State Champ Radio Blog
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Joe Morrison may spend his days working as a personal injury lawyer at law firm Mullen & Mullen, but by night, he’s an avid music fan hoping to protect the live music scene he has supported and nourished for decades.
Together, Morrison, his partner Shane Mullen and Dallas-based production manager Corey Pond have launched the JAMBALOO Music Prize, offering one artist or group a $20,000 check along with professional recording time, promotional support and industry connections in North Texas. The prize represents the latest expansion of the firm’s JAMBALOO Festival, which debuted last year with 25 free shows across different venues in and around Dallas and Fort Worth.
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The competition is open to any artist or band with more than 50% of permanent members residing in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area; artists can participate by submitting an album with seven or more songs via Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music or Tidal. Fifteen anonymous judges will evaluate the submissions and select 10 semifinalists who will compete to become one of three finalists. The winner will be chosen through a weighted vote by a panel of experts, as well as a vote by music fans.
“We didn’t want it to be a popularity contest, which is what sometimes these things can turn into, but we did want there to be an element of public voting, because success and popularity do matter,” Pond explains.
Three finalists will perform on June 6 alongside a to-be-determined national headliner, with all tickets free to the public. The June showcase will take place at Longhorn Ballroom, a historic Dallas venue once managed by Jack Ruby, infamous for gunning down Lee Harvey Oswald after Oswald shot and killed U.S. President John F. Kennedy near Dallas’ Dealey Plaza. The Longhorn was reopened by Texas promoter Edwin Cabaniss and Kessler Presents in spring 2023 after a multimillion-dollar renovation that included a new 6,500-capacity outdoor amphitheater.
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Besides the $20,000 cash prize, the winner will also win a recording session at Dallas’ Luminous Sound studio with four-time Grammy winner Tre Nagella, as well as featured placement at Josey Records, one of the nation’s largest record stores; a live session recorded at NPR affiliate KXT radio; and an email promotion to 650,000 music fans.
“For a local artist, that [money] could fund an entire new album, that could fund the start of a tour,” says Nagella. “This isn’t like a record deal where they’re beholden to someone — they’re free to use it however they want to use it.”
Mullen & Mullen is also hosting a separate $20,000 venue prize, which was launched after the Fort Worth Music Office reached out about The Cicada, a venue facing closure. The venue prize will become an annual summer competition for independently owned, locally operated music spaces.
“We were looking for a way to kind of give back to the community, but to do it in a fun and unique way,” said Morrison, noting that the firm has invested more than $500,000 in the music initiative so far. “As a personal injury lawyer, who the hell wants to interact with me on social media? It felt better if we could give back in an authentic way where people just see us in a different light.”
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The JAMBALOO Music Prize is part of a broader vision for the Mullen & Mullen Music Project, which aims to support the North Texas music scene year-round rather than through a single annual event. Plans include pop-up shows, educational panels and industry mixers modeled after South by Southwest’s programming.
Last year’s inaugural JAMBALOO Festival featured notable performances, including a set by rising indie artist MJ Lenderman. The festival is strategically scheduled in February, traditionally a slow period for venues and artists.
“Let’s try to take a time of the year that’s traditionally bad for the industry and for artists, and turn it on its head a little bit,” Morrison says.
Dallas-based artists can submit their work at JAMBALOO.live.
Trending on Billboard Tony Yayo isn’t entertaining the thought of taking on Memphis Bleek in a potential Verzuz battle, as the G-Unit rapper doesn’t even think it would make for a fair fight. Yayo stopped by VLADTV for an interview on Thursday, and DJ Vlad asked him about who would win in a Verzuz between […]
Source: Warner Bros. TV / Getty
Summer Walker finally drops “Finally Over It” to complete the trilogy theme.
The Atlanta R&B artist has been teasing this project for quite a while now. She dropped the first installment of the trilogy, “Over It,” in 2019, which housed some of her biggest tracks like “Playing Games” (the extended version with Bryson Tiller needs to be studied), “Just Might” featuring a vintage PARTYNEXTDOOR verse, and many more.
Fast forward two years, “Still Over It” dropped, continuing that nonchalant energy of being over something or somebody. The project had joints from back to back, like “No Love” featuring SZA and Summer, even closed with Ciara praying on the outro. Can’t get any better than that. Four years later, she finally finishes the trilogy, dropping “Finally Over It,” and the girlies online are loving it.
Linking up with Mariah The Scientist is exactly what fans have been wanting from Summer. The Breezy Bowl clearly paid off, too, since we got a Chris Brown feature on the album. Calling on the toxic king himself, Brent Faiyaz, she brought him in on Disc 2 for the “Number One” record. Summer’s promo run for this album is legendary.
She pulled up in a dump truck around Atlanta, helping anyone going through a breakup toss out their ex’s belongings. She kicked things off herself, throwing her own ex’s stuff into the truck.
Trending on Billboard Arcángel opens up about how he stays true to himself and explains the differences between Austin Santos and his on-stage persona. Arcángel: In fact, I consider myself more of a person than an artist. I’ve always been like that because every time I have to give an opinion, I speak as Austin […]
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Federal prosecutors are urging a judge to sentence Tekashi 6ix9ine to between three and nine months in prison for possessing drugs and assaulting someone who taunted him about flipping on former Brooklyn gangmates.
The rapper (Daniel Hernandez) is due to be sentenced by Judge Paul A. Engelmayer next Thursday (Nov. 20) after pleading guilty to multiple violations of his supervised release. Tekashi’s probation stems from a 2018 racketeering prosecution, in which he testified against other members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods in exchange for leniency.
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Tekashi broke the rules of supervised release by possessing cocaine and MDMA this past February, then again by punching and kicking a man in August at a Florida mall, who made derogatory comments about his cooperation with law enforcement. Now, prosecutors say prison time is warranted because Tekashi “violated the court’s trust.”
“While it brings the government no joy to seek a custodial prison sentence for a former cooperator, the court must send a message to Hernandez and other government cooperators — or those considering cooperating with the government — that they are not above the law by virtue of their status as cooperators,” wrote Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Rebold in a Wednesday (Nov. 13) sentencing recommendation.
Meanwhile, Tekashi’s attorney says six months of house arrest is a more appropriate sentence. Defense lawyer Lance Lazzaro sought to put Tekashi’s violations in perspective in a Nov. 6 court letter, noting that the rapper was caught only with “a very small amount” of drugs and that the victim of his Florida assault, who was the “initial aggressor” in the dispute, was not seriously injured.
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Lazzaro also advised Judge Engelmayer that for a cooperator like Tekashi, months in prison “end up being much more severe, difficult, and even dangerous, when compared to a typical inmate.”
“Due to Mr. Hernandez’ classification, he always serves his jail time segregated and fully isolated from other inmates,” wrote Lazzaro. “As a result, Mr. Hernandez is given extremely limited social interaction with other inmates and very little time outside to get fresh air and exercise.”
Neither Lazzaro nor a rep for the prosecution immediately returned requests for comment about the sentencing recommendations on Friday (Nov. 14).
Back in 2018, Tekashi pled guilty to nine racketeering, gun and drug charges related to his time in the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. He admitted to being involved in a slew of violent incidents targeting rival rappers, including a 2017 assault of Trippie Redd, and testified against his former gang associates at a high-profile trial in 2019.
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The charges in Tekashi’s plea could have subjected him to decades in prison. But Judge Engelmayer sentenced him to just two years behind bars due to his “game-changing” and “brave” cooperation, and he got out even faster because of health risks during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tekashi began a five-year term of supervised release after getting out of jail in 2020. He had just months left on probation when, in November 2024, the rapper was charged with a host of violations, including using methamphetamine, failing to appear for drug tests and traveling to Las Vegas without permission.
The rapper admitted to these violations, and Judge Engelmayer sentenced him to 45 days in jail plus another year of supervised release. After his release last December, Tekashi was again caught violating probation by possessing cocaine and MDMA. Then came the Florida assault, which happened while he was awaiting sentencing for the drug violations.
Prosecutors now say that whatever sentence Tekashi receives on Nov. 20, it should be followed by a fresh two-year supervised release term. And this time, they add, he should be required to seek substance abuse treatment and anger management counseling.
“Hernandez is now six years removed from his criminal sentencing; yet he still appears unable to control his temper when slighted by a random stranger,” reads the prosecution’s sentencing memo. “Hernandez must learn to turn the other cheek and walk away from situations like these moving forward.”
Trending on Billboard Tyler, the Creator announced on Friday (Nov. 14) that he will be postponing his 11th annual Camp Flog Gnaw festival this weekend due to inclement weather in Los Angeles, California. The LA Times reported on Friday that an “incoming atmospheric rain storm” is headed to Los Angeles County this weekend that will […]
Trending on Billboard The temperatures might be getting chillier, but the new music landscape is only heating up thanks to fresh releases from Summer Walker, Miley Cyrus and more. This week, the R&B tastemaker finally unveiled her long-awaited Finally Over It, the third installment in her Over It album series. Through dynamic collaborations with everyone […]
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Taylor Swift possesses the key to another No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart. She adds her record-extending 14th leader on the list as “The Fate of Ophelia” leaps three spots to the top of the Nov. 22-dated ranking.
Justin Bieber, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry and Rihanna share the second-most Pop Airplay No. 1s, 11 each.
Here’s a recap of Swift’s 14 No. 1s on Pop Airplay, which measures songs’ weekly plays, as tabulated by Mediabase and provided to Billboard by Luminate, on more than 150 U.S. mainstream top 40 radio stations. (The chart began in October 1992.)
Title, Weeks at No. 1, Year(s):
“The Fate of Ophelia,” one (to date), 2025
“Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault],” one, 2024
“Cruel Summer,” 10, 2023
“Karma,” one, 2023
“Anti-Hero,” three, 2022-23
“Delicate,” one, 2018
“Look What You Made Me Do,” one, 2017
“Wildest Dreams,” two, 2015
“Bad Blood” (feat. Kendrick Lamar), five, 2015
“Style,” three, 2015
“Blank Space,” six, 2014-15
“Shake It Off,” two, 2014
“I Knew You Were Trouble.,” seven, 2013
“Love Story,” one, 2009
The coronation for “The Fate of Ophelia” marks the song’s latest achievement on Pop Airplay, after it debuted at No. 8 on the Oct. 18 chart, becoming the first title ever to arrive in the top 10. It reigns in its sixth week on the list, completing Swift’s quickest rise to No. 1 since “Bad Blood” led in its fifth frame in 2015.
“The Fate of Ophelia” is from Swift’s album The Life of a Showgirl. The set and song have topped the Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100 charts, respectively, for five weeks running, encompassing their entire runs on the rankings so far.
Plus, the album’s “Opalite” ascends 25-20 on Pop Airplay for a new high.
“‘The Fate of Ophelia’ allowed her fans to peek in the window of her newfound happiness,” Nadine Santos, Music Choice vp of programming and artist relations, tells Billboard; Music Choice’s Pop Airplay reporter Today’s Hits is playing both of Swift’s love songs on the current chart. “With her witty and creative approach to her song lyrics, it’s the Taylor we have all been waiting to hear.”
All charts dated Nov. 22 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, Nov. 18.
Trending on Billboard Drake has responded to an old rumor that a T.I. associated once urinated on the Canadian rapper. The incident in question became a talking point back in 2015 after Meek Mill claimed in his diss track “Wanna Know” that Drizzy, “let Tip’s homie piss on [him] in a movie theater.” The rumor […]
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The SAG Awards, which were first presented in 1995, are changing their name to The Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA. The move gets away from the word “sag” and also brings AFTRA, which merged with the Screen Actors Guild in 2012, into the name of the award.
Jon Brockett, the showrunner and executive producer of the award show’s telecast, and JoBeth Williams, the actress and chair of SAG-AFTRA’s Awards Committee, announced the news on Friday (Nov. 14).
“The Actor” is the name of the award that is presented on the show. This brings the name of the award into the name of the show, just as Oscars are presented on The Oscars.
In a joint statement, Brockett and Williams, said: “The show’s name is now The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA, but the foundation remains the same: it’s actors honoring actors. The statuette has always been called The Actor, and we’re simply aligning the show’s title with the name of the award itself and the union behind it.
“After the merger between SAG and AFTRA, we continued to refer to the show as the SAG Awards. Now, with the new name of the show — The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA — we’re finally able to fully recognize that merger and align it with the name of our statuette, The Actor.
“To help ease the transition for reps at studio and network, FYC campaign materials will continue using Screen Actors Guild Awards through this season’s pre-nomination voting period ending on Jan. 5, 2026. Moving forward, post-nominations, we will be advising everyone to use The Actor Awards.”
The SAG Awards aired on NBC from 1995-97, but then moved to basic cable for many years, where they aired on TNT and TBS. They moved to Netflix in 2023, first via YouTube and then on the streamer directly. The show’s 32nd edition is set for March 1. The show celebrates performances both in film and on television.
The show has been presented at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in all four of its outings. There was no show in 2021, amid the pandemic. The show has had a no-host format through most of its history, but has had a host the last two years — Idris Elba in 2024 show and Kristen Bell earlier this year.
SAG-AFTRA is the world’s largest acting union, with 160,000 members.
