Music

14 Dec 2022

Samsung NXT 2.0 Contestants Spotlight their Style in Original Song Challenge

We’ve heard the contestants put their spin on hits of yesteryears as part of the Samsung and Billboard’s NXT 2.0 singing competition, but now they’ve shined a light on their own style.

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For the second round of the contest, the 12 contestants were instructed to show off their chops with original songs, using their Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4, and the submissions varied in delivery. While some contestants highlighted their roots by singing in another language, others put effort into performance-style execution, pairing the mood of their tracks with their filming set. Much like their covers of BTS’ dance floor anthem, “Butter,” the dozen delivered a bit of everything sonically from sultry ballads, pop/rock offerings and feel-good odes to romance.

As with the previous round, the contestants were then ranked on a specialty Billboard chart, with one final challenge ahead of them. The last announcement will be revealed by a third celebrity mentor in the singing competition, who will join the likes of Mariah Angeliq and Flo Milli.

The winner of Samsung and Billboard’s NXT 2.0 competition will land on the cover of a special digital issue of Billboard, receive a meeting with a record label, studio time to record their first single, funding for a music video and tickets to the 2023 Billboard Music Awards. Check out each submission as part of the original song challenge, and click here to follow along for the latest on the Samsung NXT 2.0 competition. 

Andrew Leonforte

Leonforte is in a better place after closing the door on a toxic romance as viewers heard in his submission song, “Better Without U.” On the pop-charged track, he delivered heightening vocals as he belted about the aftermath of the breakup.

Ellie B

To highlight her origins, Ellie opted to sing her song in Spanish and it’s clear why “Infeil” is so important to her. The reggaeton track is the very first song that she ever wrote and even jumpstarted her music career.

FIKI

FIKI put her culture on display in her submission track, “Wahala,” which is a Yoruba word that translates to “problem.” On the stripped-back song, the singer declares just how much she wants to swerve all kinds of drama.

Julian King

Trekking to an empty parking lot, King offered up his dance moves in a mini-music video style submission for “Like Me Too,” a self-love track that he wrote after his frustrations with dating in 2022.

Kyn Rose

It was a moody start to the day in Rose’s challenge video, which highlighted his original song, “Dangerous.” The silky R&B track came about after his realization about an ill-fated romantic connection.

Lordus

@iamlordus

It’s been a while since my last release so I’m excited and nervous!! #ad for this week’s #SamsungNXT competition from @billboard and @samsungus , I’m giving you a little preview at an unreleased song of mine called “What Is” from my upcoming project. This song is me being as transparent and vulnerable with my personal experience with falling in love. I want whoever hears this to feel the rollercoaster of emotions it took for me to create this! Let me know if you can relate! #GalaxyZFlip4 PLEASE don’t forger to LIKE, COMMENT, & SHARE this video to let em know why I should be SAMSUNGNXT’S UNSIGNED ARTIST‼️?????

♬ original sound – Lordus

For this round, Lordus got personal, singing her original song, “What Is,” which she compared to a page out of her diary. In her submission, the singer put a spotlight on the slow-burning cut’s adlibs as clips of her backing vocals were emphasized throughout the video. 

Mar’yana Hicks

Hicks’ original track, “Heart At War,” is meant to be up for interpretation, but the contestant said the piano ballad reflects physical and spiritual struggles, and those emotions were heard loud and clear during this week’s submission.

Nicole Tortolani

Tortolani put her all into her Spanish-language track, “Me Quedé En El Aire,” a song that she produced and even filmed a music video to pair. In her submission, she delivered some light choreography to the Latin track, which she released in 2021.

Nyla XO

Nyla XO sent a message to “all the lovers” out there in her second challenge submission with “Perfect View.” The uplifting track was written with her husband in mind and captures the emotions that come about when she’s doing life with her special someone.

Peyton McMahon

McMahon created “Someone” after he was feeling a bit lonely and surrounded by people in happy relationships. For his submission video, the aspiring star brought out his guitar for the emotionally-charged pop/rock track.

Vaishalini

“Livin’ Rent Free” is Vaishalini’s unique concoction of sass, vocal layering and a perky beat to pair. The singer said she wanted to create a record that keeps in mind her overall artistic agenda: to empower her listeners. 

Wampy

To complement the context of his song, “You Break My Heart,” Wampy opted for a moody bedroom set for his submission video. On the R&B-charged cut, which happens to be his very first original song, the singer put his heart on his sleeve while reflecting on a breakup.

14 Dec 2022

From ‘Goo Goo’ to Gaga: ‘Wednesday’ Brings ‘Bloody Mary’ to Top 40 of Billboard Global Chart

In a banner year for Netflix series reviving decades-old tracks into chart hits, Lady Gaga is finishing out the year with a bump for a 2011 deep cut. Born This Way’s “Bloody Mary” leaps into the top 40 of the Dec. 17-dated Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart on the heels of a swirl of TikTok activity surrounding the popularity for the Addams Family spin-off series Wednesday. All of that despite not even being featured in the series.

A dance sequence from the record-breaking show caught the eye of social media users. In the show, the titular character dances to The Cramps’ 1964 single “Goo Goo Muck.” Then, fans took the clip and replaced “Goo Goo” with “Bloody Mary” and the revamped dance sequence took off. On the latest global charts, the Gaga track jumps from No. 168 to No. 35 in its second week on Global Excl. U.S., while it debuts at No. 54 on the Billboard Global 200.

All episodes of Wednesday premiered on Nov. 23, and its spin-off effect on “Mary” was almost immediate. In the week of Nov. 25-Dec. 1, the gothic pop track rocketed by 509% in official on-demand global streams and 1,133% in sales, according to Luminate. The following frame, the tracking week ending Dec. 8, which informs the current charts, it shot up another 144% and 201%, respectively.

The week before its stratospheric leap, “Mary” drew 1.8 million global streams, less than one-fifteenth of its latest update. But even before Wednesday, Gaga’s song was inching up week by week, consistently building from its 561,000 streams the week ending Aug. 18. The track’s budding popularity made it a prime target, ready to explode with one well-synchronized dance routine.

Not only has “Mary” risen in total streams in the last two weeks, its international profile has widened. The song’s international streaming count has risen by 537% and 144% in the last two weeks, compared to its still-more-than-robust 412% and 140% bumps in the U.S. Of its global total, the domestic share quickly cut from 22% to 18%, while its international share spiked from 78% to 82%.

The song’s slightly-sharper rise outside the U.S. is perhaps due the broadly global popularity of Wednesday, No. 1 on Netflix in 89 countries. Despite not even appearing in the show, the series’ omnipresence on social media around the world has blown out Gaga’s success beyond her home base.

“Muck,” the track actually used for Wednesday’s dance performance, sees similar, if not more dramatic, gains. Its stream count doubled in the latest tracking period, after shooting by 3,786% last week. Over just three weeks, the once-obscure cult-classic has grown from 44,000 weekly global streams to 5.4 million.

“Mary” is just the fourth Lady Gaga title to hit both global charts. And while the rankings didn’t launch until September 2020 – a decade-plus removed from her pop-chart breakthrough – the song’s rarified space within her catalog is still significant since it was never even released as a single, sitting idly while six other tracks from Born This Way impacted the U.S.-based Billboard Hot 100 in 2011.

Not only is it just her fourth entry, its No. 35 placement on Global Excl. U.S. immediately gives it a higher peak than “Shallow,” with Bradley Cooper, which topped out at No. 52, and this year’s “Hold My Hand,” which reached No. 43 in June. Only 2020’s “Rain on Me,” with Ariana Grande, has gone higher, spending the charts’ first three weeks in the top 30, then only a few months removed from its release.

Even more, “Mary” is surging in a competitive season. As they did in 2020 and ’21, holiday songs are beginning to clog the global charts. At No. 35, Gaga sits behind 11 of them on Global Excl. U.S., translating to a would-be rank of No. 24 in any other month. Further, 19 holiday titles block “Mary” on the Global 200, not to mention nine debuts from Metro Boomin.

Chart action for “Mary” spreads to Billboard’s Hits of the World charts, ranking in the top 20 on Poland Songs (No. 13), Slovakia Songs (No. 14), and Hungary Songs (No. 18) and hitting the top 10 (at No. 10) on Czech Republic Songs. And at No. 4 on the Hot 100’s Bubbling Under chart, it inches toward becoming Born This Way’s seventh Hot 100 hit, 11 years after its sixth.

14 Dec 2022

Billboard’s 2022 No. 1 Producer MAG on Bad Bunny’s Groundbreaking ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’

With its genre-spanning, eternal-summer energy, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti transcended Latin music and became one of the year’s biggest blockbusters. To one of his main producers, MAG, “It’s been a long time coming.”

“The [previous] divide between Latin music and pop music has now merged, because Spanish-language music is pop music,” he reflects.

The Puerto Rican-Dominican hitmaker helped Bad Bunny create the omnipresent Un Verano Sin Ti. The LP has become the first all-Spanish album to top the year-end Billboard 200, ever, and reached No. 1 on the Billboard staff’s Best Albums of 2022 list. It is also the first all-Spanish-language release to earn a Grammy award nomination for album of the year. And thanks to the record’s wild success, Bad Bunny landed on Billboard Magazine‘s No. 1 year-end issue. It’s not just a chart-topping, record-breaking album, it’s an era-defining moment in pop.

The producer-artist pair have been working closely since MAG executive produced Bunny’s El Último Tour del Mundo in 2020, which also resulted in unprecedented success — it became the first Spanish-language release to top the Billboard 200 in the chart’s 64-year existence. 

For reasons mentioned above and more, the super-producer peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Year-End Hot Latin Song Producers chart, and landed No. 5 on the all-genre Year-End Hot 100 Producers chart. 

Born Marco Borrero in Brooklyn, MAG alchemized 15 of the 23 tracks total from Benito’s latest record, including its two highest-charting tracks on the Year-End Hot 100, “Tití Me Preguntó” and “Me Porto Bonito” — the two songs combined have reached a staggering 1.9 billion streams on Spotify alone since the album’s release in May via Rimas Entertainment.

When asked about the album’s groundbreaking accomplishments, Bunny’s long-time collaborator Tainy, who co-produced nine tracks in the album, tells Billboard: “We never felt these things could be possible for us coming from Puerto Rico and being Latin. We always felt like there was [an Anglo-imposed] level higher than what we were doing, because of the Anglo market. That doesn’t exist anymore, and a lot of that has to do with Benito. It’s special to see those barriers broken, and dreaming big ends up becoming true. This is the new normal.” 

“I’m happy to finally see that when you’re talking about Billie Eilish, Adele, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber in the same conversation now, you’re also talking about Benito, you’re talking about Karol G, Rauw and Rosalia,” echoes MAG.

Billboard hopped on Zoom with MAG, who was just arriving to Los Angeles from Miami to be honored at the Variety Hitmakers event for helping Bad Bunny craft another revolutionary new album. 

Since we last spoke during the El Último Tour del Mundo (2020) phase, things have evolved tremendously for you. How’s your year going? 

We work so much, and every time we finish something we’re on to the next thing. But when I take a second to be present and reflect on my year, it’s heartwarming to see everything that’s happening with Spanish-language music, and the impact that it’s having culturally. What’s happened with the songs we’re doing, how they’ve been accepted and received, and how that’s become a part of pop culture is really heartwarming. 

When you reflect on Un Verano Sin Ti’s unprecedented accomplishments, what goes through your head? 

The [previous] divide between Latin music and pop music has now merged, because Spanish-language music is pop music. It is the most popular music right now. It makes me really happy to see that. It’s been a long time coming. Of course, streaming has assisted in that — because now we can physically see what consumers are actually listening to, and most consumers are listening to Spanish-language music.

Congratulations on topping the Billboard charts’ Hot Latin Song Producers and landing at No. 5 for the all-genres Hot 100 Producers chart. Did you anticipate these accomplishments given the album’s recent success?

I’m never thinking about charts or the success of what a song is going to have as we’re creating it. I think that’s been an important part of my creative process. Working with Benito, we’re making things that we love and pouring our heart into that, hoping that it’s going to resonate and connect with people. But to have the chart accomplishments, it’s beautiful to see. It’s definitely exciting. 

“Tití Me Preguntó” is an explosion of genres: Dominican dembow, reggaetón and hip-hop. It also has an Antony Santos bachata sample (“No Te Puedo Olvidar”). Talk to me about your creative process and what inspired the inclusion of all these musical styles.

It’s like throwing every genre I love in a blender and seeing what happens. That got inspired by the Antony Santos sample that Benito played to me the morning that we created that song. He came over to me with his phone and he was like, “Mag, quiero samplear esto” and played me the actual song. We had some really exciting ideas for it when it was just a trap song, and we put the sample in the intro.

A couple of hours into working on the song, Benito had this idea to try a Dominican dembow section on it, so I sped up the tempo after the hip-hop part. But it was a hard one — because, like you said, we had to cross pollinate so many genres together, and that was a challenge. But it worked. The final product was very, very exciting to listen to.

The song represents you too, growing up in Brooklyn listening to hip-hop, and being of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent. 

Yes, [it is] an absolute representation of me. I am Dominican and Puerto Rican. I grew up listening to a lot of bachata, reggaetón, and hip-hop. I love Dominican dembow and I’m from New York. The song has this New York grit to it — I know for a fact that a lot of my people, friends and family back home in New York gravitated towards that. 

“El Apagón” has some tribal drumming and ‘90s dance elements..

Benito and I worked on “El Apagón” from scratch. It started with an Ismael Rivera sample from a song called “Controversia,” a song that Benito really loves. He was just rapping throughout the whole thing. Then Benito said, “I want to make another anthem for Puerto Rico.” “P FKN R” [from YHLQMDLG] was an anthem, but it has a lot of curse words. As we’re making this curse-free Puerto Rican anthem, we thought of this ’90s freestyle house section for it. We then threw in “me gusta la chocha de Puerto Rico” all over the chorus [a DJ Joe’s “Vamos a Joder” sample] with Gabriela [Berlingeri] singing in the outro, which was the cherry on top.

Everything in the lyrics is an ode to Puerto Rico, and the situation that’s happening there. To hear it everywhere when I was in Puerto Rico got me really emotional. It really felt like an anthem for our people to see that there’s a lot of street graffiti with the lyrics around Puerto Rico.

Has this genre-spanning approach changed your perspective on producing music? Searching sounds from within your culture, but also seeking external and perhaps previously-unfamiliar musical styles.

I can credit Benito for a lot of the growth that I have had as a producer. In all the work we’ve done together, we’ve challenged each other again and again, to blend genres, get out of our comfort zone, and do things that aren’t standard but feel great to us. That really helped me grow as a producer, in everything I’m doing now, and in everything I’m going to continue to do in the future.

I think that reflects in the music that we’ve made together, and how you hear all these changes and the meshing of genres in all these songs. Even if it’s a reggaetón song, you’re going to hear all these other elements. The growth has happened throughout my years as a producer but especially my work with Benito.

How has your creative relationship with him evolved since you two began working together in 2020? 

I’ve been able to watch him grow and continue to develop as an artist. It has been amazing for me to assist in that. As far as our creative process and our working relationship, there’s a lot more trust. At this point, we each know how one another works and what our strengths are. We could be working on a song and he’ll say, “Mag, yo creo que le hace falta…” And I’ll complete the sentence for him. So the relationship has grown in that way. We have amazing chemistry creatively and we understand our workflow and exactly what the object is, whatever the obstacle in the song is, and we know how to get there.

I see that you produced 15 of the 23 songs in the album, and Tainy produced the other eight, but you only collaborated on one song, “La Corriente.”   

Shout out to Tainy, the G.O.A.T., the legend. That [song] actually came from Tainy and his team. I was brought in last minute to structure it out, finalize and mix the song with Benito and La Paciencia. We worked on that remotely but it was still an honor to be a part of something with Tainy. He’s somebody who I’ve looked up to since I was a teenager and my entire career. Through my work with Benito, we’ve been able to actually become good friends.

I used to DJ house parties [in New York in the early 2000s], we used to call them hooky parties. We would cut high school and throw parties, and I used to play Tainy songs back then when I was 16, 17 years old. So to be in the same universe professionally with him now and to have collaborated on [“La Corriente”] is really special to me and an honor.

I peep that you dethroned him from the Hot Latin Songs Producer chart, where he held the No. 1 slot for the last three years. [Tainy landed at No. 2 this year.]

It’s wild. My competition is always myself. It’s always MAG trying to improve in what I do. I think there’s space for all of us to shine as producers in this industry, and what we’re all doing culturally for music and in Spanish-language music. Tainy, myself, Ovy [on the Drums, and other Latin producers]. It’s just a beautiful moment for Spanish-language producers.

Aside from Bad Bunny, you’ve also produced for Eladio Carrion, Imagine Dragons, Selena Gomez, Arcángel, to name a few. How working with artists of different styles affect your approach to making a song?

My approach always changes song by song. Even when I’m working with the same artist, I always try to do what’s best for that song and to deliver the product that the artist needs. Never what I think is going to be best, never what I think people are going to like, just what fits the song.

What words of advice would you give somebody who is trying to start off their career as a producer? 

Take your time in constructing an identity, a sound that’s you, that gives you an identity as a producer. It’s cool to be inspired by all your favorite producers, but there’s only one of them and there’s only one of you. So take your time and mold that identity. That’s what’s going to stand out as opposed to fitting in. 

14 Dec 2022

Chris Lorenzo to Headline Monster Energy’s 2023 Up & Up College Festival Series

Chris Lorenzo will serve as headliner for Monster Energy’s annual Up & Up College Festival series.

Launching in the spring of 2023, the series is meant to function like the Final Four college basketball tournament, with student ambassador teams representing more than 100 U.S. colleges leading marketing and influencer campaigns to rally their school to buy pre-sale tickets (with no date or location) to earn the opportunity to produce a festival with Chris Lorenzo.

The top six schools with the most pre-sale tickets after the 48-hour campaign score the opportunity to collaborate with Up & Up producers to produce a Chris Lorenzo show at a nearby venue. Previous winning schools include the University of Alabama, ASU, CU Boulder, Florida State, LSU, University of Oregon, Penn State, San Jose State and many others.

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The Up & Up series has happened annually since 2016 (except in the pandemic years), with previous headliners including TroyBoi, Alan Walker and Slushii. UK producer Lorenzo is a mainstay of the underground house scene and scored a pair of hits in 2022 with his remix of The Mama & The Papas’ “California Dreamin’” and his edit of J Balvin’s “In Da Getto.”

“Ever since I started touring North America, the whole college system has been a big part of my journey,” Lorenzo says. “Whether playing unofficial after parties or the official frat shows over the years, I’ve always loved the energy the crowds have. It reminds me of when I started DJing back in the UK. So, to be able to have 70 colleges in America pitch for me to come play and then actually get to play six huge shows will be a lot of fun. I’m excited to see who wins and then come and smash the shows for the fans.”

14 Dec 2022

Doechii Is Coming for the Crown: TDE’s Next Big Bet Eyes Rap Royalty Status

When Jaylah Hickmon cultivated the moniker “Doechii,” it was formed as a way to protect her from adolescent bullying. Doechii would represent a fearless, bold, and all-around unapologetic version of the explorative sixth grader. It wasn’t like Jayla didn’t exist anymore, nor would Doechii be an alter ego, the artist clarified. Over time, the two simply became one. So, when Hickmon started middle school after the summer break, everyone was to call her Doechii – and it stuck ever since.

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Tapping into her creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, Doechii’s self-made empire started before she found success in rap. In 2016, the passionate visionary launched her clothing line: “Stay Woke, Stay Black.” The brand, described as “a movement promoting racial equity and implementing societal enlightenment,” was a labor of love for the budding activist, who used it as a platform to marry her passion for expressiveness with a social cause important to her. In a YouTube video announcing the release of the collection, a young Doechii lights up with joy describing the threads and their homage to the diverse black community that lay at the heart of the brand. Although her time as a fashion designer wasn’t long, through the trials and tribulations of a small black-owned business, the soon-to-be wordsmith learned the importance of market research, quality control, and product improvement. These hard skills seamlessly translated into her current rising musical career.

 “I can’t remember when I decided [to pursue music], but I just knew that I was supposed to be doing this and performing,” she explains. “And when that [the hoodie business] failed, and I had no money, I was like, ‘well, I’m going to make music, and that’s going to be what it is.’”  

Before the world got to know Doechii’s artistry, Hickmon was figuring out who she was. Her three integral anchors were her mother, Celesia, Howard W. Blake High School, and her home city of Tampa, Florida.

Growing up in a single-parent household had its pitfalls. Money was tight. Still, Doechii’s mother wouldn’t let financial struggles stop her from fostering her daughter’s creativity. “She spent her last dime on anything I wanted to do and try. She would support me, and I saw her watch me quit so many different things and still support me,” the rapper reflects, knowing now the seeds of her mother’s love would become fruitful. 

Fast-forward to 2021, Hickmon was fortunate enough to help relocate her mother from Tampa to Los Angeles, bringing her closer to the magic. And even though her mother spent years being Doechii’s cheerleader on the sidelines, she did not grasp the full complexity of her daughter’s stardom. “Now that she’s moved here, she gets it, and she comes on set and is like, ‘Girl, this is a lot!’” 

For Doechii, Howard W. Blake High School was a fortress of imagination, unlocking a world of endless creativity. The rising artist beams when proudly boasting about her alma mater and the various electives and majors the school offered, from nail design to hair and stage production. Doechii always gravitated towards being on stage–taking jazz, musical theater, and vocal training classes to fill her academic schedule. Through this period of her life she developed artistic skills through friendly competition with classmates.

“Everything I know, I learned from Blake,” she explains, “[Blake] was my first exposure to real art and art ethics and what it means to be an artist.” Her fondness for the school is palpable, and she hasn’t been back to visit since graduating. When she speaks about her hypothetical return to the halls, she gleams, “I would probably cry if I went back, but it would be a good cry…I hope I make them proud.”

Undoubtedly, Tampa has left a mark on the emcee. There, she fueled her creativity by competing in talent shows, nurtured her experiences into vulnerable, relatable songwriting, produced her original songs, and even dabbled as a fashion entrepreneur. Over time, Doechii realized that she had ambitions beyond hometown success and left Tampa at 21-years-old to foster her music craft. “In my city in Tampa, there’s this mindset that holds many people back. I read that Florida is four to six years behind in fashion and music and everything because we’re at the bottom of the country.” Eager to learn the music industry and how to put on a show live – skills she found lacking back home, the young artist headed to New York with no solid plan but to be a student of the music game. 

After touching down in the concrete jungle, her first order of business was a songwriter’s audition for The Voice – where she didn’t make the cut. Unable to pay for her flight back home, Doechii extends her New York adventure. This fateful turn of events would lead her to her introduction to the city’s underground music scene and ultimately down the road to success.

“I can’t remember his name, but I see his face when I close my eyes,” she recalls of her first East Coast supporter. “It’s this guy and his sister, and he introduced me to a lot of kids in the scene…and also Arty [Furtado].” Through these connections, she booked gigs and built up a budding fan base around her self-released single, “Spooky Coochie.”

Money was low and Doechii was juggling odd jobs and making music, so she couch surfed and, at times, leaned on her unemployment checks to pay for her craft. She was focused on music and refused to prepare a plan B. It was like eat or die, she jokes. “It had to work, and I was going to work. So, I wasn’t worried about it. ‘Oh I need to save for a rainy day. Like, no, it’s raining. You’re already hungry; you’re already poor. So you might as well invest in you and your music.” Her sacrifices and determination would prove to be worth it, and in the next few months, her dedication came to fruition. 

Exploring and experimenting with her flow from a young age, Doechii would borrow beats from Youtube to create her first songs before connecting with producers and engineers. Of course, she jokes that this was before she realized it was unethical. Today, she considers her niche alternative hip-hop, pulling influences from Tampa’s trap/hip-hop/club music scene. Ridding herself from the stereotypical arches that define the genre, Doechii convicts, “if hip-hop is going right, I want to go left.” 

In 2020, Doechii released All the Places You’ll Go EP. The  five-track compilation is a medley of hip-hop, rap, pop, and R&B, and “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” would become the most popular track. The raw and relatable lyrics about childhood identity exploration: fashion, sexuality, and finance, to name a few, quickly gained buzz on TikTok amongst the Gen Z demographic, who used the audio as a soundtrack for their physical transformation videos. Subsequently, Doechii’s cyber popularity spilled into the halls of record labels, and quickly after, the MC was on the industry’s radars.

After a series of uneventful meetings with labels that didn’t fit her mold, Doechii flew to Los Angeles to meet with Top Dawg Entertainment. “I didn’t want to sign with anybody but was praying for an all-black team in a black-owned business,” she explains. “So it was perfect. Many labels had reached out, but it was TDE for me.”

When thinking of the legacy brand and the immense pressure of being their latest big bet, she reflects, “I have to rap my ass off, and the goal is to do everything to make it easier for the next person. Like Dot, SZA, and Q, whether they know it or not, they made it easier for me. I want to do that same thing, push the limits of creativity even more, and continue to carry the legacy of TDE.”

Since her signing, the rapper has had a tremendous year. 

Her TDE induction came with a feature on Isaiah Rashad’s “Wut U Sed,” later appearing alongside her labelmate during his Coachella set. Subsequently, she released “Crazy,” her superhero anthem, and “Persuasive,” a punchy club banger, both of which she performed on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in May. 

“Persuasive” landed on former President Obama’s Summer 2021 Playlist. “I can’t imagine Obama just jamming my song,” she jokes. “I just don’t believe it, but if he really does – that’s crazy.” 

Under her new home, she released her sophomore EP, She / Her/ Black B—h, in August 2022 – with labelmate SZA lending a melodic verse on to the remix of the already punchy “Persuasive.” When talking about the EP’s titular pronouns Doechii explains, “Some days it means something deep, and sometimes it’s just a joke – it’s funny to me. It was just a way of using humor to cope with the past slurs people used against me.” 

“Stressed,” her latest buzzworthy release is a push-and-pull relationship with keeping her anxiety and vices at bay, backed by jazz notes and a myriad of percussive patterns. “[The song] is basically me divorcing all my bad habits,” says Doechii, “like alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and just like poor negative behaviors that I recently have quit, which is great.”

With a bright future ahead, Doechii is working hard on her debut studio album. While her audience is growing, the rising star hopes to continue honing in on the vulnerability of her songwriting. “I just feel like I’m making music for like one person, and I’m just meant to be myself so they can feel like it’s easier to be themselves.”

14 Dec 2022

Mariah Carey Pulls Off Legit Christmas Miracle By Bumping South American Superfan Up to Front Row

Do you believe in miracles? One South American Mariah Carey superfan does now after the singer noticed her tweet and upgraded the woman to the front row for Tuesday night’s (Dec. 13) “Merry Christmas to All” gig at Madison Square Garden.

“Today I’m traveling from my country, which is 8.598km (5.342,55miles) away from NY, just to see my idol @MariahCarey,” wrote a fan from Uruguay named Mai on Monday, whose Twitter handle (@uruguayanlamb) made it clear that she’s a charter member of the Lambily. “I remember when I started saving for this day 5 years ago, wishing and hoping for this day. Words can’t describe my happiness rn, love u forever Mimi!”

Christmas Countess Carey noticed the long-haul love and responded in the perfect way: by giving Mai the ultimate upgrade. “I am so happy you’re going to be here!!!,” Carey responded along with a snowflake and Christmas tree emoji. “How would you like to sit in the front row for tonight’s concert??”

Mai reacted in exactly the way you might expect, responding, “OMG YESSSS YESS PLEASE,” followed by four crying eyes emoji and a trio of praying hands. “I can’t believe it I LOVE UUUUU.” As it was sinking in, Mai kept counting her blessings. “I though I was dead for a minute and then when I realized that I was alive I started crying, tears of pure joy and happiness!!!! It was the most amazing night of my life,” she said. “Thank youuuuu for being so kind.”

Mai then chronicled her great New York winter adventure, tweeting out pics from her walk around town, a shot of her holding MC’s The Christmas Princess children’s book while waiting for showtime and another of her MC-appropriate nails, and, of course, footage of the blessed event.

But it got way, way better than that. Mai tweeted that Carey dedicated a song to her during the show, which, of course, slayed her. “THE @MariahCarey just dedicated me a song. whaaat I’m dreaming, I was at the front row at her right, when I tell you the floor shaked while she sang Fly like a bird, Lord only knows!!!!!” she wrote. “HER power!!! Thank you Mimi for giving me the most amazing experience of my life.”

She later apologized to fellow Lambs for not filming much of the show, explaining that it was her first MC gig, so she wanted to really take it in (though she promised her boyfriend did take some video she will share later). In the end it was truly a night to remember.

“WHAAAAT Mimi making my wish come true, not only acknowledging my existence but inviting me to her show???” Mai wrote after the show. “When I told you several times before she is the most devoted artist to her fans I was being serious!!! I’m soooo happy rn.”

Check out the sweet back-and-forth and snaps from Mai’s adventure below.

14 Dec 2022

Meek Mill and Philadelphia Eagles Players Go Deep For Kids Caught in Justice System

Raised in the Philly hood, Meek Mill never attended an Eagles game growing up, much less tossed footballs inside the team’s practice facility.

Given the chance to show off his arm, the 35-year-old rapper and philanthropist lined up some area kids and had them go deep on the same field where the best team in the NFL trains. Meek Mill short-armed a wobbly pass that sailed about 20 yards and was hauled in by a kid to resounding cheers.

Let’s just say Jalen Hurts’ job is safe.

“He’s almost as unathletic as I am,” Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin teased Meek.

Meek Mill and Rubin shared laughs Tuesday (Dec. 13) at an outing arranged to brighten the day for children from families caught in the criminal justice system. Rubin, who recently sold his stake in the Philadelphia 76ers, co-founded the Reform Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to probation, parole and sentencing reform in the United States. Meek Mill, whose well-publicized prison sentence for minor probation violations became a lightning rod for the issue, is co-chairman of the organization.

His case grabbed the attention of criminal justice reform advocates after a judge in Pennsylvania sentenced him to two to four years in prison for violations of his probation conditions in a decade-old gun and drug possession case. He was incarcerated for months before a court ordered him released in 2018. Meek Mill successfully resumed his recording career and recently held a 10-year anniversary concert that celebrated his debut album Dreams And Nightmares. He’s been a big opening act of late, performing the title track and underdog anthem before Eagles games and at the World Series.

“I’ve got purpose on top of everything I’m doing,” Meek Mill said. “Before I went to prison, of course I was famous, of course I was making money feeding my family, but the purpose I have now, it actually started from the way people supported me.”

Meek Mill formed a friendship with Rubin and the billionaire became an ally in freeing him from prison. While Meek Mill was in prison, activists, celebrities and demonstrators rallied in 2017 for his release. “When I seen that with my own eyes, that type of support, which I never had in my life, I wanted to make sure I give that same support back to the world,” Meek Mill said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Born Robert Rihmeek Williams, he is now free of the court supervision he’s been under most of his adult life.

To their credit, years after Meek Mill’s release, the rapper and the mogul have remained steadfast in advocating for criminal justice reform. The Reform Alliance said the group has been responsible for 16 bills passed in 10 states that resulted in changes to probation and parole laws. Meek Mill was even honored in 2019 in his hometown of Philadelphia for his work as a criminal justice reform advocate and as a musician.

“We’ve actually created a pathway for 650,000 people to get out of the system already,” Rubin said. “And we’re just getting started. It’s hard to make change.”

Meek Mill and members of the Eagles including Darius Slay, Jordan Mailata, coach Nick Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman mingled with 35 kids, took photos and ran combine drills. The kids signed honorary one-day contracts with the team.

“You’re all 12-1 for the day,” Sirianni said.

The kids moved across the street to the Wells Fargo Center and quizzed Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers on the usual hoops-themed topics. Allen Iverson or Steph Curry? Who’s your favorite player? But there were more serious inquiries about how to land internships and how to push through in a life that can be littered with hardships.

“You have the right to happiness and to smile and do everything you want in life,” Rivers told the kids. “These people here, Meek, Michael and everybody back here are here to tell you that there’s people in your corner. We’re going to fight for you. Fight for your families to make sure that one of you may be sitting here some day giving the same speech. Or one of you can be a doctor, a lawyer, an athlete. Whatever you want.”

Megan Parke spent almost three years in prison and gave birth to her son, Amir, while in jail. She was freed when he was 2½ years old and the family has settled in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Parke was on probation and hit with a technical violation, which in Pennsylvania means she had specifically violated one of the terms of her probation plan. Parke, who still has two years left on probation, said she was lucky the judge didn’t send her back to prison. She said Reform has offered her resources that could aid her and her case should problems arise in the future.

“That’s him right there,” she said, pointing at the 5-year-old boy running around the NFL complex. “He’s just so excited. These days just really mean a lot.”

Those memories are part of what it’s all about for Meek Mill. He missed Eagles games as a kid but once attended on a school trip a taping of The Randall Cunningham Show. “That was a highlight I’ll remember forever,” Meek Mill said. “With kids, I’m always doubling back, make sure I touch back to the people just like myself.”

14 Dec 2022

Diddy Sets New Album For ‘Early’ 2023

Diddy is full of surprises. After surprising the internet with the birth of his daughter, Love Sean Combs, the father of seven, dropped a short notice single alongside PARTYNEXTDOOR, titled “Sex in the Porsche.”

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The track comes by way of Diddy’s Love Records imprint, in partnership with Motown Records, and is the second single from his highly anticipated fifth studio album, set to arrive in early 2023.

“Sex in the Porsche” follows Diddy’s 2022 single, “Gotta Move On” featuring Bryson Tiller, which topped Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay Chart. “Gotta Move On” was the first release from Diddy’s Love Records, a label that marks his “next chapter” with the aim of “creating timeless R&B music with the next generation of artists and producers,” the 53-year-old told REVOLT in May.

Recruiting game-changing R&B acts like Tiller and the elusive Canadian singer-songwriter PARTYNEXTDOOR could prove a successful strategy in Diddy’s efforts to bring attention back to the genre space.

Diddy has been a headline darling this week outside of the music, following the news of his daughter’s birth, reportedly with 28-year-old cyber security specialist Dana Tran. The announcement came as an all-around shock, considering Diddy’s highly publicized relationship with City Girls member, Yung Miami.

The rapper and talk show host, born Caresha Romeka Brownlee, took to Twitter to voice her frustrations regarding rumors that she’s Diddy’s side chick. ““I’M NOBODY SIDE BITCH LETS JUST MAKE THIS CLEAR ON THIS GOOD MONDAY! I don’t come 2nd to no bitch!” she wrote.

Soon after, Diddy himself chimed in on Twitter adding, “@yungmiami305 is not my side chick. Never has been, never will be. She’s very important and special to me, and I don’t play about my Shawty Wop. I don’t discuss things on the internet and I will not start today.”

The “Sex in the Porsche” visualizer features creative direction by famed choreographer Lauriann Gibson and stars rapper Rubi Rose. Stream it here.

14 Dec 2022

Lizzo and Seth Meyers Go Day Drinking, Sample ‘About Damn Wine’

It’s official: Lizzo can drink Seth Meyers under the table.

Proof of the Detroit singer and rapper’s boozing prowess is laid bare in a pre-Christmas “Day Drinking” session, which aired Tuesday night (Dec. 13) on Late Night.

Lizzo, who earlier in the week was named People’s Champion at the 2022 People’s Choice Awards, and sealed the deal with a rousing speech, had something of a victory celebration at Valerie in Midtown Manhattan. Just her, Meyers, some crew, and enough drink to sink a ship of sailors.

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In an vacant bar decked in holiday goodness, the spirits flowed as the late-night TV show host and his guest got down to boozy business.

First up, a round of “guess the event.” You guessed right, Lizzo had to recall where she appeared in a selection of photos. No problem, the drinks hadn’t worked their magic.

Then, the pair necked cocktails with a Lizzo theme, starting with “About Damn Wine.”

It’s about this time when Meyers’ wheels fall off.

The pair keep knocking them down with a session based on “Truth Hurts,” where Lizzo has to answer honestly, or drink.

The “most absurd demand” in her rider? (Tampons, apparently. A good response but not “absurd”). Who’s more powerful, Oprah or Beyonce? (Lizzo drinks. She doesn’t want “the smoke”). Who’s the “most overrated artist” in music right now (“Have you lost your f***ing mind,” says Lizzo. Drink up).

It all gets loose before coming unstuck with some “knock knock” jokes, followed by a breakup game, the appearance of a Paul Rudd doppelganger, and a shambolic attempt to give a sign-off to camera.

Cheers.  

The three-time Grammy Award winner can add to her collection — and perhaps celebrate some more — when the 2023 Grammys roll around on Feb. 5. She’s up for the Big Three categories – album, record and song of the year.

When he’s not hosting his regular late-night gig, Meyers has coaxed Rihanna, Post Malone, Lorde and others into joining him for spots of “Day Drinking.”

Watch Lizzo “Day Drinking” with Seth Meyers below.