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Suga Unveils ‘People Pt.2’ Featuring IU: Listen

It’s finally here! Fans are getting their first taste of Suga‘s upcoming album D-Day with “People Pt. 2,” featuring IU, released on Friday (April 7).

“People Pt.2” serves as the follow-up to Suga’s “People,” which originally appeared on the BTS rapper’s second mixtape, D-2. It’s also hardly the first time the BTS superstar has teamed up with IU, who released her track “Eight” in 2020 with Suga on vocals and song production.

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The new song also serves as the lead single from Suga’s debut solo album, D-DAY, which arrives on April 21 under the name Agust D.

D-DAY marks the final release of the rapper-dancer’s mixtape trilogy. Suga’s debut mixtape, Agust D, arrived in 2016, highlighting his hardcore rap and underground influences with help from writer-producers Slow Rabbit, June, Pdogg and Supreme Boi. The BTS star followed up with 2020’s D-2 mixtape, which charted at No. 9 on the Top Rap Albums chart and No. 11 on the Billboard 200.

Listen to “People Pt. 2” below.

Drake Unleashes ‘Search & Rescue’: Listen

Drake surprised fans on Thursday (April 6) by revealing that his newest track, “Search & Rescue,” will be arriving just a day later. On Friday (April 7), he delivered the spicy track.

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Drake teased a portion of the song — which was then thought to be titled “Rescue Me” — during The Fry Yiy Show on his SiriusXM Radio station Sound 42 late last week. The track features audio of Kim Kardashian talking about her relationship with ex-husband Kanye West in the E! series finale of Keeping Up With the Kardashians in 2021. “I didn’t come this far, just to come this far and not be happy, remember that,” she says in the sample.

Drizzy teamed up with two producers for “Search & Rescue”: BNYX, who has worked with Coi Leray and Yeat on recent tracks, and Sadpony, who produced Drake’s “Jumbotron Sh– Poppin” collaboration with 21 Savage, which appeared on 2022’s Her Loss.

Listen to “Search & Rescue” below.

Kanye West Sued by Ex-Donda Academy Teachers for Wrongful Termination, Racial Discrimination

Running a school is no walk in the park — a lesson Kanye West is learning the hard way.

Former Donda Academy teachers Cecilia Hailey and her daughter, Chekarey Byers, are suing West (now known as Ye) and his Simi Valley private school for wrongful termination, discrimination and unlawful withholding of wages, among other allegations, according to a complaint filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday (April 5).

According to a press release put out by the plaintiffs’ law firm, West Coast Employment Lawyers, the Christian school allegedly “violated education, health and safety codes, terminated educators based on race and retaliation, and failed to fully pay teachers.” Donda Academy directors Brianne Campbell, Allison Tidwell and Chris Julian are also named as defendants.

The complaint, obtained by Billboard and filed by attorneys Ronald L. Zambrano and Melineh Jingozian, claims the pre-K through 12th-grade school boasted a number of unusual rules and restrictions, allegedly demanded by West. They include not allowing common items such as crossword puzzles, coloring sheets, eating utensils, colorful clothing, dinnerware, jewelry, chairs and Nike or Adidas branded clothing. Students were also allegedly not allowed on the second floor of the school because West was “reportedly afraid of stairs” and also not allowed outside, instead forced to spend their lunch/recess time indoors.

The complaint further alleges that the only meal available to students was sushi and that they were not allowed to bring food from home. Byers and Hailey additionally accuse the school of turning a blind eye to “severe bullying,” including physical violence.

In the complaint, Hailey and Byers are identified as the only female African-American teachers at the school — something they say led to stereotyping and coded language from Donda Academy administrators. “I’m just tired of the rhetoric being that Black women who are competent are seen as aggressive,” Hailey said in a statement.

The complaint goes on to state that when Hailey expressed interest in reaching out to West, she was told not to. Both teachers also claim that their paychecks were “untimely or inaccurate,” with some never arriving and others reportedly short by up to $2,700.

“No action was taken to remedy plaintiffs’ complaints regarding sanitation, health, safety or education standard pursuant to local and state law, which plaintiffs made throughout the entirety of their employment,” the complaint reads. Hailey and Byers were ultimately terminated from the school in March, allegedly without explanation.

Hailey and Byers are asking for damages including unpaid wages, loss of earnings, deferred compensation and other employment benefits; general damages, including for “emotional distress”; other special damages, including “reasonable medical expenses”; punitive damages; prejudgment interest on lost wages and benefits; and costs of bringing the suit.

“We’re standing up because it’s the right thing to do,” Hailey continued in her statement. “This is not about trying to defame a celebrity. This is about the right thing to do for these children.”

“While his vision for the school sounds great on paper, it’s just pure chaos and mutiny,” Byers added.

Representatives for West and Donda Academy did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s requests for comment.

Donda Academy — named after West’s late mother, Donda West — was founded last year. In October, there were reports of the school shutting down, but it is now accepting applications for the 2023-24 school year.

Quinn XCII Says His Imposter Syndrome Was Real During ‘Corden’ Performance: ‘Why Are You Guys Here for Me?’

Even those who appeared to have “made it” often feel like they don’t belong amid the spoils of their success.

Indeed, imposter syndrome is something many artists grapple with, and singer/songwriter Quinn XCII is no different. The artist (whose name is pronounced “Quinn 92”) recently sat down with Billboard News to discuss the phenomenon and more.

“I definitely had it at Corden, for sure,” he says of his appearance on The Late Late Show With James Corden earlier this year. “I think Corden was a moment where I was really self-reflective of like ‘Why are you guys here for me?’ … But I think it’s beautiful, though, because you have those sort of stop-and-smell-the-roses moments of reflection, and I think we need more of that.”

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The Michigan-born, Los Angeles-based artist also discusses his latest album, The People’s Champ, his fifth album in six years, released Jan. 27 via Republic Records.

“I’ve noticed quite a bit more that strangers have been put on to my music,” he says. “I don’t know if that’s just persistence in making five albums, but it’s been great seeing the fans who have been with me since day one liking it, but also these new people who are coming to my music for the first time.”

He says the reason behind such a prolific numbers of albums over a short period of time is the therapeutic qualities that making music has for him. “Even if i’m just off the heels of a recent album, I’m ready to get back into album-making mode,” he says, “simply because it’s good for me.”

Four of Quinn XCII’s albums have charted on the Billboard 200, with From Michigan With Love reaching No. 90 in 2019, A Letter to My Younger Self hitting No. 56 in 2020, Change of Scenery II going to No. 69 in 2021 and The People’s Champ hitting No. 180 this past February.

A Taylor Swift Cardboard Cutout In the U.K. Is Getting Auctioned for Charity

A life-sized cardboard cutout of Taylor Swift became a popular fixture in Cornbrook, England, as it was on display of an apartment building near the Metrolink stop since 2017.

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However, the apartment owner Red Redmond is moving out and now auctioning the affectionately called “Tram Taylor,” for a good cause. In memory of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey, a transgender girl who was stabbed to death in February in Culcheth Linear Park, proceeds for the sale will go to Mermaids, a British charity and advocacy organization that supports gender variant and transgender youth.

Redmond told BBC that Ghey’s death had a “big impact” on them, which is what inspired the decision to auction the cut-out.

Swift hasn’t publicly revealed if she’s aware of the auction, but the star is known for responding to fans. Last week, the superstar made a young Swiftie’s dream come true during The Eras tour stop in Las Vegas, when a seven-year-old named Bella set out on a mission to send her favorite singer a letter.

Her mother, Gina Lanzino, detailed the situation on TikTok. Upon arriving to the venue, Lanzino explained that Bella got an opening to have her letter delivered to Swift when she approached an usher, who agreed to try his best and deliver the note. Then, during the show, Bella and her mother receive a major update.

“We were about halfway through the show when some people came to our box and they were asking for Bella. I had actually forgot about the letter by that time, and I said, ‘That’s my daughter, what’s going on?’ And they say, ‘We wanted to give this to you,’ and it was the letter Bella gave to Taylor and she [Taylor] signed it. She [Bella] did write her section number on the back, but I really didn’t ever in a million years think that this was going to get returned to her. They filmed my daughter getting the letter back because they wanted to pass it back to Taylor.”

Troy Ave “Real Eyes Recognize Real Lies,” Reason “At It Again” & More | Daily Visuals 4.6.23

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Sprinklez New York Takeover

Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty

For the past few days Troy Ave and Maino have unexpectedly been going back-and-forth on social media and while Troy continues to get slandered for taking the stand in the Taxstone case as well he’s decided to address all the situations in his latest drop.

In his new visuals to “Real Eyes Realize Real Lies,” Troy imagines himself as both a courtroom judge and prisoner of the state as he talks about the hate and betrayal he’s received from his old friends and rap peers without naming names on the record. Only reason we know who he’s talking about is because he put their names next to the title of the song on YouTube. Go figure.

Meanwhile out in the West Coast, Reason looks to put TDE on his back and in his clip for “At It Again” rolls through the streets of LA while checking in on his peoples and stopping for a minute to get a quick shapeup by a thick young lady on a stoop. She must be good to not need a barber’s chair. Just sayin.’

Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from Money Man & Peezy, MadeinTYO, and more.

TROY AVE – “REAL EYES REALIZE REAL LIES”


https://youtube.com/watch?v=GNub_Z9G-cw&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

REASON – “AT IT AGAIN”



MONEY MAN & PEEZY – “LATEST GEN”



MADEINTYO – “JAZZY”



MOZZY – “FREE ALL THE LIFERS”



BIG BOOGIE – “MIND FRAME”



SCAR LIP – “THIS IS NEW YORK”



SUTTON – “WRONG”



HARDY Leads 2023 AIMP Nashville Country Awards Winners

The Association for Independent Music Publishers celebrated the 2023 AIMP Nashville Country Awards on Wednesday at Music City’s Ryman Auditorium. Songwriting luminaries Bob DiPiero and Craig Wiseman hosted the Spotify-sponsored event, which honored Nashville’s independent songwriters and music publishers.

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“It is great to gather the independent publishing community once again at the Ryman,” Ree Guyer, President, AIMP Nashville Chapter, said via a statement. “We are fortunate to feel the love and support for one another in the room.”

The coveted song of the year honor went to Chris Stapleton’s “You Should Probably Leave,” written by Stapleton, Ashley Gorley and Chris DuBois. Round Hill Music was named publisher of the year, while Michael Hardy (HARDY) was a double winner, picking up artist-writer of the year and songwriter of the year.

Meanwhile, the rising songwriter of the year honor went to SMACKSongs’ Ryan Beaver and the rising artist-writer of the year honor went to Big Loud Publishing’s ERNEST.

The most-streamed song of the year honor went to “Wasted on You” (writers: Morgan Wallen, Ernest Keith Smith, Josh Thompson, Charlie Handsome), while the 2023 publisher pick of the year was a tie between “Don’t Think Jesus” (writers: Mark Holman, Jessi Alexander, Chase McGill) and “Reverse Cowgirl” (writers: Jared Scott, Joe Fox, Zak Dyer).

Warner Music Nashville co-chair/co-president Cris Lacy was honored with the 2023 song champion award, while Jody Williams, of Jody Williams’ Songs, was honored with the 2023 AIMP independent spirit award, which recognizes his significant contributions to the independent publishing and songwriting community.

“Nashville’s independent publishers are usually the first to take a chance on fresh, groundbreaking talent,” Williams said via a statement. “I’m proud to be a part of this effort and thrilled to be honored by my AIMP peers.”

This year’s performers included Jon Pardi, Tenille Arts, Corey Kent, Pillbox Patti, Meg McRee, Ashley Cooke, Jackson Dean, HARDY, Ruston Kelly, Jordan Davis, and ERNEST.

Maggie Rogers Is Selling Tickets for Her Tour at the Box Office: ‘We’re Going Old School’

Maggie Rogers has a new plan for her upcoming tour: selling tickets in person at the box office on Friday (April 7).

“F–k bots + f-k fees. come buy a ticket in person. tomorrow only,” the indie-pop artist wrote on Instagram before directing her fans to the link in her bio for more information.

In the accompanying video, the “That’s Where I Am” singer explained the rationale for her decision. “Come buy a concert ticket like it’s 1965…Presale starts tomorrow and we’re doing things a little bit differently this time. Over the last few months, there’s been a lot of conversation about how intense ticketing fees are and how insane bot activity is, and how tough it is to just get tickets into the hands of fans.

“A lot of people, including me, are frustrated and concerned,” she continued, “and I’ve been thinking about a way to sort of give people another option. So we’re going old school. Tomorrow, you can go to your local box office and buy a ticket in person. Seems a little obvious but it’s a way to get rid of some of the fees and get tickets directly into your hands.

Rogers then added that to celebrate what she’s coined “Box Office Day,” she’ll be at New York City’s Music Hall of Williamsburg to personally sell tickets for her upcoming show at Forest Hills Stadium on July 27.

The Summer of ’23 Tour, which kicks off July 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina, will also include openers Soccer Mommy and Alvvays, which Rogers referred to as “two of my favorite bands.”

Watch Rogers’ announcement of her box office-only presale below.

Christine McVie’s Cause of Death Revealed

Following the death of Fleetwood Mac legend Christine McVie in November at age 79, her cause of death was revealed on Thursday (April 6).

The star died of a stroke, with a secondary cause of death listed as cancer, according to her death certificate obtained by People and first reported by The Blast. McVie suffered an ischemic stroke, which happens due to decreased blood flow to particular areas of the brain, according to the National Institute of Health. She also reportedly had “metastatic malignancy of unknown primary origin,” which indicates that cancer cells were found in her body but medical professionals were unable to determine where the cells spread from, according to the National Cancer Institute.

McVie died on November 30 at age 79. The late icon’s family shared the news via a statement posted to Facebook, which noted that she passed away at a hospital “following a short illness.”

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“She was in the company of her family,” the statement continued. “We kindly ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this extremely painful time, and we would like everyone to keep Christine in their hearts and remember the life of an incredible human being, and revered musician who was loved universally.”

Fleetwood Mac also shared a band statement, in which they wrote, “She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure. She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life. We were so lucky to have a life with her.”

‘La Usurpadora: The Musical’ Revives a Telenovela Classic & ’90s Latin Music Hits

La Usurpadora is hitting theaters in a new musical adaptation presented by Pantelion Films — 25 years after the Mexican telenovela starring Gabriela Spanic and Fernando Colunga aired.

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Directed by Santiago Limón and produced by Matt Walden and Paul Presburger, La Usurpadora: The Musical, similar to the famed 1998 novela, revolves around identical twin sisters Valeria and Victoria who were separated at birth and 28 years later meet and switch lives. The former is humble and kind, the latter is rich and cruel. 

A 13-track soundtrack, executive produced by Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning producer Sebastian Krys, accompanies the original film.

“Matt Walden called me and said he was turning a telenovela into a musical and I said ‘That’s insane, count me in!’” Krys said during a press screening in Miami on Wednesday night. “It makes sense because the way he would point it is that telenovelas are already over-the-top, so the next logical step is to have everyone singing and dancing.”

Though the film is based in the modern day, its soundtrack pays tribute to some of the biggest Latin hits of the ’90s, including Celia Cruz’s “La Vida Es Un Carnaval,” Gloria Estefan’s “Mi Tierra,” Selena Quintanilla’s “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” Ricky Martin’s “Vuelve,” Cristian Castro’s “No Podrás” and many more. 

“We’d go back and forth in finding the right fit musically, lyrically, and then getting the rights,” Krys explains of his soundtrack debut that took more than four years to create. “I’ve worked with a lot of those artists in a lot of their records, like with Ricky Martin and Franco De Vita. I’ve worked with Gloria for 12 years, so doing this soundtrack was a little daunting because I didn’t want to screw the original songs up.” 

“One of the things that I love the most while recording the songs is that he gave us total freedom of feeling the songs our own way,” adds Isabela Castillo, who portrays Valeria and Victoria in the musical. “It was a process of about four months where he gave us the liberty of playing around and experimenting with the harmony and melodies. That’s what you’re going to see here. We have song mashups, different ingredients, and new musical arrangements that these songs didn’t have back in the day. It’s really mind-blowing.” 

Bringing the ’90s hits to life for La Usurpadora: The Musical was an overall joy for the cast, which also includes Alan Estrada, who portrays Carlos Daniel, the love interest of the twins.

“For me, the last 20 minutes of the movie was my favorite to perform,” he says. “I find the mash-up of ‘Vuelve’ and ‘Cosas del Amor’ very exciting and you’ll see many things unfold in that scene. It brings me happiness. At the Los Angeles screening, everyone clapped as if they were watching a play. I’ve never seen that happen in a movie, and I really liked that reaction. As an actor, we want our work to become memorable in some way.”

La Usurpadora: The Musical, whose cast also includes Susana Zabaleta, Jesús Ochoa, Alejandra Guzmán and Spanic, the OG Usurpadora actress, to name a few, premieres Friday in the U.S. and April 12 in Mexico.