Music News

01 Jul 2024

Too Short Has to Give the W to Kendrick Lamar in Drake Beef: ‘I Think He Held His Own Pretty Good’

Too Short has been in the game long enough to see pretty much every modern rap beef come and go. But when Billboard caught up with the West Coast legend on the red carpet at Sunday night’s (June 30) 2024 BET Awards, the “Blow the Whistle” MC went with the home team when declaring a winner in the recent heated Kendrick Lamar and Drake diss battle.

“I like the way a lot of people stood up and rode with the homie [Lamar] in this one because it seemed like he was supposed to be the underdog,” Short said of fellow West Coast native K-Dot. “I think he held his own pretty good. I think that in this situation… none of us would dispute that this battle was amongst two really good artists.”

And now, with the dust settled and the barrage of songs living out there forever to chronicle the lyrical combat, Short said the culture was still left with “two great artists” vital to the genre. That said, Short is more than ready to retire “gangsta Drake,” but stressed that “R&B Drake” and “Drake for the ladies” should never, ever be put out to pasture.

Wearing a blue t-shirt that read “Cultural Icon,” Short then recalled the first time he heard Drake back in 2007-2008, when the “most beautiful woman in the world” told him that if he wanted to hang out with her he had to spin Drizzy. Though he’d never heard of Drake at the time, Short said he kept hearing the Canadian MC’s music, which made him ask, “who is that? That’s kind of dope!” Short said he then really became a fan once a string of women recommended he check out the Comeback Season mixtape rapper’s work.

“The ladies are good judges of what good music is, they dictate a lot of stuff in the industry, so I say kudos to Drake cuz I wouldn’t have never knew about your music if it wasn’t for the baddest of the baddies,” Short said.

01 Jul 2024

Moneybagg Yo Teases a Possible Country Album After ‘Unexpected’ Success of Morgan Wallen Collab

Is Moneybagg Yo set to release a country album? It seems so, according to the artist’s interview with Billboard on the BET Awards carpet on Sunday (June 30).

Speaking with Billboard‘s Carl Lamarre, the “Said Sum” rapper first discussed his hit collaboration with Morgan Wallen, “Whiskey Whiskey,” which debuted at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Offering up his feelings on the song’s success, Moneybagg Yo said, “It feels good and it’s kind of going how we kind of planned it, where he was really pressuring me on it and I was just like, ‘Ehh,’ but then, you know because it’s always something new for you and unexpected … it’s going crazy right now.”

Asked if the success of “Whiskey Whiskey” is making him think of leaning more into the country space, Moneybagg Yo told Billboard, “After these next two albums I’m fixing to drop before the summer is over, I think after that, going into the winter or something, I think I’m going to do a country album, a country EP or something.”

Given that Usher was honored with the lifetime achievement award at the BET Awards, Moneybagg Yo also noted that his favorite Usher album is the 2004 project Confessions, which included the massive hits “Burn,” “Yeah!” and “My Boo.” Usher was feted with an all-star tribute that included Childish Gambino, Latto, Keke Palmer, Teyana Taylor and Victoria Monét.

“Whiskey Whiskey” is from Moneybagg Yo’s album Speak Now, which was released June 14. The project also features collaborations with Rob49, Chris Brown, Lil Durk, YTB Fatt, and Kevo Muney.

Watch Moneybagg Yo’s interview with Billboard above.

01 Jul 2024

Flavor Flav Is Getting His Own Signature Meal at Red Lobster: ‘My Fave Dishes’

Flavor Flav is doing everything he can to make sure Red Lobster survives its financial woes. The Public Enemy rapper has partnered with the seafood chain for his own signature meal.

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Red Lobster announced the launch of Flavor Flav’s Faves on Monday (July 1), featuring all of the New York native’s go-to items when ordering at the restaurant. Hand picked by Flav himself, the off-menu Faves order includes Maine lobster tail, snow crab legs, garlic shrimp scampi and a bacon mac and cheese plus a choice of any one side.

Once Flavor Flav got word that Red Lobster had filed for bankruptcy protection in May, he sprung into action. Flav actually ordered every item off the menu for dinner to feed him and his family one night in June.

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“Ya boy said he wuz gonna do everything to help Red Lobster and save the Cheddar Bay Biscuits,,, ordered the whole menu,” he captioned a photo of his spread on Instagram in June.

About a week later, conversations were productive enough between Flav and RL to have him star in a Crab Your Way campaign ad. In celebration of Crabfest, Flav voices the commercial announcing the launch of new Cajun butter and roasted garlic butter flavors.

According to the Associated Press, Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy protection in May after closing dozens of locations across the United States. However, the chain promised to continue operating its 600 restaurants while looking for a sale. 

“This restructuring is the best path forward for Red Lobster. It allows us to address several financial and operational challenges and emerge stronger and re-focused on our growth,” company CEO Jonathan Tibus said at the time.

It’s a busy summer for Flavor Flav, who is also serving as an ambassador for the USA women’s and men’s water polo teams as they gear up to head to Paris for the 2024 Olympics. Flav signed a five-year sponsorship deal and made a contribution to the women’s Olympic team.

Flavor Flav was inspired by a post by the women’s water polo team captain Maggie Steffens looking for financial help for the team, and that’s when the rapper stepped in. Steffens and Flav joined CBS Mornings on Monday (July 1) to officially announce the sponsorship deal.

“These women out here, first of all, the women’s water polo team out here busting their butt to make the United States look good. And they chasing this dream, you know what I’m saying? And I learned they got three back-to-back gold medals,” he said. Flav added that he didn’t know much about water polo, but became aware of the team’s story through his manager and wanted to help as their hype man.

Find more about the Red Lobster meal and Flavor Flav’s involvement with the Olympic water polo team below.

01 Jul 2024

JoJo Siwa Needs You to ‘Get the F–k Ready’ for Her Debut EP ‘Guilty Pleasure’

The self-proclaimed CMO of Gay Pop JoJo Siwa is ready to give her fans even more music very soon.

In a post to her Instagram on Sunday (June 30), Siwa revealed that she would be releasing her debut EP, titled Guilty Pleasure, on July 12 via Columbia Records. Sharing the album art — which shows the singer in a high ponytail wearing a pair of wraparound shades and jewels down the center of her face — Siwa gave fans a small glimpse at what to expect from the new project.

“GET THE F*** READY. GUILTY PLEASURE (Song & Official Music Video) COMING IN 13 DAYS,” she wrote. “Thats not it … There’s actually 5 SONGS COMING YOUR WAY IN 13 DAYS. GUILTY PLEASURE my DEBUT EP available EVERYWHERE July 12th!!! The count down is ON.”

Along with the art, Siwa also revealed the official tracklist for her new EP. Alongside her viral single “Karma,” the project will also feature songs titled “Guilty Pleasure,” “Balance Baby,” “Yesterday’s Tomorrow’s Today,” and “Choose Ur Fighter.” She also shared a small snippet of the titular track of the project, with a dance beat banging behind her as she sings the words, “I’m your guilty pleasure.”

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The news comes on the heels of a busy Pride season for the rising pop singer. Traveling across the country to perform at Pride festivals in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and more, Siwa made plenty of headlines along the way. During her set at L.A. Pride in the Park, for example, Siwa took time on the stage to call out an online troll who claimed she was a man by saying, “No. 1, my d–k is bigger than his, and No. 2, I’ve f–ked more girls than him.”

Check out JoJo Siwa’s Instagram post below:

01 Jul 2024

Which Performance at the 2024 BET Awards Was Your Favorite? Vote!

From rising stars to certified greats, a litany of the world’s biggest hip-hop and R&B artists took the stage at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater to celebrate Black musical excellence at the 2024 BET Awards Sunday evening (June 30).

And in case you missed it, every single one of those musicians brought the fire — in some cases, quite literally. After Megan Thee Stallion kicked off the show, Will Smith made his comeback by rapping his new song “You Can Make It” while standing in the center of a fearsome ring of flames, while Ice Spice’s twerk-filled performance of “Phat Butt” got so heated, her Y2K gas station set went up in a blaze.

In between awards, GloRilla, Victoria Monét, Latto, Sexyy Red and Heiress Harris also all delivered show-stopping musical numbers, as did Lauryn Hill with help from YG Marley and Tyla in partnership with Gunna and Skillibeng. Plus, Tanner Adell and Shaboozey brought a little bit of country to the ceremony following their breakthrough Cowboy Carter collaborations with Beyoncé earlier this year, with the former singing “Buckle Bunny” and “Cowboy Broke My Heart” and the latter performing “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” with J-Kwon.

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And though an honorable mention definitely goes to host Taraji P. Henson for opening the broadcast by impersonating Kendrick Lamar’s viral “Not Like Us” performance at his Juneteenth concert, the Usher tribute medley toward the end may have stolen the show. Ahead of the R&B icon accepting his lifetime achievement award, Childish Gambino, Keke Palmer, Coco Jones, Summer Walker, Marsha Ambrosius and more all covered songs from his extensive catalog, with the highlight being Monét and Teyana Taylor recreating his and Bey’s legendary “Bad Girl” choreography.

Though it may be hard to choose, Billboard wants to know which performance at the 2024 BET Awards was your favorite. If you need a refresher or missed the show, watch the sets here and see our own ranking, then vote below.

01 Jul 2024

Rick Ross Appears to Get Attacked Following Vancouver Festival Performance, Videos Show

Rick Ross appears to have been assaulted in Vancouver, B.C., Sunday night (June 30) following his performance at Ignite Music Festival. Video footage online appears to show Rozay being sucker punched, which starts a brawl.

According to TMZ, The Biggest Boss wrapped up his set around 10:30 p.m. local time and looked to be departing from the main stage area when he was punched, with video showing Kendrick Lamar’s Drake diss “Not Like Us” booming through the venue speakers amid Ross’ own feud with the 6 God, who is a Toronto native.

Punches flew as the situation escalated. Another video angle of the brawl appeared to show one of Rozay’s associates knocked unconscious and being carried away to safety.

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“White boy,” one person can be heard shouting, which may be a reference to what Rozay nicknamed Drizzy on his “Champagne Moments” diss track.

Ross told TMZ on Monday morning that no one with him was seriously injured, and added that he “can’t wait to go back” to “beautiful” Vancouver, B.C.

Ross also posted a photo of himself laughing in front of a private jet on Instagram Stories Monday morning (July 1). “Vancouver, it was fun. Until next time,” he wrote over the image.

Billboard has reached out to Rick Ross’ reps, the Ignite Music Festival as well as the Vancouver Police Department.

50 Cent didn’t waste any time in clowning his rival Ross. He posted an alleged clip on Instagram of Ricky making a “great escape” to safety as the brawl went down. “LMAO THE GREAT ESCAPE! MEEKA CALL THE CHASERS, THEY ARE CHASING ME. LOL,” he captioned the post.

Drake, who was not involved in the incident, liked a post from Keep6ixSolid on Instagram recapping Sunday’s altercation that appears to involve Rozay.

It’s unclear what sparked the feud earlier this year between Drake and Ross, who were close collaborators throughout the last 15 years. Drake had sniped at Ross on his “Push Ups” diss track in April, and Rozay returned the favor with his “Champagne Moments” diss, in which he claimed the OVO honcho had a nose job and continued to call him “BBL Drizzy” because of the alleged cosmetic work.

01 Jul 2024

Watch Every 2024 BET Awards Performance

The 2024 BET Awards on Sunday night (June 30) had something for everyone, including Will Smith’s gospel rap return to music, host Taraji P. Henson channeling Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth Pop Out concert look during a “Not Like Us” parody, as well as Ice Spice putting the censors into overdrive with her runs through “Phat Butt” and “Think U the Shit (Fart).”

Sexyy Red also served up a two-fer with “U My Everything” and “Get It Sexyy,” as did Latto (“Sunday Service,” “Big Mama”), while GloRilla proved she deserves to be on the big stage with a medley featuring “Yeah Glo!,” followed by “TGIF,” and a team up with her current tourmate Megan Thee Stallion on “Wanna Be.”

Meg made her own mark with a show-opening treat for her Hotties, continuing her rebirth theme by popping out of an egg in a bikini to perform “Hiss,” “Boa” and “Where Them Girls At?” There were also nods to country courtesy of Tanner Adell (“Buckle Bunny,” “Cowboy Broke My Heart”) and Shaboozey, who was joined by J-Kwon for his breakout Billboard Hot 100 No. 2 hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”

The night also featured a lifetime achievement award honor for Usher, whose hit records were performed by Childish Gambino, Coco Jones, Keke Palmer, Summer Walker and Marsha Ambrosius, as well as Tinashe, Teyana Taylor, Victoria Monét and Latto. In addition to a medley from Lauryn Hill and son YG Marley, one of the night’s most talked-about bits was when Smith debuted his new inspirational song, “You Can Make It,” with help from the Sunday Service Choir, Kirk Franklin and Chandler Moore from a stage rung in fire.

Watch, or rewatch, all of the 2024 BET Awards performances below.

01 Jul 2024

Here’s What Taylor Swift Had to Say About Simone Biles’ ‘Reputation’ Olympic Trials Routine

Simone Biles is in her Reputation era, and the world isn’t ready for it — Taylor Swift included. After the celebrated gymnast used “…Ready for It?” in her show-stopping floor routine at Day 1 of the 2024 Olympic Trials in Minneapolis last week, the pop star sang her praises with a tweet Saturday (June 29) ahead of Team USA’s journey to the Games in Paris next month.

Biles opened her high-scoring drill Friday (June 28) with the first 30 seconds of Swift’s 2017 track, striking fierce poses before diving into a triple-double flip that one announcer dubbed the “hardest tumbling pass in the entire world.” The 27-year-old athlete walked away with a score of 14.850 in the category and 58.9000 total, making her a frontrunner for the U.S. women’s team.

Needless to say, the Miss Americana herself couldn’t have been prouder. “Watched this so many times and still unready,” she commented on a video of the routine on X. “She’s ready for it tho??????❤️”

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On Sunday (June 30), Biles performed the routine again, at one point soaring 12 feet in the air with a particularly impressive flip. She ended Day 2 with an all-around score of 117.225 and was selected for Team USA for the third time in her career, having previously won gold at the 2016 Games.

Swift has long been a supporter of Biles. When the athlete made her grand return to the Tokyo Games in 2021 after withdrawing from her previously scheduled events due to mental health reasons, the 14-time Grammy winner starred in a promo video cheering on the world champion’s resilience.

“Throughout the last week, her voice has been as significant as her talents,” Swift said in the NBC ad. “Her honesty as beautiful as the perfection that had long been her signature. But don’t you see? It still is. She is perfectly human. And that’s what makes it so easy to call her a hero.”

“I’m crying ?? how special. I love you @taylorswift13,” Biles tweeted after the video aired, to which Swift responded, “I cried watching YOU. I feel so lucky to have gotten to watch you all these years, but this week was a lesson in emotional intelligence and resilience. We all learned from you. Thank you.”

Watch Biles’ Reputation-inspired floor routine and see Swift’s tweet below.

01 Jul 2024

Louis Tomlinson Greeted as Hero After Setting Up TV at Glastonbury Festival to Screen England’s Euro 2024 Soccer Match

There are two things the English cannot live without: soccer and Glastonbury. The legendary summer festival that took place over the weekend drew 200,000 to see sets by headliners Dua Lipa, LCD Soundsystem, Coldplay, SZA and Burna Boy, even as England was fighting for its life in a thrilling elimination game against Slovakia in the Euro 2024 soccer tournament.

According to the Guardian, former One Direction star and solo singer Louis Tomlinson livestreamed the game in a festival campsite on a flat screen TV taped to a trolley fueled by a generator on Sunday morning, drawing hundreds to the site to watch the match. The move came after festival officials announced last week that the match would not be shown on Glasto grounds to avoid clashing with main stage performances.

“It’s the second screen I’ve bought,” Tomlinson told the Guardian when the game went into extra time after England’s Jude Bellingham knotted things up with a thrilling 95th minute equalizer; Harry Kane scored during extra time to send England to the quarter finals.. “The first got cracked. I wasn’t going to take credit for it because it looked like we were going to lose in normal time, but now that we’ve equalised I’m happy to.”

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The Guardian said that Tomlinson bought the gear earlier in the day and was originally planning to watch the game in the VIP backstage area before spotty reception forced him to find another location near the Pyramid stage. Tomlinson, dressed in a vintage England windbreaker said, “it was a little touch-and-go at times because the signal kept going in and out… luckily we got the win and we pulled it off.”

Check out the scene at Glastonbury below.

01 Jul 2024

Here Are 9 Disney Stars Who Have No. 1 Hits on the Billboard Hot 100

It’s no secret that Disney fame often leads to mainstream success, and over the course of the Billboard Hot 100 chart’s history, we’ve seen actors and musicians from Disney Channel movies and shows turn into some of today’s biggest stars.

Most recently, Sabrina Carpenter scored her first Hot 100 chart topping song with “Please Please Please,” which made its way to the top of the tally on the chart dated June 29, 2024. With the achievement, Carpenter joins a number of fellow Disney musicians to earn a No. 1 hit, including Olivia Rodrigo, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Justin Timberlake and more.

Besides the chart toppers, there are a number of former Disney darlings that have Hot 100 hits under their belts, even though they didn’t reach the summit. For example, Vanessa Hudgens, Zac Efron and Drew Seeley‘s “Breaking Free” from High School Musical reached No. 4 on the chart dated February 11, 2006. Fellow HSM alums, Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel, got a No. 35 hit with “What I’ve Been Looking For” during the same week. Raven Symoné entered the chart way back in 1993 with “That’s What Little Girls Are Made Of” (No. 68) and reappeared in 2006 with “Strut” (No. 53), alongside fellow Cheetah Girls stars Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan and Kiely Williams. Hilary Duff‘s 2007 hit, “With Love,” meanwhile, peaked at No. 24 in 2007.

In the 2010s, Ross Lynch entered the chart alongside Grace Phipps and Jason Evigan with “Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’,” which peaked at No. 82 in 2013. Meanwhile, Demi Lovato notched their biggest chart hit with “Sorry Not Sorry,” which reached No. 6 on the tally dated Nov. 11, 2017.

Ryan Gosling — who was in The All-New Mickey Mouse Club in the 1990s, scored his first appearance on the Hot 100 when “I’m Just Ken,” from 2023 Barbie movie, debuted at No. 87.

In celebration of former Disney stars’ success on the charts, see below for a list of nine former Disney stars who have topped the Billboard Hot 100.