Music

10 Songs To Celebrate (Black) Independence This July 4th

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Black people’s relationship with America has never been without struggle. But as with most things in life, the Black community has found a way to turn tragedy into triumph.

Hip-Hop has often been a vehicle for folks to celebrate their joys and acknowledge their losses. In light of Independence Day, check out these Hip-Hop hits that honor and encourage the peace and liberation that Black folks deserve.

“This Is America”- Childish Gambino



Gambino’s 2018 track highlights many of the complexities that come with being Black in America, while reminding folks to do what grandma said: “Get your money, black man.”

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Rufus Wainwright Reflects on 25 Years Since Debut Album, Being an Openly Gay Artist in the 1990s

It’s been 25 years since the world was introduced to Rufus Wainwright with his debut self-titled album, which featured songs like “April Fools,” “In My Arms” and many more. To celebrate, the singer-songwriter sat down with Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly to reflect on his career.

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“I feel awful,” he jokes about how it feels to celebrate 25 years since his debut. “No, I’m very proud and excited to be alive and still making music and happy. That first record I made has proven to have lasted, and I worked very hard on it. It took me three years to make that first record. It cost a lot of money.”

As for the 25th anniversary re-issue that came out early this year, Wainwright said that the album was remastered and has some bonus material as well. “What’s interesting about the record is that it was made in the mid to late 90s, and it really was part of the last breath of the grand record company-artist relationship, where they’d sort of write all the checks and then let you do whatever you wanted to do. They really didn’t expect you to be popular until your third or fourth album,” he recalls.

“I wasn’t trying to be a trailblazer or anything,” he continues. “AIDS was still very much — it’s still part of our world today — but at that time, it was killing a lot of people, a lot of gay men, and I just didn’t want to end up in the situation if I did get AIDS at that point, that I would be dying and also have to come out of the closet. I just wanted to avert that tragedy. Thankfully it didn’t happen.”

If his debut album was released in 2023, Wainwright believes “it would be considered very unique and very unusual and very romantic, especially, because we live in such a tough world.”

Watch Billboard‘s full interview with Rufus Wainwright above.

Peso Pluma Earns First No. 1 on a Billboard Album Chart With ‘Génesis’

Peso Pluma continues to make indelible marks across Billboard’s charts. The 24-year-old singer celebrates his first No. 1 on any album ranking as Génesis rises to No. 1 (from No. 35) on the Top Latin Albums chart (dated July 8) after its first full tracking week. It also advances 10-1 on Regional Mexican Albums.

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Génesis’ coronation arrives a week after the album debuted on both lists (dated July 1) with only one day of activity. The original version of the album, comprising 14 tracks, was released on an off-cycle Thursday (June 22), the final day of the June 16-22 tracking week. The new Génesis, containing three bonus tracks, dropped June 30. Both versions of the album have been combined for tracking and charting purposes, while the original version has been removed from platforms.

According to Luminate, Génesis earned 73,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. during its first official tracking week ending June 29. It becomes the biggest week by units earned for a regional Mexican album ever, dating back to when the all-genre Billboard 200 chart began ranking by units in December 2014. The previous largest week by total units arrived just less than two months ago, when Eslabon Armado’s Desvelado launched with 44,000 units (May 13-dated list).

An equivalent album unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album (track equivalent album units, TEA), or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album (streaming equivalent album units, SEA).

Largest Streaming Week for a Regional Mexican Album: As is standard among new artists, streaming powers nearly all of Génesis’ first-week totals. Out of its 73,000 units, 72,000 stem from SEA units. That figure equals to 101.18 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs. Traditional album sales contribute just under 1,000 of the remaining balance, with a slice of negligible units deriving from TEA.

With 101.8 million streams, Génesis boasts the largest streaming week ever for a regional Mexican album. Previously, Eslabon Armado’s Desvelado drew the largest, with 63.51 million official U.S. streams (May 13).

Génesis becomes only the fifth Latin album to garner at least 100 million on-demand streams for its songs in a single week, following multiple weeks by Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti, two for Bunny’s YHLQMDLG, one for Bunny’s El Último Tour del Mundo, and one for Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito.

Further, Génesis becomes the fourth regional Mexican effort to lead Top Latin Albums this decade, after Alejandro Fernández’s Hecho en México (one week, Feb. 29, 2020) and two Eslabon Armado albums, Vibras de Noche (one week, Aug. 2020) and Desvelado (one week, May13).

Elsewhere, Génesis launches at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200, his first entry and top 10 there. The set concurrently outpaces the two other regional Mexican albums which have seized a spot in the top 10, both by Eslabon Armado: Nostalgia (No. 9 debut and peak, May 2022) and Desvelado (No. 6 debut and peak, May 13).

The new July 8, 2023-dated charts will be posted in full on Billboard’s website on July 5, one day later than usual due to the Independence Day holiday in the U.S. on Tuesday, July 4. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Ariana Grande, Drake, Halsey & More: 25 of BLACKPINK’s Most Famous Fans

Ariana Grande, Drake, Halsey, Harry Styles, Diplo, Kendall Jenner and many more celebs are joining BLACKPINK’s Blink fandom.

BLACKPINK‘s fierce hip-hop/pop combination and powerful group identity have inspired a huge fandom around the world and, now, in Hollywood.

With a major festival moment at Coachella 2019 and 2023, plus a slew of celebrity supporters showing up at their current In Your Area tour, its become common to see a few famous faces supporting the girl group.

Most recently, actor Hugh Grant revealed what a big fan he is after attending BLACKPINK’s BST Hyde Park concert in London Sunday night (July 2). “Very grateful to three eleven year olds for taking me to see @BLACKPINK yesterday,” the Notting Hill actor tweeted after the event. “Am rabid Blink now. Slept with my heart hammer.”

See below for the slew of stars who are outspoken fans of Rosé, Jisoo, Lisa and Jennie.

Cardi B Sings ‘I Will Always Love You’ With Busker in Paris

Cardi B was all smiles as she left Thom Browne’s debut couture fashion show in Paris on Monday (July 3), and even stopped to entertain fans outside.

In a video shared by TMZ, the “I Like It” rapper is seen leaving the Palais Garnier opera house, telling a photographer that the show was “great,” before a nearby street performer asked her if she wanted to sing with him. While Cardi originally admitted that she was “scared,” she briefly stepped up onto the microphone to perform a few lines from Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” before signing autographs and hopping in the car.

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Cardi has been enjoying her time at Paris Fashion Week, taking to Instagram earlier in the day to share her stunning feathered, custom Schiaparelli couture look designed by Daniel Roseberry, the current creative director of the French haute couture house.

The rapper is a longtime fashion favorite, as she fronted her first campaign for a luxury fashion house in 2020 when she became the face of Balenciaga’s winter 2020 season. That same year, Cardi became the first female rapper to be awarded by the FN Achievement Awards when she won the Style Influencer of the Year award — an honor presented to her by Christian Louboutin.

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ Has the Longest No. 1 Run Among Women Ever on Adult Pop Airplay Chart

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” rebounds for a 17th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Pop Airplay chart (dated July 8), claiming the mark all to itself for the longest reign for a song by a woman in the chart’s history.

“Flowers,” released on Smiley Miley/Columbia Records, wrests the record from Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated,” the latter’s debut hit that ruled for 16 weeks beginning in August 2002.

The Adult Pop Airplay chart began in Billboard’s pages in March 1996 and reflects airplay, as tabulated by Mediabase and provided to Billboard by Luminate, on nearly 80 U.S. adult top 40 terrestrial and satellite radio stations.

Among all acts, “Flowers” ties for the sixth-longest Adult Pop Airplay command. Here’s a recap of the list’s longest-leading No. 1s, as the format has segued from a hot adult contemporary focus at its start to a more alternative lean in the late ‘90s and into the 2000s, and a shift back toward purer pop in more recent years.

Most Weeks at No. 1 on Adult Pop Airplay Chart:

  • 25, “Smooth,” Santana feat. Rob Thomas, beginning Oct. 23, 1999
  • 23, “Wherever You Will Go,” The Calling, Dec. 22, 2001
  • 20, “Blinding Lights,” The Weeknd, May 23, 2020
  • 18, “Photograph,” Nickelback, Oct. 29, 2005
  • 18, “Unwell,” matchbox twenty, May 3, 2003
  • 17, “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, March 4, 2023
  • 17, “Iris,” Goo Goo Dolls, Aug. 1, 1998
  • 16, “Complicated,” Avril Lavigne, Aug. 3, 2002
  • 15, “High Hopes,” Panic! At the Disco, Dec. 8, 2018
  • 15, “How To Save a Life,” The Fray, Nov. 4, 2006
  • 15, “Don’t Speak,” No Doubt, Dec. 28, 1996

“Flowers” became Cyrus’ first Adult Pop Airplay No. 1, among three top 10s. It was released from her album Endless Summer Vacation, which has yielded two top 20 follow-ups on the chart: “River” (No. 17 peak, April) and “Jaded” (No. 13, June; it hits a new weekly high in plays, at No. 15, on the July 8 chart).

“Flowers” ruled the all-genre, multi-metric Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks; it has ranked in the chart’s top five over its entire run so far, placing at No. 4 on the July 8-dated survey. It concurrently returns to No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200.

All charts dated July 8 will update on Billboard.com Wednesday, July 5 (a day later than usual due to the Independence Day holiday in the U.S. on July 4).

Drake Shows Off Pink Manicure Before Tour Kickoff

Drake is getting tour ready which, of course, means getting his nails in top shape.

The rapper got in on the recent Barbiecore trend while showing off his new pink manicure on Monday (July 3), which he paired with a blinged out, rainbow-colored watch on his Instagram Stories.

Drizzy was scheduled to kick off his highly anticipated It’s All a Blur Tour with 21 Savage on June 16 in New Orleans, but the rappers postponed their first 10 tour dates to the fall. Now, the North American stretch is set to kick off Wednesday (July 5) at Chicago’s United Center.

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The tour is the “Jimmy Cooks” artist’s first since his 2018 trek, Aubrey & the Three Amigos. According to the press release, as the title suggests, the It’s All a Blur Tour is “a celebration of the last decade.”

Since Drake’s last tour, he’s released several new albums, including Her Loss with tourmate 21 Savage, which dropped in November. The set debuted and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, earning him his 12th topper on the all-genre tally. Honestly, Nevermind arrived just months earlier in June 2022 (No. 1 peak), and Certified Lover Boy in September 2021 (No. 1 for five weeks).

See his new pink manicure below.

Toni Collette Raves About Taylor Swift’s ‘Immeasurable’ Talent After Attending Eras Concert

Toni Collette is a certified Swiftie. After seeing Taylor Swift perform at her second Eras Tour show in Cincinnati, the 50-year-old Golden Globe winner took to Instagram Sunday (July 2) to sing the musician’s praises.

“Thank you @taylorswift for the MOST INCREDIBLE night last night‼️??” the actress began her post. “Your talent is immeasurable and your generosity boundless. Thank you for sharing it all with the world. You bring endless joy and inspiration to many, including me.”

Collette’s rave review accompanied several photos of Swift performing different songs throughout the night, including an acoustic rendition of “Ivy” with the pop star’s frequent collaborator Aaron Dessner. The National musician was one of two special guests that night, with opener Gracie Abrams taking the stage to sing her breakout single “I Miss You, I’m Sorry” with Swift.

“It’s bloody brilliant seeing you having the time of your life up there,” Collette added. “We’ll never forget it. Brava lady! ???????????? #sheisher #erastour ?”

The Hereditary actress is just the latest star to attend the Eras Tour, with the trek having already attracted countless household names in music, entertainment and sports. Collette’s fellow actresses Emma Stone, Laura Dern, Emma Watson, Reese Witherspoon, Ellen Pompeo, Jennifer Lawrence and more have all attended an Eras Tour concert, as have J.J. Watt, Shania Twain, Ethan Hawke, Danica Patrick, Aaron Rodgers, Miles Teller, Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper, Millie Bobby Brown and more.

Swift’s star-studded crowds are sure to continue now that the “Anti-Hero” singer has expanded the Eras Tour into a global treck, recently adding dates in Latin America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Sabrina Carpenter is set to join as an opener for several of those shows.

See Toni’s post below:

Rihanna Celebrates Making Spotify History ‘Wit No New Album’

Don’t let the focus on motherhood and her business empires fool you — Rihanna definitely has not forgotten that she’s one of the biggest music artists of all time, and neither should fans. The Grammy winner took to Instagram recently to share a graphic of her latest record-breaking achievement that Spotify later confirmed: On July 1, Rihanna became the first female artist to have 10 songs reach one billion streams in Spotify history.

“Bad Gal billi,” Rihanna captioned her post. “wit no new album… lemme talk my s–t!”

Rihanna has infamously yet to release the follow-up to her last studio album, 2016’s Billboard 200-topping Anti. Although Riri is keeping fans waiting for the album, she has returned to music in small doses. Last year she released two songs for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack: “Born Again” and “Lift Me Up,” which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Earlier this year, the Bajan singer headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show, which included a reveal of her second pregnancy.

Rihanna’s billion-streams club songs on Spotify are “Diamonds,” “We Found Love” (with Calvin Harris), “Love on the Brain,” “Stay” (with Mikky Ekko), “This Is What You Came For” (with Calvin Harris), “Needed Me,” “Four Five Seconds” (with Kanye West & Paul McCartney), “Work” (with Drake), “Umbrella” (with Jay-Z) and “Love the Way You Lie” (with Eminem).

Check out Rihanna’s and Spotify’s posts below:

Tracy Chapman Now First Black Woman to Hit No. 1 on Country Airplay as Sole Writer — Who Is the Only Black Male Writer to Have Achieved the Same?

When Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” reached No 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated July 8), it marked several firsts. 

The song, a remake of Chapman’s 1988 classic, became the first remake of a pop hit to reach No. 1 on the chart in 15 years, since Blake Shelton topped Country Airplay with his version of Michael Bublé’s “Home.” It was also the first time in 24 years that a cover of a song that originally reached the top 10 of the Hot 100 — Chapman’s tune peaked at No. 6 — summitted on the Country Airplay chart. The last to do so was Mark Chesnutt’s “I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing,” which led Country Airplay list in 1999, after Aerosmith’s original topped the Hot 100 in 1998.

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But most significantly, it becomes the first song with a Black woman as the sole writer to top the chart. In fact, it marks only the second time since Country Airplay’s debut in 1990 that a Black songwriter has reached No. 1 credited as the only writer on a track. And like with “Fast Car,” the only time it has happened before was on a cover of a previous hit: For the chart dated Aug. 4, 1990, Dan Seals’ remake of Sam Cooke’s “Good Times,” penned solely by Cooke, reached No. 1.  Cooke, who released the song originally in 1964, took his version to No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

As Rolling Stone first noted, three Black women have reached No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart as co-writers: Allison Randall was the first to do so, as co-writer on Trisha Yearwood’s “XXX’s & OOO’s (An American Girl),” which hit No. 1 on the chart dated Aug. 10, 1994.  In 2021, Lady A took “Champagne Night,” co-written by Ester Dean, to the summit — while later the same year, Dan + Shay reached No. 1 with “Glad You Exist,” which Tayla Parx co-wrote.

A number of Black and biracial male artists have taken songs they have co-written to No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart, including Darius Rucker, Kane Brown, BRELAND and Jimmie Allen. Additionally, a handful of Black male songwriters, including Shy Carter, Steven Battey, Anthony Smith and Jamie Moore, have co-written songs that have topped the chart.  

For pure longevity on a country chart though, no one tops Ted Jarrett. In 1955, Webb Pierce’s take on the Black singer-songwriter’s “Love, Love, Love” spent 13 weeks at No. 1 on the Most Played by Jockeys chart, nine weeks atop the Most Played in Jukeboxes chart and eight weeks at No. 1 on Best Sellers in Stores for all “Country & Western Records.”

Assistance preparing this story provided by Tom Roland and Jim Asker.