Music News

05 Jun 2024

Denzel Curry Announces New Project, Drops Single ‘Hot One’ Featuring TiaCorine & A$AP Ferg

Denzel Curry announced on Wednesday (June 5) that he plans on dropping King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 on July 19, and released the mixtape’s lead single “Hot One” featuring TiaCorine and A$AP Ferg.

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The song, produced by FNZ and SkipOnDaBeat, was performed by the trio earlier this week during On the Radar’s “The Mischievous Cypher.” And as a matter of fact, TiaCorine’s verse has been clipped up and gone viral already, further proving that she’s one of the nicest shorties doing it right now.

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According to the press release, the follow-up to the fan favorite mixtape King of the Mischievous South, Vol. 1 will feature Denzel rapping under his Big Ultra persona — an elevated version of Raven Miyagi, the name given to him by Raider Klan founder SpaceGhostPurrp. And judging from the unreleased material we heard in his recent On the Radar freestyle, that Raider Klan sound is alive and well.

The tape pays homage to the South and features some of the region’s best, both old and new, as well as others whose style has been influenced by the Dirty. Fellow former Raider Klan member Key Nyata, Memphis legends Juicy J and Project Pat, Texas’ Maxo Kream, That Mexican OT and Mike Dimes, North Carolina’s TiaCorine, Atlanta’s 2 Chainz and Kenny Mason, South Florida’s Ski Mask The Slump God and PlayThatBoiZay, plus A$AP Ferg and A$AP Rocky will all make appearances on King Of The Mischievous South Volume 2.

Denzel is also hitting the road with the $uicide Boy$ for the Grey Day tour and also plans on hitting some festivals. You can check out his tour dates here.

Check out the tracklist and the mixtape artwork below:

Denzel Curry

Denzel Curry – King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2

Courtesy Photo

  1. “KOTMS II Intro” feat. Kingpin Skinny Pimp
  2. “Ultra Shxt” feat. Key Nyata
  3. “Set It” feat. Maxo Kream
  4. “Hot One” feat. TiaCorine & A$AP Ferg
  5. “Black Flag Freestyle” feat. That Mexican OT
  6. “Headcrack Interlude” feat. Kingpin Skinny Pimp
  7. “G’z Up” feat. 2 Chainz & Mike Dimes
  8. “Lunatic Interlude”
  9. “Sked” feat. Kenny Mason & Project Pat
  10. “Choose Wisely Interlude” feat. Kingpin Skinny Pimp
  11. “Cole Pimp” feat. Ty Dolla $ign & Juicy J
  12. “Wishlist” feat. Armani White
  13. “Hit the Floor” feat. Ski Mask the Slump God
  14. “Hoodlumz” feat. A$AP Rocky & PlayThatBoiZay
  15. “KOTMS II Outro” feat. Kingpin Skinny Pimp

05 Jun 2024

Cassie Ventura’s Friend Tiffany Red Says ‘Everybody Around’ Diddy ‘Was Afraid of Him’: Watch

As allegations about Sean “Diddy” Combs’ behavior over the years continue to come to light, ABC News Studios’ IMPACT x Nightline will release a new special chronicling the producer’s dramatic fall from grace on Hulu Thursday (June 6).

And in a new clip from Diddy’s Downfall shared exclusively with Billboard, Tiffany Red, a friend of Cassie Ventura — the singer who dated Combs on and off for about a decade until 2018 and alleged he sexually and physically abused her during their relationship in a now-resolved lawsuit — provides first-hand accounts of how the Bad Boy Records founder allegedly made the people in his circle feel. “My sense was that everybody around him was afraid of him,” Red tells ABC News’ Byron Pitts. “He’s explosive.”

In the sneak peek, Red also recalls seeing an interaction between Diddy and Ventura at the latter’s 29th birthday party. “Right behind the door — his security is around him — they have her in the corner,” she claims. “He’s in her face and he’s cussing her out. He was really mad, he was really close to her face. She just had her head down … she was just looking up at me.”

Diddy’s Downfall will also includes interviews with Donnie Klang, a singer who won Making the Band 4 and who Combs once mentored, as well as Derrick Parker, the NYPD detective who arrested the “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” artist following a nightclub shooting in 1999. (Diddy was acquitted in 2001 of weapons and bribery charges.)

“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was one of the most powerful men in music,” reads the episode’s description. “Now, the entrepreneur is facing multiple lawsuits and is under investigation for criminal sex-trafficking. Insiders paint a picture of the embattled star and explore the mogul’s downfall.”

The episode comes as Diddy faces multiple lawsuits, the most recent of which was filed May 21 by former model Crystal McKinney. He has strongly denied all allegations made against him, although he did post an apology video in May for his behavior in a recently resurfaced video of him assaulting Ventura during a 2016 hotel stay. The incident mirrored a claim Ventura made in her suit against Combs.

Watch Billboard‘s exclusive clip from IMPACT x Nightline: Diddy’s Downfall below.

05 Jun 2024

Drake Deletes ‘The Heart Part 6’ From Instagram: Here’s How Fans Are Reacting

Drake is doing some spring cleaning when it comes to scrubbing his social media pages before the summer arrives in Toronto.

Eagle-eyed fans noticed that The 6 God recently deleted his Instagram post for his final Kendrick Lamar diss “The Heart Part 6” from his feed. As of press time, Drake’s most recent Instagram post on his feed is his “Family Matters” diss track followed by celebrating the sixth anniversary of Views in April.

“The Heart Part 6” — a jab at Lamar using the same title format from K. Dot’s “The Heart” series — was released on May 5 to Drake’s YouTube page and didn’t elicit a response from the Compton rapper. “The Heart Part 6 out now,” Drake captioned the song’s post before alleging Lamar would soon be returning fire. “And we know you’re dropping 6 mins after so instead of posting my address you have a lot to address.”

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Drake appeared to be on the defensive with “The Heart Part 6,” which found him fending off pedophilia allegations and claiming he planted bad info within Lamar’s team when it came to the West Coast native’s claims that Drizzy had an 11-year-old daughter on “Meet the Grahams.”

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Regardless, rap fans didn’t hold back after finding out Drake deleted the post. Some used it to take a victory lap for Kendrick while others speculated that it was a white flag move from Drizzy.

“This is embarrassing Kendrick Lamar is really The Boogeyman,” one person wrote to X. Another hip-hop fan said: “Was better off never releasing it in the first place!”

Drake only let the smoke clear for a few weeks before delivering a couple of assists. He appeared on Sexyy Red’s “U My Everything,” which saw him rapping over Metro Boomin’s “BBL Drizzy” diss beat. Earlier this week, the OVO boss hopped on Snowd4y, a Toronto comedian and parody rapper’s “Hey There Delilah” rework titled “Wah Gwan Delilah.”

Find more reactions to Drake’s removal of “The Heart Part 6” below.

05 Jun 2024

Adam Levine Returning to ‘The Voice,’ Kelsea Ballerini to Make Coaching Debut in Season 27

One of the OG coaches is returning to The Voice.

NBC announced on Wednesday (June 5) that Adam Levine will be returning to the big red chairs for season 27 in spring 2025, six years after he departed the show in 2019. Additionally, Kelsea Ballerini will be coaching for the first time.

Levine and Ballerini will be joining Michael Bublé and John Legend. Season 27’s coaching panel will follow season 26, which will include Bublé, Snoop Dogg, Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani.

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In May 2019, the Maroon 5 frontman shared a heartfelt essay announcing that he’ll be leaving The Voice after 16 seasons. Levine first took his seat in a giant red chair on April 26, 2011, and led three singers to the winner’s circle over eight years. 

“About 8 years ago, [executive producer] Mark Burnett convinced us to sign up for this show where you sit in a big red chair with your back turned away from the singers on the stage,” wrote Levine on Facebook at the time. “First thank you must go to Mark. We had no idea what we were doing or where it was going. After the first day of shooting, I sat there, stunned. I said to myself ‘theres some magic here. Something is definitely happening.’ It went on to be a life shaping experience that will be close to my heart forever.”

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Levine briefly returned to The Voice in 2023 to perform after Maroon 5 announced “Middle Ground” — the band’s first release since 2021.

Ballerini is also is no stranger to The Voice,”previously serving as season 16 battle advisor and filling in as coach during season 20, both instances for Team Kelly.

05 Jun 2024

Halsey Reveals Lupus & Rare T-Cell Disorder Diagnoses: ‘I Wasn’t Sure How Much I Wanted to Share’

When Halsey released her emotional new song “The End” on Tuesday (June 4), she wrote on Instagram, “long story short, i’m Lucky to be alive.” One day later, the artist has revealed the details about why: They were diagnosed with Lupus and a rare T-cell disorder.

Halsey kicked off her Wednesday (June 5) post with a long caption for her carousel, thanking fans for the support shown for the new track. “I realize everyone is catching up with news I’ve held in for a very long time, and I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to share. You’ve all been so kind so I want to share a bit more,” they wrote before revealing their diagnoses. “In 2022, I was first diagnosed with Lupus SLE and then a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder. Both of which are currently being managed or in remission; and both of which I will likely have for the duration of my life.”

The Grammy-nominated artist revealed that things were “rocky” at first, but with the help of her doctors, managed to get things under control. “After 2 years, I’m feeling better and I’m more grateful than ever to have music to turn to,” the “Without Me” singer concluded. “I can’t wait to get back where I belong: With you all [silver heart emoji] Singing and screaming my heart out.”

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According to the National Institutes of Health, lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) are diseases in which there is an “uncontrolled production of lymphocytes that cause monoclonal lymphocytosis, lymphadenopathy and bone marrow infiltration,” and occur in people who have compromised immune systems. A lymphocyte is a type of white blood cell “that is made in the bone marrow and is found in the blood and in lymph tissue,” per the National Cancer Institute, with the T type helping to “control immune responses” as well as help destroy tumor cells.

Halsey has been open about her health struggles in the past. The artist previously discussed their battle with endometriosis, and in 2022, opened up about their Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Sjögren’s syndrome, mast cell activation syndrome and POTS diagnoses.

The “I Am Not a Woman, I’m a God” singer confirmed on June 3 that her fifth studio album is on its way. “There’s so much I am going to reveal on this record, but you need to know some of the story first,” Halsey wrote in a letter posted to her website. “So before the chaos and confetti of big singles and album releases I just need to tell you, my friend, why it all matters this time.”

See Halsey’s post about her medical diagnoses below:

05 Jun 2024

JO1’s ‘Love seeker’ Rockets to No. 1, Number_i’s ‘BON’ Debuts at No. 2 on Japan Hot 100

JO1’s “Love seeker” soars to No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, rising from No. 59 on the chart released June 5.

“Love seeker” is the lead track from the 11-member boy band’s eighth single “HITCHHIKER.” The song dropped digitally May 12 and debuted on the Japan Hot 100 at No. 48 (May 22), then dropped to No. 59 the following week before hitting the top spot this week powered by sales. The group marked its biggest first-week CD sales with 738,776 copies to rule the metric, while coming in at No. 3 for downloads (15,613 units, up approximately 2,800% from last week), No. 25 for streaming (up 157%), No. 31 for video views (up 117%), and No. 5 for radio airplay (up 688%).

Debuting at No. 2 is Number_i’s “BON,” a track off the trio’s mini-album No.O -ring-, released May 27. The song debuts at No. 1 for downloads with 49,896 units and also rules radio and video, while coming in at No. 13 for streaming to hit No. 2 by a narrow margin on the Japan Hot 100 with no points for physical sales. The group’s former No. 1 song “GOAT” moved 64-54 due to the new release, and six of the mini-album’s tracks, including “BON,” entered the Japan Hot 100.

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Incidentally, King & Prince’s former No. 1 hits ”Tsukiyomi” and “Cinderella Girl” — made available for streaming at the end of last month — also return to the Japan Hot 100. Both songs are from the group’s five-member era — Number_i consists of three former members of King & Prince — and saw an increase in weekly streaming and video views. “Tsukiyomi” returns for the first time in about a year and three months, while “Cinderella Girl” returns for the first time in about a year.

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comdot’s “Haikei Oretachihe” bows at No. 3 on the Japan Hot 100. The first single by the five-member YouTubers sold 136,964 copies to hit No. 2 for sales, while coming in at No. 27 for downloads, No. 16 for streaming, No. 6 for radio, and No. 23 for video.

Kenshi Yonezu’s “Mainichi” (Every Day) launches at No. 6 this week. The release of this new commercial song for Coca-Cola Japan’s “Georgia” brand has powered the hitmaker’s other songs up the charts, with “Sayonara, Mata Itsuka!” seeing an increase in downloads and “Lemon” in both streaming and downloads.

BEYOOOOONDS’ first single in about a year and a month called “Hai to Diamond” bows at No. 7, selling 99,222 copies to hit No. 3 for sales, while coming in at No. 10 for downloads and No. 16 for radio.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.

See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from May 27 to June 2, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.

05 Jun 2024

Sabrina Carpenter Announces New Single ‘Please Please Please’

Sabrina Carpenter is continuing the rollout of her upcoming album, Short n’ Sweet, with a brand new single.

The pop star took to social media on Wednesday (June 5) to announce that her track, “Please Please Please,” will be arriving on Thursday (June 6) at 8 p.m. ET. The song will be arriving alongside a music video, which the singer teased in her post. The clip appears to find Carpenter amid a whirlwind romance with a criminal.

Earlier this week, Carpenter revealed that her sixth album will be arriving on August 23. “This project is quite special to me and i hope it’ll be something special to you too,” she wrote on social media, alongside a photo of the star looking over her shoulder with a red kiss mark on her arm.

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Carpenter released her viral hit “Espresso” right before she took the stage at Coachella back in April. The track currently sits at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.

In February, the 25-year-old pop star confirmed in an  Interview conversation with Maya Hawke that she was working on the follow-up to her 2022 fifth studio album, Emails I Can’t Send. “I feel a lot freer and more excited about what I’m making now because I’ve realized that genre isn’t necessarily the most important thing,” she revealed. “It’s about honesty and authenticity and whatever you gravitate towards. There were a lot of genres in my last album, and I like to think I’ll continue that throughout writing music.”

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The singer’s Emails I Can’t Send, which features hits like “Nonsense,” “Feather” and “Because I Liked a Boy” peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, marking Carpenter’s highest-charting effort on the tally.

05 Jun 2024

Katy Perry’s Edit of Harrison Butker’s Commencement Speech Slammed By Megyn Kelly: ‘Dishonest and Petty’

It’s safe to say that former Fox News host Megyn Kelly is not a KatyCat. In fact, the conservative podcaster said on an episode of her eponymous podcast this week that she finds Katy Perry‘s music “annoying” before flat-out saying she doesn’t like the pop superstar and claiming she “barely” knows who she is.

The comments came after Perry posted her own edit of Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s controversial May 11 commencement speech at Benedictine College in which the Super Bowl champ attacked LGBTQ rights and slammed what he termed “dangerous gender ideologies.” The 20-minute speech that also included broadsides against abortion, birth control and surrogacy, included Butker suggesting to female students at the private Catholic university in Illinois that they embrace being a “homemaker.”

Perry wasn’t having it and posted her own version on Sunday, writing, “fixed this for my girls, my graduates, and my gays — you can do anything, congratulations and happy pride,” alongside a second draft of the speech that had a much different, more inclusive tone.

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On Tuesday’s episode of her show, Kelly defended Butker’s speech, calling it an “antidote to the general message about stay-at-moms” while denying that the kicker was “condemning working women.”

“Katy Perry is annoying,” Kelly said before cueing up Perry’s edit and loudly huffing over the tape as it played. “She decided to take those comments and switch them around so that he was saying something he never actually said and have him say ‘happy pride.’” Co-host Dave Rubin called the edit “pathetic” and noted that Kelly is an “extremely” successful broadcaster and mother before asking her which title was more important, to which Kelly answered, “there’s no question.”

“But Katy Perry saw her ‘Roar’ moment — which is an annoying song, that’s an annoying song. I don’t like her, I actually don’t think she is a good singer,” Kelly said while mockingly singing Perry’s 2008 breakthrough hit “I Kissed a Girl.” Rubin, meanwhile, claimed he could not even name a single song from the singer who is one of only five artists in history to sell more than 100 million certified units with her digital singles worldwide and who co-hosted American Idol for seven years.

“I barely know who you are,” Kelly added while erroneously saying the singer is married to actor Orlando Bloom ; Perry is engaged to the star, but they are not married though they share a three-year-old daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom. “To manipulate the guy’s remarks is dishonest and petty,” Kelly said before dinging Perry again for closing comments on the post after receiving backlash. “She can’t take it!,” Kelly said as Rubin dubbed the singer’s edit a “leftist 101” move.

At press time a spokesperson for Perry had not returned a request for comment.

Listen to Kelly’s comments on Perry here (beginning at the 1:05:55 mark).

05 Jun 2024

Ice Spice Announces Y2K! World Tour: Here Are the Dates

Ice Spice is hitting the road this summer in support of her debut album. On the heels of revealing Y2K‘s release date, The Bronx native announced the Y2K! World Tour.

On Wednesday (June 5), Ice unwrapped the details on her first global outing, which kicks off in Denmark on July 4. She’ll remain in Europe for a handful of shows and festival dates in Poland, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, the U.K. and more.

The “Deli” rapper then returns stateside where she’ll begin the North American leg on July 30 in Washington, D.C., with fellow New York City resident and Slizzy CEO Cash Cobain set to perform as her opening act.

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The amphitheater headlining trek will continue with dates in NYC, Boston, Detroit, Toronto, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston and Atlanta, and wraps up in Miami Beach on Aug. 31.

Pre-sale tickets are currently on sale for Citi cardmembers, while the general public will have their chance starting on Friday (June 7) at 10 a.m. local time. There are also various VIP packages available, and some come with perks that include a meet-and-greet photo op with Ice Spice.

The 24-year-old made it official when she announced this morning that her highly anticipated debut album, Y2K, will be arriving on July 26. “HIIIII >.< Y2K ☆ THE ALBUM WILL BE DROPPING JULY 26TH !!!! pre-save the link in my bio now ;**,” she wrote to social media.

In a salute to her NYC roots, Ice Spice also shared the graffiti-filled cover art for the project, which finds the rapper standing outside a subway station next to a fire hydrant, with Y2K spray painted in hot pink on a trash can.

Ice Spice unleashed her first EP Like..? in January 2023, which received a deluxe last summer, and ended up peaking at No. 15 on the Billboard 200.

Find all of the Y2K! World Tour dates below.

05 Jun 2024

Sophie Ellis-Bextor Credits Her LGBTQ+ Fans for Making Her Feel ‘Safe on Stage’

When she took to the stage during OUTLOUD at WeHo Pride on Saturday (June 1), Sophie Ellis-Bextor certainly did not kill the groove.

In an interview with Billboard News before her set, the “Murder on the Dancefloor” singer spoke about her love for Pride events, saying that she was honored to be included among artists such as Kylie Minogue, Janelle Monáe and plenty of others.

“It’s a very inclusive, supportive, warm audience,” she says. “I know we talk a lot about being your authentic self to the point where we kind of don’t think about what that means. But actually, being able to feel comfortable in your own skin is one of the biggest things you can do for someone … I think the fact you get that in a very pure form at events like Pride is just a really joyous thing.”

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The singer added that after the shutdowns caused by COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021, Pride events have felt “particularly moving” for the last few years. “I know how significant that made family is for the community. So, the fact that people might have been at home and unable to see their friends was a really significant loss,” she says.” When we were all back together, and looking at this sea of very young faces, it made me feel quite emotional.”

Ellis-Bextor said that she can trace her journey as an artist through the various Pride events she’s played through her career. “I can kind of credit pretty much everything about how I perform to my relationship with my LGBTQ+ audience,” she says. “Because it’s been those shows that I’ve done that have really kind of crystallized and helped me feel safe on stage, excited and relaxed. My lack of inhibition is completely down to them.”

The singer has already had a massive 2024, thanks to the resurgence of “Murder on the Dancefloor” after the song was featured in Emerald Fennell’s 2023 thriller Saltburn. Climbing to No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 more than 20 years after it was originally released, Ellis-Bextor says she’s grateful to be seen by a whole new audience as a result.

“The whole reason I’m here in L.A. today is because of what happened with ‘Murder’ and Saltburn, because that’s what gave me the opportunity to tour here. It’s been amazing,” she says. “There will be some young people who only remember me as the ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ lady — but to be honest, that’s absolutely fine with me.”

Watch Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s full interview with Billboard News above.