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Queens to the Rescue: ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ Season 9 Reveals Official Cast & Release Date

With season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race officially in the rearview mirror, it’s time for fans of the franchise to look forward … to even more new episodes of the hit series.

On Tuesday (April 23), Paramount+ announced the official cast and release date for RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season nine. In the new season, eight queens from past seasons will return to the competition to compete for a cash prize of $200,000 — but this time, all eight queens will be competing on behalf of a charity of their choice.

The eight queens set to be featured on the show, and the charities they’ll be working with, are: Angeria Paris VanMichaels (season 14), competing for the National Black Justice Collective; Gottmik (season 13), competing for Trans Lifeline; Jorgeous (season 14), competing for the National Alliance of Mental Illness;  Nina West (season 11), competing for The Trevor Project; Plastique Tiara (season 11), competing for The Asian American Foundation (TAAF); Roxxxy Andrews (season five, All Stars 2), competing for Miracle of Love; Shannel (season one, All Stars 1), competing for  Anxiety and Depression Association of America; and Vanessa Vanjie Mateo (seasons 10 and 11), competing for the ASPCA.

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This year’s $200,000 cash prize will be provided by The Palette Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing grants and funding to the organizations supporting under-represented communities, including LGBTQ+ people. All Stars 9 will mark the first time in the history of the Drag Race franchise in which queens will compete for charities.

The news comes on the heels of the finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16, which aired Friday (April 19). After a series of solo numbers and one final lip sync to Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam,” Nymphia Wind took home the grand prize, becoming the first Taiwanese-Amercian queen to win in the history of the franchise.

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 9 premieres with two new episodes Friday, May 17, on Paramount+. Get to know this season’s competitors in the official Meet the Queens video below:



Producer BYNX Partners With Field Trip Recordings & Capitol Records

Following an impressive run in 2023, producer BYNX officially partners with Zack Bia‘s label Field Trip Recordings and Capitol Records. In addition, BYNX will work with Yeat’s Lyfestyle Corporation, who will work with him on the marketing side. 

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“BNYX is an exceptional musician, a true artist with a specific vision but, above all, an incredible human,” says Bia, founder of Field Trip. “Yeat brought him into our lives, and he’s turned into family. It is only right we would all partner to bring his music to the world as the first official signee to Lyfestyle Corporation / Field Trip / Capitol Records. We couldn’t be more honored and excited.”

Capitol Music Group chairman and CEO Tom March echoes Bia’s sentiments and is eager to see the Philly producer blossom under their tutelage. “As a producer, BNYX®️ has had a profound impact on both music and culture,” he says. “We’re thrilled to partner with him, his manager Ness, the brilliant Zack Bia, and Field Trip Recordings on the launch of BNYX®’s solo career. It’s a privilege to enter this new era together, continuing our longtime relationship with Zack and the Field Trip team.”

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BYNX expressed his gratitude, telling Billboard: “I’d like to thank God, my manager, and Rick Owens.”

BYNX carved out a formidable lane for himself on the hip-hop side, working with the likes of Drake, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj and his running mate, Yeat. BYNX produced four records from Yeat’s 2023 album AftërLyfe and Drake’s “Search & Rescue,” which debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 last year.

The partnership with Field Trip and Capitol will enable BYNX to release his debut album and single soon. Fans of the BYNX and Yeat tandem can rejoice, as the producer will join the “IDGAF” rapper on a soon-to-be-announced run of special shows this summer.

Kanye West Calls Out J. Cole For Apologizing To Kendrick Lamar

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While the Hip-Hop world awaits Kendrick Lamar’s response to Drake’s last few diss tracks, Kanye West has inserted himself into the battle by throwing an arrow at the King of the North on Future’s “Like That” remix. Interestingly enough, Ye also took issue with J. Cole for removing himself from the drama and apologizing for even participating.

During a recent interview with Justin Laboy on The Download podcast, Justin mentioned J. Cole’s now- famous apology to Kendrick Lamar for clapping back at him on “7 Minute Drill” which caused Kanye to immediately respond by saying, “F*ck all that p*ssy sh*t.” A visibly surprised LaBoy didn’t expect such a blunt response, but that didn’t stop Kanye from going further into the subject saying, “F*ck all that sh*t man because it’s like that ni**a J. Cole went on tour with Drake. He know what it is. It’s like, ni**a, you can’t run now, it’s you also.”

Obviously, Kanye has a bone to pick with J. Cole, and he confirmed as much when he pointed out that his issue with the MC from NC stems from J. Cole’s cut “False Prophets” which Ye mistakenly called “False Idols” and said, “somebody told me it’s halfway about me.” Because of that Kanye says he doesn’t listen to J. Cole. Apparently, Cole is on Kanye’s sh*t list and now we know how he got there.

While J. Cole might’ve thrown some subliminals towards Kanye on “False Prophets” in 2016, we don’t know if this 2024 apologetic J. Cole will have some shots in the chamber for Yeezus; Kanye is seemingly ready for that smoke.

That being said, we’re almost sure Drake will take some time to acknowledge Kanye’s shots at him on the “Like That” remix in a bar or two on some verse in the near future. We just hope he doesn’t use an AI version of Jay-Z or someone else on it as well.

Also, during the interview, Kanye West said he’d like to have a threesome with Michelle Obama…but that’s neither here nor there.

What do y’all think about Kanye West taking shots at J. Cole for bowing out of the battle with Kendrick Lamar? Let us know in the comments section below.

Billie Eilish to Headline Virtual Fortnite Festival Season 3: Watch the Spooky Trailer

Couldn’t score tickets to the last Billie Eilish tour? Fortnite is bringing fans the next best thing. The game’s third season of its Rock Band-esque Festival experience went live Tuesday (April 23), featuring the 22-year-old pop star as its featured artist.  

To celebrate the launch, Fortnite shared a trailer featuring Eilish. In the clip, her avatar — dressed in a patterned shirt and pants combo with matching sneakers, her roots dyed bright green as they were in 2019 — falls through a portal in the sky and crashes into Earth, leaving a fiery explosion in her wake.  

With callbacks to the tiara of spiders and paranormal levitations in her “You Should See Me in a Crown” and “Bury a Friend” music videos, the trailer eventually finds the singer making her way to the digital stage, jumping and spinning around while performing her track “All the Good Girls Go to Hell.” ]

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“you should see her in a crown,” reads the video’s caption, referencing Eilish’s hit When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? track. “@billieeilish has arrived as our featured artist for Fortnite Festival Season 3, live now!” 

Players will be able to unlock new Eilish-themed outfits in the game, instruments and Jam Tracks, which will be available to players until June 13. Eilish’s participation in Fortnite Festivals follows those of Lady Gaga (season two) and The Weeknd (season one). 

Midway through her tenure in the game, the two-time Oscar winner will release her third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, on May 17. Last week, Eilish shared the project’s tracklist, featuring the titles “Skinny,” “Lunch,” “L’Amour De Ma Vie,” “Blue,” “Wildflower” and more. 

“Every time you put anything out, it feels like your nudes leaked a little bit,” she told Zane Lowe of the record in a recent Apple Music 1 interview. “We kind of made the album that if somebody had said, ‘I want you to make an album and no one is going to hear it. You don’t have to worry about anyone’s ears or opinions or anything at all. It’s in your contract to make an album but no one can hear it.’ We pretty much made that album. We made that album without much thought of other people.” 

Watch Eilish’s Fortnite Festival season three trailer below. 

Maluma and Saweetie Join Team Legend and Team Dan + Shay as ‘The Voice’ Mentors to Kick Off Playoffs

This week marked the start of the Playoffs rounds on season 25 of The Voice and the show brought in some serious ringers on Monday night (April 22) to help cut down each coach’s team from five to three singers before the live, public-vote rounds begin.

Team John Legend teed up a veteran of the franchise in Colombian superstar Maluma, who has been a coach on two seasons of La Voz, in both his native country and in Mexico. Meanwhile, Team Dan + Shay got a boost from rapper Saweetie, with each guest bringing their own unique set of skills to the gig.

According to EW, Maluma seemed completely at ease with the job, serving up positive notes and encouragement and some pro tips on performance and setting the mood. In a preview video that dropped before the show aired, Maluma had a lot of good advice for the Team members, from encouraging them to write their own songs to suggesting they ditch their instruments while performing live to focus on their vocals.

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That experience came through when Nathan Chester was prepping his powerhouse cover of the Beatles’ “Oh! Darling.” After Legend — whom Maluma dubbed “Juan Leyenda” — suggested that Chester put more urgency into his performance, Maluma seconded that emotion and offered up a technical note about stepping back from the mic a bit to let his voice truly shine. The dynamic due clearly were on to something, as Chester made it to the Live rounds.

Maluma also seemed to bond with Venezuelan-born singer Mafe, who stepped up majorly with a moving version of Adele’s “Someone Like You,” but failed to make the final cut; the other Team Legend Playoffs members include Bryan Olesen and Zoe Levert.

EW noted that while rapper Saweetie seemed to be an odd choice to work alongside country duo Dan + Shay, they had a good chemistry and the “Best Friend” MC seemed to really have a vibe with the female singers on the pair’s team, offering them such poetic advice as “there’s no deadline to dreams.” When 17-year-old Anya True began rehearsing her take on Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” Saweetie helpfully suggested more eye contact to connect with the studio audience.

Admittedly not a country aficionado, Saweetie suggested that singer Karen Waldrup try to focus less on being technically perfect, but instead “strive for personality,” which she definitely did on her cover of Lainey Wilson’s “Heart Like a Truck.” That was enough to punch Waldrup’s ticket through, along with Madison Curbelo and Tae Lewis.

The Playoffs roll on next week with performances from Team Reba and Team Chance.

Check out some of Monday night’s performances from Team Legend and Team Dan + Shay below.


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https://youtube.com/watch?v=psN6QDuj73c&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent


https://youtube.com/watch?v=6gOHhV8IBlU&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent


https://youtube.com/watch?v=_s4-deWdjUI&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent



Hot 100 First-Timers: Philadelphia Rapper, Singer Lay Bankz Debuts With ‘Tell Ur Girlfriend’

Rapper and singer Lay Bankz, 19, charts her first song on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated April 27) as her breakthrough single, “Tell Ur Girlfriend,” debuts at No. 58.

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Released Feb. 7 on Artist Partner Group, the track enters the Hot 100 almost entirely from its streaming sum: 8.8 million official U.S. clicks in the April 12-18 tracking week, according to Luminate. It also jumps 45-24 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, after becoming Lay Bankz’s first overall Billboard chart entry a week earlier, and debuts at No. 21 on Hot Rap Songs.



Lay Bankz’s profile has been gaining in recent months thanks to activity on TikTok, where she boasts more than 3 million followers. “Tell Ur Girlfriend” has soundtracked over a million videos on the platform: one version of the song has been used in over 800,000 clips, while another has contributed to more than 300,000. Its official audio has been used in over 30,000 videos. That virality sparked the song’s No. 11 arrival on the April 20-dated TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart.

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Before “Tell Ur Girlfriend,” Lay Bankz made inroads with her song “Ick,” which has soundtracked more than 200,000 TikToks and reached No. 8 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 in October. Both “Ick” and “Tell Ur Girlfriend” have been aided by viral dance trends. (Activity on the platform is not included in Billboard’s charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.)

Lay Bankz hails from Philadelphia and has released more than a dozen songs dating to “Left Cheek (Doo Doo Blick),” her first release on Artist Partner Group, in 2022. She released her debut seven-track EP Now You See Me in August 2023.

Marshmello & PinkPantheress to Perform at 2024 MLS All-Star Concert

Marshmello and PinkPantheress are stepping onto the field. The two artists have been announced as the performers for the 2024 MLS All-Star Concert presented by Target at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

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The July 21 event serves as the kickoff event for the week leading up to the MLS All-Star Game, which will take over Lower.com Field, home of the reigning 2023 MLS Cup champion soccer team Columbus Crew, on July 24. The MLS All-Star Concert also supports philanthropic organizations and impactful causes, including Neighborhood Athletics, which works to uplift youth and invest in their futures through athletics, education, mentoring, and other areas of support.

“I can’t wait to kick off MLS All-Star week with a special performance on July 21. This is my first major football… or as you guys call it soccer event in America and I look forward to seeing all my fans in Columbus,” said PinkPantheress in a press statement.

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The “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” singer was previously honored as Producer of the Year at Billboard’s 2024 Women in Music event in March. “It’s the vibe you go in with that people judge to see if they can get away with stuff,” she said of If you know what you want to make as soon as you step into the room, there should be nothing stopping you from actually doing it. What I’m saying is, if there’s a MIDI keyboard there, ask to use the MIDI keyboard. If [other producers] say no, then that’s wild and definitely leave. But chances are, they’ll say yes.

For more information on the concert and a full list of the weeklong of All-Star events, visit mlssoccer.com/all-star.

Idina Menzel Opens Up About the ‘Versatility’ of Her Career That Inspired Her Take Me or Leave Me Tour

Idina Menzel is heading back out on the road.

The superstar announced her Take Me or Leave Me Tour exclusively via Billboard on Tuesday (April 23), marking her first tour in nearly eight years. “I was really missing the connection with my fans,” she tells Billboard of the decision to tour again. “I have my new musical Redwood at La Jolla Playhouse that I’m passionate about, and it’s been occupying me. I thought, if that goes through another iteration, I wanted to make sure I got my time with my fans from a personal perspective as opposed to through a character.”

The North American run kicks off July 19 in Seattle, Wash., before stretching throughout the summer, hitting venues in Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas and more before wrapping up on August 18 in Greensboro, NC. The tour title, of course, is inspired by the beloved song, “Take Me or Leave Me” from the musical Rent, in which Menzel made her Tony-nominated Broadway debut as Maureen Johnson in 1996.

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“Maureen was always uninhibited and extremely comfortable in who she was, maybe to the fault [laughs],” Menzel says. “I’ve always loved that song and I miss that character, but I would say I’m naming the tour this from a different perspective. Obviously, many, many years later, it’s about who I am in this point in my life. I haven’t seen my fans in a long time, and I want to show them how I’ve changed, and how I haven’t. I want to show them my experiences and hopefully, they’ll love me no matter what.”

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The beloved actress’ tour will feature a career-spanning setlist of hits, which she’s currently putting together and stays “up all night thinking about,” and she promises an “eclectic” mix of hits from her own albums and jazz standards as well as musicals she’s performed in like Wicked, Rent and, of course, Frozen. “I often wrestle with the fact that I often assume that people will be bored if I sing the same songs over and over, like ‘Let It Go’ or ‘Defying Gravity,’” she shares. “I’m always trying to rewrite things, discover or cover new songs, reinterpret them and then I always get this feedback of ‘No, we want to hear these songs!’ I’m trying to strike a balance between performing songs the way I think my audience would want to hear them and feeling like, as an artist, that I’m growing and singing the songs in a way that their lyrics resonate with me. I juggle it and then I sit with my band and we play with it and assess it and sort of see what kind of floats to the top.”

She concludes in theme with the tour’s “Take Me or Leave Me” title, “I’ve always said back in the day that versatility was my curse. Now, I embrace my versatility. It makes me who I am.”

Artist presale tickets for Menzel’s tour as well as VIP packages will be available starting on Wednesday (April 24) at 10 a.m. local time. General on-sale for tickets begins Friday (April 26) at 10 a.m. local time. See the full list of dates below, and check out the venues and ticket information here.

July 19 – Seattle, Washington
July 21 – Oakland, California
July 23 – Los Angeles, California
July 25 – Mesa, Arizona
July 26 – Highland, California
July 27 – Las Vegas, Nevada
July 30 – Austin, Texas
July 31 – Dallas, Texas
August 2 – Atlanta, Georgia
August 3 – Charleston, South Carolina
August 4 – Orlando, Florida
August 6 – Auburn, Alabama
August 7 – Greenville, South Carolina
August 9 – Chicago, Illinois
August 10 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
August 11 – Detroit, Michigan
August 13 – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
August 15 – New York, New York
August 16 – Hershey, Pennsylvania
August 17 – Washington, DC
August 18 – Greensboro, North Carolina

Hot 100 First-Timers: Ken Carson Scores First Entry With ‘Overseas’

Ken Carson is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting rapper.

The Atlanta native scores his first career entry on the April 27-dated list as “Overseas” opens at No. 79. Released April 12 on Opium/Interscope Records/ICLG, the track debuts solely on the strength of its streaming sum: 6.9 million official U.S. streams in its opening week (April 12-18), according to Luminate. It also debuts at No. 34 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, marking his third appearance on the ranking, after two hits that peaked last October: “Fighting My Demons” (No. 40) and “Jennifer’s Body” (No. 43).


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Carson first appeared on Billboard’s charts dated Aug. 7, 2021, when his debut full-length Project X debuted and peaked at No. 18 on the Heatseekers Albums chart.

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His follow-up album, and first release on Interscope, X, topped the Heatseekers Albums chart in July 2023 and reached No. 115 on the Billboard 200.

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Carson’s third and most recent studio project, A Great Chaos, marked his biggest commercial release to date. The set reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200 in October and peaked at No. 4 on the Top Rap Albums chart. It includes collaborations with Destroy Lonely and Lil Uzi Vert.

While “Overseas” earns Carson his first Hot 100-charting hit, he came close to the chart before. He has logged nine songs on the Hot 100’s Bubbling Under list (which ranks the top 25 songs each week yet to reach the Hot 100), including three top 10s: “Jennifer’s Body,” “Fighting My Demons” and “Singapore,” featuring Destroy Lonely.

Carson and Destroy Lonely are both signed to Opium, Playboi Carti’s imprint that he founded in 2019. It’s a subsidiary of Interscope and primarily spotlights rage rap music, influenced by 1970s and ‘80s punk-rock.

Pitbull Announces Party After Dark Tour With T-Pain as Special Guest: See All the Dates

Latin superstar Pitbull on Tuesday (April 23) announced his Party After Dark Tour, a 26-city tour featuring special guest T-Pain, with Lil Jon also joining in select markets.

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Just off The Trilogy Tour with Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin, Mr. Worldwide — known for No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 such as “Give Me Everything” with Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer, and “Timber” with Kesha — is set to hit the road again in 2024 for “another incredibly dynamic tour with an electrifying mix of his biggest career-spanning hits of instantly recognizable smashes and surprises,” according to a press release.

Produced by Live Nation, the tour kicks off Aug. 21st in Bristow, Va., and will makes stops across the U.S. including New York, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Phoenix, before closing in Albuquerque, N.M., on Oct. 5.

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Pitbull’s recent musical releases include Trackhouse and Trackhouse: Daytona 500 Edition, which features special guests such as Dolly Parton, Tim McGraw, Nile Rodgers, T-Pain and Omar Courtz. The album titles are inspired by the NASCAR Cup Series team Trackhouse Racing, which he has been a co-owner of since 2021.

Tickets for the Party After Dark Tour go on sale Friday (April 26) at 10 a.m. local time at LiveNation.com. Find all the dates announced below:

  • Aug. 21 – Bristow, Va. – Jiffy Lube Live  
  • Aug. 23 – Virginia Beach, Va. – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater  
  • Aug. 24 – Hershey, Pa. – Hersheypark Stadium  
  • Aug. 25 – Queens, N.Y. – Forest Hills Stadium  
  • Aug. 29 – Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio – Blossom Music Center  
  • Aug. 30 – Tinley Park, Ill. – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre  
  • Aug. 31 – Milwaukee, Wis. – American Family Insurance Amphitheater  
  • Sept. 1 – Noblesville, Ind. – Ruoff Music Center  
  • Sept. 4 – Clarkston, Mich. – Pine Knob Music Theatre  
  • Sept. 6 – Buffalo, N.Y. – Darien Lake Amphitheater  
  • Sept. 7 – Syracuse, N.Y. – Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview  
  • Sept. 8 – Saratoga Springs, N.Y. – Broadview Stage at SPAC  
  • Sept. 12 – Wantagh, N.Y. – Northwell Health At Jones Beach Theater  
  • Sept. 13 – Hartford, Conn. – Xfinity Theatre  
  • Sept. 14 – Bangor, Maine – Maine Savings Amphitheater  
  • Sept. 15 – Mansfield, Mass. – Xfinity Center  
  • Sept. 18 – Burgettstown, Pa. – The Pavilion at Star Lake  
  • Sept. 19 – Cincinnati – Riverbend Music Center  
  • Sept. 21 – Ridgedale, Mo. – Thunder Ridge Nature Arena  
  • Sept. 22 – St. Louis, Mo. – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre 
  • Sept. 25 – Salt Lake City – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre  
  • Sept. 27 – Ridgefield, Wash. – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater*  
  • Sept. 28 – Auburn, Wash. – White River Amphitheatre  
  • Oct. 3 – Chula Vista, Calif. – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre*  
  • Oct. 4 – Phoenix – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre  
  • Oct. 5 – Albuquerque, N.M. – Isleta Amphitheater  

*with special guest Lil Jon