djfrosty

19 Dec 2023

Drake Seemingly Shades Metro Boomin, Producer Uses Video To Clap Back

HipHopWired Featured Video

Boston Celtics v Toronto Raptors

Source: Cole Burston / Getty

You can add Drake and Metro Boomin to the list of rap stars who don’t get along. Drizzy’s recent jab at the producer has prompted a response.

TMZ is reporting that Champagne Papi recently hosted a livestream that is now going viral. On Saturday (Dec. 2), the beatsmith took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to vent his disappointment on his album Heroes & Villains not receiving its just due in terms of honors. “Yet Her Loss still keeps winning Rap Album of the Year over H&V. Proof that award shows are just politics and not for me,” the tweet read. “Idc about awards honestly, the true award and REWARD is knowing that the music I spend so much time on brings joy to people’s everyday lives.”

Naturally, the post landed on Drake’s radar. He soon unfollowed Metro Boomin on social media, and Metro deleted the aforementioned post. During a livestream the “Wick Man” MC addressed both his fans and haters. “To the rest of you — the non-believers, the underachievers, the tweet and deleters — you guys make me sick to my stomach, fam,” he said. “Look at my eyes — you guys wanna do something? That’s what I thought.”

On Monday (Dec. 13), Metro Boomin posted a skit that fans believe is the unofficial response to Drake. The video shows four Black males wearing straight hair wigs talking in what is perceived as “frat boys” at a basketball court. “Whoa calm down Jamal, don’t pull out the 9,” one of the actors says.

The two have previously worked on Drake and Future’s 2015 collaboration album, What A Time To Be Alive. You can see Drake address things below.

19 Dec 2023

Hellcats & Hip-Hop With Killer Mike, Funkmaster Flex & Chop Towbin | Billboard Roundtable

In celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, Billboard Deputy Editorial Director Damien Scott sat down with Grammy-nominated rapper Killer Mike, Funkmaster Flex and legendary Dodge dealer Chop Towbin to discuss all things Hellcat, hip-hop and how Dodge made its mark in music history.

Killer Mike
What’s up, I’m Damien Scott from Billboard magazine. I got three of the illest car guys in the world today talking s–t with me.

Damien Scott:
What up, my name is Damian Scott. I’m the deputy editorial director at Billboard. For the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, Billboard and Dodge linked up to celebrate one of the most iconic, hottest cars to ever roll out. To do so we’ve linked up with an amazing cast of people, but before we get to them, I think it’s important to highlight how important the brand of Dodge is and has been to hip-hop, how influential the brand has been for over 100 years. It’s set trends and delivered some of the hottest models I think we can all agree has ever has ever graced the streets.

Let’s just jump in. I’m joined by hip-hop legend and Grammy nominated, congrats, Killer Mike. The guy who soundtracked my life in New York City, the legendary Funkmaster Flex. And one of the biggest Dodge dealers in all the United Statesm Chop Towbin. How did you guys get into cars in the first place?

Watch the full video above!

19 Dec 2023

Struggle Rapper 6ix9ine’s Assets To Be Sold Off To Satisfy $10M Dollar Judgement

HipHopWired Featured Video

MiamiBash 2021

Source: John Parra / Getty

6ix9ine’s off the wall antics are continuing to catch up to him on the legal side of things as the rapper’s assets are now on the chopping block in order to pay off a court ordered settlement that he brought upon himself.

According to TMZ, the platinum selling rapper turned infamous snitch is having his Rolls-Royce, mansion in Florida and anything else that isn’t nailed to the floor taken away from him and sold. 6ix9ine has to satisfy a $9.825 million judgement brought to him by a stripper, who claimed he hit her in the head with a champagne bottle. Dancer Alexis Salaberrios sued 6ix9ine two years ago for the incident and was finally awarded the money in July. To date, she hasn’t seen a single dime hit her bank account.

Knowing that she needed some help to get her coin, Salaberrios asked the court to intervene. And intervene they did after she asked a judge to appoint a receiver to liquidate 6ix9ine’s assets and get the ball rolling.

TMZ reports:

The receiver has lots of power– allowed to “break any locks necessary to gain access to any real property.”

TMZ broke the story, Tekashi was sued by Alexis in 2021 after allegedly hitting her in the head inside Gold Rush Cabaret in Miami. Her attorney told us he tried hitting someone else for calling him a rat, but he missed and clocked Alexis instead.

According to Salaberrios, the injuries resulted in a trip to the ER, and she had to get several staples to close the wound. Tekashi’s attorney, Lance Lazzaro, scoffed at her claims, saying “It’s an attempt to shake him down.”
We’ve reached out to Tekashi’s camp for comment … so far, no word back.
Ten million to get hit in the head by a bottle from 6ix9ine? As weak as he looks, we’d take that bet. Just sayin’.
What do y’all think of 6ix9ine having to cough up $10 million for hitting a stripper in the head with a bottle? Let us know in the comments section below.

19 Dec 2023

Will The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’ Finally Reach U.K. No. 1 in Memory of Shane McGowan?

In the 36 years since The Pogues released the band’s now-seminal “Fairytale of New York,” the acerbic holiday classic has occupied every single position on the Official U.K. Singles Chart’s top 20 — except for No. 1.

If there was ever a year when that changed, this would be it.  

Following frontman Shane MacGowan‘s death on Nov. 30, “Fairytale of New York” is once again in the running for the coveted top spot on the annual “Official Christmas Number 1” chart put out by the U.K.’s charts organization, The Official Charts Company (OCC). On Monday, the track was No. 5 on the preliminary Christmas chart, which closes at midnight on Thursday (Dec. 21); the winner will be announced on BBC Radio 1’s The Official Chart show the following day. A mix of fan engagement and label strategy may push it up the ranking — but, as in previous years, the song faces strong competition, and a fairy tale ending is far from guaranteed.

“It’s going to be very, very tight this year and it’s not really until the week itself that you can tell who the main contenders are going to be,” says Martin Talbot, chief executive of the OCC.

Sales for MacGowan’s duet with Kirsty MacColl, co-written with Jem Finer, climbed to 77,000 in the week after MacGowan’s death, a rise of 170% from the week before, according to the OCC.   

U.K. streams of “Fairytale of New York” crossed 9 million over the same period, reports OCC, giving the song its biggest-ever streaming total in the country outside the Christmas period. Total U.K. streams over the past month stand at just under 23 million, up 13% on average compared to the same period over the past five years.

The singer’s death also saw several covers of the song generate renewed traction on TikTok — including clips of Ed Sheeran, Saoirse Ronan and, of course, Travis Kelce, who recently earned his first Billboard chart-topper with “Fairytale of Philadelphia,” a spoof on The Pogues’ original version featuring his brother, Jason Kelce.

Despite the song’s New York setting and memorable black and white video (featuring a cameo from Pogues fan and Hollywood star Matt Dillon), “Fairytale of New York” has proved considerably less popular in the United States, where it has never reached the Billboard Hot 100. It has charted on Billboard‘s Holiday Digital Song Sales chart, climbing to a new peak of No. 16 in the wake of MacGowan’s passing (on the chart dated Dec. 9, 2023). According to Luminate, “Fairytale of New York” also earned just under 400,000 on-demand U.S. streams the day MacGowan passed (Nov. 30), marking a 227.2% increase in streams from the day prior.

Tom Gallacher, the London-based senior director of digital and marketing at Warner catalog imprint Rhino Music, which owns the worldwide rights to The Pogues’ repertoire, including “Fairytale of New York,” says that organic searches for the song and the group’s catalog on streaming services were “significantly up” across multiple markets in the week following MacGowan’s passing, with the biggest surges taking place in the United Kingdom and Ireland. (The song returned to No. 1 in Ireland in early December).

In tribute to the late frontman, who was born on Christmas day 1957 and died from pneumonia in a hospital aged 65, Rhino is re-releasing “Fairytale of New York” on 7-inch vinyl (limited to 5,500 copies) in the United Kingdom, with all proceeds going to homeless charity Dublin Simon Community. The direct-to-consumer release shipped on Monday (Dec. 18), meaning that those sales will count towards the all-important Christmas week tally.

“When you have a very tight chart race, physical product can make the difference,” says Talbot. “It also acts as a good marketing tool, reminding people about a record.”

MacGowan’s widow, Victoria Mary Clarke, has meanwhile given her backing to a fan-led social media campaign to get the song to No. 1 almost four decades after it was first released in 1987.

“Fairytale of New York” propelled The Pogues to a new level of mainstream success and is the band’s highest charting song to date; when it peaked at No. 2 on the U.K. chart, it was behind only the Pet Shop Boys‘ version of “Always On My Mind.”

The song served as a single from the Pogues’ 1988 album If I Should Fall From Grace With God — which became their highest-peaking entry on the Billboard 200, at No. 88 — and is routinely voted the U.K. public’s favorite Christmas song in polls.

Despite its enduring popularity, “Fairytale of New York” has also generated controversy over the years concerning its lyrics, in particular the Kirsty MacColl-sung line “You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy fa–ot.”

Shane MacGowan of The Pogues

Shane MacGowan of The Pogues performs at 02 Arena on December 20, 2012 in London, England.

Caitlin Mogridge/Redferns/Getty Images

In 2007, BBC Radio 1 announced that it would be bleeping out the slur to avoid offending listeners before immediately reversing its decision following complaints by fans and MacGowan’s mother, Therese.

In 2020, the BBC Radio 1 again announced that it would play a censored version of the track with the offending word, along with “slut,” removed. In response, musician Nick Cave accused the broadcaster of “mutilating” the festive classic.

Addressing the issue in 2018, MacGowan said that the words were not intended to offend but reflected the language that the song’s female character — “a woman of a certain generation at a certain time in history… down on her luck and desperate” — would use.

“Sometimes characters in songs and stories have to be evil or nasty in order to tell the story effectively,” said MacGowan.

Currently leading the race for the U.K. Christmas No. 1 is pop duo Wham!, whose evergreen 1984 single “Last Christmas” has spent the past two weeks at the top of the British charts.

The Yuletide-themed George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley song first went to No. 1 on New Year’s Day 2021, at the time breaking a chart record — now held by Kate Bush‘s “Running Up That Hill” — for the longest time a track has taken to top the U.K. singles chart.

“Last Christmas” has now topped the Official U.K. Singles Chart on five non-consecutive occasions, but never on the “Official Christmas Number 1” tally — traditionally seen as the most coveted chart position in the U.K. music industry.

To give “Last Christmas” a final push, Wham’s label, Epic, is releasing a limited-edition vinyl version of the track as well as a CD single release, complete with download promotion.

Hot on Wham’s heels is U.K. Eurovision 2022 entry, Sam Ryder, whose original song “You’re Christmas To Me” (East West/Rhino) climbed eight places to No. 2 in the first 48 hours of the current Dec. 15-21 chart week.

Other front runners include Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (currently No. 3 based on preliminary sales), Ed Sheeran and Elton John‘s “Merry Christmas” (No. 4), Noah Kahan‘s “Stick Season” (No. 6) and British TikTok collective Creator Universe’s charity fundraising cover of Wizzard‘s “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday,” which is just outside the top 10.

If “Fairytale of New York” does finally top the charts on Friday it would be a “beautiful and fitting” tribute to the late singer, reflects Gallacher, who says MacGowan’s best-known song continues to resonate with audiences because “it goes beyond the usual saccharine sentiment of a lot of Christmas songs.”

“It’s totally unique,” adds Mike McCormack, U.K. MD of Universal Music Publishing Group, which represents “Fairytale of New York” on the publishing side.

“Only a lyricist as gifted and uncompromising as Shane could have written a Christmas song so joyfully sad and unconventional,” McCormack continues. “It’s the antithesis of all the other mainstream perennial hits but is honest and heart-warming… I don’t think it’ll ever be beaten as the greatest Christmas song.”

19 Dec 2023

Mayor Mixxy Eric Adams Gets Dragged For Ridiculous 9/11 Comment

HipHopWired Featured Video

CLOSE

Eric Adams Clowned For Ridiculous 9/11 Comment

Source: Pacific Press / Getty / Eric Adams

You can always count on NYC Mayor Eric Adams to say something ridiculous that will leave you scratching your head and laughing because it was so bonkers.

Spotted on Raw Story, the socialite who moonlights as New York’s Mayor has stepped in it. During a recent interview with PIX11 host Dan Mannarino, Eric Adams somehow found a way to say that one of the city that never sleeps’ best attributes is there is an opportunity you can witness a plane flying into a skyscraper.

Yes, you read that correctly.

In his own words, Adams said, “This is a place where every day you wake up you could experience everything from a plane crashing into our Trade Center to a person who is celebrating a new business opening. And that’s why it’s the greatest city on the globe.”

We are sure you have probably read that unbelievable quote numerous times. So here is the video of him saying it also just to let you know that we are not pulling your chain with this story.

Social Media Clowned Him

As you can imagine, Adams’ comments opened the door for many reactions.

“How does anyone have that thought let alone express it in public as mayor of New York? Also New York is two words,” one person on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.

Another X user wrote, “Riding the subway, shopping at a bodega, watching multiple skyscrapers destroyed in a terrorist attack that kills thousands of people; just NYC things.”

This latest Mayor Mixxy moment comes after his aides had their homes raided by the FBI as part of an investigation into Adams’ 2021 campaign and whether there were connections to the Turkish government to funnel campaign donations.

Welp.

You can see more reactions to Mayor Adams’ comments in the gallery below.

—

Photo: Pacific Press / Getty

3. Unbelievable

19 Dec 2023

Britney Spears Posts Devastating Photo of Gym She Burned Down in 2020

More than three years after Britney Spears accidentally burned her home gym down, the pop star took to Instagram to share the extent of the damage.

“Reflecting back remembering when I burnt the gym down in 2020,” she captioned a shocking photo on Monday night (Dec. 18), in which the charred basement is seen full of burnt workout equipment, including dumbbells, kettlebells, treadmills, spin bikes and more. All the equipment, as well as the floor, is torched and covered in ash.

Back in April 2020, Spears revealed that she accidentally burned down her home gym due to some candles. “It was an accident …. but yes …. I burnt it down,” she wrote in the caption. “I walked past the door to the gym and flames [fire emojis] BOOM !!!!!! By the Grace of God the alarm went off after that and yippy hoorah nobody got hurt. Unfortunately now I have only two pieces of equipment left lol and a one-sided mirror gym!!!!! But it could be much worse so I’m grateful. Pssss I like working out better outside anyways.”

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Spears has previously had accidents with candles, as back in 2002, People reported that while on vacation in New York City, the pop star almost torched the apartment she was staying in after accidentally leaving a candle lit while out shopping. “Spears’ mother reveals that Britney’s candle fetish sparked an earlier fire in the family’s Louisiana home,” the article reads, citing another candle incident. “Lynne Spears says her famous kid somehow set her bathroom aflame with a misplaced candle.”

19 Dec 2023

Nicki Minaj & Tasha Cobbs Leonard’s ‘Blessings’ Arrives Atop Hot Gospel Songs Chart

Rapper Nicki Minaj’s “Blessings,” featuring gospel star Tasha Cobbs Leonard, blasts in at No. 1 on Billboard’s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Gospel Songs chart (dated Dec. 23). It becomes Minaj’s second No. 1 and Leonard’s fifth.

The pair previously teamed for “I’m Getting Ready,” which led Hot Gospel Songs in its debut week in September 2017.

In the Dec. 8-14 tracking week, “Blessings” garnered 3.1 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate. It also sold 3,000 downloads and arrives atop both Gospel Streaming Songs (where it’s Leonard’s fifth No. 1 and Minaj’s first) and Gospel Digital Song Sales (marking Leonard’s 10th leader and Minaj’s second).

The collaboration is from Minaj’s album Pink Friday 2. Released Dec. 8, it enters the all-genre Billboard 200 at No. 1 with 228,000 equivalent album units in its first week, including 92,000 in album sales. It marks Minaj’s third chart-topper.

Along with “Blessings” and “I’m Getting Ready,” Leonard has led Hot Gospel Songs with her initial entry, “Break Every Chain,” for 12 weeks beginning in June 2013; “For Your Glory,” for 14 weeks starting in January 2015; and “Put a Praise on It,” featuring Kierra Sheard, for five weeks beginning in August 2016.

Leonard extends her record for the most Hot Gospel Songs No. 1s among female soloists since the chart began in 2005. She ties Maverick City Music and Kanye West for the second-most among all acts, after Kirk Franklin with eight.

Meanwhile, “Blessings” marks the second Hot Gospel Songs No. 1 debut in three weeks. Bobbi Storm’s “We Can’t Forget Him” opened atop the Dec. 9-dated tally and reigned for two weeks.

‘One Night’ Is No. 1

Tye Tribbett scores his fifth Gospel Airplay leader as “Only One Night Tho” jumps 5-1. The song, which Tribbett solely penned, increased by 21% in plays during the tracking frame.

The song gives the New Jersey-based Tribbett his fourth straight Gospel Airplay No. 1, as it follows “New,” which led for a week in February; “Anyhow” (two weeks, June 2021); and “We Gon’ Be Alright” (one, September 2020). He banked his first leader when “Victory,” with backing group G.A., ruled for three weeks beginning in September 2006.

19 Dec 2023

6 Music-Inspired Latin Series & Documentaries to Stream Before the Year Ends

With the holiday season in full swing, typically we can squeeze in some time to unwind and binge some of our favorite series. If you’re looking to catch up on Latin music-inspired series and/or documentaries that premiered in 2023, Billboard has compiled a list of six titles that you can stream before the year ends.

The list includes Netflix’s NEON, which is executive produced by Daddy Yankee and features original music by Tainy & One Six, that had an advanced screening during Latin Music Week in October. The reggaeton-inspired comedy is a joint creation of Shea Serrano and Max Searle that follows three friends who move from a small town in Florida to Miami with the hopes of making it big in the world of reggaeton. Throughout the series, a number of Latin music stars, such as Daddy Yankee, Villano Antillano and Jhayco, have had acting cameos.

Over on ViX, Mexican star Gloria Trevi tells her life story via Ellas Soy Yo. “My story is like the Medusa’s, it has always been poorly told,” Trevi told Billboard Español. “One way or another, they’ve tried to cast me as the monster, without getting to the bottom of it, and many times with so many contradictions. It’s so weird when I see comments from people who don’t signal [knowledge of the issue] and [display] constant ignorance. They say things they heard that are not true.”

This year, HBO Max also premiered VGLY, De La Calle on Paramount+, competition series La Firma on Netflix and El Gallo de Oro on ViX. Check out our list (in no particular order) of 2023 Latin series and docs to watch below, and happy binge-watching!

19 Dec 2023

‘Percy Jackson & the Olympians’: Here’s How to Stream the Highly Anticipated Series on Disney+

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.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the highly anticipated series adaptation of the popular fantasy novels premieres on Disney+ on Wednesday (Dec. 20).

The eight-episode series is about a 12-year-old boy who finds out that he’s the son of the Greek god Zeus and sets out on a mission to find his father’s missing lightning bolt to “restore order in Mount Olympus and save the world.”

Walker Scobell stars as Percy, Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri portray his friends Annabeth and Grover.

Keep reading for details on how to stream the series online.  

How to Watch Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Percy Jackson and the Olympians consists of eight episodes. Disney+ subscribers can begin streaming the first two episode on Wednesday, Dec. 20. New releases usually drop at midnight and are featured on the Disney+ homepage.

The remaining six episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians will premiere weekly on Disney+.

If you’re not subscribed, join Disney+ basic for just $7.99/month or Disney Premium for $13.99/month. Disney+ also offers annual plans, and bundles with Hulu and ESPN+ starting at $9.99/month.

Unfortunately, Disney+ doesn’t offer a free trial, but you might be able to find one through a third party such as Verizon and credit card companies that offer Disney+ credits such as Capital One and American Express.

The Disney+ streaming library features a bunch of original series and must-watch movies such as Loki, The Santa Clauses, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Elemental, Home Alone, Doctor Who, What If…?, Ahsoka, The Little Mermaid, The Book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian and upcoming releases like BTS Monuments.

Watch the trailer to Percy Jackson and the Olympians below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=uHb7au6Gmls&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

19 Dec 2023

Taylor Swift Gives Out Handfuls of Cash Tips to Gillette Stadium Workers at Chiefs Game

Taylor Swift made sure the staff at Gillette Stadium felt appreciated during her recent visit.

A recent photo finds the pop star seemingly tipping the Massachusetts venue’s service workers with handfuls of cash at Sunday’s (Dec. 17) Kansas City Chiefs vs. New England Patriots game, which she attended to cheer on boyfriend Travis Kelce from the crowd. Clutching a coffee cup with a No. 87 (Kelce’s jersey number) beanie pulled over her blonde waves, Swift stands in a doorway while handing over the bills, at least one of which is visibly a $100.

Billboard has reached out to Swift’s reps for comment.

Days after she turned 34, the “Anti-Hero” singer pulled up to Gillette to watch the game with her father Scott, who at one point appeared to hand out some of his daughter’s birthday cake to fans in a box suite next door. Swift also brought along longtime friends Alana Haim and Ashley Avignone, who she sat next to alongside new pal Brittany Mahomes, who’s married to Chiefs quarterback Patric Mahomes.

The 12-time Grammy winner has become a fixture at Chiefs games since she and Kelce started dating over the summer. A week prior to Sunday, fans spotted her at Kansas City’s home game against the Buffalo Bills, at which the family that owns the Chiefs bequeathed her with an early birthday present: a $5,000 bejeweled Judith Lieber purse shaped like a microphone.

Swift recently explained why she’s continued to show up to Chiefs games in spite of the extra public attention it brings her. “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,” she said in her TIME Person of the Year cover story, her first public remarks about 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,” she added. “And we’re just proud of each other.”

See Swift handing out tips in the photo below: