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14 Sep 2023

HHW Gaming: PlayStation Announces Surprise State of Play, Keep Those Expectations Low

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PlayStation Announces Surprise State of Play Stream

Source: NurPhoto / Getty / PlayStation

There were rumblings that PlayStation might have another State of Play stream up its sleeve. Those rumors were indeed true.

Nintendo excited the video game world when it announced it was holding an early-morning Nintendo Direct showcase. Sony decided to get in on the fun and spring on games that it was having a direct.

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The “surprise” stream is going down on September 14, 5:00 pm ET on PlayStation’s YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok accounts. In the announcement, PlayStation told fans there will be “something for everyone.”

At the same time, the blog post also made a valiant effort to temper expectations by noting the ” broadcast will focus on updates to previously announced games coming to PlayStation consoles. From indie and PS VR2 highlights to major upcoming titles from our third-party partners.”

Still, that’s not stopping the speculation train from rolling out of the station. We could get new information on games like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Stellar Blade, Death Stranding 2, Alan Wake 2, Metal Gear Solid  Delta: Snake Eater, and some Indie titles.

Again, we are going into this State of Play with meager expectations to avoid an epic level of disappointment. We know PlayStation usually saves its best for its PlayStation Showcase live streams.

Keep it locked on HHW Gaming. We will share whatever information comes from the State of Play if you miss it.

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Photo: NurPhoto / Getty

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14 Sep 2023

TikTok & Billboard Partner to Launch TikTok Billboard Top 50 Chart

On Thursday (Sept. 14), TikTok and Billboard announced the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart — a new weekly chart that will track the most popular songs on the platform in the U.S. The chart is available to all TikTok users in the U.S. and on Billboard.com.

The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is the first chart to monitor the popularity of music on the video-sharing platform. The chart is based on a combination of creations, video views and user engagement by the U.S. TikTok community and will be released weekly every Thursday, starting today.

Sexyy Red is the first artist to top the chart, with “SkeeYee” starting at No. 1 on this week’s inaugural TikTok Billboard Top 50. (Three other Sexxy Red songs also land on this week’s tally.) Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” — which climbs to No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 — is the No. 2 track on the first TikTok Billboard Top 50, while Taylor Swift’s folklore track “august” lands at No. 3.

“TikTok is already the world’s most powerful platform for music discovery and promotion, and each week our passionate community of music fans drives songs onto the Billboard charts,” said Ole Obermann, global head of music business development at TikTok. “It therefore made perfect sense to partner with Billboard to create the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart. The chart gives a clear picture of the music that is being listened to on TikTok, and consequently starting to trend on DSPs and other services.”

In addition to the contemporary top three on the new chart, Dazz Band’s “Let It Whip” — a top five Hot 100 hit from 1982 — lands in the top 10 of the first TikTok Billboard Top 50, along with country tracks from Zach Bryan and Tim McGraw and songs from R&B legend Charlie Wilson and emo band Pinegrove.

“We are thrilled to partner on the first Billboard chart on TikTok,” said Mike Van, president, Billboard. “At Billboard, we are constantly evolving our charts to reflect how fans engage with music and connect them more deeply with the artists they love. We see a clear opportunity to recognize the way music discovery on TikTok is shaping popular culture and are proud to offer this tool to the industry, while offering brands a new way to engage with music fans at scale. You’re not No. 1 until you’re No. 1 on Billboard.”

For her part, Sexyy Red wants to thank her fans on TikTok for “running my music up!”

“I am so excited that so many of my songs are charting on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart,” said Sexyy Red. “I always knew I would be a No. 1 type of artist, so I want to thank all my fans on TikTok for running my music up! I’m just being me on TikTok and people love it.”

Also celebrating Sexyy Red’s new chart-topper is Larry Jackson’s entertainment company gamma, which counts the rookie rapper as one of its early success stories after launching in March. Jackson tells Billboard he’s “so incredibly proud to have a track from one of our artists, Sexyy Red, debut at No. 1 on the inaugural TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart — a chart which I believe will have an industry-wide importance alongside the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts. And to have four tracks in the top 50 on this new chart is something to marvel at as well.

“As a company that supports, nurtures and powers independent artists and creators, we believe that this is an incredible precursor for what’s to come in this era of independent business thought leaders such as Stan and Jay of [Sexyy Red’s label] Open Shift, and fiercely independent artists such as Sexyy Red, who are tackling the new modem music business with a sense of bravery and adventurousness that doesn’t subscribe to the norm or the conventionality of how it’s been done.”

TikTok users can find the new chart by pressing the round icon on the bottom corner of the screen in the TikTok app and tapping the “Music Charts” button in the top right. The chart can also be found on Billboard.com, updated weekly each Thursday.

14 Sep 2023

Fat Joe Returns as Host for the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards

Fat Joe will host the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards for the second consecutive year, Billboard exclusively reports. Set to take place at the Cobb Energy Center in Atlanta on Oct. 3, the live broadcast will air the following week on Oct. 10 at 9 p.m. ET on BET. 

“We are thrilled to welcome back a true hip-hop legend in Fat Joe as this year’s host! As we round out a banner year of celebrating hip-hop’s landmark half-century of influencing culture, he is the perfect emcee to lead us through what promises to be an iconic night,” Connie Orlando, EVP, Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET, tells Billboard. “Throughout his career, he has continued to be a leader within the culture, bridging the gap between generations. We can’t wait to watch what he comes up with for this year’s show.”

“Hip-hop is my life, and I’m extremely proud to return as host of BET Hip Hop Awards 2023,” Fat Joe adds. “We’re going to make this year’s award show even bigger while also celebrating our hip-hop stars and pioneers in a spectacular way. It’s going to be a legendary night of music and entertainment, and you’re not going to want to miss it.”

This year’s nominations include a diverse crowd of proven veterans, rising rookies, thriving producers and international stars. 21 Savage and Cardi B lead the way with 12 nominations, while Drake is right behind with nine. DJ Khaled and Burna Boy each have seven nods, while J. Cole has six. Jay-Z, Coi Leray, and GloRilla follow with five apiece. 

14 Sep 2023

Pop Culture Rewind: Madonna Performs ‘Like a Virgin’ at the 1984 MTV VMAs | Billboard News

We are taking a look back at Madonna‘s iconic MTV VMA’s performance of “Like a Virgin.”

Evan Burke:
You can’t get more iconic than Madonna. You can’t get more pop culture than the VMAs. Put them together, and you have one of the most prolific pairings in music television. We take you back to one of their best moments in this week’s Pop Culture Rewind.

The date was Sept. 14, 1984. The place was New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. The event: the very first MTV Video Music Awards. We all know Madonna’s Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Like a Virgin,” but we had never seen it like this. So much to unpack: a 17-foot wedding cake, the “boy toy” belt buckle, and when she suffered a wardrobe malfunction, one of her shoes came off, which gave us pop-culture gold.

The moment has inspired culture throughout the decades — with it being a top costume and Madonna look — and also spawned a performance by pop princess Britney Spears on that very same VMA stage in that very same outfit, where we’ll have more on that at another time. We always have space for more Queen Madge.

We’ll have another huge moment for you next week in our Pop Culture Rewind.

Watch the full video above!

14 Sep 2023

Sean Penn Says Will Smith Oscars Slap Was His ‘Worst Moment As a Person’

Sean Penn likes to get straight to the meat of the matter. And the actor/director does just that in a new Variety interview in which he calls 100% b.s. on the reaction to Will Smith‘s infamous slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards, which was held just weeks after Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Penn, whose documentary on his friend Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Superpower, is due out on Monday (Sept. 18), gets “f—ing furious,” in fact, when telling reporter Stephen Rodrick, “the Oscars producer thought, ‘Oh, he’s not light-hearted enough?’ Well, guess what you got instead? Will Smith.”

Fully aware that his perennial pugnaciousness has often made it hard to appreciate him, a red-faced Penn laid out his exact feelings about the refusal to give former-sitcom-star-turned-heroic-wartime-president Zelenskyy a moment to speak during the ceremony; Smith — who would win a best actor Oscar later in the night for his starring role in the Williams family tennis biopic King Richard — stormed the stage and assaulted Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair.

“I don’t know Will Smith. I met him once,” Penn said. “He seemed very nice when I met him. He was so f–king good in King Richard… So why the f–k did you just spit on yourself and everybody else with this stupid f–king thing? Why did I go to f–king jail for what you just did? And you’re still sitting there? Why are you guys standing and applauding his worst moment as a person?”

Penn, 63, spent 33 days in county jail in June 1987 for punching an extra on a movie set and for reckless driving and received a 90-day suspended sentence and $50 fine for two charges of assaulting two journalists who were attempting to photograph him and then-wife Madonna, as well as three years of probation and 300 hours of community service in 2010 after another run-in with a photographer.

“This f–king bulls–t wouldn’t have happened with Zelenskyy,” Penn fumed. “Will Smith would never have left that chair to be part of stupid violence. It never would have happened.”

On the night of the incident, Smith jumped up from his seat and slapped Rock hard across the face after the comedian made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, which, Rock later said, he was not aware was a result of the singer/actress’ struggle with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that can cause hair loss and balding.

During his Oscars acceptance speech, Smith issued a mea culpa of sorts for his actions earlier in the night — without mentioning Rock — with the comedian later declining to press charges. After a more formal apology, Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which banned him from attending any Academy events for 10 years.

Penn, who has won two best actor Oscars for Mystic River (2003) and Milk (2008), also told the magazine that his only option was to destroy his statues. “I thought, well, f–k, you know? I’ll give them to Ukraine,” he said. “They can be melted down to bullets they can shoot at the Russians.”

14 Sep 2023

Kelsea Ballerini Wants to Make Country Music More Inclusive: ‘I Want to Hear All the Voices’

For years, Kelsea Ballerini has been advocating for greater diversity in country music — look no further than her headline-making CMTs performance from earlier this year for proof. Now, in a new interview, Ballerini spelled out exactly what she means by that.

In an interview as a 2023 TIME100 Next honoree, Ballerini said that she wanted to see country music become a platform where all kinds of artists could find massive success. “It’s a process, and we’re undoing a way that, specifically, country music has done things forever,” she said. “It’s making sure that we’re giving a voice to new artists; we’re giving a voice to unsigned artists who represent underrepresented groups in Nashville because they’re not getting a chance to be signed.”

Continuing, Ballerini got more specific, pointing out that the communities finding themselves the least represented in country music deserve to be given a fair shot at stardom. “Nobody says people don’t want to jam out to guys on the radio. I do. I also want to hear from women. Just as much, maybe more,” she said. “I also want to hear from people of color, from the LGBTQ+ community. I want to hear all the voices we hear on pop radio on country radio.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Ballerini said that she was not comfortable speaking as the representative for all country artists. “One person cannot speak for everyone. That is true for country music,” she said. “I am in control of standing in what I believe in — and being a kind, good person who works towards making the world a more heard, safe, and inclusive place in whatever capacity I can do.”

Part of that aim to make the world better and more inclusive came during her aforementioned CMTs performance, when Ballerini brought a group of drag queens on stage with her to perform her song “If You Go Down,” and to protest ongoing legislative attacks against drag artists around the country. Speaking about it now, Ballerini said that if she had the opportunity, she would go back and do it again.

“I was not only hosting the CMT Awards, but I had a performance for a song of mine that is all about friendship and standing up for people that you love, and being ride-or-die for your people,” she said. “I realized that that would be a really good, important, loud, big stage to make that statement on, and CMT was all for it.”

14 Sep 2023

Hipgnosis to Sell Song Catalogs Worth $465M to Boost Stock, Reduce Debt

The board of directors of Hipgnosis Songs Fund said on Thursday that the music royalty fund founded by Merck Mercuriadis plans to sell two portions of its song catalog in a bid to increase its stock price and pay down debt.

The proposed sales include one package of assets that consists of 29 catalogs worth roughy $440 million, which the Blackstone-backed entity, Hipgnosis Songs Capital, has agreed to acquire. The second package of assets, worth $25 million, includes songs Hipgnosis Songs Fund acquired in 2020 from Kobalt, and is being shopped to external buyers.

The board introduced the proposed sales, which have a combined value of $465 million, alongside a proposal to buy back up to $180 million of its own stock, to pay down $250 million of its revolving debt and to introduce new, lower advisory fees to be paid to Hipgnosis Song Management Limited. The board says it believes the package of proposals, which must be approved by shareholders, will serve as a “catalyst for a re-rating of the company’s share price … (which) over the last 18 months … has not reflected the fundamental value of the company.”

This follows news last week of Concord’s $469 million bid for rival Round Hill Music Royalty Fund, a move that gave Round Hill and Hipgnosis’ stock prices a much-needed boost. Round Hill’s stock price spiked 65% after the acquisition announcement to $1.13.

“Given the substantial share price discount to fundamental value in recent months, share buy backs enable (Hipgnosis Songs Fund Ltd) to invest further into the remaining portfolio at a material discount to its fundamental asset value,” according to the statement. “These disposals are of the smallest magnitude possible that would provide the required capital to execute on this strategy, whilst ensuring that the ongoing investment case for Hipgnosis Songs Fund remains intact by protecting the strength of the remaining portfolio.”

The board says that the proposed sale worth $440 million that would go to Hipgnosis Songs Capital, a fund run by Mercuriadis’ Hipgnosis Song Management and Blackstone, reflects a multiple of 18.3x historical Net Publisher Share and is “designed to protect the strength of the remaining portfolio” because it will leave the London Stock Exchange-listed Hipgnosis Song Fund with a “concentration of culturally important and successful songs.”

Those songs, it says, represent 81% of the existing portfolio by fair value, including ownership in seven of the Fund’s 10 largest catalogs, and are mostly older vintages, such as 47 of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (down from the Fund’s current ownership stake in 52 of those songs.

The board says the sales price represents a 51% premium, compared to the asset’s valuation based on the company’s 30-day average market capitalization up to Sept. 13, 2023. It also represents a discount of 17.5% to the fair value of the package of assets compared to the valuation disclosed in the company’s most recent annual report, out March 31.

By comparison, Concord’s cash bid of $1.15 per share for Round Hill’s Music Royalty Fund represented a 67% premium to the share price and a 11.5% discount per-share net asset value ascribed to Round Hill by Citron Cooperman, a leading valuation expert.

With regards to the second proposed sale of rounghly $25 million-worth of songs, the board said it had long anticipated it would need to sell some of what it acquired from Kobalt’s Fund One.

“They were considered non-core as the company does not have perpetual ownership rights or the songs require ongoing accounting and reporting obligations that take up significant bandwidth which can be better focused on active song management,” the board said in the statement.

Billboard reported that a package of non-core assets was being shopped in July.

Hipgnosis Songs Fund will hold meetings for shareholders to vote on the proposals as well as the company’s first continuation vote on or before Oct. 25, according to the statement. If approved, the $440 million asset sale to the Blackstone-backed Hipgnosis fund will result in the the publicly listed Hipgnosis fund paying $6.7 million in corporation tax.

14 Sep 2023

This Harry Styles Hit Soundtracks the New Brie Larson-Led ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ Trailer: Watch

Before he took over the world with “As It Was” and won his first Grammy for “Watermelon Sugar,” Harry Styles made his first solo statement with the brooding pop-rock epic “Sign of the Times.” On Thursday (Sept. 14), Apple TV+ gave the song a second life by having it soundtrack the new trailer for Lessons in Chemistry, the streamer’s Brie Larson-led drama.

Harry Styles

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Based on Bonnie Garmus’ New York Times best-selling debut novel of the same name, Lessons in Chemistry explores the story of Elizabeth Zott (Brie Larson), a scientist-turned-celebrity chef host who must navigate 1950s patriarchy at every turn. Zott becomes the star of a cooking show titled Supper at Six after losing her laboratory job as a chemist.

“In life, discoveries usually lead to more questions. The only constant variable is the unexpected,” Zott says in the trailer. “We can’t control it. It’s only when you look backwards that you see how it was all connected.”

In the trailer, “Sign of the Times” — which served as Styles’ first official debut solo single following One Direction’s hiatus — appears once Zott is let go from the laboratory and met with the proposition to host Supper at Six. From there, Zott’s burgeoning feminist bent blossoms into direct messaging with quips such as “I stand proudly with the overlooked workhorse of the kitchen, women and baked potatoes” and “Why do you assume that his day was longer than hers? Why don’t you make the drink?” The trailer teases how Zott’s fearlessness gives her a platform that she must reckon with in the face of the virulent sexism and racism of 1950s America.

The Aggregate Films-produced show stars Larsson, How to Get Away With Murder actress Aja Naomi King, Top Gun: Maverick star Lewis Pullman, Stephanie Koenig, Kevin Sussman, Patrick Walker and Thomas Mann. Seven-time Emmy Award-nominee Lee Eisenberg serves as showrunner.

The first two episodes of Lessons in Chemistry will be available to stream on Apple TV+ on Oct. 13. New episodes will become available every Friday through Nov. 24.

In 2017, “Sign of the Times” debuted and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first of Styles’ seven career top 10 hits on the chart. He has since added a pair of chart-toppers: 2019’s “Watermelon Sugar” (one week) and 2022’s “As It Was” (15 weeks). “Times” also served as the lead single for its parent album, Styles’ eponymous debut solo studio album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — his first of three career No. 1 titles on the ranking.

Watch the trailer for Lessons in Chemistry featuring Styles’ hit song above.

14 Sep 2023

Jay-Z’s Lexus From ‘Dead Presidents’ Video Is Now on Display at ‘Book of HOV’ Brooklyn Library Exhibit

As The Book of HOV draws fans inside the Brooklyn Public Library, the exhibit added a new installation for Jay-Z enthusiasts to enjoy. Roc Nation and Lexus partnered to bring the iconic 1993 Lexus GS 300 from Jay-Z’s 1996 “Dead Presidents” video, which is on display beginning Thursday (Sept. 14).

“We’re excited to partner with Lexus to bring Jay-Z’s iconic off-white Lexus to The Book of HOV. The new installation adds another element of Jay-Z’s career to the exhibit that visitors can enjoy,” said Desiree Perez, CEO Roc Nation, in a release. “The response to The Book of HOV has been overwhelming, so we’re excited to extend the exhibit to December to ensure new and returning attendees can have enough opportunities to fully immerse themselves into the experience.”

“In further celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, we are thrilled to partner with Roc Nation in this special tribute to Jay-Z’s musical legacy,” added Mia Phillips, senior manager of Lexus Advertising & Media. “The vehicle display is recognition of the mutual respect and admiration between Lexus and Jay-Z, whose brilliance and contributions to culture extend far beyond hip-hop.”

Since debuting in July, The Book of HOV has highlighted the bevy of accolades and artifacts in Jay-Z’s career. Spanning eight sections, rooms such as “Hov Did That” contain his 2008 Glastonbury Festival guitar, a 2009 hand-written letter from the daughter of Frank Sinatra and his 2021 Rock and Roll of Fame Award. The 1993 Lexus GS 300 will remain on display for the remainder of The Book of HOV exhibit until December.

Check out the photos below.

Roc Nation and Lexus

Roc Nation and Lexus Partner for New Installation at The Book Of HOV Exhibit – JAY-Z’s Iconic “Off White Lexus”

Soul Brother

Roc Nation and Lexus

Roc Nation and Lexus Partner for New Installation at The Book Of HOV Exhibit – JAY-Z’s Iconic “Off White Lexus”

Soul Brother

14 Sep 2023

Rolling Stones Announce Full ‘Hackney Diamonds’ Track List, Featuring Lady Gaga, Elton John, Stevie Wonder & Paul McCartney

The Rolling Stones announced the full track list for their upcoming 12-song Hackney Diamonds album on Thursday (Sept. 14), which will include the previously announced collaboration with Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder on the song “Sweet Sound of Heaven.”

That track, with vocals from Gaga and keys and piano from Wonder, will be featured alongside “Bite My Head Off,” with bass from Paul McCartney and “Get Close” and “Live By the Sword,” which have piano from Elton John. The collection, the legendary band’s first new studio album or original material in 18 years, is due out on Oct. 20.

Other previously revealed guest spots on the album come from within the Stones’ circle, including two tracks recorded with late drummer Charlie Watts (“Mess It Up,” “Live By the Sword”); the latter also features an assist from former bassist Bill Wyman. The album — which ends with the first-ever original song to include a nod to the band’s name (“Rolling Stone Blues”) — was recorded all around the world, from Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles to Metropolis Studios in London, Sanctuary Studios in Nassau, Bahamas and Electric Lady Studios and The Hit Factory/Germano Studios in New York.

The living trio of original members, singer Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and longtime guitarist Ronnie Wood, announced their first new studio album since 2005’s A Bigger Bang last week during a global live stream from Hackney Empire in East London, where they also debuted the Sydney Sweeney-starring video for first single “Angry.”

Talking about their 24th studio album, their first without Watts, who died in 2021 at age 80, Richards said, “Ever since Charlie’s gone, it’s been different. He’s number four. Of course, he’s missed, incredibly.” Jagger, 80, joked that the nearly two-decade gap between studio efforts was a result of the legendarily hard touring band being “on the road most of the time” between records and, he quipped, “maybe we were a bit too lazy.” Hackney Diamonds was produced by Andrew Watt, who Jagger said “kicked us up the arse,” while describing the mood of the songs as “angry” and “eclectic.”

“We didn’t want to make just any record and put it out,” Jagger said. “Before we went in [the studio], we said we had to make a record that we really love ourselves. We must say that we are quite pleased with it. I’m not saying we are big-headed about it, but we’re pleased with it and we hope that you all like it.”

Check out the Hackney Diamonds track list below:

“Angry”

“Get Close”

“Depending On You”

“Bite My Head off”

“Whole Wide World”

“Dreamy Skies”

“Mess It Up”

“Live By the Sword”

“Driving Me Too Hard”

“Tell Me Straight”

“Sweets Sounds of Heaven”

“Rolling Stone Blues”