Music News

24 Jul 2024

What’s Your Pick for the Best Eminem Album Ever? Vote!

Eminem is the best-selling rapper of all time, with more than 220 million albums sold throughout his Hall of Fame career. In what’s typically billed as a young person’s genre, Em defeated Father Time and has remained a commercial powerhouse for more than 25 years.

In July, the Detroit legend returned with his first project since 2020’s Music to Be Murdered By, as The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace) grappled with Em killing off his signature alter ego throughout the conceptual LP.

It was business as usual with Eminem’s 12th studio album debuting atop the Billboard 200 with 281,000 total album-equivalent units sold in the first week, which ended Taylor Swift’s three-month reign at No. 1 behind The Tortured Poets Department.

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The victory gave Em his 10th chart-topping album. He also did some damage, invading the Billboard Hot 100 — occupying real estate to the tune of 16 slots on this week’s chart.

Looking back, Eminem’s debut Infinite album quietly arrived in 1996, and the project failed to chart. After linking with Dr. Dre and signing to Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope Records, Em’s major-label debut The Slim Shady LP served as Em’s proper mainstream introduction. The sophomore effort landed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and was blocked from the top spot by TLC’s FanMail.

However, that would be the last time Eminem was denied the top spot on the Billboard 200, as every subsequent solo album launched at No. 1 since.

Billboard‘s deputy editorial director Damien Scott ranked every Eminem solo album this week, ranging from Revival at No. 12 to The Marshall Mathers LP topping the list.

Now it’s time to hear from you. From The Eminem Show to Recovery, we want to know your pick for the best Eminem album. Cast your vote below!

24 Jul 2024

Ariana Grande & Jon M. Chu Give Behind-the-Scenes Look at How Surreal ‘Wicked’ Sets Were Built

Universal Pictures is giving fans a look at how Jon M. Chu and his crew built the wonderful world of Oz for the upcoming Wicked films, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

In a new behind-the-scenes video posted Wednesday (July 24), the director and his leading ladies narrate the process of erecting the live-action musical’s enormous, whimsical backdrops, with the filmmakers opting for practical sets as opposed to animation. “We knew that we wanted Wicked to be immersive,” Chu tells the camera. “What does it feel like to be in Oz? To feel it in your fingertips? If you want to be inside that world, you’ve got to build it.”

The video also features clips documenting how crew members constructed entire villages for Emerald City and Munchkinland, hand-painted individual bricks for the winding Yellow Brick Road, and planted approximately 9 million tulips. At one point, Chu ordered an actual 16-ton train for the scene in which Elphaba and Glinda travel to meet the Wizard of Oz, revealing that it took two days to arrive to set because of its colossal weight.

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“A lot of it is real, physical, tangible sets,” Grande says in the video, marveling at the production’s ability to “create this world in a way we’ve never seen it before.”

The reel also includes new footage of costars Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh and Ethan Slater acting on set, plus a look at how the crew achieved Grande’s flying bubble special effect via blue-screen technology. The first of the two Wicked films is set to arrive Nov. 22, a week earlier than originally planned, while the second is slated for next year.

Watch Chu, Grande and Erivo explain the set-building magic of Wicked above.



24 Jul 2024

Travis Scott’s Milan Concert Gets Mistaken for Earthquake by Italian Locals

Travis Scott is looking to shake up the world every time he hits the stage. La Flame’s European leg of the Circus Maximus Tour rumbled through Milan on Tuesday, and the 80,000 in attendance sparked worries of a possible earthquake in Italy.

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Scott rocked the Ippodromo Snai La Maura open-field venue in Milan, and citizens thought tectonic plates were shaking after he performed his “FE!N” anthem eight times in a row, per Il Messaggero.

While the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology didn’t report any earthquakes in Milan, X users complained about vibrations. “Am I the only one who heard the #terremoto in Milan,” one asked in Italian, while another person added: “Did I alone feel three good tremors of #Terremoto in Milan?”

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La Flame posted aerial footage of the wild scene featuring a sea of people, phone lights and pockets of mosh pits from above as he sent his ragers into a frenzy.

“LAST NIGHT WAS A DREAM. ‘NO THIS ISNT FESTIVAL. THIS A SHOW ON THE TOUR’ IN THE WORDS OF STROMBERG,” Scott wrote to Instagram. “MILAN YALL OWE ME NOTHING. YALL GAVE YALL ALL 80k OF YALL HAD THE BEST TIME EVER. CIRCUS MAXIMUS. @whitetrashtyler WAS ACTUALLY TURNT ABOUT THIS.”

It’s not the first time a Travis performance has been mistaken for an earthquake in Italy. Reports emerged last year of rumored tremors during a June 2023 Scott show at the same venue.

The Circus Maximus Tour continues its European run the rest of July with a pair of shows in Germany and then another two in Spain to close out the month.

Scott’s world tour has only just begun, with the “SICKO MODE” rapper heading to South America for a string of shows in September. He’ll return to the U.S. for a singular show at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Oct. 9 before heading down under to Australia/New Zealand to wrap the trek up.

There’s music on the way from the Houston native, as Scott is set to appear on Ice Spice’s Y2K! debut album on Friday (July 26). Trav and the “Deli” rapper teamed up on a track titled “Oh Shhh…”

24 Jul 2024

Karol G Is First Artist to Top Hot Latin Songs, Latin Airplay & Tropical Airplay Charts Simultaneously in Over a Decade

Karol G attains a new milestone across the Billboard charts as her latest single, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” lands at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs and Latin Airplay charts, while ruling the Tropical Airplay chart for a second week, on the rankings dated July 29.

The new chart achievements land as Karol G wrapped up her Mañana Será Bonito Tour, with four sold-out shows at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid on July 23.

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On the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” ascends 2-1 with streaming and radio gains. In the tracking week of June 12-18, the song collected 12 million official U.S. streams, up 15%, according to Luminate. The sum yields a 47-44 rise on the overall Streaming Songs chart, plus her ninth No. 1 on Latin Streaming Songs with the Greatest Gainer award of the week.

Despite a 1% slip in digital sales, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” remains at No. 1 on Latin Digital Song Sales, with 1,000 downloads sold during the same tracking frame.

In the radio world, the song reinforces its position as a summer hit, lifting 2-1 on the overall Latin Airplay tally with an 8% gain in audience impressions, to 8.2 million logged in the tracking window. There, Karol collects an 18th champ, placing her closer to her only female contender among acts with the most No. 1s: Shakira, who continues to rule among women, with 23 No. 1 songs since the overall radio ranking launched in 1994.

Diving further into the new champ, the merengue-based track wins a new term atop Tropical Airplay –and its fourth week in the upper region– after the song jumped 3-1 and Karol became the second solo woman to rule Tropical Airplay on her own this decade.

First Artist to Rule Hot Latin Songs, Latin Airplay & Tropical Airplay Since 2014:
As if the new No. 1s weren’t enough, as “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” makes a splash across Billboard charts, Karol becomes the first artist to be No. 1 simultaneously on Hot Latin Songs, Latin Airplay and Tropical Airplay charts in over a decade. The last artist to pull the trick was Romeo Santos when “Odio,” featuring Drake, took over the three charts on the May 10, 2014-dated recap.

Notably, just seven months prior, Santos also seized the No. 1 slot across the three surveys with the ubiquitous “Propuesta Indecente,” on the chart dated Oct. 5, 2013.

Preceding Santos, four other artists accomplished the multilateral ruling in 2013 through three songs: Prince Royce with “Darte Un Beso” (Sept. 7, 2013), Marc Anthony through “Vivir Mi Vida” (11 weeks at No. 1, June 1-Aug. 10, 2023-dated lists), and Tito El Bambino and El Patron by “Por Qué Les Mientes,” where Marc is also featured (Jan. 19, 2013).

Fourth Solo Woman to Lead Hot Latin Songs Since 2010:
With “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” hitting No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs, Karol G racks up another chart-topper unaccompanied by another artist – a rarity for a female act. On the airplay-, streaming data- and digital sales-blended list, only three women have ruled the 50-deep tally on her own since 2010.

Here’s a review of the four female solo occupants of the summit since 2010:

Artist, Title, Peak Date, Weeks at No. 1
Gloria Estefan, “Hotel Nacional,” Jan. 14, 2012, one
Paulina Rubio, “Me Gustas Tanto,” Feb. 11, 2012, one
Kali Uchis, “Telepatía,” May 22, 2021, eight
Karol G, Provenza,” May 14, 2022, one
Karol G, “Mi Ex Tenía Razón,” Aug. 26, 2023, one
Karol G, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” July 27

Beyond its Latin charts’ coronation, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” makes worldwide improvements, moving from No. 7 to its new No. 5 peak on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. tally, with 53.8 million non-U.S. weekly streams, up 10%.

On the Billboard Global 200, the song boasts 65 million worldwide streams, but slips 12-13 despite a 10% gain.

24 Jul 2024

Watch Olivia Rodrigo Get Emotional While Doing a Pregnant Fan’s Gender Reveal Mid-Concert

Olivia Rodrigo has a new personal favorite moment from her Guts World Tour: doing an onstage gender reveal for a pregnant fan in Atlanta on Tuesday (July 23).

In clips posted online, the 21-year-old pop star immediately got fired up to participate in the major life moment as soon as she saw someone in the pit holding up a sign that said, “Olivia, will you do my gender reveal?” Rodrigo instantly started running to the other side of the stage to get to the fan, who handed her a card enclosed with the top secret info.

“Oh my god! I’m actually gonna cry, this is so exciting,” she gushed, asking the fan’s name. “You guys, do we think that Savannah’s having a boy or a girl?”

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After cheers from the audience at State Farm Arena encouraged her to open the card, she said, “I have butterflies in my stomach.”

“Savannah, you’re having a boy!” Rodrigo cheered, cutting right to the chase without drawing out suspense. “I’m gonna cry. I can’t believe I was a part of that. Oh my god, congratulations. I’m emotional, I think that was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.”

Rodrigo, who kept the card as a keepsake, posted another angle of the moment to her Instagram Story. “maybe my favorite thing to ever happen at a show omg,” she wrote.

For the “Vampire” singer to say that the reveal was one of her favorite tour moments carries some weight, given that she’s been on the road for a solid five months. The Guts trek kicked off in California in February, and Rodrigo has since traveled through the U.S., Canada and Europe. In September she’ll embark on a run through Asia, followed by a closing leg in Australia.

With support from Chappell Roan, The Breeders, Pinkpantheress and Remi Wolf, Rodrigo has been performing songs from both of her Billboard 200-topping albums — 2021’s Sour and 2023’s Sour — each night. At different points over the course of the run, she’s welcomed Noah Kahan, Sheryl Crow and Jewel on stage for guest performances.

Watch Rodrigo help with a fan’s gender reveal below.

24 Jul 2024

Kai Cenat Previews New Drake & Lil Yachty Song ‘Supersoak’ on His Stream

During a recent stream, Kai Cenat played a new song by Drake and Lil Yachty titled “Supersoak.”

The Toronto rapper opens the track with an apparent shot at Soulja Boy, rapping, “I’m watchin’ the moves, playin’ it close/ S.O.D., super soak.” Soulja, whose label Stacks on Deck is often referred to as S.O.D.M.G., recently went on a mini-rant via X about Drake.

“You disappointed me,” he tweeted. “Doing all them weak ass songs with them n—az look where It got u none of them n—az you collab with or took on tour had yo back.”

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The song samples social media star Mr. Hotspot’s “Goodness Gracious” with Drake, even going so far as to acknowledge it with the lines, “WhatsApp attachment, first time I seen you naked/ Out in Santorini, but you textin’ faded/ Say you coming home to give me that goodness gracious.”

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Kendrick criticized Drake for working with Lil Yachty on the diss track “Euphoria,” rapping, “I’m allergic to the lame sh–, only you like bein’ famous/ Yachty can’t give you no swag neither, I don’t give a f— ’bout who you hang with.”

However, the Atlanta rapper didn’t appreciate being mentioned, revealing on his A Safe Place podcast that his phone blew up once the song dropped. “So many people kept calling and texting me with excitement of my name being used, and for me it kinda just felt like… I really didn’t want anything to do with it,” he said. Yachty did say he was tipped off, though, adding, “I knew that my name was mentioned before it came out. I didn’t hear the record but I had got word that I was mentioned. I wasn’t surprised.”

There’s no word on when “Supersoak” might officially hit streaming services.

24 Jul 2024

Gospel Star Kim Burrell Apologizes for ‘Hurtful’ Remarks About LGBTQ+ Community; GLAAD Responds

After making a series of homophobic remarks throughout her career, gospel singer Kim Burrell made an official apology over the weekend.

While accepting the Aretha Franklin Icon Award at the 39th annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Burrell offered an apology to the LGBTQ community for the “hurtful” comments she’s made over the years.

“I have, over the course of time and with much soul-searching, come to fully understand the reach and impact of my voice beyond Gospel music,” the singer explained. “There is such a care to take when you realize you’re not just preaching to the choir anymore. You’re preaching to the ones who wanted to be in the choir and were too scared to come because they didn’t understand our language. … [I] understand that some of my past words, comments, preaching have been received by the LGBTQ+ community as negative and hurtful. There’s nothing more hurtful than to think — to imagine — that you’ve said something in the name of God, and it hurt somebody.”

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The singer continued, claiming that her use of “church lingo” may have contributed to her ignorant comments. “We have a church jargon that everybody doesn’t get. And sometimes you have to say it for the people in the back. And for that, I want to apologize to the LGBTQ community. Let’s give them a great big round of applause,” she said to the audience. “We want them to have strength and to sincerely know that we must all do the work to embrace all of God’s people. Tonight, I hope this award and this moment can be the beginning of bridge-building and listening to each other as we follow peace with all men and develop the character of God, which requires seeing God.”

In a now-infamous sermon in 2017, Burrell called LGBTQ+ people “perverted” and told those living with a “homosexual spirit” that “I love you and God loves you but God hates the sin in you and me.” As a result of Burrell’s sermon, Ellen DeGeneres canceled the singer’s appearance on her talk show, saying at the time, “There’s no room for any kind of prejudice in 2017.”

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In response, Darian Aaron, the director of local news: U.S. South for LGBTQ+ advocacy organization GLAAD, published a statement calling Burrell’s apology merely “a first step” toward “accountability and healing” for the community.

“Black LGBTQ people who remain in traditional faith communities are very familiar with the anti-LGBTQ rhetoric Burrell and others have espoused throughout her career,” he wrote. “We are well-versed in the ‘lingo and jargon’ of Black church culture and a gospel music industry that benefits from our gifts but demands us to be silent about our truth. …  Burrell’s speech is evidence of a tipping point where Burrell, the Black church, and the gospel music industry can recognize and accept us all as people of faith and as worthy of Black liberation as anyone else.”

Watch a clip of Burrell’s apology below, and read the entirety of GLAAD’s response on their website.

24 Jul 2024

Nickelback Hilariously Defends ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ From Hate & Ryan Reynolds Loves It

Canadians have each others’ backs!

Nickelback shared a video on Tuesday (July 23) defending the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine film from any hate. In the clip, all four members of the band rock Deadpool and Wolverine masks, though they soon decide that the costumes are too itchy and unmask themselves.

“We’re Nickelback, experts in navigating irrational hate in the face of tremendous success,” the band’s frontman Chad Kroeger tells the camera. “We have an important preemptive message for anyone thinking of criticizing the film Deadpool & Wolverine or Ryan Reynolds.”

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Kroeger then begins listing off the film franchise’s list of accomplishments, including that the first two Deadpool films grossed more than $1.5 billion at the box office, and accolades including two Critics Choice Awards, four MTV Movie & TV Awards, one GLAAD Award, a People’s Choice Award, two Teen Choice Awards and many more.

“As for Mr. Ryan Reynolds, just look at this photograph,” Kroeger adds, before the screen flashes to a photo of the Deadpool star as Nickelback’s 2005 hit “Photograph” begins to play. “That is a beautiful Canadian man right there.”

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Upon seeing the clip, Reynolds was overjoyed. “My god. I love those guys,” he said in response.

Nickelback’s video was a hilarious parody of a 2018 Once Upon a Deadpool teaser, in which Reynolds’ Deadpool vehemently defends the rock band after someone likened the Marvel franchise to “if the Beatles were produced by Nickelback. It’s music, but it sucks.”

“I’ve had it with all this Nickelback hating. You think that makes you cool with the cool kids in school?” Deadpool angrily says in response, before listing off Nickelback’s array of accomplishments, including selling 50 million albums worldwide, and an array of nominations and awards.

Watch the original video below. Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters on Friday (July 26).

24 Jul 2024

Get an Early Look at Latto’s Portrait from Spotify’s Upcoming ‘The Gold Standard’ Exhibition

Spotify is presenting The Gold Standard art exhibition next week to celebrate women in hip-hop, and Billboard is sharing an exclusive look at Latto‘s portrait Wednesday (July 24).

Fine artist Manon Biernacki illustrated larger-than-life portraits of some of the biggest female rappers today, including Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, City Girls, Saweetie, Sexyy Red, Ice Spice, GloRilla and Flo Milli.

“We’re in the midst of a golden age of women in hip-hop. We’ve never seen this many impactful female rappers at the same time, so we wanted to acknowledge the moment with The Gold Standard,” said Carl Chery, head of urban music and creative director at Spotify, in a statement. “The exhibition is an extension of our Feelin’ Myself playlist, where the team worked closely with artist Manon Biernacki to reimagine Renaissance-style portraits for the women who helped define this golden age. We’re looking to create more moments that celebrate and continue Spotify’s support of the growing number of female rappers in the future.”

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Spotify’s The Gold Standard exhibition will take place at The Hole at 312 Bowery in New York next Wednesday, July 31 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“This whole female wave right now, we’re going to look back and be like, ‘2024, it was 10 female rappers performing!’ The female rap category went from three names to like nine. I love that,” Latto said in her recent Billboard cover story.

Check out Latto’s official portrait below:

LATTO

LATTO

Manon Biernacki

24 Jul 2024

Ryan Reynolds Poses With *NSYNC at ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Premiere, Thanks Them for ‘Kindness, Talent & Good Fellowship’

Four out of five members of *NSYNC attended the premiere of Deadpool & Wolverine on Monday (July 22) at New York City’s David H. Koch Theater. To celebrate, Ryan Reynolds, who stars in the film, took to his Instagram Stories to thank the group for their support.

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Reynolds shared a photo in which he and wife Blake Lively are smiling ear-to-ear while posing with JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass and Chris Kirkpatrick. “These guys had such a huge hand in making a particular #DeadpoolAndWolverine sequence one of my all time favourites,” Reynolds wrote. “Can’t thank them enough for their kindness, talent and good fellowship.”

He also shouted out Justin Timberlake, who was notably absent as he is in the midst of his Forget Tomorrow world tour. “@justintimberlake not pictured but no less appreciated,” Reynolds wrote. See his Story here before it disappears.

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*NSYNC’s 2000 hit “Bye Bye Bye” is featured on the film‘s eclectic soundtrack, alongside tracks like Avril Lavigne’s “I’m With You,” Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris,” Fergie’s “Glamorous,” “The Greatest Show” from The Greatest Showman and “You’re the One that I Want” from Grease, among many others.

Per the film’s description, Deadpool & Wolverine follows Wade Wilson (Reynolds), who has left his time as Deadpool behind before the Time Variance Authority, which monitors the timeline in which we exist, calls him in for a new mission and pairs him up with an even more reluctant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to save the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters on Friday (July 26).