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It has been nearly eight months since disgraced hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested and sent to New York’s notorious Metropolitan Detention Center to await trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. And while the formerly high-flying Bad Boy Records CEO and billionaire entrepreneur was used to the finest things in his former life, according to the New York Times, his life in the communal, dorm-style unit segregated from the rest of the inmates is a study in contrasts from his previous life.
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For starters, the typically dapper MCs hair and beard have gone grey, since hair dye is not allowed in the Brooklyn jail that has long been the source of complaints over its decrepit state, including reports of mold and vermin, extended lockdowns and understaffing. As part of his daily routine, Combs, 55, is woken up for breakfast at 7 a.m. and afterwords has time to exercise in a room with yoga mats and a small basketball hoop, or to hang in a communal space with a ping-pong table and a TV.
Combs’ lawyers have tried, and failed, three times to get their client released on bail on the charges that, if he’s found guilty of, could land Diddy in prison for the rest of his life. While Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges he awaits opening statements in the trail slated to begin on May 5 over allegations that the rap impresario oversaw a violent criminal conspiracy that allegedly included kidnapping, arson and drug crimes in service of his alleged sexual abuse of multiple men and women to satisfy his need for “sexual gratification.”
For now, Combs is in an area of the jail called 4 North, a fourth floor space where around 20 men are housed. Fellow high-profile inmates on the unit included, until recently, crypto boss Sam Bankman-Fried, along with government informants, including former gang members who have been segregated for their safety from the general jail population; accused United Health Care CEO murderer Luigi Mangione who shares a lawyer with Combs, is housed in the same jail, but in a different unit.
While Combs’ lawyers at first thought their A-list client would be housed in the restrictive Special Housing Unit where inmates spend 23 hours a day inside their cell, he was instead sent to the less harsh 4 North Unit.
A former Mafia informant, Gene Borrello, told the paper that compared to other units in the jail “you have nothing to worry about” on 4 North. As described by the Times, inmates in Combs’ unit are free to move around the space decked out with rows of bunk beds, TVs and a microwave where they are subject to repeated mandatory check-ins of their bunks by correction officers every day.
Inmates, who are issued brown jail clothes, are able to eat their meals in a common area and use a bathroom that has stalls, as well as listen to music or watch movies on a tablet for sale at the commissary, though they do not have any internet or wi-fi access. Diddy meets often with his team of lawyers in a conference room off the common area and has a non-wi-fi enabled laptop to pore over evidence in the case that he can use between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. each day in one of the unit’s visiting rooms.
While Diddy dined on the finest meals provided by private chefs in his former life, the menu in lock-up is decidedly less glamorous, with a rotating menu that includes lasagna or “pasta fazool” for vegetarians on the second Friday of each month. There are also Snickers bars and bags of Cheez-Its for sale in the commissary, along with toiletries, radios and watches. Inmates can spend up to $180 at the commissary every two weeks from funds provided by friends and family, with one crucial item, $1 packets of mackerel (“macks”) serving as a key bartering tool among the incarcerated.
Combs is allowed to have visitors on Tuesdays and while he can make phone calls — such as a recent one to rapper Ye — the conversations are capped at 15 minutes and they are subject to monitoring by authorities. The story noted that during a pre-planned sweep of the jail in search of contraband last year, prosecutors claim an investigator took photos of some of Combs’ personal notes. The pictures allegedly included birthday reminders, as well as notes the government claims were evidence that Diddy was trying to obstruct the prosecution, including one in which he allegedly directed a staffer to find “dirt” on two of his alleged victims.
The rapper’s lawyers claimed that was proof the government was trying to “spy” on their client and eavesdrop on confidential communications with counsel. Prosecutors denied that claim and said none of the notes would be used in their case and a judge agreed that Combs’ rights had not been violated.
But according to the Times, the incident revealed that Combs had engaged in the widespread practice of buying other inmates’ phone time by having his team put money in their commissary accounts, with prosecutors claiming that on some of the calls he talked about using public statements to help influence the jury pool’s perception of him. He also allegedly used three-way calling to try and contact potential witnesses to avoid blocks on calling people outside of his approved contact list.
While the current accommodations are, as expected, spare and somewhat harsh, they likely pale in comparison to the federal prison Combs could be sent to convicted on the charges in the eight-week trial. Even as he awaits his upcoming trial, Combs was hit with an updated indictment earlier this month that added new charges to the sweeping case against him. The superseding indictment added a new sex trafficking count, accusing Combs of using force, fraud or coercion to compel a woman to engage in commercial sex acts as recently as last year. It also added a new count of transporting that victim and others to engage in prostitution. The updated charges increased the total counts against Diddy from three to five.
Combs is also facing dozens of civil lawsuits from a number of men and women who claim the rap impresario allegedly sexually abused, sex trafficked and threatened them with violence.
Where’s the beef? Fans think it’s cooking between Kesha and Katy Perry, especially after the former posted an interestingly timed selfie with a plastic Wendy’s cup just hours after the fast-food chain penned a shady comment on X about the latter.
In the photo uploaded Monday night (April 14), the “Tik Tok” singer, wearing a pair of sunglasses, smiles innocuously while sipping on a Wendy’s cup with the logo clearly facing the camera. Forgoing a caption, Kesha let the picture speak for itself — and in turn, people online have interpreted it as the pop star throwing a subtle jab Perry’s way.
That’s because Wendy’s had earlier in the evening spoken negatively of the “Firework” singer, who was one of six passengers on Blue Origin’s all-women flight crew who landed safely back on earth after a brief trip to space Monday. Under a post announcing that Perry had returned from her expedition, the brand’s official account replied, “Can we send her back.”
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In another X message, the fast-food chain shared a photo of the “Firework” singer planting a smooch on the earth after landing, captioning it with a nod to her lyrics, “I kissed the ground and i liked it.” When one X user quipped that Perry had only been in space for about 10 minutes, the brand shot back, “Don’t short change her it was 11 minutes.”
Billboard has reached out to reps for Kesha, Perry and Wendy’s for comment.
Though it remains unclear why Wendy’s might have an issue with the former American Idol judge, fans are sure that Kesha’s seemingly snarky selfie is all to do with the two women’s respective histories with Dr. Luke. In 2014, Kesha alleged that the Kemosabe Records founder drugged and raped her in 2005, after which he sued her for defamation while vehemently maintaining that her claims were “false and shocking.” Their ensuing legal battle continued for nine years before the two parties finally reached a settlement in 2023.
Before the settlement, however, Perry’s name was brought up in the lawsuit when Dr. Luke’s lawyers claimed that Kesha had at one point told Lady Gaga via private text messages that the producer had previously raped Perry. In a deposition dated July 2017 and released in August 2018, however, Perry denied that Dr. Luke ever assaulted her, leading Kesha’s team to issue a response saying that a major label CEO had been the one to share that allegation with Kesha and Gaga.
But despite Kesha’s allegations against Dr. Luke, Perry still made the controversial decision to work with him on her 2024 single “Woman’s World” — something she later defended on a September episode of Call Her Daddy. “He was one of many collaborators that I collaborated with,” she said of the producer, who worked on her older hits “California Gurls” and “Teenage Dream.” “But the reality is, it comes from me. The truth is, I wrote these songs from my experience of my whole life going through this metamorphosis, and he was one of the people to help facilitate all that — one of the writers, one of the producers.”
Even so, countless people online are now cheering Kesha on for appearing to support the Wendy’s diss. “Kesha is HILARIOUS for this,” one person wrote of the situation on X, while another fan said, “KESHA IS SO SHADY LMAOOO.”
“I think Wendy’s was stupid to do this, but Kesha is absolutely justified in hating a person who continues to platform the man who raped her,” another person added.
Explained one X user to another who was confused by what the shade may be about, “Katy Perry worked with Dr Luke. Wendy’s trolled Katy yesterday so Kesha ran to post with Wendy’s.”
See Kesha’s Wendy’s selfie below.
Thomas Rhett‘s surprise appearance at Contemporary Christian Music artist Forrest Frank’s recent sold-out Bridgestone Arena show in Nashville on Sunday night (April 13) didn’t quite go as planned. The eight-time ACM award winner surprised fans by joining Frank for a performance of their recent collaboration “Nothing Else” — and ended up leaving the arena in […]
Just weeks after being named Billboard‘s 2025 Woman of the Year, Doechii is heading to the Create & Cultivate Festival to inspire women in business as the event’s headlining performer.
As announced exclusively by Billboard on Tuesday (April 13), the Swamp Princess will take the stage at Rolling Greens DTLA in Los Angeles in front of an audience of female executives, innovators and entrepreneurs on July 19. Billed as the “largest event for women in business,” the two-day festival will also feature speeches from Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles, Proper founder Amanda Kloots, TV personality Paige DeSorbo and more, as well as a keynote address from Ciara.
According to the event’s online schedule, attendees will experience back-to-back days filled with workshops, networking opportunities, start-up pitch competitions, live podcast recordings, investor meetings and more. Doechii will perform at the end of Day 1 on the Main Stage.
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“We’re pioneering a new type of event to better serve the needs of modern businesswomen said Create & Cultivate CEO Marina Middleton in a statement. “Most women-focused event experiences focus exclusively on empowerment or are reserved for side events of large industry-specific conferences built only for industry optics. The Create & Cultivate Festival will break down industry barriers to unite a newly formed community of ambitious women across business, tech, sports, entertainment, hospitality, finance and culture.”
For a festival about empowering women, it’s hard to think of a performer who’s better suited than the “Denial Is a River” rapper. In February, she became only the third woman to ever win the best rap album category at the Grammys thanks to her hit mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal, and in March, Billboard gave her top honors at the 2025 Women in Music Awards.
“I stand here as a fierce ally,” the Florida native said during her acceptance speech at the latter event. “This event was created out of a necessity. That word, necessity, is important. My mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, was a space I created out of necessity. A space where I could feel seen, heard and connect with other people through experiences.”
“This is our motherf–king night to rightfully come together to acknowledge each other, support each other and to celebrate,” she added at the time. “We are the creators, we are the executives, we are the innovators who are just as central to this industry as the men. Clock it.”
Two heavy metal icons are teaming up for a 22-city co-headlining tour this fall. Original shock rocker Alice Cooper, 77, will share stages with British hard rock legends Judas Priest for the Live Nation-produced outing that is slated to kick off on Sept. 16 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, MS. The tour will […]
Former Judas Priest drummer Les Binks, who held the spot in the metal band’s lineup for a few crucial years in the late 1970s, had died at 73.
The group members announced their bandmate’s death on Tuesday morning (April 15), writing on Instagram, “We are deeply saddened about the passing of Les and send our love to his family, friends and fans. The acclaimed drumming he provided was first class – demonstrating his unique techniques, flair, style and precision – Thank you Les – your acclaim will live on…..”
Born in Portadown, Northern Ireland, on Aug. 8, 1951, Binks (born James Leslie Binks), spent time drumming with Eric Burdon and the Animals and War, as well as the pop group Fancy before joining Judas Priest in 1977. The band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1969 and fronted by leather-loving singer Rob Halford released its debut album, Rocka Rolla, in 1974, followed by 1996’s Sad Wings of Destiny.
Binks made his first appearance with group in time for 1977’s Sin After Sin, the band’s major label debut. The sessions saw the exit of early drummer Alan Moore, who was replaced by Simon Phillips for the recording. But, with Moore unavailable to tour, Binks was tapped to hit the road with the band after bringing his signature double-bass barrage to the bonus track cover of The Gun’s “Race With the Devil.”
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The drummer made his biggest mark on 1978’s Stained Class, where his massive, double kick drum sound and blitzkrieg style is a standout from the very first seconds of opening track “Exciter,” one of the songs that set the stage for the speed and thrash metal of the 1980s. The album, considered by many fans to be one of the group’s finest efforts, featured a rare co-songwriting credit for Binks on the ominous prog-metal shouter “Beyond the Realms of Death.”
Binks also appeared on the follow-up, 1978’s Killing Machine (which was released as Hell Bent for Leather in the U.S.), the most commercially oriented collection to date from the Priest, and the LP that would also mark his swan song with the group. Anchored by meaty rock anthems such as “Rock Forever” and the raucous “Hell Bent For Leather,” the album set the stage for what would become the band’s commercial breakthrough on 1980s British Steel, which featured the hits “Living After Midnight” and Beavis and Butt-Head favorite “Breaking the Law”; Binks was replaced on that album by former Trapeze drummer Dave Holland.
Binks’ final record with Judas Priest would be the band’s 1979 Unleashed in the East live album recorded in Tokyo earlier that year, after which he split following a reported dispute with band manager Mike Dolan over compensation for the live LP.
The drummer played with a series of other bands throughout the 1980s and ’90s (Lionhearted, Tytan) and formed the all-star Priest cover band Les Binks’ Priesthood, in 2017. In a testament to the crucial role he played in the development of Judas Priest’s sound, Binks was on stage with the rest of Priest in 2022 when the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performed as part of their three-song set in one of his final public appearances before his death.
Check out their performance at the RRHOF ceremony below.
Netflix’s Adolescence has got the world talking. The four-part drama covers the fallout from a brutal murder of a teenage girl by her male classmate following his radicalisation by misogynistic content online. The Guardian called it “the closest thing to TV perfection in decades” and the topics raised on the show – incel culture; Andrew Tate’s influence on young boys; the dangers of the manosphere – are brought back to the forefront of U.K. and global political discourse.
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That’s without mentioning the technical triumph the show achieves. Directed by Philip Barantini (Boiling Point), the show uses one-take shots for entire episodes, allowing tension to build and to demand viewers attention; to pick up intimate moments of doubt, fear and sadness. It is a show of rare brilliance and massive U.K. success story; upon release, episode one pulled the largest ever audience for any streaming TV show in the UK in a single week.
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The show – spoilers ahead – culminates with a devastating moment. Stephen Graham (This is England, Boiling Point), whose son is accused and convicted of the aforementioned murder, is trying to keep the family together amidst the turmoil. In the final scene of episode four, Graham’s character heads to his son’s bedroom and breaks down in tears full of sorrow, rage and despair. The scene is soundtracked by Aurora’s 2016 single “Through the Eyes of a Child,” which was first released via Decca Records on her debut LP All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend.
The song has been boosted with over five million streams since the show’s release, and had success on the Global and U.K. Shazam charts. A decade down the line, the Norwegian’s poignant track is now resurging with new meaning and reaching fans all over again.
In an exclusive chat with Billboard U.K., director Barantini and Aurora discuss the song’s place in the show, the vital conversation the show has renewed and the possibility of a second season of Adolescence.
Philip, when did you first hear Aurora’s song?
Philip: Well, I have been a fan for a long time of yours, Aurora. I think you’re incredible. We were in the writing stage of Adolescence and we’d had a first script written for the first episode. We were driving to look at some locations actually, and the song just came on in the car on a playlist from my phone.
The timing of it… it was like something in the air. I’d heard the song before, but the words didn’t really hit me as much because we were talking about this adolescent child and this whole thing. I listened to it, and honestly, I could not stop crying in the car; so in my head, I knew that was going to be in the show.
How does that make you feel, Aurora? I mean, to know that it was so integral to the writing process so early…
Aurora: It’s absolutely beautiful. I feel very honored. It’s always so nice when something that you’ve created from your soul, and obviously kind of at the same age of the characters in Adolescence — which is also very heartwarming, to hear the vocals of me from such a long time ago being sung almost like a classmate, like one of them in the show.Also the fact that this show, the actors and the dialogues and the music and the way it was filmed, it’s a piece of art. It’s so deep. You can sit and discuss it for hours and hours, which I love because there are a few things now I feel that come out and touch you, because we are so used to consuming things without being deeply disturbed or moved these days.
Did you have a feeling you were onto something special?
Philip: Of course you never know. You sort of hope, don’t you? I always wanted it to be a conversation starter, or certainly for people to take different things away from it and have their own experience with it. There was definitely that feeling when we were on set. When we screened it to people, the audience were having the same reaction, but I did not think for one second it would be doing what it’s doing and still continues to do.
Aurora, the song that was first released in 2016. How does it feel to see it be repurposed almost a decade later?
Auroa: That’s the curse and the gift in making things and giving them to the world. They’re no longer yours and belong to everyone, which also makes it possible for them to be revived again and again through different emotions and through different eyes and ears. I love the way this show kind of has changed a bit now what the song means to me. I’m very grateful to have the fire in me reignited when I sing this song now, and I feel very, very grateful that this show has done that.
It’s like every song has arms that stretch out and wants to hold the whole world. But every song kind of finds a group to hold at the time. And I feel like this show and you, Philip, have helped this song stretch its arms even further to hold a new group.
AURORA
Wanda Martin
How did it feel when you saw the final scene and your song came in?
Aurora: I didn’t know how the song was going to be there, or if it was going to be in the scene, or just at the end. So I kind of had forgotten by the last scene, because obviously the show had such a hard grip on me that I couldn’t leave the screen. I don’t think I blinked either as the scene just kept going and going without cutting. It had such a hold on me, which was beautiful to be held like that by a show. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this gripping feeling. But then I had forgotten by the end of the show that I was going to be on it because I was just completely taken away and apart by the show.
I almost didn’t feel like it was me [singing]. I just felt like it was a child who knows how it is to be at the age of losing childhood. It’s a weird balance for people that age. I felt like I heard it from a child singing to me as well, for me to also relearn something I had forgotten as an adult. So it felt like it wasn’t me, if that makes sense. The universe kind of just chooses for you.
Needle drops are always difficult to get right. Did you feel that pressure Philip?
Philip: We talked about music a lot in this show, and whether we were going to have any music at all because I’d done a movie called Boiling Point, which we didn’t have any music in. That was also shot in one take, and it was a very conscious decision to not have music in it. But with Adolescence, it became apparent quite early on that music is going to help us here. I always knew that I wanted to have the needle drop at the end of episode, two with the choir and the kids’ voices. But then with this, “Through the Eyes of a Child” at the end of episode four — it was just like, that is the perfect song to end the whole show on.
How does it feel to lead on a conversation around topics like incel culture and violence towards girls and women?
Philip: We started the discussions about making something because of a couple of things that we’d seen over the last few years. What drives a young boy to pick up a knife and kill a young girl at that age? We did a lot of research into the incel culture and toxic masculinity and all of these things, and it was really deeper than what I thought. I didn’t understand it at the beginning. I thought I had a small understanding of it — but Jack Thorne, one of our writers, went on a real deep dive. It’s absolutely terrifying.
It’s a terrifying state that we’re in at the minute with our children. I would hate to be a teenager in this day and age. Obviously, the internet can be a very amazing thing, and social media too, but it also can be really dark as well. I’m just incredibly proud and honored to be part of this because we have started a conversation and not just in the U.K. but globally. This is a big global issue. I think it has been a part of a tiny little stone that we’ve dropped into the middle of the ocean and now the ripple effect is doing what it’s doing. It really does hurt my heart, but it also melts it as well.
Aurora, what have you seen from the response from people towards the show and the topics that are raised in it?
Aurora: I’m just happy to see people discussing, even arguing because it’s all engagement. Hidden issues like this only reach the public when it’s too late. Every time this happens, it’s already too late to bring it up, because it should never have been an issue in the first place. But the way the world is, is that we’re so in touch with each other and things are quite unfair in this world. It’s quite an unjust world. We are also so aware of how unjust it is, and then we’re being misled in who’s to blame for why we’re sad and why we are feeling like we’re being treated in an unjust way.
There’s a report on Deadline that a second season could be in the works. What’s your feeling on that?
Philip: Look, there are so many stories to tell about adolescence: boys and girls. It is a minefield. So I’m sure there’s more stories to tell, but whether we do… I’ll be honest with you, we’ve been talking for a long time about whether we should do another one or how we do another one. Obviously with the success of this one, it’s something we will look at and see what we can come up with. But there’s nothing set in stone or anything like that.
Sam Fender has shared that he once turned down the opportunity to perform alongside Joni Mitchell.
In a new interview at Coachella with radio station KROQ, the North Shields songwriter revealed that he was once offered the chance to perform with the seminal folk artist as part of her “Joni Jams” series, but turned down the slot down due to nerves.
Fender went on to explain that Mitchell — who has a long history of hosting jam sessions in her living room with musicians — invited him to perform at her home in California. “Can I tell you something mental? I got offered to go to a ‘Joni Jam.’ You know how people were going to Joni’s house, and I didn’t go,” he told KROQ.
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“Honestly, it was nerves. I was like, ‘There’s no way I can sit next to Joni Mitchell and be like do you want to listen to this?’” he added. “I was like, ‘Does she even want these people around?’ Obviously, she did, but yeah, I got offered the chance to go, and I bottled it. I completely bottled it. It’s one of my great regrets, it really plays on my mind.”
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The Joni Jams began as an intimate performance series after Mitchell suffered a stroke in 2015. Organized by fellow singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile, close friends and collaborators would play her music for Mitchell as she recovered, with everyone from Elton John, to Paul McCartney, Harry Styles and others rumored to have been involved over the years.
The sessions later expanded to include public performances. In 2023, the 27,000-capacity Gorge Amphitheater in Quincy, Washington, played host to a Jam featuring appearances from Mitchell and Carlile, plus a star-studded guest list including Marcus Mumford, Annie Lennox, Allison Russell, Sarah McLachlan and Lucius.
At the time, it had been 20 years since the “Blue” singer had performed live due to several health issues that plagued the 81-year-old icon, leading to her staying out of the public eye for nearly two decades.
Mitchell made headlines again earlier this year when she took to the stage as part of the LA FireAid charitybenefit show. She was joined by Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, Lucius, Taylor MacKall, Blake Mills and Abe Rounds, following a moving set at the 2024 Grammy Awards ceremony.
Fender, meanwhile, has enjoyed a banner year. The singer and guitarist shared his third LP, People Watching, in February, which Billboard U.K. described as “as a grand, emotional record which has the potential to become an instant British classic.”
According to data from the Official Charts Company, the record landed the biggest U.K. opening week for a British solo act since Harry Styles‘ Harry’s House in 2022. It also marked Fender’s biggest-ever opening week, selling more units than his 2019 debut Hypersonic Missiles and 2021’s Mercury Prize-nominated Seventeen Going Under combined.
In recent months, Fender has gone on to win a BRIT award for alternative/rock act, and has taken People Watching on tour across Europe and the U.S., including his debut appearance at Coachella over the weekend (Apr. 12).
This summer, he will perform a string of headline stadium shows in the U.K., with dates in London and Newcastle. £1 from every ticket sold on the run will be donated to select cultural organizations such as Youth Music and Sunday for Sammy to support the arts in the North East of England.
Check out the KROQ interview below.
Katy Perry brought a few earthbound things with her during her 10-minute trip to outer space. After blasting off in a Blue Origin rocket on Monday morning (April 14) as part of an all-female crew that briefly achieved weightlessness at approximately 62 miles above Earth, Perry posted a video from her space adventure on Tuesday morning (April 15).
The clip shot inside the nose cone of the flight from Amazon owner Jeff Bezos’ rocket company showed the singer and her fellow space voyagers — CBS Morning co-host Gayle King, pilot and Bezos fiancée Lauren Sánchez, bioastronautics research scientist and astronaut Amanda Nguyen, NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe and filmmaker Kerianne Flynn — gathering in the middle of the ship as they floated around in their body-hugging custom blue space suits.
The women, their hair floating freely behind them, give the camera a loud “whooo!” before approaching the lens to show off the special tokens they brought with them on the journey. Perry, 40, showed of a single daisy, which she brought along to honor her four-year-old daughter with fiancé actor Orlando Bloom, Daisy Dove. The couple have kept Daisy out of the spotlight to date, but the preschooler who showed up in her own silver space suit to the launch was beaming in footage of the rocket ride as she said, “My mama!”
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Right after the crew marveled at their view of the moon, Perry floated by once again with a butterfly-shaped piece of paper that featured what she said is the setlist for her upcoming Lifetimes world tour. Though the print was a bit too small to read, Katy Cat sleuths pulled out their magnifying glasses and sussed out a few titles, including: “Chained to the Rhythm,” “Teary Eyes,” “Dark Horse,” “Harleys in Hawaii,” “OK,” “I Kissed a Girl,” “Has a Heart,” “Last Friday Night,” “Teenage Dream” and others. The video was cued to the the song “Wonder” from Perry’ 2024 143 album; the global Lifetimes tour will kick off in Mexico City on April 23.
In the caption to the video, Perry wrote, “One day when you’re older, will YOU still look up in wonder? Still processing this incredible journey ✨ Thank you @blueorigin and to my space sisters, taking up space AND making room in space for all – 143. See you on tour (when I come down, figuratively).”
According to King, Perry sang a bit of the Louis Armstrong classic “What a Wonderful World” as the space tourists strapped back into their seats for the descent, with the singer trying to sum up the wonder of the moment afterwards. “I feel super connected to love,” she said after kissing the ground following touchdown. “So connected to love. I think this experience has show me you never know how much love is inside you, how much love you have to give, and how loved you are until the day you launch.”
Describing the launch and return, Perry said it was “the highest high. It is surrender to the unknown, trust. This whole journey is not about just going to space. It’s the training, the team, it’s the whole thing. I couldn’t recommend this experience more.” Asked to rate it, she gave the trip a “10 out of 10,” saying it was second only to becoming a mom.
Check out the video below.
Partial facial paralysis is no joke. But in a video posted on Monday (April 14), Lil Nas X just had to laugh at the medical condition in a clip he posted from a hospital bed. “And when I smile? This is me doing a full smile right now by the way,” he said in the clip in which the left side of his mouth was open and the right side was immobile. “It’s like, what the f–k? I can’t even laugh right, bro. What the f–k?”
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The video, captioned, “Soooo lost control of the right side of my face 😭,” captured the 26-year-old rapper laying in a hospital be in a hospital gown and white Von Dutch baseball hat. He seemingly had a chipper attitude about the health condition in an Instagram Story featuring a close-up video of his face in which he panned from one side to the other, saying, “We normal over here, we get crazy over here!” with the caption, “I’m so cooked [two crying laughing emoji].”
Though no additional information was available at press time about what is ailing the “Hotbox” MC, another slide assured fans, “Guys I am OK!! Stop being sad for me! Shake ur ass for me instead!” to the strains of Huey’s 2006 hit “Pop, Lock & Drop It.” The final slide contained yet another assurance that things are fine, with a photo of the rapper and the promise, “Imma look funny for a lil bit but that’s it.”
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At press time a spokesperson for Lil Nas could not be reached for additional comment on his condition.
Last month, Lil Nas released the 8-track Days Before Dreamboy EP, which scooped up his recent run of surprise singles, including “Right There!,” “Big Dummy,” “Swish,” “Hotbox,” “Dreamboy,” “Need Dat Boy” and others. Fans are still awaiting word on the release date for the Dreamboy LP, his anticipated follow-up to his 2021 debut full-length album, Montero.
Check out Lil Nas X’s hospital video below.
