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Finneas has teamed up with The Zombies’ Colin Blunstone for a live performance of the English band’s 1968 single, “Time of the Season.”
Music-lovers were first treated to a performance of the enduring ‘60s psych-pop hit back in January, when Finneas covered the song during his visit to Australia for radio station triple j’s long-running Like a Version cover series.

“ This is a song I’ve loved over the past year,” Finneas explained in a post-performance interview. “I’ve heard it for years, but I think this year is the year that I’ve listened to it the most. I think if you’re a creator, you hope that you make a piece of work that feels prescient and somehow also feels timeless. I don’t know how ‘Time of the Season’ felt to listen to in the ‘60s, but it sure holds up in my mind in 2025.”

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Since Finneas covered the track back in January, it’s become a popular part of his setlist, and on Wednesday (March 5), he brought out the track during a performance at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Palladium. Not content with going it alone, Finneas also brought out Blunstone, who has fronted the band for almost all of its iterations since 1961.

“An unforgettable moment,” wrote The Zombies’ official Instagram account alongside a video of the performance. “Colin joined the incredibly talented @finneas on stage at the Hollywood Palladium for a special performance of Time of the Season—a song that’s resonated for over 55 years. Huge thanks to Finneas for bringing this classic to life in a whole new way!”

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The Zombies first formed in Hertfordshire, England in 1961, with their debut album Begin Here arriving in 1965 (a self-titled version was issued in its place for the U.S. market). The group found fame fast, with debut single “She’s Not There” being released the year prior and peaking at No. 2 on the Hot 100. 

Though they’d hit the top ten once again with “Tell Her No” that same year, their other big hit was 1968’s “Time of the Season,” which peaked at No. 3 when it was issued as the third single from that year’s Odessey and Oracle. 

The group would split for the first time that same year following the release of Odessey and Oracle, though briefly reunited when “Time of the Season” became a hit. The band would remain divided until 1989, when sporadic reunions would take place. Since 2004, they’ve remained an active presence with their most recent album, Different Game, arriving in 2023.

j–hope feat. Miguel‘s “Sweet Dreams” tops this week’s new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (March 7) on Billboard, choosing the BTS star’s fresh song with an R&B veteran as their favorite new music release of the past week. There was tough competition in this week’s poll, but the latest from j-hope managed to […]

HARDY and Caleigh Ryan are celebrating the arrival of their newborn baby. Rosie Ryan Hardy arrived on March 7, 2025 at nine pounds, two ounces, the country singer and his wife announced on social media, two days after Caleigh gave birth. The pair were showered with messages of congratulations on their Instagram post Sunday (March […]

Lil Nas X‘s “Dreamboy” will be with you in your dreams tonight. The new track is a surprise drop for Sunday evening (March 9), the rapper/singer, aka Montero, announced on the day of its release.
“NEW SONG DREAMBOY OUT TONIGHT!” he said in a social media reveal on Sunday.

When a fan posted “WHAAAAAAAAAATTT, AM I DREAMING??” as a reaction, Lil Nas X quoted their message and responded, “ur in dreamworld baby!”

The homepage on Montero’s official website directs visitors to pre-add or pre-save the artist’s new music on Apple Music and Spotify.

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“IT’S HOTBOX SEASON,” reads the page, which also hints there’s more to look forward to this week: “PRE-SAVE FOR SURPRISES.”

So far Lil Nas X has confirmed new single “Hotbox” is also arriving shortly, on Friday. He’d previously dropped a teaser for the track. Billboard reached out to a rep on Sunday to ask for further details, but didn’t immediately receive a response.

Both “Dreamboy” and “Hotbox” are leading up to the release of his forthcoming sophomore album, also titled Dreamboy. The new studio project follows Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s “Industry Baby” featuring Jack Harlow and “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” from his 2021 debut full-length, and breakthrough hit “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, which spent 19 weeks at the top of the chart in 2019.

“Good evening, everybody. I would like for you to grab a glass of wine. Let me talk to you for a minute,” he says in an introductory clip of “Dreamboy” (the song) shared on Sunday. The visual shows Lil Nas X framed in a hot pink Dreamboy doll box.

“I was scared then/ I ain’t scared now/ I wasn’t ready then/ But I’m ready now/ I’m on the way/ I’m on the rise/ On the way, yeah I’m on the rise/ Mind your own business/ I’m minding mine,” he raps before naming some of his favorite things, including “long black dick,” “long conversations” and “cuddling with my cat,” then calling out the “stinky booty bitches” at church turning his fun into misery. “Bitch, I’m still making history,” he says.

Listen to the snippet of “Dreamboy” in the preview below.

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It has been 28 years since the Notorious B.I.G.’s life was tragically cut short at just 24 years old. Since then, and to many even before, the Brooklyn MC has been deemed the greatest rapper of all time, and the continued adulation of his music is a testament to that claim.

While Biggie Smalls masterfully commanded the streets and the clubs with his music, his chart topping singles like “Juicy,” “One More Chance (Stay with Me Remix)” and “Mo Money Mo Problems” cemented him as a mainstream success. But it’s a fair argument to say that it’s his album cuts, those records that buoy a project and are what’s needed to deem an album a classic that truly cemented his legacy.
No video or fancy marketing behind the record, just bars and beats. The stuff that had fans hitting the rewind button over and over and making an ugly face. You know the vibes.
So with the spirit of the Notorious B.I.G. in mind, here’s a list of his 9 best album cuts. A lot of these should have been singles, with videos and all that, if we keep it a bean.

1. “Who Shot Ya?”

This is the song many thought at Tupac after the infamous Quad Studios shooting, but BIG and Junior Mafia always insisted it was not. The sinister beat cooked up by Nashiem Myrick from David Porter’s “I’m Afraid the Masquerade Is Over” was the perfect backdrop for the menacing lyrics. Technically, it was an unreleased b-side to the “Big Poppa/Warning” single but was added to subsequent posthumous, “remastered” releases of Biggie’s Ready To Die debut.

2. Junior M.A.F.I.A. – “Realms of Junior M.A.F.I.A.” ft. Notorious B.I.G

The Notorious B.I.G. managed to put on his own Junior Mafia crew, and set them up with a record label, Undeas, via Atlantic Records. Biggie bats clean up on this song produced by the late, great DJ Clark Kent. Keep in mind that save for Jamal, it sounds like he wrote all the lyrics. Yes, he was that great. “Realms of Junior M.A.F.I.A.” is from the Conspiracy album that dropped in August 1995, a little less than year after B.I.G.’s own debut album.

3. “The What” ft. Method Man

Notorious BIG and Method Man was gold off the rip. And if you were in NYC when BIG debut dropped,this was the track you heard on the streets. Wu-Tang Clan was asserting themselves and insisted on keeping their ranks tights, but Method Man snuck out and dropped an absolute heater with the same guy Rae and Ghost would accuse of being a shark biter. 

4. “Gimme The Loot”

If you don’t know, Easy Moe Bee produced this track along with a healthy chunk of Ready To Die. The Notorious BIG got his Slick Rick on by rapping with dual personalities and going as far saying he would even rob a pregnant woman. Yes, it was all just for the sake of rap and kind of heinous, but damn it was good. 

5. “Kick In The Door”

Jeru The Damaja allegedly sent sublimals to the Notorious BIG. DJ Premier was good money with both men. But that didn’t stop Premo from producing “Kick In The Door” whose line, “Son, I’m surprised you run with themI think they got cum in them, ’cause they nothin’ but dicks,” was aimed at Jeru and Premier. Damn, son. 

6. “Just Playing (Dreams)”

The story goes that “Just Playing (Dreams)” was a promo single that featured Biggie Smalls wittily (that’s a nice way to put it) rapping about bedding famed female R&B singers. He wanted it on his album, but word was Patti Labelle (who was on an affiliated label) was not happy, and that was that on that. Time must heal, because years later it made it only remastered albums. 

7. “I Got A Story To Tell”

If someone asks you if Notorious BIG was a great storyteller, play this song. We got word years ago that it was allegedly Anthony Mason who got caught up in the real life caper, rest in peace. The flow, the groove (via Buckwild and Chucky Thompson), and comedy (a rained out basketball game?!), all flawless. What a time. 

8. “Ten Crack Commandments”

The Notorious B.I.G. on the bars, DJ Premier on the beat and Chuck D (via a scratch vocal sample) on the hook. What’s not to like. You also have Biggie dropping bars that any illicit pharmaceutical distributor trying to not get caught up should live by. Biggie taught ya. 

9. “Notorious Thugs”

There is a reason Bone Thugs-n-Harmony were so unique in their style—that cadence is difficult as hell. But Notorious B.I.G. was such a talented MC he managed to keep up, not an easy feat, and it managed to be one of the hardest records on Life After Death. Respect.

Congratulations are in order for Lele Pons and Guaynaa, who are expecting their first child together.
The Venezuelan influencer, 28, and Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, 32, shared the exciting news in a social media post on Sunday (March 9).

“We’re PREGNANT!!!!!” Pons and Guaynaa wrote in a joint Instagram post, alongside a photo gallery showcasing her baby bump. “Can’t wait to meet you! We love you- Mom & Dad.”

In the heartwarming post, which was also translated into Spanish, the YouTube sensation shared several pictures and videos with her husband, including an ultrasound photo, a sweet moment of Guaynaa kissing his wife’s stomach, and another shot of the couple pressing their bare tummies together.

Numerous celebrities, friends and fans flooded the comments to congratulate the happy couple. “Yesssssssss !! 100 meses guardando secreto te amoooo,” Anitta wrote, while Paris Hilton left a smiling face with heart-eyes emoji. “Congrats, los quiero mucho!” Luis Fonsi added.

Pons and Guaynaa first met in 2019 and released their first collaboration, “Se Te Nota,” in 2020. The playful urban pop song spent 18 weeks on the all-genre Billboard Global 200 (where it peaked at No. 44), 25 weeks on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart (No. 19 peak) and 11 weeks on Hot Latin Songs (No. 25).

Trending on Billboard

After months of speculation about their relationship, Pons made it Instagram official in December of that year. Guaynaa proposed during Steve Aoki’s set at Tomorrowland in 2022. The couple tied the knot in March 2023.

The pair released their debut collaborative album, Capitulaciones, in April 2023. The 10-track album, a partnership between Interscope Records and Guaynaa, features eight duets, one solo track from Pons, and another from Guaynaa. The project spans a variety of genres, including urban pop (“Abajito”), reggaetón (“Natural”), reggae (“A Que No”) and bachata (“Todo Sabe Más Rico”).

“Lele and I beat to different rhythms. In music, I can tell you that it is quite cool, because she has a different thinking and approach and drive, she has other filters in her head when she analyzes music,” Guaynaa told Billboard Español in 2023. “My filters are more about the conceptual elaboration of the album, the musicality, the storytelling, the beginning and the end. There were many disagreements for that very reason, but at the end of the day, I think we managed to develop a project, and that makes us very happy.”

Check out the couple’s baby announcement on Instagram here.

Ye has announced the return of Sunday Service.
On Saturday (March 8), the 47-year-old rapper — formerly known as Kanye West — took to social media to reveal that his Sunday Service choir events would be making a comeback. The sessions began in early 2019 and ran sporadically through 2021.

“Sunday Service Returns March 16 2025,” Ye wrote in an Instagram Stories post, accompanied by a screenshot of a text message exchange with Sunday Service choir director Jason White.

Further details had not been revealed as of publication.

Just hours after the Sunday Service announcement, the Chicago native, who recently made controversial remarks online regarding antisemitism and admiration for Hitler, posted a photo of white robes resembling those worn by the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist group.

Trending on Billboard

“Outfit of the day,” Ye captioned the photo on Instagram Sunday (March 9).

Ye’s Sunday Service, which began in early 2019, continued through 2021. The sessions — often livestreamed — featured his gospel group performing at large gatherings in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Detroit, Houston, Salt Lake City, and Washington, D.C. Ye’s spiritually-based project Jesus Is Born, credited to the Sunday Service Choir, was released in December 2019 and reached No. 2 on Billboard‘s Top Gospel Albums chart.

Ye has continued making offensive remarks on social media, including a post on March 6 to X, where he wrote, “This next album got that antisemitic sound. My new sound called antisemitic.”

It is unclear if this is related to the release of his Bully album, which he teased at the beginning of 2025. The rapper appeared to have plans to release Bully sometime this year, but it remains uncertain if the project will ever be released.

In February, Ye made several antisemitic comments and expressed admiration for Hitler, though he later walked back his statements, insisting that he wasn’t a Nazi. During an interview with Justin LaBoy in February, he revealed that he was diagnosed with ASD (autism spectrum disorder).

Lady Gaga took some playful jabs at herself during the opening monologue of Saturday Night Live on March 8.
The 38-year-old pop superstar and actress, who was both host and musical guest, opened the episode with a nearly four-minute roast, making jokes about her role in Joker: Folie à Deux, duetting with R. Kelly, and her age.

“Anyway, I’m an actor now,” the Oscar and Grammy winner said. “I select films that would showcase my craft as a serious actor, films such as Joker 2. Apparently, people thought it was awesome. Joaquin [Phoenix] and I even got nominated for a Razzie, which is an award for the worst films of the year. So we won worst onscreen duo.”

Gaga continued, “But jokes on them. I love winning things. My Razzie brings me one step closer to an EGORT. It’s like an EGOT, but it’s hurtful.”

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Todd Phillips’ R-rated Joker sequel, starring Phoenix as the Joker and Gaga as Harley Quinn, earned seven Razzie nominations in 2025 after underperforming at the box office. The musical film took home Razzies for worst screen combo and worst sequel.

“Tonight, I promise to act, to sing and to not do Joker 3,” Gaga joked.

Gaga’s monologue also touched on returning to host SNL for the first time since 2013. “I know you might be thinking I’m here to promote my album, Mayhem, but I’m actually here to remind you that I’m an amazing actor,” she said, referencing her just-released seventh album.

“The last time I hosted SNL I was 27,” she added. “I’m 38 now, which is scientifically the best age for a female pop star to be. I see that most pop stars are over 40. Chappell Roan is 58. Charli XCX, she’s 75. Tate McRae is my biological grandmother.”

Gaga also poked fun at her 2013 duet with the now-imprisoned R. Kelly on the show. “I’m so happy to be back at SNL. The last time I hosted was in 2013 and every aspect of my performance aged amazingly,” Gaga joked. “So there’s no need to Google SNL 2013, Lady Gaga featuring R. Kelly. I won’t bring it up because that would be bad.”

Amid hilarious sketches, the 14-time Grammy winner delivered high-energy performances of her new Mayhem tracks “Abracadabra” and “Killah.” Check out videos of the performances here.

Watch Lady Gaga’s SNL monologue below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.

Lady Gaga brought mayhem to 30 Rock.
Just one day after the release of her seventh album, Mayhem, the 38-year-old pop icon and actress took on double duty as both host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live on March 8.

The evening opened with a hilarious monologue where Gaga poked fun at her movie Joker: Folie à Deux and even referenced her previous SNL hosting debut in 2013, which featured a guest appearance by the now-imprisoned R. Kelly. Amid a series of comedic sketches, the night shifted into high gear as the 14-time Grammy winner delivered two electrifying performances from her long-awaited new album.

Gaga opened with an impressively choreographed performance of the dance-pop anthem “Abracadabra,” wearing a sparkly red ensemble and surrounded by dancers in black with long red wigs, who spun around her inside a small, neon-lit structure. For her next performance of the funk-inspired “Killah,” Gaga started off backstage at Studio 8H, before moving to the main stage for a full-on, colorful dance party with a live band. She ended with an electrifying finish, rocking out next to the drum kit in a fiery display.

Gaga’s SNL appearance arrived more than a decade after she first hosted the show in 2013.

Trending on Billboard

Mayhem arrives on the heels of a successful 2025 for Gaga, which saw her chart-topping collaboration with Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile.” The song spent five weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, marking her second-longest-running No. 1 hit after 2011’s “Born This Way.” She also won a Grammy for best pop duo/group performance alongside Mars.

The new album features a diverse mix of production collaborators, including Andrew Watt, Cirkut and Gaga’s fiancé, Michael Polansky. In a recent interview with Billboard, she discussed the creative process behind Mayhem, explaining that its chaotic vibe was intentional.

“There have been times in my career where I had an idea in terms of how to conceptually approach a record. But I would say that this album, from start to finish, was like pieces coming together,” she said. “I did not want to turn it into anything artificial, I really wanted to allow myself to just follow the music. By doing that, it started to slowly remind me of my earlier work.”

Watch Lady Gaga’s SNL performances below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.

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Doechii’s preferences regarding dating are no secret, but that didn’t stop straight men from blowing a gasket on social media over the weekend.
During an episode of Hot Ones Versus featuring DJ Miss Milan, the “What It Is” crafter revealed that her biggest red flag was heterosexual men when asked what some of her dealbreakers were.

“Is it being on the DL?” Milan first asked. The rapper also touched on this situation in her latest album, Denial Is A River. Doecii responded “You’re on the right track,” urging her DJ to take another guess, leading to her saying “Bad music taste?” which the rapper admitted “That is a good one, but that’s not what I put.”
She finally flipped over her board, revealing her answer as “A straight man.”
“You know what’s so crazy? I was going to say men,” Milan said as the two laughed.
https://x.com/Glock_Topickz/status/1898100042839314548
For many, Doechii’s joke isn’t shocking because she has been quite open about her bisexuality. On the song “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake,” the Swamp Princess rapped, “I think I like girls, but I think I like men/ Doechii is a d**k, I never fit in.”
Still that didn’t stop straight men from losing their collective sh*t over the rapper’s personal preference.
“And this is where my Doechii train stops at. Good luck out there,” one person wrote in response to a Glock Topickz post sharing the now viral clip. 
Another hater used the moment to talk about Doechii’s looks, “That her preference & that’s cool. But can I finally say this bitch is ugly as HELL without getting backlash for it???”
Though they are wrong, because Doechii is far from ugly, allow us to present some evidence.

But with all the bellyaching from sensitive straight men and “pick me’s” there are plenty of people defending Doechii as well.
“They could NEVER make me hate you Doechii. How is straight women not wanting to date queer men okay for y’all but queer women not wanting to date straight men isn’t? Let’s unpack that rq. Yall mad about nothing,” one user on X, formerly Twitter wrote. 

Another Doechii defender added, “If you’ve ever been with an openly bi sexual / pan sexual man you know EXACTLY why a straight man is a red flag for a QUEER woman. From the spaces she hangs to the community she builds.”
Basically, folks are losing their minds over absolutely nothing.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.