Music

28 Aug 2023

R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Omar Apollo, Tai Verdes, Luh Tyler & More

Temperatures are dropping but the R&B/hip-hop heat still persists. This week we’ve got a collection of songs by genre-benders (Omar Apollo and Tai Verdes), emerging rap stars (Luh Tyler, Audrey Nuna and Big Bratt) and an R&B staple (Kyle Dion) to help you power through this last week of August.

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Don’t forget to share the wealth and check out our August picks in the Spotify playlist, linked below. Stay tuned for September!

Freshest Find: Omar Apollo, “Ice Slippin”

This week’s freshest find goes to Omar Apollo for “Ice Slippin,” his emotional ballad about the time he came out to his family. “‘Ice Slippin’ is about reliving the thoughts I had passing through my mind the winter I came out to my family,” Apollo shared in a press statement. “Receiving cold judgment as opposed to the acceptance I felt I deserved. This song is a reflection and reaction of all the emotions I had to face before and after I decided to leave the icy streets of Indiana.” “Ice Slippin” will appear on Apollo’s upcoming EP Live for Me (out October 6).

Luh Tyler, “Rapper of the Year”

“I ain’t never wrote a song, no, I don’t need no pad or pen,” is the boastful intro line to Luh Tyler’s new track “Rapper of the Year.” The Florida teen rapper has been making a name for himself in rap with his witty bars and quivering flow. “Rapper of the Year” is the intro track on his new three-song EP ROTY.

Tai Verdes, “All White”

Tai Verdes’ “All White” is a bass-forward track inspired in part by what he describes as the “second-generation Black mindset of putting culture on your shoulders and moving forward.” The California artist has mastered making light and airy pop songs, though “All White” arguably slightly crosses into R&B territory with its groovy bass line.

Kyle Dion, “Boyfriend Jeans”

Leaning fully into R&B is Kyle Dion, whose new single “Boyfriend Jeans” seamlessly infuses his creamy falsetto with funky 2000s R&B elements. After taking a full year off following the release of his 2022 deluxe album SASSY, the L.A.-based crooner is back with a song “about a fling with a girl and getting caught in an ever-endless cycle of toxicity between her and her boyfriend,” he shares in a press release. “Every time they fight and break up, she’d come running back to me.” 

AUDREY NUNA, “locket”

Audrey Nuna samples the late rapper Huey’s 2006 hit “Pop, Lock and Drop It” for her new single “locket.” The New Jersey rapper also pays homage to late French filmmaker Valentin Petit, who passed earlier this year and directed the song’s video. “When it came time to build out the visual universe for my new project, I came across Valentin’s name through my friend and reached out online. After two months of preparing over the phone, we shot ‘locket’ in Paris in April of 2023… it was a surreal week,” she shares in a statement. “Even though I only knew Valentin for a sum of three months, I found in this short time that everything that drew me to his videos clearly stemmed from the blueprint of his soul and who he was at his core.”

Fridayy, “Stand by Me”

On his self-titled new album Fridayy, the baritone Philly singer is telling his story as well as the story of those around him. “It’s a project for us, by me,” he says. “I want people to connect to their experiences as they hear mine. I’m talking about hope and inspiration as much as I’m talking about trials and tribulations. You can’t talk about the dream without talking about the pain. Those life aspects are universal, so I’m hoping it touches as many people as possible as they see themselves in me.” Standout track “Stand By Me” hears him backed by a choir, crooning about righting his wrongs and wishing for his people to sticky by him through thick and thin.

Big Bratt, “Real Stand Up Bxtch”

Big Bratt had to “cut them hatin’ b–ches off ’cause they had different visions” — rightfully so. The Chattanooga, Tennessee rapper proved that she’s a “Real Stand Up Bxtch” on her new single which was released under Slaughter Gang Entertainment (21 Savage) and Boominati Worldwide (Metro Boomin).

28 Aug 2023

BTS’ V Drops ‘Scenery,’ ‘Winter Bear’ & ‘Snow Flower’ on Streaming Ahead of Solo Album Release

V‘s solo album, Layover, is almost here! And to celebrate, three of the BTS member’s previous tracks — “Scenery,” “Winter Bear” and “Snow Flower” — were released to streaming on Monday (Aug. 28).

BTS’ management company, Big Hit Music, tweeted the announcement along with links to YouTube. “Taehyung’s comfort songs finally on Spotify,” one fan excitedly shared in the comments section of the post, while another user simply wrote, “HIS MASTERPIECES ARE FINALLY RELEASE[D].”

“Scenery” originally arrived in January of 2019, and marked the BTS vocalist’s first self-composed track. “Winter Bear” followed with a surprise drop in August of that year, while “Snow Flower” — which also features rapper and V’s close friend Peakboy — arrived in December 2020.

Prior to the tracks’ formal release, the three songs were available only via YouTube or SoundCloud. In addition to now being available on U.S. streamers such as Apple Music and Spotify, the songs have also made it to South Korean streaming platforms, including Melon, Genie, VIBE, FLO and Bugs.

The song trio’s arrival comes ahead of the release of V’s upcoming solo album, Layover, which is scheduled for Sept. 8. The set was preceded by singles “Rainy Days” and “Love Me Again,” with tracks “Blue,” “Love Me Again,” “Slow Dancing,” “For Us” and a bonus piano version of “Slow Dancing” also set to appear on the album.

Listen to “Scenery,” “Winter Bear” and “Snow Flower” below.

 

28 Aug 2023

Cardi B Says Her New Album Is Coming ‘Very Soon’

Cardi B graces the new issue of Vogue México y Latinoamérica and shared an update on her long-awaited sophomore album in the cover story.

“I’m not going to release any more collaborations. I’m going to put out my next solo single. Right now, I’m working on the cover art and ideas for the next record because it’s definitely coming up,” she revealed. “Everyone always tells me I should put the record out now. They did when I released ‘WAP’ [with Megan Thee Stallion] and when I released ‘Up,’ but I always let them know I’m not going to wait long after all these singles. So stay tuned because it’s coming out very soon.”

Cardi connected with her husband, Offset, for his new single “Jealousy,” released at the end of July. The Bronx firecracker remains a stalwart on the features front after her torrid run this year with verses for Latto (“Put It On the Floor Again”) and FendiDa Rappa (“Point Me 2”). A new Cardi album would mark her first since 2018’s Invasion of Privacy. The album spawned two No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 singles, the diamond-certified “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It.” She also won the Grammy for best rap album for Invasion of Privacy, topping Pusha T, Mac Miller, Travis Scott and Nipsey Hussle. 

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Elsewhere, in her interview with Vogue México y Latinoamérica, Cardi also spoke on her entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to conquer every market, including movies. In recent years, Cardi has had cameos in Hustlers and Fast and Furious 9. “I also have plans in the world of cinema,” she said. “In fact, I have plans to do everything I can: fashion, branding — I want to do it all, honey.”

See her cover for Vogue México y Latinoamérica below:

28 Aug 2023

Timbaland Reveals Title For New Collab With Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado

Things are looking up for your Labor Day weekend. After months of teasing, on Monday morning (Aug. 28) Timbaland finally revealed the title of his upcoming single with longtime collaborators Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado. The song, “Keep Going Up!,” is due out on Friday (Sept. 1), just in time to get fans hyped for the three-day holiday weekend.

Tim revealed what looked like the cover art as well, which consists of the blue-fading-to-pink title in balloon letters under the three stars’ names.

The single is the long-awaited follow-up to the trio’s first collab, 2007’s “Give It to Me,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 16 years ago. Last week, Tim posted a teaser video for “Keep Going Up!,” which he captioned “WE BACK,” alongside peeking eyes and exploding head emojis. “Da king has returned!” The tease came a month after his Instagram post in which he and Timberlake hopped on a FaceTime call with Furtado while the pair worked on Tim’s upcoming sixth studio album.

The super producer also announced that his first full-length since 2009’s Shock Value II is due out in November; at press time a title and track list had not yet been announced. All three artists have released new music so far this year, with Timbaland teaming up with BIA in March on “I’m That Bitch,” Furtado dropping the Dom Dolla-assissted “Eat Your Man” in June and Timberlake guesting on a remix of Coco Jones’ “ICU” in July.

Check out the title reveal below.

28 Aug 2023

8 Must-Hear New Country Songs: Zach Bryan, Scotty McCreery, Morgan Wade, Margo Price & More

This week’s batch of new country music includes songs from Zach Bryan (with The War and Treaty), Morgan Wade, Scotty McCreery, East Nash Grass, Grant Gilbert and more.

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Zach Bryan and The War and Treaty, “Hey Driver”

One of three collaborations featured on Bryan’s 16-track, self-titled album (the others being collabs with Kacey Musgraves and The Lumineers), this gritty track pairs Bryan with married duo (and superb vocalists) The War and Treaty. Lyrically, the song conveys a road-weary musician in need of a respite, one who has spent his heart on his music and wisely perceives tourmates who are “gambling with more than just their cards/ With their bottles and their drugs and their bibles and their hearts.” The one-two vocal punch of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter’s otherworldly harmonies would push any artist to give their best, and this piano-based song finds Bryan offering some of his most affecting vocals on the album.

Scotty McCreery, “Cab in a Solo”

As an artist and a songwriter, McCreery has been on a hot streak of well-crafted, notably performed songs over the past few years, notching five No. 1 hits on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart. With his latest, which he wrote with Brent Anderson and Frank Rogers, McCreery continues to slake music listeners’ ongoing affinity for ’90s country, thanks to a neo-traditional sound connected to vivid lyricism. The song’s hook sums the protagonist’s reaction to a lover who’s moved on, with the nimble wordplay “drinking cab in a Solo/ solo in the cab of my truck.”

Morgan Wade, “27 Club”

A standout from her new album Psychopath (which released Friday, Aug. 25), this solo write from Wade references the “27 Club” — a catalog of musicians who died at age 27, including Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse — as she exquisitely details surviving and rising above the strains of mental health afflictions, addictions, suicidal thoughts, media obsessions and Hollywood “romances,” to find moments of peace within oneself. Wade’s signature husky, worldly vocals drive home the scrappiness and the disappointment of a superficial relationship with someone who “only knows me ’cause I wrote the song about the hotel lobby,” referring to Wade’s breakthrough hit “Wilder Days.”

Chayce Beckham, “Little Less Lonely”

The “23” hitmaker and American Idol alum returns with this radio-friendly track about assuaging heartbreak by inundating oneself in neon lights, music, libations and the arms of a potential new lover. Beckham wrote “Little Less Lonely” with Lindsay Rimes and Matt Rogers.

East Nash Grass, Last Chance to Win

A collection of some of the bluegrass genre’s towering younger talents, East Nash Grass is nominated for the 2023 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s new artist of the year honor. Their 11-track album Last Chance to Win, offers ample evidence as to why they’ve earned such accolades. Each member of the group — guitarist James Kee, banjo player Cory Walker, mandolin player Harry Clark, dobro player Gaven Largent, fiddle player Maddie Denton and bassist Jeff Picker — has a sterling resumé, but their collaborative efforts further esteem their musical potency ranging from traditional bluegrass sounds to more progressive fare. Whether the fleet-fingered picking displayed on the Uncle Dave Macon mainstay “Railroadin’ and Gamblin’” or their superb takes on Bill Anderson’s “Slippin’ Away” and Johnny Rodriguez’s “How Could I Love Her So Much,” this collective offers distinguished musicianship as one of the most exciting new groups in the genre.

Margo Price, “Strays”

Price continues unspooling her previous album Strays, with the upcoming double project Strays II (out Oct. 13). The album is spearheaded by this psychedelic, rutilant roots-rock groove she and her husband, fellow musician Jeremy Ivey, wrote about the boundless experience of falling in love more than two decades ago, a time with little money but plenty of will and determination. Price further cements her position as a keen-eyed, poetic lyricist and an inimitable artist.

Chris Lane, “Find Another Bar”

She’s broken his heart, and now she’s deadset on taking over the space he’s staked out for his own emotional refuge. Written by Lane with Josh Thompson and Justin Ebach, Lane’s new release finds him veering slightly from hip-hop infused, polished pop-country to a sound with a ragged rock edge, while still residing squarely in his musical wheelhouse. “Find Another Bar” marks Lane’s first release on his new label home at Red Street Records/Voyager Records.

Grant Gilbert, “Turn It Down”

Gilbert is currently aloft the Texas Regional Radio Chart with his “Six Pack State of Mind,” featuring Josh Abbott. While the Santo, Texas native’s sleek twangy vocal remains intact on his followup, “Turn It Down,” this outing veers into sultry, soulful, rock-tinged territory, as it hinges on the nexus between fiery tensions and romance as salve. A bluesy, grainy guitar groove only heightens the song’s sensual storyline. “Turn It Down” was written by Lainey Wilson, Driver Williams and Arkady Gilman.

28 Aug 2023

Why Jorja Smith’s New Album Is Her Most Inspired Yet

All that Jorja Smith likes to do is write and sing — which makes separating herself from her career “a bit tricky” sometimes. “I’ll have days where I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, I wish I gave myself a different name because I need to switch Jorja Smith off,’ ” she says. “I don’t want to be Jorja Smith all of the time.”

Struggling to find balance not only speaks to her Gemini zodiac sign, says the 26-year-old artist, but is also at the core of her highly anticipated second album, Falling or Flying, out Sept. 29 on her longtime independent label, FAMM. “I don’t really have an in between. I’m either happy or sad, obsessed or completely unfocused, up or down,” she says. “I feel like I’m flying in my career, and then other times, I feel like I’m falling because the pressure can feel [like] too much.”

At 18, Smith left her hometown of Walsall, England, and traveled two-and-a-half hours south to London in order to pursue music full time. Her secondary school yearbook named her most likely to become famous — and she quickly ascended to become one of the United Kingdom’s brightest stars. In 2016, Smith uploaded her socially conscious debut single, “Blue Lights,” to SoundCloud, and it garnered nearly half a million plays in one month. The song eventually appeared on her 2018 critically acclaimed debut album, Lost & Found, which boasted slow-burning songs that blended R&B, reggae, hip-hop, jazz and neo-soul production with a songwriting approach inspired by Amy Winehouse. All the while, Smith earned co-signs from Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Stormzy, as well as acclaim in the form of a 2018 BRITs Critics’ Choice Award and a 2019 Grammy nod for best new artist.

But fulfilling her yearbook prophecy had a disorienting effect on Smith, who became famous in her early 20s. After tiding fans over with the 2021 EP Be Right Back, she moved home to Walsall at the beginning of 2023. “I went back when I finally decided I’ve had enough of ­London … It’s a bit overwhelming sometimes,” she says with a sigh. “I moved back and I feel a lot more balanced. I feel more myself now.”

On Falling or Flying, Smith soars over sprightly tracks that experiment with acoustic indie-rock production, syncopated basslines and retro synth chords. She enlisted U.K. jungle DJ-producer Nia Archives to remix the album’s second single, “Little Things,” which captured a flirty, feverish energy quintessential for clubbing in its original form. But some songs demand the coziness of a jazz club, where Smith’s lithe, velvety vocals can fill the space on their own — and quiet those around her. While Lost & Found comprised teenage love songs Smith had written when she was 16, Falling or Flying finds the singer stepping “into womanhood” and being more sure of herself than ever before. As she sings on “Backwards,” “I stand here and I look down on myself and I am so proud.” Meanwhile, on tracks like “Broken Is the Man” and “Try Me,” she challenges past lovers and harsh critics.

Walsall production duo DameDame* — Smith has known one of its members since she was 15 — was responsible for most of Falling or Flying, another sign that returning to her roots better served her music. “We laughed, ate food, sang, cried, jammed some more,” she says. “It wasn’t like, ‘I need to make the album uptempo.’ It was just, ‘Let’s mess around, have fun and see what happens.’ ”

Smith teases that she’ll take Falling or Flying on the road for her first headlining run in five years. “That’s all I want to do,” she says, beaming. “That’s where I feel at home. In Walsall and onstage is where I feel like, ‘OK, I can just be me.’ ”

This story originally appeared in the Aug. 26, 2023, issue of Billboard.

28 Aug 2023

YG Drops New T-Shirts Using Donald Trump’s Mug Shot

YG’s disdain for former President Donald Trump has reached new levels. The rapper released T-shirts thrashing the controversial figure over the former president’s Aug. 24 arrest in Georgia on felony charges of plotting to overturn the state’s 2020 election results. 

The $35 merch, announced Friday (Aug. 25), uses Trump’s mug shot with the caption “F—-d” and is available on YG’s 4Hunnid.com website. Listed as the “FDT T-shirt” — a callback to the rapper’s 2016 anthem “F– Donald Trump” featuring Nipsey Hussle — YG’s lambasted the former president on numerous occasions.

“It got to a point where [Trump] was disrespectin’, saying s–t that makes no sense,” the rapper told Billboard following the release of “FDT.” “Me and Nip always talk about doing real s–t about these politics, stepping up and saying stuff other motherf—ers are not doing so we finally hit the studio and really did it.”

Following the release of “FDT,” YG claimed that the Secret Service reached out to his former label, Def Jam. “Secret Service hollered at the label,” he told TMZ at the time. “They asked if they could see the lyrics on my album to see if I’m talking about it on my album. ‘Cause I’m talking about it on my album, they gon’ try to take it off the shelf.” 

YG continued to skewer Trump throughout the years, most notably in 2019 when he brought out former adult entertainer Stormy Daniels to bash the former president during the rapper’s Camp Flog Gnaw performance. Then in 2020, YG released his “Jealous” video, which mocked the twice impeached politician. 

Check out YG’s T-shirts below.

28 Aug 2023

Selena Gomez Reveals She Had to Have Surgery After Breaking Her Hand

Selena Gomez is excited that her new single, “Single Soon,” is poised to make an impressive debut on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. But in response to a fan post on Sunday hyping the predicted top 20 debut, Gomez revealed that she’s psyched, but currently has bigger fish to fry.

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“Broke my hand and had surgery,” Gomez revealed in a response to the post without giving any additional details about the extent or date of the injury. “I don’t care about selling anything. I’m just happy to make music with my friends.” At press time a spokesperson for Gomez had not returned Billboard‘s request for additional details on the injury.

Gomez has been working on her anticipated third studio album and while there is still no update on a release date or title, the Only Murders in the Building star dropped her late summer jam “Single Soon” on Friday, telling her faithful, “Since I’m not quite done with SG3, I wanted to put out a fun little song I wrote a while back that’s perfect for the end of summer.”

Gomez’s most recent full-length album was 2020’s Rare, which was followed up in 2021 with the all-Spanish EP Revalación. After some fans speculated that the new song was possibly aimed at Sel’s ex, The Weeknd (who now goes by his full name, Abel Tesfaye) — who she dated from January to October 2017 — the singer laid the rumors to rest in a comment on Hollywood Life’s Instagram over the weekend, writing, “couldn’t be more false.”

The speculation came after Gomez weighed in on another Weeknd-adjacent story last week, calling an AI reimagining of Abel’s 2016 single “Starboy” featuring her vocals and face on the cover “scary.”

See Gomez’s comment below.

28 Aug 2023

Selena Gomez Responds to Fan Speculation That ‘Single Soon’ Is About The Weeknd

When Selena Gomez sings about the weekend on her new song “Single Soon,” she’s referring to Friday, Saturday and Sunday — not 33-year-old Canadian superstar The Weeknd.

After coming across speculation that the “Blinding Lights” singer inspired her new single — which finds Gomez happily boasting about her plans to break up with a boyfriend and go partying on her own — the 31-year-old pop star promptly shut it down.

“Couldn’t be more false,” she responded to a HollywoodLife Instagram post about the fan speculation.

Gomez and The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) did date for about 10 months, striking up a romance in 2017 before ending it that same year. But even though they’ve been broken up for almost six years, some listeners thought that certain lyrics in “Single Soon” were disguised nods to the Idol star. For instance, “I don’t wanna see a tear” seems to echo Tesfaye’s 2020 smash “Save Your Tears,” which was also rumored to be about Gomez.

She also sings on the track, “And the weekend’s almost here,” which some fans may have thought was a reference to Tesfaye’s stage name.

Regardless of who the song’s about, people have been loving Gomez’s return to music via “Single Soon,” which she released Aug. 25 along with a carefree music video. “Y’all have been asking for new music for a while,” she wrote of the track on Instagram a week prior to its release. “Since I’m not quite done with SG3, I wanted to put out a fun little song I wrote a while back that’s perfect for the end of summer.”

One of those fans is none other than Taylor Swift, Gomez’s fellow pop star and longtime BFF. “WHEN UR BESTIE IS THE BESTEST,” Swift wrote on her Instagram Story, sharing a clip from the “Single Soon” music video. “WILL BE DANCING TO THIS FOREVER METHINKS.”

28 Aug 2023

WME Acquires True Grit Talent Agency, Expands Presence in Austin

WME has acquired Austin, Texas-based True Grit Talent Agency, signing its entire roster including Cody Jinks, Charles Wesley Godwin, Whitey Morgan and the 78’s, Ward Davis, Dexter and The Moonrocks, Bart Crow and Mitchell Ferguson.

True Grit’s team, including agents Mike Krug, Carrie Creasey and Shelby Vanek, have also joined WME and will continue to work out of Austin.

“We are very excited that what we do caught the eye of a company like WME,” Krug said in a statement. “We are proud of all we have built here in Austin and know that joining WME will create exponentially more opportunities for our clients.”

“We’ve long admired the business and roster that True Grit has developed, and we are excited to bring their artists and the team into the WME family and expand WME’s footprint in Austin,” Jay Williams, WME Partner and Nashville office co-head, added in a statement.

The move deepens WME’s presence in Texas, following its acquisition of Red 11 Music earlier this year.

Jinks, known for songs including “Loud and Heavy” and “Hippies and Cowboys,” has been opening shows on Eric Church’s Outsiders Revival Tour. Jinks will headline Red Rocks Amphitheater this fall, and will be among the openers on Luke Combs’ Growing Up and Getting Old Tour next year. Meanwhile, Big Loud artist Godwin is gearing up for the release of his album Family Ties next month, and is opening shows on Zach Bryan‘s Burn, Burn, Burn Tour; Godwin also recently inked a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music.

WME represented all three headliners at Stagecoach in 2023; in 2022, WME clients represented over 60% of all headlining slots at the top-country music festivals. Meanwhile, the company’s country music clients have earned the most categories at the ACM Awards and CMA Awards for multiple years.