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Spotify is firing back at Drake’s accusations that the streamer helped Universal Music Group artificially boost Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” calling the allegations “false” and blasting the rapper’s legal action as a “subversion of the normal judicial process.”
The new filing is the first response to a petition filed last month in which Drake accused UMG and Spotify of an illegal “scheme” involving bots, payola and other methods to pump up Lamar’s song — a track that savagely attacked Drake amid an ongoing feud between the two stars.
In a motion filed Friday in Manhattan court, the streaming giant says it has found zero evidence to support the claims of a bot attack, and flatly denies that it struck any deal with UMG to support Lamar’s song.
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“The predicate of Petitioner’s entire request for discovery from Spotify is false,” the company’s lawyers write. “Spotify and UMG have never had any such arrangement.”
Beyond denying the allegations, the filing repeatedly criticizes Drake for going to court in the first place — calling his claims of a conspiracy “far-fetched” and “speculative,” and questioning why Spotify (a “stranger” to the “long-running fued” between Drake, Kendrick and UMG) is even involved.
Spotify also criticized Drake for the way in which he brought his claims to court — not as a full-fledged lawsuit, but as an unusual “pre-action” petition aimed at demanding information. The company accused Drake of using that “extraordinary” procedure because his allegations are too flimsy to pass muster in an actual lawsuit and would have been quickly dismissed.
“What petitioner is seeking to do here … is to bypass the normal pleading requirements … and obtain by way of pre-action discovery that which it would only be entitled to seek were it to survive a motion to dismiss,” Spotify’s lawyers write. “This subversion of the normal judicial process should be rejected.”
A spokesperson for Drake and his legal team did not immediately return a request for comment on Spotify’s filings.
Drake went to court last month, accusing UMG of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the federal “RICO” statute often used against organized crime. He accused Spotify of participating in the scheme by charging reduced licensing fees in exchange for recommending the song to users. A day later, he filed a similar action in Texas, suggesting that UMG had legally defamed him by releasing a song that “falsely” accused him of being a “sex offender.”
The legal actions represent a remarkable twist in the high-profile beef between the two stars, which saw Drake and Lamar exchange stinging diss tracks over a period of months earlier this year. That a rapper would take such a dispute to court seemed almost unthinkable at the time, and Drake has been ridiculed in some corners of the hip-hop world for doing so.
The actions also represent a stunning rift between Drake and UMG, where the star has spent his entire career — first through signing a deal with Lil Wayne’s Young Money imprint, which was distributed by Republic Records, then by signing directly to Republic.
UMG has not yet filed a responded to the litigation in court. But in a statement issued at the time, the music giant called Drake’s allegations “offensive and untrue”: “No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
In Friday’s filing, Spotify echoed that criticism — arguing that civil RICO cases are difficult to prove even with ample evidence, and that Drake hardly has any: “The Petition asserts no specific facts of any kind in support of these alleged RICO and deceptive practices violations,” the company wrote. “Instead, it relies exclusively on speculation … or the claims of anonymous individuals on the internet.”
Spotify’s attorneys seemed particularly focused on disputing the idea that swarms of bots had been able to flood the platforms to fraudulently boost Lamar’s track — a hot-button issue in the modern music industry. In an affidavit attached to Friday’s filing, Spotify’s vp of music offered sworn testimony that the company “invests heavily” in efforts to “mitigate the impact of artificial streaming on our platform.”
“When we identify attempted stream manipulation, we take action that may include removing streaming numbers, withholding royalties and charging penalty fees,” David Kaefer wrote in the filing. “Confirmed and suspected artificial streams are also removed from our chart calculations. This helps us to protect royalty payouts for honest, hardworking artists.”
Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department notches a 17th week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Dec. 21), as the set holds atop the list after rushing back to No. 1 a week ago after its deluxe Anthology edition was released on CD and vinyl exclusively at Target. In the tracking week ending Dec. 12, the album earned 240,000 equivalent album units (down 41%) in the U.S., according to Luminate, with over 80% of that sum driven by physical album sales.
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Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 chart, ROSÉ’s debut solo album rosie bows at No. 3, TWICE’s Strategy enters at No. 4 and Sabrina Carpenter’s holiday set Fruitcake reenters the chart at No. 10 for its first week in the top 10, after its wide physical release.
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The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Dec. 21, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Dec. 17). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of The Tortured Poets Department’s 240,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Dec. 12, traditional album sales comprise 201,000 (down 45%, it holds at No. 1 on Top Album Sales for a 10th nonconsecutive week), SEA units comprise 39,000 (up 6%; equaling 51.04 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it falls 9-10 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum (up 27%).
TTPD was initially released on April 19 as a standard 16-song digital download album, as well as in an array of 17-song physical configurations. Two hours after the album dropped, Swift issued an expanded 31-song edition of the album, dubbed The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, which added 15 additional songs. However, the Anthology edition was only available as a digital download and streaming set until Nov. 29, when its CD and vinyl editions became available for purchase exclusively through Target. The Target CD and vinyl additionally boast four bonus acoustic tracks (which were previously released in other alternative versions of the album).
Since the Billboard 200 began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in March 1956, Poets is only the 18th album to have spent at least 17 weeks at No. 1, of more than 1,200 leaders. The last album to spend at least 17 weeks at No. 1 was Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time, which logged 19 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 between March 2023 and this March. The last album by a woman to spend at least 17 weeks at No. 1 prior to Poets was Adele’s 21, which earned 24 nonconsecutive weeks on top in 2011-12.
Kendrick Lamar’s former leader GNX is a non-mover at No. 2 on the latest Billboard 200 with 125,000 equivalent album units earned (down 24%). It remains at No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums for a third straight week.
ROSÉ’s solo debut album, rosie, launches at No. 3 with 102,000 equivalent album units earned. Pop group BLACKPINK, of which she is a member, has logged a pair of top 10s, including the chart-topping BORN PINK in 2022.
Of the 102,000 equivalent album units earned by rosie in its opening week, album sales comprise 70,000 (it debuts at No. 3 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 31,000 (equaling 43.85 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it debuts at No. 17 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise 1,000. The set’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across more than 15 physical variants of the album across CD and vinyl editions, many including collectible ephemera (some randomized).
The album was led by the single “APT.” with Bruno Mars, which debuted and peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. It debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Streaming Songs chart, and has reached the top 30 on Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay and the all-format Radio Songs charts.
TWICE captures its sixth total and consecutive top 10-charting set on the Billboard 200 as STRATEGY debuts at No. 4 with 88,000 equivalent album units earned. It’s the second top 10 for the group in 2024, following their first chart-topper, With YOU-th (March 9-dated chart). Of the new set’s first-week units, album sales comprise 81,000 (it debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 6,500 (equaling 8.86 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise less than 500 units. The album’s first-week sales were aided by its availability across more than 15 CD and vinyl editions, all inclusive of collectible paper ephemera (some randomized).
Sabrina Carpenter’s chart-topping Short n’ Sweet is steady at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 (75,000 equivalent album units earned; up 10%); the Wicked film soundtrack falls 3-6 (74,000; down 31%); Michael Bublé’s former leader Christmas is a non-mover at No. 7 (62,000; up 10%); Bing Crosby’s Ultimate Christmas hits a new peak, rising 9-8 (56,000; up 13%); and Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft slips 6-9 (56,000; down 6%).
Carpenter captures a second album in the top 10, and the second top 10 of her career, as her holiday effort Fruitcake re-enters the chart at No. 10 (a new peak) following its wide physical release on CD, vinyl and cassette on Dec. 6. In the tracking week ending Dec. 12, Fruitcake earned 54,000 equivalent album units (up 1,040%), with album sales comprising 39,000 (up 27,326%; it debuts at No. 4 on Top Album Sales) and SEA units comprising 15,000 (up 210%, equaling 19.65 million on-demand official streams of set’s songs).
Fruitcake was initially released in November 2023 as a digital download album for purchase and through streaming services. It had a limited vinyl release, exclusively through Carpenter’s official webstore in December 2023. On Dec. 6, the album became widely available on CD, cassette and three vinyl variants (including one exclusive to Target).
Carpenter is the sixth artist in 2024 to have at least two albums in the top 10 at the same time. Previously this year, Zach Bryan, Future, Metro Boomin, Taylor Swift and Morgan Wallen all notched multiple projects in the top 10 concurrently.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department returns to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for a 16th nonconsecutive week, as the set vaults 8-1 on the chart dated Dec. 14, following the first physical release of the album’s deluxe Anthology edition, exclusively at Target in the U.S. The set earned 405,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 5 — up 839% — according to Luminate, largely driven by physical album sales. It’s the biggest week for any album since Poets’ second week, when it tallied 439,000 units.
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TTPD was initially released on April 19 as a standard 16-song digital download album, as well as an in array of 17-song physical configurations. Two hours after the album dropped, Swift issued an expanded 31-song edition of the album, dubbed The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, which added 15 additional songs. However, the Anthology edition was only available as a digital download and streaming set until Nov. 29, when its CD and vinyl editions became available for purchase exclusively through Target. The Target CD and vinyl additionally boasted four bonus acoustic tracks (which were previously released in other alternative versions of the album).
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The announcement of Poets’ return to No. 1 comes on the same day (Dec. 8) that Swift closes her globe-trotting, stadium-filling The Eras Tour in Vancouver, after 149 dates. The retrospective trek launched in March 2023 and visited 21 countries across five continents.
Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Juice WRLD’s The Party Never Ends debuts at No. 4, securing the late rapper his sixth top five-charting set. Plus, the top 10 is getting festive, as the region welcomes its first holiday titles this season: Michael Bublé’s former No. 1 Christmas jingles 12-7 and Bing Crosby’s new compilation Ultimate Christmas dashes 18-9. With the latter, Crosby claims his first top 10 album in nearly 64 years.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Dec. 14, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Dec. 10). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of The Tortured Poets Department’s 405,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Dec. 5, traditional album sales comprise 368,000 (up 4,377%; it surges 17-1 on Top Album Sales for a ninth nonconsecutive week on top), SEA units comprise 37,000 (up 6%; equaling 48.19 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs; it holds at No. 9 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum (down 21%).
Of TTPD’s 368,000 album sales for the week, vinyl sales comprise 191,000 (up 3,284%) and CD sales comprise 177,000 (up 7,738%), largely driven by sales from the exclusive editions sold at Target. (Digital download and cassette sales comprise a negligible sum for the week.)
Poets spent its first 12 weeks on the Billboard 200 at No. 1 (charts dated May 4-July 20), fell to No. 4 for two weeks, returned to No. 1 for three more weeks (Aug. 10-Aug. 24 charts) and then departed the top slot until the latest chart.
With a 16th week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, The Tortured Poets Department now solely has the third-most weeks at No. 1 among albums by women (since the list began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in March 1956). It steps past Carole King’s Tapestry, which registered 15 weeks at No. 1 in 1971. Only Adele’s 21 (24 weeks in 2011-12) and the Whitney Houston-led soundtrack to The Bodyguard (20 weeks in 1992-93) have more weeks at No. 1 among women.
The last album to spend at least 16 weeks at No. 1 was Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time, which logged 19 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 between March 2023 and this March. The last album by a woman to spend at least 16 weeks at No. 1 was Adele’s 21, which earned 24 nonconsecutive weeks on top in 2011-12.
With Poets — Swift’s longest-leading album on the Billboard 200 — she adds her 85th career week at No. 1 on the chart, extending her record among soloists. (Elvis Presley has the second-most among soloists, with 67.) The total encompasses her 14 No. 1 albums. (She’s tied with Jay-Z for the most No. 1s among soloists.)
Kendrick Lamar’s GNX falls 1-2 on the Billboard 200 in its second week with 165,000 equivalent album units earned (down 48%). The Wicked film soundtrack dips 2-3 in its second frame, with 108,000 units earned (down 22%).
The late Juice WRLD collects his sixth top five (and top 10) charting effort — the entirety of his charting releases — as The Party Never Ends debuts at No. 4. The set bows with 86,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 84,000 (equaling 123.43 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks; it debuts at No. 2 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 2,000 and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.
The new album was preceded by the Billboard Hot 100 chart hit “AGATS2 (Insecure)” (with Nicki Minaj), which reached No. 68 on the Nov. 30-dated chart. On the Hot Rap Songs chart, it debuted and peaked at No. 11.
The Party Never Ends is the third posthumously released charting effort for Juice WRLD, who died on Dec. 8, 2019. Since his passing, he’s notched Billboard 200 entries with Legends Never Die (two weeks at No. 1 in 2020), Fighting Demons (No. 2 in 2021) and now The Party Never Ends.
Sabrina Carpenter’s chart-topping Short n’ Sweet falls 3-5 on the Billboard 200 with 68,000 equivalent album units earned (down 1%), while Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft slips 5-6 with 59,000 units (though up 18%).
Bublé’s chart-topping Christmas returns to the Billboard 200’s top 10, jumping 12-7 with 56,000 equivalent album units earned (up 53%). The set, first released in 2011, spent five weeks at No. 1 in December 2011 and early January 2012 and has returned to the top 10 in every following holiday season. In the latest tracking week, of its 56,000 units, SEA units comprise 48,000 (up 59%; equaling 63.79 million on-demand official streams of its songs; it climbs 13-5 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 8,000 (up 23%; it falls 27-30 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.
Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess rises 10-8 on the Billboard 200 with 52,000 equivalent album units earned (up 23%).
The legendary Crosby is back in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 for the first time in nearly 64 years, as his new holiday compilation Ultimate Christmas climbs 18-9. The set earned 50,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Dec. 5 (up 59%). Of that sum, SEA units comprise 46,000 (up 62%; equaling 61.37 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks; it jumps 16-6 on Top Streaming Albums).
Crosby, who died in 1977, was last in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 with his classic Merry Christmas album, which ranked at No. 9 on the Dec. 31, 1960-dated chart. It had previously spent a week at No. 1 on Jan. 6, 1958-dated chart.
Merry Christmas became the second holiday album to top the Billboard 200, following its launch as a regularly published weekly chart in March 1956. Elvis Presley’s Elvis Christmas Album was the first chart-topping holiday set, as it topped the chart for three weeks in December 1957, moved aside for Crosby for a week and then returned to No. 1 for one more week in January 1958.
Ultimate Christmas is available as 14-song standard album, an expanded 28-song edition, and a deluxe 58-song version. All versions of the album contain such classic Holiday 100-charting tunes from Crosby as “White Christmas” (featuring The Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra), “It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?,” “Mele Kalikimaka” (with The Andrews Sisters) and “Silent Night” (featuring John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra and Max Terr’s Mixed Chorus).
Rounding out the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200 is Tyler, The Creator’s chart-topping CHROMAKOPIA, falling 4-10 with 49,000 equivalent album units earned (down 19%).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
Kendrick Lamar stamped his 2024 rap MVP campaign with a brand new album when GNX hit streaming services without any sort of warning on Friday (Nov. 22) around noon ET. Initially, a GNX teaser arrived on YouTube in the form of a one-minute snippet, and fans hoped it meant the start of a rollout. But […]
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Raygun, a b-girl who competed for Australia at the inaugural breaking competition at this year’s Summer Olympics, turned heads during the event with some questionable dance moves and went viral in memes. Raygun announced during an interview with an Australian outlet that she is no longer going to compete in breaking and will retire.
Raygun, real name Rachael Gunn, was a guest on The Jimmy & Nath Show and explained why she’s walking away from the sport of breaking after receiving negative commentary regarding her time in the competition. In so many words, Gunn says that her love of dancing led her to the world stage but that competing is no longer on the table for her after the backlash.
“I’m not going to compete anymore, no,” Gunn said earlier this week. “I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems really difficult for me to do now to approach a battle.”
Away from breaking, Gunn is an educator for Macquarie University Faculty of Arts for its Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language, and Literature. Gunn famously penned her PhD thesis, “Deterritorializing gender in Sydney’s breakdancing scene: a B-girl’s experience of B-boying,” from her standpoint of becoming involved with breaking in her home country.
Raygun didn’t score one point during her time in the Summer Olympics breaking event, prompting many online to believe she was placed on the stage as a means to draw ratings or cause controversy. Gunn has since shot down the claim.
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Photo: Getty
Australian breaker Rachael Gunn, or “b-girl Raygun,” holds the top spot in her sport’s latest world rankings despite Olympic performances that led to online ridicule. On Tuesday, the sport’s governing body issued a statement to “provide clarity” on why Raygun tops the rankings. Raygun, a 37-year-old university lecturer from Sydney, failed to score any points at […]
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Red Bull BC One, the largest Breaking competition in the world, will make its return this year and the stakes remain as high as ever. Red Bull BC One just unveiled its 2024 United States competition schedule with the final taking place in Los Angeles.
Breaking has enjoyed quite a resurgence and much of that is due to the efforts of Red Bull BC One, which features B-Boys and B-Girls from around the globe taking on one another in a chance to represent their country for the world title. The art form that was created within the underground also enjoyed a moment in the mainstream after the 2024 Summer Olympics featured Breaking as an event.
Victor Montalvo, the bronze medalist for Team USA’s Breaking team on the men’s side, echoed the significance of Breaking being seen on the world stage in a statement.
“Before Paris, the biggest international breaking competition you wanted to win was Red Bull BC One, which has been around since 2004,” says two-time Red Bull BC One World Champion and Olympic medalist, Victor Montalvo, better known as B-Boy Victor. “Paris was the first look at competitive breaking for many people around the world, but the breaking scene has grown significantly since the 80’s. Red Bull BC One has not only played a pivotal role in my success and breaking journey, but it’s also the best event to tune into if you want a real look into the true spirit of the dance. I hope breaking’s new revival attracts even more fans to the competition.”
Source: Red Bull / Red Bull Content Pool
Hip-Hop Wired has the honor of attending past BC One events and we can attest to what B-Boy Victor expressed. The competition features some of the best dancers across the nation, and the connection within the community was beautiful to witness.
This year, the 2024 season will hold two “Regional Cyphers” serving as qualifying rounds for dancers and the winners of the qualifiers will then compete at the National Cypher in Los Angeles, which is officially the BC One National Championships event.
The first Cypher, Regional Cypher East, will take place in Philadelphia, Pa. on September 7, and the Regional Cypher West event takes place in Denver, Colo. on September 20th. Among the qualifiers will be specially invited dancers known as “wildcards” and winners of the Red Bull BC One City Cypher Series, several smaller local competitions that were held in Boston, Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis, and New York City.
Source: Red Bull / Red Bull Content Pool
A total of 16 B-Boys and eight B-Girls will face off at the Cypher East and Cypher West in the BC One’s usual bracket format featuring a panel of judges who are from the Breaking scene.
At the conclusion of the Regional Cyphers, the National Cypher festivities will begin on Thursday, September 26 with the annual Red Bull BC One Camp USA, which will be teeming with knowledgeable dancers and figures from the community and also a place for people new to Breaking to learn more about the sport. On Saturday, September 28, the BC One USA National Cypher will take place on the world-famous Venice Beach in California. The World Final will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on December 7.
The schedule is below. Click here to learn more about Red Bull BC One, including where to watch online.
RED BULL BC ONE U.S. SCHEDULE
● East Cypher [Philadelphia, PA]: Saturday, September 7, Dilworth Park
● West Cypher [Denver, CO]: Friday, September 20, Temple Nightclub Denver
● Red Bull BC One Camp [Los Angeles, CA]: September 26 – 27
● Red Bull BC One USA National Cypher [Los Angeles, CA]: Saturday, September 28,
Venice Beach Boardwalk
● World Final [Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]: December 7, Farmasi Arena
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Photo: Red Bull Content Pool
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Source: John Walton – PA Images / Getty
A petition calling for action against alleged misconduct by Paris Olympics breaker Raygun went viral with over 58,000 signatures.
The Paris Olympic Games have ended, but the controversy over Australian B-girl Raygun and her performance – which included a move some called a “kangaroo hop” – is ongoing. It led to an online petition that was created accusing her of “unethical conduct,” which has garnered thousands of signatures. The petition, which was created on Tuesday (Aug. 13) by an individual identifying themselves as “Someone Who hates corruption,” was on Change.org and at last report had over 58,000 signatures.
“We, the undersigned, call for immediate accountability and transparency in the recent actions of Rachel Gunn and Anna Mears in the selection process for Australia’s female breakdancer representative at the upcoming Olympics,” the petition begins. “Rachel Gunn, who set up her own governing body for breakdancing, has manipulated the selection process to her own advantage. Despite the clear talent and qualification of other outstanding female breakdancers like G Clef and Holy Molly, they were unfairly overlooked. The NT Youlong Boys, a group of incredibly talented and underprivileged youth from the Northern Territory, were denied crucial funding by Dr. Gunn to attend the qualifiers—a decision that directly impacted their chance to showcase their skills on a national stage.” The theory sprang up online after Raygun aka Rachel Gunn earned an astonishing score of zero through her three preliminary rounds of competition, which became viral across social media leading to a bevy of memes making fun of her.
The Sydney Morning Herald began their investigation into Gunn, a lecturer at the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature at Macquarie University in Sydney. They found that the claim behind the online petition wasn’t true and that Gunn advanced due to coming in first in one of three regional competitions. The Change.org petition has since been taken down after requests from the Australian Olympic Committee on Thursday (Aug. 15). AOC spokesman said in a statement that Gunn was “selected through a transparent and independent qualification event and nomination process.”
Gunn, however, is still dealing with the international response to her Olympic showing calling it “pretty devastating” but remaining positive. “I went out there, and I had fun. I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics, and I gave my all. Truly,” she said in an ESPN interview.
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Breaking made its official debut at the Olympic Games, and social media had praise and jokes for it in equal amounts.On Friday (August 9), the art of breaking officially became a sport at the Olympic Games being held in Paris, France. Snoop Dogg opened up the event walking into the venue to his hit, “Drop It Like It’s Hot” which got the packed crowd hyped up. The much-anticipated competition began with the B-girls facing off against each other beginning with a pre-qualifying round featuring India Sardjoe of The Netherlands against Manizha Talash representing the Olympic Refugee Team. Talash, originally from Afghanistan, was unable to compete for her country due to its oppressive restrictions on women athletes. Talash sported a “Free Afghan Women” shawl during her rounds, which she lost to India who advanced to the round-robin bracket.
From there the competition got fierce, with Logan “Logistix” Edra representing Team USA facing off against Australia’s Rachel “Raygun” Gunn in a battle complete with reactions dancers use to signal judges that their opponent is repeating moves – a no-no. While Logistix was lauded online for her round, some viewers weren’t fond of Raygun’s performance. One user wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, “Props to Raygun for having the guts to go out there… but this was the most secondhand embarrassment I’ve ever felt.” Dominika “Nicka” Banevič of Lithuania, the current B-Girl world champion would also dominate Raygun on her way to the medal knockout rounds. Logistix and teammate Sunny Choi would unfortunately not advance. The B-Boys who are competing for the gold on Saturday (August 10) were in attendance, seated around the circular stage in front of the giant boombox which held the DJ stand and the judges’ panel.
The competition gained a lot of attention on social media, with some knocking the choice of music being played by the DJs and the hype-men. Journalist Michael Harriott weighed in with a post on X, formerly Twitter, writing: “Olympic breakdancing is cringe AF. What time is the Olympic Electric Slide competition?” But others applauded the Bronx-born dance form being included as a sport, including The Hip-Hop Museum which celebrated the originators of the art in a post thread on X.
Check out some of the reactions below.
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While breaking (or breakdancing) started in The Bronx in New York City during the early ’80s, it’s now part of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The new event is set to make its debut on Friday, Aug. 9.
Breaking takes place at the Place de la Concorde. Check out a complete schedule of the event here.
When Do the Breakdancing Events Start?
Breaking starts on Friday, Aug. 9, at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT. It ends on Saturday, Aug. 10, at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, or during NBC’s Primetime in Paris coverage at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
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Men’s and women’s breaking are available to watch live and stream on-demand. The events broadcast across E! and NBC, as well as streaming on Peacock.
How to Watch Summer Olympics: Breaking on Peacock
Can you stream breaking on Peacock? Yes, Peacock goes for $7.99 per month for the Premium plan and $13.99 per month for the Premium Plus plan — both plans include coverage of all Olympic sports.
Unfortunately, Peacock isn’t offering any deals at the moment, but you can get a discount, if you subscribe to the annual plan starting at $79.99 per year (12 months for the price of 10). The streaming service also has discounts for students and teachers with prices starting at $1.99 per month.
Where to Watch the Olympic Breakdancing Events for Free
If you’re a cord-cutter, then there are a number of ways to watch breaking without cable — especially if you want to watch for free. DirecTV Stream has a five-day free trial, while others such as Fubo and Hulu + Live TV offer free trials too. This is a good way to watch E! and NBC without spending money up front.
Keep reading for more details on how to watch Summer Olympics: Breaking on E! and NBC with DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV and others.
How to Watch Summer Olympics: Breaking on DirecTV Stream
A subscription to DirecTV Stream gets you access to live TV, local and cable channels, starting at $79.99 per month. The service even offers a five-day free trial to watch for free, if you sign up now.
You can watch local networks such as NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox and PBS, while you can also watch cable networks, including E!, FX, AMC, A&E, Bravo, Cartoon Network, ESPN, FS1, VH1, Fuse, CNN, Food Network, Lifetime, CNBC, BET, MTV, Paramount Network and many others.
How to Watch Summer Olympics: Breaking on Fubo
Fubo starts at $79.99 per month with nearly 200 channels — including local and cable — that are streamable on smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and on web browsers. And with a seven-day free trial, you can watch for free, if you act fast and sign up now.
The services gets you live access to local broadcast networks including NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox, while it also has dozens of cable networks, such as E!, FX, Bravo, TLC, ESPN, FS1, MTV, CMT, ID, Ion, OWN, Paramount Network, TV Land, VH1 and much more.
How to Watch Summer Olympics: Breaking on Hulu + Live TV
The networks E! and NBC are available to watch with Hulu + Live TV too. Prices for the cable alternative start at $76.99 per month, while each plan comes with Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ at no additional cost.
Hulu + Live TV might be best for those who want all of these streaming services together in one package. It also features many other networks, like CBS, ABC, Fox, BET, CMT, Disney Channel, ESPN, Hallmark Channel and more.
More Ways to Watch
Viewers who want to stream the Olympics internationally can use ExpressVPN, NordVPN and PureVPN to access several streaming platforms.
Meanwhile, if you’re an Xfinity subscriber, you can also save on Peacock. Subscribers to Xfinity’s StreamSaver and Internet plan and watch Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+ bundled together for $35 per month. In addition, Xfinity Diamond and Platinum rewards members can get Peacock free of charge via rewards points.
Summer Olympics: Breaking broadcasts on E! and NBC starting on Friday, Aug. 9, at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT. Peacock and DirecTV Stream are the best ways to watch the event.
Nike Jam
Speaking of debuts, Nike just released the Nike Jam sneakers. These are the first pair of shoes from the sports apparel company that were specifically designed for breaking. Nike partnered with New York City-based artist Futura on a new sneaker and streetwear collaboration.
Nike
“The outcome is amazing,” Futura said in a press release. “The Jam is a beautiful, brand-new model that’s been created from the ground up for what the dancers themselves want to perform and feel comfortable in.”
The Nike Jam come in unisex sizes and in black, gum light brown, gum medium brown and metallic silver (pictured above) and dark driftwood, hemp, sail and black colorways. A pair retails for $120 at Nike.com.
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