State Champ Radio

by DJ Frosty

Current track

Title

Artist

Current show

State Champ Radio Mix

12:00 am 12:00 pm

Current show

State Champ Radio Mix

12:00 am 12:00 pm


bruno mars

HipHopWired Featured Video

Source: Emma McIntyre / Getty
Last week, social media was buzzing after NewsNation “reported” that Pop/R&B sensation Bruno Mars had racked up more than $50 million in gambling debt at MGM casinos and that a large portion of that debt is being paid off with money Mars earned during his residency at Park MGM in Las Vegas.

After the news was reported, the interwebs were flooded with memes, gifs and everybody’s opinion on Mars’ apparent gambling addiction. Shannon Sharpe even started dishing about a story he heard about the “Talking to the Moon” singer losing nearly $2 million after a single night of gambling.

Well, it turns out that the Silk Sonic member may not be a victim of his own gambling impulses, but he might be a victim of bad journalism. According to MGM Resorts International, none of the rumors about Mars’ outstanding debt are true.

“We’re proud of our relationship with Bruno Mars, one of the world’s most thrilling and dynamic performers. From his shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM to the new Pinky Ring lounge at Bellagio, Bruno’s brand of entertainment attracts visitors from around the globe,” MGM said in a statement to People. “MGM and Bruno’s partnership is longstanding and rooted in mutual respect. Any speculation otherwise is completely false; he has no debt with MGM. Together, we are excited to continue creating unforgettable experiences for our guests.”
Since the company doesn’t have any discernable reason to lie about Mars not owing it money, it seems pretty safe to say this is yet another example of why folks can’t just believe every headline they read in their news feeds.

From People:

A source had claimed to NewsNation that MGM “basically owned” Mars after he allegedly racked up millions in gambling debt with the hospitality and entertainment company.

The outlet also claimed that Mars made $90 million a year from his residencies at MGM, but the singer was using a large amount of that to pay the company back.

“[He will] only make $1.5 million per night after taxes,” NewsNation claimed. 

Mars’ began his partnership with MGM in 2016, leading to his Park MGM residency. This year, his Pinky Ring cocktail bar opened at MGM’s Bellagio Resort & Casino.

So, it sounds like Bruno Mars is doing fine, and there are some entertainment media outlets out there that really need to do better at checking their facts before rushing to put a juicy celebrity story out.

Silk Sonic reasserts its might on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart as the duo’s “After Last Night,” with Thundercat and funk legend Bootsy Collins, ascends to No. 1 on the list dated Nov. 19. The coronation gives the pair, comprised of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, their fourth champ from their first five singles.
“After Last Night” rises from No. 3 after a 12% gain in weekly plays that made the single the most-played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the week ending Nov. 13, according to Luminate. The track evicts Tank’s “Slow,” featuring J. Valentine, after its two weeks on top.

As noted, the new champ is the fourth No. 1 for Silk Sonic out of five singles since the duo’s first release in early 2021. The pair first reigned on Adult R&B Airplay with debut effort “Leave the Door Open” for 13 weeks in April – June 2021, returned to the summit with third single “Smokin out the Window” for one week in January 2022, and ran up another 13-week stay on top for fourth release “Love’s Train” in April – July of this year. Of their first five singles, the only one to miss the top slot was the second, “Skate,” which peaked at No. 4 in October 2021.

Four of the five tracks, sans “Love’s Train,” all originally appeared on Silk Sonic’s An Evening With Silk Sonic album upon its release in November 2021 (“Train,” released in February 2022, was added to the album’s digital and streaming versions.) An Evening With Silk Sonic debuted at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top R&B Albums charts, leading the former for one week and the latter for two terms.

With all four No. 1s now on the album, An Evening With Silk Sonic is only the second album to generate four Adult R&B Airplay No. 1s. Toni Braxton’s self-titled 1993 LP was the first, thanks to the chart-topping runs of “Another Sad Love Song,” “Breathe Again,” “Seven Whole Days” and “You Mean the World to Me” between September 1993 and March 1994.

As Silk Sonic also contributes to Mars and Anderson .Paak’s individual chart accounts, “After Last Night” gives Mars his eighth career No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay, while Anderson .Paak notches his fourth. Thundercat claims his first champ on the list with his first entry, while Bootsy Collins earns his first leader with his second appearance on the 29-year-old list, after “Don’t Take My Funk” featuring Catfish Collins and Bobby Womack, stopped at No. 32 in 2011.

Elsewhere, “After Last Night” rides its adult R&B momentum to push 19-16 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which measures songs by audience listenership from both adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations. There, the song improves 6% to 7.5 million in audience in the week ending Nov. 13. The rebound brings the song within two places of its No. 14 peak thus far, achieved four weeks ago.