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Billboard Unfiltered returned on Wednesday (March 5) with another live episode, but the guys added a special guest into the mix — Hot 97’s DJ Drewski makes his debut on the newest iteration of the show.
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Wiz Khalifa’s recent run of fiery freestyles and features has the crew feeling nostalgic as they discussed Wiz possibly forcing his way back into the mainstream, which led to a debate surrounding The Blog Era.
“There is a commercial appetite for Wiz,” senior charts & data analyst Trevor Anderson said. “I would love to see Wiz get another hit … Just to cap off this era, how crazy would it be if there was a comeback single that made its way… If he was able to sneak back into a top 40, top 20 kind of hit, that, to me, would only solidify when you look at that 15-year run.”
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For deputy director, editorial Damien Scott, he appreciates that Wiz has found what fans love about him, and is continuing to fill the void.
“It’s good to see an artist realize what people love about them and understand there is something they could still give to the game,” Scott added. “Wiz sounds like he wants to rap again. He got so successful … I don’t think he has anything to prove, but he sounds reinvigorated and wants to prove to people that he can still do this.”
The fellas highlighted a Blog Era artist they’d like to see make a comeback: Damien Scott went with Charles Hamilton while Trevor Anderson highlighted B.o.B. Carl Lamarre went down to Atlanta for Ace Hood and Drewski chose Asher Roth.
Scott got another discussion going when recalling a viral tweet comparing Jay-Z, Nas and The Notorious B.I.G. as the best lyricists. “I would go with Biggie as a lyricist,” Scott said. “I think Big had everything. I think he had every aspect of rap. Big was so nasty, I don’t think rap has dramatically moved on from what he’s done.”
Lamarre chimed in with a spicy take when claiming that “from a dexterity level,” J. Cole could go “toe-to-toe” with Biggie and hold his own on a track. “I think he could go toe-to-toe with a Jay,” he said. “Especially this new version of Cole we’re getting.”
Another heated discussion came off of the theory of Drake being planted in the ’90s and seeing how much success he’d have with his singing-rapping hallmark in the Golden Era. Drewski believes Drake would’ve thrived on a Bad Boy Records under Diddy’s tutelage, while Damien Scott isn’t so confident.
Scott thinks Drake owes a series of thank-yous to Kanye West for paving the way and breaking down sonic barriers in the years prior to his ascension. “The change that took place because of Kanye, Drake benefitted from greatly,” he said. “Back then, that s–t wasn’t flying.”
Watch the full episode below:
California’s largest rock festival has released its lineup, featuring some of the biggest names in metal, hardcore and punk. 2025’s Aftershock Festival at Discover Park in Sacramento will include 115 bands, headlined by four of the biggest artists in the genre — pop-punk legends Blink 182, hard rock pioneering band Deftones, nu-metal veterans Korn and British hardcore legends Bring Me The Horizon.
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“Aftershock is the biggest rock, punk, and metal festival on the West Coast, and this year, it lined up perfectly for California fans. We’ve got legendary reunions, rare performances, and more California bands on this lineup than any Aftershock before,” said Aftershock promoter Danny Wimmer, who has staged the festival for 13 years, in a statement. “Year after year, we’ve broken attendance records, and this one is set to be the biggest yet. Trust me, you don’t want to miss it. I hope to see you there.”
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Other big names appearing at this year’s festival include pop-punkers Good Charlotte and All Time Low performing on the opening Thursday for Aftershock, Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan’s band A Perfect Circle and east coast hardcore outfit Turnstile performing Friday. Saturday will feature performances from Bad Omens and Gojira, while Sunday boasts sets by hard rock legends Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson.
This year’s festival features more than a dozen reunion shows, including the first West Coast performance for recently reunited East Coast hardcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan, as well as a 40th anniversary celebration for gross-out rock legends GWAR.
Tickets are on sale now at Aftershock’s website for both general admission and VIP. This year, Aftershock is continuing to offer layaway ticket purchases with just $1 down, as well as discounted four-day and single day passes to first responders, active duty military and medical professionals and nurses. A full lineup for this year’s festival can be found below:
Aftershock
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Naniwa Danshi’s “Doki it” blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated March 5.
The J-pop boy band’s eighth single is being featured as the theme song for AOKI’s “Freshers Fair” commercial starring the seven members. The single launched with 336,529 copies to rule sales, while coming in at No. 4 for downloads and No. 9 for radio airplay. This is the band’s third single after “UBU LOVE” and “The Answer” to hit No. 1 (and the fourth week, as “UBU LOVE” stayed atop the chart for two weeks). and “The Answer”).
Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” follows at No. 2. Streaming and video for the track are down from the previous week, but downloads gained by 104%, radio by 117%, and karaoke by 107%. The Oblivion Battery opener has coasted along in the top 5 for the 46th consecutive week, with six of them at No. 1.
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Sakanaction’s “Kaiju” slips a notch to No. 3. While overall points for the Orb: On the Movements of the Earth opener have decreased, streaming rises 3-2 (up 119%) and radio jumps 4-1 (up 147%).
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=LOVE’s “Tokubechu, shite” shoots to No. 4 from No. 56. The track marked the girl group’s highest first week sales with 302,589 copies, coming in at No. 2 for the metric.
timelesz’s “Rock this Party” debuts at No. 5. This is the first new song by the now eight-man group formerly known as Sexy Zone, after five new members joined through the audition called timelesz project. It’s also the first digital release by the boy band since their debut as Sexy Zone. The buzz around the new-member audition powered the track to No.1 for downloads, No. 8 for streaming, No. 53 for radio, and No. 86 for video. In addition, the release of the introductory digital compilation album Hello! We’re timelesz including songs from the group’s Sexy Zone years has sent “RUN” and “Jinsei Yugi” back into the Japan Hot 100. It’s been about four and a half years since the former entered the charts (No. 57 this week), and about a year and three months for the latter (No. 95).
The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Feb. 24 to Mar. 2, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.
“Don’t leave when you’re hot, that’s how Mase screwed up.”
We all remember that famous line from Ye’s (formerly Kanye West)= “Devil in a New Dress” — a line he has since apologized for — and on Wednesday (March 5), the Harlem rapper talked about his meteoric rise after he signed to Bad Boy.
During an episode of his sports talk show It Is What It Is, co-host Trysta Krick asked Mase what was the first moment in his rap career that gave him confidence during a conversation about athletes becoming more confident after winning a championship. “For me it was instant,” he answered. “I worked so hard behind the scenes that when I did hit the scene, it was instant. To people, it looked like it happened overnight.”
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He then recalled a moment when he went to check out a Junior M.A.F.I.A. show at Nassau Coliseum with a friend and couldn’t get in. “That moment lit a fire in my belly,” he said. “A year later, I just started working on my flow, working on my bars, working on my delivery, and I worked on it for like six months. I studied people like Method Man. I studied people like LL. I got my waves from Nas. I got my bounce from Method Man. I got my songwriting from LL.”
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However, it wasn’t until The Notorious B.I.G. decided to let him hit the stage during a show at the Apollo that he really took off. “And then one day, he was performing at the Apollo and he brought me out and that was the part that changed everything,” he remembered. “What else can you be solidified by other than the greatest rapper ever to bring you out on stage and say that you’re the next one? And once he said I was the next one, I never looked back. I got better every day. I got better on every song. Every freestyle was great. It was like I couldn’t miss for like two years straight. Anything I got on was just gone. It was nonstop.”
He added: “My hand was hotter than probably Drake‘s. I’m not gonna lie to you. I mean from the beginning. Now Drake has had a way better career, did major things, but I’m saying, my initial start was hotter than Drake’s.”
Mase started his rap career as a member of Harlem rap group Children of the Corn alongside the late Big L, Cam’ron, Herb McGruff, the late Bloodshed and producer Six Figga Digga. He made his Bad Boy debut on 112‘s “Only You (Remix)” and his debut Harlem World sold 273,000 copies in its first week and is certified four times platinum.
Watch the full episode of It Is What It Is below.
Antioch, Tenn., native and Billboard 200 chart-topping artist Jelly Roll has some specific artists in mind when it comes to dreaming up his ideal potential Super Bowl Halftime Show.
During an appearance on the podcast Bussin’ With the Boys alongside his friend and fellow singer-songwriter Ernest, Jelly Roll discussed how, if the Super Bowl were to be held in his hometown of Nashville, he would love to see a country music-focused, multi-generational Super Bowl Halftime Show.
“You know what my dream would be?” Jelly Roll said. “When it comes to Nashville, they do a country music Super Bowl. And it’s not even about an artist — like it cuts to Garth [Brooks] on one stage, and he’s doing ‘[Friends in Low Places],’ then it cuts to Reba [McEntire] and then Lainey [Wilson], and then me and then Morgan [Wallen]. It’s like, 18 minutes.”
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“The whole landscape,” adds Ernest.
Notably, country artists have been well-represented in singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl, thanks to performances over the years from Brooks, McEntire, Charley Pride, Chris Stapleton, Mickey Guyton and more. But Super Bowl Halftime Show performances from country artists have been rare. In 1994, the Rockin’ Country Sunday Super Bowl Halftime Show was led by Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt and The Judds. In 2003, Shania Twain was on the halftime show bill alongside Sting and No Doubt.
During the Jelly Roll/Ernest episode of Bussin’ With the Boys, they also discussed the artists they feel are going to be huge in country music over the next few years, naming artists including Ernest’s Big Loud labelmate Jake Worthington (on Big Loud Texas), Leo33 artist and “I Never Lie” hitmaker Zach Top and newcomer Chandler Walters. (Worthington and Top spearheaded a country music revival at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium recently.)
Asked how important it might be for modern-day country artists to appreciate the history of the genre, Jelly Roll and Ernest noted how they are drawn to artists who respect the genre’s rich canon of enduring songs and artists.
“In the grand scheme of things, I guess it doesn’t matter, but it’s something that matters to me,” Ernest said.
“It matters to me,” Jelly Roll agreed.
“I appreciate and gravitate towards the people it does matter to, and I feel like it is our responsibility to –I like doing covers of old records to keep those songs alive,” Ernest continued. “Jamey Johnson said it, too, he said, ‘As country singers, it is our responsibility to keep the spirit of those before us alive through songs’ — whether it be writing in that spirit, or covering those songs. Those songs are meant to be sung. Merle Haggard died, that doesn’t mean you can’t go cut his songs. The lifespan of a song has no cap on it. It’s gonna outlive all of us, either way.”
“My second Grand Ole Opry performance, I sung [a song by] Waylon [Jennings],” Jelly Roll added. “It was important to me. One, when I did it the first time … I thought this is a once-around-the-sun for me. When they brought me back [for a second Opry performance], I was doubling down, because I believe, like he said, that probably in the grand scheme it don’t matter, but to the community, it matters to some. I just love country music. Always have, so I just naturally … we flock towards the people [who love country music] … Dude, you’ve been out with me. I turn every bar into a honky tonk. As soon as I get into a bar, hook up my phone or show me where the TouchTunes is. I’m fixin’ to put $100 in this thing and run the gauntlet on y’all for the next two hours.”
Ernest added, “We’ll sit on the front porch at [Nashville venue] Losers [Bar & Grill] ’til four in the morning, hooked up to Bluetooth, playing old Hank Williams songs.”
Watch the full episode of Bussin’ With the Boys below:
Kate Hudson and Adam Levine go way back! The Almost Famous star is set to join Season 27 of The Voice as a battle advisor for the Maroon 5 frontman, and the duo sat down for an interview with Entertainment Tonight, where Hudson revealed, “I’ve known Adam since high school!” Hudson attended Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences […]
Doja Cat will always be a Taco Bell legend for bringing back the Mexican Pizza, and she’s still making her impact felt within the company’s boardrooms.
The Grammy-winning artist invaded Taco Bell’s 2025 Live Más Live keynote event on Tuesday (March 4) with a message for the fans as well as some playful shots at the company’s Chief Marketing Officer, Taylor Montgomery, who was on stage at the time of her jumbotron takeover.
“What’s up Taco Bell? What’s up Live Más Live? Love you all, except you, Taylor. Yeah, we’re in a fight right now. You know, I’m a fan. I’m confused, really,” she said in a video, addressing the brand’s CMO, Taylor Montgomery. “Help me understand. How are you gonna tell me I can’t be in my own commercial? Seriously, what the f–k? If anyone is standing near Taylor, just slap –” she says as her video cuts off.
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Doja has continued to be part of the brand’s story. She appeared alongside LeBron James in Taco Bell’s Super Bowl commercial in February, which was directed by Dave Meyers. T-Bell didn’t want to spotlight its celebrity ambassadors in the spot, and instead gave airtime to the “real fans” keeping Taco Bell on top, with drive-thru cams seeing happy customers pulling up to their local fast-food chain.
“I’ve already made history with Taco Bell — you’re welcome for the Mexican Pizza comeback — so when I heard Taco Bell was featuring its biggest fans, I assumed that I would be part of the action,” Doja said in a press statement prior to the Big Game. “Don’t get me wrong, I should be the star, but my fellow Taco Bell fans really showed out… I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what happens during the Big Game.”
Prior to Super Bowl LIX, Doja posted a TikTok with LeBron in which they voiced their Taco Bell loyalty. “I brought back the Mexican Pizza, now they wanna focus on real fans? I am a real fan,” she said while showcasing her Mountain Dew Baja Blast.
Doja Cat etched herself into Taco Bell lore when she successfully campaigned for T-Bell to bring back its famed Mexican Pizza in 2022.
Watch the “Paint the Town Red” singer interrupt the brand’s live event below, starting around the 54-minute mark:
Jennifer Hudson inadvertently became part of the action at a New York Knicks game Tuesday (March 4), with the vocalist taking a basketball to the face in a moment that’s going viral on social media. In a clip from the team’s match against the Golden State Warriors at Madison Square Garden, Hudson sits courtside with […]
Lewis Capaldi has finally notched his first video in the YouTube billion-views club. The Scottish singer made it onto the 10-digit list this week when his 2019 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit became his first visual to notch a billie. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]
Lady Gaga is having fun causing a little mayhem at 30 Rock, with the pop star hilariously airing out some of the Saturday Night Live cast members’ business in a new promo video posted ahead of her upcoming hosting stint.
In the clip shared Wednesday (March 5), Gaga — looking low-key in a black baseball cap and T-shirt — sits at a piano in the SNL break room and openly sings observations about the comedians who filter in and out. “Andrew Dismukes is ordering a breakfast sandwich at 2 p.m.,” she croons, playing some jazzy chords.
“Devon Walker is taking a big swing with a new hat,” the 14-time Grammy winner continues when the cast member enters wearing a camouflage cowboy hat.
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“OK, what?” a slightly offended Walker asks, to which Dismukes explains, “This is her process.”
The new video arrives just a few days ahead of Gaga’s return to the comedy series, with the musician set to serve double duty as host and musical guest on the Saturday (March 8) episode. It’ll come just hours after the release of her seventh studio album, Mayhem, the day prior.
The A Star Is Born actress previously pulled double duty on the show in 2013, which may be why she’s so comfortable on the premises in the new promo video. The clip ends with a pajama-clad Heidi Gardner leaving her office with disheveled hair, after which Gaga calls her out for “trying to pretend she isn’t sleeping here, but we all know she is.”
“And the question is, ‘Why?’” the musician belts, to which Gardner tries her hand at singing: “And the answer is bedbugs!”
It’s unknown which songs Gaga will perform this weekend, but Mayhem was led by a trio of singles — including Billboard Hot 100-topper “Die With a Smile” with Bruno Mars, “Disease” and “Abracadabra.” Also on Wednesday, fans got a taste of a new track on the LP: “Garden of Eden,” a portion of which ESPN debuted in a teaser for this year’s Formula One season while declaring the track its official anthem of 2025.
Watch Gaga put the SNL cast on blast in the new promo above.