Music

27 Nov 2023

R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Luh Tyler, Adam Blackstone & Boyz II Men, Coco Jones & More

Thanksgiving week is historically a pretty slow week for new music, but that didn’t stop the hip-hop and R&B worlds from chugging through the rest of the calendar year. On Sunday night (Nov. 26), Keke Palmer hosted an intimate edition of the Soul Train Music Awards featuring performances by Muni Long, Dante Bowe, legend award winner T-Pain, Spirit of Soul award winner Janelle Monáe, SWV and Keke herself. SZA was the night’s biggest victor with four wins, including album of the year for her nine-time Grammy-nominated SOS, and fellow 2023 Grammy nominees Victoria Monét (two) and Coco Jones (one) also took home some hardware.

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Even as the Thanksgiving weekend forced everyone to prioritize leisure, a bevy of artists seized the opportunity to unleash some new music upon the world. With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Coco Jones’ aptly-tiled new Christmas anthem to Senth’s shape-shifting amalgam of Afrobeats and R&B.

Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.

Freshest Find: Senth, “Bend It”

Placed directly in the middle of Senth’s Wayyy Saucy EP — his first body of work this year — “Bend It” achieves peak sensuality with a tantalizing mixture of booming brass, pounding drums, and a lead vocal that morphs from whispery mumble to impassioned exclamations of sexual tension. Between notes of house, soul, hip-hop, and a rhythm that pulls from both Afrobeats and dancehall, “Bend It” traverses the musical multitudes of the Black diaspora with startling ease.

Otis Kane, “Closer”

Steeped in the same reverence for the warmth of soulful old-school R&B that permeated 2023 records from the likes of October London and Lucky Daye, Otis Kane’s “Closer” channels the steady grooves of Marvin Gaye for a tender ode to the never-ending process of growing closer to your lover. There’s a levity to “Closer” that immediately separates it from the murkier contemporary R&B scenes; Kane’s slight rasp adds some dimension to his vocal performance, but it’s the way he floats over the instrumental that truly encapsulates the track’s dynamism.

Luh Tyler, “Change My Wayz”

A year removed from the viral success of “Law & Order,” Florida rapper Luh Tyler takes a moment to reflect on his whirlwind rise with the introspective “Change My Wayz” — from his growth in relationship to his transition to real chains and jewelry. Unlike some of his most popular tracks, “Change My Wayz” does not rely on a quirky sample or a familiar hook-reliant song structure. Instead, Luh Tyler delivers a singular stream-of-consciousness verse over a mellow CashCache-produced beat. “Know I got to stay on ten, I got to keep my head on/ She mad cause I done fucked her friend, she like, ‘You know you dеad wrong’/ Damn, I gotta change my ways,” he spits.

Tink, “40x”

Tink has helped shape the sound of R&B for close to a decade now, and her new single “40x” offers yet another dose of morose, guitar-inflected balladry. “Real bitches can’t be bought/ So tired of being strong/ Someone come keep me soft,” she croons. By the time she reaches the chorus, Tink has attached the “40” quantifier to everything from the number of nights since she’s cried to the amount of lies her ex-lover told her. Here, Tink balances her lyrical focus on the “blues” part of R&B with a melodic cadence that brings her closer to contemporary hip-hop while still showcasing the different shades and capabilities of her voice.

Adam Blackstone & Boyz II Men, “Greatest Gift”

Mere weeks after adding two more Grammy nominations to his belt, Emmy-winning music director Adam Blackstone has gifted fans A Legacy Christmas, his first holiday album and second solo LP. Of the project’s 11 tracks, Blackstone’s collaboration with iconic R&B vocal group Boyz II Men was the instant standout. In characteristically pitch-perfect fashion, the trio delivers their trademark ear-melting harmonies with all of the wide-eyed earnestness that holiday music requires. Blackstone’s twinkling jazz-rooted arrangement offers the group a playground of pockets to play around with, making for a winning original Christmas collaboration in a year filled with them.

Coco Jones, “A Timeless Christmas”

Coco Jones’ recent momentum is borderline unstoppable. As if securing five Grammy nominations and a Soul Train Music Award victory for best new artist wasn’t enough, the “ICU” singer also dropped off a terrific new original Christmas song, aptly titled “A Timeless Christmas.” Co-written with Tiyon “TC” Mack, the new holiday tune smartly employs Jones’ rich voice over lyrics that paint a gorgeous winter pastoral. “There’s laughter in our hearts, a special kind/ Sharing love and kindness in every rhyme/ Every rhyme/ We gather ’round with friends by our side/ And feel all the magic in the sky/ In the sky,” she coos. Complete with chugging percussion that offers a sleek sonic contrast to the background strings and jingle bells, “A Timeless Christmas” is yet another home run for Coco Jones.

27 Nov 2023

Ado’s ‘Show’ Holds for Eighth Week Atop Japan Hot 100

Ado’s “Show” continues to break its own record for weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, now in its eighth week atop the chart dated Nov. 22.

On the week ending Nov. 19, the “New Genesis” singer’s latest hit dominates downloads, streaming, and video views, while coming in at No. 16 for radio and No. 6 for karaoke. Overall points totaled 10,532, down 10 percent from the week before but still 1.4 times higher than the song at No. 2.

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Naniwa Danshi‘s “I Wish” debuts at No. 2 this week. The boy band’s sixth single is being featured as the theme for the drama series My Second Aoharu starring member Shunsuke Michieda. Released Nov. 15, the CD launched with 395,722 copies to hit No. 1 for sales, while also coming in at No. 17 for video and No. 43 for radio.

STU48’s “Kimi wa nani o koukai surunoka” (“What will you regret?”) bows at No. 4 on the Japan Hot 100, coming in at No. 2 for sales with 231,972 copies sold in its first week after its release on Nov. 15. The girl group’s tenth single features member Yumiko Takino in center position of the choreography and is slated to be her last, as she will be graduating the group.

Stray Kids’ “LALALALA” soars 33-9 to break into the top 10 this week. The boy band performed the song during the 2023 Billboard Music Awards presented by Marriott Bonvoy that took place Nov. 19, where the group’s album 5-STAR won the award for Top K-Pop Album. Streams surged 153 percent from the week before to rack up 6,610,148 weekly streams, jumping 43-6 for the metric. Video also increased by 25 percent and climbed 9-5. The South Korean group is set to perform on NHK’s annual year-end music extravaganza, the 74th Kohaku Uta Gassen, which often results in the performing acts’ songs to linger for a while on the Japan charts in the new year.

LE SSERAFIM’s “Perfect Night” also rises a notch to hit No. 10. The girl group’s first English-language digital single comes in at No. 7 for streaming (6,447,007 streams), No. 27 for downloads (1,730 units), No. 16 for video, and No. 37 for radio, performing in a balanced way overall.

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 Nov. 13 to 19, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.

27 Nov 2023

Jack Harlow’s ‘Lovin on Me’ Tops Hot 100, Christmas Classics & Tyla Hit Top 10

Jack Harlow “Lovin on Me” lifts to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, a week after it debuted at No. 2. The song becomes the rapper’s third leader on the list.

Plus, two holiday classics return to the Hot 100’s top 10: Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” up 17-4, and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” which re-enters at No. 8.

Also in the Hot 100’s top 10, Tyla makes her first visit to the tier with her breakout hit “Water,” which jumps 15-10.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated Dec. 2, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Nov. 28). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Jack Harlow’s “Lovin on Me,” released on Generation Now/Atlantic, becomes the 1,160th No. 1 in the Hot 100’s 65-year history. It drew 23.6 million streams (up 6%) and 20.8 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 71%) and sold 11,000 downloads (down 10%) in the Nov. 17-23 tracking week, according to Luminate. (The song entered a week earlier at No. 2, with 22.2 million streams, 12.2 million in radio audience and 12,000 sold, following its Nov. 10 release.)

The single scores a second week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart; holds at its No. 2 high on Digital Song Sales; and debuts at No. 32 on Radio Songs.

Harlow achieves his third Hot 100 leader, following “First Class” (No. 1 for three weeks in April-May 2022) and “Industry Baby,” with Lil Nas X (No. 1, one week, October 2021).

Notably, Harlow is one of just three artists to tally at least one new Hot 100 No. 1 in each of the last three years, joining Drake and Taylor Swift (whose streaks both date to 2020).

“Lovin on Me” concurrently tops the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, which use the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a second week each.

“Lovin on Me” is currently a standalone single from Harlow, whose most recent album, Jackman., debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 in May, becoming his third top 10 set. The song’s hook samples singer Delbert “Dale” Greer’s 1995 cut “Whatever” (which to date has never hit a Billboard chart).

Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” falls to No. 2 on the Hot 100 following four nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1. It rules Radio Songs for a sixth week (68.8 million, down 7%).

Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” holds at No. 3 on the Hot 100, after it led for three nonconsecutive weeks beginning in September.

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” – the No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs retrospective – dashes 17-4 on the Hot 100, with 22 million streams (up 57%), 15.6 million airplay audience impressions (up 105%) and 3,000 sold (up 70%) Nov. 17-23.

Carey performed “Christmas” on an awards show for the first time as part of the 2023 Billboard Music Awards (Nov. 19). She was also honored with the Billboard Chart Achievement Award for the song, presented to her by her 12-year-old twins, Monroe and Moroccan.

The song, originally released in 1994, hit the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time in December 2017. In December 2019, it ascended to the summit at last, for three weeks that holiday season. It became the second holiday song ever to reign, after “The Chipmunk Song,” by The Chipmunks with David Seville, spent four weeks at No. 1 beginning in December 1958.

“Christmas” led the Hot 100 for two more weeks in the 2020 holiday season, thus, passing “The Chipmunk Song” for the most for a Yuletide song. It added three more weeks at No. 1 over the 2021 holidays and a single-season-best four frames during the 2022 season, upping its total to 12 weeks at No. 1.

With its 2019 coronation, Carey claimed her 19th Hot 100 No. 1, extending her mark for the most among soloists and moving to within one of The Beatles’ overall record 20.

“Christmas” concurrently crowns the multi-metric Holiday 100 chart, which returns for the season this week, for a 58th week, of the list’s 63 total frames since the chart began in 2011.

SZA’s “Snooze” slips 4-5 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 2, as it leads the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs chart for a 17th week.

Zach Bryan’s “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves, keeps at No. 6 on the Hot 100, after it led for a week upon its debut in September, as it tops the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Rock Songs charts for a 13th week each and Hot Country Songs for a ninth frame.

Tate McRae’s “Greedy” rises 8-7 on the Hot 100, a week after it became her first top 10. During the tracking week, McRae performed for the first time on both NBC’s Saturday Night Live (Nov. 18) and the 2023 Billboard Music Awards (Nov. 19).

Brenda Lee dances merrily back onto the Hot 100 at No. 8 with “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” which re-enters with 22 million official streams (up 57%), 15.4 million in airplay audience (up 83%) and 2,000 sold (up 308%). It has spent nine weeks at its No. 2 high since it first reached the rank in December 2019; it was originally released in 1958 and hit a prior No. 14 peak in 1960.

For its 65th anniversary, the song received its first official video (featuring cameos from Tanya Tucker and Trisha Yearwood) Nov. 3. Plus, Lee is set to perform it on NBC’s Christmas at the Opry, airing Dec. 7.

With the carol’s latest week in the Hot 100’s top 10, Lee claims the record for the longest span of an act appearing in the tier to 63 years, eight months and two weeks, dating to her first week in the top 10 with “Sweet Nothin’s” in March 1960. (She passes the late Andy Williams, with a span of nearly 63 years and three months from his first week in the top 10 with “Lonely Street” in October 1959 through the most week in the region for his “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” last holiday season; the latter re-enters the chart at No. 28, so the record is in line to revert to Williams, should the song return to the top 10.)

Swift’s “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” slides 5-9 on the Hot 100, three weeks after it debuted as her 11th No. 1.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Tyla earns her first visit to the region with her first entry on the chart, “Water,” which rises 15-10. The song drew 38.4 million in airplay audience (up 24%) and 14.4 million streams (up 49%) and sold 2,000 (up 19%) Nov. 17-23, helped by two remixes, with Marshmello and Travis Scott, respectively, released Nov. 17.

“Water” concurrently tops the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a seventh week.

“This hasn’t happened in so long for a South African artist, born and raised in South Africa, with an African song, with an African dance style,” Tyla recently told Billboard. (The song has also received a 2024 Grammy nomination in the new best African music performance category.) “Everything is so authentic, and the fact that all of that managed to translate overseas is crazy. I always wanted to be the biggest pop star in general. I didn’t want to be the biggest African pop star. I just want to be the biggest pop star that was born and raised in Africa. And the fact that I’m already getting a good response from the world [means] I’m one step closer to that dream.”

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on Billboard’s social accounts, and all charts (dated Dec. 2), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Nov. 28).

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.

Think you know everything about the charts? Play trivia on Billboard Playback now!

27 Nov 2023

Jamie Lynn Says She’s ‘Never Taken Anything’ From Sister Britney Spears: ‘Families Fight’

Following a tense couple of years, Jamie Lynn is opening up about her current relationship with superstar big sis Britney Spears on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here.

On the latest episode of the Australian reality series, the Zoey 101 actress revealed that she and Brit are on good terms — even after the elder Spears sister wrote that Jamie Lynn was a “total b-tch” in her new memoir The Woman in Me. “I love her,” the Dancing With the Stars alum told her fellow contestants of the “Toxic” singer.

“Me and her throw down,” she added, referencing the famous siblings’ numerous public spats over the years. “The world’s seen that. I’ve learned to stop talking about it publicly, but you know what, families fight. Listen, we just do it better than most.”

Jamie Lynn also said that she’d spoken with Britney before coming on I’m a Celebrity, noting that the pop star was “probably checking in on me heavily.” “Me and her both have had a very complicated upbringing,” explained the Zoey 102 star. “We’ve had very complicated circumstances and we both had to deal with them in different ways.”

“Sometimes we took it out on each other when perhaps we shouldn’t have,” she continued. “I’ve been the one person in her life — and she can say this — I’ve never taken anything from her, you know? I’ve been the one person in her life who’s always said, ‘I just want to be your sister.’”

Though the hatchet seems to have been buried, the Spears sisters have had a tumultuous relationship over the past few years — particularly in relation to Britney’s conservatorship battle. After the 13-year financial hold was legally terminated in November 2021, she and Jamie Lynn started butting heads on social media over claims made by the younger Spears in interviews and in her own memoir, Things I Should Have Said, which she published in 2022.

In 2023, Britney published The Woman in Me. Noting in the book that she thought Jamie Lynn “should have taken my side” in their family’s legal debacle, the “Womanizer” artist also wrote: “As I was fighting the conservatorship and receiving a lot of press attention, [Jamie Lynn] was writing a book capitalizing on it. She rushed out salacious stories about me, many of them hurtful and outrageous.”

On I’m a Celebrity, Jamie Lynn also recalled feeling worried about what her classmates would say to her after seeing Brit’s iconic VMAs kiss with Madonna, even though she says she always came to her sister’s defense at school. “Anything my sister did I always thought was the best,” she said. “When it came to my sister… if somebody said anything about it, I was ready to go. I was like, ‘Don’t talk about my sister, she’s the best.’”

Watch Jamie Lynn open up about her relationship with Britney below:

27 Nov 2023

SEVENTEEN’s Dino Releases His First Solo Mixtape ‘Wait’: Watch the Music Video

CARATs, Dino’s solo debut has finally arrived. On Monday (Nov. 27), the SEVENTEEN member released his first mixtape, Wait, which is now available on all streaming platforms.

The project was released alongside a music video for title track “Wait,” which features Dino showing up to a waiting room and taking a ticket and waiting his turn as soon as the other 366 go first. Fed up, he takes to the streets and dances in front of a desolate backstreet. The K-pop star ultimately returns, but the amount of people in front of him has increased considerably. After nearly falling asleep, he takes to the streets again for one last dance.

“Don’t tell me wait/ I’ll hold you close and tell you/ Not to question us, don’t worry/ You and me, that’s why we shine (Don’t tell me wait)/ Please don’t tell me wait,” he sings on the chorus of the upbeat track.

Dino joins fellow members Hoshi, Woozi and Vernon as the fourth member of the group to release a solo project.

His project arrives shortly after the release of SEVENTEEN’s 11th studio album, SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN. The set marked the group’s fourth top 10 album on the all-genre Billboard 200 following its release on Oct. 28; it peaked at No. 2 and has so far spent three weeks on the tally.

Watch the music video for “Wait” above.

27 Nov 2023

Kane Brown on Upcoming NBC Special ‘Christmas at Graceland,’ Joining Elvis Presley on ‘Blue Christmas’: ‘He Paved the Way in So Many Different Areas’

For many, thoughts of the late, Tupelo, Mississippi-born music icon Elvis Presley center around his emotional, husky vocals, genre-defying catalog of enduring recordings, signature hip gyrations, electrifying performance style, jet black hair and bedazzled jumpsuits.

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But for another Southern-born singer-songwriter, the Tennessee and Georgia-raised Kane Brown — who to date has earned 10 Billboard Country Airplay No. 1 hits, including “Heaven,” “What Ifs” and most recently, “Bury Me in Georgia” — Presley’s name and music conjure thoughts of personal connection with a beloved family member.

“My nana is a huge Elvis fan and always has been,” Brown tells Billboard via email. “Growing up, I remember her carrying around a bag with Elvis’ face on it, and my earliest memories of Elvis and his music were of listening to him with her, and how excited she is and still gets hearing his music. My nana is a superhero, and so having that connection with and memory with her and his music is something that means a lot to me.”

On Wednesday (Nov. 29), Brown will be one of several performers helping to celebrate the legacy of the late Presley — as part of the new holiday special, Christmas at Graceland, which airs on NBC beginning at 10 p.m. ET and will be simulcast on Peacock.

Christmas at Graceland marks the first live musical televised holiday special of its kind at the late Presley’s 13.8-acre Memphis, Tennessee estate, and will feature never-before-broadcast footage of Presley. In 1982, Graceland was opened to the public as a museum, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to honor the life of Presley, who died in 1977 at age 42.

In addition to Brown, other artists taking part in the Christmas at Graceland special are Alanis Morissette, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves, newly named CMA entertainer of the year Lainey Wilson, Lana Del Rey, Post Malone and 2024 Grammys best new artist nominee The War and Treaty.

Brown’s performance on Christmas at Graceland connects with his recently released holiday song, a version of Presley’s “Blue Christmas,” which features vocals from both Brown and Presley. Brown previously released a solo version of “Blue Christmas” last year, reaching No. 14 on the Hot Country Songs chart.



Written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson, the tale of unrequited love was recorded by Presley as part of his 1957 Elvis’ Christmas Album project. Brown’s ties to the song as a country singer are notable, given that prior to Presley’s version, “Blue Christmas” had been a No. 1 Hot Country Songs hit for country singer Ernest Tubb in 1950.

Presley’s granddaughter Riley Keough will make special appearances on Christmas at Graceland, and she will also serve as an executive producer under her Felix Culpa banner with partner Gina Gammell. Christmas at Graceland is produced by Done + Dusted, Authentic Studios and Felix Culpa.

Brown recently talked with Billboard over email, discussing his recording “Blue Christmas” alongside Presley’s own vocals, his experience performing as part of Christmas at Graceland, and his own favorite family holiday experiences.

Are you an Elvis fan, and if so, what are your favorite Elvis songs? 

Elvis is an internationally recognized icon and paved the way in so many different areas for artists, but I think to me what’s been really cool is — as I got older, learning a lot more about his background growing up, and just how much he had to push the meter in so may different ways, and how many times he was told “no” before he powered through to become the legend he is today. Now being an artist, having a better understanding just how amazing what he was able to accomplish was, and how he did it with his talent and by being so unique — that’s still so inspiring. It would be hard to pick just one song, but it is still something I am trying to wrap my head around that I have a duet with ELVIS. And to hear my daughters sing it at home now too — what an amazing feeling. 

What was the recording session for “Blue Christmas” like, and what did you think when you heard the finished version? 

Really different, in the sense that you obviously don’t have the other artist in the room while you are recording it — but the first time I heard the final track, it gave me chill bumps. 

What are your impressions of Graceland?

Visiting Graceland and being able to see where he lived and what was important to him and what life he was able to build for his family, having come from nothing, is something I really connect with. I feel his spirit so much there.

What are your favorite holiday traditions you have started with wife Katelyn and your children?

The girls love to sing, and having them be old enough to sing holiday songs together has meant so much. 

Are there certain things you all love to do around Nashville for the holidays?

We love being at home and getting a chance to recharge and really live in gratitude for a minute. Sometimes you blink, and it’s already a year later when you’re out on the road. Touring is amazing, and I am so grateful for what I get to do for a living and all the fans that have been with me since day one and along the way. But getting that time at home when you’re often on the road is an amazing feeling to take the time to have those little moments like having breakfast together and really do the small stuff as a family helps recharge you, and then you feel like you’re ready to get back out there and give it your all on tour. We have such an exciting year coming up next year, and getting that space to be together as family beforehand is something we don’t take for granted. 

27 Nov 2023

Awww… 50 Cent Says This Is the First Thing He Bought When Signed with Eminem and Dr. Dre

50 Cent has made many, many millions during his long run as the G-Unit general. But in a new chat on Apple Music’s The Rebecca Judd Show recorded backstage at his Nov. 21 show at London’s O2 during the European leg of Fif’s The Final Lap tour, 50 tackled some burning questions tied to the 20th anniversary of his breakthrough debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and the first purchase he made after hitting it big.

“I bought my grandmother a C220 Benz. I’ll never forget because when I got the car, I got it right away is the first thing I bought when the deal was done,” 50 (born Curtis Jackson) said of his 2002 signing to Em’s Shady Records, which was under the umbrella of Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Records.

“And then I went on the tour and I came back and my grandfather was on the porch and he was having a moment,” 50 continued. “So he was like, ‘I just went to work. I went to work, hurt my back, came back, and she done brainwashed my kids.’ And he was talking about my grandmother because he was looking at her car in the front yard and he didn’t have a car. He had the older car and he said, ‘I went to work, hurt my back. Until my back hurt, everything.’”

Though he has since punched his own ticket and racked up millions through acting and brand extensions, 50 still can’t believe he was able to buy Mike Tyson’s fabled 50,000-square foot mansion in Farmington, CT. “We went on a world tour and we came back. I had $38 million in my account. The IRS are coming, [so it’s like] – buy it,” he said of the thought process behind buying the massive home in the interview in which he also pointed out his least favorite song on the Get Rich album. “Whatever you want, buy that s–t because they’re just going to take the money anyway. At that point, buy it or they need take it. You need expenses.”

Needed to show some expenses on his books, 50 said he could not think of something else that would “create a bigger comfortability for me at the time. And then anybody that you talked to in finances would look at it and say, yeah, you can… If you buy a property, it’s $3 million or $4 million and you just made $38 million. And yes, this is good for your taxes actually, that you made the purchase and you should buy some cars.”

That’s all well and good, but 50 also admitted that despite all that room to roam he still can’t walk around the house naked. You say, “How much did I pay to live in this motherf–ker and I can’t be naked, at all,” said the father of 11-year-old son Sire, who also has a 26-year-old son from a pervious relationship.

But it’s not because of the little one that 50 can’t participate in Naked Tuesdays.

“Other people can actually walk around their house naked if they feel like it. They bought the motherf–ker, they own it,” he said. “They can do what they feel like. Right? And I couldn’t because I bought a place that had a staff people there. And look, if I came out of the room naked and they saw me…”

27 Nov 2023

50 Cent Reveals His Least Favorite Song From ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin”

As 50 Cent continues to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her magnum opus Get Rich or Die Tryin’, the G-Unit luminary is revealing more tidbits about the making of his lauded debut effort. In an interview with The Rebecca Judd Show on Apple Music 1 during his pit stop in the U.K., 50 disclosed his least favorite song from the decorated rap album. 

“‘Many Men’ was my least favorite at that point because, musically we was in the boom-bap phase,” he explained. “We was in that hard-hitting intensity, the energy on the records, and it’s the slowest song on Get Rich or Die Tryin’. And it’s now the tempo that the artists are rapping to. So the fast tempo, hard-hitting beats, that was that era, that time period. And the whole album had it.”

Speaking about the 2003 set, which earned a Grammy nod for best rap album, the rapper reflected on what he wanted two decades ago and his thoughts on one-hit wonders. “If you had asked me to make a wish in 2003, I would’ve just wish that my music was a hit. I didn’t see 20 years ahead in music like that,” he told Judd. “I’m just that at the moment for it to work.”

“And then what’s crazy is most artists, they think they’re ready before they are,” he continued. “Most good artists, they’ve thought they were ready before they actually could at it, but they’ve had that window of time to work that allowed them to actually become good enough. That’s why we have one-hit wonders in hip-hop culture. Because when that happens, they have that first hit and then it takes them out of the studio to go perform and to go meet all the distractions to come with being a successful artist, and then they land back in the studio without being trained to know how to create the next song. So they be stuck with that one hit.”

Earlier this month, 50 celebrated “In Da Club” — the album’s lead single — earning a diamond certification from the RIAA. The record soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 2003, marking his first single to reach the summit. It stayed on top for nine weeks, and remained on the chart for 30 weeks.

“My run was so uncomfortable that everyone would like to forget that it happened,” 50 said in an interview for Billboard‘s Feb. 9 digital cover story this year. “That’s just the way it is with the artist community. I didn’t come in being friendly because I had to find a way into it — not find a way to be good enough to work in the community. The biggest compliment in the early stages was that artists felt like they’d made it when they got the deal. You had to earn the right to have the deal.”

27 Nov 2023

Taylor Swift Fans Are Having Fun With ‘Fokelore’ Typo in New Eras Tour Trailer: ‘Who Let Travis Edit the Promo Video?’

Turkey with a side of spell-check? Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour movie trailer for the extended version of the film is out now, but with misspelled album title Monday (Nov. 27) on two verified accounts associated with the superstar, and Swifties are having some fun with the oversight.

The typo in the new teaser follows Swift’s Monday announcement that her blockbuster concert film will be available to rent on-demand starting Dec. 13, aka her 34th birthday. Layered over action shots of the pop superstar performing onstage, silver letters spelling out the names of her 10 studio albums flash across the screen in the clip; however, only nine of those albums titles are spelled correctly.

In place of Swift’s Grammy winning 2020 record Folklore, the trailer reads: Fokelore. So close!

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

At press time, the slightly imperfect trailer is still up on Taylor Nation and the film’s Instagram accounts. And the longer it goes unfixed, the funnier it seems to be getting for fans on social media.

Countless Swifties have been taking to Twitter to shares jokes ever since the new promo video was posted — all in good fun, of course. For instance, one person ribbed it with a play on a lyric from Swift’s Lover lead single “Me!,” writing, “i don’t think spelling is fun for taylor nation.”

Others joked that Swift’s boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, was to blame for the spelling error. The football star recently went viral after several of his decade-old tweets resurfaced online, many of them comprised of hilariously misspelled words. (See: “i just gave a squirle a peice of bread and it straight smashed all of it!!!!”)

“okay who let travis edit the promo video???” teased one Swiftie, sharing a screenshot of the “Fokelore” frame.

“they’re really soulmates guys,” quipped another fan.

See some of the best fan reactions to the typo below:

27 Nov 2023

Here’s How Taylor Swift Reacted to Travis Kelce Setting Another Chiefs Record

Taylor Swift may not be cheer captain, but she’s still rooting on Travis Kelce both on and off the bleachers.

Though the “Anti-Hero” singer was unable to attend Kelce’s away game against the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday (Nov. 26), she did show her support for the Kansas City Chiefs player’s fresh new record – fourth and fastest tight end to ever reach 11,000 total receiving yards, and the only player in franchise history to do it at all — by liking an Instagram post about his feat.  

The official Chiefs account shared news of Kelce’s latest record, along with a photo of him celebrating Kansas City’s 31-17 victory against Las Vegas on the field Sunday afternoon. According to the NFL, the 34-year-old Ohio native’s 27-yard second quarter catch was what sent him over the 11,000 yards mark in his 154th game, surpassing Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez’s previous record of reaching the milestone after 191 games. 

Fans were quick to notice that the Chiefs’ post had earned a double tap from Kelce’s superstar girlfriend, with many flooding the comments to point out her stamp of approval. “Taylor, we see you ? lurking ?,” wrote one fan. 

“Taylor is coming to claim her man ?❤️,” joked another person, while one fan wrote, “@chiefs The legendary Taylor Swift has liked this post.” 

It’s not the first time that Swift — who spent her Sunday putting on her final Eras Tour show in São Paulo, Brazil — has celebrated her new beau’s talents via Instagram likes. Earlier this month, the 33-year-old pop star “hearted” a post about Kelce becoming the all-time leading receiver in Chiefs history. 

The 12-time Grammy winner has also become a frequent guest at Kelce’s games since the pair started dating earlier this year, and she’s often spotted cheering him on in a box suite next to the Ohio native’s mom and Brittany Mahomes, who is married to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Her Eras Tour commitments have kept her busy over the past few weekends, but Sunday night marked her final show of 2023 — meaning, she might just be available for the Chiefs’ showdown against the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 3.