State Champ Radio Music News
Page: 121
James Marriott has seen off competition from Oasis and Sabrina Carpenter to earn his first U.K. No. 1 album on Friday (June 20). The social media star and musician hits the top spot on the Official Albums Chart with Don’t Tell the Dog, his second studio LP. The Swiss-born, Brighton-based star last appeared on the […]
Public Enemy has new rhymes designed to fill your mind. The iconic hip-hop group dropped new protest song “March Madness” in honor of Juneteenth on Thursday (June 19).
“PUBLIC ENEMY IS STILL FIGHTING THE POWER,” Flavor Flav wrote in a statement posted to X that day before noting how President Joe Biden signed the national holiday into law on June 19, 2021, and that 160 years have passed since the Confederates surrendered in the Civil War in 1865. “But it feels like we are on the brink of something similar with ongoing efforts to dismantle diversity equity and inclusion. We don’t want what’s going on in Israel vs Palestine and now Iran. We don’t want what’s going on Ukraine vs Russia,” he continued. “I hate war. I hate what’s going on around the world and in US. We are supposed to be THE UNITED STATES and war ain’t about Unity. We have our rights and can use them while we still have them. I have this platform and will use it will I still have it.”
Flav then went on to share that the song was a collaboration with students from three universities. “It was an honor to work with the students from Harvard, Berklee, and Howard Universities to create a protest anthem about important issues we are facing as human beings right now,” he wrote before ending with, “MARCH ON,!!”
Trending on Billboard
The ominous “March Madness” kicks off with audio from a 911 call, with the operator asking if the caller is still hearing shots, with a newscaster then reporting, “You hear the teacher asking for helpAs she also tries to keep her students calm.”
“Now I’m America’s nightmare/ A debonaire black millionaire/ Checking these crooked politicians who ain’t playing fair/ Shut up! Too much talk/ We know you don’t care,” Flav begins in verse one before throwing in one of his famous “Yeaaaah boys.” He goes on to rhyme: “911 is still a jokе/ So no, motherf–ka, you ain’t getting my vote.”
Chuck D comes in on the second verse with a scathing commentary on the numerous school shootings that have taken place in the United States in recent years. “Trigger happy, hi, I wanna ask a question/ Does a gun need to be in a school to teach or nones?/ Kids supposed to have fun, none of this ‘Run for cover for your life, son,’” he raps before blasting lawmakers for “acting scared off the NRA.”
He also addressed the issue in a separate statement. “Gun violence is not normal behavior, but it’s been going on for so long that it’s normalized,” Chuck D said. “We need to treat it like the sickness and the epidemic that it is.”
The Grammy-nominated group is currently on a world tour, which kicked off earlier in June in Florence, Italy. Public Enemy will also be the support act for Guns n’ Roses on several of the rock band’s European tour dates this summer.
Listen to “March Madness” and see Flav’s full statement below:
PUBLIC ENEMY IS STILL FIGHTING THE POWER ✊🏾Today is Juneteenth.It became a federally recognized holiday on June 19, 2021 signed into law by The President. This was only 4 years ago and 160 years since the confederation surrendered during the civil war. But it feels like we… pic.twitter.com/N9AysjcI2S— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) June 19, 2025
SZA might be extraordinarily busy as she prepares to head overseas with her and Kendrick Lamar‘s Grand National Tour — but that didn’t stop her from swooping in for a quick recording session with her friend Lizzo.
In a series of posts to her Instagram Stories early Friday (June 20), SZA teased fans with a forthcoming collaboration between her and the “Juice” singer. What started as a glimpse of Lizzo’s own new music in the video, the “Luther” singer started sharing clips of her voice playing alongside Lizzo’s in the background. “Working on a guest star for bookie @lizzobeeating’s new mixtape,” SZA wrote in one caption, while calling their link-up a “lil after-dinner session” in another.
Back in March, Lizzo announced that she was officially “done” preparing her new album Love in Real Life, adding that she “got an emergency root canal, announced SNL & finished my album all in one day.” While it’s unclear whether Love in Real Life is the “mixtape” SZA referred to in her post, the album has yet to receive an official release date.
Trending on Billboard
Earlier this week, SZA opened up to Chappell Roan about her friendship with Lizzo during a conversation for Interview Magazine. Speaking about the first time she and the “About Damn Time” singer met, SZA praised the “organic and very random” connection they immediately shared. “One day, we were on the same tour, and I was like, ‘We’re about to drive out to Lake Michigan, do you want to come?’ And she was like, ‘Yeah, let’s go,’” SZA recalled. “And then we just got drunk and hung out, and we kept doing that, and then our lives and careers progressed, and we kept talking and hanging out.”
The new song wouldn’t be the first time the pair have worked together, either. Back in 2023, SZA appeared on a revamped version of Lizzo’s 2022 hit “Special.” In May, Lizzo even crashed the stage during SZA and Lamar’s tour stop in Los Angeles to perform the track with her on stage.
The news comes after SZA and her co-headliner Lamar wrap the first leg of their 2025 Grand National Tour. Starting in July, the pair will begin performances across Europe — including shows in Paris, London, Barcelona and Rome — and close out their headline-making run with a set of shows in Australia this December.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER is getting ready to blow your mind! The K-pop group announced on Friday (June 20) that it is set to embark on its fourth world tour. The trek, titled ACT : TOMORROW, will kick off with two shows at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, on Aug. 22 and 23. The […]
Lou Christie, one of the most beloved teen idols of the 1960s and the voice and songwriter behind Billboard Hot 100-topper “Lightnin’ Strikes,” has died. He was 82 years old. The musician died on Wednesday (June 18) at home in Pittsburgh after fighting a long illness, his wife, Francesca, told The Hollywood Reporter. Born Lugee […]
Forrest Frank’s “Your Way’s Better” stalled the three-month reign of Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” on the monthly Top Gabb Music Songs chart when it reached No. 1 on the April 2025 tally, and now he’s joined Gaga and Mars as the only other act with a multi-month No. 1, reigning again on the May 2025 survey.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Billboard has partnered with Gabb Wireless, a phone company for kids and teens, to present a monthly chart tracking on-demand streams via its Gabb Music platform. Gabb Music offers a vast catalog of songs, all of which are selected by the Gabb team to include only kid- and teen-appropriate content. Gabb Music streams are not currently factored into any other Billboard charts.
“Your Way’s Better” rules Top Gabb Music Songs for a second month, concurrent with the release of the song’s parent album, Child of God II, which debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 dated May 24.
Trending on Billboard
The song has topped the Hot Christian Songs chart for the last five weeks (dating to May 24) and has reached a best so far of No. 61 on the all-format Billboard Hot 100. It ranks at No. 68 on the latest list.
“Your Way’s Better” is one of a whopping five Frank songs on the May 2025 Top Gabb Music Songs chart, thanks to a pair of debuts joining the three songs he already boasted on the ranking. “No L’s” and “B.I.G.” debut at Nos. 14 and 19, respectively, while “Drop!” reaches a new peak of No. 13 and “Up!,” a collaboration with Connor Price, remains at its No. 25 best.
Frank’s five songs on the ranking equals the record set by Imagine Dragons on the inaugural Top Gabb Music Songs list for October 2024 — though notably, while Frank has the No. 1 song, Imagine Dragons’ best that month was No. 16, with “Bones.”
Other moves on the latest chart include a three-spot leap for Alex Warren’s “Ordinary,” which reaches a new peak of No. 3 after its No. 6 debut on the April tally. “Ordinary” has spent two weeks so far at No. 1 on the Hot 100, beginning with the June 7 survey.
The only non-Frank debut of the week belongs to Morgan Wallen, whose “What I Want,” which features Tate McRae, starts at No. 11. It was also a No. 1 on the Hot 100, debuting atop the May 31 list.
See the full top 25 below.
Top Gabb Music Songs, May 2025
“Your Way’s Better,” Forrest Frank (=)
“Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else,” Benson Boone (=)
“Ordinary,” Alex Warren (+3)
“Beautiful Things,” Benson Boone (+1)
“Die With a Smile,” Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars (-1)
“APT.,” ROSE & Bruno Mars (-3)
“Love Somebody,” Morgan Wallen (=)
“Stargazing,” Myles Smith (+3)
“Slow It Down,” Benson Boone (+1)
“Pink Pony Club,” Chappell Roan (-2)
“What I Want,” Morgan Wallen feat. Tate McRae (debut)
“God’s Plan,” Drake (-3)
“Drop!,” Forrest Frank (+4)
“No L’s,” Forrest Frank (debut)
“Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma,” Luke Combs (=)
“Butterfly Effect,” Travis Scott (-2)
“Please Please Please,” Sabrina Carpenter (+1)
“Deja Vu,” Olivia Rodrigo (-5)
“B.I.G.,” Forrest Frank (debut)
“Face 2 Face,” Juice WRLD (-8)
“Heat Waves,” Glass Animals (+1)
“Stressed Out,” Twenty One Pilots (-6)
“Let You Down,” NF (+1)
“Too Sweet,” Hozier (-1)
“Up!,” Forrest Frank & Connor Price (=)
DROPS: “Nothing Else,” Forrest Frank feat. Thomas Rhett; “Pink Skies,” Zach Bryan; “Thick of It,” KSI feat. Trippie Redd
Miley Cyrus came out of nowhere and didn’t give no warning when she made a surprise appearance at Beyoncé‘s Cowboy Carter concert at the Stade de France stadium in Paris on Thursday (June 19). The “Flowers” singer shared a video of the on her social media pages, showing the two vocal powerhouses delivering the live […]
Mötley Crüe recruited Dolly Parton for a duet version of their classic single “Home Sweet Home,” streaming now. Parton joins in on the chorus of the power ballad, and takes the lead on the second verse.
The reimagined “Home Sweet Home,” released Friday (June 20) and available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more here, will be featured on From the Beginning, an upcoming Mötley Crüe singles collection spanning four decades of music to be released via BMG on Sept. 12, 2025 — the date that also kicks off the group’s 10-show residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas, which runs through Oct. 3.
At 12 p.m. ET on Friday, a music video for “Home Sweet Home” paying homage to the original visual premieres on YouTube.
Trending on Billboard
In a joint statement about the collaboration with country queen Parton, the band writes, “‘Home Sweet Home’ was first released in 1985 as a single from our Theatre of Pain album. For an icon like Dolly Parton to sing on a song that has not only meant so much to us but to all the fans through the years, is a career high that means a lot to us. We couldn’t be happier to celebrate the 40th anniversary of ‘Home Sweet Home’ in this special way, and we’re excited to share this version of the song with all the Dolly and Mötley fans around the world.”
A portion of proceeds from Mötley Crüe and Parton’s new “Home Sweet Home” will benefit Covenant House, a nonprofit organization that provides safe shelter, meals, hope and more to youth who are experiencing homelessness.
“That we were able to unite with Dolly to raise awareness for homeless youth and the amazing work of Covenant House, which provides them safe housing and care, makes it even more special. We hope you’ll enjoy ‘Home Sweet Home’ featuring Dolly Parton as much as Dolly and we enjoyed creating it,” Mötley Crüe says.
Mötley Crüe feat. Dollay Parton, “Home Sweet Home”
BMG
“It was an honor and a joy working in the studio on Mötley Crüe’s 40th Anniversary re-release of ‘Home Sweet Home,’” says Parton. “I was so pleased that they would ask me to sing on such a classic.”
From the Beginning will be released on Sept. 12 via streaming services in standard audio and Dolby Atmos audio and can be pre-saved here. It’ll also be out on standard CD, a two-LP set alongside the CD, plus two-LP exclusive variants at Walmart, Target and Amazon.
See the album track list and cover below.
1. “Live Wire”2. “Take Me to the Top”3. “Shout at the Devil”4. “Looks That Kill”5. “Too Young to Fall in Love”6. “Smokin’ in the Boys Room”7. “Home Sweet Home”8. “Girls, Girls, Girls”9. “Wild Side”10. “Dr. Feelgood”11. “Without You”12. “Kickstart My Heart”13. “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)”14. “Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)”15. “Primal Scream”16. “Afraid” *LP ONLY17. “Saints Of Los Angeles”18. “The Dirt (est. 1981)” 19. “Dogs Of War”20. “Cancelled” *LP ONLY21. ?Home Sweet Home” (feat. Dolly Parton)
Mötley Crüe, ‘From the Beginning’
BMG
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
This week, Karol G explores Latin history, Benson Boone’s Heart beats loudly, and Cardi B is ready to take the gloves off. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Karol G, Tropicoqueta
In the lead-up to Tropicoqueta, Karol G has been candid when discussing how 2023’s smash hit Mañana Será Bonito and its coinciding world tour left her wondering what the best next step would be for her long-term future; it turns out that the answer was in the past, as Tropicoqueta reveals more of Karol’s backstory while also exploring and celebrating different strands of Latin music, creating a curious, wholly absorbing new chapter.
Trending on Billboard
Benson Boone, American Heart
If “Beautiful Things” changed the trajectory of Benson Boone’s pop career, then American Heart, his new album released more than a year after his breakthrough smash, represents the crystallization of everything we’ve learned about the backflipping, big-voiced singer-songwriter in the interim: the 10-song project is relatively short but full of theatrical spunk, as Boone prowls across each song with feeling and determination.
Cardi B, “Outside”
A long-awaited new Cardi B track titled “Outside,” released on the cusp of summer, might be perceived as a new warm-weather anthem from an artist who’s had a few of them — but the single is instead a cutthroat diss track at an estranged romantic partner, with Cardi using her clout and cunning (“Favorite player from your favorite team, he in my DMs!” she exclaims) to move on personally and artistically.
Haim, I Quit
By releasing a new album every four years, Danielle, Alana and Este Haim have been able to take their time expertly crafting the pop-rock melodies that they’ve always traded in, and the overarching themes of the full-lengths that house them. With I Quit, 2021’s masterful Women In Music Pt. III receives a follow-up full of airtight compositions, housed within a full-length statement about moving on from unnecessary details in order to appreciate our limited time on Earth.
Sombr, “We Never Dated”
“I can’t make you love me,” Sombr repeats on new single “We Never Dated,” approaching a time-honored theme in pop songwriting with Beach Boys-esque vocal harmonies and a modern sense of tenacity; with breakthrough hits “Undressed” and “Back to Friends,” the teen star was able to reinvigorate a classic alternative sound for 2025, and “We Never Dated” continues that balancing act with aplomb.
Megan Moroney, “6 Months Later”
Megan Moroney’s songwriting has rapidly sharpened over the past few years, as a line like “What doesn’t kill you calls you six months later” on her new single makes for a devastatingly funny eye-roll toward an ex — but the real attraction here is Moroney’s voice, full of weariness when recalling a breakup and packing smoky, sarcastic personality in each syllable, on a song that the rising country star soundly commands.
Fred again.., Skepta & PlaqueBoyMax, “Victory Lap”
After playing a surprise show together in Brooklyn earlier this week, Fred again.. and Skepta have commemorated the unexpected team-up with a summer-ready single: “Victory Lap” is a restless, scorching dance cut, with the fusion of Fred and Skepta’s respective energies producing a slickly rhymed, garage-adjacent banger that does not stop moving.
Editor’s Pick: Lorde, “Hammer”
The third and final pre-release single from Lorde’s Virgin begins with what sounds like out-of-focus chatter, before the pop star’s voice barges in to provide clarity: “There’s a heat in the pavement, my mercury’s raising / Don’t know if it’s love, or if it’s ovulation.” Lorde has long been a wry, literary songwriter, and throughout “Hammer” — the album track, which she described as “an ode to city life and horniness” — she once again captures universal feelings in striking, singular fashion.
LONDON — Chris Brown appeared in a London court on Friday (June 20) to plead not guilty to a charge of serious assault. The Grammy Award-winning singer is facing multiple charges in relation to an alleged physical dispute with a music producer. The alleged incident took place in a nightclub in Mayfair, London in February […]
