Music

19 Jul 2023

Cardi B Spent $20,000 on Her Kids’ Playground Set

Cardi B is sharing her wealth with her loved ones.

The Grammy-winning rapper chatted with The New York Times in celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, where she opened up about the “perks of fame” and how she’s been able to spoil her family. “When I bought my mom a house, that meant a lot to me. When I bought my house with my husband, that meant a lot to me. When I bought another house … damn, I bought a lot of houses,” she said.

She also shared the whopping price tag for an elaborate playground set she bought for her two children whom she shares with Offset — five-year-old daughter Kulture Kiari and nearly two-year-old Wave Set. “But it also do be the little things, right? I just bought this playground set for my kids and it’s huge. It looks insane. And I spent in the 20 thousands for it,” she admitted.

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While Cardi revealed that she’s bought more expensive things over her career, it’s important for her to buy nice things for her children because “this is what I work hard for, for my kids.”

She continued, “Overly spending on your kids doesn’t mean that you’re a great parent, but it makes you feel good. It makes you feel like that you’re living your childhood dream.”

The playground set is hardly the first lavish gift Cardi and Offset have given their children, as they’ve showered their babies with designer clothes, bags and extravagant birthday parties among other luxuries.

Last year, during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Offset explained why he and Cardi find it so important to go all out for their son and daughter. “We do it big for our kids,” he said. “We love our kids.”

He added, “At the end of the day, we went through life and we didn’t have the opportunities. I bet if my mama had the chance, she would have went all out and did what she wanted to do for me. “So I’m just lending it to my kids. Just letting them see they can have another life too, you know? We work hard to do that.”

19 Jul 2023

Logic & Wife Brittney Noell Welcome Second Child: ‘We Couldn’t Be Happier’

Logic is a father of two! On Wednesday (July 19), the rapper’s wife Brittney Noell revealed that she recently gave birth to their second child together, a son named Leo.

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“Our beautiful Leo was born and we couldn’t be happier,” she wrote on Instagram, along with a white heart emoji. “We are all (especially Bobby) so in love.”

The images featured newborn Leo resting while swaddled in a blanket, a pink and blue striped hospital beanie covering his head. One photo showed Noell and Logic’s eldest son, Bobby, looking beside himself with excitement while holding the newborn, who wore a mustard yellow onesie and gray beanie.

The “1-800-273-8255” rapper first announced that he and Noell were expecting their second child in a New Year’s Day Instagram post to kick off 2023. “Happy New Baby!” Logic captioned a video on his feed, which shows Noell in a doctor’s appointment for an ultrasound viewing

Noell also shared the baby news with the world at the start of 2023 by posting an announcement of her own to Instagram. “Baby Hall #2 coming 2023,” she wrote, along with a video from her ultrasound appointment.

Logic — whose real name is Sir Robert Bryson Hall II — and Noell welcomed Bobby in 2020. The pair tied the knot a year prior in 2019.

See Noell’s Instagram post announcing the arrival of baby Leo below.

19 Jul 2023

Why Young Nudy Waited to Drop the ‘Ratchet’ Music Video for ‘Peaches & Eggplants’

From the anthemic “EA” to the resilient “Pissy Pamper” — the latter of which never saw an official release due to sample clearance issues, but still thrived through repeated unofficial streaming uploads — Young Nudy has been helping drive the culture with his rap music for the better part of a decade. Between his idiosyncratic beat selections and bouncy cadence, Young Nudy has cultivated a sound that smartly balances ominous grit with genuine, unadulterated fun.

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Currently, he’s enjoying his biggest hit to date, with “Peaches & Eggplants” becoming Nudy’s first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist. Boosted by its popularity on TikTok, its tongue-in-cheek take on sex-rap and “boaw boaw” ad-libs, the track from his February album, Gumbo, has spent six weeks on the all-genre songs chart.

“Peaches & Eggplants,” which features Grammy-winning rapper (and Nudy’s cousin) 21 Savage has reached a No. 61 best since its June entrance, tying for Nudy’s second highest-peaking Hot 100 hit. Previously, his first appearance on the chart came in 2019 as a featured artist on Dreamville’s Grammy-nominated posse cut “Down Bad” (No. 64); the following year, he returned with two more entries thanks to Lil Uzi Vert’s “Money Spread” (No. 89) and 21 Savage & Metro Boomin’s “Snitches & Rats” (No. 61); last year, Nudy reunited with Metro Boomin and 21 Savage on “Umbrella,” a track from the former’s Billboard 200-topping Heroes & Villains that gifted Nudy his highest Hot 100 peak yet (No. 23).

According to Luminate, “Peaches & Eggplants” has collected 78.9 million official U.S. on-demand streams and 3,000 digital downloads, as of July 18. As the song continues to build at radio, Billboard caught up with Young Nudy to chat about his Hot 100 success, the track’s music video and what comes next for the rapper.

Tell me a bit about the creative process for “Peaches & Eggplants.” 

I ain’t even gonna play like I was on some intentional s—t — it was just me playing around in the studio and being goofy. I was just being silly with my buddies. 

How did you know that 21 Savage was the right choice of collaborator for this song? 

Honestly, that was his choice! He wanted to hop on the motherf–ker. He heard it and was like, “What’s that lil “boaw boaw” song that you got? Let me hop on that s—t,” and we just made it happen.  

The song has had a relatively slow rise — did you always know that this was a special one? Or did this level of success come as a surprise to you? 

It was more a surprise for me. In my mind, when it comes to my music, I’m not really one of those types of people that’s concerned with numbers. I like to feed my fans, because I know I’ma do numbers regardless. When I seen how people were reacting to [the song], I was kind of shocked, like “Oh, this that radio type of music that they like.” 

Why did you wait to drop the music video? 

I don’t like to drop the song that everybody wants first. That wouldn’t make sense. I like to let my other songs get a little shine too. That’s why I dropped “Pancake” first, before I dropped “Peaches & Eggplants” — the one everybody was waiting on. 

The music video looked like a great time. How did that come together? 

That s–t ratchet! (Laughs.) That motherf–ker was lit though! It really wasn’t even that many people at first. I was like, “You know what? I’m finna make this s–t public for everybody to come.” Because I just want everybody to have fun. I’m a down-to-earth type of person, so I don’t really care about having a lot of people around me who just wanna kick it, when it comes to certain situations. 

What was your reaction when you first saw people using “Peaches & Eggplants” on TikTok? 

When I first saw it, it really ain’t hit me like that for real. When it first came out, I was getting videos with all my damn music, so I didn’t even really know when it first started to pop. 

Have you started eyeing your next single off Gumbo, or are you thinking of moving on to another project? 

I’ve probably got about two more videos I’m a shoot. I’m finna shoot “Passionfruit” and “Okra.” I just shot “Portobello” like two weeks ago. “Portobello” [is gonna] come out next after “Peaches & Eggplants,” then I’m a hit them folks with “Passionfruit” and “Okra.”

You pick really unpredictable, eccentric beats. How did you go about matching each beat to its eventual food-centric title? What was your process for crafting and sequencing Gumbo? 

When me and Coupe get together, we do magic. Really with any producer, I can lock in. If I don’t lock in with them, then s–t don’t come out the way I want it to sound or feel. 

How are you handling your profile rising even more thanks the success of “Peaches & Eggplants?” 

It’s really nothing that’s too new to me. I tell anybody — I been selling out shows, I been making a lot of money off this music s–t, so I ain’t even really tripping. But I’m grateful for it. 

“Peaches & Eggplants” sits alongside some other spicy rap hits like “Slut Me Out” and “Pound Town” where they’re sexy, but they’re also kind of funny. What do you think about this recent wave of songs? 

It’s a lot of freaky ass people out there in the world! [Laughs.] I been in the freakiness since “Yeah Yeah” though! 

What does the Billboard Hot 100 mean to you? And what does it mean that you now have your very first hit on the chart as a lead artist? 

I guess I’m really just grateful and thankful for it. I don’t really know too much what to say. I’m not trying to compete with no song or all that type of s–t. I’m a just keep making music and keep going hard. That’s all there is to it.  

Do you have any more goals you’d like to hit with “Peaches & Eggplants”? 

Hell yeah, I’m trying to get a No. 1! I wanna see how that feels. I get my No. 1, I might have a lot s–t to say to everybody on the Internet. [Laughs.]

A version of this story originally appeared in the July 15, 2023, issue of Billboard.

19 Jul 2023

YOASOBI’s ‘Idol’ Breaks All-Time Record for Most Consecutive Weeks at No. 1 on Japan Hot 100

YOASOBI’s “Idol” sets a new record this week on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, logging its 14th consecutive week at No. 1 on the chart unveiled July 19.

The Oshi no Ko opener debuted atop the chart released April 19 and has stayed there ever since, now breaking Billboard Japan’s all-time record for consecutive weeks at No. 1. While overall points for the track is moderately declining, points for downloads increased slightly (No. 2). It continues to dominate streaming and karaoke for the 8th straight week and also comes in at No. 2 for video views and No. 10 for radio airplay, still ahead of the No. 2 song by approximately 1.8 times the total points. In addition, the song hit 300 million total streams this week, which also breaks Billboard Japan’s record for fastest to mark the milestone.

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Notably, YOASOBI’s Ayase’s collaborative project with Creepy Nuts rapper R-Shitei (R-rated) called “Hiten” debuts on the Japan Hot 100 at No. 73. The opener for the new TV anime series Rurouni Kenshin was digitally released July 6 and hits the Japan song chart this week after reaching No. 14 for downloads and jumping 55-24 for radio.

At No. 2 this week is BTS member Jung Kook’s solo single “Seven (feat. Latto),” released July 14. Campaigns on streaming platforms played a part in the track hitting 4,608,696 streams to come in at No. 14 for the metric. The song also ruled downloads with 39,170 units, while the music video released on July 15 hit 74.88 million views on YouTube alone (as of July 19) in just four days since its release (No. 1 for video).

Kitani Tatsuya’s “Where Our Blue Is” rises 8-3 after debuting on the Japan Hot 100 last week. Streaming for the Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 opener increased 2.3 times from the previous week to 8,907,498 streams, landing the song at No. 2 behind “Idol” for the metric. It also came in at No. 3 for downloads (14,362 units), No. 15 for radio, and No. 28 for video. With the CD version coming out today (July 19), its performance on next week’s chart is something to keep an eye on.

NewJeans’ new song “Super Shy,” released digitally on July 7, breaks into the top 10 this week from No. 60. This is the lead track off the breakout K-pop girl group’s second EP Get Up, due July 21 in Japan. It’s off to a good start ahead of the “Ditto” group’s first new release in about six months, reaching No. 7 for streaming (6,167,279 streams), No. 7 for radio, No. 8 for video and No. 39 for downloads (1,641 units).

Mrs. GREEN APPLE, currently on their domestic arena tour, charted four songs in the top 20 this week. While “Magic” off the pop-rock band’s latest album, ANTENNA, slips 5-6 on the Japan Hot 100, it rises to No. 6 for downloads and video. “Que Sera, Sera” rises 11-8 powered by a significant increase in downloads. “Dancehall” holds at No. 16 and “Ao to Natsu” moves 14-11, with points in karaoke showing a gradual increase 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 July 10 to 16, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.

19 Jul 2023

Ice Spice Reveals Deluxe Edition of ‘Like..?’ EP Is Dropping Soon

Ice Spice announced on Wednesday (July 19) that she’ll be releasing the deluxe version of her debut EP Like..? on Friday, July 21, via 10K Projects/Capitol Records.

According to Apple Music, which just announced Ice as its new Up Next artist, the expanded edition contains four more tracks. Like..? was originally released on Jan. 20, 2023, and included singles “Munch (Feelin’ U),” “Bikini Bottom,” “In Ha Mood” and “Princess Diana,” which later got a remix with Nicki Minaj that debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Lil Tjay-assisted “Gangsta Boo” cut, which samples Diddy‘s “I Need a Girl (Part Two)” featuring Ginuwine, Loon and Mario Winans became Ice’s career-first Hot 100 entry.

She teased a new single, which she confirmed was titled “Deli” on Capital XTRA Breakfast With Robert & Shayna Marie, on her TikTok earlier this month. “She a baddie, she showin’ her panty/ She shake it like jelly/ Hundred bands in Chanel-y/ But I’m still shakin’ ass in a deli,” she raps in the new snippet.

Outside of Like..?, Ice’s major hits include “Boys a liar Pt. 2” with PinkPantheress, the “Karma” remix with Taylor Swift and the Aqua-sampling “Barbie World” with Minaj from the Barbie movie soundtrack — all of which have landed in the top 10 of the Hot 100.

In her recent interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Ice marveled at her idol-turned-collaborator-turned-mentor Minaj. “I feel like I am absorbing advice from [Minaj] and learning from her and stuff,” she said. “And she’ll tell me, ‘Learn from my mistake, do this or don’t do that,’ or whatever. And I just really pay attention to what she’s saying. Because if there’s anyone I’m going to listen to, it’s the queen.”

See Ice Spice’s Like..? announcement below:

19 Jul 2023

Blink-182’s Reunion Tour Earned More Than $85 Million in North America

Blink-182 is back together and bigger than ever. The band’s iconic lineup of Travis Barker, Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus reunited for their first shows in nine years, yielding the biggest results of their three-decade career. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the North American leg of the group’s World Tour 2023/2024 grossed $85.3 million and sold 564,000 tickets.

This isn’t Blink’s first reunion tour. The trio went on hiatus in 2005, returning in 2009 with the similarly simply titled blink-182 in Concert tour. At the time, that tour became the band’s biggest on every measurable metric. It was the highest-grossing ($22.5 million) and best-selling (660,000 tickets) tour of its career and set new highs on a per-show level, with $522,000 and 15,345 tickets on average.

Fourteen years later, Blink is pacing $2.4 million each night, multiplying its one-time-peak comeback numbers by four and a half.

These North American shows also set a new high for Blink in terms of attendance, but just barely. The tour averaged 15,664 per show, up 2% from the 2009-10 mark. The band found space to maximize its earnings by playing with pricing. Between 2009 and now, Blink’s ticket prices have exploded, from $34.03 to $151.33.

That quadrupled-and-then-some price is due to several factors. For one, touring simply costs more in 2023 than it did in 2009. The price of concert tickets has also exploded due to resale, dynamic pricing and increasingly creative platinum and VIP models.

Aside from environmental causes, Blink is in a unique position. The band’s 2009 comeback was highly anticipated, but it was still catering to a relatively young audience who had limits to their disposable income. And while that four-year break created heightened demand, 2009 was past the peak of the mid-’00s emo/pop-punk boom that Blink helped inspire. As bands like Fall Out Boy, Paramore and My Chemical Romance geared up for their own extended hiatuses, the new era of Blink’s career flirted with passé, even as the initial comeback was an unqualified success.

Blink’s touring in the 2010s was frequent but littered with asterisks. The 10th Annual Honda Civic Tour paired the band with pop-punk successors My Chemical Romance. Blink’s 20th Anniversary Tour stretched from 2012 to 2014 but stuck to small clubs and theaters in North America. Shows continued in 2016 and 2017, but without DeLonge, the band’s defining guitarist. In 2019, there was another co-headline tour, this time with Lil Wayne. Ticket prices pushed closer to $60 on that run, but attendance dipped below the 15,000-plus high, closer to 10,000 tickets per show on average.

That makes Blink’s recent North American leg the first proper-proper tour for the main lineup since that original 2009 reunion. Not only is its target demo older (and hopefully wiser and richer), but the band is returning in a more welcoming environment. The group’s 2022 single, “Edging,” was its biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100 since 2004’s “I Miss You.” Further, on the Alternative Airplay chart, the track spent 13 weeks at No. 1, becoming Blink’s longest-running chart-topper ever on the tally, surpassing the eight-week reign of 1999’s “All The Small Things.”

On the live front, My Chemical Romance and Paramore have staged the biggest tours of their own careers by far — 10-plus years removed from their self-imposed breaks around Blink’s first return shows. With its biggest radio success ever on the Alternative Airplay chart, the strength of the current pop-punk nostalgia boom and the added infrastructure of the industry’s bulked-up pricing, Blink was perfectly situated to double, triple and quadruple its previous bests on the road.

After 36 shows in the United States and Canada, Blink-182’s World Tour is halfway done. The band will play 24 dates in Europe this fall before heading to Australia for 17 dates, plus a sea of shows in Latin America (a mix of festival engagements and five headline shows). Those concerts mark the band’s first hard-ticket headlines in Oceania since 2004, and its first major Latin American run ever. While there is no direct precedent for Blink’s international success, its North American total suggests a big nine months ahead. With another 36 shows before wrapping in April, earnings will quickly hit nine figures, ultimately heading toward $150 million.

19 Jul 2023

Daddy Yankee’s ‘Gasolina’ Gets New Boost on YouTube’s Global Chart Thanks to This Movie’s Soundtrack

Daddy Yankee‘s “Gasolina” is the gift that keeps on giving. Nearly 20 years since its release, the reggaetón anthem is getting a new boost on YouTube in part thanks to a sync in the Spanish film Culpa Mía.

According to the video streaming platform, “Gasolina’s” resurgence lands the song the No. 78 spot on Global Top Songs. It garnered 9.34 million global views during the July 7-13 charting period. Other tunes on the soundtrack include Rosalía and Tokischa’s “La Combi Versace” and Marc Seguí’s “Tiroteo” with Rauw Alejandro and Pol Granch.

Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” fueled the reggaeton movement when it was released in 2004, the second single from the Puerto Rican star’s Barrio Fino album, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart — the first-ever reggaetón album to hit that spot — and stayed there for 24 weeks, becoming the top Latin album of the 2000s.

Surprisingly, the track never rose past No. 17 on the Hot Latin Songs chart but, to this day, “Gasolina” is an anthem that’s soundtracked multigenerational households for decades. “The word gasolina, everyone in the world knew what it meant,” Daddy Yankee previously said about the song’s boom. “And I think part of the success of the track was people looking for some hidden meaning: ‘Was I talking about alcohol, about drugs?’ That track is completely literal. It’s one of the most innocent songs I’ve ever written.”

“Gasolina’s” music video has more than 90 million views on YouTube as of press time.



19 Jul 2023

BTS’ J-Hope to Release ‘Hope on the Street’ Documentary & OST Album in 2024

BTS‘ J-Hope might still be completing his military service requirement, but the rapper has big plans for the months following his release. Hope appeared on the Wednesday (July 18) episode of fellow BTS member Suga‘s SUCHWITA drinking show, during which he revealed details regarding a brand new documentary and accompanying OST album, as well as the motivations behind releasing a one year anniversary version of his debut solo album, Jack in the Box.

J-Hope’s March single “On the Street” with J. Cole served as a preview of what’s to come, he told Suga.

“There’ll be new content about my life called Hope on the Street. It’ll be about my dancing and my story,” he explained in between bites of food and drink. “The dancing scene is actually much bigger than you think. It just hasn’t risen up to the surface. But if you really dig into it, there are so many talented people and it’s a huge market. So, as I experienced that personally, although I didn’t go to a lot of cities, I traveled around the world and filmed with a lot of amazing dancers. That documentary will be out in 2024. It’s literally like it’s name, Hope on the Street. It’s just J-Hope dancing on the street.”

But that’s not all. J-Hope added, “There’s even gonna be an OST album for Hope on the Street. It’s just a special album consisting of six songs.”

While ARMY will have to wait for J-Hope’s new material, they have the one year anniversary re-release of his album Jack in the Box to look forward to. Arriving in August, the newly expanded HOPE Edition of the album includes “Lollapalooza Versions” of his songs “Equal Sign,” “Stop” and “Future,” as well as the instrumentals for “Arson” and “More.” On the new SUCHWITA episode, however, Hope revealed the album was originally supposed to be a mixtape.

“In the beginning, I started out with a mixtape concept. I thought I’d release a Weverse album or an LP just to commemorate the occasion,” he explained. “There was a bigger need for a physical album, a full album than I expected. The fans wanted it so much, and you and Jimin would also be releasing solo albums, so the fact that I didn’t have a physical album [for Jack in the Box] did bother me a little and I also felt really sorry about that to the fans, so I thought I should make one [for ARMY and the album’s first anniversary].”

Jack in the Box (HOPE Edition) will be released on Aug. 18. Watch J-Hope’s SUCHWITA episode in full in the video above.

19 Jul 2023

Jelly Roll & Bunnie XO Fulfill Cancer Patient’s Dying Wish With Special Meeting in Nashville

“Need a Favor” hitmaker Jelly Roll and his wife, Bunnie, who hosts the popular podcast Dumb Blonde, recently made a wish come true for a woman battling stage four cancer.

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The James Bess Foundation, a nonprofit that grants a last wish to adults battling terminal illnesses, shared a video of Nashville resident Suzanne Durham, in which Durham explains that she is battling cancer and her dying wish would be to meet Jelly Roll. Durham is a former Nashville house manager for women recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.

Jelly Roll and Bunnie are known for their devotion to fans, and this was no exception. On Wednesday (July 19), The James Bess Foundation posted another video, this time of Jelly Roll and Bunnie visiting with Durham.

The video later shows Jelly Roll leading Durham and a crowd of her friends in a singalong of songs including The Eagles’ “Take It Easy” and Alan Jackson’s classic “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow.” Other videos from the event show Jelly Roll leading the audience in some of his own songs including “Creature.”

Bunnie later posted a video talking about how the meeting with Durham impacted her.

“As soon as we saw her video that was the first thing we wanted to do, was definitely make this lady’s wish come true. When I tell you it was chicken soup for the soul and everything I needed at that moment, God really works in mysterious ways, because just seeing this woman that has been given, I believe, five months to live, who has spent her entire life trying to help other people…that’s what life is all about.”

She continued, “We never know when our last breath on earth is here. If you want to waste your time spreading toxicity and dwelling on things that don’t f–king matter and don’t inspire people, I would much rather inspire people than impress people. I want to leave here with people being like, ‘Dude. She touched my life. She helped me out of a dark spot.’ That’s what I want to do. And that’s what I live for. I don’t care what anybody has to say about me. If they like me, if they don’t like me, cool. Don’t care. Cause you know what? If Suzanne was given five months to live and she chose to live her last five months inspiring people, that alone is enough motivation for me to want to do the same.”

19 Jul 2023

10 First-Timers on Billboard’s Charts This Week: Olivia Dean, Miles Miller, FendiDa Rappa & More

Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts in its menu, encompassing numerous genres and formats.

While established artists often compete for a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and Billboard 200 albums ranking, which track the most popular songs and albums of the week, respectively, up-and-coming talents typically start off on genre-specific lists.

Here’s a look at 10 acts who appear on surveys for the first time on the July 22-dated charts.

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Olivia Dean

The singer-songwriter, from the London borough of Haringey, England, scores her first Billboard chart appearance, thanks to her song “The Hardest Part,” featuring Leon Bridges. The song, released June 16 via EMI/Island/Republic Records, debuts at No. 39 on Adult Alternative Airplay (up 54% in plays July 7-13, according to Luminate). Dean released an original recording of the song, without Bridges, in 2020. That version appears on her debut studio album Messy, released June 30. Dean is currently touring, with dates scheduled through April 2024.

Miles Miller

The Kentucky native makes his first solo visit to Billboard’s charts with his debut LP, Solid Gold. The set, released July 7 on Easy Lovin Records/Thirty Tigers, debuts at No. 2 on the Bluegrass Albums chart. Although this is Miller’s first solo release, the 30-year-old has already forged a successful career in the Americana and country-folk space. In 2012, he was recruited by Nashville producer Dave Cobb to play drums for Sturgill Simpson, and has since played on each of Simpson’s six most recent studio albums, including 2017’s A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, which won the Grammy Award for best country album. Outside of touring with Simpson, Miller has drummed on Tyler Childers’ critically-acclaimed Purgatory and Country Squire albums and collaborated with bluegrass mainstay act Town Mountain. He has a string of tour dates lined up in the fall and winter in support of Solid Gold.

FendiDa Rappa

Chicago-based drill rapper FendiDa Rappa lands on Billboard’s charts for the first time with her new collaboration with Cardi B, “Point Me 2.” The song, released July 7 through Giant Music, debuts at No. 82 on the Hot 100 with 7.3 million U.S. streams and 4,000 downloads sold in its opening week. It also enters at No. 14 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 20 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. “Point Me 2” is a remix of Fendi’s 2022 breakout track “Point Me to the Slut’s.” Prior to that, she released her debut 15-track album Str8 From Da Raq in 2021.

Julie Byrne

The singer-songwriter, originally from Buffalo, N.Y., reaches Billboard’s charts for the first time with her new ambient folk album, The Greater Wings. The 10-track set, released July 7 on Ghostly International, debuts at No. 90 on the Top Current Album Sales chart with 1,000 downloads sold in its opening week. Byrne has released two additional albums: Not Even Happiness, in 2017, and Rooms With Walls and Windows, in 2014. Byrne has a string of U.S. and European tour dates lined up through the fall.

Yunchan Lim

The South Korean pianist, 19, arrives on Billboard’s charts for the first time with his new album Live From the Cliburn: Liszt: Transcendental Etudes. The set, released July 7 via Steinway & Sons, debuts at No. 5 on the Traditional Classical Albums chart. Lim made history last year by becoming the youngest person, at age 18, to win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. “I was so tired. I practiced until 4 a.m. every day,” he told The New York Times at the time. The new album features Lim’s performance from the semi-final round of the competition.

Panter Bélico

The Mexican singer appears on Billboard’s charts for the first time with his new song “La 701.” The track, released July 7 on Belikiki Music, begins at No. 11 on Regional Mexican Digital Song Sales. Bélico is a relative newcomer to the music scene, having released nine other songs so far, all this year.

Tatsuya Kitani

The Japanese singer-songwriter and composer scores his first Billboard chart hit with his song “Where Our Blue Is.” The track, released July 7 on Sony Music Labels/Legacy, debuts at No. 13 on World Digital Song Sales, as well as No. 31 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and No. 89 on the Billboard Global 200. The song serves as the opening theme to the second season of the Japanese show Jujutsu Kaisen. Kitani has released three studio albums: Seven Girls’ H(e)avens (2019), DEMAGOG (2020) and BIPOLAR (2022).

Shallipopi

The Nigerian artist hits Billboard’s charts for the first time with his song “Ex Convict.” Released July 7 on Plutomania/Dvpper Music, the track debuts at No. 26 on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart. Shallipopi released his debut single “Gra Gra” in 2021 and followed with five more releases before dropping his debut EP Planet Pluto July 10. He has also released two remixes of breakout song “Elon Musk,” with Fireboy DML and Zlatan.

Saltatio Mortis

The German medieval metal group notches its first U.S. chart appearance, thanks to its new collaboration with Peyton Parrish, “God of War.” The song, released July 7 on Parrish Entertainment, debuts at No. 3 on Hard Rock Digital Song Sales and No. 13 on Rock Digital Song Sales with 1,000 downloads sold in its opening week. The group has released 12 studio albums since its formation in 2000. Four of those albums have hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Germany Albums chart: Das Schwarze Einmaleins (2013), Zirkus Zeitgeist (2015), Brot und Spiele (2018) and Für immer frei (2020). The act is currently on its Taugenichts Tour through the end of the year. Saltatio Mortis, which is Latin for “dance of death,” comprises Alea der Bescheidene, Falk Irmenfried von Hasen-Mümmelstein, El Silbador, Bruder Frank, Till Promill, Jean Mechant der Tambour and Luzi das L.

Blackbraid

The metal act arrives on Billboard’s charts with its sophomore studio album Blackbraid II. The set, which Blackbraid self-released July 7, debuts at No. 49 on Top Current Album Sales and No. 88 on Top Album Sales. The release also sparks the act’s entrance at No. 29 on the Emerging Artists chart. Blackbraid is the solo project of Jon Kreiger (also known by his Native American pseudonym Sgah’gahsowáh).