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Drake sought to reinvent his album rollout style with the three Iceman episodes released earlier this year. The 6 God opened up about his creative process and his intentions with the livestreams in a rare interview with Complex on Tuesday (Nov. 18).
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“I have been dying to act and have been dying for a challenge,” Drake said. “The game is extremely calm seas right now. Nobody is rocking any boat on the water and so once we discussed a livestream rollout, it just sounded like the perfect mix of risk and reward for me.”
The OVO boss continued: “I love the opportunity for a clean slate of thoughts and excitement and messaging when it comes to the music. What I hate is the redundancy of this formulaic approach that’s ingrained in our brains from early label days. Single, video, single, video, album cover post, etc.”
Drake kicked off the Iceman rollout with a livestream on July 4, which saw him preview his “What Did I Miss?” single that arrived on July 5.
Later in July, a second stream found Drizzy working in a factory before a woman danced in a drained pool to what we now know is “Which One” featuring Central Cee. He closed out the episode moving through a London airport while previewing an unreleased track.
“I think I am always capable of recognizing when things are shifting and not being weirdly affected by it, not being jealous, not being thirsty, just finding how I can shine light or co-exist or make it a part of our ecosystem,” he added. “With this, I just would study IRL streams versus the stagnant ‘bedroom cam’ streams, and I feel like IRL just had so much unpredictable energy and movement.”
Drake returned for episode three in September, which saw him cruising the streets of Italy and previewing plenty of tunes, including the Cash Cobain-assisted “Somebody Loves Me” remix as well as “Dog House” featuring Julia Wolf and YEAT.
Elsewhere in his Complex interview, Drizzy explained that he enjoyed the building anticipation and conspiracy theories surrounding the album within his fan base, compared to the traditional release of a single and accompanying music video.
“I watch murder docs a lot and as you get invested you start to try and solve things before you even know where it’s headed or what the answers are. It’s like this sleuth energy — ‘What did I learn? What did I miss?’ No pun intended,” he joked. “It’s crazy to see people make two-, three-hour videos on their thoughts and building conspiracies. It’s interactive content and that adds such a desirable element, more so than a music video with cars and tings. Not that those aren’t lovely sometimes.”
Iceman‘s release date remains a mystery. However, Drake posted a series of photos of himselfplaying tennis with Sexyy Red on Tuesday, which fueled speculation about a possible upcoming collaboration.
Nicki Minaj took the podium to speak out against the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria at a United Nations event organized by U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz on Tuesday (Nov. 18).
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Minaj has voiced her concern with the alleged religious persecution taking place in the West African nation on multiple occasions in recent months on X, which drew the attention of Ambassador Waltz, who invited the Young Money rapper to speak at the event.
“I would like to thank President Trump for prioritizing this issue and his leadership on the global stage in calling for urgent action to defend Christians in Nigeria and to combat extremism and to bring a stop to violence against those who simply want to express their natural right to freedom of religion or belief,” she began.
Minaj continued: “Music has taken me around the globe. I have seen how people no matter their language, culture or religion, come alive when they hear a song that touches their soul. Religious freedom means we all can sing our faith regardless of who we are, where we live and what we believe. But today, faith is under attack in way too many places.”
The Queens native explained that the religious persecution “demands urgent action” from the U.S. government, but she also made sure to clarify this isn’t about “taking sides or dividing people,” it’s about “uniting humanity.”
“In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes and killed. Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart and entire communities live in fear constantly simply because of how they pray,” she explained. “Sadly, this problem is not only a growing problem in Nigeria, but so many countries across the world and it demands urgent action. I want to be clear, protecting Christians in Nigeria is not about taking sides or dividing people. It is about uniting humanity.”
Minaj concluded: “I want to make it clear once again, this isn’t about taking sides. This is about standing up in the face of injustice. It’s about what I’ve always stood for my entire career and I will continue to stand for that for the rest of my life.”
Her comments come on the heels of President Trump designating Nigeria as a future addition to the list of Countries of Particular Concern.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump said in a video on Truth Social shared Nov. 5.
A Nigerian presidential spokesman previously told The Associated Press that the U.S. cannot “carry out any military operation” in Nigeria over the claims of religious persecution. Spokesman Daniel Bwala said that this is “Trump’s style of going forceful in order to force a sit-down and have a conversation.”
“There is no systematic, intentional attempt either by the Nigerian government or by any serious group to target a particular religion,” Information Minister Idris Muhammed told AP in October, and downplayed reports of Christian persecution.
Watch Nicki Minaj’s full speech below.
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THE BIG STORY: Almost 20 years after Kim Kardashian burst into the national consciousness with a leaked sex tape, the male participant in the video says it wasn’t actually leaked at all.
In an explosive lawsuit filed last week, the R&B singer Ray J claimed the film was intentionally released by his then-girlfriend, Kardashian, and her mother, Kris Jenner, who have since spent nearly two decades “peddling the false story” that it was leaked.
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That’s not an entirely new claim; rumors have long swirled about the infamous tape that launched the billion-dollar Kardashian empire. But the family has always denied the claim, and there was no hard evidence or inside knowledge to argue otherwise.
How exactly did Ray J and Kardashian get to this point? And how do you sue someone over this? For the full backstory and the breakdown of the case, go read our story here.
You’re reading The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between. To get the newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday, go subscribe here.
Other top stories this week…
GIMME DAMAGES – The company that owns the early Rolling Stones catalog filed a lawsuit against Behr Paint over an Instagram ad that allegedly featured “Paint It, Black” without a sync license.
DAY IN COURT – Lil Nas X made his first court appearance since leaving an inpatient treatment program following his August arrest for attacking police officers during a late-night naked walk.
CONVICTION AFFIRMED – An appeals court upheld the conviction of Tory Lanez for shooting Megan Thee Stallion, rejecting his arguments aimed at overturning his 10-year prison sentence.
CONTEMPT OF COURT – Elsewhere in the Tory-Megan saga, a judge held Lanez in contempt for refusing to be deposed: “Whatever the fines are, I’ll pay them,” he said. “I’m a millionaire. I don’t care.”
RELEASE DATE – Sean “Diddy” Combs’ projected release date was pushed back by a month, a move that came after media reports that he violated prison rules by drinking homemade alcohol.
DOWNTOWN DISPUTE – Downtown Music faces a lawsuit claiming it threw licensing partner Blast Off Media under the bus as a “sacrifice” to lessen regulatory scrutiny of its acquisition by UMG.
DEATH THREATS? – Lil Durk’s lawyers say they’ve been “kept in the dark” about alleged death threats that were called in to a judge and the lead prosecutor in his murder-for-hire case.
DRAKE SUED, AGAIN – A new lawsuit against Drake claims his music video ripped off the work of an Italian photographer — and, in a strange twist, that he did it as part of his feud with Kendrick Lamar.
NO SEQUEL – Cardi B’s lawyers scoffed at the idea of a second trial in Emani Ellis’ failed assault case against the superstar, calling it “absurd” after jurors easily rejected the allegations.
CASE DROPPED – A$AP Relli is ending his civil lawsuit against A$AP Rocky over an alleged Hollywood shooting, months after Rocky was acquitted on such accusations at a criminal trial.
FREE, FOR NOW – Music executive Ángel Del Villar will remain a free man while he appeals his convictions for doing business with Mexican drug cartels and the resulting four-year prison sentence.
BITTER BREAKUP – There’s a new front in the nasty legal war between hip-hop producer Madlib and his longtime manager Eothen “Egon” Alapatt: The copyrights to their songs.
MORE ALLEGATIONS – After Calvin Harris’ bombshell fraud lawsuit against business manager Thomas St. John, fellow star DJ Eric Prydz has now filed his own case claiming the manager stole $269,000.
LOCK HIM UP – Prosecutors want Tekashi 6ix9ine sent back to prison over multiple violations of his supervised release, including assaulting someone who taunted him as a snitch.
LIBEL LAWSUIT – Biggie’s son filed a defamation case against a Florida music producer who accused him — he says falsely — of participating in one of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sexual assaults.
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In his first sitdown interview since being released from prison, Max B talked with Billboard‘s hip-hop editor Angel Diaz about a wide range of topics that include his first day out and reuniting with French Montana, how he’s readjusting to life outside and reviving his career, his friendships with the younger generation of rappers such as the late Mac Miller, Wiz Khalifa and Cash Cobain, his love for the Knicks and much more.
Angel Diaz: This is In Conversation with Max B, the boss of Biggaveli. Welcome back home, man.
Max B: Thank you, beloved. The one and only.
So let’s get started. You came home Nov. 9, right? French’s birthday, and you went straight to the Jets game. Can you kind of talk about why you were at the you were, like, on the field and everything.
Well, that was kind of like one of the signs where I knew I was, it was, I was like, the come out was gonna be impactful. So it just so happens I’m a Jet fan, anyway.
OK, all right.
So, you know, we needed to win. You know, it all ran good company that day. We wanted to win. And I wanted to, you know, finally meet Shedeur Sanders. So it was love, one of the fun days I’ll remember for a long time, very long time.
So how crazy was it, though, when you was on the field and you saw Method Man taking pictures?
I thought he found some type of loopholes. I said, “You don’t found some loopholes to the game.” And I’m like, “OK, do they let the guys take, you know, maybe you need some type of little photo, the little, you know?”
Yeah, like, he’s, like–
And they gonna give you a job, a volunteer, doing some photo. You be caught sight sidelined the game. You get to see all the players. You get, like, that’s some official s–t. So it was good shout-out to Meth, yo, because I been a Method fan forever. So to see him like that on that in that circumstance, it was just like, I knew the day was just beginning. I’m like, it’s gonna get more exciting.
Keep watching for more!
They finally freed the wave.
Harlem’s Max B was sentenced to 75 years in 2009 for his role in a robbery gone wrong. However, in 2016, his sentence was reduced to 20 years after he struck a plea deal with prosecutors, and he finally came home on Nov. 9 to much fanfare, and was greeted outside the gates of Northern State Prison in Newark, N.J., by his longtime friend and collaborator French Montana.
In his first sit-down video interview since being released, Max B caught up with Billboard to talk about his influence, how he spent his time inside and his plans for the future.
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A couple of rappers who were influenced by Max are two widely popular ones out of Pittsburgh. He and Mac Miller struck up a relationship before Miller’s 2018 death, and Wiz Khalifa has mentioned Max’s influence on his style on multiple occasions.
“I didn’t know Mac too well personally, but we spoke a couple times before he passed away, rest in peace,” Max tells Billboard of the late MC. “I know he was a big fan, I’m a fan of his as well. You know these guys is music guys, they love music … You hear the music incorporated with the pain or whatever, so these is like musical guys. I kinda feel like musical guys adapt to my style.”
When it comes to how he’s been adapting to life outside the walls of a prison as a civilian, he’s still getting used to things. “I’m not gonna say I’m overwhelmed. Anxiety? I’m not really that anxious no more for nothin’,” he says. “I’m just taking my time, I’m out here. It’s real, I done woke up in my bed a couple days straight, so I can’t complain, man, you know what I’m saying? Eating good food, got my wife, got my kids — I’m seeing my kids everyday — I got my electronics … I start trying to hook my s—t up, I couldn’t. I didn’t know what the f—k I was doing with that, but I’ma keep trying, you heard? It’s mine, I’ma figure that s—t out.”
He adds that he’s going to turn over a new leaf.
“This the new grown and gorgeous Biggavel, this is the new and improved. This the new, distinguished Biggavel. This ain’t the old Biggavel from before, so you gotta love it,” he says of the white suit and red bowtie he wore during his “Welcome Home” dinner. “This is what I think is attracting the people like, ‘Damn, we thought this n—a was gonna come out and do the same s—t. He’s a prime example of what you’re supposed to do when you come out. His reentry at its purest form. This man right here: Max Biggavel.”
And his influence doesn’t only extend to rap music. Rap Twitter has long since dubbed Justin Bieber “Biebervelli” whenever the pop star decides to venture into R&B, and when Max caught wind of the Canadian singer’s nickname, he had nothing but nice things to say. “Shout out to the Biebs, man. That’s my guy. He’s soulful,” Max tells Billboard. “When I hear stuff like that, I get flattered, I go back in there and get some work done, man, and keep it going, so the game could love us.”
Check out In Conversation With Max B above for a lot more.
Trending on Billboard Drake and Sexyy Red are sparking collaboration rumors after posing for a tennis-themed photo shoot,which the 6 God fueled with a post to Instagram on Monday (Nov. 17). Explore See latest videos, charts and news “I said tennis lesson she said where’s the bracelet or the necklace,” Drizzy captioned the slideshow of […]
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Legendarily prolific actor Samuel L. Jackson had no problem saying yes when he was asked to join Kendrick Lamar for the Grammy and Pulitzer prize-winning rapper’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show in February in New Orleans. And while Jackson thought he was signing up for another one of his eclectic acting gigs, the Tulsa King co-star told Jimmy Kimmel on Monday night (Nov. 17) that he had no idea he was signing up to be a surprise guest at a “revolution.”
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“Great time. I kind of had no idea when they called me and said, ‘Yeah, we’d really like for you to be part of Kendrick’s halftime show’… I was like ‘really?,’” Jackson recalled thinking at the time. When the show’s producers promised to send him the treatment for the show, consummate professional Jackson said he didn’t really care about all that and promised to be there when they needed him.
“And then when I got there and we were rehearsing, it was all kind of nice and fun and watching the dancers go through their routines,” he described. “It’s like, ‘damn! They’ve been rehearsing for a while, because they were like [snaps fingers.]’” In case you forgot, Jackson popped in dressed in a red, white and blue Uncle Sam outfit to welcome the crowd with the enthusiastic greeting, “your uncle… Sam and this is the great American game!”
Jackson said he had “no idea” about what was about to take place until dress rehearsal for what would become the most-watched halftime show in history, one in which he would provide Greek chorus-like commentary on the racial state of the nation. “That was the first time I knew we were doing a revolution,” Jackson said of the eye-popping spectacle at the Caesars Superdome that featured guest stars SZA, tennis great Serena Williams crip walking and record producer Mustard.
“I knew I was dressing as Uncle Sam, but I just thought that was like, okay, fine, it’s an Uncle Sam thing,” Jackson said. “When dress rehearsal starts I’m there I’m doing it and I turn around and I said, ‘wait a minute, that’s a flag… they’re making a flag up there,” he recalled of the sight of the mass of dancers in red, white and blue forming into the American flag. “Oh, now I’m going, ‘ah, now it’s revolutionary.’” He said it never occurred to him before that moment that the dancers would be activated into Old Glory, especially since a lot of people already call him “Uncle Sam” on the regular.
Jackson, who has worked with rappers before, including LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes, also famously appeared in the 1992 crime drama Juice alongside late rap icon Tupac Shakur in his first major role in a film. The actor, who had met Shakur before, said he was a “nice enough kid,” but recalled an incident on set that might surprise fans familiar with Jackson’s legendarily NSFW dialogue.
On a night when Jackson wasn’t shooting, his wife, actress LaTanya Jackson was sitting in a room with the mothers of the other kids who appeared in the film and “Tupac came through there and he was cussing somebody out and yelling, screaming.” So LaTanya Jackson grabbed Shakur and told the rapper, “‘Hey, don’t you see all the grown women, you can’t talk like that and use that kind of language!’ And everybody in the room was like [big inhale]. And he totally apologized [and said] ‘I’m so sorry.’” From that point on, Jackson said, Tupac was a gentleman and whenever he saw the actor’s wife he would greet her with, “‘Hey mom, how you doing?’”
Kimmel said it did strike him as odd that Jackson’s wife had a problem with foul language given his f-bomb proclivities. “Only in a room full of grown women,” Jackson explained, with Kimmel confirming that scripted cursing is seemingly okay with her. “If I’m at home, it’ my house,” Jackson explained. “I can say what I want to.”
Watch Samuel L. Jackson on Jimmy Kimmel Live! below.
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Eminem has launched a legal battle with an Australian beach umbrella brand called “Swim Shady,” claiming the company is just imitating his “Slim Shady” alter ego.
The rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, is fighting a legal action at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, seeking to cancel an American trademark that the Sydney-based Swim Shady secured on its name earlier this year.
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Eminem’s attorneys say the similar-sounding name “uniquely and unmistakably” points to the “internationally renowned recording artist and entertainer” – and that customers will be “deceived” into thinking he’s somehow involved.
“The petitioned mark is highly similar to petitioner’s name,” his lawyers write in their September petition, obtained by Billboard. “Consumers and potential consumers, and anyone seeing one of respondent’s products in the marketplace … will assume that the source of the goods emanates from [Eminem].”
Eminem debuted the Slim Shady name in 1997, using it for an aggressive alter ego that explores darker and more violent subjects. His 1999 album The Slim Shady LP, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200, focused heavily on the name, including his breakout “My Name Is” and his smash hit “Real Slim Shady” that reached No. 4 on the Hot 100.
The star has had “Slim Shady” registered as a federal trademark since 2001, holding rights to the name covering a wide range of goods. And he’s not afraid to enforce those rights: In 2023, he filed a similar case against Real Housewives stars Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon over their efforts to get a trademark for the name of their “Reasonably Shady” podcast.
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Swim Shady launched earlier this year to sell a small, foldable beach umbrella – a product it says is aimed at “solo beachgoers who wanted better sun protection without the hassle.” And the company has big plans: According to its website, it is seeking or has secured trademarks for that name around the globe, including in China, the U.S. and the European Union.
In September, the USPTO formally granted the company an American trademark registration for its name, covering both beach gear and a wide assortment of apparel. Such a registration makes it easier to sue someone selling a knock-off brand and allows a company to use the ® symbol.
But Eminem’s lawyers, in their Sept. 29 petition, say Swim Shady’s trademark never should have been registered. Such cases, filed with the PTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, are a common way that brand owners prevent others from securing rights to their names.
Eminem knows that process well. Since 2003, his lawyers have filed at least six such cases at that trademark dispute body — including not just the Real Housewives case but also one against an apparel brand called “Shadzy” and another against a sunglasses brand called “Shady Character.”
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Many other superstar artists have taken similar proactive measures to defend their names against similar-sounding trademarks filed by third-parties, which are cheap to file and sometimes slip through the approval process. Taylor Swift filed a case in 2017 to block a “Swifty” trademark; Jay-Z has filed more than ten over the years.
Such cases don’t legally stop a company like Swim Shady from using a brand name on their products, but merely from securing their own trademark rights to it; only a full-fledged federal lawsuit can shut down an infringing company. But in his new case, Eminem suggests that he thinks Swim Shady’s use of the name violates his rights.
“Petitioner is and will continue to be damaged by any sale or any offering for sale of Swim Shady goods by respondent, since there will exist a false association and suggestion as to the source of the goods involved,” his lawyers write. “Any inferior quality of respondent’s goods will damage the reputation of petitioner’s premium goods and services.”
Reps for both Eminem and Swim Shady did not immediately return requests for comment.
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A$AP Rocky graced the cover as part of Vanity Fair‘s Hollywood Issue published Tuesday (Nov. 18), which saw the Harlem native expand on his passion for acting, so don’t expect him to slow up anytime soon.
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“Acting is just another component of the great arts,” he told the magazine. “And I’m a Renaissance man … I’ve always had a desire, this innate passion for doing these acting roles.”
2025 was a busy year for Rocky in front of the camera, as he starred in Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest alongside Denzel Washington, and then appeared in A24’s If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.
“I’m at a place where anytime I’m around an OG,” he added of being around acting royalty such as Denzel. “I just soak in game … I would love to be silver and that wise one day myself. And still be handsome.”
Covering VF‘s Hollywood Issue made Rocky feel like he belonged with the upperclassmen of Hollywood, as he posed alongside actors Callum Turner, LaKeith Stanfield, Glen Powell and Jeremy Allen White.
“To be in that space and to be acknowledged and respected as an actor, or just an artist in general,” Rocky said while recognizing the company he kept. “Honestly, it was the boys, man.”
Over the years, the rapper has carved out a reputation as one of the fashion icons of his generation, but he knows his time in the sun is coming to an end at some point, and he’s ready to pass the torch.
“After me, it’ll be somebody special, and hopefully I know who that person is,” he said. “And it’ll be a person who I feel like deserves it.”
There’s still no update on A$AP Rocky’s much-delayed Don’t Be Dumb album. Rocky and Rihanna welcomed their third child, a baby girl named Rocki Irish Mayers, in September.
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T.I. has revived his expediTIously podcast. The trap pioneer sat down with NBA icon Allen Iverson on Tuesday (Nov. 18) for an unfiltered conversation touching on A.I.’s career, mistakes and the burden that came with being one of the most influential players to ever pick up a basketball.
“You’ve been asking, and I’ve been listening; that’s why I’m bringing expediTIously back,” T.I. said in a statement. “Starting with a brow-raising, insightful conversation with none other than The Answer. League MVP, Hall of Famer and icon of a generation, Allen Iverson.”
The live episode appeared to be taped in Atlanta in the midst of Iverson’s press run in support of his Misunderstood memoir and accompanying docuseries, which was released on Amazon Prime Video in October.
Iverson wanted people to hear his story raw and uncut, while being able to learn from his mistakes as he navigated the good — being an NBA MVP — and the bad — his 1993 bowling alley arrest. “If I can help one person in life, I did my job,” A.I. said. “The book is just a confession of me being like everybody in this room… I bleed just like you.”
Iverson continued: “I was just a bad motherf—er on the basketball court. I’m just like you. I never won a championship, but I’m the people’s champ. I’m the guy you can touch.”
The Answer revealed that the one regret he had throughout his playing career was not listening to Larry Brown, who was his head coach from 1997 through 2003, sooner.
“I don’t regret nothing. The only thing I regret was listening to Larry Brown way before I started listening to him. I would’ve been way better then. It took a while,” he said. “I was always in a tug of war with him and I had to realize that he wanted the same thing for me that I wanted for myself. I wouldn’t change a whole lot.”
He continued: “Now, I wish I had the LeBron blueprint when I was the face of the league. I wish I knew how to put my homeboys on and put them in executive positions. You know what’s crazy about it? I took that a– whipping for taking my guys with me and the NBA ain’t never seen nothing like it. The crazy thing is all those guys who were there then, not around now.”
Fans can expect plenty more from T.I. with expediTIously back in full force. He’s got interviews on the way for the rest of 2025 and into 2026. Tip’s podcast made waves in the industry with illustrious guests in the past, such as Young Thug, 21 Savage, Jadakiss and actor Chris Tucker.
On the music side, T.I.’s “Thank God” featuring Young Dro, Kirk Franklin and Sunday Service reached a peak of No. 9 on the Gospel Airplay chart. The 45-year-old also picked up another Grammy nomination for his assist on Lecrae’s “Headphones” alongside Killer Mike in the best contemporary Christian music performance/song category.
Watch the full interview with Allen Iverson below.
