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Spotify Names Monica Damashek Head of Label Partnerships North America

There’s been an executive shuffle at Spotify.

Monica Damashek, who previously served as the company’s North American lead of international music, has been named head of label partnerships North America, according to an internal memo obtained by Billboard. She succeeds Vic Trubowitch, who has moved to the music product strategy team for artist expression at the streaming giant.

Concurrent with the shifts, Spotify’s label partnerships team will now be called music partnerships and audience — an umbrella that includes label partnerships, artist partnerships and songwriter publisher relations — and fall under the purview of global head of artist partnerships Joe Hadley. Day-to-day responsibilities for each of the teams will remain the same under the new arrangement.

Damashek, who has been with Spotify for nine years, was hired in 2014 as global director of strategic marketing and has worked across various departments. Prior to Spotify, she worked in editorial roles at Billboard and Rolling Stone, among other outlets.

Trubowitch was hired at Spotify in 2017 as manager of artist & label marketing, eventually landing in the head of label partnerships role in December 2021. He was named to Billboard‘s 40 Under 40 list last year. Prior to boarding the streamer, he served in various roles at BMG, Vagrant Records and Warner Bros. Records.

Hadley, previously a powerful booking agent at CAA whose clients included Beyoncé, A$AP Rocky and Stormzy, joined Spotify last year after departing the agency, where he served as co-head of the global hip-hop/R&B touring group.

Dame D.O.L.L.A “Paid In Full,” MIKE, Wiki & The Alchemist “Mayors A Cop” & More | Daily Visuals 9.20.23

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Source: Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images / Getty

Damian Lillard has been trying to show and prove that he’s the best NBA player/Rapper since the legendary Shaquille O’Neal (that man went platinum a few times) and to help him prove that point he’s recruited one of the rap game’s most prolific rhymers for his latest video.

Linking up with Cam’ron for his visuals to “Paid In Full,” Dame D.O.L.L.A. recreates scenes from the cult classic film of the same name and takes on the role of Ace (played by Wood Harris in the movie) and lives the life of the legendary Harlem drug lords without any illegal paraphernalia being distributed in the video. The man is still an NBA player and has to play it safe, b. Cam couldn’t bless the man with a quick 16 though?

Elsewhere The Alchemist continues to produce some soulful heat and in the clip to “Mayors A Cop,” MIKE and Wiki roam the streets of New York from day to night while spitting their bars and taking in the atmosphere of the City That Never Sleeps.

Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from Lighter Shade of Brown, Valiant, and more.

DAME D.O.L.L.A ft. TOBE NWIGWE – “PAID IN FULL”



MIKE, WIKI & THE ALCHEMIST – “MAYORS A COP”



LIGHTER SHADE OF BROWN – “SUNSETS”



SUGARHILL DDOT – “STRESSED OUT”



VALIANT – “CRYPTO”



JAY FIZZLE – “DICKIE SET”



YUNGEEN ACE – “ROADKILL”



NOODAH05 – “SEE IT FALL”



HipHopWired Radio

Our staff has picked their favorite stations, take a listen…


Laufey Logs Biggest Jazz Debut in Nearly Two Years With ‘Bewitched’

Rising jazz artist Laufey scores her first entry on the Billboard 200 albums chart with her sophomore release Bewitched, debuting at No. 23 on the Sept. 23-dated list. Further, the set launches atop both the Traditional Jazz Albums and overall Jazz Albums charts – marking the first No. 1 on both rankings for the 24-year-old Icelandic singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (real name: Laufey Lin Jónsdóttir).

In addition, with 23,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 14, Bewitched also snares the largest debut week for a jazz album in nearly two years – since Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s Love for Sale started with 41,000 on the Oct. 16, 2021-dated charts. Notably, 68% of Bewitched’s first-week activity was driven by streaming (with the set’s 14 songs collecting 22.36 million on-demand official streams). 

Previous to the release of Bewitched, Laufey amassed a sizable following on TikTok (nearly 3 million followers) and collected 339 million on-demand official song streams in the U.S. 

Laufey notched one previous entry on both the Traditional Jazz Albums and Jazz Albums charts, with the Typical of Me EP, peaking at No. 2 on both rankings (Sept. 2-dated lists).

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The Traditional Jazz Albums and Jazz Albums charts rank the most popular traditional and overall jazz albums of the week by equivalent album units. (The Jazz Albums chart is inclusive of all styles of jazz, including both traditional and contemporary jazz titles.)

Peso Pluma’s Show in Tijuana Canceled After Threatening Banners

The concert that Peso Pluma had scheduled for Oct. 14 in Tijuana, Mexico, has been canceled, Prajin Music announced Wednesday (Sept. 20) on social media — days after the artist was threatened in a series of banners that appeared in the border city.

“Our goal is to protect the fans and the team. For the safety of everyone involved, we will cancel our show in Tijuana,” the company said in a message posted on its Instagram Stories.

The announcement comes after “narcomantas” appeared on Sept. 12 in different parts of the city warning the singer not to perform at the Caliente Stadium.

At that time, he municipal president of Tijuana, Montserrat Caballero Ramírez, indicated to local media that the possibility of canceling the Peso Pluma concert would be evaluated. The show was part of Peso Pluma’s Doble P Tour. The artist also canceled a show in Puebla, Mexico, for unknown reasons and changed his tour date in Guadalajara from Nov. 4 to Oct. 27.

On Sept. 13, municipal authorities said they arrested a suspect in connection with the banners. However, their identity was not revealed and no additional information was given until Wednesday, when the artist’s team announced the cancellation of the show.

A few days ago, without further explanation, a few changes were made to Peso Pluma’s tour dates in the U.S., specifically in Illinois, Wisconsin, Alabama and Indianapolis.

Meanwhile, Peso Pluma continues to triumph as a global artist. Although he didn’t get any nods from the Latin Recording Academy on Tuesday when the Latin Grammy nominations were announced this week, last week he made history as the first regional Mexican artist to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards and tops the list of finalists for the Billboard Latin Music Awards with 21 nods in 15 categories. He will also participate in Billboard’s Latin Music Week, scheduled in Miami from Oct. 2-6.

Get tickets for Latin Music Week 2023 here.

Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ Vault Tracks & Travis Kelce Rumors, 98 Degrees Get Real About *NSYNC Reunion & More | Billboard News

Calling all Swifties! There is a ton of Taylor Swift news to update you on. The singer announced the names for four out of the five vault tracks from her upcoming album ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version),’ Travis Kelce’s brother Jason Kelce jokingly confirms those Taylor and Travis romance rumors and more. 98 Degrees opened up about how the *NSYNC reunion at the VMAs “stole their thunder.” Rosalía reveals five things you didn’t know about her, and more!

Tetris Kelly:
Swifties are solving puzzles to learn more about Taylor’s next album and her love life. 98 Degrees says *NSYNC “stole their thunder.” We learned five things about Mya and Rosalia and we got a Latin Music Week update straight from Miami.

I’m Tetris with Billboard News. It’s Wednesday, September 20th, and we’ve got a whole lot of Taylor Swift to talk about.

Taylor Swift has a new athletic man? A family member jokingly confirms as she drops her ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ track list and is seen on the town with Joe Jonas’ ex. Buckle up, Swifties. We have a lot to unpack today.

Taylor Swift:
Oh, look! You did it! You unlocked the ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ vault.

Tetris Kelly:
Taylor Swift broke Google yesterday after getting her fanbase to decipher 33 million puzzles to reveal the track list of ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ vault tracks, and I for one know these songs like “Is It Over Now?” and “Suburban Legends” will be my entire personality.

And Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner are headed for divorce and Taylor knows a thing or two about being Joe’s ex. The two ladies were spotted around New York City on a girls’ night out. But Taylor might not be single.

Watch the full video above!

Watch Steve Martin’s Orchestral Performance of ‘Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It’

Steve Martin is showing off his musical chops in a brand new performance of “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?,” which was written specifically for the popular Hulu series Only Murders in the Building by songwriters Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

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“Which of the Pickwick Triplets did it? / Who of the crew could commit this crime? / Might a little brat, make a mommy go splat? / It’s a story pretty gory for a nursery rhyme,” he sings in the dramatic chorus.

The third season of Only Murders premiered Aug. 8, with stars Selena Gomez, Martin Short and Steve Martin returning as true-crime-loving neighbors who get wrapped up in a murder mystery. Back in April, Gomez took to Instagram to tease Streep’s guest appearance by sharing a photo, smiling wide alongside the Oscar-winning icon on the series’ set.

Watch the performance of “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It” below.



The 2023 MAMA Awards Are Heading to Tokyo This Fall

The ultimate K-pop award show is heading to Japan.

CJ ENM revealed on Wednesday (Sept. 20) that the 2023 MAMA Awards will take place at Tokyo Dome, Japan, from November 28 to 29. Over the past 24 years, the beloved award show has held ceremonies across Asia, including in Macao, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam, to showcase how far K-pop music is reaching across the globe.

“As MAMA Awards is a ceremony that acknowledges the most outstanding K-POP artists as chosen by global fans, it will continue to serve as a platform where countless music fans can engage and unite as one, transcending regions, backgrounds, and generations,” said Joon-beom Sim, head of music entertainment at CJ ENM, in a press statement. “We aim to spread the value of our statement ‘Music Makes ONE’ by embodying spectacular potential, boundless imagination, and positive energy.”

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This year’s event will highlight the “One I Born” concept, which, according to a press release, “symbolizes ‘I’ and ‘MAMA,’ each holding infinite possibilities, coming together to create positive energy and become a perfect ‘ONE.’”

The 2023 Mama Awards will host a number of performances and stages that deepen this year’s concept, as well as interactive arrangements that connect everyone through K-pop. Fans can learn more about the “One I Born” concept through the teaser page on the Mnet Plus app. 

More information on the 2023 Mama Awards, including artist lineup and more content, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Exclusive: 2023 MAMA Awards to Return to Japan | Billboard News

The 2023 MAMA Awards are headed back to Tokyo and Billboard News has all the exclusive details!

Tetris Kelly:
K-pop’s biggest awards show is headed back to Japan and Billboard has all the latest. The 2023 MAMA Awards is headed to Tokyo and you can catch all the action live thanks to MNet. K-Pop’s biggest awards show will take place at the Tokyo Dome on November 28th and 29th, with groundbreaking performances and iconic show moments.

The MAMAs is the awards show for K-pop music. Last year in Osaka, J-Hope, IVE, Stray Kids and so many more took home trophies, and this year is bound to be just as exciting. Of course Billboard will be on the red carpet talking to all your favorite artists.

NewJeans:
Hi, we’re NewJeans. It is an absolute big honor for us to be able to have been invited in participate to in MAMAs 2022.

Tetris Kelly:
For all your mama’s updates, make sure you check out Billboard.com

Watch the full video above!

Myke Towers Sings His Way to No. 1 on Latin Airplay With ‘Lala’

Myke Towers’ “Lala” takes the Puerto Rican artist to No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as the viral hit jumps 2-1 on the overall Latin tally dated Sept. 16. The new champ follows a double win, as the song commanded the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and Latin Rhythm Airplay charts each for at least one week.

“Lala” is one of 23 tracks on Towers’ latest album La Vida Es Una, which granted him a third straight top 10 on Top Latin Albums (No. 9 high in April). The single blew up on TikTok after the music video dropped July 28, with over 5 million clips pouring into the platform to ignite a successful radio campaign. (Activity directly on the TikTok platform does not currently count toward the Billboard charts.)

“Lala” pushes to No. 1 on Latin Airplay in its eighth week despite a 1% dip in audience impressions, with 8.7 million, earned in the U.S. during the Sept. 8-14 tracking week, according to Luminate.

The new champ arrives just five months after Towers’ “Ulala,” with Daddy Yankee, took over the overall ranking for one week (April 8-dated list). With the new hit, Towers nabs his ninth No. 1, dating back to “Caramelo,” with Ozuna and Karol G, his first and longest-leading entry, three weeks atop in 2020.

In addition to its new Latin Airplay domination, “Lala” previously ruled Global Excl. U.S. and Latin Rhythm Airplay: On the former, it vaulted from No. 13 to No. 1 in July with 70.4 million streams outside the U.S. (drops 3-4 on the current tally); on the latter, it rebounds to its No. 1 peak for a second week in charge.

Further, the viral activity for “Lala” fueled a rise in streams, peaking at No. 4 on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs on the Aug. 12-dated list, which blends airplay, digital sales, and streams. There, the song dips 5-6 with 7.94 million U.S. streams, that’s a 7% decline from the week prior.



Chencho Corleone Smokes His Way into The Top 10: Elsewhere on Latin Airplay, Chencho Corleone’s “Un Cigarrillo” checks into the top 10 at its new No. 3 peak. The single flies from No. 18 as the Greatest Gainer of the week powered by a 56% gain in audience impressions, to 8.1 million.

With “Un Cigarrilo,” Corleone acquires his fourth top 10. He visited the upper region three times prior through a trio of rulers, starting with his first No. 1, “Desesperados,” with Rauw Alejandro, in 2022. “Me Porto Bonito,” with Bad Bunny, followed for one week in command in Aug. 2022, while “Podemos Repetirlo,” with Don Omar, crowned the Sept. 16-dated chart. It falls 1-7 on the current tally.

Beyond its top 10 entry on Latin Airplay, “Un Cigarrilo” pushes 8-2 for its new peak on Latin Rhythm Airplay.

FamousSally & YB’s ‘Wassup Gwayy’ Debuts at No. 1 on TikTok Billboard Top 50 Chart

There’s a new No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart: FamousSally and YB’s “Wassup Gwayy,” which debuts atop the Sept. 23-dated survey.

The TikTok Billboard Top 50, which launched a week ago, is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity Sept. 11-17. (Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.)

“Wassup Gwayy” was released in June and has taken off on TikTok thanks in large part to uploads by users referencing the song’s lyrics “In the cut with my twin, we be vibin’,” with videos featuring not only actual twins, but friends and even people and their pets dancing along.

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=5ne4-GJtizA&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

One of the most high-profile proponents of the trend? Drake, who was seen dancing to the song with a young fan in early September.

Rappers FamousSally and YB have not yet made a Billboard chart outside the TikTok Billboard Top 50. Still, in the tracking week (Sept. 8-14) for Billboard’s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based song charts dated Sept. 23, “Wassup Gwayy” earned 548,000 official U.S. streams, up 39% from 395,000 Sept. 1-7, according to Luminate.

“Wassup Gwayy” is the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s second No. 1 in the list’s two weeks of existence; the inaugural No. 1, Sexyy Red’s “SkeeYee,” drops to No. 2 on the Sept. 23 tally.

Chrisette Michele’s “Epiphany (I’m Leaving)” is another big mover on the latest ranking, leaping from No. 33 to No. 4. “Epiphany” is Michele’s lone Billboard Hot 100 entry as a lead artist to date, having peaked at No. 89 in May 2009. The 14-year-old tune has returned to prominence in 2023 sparked by a dance challenge largely set to the lyric “So I think I’m just about over being your girlfriend,” which kicks off the chorus.

“Epiphany” isn’t the only song from the 2000s/early ’10s in the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s top 10. It’s followed by a trio of tracks in J. Dash’s “Wop,” featuring Flo Rida; Cee-Lo Green’s “I’ll Be Around,” featuring Timbaland; and Usher’s “Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home),” featuring Plies, which round out the tier at Nos. 8-10, respectively.

“Wop,” released in 2007, has had multiple runs of virality over the years, initially reaching Billboard’s charts in 2011 and peaking on the Hot 100 in 2013 (No. 51), hitting critical mass that year when Miley Cyrus uploaded a video of herself twerking in a unicorn costume to the tune. The song has continued to be popular for choreography routines on TikTok and other platforms and leaps 17-8 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50.

“I’ll Be Around,” which peaked at No. 52 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in January 2004, is scoring a viral bump due to dances using the song and surges 42-9 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, while “Hey Daddy,” a No. 24 Hot 100 hit in May 2010, premieres on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 thanks to uploads largely populated with women using a filter adding facial hair to their faces.

Check out the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart here to see additional debuts from Cardi B, HUS, Harry Styles and more.