Blog
Page: 131
In a night of big moments, Afrojack helped deliver one of the very biggest when he brought out French titan David Guetta and one of history’s all-time singers, Sia, to perform their 2011 classic “Titanium” during the first night (March 28) of Ultra Music Festival 2025. The pair walked onto the festival’s mainstage hand-in-hand, a […]
From career milestones to new music releases to major announcements and those little important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.
J.Lo Reunites With Edward James Olmos
In the 1997 Selena film, Edward James Olmos played Abraham Quintanilla, Selena’s father, and Jennifer Lopez gave life to the tejano music icon. Now, the two are teaming up once again in a new project, the “Let’s Get Loud” singer announced on social media.
“From ‘Selena’ to now, this journey has come full circle…SWIPE to see the big news,” J.Lo captioned the then and now photos of her and Olmos. “We’re thrilled to welcome the incredible Edward James Olmos to ‘Office Romance’!”
Trending on Billboard
See the heartfelt post here.
Viral Street Cleaner Debuts on Billboard Chart
Emerging Mexican folk singer Macario Martinez has made his Billboard debut through his collaboration with Eslabon Armado on the group’s set Vibras de Noche II, released last week. The 17-track set includes “Esa Noche,” the only collaboration on the LP, featuring the emerging 23-year-old Mexican folk singer. The song debuts at No. 50 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, scoring Martínez his Billboard debut.
The chart feat comes just months after Martínez, the young Mexican street sweeper who captured the internet’s attention, went viral on TikTok after sharing a heartfelt video in response for the support of his song “Sueña Lindo, Corazón.”
Gente de Zona and MLB
Cuban duo Gente de Zona scored a home run with its partnership with the Major League Baseball (MLB). It’s song “Cosas Bonitas” by Gente de Zona was licensed by the league to be used in the Spanish official tease for the Opening Day 2025 in the MLB Network. The track — part of its upcoming Reparto album — was used across all Spanish social media platforms and the network aired it during their broadcast program on Thursday. Check out the clip below:
Chasing Sueños
YouTube’s AJ Ramos has teamed up with Toyota and Sonoro to launch the new podcast, “Chasing Sueños.” The seven-episode series is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms. The original podcast “celebrates ambition, resilience, and cultural identity,” according to a press statement. The episodes, which feature in-depth conversations with Latin stars such as Maffio and Edgar Barrera, are recorded in a custom-designed Toyota Studio. The artists “delve into pivotal moments of each artist’s journey—from side hustles and setbacks to breakthroughs and success stories,” the statement further adds.
Check out the episodes here.
Shakira, Shakira
The Colombian superstar has announced additional shows in Mexico as part of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, including two more dates at the capital’s GNP Seguros Stadium on August 29-30, OCESA announced on Friday (March 28).
“Shakira continues to make history in Mexico! Due to high demand, another date of the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour has been added at the GNP Seguros Stadium,” OCESA said in a statement. With the addition of dates, the Colombian superstar is set to break a record at GNP Seguros Stadium with eight performances at that venue over two separate phases of her tour – surpassing shows by other global stars like Paul McCartney, Metallica, Coldplay, and Taylor Swift.
The other recently-announced tour dates in Mexico will be at Estadio Corregidora in Querétaro on Sept. 2, Estadio Akron in Guadalajara on Sept. 6, and Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla on Sept. 12.
Latin Women in Music
Billboard’s 2025 Latin Women in Music executives list has been revealed. The exclusive list comprises 45 executives “whose purview is singularly Latin or Latin American-focused, whether they are based in the United States or abroad, and whose work has a significant impact on the U.S. Latin market,” Billboard’s Leila Cobo explained. See the complete list here.
Meanwhile, on April 24, the Mujeres Latinas en la Música gala will air on Telemundo, honoring artists who have made an impact in the past year and beyond. Mexican star Ana Bárbara is set to host the ceremony.
Young Scooter died Friday night (March 28) on the rapper’s 39th birthday, according to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and details from Atlanta Police.
Atlanta Police Lt. Andrew Smith led a news conference late Friday night to share details about what reportedly led to the death of Young Scooter (real name: Kenneth Edward Bailey). According to Smith, police responded to a call about a dispute with a weapon at a home and then set up a perimeter outside the house after a man shut the door on officers. Two men fled from the rear of the house, Smith said, with one returning to the home and the other jumping two fences as he was fleeing.
According to the AJC story, Young Scooter was the man who jumped the fences, and Smith said, “When officers located him on the other side of the fence, he appeared to have suffered an injury to his leg.”
Atlanta Police say the man was taken to Grady Marcus Trauma Center and died there.
During the news conference, Smith denied widespread reports spreading on social media that Scooter had been fatally shot by Atlanta PD officers. “Just to be very clear, the injury that was sustained was not via the officers on scene. It was when the male was fleeing.”
Young Scooter’s peers mourned the late rapper on social media, with Playboi Carti sharing the news on Instagram Stories with the caption “SMFH.” Quavo took to X with broken-heart and prayer-hands emojis, writing, “ion understand,” alongside a video of Scooter performing. The late rapper’s Instagram Stories shared dozens of posts wishing him a happy birthday throughout Friday.
While Scooter was born in South Carolina, his family moved to Atlanta when he was just 9 years old, and his music career has been based in the rap mecca ever since. He broke out locally with the song “Colombia” in 2012 before joining forces with hip-hop heavyweights Future, Juicy J and Young Thug for “DI$Function” in 2014. He hit the Billboard charts as a featured artist on Young Thug’s “Guwop,” also featuring Quavo & Offset of Migos, in 2016 (peaking at No. 45 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart) and on Future & Juice WRLD’s “Jet Lag” in 2018 (his only Billboard Hot 100 appearance, peaking at No. 72).
Billboard has reached out to the Atlanta Police and a rep for Young Scooter for further information.
Find Quavo’s X post about Scooter below:
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Anna Barclay / Getty / Elon Musk / X
Elon Musk’s time as owner of X, formerly Twitter, is reportedly over, but before you celebrate, it sounds like his slimy tentacles will still be all over the platform.
Spotted on the New York Times, Elon Musk claims he sold X to xAI, the artificial intelligence startup the Tesla chief founded in 2023. Yes, if you’re wondering if there are potential conflicts of interest, you’re not far off in your thinking.
According to the website, it’s an all-stock deal, with xAI valued at $80 billion and the mess that is X worth $30 billion. This is $14 billion cheaper than when Phony Stark reluctantly acquired the platform, then called Twitter, for $44 billion in 2022.
“XAI and X’s futures are intertwined. Today, we officially take the step to combine the data, models, compute, distribution and talent,” Musk wrote in his post on X. “The combined company will deliver smarter, more meaningful experiences to billions of people while staying true to our core mission of seeking truth and advancing knowledge.”
Both companies share resources. xAI’s intelligence models are trained based on the data it gathers from posts from X users. The companies also share engineers and the chatbot Grok.
Social Media Thinks Elon Musk Is Money Laundering
Social media has been very skeptical of this proposed deal. “He sold Twitter/X to himself. This is clearly money laundering in 4K,” one user wrote on X.
Another post read, “how do you sell your own company to your own company.”
“We can tell he’s bored because how do you sell your shit to yourself??” said another post.
Yeah, this deal is sketchy. We shall see how it continues to play out. Until then, you can see more reactions in the gallery below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Prince Williams / Getty
Atlanta rapper Young Scooter was allegedly killed on his birthday, leaving fans and the rap world in shock.
Scooter’s career took off in 2012 when he signed with Future’s Freebandz label. He was one of the first artists Future brought on board, and that move helped him make his mark in the game. His Street Lottery mixtape was a game-changer, dropping bangers that got him noticed and helped him build a dedicated fanbase. He wasn’t just another rapper from Atlanta—he had that gritty, real-talk style that resonated with people from the streets.
Over the years, Scooter dropped projects like The Game’s Omen and Juggathon, staying consistent with hard-hitting tracks and dope features. He worked with artists like Gucci Mane, Yo Gotti, and of course, Future, building his rep as one of the realest to do it. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the ATL legend;s family and friends.
More news to come as the story develops.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Prince Williams / Getty
We are sad to report that ATL rapper Young Scooter reportedly died today (Mar. 28) as he celebrated his 39th birthday.
WSB-TV reports that Atlanta PD responded to the shooting near the intersection of Luckie Street NW and Mills Street NW, blocks away from State Farm Arena, where the NCAA College Basketball tournament is taking place.
The shooting occurred around 6:45 pm. Scooter was rushed to the hospital, where police confirmed that he died from his injuries.
Fellow ATL rappers Playboi Carti and Ralo paid tribute to Scooter on social media.
Raised in Atlanta’s Kirkwood neighborhood, Scooter (real name Kenneth Bailey) was among the first artists to sign with Future’s Freebandz imprint in 2012. One year later, he jointly signed with Waka Flocka Flame’s Brick Squad Monopoly.
He first gained notable recognition with his Street Lottery mixtape (2012), led by the single “Colombia.” The track became a regional hit, with rappers Rick Ross, Birdman, and Gucci Mane hopping on the remix.
Scooter would later earn his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 with his guest feature on Future and Juice Wrld’s “Jet Lag.” The track peaked at #72 and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Scooter would go on to release 20 mixtapes within the course of his career, making a lasting impact on Atlanta’s Hip-Hop scene. His contributions to the game will never be forgotten.
This is a developing story.
Check Out Our Throwback Interview With Young Scooter From 2013
REPORT: Young Scooter Shot & Killed In Downtown Atlanta
was originally published on
hotspotatl.com
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
What up, Hip-Hop Wired Family! We’re back with our latest Baes & Baddies post, and we’re featuring Atlanta by way of St. Louis sweetface stunner, the spectacularly stacked Jasmyn Danielle aka @jascatron.
Despite our best efforts, all we know about Jasmyn Danielle is that she is a native of Missouri and now resides in Georgia. Her Instagram account only has a handful of images, but the @jascatron page is showing a lot more activity lately as she aims to gain fans and followers on social media.
It appears that the sultry model took a break back in November of last year and returned with a bang this month. We’ll feature her latest images and work our way back in the gallery section below.
For now, please show some love for our latest Baes & Baddies entrant, Jasmyn Danielle aka @jascatron.
—
Photo: @jascatron / Instagram
Demi Lovato is a Little Monster! The 32-year-old singer took to TikTok on Thursday (March 27) to share a video, in which she lip syncs along to Lady Gaga’s “How Bad Do U Want Me,” off her recently released album, Mayhem. “That girl in your head ain’t real/ How bad do you want me, for […]
K-pop companies SM Entertainment and HYBE were among the best-performing music stocks of the week as most stocks were dragged down by continued uncertainty about U.S. tariff policy and new data on higher-than-expected inflation.
SM Entertainment, home to NCT Dream and RIIZE, was the week’s best performer after gaining 6.7% to 107,000 KRW ($72.91). That brought the company’s year-to-date gain to 47.4% — the best of any music stock.
HYBE, which counts BTS and its solo members’ projects among its vast roster, improved 3.7% to 240,500 KRW ($163.87). On Thursday (March 27), HYBE announced that BTS songs such as “Dynamite” and “Butter” will be featured on Lullaby Renditions of BTS, out April 4 on Rockabye Baby! Music. HYBE shares are up 19.7% year to date, the fifth-best among music stocks.
Trending on Billboard
K-pop fared well during a down week for most stocks and markets in general. YG Entertainment, home of BLACKPINK and BABYMONSTER, rose 3.3% to 63,500 KRW ($43.27) while JYP Entertainment was unchanged at 61,300 KRW ($41.77).
Outside of South Korea, music stocks reflected the challenging economic conditions and uncertainties that have hurt stocks in recent weeks. The 20-company Billboard Global Music Index (BGMI) declined 2.9% to 2,459.98, marking its fourth decline in the last six weeks. With just eight of its 20 stocks finishing the week in the black, the BGMI fell into correction territory as its value has declined 10.7% since the week ended Feb. 14. The first six weeks of 2025 were good enough to overcome the recent slump, however, and the BGMI is up 15.8% year to date and has gained 40.4% over the last 52 weeks.
Stocks took another hit on Friday (March 28) after the core personal consumption expenditures price index, a measure closely watched by the U.S. Federal Reserve, increased 0.4% in February. That put the 12-month inflation rate at 2.8%. Both figures were above experts’ expectations. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite finished the week down 2.6%, increasing its year-to-date decline to 11.7%, while the S&P 500 fell 1.5%. In the U.K., the FTSE 100 increased 0.1%. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index fell 3.2%. China’s SSE Composite Index dropped 0.4%.
The BGMI was pulled down by Spotify’s 6.5% decline and a 4.2% drop by German concert promoter CTS Eventim. Warner Music Group, one of the index’s largest companies, dropped 2.7% to $31.56.
Tencent Music Entertainment (TME) gained 2.7% to $14.38 after Deutsche Bank upgraded its rating on TME shares to buy from hold. Universal Music Group rose 2.0% to 25.99 euros ($28.12) after Wells Fargo upped the rating on the company’s shares to overweight from equal weight and increased the price target to 33 euros ($35.70) from 28 euros ($30.29).
Music streaming company LiveOne had the week’s biggest decline at 14.1%. The company announced on Wednesday (March 26) that subscribers and ad-supported users surpassed 1.4 million.
Radio company iHeartMedia fell 6.8%, putting its year-to-date loss at 23.0%. Satellite broadcaster SiriusXM dropped 3.1% to $22.75, though it’s still up 1.7% in 2025.
GIVĒON, whose latest single “Twenties” reached No. 6 on Hot R&B Songs, celebrated another momentous milestone last night (March 27): the five-year anniversary of his debut EP Take Time. Released on March 27, 2020, the eight-track project features the seven-time Grammy nominee’s two breakthrough singles, “Like I Want You” and “Heartbreak Anniversary.” Both are now RIAA-certified at 3x and 6x platinum, respectively,
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Celebrating with GIVĒON inside the Los Angeles club Living Room were members of his Epic Records team, headed by chairwoman/CEO Sylvia Rhone, president Ezekiel Lewis and general manager Rick Sackheim. Also spotted at the intimate gathering were Grammy-winning songwriter-producer Jimmy Jam, fellow R&B singer Amerie and actress/producer Lena Waithe.
Nominated for best R&B album at the 2021 Grammy Awards, Take Time was followed by GIVĒON’s top 10 R&B album When It’s All Said and Done in October 2020 and his guest turn on Justin Bieber’s 2021 multiplatinum smash “Peaches.” Now the singer-songwriter is at work on his sophomore set, which will include current hit “Twenties.” The Long Beach, Calif. native has also scored a second top 10 this year with his feature on Teddy Swims’ Hot R&B Songs No. 4 hit “Are You Even Real.”
Trending on Billboard
Giveon
Sam Balban
A couple of days prior to his Take Time celebration, Billboard caught up with GIVĒON during a phone interview. Here are a few soundbites from that conversation.
Who he was as an artist five years ago: When I wrote the songs for Take Time, I was only 23-24. But I was also very confident in myself, especially for someone who hadn’t released a body of work on a major label. That’s because I knew this EP was my life’s work at the time. It took 24 years to make because it was all of my life experiences wrapped up into one unique project.
Who he is as an artist now: I feel a lot more aware when it comes to my process and what I need to do to grow at all times. I never want to become stagnant with my creative process I’ll also say I’m more polished, more professional; I just understand things more. And I’m a lot more decisive: I don’t really waste too much time when I’m creating. I just get right down to it, saying, “This is exactly what it is that I want to say.”
What he’s been doing between albums: I get that question a lot [laughs]. I always tell people that I’ve just been absorbing bodies of work that inspire me. Not just music but multiple mediums like paintings films, life itself. Because there’s a lot of inspiration that comes from life and all of my music is autobiographical. So I don’t have a choice but to experience life and then write it out while working on my craft.
Jimmy Jam and Amerie
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images
Tapping into the aching and yearning that music: I grew up in a house with all boys, so there wasn’t a lot of expressing emotions. So this [music] has always been an outlet to express my emotions. Sometimes the story I’m telling comes off more on the somber or melancholy side because it’s something I’m not comfortable in freely telling people. But I’m a lot more than just that emotion [laughs]. My biggest goal is always to just be believable and honest.
The inspiration behind “Twenties”: I love to just keep it vague so people can leave it up to their own interpretation and apply it to whatever it specifically means in their life. But I will say it’s just trying to capture that feeling of wasting time on something. It could be a person, it could be a place, it could be an idea or a career. For me, it was a specific person in a relationship. But, yeah, I was just trying to capture the emotion of feeling like you spent time on something or somewhere that you can’t get back.
Hints about his sophomore album: Just that I’m excited for people to hear it. With my first album, I was just making music and having fun. Now I’m still having. But I’m also like, “Oh, I have a responsibility with this music because I see how it touches and helps people.”
Giveon and Lena Waithe
Sam Balban