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Drake has reached a settlement with Texas-based iHeartMedia in his ongoing legal dispute over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” according to court records.
In November, Drake filed a legal petition in Bexar County, Texas, where San Antonio is located, alleging that iHeartMedia had received illegal payments from Universal Music Group to boost radio airplay for “Not Like Us.” UMG is the parent record label for both Drake and Lamar.
The petition, a precursor to a potential lawsuit, had sought depositions from corporate representatives of both companies.
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In a court document filed Thursday, attorneys for Drake said the rapper and iHeartMedia had “reached an amicable resolution of the dispute” but did not offer any other information.
“We are pleased that the parties were able to reach a settlement satisfactory to both sides, and have no further comment on this matter,” Drake’s legal team said in a statement.
In an email Friday, iHeartMedia declined to comment on the settlement.
The claims against UMG remain active, and a hearing on a motion by UMG’s lawyers to dismiss the petition was scheduled to be held Wednesday in a San Antonio courtroom.
Drake has alleged UMG engaged in “irregular and inappropriate business practices” to get radio airplay for “Not Like Us.” The petition also alleges that UMG knew “the song itself, as well as its accompanying album art and music video, attacked the character of another one of UMG’s most prominent artists, Drake, by falsely accusing him of being a sex offender, engaging in pedophilic acts, harboring sex offenders, and committing other criminal sexual acts.”
An email to a UMG representative seeking comment was not immediately answered.
In January, Drake filed a defamation lawsuit in federal court in New York City against UMG over what he alleges are false allegations of pedophilia made in “Not Like Us.” Lamar is not named in the lawsuit.
The feud between Drake, a 38-year-old Canadian rapper and singer and five-time Grammy winner, and Lamar, a 37-year-old Pulitzer Prize winner who headlined the Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 9, is among the biggest in hip-hop in recent years.
The Federal Communications Commission sent a letter Monday to iHeartMedia’s CEO and chairman, Robert Pittman, saying the commission is looking into whether the audio company is forcing musicians to perform at its May country music festival in Austin for reduced pay in exchange for favorable airplay of their songs on iHeart radio stations.
“We look forward to demonstrating to the Commission how performing at the iHeartCountry Festival – or declining to do so – has no bearing on our stations’ airplay,” iHeart Media said in a statement. “We do not make any overt or covert agreements about airplay with artists performing at our events.”
This article was originally published by The Associated Press.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, with Paramount+ announcing on Monday (March 3) the return of MTV’s Family Legacy, a musical docuseries that dives into the lives and careers of iconic artists through the eyes of their children.
In a nearly two-minute preview clip for the second season, premiering exclusively on Billboard, Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor’s son Griffin lovingly praises the band as a “circus act from hell,” before Lil Jon’s son Slade gushes, “No one can hype the world up like my dad.” Lil Wayne’s daughter Reginae also chimes in at one point, noting, “I always remember just saying that my daddy was a star.”
The 10-episode season 2 captures musicians through the lens of their kids, with exclusive footage and brand-new interviews with the children of more beloved music stars, including Wu-Tang Clan, Salt N Pepa, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DMX, Busta Rhymes, Wyclef Jean, The Go-Go’s, TLC, D’Angelo, Ginuwine, Korn, Daddy Yankee, Matchbox 20, Jam Master Jay, Ja Rule, Teddy Riley and more.
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Family Legacy returns on Paramount+ on March 25 in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and Brazil.
The series is executive produced by Nancy Glass, Eric Neuhaus, and David Casey for Glass Entertainment Group. Bruce Gillmer and Lorian Thompson serve as Executive Producers for MTV Entertainment Studios.
Watch the Family Legacy season 2 trailer, and find the full new cast, below.
Brittney Atkins (Daughter of Ja Rule)
Chase Anela Rolinson (Daughter of TLC’s T-Boz)
Claudinel Jean (Daughter of Wyclef Jean)
Slade (Son of Lil Jon)
Duke Mason (Son of The Go-Go’s Belinda Carlisle)
Egypt Criss (Daughter of Pepa and Treach from Naughty By Nature)
iNTeLL (Son of Wu-Tang Clan’s U-God)
Jesaaelys Gonzalez (Daughter of Daddy Yankee)
Jesse Mizell (Son of Run DMC’s Jam Master Jay)
Maison Thomas (Son of Matchbox 20’s Rob Thomas)
Nathan Davis (Son of Korn’s Jonathan Davis)
Praise, Sean, Xavier, and Tacoma Simmons (Children of DMX)
Prana Supreme Diggs (Daughter of RZA)
PXWER (Sha Smith) and Cheyenne Smith (Children of Method Man)
Reginae Carter (Daughter of Lil Wayne)
Rosé Riley (Son of Teddy Riley)
Simon Crahan & Griffin Taylor (Sons of Slipknot’s Shawn Crahan & Corey Taylor)
Story A’Saundra Lumpkin (Daughter of Ginuwine and Solé)
Swayvo Twain (Son of D’Angelo and Angie Stone)
Trillian and T’ziah Smith (Sons of Busta Rhymes)
Uhmeer (Son of DJ Jazzy Jeff)
Weather Park (Son of Ol’ Dirty Bastard)
J-Hope is heading back to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — this time as a solo artist. The BTS star is scheduled to take the stage at the popular late-night show next week, on Monday, March 10, Billboard can exclusively announce, marking the 31-year-old singer’s solo debut on the program. Back in 2018, his […]
Former American Idol finalist Colin Stough was arrested over the weekend and charged with DUI, underage consumption of alcohol and failure to exercise due care. According to AL.com, the Tennessee Highway Patrol took the 20-year-old singer into custody on Friday after he reportedly crashed his car outside of Nashville. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts […]
If you are going to be an enigma, you have to commit to the bit. Bob Dylan gets it. Despite being in the glitziest spotlight possible on Sunday night (March 2) at the 2025 Academy Awards ceremony where the biopic about his early life, A Complete Unknown, was nominated for (and lost) eight Oscars, Dylan […]
Former Atlantic Music Group chairman/CEO Julie Greenwald is being welcomed as executive-in-residence at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music (CDI) at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts for the spring 2025 semester, it was announced on Monday (March 3).
In the role, Greenwald will present marketing case studies, hold workshops on business plan development, curate a series of conversations with music industry executives and participate in A&R pitch sessions with students. She will hold office hours at the institute’s Brooklyn campus.
Over her career, Greenwald has played a role in the success of superstars such as Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Cardi B, Charli XCX and Twenty One Pilots, among many others. After attending Tulane University, followed by a stint teaching in the New Orleans public school systems in the Calliope projects through Teach for America, she started her music industry career as Lyor Cohen‘s assistant at Rush Management. Three months later, she was named promotions coordinator at Def Jam Records, where she rose through the ranks. Following the merger of Def Jam, Island and Mercury Records, she and Cohen built Island Def Jam Music Group. She was named Billboard‘s Women in Music executive of the year in 2017.
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“I have always been so fortunate to get my unequal fair share of talented interns from NYU,” said Greenwald in a statement. “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to work so closely with not only the students, but the incredible faculty at the Clive Davis Institute.”
Record producer Nick Sansano, who serves as associate chair, director of production curriculum and co-director of the musicianship and performance curriculum at the Clive Davis Institute, said in a statement that Greenwald’s “presence at CDI is incredibly meaningful in so many ways. As a groundbreaking woman executive in the music business, she is a source of inspiration for the next generation of industry leaders. As one of the most successful music business executives of all time, she is a unique source of a breadth of professional wisdom. Julie has been very clear that she is doing this for no other reason than to pass on all she can to our students; like all laudable teachers, she is setting the groundwork to enable long-term success for our students, and the music making industry at large. Julie won’t be using a textbook, she is the textbook.”
In August, Greenwald announced she would step down from her role at Atlantic Music Group, where she was succeeded by Elliot Grainge following a major restructuring at Warner Music Group.
Wu-Tang Clan are going out in style. The legendary Shaolin crew recently announced the dates for what they are calling their last-ever full crew tour, Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber Tour, and over the weekend they tapped one of the sports world’s most iconic voices to crank the hype up another notch.
“From the slums of Shaolin to the world stage, they have conquered, endured and remained untouchable. The RZA, the GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon the Chef, U-God, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, Cappadonna, Method Man: The Wu-Tang Clan,” intones veteran sportscaster and Inside the NBA host Ernie Johnson Jr. in the short video that takes fans to the home of the Wu-Tang via the subway as a parade of SUVs with the Wu-Tang flag crawls through the streets surveying a variety of graffiti tributes to the crew.
“The final chamber is upon us,” Johnson explains over an image of a Jumbotron emblazoned with the tour’s name as RZA and Meth meet center court to slap hands and flutter the crew’s signature hand sign together. “The beats will hit harder, the rhymes will cut deeper, and the message will be louder than ever: Wu-Tang is forever.”
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RZA then speaks up, announcing the name of the tour and its special guest: Run the Jewels. “El-P, Killer Mike, let’s go,” Method Man adds in a shout-out to RTJ’s MCs.
The Wu-Tang announced the 27-date final swing last Monday, revealing that they will hit arenas across North America beginning on June 6 in Baltimore at CFG Bank Arena, with tickets on sale now. All nine living members of the Wu-Tang Clan will be participating in the final tour with Young Dirty Bastard taking his late father’s place (ODB passed away in 2004).
Watch the ad, and check out the full list of dates, below.
2025 Final Chamber tour dates
June 6 – Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank ArenaJune 7 – Raleigh, NC @ Lenovo CenterJune 10 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie ArenaJune 11 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm ArenaJune 13 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies ArenaJune 14 – Houston, TX @ Toyota CenterJune 15 – Austin, TX @ Moody CenterJune 16 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK CenterJune 18 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint CenterJune 20 – Ontario, CA @ Toyota ArenaJune 21 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena San DiegoJune 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com ArenaJune 24 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase CenterJune 26 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 CenterJune 28 – Seattle, CA @ Climate Pledge ArenaJune 30 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Rogers ArenaJuly 1 – Portland, OR @ Moda CenterJuly 4 – Greenwood Village, CO @ Fiddler’s Green AmphitheatreJuly 7 – Chicago, IL @ United CenterJuly 8 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars ArenaJuly 9 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide ArenaJuly 11 0- Boston, MA @ TD GardenJuly 13 – Laval, Quebec @ Place BellJuly 14 – Toronto, Ontario @ Scotiabank ArenaJuly 16 – New York, NY @ Madison Square GardenJuly 17 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential CenterJuly 18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
Just over an hour after the 97th Academy Awards came to a close, the annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party was preparing for its hotly anticipated performance from the Grammy-winning artist Chappell Roan.
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Taking place just 10 minutes south of the Dolby Theater, at West Hollywood Park, a mix of fellow artists (from Brandi Carlile to Diplo), actors and industry insiders packed the largest of three rooms as the hour inched past 9:00 p.m. Following an introduction and thank you from Sir Elton John himself, Roan kicked her off her hour-long set at 9:10 with the rousing “Femininomenon” followed by “Naked In Manhattan.”
“Can you believe it?” she asked. “We’re at a dog park behind The Abbey.” She later spoke of the famed gay bar for its role in inspiring her breakout hit “Pink Pony Club” – which she performed alongside John, who stayed seated for its verses but jumped up to sing and dance to the chorus while donning a sparkling pink cowboy hat placed on his head by Roan herself. To which he said: “Yeah, baby!”
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“I would just like to say thank you, Elton, for believing in ‘Pink Pony Club.’ He played it first, y’all. And I’m so grateful that you would have me here,” Roan said. She also stressed the importance of his event while wiping away a tear and holding John’s hand. “You have sacrificed so much for the queer community, and you made it so I could be the artist I could be.”
Prior to duetting on a hit of Roan’s, the pair performed a stunning rendition of John’s Hot 100 No. 1 “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” with John on keys. And earlier, Roan had tucked in another ode to the legend with an incredible cover of his touching top 10 track “Your Song.”
“It’s kind of scary singing it in front of the person who wrote it,” Roan admitted with a laugh, adding it’s “maybe the best song of all time.” She dedicated the song to parents, both of whom were in attendance, and thanked them for introducing her to John’s discography.
Still, the majority of Roan’s set was filled with her own charting hits, including “Casual,” “Hot To Go!” “Red Wine Supernova,” “Good Luck, Babe!” and “My Kink Is Karma.” But no matter what song Roan was performing, she delivered a potent combination of her soaring vocal range and spirited physicality (she rarely stayed in one spot on stage for long and proved to be well acquainted with a high kick). And while nothing about her set was inhibited by the black tie attire and table seatings scattered throughout the room, she had no problem calling out those in the back row who were a bit more reserved.
“Cut loose, baby!” she said with a laugh. “Let’s have fun.” Meanwhile, those packed near the stage had no need for such instructions, as their dancing made the floor shake (coincidentally, an earthquake hit Los Angeles minutes after her set ended).
As John said himself of the superstar while on stage: “You’re the best, baby. I love you so much.”
Billboard was inside the Dolby Theatre for the Wicked opening, the James Bond music tribute & more.
Neil Young is bringing new meaning to “Rockin’ in the Free World,” announcing plans to give his Ukrainian fans a free concert during his upcoming European tour. News of Young’s upcoming concert were announced by the Canadian music veteran on his own Neil Young Archives website. “Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts will open the […]
