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Azealia Banks has become more known for her public beefs than her music in recent years, and now, she’s starting a new one with author J.K. Rowling
The rapper — who has herself issued a number of anti-trans rants online — took aim at the bestselling Harry Potter author and noted anti-trans advocate in a pair of posts to her X account on Feb. 4. Responding to a fan asking why Banks’ body looked a certain way, the “212” rapper called out the way people discuss women’s bodies in conjunction with the ongoing issue of “transvestigation” online.
“I think the dolls are fab and do not need to shade them or change myself because my femininity is not threatened by them,” she wrote. “All of the insane anti-trans paranoid people like @jk_rowling feel their femininity is threatened for whatever reason and try to mask that insecurity with ‘science’ like anyone is stupid and doesn’t already know these things.”
In a follow-up, Banks directly addressed Rowling who began following her after her initial tweet. “No shade @jk_rowling thanks for the follow and I love you down sis, but [trans women] are not a threat to your femininity,” she wrote. “You are really too rich and legendary to keep spewing the same stuff over and over and over.”
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Continuing, Banks claimed that her own brother identifies as trans, and shared her experiences watching someone struggle with their gender identity. “I have witnessed first hand the type of misery, pain, ostracism, suicide attempts, unnecessary and unwarranted abuse my mother doled out to my brother, the discomfort with his body — it’s not a mental illness it’s a spiritual thing,” she shared. “One would assume that you of all people who have written books about magic and esoteric things would be able to comprehend and understand how states of consciousness vary in a human being. It’s been YEARS sis.”
Closing out her comments, Banks called out Rowling’s views one final time, writing, “I really do think it’s a front for some weird inferiority thing that’s truly just in your mind. I Say this with lots of love and respect.”
The latest tweets represent something of a switch for Banks, who has been criticized multiple times over the past years for her own transphobic comments, in which she’s claimed that transgender women are not real women and spread misinformation about gender-affirming care.
Rowling, meanwhile, has been a vocal critic of transgender issues for years, regularly spreading inaccurate information regarding gender-affirming care, trans women using women’s restrooms and trans youth participating in women’s sports and much more.
Record Store Day U.K. has shared the official list of releases for its 2025 event.
In its 18th year, hundreds of albums, EPs and mixtapes are being pressed onto new special Record Store Day U.K. editions, including releases from the likes of Taylor Swift, Oasis and Charli XCX, on a variety of formats — including 7″ vinyl, 10″, 12″, CD, cassette and picture disc. The event will take place on April 12.
Swift will issue an exclusive 7″ white vinyl of her Post Malone collaboration “Fortnight,” which is the first time that the “Fortnight [BLOND:ISH Remix]” will appear on vinyl.
Oasis’ greatest hits compilation Time Flies: 1994-2009 is back on wax for the first time since 2010, a timely return ahead of the group’s Live ’25 reunion tour. Charli XCX has two limited editions in this year’s list, including a 7″ version of “Guess,” her team-up with Billie Eilish, and a reissue of her 2017 mixtape Number 1 Angel on silver vinyl.
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Fred Again.. will also release special piano versions of his three-part Actual Life LP series, while there’ll be reissues for The Cure, A Tribe Called Quest, Davie Bowie, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Uzi Vert and more. See the full list on RSD’s website.
More than 270 independent record shops across the U.K. – as well as thousands more globally – will prepare to welcome this new wave of releases. There’ll also be a series of in-store parties, events and live performances to mark the event. To see which record stores are involved in RSD U.K. 2025, visit the RSD website for the full list of retailers.
Record Store Day U.K. 2025’s upcoming edition coincides with 18 years of growth in vinyl sales despite the ongoing dominance of streaming services. Based on Official Charts Company data, the BPI reported in December that U.K. sales of albums on physical formats increased year-on-year for the first time since 1994 in 2024, by 1.4%.
The first official Record Store Day event took place in April 2008, with the aim of bringing attention to the importance of independent record shop culture. The event has since evolved into a global celebration, while each year, artists perform in-store sets in honor of the occasion.
On Tuesday (Feb. 4), North Shields singer-songwriter Sam Fender was announced as the official ambassador of Record Store Day U.K. 2025. He follows the likes of Kate Bush, The 1975, Noel Gallagher and Elton John in taking on the role.
“It’s a complete honor to be asked to be the Ambassador for Record Store Day 2025,” Fender said in a statement. “The importance of indie stores cannot be understated. Without them, we lose physical spaces for music fans to discover both their favorite new artists and to forge friendships with like-minded people.”
He added: “Thanks so much to all the independent stores around the world who support us. Let’s all make sure we support them too.”
Fender will put out a six-track EP to mark the occasion, titled Me and the Dog. The 12-inch release is set to include two new songs titled “I’m Always on Stage” and “Empty Spaces,” alongside a mixture of other previously unreleased tracks and live renditions.
Irv Gotti — born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. — passed away on Wednesday (Feb. 5) at the age of 54, and the hip-hop community has been in mourning as heartfelt tributes have poured out in the hours since.
Former Def Jam president Lyor Cohen worked extensively with Irv Gotti, who co-founded Murder Inc. Recordings as an imprint under Def Jam with his brother Chris in 1998.
Cohen released a statement paying tribute to Gotti, who he called one of Def Jam’s “most creative soldiers.”
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“Def Jam has lost one of its most creative soldiers,” Cohen said in a statement on Thursday (Feb. 6). “He was hip-hop, and when we were on bended knee he brought the heat and saved our asses. He comes from a very tight, beautiful family from Queens and it’s an honor and a privilege to have known him. Irv you will be missed.”
Gotti brought DMX to Def Jam in the late ’90s and played an integral role in convincing the label to sign him. The Queens native also engineered the lucrative careers of Murder Inc. titans Ja Rule, Ashanti and more.
Irv Gotti initially broke into the music industry as “DJ Irv” when he produced tracks from Jay-Z’s acclaimed Reasonable Doubt debut like “Can I Live?”
He went on to serve as a co-producer architecting hits such as Fat Joe’s “What’s Luv?,” Ashanti’s “Foolish,” Ja Rule’s “Mesmerize” and Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Always On Time,” Jennifer Lopez’s “I’m Real (Murder Remix)” and many more.
“How I got to Def Jam was because of Ja [Rule],” Gotti once told Complex in 2015. “Because Lyor [Cohen] wanted to sign Ja. First meeting I ever had I was like, ‘We have to sign DMX.’ And they laughed at me. I remember when I left the office Tina Davis said, ‘If DMX don’t sell, your a– is fired.’”
Irv Gotti has suffered from diabetes for years, but an official cause of death is yet to be revealed. Gotti’s children memorialized him with a statement on Instagram Thursday.
“Our dad was an incredible man, a true visionary who transformed the hip-hop industry and changed the game for artists and fans alike,” they wrote. “His passion for music and dedication to his craft inspired many, and his contributions will continue to influence future generations.”
The statement continues: “As we navigate this difficult time, we kindly ask for privacy while we grieve the loss of our dad, son, brother, uncle, and friend. We take comfort in knowing that his spirit will live on through his music and the love he shared with all of us. Thank you for your understanding and support during this challenging time.”
Brian Austin Green is not typically one to speak his mind about ex-wife Megan Fox’s business. But the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum told People magazine that his recent call-out of Fox’s ex-fiancé, Machine Gun Kelly, was born of frustration. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “That’s not something […]
When one steps outside the airport in Ibiza, they see a long row of billboards promoting many of the club nights on the Spanish island, a longtime destination for dance music fans. Many visitors have noticed the simple but striking fact that all of these billboards feature the names and faces of exclusively male artists.
“Is it equal opportunity? It’s definitely not. There’s something going on there. It’s still controlled by a bunch of, I guess, old school bookers and club owners.” So says Aloki Batra, the CEO of hospitality and real estate group FIVE, which acquired Pacha Ibiza in 2023. Hoping to innovate on the island while also maintaining and extending Pacha’s historic status, he was determined to do something different.
And so for the 2025 season, and for the first time in the history of Pacha — which opened its doors in 1973 — the club will have a female resident, with longstanding house producer Blond:ish launching an 11-week residency on May 21. Called “Abracadabra” (the name of the event series she’s hosted around the world for years) the party will focus on music, merriment and magic.
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“We literally have things levitating in the air,” says the producer born Vivie-ann Bakos. “We’re building this hologram [installation] and just doing epic stuff where it feels like magic.” Bakos cites plans to install “press for champagne” buttons on the dancefloor, allowing clubbers to simply press a button to have a glass of champagne delivered to them, putting trained magicians and illusionists on the dancefloor, pulling people out of line and gifting them with VIP status for the night and other special flourishes and “random acts of kindness” and whimsy to make the nights inviting, interesting and meaningful.
“A residency is a place where you can create and iterate on a consistent basis, and you learn from the previous weeks,” says Bakos. “We don’t just have one chance; you have people coming to see you every week, and you learn from the people a week before, so by the middle of the residency it’s this crazy snowball effect of what we want to do. And the reason we do this party goes back to helping people live their best life. Without speaking about it, we show people through the music how to create their own magic.”
In terms of the distinction of being Pacha’s first female resident, Bakos says being the first female anything has never been a focus of her career, which began more than 15 years ago and has included major festival plays, global club shows, an official remix of Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight,” a collaboration with Madonna and a focus on environmentalism through her Bye Bye Plastic initiative, which works to reduce the use of single use plastic within the industry.
During it all, she’s been more focused on meeting her goals with the music itself. Bakos does say, however, making history as Pacha’s first female resident “I think it maybe means a lot for the music industry as a whole, because I think a lot of people are triggered when you’re outside at the Ibiza airport and you see all the billboards.” (Her face will appear on billboards on other parts of the island, as most of the billboards near the airport are owned by the Ibiza clubs Hï and Ushuaïa.)
Batra says that while “a lot of names were getting thrown around” for potential residents, Bakos proved that she has what it takes after a playing a series of nights at Pacha last summer. Here, Batra found that “the music on point, the energy was really infectious and she has a way of resonating with the dancefloor that I thought was special.”
Bakos, her wife and their new baby will live on the island this summer during the residency. Before that, however, she’ll release her debut album, Never Walk Alone on February 14 via Insomniac Records. The 11-track project is full of bright, bouyant house music that reflects Bakos’ current mindset and mission.
“I used to make darker music, because I was living in after hours,” she says. “But my music is definitely not dark these days. You can feel that, and it’s because every decision I make with my music is about answering the question ‘How can I help people live their best lives?’”
Determining this mission is a function of Bakos’ own personal and professional evolution. In the earlier years, she says, “I was just traveling the world trying to play for the biggest crowds ever.” As time went on, however, “I started actually figuring out what my why is, and why I exist in the world and the music industry and why I’m a DJ.”
This contemplation led her to determine that “I want to help people live their best life, and I’m doing that through my music. That’s my connection point with every single person in this world, without having a conversation.” Bakos made this goal part of the conversation with her album collaborators, taking time to talk about the intention for tracks while making them alongside artists including British singer Stevie Appleton, L.A.-based, Zimbabwe-born singer, rapper and producer Bantu and more.
Bakos is releasing the vinyl editions of Never Walk Alone on bio-based PVC, a material that’s 99.9% petroleum-free, cuts 90% of the carbon dioxide emissions from the process and creates no difference in the sound quality between bio-vinyl and regular vinyl. With the eradication of single use plastic a longtime part of her mission, Bakos knew she had to make a plastic-free vinyl, although at first “I didn’t know it was possible. It was just a dream.” Figuring out that it could actually happen, she says, further demonstrated to her “that magic does exist.”
She hopes this vinyl will also show other artists that it can be done, the same way Bye Bye Plastic has shown that there are alternatives to venues using loads of single use cups and bottles. Partnering with Pacha has easy, she says, as they’re already “quite sustainable.” (The club operated exclusively on renewable electricity for the 2024-2025 season and is focused on bringing down water consumption at the venue at the nearby Ibiza resort, DestinoFIVE, which is set to reopen as a five-star resort this season after a significant remodeling. It’s also pursuing LEED Gold or higher certification across its properties in Ibiza and Dubai.) Bakos hopes their extra efforts this season will, in the competitive Ibiza market, make “the other clubs get FOMO” and follow suit with similar environment-focused projects.
Working with Pacha and Batra on making Abracadabra special has been especially refreshing, Bakos says, because “He’s a ‘yes’ guy. He’s very supportive. It’s amazing to work with him, because he’s not from the music industry, so he comes with a different outlook, whereas the traditional music industry is very set in their ways on how to do things old school. I love that he comes with a different mindset that’s very possibilist, versus limiting.”
LeBron James just shared his excitement for Kendrick Lamar‘s fast-approaching Super Bowl Halftime Show performance with a post on Instagram — something that might be a little pointed considering that, hours before, Drake had made headlines for dissing the basketball star.
Reposting an NFL video of the Compton rapper’s performance at Dr. Dre’s halftime exhibition in 2022 — “Ready to see @kendricklamar run it back,” the league wrote in its caption — James wrote Wednesday (Feb. 5), “HE GONE KILL THAT [S–T]!!!!”
“CAN’T WAIT *Bart Scott voice,” the Los Angeles Lakers power forward added on his Story.
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James’ show of support for Lamar comes shortly after Drizzy switched around one of his lyrics at his Wednesday concert in Australia, seemingly to throw shade at the athlete. Instead of performing his Scorpion track “Nonstop” as written — “How I go from 6 to 23 like I’m LeBron?” — Drake rapped for the crowd, “How I go from 6 to 23 but not LeBron, man.”
The NBA star is believed to be someone who, in Drake’s eyes, might have turned on the Toronto musician at the height of his feud with Lamar last year. James attended Dot’s Juneteenth Pop Out concert last year and rapped along to songs such as “Euphoria” and “Not Like Us,” both of which are famously diss tracks dragging the “God’s Plan” rapper (the latter being so personally upsetting to Drake, his legal team is suing Universal Music Group on accusations of defamation which the label has vehemently denied).
On his 2025 freestyle “Fighting Irish,” Drake addressed the people he thinks switched sides on him, spitting, “The world fell in love with the gimmicks, even my brothers got tickets, seemed like they loved every minute/ Just know the s–t is personal to us and wasn’t just business/ Analyzing behavioral patterns is somewhat suspicious.”
Lamar is now just three days away from taking the stage between halves at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, where the Kansas City Chiefs are gearing up to play the Philadelphia Eagles for the LIX Lombardi Trophy. In January, the “DNA” artist announced that frequent collaborator — and soon-to-be tourmate — SZA, will join him for the highly anticipated performance.
Dot is also fresh off of big wins the 2025 Grammys Sunday (Feb. 2), with “Not Like Us” taking home both song and record of the year.
Both Lil Wayne and Drake earn their first No. 1s on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart as Lil Wayne’s “She Will,” which features Drake, jumps 4-1 on the Feb. 8-dated tally.
The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity accumulated Jan. 27-Feb. 2. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.
“She Will,” which was originally released in 2011 on Lil Wayne’s album Tha Carter IV, has exceled on TikTok thanks to a dance trend that features creators performing leg-shaking moves, often up against a wall of some sort.
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Usages of the song generally highlight the “Ladies and gentlemen, Drizzy” lyric before the outro, though the most utilized sound then drops out the vocals in favor of the synth-led instrumental.
Drake previously reached No. 2 on the chart twice: on his “IDGAF” featuring Yeat in 2023, and on the Sexyy Red collaboration “U My Everything” last year. As for Lil Wayne, “She Will” is his second top 10, following the No. 9 peak of Tyler, the Creator’s “Sticky,” on which he’s featured alongside GloRilla and Sexyy Red.
“She Will” debuted and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 2011. In the Billboard tracking week ending Jan. 30, the song earned 5.4 million official U.S. streams, up 30%, according to Luminate.
Lil Wayne and Drake’s coronation isn’t the only thing happening in the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s top 10 this week. Former No. 1 Stepz’s “Rock” rebounds 8-2, while 5 Seconds of Summer’s “She Looks So Perfect” is the week’s top debut at No. 3.
“She Looks So Perfect,” which peaked at No. 24 on the Hot 100 in 2014 as 5 Seconds of Summer’s breakout song, benefits from a TikTok trend in which users respond to the hypothetical compliment “you’re so funny,” often with the creator responding by talking about trauma that made them that way – so much so that 5 Seconds of Summer’s Michael Clifford reacted to the trend with a video captioned, “’you’re so funny’ thanks our song is now the theme song for trauma bonding.”
The song sports a 31% gain in the week ending Jan. 30 to 1.4 million streams.
Former No. 1 “Champagne Coast” by Blood Orange also returns to the top five, leaping 7-4, while 7dnight’s “Khong Sao Ca” vaults 24-5 in its second week on the chart. Featured on the Vietnamese music competition show Rap Viet and released in November 2024, “Khong Sao Ca” rises via a dance trend, while some top-performing clips also highlight pets and stuffed animals.
Earth, Wind & Fire’s classic “Let’s Groove” shoots 11-6, marking the group’s second top 10 after “September” in 2023. As the title and song’s general vibe suggests, its rise is made up mostly of dance videos, some following a specific trend and others simply featuring the dancer showing off their best moves.
“Let’s Groove” peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 in 1981 and accumulated 2.3 million streams in the latest tracking period, up 17%.
The other newcomer to the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s top 10 is Fetty Wap’s “Again,” which debuts at No. 8 a week after his “Jimmy Choo” appeared on the ranking at No. 9. Many of the videos reference listening to the song on JBL speakers and setting it to TV and movie scenes, alongside dances, lip-synchs and more.
“Again,” which peaked at No. 33 on the Hot 100 in 2015, is up 250% in streams to 4.8 million in the Jan. 24-30 tracking week.
See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.
GELO— yes, former NBA G-League hooper and middle Ball brother, LiAngelo Ball — delivered rap’s first hit of 2025 with “Tweaker.” Imagine going back in time and uttering that sentence to your cousin at Thanksgiving dinner a few months ago?
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“Definitely caught me off-guard for sure, it’s crazy,” GELO tells Billboard of his meteoric rise to rap stardom. “I’m here for it. I knew something was gon’ happen. I’m ready to get stuff moving now.”
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Equal parts inspired by the Big Tymers and YoungBoy Never Broke Again, “Tweaker” began to take shape about three weeks before the world would be swerving and bending that corner when the 26-year-old penned the track in his garage in December.
“Tweaker” ended up being one of four tracks he recorded in the session, but he bumped his eventual breakout hit the entire ride back home before sending it to his brothers Lonzo and LaMelo for approval. “At the end of that s–t, I knew that s–t was gonna be great,” GELO says like it was all part of his masterplan.
Hype for “Tweaker” exploded in late December following a preview on popular streamer N3on’s platform, which spawned a plethora of 2000s-themed memes and others crowning the snippet as a banger while keeping GELO’s earworm of a hook on a loop.
It’s also a sign of the times and music landscape in 2025 with streamers serving as powerful newschool gatekeepers with more cultural currency than radio staples like Hot 97.
GELO played into the nostalgia factor and had “Tweaker” premiere on WorldStarHipHop — a move straight out of the 2011 playbook along with it landing on streaming services on Jan. 3. The track dominated social media conversation and infiltrated NBA and NFL locker rooms, who instructed the in-house DJ to “Put that GELO on!”
“Tweaker” debuted at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and a month later is holding strong in the top 50. It also remains at No. 3 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50. GELO didn’t waste any time parlaying his momentum into a record deal with Def Jam, which was first reported by ESPN‘s Shams Charania on Jan. 13 — pointing to his crossover pop culture impact.
For his next move, GELO heads to New Orleans to play one-on-one with Lil Wayne for the anticipated “Tweaker” remix, which arrives on Friday (Feb. 7). “That’s like hooping with [Michael] Jordan,” says GELO. “He back on that Dedication type of sound. That boy was flowing.”
Learn more about our hip-hop R&B Rookie of the Month for February’s triple-double to start 2025 in our interview as we touch on all things “Tweaker,” his father LaVar’s reaction to his rap career, plans going forward and much more.
Billboard: Can you believe this right now? Is this crazy? First press run diving into it and a major hit to start the year.
GELO: Yeah, I signed a deal and I have music since a long time ago. I’ve been writing new stuff so I got a lot of stuff to put out. I think I could blow up soon. We’ll see.
Growing up, who were some of your favorite rappers?
I always listened to YoungBoy growing up, of course. DMX, 50 Cent, Ludacris, Nelly – my dad used to play all them. Ice Cube.
Do you remember your first time writing raps?
I didn’t record nothing until I was 18, 19. Before that, I wrote my first rap in the 3rd grade in my little notebook. That s–t was hard. I had some bars in there about Vince Carter.
Did you keep writing? Was that a consistent exercise?
It was all for fun. I’d be with my cousins, my brothers – we’d always rap battle and freestyle and s–t. I was practicing without even noticing for real. Random beats, we’d all just hop in on.
“Tweaker” going crazy out here. Walk me through how this came together… Paint that whole picture for us.
I always get a little itch to write. If I feel like that I’ma go make some songs. I wrote it in the garage and then I got to thinking and writing and s–t and that’s what I came up with. I was like, “Wow.” I played it all the way home I’m like, “This one hard!”
Does Lonzo or LaMelo hear it?
I sent it to Melo, Zo and two of my friends. I don’t be spreading like that. I do that with all my music. I got other songs I like more than “Tweaker.” It’s coming.
How long before we heard it did you write and record it?
I wrote that like three weeks [before]. That was one of my fresh songs. I made four songs that day. I think they all gon’ do some damage.
Where’d you find the beat?
My boy found it he lives back home by Chino Hills. His name’s Pat and he searched up all the beats and stuff and he’ll link with the producers and sent it my way. They’ll send me a pack and I’ll listen to 10 beats or so and I’ll pick three great ones.
Obviously, everyone’s saying it has this 2000s feel to it. Did you feel that and were you on that type of vibe?
The 2000s didn’t cross my mind at all. I was just in the garage like, “This s–t hard.” How I make music I’ll do a little melody in my head at first. I’ll freestyle some s–t.
So that’s how the chorus came together?
All the hooks and stuff I always hum something in my head.
When did you notice “Tweaker” started to pick up steam on social media? Like we got something going crazy out here and a legit hit.
Really after the day I went on NEON’s stream. My s–t was blowing up. My phone was going crazy. NEON hit me like, “Bro, your song going crazy.” I’m like, “Iight gang.” I’ma tap in with him down the line. He cool. That was random as hell. We didn’t plan none of that. He was like, “I’m in L.A.” I’m like, “Alright, I’ll pull up on you.” I was trying to do a stream for real.
That’s the new cable TV in a way. I love that you intentionally premiered it on WorldStarHipHop.
Oh yeah, that was intentional. That’s what I grew up on too. I was like, “Let me drop my s–t on WorldStar and see what happens.” I just let them rock with it. I hit them up directly.
What was LaVar’s first reaction to hearing [“Tweaker”]?
He asked me, “How’d you come up with that s–t, man? I guess all them times they called home saying you was rapping in class, I guess that s–t paid off!” He’s happy.
Are you bouncing ideas off Lonzo?
Nah, I write all my own music, he writes his. I don’t know how it said he wrote it on there. I don’t know. I’m not about to be like, “I wrote it!” I don’t care for real. I be writing my own music.
It was dope to see it become a locker-room anthem for the Cavs, Damian Lillard and the Detroit Lions.
I love that my music spread to the sports world because what I grew up in. I feel like that’s my people whoever play the song. I feel like I’m putting on for the sports for real.
Do you have any favorite memes or videos that came about?
I reposted one of the AND-1 videos. He was doing the AND-1 mixtape like, “How the Gelo got me feeling.” On a bigger scale, when Darius Garland played my shit I was like, “Yeah, that’s hard.” I’ve seen bro workout and he’s a cool dude. The Lions were like, “Put that Gelo on!” Everybody be commenting that now.
“Tweaker” debuted at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. What was your initial reaction to seeing you got a top 40 hit out here?
That’s hard. I’m proud, but personally I feel like I could get on there a lot. I got music, bro. I listen to my own music and I sent it to my homies and the people I send it to they be like, “This is all I be listening to for real.” I feel good about it and I’m ready to see what happens.
“Tweaker” remix on the way. What we got coming on there?
We got Lil Wayne getting on there. The legend, GOAT. You know I had to for real.
How was connecting with him and what was his reception to the record?
I didn’t connect with him until my manager’s and them showed me his song. I hit him up on the Gram like, “Your verse is hard as hell. That’s what we was missing on our s–t.” He was a cool dude. He was like, “I hope you mess with the verse.” That verse is tough. Watch out ya’ll gon’ see?
How quick was the label process when you went to take meetings? Why’d you end up choosing Def Jam?
My guys DMO and Tony helped me out with that. They set up some meetings with all the main labels and we took em and had to feel everybody out. They just had the best deal. Def Jam was the most excited. They had the best deal for real. They wasn’t just talking. They was ready to cooperate with us. We was telling them what we expect, what we need and what we want and they was like, “Yeah, that’s smooth.” Giving us feedback that we was rocking with. They put it together nice. That’s love right there.
What’s next music-wise for you? Do you have another one in the tuck you’re going with?
I’ma follow-up with “Can You Please?” A little different – still could rock to it.
Do you have plans for an album?
Yeah, for sure. Be expecting an album soon. I got some songs to put together for y’all.
How much percent of that do you have done?
Me, personally, I feel like I’m done. I gotta make three more songs. I gotta make songs for fun right now. I could put out an album. It’s not for fun, it’s very official. I could put an album together right now, but I still want to touch up some things, put some new songs, get some features going.
Do you feel any pressure to follow-up “Tweaker” with another hit?
I like some of my songs better than “Tweaker.” I don’t think so. I think y’all gonna like ‘em more too.
Performing at Rolling Loud – that’s cool to see you on there. Have been you practicing?
I don’t know exactly what I’m doing, but they got me practicing. I do a little stage practice. I’ll be ready. I’m looking forward to that.
Do you have a dream collaboration?
I would like to do a tape with YoungBoy [Never Broke Again]. A little collab tape. 10 songs or some s–t. Bangers though — I think I could hold my own with him.
Do you think fame prepared you for stardom in a way?
Yeah, it helped a lot. Since babies, my pops always had us in the spotlight — like, we flexing in front of 30 people and s–t. “Show em your muscles!” I just never been shy like that. You know the little class presentations people be nervous? I never felt that — I just be chatting. That’s how I came up. It doesn’t feel new for real.
You performed at the Detroit Lions game. Talk to me about that experience.
That was crazy. 70,000 right there, first performance. I just wanted to see what it was about for real going into an NFL stadium. It was a great experience. It was different for me. If I could touch some s–t up, I’ll give myself a seven out of 10. Fans be like that’s a 10 but I know I could do better. Great start I feel like. Shout-out to the Lions.
I saw Cam’ron try to blame you for the loss for the Lions.
I’m not hearing that. I came to give them love. I should be mad, y’all lost on my time. I’m just trying to turn the fans up.
Is there a reality show coming up?
Yeah, I think so. I think it’s in motion right now. We’ll see.
What was your first tattoo?
My chest piece. That s–t hurt, bro. I was about to stop mid-tatt. I said, “Ay bro, hold on.” Had to get a little break. I finished it up. I always loved tats though. In second grade I used to draw a lot. 50 Cent on one of his covers had all the tats on his back. The “Southside” 50. I was like, “That’s hard.” I’ma get tatted when I get grown.
Did you put any pressure on yourself after seeing LaMelo doing his thing and Lonzo doing his thing?
Nah, I never put no pressure on myself. Even growing up – even if something was terrible I always told myself I’d never be regular, for real. I always knew I was gonna get [millions] and be big or something. I can’t just sit down.
If somebody asked you for advice, what do you think is the best way for kids to get to the NBA?
If you wanna make the league go to AAU and play up a lot of ages. When I was 12 I was playing 16 anf 18 year olds. It’s what it takes. You might get your a– whooped first two or three games but you gon learn to adapt and when you play kids your age it’s over. That’s the base of things. The rest it don’t matter what school you go to. Just make sure you tap into college I feel like it would help with the NIL and all that. There’s the recipe.
What’s your main goal for 2025?
Probably to have the biggest album out and be one of the biggest rappers. The top rapper. Tap into that new stuff.
A compilation of previously unreleased songs benefitting Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts, Los Angeles Rising, was released on Thursday morning (Feb. 6) exclusively on Bandcamp. The 16-track compilation pulled together by Bauhaus/Love and Rockets drummer Kevin Haskins and producer Nick Launay (Nick Cave, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), features songs by PJ Harvey, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Gary Numan, Primal Scream, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea and John Frusciante, Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Devo and U.S. Girls, among others.
“As the wildfires were raging and destroying thousands of homes around Los Angeles, both my neighbourhood and Nick’s were instructed to evacuate,” wrote Haskins in a statement announcing the comp whose proceeds will go to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. “But we were the lucky ones. The fire threatening our homes and recording studios was thankfully extinguished by firefighters just minutes away, but countless musicians and friends lost everything.”
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The collection is only available by purchasing a download on Bandcamp, with previews of the songs available here now.
“This harrowing experience and witnessing the monumental destruction of entire communities, inspired Nick and I to team up to create a compilation album to raise money for the less fortunate,” Haskins added. “We reached out to our musician friends for unreleased recorded gems and the response was incredible! PJ Harvey, Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker, Primal Scream, Gary Numan and Devo are just some of the artists that rushed in to help.”
The album is just the latest in a series of charitable efforts to help out Angelenos impacted by last month’s devastating wildfires, which resulted in at least 29 death and the destruction of 16,000 homes and structures. Earlier this week, organizers said the recent FireAid all-star benefit show raised an estimated $100 million, while the Recording Academy and MusiCares’ said they raised $24 million for fire relief over Grammy weekend.
Check out the track listing for Los Angeles Rising below:
1) PJ Harvey with Danni Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans – “The Red River”
2) Grinderman – “Worm Tamer” (LaunayVauz remix)
3) Gary Numan and Titan – “Dark Rain”
4) Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Turn Into Redux”
5) Band Of Skulls – “Cold Cold Sweat” (LaunayVauz remix)
6) Jarvis Cocker – “California Dreamin’”
7) Primal Scream – “False Flags” (Orchestral version)
8) Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – “Michelangelo”
9) Haskins, Vandermolen and Lohner – “All We Ever Wanted Was Everything”
10) Danny Elfman – “Monkeys On The Loose” (LA Rising version)
11) Devo – “Shoulda Said Yes”
12) Siobhan Fahey and Titan – “Deep In LA”
13) CRX – “Blip On The Radar”
14) David J – “No New Tale To Tell” (Original demo version)
15) Flea, Frusciante, Haskins and DeAngelis – “A System For Shutting Everything Out”
16) U.S. Girls – “Four American Dollars” (Demo version)
“But who are you? That was the question I kept getting while talking to people around me about what was next. I hated that question, largely because I couldn’t grasp it. I’m like, the f–k you mean?” … The more I got that question, the more I realized I was a man trapped in my own public image, that transition from being a teenager to an adult.”
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That frank excerpt about feeling boxed in is just one example of the many intriguing moments that can be heard on the latest Audible Original debuting today (Feb. 6): Usher’s Words + Music installment, The Last Showman. The project, written and produced by Usher and journalist/author Gerrick Kennedy, finds the eight-time Grammy winner in deep personal and professional introspection as he reflects on the past, present and future of his 30-year R&B/pop career.
Usher also delves further into detailing the process behind creating and writing one of his game-changing and record-breaking career hallmarks, 2004’s Confessions album. In addition, the Audible Original illuminates Usher’s reflections by featuring live excerpts of classic gems from his vast catalog, including “Burn”, “Confessions Pt. II”, “Can U Handle It?” and “Bad Girl.”
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“Confessions, right? It started exactly like that, sitting around with my guys and confessing the things that we were going through,” recalls Usher in part during another revealing excerpt. “The studio was a safe place for us to just lay out, you know, the s–t that we were doing or going through or experiencing; no pretense, no judgment, just real talk. We didn’t go to the studio with our minds on creating a record that day. Nope. We spent two months working talking, chilling, no women, but just having real conversations about real life, just brutal honesty from a male’s perspective. And for that reason, I called the project real talk.”
With Audible Original’s The Last Showman, Usher adds his own volume to the popular Words + Music series, whose prior releases feature John Legend, Snoop Dogg, Sting, Smokey Robinson, Mariah Carey, Common and Sheryl Crow, among others. In fact, it was listening to Snoop Dogg’s installment and how listeners responded to it that convinced Usher to set his own project in motion.
That’s one of the insights Usher shared with Billboard during a recent Zoom interview ahead of today’s debut of the Audible Original, The Last Showman. Here are several soundbites from that chat with Usher, who begins the European leg of his Past Present Future tour with an eight-date sold-out run at London’s The O2 on March 29.
Usher
Audible
On writing and producing The Last Showman: Within the hectic schedule that I had, it was definitely a feat but one worthwhile. Audible gives you the perspective of being able to share nuances because it’s your voice. Writing a book be great; I’m going to do that in the future. But this is a step in the direction of beginning to talk about things that are personal to me. Creating a narrative or a voice in this space was part of the reason I did it. I’d heard about Snoop’s when he did it and how people responded to it.
And we’d been trying our hardest to find the best way to not necessarily reimagine but just give a different perspective of Confessions. What are other nuanced things you can offer that give people perspective? Like what did happen? Better yet, what didn’t happen? What didn’t happen was having a camera available; that wasn’t the culture of that time. Imagine if I’d had a camera set up, walking through all of the emotions and the nature of what we were talking about; where inspiration for the songs came from and even what goes into being a showman within that process of my life. I didn’t get a chance to do that.
So this gave me an opportunity to take myself and my fans back to where I was mentally and creatively [in my 20s] while making Confessions. It gives nuance to who I am, how I think and what makes me who I am as a showman.
How the Last Showman title originated: Gerrick and I worked primarily over last summer, creating the project through a series of conversations and interviews around certain things. Then we went through our notes and made certain they were in my voice and I recorded it. That gave me the freedom to really freelance and create nuances on top of what we wrote based on our initial interviews. And from that, we both landed on this as a title that’s necessary.
Artist development is slowly but surely becoming less of a priority. But when you hear this [project], it leads you to understand that if you want to be an artist like this artist, you’re going to have to do some work that’s different than what you normally would do with the intention of becoming a sustainable artist forever. I’m hoping that’s the inspiration that people take away from this. The title in itself is hopefully going to instigate the conversation of what it is to be a showman, and maybe even pose a question: Are you the last showman — and the last showman in comparison to what? So all of those things are kind of like the catch, the hook. You’ve got to have a hook that’s going to get people’s attention. But my intention is not just about that. It’s about making people understand the importance of artist development.
His own takeaway from the experience: I really put my heart into this opportunity. I think music at this point sells everything but itself. So this does help people have a perspective, a different viewpoint, about music and the creation of it. I want people to look at Audible in that way; I want other artists to understand the value of doing this. I’ve been very fortunate to have had a life and a whole host of experiences that have helped me be the artist I am. I’m just trying to offer that back to the people who care to listen.