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Trina Still Thinks Beyoncé Is the ‘Queen of Rap’

With all the talk about the best female rappers these days (check out our list), the Queen of Miami Rap had to put her two cents in — and you might be surprised by her pick.

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Trina sat down with YouTuber Carlos King on the web series Reality With the King for about an hour and a half and talked about a wide range of topics. One of those topics was about when Trina caused a stir for picking Beyoncé as the Queen of Rap last year. That’s when she told HipHopDX, “[Beyoncé] is the number one female rapper when she does rap. There’s no sleeping on the Queen.”


https://youtube.com/watch?v=_Y84iznAd-M&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

Around the 1:06:30 mark, referring to her interview at One Music Festival, she tells Carlos, “They asked me who is [the Queen of Rap] and I said, ‘The Queen B, Beyoncé.’” She did blame her answer on recently experiencing the Renaissance Tour and being in the heat of the moment after performing, but her answer still isn’t changing.

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“First off, I’m fresh off the Renaissance Tour, let’s be very clear,” she said. “You can’t deny or take credit from nothing that Beyoncé do, I just love Beyoncé. It was in a hype of the moment.” She added, “It’s going to be Beyoncé over everybody to me. I just love Beyoncé, she’s a top-tier, upper-echelon, she pushes the envelope beyond envelopes.”

Around the 50-minute mark, Trina also talks about her song “BAPS” with Nicki Minaj and the controversy surrounding the rollout, and how the Queens rapper was one of the first people to reach out when her mother passed of cancer in 2019.

You can watch the whole interview here.

Normani Says Being in Fifth Harmony ‘Took a Toll’ on Her Confidence: ‘I Suppressed It’

Normani is happier than ever now that she’s less than two weeks away from dropping her long-awaited debut album, but back in her Fifth Harmony days, she definitely wasn’t getting as much dopamine.

In an interview with Rolling Stone published Wednesday (June 5), the “Motivation” singer got candid about her bittersweet feelings toward her challenging girl group days. “I’m grateful for all of it, even the moments where I might’ve felt inadequate or less than,” she told the publication. “It definitely has a lot to do with why I am the way that I am.”

“It definitely took a toll on my confidence,” she continued. “Would I do some things differently or wish that some things were done differently? Of course, but I also don’t want to sit here and make it sound like it wasn’t part of my story.”

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Normani first found fame after her X Factor audition led to her being placed in 5H with Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui and Camila Cabello. There were often reports of inner-conflict, and the Georgia-born, Houston-raised singer has been open in the past about the racism she experienced when so-called fans pitted her against her bandmates.

“We were babies,” she says now of her former groupmates. “We were so innocent and I think that is the struggle, to your point, of just us having to face reality under very unrealistic circumstances. I always say we did the very best we could with what we had, so that I’m proud of.”

“There’s so much that I don’t even remember because I suppressed it,” Normani added. “That’s just my way of protecting myself from having to deal with everything. But what I do remember is it wasn’t all bad. Like yeah, we struggled, but it was also really beautiful in what we accomplished together.”

After many years of delay, Normani’s first solo album Dopamine is set to drop June 14. In the interview, she revealed that the record was partly inspired by Brandy — whose vocals are featured on the LP — as well as Janet Jackson. “They’re literally the reason why I do what I do and why I’m able to be in the position that I am in: Black women,” she told the publication. “They redefined the standard of beauty, but also just the standard in music.”

“I’m f—ing strong despite everything that I’ve endured,” she added. “[Dopamine‘s] a testament to my strength and my resilience and my discipline. I’m a lot more sure of myself, a lot more comfortable. I’ve done a really good job at navigating and getting back to who I am and recognizing the beauty. I’m trusting myself a lot more.”

Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Meet the Grahams’ Drake Diss Soundtracks Dallas Mavericks Practice Ahead of NBA Finals

As the dust continues to settle a month out from the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, many of the diss records remain in fans’ playlist rotations.

The Dallas Mavericks held practice ahead of traveling to Boston on Tuesday (June 5) for game one of the NBA finals against the Boston Celtics, and the team opted to have Kendrick Lamar provide the soundtrack for a part of practice.

Footage from a light shoot around at the Mavs’ facility found Kendrick’s “Meet the Grahams” booming through the speakers for the portion of the workout open to the media.

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Bally Sports reporter Abby Jones posted a clip featuring the diabolical Drake diss track playing as superstar guard Kyrie Irving shared a laugh with head coach Jason Kidd and assistant Darrell Armstrong.

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“Kyrie x Jason Kidd x DA The Mavericks are warming up to ‘Meet the Grahams’ by Kendrick Lamar,” she captioned the video on X.

“Meet the Grahams” soundtracking the clip might be the second most surprising part of the video to hoopers who might be shocked to see the Mavericks tickling the twine on hoops with a metal chain netting rather than the typical nylon material .

The horrifying “Meet the Grahams” arrived on May 3, less than an hour after Drake attempted to land a haymaker with “Family Matters.” The Alchemist-produced track finds Kendrick accusing Drizzy and OVO of being sexual predators and alleges that the 6 God is hiding an 11-year-old daughter.

After landing on streaming services, “Meet the Grahams” debuted the following week at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It remains to be seen if Kendrick will bring the underdog Dallas Mavericks luck as they gear up for game one of the NBA Finals slated to tip-off Thursday night (June 6) against the Boston Celtics.

Watch the “Meet the Grahams” clip from practice below.

Britney Spears’ Ex-Husband Sam Asghari, Bob the Drag Queen & More Join ‘The Traitors’ Season 3 Cast

Peacock’s The Traitors has locked in its season 3 cast, and it features everyone from Britney Spears’ ex-husband, model Sam Asghari, to Madonna support act Bob the Drag Queen, The Bachelorette‘s Gabby Windey and Wells Adams, Vanderpump Rules‘ Tom Sandoval and more.

Described as the “most treacherous season yet,” the new installment will also feature The Biggest Loser‘s Bob Harper; Big Brother‘s Britney Haynes and Danielle Reyes; Survivor‘s Carolyn Wiger, Jeremy Collins, Rob Mariano and Tony Vlachos; Selling Sunset‘s Chrishell Stause; Summer House‘s Ciara Miller; and WWE wrestler Nikki Garcia. Plus, the Real Housewives franchise’s Chanel Ayan (Dubai), Dolores Catania (New Jersey), Dorinda Medley (New York City) and Robyn Dixon (Potomac) will be in the mix, as will Zac Efron’s brother and Down to Earth co-star Dylan Efron and British aristocrat Lord Ivar Mountbatten.

As usual, the competition will take place in a Scottish castle, where contestants will work to identify who amongst them are “Traitors.” After several elimination rounds, a $250,000 prize will be awarded to the remaining “Faithfuls,” assuming they’re able to weed out all the traitors. If not, the traitors get to keep the loot.

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Season 3 will also see the return of host Alan Cumming, who dramatically revealed the names of the cast in a YouTube video on Wednesday (June 5). The clip doesn’t say when the new episodes will drop, just that they’re “coming soon” on Peacock.

The Traitors first premiered in January 2023. Its second season dropped earlier this year, wrapping in March.

Watch Cumming reveal the cast of The Traitors season 3 below.



Who’s Your Favorite Female Rapper Right Now? Vote!

The next generation of female rappers have taken the music world by storm, taking the hip-hop genre to new heights.

To celebrate, Billboard compiled a list of the top 10 female rappers leading the genre at the moment, repping stars from newcomers Sexxy Red, Ice Spice and Flo Milli — whom have each clocked Hot 100 top 20 hits in the past 12 months — to veterans like Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion and more.

Our list covers the first six months of 2024, and Billboard’s criteria for the top 10 ten artists are based on quality of records, chart success, buzz within the culture, notable business endeavors and partnerships, and touring success, among other milestones. By the end of the year, Billboard will create a final list based on the overall achievements of the calendar year, and will ultimately name the hottest female rapper of 2024.

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With all the great female rappers in the game right now, we at Billboard want to know who your top pick is. Check out our countdown of the top 10 here, and let us know by voting below.

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‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Confirms Taylor Swift Still Watches the Show — But Not With Travis Kelce

Taylor Swift isn’t a fair-weather fan when it comes to Grey’s Anatomy. She’s in it for the long haul.

And the haul has indeed been very, very long. The Shonda Rhimes juggernaut has been on the air for 20 seasons over the course of two decades, but according to one of its stars, Anthony Hill — who recently met the pop star’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce — Swift is definitely still tuned in.

Posting a photo with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end on Instagram Wednesday (June 5), Hill wrote, “I may or may not have gotten confirmation that TSwift does, in fact, still watch Grey’s Anatomy.

“It was then made very clear that he absolutely does not watch with her,” he added. “…time to start bruh!”

Hill — who plays Dr. Winston Ndugu on the Ellen Pompeo-led drama series — also shared a video of Kelce catching a ball thrown by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes at this year’s Big Slick Celebrity Weekend, a charity event benefiting Children’s Mercy hospital. The players donated signed jerseys to an NFL package that brought in $250,000, according to the event’s Instagram.

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Though she’s been less vocal in recent years, Swift has long been a fan of Grey‘s. In 2011, the “Anti-Hero” singer named her first adopted cat Meredith Grey after Pompeo’s character. Three years prior, she debuted her Fearless ballad “White Horse” on the show’s season 5 premiere, something she told Billboard at the time was her “life’s goal.”

“You should’ve seen tears streaming down my face when I got the phone call that they were going to use that song,” she added in 2008. “I have never been that excited. My love of Grey’s Anatomy has never wavered. It’s my longest relationship to date.”

Kendrick Lamar to Perform at ‘The Pop Out: Ken & Friends’ Show in Los Angeles

Kendrick Lamar feels like celebrating.

After besting Drake in a rap battle for the ages, he’s putting on a concert for Los Angeles with the help of pgLang and Free Lunch. Lamar just announced The Pop Out: Ken and Friends slated for Juneteenth (Wednesday, July 19) at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., marking his first live show since he and the Toronto rapper went toe-to-toe.

Doors open at 3 p.m. and the show starts at 4 p.m., with general tickets going on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. PT. However, Cash App Card holders get a chance to snag tickets a day earlier on Thursday. If you have a Cash App Card, you can gain access by using the first nine digits of your card on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time. You can check the Ticketmaster site for more info.

It’s worth noting: Frequent collaborator Terrace Martin was on Instagram Live recently and mentioned being excited for Kendrick’s new album. So those in attendance may get the chance to hear some new material. There’s no word on the setlist yet, but we’re willing to bet the house that the Forum roof will start shaking when he’s performing “Not Like Us” for that raucous L.A. crowd. Kendrick hasn’t released an album in two years, since dropping his fifth studio album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers in 2022.

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This upcoming show has the chance to be very special for those in attendance.

Russell Crowe Breaks Down His New Rock Album With Indoor Garden Party: ‘This Is an Actual Band’

Before Russell Crowe became an Oscar-winning actor starring in such films as A Beautiful Mind, Gladiator and L.A. Confidential, he was a musician. Crowe picked up his first guitar when he was six and has always made music alongside his more famous day job. 

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The Australian performer will release his newest album, Prose and Cons, with his band Indoor Garden Party on Friday (June 7).  This is not some vanity project, he tells Billboard. “This is an actual band of musicians. They play together,” he says. “We feel things out, we work out what works best and then we go and play them live and if another opportunity comes up, we discuss in our next rehearsal and adjust accordingly.”

The album is based in rock, but strays into other genres on such tunes as the fiery revival stomp, “Let Your Light Shine” or the country-tinged anthem, “Time & Kindness.” 

The set came together over a multi-year period. “It’s been like a five-year process since we started playing around with the songs,” he says. “Probably of the original 11 or 12 songs I thought I was going to record, there’s maybe one or two that survived and the rest are songs that have come along.”

Crowe did the interview from his home studio in Australia, in front of a wall of classic guitars spanning the 1950s through the 1970s that he has acquired over the years, including a candy-apple red Fender Stratocaster “that’s played on a few Billboard Top 10 singles in its time,” he said. 



In addition to pulling one of those guitars down when he’s feeling inspired, Crowe met a luthier who now makes bespoke custom guitars for him and his friends. “We’re doing some insane things, man. One of the guitars we made is purely out of woods from Australia,” he says. “We made that for Ed Sheeran and gave it to him. He just turned around, grabbed it and sang a song which I’ve got on video. And that song, which hadn’t been released, two months later was like at the top of the charts around the world.”

Crowe and the band will embark on his first U.S. tour in more than a dozen years in August and the hand-picked stops will include Los Angeles’ acclaimed Whisky-A-Go-Go. Before Crowe hits the U.S., the band will have embark on a short European jaunt that includes the prestigious Glastonbury Festival in England alongside headliners SZA, Coldplay and Dua Lipa. The festival takes place June 26-30. 

Billie Eilish Teases ‘Chihiro’ Music Video

Billie Eilish has more Hit Me Hard and Soft tricks up her sleeve, and the superstar teased a music video for the album’s fan favorite track “Chihiro” on Wednesday (June 5).

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In the clip, Eilish is seen running down a hallway. She revealed that the video will be arriving at 9 a.m. PT on June 6.

“Chihiro,” which is in reference to the main character in the beloved Studio Ghibli film, Spirited Away, features a thumping melody with Eilish singing in her characteristically soft tone: “Today, maybe tomorrow/ Open the door for me/ I know you said before/ You can’t cope with it no more.” Eilish has been a longtime fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s filmography, and has even jokingly admitted to having a crush on the dragon in Spirited Away.

Produced as usual by the pop star’s brother and longtime collaborator, Finneas, the 10-track set marks Eilish’s third studio LP, following 2019’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and 2021’s Happier Than Ever, both of which spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. No singles preceded the project, with the 22-year-old singer telling fans from the moment she announced it, “i wanna give it to you all at once.”

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On the Billboard 200 chart dated June 1, Hit Me Hard and Soft debuted at No. 2.

4batz Announces Thank You, Jada Tour: Here Are the Dates

4batz is hitting the road soon for his first-ever headlining tour, Thank You, Jada Tour, which he announced Wednesday (June 5).

“A n—a finally going on tour. Presale drops tomorrow hit dat link in bio to get early access. See yall on tour,” he wrote on Instagram with two bat emojis.

The nine-date jaunt will kick off on July 29 at Chicago’s Avondale Music Hall and goes through major cities such as Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Los Angeles before wrapping on Aug. 10 at Oakland’s KMEL Summer Jam.

The tour starts two months after 4batz (real name Neko Bennett) released his debut EP U Made Me a St4r via 4batz/gamma. The 11-track mixtape contains his debut single “Act I: Stickerz ’99,’” his breakout hit “Act II: Date @ 8” (which earned him his first Billboard Hot 100 top 10 due to the Drake remix) and the Ye remix of “Act III: On God? (She Like).”

U Made Me a St4r, which debuted at No. 2 on Top R&B Albums, “showed people that I’m not a one-trick pony. I’m glad people can see a little bit of what I’m capable of, and I can’t wait to show them even more,” he told Billboard in a recent interview for the 2024 edition of our 21 Under 21 List.

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See 4batz’s Thank You, Jada Tour announcement and dates below, and click here for more information.