Music News

02 Nov 2023

These 20 Rappers Are the Top-Grossing Hip-Hop Touring Acts of All Time

From Jay-Z to Nicki Minaj and beyond, here are the highest grossing artists, according to Billboard Boxscore.

Jay-Z

Jay-Z performs onstage during the “On the Run II” Tour at NRG Stadium on Sept. 15, 2018 in Houston, Texas.

Kevin Winter/PW18/Getty Images for Parkwood Entertainment

Billboard Boxscore has been tracking touring data and ranking the top live acts around the world across various musical genres since the mid-1980s. We’ve already run down the biggest live artists in country and Latin music, and now it’s time to present the 20 highest grossing rappers in the Boxscore archives.

Hip-hop was still in its adolescence when Boxscore charts started in the mid-’80s. But in the nearly 40 years since, rap has exploded, becoming a (or the) dominant force in popular music. What began in a community rec room of a Bronx apartment complex has graduated to theaters, arenas and stadiums.

This list is based on global figures reported to Billboard Boxscore as of Nov. 2. Final numbers are based on headline engagements only – no festivals – plus 50% of any co-headline grosses.

That last part is important. As in the studio, collaboration has been key on the road for the rappers on our list and beyond. From Jay-Z and Kanye West to Eminem and 50 Cent, hip-hop acts have co-headlined in various arrangements over the last few decades, using one another’s shared star power to sell out venues worldwide.

A note about eligibility for this list: We’re including rap artists who have charted on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. That means that artists who rap instead of sing, but don’t fall within the genre of hip-hop, are excluded. For acts that have straddled the line, we’ve made splits — tours supporting pop or alternative albums for Post Malone or Machine Gun Kelly don’t count toward their totals.

02 Nov 2023

Billboard Explains: The Revamped 2023 Billboard Music Awards

The 2023 Billboard Music Awards are just around the corner, and this year, fans are getting the opportunity to see their favorite artists like never before. The latest episode of Billboard Explains looks into the BBMAs‘ exciting new format and how winners are chosen.

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What makes the BBMAs unique to other award shows is that it’s all data driven. Winners are chosen solely based on how well they perform on the Billboard charts, tracking album and digital song sales, radio airplay, as well as streaming and social engagement to choose the winner of each category. During the show, artists appear on the BBMA stage to accept their award or perform their latest chart topping hit.

However, this year, the Billboard Music Awards are delivering an entirely new award show concept. The performances and award celebrations will take place at different locations across the globe, and feel unique to each individual artist. Performances and winners will be unveiled across the BBMAs and Billboard’s social channels, or the show can be watched in full at bbmas.watch on Sunday (Nov. 19) — meaning the entire event will take place online rather than on television.

Additionally, Billboard teamed up with Spotify to find the most loyal fans who have helped their favorite artists top Billboard charts by listening to their music. Those fans will be receiving a golden ticket that allows them to attend the performance of their favorite artist that will stream during the awards ceremony.

Tune in to the 2023 Billboard Music Awards on Nov. 19, and check out the full Billboard Explains video on the revamped ceremony above.

After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about Peso Pluma and the Mexican music boom, the role record labels play, origins of hip-hop, how Beyoncé arrived at Renaissance, the evolution of girl groups, BBMAs, NFTs, SXSW, the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and more.

02 Nov 2023

Zayn Malik Co-Starring In, Writing New Music For ’10 Lives’ Animated Feature

Zayn Malik will pull triple-duty in the upcoming animated feature 10 Lives, for which he will write new music and perform a duet with Bridgerton star Simone Ashley. Variety reported that Malik and Ashley will both star in the film, in which the singer will play play “tough-guy twins Cameron and Kirk,” with Ashley voicing a student named Rose.

“I always enjoy my time in the studio creating from my perspective,” Malik told Variety. “While creating music for 10 Lives, I was able to immerse myself in a narrative that I hadn’t dictated and able to bring the characters’ emotions into the music rather than my own. I really enjoyed writing specifically to bring them all to life. It’s a film that’s not only fun to watch but has a very beautiful sentiment for people of all ages. I hope people love it, and the music we created really connects and transports them deeper into the 10 Lives world.”

Malik will also serve as the executive music producer on the movie, overseeing its musical creative direction. According to a description of director Chris Jenkins’ (Surf’s Up) movie, it tells the story of a “pampered and selfish cat who takes his many lives for granted. After carelessly losing his ninth live he begs for a second chance — and an opportunity to prove he can learn from his mistakes. When his wish is finally granted, however, he learns that it comes with some caveats.”

The movie will also feature voice work from Bill Nighy, Mo Gilligan, Sophie Okonedo, Dylan Llewellyn and Jeremy Swift.

“We always love bringing the worlds of film and music together and could not be more excited that we got to do this with Zayn on 10 Lives,” casting directors and music supervisors Robyn Klein and Jeremy Ross said. “A great film and a great song come from the same place. Combining his songwriting, acting and vocal skills, Zayn brought joy, emotion, and depth to the film while connecting and highlighting all of its important themes. This is Zayn at his absolute best.”

In addition to working on the 10 Lives music, Malik is also working on his next studio album for Mercury Records. The singer recently dropped the new single “Love Like This,” from his upcoming fourth album, his first release of new music since 2021’s Nobody Is Listening.

02 Nov 2023

Taylor Swift Adds Extra Shows to Canadian Leg of Eras Tour

Taylor Swift will be spending a little extra time up north next year. Three months after announcing that her ongoing global Eras Tour will open for several shows in Toronto in 2024, the 33-year-old pop star has now added a trio of additional dates to her Canadian leg.

All of the new shows will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, at BC Place, with Swift set to perform three consecutive nights from Dec. 6 to 8. The Vancouver shows are slated to follow six Eras Tour offerings at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

The “Anti-Hero” singer shared the announcement on her Instagram Story Thursday (Nov. 2), also revealing that Gracie Abrams will return as opener for the newly added shows. Abrams, who previously joined Swift on the Eras Tour‘s U.S. leg, celebrated the news by posting a photo of her with Swift, writing, “what did you say? 3 more Eras shows in Vancouver next year? lfg.”

Swift is currently on the last few days of a two-month break from touring, having finished out her first round of U.S. and Mexico shows in late August. Starting Nov. 9, she’ll pick right back up with a string of performances in Argentina and Brazil.

After that, she’ll spend pretty much all of 2024 on the road, with Eras shows planned for Asia, Europe and Australia before swinging back around to the States next October. Already, the trek has reportedly made Swift a billionaire, as projected by Bloomberg last week.

Registration for Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan presale is already open for Swift’s new Vancouver dates. Find more information here.

02 Nov 2023

Here’s Why Taylor Swift Loves ‘Legendary Empath’ Dolly Parton

Taylor Swift will always love Dolly Parton. In a new Hollywood Reporter profile on the 77-year-old country music legend, Swift was candid about all the reasons she admires Parton, who’s gearing up to release her first ever rock album — Rockstar — later this month.

“Dolly is a force of evolution and transformation in our industry, but she does it with such playful levity it almost looks effortless,” the pop star told the publication. “Her sense of humor and mischief are easily my favorite things about her, because I think it forces the world to reconcile that a woman can be a serious artist and writer who also has raucous fun with it, can make people laugh and be in on every joke.”

“She’s never stopped challenging herself to clear new hurdles and explore new territory artistically, and I think that speaks to her great curiosity about the human condition,” added Swift. “She’s a legendary empath and the storyteller for the ages. She’s also having the most fun doing it.”

The interview comes almost exactly a year after Parton was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, an honor she was initially hesitant to accept because of her lack of experience in the rock genre. After her induction, the “Jolene” singer went on to craft Rockstar, a 30-track collection of originals and rock classics featuring guests such as Stevie Nicks, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Miley Cyrus, Lizzo, Pink and more.

Swift’s love for Parton is mutual. Last year, after the 33-year-old “Anti-Hero” musician butted heads with Damon Albarn over his claim that she doesn’t write her own songs, Parton insisted that Swift is “a great writer — with or without anybody.” “I think she’s done great,” she said of Swift in an interview at the time. “She knows who she is and what she wants. And I’m the same way. I’m going to fight if it goes against what I feel is not right for me.”

02 Nov 2023

Dolly Parton Says She’s Turned Down Super Bowl Halftime Show ‘Many Times’

Dolly Parton has no problem saying no to big offers. Whether it’s giving a firm no thank you to Elvis Presley when his manager asked for the half the publishing on “I Will Always Love You” for the honor of the King recording her song to initially declining induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Parton isn’t afraid to stick to her guns.

Even when the NFL comes calling, which they have, several times. Parton told The Hollywood Reporter that she’s turned down playing the coveted Super Bowl halftime gig several times, and for very good reasons.

“Oh, sure. I’ve been offered that many times,” Parton told THR of turning her back on one of the most high-profile gigs in music. “I couldn’t do it because of other things, or I just didn’t think I was big enough to do it — to do that big of a production. When you think about those shows, those are big, big productions. I’ve never done anything with that big of a production. I don’t know if I could have. I think at the time that’s what I was thinking.”

Had Parton said yes, she would have joined a very small roster of country stars who’ve taken the stage for what is typically the highest-rated broadcast TV program of the year, a list that includes 1994’s “Rockin’ Country Sunday” line-up with Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Wynonna & Naomi Judd and Shania Twain (with No Doubt and Sting) in 2003.

But with her first-ever rock album, Rockstar, due out on Nov. 17, Parton said she’s thinking about blow-out performances in a much different way. “It would make more sense,” she said of playing the blow-out gig that will host Usher on Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas. “That might change. I might be able to do a production show.”

The singer who has won 10 Grammys, been nominated for two Oscars and placed 25 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart is about to move into uncharted territory with the 30-song album, which features a handful of originals and collaborations on rock classics with everyone from Paul McCartney and Elton John to Stevie Nicks, Sting, Joan Jett, Ringo Starr, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Emmylou Harris, Lizzo, P!nk, Brandi Carlile and more.

After initially turning down the offer to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because she said it didn’t feel like the right fit, Parton was inducted last year after gaining a better understanding of how the Hall works. “They’re going to put me in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and somebody like Meat Loaf or some of these other great artists never even made it?’ I didn’t want to take away from somebody that has spent their life in that world like I had spent mine in country [music],” she told THR.

But after learning how the invitation process works, and seeing the variety of acts who’ve been inducted, from rappers (Jay-Z, The Beastie Boys) to pop icons (Madonna, Janet Jackson) — not to mention this year’s class featuring fellow country legend Willie Nelson, rapper/producer Missy Elliott and late pop star George Michael — she now gets it. “They told me all the ways that people’s music has influenced other people around the world … and told me about other people that were in it besides rock. Then I accepted it,” she said.

“But I still didn’t feel great about it. I still thought I needed to earn it,” she said. “That’s why I thought, ‘Well, timing is perfect. There’s a real reason for me to do this rock ‘n’ roll album. Here I am a rock star at 77.’”

02 Nov 2023

Tyla’s ‘Water’ Rushes Into Top 10 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart

Tyla’s rapid rise hits a new level this week as “Water” rushes into the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart with a 12-8 push on the list dated Nov. 4. The South African singer’s single continues to build in all three contributing metrics – streaming, radio airplay and sales – and races into the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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In the latest tracking week of Oct. 20 – 26, “Water,” released on FAX Records / Epic Records, registered 11.4 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate, an 18% jump from the prior week. Thanks to that figure, the track lifts 14-10 on R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs and takes the chart’s weekly Greatest Gainer honor. In the sales market, “Water” also sold 2,000 downloads in the tracking week, an 11% improvement on the prior week and enough to keep the track at No. 3 on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales for a second week. The single’s radio airplay surges to 15.1 million in total audience, a 39% swell compared to the previous week, and prompts its No. 39 entrance on the all-genre Radio Songs chart. (All radio airplay, regardless of genre format, contributes to a track’s rank on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.)

Diving further into the “Water” radio appeal, the single is hottest at the R&B/hip-hop format, as it pushes 19-14 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart through a 25% gain in plays at the format. It’s quickly racing up the ranks at rhythmic radio, dashing 30-20 on Rhythmic Airplay following a 57% explosion in weekly plays there. Plus, the tune launches at No. 39 on the Pop Airplay chart due to a 75% week-over-week improvement in plays at mainstream top-40 radio stations.

Elsewhere, “Water” springs 5-2 on the Hot R&B Songs chart for a new peak and bursts 46-21 to a new best on the all-genre Hot 100, securing Tyla’s first top 40 hit in the process. In addition, “Water” wins a third term at No. 1 on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart. Echoing its rapid ascent up several U.S. charts, “Water” is also proving a global hit: The tune darts 21-9 on the Billboard Global 200 and 17-11 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart.

The ”Water” chart rise also lifts Tyla’s fortunes on the Billboard Artist 100, where she leaps 72-58 in her second week on the 100-position list, which measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption- album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming – to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

02 Nov 2023

Black Music Action Coalition, Rock Hall Establish BMAC Music Maker Guaranteed Income & Mentorship Program

The Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame have partnered to establish the 2024 BMAC Music Maker Guaranteed Income & Mentorship Program. As noted in the press release announcing the news, the program will focus on promoting “economic empowerment and access for emerging Black and female music artists and industry professionals.”

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Applicants for the BMAC Music Maker Guaranteed Income & Mentorship Program must be between 18-30 years old, provide proof of financial need and reside in the U.S.

Applications will be available today, Nov. 2, through Nov. 20. Selected applicants will then receive a year of financial support and mentorship from BMAC and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame beginning February 2024, Black History Month. Additionally, during Grammy Week 2024, the two organizations will produce an industrywide summit in association with Billboard, iHeartMedia and the Music Artist Coalition (MAC). Among the discussion topics: diversity, inclusion and the significant contributions that female and Black artists have made to music.

“The immeasurable contributions made by Black artists and executives have led to the growth and expansion of our music industry and impacted bottom lines globally,” stated BMAC co-founder/chairman Willie “Prophet” Stiggers in the announcement release. “However, those contributions have often been overlooked, appropriated and misrepresented. BMAC applauds the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for partnering with us to launch a program that will directly address the longstanding inequities in the music industry. We’re leveling the playing field and investing in the next generation of Black and female creatives and future executives, ensuring they have the access, resources and the network to continue to make those contributions and impact.”

Added Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation chairman John Sykes, “Rock & roll was born from the collision of R&B, gospel and country. Black and female artists and executives have played a vital role in creating the diverse sounds, styles and spirit honored by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame from its creation in 1986 through today. We’re proud to partner with the Black Music Action Coalition on this important initiative.”

Financial support provided under the program will include basic needs such as rent, utilities and food plus career advancement costs like studio time, travel for shows, marketing and legal services. Mentoring of the selected applicants will encompass development and visibility opportunities within BMAC and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s networks. 

“At BMAC, part of our mission is to support and cultivate talent,” said BMAC co-founder Caron Veazey. “And through the BMAC x Rock & Roll Hall of Fame program, we’re able to provide mentorship and a guaranteed income to artists, which will provide them with the bandwidth to create. Our aim is to help the next generation of musicians, songwriters, producers, managers, agents and other industry professionals to go after their dreams and turn them into reality. Working together with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is an exciting example of implementing tangible action to support a shared goal.”

In addressing the aforementioned industrywide summit, MAC board member Susan Genco stated, “Music Artist Coalition is proud to join forces with the Black Music Action Coalition and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to facilitate an industry conversation on race, gender, diversity and inclusion. We want to bring together industry leaders to have an open dialogue about our industry’s past, present and, most importantly, building our future.” 

The launch of the BMAC Music Maker Guaranteed Income & Mentorship Program follows the organization’s move in September to open general membership to music industry professionals and advocates. For more information, visit bmacoalition.org. To apply to the 2024 BMAC Music Maker Guaranteed Income & Mentorship Program click here. 

02 Nov 2023

Lil Mabu & Chrisean Rock Zoom to No. 1 on TikTok Billboard Top 50

After a three-week reign atop the TikTok Billboard Top 50, Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine” relents the No. 1 spot to Lil Mabu and Chrisean Rock’s “Mr. Take Ya B-tch,” which zooms from No. 33 to the top of the Nov. 4-dated tally.

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The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity Oct. 23-29. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.

“Mr. Take Ya B-tch” debuted on the Oct. 28-dated TikTok Billboard Top 50, following the song’s premiere on Oct. 16. In addition to a viral dance to the song on TikTok, the track has also garnered attention due to the song dissing Chrisean Rock’s ex-boyfriend Blueface (she is now dating Lil Mabu). Blueface’s current girlfriend, JaidynAlexis, concurrently leaps into the top 10 of the chart, zooming 13-8 with “Barbie” (more on it here after its debut on the Oct. 21 survey).

Lil Mabu and Chrisean Rock’s collaboration debuts at No. 33 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart dated Nov. 4, racking up 7.2 million official U.S. streams in the Oct. 20-26 tracking week, according to Luminate.

It’s not the first time Lil Mabu has had a viral moment on TikTok, though it’s the first since the TikTok Billboard Top 50 began in September 2023. Previously, his song “Mathematical Disrespect” rose to No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May.

Music from Disney films take up two of the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s top 10 spots, with “Mr. Take Ya B-tch” followed by Ariana DeBose’s “This Wish” at No. 2 after it debuted at No. 5 the previous week. The song, from the upcoming film Wish out Nov. 22, continues to rise thanks to continued usages around collective digital character cards on TikTok for Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 100th anniversary that were launched Oct. 16. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” from 2021’s Encanto, benefits from the same trend, jumping 25-6.

The TikTok Billboard Top 50’s previous No. 1, Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine,” falls to No. 3 (though it continues to vault up the Billboard Hot 100, leaping 35-26 for a new peak), while Aliyah’s Interlude’s “It Girl” lifts from No. 6 to No. 4, its first week in the top five. Future’s “Wicked,” previously at No. 3, drops to No. 5 to round out the top five.

One of the chart’s big movers outside of “Mr. Take Ya B-tch” is Bad Bunny’s “Monaco,” which, after debuting at No. 50 on the Oct. 28 ranking, rises to No. 7 in its second week. Concurrently, the song spends a second week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs, with 18.1 million streams, 1.8 million radio audience impressions and 2,000 downloads.

Drake’s “Rich Baby Daddy,” featuring Sexyy Red and SZA, also reaches the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s top 10 for the first time, jumping 21-10 on the heels of dance content and other uploads mostly isolating Sexyy Red’s chorus.

Prince and the Revolution’s “Kiss,” meanwhile is the chart’s top debut of the week, bowing at No. 12. The iconic artist’s two-week Hot 100 No. 1 (1986) blasts onto the list due to a meme of a skeleton dancing to the song.

See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here, including debuts from Beach House, Future, Hank Williams Jr. and more. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.

02 Nov 2023

Jack Antonoff Says ‘Cruel Summer’ Has ‘Always’ Been His & Taylor Swift’s ‘Favorite Song’ on ‘Lover’

Taylor Swift‘s “Cruel Summer” just secured its second week atop the Billboard Hot 100, a feat that’s remarkable even without the knowledge that the song is over four years old. And then there’s the fact that the track, as its title suggests, was originally slated to be a song of the summer contender in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic altered its course — only for it to hit No. 1 days before November 2023.

“I’m loving where the music business has gone,” Jack Antonoff, who produced “Cruel Summer” and much of Swift’s 2019 album Lover, told Jimmy Fallon during his Tonight Show appearance Wednesday (Nov. 1). “Because it’s melted down into nothing but what people like. You can talk your crap about this or that, but the fans are God. What they say goes.”

“The idea of a single is just, what’s the song that if you could get your friends in the room, you’d play?” the Grammy-winning producer continued. “And what happened with ‘Cruel Summer’ is a testament to that. It was always our favorite song on the album. Then with nothing, no gas in the fire, with no one on the business side doing anything, just kids started playing it more and more.”

Antonoff’s sentiments echo the video message he and Swift posted shortly after news broke late October that “Cruel Summer” had gone No. 1. Excitedly talking over one another, the Bleachers frontman said that the Lover track had always been “the song that we said was the best song, but we thought, ‘Oh, you know what? This will be our secret best song.’”

“We just wanted to say thank you so much for making ‘Cruel Summer’ a Hot 100 No. 1, and it’s not even summer anymore,” Swift added in the video. “It’s deep fall, I’m wearing a sweater.”

Antonoff also recently spoke with Billboard about the “Cruel Summer” phenomenon, calling its delayed chart triumph “a huge thumbs-up from the universe.” “I take it all as a reminder to do what you believe in, make the songs you believe in,” he added. “You never want to do anything that you don’t believe in for the sake of success … With [‘Cruel Summer’], I loved that it existed, and didn’t need anything more from it. It’s just this bizarre icing on the cake.”

Watch Jack Antonoff open up about the belated success of “Cruel Summer” above, and the Bleacher’s Tonight Show performance below.