Music

16 Oct 2023

Taylor Swift’s Tour Security Guard Returns Home to Israel to Rejoin the Israel Defense Forces

Taylor Swift‘s security guard who protected her during The Eras Tour has gone back to his home in Israel to fight against Hamas, according to Israel Today. He is joining the Israel Defense Forces, the national military of the State of Israel.

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“I got a pretty great life back in the U.S.,” the guard, who wishes to keep his name anonymous, told Israeli journalist Eran Swisa, who broke the news. “I got an amazing dream job that I love, great friends that I call family and a very comfortable home. I didn’t HAVE to come here… But I could not stand on the sidelines while families are being slaughtered and burned alive in their homes!!! Just for being Jewish or for being Israelis.

“I’m not only standing here with Israel and actually standing here. I’m standing here with humanity,” the statement continued, according to Swisa — who posted about the news on his TikTok and Instagram. “Don’t be on the wrong side of history!! Don’t stand on the sidelines and say nothing… Stand with Israel, stand with HUMANITY!!!!!”

So far, the Israel-Hamas war has resulted in the deaths of more than 1,300 Israelis as of a week ago (260 of whom were killed at a music festival in the area earlier this month) and has led Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order a “complete siege” of Gaza in retaliation, cutting off water, electricity and food to the territory from which the invasion was launched.

16 Oct 2023

Why Is a Punk Band Suing Mobb Deep Over Supreme T-Shirts?

Mobb Deep is facing a lawsuit over a recent collaboration with streetwear brand Supreme. Filed by a New York City hardcore punk band Sick of It All, the suit claims that Mobb Deep members Havoc and the late Prodigy stole their dragon-shaped logo.

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In a lawsuit filed Friday, the band accused both Supreme and Mobb Deep of infringing its trademarks with a line of T-shirts launched this summer. The case claims that Mobb Deep’s emblem, featured on the shirts, is “virtually identical” to a logo that Sick of It All has used since 1987.

“This case arises out of defendants’ improper and illegal use of a nearly identical logo mark to plaintiff’s inherently distinctive, incontestable, and famous logo,” wrote lawyers for Bush Baby Zamagate Inc., the company that owns Sick of It All’s intellectual property. “Defendants’ adoption and use of their knockoff logo … is not just reckless and inexplicable — it is willful infringement and unfair competition.”

As defendants, the lawsuit named Chapter 4 Corp., the owner of Supreme; Kejuan Muchita Inc., a corporate entity owned by Havoc; and the estate of Prodigy (Albert Jackson Johnson), who died in 2017.

Back in June, when Supreme launched the Mobb Deep shirts, the website Hypebeast tried to explain the origins of the duo’s logo. The “tribal tattoo-style dragon,” the site claimed, had been “borrowed” from Sick of It All — “who, like Mobb Deep, is from Queens, New York.”

Turns out, Sick of It All doesn’t see the story quite the same way.

In Friday’s lawsuit, their lawyers say that, over the course of three decades, they have repeatedly demanded that Mobb Deep stop using the dragon design, first in 1997 and again in 2003. The new complaint included a copy of a cease-and-desist that the band sent in 2003, after a version of the dragon logo was used in an insert included in Mobb Deep’s Free Agents: The Murda Mixtape.

“This is not the first time that plaintiff has objected to Mobb Deep’s use of a logo substantially identical to plaintiff’s mark,” the new complaint reads. “Immediately prior to the institution of this lawsuit, plaintiff demanded that defendants cease use of their infringing logo and provide an accounting to plaintiff of sales of the infringing goods. Defendants refused to comply with those demands.”

In 2011, Mobb Deep spoke about the logo in an interview with clothing brand Mishka NYC. In it, Prodigy explained he basically picked the image off of a tattoo parlor wall when he was a teenager and got it inked to his hand.

“Basically, when I was 14 or 15, there was this tattoo parlor in Elmart off Hemstead turnpike and I had walked in there to get my first tattoo,” he said. “There was this dragon on the wall and I didn’t know what it was, I just thought it looked ill, I was mad young and I had always wanted something on my hand. I prolly seen it on some of those L.A. gang movies like Colors. I thought’d be cool, it’d look like some tough shit. So I told the dude put that on my hand. When me and Hav started Mobb Deep, we turned it into the lil clique thing.”

Prodigy went on to say, “We wanted to turn it into the logo for Mobb Deep, but, then we got a cease and desist letter in the mail…. That was just some random sh–! We didn’t even know, we was just young kids.”

Representatives for Supreme and Mobb Deep did not immediately return requests for comment.

Read the entire complaint here:

16 Oct 2023

Millie Bobby Brown Reveals How Jake Bongiovi Changed Her Thoughts on Becoming a Wife

Millie Bobby Brown is gearing up to step into her latest role: as (future) wife to Jon Bon Jovi’s son Jake Bongiovi. The Stranger Things actress, who is Glamour‘s latest cover star, revealed in her interview with the magazine that becoming a wife initially did not appeal to her, but after meeting Bongiovi, she changed her mind.

“He’s so kind. And his heart is just loving and wonderful and smart,” she gushed of her 21-year-old fiancé, noting that getting married “wasn’t my dream … my dream was to have a baby.”

Brown’s original plan was to emulate the way her mother and grandmother raised her, but she didn’t factor getting married into her own life plans. “I wanted to be the woman that my mom is to me and I wanted to be the woman that my grandmother was to me,” she said. “So that was never my, like, intention, to be a wife. But after meeting Jake and seeing, ‘Oh, I don’t have to be this stereotypical wife for him. He doesn’t want me to be that either. He wants me to go and do my thing and live my life, and he will hold my hand in the process of that.’ I was like, ‘Oh, I do want this.’”

While fans of the couple will have to wait and see when Brown and Bongiovi will tie the knot, in the meantime, the 19-year-old explained that seeing her parents’ marriage, as well as the bond her future in-laws have with each other, has been great inspiration.

“We were modeled wonderful, loving relationships, so it’s something that we both had that mutual drive for,” she added. “His family were so wonderfully accepting of me and embraced me, and it’s so nice to find a second family in that.”

Read Millie Bobby Brown’s full interview here.

16 Oct 2023

Travis Barker Sustains Bloody Hand Injury in Manchester

Travis Barker is healing up following a gruesome hand injury after playing drums with his band Blink-182 in Manchester, England, this week.

The rocker took to his Instagram Stories to share a photo of the bloody injury that featured scabs and cuts across his fingers and knuckles. He also added a photo of his blood-stained pants from the incident.

Last month, Barker took time off of Blink’s tour after the band announced Sept. 1 that it was postponing shows in Ireland and Scotland due to an “urgent family matter” that required the drummer to return to the United States immediately. Less than a week later, Kardashian shared further details about the situation via Instagram on Sept. 6, revealing that she needed an emergency surgery to save her and Barker’s unborn child.

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“I am eternally grateful to my husband who rushed to my side from tour to be with me in the hospital and take care of me afterwards, my rock,” she wrote. “As someone who has had three really easy pregnancies in the past, I wasn’t prepared for the fear of rushing into urgent fetal surgery. I don’t think anyone who hasn’t been through a similar situation can begin to understand that feeling of fear. I have a whole new understanding and respect for the mamas who have had to fight for their babies while pregnant.”

16 Oct 2023

Taylor Swift Fans’ ‘Hot Ones’ Hopes Go Down in Flames

While a social media post convinced Taylor Swift fans that she might be the next celebrity to appear on Hot Ones, it now looks like it was all a misunderstanding.

Complex Media’s First We Feast took to Instagram on Monday (Oct. 16) to share a cryptic teaser that a new Hot Ones challenge had been accepted. The caption reads, “Are you ready for it?” — which Swifties were quick to point out could be a reference to the superstar’s Reputation single “…Ready for It?”

The pop star’s fans flooded the comments section about how excited they were, with some even joking they would unfollow the First We Feast account if it wasn’t teasing a Swift appearance. By late Monday afternoon, the account had hidden the comments and turned off commenting, and also shared a new post with the message “we are fellow swifties too, we come in peace.” The video shared in the post includes the message “me to the hot ones talent booker after accidentally teasing that taylor swift was going to be on hot ones” with the Kris Jenner audio: “What would happen if you just called Taylor up?”

In another post, First We Feast shares a new hint for the next guest — “The fourth match of my career was against a bear” — making it clear that Swift is not the one. “Oh so it’s not Taylor,” one fan commented on the post, while another shared the Tyra Banks meme where she shouts “I was rooting for you! We were all rooting for you!”

Billboard has reached out to both First We Feast and Swift’s teams for comment.

The pop superstar has yet to appear on the popular web series, though her new love interest Travis Kelce tested his spice tolerance in a 2016 episode.

For those who aren’t familiar with the Hot Ones series, in each episode, host Sean Evans and a celebrity guest eat 10 chicken wings or vegan substitutes, with each wing prepared with a progressively spicier hot sauce. Meanwhile, the celebrity answers thoughtful and well-researched questions from Evans while trying to keep it cool amid the heat.

The newest season of the series has had some of the show’s biggest stars yet, including *NSYNC, Cardi B and Doja Cat. During the “Attention” singer’s episode, she talked about her recent album and her newly shaved head. “What I like most about it, I can focus on what I’m wearing and less about my hair,” the Grammy winner said. “Hair, it’s a whole other world. It’s like, f— that. I can just wear a cute outfit and be bald. There’s hella bad b—hes that are bald in this world.”

Billboard previously ranked the “show with hot questions and even hotter wings,” and you can see our list here.

16 Oct 2023

Britney Spears Teases Excerpts From Upcoming Memoir: ‘I Felt Like I Was Living on the Edge of a Cliff’

Britney Spears is gearing up to release her highly anticipated memoir The Woman in Me on Oct. 24, and the star took to X on Sunday (Oct. 15) to share some excerpts from the upcoming book.

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“I actually envy the people who know how to make fame work for them,” is seen opening the 26-second clip, before it transitions into, “My demeanor was innocent – and it wasn’t an act. I didn’t know what I was doing.”

The video continues with the passage, “I felt like I was living on the edge of a cliff,” before ultimately concluding with, “If you stood up for me when I couldn’t stand up for myself: from the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

The debut memoir is a “brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope,” according to a press release from publisher Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

The book comes amid a new chapter in Spears’ life, ollowing her split from husband Sam Asghari after one year of marriage and six years together. Asghari filed for divorce in August citing “irreconcilable differences.”

The Woman in Me will be available as a hardcover, e-book and audio book. You can pre-order the memoir at various retailers including Amazon (also available on Kindle), Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart and Bookshop.

16 Oct 2023

What’s Your Favorite Song on Bad Bunny’s ‘Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana’? Vote!

If you’ve had Bad Bunny‘s Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana on repeat since it dropped on Friday (Oct. 13), you’re probably not alone. In fact, just hours after it dropped, Spotify announced that the set became their most-streamed album in a single day in 2023 so far.

The album features a star-studded lineup of producers — including his go-to collaborators MAG, Tainy and La Paciencia — and team-ups with fellow hitmakers such as Arcángel, Bryant Myers, De La Ghetto, Eladio Carrión, Feid, Luar La L, Mora, Ñengo, Young Miko and YOVNGCHIMI. The trap-heavy album finds the Puerto Rican star going back to his roots, the genre that made him a household name in the first place.

Nadie Sabe is Bad Bunny’s fifth solo studio album, following last year’s blockbuster Un Verano Sin Ti. His 2022 album spent 13 weeks atop the Billboard 200 albums chart and topped the year-end Billboard 200 as well — the first Spanish-language album to do so.

He first teased the new project on Oct. 9 when he took to Instagram to share the album title and release date. “The most anticipated day by many has arrived,” he captioned the promo video. This after telling his more-than 15 million followers on his WhatsApp Channel that “this is possibly the last song I release this year. It’s a little preview of what’s to come next year.” Just when fans thought there would be no more releases from Bad Bunny this year, he gifts them a whole new album.

Billboard wants to know which is your favorite track on Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana — vote below:

16 Oct 2023

A2IM Libera Awards Adds Three New Categories for 2024

The American Association of Independent Music, Inc. is adding three new categories to the 2024 A2IM Libera Awards.

They are:

  • Publisher of the year, honoring the publishing company that has demonstrated exceptional commitment to songwriters, composers, and the broader independent industry.
  • Distributor of the year, celebrating the distributor that has made significant contributions to the distribution of independent music.
  • Best record from games and interactive media, recognizing the growing importance of video game music and honor outstanding original music composed for video games. The Grammys first presented best score soundtrack for video games and other interactive media at the awards ceremony in February. Stephanie Economou was the inaugural winner for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok.

Submissions are now open in all categories for the 2024 A2IM Libera Awards. The submission deadline is Dec. 4.

“The Libera Awards show is the biggest night of the year for independent music,” said Dr. Richard James Burgess, MBE president and CEO of A2IM, in a statement. “We are thrilled to add three new categories to the 2024 awards, to further shine a spotlight on the depth and breadth of the independent sector. We look forward to seeing and celebrating those nominated in the weeks ahead.”

The 2023 Libera Awards, presented by Merlin and hosted by Hannibal Buress, took place on June 15 at the Town Hall in midtown Manhattan. Notable winners included Wet Leg (who took home five awards, including record of the year), Sudan Archives, Run the Jewels, Big Thief, Low, The Linda Lindas, Captured Tracks, Partisan Records, Innovative Leisure and Bandcamp.

16 Oct 2023

BLACKPINK’s Jennie Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S. Chart With ‘You & Me’

Jennie’s “You & Me” jumps onto the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. songs chart (dated Oct. 21) at No. 1. The song marks the first solo leader for the BLACKPINK member and the second for a member of the group, following Rosé’s “On the Ground” in March 2021; as a group, BLACKPINK boasts three No. 1s on the survey.

The group makes history on Global Excl. U.S., as BLACKPINK becomes the first act with multiple members that have led the list, thanks to Jennie and Rosé (along with its own No. 1s as a group).

Also in the latest Global Excl. U.S. top 10, Bizarrap and Milo J debut at No. 10 with “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 57,” marking the former’s fourth top 10 and the latter’s first.

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

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

“You & Me” debuts atop Global Excl. U.S. led by 60 million streams outside the U.S. Oct. 6-12. The song is the first No. 1 (and second chart entry) for BLACKPINK’s Jennie, with the group having led with “Lovesick Girls” in 2020 and “Pink Venom” and “Shut Down” in 2022. She becomes the second member of the group to reign as a soloist, after Rosé’s “On the Ground” began on top in March 2021.

As BLACKPINK becomes the first act with multiple members having topped Global Excl. U.S., all four members of the South Korean group have now hit the top 10, totaling five top 10 hits (outpacing BLACKPINK’s four): Prior to Jennie’s new No. 1, Lisa logged two top 10s, “Lalisa” and “Money,” which hit Nos. 2 and 7, respectively, in 2021; Rosé has earned one top 10, the No. 1 “On the Ground”; and Jisoo has also tallied one top 10, “Flower,” which reached No. 2 this April.

Jung Kook and Jack Harlow’s “3D” descends to No. 2 after spending its first week on Global Excl. U.S. at No. 1; Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, dips 2-3, following nine weeks at No. 1 beginning in July; Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” descends 3-4, following two weeks on top starting in September; and Tate McRae’s “Greedy” backtracks to No. 5 from its No. 4 high.

Also in the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, Bizarrap and Milo J debut at No. 10 with “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 57,” with 39.3 million streams outside the U.S. The track is Argentinian Bizarrap’s fourth top 10, following the series’ “Vol. 55,” with Peso Pluma (one week at No. 1, this June); “Vol. 53,” with Shakira (No. 2, January); and “Vol. 52,” with Quevedo (six weeks at No. 1, beginning in July 2022. (Amid that run, “Vol. 56,” with Rauw Alejandro, hit No. 17 this July after “Vol. 54,” with Arcangel, reached No. 22 in April.)

The new entry is the first top 10 on the chart for Milo j, also from Argentina.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Oct. 21, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Oct. 17). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

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

16 Oct 2023

Drake & Yeat’s ‘IDGAF’ Soars in Atop Billboard Global 200 Chart

Drake’s “IDGAF,” featuring Yeat, debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 songs chart (dated Oct. 21). The collaboration, from Drake’s LP For All the Dogs, which concurrently opens at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, is Drake’s third Global 200 leader and Yeat’s first.

In all, Drake sends five songs into the latest Global 200’s top 10, all debuts from the new set.

Plus, Jennie’s “You & Me” starts at No. 7 on the Global 200, marking the first top 10 for the BLACKPINK member, with all four members of the group now having hit the tier as soloists.

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

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

“IDGAF” begins with 65.5 million streams and 2,000 sold worldwide Oct. 6-12, following its Oct. 6 release. Canadian superstar Drake achieves his third Global 200 No. 1, following “Rich Flex,” with 21 Savage, in November 2022, and “What’s Next,” in March 2021, with all three songs have started at the summit. He ties Bad Bunny for the most Global 200 No. 1s among soloists; overall, only BTS boasts more, with seven.

Yeat tops the Global 200 for the first time, in his second visit to the list.

Drake claims five songs in the latest Global 200’s top 10. Here’s a rundown of the tracks (all of which are debuts):

  • No. 1, “IDGAF,” feat. Yeat
  • No. 2, “First Person Shooter,” feat. J. Cole
  • No. 4, “Virginia Beach,” Drake
  • No. 9, “Calling for You,” feat. 21 Savage
  • No. 10, “Gently,” feat. Bad Bunny

Drake has now logged a record 35 top 10s since the Global 200 began (more than twice as many as runner-up Taylor Swift, with 17). J. Cole adds his sixth top 10; 21 Savage, his 14th (and 11th with Drake); and Bad Bunny, his 16th.

Elsewhere in the Global 200’s top five, Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” drops 2-3, following four weeks at No. 1 beginning in September, and Jung Kook and Jack Harlow’s “3D” drops to No. 5 a week after it debuted at No. 1.

Meanwhile, Jennie’s “You & Me” debuts at No. 7 on the Global 200, with 65.1 million streams worldwide. The song is the first top 10 (and chart entry) for the member of South Korea’s BLACKPINK, which has notched four top 10s as a group, including the No. 1s “Pink Venom” and “Shut Down” in 2022. All four members of BLACKPINK’s have now hit the top 10, totaling five top 10 hits (thus, surpassing BLACKPINK’s total): Lisa has logged two solo top 10s, “Lalisa” and “Money,” which hit Nos. 2 and 10, respectively, in 2021; Rosé has earned one top 10, and the first solo leader among the four members, as “On the Ground” began at No. 1 in March 2021; and Jisoo has also tallied one top 10, “Flower,” which reached No. 2 this April.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Oct. 21, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Oct. 17). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

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