Music News

Shifty Shellshock, Crazy Town Singer, Dead at 49

Shifty Shellshock, the frontman of rap rock band Crazy Town, has died at 49, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. The musician died at home on Monday (June 24), and the cause of death is still pending investigation.

Shellshock was born Seth Binzer on Aug. 23, 1974. He met Crazy Town co-founder Bret Mazer in 1992, and the band went on to add various members, including Adam Goldstein (better known as DJ AM, who died from an accidental overdose in 2009), Rust Epique, Antonio Lorenzo Valli, James Bradley Jr., among others. The band released its debut album The Gift of Game in November 1999. It peaked at No. 9 on the all-genre Billboard 200 on the chart dated March 3, 2001, and remained on the tally for 34 weeks.

The set’s first two singles, “Toxic” and “Darkside,” failed to chart, but the third time was the charm for Crazy Town. “Butterfly” — which sampled the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Pretty Little Ditty” — arrived in October 2000 as the album’s third single and climbed to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, where it held the top spot for two weeks with its catchy chorus: “Come my lady, come come my lady / You’re my butterfly, sugar baby/ Come my lady, you’re my pretty baby/ I’ll make your legs shake, you make me go crazy.”

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In all, the track remained on the chart for 23 weeks and is the group’s biggest hit to this day. (The track made Billboard‘s One-Hit Wonders of the 2000s list in 2014; the band did not land another song on the tally during its career.)

Sophomore album Darkhorse was released in November 2002 and debuted at No. 120. It failed to reach any higher, and fell off the chart after one week. The band broke up shortly after.

Binzer was open about his struggles with substance abuse. He appeared on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew in 2008, and VH1’s Sober House from 2009 to 2010.

He is survived by his kids Halo, Gage and Phoenix.

Sabrina Carpenter Eyes Another U.K. No. 1, Chappell Roan Aims for Top 10

Sabrina Carpenter is on track to secure another U.K. No. 1 single, while Chappell Roan looks set to break into the national top 10 for the first time.

Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” (via Island) holds top spot on the midweek U.K. chart and is positioned to take top spot for a second week — positioning Carpenter for another significant career milestone.

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The track, produced by Jack Antonoff, is the second single from Carpenter’s sixth studio LP, Short ‘n’ Sweet, which was released June 6, following her previous U.K. No. 1 hit with “Espresso.”

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Last Friday, June 21, Carpenter achieved a remarkable feat when “Please, Please, Please” dethroned Eminem’s “Houdini” to secure her second U.K. leader in less than two months, while “Espresso” held strong at No. 2.

The achievement set a new Official Chart record, with Carpenter becoming the youngest female solo artist in history to simultaneously hold the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the Official Singles Chart, at age 25 years, 1 month, and 10 days old, surpassing Ariana Grande’s previous record.

Grande was 25 years, 7 months, and 20 days old when she achieved the same feat in February 2019 with “7 rings” and “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored” respectively leading the chart.

Meanwhile, Chappell Roan is making a strong bid for her first U.K. top 10 entry with her single “Good Luck, Babe” (Island), up 16-9 on the chart blast.

The single recently topped the Official Trending Chart, showcasing its growing popularity in the U.K. “Good Luck”, along with her previous hit “HOT TO GO!” from her 2023 debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, has solidified her status as a rising star in the pop scene. “Good Luck, Babe” has spent six consecutive weeks in the top 40, peaking at No. 18.

Roan’s strong social media presence has played a significant role in the single’s success, with “Good Luck, Babe” gaining substantial traction on TikTok with thousands of users featuring the track in their videos.

The Official U.K. Singles Chart will be revealed late Friday, June 30.

Gracie Abrams Tracks to Top U.K. Albums Chart for First Time With ‘The Secret of Us’

Rising singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams is set to claim her first No. 1 album on the Official U.K. Albums Chart with her second studio effort, The Secret of Us.

Midweek sales and streaming figures from the Official Charts Company indicate that the Californian singer’s heartfelt and introspective songs are resonating strongly with U.K. fans, putting her in prime position to clinch the top spot.

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The 23-year-old Californian is currently outpacing her closest rival, Taylor Swift – who coincidentally features on the album’s track “us.” – by a margin of more than 2:1.

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The Secret of Us (Interscope) follows Abrams’ debut LP, Good Riddance, which peaked at No. 3 last year. The new album was preceded by the single “Close To You,” which recently became Abrams’ first U.K. Top 40 hit, reaching No. 35.

Amid her collaborative track with Taylor Swift dropping on June 21 alongside her 13-track sophomore album, Abrams took to Instagram to share a video of the duo playfully creating their collaborative number, calling the evening “some of the most fun I’ve ever had in my life.”

She also included a video of Swift extinguishing an apartment fire. “Now we know how to use a fire extinguisher. I love you,” Abrams wrote.

As Swift wraps up a three-night stint at London’s Wembley Stadium on her The Eras Tour, several of her former chart-topping albums are also present in the U.K. top 40 midweek.

Other notable appearances on the chart blast include The Mysterines’ second album Afraid of Tomorrows (Fiction) eyeing a No. 3 debut, Charli XCX’s BRAT (Atlantic) looking to log a third consecutive week inside the top 5, and Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (Island) potentially reaching a new peak inside the top 10, at No. 8.

Outside the Top 10, Avril Lavigne’s Greatest Hits (Sony Music CG) is on track for a top 20 debut, Ed Sheeran’s X (Asylum) could re-enter the chart thanks to a 10th-anniversary reissue, and Jethro Tull’s Bursting Out (Parlophone) is predicted to become their 26th U.K. top 40 album.

Joe Bonamassa’s Live At The Hollywood Bowl With Orchestra (Provogue) could become his 17th top 40 collection, Kate Nash’s 9 Sad Symphonies (Kill Rock Stars) approaches her highest-charting LP in 14 years, and The Story So Far are expected to enter with I Want To Disappear (Pure Noise).

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, June 28.

Sabrina Carpenter Reacts to Her First Hot 100 No. 1: ‘I Will Surely Always Remember This Day for the Rest of My Life!’

It’s officially the Summer of Sabrina, and she’s taking some time to celebrate.

On Monday (June 24), Billboard announced that Sabrina Carpenter scores her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit this week, with “Please Please Please” rising from No. 2 in its second week. And to add some whipped cream to the top of her latte, Carpenter’s song “Espresso” is also in the top five, sitting at No. 4 (following a No. 3 peak earlier this year).

Carpenter celebrated the news on Instagram, posting a three-item carousel to her feed on Monday. The first photo is the graphic of this week’s Hot 100. Then there’s a video of Carpenter performing the song’s signature claps with co-writer/producer Jack Antonoff and co-writer Amy Allen, plus engineer Laura Sisk off camera.

And finally, there’s an ill-fated quote-tweet from a fan on X that reads of “Please Please Please”: “i dont think ive ever seen someone fumble a second single this hard. my goodness.” Whoops!

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“MY FIRST #1 on the @billboard HOT 100!!!!!!!” reads Carpenter’s caption on Instagram. “And espresso at #4.. I’m very immensely grateful so i will surely always remember this day for the rest of my life! @jackantonoff @amyallen i deeply love this song and i love you both!!!!! I love our pitchy claps!!!!! I love @sharp_stick [Sisk] !!!! good things come in three’s. thank you everyone who’s listened and made it so much fun to have these songs out in the world. more to come soon.”

Danielle Fishel — who played Topanga Matthews, the mom of Carpenter’s character’s best friend on Girl Meets World — hit the comments section to applaud the child actor-turned-adult pop star. “The most deserving beautiful (inside and out) bb. I love you forever.”

Meanwhile, over on the Billboard Global 200, Carpenter holds the top two spots with “Please Please Please” and “Espresso,” which was No. 1 last week. On her IG Story, Carpenter simply captioned the chart graphic “Motherf—er!!!!!!!”

“Espresso” and “Please Please Please” are the first two singles from Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet album, due Aug. 23. She also announced her Short n’ Sweet Tour last week, which kicks off in September.

See Carpenter’s Instagram celebration of the news below:

Eminem to Headline 2024 Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix Concert in Texas: ‘Dare Me to Drive?!’

Eminem rode around Detroit in a 1976 Oldsmobile Delta 88 throughout 8 Mile, but he’s gonna need some new wheels to keep up in Formula 1.

Slim Shady has been announced as one of the concert headliners alongside Sting when the 2024 Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix comes to Austin, Texas in October. Em is slated to perform on night two come Oct. 19. Sting is the other artist hitting the Germania Insurance Super Stage.

“‘Dare me to drive?!’ #Formula1 Austin TX 10/19,” he wrote to Instagram while quoting lyrics to his early-career anthems like “My Name Is” and “Stan.”

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Fans are excited to hear that Eminem will be returning to the capital of the Lone Star State. Day passes and general admission tickets are still available on Ticketmaster for $179 plus fees.

“Bros gonna rap faster than them cars,” one person wrote. Another fan is making the trip from north of the border. “Travelling from Toronto for this. Can’t miss,” they added.

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By the time October’s race rolls around, Eminem’s anticipated The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) will most likely have arrived. The Detroit legend has promised that his 12th studio album will be released this summer. He kicked off the LP’s rollout in May with the nostalgic “Houdini,” which gave Em his highest-charting single of the decade when it debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The album will be Eminem’s first since 2020’s Music to Be Murdered By, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earned the rapper his 10th consecutive chart-topper.

Find Eminem’s F1 concert post below.

NAYEON’s ‘NA’ Debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales Chart

NAYEON scores her second No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated June 29) as NA enters atop the list, with 43,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending June 20, according to Luminate. The TWICE member previously led the list with her first solo entry, IM NAYEON, in 2022.

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Also in the top 10 of the new Top Album Sales chart, the newest releases from $uicideboy$, Don Toliver, Luke Combs and Paul McCartney & Wings debut, while the Twilight soundtrack returns.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. The new June 29, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on June 25. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

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Sales of NAYEON’s NA were largely powered by CD sales (34,500 of its total 43,000). Vinyl accounted for 7,500, while digital download album purchases totaled 1,000. The album’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across 15 CD variants and two vinyl variants, all containing branded paper merchandise.

Taylor Swift’s former leader The Tortured Poets Department climbs 4-2 with 33,000 sold. The album’s sales grew 42% in the tracking week thanks largely to two new CD variants of the set that shipped to customers. The two CDs, which were sold exclusively in Swift’s webstore, were briefly available to pre-order in early June. Both CDs contain the standard album’s 16 songs and an acoustic bonus track (one includes “Down Bad” and one includes “Guilty as Sin?”).

$uicideboy$ notch their highest-charting effort on Top Album Sales as New World Depression debuts at No. 3 with nearly 20,000 sold. The set’s sales were aided by its availability across six vinyl variants, which sold a combined 16,000 – the hip-hop duo’s best week ever on vinyl. It also debuts at No. 1 on Vinyl Albums – marking the act’s first leader on the tally.

Don Toliver logs his biggest sales week ever, as his new studio album Hardstone Psycho arrives at No. 4 with 19,500 sold – all from digital download album sales. The album’s first-week sales were bolstered by a mid-week release of a deluxe digital download album, sold exclusively through Toliver’s webstore, for $5, containing four additional bonus tracks exclusive to this download version and features from Lil Uzi Vert and Yeat.

Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft is a non-mover at No. 5 on Top Album Sales with nearly 17,000 sold (down 16%).

Luke Combs’s Fathers & Sons starts at No. 6 with 14,000 sold. The set marks his sixth consecutive top 10 – the entirety of his charting entries. The album, which was announced just a week before it was released, was widely available as a digital download purchase, but had just one CD and one vinyl LP (both sold exclusively via Combs’ webstore).

The chart-topping Twilight soundtrack re-enters Top Album Sales at No. 7 with 13,000 sold (up from a negligible sum the previous week), following the set’s reissue on vinyl in three different color variants. Vinyl sales comprise essentially all of the sales for the week, and the album, first released in 2008, debuts on the Vinyl Albums chart at No. 2.

The first official release of Paul McCartney & Wings’ One Hand Clapping debuts at No. 8 with nearly 13,000 sold. The set, which was recorded in August of 1974, was issued as a digital download, CD and in two vinyl editions.

Closing out the top 10 of the latest Top Album Sales chart are Charli XCX’s Brat (falling 3-9 in its second week with 12,000; down 69%) and ATEEZ’s chart-topping Golden Hour: Part.1 (2-10 with nearly 12,000; down 72%).

Latto Takes Shot at Ice Spice With ‘Birthday Bash’ Cake

Latto made history by being the first woman to headline Atlanta’s Birthday Bash summer concert put on by local radio station Hot 107.9. To celebrate this special occasion, Latto’s friends presented her with a cake in the shape of the poop emoji with the message, “Holy Sh–, You’re Headlining” underneath.

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The rapper then tweeted a picture of the cake with the caption, “Think I’m the sh– , bi— ?????,” seemingly reigniting her feud with Ice Spice.

If you recall, Ice Spice’s single “Think U the Sh– (Fart)” is a diss track directed at Latto; Ice Spice confirmed the song was about the Atlanta rapper on Twitter Spaces.

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Apparently she took issue with her video “Pretty Girl” being played in the background while Latto teased her song “Sunday Service” in a TikTok. “Seeing that I’m in the back of your weak-ass snippet,” the Bronx rapper said. “So I was like, ‘Wait a second — that’s me?’ So I’m like, ‘Okay, since we’re talking about me, let’s talk about me.”

During an appearance on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast with Gillie and Wallo, she revealed Ice Spice’s video being played in the background was just a coincidence, saying, “I did not do that on purpose, but f— it, like, you know what I’m sayin’?”

While “Sunday Service” wasn’t originally aimed at the Bronx rapper, Latto shot the video for it in Ice Spice’s old neighborhood and added the line, “Think I’m the sh–, bi—?/ I know it, ho/ Jesus walked on water, I got Ice boilin’ though.”



The ball is now in Ice’s court, with her debut album Y2K! set to be released on July 26.

Gigi Hadid Gifts Taylor Swift Adorable Benjamin Button Ring With Travis Kelce Reference

Gigi Hadid took gift giving to the next level.

The supermodel gifted her best friend, Taylor Swift, an adorable gold ring shared by jewelry maker Cece Jewellery. “What an absolute honor it was to create something special for Taylor Swift,” the company wrote alongside a photo of the ring. “Gifted to her by her best friend, this piece features her famous cat, Benjamin Button, encircled by a lustrous pearl border with flaming hearts on either side. It includes her favorite number, 13, on one side and Travis Kelce’s jersey number 87 on the other. This ring is designed to keep her favorite things close. It’s been amazing seeing her shine on the London stage, and we are keeping our eyes peeled to hopefully see her wearing it soon.”

“It’s perfect☺️ thank u x,” Hadid commented on the post, which you can check out here.

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Swift and Kelce had some fun at the third of a trio of Swift’s concerts at Wembley this weekend. Kelce, after watching the show among friends, family and celebrities all three evenings in London, made his Eras Tour stage debut at the start of “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.” The Kansas City Chiefs tight end carried an exhausted Swift to the couch on set in the over-the-top final act of her Tortured Poets extravaganza.

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“I’m a psychopath at a Taylor show,” Hadid, meanwhile said back in March 2023 on an episode of E! News. “I go nuts. I’m not cool at all. I’m like the most embarrassing friend.”

Billboard Explains: Chappell Roan’s Rise to Pop Stardom

As Chappell Roan continues to take the pop world by storm, Billboard is taking a look back through the singer’s career thus far to see how she got here in the latest edition of Billboard Explains.

After growing up in Willard, Mo., Kayleigh Rose Amstutz (Roan’s birth name) began uploading covers and original songs to YouTube as a teenager. Signing her first major-label deal with Atlantic Records at age 17, Roan went on to release her debut EP School Nights in 2017 with the label’s support. But after dropping her single “Pink Pony Club” in 2020, Roan was dropped from Atlantic’s roster.

Forming a writing partnership with superstar songwriter Dan Nigro, Roan kept releasing new music, leading to her Billboard chart debut in October 2023, as she debuted at No. 8 on the Emerging Artists chart. She would later top the chart for three weeks starting in May 2024.

In recent months, Roan has performed at increasingly larger stages to increasing attention from fans. After serving as an opener for part of Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour, Roan made headlines with her performance at Coachella. Since then, her music has quickly risen up the charts — four of her songs recently entered the Billboard Hot 100 (her breakout hit “Good Luck, Babe!” hits No. 19 on the chart dated June 29), while her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess reached the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for the first time nine months after its release.

After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about RM’s chart successStray Kids’ chart successPeso Pluma and the Mexican music boomthe role record labels playorigins of hip-hop, how Beyoncé arrived at Renaissance, the evolution of girl groupsBBMAsNFTsSXSW, the magic of boy bandsAmerican Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 charthow R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S.how festivals book their lineupsBillie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battlesnonbinary awareness in musicthe Billboard Music Awardsthe Free Britney movementrise of K-pop in the U.S.why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albumsthe boom of hit all-female collaborationshow Grammy nominees and winners are chosenwhy songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs and more.

Hailey Bieber Shows Off Baby Bump in Lace Jumpsuit While Heading to NYC Dinner With Justin Bieber

Hailey Bieber is glowing in pregnancy.

The star stepped out for dinner in New York City with husband Justin Bieber over the weekend (June 22), where she was photographed wearing a sheer, lace catsuit that showed off her growing baby bump. Hailey paired the look with a black leather trench coat, pointed heels and sunglasses. She was also seen carrying her Rhode phone case, which perfectly holds her popular peptide lip treatment. See the photo above.

The “Love Yourself” singer and Rhode founder announced that they are expecting their first child together back in May, when they took to Instagram to share a series of photos and videos from a film shoot they did among a vast meadow, in which Hailey is seen wearing a skin-tight lace gown, cradling her growing baby bump as Justin snaps photos of her. In one of the clips, the couple also renewed their vows.

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Shortly after they shared the news, the singer’s mom celebrated on social media. “So, I have been waiting for this day and now that they have shared it I can finally celebrate with y’all,” Pattie Mallette said in a video posted to Instagram. “Oh my gosh, I’m gonna be a grandma! Oh my goodness! YES!”

The couple officially wed in September 2018 at a New York City courthouse. A year later, they flew down to the Montage Palmetto Bluff hotel in South Carolina with their friends and family for a more traditional wedding ceremony and star-studded party.

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