Music News

09 Jan 2025

Listen to Mac Miller’s New Posthumous Song ‘5 Dollar Pony Rides’

Mac Miller‘s estate shared the lead single to the late rapper’s upcoming posthumous album Balloonerism.

“5 Dollar Pony Rides” features Miller’s close friend and collaborator Thundercat helping out on the production side of things, and it’s a pretty groovy jam about a girl. The Pittsburgh rapper was working on Balloonerism around the same time he was working on Watching Movies With the Sound Off, Delusional Thomas and Faces, according to a press release.

Back in 2020, Thundercat responded “It exist” to a fan on X who tweeted, “Imagine if Thundercat and Mac Miller did an entire album together.” The musician then followed his quote tweet with another saying that he’ll probably never release the project out of respect. “Everything isn’t meant to be put out like that,” he said. “Me and Mac worked on a lot of different things. He did as he saw fit y’all gotta relax lol. Bout to get my emotions flying all over the place.”

Miller’s estate recently revealed the track list, with the only credited features being SZA and his alter ego Delusional Thomas, and it’s set to drop next week, on Jan. 17.

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Fans can cop a physical version of the album, which includes a limited-edition deluxe two-LP pressing that features a rainbow foil-wrapped slipcase with white splatter cloud vinyl and a 32-page color booklet featuring photos and lyrics, as well as a limited one-time pressing that features clear vinyl. The preorder for the CD, cassette, and vinyl are available now on balloonerism.com.

Miller died in 2018 at age 26 of an accidental overdose.

You can listen to the new song below.

09 Jan 2025

Chance the Rapper & Kirsten Corley Settle Divorce

Less than a year after publicly announcing their split, Chance the Rapper and his longtime partner Kirsten Corley have settled their divorce.

The settlement, or a Stipulation to Hear Uncontested Cause, was filed this month in Cook County, Illinois, as indicated by court records reviewed by Billboard and first reported by TMZ.

Chance and Corley announced their divorce in April 2024, more than five years after they tied the knot in 2019. In their joint statement, which was posted to both party’s Instagram Stories, they explained that they are divorcing after a “period of separation” and that the couple came to the decision “amicably.”

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“After a period of separation, the two of us have arrived at the decision to part ways,” Chance and Corley wrote. “We came to this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together. God has blessed us with two beautiful daughters who we will continue to raise together. We kindly ask for privacy and respect as we navigate this transition. Thank you.”

The former couple shares two daughters: nine-year-old Kensli and five-year-old Marli.

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Chance and Corley met as children began dating in 2013. They went through a brief split in 2016 before quickly reconciling and getting married in March 2019 with a celebration at the Pelican Hill Resort in Newport Beach, Calif.

09 Jan 2025

Tina Knowles Loses Malibu Bungalow in Los Angeles Wildfires: ‘It Was My Favorite Place’

Tina Knowles has lost her home amid the ongoing wildfire crisis in Los Angeles, the businesswoman revealed Thursday (Jan. 9) on Instagram.

Sharing a video of what appears to be dolphins swimming in the ocean just outside of her beachside bungalow in Malibu, Knowles — who is Mom to Beyoncé and Solange Knowles — wrote, “This is what I was looking at on my birthday this past weekend.”

“It was my favorite place, my sanctuary, my sacred Happy Place,” she continued. “Now it is gone !! God Bless all the brave men and women in our fire department who risked their lives in dangerous conditions. We thank you for your dedication and bravery and for saving so many lives.”

Adding that her “deepest prayers” are with Californians who have been affected by the fires — particularly the family members of the five victims who have been reported dead since the disaster broke out two days prior — the designer concluded, “I am praying diligently for our beautiful City of Los Angeles !! We are resilient though and we will recover!”

Knowles is just the latest public figure who’s reported losing their property to the fires, which first erupted in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday morning. More blazes have since torn through the Hollywood Hills, Pasadena, Altadena and Sylmar, claiming more than 28,000 acres so far and necessitating that nearly 180,000 residents be placed under evacuation orders or warnings, according to CNN.

Mandy Moore, Brad Paisley, Jhené Aiko and songwriter Diane Warren have also shared that the fires have destroyed their homes, while Kid Cudi, Travis Barker’s son Landon and daughter Alabama, and more celebrities have posted about evacuating. Stars such as Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish and Shawn Mendes have been doing their part by boosting resources on social media, while countless industry events have been forced to cancel or postpone due to the destruction to the city.

Knowles’ post comes just five days after she celebrated her 71st birthday on Jan. 4. On her big day, the mogul shared a reel of photos with her daughters and wrote on Instagram, “I am so thankful To God today for so many things ! My family ! My friends , my health and my life!!!!”

See Knowles’ post below.

09 Jan 2025

LiAngelo Ball’s ‘Tweaker’ Gets Damian Lillard Co-Sign: ‘I Rock With It’

LiAngelo Ball and his new song “Tweaker” just got another co-sign. During a postgame interview after Milwaukee Bucks and San Antonio Spurs game Wednesday (Jan. 8), Bucks point guard and current consensus best rapper/athlete Damian Lillard was asked by Michael Eaves of ESPN what he felt about the record that’s taking the rap world by storm.

“I rock with it, man,” said Dame D.O.L.L.A. “I’ve been hearing it a lot, it gives me that 2003, 2004 vibe. I rock with it, like I said, it’s a slapper. And as an artist, you gotta respect other people’s artistry, and when something is going, it’s going. So, like I said, I rock with it, I respect it, and I’m always happy for other people’s success … I’m happy for him, it’s a big record, you’re hearing it everywhere. Much love to him.”

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Dame has released four projects and has rapped alongside the likes of Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Meek Mill and Shaq, so he knows a little bit about what he’s talking about when it comes to rap.

Since the middle Ball brother played his song for streamer n3on, “Tweaker” has controlled much of the conversation on social media. People quickly made the track a meme, describing it as the perfect mid-2000s anthem one would hear while navigating a video game menu, while the hype around the song earned him a slot in the upcoming Rolling Loud California festival and millions of plays. He’s already getting placements on television too: The NBA on TNT crew used the song for program breaks earlier this week.

We now await for the official “Tweaker” music video to drop.

09 Jan 2025

Zach Bryan Slams ‘Weird Couch Warriors’ for ‘Harassing’ His Friends: ‘Every Day I Lose a Little More Faith in Humanity’

Following singer-songwriter Zach Bryan‘s breakup with ex-girlfriend Brianna LaPaglia (aka Brianna Chickenfry), it seems some online users have been intent on trying to discover whether the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper has a new girlfriend. And according to Bryan, some of those users have been “harassing” his friends in the process.

In a series of Instagram Stories on Jan. 9, Bryan railed against “f–kin weird couch warriors” whom he claimed have been “attacking and belittling my friends on the internet because you’re assuming I have a girlfriend.” Bryan added, “Everyone wonders why I quit touring and don’t want to be attached to music anymore, meanwhile you’re calling my friends ugly and harassing them?”

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He also clarified his current dating status, saying, “I don’t have a girlfriend and don’t plan on having a girlfriend however I do have normal friends that I love very much and would go to the ends of the earth for…you do not know me. You never will know me. Stop acting like you do.”

He continued, “I am allowed to have love, laughter and good people in my life. No matter how bad of a person you think I am, go ahead and come for me. I can take all the hatred because I’m not a child. But do not come for my friends who do nothing but love and care for me. Everyone wants you to have fun and make great music but you guys are making it really hard to do that with my friends getting insulted and death threats every day.”

Bryan also noted, “Every day I lose a little more faith in humanity and everyday I get closer to never being in the public’s [sic] eye again which is incredibly sad because I truly do really love humans and being happy and joking around and laughing a lot. I love my life. I’ve worked very hard for it. Whether you think I deserve it or not. Stop being such sad and fat fingered internet sleuths to my friends. We’re all humans and I’m so tired of people thinking social media is a way to have a high moral ground on people they’ve never met? Guess people aren’t humans anymore since they can hide behind screens? Weird a–holes man ok I’m done.”

His series of Instagram Stories entries continued as the former Navy member (he was honorably discharged following eight years of service), who also weathered the passing of his mother in 2016, spoke out against people trying to give him unsolicited advice about grief and coping with fame.

“Ahh, one more thing: I don’t need people telling me to hang in there, sympathizing with me, or giving me advice on how to handle something or things they’ve never coped with,” he wrote. “I lost my mother, I’ve been in war zones, and I’ve battled this whole fame thing for five years. Respectfully I don’t need your unsolicited advice. I’m a grown man. I promise I can get through some little bullies on the internet hahaha. I am so terrifyingly unphased [sic] by the fake s–t people say about me online but coming for people I love and care for is my line and my final straw. Okay have a good day everyone love you miss you.”

Bryan recently wrapped his The Quittin’ Time Tour, which played a slew of top venues, including numerous stadiums, throughout 2024. Last year, he also issued the album The Great American Bar Scene, which rose to No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

09 Jan 2025

Mandy Moore Shares Photos of House Damage From Los Angeles Fires, Says ‘Main Part’ Is Still Standing

Mandy Moore is one of the thousands of people affected by the devastating fires that continue to rage across Los Angeles, and the star took to Instagram to share videos and photos of the damage she and her community endured.

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“I love you, Altadena. Grateful for my family and pets getting out last night before it was too late (and endless gratitude to friends for taking us in and bringing us clothes and blankets),” she wrote on Wednesday (Jan. 8) alongside videos of her neighborhood, engulfed in smoke and flames. “Honestly, I’m in shock and feeling numb for all so many have lost, including my family. My children’s school is gone. Our favorite restaurants, leveled. So many friends and loved ones have lost everything too. Our community is broken but we will be here to rebuild together. Sending love to all affected and on the front lines trying to get this under control.”

She followed-up with another series of photos the next, this time from her property, much of which was left as rubble. “We were able to park and walk up our street to bear witness to all the loss. Miraculously, the main part of our house is still standing,” she wrote. “For now. It’s not livable but mostly intact.”

Moore continued, “Everyone we know lost everything. Every house on our street is gone. My in laws. My brother and sister in law- 6 weeks from welcoming their first baby. Our best friends. Feeling weird survivors guilt. We love this community and will do everything we can to help rebuild and support. Thanks for everyone for checking on us and offering us help. Altadena strong.”

See her post here.

She joins a number of celebrities who also lost their homes or sustained significant damage, including Jhené Aiko, Paris Hilton, Anna Faris, Spencer and Heidi Pratt, Leighton Meester and Adam Brody and Diane Warren, among others.

A series of wildfires broke out across Los Angeles this week, fanned by gust-like winds, leading to more than 200,000 evacuations. The Palisades Fire on the west side of the city has consumed more than 17,000 acres, while the Eaton Fire on the east burned more than 10,000 acres. Crews also fought the Sunset Fire on Wednesday night (Jan. 8) in the Runyon Canyon area of the Hollywood Hills, and the blaze led to the burning of dozens of acres of vegetation.

09 Jan 2025

M.I.A.’s ‘Paper Planes’ Back at No. 1 on TikTok Billboard Top 50, ‘Mufasa’ Song Debuts

After dropping to No. 2 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 for a week amid holiday-related gains (punctuated by the reign of Wham!’s “Last Christmas”), M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” returns to No. 1 on the chart dated Jan. 11.

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The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity Dec. 30-Jan. 5. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.

“Paper Planes” nabs its second week at No. 1 after initially rising to the top of the Dec. 28, 2024-dated list. Its ascension is tied to a dance trend featuring the tune, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2008. It earned 4.2 million official U.S. streams toward the Billboard charts in the week ending Jan. 2, according to Luminate, good for No. 9 on the Hot Alternative Songs chart.

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The song reigns over a previous TikTok Billboard Top 50 No. 1 in Djo’s “End of Beginning,” which roars back onto the tally at No. 2. Djo’s 2022 track exploded on TikTok in early 2024, eventually rising to No. 1 for two weeks in March of that year, though the tune hadn’t appeared on the ranking since July — until now.

Why is “End of Beginning” back? At the end of the song’s first verse, Djo’s Joe Keery asks, “Remember 24?” Though the lyrics in question reference being 24 years old, TikTok users flipped the script to refer to the year 2024, with some instructing viewers to start playing the song at a certain time on Dec. 31, 2024, so that they’d hear “Remember 24?” right as 2025 began.

“End of Beginning,” which peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100 in March 2024, scored a 25% bump in chart-eligible streams in the week ending Jan. 2, earning 4.9 million listens.

Naughty Boy’s “La La La,” featuring Sam Smith, reaches a new peak of No. 3 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 after leaping into the top 10 for the first time on the Jan. 4 ranking. The song remains driven by a trend featuring two or more people, with one creator lip-synching in the foreground and others dancing or acting out a scene in the background.

“La La La” concurrently debuts at No. 101 on the Billboard Global 200, and it sports a 12% jump in U.S. official streams to 3.7 million in the week ending Jan. 2. The tune peaked at No. 19 on the Hot 100 in 2014.

Three other songs round out the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s top 10, including one chart debut. Sam Austins’ “Seasons” leads the pack, leaping 16-7 after benefitting from an influx of year-end videos in which users recap their styles and looks throughout 2024, among other viral usages.

Tyler, the Creator’s “Sticky” — which features GloRilla, Sexyy Red and Lil Wayne — also makes it into the top 10 for the first time at No. 9, becoming the second song from the rapper’s St. Chroma to reach that region, after “Like Him” peaked at No. 3 in December (it ranks at No. 6 on the latest tally). Its rise comes in its ninth week on the survey, driven by a variety of uses that highlight the song’s different verses from its four rappers, with a more recent one including a dance involving twirling one’s hair to the “grab that mop” lyric.

And at No. 10, “I Always Wanted a Brother” from the new film Mufasa: The Lion King bows as the week’s top debut. The song went viral on TikTok at the tail end of 2024 (the movie was released on Dec. 20, 2024) as users highlighted the way that Scar (voiced by Theo Somolu as a cub) sings the word “brother” (as well as the animation of said singing). It’s since been utilized in lip-synching content as well.

See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.

09 Jan 2025

Stray Kids’ ‘HOP’ Notches Third Week at No. 1 on Top Album Sales

Stray Kids’ HOP spends a third week in a row at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Jan. 11), as the set sold 27,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 2 (down 46%), according to Luminate. The effort debuted atop the chart dated Dec. 28 and has yet to depart the top slot.

With a third week at No. 1, HOP now has the most weeks atop the Top Album Sales chart of Stray Kids’ six leaders. The act’s first four No. 1s all spent one week in charge, and then ATE logged two in August of 2024, followed by HOP’s three week reign.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album (TEA) units and streaming equivalent album (SEA) units.

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The chart-topping Wicked film soundtrack rises one rung to No. 2 on Top Album Sales (21,000; down 52%), Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess moves 4-3 (13,000; down 52%), Taylor Swift’s former No. 1 The Tortured Poets Department falls 2-4 (nearly 13,000; down 73%) and Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet is steady at No. 5 (just over 12,000; down 45%).

ROSÉ’s rosie rockets 20-6 with nearly 12,000 sold (up 9%). Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft slips 6-7 (10,000; down 50%), Tyler, the Creator’s chart-topping Igor jumps 11-8 (9,000; down 38%) and TWICE’s STRATEGY is a non-mover at No. 9 (nearly 9,000; down 43%).

Rounding out the top 10 is Charli XCX’s Brat, moving 8-10 (8,000; down 48%).

09 Jan 2025

Jhené Aiko Reveals She Lost Her Home in Los Angeles Fires, Confirms She & Her Children Are Safe

Jhené Aiko is one of the thousands of people who lost their homes amid the devastating fires blazing across Los Angeles this week.

The “Bed Peace” singer took to social media on Thursday (Jan. 9) to reveal that her home was “burned to the ground with all of our things inside,” but her two-year-old son Noah — whom she shares with Big Sean — and 16-year-old daughter Namiko are both safe with her. “Lord have mercy ? Thankful we still have eachother ? starting from scratch. My heart is so heavy ?,” she wrote.

She continued on another slide, “praying for everyone this morning. those who lost their home, those who lost their life’s work, those who lost their life. praying for my city. praying for the wild life and lost pets. praying for the world ?.”

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Aiko concluded, “let suffering be a gift; a lesson in compassion.”

See her post here. She joins a number of celebrities who also lost their homes, including Paris Hilton, Anna Faris, Spencer and Heidi Pratt, Leighton Meester and Adam Brody and Diane Warren, among others.

A series of wildfires broke out across Los Angeles this week, fanned by gust-like winds, leading to more than 200,000 evacuations. The Palisades Fire on the west side of the city has consumed more than 17,000 acres, while the Eaton Fire on the east burned more than 10,000 acres. Crews also fought the Sunset Fire on Wednesday night (Jan. 8) in the Runyon Canyon area of the Hollywood Hills, and the blaze led to the burning of dozens of acres of vegetation.

09 Jan 2025

Kid Cudi Evacuates His Home Due to Los Angeles Fires: ‘Praying for Us All’

Wildfires have devastated thousands in the Los Angeles area this week. Kid Cudi revealed on Wednesday night (Jan. 8) that he and his family evacuated his L.A. home safely.

“Hey guys, had to evacuate my crib,” he began in a heartfelt Instagram Story. “Im safe, w my loved ones, dogs are safe. For all the folk who lost their homes, people that are dealing with this, my heart hurts for you and Im for praying us all and I send ALL my love to you and yours. if you have to evacuate, get out immediately. Dont hesitate. Be safe LA. Love you guys.”

Cudi’s update on his safety was his first post to social media this year since announcing he was taking a hiatus from the various platforms in December.

“I’ll keep y’all updated [through] my Stories, but I won’t be posting much on there either,” he wrote to X in December. “Just projects and things [that] I [have] goin’ on will be posted by my team… I see too much bulls–t on here… I think I’ve been too accessible. Now, when [you] hear from me, it’ll be through my art.”

The L.A. area wildfires have become the most destructive in the history of the city, per the Associated Press. The blazes have forced nearly 180,000 people to evacuate, according to CBS News, with CNN reporting that another 200,000 are under warnings to evacuate. Meanwhile, the east-side Eaton Fire has caused five deaths so far and burned more than 10,600 acres near Pasadena.

Many celebrities have attempted to spread awareness about the devastation and posted links to resources to help L.A. residents, including Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Shawn Mendes and Paris Hilton.

Hilton was among those who lost their homes to the blaze. “Heartbroken beyond words,” she wrote to IG. “Sitting with my family, watching the news, and seeing our home in Malibu burn to the ground on live TV is something no one should ever have to experience.”

For health alerts, evacuation updates and shelter information, check out Los Angeles County’s emergency website.