Music News

14 May 2024

Questlove Says Working With Jay-Z on ‘Unplugged’ Album Wasn’t One of His ‘Brighter Moments’

Questlove has angered plenty of hip-hop fans in recent days after blasting the Kendrick Lamar-Drake feud while deeming the genre “dead,” and then proceeding to critique 2Pac’s scathing “Hit ‘Em Up” diss track. And the hot takes keep coming: The Roots drummer appeared on SiriumXM’s One Song podcast last week and while discussing the evolution of rap diss tracks, he took a shot at “Hit ‘Em Up” while dubbing it the “weakest musical smack.”

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“I would actually respect 2Pac’s ‘Hit ‘Em Up’ if his music tracking was better,” he said. “‘Hit ‘Em Up,’ to me, is disqualified not because of the misogynist… Dude, you’re rhyming over smooth jazz dinner music! Luther Vandross could sing over this!”

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He continued: “So when this came out, everybody was like, ‘This is hard as sh–! Yo, he killin’ it!’ And I was like, ‘Dog, he’s smooth jazzed up Dennis Edwards. It doesn’t count.’ … That song, to me, is the weakest musical smack. I can’t get with ‘Hit ‘Em Up.’”

Veteran journalist Elliott Wilson took issue with Quest’s sentiments. “Yo! Questlove we love you, but you gotta stop,” he wrote.

Questlove had a enough of the vitriol and posted a PSA to Instagram on Tuesday (May 14) explaining that he was specifically talking about the interpolation of Dennis Edwards’ “Don’t Look Any Further” on “Hit ‘Em Up” and not taking shots at Pac.

“Let’s be clear on the context I was speaking of aight? lol woke up to a grip of ‘what did Dennis Edwards/Pac do to you?!’ texts I’m speaking of the musical backdrop of that record (“Hit Em Up”),” he contested in his caption. “Still mostly not a fan of dis records mostly because having lived in that period (mid 90s) I never seen any good results from hip hop beef.”

While Quest threw dirt on the Drake-Kendrick beef, fans were quick to remind the Philly native about The Roots aligning with Jay-Z during Jigga’s feud with Nas. Quest played the drums for Jay’s Unplugged live album in 2001 where Hov performed his “Takeover” diss.

Looking back, the 53-year-old admitted that his role on Unplugged wasn’t “one of my brighter moments” and had “second thoughts” about the Jay-Nas feud.

“& yeah you don’t have to remind me of my role on Unplugged——-that wasn’t one of my brighter moments & had I had a redo I prolly woulda had second thoughts of the “Takeover” situation,” he wrote. “I mean I know I’m old y’all but damn I’m not tryna be #Poundcake/Respectable Politics Smurf over here yelling “Get Off My Lawn!!!” every 14 secs.”

Find Questlove’s full post below.

14 May 2024

John Barbata, The Turtles & Jefferson Starship Drummer, Dies at 79

John Barbata, the drummer for bands such as The Turtles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, has died at 79.

The Facebook account for Jefferson Airplane — which Barbata joined in 1972 — shared this post on Monday: “Known for his exceptional talent, John left his mark on the music. During a hiatus for CSN&Y, David Crosby introduced John to the Airplane, who hired John instantly. You can hear John’s drumming skills on the band’s final studio album, LONG JOHN SILVER, as well as the live album THIRTY SECONDS OVER WINTERLAND.

“Rest in Peace, John,” the post concludes, with a red heart emoji.

After pioneering psych-rock band Jefferson Airplane regrouped in the mid-1970s to create Jefferson Starship, Barbata was the new group’s founding drummer. “We are saddened to hear of the passing of the great John Barbata,” reads a Facebook post on the Starship page. “Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and fans. Rock in peace, Johnny!”

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Prior to his time with the Jefferson outlets, Barbata served as percussionist for The Turtles, lending his skills to recordings of hits such as the Billboard Hot 100-topping “Happy Together” as well as “Elenore” and “She’d Rather Be With Me.” After the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group disbanded in 1970, the New Jersey native was tapped by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young for live performances and session work on the members’ solo projects before he transferred over to the Airplane.

Following his retirement, Barbata released a memoir: Johny Barbata – The Legendary Life of a Rock Star Drummer. “There are lots of great stories about all the the bands and people I have had the pleasure to be involved with during my incredible career,” reads a description of the book on Amazon.

“I’ve done a lot of albums and 28 singles, and my wife said, ‘You know you’re a part of rock ’n’ roll history. You really gotta write a book,’” he told Desert Sun in 2014. “I’m always talking to people about how [the ’60s and ’70s] was the best time, era for music.”

14 May 2024

Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Kate Hudson & More to Perform on ‘The Voice’ Season 25 Finale

This season of The Voice is set to close out with a bang. As announced Tuesday (May 14), the competition series’ upcoming season 25 finale will feature performances from a star-studded lineup of established artists while five finalists compete to win big — and everyone from Jelly Roll to Lainey Wilson is on the docket.

The finale, which is set to air May 21 on NBC, will find the “Son of a Sinner” singer premiering new music from his upcoming album, as well as Billboard‘s latest cover star making her The Voice debut with a performance of her new single “Hang Tight Honey.” Plus, The Black Keys will take the stage for a rendition of “Beautiful People (Stay High)” from the band’s new album Ohio Players, Kate Hudson will play “Glorious” from her fast-approaching debut LP, Muni Long will sing “Made for Me” from her upcoming record, and Thomas Rhett will belt out his new song “Beautiful as You.”

Mega Mentor Keith Urban will also perform during the season 25 sendoff, as will the U.S. Army Field Band and season 23 winner Gina Miles.

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With nine contestants currently remaining, the five singers who will progress to the finale will be revealed on the Tuesday (May 14) episode of The Voice. Currently, newbie coaches Dan + Shay lead the way with three artists remaining in the competition, while Reba McEntire, John Legend, and Chance the Rapper each have two artists.

Speaking of the coaches, it wouldn’t be a The Voice finale if the stars behind the big red buttons didn’t take the stage. All four coaching parties will perform duets with their remaining artists on the season-ender. Fans can also look forward to seeing some familiar faces on the finale, with Kelly Clarkson, CeeLo Green, Niall Horan, Jennifer Hudson, Nick Jonas, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani set to make special appearances.

Following the May 21 episode and ahead of season 26, The Voice will shake things up once again. As previously reported, Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé are joining the coaching panel alongside veterans Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani.

On Tuesday night’s (May 14) new episode of The Voice, Anitta will perform a medley of songs from her latest album, Funk Generation, Billboard reported earlier.

The season 25 finale of The Voice airs at 9 p.m. ET May 21 on NBC.

14 May 2024

Chrissy Teigen Says Legends on ‘Sports Illustrated’ Cover Are Her ‘Dream Blunt Rotation’

It’s been 10 years since Chrissy Teigen was featured on her first cover of Sports Illustrated, and she returned to the front of the magazine on Tuesday (May 14) as part of the publication’s 60th anniversary Legends issue.

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In the photo, Teigen — who has been married to EGOT winner John Legend since 2013 — poses alongside superstars including Martha Stewart, Christie Brinkley, Gayle King, Megan Rapinoe, Kate Upton, Tyra Banks, Winnie Harlow, Brooklyn Decker and many more. “Each woman serves as an inspiration in her own unique way, championing a mission that SI Swimsuit has long upheld: the importance of representation, and the polysemous nature of beauty,” Sports Illustrated wrote of their cover star choices.

The Cravings author re-posted the stunning cover, jokingly captioning the post: “Dream blunt rotation.” See it here.

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Teigen also posted her solo pictures from the shoot, in which she’s seen posing poolside in an olive green crochet bikini, as well as a burnt orange one piece with a deep V-neck. “10 years since my first @si_swimsuit cover and I am so happy to be back with my family!! thank you so, so much for being there through so many different stages of my life and for always loving and rooting for me. Getting to shoot for you has always been a career highlight – you guys taught me that I could be more than I ever imagined for myself,” she captioned the post. See the photos here.

In other Chrissy Teigen news, the star is fresh off the launch of her new, dog-focused company, Kismet, which will be selling nutritious dog food, as well as “treats, merch we actually wanna wear, bingeable content, and so much more,” per the launch announcement.

14 May 2024

Eminem’s Fans Think He Just Dropped a Major Clue About His Upcoming Album’s First Single

Eminem added to the rollout of The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) with a fake obituary that he ran in his hometown Detroit Free Press on Monday (May 13).

As part of the morbid support of the rapper’s upcoming 12th studio album, the obit shrewdly has quote marks around the subhead that had fans thinking Slim Shady was dropping a hint about the project’s possible lead single.

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“Fans ‘Will Never Forget’ Controversial Rapper,” the piece eulogized of Slim Shady in the subhead.

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Theories began to fly across social media platforms such as X and Reddit, with some hypothesizing that the subtle hint of “Will Never Forget” may serve as the title of a single off The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce).

“I bet ‘Will Never Forget’ it’s a single (or sth related to the album, maybe the real name),” one fan wrote to X, while another added, “New Eminem single “Will Never Forget” coming real soon…”

An Eminem Brazil fan account speculated, “Let the theories begin. Will ‘Will Never Forget’ be the first single off TDOSS?”

One more fan on X found it funny Em stylized it like that as well. “I don’t want to reach or get anyone’s hopes up, but isn’t it weird they’d have quotation marks on ‘Will Never Forget’?” they wrote. “Could be a song title or single? Eminem is known to have some weird song titles so I wouldn’t put it past him.”

Billboard has reached out to Eminem’s reps for comment.

The ad/obituary features a photo of Eminem in a white Jason Voorhees hockey mask and revisited how Slim Shady became a household name thanks to “My Name Is,” before concluding that the “complex and tortured existence” of the rapper’s alter ego had ended. “May he truly find the peace in an afterlife that he could not find on Earth.”

Eminem has yet to release any new music in 2024. His most recent verse came as part of Juice WRLD and Benny Blanco’s “Lace It” in December.

The Death of Slim Shady — which does not yet have a release date but is expected this summer — will follow Music to Be Murdered By, which arrived in 2020. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 to give Em a 10th consecutive leader.

In April, Em made an appearance at the 2024 NFL Draft in his hometown of Detroit. Shortly after, the rapper officially announced The Death of Slim Shady (Coupe De Grâce). Em unveiled plans for the project through an Unsolved Mysteries episode, which finds him meeting his demise in search of “who killed Slim Shady?”

Read some of the fan theories on Reddit about Em’s possible first single from his upcoming album below:

In the Detroit Obituary (found on Twitter)
byu/l8te2dapartee inEminem

14 May 2024

Taylor Swift Files for ‘Female Rage: The Musical’ Trademark

Who’s afraid of little old Taylor Swift? You should be, because the superstar has officially filed a trademark for “Female Rage: The Musical.”

The application was filed on Saturday (May 11), Billboard can confirm, but is currently waiting to be assigned to an examiner. While it’s not clear what the trademark will be used for, Swift has previously noted that “Female Rage: The Musical” is the term to best describe the newly added The Tortured Poets Department portion of her Eras tour.

“This post is dedicated to the new Tortured Poets section of the Eras Tour (aka Female Rage The Musical!) and everyone who made these memories so magical,” Swift wrote on Instagram after resuming her record-breaking tour in Paris, France, last week, where she debuted the additional TTPD section of the show. “To my crew, fellow performers, and band who worked tirelessly in their break to concoct this surprise for you – but mostly for the fans in Paris. I’m so thankful that it was you we got to show this to for the first time because you gave us so much excitement, passion, and love. I’m SO fired up to play this for every crowd on the tour.”

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The 14-time Grammy winner debuted “But Daddy I Love Him,” “So High School,” “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” and “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” — as well as her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Fortnight” — at the Paris Eras shows, which marked the trek’s European leg kickoff. Among the surprise songs were “Paris,” fittingly, along with “LOML,” “Begin Again,” and a mashup of TTPD‘s “The Alchemy” and Red‘s “Treacherous.” 

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Swift will spend the summer traveling through Spain, Scotland, Ireland and more cities in Europe before returning to the U.S. in October. 

14 May 2024

Zayn Says He Didn’t ‘Jump on the Bandwagon’ With Country Album

Zayn is dipping his toes into the country world with his upcoming album, Room Under the Stairs, but he isn’t just going along with the recent music trend.

“I was pretty much on my farm having a glass of whiskey and listening to a bit of [Chris] Stapleton by the fire with my dog, playing guitar,” Zayn told Nylon of his inspiration to go country in a story published on Tuesday (May 14). However, he added that while he’s “proud” of the upcoming album, he still worries about comparisons to people like Beyoncé, Post Malone and other pop acts who have forayed into country music recently. “People need to know I didn’t jump on the bandwagon,” he said.

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He continued, “People are in search of a little bit more depth from the lyrics. In the Top 40 charts, a lot of mainstream music feels a bit wishy-washy. The songs are f—ing fire. You know what I mean? They’re catchy. They’re playing on the radio and they do their job, but people are looking for a little bit more.”

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Zayn then doubled down on how much Stapleton inspired him, as well as icons like Willie Nelson. “I could really hear their lyrics and their pain and their growth and the life lessons,” he explained. “I didn’t feel like there was a Chris Stapleton song that comes on and he sounds like a f—boy, right? He doesn’t do it! He’s not out here saying, ‘B—-es in the club! We’re drinking Bacardi!’ Or whatever these young kids use now. He’s not like that. He’s got class, right? He’s telling you a real grown man’s story. And I respected the f— out of it. I was like, ‘This is cool. It’s something I can do.’”

The 15-track album, out May 17, will feature lead single “What I Am,” as well as tracks including “Alienated,” “My Woman,” Stardust,” “Something in the Water,” “Fuchsia Sea” and more. 

Room Under the Stairs will mark Zayn’s first full-length solo project since 2021’s Nobody Is Listening. After leaving One Direction in 2015, the singer launched his solo music career with 2016’s Mind of Mine and followed it up with 2018’s Icarus Falls. 

14 May 2024

Zayn Malik Says He ‘Didn’t Know S–t’ When He Got Engaged to Perrie Edwards

Zayn Malik is reflecting on his past relationships ahead of his new album, Room Under the Stairs, from breaking off his engagement to Perrie Edwards to welcoming a daughter with ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid.

In a Nylon interview published Tuesday (May 14) — just three days ahead of the release of his new record — the former One Direction star shared that he’s currently happily single. But years ago, he was making wedding plans with the Little Mix vocalist, before the couple called off their two-year engagement in 2015.

“From 17 to 21, I was in a relationship,” he told the publication. “I was engaged and [planned to get] married and I didn’t know anything about anything at that point. I thought I did, because I was 21. I was legally allowed to do everything, but I didn’t know s–t.”

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“I never really had a girlfriend [growing up],” Malik continued. “My parents were kind of old-school, so I never brought a girlfriend home or anything. When I got the chance to do that, I jumped straight in, two feet first, and was like, ‘I’m going to have a girlfriend, and she’s going to live with me. This makes me a grown man.’”

A few months after he and Edwards split, the “Love Like This” singer sparked romance rumors with Hadid. The couple went on to date on and off for about six years and welcomed daughter Khai in September 2020, before breaking up for good in late 2021.

“From 21 to 27, I was with Gi, and we had a kid,” Malik said in a rare comment about the supermodel. “I didn’t really take much time to get to know myself.”

“I only have my daughter 50% of the time,” he added. “I would have her 90% if I could. We go see Disney on Ice or we go see the Nickelodeon theme park. Or we go to the beach. That’s how I get out.”

Now living in rural Pennsylvania, Malik is gearing up to premiere his new country-tinged sound May 17 with Room Under the Stairs, for which he also plans to embark on a tour. And for now, he says he feels “really content and happy with being single for the first time in [his] life,” although he admits his recent history does include a bit of experimentation with dating apps.

“It’s not been too successful for me, I’ll be honest,” he said in the interview of Tinder. “Everyone accused me of catfishing. They’re like, ‘What are you using Zayn Malik’s pictures for?’ I’ve been kicked off once or twice.”

14 May 2024

Kendrick Lamar Gets a Meal Named After Him at Toronto Restaurant He References on ‘Euphoria’

Business is boomin’ for New Ho King. The Chinese restaurant referenced by Kendrick Lamar on “Euphoria” is looking to capitalize on the spotlight by naming a special meal after K. Dot.

Last week, food blogger @insta.noodls pulled up to New Ho King in Toronto to order the “Kendrick Lamar Special” and tried out the fried rice with the dip sauce for himself that the Compton rapper rhymed about on “Euphoria.”

In addition to the late-night grub spot in the 6’s signature fried rice, he’s also served spicy fried chicken wings, fried shrimp, and a beef and broccoli dish. The price of the four-plate meal? $66 before tax and tip.

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The restaurant has reportedly seen a surge in orders since Lamar rapped on the bristling Drake diss track: “I be at New Ho King eatin’ fried rice with a dip sauce and a blammy, crodie.”

A server from the eatery relayed to The Guardian: “We’ve been selling a lot of fried rice. A lot. Most people come here to order it.”

While New Ho King lies in the Downtown district of Drake’s hometown, the owners are appreciative of the new business thanks to Lamar’s name-drop.

“I see, Kendrick’s a good guy. Oh my God!” New Ho King owner Johnny Lu told CityNews.

Fans are coming from all over Canada to give New Ho King a try as its become a city attraction. “I came all the way from Markham just to see this fried rice,” one fan said. “Kendrick Lamar, man. You gotta pay respect to K. Dot, man. Ever since he dropped the diss track I was like, ‘I gotta visit this place.’”

“Euphoria” shot up to No. 3 on the latest Billboard Hot 100 in its first full week of tracking following a debut at No. 11. It was an animosity-filled Hot 100 top 10 with K. Dot’s Mustard-produced “Not Like Us” debuting atop the chart, while Drake’s “Family Matters” response slotted in at No. 7.

Watch fans make the trip to New Ho King and try the Kendrick Lamar Special below.

14 May 2024

Watch Cardi B Eat Caribbean Food Off Her Spotify Plaques in New ‘Billions Club’ Episode

In Spotify‘s latest Billions Club: The Series episode Tuesday (May 14), Cardi B feasts on some delicious Caribbean food while enjoying a few major streaming milestones on the side.

To celebrate having four songs on the platform surpass a billion plays, the rapper ate a meal of oxtails, rice and plantains while using her quartet of shiny new Spotify plaques as plates. In between bites, she opened up about making each track, starting with her 2018 feature on Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You.”

“This song is the perfect song to dedicate [to] my child,” she says in the clip while wearing a pink bathrobe and slippers. “Like, my daughter was in me when I did this song. When I perform this song, it touches me a little different.”

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Cardi’s first child — a daughter named Kulture Kiari, whom she shares with Offset along with son Wave — was born in July 2018, less than two months after her collaboration with Maroon 5 dropped. The New York native also released “I Like It” with Bad Bunny and J Balvin while she was expecting her baby girl, not that she gave the two Latin music stars a heads-up about her pregnancy before meeting them for the first time.

“They just looked down at my stomach like, ‘Oh!’” Cardi recalled, laughing.

“I went to my Grandma’s house, and I played it to everybody like, ‘I have a song with Bad Bunny and f–kin’ J Balvin! Oh my god!” the musician added. “The three of us, we were coming up at the same time.”

Cardi also celebrated her collaboration with Ozuna, Selena Gomez and DJ Snake, “Taki Taki,” reaching a billion streams, clarifying that the song’s title has nothing to do with the popular spicy chip of the same name. “It’s just a word Ozuna made up,” she said with her usual hilarious candor. “I don’t freaking know.”

And of her “WAP” duet with Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi said that their two voices “just went perfect” together. “It meshed very well, like butter and f–king bread,” she continued. “It became such a political record, which kinda shocked me and kinda shocked Megan. The song is not that freaky.”

Three of Cardi’s four Billions Club entries reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 following their respective releases, with “Girls Like You” reigning atop the chart for a whopping seven weeks back in 2018. “Taki Taki” reached No. 11 on the listing that same year.

“I just want to say thank you to my fans because sometimes I can be a little bit hard on myself … I never feel satisfied,” the Whipshots founder said to close out the episode. “The goal is never going to be reached because I’m always hungry for more.”

Watch Cardi’s new Spotify Billions Club episode below.