State Champ Radio Music
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Taylor Swift runs a tight ship. Following their surprise Dead Poets Society mini-reunion in the pop star and Post Malone’s “Fortnight” music video in April, both Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles opened up in separate interviews about keeping their cameos a total secret from everyone — including their kids.
First, Hawke appeared on The Late Show Monday night (May 6), where host Stephen Colbert wasted no time in asking the actor about his collaboration with Swift. “I think she wanted to hide a little Easter egg about Dead Poets Society,” the Before Sunrise star explained. “Josh and I, we laughed ourselves silly the whole day. We felt like the biggest rock stars in the whole world.”
“You can’t imagine what it’s like to walk through an airport with a friend you’ve known for 35 years, who you grew up with, and watch all the young people in the airport with their Eras sweatshirts on … and we got something on them,” he continued, recalling his and Charles’ voyage to Swift’s top-secret filming location. “We’re going to meet the queen ourselves.”
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Hawke also revealed he signed an NDA prior to shooting the project, meaning he couldn’t tell either of his young daughters — Clementine and Indiana, whom he shares with his wife, producer Ryan Shawhughes Hawke — about the endeavor.
“You tell my teenage daughters that I’m going to meet Taylor, and everybody at school’s going to know,” he told Colbert. “When they did find out, the look on their face was one of profound disappointment. [They were like,] ‘Don’t pay attention to my dad, my dad’s an idiot, you should be calling me.’ Taylor belongs to them. I can’t have that on them.”
Stopping by The Tonight Show the next day, Charles told Jimmy Fallon that he also kept the video hidden from his children before it dropped April 19, the same day Swift’s Billboard 200-topping album The Tortured Poets Department hit streaming services. “They’re just blabbermouths and they’ll go talk about it at school,” he said, laughing.
“Finally, right before it aired, I did tell my son because he’s so full of hot air,” added Charles, who shares two kids with his wife, author Sophie Flack. “He makes up so much stuff, I knew no one would believe him anyway. He said, ‘Dad, I actually told someone. They didn’t believe me, you were right.’”
The Good Wife alum also revealed that Swift had first reached out to Hawke’s oldest daughter, Stranger Things star Maya Hawke — whom he shares with ex-wife Uma Thurman as well as 22-year-old son Levon — in order to connect with the two Dead Poets Society leads. The actors co-starred in the Peter Weir-directed classic in 1989, nearly 30 years before they would reunite to play mad scientists conducting experiments on Swift’s character in “Fortnight.” The Post Malone-assisted track has since spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Taylor knows Ethan’s daughter Maya and reached out to her,” Charles recalled. “I think it’s a little tip of the cap to Dead Poets Society, other tortured poets. Once I got over thinking [Ethan] was punking me when he first called me — I said, ‘Dude, are you bulls–ting me right now?’ It just seemed like such a fun idea.”
“I will tell you this, [Swift’s] an incredible director,” Charles added. “My favorite kind of director ’cause she knows what she wants. I was already a fan of her music, but if any of you ever get to meet her, your fandom for her will just go up through the roof. She’s just such a genuine, cool, approachable person.”
Watch Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles open up about their “Fortnight” cameos below.
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When fans of Imagine Dragons got wind that the group was releasing a new version of their single “Eyes Closed” alongside J Balvin, some expressed trepidation. This, after all, is an important track: the lead single from the band’s upcoming sixth album (Loom, due out June 28). What the heck; was there really going to be reggaetón mixed in with Imagine Dragons’ usual pop-rock?
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Never fear. The resulting track, where Balvin completely eschews reggaetón beats for hard-hitting verses over the rock groove — with Imagine Dragons actually redoing a section of the song — has managed to strike all the right notes, and turn one plus one into 3.
“I didn’t know I needed this til I saw it AAAAAAA,” wrote @AsaltodeMedianoche on Youtube.”This is insane. I didn’t expect that this was gonna sound so epic with him,” wrote another fan.
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Which begs the question: How the heck did Imagine Dragons end up collaborating with J Balvin? And how does this remix sound so darn good?
Balvin and Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds spoke with Billboard and told us how it all went down.
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How It Started
Reynolds: I met with the guys [bassist Ben McKee and guitarist Wayne Sermon] when we were working on the song [late last year] and it just felt like something was missing when we were in the studio. We really don’t often do collaborations, but this song in particular, [we felt] it really needs something to complete it. The three of us were in a room and we talked about things we were listening to and what was inspiring to us, and all of us were like: ‘J, love his music.” We reached out to him and within a week [it came together].
Balvin: I was in Rumania in a concert, and Chris Knight from my management team said, check this out. He didn’t even say it was Imagine Dragons: He said “Yo, they want you on this song, tell me what you think.” And I said, “Play it.” And when I heard that voice — and the production is mind-blowing, the production is so ahead — I was like, “We’re recording this tomorrow.”
I was going through a dark moment — that [kind where] you don’t know how to handle a certain moment, and it was [like], “This is perfect for what I’m feeling now; and I can express myself really easily.” And also, normally when people think about doing songs with Latinos that do reggaetón, they thought I was going to switch the beat and put it in reggaetón, right? And of course that was the fear of a lot of fans. And when they heard the song they [found out], “Oh, they kept it in the same vibe.”
And it’s because I love to jump with different genres. In this case, I’m a big fan of Imagine Dragons and I gotta give my best and follow the vibe — and say the same thing they’re saying, but of course in Spanish. We don’t want to be talking about different topics in the same song.
I just needed to let it out! The best that could have happened to me is when I received that song. Oh, I have these feelings right now. Thank God someone just sent me a great song to let it out, and be open and honest about how in a certain moment of my career people wanted to see me fail, or I went to a dark moment that I thought that it was going to be — and then, I can do this with my eyes closed. I’ve been in this game so long that it makes me stronger every day. Doesn’t mean I’m the strongest; I still have a lot of weak things, I’m still healing. But now I know how to swim way more and better in the maze, with my eyes closed.
The Process
Reynolds: It was the first version. There were no changes. It was just like, he got it. I had a feeling he would catch the vision, just because I was familiar enough with his work to know that he can do a lot of different things. And sure enough, [the song] doesn’t need anything [after he finishes recording]. No changes. Mix it. Send it out.
Balvin: Sometimes less is more. And I felt that was what I wanted to say, those were the flows we wanted to bring. The verse was perfect to me. I love the song. And this is what I can give to them. It’s about the quality, not quantity. What if I gave another verse but it didn’t really stick out? I’d rather make one verse that is really concise and precise.
Reynolds: We just left openings throughout the song, showed him different versions and really left it up to him to go as long or short as he wanted. We’re like, “You do you.” And sure enough, he sent it back, and we were like, “That’s it.” The only thing I changed was, I rewrote the bridge after he sent his part back, because there was a specific melody in it that I really loved that he did in the pre chorus.
Balvin: We were super happy when we heard that melody. We were like, “He did that melody, man!”
Rapping in Spanish
Balvin: You know I’m always a big supporter of “just keep it in Spanish,” because that’s the way I connect with the people. And it’s not going to sound the same when you really want to express your feelings in your own language. So, of course Spanish, and the guys agreed with that. I think it’s all about feeling and even the people who don’t understand Spanish, they know that we really flow in that instrument the way it should be. And I feel super proud of it and I feel grateful that [I worked with] one of my favorite bands and, also to meet Dan.
Reynolds: The way this band has always operated is we always try to make music that we like and make decisions that feel good to us. Fans are always not going to love certain songs, that’s just part of life. And I think the worst thing you can do as an artist is try to cater to that. That’s when you fail as an artist. You try to create something a critic will like, something a fan will like, and then nobody likes it, and then you also feel bad about yourself because it wasn’t’ even honest. So, for us, it was, “Man it would be really cool to work with J on this song. And it would be really cool to have multiple languages in a song.”
I think It’s a reflection of where music is today. One of the blessings we have as a band is being able to play all over and experience all different people from different cultures and languages; even when people don’t know what I’m saying, they feel it as if English was their first language. The second I heard J’s verse I knew, even though my Spanish is three years of high school, the feeling that I got from it was all that matters.
Balvin: They were expecting maybe that I would bring some reggaetón, but to me it’s crazy, because I respect art and I know when I can add reggaetón. This is like the Mona Lisa, it’s a beautiful piece of art. Don’t touch it a lot. We gotta do music that we feel is right, otherwise you’re a sellout. I was honest with me, and I have no regrets about any word that I say in the song. This is what I wanted to do and I’m proud of it and I gave my 1000% percent.
Finally Meeting
Balvin: When I met Dan I had no expectations because you don’t know. Sometimes you don’t want to meet your idols, right? You get there, and he was super humble, and he’s huge [in height] so I was just looking up at him like, ‘Yo, what’s up.’ But he’s really down to earth and I’m grateful for the way you treated me, guys. I felt like home.
Reynolds: I think that really speaks to Jose and who he is as a person. You never know what to expect when you’re working with a really big artist. Are they going to have big egos, what’s that going to feel like? And it was obvious when I met him, “Oh this is just a really good, normal human being.” It was all about, “Do we make a great video together?” And we were both open to direction and guidance, and there were no diva vibes. It was really refreshing.
It didn’t surprise me, though. I’d done enough research about J to know a little of who he was and where his heart was and to see him in person felt like the unvierse just put this together. It was very serendipitous and easy. It was just two artists having fun together which is what it should be.
The Big Picture
Balvin: I’m just grateful because I’ve always been a huge fan and the guys gave me the opportunity to keep expanding our sound. Because it’s not about J Balvin, it’s about our culture. The fact that they care about a Latino artist, is something that makes me really proud about our culture.
“Hey, huh, baow.” If that idiosyncratic synthesis of scatting and the Milwaukee lowend style isn’t already on loop in your head, it certainly will be by the time the summer of 2024 comes to a close.
Taken from the ridiculously catchy hook in “Bad Bitty,” the rump-shaking breakout single from rising Milwaukee rapper J.P., those onomatopoeias are emblematic of both the 19-year-old’s laid-back approach to music making and the storied history of vocal performance that informs his singing-rapping style.
Earlier this spring (March 20), Billboard highlighted “Bad Bitty” in our weekly “Trending Up” column, which takes a look at songs that are on the verge of truly exploding. Predictably, the love for “Bad Bitty” quickly surpassed flash-in-the-pan TikTok status, with the danceable track collecting over 21 million official on-demand U.S. streams through May 2, according to Luminate, and spending six weeks on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, peaking at No. 27. Not only did the song’s viral success significantly broaden J.P.’s audience, he also proved to himself that he was capable of making another hit on his own.
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In 2022, J.P. had a smaller viral moment with “Juicey Ahhh,” another lowend-rooted track that has pulled over 3.8 million official on-demand U.S. streams through May 2. For J.P., born Josiah Gillie, the sound and success of his songs reflect the way he moves based on feeling.
“I don’t write any of my music, it’s more of a feeling-type thing,” he tells Billboard. “Whatever songs you hear from me, if it makes you feel some type of way, you can automatically put two and two together, and that’s how I was feeling when I made the song.”
One thing about J.P. — who’s also balancing a student-athlete career (he’s a power forward for the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point Pointers) with completing his musical performance major (with a vocal emphasis) — he’s always having fun. Just check out the countless TikToks he makes, leaning into his innate goofiness while still selflessly promoting his music at every turn. His effervescent records are undoubtedly party tracks, but his unique blend of soulful jazz, gospel-informed vocals and Milwaukee’s high-octane bass-heavy style have resulted in a sound that is on the fast track to dominate the summer and shine a more national spotlight on Cream City’s long-bubbling rap scene.
In a lively conversation with Billboard, J.P. opens up about his favorite “turnt” church songs, remaining self-made and independent, and his plans beyond “Bad Bitty.”
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Where are you right now? How’s the day going?
I’m doing good. I just arrived at my hotel in LA, I’m walking into my hotel right now. I have a meeting with the CEO of Warner Records and [I’m gonna] go see PinkPantheress.
We’re basically one month away from this being the summer of “Bad Bitty.” How has it been for you watching this song grow so quickly over the past few weeks?
I really been locking in on stamping myself and stamping the moment, and making sure that it’s not just a viral song that just dies down in the next two months. [I want to make] it a household song and put more of a character out there – well, not the character, because it’s actually me. People are starting to actually fall in love with the person behind the music and not just the song “Bad Bitty.”
[Over] the past few weeks, there’s been a lot of ups and a lot of good things going on. I’m just extremely grateful and humble to go through this and figure it out as we go.
Where did you cut “Bad Bitty?”
“Bad Bitty” wasn’t created in the studio. I made “Bad Bitty” on my phone and headphones… just like all the rest of my other music. It’s an app called BandLab, so I did that in the dorm room by myself. There wasn’t anybody in the room. My brother [Myles Gillie], who’s also my manager, was in the other room. Recently, I’ve moved to the studio.
Talk to me a bit about the Milwaukee lowend sound. How would you describe that style to those unfamiliar with it?
Milwaukee lowend, man, it’s definitely something different, but it makes you want to move. You got the fast taps and the fast hits that’s coming your way, so it has this bouncy feeling that makes you want to move in some type of way. I took [that sound] and I added myself to it and created a whole new genre of music because it’s not like regular lowend rap. I put it in there because I’ve always been a singer, but everybody doesn’t really want to hear that off the rip. There are plenty of R&B artists, so if you’re not Chris Brown or Usher, people don’t really want to hear you right now. I just took the R&B and I brought it to the lowend. It just created a contagious feeling, and now we’re here.
Where do you hope the lowend sound goes from here? Do you plan to continue using it in your own music?
Lowend music is more or less about rapping about driving fast cars and stealing cars and things of that nature. That’s not really my jig, I don’t do that. First of all, I’m big as a b—h, I’m the first target! So, stealing cars was never really my thing. So, I just took it and flipped it. I just kept the beat-type s—t. If there’s anything lowend about my music, it’s the beat.
As far as how I’m delivering the music, that has nothing to do with lowend at all. That’s just me. It’s my style on the lowend beat, and anybody from Milwaukee would say the same.
There’s a lot of momentum in the Milwaukee rap scene right now. How is the scene to working together to put each other on? What does that community look like?
The community is great right now. In every city there’s a lot of hate, there’s a lot love, but the city is the city, and there’s a lot more love than hate. The artists that are blowing up from the city, it’s well-deserved for them.
It’s just a testament [to the fact] that there’s actually talent in Milwaukee, because the artists that blow up are all different. They all have different sounds. They rap about different things, but they’re all from Milwaukee. You won’t turn on Chicken P and turn on one of my songs and hear a correlation, but we’re both from Milwaukee.
Have you ever felt like Milwaukee has a kind of underdog status in comparison to other scenes across the country?
One thing that I love to see out there [in New York] and that I notice about them is [that] they all show love to whoever got the hot hand. Regardless if you from Queens, the Bronx, uptown, it don’t matter. If you got the hot hand, they gonna get behind you — because at the end of the day, you’re New York.
In Milwaukee, it’s not like that all the way. It’s like a crab-in-a-barrel city. Everybody don’t want to see you win. Some of them wanna say, ‘Oh yeah, he got there, but he messed up.’ Like I said, every city has that. And Milwaukee isn’t like a New York City, where there’s so many people you can get damn near the whole nation behind you.
It’s already a small city, and you would think that by being a small city that everybody would come together, but it’s not like that all the time. But it’s okay, because the lovers and the haters will get you there.
When and how did you settle on your stage name?
My real name is Josiah. My nickname for Josiah is Jody. In Milwaukee, it’s popular to add the letter P to the end of your name — because it’s like a Milwaukee thing. This was way before all that “Pushin P” s—t. Even if you look at some of the artists from Milwaukee, like Chicken P, Myaap, etc. “P” is like “player,” but everybody player, so everybody just adds P to the end of their name.
My name was always Jody P as far as [an] artist name, but I decided to shorten it up and just put J.P. because it was a little easier. It had more of a lil ring to it.
You’re currently in college majoring in music. Why did you choose that major? What are your earliest musical memories?
I don’t have a crazy musical background, but I’ve always been a musical child. I always thought it was normal for me, but apparently, it isn’t normal for everybody. Things that had to do with music, I always caught on to. It was always very easy for me to do. I’m real good at looking at something and listening to it and mimicking it all the way down to where it’s in my arsenal. When I went to college, I knew I didn’t want to stop singing, so I’m like, Okay, I’m gonna audition for the voice area music. I went and auditioned and I made it.
I accidentally auditioned for the vocal jazz scholarship; I was thinking it was a part of the actual music area audition. I ended up doing that too, and I got a vocal jazz scholarship. That was kinda my deal.
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Who do you remember listening to growing up around the house?
I grew up and spent a lot of time around my grandmama. As a baby, I used to watch a lot of musicals. I was watching a lot of Mary Poppins, Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz. That flowed over into artists like Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Luther Vandross, Quincy Jones, all of those people. I got my vibrato from listening to [classic pop] singers like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jackie Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald – I don’t know why, but everybody from that era always had hella vibrato. Just listening to [them] over and over and over again, I subconsciously learned how to master vibrato.
I didn’t realize all of that stuff wasn’t normal to have in your arsenal until I got to college. [I saw] a lot of kids that have been doing music their whole life, get into their vocal lessons and struggle to do this or struggle to hold this note or struggle to activate their vibrato. And I’m like, Just do it like this. But I’m in my head like, I’ve been doing this since I was seven.
It’s funny you mention that you grew up with your grandma because a lot of people online clocked that from your mannerisms. Do you embrace having an old soul?
People been saying I have an old soul since I was like five years old, especially the older people. They always welcome me like, You’ve been here before. [Laughs.] It was definitely something I was already used to, and I know I got an old soul, but that’s just how I’m maneuvering and grooving. That’s just me.
What’s your favorite class you’ve taken for your music major so far?
Probably actual vocal lessons with Professor Susan Bender. She just retired my sophomore year, which is this year, but she has an amazing, beautiful voice. I’ve never had vocal lessons, so I auditioned after the basketball season of my freshman year. I didn’t become an actual voice area student until the beginning of my sophomore year. I got to work with her and she was amazing.
You’re also a student-athlete. Have basketball and music always coexisted in your life like this?
I didn’t really start taking basketball serious until my eighth grade year [when I got] added to my first AAU team called Sports Academy. They paid for my jerseys and all that other good stuff. Then my freshman year of high school, when one of my assistant varsity coaches was a part of the Running Rebels, [I joined through] this thing called Be the Change program that was also founded in Milwaukee. That was when I started actually playing and taking basketball serious.
As far as music, I used to always make music, but I’d keep it on my phone. My assistant coach, he was one of the day ones that always had to listen to the bulls—t that I was putting out. I was horrible quality and s—t, but I had just started making music, so he would tell me if that s—t was a—or not to what I needed to fix. So, shoutout to him.
You’re balancing a rising career, athletic commitments, academic commitments, your own personal life, etc. How are you keeping everything together right now?
At this time right now, you definitely learn to lock in and key in to the people that actually are there for you, because now you can’t really be friends with everybody like how you used to be. As much as you want to be, you can’t. You can’t be a regular person no more. You gotta move a little different, because everybody has a hidden agenda now.
I’m praying, man, really keeping myself sane and making sure I’m not letting what’s going on run my life. I’m not letting that control and consume me. The biggest thing right now, is staying completely humble, because that’s what got us here in the face.
You’ve had a couple of viral media clips recently, including a No Jumper appearance, in which the hosts tried to clown you for standing in your truth regarding your past sexual experiences. What’s it like navigating the hip-hop industry considering how historically inhospitable the space has been for those who fall outside of the heterosexual norm?
I’ve never really been the person that cares what anybody else has to say. I personally feel like whatever I got to say is law, so whatever the hell come out of my mouth, if I said it, then that’s what the hell means something. If you heard about something that’s going on, you’re like, That’s some Jody s—t. It’s like Damon from Friday [After Next]. You’re not gonna walk up to Damon and be like, Oh, you gay, cuz. You leave him alone type s—t.
I definitely know that it’s not a normal thing [in hip-hop], but it takes a certain type of individual to embark on this journey the way I do. I know a lot of people, [had they] been in my seat, would have been on suicide watch. Everybody can’t take that, especially at the degree that I’m [getting it.] The whole world got something to say, but it don’t matter — because at the end of the day, nobody with a brain is going to walk up and say something to me about it. And if they do, I’m a young man that knows how to speak and talk through situations. If you need clarity, I can give you clarity, but I really don’t owe you anything. I can give it to you, if that’s what you’re looking for.
You gotta know how to take you on the chin, boss. Why would you want to become a detriment to yourself over something that I did five years ago? That doesn’t make sense. You gonna have the people that be funny, but you gotta know that that it comes with that. You’re gonna have people that’s gonna laugh about you. You’re gonna have people that’s going to repost and say this and say that, but it’s alright, bro. That’s the name of the game.
That lil head-bobbing dance also helped “Bad Bitty” go viral. Where did that come from?
That is something that I actually do, that’s not something that I made-up. If I’m in the club and somebody playing a song that I like, I’m gonna bob my head like that too. What happened was, when I first made the video to that “Bad Bitty,” it was somebody in the comments that was like, “Oh, the head bob is contagious.” So what I did was, I took the comment and made a video to the comment and just did it again.
Once I seen that that was the pickup, I just like took it and ran with it. I’ve been doing that same s—t since I was like nine, in church listening to church music.
Speaking of, what’s your favorite church song?
It all depends on if you trying to be on some calm s—t or if you trying to get turnt!
I’m tryna get turnt, what’s in your praise and worship bag?
Okay so Byron Cage, “The Presence of the Lord is Here,” that s—t crack. “The Blood Still Works,” that s—t gets you going. “I’m Sold Out,” “Great God” by Deitrick Haddon, “Praise Him In Advance” by Marvin Sapp, “Best In Me” by Marvin Sapp, “Listen” by Marvin Sapp, “They That Wait” by Fred Hammond!
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You’ve previously spoken about how some of the vocal elements of “Bad Bitty” are kind of like your version of scatting. Who are your favorite singers when it comes to scatting?
I [don’t] really have a favorite scatter. I just knew it was like thing. I know Ella Fitzgerald is cold at scatting, Lalah Hathaway is a cold ass scatter. That’s damn near all I know, but I know they good at it. [Laughs.]
Are you thinking of signing to a label? Have you gotten any offers yet?
I’m not in a rush to do anything. We have some offers on the table, but I’m not really in a rush. Everything going on with me right now [is] organic. The majority of things that I’ve done all the way up to this point, a lot of labels are paying for their artists to do these things. I did this just off of pure networking and organicness, if that’s the word.
Are there any careers you’d like to emulate?
I don’t think there’s anybody I would like to emulate off the rip, but I do have some inspirations. I think Jay-Z is one of the biggest ones, because I noticed how he kept his group tight-knit and gave them jobs. He could have got the best person in [each] area, but he gave opportunities to the people that was around him and kept his circle tight. Lil Baby keeps a lot of same people around too.
I’ve been hearing whispers of a potential “Bad Bitty” remix or two. What’s up?
I ain’t gonna say too much, but it’s up in the air. It might come two weeks from now, might come tomorrow. It’s definitely gonna be [fire] when [it] do come out. Since we’re all here talking about remixes and who’s gonna be on there, I just want to put out into the universe: If I could get Coi Leray on there, that would be great. Let’s put that out there to the universe tenfold, and hope that comes back.
You can definitely be expecting a project coming towards the end of May or early June, right in that sweet spot of summer. I got music videos on the way. I got another single that’s going to be on the way as well with the music video following up behind that. We moving and grooving. We’re here and we stamping our name.
When was the last time you made a bitty hit her knees?
No comment. You tried to slide that in there smooth! [Laughs.]
Long before the days of working together on Killers of the Flower Moon or The Irishman, director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro first teamed up more than 50 years ago on Mean Streets. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In celebration of five decades of the […]
Jelly Roll made a hug stride in his fitness journey this week, completing his first-ever 5K alongside his wife, podcaster Bunnie XO.
The two stars ran a total of 3.1 miles together in the 2 Bears 5K hosted by comedians Tom Segura and Bert Kreischer, held in Los Angeles Tuesday (May 7) as part of the Netflix Is a Joke Fest. Afterward, the country star — who’s been open about his weight-loss journey — opened up about the emotional milestone in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, noting he lost “50- to 70-some pounds” while training for the event.
“I couldn’t walk a mile when I started trying to do this back in January,” Jelly told the outlet, revealing he teared up after crossing the finish line. “So the fact that we got 3-point-whatever it was [miles], got it down, I feel really, really good about it.”
“I feel great, I’m a little tired,” he continued. “It was a little bit harder than I thought it was [going to be], but it’s awesome, man … I think the coolest thing is how many people stopped to tell us that they were motivated by us, other big guys. It was really cool to see that.”
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After the race, Bunnie shared a sweet video on TikTok of Jelly taking an ice bath alongside Segura and Kreischer. In the clip, she hops in with her husband as excited onlookers count down.
“The couples that finish the 5k together, cold plunge together,” she wrote in text over the video. She added in her caption, “What a beautiful day w/ beautiful ppl! So proud of my baby doing the 5k & losing 50 lbs to do it!”
The event comes a couple weeks after the entrepreneur told fans on TikTok that Jelly had quit social media because he was “so tired of being bullied about his f–king weight.” “My husband doesn’t show it to you guys, but I’m going to have a very vulnerable moment here,” she added at the time. “It hurts him.”
Later, the CMT Award-winner clarified that “it wasn’t just bullying” that led him to step away from the internet. “It was not only the toxicity of social media, but the addiction of it,” Jelly explained to Variety. “I was becoming too busy to waste hours of my life scrolling.”
See Bunnie’s TikTok below.
NCT DREAM rolled out the dates for their upcoming 2024 world tour on Wednesday (May 8), with dates in Latin American, the U.S and Europe as part of their 2024 NCT DREAM World Tour .
After kicking the outing off last weekend with three sold-out shows at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome, the new dates will bring the seven-member K-pop group to Latin American for four shows, followed by seven gigs in the U.S. and five stops in Europe. Currently on tour in Asia — with arena and stadium concerts scheduled in Indonesia, China, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines through August 11 –the new dates will kick off on August 31 at Movistar Arena in Bogota, Colombia.
The U.S. shows will launch on Sept. 12 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, and include stops in Oakland, Fort Worth and Washington, D.C. before winding down at the United Center in Chicago on Sept. 26.
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According to a release, the tour is the group’s biggest global run to date, with tickets for the U.S. gigs going on sale with a Weverse fan club presale beginning on May 16, followed by a general onsale kicking off on May 17 at 3 p.m. local time here. Tickets for the Latin America swing will also start with a Weverse fan club presale beginning on May 13 (check local listings for more information), while the European Weverse presale will launch on May 15, followed by a general onsale beginning on May 17 at 10 a.m. local time (check local listings).
NCT — comprised of members JAEMIN, JISUNG, JENO, RENJUN, HAECHAN, MARK and CHENLE — recently released the video for “Smoothie,” the lead single from their just-released DREAM( )SCAPE EP.
Check out the full list of dates for the 2024 NCT DREAM WORLD TOUR below:
May 18 – Jakarta, Indonesia @ GBK Stadium
June 15 – Hong Kong, China @ AsiaWorld-Arena
June 16 – Hong Kong, China @ AsiaWorld-Arena
June 22 – Bangkok, Thailand @ Rajamangala National Stadium
June 23 – Bangkok, Thailand @ Rajamangala National Stadium
Sat Jun 29 – Kallang, Singapore – Singapore Indoor Stadium
June 30 – Kallang, Singapore @ Singapore Indoor Stadium
August 10 – Manila, Philippines @ SM Mall of Asia Arena
August 11 – Manila, Philippines @ SM Mall of Asia Arena
August 31 – Bogota, Colombia @ Movistar Arena
Sept. 2 – São Paulo, Brazil @ Espaço Unimed
Sept. 5 – Santiago, Chile @ Movistar Arena
Sept. 9 – Mexico City, Mexico @ Palacio de los Deportes
Sept. 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Intuit Dome
Sept. 14 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
Sept. 17 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena
Sept. 19 – Duluth, GA @ Gas South Arena
Sept. 21 – Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena
Sept. 24 – Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Arena
Sept. 26 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
Oct. 30 – Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Rotterdam Ahoy*
Nov. 3 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Royal Arena*
Nov. 6 – Berlin, Germany @ Uber Arena*
Nov. 9 – Paris, France @ Adidas Arena*
Nov. 12 – London, UK @ OVO Arena Wembley*
*Non Live Nation date
Ja Rule and his mother, Debra Atkins, have long shared a special bond. Raised by a single parent, it’s always been a “me and mom against the world” type of mantra, as the artist puts it.
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The Murder Inc. rapper often makes it a point to give back to the community, especially when it comes to his hometown of New York City, and spreading joy for the women in his life. Ahead of Mother’s Day, Ja Rule partnered with the REFORM Alliance and The Ladies of Hope Ministries to host a special Mother’s Day luncheon at NYC hotspot Sei Less on Tuesday afternoon (May 7).
Forty mothers along with their children — who all shared a common bond of being adversely impacted by the criminal justice system — were treated to an afternoon at the Midtown Asian fusion restaurant.
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“For something like this for mothers who have been through incarceration, I can relate to that and it’s close to my heart, so to be a part of this is special to me,” the Pain is Love rhymer tells Billboard of bonding with the moms in attendance. “It’s a very hard thing for a mom to be incarcerated and have children and to be able to navigate that. It’s very difficult, so I empathize with them in a lot of ways.”
Ja Rule & Sei Less Mother’s Day Luncheon
Courtesy of Sei Less
Ja Rule exchanged heartfelt stories with the mothers as they opened up about their experiences and the struggles of parenting while being entangled in the criminal justice system.
Though he has since earnedplatinum plaques, record deals and hit records, the 48-year-old still thinks back to the emotional moment that he “became a man.” Growing up, Ja and his mother were facing another eviction, and he knew it was time for him to step up.
“One moment that strikes me all the time is the day I grew up as a man. When we were going through an eviction at one of our apartments, this particular time it kind of broke my mom the way I never seen before, and she was crying,” the rapper shares with Billboard. “In that moment, I feel like I became a man because I understood the assignment, as they say.”
“I couldn’t cry in that moment with her, and I had to be stronger for her even though I was feeling her emotion,” he continues. “That meant everything for her too – her son, her baby, her only son was able to tell her, ‘Mom, it’s going to be alright. Even though I got to pull us through, we going to be alright.’”
Ja Rule & Sei Less Mother’s Day Luncheon
Courtesy of Sei Less
While new friendships formed throughout the three-hour feast, the luncheon attendees enjoyed Sei Less delicacies such as filet mignon, chicken satay, rock shrimp tempura, chicken wontons and other popular dishes.
“We are incredibly honored to have partnered with Ja Rule on such a special day for these mothers filled with unforgettable memories,” Sei Less co-owner Ivi Shano tells Billboard of his venue playing host. “This event is not just about a meal or a gift — it’s about creating a lasting impact, spreading love to our community and making a real difference in the lives of these mothers.”
Amy Winehouse has posthumously received a BRIT Billion Award celebrating one billion streams in the U.K.
Her parents, Mitch and Janis, accepted the award, saying, “We of course wish that Amy was here today accepting this award in person, but it’s amazing that she is still winning awards for her incredible talent and achievements. It’s wonderful that her music is being discovered by new audiences of young people who love it just as much as her contemporaries. We are so proud of Amy. Thank you.”
The award was presented following the U.K. release of the biopic Back to Black. Sam Taylor-Johnson directed the film, which stars Marisa Abela as the gifted but troubled singer who died in July 2011 at age 27. The film is due for release in the U.S. on May 17.
Released in October 2006, “Back to Black” is Winehouse’s most streamed song in the U.K., with more than 150 million streams. It is followed closely by “Valerie,” with more than 135 million streams in the U.K. “Tears Dry on Their Own,” “Rehab,” “You Know I’m No Good” and “Love Is a Losing Game” — all taken from Winehouse’s sophomore album Back to Black — each stand at more than 50 million U.K. streams.
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More than 25 artists have been recognized with a BRIT Billion award since the program launched in 2023, including global icons such as The Rolling Stones, Queen, ABBA and Whitney Houston, pioneering rap and hip-hop artists including AJ Tracey and Headie One and chart-dominating pop artists and singer-songwriters, with the likes of Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Lewis Capaldi and BRIT Award record-breaker Raye all having received the award.
The BRIT Billion award reflects the extent to which streaming has transformed the music landscape over the past decade. BPI, which administers the BRIT Billion award program, reports that more than 85% of the U.K.’s recorded music consumption now occurs through streaming. In 2023 there were a record 180 billion audio streams in the U.K. In the U.K., more than 2,000 artists now annually amass at least 10 million audio streams of their music, while more than 10,000 artists are streamed more than a million times.
Though Winehouse released just two albums in her lifetime, she made an indelible mark on the global pop scene. She won six Grammy Awards, including best pop vocal album for Back to Black, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. She also won record and song of the year for “Rehab,” which was a No. 9 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Billie Eilish multi-media blitz in advance of the upcoming release of her third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, will kick off in earnest on Friday (May 10) with the launch of Billie Eilish Radio on SiriusXM. The dedicated streaming channel will debut at noon E.T. with a mix curated by the “What […]
One of the wildest weeks in hip-hop history is set to make a huge impact on next week’s Billboard charts (dated May 18) as several diss tracks from the ongoing Drake – Kendrick Lamar beef look prime to dot the Billboard Hot 100 and other charts.
The rappers’ feud dates back at least a decade, but the latest campaign ramped up in March with “Like That,” Lamar’s collaboration with Future and Metro Boomin, in which the Pulitzer Prize-winner’s verse contained alleged disses at Drake and J. Cole. Since then, Lamar, Drake, J. Cole and a heavyweight supporting roster – including The Weeknd, Rick Ross, Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), A$AP Rocky – have all been involved, either as targets or lobbing disses of their own.
While Cole bowed out and apologized after he released his “7 Minute Drill” rebuttal on April 5, Drake and Lamar have each released multiple tracks in just a few weeks, with personal attacks and serious allegations, including threats of violence and pedophilia within artists camps.
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Given the whirlwind of releases — some of which have been widely released on streaming services, others that were only available on social media and at least one that has been willingly removed from platforms — here’s a guide to how each track could factor onto the Hot 100.
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The Ones That Have Already Charted
“Like That” / “7 Minute Drill” / “Push Ups” / “Euphoria”
Four tracks have already appeared on the Hot 100, which includes streaming, radio airplay and sales data for its calculations. In chronological order, they are “Like That” (No. 1 for three weeks, beginning on the chart dated April 6), J. Cole’s “7 Minute Drill” (No. 7, April 20), Drake’s “Push Ups” (No. 17, May 11) and Lamar’s “Euphoria” (No. 11, May 11).
As J. Cole had “7 Minute Drill” pulled from streaming services and digital retailers one week after its release, the song has since fallen off the chart. Unless “7 Minute Drill” is once again made available to consumers, the only avenue for a Hot 100 return would be through radio airplay. But don’t expect it – “7 Minute Drill” has declined in radio play for the last two weeks, according to Luminate, before it was even able to make any Billboard radio chart.
In addition to continued availability on streaming services and digital retailers, “Like That,” “Push Ups” and “Euphoria” all sport an active radio presence. The foremost ranks at No. 4 on the latest R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart (dated May 11), the middle track rises 29-28 and while the lattermost does not appear on the chart, its 149,000 audience total, according to Luminate – in just three days of a seven-day, Friday-Thursday tracking week due to its Tuesday drop date – ranks just outside the 50-position cutoff, at 192,000 in audience for the week.
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The Ones That Could Chart Next
“Family Matters” / “Meet the Grahams” / “Not Like Us” / “The Heart Part 6”
The heaviest barrage is likely to come on next week’s Hot 100 (dated May 18), with five songs released between Drake and Lamar since May 2, the start of the current Hot 100 tracking week.
Of the five, three – Drake’s “Family Matters” and Lamar’s “Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us” – are widely available across streaming serves and digital retailers, setting them up for the chance at huge consumption figures that would translate into strong Hot 100 arrivals. All three, though, will have shortened periods in the Friday-Thursday tracking window after they were released mid-week: “Family Matters” and “Meet the Grahams” both arrived on Saturday, May 3, while “Not Like Us” premiered on Sunday, May 4.
Despite the handicap, however, they seem to be making up ground — quickly. Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” for example, was the No. 1 streamed song in the U.S. on Spotify on Monday, May 6, (6.59 million clicks) and Tuesday, May 7, (6.81 million), clearing each day’s second-place title — his own “Euphoria” on Monday and Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” on Tuesday — by more than 2 million plays.
Returning to the two remaining tracks released during the current tracking week, one — Drake’s “The Heart Part 6,” released on Sunday, May 4 — notably remains available only through YouTube.
As for the final track …
The Outliers
“6:16 in LA” / “Taylor Made Freestyle” / “Buried Alive Interlude, Pt. 2”
Lamar’s “6:16 in LA,” which arrived on Saturday, May 3, was released solely through the Compton rapper’s Instagram page. As it was not made available on streaming services or digital retailers that contribute to Billboard’s charts (and has received no registered radio play), it has no chance of appearing on the Hot 100 without an official release.
But all’s fair. Two more Drake tracks released in the beef — the “Taylor Made Freestyle” and “Buried Alive Interlude, Pt. 2” — were likewise social media exclusives, and, by the same token, would need an official release to streamers and digital stores or substantial radio activity for a Hot 100 debut. The former, notably, is unlikely to gain any traction after its use of artificial intelligence vocals imitating Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg prompted Shakur’s estate to threaten a lawsuit, and the song was removed the next day. The latter, meanwhile, appeared on an Instagram story and looks to only have been a teaser for “Family Matters.”
The top 10 of the Hot 100 dated May 18 is scheduled to be announced on Billboard’s website on Monday, May 13, with the full chart revealed on Tuesday, May 14.
