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Cardi B hopped on Spaces early Friday morning (Oct. 31) to address the “hate coming from different angles” in her life.
The Bronx native rehashed the “dark energy” she was feeling being sent her way throughout the pregnancy, and while she’s been laying relatively low and says she’s “at peace,” Cardi had some words for the haters on Halloween.
“Remember when I said at the meet-and-greet that I felt like a lot of dark energy and weird things coming on my pregnancy,” she recalled. “I felt a lot of hate coming. I felt like there was a lot of hate coming from different angles, and today, I see that I’m still proving that.”
Cardi continued: “And there’s hate that was coming from bloggers. There’s hate that was coming from women that my baby dad dealt [with] in the past. There was hate that’s coming from f–king enemies that I have, rappers wishing all type of f–king STDs on me while I’m pregnant, and clearly partners that I dealt with.”
The “partners” she’s referencing could possibly be tied to her ex Offset, who appeared to blast Cardi and her boyfriend, Stefon Diggs, on his Haunted by Fame project, which arrived on Halloween.
“How the f—k you leave Jordan for Rodman/ You a fool if you think that I’m hurt/ You ain’t happy, I know how it work/ How you married and still giving birth/ Get some help, b—h, you going berserk,” he raps on the Coupe-produced “No Sweat.”
While Cardi kept Friday’s response more general and didn’t address Offset by name, she had a message for those praying on her downfall. Cardi believes she’ll be the one having the last laugh, as she’s convinced God typically punishes those who hate on her.
“However, one thing I notice, I swear to God, and it’s so real … anybody that messes with me while I’m at my most vulnerable — and my most vulnerable is always when I’m pregnant — God always punishes them,” she shared. “Two three years might pass … and God goes and punish them the worst way.”
Cardi B’s heading into the final months of pregnancy before giving birth to baby No. 4, which will be her first child with her NFL player boyfriend. She’ll then hit the road for the Little Miss Drama Tour in February.
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Happy Halloween, Arianators. Ryan Murphy has announced the main cast of the upcoming 13th season of American Horror Story, which will feature Ariana Grande making her debut on the show alongside series regulars such as Evan Peters and Emma Roberts.
The news was revealed Friday (Oct. 31), with the Glee creator’s production company sharing a video on Instagram unveiling the stars on next season’s billing set to Vera Lynn’s cover of “I’ll Be Seeing You.” The Wicked leading lady’s name was revealed fifth in the lineup, following Peters, Sarah Paulson, Angela Bassett and Kathy Bates — each of whom are beloved members of the AHS universe.
Also returning to the show is Jessica Lange, who hasn’t participated in a season since 2018. Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe and Leslie Grossman will also share the screen for season 13.
AHS isn’t the first Murphy project Grande will have starred in, with the Grammy winner playing Sonya Herfmann — aka “Chanel No. 2” — on Scream Queens in 2015. The next season of AHS will be a Scream Queens reunion of sorts, as both Roberts and Lourd costarred with Grande in the latter project.
The Victorious alum has also previously worked with Peters, who played her love interest in the music video for Billboard Hot 100-topper “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).”
Grande has been actively filling up her resume with more acting projects since starring in Wicked, for which she earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. In July, it was announced that she will voice a character in Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
On the same day the AHS casting news dropped, Grande also wrapped filming on Focker in-Law, the next installment of the Meet the Parents franchise premiering in 2026. On Instagram, the vocalist celebrated the conclusion of the project by sharing photos of herself on set with her castmates and writing, “these past few months have been so, so unimaginably special. i love my Fockers, and i love my Byrnes… so, so very much. i will miss this bunch terribly.”
See the AHS season 13 casting announcement below.
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Riley Green and featured artist Ella Langley enter the top 10 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart dated Nov. 8 with “Don’t Mind If I Do.” The collaboration climbs 12-10, up 20% to 17.8 million in audience Oct. 24-30, according to Luminate. It’s Green’s seventh visit to the tier and Langley’s third — and their second as a tandem, after Langley’s “You Look Like You Love Me,” featuring Green, led for one week last December.
Langley and Green make for the first pair of soloists with multiple shared Country Airplay top 10s in five years: In 2020, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani teamed up for two No. 1s: “Nobody But You” that May, and “Happy Anywhere” that December.
Elsewhere, Langley’s current solo chart entry, “Choosin’ Texas,” bounds 59-41 (2.5 million, up 203%).
Megan 2.0
Megan Moroney continues her career ascent with two tracks due on her upcoming third studio album. Ballad “Beautiful Things,” released Oct. 24, debuts at No. 37 on Country Airplay (3.7 million), marking her highest entrance on her own; overall, she has started at a No. 23 best with “You Had to Be There” with Kenny Chesney in May.
Plus, Moroney’s fellow current single, “6 Months Later,” rises 14-12 on Country Airplay (15.9 million, up 20%).
Shaboozey ‘News’
Also notably, Shaboozey’s “Good News” departs Country Airplay following a standout stretch, including two weeks at No. 1 in September. He has logged 49 total weeks in the top 10, the fourth-most of any artist since his crossover breakout, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” reached the region and became a juggernaut — it holds the all-time record for the most weeks in the top 10 (33), seven of those at No. 1.
Additionally, the singer-songwriter’s latest single, “Amen” with Jelly Roll, surges 37-29 on Country Airplay (5.3 million, up 55%). For an artist who entered as an outlier, Shaboozey has quickly become a fixture.
If Zohran Mamdani were to assemble a soundtrack for his race to become New York City’s next mayor, it would feature tracks by Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne, Drake and more.
While speaking to Pop Base at a recent voter event, the mayoral candidate was all smiles when asked which three songs he’d choose to represent his ongoing campaign. “OK,” he began in a video posted Thursday (Oct. 30), preparing himself to give the best answer possible.
The Queens, N.Y., representative went on to name “Hate It or Love It” by The Game featuring 50 Cent — “gotta put that one in there,” he emphasized — as well as “Right Above It” by Lil Wayne featuring Drake.
Lastly, Mamdani said, “Shout-out to Taylor Swift, ‘Only the Young.’”
The latter choice premiered in the pop superstar’s 2020 Netflix documentary, Miss Americana, which chronicled Swift’s decision to begin speaking out about politics following several years of silence on the matter. The song’s lyrics describe the power of young people to make positive political change with the hook, “Only the young can run.”
Mamdani’s music picks come with just a few days left to go in the NYC mayoral race, which will conclude on Election Day on Nov. 4. The democratic socialist as been the face of one of the largest grassroots campaigns in history, running on a platform of decreasing the cost of living for New Yorkers through lowered rent prices, free public transit and affordable groceries and childcare.
One of his biggest supporters has been Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who also attended the voter event with Pop Base. When asked for her holy trinity of pop albums, AOC — at first declaring, “This is sooo hard!” — named The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Britney Spears’ Blackout and Beyoncé’s Renaissance.
Watch Zohran Mamdani share his campaign soundtrack below.
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About three decades later, Common is thanking Fat Joe for saving his life. The Chicago rapper joined Joe & Jada earlier this week, where he recalled shooting a commercial in the mid-’90s on the West Coast when an altercation nearly broke out amid his feud with Ice Cube and Mack 10.
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“That man really saved my life. I was out on the West Coast with one of my guys I knew and he just wasn’t happy with the whole Mack 10 [and] Ice Cube beef that we had,” he said.
Essentially, one of Common’s friends escalated a situation, and before it crossed the line, Fat Joe stepped in to smooth things over — at least for Common.
“It’s not cuz Fat Joe is tougher than anyone. I literally begged for your life. I literally got in the middle, ‘He’s my friend, he’s my brother,’” Joe recalled. “They finally saw him on their soil and they was talking crazy and I was like, ‘This is literally my brother and I was begging them.’ It was the serious ones … Basically, I stood in the middle. It was over after that day.”
Common confirmed the beef was squashed from his side from that point forward and compared Joe’s intervention to a scene straight out of a movie.
“You settled that. I’m like, ‘Man, we in California, don’t start nothing.’ They already wanted a piece on me no matter what,” he explained. “My guy out there going off. I knew it was [Joe] that said, ‘This can’t happen.’ … That’s when Fat Joe the gangsta, this n—a here because he was straight up like, ‘You can’t do that to my man.’ It was like one of them movies, Goodfellas.”
Common etched his name in rap history with his acclaimed and scathing diss track “The Bitch in Yoo,” which was released in 1996 and took aim at Ice Cube, raising tensions with the West Coast.
During a 2020 interview with DJ VLAD, Mack 10 rehashed the near-altercation with Common and reiterated that Fat Joe stepped in to smooth things over. “Common is all right. Ain’t nobody got no issues,” Mack said. “Everybody grown. We done seen each other a million times since then.”
Watch the Joe & Jada episode with Common below. Talk about saving Common’s life begins just short of four minutes.
Trending on Billboard
While many Billboard radio airplay stories focus, rightly enough, on which artists and songs are topping the charts, this week’s Adult R&B Airplay survey (dated Nov. 1) contains a potentially historic development at the anchor spot, No. 30, thanks to Xania Monet’s “How Was I Supposed to Know?”
What’s the difference between that song and the other 103 titles that have made the chart this year alone? Xania Monet (first name pronounced “zha-NI-ah,” rhyming with Shania, as in Shania Twain) is an AI-driven artist, the product of a poet named Telisha Jones, and her song’s chart arrival marks the first known instance of an AI-based act to earn a spot on a Billboard radio chart. The move also represents another step in the evolving relationship between AI tools and creators and the music industry.
“How Was I Supposed to Know?” begins on the Adult R&B Airplay chart through its plays at panel-contributing adult R&B radio stations in the United States. It improved 28% in plays for the tracking week of Oct. 17-23 compared to its Oct. 10-16 total, according to Luminate. In that window, 15 of the chart-contributing adult R&B radio stations played the song, according to Mediabase, among 57 total reporters.
The song first generated public attention as a viral track on TikTok and other social media platforms. Social growth extended to streaming services and digital retailers, prompting the song’s No. 1 debut on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart dated Sept. 20 and a No. 20 start on the multimetric Hot R&B Songs chart a week later. As awareness spread, the song and its creator ignited a discourse of both supportive and opposing perspectives, with SZA and Kehlani among the most prominent opponents.
Billboard reached out to several stations’ programming and music directors to seek comment on the song, artist and surrounding industry discussions, but none replied to our inquiries.
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For a creative situation only possible thanks to futuristic technology, a focus on radio promotion may seem an old-school approach. The team surrounding Monet, however, views it as a no-brainer. “We look at everything as a complete package,” says Romel Murphy, who manages Monet. “If you had a, let’s say, traditional, artist and were a label and marketing executive, radio would be a piece of the promotion strategy. We’re interested in bringing the music to as many people as possible.” To that end, Murphy says a full radio push is part of the equation. “Our goal is to continue to grow, continue to connect and hopefully get to No. 1.”
While Monet has generated the bulk of discussion, she isn’t the only AI-driven act making an impact on Billboard’s charts. The Emerging Artists chart has become a home for these budding acts, with several landing on various rankings the last few weeks.
Now, those concrete examples indicate the growing likelihood of AI-driven artists as a major industry transformation.
Still, Murphy asks observers to assess from a music-first perspective. “Be it a radio programming director, be it a music fan, be it our peers, colleagues, artists,” he says, “just listen to the songs. Listen to the lyrics. And then make your judgment.”
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Maksim Chmerkovskiy doesn’t want any bad blood with Jan Ravnik. Following his recent criticism of the casting of Taylor Swift‘s backup dancer on Dancing With the Stars as a pro, the ballroom bash’s former pro has shared an apology and attempted to explain where he was coming from in an Instagram video posted Thursday (Oct. 30).
In the clip — which comes six days after Chmerkovskiy said on a wife Peta Murgatroyd’s podcast that Ravnik had “absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing With the Stars” due to lack of experience — the competition show alum sat in his car and addressed the former Eras Tour performer directly. “I want to apologize to Jan for the way my words have made you feel, for hurting your feelings,” he began. “There is a lot more I want to say.”
“I would love to talk about this, bury the hatchet,” Chmerkovskiy continued, noting that he hopes to meet up with Ravnik someday to squash the beef in person. “I think you’re going to walk away knowing me and feeling completely different, and, dare I say, we probably might even be friends.”
The dancer went on to say that he hadn’t intended any malice when he’d said on the Oct. 24 episode of The Penthouse With Peta that Ravnik had none of the “foundation, technique, quality [or] understanding of the partnership” necessary to properly coach celebrity contestants on DWTS. (Murgatroyd also added at the time, “He’s a Taylor Swift dancer, it’s the obvious reason why he was hired … Hiring a non-ballroom dancer to teach ballroom dancing to a celebrity as a job is outrageous.”)
“My personality [is], ‘I love you, and I will tell you how it is,’” Chmerkovskiy explained in his apology video. “My commentary on dance does not come with feelings and emotions, it just comes with a completely different range of reasoning.”
Season 34 of DWTS marks Ravnik’s first spin on the series, which he joined after spending two years supporting Swift on her global Eras trek. The Slovenian-born dancer was paired with Jennifer Affleck from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives for the competition, but after dancing their hearts out to the 14-time Grammy winner’s “Look What You Made Me Do” on a Halloween-themed episode that aired Tuesday (Oct. 28), the pair was eliminated.
Shortly afterward, Ravnik seemingly addressed Chmerkovskiy’s criticism of him by telling Entertainment Tonight, “The people who’s trying to stay relevant, spreading the hate, this is not a way to do it.”
Elsewhere in Chmerkovskiy’s video, he added that the attention surrounding the issue has been “crazy,” as hordes of people have apparently been sending him hate over his comments about Ravnik. “Let’s not defend someone by attacking somebody else,” he said emphasizing that he’s unfazed by people trying to “hurt [his] feelings” by bringing up his own losses and the “incredible mistakes” he made during his tenure as a pro on DWTS.
There are now just eight contestants left on this season of DWTS, including another Mormon Wives star, Whitney Leavitt, as well as Robert Irwin, Jordan Chiles, Alix Earle and Danielle Fishel. The next episode will take place on Nov. 4 with a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame theme, featuring guest judge Flavor Flav.
Watch Chmerkovskiy’s full apology video below.
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While Tyla is dripping in “Chanel” on her latest designer single, the South African star is making movies on the dancefloor with MOLIY on “Body Go” and holding onto remnants of a past relationship with Lojay on “Memories.”
And there’s no stopping what’s coming from Mavin’s golden children Ayra Starr and Rema on their hypnotic collab “Who’s Dat Girl,” which debuted at No. 3 on U.S. Afrobeats Songs this week (chart dated Nov. 1). The single arrives less than one month after Rema popped out as a surprise guest during Starr’s performance at this year’s Global Citizen Festival, where they duetted on Rema’s “Baby (Is it a Crime)” single from earlier this year and his 2022 international smash “Calm Down,” with Starr filling for Sade’s and Selena Gomez’s parts, respectively.
We’ve highlighted 10 of our favorite new songs by African acts that have come out roughly within the last month. Check out our latest Fresh Picks, and catch a vibe with our Spotify playlist below.
Lojay & Tyla, “Memories”
Lojay and Tyla cosplay as exes who are hesitant to let go of their haunted “Memories” of each other on this tantalizing highlight track from the former’s debut album XOXO. But their mellifluous “Eh-la-la-lo, eh-le-ah-no-ah” harmonies sound like a subtle hint that they’re still meant to be together. The Lagos loverboy reunites with his “Monalisa” collaborator, Afrobeats hitmaker Sarz, who brings his Sarz Academy protégé Twitch along for the duet’s sensual Afropop production.
MOLIY & Tyla, “Body Go”
Whether you’re in the back of the cab or in a “section full of baddies” at the club, MOLIY and Tyla command you to “dance, whine your body, go down” on their dancefloor filler. The infectious waist-whining rhythm of “Body Go” complements its come-hither lyricism. Months after releasing her U.S. Afrobeats Songs No. 1 “Shake It To The Max (Fly)” remix, the Ghanaian star continues to seize her moment.
Ayra Starr & Rema, “Who’s Dat Girl”
Mavin’s marquee stars Ayra Starr and Rema burn brighter together on their “Who’s Dat Girl” banger. Starr flaunts her It-girl status with poise, while Rema’s rapid-fire flow momentarily steals the spotlight from her – only for listeners to realize he’s spending his whole verse gassing up the gyal. And Ragee and The Elements’ dancehall-inspired and Middle Eastern-influenced production gives “Girl” a multicultural edge.
Young Jonn, “Full Control”
Young Jonn is giving up “Full Control” of his body tonight on his sleek and sultry single, which arrives ahead of his upcoming sophomore album Blue Disco. Producer Yung Willis’ electronic flourishes and subdued log drums help soundtrack Jiggy’s late-night rendezvous. “This one is about owning your space and moving with confidence. After so many collaborations, I wanted to drop something that’s purely me – my energy, my vision, my vibe,” he said in a press release about “Full Control,” which debuted at No. 42 on U.S. Afrobeats Songs.
Boj & Anaïs Cardot, “After Hours”
After delivering gorgeous verses on Asake’s “My Heart” and Wizkid’s “Slow” last year, French Gabonese singer Anaïs Cardot lends her lithe, featherlight vocals once more on Boj’s “After Hours” single ahead of his upcoming album Duplicity. Their intimate exchange floats over Genio Bambino’s guitar-driven production, which softens into an old-school R&B synth loop for an extra touch of romance.
The Cavemen. feat. Pa Salieu, “Gatekeepers”
The high-life masters just released their new album, Cavy In the City, today (Oct. 31), and on this latest single they brought Gambian-British singer Pa Salieu along for the ride. His contribution to the laid back track is less, singing, less rapping, than it is spoken word, adding a contemplative element to a track that is an engaging groove in the context of the overall album. The duo also announced a series of European dates for early next year, where they’ll take the new record on the road.
Shallipopi feat. Gunna, “HIM”
Shallipopi has been on an incendiary run of late, and this time he taps Atlanta MC Gunna for a street-to-street linkup that manages to feel like it lives simultaneously in both artists’ worlds. Shalli has an extended verse to open the track, using his slinking yet confident delivery to set the tone, before Gunna comes through to flow over the Spanish-inflected guitar that animates the brooding beat. It somehow manages to seem like a commercial hit, even though it’s still rooted in the streets. Another high-quality addition to both catalogs.
Flavour & Baaba Maal, “Afroculture”
Flavour — who also produced this song — often has a very distinct style, and this track embodies that, with driving percussion, traditional vocals and classic instrumentation that delivers a largely instrumental intensity that is lush with its different stylings and insistent in getting in — and staying in — listeners’ heads. It’s almost breathless, and feels much shorter than its three-plus minute run time, even as it fits in an avalanche of elements to create its sound. A real triumph, and a joy.
Lil Kesh feat. Balloranking, “TTGG”
Lil Kesh is one of the best and most consistent artists on the scene right now, and his vocals are distinct from anyone else out there. He’s so adept at melody and crafting catchy hooks that his verses can often fly under the radar, but he’s truly well-rounded in so many different ways that each release of his is a must-listen. Balloranking slides through with a different style on his verse, but it fits well within Kesh’s world on this ode to finding ways to get through tough times (which is one way of putting it).
Joeboy & Shoday, “Ring”
Joeboy is an effortless vocalist, one of the true crooners in the Afrobeats scene, and this is a twist on his usual love song — finally, after playing around with a number of women, he’s met someone who makes him want to cut off all his relationships to dedicate himself to getting married to the woman of his life. Accompanied by a hilarious music video which shows all that drama coming home to roost, this is another ear worm in his ever-expanding catalog of catchy hooks and varied takes on love songs.
Trending on Billboard Chris Jones is pledging allegiance to his teammate’s famous fiancée, and Taylor Swift is loving it. In a sweet moment from a recent press conference, the Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle walked into the room with the pop star’s Billboard Hot 100-topping single “The Fate of Ophelia” blasting on his phone speaker. […]
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Offset unleashed his surprise Haunted by Fame project on Friday (Oct. 31), which appears to find him addressing Cardi B and Stefon Diggs’ relationship, along with his estranged wife’s pregnancy.
The not-so-subliminal shots at Cardi and the New England Patriots wide receiver come to close the first verse of the Coupe-produced “No Sweat.” Set essentially implies Cardi downgraded by trading Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan for Dennis Rodman, who was more of a caffeinated role player.
“How the f—k you leave Jordan for Rodman/ You a fool if you think that I’m hurt/ You ain’t happy, I know how it work,” he raps.
He seemingly continues to blast Cardi for getting pregnant by the NFL player while their divorce still isn’t finalized. “How you married and still giving birth/ Get some help, b—h, you going berserk,” Set spews.
Billboard has reached out to reps for Cardi B and Offset.
Cardi B filed for divorce from Offset for a second time in July 2024. The Grammy-winning rapper and Migos member share three children. Cardi began dating the NFL star earlier this year, and went public with her relationship while sitting courtside at a Knicks game with Diggs in May.
“I fell in love. I got two rings [on] my finger. I lasted seven years,” she said of the relationship with Offset in September during an X Spaces. “Seven years that I didn’t have to last with somebody. I lasted seven years in a marriage. Stop saying, ‘Oh, but you’re still married.’ No, I’m legally separated.”
She also alleged at the time that it was her estranged husband’s demands holding up the divorce. “Y’all wanna know the tea?” Cardi said. “The only way I can get out of my marriage is if I pay for somebody else’s taxes — even though I pay for my own — and give them one of my properties.”
The Bronx native is expected to give birth to baby No. 4 in the coming months, and then she’ll be hitting the road for the Little Miss Drama Tour in February.
As for Offset, Haunted by Fame is his second album of 2025, after dropping Kiari in August. Releasing music on Halloween isn’t new for Set, who released Without Warning alongside Metro Boomin and 21 Savage in 2017.
Listen to Offset’s “No Sweat” below.
