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Before Fat Joe kissed 2024 goodbye, the hip-hop luminary had one more trick under his sleeve after enjoying a blockbuster calendar year: releasing his first solo album in 15 years. In December, Joe accomplished that feat when he dropped his long-awaited effort, The World Changed on Me, and spoke to Billboard News about the project’s inception.
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Despite its compact size, the 11-track set is a hearty entree for rabid Joe supporters. The BX behemoth flaunts new flows and deliveries while maintaining his steely wordplay, as showcased on standout tracks “Dog House” and “I Got You.” With features ranging from Babyface to Ty Dolla $ign and Anitta, Fat Joe holds his own alongside his starry guest appearances. According to Joe, his decision to venture back into the booth was courtesy of Killer Mike after the Run the Jewels MC clinched three Grammy awards at last year’s ceremony.
“He’s the guy who inspired,” Joe says, referring to Mike’s inspiration. “I retired. I was gone. I had an infamous phone call with Eminem, where he was trying to talk me into not retiring. ‘Joe, we need you. You’re one of us.’ I was super done, but I got back outside because of Killer Mike. The man won that Grammy.”
For Joe, a Grammy remains an elusive feat in his decorated career. As he explains to Billboard News, seeing Killer Mike reach the achievement in the later stages of his career galvanized him to where he wanted to pursue music again. “When I seen it, I called Dre, I was like, ‘Yo. It’s possible. Let’s get back in the kitchen and cook.’ So, he inspired me to come out of retirement,” says Joe.
While Joe remains a fixture in hip-hop for his rugged raps, he was able to flex his journalistic muscle this year after STARZ premiered his new talk show, Fat Joe Talks. Premiering last October, Joe interviewed myriad friends in the music and entertainment space, including Method Man, Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled and more. Though those names are buzzy in the hip-hop circuit, Joe has his eyes set on someone bigger and outside of the space: Barack Obama. Having the former president recount his historic 2008 election victory would be a monumental conversation for Joe, an explicit check off his interview bucket list.
“I know what it felt like for me when he did his acceptance speech. The first time he won, he did that speech in Chicago. It was like millions and millions of people out there. I felt so proud,” remembers Joe. “I could not believe it. That was when Jesse Jackson was crying in the audience. It was ill to see that.”
Watch the full interview with Billboard‘s Carl Lamarre as they chat about Chris Rock’s involvement in Joe’s new album, maintaining friendships with 50 Cent and Ja Rule simultaneously, and overcoming his bout with depression.
At her Christmas Day halftime performance, Beyoncé officially kicked off Cowboy Carter‘s live era by performing nine songs from the 2024 country album for the first time. Could a tour announcement be next? On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are discussing what Bey might reveal on Jan. 14, a date she […]
Travis Scott brought a new definition to his signature “It’s lit” ad-lib on Monday night (Jan. 6). La Flame popped out to WWE‘s Netflix debut of Raw in Los Angeles, where he made a special appearance escorting superstar Jey Uso to the ring. Being a man of the people, Scott brought the rage to the […]
In its 20th week on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” hits No. 1 for the first time, soaring 25-1 on the Jan. 11-dated tally.
“Die With a Smile” earned 27.1 million official U.S. streams in the week ending Jan. 2, up 11%, according to Luminate. The song’s precipitous positional gain on the chart comes after the close of the 2024 holiday season, with seasonal tunes falling off the ranking; the entire top 24 of the Jan. 4-dated list were such songs.
The song’s 20-week climb to No. 1 is the sixth longest since the chart began in 2013 and the lengthiest since Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” reigned in 2023 after 27 weeks. Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” holds the all-time record at 43 weeks ending in 2023.
It’s the second No. 1 for Lady Gaga on Streaming Songs. Her previous, “Dope,” reigned for a week in November 2013.
Between “Dope” and “Die With a Smile,” Lady Gaga’s best rank had been the No. 2 debut and peak of “Rain On Me,” with Ariana Grande, in 2020.
As for Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile” marks his third leader, following the 12-week rule of Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk!,” on which he’s featured, in 2015, and then his Cardi B collaboration “Finesse” in 2018.
Between “Finesse” and “Die With a Smile,” Mars rose as high as No. 2 three times, via fellow Cardi B collaboration “Please Me” in 2019, Silk Sonic’s “Smokin Out the Window” in 2021 and his Rose duet “APT.” in 2024.
Though the Jan. 11 chart marks the first week at No. 1 for “Die With a Smile,” it’s not the song’s biggest streaming week; that came on the Sept. 7-dated Billboard charts, its second week of release, when it accrued 30.8 million streams. It is, however, the song’s best week since the Sept. 14, 2014, survey, toward which it earned 27.2 million streams.
Concurrently, as previously reported, “Die With a Smile” reaches No. 1 on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, also concluding a 20-week wait.
Rosé is reflecting on the ups and downs of her landmark 2024. The BLACKPINK superstar took to Instagram on Tuesday (Jan. 7) to share moments from the past year, which saw her delving into a successful solo career. “2024 for me, was the toughest and most rewarding year to date,” she admitted in the caption. […]
After closing out 2024 by treating Miami to an explosive 10th anniversary lineup that included cinematic headlining sets from Travis Scott, Future and Playboi Carti, Rolling Loud is set to mount its seventh California showing on March 15 and 16 at Hollywood Park, on the grounds adjacent to SoFi Stadium, in Inglewood, Calif.
Playboi Carti — who debuted new tracks from his forthcoming I Am Music album during his 2024 Rolling Loud Miami headlining set — will return as a headliner for Rolling Loud California this year alongside Grammy-winning música Mexicana superstar Peso Pluma and Billboard 200 chart-topper A$AP Rocky. Other notable performers include Quavo, Bossman Dlow, Sexyy Red, Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, YG, OsamaSon, Hurricane Wisdom, Molly Santana, Skaiwater, Ski Mask the Slump God, Ab-Soul, 03 Greedo, Larry June, Dom Kennedy, Kamaiyah, Blxst, 310Babii and more.
This year, Rolling Loud California will shift to a two-day format. Fans can spend the weekend experiencing carnival rides, brand activations, art installations and more than 75 artist performances across three different stages for $179 (general admission, no hidden fees). VIP passes begin at $499.
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“We’re excited to switch things up with a two-day format that keeps all the energy of Rolling Loud but makes it more affordable for our fans,” said Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif, co-founders and co-CEOs of Rolling Loud, in a press release. “By cutting down a day, we can offer the same epic lineup, dope activations and unforgettable vibes at a price that’s easier on the wallet. At the end of the day, it’s all about making sure everyone can come together to celebrate hip-hop without breaking the bank.”
Rocky (2019) and Carti (2023) have previously headlined Rolling Loud California, while Peso Pluma makes history as the first non-hip-hop artist to headline any edition of the festival. Like Carti, Rocky also has an album that’s expected to arrive in 2025. In a Billboard cover story last year, the Harlem rapper described his long-awaited Don’t Be Dumb record as “the best album he’s ever made.” In June 2024, Peso Pluma unveiled Éxodo, his Grammy-nominated fourth studio album, which reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and placed 23 of its 24 tracks on Hot Latin Songs.
Rolling Loud Miami celebrated the festival’s 10th anniversary in style, with an enflamed Future, Playboi Carti’s bald backup dancers and Owen Wilson’s “FE!N” cameo emerging as the weekend’s defining images.
Passes go on sale on Friday, Jan. 10, at 12 p.m. PT, only on Rolling Loud California’s website.
Lady Gaga is having an excellent start to 2025, with the pop star’s Bruno Mars duet “Die With a Smile” reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week — something she thanked fans for in a heartfelt TikTok posted Tuesday (Jan. 7). Holding up her camera so that she could speak directly to […]
My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way is expanding his artistic profile in another new direction. The emo band’s singer and creator of the comic-book-turned-Netflix-series The Umbrella Academy will be one of the voices of an upcoming Stern Pinball machine honoring the 50th anniversary of OG role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.
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The news was announced over the weekend by Stern in an Instagram post promising that pinheads across the world will be “brought on an epic and thrilling journey as they adventure into the forgotten realms, featuring iconic enemies including a red dragon, gelatinous cube, mimic, Sammaster the lich, Xanathar the beholder, an owlbear, and locations including those in Faerun such as Arabel and Westgate.”
Plus, the game will feature what Stern calls the “most advanced animatronic dragon in pinball, Wrath the relentless,” who “breathes fire” by coughing up pinballs.
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In addition to Way’s unspecified role, the Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant’s Eye game will feature music by beloved video game composter Cris Velasco (Battlezone, Borderlands), as well as voice work from Clerks director Kevin Smith, Star Trek actor Michael Dorn, game designer Luke Gygax (The Lost City of Gaxmoor), director Chris Prynoski (Metalocalypse), Dethklok singer and actor/comedian Brendon Small and video game voice actors Matthew Mercer (Final Fantasy VII Rebirth) and Laura Bailey (Mass Effect 3) among others.
The comments on Stern’s post were a testament to how geeked players are for Way’s contribution to the game, with a number dying to know what character he plays, while others commented, “GERARD!!!!,” “I’m Not Okay [three fire emoji]” and “Gerard way??? As in thee Gerard way??? As in my chemical romance Gerard Way? As in comic book creator Gerard way??? As in the artist Gerard wayyy?? AS IN MY IDOL!!!”
At press time Way had not confirmed his role in the game.
The contribution from Way adds to Stern’s expansive rock-related game games, which include ones dedicated to Metallica, Iron Maiden, Rush and the Foo Fighters.
Check out the D&D announcement below.
Peter Yarrow, one third of the beloved 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary has died at 86. According to the New York Times, spokesperson Ken Sunshine said the singer and anti-Vietnam War activist died at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan following a four-year battle with bladder cancer.
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With his high tenor melding seamlessly with baritone Paul Stookey and contralto Mary Travers, Yarrow and this singing partners produced some of the most beloved songs of the 1960s, taking the lead on classics “Puff the Magic Dragon,” “The Great Mandala” and “Day Is Done,” all of which he wrote or co-wrote.
Perhaps the group’s most well-known track, “Puff the Magic Dragon,” was penned by Yarrow based on a poem by fellow Cornell grad and author Leonard Lipton about a magical dragon name Puff and his human friend, child Jackie Paper, who take off on adventures in the magical land of Honalee. Fans of the 1963 song — which was later turned into a beloved 1978 animated special and two follow-up sequels — were convinced that it was larded with secret drug references, tagging it as a trojan horse ditty about smoking weed, a claim both Lipton and Yarrow repeatedly denied.
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The song was one of the group’s most successful on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 2 on the tally in May 1963. Following Yarrow’s death and Travers’ passing in 2009 at age 72, Stookey, 87, is the group’s last living member.
“Our fearless dragon is tired and has entered the last chapter of his magnificent life. The world knows Peter Yarrow the iconic folk activist, but the human being behind the legend is every bit as generous, creative, passionate, playful, and wise as his lyrics suggest,” daughter Bethany Yarrow said in a statement according to the Associated Press.
Yarrow was born in Manhattan on May 31, 1938 and after starting his singing career as a student while pursuing a degree in psychology at Cornell University in the late 1950s. He moved back to the city to begin performing in New York’s burgeoning Greenwich Village folk scene after graduation. After a performance at the Newport Folk Festival, he met the event’s founder and famed music manager Albert Grossman, who shared his idea for putting together a vocal group in the vein of the Weavers, a harmony quartet from the 1940s and 50s that sang traditional folk and labor songs as well as children’s tunes and gospel; it originally featured beloved folk singer/songwriter Pete Seeger.
It was Dylan manager Grossman’s idea to put Yarrow and Travers together, with the latter later suggesting the addition of Stookey, who both had performed with on the folk scene. After signing to Warner Brothers Records, they debuted in 1962 with the song “Lemon Tree,” which peaked at No. 35 on the Hot 100. Quickly establishing their folk credentials, they followed up with the 1949 Seeger/Lee Hayes-penned protest anthem “If I Had a Hammer,” which won them two Grammy Awards in 1962 for best folk recording and best performance by a vocal group; they were also nominated for best new artist that year. They picked up two more Grammys the next year in the same categories for their cover of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” and a fifth one in 1969 (best recording for children) for the Peter, Paul and Mommy LP, which peaked at No. 12 on the album chart.
Among their string of hits on the Billboard Hot 100 were their 1969 No. 1 cover of John Denver’s “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane,” as well as the No. 9 charting “I Dig Rock and Roll Music” and the No. 21 hit “Day Is Done.” They were also well-known for their charting covers of such Dylan classics as “Blowin’ in the Wind” (No. 2, 1963) and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” (No. 9, 1963), scoring a total of five top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart. Two of those albums, a self-titled collection from 1962 and 1963’s In the Wind, reached No. 1. (Those albums held the top two spots simultaneously, an extremely rare feat, on Nov. 2, 1963. In the Wind jumped from No. 12 to No. 1 in its second week. Peter, Paul And Mary slipped from No. 1 to No. 2 in its 80th week.)
In keeping with the tenor of the era, the group were also notable for their strong, progressive political stance in song (“The Cruel War,” “Day Is Done”) and in practice. They participated Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington in 1963, performing Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” (and “If I Had a Hammer”) on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, helping to cement that song’s place as a civil rights anthem.
In total, the group released nine albums during their initial run before breaking up in 1970. It was around that time that Yarrow was accused of taking “immoral and indecent liberties” with a 14-year old girl, Barbara Winter, after she and her older sister came to his hotel room for an autograph and he answered the door naked and forced her to perform a sex act on herself. The singer was indicted and sentenced to one to three years in prison, and ended up serving just three months. He later apologized for the incident and was granted a presidential pardon by Jimmy Carter in January 1981, just before the late president’s final day in office.
Yarrow was also an indefatigable anti-war protester, helping to organize the anti-Vietnam National Mobilization to End the War protest in 1969 in Washington that drew nearly 500,000 fellow anti-war activists, as well as 1978’s anti-nuclear benefit show Survival Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl, which featured appearances by Jackson Browne, Graham Nash and Gil Scott-Heron, among others. In 2000, he founded Operation Respect, a non-profit that aimed to tackle the mental health effects of school bullying.
In addition to his work with the trio, Yarrow released five solo albums, scoring a No. 100 hit on the singles chart with “Don’t Ever Take Away My Freedom” in 1972 and a No. 163 debut on the Billboard 200 album chart in 1972 for his debut solo LP, Peter. Following solo ventures by all three, the trio reunited several times over the ensuing years, including for a 1972 concert to support George McGovern’s failed presidential campaign, his 1978 Survival Sunday anti-nukes show and a summer reunion tour that same year.
By 1981 they were back together for good, performing and releasing five more albums before Travers’ death.
Check out some of Yarrow’s highlights below.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have settled their divorce. The singer-actress filed court papers Monday (Jan. 6) asking a judge to officially approve an agreement struck in September that would finalize the divorce.
The latest filing comes about five months after the “Let’s Get Loud” musician submitted her divorce petition on Aug. 20, 2024 — which would have been the exes’ two-year anniversary of their Georgia ceremony — listing their date of separation as April 26, 2024. In her initial documents, the singer-actress cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split.
According to the settlement documents obtained by Billboard, the two stars agreed on terms to divide up their properties and assets. Both waived spousal support and agreed to equally split the legal fees of their negotiation, which was mediated by Laura Wasser. Lopez will also be changing her legal name back from Jennifer Affleck to Jennifer Lopez.
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The pair first started dating in 2002 after meeting on the set of Gigli, later getting engaged before calling off their wedding in 2004. Nearly two decades later, the pair reignited their relationship in 2021 and tied the knot in a Georgia ceremony the next year.
“I never thought that he and I would get back together,” Lopez told Billboard in February 2024 of their relationship ahead of the release of her film This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, which chronicled their rekindled romance. “I just couldn’t give up on the idea that there was something amazing out there for me, even when it got really bad — and it did at times. I always believed deep, deep down to not give up completely.”
The Marry Me actress was previously married to Ojani Noa, Cris Judd and Marc Anthony, with whom she shares two kids. Affleck was previously married to Jennifer Garner; the two share three children.
In October, Lopez opened up about her feelings toward being single again following her split from Affleck. “I think to myself, ‘F–k, that is exactly what I needed,’” she told Interview. “Thank you, God. I’m sorry it took me so long. I’m sorry that you had to do this to me so many times. I should have learned it two or three times ago. I get it … I’m not looking for anybody, because everything that I’ve done over the past 25, 30 years, being in these different challenging situations, what can I f–king do when it’s just me flying on my own … What if I’m just free?”
