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In a new Instagram post, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura-Fine announced that she and her husband Alex Fine are expecting their third child.
The pinned post features five black-and-white photos of Cassie, Alex, and their two daughters, and is simply captioned with a pregnancy emoji, a blue heart, and “#3.”
Cassie, 38, and Alex, 31, were married in 2019 just weeks after announcing that they were engaged and expecting a child together. Their first daughter Frankie was born in 2019 and Sunny followed in 2021. The blue heart on her recent baby announcement suggests that the couple is expecting their first son.
Friends gushed over the announcement in the comments section of the post. Singer Ciara wrote, “Yaaayy!! So beautiful!” while Kim Kardashian commented “congrats!!!” with two white hearts.
The news comes just over one year after Cassie settled a federal lawsuit against her ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs where she accused him of rape and abuse. When she announced the lawsuit, the “Me & U” singer said she had remained silent for years but was “finally ready to tell my story, and to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships.”
In her pregnancy announcement, fans referenced the lawsuit. One wrote, “I love to see women get their happily ever after–esp after going through abuse and trauma. You are deserving of this beautiful life. Thank you for being an example of strength and perseverance. Congrats!”
The lawsuit and settlement sparked a flurry of additional accusations, which landed Combs in federal custody. He is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn awaiting trial.
Lady Gaga and her dancers bring the magic on camera and off! Fans were blown away by the dance-heavy “Abracadabra” music video the pop superstar released earlier this month, and a new rehearsal video for the track shows just how hard the team worked on the choreography. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news […]
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Source: JIM WATSON / Getty / White House
Donald Trump and his lame administration are working hard to set the advancement of Black culture back years with the removal of DEI programs, but that’s not stopping these Black celebrities from joining him at the White House to celebrate Black History Month.
The Associated Press reports that Donald Trump’s White House will host a Black History Month event on Thursday, and the who’s who of sellouts will be in attendance to celebrate the jig.
According to the website, Trump’s heada** pick to be ambassador to t Herschel Walker, Trump’s favorite African American, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Republican Rep. John James of Michigan, prison reform advocate and recipient of a Trump pardon in 2020 thanks to Kim Kardashian Alice Johnson, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s niece, Alveda King will join Felon 47 in the East Room for the event.
Other notable sellouts in attendance will be former ESPN host Sage Steele, Kodak Black, Lil Boosie, who recently begged Trump for a pardon on X, formerly Twitter, and Rod Wave, fresh off from performing at the Crypto Ball alongside Snoop Dogg.
The event was scheduled for last week but was postponed due to inclement weather.
Social media has been responding accordingly to the list of names who will be at the event.
“Sorry but ever single attendee (including that fuck ass president) is a cte having criminal degenerate,” one person on X wrote, adding a long rap sheet of problematic behavior from Rod Wave.
Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker added, “Glad to hear our best and brightest will represent us….and if you don’t hear the sarcasm in my voice, you clearly don’t follow me on here.
The list of Black Trumpers continues to grow. Never forget these people were on the wrong side of history.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
4. Exactly
7. “Jigaboo Jubilee” HOWLING
Six years after Leaving Neverland gave Wade Robson and James Safechuck a platform to share shocking accounts of Michael Jackson‘s alleged sexual abuse of them as children, the two men are once again taking to the documentary format to talk about their experiences. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts […]
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. If you’re looking for great NBA merch, the Grateful Dead collection doesn’t miss. Taking inspiration from the legendary band’s iconic skull […]
Coco Jones announced Thursday (Feb. 20) that she’ll be dropping her debut album Why Not More on April 25 via Def Jam Recordings. “It’s FINALLY here,” she wrote on X with a crying emoji. “My DEBUT album ‘Why Not More’ is dropping 4/25 and will be available for pre-order tonight 9pm PST.” Jones released a […]
Tiny Desk Concerts have become a rite of passage for artists, and Leon Thomas checked off another box in his ascension on Thursday (Feb. 20) as the R&B star made his debut on the NPR office stage. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Rocking a Satoshi Nakamoto […]
Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.
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This week: Drake’s new album with PartyNextDoor has a mid-week breakout hit, Charli XCX has a pre-Brat viral bump, Riley Green’s song (and video) for the lovers sees seasonal gains, and more.
Drake’s “Nokia” Is Buzzing, Aaron Hall Embraced on Streaming After “Gimme a Hug” Sample
In its first couple days of release, the early leader on streaming from PartyNextDoor & Drake’s new R&B collaborative album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U was Drake’s more rap-driven solo number “Gimme a Hug,” with the song topping the Apple Music real-time chart and reaching the top 10 on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA listing. But over the week, another song from even deeper in the 21-track album has taken over as its top performer: the pop hook-driven, two-part banger “Nokia.”
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With backing vocals and a beat helmed by U.K. producer Elkan, “Nokia” – also credited solely to Drake – had the usual big streaming drop following its first day of release, but has been climbing throughout the week. On Tuesday, it posted 2.9 million official on-demand U.S. streams, according to initial data provided by Luminate – its best streaming performance since that Friday of release, and its first time passing “Hug” as the set’s most-streamed song. Meanwhile, the song has also been one of the week’s best sellers, topping the iTunes real-time chart and moving a combined 13,000 copies over its first five days of availability.
Meanwhile, “Hug” continues to offer warmth on streaming to its original sample source. Aaron Hall’s “I Miss You,” which Drake heavily lifts from towards the end of his $exy $ongs ¢enterpiece, garnered over 700,000 streams during the first five days of this tracking week (Feb. 14-18), after combining for under 100,000 streams the equivalent period the prior week, a gain of 694% for the 1993 Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hit. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER
‘How I’m Feeling Now’ Winter? An Old Charli XCX Track Is Going Viral
Charli XCX’s enormous 2024 — which included the critical and commercial success of her Brat album and its accompanying Sweat tour alongside Troye Sivan — has already pushed into 2025, thanks to a fruitful Grammys night and more arena headlining dates. Now, a song that’s years older than her comeback album is going viral: the tender, ethereal “Party 4 U,” from her 2020 lockdown album How I’m Feeling Now, has been exploding on TikTok in recent weeks, with a series of lip synch performances from longtime Charli fans ready to prove their pre-Brat bona fides.
A month ago, “Party 4 U” was earning 278,000 official on-demand U.S. streams (for the chart week ending Jan. 23), according to Luminate; that number more than doubled to 573,000 streams for the week ending Feb. 13, and will once again surpass that high-water mark after earning 830,000 streams from Feb. 14-18, according to initial Luminate reports. Charli herself acknowledged the viral explosion on Wednesday (Feb. 19): “it’s p crazy that this song is suddenly getting love in this kinda way,” she wrote. “I know this song means so much to so many angels. she’s a cutie
A busy year in high-margin amphitheaters and arenas pushed concert promoter Live Nation to a record $2.15 billion in adjusted operating income (AOI) in 2024, up 14%, on record revenue of $23.16 billion, up 2%.
In the concerts division, full-year revenue rose 2% to $19.02 billion. Despite having 30% fewer stadium shows in 2024, the total number of fans grew to a record 151 million from more than 50,000 Live Nation events. A heavy slate of concerts at arenas and amphitheaters, where Live Nation can offer VIP experiences and capture more revenue from food and beverage sales, helped AOI climb 65% to $529.7 million and AOI margin — AOI as a percentage of revenue — reach a record 2.8%.
Ticketing revenue for the full year increased 1% to $2.99 billion while AOI dropped 1% to $1.12 billion. Ticketmaster had 23 million net new enterprise tickets that were signed in 2024, with two-thirds coming from international markets.
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Sponsorships and advertising revenue grew 9% to $1.2 billion and AOI rose 13% to $763.8 million. Led by festivals in Latin America and Europe, international markets were up double digits. The number of new clients increased 20%.
Live Nation is expecting 2025 will top its record-setting 2024. Through mid-February, stadium shows are up 60% from the prior-year period and 65 million tickets have been sold for Live Nation concerts, a double-digit annual increase. Ticketmaster’s transacted ticketing revenue for 2025 shows is up 3% to 106 million tickets, due mainly to an increase in concert demand.
The current year “is shaping up to be even bigger thanks to a deep global concert pipeline, with more stadium shows on the books than ever before,” CEO Michael Rapino said in a statement. Currently, Live Nation’s stadium tours for 2025 include Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour, Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem Tour, Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s Grand National Tour, and Post Malone and Jelly Roll’s Big Ass Stadium Tour.
Consolidation fourth-quarter revenue dropped 2% to $5.68 billion as concerts revenue dipped 6% to $4.58 billion and ticketing and sponsorships and advertising grew 14% and 10%, respectively. Fourth-quarter AOI fared better, however, rising 35% to $157.3 million despite concerts AOI falling 16%.
Save this storySaveSave this storySaveSilkworm, the Missoula, Montana, indie-rock band founded by Andy Cohen, Joel RL Phelps, and Tim Midyett in the 1980s, are reuniting. In a new interview on the Kreative Kontrol podcast with Vish Khanna, Cohen and Midyett revealed that a reconfigured lineup with Phelps, who left in 1994, will reunite to play several shows this September. They will be Silkworm’s first proper shows since breaking up in 2005, after the death of drummer Michael Dahlquist.“There’s a very good chance that we’ll be playing a couple shows in September with Joel, and Matt [Kadane] will be playing keyboards—from Bedhead, who played in the latter day period of the ’worm,” Midyett said on the podcast. “So, it’ll kind of be an alternate history ’Worm, where Joel never left, and Matt was in the band, and we met Jeff Pananall instead of Michael [Dahlquist].” A Chicago concert is scheduled for September 25, and a set at Memphis’ Goner Fest will take place on September 27.Technically, Silkworm held an impromptu reunion last year to play at a memorial gathering for the late Steve Albini, their friend and frequent collaborator, in Zion, Illinois. Cohen, Midyett, and Phelps played a few Silkworm songs with Songs: Ohia drummer Jeff Panall—who will also join the lineup for the upcoming Silkworm shows—in honor of Albini.Silkworm released their ninth and final studio album, It’ll Be Cool, in 2004. That following year, Dahlquist and two friends—the Dials’ Douglas Meis and Returnables’ John Glick—were killed in a car crash when their vehicle was rammed from behind by a car going 90 miles per hour. Cohen and Midyett had relocated to Chicago at that point and, after grieving, started the band Bottomless Pit together. In 2013, the documentary Couldn’t You Wait? The Story of Silkworm came out featuring interviews with Albini, Stephen Malkmus, Jeff Tweedy, and more musicians.