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BMI is making a two-fold move to help music creators improve their career and lifestyle opportunities. First off, the PRO has created Spark, a program that will offer creators special discounts on music creation and technology tools while also providing educational content and health and wellness resources. Secondly, BMI will no longer charge an application […]
The Dropkick Murphys’ Ken Casey paused one of the band’s annual St. Patrick’s Day shows at MGM Music Hall at Boston’s Fenway Park over the weekend to call out an attendee holding up a black MAGA hat. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The black version of […]
While Diddy and Mase had a turbulent relationship throughout his Bad Boy tenure and beyond, the Harlem rapper says he would be open to visiting the disgraced hip-hop mogul in jail.
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Mase and Cam’ron paid tribute to The Notorious B.I.G.’s mother, Voletta Wallace, during Monday’s (March 17) episode of It Is What It Is, and Cam brought up the rumors of Mase sitting with Diddy’s son, Christian Combs, during last week’s funeral for Wallace.
“I think we looked at each other. I don’t think he saw me, I would have said what’s up,” Mase said. “I mean, if my name was on the list I’d go visit Puff. I would visit him, make sure he was good.”
Even though they’re not on great terms, Mase said he remains thankful to Diddy for giving him a shot in the music world and helping springboard his career. “These are the times when you need people to check up and make sure you’re good,” he added. “He didn’t do all bad, he did some good. I ain’t talking about the tape stuff and all of that, I’m talking about the musical side. Giving me an opportunity, I think as a person of class you definitely got to show up and sit somewhere in the court if they let you.”
Mase said that he doesn’t know if Diddy’s innocent or not, but made sure to clarify that he’s not condoning any of the sexual abuse allegations that are being levied against Diddy. “If they throw my name on the list, I think right now will be a perfect time for me and him to have a conversation,” he continued.
Earlier in March, Mase revealed that he’s planning to release a “triple CD” worth of music during Diddy’s upcoming trial, which is slated to begin on May 12. “The first day of the Diddy trial. We’re dropping,” he said of the album. “You like that? You made me put it out there. I wasn’t going to put that out there, but Mo, you made me.”
Diddy pleaded not guilty on Friday (March 14) to another version of his indictment, charging him with two decades-worth of sex trafficking crimes. Combs has been denied bail and will remain inside Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Correctional Center until his trial in May. He was arrested on sex trafficking and racketeering charges in September.
Watch the episode below.
In a changing of the guard at one of Hollywood’s biggest talent agencies, UTA says that David Kramer will take over as CEO in June, succeeding longtime leader Jeremy Zimmer.
Zimmer, the UTA co-founder who has been CEO of the talent agency since 2012, is shifting to a role as board member and executive chairman. Paul Wachter will remain chairman of the board of UTA.
“We are thrilled to announce David as UTA’s next CEO. He is stepping into this role at an exciting time of growth, with UTA at the center of some of the most pivotal cultural moments across media, sports, and entertainment. We are confident that his leadership and client-centric approach will position the Company for continued success,” said Wachter in a statement. “I’ve known Jeremy and UTA for almost 30 years and have been impressed with Jeremy’s entrepreneurial nature and vision. It’s been remarkable how much the Company has grown and succeeded over that period. Jeremy’s years of dedicated service have left a strong and dynamic foundation for the Company’s future.”
The new role for Kramer is not completely unexpected, with the company describing the move as part of a long-planned succession process. Kramer was elevated to president of UTA in 2022.
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“These 35 years at UTA have been so incredibly rewarding,” said Zimmer in a statement. “While transition is never easy, this particular moment feels very right. David has been my chosen successor for many years and I’m certain that he will continue to uphold our great culture, support our amazing colleagues, and honor the privilege of serving our clients.”
“I am honored to be named UTA’s next CEO. We are all deeply grateful to Jeremy for his passion and dedication to this team and for helping to make UTA into one of the premier global talent agencies in the world,” Kramer added. “His vision and guidance were key to building our foundation and broadening our business to offer clients world-class capabilities across filmed entertainment, music, sports, the creator economy, and advisory services.”
Zimmer led UTA through a significant expansion period, completing some 19 acquisitions, per the company, and partnering with companies like Klutch Sports Group. UTA also secured private equity investment from EQT, in a bid to further turbocharge its growth.
In a note to staff obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Kramer indicated that he intends to continue following that path.
“UTA has consistently taken chances, entered into new spaces, and defined categories with our work,” Kramer wrote in a memo to staff Monday. “Our focus will continue to be on nurturing and empowering that entrepreneurialism, and the unique strengths and capabilities that have allowed us to win in each category. Together, we will make sure that we foster real collaboration across our platform so that we can leverage our ability to see what’s next in culture to unlock greater opportunity for both our clients and the company as a whole.”
As for Zimmer, he will continue as executive chairman through 2025, telling employees in a note that “for the next several months I will be completely available to help transition divisions and relationships to the colleagues who will assume new responsibilities. I will also be available for lunches, laughs, and any sort of questions or concerns that I can be of help with.”
Though he added that he won’t be leaving the entertainment business entirely.
“I have been an agent for 45 years, and it’s now or never to see what else I will do. I’ve always been a builder, and I want to take the time to create something meaningful in this next chapter of my career,” he wrote. “Let’s be honest, the chances that I’m going to start an aluminum company in Alaska or a cement company in Cleveland are pretty slim. So this is not goodbye. I will remain on the board, and I will always be a friend, a supporter, and a fiercely loyal champion of this great company we’ve built together and that I love.”
You can read Kramer’s full email to UTA staff below.
TO: All Employees
FROM: DK
SUBJECT: Leadership Update
Team,
I’d like to start by saying that I am honored to be named UTA’s next CEO. We are all deeply grateful to Jeremy for his passion and dedication to this team and for helping to make UTA into one of the premier global talent agencies in the world. His vision and guidance were key to building our foundation and broadening our business to offer clients world-class capabilities across filmed entertainment, music, sports, the creator economy, and advisory services.
There is a reason that UTA has been my home for my entire career – I am incredibly fortunate to work alongside such a talented and dedicated team, and experience the impact our work has for our clients.
UTA has consistently taken chances, entered into new spaces, and defined categories with our work. Our focus will continue to be on nurturing and empowering that entrepreneurialism, and the unique strengths and capabilities that have allowed us to win in each category. Together, we will make sure that we foster real collaboration across our platform so that we can leverage our ability to see what’s next in culture to unlock greater opportunity for both our clients and the company as a whole.
UTA’s greatness isn’t just defined by the strength of our individual contributions or our ever-expanding scale; it’s our shared commitment to putting clients first and our relentless pursuit of discovering, creating and sustaining opportunity for great talent and brands. This will always be the foundation of our success and what differentiates us.
I’m excited to collaborate with each of you as we leverage the strength of the businesses we’ve built and guide this company into a new era of growth and innovation.
I look forward to spending time over the following weeks meeting with all of you and talking further about priorities ahead.
Please join me once again in thanking Jeremy for his incredible vision and leadership. And thank you for all you do to make UTA the company it is today.
Regards,
DK
This story was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Austin’s annual SXSW conference and festival is set to scale back its 2026 edition. Next year, the event will run from March 12-18 — two days shorter than this year’s event — with its interactive, film/TV and music programs running concurrently. The news was first reported by the Austin American-Statesman. “A shorter SX gives attendees […]
Six months of preparation translated into a 13-minute Super Bowl Halftime Show. The NFL took fans behind the scenes for the first time on Friday (March 14) with a look into how Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show took form.
The NFL released a 32-minute mini-documentary on YouTube showcasing how the performance went from an idea to the big stage in New Orleans as more than 133 million fans watched at home.
Bruce Rodgers served as the creative director and production designer for Kendrick’s performance; it was Rodgers’ 19th Super Bowl Halftime Show.
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“This literally will change the way you do halftime. We’ll have to have a full team building the square, same with the diamond, same with the circle,” he said of the video game-themed stage for Lamar.
PgLang creative director Mike Carson was also heavily involved with the performance, and he hopped on countless Zooms and calls with Rodgers while bouncing ideas off him about the stage, lighting and performance.
Before GNX even dropped, one of the early hurdles was finding a pristine 1987 Buick GNX for the performance, which was gutted to have 30 of the 400 dancers emerge from the car.
“The car is the icon of this era for him as far as album covers [GNX], in the video, so it was only right to have it as part of the performance,” Carson said.
Five hundred crew members were involved in the shuttling of the stage on and off the field in eight minutes. Even though the Caesars Superdome is indoors, they opened the vents due to the use of pyrotechnics and had to take measures for possible inclement weather, which ended up working out.
Kendrick impressed with his heavily anticipated performance — including bringing “Not Like Us” to the global stage — which saw an assist from SZA and a Serena Williams cameo.
Lamar drew a 153% bump in streams in the week following his Super Bowl performance in New Orleans on Feb. 9, which pushed GNX back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Over a month later, Kendrick still holds three of the top five slots on the Billboard Hot 100, including his sixth No. 1 hit with “Luther.”
Watch the NFL’s mini-doc below.
Dua Lipa brought a bit of rock to her set as she tours down under. The superstar took the stage at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia, on Monday night (March 17), where she added a new song to her tour set — a cover of AC/DC’s 1979 classic, “Highway to Hell.” The tribute is […]
Will Smith will be taking his MC skills on the road for the first time in decades. The Grammy-winning polymath announced his Based on a True Story Summer Tour on Monday (March 17), which will hit major cities in the U.K. and Europe this summer. The tour kicks off in Hamburg, Germany, on July 13, […]
Just a few weeks into the latest season of American Idol, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie have made it clear that they think newest judge, and OG Idol season four winner, Carrie Underwood is a bit of a push-over who just wants to help everyone make it to Hollywood.
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But on Sunday night’s episode, 22-year-old Isaiah Moore of Oneonta, AL had all three judges crying in their pink Poppi cups with a life story that was as emotional as the song he chose to cover. The singer/worship pastor revealed that he arrived at the audition after he and his wife of seven days, Abby Grace, agreed to cancel their honeymoon so Isaiah could shoot his shot on the show.m
“We had a cruise to the Caribbean for our honeymoon,” Isaiah said before his audition on Sunday night (March 16). “But ultimately, my wife, she told me that there was no other option but to cancel it and come here to audition in Nashville.”
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Moore told the panel about his rough upbringing, which included his mother’s struggles with drug use and multiple trips to jail, resulting in him and his brother being raised by their grandparents. With a smile on his face, Moore said his mother – who was at the audition with him, along wit his maw-maw and paw-paw — is now three-years sober, though he choked up when he noted that his younger brother could not make it because of his current struggles.
Isaiah then dedicated a moving cover of Luke Combs’ “Where the While Things Are” to his brother, singing with grit and a heart-heavy weariness as he crooned, “Oh, it’s hearts on fire and crazy dreams/ Oh, the nights ignite like gasoline/ And light up those streets that never sleep when the sky goes dark/ Out where the wild things are.” By the end of the song about a brother lost to the wild things, all three judges had a hitch in their voice.
“You’ve got some power in that voice,” Underwood said, with Bryan adding, “I think there’s a story in that voice. That song kind of showcases a lot of parallels in your life and a lot of people’s lives.” Richie said he felt passion and the pain in the performance. “You’re carrying a lot inside but your blessing is that you can actually deliver it in a vocal,” he said. “It’s touching. I enjoyed your performance. It’s was just… smokin’.”
Underwood praised Moore for his powerful voice and storytelling and his ability to connect with the judges. She asked Isaiah to bring his family in and he got emotional as he introduced his family, with the judges passing him through to Hollywood with no reservations.
American Idol airs every Sunday on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
Watch Isaih Moore’s American Idol audition below.
J. Cole’s Dreamville Festival returns to North Carolina for its fifth and final iteration April 4-5, and the highly anticipated lineup is finally here.
Dreamville Fest 2025 announced its star-studded lineup on Monday (March 17), with Lil Wayne, 21 Savage and Erykah Badu headlining alongside festival co-founder J. Cole.
The final Dreamville Fest — which launched in 2018 — will be held at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday, April 5, and Sunday, April 6. Tickets are already on sale, with a limited number of two-day general admission passes still available at the Dreamville Fest website.
On Saturday (April 5), Lil Wayne will kick things off alongside Hot Boys (Juvenile, Turk and B.G.) and Big Tymers (Mannie Fresh and Birdman), a notable bookend to last year’s debates over whether Weezy should have headlined the New Orleans-hosted Super Bowl LIX halftime show. 21 Savage, with whom Cole won his first Grammy, will also serve as a Saturday headliner. Other Saturday performers include Ab-Soul, Young Nudy, Chief Keef, Ari Lennox, Lute, Omen, Kai Ca$h & Niko Brim, Bas, Ludacris and PARTYNEXTDOOR, who recently earned his first Billboard 200 chart-topper with the Drake collab $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. Keyshia Cole will play a special set celebrating 20 years of The Way It Is, which houses her timeless classic “Love.”
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Cole and Badu will each close out their respective stages as headliners on Sunday night (April 6). Badu’s performance will come just over a week after she accepts the Icon Award at Billboard Women In Music on March 29. Additional Sunday performers include Grammy winners Tems and Coco Jones, as well as rap stars GloRilla, Wale, BigXthaPlug, JID and Anycia. Earthgang, Cozz and Akia are also set to perform on Sunday night.
“Our team looks forward to welcoming fans from around the world to Dreamville Festival this spring for our fifth-anniversary celebration,” Dreamville co-founder and festival president Adam Roy said in a statement. “The first weekend in April has grown to become one of our team’s favorite times of the year as an annual NC reunion.”
Find the full Dreamville Festival 2025 lineup broken down below.
Saturday, April 5:
Lil Wayne with Hot Boys (Juvenile, Turk, and B.G.) and Big Tymers (Mannie Fresh and Birdman)
21 Savage
PARTYNEXTDOOR
Ludacris
Ari Lennox
Chief Keef
Keyshia Cole (celebrating 20 years of The Way It Is)
Bas
Young Nudy
Ab-Soul
Lute
Omen
Kai Ca$h & Niko Brim
Sunday, April 6:
J. Cole
Erykah Badu
Tems
GloRilla
J.I.D
Wale
Coco Jones
BigXthaPlug
EarthGang
Anycia
Cozz
Akia
See the announcement below:
