genre hiphop

25 Mar 2025

Will Smith Says He’s ‘Looking to Be the Best Human I Can Possibly Be’ Following 10-Year Oscars Ban

The 2022 Academy Awards served as the ultimate rollercoaster ride of emotions for Will Smith, who won best actor honors for his role in King Richard, but also delivered the infamous slap across host Chris Rock’s face on stage for jokes made about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.

The actor-rapper received a 10-year ban from the Oscars, and had the option to appeal. The Associated Press caught up with Smith on Monday (March 24), during which he reflected on his actions and explained how he’s planning to move forward.

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“I am looking to be the best human I can possibly be, and I’m gonna take what I get with that,” the 56-year-old said.

Smith has since resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and has been apologetic to Rock for slapping him onstage following a G.I. Jane joke about Pinkett-Smith.

“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris,” Smith wrote in 2022. “I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.”

Rock hasn’t been open to speaking with Smith yet, but didn’t rule out returning as host for the Oscars at some point in the future.

“You never know. This is what I would say, the most miserable people on earth are people that can’t forgive,” the comedian said earlier in March. “And not just people, you have to forgive yourself sometimes, too. So, hey, you never know.”

On the music side, Smith is returning with his first album in 20 years, Based On a True Story. The LP arrives on Friday (March 28), and he’ll be hitting the road this summer for a tour across Europe and the U.K.

“A well opened up inside of me, a well of understanding of art and pain … all kinds of things that I didn’t even know were in there,” Smith told Billboard in January of his rejuvenated hunger for music. “Then after the Oscars, that spiritual investigation continued and a whole world woke up inside that I didn’t even know was there.”

Watch Will Smith talk about his Oscar ban below.

25 Mar 2025

Travis Scott Extends Circus Maximum World Tour With New 2025 International Dates

Travis Scott extended his Circus Maximum world tour on Tuesday (March 25) with the announcement of a series of 2025 international fall stadium shows. The Live Nation-produced outing will hit five countries in October, beginning with an Oct. 11 show at the 94,000-capacity FMB Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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The swing will then take him to Delhi, India, Seoul, South Korea and Sanya, China before wrapping up with a Nov. 8 show at the 31,000-capacity Belluna Dome in Tokyo, Japan. The newest dates are a capper to the tour that began in October 2023 and played 76 sold-out shows in North America, Europe, the U.K., Latin America, Australia and New Zealand, grossing more than $209 million on its way to becoming the highest-grossing rap tour ever.

Presale and on-sale dates for the international fall dates will vary by market; check your local listings here for additional information.

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Earlier this week, La Flame officially announced that the Cactus Jack label compilation, JACKBOYS 2, is “on the way.” The rapper hopped on the mic during Chase B’s DJ set at LIV nightclub in Miami on Monday (March 24) to tease the project. “JACKBOYS 2 on the way, man. Let that motherf—–r ride, ya dig,” he said. “New Sheck Wes what the f–k is we doing?” Scott also performed a handful of records, including ASTROWORLD‘s “NO BYSTANDERS.”

At press time it was unclear when the label compilation is set to drop, though fans suspect it might coincide with Scott’s return to Coachella in April, where he’s promised to “redesign the desert” during his headlining set.

See Travis Scott’s fall 2025 international tour dates below.

Oct. 11 – Johannesburg, South Africa @ FMB Stadium

Oct. 18 – Delhi, India @ Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

Oct. 25 – Seoul, South Korea @ Goyang Stadium

Nov. 1 – Sanya, Hainan, China @ Sanya Stadium *

Nov. 8 – Tokyo, Japan @ Belluna Dome

*Non-Live Nation Date

25 Mar 2025

Cardi B Loses It After Daughter Kulture Doodles on her $60,000 Hermés Purse

Kids do the darndest things. Just ask Cardi B. The rapper took to her Instagram Story on Sunday to share her horror after her six-year-old daughter, Kulture Kiari Cephus, took a marker to mom’s dark yellow crocodile skin Hermés Kelly bag to tag it with a cute little doodle.

“We spent $60,000 on this purse,” Cardi said in the since-expired Story (which you can re-live in this YouTube video). “Look what my daughter did to my purse. Look what my daughter did to my purse. Look what my daughter did to my f–king purse… mmmmm.” The camera then zoomed in to reveal an adorable little heart inked on the bag in black marker.

Though such purses can cost as much as a luxury ride, luckily it’s not Cardi’s only one. Back in October, she took fans inside her bonkers Birkin closet, where she displayed her three newest crocodile bags in fall-appropriate colors including dark red, grey and mustard yellow, representing nearly $200K worth of Birkin goodness.

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To be fair, before they split, Cardi and ex rapper Offset were happy to shower Kulture with extravagant gifts, from a gold-accented crib, to a $100,000 Word Party chain for her first birthday, a hot pink $10,000 Birkin bag of her own, as well as another custom $48,000 Hermés purse with a bedazzled rainbow.

Back in February, Cardi sparked collaboration rumors when she teamed up with Ozuna in the studio. “A Movie always,” Cardi captioned the first clip of her dancing and singing along to an untitled track in the muted clip. In another clip, Cardi hung out with Ozuna and his crew, which she described as “Un vibe durisimoo (a very hard vibe).” The pair first teamed up in 2017 for “La Modelo,” which reached No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100; they also appeared together on DJ Snake’s 2018 No. 11 Hot 100 hit “Taki Taki.”

Fans are still waiting on news about Cardi’s long-awaited sophomore album, the follow-up to her 2018 debut studio album Invasion of Privacy.

24 Mar 2025

Nas’ Calendar Shows DJ Premier Recording Sessions & JFK Assassination Research

The long-awaited, oft-talked-about Nas and DJ Premier album may really be happening.

Over the weekend, Nas posted a screenshot of his calendar to his Instagram Story to wish DJ Premier a happy 59th birthday. However, that’s not why he’s making headlines. Fans noticed that the Queens rapper has multiple weeks blocked off for recording sessions with DJ Premier, with one session during the last week in April in the Bahamas already in the books. The two are set to work again the week of March 23 and the week of March 30.

Esco and Preemo first announced they’ve been working on a tape together in April 2024 when they released “Define My Name” to celebrate Illmatic‘s 30th anniversary.

Fans also took notice that it was that time of year again for Nas to carve out some hours to research President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, with the morning of Wednesday, March 19 being dedicated to the passion project. He revealed the hobby to Billboard in 2023 in a “Five Things You Didn’t Know,” saying, “Every once in a while, once a year, I try to figure out who killed JFK.”

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Although, most of what was released was already in the public domain, according to ABC News, the National Archives declassifying thousands of documents on Tuesday, March 18, may have prompted the rap legend to set aside some time on March 19 to continue digging for the truth behind who really killed JFK.

The untitled joint album doesn’t have a release date yet, but we’ll keep you posted.

24 Mar 2025

Tyler, The Creator Says He Won’t Be Performing Songs Off This Album While on Tour

While much of the 30-plus track setlist of Tyler, The Creator‘s Chromakopia: The World Tour centers around the rapper’s 2024 album, one fan made it clear that they want to hear at least one song from a different Tyler album, both online and in-person.

After Tyler made a stop at Orlando’s Kia Center on Saturday night (March 22), a fan took their in-person chants of hoping to hear Cherry Bomb‘s “Deathcamp” live to social media on Monday “I started that Cherry Bomb chant on Saturday and I will start it again tonight. I need to hear DEATHCAMP live,” the fan wrote on X.

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The post drew a response from the Grammy-winning rapper ahead of his Miami show, when Tyler said that he wasn’t tweaking his setlist to cave to the crowd’s demands every show. “Chant all you want (i hope you dont, its mad annoying during the show) I’m not gonna play it, chanting doesn’t make me magically wanna play it,” he replied.

There seemed to be a split reaction from fans on social media as some wanted to hear the grungy track while others trusted Tyler’s vision. “if he doesn’t wanna play deathcamp don’t try to force him to play deathcamp it’s really not that hard people,” one person wrote. Another fired back: “N—a just add it to your set , we don’t care cuz you over the song , you made it for them to enjoy right ? Folks paying to come to your show , why not add a song they wanna hear .. everything you have is because fans spend hard earned money money to see you in wigs.”

“Deathcamp” served as a lead single in April 2015 alongside “F–king Young / Perfect” for Tyler’s Cherry Bomb album. “I’ve always liked Cherry Bomb,” Tyler told the Rap Radar podcast in 2023. “Because I say that era of me as a person was gross and I had to change — they associate that I hate the Cherry Bomb album. I’ve never stated that.”

The Chromakopia: The World Tour continues this week with dates in Miami, Charlotte, N.C., Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio.

Find Tyler, The Creator’s post below:

24 Mar 2025

Jermaine Dupri’s Magic City Docuseries Acquired By Starz

Jermaine Dupri‘s docuseries on Atlanta’s legendary Magic City strip club is officially underway. Deadline has reported that the five-part series entitled Magic City: An American Fantasy has been picked up by Starz.

Originally a three-part series, the project first premiered at SXSW in 2024 and centers around founder Michael “Mr. Magic” Barney and the dancers that have made the club the institution that it is within the rap community. “Magic City: An American Fantasy is a riveting behind-the-curtain look at one of the most unique places in Black culture,” Kathryn Busby, president of original programming at Starz said in a statement released with the news. “The docuseries’ unprecedented insider access and history unveiled from those who built its empire is a perfect complement to Starz’s slate of adult, culture-driving shows.”

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According to the film’s logline as quoted in Variety, the documentary follows Barney from the “opening a small strip club in Atlanta” to that club becoming “the most famous strip club in Atlanta, and soon, the world.” The new series also explores the aftermath of Barney’s drug conspiracy conviction that sent him to federal prison for seven years, with the series’ description adding that his time in prison meant “the empire he’s built may crumble.”

Created by Cole Brown and directed by Charles Todd, the series is also executive produced by Drake‘s DreamCrew Entertainment, which also executive produced the Netflix’s Top Boy and HBO’s Euphoria.

While no release date has been set, Magic City: An American Fantasy is expected to debut this summer.

24 Mar 2025

Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 Countdown For March 29th, 2025 | Billboard News

Playboi Carti, Chappell Roan and Doechii have entered the top 10, but will any of them claim the No. 1 spot?

Tetris Kelly:

With new top 10s from Chappell Roan, Doechii and Playboi Carti, this is the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 for the week dated March 29th. Making her top 10 debut is our Woman of the Year, Doechii. “Pink Pony Club” is down to nine. “Not Like Us” drops to No. 8, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” is up to seven. Shaboozey falls to six. Chappell Roan’s “The Giver” debuts at No. 5, while Playboi Carti and The Weeknd debut at four. “Die With a Smile” slips to three. Playboi Carti’s “EVIL J0RDAN” debuts at No. 2. And for a fifth week at No. 1 are Kendrick Lamar and SZA with “Luther.” If you want more Billboard, make sure you hit the subscribe button and ring the bell to be notified on all our latest videos.

24 Mar 2025

Travis Scott Announces ‘Jackboys 2’ Compilation Album Is ‘On the Way’

Travis Scott officially announced that the Cactus Jack label compilation album JACKBOYS 2 is “on the way.”

La Flame hit the stage at LIV nightclub in Miami early Monday (March 24) when he hopped on the mic during Chase B’s DJ set and proceeded to state that JACKBOYS 2 is in motion before playing some unreleased Sheck Wes music.

“JACKBOYS 2 on the way, man. Let that motherf—–r ride, ya dig,” he said. “New Sheck Wes what the f–k is we doing?” La Flame also performed a handful of records, including ASTROWORLD‘s “NO BYSTANDERS.”

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Previous snippets of the track, tentatively titled “Love My B—h,” have surfaced on social media featuring Travis Scott on the song alongside the Harlem rapper.

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It’s unclear when the label compilation project is set to arrive, but perhaps it could coincide with Travis Scott’s return to the Coachella stage in April, where he’ll “redesign the desert” and headline night three.

JACKBOYS arrived in December 2019 and topped the Billboard 200. The seven-track offering featured assists from the late Pop Smoke, Lil Baby, Quavo, Offset, Young Thug, Don Toliver and more.

It was a busy weekend for Scott, who performed at Future’s daughter Londyn’s sweet 16 bash on Saturday night (March 22) in Atlanta. Pluto also hit the birthday party stage and recruited Sexyy Red and Mariah The Scientist to perform for his daughter and her friends.

In February, Trav notched his fifth Billboard Hot 100 leader when “4×4” topped the Billboard Hot 100.

24 Mar 2025

Rick Ross Opens Cosmetic Dental Practice: ‘Invest in Your Smile This Year’

Rick Ross has shown himself to be a good businessman.

The Miami rapper is already synonymous with chicken wing chain Wingstop, owning around 30 franchises, and now he’s trying his hand at teeth. That’s right, the biggest boss that we’ve seen thus far is opening up a dentist office in a suburb of Atlanta.

Late last week, Rozay posted a series of pics and videos announcing that he and Dr. Mario Montoya’s dental practice, Smiles by Mario Montoya, is officially open for business. “We did it @drmariomontoya,” Ross wrote in a caption. “We began discussing this plan three years ago in Cali, Colombia and now we’ve opened our first dentist office in the U.S.!! Everyone reading this, come get your billion dollar smile in Sandy Springs, Atlanta now. Grateful for the opportunity to play a part in this iconic move. Invest in your smile this year.”

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The good doctor was just as excited, commenting, “My patient, then my friend, then my partner, incredible how things come together. The best for the best.”

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Smiles by Mario Montoya provides cosmetic dentistry services and porcelain veneers at $1250 a pop.

According to the website, Dr. Montoya has worked on smiles for French Montana, Safaree, Moneybagg Yo and, of course, Rick Ross. His bio page mentions that he got his start working with “Puerto Rican urban artists, which has made him a reference in the field of cosmetic dentistry in Latin America.” He’s also worked with T-Pain, Rich the Kid and 6ix9ine, among others.

Seems like a smart move by Ross as every rapper seems to have a new set of teeth these days.

24 Mar 2025

Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s ‘Luther’ Leads Hot 100, Playboi Carti, Chappell Roan & Doechii New in Top 10

Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” leads the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart for a fifth total and consecutive week. The single, whose title is a tribute to late R&B icon Luther Vandross, who is sampled on the track, became Lamar’s sixth No. 1 and SZA’s third. Both Lamar and SZA extend their longest career Hot 100 reigns with the song.

Playboi Carti debuts two songs in the Hot 100’s top five: “Evil J0rdan,” at No. 2, and “Rather Lie,” with The Weeknd, at No. 4. The tracks are from his new album, MUSIC, which soars in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Plus, Chappell Roan’s “The Giver” launches at No. 5 on the Hot 100, and as her first No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and Doechii’s “Anxiety” rises three spots to No. 10 on the Hot 100, becoming her first top 10.

Browse the full rundown of this week’s top 10 below.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated March 29, 2025) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, March 25. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

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.