State Champ Radio Music News
Page: 930
According to 50 Cent, marriage is good for thee, but not for he. The hip-hop mogul sat down with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show on Wednesday night (Sept. 4) to chop it up about his happily unwedded lifestyle, as well as doubling down on a vow of celibacy he claimed has allowed him to stay super-focused.
“Listen, when you calm down you can focus,” 50 said after Colbert read a recent magazine headline touting the near-billionaire’s sex-free lifestyle. “I’ve been good to me.” Colbert wondered what the money was for then if not to share with the love of his life, with 50 (born Curtin Jackson) explaining, “[Money is] when things start getting complicated, things start getting confusing, ‘cause people come in for different reasons.”
When Colbert asked the father of two if he’d ever been married, 50 snapped back with, “I’m safe. I’m not a happy hostage. I’m here. I’m free. I made some mistakes, just not that one.” Colbert, who often touts his endless love for his wife of 31 years, Evie, pivoted to asking what the life of an unmarried man is like, after explaining that his typically begins with the Wordle.
Trending on Billboard
50 said he goes to the gym or works out at home, while trying not to brag as he casually mentioned that he typically grabs 105-pound dumbbells. Colbert sweetly suggested that Curtis’ solitary lifestyle sounds, well, lonely. “I want you to have someone you can love in your life, Curtis,” Colbert said.
“I want someone I can love in my life too, just not right now, I’m fine,” 50 assured him.
Colbert also put up an adorable pic of 50 Cent chilling with his 12-year-old son, Sire Jackson, on the little man’s birthday this weekend. “What’s it like do you think to have 50 Cent as a dad?” Colbert wondered. “Great,” the rapper said with a wide smile, describing a special dinner at a steakhouse he had for his son that included a pop-in from Dr. Dre, which in typical tween fashion did not impress Sire as much as 50 thought it might.
The interview also featured 50 running down what the audience was like in Almaty, Kazakhstan when he performed there for the first time on his Final Lap tour last year. “They don’t know I’m not Michael Jackson… it was so cool. It was unbelievable,” 50 said, recalling how fans chased his car as if he was actually the late King of Pop.
Multi-hyphenate 50 was ostensibly in the house to promote his debut novel, The Accomplice, which the “In Da Club” MC said he essentially dictated to writer Aaron Philip Clark based on a rough outline he came up with. And, 50 being multimedia mogul 50, he said he’s already in talks with some TV networks about adopting the story about the first Black Texas Ranger on the hunt for master criminal Desmond Bell.
Watch 50 on The Late Show below.
[embedded content]
[embedded content]
Before she was the Wicked Witch of the West, she was just Elphaba — and Ariana Grande is here to tell her story. In the second full-length trailer for the upcoming Wicked film, the pop star steps into her role as Glinda while recounting the untold tale of her green-skinned former frenemy to the citizens […]
The Leeds, England-based English Teacher released its debut EP, Polyawkward, in 2022, and its first album, This Could Be Texas, in April. So it surprised even them that they sold out New York’s Bowery Ballroom in June — on a Monday, no less.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Frontwoman and lyricist Lily Fontaine and lead guitarist and producer Lewis Whiting chalk it up to relentless touring, which has honed the band into a tight unit that melds Radiohead-style guitar and synth sonics with hard funk flourishes and elegant melodies that showcase Fontaine’s literary lyrics about place, identity and broken relationships. (The quartet has actually been playing together since 2018 when they were a very different dream pop band called Frank.) At the Bowery Ballroom, Fontaine’s electric stage presence also galvanized the crowd, as she paced the stage and alternated between rhythm guitar and synth.
English Teacher ‘This Could Be Texas’
Courtesy Photo
English Teacher’s road work and original sound resulted in This Could Be Texas garnering stellar reviews and a Mercury Prize nomination this year. At the end of August, they continued their momentum with a new EP, English Teacher: Live From BBC Maida Vale — which includes covers of Billie Eilish‘s “Birds of a Feather” and LCD Soundsystem‘s “New York I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” — and on Sept. 15, they return to the road, playing a slew of dates in North America and Europe.
Trending on Billboard
Fontaine and Whiting (briefly) Zoomed in from the United Kingdom to talk about the band’s success, the origin of its name, its songwriting process and its plans for the future.
You’re a very tight band. Is there a lot of practice involved?
Whiting: Less than you think.
Fontaine: We’ve been on tour for at least the past four or five months, and we’re about to start up again. We don’t really have time to practice because we’re playing the set over and over again.
That’s practice of a sort. I do think that strong live shows are crucial to building a fan base. Lily, you’re riveting onstage. Were you influenced by any other artists in terms of stage presence.
Fontaine: It’s not really a conscious thing to be honest. I’ve been doing it for such a long time — 10 years — that I feel quite confident now on stage. I also think that being a music fan, the affectations of people that I have enjoyed slip in with my stage personality.
How did the band’s name come about?
Fontaine: Ugh.
Whiting: It was a name Lily came up with quite a while back. There are different ways of looking at it. Like, a lot of our family members we’re English teachers and it’s a bit of a connection.
Fontaine: Now, I like the idea of what an English teacher is. We go to so many different countries, and the English language is so prevalent— people do speak it everywhere now — that people sometimes resent it. I hate the name, but also I like the idea of an English teacher being perceived negatively or positively depending on which country you’re in.
How did you all get signed to Island UK?
Fontaine: It was baby steps.
Whiting: Yeah. We’d gotten some support slots, Our guys were floating about. Nothing happened for a long, long time after that. They must have been aware of us and then yeah, the EP came out, we started to play more and they started sniffing around a little bit more.
A number of bands are striking deals with labels that enable them to keep their masters. Was that something you did?
No. It was like a split. We have a percentage.
What are the best and worst parts of touring?
Whiting: The best parts are being able to travel to places and play music that we’ve written to people who don’t know it as well. That’s the best bit, and then I suppose all the rest of it is the bad bit. The traveling is taxing for sure.
The price of touring has ratcheted up, which particularly effects indie bands. What has your experience been?
Fontaine: We don’t really make money. We only ever break even or lose money.
Regarding the title of your album, This Could Be Texas, you could have chosen any state or city here. Why Texas?
Whiting: It must have been in our minds subconsciously because it had just come up on the news about [us playing] South by Southwest. I think it was the best descriptor for where we stood. It was a really hot day and we were at a car park. At first it was a bit of a joke phrase, but then it morphed and attached itself to the song, which is about the process of writing the album. Then it became us saying this should be the title for the album. It wasn’t a sorted-out thing from the start. It just kind of presented itself.
Lily, on “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab,” you sing, “I’m the world’s biggest paving slab, and the world’s smallest celebrity.” Can you give me some context behind that?
Fontaine: I grew up in Colne, Lancashire, and outside the town hall there’s a giant paving slab and that’s one of the town’s local celebrities if you will. The song is about exploring this great display and not necessarily ever leaving the town. It’s a juxtaposition of exploring feelings of grandeur and feelings of self-deprecation.
There also seems to be a little bit of, “Don’t tread on me.”
Fontaine: Yeah, definitely. I think that’s the grandeur element.
Do you and the rest of the band write songs collaboratively?
Fontaine: It’s different every time. Sometimes, one of us will come in with a song quite finished and sometimes just a bit of poetry and a riff come together. Sometimes it’s separate songs. Sometimes it’s all together. It’s different. We like to work like that. So far, it’s been all right.
Whiting: It’s a quite chaotic approach. It’s kind of just throw things together.
Another standout song on the album is “R&B.” On it, you sing, “Despite appearances, I haven’t got the voice for R&B.” Is that subtext about expectations of you as an artist because of your skin color?
Fontaine: The whole song isn’t about that, but part of it is. At the time, I had writer’s block and the only thing I could come up with in my head was a melody for an R&B song. I thought that was so ironic because that is the genre that people always assume that I make when they look at me. Not always, but there’s been times when we meet another musician, and the look on their face is a big shock when I say that I make guitar music.
You come from a mixed-race family?
Fontaine: Yeah, my dad’s side of the family are from Dominica in the Caribbean and my mum’s just I don’t know, England I guess. They’re both British.
Now that Kamala Harris is a presidential candidate, race issues are at the forefront of the campaign. I don’t know if it made news in the U.K., but Donald Trump made headlines here when he said that Harris only recently had decided to identify as Black instead of Indian. Is that kind of racism familiar to you?
Fontaine: Definitely. It’s so funny because it depends on who you’re with. It depends on how Black you are, how white you are. So, if I’m with my white friends, then I’m the Black one, but if I’m with my Black family I’m the whitest person in the room. Race is fluid in a sense — and what a prick [Trump] is. Sorry.
Are you following the presidential race here?
Whiting: I’m following it closely. Biden dropping out was an extremely good call. I can’t say I knew a crazy amount about Harris before this, but I like following American politics. I’m an avid American politics podcast listener.
Fontaine: I don’t have as much knowledge of [politics] as Lewis because I don’t listen to any podcasts or anything. I’m glad that Biden dropped out. I think that was an obvious decision. We’re going to be in the U.S. when the election is happening, so it will be an interesting time to be there.
Lily, the lyrics to “Broken Biscuits” are quite powerful and sound very personal. Is there an autobiographical element to it?
Fontaine: That’s probably the most personal song on the album actually. Yeah, it’s really personal. There’s this John Cooper Clarke poem, “Evidently Chickentown,” that has a lot of repetition, and I wanted to see how many different ways I could use the word “broken.” Then I was seeing how I could use all those different ways to relate to things in my life that were broken or that have been broken.
There are references to all sorts of things: breaking in shoes and broken homes, but also “Smithereens,” which is a Black Mirror episode and the show’s creators [Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones] call their company Broke and Bones, which I use in the lyrics. There’s lighthearted stuff in there as well. It’s not all sad. But a lot of it is quite dark actually.
Do you come from a broken home?
Fontaine: That’s me. Yeah, my parents split up when, I don’t know — maybe I was like one. It was when I wasn’t conscious, which is a blessing probably.
I noticed that the band worked in more melodies on This Could Be Texas than you have on prior work. Has that been a natural progression?
Fontaine: That’s probably because when we were writing the first EP and some of those earlier songs. I was listening to more post-punk. That was the time of the post-Brexit, post-punk resurgence in the U.K., and I was quite influenced by that. That trend wore off, and I was listening to a lot of classic songs — not classical music. I’m coming to music as a singer, and I felt it was just natural that I would probably go back towards that eventually.
At the end of August, English Teacher put out a live EP that includes covers of Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” and LCD Soundsystem’s “New York I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down.” Why did you choose those?
Fontaine: LCD felt natural, because we all really like them, especially that song. I think it felt like a song that we could tackle given the instruments that we had at our disposal. With “Birds of a Feather,” we were asked to do a cover for BBC Radio One which is as you probably know is more of the pop end of the spectrum. So, we looked at what had come out recently — and my boyfriend said, “You should do this song.” We listened to it together, and I was just crying. I found it really moving, and I was like, “I want to do this.” We put it together in a day, and it felt right.
Are you working on the next album?
Fontaine: Yeah, we’ve got a few songs written actually. It seems like it’s come around so fast. Yeah, I’ve got ideas of the concept for it and everything.
Can you share the concept?
Fontaine: It’s too early to say really, and it’s not entirely up to me. But I don’t think I would want to put out a body of work that didn’t have some kind of unifying aspect to it. It happens naturally when you pull everything together that something connects it. It’s not exactly a concept album but always a bit of a through narrative. Thematically, it will probably be a sadder and darker album.
You are clearly into literature, poetry and media. Is there anything that has your attention these days?
Fontaine: Yeah. I’m going through a big phase with Octavia Butler, the science fiction writer. I’m obsessed with her and I just finished the second of two of her books. I’ve immediately ordered the next one because I want to read it whilst I’m still in that world.
She’s my focus at the moment. I’ve been watching The Bear. I think it’s amazing. The writing is brilliant, and the acting is so realistic that it’s kind of scary that people can act but also be so human at the same time. I love food as well so it’s a good one.
When Usher calls, you pick up. The pop and R&B deity ran into trouble just over a week out from his Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show performance in Las Vegas when it came to the footwear portion of his Off-White glittery jumpsuit.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Enter Dominic “The Shoe Surgeon” Ciambrone. The custom sneaker design savant has rose to prominence over the last decade as one of the most prolific cobblers in the world. Connected through mutual friend Lil Jon, Ciambrone was originally working with Usher on designing his deconstructed sneaker roller skates before the chaos ensued.
About a week before having to take the Allegiant Stadium stage on Feb. 11, Usher found out Jordan Brand wouldn’t be able to deliver the custom chrome Jordan 4s he was looking for, so the hitmaker turned to The Shoe Surgeon to work his magic in time for the Big Game.
Trending on Billboard
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, easy,’” he recalls in conversation with Billboard on Zoom. “[Jordan Brand] made it at a time they didn’t make a whole pair, and it was Chinese New Year so everything was closed and they couldn’t get it done. I think we had a week to do everything — and that shoe was incredibly difficult.”
Ciambrone continued: “The chrome material needed to shine so bright, and we remade that pair of shoes 20 times. We finished Saturday night before Super Bowl, and a friend of mine drove it from L.A. to Vegas straight to me.”
The Shoe Surgeon and his team worked overtime at his 20,000 square-foot L.A. studios finding the right chrome materials to match the proper Jordan 4 sole, while replacing the signature heel Jordan Jumpman with a bedazzled “U” for the man of the hour in Sin City.
Ciambrone handcuffed himself to the precious cargo’s carrying case while transporting the kicks to personally deliver them on game day to Usher himself hours before kickoff. After seeing his blood, sweat and tears in the form of the chrome 4’s on the Allegiant Stadium field, that’s when everything hit him at once.
“I was crying,” he admits. “It was a beautiful moment for me and my team, because we work so hard on these projects. I don’t think people understand how difficult this is.”
It was also a full-circle moment for Ciambrone, whose prom suit inspiration came from Lil Jon’s “Yeah!” video camouflage outfit. Find the rest of our interview with The Shoe Surgeon below, where he details the entire story of collaborating with Usher at the Super Bowl, teaming up with Drake and other projects he’s currently working on.
[embedded content]
The first time Shoe Surgeon was on my radar was the Nike “Misplaced Checks” with John Geiger almost a decade ago.
I kept hitting [Geiger] up, and finally he was like, “I got three shoes I want to do.” He’s like, “Yo, I want a Gucci swoosh on the wheat Air Force Ones and swooshes all over my Air Force Ones.” I cut a bunch of colors and put them on, and he wore it to Agenda. Nice Kicks hit him up, “You should release those.” He hit me up, “Can we release those?” I was doing everything by myself out of a garage, so I was like, “Hell no!” Then I was like, “Let’s try it.” Then we kept doing it and it shifted customs and releases.
Take me back to saving the Super Bowl Halftime Show for Usher, with the Air Jordan 4 you made for him.
I had become friends with Lil Jon over the years and he’s been a client for a while. I hit him up and he was like, “I’m in Vegas because I’m gonna be in the Super Bowl show.” This was weeks before the [game]. I was like, “Hit Usher and I can do his whole outfit.” He put me in touch and Usher was like, “Yo, I’m in L.A. I want to come by.” I have two 20,000 square-foot studios. One has a full basketball court and a bar and there was a class going on. He was blown away, like, “You could do more.” He was hyped and we talked about his skates.
Off-White was already doing his outfit. We kept designing stuff back and forth, and he was so busy preparing for the show it was hard to get information out of him. I was sending designs blindly.
A week before, he hits me up, “What are we doing?” I was like, “You tell me.” He was like, “Could you remake this?” And sent me a photo of the silver Jordan 4.
While we’re making that shoe, we’re making the skates. Finding the material was hard. We made it so many times, and it was coming out wrinkled. I think that’s also why it feels like they didn’t want to make that shoe. Even if they’re Air Force 1s, that material creases really easy. The material is so iconic. The team was working late to get it done, making it over and over. It was getting stressful, because he was like, “Did you get it done?” We’re like, “We’re gonna bring it.”
It got delivered the morning of Super Bowl at 3:00 a.m., and as soon as we woke up, we went straight to the Super Bowl, and I had it handcuffed to my wrist. We figured out a way to walk straight in — which is very tough to do. We walked straight back to Usher and gave him the shoes and saved the moment. It was a blessing. Lil Jon and Usher inspired me my senior year of high school, when I made a camouflage prom tux based off of Lil Jon’s camo tux in the “Yeah!” video.
What was the feeling when you finally finished and what did he say when you delivered them?
It was amazing. Once you saw the halftime show, that’s when it all came up for me. There’s no money to be made with how much time and material we spent, and how many times we made the shoe — that costs us a lot of money. But to see him perform in them after, I could’ve left the Super Bowl at that point. I’m done.
Have you guys been in contact since?
We been working on a few other things. We talked to Reggie Saunders at Jordan Brand, and they thanked us for getting it done. For us, it’s being able to create something quickly to help the brands capture those moments. There’s a lot of times where they can’t get things done.
Was it weird to connect a roller blade bottom to a sneaker sole and making it work?
It was different, because it was a super hightop skate, and we haven’t done that yet — but we’ve done so many football cleats, soccer cleats and all types of stuff. We also made George Kittle’s cleats that he played in at [the Super Bowl]. We did a gold-and-tan Chunky Dunks, but a Jordan 1 version.
Was this the most gratifying experience for you?
It was one of the first moments — I’ve been working on my emotional intelligence and allowing myself to feel these moments. Everything at an early stage in my career was numb to me. Allowing myself to feel those emotions and cry was really good to feel. It was gratifying, but I wouldn’t say most challenging.
Do you take a loss to make the kicks?
For me, it’s worth it. It’s about creating something going above and beyond. So many people would’ve said no. We wanted to get it done, at the best quality possible. We bought multiple pairs of Jordan 4s to redo the sole. There are so many details we had to get right. I wouldn’t even know the math of the actual cost of this to do.
What was the toughest part of this?
The chrome material is definitely the toughest part. Then it was the logo on the back. We made it slightly different than Jordan Brand did, based on time constraints. You couldn’t even tell. There’s so many details — but that chrome material is very unforgiving, especially when you make it by hand.
What are some projects you’re working on? I saw you working with [tennis star] Frances Tiafoe.
This was a lifestyle shoe. I think there’s still a lot to be done in the tennis space. I think Frances Tiafoe is doing a lot for the game in growing it. I believe all sports need to evolve. Whether [or not] it’s Frances, I think there’s a big opportunity to do their shoes.
What are some great stories on the rapper side that come to mind? I’ve seen you work with Drake, Fat Joe, Nelly and more.
I have a cool story with Drake. This was about four years ago, and I saw he was really into Stone Island. He was with Jordan Brand, so he had his own OVO Jordan 12. I was like, “Let me create a Jordan Brand x Stone Island x OVO Jordan 12.” I did it based on how I saw it. We made one — a blue one, because I loved how blue looked with Stone Island material. The shoe is sick, because we used the collar from the jacket into the ankle collar of your foot. Nobody asked me to do it. And it went viral. Then Drake hit me up and he was like, “Yo, I need Black!” I’m like, “Of course, I got you.” I find some Black denim from Stone Island and nylon and I make the shoe.
They hit me up saying they were in town and asked me to go to Dave Chappelle’s show at the Peppermint Club. I pull up to Peppermint Club and nobody’s outside. I pull up with the box and I got to the front and there’s a guy working the front. I’m just like, “I’m here to deliver some shoes for Drake.” They’re like, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I’m walking back to my car because I valeted it, and Drake’s security walks from the back like, “I know who you are. Come with me.”
I walk through the back door with Drake’s security and hand-delivered the shoes to Drake. Everyone takes their phones at Dave Chappelle’s shows, and I’m in there videotaping everything and everyone’s looking at me like I’m not supposed to. I’m like, “Why is the security looking at me?” Oh, because my phone’s out. It was a funny experience. Drake was like, “You want a drink?” I was so nervous at that time I’m like, “I don’t drink.” Because at the time, I wasn’t drinking. He got on stage with Dave Chappelle and it was a fun night. It was a cool Drake experience to have.
Any NFL players you’re working with for this season on their cleats?
Working with Justin Jefferson, always Odell [Beckham Jr.], George Kittle. Recently, George called out the staff for wearing crappy shoes, and I was like, “Let’s fix that problem.” I do all of Jake Paul’s outfits and boots, but I’m working on getting Mike Tyson. Personally, [I’m] working on some music as a creative outlet for me. Getting into different art forms to express myself.
What do you think is the biggest difference in sneaker culture now compared to 10 years ago?
That’s a huge jump, because right now, it’s messed up. 10 years ago would be close to Misplaced Checks. Around that time is when customs started becoming more cool and shoes were at the peak still and getting hotter. Now I think it’s super oversaturated. Whether that’s for resale or just too many of them. It’s kind of boring and tired. Most kids want the Travis Scott lows. There’s gonna be a big shift and it’s already happening.
When you brought up that question, I’m thinking of the Cali Dunks. I remember going to a skate shop to get these Cali Dunks. That was the peak of it, because a lot of people didn’t know what they were, but it was hard to get. I remember having those and none of my friends had them. Everyone had the Jordans and Iversons, but nobody had the skate Dunks like I did.
“Welcome to Pearl Jam’s 50th show in New York City,” Eddie Vedder said to a rapturous response on stage at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night (Sept. 4), the second of two shows the iconic band from Seattle played at the World’s Most Famous Arena this week.
“And for that we are grateful and want to pay that back. So enjoy yourselves to the finest — and Mike McCready promises to do the same,” he added, before the lead guitarist ripped into a searing version of “Evenflow,” playing an extended epic solo with his guitar behind his back.
That was one highlight of a show full of them, and one that captured the band in its element: pushing songs to the limit, having fun with the crowd and also getting serious about some of the big issues in the country and the world at large.
Trending on Billboard
“The rights of women are not just being threatened, they are already being taken away,” Vedder said after “Evenflow,” a handful of songs into the band’s two and a half hour set. “I know it’s a little early to be getting into this s–t, but let’s get it over with! So the right to choose issue, it used to involve religious fanatics, and then politicians got involved, not because they care one way or another, they just would like the votes. And it’s evolved into judges, and women of all ages are up against a Supreme Court. So there’s good news: It’s time to vote, and as the great Patti Smith said, people have the power. Never have truer words been spoken. Women, feel empowered; women, vote for your own interests, and help a sister out while you’re at it.”
The band then went into “Daughter,” with an extended outro to the melody of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick In the Wall Pt. 2,” in which Vedder changed the lyrics to sing, “Keep your bans all off our bodies/ politicians leave our girls alone/ Judges leave our girls alone.”
It wasn’t the only time Vedder, wearing a Walter Payton Chicago Bears jersey, and the band addressed the outside world. On a day in which the U.S. saw another mass school shooting, in which four people were killed and more wounded at a high school in Georgia, the band pulled out a seldom-performed song from its sophomore album, Vs., called “Glorified G” — a cynical sneer at the false bravado of gun owners, with Vedder introducing it by saying, “I hate guns!” More poignantly, and more somberly, two songs later, the band played “Jeremy,” its first breakout hit from the group’s debut album, which is about a boy who brings a gun to school and shoots himself in front of his classroom bullies. Delivered with full energy, the subtext wasn’t lost.
Otherwise, the band clearly enjoyed the 50-show milestone, with Vedder telling a story of the first time he ever came to New York City (“as a Chicago kid, and then on the West Coast, I had never been East of Chicago before”) while introducing “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter In a Small Town,” while there were huge crowd reactions for the high-energy performances of songs such as “Rearviewmirror,” “Hail Hail” and “Do the Evolution.” (The latter, for this fan at least, takes on a different tenor after watching three episodes of the docuseries Chimp Crazy, but I digress.)
After a set break, Vedder came out solo to perform the Steven Van Zandt-penned “I Am a Patriot” and the latter-career gem “Just Breathe,” before bringing tour opener Glen Hansard — “Good human, great Irishman” — to the stage to perform the latter’s “The Song of Good Hope,” shouting out a few fans who had been going through rough times and saying that the song had helped him through troubles of his own. The full band — plus former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer and producer Andrew Watt, who chipped in with a few solos over the evening — then returned for John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth” and the punk anthem “Sonic Reducer.”
The band then ripped through another rarity in fan-favorite “Leash” and its iconic anthem “Alive,” before Vedder brought Little Stevie himself on stage to run through a joyful “Rocking In the Free World,” complete with Hansard, Watt and the full arena lights on, before closing out with their unreleased classic “Yellow Ledbetter” and sending fans home into the Manhattan night.
Set List
“Garden”
“Corduroy”
“Hail Hail”
“Evenflow”
“Daughter – > Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2”
“Dark Matter”
“React Respond”
“Won’t Tell”
“Not for You”
“Wreckage”
“I Am Mine”
“Elderly Woman Behind the Counter In a Small Town”
“Glorified G”
“Do the Evolution”
“Jeremy”
“Waiting for Stevie” (with Andrew Watt)
“Rearviewmirror”
—
“I Am a Patriot” (Eddie solo)
“Just Breathe” (Eddie solo)
“The Song of Good Hope” (with Glen Hansard)
“Gimme Some Truth”
“Setting Sun”
“Sonic Reducer”
“Leash”
“Alive”
“Rockin In the Free World” (with Little Stevie, Glen Hansard and Andrew Watt)
“Yellow Ledbetter”
Cardi B has fired back at detractors who have been critical of her when it comes to labeling herself as a light-skinned woman. The Grammy-winning rapper got into a heated debate with fans on X earlier this week over the “light skin” label being used for people who are not Black, as she pointed out Dominicans have all different shades of people.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Dominicans are so diverse when it comes to skin color Dark, brown, tan, light, white,” she wrote on Wednesday (Sept. 4) in a series of tweets captured by Complex. “So what am I supposed to say when I’m describing my complexion….I’m Dominican skin?”
Cardi clapped back at another user: “What you saying is automatically invalid. The fact you use whites… WHITES IS A COLOR AND A RACE.. DOMINICANS ARE A NATIONALITY WITH PEOPLE that are different COLORS AND SHADES.. NOT A RACE.. Get your glitter hole out of here wit this fake rule you just came up wit.”
Trending on Billboard
She then brought out her dictionary and looked up the definition of “light skinned” and posted it in a since-deleted tweet. “The term light skin is adjective to describe skin complexion… it is not exclusvie to a single race,” Cardi continued. “I guess Jamaicans, Haitians and West Indians can’t say they got brown skin, light skin or dark skin because just like Dominicans they are also a nationality.. now move JAWS.”
Cardi B’s skin has been a topic of conversation in recent weeks as she faced allegations of bleaching, which she quickly shut down on X. She explained that her pregnancy has her just looking more pale than usual.
“Bleaching while pregnant?” Cardi asked. “Why must yall be so dumb? Actually NO! I’m pregnant I’m slightly anemic, this baby suckin all the energy off my body to the point I’m pale, eyes sunken, veins green ASF, can’t tan under the sun cause I get hot super fast and dizzy …. PLEASE STOP THINKIN WITH YOUR A–HOLE!”
Bleaching while pregnant 😒😒😒? Why must yall be so dumb ? Actually NO ! I’m pregnant I’m slightly anemic ,this baby suckin all the energy off my body to the point I’m pale,eyes sunken ,veins green ASF,can’t tan under the sun cause I get hot super fast and dizzy ….PLEAE STOP… https://t.co/S4IVLZ4WAv— Cardi B (@iamcardib) August 21, 2024
Cardi is currently working in the studio on her long-awaited sophomore album. She has continued to tease the LP and even recently joked about it, laughingly comparing the studio to “Atlantic Records Correctional Facilities.”
It’s been more than six years since Invasion of Privacy‘s April 2018 release. The LP debuted atop the Billboard 200 and every song on the project is at least certified platinum.
Travis Kelce is anything but down bad about being Taylor Swift‘s arm candy. While speaking to CBS Mornings in a clip posted Thursday (Sept. 5), the Kansas City Chiefs tight end was all smiles when host Jamie Yuccas asked him how he feels about living in the glare of his superstar girlfriend’s spotlight. “It’s the […]
BLACKPINK have two billion reasons to celebrate this week after the video for their 2019 No. 41 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Kill This Love” became the K-pop girl group’s second visual to cross the double billion mark. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Kill This Love” now […]
The Recording Academy is gearing up for Music Advocacy Day, its new name for District Advocate Day, which is set for Oct. 1 with Mark Ronson as this year’s Music Advocacy Day Artist Ambassador. A letter with Ronson’s signature was emailed Thursday (Sept. 5) to the Recording Academy’s 22,000 members, including voting, professional and GRAMMY U student members, urging them to join him in this nationwide rally.
“The music industry is changing faster than ever, and with those changes come challenges—whether it’s navigating the impact of artificial intelligence or tackling the issues surrounding live event ticketing,” Ronson wrote. “But these challenges are also our opportunities to shape the future of music.
“Music Advocacy Day is your unique opportunity as an Academy member to share your perspective on policies to prevent the misuse of A.I., protect your voice and likeness, and stop predatory ticketing practices to ensure we creators are getting equitably paid.”
Trending on Billboard
Ronson was in Washington, D.C., on May 1 for the Academy’s Grammys on the Hill Advocacy Day, at which time he and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason, Jr. met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), among others.
“I saw firsthand the impact of sharing our stories with the people who represent us,” Ronson wrote in this letter. “Those conversations helped lead to meaningful outcomes on Capitol Hill, including the passage of the TICKET Act in the House, and the introduction of the NO FAKES Act in the Senate. Now, on Music Advocacy Day, we can build on the progress we’ve made and speak with our Congressional leaders at home in our local communities to ensure they hear our concerns.”
Recording Academy members can sign up for Music Advocacy Day by checking their inboxes for registration information or reaching out to their local chapter. But they don’t have much time to act. Registration closes on Friday (Sept. 6). The Academy notes that non-members can also participate by reaching out to their legislators through the Academy’s music advocacy action page.
Key issues that members of the Academy will address with legislators in their hometowns this year include:
Artificial Intelligence: Advocating for the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe (NO FAKES) Act, which is designed to protect Americans from fraudulent AI replicas.
Live Event Ticketing Reform: Advocating for the Fans First Act, legislation that safeguards artists and consumers from deceptive practices, provides transparency and restores integrity to the ticketing marketplace.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Music Advocacy Day, which the Academy calls the largest grassroots advocacy movement for music. On last year’s Music Advocacy Day, more than 1,700 Academy members engaged in nearly 100 meetings with lawmakers, according to the Academy.
Music Advocacy Day has helped achieve several legislative victories. Efforts from previous years have led to the enactment of the Music Modernization Act, which reformed music licensing for the streaming era, and the Save Our Stages Act, which provided needed financial support to music venues affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, advocacy efforts contributed to the passage of the CASE Act and the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, further protecting music creators and consumers alike.
Ronson, 49, has won eight Grammys, including two awards for record of the year — one as producer of Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” and the other as artist and co-producer of his own megahit “Uptown Funk!,” featuring Bruno Mars. He also won an Oscar for co-writing the Lady Gaga/Bradley Cooper hit “Shallow” from A Star Is Born.
Here’s the complete text of Ronson’s letter to Recording Academy members:
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my years in the studio, it’s that music has the power to move mountains. It’s more than just beats and lyrics; it’s the heartbeat of our culture. That’s why I’m reaching out to you today about something that’s close to my heart.
October 1st marks Music Advocacy Day, a day where we, as creators and members of the Recording Academy, come together across the country to make sure our voices are heard. The music industry is changing faster than ever, and with those changes come challenges—whether it’s navigating the impact of artificial intelligence or tackling the issues surrounding live event ticketing. But these challenges are also our opportunities to shape the future of music.
In this time of industry transformation, I am honored to serve as this year’s Music Advocacy Day Artist Ambassador and work alongside you to inspire a positive impact on our community. Earlier this year, I had the chance to speak with lawmakers in Washington, D.C. during GRAMMYs on the Hill, and I saw firsthand the impact of sharing our stories with the people who represent us. Those conversations helped lead to meaningful outcomes on Capitol Hill, including the passage of the TICKET Act in the House, and the introduction of the NO FAKES Act in the Senate. Now, on Music Advocacy Day, we can build on the progress we’ve made and speak with our Congressional leaders at home in our local communities to ensure they hear our concerns.
Music Advocacy Day is your unique opportunity as an Academy member to share your perspective on policies to prevent the misuse of A.I., protect your voice and likeness, and stop predatory ticketing practices to ensure we creators are getting equitably paid. On this day, you’re representing the millions of artists and producers – your peers – that need safeguards and protection. The Recording Academy will be with you every step of the way to provide resources and guidance.
I know how busy life gets, but this is a moment where our voices can truly make a difference. If you haven’t signed up for Music Advocacy Day yet, I urge you to do so. We’re a community of innovators and pioneers, and together, we can protect human creativity for generations to come.
Looking forward to championing the cause with you,
Mark Ronson”
Travis Scott rounds up his fourth consecutive No. 1 project on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart as Days Before Rodeo debuts atop the list dated Sept. 7. The mixtape, which received its first commercial and wide streaming release for its 10th anniversary, opens with 361,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the tracking week of Aug. 23-29, according to Luminate.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Of Days Before Rodeo’s starting total, 331,000 units come through album sales, giving the mixtape the best sales week for any R&B/hip-hop title (either that has appeared on or is eligible for Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums) in more than seven years, since Kendrick Lamar’s Damn. sold 353,000 copies in its debut week of April 14-20, 2017. It also rewriters Scott’s personal best sales week for an album, eclipsing Astroworld, which opened with 270,000 copies in 2018.
The sales avalanche was aided by eight different editions of the Days Before Rodeo digital album, six of which were exclusively sold through Scott’s official webstore. Besides the standard 12-song version, the seven variants contained assorted bonus tracks, such as previously unreleased and teased studio cuts and chopped and screwed remixes of the album’s songs. All variants sold via Scott’s webstore were priced at $4.99, while versions available in the iTunes Store were also available for $4.99 at the end of the tracking week.
Trending on Billboard
Thanks to its six-figure arrival, Days Before Rodeo launches at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart.
Streaming activity contributes 30,000 units to Days Before Rodeo’s first-week sum, which represents 40.6 million official on-demand streams of the 12 songs on the album’s streaming edition. Track-equivalent albums comprise a negligible amount of activity.
[embedded content]
With Days Before Rodeo, Scott lands his fourth straight chart-topper on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The streak began with 2016’s Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, a one-week leader, and continued with ASTROWORLD (five weeks, 2018) and Utopia (seven weeks, 2023). Of his five appearances, only Rodeo missed the top spot – debuting and peaking at No. 2 in 2015.
Days Before Rodeo was first released as a free mixtape on Aug. 18, 2014, and the 12-track set received its first commercial and official streaming release for its 10th anniversary, on Aug. 23. The night before the release, Scott celebrated with a concert at The Masquerade in Atlanta, where he performed 10 of the project’s songs among other tracks.
Elsewhere, Days Before Rodeo begins at No. 1 on the Top Rap Albums chart, where it becomes Scott’s fifth champ – the entirety of his charting releases.
Seven Days Before Rodeo tracks reach the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, led by “Drugs You Should Try It” at No. 13. Here’s a full review of the cuts:
No. 13, “Drugs You Should Try It”
No. 26, “Mamacita,” featuring Young Thug & Rich Homie Quan
No. 28, “Skyfall,” featuring Young Thug
No. 36, “Days Before Rodeo: The Prayer”
No. 38, “Don’t Play,” featuring Big Sean + The 1975
No. 39, “Quintana Pt. 2”
No. 46, “Backyard”
Beyond his new additions, Scott appears on two more tunes on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs this week: “Parking Lot,” his collaboration with Mustard, slides 21-23 after previously getting to a No. 17 best, while prior No. 2 hit “Type Shit” with Future, Metro Boomin and Playboi Carti slips 15-16.
