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After being kicked out of Game 1 of the Golden State Warriors versus Sacramento Kings first-round playoff game on Saturday night (April. 16), E-40 lambasted the Kings’ organization for “racial bias” when handling his confrontation with a female fan.
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40, known as a Golden State Warriors fan and frequent attendee, sent a statement to Billboard, recalling the incident involving him addressing the heckler in “an assertive but polite manner.”
“On Saturday night, I was subjected to disrespectful heckling over the course of the Warriors-Kings game in Sacramento. During the fourth quarter, I finally turned around and addressed one heckler in an assertive but polite manner. Yet, shortly thereafter, Kings’ security approached me, assumed that I instigated the encounter and proceeded to kick me out of the arena,” writes 40.
He also acknolwedges that despite his accomplishments as a musician and businessman, “racial bias” continued to be the norm and played an intergral role in his departure from the game.
“Unfortunately, it was yet another reminder that — despite my success and accolades as a musician and entrepreneur — racial bias remains prevalent. Security saw a disagreement between a Black man and a white woman and immediately assumed that I was at fault,” he says.
At the end of his statement, 40 said that he hopes the Kings organization will do a thorough investigation on the matter and that those “involved are held accountable for their behavior.”
“I’ve attended countless NBA games throughout my lifetime and have always prided myself in my professionalism, so this experience has been jarring. I was absolutely humiliated by the Kings’ security team and I’m calling on the franchise to investigate the appalling conduct that transpired.”
He adds, “I’m truly grateful for my fans and supporters who have reached out to express their concern and disappointment regarding these disheartening circumstances and I hope those involved are held accountable for their behavior.”
Watch the clip below.
Coachella quickly became Motochella when Rosalía set foot on the festival’s main stage on Saturday (April 15).
The Motomamis and Motopapis assembled when they heard motorcycle engines roar. It only meant one thing: Rosalía was close to arrival. Wearing a black and white helmet, black leather pants, and a flowy pink robe over a black bra, Rosalía took the spotlight for her highly-anticipated performance on day two of the three-day event.
“Buenas noches, Coachella? I feel very happy to see you all here today,” said Rosalía, who was accompanied by a troupe of fierce dancers. “You fill my heart with your presence. I come from Barcelona, that’s why this stage is so special. It’s because of you that I’m here.”
For the special set, Rosalía brought her Motomami Tour concept to the desert, built upon a minimalistic white canvas with multiple cameras live feeding content from multiple angles. The tracklist spanned her albums El Mal Querer and Motomami, including hits like “Saoko,” “Bizcochito,” and “La Fama.” For the lattermost, she hopped off stage with a hand-held camera in selfie mode to capture the crowd taking turns on the mic.
“Are there many Motomamis here tonight? I see you all,” she declared soon after. She went on to sing “La Noche de Anoche,” “Despechá,” “Hentai,” “Motomami,” and “Candy” before unveiling her big surprise of the night.
“How many of you have already listened to RR,” the Spanish star asked the crowd. “Four years ago I came to Coachella — and I came alone. Not this time around.” Seconds later, her fiancé (and superstar in his own right) Rauw Alejandro joined Rosalía onstage where they oozed love. “Qué dice Coachella? Where’s my Latin people?” the Puerto Rican hitmaker asked the crowd.
The couple, who announced their engagement last month, performed “Beso” and “Vampiros” off RR, the joint EP they dropped March 24. After singing, kissing and a little perrero, they both stepped off the stage and shared a sweet kiss before going their separate ways. Rosalía made her way back to the white canvas for her last few songs., including an emotional cover of Enrique Iglesias’ “Héroe,” as well as “Chicken Teriyaki,” and “CUUUUuuuuuute.”
Coachella is part of Rosalía’s 20-date festival tour, which kicked off at Lollapalooza Argentina on March 17. It follows her Motomami world tour, which grossed $33.7 million and sold 443,000 tickets worldwide, landing her at No. 7 on the year-end Top Latin Tours list, according to Billboard Boxscore.
Get tickets to the first-ever #BBMujeresLatinas on May 6 in Miami: billboardmujeresenlamusica.com
Becky G’s debut as a billed Coachella act was a long time coming, but good things come to those who wait. While the Mexican-American artist was at Coachella last year, when she joined Karol G to sing their hit song “MAMIII,” Becky G hadn’t had a solo performance at the festival.
“What’s up Coachella?” she asked a sea of festival-goers who had stationed themselves at the main stage for her 45-minute set after immediately being hooked with her reggaeton banger “Mayores.” “You’re looking mighty beautiful from up here,” she briefly said after performing her first song. “I’m so happy to be here with you guys today.”
Becky was a woman of a few words and let her music do the speaking instead. With a Luis Barragán-inspired set as her background, she stepped out in a dark blue denim three-piece and white sneakers to perform “Fulanito,” “Cuando Te Besé” and “Bailé Con Mi Ex” back-to-back before transitioning into a special segment that paid tribute to her Mexican roots.
“México en la casa! I’ve been working on my regional project and it’s been so beautiful,” she expressed. “I’m proud to be Mexican-American. And I couldn’t come to Coachella and not share the stage. Who else did we invite to the carne asada (cookout)?” she asked her DJ.
With a tuba in tow, Marca MP joined Becky — who wore a tejana for this part of her set — to sing “Ya Acabó.” But that was just the first artist of a parade of acts who joined the star. Following MP, Jesús Ortiz Paz of Fuerza Regida took her side to sing “Te Quiero Besar.” Paz stayed to sing Becky’s “favorite” song of his, the cumbia-powered “Bebe Dame.”
The third surprise guest was an artist who is relatively new to performing in front of crowd, let alone a festival of this magnitude, but fans went crazy when corridos up-and-comer Peso Pluma appeared on stage to sing his collab w Becky, “Chanel.” The surprise guests didn’t end there. Becky, who by this point had changed into a sparkly blue mini-dress, brought out bestie Natti Natasha to sing their girl-power track “Sin Pijama.” The two shared a friendly kiss with Becky after singing together.
To close her set with a bang, Becky sang her Karol G-assisted “MAMIII,” which she ended with the iconic wailing part of “Killing Me Softly.” And to end with a trip down memory lane, she performed her first hit single “Shower.” “Let me take this in for a second,” she said before leaving the stage. “It has truly been an honor.”
Get tickets to the first-ever #BBMujeresLatinas on May 6 in Miami: billboardmujeresenlamusica.com
Bad Bunny first performed at Coachella in 2019, a then-emerging reggaeton and trap artist. On Friday (April 14), the Puerto Rican hitmaker returned to the desert as a global superstar to make history as the first Spanish-language artist to ever headline the festival.
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“Latinos have been rompiéndola (killing it) for some time now,” he said with pride. “I just did a tour last year that I never imagined I’d be able to do. I’ve been out for some time but [I’m back] and it feels cabrón to be here tonight and that you’re all here with me.”
The past four years have been pivotal for the Grammy-winning artist, who has redefined what it means to be a Latin artist today with two No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 (including his latest Un Verano Sin Ti) and a record-breaking tour.
So, when he took the stage at exactly 11:35 p.m., he was received as the icon that he is. A roaring crowd went crazy when Bad Bunny, who wore a colorful puffer jacket and chunky diamond necklaces, appeared on top of a rectangular box. His two-hour show — one of the longer Coachella headlining sets in recent memory — included special guests such as Jhayco, Jowell & Randy and Ñengo Flow, plus Post Malone (who’s appearance was overshadowed by mic issues). The set also, most notably, featured a passionate speech by Bunny who assured his zealous fans that, “People think they know the lives of famous people — but they don’t.”
Here’s what went down during Bad Bunny’s history-making performance.
He Expressed His Gratitude
Before Bad Bunny sang literally all the hits, those in attendance heard a pre-recorded video of the Grammy-winning artist expressing the significance of this moment. “The sun and the moon have witnessed epic moments, magical nights. Artists have found their purpose, their inspiration, the answer to all their questions, that perhaps weren’t questions in the first place. Here, history has been made thousands of times. My head is spinning. It’s incredible to see the list of all the other artists that have performed on this stage. So many of them, but no one like me,” he said entirely in Spanish. “It’s the first time a Benito closes the festival. It may be the first time, but perhaps not the last time.”
He Performed All The Hits
Guessing which song Bad Bunny would start with was no easy task. Surprisingly, he kicked off with “Me Porto Bonito” — a bold move to some as the banger could just have easily closed his set .”Coachella, quieres perreo? Before I keep going with my show, what do you prefer? Me talking in English or español? You decide.” The unanimous decision was, of course, español. And once he resumed, it was almost like he didn’t want to stop. The first half of the show featured a stacked setlist including hits from albums released since he was last at Coachella: “Moscow Mule,” “Neverita,” “Si Veo A Tu Mamá,” “La Difícil,” “La Santa,” “Estamos Bien” and “Te Boté,” among other anthems.
He Set the Record Straight
Mid-set, Bad Bunny took a moment to make one thing very clear: “Humbly speaking, people think they know the lives of famous people but they don’t,” he said categorically. “They don’t know what we feel, what we live through. They will never know what a heart can feel. Don’t believe everything you hear. You won’t get to know the real me through a video on Instagram, an interview or a TikTok. If you really want to get to know me, I invite you to my home. My name is Benito Martinez Ocasio,” he stated. “I’ve met good people, I’ve met bad people. You learn from both. I know who I am, what my purpose is and I promise you I will see it through. Don’t worry about me, I’m ok.”
He also addressed a quote of his from a recent interview he gave, in which he said he didn’t feel strongly about the lyrics to one of his songs. “I don’t regret anything. I don’t even regret my errors because you learn from your mistakes. The last thing I’d regret is writing this song,” referring to was “El Apagón,” which he performed right after this heartfelt speech.
He Welcomed Both Expected and Unexpected Guests
Bad Bunny would have had no problem filling 120 minutes on his own. But the more the merrier. The chart-topping artist brought out OG reggaetoneros Jowell & Randy and Ñengo Flow to perform the perreo anthem “Safaera” from Bunny’s 2020 set YHLQMDLG. It’s safe to say that his next guest was the least expected; as Bad Bunny made his way to another part of the stage out in the middle of the crowd, he was joined by Post Malone who played guitar renditions of “La Canción” and “Yonaguni.” But after a few tries, his mic never cooperated and Bad Bunny ended up singing the two songs a cappella (he even briefly tried holding a second microphone to the then unplugged guitar). “Something happened to el cabrón cable,” he said visibly upset.
But technical difficulties didn’t stop him from continuing his show. Instead, he jumped on a jet ski as frequent collaborator Jhayco rode one beside him to perform their euphoric duet “Dákiti.” And yet, there was still more. Bunny ended the set back on the main stage — and on his own, performing hits “Callaíta,” “Me Porto Bonito” and “Después de la Playa” as a final lengthy round of fireworks exploded behind him.
Get tickets to the first-ever #BBMujeresLatinas on May 6 in Miami: billboardmujeresenlamusica.com
Ice Spice teamed up with Nicki Minaj for a remix of ‘Princess Diana’, Kelly Clarkson releases a powerful double single, Post Malone drops a pop track in ‘Chemical’, and more. We break down the things you must see at Coachella 2023, Lil Mosey reveals his favorite Seattle slang and more!
Being the Voice of the Streets, Lil Durk makes it a point to give back to the community through various endeavors while leveling up in his own career.
Durkio is looking to provide aid in the education department as Billboard learned on Friday (April 14) that the Chicago native has launched his Durk Banks Endowment Fund with Amazon Music’s Rotation, his Neighborhood Heroes foundation, and Howard University.
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The scholarship fund will provide a pair of Chicago-bred students with $50,000 checks toward their freshman tuition enrollment at the decorated HBCU.
“Change the narrative,” Lil Durk repeats in conversation with Billboard over the phone. “It’s stuff we never got a chance to do or somebody never did for us. A lot of people don’t do it as far as the music era that we’re in. In my age range, it’s more toward, ‘Let’s go feed them turkeys, let’s go feed them meals.’ My team came together where we turned it up a notch. I wanted to come up with something that was different and impactful.”
The 30-year-old OTF frontman went a step further and is also donating $250,000 to specifically help students hailing from Chicago eligible for Howard’s Graduation Retention Access to Continued Excellence (GRACE) Grant, which supports students financially in staying on course to graduate.
“For me to boost them up and get them to the next level, it was like a no-brainer,” he adds. “And this scholarship was a super-no-brainer for me. For me and my team, having my own scholarship is like a Grammy.”
Separate from the scholarship fund, Durk spent $100,000 on an all-expenses-paid trip for a group of 20 high schoolers to visit Howard University this week. The kids received the full college experience staying on-campus where they were paired with a Howard student mentor.
The recipients of the Durk Banks Endowment Fund will be presented with their scholarship on Friday when Durkio will be returning to campus and performing as the headliner for Howard University’s Springfest 2023.
Find the rest of our interview with Lil Durk below, which finds him touching on his own college aspirations, his anticipated The Voice 2.0 album, and more.
Billboard: Did you ever want to go to college or think about what life could look like if you went to college?
Lil Durk: Yeah, I always thought about it. It ain’t never too late. For me, it’s like, “Damn, they still going to school.” I got my G.E.D. books shipped in like two days ago. I just want to get my knowledge right … I just want to get smart all around the board. I was doing it last year but I wasn’t really focused.
I’m definitely taking G.E.D. classes, but of course, I’ma do my G.E.D. In my mind, it’s like keeping going on the knowledge. I wanna be super-smart and on point with everything from technology, music, streaming and any subject.
We just rebooted with a smarter Durk, a better decision-making Durk, and we just got off the ground. Me understanding the business and understanding the importance of life. Like, back then, I’d hear [about] a scholarship [and go], “Oh cool, a college scholarship. Great.” Now, I’m like, “Damn, we’re helping these kids out who I’m seeing ride on the bus going to school.” It’s important for the growth on my end, and just seeing it for myself.
How does the selection process for the scholarship go?
So we chose two people from my foundation and the rest gon’ be from Chicago kids who [are] struggling. So we made it where it’s all around the board helping out instead of sticking to different cities. They came from our struggle.
We always see it on TV or on the internet, “Oh, he gave out a scholarship.” But at the time, I didn’t understand. Now it’s gonna be bigger than life when we do it.
When are we getting The Voice 2.0 — what can fans expect?
It’s coming. I promise you when it drop, I’ma give y’all therapy. All the things going on and the world wondering, and then I give them the truth and the facts on the album — it’s gonna be mindblowing. You gonna do a U-turn. This is like our breakthrough.
There ain’t no pressure. The talent and the growth always been there. It just the things around it making it more bigger, like doing the scholarships, being more in tune with the foundation, sitting down with the mayor, and really giving back. That’s the part I was lacking on. I already had the music, now executing the plan is gonna make everything big. The biggest album ever.
I saw you post something about wanting to work with Doja Cat on her rap album. What’s the deal there?
She say she want to work on the rap album and I tried to tell her I wanted to be a part of it. You know, I’m all for that. Just like anytime somebody doubt somebody about anything, I just be like, “Send me a banger! I’ma smoke it and we gonna change the whole narrative.”
If I need help on a situation, and a SZA or a Doja Cat or an Adele could change the perspective on the female side, I know who to go to. Everybody could help everybody.
Swizz Beatz says you made his top 10 greatest rappers list of this generation. What’s it like to hear that from an OG?
Swizz Beatz is one of my mentors. He found me a therapy coach and [showed me] ways to flip my money. He put me in contact with Hov. He’s just a great dude overall. It’s never a favor thing. I might wake up tomorrow and he’ll be like, “I want you to buy this motorcycle. I want you a part of this Ferrari experiment.” That’s like my brother. I don’t want to say “unc” yet, that sound too old.
Future’s empire looks to grow stronger as he expands into the cannabis business.
Today (April 14), Billboard exclusively reports that the “Wait For U” rapper will partner with global branding and licensing company Carma HoldCo to launch “Evol” — his upcoming line of THC, CBD, and Delta 8/9 products. It will be available next month in California.
“As an artist, I strive to enlighten the world with different perspectives and experiences, whether through my lyrics, live performances, or other creative endeavors,” Future tells Billboard. “With Carma HoldCo, I can apply that creativity to build a new cannabis lifestyle brand that resonates within my community and delivers a high-quality product to my fans and a much wider audience.”
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“Future is one of this generation’s most prolific, influential artists,” says Carma HoldCo chairman Chad Bronstein. “His drive, creativity, and vision, in partnership with Carma HoldCo, will create experiences that will inspire consumers and further establish us as the new global leader in branding and licensing.”
Along with being behind Future’s “Evol,” Carma is behind Mike Tyson’s “TYSON 2.0” and Ric Flair’s “Ric Flair Drip.” Carma HoldCo’s products span 75,000 retailers across 40 states and 17 countries.
Future recently concluded his One Big Party Tour, which featured Don Toliver, G Herbo, Mariah The Scientist, and Dess Dior. Ahead of the Minnesota tour stop, Future canceled the tour’s final two stops for undisclosed reasons. “It breaks my heart that I will no longer be connecting with my fans in Kansas City and Minneapolis. I look forward to reconnecting with each of you at another time. Thank you for all your love and support through the years,” he said in a statement to Billboard.
A glance at the chart history for 5 Seconds of Summer is like peering into the record books for a champion athlete, at their very prime. The Sydney-formed pop-rock outfit landed three consecutive No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart – with their self-titled debut LP from 2014, Sounds Good Feels Good in 2016 and Youngblood from 2018. It’s a feat that made 5SOS the first Australian act to bag three crowns on the Billboard 200, and it extended their record as the only band to top the Billboard 200 with their first three studio albums.
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The streak ended when CALM went to No. 2 in the U.S. in 2020, though it debuted at No. 1 in the U.K., for 5SOS’s second leader there. Then, 5SOS dropped in 2022, giving the band a third U.K. crown, a No. 2 peak in the U.S. and the lads’ fifth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales. On Australia’s ARIA Chart, they’ve gone a perfect five-for-five.
If you’re the type to keep score, that’s a lot of action.
Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood, Michael Clifford and Ashton Irwin will hope to add another notch on the charts with The Feeling of Falling Upwards – Live from The Royal Albert Hall, which rolled out at midnight. Clocking in at nearly 70 minutes, and 17 tracks, 5SOS’s latest collection was recorded at the iconic Royal Albert Hall in London, a venue the chaps busked outside of when they first moved to the U.K., with the ambition to write their debut album. How things have changed.The live performance captures reimagined versions of songs from across their catalog, accompanied by a 12-piece string orchestra and a 12-strong gospel choir.The Royal Hall set is the band’s second live LP in a decade, following 2014’s LiveSOS.
The 5SOS live experience doesn’t end there. South America dates on the 2023 trek The 5 Seconds of Summer Show kick off July 20 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with North America set to follow from early August.
Stream 5SOS’s The Feeling of Falling Upwards – Live from The Royal Albert Hall below.
Morgan Wallen is the new king of Australia’s singles survey.
The U.S. country star bags his first leader on the ARIA Singles Chart with “Last Night” (Republic Records/Universal), which lifts 2-1, emulating its parent album One Thing At A Time, which hit the summit last month and currently lifts 4-3.
Prior to “Last Night,” Wallen’s chart best in these parts was a No. 20 peak for “You Proof” in 2022; “You Proof” dips 23-27 on the current tally.
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With Wallen at the throne, Miley Cyrus’ unbroken reign with “Flowers” (Columbia/Sony) comes to an end at 12 weeks. That’s impressive, but still some way off the 24-week non-consecutive reign of Tones And I’s 2019 hit “Dance Monkey,” the all-time leader.
“Flowers” dips 1-2 on the latest chart, published April 14, while PinkPantheress’ “Boy’s a liar” (Parlophone/Warner) holds at No. 3.
The highest new entry belongs to Drake, as “Search & Rescue” (Republic/Universal) bows at No. 8. Just one other cut debuts in the top 50 on the latest frame, NLE Choppa’s “S**t Me Out” (Warner), rising 105-48.
Over on the ARIA Albums Chart, homegrown queer pop band Cub Sport pounces to No. 1 with Jesus At The Gay Bar (Believe).
It’s the first No. 1 and second ARIA top 10 album for the Brisbane outfit. “We’ve been a band for over a decade and to achieve our first #1 record with our fifth album is incredible,” reads a statement from the four-piece. “So proud of the four of us for the years of hard work and for building to this moment as a self-managed and independent band. Above all, we’re so grateful to our beautiful fans – thank you so much for making this dream come true!”
Adds ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd: “Cub Sport are an incredible home-grown act who absolutely deserve to be celebrated. Congratulations to the band and their team for an incredible triumph, particularly as an independent band. All of us at ARIA are thrilled to be welcoming another Australian album to the top of the charts.”
Jesus At The Gay Bar shimmies past Hope (Capitol/Universal), the fifth studio album from Michigan-born, singer, songwriter and producer NF. It’s new at No. 2. That’s a career best for NF (real name: Nathan John Feuerstein), bettering the No. 3 peak for The Search in 2019, and the No. 5 for his mixtape Clouds in 2021.
Further down the tally, the Linkin Park’s sophomore album Meteora (Warner) impacts the top 10, at No. 8, thanks to a 20th anniversary reissue, which features previously-unreleased works including vocals from the late frontman Chester Bennington. Meteora originally peaked at No. 2 in 2003 and has been certified four-times platinum, ARIA reports.
Finally, Aussie punk rock outfit Frenzal Rhomb just miss out on a top 10 berth with The Cup Of Pestilence (Virgin/Universal), their 10th studio effort. It’s new at No. 1 on the all-genres albums chart, and it’s the best-seller on wax this cycle.
Metallica aren’t just heavy, they’re durable. A muscular band that simply won’t rust with the passing of time — more than 40 years of it. With the release of 72 Seasons, the Bay Area rockers unleash their 12th studio album. Six of them have gone to No. 1 on Billboard 200, led by 1991’s The Black Album, which checked in for a full month at the chart penthouse and is recognized as one of the best-selling heavy albums in recorded music history.Produced by Greg Fidelman with frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, 72 Seasons spans 12 tracks, including the previously released “If Darkness Had a Son” and “Lux Æterna,” which the band performed on late-night TV earlier in the week, the first of a week-long residency on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
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The new collection clocks in 77 minutes, all of them meaty, and it’s the followup to 2016’s Hardwired…To Self-Destruct, which led the Billboard 200 for a single week.Speaking on the meaning behind the album and its title, Hetfield remarked, “72 seasons. The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves. The concept that we were told ‘who we are’ by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are.” Much of our adult experience is “reenactment or reaction to these childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of those bondages we carry,” he continues.It’s fair to say, these Rock And Roll Hall of Famers have figured out who and what they are.
Live action is coming soon, with Metallica kicking off their M72 World Tour on April 27 at Amsterdam’s Johan Cruijff Arena.
The fresh set dropped at the stroke of midnight, via Metallica’s own Blackened Recordings.
Stream 72 Seasons below.