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Tejano hitmakers Grupo Frontera are giving fans an exclusive look at what a typical day on tour looks like, and how they spend the last few hours leading up to the show.
Hailing from the border city of Edinburg, Texas, the six-piece band is currently halfway through its 38-date Jugando A Que No Pasa Nada Tour in support of their 2024 album of the same name, across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
During a recent stop at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Aug. 29, the group invited Billboard backstage to share insights into the dynamics of their tour and the deep connection they forge with audiences, particularly the Mexican community.
“Seeing the Mexican flag in an arena like this honestly makes me feel like I’m at home,” shared one concertgoer. Another fan highlighted the unifying power of their music, noting, “I think it’s a very beautiful thing that Mexican music is bringing a lot of people together, people that do not understand Spanish, or speak the language, but they are still here — and they’re listening to our music.” The event also attracted Dominican and Puerto Rican fans, many of whom were introduced to Grupo Frontera through their collaborations with artists like Bad Bunny and Arcángel.
“Meeting a bunch of Mexicans over here in New York, Chicago, Washington or wherever it is that we’re gonna play, I feel like there’s just that connection. O sea, la raza [the Mexican race],” frontman Adelaido “Payo” Solís told Billboard.
“But what’s even more crazy is that everywhere we go — literally every single place that we play — people tell us, ‘Oh, I’m from The Valley too.’ Which is from where we’re from! That’s crazy, because I’m like, ‘What are you doing over here, bro?’ Like, you’re far as hell from home!” he continued, also noting the universal appeal of Mexican music, which unites people regardless of language.
Billboard‘s Tour Stop with Grupo Frontera also captured the band unwinding with a game of basketball and discussed their personal favorites, from Frontera songs to food. They expressed gratitude to their fans, including a touching shoutout to a blind girl who writes them letters in Braille.
Above, watch Grupo Frontera’s behind-the-scenes video of their tour stop in Brooklyn, New York.
Another eventful week is in the books, especially for Billboard, which hosted our 2024 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players event last Thursday (Sept. 5) to kick off an action-packed weekend.
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Kendrick Lamar shook up the hip-hop zeitgeist when he was announced as the first-ever solo headlining act for the Super Bowl halftime show when SB LIX comes to New Orleans in February 2025.
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Not everyone was happy for K. Dot as some like Nicki Minaj, Birdman and Master P took issue with the NFL overlooking Lil Wayne in his hometown.
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The Billboard Unfiltered crew broke the entire situation down on Thursday (Sept. 12) with staff writer Kyle Denis and deputy director, editorial Damien Scott totally onboard with Kendrick getting the nod.
“I’ve always wanted Kendrick to do the Super Bowl,” Denis began. “Now he has the momentum to go make this another career-defining performance for himself. He’s one of our greatest performers… For me, there was absolutely no controversy… He has the catalog, he has the ability. If there’s someone I trust to be our first solo rap headliner, it’s absolutely Kendrick Lamar.”
Scott agreed: “It’s amazing and fun to have an artist who is in the midst of their peak headline the Super Bowl. From a perspective, we’ve never had that… Kendrick had a No. 1 song this year and he’s had one of the most exciting years of his career this year. It’s dope to have it feel so current.”
He also championed him as the “No. 1 rapper right now” and believes K. Dot is in album mode so there could be even more tunes on the way. It should be noted that the episode was recorded shortly before Lamar released an untitled track to his Instagram on Wednesday night (Sept. 11).
“It felt so ridiculous,” Scott continued of Minaj’s rant. “It felt so disingenuous and coordinated that it was laughable to a point. I think the larger outrage was a domino effect. I think people were outraged because people were outraged.”
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album was shut out of nominations at the 2024 Country Music Awards, which sparked outrage from the Beyhive earlier this week.
Kyle Denis believes if Bey’s goal was to get CMA nominations, she would’ve made a different album that was more geared toward strictly being country.
“We’re missing the point of Cowboy Carter was in general. If Beyoncé wanted to, she could have gotten CMA nominations,” he said. “If she would have just dropped a traditional Nashville-made 12-track country album, no hip-hop stuff, no R&B stuff. It would have been 12 protectors… She’s 30 years in, she knows what the deal is for awards and stuff like that. That is not what Cowboy Carter is.”
Watch the entire episode above.
This past Sunday (Sept. 8), Kendrick dropped news that sent the rap community into a frenzy. Standing at the 50-yard line as he worked a football throwing machine with a huge American flag behind him, the Compton MC announced that he will be headlining next year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. He also made sure to throw a subtle shot at his 2024 rival: “You know there’s only one opportunity to win a championship,” he said before loading another football into the machine. “No round twos.” Two weeks ago, Drake took to his finsta account, @plottttwistttttt, and posted an old video clip of NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace telling reporters that his Detroit Pistons “will win Game Two” after dropping the first game of the 2004 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. Many believed that was Drake’s not-so-subtle way of telling fans that he’s not yet done with the battle. And despite talking heads like DJ Akademiks saying the Toronto rapper has no intention of continuing the back-and-forth, Drake alluded to a continuation on the song “No Face” (probably his best post-battle release) when he rapped lines like, “How you get lit off the n—a you hatin’ on?,” “This is the moment I know they been prayin’ on,” and “I’m just so happy that n—as who envied and held that s–t in got to finally show it/ I’m over the moon, yeah, we’ll see you boys soon.”
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Those lines don’t really hit the same post “round one,” but I get the sentiment. In boxing and pro wrestling, when the title holder loses their belt, they’re usually entitled to a rematch. He’s seemingly expressing that he doesn’t feel or want this battle for rap’s heavyweight title to be over. However, even after all that’s gone down, I’m still not sure he realizes who he’s dealing with. Lamar seems to have a darker side to him; a side he struggles to keep at bay, especially when he appears to despise his opponent so much.
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Enter last night’s loosie Lamar posted on his Instagram account. He’s not necessarily “dissing” Drake, but he’s indeed talking to him — and the rest of the mainstream rap community that promotes nonsense over substance. The song works as an exposé on the modern mainstream rap industry, and Drake serves as a symbol of both rap’s massive popularity and its devolving cultural significance in the eyes of fans familiar with the genre’s roots. To them, he has always been seen as a visitor, never to be taken too seriously. Yet, he’s proven that he’s willing to battle when tested. That coupled with his hit-making ability was able to buy him more cultural currency a little bit at a time. T
hat party seems to be coming to an end, though, considering Drake’s chart dominance has stalled since losing the battle. None of his recent releases have charted particularly well, at least judging by his own standards. The club just turned the lights on, and the DJ is playing “Poison.” The bar’s closing, where we going to for breakfast?
Dot starts off his latest with the lines, “I think it’s time to watch the party die/ This s–t done got too wicked to apologize,” before saying, “Just walk that man down, that’ll do everyone a solid/ It’s love, but tough love sometimes gotta result in violence.” In his mind, he did the hip-hop world a favor by exposing Drake and his so-called selfish, dirty mackin’, colonizing ways. He also takes aim at social media pundits who have served as mouthpieces for Drake, or at least claim to, throughout this battle.
Bars like, “Influencers talked down ’cause I’m not with the basic s–t/ But they don’t hate me, they hate the man that I represent/The type of man that never d–kride ’cause I want a favor” and “The radio personality pushin’ propaganda for salary/ Let me know when they turn up as a casualty, I want agony, assault, and battery,” are directed at them. At times, Kendrick comes across as someone who believes he has a moral superiority — but on this track, you can hear him wrestling with the angel and the devil on his shoulder on the chorus, as he pleads with God to give him peace, while also keeping the lames at bay.
Many fans and critics have described Drake as Thanos, because Rap Game Sinister Six had to team up to finally knock him off his pedestal. However, Kendrick has been Thanos this entire time: The Marvel supervillain’s whole philosophy was based on destroying and rebuilding, a philosophy Lamar mentions in this new song. He talks of burning down villages to start over and said one of his friends told him he must “burn it down to build it back up.” Lamar is grappling with the rationalization of what he’s done to Drake, so far, and he sounds like he doesn’t think the job is done just yet.
“Watch the Party Die” is essentially the scene from Avengers: Endgame where Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man try to walk Thanos down, and he spits some of the greatest dialogue a villain has ever spat. He looked them in the eyes and said: “You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me. I thought that by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive. But you’ve shown me that’s impossible. And as long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist. I’m thankful, because now, I know what I must do. I will shred this universe down to its last atom and then, with the stones you collected for me, create a new one, teaming with life that knows not what it has lost, but what it has been given. A grateful universe.”
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The rap world stops when K. Dot drops. He doesn’t have to use streamers with questionable ties to the community to leak information. He simply tweets a link out or posts a song on Instagram with no title, and a picture of gnarled black Air Force One’s, and everything comes to a halt. Almost like a snap of the finger.
Shaboozey‘s already sang about how he and Jack Daniels got a history, and now the country superstar is ready to link up with another famous name: Taylor Swift.
Speaking to The Associated Press on the red carpet of the 2024 MTV VMAs on Wednesday night, Shaboozey revealed that he identifies as a “big Swiftie” and praised his fellow nominee. “Love T. Swift, love Taylor,” he told the outlet. “Big one.”
The reporter then asked Shaboozey if he thought Swift’s high-profile endorsement of Kamala Harris gave “permission” to other artists to get more political. “I think you just do you, you know?” the singer responded. “Do what you feel in your heart, just be honest with yourself and authentic to you, to your person … and just walk in your truth.”
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Later in the evening, Shaboozey was spotted chatting with Swift, as the pair posed for a series of photos together during the ceremony.
The country phenomenon was nominated at Wednesday’s awards for song of the summer for his nine-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 breakout hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” but he was ultimately beat out by none other than Swift herself, who took home the trophy alongside Post Malone for “Fortnight.” Swift went on to score seven wins at the annual show, including video of the year and best collaboration for “Fortnight,” as well as artist of the year.
Elsewhere on the red carpet, Shaboozey spoke about the surprising news that Beyoncé had not been nominated for any trophies at the 2024 CMA Awards, where he’s up for his first two awards. “It’s definitely unfortunate, if that’s something that she was looking to receive and that’s something that she worked for,” he told E! News. “I know as an artist, you put a lot of time and a lot of work, and a lot of things, and a lot of energy into music, you know? But you know awards aren’t really, you know, they’re not everything.”
Check out a clip of Shaboozey’s interview below, plus a carousel of his VMA night with some “friends,” including Swift and Chappell Roan:
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Megan Thee Stallion has long been proving that hot girls help out causes they believe in, and now, her philanthropy will be honored at the Golden Heart Awards benefitting hunger-fighting charity God’s Love We Deliver. As announced Tuesday (Sept. 10), the “Hiss” rapper will receive recognition in the form of the inaugural genLOVE award for […]
Peso Pluma is bringing his hits (and new haircut) to fans across the country as part of his ÉXODO TOUR sponsored by Corona — and Billboard took to one of his recent shows to speak to some of his biggest fans. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]
A musical based on the play by Josefina López and HBO’s movie adaptation Real Women Have Curves will debut on Broadway in 2025.
Featuring music and lyrics written by Grammy Award-winning artist Joy Huerta of the Mexican pop duo Jesse & Joy, producers Barry Weissler, Fran Weissler, and Jack Noseworthy announced on Thursday (Sep. 12) that Real Women Have Curves: The Musical will also feature music by composer and lyricist Benjamin Velez, a book by Lisa Loomer, additional material by Nell Benjamin, music supervision by Nadia DiGiallonardo, and direction & choreography by Tony and Olivier Award winner Sergio Trujillo.
“I am thrilled to be a part of bringing Real Women Have Curves: The Musical to Broadway,” said Huerta in a press release. “Songwriting for theater is a new undertaking for me, and it’s been a thrill to collaborate with Sergio, Bejamin, Lisa, Nell, and the rest of this extremely talented team. Ana’s story is such a powerful and universal one that already holds so much cultural relevance, and we look forward to bringing it to new audiences in this musical format.”
The show will arrive on Broadway following its 2023 world premiere at American Repertory Theater (A.R.T) at Harvard University. Dates, cast and additional creative team will be announced at a later date.
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Set in East L.A. in 1987, Real Women Have Curves follows 18-year-old Ana García, a daughter of immigrants parents who struggles between her ambitions of going to college and the desires of her mother for her to get married, have children, and oversee the small, rundown family-owned textile factory. The 2002 movie, directed by Patricia Cardoso, put a young America Ferrera on the map with a stellar performance that garnered her a best debut performance nomination for the Independent Spirit Awards and a special jury prize for acting at the Sundance Film Festival.
Fans can get an exclusive first look at the show on Sunday, September 15 with a special live performance of the musical’s title track “Real Women Have Curves” by Florencia Cuenca Jennifer Sanchez, Elisa Galindez, and Aline Mayagoitia. The time and location will be announced on the show’s social media accounts.
Of all the pop stars in the world, who could rule the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards without being nominated for any awards or even setting foot on the premises? That would be Britney Spears, b—h.
This year’s awards on Wednesday (Sept. 11) were chock full of small and large tributes to the 43-year-old pop icon, from references to Spears’ most legendary performances to subtle nods to her music videos and fashion. The most direct example was when host Megan Thee Stallion came out dressed in a recreation of the famous green bra and blue skirt the superstar wore at the same ceremony 23 years prior while performing “I’m a Slave 4 U,” complete with a yellow snake around her shoulders.
But while Brit was able to look totally cool and collected while singing with the 7-foot albino Burmese python on her shoulders in 2001, the Houston rapper was a lot less calm. “I don’t know this snake, this snake don’t know me,” Meg said nervously, instructing her crew to promptly get the reptile off of her. “Oh my god! I tried to hold it down for Britney.”
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The “WAP” musician’s discomfort with the snake was even funnier considering the reptilian theme of her latest album Megan — which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 — and its hit singles “Hiss,” “Boa” and “Cobra.” It might make her feel better to know that secretly, Spears was also terrified of her nonhuman performance partner back in 2001, with the “Toxic” singer tweeting in 2023, “I still remember how scared I felt when I was handed this snake and took the stage !!!”
At the same VMAs where Brit sang “I’m a Slave 4 U,” she also wore a sheer, lacy Dolce & Gabbana minidress on the red carpet. Twenty-three years later, another pop star wore almost the exact same look to the 2024 event: Tate McRae, who also addressed having fans compare her to Spears.
“I honestly take it as a compliment,” she told The Hollywood Reporter on the red carpet before the show. “I think she’s one of the most incredible performers of the 2000s. I remember watching her as a kid all the time.”
Spears’ impact was also evident in Sabrina Carpenter‘s performance later that night, with the latter playing an audio snippet of the former’s spacey “Oops!…I Did It Again” music video during the transition between her Billboard Hot 100-topping hit “Please Please Please” and new single “Taste.” Plus, Carpenter at one point pulled in a female dancer dressed like an alien for a sensual kiss, carrying on a tradition set by Spears’ culture-shocking smooch with Madonna on the VMAs stage in 2003.
See the ways Britney Spears was honored at the 2024 VMAs below.
Sure, summer is over, but Brat season is here to stay. On Thursday (Sept. 12), Charli XCX unveiled her new “Talk Talk” remix featuring her Sweat Tour co-star Troye Sivan. On the amped-up new remix, Charli and Sivan take the original lyrics depicting the early stages of romance and imbue them with new, sexed-up verve. […]
Dua Lipa will spread her sunny perspective across the globe next year. The “Houdini” singer announced the dates for the 43-date world tour in support of her Radical Optimism album on Thursday (Sept. 12). Following a run of previously announced Asian shows in November and December of this year that are slated to kick off […]