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Snoop Dogg Reflects on Meeting Paul McCartney, Says He’d Collab With Beatles Icon ‘in a Heartbeat’

There probably aren’t too many celebrities left on Snoop Dogg’s bucket list, but he checked a major one off earlier this year when he met Paul McCartney for the first time.

Fresh off performing at the Olympics’ Closing Ceremony, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre recently sat down with Complex, and The Doggfather reflected on having the chance to link up with The Beatles legend, where the respect was mutual.

“I did a little concert for somebody in Hollywood. Paul McCartney was there. I never met him before, but I’m a f–king fan of The Beatles,” he began. “I know Jimmy [Iovine] know him, I know Dre know him. I’m in the back smoking and they’re like, ‘Sir Paul would like to meet you.’ I’m like, ‘Oh for real? Hold on.’

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Snoop continued, noting he didn’t know McCartney is also a cannabis connoisseur. “I put the blunt out, cuz walk in the room like, ‘Don’t put that down!’ He give me a hug and he meet me and I’m like, ‘F–k, Paul McCartney know who the f–k Snoop Dogg is!’” recalled the rapper. “This is Paul McCartney, he knows who I am. That’s the experience I love is when the people you respect, respect you.”

“F–k yeah,” he exclaimed when asked about potentially working with Paul. “In a heartbeat, ‘Ebony & Ivory,’ ‘The Girl Is Mine.’ What do you want to do? Like a motherf—-r?”

A photo of Snoop and Paul emerged in April from the Jimmy Buffett Tribute concert, which appears to be the event that the West Coast icon is referencing.

After once passing on the opportunity to collaborate with Stevie Wonder, Dr. Dre is open to locking in with the music icon. “You know what? It’s crazy because I bumped into Stevie Wonder a couple times,” Dre said. “He called me. He pulled up on me in the restaurant, ‘I heard you been talking about me?!’ … He’s one of my heroes and I would absolutely go in there with him … I always taught maybe you shouldn’t meet your heroes.”

While Dre hasn’t been in the studio with Stevie, Snoop reminded him he did co-produce a record for Busta Rhymes titled “Through the Storm,” which featured vocals from Wonder on 2006’s The Big Bang. “[It’s] probably gonna happen. I have to have that experience,” Dre concluded of working with Wonder down the line.

Snoop Dogg chimed in, recalling a hilarious time when he was in the studio with Wonder and Pharrell, and he got Skateboard P so high that he just left him in the studio with Stevie. “I’m like, ‘What you want me to do?’ I ain’t no producer,” Snoop said.

Snoop and Dr. Dre are gearing up to deliver their first full-length collaborative project since 1993’s Doggystyle with Missionary, which they’re promising to release before Santa Claus comes down chimneys across the globe.

Watch the full interview below.



Westside Gunn Plans to Release Surprise Project Prior to ‘Flygod Is an Awesome God III’

Westside Gunn is in album mode. The Buffalo rapper took to Instagram over the weekend and announced that he plans on dropping a surprise warm-up tape before releasing the highly anticipated Flygod Is an Awesome God III (Trilogy).

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“I came here to mix and master my album Flygod Is an Awesome God 3,” he started the caption. “And was waiting for my files, so I had played some beats and caught a vibe, told him load it and made a joint, then made another joint, and then made another joint. And now 24hrs later I made a new project.”

He added, “I told y’all I was thinking about dropping a project even before the album, I been doing so much wrestling and fashion I’m ready to get back on my WSG s—t!!!!”

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In the video, he said he made the album in a day to see if he still had it, and wants to release the new tape immediately. “Listen, I’m not even waiting. I want to drop this ASAP,” he shared. “I gotta go figure out what I gotta do, how I gotta do it, whatever distribution, I want this out ASAP. This is to let people know.”

The Buffalo rapper surprised fans when he announced his plans to release the third installment to the Flygod trilogy after initially considering retiring from making studio albums. “I’m not saying I won’t come with a five-song EP with Madlib or I won’t do a seven-song EP with Alchemist or I won’t rap. I’ll do all of that, but making a studio album, I’m done with all that. It’s back to dumping until I don’t want to dump no more. I’m going to have fun now. It’s no more pressure,” he told Rolling Stone last October.

While an unreleased track could be heard in the background of the video he posted, Gunn hasn’t released anything thing from this upcoming project. However, he’s already premiered one single from Flygod 3 during TNA’s Slammiversary in “Chocolate Face” featuring DJ Khaled, and teased another track on social media in “Big Dump” featuring Stove God Cooks.

See his Instagram video below:

Doja Cat Spotted Seemingly Getting Cozy With ‘Stranger Things’ Star Joseph Quinn

Doja Cat seems to have a new man in her life — and she’s been interested in him for a while.

In a video shared by celebrity gossip page DeuxMoi, the “Paint the Town Red” singer looks to be strolling around London with Stranger Things star, Joseph Quinn. In the clip, which was taken from far away, the duo are seemingly walking with their hands around each other’s waists, as well as holding hands. Quinn is seen rocking a button down white top and blue trousers, while Doja opted for a lavender maxi dress, heels and short blonde hair.

While the video does appear to be Doja and Quinn, the spotting is unconfirmed and the duo have yet to publicly confirm the status of their relationship. Billboard reached out to both stars’ teams for more information, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

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The unconfirmed spotting comes just two years after Doja got into some since-squashed online beef with another Stranger Things star, Noah Schnapp, after the actor posted a screenshot to TikTok of his private messages with Doja in which she’d asked him to set her up with Quinn.

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After Schnapp’s since-deleted TikTok went viral, Doja — who’d previously tweeted about her crush on the “fine as s–t British actor — went on Instagram Live to say that Schnapp’s behavior was “so unbelievably, like, socially unaware and wack, adding, “That’s like borderline snake s–t. That’s like weasel s–t.”

Schnapp later told Variety that the duo made amends after their online fallout. “So, as I should, I apologized,” he shared. “She was totally OK with it, and was like, ‘I’m sorry how I reacted.’”

Taylor Swift Meets Families of Southport Stabbing Victims Before Eras Tour Show

At one of her recent Eras Tour shows in London, Taylor Swift met with the families of victims harmed by the deadly mass stabbing at a children’s dance class in Southport in July.

In photos posted to TikTok by one mom who met the pop star with her daughters at Wembley Stadium over the weekend, Swift poses with the two girls and gives both of them hugs backstage. The older girl appears to wear a bandage covering her left forearm, while both young Swifties sport Red-themed T-shirts. In other photos, the little girls smile next to Swift’s mom, Andrea.

“You drew stars around my scars ?? ….,” the mom wrote in her caption. “The biggest thankyou to @Taylor Swift and her mum for making the most magical night possible for us all ?? thankyou for bringing Hope & Autumn pure happiness last night & always ???.”

Swift hosted multiple families impacted by the tragedy before stepping on stage at Wembley, where she’s slated to play five final shows before closing out the European leg of her Eras trek.

On July 29, a 17-year-old knifeman targeted a Swift-themed dance and yoga event for children ages 6 to 11 in Southport, killing three young girls and injuring eight more children as well as two adults — including 35-year-old instructor Leanne Lucas, who was recently readmitted to the hospital, according to the BBC. U.K. police has since charged the teenager with murder and attempted murder.

The 14-time Grammy winner has not addressed the attack on stage, but she did release a statement shortly after it occurred. “The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock…” Swift wrote at the time. “The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”

See photos of Swift meeting two young fans affected by the Southport stabbings below.

@_samifoster

You drew stars around my scars ?? …. The biggest thankyou to @Taylor Swift and her mum for making the most magical night possible for us all ?? thankyou for bringing Hope & Autumn pure happiness last night & always ??? taylorswift taylornation erastour swifties andreaswift

♬ enchanted 1989 tour – swiftieoath

Avicii’s Clothing, Instruments & Other Personal Items to Be Auctioned for Charity

An upcoming auction will sell personal items and memorabilia from late producer Avicii.

The live auction happens on Oct. 1 at 3 p.m. CEST, and will include shoes, clothing, musical instruments and other ephemera related to the artist’s career. Hosted by Auktionsverk, the auction’s revenue will go to the Tim Bergling Foundation, which was launched in the wake of producer’s 2018 suicide and focuses on mental health among young people. All items in the auction were donated by Bergling’s family.

An auction catalog will be published online on Sept. 6. A viewing of the items at Auktionsverk will be open to the public at from Sept. 24–30.

“We are incredibly proud to present this auction,” said Cecilia Gave, CEO of Stockholms Auktionsverk, in a press release. “Tim Bergling touched countless people worldwide and continues to do so both through his music and the foundation the family has established in his name. It is a true honor to support The Tim Bergling Foundation to help even more young people. We have 350 years of experience passing on the artifacts of some of history’s most prominent cultural figures and consider it a privilege.”

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Founded in 1634, Auktionsverk claims to be the world’s oldest auction house. It specializes in contemporary and historic fine art, manuscripts, books, antiques and other artifacts and memorabilia.

The auction is coming in tandem with a forthcoming photobook, Avicii: The Life and Music of Tim Bergling, the U.S. publishing date for which will be announced soon. The book includes a foreword by Swedish journalist Måns Mosesson, the author of the 2022 Avicii biography Tim: The Official Biography Of Avicii. A new Avicii documentary, Avicii – I’m Tim, debuted at the Tribeca Festival in June.

Kesha’s Name Back in Credits For Pitbull’s ‘Timber’ Video After Mr. Worldwide Said He Was ‘Looking Into’ Reports of Removal

Kesha fans were sent for a loop on Sunday (Aug. 18) after claims that the “Eat the Acid” singer’s name was removed from the video credits of Pitbull‘s 2013 hit “Timber.” According to screenshots posted on Reddit of what appeared to be the altered credentials for the visual for the single from Mr. Worldwide’s Meltdown EP, whose hook is sung by Kesha, her name looked like it was scrubbed.

But a check of the credits for the song on Monday morning (Aug. 19) showed that the song is credited to both the artists, with Kesha’s former stage name (Ke$ha) also listed as a feature in the official video title. According to reports, for an unknown period of time on Sunday, the video, which has more than 1.5 billion views to date, was amended to read “Pitbull – Timber (Official Video).”

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In a statement posted on Sunday afternoon to X, Pitbull sent a direct message to Kesha assuring her that he was looking into the reports. “@KeshaRose and I have an incredible song together. Nothing will change this. Team Pitbull is looking into this matter. Always nothing but love for Kesha, Dale!”

At press time spokespeople for Kesha and YouTube had not returned Billboard‘s request for additional comment and a spokesperson for Pitbull had also not responded to a request for clarification. The statement from Pitbull appeared to come after Kesha fans flooded social feeds on Sunday with anger over the apparent erasure of her significant contribution to the song which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks.

Many fans speculated that the removal could have been tied to Kesha’s yearslong feud with the song’s main producer, Dr. Luke (born Lukasz Gottwald), whom she sued in 2014 alleging that he sexually, mentally and emotionally abused her; Dr. Luke denied all the allegations and filed a defamation suit in response, with the two settling of court in 2023 just before a trail was set.

Watch the “Timber” video and Pitbull’s message to Kesha below.



Chappell Roan’s ‘The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess’ Hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Vinyl Albums Chart

Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Vinyl Albums chart for the first time as the set jumps from No. 12 to No. 1 on the Aug. 24-dated list. The album sold 8,500 copies on vinyl in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 15, according to Luminate. That’s a 203% sales increase compared to the previous week.

The new Aug. 24-dated Vinyl Albums chart will be posted in full to Billboard’s website on Aug. 20.

The 12-1 jump for Rise reflects the tracking week that contained a buzzy festival performance from Roan – her Aug. 11 gig at Outside Lands in San Francisco. The latter generated a quasi-viral moment where she chastised the VIP section for not singing along to the album’s “Hot to Go!” The Outside Lands gig came a little over week after another well-received festival performance from the singer, when she had a  rousing reception at Lollapalooza in Chicago on Aug. 1.

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In total, Rise has sold 80,000 copies on vinyl since its release in September 2023.

The good news keeps coming for Rise on the charts, as the set hits new peaks on three key album rankings: the Billboard 200 (moving 3-2), Top Streaming Albums (3-2) and Top Album Sales (7-3); all dated Aug. 24.

In the Aug. 9-15 tracking week, Rise earned 72,000 equivalent album units (its best week yet). Of that sum, a little more than 14,000 were in traditional album sales (the set’s second-largest sales week). Further, the album’s songs generated 75.42 million on-demand official streams during the week — equaling 57,000 streaming-equivalent album units; both figures are new one-week highs for the album.

Drake Salutes Chingy for ‘One Call Away’ Lyric: ‘You Really Struck a Chord With This’

Drake took it back to 2003, and while listening to a Chingy classic, something about the St. Louis rapper’s “One Call Away” anthem stuck out to him.

The 6 God took to his Instagram Story on Sunday (Aug. 18) to quote verses from the Jackpot hit, which Drake felt he related to, especially when it came to trying to go harder if certain ladies were in attendance watching him play basketball, but negatively impacting his game.

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“Nah Chingy I felt this like why do I play better when the tings aren’t watching you really struck a chord with this one goated lyric,” he wrote.

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Drizzy continued to salute Chingy. “Also, the face you said tryna dribble like off that bar we know you were ass at ball but your ting showed up and you started doing too much like this real af you are a guy for that bar,” he wrote.

Chingy has yet to respond to Drake’s praise on social media. However, there was much debate and confusion about what the OVO boss had to say, as some interpreted the flowers as a backhanded compliment or even dissing Chingy. “Did Drake just diss Chingy or is he just joking around?” one person asked, adding a shrug emoji.

“One Call Away” landed on Chingy’s Jackpot album in 2003 and was released as a single in January 2004.

The Track Starz-produced banger went on to reach No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ended up spending 20 weeks on the chart.

Watch the “One Call Away” video featuring Chingy in action on the basketball court below.



Channing Tatum Shares Kiss With Zoë Kravitz on Taylor Swift Eras Tour ‘Date Night’: Watch

The latest chapter in Channing Tatum and Zoë Kravitz‘s love story involved a romantic night out at Taylor Swift‘s London Eras Tour show over the weekend.  

And in a video posted by the Magic Mike star after the show, he films the Batman actress dancing along to “Shake It Off” before leaning down and kissing his fiancée on the cheek. “Date night with TSwift,” he captioned the clip posted on X Monday (Aug. 19). “The love is real and @taylorswift13 is an absolute force!”

Tatum also tweeted a selfie in which he poses with Swift’s father, Scott, and a handful of guitar picks. “Got some guitar picks I’m gonna sell for charity from big daddy Swift himself,” he wrote. “Legend he is. #swiftiesforever #tstheerastour.”

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The couple’s outing comes just over a year after Tatum attended an Eras Tour stop in Los Angeles, wearing a glitter heart around his eye and an “I’m the daddy, it’s me” T-shirt made by his 11-year-old daughter, Everly, whom he shares with his ex-wife, actress Jenna Dewan. “I was a fan of the music because I’ve listened to her forever, but I did not know she was such an unstoppable force,” the actor later raved of Swift’s concert on The Tonight Show in July.

“I kind of know her a little personally, and she’s really kind of just normal and sweet,” he added at the time, referencing his connection to Swift via Kravitz’s friendship with the pop star. “And she’ll make you, like, a dinner, and like whip it up no problem. Like, homemade Pop-Tarts. Like warm, warm Pop-Tarts. I’m like, ‘Did you just make these? How are these warm?’”

In addition to dancing with her fiancé at the three-hour-plus Wembley show, Kravitz also got to rock out to a song she helped Swift write: “Lavender Haze” from Midnights. Shortly after the album dropped in 2022, the Divergent actress revealed in an interview with GQ that she and the 14-time Grammy winner were in each other’s quarantine pods, and that Swift made her “home-cooked meals and dinner on [her] birthday” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Zoë’s sense of self is what makes her such an exciting artist, and such an incredible friend,” Swift added in the same interview. “She has this very honest inner compass, and the result is art and life without compromising who she is.”

See Tatum’s post with Kravitz and Papa Swift at the Eras Tour below.

Dr. Dre Offered Archery Lessons From Gold Medalist After Sharing Hopes to Compete in 2028 Olympics

Dr. Dre wants to suit up for Team USA when the 2028 Summer Olympics come to Los Angeles. The West Coast rap legend recently opened up about his hopes to compete on the archery team, and a two-time gold medalist is willing to help him.

California’s own archery savant Justin Huish spoke to TMZ Sports about potentially training Dr. Dre with the goal of getting the musician to the Olympic Games, and Huish thinks it’s possible the rapper could thrive.

“Archery is kind of like golf — anyone can do it at any age. There’s not really an age limit. I’m gonna be 50 years old myself and I’m still competing at a high level,” he said. “We’ve had times where someone has made the team where someone isn’t in the archery team in years past.”

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Huish continued: “It really would matter would he be able to put the time and effort in fast-tracking that … It’s a six- or seven-hour per day endeavor to really get good. You can be a phenom and you don’t really know.”

Huish was the first male archer to win double gold medals when he claimed the top spot in the individual and team events at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He also offered a helping hand to Dre if he wants to take his game to another level.

“Dr. Dre, hit me up. I’ll be there. I live in SoCal. I’ll come to your house,” Huish added to TMZ Sports. “I will train, I will dedicate my time to train with you. I will give you all my top sponsors for the best equipment money can buy … I can get you in contact with our top U.S. Olympic coaches. Anything you need. If you’re really serious about this, hit me up.”

Dr. Dre — who performed alongside Snoop Dogg during the 2024 Summer Olympics’ Closing Ceremony on Aug. 11 — recently put his cards on the table when telling Entertainment Tonight about his plans to suit up for Team USA. His relationship with the sport goes back to junior-high school, and he has a setup in his backyard.

“I’m trying to try out for the Olympics in 2028 … archery. I’m dead-a– serious,” he insisted. “I actually started playing around with archery in junior high. I stopped for a while and my son bought me a setup I don’t know if it was for my birthday or Father’s Day or something like that, so I have it set up in my backyard. And I heard qualifying for the Olympics is 77 feet and I practice at 90 [feet].”

Dre went on about the potential feat: “Yeah, wouldn’t that be interesting to go, especially with it being here in L.A. and win the gold medal … I feel like I could do anything.”

If Dre can pull it off, he’ll be 63 years old at the time of the 2028 Olympics, which is taking place on the USA’s home soil.

Watch Huish make his offer below: