lifestyle
Father’s Day is this Sunday (June 15), and hopefully, folks have already gotten the dads in their lives a proper gift. But in case Dad is into cannabis, we’ve whipped together a new gift guide that might help inform your choices.
As I always like to share with readers, cannabis has transformed my life for the better by providing me with a variety of ways to consume products. Further, the innovation that some of the brands we’re featuring is astounding. I sometimes have trouble falling asleep, and there are brands out there addressing those who suffer from sleeplessness. As someone who struggles with ADHD, there are even products that bring life into focus.
I don’t want to come off too square here as I believe that we should also enjoy cannabis for relaxing and leisure, and do so responsibly. As much as I am a cannabis enthusiast, I do not encourage overindulgence. However, I believe in finding products that work best in one’s life, and I hope this gift guide will help you find the right path. You’ll see some familiar brands from past coverage, and we thank them for allowing us to highlight their wares.
In full transparency, I wanted to get this guide up earlier in the week, but life got in the way as it typically does. There will be opportunities for interviews, profiles, and even reviews in the coming months. The next roundup I’ll do will be Halloween, then onto the Thanksgiving holiday, then closing the year out with a holiday-themed guide.
Please check out our latest cannabis gift guide, and Happy Father’s Day to all the dope dads out there.
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Photo: Getty
1. BRĒZ
Source:BRĒZ
BRĒZ specializes in drinks featuring hemp-derived THC combined with mushroom blends to help with focus, balance, and relaxation. For those who want to play around with their infused spirits to create functional cocktails, the brand’s Spirit release is boosted with THC, CBD, and Lion’s Mane mushrooms with flavors of agave, lemon, and elderflower. Grab a good tonic, fill up a highball glass with good ice, and have a sensible pour.
Learn more here.
2. Betty’s Eddies
Source:Betty’s Eddies
Betty’s Eddies remains one of the best-tasting edibles around, and they’re consistently switching things up with new flavors and functionality. For the summer season, the brand is proud to highlight its Beachtime Betty’s Strawberry Lemonade chews. Packed with both THC, CBG, and vitamins C and D, this sounds like something you’ll want to take along for the next trip to the sands.
Learn more here.
3. Blazy Susan
Source:Blazy Susan
Blazy Susan has everything from their super fresh spinning rolling trays, dabbing essentials, rolling papers, and more. Now, they’re promoting their new Peach Tea Leaf Cones, similar to the previous Honey Lemon release. But whatever you cop from Blazy Susan, you can’t go wrong.
Learn more here.
4. Cake She Hits Different
Source:Cake She Hits Different
CAKE She Hits Different bills itself as the top AIO (all-in-one) THC vape cart in California, and it’s not hard to see why with its handy device pulling off big, flavorful clouds.
Learn more here.
5. Cornbread Hemp
Source:Cornbread Hemp
Kentucky is certainly known for its bourbon. Leave it up to Cornbread Hemp, and the Bluegrass State might have a claim to having some of the best hemp-derived cannabis products on the market. Their THC-infused seltzers are very crushable.
6. Fable
Source:Fable
Fable produces a line of hemp-derived THC-infused canned cocktails that come in three delicious varieties. Swap out the beer for one of these beauties and trust us when we say it’ll be a better time in the morning.
Learn more here.
7. ILGM
Source:ILGM
If Dad has a “green thumb” and is ready to grow his a harvest of his own, introduce him to ILGM’s Blue Dream autoflower seeds. ILGM bills itself as the largest cannabis seed bank in the United States.
8. Lumibloom
Source:LumiBloom
We’ve featured Black and woman-owned Lumibloom in past guides, and we’re excited to share that this is the real deal. With CBD growing as a means to treat rest and recovery efforts, inflammation, and more, Lumibloom would be a great place to shop for Dad.
Learn more here.
9. Nature’s Heritage
Source:Nature’s Heritage
Nature’s Heritage produces a wide range of cannabis products, including flowers, pre-rolls, and edibles. Their latest drop is the Myrcodose pills, which combine mushrooms with unique THC and CBD compounds for varying effects.
Learn more here.
10. Puffco
Source:Puffco
Puffco is for experienced users of concentrates and for those who both like to dab at home or on the go. The brand’s Pivot device is one of their portable options and a handsome conversation starter.
Learn more here.
11. STIIIZY
Source:STIIIZY
STIIIZY has achieved notoriety for its flowers, edibles, and pods among other items. The brand is pushing out its STIIIZY BAR, which works with the brand’s pods and achieves a dual flow effect that puts it above a lot of vape carts out there. Also, the brand has some amazing hemp-based drinks that shouldn’t be missed.
12. Treadwell Farms
Source:Treadwell Farms
We’ve featured Treadwell Farms in previous gift guide roundups, and the Florida-based brand focuses on a variety of hemp products, including its Citrus Spice CBD extract featuring turmeric and ginger to address health needs such as relaxation and inflammation.
13. Vessel
Source:Vessel
Vessel is, in my opinion, creating some of the sexiest looking devices on the market. The brand’s attention to detail, lavish style points, and general affordability make this a fantastic choice for the Dad in your life. Check out the new Sage drop for their Compass Rise device.
14. Weedgets
Source:Weedgets
Folks who smoke flower are well aware of how the heat, resin, and tar can accumulate not only in devices but also in our noses and lungs. Weedgets head off those harmful components with their patented filtration technology that cools the smoke and stops the gunk while delivering the benefits of smoked flower. We’ve been using the Maze-X pipe, and there is nothing on the market that we’ve seen quite like it.
Learn more here.
15. Wynk
Source:WYNK
Wynk is one of the leaders in the THC seltzers game, and they thankfully come in dosage options for those who want a social buzz or deeper relaxation vibes. We’re very fond of their lemonade line, especially as the weather continues to warm.
Learn more here.
16. Zen Cannabis
Source:Zen Cannabis
Zen Cannabis has the edibles game on lock with gummies, tinctures, and their infused chocolate bars. The brand is available in a handful of states, so tap in and grab Dad some tasty treats. Be sure to check out their effective Nite Nite gummies.
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While riggers hung massive lights and construction workers assembled the stage on a grueling day before Tyler Childers‘ June 2024 concert at the United Center, three young locals showed up: Cheryl, Larry and Ted. And Cheryl gave Kyle Crownover, Childers’ tour manager, a look.
“I was like, ‘I think that’s the one,’” he tells Billboard.
Cheryl, a small terrier-chihauhua mix who tends to “collapse in people’s arms and just look at them,” as Crownover puts it, was a delivery from Chicago’s One Tail at a Time, an animal-rescue group that admitted 1,126 dogs in 2022 and found homes for 1,066, a 97% save rate. Over the past few years, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Kelsea Ballerini, Ed Sheeran, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Blink-182, Maggie Rogers and many others have been beneficiaries of adorable furry deliveries to cheer up artists and crews.
“We’re usually on the road three weeks at a time, so that’s three weeks away from your family. We’re close with the crew, but, on a show day, there’s not time to go meet your friends in the city, so we’re confined to whatever spot we’re playing,” Crownover says. “To bring that in” — the puppies, and occasionally kittens — “and instantly see everyone’s mood change, it’s hard to be stressed.”
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The trend of bringing adoptable pets backstage kicked in about a decade ago, when members of Slayer, Testament and Carcass posed for adorable photos in which they were cuddling with rescued animals before a Seattle show in 2016. But it took off after the pandemic. Returning to work and dealing with strict COVID-19 protocols, inflation and supply-chain issues, crews could be glum.
In some cases, artists — especially those involved in their own animal-rescue charities, such as Miranda Lambert’s Mutt Nation — request the perk in advance. In others, venue managers emphasized “taking care of crew and making sure that the backstage is more of a place where they feel welcome and more at home,” says Amy Tavares, a Nashville-based Live Nation backstage experience manager who has worked with Wags & Walks and other groups to bring in puppies, kittens, goats and pigs to arena and stadium concerts over the last few years.
“It absolutely could be therapeutic. The road can be isolating for everybody, and it makes sense to me that these animals who are offering love and connection are highlighting a deep need for that,” Lucy Kozak Cesnik, a Nashville psychotherapist who used to work as a CAA music agent, tells Billboard. “Animals can lead the way to access being seen and heard, with people who’ve had trauma in their relationships, without their defenses up. Healing can’t just happen in the therapy office.”
Adds Marika Anthony-Shaw, a former Arcade Fire violinist who is founder and CEO of Plus1, a philanthropy group that partners with Carpenter: “You go from bus to backstage and bus to backstage, maybe a couple hotels and maybe a couple flights. There’s a sense of Groundhog Day. The mental-health benefits of interacting with animals reduces stress. There’s a mood boost.”
Working with managers and concert venues, the local rescue groups identify three or four young animals — usually pups — who are more likely to be friendly to people because they haven’t yet learned to be scared of them, then cart them in carriers to the show. They bring playpens, food and treats, and the venues provide a backstage room and bowls of water. So far, no dogs have been reported to have escaped and roamed the stage, disrupting shows, This Is Spinal Tap-style.
“They did not do that!” says Greta Palmer, chief communications and brand officer for Best Friends Animal Society — a Utah-based animal sanctuary with programs in New York, Los Angeles and elsewhere — which provided three puppies and three kittens at a Carpenter show last year, and six kittens as part of a “cuddle lounge” for a 2023 Kesha concert in Atlanta. “We have a bunch of staff that go, and we’ll set up an area with a gate, and people can come in and hang with them, play with them, love on them [and] ideally adopt them.” (Best Friends did not do on-site adoptions for the Kesha show, and none of the animals were adopted at the Carpenter event.)
The strategy worked for Crownover and Cheryl, whom the tour manager adopted shortly after Childers’ Chicago concert. Cheryl has been on the road with the crew ever since, meeting 100 new people a day and greeting visiting foster puppies in various cities. (Crew members on the Childers tour also adopted Larry and Ted after meeting them at the United Center.)
“The main reason we do it is to promote the dogs and promote adoption,” says Alli Rooney, One Tail at a Time’s marketing manager. “And everyone needs a bit more lightness in the world right now.”
The animal visits are pure good-vibes publicity too. When Motley Zoo Animal Rescue brought dogs to the 2016 Slayer-Testament-Carcass show in Seattle, the most tattooed and scowling of metal stars melted in photos with adorable puppies; when Brighter Days Dog Rescue brought dogs to Billie Eilish’s Denver show in November, the organization’s social media post showed the singer-songwriter cheek to cheek with puppies and said they were “showered with love” by the star; and Sheeran has posed with tiny backstage-delivery kittens multiple times, including in 2017, when the SPCA of Wake County surprised him before a Raleigh, N.C., show with animals rescued from a nearby horse farm. At CMA Fest’s kickoff in Nashville June 5, Wags & Walks provided adoptable puppies at an “artist oasis” area, luring country performers such as Gavin Adcock, Ashley Cooke, Meghan Patrick and Kaylee Rose.
Gavin Adcock
Wags & Walks
Some venues, according to Mallory Kerlie, marketing director of Muddy Paws, a New York dog-rescue group, have restrictions on both dogs and cats, many relating to the potential for rabies or injuries. And some rules disallow pit bulls or dogs heavier than 25 pounds. “Here in New York, that’s a particular challenge,” she says. But Muddy Paws accompanies the puppies with trained staff and reliable carriers, and navigates public transportation in case parking is an issue. At the venues, she adds, “It’s a small room with doors. That’s usually the best way to keep them safe.”
Kittens are slightly easier to haul into concerts than dogs, notes Best Friends’ Palmer. She explains: “We can just set up an X-pen and they tend to stay pretty contained.”
Wags & Walks has provided puppies, kittens and even baby goats and pigs for Nashville arenas and stadiums. The non-profit animal rescue group placed the dogs in a soundproof room during Rufus Du Soul’s Ascend Amphitheater soundcheck in May (“So they wouldn’t get scared,” explains Taveras), and also surprised Kelsea Ballerini at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles by presenting her with three small sibling puppies for a photo op.
Neither Ballerini nor her team was available for a post-pup interview, but Lesley Brog, founder of Wags & Walks, knew the country superstar’s own dog, Dibs, was going through cancer treatment. “She’s a huge dog lover, and they thought it would make sense,” she says.
Shortly after the puppies arrived before Ballerini’s show, Wags & Walks set them up in a conference room near the office of Cara Vanderhook, the arena’s vp of marketing and communications. The exec mentioned them in a staff chat, and within half an hour, Vanderhook tells Billboard, “I’m not joking, I probably had 30 people in the conference room playing with these puppies. It gave everybody a moment to take a breath when they needed it.”
Cardi B and Stefon Diggs have taken their romance to the grid. After a few months of dating rumors, the couple has gone Instagram official, with the rapper sharing a slew of steamy snaps featuring the NFL star Sunday (June 1).
In one photo of the pair, they cuddle up on a yacht while a bikini-clad Cardi wraps a leg around Diggs as he appears to lean in for a kiss. The Bronx native also shared a video of herself twerking against the wide receiver as he flashes a big smile.
“Chapter 5 ……Hello Chapter six,” Cardi captioned the post, in which she also showed off a room full of roses — possibly sent by Diggs.
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In the comments, many of the musician’s famous friends shared support. “that’s my girl,” wrote Kehlani, while GloRilla replied, “Badddd.”
“Absolutely,” wrote SZA, adding a string of saluting emojis.
The milestone comes a few months after Cardi and the athlete first sparked dating rumors in the fall, later spending Valentine’s Day together in Miami. In April, they attended Coachella together, followed by a courtside date at a New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics game in May.
Cardi’s romance with Diggs also marks her first public relationship since filing for divorce from Offset in late July, shortly after which she welcomed Baby No. 3 with the Migos star. The two rappers are parents to 6-year-old daughter Kulture, 3-year-old son Wave and new little girl Blossom. (Diggs has a daughter, Nova, from a past relationship.)
Just a couple of weeks after attending the Knicks game with Diggs, Cardi sounded off at her estranged husband for requesting spousal support amid their divorce proceedings. “You such a f–king p—y a– n—a,” she told ‘Set on X Spaces in late May. “Word to my mother, I want you to die, but I want you to die f–king slow. When you die, I want you to die slow in the bed. And when you die, n—a, you gotta think of me.”
Miley Cyrus thinks that Billy Ray Cyrus‘ new romance with Elizabeth Hurley is something beautiful.
In an interview with The New York Times published Saturday (May 31), the pop star was candid about her thoughts regarding her father’s relationship with the English actress, which she compared to mom Tish Cyrus finding love again with actor Dominic Purcell. “As I’ve gotten older, I’m respecting my parents as individuals instead of as parents,” Miley began.
“My mom’s really loved my dad for her whole life, and I think being married to someone in the music industry and not being a part of it is obviously really hard,” she continued. “And so I think I took on some of my mom’s hurt as my own, because it hurt her more than it hurt me as an adult, and so I owned a lot of her pain. But now that my mom is so in love with my stepdad, who I completely adore, and now that my dad, I see him finding happiness, too — I can love them both as individuals instead of as a parental pairing.”
“I’m being an adult about it,” she added. “At first it’s hard, because the little kid in you reacts before the adult in you can go, ‘Yes, that’s your dad, but that’s just another person that deserves to be in his bliss and to be happy.’ My child self has caught up.”
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The “Flowers” singer’s parents were married for nearly 30 years before divorcing in 2022, after which Tish — who has worked for years as Miley’s manager — married Purcell in August 2023. Two months later, Billy Ray would marry singer-songwriter Firerose, though the “Achy Breaky Heart” crooner would file for divorce after seven months of marriage in 2024.
Billy Ray has since started dating Hurley, with the couple making their relationship Instagram official on Easter. “She’s so impressively brilliant,” he said of his Christmas in Paradise costar on Apple Music’s The Ty Bentli Show in April. “She reminds me a lot of Dolly Parton. She’s a very smart businesswoman. If you can laugh together, you can make it through everything.”
Throughout the changes in Tish and Billy Ray’s love lives, rumors that Miley was estranged from her dad continuously circulated. In May, however, the Grammy winner put those to bed with a statement on Instagram Stories, writing, “My dad and I have had our challenges over the years … I’m at peace knowing bridges have been built and time has done a lot of healing.”
While speaking to NYT, Miley doubled down. “No,” she replied when asked whether she was “still estranged” from Billy Ray. “I think timing is everything.”
As for her mom, the Hannah Montana alum recently paid tribute to Tish on “End of the World,” one of the singles from new album Something Beautiful, which dropped May 30. According to Miley, she wrote the track when her mom left her for a week to vacation in Italy, admitting, “I’m too old to feel that way, but that’s how I felt.”
“My mom called me and said: ‘I don’t know why, but I want to cry today,’” Miley added to NYT. “‘I’m looking out my window, and there’s nothing out there for me, because you’re back home.’”
Months after photos of Victoria Monét getting cozy with Stormzy went viral, the “On My Mama” singer is reflecting on her romance with the rapper.
While hosting Monét on her Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast posted Tuesday (May 27), Keke Palmer first brought up the topic of Stormzy by recalling how the English-Ghanaian hip-hop star had been gushing hard about the singer-songwriter at the Met Gala earlier in May. “I said, ‘You know my girl, Victoria,’” Palmer said as Monét blushed. “He’s like, ‘Yeah, you know, she’s amazing.’”
“Yeah, he’s a really special guy,” replied Monét. “I have so much respect for him, and I got to learn more about him by dating him.”
The Grammy winner went on to say that she “fell deeply, so deeply,” for Stormzy before recalling how photos of the pair — which surfaced in October, less than a month after Monét announced her split from John Gaines — went viral before she and the rapper were even official. “We didn’t even get together yet,” Monét reflected.
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“The first time that you saw us in that viral picture, that was the first time of us really hanging out hard in his city, so I was like, ‘Oh my god, it’s everywhere before we’re even starting,’” she continued. “So that was interesting to navigate … We would have wanted to announce on our own time, when everything was official. But that was just the beginning.”
“We had a blast together, we had such a great time,” added Monét, before seeming to hint that she and the “Vossi Bop” artist have since called it quits. “I think there’s mutual respect there and support, no bad blood. Always love.”
Billboard has reached out to reps for Monét and Stormzy for comment.
Monét and Stormzy’s romance followed the former’s September statement confirming her separation from Gaines, with whom she shares 4-year-old daughter Hazel. Noting that they’d actually split 10 months prior to the announcement, the vocalist wrote at the time, “Though we still completely adore and respect each other, we are not a couple anymore.”
Stormzy also announced a breakup shortly before his relationship with Monét, revealing that he and TV host Maya Jama had split in July.
The interview comes about seven months after Monét dropped the deluxe edition of her breakthrough album Jaguar II, featuring collaborations with Usher and Thundercat. The LP originally reached No. 60 on the Billboard 200 in 2023 and won best R&B album at the 66th Grammy Awards.
In April, Monét teamed up with Davido for new track “Offa Me.” She is also gearing up to publish a children’s book titled Everywhere You Are, which arrives June 25.
Watch Monét discuss her relationship with Stormzy on Baby, This Is Keke Palmer above.
Hailey Bieber is Vogue‘s summer cover star, despite what Justin Bieber once told her during a heated moment that he now regrets.
Following the publication of the model’s big feature in the fashion magazine Tuesday (May 20), the pop star congratulated his wife by posting photos of the shoot on Instagram and proudly revealing that her achievement had caused him to eat his words from a long time ago. “Yo this reminds me when Hailey and I got into a huge fight,” he wrote in his caption. “I told hails that she would never be on the cover of vogue.”
“Yikes I know, so mean,” he continued. “For some reason because I felt so disrespected I thought I gotta get even.. I think as we mature we realize that we’re not helping anything by getting even … So baby u already know but forgive me for saying u wouldn’t get a vogue cover cuz clearly i was sadly mistaken.”
The Biebers have certainly come a long way since the fight in question, with the couple getting married in 2018. Last August, they became parents when they welcomed son Jack Blues, about which Hailey told Vogue: “Giving birth was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. … That s–t was so crazy. That was not fun. They broke my water. I went into labor and I labored for a few hours. No epidural, nothing.”
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The pop star also gushed about his marriage to the Rhode founder in the piece. “I’ve done a lot of dumb things in my life,” he told the publication, “but the smartest thing I’ve ever done was marry Hailey.”
“She’s in the spotlight, and has the attention because of her effortless knack for style, business, art and fashion,” he added when sharing his thoughts on why his partner attracts so much hate online. “And the way she makes being a mom and wife look easy.”
Hailey’s Vogue cover comes just two days after she and Justin attended the Stanley Cup playoffs together to cheer on the Toronto Maple Leafs, cuddling up in their seats as the “Peaches” artist fawned over the players. A week prior, Justin celebrated his spouse by throwing a lavish Mother’s Day celebration for her, complete with a candlelit dinner and Mariachi band.
With four years passing since Justin last released an album — 2021’s Justice, which spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — fans are eager to hear new music from the star. Luckily for them, Hailey confirmed that her husband is working on something new. While welcoming Vogue into her home, she said as the sounds of him singing bled through the walls: “I forgot Justin is recording, otherwise I’d say let’s get cozy.”
See Hailey Bieber’s Vogue cover below:
Mewow! Billboard’s Power Pets is a new feature focusing on musicians’ best friends — no, not the humans — but the furry (and some scaly and feathery!) ones who bring extra joy and companionship to artists. Celebrities will be sharing sweet details about their beloved pets and how their furbabies enrich their lives. For the second story in the installment, we talked to country artist Chase Rice.Chase Rice may sing “you’re right there in that bench seat next to me” in his emotional tune “Bench Seat,” but nowadays, it’s Jack – his beloved dog and best friend – who sits next to him on the concert stage during his performance of that song.
“[‘Bench Seat’] was the reason I got Jack,” the country artist tells Billboard of his black Lab and the track about the healing power of dogs that was inspired by a friend’s mental health struggles. As the songwriter previously shared, Rice’s pal’s own dog saved the friend from a very dark moment by simply laying its head on his lap to create an unbreakable connection during that difficult time.
“[Jack] was originally supposed to be the puppy in the video, but it took us a year and a half to get it together, so he’s the middle-aged dog in the video,” Rice explains of the visual for “Bench Seat,” which reveals that the track is from the pooch’s point of view. “That song is the very reason that I got him. I knew the day that I wrote it that it was finally time for me to get a dog.”
Rice says that he’s always wanted a duck dog since childhood, so that’s what he looked for when he began his search. “I met a guy who works with Mossy Pond Retrievers in Georgia, and he said if you want a duck dog, get a black Lab, so we made a plan.” Now, shares Rice, Jack is “certified as a master hunter and he’s my best buddy.”
And a much-loved friend at that. “Before every meal, I have him sit and I hug him and tell him, ‘I love you and you’re the best dog I’ve ever had.’” the singer-songwriter says. “He has no clue that he’s the only dog I’ve ever had, but I’ll keep telling him that all the same.”
Rice says Jack has taught him about love and responsibility as well: “I know he’s made me a better man.”
Read on to learn more about Jack from Chase Rice.
All About Jack
Image Credit: Evan DeStefano
Age: 4 years Hometown: Nashville Type/breed: Black Lab Favorite toy: Water bottles. It drives me crazy, but he loves them. Favorite nap spot: The couch, then the floor, and back and forth for no reason.
“He was the chunkier one out of the two males from [the litter I was considering]; the other one looked like the Terminator,” Rice recalls of selecting his pup. “Jack looked fat and I loved that. He’s since shaped up.”
The Best Thing Jack Has Changed About Chase’s Life
Image Credit: Evan DeStefano
“The time we spend and adventures we get into” are two things the singer cherishes that his dog has brought into his life. “I’ve ended up chasing birds in places I had never even heard of because of Jack and knowing I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see him get one more bird.”
“One time this year I sent Jack on a 350-yard retrieve for a wounded mallard in Oklahoma; just a few hand signals and he was all over that duck,” recalls Rice. “That’s a long retrieve, but he did it perfectly. Just a few hours later, he was on stage with me that night partying. He’s a jack-of-all-trades: business by day, party by night.”
Jack’s Reaction to Being on Stage
Image Credit: Evan DeStefano
“I bring him on stage for one song during my set; he just sits next to me and looks for my approval at the end to not have to heel anymore and to be able to go party with the fans,” explains the artist.
As for the first time Jack went on stage? Rice says the Lab was still a puppy at the time, and was “a little nervous.” But that didn’t last. “He got used to it when I started letting him go down and run towards the crowd, because he loves people. The first time I did it was really just about me wanting to have my dog with me. He was going to training that night for about six months, and I wanted him with me as much as possible, so I brought him up there on stage. That was a tough night once he left.”
Jack’s Musical Tastes
Image Credit: Evan DeStefano
“I think he’s pretty sick of hearing anything by me at this point,” admits the singer.
Regardless of how Jack may feel about his music, that hasn’t stopped Rice from mentioning his beloved buddy in his songs. “‘Arkansas’ had a mention of him in there,” the songwriter shares. “An unreleased song called ‘October’ has his name – not sure if I’ll put that one out. He will get a bunch of songs over these next few years, I’m sure.”
A Sibling for Jack?
Image Credit: Evan DeStefano
Rice mentioned in a sweet March 2023 Instagram post for Jack’s 2nd birthday that his dog was “dangerously close to having a little bro.” So did the musician grow his family? “I’ve really been messing with the thought of breeding Jack or just getting another breed that’s not a working dog,” he shares. “With my schedule, it’s gonna be real tough to have two, so for now, I’m sticking with just Jack. Quality over quantity.”
Elizabeth Hurley has anything but an achy breaky heart when it comes to Billy Ray Cyrus, with whom she said she’s “very happy” in a new interview.
While walking the red carpet for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s 2025 Hot Pink Party Tuesday (May 13), the actress looked slightly caught off guard when Entertainment Tonight asked about her connection with the country star — but that didn’t stop her from gushing about her new sweetheart.
“Billy’s a very, very fabulous person,” she told the outlet. “He’s a very gentle man, very nice.”
Smiling, Hurley added, “We’re very happy.”
Trending on Billboard
The comments come nearly a month after the British model and Cyrus debuted their romance on Instagram, celebrating Easter by posting a photo of a sweet kiss they shared outdoors. Both parties have since shared more PDA-filled snaps with each other on the app, and two days prior to the BCRF event, the Hannah Montana actor praised Hurley’s performance in Bryan Adams’ new “Never Ever Let You Go” music video.
“I should be jealous, but WOW !!!!!!” he wrote on Instagram. “Congratulations @bryanadams for your great new video with my beautiful girlfriend @elizabethhurley1.”
Of getting Cyrus’ seal of approval on the video, Hurley told ET, “It’s fabulous.”
“It’s very nice when people close around you are happy for you when you do well,” she added.
The couple’s romance comes about three years after they filmed Netflix’s Christmas in Paradise together. The two stars reconnected this year when Hurley reached out to Cyrus via text, something he recounted on Apple Music’s The Ty Bentli Show in April.
“She’s so impressively brilliant,” he said of Hurley at the time. “She reminds me a lot of Dolly Parton. She’s a very smart businesswoman. If you can laugh together, you can make it through everything.”
Watch Hurley gush about Cyrus below.
Dating rumors got a bit of a boost on Monday night (May 12) as Cardi B and NFL star Stefon Diggs enjoyed their first public date night cheering on the New York Knicks during the team’s game five win over the Boston Celtics. The two have been rumored to be an item on social media […]
Lil Tecca’s journey from Queens kid to chart-climbing artist has always been rooted in authenticity—and now, his signature self-expression is taking shape in a new way. Teaming up with Foot Locker and adidas for their “Stay in Rotation” campaign, Tecca joins a movement designed to spotlight Gen Z’s bold style and sense of community. And for Tecca, the opportunity hit close to home.
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“I was ecstatic,” he says, remembering the moment he got the call. “It’s honestly an honor, ’cause I grew up going to Foot Locker with my parents and shopping with adidas. So it’s nothing but a blessing.”
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The “Stay in Rotation” campaign leans into the ever-evolving connection between music, fashion, sports, and individuality—something Tecca knows well. With his effortless, genre-fluid sound and a closet full of sneaker heat, the 22-year-old embodies the freedom the campaign promotes. It’s only right he’s helping to spotlight one of adidas’ most buzzworthy silhouettes: the Handball Spezial.
“It’s a real casual shoe with a sleek fit,” he says. “I don’t have to think too much about what I’m putting together with it, ’cause it kind of finishes the fit regardless.”
Lil Tecca X Foot Locker
Foot Locker
He’s also bringing that visual energy to the “Stay in Rotation” campaign, which champions individual style and nontraditional self-expression. For Tecca, that means sometimes wearing shoes a size too small— “just because the shoe’s so fire I have to wear it.” Style, for him, is all about taking risks to bring a vision to life.
That carefree versatility mirrors Tecca’s creative process — especially these days. His latest single, “Dark Thoughts,” recently climbed to No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and struck a chord with fans with its introspective tone. But Tecca says the song wasn’t born from a specific moment — it came from routine, from discipline, from sharpening the blade.
“I made that song fresh off the wake-up,” he says. “I wasn’t trying to make something specific; I was just practicing my craft.”
Still, that practice is paying off. Tecca is more focused than ever, building toward the release of his next studio album Dopamine. He describes this new era as “more intentional, more organized,” and filled with a desire to create something great for the people who’ve stuck with him.
And while the music remains central, Tecca’s ambitions stretch far beyond the studio. He’s diving into film, cinematography, and fashion — anything that can add to the full picture of who Lil Tecca is. “Everything around the music that can make it sort of the Valhalla of what people want,” he explains. “I want to show more of what the songs look like.”
One key part of that vision? Sneakers. “They’ve been a passion throughout my whole life,” he says. “Now, they’re definitely a statement silhouette when it comes to picking an outfit. They’re just as important to me as any other part of the look.”
It’s why campaigns like “Stay in Rotation” make sense for Tecca — he’s lived the culture his whole life. Whether it’s classics like the adidas Superstar or standout pairs from Jeremy Scott, kicks have always helped him tell his story. Sometimes he starts a fit from the sneakers, sometimes the top — but whatever the formula, the shoes are non-negotiable.
When asked which of his tracks would best pair with the Handball Spezial, he picks “Show Me Up.” “It’s one of my calmer songs. I see myself on a nighttime walk with those. No one’s seeing me, it’s just me and the world — just trying to do something calm.”
That balance of calm and ambition defines where Lil Tecca is headed next. He’s still the kid who didn’t let himself dream too far beyond what was possible, but now, with the world watching, he’s dreaming bigger than ever—and still staying grounded.
Advice for a younger version of himself? Tecca flips it.
“I’ll give advice for older Tecca: Keep your head down, stay humble, and you still know nothing. That’s the only thing you know.”
Wise words from an artist who’s still evolving — but always in rotation.