State Champ Radio Blog
Page: 627
Lil Wayne is officially no longer down with the Super Bowl after organizers chose Kendrick Lamar for the 2025 Halftime Show. (And no, he didn’t watch Dot’s performance.)
Following the controversy surrounding this year’s headliner selection, Weezy revealed in the Rolling Stone cover story published Thursday (April 17) that he’ll never again consider playing the Big Game after being passed up to perform in 2025. The piece comes about seven months after the NFL announced that Lamar would take the stage at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans — the “Lollipop” rapper’s home city — after which Wayne told Instagram followers that he was “hurt” by the decision.
“They stole that feeling,” he tells the publication now of the NFL. “I don’t want to do it. It was perfect.”
Trending on Billboard
On that note, Wayne adds that he didn’t even watch Lamar’s February performance. Instead, he played pool with Lil Twist and went outside to smoke during the set. And every time he did peek at his TV screen during the show, he says there “was nothing that made me want to go inside and see what was going on.”
And despite saying that he’s on good terms with the “Euphoria” hitmaker, Tunechi did throw a little shade Lamar’s way. While listening back to some of the music he’s working on for upcoming album Tha Carter VI, Wayne apparently said of Dot’s halftime show: “They coulda had some music. But instead they got rappin’.”
“They f–ked up,” he added of the NFL.
Though Wayne technically wasn’t one of them, Lamar’s Halftime Show performance brought in 133.5 million viewers on game day — more than any other Super Bowl set in history. In addition to performing his smash Drake diss track “Not Like Us,” the Compton rapper also cycled through a number of the songs on his November album GNX, which spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
One song Lamar didn’t play from the LP, however, was opener “Wacced Out Murals” — the lyrics to which feature one of the only comments Lamar has made on the Wayne Super Bowl situation. “Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down,” he spits on the track. “Whatever though, call me crazy, everybody questionable.”
In the Rolling Stone piece, however, Wayne opened up more about why he took the snub so personally, revealing that he more so takes issue with the NFL for allegedly leading him to believe that he was a frontrunner for the gig.
“To perform, it’s a bunch of things they’re going to tell you to do and not do, a–es to kiss and not kiss,” he said. “If you notice, I was a part of things I’ve never been a part of. Like [Michael] Rubin’s all-white parties. I’m doing s–t with Tom Brady. That was all for that. You ain’t never seen me in them types of venues. I ain’t Drake. I ain’t out there smiling like that everywhere. I’m in the stu’, smokin’ and recording.”
Wayne claimed that his contacts at the NFL later apologized and told him that they weren’t “in charge” of the selection process after Lamar’s slot was announced. (Per producer Jesse Collins, Jay-Z — whose company Roc Nation oversees the alftime show — has selected every headliner since 2019. Even so, Wayne says he’s still cool with his “Mr. Carter” collaborator.)
“All of a sudden, according to them, they got curved,” Wayne added to the publication of the NFL. “So, I’m going to have to just settle with whatever they say.”
Billboard has reached out to the NFL for comment.
See Weezy on the cover of Rolling Stone below.
Bruce Springsteen dropped the second preview of his upcoming sprawling Tracks II: The Lost Albums collection on Thursday morning (April 17). The beat-heavy mid-tempo song “Blind Spot” will appear on the box set as part of the Streets of Philadelphia Sessions, a 10-song LP that a release noted has long been referred to by fans as the Boss’ “loops record.”
Opening with a sampled voice grunting over a mechanical-sounding drum beat, it finds Springsteen singing, “We inhabited each other/ Like it was some kind of disease/ I thought that I was flyin’/ But I was crawlin’ on my knees,” in a haunted cadence. The chorus leans into the notion that it’s the things we miss in love that are our undoing: “Everybody’s got a blind spot that brings ’em down/ Everybody’s got a blind spot they can’t get around.”
“That was just the theme that I locked in on at that moment,” Springsteen said in a statement about the song exploring doubt and betrayal in relationships that became the thesis for the Philadelphia Sessions. “I don’t really know why. [Wife and bandmate] Patti [Scialfa] and I, we were having a great time in California. But sometimes if you lock into one song you like, then you follow that thread. I had ‘Blind Spot,’ and I followed that thread through the rest of the record.”
Trending on Billboard
The song was written following the rock icon’s 1994 Oscar- and Grammy-winning song “Streets of Philadelphia,” which accompanied the 1993 Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington movie Philadelphia, Jonathan Demme’s legal drama about an attorney suing his former employer for his firing after the firm discovers he’s gay and has AIDS.
The never-released companion album “found Springsteen exploring an interest in the rhythms of mid-1990s contemporary music, and particularly West Coast hip-hop,” according to the release. “Initially poring over CDs of drum samples at his home in Los Angeles, Springsteen began making his own loops with engineer Toby Scott — which formed a rhythmic base he’d build on with keyboards and synthesizers. Both a revelation and departure in his home recording, Springsteen is the primary instrumentalist throughout most of Streets of Philadelphia Sessions.” Among those lending an assist during the sessions were his 1992-1993 touring band, as well Scialfa, E Street band members Soozie Tyrell and Lisa Lowell.
Though it never saw the light of day, the album was completed, mixed and slated for release in the spring of 1995, then shelved when Springsteen opted instead to reunite with the E Street Band after a seven-year hiatus. “I said, ‘Well, maybe it’s time to just do something with the band, or remind the fans of the band or that part of my work life,’” the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer said. “So that’s where we went. But I always really liked Streets of Philadelphia Sessions’… during the [2017-2018] Broadway show, I thought of putting it out [as a standalone release]. I always put them away, but I don’t throw them away.”
Earlier this month, Springsteen announced the June 27 release of Tracks II, which will contain seven previously unheard full-length records. The 83-track collection will “fill in rich chapters of Springsteen’s expansive career timeline — while offering invaluable insight into his life and work as an artist,” according to a release, which noted that some of the LPs got so far as the mixing stage before being put on hold.
Among the albums included are the lo-fi LA Garage Sessions ’83, described as a “crucial link” between the stripped-down Nebraska and the rocking Born in the U.S.A., the sonically experimental Faithless film soundtrack he wrote for a movie that was never made, the country-leaning Somewhere North of Nashville and the border tales LP Inyo, as well as the “orchestra-driven, mid-century noir” Twilight Hours.
The box set covering the years 1983-2018 was previewed by the first single, the turbulent “Rain in the River.” The Lost Albums will be issued in a limited-edition 9-LP set , as well as 7-CD and digital formats, with distinctive packaging for each, along with a 100-page cloth-bound hardcover book with rare archival photos. A 20-track compilation, Lost and Found: Selections From The Lost Albums, will be released on June 27 on two LPs and one CD.
Listen to “Blind Spot” below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: YouTube / Marvel Studios
Marvel is back, even though it never really left. The official trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps has arrived and it’s loaded with all the comic delights that makes the MCU great and leaves movie fans begging for more.
A proper rendition of The Fantastic Four—Mister Fantastic aka Reed Richards (portayed by Pedro Pascal), the Invisible Woman aka Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), the Human Torch aka Johnny Storm (Joseph Queen aka dude from that last season of Stranger Things) and The Thing aka Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach)—has had several attempts, and fails, but the 2025 version is a reset (well, a rero-futuristic take apparently) that’s shaping up like a proper represenation of the fan-favorite franchise.
We already saw the namesake heroes in the teaser but the trailer up the ante with our first looks at world-eater Galactus and his herald The Silver Surfer (portrayed by a woman, Julia Garner—that will surely get the panties of the toxic fanboys in a bunch). Later for those bozos, because these visual look stunning.
We also get to see Mr. Fantastic in action, and he manages to not look corny.
Watch the trailer for Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps below as well as giddy social media reactions in the gallery. It hits theaters Juky 25, but feel free to move that date up, Marvel.
1. Facts, they matter.
4. Is that a compliment?
5. Already mad.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Lululemon just dropped the perfect sleek duffel that will carry you from the office to the gym. The workout brand really […]
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Jason Mendez / Getty
Alabama rapper OMB Peezy was caught in a wild shootout outside a nightclub in North Carolina over the weekend.
.ione4-flex-posts-section{background:var(–ione4-background-secondary);padding-bottom:10px;padding-top:10px}@media(max-width:900px){.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-flex{flex-direction:column}}.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-flex-posts-card{margin-bottom:20px}.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-flex-posts-card:last-child{margin-bottom:0}.ione4-flex-posts-section a,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-2-across .ione4-block-byline-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-2-across .ione4-block-category-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-2-across .ione4-block-title-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-block-byline-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-block-category-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-block-title-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-block-byline-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-block-category-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-block-title-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-block-byline-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-block-category-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-block-title-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-default .ione4-block-byline-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-default .ione4-block-category-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-default .ione4-block-title-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-list-small .ione4-block-byline-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-list-small .ione4-block-category-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-list-small .ione4-block-title-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-list-standard .ione4-block-byline-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-list-standard .ione4-block-category-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-list-standard .ione4-block-title-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-sidebyside .ione4-block-byline-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-sidebyside .ione4-block-category-text a:link.ione4-link,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-sidebyside .ione4-block-title-text a:link.ione4-link{text-decoration:none}.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-widget-title{color:var(–ione4-font-color-primary)}.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-graphic{margin-bottom:10px;position:relative}@supports not (aspect-ratio:auto){.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-graphic:before{content:””;display:block;overflow:hidden;padding-top:56.25%}}.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-graphic img{aspect-ratio:16/9;-o-object-fit:cover;object-fit:cover;width:100%}@supports not (aspect-ratio:auto){.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-graphic img{position:absolute;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%)}}.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-graphic video{aspect-ratio:16/9;height:auto;-o-object-fit:cover;object-fit:cover;width:100%}.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-post-date{margin-top:0}.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-content{display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center}@media(min-width:901px){.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-content{padding-left:20px}}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-default{text-transform:none}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-default .ione4-block-flex{flex-direction:column}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-default .ione4-block-column{width:100%}@media(min-width:901px){.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-default .ione4-block-content{padding-left:0}}@media(max-width:900px){.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-default .ione4-block-title-text{font-size:1.25rem}}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-default .ione4-block-category{font-size:.9375rem}@media(max-width:900px){.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-sidebyside .ione4-block-flex{flex-direction:column}}@media(max-width:1023px){.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-sidebyside .ione4-block-title-text{font-size:1.4375rem}}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-2-across .ione4-flex-posts-cards,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-flex-posts-cards,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-flex-posts-cards,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-flex-posts-cards{display:grid;gap:20px 20px;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(calc(50% – 20px),1fr));min-height:0;min-width:0}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-2-across .ione4-flex-posts-card,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-flex-posts-card,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-flex-posts-card,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-flex-posts-card{margin-bottom:0}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-2-across .ione4-block-flex,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-block-flex,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-block-flex,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-block-flex{flex-direction:column}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-2-across .ione4-block-column,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-block-column,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-block-column,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-block-column{width:100%}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-2-across .ione4-block-content,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-block-content,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-block-content,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-block-content{padding-left:0}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-2-across .ione4-block-title-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-block-title-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-block-title-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-block-title-text{font-size:1.0625rem}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-2-across .ione4-block-category-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-block-category-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-block-category-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-block-category-text{text-transform:uppercase}@media(max-width:900px){.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-2-across .ione4-block-category.empty,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-block-category.empty,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-block-category.empty,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-block-category.empty{display:none}}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-2-across .ione4-block-byline-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-2-across .ione4-block-category-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-2-across .ione4-block-post-date-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-block-byline-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-block-category-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-block-post-date-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-block-byline-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-block-category-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-block-post-date-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-block-byline-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-block-category-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-block-post-date-text{font-size:.75rem}@media(min-width:901px){.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-flex-posts-cards{grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(calc(33% – 20px),1fr))}}.container-with-sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-flex-posts-cards{grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(310px,1fr))}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-block-title-text{font-size:1.25rem}@media(min-width:901px){.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-flex-posts-cards{grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(calc(25% – 20px),1fr))}}.container-with-sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-flex-posts-cards{grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(225px,1fr))}@media(min-width:901px){.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-flex-posts-cards{grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(calc(20% – 20px),1fr))}}.container-with-sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-flex-posts-cards{grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(175px,1fr))}.container-with-sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts .ione4-block-category-text,.is-style-homepage-river-left .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts .ione4-block-category-text{font-size:.75rem;text-transform:uppercase}.container-with-sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts .ione4-block-title-text,.is-style-homepage-river-left .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts .ione4-block-title-text{font-size:1.25rem}.container-with-sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts .ione4-block-byline-text,.container-with-sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts .ione4-block-excerpt-text,.container-with-sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts .ione4-block-post-date-text,.is-style-homepage-river-left .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts .ione4-block-byline-text,.is-style-homepage-river-left .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts .ione4-block-excerpt-text,.is-style-homepage-river-left .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts .ione4-block-post-date-text{font-size:.9375rem}.container-with-sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts .ione4-block-post-date,.is-style-homepage-river-left .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts .ione4-block-post-date{margin-top:0}.container-with-sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-flex-posts-type-sidebyside .ione4-block-graphic-wrapper,.container-with-sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts .ione4-block-content,.is-style-homepage-river-left .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-flex-posts-type-sidebyside .ione4-block-graphic-wrapper,.is-style-homepage-river-left .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts .ione4-block-content{width:100%}@media(min-width:901px){.container-with-sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-flex-posts-type-sidebyside .ione4-block-graphic-wrapper,.is-style-homepage-river-left .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-flex-posts-type-sidebyside .ione4-block-graphic-wrapper{max-width:43%}}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-list-standard .ione4-flex-posts-cards{max-width:658px}@media(min-width:901px){.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-list-standard .ione4-block-graphic{margin-bottom:0}}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-list-standard .ione4-block-excerpt-text,.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-list-standard .ione4-block-title-text{font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.375}.ione4-flex-posts-section.no-image .ione4-flex-posts-card{border-color:var(–ione4-color-accent);border-bottom:1px solid;margin-bottom:12px;padding-bottom:12px}.ione4-flex-posts-section.no-image .ione4-flex-posts-card:last-child{border-bottom:0}.ione4-flex-posts-section.no-image[class*=-across] .ione4-flex-posts-card{border-bottom:0;border-right:1px solid;padding-right:16px}.ione4-flex-posts-section.no-image[class*=-across] .ione4-flex-posts-card:last-child{border-right:0}@media(max-width:900px){.ione4-flex-posts-section.no-image .ione4-flex-posts-card:nth-child(2n){border-right:0}}@media(min-width:901px){.ione4-flex-posts-section.no-image.ione4-flex-posts-type-2-across .ione4-flex-posts-card:nth-child(2n),.ione4-flex-posts-section.no-image.ione4-flex-posts-type-3-across .ione4-flex-posts-card:nth-child(3n),.ione4-flex-posts-section.no-image.ione4-flex-posts-type-4-across .ione4-flex-posts-card:nth-child(4n),.ione4-flex-posts-section.no-image.ione4-flex-posts-type-5-across .ione4-flex-posts-card:nth-child(5n){border-right:0}}.ione4-flex-posts-section.no-image .ione4-block-graphic-wrapper{display:none}.ione4-flex-posts-section.no-image .ione4-block-content{padding-left:0}.ione4-flex-posts-section.no-image .ione4-block-column{width:100%}.ione4-flex-posts-section.no-image .ione4-block-title-text{font-size:1.25rem}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-list-small .ione4-flex-posts-card{margin-bottom:18px}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-list-small .ione4-block-graphic-wrapper{min-height:77px;width:136px}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-list-small .ione4-block-graphic{min-height:77px}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-list-small .ione4-block-content{max-width:176px}.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-list-small .ione4-block-title-text{font-size:1.25rem}.ione4-flex-posts-section.one-column-mobile.ione4-flex-posts-type-list-small .ione4-block-content{max-width:100%}@media(max-width:900px){.ione4-flex-posts-section.one-column-mobile .ione4-flex-posts-cards{grid-template-columns:100%}.ione4-flex-posts-section.one-column-mobile .ione4-block-graphic{margin-bottom:10px}.ione4-flex-posts-section.two-column-mobile .ione4-flex-posts-cards{display:grid;gap:15px 20px;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(calc(50% – 20px),1fr));min-height:0;min-width:0}.ione4-flex-posts-section.two-column-mobile .ione4-block-graphic{margin-bottom:5px}.ione4-flex-posts-section.two-column-mobile .ione4-block-title-text{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.25}.ione4-flex-posts-section.two-column-mobile .ione4-block-category{font-size:.75rem}}.ione4-flex-posts-section.side-by-side-mobile.ione4-flex-posts-type-noimage .ione4-block-content{padding-left:0}@media(max-width:900px){.ione4-flex-posts-section.side-by-side-mobile .ione4-flex-posts-cards{grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(350px,1fr))}.ione4-flex-posts-section.side-by-side-mobile .ione4-block-flex{flex-direction:row}.ione4-flex-posts-section.side-by-side-mobile .ione4-block-content{padding-left:10px}}.ione4-flex-posts-section~.alternating-super-feature,.ione4-flex-posts-section~.ione4-cover-story-section,.ione4-flex-posts-section~.ione4-dynamic-lead,.ione4-flex-posts-section~.ione4-super-feature-section{margin-top:0}.post-type-archive-ione_episode .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-widget-title{font-size:1.5625rem}@media(min-width:901px){.post-type-archive-ione_episode .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-widget-title{font-size:2.3rem}}.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-widget-title,.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-widget-title__text{color:var(–ione4-font-color-primary)}@media(max-width:900px){.swipe-mobile .ione4-flex-posts-card{margin-left:20px;width:80%}.swipe-mobile .ione4-block-title-text{font-size:1.25rem!important}.swipe-mobile .ione4-block-byline-text,.swipe-mobile .ione4-block-category-text{font-size:.75rem}}.swipe-mobile .flickity-viewport{transition:height .2s}.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-type-list-small .ione4-block-category{font-size:.75rem;line-height:1.5}.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-type-list-small .ione4-block-title-text{font-size:1.25rem}@media(min-width:1024px){.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-type-list-small div.ione4-block-category{line-height:1;margin-bottom:5px}.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-type-list-small span.ione4-block-byline-text,.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-type-list-small span.ione4-block-category-text{font-size:.625rem}.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-type-list-small h2.ione4-block-title-text{font-size:.75rem}}.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section{width:100%}.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-flex-posts-cards,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-flex-posts-cards{display:grid;gap:10px;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(100%,1fr))}@media(min-width:901px){.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-flex-posts-cards,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-flex-posts-cards{display:block;margin:0}}.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-category,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-category{margin-bottom:2px}.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-category-text,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-category-text{text-transform:uppercase}@media(min-width:901px){.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-byline-text,.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-category-text,.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-post-date-text,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-byline-text,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-category-text,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-post-date-text{font-size:.75rem}.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-excerpt-text,.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-title-text,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-excerpt-text,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-title-text{font-size:.9375rem}}.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-title,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-title{margin-bottom:3px}.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-graphic-wrapper,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-graphic-wrapper{width:100%}@media(min-width:901px){.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-graphic-wrapper,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-graphic-wrapper{max-width:43%}.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-default .ione4-block-graphic-wrapper,.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section[class*=-across] .ione4-block-graphic-wrapper,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-default .ione4-block-graphic-wrapper,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section[class*=-across] .ione4-block-graphic-wrapper{max-width:100%}}.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-default .ione4-block-content,.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section[class*=-across] .ione4-block-content,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section.ione4-flex-posts-type-default .ione4-block-content,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section[class*=-across] .ione4-block-content{padding-left:0}@media(min-width:901px){.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-graphic,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-graphic{margin-bottom:0}}.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-graphic a,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-graphic a{display:flex;height:100%}.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-content,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-content{width:100%}@media(min-width:901px){.sidebar .ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-content,.sidebar.ione4-flex-posts-section .ione4-block-content{padding-left:10px}}.ione4-flex-posts-cards .icon-photos,.ione4-flex-posts-section .icon-photos{left:50%;margin-left:-35px;margin-top:-35px;position:absolute;top:50%}@media(min-width:64em){.ione4-flex-posts-cards .icon-photos,.ione4-flex-posts-section .icon-photos{border-width:4px;height:70px;margin-left:-35px;margin-top:-37px;width:70px}.ione4-flex-posts-cards .icon-photos:before,.ione4-flex-posts-section .icon-photos:before{display:block;font-size:26px;line-height:40px}}
According to CBS 17, the incident went down early Sunday morning (April 13) outside StarBar in east Raleigh. Witnesses say as the club let out, things got hectic fast, over 20 shots were fired at Peezy’s black sprinter van while he was trying to dip out the parking lot. It wasn’t just Peezy’s ride that got hit, at least four other cars got sprayed with bullets, and a few more got wrecked when his driver smashed into them trying to speed off from the scene. Luckily, nobody got hit or seriously hurt, which is wild considering how many rounds were flying.
Cops are treating the whole thing as an aggravated assault and are still looking into who was behind the shooting. No arrests yet, but investigators are digging through footage and talking to folks who were there to try and piece it all together.
OMB Peezy hasn’t said anything publicly about the incident, but fans and folks in the Hip-Hop world have been sounding off on social media, showing love and glad he made it out safe. Peezy, who’s known for keeping it real in his music and repping the South heavy, is no stranger to street life, but this was a close call.
More updates expected as the story unfolds.
Ethel Cain’s Preacher’s Daughter debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums chart dated April 19 nearly three years after the album, her debut, was first released.
Preacher’s Daughter earned 39,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending April 10, according to Luminate. Of that sum, 37,000 units are via album sales, begetting a No. 1 debut on the all-genre Top Album Sales list.
In fact, nearly all of its sales are vinyl copies, as Preacher’s Daughter benefits from its first-ever vinyl release, 35 months after it first premiered on May 12, 2022. That count also leads to the set debuting at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart.
Cain becomes the first act to rule Top Alternative Albums in their first appearance on the tally since Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts premiered atop the Sept. 23, 2023, list. As Rodrigo’s was not her debut album, Cain is the first to do so with a first release since The Smile, with A Light for Attracting Attention, in July 2022.
Preacher’s Daughter also begins at No. 2 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts, and on the all-genre Billboard 200, it bows at No. 10.
In addition to its album sales, Preacher’s Daughter also earned a total of 2.8 million official U.S. streams in the week ending April 10.
The chart-related activity around Cain is her first, with the majority centered around Preacher’s Daughter, though she also debuts on the Billboard Artist 100 chart at No. 4.
Cain followed Preacher’s Daughter with the nine-song ambient/drone release Perverts earlier this year, with a new album, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You, also expected in 2025.
The Academy of Country Music revealed the winners of the ACM Radio Awards bright and early on Thursday (April 17). Ella Langley, this year’s top nominee at the upcoming 60th ACM Awards with eight nominations, called the radio on-air personalities and radio stations to surprise them with the news of their ACM Awards.
Winners announced include multiple first-time honorees. In the On-Air categories, first-time winners include: Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase of Crook & Chase Countdown for National Weekly On-Air Personality of the Year; Josh Holleman, Rachael Hunter, and Steve Grunwald of Josh, Rachael and Grunwald in the Morning for Major Market On-Air Personality of the Year; Joey Tack and Nancy Barger of Joey & Nancy for Medium Market On-Air Personality of the Year; and Mel McCrae of The Cat Pak Morning Show for Small Market On-Air Personality of the Year.
Among radio stations, WIVK in Knoxville, Tenn. won Radio Station of the Year, Medium Market for the ninth time, a longer winning streak than any of this year’s other winners.
Trending on Billboard
The 60th ACM Awards are set to take place on Thursday, May 8 at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas and streaming exclusively on Amazon’s Prime Video. Reba McEntire is set to host the show, which will feature performances by Blake Shelton, Eric Church, and Lainey Wilson, with more to be named. A limited number of tickets to the 60th ACM Awards are available now at SeatGeek.
The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions (DCP). Raj Kapoor is executive producer and showrunner, with Patrick Menton as co-executive producer. Damon Whiteside serves as executive producer for the Academy of Country Music, and Jay Penske and Barry Adelman serve as executive producers for DCP. John Saade will also continue to serve as consulting producer for Amazon MGM Studios.
Here’s a complete list of the 2025 ACM Radio Award winners, with a notation indicating how many times each has won in this category.
On-Air Personality of the Year Winners
National Daily: Big D, Bubba | Big D & Bubba (fourth wins)
National Weekly: Lorianne Crook, Charlie Chase | Crook & Chase Countdown (first wins)
Major Market: Josh Holleman, Rachael Hunter, Steve Grunwald | Josh, Rachael and Grunwald in the Morning – WYCD – Detroit, Mich. (first wins)
Large Market: Big Dave, Stattman | The Big Dave Show – WUBE – Cincinnati, Ohio (fourth win, third win, respectively)
Medium Market: Joey Tack, Nancy Barger | Joey & Nancy – WIVK – Knoxville, Tenn. (first wins)
Small Market: Brent Lane, Mel McCrae | The Cat Pak Morning Show – WYCT – Pensacola, Fla. (third win, first win, respectively).
Radio Station of the Year Winners
Major Market: KYGO – Denver, Colo. (second win)
Large Market: WQDR – Raleigh, N.C. (fourth win)
Medium Market: WIVK – Knoxville, Tenn. (ninth win)
Small Market: WXBQ – Bristol, Va. (second win)
The ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
At the beginning of the year, Gracie Abrams found herself in a rare bind. For one of the first times in her life, she says, “I felt like I had nothing to say.” The 25-year-old musician had scheduled a week to spend at Long Pond Studio working on new music with her longtime collaborator, Aaron […]
Billboard cover star Gracie Abrams is heading back to the studio and has revealed that she’s working on new music following the success of “That’s So True.” She opens up about her friendships with Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo, her experience opening their tours, the future of pop with Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, her […]
Drake has filed an updated version of his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” claiming the rival’s Super Bowl halftime show was intended to “assassinate the character of another artist.”
In an amended complaint filed late Wednesday, Drake’s attorneys say the Super Bowl show, watched by 133 million people and “million of children”, “revitalized the public’s attention” to lyrics calling Drake a “certified pedophile” – a diss that the Canadian superstar claims is false and defamatory.
“It was the first, and will hopefully be the last, Super Bowl halftime show orchestrated to assassinate the character of another artist,” writes Drake’s lawyer Michael Gottlieb.
Trending on Billboard
During the halftime show, which took place weeks after Drake had already sued UMG over “Not Like Us,” Lamar omitted the word “pedophile.” But after much speculation over whether he’d play the song at all, Kendrick really didn’t hold back otherwise – making it the centerpiece of the set and clearly rapping similar lyrics, including: “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young.”
In Wednesday’s updated lawsuit, Drake’s lawyers say the decision to censor the word “pedophile” during the broadcast failed to avoid the song’s defamatory meaning – and instead had underscored the rapper’s legal case against UMG.
“Kendrick Lamar would not have been permitted to perform during the Super Bowl Performance unless the word ‘pedophile’… was omitted from the lyrics — that is because nearly everyone understands that it is defamatory to falsely brand someone a ‘certified pedophile’,” Gottlieb wrote in the new complaint. “The NFL, as well as the corporate entities responsible for the televised and streaming broadcasts of the Super Bowl Performance, all understood the words “certified pedophile” to be unacceptable in a broadcast to millions of listeners.”
Though it added new claims, the amended complaint also softened certain accusations against UMG, like the lawsuit’s claim that the label used bots to boost the song’s streaming numbers. Drake’s lawyers removed specific allegations about a “whistleblower” and potentially “indirectly” orchestrated such a campaign: “At minimum, UMG was aware that third parties were using bots to stream the Recording and turned a blind eye, despite having the power to stop such behavior.”
In a statement to Billboard on Thursday, UMG blasted Drake and his lawyers over the latest filing, calling the case “frivolous and reckless” and saying that changes were made to the lawsuit because Drake’s team was “fearful of being sanctioned for asserting false allegations.”
“Drake, unquestionably one of the world’s most accomplished artists and with whom we’ve enjoyed at 16-year successful relationship, is being misled by his legal representatives into taking one absurd legal step after another,” UMG wrote. “Should his legal representatives senselessly keep the New York lawsuit alive, we will demonstrate that all remaining claims are without merit. It is shameful that these foolish and frivolous legal theatrics continue. They are reputationally and financially costly to Drake and have no chance of success.”
Lamar released “Not Like Us” last May amid a high-profile beef with Drake that saw the two UMG stars release a series of bruising diss tracks. The song, a knockout punch that blasted Drake as a “certified pedophile” over an infectious beat, eventually became a chart-topping hit in its own right.
In January, Drake took the unusual step of suing UMG over the song, claiming his own label had defamed him by boosting the track’s popularity. The lawsuit, which doesn’t name Lamar himself as a defendant, alleges that UMG “waged a campaign” against its own artist to spread a “malicious narrative” about pedophilia that it knew to be false.
UMG has already filed a scathing motion seeking to dismiss the case last month, arguing not only that it was “meritless” but also ridiculing Drake for suing in the first place. That motion will be refiled following the filing of Wednesday’s updated lawsuit.
In one of the case’s earliest skirmishes, Judge Jeannette A. Vargas ruled earlier this month that discovery could move ahead in the case, denying UMG’s request to halt document production and depositions until after she decides whether to dismiss the case entirely. Drake’s attorneys had already sought swathes of evidence, including Lamar’s recording contract.
Drake’s lawyers billed that decision as a major win at the time, allowing them to “see what UMG was so desperately trying to hide.” But on Thursday, UMG warned that the ruling would cut both ways: “That ‘win’ will become a loss if this frivolous and reckless lawsuit is not dropped in its entirety because Drake will personally be subject to discovery as well,” the company wrote. “As the old saying goes, ‘be careful what you wish for.’”
In their own statement Thursday, Drake’s legal team said the amended complaint “makes an already strong case stronger” than it was before: “UMG’s PR ‘spin’ and failed efforts to avoid discovery cannot suppress the facts and the truth,” Gottlieb said. “With discovery now moving forward, Drake will expose the evidence of UMG’s misconduct, and UMG will be held accountable for the consequences of its ill-conceived decisions.”
