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Will Smith will be taking his MC skills on the road for the first time in decades. The Grammy-winning polymath announced his Based on a True Story Summer Tour on Monday (March 17), which will hit major cities in the U.K. and Europe this summer. The tour kicks off in Hamburg, Germany, on July 13, […]
J. Cole’s Dreamville Festival returns to North Carolina for its fifth and final iteration April 4-5, and the highly anticipated lineup is finally here.
Dreamville Fest 2025 announced its star-studded lineup on Monday (March 17), with Lil Wayne, 21 Savage and Erykah Badu headlining alongside festival co-founder J. Cole.
The final Dreamville Fest — which launched in 2018 — will be held at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday, April 5, and Sunday, April 6. Tickets are already on sale, with a limited number of two-day general admission passes still available at the Dreamville Fest website.
On Saturday (April 5), Lil Wayne will kick things off alongside Hot Boys (Juvenile, Turk and B.G.) and Big Tymers (Mannie Fresh and Birdman), a notable bookend to last year’s debates over whether Weezy should have headlined the New Orleans-hosted Super Bowl LIX halftime show. 21 Savage, with whom Cole won his first Grammy, will also serve as a Saturday headliner. Other Saturday performers include Ab-Soul, Young Nudy, Chief Keef, Ari Lennox, Lute, Omen, Kai Ca$h & Niko Brim, Bas, Ludacris and PARTYNEXTDOOR, who recently earned his first Billboard 200 chart-topper with the Drake collab $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. Keyshia Cole will play a special set celebrating 20 years of The Way It Is, which houses her timeless classic “Love.”
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Cole and Badu will each close out their respective stages as headliners on Sunday night (April 6). Badu’s performance will come just over a week after she accepts the Icon Award at Billboard Women In Music on March 29. Additional Sunday performers include Grammy winners Tems and Coco Jones, as well as rap stars GloRilla, Wale, BigXthaPlug, JID and Anycia. Earthgang, Cozz and Akia are also set to perform on Sunday night.
“Our team looks forward to welcoming fans from around the world to Dreamville Festival this spring for our fifth-anniversary celebration,” Dreamville co-founder and festival president Adam Roy said in a statement. “The first weekend in April has grown to become one of our team’s favorite times of the year as an annual NC reunion.”
Find the full Dreamville Festival 2025 lineup broken down below.
Saturday, April 5:
Lil Wayne with Hot Boys (Juvenile, Turk, and B.G.) and Big Tymers (Mannie Fresh and Birdman)
21 Savage
PARTYNEXTDOOR
Ludacris
Ari Lennox
Chief Keef
Keyshia Cole (celebrating 20 years of The Way It Is)
Bas
Young Nudy
Ab-Soul
Lute
Omen
Kai Ca$h & Niko Brim
Sunday, April 6:
J. Cole
Erykah Badu
Tems
GloRilla
J.I.D
Wale
Coco Jones
BigXthaPlug
EarthGang
Anycia
Cozz
Akia
See the announcement below:
A$AP Rocky previewed some unreleased music during his headlining Rolling Loud California set on Saturday night (March 15), and one potential Don’t Be Dumb track found him clarify his allegiance in the Drake and Kendrick Lamar feud.
“I ain’t on J. Cole, I ain’t on Drake, I ain’t on Kendrick side/ I choose homicide, they gonna see a different side,” Rocky rapped during his set.
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Throughout 2024, Rocky seemed to be taking shots at Drake while aligning with Future and Metro Boomin on We Still Don’t Trust You‘s “Show of Hands,” and then on J. Cole’s “Ruby Rosary” in September.
Drake directly addressed Rocky during the Kendrick Lamar feud with his three-part “Family Matters” diss track in May. The 6 God previously dated Rihanna, and Rocky reportedly has a history with Drake’s baby mother, Sophie Brussaux.
“Rakim talkin’ s–t again/ Gassed ’cause you hit my BM first, n—a, do the math, who I was hittin’ then/ I ain’t even know you rapped still ’cause they only talkin’ ’bout your ‘fit again/ Probably gotta have a kid again ‘fore you think of droppin’ any s–t again/ Even when you do drop, they gon’ say you should’ve modeled ’cause it’s mid again,” Drizzy rhymed on the track.
It was a show-stealing set for Rocky at Rolling Loud California, as he rappelled from a helicopter to kick off the performance.
The Harlem native dedicated his RL set to those impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires and U.S. immigration laws.
“I see unity. I see so many types of people. I see so many different colors,” he said. “I would like to dedicate this show to anybody that was affected by those fires. To anybody that was affected by the immigration laws. My heart goes out to you.”
Rocky also previewed more unreleased tracks during his set — which Rihanna was in attendance for — but didn’t put a release date on Don’t Be Dumb as the watch for the rapper’s Testing follow-up continues.
It was the 36-year-old’s first festival performance since being found not guilty in February in his felony shooting case against former associate A$AP Relli.
The rapper Plies has dropped a copyright lawsuit he filed against Megan Thee Stallion, GloRilla, Cardi B and Souja Boy over accusations that that the 2024 song “Wanna Be” featured an uncleared sample.
Filed in federal court last year, the case claimed that Megan and GloRilla stole Plies’ material indirectly by legally sampling a Soulja Boy song – a track that the lawsuit alleged had itself illegally used material from his 2008 track “Me & My Goons.”
But in a motion filed Friday, Plies (Algernod Washington) voluntarily dismissed his entire lawsuit against the stars. He did so “without prejudice,” meaning he could refile it in the future, but for now the case is closed.
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An attorney for Plies did not immediately return a request for comment on why the case was dismissed. Court documents did not indicate that any kind of settlement had been reached.
“Wanna Be,” released by Megan and GloRilla last April, debuted at No. 11 on the Hot 100. A remix, featuring Cardi, was released in late May. The song features a prominent sample of Soulja Boy’s 2010 track “Pretty Boy Swag,” which spent 16 weeks on the chart that summer.
Plies, best known for his 2007 singles “Shawty” and “Hypnotized,” filed his case in November, naming all four stars (Megan Pete, Gloria Woods, Belcalis Almanzar and Deandre Way) as defendants.
“Defendant Soulja Boy authorized Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla to sample [his song],” lawyers for Plies write. “[Wanna Be] incorporates substantial elements of the copyrighted material underlying ‘Me & My Goons,’ without authorization from plaintiffs.”
Such accusations – claiming that a legal sample featured an unlicensed sample – have become increasingly common. While all samples in major releases are strictly cleared, copyrighted material featured within the sampled songs can sometimes be trickier to catch. In the last year, Barry White’s estate filed a lawsuit claiming Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” sampled from a 1980s hip-hop song that had ripped off White’s music, and a New Orleans group briefly sued Beyoncé for the same thing over a sample of Big Freedia featured in “Break My Soul.”
Playboi Carti explosively shut down the final night of Rolling Loud on Sunday (March 16), bringing out The Weeknd for a jaw-dropping closing set. Following the blockbuster release of his highly anticipated new album Music on Friday (March 14), Carti delivered a resounding performance at Rolling Loud California that included guest appearances from Kai Cenat, […]
Rolling Loud California, day one was packed with big performances and vibrant energy. From interviewing some of the stars slated to perform to bringing you highlights from the day’s shows, keep watching as we recap everything you may have missed on day one!
What did you think of Rolling Loud day one? Let us know in the comments below!
Tetris Kelly:
Billboard is at Rolling Loud Los Angeles, and from the vibes to the interviews with the artists and seeing them on stage, we take you there in “Billboard All Access.”
Cash Cobain:
Rolling Loud is from California. I see the palm trees. It’s beautiful. It’s amazing. I’m about to go perform right now, so, you know what I’m saying, it’s feeling good right now.
Tetris Kelly:
Before making it to the headliners, we had to check out the vibes at Hollywood Park, and fans were taking advantage of actual carnival rides, in addition to getting their hair and looks on point at multiple activations with tattoos and more. And don’t forget karaoke. There were also real artists backstage before their big sets.
DDG:
I just want to be one of the ones that come out here one day. And you know, I’m not pulling up at three o’clock, I’m pulling up at the SoFi Stadium doing — hell out of my own s—. You know what I mean?
Tetris Kelly:
Also you’re on the track with headliner Playboi Carti, man. Billboard ranked it the eighth best song out of the 30 songs. So how was it to work with my boy?
Cash Cobain:
Shout out to “FINE S—” man. For sure.
Tetris Kelly:
How is it to see, like, your peers out in the crowd and stuff at performances?
Derrick Milano:
It’s like you see them in the elements, and you see all the work and the hard work that’s put in, and you just appreciate who they are as artists and what you do.
Tetris Kelly:
And do you actually care about any of the other headliners that’s played, like anybody’s set you are trying to see before you bounce out tonight?
Keep watching for more!
A$AP Rocky made a spectacular entrance at Rolling Loud California 2025.
Taking a page from Travis Scott’s playbook, the 36-year-old Harlem rapper made a dramatic entrance for his headlining set at the music festival on Saturday (March 15), descending onto the stage from a helicopter that hovered over the massive crowd at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif.
Seated in the black chopper, which was emblazoned with the title of his long-awaited upcoming album, Don’t Be Dumb, Rocky performed an unreleased track, rumored to be called “All Black (Stole Ya Flow).” He first debuted the song at Rolling Loud Miami 2023.
Once lowered onto the stage, the hip-hop star launched into a high-energy set that included hits like “A$AP Forever,” “RIOT (Rowdy Pipe’n)” and “Tailor Swif,” as well as the debut of another unreleased song, the Metro Boomin-produced “Your Honor.” Rocky also invited Skepta on stage for a live duet of 2018’s “Praise the Lord (Da Shine)” before closing out his performance with “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2.”
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With his partner Rihanna cheering him on from the crowd, this marked A$AP’s first live performance since being acquitted of two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm in Los Angeles. A fan-captured video from the set featured a brief video montage documenting his trial.
Saturday’s Rolling Loud California also saw appearances from YG, Sexyy Red, Peso Pluma and BossMan Dlow. The fest continues on Sunday (March 16) with performances by Playboi Carti, Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, Quavo and more.
In February, A$AP shared an update on his upcoming fourth album, Don’t Be Dumb, during a conversation with GQ. An official release date for the album has not yet been announced.
“I’m in the mixing and mastering realm of it,” he told the magazine. “But I think quite frankly, people are tired of hearing about updates about the album. They’re just ready to get this s—, you know what I’m saying? I don’t think anybody wants to hear where I’m at with it, how far is it along and all that. They just want to hear some s— just to see where I’m at, and I promise I got some new s— in store. I’m challenging myself. It’s like anything, I approach it with a different tactic, degree, or finesse.”
Watch A$AP Rocky’s unforgettable set from Rolling Loud California 2025 here.
Playboi Carti‘s new album is off to a strong start on streaming platforms.
Following its release on Friday (March 14), the Atlanta rapper’s long-awaited third studio album, MUSIC, became Spotify‘s most-streamed album in a single day in 2025 so far.
“Carti’s MUSIC is already making history,” the streaming giant captioned its announcement on X on Saturday.
In the lead-up to the album’s release, Spotify supported the rollout by putting up billboards in major cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, and Miami, displaying messages like “STREETS READY,” “SORRY4 DA WAIT” and “I AM MUSIC MF.”
MUSIC was preceded by the official single “All Red,” which reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 3 on Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Carti also released several tracks on his YouTube and Instagram, including “2024,” “BACKR00MS” featuring Travis Scott, and “H00DBYAIR.”
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Additionally, Carti performed unreleased songs during his headlining set at Rolling Loud Miami in December 2024, including “Lose You” featuring The Weeknd. Carti and The Weeknd’s collaboration “Timeless,” from The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow album, reached No. 3 on the Hot 100 last year, following the success of their platinum-certified hit “Popular” with Madonna.
MUSIC features star-studded collaborations from Young Thug, Travis Scott, Future, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, Lil Uzi Vert, Skepta and Ty Dolla $ign. It also boasts an impressive list of producers, including Cardo, Metro Boomin, Southside, F1lthy, Ye, Cash Cobain and the production duo Ojivolta, among others.
The 30-track project arrives five years after Carti’s last album, Whole Lotta Red, which topped the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The 2020 set featured collaborations with Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) on “Go2DaMoon,” Kid Cudi on “M3tamorphosis,” and Future on “Teen X.”
Carti is set to headline Rolling Loud California on Sunday (March 16). The festival posted on X earlier this week, noting that his 2018 debut album, Die Lit, dropped the day before Rolling Loud Miami, and he’s continuing that tradition by releasing MUSIC the day before Rolling Loud California opens.
Ye has dropped a new song that seemingly features Sean “Diddy” Combs and his daughter North West.
On Saturday (March 15), the 47-year-old rapper — formerly known as Kanye West — took to his X account to release the track titled “Lonely Roads Still Go to Sunshine.”
“LONELY ROADS STILL GO TO SUNSHINE new song by PUFF DADDY feat. His son KING COMBS my daughter NORTH WEST and new Yeezy artist from Chicago Jasmine Williams,” the controversial artist captioned the post.
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The nearly five-minute song opens with what appears to be a phone conversation between Ye and Diddy, who is currently incarcerated and facing multiple charges, including sex trafficking.
Trending on Billboard
“I just want to thank you so much for just taking care of my kids, man,” a voice that seems to be Diddy says. “Ain’t nobody reach out to them, ain’t nobody call them.” Ye replies, “Absolutely, I love you so much, man. You raised me. Even when I ain’t know you, know what I’m saying?”
West’s 11-year-old daughter North also appears on the track, rapping, “Doing everything I wanted, that’s the key to life/ When you see me shining, then you see the light.”
Before releasing “Lonely Roads Still Go to Sunshine,” West shared now-deleted screenshots on X of text messages between him and North’s mother, Kim Kardashian, according to TMZ. In the texts, Kardashian allegedly told her ex-husband that she had trademarked their daughter’s name in an attempt to block the song’s release.
“I asked you at the time if I can trademark her name. You said yes. When she’s 18, it goes to her. So stop,” Kardashian reportedly wrote. “I sent paperwork over so she wouldn’t be in the Diddy song to protect her. One person has to trademark!” The reality TV star added, “We agreed when they were both i would get all of our kids names and trademarks So no one else would take them.”
The rapper replied, “Amend it or I’m going to war And neither of us will recover from the public fallout You’re going to have to kill me.”
Ye, who has faced backlash in recent months for his hate-filled, antisemitic rants on social media, has recently defended Diddy. In February, West called on President Donald Trump to free the disgraced hip-hop mogul. “Free Puff,” Ye wrote in all caps on X, later adding, “@realDonaldTrump please free my brother Puff.”
Diddy was arrested in September and is currently in jail without bail, awaiting a federal trial in New York on racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution charges. Prosecutors say he orchestrated an elaborate scheme in which he “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill sexual desires.”
In addition to his new song, Ye posted an image on X on Saturday that he claims will be the cover of his upcoming album. The image features a red Nazi swastika against a black background. It is unclear whether this is related to the release of his Bully album, which he teased at the start of 2025. While the rapper seemed to have plans to release the project sometime this year, it remains uncertain whether the album will actually be released.
Sean “Diddy” Combs returned to federal court in New York City on Friday (March 14), pleading not guilty to the latest version of an indictment charging him with two decades of sex trafficking crimes.
The 55-year-old Combs, his beard noticeably grayer than even weeks ago, stood with his hands folded before him as he told Judge Arun Subramanian that he had read the indictment and understood the charges against him.
Combs, who has been held without bail since his September arrest, hugged two of his lawyers as he entered the courtroom and he blew kisses to family members and waved as he was led out by U.S. marshals afterward.
Subramanian told lawyers that questionnaires will be distributed to hundreds of prospective jurors at the end of April so that questioning of would-be jurors can begin on May 5, with opening statements expected to occur on May 12.
According to the indictment, Combs used the “power and prestige” he wielded as a music mogul to intimidate, threaten and lure women into his orbit, often under the pretense of a romantic relationship.
The indictment said he then used force, threats and coercion to cause victims, including three women specified in the court papers, to engage in commercial sex acts.
It said he subjected his victims to violence, threats of violence, threats of financial and reputational harm and verbal abuse.
“On multiple occasions, Combs threw both objects and people, as well as hit, dragged, choked and shoved others,” it said. “On one occasion, Combs dangled a victim over an apartment balcony.”
Defense lawyers have argued that prosecutors used the charges to try to demonize sex acts between consenting adults.
Part of the discussion in court Friday revolved around what will be allowed at the trial regarding a video that aired on CNN last year that showed Combs punching his former protege and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, and throwing her on the floor in a hotel hallway.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitzi Steiner said the video was “critical to the case.”
Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said the video was “deceptive and not in accordance with the actions that took place.”
He said certain actions were speeded up in the video by as much as 50% and others were taken out of order.
“From the defense standpoint, it’s a misleading piece of evidence, a deceptive piece of evidence, a piece of evidence that has been changed,” he said.
Steiner also said the government was reluctant to share information about accusers who may testify in the case with defense lawyers until deadlines arrive that require the information to be turned over.
She said many of the “individuals are incredibly frightened” not only at having their names revealed publicly but having them disclosed to defense attorneys.
