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MSG Networks, a subsidiary of Sphere Entertainment Co. and part of the business empire run by James Dolan, has another week to repay more than $800 million of debt without facing consequences from its lenders, the company announced Thursday (March 27) in an SEC filing. The company first announced in October 2024 that it was […]
LISA collaborated with 100 Thieves, and we take you inside the exclusive pop-up, where the global pop star even made an appearance. With the venue LISA’ed out from the side of the building to the merch, keep watching for everything you missed at the 100 Thieves x LISA pop-up!
Fan 1:
Pretty surreal experience that I won’t forget.
Tetris Kelly:
We got to hang with LISA and her fans — oh, and adorable dogs — at the 100 Thieves pop-up in LA, and from the moment the queen walked in, she had us shook.
Fan 2:
She’s gorgeous, different, like her aura was unreal.
Tetris Kelly:
We take you there for Billboard All Access. The pop-up had everything a fan could need. There was, of course, photo moments, where you could be your best rock star, and you could take the time to listen to each of LISA’s alter egos from her brand-new album. Can we take a second to talk about the merch? So much merch. They had her albums, light sticks, there were hoodies and adorable T-shirts. There were even games, because 100 Thieves is at the center of bringing games, culture and music together.
Fan 3:
When I heard they were doing one with LISA, I was like, you could not pick a better collab together to really kind of bridge that gaming vibe. The side of the building is covered in her face, which is insane.
Tetris Kelly:
And the fans were loving it.
Fan 4:
She’s so talented. She’s so cool.
Fan 2:
She went from performing at the Oscars, doing that whole thing, the James Bond thing, and then she’s here, like, 24 hours later. And I was just like, wait, that’s insane.
Keep watching for more!
Sauce Walka mourned the death of his friend and artist Sayso P in a lengthy Instagram post after both rappers were shot in Memphis last week.
“Words or tears can’t explain the loss I feel!” he began. “Splatt, I wish your fat ahh listened to me and stayed in the room. I told you we could smoke that blunt after security and the rest of our familia pull up.. Sosaman told you, ‘F dat weed, wait til we leave an hit Superior first.’ You always so hardheaded blood, but you know I’ma ride wit you regardless. We come together, we leave together. Wish you just went [to] DR with Shimmy and shot off, and skipped this trip to Memphis, but you was to excited I finally agreed to come to da ‘M.’”
He continued, “It’s been 4 years since @tsf1punch_10100 brought you to the familia. Did everything I could to help you change your lifestyle. From Miami to all 50 states, we been mashing and splashing together. I learned a lot from you, young spilla and [I’m] thankful for all the loyalty and support city to city, hood to hood with them sticks rap hustling! You left earth as a rich young boss, you left this earth happy and successful. I’ma make sure the world knows who you really are.”
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He added, “But unfortunately, most our kings and bosses are at war with each other. I hope one day we all stop taking lives from our communities and actually start to enjoy and build better futures for our cultures. But the streets are the streets, so I accept what came with being your big brother. I love you, Splatt.”
Rumors swirled that Sayso P was targeted because he allegedly ran off with $200K; however, his mother tried to clear things up on Facebook. “This is the type of lies and sh– that keep mothers losing our sons,” she wrote. “My son never stole anything. Never ran off with anything. Didn’t have to. Haters set him up but not because he stole a dime. He would give you his last before he stole anything. Please stop spreading rumors.”
Adding, “Let me repeat that, he did not have to take sh– from anyone. Money wasn’t a factor. He was too loyal. Too loyal to the wrong people was his biggest downfall. Haters who were envious killed my baby but I won’t let y’all steal his legacy. People see him with a stack and say anything. That was his norm.”
Sayso P, born Latorian Hunt, was 27 years old.
Congrats are in order for MGK and Megan Fox, who welcomed their first child together on Thursday (March 27). Kelly revealed the birth of their daughter in a heartfelt post to Instagram with a glimpse of their baby girl. “She’s finally here!! our little celestial seed,” MGK (formerly Machine Gun Kelly) captioned the post with […]
Will Smith is gearing up to release his first album in 20 years with Based on a True Story, which arrives Friday (March 28). Before digging into the recording process for the project, Smith made two phone calls to a pair of rap titans, soliciting advice from Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar.
Smith sat down with Sway in the Morning for a live SiriusXM interview on Wednesday in Philadelphia, where he revealed the guidance he received from Jay and K. Dot prior to starting his album.
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“Before I started, I made two phone calls. I talked to Jay and I talked to Kendrick. I was like, ‘Hey, I want to get back in music,” Smith said. “What’s the advice?’ Jay said, ‘Don’t fake your story.’ He was like, ‘You gotta say what’s true for you.”
The multi-hyphenate continued: “He’s like, ‘You’ll be looking at the younger rappers and you want that to be true for you, but you don’t live like that. He was like, ‘Be true to your story. Tell you story.’ That’s where I got the Based On a True Story from Jay.”
When Smith got a hold of Kendrick, he implored him to be brutally honest when it came to his music and “say that s–t you’ve always been f—ing scared to say” on records. “Basically the same thing, be honest. It was scary,” Smith added. “Make the record you want to make. Don’t try to make the record that you think people will like you for. Make the one that’s authentic.”
Based on a True Story boasts 14 tracks and features previously released singles “First Love,” “Beautiful Scars,” “TANTRUM,” “Work of Art,” and “You Can Make It,” as well as collaborations with DJ Jazzy Jeff, Teyana Taylor, his son Jaden Smith and Jac Ross.
Smith will also hit the road for a headlining European tour this summer in support of his first album since 2005’s Lost and Found.
Listen to the clip of Will Smith talking about the advice he got from Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar below.
Chris Hemsworth is a music fan, just like the rest of us. So much so, that he once asked for a selfie with a major pop star. The Avengers actor joined The Late Show With Stephen Colbert this week, where he answered a series of deep-dive questions to get to know him better. One of […]
When Taylor Swift‘s The Tortured Poets Department dropped in April last year, fans were all but certain that a person mentioned in the album’s title track was supposed to be Lucy Dacus. And nearly one year later, the Boygenius star has finally officially confirmed that she was, in fact, the “Lucy” in question, revealing that the pop superstar actually reached out to her before its release to make sure the name drop was all right.
In an interview with People published Thursday (March 27), Dacus responded candidly when asked point-blank whether she was the “Lucy” referenced in the bridge of “The Tortured Poets Department.” “I think it’s fair game to say yes,” the “Night Shift” singer said. “She actually texted me and asked for my approval.”
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Widely believed to be about Swift’s short-lived romance with The 1975’s Matty Healy in 2023, “The Tortured Poets Department” finds the 14-time Grammy winner singing, “Sometimes I wonder if you’re gonna screw this up with me/ But you told Lucy you’d kill yourself if I ever leave/ And I had said that to Jack about you, so I felt seen/ Everyone we know understands why it’s meant to be.”
Fans determined at the time of the album’s release that the “Jack” referenced in the same stanza was likely Swift’s longtime producer, Jack Antonoff. Dacus and the Bleachers frontman aren’t the only stars who got shoutouts, though; a certain “See You Again” singer was also featured in the song’s lyrics, with the Eras Tour headliner proclaiming, “You smoked and ate seven bars of chocolate/ We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.”
According to Dacus, the ordeal of listening to The Tortured Poets Department — which spent a collective 17 weeks atop the Billboard 200 — and hearing herself referenced in the lyrics was “so crazy.” “This [was] the first Taylor record to come out since meeting her, and listening to a friend’s record feels so much different than a stranger’s record,” the Virginia native told People. “So I was like, ‘This is really weird. This voice that I’ve heard basically what feels like my whole waking life saying my name.’”
“It was definitely an experience,” she added. “I sat down and I was like, ‘Huh. Wow.’ But I think that that record of hers is super open-hearted, and I don’t know how many people at her level, if anyone is at her level, are writing from the heart that openly.”
The interview comes one day ahead of Dacus’ fourth studio album, Forever Is a Feeling. Earlier this month, the “Ankles” songwriter — who recently confirmed her long-rumored romance with Boygenius bandmate Julien Baker — spoke to Billboard about her most romantic LP yet.
“Once you focus on one thing and one person, it actually recontextualizes everything else,” she said. “You realize that every detail is its own universe.”
Billboard Women in Music is this Saturday, March 29, and with our celebration of Doechii as Woman of the Year, we’re taking you to Brazil and Canada where we celebrated Ana Castela and Charlotte Cardin. Are you excited for Billboard Women in Music 2025? Let us know in the comments! Tetris Kelly: As we get […]
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UFC is heading to Mexico for their latest battle. Two premiere flyweights are set to match in the octagon as the main event for UFC Fight Night. Brandon “The Assassin Baby” Moreno (22-8-2) faces off against Steve “Astroboy” Erceg (12-3-0) in a match on Saturday (March 29).
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UFC Fight Night Mexico: Moreno vs. Erceg takes place at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City, with a start time of 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. The main card is expected to begin at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
If you want to watch UFC Fight Night Mexico: Moreno vs. Erceg (also known as UFC on ESPN 64) online, the MMA event livestreams on ESPN+ for subscribers only.
Not a subscriber? A monthly subscription to ESPN+ goes for $11.99 per month. However, you can go with an ESPN+ annual subscription for $119.99. This saves you 15% compared to the month-to-month subscription price.
Check out the complete UFC Fight Night Mexico: Moreno vs. Erceg fight card below:
Main Card, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT — ESPN+
Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg (Flyweight) — Main Event
Manuel Torres vs. Drew Dober (Lightweight)
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer (Middleweight)
Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Vince Morales (Bantamweight)
David Martínez vs. Saimon Oliveira (Bantamweight)
Ronaldo Rodríguez vs. Kevin Borjas (Flyweight)
Prelims Card, 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT — ESPN+
Édgar Cháirez vs. C.J. Vergara (Flyweight)
José Daniel Medina vs. Ateba Abega Gautier (Middleweight)
Christian Rodriguez vs. Melquizael Costa (Featherweight)
Loopy Godinez vs. Julia Polastri (Women’s Strawweight)
Rafa García vs. Vinc Pichel (Lightweight)
Jamall Emmers vs. Gabriel Miranda (Featherweight)
MarQuel Mederos vs. Austin Hubbard (Lightweight)
In addition, you can get the Disney Trio — which comes with ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+ — starting at just $16.99 per month for both services in one package.
What Is Moreno vs. Erceg Walkout Music for UFC Fight Night?
While UFC has yet to announce each fighter’s walkout music for the main event of UFC Fight Night, the fighters usually go out to the octagon to the same songs during their matches. Brandon Moreno typically walks out to “El Corrido Del Bebe Asesino” by Ariel Macias, while Steve Erceg prefers to walk out to “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” by Jim Croce. So these songs will likely make an appearance during the MMA event.
UFC Fight Night Mexico: Moreno vs. Erceg is streaming on ESPN+ on Saturday (March 29), starting at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. The main card begins around at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ESPN+.
Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.
Posdnuos, founding member of hip-hop legends De La Soul, has the mind-set of a classic rock icon who continues to record and tour after most people that age opt for retirement.
Talking to Billboard‘s Behind the Setlist podcast after a session in the recording studio, Pos (born Kelvin Mercer) says that being mindful of his health is critical to the group’s longevity. “We’re in the gym, running, doing the cardio and staying healthy. I love to run around onstage like a fool. So I’m always in spin class and lifting weights so I can keep my cardio up, man. I want to be like [The Rolling Stones frontman] Mick Jagger, moving around until the grave.”
At this point, De La Soul is to hip-hop what British invasion bands are to rock & roll. The Stones’ debut album came out a quarter-century before De La Soul released its first album, 3 Feet High and Rising, in 1989. More than 35 years and eight more studio albums later, De La Soul is where The Stones were in 2000: respected elders and innovators with a historic catalog and an appetite to remain relevant.
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“I’m really happy that we have a brand that we can still put out there,” Pos says. “Whenever we raise the flag, people want to come in and partake in whatever we’re offering.”
De La Soul has remained busy since the death of bandmate Trogoy the Dove (born David Jolicoeur) in December 2023. After a long absence from digital platforms because of a legal dispute, the group’s celebrated catalog appeared at streaming services in 2023. “We carried on pretty well” while being absent from services such as Spotify and Apple Music, says Pos. “Did we not gain certain fans at a certain time? Definitely, because you gotta realize we missed the entire download era and streaming until about two years ago. But with us still putting out music, we saw how people were so engaged, and even younger people engaged in our music.”
In the Internet age, De La Soul is never more than a Google search away. The group found a new wave of admirers after collaborations with Gorillaz that produced the hit song “Feel Good Inc.” in 2005 and “Crocadillaz” in 2023. Thanks to an abundance of metadata about music, people curious about the musicians on the tracks could easily find information about group — although they got to know him as Kelvin Mercer. “I’m a government name with young people,” says Pos.
The interview focused on De La Soul’s Jan. 16 show at Lincoln Center in Manhattan and also covered the group’s album and EP reissues. Listen to the entire conversation with Posdnuous using the embedded Spotify player below or go to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Amazon Music, Podbean or Everand.