Music

30 Mar 2023

Quavo Continues To Honor TakeOff With New Song ‘Honey Bun’

Today (March 31), Quavo is back with another track dedicated to his late nephew and Migos bandmate, TakeOff, titled “Honey Bun.” 

Previously teased earlier this week on Instagram, “Honey Bun” marks the third track released by Quavo since the November 2022 passing of TakeOff. First, he dropped his heartfelt tribute, “Without You,” in early January, commemorating his partner-in-rhyme. Later that month, Quavo teamed with The Maverick City choir to perform the melancholy record at the 2023 Grammy Awards. “I wish I had a time machine/ Just so you take a ride with me/ I miss just how you smile at me/ Unc & Phew until infinity,” sang Quavo onstage. 

Then, Quavo continued his output when he dropped “Greatness” last month. The wholesome video spoke on a myriad of topics, most notably the status of Migos, in which the frontman debunked any possibility of a reunion. 

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“Came in, swept the game like a storm with the motherf–kin’ flow, ni–a Take’ did that (On God) / So don’t ask about the group, he gone, we gone,” raps Quavo. 

Despite still mourning the passing of TakeOff, Quavo found time this month to engage in some lighter activities, including his appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s new show That’s My Jam. The hour-long music and comedy variety games show found Quavo singing a “nonsense karaoke” version of Lil Jon and The Eastside Boyz’s 2002 single “Get Low.” Other stars to appear on That’s My Jam include Chance The Rapper, French Montana, Saweetie, Keke Palmer, will.i.am and more. 

Check out “Honey Bun” below. 

30 Mar 2023

Chloe Bailey Releases Debut Album ‘In Pieces’: Stream It Now

Chloe Bailey released her debut solo album, In Pieces, Friday (March 31) via Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records.

The 14-track project features previously released singles “Pray It Away” and “How Does It Feel,” featuring Chris Brown, and more collaborations with Missy Elliott (“Told Ya”) and Future (“Cheatback”). Bailey performed “Cheatback” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this week ahead of the LP’s release. In Pieces marks her first solo project apart from her sister duo Chloe x Halle.

Earlier this month, the 24-year-old artist — who also goes by just Chlöe — shared a heartfelt note on Twitter unpacking the inspiration behind the album artwork, which features a red-haired Bailey wearing a Victorian-style baby-blue gown while holding her heart in her right hand.

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“I saw a photo of a porcelain doll 3 years ago, holding her heart just like this and from then, I said this will be my album cover… that same day I also wrote heart on my sleeve,” the Swarm actress wrote. “The beginning of a scary and exciting journey for me. This cover represents so much for me, down to the color of my hair. When I had red hair 1.5 years ago, it was one of the darkest times in my life. That’s why I never wore it again.”

She continued: “In Pieces is for the ones who behind closed doors are breaking and don’t know how much more they can take. In Pieces is for the ones who hold the people up around them while barely holding themselves. In Pieces is for the people who continue to get stabbed in the back, heart broken by the ones they thought they could trust, but STILL that doesn’t change their heart and how they love. In Pieces is for the ones like me, who wear their outer shell so well that you’d have no idea what they’re going through.”

Listen to In Pieces below.

30 Mar 2023

Tyler, The Creator Returns With ‘Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale’

After releasing two entrancing visuals for “DOGTOOTH” and “SORRY NOT SORRY,” Tyler, the Creator, gifts his fans Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale. 

The Billboard 200 chart-topper had a splashy debut in June 2021, as Tyler enlisted DJ Drama to narrate his newest concept. Under the guise of “Tyler Bauderlade,” the Odd Future frontman offers his ruminations on love and relationships. The 16-track effort includes top-tier features from Pharrell, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Brent Faiyaz, Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, and more. Upon release, Call Me If You Get Lost earned 169,000 album-equivalent units, marking his second No. 1 effort, with his first dating back to 2019 (Igor). Last April, CMIFGL dashed back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 after landing the largest week for a hip-hop on vinyl in the modern era.

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After winning the best rap album for Igor in 2020, two years after, Tyler notched his second gold trophy for the same category for CMIUGL. Tyler bested Drake, Kanye West, J. Cole, and Nas. “First off, I’m hyped,” he said on his Instagram story last year. “Thank you to DJ Drama. You are fu–ing so important to rap music. Thank you to all of my friends for being my cheerleaders.” He also praised his team, which allowed him to “make an album where [he] can just flex all goddamn day.”

Tyler, The Creator, is also part of Hulu’s new docuseries Rapcaviar Presents, and there, spoke about why he enjoys his profession as a rapper. “We’re good with words. We’re good with rhythm. We know pockets. We hear a collection of sounds and one thing and say, ‘Ahh, I know what could go over this,’ that takes skill,” he said.

Stream Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale below.

30 Mar 2023

BLACKPINK’s Jisoo Makes a Stunning Solo Debut With ‘ME’: Stream It Now

Nearly seven years since BLACKPINK officially entered in our area, Jisoo is finally making her solo debut with the two-song project ME.

After two weeks of teases leading up to that included two different visual films released on March 15 and March 21, a poster with ME‘s tracklist and song credits on March 27, and the high-fashion music video teaser for lead single “Flower” on March 28, the full project has finally arrived for pop fans around the world.

The first ME song, “Flower,” is a subtle-yet-powerful sonic rollercoaster. It opens with a delicate blend of violin plucks and snappy, trappy production that spotlights Jisoo’s voice.

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Like some of her best vocal moments on BLACKPINK records, “Flower” sees Jisoo letting loose with emotional warbles and passionate runs before the track shifts gear with a pitched-up vocal sequence that will likely become one of 2023’s most notable earworms. The second track, “All Eyes on Me,” points to Jisoo’s love of robust dance-pop records, which fans saw firsthand via her cover of Zedd and Foxes’ “Clarity” during their In Your Area world tour. Jisoo commands listeners to “Make me feel alive” before demanding “All eyes on me” amid a stomping synth-pop dance breakdown.

Along with ME‘s release at midnight on March 31, the official video for Jisoo’s “Flower” premiered on BLACKPINK’s YouTube channel.

With the release of Jisoo’s solo record, all four BLACKPINK members have now put out chart-topping solo music. The girl group’s solos kicked off in 2018 with Jennie‘s “Solo” single (which hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s World Digital Song Sales chart) before both Rosé and Lisa dropped two-song projects in 2021 (Rosé’s “On the Ground” hit No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S; Lisa’s “Lalisa” peaked at No. 1 on the World Digital Song Sales chart while “Money” topped Rap Digital Song Sales). It won’t be long to see how Jisoo ranks alongside her beloved members.

Watch the “Flower” music video and listen to ME in full below:

30 Mar 2023

Flavor Flav Says He’s ‘Always’ Been a Taylor Swift Fan

Flavor Flav proved he’s the ultimate Swiftie at the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday night (March 27), where he took a now-viral selfie with Taylor Swift.

Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly caught up with the “Fight the Power” rapper on the red carpet before the show, where he revealed just how big of a fan he is. “Love me some Taylor Swift, man, always did,” Flav proclaimed, before opening up his green puffer jacket to reveal a white t-shirt featuring the popular lyrics from Swift’s Evermore track, “Willow”: “I come back stronger than a 90’s trend.” He even captioned his Instagram post with Swift using the same lyric.

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Flav then doubled-down on his love for the Midnights superstar, revealing his iced-out chain of a clock with its hands pointing at, of course, midnight. “I heard that Taylor Swift keeps her clock on 12, just like mine,” he explained. “The reason why I keep my clock on 12 is because 12 o’clock points straight up. Every day, I’m straight up with you.”

Swift was honored with the Innovator Award later in the evening at the ceremony. “The thing about these exciting nights and moments and especially this award, they’re shining a light on the choices I made that worked out, that turned out to be good ideas,” she said during her acceptance speech. “I want everyone to know — especially young people — that the hundreds and thousands of dumb ideas that I had led me to my good ideas. You have to give yourself permission to fail. I try as hard as I can not to fail because it’s embarrassing, but I give myself permission to.

“Make the right choices that make sense for you and someone one day might thing you’re innovative.”

Watch Billboard‘s interview with Flavor Flav above.

30 Mar 2023

LFO’s Brian ‘Brizz’ Gillis Dead at 47

Brian “Brizz” Gillis, a founding member of the beloved ’90s boy band LFO, died on Wednesday (March 29). He was 47 years old.

His former bandmate Brad Fischetti shared the news in an Instagram post. “Every story is made up of chapters. Some develop naturally. Some you have to cut up in your mind. The first two chapters of the LFO story lost a main character yesterday. Brian ‘Brizz’ Gillis passed away,” he wrote alongside a black-and-white photo of the musician, noting that he did not have any “details” surrounding his cause of death.

“I am really struggling to process this tragic loss,” he continued. “I’ve said it before and I will continue to say it; the LFO Story is a tragedy. If you know what I’ve been doing, you know I’m trying to bring light into the darkness. Trying find redemption in pain and suffering. Trying to honor the legacy.”

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Fischetti added, “My relationship with Brian was complex. It contained moments of great tribulation but also of great joy. I learned a lot from him about the business of music and how to put together and rock a show. And it’s those positive aspects of our relationship that I will lean on now and forever.”

Gillis’ death comes almost five years after the 2018 death of LFO singer Devin Lima, who lost his battle with stage 4 cancer at age 41, making Fischetti the only surviving member of the group.

The pop trio formed in 1995 in Massachusetts as Lyte Funkie Ones, before Gillis left the band in 1998 to pursue his own ventures and was replaced by Lima. The group broke up in 2010, following the death of lead singer/songwriter Rich Cronin from leukemia, then reunited without Gillis in 2017 as a duo featuring Lima and Fischetti.

“I know that soon or maybe already, Brizz will be greeted by Rich and Devin,” Fischetti concluded his post. “And I hope that together, they will make some sweet sounds. I would really like that.”

30 Mar 2023

Jason Isbell, Questlove & More React to Donald Trump Indictment

Donald Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on Thursday (March 30) on charges stemming from 2016 payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal to silence claims of extramarital sexual encounters.

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The historic event marks the first criminal case against a former U.S. president. The news comes as Trump is also facing investigations into his alleged involvement in 2020 election interference by his supporters and the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, in addition to his handling of classified documents after he was no longer in office.

“He did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this this political prosecution in Court,” lawyers Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina said in a statement, according to Associated Press.

At press time, the New York grand jury’s exact charges toward Trump are unknown.

In late 2016, amid Trump’s presidential campaign, his former lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to keep her silent about an incident a decade earlier after they met at a celebrity gold tournament. Earlier that year, Cohen had also arranged for the National Enquirer‘s publisher to pay McDougal $150,000 to stop her story of a Trump affair. Trump was implicated in court filings as knowing of the arrangements.

Trump reacted to the indictment in a statement, calling the situation “Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history,” as well as a “Witch-Hunt” led by “Radical Left Democrats.”

“The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable — indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference,” he wrote.

A number of stars have taken to social media to react to the news, including Questlove, Jason Isbell and more. See below.

30 Mar 2023

Billie Eilish Celebrates Mom Maggie Baird’s Birthday: ‘You Make the World Go Round’

There’s nothing sweeter than the relationship between Billie Eilish and her mom, Maggie Baird.

The “Bad Guy” superstar took to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday (March 29) to celebrate her mother’s 64th birthday with a sweet post.

“Happy birthday mama,” Eilish captioned a snap of Baird smiling at the camera while playing badminton in a garden. “You make the world go round. I told you yesterday that when I think about how much I love you, I want to sob and throw up. @maggiembaird love you so much [pink heart emojis].”

See the post before it disappears here.

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“She works so unbelievably hard,” the 21-year-old multi-Grammy winner previously told People of hers and Finneas’ mom. “She is so selfless, and she cares so much about people and the world in a way that I don’t think you could even believe is possible.”

She continued, “We, as people, hope for change, but often we just think it and say it. My mom is one of those people who really does it, and that’s so amazing to me.”

In 2022, Eilish and Baird were honored with the Environmental Media Association’s Missions in Music Award “for their incredible work as role models for sustainable behaviors,” including Eilish’s Happier Than Ever, The World Tour, the organization said.

Together, Eilish and Baird created “Overheated,” an extra component with climate-focused activities including clothing swaps, documentary screenings and veganism talks as part of an effort to communicate issues related to sustainable fashion and encourage fans to participate. It was organized in collaboration with Baird’s charity, Support + Feed, which takes on food insecurity and the climate crisis with plant-based food.

30 Mar 2023

Metro Boomin Hypes Up Baseball Fans for Opening Day in New MLB Network Video

Metro Boomin is preparing fans everywhere for Major League Baseball’s Opening Day on Thursday (March 30) with a special video.

The nearly three-minute clip from MLB Network’s studio programming kicks off with Metro (who’s wearing a baseball cap that reps his hometown team, the St. Louis Cardinals) opening up Pro Tools on his laptop and gearing up to make hits — a normal day for the multi-platinum producer — which he compares to players gearing up for a 162-game regular season.

“Whenever I start working on a new record, there are a million different ways that it can go. I might try something new. I might just want to pick up where I left off with the last big hit. Link up with an old friend, or get a bunch of the big dogs together. Go get them young hitters, or help someone trying to follow up a huge hit,” he says as “Trance” (featuring Travis Scott and Young Thug) from his latest Billboard 200-topping album Heroes & Villains plays in the background. “Sometimes you find an artist that breaks all the rules. Sometimes, the rules change right in front of your eyes. But all throughout, you’ve gotta be true to yourself, ya dig? Inject that flavor and that sauce that makes whatever you’re creating different from everything anyone else has ever come up with.”

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The piece features several images and highlights of MLB rising stars and veterans, including Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels, Justin Verlander of the New York Mets, Julio Rodríguez of the Seattle Mariners and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the Miami Marlins. Later, the song shifts to the John Legend-assisted “On Time” from Metro’s Heroes & Villains.

“You can’t beat this time of year. Everybody’s staring at 162,” Metro says while peering into the camera. “162 chances to make that beautiful music…. It’s time to play ball.”

Watch the “Eyes on 162” clip below.

30 Mar 2023

GAYLE Documents Her Teenage Boredom in ‘Everybody Hates Me’ Video

GAYLE dropped a new music video for her latest single “Everybody Hates Me” on Thursday (March 30).

The 18-year-old proves she knows a thing or two about how to survive teenage boredom in the visual, which finds her enlisting her entourage of pals to document a casual trip to the grocery store. “Life’s a bi— and I’m not surprised/ If you read my mind, you’d probably cry/ I do it myself all the time/ Life’s a bi— and she’s cool with me/ I’ll let it be, hard world to please/ I live my life like everybody hates me,” she sings on the chorus as her friends push her wildly down the aisles in a shopping cart.

Elsewhere, the teen alt sensation goes for a joy ride in an unmarked moving truck and takes turns with her friends flipping off the handheld camera with glee.

“Everybody Hates Me” is GAYLE’s first single following her trio of 2022 EPs, A Study of the Human Experience Volume One, Volume Two and Volume Two and a Half. The former contained her breakout single “abcdefu,” which earned the singer a nomination for song of the year at the 2023 Grammy Awards and was also covered by Kelly Clarkson with some surprising lyrical modifications the same day the teenager’s new video dropped.

GAYLE is currently serving as an opener on Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour — an opportunity that came about after the superstar saw her perform at the 2022 Nashville Songwriter Awards last fall.

Watch the music video for GAYLE’s “Everybody Hates Me” below.