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Eazin talks about the creative process behind his new song, “Shakespeare’s Bruises,” and more! Eazin: The music video for this song mainly highlights dancing with some small designs added, so mixing it with funky dance beats feel fresh, like a creative collision. The significant moment should be when I started learning street dance in university. […]
On April 11, Luis R Conriquez performed at the Feria del Caballo in Texcoco, in the State of Mexico — a city where the corrido singer has performed four or five times before, always drawing a big crowd. But this time, concert organizers gave him a warning: “They said that if I sang a corrido, they would cut off the sound,” Conriquez recalls.
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The warning came as a result of new government ordinances in Mexico banning live performances of narcocorridos in several states. Conriquez, who’s known for his narcocorridos, has ignored similar orders in the past and paid fines as a result. But this time, he wasn’t just facing a fine—his entire concert was at risk of being canceled. That wasn’t a chance he was willing to take.
A few hours before the show, he posted on social media letting fans know that his set wouldn’t include narcocorridos. Apparently, not everyone in the crowd saw the post. An hour and forty minutes into his performance, fans started demanding he sing his most popular corridos. When Conriquez explained that he couldn’t, some fans booed and threw objects at the stage. Eventually, Conriquez said, “No corridos. What do we do? Should I just go home instead?” He walked off the stage.
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The next day, Conriquez addressed the situation again on his Instagram stories, saying, “Some people don’t get it. They think I make the rules, but the truth is, there won’t be corridos at shows anymore—not from any artist, folks.”
Since then, Conriquez has received support from fans and fellow artists. He’s now preparing to bring his Trakas tour to the U.S., kicking off at UBS Arena in New York on April 25, where he’ll be able to perform his full repertoire. But at his next concert in Mexico, it’s likely there won’t be corridos. Here’s what he told Billboard about the whole situation.
Why did you decide not to sing corridos at this particular show?
They said that if I sang a corrido, they’d cut off the sound. They said, “We’ll cut off the sound. It’s prohibited.” So, I said, “Okay.” That’s where my frustration came from. I wasn’t mad, honestly. I just wanted to give the crowd what they came to hear, but I had to stick to the rules.
Did you think about canceling the show?
No. I always planned to go ahead with it. I said, “I’ll post that I won’t sing corridos.” But even before showing up, I’d already told people I wouldn’t be singing corridos.
What happened during the show?
I’d been performing for an hour and forty minutes when people started asking for the songs I wasn’t allowed to sing. At that point, people are usually a bit more rowdy or have had a few drinks, so they think anything goes. It got to the point where I thought, “I better leave, or they’re gonna throw a chair at me or something.” So, I decided to leave, and that’s when things got crazy. Last year, something similar happened to me in Chihuahua. I had to pay a $45,000 fine — around 850,000 pesos — for singing one corrido. I didn’t sing corridos for the whole show, but at the very end, I sang one and paid the fine. Just for one song. But that was part of a state decree. They showed up with official paperwork for us to sign, saying we couldn’t sing corridos or anything like that.
You seem like a very chill person, and you didn’t react aggressively on stage while all of this was happening — even when people were throwing things. Did you ever think about fighting back or responding?
Exactly. I said, “If it’s no, it’s no. If it’s yes, it’s yes.” Honestly, I’m a pretty chill person. I try not to be someone who explodes. So, it wasn’t like, “Oh, I’m gonna lose it and go crazy.” I stuck to the rules, and I think I did the right thing. I feel like I did the right thing. I did what they told me to do.
Were you surprised by how aggressive the crowd was?
Of course. But I think it’s just because I didn’t sing what they came to hear. Before performing there, I’d done another show and posted [on social media] that I wouldn’t be able to sing corridos. Why? Because they’ve started cracking down on this stuff. It wasn’t my decision, obviously. Everyone who listens to me and artists like me—what do they want to hear? Corridos. But if it’s not allowed, we won’t cause problems by singing them. If they told me, “It’s a one-million-peso fine for singing corridos,” I probably would’ve paid it just to make my fans happy. But it wasn’t up to me this time, and I ended up on the losing side of things.
What’s happened since then?
Honestly, I’ve gotten a lot of support from the fans. People who’ve followed me for a long time understand the situation. It’s not even about me anymore. Artists like Alejandro Fernández, Edén Muñoz — even artists who aren’t in this genre — have reached out, saying, “Keep your head up, man. Hang in there.” Peso Pluma also sent me a message. Unfortunately, I might’ve been the first to go through this, but after this, maybe people will start understanding.
I’ve been performing in Texcoco for four or five years, and every time, people are excited to see Luis R Conriquez. But this time, this happened. Imagine what could happen in other places. At the end of the day, I’m not going to sacrifice my career or my fans—I’d rather perform than not perform. That’s the bottom line. If it comes down to damaging my career just to sing corridos, then obviously, I won’t sing corridos.
What do you think about corridos being banned? Do you think it’ll make a difference?
I don’t think so. Corridos have existed since before I was born. They’ve always been around. I grew up listening to corridos. I listened to artists and always thought, “I want to be another voice in regional Mexican music.” The artists who sing corridos are at the top globally. In a way, we represent Mexico. But before you were born, corridos were about Pancho Villa — not drug lords. I know, but they’re still corridos at the end of the day. There were corridos about crime even back then. If I have to, I can adapt and write songs that aren’t as explicit, but I’ll keep the same vibe and storytelling. People are free to listen to what they want. Like I said, if I have to adjust, I’ll adjust.
You mentioned you’d change the lyrics to your songs. What did you mean by that?
I meant I won’t release songs that are super explicit anymore. I might tweak the lyrics a bit on certain songs, but I’ll keep singing them.
Where does the tour go next?
Jalisco, Hermosillo, Sonora, Monterrey — and then the U.S. tour. Corridos aren’t banned everywhere. But who knows what’ll happen? I need to put together a setlist and share it so people know what I’ll sing. Then they can decide whether to buy tickets or not. We always try to please our fans, and we’ve been doing it for four or five years. But now, if we have to follow the rules, that’s what we’ll do. I hope people understand.
There’s no ban in the U.S. Will you sing corridos at your shows here?
Of course. We’ll keep singing what people want to hear. If I have to tweak lyrics or make other changes, I’ll do it. The goal is to keep singing and working—this is how we make a living, and it’s how the people around us make a living too.
Long before he got “1900” tattooed across his neck and teamed up with Kodak Black, 1900Rugrat’s life was filled with uncertainty. Hailing from Limestone Creek, Florida, a small town in Palm Beach County with a population just over 1,000 people, Rugrat was kicked out of his adoptive parents’ house as a teen and moved in with his friend Rickfrmdacreek’s family down the block.
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Rugrat, born Miles Spiel, describes himself as a “bad a– kid” doing “stupid s–t,” which led to school suspensions and even legal trouble. He started rapping as an eighth grader after seeing a classmate rhyme while thinking he “could do better,” but Rugrat kept his raps lighthearted as the class clown using his Turtlebeach video game headset and a computer to record.
Then real life began to creep in. Rugrat couldn’t hold a job for more than four months while having stints at Walmart and Tijuana Flats. He became a massive Chief Keef fan, and the drill pioneer’s trap bangers are clearly an influence in Rugrat’s music today.
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Seeing rappers like YNW Melly, Kodak Black and Tay-K blow up when he was in high school provided inspiration that his music dreams could perhaps be within the realm of realistic — even if that seemed far-fetched at the time.
“It made me like, ‘I can do that s–t too.’ It ain’t impossible for somebody to blow up,” Rugrat tells Billboard while getting over a cold that sidelined him temporarily from touring with Bossman Dlow. “You don’t gotta be this completely iced-out motherf—–ing tatted up and rich as hell to blow up.”
He continues: “You could be a regular-a– dude and make some hard s–t and blow up. You could look regular and make some hard s–t. You don’t gotta have a million dollars invested in you.”
His luck changed last year when labels started to call after his TikTok freestyles were going viral. Rugrat’s raspy flow over Rocko’s hypnotic “U.O.E.N.O.” beat exploded on TikTok and “One Take Freestyle” hit streaming services days later in September with a DIY cover art featuring a photo of himself on a highrise apartment balcony. He maniacally confronts being a white rapper with the track’s memorable opening bar: “Cracker got an AR like he shootin’ schools up.”
The 22-year-old continued his ascension in October during a trip to NYC when he asked anyone tied to the music industry he ran into if they could get him in contact with Gape P of On The Radar Radio. Rugrat and five friends pulled up to OTR to perform his “One Take Freestyle,” which further expanded his breakout track’s exposure.
Rugrat ended up inking a joint venture with 300 Entertainment and Remain Solid, which is an imprint founded by his manager, Track. Co-signs have poured in from Kodak Black, who hopped on the “One Take Freestyle (Remix),” Justin Bieber and Lil Uzi Vert. Los Angeles Dodgers MVP Mookie Betts even uses “One Take” as his walk-up song when walking to home plate at Dodger Stadium.
These days, you’ll find Rugrat with plenty of ice on and his bushy eyebrows peering out from under his Chrome Hearts beanie. 1900 continued his momentum into 2025 with the arrival of his Porch 2 the Pent debut project in February and he’s got much more in store for later this year.
Check out the rest of our conversation with Rugrat touching on his Florida roots, why Chief Keef’s music inspires him, being locked up with one of the Island Boys and more.
Billboard: Who were some of your early rap inspirations that helped you get to this point?
When I was really young, I listened to a lot of Lil Wayne, Eminem. Just s–t my folks would play in the crib, like Gucci Mane, Waka Flocka [Flame], obviously Kodak [Black], but that was when I got to more of a teenager. It was Kodak, Chief Keef, when I was 12, 13. I really listen to a lot of Chief Keef. I listen to a lot of different rappers, but one rapper I keep listening to on a daily basis is Sosa (Chief Keef).
What stands out about Chief Keef? Take me back to when you first hit play on that Finally Rich.
I don’t know when it was. That’s when I wasn’t super on Sosa. I f–ked with the Finally Rich album, and I still do to this day. I wasn’t listening to him day-after-day until I was probably 14 or 15. I just really dove into his discography when I heard that Back From the Dead album, and I started listening to all his s–t. I’d go on YouTube and look up “Chief Keef unreleased” and listen to a bunch of his s–t.
I don’t know what it is. I couldn’t put a finger on it, but he’s versatile as hell. His s–t catchy as f–k and he’s funny, too. His punchlines [are] funny as hell if you dive into his music. He got a whole song called “You Already Cute.” He talking a girl, “You don’t need no fake hair, you already cute.” He said some s–t like, “I don’t need no girl making me food with no weave in because you might get hair all in my food. You don’t need that girl.”
How would you talk about growing up in Limestone Creek and Palm Beach?
I was just with my brothers most of the time outside. My folks ain’t want me in the crib when they was at work. I got kicked out of school a lot. So I gotta leave the crib early in the morning and I got in legal trouble with stupid s–t. When it came to when I got caught up with possession. It was robbery with snatching and burglary of an occupied vehicle just cause I ran off on somebody. That was no robbery or burglary and I pleaded guilty to it. I got petty theft and trespassing. Just little stupid s–t and I was back-to-back getting in trouble. My folks would kick me out the crib. They was tired of that s–t. It’s not like I’ma call DCL’s like, “My folks kicked me out.” I’m not tryna go to no damn group home.
I just moved in with my brother, [Rickfrmdacreek]. I know cuz since I was like six. That was my second family for real. When I got kicked out for real and ain’t let me back, they really became my family. My life was different than everybody else. Even my brother, my right hand man, we lived two different lives. If he ever need something, I’m right there. If I go broke today, he’s still gonna be right there. Same with his momma. I was always moving around. Not with one family moving around, I was house-to-house type s–t. That s–t was lame as hell. That s–t just made me disassociate with everything.
I like being by myself. S–t was normal, bruh, we just bada– kids doing stupid s–t. We got ourselves into bulls–t. I got into a bunch of legal trouble and problems with people and then nobody wanna do business with you. You kinda dirty your face. I was f—-d up. I ain’t have no money. I could’ve moved but I had to rap. That’s all I knew how to do. I got to rapping. I was working too, though. I had a one-bedroom apartment. I was 21 — this was like seven months ago. I’m on my feet, but I’m scraping by. I probably would’ve been scraping by right now.
I think I saw a picture of you working at Walmart.
Yeah, but that wasn’t the one I had when I blew up. I never kept a job for more than four months. I was always getting into it with somebody. They be trying to dog your a– around. Then I’m in here for no money and you tryna talk to me. I was at Tijuana Flats.
When did rapping become your thing? I saw some s–t back in the day you were recording using a Turtle Beach Xbox headset.
Yeah, so when I was in 8th grade, I had dropped a bunch of songs. I was a lil’ kid. It was a kid at my school rapping. I was like, “That s–t decent, but I know I could do better than that.” I started rapping. It was on some funny s–t. I was like the class clown. This was when I was more carefree and didn’t have much going on. This is before I got kicked out the crib. I was way happier. I’m making music and the funny s–t. I’m getting decent views too.
Then I started getting into legal trouble. I’m not even really tryna make [music] on my computer no more because technology changes. This s–t sound a–. If I really wanna do this s–t, I gotta figure it out. I got no money to go to the studio. I made a little bit of cheese, but when I went one time I wasn’t tryna make music on my computer.
I started taking the s–t more serious because I had a lot more going on in my life. A lot more to talk about. I started growing up. S–t wasn’t all just fun and games no more. I was going through s–t. I never found my flow like that. I was jumping style-to-style and now I can stay consistent and do another one. S–t been a long journey with music.
What did you think about the Florida rap scene when it started to take off around 2017 with a Kodak Black, YNW Melly, XXXTentacion?
That s–t was crazy. I was a freshman in high school and I remember I heard “Murder on My Mind” when it was just a SoundCloud song. That s–t had this one jit in my class going crazy. I’m listening to it like, “This s–t hard as f–k.” Then a month later, everybody singing that s–t in the school, and everybody know that b—h.
Did that inspire you?
Hell yeah, when you growing up and you seeing a jit that’s doing it. Somebody that’s young, that s–t make you feel like you can too. Even though he was older than I was, I see that the same way I see Tay-K and Duwap Kaine. When they had first blew up that was around the same time. That s–t really inspired me.
What was your experience as a white rapper trying to do it?
I used that s–t to my advantage. I peeped people talking about my skin color so I started talking about it. F–k it. That’s just what it is. At the end of the day, if a jit joke on you, you supposed to use that joke and make it 10 times better. If everybody in the room laugh about some s–t, use it and then you make everybody in the room laugh. Everybody called me “Cracka” growing up. I’m from Florida. I just started referring to myself a such on some funny s–t. Everybody thought that was funny so I put that s–t in my music.
How was signing to 300 Entertainment? [Rugrat’s signed to Remain Solid (founded by his manager, Track) and 300 Entertainment]
I had signed with 300 [Entertainment] and 100K. After talking with everybody from both teams, I knew that I’d be able to do business with them on a personal level. That was my most important thing. I knew I could get a check anywhere. You can get a good contract anywhere. It’s all about is the person you getting that contract with is they gon’ do right by you? People don’t be thinking about it. They just want that check. They not thinking about the long-term. Read contracts first, get a lawyer. I got a really good lawyer. I love my lawyer to death.
What’s the biggest purchase you made since signing?
Probably my car. A Jag.
Mookie Betts on the Dodgers got “One Take Freestyle” as his walk-up song.
Bruh, what the f–k?! I be mad because I don’t be knowing until somebody tell me. I be upset. Somebody just commented that they heard my s–t at Dodger Stadium. I gotta see a video or something, dog. That s–t still be making me cheese.
“One Take Freestyle,” talk about what that record meant to your career and getting Kodak [Black] on there.
I still bump that song and every time I listen to it, I be like, “That’s why I blew up. This b—h hard as f–k.” I barred that b—h up from start to finish. That b—h had so many bars and punch lines. If a b—h say that s–t a–, they lying. I don’t even listen to people when they say my s–t is a–. I don’t give no f–k. It’s like a Skrilla beat. I was rapping on Philly beats on the freestyles I was doing on TikTok. Then I was like, “Okay, now I gotta take one of these b–hes to the booth.” I gotta go to the booth tonight. I’m 100 behind on rent and I’ll make that back. I got a two-hour session and that b—h went on all platforms four days later. Labels was already hitting me before “One Take” blew up.
Then I’m in the meeting with a label under Sony. I get the “One Take” video emailed to me. The first edit of it was a– so it got re-edited. I told them to pull it up on the big screen in the studio and we dropped that b—h right then and there. I logged into YouTube and dropped that motherf—-r. That s–t started going and going. I’m out in NYC and meeting with every label. I’m asking everybody in here, “Who know, Gabe [P from On The Radar]?” One white girl and 300 [Entertainment] got me in touch with Gabe. He said they were all booked up and I’m like, “Please, bro! I’m not finna be able to come back to New York. Just let me do it.” He squeezed me in and I did “One Take [Freestyle].”
I went to On The Radar and first I did “Clean & Dirty.” I was like, “That s–t finna blow up.” I did that “One Take” and that s–t boosted that s–t even more. That s–t went so viral all over Twitter and Facebook. I don’t even have Twitter and Facebook. People like, “Who here from Facebook?” I’m like, “What the f–k?”
Then you got Kodak on the remix.
At first, I seen him vibing to it in the store. A lil video went viral of him vibing to that b—h. I really paid homage to him on the song when I said, “I’m already white hoe, I don’t need no white b—h.” Cus he had said on “Snap Shit:” “I’m already Black/ Don’t need no Black b—h.” All these years I’m like, “I’m finna rip it. I gotta rip it.” I finally did it on the one that went viral. He went and said, “I admit I said a lot of dumba– s–t when I was a youngin’/ I didn’t used to get down with brown b–hes but now I love her.” He went and referenced that s–t.
That’s why I be saying Kodak’s really hard. People just don’t be tuned in like that. It was surreal. I was in the studio with him and he was playing a bunch of unreleased [songs]. We talked about him hopping on the remix. He was with it. That b—h just went and the video was fun as hell. We were out there for 12 hours.
I saw Lil Uzi Vert showing you love, too.
That s–t has me turnt because all my brothers love [Lil] Uzi. Justin Bieber, bruh! That s–t’s wild. He way too fried. That’s what it is. They hating, bruh. His new little snippet he posted when he went live. He slid in that b—h. That s–t be crazy. Lil Baby’s son — that s–t was wild. I was at Lil Baby’s birthday party. I ain’t never seen no club that big. Had to walk a mile to get in there. Florida is small, congested and 1,000 people in that b—h.
What else do you have coming up for the rest of the year? Is there an album coming?
I don’t know if I’ma drop an album this year. I think I might, but I’m in single mode right now. I’m tryna crank singles out right now. I might do a tape with a producer. I wanna focus on singles and do a L.A. Leakers freestyle that’ll go viral. I blew up off freestyling on TikTok so I know it’s gon’ work. A lot of people don’t be remembering. People think it’s the “One Take” s–t, but I had the labels on me. I had 700,000 followers even before “One Take” was a thought. I had “No Makeup” and that “Demure.”
“One Take” was the big one. I’m tryna get one like 10 times bigger than “One Take.” I don’t even want another “One Take.” I want one 20 times bigger than “One Take.” My goal is to get a hard-a– single. Then somewhere down the line get an [Lil Uzi Vert] on like an Auto-Tune. My Auto-Tune flow is so gas, but my fans are not fans of that. Uzi’s fans are, so I know that s–t will go and bring a whole new audience. I want to be able to cater to both audiences. That’s more listeners.
That’s why my album had 13 rap songs, and six had Auto-Tune. I just wanted to show versatility. With my album, I’m doing straight rap. Then I’m finna shift off of that. I don’t think I’ma ever stop rapping ever. I wanna make a full tape of certain styles. On some underground wavy s–t. If you listened to “Molly Girl” or Sosa’s “Let Me Know,” I’ll make a whole album off of that. That’s down the line when I can tell them what’s in and what’s hard. I’m just tryna crank some s–t I know already works.
I saw a viral tweet saying they want Timothée Chalamet to play you in a movie.
That s–t funny as hell. He look like me for real.
When you were locked up, were you in there with one of the Island Boys?
Yeah, they weren’t in my program, but they were in the detention center in Palm Beach. No matter where you get locked up in Palm Beach, you going to the Palm Beach Detention Center. The one off 45th by the train tracks. It was one of the brothers. I never said a word to him. I got kicked off B1 a day or two later for getting into a fight. They put me in confinement and switched me to B2. Jit had little blonde curls and no tattoos or none of that.
What’s 1900Rugrat doing in five or 10 years from now?
Somewhere on an island. I just want to be isolated. Not from the world on some crazy s–t, but I like being in nature and s–t with my phone off. Counting money for real, like overly rich. Like, I got all my businesses running themselves for a week. I got everyone handling some s–t so I can kick back this week and smoke some good dope in Bora Bora and take a deep breath.
Track (Manager): Let me know when you doing that vacation, bro, because I need that one.
Over his 45-year career, Thurston Moore has always comfortably had his feet in two worlds: the song-centric music of Sonic Youth, the pioneering noise rock band he co-founded in 1980, and the experimental world born from his upbringing in New York’s No Wave scene in the late ’70s and early ‘80s.
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“I really give equal value to composition … that I would give to improvisation,” Moore tells Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast from his home in London. “I mean, they really inform each other.”
Moore’s latest album, Flow Critical Lucidity, released in 2024, often splits the difference between keeping to traditional song structure and tossing the rulebook out the window. Moore was joined in the studio by musicians who have performed on his song-based solo efforts: Deb Googe, the bass player for My Bloody Valentine; drummer Jem Doulton and guitarist James Sedwards. Googe and Sedwards also appear on Moore’s 2020 album, By the Fire, 2017’s Rock N Roll Consciousness and 2014’s The Best Day — albums that harken back to Sonic Youth’s more accessible work and Moore’s 1995 solo debut, Psychic Hearts.
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But much of his work captures his love of experimental music that took root in the New York music scene in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Spirit Counsel, released in 2019, has three expansive tracks that run a total of 2.5 hours. The free-flowing Screen Time, released in 2021, was fittingly released on Southern Lord Records, the home of drone metal band Sunn O))).
This month, Moore premiered Guitar Explorations of Cloud Formations at the New Music Dublin festival in Dublin. He was joined by Googe, Doulton and guitarist Jennifer Chochinov, one half of the London-based duo Schande. A suite in nine pieces, Cloud Formations is “very lengthy, repetitive, immersive guitar, sort of drone pieces,” says Moore, “because I wanted to have that kind of elemental nature to them as opposed to being more song-centric.”
Recording and performing a variety of music creates some uncertainty, though, among promoters, retailers and fans. So, Moore is careful to draw bright lines between his different styles to eliminate confusion. Before his recent shows in New York City and Philadelphia, he asked the promoters to make clear that fans would see an experimental trio featuring percussionists Willie Winant and Tom Surgal, not the band that recorded Critical Flow Lucidity. When he performs songs from Critical Flow Lucidity, he wants fans to know they’re not going to see free-form guitar improvisation. And although he could release a torrent of music, Moore is careful to flood the market.
“I realize that there’s a bit of a responsibility,” he says. “I mean, I know people who I associate with who are musicians who release music every week on Bandcamp, and they’re just constantly recording, releasing. And in some ways, I hold myself back from doing that. I mean, I have gotten into this situation through the years where I want to do a tour and the promoters are like, ‘Well, you were just here playing noise improv in some basement in Paris. So we don’t feel like we can actually book you right now, because the audience is confused.’ Like, what are you going to do? And so that has been a bit of an issue. It’s like, are you going to do your band? Are you going to be playing proper quote-unquote songs, which there’s much a bigger audience for? Or are you going to come here and play with some electronic noise guy? And so I understand that. It’s difficult for the other people involved who are presenting your gig, particularly promoters, because they don’t know how to promote it, and so I’m a bit careful.”
His desire to push boundaries — and his seemingly never-ending supply of friendships with influential musicians — finds Moore collaborating with some prominent names. Last year, for example, Moore performed a free improvisation set with former Led Zeppelin bass player John Paul Jones at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tenn., and later in London (joined by drummer Steve Noble at one gig). The Big Ears performance was “extremely polarizing” for anybody who expected to hear a cross between Led Zeppelin and Sonic Youth.
“It was just pretty jarring. It was like creating this kind of sound world of improvised noise music. And the place was just jammed. Everybody wanted to see this. And then I think within 30 minutes, it was half full, and I think maybe people got the idea that we weren’t going to be playing any tunes. We were just into this other thing, which we really wanted to do. And we did it, and I really loved it. I have actually mixed down the session. I’d love to put it out some day.”
Three musicians Moore is unlikely to perform with are his Sonic Youth bandmates: Kim Gordon, Lee Renaldo and Steve Shelley. From Oasis to Pavement, many rock bands from the ‘90s have capitalized on nostalgia and the longevity of their brands by returning to the stage. While Moore doesn’t exactly rule out a Sonic Youth reunion, he says isn’t motivated by the payday and believes the band’s legacy stands firm without one. “We covered so much territory that I don’t feel like it was a story left on untold. I think it really had a nice trajectory, and it certainly doesn’t feel unfinished to me.”
Listen to the entire interview with Thurston Moore in the embedded Spotify player below, or go to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Amazon Music, Podbean or Everand.
Last year, I wrote an op-ed titled “Fighting Streaming Fraud at the Distributor Level.” In it, I discussed the complexity of streaming fraud, where it comes from and how it can be solved with all industry stakeholders working together. At Symphonic Distribution, we’ve worked to create resources for our clients, such as an analytics tool that shows fraudulent streams and best practices for streaming safely while utilizing KYC (know your customer) efforts to combat increases in fraud and championing the use of identity verification. All of these efforts, along with continued collaboration between members of the Music Fights Fraud Alliance (MFFA), have led to a reduction in instances of fraud.
In the months since my op-ed was released, streaming fraud has become an even more important topic of conversation at industry events and conferences and is being meaningfully addressed by distributors around the globe. Currently, most distributors have continued to be or are now involved in learning how to proactively deal with fraud; they’ve been more vocal, provided more data to each other, and most now have policies to prevent it as best they can. However, fraud has also become more sophisticated, and like a virus, it has mutated and evolved to better hide itself. For example, we’ve recently seen fraudsters begin to “sprinkle” fraudulent activity through bot playlists, use AI to impersonate artists and even attack legitimate streaming activity to weaponize fraud against others as sabotage; the latter even happened to me.
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Symphonic has had success in decreasing fraud and been outspoken about what can be done to combat it. I can say we’ve seen results, and that our work will continue, but we felt it important to be transparent about what could be done to continue to make progress in this area.
Distributors
As I’ve said before, distributors need to implement advanced KYC procedures. At an absolute minimum, there needs to be robust identification checks for all new labels and artists they bring under their umbrella. Fraudsters cannot commit fraud if they can’t upload their tracks, and many will balk when asked to provide their personal ID. Moreover, if they do provide their ID and commit fraud that is then traced to them, all accounts linked to that ID can be deleted at once.
Additionally, leveraging platforms such as Tipalti, Trolley and other fintech payment platforms is helpful for OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) compliance and further helps identify the individual. As distributors, we all have a responsibility to ensure that who we’re dealing with is actually who they say they are and truly the rightsholder. This is a challenge, but the effort is worth it.
Here are a few additional actions distributors can take:
Implement and Enforce Strict Content Verification Processes
Before content is published, implementing rigorous verification procedures can prevent the distribution of infringing material. This includes verifying the authenticity of tracks and ensuring that proper licenses are in place. Sony Music’s recent removal of over 75,000 AI-generated deepfake recordings highlights the importance of proactive content management.
Educate Artists and Labels on Ethical Practices
Providing clear guidelines about artificial streaming and its consequences is crucial. Educating stakeholders on the risks associated with fraudulent services and emphasizing the importance of organic growth can deter participation in unethical practices. Resources like Symphonic’s best practices for streaming safely offer valuable insights.
Collaborate Across the Industry
Forming alliances and working collectively can strengthen the fight against fraud. Initiatives like the MFFA demonstrate the effectiveness of industry-wide collaboration in addressing streaming fraud.
DSPs
Similarly, digital service providers (DSPs) need to be more discerning about what content gets ingested into their platforms. With more than 200,000 tracks being added on many of them each day, DSPs must take a more active role in creating more friction in the process of uploading music to dissuade and discourage fraudsters.
What DSPs can do to help:
Strengthen User-Generated Content (UGC) Systems for Issue Resolution
UGC platforms have developed systems that help identify and resolve disputes among parties without the need for extensive legal action. Strengthening these systems can enhance conflict resolution and reduce litigation.
Meaningfully Address AI in Music
At a minimum, AI-generated songs should be clearly labeled. Action is already being taken here with groups like AI:OK working on developing an AI Trustmark, but DSPs should already be adopting more stringent AI guidance. At Symphonic, we ask our clients whether they have used “Some,” “All,” or “No” AI in their content during the upload process to improve identification. We are also exploring partnerships to enhance AI detection and verification.
The bigger question remains: What is AI-generated music worth? DSPs could provide more guidance in this area, and implementing clearer rules now could drive more rapid and structured change while legal frameworks evolve. We are not anti-AI, but we support the idea that fully AI-generated content should be valued less than AI-assisted human-created content.
Develop and Implement Stronger Regulations for Distributors
As a result of fraud, distribution needs to be taken more seriously than it currently is. There are too many distributors with overly open policies who do not approach the matter responsibly. Instead of adding more distributors, we should consider working with the many reputable companies that already exist. And by extension, DSPs shouldn’t work with new distributors unless they are addressing fraud at the point of ingestion.
Coming Together
With fraudsters finding new and unique ways to commit fraud, distributors, DSPs, and other entities in the industry have come together to fight them. Chiefly, the MFFA, formed in 2023, continues to expand and add new members and anti-fraud initiatives. Since its inception, the MFFA has grown to more than 20 members. In addition to Symphonic, it includes Tunecore, CD Baby, Empire, Spotify, SoundCloud, Meta and many more. Those who are a part of the MFFA are beginning to continuously share information with each other so that we all know what to look for and stay informed as an industry on how best to fight fraud. This data sharing practice has already helped Symphonic reduce fraud, and from what we’ve heard, it is also doing the same for our partners in the MFFA.
I’ve continued to have these conversations at conferences and other industry events, and the enthusiasm for coming together to fight fraud is apparent. With the appointment of Michael Lewan as executive director, the work of the MFFA is going to accelerate quickly, and more companies will soon be able to join to expand the work they’re doing.
At the end of the day, there will always be more we as an industry can do to combat fraud because, like all things, it will continue to evolve. We need to make it harder for bad actors and fairer for real artists. As we’ve done already, distributors need to enhance their KYC efforts — if you don’t know who your clients are or have a way of identifying them individually, don’t work with them. On the other side, DSPs need to be more cognizant of what’s being ingested on their platforms and build some walls to slow down the process and enable fraud identification. We’ll continue to have these conversations and fight for a fair, safe, and trusted environment for artists, songwriters, and consumers to listen and submit music to.
Jorge Brea is the Founder and CEO of Symphonic Distribution, a 100% independent company offering full-service distribution, marketing, royalty collection, and more for record labels, artists, managers, and distributors alike with footprints in Tampa, Brooklyn, Nashville, Bogotá, Mexico, South Africa, Canada, and Brazil. Jorge is an active member of the Music FIghts Fraud Alliance, was named to Billboard‘s 2024 International Power Players list, won the Music Biz 2024 #NEXTGEN_NOW One to Watch Bizzy Award, and in 2023 was on the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list.
Wisp performed for the first time at Coachella, and she shares her experience of debuting her new single “Get Back to Me” at the festival, her favorite part of Coachella and more!
Are you excited for her new single? Let us know in the comments below!
Tetris Kelly:So from the Hot Hard Rock songs No. 10. Like, you were top 10 there, and now playing Sonora stage with so many other amazing rock acts. How was it?
Wisp:It was amazing. I had so much fun.
And then, what is that … the vibe over there? Because I feel like in that specific stage, like everybody’s just having a good time.
Yeah, I was so relieved that I was playing Sonora stage because it’s so enclosed and it’s dark, and I feel like that’s the perfect vibe for my music. So it was really fun. It was packed, too.
Yeah, it was packed for your set. And I mean, you also debuted some new music.
I did!
So how was it to play “Get Back to Me”?
It was amazing. I love that song, and I’m really excited for it to come out.
And then, what have your fans felt when they were … how did you feel when they’re, like, did you debut a new song and like, they’ve never heard it before?
Yeah, I don’t know. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what people are thinking, but I feel like they were pretty well received today, so I’m happy.
And then, how has Coachella been, in general? Because this is your very first Coachella.
It is.
So, like, how has it been walking around? What’s been your favorite part?
It’s been so fun. My friends are here as well. So we’ve seen a couple sets yesterday. Clairo was my favorite. She was amazing.
Keep watching for more!
The inaugural MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN ceremony, the largest music awards in the country, is set to take place in May in Kyoto. Embodying the theme of “Connecting the world, illuminating the future of music,” the new international music awards is hosted by the Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA), an association jointly established by five major organizations in the Japanese music industry.
This year’s MAJ will recognize works and artists in more than 60 categories, including the six major awards for Song of the Year, Artist of the Year and more, which have gained significant attention and recognition from Jan. 29, 2024 to Jan. 26, 2025. The entries for each category were announced last month and the nominees for each category was revealed Thursday (Apr. 17).
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The third installment of Billboard Japan’s series exploring the trends and characteristics of MAJ will focus on the entries in the Best Cross-Border Collaboration Song category that honors songs written in collaboration between domestic and overseas artists. Let’s take a look at how Japanese music interacts with the world, using data of the entries for this award.
The Artists’ Involvement in the Creative Process is Key
We divided the 50 entries into five types and calculated the percentage of songs in each. “JOINT PERFORMANCE” refers to co-writing as well as joint performances, and “FEATURING” refers to guest appearances (remixes of existing songs fall under “REMIX”). More than half the entries fall under JOINT PERFORMANCE or FEATURING.
“PRODUCE” refers to tracks where artists from overseas participate as producers in songs by Japanese artists, and accounts for 24% of the total. This includes Fujii Kaze’s “Feelin’ Go(o)d”, f5ve’s “UFO” (both produced by A.G. Cook), and ONE OR EIGHT’s “Don’t Tell Nobody” (produced by Ryan Tedder of One Republic).
For many of the songs that fall under JOINT PERFORMANCE, FEATURING and PRODUCE, the artists themselves participated in the creative process, such as writing the lyrics and composing the music. In the second installment of this series, we noted that the entries in the Top Global Hits from Japan category seem to be slightly more oriented towards artists who write and perform their own works compared to those up for the Song of the Year award, which honors songs popular in Japan. The same can be said for collaborative works that span countries and regions. It seems that, compared to within Japan, it’s more important for artists to be actively involved in the creative process overseas, both from the perspective of listeners and creators.
Affinity With the Collaborators’ Nationalities
The above shows the share of each country/region excluding Japan, calculated by adding up the number of streams of all entries in the Best Cross-Border Collaboration Song category during the tallying period. The country with the highest share was the United States, and it also leads the list of the collaborators’ nationalities, which we’ll touch on later, but the order below second place didn’t match the collaborators’ nationalities at all. This shows that the collaborators’ nationalities and the countries/regions where the songs are actually listened to do not necessarily match.
For example, “Bekhauf,” the collab between BABYMETAL and the Indian metal band Bloodywood, accounted for 1% of the streaming numbers in India. Meanwhile, “RATATATA,” the collab between BABYMETAL and the German metal band Electric Callboy, accounted for 49% of the streaming numbers in Germany. One reason for this difference is that the market for metal music in Germany is more mature than in India. From this trend, we can see that affinity with the collaborators’ nationality is also an important factor in maximizing the effect of collaborations.
Countries/regions Interested in Collabs Between Japanese and Foreign Acts
Megan Thee Stallion’s “Mamushi (feat. Yuki Chiba)” was the collaborative number with the most streams among this year’s entries, with an large share in multiple countries/regions including the U.S. (68%), the Philippines (79%), India and South Africa (both 87%). When there’s a song with such an overwhelming share, the overall share is greatly influenced by the trend of that song.
So to identify countries/regions with high interest in collaborative songs in general, rather than a specific one, we extracted the top 10 countries/regions for each song’s streaming numbers and compiled the number of songs that charted in the top 10 by country/region. Countries/regions ranked multiple times in the top 10 of each song’s list likely have strong tendencies to consistently support collabs between Japanese and overseas artists.
Top Countries Excl. Japan by Streams According to Luminate
Total Number of Entry Songs in Top 10 by Country/Region
Canada, Indonesia, and Taiwan came in at Nos. 2, 3, and 4. These are all countries/regions that didn’t rank high in terms of collaborators’ nationalities and streaming numbers. These countries/regions are considered to have high interest in songs featuring Japanese artists, regardless of who they collaborate with. Taiwan, in particular, had 32 songs in the top 10 despite its relatively small population.
The Properties of Collaborative Songs
Next, looking at the domestic and international streaming shares of the entries in the Best Cross-Border Collaboration Song category during the tallying period, 78% of the total streaming count for all 50 songs combined came from outside Japan. This is higher than the percentage of overseas streams for the entries in the Top Global Hits from Japan category, an award for Japanese music being listened to outside the country (59%), indicating that collaborative songs are more actively listened to overseas. Approximately 80% of the songs weren’t linked to other works or products, suggesting that whether or not a collaborative song is a tie-in doesn’t influence its popularity.
The chart above shows the genre breakdown of the entries. Soul/R&B accounts for 22% of the total, largely due to the six songs by SIRUP that made the list. Hip-Hop/Rap accounts for 20%, and here, all tracks except for two by Chanmina are by different artists. Notably, the share in this genre is 15% more than the 5% in Top Global Hits from Japan.
The percentage of the collaborators’ nationalities was calculated based on the number of artists. The United States (27%) had the highest percentage, with many collaborations with rappers such as Megan Thee Stallion and Big Sean. The United Kingdom (18%) featured artists associated with Hikaru Utada, such as Sam Smith and A.G. Cook.
South Korea has entries featuring rappers such as ASH ISLAND and Zion.T, as well as collaborative tracks with dance and vocal groups like ATEEZ. Three songs have entered from Thailand: BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE’s “Meant to be feat. F.HERO & BOOM BOOM CASH,” ATARASHII GAKKO!’s “Drama (feat. MILLI),” and HYBS x SIRUP’s “I’m Blessed.”
Cross-border collaborations are becoming an important channel connecting Japanese music with the world, and the Best Cross-Border Collaboration Song award is a symbolic category that captures this global trend. We hope this award will serve as an opportunity to further enhance the presence of Japanese artists in the international music scene.
John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, the journeyman rockers who brought bar-band authenticity —and hits like the real-life top 10 Billboard Hot 100 smash “On the Dark Side” — to the group portrayed in the 1983 film Eddie and the Cruisers, have returned with Sound of Waves, their first album of all-new songs in […]
After opening for Taylor Swift at some of the biggest venues in the world, Gracie Abrams says she hopes to return as a headliner someday.
In her Billboard cover story published Thursday (April 17), the 25-year-old singer-songwriter was candid when asked by staff writer Hannah Dailey whether she aspired to someday tour through stadiums amid her recent career spike, which has found Abrams leveling up from playing shows in theater-sized venues to full-on arenas in a matter of months.
“Hell yeah,” the “That’s So True” musician replied immediately, before confessing that she didn’t always feel that way. “I could have never imagined myself admitting to that. I think having had the privilege of opening for Taylor in the stadiums that we played, to now have a visual reference and a real sense of what it feels like to be on a stage in that environment … It’s something that I miss and desperately hope to earn over time,” she added.
The interview comes about two years after Abrams opened her very first show on the “Anti-Hero” singer’s global Eras Tour, which kicked off in spring 2023. In between headlining her own treks for albums Good Riddance (2023) and The Secret of Us (2024), the “Risk” artist would go on to spend a collective six months supporting Swift in stadiums all over North America.
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Shortly after playing her final Eras show in December, Abrams embarked on her first-ever arena trek that began with a month of European shows earlier this year. She’ll continue over the next few months with legs in Asia and Australia, and this summer, she’ll return to the U.S. for more arena dates, including two nights at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
Abrams has been open about how studying Swift on the Eras Tour has taught her ways to improve her own performances, but in her Billboard cover story, the former also shared how simply observing the latter has helped her stay afloat amid the new level of fame she’s hit. “It’s like, I really don’t have it that bad in terms of invasion of privacy, you know what I mean?” Abrams marveled. “I feel like I learned a lot from [Taylor], obviously, but one of the things that I’ve felt lucky to observe is how extreme it can be [for her].”
She added, “It helps right-size my own s–t.”
The Grammy nominee also gushed about another one of her past tourmates: Olivia Rodrigo. “She gave me such a shot, opening for her on the Sour Tour,” Abrams raved of the “Vampire” singer. “I adore her with my whole heart for forever and ever.”
“Gracie has such a singular voice when it comes to songwriting,” Rodrigo said in return. “I think it’s rare to be so young and already have developed your very own lane.”
See Abrams on the cover of Billboard and photos from the shoot below.
Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “KUSUSHIKI” rises 6-1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, on the chart released April 16.
The three-man band’s latest single is being featured as the opener for the anime series The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Part 2. The song was digitally released on April 5 and debuted on the chart last week at No. 6 despite having only two days to count towards the chart week. Looking at each metric, the track rules streaming (313% week-over-week) and comes in at No. 2 for downloads (92%) and video views (275%), and No. 4 for radio airplay. Other songs by the hitmakers also only saw slight decreases in points and 17 continue to chart on the Japan Hot 100.
HANA’s “ROSE” drops a notch to No. 2 after bowing atop the chart last week. Downloads and video views for the brand-new girl group’s debut single are down to 42% and 78%, respectively, but streaming and radio have gained to 131% and 168% week-over-week. Perhaps due to the impact of its debut at No. 1 last week, the track is spreading across various platforms.
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Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” slips to No. 3. Logging its 53rd week on the Japan Hot 100, downloads for the Oblivion Battery opener have gained to 112% and only show slight decreases in other metrics: streaming at 99%, radio at 73%, video at 94%, and karaoke at 87% compared to the week before.
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NMB48’s “Chu Strike” bows at No. 4. The group’s 31st single launches with 253,080 CDs, more than its predecessor, to rule sales this week and comes in at No. 63 for radio.
Sakanaction’s “Kaiju” follows at No. 5. Radio airplay for the track is up to 114% compared to last week and karaoke to 118%. The Orb: On the Movements of the Earth opener comes in at No. 14 for downloads, No. 5 for streaming, No. 22 for radio, No. 4 for video, and No. 18 for karaoke.
Snow Man unleashed its catalog on digital platforms during the chart week (April 7) and six tracks by the popular boy band have charted. “Brother Beat” currently leads the pack, hitting No. 48 on the Japan Hot 100 (No. 12 for downloads, No. 51 for streaming), “Tapestry” is at No. 52 (No. 8 for downloads, No. 62 for streaming, No. 93 for video), “Dangerholic” is at No. 64 (No. 23 for downloads, No. 66 for streaming), “D.D.” is at No. 77 (No. 26 for downloads, No. 79 for streaming), “EMPIRE” is at No. 87 (No. 19 for downloads, No. 88 for streaming), and “SBY” is at No. 98 (No. 21 for downloads, No. 57 for streaming).
The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from April 7 to 13, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.