Music

16 Sep 2024

Dana White & Terence Crawford Laugh About UFC’s Kendrick Lamar Mishap

Kendrick Lamar went viral once again, but this time it wasn’t because of a surprise diss track. UFC 306 happened over the weekend in Las Vegas for “Noche UFC” at the Sphere to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, and a bunch of celebs were in attendance to catch the main event between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili.

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One of those celebrities was boxer Terence “Bud” Crawford, who was taking in the action as he was seated next to Turki Al-Alshaikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.

However, while the producers of the telecast got Al-Alshaikh’s name correct, they confused Crawford for rapper Kendrick Lamar when the camera panned to one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. Of course, fans took notice and posted videos of the gaffe all over social media, with one user telling UFC they will be, in fact, “going to hell.”

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Both Crawford and UFC boss Dana White had a laugh about the situation. Bud felt like it was done on purpose by some young, intrepid producer who’s been tapped in with the rap battle that defined the summer.

“To be honest, I think it was intentionally done just for laughter because how can you get us mixed up?” Crawford told TMZ. “All in all, it was funny to me.”

He also told the outlet that a bunch of people hit him up referencing when Kendrick name-dropped him in his Drake diss song “Euphoria,” where the Compton rapper told his rival, “I don’t like you poppin’ s–t at Pharrell, for him, I inherit the beef/Yeah, f–k all that pushin’ P, let me see you Push-a T/ You better off spinnin’ again on him, you think about pushin’ me/ He’s Terrence Thornton, I’m Terence Crawford, yeah, I’m whoopin’ feet.”

During the post-fight press conference, White also had some fun with the mixup and said he had already spoken to the boxer about the mistake. “I was talkin’ to Terence Crawford,” he said while laughing. “I don’t wanna call him … I don’t know who the hell did that and thought it was … Yeah, that was pretty bad. He did kind of look like Kendrick Lamar, though, let’s not f—k around … So, when I said we had a flawless production tonight, I take that back.”

In other K. Dot news, he dropped an untitled track with cryptic lyrics that seemed to be aimed at Drake and the rap industry at large where he proclaims that “it’s time to watch the party die.” This new song comes just days after he announced that he would be headlining Super Bowl 59 in February.

16 Sep 2024

Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars’ ‘Die With a Smile’ Adds Third Week at No. 1 on Billboard Global Charts

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” secures a third week at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. Three weeks earlier, the duet debuted at the runner-up rank on each survey.

Linkin Park lands the highest debut on both the Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S., as the band’s comeback single, “The Emptiness Machine,” launches at No. 2 on the latter and No. 3 on the former.

Plus, Sabrina Carpenter claims three songs in the top 10 of both the Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. for a third week, all from her new album, Short n’ Sweet, which notches a third week at No. 1 on the U.S.-based Billboard 200.

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The Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.

“Die With a Smile” leads the Global 200 with 111.4 million streams (up 5% week-over-week) and 9,000 sold (down 10%) worldwide Sept. 6-12. The ballad, released Aug. 16, is Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ first No. 1 each since the chart began.

Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” rises 3-2 on the Global 200, following three weeks at No. 1 beginning in August.

Linkin Park’s “The Emptiness Machine” soars onto the Global 200 at No. 3, marking the band’s first top 10 since the chart began, with 74 million streams and 19,000 sold worldwide Sept. 6-12, its first full tracking week; it premiered at 6 p.m. ET on Sept. 5. The song is the lead single from From Zero, Linkin Park’s eighth studio album, due Nov. 15. It’s the group’s first LP of all new music since the death of co-frontman Chester Bennington in 2017 and its first with vocalist Emily Armstrong.

Notably, as “The Emptiness Machine” concurrently blasts to No. 1 on the U.S.-based Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, it’s the first leader on the list also to have hit the Global 200’s top three.

Sabrina Carpenter claims three songs in the Global 200’s top 10 for a third week: “Taste” slips to No. 4 from its No. 2 high; “Espresso” drops 4-5, following three nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 beginning in June; and “Please Please Please” descends 5-6, after two weeks at No. 1 also starting in June. She’s the first artist to triple up in the top 10 over three weeks in 2024, besting Eilish and Taylor Swift, each with two such weeks this year.

“Die With a Smile” tops Global Excl. U.S. with 86.1 million streams (up 9%) and 5,000 sold (up 1%) outside the U.S. Sept. 6-12. As on the Global 200, it became Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ first No. 1 each since the survey started.

Linkin Park’s “The Emptiness Machine” bounds onto Global Excl. U.S. at No. 2, becoming the band’s first top 10, with 60.8 million streams and 11,000 sold outside the U.S. Sept. 6-12.

Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” slides 2-3 after three weeks atop Global Excl. U.S. beginning in August; Carpenter’s “Espresso” drops 3-4, following eight nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 beginning in May; and Karol G’s “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” holds at No. 5, after reaching No. 2.

Plus, Carpenter’s “Taste” falls to No. 6 on Global Excl. U.S. from its No. 4 best and “Please Please Please” backtracks 6-7, following a week at No. 1 in June. Already the only artist with multiple weeks with three songs in the top 10 simultaneously this year, she adds a third week achieving the feat.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Sept. 21, 2024) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, Sept. 17. For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

16 Sep 2024

Hispanic Heritage Month: 25 Defining Moments for Latin Music

From Jennifer Lopez and Shakira headlining the Super Bowl to Karol G’s history-making stadium tour.

Shakira and Jennifer Lopez

Shakira and Jennifer Lopez perform onstage during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show at Hard Rock Stadium on Feb. 2, 2020 in Miami, Florida.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Hispanic Heritage Month is in full swing, taking place from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The month-long celebration is recognized in the United States to honor the contributions and influence of Latin culture in the country. Latin music’s impact and influence is no exception.

For many years, Latin music has played a key role in shaping what is considered mainstream culture today, with dozens of milestone moments throughout the years — from West Side Story landing on Broadway in the 1950s (with a storyline that focuses on New York’s Puerto Rican immigrants experience) to Daddy Yankee‘s “Gasolina” fueling a global reggaetón movement in the early 2000s.

Most recently, Karol G‘s history-making Mañana Será Bonito stadium tour, in support of her Billboard 200-topping album by the same name, became the highest-grossing Latin tour by a woman in Boxscore history. Additionally, in 2023, Latin music revenues in the United States hit an all-time high last year, exceeding the $1 billion mark on the wings of 24% growth that outpaced the overall market. For a second year in a row, Billboard reported in April that Latin music revenues once again exceeded the $1 billion mark on the wings of 16% growth.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, take a look at 25 defining moments for Latin music in the United States.

Billboard Latin Music Week is returning to Miami Beach on Oct. 14-18, with confirmed superstars including Gloria Estefan, Alejandro Sanz and Peso Pluma, among many others. For tickets and more details, visit Billboardlatinmusicweek.com.

16 Sep 2024

Lil Pump Blasts Taylor Swift for Endorsing Kamala Harris: ‘Clearly You Didn’t Do Ur Research’

Lil Pump is and lambasting Taylor Swift for her endorsement of Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. The “Gucci Gang” rapper took to X on Monday (Sept. 16), where he put the pop titan on blast for supporting Harris and questioned her intelligence.

“Taylor Swift, you have no clue why ur even voting for Kamala,” he began. “Maybe cuz ur a billionaire and voting for her has 0 impact on ur life. You said do ur research, clearly you didn’t do ur research. Right after the debate u endorsed her lol Right after she lied many many times!”

Billboard has reached out to Swift’s rep for comment about Lil Pump’s tweets.

As part of his X rant, he also shared a fake comment from Taylor Swift that seemingly called Pump out and unleashing Swifties on him. Numerous users on X pointed out to the rapper that the tweet he purported to be from the superstar was not real.

“Stop acting like ur so innocent YOU ARE PUSHING PPL TO VOTE FOR KAMALA! Inflation through the roof and ppl are struggling to pay bills They def won’t be able to afford tix to ur shows,” he continued. “She said she will make changes right away, WHY DIDNT SHE THE PAST 3.5 years?”

In one particularly vulgar tweet, the Florida rapper questionably guaranteed he’ll be hitting the Super Bowl Halftime Show stage before T-Swift, and again pledged his allegiance to Donald Trump. “… vote 4 trump and never look back fam also i bet i perform at the superbowl before her cringe a–,” he spewed in part.

While his music hasn’t been able to cut through on the Billboard charts, Pump has pivoted to put his energy into advocating for Trump in his journey for a return to the Oval Office. The 24-year-old even declared that he’s leaving the United States if Harris wins the 2024 election.

“I swear on my dad’s grave, if this stupid-a– bi— Kamala Harris wins the f—ing election, I’m moving out of America, boy,” he said on Instagram Stories in early August. “I swear on everything.”

Even though Swift hasn’t name-dropped Donald Trump, the twice-impeached former president lashed out at the pop star. “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” the business mogul — who in May was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records — wrote in all caps on Truth Social on Sunday (Sept. 15).

Following Sept. 10’s presidential debate, Swift made a political splash when endorsing Kamala Harris.She hailed the candidate as a “warrior” and a “steady-handed, gifted leader.”

“Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most,” she wrote. “As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country.”

16 Sep 2024

Celebrities & Politicians Send Taylor Swift ‘Love’ After Donald Trump’s ‘Hate’ Message

Taylor Swift is being showered with love despite Donald Trump‘s hate.

The former president lashed out at the pop superstar on his Truth Social over the weekend following her recent endorsement of Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” Trump wrote in all caps.

Trump’s post comes just days after Swift took to social media to voice her support for the Harris campaign. Swift expressed her admiration for Harris, calling her a “steady-handed, gifted leader” and a “warrior” for causes including LGBTQ+ rights and women’s reproductive freedoms. She also called out Trump posting fake AI images that had falsely suggested she supported him.

“It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” she said about the doctored images. “It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”

Swift signed her Instagram post as “Childless Cat Lady,” aimed at Trump’s VP candidate JD Vance, who used that description to demean Democratic leaders without children. Swift’s endorsement post of the Democratic candidates brought around 400,000 people to the Vote.gov registration website in the following days.

Following Trump’s message of hate, a number of celebrities and politicians alike took to social media to note how much they “love” Taylor Swift, and #ILoveTaylorSwift was trending on X within hours. Some public figures that came forward in support of the “Cruel Summer” singer include “King Swiftie” Flavor Flav, actor Mark Hamill, author Stephen King, actress Mia Farrow and former Republican House Representative Liz Cheney.

Most surprisingly, Scooter Braun took to his Instagram Stories to clap back at Trump’s message. “Shake it off Donald. Kamala 2024,” he wrote, in reference to Swift’s 1989 hit, “Shake It Off.” Braun has a history of “Bad Blood” with Swift, as he acquired Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine Records Label Group and Swift’s catalog for $300 million in 2019. Braun later sold Swift’s masters in 2020, prompting Swift to begin the process of re-recording her first six Big Machine albums.

See below for celebrity reactions to Donald Trump’s message to Taylor Swift.

16 Sep 2024

Flavor Flav Calls Pal Jelly Roll ‘One of the Most Positive People,’ Praises Singer’s Uplifting Message: ‘That’s My Guy’

Flavor Flav is seemingly everywhere these days. The Public Enemy hype man who became Team USA’s number one athletic supporter this summer when he opened his heart, and wallet, to help Team U.S.A.’s water polo squad — and other athletes — has made a number of new industry friends during this year of the Flavaissance.

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But few have had as much of an impact was rapper-turned-country superstar Jelly Roll. In an interview with People magazine, Flav, 65, describes what it is about Jelly, 39, that he finds so endearing and inspiring. “I’m proud to say it… that’s my guy,” said Flav, who the magazine said put on a Jelly Roll T-shirt during the interview.

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“Let me tell you something: Jelly Roll is one of the most positive people right now, man. And his music is so positive, so dope and it ways so much,” Flav added of the singer who gearing up to release Beautifully Broken (Oct. 11), the follow-up to his 2023 breakthrough album Whitsitt Chapel. “And not only that, but Jelly Roll’s music helped out a lot of people that have been down, you know what I’m saying? And the whole nine.”

And while they don’t seem to have a lot in common on the surface, Flav said he thinks he and Jelly essentially serve the same purpose in their music. “That’s another role that I play. I play the role like a Jelly Roll, you know what I’m saying? Because there’ll be a lot of people that be down in life and when they see me, I brighten up their day and it takes away that negativity that’s going on inside of them,” said Flav, whose indefatigable energy and positive vibes are always on full display in much the same way Jelly uses his music to speak to others who are struggling in an effort to lift them up. “Jelly Roll has the same effect. So me and Jelly Roll have something in common, man.”

The two men’s bourgeoning relationship has been chronicled on social media over the past year, including their meet cute in Sept. 2023 backstage, in which Jelly told Flav how much he loved him as the PE rapper casually dropped a bunch of Jelly’s song titles to prove his superfandom. “I’m just the son of a sinner man… I’m just one drink away from the devil,” Flav joked. In December, Jelly posted an Instagram video in which Flav brought him a birthday cake before his slot at last year’s Jingle Ball.

They also hung on the red carpet at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles in April and Flav spoke out in support of Jelly later that month when some online trolls were bullying the singer over his weight.

“On a personal note, Jelly Roll is one of the nicest, one of the absolute nicest men on the planet,” Flav said at the time. “A lot of people would love to be like Jelly Roll. All y’all trying to judge my boy Jelly Roll, I think y’all need to take a step back and judge yourself.”

Flav also introduced Jelly Roll at his The Night Before show in Detroit in April and was spotted shouting along to “Somebody Save Me” at one of Jelly’s shows in August.

16 Sep 2024

Perry Farrell Apologizes to Jane’s Addiction Bandmates for ‘Inexcusable Behavior’ After Onstage Fight

Jane’s Addiction singer Perry Farrell has apologized to his bandmates for the ugly scene on Friday in Boston when the vocalist attacked guitarist Dave Navarro during a show.

“This weekend has been incredibly difficult and after having the time and space to reflect, it is only right that I apologize to my bandmates, especially Dave Navarro, fans, family and friends for my actions during Friday’s show,” Farrell said in a statement shared with Billboard.

“Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation,” Farrell, 65, added in the mea culpa that came several days after the shocking scene at Boston’s Leader Bank Pavilion when the singer attacked Navarro during a performance of “Ocean Size.”

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In fan videos of the moment, an agitated Farrell lunges at Navarro and throws a shoulder into his bandmate before punching the shocked-looking guitarist as the two men are separated and Farrell is dragged backstage.

Navarro, 57, issued a statement on Instagram on Monday morning apologizing to fans for the disturbing scene and for the cancellation of the rest of the reunited band’s U.S. tour. “Due to a continuing pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties of our singer Perry Farrell, we have come to the conclusion that we have no choice but to discontinue the current US tour,” Navarro wrote.

“Our concern for his personal health and safety as well as our own has left us no alternative. We hope that he will find the help he needs,” he continued. “We deeply regret that we are not able to come through for all our fans who have already bought tickets. We can see no solution that would either ensure a safe environment on stage or reliably allow us to deliver a great performance on a nightly basis.” The note was signed “our hearts are broken.”

In addition, a source tells Billboard that Farrell is “heartbroken” by his actions. “He realizes that he waited too long to prioritize his well-being. His exhaustion and the toll it has taken on both his physical and mental health has gone too far. He had the best of intentions heading out on tour with the band and feels like he’s let his fans and family down.”

On Saturday, the band issued a statement in an Instagram Story announcing that Sunday night’s planned show in in Bridgeport at the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater had been canceled before announcing that the entire tour was scotched.

Shortly after the on-stage blow-up, Farrell’s wife, Etty Lau Farrell, issued a statement about the incident that featured some background on what she said contributed to the meltdown. “Clearly there had been a lot of tension and animosity between the members.. the magic that made the band so dynamic. Well, the dynamite was lit,” she wrote on Instagram alongside a video of the onstage fight. “Perry’s frustration had been mounting, night after night, he felt that the stage volume had been extremely loud and his voice was being drowned out by the band. Perry had been suffering from tinnitus and a sore throat every night. But when the audience in the first row, started complaining up to Perry cussing at him that the band was planning too loud and that they couldn’t hear him, Perry lost it.”

She also noted that backstage Jane’s bassist Eric Avery “put Perry in a headlock and punched him in the stomach three times … Perry was a crazed beast for the next half an hour — he finally did not calm down, but did breakdown and cried and cried. Eric, well he either didn’t understand what descalation meant or took advantage of the situation and got in a few cheap shots on Perry.”

The beloved alt rock group was formed in Los Angeles in 1985 by Farrell, Navarro, Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins and released two highly influential studio albums — 1988’s Nothing’s Shocking and 1990’s Ritual de lo Habitual — before embarking on their farewell tour as part of 1991’s first Lollapalooza festival. Avery had long been a hold-out in subsequent reunions, replaced by the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Flea on a 1997 tour and then by Martyn LeNoble and Chris Chaney on subsequent tours. The original four gave it another shot in 2008 for a world tour, though Avery took leave again in 2010 before the release of the band’s fourth studio album, The Great Escape Artist.

Avery was back in the fold again in 2022 and, after Navarro’s absence for two years due to the effects of long COVID, the guitarist was back on stage this year for the North American tour, the first by all four original members in 14 years. The outing launched in early August and was slated to run through mid-October. At press time the future status of the band was unknown.

See Navarro’s statement below.

16 Sep 2024

Scooter Braun Responds to Donald Trump’s ‘I Hate Taylor Swift’ Post With One of Her Lyrics

Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun are on opposite ends of one of the music industry’s biggest feuds — but when it comes to the 2024 presidential election, both of them are on the same side.

The SB Projects founder made that much clear when he responded to Donald Trump’s viral “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT” post — which the politician declared on Truth Social Sunday (Sept. 15) — via Instagram Stories. Resharing Trump’s post about the pop star, Braun wrote, “Shake it off Donald,” referencing Swift’s Billboard Hot 100-topping 1989 lead single.

“Kamala 2024,” the music entrepreneur added.

Billboard has reached out to Swift’s rep for comment.

Braun’s post comes five days after Swift shared her endorsement of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, which was the catalyst behind Trump touting his dislike for the 14-time Grammy winner over the weekend. In a lengthy message on Instagram Sept. 10 that was posted right as the presidential debate ended, Swift wrote that she believes Harris is a “steady-handed, gifted leader” and called out the twice-impeached ex-POTUS for sharing AI-generated images falsely portraying the “Karma” artist as a MAGA supporter.

Between then and now, Trump has said that he “was not a Taylor Swift fan” and suggested that she would “pay a price … in the marketplace” for endorsing Harris. He’s also started selling T-shirts directly imitating Swift’s Eras Tour merch on his campaign website.

Trump’s VP pick, JD Vance, has also weighed in. “I don’t think most Americans — whether they like her music, are fans of hers or not — are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity, who I think is fundamentally disconnected from the interests and problems of most Americans,” he said of the pop star on Fox News’ The Story Sept. 11, after which Harris’ campaign pointed out the irony of Trump also being a billionaire celebrity before crossing over into politics in 2016.

Braun’s post also marks the third time in recent weeks that he’s spotlighted Swift on his Story, turning the heads of many fans who haven’t forgotten his bitter conflict with the superstar over the sale of her masters in 2019. In August, he not only reshared a TMZ article about the “Anti-Hero” singer’s beachside getaway with Travis Kelce and Blake Lively — “How was I not invited to this?!? #laughalittle,” he wrote at the time — but the mogul also told followers that he had “finally watched” Max’s Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Bad Blood.

“You’d think after his previous posts about her he’d learn by now,” an industry source told Billboard at the time. “It’s like he’s obsessed.”

16 Sep 2024

Shaboozey’s ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ Scores Milestone 10th Week at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100

Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, holds at No. 2 on the Hot 100, following six weeks at No. 1 beginning upon its debut in May.

Sabrina Carpenter charts three songs in the Hot 100’s top 10, all from her new album, Short n’ Sweet, for a third consecutive week: “Espresso” keeps at its No. 3 high; “Taste” backtracks 5-6 after it debuted at No. 2 two weeks earlier; and “Please Please Please,” which led for a week in June, falls 4-8. Carpenter is the first artist this year to log three weeks with three simultaneous top 10s, surpassing Taylor Swift with two such frames.

“Taste” also tallies a third total and consecutive week at No. 1 on Streaming Songs (27 million, down 14%). (While the song’s sum of raw streams is the week’s second-highest, below that of “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” “Taste” tops Streaming Songs due to the application of weighting to all titles’ paid/subscription and ad-supported on-demand streams and programmed/radio streams.)

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” jumps 6-4 on the Hot 100, three weeks after it debuted at its No. 3 best.

Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” wings 7-5 on the Hot 100, returning to its highest perch. It leads the multimetric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts for a sixth week each.

Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” lifts 8-7 on the Hot 100, after hitting No. 6, and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” which led the Hot 100 for a week in March, repeats at No. 9. The latter also now solely sports the eighth-most weeks spent in the top 10 over the chart’s history:

  • 57 weeks, “Blinding Lights,” The Weeknd, 2020-21
  • 44, “Stay,” The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, 2021-22
  • 41, “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen, 2023-24
  • 41, “Levitating,” Dua Lipa, 2021
  • 39, “Circles,” Post Malone, 2019-20
  • 38, “As It Was,” Harry Styles, 2022-23
  • 37, “Heat Waves,” Glass Animals, 2021-22
  • 35, “Lose Control,” Teddy Swims, 2024
  • 34, “Cruel Summer,” Taylor Swift, 2023-24
  • 33, “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse),” Post Malone & Swae Lee, 2018-19
  • 33, “Girls Like You,” Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B, 2018-19
  • 33, “Shape of You,” Ed Sheeran, 2017

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” is steady at No. 10, following two weeks at No. 1 in May and July, as it dominates the multimetric Hot Rap Songs chart for an 18th week and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for a 16th week.

16 Sep 2024

50 Cent Says Kendrick Lamar ‘Deserves’ Super Bowl Halftime Show Slot: ‘Right Now, He’s the Guy’

Much has been made about Kendrick Lamar’s selection as the headlining performer at the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, but 50 Cent thinks it’s K. Dot’s time to shine.

50 stopped by The Talk on Friday (Sept. 13), where he defended K. Dot being the right pick to take the Super Bowl LIX stage in New Orleans next year.

“I mean, it was a choice. I think Kendrick deserves [it]. As a solo artist right now, he’s the guy,” said 50 Cent, who made a cameo at the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show performance in Los Angeles alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige. “Having the game be in New Orleans, I could see why they got the Wayne [idea].”

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The Queens rapper thinks Lamar should bring out the artists he has “featured on big records” in his decorated discography. (Billboard compiled a list of possible special guests filled with he likes of SZA, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Travis Scott and more.)

The Super Bowl discussion led into the Drake versus Kendrick feud, which 50 thought was “good for the culture” since it pushed two of the best to elevate their artistry and output.

“Both Drake and Kendrick produced quality music faster because they had to compete with each other,” he added. “That competitive nature made them go work and have responses. Hip-hop is still … it’s not just a genre where you can just make a song and sit back. You have to make a song and be ready to make a song again right away with other artists.”

Other artists have had plenty to say about Kendrick’s Halftime Show selection. Nicki Minaj, Master P, Cam’ron and more have spoken out about the NFL’s decision to overlook Lil Wayne as a headliner in his hometown.

Watch the interview with 50 Cent below.