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Baka Not Nice recently sat down with Hot Freestyle’s Mic Check podcast and talked about being mentioned in Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us.”
When the subject came up, Baka revealed that he initially planned on immediately responding to Kendrick after the Compton MC rapped that he had a “weird case” and asked why Drake chose to continue to have him around. “My first initial thing was to respond and respond quickly, very efficiently and very to the point,” he said. “It started brewing in me because where I come from, that s—t doesn’t happen. You can’t just call out a man and not have paperwork to back up your talks. It’s ludicrous.”
He added that he couldn’t believe how big the song had gotten. “And then to see a whole nation behind it and celebrating it like it’s a true story is unbelievable,” he said. “Everybody has to understand: I have a kid, Drake has a kid, so, like, making accusations like that are ridiculous and out of this world.”
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He then revealed that he didn’t respond because Drake talked him out of it and asked him to ignore it. “I was building up a lot of anger but then I got a call,” he said. “And [Drake’s] like, ‘Yo, I know what you’re feeling, I know you as an individual, I know how you get down but I’m just letting you know, don’t listen to the noise ’cause it’s noise.’ If you go back and look at all these people that are saying things, they’re not even real people, they’re bots. Don’t let that s—t bother you, bro. And you know what? I mean, it’s not a good thing but they’re calling your name.”
Baka then asked fans to do their due diligence and look up the case Lamar was referring to because he felt like he was being accused of pedophilia. “And at the end of the day, they’re gonna get over this crap because they’re gonna realize that it’s crap, and then they’re gonna do their own research,” he said. “And when you do you’re own research, you’re gonna be like, ‘Wow, this guy made up a whole story about something that isn’t even true.’ It makes you look weird to me. I don’t know.”
He finally concluded his answer with a message to fans. “I wanna say one thing to America,” he began. Y’all need to get yourself together because, yo, making serious accusations like that, you need to have paperwork. That is the No. 1 rule.”
Baka Not Nice reveals he was going to respond to Kendrick Lamar, but Drake told him to ignore all the noiseHe also called Kendrick’s accusations “ridiculous” pic.twitter.com/3i5RE4GGXn— Hot Freestyle (@HotFreestyle) April 7, 2025
The “weird case” Kendrick mentioned stems from a 2014 incident when Baka — born Travis Savoury — was charged with procuring prostitution and human trafficking. Those charges were dropped after he pleaded guilty to assaulting a 22-year-old Toronto woman and was sentenced to six months in jail, according to the Toronto Sun.
Drake is currently embroiled in a high profile defamation lawsuit with his parent label, UMG, alleging it defamed him by promoting Lamar’s Drizzy diss track “Not Like Us,” which includes the lyric “certified pedophile.” UMG denied the allegations and later filed to dismiss the case.
Watch Baka Not Nice discuss “Not Like Us” below:
Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs sub-genre charts (dated April 12, 2025) have arrived, spotlighting a variety of format stars across the four new rankings.
The surveys — Hot Regional Mexican Songs, Hot Latin Pop Songs, Hot Latin Rhythm Songs and Hot Tropical Songs — celebrate the accomplishments of Latin artists based on the same multimetric methodology (official U.S. audio and video streaming, radio airplay and sales) used for the pan-genre Hot Latin Songs chart and the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, with data provided by Luminate.
Bad Bunny doubles up, dominating Hot Latin Rhythm Songs with “DTMF” and Hot Tropical Songs with “Baile Inolvidable.” Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco and The Marías join forces to rule Hot Latin Pop Songs with “Ojos Tristes,” and Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera claim the top spot on Hot Regional Mexican Songs with “Me Jalo.”
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Here’s a deeper look at the four charts’ first leaders, which, notably, take the top four spots on Hot Latin Songs.
Bad Bunny Best on Latin Rhythm, Tropical
Bad Bunny’s “DTMF” is No. 1 on the Hot Latin Rhythm Songs chart with 9.6 million official U.S. streams from March 28 to April 3. On the radio front, the song drew 5.4 million audience impressions — up 18% week-over-week.
“DTMF” also tops the Hot Latin Songs chart for a 12th week, having become the superstar’s sweet 16th No. 1. It’s his sixth song to reign for at least a dozen weeks.
Benito’s “Baile Inolvidable,” meanwhile, tops the first Hot Tropical Songs chart, with 8.3 million streams and 6.1 million in radio reach. The track ranks at No. 4 on Hot Latin Songs, after previously reaching No. 2 on the chart.
Gomez, Blanco & Marías Top Latin Pop
Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco and The Marías’ “Ojos Tristes” crowns Hot Latin Pop Songs fueled by strong streaming and airplay gains. The track, a modern reinterpretation of Jeanette’s British-Spanish classic “El Muchacho De Los Ojos Tristes,” drew 8.7 million U.S. official streams, up 5%. It’s also beginning on radio, with 506,000 in audience.
“Ojos Tristes” ascends from No. 4 to No. 3 in its second week on Hot Latin Songs.
Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera Rule Regional Mexican
Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera’s “Me Jalo” starts atop the Hot Regional Mexican Songs chart, just one week after simultaneously leading both the Latin Airplay and Regional Mexican Airplay charts. The collab collected 8.1 million streams and 7.5 million in radio audience over the last week. It rises 3-2 for a new high on Hot Latin Songs.
In celebration of Cypress Hill‘s seminal sophomore effort Black Sunday, the rap group announced it’ll be launching a new graphic novel titled CYPRESS Hill: BLACK SUNDAY. On Tuesday (April 8), the news broke that the band had been hard at working crafting the comic alongside Z2 Comics and writers Noah Callahan-Bever and Gabriel Alvarez. The […]
Rubby Pérez has been hospitalized following the deadly roof collapse at the Jet Set nightclub in the Dominican Republic, where he was performing early on Tuesday (April 8). The 69-year-old Dominican merengue singer — known for Billboard hits such as “Tu Vas a Volar,” “Enamorado de Ella” and “15,500 Noches” in collaboration with Romeo Santos, […]
Arcade Fire‘s seventh studio album is on its way, with the band announcing that new LP Pink Elephant is set to arrive this spring and dropping lead single “Year of the Snake” Tuesday (April 8).
Featuring 10 tracks recorded at married bandmates Win Butler and Régine Chassagne’s Good News Recording Studio in New Orleans, the project is described as a “cinematic, mystical punk” offering that “invites the listener on a sonic odyssey” exploring themes of light, darkness, inner beauty and “the perception of the individual.” The album’s title apparently refers to the paradox of actively trying to suppress a certain thought, and in doing so, making that thought impossible not to think about.
As shared in a post on Arcade Fire’s Instagram, Pink Elephant will arrive May 9. The band also unveiled its cover art: a photo of a small elephant-shaped candle burning against a hot pink backdrop.
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Fans’ first taste of the album via “Year of the Snake” is chill, contemplative alt-rock, with Butler and Chassagne singing together over a thrumming bass line and anthemic glimmers, “It’s the season of change, and if you you feel strange, it’s probably good.” The song comes third on a tracklist that also includes the titles “Open Your Heart or Die Trying,” “Pink Elephant,” “Circle of Trust,” “Alien Nation,” “Beyond Salvation,” “Ride or Die,” “I Love Her Shadow,” “She Cries Diamond Rain” and “Stuck in My Head.”
Pink Elephant will mark Arcade Fire’s first LP since 2022’s We, which reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and climbed to the summit of the Top Rock Albums chart. It’ll also be the band’s first release since Butler was accused by multiple former fans of sexual misconduct, after which the frontman released a statement denying that any part of his relationships with those women was nonconsensual — though he did also apologize to “anyone who I have hurt with my behavior.”
A few days prior to the album announcement, Arcade Fire also rolled out a new app called Circle of Trust, where fans can now access special content including music, videos, early access to tickets, exclusive merch and more. This week, the band shared exclusive song “Cars and Telephones” — billed as the first composition Butler ever played for Chassagne — on the app.
See the Pink Elephant album cover and listen to “Year of the Snake” below.
J. Cole did some reminiscing during his headlining set at his Dreamville Festival 2025 over the weekend, and he recalled a time when Jay-Z pulled up on him in the studio with Beyoncé to record for what became The Blueprint 3‘s “A Star Is Born.” Cole signed to Roc Nation in 2009, and he reflected […]
As part of the multi-media blitz to promote their first joint album together, Who Believes in Angels?,” Elton John and Brandi Carlile are inviting fans to watch the raw studio footage of the sessions. In a first for John, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer allowed cameras to film the entire process, resulting in the 32-minute YouTube short Who Believes in Angels?: Stories From the Edge of Creation, which dropped over the weekend.
As John has hinted in interviews, the decision to enter the studio with no song ideas or sketches was a challenge that initially made him very nervous. The film opens with producer Andrew Watt trying to flint a creative spark from the pop icon by bringing up late 1960s confessional singer Laura Nyro, who John has long said was one of his biggest inspirations.
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That, of course, led to the recording of the album’s nearly seven-minute opening track, “The Rose of Laura Nyro,” which viewers can see come to life as John picks out the song’s refrain in real time as his career-long lyricist, Bernie Taupin, stands by his side to help punch things up.
At another point, an excited Watt enthusiastically strums an acoustic guitar while he explains John’s process in voiceover. “I asked Elton how does he write songs,” Watt says. “He sits and read a lyric, he sees a movie scene in his head and then he scores the movie.” Knowing that John also reveres rock originator Little Richard, Watt says he surmised that if the piano man saw a lyric about the “Tutti Frutti” star he was going to “feel rock n’ roll,” which resulted in the appropriately flamboyant “Little Richard’s Bible.”
One of the revelations is hearing Taupin say that he was more than open to allowing Carlile to participate in tweaking lyrics in a new spin on the two mens’ decades-long creative partnership. The film also features footage of Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith rocking out in the studio during the 20-day blitz of writing and recording. According to a release, the half hour’s worth of footage was culled from thousands of hours of raw tape.
In a testament to the pleasure and pain of the sessions, we see Carlile and John repeatedly praise each other’s talents, as well as the 78-year-old singer tear up and toss lyric sheets after losing his cool while trying to figure out how to harmonized with Carlile on her song “Swing For the Fences.”
At another point, John gets emotional after laying down his parts on the Carlile-penned ballad “Someone to Belong To,” a track she wrote to honor John’s 30-year relationship with husband/ manager David Furnish. He also flat-out breaks down in tears while recording the emotional “When This Old World Is Done With Me,” a Taupin-written weeper about the passage of time that that gets him when he hits the line, “When this old world is done with me/ When I close my eyes/ Release me like an ocean wave.”
“Pretty f–king great album, huh?” Watt tells John near the end of the doc as Elton recalls how depressed and despondent he was when the project began. “I feel like my heart’s attached to your heart,” Watt says, patting John on the shoulder and then hopping up to dance along to a mix of one of the songs.
Who Believes in Angels?: Stories From the Edge of Creation is available to stream for free on YouTube now. In addition to the short, fans can also read a song-by-song breakdown of the new album by the two singers, watch their recent performance on SNL, check out the one-hour concert An Evening With Elton John and Brandi Carlile on Paramount+ and hear the duo’s song “Never Too Late” from the Disney+ doc Elton John: Never Too Late.
Check out the YouTube short below.
The San Francisco Giants have paid homage to their hometown’s vibrant music scene with a kaleidoscopic new jersey, melding orange and violet in celebration of the Bay Area’s diverse culture. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On Tuesday (April 8), the Giants announced a new partnership with EMPIRE […]
Billboard’s Dance Moves roundup serves as a guide to the biggest movers and shakers across Billboard’s many dance charts — new No. 1s, new top 10s, first-timers and more.
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This week, on charts dated April 12, Will Sass and kamille, John Summit, Skrillex and others achieve new milestones. Check out key movers below.
Will Sass & kamille
Will Sass and kamille are both chart-topping artists for the first time thanks to their collaboration “Into the Blue,” which jumps from No. 5 to No. 1 on Dance/Mix Show Airplay. Released in November on Song Vault, the track surged by 34% in plays (among 24/7 dance reporters and pop stations’ mix show hours), according to Luminate. The song became each act’s first chart entry when it debuted in February. It also drew 23,000 official U.S. streams in the latest tracking week, boosted by several remixes, including one by Baltra, plus a “2am Mix” and a “5am Mix.”
Sass was born and raised in New York City and has already performed at some of the city’s premier venues, including Elsewhere and Brooklyn Mirage. He released his debut EP, Insert EP Title Here, in January and its extended edition in March. The collection includes collaborations with Nina Nesbitt, Alvin Risk and Catching Cairo, among others.
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As for kamille, the U.K.-based singer-songwriter released her debut album, K1, in September 2023. While “Into the Blue” marks her first appearance on Billboard’s charts under an artist billing, she has been credited as a songwriter on many other chart hits. Five songs she’s written or co-written have charted on the Billboard Hot 100: “Little Mix’s “Black Magic” (No. 67 peak in 2015) and “Shout Out to My Ex” (No. 69, 2016); Clean Bandit’s “Solo,” featuring Demi Lovato (No. 58, 2018); Mabel’s “Don’t Call Me Up” (No. 66, 2019); and David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” (No. 4, 2023).
On Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, kamille has charted 13 songs as a songwriter, including four top 10s: “Solo” (No. 4, 2018); Clean Bandit and Mabel’s “Tick Tock,” featuring 24kGoldn (No. 10, 2020); Joel Corry, Jax Jones, Charli XCX and Saweetie’s “Out Out” (No. 9, 2021); and “I’m Good (Blue)” (No. 1 for 55 weeks; 2022-23). She has also collaborated on songs with other artists including Fred again.., Kylie Minogue, Nile Rodgers, SG Lewis and Tiësto. Kamille has earned three additional No. 1s on Dance/Mix Show Airplay as a writer: Jax Jones, Martin Solveig and Madison Beer’s “All Day and Night,” “Out Out” and “I’m Good (Blue).”
On April 4, Sass and kamille released their second collaboration, “Happiness.”
John Summit & Inéz
John Summit’s “Light Years,” featuring Inéz, debuts at No. 4 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, thanks to 1.9 million streams earned in its first full week of tracking. Released March 26 via Experts Only/Darkroom/ICLG, the song earns Summit his 19th career entry — and highest charting hit. It’s his fourth top 10, after “Where You Are,” with HAYLA (No. 8 peak in 2023); “Shiver,” with HAYLA (No. 8, 2024); and “Focus,” featuring Cloves (No. 5, this February).
“Light Years” also becomes Inéz’s first entry on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs. The German singer-songwriter has appeared on Billboard’s charts once before, as featured on Peter Fox’s “Zukunft Pink” (No. 118 peak on the Global Excl. U.S. chart in November 2022). The track also spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Germany Songs chart. Inéz is also half of German pop duo ÄTNA.
Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris’ latest single, “Smoke the Pain Away,” debuts at No. 36 on Dance/Mix Show Airplay. It’s his 35th career entry, tying him with KASKADE for the fourth-most in the chart’s 22-year history, after David Guetta (67), Tiësto (39) and Rihanna (36). The song also rises 24-19 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs in its third week — it debuted at No. 8, becoming his 24th top 10. It also totaled 723,000 U.S. streams (up 17%).
Skrillex
Skrillex released his fourth studio album, F*CK U SKRILLEX YOU THINK UR ANDY WARHOL BUT UR NOT!!
In a new video, LISA, Natasha Rothwell and more of The White Lotus cast danced to the most fitting song following the show’s nail-biting season three finale: Doechii‘s “Anxiety.”
Posted to Rothwell’s TikTok account, the clip starts out with the actress — who plays Belinda — standing alone outside on a balcony, jamming out to the Swamp Princess’ hit. “Anxiety, keep on trying me/ Feel it quietly, tryna silence me,” she sings along.
The video then cuts to the BLACKPINK star and castmates Tayme Thapthimthong, Walton Goggins, Michelle Monaghan and Jonathan Gries joining in a line behind Rothwell, smiling and laughing as they all do their own variations of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air-inspired dance trend that has been blowing up alongside “Anxiety” on the app in recent weeks. “It’s giving anxiety,” Rothwell wrote in her caption. “It’s giving suspense. It’s giving @The White Lotus finale.”
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The video comes shortly after the April 6 finale of The White Lotus‘ third season, which, without spoiling anything, ended with quite the bang. LISA and Thapthimthong played Mook and Gaitok, employees of the titular fictional hotel chain’s Thailand location, while the other actors in the TikTok portrayed guests.
In a recent Instagram post, LISA emotionally reflected on making her acting debut on the hit program. “What a ride,” she wrote. “It was the greatest honor to be part of this show as my first acting gig alongside such incredible actors.”
Originally posted in a YouTube video in 2019, Doechii finally officially released the Gotye-sampling “Anxiety” on streaming services in March. The track reached its current peak of No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 that month, marking the Florida rapper’s first top 10 hit on the chart.
Helping boost the tune has been its corresponding TikTok dance, which pairs the song’s chorus with moves inspired by one of Will Smith and Tatyana Ali’s scenes in the pilot episode of Fresh Prince. The two actors recently reunited to recreate the scene and take part in the “Anxiety” trend, filming a video –featuring a surprise cameo from Doechii — set to the track in March.
Watch The White Lotus cast do Doechii’s “Anxiety” dance trend below.