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08 Mar 2023

Queens Public Library Celebrates Hip-Hop With New Program Guided By Ralph McDaniels

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VJ Ralph McDaniels

Source: handout / Bryan McDaniels

A public library system in New York City is launching a new program celebrating 50 years of Hip-Hop, with the guidance of the legendary “Uncle” Ralph McDaniels.

Last week, the Queens Public Library announced a partnership with over 30 libraries, colleges, and art institutions nationwide to honor the culture of Hip-Hop celebrating 50 years of existence. The partnership was made possible through funding via a $267,760 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) That has led to the launch of “Collections of Culture: 50 Years of Hip Hop Inside Libraries, Museums, and Archives,” which will be coordinated by the library’s Hip-Hop coordinator, Ralph McDaniels. 

McDaniels, the beloved host of the iconic Video Music Box television show has been in that role with the library since 2015. As a venerable archivist of the culture, the Brooklyn native has been instrumental in providing education about all of the elements of Hip-Hop. “Hip-hop has been a learning tool for many years,” McDaniels said in the statement. “We are humbled by the IMLS grant and the response we have received from our partners and collaborators and excited that communities around the country will come together to deepen their understanding of Hip-Hop as it turns 50.”

The six-month program kicked off last Monday (February 27th) as Grammy Award-winner and Hip-Hop pioneer Chuck D joined McDaniels at the Central Branch of the QPL for a discussion on the culture turning 50 and the borough of Queens’ impact as well as other subjects. The QPL is also working with The Gates Preserve, a multimedia hip-hop archiving and preservation firm that is helping each institution create original programming along with creating a digital archive of each event for QPL’s Digital Hip-Hop Archive.

“QPL’s hip-hop program has drawn people of all ages and backgrounds to our spaces and has created a unique community connected by a love for music and knowledge,” said QPL President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott in the release. “We are thrilled to share our experience with libraries, museums, and other educational institutions across the country to celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, and we are grateful to the Institute of Museum and Library Services and our partners for their tremendous support in making sure that hip hop remains part of our culture for generations to come.”

For more information on upcoming programs, check out the dedicated website here.

08 Mar 2023

21 Powerful Latin Female Collaborations to Celebrate International Women’s Day

Women’s History Month kicked off strong with three Spanish-speaking artists being honored at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music awards on March 1 in Los Angeles. 

Rosalía received the first-ever producer of the year award, presented by Bose, where she expressed that women winning awards for being behind the scenes is unusual; Becky G was awarded the impact award, where she opened up about following her dreams as a 200 percenter (100 percent Latina and 100 percent American); and Ivy Queen was honored with the icon award — becoming the first reggaetónera to receive this merit — where she talked about her battles of finding a spot in the male-dominated reggaetón genre.

What’s even more remarkable about these three women in music is that in addition to each leading their individual successful careers, they’re all about supporting their female colleagues, best seen in their collaborations. 

For International Women’s Day, celebrated each year on March 8, Billboard compiled 21 powerful collabs between Latin female artists. The list includes unapologetic bangers, such as iLe and Ivy Queen’s latest track “Algo Bonito” and Ptazeta and Villano Antillano’s “Mujerón,” as well as ultimate breakup songs, such as Becky G and Karol G’s “MAMIII,” and of course Karol’s Shakira-assisted “TQG.” There’s also a couple of joints that are all about reflection and finding your self-worth after a toxic relationship, such as Kany García and Mon Laferte’s “Se Portaba Mal” and India and Goyo’s “Nubes Negras.” 

Check out the full list, in alphabetical order by the artist’s first name, below:

08 Mar 2023

Sexual Harassment, Ageism & Unequal Pay Are Greatest Barriers to Gender Equality in the Music Industry, New Report Says

As the world marks International Women’s Day 2023, a new study is illuminating the pervasive and ongoing barriers to gender equality in the music industry — and how to combat them.

Out Wednesday (March 8), 2023’s BE THE CHANGE: Gender Equality in the Music Industry study was conducted by Luminate, Tunecore and Believe. This study (available in full here) synthesizes the responses of more than 1,650 creators, industry professionals and executives from 109 countries and includes male, female and gender-expansive perspectives.

The globally distributed online survey considered respondents’ ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, parental status, location and age, among other factors.

Primary findings include that in the past year, 34% of women in the music industry had experienced sexual harassment or abuse, 60% of women and 62% of nonbinary individuals felt that discrimination based on age was a significant problem and 53% of respondents felt that cisgender men are paid more than others in the music industry.

The report also highlights a perception gap around these issues, stating that “the music industry has a clear disconnect in how we assume industry professionals and artists experience the industry and the reality.” The survey indicates that 60% of respondents believe gender discrimination is a major issue in the music industry. Women and nonbinary individuals are likelier to see gender discrimination as an issue as compared to men.

The report also found “alarming” rates of sexual harassment and abuse in the music industry, often against women and gender-expansive individuals. Many respondents reported that they did not find adequate resources for survivors or consequences for offenders. Thirty-four percent of women, 42% of trans individuals and 43% of nonbinary individuals who participated in the survey report being sexually harassed or abused at work.

The study also found that gender discrimination in the music industry is compounded by the discrimination of other marginalized groups, with inadequate representation and tokenism complicating women and gender expansive individuals’ experience in the industry. “Minority women, for example, are 114% more likely than average to feel that their hiring decision was, in part, based on their racial, ethnic, tribal background, or country of origin,” the report states.

The industry wage gap also remains a significant problem. Fifty-three percent of respondents agreed that cisgender men are paid more than others, while half of the surveyed women report “having their or another’s professional or career experience discredited, which impacts earning potential in the industry.”

These issues are also compounded by an ongoing lack of equal leadership, with 30% of women, 30% of underrepresented ethnic groups and 74% of transgender individuals reported being passed on for a promotion. Furthermore, 42% of women and 98% of trans people are said that they don’t have access to professional training/development opportunities.

Given these issues, it’s perhaps unsurprising that 76% of women, 82% of trans individuals and 89% of nonbinary individuals reported struggling with their mental health since entering the music industry. 

The report also offers statistics on equality in streaming by determining the percentage of female and nonbinary artists represented in the top 50 artists by combined streams in multiple countries last year. South Korea ranked highest in equality, with 48% of the top 50 artist spaces occupied by female and nonbinary artists, while Colombia ranked lowest with just 10%. In the United States and Canada, 21% of the top 50 positions are occupied by women and nonbinary artists.

Beyond outlining the challenges, the report also suggests straightforward solutions. These include creating more transparent dialogues around pay within organizations, the creation of employee resource groups that help advance gender equality, the creation of diverse hiring committees, the creation and implementation of policies that protect survivors of sexual harassment and the removal of NDAs that often prohibit those that have experienced sexual harassment from speaking out.

Respondents reported that they believe executives, companies, major labels and artists are in the best position to create such changes.

“The good news is that BE THE CHANGE is now in its third year and we’ve seen the study’s impact,”  TuneCore CEO Andreea Gleeson said in a statement. “It’s been quoted by the United Nations and widely discussed in creator and executive circles across the industry. But here’s the bad news – we need more change. We, as individuals and as an industry must heed the calls to action and do just that – take action. Small changes add up and if we each do something different each day, week, month, year, we will see a sea change in the industry. So let’s go!”

08 Mar 2023

Motown Icon Valerie Simpson Talks ‘Girls With Impact,’ Songwriter Advice & New Projects

“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” “I’m Every Woman.” “Your Precious Love.” “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing.” Those are just a few of the gems recorded by Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and Whitney Houston, among others, that were penned by the legendary songwriting team Valerie Simpson and the late Nickolas Ashford — aka Ashford & Simpson. In honor of International Women’s Day, Simpson will be performing many of her and husband Ashford’s signature songs for a benefit concert honoring the Girls With Impact organization at New York City’s The Town Hall Wednesday (March 8).

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The benefit concert’s additional performers include America’s Got Talent winner and singer-songwriter Darci Lynne, and the family musical collective Infinity Song. In tandem with the concert, Girls With Impact — a live online business and leadership program for young women aged 14-24 — is also saluting its 2023 Advancing Equity honorees. In addition to recognizing Simpson for her music contributions, the organization is honoring The Luke & Meadow Foundation founder Amy France (philanthropy), Citi’s head of brand engagement and global integration Nikki Darden (business) and Tina Tchen (public service) for her work with the Obama Foundation and White House Council of Women and Girls.

“It’s very inspiring to think that after all these years, I can be an inspiration to young women who are just finding their way,” says Simpson. “And also that my career represents something that gives them hope; where they can see opportunity through what I’ve been through … and I’ve been through a lot.

“That’s also why I’m looking forward to tonight,” she continues, “because [Girls With Impact] also serve women in the Bronx, which is where I’m from. I know how hard it is to come from an area that doesn’t see you the way you want to be seen. I made it out of the Bronx and was able to keep going, so I certainly would like help young women from there.”

The Songwriters Hall of Fame member, Motown icon and multiplatinum artist also touched on other topics during her chat with Billboard. Read on for more:

Her biggest challenge as an emerging songwriter: Looking back, it was almost like [she and Ashford] went to musical college, which was Motown. And they gave a song the benefit of having great artists. So we were very fortunate as they were all open to us. Coming up with the right piece of material was hard, but then it became easy. However, I think the hardest thing was getting a producer’s contract. Because for a woman at that time, there were very few of us working as producers. So when I finally got that, it made things a lot easier because then you could instruct how you wanted your song to come out.

But we were having so much fun [writing songs]. We just wanted to get an advance so we could keep writing. It became a heart’s desire; something I didn’t know I would be good at. The more we did it, the more we loved it and the better we got. So I never got discouraged. The thing that I loved most was the idea that you could come up with something that had never been said, say it in a way that nobody else had and, from there, touch people and change lives.

The song prompting the duo’s first producer contract: That came with our third song. We had “Ain’t No Mountain…” with Marvin and Tammi, which we wrote but didn’t produce. Then the same thing happened with “Your Precious Love.” But we would always send [Motown] great demos. So they knew we knew how we wanted a song to go. Finally, we came up with “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing.” And I went to Berry [Motown founder Gordy] and asked if we could produce it. He said no because other producers wanted to do it. Then he decided to give us a chance and then see whichever producer’s version came out the best. That was all we needed. And that’s how we got our start as producers.

Becoming a singer in addition to writing: We both thought of ourselves as songwriters; that was the first thing we wanted to do. Singing came much later: After seven years at Motown, we decided let’s try it now. But as a singer then, I felt like a novice even though I done some background [singing] before. You could always make a little money doing that. Actually, it was Quincy Jones who was the first person that taught me as a singer because my first solos were on his albums. I recently reminded him of that, remembering that I  didn’t even think of myself that way. But he heard something in me and put me on those records, you know? And that’s what started me realizing that perhaps I could sing.

Advice to women and women of color aspiring to be artists, songwriters or producers: You have to know and practice your craft. You also have to be able to take criticism. Then if you take the criticism but still really believe in yourself, then go ahead. There are a lot of little things that can stand in your way. But you have to hang in there long enough and not be discouraged after the first time that you don’t make money. At the Sugar Bar Restaurant in New York, which I still own, I see young singers, songwriters and producers, and I’m happy to talk to them.

New projects: I don’t want to take so many bows for what I’ve done; I also have things I’ve yet to do. One of those is working on the Ashford & Simpson story. We’re talking everything from documentary, biopic, book, podcast, a Broadway or off-Broadway show. There are so many avenues open now that weren’t open when I first started. But right now, I’m having fun writing the story. At this point in my life, I’m going to show warts and all; be honest about what it was like. And as I’m going through it, I’m really finding myself. 

08 Mar 2023

Official HIGE DANdism’s ‘Subtitle’ Logs 13th Week at No. 1 on Japan Hot 100

Official HIGE DANdism’s “Subtitle” returns to No. 1 after six weeks on the latest Billboard Japan Hot 100, released Wednesday (March 8).

The smash hit ballad by the four-man band broke the record previously held by Gen Hoshino’s “Koi” for most weeks atop the Japan Hot 100 on the chart released Jan. 25, hitting the peak position for the 12th non-consecutive week. The track continued to coast along in the top 3 while other songs came and went above it, moving 2-2-2-3-2 and now rising again to rule the chart for the 13th time.

“Subtitle” has been consistently strong in streaming, and while this week’s count drops below the 10 million threshold, the track continues to dominate the metric for the 20th consecutive weeks with 9,471,511 streams.

Mukade & Inman’s “Kimi no mama” (“The way you are”) rises 13-7 this week, marking the first top ten hit for the young rapper duo. The mellow love song is the third release by the rapper duo consisting of the winner and contestant of Japan’s High School RAP Competition, a stepping stone for aspiring hip-hop artists. The track, which dropped in February, increased by 4.5 percent in streaming from the previous week with 6,886,852 weekly streams, moving 4-3 for the metric and looking like it could rise further up the charts.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.

See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Feb. 27 to Mar. 5, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.

08 Mar 2023

Watch J-Hope Dance ‘On the Street’ With Jay Park

J-Hope jumped on TikTok on Wednesday (March 8) to dance through his new single, “On the Street,” with an assist from Jay Park.

“J-Park Drive on the J-Hope Street,” the Jack in the Box rapper captioned the post in Korean, which was shared on the official BTS account. In the video, J-Hope mugs for the camera before panning to reveal Park sitting on a staircase. After whistling over the single’s instrumental opening, the duo launch into a laidback dance routine down a hallway as the chorus of “Every time I walk/ Every time I run/ Every time I move/ As always, for us/ Every time I look/ Every time I love/ Every time I hope/ As always, for us” plays over top.

Park’s appearance with J-Hope comes nearly a year after the hip-hop artist posted a photo with the latter’s bandmate Jung Kook. However a faction of ARMY has taken issue with the rapper’s apparent friendship with the members of BTS after he called pioneering group BIGBANG “probably the biggest K-pop boy band in history” in a February 2020 interview, which fans perceived as a slight against the Bangtan Boys.

Still, others couldn’t get enough of J-Hope showing off his b-boy roots in the comments section. One fan wrote, “hobi best dancer” with two emoji hearts on fire, while another commented, “Hobi tiktoking with everyone before leaving and leaving his mark on the industry.” Others begged the “Arson” rapper to film other dance videos with bandmates Jung Kook and RM.

Earlier this week, J-Hope and Jimin paid Jin a surprise visit at his army base, which the eldest member of BTS — who’s currently serving his government-mandated time in the Korean military — posted on his Instagram feed. Hobi, meanwhile, began his own enlistment process prior to announcing the release of his latest collab with J. Cole.

Watch J-Hope and Park dance to “On the Street” below.

08 Mar 2023

Becky G Wins American Express Impact Award at Billboard’s Women In Music 2023

Becky G received the American Express Impact Award at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music Awards for using her platform to support underrepresented populations in the United States and Latin America.

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From being a co-chair of Michelle Obama’s voter registration nonprofit, When We All Vote, to supporting LatinX artists with her makeup brand, Treslúce Beauty, the star is constantly using her platform to inspire others and make a positive impact.

Becky G accepted the American Express Impact Award at YouTube Theater during Billboard’s highly anticipated Women In Music event on Wednesday, March 1. Music fans in attendance and at-home watching on YouTube and Billboard.com were treated to a special live rendition of her hit song “MAMIII.”

Becky G Accepts the American Express Impact Award at Billboard Women in Music

Throughout her career, Becky G has stayed true to her identity as a “200%er.” Born Rebecca Marie Gomez, she is a Hispanic 200%er, identifying as 100% Mexican and 100% American born to second-generation immigrants. She started her career in entertainment as a child, initially booking commercials and voiceover opportunities to help financially support her family before deciding she wanted to be a musician. Since then, Gomez has seen massive success with five career Billboard Top 10s on the Hot Latin Songs Chart and over two billion song streams in the U.S.

Fellow pop star Dove Cameron presented the Impact Award, detailing Gomez’s success and the extent of her philanthropy. Cameron showed admiration for her dedication to supporting underrepresented communities and cited examples of how Gomez previously has leveraged her platform to raise awareness for the Black Lives Matter movement and DREAMers.

Becky G delivered her powerful acceptance speech in a mix of English and Spanish. “Tomorrow is my birthday,” Gomez said while holding back tears. “And I cannot help but think this is some kind of crazy sign from God that this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

“It’s wild because I’m receiving this award that’s called the Impact Award but it’s just as impactful on me and my life and my career for so many reasons,” Gomez continued “But especially because I made a vow to my community, to my family, to my younger self that maybe the promise wasn’t that I wouldn’t leave where I came from, but that I would take where I’m from wherever I go.”

Even though there is always work to be done, Becky G is committed to making an impact in music and beyond.

“Without fear, there is no courage and with that same courage, we can make impact,” she concluded.

This feature was created in paid partnership with American Express, check out more from Women in Music here.

08 Mar 2023

Jennifer Lopez Is Going to Drop Her New Album When It’s Hot

Let’s get loud this summer! Jennifer Lopez announced during Spotify’s Stream On event on Wednesday (March 8) that her ninth studio album, This Is Me … Now, is set to arrive sometime in the summer.

“My upcoming album This Is Me … Now is coming out this summer,” she shared while discussing the music streaming service’s new Countdown Pages. “Yes, you heard it here first. I’m super excited. Spotify is beginning to roll these pages out to more artists around the world, letting them bring their own personalized strategy to each and every album.”

The upcoming set is a follow-up to her third studio album, 2002’s This Is Me … Then. She has not yet revealed the exact release date for … Now.

The singer-actress — who recently co-starred alongside husband Ben Affleck for Dunkin’ Donuts’ Super Bowl commercial — first announced This Is Me … Now back in November, on the 20th anniversary of … Then. Lopez later described the album in her Vogue cover story as a “culmination” of who she is. “People think they know things about what happened to me along the way, the men I was with — but they really have no idea, and a lot of times they get it so wrong,” she told the fashion magazine. “There’s a part of me that was hiding a side of myself from everyone. And I feel like I’m at a place in my life, finally, where I have something to say about it.”

The “On the Floor” singer — who has four Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s and two albums that reached the summit of the Billboard 200 — also revealed the 13-song tracklist in November. In addition to the title track, the album will also include songs such as “To Be Yours,” “Mad in Love,” “Dear Ben Pt. II” and “Hummingbird.” In a December edition of her On the JLo newsletter, she explained the significance of “Hummingbird.”

“To me, hummingbirds are messengers of love,” she explained at the time. “I identify with them, but more than anything, whenever I see one, I feel like it’s a sign from God that everything is going to be OK.”

The star went on to note that she chose to a hummingbird theme for this past holiday season, which she celebrated with Affleck and their blended family: “I wanted to have a tree in the house that was a hummingbird tree, reminding us that everything done in love and with love will always be OK.”

Watch J. Lo announce the season for This Is Me … Now above.

08 Mar 2023

Nick Cannon’s Tweet Was Elaborate Promotion For An Upcoming E! Celebrity Prank Show With Kevin Hart

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Nick Cannon & Kevin Hart Teaming Up For 'Celebrity Prank Wars'

Source: Variety / Getty / Nick Cannon

Don’t worry y’all. Nick Cannon is not having another kid…YET.

The N’Credible seed-spreading mogul had Twitter buzzing, thinking another kid who would get a ridiculous name was on the way. “EXPECT some big news tomorrow,” along with eyes and a baby bottle emojis he wrote in the cryptic tweet that had users screaming another one like they were DJ Khaled.

He followed that tweet with a viral clip claiming he is “expecting a new show on E!” called “Whos Having My Baby” along with Kevin Hart as a host.

In the clip, Hart tells Cannon, “You’re gonna get some contestants that want to have your baby.”

Nick Cannon & Kevin Hart Got Us Good

The clip immediately sparked confusion among people and even news outlets, with the Today Show reporting on it as if this was an actual show coming to E!

Welp, it was an elaborate prank and a genius way to promote Kevin Hart’s new show Celebrity Prank Wars, coming to E! on April 6. The show will see the duo take their “friendly feud” to another comical level, including their famous friends.

This will be the second gameshow Hart has with the network. He is currently the host of Celebrity Game Face, a job he has held since 2020.

Per The Hollywood Reporter:

Episodes will see stars “planning and perpetrating some of the wildest and most viral pranks on each other,” according to the network, with co-hosts Cannon and Hart selecting the winner of each prank war. Each prank is expected to be more elaborate than the next. The show’s celebrity participants will include Anthony Anderson, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Lil Duval, Big E, Fantasia, Tiffany Haddish, Taraji P. Henson, Lil Jon, Kofi Kingston, Ludacris, Joel McHale, Killer Mike, Chance the Rapper, T-Pain, Robin Thicke, T.I. and Xavier Woods.

No More Babies At The Moment

So breathe a sigh of relief, Nick Cannon is not procreating at the moment, but there is still a chance as he awaits a message from God telling him to chill.

Will you be tuning into Celebrity Prank Wars? It sounds like it could be a hilarious watch.

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Photo: Variety / Getty