Music

19 May 2023

BTS’ Jimin Duets With Muni Long in Kodak Black & NLE Choppa’s ‘Angel Pt. 1’ Video: Watch

Fast X — the 10th installment of the of the Fast & Furious movie franchise — arrived in theaters on Friday (May 19) alongside its soundtrack and the music video for “Angel Pt. 1” by Kodak Black and NLE Choppa, which features Jimin of BTS, Muni Long and JVKE.

JVKE, who plays piano in the visual, opens the song. Jimin follows shortly after, singing the resounding chorus from a rooftop in New York City during sunset. “Angel, don’t fly so close to me/ I’m what you want, not what you need/ You don’t want to lose those wings/ People like me break beautiful things,” the BTS vocalist passionately sings before Kodak swoops in for a verse about the importance of family ties.

Following a verse from NLE Choppa, which details how a pair of friends escape adversity, the “Like Crazy” singer then teams up with Muni Long for the second chorus. She takes over for the first half, while Jimin and her duet in the latter half of the chorus, as scenes from Fast X are spliced in between.

Choppa spoke with PopSugar about working with Jimin on the song, and revealed that it was a major goal of his. “I’ve actually been for a while manifesting wanting to work with BTS and to be able to work with just one of the guys from BTS I feel like it’s a beautiful thing, and it’s one of those things I prayed for,” he told the outlet. “So, every time you hear BTS in my mouth or Jimin in my mouth, there’s gonna be a thank you behind it, because I’m just grateful knowing how big that scene is and grateful to know how big the impact they have on K-pop is in general.”

Check out “Angel Pt. 1” by Kodak Black and NLE Choppa featuring Jimin, Muni Long and JVKE above.

19 May 2023

Friday Music Guide: New Music From Bad Bunny, Summer Walker, Post Malone, Kesha and More

Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

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This week, Bad Bunny has a summer banger to offer, Summer Walker checks in between full-lengths, and Post Malone is working at a furious pace. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Bad Bunny, “Where She Goes” 

Bad Bunny is not satisfied with simply dominating one summer: after Un Verano Sin Ti was released last May and proceeded to take the world by storm, the superstar bursts back into view with “Where She Goes,” a new single that, unlike his recent Grupo Frontera team-up “un x100to,” is clearly designed to conjure summertime perspiration. After about 40 seconds of stormy synths and emotional crooning, the clubby percussion kicks in, and Bad Bunny morphs into a master of ceremonies, his energy never flagging even as the tempo of the track shifts around him. Bad Bunny is in a Midas-touch phase of commercial success — but even divorced from the timing of its arrival, “Where She Goes” sounds like a surefire smash, ready to pounce upon the season with hungry melody.

Summer Walker, Clear 2: Soft Life EP 

At the beginning of 2019 — a year that would be momentous for Summer Walker, thanks to the October release of her Over It album — the R&B singer-songwriter released and EP, Clear, which would continue the momentum from her Last Day of Summer mixtape and set the parameters of her artistic formula. While fans await the proper follow-up to 2021’s Still Over It, Walker returns with Clear 2: Soft Life, a nine-song stopgap defined by her uncompromising perspective, whether it’s applied to yearning for company (like on the Childish Gambino collaboration “New Type”) or rejecting easy comforts (like on the spectacularly performed “Hardlife”).

Post Malone, “Mourning” 

“Got a lot of s–t to say, couldn’t fit it in the chorus,” Post Malone declares at the end of the “Mourning” hook, and he’s correct, even outside of the context of the song: after 2022’s Twelve Carat Toothache marked Posty’s first full-length in three years, he’s already back next month with Austin, his fifth studio album, which was preceded by the single “Chemical.” Unlike that more pop-leaning offering, “Mourning” finds Post Malone operating within singsong rap, yelling at God and refusing to sober up while grappling with the excesses of fame; in this prolific period, the superstar is prodding at his sound and identity, and the results are intoxicating.

Kesha, Gag Order 

The reinvention of Kesha’s pop career during her years-long legal battle against Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald has simultaneously been heartbreaking and revelatory: while the personal trauma that the “TiK ToK” singer has experienced during this time has been incalculable, she has mined the depths of her artistry and come up with wholly impressive sonic explorations like new album Gag Order. This album demands attention: as Kesha embraces throbbing cacophony and tries to make sense of senseless circumstances, her songwriting and vocal technique evolve with zero abandon and riveting results.

Lewis Capaldi, Broken By Desire to Be Heavenly Sent 

The list of modern artists not named Adele who can guide heart-wrenching ballads to the billion-stream club is exceedingly short, but Lewis Capaldi, who earned international success with “Someone You Loved” and “Before You Go,” is on it, understanding the cocktail of vulnerable songwriting, tender production and vocal skill needed to affect the tear ducts of global listeners. On Broken By Desire to Be Heavenly Sent, the Scottish singer-songwriter doesn’t rip up the formula that made him a star — instead, he offers more stories that aim to stir, using songs like “Haven’t You Ever Been In Love Before?” and lead single “Forget Me” to reach wide and inspire as many listeners as possible to simply, effortlessly feel.

Kaytraminé, Kaytraminé 

The combination of singer-rapper Aminé and production multi-hyphenate Kaytranada not only makes sense on paper as a fusion of two like-minded creatives who have worked well together over the years, but Kaytraminé, the duo’s self-titled debut album, also works brilliantly as a late spring release, primed to soundtrack Memorial Day Weekend hangouts and months of hazy beach days. With guests like Freddie Gibbs, Pharrell Williams and Snoop Dogg stopping by to buttress Aminé’s silky flow and Kaytranada’s luxurious beats, Kaytraminé is a summer essential on the same level of shorts and sunscreen.

19 May 2023

Lizzo Asks Fans to Bring Posters of Her Boyfriend Instead of Chris Evans to Her Shows & They Oblige

Lizzo may have once fantasized about having Chris Evans’ baby, but those days are behind her. And now that she’s happily in love with boyfriend Myke Wright, she thinks it’s about d–n time her fans start bringing posters of him — and not cutouts of Captain America — to her shows.

In a hilarious video posted to the superstar’s Instagram Friday (May 19), Lizzo pauses her concert to specifically thank fans in the crowd for bringing blown-up photos of Wright. She then explains that at a previous show, she’d given a “public service announcement” about her relationship status because one fan in the audience had brought “a big a– cutout of Chris Evans’ face.”

“Chris Evans is not my man,” she’d told the crowd at the earlier show. “My man is [Myke Wright]. He fine as hell. I wanna see his fine a– face when I’m onstage.”

Clearly, her fans heeded her words — and Lizzo is overjoyed. “Can I have one? For scientific purposes,” the Grammy winner told two people in the audience who brought giant photos of Wright, before taking a picture with the fans from stage.

But while Wright, who is a comedian and TV personality, is Lizzo’s muse now, there was definitely a time not so long ago when Evans was the apple of her eye. In 2021, she confessed to drunk-messaging Evans over Instagram DMs, after which the Knives Out star followed her back and responded, “No shame in a drunk DM. God knows I’ve done worse on this app.”

From there, the two had many more moments of cute banter via social media and interviews. At one point, the “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)” singer posted a TikTok joking that she was pregnant with Evans’ child, prompting him to send her a hilarious response over DMs that she shared with followers. “Hi! Just heard about our little bundle of joy,” he joked at the time. “My mother will be so happy.”

See Lizzo’s PSA about those Chris Evans posters below:

19 May 2023

Miguel’s ‘Sure Thing’ Tops Pop Airplay Chart More Than a Decade After Its Original Release

More than 12 years after its release and its original chart run, Miguel’s “Sure Thing” hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart (dated May 27).

The song, on ByStorm/Black Ice/Jive/Legacy/RCA Records, completes the longest ascent to the Pop Airplay summit from a title’s release, having first hit Billboard’s charts in February 2011, following its November 2010 release on Miguel’s debut LP, All I Want Is You. An R&B/hip-hop radio hit in its original run, “Sure Thing” crowned the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, as well as R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, for a week in May 2011.

On the all-genre, multimetric Billboard Hot 100, “Sure Thing” reached No. 36 over a 23-week stay in March-August 2011.

In 2022, the song resurged thanks to newfound attention on TikTok, where a sped-up version has soundtracked more than 4 million clips. It debuted on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart this January and ranked at No. 30 on the most recently published, May 20-dated chart with 10.6 million official streams in the United States May 5-11, according to Luminate.

On the May 20-dated all-format Radio Songs survey, “Sure Thing” rose 7-6, up 6% to 51.6 million in audience. On the Hot 100, it pushed 15-14, reaching a new best – as well as a new career high for Miguel, surpassing the No. 15 peak of Mariah Carey’s “#Beautiful,” on which he’s featured, in 2013.

(Helping maintain familiarity with top 40 radio listeners, Miguel tallied six Pop Airplay hits in 2012-22, rising as high as No. 12 as featured on Kygo’s “Remind Me to Forget” in 2018, his best career rank prior to the revival of “Sure Thing.”)

Meanwhile, the comeback to new heights for “Sure Thing” has been historic, as the single broke the record for the most weeks ever spent on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: 78 (through the latest, May 20-dated survey, where it placed at No. 5, marking its first appearance in the chart’s top five since September 2011).

“We were keeping a close eye on the metrics,” says RCA head of promotion Keith Rothschild about the decision to promote the song to pop radio after TikTok sparked new interest in it. It debuted on the Pop Airplay chart dated Feb. 25, at No. 40, and hits No. 1 in its 14th week on the chart, up 7% in plays May 12-18.

While “Sure Thing” is far removed from its original release, “programmers were not hesitant at all,” Rothschild says, especially with other catalog songs recently finding new life on radio, whether from TikTok or synchs, including Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God),” Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary” and The Weeknd’s “Die for You.”

Until “Sure Thing,” “Die for You” — originally from 2016 and remixed this year with Ariana Grande, as it, too, received new radio promotion by Republic — briefly held the record for the longest wait to hit No. 1 on Pop Airplay from a track’s release, as it topped the tally for two weeks this February.

“We knew the song was a hit, as it was a No. 1 R&B/hip-hop record when it was originally out,” says Rothschild of “Sure Thing.” “It was never worked at pop, so we asked programmers to put it into callout. The numbers came back massive, and we knew it was game on.”

19 May 2023

Morrissey Pens Warm Tribute to Smiths Bassist Andy Rourke: ‘He Didn’t Ever Know His Own Power’

Despite tensions caused by a royalties battle that for a period split the former members of The Smiths into two warring camps, the band’s singer, Morrissey, penned a predictably lyrical, poetic tribute to the band’s late bassist, Andy Rourke. In a message posted on his official site on Friday (May 19) entitled “Beam of Light,” the legendarily misanthropic singer praised Rourke while pointedly bypassing what he called the “usual blandishments.”

In the wake of Royce’s death at 59 following a battle with pancreatic cancer, Morrissey said, “Sometimes one of the most radical things you can do is to speak clearly. When someone dies, out come the usual blandishments… as if their death is there to be used. I’m not prepared to do this with Andy.”

Morrissey, never one to dwell on sappy sentiment or empty words, said he hoped that “wherever Andy has gone… that he’s OK. He will never die as long as his music is heard. He didn’t ever know his own power, and nothing that he played had been played by someone else. His distinction was so terrific and unconventional and he proved it could be done. He was also very, very funny and very happy, and post-Smiths, he kept a steady identity — never any manufactured moves.”

The note ended with a final olive branch couched in loving words. “I suppose, at the end of it all, we hope to feel that we were valued. Andy need not worry about that.”

The latter was especially poignant given the nasty 1989 royalties dispute that pitted Morrissey and Marr against Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce, during which Morrissey said of the latter two that they were “lucky… if they’d had another singer they’d never have got further than Salford shopping centre.”

Despite the acrimony — Rourke confirmed in an 2017 interview that Morrissey fired him from the Smiths by leaving a postcard on his car — Rourke toured with Morrissey on the singer’s solo outing following the band’s 1987 split and played bass on a number of Moz’s songs, including “Interesting Drug,” “The Last of the Famous International Playboys,” “November Spawned a Monster” and “Picadilly Palare,” as well as composing the music for a handful of others.

19 May 2023

Coi Leray Announces Sophomore Album ‘Coi’ & Teases New Song ‘Make My Day’

After the scorching success of her Billboard Hot 100 hit “Players,” Coi Leray is poised to make more noise with her upcoming sophomore album. Slated to drop June 23, Coi will serve as the follow-up to her 2022 effort Trendsetter, which included “No More Parties,” “BIG PURR” and her Nicki Minaj-assisted “Blick Blick.”

According to a press release, Coi will include 15 tracks across different genres, and will have features from David Guetta, Saucy Santana, Giggs, Lola Brooke and Skillibeng.

The success of “Players” increased the star power of Leray after garnering several big-name remixes with the likes of Busta Rhymes and Tokischa. Because of the song’s popularity on TikTok, “Players” reached the top 10 on the Hot 100, peaking at No. 9 on the April 1-dated chart. 

“The best thing about this industry is there’s room for everybody. That’s why it’s no competition,” she told Billboard at the top of the year. “B—h, I could be here, and you could be here right with me. At the end of the day, even if we at the top of the mountain, I’m a be Coi and you gonna be you, and we could trade places or I could become someone else. I’m gonna determine my greatness, my destiny and my future. What’s for you is for you, while we’re at the top together. Steel sharpens steel.”

Since the release of “Players,” Leray has dropped a slew of follow-up singles, including “My Body” and “Bops.” She also previously worked with David Guetta on his “Baby Don’t Hurt Me” single with Anne-Marie, while recently teasing her forthcoming Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse collaboration with Metro Boomin’ titled “Self Love.” 

Along with announcing the album, Leray also teased “one of her favorite songs” — “Make My Day,” which samples the 1989 classic “Pump up the Jam” by Technotronic.

Coi drops June 23. Check out the cover art and “Make My Day” teaser below.

19 May 2023

Dr. Luke Named Songwriter of the Year at 2023 ASCAP Pop Music Awards

Dr. Luke was named pop music songwriter of the year at the 2023 ASCAP Pop Music Awards, which were held at Yamashiro Hollywood in Los Angeles on May 18. This is the third win in that category for Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald). He won in 2010, and shared the award with Max Martin in 2011.

In the 40-year history of the ASCAP Pop Music Awards, only three other songwriters have won pop music songwriter of the year three or more times. Martin leads with 11 wins, followed by Diane Warren with five. Lionel Richie is tied with Dr. Luke with three wins.

Dr. Luke won this year based on the radio airplay and number of streams for such hits as Latto’s “Big Energy,” Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” and a string of hits for Doja Cat, including “Need to Know,” “Woman” and “You Right.”

The pop music songwriter of the year is determined by the total number of a writer’s shares in ASCAP Pop Music Award-winning songs multiplied by the winning songs’ impressions, which are calculated based on Luminate data for terrestrial and satellite radio and streaming services.

“Stay,” performed by The Kid LAROI and ASCAP member Justin Bieber, who co-wrote the song, won ASCAP pop music song of the year. The synth-pop smash notched seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It remained on the chart for 63 weeks, which set a new record for a Bieber single.

“Stay,” which is published by Universal Music Publishing Group and Bieber Time Publishing, took the No. 1 slot on Billboard’s year-end Radio Songs chart for 2022. On Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 Songs chart for 2022, it finished No. 3 – even though its points were split between two years. The song had finished No. 12 on the year-end Hot 100 Songs chart for 2021.

Sony Music Publishing took ASCAP pop music publisher of the year for the second year in a row and the eighth time overall. Sony/ATV tied with EMI in 2009. Sony/ATV won outright or tied as publisher of the year in 2009, 2013-15, 2017 and 2019.

Sony Music Publishing won this year based on the strength of such hits as “Break My Soul” (Beyoncé), “Hrs and Hrs” (Muni Long), “One Right Now” (Post Malone and The Weeknd), “Numb Little Bug” (Em Beihold) and “23” (Sam Hunt).

Other songwriters honored for their ASCAP Pop Music Award-winning songs included Billy Walsh (“Die for You,” “I Like You,” “One Right Now”), Cardi B (“Wild Side”), Dua Lipa (“Sweetest Pie”), Fousheé (“Bad Habit”), Greg Kurstin (“Easy on Me”), Henry “Cirkut” Walter (“Die for You,” “Unholy”), Kim Petras (“Unholy”), Louis Bell (“I Like You,” “One Right Now”), Phil Plested (“I’m Good (Blue)”), Sarah Hudson (“Sweetest Pie”), Sia (“Unstoppable”), Starrah (“Wild Side”), Theron Thomas (“About Damn Time,” “Big Energy”) and Vaughn Oliver (“Big Energy,” “Super Freaky Girl”).

A complete list of 2023 ASCAP Pop Music Awards honorees can be found on the ASCAP website.

19 May 2023

Jimmy Buffett Cancels Show Due to Undisclosed Medical ‘Issues That Needed Immediate Attention’

Jimmy Buffett canceled his planned concert in Charleston, S.C., on Saturday (May 20) with his Coral Reefer Band after telling fans on Thursday (May 18) that he is dealing with some undisclosed health issues.

In a Facebook message to his Parrothead nation, Buffett, 76, said the show at Credit One Stadium would be rescheduled with all tickets honored for the new date, writing, “These few words from Mark Twain about life changes, seemed perfect to pass on at this time. ‘Challenges,’ he said, ‘make life interesting, however overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.’ I had a sudden change of plans this week that affected us all.”

Specifically, Buffett said that earlier this week, he returned from a trip to the Bahamas and was “thawing out” from his California winter tour, “chomping at the bit to get to Charleston.” During a stop in Boston for a check-up, Buffett said he wound up “back in the hospital to address some issues that needed immediate attention.”

Buffett did not disclose the ailment, the treatment he received or his prognosis, but continued with some well-worn advice for seafarers and land-lubbers alike. “Growing old is not for sissies, I promise you,” he wrote. “I also will promise you that when I am well enough to perform, that is what I’ll be doing in the land of She-Crab soup.”

The billionaire musician/entrepreneur postponed or canceled his five remaining 2022 tour dates in Sept. of last year due to an unspecified medical issues that required a brief hospitalization.

See Buffett’s post below.

19 May 2023

Travis Scott’s Bodyguard Seen With ‘Utopia’ Briefcase Handcuffed to His Wrist

Travis Scott’s Utopia album may be inching closer to a release date. On Thursday (May 18), photos surfaced of Scott walking alongside his bodyguard, who was spotted holding a briefcase with Utopia written on it. To increase security measures, the guard had the briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. 

Billboard has reached out to the rapper’s rep for comment.

Rumors have been swirling regarding the release date for the hotly anticipated album. Epic Records CEO Sylvia Rhone told Billboard earlier this year that Utopia is “expected to come in June.” Scott’s last album arrived in 2018 when he released his astronomic effort Astroworld. The collection bowed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in its debut week, reeling in 537,000 album equivalent units. It included features from Drake, Frank Ocean, The Weeknd and more. It also received a Grammy nomination for best rap album the following year, but lost to Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy. 

Earlier this week, Scott was at a Houston Astros game when he previewed Utopia ahead of the team’s showdown against the Chicago Cubs. Speaking to Fox 26’s sports director Mark Berman, Scott said he was “fresh from Utopia … it’s on the way now.” He added, “I had to come here to play Utopia for the boys down in the locker room. Had to get them right for the game.”

In 2021, Travis released one-off singles in “Mafia” and “Escape Plan” ahead of his Astroworld Festival, which turned tragic when 10 people died and nearly 5,000 were injured in a crowd surge. It has since led to a $750 million class-action lawsuit.

Scott looks to make another return to Rolling Loud Miami this year, where he’ll serve as a headliner and perform alongside A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, 21 Savage and more.

19 May 2023

Lil Wayne Speaks on Ja Morant’s Second Gun Incident: ‘You Expect Him to Be Responsible?’

NBA superstar Ja Morant continues to be under fire after being caught waving a gun on social media for the second time in three months. The debacle has again entered hip-hop circles, as Lil Wayne recently spoke on Ja’s turbulence in a new interview with Showtime’s All The Smoke podcast. 

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“If I was going through something at that point in time, something public like what Slime was going through, I can imagine the rebellious attitude if my homies are egging that attitude on,” said Wayne about the Memphis Grizzlies point guard. 

Tha Carter MC also explained how it would be hard for Morant to receive and digest the messages from sports pundits demoting his superstar status because he’s “the breadwinner.” “I wish a n—a would tell me something. I look at like [NBA superstar] Zion [Williamson]. People begging him to lose weight and get in better shape, ‘I wish a n—a would tell me something. You know how much money I got, boy? Just like this,” relayed Wayne.

He added: “[Ja] come from a town of 3,000 people. What y’all expect? You gave him $200 million. I just said a town of 3,000 people. You expect him to be responsible? Now we trippin’. That’s magic. Because I can tell you I come from a real well-raised beautiful mother. My mama bust her ass to make sure everything around me was nice, and I still was a knucklehead. I shot myself.”

In an interview with ESPN this week, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that he was “shocked” by the Morant incident and labeled his conduct as “irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous.”

“He has an incredibly huge following, and [we discussed] my concern — and I thought he shared with me — that millions, if not tens of millions, of kids globally would have seen him do something that was celebrating in a way that act of using a firearm in that fashion,” Silver said regarding Morant’s first suspension following his initial Instagram Live incident in March. Silver suspended Morant for eight games after Morant was on social media holding up a handgun while intoxicated at a Denver-area club. 

You can watch Wayne’s thoughts on Morant below.