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22 Sep 2023

Nipsey Hussle Murder Subject of ‘Behind the Crime’ Series

The 2019 murder of rapper Nipsey Hussle is the subject of a just-launched limited true series entitled Behind the Crime. The show, which premiered this week on Fox’s Tubi network on Wednesday, is a collaboration with Dan Abrams’ Law&Crime network and it follows the killing of Hussle, as well as the murder trial of Eric Holder Jr., who was found guilty of first-degree murder in the March 2019 killing in July 2022.

The show “dives deep into the inner workings of the justice system with gripping cases that give viewers unfiltered access with real case footage,” with the Hussle episode, “Behind the Crime: The Nipsey Hussle Murder,” telling the story of the brazen daytime shooting following an altercation outside of Hussle’s The Marathon clothing store in South Central Los Angeles.

The episode uses accounts from the people who were involved as well as actual street camera footage from the shooting, its aftermath and the funeral of the beloved MC. Holder Jr., 33, was sentenced to 60 years to life in prison by an L.A. judge in February, eight months after his conviction in the case.

The two men had reportedly known each other for year and prosecutors said Holder, who was allegedly angry over accusations that he was a “snitch,” came back after an earlier altercation outside of the Marathon with two handguns, shooting Hussle more than 10 times.

In addition to the first-degree murder conviction, jurors also found Holder guilty of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter over two other men who were hit with gunfire during the shooting. Prosecutors had sought the more serious charge of attempted murder over those two shootings, but the jurors did not agree to convict on those counts.

Future episodes of the series will focus on a headline-grabbing 2020 case of Zachariah Anderson — convicted of murdering his ex-lover’s new boyfriend — and former NFL player Travis Rudolph’s employment of Florida’s stand-your-ground law after he fired nearly 40 shots at an SUV filled with men who confronted him after an alleged domestic violence incident.

Check out the trailer below.

22 Sep 2023

Olivia Rodrigo ‘Guts’ Enters Second Week at No. 1 In Australia

Australians just love Olivia Rodrigo‘s Guts.

The U.S. pop phenomenon’s sophomore album starts a second consecutive week at No. 1 on the ARIA Chart, holding off LPs by The Weeknd (The Highlights unchanged at No. 2 via Universal) and Taylor Swift (1989 up 9-3 via Big Machine/Universal).

Rodrigo just misses out on a chart double, again, as Guts (via Geffen/Universal) track “Vampire” holds at No. 2 on the ARIA Singles Chart, behind Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red.”

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The top new entry on the albums tally belongs to Teddy Swims (real name: Jaten Dimsdale), whose debut I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1) (via Warner) bows at No. 4. The Atlanta, GA vocalist completed a national headline tour last month, produced by Frontier Touring.

The current ARIA top five is completed by Travis Scott’s former leader Utopia (Epic/Sony), down 3-5.

Also new to the top frame is Jared Leto’s Thirty Seconds To Mars with It’s The End Of The World But It’s A Beautiful Day (Concord/Universal), new at No. 9. The U.S. alternative rock outfit’s career-best chart position in Australia is a No. 4 peak for 2013’s Love, Lust, Faith And Dreams.

Further down the list, Mitski lands her second title on the ARIA Chart with The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We (Dead Oceans/Inertia), new at No. 13. The Japanese-American artist previously cracked the top 10 with 2022’s Laurel Hell, peaking at No. 7.

U.S. rapper Sleepy Hallow, meanwhile, bags his first appearance on the ARIA Chart with Boy Meets World (RCA/Sony), his second studio LP. It’s new at No. 32.

Over on the national singles tally, published Friday, Sept. 22, Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red” (via RCA/Sony) enters a fifth week at the summit. “Paint The Town Red” is lifted from the U.S. artist and producer’s fourth solo studio album Scarlet, which arrived earlier today.

The top five is completed by Swift’s “Cruel Summer” (up 4-3), Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” (up 5-4 via Republic/Universal) and Tate McRae’s “Greedy” (RCA/Sony), new at No. 5 for the week’s top debut. That’s a career high for the Canadian artist, whose previous best was No. 7 in 2020 for “You Broke Me First.”

Kenya Grace’s “Strangers” (Warner) is making a strong connection with Australian audiences. The South Africa-born, U.K.-based artist’s major label debut bounces 30-6 in its third week on the survey.

Finally, Drake and SZA’s “Slime You Out” (Universal) slides to No. 12 on debut.

22 Sep 2023

Take That Sets New Album ‘This Life To Be,’ Shares First Cut ‘Windows’: Listen

Take That mark their return with This Life To Be, the superstar British boyband’s ninth studio album and first collection of new material in over five years.

The pop outfit’s latest campaign opens with “Windows,” arriving early Friday (Sept. 22).

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Expect the new set to capture Take That’s signature “beautiful melodies, soaring choruses,” and “sophisticated harmonies beautifully blending the trio’s voices,” reads a statement announcing This Life To Be, slated to drop Nov. 24.

“It’s been a wonderful experience being back in the studio together making this record. It has that feeling of spreading your wings, letting out the old and bringing in the new,” reads a comment from the band.

Formed in 1989 as a five-piece — Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams — Take That was one of the most popular acts of its generation, certainly in the U.K.

Now performing and recording as the trio of Barlow, Donald and Owen, the group can boast 12 U.K. No. 1 singles, and eight U.K. No. 1 albums, and a lengthy list of career highlights, including a performance at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. The lads had only one top 10 hit in the U.S., 1995’s “Back for Good,” which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Take That has been gearing up for the new release with a raft of performances in 2023, including an “intimate” spot at KOKO in support of War Child, a headline slot at British Summer Time in Hyde Park, the King’s Coronation concert, and the rollout of Greatest Days, the big-screen adaptation of their musical The Band.

This Life To Be is the followup to 2017’s Wonderland, which peaked at No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. Next up, the release of career retrospective Odyssey, which, in December 2018, spent one week at No. 1 with 106,000 first-week combined sales, making it the year’s fastest-selling album.

Sessions for This Life To Be were recorded in such historic music spaces as New York’s Electric Lady Studios and Nashville’s Historic RCA Studio A.

“We’re incredibly proud of the new album, there’s a sense of togetherness, whether that’s us coming back together as a band or people wanting connection in their own lives,” continues the message from Take That. “We’re excited for this new chapter.”

A 2024 tour of the British Isles will kick off April 13 at Sheffield Utilita Arena, with support from Olly Murs.

Stream “Windows” below.

22 Sep 2023

Spotify House Checks In at SXSW Sydney

SYDNEY, Australia — Spotify will be in the House for next month’s inaugural edition of South by Southwest (SXSW) in Sydney.

Guests at SXSW Sydney 2023 can check into Spotify House, which, for four days from Oct. 18-21, will transform iconic local venue The Lansdowne Hotel into a seat of knowledge and showcases.

According to reps, Spotify’s own space will feature a night program showcasing the region’s “best up-and-coming artists,” plus “future-focused music minds” speaking on a range of daytime panels, workshops and fireside chats.

Guest speakers for the daytime program include Spotify’s global head of editorial and former Billboard executive of the week Sulinna Ong; Xavier Jernigan (aka “X,” the voice of Spotify DJ); Jungjoo Park, head of music at Spotify Korea; Live Nation Australasia promoter Wenona Lok; and Virgin Music label manager Claire Tate.

Sulinna Ong

Sulinna Ong

Courtesy Spotify*

Those sessions will cover “everything from music discovery to what’s next for K-Pop and how we continue to strive for gender equity,” reads a statement, with some spots open to SXSW Sydney badge holders, and others listed as exclusive invite-only events.

When the sun goes down, the Spotify House will host hot acts from across the Asian Pacific region, with a focus on Australian and South Korean artists.

“We’re excited to bring Spotify House to SXSW Sydney in October, along with some of Asia Pacific’s best and brightest talent and the sharpest minds in music,” comments Gautam Talwar, general manager, Asia Pacific at Spotify. “It’ll be an action-packed four days and a celebration of some of the region’s most vibrant music cultures that bring the world together.”

The full lineup of speakers and performers will be revealed in the weeks ahead.

SXSW Sydney is a collaboration with Australia-based ticketing, technology and live entertainment giant TEG, the New South Wales (NSW) government and its events agency Destination NSW.

Spread across seven days and nights from Oct. 15-22, 2023, the new edition will bring together the industries of music, gaming, film, television, technology and innovation much like the Austin, Texas version that launched back in 1987.

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard‘s parent company, is an investor in SXSW.

Visit SXSWsydney.com for more.

21 Sep 2023

Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Chemistry (Deluxe)’ Has Arrived: Stream It Now

The wait is officially over: The newly-expanded deluxe version of Kelly Clarkson‘s 10th studio album, Chemistry, is now available to stream as of today (Friday, Sept. 22).

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The deluxe version of the album contains five brand new tracks — “I Won’t Give Up,” “Did You Know,” “You Don’t Make Me Cry” featuring her daughter River Rose, “Goodbye” and “Roses” — in addition remixes of the album singles “Mine” and “Favorite Kind of High” by David Guetta and Ty Sunderland respectively. There’s also a live version of “Mine” live from The Belasco.

Chemistry was initially released on June 23 via Atlantic Records. The set — Clarkson’s first non-holiday and non-covers album since she and ex-husband Brandon Blackstock finalized their divorce — debuted at No. 6 on the July 8-dated Billboard 200, and spent a total of three weeks on the chart following its release.

With its top 10 bow, the album became the American Idol alumn’s ninth album to hit the top tier of the chart. Elsewhere on the Billboard charts, the album hit No. 1 on Top Current Album Sales, marking her fourth leader on the tally.

Later in the album’s release day, Clarkson will be engaging with fans to talk about the deluxe edition of Chemistry across her official social media accounts. The star will kick things off with a TikTok Live starting at 10:15-10:30 am, a IG Live at 10:30-10:45 am, a Facebook Live at 10:45-11:00 am and will conclude the festivities with a Twitter Spaces chat at 11:00-11:15 am, all at Eastern standard time.

Stream Chemistry (Deluxe) below.

21 Sep 2023

Doja Cat Paints the Town ‘Scarlet’ With New Album: Stream It Now

After months of teasing and controversy, Doja Cat is finally ready to transport fans to “Agora Hills.” The Grammy-winning cross-genre artist unveiled Scarlet, her fourth studio album, on Friday (Sept. 22).

After signaling her new era with a shaved head and a rebuke of her earlier music, Doja launched Scarlet in June with the release of “Attention,” a boom-bap-indebted hip-hop track that prioritized showcasing the dexterity of her rapping ability. The track debuted and peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, and its music video — which previewed the era’s overarching horror aesthetic — picked up six nominations at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, ultimately winning best art direction.

“Paint the Town Red,” the record’s first radio single, soon followed with a catchy hook and a bouncy Dionne Warwick-sampling beat. The song became Doja’s second Hot 100 No. 1 — her first unaccompanied — becoming the first hip-hop song to reach the top of the ranking in 2023. A punk-rap promotional single titled “Demons” arrived on Sept. 1, complete with a music video starring Emmy-nominated Yellowjackets star Christina Ricci. A Ric Flair-nodding promotional single called “Balut” was released on Sept. 15. In the final weeks leading up to the album, blood-covered life-size mannequins made in Doja’s likeness appeared in major cities across the United States.

Scarlet boasts a completely featureless tracklist and eye-popping titles such as “Wet Vagina,” “Skull and Bones” and “F—k the Girls (FTG).” The standard edition houses 15 tracks, while two extra songs can be found on digital versions of the album: “Shutcho” and “WYM Freestyle.”

To support the new record, Doja will embark on The Scarlet Tour. The 24-date trek will kick off on Halloween at San Francisco’s Chase Center, and hit major cities across the U.S. before wrapping Dec. 13 at Chicago’s United Center. Ice Spice and “What It Is (Block Boy)” rapper Doechii will serve as opening acts for the tour.

Doja Cat’s new album is the follow-up to 2021’s Planet Her. That album, her third studio effort, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and spawned a litany of Hot 100 hits, including the SZA-assisted “Kiss Me More” (No. 3), “Woman” (No. 7), “Need to Know” (No. 8), “You Right” (No. 11, with The Weeknd), and “Get Into It (Yuh)” (No. 20).

Stream Scarlet now:

21 Sep 2023

Kylie Minogue Cranks up the ‘Tension’: Stream It Now

While Madonna and the late David Bowie deservedly enjoyed plaudits for their chameleonic reinventions, spare a thought for Kylie Minogue.

Australia’s own “princess of pop” has changed her sound and skin countless times over the decades, and, along the way, became a household name in her homeland and the United Kingdom.

From an auspicious start in showbiz as the loveable Charlene in “Neighbours,” to the Stock Aitken Waterman-produced ‘80s pop numbers, she’s nailed it with indie, dance, made murder ballads with Nick Cave, survived cancer, had us spinning around, we couldn’t get her out of her head, she played heroes and villains on the big screen, tasted country, and had hit after hit.

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Need more proof?

When Disco topped the Official U.K. Albums Chart in November 2020, for her eighth leader, Kylie became the first female artist – and second artist overall – to claim a U.K. No. 1 album in five consecutive decades.

Also, thanks to the recent success of the catchier-than-a-cold hit “Padam Padam,” she’s one of only four female artists to score U.K. top 10 hit singles in five consecutive decades, joining Cher, Diana Ross and Lulu.

“Padam Padam” is, of course, the first single and lead track from Minogue’s 16th and latest album Tension, which dropped at the stroke of midnight.

On Tension, Kylie strides ahead on a full-blown electro pop mission, its title track bouncing to an old-school Italian house piano refrain. There’s pop to eat your breakfast to, pop for heaving house parties in the wee hours.

Across her career, Kylie has clocked sales of over 80 million records, 5 billion streams, landed seven U.K. No 1 singles, won 17 ARIA Awards, three Brit Awards, two MTV Awards and a Grammy. Her “national treasure” status never quite traveled to the United States, where Kylie has cracked the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 on just two occasions. She’ll hope to change all that when she cranks up the tension for her first residency at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas’ Voltaire, slated to kick off on Nov. 3.

Stream Tension in full below.

21 Sep 2023

‘Queen of Salsa’ Celia Cruz Has Her Own Barbie: Where to Buy the Doll Online

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Barbie is honoring the legacy of Celia Cruz in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The Celia Cruz Barbie was released last week via Mattel.com, Amazon and Walmart.

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Re-creating her flair for style, the Celia Cruz Barbie comes outfitted in a red, lace mermaid dress with silver jewelry, gold heels and Cruz’s signature blond hair.

The doll made its Instagram debut on Sept. 12. “Barbie celebrates the legacy of the Queen of Salsa, with the introduction of our newest #Barbie Inspiring Women doll – Celia Cruz,” reads a post on the Barbie Instagram account.

Mattel first introduced the Celia Cruz Barbie in 2021, although it wasn’t up for sale. Now that the doll is officially out, it’s flying off the shelves. The Celia Cruz Barbie retails for $35, although fans might have trouble finding it in stock for that price. It initially sold out at Mattel, Amazon and Walmart but the doll has been popping up on resell sites such as eBay, Mercari and StockX. As of Thursday (Sept. 21), the Celia Cruz Barbie is available at Amazon (prices may vary).

Last year, Mattel debuted a Gloria Estefan Barbie doll coinciding with Estefan’s 65th birthday and her 1989 hit single “Get on Your Feet.”

Known as “La Reina de la Salsa” (“The Queen of Salsa”), Cruz was born in Havana, Cuba in 1925. She released 75 album and sold more than 10 million records over her 60-year career. The Afro-Cuban singer, who passed away in 2003, won five Grammys, four Latin Grammys and a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.  

Amazon

Barbie Collector Doll, Queen of Salsa Celia Cruz in Red Lace Dress, Barbie Inspiring Women Series

$57.93

21 Sep 2023

Lil Wayne, Offset, The Rock & More Stars at Deion Sanders’ Colorado Football Games

It’s prime time in Colorado as the university’s new head football coach, Deion Sanders, has led the squad to a 3-0 start and is drawing A-list talent to their games.

At Saturday’s in-state rivalry match-up between Colorado and Colorado State, Sanders — also known as Coach Prime — welcomed Lil Wayne, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Offset, Master P and Key Glock on the sidelines, and retired NFL star Rob Gronkowski hosted a pre-game party outside the stadium. Weezy kicked off the double-overtime win with a pre-game performance of “Uproar” on the field, wearing a custom Buffaloes jersey with “Tunechi” on the back.

In a new interview with Billboard, Wayne described the electricity at Saturday’s game. “That man got Colorado turnt right now,” he said. “Them people, they believe. For me, it was just an honor. For the most part, I still can’t believe what he’s doing. It’s unbelievable. Plain and simple. The way he has those people believing, just for him to even invite me and to … include me, I just try to make sure I do my part to the fullest, just like those boys do out there for him.”

Sanders told Billboard of the five-time Grammy-winning rapper: “I love Wayne to life like a friend and a son. I understand his gift and his heart. I see one of the best human beings I’ve ever known well beyond the stage and the handclaps of life.”

As an NFL player, Sanders has two Super Bowl rings from 14 seasons in the league. He was also in the MLB, playing in the 1992 World Series with the Atlanta Braves — making him the only athlete to play in both the Super Bowl and the World Series. He left his previous coaching job at Jackson State with a 27-6 record before venturing to Colorado to turn around last year’s 1-11 team.

Below, find all the celebrities flocking to Boulder, Colorado, to watch Coach Prime’s team in action.

21 Sep 2023

Travis Kelce Says He Invited Taylor Swift to One of His Football Games: ‘We’ll See What Happens’

Travis Kelce wants Taylor Swift on the bleachers at his next game.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end joined The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday (Sept. 21), where he revealed that he invited the “Anti-Hero” superstar to watch him play. “I threw the ball in her court,” he said. “I told her, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead, you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead.’ We’ll see what happens in the near future.”

He also expressed his surprise at how much publicity their potential relationship has gotten. “It’s hilarious how much traction this has actually got,” the 33-year-old said. “I think it’s, right now, it’s like that old game in school called ‘Telephone,’ where everybody is just whispering in each other’s ear, just hearing some random stuff.”

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During a recent interview with NFL+ host Andrew Siciliano, Travis previously addressed the rumors. He confirmed his story about trying to shoot his shot at Swift via an Eras Tour friendship bracelet, but that’s as far as he’d reveal. “I said what I said. And I meant what I said when I said it. And you know what, it is what it is,” he said before shutting down further conversation about the pair’s relationship status. “I’m not gonna talk about my personal life.”

The tight end then teased listeners, saying, “I know what you writers wanna hear, and you wanna hear more about that and I’m not gonna give you anything!” When Siciliano asked if Swift had reached out to him, Kelce responded, “And that’s gonna wrap it up here,” thus ending the interview.