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President Donald Trump hosted an event this week at the White House for Women’s History Month and honored some of the top women officials in his administration. During the event, President Donald Trump referred to himself as the “fertilization president” after highlighting his stances on in vitro fertilization (IVF), causing some on X to recoil in disgust.
On Wednesday (March 26), President Donald Trump held a Women’s History Month event and heaped praise upon Attorney General Pam Bondi and other key women who work alongside him. This happened in the wake of an executive order signed on Tuesday (March 25) to expand the policy on IVF access and reduce costs to patients.
The executive order is largely ceremonial, as it suggests that a domestic policy aide has three months to share recommendations to IVF policies, the Trump administration is using this moment as a time to gloat. In short, the executive order does not lower the costs of IVF or provide any inroads to helping those seeking reproductive care, but what has some turning their heads is Trump’s words regarding the order.
“We’re going to have tremendous, tremendous goodies in the bag for women too, the women between the fertilization and all of the other things that we’re talking about,” Trump said in the White House’s East Room. “It’s going to be, it’s going to be great.”
Trump added, “I’m still very proud of it, I don’t care. I’ll be known as the fertilization president, that’s not bad, that’s not bad. I’ve been called much worse.”
It appears that the president coined the nickname on the spot, and the words garnered laughter from the attendees. However, over on X, formerly Twitter, reactions to President Trump’s IVF stances and new nickname were not as favorable.
We’ve got those reactions below.
[h/t MSNBC]
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Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty
Lyrical Lemonade has announced this year’s Summer Smash Festival lineup — and it contains some potentially culture-shaking performances. The three-day event will be headlined by Future, the world debut of the newly formed duo of Don Toliver and Yeat, and Young Thug in his first live performance since his release from jail.
Scheduled for Friday, June 20, through Sunday, June 22, Summer Smash will grace SeatGeek Stadium near Chicago for its seventh iteration. Tickets will be released for purchase on Friday (March 28) at 12 p.m. CT via the Summer Smash website.
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This year’s Summer Smash Festival features some of the hottest names across hip-hop’s innumerable scenes. Led by Don Toliver and Yeat, the Friday night lineup also includes Trippie Redd, Ski Mask the Slump God, NLE Choppa, Nettspend, DC the Don, Molly Santana, Karrahbooo and more. On Saturday (June 21), Future will lead a lineup that features Sexyy Red, Lil Tecca, Destroy Lonely, SahBabii, Soulja Boy, Osamason, BabyTron, Plaqueboymax, Famous Dex and 1900Rugrat. The lineup of Sunday night performers preceding Thugger’s highly anticipated live comeback includes Lil Yachty, Quavo, Nav, G Herbo, Saba, Insane Clown Posse, Bktherula, Skaiwater and TiaCorine. Chance the Rapper will close out one of the two main stages on Sunday night.
“I feel lucky to be able to throw the party of the year with my best friends,” said Cole Bennett, Summer Smash Festival cofounder and Lyrical Lemonade founder, in a press release. “May this be the best one yet. Lucky No. 7.”
Young Thug’s headlining appearance comes the year after Summer Smash hosted one of the most iconic musical homecomings of the decade with Chief Keef’s long-awaited return to performing in Chicago after a 12-year hiatus. Thug, of course, was in the throes of his state RICO trial for most of 2024. On Oct. 31, 2024, he was sentenced to 15 years probation and no prison time after pleading guilty in the long-running case accusing him of leading a violent Atlanta street gang. Despite popping up on songs with Lil Baby (“Dum, Dumb & Dumber”) and Playboi Carti (“We Need All Da Vibes”), Thugger has been relatively quiet on the music front so far in 2025.
See the full lineup below:
Latin music executive Angel Del Villar was convicted by a federal jury Thursday (March 27) on felony charges of doing business with a concert promoter linked to Mexican drug cartels, setting the stage for a potential decades-long prison sentence.
Jurors found the Del Records CEO guilty on 10 counts of violating the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, a federal law that bars U.S. residents from doing business with known drug traffickers, as well as one conspiracy charge, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles told Billboard on Thursday.
Prosecutors alleged that Del Villar repeatedly arranged concerts with Jesus Pérez Alvear, a Guadalajara-based promoter who allegedly had ties to Mexican cartels. At trial this week, regional Mexican superstar Gerardo Ortiz took the stand to testify against Del Villar, saying he had seen Pérez Alvear at the Del Records offices and had himself performed at one of the promoter’s concerts.
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As reported by Rolling Stone, attorneys for Del Villar argued during opening statements last week that he had been “manipulated” into working with Pérez Alvear by a “trusted” former employee named Brian Gutierrez, who they say assured him that it was legal. They argued that Gutierrez was a paid informant for the FBI who had helped the feds “manufacture a gotcha situation” to “take down” Del Villar.
After eight days of trial, those defense arguments clearly did not sway the jury, which handed down guilty verdicts against both Del Villar and his Del Entertainment Inc. Following the verdict, Del Villar will face sentencing in August; under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, he could face a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, though he could also receive far less than that.
Attorneys for Del Villar did not immediately return a request for comment.
Founded by Del Villar in 2008, Del Records later grew into a top record company for regional Mexican music. The label was home to música mexicana supergroup Eslabon Armado, whose global hit, “Ella Baila Sola” with Peso Pluma, became one of the biggest songs of 2023, as well as Lenin Ramirez and other chart-topping artists.
But in June 2022, Del Villar, 41, CFO Luca Scalisi, 56, and Del Records itself were all charged with conspiring to violate the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. Passed in 1999, the law allows the U.S. to impose targeted sanctions on foreign individuals involved in the illegal drug trade and ban U.S. residents from doing business with them.
The U.S. Treasury Department added Pérez Alvear to the sanctions list in 2018, claiming he and his company, Gallistica Diamante, had helped cartels “exploit the Mexican music industry to launder drug proceeds and glorify their criminal activities.” According to court records, he has since died.
Prosecutors said Del Villar and Scalisi used Pérez Alvear to arrange four Mexican concerts for an undisclosed Del Records artist, then accepted nearly $200,000 in payments from him, all while aware that he had been sanctioned. Charging documents cite a never-sent Del Records press release acknowledging that status, as well as private messages in which Scalisi noted that Pérez Alvear was “under homeland security watch” and Del Villar was directly told that Pérez Alvear was “a sanctioned US person.”
Following this month’s trial for Del Villar, Scalisi will face his own jury trial in July on similar charges.
Shakira tops Billboard’s monthly Top Tours chart for the first time, earning $32.9 million from 282,000 tickets sold in February, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.
The Top Tours ranking in recent times has been repeatedly led by acts who have crowned the list previously. P!nk returned for her fourth victory in October, followed by Coldplay’s fifth in November. Trans-Siberian Orchestra popped up for a fifth time in December, and then Coldplay returned to the summit in January.
Shakira follows Bad Bunny, Los Bukis, and RBD among Latin artists who have topped the monthly ranking, making her the first solo Latin woman to hit No. 1.
Not only is this Shakira’s first month at No. 1, but it’s also her very first appearance on the 30-position chart. The tally’s first edition covered the biggest tours of February 2019, which was three months after the wrap of her previous outing, 2018’s El Dorado World Tour.
Shakira kicked off Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour on Feb. 11 at Rio de Janeiro’s Estadio Nilton Santos with a $2.9 million gross with 35,200 fans. Her pace accelerated throughout the month, to $6.4 million in Sao Paulo on the 13th, to $11.3 million in Atlantico, Colombia, on the 20th and 21st, and finally to $12.3 million during a double header at Bogota’s El Nemesio Camacho (Feb. 26-27). The two Colombia stops finish at Nos. 3 (Bogota) and 6 (Atlantico) on Top Boxscores.
For almost 30 years, Shakira has been a reliable sellout act in arenas, while flirting with stadiums. Her 2025 outing thrusts her into major-market stadiums, almost exclusively, for the first time. So while her Latin American dates across the 21st century have averaged $1 million to $1.5 million per show, her February shows paced $5.5 million and 47,000 tickets each night.
Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour continues in Mexico, Chile and back to Columbia through April, before taking Shakira to the U.S. and Canada through the end of June. Including two rescheduled dates in Lima, Peru, in November, the tour will likely soar passed $200 million in total grosses, potentially tripling her career earnings by the end of 2025.
Tyler, the Creator follows on Top Tours at No. 2 with the first shows from Chromakopia: The World Tour. It’s his highest ranking ever, having previously hit No. 10 in March 2022, plus two other top 20 appearances in autumn 2019. He’s only the third rapper to rank as high since the chart’s launch, following Post Malone (No. 1 in October 2019 and February 2020) and Travis Scott (No. 2 in October 2024).
Across 14 shows in February, he grossed $29 million and sold 188,000 tickets. The Chromakopia outing isn’t Tyler’s first rodeo in arenas, though it does continue an alarming rise among the ranks of headliners. Averaging $2.1 million per night, the tour doubles 2022’s Call Me If You Get Lost Tour ($993,000). That tour did the same to 2019’s Igor Tour ($414,000), which itself had two-timed the pace of 2017-18’s Flower Boy Tour ($177,000). For kickers, that run quadrupled 2016’s Okaga, CA Tour ($41,700).
That’s a consistent rise that has grown Tyler’s per-show earnings potential almost 50 times over, over the course of less than a decade. His March schedule is busier than February’s (17 shows vs. 14), before the tour travels to Europe, back to North America and then to Australia and Asia before the end of September.
February’s 10 highest grossing acts are evenly spread across country, Latin, pop, rap and rock. Even among pop and rock, each with multiple acts in the upper tier, there is diversity: that of language and geography between ATEEZ (No. 7) and Ed Sheeran (No. 8), and a generational gap to separate the Eagles (No. 5) from Linkin Park (No. 9).
Mexico City and Australia split the prize atop the monthly venue rankings. The former’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez crowns Top Stadiums, powered entirely by Electric Daisy Carnival’s $20.9 million over Feb. 21-23. Auditorio Nacional rules Top Venues (5,001-10k capacity) with a broader stroke of 22 shows during the 28-day window.
Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena is No. 1 among venues with a capacity of 15,001 or more, thanks in large part to multi-night runs by Drake and Billie Eilish. And Brisbane Entertainment Center wins the 10,001-15k category with $17.2 million from 13 shows.
Thanks to substantial tours from Tyler, the Creator, Kylie Minogue, Kelsea Ballerini and more, AEG Presents presides over Top Promoters. The global touring giant earned $201.8 million and sold just under two million tickets from a reported 687 shows in February.
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Celebrity kids also do the darndest things. Cardi B’s daughter Kulture ruined her $60K Hermès Purse by drawing on it.
As per The Grio, Cardi B has just taken a hit to her infamous accessory collection. This week she took to her Instagram Story to express her shock and awe upon finding out that Kulture drew a heart symbol in black in on her rare mustard yellow Hermés Kelly crocodile embossed bag. “Look what my daughter did to my purse. Look what my daughter did to my purse,” she said in disbelief. “Look what my daughter did to my f***king purse. Look,” as she zoomed on the whimsical doodle. While Hermés does offer repair services, for a fee, of course, a similar purse is currently up for sale on the resale site 1stDibs in case Cardi B wants to secure a replacement.
Since making it big, Cardi B has not been shy about how she spoils herself. For years she has worked on advancing her purse collection and has added several grails from the Hermès Birkin line including the 30cm Himalaya and Faubourg Birkin bag.
Back in October, she gave her fans a look inside her massive closet that could be compared to a luxury boutique. Her preference for exotic skins was made obvious with several pieces featuring crocodile and reptile embossing. During the time of the reveal, fashion experts estimated the value of her purse collection at around two million dollars.
You can see Kulture’s art on Cardi B’s Birkin bag below.
The anticipation was palpable as U.K. singer-songwriter Cleo Sol prepared to complete her triumphant three-peat during the finale of her New York City run at Radio City Music Hall on Tuesday (March 25). As early as 6 p.m., fans were buzzing with excitement, flocking outside the venue to witness SAULT’s lead singer notch her trifecta of entrancing performances and see why she’s one of London’s brightest stars over the last half-decade. Fans were overjoyed by Sol’s final performance, as she anchored the evening with soothing R&B lullabies, God-fearing lyrics and warm affirmations, leaving no crumbs during her 23-song set.
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Clad in red, Sol arrived on stage at nearly 8:45 and illuminated the room with her vivacious touch and dulcet vocals. She gave fans a hearty mix of songs from her 2020 debut, Rose in the Dark, including “Rewind,” “When I’m in Your Arms” and “Sideways,” leaving fans grooving and smiling ear to ear. Though Sol’s penchant for ballads and slow-tempo songs remains her hallmark, she encouraged the crowd members to get on their feet and dance, especially when reggae artist Chronixx joined her for back-to-back tracks “Shine” and “Reason.” The riddims during that two-song run were palpable, as even Sol closed her eyes and swayed side to side, soaking in the positive vibrations that darted her way. Sol reached her apex when her band and quartet of singers landed on Mother’s opener, “Don’t Let Me Fall,” which felt like an in-studio groove session to which fans were granted access.
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Sol’s vocal performance was not just nearly immaculate, it was a soul-stirring experience. She riffed and flexed her range, most notably on “Sunshine,” during which the silence was deafening as the crowd watched in astonishment, reveling in her talents. Fans even saw Sol up close and personal when the singer momentarily vanished from the stage and sauntered down the aisle. She greeted them with her instant classic “Know That You Are Loved” as they joined her and sang in unison. Famously sampled on J. Cole’s 2024 song “Port Antonio,” “Know That You Are Loved” is a three-minute song imbued with emotion that can uplift anyone going through a tough time. There, Sol shared an intimate moment with fans, handing the mic to select attendees and letting them sing, “Know that you are loved/ Even if you don’t love yourself.” It was a moment of pure, unfiltered connection that left everyone in the room feeling uplifted and understood.
As she neared the conclusion of her concert, Sol kept the audience members on their toes, pump-faking fans after “Why Don’t You,” waving goodbye and thanking them for their hospitality before returning for an encore performance. To the crowd’s delight, Sol’s New York City stay breathed light, love and peace, making her a glowing presence in R&B.
From “In West Philadelphia born and raised” to now having a street named after him in his hometown, Will Smith will forever be synonymous with Philadelphia. Smith was honored on Wednesday (March 26) during a ceremony celebrating the 56-year-old artist having a street named after him in West Philadelphia. From here on out, 59th Street […]
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Memphis rapper GloRilla was forced to cut her show short in St. Louis after multiple fights broke out in the crowd during her performance.
While delivering her hit song “Whatchu Kno About Me,” chaos erupted in the audience yet again, frustrating the rapper. Clearly annoyed, she paused and looked at the crowd, visibly upset, before saying, “The f**k wrong with y’all?” She then shook her head in disbelief and decided to end the show early, much to the disappointment of fans.
This incident wasn’t isolated. At a recent stop in Atlanta, a similar situation occurred, with fights breaking out in the crowd and not stopping despite the efforts of security and event organizers.
It seems that GloRilla’s high-energy performances and raw, in-your-face style of rap are sparking a level of excitement that has people ready to turn up in ways that cross the line into violence. Her unique sound, which she affectionately refers to “music” as “murrrsic,” has a gritty, powerful appeal that riles up her audience. It also appears to have a tendency to fuel aggressive behavior in some fans.
While the CMG rapper continues to garner success with her distinctive style and anthem-like hits, it raises questions about the intensity of her live shows and whether certain audiences might be taking things a bit too far. Despite the disruptions, GloRilla remains a rising star in the rap game, but it’s clear that her shows are not for the faint of heart.
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Another rap related legal battle is underway. Sean Kingston and his mother’s fraud trial has commenced, and she has already requested a new lawyer.
As reported by XXL, the Jamaican performer and his mother are finally in court in hopes of clearing their names regarding some very serious wire fraud charges. On Monday (March 24), their trial begun with the typical jury selection process. According to NBC News, the pool started with 45 prospective jurors but was eventually narrowed down to 12 jurors; nine women and four men with one alternate to be on standby. But the following day, Sean’s mother Janice Turner formally requested new representation because “she could not get along with her previous counsel.”
After the session closed for the day Sean Kingston and his mother exited the court and headed to their ride. Janice was spotted holding a bible in her hand and did not answer any questions. Sean on other hand was gracious enough to send a message to his supporters. “All my fans that supported, I love you guys,” he said. The two were both arrested by federal authorities back in May 2024 on fraud charges. Prosecutors claim they swindled several businesses out of pricey items by using fake documentation like wire transfers and payment transfers. Some of the purchases included a $86,000 bed, a Cadillac Escalade SUV valued at $159,701.49 and various pieces of jewelry totaling $480,000.00.
If found guilty they both could face up to 20 years in prison.
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Madison Square Garden is owned by a larger entertainment group that oversees the famed venue, along with other properties such as Radio City Music Hall. A patron was barred from entering a Madison Square Garden Entertainment property this week over designing a t-shirt that read “Ban Dolan” back in 2017.As spotted in The Gothamist, Frank William Miller Jr., a notable graphic designer with credits with major brands and record labels, was hoping to take his parents out for their 47th wedding anniversary at Radio City Music Hall. However, facial recognition software used by MSGE and implemented by owner James Dolan flagged Miller over an act that occurred back in 2017.
Miller designed a “Ban Dolan” shirt, which he says was created in response to Dolan banning New York Knicks legend Charles Oakley from Madison Square Garden.
“I just think it’s amusing that a lowly thousandaire like myself is living rent free in a billionaire’s head,” Miller told the outlet regarding his ouster while trying to attend a Cleo Sol concert with his parents. “The only part that really bothers me is that my mom was crying.”
Adding to this, Miller never wore the shirt, and instead, it was worn by a friend of his who attended a Knicks game and was booted from the venue in 2021. Miller was apparently unaware that Dolan and MSGE had banned him from all their venues despite the generally simple explanation for the shirt.
Miller took the incident in stride and urged his parents to enjoy the show without him, but didn’t allow MSGE’s code of conduct violation ban sour him from speaking his mind.
“These venues are bigger than his ownership — they were here before his family owned them,” Miller stated. “They belong to the people, maybe not legally, but the Knicks, Radio City… It’s just crazy.”
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—Photo: Erik McGregor / Getty