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13 Feb 2023

35 Albums on the Billboard 200 Chart Gain in Wake of 2023 Grammy Awards

On the Billboard 200 chart (dated Feb. 18), 35 albums post unit gains thanks to either performances, presentations or on-air wins during the CBS-TV broadcast of the 2023 Grammy Awards (Feb. 5).

Leading the way at the top of the chart is presenter SZA, whose SOS album reclaims the No. 1 slot with 100,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 9 (up less than 1%), according to Luminate. SZA presented the best música urbana album category during the ceremony, which was won by Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti (8-7 with 45,000 units; up 16%). Bad Bunny also opened the show with a medley of two songs from the album.

Also in the top 10 is Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, which took home a pair of awards on the CBS broadcast (pop vocal album, album of the year). It jumps 13-9 with 38,000 equivalent album units (up 51%). Styles also performed the album’s lead single “As It Was” on the show.

Other notables among the 35 Grammy-boosted titles on the Billboard 200 include: Beyoncé’s Renaissance (climbing 24-11 with 37,000 equivalent album units; up 109%), Steve Lacy’s Gemini Rights (70-46 with 14,000; up 16%), Lizzo’s Special (194-89 with 11,000; up 52%), Adele’s 30 (134-93 with 11,000; up 25%) and Samara Joy’s Linger Awhile (a debut at No. 158 with 8,000; up 319%). On the CBS broadcast, Renaissance won best dance/electronic album, Lacy performed the Gemini Rights hit (and nominated track) “Bad Habit,” Lizzo won record of the year for the Special single “About Damn Time” and performed a medley of “About” and the album’s title track, Adele won best pop solo performance for the 30 single “Easy On Me” and Samara Joy won best new artist.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. 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. The new Feb. 18, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Feb. 14. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Here are the rest of the Grammy gainers on the Billboard 200:

Performer Lil Baby’s It’s Only Me (12-13 with 27,000 equivalent album units; up 1%) and My Turn (22-21 with 19,000; up 6%); performer Luke Combs’ Growin’ Up (19-19 with 20,000; up 6%), This One’s for You (36-34 with 16,000; up 5%) and What You See Is What You Get (44-38 with 15,000; up 4%); SZA’s Ctrl (20-22 with 19,000; up 1%), presenter Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour (23-23 with 18,000; up 2%), winner Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city (27-24 with 18,000; up 6%), DAMN. (42-30 with 16,000; up 11%), Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (59-39 with 15,000; up 20%) and To Pimp a Butterfly (a re-entry at No. 168 with 8,000; up 26%). Mr. Morale won best rap album during the CBS broadcast, and Lamar was on-hand to accept the trophy.

Mick Fleetwood took part in the CBS broadcast, performing Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird” in tribute to its late songwriter, his former Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie. (He joined Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Raitt in the performance.) Fleetwood Mac sees its Rumours album (which includes the original version of “Songbird”) rise 29-26 (17,000 equivalent album units earned; up 4%) and Greatest Hits climb 198-189 (8,000; up 5%).

Performer Chris Stapleton’s Traveller (66-61 with 12,000; up 4%) and Starting Over (113-100 with 11,000; up 7%); Styles’ Fine Line (68-48 with 14,000; up 15%) and his self-titled debut (190-161 with 8,000; up 11%); Bad Bunny’s YHLQMDLG (98-73 with 12,000; up 11%) and El Ultimo Tour del Mundo (a re-entry at No. 187 with 8,000; up 8%); performer Lil Uzi Vert’s Luv Is Rage 2 (94-87 with 11,000; up 4%) and Eternal Atake (126-124 with 10,000; up 2%) and Quavo and Takeoff’s Only Built for Infinity Links (103-109 with 10,000; up less than 1%). Quavo performed during the In Memoriam segment in tribute to the late Takeoff.

Rounding out the Grammy gainers on the Billboard 200 are winner Adele’s 21 (162-141 with 9,000 equivalent album units; up 10%) and 25 (192-156 with 8,000; up 14%), winner Dr. Dre’s Dr. Dre – 2001 (149-142 with 9,000; up 4%), performer Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III (163-151 with 9,000; up 8%) and performer and winner Sam Smith’s In the Lonely Hour (164-157 with 8,000; up 5%).

13 Feb 2023

Samara Joy’s ‘Linger Awhile’ Hits No. 1 on Multiple Billboard Charts After Best New Artist Grammy Win

Samara Joy shakes up Billboard’s charts, as the Grammy Award winner for best new artist hits No. 1 on Jazz Albums, Traditional Jazz Albums and Heatseekers Albums for the first time (all on the lists dated Feb. 18) with Linger Awhile. The set, which was released last September, also reaches the top 10 of the Top Album Sales and Top Current Album Sales charts, while additionally debuting on the Billboard 200.

All charts dated Feb. 18 will be posted to Billboard.com on Tuesday, Feb. 14.

The 23-year-old Joy was presented the best new artist trophy during the CBS-TV broadcast of the main ceremony of the Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, while she also won another Grammy that day, for best jazz vocal album for Linger Awhile. (That award was presented during the non-televised Premiere Ceremony that streamed live on the Grammy.com website.)

Linger Awhile earned 8,500 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 9 (up 319%), according to Luminate. Of that sum, traditional album sales comprise 6,500 (up 316%). Linger Awhile tallies the largest week, by both units and album sales, for any non-holiday non-reissue jazz album in over a year – since Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s Love for Sale earned 12,000 units (of which nearly all were album sales) on the chart dated Jan. 1, 2022.

Linger Awhile jumps 3-1 on Jazz Albums, 2-1 on Traditional Jazz Albums and 35-1 on Heatseekers Albums. On the Billboard 200, the title debuts at No. 158. On Top Album Sales, Linger Awhile vaults 87-5, while on Top Current Album Sales it bolts 42-5.

Meanwhile, Joy’s self-titled debut effort, released in 2021, debuts on Jazz Albums and Traditional Jazz Albums at No. 7 (1,500 equivalent album units earned; up 362%). With Linger Awhile and the self-titled album concurrently in the top 10 on both charts, Joy is the first woman with two concurrent top 10 albums on both lists since the Jan. 8, 2022-dated list, when Ella Fitzgerald held a pair in each top 10.

Jazz Albums, Traditional Jazz Albums and Heatseekers Albums rank the week’s most popular jazz albums, traditional jazz albums and new and developing artists’ albums by equivalent album units, respectively. The Billboard 200 is an all-genre chart, ranking the week’s most popular albums by 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. Top Album Sales and Top Current Album Sales rank the week’s top-selling overall albums (both current and older, catalog titles) and current albums, by traditional album sales.

13 Feb 2023

Who Is U2’s Fill-In Drummer, Bram van den Berg?

U2 is gearing up to bring a special series of shows to a new venue in Las Vegas with one caveat — the band’s founding drummer Larry Mullen Jr. will be absent, marking the first the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will perform without him, the Irish rockers announced on Sunday (Feb. 12).

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The band will touch down in Las Vegas this fall for U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at the Sphere, a series of shows at the new MSG Sphere at the Venetian that will celebrate their 1991 album Achtung Baby. U2 will be the first act to perform at the venue and as Mullen Jr., 61, continues to recover from undisclosed surgery, Krezip drummer Bram van den Berg, 40, will fill in during the concert run. Though unlike his world-famous new bandmates, not much is known about van den Berg.

“It’s going to take all we’ve got to approach the Sphere without our bandmate in the drum seat, but Larry has joined us in welcoming Bram van den Berg who is a force in his own right,” the band said in its statement about inviting the obscure-to-most Dutch musician into the fold. “The Sphere show has been in the works for a long time. We don’t want to let people down, least of all our audience… the truth is we miss them as much as they appear to miss us… our audience was always the fifth member of the band. Bottom line, U2 hasn’t played live since December 2019 and we need to get back on stage and see the faces of our fans again.”

“VERY excited about this opportunity to join Bono, The Edge and Adam on stage in Las Vegas. It’s big shoes to fill but Larry and the band have been so supportive, I can’t wait!!” van der Berg said via Instagram following the announcement.

Here are a few things to know about van der Berg before he takes the stage with U2.

He’s a Longtime Fan of U2

Following the announcement of van der Berg’s big break with the rock band, his fellow Krezip members wished him a farewell on the official band Instagram page. “We are incredibly proud of him!! The fact that a legendary band like U2, and also one of Bram’s favorite bands, has now come his way is unbelievable! And again, because of course we’ve known for a long time how good he is..!” the band captioned a black and white group photo.

He’s Only Leaving Krezip Temporarily

van der Berg will not be in both bands simultaneously — Krezip’s post stated that the drummer will be unable to juggle his time between both bands. “He [van der Berg] will not be able to combine his drumwork for U2 with Krezip. We’re going to miss him terribly in the near future,” the Instagram post stated.

He Calls Netherlands Home

Krezip was formed as a cover band in 1997 in Tilburg, Netherlands and consisted of members Jacqueline Govaert (vocals), Anne Govaert and Annelies Kuijsters (guitar) and Joost van Haaren (bass). Thijs Romeijn served as the band’s drummer though 2004; a year later van der Berg joined the band in 2005 and he recorded a total of three albums with the group — What Are You Waiting For?, Plug It In and Sweet High. The band broke up in 2009, but reunited in 2019 and their sixth album, Any Day Now, is due out in April.

13 Feb 2023

Drake’s Lawyers Resist Subpoena Pulling Him Into XXXTentacion Murder Case

Drake’s lawyers are firing back at efforts to force the superstar to sit for a deposition over the murder of XXXtentacion, claiming he has no connection at all to the crime and that defense attorneys are merely trying to “add more layers of celebrity and notoriety” to the case.

Just days after a Florida judge ordered Drake to appear for such a deposition by Feb. 24, the rapper’s lawyers argued in a new motion filed on Sunday that there is no evidence suggesting that he was in any way connected to XXXTentacion’s 2018 shooting death.

“It is both unreasonable and oppressive to subpoena an out of state party who has not been mentioned in any reports, any investigation, or referenced to have any involvement in this matter,” Drake’s attorney Bradford M. Cohen wrote in the response filing. “To mandate that he appear for deposition for something that he very clearly has no relevant knowledge of is unreasonable.”

Prosecutors have never claimed that Drake (real name Aubrey Graham) was involved in the death of XXXTentacion (real name Jahseh Onfroy). Instead, they charged four Florida men — Dedrick Williams, Trayvon Newsome, Michael Boatwright and Robert Allen – who they allege killed XXX during a robbery that escalated into deadly violence.

But defense attorney Mauricio Padilla, who represents Williams in the case, listed Drake on a star-studded witness list in December. And at opening arguments last week, Padilla suggested that the police had not sufficiently investigated a possible connection to Drake, who allegedly had an existing feud with XXX before his death. Such speculation has been fueled by a 2018 social media post – later deleted – in which XXX said: “If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi,” referring to Drake by his Instagram name.

Planning to make those arguments at trial, Padilla attempted to force Drake to sit for a Jan. 27 deposition, but he’s claimed in court filings that the star didn’t show up for the hearing. So last week, the judge overseeing the case ordered Drake to either appear for a deposition via Zoom on Feb. 24, or risk being held in contempt of court.

In Sunday’s filing, Drake’s lawyers pushed to set that order aside. They said the subpoena was not properly served on the superstar, meaning he had been under no procedural obligation to show up. And even if it had been, they argued that he has no connection to the case that requires a deposition in the first place: “No evidence has been provided to substantiate the assertion that the Non-Party in any way contributed to, had knowledge of, or participated in the alleged incident.”

Instead, Drake’s lawyers pointed to the fact that prosecutors plan to show jurors video evidence of the defendants committing the crime. And they cited that headline-grabbing December witness list — which also listed Quavo, Offset, Tekashi 6ix9ine, Joe Budden and even the late Migos rapper Takeoff after he had already been killed – as evidence that defense attorneys were merely trying to pull unrelated big names into the case.

“It would appear, based on the names mentioned on the witness list filed by defendant’s counsel, that the intent to subpoena [Drake] is less for the purpose of discovering relevant evidence and testimony, but instead add more layers of celebrity and notoriety to a tragic and unfortunate event,” the star’s lawyers wrote.

Padilla, the defense attorney who is seeking to depose Drake, did not immediately return a request for comment Monday on Drake’s response filing.

13 Feb 2023

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ Leads Hot 100 for Fourth Week, Morgan Wallen, Beyonce Blasts to Top 10

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” tops the Billboard Hot 100 for a fourth week, encompassing its entire run on the chart so far, dating to its debut at No. 1. As it extends its reign, it passes the three-week command of her prior leader, “Wrecking Ball,” in 2013.

Plus, Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” surges from No. 27 to No. 3 on the Hot 100 following its first full week of tracking, becoming his fifth top 10 and highest-charting hit; Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” bounds 15-6 for a new high, powered by a host of new remixes; and The Weeknd claims the top two titles on the Radio Songs chart, as they continue in the Hot 100’s top 10: his own “Die for You” and “Creepin’,” with Metro Boomin and 21 Savage.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Feb. 18, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Feb. 14). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

“Flowers,” released on Smiley Miley/Columbia Records, drew 74.5 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 32%) and 38.7 million streams (down 19%) and sold 26,000 (down 29%) Feb. 3-9, according to Luminate.

The single spends a fourth week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart; dips to No. 2 on Digital Song Sales after three weeks at the summit; and pushes 6-4 on Radio Songs, where it ties “Wrecking Ball” for Cyrus’ top-charting hit. It wins top Airplay Gainer honors on the Hot 100 for a second straight week, as it also lifts 7-5 on the Pop Airplay chart, 8-5 on Adult Pop Airplay and 9-8 on Adult Contemporary, among other ascents.

SZA‘s “Kill Bill” ranks at its No. 2 Hot 100 best for a fifth week, with 57.1 million in radio reach (up 17%), 32.9 million streams (up 1%) and 2,000 sold (up 8%). It tops Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs, which use the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a ninth week each.

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” leaps 27-3 on the Hot 100 following its first full week of tracking, with 29.7 million streams, 285,000 in airplay audience and 14,000 sold Feb. 3-9 (following its Jan. 31 release).

Wallen adds his fifth Hot 100 top 10 and highest-charting hit with the track from his album One Thing at a Time, due March 3, following “7 Summers” (No. 6 peak, August 2020), “Wasted on You” (No. 9, January 2021), “Don’t Think Jesus” (No. 7, April 2022) and “You Proof” (No. 5, October 2022). Meanwhile, his three most recent top 10s are all on One Thing at a Time – as the set becomes the first country album with as many as three top 10s since Taylor Swift’s Red spun off four in 2012-13. (Country albums are defined as those that have hit or are eligible for Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.)

“Last Night” concurrently becomes Wallen’s seventh No. 1 on the multi-metric Hot Country Songs chart (and his fourth from One Thing at a Time, after “Proof,” “Jesus” and “Thought You Should Know”). Notably, it’s the 16th No. 1 on the survey that has hit the Hot 100’s top 10 since Hot Country Songs adopted the Hot 100’s methodology in October 2012; it’s the fifth by Wallen, the most of any act in that span:

  • “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen, No. 3 Hot 100 peak to-date, 2023
  • “Something in the Orange,” Zach Bryan, No. 10, 2023
  • “You Proof,” Morgan Wallen, No. 5, 2022
  • “The Kind of Love We Make,” Luke Combs, No. 8, 2022
  • “Don’t Think Jesus,” Morgan Wallen, No. 7, 2022
  • “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” Taylor Swift, No. 1 (one week), 2021
  • “Fancy Like,” Walker Hayes, No. 3, 2021
  • “Wasted on You,” Morgan Wallen, No. 9, 2021
  • “I Hope,” Gabby Barrett feat. Charlie Puth, No. 3, 2020
  • “Forever After All,” Luke Combs, No. 2, 2020
  • “7 Summers,” Morgan Wallen, No. 6, 2020
  • “10,000 Hours,” Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber, No. 4, 2019
  • “Meant To Be,” Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line, No. 2, 2018
  • “Body Like a Back Road,” Sam Hunt, No. 6, 2017
  • “Cruise,” Florida Georgia Line feat. Nelly, No. 4, 2013
  • “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Taylor Swift, No. 1 (three weeks), 2012

Just 21% of all Hot Country Songs No. 1s (16 of 77) since October 2012 have hit the Hot 100’s top 10 – although the success rate is 48% (11 of 23) since 2020. Plus, of the songs listed above, all five since the start of 2022 have hit the Hot 100’s top 10 largely from strong streaming and varied degrees of country radio airplay – but not crossover formats, having not appeared on any of Billboard’s pop or adult airplay charts; of the previous 11, all except one (“Forever After All”) scaled pop/adult airplay rankings.

Sam Smith and Kim Petras‘ “Unholy” rises 5-4 on the Hot 100, after it ruled for a week in October. It sports a 16% gain to 17.9 million streams Feb. 3-9, after the pair performed the song and it won for best pop duo/group performance at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 5. The duet also hits No. 1 on Adult Pop Airplay, becoming Smith’s third leader – after “Stay With Me,” in 2014, and “Dancing With a Stranger,” with Normani, in 2019 – and Petras’ first. “Unholy” previously topped Pop Songs for six weeks and Radio Songs for five frames.

The Weeknd again tallies two songs in the Hot 100’s top 10, as “Creepin’,” with Metro Boomin and 21 Savage, retreats to No. 5 from its No. 3 high and his own “Die for You” slips to No. 8 from its No. 6 best. On Radio Songs, “Die for You” leads for a second week (84 million, down 1%) and “Creepin’ ” climbs 3-2 (81.6 million, up 6%). The Weeknd is the first act with the top two titles on Radio Songs in a lead role on both since Justin Bieber ranked at Nos. 1 and 2 with “Sorry” and “Love Yourself,” respectively, seven years ago this week (Feb. 20, 2016). Before that, The Weeknd had last achieved the feat with “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face” (Oct. 10, 2015).

The only other acts with such a dominant double as leads on Radio Songs: Rihanna (two weeks, 2010-11); T.I. (five, 2008); Mariah Carey (three, 2005); Usher (four, 2004); OutKast (eight, 2003-04); Nelly (four, 2002); Carey (four, 1995 – she and The Weeknd are the only acts in this list with two distinct sets of songs each); and Boyz II Men (one, 1994). Noticeably, the host of R&B/hip-hop-centric acts that have earned the honor reflect the wide reach that hits can attain when scoring big at both pop and R&B/hip-hop radio.

Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” charges 15-6 for a new Hot 100 high, besting its prior No. 10 peak. It tallied 55.8 million in airplay audience (up less than 1%), 9.4 million streams (up 37%) and 78,000 sold (up 4,026%, good for the chart’s top Sales Gainer nod), fueled by a range of remixes released during the tracking week, joining its previously available original clean and explicit versions: its “Wetter” remix (clean and explicit) was put up for purchase on Beyoncé’s official webstore Feb. 3, followed by its a cappella (clean and explicit) and instrumental versions (Feb. 5), with all mixes released wide on streaming services and digital retailers by Feb. 8.

Also boosting Beyoncé’s buzzy profile, and the song’s, during the tracking week: with four more Grammy Awards Feb. 5, she upped her count to a record-breaking 32 wins, including best R&B song for “Cuff It.”

Elsewhere in the Hot 100’s top 10, Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” descends 4-7, after a personal-best eight weeks at No. 1; David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” drops 7-9, after reaching No. 4, as it tops the multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for a 21st week; and Harry Styles’ “As It Was” retreats 9-10 on the Hot 100, following 15 weeks at No. 1 beginning last April, the fourth-longest rule in the chart’s history, as it gained by 21% to 12.4 million streams in the tracking week, sparked by the Grammy win Feb. 5 for album of the year for parent LP Harry’s House.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Feb. 18), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Feb. 14).

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

13 Feb 2023

Damon Albarn Mourns Trugoy The Dove of De La Soul: ‘I Love You’

Damon Albarn is mourning his friend by doing what he does best: making music. To honor De La Soul‘s Trugoy The Dove, who passed away this week, the Gorillaz musician shared a piano tribute on Instagram.

Posted Monday morning (Feb. 13) — one day after it was announced that Trugoy, born David Jude Jolicoeur, had died at age 54 — Albarn’s video was filmed from the inside of his acoustic piano. As the Blur frontman taps out a sweet instrumental melody, you can see the wooden hammers for each key striking the notes internally.

“A loop for Dave,” Albarn captioned the video. “I love you ? ⚓️ ❤️”

Jolicoeur’s cause of death was not revealed when his reps confirmed his passing to All Hip Hop on Sunday, but he was known to have struggled with health issues related to congestive heart failure. He formed De La Soul in 1988 with Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos) and Vincent Mason (Maseo), and the hip-hop trio released several albums together over the course of three decades together, the most recent of which was 2016’s And the Anonymous Nobody…

In 2005, the Gorillaz and De La Soul collaborated on “Feel Good Inc.,” which peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned best pop collaboration at the 2006 Grammys.

The sad news about Jolicoeur comes just a couple months after Albarn lost another one of his friends, The Specials frontman Terry Hall. He posted a video of him playing Hall’s “Friday Night, Saturday Morning” on Twitter at the time in honor of the legendary second wave ska singer, writing, “Terry, you meant the world to me. I love you.”

Watch Damon Albarn’s sweet tribute to De La Soul’s Trugoy The Dove below:

13 Feb 2023

Sheryl Lee Ralph Sings Black National Anthem At Super Bowl LVII

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Super Bowl LVII - Kansas City Chiefs v Philadelphia Eagles

Source: Cooper Neill / Getty

Veteran actress & Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph dazzled fans as she sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” to open Super Bowl LVII held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona Sunday (Feb. 12)

The musical component of Super Bowl LVII, began after Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was honored with the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his community service. The stage was set for the Emmy Award-winning actress, who was bedecked in a striking floor-length red gown/pantsuit as she began to sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the hymn written first by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900. The song is now regarded as the Black National Anthem and has been a key tune of the civil rights movement in the nation.

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Ralph highlighted the significance of her performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in a tweet hours earlier. “It is no coincidence that I will be singing the Black National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing at the Super Bowl on the same date it was first publicly performed 123 years ago,” she wrote, with a video showing her entering the arena sporting a Savage X Fenty hat as an ode to Rihanna, who was the Apple Music Halftime Show performer.

The former Broadway star showed off her chops, singing the opening lines in a rich and somber cadence. As she continued, the chorus from the background singers all dressed in white added to her stately vocals, which closed in a triumphant tone with the final lines of the song. “Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,” she sang. “Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us. Let us march on till victory is won.”

Her performance marks another high note in her career to date. Ralph recently won an Emmy Award for her role as sage teacher Barbara Howard in the hit ABC comedy series Abbott Elementary. She also recently released a Christmas album entitled Sleigh last year. Ralph’s husband, Pennsylvania Senator Vincent Hughes, expressed his praise in a tweet after the game ended with the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Philadelphia Eagles.

“The @eagles may have come up short in a valiant effort tonight but ⁦@thesherylralph certainly was a winner at the ⁦@AZSuperBowl,” he wrote. She responded, “Thank you baby!” and shared it with her followers.

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Photo: Getty

13 Feb 2023

McDonald’s Rolls Out The Cardi B & Offset Meal For Valentine’s Day

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McDonald's Cardi B and Offset Combo Meal

McDonald’s is no stranger to big-name collaborations and partnerships, and they’re rollout out a timely meal for this coming Valentine’s Day. The fast food leader will debut the Cardi B and Offset meal that is meant to be shared with the one you love, or at least like a little bit.

McDonald’s new couple-centric meal features Cardi’s preferred combo of the classic McDonald’s Cheeseburger with tangy BBQ sauce and a large Coca-Coola, while her hubby’s meal of choice is a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and a large Hi-C Orange Lavaburst. A large fries meant to share accompanies the meal, along with a hot apple pie.

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“Let me tell you, McDonald’s is date night done right,” Offset says of the meal. “It doesn’t have to be all boujee. Get your date, grab some good food, and have fun, that’s it.”

Cardi added, “Whether it’s going for a date night or grabbing a bite after late-night studio sessions… I’m always asking Offset to take me to McDonald’s. And now, Offset and I have a meal named after us! I want all my fans to try it – especially with that BBQ sauce.

Ahead of the couple’s meal hitting restaurants on V-Day, McD’s released a really cute commercial that’s definitely full of the warm fuzzy vibes of the upcoming day of love.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=C_LpH8qdT6g&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

Tune in to McDonald’s YouTube channel on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) to see the commercial spot for the Cardi B and Offset meal.

McDonald's Cardi B and Offset Combo Meal

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Photo: McDonald’s

13 Feb 2023

Evolution Festival to Feature Brandi Carlile, Black Keys, Black Crowes, Ben Harper, Ice Cube & More

The inaugural Evolution Festival in St. Louis, Missouri will bring rock, hip-hop, blues and country sounds to town on August 26-27 with headliners Brandi Carlile, the Black Keys, the Black Crowes, Brittany Howard and Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals. The festival from producers Contemporary Presentations and the Just Listen Company — along with co-executive producers Steven Schankman and Joe Litvag — will feature more than a dozen performers taking the stage in Forest Park under the banner: “This is our town. This is our time. This is our EVOLUTION!”

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Among the other acts on the bill are: Ice Cube, Morgan Wade, Cautious Clay, Michigander, Modern English, Nikki Lane, The Sugarhill Gang, The Nude Party, Smidley, Carriers, The Knuckles, Yard Eagle and Punk Lady Apple. The festival will take place in Forest Park at Langenberg Field and the Boathouse, located between the Muny (St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre) and the Dwight Davis Tennis Center.

“St. Louis is home. My partner Joe and I are both born and raised here, and we’ve both always worked hard to create unforgettable live entertainment experiences here for our hometown community,” said co-exec producer Schankman. “We both agreed that there is something missing here, an event that will welcome everyone from our great city to come together to celebrate our diversity, inclusion, and to offer a renewed focus on our musical culture and the arts. Evolution Festival does just that, and this event will not only create long-lasting memories, but it will be a strong economic driver for the city, the region, and the state for years to come, as well.” 

The fest will also focus on bourbon and BBQ, with pit masters “Phil the Grill” Johnson and James “Boatright’s BBQ” on hand for the weekend that will also feature award-winning BBQ from a number of national, regional and local chefs. A portion of proceeds will benefit Forest Park Forever, a non-profit conservancy helping to maintain and sustain Forest Park; the festival will also work with St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital through Music Gives to raise money and awareness for the fight against childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Tickets for Evolution will go on sale on Friday (Feb. 17) at 10 a.m. CST here.

See the full concert poster below.

Evolution Festival

Courtesy Photo

13 Feb 2023

Bruce Springsteen Plays Stripped Back Set After Two E Street Band Members Test Positive For COVID

Bruce Springsteen was forced to perform without three of his E Street bandmates over the weekend after they had to bow out of the group’s Dallas, Texas show on Friday.

According to The Boss, both guitarist Steven Van Zandt and violinist/singer Soozie Tyrel tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of their tour stop at the American Airlines Center, while Springsteen’s wife singer/guitarist Patti Scialfa was also absent from the stage for undisclosed reasons.

“We got a few members missing tonight – Stevie Van Zandt – COVID, Soozie Tyrell – COVID, Patti Scialfa… But goddammit, we’re gonna give Dallas the best show they’ve ever seen,” the rocker told the crowd at the top of the show before promptly jumping into 1980’s “Out in the Street.”

For his part, Van Zandt took to Twitter to assure fans he was already on the mend, tweeting, “Thank you all for your best wishes and positive vibes. I’ve got a very mild case and hope to be back for Houston or Austin at the latest.” He soon followed his tweet up with another informing his followers he had received both the COVID-19 vaccine and a booster. “That’s why it’s a mild case. No real danger or damage,” he wrote.

Billboard has reached out to Springsteen and the E Street Band’s rep for comment on whether the next planned tour stop, on Tuesday (Feb. 14) in Houston, Texas, will feature the full band. Meanwhile, the band is continuing their international tour with a planned stop in Austin on Thursday (Feb. 16), before heading to Kansas City, Tulsa, Portland, Seattle, Denver and more. The U.S. leg of the trek will conclude on April 14 with a hometown show in Newark, New Jersey before the band jets off to Europe.

Check out fan-captured video of Springsteen explaining his bandmates’ absence as well as Van Zandt’s string of tweets below.