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18 Jan 2024

Witness To History Podcast: Method Man & Royce Da 5’9″ Rep Their Cities

Witness To History Meth & Royce

Source: Hip-Hop Wired / iOne Digital

The Witness To History: 50 Years of Hip-Hop Greatness returns with its latest episode which features top tier MC’s Method Man and Royce Da 5’9″. Repping Staten Island and Detroit, respectively, these two rappers have created thick chapters for themselves in the book of Hip-Hop.

Hip-Hop Wired Director of Content Alvin aqua Blanco held an enlightening conversation with Method Man, which touched on everything from the Wu-Tang Clan, to his acting to the mark Staten Island aka Shaolin has made on the culture. The Morning Hustle’s Kyle Santillian linked up with Royce, who discussed the impact of Detroit on Hip-Hop as well as the dynamic he shared with fellow Motor City native and great friend Eminem.

18 Jan 2024

Madonna Sued Over Delayed Concert Starts by Fans Who ‘Had To Get Up Early To Go To Work’

Madonna is facing a federal class action lawsuit because she allegedly started three New York City concerts later than scheduled, a delay that her accusers say caused real legal harm to ticket buyers who “had to get up early to go to work” the next day.

In a complaint filed Wednesday (Jan. 17) in Brooklyn federal court, ticket buyers Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden claim the Material Girl breached her contract with concertgoers and violated New York state laws by starting three December shows past 10:30 rather than the scheduled 8:30.

“Defendants’ actions constitute not just a breach of their contracts … but also a wanton exercise in false advertising, negligent misrepresentation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices,” attorneys for the two men write.

The three concerts at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, stops on Madonna’s Celebration Tour, were originally scheduled for July but rescheduled to December due to the singer’s illness. Fellows and Hadden say they expected their show (Dec. 13) to start on time, and “would not have paid for their tickets had they known that the concerts would start after 10:30 p.m.”

“Defendants failed to provide any notice to the ticketholders that the concerts would start much later than the start time printed on the ticket and as advertised,” attorneys for the two men write.

Leaving Barclays Center after 1:00 a.m., the two men say ticket buyers were “left stranded in the middle of the night,” some “confronted with limited public transportation” options and others with increased prices for ride-share services. They also point out that the concert took place “on a weeknight,” meaning they “had to get up early to go to work and/or take care of their family responsibilities the next day.”

In addition to Madonna herself, the lawsuit also names Live Nation and Barclays Center as defendants. In technical terms, the complaint alleges breach of contract; violation of New York’s business practices and false advertising laws; and several other forms of wrongdoing, including unjust enrichment.

The lawsuit also includes a claim of so-called negligent misrepresentation, saying the concert organizers “knew or should have known” that the concerts would not start at 8:30 because of alleged past instances of Madonna taking the stage late — and should have warned fans.

“Madonna has a long history of arriving and starting her concerts late, sometimes several hours late,” attorneys for Fellows and Hadden write. “This history occurred throughout her 2016 Rebel Heart Tour, her 2019-2020 Madame X Tour, and prior tours, where Madonna continuously started her concerts over two hours late.”

Reps for Madonna and Live Nation did not immediately return requests for comment.

Read the entire lawsuit against Madonna here:

18 Jan 2024

Bring Me the Horizon Scores Record-Breaking Fifth Hot Hard Rock Songs No. 1

Bring Me the Horizon notches its record-breaking fifth No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, as “Kool-Aid” bows atop the Jan. 20-dated survey. The song debuts with 2.4 million official U.S. streams and 2,000 downloads sold Jan. 5-11, according to Luminate.

The track is the Oli Sykes-fronted rockers’ first release since the departure of longtime keyboardist Jordan Fish, who was also one of the band’s principal songwriters and producers.

With five No. 1s, Bring Me the Horizon breaks out of a tie with Falling in Reverse for the most in the brief history of Hot Hard Rock Songs, which began in June 2020. It’s the band’s first topper as a lead act since its trio of leaders in 2020: “Parasite Eve,” “Obey” (with Yungblud) and “Teardrops.” In 2023, the group led as featured on Lil Uzi Vert’s “Werewolf.”

Concurrently, “Kool-Aid” opens at Nos. 14, 20 and 25 on Hot Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, respectively.

The song’s paid download count earned the band a No. 1 debut on Hard Rock Digital Song Sales, Bring Me the Horizon’s eighth leader and first since “LosT” last May. Only Five Finger Death Punch (16) and Linkin Park (nine) have more No. 1s in the history of the chart, which began in 2011.

Additionally, “Kool-Aid” ranks at No. 17 on Hard Rock Streaming Songs.

The song is bubbling under Mainstream Rock Airplay. Its predecessor, “DArkSide,” reached No. 31 earlier in January. (“DArkSide” debuted and peaked at No. 2 on Hot Hard Rock Songs in October 2023 and currently ranks at No. 11.)

“Kool-Aid” is the latest single from Post Human: Next Gen, the second in Bring Me the Horizon’s Post Human series, following 2020’s Post Human: Survival Horror. The set does not yet have a release date but is expected in 2024.

18 Jan 2024

Cori Broadus, Snoop Dogg’s Daughter, Suffers ‘Severe Stroke’ at 24 Years Old

Cori Broadus opened up about a health scare via her Instagram Stories on Thursday (Jan. 18).

The 24-year-old daughter of Snoop Dogg shared photos from a hospital bed, writing, “I had a severe stroke this am. I started breaking down crying when they told me.”

In a follow-up Story, she wrote, “I’m only 24. What did I do in my past to deserve all of this?”

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Broadus was diagnosed with lupus when she was six years old, and “the risk of stroke is 4-times to 8-times higher in lupus patients, due to inflammation influencing the tendency of blood to clot and vasculitis stiffening the blood vessels,” according to Lupus Corner, though it is not immediately known if that is what caused the stroke.

At the time of publication, Snoop has not publicly shared anything about his daughter’s health scare. In lighter news, the rapper is joining NBCUniversal to report on the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. The star will be onsite at the event to deliver “regular reports” on the Olympic Primetime Show beginning July 26. He previously worked with NBCUniversal to report for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which took place in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I grew up watching the Olympics and am thrilled to see the incredible athletes bring their A-game to Paris. It’s a celebration of skill, dedication, and the pursuit of greatness,” Snoop said in a statement. “We’re going to have some amazing competitions and, of course, I will be bringing that Snoop style to the mix. It’s going to be the most epic Olympics ever, so stay tuned, and keep it locked. Let’s elevate, celebrate, and make these games unforgettable, smoke the competition, and may the best shine like gold. Peace and Olympic LOVE, ya dig?”

18 Jan 2024

Taylor Swift’s ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ Surpasses 2 Million in U.S. Sales

Taylor Swift claims her ninth album to reach 2 million in U.S. sales, as 1989 (Taylor’s Version) surpassed the threshold in the week ending Jan. 11. According to data tracking firm Luminate, the album sold 17,000 copies that week, uppping its total sales figure since its release in October to 2.014 million. (Sales are traditional album purchases – inclusive of all physical configurations [CD, vinyl, cassette] and digital album downloads.)

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1989 (Taylor’s Version) is the only album released in 2023 to have sold 2 million copies in the U.S. — it’s also the only album to have surpassed 1 million copies in 2023 (It cleared the million-mark in its debut week, ending Nov. 2.) The last-released album to cross both marks was Swift’s own Midnights, which was released in October of 2022. Midnights sold more than a million copies in its first week, and then reached the 2 million-mark in February of 2023.

Here’s a recap of Swift’s nine albums that have sold at least 2 million copies each, ranked by largest total sales: Fearless (7.285 million), 1989 (6.472 million), her self-titled album (5.871 million), Speak Now (4.817 million), Red (4.582 million), Midnights (2.814 million), Reputation (2.478 million), Folklore (2.289 million) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (2.014 million).

Swift has four more albums that have sold at least 1 million each, lifting her sum of million-selling albums to a lucky 13.

Swift’s continued strong sales should come as no surprise, as she was the year’s top-selling act in the U.S., by album sales, in each of the last five years (2019-23). And, she’s done so while an increasing number of music fans have adopted streaming as a primary means of music consumption. Swift, like many acts, has leaned in to creating additional versions of an album for purchase by superfans, which helps increase sales figures. Her albums sold spectacularly on vinyl as well, and was the configuration’s top-seller in 2023 when she accounted for one of every 15 vinyl albums sold.

On Billboard’s latest Top Album Sales chart (dated Jan. 20), 1989 (Taylor’s Version) spends a sixth non-consecutive week at No. 1, with its 17,000 copies sold (down 28%). Swift has a total of seven albums in the top 10, as 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is joined by six other former Swift leaders in the region. She ties her own record for the most concurrent titles in the top 10 by a single act.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Swift’s other six titles in the Jan. 20-dated top 10 on Top Album Sales are: Midnights (rising 3-2 with 11,000; down 14%), Folklore (4-3 with 10,000; down 21%), Lover (6-5 with 9,000; down 25%), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (8-6 with 7,000; down 30%), Evermore (5-7 with nearly 7,000; down 47%) and Red (Taylor’s Version) (14-10 with nearly 6,000; down 18%).

As for the non-Swift titles in the top 10, they are: Stray Kids’ former No. 1 ROCK-STAR (falling 2-4 with a little over 9,000; down 39%), Olivia Rodrigo’s chart-topping Guts (7-8 with 6,000; down 41%) and ATEEZ’s The World EP.Fin: Will (holding at No. 9 with nearly 6,000; down 34%).

In the week ending Jan. 11, there were 1.195 million albums sold in the U.S. (down 15.6% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 936,000 (down 17.7%) and digital albums comprised 259,000 (down 6.8%).

There were 439,000 CD albums sold in the week ending Jan. 11 (down 13.6 week-over-week) and 492,000 vinyl albums sold (down 21.1%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 946,000 (down 25.5% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 1.117 million (down 44%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 2.611 million (down 34.1% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 2.073 million (down 36.9%) and digital album sales total 538,000 (down 20.4%).

18 Jan 2024

Crocs Celebrates Hello Kitty’s 50th Anniversary With the Purrfect Comfy Shoe Collection: Shop It Here

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.

Hello Kitty has always been a classic character, and now she’s celebrating her 50th anniversary with the cutest collaboration with Crocs. The special-edition Hello Kitty Crocs officially dropped on Wednesday (Jan. 17) and are still in stock, but most likely not for long.

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Now, you can sport the famous comfy clogs with designs inspired by the Sanrio character, including her classic red bow and blue overalls. Styles come in adult and kids sizes, and you can choose from the Classic Clog, Stomp Slide and Siren Clog. To go alongside the special Hello Kitty Crocs, the brand has also launched exclusive Jibbitz charms, which start at $5 and are purrfect for decorating and customizing all of your Crocs.

The shoe brand has been tapping celebrities and beloved franchises such as Shrek and Barbie to collaborate on collectable styles, and Hello Kitty is no exception. Unlike the traditional Crocs shoes, though, these collaborations are known to sell out quickly, which means you won’t want to hesitate before clicking “add to cart.”

In case your size is out of stock, you may be able to snag a pair of the shoes through resale retailers such as StockX and eBay.

Unleash your nostalgic side and upgrade your shoe collection with these paw–some styles that are not only eye-catching and display-worthy, but will stylishly show off your love with of the character.

Keep reading to shop the Hello Kitty and Crocs collaboration.

red, white and blue hello kitty crocs

Crocs

Hello Kitty Classic Clog

The Classic Clog gets a Hello Kitty-approved makeover that includes her iconic red bow and a blue trim inspired by her go-to overalls. The interior features the plush yet supportive foam material that’s both waterproof and lightweight to help keep you comfy all day long.

red and white platform open-toed clogs with hello kitty graphics

Crocs

Hello Kitty Stomp Slide

Elevate your outfits in a pair of Stomp Slides that not only include a platform sole, but also feature an open-toe design — perfect for showing off a fresh pedicure. Decorating the upper is a white and red graphic of Hello Kitty as well as exclusive super-sized red bow Jibbitz.

blue and white hello kitty platform heel crocs

Crocs

Hello Kitty Siren Clogs

If you prefer a closed-to option, these Siren Clogs feature a platform heel design with a glittery sole and blue-and-white Hello Kitty graphics. As a bonus, you’ll also receive a 3D charm of the character as well as a red bow for each shoe.

Looking for more Hello Kitty 50th anniversary collabs? Brands such as Uniqlo and Igloo have also released collections in celebration of the milestone anniversary, which you can shop now and expand your collection.

For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best shoes for travel, men’s sneaker deals and Doc Marten dupes.

18 Jan 2024

Patrick Mahomes’ Dad Gushes Over How ‘Down to Earth’ Taylor Swift Is

Taylor Swift is getting all the love from the Kansas City Chiefs family!

Patrick “Pat” Mahomes Sr., the father of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, was asked during a recent interview with Starcade Media about Taylor Swift’s relationship with the team’s tight end Travis Kelce. “She’s down to earth,” Mahomes Sr. said.

“I actually walked up and introduced myself to her, and she said she knew who I was because she had watched the Quarterback series,” he continued, referring to the Netflix documentary about his son and two other NFL quarterbacks.

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“Every time I’ve hung out with her, she just acts like a normal person,” Mahomes Sr. concluded.

Swift and Kelce’s real life “Love Story” began back in July, when the football player tried to give a friendship bracelet to Swift during her Eras Tour stop in Kansas City. Since then, the singer has attended countless Chiefs football games and the duo have stepped out together on dates on multiple occasions.

“When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” Swift told TIME in December, marking her first public remarks of the relationship. “The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.” 

18 Jan 2024

Flo Milli Crowns TikTok Billboard Top 50 With ‘Never Lose Me’ | Billboard News

Flo Milli’s “Never Lose Me” jumps to the No. 1 spot on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart, posting Jan. 18.

Tetris Kelly:
Flo Milli claims the top spot while three new tracks break into the top 10.

Flo Milli’s “Never Lose Me” jumps to No. 1 after seven weeks on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 for the chart posting Jan. 18. Debuting at No. 8 is He Is We’s “I Wouldn’t Mind,” which has people and their pets moving.

Rounding out the top 10 is Cordelia with “Little Life” at No. 9, so that users can show off why they liked this little life, and Xavi’s “La Diabla” at No. 10, which has everyone lip-synching their hearts out.

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.

18 Jan 2024

Selena Gomez, David Henrie to Produce & Appear in ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ Disney Revival

Selena Gomez is casting a time-turning spell with her latest TV venture. On Thursday (Jan. 18), it was officially announced that the 31-year-old singer-actress is stepping back into her iconic role as Alex Russo in the pilot episode of a Wizards of Waverly Place reboot, a nostalgic project she’ll also produce alongside former costar David Henrie.

As first reported by Deadline, the revival will begin after “a mysterious incident at WizTech,” the magical school attended by Gomez and Henrie’s characters — Russo siblings Alex and Justin, respectively — in the original Wizards of Waverly Place series, which aired on Disney Channel from 2007 to 2012. Similar to Alex and Justin’s dad Jerry, played by David DeLuise in the original, Justin has left his wizarding powers behind in favor of a normal, human life with his wife and two sons.

But when a powerful young wizard named Billie shows up at his door in need of training to “ensure the future” of the Wizarding World, Justin must step back into the life he left behind. The Disney-ordered series pilot is being written by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas (Raven’s Home). 

Gomez is so far only confirmed to appear in the reboot’s pilot, while Henrie will be a series regular. The rest of the main cast has also been set: Janice LeAnn Brown will portray Billie, and Justin’s wife and eldest son Roman will be played by Mimi Gianopulos and Alkaio Thiele, respectively.

“So excited!!” Gomez said of the show’s revival in the first of two Instagram Stories. In the second, she shared a picture with Henrie and wrote over it, “WE’RE BACK.”

Henrie was also enthusiastic in sharing the news. “The Russo’s are excited to become apart of your family, once again, but we’ve grown ? 2024, the year magic comes back!” he tweeted.

Former Disney Branded Television head Gary Marsh and director Andy Fickman will produce alongside Gomez and Henrie. Wizards is only the latest kids’ show from the 2000s to receive the reboot treatment, following in the footsteps of Nickelodeon’s iCarly, Zoey 101 and the now-scrapped Lizzy McGuire update.

18 Jan 2024

The Deals: Korn’s Brian ‘Head’ Welch Invests in Mental Health Center; Web3 Platform Tune.FM Raises $20M

Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch has invested in Atlantic Behavioral Health, a new mental health treatment center serving Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The center focuses on anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders, combining individual therapy, group therapy and medication management. “Partnering with Atlantic is so personal to me and not just another business to invest in,” said Welch in a statement. “I know what it feels like to live at the bottom of a dark pit, but I also know if you put in the work, the light will come back on, and Atlantic is going to help so many people find that light switch.”

Tune.FM, a Web3 decentralized music streaming platform with an integrated music NFT marketplace, received $20 million in funding from investment group LDA Capital. Tune.FM allows artists to monetize their fanbases through streaming royalty micropayments and digital music collectibles with exclusive unlockable experiences powered by the JAM token ($JAM) using Hedera Hashgraph distributed ledger technology. Tune.FM will use the funds to grow its user base, expand its development team, launch new products and increase liquidity for the JAM token internationally.

iHeartMedia has formed a strategic collaboration with Zigazoo Kids, which encompasses social networks Zigazoo (for children 13 and up) and Zigazoo Kids (for children under 13). Under the deal, the companies will explore opportunities between iHeartMedia’s portfolio of music and podcasts and Zigazoo’s content. iHeartMedia will additionally launch a national, multi-million-dollar campaign across its multiplatform audio network to stoke further awareness of Zigazoo’s social networks.

Independent radio promotions firms Your Army and Strange Loop Promo have merged. Under the deal, both companies will now operate under the Your Army banner out of offices in L.A., New York and Vancouver, Canada.

The U.K. office of Believe has signed a long-term label solutions partnership with Mahogany, the global multi-platform music brand behind the Mahogany Sessions YouTube channel. Under the agreement, Mahogany will handle global distribution for Mahogany’s label, Mahogany Records, along with its video platforms Mahogany Sessions, COVERS and Lagoon. Mahogany will additionally work with Believe’s audience development team to develop the global reach of its imprints across established and developing markets and expand their content into new territories, genres and audio-visual formats. Forthcoming plans include the public launch of Mahogany’s bespoke digital distribution service, Mahogany Songs.

Sony Music Masterworks has formed a strategic venture with London-based live entertainment company Roast Productions. Operating internationally, Roast Productions produces theater, concerts and family entertainment events. Founders Bonnie Royal and Michael Stevens will continue leading Roast’s day-to-day operations while partnering with Masterworks on developing a range of new productions. They will work closely with Masterworks president Mark Cavell and Ollie Rosenblatt, founder/CEO of U.K.-based producer/promoter Senbla.

Comedy festival SF Sketchfest has partnered with livestreaming platform Veeps to stream five of its featured shows exclusively on the platform between Jan. 21 and Feb. 4. The shows to be livestreamed are: Triumph the Insult Comic Dog’s Let’s Make A Poop!, Kids in the Hall: Scenes They Wouldn’t Let Us Do, Varietopia with Paul F. Tompkins, Hello From Magic Tavern and The Trav-enture Zone: A Night of Dungeons & Dragons & Also Comedians. The Kids in the Hall and Tompkins shows will only stream live; the others will be available to replay for 48 hours.

ASM Global has announced a new naming rights partnership with Strawberry Hotel Group that begins in July. Under the deal, ASM will rename the former Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, to Strawberry Arena.

Artelize — a platform that uses artificial intelligence to collect information about concerts and events in opera, classical music, ballet and dance, musicals, spoken theater and jazz, allowing artists and producers to quickly create posts that promote their upcoming events — has closed a pre-seed funding round of €1 million ($1.09 million) led by Bjørn Bruun, founder of Danish fashion brand Bruuns Bazaar, along with other angel investors. Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, Artelize also received a government grant from the Danish Innobooster Programme and a loan facility from the Danish Export and Investment fund as part of the round. The funding will allow Artelize, which is mainly focused on the U.S. market, to expand into the United Kingdom and Europe.

ADA Italy has signed a distribution deal with LaTarma Records. Founded by Marta Donà, LaTarma’s roster includes Ale, Giovanni Toscano, Dolcedormire, Matteo Crea and Angelina Mango.

Production music company ALIBI Music has signed Cadence Music Group as its new synch agent for Canada.