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Hot 100 First-Timers: Toosii Arrives With a New ‘Favorite Song’

Toosii has maintained a steady presence on Billboard’s charts over the past three years, but now he’s officially a Billboard Hot 100 hitmaker, as “Favorite Song” debuts on the latest list (dated March 4) at No. 51.

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The track, released Feb. 17 via SouthCoast/Capitol Records, arrives driven by 9.7 million U.S. streams in the Feb. 17-23 tracking week, according to Luminate. It concurrently debuts at No. 8 on Hot Rap Songs, marking Toosii’s first entry, and No. 17 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, where it’s his highest-charting hit.

TikTok has been instrumental in the song’s growing profile, as a sped-up version has been used in over 300,000 clips on the platform to-date. A portion of the original recording has been used in over 100,000 clips. (TikTok does not contribute to Billboard’s charts.)

The rapper (real name: Nau’Jour Grainger), from Syracuse, N.Y., first appeared on a Billboard chart in February 2020, when his set Platinum Heart debuted at No. 3 on Heatseekers Albums, before reaching No. 1 seven months later. The set hit No. 196 on the Billboard 200 that June, marking his first entry on the ranking.

Since then, Toosii has charted two additional albums on the Billboard 200: Poetic Pain (No. 17, October 2020) and Thank You for Believing (No. 25, May 2021). The latter includes collaborations with DaBaby, Fivio Foreign, Key Glock and Latto.

“Truth Be Told” became Toosii’s first charting song in September 2020, when it debuted and peaked at No. 38 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. He’s since charted three more songs at the format since then: “Love Cycle,” with Summer Walker (No. 9 peak, 2021), “5’5,” featuring Latto (No. 34, 2021), and “Love Is…” (No. 36, 2022). “Love Cycle” and “Love Is…” also reached Nos. 44 and 33 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, respectively.

Toosii further grew his audience as the supporting act, alongside Mariah the Scientist, on Rod Wave’s Beautiful Mind Tour in 2022.

Need New Earbuds? These JBL True Wireless In-Ear Headphones Are on Sale for $60

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Finding the right headphones can be a tedious process, but if you’re looking for a great deal, JBL’s Tune 125 True Wireless In-Ear Headphones are on sale for $60 at Amazon. The popular earbuds are marked down 40% off at Amazon, but only for a limited time, so you might want to hop on the discount while there’s still time.

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Prime members get free delivery on tons of items like JBL headphones. The membership includes exclusive sales, access to Prime Video, Prime Reading, Amazon Photos, Amazon Music and more for $14.99 a month (after a free 30-day trial). Not subscribed? Click here to launch your free trial to Amazon Prime.

JBL TUNE 125 TWS earbuds are perfect for listening to music, answering calls and more. The earbuds instantly link to your device and Dual Connect to choose between one or both earbuds to play music, answers calls and more.


JBL

JBL Tune 125TWS True Wireless In-Ear Headphones –

$59.95 $99.95 40% OFF

Available in multiple colors including black, white, blue and pink, the JBL Tune 125 earbuds offer 32 hours of battery life (24 hours in the case and eight hours without the case) allowing you to listen to your favorite tunes from day to night.

Snug-fitting and comfortable, the earbuds are available in three sizes of ear tips to fit your needs. In addition to Amazon, you can also purchase the earbuds on sale at other major retailers such as Walmart, JBL.com, Target and the JBL site in select colors. Interested in other JBL earbuds? The JBL Tune 215 earbuds are sold out at JBL.com but you can get them on sale at Walmart, Verizon and other retailers.

Looking for more music-related gear? Check out our picks for the best wired headphones, $99 AirPods and storage options to organize your music collection.

Blake Shelton Jokes That the ‘Only Star’ to Come Out of ‘The Voice’ Is Him

Blake Shelton is gearing up to sit in the spinning red chairs on NBC’s The Voice for the last time, as he’s set to leave the popular singing competition series after the upcoming season, which will premiere on March 6.

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The country superstar, who has been on The Voice since it premiered in 2011, sat down with his fellow season 23 coaches Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper on Monday (Feb. 27) to reflect on why he has decided to leave the show.

“I think I was close to calling it a day right when COVID hit and then, because of COVID, I didn’t want to walk away from the show and leave everybody in a bind,” Shelton revealed. “I mean, this show changed my life. I’ll stay until the world kind of gets back to normal.”

When asked what it would take for him to stay, the “God’s Country” singer teased, “I’d like for Kelly to not be on the show anymore. I’d say there’s too much Kelly Clarkson on television in general.”

On how the show impacted his life, Shelton gushed, “I met my wife [Gwen Stefani] on this show. It has changed my life in every way it possibly can, from a personal standpoint and obviously from a career standpoint. I actually read people say that the only star The Voice ever found was Blake Shelton.”

When the show’s host and producer Carson Daly reacted to that last sentence, Shelton doubled down with another joke. “It is what it is, America,” he said with a laugh.

Shelton announced his departure from The Voice back in October. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me,” he wrote in a statement posted to social media. “It’s been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns and I want to thank everyone at The Voice from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew and catering people, you are the best. It takes a lot of work, passion, and adult beverages (Ha!) to pull off a live show twice a week.”

The singer concluded his statement by thanking the contestants and the fans. “It would not happen without you,” he wrote.

As coach, the “Boys ‘Round Here” singer remains the statistically best coach in terms of winning seasons — having crowned a champ from his team in nine of the show’s 22 seasons.

Taylor Swift Has 10 Albums on the Billboard 200 Chart for the First Time in Her Career

Taylor Swift lands a rare feat on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as the superstar has 10 concurrently charting albums on the March 4-dated list.

Since the Billboard 200 was combined from its previously separate mono and stereo LP charts into one all-encompassing list in August 1963, Swift is just the fifth artist to earn the achievement. The March 4-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard’s website on Feb. 28.

On the March 4 chart, Swift holds the following titles:

No. 3 – Midnights
No. 28 – Folklore
No. 41 – Lover
No. 50 – 1989
No. 56 – Red (Taylor’s Version)
No. 58 – Lover: Live From Paris
No. 100 – reputation
No. 103 – Evermore
No. 172 – Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
No. 192 – Speak Now

Lover: Live From Paris debuts on the March 4 chart as a vinyl-only release sold exclusively through Swift’s official webstore. Lover: Live From Paris was recorded at Olympia in Paris on Sept. 9, 2019, in support of her Lover studio album. Lover: Live From Paris arrives on the tally with 13,500 equivalent album units earned – all from album sales. All nine of the other albums Swift has on the chart are former No. 1s.

Here are the acts who have placed at least 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart at the same time (since August 1963):

Taylor Swift – March 4, 2023 (10 albums)
Prince – May 28, 2016 (13)
Prince – May 21, 2016 (10)
Prince – May 14, 2016 (19)
David Bowie – Jan. 30, 2016 (10)
The Beatles – March 1, 2014 (13)
Whitney Houston – March 10, 2012 (10)
The Beatles – Dec. 4, 2010 (14)
The Beatles – Jan. 9, 2010 (11)

Prince, Bowie and Houston’s achievements came shortly after they died, following a surge of interest in their respective catalogs from music fans.

The Beatles placed 13 titles on the March 1, 2014, chart thanks in large part to gains reaped from the CBS-TV concert special The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to The Beatles, which aired Feb. 9 (and repeated Feb. 12). The special celebrated 50 years of The Beatles’ success in the United States, specifically commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Fab Four’s first live American TV performance on The Ed Sullivan Show (Feb. 9, 1964).

The Beatles also logged 14 and 11 titles, respectively, on the Dec. 4 and Jan. 9, 2010-dated charts.

On the Dec. 4, 2010 list, The Beatles logged 12 re-entries and two debuts, following the band’s belated bow in the iTunes Store. (The group had been a hold out to selling digital downloads of its albums and songs on the service until Nov. 16, 2010.)

As for The Beatles’ feat on the Jan. 9, 2010, chart, that week came shortly after the Billboard 200 began allowing older (catalog) albums to appear, beginning with the Dec. 5, 2009-dated chart. It was also not long after the band’s catalog was digitally remastered for CD reissues in September 2009.

Some history on the Billboard 200 chart: The list began publishing as a regular, weekly fixture with the March 24, 1956-dated chart, where Harry Belafonte’s Belafonte was the No. 1 album in the U.S. At the time, the chart was only 10 positions and was named Best Selling Pop Albums. (Its name would change only a week later, to Best Selling Popular Albums.)

Prior to March 24, 1956, Billboard had tracked album popularity, but not consistently. The first overall album chart appeared 11 years earlier, on March 24, 1945. That chart was published on an irregular basis until it became a weekly fixture starting with the March 24, 1956 issue of Billboard magazine.

Notably, for a little over four years (between May 25, 1959-Aug. 10, 1963), the album chart was split into two separate lists, each tracking the sales of mono or stereo-recorded albums. These two charts were named Best Selling Monophonic LPs and Best Selling Stereophonic LPs. The names of the charts would change slightly over time, but Billboard would publish two charts for mono and stereo albums until Aug. 10, 1963. The following week, Aug. 17, 1963, the mono and stereo charts folded back into one overall chart.

The chart would grow to 200 positions in 1967. In 1992, and after a number of name changes, the chart would settle on its current name, Billboard 200.

As for how the Billboard 200 chart is compiled… through the May 18, 1991-dated chart, the chart ranked the week’s top-selling albums in the U.S., based on reports obtained from record stores. On the May 25, 1991-dated chart, the list began using electronically monitored point-of-sale purchase information courtesy of SoundScan, Inc. (now known as Luminate).

The chart would continue to rank the week’s top-selling albums by traditional album sales through the Dec. 6, 2014-dated chart. The following week (Dec. 13, 2014), the list transformed again, becoming a multi-metric popularity chart, ranking overall consumption, as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.

Older albums (known as catalog albums; generally defined today as titles 18 months old or older), were mostly restricted from charting on the Billboard 200 from May 25, 1991-Nov. 28, 2009. From Dec. 5, 2009-onwards, catalog and current (new/recently released) albums chart together on the Billboard 200. Today, older albums regularly spend hundreds of weeks on the chart – such as Journey’s Greatest Hits (more than 700 weeks) and Eminem’s Curtain Call: The Hits (nearly 600).

Because of the chart’s methodology (primarily the inclusion of streaming activity in 2014) and the ability for catalog albums to chart (since 2009), some albums now continue to rank on the list for a much longer time than albums in previous eras, when the chart was effectively a sales-only tally for current releases.

Canada Bans TikTok on All Government-issued Mobile Devices

Canada announced Monday it is banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices, reflecting widening worries from Western officials over the Chinese-owned video sharing app.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it might be a first step to further action.

“I suspect that as government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices,” Trudeau said.

The European Union’s executive branch said last week it has temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure.

The EU’s action follows similar moves in the U.S., where more than half of the states and Congress have banned TikTok from official government devices.

Last week, Canada’s federal privacy watchdog and its provincial counterparts in British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec announced an investigation to delve into whether the app complies with Canadian privacy legislation.

TikTok is wildly popular with young people, but its Chinese ownership has raised fears that Beijing could use it to collect data on Western users or push pro-China narratives and misinformation. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.

TikTok faces intensifying scrutiny from Europe and America over security and data privacy amid worries that the app could be used to promote pro-Beijing views or sweep up users’ information. It comes as China and the West are locked in a wider tug of war over technology ranging from spy balloons to computer chips.

Canadian Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said the federal government will also block the app from being downloaded on official devices in the future.

Fortier said in statement the Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that it “presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.”

The app will be removed from Canadian government issued phones on Tuesday.

“On a mobile device, TikTok’s data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone,” Fortier said.

“While the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised.”

Recent media reports have also raised concerns about potential Chinese interference in recent Canadian elections, prompting opposition parties to call for a public inquiry into alleged foreign election interference.

“It’s curious that the Government of Canada has moved to block TikTok on government-issued devices—without citing any specific security concern or contacting us with questions—only after similar bans were introduced in the EU and the US,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a email.

The company is always available to discuss the privacy and security of Canadians, the statement said. “Singling out TikTok in this way does nothing to achieve that shared goal,” the email said. “All it does is prevent officials from reaching the public on a platform loved by millions of Canadians.”

Lizzo Playfully Covers Rammstein’s ‘Du Hast’ at German Tour Stop

Lizzo showed off her knack for German by covering Rammstein on a tour stop in Hamburg, Germany, last week.

“Du, du hast/ Du hast mich!/ Oma!/ Du, du hast/ Du hast mich!” the star playfully chanted onstage at the European city’s Barclays Arena, in a reference to Rammstein’s 1997 single “Du Hast” from their sophomore album Sehnsucht. “Nein! Oh, Hamburg, I’m having fun, bi–h!” she then declared in her sparkling, rainbow sequined dress.

“Germany = Rammstein,” a TikTok user captioned the fan-captured video, adding, “She had just learned how to say ‘Oma’, that’s why she incorporated it.”

Lizzo’s ardent fandom certainly appreciated her knowledge of the German metal rockers, flooding the comments section with elated reactions. “Lizzo knowing Rammstein is everything I ever needed,” one wrote, while another ecstatically typed, “Just imagine her and Till on stage together I bet it would be hilarious.” Of course, several others called for a Lizzo/Rammstein collaboration.

At another concert during the week, Lizzo also re-created Ariana DeBose’s viral opening number from the 2023 BAFTA Awards, complete with the West Side Story breakout star’s shimmy of the shoulders and impassioned delivery of “Angela Bassett did the thing!”

Currently, the European leg of The Special Tour is slated to continue through the middle of March, with stops in Berlin, Milan, Paris, Dublin and London before Lizzo heads back to the U.S. for a second North American leg beginning April 21 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.

Watch Lizzo nail her German pronunciation with a bit of Rammstein’s “Du Hast” below.

Haley Lu Richardson Says Jonas Brothers’ ‘Wings’ Video Is ‘The Biggest Role of My Career’

The White Lotus who? According to Haley Lu Richardson, nothing in her career will ever top starring in the Jonas Brothers‘ music video for their new single “Wings.”

“Oh man, I don’t know where to start. It’s the biggest thing of my life,” she told The Hollywood Reporter at the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night. “It’s the biggest role of my career: past, present and future. It was amazing and I cried for three days straight.”

The JoBros superfan also dished from the red carpet about how she got the news that Nick, Kevin and Joe Jonas wanted her to take part in the video. “I was driving down the PCH [Pacific Coast Highway], and I was checking my voicemails, and one was from a number I didn’t have saved,” Richardson explained. “And I played it, and it was like, ‘Hey, Haley, this is Joe Jonas. And me and my brothers just had this idea about this video. So, uh, give me a call back.’”

Admitting she then replayed Joe’s message “like 12 more times” before pulling the car over, playing it “another 20 times” and bursting into tears, The White Lotus star eventually mustered up the wherewithal to call back. “And I just told him I would do anything for him,” she went on. “Literally anything. And then I met them and was in this video.”

Richardson first went public with her love for the Jonases in a December appearance on The Late Late Show With James Corden, during which Nick surprised her via FaceTime and she fell into near-catatonic shock.

Watch Richardson excitedly recount how she ended up in the “Wings” clip above, and watch the music video below.

Madonna Remembers Late Brother Anthony Ciccone, Thanks Him for Planting ‘Many Important Seeds’ for Her

Madonna took to her Instagram Stories on Monday (Feb. 27) to remember her older brother Anthony Ciccone, who died over the weekend at age 66.

“Thank you for blowing my mind as a young girl and introducing me to Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Buddhism, Taoism, Charles Bukowski, Richard Brautigan, Jack Kerouac, Expansive Thinking, Outside the Box,” the Queen of Pop wrote alongside a photo of herself sitting at a table with her brother and their group of friends. “You planted many important seeds.”

See the photo here on Madonna’s Instagram Story before it disappears.

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Madonna’s brother-in-law Joe Henry, a musician who is married to the icon’s sister Melanie Ciccone, announced the news of Anthony’s passing via Instagram on Saturday (Feb. 25). “My brother-in-law, Anthony Gerard Ciccone, exited this earthly plane last evening,” Henry wrote alongside a photo of his brother-in-law. “I’ve known him since I was 15, in the spring of our lives in Michigan so many years now gone. As brother Dave Henry (who took this photograph) notes here, Anthony was a complex character; and god knows: we tangled in moments, as true brothers can.”

Henry continued, “But I loved him, and understood him better than I was sometimes willing to let on. But trouble fades; and family remains — with hands reached across the table. Farewell, then, brother Anthony. I want to think the god your blessed mother (and mine) believed in has her there, waiting to receive you. At least for today, no one shall dissuade me from this vision.”

Further details about Ciccone’s passing were not provided.

Angela Bassett Did The Thing & More Winners & All The NAACP 2023 Image Awards Winners

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54th NAACP Image Awards - Show

Source: Amy Sussman / Getty / Angela Bassett

The 54th NAACP Image Awards went down last night live for the first time in front of an audience for the first time in three years, and it was an evening full of Black excellence.

Queen Latifah held down the hosting duties during the 2-hour special that aired on BET and was held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California.

Understandably, the awards show has not had a live component since the coronavirus pandemic came and shut every damn thing down. Last year’s show was a hybrid presentation because it was partially virtual and featured live appearances from live presenters, award winners, and honorees.

As expected, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever took home the big honor of winning the Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture.

Wakanda Forever star Angela Bassett took home three awards: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for emotional performance as Queen Ramonda in the MCU film, Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for 911, and night’s biggest honor Entertainer of The Year.

During her speech, Bassett showed love to Ariana DeBose, who was ridiculed for her BAFTA Awards rap featuring the lyric “Angela Bassett Did The Thing.”

DeBose wound up deleting her Twitter account following the ridicule she received. Bassett did reveal she reached out to the West Side Story star to see if she was okay following the “ridicule.”

Other Notable NAACP Image Award Winners

Will Smith, who was not in attendance, won the Outstanding Actor award for his performance in the AppleTV+ film Emancipation.

Viola Davis, the most recent person to reach EGOT status, won Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her performance in The Woman King.

Beyoncé didn’t get the recognition she deserved at The Grammys, but her latest project, Rennaissance, was appreciated at the Image Awards, winning Outstanding Album.

It was a night of celebrating nothing but Black Excellence in many different categories.

You can see some of the winners from the night below and here for the complete list.

Motion Picture Categories

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Motion Picture

Tenoch Huerta Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture

The Inspection 

Outstanding International Motion Picture

Bantú Mama

Outstanding Breakout Performance In A Motion Picture

Jalyn Hall, Till

Outstanding Ensemble Cast In A Motion Picture

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Outstanding Animated Motion Picture 

Wendell & Wild

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance – Motion Picture

Keke Palmer, Lightyear 

Outstanding Short-Form (Live Action)

Dear Mama…

Outstanding Short-Form (Animated)

More Than I Want to Remember

Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Motion Picture)

Ericka Nicole Malone, Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story

Television Categories

Outstanding Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series

 Cedric The Entertainer, The Neighborhood

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series

Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Janelle James, Abbott Elementary

Outstanding Drama Series

P-Valley

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series

Nicco Annan, P-Valley

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Power Book II: Ghost

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Loretta Devine, P-Valley

Outstanding Television Movie, Limited Series or Dramatic Special

The Best Man: The Final Chapters

Photo: Amy Sussman / Getty