Music News

05 Sep 2024

Rich Homie Quan’s Death Mourned by Quavo, Playboi Carti, Jacquees & More: ‘I Love You for Life’

After the news of Rich Homie Quan’s sudden death on Thursday (Sept. 5), the rap world is in mourning.

Jacquees and Boosie Badazz were the first artists to pay their respects to the Atlanta rapper on social media. “Rest in Peace my brother Rich Homie Quan. I love you for Life. #Richgang,” tweeted the R&B singer and Decatur, Georgia, native. He then posted a picture of the two hanging out at a party and wrote, simply, “Legend.”

“Just talked to you bra #tipquan never go forget yo smile n the way talked n of course yo music,” Boosie tweeted. “We got some good ass memories together n that go always bring a smile to my face #restupquan we was cooking up some sh– too,” he said in another post.

Engineer Alex Tumay, who has worked with both Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan extensively over the years, had some nice things to say about the Atlanta rapper, tweeting, “One of the nicest people I ever worked with and a true artist. Absolutely crushing news. RIP.”

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Playboi Carti and Quavo both posted pictures and videos on their respective Instagram Stories in tribute, with the latter saying, “May God be with us, never saw this being apart of our journey,” over a picture of the Migos and Rich Gang during their early days.

Find more reaction to the sad news below:

Rich Homie Quan was 34 years old and is survived by his four sons.

05 Sep 2024

Barack Obama Doubles Down on His Love for Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’: ‘She Knows What She’s Doing’

Barack Obama is bumpin’ Charli XCX‘s Brat, whether fans think he is or not.

A couple of weeks after releasing his annual summer playlist, the former president doubled down on his fandom of the British pop star’s critically acclaimed album during an interview on the I’ve Had It podcast. “I just put out my playlist, and ‘365’ is on it, and [Brat] is a great album,” he told hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan.

“People question sometimes whether I’m actually listening to all this music,” Obama added with a defiant expression. “As I’ve testified before, I am. Charli XCX, she knows what she’s doing.”

The politician dropped his 2024 summer jams on Aug. 12, spotlighting Shaboozey’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Billie Eilish’s “Chihiro” and Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em,” in addition to Charli’s album closer. He also featured GloRilla and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Wanna Be,” Saweetie’s “My Best,” Tems’ “Love Me Jeje,” Moneybagg Yo and Morgan Wallen’s genre-blending “Whiskey Whiskey,” plus 2Pac’s “How Do U Want It” and Common’s “The People.”

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From Obama’s shout-out to Kamala Harris’ recent co-opting of Brat for her campaign, the “Von Dutch” singer has had much more to do with American politics this year than she probably expected. After spontaneously tweeting “Kamala IS brat” in July after the VP took over President Joe Biden’s spot on the 2024 Democratic ticket, the former attorney’s team was quick to rebrand the KamalaHQ X account with a header inspired by Charli’s album cover — but the musician has since said she never intended to make a full-fledged endorsement.

“Did I think me talking about being a mess b–ch and, like partying and needing a Bic lighter and a pack of Marlboro Lights would end up on CNN? No,” she told Vulture in August, noting that she is not, and has never aspired to be, “a political artist.” “I’m not Bob Dylan and I’ve never pretended to be… My music is not political. Everything I do in my life feeds back into my art. Everything I say, wear, think, enjoy — it all funnels back into my art. Politics doesn’t feed my art.”

Watch Obama defend his claim to Brat summer below.

05 Sep 2024

Demi Lovato Digs Deep With Drew Barrymore, Raven-Symoné & More in ‘Child Star’ Trailer

Demi Lovato is shedding light on childhood fame in her upcoming Hulu documentary, Child Star, and the official trailer for the project arrived on Thursday (Sept. 5).

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In the two-minute clip, Lovato meets up with iconic former child stars such as Drew Barrymore, Kenan Thompson, Christina Ricci, Raven-Symoné, JoJo Siwa, Alyson Stoner and more, and they reflect on their careers, including struggles with substance abuse, societal pressure and more. “Everyone wanted to make it in the industry at a young age,” Lovato is heard saying in the trailer, as scenes from her life on the Disney Channel and more flash on the screen. “I was seven years old.”

She continues, “It scares me to hear that these kids are making tens of millions of dollars. There have to be protections put in place.”

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Nicola Marsh, Lovato co-directed Child Star, which aims to “deconstruct the highs and lows of growing up in the spotlight through the lens of some of the world’s most famous former child stars,” according to a release.

Child Star is produced by OBB Media’s Michael D. Ratner, who directed and produced Lovato’s 2021 documentary, Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil, along with Scott Ratner, Miranda Sherman, Kfir Goldberg and Lovato. It’s executive produced by Marsh, Scooter Braun, Scott Manson, Jen McDaniels, Glenn Stickley and James Shin.

Watch the full trailer below. Child Star is available to stream on Hulu beginning on September 17.

05 Sep 2024

Rich Homie Quan Dead at 34: Report

Rich Homie Quan — born Dequantes Lamar — reportedly died Thursday (Sept. 5) at 34 years old. The cause of the Atlanta rapper’s death remains unknown.

TMZ first confirmed the news, citing family and the Fulton County Morgue, and Rolling Stone confirmed with a family member. Billboard has reached out to Quan’s manager and the Fulton County Morgue for confirmation.

Before the news reports, though, an abundance of artists paid tribute to Quan on social media, with Boosie Badazz, Jacquees and more sending their condolences to the “Type of Way” rapper.

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Boosie was one of the first to deliver the news on X. “JUST GOT WORD @RichHomieQuan JUST [DIED]. JUST TALK TO WUAN THE OTHER DAY,” he wrote. “JUST TALKED TO YOU BRA #tipQUAN Never go forget yo smile n the way talked n of course yo music.”

Jacquees, who has been a close collaborator of Rich Homie Quan’s for the last decade, wrote on X: “Rest in peace my brother Rich Homie Quan. I Love you for life. #Richgang,” he shared alongside a photo with Quan.

Fellow ATLien Playboi Carti also posted clips and photos to his Instagram Story on Thursday of Quan and Young Thug.

Quavo added in photos of the Migos with RHQ and Thugger to his IG Story and emotionally wrote in tribute to his late nephew TakeOff and Quan: “May god be with US never saw this as part of our journey.”

Rich Homie Quan emerged alongside Young Thug as part of a tidal wave that cemented Atlanta as the rap capital of the world in the mid-2010s. He made a splash with his debut on the charts in 2013 when his “Type of Way” anthem peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Quan netted a pair of top 20 Hot 100 wins with his assists on platinum records like YG’s “My Hitta” (No. 19) featuring Jeezy and Rich Gang’s ubiquitous “Lifestyle” (No. 16) with Thugger, which has earned 926.8 million on-demand official U.S. streams, according to Luminate.

RHQ earned his solo peak on the Hot 100 with “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh).” The smooth Nitti-produced banger hit No. 12 on the chart in July 2015 and has accumulated 608 million on-demand official U.S. streams, per Luminate.

Quan returned to the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart this week thanks to his guest appearance on Travis Scott’s “Mamacita,” which hit No. 26 after being re-released to streaming for the first time in celebration of the 10th anniversary of La Flame’s 2014 Days Before Rodeo mixtape.

Motown Records came calling and inked Rich Homie Quan to a deal in 2017, where he released his Back to the Basics mixtape (No. 84 Billboard 200) and followed up with his Rich As in Spirit debut album (No. 32 Billboard 200) in 2018.

To date, according to Luminate, Quan’s catalog has compiled 3.34 billion on-demand official U.S. streams. More recently, he independently released singles such as “Ah’chi” with 2 Chainz and “Authentic” earlier in 2024. His last project came with Family & Mula – Reloaded in 2022 via Rich Homie Entertainment.

Jack Harlow recruited RHQ to perform at his debut Gazebo Festival, where he took the stage in Louisville back in May.

Find more tributes to Quan below.

05 Sep 2024

Lady Gaga Gets Emotional Talking About Taylor Swift & Kesha: ‘My Heart Is In It With Them’

Lady Gaga has nothing but applause for her fellow ladies in pop, from Taylor Swift to Kesha, Charli XCX, Chappell Roan and Billie Eilish.

In her Vogue cover story published Thursday (Sept. 5), the 38-year-old superstar got emotional while talking about all five of the aforementioned female singer-songwriters. “I mean, I really love them,” she told the publication, her eyes welling up with tears. “I go on the internet and, like, cry. And I love Taylor Swift too. And Kesha. I watch it all, and I’m like: Yup. Go! Just Go.”

“I’m not only cheering them on, I want them to know that my heart is in it with them,” she added. “And I want them all to feel really happy.”

The interview arrives as Gaga is busy promoting Joker: Folie à Deux at the Venice International Film Festival. While there, she gave Roan an extra shout-out, telling a fan that she’s a “huge” fan of the “Hot to Go!” singer while signing autographs.

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The Oscar winner is also preparing to release her seventh studio album, which she confirmed to Vogue is arriving in February. She also said = her fiancé Michael Polansky was the one to encourage her to reconnect with her pop roots on the project, as well as confirmed that she and the entrepreneur got engaged in April after a day of rock climbing.

“My mom met him [first] and she said to me, ‘I think I just met your husband,’” Gaga recalled. “And I said, ‘I’m not ready to meet my husband!’ I could never have imagined that my mom … found the most perfect person for me?”

In 2019, the “Rain on Me” singer finally met Polansky at Sean Parker’s birthday party, where they talked for three hours. “I didn’t know much about her and honestly wasn’t sure what to expect,” Polanksy reminisced. “I was struck immediately by her warmth and openness — she was so genuinely curious about what my life was like growing up in Minnesota.”

05 Sep 2024

Drake & Lil Durk Use Adin Ross to Preview New Song ‘Discontinuing Wockhardt’

Drake continues to let streamers premiere and preview new songs to their vast audience, a practice he’s been using since leaking the diss record “Push Ups” through DJ Akademiks. This time around, he let Adin Ross play a new song with Chicago rapper Lil Durk called “Discontinuing Wockhardt,” named after the Indian pharmaceutical company known for producing cough syrup.

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“Tuesday, I talk to brodie ‘n dem; they get them birds off/ Wednesdays, I got the worst call, they knocked his nerves off/ Thursday, the same as Wednesday, that sh– do hurt, though/ Friday, got the V-12 Maybach in the driveway/ Saturday, pop out with your gun ’cause you could die today/ Sunday, not a sun day because it’s dark out,” Lil Durk raps before Drake sings the hook in which he’s seems sad about not being able to get his hands on some Wok. “Discontinuing Wockhardt, what seal do I pop now?/ What seal do I pop now? What seal do I pop now?/ You know that the Act’ gone, I can’t get no Wok now/ What seal do I pop now? What seal do I pop now?”

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Like some fans on social media, Adin was confused as to why they let him preview the song, but then again, the streamer has talked about his own battles with lean addiction. “Wait, I just realized — why’d they have me preview that?,” he asked. “Is it because I was on lean? I’m not on lean no more. And how does The Boy know about — yeah, nah, he’s tapped in. Damn, that was hard.”

Last year, in 2023, Wockhardt was forced to close its troubled manufacturing plant in Morton Grove, Illinois (around 15 miles north of Chicago), in a restructuring effort and moved U.S. operations to Parsippany, New Jersey.

05 Sep 2024

Sabrina Carpenter Recalls Hugging a Shirtless Zac Efron When She Was 12

While Sabrina Carpenter is one of the biggest pop stars of the moment, even she has gotten starstruck.

The singer sat down for a recent interview with W Magazine, where she revealed a particularly monumental moment of her pre-teen years. “Oh god—I had a really dangerous Zac Efron phase, when he was in Hairspray,” she told the publication. “I was 12 years old, and I was on a beach for the Fourth of July. He would never remember this, but I saw him and said, ‘I’m a big fan of your work!’ He gave me a hug. And I remember thinking, Oh my god—he wasn’t wearing a shirt and he gave me a hug! I was like, This is amazing. I’m never washing my body!”

Carpenter surely has that effect on others now, given her recent breakout success. The singer hit a career milestone this week as her latest studio album, Short n’ Sweet, topped the Billboard 200 albums chart, marking her first leader on the tally.

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Short n’ Sweet is Carpenter’s seventh charting album but first to reach the top 20. Her first visit to the chart came in 2015 with Eyes Wide Open, peaking at No. 43. Until this week, Carpenter’s best chart rank came with the 2022 release Emails I Can’t Send, which debuted and peaked at No. 23. 

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She also simultaneously has three songs in the top five of the Hot 100 songs chart. At No. 2 is Carpenter’s “Taste,” followed by “Please Please Please,” which boosted up from 9-3 after it became her first No. 1 in June. “Espresso” jumps 7-4 after previously peaking at No. 3. 

05 Sep 2024

Amy Allen Hits No. 1 on Hot 100 Songwriters Chart Thanks to Sabrina Carpenter Hits

Amy Allen’s songwriting first appeared on Billboard’s charts in 2018 (via Selena Gomez’s “Back to You”) and now, six years later, she’s the No. 1 songwriter in the United States for the first time.

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Allen jumps from No. 14 to No. 1 on the latest Hot 100 Songwriters chart (dated Sept. 7), thanks to 13 songwriting credits on the Billboard Hot 100, including all 12 from Sabrina Carpenter’s album Short n’ Sweet, which opens at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Here’s a recap of all 13 of Allen’s songwriting credits on the latest Hot 100.

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Rank, Artist Billing, Title (co-songwriters in addition to Allen):

  • No. 2, Sabrina Carpenter, “Taste” (Sabrina Carpenter, John Ryan, Julia Michaels, Ian Kirkpatrick)
  • No. 3, Sabrina Carpenter, “Please Please Please” (Carpenter, Jack Antonoff)
  • No. 4, Sabrina Carpenter, “Espresso” (Carpenter, Julian Bunetta, Steph Jones)
  • No. 14, Sabrina Carpenter, “Bed Chem” (Carpenter, Ryan, Michaels, Kirkpatrick)
  • No. 15, Sabrina Carpenter, “Good Graces” (Carpenter, Ryan, Michaels, Bunetta)
  • No. 21, Sabrina Carpenter, “Sharpest Tool” (Carpenter, Antonoff)
  • No. 22, Sabrina Carpenter, “Juno” (Carpenter, Ryan)
  • No. 26, Sabrina Carpenter, “Coincidence” (Carpenter, Ryan, Michaels, Kirkpatrick)
  • No. 27, Sabrina Carpenter, “Slim Pickins” (Carpenter, Antonoff)
  • No. 32, Sabrina Carpenter, “Dumb & Poetic” (Carpenter, Ryan, Michaels)
  • No. 35, Sabrina Carpenter, “Don’t Smile” (Carpenter, Ryan, Bunetta, Jones)
  • No. 41, Sabrina Carpenter, “Lie To Girls” (Carpenter, Antonoff)
  • No. 51, Koe Wetzel & Jessie Murph, “High Road” (Koe Wetzel, Jessie Murph, Gabe Simon, Carrie Karpinen, Laura Veltz, Josh Serrato)

Carpenter ranks at No. 2 on Hot 100 Songwriters; Allen claims No. 1 thanks to her additional credit on Koe Wetzel and Jessie Murph’s “High Road,” which ranks at No. 51 in its 12th week on the chart. Allen and Carpenter’s other writing collaborators, Jack Antonoff and John Ryan, place at Nos. 3 and 4 on Hot 100 Songwriters, respectively.

Allen is the sixth woman to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 Songwriters chart in 2024, after Tracy Chapman, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish. Other than Allen and Chapman (who topped the chart thanks to Luke Combs’ cover of her song “Fast Car”), the only other woman in the chart’s six-year history to hit No. 1 that wasn’t the billed recording artist on the songs they’d written that sent them to No. 1 is Jessica Agombar, who spent five weeks at No. 1 in 2020, alongside David Stewart, thanks to their work on BTS’ No. 1 hit “Dynamite.”

Allen has co-written 34 Hot 100-charting songs, dating to Gomez’s “Back to You” (No. 18 peak). She followed that up with Halsey’s No. 1 “Without Me” in January 2019. Seven of her 34 hits have reached the top 10: “Without Me”; Harry Styles’ “Adore You” (No. 6) and “Matilda” (No. 9); Tate McRae’s “Greedy” (No. 3); and Carpenter’s “Espresso” (No. 3), “Please Please Please” (No. 1) and “Taste” (No. 2). She has also written songs recorded by Justin Bieber, Fletcher, Olivia Rodrigo and Justin Timberlake, among others.

Six of Allen’s songs have hit No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart: “Without Me,” “Adore You,” “Greedy” and Carpenter’s “Feather,” “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.”

Allen has also released more than a dozen songs on streaming services as a lead recording artist, including four this year: “Girl With a Problem,” “Darkside,” “Even Forever” and “To Love Me.”

Billboard launched the Hot 100 Songwriters and Hot 100 Producers charts, as well as genre-specific rankings for country, rock & alternative, R&B/hip-hop, R&B, rap, Latin, Christian, gospel and dance/electronic, in June 2019, while alternative and hard rock joined in 2020, along with seasonal holiday rankings in 2022. The charts are based on total points accrued by a songwriter and producer, respectively, for each attributed song that appears on the Hot 100. The genre-based songwriter and producer charts follow the same methodology based on corresponding “Hot”-named genre charts. As with Billboard’s yearly recaps, multiple writers or producers split points for each song equally (and the dividing of points will lead to occasional ties on rankings).

The full Hot 100 Songwriters and Hot 100 Producers charts and full genre rankings can be found on Billboard.com.

05 Sep 2024

Kacey Musgraves Puts Her Spin on Chappell Roan’s ‘Pink Pony Club’ During U.S. Tour Kickoff

Kacey Musgraves is part of the Pink Pony Club!

The star kicked off the U.S. leg of her Deeper Well tour on Wednesday night (Sept. 4) in State College, Pennsylvania, where she surprised fans with an ethereal cover of Chappell Roan’s beloved hit, “Pink Pony Club.” The song was featured on the rising pop star’s debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.

Musgraves released an expanded version of her latest album, Deeper Well, in August with seven new songs.

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The original, 14-track Deeper Well marked the follow-up to Musgraves’ 2021 album Star-Crossed. Over the past year, Musgraves notched her first Billboard Hot 100 chart leader with the Zach Bryan duet “I Remember Everything,” which also won a Grammy for best country song by a duo or group.

In April, Musgraves embarked on the Deeper Well World Tour, launching the tour in Dublin, Ireland. The trek will run through December, concluding with two shows at Nashville’s Bridgetone Arena.

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05 Sep 2024

Megan Thee Stallion Reimagines Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ for ‘Gladiator’-Themed Ad With Travis Kelce

Megan Thee Stallion is wearing the crown as the queen gladiator and ruler of the Hotties kingdom. She stars in Pepsi’s Make Your Gameday Epic campaign, which plays out as more of a star-studded music video for her take on Queen‘s hit “We Will Rock You” than a commercial featuring some NFL titans.

The blockbuster ad arrived on Thursday (Sept. 5) with the NFL season set to kick off as Empress Meg is joined by football stars such as Travis Kelce, Josh Allen, Justin Jefferson and Derrick Henry.

“Silence! Open the gates,” Meg instructs to start the Gladiator-themed battles, as NFL stars tussle in the colosseum with tigers. Once the opposition is defeated, Thee Stallion heads down to greet the football warriors and cracks open a cold Pepsi. “Let game day begin,” she shouts.

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In addition to ruling the empire, Megan also provides the soundtrack with a remix to Queen’s legendary anthem, as the Houston Hottie puts her own rap spin on the iconic 1977 rock track.

“I don’t let haters stop me/ I do my big one every time because I know they watching/ I’m the one to beat, make ’em get on they feet/ I’m the one that got your best fighter losing sleep,” she raps. The full motivational “We Will Rock You (Megan Thee Stallion Version)” is now available on all major DSPs.

Sports fans will open the gates on their NFL fandom on Thursday night (Sept. 5) with the 2024 season kicking off in style with the defending Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs (for whom Kelce is the tight end) facing off against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

It’s been a banner year for Megan Thee Stallion. From earning another No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit with “Hiss” to releasing her Megan album and launching a successful arena tour, 2024 has been good to the Hotties.

Meg detailed how “proud” she is of her abundance of lucrative partnerships and brand deals outside of music in her cover story with Billboard. “Everything I do is personal to me,” she said. “I put 100% into my partnerships, and I’m always so grateful when people want to step into my world. When I see a brand I f–k with and they want to come into the Hot Girl World, I’m like, ‘Thank you, this makes sense. I love that you’re recognizing me as much as I was already recognizing you.’”

Watch the commercial starring Megan Thee Stallion and Travis Kelce above, and listen to her “We Will Rock You” remix below.