Music News

18 Apr 2025

Young Thug’s YSL Records Seemingly Scrubs All Mention of Gunna From Instagram

This Gunna and Young Thug situation isn’t over by a long shot.

The two labelmates have had a complicated relationship in the public eye since Gunna decided to take an Alford Plea in 2022 just as YSL’s lengthy RICO trial was getting started. Now we can add another chapter to the drama. Fans have noticed that all mention of the “Beat the Case” rapper has been scrubbed from YSL Records’ Instagram account.

We went to check if Gunna was listed on the YSL website, but the link redirects to Thug’s site for his upcoming album UY SCUTI.

After public opinion swayed when Gunna decided to take his deal, he released a statement adamant that he didn’t cooperate with authorities. “While I have agreed to always be truthful, I want to make it perfectly clear that I have NOT made any statements, have NOT been interviewed, have NOT cooperated, have NOT agreed to testify or be a witness for or against any party in the case and have absolutely NO intention of being involved in the trial process in any way,” he wrote.

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About a week after Thugger took his own plea deal on Halloween of 2024, he tweeted and deleted a post about him and Gunna not being friends anymore. “Gunna stop acting like we friends on the internet,” he wrote. “I don’t know you my guy.”

What makes all this complicated is that Gunna is still signed under YSL, and Young Thug’s father has come to Gunna’s defense on numerous occasions, even attending one of his shows. Gunna’s lawyer Steve Sadow also replied to a Sportskeeda article about fans taking notice of Thug rapping “never associate with a rat” in a snippet on X, with a lengthy statement reiterating that Gunna didn’t cooperate. “I was Gunna’s attorney but I am NOT speaking on his behalf,” he wrote. “This long post is solely to set out the truth. Gunna did NOT cooperate, and did NOTHING and said NOTHING to cause harm to Thug’s case.”

Billboard reached out to Gunna’s team for comment.

18 Apr 2025

Michelle Williams ‘Finally’ Meets the Other Michelle Williams After Hilarious Mixup

After getting mixed up by the general public for years, one particularly hilarious mixup prompted Michelle Williams and Michelle Williams to finally link up.

In a video posted Thursday (April 17) by the first Williams — as in, the superstar previously in the Beyoncé-led girl group Destiny’s Child — she sits backstage after a performance of her Broadway show Death Becomes Her, telling the camera, “We had an amazing show tonight!”

She then pulls out a stack of photos of the other Williams — aka the five-time Oscar-nominated actress who’s starred in everything from Brokeback Mountain to My Week With Marilyn — that a fan had mistakenly mailed her in the hopes of getting an autograph weeks prior. Turning the camera, the first Williams reveals that the second Williams is sitting there beside her, and the former asks the latter to sign the pictures of herself.

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“Who should I make it out to?” the Blue Valentine star says, to which the “Journey to Freedom” singer replies giddily, “Would you make them out to meee?”

“#FINALLY,” reads the video’s caption.

The sweet meetup comes a little over a month after the singer posted a video of herself reading aloud a letter from a fan, featuring a hilarious twist at the end. “‘Dear Michelle Williams, I hope this letter finds you in great spirits,’” she recited in the March clip. “‘My name is Philip, and I have been an avid fan of your incredible performances in both film and theater.’”

“‘Your work in movies like Blue Valentine, Manchester by the Sea or The Greatest Showman has deeply moved me and many others, showcasing your exceptional talent,’” she continued at the time. “‘I am writing to kindly ask if you would consider signing the enclosed photos I have of you. Having your autograph would mean so much for me and my daughter, as we admire your artistry.’”

That’s when the first Williams showed the photos Philip had sent: snapshots of the second Williams in various movies. “Philip, thank you so much,” she said, laughing. “Thank you, Philip. Thank you so much. Absolutely brilliant. Her hair is fabulous.”

Though the moment was certainly memorable, Philip is far from the first person to get the two Michelle Williamses switched around. With both women working in the entertainment industry since the 1990s, countless others have gotten their identical names confused over the years.

The “Unexpected” artist has been starring in Death Becomes Her since the show opened in New York City in November. On the very first night of performances, her former bandmates Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland came out to Lunt-Fontanne Theatre to cheer her on. Film star Michelle is currently promoting her Hulu miniseries Dying for Sex.

See Michelle Williams Squared meet up below.

18 Apr 2025

Which New Music Release Is Your Favorite? Vote!

Good Friday might be a religious holiday, but it also aptly describes the quality batch of new songs that dropped at the end of this week.

The final New Music Friday before Easter 2025 found several major stars dropping fresh new tracks, including Lana Del Rey, who rings in the spring holiday with a gorgeous ballad titled “Bluebird” that gives fans a taste of her highly anticipated country-leaning album. Over delicate finger-picked guitar and piano, the alt-pop icon sings about enduring uncertain times, crooning, “Little bird, bluebird/ Fly away for both of us/ For you have wings and I’ve no means to fly.”

Then there’s Morgan Wallen, who tapped Post Malone for a fittingly timed resurrection-of-Jesus-themed song called “I Ain’t Coming Back,” which finds the two stars making allusions to the famous Bible story while quipping, “There’s a lot of reasons I ain’t Jesus, but the main one is that I ain’t comin’ back.” The track is one of 37 songs on Wallen’s upcoming album I’m the Problem, which — as announced this week — will feature him teaming up with Tate McRae for his first-ever collaboration with a female artist.

But those are just two of the multiple tracks in the bouquet of fresh releases this week, with Addison Rae dropping another trend-setting pop anthem titled “Headphones On” to follow February’s “High Fashion” and 2024’s breakthrough hit “Diet Pepsi,” and Davido sharing a full album of new dance-inducing Afrobeats bangers. This week also spawned a number of collabs, with Tommy Richman and Sexyy Red teaming up for “Actin Up With Sexyy Red,” Xavi and Netón Vega duetting on “Hija de Papi,” and Whiz Khalifa dropping a feature-heavy album, Kush + Orange Juice 2, with guest spots from Gunna, Ty Dolla $ign, Juicy J, Don Toliver and more.

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Every Friday with new music is a “Good Friday,” but this week is particularly sweet. Vote for your favorite fresh release below.

18 Apr 2025

PinkPantheress Announces New ‘Stateside’ Single

PinkPantheress announced Friday (April 18) that she’ll release her new single “Stateside” next Friday, April 25.

She partnered with [untitled], which describes itself as “a sacred place for your work-in-progress music,” to tease a snippet of the track while depicting “an accurate representation of how me and my friends listen to this song,” the English singer/songwriter/producer wrote on Instagram.

“Stateside” is set to arrive three weeks after her latest hit “Tonight,” the lead single from her upcoming sophomore mixtape Fancy That, due May 9, 2025 via Parlophone and Warner Records. The saucy club bop debuted at No. 5 on Hot Dance/Pop Songs and No. 25 on Bubbling Under Hot 100 this week (chart dated April 19).

She shared Fancy That‘s nine-song track list earlier this month and said in her Mixmag cover story, “All the music sounds so big and grand and present, and I really wanted to make music where it sounds like a statement is being made with the songs. I feel like that was what appealed to me, and it’s something that I wanted to take on board.”

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Fancy That will arrive two years after her debut studio album Heaven Knows, which included her Billboard Hot 100 No. 3 “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” collab with Ice Spice as a bonus track and reached No. 61 on the Billboard 200, and four years after her debut mixtape To Hell With It, which peaked at No. 73 on the Billboard 200.

See PinkPantheress’ new single announcement below.

18 Apr 2025

Kendrick Lamar Becomes First Musician to Be Featured in a Gatorade Commercial

Kendrick Lamar has become the first musician to ever be featured in a Gatorade commercial thanks to the brand’s latest ad.

On Friday (April 18), the award-winning rapper was tapped for Gatorade’s new Lose More. Win More. ad campaign, and gives a motivational speech throughout the commercial while his GNX track “Peekaboo” soundtracks the moment. The spot includes cameos from numerous athletes, such as the NBA’s Luka Dončić and Jason Taytum, and WNBA stars A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark.

“How much are you willing to lose?” Kendrick says in the commercial before speaking on the company’s history with the 1965 University of Florida football team. Dot himself also closes out the ad, as beads of orange colored sweat pour down his face in the final frame.

In a statement to Sports Business Journal, Gatorade CBO Anuj Bhasin said they chose K-Dot “because of his mindset of hard work, resilience and pushing boundaries.” The choice to include Kung Fu Kenny came as Gatorade seeks to engage its brand with younger audiences.

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Coming up next for K-Dot is his Grand National Tour with SZA. The North American and European trek will kick off next week and includes 39 shows, starting with Minneapolis on April 19. The tour will wrap on Aug. 9 in Stockholm, Sweden. Notable stops include MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on May 8 and 9, and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on May 24.

DJ Mustard will also serve as the opening act throughout the tour. This will be the second time Mustard and K-Dot will share the stage together, coming off Lamar’s memorable Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show in February, which featured a cameo from the producer.

Watch the new Gatorade commercial featuring Kendrick Lamar below.

18 Apr 2025

Wiz Khalifa Lists Dr. Dre as His Dream Collaborator While Being Interviewed With Puppies

Wiz Khalifa was surrounded by puppies when he pulled up to the Buzzfeed offices earlier this week. The Taylor Gang honcho is on the road in support of his Kush + Orange Juice 2 sequel album, which arrived on Friday (April 18).

Khalifa was feeling the puppy love during his interview with Buzzfeed Celeb as he was peppered with questions about his career while the dogs nibbled on his Nike laces and icy chain.

While pups around him pissed, pooped and even threw up, Wiz remained cool and calm as usual with his laid-back personality throughout the interview. Khalifa has been around dogs for much of his career, as fans might recall his pit bull named Star, his French bulldog Vincent, or Max B, the mini English bulldog.

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The Pittsburgh native has worked with many of the rap dignitaries he’s crossed paths with, but one person he’s still looking to check off his bucket list is Dr. Dre. “I want to work with Dr. Dre. It would be fun to get some Dre beats,” he said. “That’s probably like one of my biggest people that I want to work with.”

Wiz also admitted to looking back at previous time periods during his decorated career as inspiration, fueling him today.

“I’m my current muse,” he said. “I put in so much work in the game. I just look at my old stuff as inspiration. It just inspires me to see myself in different eras I might have forgotten what mindframe I was in when I was doing certain stuff… I got these things on YouTube they’re called DayToday‘s, but just seeing how creative that process was, it still inspires me to do new stuff in a new way.”

Kush & Orange Juice was released in 2010 and went on to be one of the mixtapes that defined the Blog Era of music. Fifteen years later, Khalifa is back with the sequel.

Watch the full interview below.

18 Apr 2025

Watch Sydney Sweeney Belt This Classic Adele Breakup Ballad at Karaoke

Never mind, Sydney Sweeney will find someone like you.

In a new clip, the Euphoria star sings one of Adele‘s most classic breakup anthems at a karaoke bar in Florida, belting out “Someone Like You” with a pair of friends with a big smile despite the sad lyrics.

Shared by TMZ, the video finds Sweeney at Backyard Bar in Key West earlier this week. As the lyrics play on a screen behind her, she and two co-vocalists loudly sing the British superstar’s iconic chorus — “Never mind, I’ll find someone like you/ I wish nothing but the best for you” — as the actress points into the crowd.

At one point, she tells the venue’s DJ that she’ll be staying up on stage “forever,” adding coyly: “Don’t get tired of me.”

Released in 2011 as a single from Adele’s sophomore studio album 21, “Someone Like You” spent five weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. The LP marked the vocalist’s first No. 1 on the Billboard 200, remaining at the summit for 24 weeks — longer than any other album has this century.

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The video of Sweeney belting out one of this millennium’s most beloved breakup tracks comes just a couple of weeks after reports emerged that she and fiancé Jonathan Davino have parted ways. The alleged split comes after seven years together, and more than two years after the producer proposed to the Immaculate leading lady in 2022.

Watch Sweeney sing “Someone Like You” with a few friends at a karaoke bar in Florida below.

18 Apr 2025

Cozy (Taylor’s Version): Amazon Shoppers Are Obsessed With These $20 Taylor Swift-Inspired Slippers

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

While there’s no shortage of merch for Taylor Swift lovers, fans have been particularly taken with these cozy slippers that feature stylish nods to the artist.

Available in five different versions, the slippers feature a wool-like plush fabric that’s embroidered with handwriting reminiscent of the font that is found on most Swift’s re-releases of her albums. Fans can choose from slippers that say “1989” in a light blue font, a set that features “1989” on one foot and “(Taylor’s Version)” on the other, as well as sets in a couple of different colors that feature “(Taylor’s,” “Version)” on either foot. At only $20, it’s almost worth collecting them all.

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Taylor Swift-Inspired Slippers: Fans Are Obsessed With $20 Slip-Ons

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Taylor’s Slippers

The titles, of course, are a nod to the fact that Swift began re-releasing recordings of her library of albums after they were sold. For each album, the singer-songwriter released additional tracks from each of the albums’ accompanying studio sessions, as well as updated merch. Each re-release was labeled “Taylor’s Version,” and fans have put those words to use as a rallying cry to support the artist as she took back control over her life’s work.

Now, you can find the phrase emblazoned on these adorable slippers. In addition to their lamblike fabric, they have a terry cloth lining and a high-density memory foam insole. They also have a non-slip rubber sole that will make it easy to run errands around or just outside of the house.

If you’re looking for the most adorable merch, go ahead and make sure to grab them while they’re still available in a range of colors and sizes.

Taylor Swift-Inspired Slippers: Fans Are Obsessed With $20 Slip-Ons

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Taylor’s Slippers

Taylor Swift-Inspired Slippers: Fans Are Obsessed With $20 Slip-Ons

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Taylor’s Slippers

18 Apr 2025

Azealia Banks Says She Regrets Voting for Donald Trump: ‘An Absolute Disaster’

Azealia Banks is walking back her support for Donald Trump. The “212” rapper said on Wednesday (April 16) that she regrets casting a vote for Trump in last year’s presidential election.

Banks took to X and wrote that “we made a f—ing mess” voting to put Trump back on the Oval Office. “Like this is an absolute disaster.”

Banks then trolled Gayle King while posting a photo of the CBS Mornings co-host from her Blue Origin space flight. “Trump supporters rn,” she wrote while taking a shot at the journalist.

The Harlem native feels like Trump — who in 2024 was convicted of 34 felony crimes in his hush money trial — hasn’t done a good job with the responsibility of leading the country in his hands.

“He’s so petty and vindictive rn,” she wrote. “Tbh, rightfully so, but not when the wellbeing and livelihood of billions of people – damn near the entire world lay in ur hands . Someone needs to get him a cute little lorazepam rx and a high grade ashwaganda supplement because it can’t happen like this.”

There’s been plenty of debate on Trump’s policies when it comes to the economy and his negotiations with countries such China and Canada, which have led to a minimum 10% tariff for all nations. According to the White House’s website in a post dated April 15, “China faces up to a 245% tariff on imports to the United States as a result of its retaliatory actions.”

Banks also showed support for China in her X messages: “Nobody on earth is afraid of crazy old white man anger. Old white men need to reinvent the archetype because it’s too predictable. Like China is just DUNKING on everyone right now Tbh I love that for China tho. And really do love China in general . China is the Doll.”

Azealia Banks has been a staunch Trump supporter in the past, as she voted for him in 2016 and pulled up to one of his rallies in Florida last year. However, she’s been anti-Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency, and says the Tesla CEO “belongs nowhere near American Politics.”

Musk’s involvement with the twice-impeached president led to her giving an 11th-hour endorsement to Kamala Harris. However, she later admitted to voting for Trump in the end anyway.

18 Apr 2025

Chappell Roan Answers Which ‘Album Made You Gay’ & Shares Lesbian Dating Advice

According to Chappell Roan, Alanis Morrissette gets the job done.

While guesting on the TikTok series Gaydar Friday (April 18), the “Pink Pony Club” singer answered a poignant question posited by host Anania: “What album made you gay?”

Without hesitation, Roan — wearing a dramatic denim look that was somehow a cross between Marie Antoinette and Dolly Parton — replied, “I would say Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette.”

Released in 1995, Jagged Little Pill spent 12 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Roan also shared a quick impression of the rock star while performing a snippet of the album’s biggest hit, “You Oughta Know.”

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“And I’m here to remind you,” she sang before cutting herself off, laughing. “That’s, like, so offensive.”

The Missouri native went on to share some of her dating advice, starting with honest communication when it comes to staying friends with former flames. “I know in lesbian relationships, people being friends with their exes, living with their exes, is like a thing,” she told Anania. “If you’re really close with your ex-girlfriend, and we’re dating, let’s just talk about it.”

As for her No. 1 word of wisdom to someone going through their first lesbian breakup? “Don’t try to be friends,” she said frankly.

The interview comes a few weeks after Roan revealed that she’s been in a committed relationship for about half a year. “It’s serious,” the Grammy winner said on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast in March. “I’m very in love.”

“I haven’t dated someone since [my career] really, really blew up,” she added at the time. “I’m dating the same person that I was dating before I got, like, blew up, so I’m not sure how I would date now. I think it would actually be a nightmare. I think I would be so single right now because you’re terrified of their intentions. I’m scared. I don’t trust anyone. I just think in my head, I’m like, any new person that I’m texting, I’m like, ‘I’m assuming they will screenshot this and send it to someone else.’”

Watch Roan on Gaydar below.