Music News

28 Mar 2024

Iván Cornejo’s ‘Baby Please’ Makes Top 10 Debut on Hot Latin Songs

After “Está Dañada” earned Ivan Cornejo his first top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs in 2021, the Mexican-American singer-songwriter is back in the upper region as “Baby Please” debuts at No. 8 on the list dated March 30.

“Baby Please” splashes into the top 10 on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart mainly on the strength of streaming activity. (The chart blends streams, airplay, and sales.) In the tracking week of March 15-21, the song registered 5.4 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate. Thanks to that sum, the track bows at No. 5 on Latin Streaming Songs and gives Cornejo his third top 10 there.

It’s not odd for 19-year-old Cornejo to make a new chart visit largely from streaming activity. Out of his 14 chart entries on Hot Latin Songs, streams provide essentially most of his songs’ activity there. Only the No. 2-peaking “Dañada” (2021) and “Inseparables” (a top 20 hit in 2022) generated minimal digital download sales, while radio has not jumped on board yet.

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As “Baby Please” lands in the top 10 on Hot Latin Songs, Cornejo claims his second top 10, after “Dañada,” his first chart appearance, debuted at No. 7 in October 2021 and peaked at No. 2 a week later (chart dated Oct. 30, 2021). In between, the sad sierreño singer placed 12 other songs, with “Aquí Te Espero” nearly missing the top 10, as it debuted and peaked at No. 11 in Aug. 2023.

Plus, with the new song’s high debut, indie label Zaragoza picks up its first top 10 on Hot Latin Songs. Cornejo took the imprint to a No. 30 high through “Donde Estás” last December.

Elsewhere, “Baby Please” grants Cornejo his third chart visit on the overall Billboard Hot 100, as the song debuts at No. 95.

28 Mar 2024

‘SNL’ Promises Travis Scott’s Episode Will Be ‘In Sicko Mode’ — And Host Ramy Youssef Wishes They Hadn’t

When Travis Scott returns to Saturday Night Live this weekend as the musical guest, castmember Marcello Hernandez promises the show will be in “Sicko Mode” — just like Scott’s Billboard Hot 100-topping Drake collab from 2018. But first-time host Ramy Youssef isn’t having it in new SNL promos, released late Thursday (March 28) ahead of Saturday’s new episode.

“I told you not to do that in front of him,” the Poor Things actor/comedian tells Hernandez of the song-title pun.

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“Sorry, I just get these goosebumps every time,” Hernandez replies with a smirk, name-dropping yet another Scott song: “Goosebumps,” a top 40 Hot 100 solo hit in 2017 that led to the No. 47-peaking HVME remix in 2021.

“It’s just not a good look,” Youssef says. “Sorry, Trav.”

Things don’t get any better for Hernandez in a second promo, when he launches into an ill-fated joke setup. “A Latino guy, an Egyptian guy and a Black guy walk into a bar…” he begins, before Scott and Youssef cut him off.

“You guys are probably right, because the punchline was bad,” Hernandez admits, before Youssef says, “The setup was too.”

Scott will take his second turn as SNL musical guest this weekend, following his October 2018 debut. For his first performance, he brought out John Mayer on guitar and Kevin Parker of Tame Impala on bass for a mash-up of “Skeletons” (which features Mayer) and “Astrothunder” (a collaboration with Tame Impala) from his Astroworld album, before pulling out “Sicko Mode” sand Drake for his second song.

Youssef will host SNL for the first time after co-starring opposite Emma Stone in the awards-season darling Poor Things. The stand-up comedian also took home the best actor in a television series – musical or comedy Golden Globe in 2020 for his Hulu series Ramy.

Watch the new SNL promos below, and catch the new episode at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. ET on NBC or streaming on Peacock.

28 Mar 2024

50 Cent Denies Daphne Joy Sexual & Physical Abuse Allegations

50 Cent has denied allegations of sexual and physical abuse from his ex-girlfriend Daphne Joy.

“The disturbing allegations in the sworn pleadings recently filed in a court case related to Daphne Joy the mother of my twelve year old child, has required me to take all necessary legal actions to protect my son Sire,” the rapper said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. “The most recent false and baseless accusations by Daphne Joy are clearly in response to my decision to seek sole custody of my son. My son Sire is my main priority and keeping him in a safe environment is my only focus at this time.”

The statement comes soon after Joy — who dated 50 in 2011 and shares son Sire with him — took to Instagram on Thursday (March 28) to claim that 50 Cent (real name Curtis Jackson) abused her and sexually assaulted her. Joy was also named in Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones’ lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, alongside Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Yung Miami, who allegedly received money for sex work.

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“Curtis James Jackson. Everything is a joke to you until our safety is compromised, which is happening now. You are wreaking real havoc, frenzy and chaos onto people’s lives. How could u feel if Sire was the one in handcuffs? For nothing,” she wrote in her post. “We moved to New York to give you the opportunity to be a father to your son and you saw him 10 times out of the 2 years that we lived 1 mile away from you. I am tired of upholding and protecting an image to our son that you have never even earned.”

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Joy also denied the accusations from Jones’ lawsuit, writing on Instagram, “I am deeply hurt by the lies in Rodney Jones’ lawsuit. The claim that I am a sex worker is 100% false and character assassination. I am retaining an attorney to explore all legal remedies against both Rodney and his attorney.”

28 Mar 2024

Kelly Clarkson Says Not to ‘Sleep’ on Ariana Grande’s ‘Eternal Sunshine’

Kelly Clarkson is showering her fellow powerhouse vocalist, Ariana Grande, with love.

The “Since U Been Gone” singer took to X (previously Twitter) to gush over her fellow former The Voice coach’s recently released album, Eternal Sunshine. “Y’all don’t sleep on this album. It’s so good,” she wrote, before spotlighting three songs in particular in the hashtags: “Imperfect for You,” “We Can’t Be Friends” and lead single and Hot 100 chart-topper, “Yes, And?”

Eternal Sunshine is spending a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated March 30), after debuting atop the tally a week ago.

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Eternal Sunshine, which follows 2020’s Positions, houses 13 tracks, all penned by the two-time Grammy winner and co-produced with the legendary Max Martin. 

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Overall, Grande has earned eight No. 1 singles on the Hot 100, including “Thank U, Next” (seven weeks), “Save Your Tears” (with The Weeknd, two weeks) and the eight-week leader “7 Rings.” On the Billboard 200, the multi-hyphenate has sent multiple titles to the chart’s summit, including 2013’s Yours Truly, 2014’s My Everything, 2018’s Sweetener and 2020’s Positions.

28 Mar 2024

Ye Claims He ‘Washed’ Kendrick Lamar & Drake: ‘There Is Only One GOAT’

Ye — the artist formerly known as Kanye West — took to Instagram on Thursday (March 28) with an explosive post claiming he got the best of Kendrick Lamar on their The Life of Pablo collaboration “No More Parties in L.A.” And he had smoke for Drake too, saying he “washed” him during their 2021 Larry Hoover Benefit concert at Los Angeles’ Coliseum.

“Everyone knows I washed Kendrick on No More Parties in LA,” West started the post, mentioning the 2016 bar-filled collab. Though the single from the hip-hop titans is certified platinum, the Madlib-produced track never cracked the Billboard Hot 100. Ye roped Drake in next, writing, “Everyone knows I washed Drake at the Free Hoover Concert.”

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Ye didn’t stop there, as he boasted about bringing Adidas back to cultural relevance and then taking them out since the apparel giant severed ties with him in 2022. “Everyone knows I brought Adidas into this culture and I took them out,” he wrote.

After claiming he invented every genre of music over the past two decades, Kanye reminded fans about his contributions along with his comeback to reach the mountaintop of the charts following his series of controversies and antisemitic remarks that caused many companies to split from the polarizing Chicago-bred mogul.

“I made Yeezus Dark Fantasy Pablo Graduation Throne 808s Throne,” he wrote. “I made ‘Runaway’ ‘Devil in a New Dress’ ‘Father Stretch.’ I am the only person to come back number one after cancellation. There is only one GOAT. I stand with me. My friends call me Ye :).”

It could be album-rollout time once again for Ye, with Vultures 2 rumored to be holding a release date of May 3. The first Vultures installment with Ty Dolla $ign topped the Billboard 200 with 148,000 album-equivalent units in February, while the album’s “Carnival” climbed to No. 1 on the Hot 100.

Ye is calling out Lamar and Drake a week after the release of Future & Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” which features an incendiary Lamar verse that seemingly takes lyrical shots at his “First Person Shooter” co-stars Drake and J. Cole. Now Ye appears to be taking sides in the Kendrick vs. Drake feud, and he’s choosing himself.

Find Ye’s post below.

28 Mar 2024

Michael Jackson’s 3 Children Make Rare Appearance Together at ‘MJ: The Musical’ Red Carpet

A family outing! Michael Jackson’s three children — Paris Jackson, Prince Jackson and Bigi Jackson — attended a preview night in London on Wednesday night (March 27) for MJ: The Musical.

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The sibling trio posed together for photos before walking into the Prince Edward Theatre in London’s West End to watch the Tony Award-winning musical based on their father’s life.

In 2022, Paris and Prince attended the Tony Awards together to present the MJ: The Musical cast’s performance of “Smooth Criminal.”

“A lot of people seem to think our dad Michael Jackson changed popular music forever. And who are we to disagree?” Prince said at the time. “He loved musicals, on film and on the stage.”

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Bigi rarely makes public appearances, but the 22-year-old asked a Los Angeles judge earlier this month to stop his grandmother from using money from the his late father’s estate to fund her ongoing legal battles against the estate’s executors over their recent $600 million deal with Sony.

Michael Jackson’s life and career will be the subject of an upcoming biopic, titled Michael, which will be produced by King (Bohemian Rhapsody) and John Branca and John McClain, who are the co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate. The film will be directed by Fuqua, the filmmaker behind 2001’s Oscar-winning Training Day and 2022’s Will Smith-starring Emancipation.

Jaafar Jackson will portray his late uncle Michael in the film and nine-year-old actor Juliano Krue Valdi will act as the King of Pop during his formative years in the Jackson 5.

The film is set for release in April 2025.

28 Mar 2024

Djo’s ‘End of Beginning’ Rises to No. 1 on Hot Alternative Songs Chart

Djo’s “End of Beginning” reaches top of Billboard’s Hot Alternative Songs chart dated March 30, rising from No. 2 to No. 1 in its sixth week on the list.

“End of Beginning” drew 18.5 million official U.S. streams (up 11%) and 3.1 million radio audience impressions (up 69%) and sold 2,000 downloads (up 46%) March 15-21, according to Luminate.

The move marks Djo’s first No. 1 on a multimetric Billboard chart. Concurrently, the song ranks at No. 2 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Rock Songs, sporting top Streaming Gainer honors on the former. On the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, it vaults 21-11.

The track also tallies a second week at No. 1 on Alternative Streaming Songs and jumps 12-6 on the all-genre Streaming Songs chart, and it lifts 4-2 on Alternative Digital Song Sales.

“End of Beginning” is additionally a rising multi-format radio hit. It has reached No. 22 on Alternative Airplay and debuts at No. 35 on Pop Airplay. On the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, it places at No. 20 via 1.4 million audience impressions.

Released in 2022 on Djo’s sophomore album Decide, “End of Beginning” has taken off in 2024 due in large part to usage on TikTok; it has crowned the TikTok Billboard Top 50 for two weeks (March 2 and 23) and ranks at No. 2 on the latest list.

Djo – real name Joe Keery – has already solidified himself under his birth name as an actor during his run as Steve Harrington in Netflix’s Stranger Things, among other roles. He has been releasing music for nearly a decade; he was a member of Chicago band Post Animal in 2015-18 and launched his solo career as Djo in 2019.

28 Mar 2024

Tyla Explains Dropping Out of Coachella: ‘It’s the Right Decision’

Just a couple weeks before Tyla‘s hard work culminated in the release of her self-titled debut studio album, the 22-year-old artist announced that she’d hit a roadblock: an undisclosed, worsening injury that would force her to pull out of all of her upcoming live shows, including a career milestone set at this year’s Coachella.

In her Billboard cover story published Thursday (March 28), the “Water” singer opened up to Billboard about making the final call to cancel her performance at the April music festival. “It’s difficult because I want to go,” she said. “It’s the moment that I’ve been waiting for.”

“It’s not an easy decision, but it’s the right decision,” added the South African star.

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Tyla first announced that she was not only departing from the Coachella lineup, but also canceling her North American tour dates and rescheduling her shows in Europe, in an Instagram post earlier this month. The 30-plus-date trek had been slated to kick off March 21 in Oslo.

“As much as this is something I would rather have dealt with privately, it’s important that I share what I have to share with you today,” she wrote at the time. “For the past year I’ve been silently suffering with an injury that has tragically worsened. I’ve seen doctors and specialists with high hopes but the pain has only become more agonizing as has the severity of the situation.”

“I am absolutely heartbroken to have to say this but as of right now I won’t be able to proceed with the tour,” she continued. “In consulting with medical professionals it’s become increasingly clear that continuing any festival or tour dates would jeopardize my long-term health and safety.”

Just two weeks later, she dropped Tyla, featuring collaborations with Tems, Gunna, Becky G, Travis Scott and more. The set includes her viral hit “Water” — which reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs, Rhythmic Airplay and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts — as well as 12 other tracks.

“I’m really confident in what I’ve created,” she told Billboard of her debut. “Now’s a time where I can showcase a performance style where I’m not really dancing as much. Maybe I strip back a little bit more and I’m just serving vocals. But there’s no way to stop me. I’m always going to find a way.”

Read Tyla’s Billboard cover story here.

28 Mar 2024

Cardi B Turns Heads With Sleek Cut-Out Gown at THR & Instagram’s Power Stylists Event

Cardi B put her characteristically sultry twist on a classic black gown at The Hollywood Reporter and Instagram’s Power Stylists dinner at Sunset Tower in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (March 27), celebrating the year’s 25 best celebrity stylists.

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Joining her stylist Kollin Carter — whom she’s been working with since 2017 — at the event, the “Enough (Miami)” rapper was photographed wearing a sleek black midi-dress with a high slit, complete with an off-the-shoulder neckline and cut-outs and straps along the bodice. The look was completed with a classic updo, sheer tights, black heels, silver accessories and a sparkling clutch.

“There are so many obstacles against us,” Cardi told THR of her struggles within the fashion industry. “For example, this body is not meant for a size 2.… It was not easy, but we make it look easy. Our door was closed many times, but we’re here because we do it well.”

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Carter added, “We’ve given look after look, year after year, we’ve reached into archives that are impossible to reach into. We caused a cultural shift. I don’t think there were many women like Cardi who existed in the fashion space. Now there are a ton of other rap females who aspire to be in that space because they see what’s possible. We set trends.” 

Andrew Mukamal, Brad Goreski, Danyul Brown, Dara, Enrique Melendez, Erica Cloud, Erin Walsh, Jamie Mizrahi, Jessica Paster, Samantha McMillen, Shiona Turini, Warren Alfie Baker and Wayman & Micah were all also in attendance at the event as spotlight stylists. The celebrity attendees at the intimate dinner included Aja Naomi King, Awkwafina, Cardi B, Demi Moore, Glen Powell, Hunter Schafer, Lisa Rinna and more.

28 Mar 2024

Lil Durk Giving HBCU Students a Chance to Win Over $333,000 in Scholarship Prizes

Lil Durk is known for his prowess on the basketball court , and now he’s ready to offer college students the chance to win scholarship cash thanks to their own hoop-shooting skills.

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On Thursday (March 28), Durk announced his new partnership with Starry for the Starry Fizz Fest, a basketball contest hosted at four different HBCUs across the country, where students will compete for a chance to win over $333,000 in scholarship money and prizes.

“Being competitive doesn’t just apply to sport, life itself is about hunger, drive and teamwork,” Durk said in a statement. “This initiative is about rewarding students for their grind on and off the court, showing love and supporting our people while chasing their dreams.”

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The Fizz Fest will tip off at Norfolk State University on March 29 and then make trips to Hampton University (April 1) and Jackson State University (April 20) before wrapping up with a visit to Morgan State University on April 26.

Students have the chance to compete in games of S-T-A-R-R-Y (a themed spin-off of Horse) three-point contests and arcade-styled basketball competitions for the chance to win one of the top prizes, including a NIL deal (name, image and likeness deal) typically intended for student-athletes to become “one of the new faces of STARRY,” according to a press release

The PepsiCo Foundation will award one student at each stop with $20,000 as well. Applications for this scholarship open on April 8.

The winner is set to reap an all-expenses paid trip to NBA Tip-Off for the 2024-2025 season and lend their name, image and likeness as the face of the next Starry Fizz Fest 2.0 tournament.

Lil Durk will surprise students with an appearance at one of the HBCU stops, but it hasn’t been announced where the rapper will pop up just yet.