genre Afrobeats
Ayra Starr and Wizkid linked up again on “Gimme Dat,” which she released on Thursday (April 24). The Sabi Girl teased the collaboration a week earlier in an Instagram video of her vibing out to the tropical-tinged dancefloor filler while watching the sunset before the song cuts to Wizkid singing, “God da–,” which Starr used […]
Vybz Kartel has returned to the U.S. for the first time after 20 years in prison to perform two sold-out shows in Brooklyn, N.Y. We go behind the scenes with the King of Dancehall to see how he feels about being back on tour, his show essentials and more!
Did you see Vybz Kartel live? Let us know in the comments below!
Vybz Kartel:Hi, my name is blank. Wagwan. My name is Vybz Kartel, and I’m here in Brooklyn with Billboard. Where are you?
Interviewer:All right, World Boss, how does it feel to be back in New York?
It feels blessed, you know, because, remember, it’s been 20 years, so for me to be here now, it’s just a feeling of jubilation. It’s a triumphant feeling.
Team Member:This is for you. Congratulations, two sold-out shows, where you need to be love, where the people are.
I’m here with my family, not just my family, family. I’m here with CJ, the promoter, she’s family as well. TJ, Scatter, the whole crew. It feels amazing, and I feel blessed.
What do you remember about the last time you performed in New York?
Sir, I do not remember anything. But in my defense, it’s been 20 years. But if you’re talking about, like, being in the streets mingling with the people from Bronx to Brooklyn to Queens, Flatbush, I’m in White Plains, so it’s giving nostalgia.
What are your dressing room essentials?
My dressing room essentials are beautiful women, expensive clothes and God around us.
What does your preshow routine look like?
Drinking with beautiful women, expensive clothes and God around us.
What song are you most excited to perform?
Oh, “Brooklyn Anthem.” Come on, this is BK.
Keep watching for more!
Coachella is officially wrapped for 2025, and we’re taking you through the highlights of everything that happened during weekend 2. From Tyla’s outfit inspo speculation to ENHYPEN revealing a new mini-album, keep watching for everything you missed! Stay tuned for our All Access Tour Stop with ENHYPEN dropping later today! What did you think of […]
Amaarae is entering her BLACK STAR era, and the singer shares her excitement about previewing new music, her history-making Coachella performance, the differences between weekend one and two, touring with Sabrina Carpenter and Childish Gambino, her thoughts on women owning their sexuality in the music industry and more!
Are you excited for BLACK STAR? Let us know in the comments below!
Tetris Kelly:From the desert. Miss Fountain Baby, Amaarae. What’s up, girl?
Amaarae:
I’m good, I’m good, I’m good. It’s BLACK STAR now, it’s ‘BLACK STAR now. We’re getting ready for album mode. So, you know.
We know you’re getting ready for album mode because you were out there at the desert just dropping new music. So how did it feel to, like, release new stuff on such a great stage?
Man, it was incredible. I think the crowd responded really well. I’m excited to drop the new music. I’m excited for this new chapter. And it was insane. It was insane. Like the energy was nuts.
And how do you even prepare for something like Coachella?
You don’t prepare for Coachella. Coachella prepares for you. No, I feel like you just have to lock in mentally. Like, I’m not even kidding. There’s so many moving parts for the show. And I think, like, at some point I had to melt down a little bit.
Yeah, because, like do you get nervous? How do you, like, how do you handle your nerves?
I think it just gets to a point where it’s like, you have to end up on that stage, and you have to give the people a show. And I think for a stage this big and just kind of, like, this prominent, you I can’t, like, lose, you know, I can’t afford to lose. So it’s just lock that mind in and we just go. We just go.
Keep watching for more!
The first weekend of Coachella 2025 featured some of the hottest stars, including JENNIE, LISA and Cardi B. Tyla brought out Becky G for her set, Lady Gaga delivered a monster performance, and Megan Thee Stallion surprised the crowd by bringing out Ciara, and more! Keep watching to catch everything you missed at Coachella! Who […]
Tyla has bars. In her recent Nylon cover story, the South African singer revealed that she’s made “full-on rap songs” and plans to share one with fans someday. When asked if she had a specific pop star she wanted to emulate as a kid, Tyla answered that while she didn’t idolize one specific person, she […]
In an increasingly global music world, stars are popping up from every corner of the planet. But rising Colombian star Venesti may be the first to come from Guapi, a small, remote town near Colombia’s Pacific coast where there is nothing resembling a music industry.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“This is a place with maybe 25,000 people or less. People who come from a place like Guapi, don’t think they can be successful at this level,” says Venesti, who at 14 years old move to nearby Cali, known as a capital of salsa and a breeding ground for new rhythms.
Venesti, real name Faiber Stiven Caicedo Castro, carved out the artistic name Venesti from a play on words on his middle names, and began to do a mix of tropical and pop informed by the Afrobeats of his hometown. Last year, he won his first Billboard Latin Music Award, for Best Latin pop song for “No Es Normal,” alongside Nacho and Maffio.
Trending on Billboard
Building on the song’s mix of pop beats with Afro roots and sensibility, Venesti released his sophomore album Origen on March 28 — a 12-track set that incorporates traditional Afro Caribbean rhythms with Afrobeats, reggaetón and ultimately pop for broad appeal.
“I wanted to find my roots, my culture,” says Venesti. “This is an evolution of my sound. I’ve gone through salsa, bachata, and I’ve rescued many sounds from each genre, I’ve encountered a lot of folklore, fused with Afro culture.”
The album features many collaborators, from known names like Guaynaa and Nacho to rising Colombian DJs and artists. Some may not be as known to mainstream Latin audiences but they’re part of Venesti’s journey from small town boy with big dreams to his arrival in Cali, and later, Bogotá, Medellín and Cartagena, all places whose music informs this album.
Below, Venesti gives us his picks of five tracks to begin his journey with.
“Taca Tu Tacu”
This came from a session with Gangsta, who is one of the most incredible producers today. We’d been talking forever and finally met in Miami. We chatted at home and set it up. I told I wanted to create a fusion of ancestral sounds, and he brought up currulao, a genre from the Pacific coast that’s set in five beats, and we put it inside the chorus. There’s like a currulao in the Afrobeat, and it may be my favorite song. [In terms of the lyrics] I began my career writing poetry, but I wanted a chorus here that you could feel rather than sing. The “Taca Tu Tacu” is the beat of my heart. The poem is recited by my heart.
“Tamo Ahí” (with DJ Pope)
This is the song that has that danceable rhythm, but the song is all about courtship, and you’re there, almost there. DJ Pope is Balvin’s longtime DJ and he’s also someone who’s come up to me and congratulated me for getting to where I am coming from a place like Guapi.
“Felina” (with Nacho)
I worked with Nacho in “No es normal” and I had that personal goa lof having him sing Afro. We agreed to do something else after “No es normal” and he had wanted to do another merengue. I said, bro, if you allow me, let me show you this other rhythm. And he fell in love. We did several songs, but in the end, we stayed with “Felina.”
“Me vas a extrañar” (with Jeivy Dance & Andy Alaska)
This is a heartbreak song. It’s sad to remember happy moments that are over, but it’s also about realizing it’s time to let go of the people who’ve hurt you. It’s about putting it all out there. I worked on this one with Jeivy Dance, this huge talent from Cartagena, and Andy Alaska, a DJ who’s going through a great moment. I hadn’t realized that Afro was being done like this in other parts of Colombia and the Pacific. The four DJs that are in this album are here based purely on friendship.
“Number 1”
This is the guy who is winning over the girl every day with little gestures. And when I say “gestures,” I don’t mean gifts; I mean a look, a call, those little things that matter, that are subtle. It’s a very romantic song and I think people will really connect with it.
-
Pages