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We’re in the full swing of autumn, which means it’s “sliding down the wall” season — and that calls for a new Summer Walker album. On Friday (Oct. 11), the Billboard chart-topping crooner announced her third studio LP, Finally Over It, alongside the pre-save for its lead single, “Heart of a Woman.” The new set will follow 2019’s Over It and 2021’s Still Over It, which debuted at No. 2 and No. 1 on the Billboard 200, respectively.
GloRilla, another beloved Southern female artist, dominated music news this week with the release of Glorious, her highly anticipated debut studio album featuring collaborations with Megan Thee Stallion, Kirk Franklin, Latto, Sexyy Red, Muni Long, and more. Fellow MC J. Cole also grabbed some of the spotlight; last Wednesday (Oct. 9), he released a new track titled “Port Antonio,” in which he detailed his thought process behind stepping out of the year-defining Kendrick Lamar–Drake feud.
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In other news, Ye (formerly Kanye West) is being sued by former assistant Lauren Pisciotta, who alleges the rapper drugged and sexually assaulted her during a studio session he co-hosted with embattled mogul Diddy.
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Cordae’s blazing new track to Elijah Blake and Sevyn Streeter’s smoldering duet. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: Elijah Blake & Sevyn Streeter, “Stuck in My Ways”
Earlier this year (Aug. 2), R&B singer-songwriter Elijah Blake dropped one of the year’s most stellar albums. Now, he’s back for a victory lap with the deluxe edition of his self-titled set. Assisted by a passionate co-lead vocal courtesy of fellow R&B heavyweight Sevyn Streeter, Blake delivers “Stuck in My Ways,” a heartwrenching duet that equally explores the throes of love and pain like only R&B can. “I miss my friend/ Stay the night/ And love me out/ Of these chains/ Got me stuck in my ways,” they croon in the final chorus, Blake’s forlorn falsetto and Streeter’s skittering rap-inflected cadence beautifully coalescing across a sweeping, string-laden soundscape cultivated by Eric Hudson.
S!MONE, “Short Notice”
Led by Grammy winner Coco Jones, the cast of Peacock’s Bel-Air has ample music crossover — and S!MONE (aka Simone Joy Jones, the actress who portrays Lisa Wilkes) is looking to continue that streak. Over neo-soul-evoking bass and swinging percussion, S!MONE sweetly sings of the cat-and-mouse game of the early stages of infatuation. “I left my T-shirt in your car/ Something in the shower/ Thought I left my heart, be there in an hour,” she croons, camping out in her sensual falsetto and occasionally decorating the lead vocal line with tasteful riffs and melisma.
Dave East feat. Jozzy, “Ain’t Get Caught”
New York rapper Dave East has been dropping heat for nearly a decade and a half, and his new Jozzy-assisted “Ain’t Get Caught” is the latest addition to his collection. Nearly four minutes of nuanced self-reflection on his younger, rowdier days, “Ain’t Get Caught” finds East effortlessly flying through a combination of flows that highlight the different pockets of the breezy, bass guitar-inflected Scott Storch production. “I was hiding evidence while they was looking for proof/ Marble floors, elegant, such a heavenly view/ I wake up and hear the birds singing/ Such a beautiful song/ Was guilty to proven innocent but knew I was wrong,” he spits, before Jozzy croons, “Feels so good that we didn’t give up/ Feels so good that we didn’t get caught,” offering a bird’s eye view to complement East’s cerebral verses.
Big Boogie feat. 42 Dugg & YTB Fatt, “Pool Party”
Everyone should want an invite to Big Boogie’s “Pool Party.” The CMG rhymer lifts the spirits of any room he steps in with his jovial personality and cheeky bars. After emerging from underwater, Boog’s raspy flow paints a picture of his ratchet pool party filled with booze, women and money raining from the sky. He then tags in his teammates 42 Dugg and YTB Fatt to complete the 100-meter rap freestyle relay race. Building on the momentum of his Gangsta Grillz Redrum Wizard mixtape from earlier this year, Boogie will deliver a second 2024 serving with his ETHER project on Oct. 18.
Cordae, “Mad as F*ck”
The Crossroads era is here and Cordae unleashed another single with “Mad as F*ck” finding the DMV spitter taking his frustrations out over starry Smoko Ono production. He raps “Took your dream girl on a f–king date/ I still show up late like Lauryn Hill/ Then I hit her good in my penthouse/ Told her, Get out, like Jordan Peele” like the rent is due. It’s a three-minute lyrical masterclass, with Cordae making his bar exam look easier than a Steph Curry jumper. The 27-year-old hopes to leave his mark on the year’s fourth quarter, with his third studio album arriving on Nov. 15.
Wynne & Conductor Williams, “Bad Girl”
Wynne is letting her guard down and getting even more personal heading into her next body of work. The Portland native delivers a raunchy ride-or-die anthem with “Bad Girl.” Wynne really has an affinity for nailing relationship issues and relatable romance situations that millennials and Gen-Z are struggling to navigate. There are times it feels like looking in a mirror with just how accurate she is. The potent MC doesn’t flinch when coloring in the lines of Conductor’s dusty boom-bap drums as his hard-hitting beats continue to stand out among the pack.
Big Moochie Grape, “Trollin”
It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. Big Moochie Grape goes after his opposition, who turn to trolling and other online antics, which he’s not part of at all compared to some other 20-something artists roaming the music industry. “I don’t give a f–k how I say it, just know everything facts,” the PRE rapper declares in his husky voice. With his legal issues behind him, Big Moochie’s larger-than-life personality will shine through on his Eat or Get Ate 2 sequel project, which arrives on Halloween.
Wolfacejoeyy feat. BEAM, “Nympho”
A viral snippet fans have been bumping for a couple of months finally received a proper release on DSPs. After Missy Elliott didn’t give Wolfacejoeyy sample clearance, he went back to the drawing board on the woozy production for the BEAM-assisted “Nympho.” The sultry yet intoxicating track feels like something out of the PartyNextDoor or Bryson Tiller playbook with Joeyy’s melodic sauce bringing the steamy composition to another level. “You my main, you never the side-piece/ I’ll make it real for you like Spike Lee,” Joeyy coos. Even after Valentino’s impressive arrival earlier this year, the Staten Island rapper isn’t letting up to close out 2024.
Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” orders a 14th round at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song, which became the singer-songwriter’s first leader in July, extends 2024’s longest reign and moves to within two weeks of tying the longest command this decade; Morgan Wallen’s fellow country/pop crossover smash “Last Night” led for 16 weeks in 2023.
Plus, as “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” became Shaboozey’s first Hot 100 chart entry with no other billed acts, it ties for the second-longest No. 1 stay among all such breakthrough hits, with only Lil Nas X’s debut, “Old Town Road” (featuring Billy Ray Cyrus), having led longer, for an overall-record 19 weeks in 2019.
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” additionally furthers the longest No. 1 run of 2024 on the multimetric Hot Country Songs chart, adding an 18th week in the top spot.
A fan of multiple musical styles upon discovering music, Shaboozey “found country to be the thing that resonated with me in a really strong way,” he shared for his Billboard cover story. “Me being from Virginia, me loving the style and the way of life and the things they talked about … it all seemed very peaceful. It seemed like I could be real. I found country music could teach people that the little things in life are where the value is. Just having a working truck that you can take your girl in to ride to a cliff and watch the sunset is enough.”
“I love hip-hop; I’m a part of their community, too,” Shaboozey added, with “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” having reworked J-Kwon’s 2004 hit “Tipsy.” “That’s what I want to do with my music: be disruptive and show people that music is progressing.”
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated Oct. 19, 2024) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, Oct. 15). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
‘Tipsy’ Airplay, Streams & Sales
If it’s anything but a spotlight, Mariah Carey wants nothing to do with your overhead bulbs. In a clip from the superstar’s upcoming guest appearance on Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers’ Las Culturistas podcast posted Sunday (Oct. 13), Mimi went on a hilarious tirade against a certain interior design choice. “I can’t with the overhead […]
The future of radio may be difficult to predict, but one thing is clear: Radio is in a good position and adaptable — it’s what makes it ubiquitous, says Raúl Alarcón, chairman and CEO, Spanish Broadcasting System. During a Q&A titled The Future of Radio and moderated by Billboard‘s Leila Cobo that helped kick off day one of the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week on Oct. 14, Alarcón was candid about the status of radio in the United States and the impact it has on an artist’s career today.
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“It’s been around 100 years, and that’s not a coincidence,” the executive says categorically. “It will always be with us, it’s ubiquitous, it’s free, you don’t need an external way to receive it. Radio is in a good position.”
SBS, a family-owned company around for more than 40 years and has endured the force of the streaming era, is home to radio stations such as Mega 97.9 (New York), 97.9 La Raza (Los Angeles) and La Ley 107.9 (Chicago), to name a few. “We always have to keep adapting, fixing, refining, but radio allows us to do that more than any other medium. Radio is also super local and that’s important.”
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Below, find some of the best quotes from The Future of Radio Q&A with Raúl Alarcón.
Is there a threat to radio?
“There was, there is and there will be, so one must always be evolving. We were the first to put comedy in the morning. I remember when the morning show started, that was innovation. We took a risk, but that’s what it’s about — always evolving and, after a while, adapt again.”
Catching trends
“We can perceive trends because radio stations are hyperlocal. Like corridos tumbados or bélicos, we were able to catch that trend as it was happening, we saw indications of the trend and we were able to adapt quickly because radio is local. People will tell us right away if they like it or not — it’s one of our strengths. We adapt to what our listeners want.”
Artists still want a No. 1 on radio
“Artists have told us, ‘You makes the hits, you sell tickets, run promotions.’ People are now realizing that radio was a discarded … this medium, like it’s been discarded before when TV came, now I have noticed that there’s a resurgence. Radio is important, radio is everything, it’s the connection with the local public, it adapts to trends, it’s entertainment. It’s not just a repeater, few people can create, and creativity is adaptation.”
Does radio inform streaming or vice versa?
“The two are not mutually exclusive — what we’re implementing is just another adaptation. They are both different, but can be conjugated together. But while digital expands, it doesn’t give you that immediate local fanbase.”
A new network
“We’re launching a network over the air and digital, for that new fusion of regional Mexican with urban, because we’ve seen that the music is appealing. And La Privada is not just a station, it’s a whole network. We’re still in preparations, but in the next 90 days, we’ll launch in Chicago, New York and other major cities.”
The 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week coincides with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards set to air at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 20, on Telemundo. It will simultaneously be available on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.
Corina Smith, Bastian, Valentina and David Wild came together at Billboard Latin Music Week 2024 for “The Role of Music Publishers in Cross-Cultural Collaborations” panel presented by Rimas Publishing on Monday (Oct. 14).
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Moderated by Billboard’s Pamela Bustios, the conversation with the A&R, artists and producers focused on how publishers help bridge the cultures and facilitate cross-border hits. Below, read some of the memorable quotes from the panel.
Corina Smith: “There is a great art to performing songs that are not your own, but there is also the side of singing what you wrote. There is an exciting feeling of creating a song from scratch. When you sing it live and the audience sings it with you, it is the most beautiful thing about being an artist.”
David Wild: “It’s not a work where we’re thinking about whether a song is going to be a hit. Whether it’s a hit or not is decided by the audience. As a team, we deliver that production to the public. Sometimes the song you don’t expect is a hit or vice versa. You put a lot of faith in a project and maybe it doesn’t connect with fans. We have to trust in what we do in the studio. We don’t limit art to a hit.”
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Valentina: “I got my first hit in Mexico. I already had a community there. In 2022, I traveled there and started knocking on doors on radio and television. One super random day, my manager told me that a friend of a friend of a friend could help us promote my song on a digital billboard that lasts 24 hours. And in those 24 hours, someone who worked at Universal Music Mexico saw it, wrote to me, connected with my team, and today, I am signed with Universal Music Mexico.”
Bastian: “The best producer has to have a lot of discipline. It’s about taking advantage of the tools you have in your favor to become a good business. The world is changing very quickly and we can’t be left behind. I think it’s important to find a way to combine AI with your work because if not, you’ll be left behind.”
Over the past 35 years, Latin Music Week has become the one, steady foundation of Latin music in this country, becoming the single most important — and biggest — gathering of Latin artists and industry executives in the world. Initially named Latin Music Seminar, sponsored by Billboard, the event traces back to 1990, where it kicked off as a one-day event in Miami featuring a two-artist showcase and awards show.
Throughout the years, it has taken place in Miami, Las Vegas and Puerto Rico, returning to Miami Beach for a fourth consecutive year in 2024, and has welcomed some of the biggest Latin acts including Celia Cruz, Selena, Ricky Martin, Chayanne, Jenni Rivera, Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Bad Bunny, and Romeo Santos. Latin Music Week coincides with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards set to air at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 20, on Telemundo. It will simultaneously be available on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.
From Beyoncé‘s “Texas Hold ‘Em” to Sabrina Carpenter‘s “Espresso,” several 2024 Billboard Hot 100 hits are strong contenders for top honors at the 2025 Grammys — but there are also a handful of older songs that could pop up when nominations are announced on Nov. 8.
According to the rules and guidelines handbook for the 67th annual Grammy Awards, recordings must be commercially released, nationally distributed, and available from any date within the eligibility period (Sept. 16, 2023, to Aug. 30, 2024) through at least Jan. 3, 2025 – the date of this Grammy year’s final-ballot voting deadline. Furthermore, unless otherwise instructed upon submission, the academy will use the original album version of a song for screening and verification purposes. This means that a hit like Tate McRae‘s “Greedy” — which was released on Sept. 15, 2023 — is ineligible for the 2025 Grammys in its original form, but can still be considered for a nomination in a different iteration, such as an acoustic or live version.
It’s not uncommon for an alternate version of a song to earn a Grammy nod — especially if the track in question gained prominence after the eligibility period for its original version closed. Live albums and single recordings have been nominated (and won) in the past, especially in the decades before the Academy enacted major overhauls of the ceremony’s categories.
In 2011, the last year the Grammy for best female pop vocal performance was presented, a live version of Beyoncé’s “Halo” earned a nod. The year prior, the original studio version of the song won in that category, becoming Beyoncé’s first and only victory in the pop field. The following year, Adele swept the ceremony with her 21 album — including a best pop solo performance win for “Someone Like You” — making the album and the original version of its tracks ineligible for future ceremonies. In 2013, she triumphed with a second consecutive win in the category thanks to a live version of “Set Fire to the Rain” recorded at the Royal Albert Hall. The British powerhouse would go on to win this particular award twice more — “Hello” (2017) and “Easy On Me” (2023) — making her the all-time biggest winner in this category.
In 2015, a whopping three of the five nominated tracks in best pop solo performance were alternate versions: Pharrell Williams‘ “Happy (Live),” John Legend‘s “All of Me (Live),” and Sam Smith‘s “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version).” The Williams and Legend tracks were both released during the eligibility period for the 2014 Grammys but reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 during the eligibility period for the following year’s ceremony. The original version of Smith’s smash was eligible, but his label (Capitol Records) opted to submit the Darkchild version instead. Ultimately, Williams beat out the competition and took home his first and only solo win in the pop field.
In 2019, a solo live version of Camila Cabello‘s “Havana,” which originally featured a rap verse from Young Thug, reaped a bid in this category, but it lost to Lady Gaga‘s “Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Going?)” — a piano version of the title track from her Joanne LP, which earned a pair of nods the year prior.
Before best pop duo/group performance was introduced in 2012, live versions helped two bands win best pop performance by a duo or group with vocals. Maroon 5 won with “This Love (Live)” in 2006, and Train won with “Hey, Soul Sister (Live)” in 2011.
Outside of the pop categories, live versions often do well in the rock field. Since it was established in 1990, four of the winners for best metal performance have been live renditions, with the most recent being Judas Priest‘s 2010 victory for “Dissident Aggressor (Live).” Back in 2001, before the best female rock vocal performance category was discontinued, Sheryl Crow won with a live version of “There Goes the Neighborhood,” the original version of which lost in the same category at the 1999 ceremony.
The R&B categories are a bit frostier toward alternate versions. Just one live rendition has ever won in any R&B performance category; Stevie Wonder and Take 6‘s “Love’s in Need of Love Today (Live)” — a cover of the opening track from 1976’s Songs in the Key of Life — took home best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals in 2003. Beyoncé earned a nod for best female R&B vocal performance in 2009 for her live rendition of her 2003 hit “Me, Myself and I.” (She lost to Alicia Keys‘ “Superwoman.”)
In 2023, Latto‘s “Big Energy (Live)” became the first live rendition to earn a nomination for best melodic rap performance, ultimately losing to Future, Drake and Tems‘ “Wait for U.”
Live and alternate versions face the toughest battle in the general field categories of record and song of the year. Sam Smith’s aforementioned “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)” won both record and song of the year, but no live version has ever been nominated (or won) in either category.
Here’s a round-up of 2024 Hot 100 hits that were submitted under alternate versions to skirt eligibility rules for the 2025 Grammys.
Tate McRae, “Greedy”
K-pop boy band ENHYPEN will look to keep their chart winning streak going next month when they drop their second studio repackage album, ROMANCE : UNTOLD -daydream-. The collection due out on Nov. 11 from singers Jake, Jay, Heeseung, Jungown, Sunghoon, Sunoo and Ni-ki is the follow-up to July’s ROMANCE: UNTOLD, the group’s second full-length […]
Chris Brown’s headed to South African for a pair of concerts in December, but a women’s rights advocacy group has launched a petition seeking to ban him from taking the stage due to his history of alleged abuse.
Women for Change started a petition Oct. 2 on Change.org that boasts more than 28,000 signatures as of press time, hoping to stop Brown — who pleaded guilty in 2009 to assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna, and was sentenced to probation and community labor — from performing in South Africa, which the BBC reports has a long history of abuse and one of the “highest rates of femicide and gender-based violence in the world.” According to the petition, the group wants the promoters, the South African government and organizers to “reconsider” allowing the artist to perform at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium in mid December.
“His concert is scheduled just days after the global commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, making this event a direct insult to the millions of women and girls affected by violence in South Africa and worldwide,” reads the petition.
“When I saw the news that Chris Brown was coming to South Africa, I was shocked and deeply disappointed,” Women for Change executive director Sabina Walter told the BBC. “The petition was started to send a strong message that we will not tolerate the celebration of individuals with a history of violence against women.”
She continued: “When someone like Chris Brown is given a platform in a country where GBV is at crisis levels, it sends a damaging message — that fame and power outweigh accountability.”
Billboard has reached out to Brown for comment.
The fan demand for Brown’s initial concert at FNB Stadium was so overwhelming — tickets sold out in under two hours — that a second show was added at the 94,000-capacity stadium.
Brown has faced issues for performing in the past due to his legal history in countries such as New Zealand, Canada, Australia and more. The pair of South Africa shows are currently set for Dec. 14 and Dec. 15.
A documentary surrounding Chris Brown’s alleged history of abuse is coming to the Investigation Discovery network later this month. Chris Brown: A History of Violence will land on ID on Oct. 27 as part of the network’s “No Excuse for Abuse” campaign, which will further explore his legal issues. The doc features an unidentified victim who is coming forward to tell her story of alleged abuse from Brown for the first time.
Megan Thee Stallion’s Hotties will have another reason to celebrate Hottieween this spooky season. Amazon MGM Studios announced on Monday (Oct. 14) that the feature length documentary Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words documentary will be released on Amazon’s Prime Video on Oct. 31. In Her Words will offer fans “unprecedented” behind-the-scenes access into the […]
Billboard Latin Music Week kicked off Monday (Oct. 14) at the Fillmore Miami Beach with back-to-back business panels, one of which was “The Power of Viña” presented by Viña del Mar.
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Moderated by Alfredo Alonso, director of entertainment, Bizzarro Live/producer of the Viña Del Mar Festival, the 15-minute panel revealed how the Chilean event became a must-stop for all major Latin acts, and how you can score an invitation to perform.
Below, learn more about the festival that is celebrating more than 64 years and has served as an important platform in the earlier years of some of the biggest Latin and international acts, such as Julio Iglesias, Luis Miguel, Shakira and The Police, to name a few.
What Is Viña del Mar?
“In the ’60s, it started as a competition to pick the most important song at the time. As the years went by, it became a big platform for artist exposure, and the competition became more and more relevant,” Alonso said. The format is a six-day live event that lasts five hours each night and includes music, competition and humor. “The stress and excitement that comes with this festival is huge,” he noted.
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How to Be a Part of the Festival
It’s important that you achieve a connection with an audience by having them know your name, know your music, and know your image. Any artist or composer can be part of the festival if they have an unreleased song, and they can submit their song in the folk section and represent their country. For example, Shakira participated in 1994 and represented Colombia. You can also be invited as an emerging artist (either as an opening or closing act), or you can form part of the jury.
The Monster
“El Monstruo” is the name given to the passionate Viña del Mar audience — one of the most demanding and ruthless audiences in entertainment that’s critical and not easily impressed. From comedians to artists, everyone faces the challenge of conquering the monster and few have been able to leave their mark on Vina.
Over the past 35 years, Latin Music Week has become the foundation of Latin music in this country, becoming the single most important — and biggest — gathering of Latin artists and industry executives in the world. Initially named Latin Music Seminar, sponsored by Billboard, the event traces back to 1990, where it kicked off as a one-day event in Miami featuring a two-artist showcase and awards show.
Throughout the years, it has taken place in Miami, Las Vegas and Puerto Rico, returning to Miami Beach for a fourth consecutive year in 2024, and has welcomed some of the biggest Latin acts including Celia Cruz, Selena, Ricky Martin, Chayanne, Jenni Rivera, Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Bad Bunny, and Romeo Santos. Latin Music Week coincides with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards set to air at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 20, on Telemundo. It will simultaneously be available on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.