State Champ Radio Music
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From the Caribbean Music Awards to the mounting of several arena shows — April kicked off a season of head-turning announcements for the world of Caribbean music.
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On April 9, Billboard exclusively revealed the 2025 Caribbean Music Awards nominations, which will once again grace Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre on Aug. 28. Fans had until May 1 to cast their ballots for over 40 categories featuring leading nominees Shenseea and Masicka, who snagged seven nods each. Soca superstars Patrice Roberts and Kes followed with six nominations, while King of Dancehall Vybz Kartel, genre-fusing soca star Nailah Blackman, and Jamaican dancehall stars Chronic Law and Kranium each earned five nods.
In addition to buzzy awards news, April also featured several blockbuster dancehall arena shows. On April 11 and 12, Vybz Kartel made his highly anticipated return to Brooklyn for his first U.S. live shows in 20 years. Worl’ Boss sold out two nights at Barclays Center just a few weeks before Aidonia headlined UBS Arena (May 3) for a 20th anniversary concert featuring Mavado, Sizzla, Govana, Jada Kingdom, Spragga Benz and more. Last week (May 1), Bounty Killer announced his first U.S. show in 15 years, The Return of the War Lord, which will grace Barclays Center on July 5. Later this month (May 24), Beenie Man will bring his headlining King of the Dancehall tour to UBS Arena, underscoring an impressive arena run for Caribbean artists this year.
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Naturally, Billboard’s monthly Reggae/Dancehall Fresh Picks column will not cover every last track, but our Spotify playlist — which is linked below — will expand on the 10 highlighted songs. So, without any further ado:
Freshest Find: KA$E & Green Lion Crew, “What’s the Word?”
Rising Jamaican recording artist Ka$e teamed up with production duo Green Lion Crew for an upbeat new reggae tune titled “What’s the Word?” Across easy-rocking guitars, Ka$e rattles off his observations of JA’s latest happenings, and carries the legacy of roots reggae artists before him by taking those in power to task and demanding they do more for the island’s orginary people. “Face it! Land we love is govern by some wastemen/ Who feed their need for greed and nepotize them favorite/ Quick fi blame artists when dem portfolio failing/ If a we dem wah fi run it then say less,” he declares in the second verse.
Tifa, “We Got It”
Late ’00s and early ’10s Jamaican dancehall star Tifa has slowly been making her way back into the public eye, and “We Got It” is the latest in a string of standalone singles helping her recalibrate her positioning in today’s dancehall landscape. Over DJ Bunpun’s “Deep Fake” riddim, Tifa delivers an empowering anthem centering women and all their flavor and flair they bring to the dancehall.
Jah Vinci, “Cover Me”
Back with another powerful message that bridges the sanctificed nature of gospel reggae with the street-adjacent feel of trap 808s and Auto-Tuned crooning, Jah Vinci has another winner in “Cover Me.” Aided by a backing choir, Jah Vinci pleads for Jah to “cover [him] with His love and make him whole again” — a moment of musical humility that finds him submitting to the Most High and spreading his message to the rest of the world.
Patrice Roberts, “Ungrateful”
Trinbagonian superstar Patrice Roberts is best known for her soca smashes, but she veered into the Afro-pop lane for new “Ungrateful” single. Produced, mixed and mastered by Yannick Plate and featuring Kyle Ernest on guitar and Esther Tommy on backing vocals, “Ungrateful” finds Roberts kissing a no-good old flame goobye. With a promise to focus on herself, she proclaims, “Boy bye/ Take you s–t to somebody else.” Melodically, this is much more subdued than her previous power soca entries, but the relaxed soundscape allows for her voice’s character to shine through — and for her emoting skills to get some shine.
RajahWild, “Show Me a Sign”
Originally debuted as an “On the Radar” freestyle earlier this year (March 25), RajahWild’s “Show Me a Sign” finally arrived on April 11. Marked by its notable omission of foul language, “Show Me a Sign” effortlessly positions Rajah as one of dancehall’s brightest new stars,” his come-hither lyrics pairing perfectly with trap-forward Zimi Records production. “Mi hope yuh know mi nuh nice/ Hope yuh know you a star/ Hope yuh know you a baddie/ Mi hope yuh know you a shine,” he croons in the second half of the chorus, presenting something of a shift in dancehall lyricism where the man is, even if just for a moment, centering the feels and self-image of the woman he’s pursuing.
DJ Big Skipp, Yung Bredda & Hey Choppi feat. Pndrn & BYFar Mega, “Cho Cha!”
There’s essentially half a soccer team on this song, but it truly is a “the more, the merrier” situation. With the help of Yung Bredda, a triple nominee at this year’s Caribbean Music Awards, Hey Choppi, Pndrn and BYFar Mega pull from New York drill to inform they cadences they employ across the skittering snares of DJ Big Skipp’s production. While the union of dancehall and drill isn’t anything new, it’s very cool to hear Bredda bar up after dominating the first half of the year with “The Greatest Bend Over” and other soca and calypso hits.
Kaka Highflames, “Jackie Chan”
Just a few weeks after assisting Ding Dong on “Street Jump,” the lead single from the “Badman Forward Badman Pull Up” singer’s debut album, rising dancehall star and renowned dancer Kaka Highflames has unleashes his own new single: “Jackie Chan.” Accompanied by a new dance challenge, “Jackie Chan” find Kaka rapping across an old-school, early ’90s hip-hop-evoking beat with the constant refrain of “Don’t let my Jackie Chan kick ya.” Clearly engineered for dancers as opposed to average listeners, Kaka’s new single will certainly help keep the art of dancing at the forefront of dancehall culture.
Ky-Mani Marley, “All This Love”
For the third single from his forthcoming Love & Energy album, Ky-Mani Marley pairs his slightly raspy voice with sweet reggae guitars, ebulliant horns and a whistling background flutes. “So let’s shine our lights together/ So that we can heal/ So the world can feel/ All of this love/ Jah give me all this love,” he sings over Grammy-winner Llamar “Riff Raff” Brown’s lush production. From Ky-Mani to YG (who appeard on Coco Jones‘ recently-released debut album Why Not More?), the Marley legacy continues.
Yaksta, “Haffi Bun”
Yaksta is always full of surprises; a new single from his could be a three-minute look into virtually any genre in the world. With “Haffi Bun,” which he dropped two days before 4/20, Yaksta dipped into his ska bag and added smalls nods to doo-wop along the way. Produced by Partillo Productions, “Haffi Bun” is Yaksta’s aptly titled ganja tribute; he sings in the first, raps in the second and ties it all together with a jaunty hook that maintains the levity of the whole affair. “It was foolish of me to abstaining from the tree!” he sings, delivering the line with a slight decrescendo to add more verve to his vocal performance.
Armanii, “XOXO”
One of the buzziest names in dancehall right now, Armanii has just added another banger to his string of homeruns. Kicking things off in a delightfully nasty and classicaly dancehall way, Armanii attacks the trap beat with, “Open yuh mouth fi mi mek me see yuh throat back/ Dah bumpa deh gwan throw it back/ Cocky a buss inna yuh face, tell yuh hold dat/ She seh di f–k strong like Hulk Hogan.” With a strikingly melodic flow reminsicnent of Kartel himself, Armanii is quickly establishing himself as a dancehall force to be reckoned with.
Zach Bryan keeps making big moves. After recently re-upping his deal with Warner Records, the Grammy winner has now purchased the historic former Saint Jean Baptiste Church building in Lowell, Mass., and is set to transform it into the previously-announced Jack Kerouac Center. That project was initially revealed in 2022, but was paused due to funding obstacles.
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Bryan bought the building from McGowan and TMI Property Management and Development, which previously acquired the building and property from the Archdiocese of Boston in 2006.
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The partnership between the Billboard Hot 100-topping singer-songwriter and the Jack Kerouac Estate will work toward furthering the legacy of novelist and Massachusetts native Kerouac, while also helping aid creativity within Kerouac’s hometown. Kerouac served as an altar boy at the church when he was a child, and the building is where Kerouac’s funeral mass was held in 1969.
The new center will include exhibits, and will feature live music, public readings, and community events.
“We’ve been working on this deal with Zach and his team for several months,” Sylvia Cunha, who leads marketing and business development for the Jack Kerouac estate, said in a statement. “He stepped up and delivered in a big way, showing incredible generosity. Our immediate focus is to bring the building up to code so we can start using the space for music and other events while forming new partnerships to help us bring this vision to life and ensure its lasting success.”
“We’re thrilled to be working with Zach Bryan and his team to honor Jack Kerouac in such a meaningful way,” added Jim Sampas, the literary executor of the Jack Kerouac estate. “The Jack Kerouac Center will stand as a lasting symbol of inspiration, forever linking Jack and Zach. [Bryan’s Investment] is a significant addition to the cultural fabric of Lowell and beyond, drawing visitors from all over the world.”
Bryan has long been a fan of Kerouac, who is known as a pioneer of the Beat Generation and lauded for his books including On The Road, Big Sur, and The Dharma Bums. In 2022, Bryan noted in an Instagram post that his song “Burn, Burn, Burn” was inspired from a line in Kerouac’s On The Road.
Megan Thee Stallion has announced the inaugural Pete & Thomas Foundation Gala will go down in New York City’s Gotham Hall on July 16. The event, announced on Thursday (May 8), will be hosted by Taraji P. Henson, and feature DJ D-NICE at the turntables all night. It will also include a special musical guest who will […]
John Summit will play his biggest solo headlining set to date this fall in Boulder, Colo. The show will happen on October 18 and the city’s 50,000-capacity Folsom Field, the football stadium located on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. The show is being presented by AEG Presents Rocky Mountains in partnership with CU Boulder, with general tickets […]
Country music’s canon of songs is filled with compositions celebrating the support and comfort of family — and particularly the championing, caring, uplifting work of mother figures, whether they be biological, adoptive, or titular. There are numerous country songs about moms and motherhood, such as The Chicks’ “Lullaby” or Faith Hill’s “You Can’t Lose Me,” […]
Vic Mensa has come out in support of Kehlani after the singer has seen two of their live shows canceled in recent weeks.
The Chicago rapper shared an open letter on Instagram to the Bay Area singer about her recently canceled SummerStage Central Park.
“Dear Kehlani,” his Wednesday (May 7) post began. “Few artists, and even fewer at your level of success, have chosen to center humanity and courage as boldly and uncompromisingly as you have, let alone at the peak of their popularity. Although newer to religion, I have a deep seated belief that God, or the universe, or however you categorize the all-powerful presence of the divine, is taking note — of every selfless action, of every sacrifice, of every time we jeopardize our security to do what’s right. I toe the line with you.”
He continued on by sharing that he sometimes has been reluctant to speak up because he didn’t want to lose opportunities.
“I lost a lot,” he wrote. “I’ll be honest. But, perhaps out of necessity, I have to choose to believe that when the smoke clears, I’ll look at my past with pride; I wasn’t perfect, but I forged myself out of fire. I took the hard road. I’ve been awe inspired by the way you’ve stood up. Especially at a time when I fell back and I asked myself, ‘Although, I need to feed my son, what kind of man do I want to inspire him to be?’”
Vic then brought up his Muslim faith and commended Kehlani for their sacrifice and bravery. “The highest form of sadaqah, or charity, is that which is given in health, and with much loved wealth,” he wrote. “When we give, not what we don’t need, but what we need most, the reverberation is supreme.”
He added, “I have often thought about your choices over the last 18 months. Wished I was more brave and more self sufficient. The truth is, your people love you. Not because of an opportunity provided to you by a booker here, or a city there, but because they cherish the depth of your soul. None of this can change that. As long as you have them you can never lose. The powers that be may be great, but I do believe we can all agree — there is a greater power.”
In response to Cornell University canceling their show, Kehlani reiterated that she isn’t antisemitic or antisemitic — she’s anti-genocide. When it came to the SummerStage cancellation, the musician responded with “lol” on Instagram Stories and added that they found out about the cancellation on IG.
The “Afterhours” artist has been open about her support for Palestine in the Israel-Hamas war. In 2023, they — along with numerous other musicians called for a ceasefire when signing the Artists Against Apartheid letter. Her 2024 music video for “Next 2 U” also featured dancers waving Palestinian flags.
Just as Kendrick Lamar leads the 2025 BET Award nominations, which were announced on Thursday (May 8), he is likely to also lead the Grammy nominations when they’re announced later this year.
Lamar has been the leading Grammy nominee twice before. He had 11 nominations leading up to the 2016 ceremony, and eight nods leading up to the 2019 ceremony. He has finished second (or in a tie for second) four other times — twice behind Jay-Z and twice behind Beyoncé. If Lamar amasses 11 nominations, he’ll match his personal best. If he garners 12, he’ll tie Michael Jackson (1984) and Babyface (1997) for the most nominations by anyone in any one year.
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The Grammys and BET Awards operate on different timetables. The eligibility year for this year’s BET Awards was March 16, 2024, through March 15, 2025. The eligibility year for the upcoming Grammys is Aug. 31, 2024, through Aug. 30, 2025. And, of course, the Grammys cover all genres, while the BET Awards focus on various forms of Black music. But the BET Awards offer some clues about which way Grammy voters may be leaning.
Three of the BET nominees for album of the year won album awards at the Grammys on Feb. 2. Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter won both best country album and album of the year, Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal won best rap album and Chris Brown’s 11:11 Deluxe won best R&B album. A fourth BET album of the year nominee, Future and Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You, was nominated for a Grammy for best rap album.
The other four BET nominees will be eligible for the 2026 Grammys — Lamar’s GNX, The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow, GloRilla’s Glorious and the Drake-Partynextdoor collab Some $exy $ongs 4U.
GNX seems virtually certain to be Grammy nominated for album of the year. It would be Lamar’s fifth album of the year nomination as a lead artist, which would allow him to break out of a tie with Ye (formerly Kanye West) for the most album of the year nods by a rapper.
Two of the BET nominees for best new artist — Shaboozey and Teddy Swims — were Grammy nominated in that category at this year’s show. Two other BET nominees in that category are presumed to be ineligible for Grammy nominations in that category. Leon Thomas won a Grammy two years ago for co-writing SZA’s “Snooze,” which was voted best R&B song. Ayra Starr was nominated as a performer two years ago for best African music performance for “Rush.”
The five other BET nominees — 41, BigXthaPlug, BossMan Dlow, Dee Billz and October London — are likely to be eligible to compete for the Grammy in that highly competitive category later this year.
Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” which won a Grammy for best music video on Feb. 2, is nominated for BET’s video of the year. Future, Metro Boomin, Travis Scott and Playboi Carti’s “Type Shit” was also entered in that Grammy category, though it wasn’t nominated.
Luther Vandross is the subject of three BET Awards nominations. Lamar and SZA’s “Luther,” now in its 11th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, is up for both best collaboration and the viewers choice award. And the documentary Luther: Never Too Much is nominated for best movie.
Vandross didn’t receive a lifetime achievement award from the BET Awards. He died in 2005, just four years after the show originated. Vandross, who is widely considered the leading R&B male balladeer of his generation, has yet to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy, either.
In other BET nominations news, Blue Ivy Carter, the 13-year-old daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, is nominated for the Young Stars Award, an award she won last year. The BET allows multiple nominations and wins in that category. Blackish co-star Marsai Martin won it five times. Yara Shaidi and Keke Palmer each won it twice.
Wicked was passed over for a nod for best movie, but Cynthia Erivo is nominated for best actress for her performance in the film. And “Defying Gravity,” by Erivo featuring Ariana Grande, is up for the BET Her award. At the Grammys, Wicked can compete for best compilation soundtrack for visual media, while “Defying Gravity” can compete for best pop duo/group performance.
The 25th BET Awards will be held on Monday (June 9) at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. Comedian Kevin Hart is set to host for the second time.
After weeks of speculation, J.I.D. has announced his new album, God Does Like Ugly, and confirmed it’s dropping later this year. On Thursday (May 8), J.I.D. shared God Does Like Ugly will be released on Aug. 8. The Dreamville rapper had previously dropped off his new single “WRK” on April 18. The new track was […]
Rick Ross and Drake have remained at odds since exchanging jabs on a series of diss tracks last year, but Rozay is open to ending the beef with his “Stay Schemin” collaborator.
The Biggest Boss joined Bootleg Kev for an interview Wednesday (May 7), during which they discussed the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, something Ross saw as “necessary” for the rap game.
The conversation then switched to spotlight the root of Rozay’s issues with Drake, which Bootleg Kev theorized came from Drake’s treatment of French Montana on a track.
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“I spoke on that on the record I released. Like I said, ‘F–k that s–t,’” Ross said. “Was it something really deep? Nah, f–k that, though. But if you p—y, you p—y. If it’s real, it’s real.”
Now, it’s unclear if Ross is being 100 percent serious, but the Florida rapper says he’d be open to squashing his feud with Drizzy.
“You never know,” he began. “If a n—a send me a bottle of Luc Belaire, especially the white one. That go for any of these young n—-s out here … Send me a white Belaire and I’ll take a picture with you.”
Drake sent shots at Ross on his April 2024 “Push Ups” diss track, and Rozay returned the favor with “Champagne Moments.” Ross accused Drizzy of getting a nose job and referred to the OVO rapper as the “white boy” while continuing to troll the 6 God on social media.
Rick Ross and Drake have teamed up for a handful of anthems over the years, including Rozay’s three top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: “Lemon Pepper Freestyle,” “Money in the Grave” and DJ Khaled’s “I’m On One.”
Last year, Ross joined Yung Miami for an episode of Caresha Please, which saw him reflect on being at odds with Drake.
“He mentioned my name, and that’s a no-no,” he said. “Don’t do that, especially when it ain’t about no real s–t. But when you do that, OK then: this is how we gonna play. I can wake up every day and say ‘BBL Drizzy’ or some old s–t, while I’m smoking a joint, listening to the waterfalls and all that s–t, looking at the birds fly off. That s–t easy for me. I don’t know. It depend on how I feel. I ain’t losing no sleep over none of that.”
Watch Rick Ross talk to Bootleg Kev about his Drake feud below:
Read it and weep, conspiracy theorists: Lea Michele has proven once and for all that she is not illiterate.
After years of enduring absurd but persistent rumors that she never learned to read, the Glee actress finally demonstrated on camera that she is totally capable of interpreting the written English language. But first, while serving as a guest on Jake Shane’s Therapuss podcast episode posted Wednesday (May 7), Michele began by saying that her feelings about the wild speculation “depends on the day.”
“Sometimes I think it’s crazy that people care enough about me that they would make up something … that someone has so little to do in their life in their day that they would waste it on me, is hilarious to me,” she told Shane. “And then there are moments where I f–king get so frustrated by it, because I’m one of the only women in my whole family to get accepted to college. My mother and my mother’s whole family was extremely poor from the Bronx, not very well educated, and my parents moved me from the Bronx to New Jersey to get a good education and to thrive, and I did.”
“My parents and my family are so proud of that … for someone to minimize that, it’s so sad and so frustrating,” she continued, noting that she was on the debate team in school, for which she had to write speeches.
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After talking about the illiteracy rumors for a few minutes, an exasperated Michele abruptly decided to show, not tell, Shane’s viewers that she can read. “Give me the [notecards], I’m reading them!” she said, reaching for the podcaster’s notes.
“Jonathan [Groff] is not here to read me this s–t!” she added, referencing her good friend and former Spring Awakening costar.
The Broadway star then proceeded to successfully read the contents of the card aloud — at one point joking, “What does this word say?” — putting the debate over her literacy to bed as Shane howled with laughter. The hilarious moment ends years of people speculating online that, having started doing theater as a young child, Michele never learned to read and instead depended on people to feed her her lines. The actress has poked fun at the theory a few times over the years, and in a 2022 interview with The New York Times, she stated, “I went to Glee every single day. I knew my lines every single day. And then there’s a rumor online that I can’t read or write? It’s sad. It really is. I think often if I were a man, a lot of this wouldn’t be the case.”
Beyond dispelling the silliest rumor of her career, Michele also spoke at length about her days on Glee. “We were all so young, and everybody was growing up and falling in love, and for me, that was a huge part of the whole experience for me,” she said of her castmates. “When I watch it, I can tell you exactly, ‘Oh, that day I was sobbing in my dressing room.’ Or, ‘That day was the best day in the world.’”
Watch Michele’s full interview on Therapuss above.
