Music

18 Jun 2025

Muni Long to Perform at Megan Thee Stallion’s First Pete & Thomas Foundation Gala: Full Details

Muni Long is set to perform at Megan Thee Stallion’s inaugural Pete & Thomas Foundation Gala in New York City next month.

The gala is scheduled for July 16 at Gotham Hall in the Big Apple, as the Houston rapper took it upon herself to completely organize the inaugural event.

Taraji P. Henson will play host for the night while DJ D-Nice will keep attendees grooving on the turntables throughout the gala.

Proceeds from the evening’s auction will benefit initiatives focused on education, housing, health and wellness. Pastors Juanita and Rudy Rasmus, along with Southern Black Girls & Women’s Consortium founder LaTosha Brown and MH Boxes founder Mila Henry are among the gala’s honorees.

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Those looking to attend the black-tie affair are encouraged to fill out a form on the Pete & Thomas Gala’s website. Megan Thee Stallion launched the Pete & Thomas Foundation in 2022, honoring the names of her late parents, Holly Thomas and Joseph Pete III.

With the foundation, Megan has continued to pursue her goal of uplifting women, children, senior citizens and other underserved communities around the country.

“Launching the Pete and Thomas Foundation is easily one of the most significant endeavors that I’ll ever be part of in my career,” Megan said in a press release at the time. “My family raised me to help others and give back, so I’m incredibly proud to be in a position to accomplish that goal. I have a responsibility to use my platform to make a meaningful impact in the lives of those who may not have access to resources and support services.”

As for Muni Long, the “Hrs and Hrs” artist kicked off 2025 with her sensual “Slow Grind” single in February after the Grammy Award-winning singer delivered her Revenge album last year.

18 Jun 2025

Janis Ian, Brenda Russell, Vicki Peterson & More to Be Honored by Women Songwriters Hall of Fame

The Women Songwriters Hall of Fame will celebrate its fifth anniversary over two days this week at the Mead Center for American Theatre in Washington, D.C. There will be workshops and panel discussions on Friday June 20, followed by an awards ceremony on Saturday, June 21.

Hosted by Claudia Jordan, this year’s awards ceremony will honor 13 women – not all songwriters – from a wide range of genres. The 2025 honorees include two-time Grammy winner Janis Ian; Grammy winner Regina Belle; Grammy nominees Melba Moore, Brenda Russell and Janiva Magness; as well as Julie Giroux, Vicki Peterson (best known for her work in The Bangles), YoYo (aka Yolanda Whitaker), Christina Shusho, Asha Puthli and Dr. Stacy L. Smith, who spearheaded the USC Annenberg Study. Dr. Smith was set to be honored last year but became ill and was forced to drop out.

Two women will be honored posthumously – Motown songwriter Sylvia Moy (who died in 2017 at age 78) and country singer/singer Lari White (who died in 2018 at age 52).

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Ian and Russell have both received Grammy nods for song of the year – Ian for “At Seventeen” (1976) and Russell for “Piano in the Dark” (1989).

The event will include musical performances by Nes Powers, Evelyn Rubio, Robert Cristian Jordan and Mallow Hill plus entertainment by Adam Stone and Women on Fire. Other participants include presenters Andree Harris and Telishia Berry, DJ Supreme Da Barber, and Versie Jean and musical director Christopher Valentine.    

On Friday, the organization will host its annual songwriting contest and mixer. Ten emerging songwriters will be invited to perform their original songs for a panel of industry judges. The winner receives studio time at Omega Recording Studios in Rockville, MD and a guitar, in addition to the opportunity to perform at Saturday’s awards ceremony. The mixer is designed as an opportunity for up-and-coming songwriters and performers to meet veterans who can help them in their careers. Montanique “Monei” Sutton will serve as host/songwriting mixer for Saturday’s events.

“In the research I conducted before deciding to launch the organization, I found that there are not many programs exclusively honoring women in entertainment at this level,” says Dr. Janice McLean DeLoatch, the organization’s founder, chief executive and chairman. “We’re all about achieving parity and recognition for girls and women in music, opening doors a bit more for those whose talents will bring us joy, inspiration and their songs on the radio for the next 50 years.”

Previous Women Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees include Roberta Flack, Valerie Simpson, Klymaxx, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Deniece Williams, The Go-Go’s and the late Naomi Judd (2021); Marilyn Bergman, Gloria Estefan, Siedah Garrett, Indigo Girls, Loretta Lynn and Jody Watley (2022); Ann Hampton Calloway, Jan Daley, Scherrie Payne, Toni Basil, Angela Bofill, Pam Sawyer and the late Cynthia Weil and Olivia Newton-John (2023); and Crystal Waters, Soon Hee Newbold and the late Angie Stone and Allie Willis (2024).

For more information, visit this page on the organization’s website.

18 Jun 2025

Carly Simon Defends Sabrina Carpenter Against ‘Flak’ for Divisive ‘Man’s Best Friend’ Album Cover: ‘It Seems Tame’

As Sabrina Carpenter continues to field criticism for her suggestive Man’s Best Friend cover, singer-songwriter Carly Simon is “Coming Around Again” to help her fellow performer out.

In an interview with Rolling Stone on Wednesday (June 18), Simon commented on the ongoing backlash Carpenter has received since unveiling the new artwork for her forthcoming album. “She’s not doing anything outrageous,” she says. “It seems tame. There have been far flashier covers than hers. One of the most startling covers I’ve ever seen was [The Rolling Stones’] Sticky Fingers. That was out there in terms of sexual attitude. So I don’t know why she’s getting such flak.”

The artwork for Man’s Best Friend shows Carpenter on her knees with her hand on a suit-wearing man’s thigh, as that same figure grabs a fistful of her blonde hair. Critics have claimed that the cover artwork is over-sexualized and anti-feminist, while fans of Carpenter have called such critiques misogynistic, saying the tongue-in-cheek cover is part of Carpenter’s established sex-positive brand.

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While Simon joked that “touching the man’s knee” was “going over the line a little bit,” she said the “Espresso” singer shouldn’t worry too much about negative reactions to her work. “Any press is good press, so I wouldn’t worry about the press. And as far as her being salacious, I certainly don’t think it’s that,” Simon said. “I mean, look at all of the people who dress much more scantily. She’s so beautiful, and she should be proud of herself and the way she looks. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

Carpenter herself has responded to a few fans making similar claims about her image. When a fan claimed that her 2024 W magazine photo shoot was inspired by the 1997 film adaptation of Lolita, the singer quickly denied it, saying that she’d “never seen this movie” and that “it’s never been on my mood board and never would be.”

But the pop singer still has plenty to celebrate this week. “Manchild,” the first single from her upcoming new album, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning Carpenter her first debut at the chart’s summit and the second chart-topper of her career (following “Please Please Please” in 2024). “I can’t tell you how much this means to me!!!!” she wrote in an Instagram Stories post on Monday (June 16). “This song makes me so happy.”

18 Jun 2025

Nas’ Record Label Mass Appeal Settles Discrimination Lawsuit With White Woman

Mass Appeal Records' 5 Year Anniversary Celebration
Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty

Nas’ record label and media company, Mass Appeal, has reached a settlement with a white former executive who claimed that she was discriminated against and forced to leave the company because she’s white.  

From Billboard:

Mass Appeal filed a joint motion with its former head of development, Melissa Cooper, in federal court on Friday (June 13), agreeing to dismiss the case entirely. Court filings show that Mass Appeal and Cooper have reached a settlement, although the terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Cooper sued Mass Appeal, CEO Peter Bittenbender and the company’s former content chief, Jenya Meggs, in 2023, claiming she was the subject of a “racist conspiracy” at the company. Nas is not individually named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

Cooper is white. Meggs is Black. Cooper claims that Meggs didn’t like her ideas because of her animosity toward a “white woman working in Hip-Hop.” Meggs reportedly refused to work with Cooper and even had her taken off of big projects “…like the planning of Mass Appeal’s Hip Hop 50 Live concert,” Billboard reports. 

Cooper was eventually fired from Mass Appeal in June 2023.

After her termination, a messy former lover of Meggs reached out to Cooper to share text messages in which Meggs reportedly referred to Cooper as a “cracker” and criticized “white folk.”

Cooper claimed in her lawsuit that she brought the messages to Bittenbender, but he paid them no mind. Cooper wanted to be reinstated to Mass Appeal and given money for damages for the alleged racism she endured. 

Mass Appeal, Bittenbender and Meggs not only deny the claims of discrimination, but they “vigorously” deny any claims made by Cooper and claim that she was fired because her division hadn’t sold any projects. Oh, and about those text messages, they claim they were “taken out of context and are nothing but a red herring.”

Meggs reportedly left Mass Appeal in 2024. 

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18 Jun 2025

Lorde Announces Final ‘Virgin’ Single Before Album Release, Calls It an ‘Ode to City Life & Horniness’

Lorde is laying down the hammer in the last few days before her new album, Virgin, drops, with the pop star announcing that she has one more single coming out in advance.

On Instagram Wednesday (June 18), Lorde revealed that the new song will be titled “Hammer.” “First song on the album,” she wrote in her caption. “An ode to city life and horniness tbh.”

The New Zealand native also shared what appears to be the track’s cover art: a photo of Lorde’s reflection repeating infinitely in opposite-facing bathroom mirrors as she washes her face at the sink, wearing a white tank and gray underwear.

Lorde didn’t say when exactly the song will arrive, but she did post on Instagram one day prior the announcement, “Virgin in ten days another song in a few.”

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“Hammer” will follow Virgin‘s first two singles, “What Was That” and “Man of the Year.” Lorde dropped the former in April along with a DIY music video filmed in part at a fan meetup in Washington Square Park, and on the latter — released in late May — she reflects on her broadening gender identity while embracing her inner masculinity.

Gender is one of several topics Lorde has promised to explore on Virgin, which drops June 27 via Republic Records featuring production from Jim-E Stack, Fabiana Palladino, Andrew Aged, Buddy Ross, Dan Nigro and Dev Hynes of Blood Orange. The singer-songwriter has also said that the album was informed by her experiences with disordered eating, quitting birth control and breaking off a longterm relationship.

“THE COLOUR OF THE ALBUM IS CLEAR,” she described the project when announcing it back in April. “LIKE BATHWATER, WINDOWS, ICE, SPIT. FULL TRANSPARENCY. THE LANGUAGE IS PLAIN AND UNSENTIMENTAL. THE SOUNDS ARE THE SAME WHEREVER POSSIBLE. I WAS TRYING TO SEE MYSELF, ALL THE WAY THROUGH. I WAS TRYING TO MAKE A DOCUMENT THAT REFLECTED MY FEMININITY: RAW, PRIMAL, INNOCENT, ELEGANT, OPENHEARTED, SPIRITUAL, MASC.”

See Lorde’s announcement below.

18 Jun 2025

Bun B Believes Travis Scott Won’t ‘Back Down’ From Pusha T: ‘When These Beefs Happen, You Have to Respond’

Bun B thinks Pusha T is “a dangerous man.”

The Texas rap legend sat down with Shannon Sharpe’s Night Cap and was asked about Pusha T’s recent diss aimed at Travis Scott that has been dominating the rap news cycle.

“Pusha’s a dangerous man,” the UGK member told Sharpe. “He’s willing to throw caution to the wind and be like, ‘You know what? I don’t really f— with him anyway.’ You don’t see Pusha at awards shows, you don’t see him at clubs, at parties, they don’t mix like that. They mix with they own and they’re pretty good in the streets as well, so it’s whatever.”

However, he knows Travis personally and believes his fellow Texas native will respond in some way soon, but emphasized that he must proceed with caution when dealing with someone like Push “who operates in a space where he really don’t have nothing to lose.”

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“That being said, Travis ain’t ’bout to back down. He’s from Houston,” Bun said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you hear something before the weekend is done. It’s either go into it or act like it didn’t happen, but the problem is that the people are going to demand a response. When these beefs happen, you have to respond. … But you gotta be careful when people try to bait you in.”

The Clipse caused a stir this week when they dropped the second single to their highly anticipated comeback album Let God Sort Em Out when Push closed out the song with lines directed at Scott. “You cried in front of me, you died in front of me,” he rapped. “Calabasas took your bi— and your pride in front of me/ Her utopia had moved right up the street/ And her lip gloss was poppin’, she ain’t need you to eat.”

Billboard reached out to both Pusha and Travis’ camps for comment.

You can watch the full convo below.

18 Jun 2025

Who’s the GOAT Rapper & Producer Combo? Rapsody Joins ‘Billboard Unfiltered’ Debate

Billboard Unfiltered returned on Wednesday (June 18) with another brand-new episode featuring a special guest: Rapsody was in the building.

This week, senior director of R&B/Hip-Hop Carl Lamarre returned with hip-hop editor Angel Diaz alongside Rapsody to debate who is the greatest rapper/producer combination of all time.

First up, Lamarre made the case for Nas and Hit-Boy, who connected for five projects over the course of 36 months with three installments of the King’s Disease series, which Lamarre holds in the upper echelon of rap album series, and a pair of Magic projects.

“When they came into each other’s lives, I think they changed the dynamic of what hip-hop is today in terms of what we look at from a rapper and producer standpoint,” Lamarre declared. “From 2020 to 2023, we saw the best rapping of Nas’ career.”

He continued: “King’s Disease is probably one of the best series in hip-hop of all-time. Magic one and two, flawless. We introduce Nas in a new era… Some of the best beats in Hit-Boy’s career came from working with Nas and they got a Grammy out of it.”

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Angel Diaz laid out the case for Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, as he believes the duo put the West Coast on the map. “They had The Chronic and Doggystyle back-to-back and then they came back with 2001,” he said. “They put the West Coast on the map.”

Taking things a step further, Diaz explained that there’s still remnants of Dre and Snoop’s G-funk DNA in West Coast rap decades later as seen in Kendrick Lamar’s GNX.

As for Rapsody, she elected to spotlight the Clipse and Pharrell. “From their first project Lord Willin’ to this one — I haven’t heard all of it — but it’s setting up to be a phenomenal classic,” she said. “It’s like they’ve evolved and haven’t missed a step. This ain’t gon’ be a miss, we can feel the energy.”

The North Carolina rapper added: “When you have a producer and a rapper come together and they always create their best work together, it’s undeniable,” “Those two, that’s always their best work.”

There was plenty of back-and-forth, but moderator Delisa Shannon gave the victory to Carl Lamarre and his pick of Nas and Hit-Boy on Wednesday’s show.

Watch the full episode below.

18 Jun 2025

Coldplay’s ‘Sparks’ Ignites on Charts After Chris Martin & Dakota Johnson Breakup

Coldplay’s “Sparks” appears on a U.S.-based Billboard consumption chart for the first time, debuting across multiple rankings dated June 21 following the latest viral moment for the 2000 track.

The song, from the Chris Martin-fronted band’s debut album Parachutes, bows at No. 15 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart (where older songs are eligible to appear if in the top half and with a meaningful reason for their gains).

In the week ending June 12, “Sparks” earned 4.7 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate. That’s a 44% surge over the May 30-June 5 tracking period.

“Sparks” boosts thanks to a viral performance of the song by Martin and the band during their two-night set at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium June 6 and 7. The shows were held amid rumors of Martin’s breakup with Dakota Johnson; the pair had dated since 2017.

The streaming count also sends “Sparks” onto the Alternative Streaming Songs chart for the first time, debuting at No. 25.

Previously, “Sparks” spent a week at No. 174 on the Billboard Global 200 chart in October 2024. It returns to the tally dated June 21 at No. 145 with 14.1 million streams (up 33%) worldwide in the tracking week.

Although the song was not a single from Parachutes upon the album’s original run, it has achieved a resurgence in the 2020s, especially through playlisting and user-generated content apps such as TikTok.

Parachutes peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 in March 2001 and has earned 5.6 million equivalent album units in the U.S. to date.

18 Jun 2025

Kenshi Yonezu’s ‘Plazma’ Returns to No. 1, HANA’s ‘Burning Flower’ Debuts at No. 2 on Japan Hot 100

Kenshi Yonezu’s “Plazma” returns to No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, on the chart released June 18.

The track is the theme song for the latest Mobile Suit Gundam installment called GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- and dropped digitally on Jan. 20. The track debuted at No. 1 on the chart released Jan. 29, and returns atop the tally after the double-A side single “Plazma / BOW AND ARROW” went on sale June 11.

With 310,981 copies sold in its first week, the single marks the highest first-week sales for a solo artist among all releases during the 2025 chart year so far. The CD release also led to significant growth in other metrics, with downloads gaining 108% over the previous week, karaoke 106%, video 198%, and radio airplay a whopping 745%.

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HANA’s “Burning Flower” debuts at No. 2. The new song by the recently formed girl group dropped digitally on June 9 and hits No. 1 for downloads, No. 3 for streaming, and No. 22 for radio. HANA currently have three songs charting on the Japan Hot 100, with “ROSE” at No. 7, “Drop” at No. 16, and “Tiger” at No. 23. The group is set to digitally drop another song called “Blue Jeans” on July 14, followed by the “Blue Jeans” CD single that includes “Burning Flower” on July 16.

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Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “breakfast” slips a notch to No. 3, but is still going strong in various metrics, with streaming up to 120% and radio to 140% week-over-week.

Bowing at No. 4 is “Blue Hawaii Lemon” by ≒JOY (“Nearly Equal Joy”). The girl group’s third single launched with 207,790 CDs, a personal best for the group, and hits No. 2 for the metric.

Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “KUSUSHIKI” is at No. 5. While the The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Part 2 opener drops two notches from last week, overall points for the track remains mostly unchanged for the past four weeks, indicating a steady stream of listeners.

Elsewhere on the Japan Hot 100, Fujii Kaze’s lead single “Hachikō” (released June 13) off his upcoming new album Prema debuts at No. 29. The track comes in at No. 2 for downloads, No. 88 for streaming, No. 10 for radio, and No. 12 for video.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.

See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from June 9 to June 15, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.

18 Jun 2025

Grupo Frontera & Grupo Firme Achieve 1 Billion Views on YouTube with ‘El Amor De Su Vida’

Grupo Frontera and Grupo Firme have both achieved their first-ever entry in YouTube’s coveted Billion Views Club thanks to their collaboration “El Amor de su Vida” (the love of her life).

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The music video, which premiered on Aug. 3, 2023, surpassed the one billion views on Tuesday (June 17). Both Música Mexicana groups shared the news on their social media platforms.

“El Amor de Su Vida” finds Frontera’s frontman Adelaido “Payo” Solís and Firme’s own Eduin Caz weeping over the ex of their lives, who has moved on to a new relationship. “Today I saw the love of my life/ as happy as ever kissing the love of her life/ she looked at him the same way she looked at me before/ I realized I’ve lost this war,” says the sappy chorus.

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In the music video, the two power groups are seen performing in front of a house as they passionately interpret the track.

“El Amor de su Vida” peaked at No. 1 on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart, where it topped for four weeks in 2023, and a No.67-high on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song is part of Frontera’s debut album El Comienzo, which scored the Texas-based group its first top 10 entry on any chart, reaching No. 4 on Top Latin Albums, No. 2 on Regional Mexican albums and No. 39 on the all-genre Billboard 200.

Frontera’s next video to reach one billion views is “UN X100TO” with Bad Bunny, which has over 970 million views.

Watch the music video for “El Amor de Su Vida” below: