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13 Mar 2024

Don Lemon Says Elon Musk Cancelled X Show, Taking Talents To YouTube

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Don Lemon was slated to have a new talk show in partnership with the X platform but after an interview described as tense, those plans are no more. The veteran journalist shared a statement on X stating that the company owned by Elon Musk will not be going forward with the planned show.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Don Lemon, 58, shared his side of the interview he held with Musk last Friday that was presumably meant to be the first episode of the show. During the chat, Lemon says that the conversation took some turns and said that it was Musk himself who encouraged him to bring his show to the platform.

“We had a good conversation. Clearly he felt differently,” Lemon said in a portion of his statement. “His commitment to a global town square where all questions can be asked and all ideas can be shared seems not to include questions of him from people like me.”

Lemon added, “There were no restrictions on the interview that he willingly agreed to, and my questions were respectful and wide ranging, covering everything from SpaceX to the presidential election.”

While Musk did comment on X in response to Lemon’s statement, the corporate account for the platform had a more pointed response.

“The Don Lemon Show is welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship, as we believe in providing a platform for creators to scale their work and connect with new communities,” the account shared. “However, like any enterprise, we reserve the right to make decisions about our business partnerships, and after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show.”

Don Lemon says his new show will air on YouTube starting Monday, March 18, and will also air in full on X.

We’ve also got reactions from X to the happenings below.

—

Photo: Gilbert Flores / Getty

13 Mar 2024

Lil Nas X Gets Back to Rapping in Fiery New Music Teaser

Lil Nas X is preparing his Nasarati 2 mixtape and he’s been firing off snippets of music taking the temperature of the direction fans want to see him go.

His latest music teaser came via TikTok on Wednesday (March 13) where he tapped into his fiery rapping side with the slippery unreleased track. The 24-year-old previewed the snippet in what appears to be an airport terminal with guests walking by holding their luggage.

“My big sis just had another baby, popped him out the labia/ My other nephew sitting in class with a broken nephew, he had to beat a n—a ass for talking about his uncle/ Now listen, I ain’t saying I condone that sh–/ F— it, I’m saying I condone that sh–,” Nas X raps.

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Fans seemed to be receptive to the song as one person chimed in: “Lil nas cooked on this one ngl.”

Over the weekend, Lil Nas X admitted he’s been struggling with choosing songs due to fears of perception and success so he fired off a handful of snippets for fans to select their favorites.

“Been hoarding music for years smh i hate my relationship with fear of my songs not doing well and perception. i wish i could just release music and not give af,” he wrote to Instagram.

One of the viral snippets — tentatively titled “Trust Me” — saw Nas X not holding back describing sexual encounters growing up, which caused him to issue a statement alleging he’s not doing this for shock value.

“I hate explaining myself every time i do anything, but this is not for shock. this is me telling my story, y’all being uncomfortable by it does not make it a gimmick,” he wrote on X earlier this week. “This is for me and my fans fuck everybody else.”

The “Old Town Road” artist kicked off the year with his polarizing “J Christ” single in January, which peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Listen to the Lil Nas X snippets below.

13 Mar 2024

Will Ariana Grande Have the Year’s Biggest Debut With ‘Eternal Sunshine’?

The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week (for the upcoming Billboard 200 dated March 23), Ariana Grande’s first album since 2020 may end up having the biggest immediate impact of the still-early calendar year. 

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Ariana Grande, Eternal Sunshine (Republic): For a minute there, it looked like Ariana Grande might get lost in the shuffle a little bit. Not that one of the biggest pop stars of the last decade was ever gonna get totally overshadowed, but between the time she announced the release of Eternal Sunshine and when the album actually dropped last Friday (March 8), a whole lot of stuff happened elsewhere in pop’s A list. Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Ye all also announced new albums for February and March, and the latter two scored Hot 100-topping breakout hits from them – both of which were much bigger in the culture than Grande’s own No. 1 lead single “Yes, And?,” which fell out of the top 10 in just its third week and has yet to return to the region.  

But Grande is more of a full-albums artist now – arguably has been since at least Sweetener in 2018 – and so far, it seems that the positive reception to Eternal Sunshine from fans and critics is helping the album get off to an impressive start. The album of course debuted with all of its tracks littering the real-time charts on Spotify and Apple Music, but more impressive than its first day is how well the set is still doing four days later, with six of its songs still in the top 15 on Spotify and three in Apple — led by second single “We Can’t Be Friends,” which has risen since its release and has been duking it out with Ye & Co’s “Carnival” for the top spot on both charts.  

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Grande’s very busy and visible weekend – following several years of mostly being out of the spotlight — helped her get the word out about Eternal Sunshine (and “We Can’t Be Friends” in particular) in its first few days of release. On Friday, she released the video for “Friends,” which drew attention for its co-star Evan Peters and for its take on multiple scenes from the classic 2004 surrealist rom-com Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind that the album gets its name from. Then on Saturday, she made her first appearance of the decade on Saturday Night Live, performing “Friends” and late-album highlight “Imperfect for You,” and also appearing in multiple sketches. Then on Sunday, she presented (alongside her Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo) at the Oscars – not actively promoting her new set, but generally adding to the Weekend of Ariana with her presence on the weekend’s most-watched event.  

Helping her first-week numbers even more than all the heavy cultural exposure should be the multiple variants in which the set is available for purchase. That includes six different vinyl LPs, five with alternate covers (including a Target-exclusive cover; the other four being exclusive to her webstore), as well as five different CDs, four with alternate covers, and one signed CD (all CDs being exclusive to her webstore).  In addition, a “slightly deluxe” digital version of Sunshine dropped over the weekend with four additional tracks — all remixes and alternate versions of songs on the standard album, including the previously released Mariah Carey-featuring remix of “Yes, And?” and a version of “Supernatural” with her former “Dance to This” collaborator Troye Sivan. 

As easily the biggest new release of the week, this should all be enough to secure Grande her sixth Billboard 200 No. 1 album in seven tries. (Dangerous Woman was her lone official LP to fall short, debuting at No. 2 behind Republic labelmate Drake’s Views in 2016.) Sunshine’s consistent performance on streaming throughout the week may also help nudge it past the 174,000 units that its predecessor, 2020’s Positions, posted in its first week, and will likely help it easily clear the 148,000 units moved by Ye & Ty Dolla $ign’s Vultures 1 in its February debut week, making it the best-performing album bow of the year thus far. 

IN THE MIX 

Judas Priest, Invincible Shield (Columbia/Epic): The week’s biggest non-Grande debut may come from metal legends and Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Judas Priest, who dropped the 19th album of their 50-plus-year career with Invincible Shield. The album will not likely have much of a presence on streaming, but should sell fairly well – helped by five vinyl variants, including an indie retailer exclusive red-color vinyl and an artist-webstore-only picture disc, as well as three CD editions, including exclusives for both Target and Amazon.  

Norah Jones, Visions (Blue Note): Two decades ago, Norah Jones sold over a million copies in the first week of her sophomore album Feels Like Home, coming off the RIAA multi-platinum-certified success of her blockbuster Come Away With Me debut. Her commercial returns should be significantly more muted 20 years later for ninth album Visions, but the album has received strong reviews for its rawer, more rock-oriented sound, and is available for purchase in both three CD versions and four vinyl variants, including exclusives for indie retailers and for Barnes & Noble. 

Bleachers, Bleachers (Bleachers Band Recording/Dirty Hit): Jack Antonoff has been a writer and producer on some of the biggest albums of the 2020s so far – particularly multiple from increasingly close artistic partner Taylor Swift – but has yet to see that type of crossover success translate to his own primary artistic project, Bleachers. He tries again this week with the self-titled Bleachers, the outfit’s first release since moving to U.K. indie label Dirty Hit (home of recent Antonoff collaborators The 1975) — which has at least seven different vinyl variants (in assorted colors, with alternative covers and four bonus tracks), as well as a signed CD, three CDs housed in deluxe packaging and a pair of deluxe CD boxed sets, both shaped like pizza boxes with a branded T-shirt inside.  

13 Mar 2024

Ariana Grande’s ‘Eternal Sunshine’ Keeps Shimmering on Streaming, While Reheating a ’90s R&B Classic

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. 
 
This week: Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine rises on streaming, the Oscars give new life to a pair of Barbie hits, a Masego favorite gets the TikTok fancam treatment and more.

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Ariana Grande’s ‘Eternal Sunshine’ Is Brightening Up on Streaming — And Helping Another ‘Boy Is Mine’



Ariana Grande is in for a big upcoming week on the Billboard charts, as the pop superstar is aiming for her sixth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with Eternal Sunshine, as well as a splashy Billboard Hot 100 debut for the album’s second single, “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).” 

Eternal Sunshine rebounded on streaming platforms on Monday (Mar. 11) following its release on the previous Friday and a slight dip over the weekend: the full-length earned 29.32 million official U.S. on-demand streams on Monday, up 17% from the previous day’s total, according to Luminate. And “We Can’t Be Friends” — which Grande is trying to guide to the top of the Hot 100, after lead single “Yes, And?” debuted there in January — is a big part of that streaming uptick, with 4.93 million streams on Monday (up 23% from Sunday).

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Speaking of Hot 100 chart-toppers, Brandy and Monica’s iconic 1998 R&B smash “The Boy Is Mine” is benefitting from Grande’s song of the same name, which references the original, on Eternal Sunshine. Grande has talked about how she has “always wanted to re-imagine” the Brandy-Monica back-and-forth, and now, the song that inspired her own “The Boy Is Mine” is enjoying a little streaming revival of its own.

From Mar. 8-10, Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine” earned 587,000 streams — up 18% from the previous week’s Friday-to-Sunday tracking period, according to Luminate. Of course, Grande’s new “The Boy Is Mine” is collecting far more plays (8.3 million from Mar. 8-10), but for a new generation of rhythmic pop fans, it’s not hard to see that “The Boy” is still fine. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

‘Barbie’ Hits Are “Made For” Oscar Bumps 



It’s been a long awards season for Billie Eilish and brother Finneas, with the O’Connell duo picking up trophies at the Golden Globes (best original song), the Grammys (song of the year and best song written for visual media) and now also the Oscars (best original song) for their hit Barbie ballad “What Was I Made For?” The song, which Billie and Finneas also performed at the Sunday ceremonies – and which was also featured in a Saturday Night Live sketch the night before the Academy Awards – got one final victory lap bump from its big Sunday win. It notched 2.2 million official on-demand U.S. streams and over 5,300 digital song sales across Sunday and Monday (Mar. 10-11), according to Luminate – gains of 27% and 704%, respectively, over the equivalent periods the previous week. 

It wasn’t the only Barbie song to get some post-Oscars love. “I’m Just Ken,” which brought film co-star Ryan Gosling to the Hot 100 for the first time last summer, was also nominated at the awards, and received an elaborately staged, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes-referencing live performance that was very well received by viewers. Streams and sales of the song unsurprisingly exploded afterwards, with “Ken” scoring over nearly 417,000 streams and over 900 digital song sales over Mar. 10-11, gains of 176% and over 2,000%, respectively. 

The other three songs nominated for best original song and performed at the Academy Awards also saw bumps over the same periods – although to still relatively modest totals. Becky G’s “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot earned 23,000 streams (up 491% from the previous week), while Jon Batiste’s “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony earned 28,000 (up 213%) and the Osage Tribal Singers’ “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon earned 14,000 (up 702%). – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Fancam Phenomenon Lifts Masego’s “Tadow” to New Streaming Heights 



In the same way Jacob Elordi fancams – video montages made in appreciation of a given subject – helped give Flume and Kai’s “Never Be Like You” a streaming bump, an even wider selection of fancams is doing the same for Masego and FJK’s “Tadow.” 

Originally released in 2017 as the lead single to his debut studio album, Lady Lady, “Tadow” collected 1.75 million official on-demand U.S. streams during the week of Feb. 23-29, according to Luminate. That marked a 93.6% increase from just over 900,000 srteams during the week of Feb. 16-22. In the first week of March, streaming activity for “Tadow” jumped a further 35% from the week prior to a total of 2.37 million streams. 

Despite the standoff between UMG and TikTok, users are still finding ways to circulate their favorite songs on the platform. Several individual fan-uploaded sounds that contain the first verse of “Tadow” soundtrack viral clips on the platform. A “Tadow”-backed fancam of Tom Holland earned seven million views, one for Rodrick from Diary of a Wimpy Kid pulled over two million, one dedicated to Scarlett Johansson pulled 12.2 million views, and one inspired by Jujutsu Kaisen character Satoru Goju received a whopping 25.5 million views. 

Although it’s been out for over half a decade, “Tadow” has appeared on just one Billboard chart: In 2020, the track peaked at No. 19 on Adult R&B Airplay (chart dated Nov. 14, 2020). Should these fancams continue to spur streaming gains, “Tadow” could experience a renaissance on the charts. – KD

Twitch Streamer Sketch Boosts King Hendrick$ Breakout Hit 



From Kai Cenat to Adin Ross, Twitch streamers have been having a slow-burning but considerable impact on the music scene in recent years. Twitch streamer Sketch (aka user @thesketchreal) — who boasts 368,000 followers on the platform – is the latest example of this trend. 

After playing (and turning up to) Houston rapper King Hendrick$’s “Leaving the Lot” on a Feb. 14 stream, the swaggering trap-indebted single pulled just under 500,000 official on-demand U.S. streams during the week of Feb. 16-22, its first week on streaming platforms. The following week (Feb. 23-29), stream activity for “Leaving the Lot” ballooned by 175% to 1.37 million streams. For the first week of March, the track continued to rise, growing a further 32% to over 1.8 million streams. 

Since that initial stream, Sketch – who specializes in streaming himself chatting and playing video games like Madden and Fortnite – has continued to bump “Leaving the Lot,” resulting in more viral clips featuring the track across other social media platforms such as TikTok and Twitter. Hendrick$ even shared a clip of Sketch playing the track to his official YouTube page. That clip has already amassed over 43,000 views in three weeks, eclipsing the view count of four of Hendrick$’s five most recent music videos. 

With just one month of availability under its belt, King Hendrick$ just might have a serious hit on his hands – and its success might legitimize Sketch as a tastemaker in the process. In the meantime, Hendrick$ has already put out a new song, “Special Teams Anthem,” that shouts out Sketch: “Yeah, I could probably play for the Texans, but I still’d be on jets/ Catch a plane and never take my jersey off, I feel like Sketch,” he spits. – KD

Q&A: Emily Cohen Belote, Principal Music Programmer at Amazon Music, on What’s Trending Up In Her World

The past 12 months have been gigantic for country music’s growth. What do you think is the leading cause for this boom?

The 2023 end-of-year Luminate study said it — and I totally agree. Younger fans are helping country to grow at streaming, and artists like Morgan Wallen, Amazon Music 2023 Breakthrough artist Bailey Zimmerman, and Zach Bryan are leading this streaming charge. Gen Z country listeners are 48% more likely to discover music via music and video streaming than the average Gen Z listener. That just shows the true power in country music fandom, and why having that direct-to-fan connection for artists is so powerful and meaningful for our business.

Which in country music is most interesting to you?

I am enjoying this really raw and authentic era in country music. Artists like Sam Barber, Mae Estes, Dylan Gossett and Wyatt Flores are creating music that is emotional and emotive, and speaks to real-life experiences that fans want to hear and devour right now. These artists are not beholden to being a specific kind of country musician or making a specific kind of country music that fits into a box. They’re inspired by different sounds and artists, and that inspiration creates a unique country sound all their own.

As more non-country artists like Beyoncé and Post Malone dabble with country projects and collaborations, how is curation of Amazon Music’s country properties affected?

Beyoncé and Post Malone have a history of expressing their love for country music, so it’s totally understandable that they would be creating country projects. My job is to find and play the best in country music, and if Beyoncé and Post Malone are creating country music our customers love, then they’ll make it into the programming that I oversee.

Which country song or artist will have surprising growth over the next six months?

I really feel that Dylan Gossett is going to make a major mark on 2024. There’s a big reason why he’s one of our 2024 Breakthrough Artists to Watch. He’s got the songs, the musicianship, and he’s done a pretty incredible job of connecting with his fans in a truly organic way. I also think he has a unique and fresh lyrical perspective. I mean, the line, “pressure makes diamonds, how the hell am I still coal?” is pretty unforgettable. I am genuinely excited to hear any and all new music from Dylan, and can’t wait to see him on the road this year.

Season’s Gainings: The Notorious B.I.G. Up 100,000s in Streams on Death Anniversary



The date of March 9 is burned into the brain of most longtime hip-hop fans, as the date in 1997 when Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G., was tragically murdered in Los Angeles. While tributes pour in annually to the all-time great on the day every year since, so too do fans head to streaming services for their own personal remembrances: Biggie’s catalog was up nearly 300,000 official on-demand U.S. streams from the previous Saturday to over 2.8 million on March 9, according to Luminate – an 11% gain in total. – AU

13 Mar 2024

In Rare Act of Bipartisanship House Passes Bill That Threatens To “Ban” TikTok, Content Creators Are BIG MAD & Worried

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House To Vote On Bill That Would Ban TikTok In U.S. Unless Its Chinese Owner ByteDance Sells

Source: Anna Moneymaker / Getty / TikTok

Content creators might want to start working on their Instagram Reels skills after the GOP-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill that could end TikTok’s run in the United States.

In a rare act of bipartisanship, the House agreed on a measure calling for TikTok’s owner, the Chinese-owned company ByteDance, to divest the TikTok app or risk a US ban.

The bill passed with an eye-opening 352-65 vote and one member voting present, but it still faces uncertainty when it reaches the Senate.

Per CNBC:

The legislation, dubbed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, was introduced March 5 by Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Two days later, House members on the Energy and CommerceCommittee voted unanimously to approve the bill, which refers to TikTok as a threat to national security because it is controlled by a foreign adversary.

The bill now heads to the Senate where it faces an uncertain future as senators appear divided about the legislation, and other federal and state-led efforts to ban TikTok have stalled.

TikTok Repsonds To The Bill Passing The Senate

As expected, the folks at TikTok were not happy about the developments.

“This process was secret, and the bill was jammed through for one reason: it’s a ban,” a spokesperson for TikTok said after the vote was passed. “We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy, 7 million small businesses, and the 170 million Americans who use our service.”

President Joe Biden has already expressed that he will sign the bill if it reaches his desk. Ironically, President Biden has an official TikTok account that his administration created in February as part of his re-election campaign.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration would provide “technical support” in crafting the bill and noted in a March 6 briefing, “It’s on legal standing, and it’s in a place where it can get out of Congress, then the President would sign it.”

The House claims the bill “does not ban TikTok” and demands ByteDance to divest from TikTok within 6 months” “to remain available in the United States.”

If the bill passes its final hurdle and gets Biden’s signature, Apple, Google, and other internet-hosting companies can no longer support TikTok or any other ByteDance apps.

Donald Trump Thinks He’s Slick

While most lawmakers agree that TikTok threatens the country’s national security, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump feels otherwise.

In an interview with CNBC, he claims that getting rid of TikTok would only make Facebook and Instagram’s owner Meta more powerful.

“Without TikTok, you can make Facebook bigger, and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people,” Trump claims.

His comments are hypocritical because, in 2020, he signed an executive order banning TikTok and WeChat “transactions” and eventually giving his approval of a $10 billion and $30 billion acquisition involving Microsoft that eventually fell through.

The Biden Administration would revoke his executive orders.

Content Creators Are BIG MAD

Content Creators are BIG MAD about the ruling and were present at Capitol Hill to let lawmakers know that this ban will affect their livelihoods.

Social media is also reacting to the news, and can’t believe the only thing lawmakers can agree on is that allowing a company possibly owned by the Chinese communist party company access to your data is bad, while other pressing issues like the minimum wage, “border crisis,” inflation, which is cooling, but still high in some areas due to various reasons, health care remains unsolved.

Remember that the GOP controls the House of Representatives and decides what bills come to the floor.

Just saying.

Anyway, TikTok has even reached out to its followers in anticipation of the bill passing the House.

We shall see if the Senate agrees with the House on the matter; there is no guarantee that this will happen.

You can see more reactions to TikTok’s possible banning below.

2. Howling

3. Fair question. But lets direct this question to the Republicans in the House who think thoughts and prayers are effective gun control measures.

4. They can always bring the content to Instagram Reels

5. Damn, we are doomed.

6. The TikTok debate has been going on since 2020. So we can’t say this accurate.

7. We’re not opposed to Trump being banned.

8. He is singing a different tune, so maybe they already did.

13 Mar 2024

Cardi B’s ‘Like What (Freestyle)’ Launches in Top 10 on Hot Rap Songs Chart

Cardi B is back in the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart as “Like What (Freestyle)” begins at No. 8 on the list dated March 16. The track, released on Atlantic Records, starts as the week’s top-selling song for the genre and the week’s highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100, at No. 38.

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The “Like What (Freestyle)” debut on the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs chart, which blends streaming, radio airplay and sales data, traces largely to 9.8 million official U.S. streams in the tracking week of March 1 – 7, according to Luminate. The sum sparks the song’s No. 9 entrance on the Rap Streaming Songs chart and at No. 28 on the all-genre Streaming Songs list.

The track also sold 12,000 downloads in the same period and launches at No. 1 on the Rap Digital Song Sales chart to give Cardi B her 11th leader there. On the all-genre Digital Song Sales list, “Like What (Freestyle)” kicks off at No. 3. Sales were boosted by the song’s availability in five versions: explicit, clean, instrumental, sped-up and slowed-down. For its radio airplay, the new release brings in 2 million in audience in the tracking week.

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With “Like What (Freestyle),” Cardi B bags her 19th top 10 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. The new arrival also extends her reach to an eighth different calendar year with a new top 10 hit, a perfect streak dating to her first appearance in 2017, with the eight-week No. 1 “Bodak Yellow.” Prior to this week, the Grammy-winning rapper was last in the top 10 with “Bongos,” a collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion that peaked at No. 3.

A 20th top 10 could likely be in the mix soon, as Cardi B announced on Monday (March 11) that a new track, “Enough (Miami),” will be released on Friday (March 15).

13 Mar 2024

Ryan Gosling to Host ‘Saturday Night Live’ With Musical Guest Chris Stapleton

Ryan Gosling is set to bring his Kenergy to 30 Rock as host of Saturday Night Live in April, on the episode featuring Chris Stapleton as musical guest. Plus, Kristen Wiig will helm an episode the week prior, with “Escapism” musician Raye tapped to perform.

NBC made the announcement Wednesday (March 13) — just three days after Gosling rocked the Oscars stage with a show-stopping performance of “I’m Just Ken” — that the Barbie actor will be hosting the comedy sketch show for the third time in his career on April 13. The news comes at the end of a stellar awards season run for the Greta Gerwig blockbuster and ahead of Gosling’s upcoming movie The Fall Guy.

And though last weekend’s Academy Awards proved that he’s beyond capable of delivering memorable musical numbers, Gosling’s appearance will be complemented by a performance from Stapleton, whose November album Higher debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. It’ll mark the third time he’s served as musical guest on the show.

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Wiig will host SNL on April 6, marking her fifth time in the driver’s seat. The former SNL cast member’s new series Palm Royale — which she both stars in and executive produced — premieres March 20 on AppleTV+.

Meanwhile, Raye will make her debut on the program. The British singer-songwriter recently made history by taking home six BRIT Awards, the most ever awarded to one artist in a single year.

The news comes after SNL announced that Ramy Youssef would be hosting its March 30 episode, featuring Travis Scott as musical guest. In recent weeks, Ariana Grande, Kacey Musgraves and 21 Savage have performed on the show.

SNL airs on NBC Saturdays at 11:30 p.m.

13 Mar 2024

50 Cent to Expand ‘Power’ Universe with Ghost & Tommy Prequel Series

If you thought Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson was content with the empire he’s built around his hit crime drama, Power, you don’t know 50. The multihyphenate took to Instagram earlier today to announce the development of his next show, Power Origins.

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“You asked, I answered. Young Ghost and Tommy coming your way,” Jackson wrote in an Instagram caption that accompanied a graphic related to the show.

Power, created by Courtney A. Kemp and executive produced by Jackson, first aired in 2014 on Lionsgate’s cable network Starz. The show focused on James St. Patrick (played by Omari Hardwick), a drug dealer nicknamed Ghost whose only wish was to leave the world of crime behind and become a legitimate businessman. Power followed Ghost as he tried to live two lives: one in which he’s a nightclub owner with a loving family at home and one in which he worked with his longtime friend Tommy (played by Joseph Sikora) to distribute narcotics and dated his childhood sweetheart, Angela (played by Lela Loren).

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The show became a ratings hit. For its season three premiere, Starz moved the show from its Saturday night slot to Sunday night and instantly had its most-watched episode of any original series in the network’s history. The success allowed Kemp and Jackson to build out an entire franchise and launched a succession of series focused on some of the original show’s main characters.  

One of those shows, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, is the origin story of Kanan, the character played by Jackson in the original show. Since its premiere in 2021, fans have been wondering when younger versions of Ghost and Tommy were going to make an appearance since the characters all went to high school together. And now, though details are scarce, it’s believed Origins will finally tell the story of young Ghost and Tommy.

“As we approach the 10-year anniversary of Power it is incredible to witness the enormous connection our fans have with the ‘Power’ universe,” Kathryn Busby, President of Programming for Starz said in a statement to Deadline. “We can’t wait to see how Origins will further evolve this dynamic franchise while bringing fresh, gripping, and expansive storytelling to our audience.”

13 Mar 2024

Why Farruko’s Record Label Made a Faith-Based Transition: ‘God Has Called Us to Serve Him’

In February 2022, Farruko turned his La 167 Tour into a religious experience when he opened up to fans about his beliefs during his Miami concert.

“God loves you just the way you are. We’re all sinners, none of us are perfect,” he told the packed venue. At the show, he didn’t perform his biggest hit to date, “Pepas,” and in fact, asked fans to forgive him for the lyrics, which are about drugs and partying.

Since then, the Puerto Rican artist has steered away from the sultry and provocative lyrics that made him a household name and changed his words to more feel-good ones, as heard in singles like “Nazareno” and “Pasa_je_ro.” The latter is part of the latest Transition album, a 20-track project that highlights his personal journey as well as a new era for his label, Carbon Fiber Music. 

“What we are currently living and experiencing with Carbon Fiber, with my life, with Farruko’s life, with the life of Raymond Guevara (formerly and artistically known as Lary Over) and other artists in the company is simply that God has called us to serve him,” Franklin Martinez, the label’s president and Farruko’s longtime manager, tells Billboard. “I can’t tell you what made this change, but I can tell you how it came into my life.”

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In the fall of 2021, and in the midst of “Pepas” having major success (it scored Farruko his first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart on the Aug. 28, 2021-dated tally, where it crowned for 26 weeks), Martinez admits he was going through a deep depression that made him feel “empty, completely unhappy, and feeling dead.” 

“I made the decision [to change my life] about seven months before Farruko did,” he elaborates. “I tried not to throw it in his face, but instead I told him that I was going through a personal situation and over time I would tell him, but I didn’t even have time to explain to him because God collided with him. That explanation, that trying to convince him, did not come from me, it came from Jesus directly.” 

Though Carbon Fiber Music launched in 2014, Martinez had no explanation as to why the label’s literal transition is occurring a decade later, only saying that “God’s timing is perfect.” 

Transition is packed with optimistic and motivational messages about relationships, life and praise —backed by hard-hitting hip-hop beats, mid-tempo reggaeton, infectious Afrobeats and dance melodies. In addition to Farruko, it includes Carbon Fiber artists such as Akim and Menor Menor as well as renowned Christian acts like Christian Ponce, Indiomar and Lirios. 

Without naming names, Martinez says that some Carbon Fiber artists have left the label since the change in direction while others are supporting it, though he calls it “a constant battle and not easy.” 

“We can no longer and don’t want to continue carrying a message of destruction to humanity,” he says. “I don’t want to continue sending messages of violence and sex, I think that God has given us a talent to be able to transmit a message that fills and not a message that destroys.”

He concludes: “‘Transition’ is just that. We are going through a process and this album is a stage that represents what’s happening with the label.”

Carbon Fiber Music 'Transition'

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13 Mar 2024

Mike Will Made-It & Chief Keef Announce ‘Dirty Nachos’ Mixtape Release Date

After serving up their “Dirty Nachos” single in February, Mike Will Made-It and Chief Keef are expanding their appetites to a full project.

The Ear Drummers producer and Chicago native both hope you saved some room for dessert,as the duo joins forces for Dirty Nachos the mixtape, which will be arriving on Friday (March 15). “‘DIRTY NACHOS’ THE TAPE , FRIDAY #ALMIGHTYSO2 #SOSAMADEIT LOADING…,” Mike Will captioned the post announcing the project.

Doe Boy, Swae Lee, Zaytoven and Sonny Digital were among the thousands of people hyped to see Sosa and Mike Will reuniting in his comment section.

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The post’s accompanying clip finds Mike and Chief Keef hanging out and smoking while cooking up some new tunes. A distorted snippet provides the soundtrack filled with DJ Trap-A-Holics tags.

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“I gotta be honest only Mike will made it and ziggy can get chief keef back to where he needs to be in the music business… hope he stays more consistent now,” a fan added.

While the duo teamed up for “Dirty Nachos” last month, it’s not the first time fans have heard from the two. A pair of tracks were leaked and unofficially released during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 called “Bang Bang” and “Status,” respectively.

2024 is shaping up to be a busy year for both Mike Will and Chief Keef. On the heels of Dirty Nachos, Cheif Keef is slated to finally deliver his much-delayed Almighty So 2 sequel in April. It remains to be seen if he’ll be sticking with the release schedule.

Find the Dirty Nachos announcement below.