Music News

Lil Nas X Finally Drops Swaggering ‘Lean On My Body’ Two Years After Teasing Track

Lil Nas X keeps talking about the backlog of songs he’s sitting on, so Wednesday night (April 17) the MC snuck out a track that has been floating around for several years in snippet form, the punchy “Lean On My Body.”

“I know I’m 10 years late but I’m dropping lean on my body in a couple minutes,” he tweeted around dinnertime in a post that also included the original minute-long March 2022 in which Montero rapped a verse from the song while walking on a treadmill.

“You know I love you, so I say this s–t with love/ But please tell your fans they need to shut the f–k up/ I’m doin’ real s–t, some never-worry-’bout-a-bill s–t/ Some build a house on the hill, s–t/ The money’s gravy, it’s coming crazy,” he raps, adding the swaggy lines, “My big sis just had another baby, popped ’em out the labia/ My other nephew sittin’ in the class with a broken knuckle/ He had to beat a ni–a ass for talkin’ ’bout his uncle.”

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Now, Lil Nas continues, he doesn’t condone that kind of violent behavior, then quickly changes his mind, counseling, “F–k it, yeah, I said it, I condone thats–t/ Choke that ni–a out/ Go corona on that b–ch/ Walk that ni–a like a dog, nephew own that b–ch.” The chorus leans into a gospel vibe with a heavenly choir of Monteros singing, “Lean on my body, Lord (Amen, amen, amen) Bring blessings on my soul (Amen, amen, amen)/ And when the war is over (Thank you)/ See it’s time to tell the world the war is won.”

Lil Nas has been teasing that his upcoming mixtape, Nasarati 2, is just around the corner, but at press time there was no firm release date for the follow-up to the 2018 original. Last week he posted the hard-hitting “Right There,” which he first previewed in an Instagram Story in February.

Lil Nas has been candid about the struggle to choose songs for the tape amid concerns over his fans’ perceptions of his music. Earlier this year, he wrote on Instagram, “Been hoarding music for years smh i hate my relationship with fear of my songs not doing well and perception. i wish i could just release music and not give af.” That said, he has also dumped a handful of snippets on fans to see what their reaction is in an apparent effort to aid in his track-picking.

After posting “Lean,” a fan named Mya commented, “these songs are literally hits it’s insane he’s not putting them on all streaming platforms…,” to which Lil Nas responded, “I just want yall to enjoy the music for now. We gone get to that!”

Listen to the full “Lean On My Body” and watch the rebooted teaser below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=Z8R3X2apYfQ&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

BTS ‘Monochrome’ Pop-Ups Coming to Los Angeles, Tokyo, Seoul, Bangkok, Jakarta and Manila

A BTS pop-up shop is headed to a number of cities in Asia and to Los Angeles beginning later this month. The K-pop supergroup’s label Big Hit Music announced on Wednesday (April 17) that “Monochrome” will debut in the on-hiatus group’s hometown of Seoul, South Korea beginning on April 26 through May 12.

The event that Big Hit said will feature the theme “memory clouds,” will consist of “clouds containing memories of the time BTS and ARMY spent together,” presented inside bottles, according to JoongAng Daily. The stunt comes along with a delivery-themed website that allows fans to find out more details about the pop-up by completing a series of challenges while checking for “deliveries” by figuring out passcodes related to words and dates of significance to the group.

The store, which will also open outposts in Tokyo, Jakarta, Bangkok, Los Angeles and Manila, will include never-before-seen portraits of BTS as well as on-site events. A 30-second teaser video continues the packaging/shipping theme, opening with images of a conveyor belt filled with glass jars containing lightning-flecked floating clouds. The screen then explodes into pixels as the words “Eternal Youth” flash below a series of seemingly random numbers.

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Those words explode into another pixel field that flashes images of the group’s members before coalescing into the barcodes on shipping labels for the various pop-up locations and then transforming into a black box with the word “Monochrome” written in large white letters. The final image is of a package floating in a white void with the same MNCR logo as the cryptic delivery website.

At present, all seven members of the group — V, Jimin, Jungkook, Suga, RM, Jin and J-Hope — are in the midst of their mandatory South Korean military service, with the full group not expected to reunite until next year.

Check out the Monochrome preview video and the pop-up dates below.

Raye, Smashing Pumpkins, Tems and Duran Duran Set for 2024 Montreux Jazz Festival

Raye, Sting, Massive Attack, Kraftwerk, Janelle Monáe, and Duran Duran lead the lineup for the 2024 Montreux Jazz Festival, set for July 5 – 20 on the Lake Geneva shoreline.

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Organizers roll out the changes for this year’s 58th edition, including a fresh layout with a new main stage erected on top of the famous Swiss lake, and a return to the historic Casino, the setting of the classic Pink Floyd concert from 1970, and which was later razed and inspired Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water”.

Deep Purple will return to perform on the lake this year, joining a lineup that includes PJ Harvey, Smashing Pumpkins, Jungle, André 3000, Air, Tems, Tyla and many others.

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After a triumphant night at the 2024 Brit Awards, where she scooped a record six trophies, Raye will perform on the Lake Stage, doing so the same night as Janelle Monáe.

More than 40 years after forming in Birmingham, England, Rock Hall-inducted pop-rock legends Duran Duran will make their Montreux Jazz Festival debut this year, off the back of the Halloween-influenced 16th studio album Danse Macabre, which opened at No. 4 on the Official U.K. Chart in November 2023, for their 12th top 10 appearance.

Established in 1967 by late jazz connoisseur Claude Nobs, the festival has hosted many of the greats of contemporary music, from Prince to David Bowie, Nina Simone, Quincy Jones, Marvin Gaye, Elton John and others. Mathieu Jaton has directed the fest since 2013, the year Nobs passed away.

Nearly 250,000 spectators attend the event in a regular year, which continues to evolve and introduce audiences to styles and tunes well outside the broad world that is jazz, with a bill that also takes in pop, hip-hop, Afrobeats, trip-hop, classic rock, soul and funk.

The event paused in 2020 due to pandemic, returned in 2021 with a downsized format, and was back to its regular programming in 2022.

The general ticket onsale starts Friday, April 19 at montreuxjazzfestival.com.

GloRilla Arrested for DUI in Georgia: Report

On Tuesday morning (April 16), GloRilla was reportedly arrested on suspicion of DUI in Georgia.

According to TMZ, which first reported the arrest, the rapper (real name: Gloria Hallelujah Woods) was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, consuming/possessing an open alcoholic beverage container and a separate traffic charge in Suwanee, Georgia, a suburb about a half-hour outside Atlanta.

In the police report obtained by TMZ, the officer says he smelled marijuana and alcohol from the car during a traffic stop just after 4 a.m. ET Tuesday and that GloRilla admitted to drinking that evening, though she said she was good to drive. Another detail from the report, according to TMZ, is that GloRilla’s breast was exposed at some point during the exchange and officers had to inform the rapper.

The Memphis rapper was taken into jail just after 6 a.m. ET on Tuesday and released on bond hours later, TMZ reports.

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Billboard has reached out to the Suwanee Police Department and a rep for GloRilla for confirmation of the arrest and further comment.

Though GloRilla was very active on her socials Wednesday (April 17) — mostly promoting her new song “Wanna Be,” featuring Megan Thee Stallion, from Glo’s new Ehhthang Ehhthang mixtape — she has yet to address the arrest news. Glo will join Meg on the Hot Girl Summer Tour, which kicks off next month in Minneapolis.

Glo has also been in the headlines for her heated back-and-forth with City Girls rapper JT after name-dropping her in the lyrics of the Ehhthang Ehhthang track “Aite.” In an interview with Billboard News on the 2024 CMT Music Awards red carpet last week, GloRilla brushed off the drama. “Everything just always everything,” she said when asked about JT. “At the end of the day, that day gon’ motherf—in’ end. Everything is everything. That day gotta end.”

Ugly Sweater Says T-Pain Inspired Him to Give ‘Masked Singer’ a Shot: ‘I Saw That It Was Fun’

Spoiler alert: This story contains the identity of the contestant eliminated on Wednesday night’s (April 17) episode of The Masked Singer.

The 11th season of The Masked Singer has so far featured a very eclectic group of eliminated crooners, including comedian/actor Kevin Hart (Book); restauranteur Joe Bastianich (Spaghetti & Meatballs); TV personalities Savannah Chrisley (Afghan Hound), Billy Bush (Sir Lion) and Colton Underwood (Lovebird); as well as NFL hall of famer DeMarcus Ware (Koala) — and actual singer Sisqó (Lizard) too.

On Wednesday night (April 17), Ugly Sweater crushed it with some incomparable high notes on “Queen Night,” during a celebration of the iconic British rock group in the Group A finals. After wowing the judges in an earlier episode with a funk-forward cover of The Commodores’ “Brick House,” Sweater did it again with a sweet, soulful run through Queen’s 1984 power ballad “I Want to Break Free.”

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When it came time to guess, the judges were in the neighborhood, with Robin Thicke praising the singer’s signature “nasty” notes on “House” (and quickly guessing the singer’s identity), while judge Rita Ora speculated it could be Smokey Robinson, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg guessed Aaron Neville (after earlier guessing that Lionel Richie covered his own song) and always-wrong Ken Jeong aiming too young with New Jack swinger Johnny Gill.

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Who was that masked man who’s 13 Grammy nominations and has a lock as Billboard‘s top adult R&B male artist with the most No. 1s in that category to date? None other than former Gap Band lead singer and solo star Charlie Wilson, best known for such hits as “Party Train,” “You Dropped a Bomb on Me,” “Oops Upside Your Head” and his featured vocals on songs by rappers including Snoop Dogg, The Notorious B.I.G., Pharrell, U.G.K. and Tyler, the Creator, among many others.

In addition to his surprise appearance alongside Tyler at last weekend’s Coachella — where he performed on the rapper’s 2019 single “Earfquake” and did a bit of The Gap Band’s “Outstanding” — Wilson, 71, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January and is currently promoting his Billboard top five adult R&B chart solo single “Superman.”

Billboard spoke with Wilson before his elimination to hear about how T-Pain inspired him to get in the Masked game, how wearing the Ugly Sweater was no holiday, and what it felt like to slip onto the main stage at Coachella last weekend.

Be honest: Had you ever watched this show before they reached out?

Oh yeah! I saw the one when T-Pain won [in season 1 as Monster]. I was so excited for him. I know T-Pain, he did songs for me and he’s a very gifted young man. I saw that it was fun and I wanted to get to be a part of it, but it just took some time because I was busy doing shows and recordings. I thought, “I can do this,” so it finally dropped in my lap.

Some iconic old-school and new-school R&B greats have appeared on the show — Bobby Brown, Faith Evans, Toni Braxton, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Seal, Gladys Knight — so it seems like there’s no shame in the game of putting on that costume right?

Yeah, my costume was… oh my gosh. It was built for me and was one of the most expensive suits they’ve built for the show. The [showrunners] kept telling me to try and make sure I stay as long as I can because [they said], “We spent a lot of money on this suit!” It was so heavy! So, so heavy I could barely walk in it. The feathers on the head were 8 to 10 pounds a piece and they had to take some off. I could barely pick up my feet!

It seems like a great showcase for so many of those classic R&B singers, especially some of your old-school peers.

I don’t know about anybody else, but I didn’t think about it being a showcase for me, because I’m still making No. 1 records. In fact, I have a top five song this week with one of my records [Wilson is in the top five on Billboard‘s Adult R&B Airplay chart with “Superman”]. I’m the only one out there still making top five records in the business!

You’ve been at this for more than 50 years, so tell me: Is this the weirdest gig you’ve ever had?

It’s a blessing and a curse at the same time, because a lot of people don’t want to see me have these records do as well as they’re doing. All those people you mentioned all wish they had the records I’m having. So yeah, I don’t pop my collar all the time, but people bring it up.

The judges’ guesses were all over the place, but mostly in the pocket. I can’t imagine you were ashamed to be confused for Smokey, Aaron or Lionel?

[Laughs] No, Robin Thicke said, “That’s Charlie Wilson!” as soon as I opened my mouth. I was like, “Oh man, I’m toast!” as soon as I opened my mouth and sang! He said, “I studied his voice and know him like the back of my hand.” I was like, “Could you just be quiet for a second?” He was tearing me up.

Speaking of, how did it feel to sing that Commodores song? Was there any rivalry with them in your bands’ heydays in the 1970s and ’80s?

Oh man, it was always that [rivalry] because if bands are good, they are gonna be at it. I won’t stand around and have someone call me a bootsy [someone who is uncool or weird]. I’m gonna get you. I’m gonna come after you like y’all coming after us! It was all in fun, not hostile, we was all in fun. I love The Commodores.

You’ve had so much success collaborating with rappers over the years — especially Snoop and Tyler. What is it about hip-hop that appeals to you? And talk to me about joining Tyler at Coachella last weekend.

It is great anytime I sing with these rappers or anyone from back in the day is coming for me and it’s their idea. If they want to do it, I’m gonna do it. I’m so, so blessed to have rappers still coming for me.

Nas Hints at DJ Premier Collaboration Ahead of ‘Illmatic’ 30th Anniversary

Nas shifted the landscape of New York hip-hop when Illmatic hit the streets in 1994. Three decades later, Escobar is looking to party like it’s the ’90s while celebrating his iconic debut album.

With Illmatic turning 30 years old on Friday (April 19), Nas is teasing something on the horizon in honor of the seminal LP.

The Queensbridge legend hinted at an upcoming collab with DJ Premier, who produced records like “N.Y. State of Mind” among others on Illmatic in addition to sequencing the project, by posting a grainy photo of the dynamic duo together from the ’90s when they were looking to make their mark on the game and another that appears to be from much more recently.

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Giddy fans proceeded to hypothesize that a project of sorts from Preemo and Nas could be in the works with the 30th anniversary of Illmatic just days away.

“Then v.s Now. What it,” Nas teased while producers Hit-Boy and The Alchemist lent their stamp of approval in the comment section.

“Will I be vindicated after all these years,” journalist Jerry Barrow wrote while seemingly alluding to the long-talked about album between the “Represent ” collaborators.

A fan voiced: “Don’t play with my emotions like this!”

The “One Love” rapper took a stroll down memory lane earlier this week when posting a series of photos from around the time Illmatic arrived and proceeded to thank those like Preemo who played a role in the acclaimed debut.

“Grainy pictures for grainy times. I had a dream I could get my favorite producers to produce on my debut album. I knew exactly what I wanted and how it should be. But I didn’t know anyone except for Paul, so I asked him would he connect me to them all. The cool soul brother that he is helped me line it up. On April 19th we smashed shit,” he reminisced.

“Even tho the album leaked months before the release date we still are apart of music history. Thank you Large Professor (Paul) and Dj Premier who drove into the projects to pick me up a time or two. Qtip , Pete Rock , and my man from The Bridge DJ LES, and my guy AZ who was just coming up himself. And thank you to everyone involved. Friday is the albums 30th. 2 The Listeners- ONE LOVE.”

DJ Premier reflected on being at all of the Illmatic sessions from start to finish. “A fun journey being at every session watching it come together and meeting all of your peeps from QB.”

Back in 2022, Nas fueled speculation the long-awaited Preemo-Escobar joint album could still be in the works. Nas touched on the mythical project on King’s Disease 3 track “30.” “Premier album still might happen,” he raps.

Premier produced three records on Illmatic (“N.Y. State of Mind,” “Memory Lane (Sittin’ in da Park)” and “Represent”). The duo went on to team up for tracks like “Nas Is Like” and “N.Y. State of Mind Pt. II” as well as 2022’s “Beat Breaks.”

Illmatic arrived on April 19, 1994, and debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 with 63,000 albums sold in the first week.

Find Nas’ posts surrounding Illmatic below.

Zayn Says Daughter Khai Named the Turtles on His Farm After These Iconic TV Show Characters

Turtle power! Zayn stopped by Capital Breakfast this week, where he revealed a sweet anecdote about his farm in Pennsylvania.

The 31-year-old star revealed that his daughter, three-year-old Khai, helps him name his animals on the farm, and revealed that the turtles are fittingly named after the beloved characters in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. “I have three now. Raph, Mikey and Donatello,” he revealed. “One of them died quite recently that was quite sad.”

He added, “I think that shows a good owner, you have to be somewhat connected to your animals, and I like to name them.”

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Zayn shares Khai with his ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid, though the couple’s relationship ended shortly after the little one’s first birthday in October 2021.

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The former One Direction star is gearing up to release his new album, Room Under the Stairs, on May 17, marking 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. Before Malik left to pursue a solo career, 1D released four albums together, each of which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

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

Ashanti & Nelly Are Engaged, Expecting First Child Together

Congratulations are in order for Ashanti and Nelly, who are expecting their first child together.

Ashanti announced the news in a sweet Instagram video on Wednesday (April 17), in which the “Rock Wit U” singer is seen getting ready to perform. When her mother asks her how much time she needs until she’s ready, Ashanti cleverly responds, “I’m going to need about nine months.”

To drive the message home, the 43-year-old star captioned the post “Baby baby baby baby….” Nelly also posted the video to his own Instagram page. See the post here.

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Ashanti also revealed that she’s engaged to “Just a Dream” singer to Essence, telling the publication, “This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope, and anticipation. Motherhood is something that I have looked forward to, and sharing this with my family, fiancé, and loyal fans, who have been so supportive of my career, is an amazing experience.”

The upcoming bundle of joy is Ashanti’s first child and Nelly’s fifth. The “Body On Me” singers began dating back in 2003 and the details of their romance were somewhat of a mystery to fans before they ultimately broke up in 2013. In June, fans began buzzing when Ashanti and Nelly attended the 3rd Annual Birthday Ball for Quality Control CEO Pierre “P” Thomas and were photographed together on the red carpet.

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In an interview with Love and Hip Hop‘s Rasheeda and Kirk Frost in September, Nelly confirmed the ongoing rumors of their rekindled romance. “I think we both were pretty much doing what we do, but sometimes being separate you understand one another more,” he said of the 10-year gap in their relationship. “You be like, ‘Yo, let me see exactly what they see.’ You know, because we all can be defensive sometimes in our own relationships. We know we wrong but we going to stand on it. But we all a victim to that.”

The life partners were once chart rivals. Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” dislodged Ashanti’s “Foolish” from the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 2002. “Foolish” had reigned for 10 consecutive weeks, before “Hot in Herre” took over for a seven-week run.

Lana Del Rey Says Her Tour Manager Quit a Month Before Coachella: ‘Never Got a Phone Call, Probably Never Will’

Lana Del Rey reigned as the Queen of Indio, Calif., when she headlined Coachella last weekend (April 13), but one particular exit from her kingdom left the “Video Games” singer especially peeved.

In an Instagram post reflecting on her performance shared to her Instagram account, Del Rey revealed that her tour manager, Peter Abbott, quit just over a month before she took the stage.

After thanking all the key players that made her set possible — including her fans, her band, Wally Crowder (who helped choreograph her motorcycle entrance) and special guests Billie Eilish, Jon Batiste and Jack Antonoff — Del Rey revealed that a team member had to step up as tour manager on short notice.

“[Thank you] Emily for stepping up as tour manager when Pete quit for no reason after 15 years,” Del Rey wrote, referencing Emily Holt before continuing about Abbott. “He was butt hurt that I got 10 comped bikes for free from Wally and randomly decided he was more of a stage designer than a tour manager… Never got a phone call probably never will. Still grateful for the 15 years though.”

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Billboard has made attempts to reach Abbott for his response.

Del Rey’s appearance at this year’s Coachella comes a decade after she last performed at the festival. The “A&W” singer was originally scheduled for a prime Coachella spot back in 2020, but that year was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From her lyrics to her imagery, Del Rey has long been synonymous with Coachella and its aesthetic. She even played on that synergy with billboards leading into Indio that read “Has anyone else died for you?” — a reference to how Del Rey was effectively crucified by the media after her infamous 2012 Saturday Night Live performance.

“No worries – 37 days was more than enough time to put together an entire headlining set all by ourselves. Not stressful at all,” Del Rey’s Instagram post continued. “Way to go Emily you f—ing killed it with grace. Thank you to my managers Ben and Ed for making me laugh the entire way through everything for my whole freaking life even though none of it ever makes any sense. PS please send me an email If you decide to quit this year- 15 years is a long time for us too.”

The rest of Del Rey’s statement continued with her thanks to various collaborators, making for a deeply personal caption for a carousel of photographs from her performance. Among those photos are rehearsal footage, flicks of her background singers and dancers, and an adorable backstage picture of Del Rey, Batiste and Antonoff.

Last year, the “Summertime Sadness” singer notched her ninth top 10 entry on the Billboard 200 with Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, which earned five Grammy nominations, including for album of the year. Del Rey is set to return to the stage Friday (April 19) for round 2 of her headlining stint.

Read the star’s full statement below.

Beyoncé Sends Flowers & Sweet Note to University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball Team: ‘That’s Bey!’

It’s official: The Carters are a women’s basketball family.

Beyoncé congratulated the University of South Carolina team on an incredible season by sending them a stunning bouquet of flowers, custom merch and a sweet note — all of which Coach Dawn Staley showed off in a triumphant video via X on Wednesday (April 17).

“I’m gonna read you this card,” Staley tells the camera, sitting next to the overflowing bouquet sent to her by the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer. “‘To Coach Staley and the entire South Carolina Gamecocks: Me and my family watched your games and cheered you on through the entire season. I’m so proud of you.”

According to the coach, Queen Bey signed the message, “All my love.”

“That’s Bey! Bey and her family!” cheered Staley. “Yes, Mr. Carter. Yes, Blue, you did your thing, Blue, Sir and Rumi. Bey, thank you. We appreciate you. We’re honored to wear your gear.”

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Staley also showed off one of the T-shirts the 32-time Grammy winner gifted the team, which read “Always Been Country” on the back. “LOVE ON TOP!!” the Olympic Gold medalist captioned her thank-you video.

Bey’s gesture comes a little over a week after South Carolina defeated the University of Iowa Hawkeyes at the NCAA Division 1 championships, winning 87-75 against the Caitlin Clark-led team. Shortly prior, the superstar had dropped her highly anticipated Renaissance follow-up Cowboy Carter, which has spent the past two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Watch Coach Staley show off her gifts from Beyoncé below.