State Champ Radio Author: djfrosty
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Michael Jordan may be retired, but his trash-talking is still active.
Bow Wow shares a funny story online about how the NBA Goat still gets on his case every time he sees him. Tagging his homie Marcus Jordan, who also just so happens to be MJ’s son, asking him why his pops is always getting on him:
“Yo Marcus you my bro, and I know OG is the GOAT, but your pops been trash talking me and punching me for years. He don’t even call me by name. Just “short sh*t.”
In the video, you see the Bulls legend hit Bow Weezy with a playful two-piece after flicking up with his son. Marcus replied to the story, laughing, confirming that it’s all love from the Jordan household. Earlier this year, the Like You rapper revealed how locked in he’s been with the Jordan family.
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Spending a lot of nights having sleepovers with Marcus, regular teenager shenanigans. Also sharing a story on how he walked into MJ’s crib with an Allen Iverson jersey on, and he demanded he throw it away. On the flipside, he went home with some new Jumpman apparel so the GOAT definitely didn’t leave him hanging.
Also, earlier in the year, Bow Wow celebrated 20 years of “Let Me Hold You” on March 11th by performing it on Hip-Hop Wired. Yes, it’s been 20 years since he dropped this classic record.
Since then, he’s dropped his latest single, “Use Me” with R&B legend and frequent collaborator Chris Brown.
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Corinne Bailey Rae has a certain affect on people. She’s the kind of artist that even a brief glimpse of can spark a musical memory even in the most public of places. “I’ll be in an elevator and people see me walk in and they just start whistling ‘Put Your Records On’ to themselves,” Rae laughs. “I don’t even think they notice they’re doing it! But I just love that it has that impact on people.”
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That particular record, first released in 2006 from her self-titled debut LP, burrows in deep. The song reached No. 2 on the U.K. Singles Chart, appeared on the Billboard Hot 100, and was nominated for two categories at the Grammys the following year: song of the year and record of the year. At almost a billion streams on Spotify alone, its place in the 21st century British pop canon is secure, and its gorgeous melody and empowering message resonate almost two decades down the line.
We meet Rae in her hometown of Leeds ahead of her performance at Billboard U.K. Live at Manchester’s Aviva Studios, home of Factory International. The intimate performance will kick off a series of 20th anniversary celebrations for the 46-year-old musician, which also includes the release of a children’s book Put Your Records On in March, and a show at the iconic Royal Albert Hall in London in October 2026.
Her debut album, Corinne Bailey Rae, was released in February 2006 and peaked at No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart, and at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, an astonishing feat for a British debut solo star. The LP featured another breakout song “Like a Star,” which showcased Rae’s gorgeous vocal capabilities and wistful, impactful songwriting style.
She was soon in the same studios as her heroes, working with them on new music and taking invaluable advice. Stevie Wonder, Prince, Herbie Hancock and Bill Withers, to name a few, all recognised Rae’s talent. Accolades continued to flow Rae’s way – a Grammy win for best R&B performance in 2012, for one – and her second studio LP The Sea (2010) was nominated for the U.K.’s Mercury Prize. Informed by the death of her husband Jason Rae in 2008, the record showcased moments of raw grief, but also hope and healing.
Photography by Shaun Peckham
Shaun Peckham
Her sound, soulful pop with nods to indie-rock and R&B, earned her placements on 50 Shades Darker soundtrack and a brief cameo on Tyler, the Creator’s Flower Boy LP. In 2023, she released Black Rainbows, a sprawling epic that was influenced by an exhibition held at Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago which focused on Black history in the city. Fans and critics alike were stunned by the LP, one that was packed in feminist punk (“New York Transit Queen”), spiritual jazz (“Before The Throne of the Invisible God”), and big tent rave (“Put It Down”). Reviewers commended the stark left-turn, and another Mercury Prize nod beckoned.
It was on that awards night – ultimately won by Leeds’ band English Teacher for This Could Be Texas – that Rae’s impact and longevity came into view for her. “For some reason I was behaving like such a mother hen… totally unsolicited, by the way,” she laughs, reminiscing on meeting fellow Yorkshire artist Nia Archives and country-pop crossover star CMAT. “I was going up to these cool young musicians like, ‘Hi, you don’t know me, but here’s some advice: don’t feel like you have to rush your second album, do your thing.’”
Rae’s advice, no doubt, was heeded. Her stellar career has thrown up situations that she could only have dreamed of when she was gigging in the indie-rock band Helen in Leeds in the early ‘00s, and seen her overcome the most difficult of challenges. Almost twenty years to the day since “Like A Star,” her debut single, was released, she reflects on the lessons she’s learned, the rewarding creative journey she’s been on – and what comes next.
We’re speaking around the anniversary of your debut single. How do you look back on that era?
I have really fond memories of making “Like A Star.” I think it was quite different for the time. It was more like my true voice, and quite conversational and small. It wasn’t what you might think is a ‘pop voice.’ A lot of doors had been opened by people like Björk or Martina Topley Bird [collaborator on Tricky’s Maxinquaye] and that made me realize there were all these different ways to sing. It didn’t have to be like Mariah Carey-style, with that unreachable big singing voice.
Once “Like A Star” was released, things moved quickly…
The pace of it was quite staggering. The residency I was performing at in London over the course of four Thursdays went from not being sold out in week one, to queues around the block, and then I ended up performing on [BBC Music show] Later… with Jools Holland so early on in my career. This was all before the album came out, so I thought, ‘Wow, I keep getting asked to do stuff, so I’ll just say yes to everything.’ The album came out and I remember being on tour and someone telling me that the LP had gone to No. 1. I was like, ‘Wait what?’ I just couldn’t believe it.
That’s all you want as a musician is to get somewhere. And I had tried for a few years with my band and we didn’t get much love. This was my first record and it felt like it’d gone from 0 to 100.
Did you cope with the attention OK?
I think I did, you know. I was a little bit older at 25, so it wasn’t like I was 19 and still figuring out who I was. I had good friends and had good advice from my manager and friends. I also feel like when I was in the US, certain people would look after me and lean into me and give some words of advice. Whether that was Questlove, Prince, Stevie Wonder, just these people who were gods of music, but also a lot older than me.
I remember Herbie Hancock specifically saying not to rush into the second record and to take a minute. I thought that was really good advice to not feel the pressure, or feel that everyone would fall out of love with me.
When I came to my second record I felt that I had a different thing to say. That was then the moment to keep pushing out. Even when we played live at that time, I always added in this Led Zeppelin cover of “Since I’ve Been Loving You.” I wanted people to see I could do other things, and make sure that I wasn’t in a box.
Photography by Shaun Peckham
Shaun Peckham
Your life changed quite significantly between album one and two, following the loss of your husband. How did that event inform what you were doing creatively?
“When I look back at [debut LP Corinne Bailey Rae], it’s on the other side of… not a wall, but a divide between my two adult lives. That moment [Jason’s death] felt like the end of what that first album term was. I felt like my life was divided between the before and after of that.
As well as changing my life, it also changed my career in a really big way. I knew that I wasn’t really robust enough to be in an industry ‘capitalizing’ on the big industry success of the first record, and setting up sessions with all these big names anyway. I just wasn’t in that place, and the label really knew that and I think that they really left me to it.
But by the time the third record came around [The Heart Speaks in Whispers, 2016] they were really on my case. That put so much pressure on me, which was really difficult. That made it take miles longer and it wasn’t what they wanted and it was more tricky.
In the past you mentioned that the press expected a certain response to Jason’s passing, but you didn’t give them what they wanted…
It was a very aggressive time journalistically, but I just feel really lucky that I’ve had good people around me. I knew Amy [Winehouse] and that was really frightening to see that side of people, and to see the vulnerability of going from being a cool jazz singer, to the biggest thing in British pop music. That is not a place you desire to be – no one wants to be there. Plus, there was a need to tear down successful people in this country, which has been so strong for years, and it was definitely like that for women at that time.
Photography by Shaun Peckham
Shaun Peckham
Black Rainbows was a record that really expanded your sonic palette. How do you look back on that record?
I love that album so much. It felt really special to me because it was so freeing. I’d just come out of my label deal and I wasn’t really looking for anything to do next.
But I was invited to come to the Stony Island Arts Bank [a Chicago-based archive of Black art and culture], and I was just so inspired. All the time we were in there, these people were coming in and all of these black performers, photographers, documentary-makers. I ended up writing about all of these images and stories from Chicago’s history just to try and make sense and process what I’d seen.
That LP was considered something of a ‘left-turn’ for you. Did you feel that was a fair assessment?
It was a left-turn in terms of what I would share, I guess. In my band , I used to play a lot of indie music and heavy stuff. And before that, I was in a church where I’d play these big wig-outs that stretched on for over 20 minutes. But sharing that felt very freeing and felt new.
Black Rainbows was initially going to be a side project, and it wasn’t going to have my name on it – I didn’t want to feel like I was messing up what I’d done before. But I like that music allows you room to grow to gather an audience that trusts you. 20 years is a long time in anyone’s life, and you don’t want to stay still and not change, or to be the same person at 46 that you were at 26.
What changes have you seen in the music industry over the past 20 years?
The biggest change is that people don’t think you should pay money to have music. It’s such a different paradigm, but music is almost a conceptual thing. There’s a generation of people who think that music just happens and appears on streaming services, their favorite shows or wherever. There’s a real disconnect between the people who make the music and the listener.
I can’t say how that might change but at the same time, if it doesn’t all we’re going to get is the music of a really narrow group of people: artists who can do a really good sponsorship with a trainer brand to fund their creative work, or rich people with privileged backgrounds. We’re missing out as a society on what working class people or struggling artists might think if we’re not going to pay artists to do what they do.
Tell us about the children’s book Put Your Records On that you’re releasing in 2026…
I was reading a lot of children’s books for my children when I came up with the idea – and I just thought that I could say something here. I wanted to speak about music and the feelings that different songs can conjure, and that there’s a song for every feeling that you’ll ever have. Music has always been a way to explore my feelings and a way to free me. I’m finding writing, with the pen and the words, really exciting and liberating. I’d love to do more in the future.
And musically, are you working on a new project at the moment?
I am working on new music. That’s the thing I’m really excited about is trying to work out: what the sound and direction is, what I want to say and who it’s going to be with. I feel really inspired right now, and Black Rainbows has really freed me into not overthinking things – that’s been really important.
Photography by Shaun Peckham
Shaun Peckham
Shoot production by WMA Studios. Photography by Shaun Peckham. Photography assistance by Jack Moss. Grooming by Bianca Simone. Shot at Light Space Studios, Leeds.
Jimmy Cliff, a popular reggae singer who helped bring the genre to the global masses, has died, according to a social media post from a loved one. Jimmy Cliff’s wife shared the news of her husband’s passing in the wee morning hours on Monday (November 24).
Jimmy Cliff’s wife shared news of the passing on Cliff’s official Instagram page, penning a heartfelt note to his fans and praising the doctors who treated her husband in his last days.
From IG:
It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia. I am thankful for his family, friends, fellow artists and coworkers who have shared his journey with him. To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his whole career. He really appreciated each and every fan for their love. I also wanted to thank Dr. Couceyro and the whole medical staff, as they have been extremely supportive and helpful during this difficult process. Jimmy, my darling, may you rest in peace. I will follow your wishes. I hope you all can respect our privacy during these hard times. Further information will be provided at a later date. See you and we see you Legend. Latifa , Lilty and Aken
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Born James Chambers on July 30, 1944, Cliff’s journey into music began when he would listen to local sound systems as a young student. At the age of 14, Cliff’s father took him to Kingston, which is where he adopted his stage name.
After urging Chinese-Jamaican Leslie Kong to back his music career, Cliff began recording records and notched several local hits for Kong’s label. Cliff remained with Kong’s label until 1971 and even served as an A&R, bringing a young Bob Marley into the fold and helping him cut his first records.
Cliff would move on to sign with Island Records, and while the union was rocky at the start, Cliff became a vanguard of the early reggae sound as it shifted from its precursor, ska, and albums such as 1967’s Hard Road to Travel were not only responsible for Cliff’s growing fame but also the prominence of reggae.
In 1972, Cliff starred in the film The Harder They Come as Ivanhoe “Ivan” Martin, a singer hoping to make it in the music business in Kingston, but turns to crime when his career fails to pan out. The film is considered one of the most important pieces of art to emerge from Jamaica and turned all eyes towards the reggae sound.
Cliff would win two Grammy Awards in his career. He notched the Best Reggae Recording award in 1986 for Cliff Hanger and won Best Reggae Album in 2013 for Rebirth. Cliff’s final released album was 2022’s Refugees. Before he passed, Cliff was the only living reggae artist to receive Jamaica’s highest honor, the Order of Merit.
Jimmy Cliff is survived by his wife Latifa Chambers, daughter Lilty Cliff, and son Aken Cliff. He was 81.
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Photo: Getty
11/24/2025
The new songs, the band’s first since 2023’s “The General,” are due out on Dec. 2.
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Los Angeles’ live music club scene is amping up. And one of the energizers behind that push is Adam Blackstone, in his newly created role as creative director for the recently rebranded venue Live at The Sun Rose.
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Case in point: Earlier this month (Nov. 11), a long line of exuberant fans stretched down the block from the club’s entrance on Hollywood’s famed Sunset Strip. They were waiting to witness the Blackstone-led 30th anniversary salute to the star- and hit-filled 1995 film soundtrack Waiting to Exhale. Billed as a “special legacy experience,” the family reunion-vibed evening sparked lively singalongs — plus shoutouts and standing ovations — to songs such as Faith Evans’ “Kissing You,” Whitney Houston’s “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”/”Why Does It Hurt So Bad,” Brandy’s “Sittin’ Up in My Room,” Mary J. Blige’s “Not Gon’ Cry” and Toni Braxton’s “Let It Flow.”
But it was done with a twist. Blackstone’s surprise guests for the affair was a cast of male singers who lent their own vocal insights to the soundtrack’s themes of love, hurt and friendship. Among the emerging and established artists on deck were TA Thomas, JayDon, Dixson and Darrel Walls. Also spotted in the audience: Waiting to Exhale star Lela Rochon, actor/producer Lena Waithe and Grammy-winning artist-musician Robert Glasper.
JayDon, Dixson, Lekhan, Eric Dawkins, Adam Blackstone and Darrel Walls at The Sun Rose West Hollywood, November 11, 2025.
David Coy II
The Waiting tribute is just one example of the kind of events Blackstone has in mind for Live at The Sun Rose. Nestled within The Sun Rose West Hollywood (formerly the Pendry hotel), the revamped 100-seat intimate space hosted a for-your-consideration chat in October between Blackstone and Teyana Taylor, who earlier this month received her first Grammy nomination. Recent and upcoming shows at the venue, which relaunched Aug. 1, include David Bowie’s Piano Man: Mike Garson featuring Judith Hill and Luke Spiller Presents — The Songs I Wrote for You (Dec. 5, 12-13).
Emmy winner Blackstone (Super Bowl LVI halftime show) won his first Grammy this year for best musical theater album (Hell’s Kitchen). The bassist, producer and musical director’s list of credits also includes Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, Jay-Z and Eminem. Now he’s opening the door to a new era at the Sun Rose — and the Los Angeles club scene, which also welcomed Blue Note’s L.A. offshoot to town in August with Glasper as its partner/creative ambassador.
“It’s incredible to see and feel what’s going on in the city; there’s a lot happening now,” says Blackstone. “So I’m not taking this new role lightly. We’re going to push this new synergy of creativity forward at the Sun Rose.”
Below, Blackstone explains more about the vision behind the venue, and what inspired the unconventional Waiting to Exhale anniversary celebration.
How did this gig come about?
When my first album [2022’s Legacy] came out, I had been looking for a newish spot to set up shop. A friend of mine introduced me to a couple of people who told me about this brand new spot built over the House of Blues. I had so much nostalgia for that venue because one of the first albums I ever played on was with Jill Scott performing live at the House of Blues. So I went to see the room. It was incredible.
I feel that what we did that first night I played [promoting the new album] at Sun Rose in early 2023 set the precedent for what L.A. has become now jam session-wise. I really wanted to bring in some East Coast and Philadelphia flair: you invite people up onstage, it’s very impromptu. I think one of the things that people love about what happens at the Sun Rose, whether it’s me or not, is that it feels like a family safe space for people to mess up, to improv. That’s what jazz, blues and R&B are all about: to be in the moment, to be vulnerable, to tell stories.
I was very excited to be one of the first cats to make Sun Rose my home to do that type of music. So in making the transition from the Pendry, this job came about. I’m thankful to be a part of it. And we’re only going to get bigger and better as far as our reach.
Adam Blackmon with Lena Waithe and Lela Rochon at The Sun Rose West Hollywood, November 11, 2025.
David Coy II
What is your vision for achieving that mission?
My mission for Live at Sun Rose is to be a music venue that accepts all creative spaces, doing thing that other L.A. music venues can’t do. For example, we have sat down and talked about what 2026 looks like for Grammy Week, but also for NBA All Star Week, which might not just be music stuff but also installations. It could be glam things that are centered around music. All of these things our venue is able to do.
So the goal is to be anything live entertainment-oriented that allows people to have a safe space to come in and create whether that’s music, art, visual art, a podcast space [R&B Money taped a show there] or a glam space for hair, nails, makeup … there’s something to be said about the ambience and location that we provide alongside the history that’s already associated with Sun Rose.
Which prompted your staging a show celebrating the 30th anniversary of Waiting to Exhale?
The week we staged the show coincided with the Nov. 14 release date of the 1995 soundtrack. I had been talking to Babyface about the soundtrack, which produced several major hits and made such an impact on our culture. I asked him how he was able to write in the perspective of these four women. And Forest Whitaker directed the film.
So I got this genius idea that I hoped would translate. Because nobody speaks about such hurt from a man’s perspective, I wanted to surprise the audience by having all males sing the soundtrack’s songs. We’ve experienced and gone through some ish too. We hurt as well. And I felt this was the perfect time to do something like this in the intimate, safe space of the Sun Rose.
As creative director, how hands-on are you in organizing and slating shows at Sun Rose?
Ascreative director, I’m in it every day. We have calls, text threads and ideas that we present to one another. And artists are bringing me ideas. One of the things that we’re talking about now is developing immersive experiences for both the music venue and the hotel as well. Where people can stay over multiple days like during Grammy Week, NBA All Star Week or something like that and immerse themselves in the music and the culture without even having to leave the facility. That’s something that we can provide that another venue can’t.
Also, I’ll be doing probably five-six special concerts myself a year, or possibly more. But I’m there every day as creative director, helping to make decisions. Knowing the House of Blues was on this site, I feel a responsibility to uphold that great music tradition.
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The European Commission has formally issued a statement of objections in its ongoing investigation into Universal Music Group’s proposed $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings. This move, announced late Sunday, signals serious preliminary concerns from the EC, requiring UMG to respond.
The European Commission’s probe, officially launched in July, centers on whether UMG’s acquisition would grant it access to “commercially sensitive data” from rival labels through Downtown’s artist and label (A&L) services, which manage distribution, royalty accounting, and rights management.
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As the Commission explained in its new announcement, it is concerned that UMG “may have the ability and incentive to gain access to commercially sensitive data that is stored and processed by Downtown’s Curve, and that such an information advantage would hamper rival labels’ ability and incentive to compete with UMG.”
A statement of objections is a formal notice from the European Commission outlining its concerns in an investigation, giving the company a chance to respond, review the case file, and request an oral hearing, without determining the final outcome.
Downtown operates several platforms widely used by independent labels and artists, including the distribution services FUGA and CD Baby, the royalty accounting platform Curve, and the publishing administration provider Songtrust.
The investigation faced delays in September when the EC paused proceedings after UMG and Virgin failed to provide requested information on time. It resumed on Oct. 17, with a provisional deadline for a final decision set for Feb. 6, 2026.
UMG has maintained that the transaction will benefit artists, labels and the independent music sector in Europe. A company spokesperson told Bloomberg on Monday that UMG is cooperating constructively with regulators and remains confident the deal will go through. The company did not immediately respond to Billboard’s request for comment.
Music groups, including the European independent labels trade body IMPALA, have strongly supported the European Commission’s investigation, warning that UMG’s proposed acquisition could undermine market diversity and fair competition. They argue the deal should be blocked to safeguard smaller labels and indie artists.
In October, industry leaders from Beggars Group, WIM, AIM, Exceleration, Cooking Vinyl and dozens of other labels and organizations launched a campaign called “100 Voices”, emphasizing that the merger “poses a serious threat to competition, diversity, and fair access across the music industry.”
Last week, responding to reports of the Commission’s forthcoming objections, IMPALA issued a statement stressing the global significance of the case: “Competition and diversity in the music market in Europe, and worldwide, depend on the outcome of this decision.”
The EC’s concerns underscore wider questions about data access and growing market concentration in the music sector, positioning this review as a key test of competition policy in an increasingly data-driven music economy.
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Beloved reggae singer and Jamaican musical icon Jimmy Cliff has died at 81. The “Many Rivers to Cross” singer’s wife, Latifah Chambers, announced the news in an Instagram post on Monday morning (Nov. 24) that read, “It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia. I am thankful for his family, friends, fellow artists and coworkers who have shared his journey with him. To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his whole career. He really appreciated each and every fan for their love.”
Cliff, known for his high, clear vocals and lifelong focus on positvity, peace and unity, was known for such indelible reggae hits as “Many Rivers to Cross,” You Can Get It If You Really Want” and the title track to his beloved 1972 musical crime film The Harder They Come, in which he starred as lead character Ivanhoe “Ivan” Martin in a role that is credited with helping to bring the sound of reggae to the world.
One of the last living global ambassadors from the generation of reggae greats who brought the island’s music to the world — alongside late contemporaries Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Toots Hibbert and Bunny Wailer — before his death Cliff was the only living reggae artist to have earned Jamaica’s Order of Merit, the highest honor the nation’s government gives for achievements in the arts and sciences.
Born James Chambers on April 1, 1948 in the St. James parish of Jamaica near Montego Bay, Cliff’s talent was spotted early on at the Somerton All Age School in the 1950. The eighth of nine children, Cliff’s signature vocal tone, a high and mellifluous croon, immediately set him apart when he moved to Kingston at 14, adopted his more famous stage name and began cutting songs with an American R&B influence before making the connection that would change his life.
Cliff managed to convince Leslie Kong — who owned a combo restaurant/ice cream parlor/cosmetics shop in Kingston called Beverley’s — to get into the music business. The label they formed, Beverley’s Records, released Cliff’s ska-tinged debut single, “Hurricane Hattie,” which ran to the top of the Jamaican charts and was followed by a string of hits sung and written by the artist including “Miss Jamaica,” “One-Eyed Jacks” and “King of Kings.”
He also befriended a 16-year-old Marley at that time and helped the soon-to-be-reggae icon score a recording deal with Kong to release his debut single, 1962’s “Judge Not.” Already a rising star in the first wave of ska music, Cliff was tapped to represent Jamaica at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City alongside Millie Small, Prince Buster and others.
Impressed with their performances, soul giant Curtis Mayfield and producer Carl Davis compiled the 1964 album titled The Real Jamaica Ska, featuring two of Cliff’s compositions, “Ska All Over the World” and “Trust No Man.” More importantly, the World’s Fair is where Cliff met Jamaican expat and rising U.K. record mogul Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records. After struggling to find his sound while recording in London, Cliff returned to Jamaica in 1969 to work on a series of originals and covers that would help kick-start his eventual global fame.
He hit No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” in 1969, followed by the more urgent “Vietnam,” a track about a friend who was drafted into the U.S. army and never recovered from his war-time PTSD that Bob Dylan has called the best protest song he ever heard. In the summer of 1970 Cliff had another hit with a cover of Cat Stevens’ “Wild World,” compiled on his 1969 Wonderful World, Beautiful People LP. The next year, director Perry Henzell asked Cliff, who had no acting experience, to star in The Harder They Come, a slow-burn hit that mixed the joy of the nation’s music with clear-eyed depictions of social and economic conditions in what is still considered one of the greatest and most influential music films ever.
Cliff is credited with almost single-handedly introducing the sound of reggae to the world via his masterful turn as country musician Ivan in The Harder They Come, in which the singer tries to break into Jamaica’s corrupt music industry as an avatar for the aspiration of being uplifted by music. He also contributed four indelible songs to the movie’s soundtrack: the ebullient “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” meditative “Sitting in Limbo,” the beloved title track and the quasi-religious meditation “Many Rivers to Cross.”
Just months before the Wailers, led by a young Bob Marley, would drop their debut on Island Records, Catch a Fire, The Harder They Come introduced Western, and most importantly American, audiences to the sounds and vibe of reggae music. The impact would reverberate for decades and generations, with everyone from Keith Richards to Rancid, Cher and Willie Nelson covering the movie’s title track and “Many Rivers to Cross” getting the same treatment from Annie Lennox, UB40, Lenny Kravitz, Linda Ronstadt and many more.
Following the movie’s success, Cliff signed to Warner Bros. Records and appeared as a musical guest during the first season of Saturday Night Live in 1976, but following his early rush of success, Cliff’s music career remained steady, though his global impact was less pronounced than that of Marley, who would quickly rise as the global avatar of reggae. Cliff continued to release albums throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, earning praise and respect from his musical peers, including Bruce Springsteen, who regularly added the little-known Cliff song “Trapped” to his band’s legendarily lengthy live sets; a live version of the song was included on the star-studded 1985 famine relief album We Are the World.
A joyful ambassador of reggae, Cliff won a best reggae album Grammy in 1985 for Cliff Hanger, the same year he appeared alongside E Street Band guitarist “Little” Steven Van Zandt on the anti-apartheid song “Sun City.” After providing backing vocals on the Rolling Stones’ 1986 album Dirty Work, Cliff was back on the big screen in the Robin Williams comedy Club Paradise, whose soundtrack featured his duet with Elvis Costello on “Seven Day Weekend.”
Following a long chart drought, Cliff’s 1993 cover of Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now” from the soundtrack to the Jamaican bobsled team sports comedy Cool Runnings reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100. He later teamed with South African producer/composer Lebo M on the single “Hakuna Matata,” for the soundtrack to Disney’s 1994 mega-hit The Lion King.
Cliff was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 by the Fugees’ Wyclef Jean and the next year his generational impact on music came full circle when he entered the studio with Tim Armstrong, lead singer of ska-influenced Bay Area punk legends Rancid to record the album Rebirth. The joyous collection of originals (“World Upside Down,” “Reggae Music,” “One More”) and covers including takes on the Clash’s “Guns of Brixton” and Rancid’s “Ruby Soho” earned Cliff a Grammy for best reggae album and reintroduced the legend to a whole new generation. Cliff released his final studio album, Refugees, in August 2022.
Listen to some classic Cliff hits below.
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Before you break the wishbone on your Thanksgiving turkey, Conan Gray is going to build on the success he’s seen with 2025 album Wishbone with a performance during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year.
As Billboard can exclusively announce on Monday (Nov. 24), the indie-pop singer is joining the annual showcase’s already star-studded lineup. Viewers tuning in at 8 a.m. local time on Thursday (Nov. 27) can catch Gray performing on 34th Street, where the iconic Macy’s storefront is located in New York City.
The news comes a little over three months after the release of Gray’s fourth studio album, Wishbone. Featuring singles “This Song” and “Vodka Cranberry” — which Gray performed at the MTV VMAs in September — the project reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
In addition to the parade performance, Gray will also co-star in a new “Holiday Gift Hotline” commercial for Macy’s that will premiere during the broadcast. The singer/songwriter stars alongside NFL quarterback Baker Mayfield and actor John O’Hurley in the spot, as they call on the “Macy’s Gift Guide,” aka actress Alison Brie, to help them with their holiday shopping.
Gray is just the latest star to be revealed as a parade performer in 2025, with Cynthia Erivo, Lainey Wilson and the singing trio behind KPop Demon Hunters girl group HUNTR/X — EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI — also sharing the bill. The show’s full guest lineup features Drew Baldridge, Matteo Bocelli, Colbie Caillat, Ciara, Gavin DeGraw, Meg Donnelly, Mr. Fantasy, Foreigner, Debbie Gibson, Mickey Guyton, Christopher Jackson, Jewel, Lil Jon, Kool & the Gang, Darlene Love, Roman Mejia, Taylor Momsen, Tiler Peck, Busta Rhymes, Calum Scott, Shaggy, Lauren Spencer Smith, Luísa Sonza and Teyana Taylor.
There will also be appearances by Nikki DeLoach, Kristoffer Polaha, U.S. Olympian Ilia Malinin, U.S. Paralympian Jack Wallace and special correspondent Sean Evans, as well as the Radio City Rockettes and guest dancers from the EVIDENCE Dance Company, Native Pride Productions, Circus Vazquez, and A Chorus Line: The Next Generation, led by creative director and original cast member Baayork Lee. More than 1,200 dancers and cheerleaders repping the Spirit of America Dance and Spirit of America Cheer will perform as well.
And of course, it wouldn’t be the Macy’s parade without a brigade of marching bands in the mix. This year, the featured ensembles will be the Banda de Musica La Primavera (Panama), Catawba Ridge High School Marching Band (South Carolina), Damien Spartan Regiment (California), L.D. Bell Blue Raider Band (Texas), Northern Arizona University Lumberjack Marching Band, Alcorn State University Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite (Mississippi), Spartans Jr Drum and Bugle Corps (New Hampshire), The Marching Pride of North Alabama, Temple University Diamond Band (Pennsylvania), the Macy’s Great American Marching Band and the NYPD Marching Band (New York).
Hosted by Today‘s Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker, the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air live on NBC and Peacock at 8 a.m. local time.
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Chance the Rapper and Julianne Hough are joining the hosting lineup for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2026, ABC announced Monday (Nov. 24).
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The annual broadcast, returning Dec. 31 beginning at 8 p.m. ET, sees Ryan Seacrest return to lead the Times Square broadcast alongside Rita Ora, who is back for her second consecutive year helping count down the iconic New York ball drop.
This year’s telecast will once again span several U.S. cities. Chance the Rapper will host from his hometown of Chicago, where he’ll guide the Central Time Zone countdown from the city’s live celebration.
In Las Vegas, the show pairs NFL legend Rob Gronkowski with performer and presenter Julianne Hough, who makes her Rockin’ Eve co-hosting debut. Details for the Puerto Rico broadcast are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The multi-city structure has become a hallmark of the franchise, allowing the special to cross between stages, countdowns and performances across multiple time zones. It’s also one of ABC’s most durable draws: last year’s edition drew more than 29 million total viewers at midnight, buoyed by performances from Carrie Underwood, Sabrina Carpenter, Lenny Kravitz, Alanis Morissette, Duran Duran, and Jonas Brothers across the various locations.
The show has also delivered some of the most memorable New Year’s Eve TV moments of the past decade, including Taylor Swift’s “1989” medley, Jennifer Lopez’s rooftop performance, and Miley Cyrus’ Times Square set.
The special airs live Dec. 31 on ABC beginning at 8 p.m. ET, with next-day streaming available on Hulu.
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2026 is produced by Dick Clark Productions, with Ryan Seacrest, Michael Dempsey and Barry Adelman serving as executive producers.
Disclaimer: Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve is produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
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Femme It Forward returned to The Beverly Hilton for its 4th Annual Give Her FlowHERS Awards Gala, where the celebration centered on women whose impact continues to shape music, community, and the future of entertainment.
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Hosted by Femme It Forward President & CEO Heather Lowery and executive produced by Miatta Johnson and Massah David of MVD, Inc., the evening brought together an electric group of artists, executives, athletes, and mentors for a night anchored in gratitude, sisterhood, and the power of uplifting women.
The evening also marked a standout moment for Billboard as its Executive Director of R&B/Hip-Hop, Gail Mitchell, was honored for her decades of shaping the genre’s narrative and opening doors for the next generation of women across the media industry. Her recognition underscored the gala’s emphasis on lineage, mentorship, and the women who have spent their careers amplifying others.
Gail Mitchell and Camren Linson onstage at the Give Her FlowHERS Gala 2025 held at The Beverly Hilton on November 21, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
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The night opened under warm lights and lush florals, and included performances from Jordan Ward, Goapele, and FLO. This year’s honorees included Ciara, Jhené Aiko, Mariah The Scientist, Kehlani, Olandria Carthen, Normani, and Ravyn Lenae as they were celebrated alongside industry architects whose work has redefined possibility for women across entertainment.
The Next Gem Femme mentorship program, Femme It Forward’s flagship initiative, was also spotlighted for its pivotal role in providing access and accelerating career trajectories for women of color entering the field. Across the ballroom, mothers presented daughters, friends honored friends, and industry peers highlighted one another’s evolution, creating a night rooted in community and mutual admiration.
Teyana Taylor opened the evening by presenting her mother, Nikki Taylor, with The Queens Raising Queens Award. With barely a dry eye in sight, she thanked her for the blueprint she set, telling her, “I am the mother I am today because you are the mother you chose to be.”
Model Salem Mitchell presented longtime friend Ravyn Lenae with The Fem Z Award, spotlighting Gen Z artists who are setting the tone for the next generation.
Billboard’s Executive Director of R&B/Hip-Hop, Gail Mitchell, received the Mentor Excellence Award, honoring her 26-year legacy of elevating artists, nurturing talent, and advocating for inclusive storytelling across music media. Reflecting on her decades of mentorship, Mitchell told the room, “The main goal I’ve sought to accomplish throughout my career is paying my fortune forward: to hold the door open for others to walk through and fulfill their own dreams.”
Mitchell also offered a heartfelt nod to her colleagues, adding, “Thank you to my R&B/hip-hop family at Billboard, who are part of the next generation carrying the torch forward.”
Mariah The Scientist was recognized with The Bloom Award, presented by her sister Morgan Buckles, celebrating her artistic endeavors, where her momentum, vision, and evolution exemplify creative growth.
Jhené Aiko, whose catalog has contributed to shaping the fabric of contemporary R&B for more than a decade, received The Glow Getter Award from her mother, daughter, and sisters in a deeply vulnerable yet gratifying speech where she thanked her family for carrying her through a challenging year. “This year, they pulled me out of some really dark places,” she said. “They sat by my side when I couldn’t get out of bed.”
Olandria Carthen, honored with The Self-Love Award, emerged as one of the night’s breakthrough voices. With a growing fan base drawn to not only her beauty but her pure honesty, she used her moment to speak directly to women still learning to trust their own worth. “I dedicate this award to any woman who has ever questioned their worth.”
Normani took the stage to accept The Femme It Forward Award from Ryan Destiny, where she spoke spirit behind her work and the role of community in sustaining women in the industry.
“The Femme It Forward award fills me with immense gratitude because it speaks to humanity and who we are as people beyond anything else,” she said. “Philanthropy is never the work of one individual—it’s a shared effort built by communities, mentors, friends, and everyone who believes compassion is a force capable of real change.”
Kehlani’s acceptance of The Alchemist Award, presented by fellow Bay Area artist Goapele, unfolded as one of the night’s most vulnerable speeches. Coming off recent Grammy recognition and a years-long journey of evolution, she reflected on the often unseen parts of transformation.
“I firstly must thank God, the ultimate alchemist, the transformer of all things,” she said. “Alchemy isn’t always shiny; sometimes it happens in the dark when no one is watching, when you’re trying to remember who you are and what you’re here to do.” She thanked her community for allowing her to grow openly, saying, “Thank you for giving me the space to grow, to shift, to unlearn, to heal, and to come back to myself again and again.”
In her first major appearance after stepping down as Chairwoman of Epic Records, Sylvia Rhone accepted the inaugural Sylvia Rhone Legacy Award—a distinction honoring her groundbreaking, decades-long impact in the music industry.
She addressed the women in the room with clarity and conviction: “Now I am passing the baton to you all. Like the Olympic relay races, passing the baton transfers momentum. Successful exchanges make up time you thought you might have lost. Success relies on teamwork, timing, and communication. It’s your time, so go forth and prosper even more.”
The evening closed with a powerful message from Heather Lowery, who told the room: “To every woman watching, listening, or quietly dreaming, remember your story is sacred; your roots are strong; and your flower will bloom in its own divine timing.”
