every show. Like I said before, that’s the hardest thing … trying to get things down to where we’re both happy [laughs].
A new album coming before this year is out has been rumored given the 20th anniversary. Any hints about the next project?
There’s always an album. The name of it always changes. The songs always change. Even with the last album, we were in the studio putting another song together on the day before it came out. So I can’t say the name or a date for the album. I’ll leave it open because he could wake up and say let’s put it out next week. I’m ready though. I have it [the album] at the moment, but it changes every week.
Chris Brown performs in San Diego, CA, on September 18, 2025.
Acre Media
What else is next? A concert movie à la Taylor Swift and Beyoncé or a return to acting?
He loves and wants to act. There are acting classes, and he’s gearing up for that. I also think the Super Bowl would be a great place for him. I believe it will happen.
Have there been any overtures on that front?
We’ll just see.
How has it been navigating the negativity that he still encounters as you work to move his career forward?
It’s nothing that I’m not used to at this point. We just smile and keep going. I just try to show improvement with work over the words, you know? I think that’s the best way. But his kids ground him. He’s a great, involved dad. I also think Chris’ fans love him so much because they can relate. He’s a real person who’s gone through things that others have but he did it in front of the world. So I feel like that’s his legacy: going through life with everyone else.
Now that Verzuz is back, is the long-rumored Usher/Chris Brown match-up a stronger possibility?
It may. Usher and Swizz Beatz are friends of mine; Swizz recently spoke to me about it. I’m not saying no if it makes sense.
Beyond your ownership of the Tycoon Festival, what other projects are you shepherding?
I also work with 50 Cent in a company called the Green Light Gang. We have 40 TV shows [in the works] at the moment and a few movies. We’re also going to build a production company in Shreveport, Louisiana. So that’s my new baby, television.
Trending on Billboard
The Oasis Live ’25 tour is a bit like a iceberg: what you see above the water doesn’t always match up with what’s hiding under the surface. For evidence just look at tour video director Jon Shrimpton’s celebratory post on Monday (Nov. 24), when he reminisced about the globe-trotting outing that wrapped up in Brazil on Sunday (Nov. 23) after 41 sold-out show on five continents.
“And there it was…. gone!…. after 14 months of pre-production, lots of well kept secrets, and 5 months of some of the most incredible sights and sounds I’ve ever seen at a stadium show, here we are,” Shrimpton wrote, revealing that plans for the shows were well along on their way last September, just weeks after the group shocked the world by announcing that they were reuniting after a 16–year break.
While Shrimpton didn’t divulge what “secrets” he was referring to, he did rave about the results of the tour that brought out rapturous, bucket hat-wearing hordes who lustily sang along to every note and reveled in the chance to hear “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova” live again, or possibly for the first time.
“The last night of the … it would be fair to say; culturally and financially successful Oasis Live ‘25 world tour, tonight, in São Paulo,” he wrote from Estádio do Morumbi in São Paulo, Brazil in the post featuring images of the tour’s crew and a wild behind-the-scenes peek at what the shows looked like from his perch featuring more than a dozen feeds he pumped out to the massive screens spanning the stage.
“A genuine career high point here, being the video director on this momentous event. Travelling around the world, in the eye of the storm,” Shrimpton wrote. “I’ve been genuinely honoured to work with the most incredible, talented, ego-free, happy crew that has ever been assembled, and there’s been nothing but love from everything I’ve seen written about the show…. even in the British press.”
And while Shrimpton hinted that the tour was in the works well before fans heard a peep about it, the NME noted that some enterprising fans on Reddit did the math and speculated that the 14 months of pre-production meant the plans for the reunion were in the works by May or June of last year, several months before the announcement.
One user even accused singer Liam of being even cheekier than usual when he went out on his June 2024 arena tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of the band’s debut, Definitely Maybe. “Thinking about all those interviews where Rkids [Liam] fooled me [into] think[ing] they still didn’t talk to each other… good actors,” read one comment about the singer’s continuation of the charade that he and his older brother were still not on speaking terms after their rancorous 2009 split.
Specialist music publisher Dynamite Songs has acquired certain rights and royalty streams from singer-songwriter Eric Turner, R&B producer and songwriter John “$K” McGee and electronic music creators TIEKS and Dan Harkna.
The three deals add nearly 150 tracks to Dynamite’s portfolio, including Tinie Tempah’s multi-platinum hit “Written In The Stars,” Avicii’s “Broken Arrows,” TIEKS’s summer anthem “Sunshine” (feat. Dan Harkna), and Trey Songz’s standout “Neighbors Know My Name” from his Grammy-nominated album Ready.
Specifically, Dynamite has acquired the publishing and songwriting rights, along with global publishing and performance royalties, for selected works from the Turner and McGee catalogs, while its deal with TIEKS and Harkna is understood to be limited to the track “Sunshine.”
Turner is best known for co-writing and performing on “Written In The Stars” (see below) and collaborating with Avicii on “Dancing in My Head” and “Broken Arrows.” McGee helped shape modern R&B with tracks like “Neighbors Know My Name” and cuts for Jacquees. TIEKS and Harkna created “Sunshine”, a global dance hit boosted by Fiat’s 500 campaign and BBC Radio 1 support.
These acquisitions mark the latest phase of Dynamite’s expansion since its May launch, bringing its actively managed catalogue to around 1,200 works. The deals follow Dynamite’s earlier acquisitions of works tied to Ed Sheeran and Kendrick Lamar.
“What excites me most about these latest deals is how clearly they embody what Dynamite stands for – selective, high-quality acquisitions of music that truly matters,””” said Alan Wallis, CEO of Dynamite Songs. “With around 1 billion total streams between them, these catalogues have consistently demonstrated their commercial strength. We’re deeply grateful to John, Eric, Mark and Dan for entrusting us with these incredible works. As our robust pipeline of potential deals continues to expand, we look forward to partnering with even more creators who share our passion for timeless music and value our artist-first approach to dealmaking.””
Check out the rest of this week’s publishing news below, including Mushroom Music’s sub-publishing partnership with peermusic, 1916 Enterprises signing Chance Emerson, Karma Artists and Payday Music Publishing signing Benji, and Reservoir Media linking up with reggae publisher Abood Music.
Mushroom + Peermusic
Image Credit: Mary Megan Peer (credit: Melody Rae)
