Music

07 Feb 2024

Hot 100 First-Timers: Good Neighbours Arrive With Viral Debut Single ‘Home’

London-based duo Good Neighbours debuted on Billboard’s charts for the first time a week earlier, and now, the pair is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting act, thanks to its debut single “Home.”

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The song, released Jan. 17 via Some Action, reaches the Feb. 10-dated Hot 100 at No. 77 led by 5.8 million official U.S. streams (up 114%) Jan. 26-Feb. 1, according to Luminate. It also jumps 18-7 on Hot Alternative Songs, 23-7 on Hot Rock Songs and 28-10 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (all of which use the same multimetric methodology as the Hot 100).

Good Neighbours is the new project by Oli Fox and Scott Verrill. Before releasing the song’s official audio, a portion of the track’s demo went viral on TikTok, where the band boasts over 50,000 followers. Due to the current standoff between Universal Music Group and TikTok, the sound is no longer available on the platform.

“We wanted to write a song about the moment you hold a loved one after some time apart,” the pair said in a recent interview with Zane Lowe. “It’s such a small moment that has always sparked a visceral feeling for me.”

“Home” is Good Neighbours’ first and only release so far. Outside the band, Fox has been releasing solo music since 2018. He has released two EPs: Sunburnt in 2021 and The Season in 2022. Verrill also records solo music, under the name Good Scott (previously as kwassa). He has been releasing music for nearly a decade, including three EPs: 2015’s Animals, 2017’s Wildlife and 2019’s fka kyko.

07 Feb 2024

Sibling Duo Tigirlily Gold on Polishing Up ‘Ring’ for Its Second Radio Single: ‘It Still Packs a Punch’

Perception is reality.

Not literally — reality is reality, and nobody’s perception of it is 100% accurate. But what people perceive sure feels like reality, and sales executives, politicians and lovers are prone to take advantage of that in the marketplace of ideas. Sorting through what’s real and what’s not is one of the trickiest aspects of life in the dating pool. 

It’s also the foundation of Tigirlily Gold’s sophomore single, “I Tried a Ring On,” a gorgeously fragile account of a woman who recognizes the part she played in her own misperception of a relationship that didn’t pan out. 

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“I love this song because it is open-ended,” Tigirlily’s Krista Slaubaugh says. “Whatever happened in the relationship, it obviously ended for a reason. At one point, maybe they were really in love — this is kind of my take on it — but I think people can fall madly in love, and then sometimes one person falls out a bit, and there’s not really a reason for it. It’s just a sad reality.”

The song’s reality took some time to unfold when Krista and sister Kendra wrote “I Tried a Ring On” in late 2022 at Stone Jag, a studio in Nashville’s Berry Hill neighborhood owned by producer-songwriter Pete Good (“We Don’t Fight Anymore,” “Y’all Life”). They tossed around ideas for roughly 90 minutes that morning with songwriter Josh Jenkins (“Tucson Too Late,” “Fancy Like”) without lighting a spark. Finally, Good brought up “I Tried a Ring On,” a title that played out a little like a movie scene in his mind.

“Think about somebody who has been in a relationship, even maybe walking with their mom through the mall — or by themselves or walking with a friend or something — then swinging into the jewelry store because they’re just kind of letting their mind go down that road a little bit like, ‘Hey, this could become that kind of thing,’” says Good. “It’s like, ‘Oh, I feel so stupid. I tried a ring on it, let myself buy into this thought.’”

His co-writers certainly bought into the title — “I don’t think Pete knew what he had,” Jenkins says — and the two guys started building a moody atmosphere on guitar. One of the Slaughbaughs had a piece of descending melody that became the opening part of the chorus, and Jenkins married it to a lyric about a relationship that “flew to the sun” before it burned out. The singer is more circumspect than angry.

“When we hit the line ‘I ain’t even mad about that,’ it feels like this girl is on her therapist’s couch,” says Jenkins. “It felt so human.”

“I Tried a Ring On” evolved into an unconventional song. The chorus held a wispy quality that contrasted with biting verses, a reversal of the typical structure where the chorus has the most energy. A one-line pre-chorus — “Don’t mean nothing now” — appeared at the end of the second verse instead of at the close of the usual first verse. They added a post-chorus the second time through, doubling the length of that stanza, and they used it again on the third chorus.

“To me, that’s the climax of the song,” Jenkins says. “I see the girl, I see her put the ring on, she hears the song, she sees the dress — she sees all of it. That was a decision we made that we wrestled with: Do we just do that once? It felt satisfying to do it twice.”

They spelled out some of the relationship’s details in the verses, particularly the opening frame, where the singer admits she “jumped the gun” on the coupling. The phrase became a stark part of that first section after Krista introduced it. “I ran track in high school, so I literally thought about starting a race,” she says. “But also, when you fall in love, there’s no time line for that. You just kind of fall headfirst. You can’t really help how you fall and how quickly you fall.”

They decided, however, that they had jumped the gun on the verse melody and ended up setting a second writing session to do some more work on that aspect of “I Tried a Ring On.”  “It was a little more pop-focused and a little more wordy,” Kendra recalls. “It just did not fit the vibe of what the song needed to be.”

During the demo session, Good and Tigirlily developed a bridge that relied on melancholy harmonies rather than a solo to enhance the song’s mood. “It’s supposed to be more atmospheric, in a sense, and ethereal,” notes Good, who produced both the demo and the final master.

The demo set the tone for the master tracking session, held again at Stone Jag with a band that featured drummer Evan Hutchings, bassist Craig Young, keyboardist Alex Wright and guitarists Sol Philcox-Littlefield and Todd Lombardo, who developed a slightly syncopated acoustic riff to create a sense of motion. Hutchings’ drum part evolved as the track progressed, adopting an almost militaristic attitude that added drama to the sound. Steel guitarist Justin Schipper slid a bundle of leading tones into the mix during overdubs that knit the production together.

The Slaubaughs recorded their vocals individually, though they were both present through the whole process. They primarily created two-part harmonies; however, Krista slipped a third voice in at key moments. And Kendra had little trouble with the lead, singing “I just feel stupid” during the chorus in a manner that captured the frustration that would accompany a stiff encounter with a disappointing reality. 

“We had been singing this song live for probably six months to a year before we ever even recorded it, so we were pretty comfortable with the vocal parts,” Kendra says. “Sometimes when I sing it live, I get a little angrier with it. But for the record, I wanted it to be more of a bittersweet, sad, kind of confused feeling. I probably did five to 10 different takes, and then Krista came in and put her vocals on top.”

Tigirlily Gold had several options for singles, but when the act polled fans, “I Tried a Ring On” was a clear-cut winner. Monument released it to country radio via PlayMPE on Jan. 5, and it was the highest-debuting single on the Country Airplay chart dated Feb. 10, arriving on the list at No. 55. 

“We had been singing ‘Ring’ at every show that we had played for country radio, every show we played outside — fairs and festivals — and we were singing it in bars and loud places,” notes Krista. “Everywhere we went, it still packs a punch, which, to have a ballad that still gets through to people in loud environments, this is something special.”

They’re rightfully hopeful that perception lines up with reality. 

“At the end of the day, it’s out of my hands what the song does,” Kendra says, “but I believe in it so much that I would have regretted it if it never had gotten the opportunity.” 

07 Feb 2024

Soca Superstar Kes Announces New Album During IzWe Festival

Soca sensation Kes staged his fourth annual IzWe Festival for over 15,000 fans during Trinidad Carnival yesterday, highlighting how popular the genre has become to live audiences both in the Caribbean and in the U.S.

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First popularized by Trinidadian singer Lord Shorty in the late 1970s and 1980s, the genre known as the “Soul of Calypso” influenced by African and East Indian rhythms has been embraced by fans of charismatic singer and performer Kees Dieffenthaller, who also goes by Kes and is the lead singer of Kes the band.

Kes started IzWe in 2021 as a scaled-down and socially distanced live concert series during the Covid-19 pandemic. The concept at its core is a celebration of the essence of the Caribbean people and culture. Today, IzWe is a full-fledged festival event that features the Concert Village, Courtyard and Garden patron areas, which frame the musical showcases displayed on the Bandstand and the main stage.

“IzWe is a vibrant festival, comprising a band stage, main stage, village, and market area, designed to unite people in one space to celebrate soca music. IzWe tells a carnival love story, capturing the essence of why we cherish this electrifying celebration” KES tells Billboard.

During this year’s festival, KES announced the upcoming release of his new album Man With No Door, on March 29 from Ineffable Records, which he hopes will take soca music to new heights and showcase its global appeal to audiences around the world.

“We’re on a journey to connect emotionally with our fans and share the magic of our music,” KES said, noting he looks forward to bridging the gap between soca enthusiasts, both seasoned and new, highlighting the band’s commitment to delivering a transformative musical experience.

KES Man with no door

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Presave Kes’ new album Man With No Door here.

07 Feb 2024

Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’ Up 241% in Streams, 38,000% in Sales After Grammys Performance

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. 
 
This week: Tracy Chapman’s Grammy performance spurs massive gains for her signature song, The Greatest Night in Pop revives a charity classic, and BossMan Dlow gets in the viral mix.

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“Fast Car” Keeps on Driving After Grammys Performance



Though she hasn’t been nominated at the awards since 2010, Tracy Chapman was unquestionably one of the biggest winners from the Grammys on Sunday night (Feb. 4). She made a rare public appearance at the ceremonies to perform her signature 1988 smash “Fast Car” alongside country superstar Luke Combs, whose cover version brought the song back into the mainstream in 2023. The much-buzzed-about performance has led to days of celebration of Chapman’s at times under-recognized legacy — and, of course, a whole lot of “Fast Car” consumption.

“Fast Car” racked up 949,000 official on-demand U.S. streams on Monday (Feb. 5), the day following the Grammys — up 241% from the 278,000 it notched the prior Monday (Jan. 29). That’s a big gain, though it’s nothing compared to how the song exploded in digital song sales, soaring 38,400% from a negligible amount to nearly 14,000. The Combs version also saw some huge gains over the same period, rising 37% in streams to nearly 1.6 million and nearly 3,900% in sales to just over 6,000.

Could it be enough for Chapman’s “Fast Car,” which originally peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988 to return to the chart? It’s not impossible, though it will have to do well enough to make the top half of the chart to be eligible for a re-entrance, due to Billboard chart rules about catalog songs. If it keeps cruising through the week on its early momentum though, it may have a shot — and as of Wednesday, it was still No. 2 and No. 52 on the daily U.S. charts for iTunes and Spotify, respectively. — ANDREW UNTERBERGER

“We Are the World” Streams Expand Over 300% Thanks to Netflix Doc



On Jan. 29, the documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, which chronicled the 1985 creation of the all-star charity single “We Are the World,” was released on Netflix, and became instant fodder for music-history nerds. The doc combines new interviews with artists like Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen and Cyndi Lauper with dazzling archival footage — including Michael Jackson warbling the hook to himself in the studio, and Huey Lewis trying to reach his upper register in the wee hours of the morning — that shows the chaotic, communal creation of the No. 1 Hot 100 hit for humanitarian aid in Africa.

Naturally, the extended behind-the-scenes look at “We Are the World” has resulted in older fans revisiting the sing-along and new listeners checking it out on streaming services. In the three days preceding the release of The Greatest Night in Pop (Jan. 26-28), “We Are the World” earned 106,000 official U.S. on-demand streams, according to Luminate; during the following Friday-to-Monday tracking period (Feb. 2-4), that number jumped to 472,000 streams, an uptick of 342%. Meanwhile, digital song sales during that same three-day period exceeded 2,300, after earning a negligible amount the previous week.

Although those bumps will likely die down as more time elapses from the documentary release, who knows — maybe the renewed interest will spawn an all-star charity single for a new generation? (The song’s 40th anniversary is coming up next year.) – JASON LIPSHUTZ

Rick Ross-Adjacent Drama Helps Bossman Dlow Score a Viral Hit



Public drama between an artist’s family members can sometimes turn salacious enough to provoke new interest in that artist’s music — but in the case of Rick Ross and the warring factions of his inner circle, the squabbling has benefited another artist entirely.

Rick Ross’ ex-partner, Tia Kemp, has recently been going back and forth with the rapper’s 21-year-old daughter, Toie Roberts, about (among other things) the veracity of her education and high school diploma. During the social media showdown, “Get in With Me” by rising Florida rapper BossMan Dlow has turned into an unofficial anthem of the feud, after being used in a post by Kemp that has since been adopted as a TikTok meme at the end of January.

Now, “Get In With Me” is turning into a hit on his own — with some social media users suggesting that the rapper give Kemp a cut of his earnings from the crackling trap song. From Jan. 26-29, the track earned 1.93 million official U.S. on-demand streams; fast forward one week, and “Get In With Me” scored 4.26 million streams from Feb. 2-5, according to Luminate. Bossman Dlow may be on the verge of his first Hot 100 hit, and it’s largely thanks to some dirty laundry being aired online. – JL

07 Feb 2024

Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Hiss’ Is the Most U.S.-Centric Global 200 No. 1 So Far, By Far

Megan Thee Stallion has made major impact with “Hiss,” not only debuting atop the U.S.-based Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, but crowning the Billboard Global 200 (dated Feb. 10).

According to Luminate, “Hiss” drew 39.6 million official streams worldwide in its first week, Jan. 26-Feb. 1.

While that’s a sizeable global figure, “Hiss” owes most of its worldwide success to Megan Thee Stallion’s American fanbase, with 73% of its streams, as well as an overwhelming 95% of its sales, from the U.S. The track does not appear on any of Billboard’s 40-plus international Hits of the World lists.

So while “Hiss” hits its mark atop Billboard’s flagship global ranking, it’s harder to find on its sister chart. On the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. ranking, which removes American consumption from the equation, the track arrives at No. 104. It’s just the fourth instance since the global charts began in September 2020 that the Global 200 No. 1 is outside of the top 10 of the Global Excl. U.S. – let alone the top 100. The previous biggest disparity? Just the top 15: Drake ranked at Nos. 11 (“What’s Next,” March 2021) and No. 12 (“IDGAF,” featuring Yeat, October 2023) on Global Excl. U.S. while leading the Global 200 and Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” sat as low as No. 13 while atop the Global 200 in February 2022.

It’s rare for hip-hop tracks to lead the Global 200, but “Hiss” isn’t Megan Thee Stallion’s first. She topped the inaugural chart, as featured on Cardi B’s “WAP,” which was No. 1 for three of the chart’s first four editions. Doja Cat is the only other woman rapper to hit the top (“Paint the Town Red” for four weeks in September-October 2023), with Drake and Jack Harlow responsible for the genre’s other chart-toppers. That amounts to 13 weeks out of 178, or just 7%, that rap has crowned the Global 200.

Rap, particularly by North American artists, has struggled on both global charts, but especially on Global Excl. U.S., where “Paint the Town Red” remains the genre’s only No. 1. Inherently more focused on (rapid-fire) lyrics than melody makes the genre a tougher sell in non-English-language territories than hook-based pop music. To that end, Doja Cat and Harlow scored their chart-toppers with tracks that lean toward pop, particularly via familiar samples. For his part, Drake remains an elite star who can summon a No. 1 debut on command.

“Hiss” relies heavily on Megan Thee Stallion’s sharp wordplay and speedy delivery. That separates it from even her previous chart-topper, with “WAP” cruising along a repeated hook and a sample of its own, not to mention an instantly viral and meme-able music video, in addition to a bevy of quotable lyrics.

By the nature of its musical and lyrical structure, “Hiss” was primed to be a bigger domestic success story than international. But much of the hype that pushed the track to the top feels insular too. Following its release, listeners spotted one lyric as a reference – and not a polite one – to fellow American-born rap luminary Nicki Minaj. Minaj herself jumped in and released “Big Foot” three days later, a seething retort that generated its own Global 200 debut at No. 36.

The context around their beef spawned memes and social media back-and-forth, drawing in fans of each act, as well as those familiar with each artist’s personal lives and career history. But it didn’t do much to sell the song itself to international audiences that weren’t previously invested in the personal drama of two prominent U.S. stars that didn’t already have as strong a foothold in markets outside North America.

That’s not to say that there was no international interest in “Hiss.” The track generated 10.8 million streams outside the U.S. The fact that it debuted at all on Global Excl. U.S., albeit halfway down the chart, is more than can be said for Minaj’s own “Big Foot,” or ascendant rapper Ice Spice’s new “Think U The Shit (Fart)” (No. 78 on Global 200).

“Hiss” marks Megan Thee Stallion’s 23rd appearance on the Global 200 and 11th on Global Excl. U.S. On the latter, she’s gone as high as No. 3 with “WAP” and hit the top 40 on tracks with Dua Lipa, Maroon 5, and Ozuna. “Hiss” is her highest charting solo unaccompanied entry on Global Excl. U.S., of four overall.

07 Feb 2024

Watch BLACKPINK’s Rosé Belt Along to ‘All Too Well’ at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Concert in Tokyo

Rosé may be one of the most famous K-pop stars on the planet, but at Taylor Swift‘s Wednesday (Feb. 7) Eras Tour concert in Tokyo, the BLACKPINK band member was just like every other Swiftie in the crowd — passionately singing along, especially when it came time for the 10 minute version of “All Too Well.”

The 26-year-old singer shared a five-minute TikTok after the show featuring clips of her and a friend watching Swift from the audience at Tokyo Dome, the first of four planned Eras stops at the Japan venue. In the video, Rosé belts along to the ten-minute track from start to finish, nailing every single lyric.

“Best 10 minutes in tokyo,” she captioned the clip.

The sweet moment is somewhat of a role reversal from a viral video of Swift jamming out to BLACKPINK’s performance of “Pink Venom” at the 2022 VMAs. With a drink in hand, the “Anti-Hero” singer mouthed along and made up her own dance moves from the audience as Rosé sang onstage with bandmates Jisoo, Jennie and Lisa — paying special attention to the song’s “look what you made us do” line, a possible reference to Swift’s own single “Look What You Made Me Do.”

Earlier that night, Swift shared a TikTok featuring “Pink Venom” in the background to show off her VMAs outfit with Dylan O’Brien and Rina Yang. After the ceremony — during which the “Karma” musician surprise-announced her now Grammy-winning album Midnights — she and Rosé met up at an afterparty and posed for a picture together.

BLACKPINK last released music in 2022 with the band’s sophomore LP Born Pink, which debuted atop the Billboard 200 that October. All four members nurture their own solo careers in addition to group activities, with Rosé releasing her debut solo single “On the Ground” in March 2021.

Watch Rosé’s Eras Tour TikTok below.

07 Feb 2024

The Best Moments From Night 1 of Italy’s Sanremo 2024

The first night of Italy’s 74th edition of the Sanremo Festival was long, despite ending ahead of time. With Amadeus (host and artistic director of the event for the fifth consecutive year), it is normal to stay up late. It certainly must have been more complicated for the rapper Il Tre, who had to wait until 2 a.m. to get onstage at the Ariston Theatre.

The winner of the last edition, Marco Mengoni, visibly excited, opened Sanremo 2024. He was co-host for the whole night, together with Amadeus. The conclusion of the night, with the announcement of the top five voted by the accredited press, provided some surprises.

The first in the ranking is Loredana Bertè, ahead of Angelina Mango, Annalisa, Diodato and Mahmood. Both Diodato and Mahmood have already won in past editions (in 2020, and in 2019 and 2022, respectively).

In the next few days, the press vote will be joined by that of radio stations and the general public. The average of the different votes will determine the overall winner on Saturday (Feb. 10).

Below, find the best moments from night 1 of the 2024 Sanremo Festival. The winner of the song contest will represent Italy in Eurovision.

07 Feb 2024

Why Megan Thee Stallion’s Next Album Is the Most Important of Her Career

On Monday (Feb. 5), Megan Thee Stallion clinched her first unaccompanied Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 with her scathing track “Hiss.” After a tepid response to her 2023 single “Cobra,” the Houston Hottie coiled and struck at her antagonists. The lyrical assault not only sealed Megan a must-needed tally in the win column amongst the hip-hop community but also her third No. 1 following 2020’s “Savage (Remix)” with Beyonce and Cardi B’s collab “WAP.” With the momentum swinging in Megan’s direction, her upcoming album will be the most crucial chapter in her story. 

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This album is crucial for Megan, because she can finally move on from the Tory Lanez saga, with the mercurial hitmaker’s fate sealed after being sentenced to 10 years for the 2020 shooting. The turmoil from the attack fogged Meg’s ability to speed past the drama, as social media often poked fun at her and, in some cases, took Lanez’s side in the public drama. Though Megan enjoyed a fruitful year following the incident, which landed her three Grammys, including best new artist, she has likely yet to reach the apex of her career. 

Since her acclaimed 2020 project Good News, Megan hasn’t pieced together a formidable string of songs beloved by fans and critics. In addition, she has yet to lock in her first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 – despite coming close with Good News, which bowed at No. 2. Her following album, 2022’s Traumazine, debuted at No. 4, with 63,000 album-equivalent units, showing slippage from Good News that previously tallied 100,000 two years earlier. Tramauzine’s singles, including “Pressurelicious” with Future, also missed the mark, as did her subsequent records “Her” and “Ungrateful.” “Sweetest Pie,” her joint effort with Dua Lipa, enjoyed radio success, but it wasn’t enough to move the needle for Megan, spending just two weeks on the Streaming Songs chart.

Megan returned the following year and released “Cobra,” which debuted at No. 32 on the Hot 100 and vanished the week after. She and Cardi encountered a similar fate when they reunited for “Bongos”: Debuting and peaking at No. 14 on the Hot 100, the song failed to catch the same traction as its predecessor, “WAP,” in 2020. Even when she veered back into the pop lane alongside Renée Rapp for their Mean Girls record “Not My Fault,” the song has yet to reach the Hot 100. Megan’s distractions seemed to get the best of her: From the Tory Lanez saga to her fallout with ex-beau Pardison Fontaine to her back-and-forth court dealings with her former label, 1501 Entertainment, her attention has been too divided for her to build off her wins and recapture earlier momentum. 

For Megan, her spunky attitude and smash-mouth demeanor are why hip-hop drooled over her potential. Before 2020, the Tina Snow MC killed every feature she touched with her gruff raps and hard-nosed delivery. “Hiss” landed so well because Megan showed she could tap back into that hungry rhyme-slinger with heavy haymakers. If she can continue that energy and sprinkle her signature wit on further bangers, she can easily get her career back on track going into her next album. Already, Meg could be eying another big hit, after teasing a new song with 41’s Kyle Richh, which sounded pretty promising.

It would also be great if she opened her arms and collaborated with more fast-rising female rappers. On Traumazine, Meg worked with Latto on “Budget,” proving she has no issues working with other female MCs. Since she also likes teaming up with pop acts, she can call on a hybrid like Doja Cat, who can serve both bars and vocals on a platter, boosting the track’s appeal. In totality, if Meg can walk the tightrope of making hits with enjoyable rhymes, she shouldn’t have any issues toppling the doubters. Even in efforts to get fans excited again, it would be great to see her return to notable freestyle circuits like LA Leakers, and somewhere new like On the Radar, to show that even while she’s in the mainstream light, she can pivot back to the hip-hop staples just as quickly. To top off those efforts, to live up to her Hot Girl moniker, a summer release timed with a tour would work in a favor, considering she’s yet to dominate that season the way she would have wanted to before. 

Meg needs to deliver the next go-round because she’s losing ground on her spot. Her primary adversary of late, Nicki Minaj, has little to prove, with her career already solidified, especially after notching another No. 1 album with Pink Friday 2 last fall. Months later, she still has two Pink Friday 2 songs still lingering in the Hot 100 (“Everybody” and “FTCU”) and gearing up for the start of her world tour, which will be arena-driven. Meanwhile, her frequent collaborator Cardi B has found a different road to recent relevance, putting her remix stamp on underground hits like GloRilla’s “Tomorrow,” and FendiDa Rappa’s “Point Me to the Slut’s” and helping them go mainstream. 

Besides Nicki and Cardi thriving, Megan must also be aware of the surge of ascendant rappers who have broken out while she’s struggled to find her footing the past couple of years. Latto is finally in her rhythm, executing as both a cerebral MC and Hot 100 mainstay, notching a follow-up hit to 2022’s “Big Energy” with her piercing (and Cardi-assisted) “Put It on the Floor Again,” and also scoring a Hot 100 No. 1 with her guest appearance on Jung Kook’s smash “Seven.” Ice Spice is also knocking on the door of superstardom after an impressive two years, including four top 10 hits in the Hot 100 and four Grammy nominations this past year. Flo Milli is finally piecing things together and is enjoying the best run of her career with her current top 20 Hot 100 single “Never Lose Me.”  

To Megan’s credit, she remains a household name in music and is flourishing as a businesswoman, especially in the world of TV and entertainment. She’s hosted SNL and made cameos in Mean Girls, Dicks: The Musical, and Marvel’s TV series SheHulk. She also secured a first-look deal with Netflix, fully crystallizing her desire to be a multi-platform entertainment star.

While those wins are great, Megan, at her core, is a rapper, one who can walk into any cipher and bulldoze her way to the center. Now that she is paving her lane as an independent artist with the aid of Warner Music for distribution, and maintaining ownership of her masters — a feat rarely seen by a female rapper under 30. And once the post-“Hiss” fury dies down, she should have no more distractions. She hasn’t toured since 2019, and is consistently billed under artists with lesser name recognition on festival lineups. She has the catalog, the stage presence and charisma to make her a worthy headliner, which is why it’s important for her to re-establish her big-dog cred in hip-hop this year.  

For Meg, the ball is in her court, and all she has to do is show up and dominate the way we always dreamed she could on album number three. But she better do it soon, or else she risks letting a golden opportunity to totally change the conversation on her last few years slip away. 

07 Feb 2024

Halle Bailey, Danielle Brooks & More to Be Honored at 2024 Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards

Halle Bailey and Danielle Brooks, who star in the 2023 musical version of The Color Purple, will be honored at the 17th annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards, set to take place on Thursday, March 7, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

Grammy-winning rapper Cliff “Method Man” Smith will host the event, which will form the basis of a one-hour primetime special that will later air on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network and stream on Max/discovery+. Winfrey is one of the producers of the new edition of The Color Purple.

Brooks was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress for playing Sofia in the new edition of the film. Winfrey was nominated in that same category for playing the same role in original 1985 drama. Brooks won a Grammy seven years ago for best musical theater album as one of the principal soloists on the cast album of the Broadway show.

Bailey is a six-time Grammy nominee, though she has yet to win.

The theme of this year’s event is “Radiant Power.” The event will also honor Nkechi Okoro Carroll, screenwriter and showrunner of All American, All American: Homecoming and Found, and Kathryn Busby, president of original programming for STARZ.

The ceremony will be produced by Essence Studios and Red Summer TV. The upcoming one-hour primetime special will feature red carpet arrivals, highlights from the awards ceremony and celebrity interviews.

ESSENCE will continue its celebration of Black film and television luminaries at the fifth annual ESSENCE Hollywood House, which will be held on Friday, March 8, in Los Angeles. The event focuses on equipping members of the community with the tools needed to achieve their full potential within the entertainment industry. Los Angeles-based attendees can register at ESSENCE.com/HollywoodHouse2024. Virtual attendees can stream the festivities live on ESSENCE.com, X, Facebook and YouTube.

07 Feb 2024

Exclusive Countdown 2023 New Years Eve Sets: Hear Nero, Maddy O’Neil & What Porter Robinson Played at Midnight

This past New Year’s Eve (Dec. 30-31) hordes of dance fans descended on the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, Calif., for two days of traditional year-end partying. Highlights from the Insomniac Events-produced festival included Porter Robinson playing as the clocked ticked to 2024, a DJ set from British legends Nero, a space bass frenzy from Maddy O’Neal and much more.

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If your 2024 resolution is to listen to more music, dive in with these seven hours of exclusive Countdown 2023 sets.

Porter Robinson

The fan favorite was playing the festival’s mainstage during the 2023 to 2024 changeover. Hear him do a countdown starting at the 29-minute mark and playing his 2012 classic “Language” when the clock strikes midnight, ramping the song up to a place of frenzied, exuberant celebration before mashing it up with his more recent “Look At The Sky” then announcing “f–k it, it’s time to party” and pressing play on an edit of the Venga Boys’ “We Like to Party.”

Nero

Playing a DJ set the first night of the fest, Nero launched their set with their RL Grime collab “Renegade” and didn’t take their foot of the gas for 75 minutes, playing a pummeling set that included their own “Doomsday,” “Blame You” and all-time classic “Promises.”

Maddy O’Neil

Bass boss Maddy O’Neal took the audience to space and back with super low-end sounds that included a saxophone inflected take on Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody” and an extremely thick edit of “The Next Episode.”

Memba

“We came all the way from Brooklyn, New York to party with you guys, are you guys ready to do this?” the duo asked at the beginning of their set to an audience that clearly was, with the crowd audibly going wild for music including between dubstep, garage and beyond.

Juuku

Playing his first ever festival set in Southern California, the producer made quick work of showing the audience his prowess, playing a set falling largely into bass, house and crunchy experimental sounds.

Township Rebellion

German duo Township Rebellion took the crowd directly to melodic techno deep space with a lush, tough 90-minute set that remains captivating and thoroughly cool throughout.