Music
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It’s Ovy On The Drums’ winning week as the Colombian celebrates his first No. 1 as an artist on any Billboard ranking, as “Mírame,” with Blessd, advances 2-1 on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart (dated Nov. 9). As a songwriter and producer, he’s banked 12 rulers on the list.
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“Mírame,” released on Cigol/Globalatino/Warner Latina, jumps to No. 1 on Latin Rhythm Airplay with 7.6 million audience impressions, earned in the U.S. during the 25-31 tracking week. That’s a 6% gain from the week prior across monitored Latin rhythm radio stations according to Luminate.
With “Mírame” at No. 1, Blessd collects his third No. 1on Latin Rhythm Airplay, and second in 2024 through a Colombian pair-up, following “Si Sabe Ferxxo,” with Feid, which ruled for one week in June.
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Two other Colombian team-ups –by two artists in a lead role– have landed at the summit on Latin Rhythm Airplay in the 2020s decade, both through Shakira collabs: while “Copa Vacía,” with Manuel Turizo, reigned for one week, “TQG,” with Karol G, dominated for seven weeks, both in 2023.
Before Ovy on The Drums’ secured his fist champ this week as an artist, he managed 12 No. 1s as songwriter and producer (mostly through Karol G songs) spanning his eight-year Billboard chart career. Among those, Becky G and Karol G’s “Mamiii” earned him his longest-leading No. 1 track on Latin Rhythm Airplay, dominating for 10 weeks in 2022.
Elsewhere, “Mírame” holds at its No. 3 high on the overall Latin Airplay chart, Ovy’s highest-charting entry and first top 10 there. Plus, in addition to its radio haul, the song rebounds to No. 15 (from No. 18) on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart with a 4% boost in streams, after it generated 2.3 million official U.S. clicks during the tracking week. The latter blends airplay, streams and digital sales.
All charts (dated Nov. 9, 2024) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, Nov. 5). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER continue to solidify their place as one of K-pop’s greatest storytellers with The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY. This reflective yet hopeful mini-album captures the nuanced emotional spectrum of youth through some of their most subtle, vocally challenging songs to date. The six-track mini album release takes listeners on a journey that melds TXT’s […]
TOMORROW X TOGETHER dropped their seventh mini-album, The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY, and to celebrate, the group debuted the song “Over the Moon” live during the last show of their WORLD TOUR ENCORE IN SEOUL on November 3. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Introducing the new lead single […]
Michael Jackson needed some guidance. “The first time he came to my home he said to me, ‘I’m getting ready to do my first solo record for Epic Records,’” Quincy Jones recalled in Q, his 2001 autobiography. “‘Do you think you can help me find a producer?’”
Jones, a musician of unparalleled range and talent who had already overseen or arranged records for Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, and Aretha Franklin, ended up filling the role himself — over the objections of Jackson’s record label, who deemed the producer “too jazzy.” Thanks to Jackson’s collaborations with Jones on Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad, the two men are inextricably linked.
If there was a downside to helping Jackson become an icon and sell enough albums to populate a small planet, it’s that this achievement often obscures the breadth of Jones’ own accomplishments, reducing his career in the late 1970s and 1980s to a single sidekick role. Jackson did need Jones at his side to make the best music of his most classic period. But this dependency was not mutual: Jones’ productions during this era — for the Johnson Brothers, George Benson, Chaka Khan, and Donna Summer, among others — can hold their own against Jackson’s finest singles.
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Jones’ dance music is propulsive, but more than that, it levitates. It makes sense that when Jackson appeared to defy the laws of physics by moonwalking on national television in 1983, he did so to one of Jones’ productions. There is a lot of great disco, yet there are just a handful of songs from this period able to conjure the feeling that Jones reliably created: His productions seem to glide, reveling in the heady momentum of liftoff, cheerfully spurning the ground that the rest of us must rely on to generate forward movement.
Jones made this look easy. For him, producing was always a group effort. When preparing to work with Jackson, the producer rounded up what he called his “killer Q posse,” a group of musicians where “every one was a black-belt master in his own category:” the songwriter Rod Temperton, the engineer Bruce Swedien, the keyboard player Greg Phillinganes, the trumpeter/arranger Jerry Hey, the bassist Louis Johnson, the drummer John Robinson, and the percussionist Paulinho da Costa.
This group worked on Off the Wall, released in the summer of 1979, and most of them also contributed to Rufus & Chaka Khan’s Masterjam, which came out later that year. All Jones’ powers are on display in “Any Love,” the latter album’s second track, an indictment of a playboy — “You don’t really love from deep within,” Khan sneers — that’s as savage as it is danceable. In the first verse, the drums march stiffly, while the bass is excitable like the cad Khan targets, popping rudely and bounding showily into the chorus. Jones gradually ratchets up power, adding jolting brass and a string section that zigs and zags dramatically. This clears the way for a jaw-dropping eruption from Khan, the sort of vocal bulldozing that Jackson, with his more delicate register, couldn’t match.
The following year, the “killer Q posse” returned on a pair of albums produced by Jones, both of which aimed to conquer the nocturnal hours — the Brothers Johnson’s Light Up the Night and George Benson’s Give Me the Night. “Closer to the One That You Love,” from the former, is an intricate, slinky miracle, with a sudden, vertigo-inducing vocal climb from lead singer George Johnson. And on Give Me the Night, both the title track — which hit No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 — and “Love X Love” are frisky and strutting, with guitar figures that skim across the brisk beats like smooth pebbles skipping across a pond.
Summer turned to Jones and his posse for their wizardry in 1982, managing to bottle lightning with “Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger).” The soaring harmonies on the chorus, the nasty edge to the bass line, the way the horns add sizzle to an already piping-hot track; these are all the indelible hallmarks of Jones’ work.
“Love Is in Control” only made it to No. 10 on the Hot 100, which would surely have been a disappointment for its producer. “Number 1 is euphoric and addictive,” he wrote in Q. “Numbers 2, 6, and 11 are my least-favorite chart positions.” Of course, Jones enjoyed plenty of that “euphoric and addictive” feeling after Thriller came out in November 1982.
If Q is any indication, Jones didn’t seem to care much about his work with Summer and Benson and Khan — or even his longer association with the Brothers Johnson, for whom he produced four albums. Jackson, of course, looms large in the book. And Jones is proud of his work in jazz and film scoring. But vital albums he helmed in the 1970s and 1980s barely even merit a mention in his autobiography. Jones passes over these remarkable songs, which can still reliably light up the night, as if they were just another humdrum day in the office.
Play “Love Is In Control” for a casual listener, though. They’ll probably say, “that sounds like Michael Jackson!” In truth, it sounds like Quincy Jones.
David Foster spent his 75th birthday how he has undoubtedly spent many before it: working. Sunday night (Nov. 3), Foster celebrated his milestone at a sold-out Hollywood Bowl show (to be fair, his actual birthday was Nov. 1) with many of the artists who he has worked with as a songwriter, arranger or producer. According to a sign flashed on the giant screens at the Bowl, the music he has helped create has sold more than half a billion records.
From Whitney Houston and Celine Dion to Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, Toni Braxton, Barbra Streisand and so many more, Foster is practically responsible for his own lush, romantic adult contemporary genre. Or as he put it, “I write songs you make babies to.”
The evening, which he said, “sort of feels like my funeral while I’m alive,” featured many of those bold-type names (sorry, no Dion or Streisand), but it was Foster’s birthday, and he could do whatever he wanted. And what he wanted to do was spend some of the first hour of the nearly three-hour show focusing on new talent (he did discover Groban when Groban was still a teenager, after all). That included Britain’s Got Talent 2024 winner Sydnie Christmas performing “My Way,” which she sang on the series’ semi-finals (the song’s writer, Paul Anka, was on the poster as a guest, but wasn’t there. Same with Kenny G), as well as an 18-year old pianist Brandon Goldberg, who performed a jazzy version of Chaka Khan’s “Through the Fire” with trumpeter Chris Botti, and Jasmine Rogers, who will play Betty Boop in Foster’s forthcoming Broadway musical, Boop!, previewing a spirited number from the show.
While those are for sure names to watch given Foster’s pedigree for working with young talent, it was the established names that provided the fireworks and really showed over and over that among all his many, many talents, first and foremost may be Foster’s gift for working with great singers.
Below are some of the highlights of the evening.
Music Hath Charms to Soothe the Savage Breast
Tyler, The Creator earns new career milestones on Billboard’s charts, thanks to his latest album, Chromakopia.
The set debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (dated Nov. 9) with 299,500 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the Oct. 25-31 tracking week, according to Luminate – Tyler, The Creator’s biggest week ever in terms of units. Notably, the set was released on an off-cycle Monday (Oct. 28); thus, its first-week sum is from only four days of activity. (Most albums are released on Fridays, giving them a full seven days of activity in their opening chart weeks.)
The LP sold 66,000 on vinyl, the third-biggest debut week for a rap album on vinyl since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991.
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Further, all 14 songs from Chromakopia chart on the latest Billboard Hot 100, led by the set’s opening track, “St. Chroma,” featuring Daniel Caesar, at No. 7, and “Noid” (released ahead of the album on Oct. 21), which jumps 43-10. The tracks mark his first two career Hot 100 top 10s.
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Here’s a recap of every song from the album on the latest Hot 100 (all of which are debuts except “Noid”):
Rank, TitleNo. 7, “St. Chroma,” feat. Daniel CaesarNo. 10, “Noid” (up from No. 43)No. 14, “Sticky,” feat. GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil WayneNo. 15, “Darling, I,” feat. Teezo TouchdownNo. 16, “Rah Tah Tah”No. 32, “Thought I Was Dead,” feat. ScHoolboy Q & SantigoldNo. 33, “Hey Jane”No. 40, “Judge Judy”No. 42, “Take Your Mask Off,” feat. Daniel Caesar & LaToiya WilliamsNo. 45, “Like Him,” feat. Lola YoungNo. 46, “I Killed You”No. 53, “Tomorrow”No. 56, “Balloon,” feat. DoechiiNo. 65, “I Hope You Find Your Way Home”
Prior to this week, Tyler, The Creator had charted 33 Hot 100 hits, reaching as high as No. 13 with “Earfquake” in 2019. His new total of 46 career entries dates to September 2011, when he first charted as a featured act on The Game’s “Martians vs Goblins,” also featuring Lil Wayne. The song spent one week on the chart at No. 100. He returned in July 2017 with “Who Dat Boy” (No. 87 peak).
Thanks to their featured appearances on the songs listed above, Santigold, LaToiya Williams and Lola Young all earn their first career entries on the Hot 100.
Meanwhile, Lil Wayne tallies his 187th career Hot 100 hit, and first of 2024, thanks to his feature on “Sticky.” He has now charted at least one song on the Hot 100 in every year since 2004 – 21 consecutive years and counting, the longest active streak among all acts. The next-longest active runs are by Jason Aldean and Chris Brown (20 years each), Taylor Swift (19), Luke Bryan (18) and Mariah Carey (17) – all five acts have all charted in 2024, thus continuing their respective streaks.
Ariana Grande is paying homage to her younger self. In an interview with Australia’s Hit 104.7 Canberra, the “We Can’t Be Friends” singer was asked why she chose to use her “grown-up name,” a.k.a. her birth name Ariana Grande-Butera, in the credits of Wicked. “Technically, it’s my little girl name! It’s technically little Ari’s name,” […]
While Shygirl was crushing performances onstage as the supporting act for Charli XCX and Troye Sivan‘s recently wrapped Sweat tour, a lot more was happening behind the scenes and on the road. “We would get off the tour bus at every truck stop just to look at and buy every souvenir that caught our eye,” […]
Solange loves her some Sosa. Footage captured Chief Keef meeting Solange over the weekend and the heartwarming exchange found the Chicago drill pioneer in shock that the A Seat at the Table singer was a fan of his music.
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“That’s you on the keys?” she asked Sosa about a certain song of his. He replied stunned: “What the f–k is going on?” All Solange could do was laugh at the interaction.
Another clip found Chief Keef calling her his “bestie.” “Y’all heard Solange my bestie,” he said. “That’s my bestie.”
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A bystander chimed in: “That’s hard!”
Fans lent their stamp of approval to the unlikely meet-up in The Neighborhood Talk‘s IG comment section. “I love how celebrities get star struck as well cuz Sosa ain’t wrong this is a wholesome moment frfr,” one person wrote.
Another added: “He was lowkey happy she knew who he was I love that for her!”
Chief Keef is currently on the road for his A Lil Tour run, which was rescheduled from earlier this year to close out 2024 due to a medical emergency. He’ll be making North American stops in Denver, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Brooklyn, Detroit, Philly and more before wrapping up in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 24.
Solange and Sosa are yet to collaborate, but perhaps that could change in the future. Chief Keef delivered his delayed Almighty So 2 project in May, which debuted at No. 30 on the Billboard 200.
Solange has been laying low on the album front as her last LP arrived in 2019 with When I Get Home. Earlier this year, she teased writing music for the tuba. “I’ve started writing music for the tuba, and I am trying to talk myself into releasing it, but I can only imagine the eye rolls from people being like, this b—h hasn’t made an album,” she told Harper’s Bazaar.
Watch the clip below.
Between the Election Day (Nov. 5) and the 2025 Grammy nominations reveal (Nov. 8), the week ahead promises to be one of the busiest in recent memory. The worlds of hip-hop and R&B are sure to be central to both of those events, but major cross-generational news has already made this week a heavy one.
According to his publicist, Quincy Jones, a 28-time Grammy-winning giant across entertainment, passed on Sunday night (Nov. 3) at his Bel Air home surrounded by his family. The producer behind Michael Jackson’s historic LP as well as iconic films such as The Wiz and The Color Purple, Jones’ contributions across music, film, television, and music journalism are immeasurable and his impact will continue to be felt for generations to come.
The news of Jones’ passing comes just days after the shocking conclusion to Young Thug‘s highly-publicized criminal trial. The Hot 100-topping rapper was sentenced to 15 years probation and no prison time after pleading guilty in the long-running case accusing him of leading a violent Atlanta street gang. The decision rocked the hip-hop world, with everyone from Sexyy Red to T.I. reacting to the news. R&B singer Mariah the Scientist, Thugger’s girlfriend, even skipped out on one of her shows on Latto’s Sugar Honey Iced Tea tour to go spend some time with her man.
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With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Jordan Hawkins’ rollicking ode to a “Love So Good” to Big Moochie Grape and Key Glock’s latest link-up. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: J.I the Prince of N.Y, “Get to Know Me”
Nearly a decade after he first appeared on The Rap Game, J.I the Prince of N.Y is still dropping heat. The Brooklyn emcee is always good for a track that seamlessly blends emotional vulnerability with New York braggadocio, and “Get to Know Me” is another winning addition to his catalog. “I know you brushing off ya pain, if you afraid to fall in love can you at least try to love me coldly/ You used to tell me bout ya day, now we dancing in the rain, do you really wanna get to know me?” he somberly sing-raps over a downcast R&B-inflected trap beat, courtesy of DopeBoyz and Buckroll Beats. “Get to Know Me” clearly positions J.I in the lane of A Boogie wit da Hoodie — and, in turn, the legacy of NY rap ballads (shoutout LL Cool J) — but his wordy hooks and stream-of-consciousness verses push him somewhere slightly different. J.I’s new track plays like a rambling apology, sometimes a pre-emptive atonement and other times he knows he’s already too late.
Nippa, “Pride”
London native Nippa has been steadily making waves on both sides of the pond with his slinky mixture of rap and R&B for some time now. “Pride,” a sultry Afrobeats-influenced ode to letting your guard down and giving into love, deserves to be his biggest hit yet. Over lovelorn guitar and a drum pattern that begs every waist in the room to start wining, he sings “Wonder if I try/ Take off my disguise/ Wonder how it feels to be you/ Feeds my ego, play and pick two.” The Louddaaa-helmed track is quite short, which perfectly positions it for endless remixes and extended version to further build out its atmospheric vibe.
Jordan Hawkins, “Love So Good”
Between Leon Thomas’ stunning Mutt LP and the ever-growing rumors of an impending rock album from Beyoncé, the union of rock and R&B has been growing notably stronger this year on the mainstream level — and North Carolina native Jordan Hawkins has something to say. “Love So Good,” a brash, raucous amalgamation of soul, rock, and gospel is a beautiful breath of fresh air. Beginning at the very apex of his falsetto, Hawkins tears through his ode to a life-changing love with an impassioned vocal performance that peppers his slight drawl with histrionic growls, effortlessly matching the rousing energy of the track’s instrumentation. Not too shabby for Hawkins’ first solo single of 2024.
Big Moochie Grape & Key Glock, “Manifest”
Big Moochie Grape is back. The Memphis rapper returned with his Eat or Get Ate 2 sequel project on Halloween. It’s a Paper Route Empire affair on “Manifest” with BMG calling on PRE honcho Key Glock for the braggadocious “Manifest.” Big Moochie manifested this life of luxury with some potent “za” in his pocket and $300,000 worth of ice around his neck. For him, it was always about the dollar signs. “All of these cap-a– rappers trying to fit in,” he raps over Bandplay’s cinematic production. “All I want is money, I don’t need friends.” Glock takes the baton and slows down the pace to balance out Big Moochie’s fervor.
BabyTron, “Nightmare On Yo Street”
Instead of Nightmare on Elm Street, BabyTron’s bringing a nightmare right to your block. With spooky season in full swing, Babytron adds to the terror with “Nightmare On Yo Street.” The Detroit rapper has carved out his own lane with a signature flow that feels like he’s talking directly to you while punching in every haunting bar. “This a f–king gun fight/ Why you bringing a knife,” he asks from the middle of a creepy cemetery in the official visual. It’s a welcomed addition to any ghostly playlist as BabyTron heads into his Tronicles album dropping on Friday (Nov. 8).
Ella Mai, “One of These”
An artist like Ella Mai wouldn’t typically appear in this column with hits on her resume, but “One of These” is an exception to the rule. The British singer may have found her next radio smash with the romantic tribute to her boyfriend and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. Mustard samples Timbaland’s hollow bounce from CeeLo Green’s “I’ll Be Around” while Ella Mai implores women to get them “One of These.” “Wake up in the morning, he got flowers at my feet,” she sings. Although — there’s just not many 20-something-year-old NBA stars walking the earth who could already waltz to the Hall of Fame.