Music

07 Feb 2023

Missy Elliott Praises Lil Wayne, Lizzo & More After Receiving Congrats for Global Impact Grammy Award

Missy Elliott was a 2023 recipient of the Recording Academy’s global impact award. The singer received the award — alongside fellow honorees Lil Wayne and Dr. Dre — ahead of the 65th annual Grammy Awards at Thursday’s Black Music Collective event last week, and she’s taking a moment after soaking up praise from her peers to extend a few kind words of her own.

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In a video posted to Missy’s feed, Lil Wayne spoke of how honored he felt to be presented with the global impact award alongside one of his idols. “You already know Missy is one of my biggest inspirations in music … because Missy showed it was OK to be you,” he said in the clip. “Missy as an artist, as a rapper, as a musician — that’s a genius.”

Missy, touched by the message, responded in a heartfelt tweet of her own, stating that she is happy Lil Wayne and his talents are being recognized on such a grand scale. “@LilTunechi people don’t see artist go through many ups & downs..it’s not all glamor & glitz but the greatest thing is when you are recognized & I am so happy your getting Your BOUQUET because YOU TRULY DESERVE it also! Love you LEGEND & i am always GRATEFUL 4 your words,” she wrote on Tuesday (Feb. 7).

Timbaland shared a video congratulating his close friend. “You doin’ it big, sis,” he said in the video, which prompted Elliott to share a sweet throwback story about their friendship that predates their careers taking off.

“@Timbaland We come a long way & BLESSED to be from VA,” she shared. “Remember I would come to your house after school and we would do 5 to 6 songs a day until yo daddy would say I gotta get up 4 work y’all gotta go home naw .. Wow those days paid off! I love you bro.”

Lizzo, a fierce and public supporter of Missy and her work, also shared a congratulatory message: “I tell you all the time how much you are my icon, and now you’re getting an award for the global icon of Black music, all music … your impact will forever change music, period,” the “About Damn Time” singer said.

“@lizzo 1st Congratulations on all of your success… Many don’t know the struggles artist endure behind the scenes.. But I watched your come up & hard work & you DESERVE the APPLAUDS. I thank you 4 always being there for me & your kind words I am humbly Grateful,” Elliott wrote in response to Lizzo’s sweet video message.

And while Flavor Flav and Jay-Z did not have their personal video messages shared to Missy’s Twitter feed, she did share a fun moment of the trio interacting backstage at the Grammys with a fun throwback story.

“@SC fun fact Jay said the 1st time he ever rode in a Lambo car was mines over 20 yrs ago now look he probably own a damn spaceship with a alien driver. He always showed me love & @FlavorFlav
is always such GREAT ENERGY! Humbled to be around so many LEGENDS,” Elliott concluded her list of thank yous.

See all of the videos from Missy’s Twitter below.

07 Feb 2023

Beyonce Is 1 for 18 in the Grammys’ Big Four Categories: A Closer Look

Beyoncé made history at the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday, becoming the first person ever to win 32 of the Recording Academy’s shiny gramophones. But just one of those 32 awards has come in a Big Four category (album, record and song of the year plus best new artist). It happened on the 2010 telecast, when Bey won song of the year for co-writing her dance smash “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).”

Beyoncé has been nominated in Big Four categories 18 times. That means she’s had to politely smile as someone else walked up to accept a Big Four award that she was nominated for 17 times. In 2017, she famously lost the three top awards to Adele. In 2001, she and her Destiny’s Child colleagues lost two of the top three awards to U2. In 2021, two of her singles lost to a Billie Eilish hit.

It’s hard to feel too sorry for an artist who has won more Grammys than Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Prince and Elton John combined. And yet, the fact that Beyoncé has a 1-17 track record in the Big Four categories – which are by far the most closely watched and prestigious – is galling to the Beyhive, and to many others who believe it shows that Beyoncé (and Black artists in general) are undervalued by the Academy.

That said, she has twice lost to other Black artists in Big Four categories. Two years ago, “Black Parade” lost song of the year to H.E.R.’s BLM anthem “I Can’t Breathe.” This year, “Break My Soul” lost record of the year to Lizzo’s jubilant “About Damn Time.”

Here’s a closer look at every time Beyoncé was nominated in a Big Four category. The dates shown are the dates of that year’s Grammy telecast.

07 Feb 2023

Here’s Every Time Lizzo & Harry Styles Showed Each Other Love

Over the past few years, Lizzo and Harry Styles have become the besties we never knew we needed.

The two advocates for self-love and acceptance have been paying tribute to each other with covers of their songs, and surprise performances together, and fans on Twitter have affectionately given the unlikely duo the nickname Hizzo. 

See below for all the times #Hizzo were the most adorable BFFs you ever did see.

07 Feb 2023

Bad Bunny’s Show-Opening Performance Was a Milestone Moment for Latin Music at the Grammys

Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. ET, one tweet captured the moment perfectly: “Taylor Swift dancing while Benito sings is what you didn’t know you needed to see.”

What Latin music fans have long known the world really needed to see was Latin artists performing en español at the Grammys. Bad Bunny — real name Benito Antonio Ocasio Martínez — stepped into the moment in magnificent fashion, not simply performing a medley of songs, but opening the show with a painstakingly detailed and exhilarating homage to his native Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Tradition and culture were presented in the form of dances, dancers and imagery — including the eye-popping cabezones (or big heads) representing icons like rapper Tego Calderón and the late poet and independence advocate Julia de Burgos, not household names for American audiences, but ones worth their time to read about. Musically, Bad Bunny managed to traverse a broad gamut of genres, initially singing while accompanied by Puerto Rican pleneros — and later, by the 10-piece band of Dahian “El Apechao,” from the Dominican Republic.

It could not have been more local. And yet, it could not have been more universal, a brilliant example of how regional music can have international appeal and cross boundaries of tradition and language if executed convincingly — and, as Bad Bunny so emotionally articulated, “with love.”

The overwhelmingly positive reception to the performance (Billboard ranked it as the second best of the night), including Taylor Swift’s merengue moves in front of the camera, may end up marking a pivotal moment for the Grammy awards and their longstanding conflicted relationship with Latin music.

For years, the show has largely steered clear not only of music in Spanish, but of Latin artists overall. A full decade ago, Billboard wrote about the unintended consequences of their exclusion: At a time when Hispanics were already the biggest minority in the country, and when at the time one in 10 Grammy viewers identified as Hispanics, most Latin acts didn’t even bother to show up to the Grammys anymore. After all, they seldom were asked to perform, their awards were almost always relegated to the pre-telecast and the impact of a win was severely mitigated by the lack of exposure.

Five years later in 2018, when “Despacito” was nominated for song of the year (and lost), not that much had changed. As Billboard reported at the time, less than a dozen Latin acts had performed live at the telecast in the previous 30 years, a list of performs that including Gloria Estefan, Linda Ronstadt, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. Roughly half of those artists — including Ricky Martin, in his now-legendary performance of “The Cup of Life” in 1999 — sang in English.

But following that underwhelming “Despacito” performance, the Grammys took a major step — and something of a gamble — by opening the show in 2019 with a Latin number, featuring a slew of big-name acts: Camila Cabello, J Balvin, Ricky Martin, Arturo Sandoval and even American rapper Young Thug. Led by Cabello, by then a mainstream star in the States, they performed primarily in English, but the sentiment and vibe was undeniably Latin.  

It would be a harbinger of things to come. In 2020, Rosalía performed “Malamente” in Spanish at the ceremony, backed by handclaps and dancers. In 2021, it was Bad Bunny, take one, performing his hit “Dákiti” alongside Jhayco. In 2022, it was Balvin again, this time with María Becerra, and singing in Spanish.  

It culminated this year, with an opening number that, more than a performance, was a manifesto of Latin Caribbean culture — one that would have been unimaginable to conceive for mainstream television, much less as the opening of an award show, just a decade ago.

All told, in five years, the Grammys managed to showcase and highlight Latin music and artists more than they had done across the 30 years prior, normalizing its presence in the telecast until it no longer risked losing eyeballs if the show dared to begin in another language.

Late as it may be, it’s a moment to celebrate.

For years, we’ve lamented the fact that Latin music — which we define as music performed largely in Spanish — has been relegated to that no-man’s land of “otherness”: It’s in another language, therefore fans won’t listen to it, they’ll tune out, they’ll shun it. As it turns out, fans will listen to what they want, regardless of language.

Yes, Latin music is enjoying a shining moment of recognition and consumption that is higher today than at any other point in history. Then again, it’s impossible to deny the popularity of Bad Bunny, the most-streamed artist in the U.S. and the world, or of J Balvin when he performed the year before. The question is: Does the bar really need to be set that high for us to get a foot in the door?

Latin music has long been an intrinsic and essential part of the social and cultural fabric of this country, an entrenched DNA and contributions that go beyond the growing population numbers. We are part of this whole. Let’s continue recognizing it as such.

07 Feb 2023

Watch Kelly Clarkson ‘Set Fire to the Rain’ on Luminous Adele Cover

Kelly Clarkson powered through a cover of Adele‘s “Set Fire to the Rain” on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Tuesday (Feb. 7).

“Sometimes I wake up by the door/ That heart you caught must be waiting for you/ Even now, when we’re already over/ I can’t help myself from looking for you/ I set fire to the rain/ And I threw us into the flames/ When it fell, something died/ ‘Cause I knew that that was the last time, the last time,” she belted out while wearing a black brocade dress, wide belt and matching tights.

The lush power pop ballad was Adele’s third straight No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 off her behemoth 2011 album, 21, which also included chart-toppers “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone Like You.” Of course, since then, the superstar has added titanic singles “Hello” and the recently Grammy-winning “Easy on Me” to her list of No. 1s.

Later in her talk show, Clarkson interviewed both Alison Brie and Michael Bolton, and gave her audience a preview of her latest gig hosting the NFL Honors with help from football great Michael Irvin.

Other recent Kellyoke selections on the show have run the gamut from Mark Morrison’s ’90s R&B classic “Return of the Mack” and Camilla Yarbrough’s “Take Yo’ Praise” to the indie rock of Arctic Monkeys’ 2013 single “Do I Wanna Know?” and club-ready banger “Finally” by CeCe Peniston. She also recently welcomed P!nk to the studio for an hourlong rendition of her “Songs & Stories” segment.

Watch Clarkson cover Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” in the latest Kellyoke below:

07 Feb 2023

Ne-Yo & Crystal Renay’s Divorce Finalized

Ne-Yo and Crystal Renay’s divorce was officially finalized on Jan. 26, according to court documents obtained by Billboard.

A judge in the Superior Court of Fulton County in Georgia’s Family Division determined “a total divorce” should “be granted.” Renay will receive $12,000 a month in child support from Ne-Yo to support their three children: Isabella, Shaffer Chimere Jr. and Roman Alexander-Raj, according to a divorce settlement obtained by TMZ.

Renay officially filed for divorce in August, just days after she accused the “Because of You” singer of cheating. In the petition, she asked for a divorce on the grounds that her marriage to Ne-Yo was “irretrievably broken with no hope for reconciliation” and that the singer had “committed the act of adultery.”

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The petition, which was obtained by Billboard, also included a shocking allegation, with Renay noting, “There are no further children anticipated to be born or adopted as issue of this marriage, however, Respondent has recently fathered a minor child with his paramour.”

Days later, Ne-Yo vowed not to address the split publicly: “For the sake of our children, my family and I will work through our challenges behind closed doors. Personal matters are not meant to be addressed and dissected in public forums. I simply ask that you please respect me and my family’s privacy at this time.”

07 Feb 2023

Celia Cruz’s Legacy to Be Commemorated in U.S. Currency

The face of the legendary Celia Cruz will be depicted on a U.S. quarter, according to the United States Mint. Widely known as the Queen of Salsa, the late Cuban singer was chosen along with four other exemplary women from history to be featured on the U.S. quarter as part of the American Women Quarters Program in 2024. She will also make history as the first Afro-Latina to appear on the coin.

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Cruz, who is considered one of the most influential Latin singers of all time and a cultural icon, is remembered for her lively expression of “¡Azúcar!,” and for her highly influential body of work consisting of 37 albums.

The other honorees include Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first women of color to serve in Congress; Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, women’s rights advocate and Civil War era surgeon; poet, activist, and lawyer Pauli Murray; and Native American writer, composer, educator Zitkala-Ša. The four-year program “celebrates the accomplishments and contributions made by women of the United States,” states the official website. 

Since joining La Sonora Matancera in the early ’50s up until her death in 2003 due to cancer, Cruz was unquestionably one of the most exuberant performers of Latin music. Her larger-than-life onstage presence coupled with her captivating charisma made her a legend in Latin America and beyond. 

In the 1970s, she became a leading force in salsa music and joined Fania All Stars alongside Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, Tito Puente and other icons of the genre, a cultural phenomenon that took place in New York City and beyond. She later explored other tropical genres such as merengue and reggaetón. Some of her most memorable hits in history include “La Vida Es Un Carnaval,” “La Negra Tiene Tumbao,” and “Químbara” also featuring Johnny Pacheco. 

She never lip-synched, and when asked to do it for TV performances, she refused. Cruz was also incredibly influential for many of today’s Latin stars. Her last 2003 album, Regalo del Alma, remained at No. 1 on the Top Latin Albums chart for three weeks.

“I’ve never thought of retiring. I’m healthy, I’m rolling, I’m rolling. I remember Celia Cruz,” reggaetón pioneer Ivy Queen previously told Billboard, who has long idolized and emulated Cruz. “Her last Premios Lo Nuestro performance, she had cancer. She walked from her chair to the stage, she sang, and … she sang. That’s what I’m doing. F–k it. She did it, I’m gonna do it.”

Although Cruz died two decades ago, her legacy continues to appear in various corners of pop culture. Last year, the estate of the salsa legend partnered with Archetype-IO to release her first NFT collection, which debuted in Art Basel 2022. In 2016, an 80-part series about her life became available for streaming on Netflix, titled Celia, by Telemundo.

For each year commencing in 2022 and running through 2025, the U.S. mint will issue five new reverse designs, and the obverse of the coin will still feature George Washington, but with a slightly different design from the previous quarter program. This year celebrates Bessie Colemen, Edith Kanaka’ole, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jovita Idar and Maria Tallchief.

07 Feb 2023

Dream Wife Share New Single & Reveal ‘Hyper Lusty’ Album Is Due This Year

London-based trio Dream Wife have revealed details for their third studio album, Social Lubrication, out June 9 via Lucky Number. The group — vocalist Rakel Mjöll, guitarist Alice Go and bassist Bella Podpadec — self-produced the 10-track set that includes previously released single “Leech” and latest song “Hot (Don’t Date a Musician),” which is out Tuesday (Feb. 7).

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In typical Dream Wife fashion, the band’s new single is a playful punk rager and inspired by Mjöll’s grandmother’s sage advice despite the fact that she herself dated many musicians in her day, according to the band.

“Dating musicians is a nightmare,” says Mjöll in a release. “Evoking imagery of late night makeouts with f–kboy/girl/ambiguously-gendered musicians on their mattress after being seduced by song-writing chat. The roles being equally reversed. Having a laugh together and being able to poke fun at ourselves is very much at the heart of this band. This song encapsulates our shared sense of humor. Sonically, it is the lovechild of CSS and Motorhead. It has our hard, live, rock edge combined with cheeky and playful vocals.”

Social Lubrication promises to be another electrifying album from the group, who released its debut album in 2018, followed by breakthrough record So When You Gonna… in 2020. The trio’s sophomore effort yielded remixes from Rina Sawayama, Nova Twins and Porridge Radio, and international touring at festivals slots at Lollapalooza and Primavera Sound. In addition, the band has opened up for rock headliners Garbage, The Kills and even the Rolling Stones at Hyde Park.

In the band’s words, Social Lubrication is “hyper lusty rock n’ roll with a political punch, exploring the alchemy of attraction, the lust for life, embracing community and calling out the patriarchy. With a healthy dose of playfulness and fun thrown in.”

“Music is one of the only forms of people experiencing an emotion together in a visceral, physical, real way,” says Go. “It’s cathartic to the systemic issues that are being called out across the board in the record. Music isn’t the cure, but it’s the remedy. That’s what Social Lubrication is: the positive glue that can create solidarity and community.”

07 Feb 2023

TOMORROW X TOGETHER & Morgan Wallen See Big Hot Trending Songs Chart Debuts

New music from TOMORROW X TOGETHER and Morgan Wallen occupy the top five of Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart dated Feb. 11.

Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by Twitter, track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across Twitter, viewable over either the last 24 hours or past seven days. A weekly, 20-position version of the chart, covering activity from Friday through Thursday of each week, posts alongside Billboard’s other weekly charts on Billboard.com each Tuesday, with the latest tracking period running Jan. 27-Feb. 2.

“Tinnitus (Wanna Be a Rock),” from TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s new five-song EP The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION (released Jan. 27), starts at No. 1. It’s followed by fellow entries from the EP “Devil By the Window” (No. 3), the Coi LeRay-featuring “Happy Fools” (No. 5), “Farewell, Neverland” (No. 7) and “Sugar Rush Ride” (No. 15).

Concurrently, TEMPTATION bows at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, as previously reported, with 161,000 equivalent album units earned, according to Luminate. Each of the songs also reach the World Digital Song Sales tally, led by “Ride” at No. 1 (3,000 downloads).

Wallen’s “Everything I Love,” “Last Night” and “One Thing at a Time” appear on the ranking at Nos. 2, 4 and 16, respectively. The former two were released Jan. 31 ahead of the country singer’s new album, One Thing at a Time, due March 3, while the latter premiered in 2022.

“Night” and “Love” concurrently debut at Nos. 27 and 61, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100, while “Time” jumps 73-54.

Linda Ronstadt’s “Long Long Time,” released in 1970, also sees a No. 6 debut thanks to its appearance in the Jan. 29 episode of HBO’s The Last of Us.

Keep visiting Billboard.com for the constantly evolving Hot Trending Songs rankings, and check in each Tuesday for the latest weekly chart.

07 Feb 2023

T.I. Talks Super Bowl Halftime Rumors, Working With DaBaby and If His Next Album is His Last

Two decades after breaking through on a national level, T.I. is still writing his legacy.

While Tip usually shies away from watching scary movies himself, the hip-hop polymath expanded his filmography by starring in the psychological horror movie Fear, which hit theaters in January. In addition to playing Lou in the Deon Taylor-directed independent flick — joining a cast that included Power’s Joseph Sikora, Terrence J, Tyler Abron, King Bach and Rudy Modine — T.I. also served as a producer and investor in the movie, which was filmed in the midst of the pandemic.

And he and DaBaby linked up in Charlotte in early January for a soundtrack collaboration, also titled “Fear.” DaBaby tells Billboard, “My guy Deon Taylor called me and I got to see the trailer for the film and I got to curate the song directly off that. [Deon’s] quickly become one of my mentors in the last couple of months. Ever since I ran into him at Draymond Green’s wedding, he asked me if I was interested in being on the big screen since he saw some of my music videos. I told him, ‘Absolutely.’”

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Will T.I. follow up that project with a Super Bowl cameo? The rapper has been rumored to make a guest appearance at Rihanna’s Super Bowl LVII halftime show to perform their Hot 100-topping 2008 duet “Live Your Life.” T.I. caught up with Billboard to discuss the Super Bowl possibility, his ranking on Billboard and Vibe‘s greatest rappers list, Drake interpolating “24’s” on Her Loss, and more.

How was working with DaBaby on “Fear” for the Fear soundtrack?

T.I.: It was dope. Me and bro had a mutual respect for a long time. I always spoke about working together and working on film. He’s been picking my brain about it. With his videos, you can tell he’s got chops and he’s ready to evolve into another form of storytelling. I’m eager to assist the next generation however I can.

DaBaby and Deon Taylor

DaBaby and Deon Taylor attend “Fear” World Premiere at Directors Guild Of America on January 21, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Arnold Turner/GI for Hidden Empire Film Group

How did you feel about showing up on our greatest rappers list at No. 32?

There’s so many phenomenal talents, prolific artists and iconic figures that have passed through this culture. I ain’t got no time to hold no emotions about it. I’m just thankful to be here, thankful to be part of the collective that gets to do what we love for a living and inspire people on a daily basis. I’m just happy to be around the elite. The people I used to wake up not wanting to go to school and listen to. I’m on a list with them. 

Now I became the person that little truancies used to get up and not want to go to school. It’s an honor and a privilege and a pleasure to be on that list. I think it’s some people that I came before I think that I should’ve went behind. What’s the process? So people just saying let’s piss people off? If you wanna piss people off and get instant engagement, make a list about anything.

What did you think about Drake interpolating your song “24’s” for “Rich Flex” on Her Loss?

I think it’s dope. I think it’s incredible, on the 20th anniversary of Trap Muzik this year, we’re still showing the relevance and the impact of the music from having the icons of today just still find value in it and I think it’s dope that he did it. I’m happy to be a part of it in any way possible. 

Are we going to see you at the Super Bowl performing “Live Your Life” with Rihanna?

Zip it. Ay man, I will not confirm or deny any potential appearance. It’s an awesome opportunity. It was awesome to have the opportunity to work with such an iconic figure and such a prolific individual and such a beautiful spirit altogether. We’ll see what happens. 

You’ve been a mentor to a lot of artists, and recently spoke about how 21 Savage thanks you every time he sees you for not giving him that first $1 million. 

It’s amazing to be in a position where you enter into a whole new generation and be this institution of culture and see the new leaders of the generation pass through your studio and find their sound and start building, meeting each other, and learning the business. I teach the way I was taught, and I was taught you gon’ sacrifice something to gain something. Part of that sacrifice early on is that up-front advance money. Then you get some equity on the back end. That’s the model I’ve been preaching for a long time. 

Young Thug was another one of those artists you mentored. He’s in an unfortunate situation right now.

I still have the utmost faith he’s going to come out better than ever. God has the last say, regardless of what I think. He’s going to be a better person and in a better position. 

“What You Know” celebrated an anniversary last weekend. What do you remember most about making that record?

I remember how fast I recorded it — it was extremely fast. As soon as [producer] DJ Toomp came in and played some records, as soon as I heard that beat, I knew that was it. I just went in there and did it. Everybody knew this was the first single. That was probably one of the most obvious first listens I’ve ever experienced. 

What was your response to RZA’s comments hating on the South taking over rap in 2007 at the time?

I had heard that. There’s gonna be some knee-jerk reactions when it comes to change. Things are being presented a little differently than you’re used to receiving, I can understand how it may take some getting used to. Personally, he never exhibited that kind of energy toward me, and I think that Southern lyrics as a whole are made in response to people in the South and the dialect is much different than the North. I can understand if you from up North, how you might feel a little left out. 

Kill the King is your final album? The last one has to be A1.

It’s definitely a feeling of that. Perfection is necessary. I kind of have to put an exclamation point on this career that is taken me to heights that I never imagined and led me places that really surprised me. I never thought I’d be in some of the great positions that I found myself in. This would be the exclamation point, and I have to do it.