Music News

07 Mar 2025

50 Cent Trolls Jim Jones & Floyd Mayweather With ‘Rocky III’ Edit

50 Cent is up to his trolling ways again, and he’s still relishing being somewhat responsible for the recent spat between Cam’ron and Jim Jones.

The Queens rapper and filmmaker posted and deleted an AI-created video on Instagram of Jim Jones, Cam’ron, and Floyd Mayweather playing characters in a scene from Rocky III. Jones, as Clubber Lang, publicly challenges Killa as Rocky, but Cam’s trainer Floyd Mayweather as Mickey advises him not to take the fight and stay retired.

This all stems from 50 making an appearance on Cam’ron’s talk show Talk With Flee a few weeks back when the two old foes reminisced about the time when they were trading diss songs because 50 downplayed The Diplomats signing with former indie label Koch. It was also a situation that gave us one of the more memorable moments in Rap Internet history in Cam sending 50 a video message as he stood in front of the pool of his vacation home while in his boxers.

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Jim Jones got involved because 50 and Cam talked about when he and Juelz Santana performed at a G-Unit show during their beef, prompting Jones to take offense when the interview was brought up while he was talking to Justin Laboy.

Anyway, while on The Breakfast Club, Capo referred to Cam as “a birdhead” and challenged him to a boxing match for $10 million. “You with Mayweather and ’em,” Jones said referring to Cam living in Las Vegas these days. “$10 million. I’ll meet you in any boxing ring. Now go make some jokes about that on your next show. I’ll box your head off. You know that. Don’t play with me. Now go type about that.”

Speaking of boxing, Cam and Mase blamed Jimmy and Juelz for Gervonta Davis earning himself a draw in his recent fight with Lamont Roach Jr., which made Jim tell Mase to go on a diet.

Instagram page HolliHoodNews is responsible for the edits and they posted about four videos in total. You can check them out here.

07 Mar 2025

Antonio Brown Says He’s Performing at Fyre Fest 2

Billy McFarland’s Fyre Fest 2 is slated to take place on Isla Mujeres in Mexico from May 30 to June 2, and one artist has announced his appearance on the bill.

Former NFL star Antonio “AB” Brown claimed in an interview with TMZ Sports on Thursday (March 6) that he’s been booked for a performance on May 30.

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“Ayo, this is AB and I’ll be performing at Fyre Fest part 2 in Mexico on May 30. Be there or be square,” AB said while rocking an army helmet. “Make sure you put that sh– on.”

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Isla Mujeres is located in the state of Quintana Roo and is about a half-hour ferry ride from Cancun. Various ticket packages are available, ranging from $1,400 to $25,000, and there’s even a $1 million package for eight people that has access to luxury villas, a private marina and a private jet.

AB is the first confirmed artist for Fyre Fest 2. The festival has yet to release a lineup of talent. Festival organizers reportedly told TMZ that they have booked several artists.

Billboard reached out to two of the biggest booking agencies for music festivals in February, and neither heard from reps for Fyre Fest 2.

Antonio Brown played his last game in the NFL on Jan. 2, 2022, when he famously left the field with no shirt on mid-game and never took another snap on the gridiron.

AB turned to rapping and a friendship with Ye (formerly Kanye West), who executive-produced his Paradigm project, which arrived in 2022 with standouts like “Put That Sh– On” and features from DaBaby, Young Thug, French Montana, Fivio Foreign and Keyshia Cole. He performed at Rolling Loud California in 2023.

The original Fyre Fest took place in April 2017 and is remembered as one of the most disastrous festivals in music history.

Convicted fraudster Billy McFarland is getting a second chance and he’s promising this edition won’t be a repeat of the first. McFarland was sentenced to six years in 2018 after admitting to defrauding investors of millions of dollars. He was released to a halfway house in 2022.

07 Mar 2025

Comedian Hannah Berner Apologizes to Megan Thee Stallion After Interview Backlash: ‘It Was a Careless Choice of Words’

Comedian Hannah Berner is apologizing to Megan Thee Stallion after her interview with the Grammy-winning rapper on the Vanity Fair Oscar party red carpet over the weekend drew backlash from fans.

The part of Berner’s interview drawing ire is when she said she listens to Meg’s music “when I want to fight someone.” Megan immediately rejected that framing of her music, responding, “You want to throw that fighting sh– out the window and you want to get cute and be a bad bi—.”

Clearly Berner heard the backlash to the idea of attaching violence to Megan’s music — after the rapper has been open about surviving domestic violence and being shot by Tory Lanez in 2020 — posting an apology to her Instagram Stories on Thursday.

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“Interviewing Megan Thee Stallion was a dream of mine,” she wrote in the now-expired Story. “I love her music and it’s my go to whenever I need to boost my confidence before a show. Looking back at the interview, I wish I used any other word except ‘fight’ to describe how her songs impact me. It was a careless choice of words and though there was no ill intent, I recognize and acknowledge that what I said has a deeper meaning and I am so sorry to Megan. I appreciate everyone who brought this to my attention.”

You can watch the interview with Megan here:

Megan Thee Stallion released her most recent album, Megan: Act II, back in October, and she’s already teasing her fans that Act III is coming in 2025. “Real Hot Girl Sh– ACT 3 2025 … be ready hotties,” she wrote on X.

07 Mar 2025

Elton John Extends Top 10 Record on Adult Contemporary Chart With Brandi Carlile Collab ‘Who Believes in Angels?’

Elton John adds his record-extending 43rd top 10 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, and Brandi Carlile earns her first, as their duet “Who Believes in Angels?” ascends a spot to No. 10 on the survey dated March 15.

The song adds Greatest Gainer honors, thanks to its 22% surge in plays Feb. 28-March 6. (The Adult Contemporary chart ranks songs by weekly plays on more than 80 radio stations in the format monitored by Mediabase, with data provided to Billboard by Luminate.)

John first reached the top 10 on the list dated Feb. 6, 1971, with his first entry, his iconic ballad “Your Song.” He had most recently made the tier with the No. 4-peaking “Hold Me Closer,” with Britney Spears, in 2022-23. Before that, “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix),” with Dua Lipa, became his record-extending 18th No.1 in May 2022.

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Here’s a look at the artists with the most top 10s since Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart began with the edition dated July 17, 1961:

  • 42, Elton John
  • 38, Neil Diamond
  • 35, Barbra Streisand
  • 31, Elvis Presley
  • 29, Dionne Warwick
  • 28, Barry Manilow
  • 28, Kenny Rogers
  • 26, Whitney Houston
  • 24, Chicago
  • 24, Billy Joel
  • 24, James Taylor
  • 24, Bobby Vinton

Carlile hits the Adult Contemporary top 10 with her second entry on the chart. “Party of One,” featuring Sam Smith, reached No. 29 in 2018. The singer-songwriter boasts five No. 1s on the Americana/Folk Albums chart, notched between 2010 and 2021. She has also won 11 Grammy Awards. (John has collected five, along with the Grammy Legend Award in 1999.)

“Who Believes in Angels?” previews John and Carlile’s album of the same name, due April 4. A second taste of the set, the jangly “Swing for the Fences,” was released Wednesday (March 5).

All charts dated March 15 will update Tuesday, March 11 on Billboard.com.

07 Mar 2025

Bebe Rexha Cannot Get Over This Song From Lady Gaga’s ‘Mayhem’: ‘I Want a Love Like That’

Little Monsters everywhere have spent all day Friday (March 7) rejoicing, after Lady Gaga unveiled her long-awaited new album Mayhem. One of those fans, it turns out, is Gaga’s fellow pop star Bebe Rexha.

In a series of posts shared on X, the “I’m the Drama” singer shared her first impression of Gaga’s new album, calling out just a few of her top tracks off Mayhem. “My favorites are blade of grass, LoveDrug, zombie boy, vanish into you,” Rexha reported to her fans.

But the heartfelt ballad “Blade of Grass” in particular stood out among Rexha’s early favorites, as the singer continued to share her astonishment at Gaga’s new love song. “Blade of grasss is soooooo gooood,” she wrote. “And the story behind blade of grass. Omg. I want a love like that.”

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The story Rexha referred to was revealed during Gaga’s wide-ranging interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. The star said that “Blade of Grass” was inspired by her fiancé, Michael Polansky, and a charming moment the two shared shortly before he proposed.

“Michael asked me how I would want him to propose to me one day,” she explained. “We were in our backyard and I said, ‘Just take a blade of grass and wrap it around my finger,’ and then I wrote ‘Blade of Grass’ because I remembered the way his face looked and I remembered the grass in the backyard and I remember thinking he should use that really long grass that’s in the center of the backyard.”

Rexha is just one fan amongst a sea of them sharing their love for Gaga’s new record. In an interview with Billboard, Gaga reacted to her fans’ unyielding support in the lead-up to Mayhem. “I’ve seen Little Monsters be so amazing for almost 20 years. I haven’t seen us like this in a long time,” she said. “I am really honored. All I ever want to do is make something that you press play and you feel good for the duration of the record, and maybe you play it again.”

See Rexha’s reaction to Gaga’s Mayhem below:

07 Mar 2025

Shinedown Becomes First Act With 20 Mainstream Rock Airplay No. 1s

Shinedown adds to its record number of No. 1s on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, strutting to the top of the March 15-dated survey with “Dance, Kid, Dance.”

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The song becomes Shinedown’s milestone 20th leader on Mainstream Rock Airplay, which began in 1981. The Brent Smith-fronted rockers first reigned with “Save Me” in 2005. They have earned their two most recent rulers consecutively, as “Dance, Kid, Dance” follows the four-week rule of “A Symptom of Being Human” in January-February 2024.

All of the band’s No. 1s on the chart have been released on and promoted to radio by Atlantic Records.

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Most No. 1s, Mainstream Rock Airplay:
20, Shinedown
18, Three Days Grace
15, Five Finger Death Punch
14, Foo Fighters
14, Metallica
13, Godsmack
13, Van Halen
12, Disturbed
12, Linkin Park

“Dance, Kid, Dance” is one of two Shinedown songs currently on the tally. “Three Six Five,” which was released concurrently with “Dance, Kid, Dance” on Jan. 24, reaches a new No. 38 high.

“Dance, Kid, Dance” also lifts 7-6 on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart with 3.3 million audience impressions (up 1%) in the week ending March 6, according to Luminate.

On the most recently published, multimetric Hot Hard Rock Songs chart (dated March 8, reflecting data Feb. 21-27), “Dance, Kid, Dance” ranked at No. 9, after it debuted at its No. 3 high (Feb. 8). In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 344,000 official U.S. streams.

“Three Six Five,” meanwhile, is the lead radio single at other radio formats. It rises 17-16 on Adult Pop Airplay and holds at its No. 19 best on Alternative Airplay.

Both songs are the first tastes of new music from Shinedown since 2022’s Planet Zero. A new studio album, the band’s eighth, has not yet been announced.

All Billboard charts dated March 15 will update Tuesday, March 11 on Billboard.com.

07 Mar 2025

Cash Cobain, Bay Swag & Rob49 Are ‘Trippin on a Yacht’: Watch

Cash Cobain makes addictive music.

Since he previewed “Trippin on a Yacht” on PlaqueBoyMax‘s stream earlier this year, the snippet has been all over TikTok, as has become a tradition when it comes to music he purposely teases on social media. And when he finally dropped the single, we included it on our Fresh Picks of the Week column.

So today we present to you the music video, which was shot in New Orleans, directed by Frankie and produced by FreeWater. With Cash flipping a sample of a New Orleans bounce beat, it made sense to hit Nola for the visuals. N.O. native Rob49, showed them some of that southern hospitality as he took Cash and Bay Swag through his city where they ended up partying on a yacht with India Love amidst a ton of booties bouncing. Maybe they can get Justin Bieber on the remix, with Biebervelli recently outing himself as a member of the Slizzy Mafia and the kids are calling him Slizzy Bieber.

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Cash is starting his year off on a good foot as he looks to follow up his impressive debut album Play Cash Cobain. Expect to hear the words “I think I gotta take another shot/ I think I fell in love with a thot/ The Don Julio got me hot” a lot this summer, especially in New York City.

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It looks like we’re in for another Slizzy Summer and the only question is: Will this summer be slizzier than the last?

Watch the video below.

07 Mar 2025

For j-hope, Military Service Was an ‘Opportunity for More Exploration’: ‘I Found a Lot of New Inspiration’

j-hope is doing it all now that he’s completed his mandatory military service for South Korea. And as the BTS superstar is preparing to hit the road for his Hope on the Stage Tour, he’s sharing how serving his country gave him time to consider what’s ahead for him.

“I think the period of rest that naturally came with the situation actually became an opportunity for more exploration,” the global star told Rolling Stone in a new interview published Friday (March 7). “I found a lot of new inspiration and got to spend much time thinking about the future. I also started making plans for what I want to do once I complete my military service.”

What’s more, he added, time in the military helped shape him. “I still believe that experiences are invaluable. The thoughts I had during those times have become an inseparable part of me, nurturing and shaping who I am today,” he told the publication. “Ultimately, they have influenced the stories I tell, the music I aspire to create, my choreography and the overall aspects of my work, deepening my understanding of my own thoughts.”

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j-hope completed his time in uniform in October, and became the second member of BTS to finish his service. (Jin, who was first to start military duties, was discharged in June; the rest of the K-pop group — V, Suga, RM, Jimin and Jung Kook — are all expected to complete their service this year, with full group activities resuming after.) By January, j-hope was already teasing that not only was he releasing new solo music this year, but that he was hitting the road as well. After a series of shows in Seoul and late February and early March, he’ll be taking Hope on the Stage to Brooklyn, N.Y., for a pair of shows beginning on March 13, with the tour also making stops in Chicago, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Singapore, Bangkok and more before ending June 1 in Osaka, Japan.

As for that new music he teased? It was a new single titled “Sweet Dreams,” featuring Miguel, who j-hope told Rolling Stone he has “respected greatly” for a long time. Said the star of working with the R&B singer-songwriter, “We got in touch, and despite the challenges of it being around the holiday season, he was so kind and eager to collaborate. I remember sending him a personal text to thank him.”

The “Chicken Noodle Soup” singer also shared that his BTS bandmates have also had a chance to listen to his new track. “I played the song for all of the members. I made sure to share it with them when each of them was on their military leave, and I felt proud to be able to play it for them first,” he told the publication. “I was very happy that everyone liked it.”

Next up for j-hope is his solo debut performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday, March 10. Miguel will be appearing alongside the K-pop star.

07 Mar 2025

Oscar Maydon & Netón Vega’s ‘Amigos? No.’ and More: Which Is Your Favorite New Latin Music Release of the Week? Vote!

This week, Billboard’s New Music Latin roundup and playlist — curated by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — features fresh new music including collaborations between Oscar Maydon and Netón Vega’s Amigos? No.” and Kapo and Myke Towers’ “ILY.” Plus, Banda MS released its highly-anticipated album Edición Limitada.

In another collab, Argentine rapper Tiago PZK teamed up with Teddy Swims for sometimes “Sometimes,” the focus single off of Tiago’s GOTTI B EP.  “This song is a big step for me — working with an artist I’ve looked up to and pushing my sound in a new direction,” Tiago said in a statement. “It feels like the start of something fresh, and I’m excited for people to hear this next chapter.”

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Teddy Swims added, “It’s such an honor to be working with one of the most talented and most incredible people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting! I love Tiago so much, and I’m so grateful to call him a friend! Hope you all love this song as much as we do, and I hope you party to it as much as we have too!”

Meanwhile, Jay Wheeler released “NSQMQ,” a sweet ballad about the internal struggle of someone who is trying to move forward. “We’ve all experienced moments where we don’t know how to move on after losing someone (or something) important to us,” Jay said about his new release. “‘No Sé Qué Me Queda’ is my way of expressing that feeling, but also of remembering that, even if it hurts, there’s always a way to move on.”

Other new releases include Domelipa’s “XXX,” Ambar Lucid’s “There Goes My Baby” and Gabito Ballesteros’ “Perdido,” among others. Who should win this week? Give these new releases a spin and vote for your favorite new Latin music release below.

07 Mar 2025

Tank and the Bangas Is Unique in a City With Big Culture: ‘I’m Not Typical New Orleans’

“I’m not typical New Orleans,” says Tarriona “Tank” Ball, singer for the group Tank and the Bangas, when chatting on Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast.

Just as New Orleans has a long history of absorbing aspects of different cultures, Tank and the Bangas is a music genre-blender. The group’s stunning mix of R&B, funk, jazz, rap and poetry helped Tank and the Bangas win NPR’s Tiny Desk Content in 2017 and most recently a 2025 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album for their fourth studio album, The Heart, The Mind, The Soul (Verve Forecast). 

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“You need to know how to do something in this culture,” says Ball of her hometown. “This is a big culture.” But Ball isn’t always sure she fits in. She says she can’t cook traditional New Orleans dishes. She can’t “second line,” otherwise known as dancing in a New Orleans parade. Nor does she perform classic New Orleans songs like The Meters’ “Hey Pocky A-way” in her concerts. Her relationship with her hometown is captured in a stand out track from The Heart, The Mind, The Soul, “Am I Still New Orleans?”

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“Sometimes I’m like, ‘Man, am I still New Orleans if … the only thing I lost in the storm was my way?’ I really love that place,” says Ball. “And apparently, when I’m in the streets, a lot of other people love it too. They say, ‘Am I still New Orleans,’ which lets me know I’m not the only one that feels that way — especially in a city that is driven by its culture. If you are not a part of the bigness of that culture, then you could sometimes feel like an outsider.”

Tank and the Bangas have won over audiences around the world with their genre-blending style that reflects the diversity of her upbringing. “I think it’s the perfect combination of like listening to your parents old records from like Stevie Wonder and Peabo Bryson, and listening to 98.5 with Anita Baker [and] Luther Vandross, and then also meeting new friends around the corner from your new neighborhood and listening and watching Selena for the first time, and watching the Spice Girls, and then not wanting to go to church sometimes, and sitting at home watching the Disney Channel over and over, really close to the television,” she explains. “And then growing up in New Orleans, where you’re just hearing bounce music, and you learn to dance and pop very early on.”

Next month, Ball and her band gets to perform for her hometown crowd at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival — otherwise known as Jazz Fest — with such artists as Lil Wayne & The Roots, Dave Matthews Band, Burna Boy, Santana and Trombone Shorty, a New Orleans local who is taking Tank and the Bangas on tour this month. “I want to tear it up,” says Ball of the upcoming Jazz Fest performance. “I want to give them something to see. I want to have a good time, and I want to execute well. I think this is going to be one of our best performances.”

Don’t miss the entire interview with Ball — listen using the embedded Spotify player below, or go to Spotify, Apple Music, iHeart, Amazon Music, Podbean or Everand.