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Meek Mill took to X to address claims made by recently incarcerated Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crip rapper Luce Cannon in a resurfaced clip. After Cannon was swept up in the Eugene ‘Big U’ Henley Jr. RICO case, Akademiks TV posted a three-minute video of the rapper making the claim on DJ Akademiks’ podcast Off the […]
Ado, ATARASHII GAKKO! and YOASOBI graced the stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles for matsuri ’25: Japanese Music Experience LOS ANGELES on Sunday, March 16, the music event by Japan’s Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA).
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YOASOBI opened the show, and when the duo’s name on a banner flashed on the screen behind the stage, the 7,000 fans in the audience cheered loudly. As the banner was torn down by the hand of a monster, low-pitched sounds and mysterious music played over the speakers. ikura and Ayase appeared on stage to the announcement, “Welcome to the world of Surrealism,” and the crowd shouted and waved their glow sticks to express their excitement. The intro to “Seventeen” began to play after a brief silence, and ikura said in English, “Welcome to matsuri ’25. We are YOASOBI from Japan. Get ready to have a blast tonight. L.A., are you guys ready?” Fans responded with shouts of “Oi! Oi!” and the band kicked off the event with a bang.
ikura took a moment to explain the purpose of the event, saying, “Three acts from Japan — Ado, ATARASHII GAKKO!, and YOASOBI — have come this time, hoping to enjoy great music, J-pop music, with everyone here.” She then asked the audience to light up their phones and sway to create a sense of unity, and the duo performed the poignant mid-tempo ballad “Tabun.”
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Following “The Brave,” the band performed “Monster,” a fast-paced track with thumping low beats that satisfy performed live. “As a J-Pop artist, we’ve been trying to spread our music from Japan to the world,” said ikura in English. “We are so so so happy to be able to share with all of you. Thank you very much. I love you guys. We dive into the second half. Let me see your passion, OK? You ready to go loud? Can you give us some more? Ok, let’s sing together.” The pair then went on to perform some of its biggest hits back-to-back, with the exhilaration of “Into the Night,” the unity of the chorus in “Blue,” and the energy and enthusiasm of the audience in “Idol” filling the venue. The overwhelming delivery of the last three songs proved that YOASOBI has indeed become one of Japan’s top acts whose concerts sell out instantly whenever they perform overseas today.
ATARASHII GAKKO!
Yuri Hasegawa
Following a 15-minute changeover, the four members of ATARASHII GAKKO! appeared from the audience aisle to the sound of ringing school bells, holding big white flags over their heads. When the members — SUZUKA, RIN, MIZYU, and KANON — gathered on stage, SUZUKA greeted the crowd with the sound of a trumpet in the background: “Hello everyone. We are ATARASHII GAKKO! Everybody, are you ready?” The words “Seishun Nihon Daihyo” (Youth Team Japan) appeared on the screen and the women began their set with “Change,” the members swinging their arms around and performing immaculate choreography off the bat. During “Fly High,” RIN called out, “L.A., are you ready? Jump!” and fans were more than happy to comply. For “Arigato,” each member sang while holding a broomstick like a microphone stand, or fake-played it like a guitar, playfully reminding us of our school days. The audience reacted enthusiastically to the intro of the group’s breakout hit “Otona Blue,” and the members captivated the crowd with their signature head-shaking dance and distinctive choreography.
Following a group chant with SUZUKA, who hyped up the audience calling out, “Everybody, ganbatte (hang in there)! Woo!” the women performed “Toryanse.” Fans waved their glow sticks towards the stage during the intro and danced to the lively rhythm accompanied by electronic sounds of Japanese instruments. Each of the four members called out, “Everybody jump!” “Say yeah!” and “Say change!” in time with the lyrics during the set, confidently charging the crowd with their energy.
An image of the Tokyo metropolis appeared on the screen and ATARASHII GAKKO! launched into “Tokyo Calling.” SUZUKA came down from the stage and sang enthusiastically while making her way through the crowd, regally marching back to the lyrics of “We are marching.” The women closed their set with “One Heart,” the word “SAIKO” (“the best”) appearing behind them on the screen, and the audience joined in and sang along. The lyrics “AG want to take you higher” is like the Japanese modern version of Ike & Tina Turner’s “I Want To Take You Higher,” and the song uplifts and inspires like the best kind of music.
Watching ATARASHII GAKKO!’s performance, this writer couldn’t help but agree with what Creativeman Productions’ Rob Kelso said during the press conference before the event: “The best way to integrate these [artists] is to realize we lost the last excuse. Their last excuse was it must be in English…anything in the U.S. must be in English. And that doesn’t exist anymore. Now it is ok not to be in English…let’s take advantage of that. Doors are opening again to other languages.” The members of ATARASHII GAKKO! know how to entertain the crowds at their shows overseas, encouraging call-and-response with fans using short Japanese words like “ganbatte” and “saiko,” and getting them excited in English, saying, “Everybody jump!’ and ”Say yeah!” Plus, the group’s shows never look cheap or over-the-top, thanks to the four members’ well-coordinated dance moves, SUZUKA’s vocal prowess, and the individuality of each member. Whether you’re Japanese or American, anyone who sees ATARASHII GAKKO! will be able to enjoy its performances to the fullest, and the group’s set at matsuri ’25 was a testimony to that.
Ado
Viola Kam
Then the “Ado Box” was set up in the center of the stage for the event’s final artist, the enigmatic singer Ado, who never shows her face. The 22-year-old songstress immediately launched into her hit banger “Show,” then performed “New Genesis,” “Usseewa” (which sounded faster and more powerful than when this writer saw her on her North American tour a year ago), and “Lucky Bruto” in succession. The stage production was designed to be visually enjoyable as well, with Ado performing “RuLe” by dancing and singing while seated on a chair in her box.
After calls of “Let’s go, Ado” from the audience, the singer addressed the crowd for the first time, talking about how living in Los Angeles for a month last year was one of the best experiences of her life. She shared some episodes that showed her personality, like how she enjoyed In-N-Out burgers and going to Macy’s. “I’m proud to be able to share the stage with ATARASHII GAKKO! and YOASOBI,” she said, expressing appreciation for the opportunity to perform at the event. “I’m so happy that you’ve come to experience Japanese music and culture today. It will really make me happy if you’ll continue to love Japanese music and culture. This has been a really great evening. Thank you.” She then invited the audience to sing and dance with her before performing the last song of her set, “Odo.”
It was unthinkable in the past that an artist who maintains her anonymity by never revealing her face would perform on stage in a box. But it’s true that many people listen to Ado’s music and when she announces shows outside of her home country, many fans rush to buy tickets. This is in line with what Goldenvoice vice president Ellen Lu said at the conference that “festivals are booking with a global sense now. Because that is what people are listening to, so if we are to stay in touch with what people are wanting to see that is not just exclusive to the U.S. or Europe which historically has been the case. It just puts these [international] artists in front of audiences that want to see them or have never had a chance to see them.” This is why Ado was able to successfully tour the world last year, and is set to embark on her second global trek this summer at even bigger venues including arenas.
The three acts that performed at the matsuri ’25 event all had previous experience performing live in North America, and it was a luxurious and precious experience to be able to see them at once. It was an evening that surely made fans want to support other Japanese artists that will follow these groups and go on to perform on the world stage.
—This article by Tomoya Ogawa first appeared on Billboard Japan
When Lady Gaga makes a cameo on your show, you best believe it’s not going to be any ordinary day on set.
According to Jenna Ortega, the producers of Wednesday all but rolled out the red carpet for Mother Monster when she came overseas to film her part on the Netflix series’ upcoming second season — but it was all gone as soon as Gaga’s parts were over.
On The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night, the 22-year-old actress recalled working with the “Disease” singer, saying, “I remember showing up to set and they completely changed everything.”
“We had a normal functioning set, and I remember pulling up to work the day of, and suddenly there was like truck after truck after truck,” she continued. “They had, like, rolled out this walkway for her to exit from the trailer to the tents. I went to my tent to hang out, and they replaced my dirty tent with, like, brand-new tents. I had a barber’s chair. They gave me fancy water. Everything. We really did it up for her guys. We really wanted to impress her.”
Ortega added while laughing, “And then the next day, I went back to my dusty setup. … I wanted her to be on set even more, but part of it was because the water was really nice.”
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Though season 2 will mark Gaga’s debut on the show, the 14-time Grammy winner first unofficially entered the Wednesday universe when her 2011 track “Bloody Mary” experienced a renaissance after fans started pairing it with Ortega’s iconic dance sequence from the first season. The phenomenon sparked a TikTok dance trend in 2022 that Gaga herself took part in; two years later, it was announced that she’d be joining the show’s cast.
Earlier this month, the Scream star teased the musician’s role in Wednesday, saying, “She’s great in the show, and I don’t think she’s what people expect her to be.”
On Colbert, Ortega added, “She is so sweet, so humble, just a normal person, and it’s beautiful and amazing … It’s intimidating when someone is so talented but cool at the same time.”
Watch Ortega recount her time filming Wednesday with Gaga on The Late Show above.
Eslabon Armado doubles down on its Vibras era with the release of Vibras de Noche II, the sequel to its chart-topping album Vibras de Noche, which debuts at Nos. 4 and 3 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums and Regional Mexican Albums charts, respectively (dated March 29).
Vibras de Noche II bows on both lists with 19,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the tracking week ending March 20, according to Luminate. The bulk of the album’s first week sum stems from the streaming sector, representing 27 million official on-demand streams of the set’s tracks, with a negligible amount of album sales and track-equivalent activity.
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It’s the group’s first album chart debut since Desvelado opened atop both Top Latin Albums and Regional Mexican Albums charts in 2023. The latter holds at No. 47 in its 93rd week on Top Latin Albums.
Vibras de Noche II was released March 15 on Armado Records/ICLG. Its top 10 start marks another significant milestone for the group, following its recent signing with Interscope Capitol Labels Group, a fruitful partnership as the label secures its first top 10 debut on Top Latin Albums in 2025.
Vibras de Noche II was written by Eslabon’s lead vocalist, Pedro Tovar, in its entirety. It comprises 17 tracks and two intros including a cameo appearance by Mexican actress Loreto Peralta. “Esa Noche,” featuring emerging Mexican folk singer Macario Martinez, is the only collab on the album.
The 23-year-old Mexican street sweeper has captured the internet’s attention, going viral on TikTok after sharing a heartfelt video in response for the support of his song “Sueña Lindo, Corazón.” He’s also seen wearing his work uniform while riding in the back of a truck alongside his coworkers in Mexico City –the clip has garnered over 12 million views since Feb. 8. While his song propelled him into the spotlight, Martínez makes his Billboard debut through his first Eslabon Armado team-up, as “Esa Noche” debuts at No. 50 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, largely from 2 million official U.S. streams in the latest tracking week.
Vibras de Noche II is a follow-up to Eslabon’s second studio album Vibras de Noche, which debuted at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums and Regional Mexican Albums in 2020. While it ruled for one week on the former, it dominated Regional Mexican Albums for 11 weeks between Aug.-Nov. 2020.
Thanks to Vibras de Noche II, Eslabon earns its seventh top 10 on Top Latin Albums chart, which launched in 1993. Here’s a recap of the group’s collection of entries on the overall Latin albums tally, a count that included two No. 1s:
Peak Position, Title, Peak DateNo. 7, Tu Veneno Mortal, July 25, 2020No. 1, Vibras De Noche, Aug. 1, 2020No. 2, Corta Venas, Jan. 2, 2021No. 5, Tu Veneno Mortal, Vol. 2, July 10, 2021No. 2, Nostalgia, May 21, 2022No. 1, Desvelado, May 13, 2023No. 4, Vibras De Noche II, March 29, 2025
Elsewhere, Vibras de Noche II, opens at No. 30 on the all-genre Billboard 200, Eslabon’s sixth visit and first since 2023.
On a song level, thanks to the new album, Eslabon adds five new songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart, which fuses weekly streaming data, radio airplay and digital sales. “Dime” leads the pack at No. 35 with 2.4 million official U.S. streams. It joins “Te Odio!” at No. 36, “Otras 24 Horas” at No. 37, and the previously reported Martinez-featured track, “Esa Noche” at No. 50.
Playboi Carti debuted atop the Billboard 200 with Music, earning just under 300,000 total album units in its first week on the chart.
Billboard Unfiltered returned with a brand-new episode on Wednesday (March 26) featuring The Breakfast Club‘s Nyla Symone as a special guest, and the crew debates Carti’s massive debut numbers, Ye’s Bully leak and more.
“I wasn’t surprised at this level of commercial success from Carti,” staff writer Kyle Denis said. “It was really more confirmation of his past five years of how he’s positioned himself as the leader of the new gen. The kids love this man.”
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“Rather Lie” featuring The Weeknd debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been serviced to radio, which could position itself as the longest-lasting hit from Music.
Deputy editor Carl Lamarre compared “Rather Lie” to feeling inspired by Drake and SZA’s No. 1 hit “Slime You Out.” “Weeknd’s verse was very ‘Slime You Out.’ I’m just saying he was inspired,” Lamarre alleged.
The conversation moved to finding the “big three” in rap behind Drake, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. The crew seemed to agree that behind them it’s looking like Playboi Carti, Travis Scott and Tyler, The Creator have solidified themselves as the next superstars.
“Numbers don’t lie,” senior charts & data analyst Trevor Anderson said.
Denis added: “The kids really f— with those two [Playboi Carti and Travis Scott]. We see it in the streams go crazy, the hard sales go crazy when they put up stuff for you to buy, the ticket sales be going crazy, the festival crowds go crazy and they got the cultural pull. Carti wasn’t necessarily getting chart hits the past five years, but was still a bigger cultural presence than a lot of rappers that were getting hits.”
With people complaining about the lack of new stars in rap, Anderson wonders if he’ll receive a true mainstream push in the form of radio play, award show performances and commercial accolades. “Clearly you have evidence millions of people f–k with this dude so why not open the door,” he said.
Ye (Kanye West) returned with the leaked release of his Bully album last week, which drew positive reviews from fans even in the midst of his hateful tirades on X.
“From what I heard, I do like it,” Symone said. “I never doubted Ye couldn’t come back, but as far as being excellent at his craft, he’s never swayed from that.”
Denis believes the “curatorial” and “sequencing” skills have “disappeared” for Ye following 2016’s The Life of Pablo. “I haven’t had a favorable listening experience top-to-bottom in quite some time,” he said.
Lamarre thinks fans are still hanging onto the hope of Ye being able to put everything together once again and have it pay off in the music. “In the last decade, we have seen so many flashes of the old Ye,” Lamarre said before citing Ye’s performance at the Larry Hoover benefit concert and tracks like “530.”
The rest of the episode also finds the crew diving into the hopeful album releases from Cardi B and Saweetie as well as GloRilla versus Doechii. Watch it below.
Mikey Madison and the Saturday Night Live writers still have a little more work to do before the Anora star makes her hosting debut this weekend.
In a new promo video for the episode posted Wednesday (March 26), Madison sits in cast member Sarah Sherman’s eclectic dressing room and points out an intriguing prop: a dark-haired, bikini-clad woman sprouting eight wax candles. “Oh! The Anora Menorah!” Sherman says, revealing that it had been used in a scrapped SNL skit prior to Madison’s visit.
“Yeah, no, I heard about that!” the actress says excitedly. “Did people think it was funny?”
“Yeah, it killed,” Sherman replies unconvincingly after flashing back to a cringe-worthy clip of the cut sketch, in which Andrew Dismukes bombs while showing off the kitschy menorah. “Definitely, people were laughing.”
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That prompts Sherman to show off an entirely-different-but-not-really sketch idea for Madison’s episode: the Anora Fedora, the prop for which finds a similar figure of the Scream star piercing through a black hat. “You guys will have other ideas, right?” Madison then asks after a nervous pause.
Not featured in the teaser is Morgan Wallen, who will appear on Madison’s episode as this week’s musical guest. The country star — who is currently gearing up to release new album I’m the Problem on May 16 — previously made his performance debut on SNL in 2020, singing “7 Summers” and “Still Goin Down” from Dangerous: The Double Album, which spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
This week’s episode follows Lady Gaga playing double duty as host and musical guest March 8, with past Season 50 musical guests being Tate McRae, GloRilla, Hozier, Gracie Abrams, Shaboozey, Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish and more. In the weeks following the March 29 installment, Lizzo, Elton John and Brandi Carlile will also perform on episodes hosted by John Hamm and Jack Black.
Madison’s hosting debut will follow a spectacular awards season for Anora, for which the leading lady won best actress at the 2025 Oscars earlier this month. The film picked up a total of five awards at the ceremony, including best picture, best director, original screenplay and editing.
Watch Madison’s new SNL promo video above.
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@BeanzGotGamez / Erykah Badu
Many believed Erykah Badu was down for the cause. The legendary singer claimed she vandalized her own Tesla in protest of Tesla chief Elon Musk. She was only kidding.
Protests of Musk’s electric vehicle company continue to break out across the nation and globally, with citizens setting fire to the once popular EV, the charging stations and vandalizing Tesla dealerships in response to him ruining government workers’ lives in the name of “efficiency” and “cost-cutting” measures.
Badu revealed on X, formerly Twitter, that she, too, got in on the action but instead did some damage to her own Tesla vehicle.
“Just vandalized my own Tesla. Trying to stay on trend,” the “Bag Lady” singer wrote on Musk’s platform.
Many wondered if she was being serious or was capping as big as the hats she is known for wearing. Turns out she was only kidding.
“Stop playin . This was humor . This stupid . And y’all dumb. If I was even slow enough to participate in the misplaced Tesla debate and smash somethin Id pay a minion to do it . FOH,” she wrote in another post, sharing a photo of an article.
Welp.
We don’t know about the debate being “misplaced.” There is a legitimate beef going on with Phony Stark; we’re just saying.
We hope Ms. Badu is well aware of the millions of people affected by Musk and DOGE’s ridiculous cuts to government agencies and the harm being inflicted on people in this country.
This all comes as she preps to release her first studio album in 15 years. Oh, and we must mention that it will be produced by The Alchemist.
This ain’t the type of stuff to kid about, just saying.
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Source: The Hapa Blonde / Getty
Joe Budden is currently facing a new lawsuit from the neighbors who initially called out the host for public nudity at their complex building where he films his podcast. The new suit alleges that Joe Budden is a nuisance to residents in the New Jersey building and points to instances of noise and marijuana smoke, which they say pose a threat to their young child.TMZ reports that Joe Budden is facing a lawsuit from building residents John and Yuliya Aksoy, who named the host and his co-host Melyssa Ford in their complaint alleging that the pair has carried out a “campaign of intimidation and retribution” against the couple after the Aksoys originally accused Budden of public nudity streaking at their complex. The couple originally accused a naked Budden of trying to enter their residence while their daughter was home.
On his popular broadcast, Budden, 44, addressed the initial dustup which led to the show being recorded at the home of his longtime engineer and co-host, Parks, in Queens, N.Y. Budden also stated that the couple has been racist toward him and guests of his podcast believes that is the root of their complaint against him.
The new complaint singled out instances of Budden’s conduct in the building, including saying heavy weed usage and noise were part of their concerns.
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John and Yuliya both claim they confronted Budden about the excessive noise from the podcast and complained about Budden and co. smoking weed in the condo’s common area, leaving ashes on the property, and creating a hazardous health situation for their young daughter.
Joe Budden just released a new episode of his eponymously named podcast today (March 26), which was recorded the day prior. As he has done in the past, fans of the show are expecting Budden to address this latest legal jab.
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Photo: Getty
Ye (formerly Kanye West) is facing a lawsuit claiming he sampled a song by German singer-songwriter Alice Merton despite her refusal to license it — a move she says “shocked and humiliated” her because she’s the descendant of Holocaust survivors.
In a copyright case filed Monday (March 26) in federal court, attorneys for Merton say Ye prominently used clips from her 2022 track “Blindside” in his 2024 song “Gun to My Head” with Ty Dolla $ign and Kid Cudi, even after she had expressly refused to clear the sample.
When contacted by Ye’s reps last year, Merton says she and her publisher told them that they were denying him a license because “the artist’s values are contrary to our values” — a reference to the star’s antisemitic statements over the years.
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“Although defendants’ use of plaintiffs’ song could potentially bring in significant revenue, [she] was unwilling to compromise her personal beliefs and wanted not to be associated with Ye in any Manner,” her lawyers write. “Merton is a German resident who has close ties to the Holocaust through Jewish family members who survived its horrors, and as such feels closely connected to it.”
Merton’s new lawsuit is one of more than a dozen such cases filed against Ye during his career over claims of unlicensed sampling or interpolating. The controversial rapper has faced nine such infringement cases since 2019 alone, including a high-profile battle with the estate of Donna Summer that settled last year.
In Monday’s complaint, Merton says she is the “direct descendant of Holocaust survivors” — and that she was thus “understandably shocked and humiliated” when the song was released featuring his music: “Merton’s name was suddenly appearing everywhere, with claims that the song was a collaboration between YE, Cudi, and Merton.”
Making matters worse, Merton says that when the song was not included on Ye’s Vultures 2 album, fans blamed her and began harassing her to approve the sample.
“Plaintiff Merton began receiving death threats and abuse from Defendants’ fan base,” he lawyers write. “Defendant did nothing to stop the abuse, allowing his fans to intimidate and harass Plaintiff Merton.”
A spokesperson for Ye could not immediately be located for comment on Wednesday (March 26).
Shaboozey has a dream collaborator at the top of his list. The “Bar Song (Tipsy)” superstar sat down with Holler recently, where he revealed that he wants to work with Future. “That would be awesome,” he said. “I really think a lot of the Atlanta artists grew up in the same neighborhoods, the same towns, […]