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If you scroll down Blxst’s discography, you’ll see his name plastered alongside some of the biggest acts in hip-hop, including Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Snoop Dogg and more. Though being a perennial hook-man would quench many artists’ thirst, Blxst has a more insatiable appetite: being a jack of all trades.
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“I like to focus on just making the best body of work,” he said ahead of his debut album, I’ll Always Come Find You. “I love albums. So, in songwriting, I practice those things versus a hook. That’s one talent alone, down to the verses, the production, and the space on a song. All of it comes to mind when I’m making a record. I don’t only think, ‘Ok. So the hook is gonna go, so all of it is gonna fall into place.’ Nah, every detail gotta line up, too.”
Released on Friday (July 19), I’ll Always Come Find You is the masterwork Blxst had dreamed of making since childhood, hearing Ye’s Graduation or 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’. The 20-track entry is a cinematic thriller imbued with love, ambition, and triumph as Blxst navigates through the worlds of Birdie and Big E, fictional characters devised by the singer.
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“The characters Birdie and Big E are two versions of myself,” he says. “Birdie is my inner child, and Big E is the wiser version of me, and I’m dead center channeling the energy of my inner child but trying to be this greater version of myself. It’s just a journey, and I want people to be able to reflect and relate to it.”
With assists from Anderson .Paak and Becky G, Blxst takes creative leaps, proving his versatility. Most notably, on the latter, he rubs shoulders with the Latin megastar on “Rewind,” showcasing his ability to skate beyond L.A. lines. “I’m well aware that I’ve developed a sound that people can identify me with, which is my West Coast two-step that people love me for, but I’m also planting those different seeds of things that I’ve been inspired by as an artist,” he says.
Billboard spoke to Blxst about his debut album, I’ll Always Come to Find You, seeking inspiration from 50 and Ye, the importance of Kendrick’s Pop Out concert to L.A., and more.
You’re coming off two great mixtapes. What was the shift for you mentally knowing that you’re entering your debut album at this point of your career?
I would say the shift was channeling that inner child that fell in love with music in the first place and pulling those different inspirations. No Love Lost and Before You Go, I think I did a good job in developing a sound that people can identify me with, but also, it wasn’t everything that I am. I felt like with I’ll Always Come Find You, I was in position to have the resources to really make that dream album, and that dream album is a concept album, in my opinion — just keeping that art alive. 20 piece, skits and all. We got the short film attached to it. There’s so many layers that people can peel back.
That’s the type of fan that I am when I listen to my favorite albums — like [Kendrick Lamar’s] good kid, m.A.A.d city, and still being able to peel different layers back years down the line. That’s what I plan for fans to do with this one.
You grew up a fan of certain concept albums like Graduation or Get Rich or Die Tryin’. What did you take away from those projects when creating I’ll Always Come Find You.
I love how 50 made it bigger than just the music. It kind of remind me of how they do with Disneyland, for example. You got the audio, but you also can see it on ice or you can go meet Mickey Mouse. You can buy his ears. That’s how I wanted to create a world for my album. So we got the audio, which is a soundtrack to the short film and then we got the activation where we’ll bring the characters to life with the tour and all that.
You mentioned skits earlier on and you have E-40 speaking on a few of them. Talk about the importance of having skits and using them to thread together the story you’re trying to tell.
I think it just heightens the details of what you’re trying to get across the album. It’s mostly about the sonics — they’re here for the songs — but the glue is the skits and that’s what amplifies the story. We put details into that. We scored the skits and everything.
How selective were you when picking the right features, knowing that this isn’t only your debut album, but a concept release?
It’s kind of crazy because I started off sonically like, “What’s organic?” Who are the artists that rock with me naturally? Before I’d be like, “OK. This artist would fit perfect for this story.” I just tried to see who was rocking with me ’cause it’s tough just reaching out to everybody and banking on them to be a part of a rollout. Everybody on the album, I can genuinely say they’re rocking with me on a personal level or they reached out to me and was a fan of my music. Just breaking it down to the hero’s journey — if you look at the concept of a hero’s journey, it’s always that one person that’ll help you navigate through the journey that you’re about to embark. That’s how I look at each feature. These are different people that I came across on the journey that’s helping me get to that next stage.
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I remember Nipsey told me he started working on Victory Lap in 2014 and the first record he worked on was “Real Big.” For you, knowing that you were actively working on your mixtapes, were you also piecing together your album at the same time?
Mentally, I was because I wanted to complete a sentence. So it’s No Love Lost, Before You Go, I’ll Always Come Find You. So that was always the goal — but musically, that was later down the line.
You have two home run features in Anderson .Paak and Becky G. Did you have to step out of your element to make those features work, especially with the latter?
Anderson .Paak, I don’t really feel like that was too far of a step, maybe because of the fan that I am of him and just studying his catalog, being a super fan of Malibu. I literally have a tattoo on my neck of a bird because of his lyric, “A bird with a word came to me/ A sweetness of a honeycomb tree.” I’m a huge fan of him.
Does he know that?
I don’t think I’ve had a chance to tell him yet. [Laughs.] But I just think of me being a fan, I know the direction that he goes in with music. I know he loves live instruments and it was perfect combination. He’s from Cali at the end of the day, so it wasn’t too far.
I will say with Becky G — I knew it was gonna throw people off, but being from L.A., we blend with the Latin community like bread and butter. It was only a matter of time before I merged into that lane and I think we should do more of that just being where I’m from, but also just hip-hop. It started with Black and Brown anyway. So these moments need to be amplified.
You mentioned in the past how Ty Dolla $ign is a sensei to you. What are some things you’ve taken away from his artistry?
The limitlessness. He’s multi-dimensional. He’s from where he’s from. He always takes LA whereever he goes, but you can’t put that man in a box at all. I just like how he leads by example moreso than anything. When everybody was going left, he always went right. It was always unpredictable, but it wasn’t a reach. It was a perfect blend and he kept it soulful, too. Anytime he “crossed over,” it was still that soul and tone of voice that still related to what you love him for.
On “Long Way Home,” you speak about losing LA heroes like Nipsey and Drakeo The Ruler. You were part of the Pop Out last month. Do you feel like the Pop Out was a step in the right direction in terms of preserving and protect LA artists?
Hell yeah. [Kendrick] relit a certain flame that LA needed. It’s a certain light and pride that we uphold that I feel like we’re back on that bullsh-t again. Luckily, I was able to have an album in motion around this time to be able to pop out and continue that energy, but even being from LA and seeing what’s going on right now, the collaborative spirit is at an all-time high. It’s inspiring to see what one artist can do and it took somebody like Kendrick who’s at the top of their game to pull up young artists and say, “Y’all might not ever seen these faces before,” but they need some light too and we’re keeping that energy alive.
You were on “Die Hard” from Kendrick’s Mr. Morale era, and he’s clearly on a different type of time now. How would you compare Kendrick then and now?
Man, that’s another unpredictable guy. As soon as you think he’s going left, he’s gonna go right. That’s what I love about him as an artist.
He’s a Gemini, man.
He’s crazy and bipolar. [Laughs.]
You and Amanda Reifer teamed up again after appearing on “Die Hard” together. What made you guys reunite on this album?
We were Grammy-nominated. I wanted to keep that energy going. So I wanted to set the tone early and I got in with Amanda. This was actually our first time meeting each other like beyond the success of the “Die Hard” record. We got in and Sounwave executive produced this entire album. He did the “Die Hard” record, too. It was a good combination, man, and I’m glad we started the album like this. The title alone, “Long Way Home” just embodies my whole mental state in approaching the music industry.
You also brought the legendary Fatman Scoop back on this album. What made you decide to have him along for the ride?
For my album, I wanted some kind of nostalgic piece. I always go back to my childhood when I try to pull inspiration and my sister was a huge Missy Elliott, Ciara fan and them moments that made you dance. Hearing him hype up the song, there’s a certain element that we don’t really have today. There’s a few people that do it like Mustard and Khaled, I just wanted to keep that element alive and bring it back on a nostalgic level from the source.
How do you feel you’ve grown as a songwriter since the release of No Love Lost on this album?
No Love Lost to now? I think just naturally experiencing life. I still go through real life experiences. I’m a father of two boys. I come home to my family and I chill with them every Sunday, so I also like to express their stories for the ones who don’t write music. I think also being a listener moreso than anything kind of adds to that because I don’t really like talking a lot. I like to put it in the music and express myself in a artform. I think naturally over time that helped me progress my pen and how I narrate my story.
How was your Coachella experience and how did that help raise your confidence level as a performer?
Man, that’s one of the biggest stages that I’ve ever been on. So many legends that touched that stage, I didn’t wanna just jump on the stage with no regular, degular show. That’s why we added the theme of foreshadowing an album. We brought The Grand National that’s gonna play a part of the album on stage, and even down to the outfits, the storyline, the graphics, everything was all consistent and cohesive. The fans are gonna be able to peel the layers later down the line, but it was an honor. I take everything serious, because it’s an opportunity at the end of the day. I don’t have to. I get to. That’s how I approach everything.
How elevated is the tour going to be knowing the storyline behind this album?
Man, my team is going to have to talk me down because I been dreaming big! I’m thinking, like, how can we make it a play on stage? Bring the characters from the short film on the tour, where they can pop out and give a monologue.
Who’s gonna play Birdie?
Man, I’m Birdie.
Oh you’re gonna try to do double duty. Say less.
Right. [Laughs.] But we’re still experimenting and throwing ideas out there right now, but it’s definitely gonna be an alignment of the album.
Celine Dion is reportedly making her much-awaited comeback during the Paris Olympics‘ opening ceremony on Friday (July 26), according to Variety. The “My Heart Will Go On” icon was seen in the French capital on Monday (July 22) at Royal Monceau hotel near the Champs-Élysées, per the publication, though there is no official announcement or […]
YoungBoy Never Broke Again — born Kentrell Gaulden — remains behind bars for charges stemming from a prescription drug ring case in Utah.
According to Law & Crime Network — which was founded by Dan Abrams, ABC News’ chief legal affairs correspondent — a handful of fans were able to infiltrate the July 22 Zoom hearing and appear in the WebEx livestream where they dissed the judge handling the Cache County case, and demanded YoungBoy’s freedom.
“Free YB, man, free YB,” a fan said. Another went after Judge Spencer Walsh. “Shut yo b—h a– up, man, free YB,” they spewed.
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Judge Walsh played it cool amid the disruptions and asked the viewers to mute their microphones while he attempted to conduct the hearing.
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The Baton Rouge rapper’s attorney, John Williams, joined the hearing virtually late due to a doctor’s appointment and got caught up to speed. The next court date for YoungBoy Never Broke Again is set for Aug. 19, where Williams will once again appear via WebEx.
During a virtual hearing for #NBAYoungboy, whose real name Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, several Zoom bombers flooded the WebEx stream shouting at the court to “free Youngboy!” Gaulden is currently in jail for allegedly conducting a prescription drug fraud operation. pic.twitter.com/EebrEttPkv— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) July 22, 2024
Billboard has reached out to the First District Court in Cache County for comment.
YoungBoy had been on house arrest in Utah for two years awaiting trial in a separate federal gun case, but was arrested at his Huntsville estate back in April for allegedly orchestrating a fraudulent prescription drug ring in Utah.
He’s facing 63 felonies and misdemeanors related to he case, including identity fraud, obtaining a prescription under false pretenses, possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, forgery and possession of a controlled substance.
At least 15 pharmacies are said to be involved. Per the Associated Press, three other individuals implicated allegedly traveled to different pharmacies to fill out orders made by fake doctors.
The 24-year-old rhymer was hit with additional charges later into April connected to the same prescription case. He’s facing a second-degree felony count for possession of a dangerous weapon and two more misdemeanor counts of distributing a controlled substance.
On the music side, YoungBoy is yet to release a full-length project in 2024, but he teamed up with T.I. for “LLOGCLAY” in May.
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco have moved past the “ily” stage of their relationship to “loml.” Following a day of birthday festivities, the newly 32-year-old pop star shared a sweet photo with the producer, proudly telling followers that he’s the great love of her life. In the adorable snap, which she shared on Instagram Stories […]
During his set at the Faster Horses Festival on Friday (July 19), Jelly Roll welcomed country and CCM singer-songwriter Anne Wilson to the stage as a surprise, last-minute guest to join him in singing the collaboration “Save Me.” Together, they infused the gospel-tinged song with an extra shot of urgency and fervor.
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“Save Me,” of course, is Jelly Roll’s Grammy-nominated duet another Wilson — reigning CMA and ACM entertainer of the year, and Jelly Roll’s labelmate, Lainey Wilson.
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“Lainey Wilson could not be here tonight, but I would like to welcome to the stage one of the greatest people I’ve ever met and her name is Miss Anne Wilson,” Jelly Roll told the audience as Anne began singing the lead on “Save Me,” eliciting cheers from the packed festival audience.
Wilson, who recently earned her latest top five Billboard Christian Airplay hit with “Strong,” shared a video clip of the experience on TikTok, captioning it, “When Jelly Roll asks you last minute to sing with him and you say YES!”
Lainey Wilson also chimed in on TikTok to give her blessing to Anne’s rendition of her portions in the song, writing, “My Wilson girl. Love you. Keep on shining that LIGHT like you do.”
Anne Wilson first broke through in 2021 with her song “My Jesus,” which spent six weeks atop Billboard‘s Christian Airplay chart. The two Wilsons also have their own recent collaboration, “Praying Woman,” which was included in Anne Wilson’s most recent album, Rebel, which blends both country and Contemporary Christian Music. Rebel debuted at No. 10 on Billboard‘s Top Country Albums chart, and spent three weeks at the pinnacle of the Top Christian Albums chart.
The Faster Horses Festival was held July 19-21 in Brooklyn, Mich. The lineup also included Lainey Wilson (who headlined Saturday’s lineup), Hardy, Cody Johnson, Old Dominion, Riley Green, Ernest and more.
See Wilson’s TikTok clip of the performance with Jelly Roll below.
Supernatural, the subscription-based VR fitness app, has launched a pair of new workouts featuring the music of Billie Eilish, adding to the platform’s catalog of superstars featured in their Artist Series.
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Songs like “Bad Guy,” “Lunch” and the Sofi Tukker remix of “Copycat” are highlighted in Supernatural’s new boxing workout, while the “Flow” routine features current hit “Birds of a Feather” as well as “Bellyache” and “Oxytocin,” among others. Supernatural allows users to partake in choreographed cardio workouts with headsets strapped on, and a 2021 deal with Universal Music Publishing Group opened up a large selection of songs for in-app programming, including for the SN Artist Series, which launched in 2022.
“When it comes to selecting songs for our Artist Series, we prioritize showcasing an artist’s full catalog of work while striking a balance between song selections that appeal to both new listeners and dedicated fans, promoting the artist’s new work, and using songs that are best suited for our movement modalities and application,” says Jess Zobler, Supernatural senior producer. “For example, Boxing classes in Supernatural use more traditional, fitness-forward music, while the Flow modality uses visual cues such as targets, triangles, and tails to cue movements that are choreographed to embody the song’s feeling and rhythm.”
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The routines soundtracked by Eilish’s music launched on Monday (July 22), and join Supernatural’s 26 previous Artist Series workouts, which includes spotlights on artists like Taylor Swift, Post Malone, Queen and Nicki Minaj.
“Billie Eilish’s catalog is very sonically diverse: Hard-hitting, trap-like instrumentation in the chorus of ‘You Should See Me in a Crown’ allows for boxing flurries and cross-body uppercuts, while ‘Bury a Friend’ features choreographed punches on even beats that match the rhythm of the bass, making it feel like the user’s punches are controlling the drums and snares,” Zobler adds. “Long bob and weave movements play with some of the sinister sound effects in the song, creating the feeling of dodging the evil monster lurking under Billie’s mattress.
“In the Flow modality,” Zobler continues, “songs like ‘Bellyache’ with a minimalist beat and ethereal quality inform the quality of movement to be more open and sweeping, using ‘tail’ targets to move the user in sync with some of the song’s dream-like qualities.”
With the launch of the workouts, Supernatural has also unveiled two playlists with the Eilish songs featured in each routine. Both workouts include tracks from Eilish’s third album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, which was released in May.
Brittany Aldean is speaking out about her feud with Maren Morris, whose feminism the influencer called “bulls–t” on a new episode of Try That In a Small Town posted Monday (July 22).
On the podcast, which is hosted by the cowriters of Jason Aldean‘s controversial song of the same name, Brittany reflected on butting heads with the “The Middle” singer-songwriter in 2022 over gender-affirming healthcare discourse. To recap, the former NBA dancer thanked her parents for allowing her to go through her “tomboy” phase without “changing [her] gender” in a post on Instagram, after which she proceeded to double down on her stance and spread misinformation about what she called “the genital mutilation of children.” Meanwhile, Morris tweeted in response to her claims, saying, “It’s so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie.”
“She’s got a group of friends here in Nashville that, they just have it out for me for whatever reason,” Brittany said on the pod, while seated next to her country star husband. “Which, to be so pro-woman and all the bulls–t … you’re not, because I’ve never said a word to you and you come for me. Why? Because I’m an easy target? Because I’m a wife, and I don’t have a stage as a platform, but I have social media? For some reason I offend them.”
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“She started to make fun of my business, which at the time was hair extensions,” she continued of Morris. “But to me it’s, like, once again, going back to the feminist movement. Aren’t you supposed to be all peace, love and all inclusivity and all the things? Why are you coming for me like that about my business?”
Brittany went on to triple down on her post that started it all. “I’m thankful that my parents didn’t say, ‘Oh, Brit. You love sports, you love Babe Ruth, do you want to be a boy?’ That’s crazy!”
But while the Aldeans and the podcast’s hosts — Kurt Allison, Tully Kennedy, Kelley Lovelace and Neil Thrasher — all agreed that parents surgically changing the sex of their underage kids is “so common these days,” experts maintain that it’s exceedingly rare. Most kids who receive gender-affirming care are treated with impermanent courses of action such as speech therapy, puberty blockers or hormone treatments.
“Young people don’t do too much that is irreversible. Prior to puberty, there is no medical intervention,” Dr. Joshua D. Safer, MD, executive director of the Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, previously Billboard. “Even puberty blockers are reversible. In later teenage years, well-established patients may begin hormone treatment.”
In spite of her beliefs, Brittany said she still takes issue with “headlines” labeling her “transphobic,” but one thing she doesn’t have a problem with anymore is Morris’ nickname for her. “They called me Insurrection Barbie,” she said on the podcast, laughing as Jason chimed in, “It’s kind of hot.”
Rita Ora is fresh off the release of her latest single, “Ask & You Shall Receive,” and to celebrate, the pop star sat down with Billboard‘s Rania Aniftos to discuss her next musical era.
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“The song I got it sent to me in my email from RAYE, who was a great friend of mine,” she explained. “She’s also another British pop sensation, and I love her. I’ve known her for a very long time as a songwriter and as an artist, and she came on tour with me back in 2017 sent me the song, and I loved it. Sometimes it’s not that deep. My third record, You & I was very deep and emotional. It was about my personal life changing, I got married and really wanted to share a story with the world. Well, with this one, I was like, you know what? Let’s just put out great things that feel good, you know? The sun is out. I’m always about the sunshine. Everything with my music has been super positive. If you’ve followed me for a decade-plus, I’ve always tried to integrate a community and my fan base, and everyone comes the show and just has a good time.”
She continued, “This record is really just about my girls, my vibes, everyone feeling good. So, with the music video and all the visuals, I really wanted to create a world that felt a bit sort of uncomfortably comfortable. […] I just wanted to try and challenge myself and do things a bit more experimental with the music and the beats and everything.”
Ora continued that “Ask & You Shall Receive” is indicative of an album that she’s currently working on. “This album is something I’m actually really excited about,” she shared. “I’m spending the rest of the year making it. I’m feeling super, super inspired creatively, just having that essence of feeling a bit like not everything is perfect, which was kind of my motive with this. Everything’s just a bit left like that. Sonically, feeling a bit darker, a bit more spicy, a bit more aggressive, just getting in my like, uncomfortable era.”
Watch Billboard‘s full interview with Rita Ora above.
Kamala Harris kicked off the first official day of her 2024 presidential run in epic fashion on Monday (July 22), raising more than $81 million in the first 24 hours after the nation’s current Vice President was endorsed by President Biden following the commander-in-chief’s announcement ending his bid for a second term.
The historic fundraising haul — which was boosted by 62% of donors making their first contribution to a campaign — was matched by an equally gaudy number of sign-ups for new volunteers in key swing states topping more than 28,000 as enthusiasm for Harris re-energized a democratic base that had grown pensive about Biden’s chances of defeating former President Donald Trump.
But perhaps the biggest bump of approval of all came from an unlikely source: Beyoncé. According to CNN, when Harris walked into her campaign headquarters on Monday night (July 22) night for her first official visit she did it to Bey’s 2016 Lemonade track “Freedom.” A source told CNN that Harris’ team got approval from the singer’s reps to use the song throughout her surprise second presidential bid.
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At press time spokespeople for Harris and Beyoncé had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment.
The Grammy-nominated song featuring Kendrick Lamar became the soundtrack for many of the street demonstrations around the nation following the May 2020 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. “Freedom, Freedom/ Where are you?/ ‘Cause I need freedom, too/ I break chains all by myself/ Won’t let my freedom rot in hell/ Hey! I’ma keep running/ ‘Cause a winner don’t quit on themselves,” Beyoncé sings on the track’s soaring chorus.
The network noted the Bey is notorious for being very guarded about licensing her music, but that she gave “quick approval” to the Harris campaign when they reached out to ask for permission to use “Freedom” on Monday, just a few hours before the campaign HQ entrance. At press time Beyoncé had not officially endorsed Harris, though CNN speculated that the permission to use “Freedom” suggested that the fledgling campaign has the singer’s support. Though Bey has not given Harris her official thumbs up, her mother, Tina Knowles, joined a group of stars giving the veep’s run their stamp of approval.
“New, Youthful, Sharp , , energy !!!!” Knowles wrote on Instagram alongside a pic of her with Harris. “Putting personal Ego , power and fame aside . That is the definition of a great leader, . Thank you, President Biden for your service and your leadership . Go Vice President Kamala Harris for President. Let’s Go”
Beyoncé has been a supporter of democratic candidates in the past, singing the National Anthem at Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2013, headlining a pre-election show for Hillary Clinton along with husband Jay-Z in 2016 and endorsing the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020.
Former prosecutor Harris wasted no time during her first public appearance in taking it to twice-impeached convicted felon Trump, who is making his third run at the White House after Biden sent him packing in 2020 after a single term; Trump continues to falsely claim that Biden did not win the election.
“I took on perpetrators of all kinds: Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own game,” Harris told the crowd at her Wilmington, DE campaign HQ. “So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump’s type. And in this campaign, I will proudly put my record against his.” Once her 20-minute speech ended, Harris walked off stage to “Freedom” again.
The reported Beyoncé approval is in stark contrast to the long list of musicians who have repeatedly asked Trump to cease and desist from using their music during his campaign events. Similarly, a long list of A-list musicians have quickly leapt to support Harris’ bid — including Cardi B, Ariana Grande, Charli XCX, Katy Perry, Lil Nas X and many more — while the Trump-topped Republican National Convention last weekend featured appearances from a mixture of stars such as Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Lee Greenwood and Chris Janson, as well as former wrestler Hulk Hogan, fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Russell Brand and Amber Rose.
With the U.S. presidential election coming up in November, Vice President Kamala Harris is making sure that voters hit the polls like rom-pom-pom-pom. In one of the Harris campaign’s latest TikTok videos, the vice president pitched herself as the best alternative to former president Donald Trump with a little help from rising pop star Chappell […]
