State Champ Radio Music News
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Bryson Tiller is back. Pen Griffey shocked fans by announcing plans for his first-ever double-album on Tuesday (May 27). The Louisville native revealed on social media that Solace & the Vices is on the way and he provided some insight into the duality of the double-album. “S O L A C E • somber, vulnerable, […]
SZA recreated Kim Kardashian‘s internet-breaking Paper Magazine cover to celebrate her AMAs victory last night. On Monday (May 26), the R&B singer won favorite female R&B artist and favorite R&B song at the 2025 American Music Awards. To celebrate her victories, the SOS star hopped on Instagram and gave her own rendition of Kardashian’s viral […]
Rick Derringer — legendary guitarist, rock icon and songwriter behind hits such as “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” and “Real American” — has died. He was 77 years old.
The news comes via a Facebook post from the musician’s caretaker, Tony Wilson, who shared on Tuesday (May 27) that Derringer had passed away at 8:09 p.m. on Monday. His wife, Jenda Derringer, was at his side, as was Wilson.
“Derringer’s legacy extends beyond his music, entertaining fans with his signature energy and talent,” the announcement reads. “His passing leaves a void in the music world, and he will be deeply missed by fans, colleagues, and loved ones.”
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The post did not include a cause of death, but according to a report from Variety, Derringer had been ill in recent months.
Shaped by his proficiency on guitar, Derringer’s career as a performer, songwriter and producer spanned six decades. In addition to finding fame as part of the McCoys with hits such as 1965’s “Hang On Sloopy,” the Ohio native and Florida resident also worked on music for a wide variety of artists, from Cyndi Lauper to Steely Dan, Barbra Streisand, Alice Cooper, KISS and “Weird Al” Yankovic.
Over the course of his time in the music industry, Derringer charted four albums on the Billboard 200 — starting with All American Boy, which reached No. 25 in 1974. Spring Fever and The Edgar Winter Group with Rick Derringer would later enter the chart in 1975, followed by Derringer Live in 1977.
Derringer also had one LP make it onto the Jazz Albums chart: 2002’s Free Ride.
Two of the most important pieces of Derringer’s legacy, however, will always be the songs “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” and “Real American.” The former reached No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974 — marking Derringer’s highest career peak on the chart — while the latter is known for its use as pro wrestler Hulk Hogan’s theme song.
“Real American” was also used as campaign music for both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, as well as sitting president Donald Trump. In 2017, Derringer was working on a new version of the song that would “transcend politics and bring the nation together,” according to manager Kenn Moutenot, who was also the drummer in The Rick Derringer Band.
According to his Spotify, Derringer was still releasing music up until 2022. That year, he dropped a track called “Let It Be the Blues,” which followed a 2018 cover of Aimee Zimmerman’s “Always Be Your Mom” with Jenda.
When SEVENTEEN debuted on May 26th, 2015, all odds were stacked against the group. Formed by relatively small label Pledis Entertainment (acquired by HYBE in 2020), the 13-piece ensemble faced an uphill battle in the competitive K-pop scene — not the least because of their humble origins and unusually large lineup. “It feels like it […]
Bunnie XO is kissing off haters who are criticizing how she shows affection for Jelly Roll on red carpets.
In a recent clip from her Dumb Blonde podcast, the social media star clapped back after trolls accused her of faking her feelings for her husband, citing the fact that they shared only a very brief peck in front of photographers at the Academy of Country Music Awards earlier in May, rather than exchanging a full-blown kiss. “They’re like, ‘She’s not really with him, that was a fake kiss, this is fake love,’” Bunnie began, quoting some of the recent comments she’s seen.
The content creator went on to explain, “When you are on a red carpet, you literally have 300 cameras pointing at you at one moment.”
“If I lingered on his lips longer than 10 seconds, you guys would be like, ‘She’s still a wh–e. Get a room, this is disgusting,’” Bunnie continued. “I have lipgloss on, I have an entire face [of makeup]. My husband has to continue taking pictures after that kiss. Does he want freaking lip liner and gloss all over his face? No.”
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The podcaster also said that photographers on red carpets will often specifically ask her and the “Need a Favor” singer to smooch, something she says isn’t asked of “any other couple.” “I don’t mind kissing my husband, but I’m not going to f–king lock lips with him,” Bunnie said. “Same thing on stage, people had a problem with how I was kissing him on stage.”
“First it was I was kissing him too much. Then it was, ‘Oh, she doesn’t like him, she doesn’t even want to kiss him,’” she added. “As the brand has grown, we’re in front of children. We’re in front of families.”
In addition to walking the carpet with Bunnie, Jelly also performed with Shaboozey at the ACM Awards on May 8. The “Son of a Sinner” musician was nominated for three awards that night — entertainer of the year and album of the year, which both went to Lainey Wilson, as well as male artist of the year, which went to Chris Stapleton.
Bunnie has been Jelly’s go-to plus-one at award shows throughout his music career, but their romance dates back to long before he was ever famous. The two stars first met in 2015 before tying the knot the next year, and in recent months, they’ve both been open about wanting to expand their family through IVF. The pair also shares full custody of Jelly’s 17-year-old daughter from a past relationship, Bailee; the country star is also Dad to 8-year-old Noah from a different past relationship.
“We’re right in the middle of the journey,” Jelly told Access Hollywood at the ACMs of his and Bunnie’s IVF experience. “For all of our friends out there who have been supporting and praying for us that know the journey we are on, y’all know how hard it is. Thanks for praying for us. We’re still trying.”
Watch Bunnie clap back at the kiss haters below.
Morgan Wallen’s 37-song collection I’m the Problem blasts in atop Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart (dated May 31), as well as the all-genre Billboard 200. The set (which contains one more track than on his previous LP, 2023’s One Thing at a Time) grants the singer-songwriter from Sneedville, Tenn., his fourth and third leader, respectively.
In its first week (May 16-22), I’m the Problem earned 493,000 equivalent album units in the United States, according to Luminate — the biggest week by that metric of 2025.
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I’m the Problem (on Big Loud/Mercury/Republic) sold 133,000, marking Wallen’s best career sales week, inclusive of a personal-best vinyl sales frame of 48,000. The set’s sales were helped by its availability on vinyl across five variants. (One Thing at a Time wasn’t released on vinyl until its fourth week on sale.)
On the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart, Wallen boasts 37 tracks — the entirety of I’m the Problem — as he breaks his own record for the largest one-week share of the survey, surpassing the 35 that he logged on the March 18, 2023, chart when One Thing at a Time debuted at No. 1 on Top Country Albums and the Billboard 200.
“What I Want,” featuring pop star Tate McRae, Wallen’s first collaboration with a female artist, rockets in atop Hot Country Songs, marking his 11th chart-topper and record-extending eighth No. 1 arrival.
As for the 21-year-old McRae from Calgary, Alberta, she scores her first Hot Country Songs No. 1 with her rookie entry in the genre. “What I Want” launches with 31.2 million official U.S. streams, 3.9 million airplay audience impressions and 2,000 sold. As previously reported, the collaboration roars in at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.
With five debuts in the Hot County Songs top 10, I’m the Problem has generated 13 top 10s (including three leaders), the most top 10s ever from a single album. Wallen infuses the entire top 10 on the May 31 chart, also a first, besting the nine that he logged on March 18, 2023.
Below “What I Want” (which is being promoted to pop and adult radio), “Just in Case,” Wallen’s current single at country radio, hops 3-2 on Hot Country Songs, rebounding to its best rank. The rest of his top 10 monopoly: “I’m the Problem” (2-3, following a week at No. 1 in February); “I Got Better” (No. 4, debut); “Superman” (No. 5, where it flew in a week earlier); “Love Somebody” (6-6, after a week at No. 1 last November); “I Ain’t Coming Back,” featuring Post Malone (8-7, after hitting No. 3); “20 Cigarettes” (No. 8, debut); “Kick Myself” (No. 9, debut); and “Eyes Are Closed” (No. 10, debut).
Wallen ups his career top 10 total on Hot Country Songs to 40. Dating to his first week in the tier, on the chart dated May 12, 2018, with “Up Down” (featuring Florida Georgia Line), his 40 top 10s are almost twice the amount of runner-up Luke Combs (21 in that span).
At the turn of the century, it was Allen Iverson who served as the bridge between hip-hop and basketball while also boasting a massive amount of pop culture influence. Part of the influence came after he retired, when the Philadelphia 76ers icon inspired Post Malone’s breakout hit “White Iverson” in 2015. A decade later, Posty […]
Nicki Minaj‘s last album arrived with her Pink Friday 2 to close out 2023, and she’s laid low for much of 2025 so far on the music side. Gracing the cover of Vogue Italia on Tuesday (May 27), Minaj opened up about the creative process heading into her next LP.
While the Queens legend has a collection of songs she’s proud of, Minaj is in no rush to release her next body of work until the time is right and aligns with her life.
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“I’ve got a bunch of really strong tracks, but I don’t want to rush,” she explained. “I want the record to mean something, both for the fans and for me. I’ll never be one of those people who puts out songs just to put them out. I love music. I respect it.”
When that time does come, she plans on hitting the road once again. “To experience it all again, as soon as possible. For me, and for the Barbz,” she added. The Pink Friday 2 World Tour earned Minaj the honor of having the highest grossing rap tour for a woman.
Elsewhere in the interview, Minaj revealed that she actually initially hated how she looked in the viral “Did I Lie” video, which was born from a CRWN interview in 2018 surrounding the rollout of Queen with Elliott Wilson.
“I hate how I look in that video,” she said. “When people started using it I thought, ‘I’m blocking you all!’ Then I gave in — it’s actually pretty funny.”
Minaj hasn’t made many public appearances this year, but she did pop out at the 2025 Met Gala earlier in May, as the Young Money rapper stunned in a Thom Browne navy pinstripe mermaid dress. “It reminded me of putting on your Sunday’s best and being iconic in your own world,” she told Entertainment Tonight of her attire.
Pink Friday 2 arrived with much fanfare in December 2023. The project debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 228,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 14, according to Luminate. That figure is the largest week for a rap album by a woman in the 2020s.
See Nicki’s Vogue Italia cover below:
There was a blank space where fans thought Taylor Swift was going to be at the 2025 American Music Awards, with the pop star skipping the show altogether despite weeks of Swifties theorizing that she was going to make an announcement at the ceremony Monday (May 26).
And though there was never any guarantee that the “Fortnight” singer would attend — much less reveal something by way of new music — many fans are still taking to social media to express their disappointment in the lack of a Swift surprise. While some are sharing memes declaring themselves “clowns” for believing that the 14-time Grammy winner would show up, others are still looking for an explanation behind the seeming “clues” that led them to believe she would be there in the first place.
“i know that taylor doesn’t owe us anything but what was the reason behind this?” one person wrote on X, sharing a screenshot of Swift’s online store with a display menu that reads, “Apparel, Music, Accessories, Sale.”
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The store menu — which spells out “AMAs” with each word’s first letter — was one of several non-Easter eggs that gave fans false hope that Swift would be at the ceremony. Over the past couple of weeks, Swifties also noticed that many of her site’s items were on sale for 26% off, which they pointed out matched the date of this year’s AMAs: May 26.
And while some thought that Swift would announce Reputation (Taylor’s Version) and others were convinced that she’d unveil her next studio album, all of the believers were absolutely certain that the aforementioned details were no coincidence — except, they turned out to be just that. Not only did the “Karma” artist not make an announcement, she didn’t even show up.
To cope with the letdown, many of those fans are making jokes at their own expense. “me bc taylor didn’t show up to the #AMAs,” one Swiftie wrote on X, posting a screenshot of the singer’s Folklore song “This Is Me Trying” edited to say, “This Is Me Clowning.”
Another person shared a screengrab of a fitting lyric from The Tortured Poets Department‘s “But Daddy I Love Him” — “You should see your faces” — and a third fan shared a photo of an empty AMAs red carpet and wrote sarcastically, “Taylor Swift stuns at the #AMAs.”
Swift hasn’t dropped an album since Tortured Poets in April 2024, after which the LP spent 17 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It’s been even longer since she released another Taylor’s Version re-record, with the last one, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), arriving in October 2023. Fans have been eager for the next one in the series ever since, with Reputation and Swift’s 2006 self-titled debut being the only two of her first six albums due for a re-rerelease amid her quest to reclaim ownership of her masters.
And as the AMAs proved to be fruitless in terms of any Swift news, fans will just have to keep clowning. Keep reading to see some of their best reactions to the musician’s absence below.
The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
K-pop girl group BLACKPINK announced the dates for the Asia leg of their upcoming world tour on Tuesday (May 27). The Live Nation-promoted outing set to launch this fall will now include Oct. 18 and 19 shows in Kaohsiung, Taiwan at Kaohsiung National Stadium, as well as multiple nights in October at Rajamangala National Stadium […]
