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Cam’ron and Mase are planning on dropping a project together.
The childhood friends have had a tumultuous relationship over the years dating back to the late ’90s, when they had a falling out over an appearance in Cam’s video for his hit single “Horse & Carriage.”
Since the two have reconciled, they got into business together and started their increasingly popular sports talk show It Is What It Is in 2023.
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Now, they plan on strengthening their relationship by making music with each other again.
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On March 19, Cam posted a clip on Instagram. “Harlem Fact check season. Sorry Murder, I had to give them a small sample. Willie Burgers (The EP) July 4th. I’m from old Harlem. Where the dirty kitchen was open pass 12pm. Maybe I’ll drop the full song on @talkwithflee 2mr morning,” he wrote. “We got so many joints in da stash.”
Produced by ADM Beatz, Cam started the song off by rapping, “Shouts Mason Betha, I’m Cameron Giles/ I’m sorry, Richard Porter, I’m sorry, Kevin Chiles/ I’m sorry, Bumpy Johnson, y’all always gettin’ chedda/ It come to Harlem, baby girl, nobody did it better.”
Cam also posted snippet on Talk With Flee earlier Thursday morning, and he’s calling it “Tupperware Freestyle.”
Last week, Mase announced that he’s planning on releasing his first album since 2004’s Welcome Back, and he wants to drop it on the first day of the Diddy trial, which is Monday, May 5. He also claimed that the project will be a “triple CD” and that Cam helped him pick the songs.
You can watch the freestyle below.
Sir Elton John has been named the 2025 recipient of the Glenn Gould Prize. A wide range of creative talents have won the award over the years. John is only the second to come from the (broadly defined) rock world, following the late Leonard Cohen.
The award was established in 1987 by The Glenn Gould Foundation to honor the legacy of legendary Canadian pianist Glenn Gould, whose 1956 album Bach: Goldberg Variations is considered a classic. Gould died in 1982 at age 50. He received a posthumous lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2013.
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“After spending decades admiring the virtuosity of Glenn Gould’s work, I am awestruck and honored to receive this award,” John said in a statement. John, of course, has won countless lifetime achievement awards, including the Kennedy Center Honors, the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, a Grammy Legend Award, the Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and induction into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The Glenn Gould Prize is awarded biennially and includes a CDN$100,000 cash award for the Laureate, who also selects an exceptional young artist to receive the CDN$25,000 Glenn Gould Protégé Prize.
“In selecting our Laureate, Elton John, we chose to honor someone who has great artistic accomplishments, but whose life and whose art has been translated into something much greater than just performance or the consumption of music and things they’ve created,” said the Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada and this year’s jury chair for the Glenn Gould Prize.
“Elton John has used his enormous talent and his great success to change lives. He’s been courageous in taking on causes, whether AIDS, LGBTQ+ rights, addiction and all sorts of issues that were not popular when he engaged with them and he was prepared to take the wonderful success that his musical talent had given him to make a difference in the world. And from our perspective that represents the highest level of achievement for an artist and celebrates the memory of Glenn Gould in the best way.”
“Elton John embodies the spirit of artistic excellence, innovation, and profound humanity that The Glenn Gould Prize was created to celebrate,” added Brian Levine, CEO, Glenn Gould Foundation. “Glenn Gould’s vision was one of boundless creativity, fearless originality and an unshakable commitment to using music as a force for good in the world. Sir Elton has exemplified these ideals throughout his extraordinary career, not only with his incredible musical catalogue and immense talent but also championing emerging artists across genres and using his global platform to inspire transformational humanistic change. His enduring impact on music and culture makes him a truly perfect recipient of this honor.”
The announcement of The Glenn Gould Prize Laureate was made during a public event at Kings Place in London. The event featured a Q&A session with the jury and performances by South African soprano Pumeza Matshikiza and 17-year-old Canadian piano prodigy Ryan Wang.
Living candidates of any nationality are eligible for The Glenn Gould Prize, with nominations coming from the public. Disciplines include but are not limited to musical creation or performance, theater, dance, choreography, writing, design, film, television, radio and broadcasting, visual art, multimedia, writing, technology/innovation, architecture and design.
The prize will be presented to John during a special gala celebration to be held in Toronto this fall.
Here’s a complete list of recipients of the Glenn Gould Prize:
1987: R. Murray Shafer
1990: Yehudi Menuhin
1993: Oscar Peterson
1996: Tōru Takemitsu
1999: Yo-Yo Ma
2002: Pierre Boulez
2005: André Previn
2008: José Antonio Abreu
2011: Leonard Cohen
2013: Robert Lepage
2015: Philip Glass
2018: Jessye Norman
2020: Alanis Obomsawin
2022: Gustavo Dudamel
2025: Sir Elton John
03/20/2025
Here’s how Billboard ranks Gaga’s latest chart-topping LP within her stacked catalog.
03/20/2025
The Billboard Latin Women in Music special is scheduled to return for its third edition on April 24 at 9 p.m. ET via Telemundo, Billboard and Telemundo announced Thursday (March 20).
Hosted by the legendary Mexican singer and songwriter Ana Bárbara, who was among the 2024 honorees, the two-hour event will celebrate the groundbreaking women who are shaping the future of Latin music. The show will also be available to stream live on the Telemundo app and Peacock.
“We are thrilled to partner with Billboard once again to commemorate the incredible achievements of Latin women in music,” Francisco “Cisco” Suarez, Telemundo’s evp, primetime unscripted & specials, said in a press release. “At Telemundo, we are committed to empowering and uplifting voices that inspire and resonate with our audience and look forward to an unforgettable night of celebration filled with captivating performances.”
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“Billboard Latin Women in Music is a powerful platform that shines a spotlight on the extraordinary talent, resilience and impact of Latinas in the music industry,” added Leila Cobo, Billboard’s chief content officer for Latin/Español. “We are proud to continue this celebration alongside Telemundo, honoring the women who are breaking barriers, shaping culture and inspiring future generations through their artistry. This year’s show promises unforgettable performances and heartfelt moments that showcase the strength and brilliance of Latin women in music.”
This year’s honorees and performers will be announced at a later date.
Ana Bárbara, a renowned singer, songwriter, producer and actress who received the 2024 Lifetime Achievement honor for her significant contributions to music, returns this year to host the special. Throughout her career, the hitmaker behind anthems such as “Bandido” and “Loca” has been a beacon of empowerment, resilience and advocacy for female representation. She has shattered barriers and paved the way for other women in the industry, becoming an artistic inspiration and a respected figure in the Regional Mexican genre.
On the Billboard charts, she’s had hits including “Me Asusta Pero Me Gusta,” “La Trampa,” “Ya No Te Creo Nada” and “No Lloraré” reaching the top 10 of Hot Latin Songs, while albums such as Ay Amor (1996) and Yo Soy La Mujer (2014) have established her as a mainstay on Regional Mexican Albums.
Besides Ana Bárbara, last year’s honorees included Karol G as Woman of the Year, Gloria Estefan as Legend, La India as Pioneer, Ángela Aguilar with the Musical Dynasty Award, Camila Cabello with the Global Impact award, Kany García as Spirit of Change and Kali Uchis as Rising Star.
Lady Gaga has built one of the most impressive histories on Billboard’s charts, achieving seven No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and six No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, among other honors.
Her fiancé, Michael Polansky, has largely stayed out of the spotlight. The Harvard-educated businessman is the founder or co-founder of several tech companies, including Avos Capital Management, Hawktail and Outer Biosciences. He’s also a board member for the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and Gaga’s makeup company, Haus Labs.
As of Billboard’s latest charts (dated March 22), he can now add another item to his résumé: Billboard-charting songwriter.
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Polansky is credited as a co-writer on seven songs on Gaga’s new album, MAYHEM, which debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Of those seven cuts, four are on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Pop Songs chart. Here’s a recap:
Rank, Title (co-writers in addition to Polansky):
No. 4, “Vanish Into You” (Lady Gaga, Andrew Watt, Cirkut)
No. 5, “Disease” (Lady Gaga, Andrew Watt, Cirkut)
No. 9, “LoveDrug” (Lady Gaga, Andrew Watt, Cirkut)
No. 13, “Don’t Call Tonight” (Lady Gaga, Andrew Watt, Cirkut)
Thanks to those four charting hits, Polanksy debuts at No. 6 on the Dance/Pop Songwriters survey, marking his first appearance on a Billboard chart.
Gaga places at No. 3 on Dance/Pop Songwriters, while Cirkut and Watt tie at No. 1.
Polansky is also credited as a co-writer on MAYHEM tracks “How Bad Do U Want Me,” “The Beast” and “Blade of Grass.” Of those, “How Bad Do U Want Me” debuts at No. 69 on the Hot 100, “Disease” peaked at No. 27 on the Hot 100 in November, while “Vanish Into You” and “LoveDrug” debut on the latest list at Nos. 61 and 95, respectively.
Gaga has been vocal in recent interviews about Polansky’s role in creating MAYHEM, saying he encouraged her to return to her dance-pop roots. “Michael is the person who told me to make a new pop record. He was like, ‘Babe. I love you. You need to make pop music’,” she shared in a September interview with Vogue.
Polansky added, “Like anyone would do for the person they love, I encouraged her to lean in to the joy of it. On the Chromatica tour, I saw a fire in her; I wanted to help her keep that alive all the time and just start making music that made her happy.”
Gaga and Polansky met in 2019 and got engaged in 2024. In a March 7 interview with ABC’s Good Morning America, she said the pair include each other in their work. “He includes me in his business, as well. He’s really creative, he plays guitar — he’s like a beautiful musician. We have a really creative relationship.”
The style of dancehall currently dominating the streets of England is quite different from the dancehall that ruled the Billboard Hot 100 in the early 2000s. Trap dancehall — the aptly named subgenre of trap-infused dancehall — has been king for the last couple of years, and Manchester-bred Jamaican dancehall artist 1Ski OG is looking to leverage his new stage name into a grand return to the royal court.
“When I came up with the name 1Ski Mask, it wasn’t planned,” he exclusively tells Billboard over Zoom while visiting family back home in Manchester, Jamaica. “I was just having fun and called myself that, it went viral and the name stuck with me at that time. Some artists already had the name overseas, so I was informed that for new releases I could no longer release under that name. I never wanted to stray from the name or change it completely, so I just removed the mask part. The ‘OG’ is a shortening for ‘original,’ I wanted people to know it’s still the same original 1Ski Mask.”
A former social media comedian, 1Ski OG rose to prominence as 1Ski Mask with “Dawkniss,” a Falconn-assisted single that arrived in spring 2023. To date, the song has amassed more than 1.5 million streams on Spotify alone, helping him score a deal with Against Da Grain/Epic Records by October 2024. In the years that followed, 1Ski’s musical output slowed down, due in large part to him taking some time to recalibrate following his signing and name change. Now, he’s readying a new project due later this year and launching his 1Ski OG era with a pair of new songs that he calls “more universal”: “Feel Like” and “Double Life.”
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For both songs, 1Ski took inspiration from his personal life. His “gyal at di time” served as the muse for “Feel Life,” which was recorded a year ago, and “Doube Life” is the product of his desire to “speak to the experience of living a double life with [yourself] and your partner” and his general observations of toxicity in daily interactions. The new songs build on the trap dancehall foundation he established upon his debut, but the melodic flourishes of their respective soundscapes signal a push into a more expansive sound.
“I’m not the kind of person who sticks to one sound because I’m thinking about longevity,” he says while musing over trap dancehall’s current dominance. “You have to create music that can last and trap dancehall is not so lasting. I don’t think it’s fully crossed over yet outside of New York, Florida, and Connecticut – places with a lot of Jamaicans. But what if you want to reach Africa or England or Canada? You have to always be open to change. The more potent and structured songs that we can all relate to are the ones that last. I still have trap and hardcore dancehall, but you have to have a mixture.”
With a new name, new music, and a clear, intentional focus behind the next stage of his career, 1Ski OG is ready not just to reintroduce himself, but also establish himself as one of the leading Caribbean artists of his class.
“We have to evolve and put the face behind the brand,” he stresses. “[The new name] gives you different options in terms of styling because nothing is tied to the mask anymore. The power is not in the mask, the power is in me.”
Watch the official “Feel Like” music video below.
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It’s a few days late to tie in with St. Patrick’s Day, but U2 are the first Irish songwriters to be named Ivors Academy Fellows. They are the second group to receive the honor, following Bee Gees.
Ivors Academy Fellows is the highest honor that the organization, best known for their annual Ivor Novello Awards, bestows. The award will be presented at this year’s The Ivors with Amazon Music event at Grosvenor House in London on Thursday May 22. This year’s Ivor Novello Award nominees will be announced on Wednesday April 23.
With U2’s inclusion, the total number of Fellows rises to 32. This counts U2 (Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.) as four individuals and Bees Gees (Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb) as three. Most of the honorees (see full list at the end of this story) have hailed from Britain, though the roster also includes American composer/conductor John Adams, American rock singer/songwriter Bruce Springsteen and French composer/conductor Pierre Boulez.
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Formed in Dublin in 1978, U2 is one of the greatest songwriting partnerships and most influential bands of all time. The band has amassed eight No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and two No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. U2 is the only band to have a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 in four consecutive decades (the 1980s through the 2010s).
U2 has won 22 Grammy Awards, far more than any other group in history. This tally includes four wins in songwriting categories: two for song of the year (for “Beautiful Day” and “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own”) and two for best rock song (for “Vertigo” and “City of Blinding Lights”).
In addition, the band members have received two Oscar nominations for best original song, for “The Hands That Built America” (from Gangs of New York) and “Ordinary Love” (from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom).
U2 has won four Ivor Novello Awards – the Special Award for International Achievement in 1994, Best Song Musically and Lyrically for “Walk On” in 2002, Outstanding Song Collection in 2003 and International Hit of the Year for “Vertigo” in 2005.
Other prized songs by U2 include “I Will Follow,” “Pride (In the Name of Love),” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” “With or Without You” and “One.”
“To be recognised in this way by The Ivors Academy feels very special indeed,” U2’s Adam Clayton said in a statement. “The appreciation of one’s peers is a humbling honour and we are immensely grateful. We’ve been playing our songs in this country for over 45 years, thank you to all those who have not just supported us, but carried us… producers, engineers, crew, fans, management, label.”
Bandmate Larry Mullen Jr. added: “Making music collectively, as we’ve done for close to 50 years, has been an incredible experience and privilege for the four of us and I believe it’s a testament to a band that values individual creativity and independence of mind. We are grateful to each other and very grateful to The Ivors Academy for recognising us with this award.”
Tom Gray, chair of The Ivors Academy said in a statement: “With fearless poetic lyricism always centre-stage in panoramic musical vistas, the sound of U2 has redefined the fabric of popular music. Their songs are sweeping catalysts: hymnals and rallying cries. U2’s induction into Fellowship honours their seminal contributions to music through exceptional songwriting craft.”
Roberto Neri, CEO of The Ivors Academy, added: “We are proud to welcome U2 to Fellowship of The Ivors Academy as era-defining songwriters whose legacy continues to propel musical innovation and inspire social progress. As U2’s politically charged anthems have sparked global change, The Ivors Academy is committed to championing creative integrity with the same unwavering passion. At a time when AI threatens to undermine human creativity, U2’s Fellowship stands as a testament to the irreplaceable role of songwriters and composers in shaping culture and inspiring change.”
U2’s many other awards include the Kennedy Center Honors in 2022 and Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience award.
Here’s a full, updated list of Fellows of the Ivors Academy. Notes: Multiple honorees in a single year are listed alphabetically. Paul McCartney’s team prefers not to list him with his Sir honorific.
2000: Paul McCartney
2001: Sir Malcolm Arnold CBE, John Barry OBE
2004: John Adams, Sir Elton John
2005: David Arnold, Pierre Boulez CBE, Sir John Dankworth CBE, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies CH CBE
2006: Sir Barry Gibb CBE, Maurice Gibb CBE, Robin Gibb CBE
2007: George Fenton
2009: Don Black OBE, David Ferguson
2010: Sir Tim Rice
2012: Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber
2015: Annie Lennox OBE
2020: Joan Armatrading CBE, Julian Joseph OBE
2021: Kate Bush CBE
2022: Peter Gabriel, Judith Weir CBE
2023: John Rutter CBE, Sting
2024: Sir James Macmillan, Bruce Springsteen, Errollyn Wallen
2025: Bono (Paul Hewson), Adam Clayton, The Edge (Dave Evans), Larry Mullen Jr.
Ariana Grande‘s deluxe Eternal Sunshine album may promise that brighter days are ahead, but a new teaser for the superstar’s accompanying short film is, on the contrary, distinctly dark and moody. In a black-and-white Casablanca-esque clip posted Thursday (March 20), a fuzzy string lullaby plays over the sound of seconds ticking by on a stopwatch, […]
Approximately 100 years after the Grand Ole Opry launched when radio announcer George D. Hay invited fiddler Uncle Jimmy Thompson to play some of his fiddle tunes on the air on WSM-AM (the program was initially called the WSM Barn Dance and renamed the Grand Ole Opry in 1927), many of country music’s biggest stars came together to celebrate the Opry’s centennial anniversary Wednesday night (March 19) at the Grand Ole Opry House.
The three-hour show Opry 100: A Live Celebration aired on NBC and simulcast on Peacock, and feted the Grand Ole Opry’s 100-year evolution and unyielding devotion to promoting country music and its biggest talents.
A who’s who of country music musicians took part, including nearly 50 official Opry members. Among the artists taking part were Trace Adkins, Bill Anderson, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Clint Black, Garth Brooks, Stephen Curtis Chapman, Luke Combs, Crystal Gayle, Alan Jackson, Jamey Johnson, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Barbara Mandrell, Ashley McBryde, Reba McEntire, Carly Pearce, Brad Paisley, Post Malone, Blake Shelton, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Randy Travis, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, The War and Treaty, Lainey Wilson, and Trisha Yearwood.
Along the way, music both past and present was highlighted, from Luke Combs performing the George Jones classic “The Grand Tour” to Reba McEntire highlighting the music of Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, while Post Malone and Ashley McBryde paid homage to Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash with a rendition of “Jackson.” Lainey Wilson and Marty Stuart honored Hank Williams, Sr. with a rendition of “Lost Highway,” before Wilson performed her own breakthrough hit “Things a Man Oughta Know.”
The majority of the event aired live at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House, while some performances were held at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, the Opry’s home from 1943 to 1974 (the Ryman still often hosts Opry shows during the winter and on other occasions).
The evening ended with a video of Dolly Parton sending her best wishes to the Opry. Then, an all-sing concluded the event, with a multitude of artists showing their devotion to Parton — and the genre overall — as McEntire led the star-studded choir in performing “I Will Always Love You.”
The telecast was executive produced by Silent House Productions’ Emmy Award winners Baz Halpin, Mark Bracco and Linda Gierahn, along with R.A. Clark and Steve Buchanan. See Billboard‘s ranking of 10 of the best moments from the event below.
Bentley, Johnson and Secor Bring Fierce Tribute to Charlie Daniels Band
Sitting in a sun-drenched room at Los Angeles’ Beverly Hilton, Gracie Abrams is shaking her head “no.” She’s reflecting on a breakout 2024 — during which she scored her highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 hit to date and received her second Grammy Award nomination, for “Us,” a collaboration with none other than Taylor Swift. But Abrams still struggles to see herself as the superstar she’s become.
“It’s such a dream and a pretty wild ride to look back on the year and be able to reflect on all of these moments that I never could have imagined ever happening,” the 25-year-old says in quiet awe. When it comes to the matter of her smash hit “That’s So True,” it is true — she never saw it coming. After humming the song’s in-the-works hook and melody for months, she and her songwriting partner and roommate Audrey Hobert finished it in about 15 minutes one day after “laughing our asses off on the roof” of New York’s Electric Lady Studios.
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The catchy, stream-of-consciousness song was one of four additions to the deluxe version of Abrams’ second album, The Secret of Us (which arrived in October), but quickly surpassed the album’s previous hits, including “I Love You, I’m Sorry” and “Close to You” (which peaked at Nos. 19 and 49, respectively, while “True” reached No. 6). Such wins have helped Abrams, who co-wrote and co-produced every track on The Secret of Us and its deluxe edition, earn the Billboard‘s 2025 Women in Music Songwriter of the Year honor — but, with characteristic humility, she won’t say she’s mastered the craft just yet.
“F–k no! Sorry,” she says with a laugh. “I feel very far away from having mastered anything in my life. But I will continue to attempt to get closer to that point.”
Sami Drasin
Since you released your debut album in 2023, how have you grown as a songwriter?
What I can point to specifically that has broadened my horizons is the partnership I’ve had with Audrey. She’s my oldest friend and we very much grew up together, and then to fold in this collaborative [relationship] was not something either of us ever would have anticipated. But as a songwriter, to find someone who you feel so open with, who you trust so much, who knows everything about you, who knows what your conversational language sounds like, who knows if you’re lying about a feeling… it infused so much life into our album that we made together.
What’s an example of a time she called “bulls–t” on you?
Less like “bulls–t” and more [like] in the morning if I would come downstairs and she’s like, “How are you doing?” I’m like, “I’m fine.” And she’s like, “You f–king liar.” Or like, “I’m really over that person,” [and she’s like,] “No, you’re not, you liar.” We checked each other as much in our songwriting process as we did in our day-to-day friendship.
Sami Drasin
Sami Drasin
As we speak, you’re about to head out on your European/U.K. tour [which Abrams wrapped March 12]. How did you spend your time before returning to the road?
I have just come back from being at Aaron [Dessner’s studio, Long Pond, in New York] so I feel like… I’m in the middle of something. I don’t know what it is yet… We’ve been collecting a whole lot of music over the past few months, and he and I are both very curious about all of it because I think [the songs] belong in different worlds a little bit, which excites me. I think that means there are many possibilities for what either the singular project looks like or multiple [projects].
You said you haven’t mastered songwriting yet. Do you feel close?
No. Oh, my God, no. I want to broaden my vocabulary times a thousand. I want to spend the majority of my year reading so that I can do that. I feel nowhere near that level. I have a million people I want to continue to learn from. Taylor is a great example of someone I’ve been lucky enough to spend a lot of time around and every single time I’m like, “Tell me everything you know, please. Teach me how to be.” I want to live fully and do my best to capture what that feels like.
Gracie Abrams photographed February 1, 2025 at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
Sami Drasin
This story appears in the March 22, 2025, issue of Billboard.
