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Flavor Flav is celebrating an important milestone while helping others. The Public Enemy musician took to social media on Oct. 10, which is also World Mental Health Day, to announce that next week marks “4 years sober from alcohol.” To help others struggling with mental health, Flav noted that he reached out to AI therapy […]
Feid is set to light up Miami as Billboard Latin Music Week marks its 35th year in the heart of Miami Beach. But who is Feid, and how did this Colombian sensation ascend to the echelons of global stardom?
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The Colombian singer-songwriter began his music journey in Medellín, learning the clarinet before focusing on singing. He joined a children’s choir and performed in talent shows. In his 20s, he became a sought-after songwriter for major Latin artists — he co-wrote J Balvin’s first global hit, “Ginza” (2015) — and signed with Universal Music Latin Entertainment. Feid released his debut album, Así Como Suena, in 2017, and by his third album, Ferxxo, Vol. 1: M.O.R. (2020), he had reached No. 1 on Latin Airplay.
His success continued with albums such as Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo Te Pirateamos el Álbum (2022), and Mor, No le Temas a la Oscuridad (2023), which peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard 200. To date, he holds eight No. 1 hits on Latin Airplay and 10 Latin Rhythm Airplay charts.
Ferxxo’s journey is highlighted as he prepares to appear at Billboard Latin Music Week in Miami on Monday, Oct. 14, on a panel called From Clubs to Stadiums featuring Feid, presented by Live Nation. Get your tickets here.
Watch the video about Feid’s success above, then catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about Peso Pluma and the Mexican music boom, the role record labels play, origins of hip-hop, how Beyoncé arrived at Renaissance, BBMAs, NFTs, SXSW, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards and more.
Cuban artist José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar, best known as El Taiger, has died. He was 37 years old. The urbano singer passed away on Thursday (Oct. 10) a week after being shot in the head, his family confirmed in an official statement posted on El Taiger’s Instagram Stories.
“On the morning of Friday, October 4, 2024, Jose Manuel Carvajal, known as ‘El Taiger,’ was the victim of a senseless violent crime. He was found near Jackson Memorial Hospital and immediately transported to the Emergency Intensive Care Unit,” the statement reads. “From the moment of his arrival, a team of physicians at Jackson Memorial worked tirelessly to provide him with the care he needed. We are extremely grateful. During this incredibly difficult time, family, friends and supporters joined together in prayer, hope and support, seeking a miracle. To all who offered their prayers, we thank you. Sadly, this afternoon, El Taiger was pronounced dead and is now reunited with his beloved mother in heaven.”
One of the most popular Cubaton artists (a genre that fuses reggaeton with traditional Cuban rhythms), El Taiger is known for his Cuban-rooted urban sound heard in songs such as “La Historia,” “El Papelito” and “Habla Matador.” His debut album, Taiger, was released in 2016 on Puerto Rican hip-hop artist Cosculluela’s label Rottboyz, and in 2017, he was featured on the Fate of the Furious movie soundtrack on producer Pinto “Wahin” and DJ Ricky Luna’s track “La Habana.” His most recent production, “Rulay,” in collaboration with Ecuadorian newcomer Niko G, came out this summer.
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According to a press conference offered by the chief of the Miami Police Department last week, officers responded to a call just after 7 a.m. on Oct. 3, where they found a man inside a black vehicle who had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. El Taiger was then transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he underwent surgery and remained in critical condition until his passing. Billboard reached out to the Miami PD to get an update on the investigation, but did not hear back at press time.
“While this news is both shocking and heartbreaking, we encourage fans of El Taiger to honor his memory by celebrating the joy he brought to so many,” the family’s statement continues. “Turn up your music, dance and celebrate his life. El Taiger was the sentiment of the people, and now we must keep that sentiment alive through his music and his legacy.”
Kane Brown will launch 2025 with a new album and a new tour when he releases his album The High Road on Jan. 24 and sets out on The High Road Tour beginning March 13 in San Diego, Calif. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The tour […]
Halsey’s The Great Impersonator is almost here, and the superstar dropped a new track off the album on Thursday (Oct. 10) titled “I Never Loved You.” Leading up to the release, Halsey continued their Instagram series in which they impersonate a different musical icon and the song they inspired. For “I Never Loved You,” the […]
After securing a record-setting 21 weeks atop Billboard‘s Hot Rap Songs chart with his 2024 hit “Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar continues to rack up the accolades. Now, his 2017 Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Humble” has reached the venerable one billion mark, becoming the rapper’s second-ever video to accomplish such a feat. Released in 2017, […]
It doesn’t matter how siblings enter your life — they’re going to get on your nerves sometimes. Charli XCX knows this firsthand from her relationship with Matty Healy, who she says is like family to her now by way of The 1975.
Speaking to Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe ahead of the release of her Brat remix album, the alt-pop star said that the “Somebody Else” singer is “like my brother now.” “I hope he wouldn’t mind me saying this,” she continued. “I have an endless amount of respect for him as a songwriter and him as a person.”
“But I sometimes want to strangle him,” Charli added, laughing.
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The “Von Dutch” singer is engaged to George Daniel, drummer for the Healy-fronted 1975. The band is featured on a revamped version of Brat track “I Might Say Something Stupid” arriving Friday (Oct. 11), which Lowe teased is “quite eye-opening” in terms of Healy’s lyrical contributions to the song.
“I really wanted him to do the song,” Charli said of the sometimes polarizing frontman. “Even before being with George — years and years ago — I’ve always been such a fan of [The 1975’s] work … I just really enjoy people who take a risk in terms of what they’re putting out there artistically.”
The 1975 is just one of several artists guesting on the “Apple” artist’s remix album. In addition to her previously released collaborations with Addison Rae, Lorde, Robyn, Troye Sivan and Billie Eilish, Brat and It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat will also feature Caroline Polachek, The Japanese House, Julian Casablancas and Bon Iver.
Plus, Ariana Grande will jump on an updated “Sympathy Is a Knife,” which fans have suspected was about Taylor Swift amid the “Anti-Hero” singer’s whirlwind romance with Healy last year. “This one girl taps my insecurities,” Charli sings on the track. “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show.”
But Swift has since sung Charli’s praises and put rumors of a feud to rest. “I’ve been blown away by Charli’s melodic sensibilities since I first heard ‘Stay Away’ in 2011,” Swift told Vulture in August. “Her writing is surreal and inventive, always. She just takes a song to places you wouldn’t expect it to go, and she’s been doing it consistently for over a decade.”
Added Charli to the publication, “That song is about me and my feelings and my anxiety and the way my brain creates narratives and stories in my head when I feel insecure and how I don’t want to be in those situations physically when I feel self-doubt.”
Watch Charli’s Apple Music 1 interview below.
J Balvin has reeled in some of his biggest and personal celebrity friends for a new docuseries called A Great Day With J Balvin, premiering on Thursday, Oct. 17, via Peacock.
The six episode series will “take audiences on a personal journey” with the Colombian artist and “his captivating quest to uncover the secrets of a truly fulfilling life,” according to a press statement. Balvin is joined by Anitta, Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, Demi Lovato, Jimmy Butler, Saweetie, and Xolo Maridueña “as they embark on a series of unexpected and transformative adventures together.”
“Whatever comes my way, I make it a great day … whether by playing sports, meditating, the zouk, cooking,” he said in the trailer that arrived Thursday (Oct. 10). “Join me on this journey. We are not what we have, we are what we are.”
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A Great Day With J Balvin sheds light on how Balvin (real name José Álvaro Osorio Balvin) — one of the first major Latin artists to publicly speak about his struggles with mental health — finds his balance.
“That’s why I said before, in the darkest moments, I didn’t lose control. But I take my pills daily,” he told Billboard in his cover story interview. “It’s perfectly normal, as if someone had an issue with high [blood] pressure. But there’s also meditation — I’ve been meditating since I was 19 years old — daily exercise, eating habits and the people you surround yourself with. The fact that I don’t do drugs or anything like that has also been part of having that mental, spiritual balance.”
Additionally, the “Mi Gente” singer is confirmed for a Superstar Q&A at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week, returning to Miami Beach on Oct. 14-18, with other confirmed artists including Feid, Young Miko, Gloria Estefan, Alejandro Sanz, Maria Becerra, and Peso Pluma, among many others. For tickets and more details, visit BillboardLatinMusicWeek.com.
He will also receive the Spirit of Hope Award at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards, recognizing his philanthropic efforts through his Vibra En Alta Foundation, which aims to elevate young individuals by supporting their educational journeys. The awards ceremony will air Sunday, Oct. 20 via Telemundo.
Watch the trailer for A Great Day With J Balvin below:
Shawn Mendes fans will get a chance to hear the singer’s upcoming fifth studio album, Shawn, before its official release thanks to an upcoming live concert film. Mendes and Trafalgar Releasing announced on Thursday (Oct. 1) that Shawn Mendes: For Friends and Family Only (A Live Concert Film) will hit screens across the country for one-night-only on Nov. 14.
According to a release, the movie features a “heartfelt performance of the self-titled album in its entirety — for the very first time.” The movie was filmed at the historic 500-capacity Bearsville Theatre in Woodstock, NY and features footage of Mendes explaining the inspiration behind each song on the album as well as sharing personal stories, “giving fans an intimate look at the creative journey that shaped the music.”
A full list of participating theaters and showtimes will be announced soon, with fans encouraged to click here to request a screening in their city; tickets will go on sale on Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. ET.
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On Wednesday, Mendes announced that Shawn would be pushed back from its original Oct. 18 released date to Nov. 15. He explained, “My team and i have decided to push the album release date to November 15th. We just need a little bit more time to bring some new inspiration and ideas to life. I love you guys thank you for being so patient, I can’t wait to see you guys at the next few shows.”
The Woodstock show was the first in a limited run of intimate concerts Mendes performed in the cities where the album was recorded over a two-year stretch, a string that also included gigs in London, Brooklyn, Los Angeles and Seattle.
“Performing this album for the first time in such an intimate setting, surrounded by close friends, family, and the people who helped bring it to life, was truly special. I’m excited for fans around the world to feel that same connection through the film and get to experience the ‘Friends & Family’ shows before the album release,” Mendes said in a statement.
Trafalgar Releasing SVP of content acquisitions Kymberli Frueh added, “Shawn Mendes’ relatable lyrics and ability to connect with fans through his music are on full display in this intimate and authentic performance of his new album. This exclusive cinema event will be a special experience for fans across the globe.”
To date Mendes has released the singles “Why Why Why,” “Isn’t That Enough” and the moody “Nobody Knows,” which he debuted at last month’s 2024 VMAs. Mendes will continue his tour of Shawn live debut shows with an Oct. 14 gig at the iconic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, followed by an Oct. 18 show at the Brooklyn Paramount in Brooklyn, NY and an Oct. 22 stop at the Ford theater in Los Angeles.
When rap producer Ron Browz crafted the ominous beat that would ultimately become Nas’ legendary 2001 diss track, “Ether,” he initially had a much different MC in mind: Nas’ rival, Jay-Z, who was offered the instrumental first. But Jay’s then-A&R executive, Kyambo “Hip-Hop” Joshua, passed on the track, with no idea that it would later become the backdrop to one of rap’s most iconic diss records.
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“I get a phone call: ‘Nas wants you to come to hear what he did to the beat,’ ” recalls Browz, who had handed his CD to Nas’ travel agent months prior. “I go to the studio. Nas is in there eating fruit. Calm and no entourage. Just him and the engineer, and he’s like, ‘Yo. Play it for Ron.’ Then I hear the intro: ‘Fuck Jay-Z.’ I was like, ‘Wait. I didn’t put that in there.’ ”
At the time, Browz was living at his mother’s house in Harlem and had only scored one other placement, for the late rapper Big L’s “Ebonics.” “I’m in shock, but the whole time, [I’m thinking], ‘Ron, this is your introduction,’ ” Browz says. “In my mind, I’m like, ‘Is this a good thing or bad thing?’ Because it was going at the No. 1 artist in the game. I just remember sitting there with the great Nas, who said, ‘I’m putting this out on Friday,’ which was Jay-Z’s birthday. Jay-Z’s birthday is Dec. 4, and my birthday is Dec. 6, so it was like a fly birthday present.”
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“Ether” proved to be the game-changer Browz’s career needed, swiftly propelling him into the spotlight upon its late-2001 release. And, 23 years later, his story still resonates with many producers, especially in today’s competitive hip-hop climate where feuds are more prevalent than they’ve been since the 1990s or early 2000s. This year alone, there have been clashes between Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion, Latto and Ice Spice, Chris Brown and Quavo — and, of course, Drake and Kendrick Lamar, whose blockbuster beef yielded seven diss tracks in a month, including Lamar’s Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper, “Not Like Us.”
Produced by Mustard, “Not Like Us” was the producer’s first-ever No. 1 on the chart — and arrived three years after his most recent top 20 Hot 100 song, Roddy Ricch’s “Late at Night.” “Mustard worked like a machine, sending beats daily because he was trying to get [Kendrick] on his album. This went on for months,” says Meko Yohannes, Mustard’s manager and co-founder of their record label, 10 Summers. “He was just overwhelming him with beats. As long as [Kendrick] said, ‘Keep them coming,’ we kept them coming.”
“Not Like Us” immediately became a pop culture phenomenon. Actress Taraji P. Henson used the song during her opening monologue at the 2024 BET Awards. Serena Williams crip-walked to the track while hosting this year’s ESPYs Awards. Multiple professional sporting leagues, most notably the NBA, used the song during their broadcasts. And at his Juneteenth Pop Out concert, livestreamed on Amazon Prime, Kendrick performed it five times. “I didn’t know what we were getting ready for,” Yohannes says. “I don’t think anybody did. Mustard always wanted to work with Dot. That was one of the things missing from his résumé. For the first time working together, not only is it Mustard’s biggest record, but it’s also Dot’s biggest record.”
Even if a diss record doesn’t become a “Not Like Us”-size hit, it can still significantly increase the profile of the producer involved. Though “Ether” failed to chart on the Hot 100 and only peaked at No. 50 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, it boosted Browz’s visibility in New York, where top-tier producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland reigned supreme at the time. “Ether” “was all you heard in the neighborhood, coming out of cars and anything with a radio,” Browz recalls. “Cars, stores, everything. It stopped the city.”
Browz, who had received $1,500 for Big L’s “Ebonics,” earned his “first big check” with “Ether,” for $10,000. But while he landed placements for DMX and 50 Cent following the song’s success, he also experienced some growing pains.
“This time, in New York, the club scene is crazy. Once we started going to the club, I worked with DMX, Lil Kim, Fat Joe, Ludacris and 50 Cent. Artists would say, ‘I need that “Ether.” Send that.’ I remember doing that for a while. I was getting the placements, but they weren’t the singles,” he says. “Singles had to be bright and happy, so I had to switch the sound, and that’s how my hit ‘Pop Champagne’ ” — the 2008 single that hit No. 22 on the Hot 100 on the strength of a remix with Jim Jones and Juelz Santana — “came about.”
While producing a big diss track has advantages, it’s not always without consequences. Several producers contacted for this story — including The Alchemist, who produced Lamar’s “Meet the Grahams,” as well as Wyclef Jean, who co-produced Canibus’ 1998 track “Second Round K.O.” — declined to speak about their experiences, preferring to leave them in the past due to the significant political implications involved. Reopening an old wound, or potentially straining relationships further after the fact, isn’t ideal for producers looking to expand their networks.
For Mustard, though, it’s working out. As “Not Like Us” remained in the top 10 of the Hot 100 during the summer, Mustard used the momentum to propel the release of his first album in five years, Faith of a Mustard Seed. (Lamar doesn’t appear on the project, but plenty of other hip-hop stars do.) Its first single, “Parking Lot,” featuring Travis Scott, dropped about six weeks after “Not Like Us” and peaked at No. 57 on the Hot 100, becoming Mustard’s highest-charting song as a lead artist since 2020. The track also continues to boost Lamar, who was named the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show headliner in September.
“We held back on [releasing] ‘Parking Lot,’ ” Yohannes says. “We stopped it because we wanted to give room to see how high ‘Not Like Us’ would go. We sat back like everybody else, just watching. It’s something that you can’t just make happen; you got to be ready for it and do your best to build off the momentum.”
This article appears in the Oct. 5 issue of Billboard.