djfrosty

14 Aug 2023

Jonas Brothers Kick Off Tour With 67-Song Setlist & Surprise Jimmy Fallon Appearance

Just one night after Hip Hop 50 Live rocked Yankee Stadium, Jonas Brothers took over the iconic New York City venue on Saturday (Aug. 12) for the opening night of their massive “Five Albums. One Night. The World Tour” trek.

The band’s latest world tour, which currently boasts a whopping 94 shows, features a setlist comprised of every song from each of their previous four studio albums — 2007’s Jonas Brothers, 2008’s A Little Bit Longer, 2009’s Lines, Vines and Trying Times and 2019’s Happiness Begins — as well as selections from 2023’s The Album, standalone singles such as “What a Man Gotta Do” and “Leave Before You Love Me,” and solo tracks like Nick Jonas’ “Jealous” and Joe Jonas’ (by way of DNCE) “Cake by the Ocean.” As Nick Jonas told People, “It’s our most ambitious show we’ve ever put on, in the sense that building out five albums in one night was a challenge that I don’t think we fully understood after we’d already put it on sale.” He continued, “It’s amazing to just go back and look at the road that brought us to this moment now.”

As it has often been for the past decade-and-a-half, it was a family affair. Nick Jonas’ wife, Citadel star Priyanka Chopra Jonas, attended the tour’s opening night show, and she brought along their 18-month-old daughter, Malti Marie Chopra Jonas, to soundcheck. “From soundcheck to the stage with my girls. Yankees night one was beyond words,” Nick captioned a photo of him and his daughter sitting behind a drum kit. Joe Jonas’ wife, Emmy-nominated actress Sophie Turner, was also in attendance, standing alongside Chopra Jonas as the two took in the show together.

The celebrity appearances didn’t stop with the immediate Jonas Family. During the band’s second night at Yankee Stadium, Jimmy Fallon surprised fans with a sing-along to The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” “Huge thanks to @jonasbrothers for giving me the surprise guest spot on ‘The Tour’ tour. And thank you to @yankeestadium for turning it into the world’s biggest karaoke party. This is one of those nights I will never forget,” Fallon posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Sunday night (Aug. 13).

In addition to Fallon, Grammy-winning gospel music superstar Kirk Franklin and Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter Jon Bellion joined Jonas Brothers for the first nights of The Tour. Both Franklin and Bellion appeared for a rendition of “Walls,” the lead single from The Album, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 back in May. Jonas Brothers even brought out their former security guard Robert “Big Rob” Feggans to rap his fan-favorite verse on “Burnin’ Up” (No. 5), one of the band’s several Hot 100 top ten hits to appear on the setlist. Jonas Brothers’ other top ten hits on The Tour setlist include 2008’s “Tonight” (No. 8) and 2019’s “Sucker” (No. 1).

Following their two sold-out Yankee Stadium shows, Jonas Brothers have announced a fifth hometown show at Prudential Center in New Jersey. Check out some videos of their performances below.

14 Aug 2023

Bad Bunny & Kendall Jenner Pack on the PDA at Drake’s L.A. Concert

Un Verano Sin Ti? More like “un verano con Kendall.” Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner were captured on video in full couple mode at Drake‘s Sunday night (Aug. 13) concert at SoFi Stadium, the latest chapter in their blooming spring/summer romance.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

In clips recorded by fans at the show, the model and the Latin music star can be seen dancing while holding hands, whispering things into each other’s ears and wrapping their arms around each other’s necks and waists.

At one point, Benito seemingly said something to the Kardashians star that was so funny, she collapsed to the floor laughing.

Videos of the couple exiting the concert also made their way online, showing that they had a chaperone in Jenner’s famous big sister, Kim Kardashian. Dressed in a blue bodysuit, the Skims founder was seen at Bad Bunny’s side as the group pushed through the packed venue. Jenner and her beau were also seen posing for Kardashian as she snapped photos of them in the stands.

The “Me Porto Bonito” singer has reportedly been dating the model since early this year, with their relationship really heating up in the spring. The two looked extra cozy in April while at Coachella together, and in May, they were all lovey-dovey while sitting courtside at a Lakers game together, wearing matching snakeskin boots.

Benito and Kendall have also been spotted on a number of dates over the summer, though they still haven’t officially confirmed their romance. Bunny seemingly explained why in his June Rolling Stone cover story, telling the publication: “I know something is going to come out. I know [people are] going to say something. People know everything about me, so what’s left for me to protect? My private life, my personal life. That’s the only answer. In the end, the only thing I have is my privacy.”

See clips of Bad Bunny with Kendall Jenner at Drake’s concert below.

14 Aug 2023

Britney Spears Sensually Pole Dances to Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Closer’: Watch

Britney Spears is putting her dance skills to the test with a brand new apparatus. On Sunday (Aug. 13), the “…Baby One More Time” hitmaker revealed that she recently purchased a hot pink dancer pole, and put it to work in a video posted to her Instagram.

The clip finds the 41-year old donning a two-piece, leopard print bikini with matching gloves and black-heeled boots, dancing to Nine Inch Nails’ grinding 1994 industrial rock single, “Closer.” Spears sensually dips and dances around the pole, occasionally using the apparatus to nail a spin or straddle as Trent Rezor’s urgent voice provides the soundtrack for her pole-formance.

“I wanna f–k you like an animal/ I wanna feel you from the inside/ I wanna f–k you like an animal/ My whole existence is flawed/ You get me closer to God,” Reznor sings, as Spears dances with reckless abandon. “Got this pole two days ago and last night was my first time on it !!!” she captioned her post.

The pole dancing video is the latest in Spears’ dance series — last week, she posted a clip of her dancing to Janet Jackson’s 1993 track, “If,” noting that she “was a little pissed” on the day she filmed the video. The week prior, she posted a video of her performing a contemporary dance to Indila’s “S.O.S.” in her living room.

The singer also recently released her latest collaboration with the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am, “Mind Your Business,” her second piece of new music since the end of her 13-year conservatorship and the follow-up to last year’s “Hold Me Closer” duet with Elton John.

Watch Spears’ new pole dance below.

14 Aug 2023

Songwriters’ Streaming Royalty Rates for 2018-2022 (Phonorecords III) Are In the Books

The Copyright Royalty Board’s final determination for royalty rates for making and distributing phonorecords for the 2018-2022 term (aka Phonorecords III) were published by the Federal Register late last week, following a legal review — and close check for typos — by the office of Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter.

The majority of the rates determination is no surprise. Since the official remand by an Appeals Court in October 2020 — which followed a March 2019 appeal by digital services of the CRB’s February 2019 rates determination for the 2018-2022 term — the CRB judges had been wrestling with different aspects of the complicated mechanical rate formula cited by the appeal courts, with various aspects of the rates determination coming out in dribs and drabs over the last eight months.

As is already known, the CRB judges stayed with the escalating rate structure for the all-in percentage of revenue prong, which covers both mechanical and performance royalties, for on-demand streaming for the 2018-2022 period.

(The 21% of total content cost is for performance royalties are determined by a separate process but whatever was agreed to be paid to ASCAP, BMI and the other performance royalty organization is subtracted from the all-in bucket in one step of the process to determine one of the mechanical rates bucket.)

That rate structure escalated from 10.5% in the prior five-year term of 2013-2017 to 11.2% in 2018, 12.3% in 2019, 13.4% in 2020; 14.2% in 2021, and 15.1% in 2022. But in moving to the other all-in prong — the total cost of content prong, i.e. what the services pay the record labels — the CRB judges re-installed the ceiling, which prevents publishers and songwriters from automatically being rewarded when labels and artists negotiations higher rates from the services; and the judges abandoned the earlier escalating rate structure from its initial 2019 determination for the total cost of content prong, which similarly rose in annual increments from 21% of what’s paid to labels to 26.1% over the five year term. Instead, the judges stuck with 21% of total content cost for the full five-year term — the same percentage it had been in the previous five years.

(This article mainly uses the percentages from what’s known as the stand-alone portable streaming model, i.e. the main on-demand streaming vehicle, which at Spotify is known as the paid subscriber tier. The ad-supported rate is 22% of what’s paid to labels.)

In other moves, the CRB stuck with 9.1 cents per song for physical and downloads and 24 cents per ringtone for Phonorecord III. In Phonorecords IV, for 2023-2027, the royalty rate for ringtones would remain the same but the per song rate will earn 12 cents per track or 2.31 cents per minute of playing time or fraction thereof, whichever amount is larger for physical products and permanent downloads. Also, that rate will be subject to an annual cost-of-living adjustment.

Before an Appeals Court remanded a significant part of the CRB rate determination for 2018-2022 back to the CRB, digital streaming services were adhering to the structure of the initial determination which means that for some 33 months the formula applied the higher rates for the total cost of content prong without a ceiling. As such, industry sources speculate that some digital services overpaid during that period — and Billboard estimates that they might have over paid by $50 million.

But after the remand most services reverted back to the 2013-2017 rates of which used the headline rate of 10.5% of revenue, and consequently most industry financial sources suggest that the service underpaid from October 2020 through December 2022. Consequently, Billboard estimates that digital services collectively might owe $200 million to $250 million for the latter period. Looking at the two period, with the earlier one 2018-2020 partially offsetting the later period of 2021-2022, that could mean a $200 million windfall for publishers and songwriters.

Now that this has all been settled, the Mechanical Licensing Collective—working with required updated information from the digital services—has six months from the Aug. 10 date to make adjustments in what has been paid and what may still be owed from 2021 and 2022, the two years the MLC has been in operation. It will also have to rectify any under or over payments for unclaimed and unpaid royalties from the earlier periods before it began operations— a responsibility it was handed as part of the Music Modernization Act.

But besides the unpaid royalties, any needed adjustments to the rest of the payments made to publishers and songwriters during the 2018-2020 period will be handled by the digital services, likely with the help of their third party vendors, i.e. Music Reports Inc and the Harry Fox Agency.

The Phonorecords IV rate determination for 2023-2027 preceded the final determination for Phonorecords III, as it was published in the Federal Register on Dec. 16, 2022.

14 Aug 2023

Lil Durk Concert Ends With Fans Looting The Merchandise At The Venue

HipHopWired Featured Video

The Summer Smash 2023

Source: Barry Brecheisen / Getty

A Lil Durk concert ended in chaos after fans in attendance resorted to looting the venue following reports of an active shooter on the premises.

According to Digital Music News, Durk’s show in Chicago Saturday night (Aug. 12) ended up making noise for all the wrong reasons after police received a call saying there was an active shooter at the United Center. What was actually happening was that fans were making a fast dash to the exits while others were robbing merchandise from the show before making a break for it. How or why the looting begun is anyone’s guess, but when police arrived they found no signs of anyone discharging a firearm.

Digital Music Reports:

Although authorities arrived at the United Center looking for the shooter, Chicago PD confirmed the call was a false alarm, with no injuries or arrests made. That said, another report stated that a 20-year-old woman claimed to have been stabbed after getting into an argument with three other concertgoers, but this has yet to be corroborated.

The United Center released a statement that the venue was working with authorities to investigate the looting incidents following the Lil Durk concert.

“It became apparent for all involved that ending the show early was in everyone’s best interest as the safety of our guests and employees is a priority,” said the United Center in its statement. “We are thankful that initial incident reports were false and that guests exited the facility safely.”

Following the incident, Durk took to his IG page to address the situation stating, “Don’t believe the hype, we bigger (than) big; thank you, Chicago,” Durk wrote in the caption. “Till next time, and who all stole the merchandise, tag me so I can repost y’all crazy a**.”

Yeah, should be interesting to see if anyone tags Durk on a post showcasing the merchandise they lifted from his show. Y’all know police be scrolling through social media.

Check out a clip of the chaos below, and let us know your thoughts on the situation in the comments section below.

HipHopWired Radio

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

14 Aug 2023

Mimi Valdés & Nina Yang Bongiovi Launch Media Company To Focus On Hip-Hop Narratives In Film

HipHopWired Featured Video

Special Screening of the Netflix Film

Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty

Two cinema powerhouses are teaming up in name of the culture. Mimi Valdés and Nina Yang Bongiovi are launching a company that will focus on Hip-Hop in film.

As spotted on Variety, the two producers are joining forces to ensure the narrative that represents over 1.85 billion people worldwide is told correctly. Their venture Fly Green Socks; which is an homage to the classic line by Slick Rick on “La Di La Di”, will focus on telling “fun, bold stories inspired by the world of Hip-Hop”.

Related Stories

The duo expressed their enthusiasm in a joint statement. “Hip-Hop is a culture defining superpower, influencing fashion, technology and even politics. But it’s severely underrepresented in Hollywood as its own film genre,” the ladies said about the partnership. “Our goal with Fly Green Socks is to create a new lane of films dedicated to uplifting the Hip-Hop ecosystem.” They went on to add further detail to their mission. “With Hip-Hop celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, there’s a goldmine of untapped stories for us to champion with innovative filmmakers. We look forward to using our combined experience and deep relationships in music and film to deliver high-quality storytelling that impacts culture.”

This is not the first time Valdés and Bongiovi have collaborated. They originally first met when producing Dope and then ran it up again with Roxanne Roxanne, a biopic about Roxanne Shanté.

Photo:

HipHopWired Radio

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

14 Aug 2023

BTS’ V Stars Alongside His Adorable Pomeranian Yeontan in Concept Photos Previewing ‘Layover’ Solo Debut

V may be about to embark on his solo career, but that doesn’t mean he can’t bring a buddy with him. In a couple dozen new concept photos previewing his upcoming debut album Layover, the BTS band member costars alongside his pet dog, Yeontan.

In some of the snaps, V — real name Kim Tae-hyung — poses with Yeontan in his arms, looking adorable in front of the camera. In one, the Pomeranian looks on as his owner strikes a pose with an electric guitar; in another, Yeontan tries on Tae-hyung’s red baseball cap.

“Yeontan is the most happiness dog ?” commented one ARMY member.

And while Yeontan definitely steals the show, Tae-hyung does appear without his sidekick in many of the images. The moody photoshoot alternates between black and white and color pics and shows the 27-year-old singer modeling a variety of looks, from a plaid short suit to a “Funk” sweatshirt.

The concept images arrive as V gears up to release Layover in September, his first full album apart from the K-Pop boy band that made him internationally famous, BTS. Last week, he gave fans a taste of the six-track record by releasing two new singles and music videos: “Love Me Again” and “Rainy Days.”

The first song showed off V’s smooth R&B skills, while the second leaned more relaxed pop. Also on the upcoming album: “Blue,” “Love Me Again,” “Slow Dancing,” “For Us” and a bonus track piano version of “Slow Dancing.” 

V’s solo debut follows individual releases from fellow BTS members, including Jung Kook’s “Seven” featuring Latto — which topped the Billboard Hot 100 — Suga’s April album D-Day and Jimin’s March EP FACE.

See V’s Layover concept images below:

14 Aug 2023

6 Cool Lunch Boxes for Adults That Will Keep Your Food Fresh in Style

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.

Lunch boxes today have modernized way past the brown paper bags some of us used to carry around. Now, you can carry anything from a purse-style lunch sack, to stackable models or even ones that heat up. It’s all centered around your preferences and what you want to get out of a lunch whether you’re taking it to work, college or a picnic.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The best adult lunch boxes are travel necessities as they’re usually durable, feature insulating materials and can keep your food and beverages fresh for long periods of time. Parents may be tempted just to carry their children’s lunch box to the office, but with so many trendy and modern designs out there, you can bring a trendy lunch box to work that doesn’t feature a graphic of Coco Melon.

If you need a little inspiration to get you started, we rounded up a few of our favorite cool adult lunch boxes based on reviews that’ll keep your food and drinks fresh in style.

Keep reading to check out our picks.

green Bentgo lunchbox

Amazon

Bentgo Classic – All-in-One Stackable Bento Lunch Box Container

$16.99 $29.99 43% OFF

The Bentgo lunch box container has gained heaps of praise — like over 31,000 five-star reviews on Amazon. Reviewers can’t get enough of how durable the material is and how it “doesn’t stain easily.” The design also comes with compartments to separate food in and, as an added bonus, includes matching utensils.

green and blue digital patterned lunch box

Urban Outfitters

BAGGU Puffy Lunch Bag

$38

BAGGU’s Puffy Lunch Bag is a trendy take on the traditional lunch box as it comes in a vibrant pattern that’ll make it easy to spot your lunch in a lineup. Shoppers are obsessed with how spacious and insulating the material is saying, “I love the size of this lunchbox, it always fits exactly everything I need plus it’s very well insulated and super lightweight.”

gray and white electric lunch box adult with food and supplies surrounding it

Amazon

FORABEST Electric Lunch Box

$39.99 $46.99 15% OFF

You won’t have to worry about microwaving your food at work again once you use this electric lunch box. It’s designed to keep your food fresh and warm from the comfort of your desk or car as it comes with two different types of plugs. The stainless steel dish will help heat things up fast, while the included carry bag makes it easier to take from place to place.

gray yeti adult lunch box

Amazon

YETI Daytrip Lunch Box

$80.00

Yeti won’t just keep your drinks cool, the brand also has a lunch box that’ll keep your food and drinks fresh for long periods of time. While it’s more of a splurge, the 4.7 star rating proves it’s worth it as it comes with a heavy duty material that’s water- and leak proof, which will make cleaning it a total breeze.

black rectangular lunch box with rounded edges

Amazon

Hydro Flask Insulated Lunch Box

$54.95

Featuring two layers of insulating material, you won’t want to skip out on Hydro Flask’s lunch box. It’s built to keep your food as fresh as the moment you packed it and comes in two sizes to customize to your needs. It also comes with a 4.6 star rating with shoppers loving how it “stays cold for hours” when you add an ice pack.

orange and pink swirl patterned lunchbox

Calpak

Calpak Insulated Lunch Bag

$37.80 $42 10% off% OFF

Calpak’s take on a lunch box combines the style of a purse with the insulation and spaciousness of a modern lunch box. You’ll almost want to switch out your purse for your lunch bag as it comes in a variety of trendy patterns. Reviewers note that it’s also easy to clean and comes with a variety of pockets for holding snacks, beverages and more.

“It’s a great size for all my lunch and snacks, or even when I go on long drives keeps my food cool and I also love its pockets,” one shopper said.

For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best cookware deals, portable grills and robot vacuum deals.

14 Aug 2023

‘Barbie’ Becomes Highest-Grossing Film by a Woman Director: Here’s the Top 30 of All Time

Barbie has delighted audiences and critics alike – and has made history in the process. The Greta Gerwig-directed film has become the highest-grossing film that was directed or co-directed by a woman in U.S. box-office history, according to boxofficemojo.com.

Barbie has grossed $526.3 million in the U.S. as of Monday (Aug. 14), which puts it at No. 18 on boxofficemojo’s list of the 1,000 all-time top-grossing films. From that massive list, we extracted the 30 highest-grossing films that were directed or co-directed by women for this custom-made list.

While women have made great strides as directors of successful movies in recent years, men still dominate in the field. The film at No. 30 on our list – Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken – is far down at No. 637 on boxofficemojo’s top 1,000 list. But the barrier has been broken. All signs are that women directors will continue making gains in years to come.

The Wachowskis directed three of the 30-highest grossing movies by women directors – three films in The Matrix series. Lana Wachowski (formerly known as Larry Wachowski) and her sister Lilly Wachowski (formerly known as Andy Wachowski) are both trans women. Lana publicly revealed her transition in 2008. Lilly followed suit in 2016.

Nora Ephron, Nancy Meyers, Betty Thomas, Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Vicky Jenson and Jennifer Lee have each directed or co-directed two of the top 30 highest-grossing movies by women directors.

Barbie: The Album has climbed as high as No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The soundtracks to seven of the films on this list reached No. 1 on that chart – Wayne’s World, Sleepless in Seattle, Mamma Mia!, Pitch Perfect 2, Twilight, Frozen and Frozen 2.

Here are the 30 highest-grossing films in the U.S. that were directed or co-directed by women, according to boxofficemojo.com. These figures are not adjusted for inflation.

14 Aug 2023

Hacked?: Internet Rapper Lil Tay Confirms She’s Alive After “Death” Reports

HipHopWired Featured Video

Lil Tay

Source: @liltay / Instagram

Lil Tay, the young Internet rapper and influencer thought to be dead a day ago, confirmed she’s alive after what appears to be a hoax.

On Thursday (Aug. 10), the family provided a statement to TMZ from the rapper debunking previous reports that spread Wednesday (Aug. 9) citing an Instagram post claiming that Lil Tay and her brother had died. “I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive, but I’m completely heartbroken, and struggling to even find the right words to say,” her alleged statement read.

Related Stories

“It’s been a very traumatizing 24 hours. All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess.” The family also claims that her Instagram account “was compromised by a 3rd party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumors,” especially concerning her name. My legal name is Tay Tian, not ‘Claire Hope.’”

The since-deleted Instagram post was published with the statement reading: “It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing. This outcome was entirely unexpected, and has left us all in shock. Her brother’s passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief. During this time of immense sorrow, we kindly ask for privacy as we grieve this overwhelming loss, as the circumstances surrounding Claire and her brother’s passing are still under investigation.”

The announcement caused some confusion as the Vancouver Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department and its county medical examiner stated that they had no information on Lil Tay’s death and that there was no current investigation. Adding to that, her father Christopher Hope said to Insider that he couldn’t comment on the post and declined to comment on whether she was alive.

Lil Tay shot to fame as a social media influencer at the age of 9, dubbing herself “youngest flexer of the century,” while creating foul-mouthed Instagram videos boasting of a luxurious Hip-Hop lifestyle. One video showed her purchasing a $200,000 sports car despite not knowing how to drive. It led her to be associated with Chief Keef and XXXTentacion, the latter whom she dubbed a “father figure.” She received heavy backlash for using the N-word, later apologizing for it in another post.

HipHopWired Radio

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