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On WWE’s Friday Night Smackdown, The Rock announced groundbreaking news that WrestleMania 42 will occur in New Orleans in 2026. Before dishing out that exclusive, the self-proclaimed Final Boss walked out to his new entrance theme featuring Louisiana’s favorite son, Lil Wayne. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]
Lady Gaga loves Billie Eilish as much as the “Bad Guy” singer loves her! Gaga took to TikTok this week to post a hilarious video in which she lip syncs to a sound taken from Eilish’s annual Vanity Fair interview, in which she answers the same questions a year apart. In the clip, Eilish reveals that […]
When Fher Olvera, lead singer of iconic Mexican rock band Maná, was a little kid in Guadalajara, he’d rock to the sounds of bands like The Eagles, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.
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“At 11 years old, I’d sit in front of those speakers and fly. It was sheer ecstasy,” he told Billboard. “Obviously, I didn’t understand English, but you kind of figured out a way to make sense of what you liked.”
Now, Olvera is in a very different position in front of those speakers, after Maná became the first ever Spanish-language rock band to be nominated for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inclusion.
“It’s a historic moment,” says Olvera. “I truly felt the spirit of the Latin American language. I say it seriously but also with humility. It’s a moment where people open their ears as we did when we were kids and listened to the Rolling Stones and the Eagles. This is an opportunity for people to learn Spanish, and an opportunity for those of us here to extend to the planet our way of feeling the world.”
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Maná , made up of Olvera, drummer Alex González, guitarist Sergio Vallín and bassist Juan Calleros–is objectively the most successful Latin rock band in the world, with eight No. 1s on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart, and the most entries on Hot Latin Songs and Latin Airplay (33 and 36, respectively) for a Latin rock group.
Now, their new historic moment goes beyond language and very much into culture and the vision of rock and roll as a universal language that transcends borders.
Should they be elected by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame membership (elections close April 21), the Mexican band would become only the fourth Latin artist (the other three are Santana, Ritchie Valens and Linda Ronstadt) to be inducted into the Rock Hall since its first edition in 1986. They are also the first Latin band, in any language, to be nominated since Los Lobos nearly 10 years ago.
The importance of the moment isn’t lost on drummer Alex Gonzalez. “Being nominated was a shock and a welcome shock to a Latin American community that sings in Spanish regardless of genres. It means eyes and ears are beginning to look in other directions,” says González.
Since they formed over 30 years ago in Guadalajara, Maná have remained faithful to a rock ‘n roll base with Caribbean influences and beats and highly melodic and narrative material that distinguish them from other bands.
“We’re a pop/rock band and our direction, attitude and the way we feel is rooted in rock ‘n roll,” says Olvera. “We’ve done ballads, songs mixed with Latin American music. In the end, it’s a versatile rock/pop band infused with different ways of understanding music.”
Although Maná is close to many rock icons, they have recorded only in Spanish, a decision that’s more artistic than commercial.
“We feel comfortable with our culture, and it feels more authentic to narrate those stories in Spanish,” says Olvera, noting that in several points in their career, they were offered major advances to record in English. “We have a global company [the group is signed to Warner] and a global manager and we never wanted to do it. It wasn’t about being more famous, but rather, about feeling good about what we were doing and being able to narrate a reality with which we authentically identify.”
Being inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, says González, would not only place them Maná next to the idols it grew up listening to, but will also serve as a nod to Latin music overall.
“All this band has done is work and work and work and make songs and music that connect with people, in Latin America, in Spain and in the U.S. which has such a big Latin community,” he says. “Maná became a band for Latins, not just for Mexicans.”
Maná’s competition to get into the Hall of Fame this year includes many of the acts González and Olvera love.
“Love Soundgarden. White Stripes. I was so surprised to see Chubby Checkers still hasn’t been inducted,” says González. “Oasis, great band. And Cindy Lauper. Who didn’t love Cindy Lauper?”
Being part of that group, he says, is a nod to a nominating committee that was willing to “look in other directions.”
“If we win? I’ll let you know how we’ll celebrate when we get the news,” says Olvera. “But, I could walk on water. It would be one of the most beautiful moments we’ve lived.”
We finally know what led to Reason and TDE going their separate ways.
While sitting down with Bootleg Kev, the Carson, California, rapper talked about the fan reaction to his unceremonious split from Top Dog Entertainment and explained the strategy he used to get out of his deal.
“Honestly, the fans have been consistent all the way throughout,” he began about the vitriol he was experiencing. “The fans that didn’t like me before are consistent and still don’t like me. Because when you sign with TDE, there’s gonna be TDE fans that don’t f— with you, it’s just how it works. The only fans I really lost were fans that I shot myself in the foot [with], but I had to do that to get out of the label deal.”
He added that Kendrick Lamar — the flagship artist signed to TDE from 2005 to 2022 — played a role in his exit strategy. “When the Dot [Lamar] and Drake beef started, I felt like Top and them were kinda dragging their feet a little bit,” he said of label co-founder Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith. “I don’t think purposely, I think they just had a lot of sh– going on. And I knew that if I sparked a fire a little bit, that they’d be like, ‘We gotta separate from this.’ So I started tweeting sh– on the side of Drake purposely. … So there’s fans that hate me for that and rightfully so.”
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The X post in question was a positive review of the first diss record Drake dropped as the battle was kicking off.
“It was right after ‘Push Ups‘ dropped,” he said. “And I tweeted: ‘Y’all hatin’, this beat switch up is fire’ and then I let it sit for 10 minutes and deleted it. It went crazy, and I still had the ‘Reason TDE’ [in my handle], so it looked insane.”
He then talked about how deciding to drop his On the Radar freestyle over Drake‘s “8am in Charlotte” beat added fuel to the fire.
“So [On the Radar] hit me, they were like, ‘Yo, we was about to drop it but we don’t wanna damage your situation. Should we hold it?’” he recalled. “‘Run it, run it, let’s do it.’ … I just knew it was sensitive times and I knew business-wise, it would make the most sense for them to separate from me at that point. That sh– worked. A month later, I was gone.”
Reason is gearing up to drop a new project in I Love You Again on Feb. 28.
You can watch the full conversation below.
Tyga is paying tribute to his mother, Pasionaye Nguye, who died on Jan. 18 at the age of 53. The rapper revealed the tragic loss with a heartfelt Instagram post on Friday (Feb. 21).
The “Rack City” rapper was close with his mother, whom he championed as the “best and most supportive” person in his life.
“I been trying to understand and process why God takes the most meaningful and most beautifulest people away from us,” he wrote. “But I know I’ll never get an answer that will fill the emptiness in my heart. Can’t imagine life without you by my side. You were the best and most supportive person in my life, you always made things better when I felt at my lowest and worst.”
Tyga continued by writing, “I would trade anything just to be able to be with you again I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. and I can’t wait for the day until we’re together again I’ll see you soon and save me a spot right next to you in paradise.”
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He concluded: “I Love you forever mom and I’ll do my best to celebrate you with every moment that I have left. Pasionaye Nicole Nguyen 9/11/71- 1/18/25 You took one of your best angels back GOD. I hope you know that.”
The sincere post to social media included a slideshow of photos featuring Tyga with his mother throughout his life, and one that appears to show her hand in a hospital bed.
Condolences and uplifting messages poured into his comment section from the music community, including notes from 2 Chainz, Pusha T, Sabrina Claudio, Big Sean, Jhené Aiko, Fat Joe, DDG, Casey Veggies and many more.
Amid the heartbreaking loss, Tyga released his first studio album since 2019 earlier in February with NSFW. The 17-track project featured assists from Lil Wayne, Shenseea, Big Sean, Flo Milli, Lil Tjay, Ty Dolla $ign and more.
Find Tyga’s post about his late mother below.
Almost a year later, there are still plenty of debates about the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle that shook up the rap landscape in 2024.
Adin Ross joined the Full Send Podcast earlier this week, and when the Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud was brought up, the popular streamer sided with the 6 God, as he believes the OVO boss won the battle.
Ross, who had Drake on his stream earlier this year, slammed Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show and gave Drizzy the win in their feud.
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“In my opinion, I think Drake won the rap battle because, obviously Kendrick made the hit song ‘Not Like Us,’ but it’s all lies. He said [Drake] had a daughter, which was debunked,” Ross said. “It wasn’t even real, but people don’t bring that up.”
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Ross continued to argue that “Drake put Kendrick” on in his career. “In 2011, I was 11 years old. It was called Would You Like a Tour? I believe,” he said. “It was when [Drake] first dropped Take Care, he took Kendrick, J. Cole, A$AP Rocky, The Weeknd — he took all these guys on tour. Gave them all a feature. French Montana, Meek Mill, all of them. He helped put them on and you’re doing him like this.”
The streamer thinks with Drake on top of the rap game for so long, other artists were eager to knock him off the throne.
“It’s all built up,” he added. “He’s been No. 1 for so long they just tried to knock him out. You can’t knock him out, though. He’s in Australia selling out crazy shows. … This guy just dropped an album, it’s amazing. No disrespect to Kendrick, he has classics, he has hits, [and] he is a legend, technically. But his last album before GNX, Mr. Morale, horrible. Drake revived Kendrick’s career.”
Many considered Lamar’s “Not Like Us” the kill shot in the battle against Drake, which debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 in May. Kendrick picked up another five Grammys and performed at the Super Bowl halftime show earlier this month. He’ll head out on the Grand National Tour with SZA starting in April.
As for Drake, he’s currently in Australia on the Anita Max Win Tour. He unleashed his $ome $exy $ongs 4 U joint project with PartyNextDoor on Valentine’s Day.
Watch the full interview below. Talk about Drake and Kendrick begins around the 10-minute mark.
Jessica Simpson is stepping back into the music world. The superstar announced on Friday (Feb. 21) that she’s making her highly anticipated musical return with a brand new EP, Nashville Canyon, which is set for release on March 21. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Simpson celebrated […]
Phil Collins has shared an update on his health — which has for years made playing drums difficult — and unfortunately, the 73-year-old Genesis icon still isn’t in fighting shape. In a snippet from a recent interview with Mojo, Collins disclosed that he’s thought about getting back behind the drum set, but hasn’t been able […]
Hundreds of people participated in a heartfelt posthumous tribute to the iconic Mexican singer Paquita la del Barrio on Friday (February 21). Her remains were transferred to her restaurant in the Guerrero neighborhood, in the Historic Center of Mexico City, where a mass was held in her honor and the doors of her establishment were opened to all those who wanted to give her a final farewell.
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The procession carrying her ashes departed from a funeral home in the central Juárez neighborhood, traveled along part of the touristy Paseo de la Reforma Avenue, and reached the iconic Plaza Garibaldi. There, around midday, her fans, mostly women, and groups of mariachis awaited, performing her most famous songs, including “Tres Veces Te Engañé” and “Rata de Dos Patas.”
The route included a stop at a public market, where merchants interrupted their activities to bid farewell to the famous singer, who passed away at the age of 77 on Monday (Feb. 17) from a heart attack while sleeping in her home in her native Veracruz, as confirmed to Billboard Español by her manager, Francisco Torres.
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Paquita la del Barrio rose to fame with her anthems about infidelity and heartbreak.
“Thank you for your songs that brought so much joy to my heart!” said a visibly moved resident of the Guerrero neighborhood to Foro TV, holding a bouquet of white flowers. “Paquita was a brave woman to sing to men in that way,” commented another woman, who mentioned that the artist was a great influence on the trans community.
Dozens of anecdotes about Paquita la del Barrio were shared by her neighbors with the press, remembering her as a “very humane,” “affectionate”, and “forward-moving woman.”
Some women were crying inconsolably while a private mass was held, and a crowd of people gathered around the artist’s restaurant, Casa Paquita, waiting for the doors to open to enter the place, undeterred by a light rain that covered that part of the city.
While Paquita la del Barrio, whose real name was Francisca Viveros Barradas, was not originally from Mexico City, she made this central area of the country’s capital her “second home,” opening her restaurant-bar in the late 1970s. With over a five decade-spanning career, Paquita la del Barrio was an idol in popular music. In 2011, she received the Billboard Regional Mexican Music Award “La Voz,” and 10 years later, she was awarded the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award for her exceptional career.
This week in dance music: Massive Attack will headline London’s LIDO festival in June with an entirely battery-powered performance, an ongoing legal battle between Sony Music and Ultra Music Publishing escalated with a new lawsuit, Carl Cox exited the Movement 2025 lineup and was replaced by Jeff Mills and Odesza made a 23-minute remix of the Severance score.
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And to all that we add these, the best new dance tracks of the week.
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Mochakk feat. The RAH Band, “From the Stars”
Brazil’s jet-setting party starter makes his Ninja Tune debut with his From the Stars EP, a two-song project led by its title track. A collaboration with England’s The RAH Band, the song is a take on the group’s 1983 bop “Messages From the Stars,” with Mochakk turning up the BPM and the far-out factor on the slinky, sexy but still muscular club update, which balances nicely with its cool after-hours B-side, “Maria.” The mustachioed producer born Pedro Maia calls releasing the EP on Ninja Tune “completely bananas… one of those stamp-of-approval moments” that he’ll celebrate by playing a flurry of shows in his native country as Brazil celebrates carnival later this month. Closer to home, he plays EDC Las Vegas in May.
Röyksopp feat. Robyn, “Do It Again [True Electric]”
11 years after the release of the original, Röyksopp drop an edit of their Robyn collab “Do It Again.” While the original leaned hard into urgency and flirted with heaviness, the new take adds maximum peak hours heft, dialing up the BPM, isolating the vocals in just the right moments and eventually exploding into all-out, all-encompassing dancefloor delirium. The edit is the second track from the Norwegian legends’ tenth studio album, True Electric, coming April 11 on their own Dog Triumph label.
Bianca Oblivion feat. Sam Binga, “Hypnø”
Los Angeles-based producer Bianca Oblivion makes her long-form debut with a heater of an EP, Net Werk. The four-track project spans bass, grime, Jersey club and more, with “Hypnø” (a collab with British artist Sam Binga) fusing squelchy strings, a hectic beat and waves of low end into a delicious kind of chaos. Oblivion says she “never wanted to rush into an EP or album until I fully understood myself as a producer and felt that my music could stand alongside the tracks I play in my sets.” The title reflects the global network of friends and collaborators I’ve connected with over the years, all of whom, alongside the many music influences from my childhood, have helped shape this release.” Net Werk is out on the U.K. imprint LuckyMe.
Tripolism & Nandu, “Sunrise”
Danish trio Tripolism and producer Nandu link for the hypnotic “Sunrise,” a track that says right there in the name what part of the set it should be played at. It’s recently been rinsed by acts including the ever chic Keinemusik and has gotten support from other tastemakers, with key ears apparently in thrall with the track’s balance of sunlight-like falsetto and a chant that implores what those of us still dancing at dawn might already feel: “You’re never going home, you’ve got to keep going.” The heater is out on Ultra Records.
Hiver, “Dreamachine“
Be transported to the ’90s afterhours of your mind with this electronica-era influenced dreamscape of a track from Milanese duo Hiver. Out on CircoLoco Records, the track pairs pristine production and clean, soaring strings with a feeling of undertow embodied by the beat and the emotive vocals. Hiver says the song is “a testament to our growth as producers. We’ve invested countless hours in honing our studio skills, experimenting with sound design, and perfecting the production process to craft something that feels authentic and unique. The track reflects our love for the electro sound while pushing boundaries to create something unique.” Also: Do not sleep on the uptempo edit by Romanian master Gerd Janson.