Music News

31 Jul 2024

Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ Plays at Kamala Harris’ Atlanta Rally: Watch the Crowd Sing Along

Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” has infiltrated election season. Kamala Harris hosted a rally as the likely Democratic party nominee in the upcoming presidential election on Tuesday night (July 30) in Atlanta, and K. Dot’s Drake diss was played at one point.

Footage from the vice president’s livestream of the rally quickly went viral on social media, with the crowd singing along to “Not Like Us” and especially joining together for the “wop, wop, wop” and “A-minor” punch lines. One male fan specifically went viral for his passion while rapping to the song.

“The way everything in this song can apply to Trump too,” a fan responded on X. “She is so smart.”

Another added a shot in at Drake: “Even in presidential rally drake getting cooked!”

Even nearly three months following the release of “Not Like Us,” the track hasn’t lost steam while sitting at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated Aug. 3. Lamar’s Drake diss has been swallowed up by other avenues of pop culture, including the political realm and the sports world.

Hip-hop was definitely in the building on Tuesday night, with Quavo also endorsing the vice president and speaking about his commitment to gun safety following the loss of his nephew Takeoff, who was fatally shot in November 2022.

“One of these issues that I care about is resolving the gun violence issues,” Quavo said to the crowd. “You can’t understand the struggle of gun violence if you not in the field or in the heart of it. So, one thing I learned from working with Vice President Harris is she always stand on business. From inviting me to the White House last year to discuss these solutions, to passing the biggest gun safety laws today.”

Megan Thee Stallion also hit the Atlanta rally stage in a blue pantsuit with her dancers, where she performed hits such as “Body” and the Yuki Chiba-assisted “Mamushi.”

“Now I know my ladies in the crowd love their bodies. If you want to keep loving your bodies, you know who to vote for,” she said to kick off her performance.

It remains to be seen if “Not Like Us” will remain a part of Harris’ campaign when she heads to Philadelphia next week (Aug. 6) for a rally where she’ll unveil her VP pick, per Reuters.

President Joe Biden stepped down from the presidential race on July 21, and plenty of artists have backed Harris in her pursuit of the Oval Office, including Cardi B, Lizzo, Ariana Grande, Charli XCX, Demi Lovato, Questlove and more.

31 Jul 2024

50 Cent Describes Initially Being Left Off 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show Roster: ‘Eminem Wouldn’t Do It Without Me’

If you don’t remember 50 Cent‘s name on the original lineup of artists for the iconic 2022 Super Bowl halftime show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem that’s because, according to 50, “they” didn’t want him there.

In a new feature in The Hollywood Reporter, 50 goes into detail about the drama behind the scenes of the Super Bowl LVI performance that featured him as a surprise guest, but which he said almost didn’t happen. “They wanted to leave me out of it. They didn’t want me there,” 50 said, echoing a since-deleted Instagram post from Sept. 2022 in which he said, “[Eminem] is the man, he wouldn’t do the show without me,” after the performance won three Emmy awards; rapper N.O.R.E. also mentioned the initial snub on his podcast around the time.

Asked who “they” were, 50 said it was Jay-Z’s Roc Nation who didn’t want him on stage that night. “Eminem wouldn’t do it without me,” 50 (born Curtis Jackson) reiterated about Marshall Mathers, who first signed Jackson and helped him release his smash 2003 debut studio album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. “That’s how I ended up on the show because he was not coming if I didn’t do it. When that happens, you go, ‘Damn, so you just lost Eminem because you didn’t bring 50? Damn. All right. Bring 50 then.’ But if it was up to them, they would not have me there. I’m the surprise. I’m not on the bill at all. But they couldn’t get Em to do it without me.”

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The long history of mutual admiration between the two MCs will extend into the future thanks to an upcoming project from 50’s G-Unit Film and Television company, which he said is developing a series based on Em’s 2002 8 Mile feature film. “50 is like a brother to me,” Eminem told THR. “50 has proven again and again that there’s really nothing he can’t do, and nobody gets in the way of him getting it done.”

The story also notes that 50 is expanding his already sprawling TV holdings with an animated series for Amazon Freevee called Lady Danger Agent of B.O.O.T.I. featuring Nicki Minaj. “He’s a blueprint to what resilience looks like,” Minaj said of 50, whose expansive TV portfolio includes the six-season Starz hit Power — and spin-offs Ghost, Raising Kanan and Force — as well as another Starz series, BMF and upcoming shows including the boxing drama Fightland and Queen Nzinga, about an African warrior queen.

“Whenever he’s been counted out in the real world or within the entertainment business, he’s risen to the occasion and come out triumphant. He’s smart. He’s a businessman,” Minaj added. “I can see past the ‘funny 50’ — I see a very deep thinker. He’s honest. He’s mastered the chess game of reinvention throughout many eras of music, entertainment and social media. Yet he still somehow always seems to remain authentic. That is a very difficult feat.”

50 also said he’s launching his own FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) channel, building his own film studio in Shreveport, LA and working on a novel about a Black female Texas Ranger.

31 Jul 2024

Sam Smith Enlists ‘Beautiful Soul’ Alicia Keys for New Recording of ‘I’m Not the Only One’

With a new version of their hit single, Sam Smith literally will not be the only one.

In a post to their social media on Wednesday (July 31), Smith announced that they would be releasing a new version of their In the Lonely Hour single “I’m Not the Only One” featuring R&B icon Alicia Keys. Posting a photo with Keys, Smith wrote about the singer’s support and talent, thanking her for joining them on the new version of the song.

“I’m Not The Only One feat. the truly incomparable @aliciakeys … I am so honoured to have such an incredible talent and a beautiful soul join me on this track to celebrate a decade of In The Lonely Hour,” they wrote in an Instagram caption.

This won’t be the first time the pair have sung the song together. Back in June, Smith hosted a 10th anniversary party in New York City for their debut studio album, where Keys appeared as a special guest to perform the track. “Can you believe we never did this before?” she expressed at the time. “That’s crazy!”

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The new song release comes alongside Smith’s 10th anniversary edition of In the Lonely Hour, which includes new recordings of the album’s classic tracks. For one song in particular — their singular, breakthrough hit “Stay With Me” — Smith decided to update the lyrics in order to better reflect their gender identity in 2024. “This song is truly so special to me, so for the 10 year anniversary I re-recorded the track … including the updated lyric ‘but I still need love, baby understand’ which felt really important to me,” they said of the change in a statement. “It’s beautiful to know that sometimes, we can change the past.”

Smith & Keys’ new rendition of “I’m Not the Only One,” as well as the rest of the 10th anniversary edition of In the Lonely Hour, will be released on Friday, Aug. 2. Check out Smith’s Instagram post below:

31 Jul 2024

U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Olympic Team Celebrate Gold Medals With Cheeky Throwback Kanye West Grammy Speech

Winning looked real good on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team when they took home the team gold in Paris on Tuesday (July 30). It sounded good too, as team members Simone Biles, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee and Hezly Rivera spent much of the day luxuriating in the golden glow of the champion’s circle with some of their favorite tunes.

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The party moved to Lee’s TikTok soon afterwards, where the fantastic five flexed by miming along to Kanye West’s infamous 2005 Grammy Awards speech for his best rap album-winning opus, The College Dropout. Staring into the camera and gesturing, Lee and Chiles mouthed, “Everybody wanted to know what I would do if I didn’t win,” before Lee swiped the scene and cut to the whole squad holding up their medals and mouthing Ye’s cocky exclamation point, “I guess we’ll neger know.”

Lee also posted a TikTok in which she showed off her gold medal while dancing in her room to the TikTok remix of Azaelia Banks’ “Luxury.” The celebration just kept rolling on, including in another video posted by Biles on her TikTok, in which the women jokingly take crunching bites out of their medals. There was also another clip in which Lee and Chiles revisited one of their favorite celebration jams by doing coordinated choreo to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Cognac Queen” in a callback to an earlier video in which they danced to the song after getting through qualifiers.

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Chiles and Megan have clearly forged a connection. Earlier this month, Chiles shouted out the Houston MC after she made the cut for the U.S. Olympic squad, telling reporters, “This was for you uncle and Megan, I’m going to the AHH-lympics!” Megan later sent Chiles a congratulatory bouquet of flowers and called the gymnast “my girllll” in a post on X.

The crew had plenty to crow about after cruising to the podium to collect their team final gold at Bercy Arena in Paris, a stellar bounce-back from their team silver in Tokyo in 2021 after superstar Biles was forced to withdraw from the team final after suffering from a scary bout of the “twisties.”

See the U.S. women’s team flex below.

31 Jul 2024

Brent Jones Earns Second Straight Gospel Airplay No. 1: ‘I’ve Been Truly Blessed’

Brent Jones banks his second total and consecutive No. 1 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart as “Live Your Best Life!” ascends to the top of the Aug. 3-dated list. During the July 19-25 tracking week, the song advanced by 3% in plays among format reporters, according to Luminate.

The single is the title cut from Jones’ 12-track album, released May 3. Jones wrote the song and co-produced it with Michael Bereal and James Roberson.

The song follows Jones’ “Nothing Else Matters (Instead of Complaining, Praise Him),” which led Gospel Airplay for a week in June 2023. “Open Your Mouth and Say Something” hit No. 9 in March 2019 and his first of four entries, “He Rose,” reached No. 17 in January 2015.

“To score back-to-back No. 1s is an amazing honor,” Jones tells Billboard. “I’ve been truly blessed in my 25-year career to reach so many audiences with my music, which includes writing songs for church, my urban group T.P. Mobb, my youth group The Fire and others.”

Jones serves as artist-in-residence at Triumph Church in Detroit. He also directs the choir.

The Los Angeles native launched his music career as leader of Brent Jones & The T.P. Mobb in the 1990s. The act posted three entries on Top Gospel Albums: its self-titled LP peaked at No. 4 in 1999, followed by Beautiful (No. 7, 2002) and The Ultimate Weekend (No. 14, 2008).

Jones has charted two solo sets on the survey: Joy Comin’ (No. 6, 2014) and Open Your Mouth and Say Somethin’ (No. 3, 2018).

31 Jul 2024

Dave Grohl Dips Into his Brat Summer By Doing Charlie XCX Viral ‘Apple’ Dance With Daughter

What’s the best way to relax after screaming your lungs out for nearly three hours to a sold-out baseball stadium full of fans? How about doing the viral dance to Charli XCX‘s Brat song “Apple?” Joining the likes of Joe Jonas, Late Show host Stephen Colbert and Glen Powell, Foo Fighters singer/guitarist Dave Grohl hopped on the trend recently in a video posted by his daughter Harper in which the family Foo bust out their best “Apple” dance.

Sitting at the kitchen table with Harper standing behind him, Grohl looks fully focused as he tries to keep up with the hand gestures, busting into a huge smile as he makes an apple signs with his fingers as Charli sings, “I split the apple down symmetrical lines/ And what I find is kinda scary/ Make me just wanna drive.” By the end, the rocker is fully cracking up as Harper flawlessly pulls off the choreo over his shoulder. The original dance was created by TikTokker Kelley Hayer, but since then it has been replicated thousands of times by fans, as well as Charli herself.

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The video is just the latest extension of what is shaping up to be a full-on Brat Summer, which has included Vice President Kamala Harris — the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee — adopting the blurry Brat Arial font and signature lime green palette to support her campaign after Charli announced “kamala IS brat.”

After rocking Great American Ball Park and Minneapolis this week, the Foos are headed to Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High on Saturday (August 3).

Watch the Grohl family dancers do the “Apple” shuffle below.

31 Jul 2024

Joaquin Phoenix Talks Lady Gaga ‘Spitting Up Coffee’ the First Time She Heard Him Sing on ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Set

Sure, Joaquin Phoenix won an Oscar for his portrayal of Arthur Fleck (aka the Joker) in 2020. But even an award-winning actor gets nervous on set when he has to sing in front of one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. Luckily for Phoenix, when it came to giving the greasepaint goon a voice voice, his partner in crime, Lady Gaga, was totally there for him.

“I do seem to remember her spitting up coffee the first time I sang, so that felt good, that was exciting, and made me feel confident,” Phoenix told Empire magazine about the Grammy-winning singer’s reaction on the set of the upcoming Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux. “Gaga was always very encouraging of just, ‘Go with what you feel, it’s fine.’ For somebody who’s not a performer in that way, it can be… uncomfortable to do that, but also very exciting.”

It was important that they bond that way because director Todd Phillips wanted to bring the music out of the Joker, who at his core is a mercurial, failed comedian whose violent acts land him in Arkham Asylum, where he strikes up a lyrical love story with Gaga’s Harley “Lee” Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn.

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“Arthur has become this symbol to people,” Phillips told the magazine. “This unwilling, unwitting symbol now paying for the crimes of the first film, but at the same time finding the only thing he ever wanted, which was love. That’s always what he’s been about, even though he’s been pushed and pulled in all these directions. So we tried to just make the most pure version of that.”

That expression of love comes through in musical numbers in the film, because, as Phillips said, Fleck has “music in him,” which explains why the latest trailer has Gaga singing the classic tune “Get Happy” and Phoenix tackling “When You’re Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You)” in Fleck’s raspy croon.

“It was important to protect that with poor phrasing and occasional bum notes,” Phoenix said in an echo of a recent interview with Gaga where she admitted to purposely tanking her award-winning voice to get into character. “Arthur grew up hearing his mother play these songs on the radio. He’s not a singer, and he shouldn’t sound like a professional singer. He should sound like somebody that’s taking a shower and just bursts out into song.”

Joker: Folie à Deux will open in theaters on Oct. 4.

31 Jul 2024

Gretta Ray Discusses ‘Severe Heart Infection’ That Led to Hospitalization

Australian indie-pop singer-songwriter Gretta Ray has provided an update on her health, announcing the cancelation of all her remaining 2024 shows to focus on her recovery from a serious heart infection.

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Earlier this month, Ray revealed she was hospitalized in London due to an unknown illness, with the news prompted an outpouring of support from fans worldwide. On July 16, she took to Instagram to thank her followers and shed light on her situation.

“I’m overwhelmed by the outpouring of love on my latest post, you are all so incredibly kind and it really means the world to me, thank you x,” Ray wrote.

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“I wanted to clarify that luckily I’m not having to deal with this experience on my own – due to the seriousness of my condition my family are here in London taking care of me I am in good hands here in a really good hospital. Just taking it day by day. Lots of love.”

On July 30, Ray updated her fans again, revealing her diagnosis of infective endocarditis, a severe heart infection.

“I wanted to let you know that the sickness I am recovering from is a rare disease called infective endocarditis – a severe infection in the heart that for me, caused a multitude of distressing repercussions,” she explained in her Instagram post.

“It happened very suddenly and frighteningly, and as a result, took a moment to be diagnosed. Nonetheless I am so, so lucky that I caught it early, and landed in such a great hospital here in London that took amazing care of me. I was then transferred to a second hospital – one that is famous for dealing with this particular disease.”

Ray confirmed that she will need surgery due to the impact on her heart, but for now, she is focusing on regaining strength after completing a long course of intravenous antibiotics and being discharged from the hospital.

“The toll this has taken on my heart means that at some stage I will need to undergo surgery,” she continued. “For now, it’s been a week since I finished a long course of intravenous antibiotics, and two weeks since I was discharged from hospital. Due to the fact that I am stable, the doctors have encouraged me to spend time regaining some strength and immunity outside of hospital.”

Although she is still dealing with some complications, Ray expressed relief at being able to enjoy the world outside the hospital.

“While I’m still dealing with some complications, it’s already been healing being back out in the world… I just take it one day at a time (my mum is also still in London with me x),” she wrote.

All dates are off for the foreseeable future, including her appearance at BIGSOUND 2024.

Ray concluded her update by expressing her gratitude for her fans’ unwavering support, saying, “I know I will be telling this story in more detail when the time is right, but for now I’m processing the trauma and taking things slowly.”

“I can’t tell you how much your kind and thoughtful messages and comments have meant to me in this challenging time, I’m so grateful… sending all my love to you from London, and we’ll speak soon.”

30 Jul 2024

Fleetwood Mac Announce Live Album ‘Mirage Tour ’82’

Fleetwood Mac is back in the spotlight with a new release: the release of Mirage Tour ’82, a live album capturing the magic of their iconic performances at The Forum in Los Angeles.

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Mirage, the band’s thirteenth studio album, was issued on 18 June 1982 and produced several hit singles, including “Hold Me,” which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Pop Chart.

Mirage Tour ’82 features 22 tracks, including six previously unreleased recordings from the Oct. 21, 1982 concert.

Some of the band’s greatest hits, such as “Landslide,” “Dreams,” and “Don’t Stop” are among the newly available live tracks. A live version of “Don’t Stop” has been released for streaming ahead of the album launch.

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“In September 1982, Fleetwood Mac embarked on a 31-city U.S. tour in support of Mirage, the band’s fourth consecutive multiplatinum album and third No. 1 in America. Both shows at The Forum were recorded, and Mirage Tour ’82 combines songs from both into a single concert experience,” reads a statement for the album’s release.

The collection, available on Sept. 20, will come in 3xLP vinyl, 2xCD, and digital formats.

The release follows last year’s Rumours: Live, which debuted at No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart dated September 23, 2023. This marked Fleetwood Mac’s highest chart debut since their studio album Say You Will opened at No. 2 in May 2003. Rumours: Live featured recordings from the band’s Aug. 29, 1977, concert at The Forum during their Rumours Tour.

Despite the legendary group’s latest release, which follows the loss of Christine McVie in 2022, the prospects of a full band reunion are slim. Mick Fleetwood has described the idea as “unthinkable,” while Stevie Nicks has stated there’s “no reason” for the group to tour again.

Nicks, however, shows no signs of slowing down the touring life as she continues to rock stages worldwide as a solo artist. She currently has upcoming shows in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Hershey, Pennsylvania this September.

Mirage Tour ’82 Tracklist:

Disc One
“Second Hand News”
“The Chain”
“Don’t Stop” *
“Dreams” *
“Oh Well” *
“Rhiannon”
“Brown Eyes”
“Eyes Of The World”
“Gypsy”
“Love In Store”
“Not That Funny”

Disc Two
“Never Going Back Again” *
“Landslide” *
“Tusk”
“Sara” *
“Hold Me”
“You Make Loving Fun”
“I’m So Afraid”
“Go Your Own Way”
“Blue Letter”
“Sisters Of The Moon”
“Songbird”

(* previously unreleased)

30 Jul 2024

Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Beyoncé & More Light Up Paris for 2024 Summer Olympics

The 2024 Summer Olympics only kicked off on Friday, and already we’ve seen huge moments from Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Beyoncé and more music A-listers.

It all started with the Opening Ceremony, which included all-French performances from Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, set in scenic landmarks across Paris, as well as a Team USA introduction from Beyoncé. Then we’ve seen music moments from Taylor Swift (her “Ready For It?” being used in an NBC Olympics ad), Snoop Dogg (he’s an NBC commentator), Flavor Flav (he’s the official sponsor and hypeman for women’s water polo) and Stray Kids (Mexican gymnast Alexa Moreno’s floor routine) too.

On the new Billboard Pop Podcast (listen below), Katie & Keith talk about all the music highlights from the summer games (so far).

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Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how K-pop rules the top two positions on the Billboard 200 albums chart for the first time ever, as the latest releases from Stray Kids and BTS’ Jimin debut at Nos. 1 and 2. Also, in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, the Twisters soundtrack blows in at No. 7 with the year’s biggest week for any soundtrack. Plus, could Taylor Swift get a lucky 13th week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 next week with The Tortured Poets Department?

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)