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20 Jun 2023

Rihanna Urges Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen to ‘Step Up’ to Help Communities Hit By Climate Emergencies

As the global climate crisis continues to cause the planet’s oceans to warm and rise, imperiling citizens of island (and low-lying) nations, Rihanna issues an urgent plea to world leaders to step it up. In a tweet Tuesday morning (June 20) that called out U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and World Band President Ajay Banga, the “Work” singer explained that the time to act is right now.

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“Hey @SecYellen & #AjayBanga, will you join @miaamormottley and step up for communities hit hardest by climate emergencies?,” wrote the singer who was born on the Caribbean island nation of Barbados. “We need you to make bold commitments to finance & debt reforms. I address climate change w/ @ClaraLionelFdn — now it’s your turn.”

Rihanna also shared a link to Global Citizen’s efforts to defend the planet and defeat poverty through its Power Our Planet initiative. Her tweet comes ahead of Global Citizen’s Thursday (June 22) Power Our Planet: Live in Paris concert, which Lenny Kravitz, Billie Eilish, H.E.R. and Jon Batiste will headline. Global Citizen thanked Rihanna for her advocacy on Twitter, and addressed Yellen and Banga: “We need your leadership at the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact to drive bold commitments to climate finance and debt reforms. The ball is officially in your court!”

Rihanna is not new to the climate urgency message. Last year she pledged $15 million to the cause through her Clara Lionel Foundation. At the time, she announced donations to 18 climate justice organizations doing work in seven Caribbean nations and the United States, including the Climate Justice Alliance, the Indigenous Environmental Network, and the Movement for Black Lives.

“Climate disasters, which are growing in frequency and intensity, do not impact all communities equally, with communities of color and island nations facing the brunt of climate change,” she said in a statement accompanying the announcement. She also noted that disparity is the reason her foundation, named after her grandparents, which prioritizes both climate resilience and climate justice work.

Check out Rihanna’s tweet below.

20 Jun 2023

BTS’ ‘Take Two’ Soars In at No. 1 on Both Billboard Global Charts

BTS’ “Take Two” bounds in at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated June 24). The song, released in honor of the South Korean pop superstars’ first decade as a group, is BTS’ record-extending seventh leader on each list.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, which started in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.

‘Two’ = No. 1 on Global 200

BTS’ “Take Two” blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, with 60.2 million streams and 64,000 sold worldwide from its release June 9 through June 15.

The song is BTS’ record-padding seventh Global 200 No. 1; Bad Bunny is next with three leaders. Here’s a recap:

  • “Take Two,” one week at No. 1 to-date, June 24, 2023
  • “My Universe,” with Coldplay, one, Oct. 9, 2021
  • “Permission To Dance,” one, July 24, 2021
  • “Butter,” two weeks, beginning June 5, 2021
  • “Life Goes On,” one week, Dec. 5, 2020
  • “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat),” with Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo, one, Oct. 17, 2020
  • “Dynamite,” four, beginning Oct. 3, 2020

BTS also becomes the first act to have sent a new song to No. 1 on the Global 200 each year since the chart originated in 2020. (Mariah Carey is the only other act to have led Global 200 lists dated in all four years, thanks to her perennial classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”)

“Take Two” is a 10th-anniversary nod to BTS’ “second chapter” and an “ode to their fans,” according to a statement from HYBE. Even ahead of its commercial release, it topped Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart.

Eslabon Armada and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” drops to No. 2 on the Global 200, following five weeks at No. 1 starting in April; Yng Lvcas and Peso Pluma’s “La Bebe” rebounds 5-3, after reaching No. 2; Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” rises 6-4, after 12 weeks at No. 1 starting in January; and Bad Bunny’s “Where She Goes” rebounds 5-4, three weeks after it opened at No. 1.

BTS Also ‘Take’s Top Spot on Global Excl. U.S.

BTS’ “Take Two” concurrently debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 54.3 million streams and 48,000 sold outside the U.S. June 9-15.

As on the Global 200, the track is BTS’ record-extending seventh Global Excl. U.S. No. 1; BLACKPINK follows with three. Here’s a rundown:

  • “Take Two,” one week at No. 1 to-date, June 24, 2023
  • “Yet To Come,” one, June 25, 2022
  • “My Universe,” with Coldplay, one, Oct. 9, 2021
  • “Permission To Dance,” one, July 24, 2021
  • “Butter,” five weeks, beginning June 5, 2021
  • “Life Goes On,” one, Dec. 5, 2020
  • “Dynamite,” eight, beginning Oct. 3, 2020

Meanwhile, BTS is the only act to have ranked at No. 1 on Global Excl. U.S. each year since the chart began in 2020.

YOASOBI’s “Idol” holds at No. 2 on Global Excl. U.S., two weeks after it became the first song originally performed in Japanese to top the tally; Yng Lvcas and Peso Pluma’s “La Bebe” pushes 5-3, after four weeks at its No. 2 best; Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” ascends 6-4, following 13 weeks at No. 1 (tying Harry Styles’ “As It Was” for the chart’s longest rule); and Fifty Fifty’s “Cupid” falls 3-5, after two weeks on top starting in May.

Elsewhere in the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, Bizarrap and Peso Pluma’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 55” falls to No. 6, a week after it hit No. 1.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated June 24, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (June 21), a day later than usual due to the Juneteenth holiday in the United States yesterday (June 19). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

20 Jun 2023

Morgan Wallen’s ‘Last Night’ Tops Billboard Hot 100 for 11th Week

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” adds an 11th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.

Plus, Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s classic “Fast Car” accelerates to No. 3, from No. 4, on the Hot 100. Thanks to “Last Night” and “Fast Car,” two country hits share space in the chart’s top three for the first time since March 2000, and for only the second time in over 42 years.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated June 24, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (June 21), a day later than usual due to the Juneteenth holiday in the United States yesterday (June 19). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Wallen’s “Last Night,” released on Big Loud/Mercury/Republic Records, drew 69.5 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 1%) and 29.6 million streams (down 4%) and sold 7,000 downloads (down 6%) in the June 9-15 tracking week, according to Luminate.

The song, which initially led the Hot 100 in March, becoming Wallen’s first leader on the survey, posts a 13th week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart; rises 4-3 on Digital Song Sales, following a week on top; and keeps at its No. 4 high on Radio Songs.

Additionally, “Last Night” tops Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, which employs the same multi-metric methodology as the Hot 100, for a 19th week – tying “You Proof” (May-December 2022) for Wallen’s longest command among his seven Hot Country Songs No. 1s.

“Last Night” concurrently leads the Country Airplay chart for a seventh week, enters the top 10 on Adult Pop Airplay (11-8) and pushes to No. 9 on Pop Airplay. It’s Wallen’s ninth No. 1 on Country Airplay and his first top 10 on the latter two lists.

“Last Night” also notches a third week atop Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart, which returned two weeks earlier.

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” holds at No. 2 on the Hot 100, after eight weeks at No. 1 beginning upon its debut in January. It tacks on an 18th week atop Radio Songs (85.9 million in audience, down 1%) – matching the second-longest reign since the chart began in December 1990.

Here’s a recap of the chart’s longest-leading hits:

Most Weeks at No. 1 on Radio Songs:

  • 26, “Blinding Lights,” The Weeknd, 2020
  • 18, “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, 2023
  • 18, “Iris,” Goo Goo Dolls, 1998
  • 16, “Girls Like You,” Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B, 2018
  • 16, “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey, 2005
  • 16, “Don’t Speak,” No Doubt, 1996-97
  • 15, “Easy On Me,” Adele, 2021-22

Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” (which hit No. 6 on the Hot 100 in August 1988) drives to a new No. 3 Hot 100 high, from No. 4. It wins the Hot 100’s top Airplay Gainer award for a fourth consecutive week (42.5 million, up 24%), as it advances 14-10 on Radio Songs, becoming Combs’ second top 10, after “Forever After All” (No. 10, June 2021). The remake hits the Country Airplay top five (No. 5) and continues scaling the top 25 on Adult Contemporary, Adult Pop Airplay and Pop Airplay. The song is also up 1% to 20.4 million streams and 14% to 10,000 sold.

Notably, Chapman, who solely wrote “Fast Car,” ties her highest Hot 100 rank as a songwriter: “Give Me One Reason,” which she also penned solo, and which became her other top 10 as a recording artist, hit No. 3 in June 1996.

Meanwhile, with Wallen’s “Last Night” at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and Combs’ “Fast Car” at No. 3, two country hits (as defined by titles that have hit Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, where they currently place at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively) rank in the Hot 100’s top three simultaneously for the first time since the chart dated March 11, 2000, when Lonestar’s “Amazed” held at No. 1 and Faith Hill’s “Breathe” took the No. 3 spot. (Before that, such a double-up had not occurred since March 7, 1981, when Eddie Rabbitt’s “I Love a Rainy Night” and Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” ranked at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.)

A pair of country songs appearing in the Hot 100’s top five for the first time in nearly a quarter-century continues the genre’s surge this year; as analyzed by Hit Songs Deconstructed, country tied pop as the most prominent primary genres in the chart’s top 10 in Q1 2023, marking country’s best such showing in over a decade.

Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” dips to No. 4 from its No. 3 Hot 100 high. It tops the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a 42nd week, extending the longest reign since the ranking began over a year ago (in partnership with music festival and global brand Afro Nation).

Lil Durk’s “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole, holds at No. 5 on the Hot 100, after it launched at its No. 2 peak. It tops the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts for a fourth week each.

Toosii’s “Favorite Song” ascends 7-6 on the Hot 100, after hitting No. 5, and SZA’s “Kill Bill” drops 6-7, after it became her first No. 1, for a week in April. The latter leads the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs chart for a 26th week.

Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’ ” rises 9-8 on the Hot 100, after hitting No. 3; Taylor Swift’s “Karma,” featuring Ice Spice, rebounds 10-9, two weeks after it vaulted to its No. 2 high following the release of its remix with Ice Spice; and Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” recedes 8-10 after reaching No. 4 – the best rank ever for a regional Mexican song – as it logs an 11th week at No. 1 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated June 24), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (June 21).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

20 Jun 2023

Twitter Reacts To Learning Missing OceanGate Expeditions Submarine Is Steered By Using An “Xbox Controller”

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OceanGate Expedition Sub Is Controlled By An Xbox Controller

Source: JOSEPH PREZIOSO / Getty / Oceangate Expeditions

News of an OceanGate Expeditions submersible containing some prominent passengers going missing during an underwater expedition tour to survey the Titanic took over timelines over the weekend. Some recent developments around the company and the makeshift sub’s design have Twitter reacting.

If you didn’t hear about the story, OceanGate’s Titanic tourism submarine with five people onboard has gone missing. Per the New York Times, among those missing are the submarine’s pilot, British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, one of Pakistan’s wealthiest men, Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Sulaiman Dawood, 19.

According to recent reports, time is critical as a search is underway to find the sub that went missing around the Titanic wreckage site in the North Atlantic on Sunday, with experts saying there is enough oxygen to last the crew until Wednesday.

As the story continues to own headlines, a CBS News story on OceanGate’s missing Titan story has gone viral after it showed how makeshift the sub is.

If you signed onto Twitter, you might see that Xbox Controller is trending, and it has nothing to do with the video game company dropping a new Xbox Design Lab custom controller. It’s the fact a cheap knockoff controller controls the $1 million makeshift submersible.

Twitter Is Flabbergasted

As you can imagine, Twitter is reacting to the news. One user sharing a clip from the story wrote in a tweet, “Y’all please watch this. It’s a CBS story that aired a while back about that submarine that is now missing. The creators of that missing submarine are DEEPLY unserious.”

“N****s really went into the deepest depths of the ocean in a DIY submarine controlled by an Xbox controller the size of a coat closet. If that isn’t natural selection idk bro,” another Twitter user wrote. 

Bruh.

We hope the missing submarine is found and everyone onboard is alive and well.

You can peep more reactions to these recent developments in the gallery below.

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Photo: JOSEPH PREZIOSO / Getty

20 Jun 2023

Beyoncé Honors Juneteenth by Wearing Costumes on Stage Exclusively by Black Designers — Including Herself

Beyoncé is celebrating Juneteenth in style. In honor of the national holiday — which this year marked 158 years since the people enslaved in Texas were told they were free on June 19, 1865 — the 41-year-old superstar showed off a concert wardrobe crafted exclusively by Black designers, including pieces created by Queen Bey herself.

“In honor of Juneteenth, everything I wore for RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR tonight was created exclusively by Black designers,” she revealed on Instagram, one of several posts following her Sunday (June 18) show in Amsterdam.

The designs outfitted Bey in everything from an elegant red gown to metallic leotards with thigh-high boots. One particularly standout look from Olivier Rousteing for Balmain saw the “Break My Soul” singer wearing a textured, snake-skin body suit covering her head to toe in yellow and black scales.

As many of her fans pointed out in the comments, however, Bey didn’t tag the designers in her posts.

In her most recent post on the topic, Bey revealed that some of the looks seen onstage were part of her own brand new Ivy Park collection, which she started designing more than a year prior. “I was so engulfed in all things RENAISSANCE and was inspired by Studio 54, Bob Mackie and the disco era,” she wrote of the collection, which featured reflective hot-pink bodysuits and fringe jackets worn by Bey and her dancers.

“I wanted to do a modern twist using the signature IVY PARK neon and bring disco to the beach in this swim collection,” she continued. “I’m so happy to share this with you and even more proud to launch it for the first time on the RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR. I’m proud to be among the very talented Black designers featured in last night’s show to celebrate Juneteenth.”

20 Jun 2023

Moriah Mills Issues Revenge Porn & Extortion Threats Against Zion Williamson, Twitter Calls Foul

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Moriah Mills is continuing her on-again, off-again Twitter assault against Zion Williamson, which has included her airing out dirty laundry while simply declaring her love and devotion to the young NBA star. Moriah Mills, who has been tweeting nonstop for days, saw her name trending once more after she apparently threatened to post private sex tapes over Williamson not providing a wire transfer.

On Monday (June 19), Moriah Mills, reportedly 32, fired off a series of tweets threatening to leak a series of sex tapes that she alleges Williamson recorded on what she referred to as his “trap phone” along with other thoughts.

“You about to be a bounce around just like KD and all the hoes you fucked behind my back [peace sign emoji] no one gets away with betraying me I promise you,” Mills tweeted, coming after she promoted her OnlyFans page and shared images of her wearing Williamson’s jersey number when he played at Duke University.

Mills added, “Even if he doesn’t get traded he will not be the star franchise player anymore all trust is gone I know he mad !!! Should of stop lying to everyone you claim you care about. Your not a priority anymore your just a bust your not my king anymore either @Zionwilliamson I’m tired of giving you chances.”

Things went decidedly left when Mills began messaging the New Orleans Pelicans and NBA Twitter handles threatening to release the videos and urging the Pelicans to trade their star player.

“NBA I have sex tapes of me and @Zionwilliamson and he also has them on his trap phone @NBA @PelicansNBAtrade him now he doesn’t deserve to be in New Orleans !!! Sex tapes dropping soon,” Mills tweeted.

After missing a supposed wire transfer, Mills had this to say.

“Where is my wire transfer @Zionwilliamson you a liar and cheat where the f*ck is my money @PelicansNBA @nba trade this fraud he doesn’t deserve to be in Nola. Does your bm know you still trying to fly me out,” Mills wrote.

On Twitter, the reactions to Moriah Mills continuing to air out Zion Williamson are coming in and we’ve got some of them below.

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Photo: Moriah Mills / @thisismoriahmills

20 Jun 2023

Livin’ It Up: Ja Rule Is Releasing His Own Wine Brand

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DJ Cassidy's Pass The Mic Live!

Source: Shareif Ziyadat / Getty

Ja Rule continues to boss up right before our very eyes. He has announced he is entering the wine industry.

As spotted on Blavity the Queens, New York native is launching his own wine brand. Called Rose Vine Cellars, the MC has partnered with vintner Ross Reedy and the Wines That Rock company. On Tuesday, June 13 the Murder Inc. talent expressed his enthusiasm in a formal statement. “This launch is near and dear to my heart; one of my favorite things to do after a long day is pour myself a nice glass of wine,” he said. “This collab with wine master Ross Reedy and Wines That Rock is something we’ve spent a lot of time on because we wanted it to be perfect. Our goal was to create something unique, sophisticated and luxurious, and this collection is exactly that! I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished!”

The Rose Vine Cellars website provides more detail about this red wine. “This premium bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon was inspired by the act of giving roses to a friend. May this be the first of many roses we share together” the product description reads. “The grapes rest on their skins for a month during the harvest, a technique that fosters the development of intricate flavors. These are complemented by a natural fermentation process – free from added yeast. The result is a wine with an invitingly soft texture, thanks to a 24-month aging period in French oak barrels. Each bottle is individually hand wax-dipped for an elegant finish.”

The Red Rose Autographed Limited Edition Cabernet Sauvignon is priced at $150.00 and the Red Rose

Cabernet Sauvignon Red Wax Dipped is priced at $100.00. You can shop the Ja Rule’s wines here.

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20 Jun 2023

Teresa Taylor, Butthole Surfers Drummer Dies at 60

Teresa Taylor, a former drummer for Texas psychedelic noise merchants Butthole Surfers died of complications from lung disease on Monday at age 60. The group announced the news in a post in which they wrote, “Teresa Taylor passed away peacefully this weekend after a long battle with lung disease. She will live in our hearts forever. RIP, dear friend.”

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The news was also confirmed by Taylor’s partner, Cheryl Curtice, who wrote, “Teresa passed away clean and sober, peacefully in her sleep, this weekend. She was so brave, even in the face of her horrible disease. We were all fortunate to have her beautiful, strong spirit in our lives. She will be forever missed. We will have a memorial service sometime in the future. I love you, beloved Teresa.”

Taylor was also well known for appearing on the poster for director Richard Linklater’s breakthrough 1990 film Slacker, in which she was famously depicted standing with her hands in her front pockets, staring into the distance while wearing a baseball hat and sunglasses. She also appeared in the film, playing a character named “Pap Smear Pusher” who enthusiastically tries to sell a jar she claims contains Madonna’s pap smear.

The percussionist — who also went by the stage name Teresa Nervosa — was born in Arlington, TX in 1962 and met future bandmate and fellow Surfers drummer King Coffey when they both played in a high school marching band. She later joined the San Antonio-bred punk band fronted by Gibby Haynes with the name not safe for mainstream TV and radio whose sonic attack blasted fans with waves of chaotic noise, disturbing surgery videos and strobe lights.

Taylor played drums alongside Coffey from 1983-1985 and then again from 1986-1989, taking a leave after suffering from seizures she said were caused by a brain aneurysm; she underwent brain surgery in 1993 and came back for a brief period to play live with the Surfers in 2009. For a band known for confounding audiences with their pummeling, sometimes disorienting visual and audio assault, the sight of the two percussionists playing their respective stand-up kits next to each other became a vital part of their stagecraft, as did their long-running fib that they were actually siblings and not just bandmates.

She joined the band in the studio for a run of their beloved early albums, including 1984 full-length debut, Psychic… Powerless… Another Man’s Sac, as well as 1986’s Rembrandt Pussyhorse, 1987’s Locust Abortion Technician and 1988’s Hairway to Steven, among others.

In Nov. 2021, Taylor revealed that she had been diagnosed with end-stage lung disease in a Facebook post.

See the Surfers’ and Curtice’s posts, and Taylor’s Slacker scene, below.

20 Jun 2023

ASCAP to Salute Dr. Dre With Hip-Hop Icon Award

Dr. Dre, the trailblazing hip-hop hitmaker, will blaze a new trail at the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards, where he will receive the very first ASCAP Hip-Hop Icon Award.

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Announced today (June 20), Dre will be honored at the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards Celebration of 50 Years of Hip-Hop, set to take place in his hometown, Los Angeles on Thursday, June 22.

“Dr. Dre’s groundbreaking early work laid a foundation for hip-hop as we know it today. As a champion for some of today’s biggest artists and a successful entrepreneur, he changed the culture around hip-hop,” comments ASCAP chairman of the board and president Paul Williams.

The award is presented to ASCAP members whose musical contributions have made an indelible impact on the art and culture of hip-hop. Currently, ASCAP’s membership includes 920,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers.

Dre “continues to be a pivotal figure in the music industry,” adds Williams, “and we are thrilled to recognize him with the inaugural ASCAP Hip-Hop Icon Award as we mark 50 years of hip-hop.”

In the electrifying world of hip-hop, which this year celebrates its half-century and is now recognized as the U.S. market share leader, Dre has done it all.

A founding member of Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductees N.W.A, Dre is recognized as one of the genre’s pre-eminent producers, as well as a rapper and songwriter who has worked with some of the most iconic R&B and hip-hop artists of all time, including Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 2Pac, Mary J. Blige, Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar.

After changing the game with seminal gangsta rap outfit N.W.A in the 1980s, Dre released his first solo album, The Chronic, in 1992, a classic that’s regarded as one of hip-hop’s finest and a beacon for the West Coast G-Funk movement.

His three studio albums, which include 2001 and Compton, have amassed some 20 million album consumption units.

Dre also established Aftermath Entertainment, his own imprint through Interscope, through which he would sign Eminem, 50 Cent, Lamar and Anderson .Paak, among others.

In 2006, Dre co-founded Beats Electronics alongside Interscope co-founder Jimmy Iovine. Later, in 2014, the business evolved with a streaming service, Beats Audio, and was subsequently acquired by Apple for upwards of $3 billion, turning Dre into hip-hop’s first billionaire.

N.W.A was inducted into the Rock Hall in 2016, a year after the Straight Outta Compton biopic hit theaters around the globe. In February 2022, another career highlight when Dre teamed up with Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent  for the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show.

Grammy Award-winner DJ Kid Capri will provide the music on ASCAP’s big night, organizers say. Visit ASCAP for more.

20 Jun 2023

Shaquille O’Neal Announces Shaq’s Bass All-Stars Festival Happening This Fall in Texas: See the Lineup

Since debuting as DJ Diesel, Shaquille O’Neal has become one of the dance world’s (literally) biggest advocates for bass music. Now, he’s taking this passion to the championship level with the debut of his own bass music festival, Shaq’s Bass All-Stars Festival.

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Happening this Sept. 16 in Fort Worth, Texas, the event will feature 14 artists across two stages. The lineup, curated by O’Neal, features Alison Wonderland, Kai Wachi, Sullivan King, Crankdat, Jantsen, Layz, Emorfik, Hairitage, Leotrix, Charlitz Web, Soltan, Ruvlo b2b Celo and, of course, DJ Diesel himself.

“I am building this festival for all my headbangers out there,” O’Neal tells Billboard. “I’m bringing together my favorite acts and am excited for this to be a home for bass music fans throughout Texas that we can create a community around. I’ve got a big platform, and I love to support up-and-coming acts as well … Some of these little guys on the lineup are just as good as the headliners, and that’s what Shaq’s Bass All-Stars is all about … It doesn’t matter who is performing if we are all together having a great time and headbanging.”

Hosted at Fort Worth’s Panther Island Pavilion, the festival anticipates hosting approximately 10,000 fans and will also feature a food truck village, games, activations and more. Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 23, at 12 p.m. CT. Ticket prices begin at $49, with O’Neal intending to keeps costs low to make the event as inclusive as possible.

“I don’t DJ for the money,” he says. “I DJ to replace the Game 7 energy that I can’t seem to replicate anywhere else besides at music festivals. For me, Shaq’s Bass All-Stars festival is about inviting the whole state of Texas out for a good time, and it’s important to me for this to be a community-driven event that all sorts of people can afford.”

The festival is an evolution of the ongoing Shaq’s Bass All-Stars concerts, which have happened across the U.S since their inception. “I DJ tons of concerts, clubs, and festivals,” O’Neal says, “but taking ownership of my own bass festival is something I am so passionate about. I just bought a house in Texas, the music scene there is awesome and was the perfect place to launch it.”

The festival is produced by Medium Rare and the Texas-based Disco Donnie Presents. O’Neal notes the event is likely to be a traveling one, saying that “we are excited to bring the concept on the road.”

O’Neal has a busy summer leading up the Texas show, with DJ Diesel on the lineups for Chicago’s Lollapalooza, Los Angeles’ HARD Summer, Belgium’s Tomorrowland, this weekend’s Electric Forest in Michigan, along with other festival and club dates.

See the lineup for Shaq’s Bass All-Stars Festival below:

Shaq's Bass All-Stars Festival poster

Courtesy of Medium Rare