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Brian Steel, the high-profile attorney best known for representing rapper Young Thug, is now joining the legal defense team for Sean “Diddy” Combs.
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According to a new court filing shared by legal journalist Meghann Cuniff on Tuesday, Steel submitted a motion to officially appear as counsel for Diddy. This development arrives just one day after the 55-year-old music mogul pleaded not guilty to serious federal charges, including racketeering and sex trafficking, during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian in Manhattan.
Diddy’s trial is already on a fast-moving timeline, with jury selection slated for May 5 and opening statements set to begin the following week on May 12. The addition of Brian Steel signals that Diddy is assembling a formidable legal team to fight the charges.
Steel is no stranger to high-stakes courtroom battles. With over 30 years of experience in criminal defense, he earned widespread recognition during his recent work on Thugger’s legal case. His reputation for aggressive and strategic defense has made him a favorite among high-profile clients. In fact, Steel’s impact on pop culture was recently highlighted when Drake released a track titled “Brian Steel,” paying homage to the attorney’s efforts to secure Young Thug’s release.
As Diddy prepares for what could be one of the most scrutinized trials in recent entertainment history, Steel’s presence adds even more intrigue to the unfolding legal saga. All eyes will be on the courtroom this May as the case progresses.
It’s been exactly six months since the world was left stunned by the sudden death of Liam Payne, and his sister is marking the occasion with an emotional tribute posted to Instagram on Wednesday (April 16).
In black text over a white background, Ruth Gibbins — the late One Direction star’s older sister — began the letter by saying, “6 months, half a year without you?!”
“My head is still screaming for you,” she continued. “Each morning on waking, I feel like I am plunged underwater, gasping for air that never comes to relieve me. Living without you is impossible, so for now, I exist. I’m learning to laugh or smile in the right places, but mate, it’s exhausting when all I want to do is speak to you.”
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Gibbins went on to say that she can sometimes hear her little brother “laughing at me walking around,” comparing his lingering presence to the 1990 film Ghost. “You’re always coming through in different ways to put me back on the right path,” she wrote.
Payne died at the age of 31 on Oct. 16, 2024, after suffering a fatal fall from a third-story hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. According to subsequent toxicology reports, the X Factor alum had several substances in his system and a nearly life-threatening blood-alcohol content at the time of his death.
In the days that followed, numerous family members, friends and colleagues — including each of Payne’s former 1D bandmates — shared statements remembering the musician. In a lengthy statement of her own posted Oct. 19, Gibbins wrote, “My brain is struggling to catch up with what’s happening, and I don’t understand where you’ve gone … I don’t feel this world was good enough or kind enough to you, and quite often over the last few years, you’ve had to really try hard to overcome all that was being aimed at you. You just wanted to be loved and to make people hpapy with your music.”
Six months later, Gibbins says she still “can’t process what’s happened and the finality of it. “You know I will never stop doing all I can for you,” she added in her Wednesday post. “I miss you loudly, quietly and in all the moments inbetween. Love you so much more than these words or my tears are capable of expressing but I know you know this. For now I’ll meet you in my dreams.”
Gibbins’ half-year commemoration comes a little over a month after Payne’s relatives issued a united statement slamming tabloid coverage of the star’s death. Calling out the “constant media attention and speculation” that ensued immediately after Payne suffered his fall, the family wrote that the press had “exacted indescribable, lasting damage on the family,” particularly the “Strip That Down” singer’s 7-year-old son, Bear.
“Liam ought to have had a long life ahead of him,” they added at the time. “Instead, [Payne’s son] Bear has lost his father, Geoff and Karen have lost their son, Ruth and Nicola have lost their brother and all of Liam’s friends and fans have lost someone they held very dear.”
See Gibbins’ full note below.
Fyre Fest 2, Billy McFarland‘s attempted second iteration of the failed 2017 Fyre Festival, has been postponed by organizers, according to multiple reports. ABC News reports that Fyre Fest 2 organizers messaged ticket holders on Wednesday (April 16) stating, “The event has been postponed and a new date will be announced. We have issued you […]
Ice Cube has become a forever part of Hollywod’s TCL Chinese Theatre, and he celebrated the moment on Instagram.
On Tuesday (April 15), Cube stopped by the TCL Chinese Theatre to imprint his hands and his feet — technically his Converse All-Stars — into the cement outside the venue.
“Today was legendary,” Cube wrote of the moment on IG. “Left my prints in cement at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Honored to continue to receive my flowers in a business I never thought I’d be apart of.”
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The moment now includes Cube amongst dozens of other Hollywood elite, including legendary actors like Steve McQueen, Harrison Ford and Jack Nicholson.
“To have my hands, signature, to put the Chuck Taylors in the cement here, it’s next level,” Cube told ABC7 of the honor. “It’s things you don’t even dream of because the dream is too big.”
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He added: “I think my forte is truth to power and I think speaking the truth has gotten me power so, you know, I think it’s really about celebrating from NWA all the way to my new records and everything in between.”
During Cube’s ceremony, his son O’Shea Jackson Jr. spoke fondly about his dad. “I said in my speech, ‘People always ask, “What’s it like to be Ice Cube’s son?”‘ I don’t know. You know, O’Shea Jackson Sr. is my dad, and he likes to eat cereal at night, watches the Lakers and would make you take the trash out every now and then.”
Mike Epps also paid homage to his friend, saying: “Ice Cube has been the most influential part of my life apart from my dad. I listened to his music as a teenager. I’m still starstruck of this dude. I’m still amazed at his talent.”
The huge moment comes as Cube gets ready to embark on his Truth to Power: Four Decades of Attitude Tour. Celebrating nearly 40 years in hip-hop, the trek will take the N.W.A rapper across North America starting Sept. 4.
Check out Cube’s Instagram post honoring the moment below.
Selena Gomez will receive the 2025 Woman of the Year award at the annual Billboard Latin Women in Music event, Billboard and Telemundo announced earlier Wednesday (April 16). The two-hour special, set to be held in Miami, will air April 24 exclusively on Telemundo.
Gomez was named Woman of the Year at the all-genre Billboard Women in Music event in 2017. She’s the second woman to take top honors at both shows, following Karol G.
Gomez has had a very good year. On Feb. 23, she won her first Screen Actors Guild Award as a cast member of Only Murders in the Building, which was voted outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series.
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The multi-media, multi-genre superstar has received two Grammy nominations (a surprisingly low tally for someone who has done quality work over many years) and four Primetime Emmy nods for Only Murders in the Building (one for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series, three for outstanding comedy series, as an executive producer.)
Gomez first hit the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2009 with “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know” from the movie Another Cinderella Story, in which she starred with Drew Seeley. Gomez has landed 45 Hot 100 hits, including four so far in 2025 from a collaborative album with fiancé benny blanco.
Billboard statisticians sifted through Gomez’s 45 Hot 100 hits to determine the 20 biggest. They include nine strictly solo hits; four hits with her early group Selena Gomez & the Scene; and seven collabs with an impressively wide range of artists – Rema, A$AP Rocky, Zedd, Kygo, DJ Snake, Charlie Puth and Marshmello.
We listed Gomez’s 20 biggest hits in alphabetical order. Now we’re turning it over to you to choose your favorite from this list. Vote!
(Here’s the formula for how we arrived at this list: Selena Gomez’s Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits ranking is based on weekly performance on the Hot 100 through the charts dated April 19, 2025. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates during various periods.)
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Bobby Brown isn’t a fan of Britney Spears‘ rendition of his hit song “My Prerogative.” During a recent appearance on Club Shay Shay with Shannon Sharpe, Brown addressed whether he asks to hear an artist’s rendition of a song they want to sample or cover before giving his blessing. “Yes, I gotta hear it,” he […]
Jin’s getting ready to drop his second album, ‘Echo,’ and we have a sneak peek at the tracklist for the album. Keep watching for all the details! Are you excited for his new album? Let us know in the comments! Tetris Kelly: It’s time to be happy again for Jin as the BTS superstar has […]
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard 200 dated April 26, we look at the chances of rap sensation Ken Carson to depose his mentor in raging on the Billboard 200.
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Ken Carson, More Chaos (Opium/Interscope): It’s a week without a major charts-proven superstar releasing either a new album, or reissuing an old one – so that opens the door for a newer artist to sneak in and grab their first-ever No. 1 on the Billboard 200. That artist next week might end up being rapper Ken Carson, whose visceral rage rap has made him one of the rising stars of his generation since his emergence in the early 2020s.
Carson’s last album, 2023’s A Great Chaos, brought him to the top 10’s doorstep, reaching No. 11 on the Billboard 200. Follow-up More Chaos, released last Friday (Apr. 11), should get him to the region for the first time – helped by a streaming friendly 21-song tracklist, which littered the real-time Apple Music chart and Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA listing upon its release, although a major breakout hit has yet to emerge from the set. It could even contend for the top spot – which could make for some (extremely minor) drama behind the scenes at Opium Records, as labelhead and emerging hip-hop superstar Playboi Carti currently holds pole position with his Music set, in its third week at No. 1.
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If Carson can’t get over the top this week, it might not be his last shot at doing so with More Chaos. The album is currently available for pre-order in his website in a variety of physical forms – including in standard-issue CD and vinyl, and in also multiple box sets also featuring an Ed Hardy collab T-shirt. Those physical editions are all scheduled to ship next Monday (Apr. 21) – which means their numbers would count towards the album’s second-week tally, likely giving it a considerable boost, and possibly putting it back in contention for the top spot if the release schedule once again proves light.
Bon Iver, SABLE, fABLE (Jagjaguwar): The only other album likely to make a major Billboard 200 next week comes from longtime indie favorite Bon Iver. The 2012 Grammy winner for best new artist is back this week with his fifth studio LP, SABLE, fABLE – a 13-track set, unevenly split into a folkier SABLE first side and the more R&B- and pop-influenced fABLE second side. While Bon Iver has collaborated with plenty of pop and hip-hop A-listers over the years, the only guests on his latest are more indie-oriented – Dijon and Flock of Dimes, who both appear on “Day One,” and Danielle Haim (of sister band HAIM) who features on “If Only I Could Wait.”
The album’s streaming profile should be relatively minimal, but it is expected to sell well – and is available on his website in vinyl, CD and cassette. His website also includes a variety of unusual complementary items to go with the new release, including a fABLE “Mood Mist” spray and candle, as well as SABLE, fABLE “Field Notes” notebooks and even a “Smoked Salmon Duo,” featuring “smoky, tender Atlantic salmon sourced from Kvarøy Arctic and hand-packed in Washington by a fifth-generation cannery” – though the latter product is already listed as sold out.
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” leads the Top Gabb Music Songs chart for a third month in a row as the most-played songs on Gabb Wireless phones, but a challenger appears on the March 2025 tally in the form of Benson Boone, whose “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else” debuts at No. 2.
Billboard has partnered with Gabb Wireless, a phone company for kids and teens, to present a monthly chart tracking on-demand streams via its Gabb Music platform. Gabb Music offers a vast catalog of songs, all of which are selected by the Gabb team to include only kid- and teen-appropriate content. Gabb Music streams are not currently factored into any other Billboard charts.
“Die With a Smile” became the first song in the now-six-month history of Top Gabb Music Songs to stay at No. 1 for more than one month when it reigned on the February 2025 survey; now, it’s the inaugural track to do so for at least three editions.
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After enjoying five weeks at No. 1 on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100 earlier this year, “Die With a Smile” spent the entirety of March 2025 in the top three of the ranking and appears at No. 3 on the latest chart, dated April 19.
Boone’s “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else,” however, continues to establish the singer-songwriter as a formidable presence on Top Gabb Music Songs as one of three Boone songs in the top 10 of the March 2025 list. “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else” was released on Feb. 27 and debuted at No. 44 on the Hot 100 dated March 15; it’s at No. 47 on the latest chart.
“Beautiful Things,” which led the inaugural Top Gabb Music Songs in October 2024, and “Slow It Down” rank at Nos. 3 and 9, respectively. That makes Boone the second act to occupy at least three positions in the chart’s top 10 at once, following NF, whose “Let You Down,” “Hope” and “The Search” were Nos. 5, 7 and 10, respectively, on the October 2024 tally.
The February 2025-dated chart featured just one debut among its 25 positions. Not so for March 2025; the artist behind that lone bow, Forrest Frank (via “DROP!,” at No. 19), returns again with the second-biggest start after Boone’s “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else”: “Nothing Else,” featuring Thomas Rhett, at No. 7. Like Boone’s new entry, “Nothing Else” was also a late-February release (Feb. 28); it enjoyed a No. 4 debut on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart dated March 15.
The third and final debut of the month belongs to Lady Gaga, whose “Abracadabra” bows at No. 17. “Abracadabra” was also released in February, albeit much earlier (Feb. 3). It reached a peak so far of No. 13 on the Hot 100 dated Feb. 22 and ranks at No. 38 on the most recent tally.
See the full top 25 below.
Top Gabb Music Songs
“Die With a Smile,” Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (=)
“Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else,” Benson Boone (debut)
“Beautiful Things,” Benson Boone (=)
“APT.,” ROSE & Bruno Mars (-2)
“God’s Plan,” Drake (+2)
“Deja Vu,” Olivia Rodrigo (+6)
“Nothing Else,” Forrest Frank feat. Thomas Rhett (debut)
“Golden Hour,” JVKE (+3)
“Slow It Down,” Benson Boone (-1)
“Butterfly Effect,” Travis Scott (+3)
“Face 2 Face,” Juice WRLD (-6)
“Stargazing,” Myles Smith (-2)
“Thick of It,” KSI feat. Trippie Redd (-9)
“Please Please Please,” Sabrina Carpenter (-5)
“Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma,” Luke Combs (-1)
“Love Somebody,” Morgan Wallen (=)
“Abracadabra,” Lady Gaga (debut)
“Heat Waves,” Glass Animals (-1)
“Too Sweet,” Hozier (-4)
“Run It,” Jelly Roll (-14)
“Let You Down,” NF (-3)
“Bones,” Imagine Dragons (-1)
“Stressed Out,” Twenty One Pilots (-3)
“Saturn,” SZA (-1)
“Hope,” NF (=)
DROPS FROM FEBRUARY 2025: “DROP!,” Forrest Frank; “Enemy,” Imagine Dragons; “Wildflower,” Billie Eilish
Sleep Token earns its first No. 1 debut on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, bowing atop the April 19-dated survey with “Caramel.” Released April 4, the track drew 11.2 million official U.S. streams, 30,000 in radio airplay audience and sold 3,000 downloads in the week ending April 10, according to Luminate. Sleep Token tallies […]