Music News

06 May 2024

Tom Brady Takes a Shot at Ye’s Parenting Skills While Roasting Kim Kardashian: Watch

Tom Brady was the latest subject of Netflix’s Greatest Roast of All Time on Sunday night (May 5), and there was a point when the iconic New England Patriots quarterback went on the offensive and singled out Kim Kardashian in the audience.

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While pointing out the reality TV star, Brady jabbed at her ex-husband Ye — the artist formerly known as Kanye West — and sniped the rapper about his parenting skills to the former couple’s four children.

“Kim Kardashian, thank you so much for being here,” the football star began his setup. “I know Kim was terrified to be here tonight — not because of this, but because her kids are home with their dad.”

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The punchline drew laughs from the crowd as they gave Brady an ovation.

Kardashian even took the podium to roast Tom later in the night and addressed the rumors of them dating in the past. She appeared to be booed while coming up to the stage.

“I’m really here tonight for Tom. I wasn’t going to come tonight, but since I’m not here as Tom’s date, there’s still a good chance I might,” she said. “Speaking of Tom and I dating, I know there were some rumors that we were, and I’d never say if we did or not. I’d just release the tape.”

The SKIMS founder continued by comparing Brady to her stepparent, Caitlyn Jenner: “I do know it would never work out. An ex-athlete, high cheekbones, silky hair, you remind me too much of my stepdad now. Part of me thinks you would want to undress me, just to try on my clothes.”

Ye and Kim tied the knot in Italy with a wedding in 2014. The couple had four children together: North, Saint, Psalm and Chicago. They finalized their divorce in November 2022.

Prior to the dig, West and Brady have seemingly been on good terms. While the football star was still playing in the NFL, Ye brought his son Saint to hang with Brady before a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game in November 2021.

Subsequent footage of the meetup went viral, featuring West’s commentary of TB12 having a catch with Saint.

Watch the clip of Brady roasting Ye below.

06 May 2024

Rihanna Rocks New Pink Hair Look While Supporting A$AP Rocky at Miami Puma Pop-Up

Rihanna had a brand-new look over the weekend when she accompanied boyfriend A$AP Rocky to his A$AP Rocky X Puma pop-up in Miami on Saturday during the Grand Prix F1 event in town. The bubblegum pink locks she rocked accompanied a look that included a black satin dress and matching corset, as well as a gigantic “A” diamond necklace.

The singer was snapped climbing into a vintage red car with the assistance of Rocky, who wore a racing helmet-shape balaclava and a t-shirt that looked like a racing harness. Fans have been speculating that the new hair from RihRih could be part of her look for this year’s Met Gala, the celebrity-packed fashion event that is slated to take place on Monday night (May 6) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The red carpet for this year’s Gala — whose theme is “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” — begins around 5 p.m. ET with a dress code described as “The Garden of Time.” Rihanna has been one of the reliably unpredictable staples of the A-list event since 2007, showing up in outfits ranging from black tuxedo with puffy sleeves to a silver cape and Pope-like miter and a gigantic flowing white gown alongside Rocky’s jeans-kilt-and-jacket look last year.

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At press time it was unknown if the will make their third met appearance together on Monday night, though speaking to Extra at the April 26 Fenty Beauty Soft’lit Foundation event Rihanna hinted that she was planning to pull back her look this year. “I’m actually keeping it real simple this year,” she said. “It’s gonna come to what my makeup and what my hair is going to do.” Rihanna told Extra at the time that she had two gowns picked out, describing one as “very simple-ish… compared to everything I have done.”

Check out Rihanna’s pink hair in video and photos from the Miami event below.

06 May 2024

Watch Travis Kelce Accept a Taylor Swift-Inspired Friendship Bracelet on a Trip to Florida

Travis Kelce has arrived in … Florida!!! While attending the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Miami Sunday (May 5), the 34-year-old tight end met and chatted with fans, one of whom gifted him with a Taylor Swift-inspired friendship bracelet at the International Autodrome.

In a clip posted to ESPN’s NFL Instagram page, the Kansas City Chiefs star graciously takes the beaded accessory and says, “You’re too kind, thank you so much.”

He added, “I wish I had one to give you back!”

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Friendship bangles have a special place in the timeline of Kelce and Swift’s romance, with the New Heights host first catching the pop star’s eye by revealing on his podcast that he’d tried unsuccessfully to slip her his phone number on a bracelet at one of her Kansas City Eras Tour shows last summer. The couple started dating shortly after, and the rest was history.

Kelce was also personally welcomed to the Sunshine State by the BWT Alpine F1 racing team, which tweeted a video of the athlete hanging out and enjoying snacks behind the scenes at the track. Fittingly, the post was soundtracked by his superstar girlfriend’s The Tortured Poets Department duet with Florence + The Machine, “Florida!!!”

“Welcome to Florida, Travis,” reads the caption.

The outing comes just a few days after Kelce re-signed with the Chiefs, inking a two-year extension deal that will make him the highest paid tight end in the NFL. He was also recently confirmed to be the host of Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, an upcoming spinoff of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

“I grew up loving game shows, and I’m excited to be following in the footsteps of so many TV icons by hosting my very first one,” he wrote in a statement at the time. “The original show is a great success, so to be bringing a new format with everyone’s favorite celebrities to the screen will definitely be entertaining.”

See clips from Travis’ recent trip to Florida below.

06 May 2024

Metro Boomin Responds to Drake’s Disses & Hosts ‘BBL Drizzy’ Beat Giveaway

While Drake has been sparring with Kendrick Lamar in the spicy feud sweeping the rap world, the 6 God has had smoke for Metro Boomin as well. It’s unclear exactly what sparked the beef between Drizzy and the producer, but after Drake sniped Metro on “Push Ups,” he came after him again on “Family Matters” over the weekend.

On the fiery diss track that arrived May 3, Drake used Boomin’s government name — Leland Wayne — with the OVO boss also insinuating that he had been intimate with Metro’s girl. (“Leland Wayne, he a f–king lame, so I know he had to be an influence”).

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“The drum thing was laughable so I let it slide but what we not gon do is spread lies and have my loved ones involved nobody ever hit my girl n—a we grew up together she’s a real woman and not even in the industry but I guess #youwouldntknownunboutdatttt,” Metro responded on X Sunday (May 5).

“Now go make another song telling more lies cause we both know you can’t tell everyone why I don’t f–k wit u,” he continued in a second tweet. “that wouldn’t be a good look either for u so imma spare us both wit that.”

That was only the tip of the iceberg for Metro, who referred to Drake as a “colonizer” of hip-hop while attaching photos from Pusha T’s “The Story of Adidon” artwork featuring Drizzy in blackface. He went on to jab Drake about “pushing 40” having his nails painted, and more.

The St. Louis native also claimed that Drake attempted to block “Like That” from being serviced to radio, and attached an allegedly leaked email from label attorneys that went viral on X.

“I’m lame but the first week after #LikeThat you tried to block it at radio,” he tweeted. “I been sitting on this email for a month now but was just sparing you oh u aint #LikeThat record???”

Metro then upped the ante by hosting a “BBL Drizzy Beat Giveaway,” having fans rap over a beat mocking Drake’s alleged cosmetic surgery. The prize? The 30-year-old’s going to give the best freestyle a free beat. “I know a n—a with lipo scars not tryna call me lame,” he wrote.

“You just cheffed a beat about my a–?” Drake asked in response on Instagram to Metro’s giveaway.

The 6 God made the latest entry in the Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud as of press time on Sunday night (May 5) with the defensive “The Heart Part 6.” Drizzy cleared the air on pedophile allegations and sniped at Kendrick’s relationship with fiancée Whitney Alford.

Metro wasn’t impressed, as he tweeted out a Chris Paul meme Sunday night, mocking how even with Drake’s newest diss record, he’s still down a ton of points in the Kendrick battle.

Read some of Metro Boomin’s reactions to Drake below:

06 May 2024

Here’s How to Listen to Each of Drake & Kendrick Lamar’s Diss Tracks

Drake and Kendrick Lamar have spent the first weeks of spring 2024 waging one of the biggest music wars in recent memory against one another, dropping diss tracks with little time in between.

And suffice to say, the content of the songs has been shocking. With lyrics containing everything from below-the-belt jabs about one another’s physiques to serious allegations about each other’s personal lives, each track has made it progressively more difficult to recall a time when the men were actually friendly collaborators. (Remember when Drizzy invited both Lamar and A$AP Rocky to come along on his Club Paradise Tour in 2012, shortly after which all three teamed up on “F–kin’ Problems”? Good times.)

Now, the two hip-hop titans are bitter enemies at best, releasing musical jabs faster than you can say, “Maybe we should all just calm down.” At one point, Lamar even dropped a response to one of Drake’s disses within 15 minutes of the former’s upload. The whole thing has been so quick and sporadic, no platform as of yet holds every piece of the puzzle, meaning listeners have to jump back and forth among streaming services and social media sites in order to access the complete sequence.

But whether you’re an invested fan looking for a one-stop shop for the Drake vs. Kendrick ’24, or a late-to-the-party newcomer who’s just trying to figure out what the heck is going on, Billboard has compiled all of the rappers’ targeted solo disses in one place for your convenience.

Keep reading for a rundown of all the platforms on which each of their solo diss tracks are available, starting with Drake’s “Push Ups,” below.

06 May 2024

JoJo Siwa Laughed Harder Than Anyone at ‘SNL’s ‘Gay Pop’ Parody Sketch: ‘ICONIC’

JoJo Siwa proved she totally gets the joke on Monday morning (May 6) when she posted her reaction to a hilarious bit from this weekend’s “Weekend Update” in SNL where cast member Chloe Fineman tried to channel the off-the-charts energy of Siwa’s latest transformation.

In a since timed-out Instagram Story post, Siwa, 20, gushed about expert mimic Fineman’s take on her new “bad girl” persona, writing, “ICONIC. I literally don’t know what to say. This is f–ing crazy. 3 and a half minute skit on SNL…”

Siwa included a clip from the segment in which Fineman modeled theKISS-inspired black-and-silver jumpsuit and face paint from the singer’s “Karma” video, periodically writhing around in her chair to the track with a turnt-to-11 energy that seemed to surprise co-anchor Colin Jost. “That’s right Colin, I’m a bad girl now!” Fineman said with a growl while throwing up devil horns.

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“I used to be rainbow sparkles… now I’m black sparkles!” Fineman said excitedly. “I look like if a figure skater joined a street gang!” In keeping with Siwa’s original proclamation that she “invented” gay pop, fake JoJo said no one had ever done what she’s doing now. “I’m 20 and gay. I’m the first gay girl in the world!”

Counterfeit Siwa then doubled-down on her claim that she invented gay pop, making a mind blown gesture as Jose suggested what she’s describing is “just pop.”

Siwa came out strong to announce this new era in April with the new look and attitude, but after comments she made to Billboard in an interview about how she is forging a trail for a new brand of LGBTQ-friendly pop raised some questions, the singer clarified her original statement in a TMZ video. “I think I just want to make it more clear that gay pop is a genre,” Siwa said. “I am not the inventor of gay pop, for sure not. But I do want to be a piece of making it bigger than it already is. I Want to bring more attention to it… I’m not the president [of gay pop], but I might be the CEO, or the CMO. I can be the CMO, the chief marketing officer, and use my marketing tactics whether people like it or not.”

Watch the SNL Siwa bit below.

06 May 2024

Randy Travis Thanks Fans For Putting Him ‘Back in the Saddle Again’ After Release of AI-Assisted Single ‘Where That Came From’

Randy Travis is thanking his fans for helping to inspire him to record his first new single in a decade, “Where That Came From.” The 64-year-old singer whose voice was mostly taken from him following a 2013 stroke released the new ballad on Friday and appeared on CBS Sunday Morning this weekend in a package describing how his team used artificial intelligence to create the affecting track.

“Eleven years ago I never thought I would be able to have a hand in music production of any kind,” Travis said in a statement. “But by God’s grace and the support of family, friends, fellow artists and fans, I’m able to create the music I so dearly love. Working with [longtime producer] Kyle Lehning and Warner Music Nashville again has been so special and nostalgic, and I’m so excited to share my new song ‘Where That Came From’ with you today. Many thanks to my wonderful team and the best fans in the world for putting me back in the saddle again! I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.”

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In the CBS interview, Travis’ longtime producer Lehning described his initial trepidation about using AI to fill-out the track, describing his fear that it sounded like a “parlor trick.” Travis suffered the stroke in 2013, after which doctors gave him a 2% chance of surviving following the discovery that in addition to paralysis the brain attack caused damage to the area of his brain controlling speech and language that had left it nearly beyond repair.

Lehning’s painstaking process began by pulling 42 classic Travis tracks from the his label’s vault, stripping away everything until just the vocal tracks remained and then adding some additional, new vocals from James Dupre, the singer who has been handling Travis’ vocals on tours by the country star’s band over the past few years.

Using an AI program that took Travis’ voice and overlaid it over Dupre’s singing, Lehning — who has worked with Travis for four decades — melded the two, telling CBS that having his longtime friend be a “vital part” of creating the song made a huge difference.

“Being a part of new Randy Travis music, I mean, that’s like… what?,’” Dupre told CBS.

“It’s Randy Travis. Randy’s on the other side of the microphone … It’s still his vocal,” Cris Lacy, co-chair/president of Warner Music Nashville said in the interview about the Grammy-winning legend who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016. “There’s no reason he shouldn’t be able to make music … And to deprive him of that, if he still wants to do that, that’s unconscionable to me.”

The song was originally recorded, but not released, by Dupre and written by Scotty Emerick and John Scott Sherrill.

“The motivation behind a musical recording is specific to each individual artist,” Lacy added. “The genesis of this particular track came from a visceral desire to restore what was taken away from someone we know and love – Randy Travis. It was inspired by his courage to continue as a vital contributor to the music community. In working with him to make new recordings, the byproduct is a gift that goes straight to our hearts. AI may have been a tool that helped us along, but it was a group of dedicated and passionate humans, including Randy himself, that brought this beautiful song to life.”

The piece included a scene from two months ago where Warner Music Nashville gathered a small group of fellow musicians in a studio to debut the new song, with Travis watching along with what was described as a “Cheshire Cat grin. The reaction that day was described as a mix of “joy and wonder,” plus some tears from Travis’ wife, Mary.

“You forget how much you missed it until you hear it again,” she said of her husband’s rich baritone. Fellow country star Carrie Underwood. whose 2009 collab with Travis, “I Told You So,” was a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, also on hand and she seemed bewildered and entranced by the studio magic. “How… how, how?” she asked a smiling Travis as she attempted to unpack the spot-on computer-assisted vocals.

Cole Swindell was also on hand and he said listening to the song reminded him of why he became a country singer. “So y’all let me hear it, that means a lot,” Swindell said choking up, adding, “Damn, I’m glad to year you sing.” Veteran country star Clay Walker was seen sharing a laugh and a smile with his old pal as they took in the song.

The CBS package also revealed that the team is working on a second untitled “new” song, though so far that one has proven more elusive. “It’s a life inspiration,” Mary Travis said. “Speak kindly, love fully, live completely, and leave the rest to God.”

Watch the full CBS piece, and listen to “Where That Came From,” below.



06 May 2024

‘Lolla’ Doc Captures How Lollapalooza Went From Underground Tour to Global Phenomenon: Trailer Premiere

What started in 1991 as a small farewell tour for Perry Farrell and Jane’s Addiction has since become one of the world’s foremost music festivals: Lollapalooza. And in a new Paramount+ docuseries titled Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza, the rock star and his peers are giving an oral history of how it all went down — as teased in the project’s new trailer, which Billboard is exclusively premiering.

From ’90s rockers to hip-hop stars, Lolla gathers many of the visionaries who were involved in some of the very first Lollapalooza tours. “It felt like a revolution,” Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails recalls in the trailer, speaking on the festival’s beginnings as an anti-establishment, for-the-people musical melting pot.

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“We had all been underground bands, but that was changing,” adds Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Flea, while Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello tells the camera, “That was the Declaration of Independence of the alternative nation.”

As time went on, Lollapalooza kept innovating — and in doing so, its own popularity began to overshadow its underground roots. “When the car’s going real, real fast, it gets harder and harder to jump out,” Farrell remarks in the trailer. “We were a victim of our own success.”

Also featured in the project are Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, Ice-T and Chicago native Chance the Rapper, who muses in the new clip, “Lolla picks great people [to perform] when no one’s heard of them.”

Lolla is also sure to feature old and recent footage of Lollapalooza performances through the years, with clips of Green Day, Billie Eilish, Marshmello and dozens of more acts appearing in the trailer. Now a global phenomenon with annual offshoots in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, France, Sweden and India, Lollapalooza was the first festival to mix genres on its billing, expand to multiple days and introduce a second stage. This year, the event will be headlined in August by SZA, Tyler, the Creator, Blink-182, The Killers and more.

Directed by Michael John Warren, the three-part series drops exclusively on Paramount+ May 21. It first premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January.

Watch the trailer for Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza above.

06 May 2024

Dua Lipa Plays Surprise Pop-Up Times Square Show After ‘SNL’ Gig

Dua Lipa took one more big bite of the apple before leaving New York. After playing double duty as musical guest and host on Saturday Night Live, the singer brought her Radical Optimism vibe to Times Square for a surprise pop-up gig on Sunday night (May 5).

Playing to a packed crowd from rectangular stage set up in the heart of the city, Dua took the stage with her band and busted right into her new album single “Training Season.” Wearing a long black leather duster over a black and white patterned maxi dress, the singer showcased her new collection on the rainy evening, sliding right into pop burner “Houdini” as giant images of the show were projected onto the digital screens behind her.

“Wow, you guys are amazing, thank you so much, what an unbelievable evening,” she told the crowd. “Thank you for showing up. Thank you for braving the rain and the cold. I even saw you take your top off! It’s getting hot in here, innit?” The singer gushed about her “unbelievable” week, which included the release of the album and, not for nothing, a visit that she dubbed “the most New York experience of all-time.”

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She kept things Radical by playing the LP’s closing track, the bouncy “Happy for You,” followed by her final selection, the album’s current single, “Illusion.”

Just 24 hours before, Dua became the latest musician to do a double-up on SNL, explaining the meaning behind the title of her third studio album in a monologue bit and then performing “Illusion” and “Happy for You” on the show.

Watch Dua Lipa’s surprise New York set below.

06 May 2024

Usher Plays Surprise Club Show After Last-Minute Lovers & Friends Cancellation

Usher deeply believes in the old “show must go on” maxim. After the singer got the disappointing news that his headlining gig at this weekend’s planned Lovers & Friends Festival 2024 in Las Vegas was canceled due to the threat of dangerous weather conditions, the “Confessions” star found another way to celebrate.

According to the Las Vegas Journal-Review, after the festival slated to draw more than 65,000 fans to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on Saturday was scotched due to threats of high winds, Usher packed up his planned “Bad Girl: 20 Years of Confessions” celebration and moved it indoors to the more intimate 1,900-capacity Jewel at Aria Hotel club.

The paper said Ush’s first show in Vegas since his killer Super Bowl headlining show at Allegiant Stadium across town earlier this year found him playing a medley of hits to a packed club that including guest spots by his good friends Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon and Victoria Monét, who slipped into the DJ booth for a bit. The paper said other A-listers on hand included Real Housewives of Beverly Hills co-star Crystal Kung Minkoff, as well as the Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean and Howie Dorough and Kandi Burruss, among others.

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TMZ reported that Usher arrived in an all-white outfit around three hours after the festival cancellation, with Lil Jon joining him for “Lovers and Friends,” the rapper’s 2004 Crunk Juice single that also featured Luda.

In addition to Usher, the Lovers show was slated to feature sets from the Backstreet Boys, Gwen Stefani, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Ludacris and many more. Shortly after organizers said the one-day festival was going to be called of over weather, Usher shared a message with fans expressing his disappointment.

“Mannn… I’m just as disappointed as you are. We were getting ready to turn up and celebrate today. I have to follow the orders of city officials and the National Weather Service for everyone’s protection and stand strong in my belief that everything happens for a reason,” Usher tweeted. “I’m sorry we won’t get to see each other today, but know that I am always working on something to express my heartfelt gratitude for each and every one of you who continue to support me.”

Fans who purchased their Lovers & Friends tickets directly through Front Gate Tickets will receive a refund within 30 days, organizers said.