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According to TMZ, Ariana Grande and her husband Dalton Gomez have been separated since January and are heading toward divorce. They tied the knot in May 2021. With ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ reaching No. 1, Taylor Swift achieves her 12th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 and surpasses Barbra Streisand for the most chart-toppers […]
It was a celebratory weekend in the Big Apple for Jay-Z. Hours after launching the sprawling Book of HOV exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library, the rap deity hosted the 20th anniversary Shawn Carter Foundation gala alongside his mother, Gloria Carter, on an overcast Friday night (July 14).
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Dignitaries across sports, music, Hollywood, and business crossed paths at the swanky Black-tie affair at Chelsea Piers on Manhattan’s West Side.
The star-studded guest list included Beyoncé, DJ Khaled, Lil Uzi Vert, Tinashe, A$AP Ferg, Meek Mill, Babyface, Regina Hall, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, Yo Gotti, Miguel, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and many more.
Khaled was the last of the stars to hit the Pier 60 red carpet but his entrance was well worth the wait. The energy of the venue noticeably refilled when he and his partner Nicole Tuck stepped out of their mocha Mercedes-Maybach S680 designed by Virgil Abloh, and his array of Khaled-isms could be heard before even being seen.
When the lights are brightest and the cameras are rolling, DJ Khaled is at his best. Strutting down the carpet in a sleek black suit and matching designer shades, the We the Best mogul agrees with Billboard‘s ranking of having his “GOD DID” collaborator atop the greatest rappers list.
“Hov is the GOAT for a lot of reasons,” he begins while taking off his sunglasses. “It would take many books to write the reason why, but for me, it’s to let you know that it’s possible. When I say possible, anything he puts his mind to he makes it happen and takes it to the higher heights.”
Even outside of music, Khaled is impressed with how Jay-Z’s been able to bring his greatness to numerous endeavors and help others along the way. “What I love about him the most is that he’s always there to help somebody,” Khaled continues. “Come on, that’s Jay-Z – the best rapper to ever do it, entrepreneur, mogul, father, family man, friend, partner. It’s too many – that’s HOV did!”
Apple Music executives Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden have had a front-row seat to the Brooklyn legend’s decorated career as longtime radio veterans for over two decades.
“Quality and consistency and knowing the time to expand and when he expanded, he did it really thoughtfully,” Lowe testifies to Jay’s brilliance. “I saw an interview with Burna Boy the other day and someone said, ‘Did it feel like a good decision?’ And he said, ‘I only make good decisions.’ And I feel like that’s JAY-Z’s mantra.”
Ebro adds to give HOV his flowers: “I think his taste, intellect and appreciation of art and culture are the real drivers when you listen to his music. Not only the things that he talks about, but how he puts it together.”
The Shawn Carter Foundation ended up raising over $20 million by the end of the night, which will benefit individuals enduring socio-economic hardships that hope to continue their education. Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez also made a notable $10 million legacy donation.
Inside the gala, Babyface delivered one of the night’s rare performances, with the Grammy-winning legend candidly raving about having the ultimate respect for Jay-Z.
“I’m honored to be here — and if you ask me to do anything, I will always do it, because you deserve that,” Babyface said to a round of applause. “You always deserved to be honored.”
“If you ask me to do anything, I will always do it because you deserve that. You always deserved to be honored.” – Babyface to Jay-Z at the Shawn Carter Foundation 20th Anniversary Gala pic.twitter.com/gwYtLrMqz3— JAY-Z Daily (@JAY_Z_Daily) July 17, 2023
Still recovering from his famous July 4 Hamptons white party, Michael Rubin is someone who has got to know Jay-Z in recent years, through the launch of the REFORM Alliance in 2019 advocating for criminal justice and partnering to purchase sports apparel brand Mitchell & Ness.
“What I’ve learned about Jay is that there is nobody who I know that steps up to do the right thing all the time,” Rubin says. “He cares as much about that as much as anything in his life. That’s what makes him an inspiration to me.”
On the flip side, Roc Nation athletes Dez Bryant and Rudy Gay have long idolized HOV while reaching the top of their respective crafts but now they’re inspired to chase their post-playing career dreams — thanks to seeing the diverse empire JAY-Z has been able to build into his 50s.
“For me, being at the end of my career, it’s something I could really look up to and try to emulate,” Gay says, while the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver adds: “He makes me feel like I can touch anything I want by watching him be great.”
D-Block Europe are now record-setters.
As the hip-hop duo’s latest mixtape DBE World (via D-Block Europe) arrives at No. 6 on the Official U.K. Chart, they become the British rap act with the most top 10 albums, with seven.
Comprising Young Adz and Dirtbike Lil Bantz, the pair stroll past Mike Skinner’s The Streets, with six top 10 appearances on the albums survey. Manchester rapper Bugzy Malone is in third spot among British hip-hop acts with five top 10 sets, the Official Charts Company reports.
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DBE’s tally includes 2019’s Home Alone (No. 6 peak) and PTSD (No. 4), 2020’s Street Trauma (No. 9) and The Blue Print – Us vs Them (No. 2), 2021’s Home Alone 2 (No. 6) and 2022’s Lap 5 (No. 2).
The Streets will hope to jointly reclaim that title with its new album, The Darker The Shadow, The Brighter The Light, slated for release Oct. 20 via 679 Records/Warner Music UK.
D-Block Europe’s success extends to the Official Singles Chart, where the act has snagged 28 top 40 hits, with three top 10s: 2021’s “Overseas” with Central Cee (No. 6 peak), and Clavish collaborations “Rocket Science” (No. 9 in 2022) and “Pakistan,” No. 10 on the latest survey.
British hip-hop is on a tear right now – both at home and further afield.
Dave and Central Cee’s current smash “Sprinter” (via Live Yours/Neighbourhood) has proved unstoppable, notching six consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the U.K. It’s also the leader on the ARIA Chart, leading the way in Australia for five non-consecutive weeks.
Last month, “Sprinter” (via Virgin Music Australia/Universal) opened at No. 1, becoming the first U.K. hip-hop single to debut at the top in the land Down Under, and ending the eight-week reign of Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” (Republic/Universal).
Russ Millions and Tion Wayne’s “Body” (Warner UK) became the first U.K. hip-hop leader on the ARIA Chart in May 2021, when it lifted 3-1.
Dave and Central Cee’s “Sprinter” (via Live Yours/Neighbourhood) is showing no signs of slowing down.The homegrown hip-hop number enters a sixth week at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published July 14, beating Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” (Geffen), unmoved at No. 2.
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The midweek leader, “Sprinter” races away with 8.2 million U.K. streams, according to the Official Charts Company.
The podium is completed by Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” (EMI), which improves 6-3. That’s a new chart peak for the track, originally released in 2019 with the Lover album.
As Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) blasts to No. 1 on the national albums survey, two of its tracks enter the singles chart. The highest is “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version),” new at No. 6, for Swift’s 23rd U.K. top 10 entry and the week’s top debut, while “Enchanted (Taylor’s Version)” bows at No. 15, for her 48th U.K. top 40 spot.
Also moving on up is Peggy Gou’s clubbing nugget “(It Goes Like) Nanana” (XL Recordings), which lifts 7-5 for the South Korean DJ and producer’s first appearance in the U.K. top 5.
D-Block Europe and Clavish’s “Pakistan” (D-Block Europe) improves 10-8; Nathan Dawe, Joel Corry & Ella Henderson’s “0800 HEAVEN” (Atlantic) rises 15-9, for Dawe’s third, Corry’s sixth and Henderson’s ninth top 10 appearances, the OCC reports; while Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam” (BMG) returns to the top 10, up 12-10.
Meanwhile, there are new peaks for the Weeknd, Madonna and Playboy Carti’s “Popular” (Interscope/Republic Records/XO) up 17-11; Gunna’s “Fukumean” (300 Entertainment) is up 18-12; Jorja Smith’s “Little Things” (FAMM) gains 14-13; Tom Grennan’s “How Does It Feel” (Insanity) surges 23-17; and Anne-Marie’s collaboration with Shania Twain, “Unhealthy” (Atlantic/Asylum/EMI), climbs 21-19.
The big gainer in the latest cycle belongs to British DJ D.O.D., whose “So Much In Love” (Armada) soars 38-24.
Taylor Swift takes the elevator to the penthouse as Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (via EMI) debuts at No. 1 in the U.K.
Swift’s third and latest rerecorded LP leads the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published July 14, for her 10th leader. The album racks up more than 67,000 chart units in its first seven days, the Official Charts Company reports, more than double the tally (28,200) for the original 2010 release, which peaked at No. 6.
Vinyl accounted for more than a third of the “Version’s” opening-week sum — a market-leading 22,500 units.
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The runaway leader at the midweek point, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) extends the U.S. pop superstar’s record-breaking succession of U.K. leaders, with all her crowns earned in the space of just 10 years and eight months (beginning with 2012’s Red). Last year, TayTay eclipsed Madonna to snag honors with her ninth chart-topper Midnights. The Queen of Pop, however, still holds the record for the female soloist with the most U.K. No. 1 albums (12).
Though Swift’s U.K. leg of The Eras Tour won’t kick off until next summer, that hasn’t stopped Swifties from diving into the singer’s catalog. A further five of her LPs impact the top 40 — 2022’s Midnights (No. 9), 2014’s 1989 (No. 10), 2019’s Lover (No. 12), 2017’s Reputation (No. 21) and 2020’s folklore (No. 25).
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is also the leader on the Billboard 200 and the ARIA Chart this week.
Coming in at No. 2 on the U.K. chart is Wham’s retrospective collection The Singles: Echoes from the Edge of Heaven (Sony Music CG), for the pop duo’s sixth top 10 appearance. The hits set enjoys a bump thanks to the Netflix documentary on the ‘80s pop group, led by George Michael and his schoolmate Andrew Ridgeley.
Completing an all-new top three is Gabriels’ Angels & Queens – Pt 2 (Parlophone), new at No. 3. That’s well up on the No. 25 peak for its predecessor, 2022’s Angels & Queens – Pt 1. The British-American act (Jacob Lusk, Ryan Hope and Ari Balouzian) are no doubt still buzzing from their appearance on stage at Glastonbury Festival for Elton John’s historic headline set. Meanwhile, the Rocket Man’s Diamonds (Mercury/UMR) career retrospective dips 2-7.
Also bagging top 10 starts on the latest national survey is PJ Harvey’s I Inside the Old Year Dying (No. 5 via Partisan) and D-Block Europe’s mixtape DBE World (No. 6 via D-Block Europe), for the rap outfit’s seventh appearance on the tally.
Lauren Spencer Smith‘s debut album, Mirror, has finally arrived. The singer released the project on Friday (July 14), and leading up to its release spoke with Billboard News about the meaning behind the project’s interesting title, as well as the lessons she took away from writing the LP. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and […]
On Thursday night (July 13), Jay-Z watched another one of his manifestations come to life when the Brooklyn Public Library unveiled an honorary exhibition for the billionaire polymath.
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Aptly titled “The Book of HOV” — based on his song lyric in DJ Khaled’s 2022 Grammy-nominated anthem “God Did” — the exhibition includes “archived objects, including original recording masters, never-before-seen photos, iconic stagewear, prestigious awards, and recognitions, as well as videos and artifacts from every facet of Jay-Z’s professional life.”
“Brooklyn Public Library, including the Center for Brooklyn History, is home to the most expansive collection of Brooklyn history in the world, and Jay-Z is an important part of the borough’s story,” the CEO of the Brooklyn Public Library Linda Johnson told Billboard. “We are proud to celebrate his mastery of music, poetry, the written word, and the oral tradition, and we hope the exhibit will inspire visitors to bet on themselves and pursue their own dreams, musical or otherwise.”
A throng of supporters huddled behind the barricades and watched the 37-year-old library become a playground for the hometown kid who used to throw paper planes from his Marcy Projects window. Song lyrics ranging from Jay-Z’s “Sweet” to “Encore” grace the building’s exterior like an open-paged book. At the same time, a live band serenaded the attendees with a medley of Jay-Z classics, including “Roc Boys,” “Allure,” “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” and “Where I’m From.”
“The design of the exterior plays with the building facade, which was built to symbolize an open book while paying homage to Jay’s words,” The Book of HOV co-creative director Ken Tokunaga told Billboard. There’s also a blue LED cube outside the library that plays the content of Jay’s career to greet people on their way inside the building. “The classical type contrasts with the contemporary aesthetic of the LED cube that sits at the promenade center. We always aimed for this tension between classic and modernity,” added Book of HOV co-creative director Ian Schatzberg.
Jay-Z and Beyoncé attended the prestigious honor and used the celebration as a much-needed break from the singer’s Renaissance Tour as she looks to head back on the road this Saturday (July 15). Jay-Z’s superstar friends, including DJ Khaled, Babyface, Fat Joe, and Steve Stoute, also stopped by to enjoy the festivities and relish the feats of the Brooklyn icon.
Inside the 40,000-square-foot exhibition, artifacts dating back to Jay’s 1996 introduction make up the iconic showing. Spanning eight sections, rooms such as “Hov Did That” contain his 2008 Glastonbury Festival guitar, a 2009 hand-written letter from the daughter of Frank Sinatra, and his 2021 Rock and Roll of Fame Award. In addition, “Baseline Studios” is a re-imagination of where Hov recorded some of his most famed works, such as 2000’s The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, 2001’s The Blueprint, and 2003’s The Black Album. One more notable section inside the exhibit is titled “Business, Man,” as it highlights his most significant wins on the business front, mainly the birth of his clothing brand Rocawear, his management company Roc Nation, and his streaming company, TIDAL.
The exhibition will be free for the public beginning Friday (July 14), and no library cards are needed to get inside. There will be 13 limited-edition library cards that fans can collect, as each one features the cover of Jay-Z’s solo albums dating back to 1996’s Reasonable Doubt. Those who don’t live in New York can also experience the exhibition online, as famed radio host Angie Martinez narrates the story behind each of the eight sections.
“It’s not every day that an exhibit of this scope is housed in a public, actively used space. Typically, visitors would have to pay museum fees to access this type of immersive experience, and we’re thrilled to make it available free of charge to every New Yorker, from every walk of life, as part of their visit to our Central Library,” explained Johnson.
She added: “The exhibit is a labor of love by Roc Nation and was created by people who have worked closely with JAY-Z and know him best. It was important to all of us that The Book of HOV be an enhanced library experience in which the public is able to attend programming, spend time browsing our collections, and check-out books and vinyl records, all while learning about this Brooklyn-born icon’s extraordinary and inspiring contributions.”
A view of the Central Library Building of the Brooklyn Public Library in Grand Army Plaza as it’s being covered with lyrics by artist Jay-Z in celebration of 50 years of Hip-Hop on July 10, 2023 in New York City.
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After completed the Swift Sweep last week on the ARIA Chart, Taylor Swift has retaken the chart throne with Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (via Universal), setting another record in the process.
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Swift’s third and latest “Version” release debuts at No. 1, for her 11th leader in Australia, a feat that includes three rerecorded titles.
By replacing herself at No. 1 on the latest tally, published July 14, Swift becomes the first artist to do so since the ARIA Charts began in 1983, according to ARIA.
For the previous week, Taylor locked up the entire top five on the ARIA Albums Chart, a level of dominance never seen before on the national survey. Swift continues to swamp the top tier, with four of the top five titles, and six of the top 10. It’s a similar story on the national singles tally, where Taylor takes nine of the top 20 spots.
It takes a little heavy metal magic to disrupt Swift’s dominance on the ARIA Albums Chart.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard prevents another sweep, as the Aussie act bows at No. 2 with possibly the longest album title of the year: PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation (via KGLW)
PetroDragonic Apocalypse equals King Gizz’s career peak of No. 2, achieved with four previous albums: Flying Microtonal Banana (2017), Infest The Rats’ Nest (2019), Chunky Shrapnel (2020) and Butterfly 3000 (2021)
The prolific band has released 24th studio album (including five in one year), 15 live albums, three compilations, a remix album, three EPs and snared two ARIA Awards.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, “Sprinter” (Virgin Music/Universal) by U.K. rappers Dave and Central Cee races to a fifth week at No. 1.
Finally, South Korean K-pop girl group NewJeans enjoys a top 40 berth with “Super Shy” (ING/Universal), which drops at No. 27. NewJeans has an Aussie connection; Danielle Marsh was born-and-raised in Newcastle, and her bandmate Hanni Pham calls Melbourne home.
From their creative laboratory, Disclosure issues Alchemy, their fourth album which had remained a secret until recent days.
Despite the title’s allure of precious metal, Alchemy is also something of a reset. There are no guest features, no samples, it’s independently released and Disclosure “don’t intend to tour it straight away,” reads a statement.
What is does have is energy and bangers, including the previously-released lead track “Looking For Love,” and the kind of no-nonsense floor-stomping house numbers that are big part of Disclosure’s armoury.
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But wait, there’s more. Album track “Higher Than Ever Before” is an atmosphere drum ‘n’ bass dynamo, “Sun Showers” a throwback trance gem, and “Talk On the Phone” is a perfectly-produced pop song.
Comprised of brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence, Disclosure is a heavyweight pair in the electronic music scene. In their homeland, two of their three albums have led the national survey — 2013’s Settle and 2015’s Caracal. Alchemy is the followup to 2020’s Energy, which peaked at No. 4 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.
Released through the act’s own label Apollo Records, Alchemy is “a celebration of us feeling liberated right now,” explains Guy. “We’re no longer signed to a major record label. We’re not going to tour this record. We can do whatever we like and be super creative.”
The LP was reportedly written when the pair were at different stages in their lives, Guy, recently married and settling down in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, while Howard “was reeling from heartbreak and exhausted from a 150-date tour,” reads a statement accompanying the release.
Its creation was a type of alchemy. “There was this combination of deep heartbreak and sadness, but also deep admiration and appreciation,” Howard recounts. “Let’s turn this horrible feeling into something beautiful. The whole idea was to channel pain into beauty—which, in hindsight, is always the aim.”
Stream Alchemy below.
Duran Duran’s forthcoming North America tour will include a one-off benefit concert for the Cancer Awareness Trust, a special fundraising tribute to guitarist Andy Taylor, who is battling stage-4 prostate cancer.
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The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame-inducted British band announces the event for Aug. 19 at The Guild Theatre in Menlo Park, CA.
Speaking about the intimate show, Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon says, “We are heading to Northern California, to play many of the songs that we wrote together with our dear friend, Andy Taylor, to help him and others in their fight against prostate cancer. It is the right thing to do.”
Those songs are a collection of gold-standard hits, from “A View to a Kill,” to “Planet Earth,” “Rio,” “Girls on Film,” The Reflex,” “Wild Boys,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Is There Something I Should Know,” “Save a Prayer,” and others.
News of Taylor’s diagnosis reached the band just days before their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last November. His ongoing treatment forced Taylor to miss the ceremony, though members of the band used the platform of the ceremony to read a letter from Taylor, addressing for the first time his illness.
Since then, the bandmates “been made aware of a revolutionary life-extending treatment that they will be funding for cancer patients such as Andy,” reads a statement from the band.
Adds drummer Roger Taylor: “We would like to thank our fans and the organizers of this benefit who have given us the chance to help our longtime friend and colleague Andy Taylor. We have always described ourselves as a ‘band of brothers,’ and that has never been more true than in this very moment.”
Taylor was lead guitarist for Duran Duran during their heyday in the early-to-mid 1980s, during which time the new wave stars became, without argument, one of the most popular bands on the planet. Now 62, the English rocker performed on DD’s first three studio albums, the self-titled debut from 1981, Rio from 1982, Seven and the Ragged Tiger from 1983, live album Arena from 1984, contributed to the band’s 1986 album Notorious, then split to pursue a solo career.
Taylor reunited with bandmates Le Bon, John Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor in the early 2000s. With the old band back together, Duran Duran released the 2004 album Astronaut, toured, and collected a slew of awards, including the Brit Award for outstanding contribution to British music, the BPI’s equivalent of the lifetime achievement award.
Andy Taylor has discussed his health battles, which he described as “a death sentence,” for a U.K. TV interview earlier in the year.
Playing guitar has had an unexpected benefit. “It’s really helped me to live with the pessimism of an incurable disease,” he notes, “but the optimism of creating music.”
Following the benefit concert, Duran Duran will embark on the second leg of their North American Future Past Tour, in support of their 15th studio LP Future Past, which peaked at No. 3 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart in 2021.
Another album is already in the works, and it’ll feature the talents of Andy Taylor. A statement issued by the band in March reads, “Duran Duran are thrilled to confirm a special new music project is in the works, set for release later this year on BMG. The new recordings will feature extended Duran Duran family and friends, old and new, including our former bandmate Andy Taylor who will join us on guitar on a few tracks.”
Ticket pre-sales for the benefit concert go on sale Monday, July 17 for members of the Duran Duran VIP Fan Community, with the general on-sale beginning Wednesday, July 19 at GuildTheatre.com.
In the meantime, Andy Taylor is in good hands. “I am delighted that we have been able to help turn Andy’s life around, and with the support of Duran Duran and their incredible fanbase, the revolutionary new treatment could well both improve Andy’s quality of life and extend it significantly,” comments professor Sir Chris Evans, founder of The U.K.’s Cancer Awareness Trust. “Andy will receive the latest precision medical treatment, emanating from some recently successful clinical trials, along with the ongoing support that the Cancer Awareness Trust is providing. The incredible support of Duran Duran will mean many more people will benefit just like Andy has”.