Music News

03 Dec 2024

10 Times Eminem Referenced His Mother Debbie Nelson in Songs

Eminem’s mother, Debbie Nelson, died at 69 years old as Billboard confirmed the tragedy on Tuesday (Dec. 3).

TMZ was the first to report the news as the publication cited Nelson suffering from complications related to a lung cancer diagnosis and passed away in St. Joseph, Mo.

As the oldest of five children, Nelson gave birth to a future rap phenom in Marshall Mathers III on Oct. 17, 1972 as just a teenager. Eminem and his mother’s relationship had been complicated and turbulent over the years. He had no issue incorporating parts of their relationship into his music, referencing Nelson on tracks such as “Cleanin’ Out My Closet,” “My Name Is” and more.

Nelson even sued Em for defamation in 1999 seeking $11 million. Per ABC News, a judge ruled in her favor but for only $25,000 and she profited less than that after legal fees.

“One of the things that I said and that I realized is, I mean at the end of the day, she’s my mother and I love her, because she’s mother,” Em said on BET’s 106 & Park in 2009. “I mean, even though we don’t really speak, she is my mother. I do love her and I think I got a better understanding of what she was going through or what she may be going through, now that I see myself and how I actually became. I think that’s there a little compassion factor that goes with that.”

Over the years, Em began to understand what his mother was going through and he brought that to his music when extending an olive branch and expressing regret for how he handled certain things and apologized to Nelson on “Headlights” in 2013.

In more recent times, things appeared to be going better between the two. Nelson publicly showed her son some love on Eminem’s induction day into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. “Marshall, I could not let this day go by without congratulating you on your induction to the Hall of Fame,” she said in a video. “I love you very much. I knew you’d get there. And it’s been a long ride.”

Here are 10 songs Eminem made touching on his relationship with his mother below.

03 Dec 2024

Ghislaine Maxwell Lead Prosecutor Joins Diddy Trial

Maurene Ryan Comey, a lead prosecutor in the sex trafficking case against Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, has joined the prosecutors’ team in the ongoing case against Sean “Diddy” Combs. 

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Comey, who also happens to be the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, filed a notice at the United States District Court in the Southern District of New York on Monday (Dec. 2), and the document obtained by Billboard notes that the attorney will be joining the legal team in the case.

The news of Comey’s contribution to the case comes less than a week after a Manhattan federal judge denied Diddy bail for a second time, ahead of his sex trafficking and racketeering trial next year, citing the Bad Boy Records founder’s “propensity for violence” and evidence that he poses “a serious risk of witness tampering.”

Combs was indicted in September on multiple charges that allege he was the figurehead of a massive criminal operation for decades aimed at satisfying his need for “sexual gratification.” The case centers on his elaborate, well-known “freak off” parties, in which the rapper would allegedly give victims drugs and then coerce them into sexual acts. He was also accused of acts of violence to keep victims silent.

His trial is currently set to start on May 5. If convicted on all of the charges, Combs faces a potential life prison sentence.

03 Dec 2024

‘Moana 2’ Soundtrack Debuts in Top 10 on Multiple Billboard Charts

The Moana 2 soundtrack debuts in the top 10 across three Billboard album charts, as the set arrives at No. 2 on Kid Albums, No. 10 on Soundtracks and No. 10 on World Albums (all charts dated Dec. 7, reflecting activity in the U.S. in the tracking week ending Nov. 28). The blockbuster animated movie sequel opened in U.S. theaters on Nov. 27 and earned $225 million at the U.S. and Canada box office. The film, a sequel to the 2016 feature Moana, stars the voice talents of Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson, reprising their roles as the title character and Maui, respectively.

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The Moana 2 soundtrack was released via streaming services and as a digital download for purchase on Nov. 22, while a physical release on CD and vinyl is scheduled for Jan. 13.

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Moana 2 is the follow-up to the 2016 film Moana, which garnered two Academy Award nominations (for best animated feature and best original song). Moana became a streaming sensation years after its original release, becoming the most-viewed streaming movie across all services in 2023, according to Nielsen. The Moana soundtrack was also a hit, reaching No. 1 on Kid Albums (for 54 nonconsecutive weeks) and Soundtracks (62 nonconsecutive weeks) and No. 2 on the overall Billboard 200.

Kid Albums ranks the week’s top-selling kid albums in the U.S. according to Luminate. Soundtracks and World Albums tally the week’s most popular soundtracks and world music albums, ranked by equivalent album units earned, again according to Luminate.

Ahead of Moana 2 on the Kid Albums chart is another soundtrack, the seasonal favorite A Charlie Brown Christmas from Vince Guaraldi Trio, which notches its 112th nonconsecutive week at No. 1.

03 Dec 2024

A Video Game Version of Demi Lovato Is Raising Money for the Environment

Demi Lovato is getting gamified for a good cause.

Starting on Tuesday (Dec. 3), the pop star will appear as an animated version of herself in the mobile video game Subway Surfers. Available as an in-app purchase, Lovato’s character will be available in the game through Jan. 5, 2025.

All of the profits from Lovato’s character will be donated to certified environmental projects, including the Hongera Project, which restores forests impacted by logging, agriculture, development and firewood collection in Kenya and New Zealand’s WAI Wanaka, which works to improve ecosystem health, reverse biodiversity loss and maintain healthy water. Watch Lovato talk about the project (and plants) below.

A representative for the initiative is unable to share projections for how much the collaboration with Lovato might raise, but says funds raised by a similar project from J Balvin and Subway Surfers in November of 2023 raised enough money to offset over 2,000 tons of carbon emissions over the campaign’s three-week run. This number, a rep for the project says, is equivalent to the carbon emissions created by a concert with 100,000 attendees.

Both the Lovato and Balvin characters are projects form Planet Play, which works with video game studios to create solutions for climate issues within the global video game industry and player community. The Lovato collab is part of Planet Play’s just-launched Make Green Tuesday Moves campaign, which is raising money for environmental projects through limited run in-app items across a suite of games.

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The company reports that Balvin’s playable character was the most successful in-app purchase in Subway Surfers‘ history. During the three weeks Balvin was in the game, players aggregated three years of collective run time with his character.

03 Dec 2024

J. Cole Admits ‘Feeling of Surpassment’ After Kendrick Released ‘Good Kid, M.A.A.D City,’ Shares More Unreleased Collabs

On the latest episode of his Inevitable podcast, J. Cole and his manager Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad played a couple more unreleased tracks by Cole and Kendrick Lamar while also recalling his immediate reaction to hearing some of Kendrick’s sophomore album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, for the first time.

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According to the North Carolina rapper, the pair recorded some of their collaborations when Drake‘s Club Paradise Tour came into town back in 2012. “He came to Fayetteville and we worked on that studio bus for two or three days,” Cole recalled. “Before, I had sent him joints, but this was the first time we actually got to lock in and work on sh—t. And that sh—t was so fun, dawg… It felt like when your cousin would come over to your house.”

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Ib played two tracks, both untitled, and one of which was produced by D.C.-based rapper and producer Oddisee, while the other features Cole somewhat borrowing Project Pat‘s unique flow in pockets.

Cole also talked about Dot playing him GKMC songs before it dropped during those same sessions and that he felt pressure after it was released. “When Kendrick’s album dropped, the journey got harder, the mountain got steeper. Because similar to when [So Far Gone] dropped, where it was like, ‘Oh sh—t, there’s another person out there that has the same ambitions as me,’ it happened like that with Kendrick.” Adding, “It was a feeling of surpassment. It was two indicators that told me. His first-week numbers were more than mine. The other thing was we had a show where we were both on the same lineup… and I went before him and he went after me.”

J. Cole first opened the vault on episode four of his “audio series” podcast and played “Shock the World” and “Temptation”, both featuring Lamar.

You can listen to Inevitable here.

03 Dec 2024

Electric Forest 2025: Justice, Disclosure, Sara Landry & Tiësto Lead Lineup

Electric Forest has announced an hefty lineup for its 2025 event, with French titans Justice, a DJ set from brother duo Disclosure, hard techno boss Sara Landry, psych rock outfit Khruangbin, Aussie favorite Fisher, dance legend Tiësto, U.K. phenom Barry Can’t Swim, bass mainstay Of The Trees, dubstep producer Liquid Stranger, festival regulars Louis the Child, Brazilian star Mochakk and many more.

The undercard, meanwhile, features a stacked list of names including Confidence Man, Blond:ish, Cloonee, Gordo, Hamdi and many more. See the complete lineup below.

Per tradition, the festival will two shows by jam band icons the String Cheese Incident, who play the festival every year.

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The festival happens this June 19-22 in Rothbury, Michigan on a 400-acre patch of land located 10 miles east of Lake Michigan. Since launching in 2011, the festival has become beloved for combining all flavors of electronic music with jam and jam-adjacent bands.

“Whether it’s the electronic scenes or jam scenes, one of the core elements is community,” Electric Forest co-founder Jeremy Stein told Billboard in 2019. “It doesn’t really matter if it’s the old school rave vibe or the old school hippie culture — those are communities. You hear the world ‘family’ a lot in those scenes. People who are thinking that way are already predisposed to being open and really caring about their surroundings. They really care about the music and the other folks at the show. That commonality is [in the jam and electronic worlds] is very close. It’s almost identical.”

Electric Forest tickets will go on sale this Friday, Dec. 6.

Electric Forest 2025 lineup

Electric Forest 2025 lineup

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03 Dec 2024

Fans Are Devastated Over Reports That Sabrina Carpenter & Barry Keoghan Broke Up

Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan have broken up after a year of dating, according to People.

“They are both young and career-focused, so they’ve decided to take a break,” a source told the publication on Tuesday (Dec. 3)

The pair first sparked dating rumors in late 2023, a few months before making their public debut at the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty in March. 32-year-old Keoghan also starred opposite 25-year-old Carpenter in the music video for her Billboard Hot 100-topping single “Please Please Please,” which is featured on her album Short n’ Sweet.

After Carpenter dropped the album on Aug. 23, fans were quick to speculate that the Work It star wrote some of the project’s songs about the Irish actor — particularly the NSFW “Bed Chem.” “I was in a sheer dress the day that we met/ We were both in a rush, we talked for a sec,” she sings on the track. “Who’s the cute boy with the white jacket and the thick accent? … Who’s the cute guy with the wide, blue eyes?”

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Just last month, Keoghan appeared on an episode of Spotify’s The Louis Theroux Podcast, where he was asked directly, “Are you in a relationship with Sabrina Carpenter?” 

“Oh, I knew you’d do this,” Keoghan said with a laugh, before adding, “Listen, all I’m going to say is I’m incredibly blessed. Such a strong, independent lady who’s massively talented and yeah. Pretty special.”

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Following the news of their split, fans took to social media to express shock over the duo parting ways. See some fan reactions below.

03 Dec 2024

All 12 Songs From Kendrick Lamar’s ‘GNX’ Debut on Hot 100, Including Entire Top Five

Kendrick Lamar is back with another massive week on Billboard’s charts, thanks to his new surprise album, GNX.

Released without advance notice Nov. 22 on pgLand/Interscope/ICLG, GNX blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (dated Dec. 7) with 319,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in its opening week, according to Luminate. It becomes his fifth leader, following Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (2022), DAMN. (2017), untitled unmastered. (2016) and To Pimp a Butterfly (2015).

Concurrently, all 12 GNX tracks enter the Billboard Hot 100, all in the top 30 with seven in in the top 10 – including the entire top five. He joins Taylor Swift, Drake and The Beatles as the only acts to dominate the entire top five in the same week.

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Kendrick Lamar GNX Songs on the Hot 100 (dated Dec. 7):
No. 1, “Squabble Up”
No. 2, “TV Off,” feat. Lefty Gunplay
No. 3, “Luther” with SZA
No. 4, “Wacced Out Murals”
No. 5, “Hey Now,” feat. Dody6
No. 8, “Reincarnated”
No. 9, “Man at the Garden”
No. 11, “Dodger Blue,” feat. Wallie the Sensei, Siete7x & Roddy Ricch
No. 13, “Peekaboo,” feat. AzChike
No. 14, “Heart Pt. 6”
No. 24, “GNX,” feat. Hitta J3, YoungThreat & Peysoh
No. 27, “Gloria,” with SZA

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“Squabble Up” earns Lamar his fifth Hot 100 No. 1, after “Not Like Us” and “Like That,” with Future and Metro Boomin (both earlier in 2024), “Humble.” (2017) and as featured on Swift’s “Bad Blood” (2015). He also ups his career counts to 87 total Hot 100 entries, 57 top 40 hits, 22 top 10s and 14 top five titles.

Thanks to their featured appearances on the album, Lefty Gunplay, Dody6, Wallie the Sensei, Siete7x, AzChike, Hitta J3, YoungThreat and Peysoh all score their first career Hot 100 placements.

Meanwhile, Roddy Ricch returns to the Hot 100 for the first time in two years thanks to his featured turn on “Dodger Blue.” The rapper has notched two No. 1s: “The Box” and as featured on DaBaby’s “Rockstar,” both in 2020.

03 Dec 2024

Rock & Country Cornerstones Van Zant Hit Christian Albums Top 5 With Faith-Based ‘Always Look Up’

Rock and country veterans Van Zant — the duo of brothers Donnie and Johnny Van Zant — make their initial appearance on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart as the pair’s first spiritually themed LP, Always Look Up, enters the Dec. 7-dated tally at No. 4.

Released Nov. 22, the collection earned 5,000 equivalent album units, almost all from album sales, in the U.S. Nov. 22-28, according to Luminate.

The 12-song set is a mix of classic rock and country that has defined the siblings’ careers, along with Southern gospel.

Donnie Van Zant, 72, co-founded 38 Special in 1974 and was a member until he retired in 2013. The longtime successful touring act logged nine entries on the Billboard 200, including the top 10 Special Forces in 1982. The band banked nine top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hits, led by the top 10s “Caught Up in You” (No. 10, 1982) and “Second Chance” (No. 6, 1989).

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Johnny Van Zant, 64, still tours with Lynyrd Skynyrd, which he has helmed since the loss of older brother Ronnie Van Zant, who, along with five others, was killed in a plane crash in October 1977. Lynyrd Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. The band boasts three Billboard 200 top 10s and the No. 8-peaking 1974 Hot 100 classic “Sweet Home Alabama.” The group followed with fellow signature hit “Free Bird” (No. 19, 1975).

The duo Van Zant has made two appearances on Top Country Albums: Get Right With the Man entered at its No. 2 peak in 2005 and My Kind of Country hit No. 10 in 2007. The twosome’s third entry, Red White & Blue (Live), arrived at its No. 39 high in 2016. On Hot Country Songs, the pair’s “Help Somebody” hit No. 8 in 2005.

Of Van Zant’s rookie Christian LP, Donnie Van Zant stated, “This has been on our bucket list for some time. We’re big believers in Jesus Christ, and with Always Look Up, we’re sharing that faith through our music.”

Adams Unlocks Third No. 1 With ‘Doors’

Yolanda Adams earns her third Gospel Airplay leader with “Church Doors.” The song increased by 4% in plays during the latest tracking week.

The single was authored by Donald Lawrence and Sir the Baptist and is from Adams’ album Sunny Days, which opened at its No. 9 best on Top Gospel Albums in September, awarding Adams her 17th top 10.

Adams’ new Gospel Airplay chart-topper is her second in a row, following “In Him There Is No Sorrow,” her collaboration with Donald Lawrence & Co. and Twinkie Clark that ruled for a week in April. She first led with “Be Blessed” for three weeks in 2005.

03 Dec 2024

Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce Cozy Up on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart

Having been spotted together at her Eras Tour and his Kansas City Chiefs games, among other buzzy joint appearances, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce share space in a new locale this week: Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.

Swift ranks at No. 7 on the radio airplay survey dated Dec. 7 with her former seven-week No. 1 “Cruel Summer” and No. 21 with “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” which rose to No. 14.

Concurrently, the Philly Specials jingle in at No. 30 with “It’s Christmas Time (In Cleveland Heights)” – featuring Boyz II Men and Kelce.

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The couple previously got comfy together on two charts last year. For three weeks in November-December 2023, the Philly Specials’ “Fairytale of Philadelphia,” featuring Kelce, placed on Digital Song Sales alongside a combination of Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” “Karma” (featuring Ice Spice) and “You’re Losing Me (From the Vault).” Plus, “Fairytale of Philadelphia” and Swift’s “Christmas Tree Farm” both decorated the Holiday Digital Song Sales chart for a week in that span.

“It’s Christmas Time (In Cleveland Heights)” is from the Philly Specials’ LP A Philly Special Christmas Party, which debuts at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums chart with 33,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. Nov. 22-28, according to Luminate. The vocal trio – Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata and retired Eagle Jason Kelce, Travis’ brother – previously reached the chart’s top 10 with A Philly Special Christmas Special, which dashed in at its No. 8 high last December.

Boyz II Men, meanwhile, add their 10th Adult Contemporary chart hit, and first since 2008. They boast four top 10s, including the No. 1s “I’ll Make Love to You,” which led for three weeks in 1994-95, and “One Sweet Day,” with Mariah Carey (13 weeks, 1995-96).