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Universal Music Executive Jesús López Honored by King & Queen of Spain

Jesús López, chairman/CEO of Universal Music Latin America and Iberian Peninsula, has received a special honor from the King and Queen of Spain.

On Wednesday (April 3), the music executive received the Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts — an award that recognizes individuals and entities who have “excelled” in the field of artistic and cultural creation and have “rendered outstanding services in the promotion, development and dissemination of art and culture and in the conservation of artistic heritage,” according to a statement from Universal Music Latino.

The ceremony, where 32 distinctions were awarded, took place in Cádiz, a port city in the Andalucia region of southwestern Spain, with King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia in attendance. With this honor, the Spanish executive, who was born in the city of Ferrol, becomes the first music industry executive to receive the recognition.

“Becoming the first Spanish record executive to receive this recognition has a double meaning for me, on the one hand the personal and family pride and gratitude and on the other hand that the work of so many record executives is rewarded by the Spanish cultural world,” López said in a statement. “I thank all the artists, composers, producers and colleagues in the different labels I have worked with and continue to work with for their support and care, without them this recognition would never have been a reality.”

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Over the years, López has been behind success stories including Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee‘s global smash hit “Despacito,” which became the first song primarily in Spanish to top the Billboard Hot 100 since Los del Río‘s “Macarena” in 1996. He was also a player in Karol G‘s history-making Mañana Será Bonito, which became the first Spanish-language album by a female artist to lead the Billboard 200.

López joins past gold medal recipients such as Spanish singer-songwriter Víctor Manuel, writer Rosa Montero, musician Santiago Auserón, actor Javier Cámara and painter Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau, among others.

Jesus Lopez

Jesus Lopez

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Rod Wave Arrested on Weapons Charges as Police Accuse Him of Ties to Florida Gang Shooting

Rod Wave was arrested on two counts of illegal possession of a weapon or ammo in Manatee County, Florida on Wednesday (April 3), according to arrest records viewed by Billboard.

The St. Petersburg Police Department hosted a press conference in the aftermath of the arrest alleging that Rod — born Rodarius Marcell Green — was connected to a gang-related shooting in Florida that left four bystanders injured outside of Sonic Sports Bar in St. Petersburg.

St. Petersburg Police Chief Mike Kovacsev explained that three of the apprehended assailants (Christopher Atkins, Keith Westby and Kevontre Wesby) are allegedly connected to the Young Gangsters gang and that two more are in the process of being arrested after law enforcement discovered 60 shell casings of ammo at the site of the shooting, which occurred on Sunday night (March 31).

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Kovacsev claimed that the getaway vehicle used in the shooting was registered to Rod and that the Palm Avenue residence the group fled to was also allegedly registered to the “Heart On Ice” singer.

“The vehicle they fled in was registered to [Green],” Kovacsev said. “They also fled back to a residence at 500 Palm Avenue North … That residence was rented by [Green] as well. We executed a search warrant at that location on Monday night and we recovered two assault rifles, two pounds of marijuana and a great deal of evidence we’re going to utilize the case going forward.”

Police determined that “another residence” was rented by Rod in Palm Meadow and shifted the focus to that location, where they executed a search warrant. Subjects leaving that residence were arrested on weapons charges by undercover detectives and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

“We are hopeful and anticipate potentially other evidence to be taken out of the vehicles as we do search warrants over the next couple of days,” Kovacsev added. “We went and had the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office execute that warrant and we located a number of other assault rifles and a handgun inside that residence.”

The police chief said that along with the firearms, money and jewelry were also seized. More charges are also possibly looming related to the shooting and narcotics.

Rod’s weapon possession charges listed him as a convicted felon, which his attorney, Bradford Cohen, vehemently denies. Cohen also denies Wave’s connection to the shooting.

“[Rod] has nothing to do with a shooting,” Cohen tells Billboard. “There was nothing found in his car and he is not a convicted felon.”

Cohen and another of Rod’s attorneys, Mark Rankin, released a joint statement on Cohen’s Instagram claiming that the judge agreed that the evidence didn’t support the charges and that the Florida singer was set free on Wednesday.

“Rod was arrested and detained with absolutely no evidence of wrongdoing,” Cohen captioned the Instagram post featuring a photo of Rod. “The police claimed he was a felon in possession of ammunition. Not only was he not in possession of ammunition, a basic check of public records would have easily demonstrated to the police that he was not a convicted felon. The prosecutor and the judge immediately agreed that the evidence did not support the charge and set him free the same day.”

Rod was previously arrested in his hometown of St. Petersburg in May 2022 on a felony charge of battery by strangulation, which was dropped weeks later. That arrest stemmed from an April 2022 incident involving Wave and his ex-girlfriend, who alleged that the singer entered her home and choked her, according to the arrest warrant.

Billboard has reached out to the St. Petersburg Police Department for additional information.

This is a developing story.

Metro Boomin Says He Got Hacked, Lizzo Clarifies ‘I Quit’ Post & More | Billboard News

A former employee of Ye’s now-closed Donda Academy has filed a lawsuit against the rapper accusing him of discrimination and seeking to lock students in cages. Metro Boomin took to X to share that he had been hacked. Lizzo took to social media to clear up what she meant when she said she “quit.” Flavor Flav clears up his involvement in a potential “Flavor of Love” reboot. Taylor Swift has been added to Forbes billionaires list. The publication stated that the “Lavender Haze” singer amassed an estimated $1.1 billion fortune this year. And more!

Tetris Kelly:
Did Drake hack Metro Boomin? Did Lizzo really quit music? And is Flavor Flav returning to ‘Flavor of Love’? Kanye West is sued for allegedly wanting kids in cages, Taylor Swift is a billionaire and we give you an artist to watch in country.

It’s Wednesday, April 3rd, and welcome to Billboard News. Kanye West and Taylor Swift are in the news and yet somehow that feels like every day of my life. Let’s kick things off with this top story.

Ye’s legal troubles continue to grow as he is sued by another former employee. We have the details. A lawsuit filed on Tuesday, April 2nd, paints a disturbing picture of Ye’s Donda Academy, an educational institution that opened and closed in 2022. A former Donda Academy employee, Trevor Phillips, paints a picture of a sexually abusive environment. He alleges in the lawsuit that West summoned him to a room at the Nobu Hotel where the rapper put on ‘The Batman’ and watched in silence. He claims that after a long awkward silence, Kanye finally spoke and began an unprovoked bigoted rant, attacking Jewish people and would later that night simulate masturbation while talking about having orgies. But it’s not just the staff that suffer from an allegedly uncomfortable environment. Philips claimed Ye told students to shave their heads and that he intended to put a jail at the school where students could be locked in cages. We’ve reached out to Ye for comment, but have not heard back at the time of recording. We’ll continue to follow this story as it develops, but make sure you check out Billboard.com for the latest.

Watch the full video above!

Country Artists You Should Know: The Red Clay Strays | Billboard News

Ahead of this weekend’s CMT Music Awards, Billboard is putting a spotlight on five country artists you should watch. This episode features The Red Clay Strays.

Tetris Kelly:
Country meets rock, making the perfect blend of genres. The Red Clay Strays started making music in 2016 and the Alabama natives have climbed the chart since without looking back. After releasing their debut album ‘Moment of Truth’ in 2022, their hit single “Wondering Why” slowly made its way to No. 18 on the Hot Country Songs chart and No. 7 on the Hot Rock Songs chart.

The band blends rockabilly, gospel, soul, blues, rock and country to create what they call non-denominational rock ‘n’ roll.

Dierks Bentley:
I’m just obsessed with this band. I love this band so much.

Tetris Kelly:
Plus, they got the Dierks Bentley seal of approval.

The band recently signed with RCA and announced their first European tour so you may see these guys in your area soon.

Watch the full view above!

Dua Lipa Teases Snippets of New Album ‘Radical Optimism’: ‘It’s the Beauty of the Chaos’

Dua Lipa is pulling back the curtain on her highly anticipated new album, Radical Optimism. In a dreamy Instagram video posted Wednesday (April 3), the singer showed fans clips from her studio sessions for the May-slated record, featuring snippets of her new music.

The video stitches together shots of Dua laying down vocals, writing lyrics in a notebook and jamming out to inaudible beats. “It’s the beauty of the chaos and trying to stay calm through it,” she says in a voice-over in between fragments of her new music. “Listening over and over and feeling like, ‘How do I want to tell this story?’”

“I always go for the most upbeat ones to introduce people to the record,” she adds amid footage of her practicing choreography. “I can just keep on dancing and keep people dancing. “We’re trying to create a world in a different way, and sonically it was about experimenting. Thematically, it was always about resilience.”

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“Let’s take a deep dive shall weee, chapter one,” Dua captioned the clip.

The “Levitating” singer first announced Radical Optimism last month, unveiling the project’s serene cover art and 11-song track list on social media March 13. “A couple years ago, a friend introduced me to the term ‘radical optimism,’” she said in a statement at the time. “It’s a concept that resonated with me, and I became more curious as I started to play with it and weave it into my life.”

Radical Optimism has so far been preceded by the singles “Houdini” and “Training Season,” which debuted at No. 11 and No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. Arriving May 3, it’ll mark her first proper LP since 2020’s Future Nostalgia, which bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.

Watch Dua’s new video below.

Cash Cobain Speaks Out on NYC Concert Canceled for ‘Reasons Out of My Control’

Cash Cobain has NYC on fire right now. The Bronx rapper/producer’s song “Fisherrr” has gone viral with everyone doing its signature dance, The Reemski. However, virality can bring with it some unfortunate consequences.

His highly anticipated hometown show at the infamous Irving Plaza set for Monday night was shut down before it got started as swarms of fans and members of the media waited nearly two hours to get in. (I was one of them.) There were rumors of Drake popping out as the special guest, which somewhat explained the frenetic energy we felt while standing outside as the crowd eventually began to become restless. However, Cobain didn’t let that faze him.

Cash Cobain Slizzy Fest

Cash Cobain at Union Square Park after Slizzyfest was shutdown.

Anderson Merino

As police began to clear the scene, Cobain rounded up the remaining fans who gathered for Slizzyfest and led them up the street to Union Square Park for an impromptu show, where he rapped along with fans as a few of his current hits blared from a Bluetooth speaker.

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It doesn’t get much more hip-hop than that.

On Wednesday (April 3), Cobain and his team released a statement exclusively to Billboard thanking his fans for the support and promising another soon.

“To all my fans and supporters — thank you for coming out Monday night, we really tried to put on the best show in New York, but for reasons out of my control, the show had to be canceled last minute. The show might’ve got canceled, but I walked out to the park because the fans wanted to see me. They paid money to see me and the guys, and I was out there, I was fly — I had to do it. I needed to be seen. I’m sorry, I love you guys and everyone’s gonna get a refund. We are working on putting on something special for the fans in the near future. Thanks to everyone who came out, I really appreciate it.”

Cobain has been gaining steam since dropping 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy in 2022 alongside fellow New Yorker Chow Lee. Cash flips samples (often found on YouTube) to create songs that mix Jersey club and drill to create his own subgenre that’s been dubbed Sexy Drill. The Sexy Drill sound extols what he calls the Slizzy lifestyle and is the perfect soundtrack for when you’re outside and the weather’s nice. The Summer of Slizz is upon us.

Kristen Wiig’s Old ‘SNL’ Dressing Room Gets Completely Taken Over in New Promo

Kristen Wiig is making her grand return to host Saturday Night Live this weekend (April 6) for the milestone fifth time, and in a new promo released on Wednesday (April 3), the former cast member visits her former dressing room.

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“I’m finally home. The best part of being home? Returning to your childhood bedroom — or, in my case, dressing room,” the comedian says as she saunters down the hallways of 30 Rockefeller Plaza’s studio 8H in the one-minute clip. “Lorne [Michaels] promised they’d always leave it just the way I left it.”

However, as she was gearing up to see her old costumes from SNL years past, she steps into the dressing room to find that it has been taken over by new cast members Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker, who have basically turned the space into a dorm room full of snacks, video games and clutter.

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“You like what we did with the place?” Walker asks after Longfellow mistakenly calls Wiig “Kristine,” after the actress sees her old things in a box on the table. “It’s great,” Wiig replies, before thinking to herself, “It’s gonna be a long week. Mama’s back you little b—-es.”

The former SNL cast member’s new series Palm Royale — which she both stars in and executive produced — premieres March 20 on AppleTV+. She will be hosting the episode, while Raye will be making her SNL debut as musical guest. The British singer-songwriter recently made history by taking home six BRIT Awards, the most ever awarded to one artist in a single year.

Watch the promo below, and catch Saturday Night Live on Saturday (April 6) at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC, before the episode begins streaming on Peacock.



Chuck D, Billie Eilish, Jonas Brothers, Bob Marley Estate & 200+ Sign Open Letter Highlighting AI Use In The Music Industry

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Hollywood isn’t the only industry worried about the dangers of AI (artificial intelligence). The music industry is also weary of the technology.

Spotted on Deadline, the Artists Rights Alliance penned an open letter that garnered over 200 signatures from big names in the entertainment and music industry, calling on AI companies and digital streaming platforms to pledge “that undermine or replace the human artistry of songwriters and artists or deny us fair compensation for our work.”

The website reports that Billie Eilish, her brother Finneas, Nicki Minaj, the estates of Bob Marley and Frank Sinatra, Smokey Robinson, Katy Perry, R.E.M, Chuck D, Camila Cabello, J Balvin, and more have signed the letter that lives on Medium

The letter calls on “AI developers, technology companies, platforms, and digital music services to cease using artificial intelligence (AI) to infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists.”

It also points out that AI can be beneficial by adding, “Make no mistake: we believe that, when used responsibly, AI has enormous potential to advance human creativity and in a manner that enables the development and growth of new and exciting experiences for music fans everywhere.

“Unfortunately, some platforms and developers are employing AI to sabotage creativity and undermine artists, songwriters, musicians and rightsholders.”

The letter adds it wants to “protect against the predatory use of AI to steal professional artists’ voices and likenesses, violate creators’ rights, and destroy the music ecosystem.”

AI was a significant issue in the SAG-AFTRA and Writer’s Guild strikes, which lasted for several months before both entities agreed on major sticking points.

In the music industry, AI is used in production and mastering, while independent artists utilize the tool to help with songwriting.

Hayley Kiyoko Teams Up With Taco Bell for New Wildfang Coveralls Collab

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Hayley Kiyoko has cooked up a spicy take on the utility fashion trend as the face of Taco Bell and Wildfang’s new collaboration. The partnership combines the iconic fast food chain’s label and bold purple coloring with Wildfang’s popular unisex coverall — and it’s anything but cheesy.

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The Taco Bell Coveralls dropped on Wednesday (April 3) with Taco Bell Rewards Members getting exclusive early access to the sale. General access will happen at 5 p.m. ET.

The most notable quality of the exclusive style is how it comes decked out with pockets, so you can leave your purse or backpack behind at home. It’s also one of the “Cherry” singer’s favorite aspects of the look while describing the partnership as a “dream collab.”

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“I feel like I manifested this moment with Taco Bell over 10 years ago when I released my first EP, A Belle To Remember!” Kiyoko said in a press statement. “I also love how the spacious coverall pockets fit everything, including my fave Taco Bell Mild Sauce, which comes in handy when I’m grabbing a late-night Crunchwrap Supreme.”

Only a limited quantity of the coveralls were designed, which means once it’s sold out it’s unlikely there will be a restock in the future. Consider this a fast food-meets-fashion fashion collaboration.

Keep reading to get your hands on Taco Bell x Wildfang coveralls below and see how you can shop similar styles if the Taco Bell collab is sold out.

Taco Bell Corp.

Taco Bell x Wildfang Coveralls

Enjoying your Taco Bell will have a new meaning once you slip on this Wildfang Coverall that’s built with 20 pockets inspired by the shape of food menu items, redefining what it means to take your food to-go.

If the Taco Bell style is sold out, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the benefits of Wildfang’s stylish coveralls. The brand has a wide selection of styles that you can stock up on to wear to festivals and concerts this summer and beyond.

The Essential Coverall

Like the name suggests the Essential Coverall is a must-have for any outfit rotation as it offers a one-piece look designed with style and comfort in mind. Using a full-length front-zipper, you can get dressed for the day in a matter of seconds while the brushed stretch cotton provides all-day comfort. As an added bonus, there are nine pockets built-in to store all your small essentials.

The Essential High-Waisted Denim Coverall

For a “denim on denim on denim” look, this coverall provides a full-body look using the material as well as has a two-button waist to cinch when you want. The back also comes with an elastic waist to stretch and form to your body comfortably. You can even choose from seven colors and patterns or stock up on them all.

The Essential High-Waisted Long Sleeve Coverall

On chillier days, you can throw on this long-sleeve coverall, which comes in a denim version for 20% off dropping the price tag to $150. You can also use the attached buttons on the waist to create a more cinched look while the deep pockets will help hold your phone, wallet and lip gloss.

For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best denim dresses, platform boots and belt bags.

Doja Cat Says She Doesn’t ‘Care’ About Music Leaks: ‘There’s Nothing I Can Do About It’

B—-, she said what she said! Doja Cat is unaffected by the recent trend of artists’ unreleased music getting leaked to social media before it hits shelves and steaming services.

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“What does it mean when someone leaks an album why do people get upset?” the 28-year-old star asked on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday (April 3), to which fans explained that it leads to a negative effect on streaming numbers. “But I don’t care,” Doja wrote.

However, one fan under the username @DearOldDoja further elaborated, “I mean it’s lowkey disrespectful if you set a date and people are dropping it early w/o permission.”

Doja agreed, writing in response, “No its definitely messed up cuz i wanted to put it out myself but theres nothing i can do about it!! thats just how its gonna be but at least i can just keep being creative and look forward to the awesome things i have coming up!!” Read the full thread here.

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The “Agora Hills” singer’s thoughts come following a leak of a deluxe edition of her 2023 album, Scarlet. Doja released a teaser for the project, titled Scarlet II: Claude Frollo, earlier this week, revealing that it will arrive on Friday (April 5).