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Ice Cube is hitting the road. The West Coast icon announced the Truth to Power: 4 Decades of Attitude Tour on Tuesday (April 15). The North American trek is his first domestic headlining tour in more than a decade.
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The 22-date run kicks off in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center on Sept. 4 and will invade arenas across the country. Cube is hitting cities such as Baltimore, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Chicago, Oakland and wrapping up north of the border in Toronto.
“Truth to Power is more than a tour — it’s a 40-year celebration,” Cube said in a statement. “The world needs truth. The people need power. And that’s what my music brings. It’s gonna be next level to go from city to city with a major production unlike anything I’ve ever done before.”
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Pre-sale tickets will start going on sale on Wednesday morning (April 16). Fans should keep an eye on Cube’s social media accounts when it comes to gaining access to pre-sales, while the general public will be able to purchase tickets on Friday morning (April 18) on Cube’s website.
There will be a variety of VIP packages available that will come with meet-and-greet opportunities with Cube, signed vinyls and more.
Ice Cube will be celebrating his decorated discography ranging from the days of running with N.W.A. to his Hall of Fame solo work through his most recent album, Man Down, which arrived in November.
For the first time since 2010, Ice Cube entered Billboard‘s Top Rap Albums chart last year with Man Down‘s debut at No. 8. The set was released through Lench Mob/Hitmaker Music Group and earned 20,000 equivalent album units in the U.S., according to Luminate.
“Most of the people who say hip-hop is a young man’s game don’t do it and ain’t never gripped a mic and ripped it,” Cube told Billboard last year. “I’m not worried about my ACL and my Achilles. This is wordplay, this is wordplay and flow. This is skill and beat selection, concept and hook selection.”
Find all of the Four Decades of Attitude Tour dates below.
Celia Cruz will be honored with a tribute performance at the 2025 Billboard Latin Women in Music awards, Billboard and Telemundo announced on Tuesday (April 15). In honor of her centennial this year, the memorable Queen of Salsa — who was born in 1925 and died in 2003 due to a brain tumor — will […]
In a year that has already seen explosive comeback concerts (Vybz Kartel‘s Freedom Street and subsequent sold-out Brooklyn shows) and head-turning headliner announcements (Buju Banton leads this year’s BET Experience lineup) from reggae and dancehall‘s brightest stars, Alkaline is looking to add his name to the list.
The dancehall icon, whose hits include anthems such as “My Side of the Story,” “On Fleek” and “Move Mountains,” is set to bring his eight-year-old New Rules concert series back to Jamaica — this time at Trelawny Stadium, on the west side of the island, in collaboration with New Era Productions. Slated for Saturday, July 5, the concert marks the first time Alkaline has mounted New Rules in JA since its 2022 staging at Kingston’s National Stadium. Most live events that grace Jamaica often opt to visit Kingston and St. Andrew, which tends to exclude music lovers from the island’s west side to a degree. Having already visited Kingston twice, New Rules’ Trelawny stint will allow a wider range of fans to enjoy Alkaline’s concert.
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“It wasn’t really so much of a surprise [telling my mother New Rules would be coming to her hometown of Trelawny] because we always visit Kingston, but I wanted to give fans a different experience,” he tells Billboard. “They can expect high-energy entertainment as usual, but with a twist. It’s been a long time coming!”
The Trelawny date is the third stop on Alkaline’s New Rules 2025 route, which includes a stint in London on April 17 and a show in Canada on June 21. The face of Givenchy’s spring-summer 2023 men’s global campaign is most excited to perform “all of his big hits,” including “Bruk Out,” as well as some songs he hasn’t performed in a long time — and some that he’s never performed before. After all, the “unpredictability” of dancehall sustains his love for the genre, a space he’s been navigating for over 15 years now. He famously started releasing music in 2013, eventually breaking through the following year and launching a career that traded on massive hit singles, global appeal and a penchant for controversy. Over the past decade, he’s also added a litany of international collaborations to his catalog of solo hits, including 2017’s “Formula” (with French Montana), 2018’s “Nonchalant” (with A Boogie wit da Hoodie) and a 2018 remix of Chip‘s “My Girl.”
“[The name ‘New Rules’] came from my entry into the music industry and bringing my ideas and vibe to the scene,” he explains. “We came in set in our ways. We didn’t take anything away from [what was already there], we just added to it. I brought a youthful exuberance to [dancehall] because I jumped out very young, younger than most.”
In 2021, Alkaline released Top Prize, his second consecutive album to reach the top two on Billboard‘s Reggae Albums chart. While he isn’t promising a new album before New Rules touches down in Jamaica this summer, fans can certainly “expect new music” from the star, which he’s already started rolling out with January’s “Earn Your Way.” The Autobamb and Sponge Music-helmed track continues Alkaline’s streak of standalone singles following his 2022 Ripple EFFX EP, which won EP of the year and the inaugural Caribbean Music Awards (Aug. 31, 2023).
As for this year’s New Rules lineup, Alkaline has yet to confirm who will appear at the Trelawney edition, but he’s already announced Loyal Squad, Andrew Fresh and Movie Star Johnny as supporting talent for the concert’s London staging at OVO Wembley Arena. Dancehall stars Armanii and Rahjahwild are also slated to perform. Earlier this year (March 30), Alkaline brought New Rules to Boston, where Massachusetts State Senator Liz Miranda honored him with a citation lauding his contributions to Jamaican music and culture and international influence.
Though it marked his first show of 2025, Boston isn’t the first American city to experience New Rules. Alkaline mounted the concert series in New York in 2018 and 2023, the latter of which boasted additional performances by Mavado, Charly Black, Skinny Fabulous and 450.
With Europe and North America on lock, Alkaline is now eyeing stages in “China, Japan and Africa” for future editions of New Rules. “New Rules is a worldwide ting!” he declares.
The MATI Festival and Conference is returning for its fifth edition in St. Louis, Missouri later this year, organizers announced on Tuesday (April 15). Taking place Sept. 12-14 in the Grand Center Arts District, the festival — which is leaning into the acronym for Music at the Intersection — will feature over 100 performances and presentations across three main stages and several nearby venues.
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This year’s headliners include rapper-actor Common with Pete Rock, R&B icon Patti LaBelle, hip-hop influencers De La Soul, jazz composer Branford Marsalis, recent Grammy winner Lucky Daye and neo-soul singer-songwriter Leon Thomas. Local trumpeter Keyon Harrold returns as MATI’s artist-in-residence, while Pedrito Martinez joins as the artist-at-large, performing across multiple sets.
With a new format and identity focused on celebrating “St. Louis Made” music, MATI honors the city’s heritage rooted in blues (the National Blues Museum is down the street), jazz, soul, R&B and more, alongside artists from culturally connected regions like the Caribbean and Mississippi Delta. Local artists such as Ryan Trey, The Baylor Project, Marquise Knox and Weedie Braimah will feature prominently.
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MATI’s footprint has also been tinkered with to provide a barrier-free experience, replacing a stage on Washington Avenue with food trucks, street performers and other family-friendly activities. Three main stages—The Big Top, Field Stage and The Sovereign —will host the headliners, while a new “MATI Places” initiative will activate adjecent indoor venues with acts, DJ sets, poetry slams, workshops, panels and keynotes, with the conference portion now spanning the full weekend.
Passes go on sale April 18 here, with weekend passes priced at $150. Special MATI Places-specific day passes will be available this summer.
Presented by the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, MATI is supported by the Steward Family Foundation and Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis.
“If you’ve been to MATI, you can feel that it’s special,” said Chris Hansen, executive director of Kranzberg Arts Foundation. “It’s a microcosm of the city: all ages, races, ethnicities. No neighborhood divides. People who can afford tickets and people who can’t. All joyous. All together in the streets of Grand Center. We want to keep MATI a true, representative community experience.”
The lineup includes Common & Pete Rock, Patti LaBelle, Lucky Daye, Leon Thomas, De La Soul, Branford Marsalis, John Medeski’s Mad Skillet, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, The S.O.S. Band, The Budos Band, Leela James, Arooj Aftab, The Baylor Project, The Womack Sisters, Coco & Breezy, Pedrito Martinez, Keyon Harrold, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, Pirulo Y La Tribu, Butcher Brown, Marquise Knox with Funky Brass Band, Brothers Lazaroff Super Friends, Weedie Braimah & The Hands of Time and more.
A$AP Rocky‘s grandma is definitely in the Navy. In the rapper’s new Vogue cover story celebrating his upcoming stint as a Met Gala co-chair published Tuesday (April 15), his father’s mother gushed about Rihanna — and more specifically, the impact the Fenty mogul has had on her grandson.
Telling the publication that she’s always known Rocky was destined for big things, Grandma Cathy shared that she’s especially proud of her grandson’s partnership with Rihanna, with whom he shares two young sons. “She loves her some RiRi,” the “F–kin’ Problems” musician said of his grandmother.
“I’m glad that he settled down, and I’m happy with who he settled down with,” said Cathy. “[Rihanna’s] a down-to-earth person.”
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Ri and Rocky first sparked dating rumors in early 2020, welcoming first son RZA two years later. Little Riot Rose came along 15 months later.
Describing his love for the “Umbrella” singer as “internal, external, infinite, the past, the future,” the Harlem native also shared an update on his kids with Vogue. “The older one, he stays to himself — he likes his books,” he told the publication, adding that Riot, on the other hand, loves attention. “He likes to take stuff from his brother so his brother can chase him.”
The interview comes just a few weeks ahead of the 2025 Met Gala, which Rocky will spearhead alongside co-chairs Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton and Pharrell Williams — all of whom are also gracing different Vogue covers this month. This year’s theme — “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” — will celebrate dandyism and the evolution of Black menswear dating back to the 18th century. (By the way, Ms. Cathy is a big fan of the Euphoria actor. “My grandma got a crush on Colman Domingo,” Rocky told Vogue, with the matriarch confirming, “I love him.”)
Rocky has long been a fashion-first hip-hop star and even designs his own clothing, premiering a collection titled American Sabotage last year. In his 2024 Billboard cover story, the hitmaker called the moment “surreal” while also opening up about his relationship with Ri, saying, “It’s crazy how we find balance with our chaotic schedules.”
“[The relationship] is going great,” he continued at the time. “I don’t think there’s a more perfect person because when the schedules are hectic, she’s very understanding of that. And when the schedule’s freed up, that’s when you get to spend [the] most time together. It’s all understanding and compatibility.”
It has been nearly eight months since disgraced hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested and sent to New York’s notorious Metropolitan Detention Center to await trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. And while the formerly high-flying Bad Boy Records CEO and billionaire entrepreneur was used to the finest things in his former life, according to the New York Times, his life in the communal, dorm-style unit segregated from the rest of the inmates is a study in contrasts from his previous life.
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For starters, the typically dapper MCs hair and beard have gone grey, since hair dye is not allowed in the Brooklyn jail that has long been the source of complaints over its decrepit state, including reports of mold and vermin, extended lockdowns and understaffing. As part of his daily routine, Combs, 55, is woken up for breakfast at 7 a.m. and afterwords has time to exercise in a room with yoga mats and a small basketball hoop, or to hang in a communal space with a ping-pong table and a TV.
Combs’ lawyers have tried, and failed, three times to get their client released on bail on the charges that, if he’s found guilty of, could land Diddy in prison for the rest of his life. While Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges he awaits opening statements in the trail slated to begin on May 5 over allegations that the rap impresario oversaw a violent criminal conspiracy that allegedly included kidnapping, arson and drug crimes in service of his alleged sexual abuse of multiple men and women to satisfy his need for “sexual gratification.”
For now, Combs is in an area of the jail called 4 North, a fourth floor space where around 20 men are housed. Fellow high-profile inmates on the unit included, until recently, crypto boss Sam Bankman-Fried, along with government informants, including former gang members who have been segregated for their safety from the general jail population; accused United Health Care CEO murderer Luigi Mangione who shares a lawyer with Combs, is housed in the same jail, but in a different unit.
While Combs’ lawyers at first thought their A-list client would be housed in the restrictive Special Housing Unit where inmates spend 23 hours a day inside their cell, he was instead sent to the less harsh 4 North Unit.
A former Mafia informant, Gene Borrello, told the paper that compared to other units in the jail “you have nothing to worry about” on 4 North. As described by the Times, inmates in Combs’ unit are free to move around the space decked out with rows of bunk beds, TVs and a microwave where they are subject to repeated mandatory check-ins of their bunks by correction officers every day.
Inmates, who are issued brown jail clothes, are able to eat their meals in a common area and use a bathroom that has stalls, as well as listen to music or watch movies on a tablet for sale at the commissary, though they do not have any internet or wi-fi access. Diddy meets often with his team of lawyers in a conference room off the common area and has a non-wi-fi enabled laptop to pore over evidence in the case that he can use between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. each day in one of the unit’s visiting rooms.
While Diddy dined on the finest meals provided by private chefs in his former life, the menu in lock-up is decidedly less glamorous, with a rotating menu that includes lasagna or “pasta fazool” for vegetarians on the second Friday of each month. There are also Snickers bars and bags of Cheez-Its for sale in the commissary, along with toiletries, radios and watches. Inmates can spend up to $180 at the commissary every two weeks from funds provided by friends and family, with one crucial item, $1 packets of mackerel (“macks”) serving as a key bartering tool among the incarcerated.
Combs is allowed to have visitors on Tuesdays and while he can make phone calls — such as a recent one to rapper Ye — the conversations are capped at 15 minutes and they are subject to monitoring by authorities. The story noted that during a pre-planned sweep of the jail in search of contraband last year, prosecutors claim an investigator took photos of some of Combs’ personal notes. The pictures allegedly included birthday reminders, as well as notes the government claims were evidence that Diddy was trying to obstruct the prosecution, including one in which he allegedly directed a staffer to find “dirt” on two of his alleged victims.
The rapper’s lawyers claimed that was proof the government was trying to “spy” on their client and eavesdrop on confidential communications with counsel. Prosecutors denied that claim and said none of the notes would be used in their case and a judge agreed that Combs’ rights had not been violated.
But according to the Times, the incident revealed that Combs had engaged in the widespread practice of buying other inmates’ phone time by having his team put money in their commissary accounts, with prosecutors claiming that on some of the calls he talked about using public statements to help influence the jury pool’s perception of him. He also allegedly used three-way calling to try and contact potential witnesses to avoid blocks on calling people outside of his approved contact list.
While the current accommodations are, as expected, spare and somewhat harsh, they likely pale in comparison to the federal prison Combs could be sent to convicted on the charges in the eight-week trial. Even as he awaits his upcoming trial, Combs was hit with an updated indictment earlier this month that added new charges to the sweeping case against him. The superseding indictment added a new sex trafficking count, accusing Combs of using force, fraud or coercion to compel a woman to engage in commercial sex acts as recently as last year. It also added a new count of transporting that victim and others to engage in prostitution. The updated charges increased the total counts against Diddy from three to five.
Combs is also facing dozens of civil lawsuits from a number of men and women who claim the rap impresario allegedly sexually abused, sex trafficked and threatened them with violence.
04/15/2025
Our staff’s favorite songs from a year that confirmed that hip-hop and R&B were now at top 40’s center, but also had plenty of great rock, country and dance-pop to go around.
By 
Rania Aniftos, Katie Atkinson, Katie Bain, Eric Renner Brown, Anna Chan, Hannah Dailey, Stephen Daw, Kyle Denis, Griselda Flores, Paul Grein, Jason Lipshutz, Joe Lynch, Heran Mamo, Rebecca Milzoff, Taylor Mims, Gail Mitchell, Melinda Newman, Isabela Raygoza, Kristin Robinson, Jessica Roiz, Dan Rys, Michael Saponara, Andrew Unterberger, Christine Werthman, Kristen Wisneski
04/15/2025
Where’s the beef? Fans think it’s cooking between Kesha and Katy Perry, especially after the former posted an interestingly timed selfie with a plastic Wendy’s cup just hours after the fast-food chain penned a shady comment on X about the latter.
In the photo uploaded Monday night (April 14), the “Tik Tok” singer, wearing a pair of sunglasses, smiles innocuously while sipping on a Wendy’s cup with the logo clearly facing the camera. Forgoing a caption, Kesha let the picture speak for itself — and in turn, people online have interpreted it as the pop star throwing a subtle jab Perry’s way.
That’s because Wendy’s had earlier in the evening spoken negatively of the “Firework” singer, who was one of six passengers on Blue Origin’s all-women flight crew who landed safely back on earth after a brief trip to space Monday. Under a post announcing that Perry had returned from her expedition, the brand’s official account replied, “Can we send her back.”
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In another X message, the fast-food chain shared a photo of the “Firework” singer planting a smooch on the earth after landing, captioning it with a nod to her lyrics, “I kissed the ground and i liked it.” When one X user quipped that Perry had only been in space for about 10 minutes, the brand shot back, “Don’t short change her it was 11 minutes.”
Billboard has reached out to reps for Kesha, Perry and Wendy’s for comment.
Though it remains unclear why Wendy’s might have an issue with the former American Idol judge, fans are sure that Kesha’s seemingly snarky selfie is all to do with the two women’s respective histories with Dr. Luke. In 2014, Kesha alleged that the Kemosabe Records founder drugged and raped her in 2005, after which he sued her for defamation while vehemently maintaining that her claims were “false and shocking.” Their ensuing legal battle continued for nine years before the two parties finally reached a settlement in 2023.
Before the settlement, however, Perry’s name was brought up in the lawsuit when Dr. Luke’s lawyers claimed that Kesha had at one point told Lady Gaga via private text messages that the producer had previously raped Perry. In a deposition dated July 2017 and released in August 2018, however, Perry denied that Dr. Luke ever assaulted her, leading Kesha’s team to issue a response saying that a major label CEO had been the one to share that allegation with Kesha and Gaga.
But despite Kesha’s allegations against Dr. Luke, Perry still made the controversial decision to work with him on her 2024 single “Woman’s World” — something she later defended on a September episode of Call Her Daddy. “He was one of many collaborators that I collaborated with,” she said of the producer, who worked on her older hits “California Gurls” and “Teenage Dream.” “But the reality is, it comes from me. The truth is, I wrote these songs from my experience of my whole life going through this metamorphosis, and he was one of the people to help facilitate all that — one of the writers, one of the producers.”
Even so, countless people online are now cheering Kesha on for appearing to support the Wendy’s diss. “Kesha is HILARIOUS for this,” one person wrote of the situation on X, while another fan said, “KESHA IS SO SHADY LMAOOO.”
“I think Wendy’s was stupid to do this, but Kesha is absolutely justified in hating a person who continues to platform the man who raped her,” another person added.
Explained one X user to another who was confused by what the shade may be about, “Katy Perry worked with Dr Luke. Wendy’s trolled Katy yesterday so Kesha ran to post with Wendy’s.”
See Kesha’s Wendy’s selfie below.
Thomas Rhett‘s surprise appearance at Contemporary Christian Music artist Forrest Frank’s recent sold-out Bridgestone Arena show in Nashville on Sunday night (April 13) didn’t quite go as planned. The eight-time ACM award winner surprised fans by joining Frank for a performance of their recent collaboration “Nothing Else” — and ended up leaving the arena in […]
Just weeks after being named Billboard‘s 2025 Woman of the Year, Doechii is heading to the Create & Cultivate Festival to inspire women in business as the event’s headlining performer.
As announced exclusively by Billboard on Tuesday (April 13), the Swamp Princess will take the stage at Rolling Greens DTLA in Los Angeles in front of an audience of female executives, innovators and entrepreneurs on July 19. Billed as the “largest event for women in business,” the two-day festival will also feature speeches from Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles, Proper founder Amanda Kloots, TV personality Paige DeSorbo and more, as well as a keynote address from Ciara.
According to the event’s online schedule, attendees will experience back-to-back days filled with workshops, networking opportunities, start-up pitch competitions, live podcast recordings, investor meetings and more. Doechii will perform at the end of Day 1 on the Main Stage.
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“We’re pioneering a new type of event to better serve the needs of modern businesswomen said Create & Cultivate CEO Marina Middleton in a statement. “Most women-focused event experiences focus exclusively on empowerment or are reserved for side events of large industry-specific conferences built only for industry optics. The Create & Cultivate Festival will break down industry barriers to unite a newly formed community of ambitious women across business, tech, sports, entertainment, hospitality, finance and culture.”
For a festival about empowering women, it’s hard to think of a performer who’s better suited than the “Denial Is a River” rapper. In February, she became only the third woman to ever win the best rap album category at the Grammys thanks to her hit mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal, and in March, Billboard gave her top honors at the 2025 Women in Music Awards.
“I stand here as a fierce ally,” the Florida native said during her acceptance speech at the latter event. “This event was created out of a necessity. That word, necessity, is important. My mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, was a space I created out of necessity. A space where I could feel seen, heard and connect with other people through experiences.”
“This is our motherf–king night to rightfully come together to acknowledge each other, support each other and to celebrate,” she added at the time. “We are the creators, we are the executives, we are the innovators who are just as central to this industry as the men. Clock it.”
