djfrosty

25 Apr 2024

Matty Healy’s Mom Quips She ‘Wasn’t Aware’ Taylor Swift Put Out a New Album

Denise Welch recently quipped she “wasn’t aware” of The Tortured Poets Department‘s release — which now makes two people in Matty Healy‘s family who haven’t heard Taylor Swift‘s new album.

The British talk show star — mom to The 1975‘s frontman — talked about the pop star’s latest project with her co-hosts on the Thursday (April 25) episode of Loose Women, joking, “I wasn’t aware she had an album out at all.”

“I haven’t heard anything about it,” she added, smiling. “Anyway, I wish her all the best.”

Trending on Billboard

Welch’s response comes just a day after Healy was approached about Tortured Poets, which dropped April 19 and includes several songs rumored to be about the “Somebody Else” singer. “I haven’t really listened to that much of it, but I’m sure it’s good,” he said at the time.

But while two generations of Welches may not have heard the 31-track double album, it definitely seems like they’re in the minority. Tortured Poets has been smashing records left and right in the six days since it dropped, recently becoming the fastest album to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify as well as breaking Swift’s own first-week vinyl sales record, so far selling more than 800,000 copies and counting.

Fans believe that the 14-time Grammy winner and Healy dated for a brief period following Swift’s breakup from actor Joe Alwyn in 2023. Last spring, the pair attended each other’s concerts and exited Electric Lady Studios in New York together. Since then, the “Anti-Hero” singer has started dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, another rumored muse for certain songs on Tortured Poets. (Kelce’s mom, by the way, is loving the new album.)

Watch the clip below.

25 Apr 2024

Rapper Sentenced To Death By Iranian Court For Backing Mahsa Amini Protests

HipHopWired Featured Video

Manifestation des Iraniens à Lyon

Source: Robert DEYRAIL / Getty

An Iranian court issued a death sentence to a popular rapper who was jailed for over a year after backing nationwide protests.

On Wednesday (April 24), rapper Toomaj Salehi was sentenced to death by a court in Iran for his support of protests that swept through the country two years ago, according to his lawyer. “Branch 1 of Isfahan Revolutionary Court… sentenced Toomaj Salehi to death on the charge of corruption on Earth,” Salem’s lawyer Amir Raisian said in a statement, adding “that in an unprecedented move, emphasized its independence and did not implement the Supreme Court’s ruling”. Salehi had been imprisoned in Isfahan in solitary confinement after reportedly being violently rearrested by Iranian police last year for 252 days, according to a report from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). 

The rapper has been highly critical of the Revolutionary Government in the past and was initially arrested in October 2022 for “assistance in sedition, assembly and collusion, propaganda against the system and calling for riots” after protests over the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini the month before. Amini, 22, was an Iranian-Kurdish woman who had been detained for allegedly flouting the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code for women. Raisian stated that “We will certainly appeal against the sentence”. Iranian state media reported that Salehi’s sentence would be subject to a reduction by a pardoning committee upon appeal. Kurdish-Iranian rapper Saman Yasin was also detained by Iranian police and given a prison sentence after the protests.

The news prompted multiple expressions of outrage. “We strongly condemn Toomaj Salehi’s death sentence and the five-year sentence for Kurdish-Iranian rapper Saman Yasin. We call for their immediate release,” the United States’ Office of the Special Envoy for Iran said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “These are the latest examples of the regime’s brutal abuse of its own citizens, disregard for human rights, and fear of the democratic change the Iranian people seek.”

Ye-One Rhie, a member of the German Parliament and Salehi’s sponsor, also called for Salehi’s release. “It is still completely unclear how this verdict came about,” she posted on X on Wednesday. “It is unbelievable how irresponsibly and arbitrarily the Iranian regime treats defendants. It is impossible to recognize the rule of law in the chaos of the courts in charge.”

25 Apr 2024

Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant Wonders When Taylor Swift Will Have Her ‘Billie Jean’

The Pet Shop Boys are sharing their thoughts on Taylor Swift following the release of the superstar’s 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department.

In an interview with The Guardian, the group’s Neil Tennant shared, “I was looking at the chart earlier today … and it’s all Taylor Swift.”

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

He continued, “I have listened to Taylor Swift’s album. Taylor Swift sort of fascinates me as a phenomenon because she’s so popular and I sort of quite like the whole thing. But then when I listen to the records, and we both have the same feeling actually, that for a phenomenon as big [as she is] … where are the famous songs? What is Taylor Swift’s ‘Billie Jean’?”

When someone suggested “Shake It Off” as an equivalent to the popularity of Michael Jackson’s enduring hit, Tennant responded, “Is it though? No, ’cause I actually even know that that’s the answer, but I listened to that the other day, and it’s not ‘Billie Jean.’ It’s not… Melodically — she’s got a great voice, by the way, and the production’s beautiful — but melodically … it’s all sung one or two notes going up and down… But, anyway, it’s a fascinating thing.”

Trending on Billboard

The interviewer then added that Swifties enjoy having a collective experience, and Tennant agreed. “I like that, I even sort of appreciate that, and I like the fact that it brings all these people together, even multigenerational, but I just think that the one disappointing thing is the music. Not even the lyrics, the music,” he said.

Watch the full interview via a fan account here.

On Friday (April 19), what was originally slated to be a standard 16-track album turned into a 31-song anthology when Swift surprised fans just hours after release with an additional second half of the project. “It’s a 2am surprise: The Tortured Poets Department is a secret DOUBLE album,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’d written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it all with you, so here’s the second installment of TTPD: The Anthology. 15 extra songs. And now the story isn’t mine anymore… it’s all yours.”

Following its release, The Tortured Poets Department sold 1.4 million copies in traditional album sales on its first day, according to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate. That marks Swift’s biggest sales week ever for any album in the U.S. (Luminate’s sales, streaming and airplay data powers Billboard’s charts. All numbers in this story are for the U.S. only.)

25 Apr 2024

Kelsea Ballerini’s Accused Album Leaker Agrees to Name Names Amid Hacking Lawsuit

A superfan accused of hacking Kelsea Ballerini and leaking her unreleased music has reached an agreement with the star’s lawyers not to share her songs with anyone else — and to name any people he’s already sent them to.

Just a week after Ballerini sued Bo Ewing over accusations that he illegally accessed her unfinished album and shared it with members of a fan club, attorneys for both sides said Wednesday (April 24) that they have agreed on a preliminary injunction against Ewing that will remain in place as the case plays out.

Under the terms of the injunction to which his lawyers agreed, Ewing is not only banned from disseminating any of Ballerini’s materials, he’s required to divulge who he has already shared them with and how he came into possession of her music.

Trending on Billboard

“Defendant shall, within thirty days of entry of this order, provide plaintiffs with the names and contact information for all people to whom defendant disseminated the recordings,” the agreement reads. “Defendant shall use his best efforts to disclose to Plaintiffs from whom and by what means he obtained the recordings.”

The agreement avoids a court battle over such an injunction, which Ballerini’s attorneys were asking a federal judge to impose regardless of Ewing’s cooperation. In doing so, they warned that the hack had caused “immediate and ongoing harm” that would get far worse if Ewing was allowed to widely release the allegedly leaked songs online.

“The most critical time for an album’s success is its initial release date,” Ballerini’s attorneys wrote in a motion demanding such an injunction. “Hacks like this substantially diminish both performers’ and labels’ ability to realize the full benefits of the release because the work is already available for download, for free, at the time of the official release.”

Ballerini sued last week, claiming that Ewing — allegedly a former fan who had become disillusioned with the star — had gained illegal “back-door access” to a device holding recordings of 12 songs still in production. Her lawyers say he then shared them with members of an online fan club.

“Because the recordings are not the completed master, the songs are not final and are subject to revision,” her lawyers wrote. “Ms. Ballerini and her team are the only people who can say when the recordings are complete. Defendant’s actions have stripped plaintiffs of that right and caused the distribution of unfinished work that may not yet be up to plaintiffs’ high professional standards.”

Almost immediately, the federal judge overseeing the case issued a so-called temporary restraining order — an emergency order that banned Ewing from sharing any of Ballerini’s materials. That order set the stage for a longer-term preliminary injunction, which both sides were set to debate at a hearing on Thursday (April 25).

Instead, Ewing’s attorneys struck Wednesday’s deal accepting such an injunction. Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. signed off on the agreement on Thursday. Neither side’s lawyers immediately returned requests for comment.

25 Apr 2024

Tyla & Gunna Outside Top 10, Redbone At No. 8 on TikTok Billboard Top 50 Chart | Billboard News

Tyla and Gunna’s hit “Jump” sits just outside the top 10, an oldie but goodie jumps to No.8, but who’s at No.1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart? Keep watching to find out!

Tetris Kelly:
A new song takes the top spot while another breaks into the top 10. Lay Bankz climbs from 11 into the top spot on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 for the chart posting April 25. “Tell Ur Girlfriend” has become a certifiable bop on the ‘Tok, and even debuted at number 58 on the Hot 100.

While the rest of the top 10 looks pretty familiar, an oldie but goodie jumps to No. 8 from 29. Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love” may have hit No. 5 on the Hot 100 50 years ago, but it’s found a new life on the app.

Sitting just outside the top 10 is Billboard cover star Tyla’s “Jump” featuring Gunna and Skillibeng.

Every Thursday, Billboard will bring you the verified list of the hottest songs on TikTok by monitoring music discovery and engagement on the platform in the United States. To find the TikTok Billboard Top 50 each week, users can simply go to any sound detail page and tap the top right button to access the charts page.

25 Apr 2024

Did Drake Use AI to Say FU to Artists’ Rights?

Only one word really describes Drake’s shift from objecting to an AI impersonation of him to using similar technology to add imitations of 2Pac and Snoop Dogg to his Kendrick Lamar diss track “Taylor Made Freestyle”: Chutzpah. (Drake had a bar-mitzvah-themed 31st birthday party, so he probably knows the term.) Last year around this time, the infamous “Heart on My Sleeve,” which featured AI vocal imitations of Drake and The Weeknd, shifted the debate about music and AI into high gear. Ever since, industry lobbyists and artists rights groups have been pushing legislation to regulate generative AI technology based on concepts of rights and permissions. Now Drake goes and blatantly breaks the main principle involved. It’s like something out of a political attack ad: He was against this before he was for it!

To me, using artists’ voices without their permission is wrong and it’s even more wrong — creepier — if the artist in question died relatively recently. The legal situation around this, and AI in general, is in flux, though. Tennessee’s ELVIS Act just passed, and a few federal bills have significant support. But the main point of the ELVIS Act and most of the recently proposed legislation is to impose penalties for exactly the kind of thing Drake did.

Trending on Billboard

And Drake, who must know these laws are necessary because a year ago they would have helped him, just made it harder to pass them. Imagine you’re a music business lobbyist who spent the last year explaining to members of Congress how important it is to protect the unique sounds of particular performers and then suddenly one of the biggest artists in the world goes ahead and violates every principle you’ve been discussing. Forget about Lamar — where’s the diss track from the RIAA?

It’s hard to say for sure whether what Drake did was illegal because laws vary by state — that’s why we need federal legislation in the first place. But Drake seems to have released the recording without his label, Republic Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, which could indicate some concerns. (A representative for Drake declined to comment and Universal did not respond to requests for comment.) And Tupac Shakur’s estate has threatened to sue if Drake doesn’t take the track offline. (Snoop Dogg’s reaction — “They did what? When? How? Are you sure?,” followed by a weary sigh — is a work of art in itself. 10/10, no notes.) Litigation could be complicated, though. The Shakur estate threatened to sue for a violation of Shakur’s right of publicity, as well as for copyright infringement, which may be harder but comes with high statutory damages.

Howard King, the lawyer for Shakur’s estate, lays out the issue in his cease-and-desist letter to Drake. “Not only is the record a flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the estate’s legal rights,” King writes, “it is also a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. The Estate would never have given its approval for this use.” The use of 2Pac’s voice was especially inappropriate, King suggests, since Lamar is “a good friend to the Estate who has given nothing but respect to Tupac.”

In music critic terms, Drake is using simulacra of 2Pac and Snoop to call out Lamar by implying that he’s unworthy of their legacy. In legal terms, this might violate Shakur and Snoop Dogg’s rights of publicity or likeness rights, and there are precedents that would suggest it does — Tom Waits and Bette Midler each won a case about (human) vocal imitation. In moral terms, this feels so wrong because it forces Shakur and Snoop to say something they would never have said in real life. In hip-hop, reputation is everything — you own your words in both senses of the term — and Snoop and Shakur have every right to guard theirs.

This might seem like an awfully pretentious way to talk about what will almost certainly be remembered as a minor track from a major artist. Are reputations really at stake? Doesn’t anyone with even the slightest interest in pop music know that Drake used AI?

That’s a very current way of thinking about a technology that’s evolving really fast. What happens when millions of hobbyist producers release thousands of songs with imitations of hundreds of artists? (There are fan-made AI tracks out there already.) Who’s to know who dissed whom, let alone who favors what politician or endorses which product? For that matter, what happens when this comes for politicians? You can’t regulate digital technology with the legal equivalent of an umbrella — you need to prepare for a flood.

The ELVIS Act and the EU AI legislation represent a good start for that preparation, and most of the federal legislation under discussion seems solid. Hopefully, by the time the flood hits, we’ll remember “Heart on My Sleeve” as the beginning of an important debate and “Taylor Made Freestyle” as an amusing aside.

25 Apr 2024

HYBE Reports NewJeans Label CEO Min Hee-Jin to Police as K-Pop Exec Holds Teary Press Conference

Just days after launching an audit into subsidiary label ADOR and asking its CEO, Min Hee-jin, to exit, the Korean entertainment giant says it will report the executive to police.

The announcement came ahead of Min holding an emotional press conference in Seoul, where she refuted allegations of usurping ADOR girl group NewJeans‘ management, shared conversations she had with the group’s members and addressed other rumors as the Billboard 200–topping girl group prepares to launch its new single, “Bubble Gum.”

On Thursday (April 25) local time in Korea, HYBE shared the following statement with the media as an update to its audit regarding ADOR, CEO Min and other executives at the label:

Trending on Billboard

On April 25 KST, HYBE announced that the company will report CEO Min Hee-Jin of its subsidiary label ADOR to police for a breach of trust and other related allegations today. 

HYBE secured substantial evidence to prove that Min deliberately led the plan to take over management control of the subsidiary, through the audit process. The evidence included detailed discussions that Min has ordered the ADOR management to find ways to pressure HYBE into ultimately selling ADOR’s shares. One of the audited parties submitted information assets to seize the management of ADOR and to attempt to contact external investors. The auditee also admitted to creating the documents to attack HYBE.

In the meantime, HYBE will continue to provide attentive mental and emotional care to the company’s artist NewJeans and best support for their upcoming comeback. The company will meet legal representatives of the respective members as soon as possible to discuss the plan to protect the act.

As previously reported, Min earned an 18% stake in ADOR in late 2023, when HYBE moved from full ownership of the label to 80%, with the additiona 2% owned by other company executives.

Following Min Hee-jin and ADOR going on the offensive with interviews and multiple statements to various Korean media alleging that HYBE has been exploiting ADOR and allowing NewJeans’ concept to be plagiarized, the K-pop industry veteran held a press conference with her lawyers that lasted more than two hours on Friday.



According to the Korea JoongAng Daily‘s minute-by-minute report, Min arrived for the 3 p.m. press conference casually dressed in a baseball cap and simple T-shirt to be greeted by a slew of photographers — so many that at one point, the executive said she wouldn’t be able to speak if the camera flashes continued. Throughout the two-hour event, Min proclaimed her innocence, shared her disagreements with HYBE’s leadership, rebutted their conclusion that she wanted to seize NewJeans’ management and tried to shift focus back to her original internal complaint regarding plagiarism. Under Min’s leadership, ADOR previously claimed that HYBE’s newest act, the five-member girl group ILLIT formed under another subsidiary, BELIFT LAB, is copying NewJeans.

While weaving through stories with her lawyers alongside her, an at-times sobbing Min also addressed rumors regarding current and past HYBE artists including BTS, GFRIEND, LE SSERAFIM and more.

During the first half hour of the presentation, Min shared text message chats she claims she had with HYBE founder/chairman Bang Si-hyuk and HYBE CEO Park Ji-won. These alleged texts, according to Min, show Bang’s interest in buying Source Music, where Min previously worked, to launch a girl group. She also revealed that she recruited NewJeans’ eldest member, Minji, from Source’s trainee pool for ADOR. Min further claimed that HYBE’s debuting LE SSERAFIM under the Source label led to NewJeans being cast aside and created internal issues.

In a 2022 Billboard interview shortly after NewJeans’ debut, Min described her move away from Source Music by noting that “there would have been a number of different challenges involved” at the time and that she instead focused on creating “an independent label,” which became ADOR. “ADOR is a label that started with guaranteed autonomy, so it has no ties with HYBE’s management,” Min said. “They actually didn’t have any knowledge about anything we were going to release up until the first music video was released.” In the same interview, a question regarding Minji’s time as a trainee under Source Music was never addressed by press time.

After the first hour of the press conference, Min added claims that her contract terms with HYBE were unfair, though her lawyer said the details of the contract are confidential. Min also alleged that HYBE spun her contacting a law firm as external consulting, creating the current situation. Min pointed to multiple misunderstandings, including those that arose from jokes between her executive team, and added that HYBE still owes her money.

Through tears, Min revealed more text messages claiming that a NewJeans member’s mother called her to encourage her to speak out. During the Q&A with the press in attendance, Min contended that NewJeans members Hanni and Haerin have specifically reached out to her in support.

Separately, two NewJeans members have made public appearances amid the K-pop power struggle. Minji attended a Chanel pop-up store opening on Tuesday (April 23) in Seoul, while Danielle attended different fashion events on the Tuesday and Wednesday, though neither has made public statements on the matter.

Throughout the press conference, Min also touched on BTS (refuting an online rumor that she claimed the Billboard chart-toppers had copied her ideas), GFRIEND (saying she had nothing to do with the group’s abrupt 2021 disbandment soon after her formal start at HYBE) and took several shots at the teams behind ILLIT by sharing how the members are innocent but “it’s the adults that have sinned…copied all the formulas that we had with NewJeans,” from the concept to fashion collaborations, as reported by the Korea JoongAng Daily.

Just as HYBE did in its statement, Min ended her press conference by re-focusing attention on NewJeans. Despite the clash, the K-pop group’s upcoming music video for “Bubble Gum” is still set to premiere on Friday (April 26) via the HYBE Labels YouTube channel.

25 Apr 2024

Tupac Shakur’s Estate Threatens Drake With Legal Action, Gives The Rapper 24 Hours To Take Down “Taylor Made Freestyle”

HipHopWired Featured Video

Estate of Tupac Shakur Slaps Drake With A Cease-&-Desist Letter

Source: L. Busacca / Getty / Tupac Shakur

Drake’s clever attempt at a Kendrick Lamar diss record could land him in legal hot water.

Spotted on HuffPost, the Estate of the late iconic rapper Tupac Shakur is threatening Drake with legal action for using an AI-generated voice of Shakur.

The Estate is giving the Canadian Hip-Hop star 24 hours to take down his latest Kendrick Lamar diss track, “Taylor Made Freestyle.” The track features AI-generated voices of Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg urging their West Coast brethren to defend his honor on wax. Drake’s verse uses the 8-mile tactic of taking all the possible insults Lamar can use off the table by pointing them out.

In the song, the fake Tupac tells K.Dot, “You asked for the smoke, now it seems you too busy for the smoke.”

Per Billboard, the cease-and-desist letter that the Shakur estate slapped Drake, real name Aubrey Graham.

The HuffPost Reports:

“The Estate is deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorized use of Tupac’s voice and personality,” attorney Howard King wrote in the letter, according to Billboard. “Not only is the record a flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the Estate’s legal rights, it is also a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. The Estate would never have given its approval for this use.”

Snoop Dogg Also Had Something To Say

Following the Friday release of “Taylor Made Freestyle,” Snoop Dogg took to his Instagram account to drop a hilarious reaction to Drake using an AI version of his voice.

“They did what? When? How? Are you sure? [Sigh] Y’all have a good night,” Snoop said in the Instagram clip. “Why everybody calling my phone, blowing me up? What the fuck— what happened? What’s going on? I’m going back to bed. Good night.”

We are curious to see how this plays out.

25 Apr 2024

9 Essential Organized Noize Songs & Productions

HipHopWired Featured Video

The Recording Academy Honors 2007

Source: Annette Brown / Getty

Hip-Hop’s relationship with the other coasts has long been curious, marked at times by periods of disregard, surprise and respect. For Southerners, much of that affirmative praise comes from the work of rappers like Scarface, groups like UGK, 8Ball and MJG, and OutKast, and producers like Mannie Fresh, DJ Paul and Juicy J, and the production trio, Organized Noize.

Birthed in Atlanta, the collective of the late Rico Wade, Ray Murray, and Sleepy Brown, is responsible for not only some of music’s biggest records but also for bringing life to a persona and energy that gave the South its moniker. The Dirty South, the moniker’s inception often credited to Cool Breeze, is a nod to the Goodie Mob song and a testament to the work they put in down in Wade’s mother’s basement, affectionately known as “The Dungeon”. Their work in creating the music for OutKast, guiding the careers of Goodie Mob, and producing the music for the South elevated its position and laid the foundation for future Southern producers who followed in their footsteps.

Here are nine songs from the trio that should be on your playlist.

Cool Breeze- “Watch for the Hook”

The funk, soul, and gospel-infused hook of Southern Man from New Orleans singer Merry Clayton is the perfect theme for this posse cut from one of the South’s premier clans, the Dungeon Family. A play on the song’s chorus and the dynamic’s battle rap flow, it stands out as one of the DF’s most enjoyable cuts—taken from Cool Breeze’s debut album East Point’s Greatest Hit.



Goodie Mob – “They Don’t Dance No More”

Prophetic, satirical, and visually captivating, the hook is embedded in listener’s minds, wedged in between the keyboard chords and vocals. An honest analysis of the changing landscape in rap, Goodie’s Mob’s lyrics focus on the increasingly violent and serious tone of rap music, which is why it remains one of group’s most memorable songs.



Ludacris – “Saturday (Oooh! Oooh!)”

The third single from Ludacris’ multi-platinum sophomore album, Word of Mouf, the ear worm of a sample and vocals from Sleepy Brown help give the song a feel of nostalgia and bravado. “Saturday’s” success helped reintroduce Organized Noize to a newer generation unfamiliar with the music of OutKast and other premier artists of the 90’s.



Goodie Mob – “Cell Therapy”

The sonics of the piano keys only added to the song’s jarring lyrics which foreshadowed the musical experimentation of Goodie Mob. In an interview with B-High of Hot 107.9, Khujo speaks on how the song came to be.

“We went to Stankonia Studios and Ray (Murray) had a beat. That piano came on and I was like, What is this?! I got lost in the beat.”

Serving as the group’s first single from its debut album, Soul Food, the song’s socially conscious themes and sci-fi focus led to it being banned on MTV. Controversy aside, the song’s production showed the world how creative and passionate Organized Noize was.



Goodie Mob- “Dirty South”

The definitive song, which featured Cool Breeze and Big Boi, for a whole region had to be considered near or at the top of the list. Iconic references to Atlanta staples like the Red Dog police unit, Ms Ann and her historic Ghetto Burger, and now demolished housing projects serve as a time capsule of Atlanta before gentrification. Safe to say, many people didn’t know about the Dirty South prior to this declaration.



OutKast – “So Fresh, So Clean”

The song’s bassline, played by longtime bassist Preston Crump, and sleek vocals provide a groovy and memorable energy to the track, making it one of the OutKast’s most memorable songs. As for the video, the visual duality of their outfits and rhymes represents the yin and yang that make them iconic and this remains one of the best examples of each member’s contribution.



En Vogue – Don’t Let Go

Yet another signature song from a girl group that came to define them as a whole while equally performing well on the Billboard charts. Arguably the most successful record En Vogue released, the song’s powerful piano chords and vocals brought the group a level of fame unlike anything they had ever seen. Envisioned by Rico Wade who subsequently suggested the song go to En Vogue, Don’t Let Go spent 35 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, peaking at #2.



TLC- Waterfalls

One of the biggest songs of its era and arguably the biggest song by TLC, the “Wateralls’” iconic guitar and horn selection showcase the musical dexterity and genius of Organized Noize. A metaphor that touched on the social and spiritual issues of that time, “Waterfalls” showed the world just how versatile and capable both groups were at making popular music.



OutKast – “Player’s Ball”

Without the work of Organized Noize, the world would never know about the genius of OutKast and Atlanta. A Christmas Carol about the joys of brotherhood and blunts, the song introduced the world to OutKast and set the stage for their future reign. Conceived in Rico Wade’s basement, the music that followed allowed OutKast and Goodie Mob to shine, while in the process leading us to the one of the South’s most important groups, the Dungeon Family.

In an interview titled Hip Hop: Songs that Shook the World, Big Boi spoke on the influence of Rico Wade and Organized Noize, stating,

” He was the gateway to LA Reid and he signed OutKast to LaFace through a production deal. Without Organized, there would be no OutKast or Goodie Mob. They put all their blood, sweat, and tears into making our first album.”



25 Apr 2024

CeCe Winans on Her Christian Airplay Hit ‘That’s My King,’ New Live Album: ‘We Created a Worship Service More Than a Record’

In 2021, with nearly four decades of recording under her belt, 15-time Grammy winner CeCe Winans released her first live album, Believe for It. However, with the world still reeling from COVID, she and her team were forced to shift the dynamics of making the album, recording the project in an intimate setting of about 50 people in Nashville.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

For her new album, More Than This, out April 26 via PureSprings Gospel/Fair Trade Services, Winans knew she wanted another shot at doing a live album. This time, the project was recorded at downtown Nashville venue Rocketown, with an audience of around 1,200 members.

“I wanted to experience the live audience,” Winans tells Billboard. “The last record was powerful, and God blessed it. But to hear the live audience on this one, it takes it to a whole other place for me.”

Trending on Billboard

As with her previous album, Winans sets classic worship songs alongside modern ones. On More Than This, classics such as “Sanctuary” and “Oh the Blood of Jesus” are tucked alongside modern worship fare — such as Chris Tomlin’s recent hit “Holy Forever,” Elevation Worship’s “Worthy” and Maverick City Music’s “Refiner,” as well as two songs Winans co-wrote, the title track (which features musician Todd Dulaney) and “Be Still and Know.”

Winans reunited with producer Kyle Lee, as well as co-producers Thomas Hardin, Jr. and Tyrone Jackson, for the new album. She notes that they carefully selected the dozen songs that make up the tracklist, with the intent of weaving an upbeat, joyful message throughout the project.

“We got the chance to create a worship service more than a record, a time of worship that would tie the old with the new,” Winans says. “I know a lot of people don’t listen to whole albums nowadays, but I like to create a piece of work that you can listen from the beginning to the end, and you connect that thread all the way through.”

Both performing live and performing cover songs presented its own unique challenges in the recording process of the album.

“You have to rehearse with the band and singers, and learn the songs,” says Winans, who is managed by MWS Group, which also manages CCM pioneer Michael W. Smith. “If I had my preference I would learn the songs, tour the songs, then do the record — because then you’re very familiar with the songs and the performance, you have a tight feel to it. But I went in with a lot of prayer, asking God to help me remember everything and spent a lot of time with my producer and rehearsing so that when you get in front of that live audience, you’re just able to flow with the songs.”

Music has been a mainstay for Winans’ entire life, as she began singing as part of the larger Winans family group, before CeCe joined her brother BeBe to form a duo. They released their first album, Lord Lift Us Up, in 1984. A few years later, they signed with Capitol Records and issued their 1987 project BeBe & CeCe Winans. The duo issued numerous Gospel hits such as “Lost Without You” and “I’ll Take You There” (featuring Mavis Staples), before they launched solo careers. In 1995, CeCe released the debut solo album, Alone in His Presence, which went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA. To date, she has released 11 solo studio albums.

The title track to Believe For It brought another hit for Winans, reaching the top 10 on the Christian Airplay chart in 2021 and becoming a 12-week No. 1 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart in 2022. She followed with her rendition of Bethel Music’s “Goodness of God.” In 2023, Winans also notched other Billboard year-end accolades including top gospel artist, female; as well as top gospel song (“Goodness of God”).

Where “Believe For It” and “Goodness of God” were ballads, “That’s My King,” the current single from her new album, frames worship lyrics with a danceable groove.

“Kyle brought me this song and when I heard it, I was like, ‘This is incredible,’” Winans relates of the song, which is currently at No. 25 on the Christian Airplay chart. “It’s fun, and it’s upbeat, not just in tempo but in its message.

“I think sometimes we forget because we do associate church and God with being in a solemn assembly. He is to be reverenced, but He said in his presence, there’s fullness of joy,” she continues. “That’s not something to keep quiet, but that’s something to proclaim and to share so that other people can have hope too. And I think this song embodies all of it. ‘That’s My King’ reminds us that we have hope.”

That joyous spirit in the song gets amplified when she performs it each night on her current The Goodness Tour, which runs through May.

“In our live show, we’ve added pompoms. I’m like, ‘This is a cheer. We got to cheer this. It’s a party,’” she explains. “It’s one of those songs that is contagious, so full of joy. It’s like cooking a good meal. You put all of the ingredients in there, then you stir it up and you get the full benefit of the flavor.”

The album closes with “In a Little While,” a song written by Winans’ son Alvin Love III.

“It’s a great, powerful message to end the album with,” Winans says. “It’s another song that makes you want to dance, is joyful. That’s one of the songs I played for Kyle because it’s been years since [Winans’ home church choir] Nashville Life recorded it, and it has an older, retro sound. That was a song that he was like, ‘I don’t know about this,’ but I was like, ‘This is one we have to do.’ That night when we recorded it, everybody was jumping around, singing, nobody wanted to leave. He came back to me and said, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re so right.”

Songs from More Than This will likely be included in the setlist when Winans brings her third annual Generations Live conference to Nashville’s Belmont University on May 10-11. The conference will feature guests Joyce Meyer, Jackie Hill Perry, Dr. Anita Phillips, Sheryl Brady, Ashley Phillips, Andrea Mellini and Nashville Life Music.

“I think last year we saw four generations of women attend,” Winans says. ‘My family will be there. I’m so grateful I still have my mom. She’s 87, and my daughter will be speaking this year. I’m so proud of her. I am looking forward to laughing. I’m looking forward to crying, to seeing generations come together.”