Music News

28 May 2024

Hot 100 First-Timers: Shoreline Mafia’s OhGeesy & Fenix Flexin Debut With Comeback Single ‘Heat Stick’

Shoreline Mafia, the Los Angeles-based hip-hop act comprising OhGeesy and Fenix Flexin, banks its first career Billboard chart hit with “Heat Stick.”

Billed as by Shoreline Mafia Presents OhGeesy & Fenix Flexin, the song debuts at No. 98 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated June 1 almost entirely from its streaming sum: 6.5 million official U.S. streams May 17-23 (up 31%), according to Luminate. The track, released May 10 on Atlantic Records, also debuts at No. 25 on Hot Rap Songs and jumps 42-29 in its second week on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

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Shoreline Mafia originally formed as a quartet in 2016, comprising OhGeesy, Fenix Flexin, Master Kato and Rob Vicious. The group split after releasing its debut studio album, Mafia Bidness, in 2020 as all four artists pursued solo careers. Earlier this month, OhGeesy and Fenix Flexin reunited with “Heat Stick” under the Shoreline Mafia name—it marks the first release for the act, now a duo, in four years.

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Shoreline Mafia reached Billboard’s charts twice before “Heat Stick.” Its EP Party Pack, Vol. 2 hit No. 32 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 61 on the Billboard 200 in September 2019 and Mafia Bidness reached No. 19 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 27 on the Billboard 200 in August 2020.

After the group went on hiatus, OhGeesy’s debut solo LP Geezyworld (released in 2021 via Atlantic) topped the Heatseekers Albums chart and reached No. 102 on the Billboard 200. Its follow-up Geezyworld 2 peaked at No. 2 on Heatseekers Albums in 2023. The set’s breakout single “Geekaleek,” featuring Cash Kidd/BIA (which samples Petey Pablo’s 2004 Hot 100 top 10 “Freek-a-Leek”), hit No. 25 on Rap Airplay and No. 44 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay in December 2023.

OhGeesy has released one other solo project: Tropies, with Berner, in December.

As for Fenix Flexin, the rapper released four solo projects while Shoreline Mafia was inactive: Fenix Flexin Vol. 1 (2021), Fenix Flexin Vol. 2 (2022), Fenix Flexin Vol. 3 (2023) and Back Flexin (May 24). The opening track on the new album is another collab with OhGeesy, “Pick N Roll.”

Shoreline Mafia signed to Atlantic in 2018. OhGeesy told Billboard at the time, “Besides growing up and always wanting to be apart of a major label, when it finally came time to it, I knew Atlantic was the best move because of the facts behind it. It’s simple. Look at their roster. Everybody is winning and they know how to market music in a way that I feel is better than any other label.”

28 May 2024

Dua Lipa Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza: ‘Burning Children Alive Can Never Be Justified’

Amid Israel’s intensifying military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah — where dozens of Palestinian civilians have reportedly been killed in the past few days — Dua Lipa is once again calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.

On Tuesday (May 28), the pop star shared an Artists for Ceasefire graphic with the hashtag “#AllEyesOnRafah” on her Instagram Story and wrote, “Burning children alive can never be justified.”

“The whole world is mobilising to stop the Israeli genocide,” Lipa added. “Please show your solidarity with Gaza.”

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The “Levitating” musician’s post comes on the heels of Israel’s recent bout of shelling and airstrikes west of Rafah, which killed at least 37 people between Monday and Tuesday. Many of those civilians had already been displaced from their home territories as a result of Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas, which has now killed a total of 36,000-plus Palestinians since October, according to The Associated Press.

More displaced Palestinians were also killed Sunday when strikes in the same area triggered a deadly fire that engulfed parts of a refugee camp, something Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since called a “tragic mishap.” Israeli leaders have reportedly argued that the violence in Rafah is crucial to ensuring Hamas’ return of the hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attacks, which marked the initial trigger of the country’s soon-to-be eight-month war against the terrorist group.

Lipa’s statement is the latest example of the pop star advocating on behalf of the Palestinian people amid the conflict. A few weeks after the Oct. 7 attacks, she was one of many stars to sign an Artists for Ceasefire open letter urging President Joe Biden to call for peace in Gaza. Three months later, she got candid about her stance on the war in her January Rolling Stone cover story.

“My existence is kind of political, the fact that I lived in London because my parents left from the war,” she told the publication at the time, referencing her Albanian heritage. “I feel for people who have to leave their home. From my experience of being in Kosovo and understanding what war does, no one really wants to leave their home. They do it for protection, to save their family, to look after the people around them, that kind of thing, for a better life. So I feel close to it.”

“My feelings on displaced people [are] very real and raw,” she added at the time. “It is a difficult subject to speak about because it’s so divisive.”

28 May 2024

Hot 100 First-Timers: Country-Rocker Koe Wetzel Lands First Entry With ‘Sweet Dreams’

Koe Wetzel is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting hitmaker, as his new single “Sweet Dreams” debuts on the chart dated June 1 at No. 47.

Released May 17 on YellaBush/Columbia Records, the song debuts with 10.9 million official streams and 3,000 downloads sold in the U.S. in the week ending May 23, according to Luminate. It also starts at No. 11 on the Hot Country Songs chart, becoming Wetzel’s seventh entry and first top 20 hit.

Here’s a look at Wetzel’s history on Hot Country Songs, with titles ranked by peak position.

Peak Position, Title, Peak Date:
No. 11 (to date), “Sweet Dreams,” June 1, 2024
No. 24, “Wasted” (Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley feat. Kodak Black & Koe Wetzel), Jan. 28, 2023
No. 28, “Creeps,” Sept. 10, 2022
No. 29, “Damn Near Normal,” March 23, 2024
No. 29, “Cabo,” Oct. 1, 2022
No. 36, “April Showers,” April 23, 2022
No. 45, “Money Spent,” Oct. 1, 2022

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Wetzel has also logged eight entries on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, including “Damn Near Normal,” which climbs 22-21 on the latest list (after debuting at its No. 12 high in March).

Wetzel first appeared on Billboard’s charts in July 2019, when he opened at No. 9 on Emerging Artists. The arrival was fueled by his LP Harold Saul High, which debuted and peaked at No. 10 on Top Country Albums and No. 65 on the Billboard 200 that week. He has since charted two additional albums on the Billboard 200: Sellout (his major-label debut on Columbia Records; No. 88 peak in 2020) and Hell Paso (No. 12 in 2022). The latter also reached No. 2 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums and No. 3 on Top Country Albums.

Wetzel (full name: Ropyr Koe Wetzel; Koe is an homage to country singer-songwriter David Allan Coe) hails from Pittsburg, Texas. “Sweet Dreams” is slated to appear on his forthcoming LP 9 Lives, due July 19. He’s currently on the road on his Damn Near Normal World Tour, which runs through November.

28 May 2024

Here’s Why Ice Cube Says His ‘No Vaseline’ Is the Best Diss Track in Hip-Hop History

While Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” Drake diss has swept the rap world by storm and permeated other dimensions of pop culture, Ice Cube wants everyone to know that he still reigns supreme in the diss track category.

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Cube took the stage at the California Roots Festival in Monterey on Sunday, and ahead of performing “No Vaseline,” he let the crowd know that it remains the premier diss record in the hip-hop culture.

He replayed scenarios of fans telling him that 2Pac’s “Hit ‘Em Up” or Nas’ “Ether” and K. Dot’s “Not Like Us” have the top spot over him, but the West Coast icon doesn’t think they measure up.

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“I love Nas, but it’s not. I love Kendrick Lamar now — maybe it’s him. I love those songs, but ‘No Vaseline’ is the best diss song in the history of hip-hop,” he said before explaining his reasoning. “And I’ll tell you why: One MC — myself — I took out four motherf—ers and the manager. You can’t beat that.

All of these decades later, the hate has subsided and Cube made sure to reiterate he’s got nothing but love for Dr. Dre and the late Eazy-E, along with the rest of N.W.A. “But we did that over 30 years ago,” he added. “So as it stands today, I ain’t got nothing but love for N.W.A.”

After leaving N.W.A in late 1989 due to what he perceived as shady business practices by the group’s manager, Jerry Heller, the group provoked him with jabs on their 100 Miles and Runnin‘ EP and N—az4Life project, which led to Ice Cube redefining the standard for diss tracks with his eviscerating “No Vaseline” in 1991.

The bristling diss landed on Cube’s Death Certificate album and saw him shredding his former groupmates Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Yella, MC Ren and manager Jerry Heller one by one.

While “No Vaseline” remains No. 1 in Cube’s mind, the track actually came in at No. 4 on our 15 Most Scathing Hip-Hop Diss Songs of All-Time list. 2Pac’s “Hit ‘Em Up” took home the No. 1 spot, with Pusha T’s “The Story of Adidon” and Jay-Z’s “Supa Ugly” rounding out the top 3.

Watch Ice Cube’s “No Vaseline” speech below.

28 May 2024

‘Hit’ Record: Billie Eilish Reigns on Top Rock & Alternative Charts

Billie Eilish crowns Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Rock & Alternative Songs charts dated June 1 with her new album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, and its lead single “Lunch.”

Hit Me Hard and Soft becomes Eilish’s first No. 1 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums, reigning as her first LP since the chart shifted in 2022 to include alternative-leaning titles outside the rock genre.

The set is also Eilish’s fourth leader on Top Alternative Albums, following Happier Than Ever (2021), When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019) and Dont Smile at Me (2019, after it first appeared on the list in 2017).

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In the week ending May 23, Hit Me Hard and Soft, released May 17, earned 339,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. – Eilish’s best career week by that metric – according to Luminate. The sum includes 191,000 album sales and 146,000 streaming-equivalent units.

The 10-song collection is the first release to reach six digits in units on Top Rock & Alternative Albums since Dolly Parton’s Rockstar (128,000; Dec. 2, 2023) and the first on Top Alternative Albums since blink-182’s One More Time… (125,000; Nov. 4, 2023).

The 339,000-unit total is the highest for a title on Top Rock & Alternative Albums in a decade, since the 383,000 units amassed by Coldplay’s Ghost Stories (June 7, 2014; it’s the top count since Top Rock & Alternative Albums shifted to a consumption-based methodology in 2016).

On Top Alternative Albums, Hit Me Hard and Soft has the biggest week since the all-time leader: Taylor Swift’s Folklore (846,000; Aug. 8, 2020), with Eilish’s new LP the second-biggest in a single week since the 2016 shift to a consumption-based formula.

Concurrently, Hit Me Hard and Soft debuts at No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and crowns the Vinyl Albums chart, with 90,000 vinyl copies sold, as previously reported.

“Lunch,” the album’s lead single, bows at No. 1 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Alternative Songs surveys. “Lunch” is Eilish’s fourth No. 1 on the former, which became inclusive of alternative-leaning songs not categorized within the rock genre in 2020, following commands for “What Was I Made For?” in 2023, “Happier Than Ever” in 2021 and “My Future” in 2020. Of those, “Happier Than Ever” also debuted at No. 1.

On Hot Alternative Songs, which began in 2020, “Lunch” is also Eilish’s fourth leader, likewise following “What Was I Made For?,” “Happier Than Ever” and “My Future.”

“Lunch” starts with 32.8 million official U.S. streams, 20.2 million radio audience impressions and 3,000 downloads sold May 17-23.

The entirety of Hit Me Hard and Soft’s 10-song tracklist reaches Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, with eight titles debuting in the top 10 and all 10 in the top 12. Only Zach Bryan, with nine of the top 10 on the Sept. 9, 2023, tally, has claimed more in the top 10 in a single frame.

The LP’s top-charting song after “Lunch” is “Chihiro,” which bows at No. 3 with 27.2 million streams and 1,000 sold.

“Lunch” concurrently debuts at No. 17 on Pop Airplay, No. 21 on Alternative Airplay and No. 24 on Adult Pop Airplay, as well as No. 26 on the all-format Radio Songs list.

The track also arrives at No. 1 on Alternative Streaming Songs, marking Eilish’s eighth leader since the ranking began in 2020. On the all-genre Streaming Songs chart, it starts at No. 5.

All Billboard charts dated June 1 will update on Billboard.com on Wednesday, May 29, a day later than usual due to the May 26 Memorial Day holiday in the U.S.

28 May 2024

Victoria Beckham Recalls How Tabloids Pressured Her to Lose Weight After Welcoming Son Brooklyn

In a new interview with Grazia published Tuesday (May 28), Victoria Beckham opened up about how paparazzi and tabloids criticized her figure in the months after she and husband David Beckham welcomed their firstborn son Brooklyn, which made her feel pressured to lose weight.

Recalling the aftermath of her oldest child’s birth in March 1999, the former Spice Girl said, “I remember after I had Brooklyn, my first outing was on the front page of the newspaper, with arrows pointing to where I needed to lose weight.”

“I’ve had so much said about me and I’m sure that has robbed me of some experiences,” she continued in the article. “I never want to look like I’m complaining, but there were times in the past that I haven’t felt confident enough to sit on a beach and watch my children play.”

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“Those things can affect how you feel and conduct yourself in public,” Posh added. “Now, if paparazzi want to take a picture and say something – too bad, it doesn’t bother me in the same way.”

The Beckhams share a total of four kids, with son Romeo coming along in September 2002 after Brooklyn. They welcomed son Cruz in 2005, followed by daughter Harper in 2011.

While speaking to the publication, Victoria also shared that her family’s collective use of social media has allowed her to show the world a different side of her. “For so long people had this opinion of me that I was this steely-faced ice queen because of the paparazzi pictures and the story that the media would paint,” she said. “I like to laugh at myself. There’s always humor in what we do … They showed the world who I really was. That is the real me.”

The interview comes about a month after the beauty and clothing mogul celebrated her 50th birthday with a grand party, which was attended by Mel B, Melanie C, Emma Bunton and Geri Halliwell — aka Victoria’s Spice Girls bandmates. At one point, the quintet danced along to their 1997 hit “Stop,” a rare reunion captured by David in an Instagram video.

“Best night ever!” Victoria wrote at the time, also sharing the clip on social media. “Happy Birthday to me! I love you all so much!”

28 May 2024

All 10 Songs From Billie Eilish’s ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ Debut in Hot 100’s Top 40

Billie Eilish has a huge week on Billboard’s charts, thanks to her new studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft.

Along with debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 (dated June 1) with the biggest weekly equivalent album units sum – 339,000 earned in the U.S. May 17-23, according to Luminate – of Eilish’s career, all 10 songs from the album debut in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Here’s a recap of Eilish’s haul on the latest Hot 100.

Rank, Title:
No. 5, “Lunch”
No. 12, “Chihiro”
No. 13, “Birds of a Feather”
No. 17, “Wildflower”
No. 18, “Skinny”
No. 22, “L’Amour de Ma Vie”
No. 24, “The Greatest”
No. 25, “Blue”
No. 31, “The Diner”
No. 36, “Bittersuite”

“Lunch” marks Eilish’s highest Hot 100 debut and first to open in the top five, besting the No. 6 start of “My Future” in 2020.

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Here’s a look at all of Eilish’s Hot 100 top 10 hits, listed by peak position.

Rank, Title, Peak Date:
No. 1, “Bad Guy,” Aug. 24, 2019
No. 2, “Therefore I Am,” Nov. 28, 2020
No. 5 (to date), “Lunch,” June 1, 2024
No. 6, “My Future,” Aug. 15, 2020
No. 8, “Everything I Wanted,” Nov. 30, 2019
No. 10, “Your Power,” May 15, 2021

Eilish’s 10 Hot 100 debuts up her career total to 43 charted songs. She first reached the ranking dated June 9, 2018, with “Lovely,” with Khalid.

Eilish adds 10 new top 40 Hot 100 hits after previously charting 10, from “Bury a Friend” (No. 14 peak, February 2019) through “What Was I Made For?” (No. 14, August 2023).

Notably, 90,000 units of the first-week sum for Hit Me Hard and Soft are in vinyl sales, as it debuts atop the Vinyl Albums chart. Eilish earns her fifth total and consecutive No. 1 on the list, following Happier Than Ever (2021), Live at Third Man Records (2020), When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and Dont Smile at Me (both 2019). She passes Lana Del Rey for the second-most No. 1s among solo women, after Taylor Swift, who leads all acts with 13, dating to the list’s launch in 2011. Eilish has now spent 27 total weeks at No. 1 on Vinyl Albums, second only to Swift’s 52.

28 May 2024

Nicki Minaj Holds Moment of Silence for Princess Diana, Calls Her a ‘Dear Friend’

The Queen of Rap shouted out the people’s princess.

Nicki Minaj took her Pink Friday 2 World Tour to Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom, on Sunday (May 26) when she took a moment to chat with fans in the crowd. In a video circulating social media, the rapper asks a group of fans where they’re from. When they replied that they are from Wales, Minaj began speaking in a British accent.

“It always reminds me of a dear friend of mine,” Minaj noted. “Well, she’s not here anymore, but the Princess of Wales.”

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Minaj then urged the crowd to hold a moment of silence for Princess Diana, who tragically died in a car accident in August 1997 at age 36. While the duo weren’t actually friends — the “Super Bass” rapper was just 14 when the English royal passed away — Minaj has made nods to Diana in the past. Most recently, she was featured on Ice Spice’s 2023 track, “Princess Diana,” which features the lyric, “Callin’ my phone, but they know I don’t answer/ In the hood, I’m like Princess Diana.”

Last week, Minaj was released from police custody in the Netherlands just hours after recording herself being arrested by Amsterdam authorities allegedly “carrying drugs.” As a result, the artist was forced to postpone her Manchester concert as part of her Pink Friday 2 Tour to June 3.

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“Despite Nicki’s best efforts to explore every possible avenue to make tonight’s show happen, the events of today have made it impossible,” promoter Live Nation said in a statement on Saturday. “We are deeply disappointed by the inconvenience this has caused.”

28 May 2024

Skrillex Announces Surprise San Francisco Show With Fred again..: ‘Fred & I Have Way Too Much New Music’

Skrillex and Fred again.. both just expanded their U.S. summer tour schedule, announcing Friday (May 24) that they’re playing a show together at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza on June 1.

“Fred and I have way too much new music we need to test out so we’re going to throw a rave in San Francisco next week BRB,” Skrillex wrote on X to announce the event. Tickets for the show went on sale Tuesday (May 28).

This last-minute show expands Skrillex’s U.S. summer tour schedule by a third, with the producer playing a headlining set at Lightning in a Bottle near Bakersfield, Calif., this past Sunday and a set scheduled for Lollapalooza in Chicago this August.

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Meanwhile, Fred again.. is headlining Bonnaroo in June and before that will play three headlining sets at the Frost Amphitheater in Stanford, Calif., June 4-6. Skrillex also made a surprise appearance during a Fred again.. set in Mexico City earlier this month.

The pair have not performed together in the U.S. in an official capacity since headlining Coachella with Four Tet in 2023, when the trio — who earned the name “Pangbourne House Mafia” after making music together in Pangbourne, England — was swapped in as the festival’s Sunday night closers after Frank Ocean pulled out of the show. That trio made their U.S. debut in February 2023 when they headlined Madison Square Garden, with the show selling out in two minutes.

Details for the San Francisco show are scarce, but the space can hold approximately 3,000 people, according to the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department.

28 May 2024

Bunnie XO Grinds on Jelly Roll & Claps Back at Haters Who Say She Doesn’t Act ‘Like a Country Music Star’s Wife’

Bunnie XO needs a favor from haters who say she doesn’t look the part of a proper country music star wife — but be warned, it’s pretty explicit.

Shortly after sharing a video of her dancing provocatively on husband Jelly Roll, the podcaster uploaded another clip telling critics exactly what they can do with their opinions about her appearance and personality.

It all started Monday, when Bunnie uploaded the video of her grinding on Jelly from behind as the “Son of a Sinner” singer carried on a conversation with someone in public. “Any time my husband is trying to have a serious convo,” she captioned the TikTok, with which she paired 2 Live Crew’s NSFW track “Me So Horny.”

Just a few hours later, however, the Dumb Blonde host shared another video. This time, she responded to commenters who, according to Bunnie, told her she doesn’t “act or dress like a country music star’s wife.”

Wearing a baggy flannel shirt and red sweatpants in the TikTok, she lip-synced along to comedian Brittany Broski saying the following: “That’s such a weird thing to say to someone, be softer, be more feminine … How about suck on my nuts?”

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“I will not fit in your tiny close minded box. Ever. #jellyandbunnie,” she added in her caption.

Bunnie has long been outspoken when it comes to brushing off haters. Just a few weeks ago, she posted a sweet video of her and Jelly kissing at the 2024 CMT Awards, captioned, “How we walk thru life together knowing we make ppl smile & others sooo mad.”

She and the “Save Me” musician have been quite active on TikTok as of late, with the couple giving followers a look at one of Jelly’s morning workouts last week. In a video posted on Bunnie’s account, he went for a swim in their home pool before declaring that he wants to run a “5K by Turkey Day!”

Watch Bunnie’s TikToks below.