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Tom Brady & His Daughter Pose for Photo With BLACKPINK: ‘New Gig In Retirement’

Tom Brady is being drafted to a new team: the BLINKs. The 46-year-old former New England Patriot became the unofficial fifth member of BLACKPINK last week after attending the K-pop quartet’s New Jersey concert, where he and his daughter posed for a picture in an epic lineup with Rosé, Jisoo, Lisa and Jennie.

The snap shows Brady towering over the girl band, standing on the far left as his 10-year-old daughter Vivian — whom he shares with ex-wife Gisele Bundchen — and a friend pose in between Jisoo and Jennie. “@tombrady the newest member of @blackpinkofficial?” joked the NFL’s official account, sharing the picture on Instagram Thursday (Aug. 17).

The star — who in February announced his retirement from the NFL after 23 seasons and seven Super Bowl wins — also shared the photo on his Instagram Story, writing that he’d found a “new gig in retirement,” along with a crying laughing emoji. “Thank you for the hospitality and kindness,” he added, tagging all four of the “Pink Venom” singers.

The posts come about a week after Brady and his daughter were spotted at BLACKPINK’s Aug. 11 show at MetLife Stadium, where someone in the crowd snapped a photo of the quarterback standing awkwardly amongst a sea of BLINKs. “This is the most ‘dad takes his daughter and her friends to a concert’ picture ever taken ???,” Brady later joked, reposting the photo on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

But while Brady has wrapped up his pro career, BLACKPINK is just getting started. The ladies are on the cusp of finishing out their hit Born Pink World Tour, with only two shows left in the U.S. After that, they’ll close out with two recently nannounced finale shows in Seoul, South Korea.

Paramount Ends BET Stake Auction, Stock Price Reportedly Drops

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In this photo illustration, BET (Black Entertainment...

Paramount Global, the powerful conglomerate that oversees several major media networks, has decided to end its auction of a majority stake in one of its most notable properties. BET is no longer on the block, which reportedly caused Paramount to suffer a hit to its stock price.

According to a report from Deadline, shares for Paramount Global dropped 2 percent on Thursday (August 17) following news from yesterday that the company is no longer looking to sell a majority stake in BET, which stands for Black Entertainment Television.

More from Deadline:

A source familiar with the discussions told Deadline that Paramount informed bidders for a stake in BET that the process had been halted because the company concluded it wouldn’t create enough value or result in a meaningful reduction of debt. The company has been looking for opportunities to streamline, and just last week announced the sale of book publishing unit Simon & Schuster to KKR for $1.62 billion.

Among the rumored players vying to purchase the BET stake, Tyler Perry, who has a deal with the network, Sean “Diddy” Combs, and Byron Allen were all considered frontrunners for the purchase. What this means for BET going forward isn’t known, nor can it be confirmed that further efforts for the sale won’t resurface.

Photo: SOPA Images / Getty

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Keyboard Warrior DJ Akademiks Gets Bold With TDE Punch Claiming He Tried To “Suge Knight” Him

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2018 ComplexCon - Day 1

Source: Earl Gibson III / Getty / DJ Akademiks

Keyboard warrior DJ Akademiks had time for TDE’s president Terrence “Punch” Henderson after he claimed he tried to “bully” him for being out-of-pocket while talking about SZA.

Last week, DJ Akademiks continued his trend of being extremely disrespectful to women when he hopped on the alt-right network Rumble and engaged in a ridiculous rant where he disgustingly talked about the singer’s body, weight, and appearance, calling her “a fat mini Lizzo,” and claiming she a “botched BBL.”

Spotted on HipHopDX, Punch, who is known for speaking his mind on social media, responded to Akademik’s foolishness over the weekend.

Punch Was Tired of DJ Akademiks Nonsense

“Man I’ve been so conflicted the [past] couple of days as to address this dude publicly or not,” Punch wrote in a since-deleted X post. “I’m not playing no internet games… He have to answer for those disrespectful things he said about SZA.”

Akademiks couldn’t help but respond, hopped in his dark room, turned on his video camera, and “clapped back” at the record executive, accusing Punch of trying to “Suge Knight” him.

“None of y’all are Suge Knight. You don’t strike fear in my heart. There is no, ‘Oh my God, he’s going to get me!” Akademik’s rant begins. “I did content about the biggest killers in the world in Chicago. I’ve talked about the worst people you could imagine … I won’t be sitting here scared of an older n-gga who claims he’s a ‘thug.”

He continues his rant, puffing up his chest, saying, “Mr. Punch from TDE, you didn’t have to delete your tweet … I’m not scared of you. I don’t know nobody that’s scared of you, and I don’t know nobody that would think you be doing nothing.

“So please, pipe down, and rather than delete the tweet, don’t send the tweet. Because if you look at my tweet history, I leave them up for all to see.”

DJ Akademiks Claims Punch Is A Hypocrite

He wasn’t done, accusing Punch of being a hypocrite, adding, “This is why we’re laughing: you’re tweeting [about how] you’re not playing internet games while you’re tweeting it! This is why I said y’all are not Suge Knight. Suge Knight wouldn’t give a nice proper warning and then delete the tweet. I don’t think he’d tweet at all.

“I just want to let you know, if [the tweet] was even remotely aimed at me, it was received, laughed at, and sent back. We’re not scared of none of you n-ggas.”


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

Oh The Irony

Hilariously, the man best known for popping sh*t from behind his keyboard accused Punch of being an “online gangsta” telling him to focus on running his record label.

“Listen, you guys have some great artists, and I’m hoping you guys can put out music a little more frequently, just as the fan in me speaking,” he added. “Put your record out, be quiet. That’s about it … Stop acting gangsta online. If you was gonna do something, you wouldn’t tweet it. Stop it, brother, please. You look pathetic.

“And by the way, I don’t want a response for this neither. Work your record, you’re a record executive. Yeah, you got a couple gangstas on payroll. Whoop de doo! We’re all millionaires. Everybody could pay for some dumb shit to get done. You don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna die. You don’t wanna go to jail, I don’t wanna go to jail. Shut up with your tweeting.”

We are VERY SURE DJ Akademiks would never say any of these things to any of these individuals in person.

Photo: Earl Gibson III / Getty

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Armani White on Performing With Billie Eilish, Biggest Hip-Hop Influences & More | R&B Hip-Hop Power Players Live 2023

Armani White opens up about performing with Billie Eilish, his biggest hip-hop influences and more!

Armani White:
Yo, that’s fire. This is great, this pillow love me too.

It was so loud when I met Billie Eilish — it was fire though. I was, like, jumping around and I messed up my little signature spin mive. But it was dope. It was dope, though, and you know, like, yeah, I can’t even. I got so many thoughts at once that like it was like I was telling Nicole, my tour manager, I was like, “I’m not really going to understand what’s about to happen until after it happens.” So we ran out there, I did it. I still get chills watching the video like here. “That’s me on that stage right there.”

I told Billie, I was like, “Yo, we’re gonna be the same festival we should play Uno together.” And she was like, “Yo, or crazy idea: You should come out on my set,” and like, yeah! Yeah, it just it literally just happened like that — same day. Like it was like, you know, it wasn’t like a pre-planned thing. We just did it on the fly.

I grew up listening to a lot of Eminem. He was just like the anti whatever rap said you was supposed to be. Missy Elliott the same, Busta Rhymes the same, Ludacris the same. Even when I grew up, it was like the Tyler, the Creators, B.O.Bs, the Childish Gambinos — it was just all of the things that did not make sense to whatever the definition of hip-hop was at the time. That’s what I always gravitated towards.

Watch the full video above!

NFL Expands Multi-Year Partnership with Neon16 & Ntertain Studios

The National Football League, Neon16, and Ntertain Studios announce their partnership expansion for the 2023 season. Emerging Latin artists housed under Neon16 — the production powerhouse and music label led by Tainy and Lex Borrero — will join NFL Latino players in an upcoming content series. The deal also includes new music releases that will comprise of a new volume for the next Por La Cultura mixtape.

NFL’s season-long campaign Por La Cultura will continue to spotlight Latin players, coaches and staff members to celebrate Latin excellence while telling their own stories of the community.

Neon16 Dominican star RMAND, from Netflix’s reality music competition show La Firma, is confirmed to be one of the artists for the next volume. 

“Music is a leading passion point for Latinos, and we feel this partnership is an ideal platform for celebrating our Latino players and connecting more deeply with our fans,” said Javier Farfan, cultural strategist at the NFL, in a press release. “This content series brings together the commonalities of artists and athletes and their inspirational stories from humble beginnings, as they reach the top of their careers and their goal of stardom. Working with Ntertain and Neon16 allows us to authentically tell these stories with the creative vision of tastemakers at the forefront of Latino culture, music and entertainment.”

By showcasing current NFL Latino players and emerging Neon 16 music artists, the series aims to highlight the diversity and inclusivity of the NFL while celebrating the shared passion for music and football. 

“We loved the concept of having our artists collaborate with Latino NFL players to create something as unique as an original song,” added Lex Borrero, co-founder and CEO of Ntertain and Neon16. “While both share Latino heritage, we know that artists and athletes also share a common drive to succeed, the talent to shine and the work ethic to thrive in their respective careers. Unifying these traits and the mutual love and respect for music has led to some incredible art that we can’t wait to share with fans this season.”

This season, the team-up will create an original song and music video that reflects Latino NFL players and the artist’s shared passion for music, football, and community.

The first song “#0B,” an energetic electronic banger by RMAND, draws inspiration from his experience working with Miami Dolphins’ wide receiver Braxton Berrios, who is of Puerto Rican descent and wears the number zero. “0B” is slated to release on the third week of the NFL regular season, leading up to the Miami Dolphins Latino Heritage Month game and home opener on September 24th.

Another player and artist collaboration will drop later in the season, joining the RRMAND and Berrios song as this season’s Por La Cultura mixtape. 

Furthermore, the NFL Shop commercial for this year will also feature RMAND as well as Neon16’s Alex Ponce and Nashy-Nashai; the commercial’s score will be done by the label. Neon16 will also produce four exclusive tracks for the NFL and its 32 clubs to use as part of their soundtrack for the upcoming season. 

“With more than 31 million NFL fans in the United States, there is no doubt that Latinos continue to fall in love with the sport of football every day,” said Marissa Solis, NFL SVP global brand and consumer marketing. “We want to inspire Latinos with the lyrics and melodies created by these talented NEON16 artists in the same way they get excited for a perfectly executed pass and catch for a touchdown. This partnership unifies the heroes of stage and sport through their common bond as Latinos representing ‘por la cultura.’”

Last year, the NFL and Neon16 announced their 10-track debut Por La Cultura Mixtape: Vol. 1, featuring El Alfa, Will.I.Am., Yandel, Snow Tha Product, Anthony Ramos, Trueno and more, and beats by producers Albert Hype, Jodosky and Chael. 

The NFL, Ntertain, and Neon16 partnership kicked off in 2021, when Latin artists Jodosky, Kris Floyd and Álvaro Díaz were invited guests of the NFL League. 

This collaboration is one of the NFL’s ambitious plan to go all in on Latin music and its growing fanbase. Last year, J Balvin became the first Latin headliner to perform for the league’s yearly free Kickoff Concert. Last November, the NFL also recruited Tijuana superstars Grupo Firme to perform at the halftime show for its annual Mexico City game, featuring the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. 

Jack Harlow Announces Tour Throughout Home State of Kentucky

Jack Harlow is flying first class back home.

The rapper announced on Thursday (Aug. 17) the No Place Like Home: The Kentucky tour produced by Live Nation, which will see Harlow traversing Kentucky for his third annual hometown run. The six-show tour will kick off on November 24 at Owensboro Sports Center in Owensboro and will wrap up in Lexington at Rupp Arena on December 3.

Fans can register for both the Artistl presale as well as a presale for Citi cardmembers here starting now through Sunday (Aug. 20) at 11:59 p.m. ET. Once registration closes, fans will be randomly selected to receive a code that grants them access to the presales starting on Tuesday (Aug. 22) and Wednesday (Aug. 23), before additional presales run.

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After that, a limited number of tickets will be available in the general onsale, which begins on Friday (Aug. 25) at 10 a.m. local time here.

The tour comes just three months after Harlow was honored with a “Hometown Heroes” banner in Louisville. In May, he launched The Jack Harlow Foundation, which will “serve as the Louisville, KY native’s primary philanthropic vehicle to reinvest, uplift and support organizations aiming to make the city that raised him a better place,” according to a statement.

See the full list of dates for the No Place Like Home: The Kentucky Tour below.

Fri Nov 24 – Owensboro, KY – Owensboro Sports Center
Sat Nov 25 – Pikeville, KY – Appalachian Wireless Arena
Sun Nov 26 – Covington, KY – Truist Arena
Fri Dec 1 – Murray, KY – CFSB Center
Sat Dec 2 – Bowling Green, KY – E.A. Diddle Arena
Sun Dec 3 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena

Quick! Tory Burch’s Private Sale Has Up to 60% Off Sandals, Purses & More: Shop Here

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

It’s time to treat yourself and Tory Burch has the perfect way to: their current Private Sale, which is offering up to 60% off everything from sandals, purses, tote bags, sneakers, and more. So, if you needed an excuse to splurge this week, this is it. To enter the sale, you just need to provide the brand with your email and you’ll unlock all the deals going on.

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Don’t wait too long though as the sale is only going on until Monday (Aug. 21) meaning these major discounts have a time limit.

Tory Burch has been a longtime celebrity favorite brand with everyone from Jennifer Lopez, Suki Waterhouse, Queen Latifah and so many more spotted wearing the brand. You can look forward to trendy pieces like jelly shoes and designer bags being slashed with an additional 10% off applied during checkout.

To help inspire your upcoming shopping session, we picked a few bestsellers to get you started. Check below to shop our picks or checkout the full sale here.

yellow sandals with gold logo

Tory Burch

Miller Soft Metal Logo Sandal

$134.10 $248 46% off% OFF

Bring some color to your feet without taking a trip to the nail salon with these logo sandals. Not only do they come in this bright sunshine yellow shade, but you can show off your love for the brand through the elegant gold logo decorating the top.

red jelly sandals

Tory Burch

Roxanne Jelly Sandals

$71.10 $128 44% off% OFF

Jelly shoes have become so popular that even Tory Burch has hopped on the trend. Don’t skip out on a pair of your own in the form of these jelly sandals, which come in a vibrant cherry red that’ll look fabulous as you walk along the beach on your oceanside getaway.

brown cork tory burch sandals

Tory Burch

Miller Cloud Sandals

$107.10 $198 46% off% OFF

Think of these as the rich aunt to your favorite Birkenstocks and, just like the name suggests, the cloud sandals will feel as though you’re walking through air as it’s designed with a cushy footbed with a smooth leather upper to top it off. And did we mention they’re under $110?

brown wallet purse with gold chain strap

Tory Burch

Robinson Chain Wallet

$143.10 $298 52% off% OFF

If you’re not a fan of bulky purses, then be sure to add this chain wallet to your cart ASAP. It’s not only 52% off, but has a slim chain you can wear as a crossbody and features enough room to pack all the essentials like you phone, keys, wallet and lip gloss.

black and cream geometric tote bag

Tory Burch

Ella Printed Tote Bag

$170.10 $268 37% off% OFF

Totes are basically a necessity as they can fit so many things from your concealer to your must-have commuter gadgets. At under $200, you can get the quality and style of a coveted Tory Burch tote — without dropping on the full price.

gray small quilted purse with chain strap

Tory Burch

Small Fleming Convertible Strap Bag

$314.10 $498 37% off% OFF

Can you ever really have too many purses? At 37% off, we think no. This convertible bag is basically two purses in one design as it can go from a crossbody to wallet in just a simple clip.

brown and cream sneakers with tory burch logo

Tory Burch

T-Monogram Good Luck Trainer Sneakers

$134.10 $298 55% off% OFF

Elevate your sneakers with this chic monogrammed pair from Tory Burch, which is currently over half off. They come in two shades and feature a heightened sole for added support and coziness.

brown and black heeled boots

Tory Burch

Miller Mixed-Material Lug Sole Boots

$197.10 $458 57% off% OFF

Get into the fall spirit with a pair of lug sole boots that’ll quickly replace your platform boots by adding a more utility look to your style. It comes in three shade: brown, black and light brown and has a lace up design for a more customized fit.

black and gold loafers

Tory Burch

Eleanor Loafer

$134.10 $298 55% off% OFF

For 55% off you can enjoy the sleek look of these Eleanor Loafers that are decorated with the Tory Burch logo and have a stretchy heel to create a more fitted look.

For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best pleated skirts, SKIMS dupes and varsity jackets.

Mammoth WVH Nabs Second Straight Top Hard Rock Albums No. 1

Mammoth WVH makes it two-for-two atop Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums chart, as Mammoth II debuts at No. 1 on the tally dated Aug. 19.

In the Aug. 4-10 tracking week, Mammoth II opened with 22,000 equivalent album units, according to Luminate. Of that sum, 20,000 units are via album sales.

It’s the Wolfgang Van Halen-led band’s second No. 1 on Top Hard Rock Albums, following debut album Mammoth WVH, which premiered atop the June 26, 2021, survey with 31,000 units.

With two No. 1s in two tries, Mammoth WVH is the first act to send its first two Top Hard Rock Albums full-length entries to the top spot since Greta Van Fleet, which doubled up with 2018’s Anthem of the Peaceful Army and 2021’s The Battle at Garden’s Gate (and continued its streak with Starcatcher this summer).

Mammoth II also starts at Nos. 3 and 6 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Rock & Alternative Albums lists, respectively. On the all-genre Billboard 200, the set begins at No. 28.

The album’s lead single, “Another Celebration at the End of the World,” peaked at No. 7 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay ranking in June, as well as at No. 10 on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart in July. A follow-up single has not yet been announced.

One other song from the album makes a Billboard chart: “I’m Alright” debuts at No. 19 on Hard Rock Digital Song Sales. “Another Celebration at the End of the World” hit No. 18 on the survey in April.

TikTok Music Division Hit With Layoffs

The music team at TikTok was hit with layoffs last week in an effort to improve efficiency, multiple sources tell Billboard. The cuts affected seven staff members, including senior product strategy & ops lead Kelly Chen and U.S. music partnerships and operations lead Marisa Jeffries. All affected employees were based in the United States.

Sources say the layoffs cut across departments on the artist services team, including global music, TikTok Music and distribution platform SoundOn.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Chen started at musical.ly as senior manager of strategic partnerships in 2016, prior to its acquisition by ByteDance in August 2018. She later served as head of content partnerships at TikTok, where she acted as head of TikTok U.S. in its early stages.

Jeffries started at TikTok in March 2021, according to her LinkedIn profile; during her tenure, she headed up label relations, facilitating partnerships with labels and distributors across North America. She previously worked in label relations at SoundCloud and on the marketing team at Sony Music.

News of the layoffs comes amid recent major developments on the music front at TikTok. Last month, the company unveiled TikTok Music, the nascent music streaming platform that launched in Brazil and Indonesia before expanding to Mexico, Australia and Singapore two weeks later. Also in July, TikTok unveiled a major new licensing partnership with Warner Music Group (WMG) allowing the company’s music to be used on the main TikTok app as well as in its commercial library, while also giving WMG artists greater access to some of TikTok’s tools to reach fans and sell merchandise. The company also recently launched a new emerging artist program called Elevate to promote artists both on and off the app, as well as Ripple, a music creation tool that uses artificial intelligence to turn a user’s hummed melody into music.

Publishing Briefs: Chemical Brothers Sell to BMG; Styx Stake Rolls to Primary Wave

BMG has partnered with pioneering UK electronic duo The Chemical Brothers and will now administer and represent the band’s entire song catalog, building upon their previous arrangement to represent all of the duo’s works from 2015 onwards. The news comes just weeks before the duo will release their tenth studio album For That Beautiful Feeling.

Primary Wave Music has purchased the publishing rights of Styx member Dennis DeYoung, encompassing the majority of his compositions and master recordings. This includes Styx hits “Come Sail Away,” “Babe,” “Mr. Roboto,” “Lady,” “The Best of Times,” and more.

Concord has purchased a portion of the song catalog of Plain White T’s frontman Tom Higgenson, including his share of “Hey There Delilah.”

BMG has acquired the writer’s share of royalties for Michael Münzing of SNAP!, building on the company’s pre-existing partnership with the 90s Eurodance troupe. The two parties’ relationship began in 2018 when BMG acquired SNAP!’s recorded music catalog.

Simon Cowell and Syco Entertainment have launched Syco Publishing in partnership with UMPG.

Warner Chappell Music and the Warren Brothers have joined together to sign Jet Harvey to a worldwide publishing deal. Most recently, Harvey co-wrote Bailey Zimmerman’s “Rock And A Hard Place,” which ranked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart for six weeks.

peermusic Australia has signed Ziggy Ramo to a worldwide publishing agreement. This is Ramo’s first-ever publishing deal, encompassing his back catalog and future works.

Sony Music Publishing hosted its first-ever SMP x BeatStars Hitmaker Week in Stockholm, Sweden at the House of Creatives. Bringing together 27 BeatStars Publishing hitmakers from 10 different countries, the camp marked the three-year mark in SMP’s partnership with the beat marketplace.

Position Music has signed producer, writer and instrumentalist Keith Varon (Machine Gun Kelly, Joji, Kenny Hoopla, Travis Barker) to a publishing deal. News of the deal arrives soonafter the talent scored RIAA Gold for “Angels and Demons” by jxdn and Platinum for “Banyan Tree” by Machine Gun Kelly.

Reel Muzik Werks has signed songwriter Jennifer Adan to a publishing administrative deal. This includes the administration of her previously existing catalog, including “She Wouldn’t Be Gone” by Blake Shelton.