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After a triumphant Grammys night on Feb. 2 during which he clinched five awards — including the coveted record and song of the year for “Not Like Us” — hip-hop powerhouse Kendrick Lamar made his way to the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday (Feb. 9) to bask in his well-deserved victory lap at the Super Bowl 2025 Halftime Show.
As the Philadelphia Eagles unexpectedly surged ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs with a resounding 24-0 halftime lead, the stage was set for Lamar to electrify. With a birds-eye view of the stage, a massive tic-tac-toe board awaited viewers as they were greeted by Uncle Sam — well, Samuel L. Jackson. Dressed in a patriotic ensemble, the actor welcomed fans to “The Great American Game.”
Lamar began his lyrical exhibition by rapping to “Bodies” on top of a GNX. A frenetic Lamar is swarmed by an army of dancers dressed in red and white before segueing into his Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Squabble Up.” Flanked by his dancers, Lamar’s surgical precision and breath control remained on par until he reached the hook and is interrupted by Jackson. “No, no, no. Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto,” declared Jackson. “Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up.”
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Lamar took heed of Jackson’s words of wisdom and entered a quick medley of 2015’s DAMN, during which he dishes out “Humble” and “DNA.” Lamar continued to blitz fans with surprises, mainly when he performed “Euphoria,” his searing diss track against Drake, which also doubles as a subtle sign that maybe he’d detonate “Not Like Us.” Shortly after, Lamar veered to a pseudo-street corner, where he rapped “Man in the Garden” in front of his homies to the disdain of Jackson.
“I see you brought your homeboys with you,” sneered the actor. “The old culture cheat code. Scorekeeper, deduct one life.”
Lamar kept the GNX buzz intact as the stage shapeshifted again, this time into the form of an X, where he performed “peekaboo.” “Ladies, I wanna make a move,” Lamar rapped to his female dancers before tantalizing them with “their favorite song.” The instrumental for “Not Like Us” hummed through the speakers. Instead of succumbing to the pressure, Lamar slowed things down and brought out his one-time TDE compatriot SZA for “Luther” and “All the Stars.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. That’s what America wants,” cheered Jackson. You’re almost there. Don’t mess this up.”
Jackson’s cautionary warning came on the heels of “Not Like Us,” as Lamar gave an impromptu freestyle, positioning his reasoning for ultimately performing the song. “You really ’bout to do it?/ Yeah, they tried to fake the game, but you can’t fake influence,” said Lamar before pressing go on “Not Like Us.” With the cameras focused on Lamar’s face, he didn’t lose eye contact and delivered the controversial verse with fury, name-dropping Drake and having the crowd rap back the now popular “a minor” line with fervor.
After “Not Like Us,” Lamar seamlessly pivoted to “TV Off,” with the song’s producer, Mustard, alongside him. The now-classic yell of “Mustard” reverberated through Caesars Superdome, allowing the rapper to cap off a monumental set with a lit-up sign reading “Game Over” set up in the crowd, punctuating his efforts.
The impact of Lamar’s performance is indisputable, leaving hip-hop and pop culture awestruck once again.
The world of SZA‘s SOS just keeps getting bigger, with the hitmaker adding four new tracks to her sophomore album’s Lana deluxe edition Sunday (Feb. 9) — just before her Super Bowl Halftime Show performance with Kendrick Lamar. Tacked onto disc 1 of SOS Deluxe: Lana, the four new songs include “Joni” — a collaboration […]
Taylor Swift showed up to the 2025 Super Bowl and seemingly faced a rude reaction from the crowd.
The pop star arrived at New Orleans’ Superdome on Sunday (Feb. 9) in a white blazer over a tank and denim shorts, and white over-the-knee boots. She held a small red handbag serving as a pop of “Chiefs” red, in support of the Kansas City team and Travis Kelce. By her side was her friend Ice Spice, making it the second year for the rapper to attend the big game with Swift.
While the two were seated at the game, which was broadcast on Fox, the Jumbotron camera panned toward Swift and other celebrities seen at the stadium. When the shot stopped on Swift, an apparent wave of “boos” could be heard — perhaps from Eagles supporters.
Swift’s reaction: a side eye, and a slight wince and laugh. In other words, she knew to shake it off. See it here.
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Plenty of fans had her back, including tennis pro Serena Williams, who wrote on X, “I love you @taylorswift13 dont listen to those booo!!”
Swift’s attendance at the Super Bowl for the second year in a row was expected, as she’s dating Kelce, tight end for the Chiefs. This year’s game has the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Philadelphia Eagles.
Though Kelce is the NFL star, the football player says he looks up to Swift’s athleticism. “Her work ethic, what I saw on that tour last year, was pretty remarkable,” he said at a pre-Super Bowl press conference. “It was the dancers, the band, the singers, it was everybody involved, and it was an absolute machine. It was something I could admire watching and take a lot of notes from.”
The night before the Super Bowl, Swift was spotted in New Orleans rocking a Penny Lane-style coat while going out to dinner with Danielle and Alana Haim, as well as Kylie Kelce. Swift’s parents were also seen at the restaurant. The Haim sisters were also seen at the game Sunday.
Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department finished 2024 as the most popular album of the year in the U.S., according to music data tracking company Luminate. Her record-setting Eras Tour, which wrapped in December, grossed more than $2 billion and sold over 10 million tickets.
See Swift’s arrival to the Chiefs-Eagles game with Ice Spice in a clip courtesy of the NFL below.
Cardi B was in full party mode ahead of Super Bowl LIX, twerking her way through a night of festivities.
In the hours leading up to the highly anticipated matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome, the 32-year-old rapper celebrated at local clubs.
On Saturday (Feb. 8), Cardi shared a series of videos on her Instagram Story, showing off her moves in a form-fitting beige dress. In the clips, she’s seen bent over, delivering an epic twerk at a mystery spot in the Big Easy.
In another video, Cardi is seen in what looks like a hotel room, preparing to head to her next club destination with a group of friends. “I’m so sleepy and here comes miss meanie P,” she captioned the clip, featuring a friend who impatiently urged, “OK, let’s go!”
The fun didn’t stop there. The next video shows Cardi back at the club, grooving to the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” with a mischievous look. “The thoughts in my head be soo bad,” she wrote over the video.
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Switching up her look, Cardi dons a shiny dark gray dress as she gives fans a peek into her night at Beacher’s Madhouse at Republic NOLA. In the video, she showcases a Michael Jackson impersonator and sprays the crowd with a fog cannon. It looks like the rapper had a late night, with one video timestamped at approximately 4:30 a.m.
Her fun night comes after the release of her highly anticipated new track “Toot It Up,” a collaboration with Pardison Fontaine that dropped on Friday.
The two last teamed up on 2018’s “Backin’ It Up,” which they performed together at the 2018 BET Hip Hop Awards. The song reached No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and cracked the top 20 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (No. 18) and Rhythmic Airplay (No. 11).
Pardi has also co-written several of Cardi’s biggest hits, including “Bodak Yellow,” “I Like It” with Bad Bunny and J Balvin, “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion, and “Up,” as well as much of her Grammy-winning debut album, Invasion of Privacy.
“Toot It Up” is just one of the new tracks Cardi has on the horizon. Earlier this week, a trailer for the upcoming Smurfs movie teased a new track “Higher Love” by Desi Trill, featuring DJ Khaled, Cardi B, Natania and Subhi.
The Weeknd lands his fifth No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with the debut of Hurry Up Tomorrow atop the tally (dated Feb. 15). The set earned 490,500 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 6, according to Luminate. That marks the largest week for any album since Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department debuted at No. 1 on the May 4, 2024-dated chart with 2.61 million. Hurry Up Tomorrow logs the biggest week for an R&B/hip-hop album since Travis Scott’s Utopia debuted at No. 1 on the Aug. 12, 2023, chart with 496,000.
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The Weeknd previously topped the chart with After Hours (2020), My Dear Melancholy (2018), Starboy (2016) and Beauty Behind the Madness (2015).
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Also in the latest top 10, Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess surges 14-6 following her best new artist win at the Grammy Awards (Feb. 2), while Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft (10-5) also climbs in the wake of Grammy exposure.
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 Feb. 15, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Feb. 11. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of Hurry Up Tomorrow’s 490,500 first-week equivalent album units, album sales comprise 359,000 (it debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 130,500 (equaling 171.5 million on-demand official streams of the songs on the streaming edition of the album; it debuts at No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums) and TEA units comprise 1,000.
Hurry Up Tomorrow’s launch of 490,500 units marks The Weeknd’s biggest week by units earned (since the chart began measuring in units in December 2014). The set’s sales of 359,000 claim The Weeknd’s largest sales week ever.
The set was released as a nine-song standard album, widely available through digital download retailers. It was alternatively available as an 11-song edition across all of its physical formats (CD, vinyl and cassette) and a 22-track digital download and streaming edition. It was also available in two further digital download editions, both exclusively sold via The Weeknd’s HurryUpTomorrow.Club site. Each sold for $4.99, boasted alternative cover art and had the 22 tracks available on the deluxe digital/streaming edition, but each had at least one additional track. One included “Closing Night,” with Swedish House Mafia. The other included “Runaway” and “Society,” which were also included on all of the physical formats, but not any of the other digital or streaming editions.
In total, the album generated 183,000 in digital album sales; 99,000 in CD sales; 77,000 in vinyl sales (The Weeknd’s best week on vinyl) and 1,000 in cassette sales.
Hurry Up Tomorrow’s first-week sales were aided by its availability across eight vinyl variants (including a signed edition), eight CD variants (including multiple signed editions), a cassette tape, and nine deluxe boxed sets containing a branded piece of clothing and a CD.
The album was preceded by the Billboard Hot 100-charting songs “Timeless” (with Playboi Carti, No. 3 peak last October) and “Sao Paulo” (with Anitta, No. 77 last November).
Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos falls 1-2 on the Billboard 200 with 94,000 equivalent album units earned (down 20%). SZA’s chart-topping SOS slips 2-3 with 82,000 (down 6%), Kendrick Lamar’s GNX dips 3-4 with 65,000 (though up 9%) and Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft jumps 10-5 with 53,000 (up 47%).
Eilish was the first performer on the Feb. 2 Grammy Awards broadcast (on CBS), singing the album’s “Birds of a Feather.” Also on the show: The Weeknd performed (singing his new album’s “Cry for Me” and “Timeless,” with Playboi Carti), while SZA presented the best pop duo/group performance, and Lamar won two on-air trophies (for record of the year, and song of the year, both for “Not Like Us”).
Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess surges 14-6 with a 56% gain — to 49,000 equivalent album units earned. The album vaults up the tally following Roan’s win for best new artist at the Grammys, along with her performance of the album’s “Pink Pony Club” on the show (and her buzzy acceptance speech which generated headlines).
Sabrina Carpenter’s former No. 1 Short n’ Sweet gaind 20% (up to 48,000 equivalent album units) but is pushed down a spot to No. 7. On the Grammy Awards, Carpenter won the best pop vocal album award, while also performing a medley of the album’s “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” (She also won best pop solo performance for “Espresso,” but that category was presented before the television broadcast began.)
Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time drops 5-8 on the Billboard 200, despite an 11% gain (to 45,000 equivalent album units). Taylor Swift’s former No. 1 The Tortured Poets Department ascends 11-9 with 38,000 equivalent album units (up 8%) — also likely basking in some glow from the Grammy Awards, where the album and its “Fortnight” single were up for six awards (though did not win). Swift was a visible presence throughout the ceremony, cheering on winners and performers, and presented the best country album trophy to Beyoncé (for Cowboy Carter).
Rounding out the latest top 10 on the Billboard 200 is Gracie Abrams’ The Secret of Us, falling 8-10 with 36,000 equivalent album units earned (down 5%).
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.
David Schwimmer is calling for Ye’s removal from X after the rapper posted a series of controversial and antisemitic remarks.
On Saturday (Feb. 8), the Friends star took to social media to address Elon Musk, urging the X owner to ban Ye — formerly known as Kanye West –from the platform.
“This is so 2022. We can’t stop a deranged bigot from spewing hate filled, ignorant bile… but we CAN stop giving him a megaphone, Mr. Musk,” the Jewish actor, 58, wrote on Instagram. “Kanye West has 32.7 million followers on your platform, X. That’s twice as many people than the number of Jews in existence. His sick hate speech results in REAL LIFE violence against Jews.”
In recent days, Ye has gone on a tweet spree filled with hate, once again praising Nazis and Adolf Hitler while targeting the LGBTQ+ community and people with disabilities. In addition to embracing antisemitic stereotypes and hate speech, the 47-year-old rapper also tweeted support for Diddy, who is currently in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Schwimmer continued, “I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that he identifies as a Nazi (which implies he wants to exterminate ALL marginalized communities including his own) or the fact that there is not sufficient OUTRAGE to remove and ban him from all social media at this point. Silence is complicity.”
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In his posts, Ye also referenced Musk’s repeated use of a Nazi-like salute at a Donald Trump inauguration event in January, which was widely criticized. Musk responded to the backlash, telling critics they “need better dirty tricks.” “Elon stole my Nazi swag at the inauguration… yooo my guy get your own third rale,” Ye wrote, adding, “I can say Jew as much as I want. I can say Hitler as much as I want.”
Ye was initially banned from X (formerly Twitter) in October 2022 for antisemitic posts, briefly reinstated in November, then re-suspended later that month after he posted an image of a swastika intertwined with a Star of David. Eight months later, Musk reinstated West’s account once again.
Claiming he has no interest in “adjusting nothing I do or say for anybody,” West promised to “normalize talking about Hitler they [sic] way talking about killing ni–as has been normalized,” followed by “Hitler was sooooo fresh” and “call me Yaydolf Yitler.”
Amid Ye’s earlier embrace of Hitler and Nazi propaganda, experts spoke to Billboard about the dangers of someone with such a vast social media following promoting antisemitic tropes, especially at a time when hate crimes against Jews and Jewish institutions had reached alarming levels.
“At a time when the community is dealing with this level of hatred to have one of the most well-known entertainers in our culture making statements like ‘I like Hitler’ and showing up on [Jones’] InfoWars is not just vile and offensive, but it’s also endangering Jews by giving people permission to express that kind of prejudice,” Jonathan A. Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said at the time. “People in the mainstream did not make such overtly awful, inflammatory comments before like this.”
Less than a week after stealing the show at the Grammy Awards and winning the best rap album trophy, Doechii brought her magnetic stage presence to the Big Easy with a late night performance at the House of Verizon activation during Super Bowl weekend in New Orleans on Saturday night (Feb. 8). Explore Explore See […]
Nelly brought his St. Louis swagger to a New Orleans institution, turning a nearly seven-decade-old restaurant into a Super Bowl week party.
The multi-Grammy winner packed Brennan’s on Friday night (Feb. 7), delivering a hit-filled set at h.wood’s “Homecoming.” As fans rushed the stage, pro football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe and actor Jaleel White kicked back in the VIP area, while Flavor Flav enjoyed the show from a prime onstage spot.
Chainsmokers went on before Nelly, performing a number of their hits, from “Closer” to “Roses.”
Before Nelly’s appearance, attendees mingled for a few hours at the invite-only event. Once he arrived, many flocked toward the stage and pulled out their phones to capture his set.
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While Flavor Flav recorded him, Nelly went on to perform several jams including “Ride Wit Me,” “E.I.” and “Air Force Ones.” Many in the crowd recited the Kelly Rowland-sang chorus of “Dilemma,” which won a Grammy in 2003. Nelly also performed “Hot in Herre,” another Grammy winner in that same year.
The Homecoming show was a part of a night filled with other concerts across the New Orleans area before the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Shaquille O’Neal held his carnival-style Shaq’s Funhouse with Ludacris and John Summit headlining the concert. Some attendees included rapper Sexyy Red, football player Desean Jackson, NBA great Paul Pierce and Patrick Surtain II, who was recently awarded the NFL’s defensive player of the year honor.
Nelly recently performed at the Liberty Inaugural Ball, held for the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump on Jan. 20. He commented on his decision to take part in the inauguration concert, saying, “I’m not doing this for money. I’m doing this because it’s an honor. I respect the office. It don’t matter who is in office, the same way that our men and women, our brothers and sisters who protect this country, have to go to war and have to put their life on the line for whoever’s in office. So if they can put their life on the line for whoever in office, I can damn sure perform for whoever.”
Ashanti is opening up following the death of Irv Gotti.
On Friday (Feb. 7), the R&B star shared a heartfelt tribute on social media to honor the Murder Inc. Records founder after his passing.
“I can’t believe things ended like this….and it makes me so sad,” Ashanti wrote on her Instagram Story, according to TMZ. “We weren’t on the best terms the past few years but as I’ve always said, through our ups and downs I will forever be grateful for everything that you’ve done for me. We made history and that will remain infinite..”
The “Foolish” singer continued, “I’ve always respected your musical genius and ability to push me to be my best.. All the greatness and positive things that came, far outweigh the dark and negative times. I have always prayed for you to find peace. Sending love and prayers to the entire family. Rest well. Rest in Peace Irv.”
Along with the post, Ashanti also reportedly shared a series of throwback photos from her Murder Inc. days, including an image from the release of her 2002 self-titled debut album.
Gotti, who co-founded the iconic Murder Inc. Records and helped launch the careers of Ja Rule and Ashanti in the early 2000s, passed away on Feb. 5 after suffering a stroke. He was 54 years old.
Alongside his brother Chris, Irv Gotti (born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr.) launched Murder Inc. in 1998 as an imprint of Def Jam, following his success in helping bring DMX to the vaunted hip-hop label. Ja Rule became the flagship artist for Murder Inc., and the label’s first release was his 1999 debut album, Venni Vetti Vecci.
In addition to Ja Rule, Gotti also discovered Ashanti when she was a teenager. She went on to achieve fame with memorable hooks on rap hits and her own solo R&B success. Ashanti’s three biggest hits all came in 2002: Ja Rule’s “Always on Time,” featuring Ashanti, topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks; Fat Joe’s “What’s Luv?,” featuring Ashanti, peaked at No. 2; and her own “Foolish” spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100.
Billboard recently named “Foolish” and “I’m Real” among the Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century.
Gotti won a Grammy in 2003 for co-producing Ashanti’s eponymous debut album, which earned best contemporary R&B album. He was nominated again the following year for co-writing Ashanti’s “Rock Wit U (Awww Baby),” which was a finalist for best R&B song.
2025 might not be so bad after all. Roc Marciano and DJ Premier surprised rap fans with a new single in “Armani Exchange” and have announced that they’ll be releasing a collaborative EP later this year. Ironically enough, this all came together by a chance meeting at Macy’s flagship Herald Square store in New York […]