Music News

19 Apr 2023

Drake’s ‘Search’ Finds No. 1 Spot on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart

Drake’s historic dominance on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart adds another chapter to the story this week as his latest song, “Search & Rescue,” extends his record for the most No. 1s in the chart’s history. The track opens atop the list dated April 22 and secures the superstar his unprecedented 27th champ.

The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart blends streaming, airplay and sales data to rank the 50 most popular R&B/hip-hop songs of the week in the U.S.

“Search & Rescue,” released April 7, storms in as the genre’s most-streamed song of the week, with 33.8 million official U.S. streams in the week ending April 13, according to Luminate. That translates into Drake’s record-extending 19th leader on the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart, which reaches its 10th anniversary this week. (He nearly bookends the first decade of the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart, having ranked at No. 2 with “Started from the Bottom” on the first published edition, dated April 20, 2013.)

The new track, likewise, is the genre’s top-selling tune for the week, with 4,000 downloads sold in the same period. As “Search & Rescue” begins atop the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart, Drake acquires a – yes, record-extending – 24th No. 1.

Drake teased “Search & Rescue” in the days before its release, with an audio snippet making the rounds on social media, while it was also previewed on Sirius XM Canada’s The Fry Yiy Show. The song drew most attention for including audio from an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians of Kim Kardashian discussing her reasons for divorcing Kanye “Ye” West. The song’s cover art, too, generated chatter for featuring a Kim lookalike.

In addition to its strong streaming and sales starts, “Search & Rescue” also finds some activity in the third metric – radio airplay – that factors into the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In the radio realm, the song registered 70,000 audience impressions across all formats. (All airplay, regardless of radio genre format, contributes to a song’s rank on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs). The rhythmic and R&B/hip-hop formats have adopted the new cut most readily: “Search & Rescue” enters at No. 31 on Rhythmic Airplay and at the anchor slot, No. 40, on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.

As Drake rewrites the leaderboard again, here’s an updated look at the artists with the most No. 1 hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart since it became an all-encompassing genre recap in October 1958:

27, Drake
20, Aretha Franklin
20, Stevie Wonder
17, James Brown
16, Janet Jackson
15, The Temptations
13, Marvin Gaye
13, Michael Jackson
13, Usher

Notably, “Search & Rescue” marks Drake’s ninth No. 1 without any unaccompanied acts, and his first in two years and one month, since “What’s Next” launched at the summit on the chart dated March 20, 2021. Additionally, the new No. 1 marks Drake’s 11th of his 27 chart-toppers to premiere directly in the top slot. It joins this crew of his other instant champs:

Song Title, Artist (if other than Drake), Date Debuted at No. 1
“Work,” Rihanna featuring Drake, Feb. 13, 2016
“Summer Sixteen,” Feb. 20, 2016
“God’s Plan,” Feb. 3, 2018
“Nice for What,” April 21, 2018
“Toosie Slide,” April 18, 2020
“What’s Next,” March 20, 2021
“Way 2 Sexy,” featuring Future & Young Thug, Sept. 18, 2021
“Wait for U,” Future featuring Drake & Tems, May 14, 2022
“Jimmy Cooks,” featuring 21 Savage, July 2, 2022
“Rich Flex,” with 21 Savage, Nov. 19, 2022
“Search & Rescue,” April 22, 2023

19 Apr 2023

Jesy Nelson Slams Media Coverage of Little Mix Feud: ‘I Think It’s Disgusting’

Jesy Nelson took to social media on Tuesday (April 18) to vent about media speculation over her falling out with Little Mix.

“What’s really s–t about this f–king music industry is that when you’re going in to do an interview and you think you’re going to be talking about your music, and the video, and actually talking about something that’s really important to you, that went on in your life and has happened to women around you — domestic violence — which is what my music video was about,” she said through tears in an Instagram Story. “It’s really s–t to then, you know, obviously get asked a question about Little Mix. Which is inevitable, I was in Little Mix for 10 years.”

“So naturally, people are gonna be curious, like, are we still speaking?” she continued. “I said, ‘No, we haven’t spoke for two years but I honestly wish them all the best. We’re all on our solo journeys, it’s such an exciting time for us all right now.’ And yeah, honestly that was all I said.”

However, the former girl group member didn’t take kindly to the simple sound byte become the headline of virtually every story about the interview, rather than the focus being on her latest single “Bad Thing.”

“It’s just f–king bulls–t, ’cause I just feel like women just get pitted up against each other 24/ 7 in music,” Nelson added. “And I hate it, I think it’s disgusting, and it’s just really frustrating that when you’re actually going in there to talk about something that’s really close to my heart and means something to me, it’s then all taken out of context.”

Since departing from Little Mix in late 2020 shortly after the group released their sixth studio album Confetti, Nelson has launched a solo career laden with controversy — dropping her debut single “Boyz” in 2021 featuring Nicki Minaj and facing a barrage of accusations of “Blackfishing” in the song’s accompanying music video.

Watch Nelson’s tearful thoughts on Little Mix and her new music below.

19 Apr 2023

Travis Barker Wishes ‘Soulmate’ Kourtney Kardashian Happy Birthday: ‘You Deserve Everything’

Love is in the air once again for Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian — this time, Barker dialed up the affection via Instagram on Tuesday (April 18) for The Kardashian star’s 44th birthday, and wrote a touching tribute message to his wife in honor of her special day.

“My soulmate. I’m so grateful that today you were born. You deserve everything your heart desires,” the Blink-182 drummer captioned a carousel post that featured several stripped back and candid moments of him and the Poosh founder. “Nothing makes me happier than seeing you smile. You stole my heart the moment we met. Happy birthday to the most beautiful amazing woman to walk the face of the earth. I love you my wife.”

Kourtney, naturally, took to the comments section of her husband’s post to express her gratitude at his kind words. “I’m crying because you make me so happy. I love you my husband,” she wrote, adding a teary-eyed face and red heart emoji.

Barker’s birthday post to Kardashian comes amid the couple celebrating their first marriage anniversary earlier this month. To make the momentous occasion, Kardashian took to Instagram to reminisce and share the spontaneous photos they took during their Vegas wedding.

“One year ago today, an Elvis impersonator married me and @travisbarker after the Grammys and way too much tequila in a chapel in Las Vegas!” the 44-year-old star captioned a series of photos from before, during and after their nuptials. “It was one of the best nights of our lives, dreaming of a lifetime filled with fun adventures together. And yes, that’s me about to throw up on the floor in the car. Thankful to @clemente_310 @kevinhwolff for all the iPhone footage so that I could remember the night.”

See Barker’s sweet birthday post for his wife below:

19 Apr 2023

Rancid Roar Back With ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’ Single From First Album in Six Years

Rancid slammed back to life on Tuesday (April 18) with the galloping title track from their upcoming 10th studio album, Tomorrow Never Comes. “No judge, no jury, no civil rights/ Show up on the line, get ready to fight/ Run the streets and seize the night/ Mow ’em f–king down/ Everyone know it’s all about hate/ Take control, go eliminate,” singer Tim Armstrong bellows on the song over the veteran California punk quartet’s signature galloping drums, shouted gang backing vocals and slashy guitars.

Produced by Bad Religion guitarist, Epitaph Records founder and longtime collaborator Brett Gurewitz, the song is the first taste of the 16-track album due out on June 2nd on Epitaph as the follow-up to 2017’s Trouble Maker. The bull-rushing tune was accompanied by a frenetic black and white performance video co-directed by Armstrong and music video legend Kevin Kerslake (Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers) in which co-vocalist/guitarist Lars Frederkisen bellows the chorus, “Don’t you tell me about tomorrow/ Cause tomorrow will never come/ Gonna cheat, steal, and borrow/ Cause tomorrow never comes/ Tomorrow tomorrow (Tomorrow never comes)/ Tomorrow tomorrow (Tomorrow never comes).”

Other songs on the album include “Mud, Blood & Gold,” “New American,” “Drop Dead Inn,” “Magnificent Rogue,” “Hellbound Train” and “When the Smoke Clears.” Rancid will kick off a European tour on June 2 at the Slam Dunk in Rimini, Italy that will keep them on the road through a June 25 show in the Czech Republic before hopping back to the U.S. for a Sept. 9 show at the Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, KY and a gig at the Aftershock club in Sacramento, CA on Oct. 8; click here to see the list of tour dates.

Watch the”Tomorrow Never Comes” video and see the full track listing below.

Tomorrow Never Comes tracklist:

1. “Tomorrow Never Comes”
2. “Mud, Blood, & Gold” 
3. “Devil In Disguise” 
4. “New American” 
5. “The Bloody & Violent History” 
6. “Don’t Make Me Do It” 
7. “It’s a Road to Righteousness”
8. “Live Forever” 
9. “Drop Dead Inn” 
10. “Prisoners Song” 
11. “Magnificent Rogue” 
12. “One Way Ticket” 
13. “Hellbound Train” 
14. “Eddie the Butcher” 
15. “Hear Us Out” 
16. “When The Smoke Clears” 

19 Apr 2023

Yung Miami Confirms Breakup, Addresses ‘Pee Diddy’ Controversy: ‘That’s Not My Man’

Thought you’d never have to re-read the phrase “Pee Diddy?” Think again. Yung Miami just confirmed that she and Diddy are no longer an item, but not without touching on her viral January confession that she enjoys “golden showers” in the bedroom.

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When asked in a Wednesday (April 19) interview with The Cut about her relationship status with the “I’ll Be Missing You” rapper, the City Girls star revealed: “We’re still friends! We’re still good friends! But we’re single”

“That’s not my man,” Miami continued. “We had our own situation, I’m not gonna put a title on it. We were f–king with each other hard. We were together every day at one point. He supported me, I supported him. I’ll let the internet call it whatever they want to call it.”

But where the “Act Up” rapper’s romance with P. Diddy is concerned, so is — ahem — Pee Diddy. The unflattering nickname was assigned to Mr. Sean Combs a few months ago thanks to Miami’s revelation on her Caresha Please talk show that she likes for her partners to “pee on me in the shower.” Fans naturally assumed that her then-boyfriend was obliging her in that department, and memes and tweets about the situation resulted in the words “Pee Diddy” trending on Twitter.

“I never said he was the one I did that with,” Miami said in her latest interview. “Sex is a part of life. I’m grown, and maybe I talk about it too much, but everybody’s got their personal experiences. Some people get sh–ted on. Some people live life on the edge, some people boring as f–k. I watch a lot of porn, b-tches get peed on.”

“If we grown and we in the house just chilling and want to talk about sex, what’s wrong with that?” she added.

Miami didn’t just talk about pants-down activities in the interview, though. She also teased that her next album is coming “sometime this summer,” adding that “when you doing a project, it takes time. We’re trying to sit through it and make sure that that’s what we want to put out. It’s gonna hit different.”

19 Apr 2023

‘Love Is Blind’ Fans Petition to Remove Nick Lachey & Wife Vanessa as Co-Hosts

Fans of Netflix’s popular dating show Love Is Blind are making some noise about who they want to see on the program — and, in the case of Nick Lachey and his wife Vanessa Lachey, who they don’t want to see.

A change.org petition titled “Remove Nick and Vanessa Lachey as the Hosts of Love is Blind” is quickly gaining steam on the platform. The petition states that the married couple has a tendency to direct “attention at themselves and their personal lives rather than focusing on the contestants that are actually participating in the experiment,” which involves the single men and women on the show looking for love and getting engaged to one another before meeting in person. As a result of the couple’s perceived behavior, the petition states that like-minded fans of the show feel that Love Is Blind is “being held back from its full potential.”

The petition — which now has over 21,000 signatures at press time — was circulated before Netflix aired the Love Is Blind season 4 reunion on Sunday (April 16). In addition to backlash geared towards Netflix for the livestreaming snafu during the reunion, Nick and Vanessa received largely negative comments online for asking contestants “unsettling” questions, some of which included Vanessa delving into personal topics like the couples’ reproductive plans for the future.

In the comments section of Nick’s most recent Instagram post about the finale, a viewer remarked, “Vanessa needs to please apologize to those who have miscarried, to those who cannot have children, and to those who don’t want children!” Another user added, “Time for you to take on the limelight and become a solo host from now on. @vanessalachey inserts her personal opinion into her interviews and it’s unsettling to say the least. You are meant to represent the audience and be a medium between the viewers and the cast.”

See the change.org petition in full here.

19 Apr 2023

Liam Gallagher Isn’t Mad About Oasis AI Album ‘AISIS,’ In Fact He Thinks He Sounds ‘Mega’

Imagine if the classic 1995-1997 lineup of beloved battling Brit Pop band Oasis had stayed together and continued making music. Now you don’t have to thanks to the British band Breezer, who spent their pandemic lockdown writing and recording an album that taps into the classic everything-all-at-once sound and fury of Oasis’ landmark first three albums: Definitely Maybe (1994), (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (1995) and Be Here Now.

AISIS is a mind-expanding 8-song album that eerily mimics the Gallagher brothers’ sound on tracks written and recorded by Breezer in the group’s style, with the original singer’s voice later replaced by an AI vocals in the style of Oasis singer Liam Gallagher.

“AISIS is an alternate reality concept album where the band’s 95-97 line-up continued to write music, or perhaps all got together years later to write a record akin to the first 3 albums, and only now has the master DAT tape from that session surfaced,” reads a note from the band. “We’re bored of waiting for Oasis to reform, so we’ve got an AI modelled Liam Gallagher (inspired by @JekSpek) to step in and help out on some tunes that were written during lockdown 2021 for a short lived, but much loved band called Breezer.”

While some labels and artists are hurtling in a panic to stop AI versions of their music — with a fake Drake and The Weeknd viral hit quickly pulled from streamers this week — notoriously cantankerous vocalist Gallagher responded to a fan’s question on Wednesday (April 19) about whether he’s heard it and what he thinks. Yes, he said, he had, and in classic Liam fashion he added that he’d only heard one tune but that it was “better than all the other snizzle out there.”

Better still, in response to another query about his thoughts on the computer-generated Liam, the perma-swaggering singer proclaimed “Mad as f–k I sound mega.” He’s not wrong, as songs such as the bullrushing openers “Out of My Mind” and “Time” perfectly capture peak Oasis’ signature mix of swirling guitars, hedonistic fury and Liam’s snarling, nasally vocals. The psychedelic rager “Forever” and expansive ballad “Tonight” nail songwriter/guitarist/singer Noel Gallagher’s stuffed-to-exploding arrangements and Beatles fetish, amid such spot-on touches as the sound of the tide washing out, layers of sitar and a lyrical nod to Mott the Hoople’s David Bowie-penned 1972 smash “All the Young Dudes.”

As any Oasis fan knows, AISIS is as close as anyone is likely to come to an actual reunion of the group that split in 2009 after Liam left, setting off more than a decade of acrimonious back-and-forth between the famously battling singer and brother Noel as each has pursued their respective solo projects.

See Gallagher’s tweets and listen to AISIS album below.

19 Apr 2023

Matt Maher Scores His Fourth No. 1 on Christian Airplay With ‘The Lord’s Prayer’

Matt Maher notches his fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart with “The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours),” on the list dated April 22.

In the tracking week ending April 13, the song logged 6.5 million audience impressions, according to Luminate. Maher co-authored “Prayer” with Bryan Fowler and Jacob Sooter. Fowler and Sooter co-produced it with Brian Elmquist.

“As an artist, there are songs I write that I can’t wait to sing in front of an audience. But there are other songs that I can’t wait to hear other people sing with me,” Maher tells Billboard. “From the moment [Fowler] sent me a voice memo of the idea, I knew it was meant to be sung with people, not at them. So, it’s been a real joy on the road to hear that – people embracing a song based on scripture, with a simple yet profound and everlasting message. I’m so honored to have it achieve such a milestone at Billboard. I’m thankful to my longtime friends at radio and my team for the hard work.”

“Prayer” becomes Maher’s first No. 1 on Christian Airplay since “Alive & Breathing,” featuring Elle Limebear, ruled for four frames beginning in June 2020. Before that, his holiday track “Glory (Let There Be Peace)” led for a week in January 2017 and “Because He Lives (Amen)” reached the chart’s summit in April 2015.

Maher, originally from Newfoundland, Canada, and who now lives in Nashville, has made 26 Christian Airplay appearances, earning 12 top 10s. His debut track, “Your Grace Is Enough,” reached No. 4 in July 2008.

19 Apr 2023

Here’s the Advice Kristin Chenoweth Gave Ariana Grande on Playing Glinda in ‘Wicked’

The torch is being passed from one good witch to another.In a recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Kristin Chenoweth opened up about the thrillifying advice she gave Ariana Grande on stepping into the sparkly pink shoes of Glinda in Wicked, a role Chenoweth originated on Broadway in 2003.

“She was really nervous,” the 54-year-old musical theatre legend recalled. “She said, ‘I want to pay homage to you but I’m scared. I want to make you proud.’ I go, ‘Well you’ve already made me proud, so it doesn’t matter. Check, done that.’”

Chenoweth went on to share the wisdom she gave her mentee on playing Glinda in Jon M. Chu’s upcoming live action adaptation of the Wizard of Oz inspired musical, due out in theaters next year: “What I want to encourage you to do, Ariana, is make Glinda your Glinda. Sure, you can tip your hat at me if you want, but really I just want you to do you.”

The Holidate actress went on to say that the topic made her emotional because “I’ve known [Ariana] since she was ten.” “I’m so proud of her,” she added. “I can’t wait to see her do it.”

The hype for Chu’s two-part film adaptation, which also stars Cynthia Erivo playing the titular character of Elphaba, has never been higher. First look photos of both leading ladies in costume were released Sunday (April 16), and pictures and videos of Grande on set recently went viral on Twitter.

One of the viral videos shows the pop star shooting a scene from the beginning of the musical, effortlessly singing the operatic high notes in opening number “No One Mourns The Wicked” while addressing the citizens of Oz. Fans couldn’t get enough of Grande’s vocals or her stunning pink ballgown, with one fan tweeting: “That film is going to be crazy cause look how ariana grande Ate that up omg.”

Watch Kristin Chenoweth recall the “Wicked” advice she gave Ariana Grande below:

19 Apr 2023

Imagine Dragons Singer Dan Reynolds’ Wife Aja Volkman Files for Divorce

Imagine Dragons‘ Dan Reynolds and estranged wife Aja Volkman’s separation has moved to the next step, as she has officially filed for divorce, Billboard confirms. TMZ was the first to report the news.

The were documents filed Tuesday (April 18) at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles. As of press time, neither party has made a statement.

The petition arrives months after Reynolds’ announcement that he and Volkman — who is also a musician and is the lead singer of Nico Vega — were going their separate ways, and plan to co-parent. (The pair previously split in 2018, but by 2019 announced they were trying to repair the relationship.)

“I am saddened to say that after many beautiful years together Aja and I have separated,” the Grammy winner tweeted in September. “Being great parents to our children is our number one priority. Thank you for always supporting us with love and care for all these years.”

Reynolds and Volkman tied the knot in March 2011. Over their 12 years of marriage, the pair welcomed four children: Arrow, 10; twins Gia James and Coco Rae, 5; and Valentine, 2.

After announcing their separation in 2022, the Imagine Dragons frontman appeared on The Howard Stern Show and shared his feelings. “I love her. She is my best friend, and an incredible mother, and we are going to be great parents to our kids,” he said. “Relationships are so complex — here we are, at the close of a chapter and it feels hard, it feels like mourning for me. But it also feels like I’m just on the path I’m supposed to be on in life.”