Billboard

14 Jan 2025

BigXthaPlug Graces Cover Of ‘Billboard’ “Future Of Hip-Hop” Issue

HipHopWired Featured Video
BigXthaPlug

Source: Courtesy of Billboard / Courtesy of Billboard

Billboard Magazine is looking at BigXthaPlug as Rap’s newest star. He has been chosen to grace the cover of their “Future Of Hip-Hop” issue.

BigXthaPlug

Source: Courtesy of Billboard / Courtesy of Billboard

This week the music industry trade publication released their first cover series of 2025. On the cover BigXthaPlug is featured and with a headline that reads “BREAKS THROUGH GENRE NOW”. In the exclusive interview he details his come up, his recent success and more. Early in the feature he explains that his father was the one who saw his musical talent early on. “The first time I remember having a mic in my face was when I was about 9 or 10 years old. My pops took me to this spot, and right in the middle of the room, there was a round wooden table with a mic…” he revealed. “Then they just put me on the mic, and I just started rapping. Afterwards, my dad told me, ‘You’re good—you need to rap for real.’ That was one of my earliest memories for sure.”

Later on BigXthaPlug explains his creative process and makes it clear that he makes music for everyone. “I’m talking about something,” he explains. “A lot of older people who love music—that’s what they grew up on: actual substance. Here’s this young dude that sounds old, but he’s on these young-old beats. I literally mixed everything up so everybody could love it.”

Billboard Magazine’s “Future Of Hip-Hop” issue is out now. You can view BigXthaPlug’s interview below.

14 Jan 2025

Beyoncé Delays Announcement, The Weeknd Pauses Album Release & More | Billboard News

Amidst the L.A. wildfires, The Weeknd has delayed his Hurry Up Tomorrow album drop and canceled its accompanying show, while Beyoncé paused her announcement that had been scheduled for Jan. 14. Keep watching to see the events that have been delayed or canceled due to the ongoing wildfires.  

Tetris Kelly:
Beyoncé pauses her big announcement as fires blaze through California, as well as The Weeknd delays and changes plans, and some Grammy events are canceled. We have the updates. After Beyoncé’s big Christmas Netflix and NFL performance, she released an ad hyping up a surprise on Jan. 14, but with tragedy on the minds of many, she released this statement:

“The January 14th announcement will be postponed to a later date due to the devastation caused by the ongoing wildfires around areas of Los Angeles. To join our efforts in supporting those impacted, please visit BeyGOOD. Love, B”

Which is leading fans to believe it was a tour that would be announced that would have required financial commitment. And with the Grammys around the corner, The Recording Academy announced the show will continue on Feb. 2 while raising funds for wildfire relief, while some labels like Universal Music Group have canceled their Grammy-related events.

Also, The Weeknd has delayed the Jan. 24 release of his Hurry Up Tomorrow album to Jan. 31, and canceled its accompanying Jan. 25 Rose Bowl concert.

We will continue to keep you posted on how these fires affect the music industry at large. And for more info on how to get involved, head to Billboard.com.

14 Jan 2025

BossMan Dlow’s ‘Dlow Curry’ Album, Tour Plans, “Get In With Me” Success | Billboard News

BossMan Dlow’s 2024 was filled with back to back hits, and he ended the year with the album, ‘Dlow Curry.’ The rapper shares how he plans to tour ‘Dlow Curry,’ his secret to creating hits, why he felt the need to create “The Biggest Pt. 2” and more!

Kyle Denis:

What’s up y’all it’s Kyle Denis, staff writer at Billboard, and I am here with Big Za himself, BossMan DLow, how are you doing today my guy? 

BossMan Dlow”

Chilling bro, chilling, for sure. 

How’s that New York weather treating you? 

I ain’t going to lie, cold. Cold at first. I’m straight now.

You know, it’s been a very, very productive year for you. Talk to us a little bit about “The Biggest Pt. 2.” How did that song come together? And why did you think “The Biggest” needed a sequel? 

I don’t know, bro, I forgot how I even heard that beat. Man, I don’t know, but it came on. I just, you know, I felt the vibe to the beat. 

It woke up something in you. 

Yeah, it woke me up. So I went in there, because you know I don’t write. I just go in there and just go off the tone, so when I sat down I was like “Got her lookin’ at me like/ ‘Bae, you the biggest’”  I just ended up calling it that for real for real That’s how it went. 

You’ve had a crazy run of hits this year, “Get In With Me,” “Mr Pot Scraper,” “Talk My Sh*t,” “Shake Dat A**” “2 Slippery,” “SportsCenter.” I could keep going. Did any of those surprise you by how big they became? 

All of them to be real. 

Yeah? 

How big “”Get In With Me” was kind of that was the most shocking one because it was like, I put that song to the side.

Keep watching for more!

14 Jan 2025

Zach Top: Bringing Back Old-School Country Music in a Modern World | Billboard Cover

Billboard cover star and the ‘Future of Country’ rep Zach Top is bringing ’90s country music back. The crooner explains why he thinks his “I Never Lie” became successful, the accidental start of a band with his siblings, how he’s developed his style and more!

Zach Top:

I wanted to be a cowboy really bad. And my parents definitely realized, and I think I realized at some point that I was no good at being an actual cowboy, so maybe the closest I could get was to sing about them. Obviously, I’ve got, you know, sonically reminiscent sort of thing going on from the ’90s stuff, but it’s kind of – I feel like I cut my teeth on the same stuff that the ’90s guys cut theirs on. For one thing, I’m honored that people see me as, you know, sort of a spearhead or a leader back towards traditional country music, or country music the way that I fell in love with it, and, you know, still love. It’s a fun spot to be in. I think it’s a lot of just the right place, right time sort of a thing. You know, country has always been… country Music has always been cyclical. It kind of, you know, we’ve got our bread and butter, the roots, the traditions where we came from, and something new and, you know, a little edgy comes along, and everybody gets excited about that for good reason. And you know, kind of run with that for a little while, until people are like, yeah, but this is where we came from, and let’s get back to it a little bit. And so I think I came along at the right time for that. I was playing piano before I played guitar, but for whatever reason, I didn’t have a whole lot of interest in Chopin and Bach and Beethoven and stuff like that.

Keep watching for more!

13 Jan 2025

Lil Baby’s ‘WHAM’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 & Bad Bunny Announces Residency | Billboard News

Lil Baby takes over the No. 1 spot of the Billboard 200 with ‘WHAM’ and Bad Bunny closely follows at No. 2 with ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos,’ and also announces a residency. Keep watching for more! 

Tetris Kelly:

Lil Baby debuts at No. 1 as Bad Bunny still slays on streaming and announces a residency. We have your album updates. Lil Baby collects his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as ‘WHAM’ opens atop the list earning 140,000 equivalent album units. And right behind him at No. 2 is Bad Bunny. ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ starts at No. 2 with 122,000 equivalent album units earned. It also debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Streaming Albums chart. And you might be going from streaming the album to hearing it live. Bad Bunny announced a 21-date residency at the iconic Coliseo de Puerto Rico is set to kick off July 11. Are you excited and already booking your flights? Let us know in the comments.

13 Jan 2025

Beyoncé Donates $2.5 Million to Aid in L.A. Wildfire Relief & Heidi Montag Hits No. 1 on iTunes | Billboard News

Beyoncé’s BeyGood Foundation donated $2.5 million to L.A. Fire Relief Fund, and after Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt los their home in the fire, Montag’s Superficial album hit No. 1 on iTunes. Keep watching for all the details!

Tetris Kelly:
Beyoncé provides aid in the wake of L.A.’s wildfires as reality couple Heidi and Spencer see the fires take them up the charts. The alarms have rung throughout L.A., and Beyoncé is answering the call. Beyoncé’s BeyGood Foundation donates $2.5 million to L.A. Fire Relief Fund to assist families. The donation is earmarked for those in Altadena and Pasadena who have lost homes, as well as to churches and community centers.

And Spencer and Heidi, originally from The Hills TV show, lost their home in the fires, and Spencer has seen his social media grow and rallied his fans to get his wife Heidi’s 15-year-old Superficial album to No. 1 on iTunes. And now the goal? A Billboard No. 1.

13 Jan 2025

The Weeknd & FERG Talk Changing Their Names | Billboard News

The Weeknd reflected on retiring his The Weeknd persona, and Ferg — formerly ASAP Ferg — explains why he’s changed his name. Keep watching to see what both singers had to say about making the changes to their name!

Tetris Kelly:
Are The Weeknd and ASAP Ferg calling it quits? During a recent interview with Variety, The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, says that he’s considering retiring The Weeknd moniker after his latest album, Hurry Up Tomorrow.

In the article, the “Dancing in the Flames” singer states:

“It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I just don’t have any more desire for. You have a persona, but then you have the competition of it all. It becomes this rat race: more accolades, more success, more shows, more albums, more awards and more No. 1s. It never ends until you end it.”

The Weeknd assures fans that while this next chapter may see the end of The Weeknd, it doesn’t mean that he will stop making music. He said, “I don’t think I can stop doing that, but everything needs to feel like a challenge. And for me right now, The Weeknd — whatever that is — it’s been mastered. No one’s gonna do The Weeknd better than me, and I’m not gonna do it better than what it is right now. I think I’ve overcome every challenge as this persona …”

While speaking to journalist Toure on his Toure Show, ASAP Ferg announced that he has removed “ASAP” from his name.

Ferg:
I feel like if we aren’t putting out no music or new time stamps then there’s no ASAP. So right now it’s Ferg.

Tetris Kelly:
Though Ferg states that ASAP Mob is no more, he notes that everyone is still on good terms.

Keep watching for more!

13 Jan 2025

Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 Countdown for Jan. 18, 2025 | Billboard News

Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga’s “Die With a Smile” holds strong at No. 1.

Tetris Kelly:
This is the Billboard. Hot 100 top 10 for the week dated Jan. 18th. Down to 10 is “Espresso,” as is “I Had Some Help” to No. 9, and “That’s So True” to eight, Kendrick and SZA are still at seven, while “Lose Control” slips to six. Bruno and ROSÉ are locked at five, as Morgan’s “Smile” shoots up to four. The top three sees Billie hanging in at three, while Shaboozey holds on to the runner-up slot. And grabbing a second week at No. 1 are Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.

If you want more Billboard, make sure you hit the subscribe button and ring the bell to be notified on all our latest videos.

13 Jan 2025

BigXthaPlug: From Football Dreams To Dominating Rap | Billboard Cover

Billboard Cover Star and being named as the ‘Future of Hip-Hop,’ BigXthaPlug, is taking over. The rapper has risen with his Texas flare music, and he shares his journey of becoming a footballer to a rapper, his next move with country music, and more!

BigXthaPlug:

I feel like, for the first time in a long time, I’m talking about something from when a lot of older people that you know, they love music, they see that’s what they grew up with. And so now here is this young dude that sounds old, but he’s on these young, old beats, like I literally mixed everything up so that everybody could live it. And that’s what it’s doing. I’m trying to be something I’m not. I feel like that’s what’s got me this far too. I didn’t do music because this is what I grew up wanting to do. I wanted to be a football player. This is just, I looked at it as a hustle, a way to provide for my kids. I’m not gonna say that it wasn’t a part of my life, because it was always there, like it was always something going, but it just wasn’t the path I thought I was gonna take. Never was recording. I’m not one of those kids that grew up in studios. The first time I ever remember a mic being in my face had to be like 9, 10. Pops had a spot, and in the middle of that spot, it was just like a round wooden table, and it was a mic, you know what I’m saying. I guess the people that was in there doing what they was doing for him, they were trying to rap or whatever. And pops had probably to the spot, and he was like, man, n***as can’t rap. My son got more than what y’all got. And they put me on the mic, and I just got to rapping and I’m just saying sh*t, you know what I’m saying.

Keep watching for more!

13 Jan 2025

Bad Bunny’s ‘DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Streaming Albums Chart

Bad Bunny’s new album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, opens at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Streaming Albums chart (dated Jan. 18), with the largest streaming week for a Latin title in over a year.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Also in the top 10 of the latest Top Streaming Albums chart, Lil Baby’s WHAM debuts at No. 3, while last week’s leader, SZA’s SOS, falls to No. 2.

Bad Bunny’s album was released on an off-cycle Sunday (Jan. 5), and, thus, it arrives on the chart with only five days of activity (as the chart’s tracking week runs Friday through Thursday every week). The album’s release date was announced on Dec. 25. The new Top Streaming Albums chart captures the tracking frame of Jan. 3-9.

Trending on Billboard

WHAM’s Friday, Jan. 3 release was announced by Lil Baby in late December.

The 50-position Top Streaming Albums chart ranks the most-streamed albums of the week in the U.S., as compiled by Luminate. Titles are ranked by streaming equivalent album (SEA) units, where each SEA unit equals 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. If an artist has multiple albums containing the same song, SEA units for that song are generally assigned to whichever album sells the most by traditional album sales in a given week. The new Jan. 18, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Jan. 7. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS launches at No. 1 with 113,500 SEA units earned in the week ending Jan. 9 in the U.S., according to Luminate. That sum equates to 152.16 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 17 songs – the largest streaming week for a Latin album in over a year. The last Latin set with a bigger streaming week was Bad Bunny’s previous release, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va A Pasar Mañana, when it launched at No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums with 239.56 million on-demand official streams for its songs (Oct. 28, 2023-dated chart).

DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS was preceded by a pair of entries from the album on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 songs chart: “EL CLúB” and “PIToRRO DE COCO.”

SZA’s SOS falls from No. 1 to No. 2 on Top Streaming Albums with 110,000 SEA units (down 12%, equaling 146.88 million on-demand official streams of its collected songs – across its standard and its SOS Deluxe: LANA editions). Meanwhile, Lil Baby’s WHAM arrives at No. 3 with 90,000 SEA units (equaling 119.77 million on-demand official streams of the 15 songs on the streaming edition of the album available during its first week).

Rounding out the rest of the top five on Top Streaming Albums, Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping GNX dips 2-4 (down 4%) and Sabrina Carpenter’s former No. 1 Short n’ Sweet moves 3-5 (down 6%).