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Drake & 21 Savage Tour, Morgan Wallen Makes Chart History, XSCAPE Talks Bravo Show & More | Billboard News

Morgan Wallen tops both the Billboard 200 and Hot 100. Drake and 21 Savage are hitting the road together for a 29-date trek. We are taking a look at the musical subs at this years’ Oscars. XSCAPE sat down with Billboard’s Gail Mitchell to talk their new show on Bravo and more!

Here’s When Mark Consuelos Will Take Over for Ryan Seacrest on ‘Kelly & Ryan’

After a six-year run, Ryan Seacrest is stepping down from his co-hosting slot on Live with Kelly and Ryan after a six-year run. However, Kelly Ripa will still be in good company, as her husband Mark Consuelos will be taking over co-hosting duties.

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Seacrest, Ripa and Consuelos all joined Vanessa Hudgens on the Oscars red carpet on Sunday (March 12), where Seacrest revealed how he’s feeling about the change. “It’s bittersweet,” he shared. “We have such a great relationship and friendship and working relationship. Mark is going to take over and he and I have the same kind of relationship. It’s going to be an exciting last few weeks.”

Ripa added with a smile, “Nothing will really change between the three of us. It’s just that Ryan will get to have his coffee later.”

To wrap things up, Consuelos revealed that he’s officially beginning his gig as co-host on April 17. “I couldn’t be more honored or excited,” he said.

In a statement announcing his departure last month, Seacrest — who will keep hosting American IdolDick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, his syndicated On Air with Ryan Seacrest daily radio show and the American Top 40 countdown — said working with Ripa has been a “dream job” and one of the highlights of his career.

“She has been an amazing partner, friend, and confidant, and although we will always be a part of each other’s lives, I will miss our mornings together,” he said, also thanking the show’s executive producer Michael Gelman and the crew. “We’ve made memories to last a lifetime, met some of the most incredible people and had the warmest welcome into the homes of so many viewers across America. It’s been a memorable ride and now I’m excited to pass the baton to Kelly’s ‘real’ husband, Mark.”

Spain’s Recorded Music Market Grew Over 12% in 2022 Amid Streaming Boom

Recorded-music revenue hit an all-time high in Spain last year, growing by double digits over 2021, reports Productores de Música de España (Promusicae), the association that represents 95% of the country’s recording industry.

In 2022, Spain’s recorded music market earned a total of 462 million euros ($494.5 million), marking an increase of 12.4% over the 411 million euros ($440 million) in revenue achieved the year prior, Promusicae reported Monday (March 13).

Eighty-seven percent of last year’s total revenue number — or 402 million euros ($429 million) — was generated by music sales, up 9.3% from 2021. The digital market accounted for nearly 86% of music consumed in Spain last year at 345 million euros ($370 million), 98% of which, or 340 million euros ($364 million), came from streaming. Meanwhile, physical sales, which generated 56 million euros ($60 million) in revenue, continued to decline despite growth in the vinyl market.

In the digital sphere, consumption of both audio and video music streams grew by 13% and 16%, respectively, compared to 2021. That translates to 17 million Spaniards using audio streaming platforms in 2022, with 5.2 million of those listeners holding premium subscriptions — up 18% over the previous year. Overall, nearly 36% of the Spanish population used audio streaming platforms in 2022.

Resumen Annul, Desglose del Mercado, Evolución Streaming de Audio

Courtesy PROMUSICAE

The physical music market continued to shrink despite another strong year for vinyl, which grew 15% and generated 29 million euros ($31 million) in sales, compared to 26 million euros ($29 million) generated by CD sales. In units, more CDs are still being bought than vinyl (2.6 million units compared to 1.7 million vinyl records were shipped in 2022), even as more-expensive vinyl surpassed CDs in revenue terms. Rosalía‘s Motomami was Spain’s top seller on vinyl last year, though Promusicae did not provide sales numbers for the title.

The Promusicae report also notes that revenue from intellectual property rights has been booming for record labels, increasing by 42% last year to 56 million euros ($60 million). The report cautions, however, that the increase is distorted somewhat by a return to normal activity in sectors like hospitality and nightlife following pandemic-era restrictions.

Resumen Annul, Desglose del Mercado, Evolución Streaming de Audio

Courtesy PROMUSICAE

Meanwhile, Spanish-language music further solidified its dominance in the country, with Bad Bunny, Rosalía and C. Tangana outpacing Anglo artists like Harry Styles and Taylor Swift in overall sales (see charts below).

“Closing 2022, maintaining a sustained growth in the last five years — despite the slowdown of the pandemic — is great news that rewards the effort, work and investment of the entire recording industry in our country,” Promusicae president Antonio Guisasola says in a statement. “It opens a window of hope to reach levels of the previous decade.” 

Guisasola adds that other European countries, such as the United Kingdom or Italy, “are achieving great benefits that redound to the brand and culture of the country through music, and ours cannot be left behind in this highly competitive environment in which we have the strategic asset of the Spanish language.”

Evolución de Ventas de Vinilos

Courtesy PROMUSICAE

On the downside, piracy continues to be a problem in Spain. Promusicae notes that according to the IFPI Engaging With Music 2022 report, 32% of Spaniards use unauthorized or unlicensed methods to listen to or download music. The percentage is even higher for individuals between 16 and 24 years old, with 49% of that age demographic listening to pirated music.

Top 10 albums by revenue in 2022:

  1. Bad Bunny, Un Verano Sin Ti 
  2. Rosalía, Motomami
  3. C. Tangana, El Madrileño
  4. Harry Styles, Harry’s House
  5. Rauw Alejandro, Vice Versa
  6. Sebastián Yatra, Dharma
  7. Bad Bunny, YHLQMDLG
  8. Manuel Carrasco, Corazón y Flecha
  9. Taylor Swift, Midnights
  10. Mora, Microdosis 

Top 10 songs by revenue in 2022:

  1. Bizarrap x Quevedo, “Quevedo: BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 52”
  2. Manuel Turizo, “La Bachata”
  3. Rosalía, “Despecha”
  4. Bad Bunny, “Tití Me Preguntó”
  5. Sebastián Yatra, “Tacones Rojos
  6. Bad Bunny, “Me Porto Bonito” feat. Chencho Corleone
  7. Rauw Alejandro, “Desesperados” feat. Chencho Corleone
  8. La Pantera, Quevedo Juseph, Cruz Cafune, Abhir Hathi “Cayó La Noche (Remix)”
  9. Shakira, “Te Felicito” feat. Rauw Alejandro
  10. Bizarrap x Tiago PZK, “Tiago PZK: BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 48”

Bad Bunny Leads 2023 Latin American Music Awards Nominations: Complete List

The nominations for the 2023 Latin American Music Awards were announced on Monday (March 13), with Bad Bunny leading the pack at 11 nominations, including artist of the year, song of the year and album of the year. 

The Puerto Rican global star is followed by Becky G and Daddy Yankee, each with nine nominations; and with eight nods each are Grupo Frontera, Karol G, Rauw Alejandro, Romeo Santos and Rosalía, to name a few. Additionally, Bizarrap, Blessd, Edén Muñoz, Grupo Frontera, Los Lara, Luis Figueroa, Luis R Conriquez, Quevedo, Santa Fe Klan and Yahritza y Su Esencia are nominated in the best new artist category. 

TelevisaUnivision also revealed that Carlos Vives and Pepe Aguilar will be recognized as 2023 Latin AMAs Legacy honorees.

Co-hosted by Galilea Montijo and Julián Gil, the eighth edition of the Latin AMAs will take place on Thursday, April 20, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, and for the first time — since its debut on Oct. 8, 2015, on Telemundo — the ceremony will be broadcast live simultaneously on Univision, UNIMÁS and Galavisión (starting at 7 p.m. ET), after TelevisaUnivision acquired the rights from dick clark productions last September.

This year’s nominations are based on streaming, sales, radio airplay, tours and even social media interactions data provided by Billboard and Luminate during the eligibility period (Feb. 12, 2022, through Feb. 4, 2023). 

Fans can vote for their favorite artists on Univision.com/LatinAMAs through Sunday, March 26. 

See the complete list of nominees below:

Artist of the Year

Bad Bunny
Becky G
Daddy Yankee
Eslabón Armado
Farruko
Ivan Cornejo
Karol G
Rauw Alejandro
Romeo Santos
Rosalía

New Artist of the Year

Bizarrap
Blessd
Edén Muñoz
Grupo Frontera
Los Lara
Luis Figueroa
Luis R Conriquez
Quevedo
Santa Fe Klan
Yahritza y Su Esencia

Song of the Year

“Bebe dame” – Fueza Regida & Grupo Frontera
“Despechá” – Rosalía
“Dos oruguitas” – Sebastián Yatra
“Está dañada” – Ivan Cornejo
“La bachata” – Manuel Turizo
“MAMIII” – Becky G & Karol G
“Me porto bonito” – Bad Bunny & Chencho Corleone
“Quevedo: BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 52” – Bizarrap & Quevedo
“Sus huellas” – Romeo Santos
“Te felicito” – Shakira & Rauw Alejandro

Album of the Year

Ahora Me Da Pena EP – Buena Vista Social Club
Dañado – Ivan Cornejo
Esquemas – Becky G
Fórmula, Vol. 3 – Romeo Santos
Jose – J Balvin
La 167 – Farruko
Legendaddy – Daddy Yankee
Motomami – Rosalía
Nostalgia – Eslabón Armado
Un Verano Sin Ti – Bad Bunny

Collaboration of the Year

“Bebe dame” – Fueza Regida & Grupo Frontera
“El incomprendido” – Farruko, Víctor Cárdenas & DJ Adoni
“MAMIII” – Becky G & Karol G
“Mayor que usted” – Natti Natasha, Daddy Yankee & Wisin y Yandel
“Me porto bonito” – Bad Bunny & Chencho Corleone
“Medallo” – Blessd, Justin Quiles & Lenny Tavárez
“Que vuelvas” – Carin León & Grupo Frontera
“Quevedo: BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 52” – Bizarrap & Quevedo
“Te espero” – Prince Royce & Maria Becerra
“Te felicito” – Shakira & Rauw Alejandro

Collaboration Crossover of the Year

“Arhbo (Music from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Official Soundtrack)” – Ozuna, Gims,
Redone & FIFA Sound
“Borracho” – Sech & DJ Khaled
“La fama” – Rosalía & The Weeknd
“Sigue” – J Balvin & Ed Sheeran
“Sin fin” – Romeo Santos & Justin Timberlake

Best Crossover Artist

DJ Khaled
DJ Snake
Ed Sheeran
Fatman Scoop
Gims
Justin Timberlake
Lil Jon
Megan Thee Stallion
Mr. Vegas
The Weeknd

Streaming Artist of the Year

Bad Bunny
Chencho Corleone
Grupo Frontera
Ivan Cornejo
Karol G

Tour of the Year

Enfiestados y Amanecidos Tour – Grupo Firme
La Última Vuelta World Tour – Daddy Yankee
Papi Juancho World Tour – Maluma
$trip Love Tour – Karol G
World’s Hottest Tour – Bad Bunny

Best Duo or Group – Pop

Jesse & Joy
Los Enanitos Verdes
Maná
Mau y Ricky
Reik

Best Artist – Pop

Anitta
Becky G
Camilo
Enrique Iglesias
Kali Uchis
Luis Fonsi
Ricky Martin
Rosalía
Sebastián Yatra
Shakira

Best Album – Pop

@dannocean – Danny Ocean
De Adentro Pa Afuera – Camilo
Dharma – Sebastián Yatra
Esquemas – Becky G
Motomami – Rosalía

Best Song – Pop

“Bailé con mi ex” – Becky G
“Junio” – Maluma
“Provenza” – Karol G
“Tacones rojos” – Sebastián Yatra
“Te amo y punto” – Chayanne

Best Artist – Urban

Anuel AA
Bad Bunny
Daddy Yankee
Farruko
J Balvin
Jhayco
Karol G
Natti Natasha
Ozuna
Rauw Alejandro

Best Album – Urban

Jose – J Balvin
La 167 – Farruko
Legendaddy – Daddy Yankee
Saturno – Rauw Alejandro
Un Verano Sin Ti – Bad Bunny

Best Song – Urban

“Desesperados” – Rauw Alejandro & Chencho Corleone
“Envolver” – Anitta
“Remix” – Daddy Yankee
“Sensual bebé” – Jhayco
“Tití me preguntó” – Bad Bunny

Best Collaboration – Pop/Urban

“Buenos días” – Wisin, Camilo & Los Legendarios
“El incomprendido” – Farruko, Víctor Cárdenas & DJ Adoni
“Hot” – Daddy Yankee & Pitbull
“MAMIII” – Becky G & Karol G
“Mayor que usted” – Natti Natasha, Daddy Yankee & Wisin y Yandel
“Me porto bonito” – Bad Bunny & Chencho Corleone
“Medallo” – Blessd, Justin Quiles & Lenny Tavárez
“Punto 40” – Rauw Alejandro & Baby Rasta
“Quevedo: BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 52” – Bizarrap & Quevedo
“Te felicito” – Shakira & Rauw Alejandro

Best Artist – Regional Mexican

Ángela Aguilar
Carin León
Chiquis
Christian Nodal
Edén Muñoz
Gerardo Ortiz
Ivan Cornejo
Junior H
Luis R Conriquez
Pepe Aguilar

Best Duo or Group – Regional Mexican

Banda Los Recoditos
Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga
Calibre 50
Eslabón Armado
Fuerza Regida
Grupo Firme
Grupo Frontera
Intocable
Los Ángeles Azules
Yahritza y Su Esencia

Best Album – Regional Mexican

Dañado – Ivan Cornejo
Del Barrio Hasta Aquí, Vol. 2 – Fuerza Regida
Mi Vida En Un Cigarro 2 – Junior H
Nostalgia – Eslabón Armado
Obsessed Deluxe – Yahritza y Su Esencia

Best Song – Regional Mexican

“Chale” – Edén Muñoz
“La boda del huitlacoche (Live)” – Carin León
“No se va (En vivo)” – Grupo Frontera
“Que te vaya bien” – Julión Álvarez y su Norteño Banda
“Si me duele que duela” – Intocable

Best Collaboration – Regional Mexican

“Billete grande (En vivo)” – Fuerza Regida & Edgardo Nuñez
“Brindo” – Mario Bautista & Banda El Recodo
“Calidad” – Grupo Firme & Luis Mexia
“Con un botecito a pecho” – Adriel Favela & Carin León
“Hay que hacer dinero” – Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga & Edén Muñoz
“Jugaste y sufrí” – Eslabón Armado & DannyLux
“Que vuelvas” – Carin León & Grupo Frontera
“Se acabó (En vivo)” – Lenin Ramírez, Fuerza Regida & Banda Renovación
“Si ya hiciste el mal” – Luis R Conriquez & Jessi Uribe
“Ya acabó” – Marca MP & Becky G

Best Artist – Tropical

Carlos Vives
Marc Anthony
Prince Royce
Romeo Santos
Víctor Manuelle

Best Album – Tropical

Ahora Me Da Pena EP – Buena Vista Social Club
Cumbiana II – Carlos Vives
Fórmula, Vol. 3 – Romeo Santos
Pa’lla Voy – Marc Anthony
The Ultimate Bachata Collection – Héctor Acosta “El Torito”

Best Song – Tropical

“Despechá” – Rosalía
“Después de la playa” – Bad Bunny
“La bachata” – Manuel Turizo
“Pegao” – Camilo
“Sus huellas” – Romeo Santos

Best Collaboration – Tropical

“Baloncito viejo” – Carolos Vives & Camilo
“El pañuelo” – Romeo Santos & Rosalía
“Monotonía” – Shakira & Ozuna
“Soy yo” – Don Omar, Wisin & Gente de Zona
“Te espero” – Prince Royce & Maria Becerra

Ciara Turns Heads in Barely There Dress at Vanity Fair Oscars Party

Ciara is never a stranger to high fashion. Following the 95th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, the “1, 2 Step” singer was one of many musicians who dazzled at the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty and took to the red carpet to pose for photos at the event. Ciara, however, went for one of the more daring looks of the evening, showing up in a barely there mesh dress.

The 37-year-old posed for pictures at the even in a sheer and shimmering netted halter gown by Dundas that left little to the imagination, using black underwear and flesh-colored pasties to cover up. Ciara accessorized the look with diamond drop earrings courtesy of Cartier, black velvet elbow-length gloves and black strappy Santoni heels.

After the fashion-filled evening came to a close, Ciara shared a series of snaps in a video posted to her Instagram on Monday (March 13). Megan Thee Stallion, who also attended the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty, makes a brief cameo in the set of photos, as well as the singer’s husband, Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, who matched alongside her in a black velvet suit jacket. M.I.A.’s 2012 hit “Bad Girls” soundtracks the video.

Cardi B also attended the Vanity Fair party alongside husband Offset, Billie Eilish took boyfriend Jesse Rutherford of The Neighbourhood as her date and Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner wore matching black ensembles to the party.

See all the celebrities who attended the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscars After Party here, and see Ciara’s video below.

Diddy Is a Potential Buyer for BET Stake

Sean “Diddy” Combs is looking to acquire a majority stake in Paramount’s BET businesses, which includes BET, VH1, BET Studios and the streaming service BET+, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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As previously reported, if a deal closes, Paramount is expected to maintain a minority stake in the business, as well as a commercial relationship. Scott Mills currently serves as BET’s CEO. In January, the company announced plans to merge its Paramount+ and Showtime businesses.

In addition to Diddy, possible buyers include BET partner and producer Tyler Perry, as well as Weather Channel owner Byron Allen.

Diddy is a longtime entertainment mogul, and continues to diversify his portfolio of music, fashion, drinks and TV ventures internationally. In 2013, Combs launched REVOLT Media & TV, the first Black-owned multiplatform cable music network, and has since expanded with new businesses like Empower Global formally Shop Circulate, Our Fair Share, Love Records and cannabis distribution by acquiring Cresco Labs.

In February 2023, he rebranded his parent company from Combs Enterprises to Combs Global.

‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ Went 0-9 at the Oscars: What Other Films Have Done That?

The Banshees of Inisherin was one of just three films to receive nine or more Oscar nominations this year, along with Everything Everywhere All at Once and All Quiet on the Western Front. But while EEAAO and All Quiet each piled up multiple Oscar wins on Sunday (March 12), Banshees was shut out.

The film, which was written, directed and co-produced by Martin McDonagh, is one of only nine films in Oscar history to receive nine or more nominations and wind up with no wins at all. Six films did even worse than Banshees — four went 0-10, while two went 0-11.

Martin Scorsese directed two of the films on this list. Scorsese is universally regarded as one of the greatest directors in film history, so experiencing a shutout (or even two) does not consign someone to a hall of shame.

It’s important to keep in mind that all of these films did very well with Oscar voters. Amassing nine or more nominations is a tremendous achievement. The Oscars have just 23 categories, about one-quarter as many as the Grammys (which has 91).

So Banshees did well. It’s just that other films this year did better. Banshees lost in six categories to the unstoppable force that was EEAAO.

It’s probably not much fun for the cast and crew of a film to sit in a theater and watch their film get shut out. But there are worse fates, like not being nominated at all, or getting just a few token nods. Nothing should take away from the high the filmmakers felt when the nominations were announced – even an Oscar Night that fell short of their hopes.

Here are all the films that received nine or more nominations yet wound up with no hardware, along with the categories in which they scored their many nods.

Morgan Wallen Has Multiple Firsts on Streaming Songs Chart, Including the No. 1 Song

Morgan Wallen has the first country genre No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart by a solo man, as “Last Night” shoots to the top of the March 18-dated survey.

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It’s also just the third country track to reach No. 1 in total since the chart launched in 2013.

“Night” accumulated 47.5 million official U.S. streams in the March 3-9 tracking week, according to Luminate. That’s a 59% boost over the previous frame (30 million Feb. 24-March 2), assisted by the release of Wallen’s new album One Thing at a Time, on which “Night” is featured.

Wallen’s first Streaming Songs No. 1 follows a previous high of No. 3, achieved twice. “Wasted on You” debuted at No. 3 on the Jan. 23, 2021, ranking and “Don’t Think Jesus” did the same on the April 30, 2022, tally, while “Night” itself previously peaked at No. 3 Feb. 18.

“Night” is the third country song in Streaming Songs’ 10-year history to reach No. 1. First was Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” which crowned the Nov. 27, 2021, chart, followed by Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” which scored its first week atop the ranking on Jan. 7.

In all, Wallen boasts 30 entries on the March 18-dated Streaming Songs, most of which come from One Day at a Time. As such, Wallen breaks Drake’s record for the most simultaneous appearances on Streaming Songs in one week. That’s a mark he had held since the July 14, 2018, survey, when 28 songs on which he was either the lead artist or featured ranked upon the release of his album Scorpion.

Most Simultaneous Appearances, Streaming Songs:
30, Morgan Wallen (March 18, 2023)
28, Drake (July 14, 2018)
23, Bad Bunny (May 21, 2022)
22, Kanye West (Sept. 11, 2021)
22, Drake (July 21, 2018)
21, Lil Baby (Oct. 29, 2022)
21, Drake (Sept. 18, 2021)
21, Drake (April 8, 2017)
20, Taylor Swift (Nov. 5, 2022)
20, Drake (May 21, 2016)

Four of those songs reach the top 10, with “Night” followed by “Thinkin’ Bout Me,” which earned 21.4 million streams. And of the 30, 29 are from Time, with the other, “Wasted on You” (No. 44, 13.1 million streams), from Wallen’s previous album, Dangerous: The Double Album.

Concurrently, as previously reported, “Night” reaches No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Time rules the Billboard 200.

Oscars Producers Dish on How Lady Gaga’s Last-Minute Performance Happened

The producers behind the 2023 Academy Awards revealed in a new interview Monday (March 13) just how Lady Gaga‘s performance came together at the eleventh hour.

As reported ahead of the awards show, the Oscar-winning pop star was originally not slated to perform due to her busy schedule filming the upcoming Joker sequel Folie à Deux opposite Joaquin Phoenix. However, that changed the morning of the show, when she was announced as a last-minute performer in a surprise about-face.

“Honestly, and this is not to pat ourselves on the back, because we’re very bad at that, but we’ve built up trust in the relationship with Gaga over the years,” Oscars executive producer Ricky Kirshner told The Hollywood Reporter. “I did the Super Bowl with her and Glenn has done many awards shows with her, including the ‘Shallow’ performance on the Oscars.

“She really wanted to do something,” he continued. “She honestly was shooting her movie — there was no trickery involved. And Thursday, at four-something, we got a text that she wanted to try something, didn’t have time to put together a big performance, but wanted it to be raw and people to see the real Gaga, and, with a voice like that, you don’t need much more than that.”

Mother Monster’s resulting performance of her best original song nominee “Hold My Hand” was far from a grandiose spectacle, with the singer opting instead to wear a simple black T-shirt and ripped jeans to run through a stripped-down rendering of the Top Gun: Maverick track. “It’s deeply personal for me, and I think that we all need each other. We need a lot of love to walk through this life,” she told the audience before launching into the song.

Revisit Gaga’s latest Oscars performance below.

Prince Paul Discusses De La Soul, Dave’s Passing And More

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De La Soul's The DA.I.S.Y. Experience at Webster Hall

Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty

2023 has been a bittersweet year for Prince Paul. In a new interview, the pioneer discussed the passing of Dave aka Trugoy of, De La Soul and more.

Variety magazine caught up with the Long Island, New York native days after “The D.A.I.S.Y. Experience” event in New York, where he and other high-profile talents celebrated De La Soul’s catalog finally being made available on streaming platforms. In an in depth Q&A with journalist Todd Gilchrist, Prince Paul discussed reuniting, his contributions to the seminal 3 Feet High and Rising and more.

When asked about the “The D.A.I.S.Y. Experience” he admitted that the evening brought him back to simpler times with the legendary trio. “It felt like a reunion of sorts because I haven’t seen some people in 30 years — since De La Soul is from Amityville, we all have mutual friends, so they brought out a lot of those people” he revealed.

He also added that the amount of people that pulled up for it was also humbling. “The rappers that came out, the artists, the support was overwhelming. You knew people supported De La Soul, but you don’t really know — at least I didn’t really know — until that day. I haven’t felt that much love in one Hip-Hop event, I think, ever in my life.”

Paul also revealed that is he currently working on restoring the debut album for the digital era. To hear him tell it, the task at hand isn’t an easy one as he recognizes that he could be potentially mishandling a masterpiece. “You’ve got to figure out, okay, let me restore it. What’s the sample? Do we sample it again or do we replay it? And if we replay it, what’s the level of accuracy?” he explained.

Paul also reveals that he too was fearful that their sophomore album De La Soul is Dead, which was drastically different than its predecessor, would not be received well by fans. “I was like, ‘I don’t know how people are going to take this.’ That’s why I did the skit at the front, where the guy was like, ‘This is garbage!’ Because I was like, ‘I don’t know if people going to accept [this new attitude]’ so I’m going to beat them to the punch. I’m going to create a scenario that the record is already scrutinized. We’ll do it for you!”

You can read the interview in its entirety here. 

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