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“Oh, you wish you were my Levi’s jeans,” Beyoncé sings on the chorus of the Post Malone-assisted “Levii’s Jeans.” Little did fans know, they may soon have the chance to zip up the same denim as Bey.
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Levi’s teased a collaboration with Beyoncé is on the horizon on Monday (Sept. 23). The famed denim clothing company posted an image on Instagram featuring what appears to be Bey riding a horse, à la Cowboy Carter, while rocking a cowboy hat.
Levi’s tagged Beyoncé in the photo on social media, and added a caption to the post hinting at the next era: “INTRODUCING: A New Chapter.” The account also teased fans regarding the collaboration. “Let the countdown begin,” the bio reads.
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“COWBOY CARTER WORLD TOUR SPONSORED BY LEVIIS,” one fan guessed on the Instagram post, while another is ready to hit the checkout button, writing, “sighs and pull out credit card.”
Others’ pockets are feeling stretched. Commented another, “I don’t have no more money, Beyoncé!”
Billboard has reached out to reps for Bey and Levi’s for additional information.
This would mark the first official collab between Bey and Levi’s. Following “Levii’s Jeans” arrival in March, the brand enjoyed a spike in sales and the company’s CFO, Harmit Singh, gave Bey her flowers for the uptick thanks to her The-Dream-produced ode to the jean maker. “There’s no better person than [Beyoncé], who we call the center of culture,” he said in April.
From the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, @LEVIS CFO boasts their recent uptick in impressions, customer traffic, revenue, and stock price since the release of Beyonce’s song “LEVII’S JEANS” on #COWBOYCARTER: “There’s no better person than [Beyoncé], who we call the center… pic.twitter.com/pahJT59aPZ— BEYONCÉ LEGION 𐚁 (@BeyLegion) April 9, 2024
Cowboy Carter debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 earlier in 2024 with 407,000 total album-equivalent units. With the feat, Beyoncé became the first woman to debut her first eight albums at the chart’s apex.
The last week of September is proving to be a busy one for Beyoncé. She stunned in three different looks as part of a new promo video for her SirDavis American Whisky brand, which is cued to Betty Davis’ 1974 soul funk classic “They Say I’m Different.”
See Levi’s Beyoncé teaser post below.
The wait is over, almost. After months of teasing their recorded return, The Cure confirmed on Monday morning (Sept. 23) that their first new single in 16 years will drop on Thursda (Sept. 26). The band offered an 18-second preview of the song “Alone,” on which singer Robert Smith sings, “This is the end of […]
Lady Gaga is continuing to send fans spiraling with cryptic messages on Instagram — and no, she doesn’t care to elaborate. The superstar has been posting one new message every day since she first piqued people’s interest on Sept. 20 by sharing a note reading “I’m ready for my interview,” meaning there’s two more to […]
Nicki Minaj is giving Eve her flowers. The Young Money rapper penned a heartfelt message to the Ruff Ryders’ first lady on Sunday (Sept. 22) for being a “trendsetter” and the “groundbreaking” level of “emotional and spiritual maturity” she displayed throughout her career.
Eve has been on a press tour in support of her Who’s That Girl? memoir, and she revealed that she joined therapy after finding out that Minaj was joining the Barbershop: The Next Cut cast in 2016, which seemingly prompted a response from the Barbz leader.
“Dear Eve, The various things you’ve shared recently, are groundbreaking (in my opinion) for so many reasons,” she began in her message posted to X. “First, thank you. The level of grace; the level of emotional & spiritual maturity it takes to be this vulnerable & transparent is a sign of TRUE peace, happiness, fulfillment, & mastery of self. Self reflection @ its height. I always say that I think accountability is the sexiest trait a person can have. I was one of the kids in NY watching Ruff Ryderz on TV.” ”
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Nicki reflected: “I DEFINITELY remember how when you took the game by storm, that there were some ppl who couldn’t hide their insecurities. Even tho it’s swept under the rug now, I remember that you handled it with grace but ALSO a big sprinkle of unapologetic TALENT & charisma. You soared & soared. Classic music w/the illest team, to the BIG SCREEN. And made it look easy, too. Trendsetter. The Eve blonde short cut, the Eve paw print tats on the chest…”
While they never released music together, the Queens artist recalled being on set with Eve for Barbershop and how they bonded amid women typically feeling the pressure to compete against one another. Eve later called Nicki a “good addition to the cast” during an interview with Larry King in 2016.
“I was so nervous coming onto that movie set every day,” Nicki added in her tweet. “You looked like a pro & I admired that so much. Thank you for trying to not do to me what was done to you. Women feel so much pressure to compete & it’s a shame b/c we usually have so much in common & could rlly benefit from one another just as human beings. We all share so many of the same experiences as artists, wives, moms, ups & downs, anxiety, etc. I remember telling a friend of mine that I didn’t think you liked me after our first day on set together.”
Minaj continued: “But you know something crazy? I swear. I KNEW that YOU could tell deep down inside that I really liked YOU. So you went easy on me. lol Loved the way the movie turned out. Blessings to you & your beautiful family. Congratulations on your new book as well as all your many accomplishments in Hip Hop & Film & TV. P.S. you STILL looK sooooo pretty.”
Eve’s Who’s That Girl? with Kathy Iandoli arrived earlier in September. The rapper’s memoir explores the depths of her decorated career and it previously made headlines when she recalled a phone call from Jay-Z where he tried to temper expectations when it came to Eve’s 1999 debut LP. However, Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady went on to top the Billboard 200 with more than 200,000 total album units sold in the first week.
As for Nicki, she’s trekking across North America for a second U.S. run of shows as part of the Pink Friday 2 World Tour. The rest of the month includes stops in San Diego, San Francisco and Las Vegas.
Nick Cannon, the Wild ‘N Out community and the city of Atlanta are all looking out for the family of Rich Homie Quan following the 33-year-old rapper’s death Sept. 5.
During the hip-hop comedy show’s recent tour stop through the Georgia capital Thursday (Sept. 19), the Masked Singer host brought a few of Quan’s family members on stage and presented them with $25,000, according to local news network WSB-TV. Fans of Wild ‘N Out, Cannon explained, had raised the first $10,000, which he then personally matched in full. The night’s venue, State Farm Arena, provided the final $5,000.
“That’s how much I love that dude,” Cannon said of the late Atlanta musician, who was born Dequantes Lamar. “We’ve got to support one another, because this is what community looks like.”
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Earlier in the night, the Drumline alum and his Wild ‘N Out castmates honored Lamar by performing a handful of Rich Homie Quan songs. The show came exactly two weeks after the “Flex” artist’s death sent the hip-hop world reeling, with Quavo, Playboi Carti, Jacquees and more artists posting condolences online following Lamar’s passing.
The cause of Lamar’s death has not yet been revealed. A memorial service was held for him Sept. 17 in South Fulton, Ga., near his hometown of Atlanta, where hundreds of people — including friends, family and industry peers such as Killer Mike and D.C. Young Fly — gathered to mourn the Rich Gang alum.
At one point, his father, Corey Lamar — who was also in attendance at Cannon’s Wild ‘N Out show two days later — shared some emotional remarks. “From the day I met Quan and I held him, my life changed,” he said. “I knew failure was not an option. But little did Quan know, he pushed me to be a dad, a role model and to be an example as what a man should be. Built upon integrity, morals and values.”
Watch Cannon present Rich Homie Quan’s family with $25,000 and honor the late rapper below.
Chow Lee is basking in the moment. Just a week shy of what was supposed to be the release date of his new album SEX DRIVE, he flashes a dimpled smile on a morning Zoom call before expressing his excitement: “I can’t wait to drop. I’m feigning to drop.”
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Although the 25-year-old Long Island native has recently ascended in the sexy drill wave he co-pioneered with Cash Cobain and Lonny Love, the newly released project SEX DRIVE marks his 12th album since 2018. After sample clearances delayed the album’s release date twice, he’s finally ready to introduce fans to his most versatile ensemble yet.
Like most Gen Z artists, the majority of his references trace back to the early ’00s, when hip-hop and R&B fusions were re-defining both genres. He cites Drake and his OVO imprint as early inspiration when he began rapping nearly a decade ago in high school. He released a string of albums and mixtapes before linking up with the Bronx hitmaker Cash Cobain in 2020. Their instant creative chemistry led to the successful 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy mixtape two years later. They buffed the rough-around-the-edges drill markers with sultry R&B samples and lusty pillow talk on popular tracks like “JHOLIDAY,” and “VACANT.” Not as sensual as R&B, but not as gritty as New York and Chicago drill, sexy drill was born.
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“People were like, ‘Sexy drill? What is that?,’” he recalls.
Last year, he performed on Rolling Loud Miami’s main stage and was recruited to open up for Sexyy Red’s Hood’s Hottest Princess Tour and Lil Tecca’s HVN ON EARTH Tour. He also teased the project with back-to-back one-offs like the TikTok viral hit, “swag it!,” a catchy melodic track with punchy bass.
His horny escapades are at full throttle on SEX DRIVE. He penetrates the sexy drill sound with Jersey club pulses and experimental regional mashups. An unlikely crew of features from AJ Tracey, Anycia, Flo Milli, and Roy Woods takes listeners on a sonic journey from the U.K. to a tropical escape. He links back up with Cash Cobain on tracks like the Bay Swag-assisted “act bad twin!,” a dance mix undergirded by PARTYNEXTDOOR’s “Resentment.”
He’s here for a good time, not a long time on sinful tracks like “ms. beautiful v!” and “im not really spiritual!,” featuring U.K. drill vet AJ Tracey. He cruises on loverboy mode on “Tequila Vacay” featuring OVO signee Roy Woods, but reverts back to his old ways on the “Swag it” remix featuring Flo Milli. On “Get Back,” he enlists Atlanta’s newest “It Girl” Anycia whose relaxed delivery is juxtaposed by his retaliatory actions. “Ten times out of ten if you f–king my mans, I’m f–king your friend,” he declares over flirty piano riffs.
A sonic tale of a reckless slizzy summer, Lee’s new album embodies the “love, sex and drugs”-fueled ambitions of a young rapper on the rise. He builds on the heavily sampled sexy drill niche while underlining not-so-guilty pleasures. Right before he headed back to his new home in Miami to celebrate the release of SEX DRIVE, Lee spoke to Billboard about his collaboration with Cash Cobain, expanding his sexy drill sound, and what makes a slizzy summer.
Tracks from the 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy mixtape like “JHOLIDAY” and “VACANT” led up to the sexy drill sound you’re experimenting with on SEX DRIVE. What inspired sexy drill? Was it from the natural creative chemistry that you both share?
It’s really a little bit of both. It was kind of a natural part of our creative process. We talk about women and Cash is the mastermind behind the beats. I’ll give him a song to sample or he’ll sample something. He’ll type in YouTube and ask like, “Give me a song to sample?’’ Then, he’ll sample it. Shit, we’ll just rap on it. That’s really the creative process. And we kept doing that. And we also worked with artists like Lonny Love. He also helped us create sexy drill too. It was all three of us.
You’re definitely making a statement with SEX DRIVE and the cover art. What was the creative process behind the album’s cover art?
We wanted to make it sexy and still be on brand. It’s kind of a high school vibe with the letterman jacket and the cool car. We shot it in Cali and had to get that old school car. I had to go with the American muscle.
You team up with a variety of artists on this album. What was it like to bring together all these different sounds and meld it with your sexy drill signature?
It’s a blessing. It shows that everyone from different places can get on sexy drill. Like [AJ] Tracey is on there. He’s from the U.K. It’s a universal thing. It’s past New York at this point.
Speaking of sexy drill being universal, “swag it” took TikTok by storm and was everywhere. Can you talk about linking up with Flo Milli on the remix?
It was a movie. We shot the video and it was mad cool. She came and loved the song. She made a TikTok to it, so we reached out to her and asked if she wanted to get on the song. She did that s–t mad fast. She was willing to shoot the video so we shot it in L.A. She was a great person to work with. Hopefully I can get her on more stuff and we can drop again.
One of my favorite songs on the album is “tequila vacay!”. What was the idea behind that direction with Roy Woods?
I made that song probably like a year or two years ago. I had contacted him because he was following me. He was like, “Yo send me some s–t and I’ll send you something.” That was the first song that came to my mind ‘cause you know how Roy Woods gets. I was like, “I have to switch it up.” I sent him some s–t I thought he would be good on and he went crazy. I was like, ”Nah, I needed this for the album. They not gon’ expect that one.”
You also enlist collaborators like Cash Cobain, Sleepy Hollow and Bay Swag for a few tracks on the album. Why is it important to show the flexibility of the sexy drill sound?
When you think outside the box, you get better results. You’re not going to get far if you keep doing the same thing. I take my creative process very seriously, and fans are already saying it’s a classic before the album drops. That matters to me.
You’ve been on tour for the past year from performing at Rolling Loud in Miami last summer to opening for Sexyy Red’s tour. What is it like to bring the energy of your songs to the stage?
It’s a movie. You can go on stage and perform your songs, and people will like it and not really know it — but that means something. It’s not that hard to go on stage, you just have to bring that energy. The songs are already getting them lit. It can be a curse sometime, cause some people will be like, “Listen, we wanna see Sexyy Red. Get off stage already.”
Are there any standout songs for you? Any artists in particular who you just had to work with and you got them on the album?
Definitely Roy Woods and AJ Tracey. I always used to bump Roy Woods. I never got a chance to make a song with someone who can sing like that. Usually, I’m making songs with the guys or another rapper. I never got to do a song with someone who can sing. I wanna sing like that, but I can’t.
Take me through your songwriting process. When you’re getting ready to record, are you inspired by a night out or is this just coming off the dome?
It depends on the mood I’m in. I can think about a scenario and write about that and fabricate it or I can talk about something that actually happened with a girl. Or I can make some whole s–t up and write about it. I’ve watched enough movies. I may get drunk and freestyle and say some bulls–t.
How does SEX DRIVE embody a slizzy summer?
A slizzy summer is being outside. It’s a lifestyle. It’s catering to the women, having fun and being yourself. Not being a bozo while handling your business at the same time. SEX DRIVE is just…SEX DRIVE. Keep that sex drive up because we outside. I’m trying to keep it PG-13, but it speaks for itself.
Macklemore continued his support for the Palestinian people over the weekend when he dropped “Hind’s Hall 2,” the sequel to his May song of the same name whose proceeds are aimed at the United Nations Relief and Words Agency (UNRWA), which provides assistance to Palestinian refugees. He also shouted a provocative slogan calling out the United States during a hometown Seattle show on Saturday at the Palestine Will Live Forever Festival.
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The original song expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people has been updated with new vocals from Gaza-bred rapper MC Abdul, Palestinian-American singer Anees, author Amer Zahr the L.A. Palestinian Kids Choir, Tiffany Wilson and friends and the Lifted! Youth Gospel Choir. In the final verse, the rapper drops a caustic couplet taking aim at Israel’s nearly year-long war in Gaza sparked by the Oct. 7 raid by Hamas militants on Israel that resulted in the killing of more than 1,200 and the kidnapping of more than 250 men, women and children.
“Long live the resistance if there’s something to resist/ Had enough of you motherf–kers murdering little kids/ PC for a minute, I was tryna be a bridge,” the “Thrift Shop” MC raps before lashing out at Democratic presidential candidate and current VP Kamala Harris with a warning about potentially losing the large Arab-American/Muslim vote in Michigan if she continues to administration’s support for Israel.
“But there’ll never be freedom by pleading with Zionists/ World screaming Free Palestine/ We see the manual, we know how you colonized… Hey Kamala, I don’t know if you’re listening/ But stop sending money and weapons, or you ain’t winning in Michigan/ We uncommitted, and hell no we ain’t switching positions/ Because the whole world turned Palestinian,” he raps.
The song also features the antisemitic chant “from the river to the sea/ Palestine will be free,” a phrase the American Jewish Committee says has been a “rallying cry for terrorist groups and their sympathizers… [as well as] a common call-to-arms for pro-Palestinian activists, especially student activists on college campuses. It calls for the establishment of a State of Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, erasing the State of Israel and its people.”
Macklemore took to the stage with his message of solidarity with the Palestinian people and disdain for current American policy in support of Israel’s war against militant group Hamas during the debut performance of “Hind’s Hall 2” at the Palestine Will Live Forever Festival at Seward Park Amphitheatre in his hometown over the weekend.
“Straight up, say it, I’m not gonna stop you,” Macklemore, 41, says in fan video from the show after the crowd shouts unheard slogans at him. “I’m not gonna stop you… yeah, f–k America,” he adds to loud cheers from the audience, later adding “it’s a genocide and it has been since 1948” in reference to the year the state of Israel was established. The original “Hind’s Hall” and its sequel were named in honor of a young girl named Hind Rajab who was killed in Gaza in a shooting Palestinians have blamed on Israeli forces.
At press time a spokesperson for Macklemore had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on his statement at the Seattle show.
Last month, the rapper canceled a planned show in Dubai on Oct. 4 over the UAE’s role in support of the RSF, one of the warring parties in the country’s devastating civil war.
Listen to “Hind’s Hall 2” below.
This week’s crop of new music features Chase Rice honoring his late father through his new music, while Benjamin Tod teams up with reigning Americana Music Honors & Awards entertainer of the year winner Sierra Ferrell. Meanwhile, “A Lot More Free” hitmaker Max McNown, Ian Munsick, Anna Vaus and more offer new tunes.
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Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of the best country songs of the week below.
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Chase Rice, “You in ‘85”
Chase Rice may be known for writing and recording bro-country hits such as co-writing Florida Georgia Line’s RIAA-Diamond certified hit “Cruise,” but over his most recent projects, he’s made it clear that bro-country sound represents his past, not his present — as his new music leans toward rootsier, raw-rock driven sounds, trading party anthems for introspective lyrical themes. His newly released album Go Down Singin’ continues to evince his matured songwriting, particularly on “You in ’85,” a song that pays homage to Rice’s late father, serving as both a catalog of memories he has of his father, while also acknowledging the mannerisms they share. “You always said I was gonna look just like you/ Now this man in the mirror’s the proof,” he sings, as his voice conveys a crackling warmth of self-reflection and an easy-going comfortableness with his new sound.
Benjamin Tod feat. Sierra Ferrell, “One Last Time”
As singer-songwriter Tod, the former frontman for the Lost Dog Street Band, gears up for his new solo album Shooting Star (out Oct. 18 on Thirty Tigers), he welcomes reigning Americana Music Honors & Awards winner Sierra Ferrell on this sparse piano arrangement, with gospel music-inflected background harmonies and swaths of steel guitar lending a rustic, elegant aura. “I’m a fool for the darkness and a fiend for the light/ Could you blame me one last time,” they sing, their voices blending sumptuously, while wrapping their distinct drawls around each lyric, drawing out the song’s tension and longing with every vocal inflection. On Shooting Star, Tod dabbles in country music from a span of decades, proving the deep-seated influence of Nashville-area hometown.
Anna Vaus, “Happy Trails”
Southern California native Anna Vaus has put in the work in Music City over the past several years, inking a publishing deal with Big Machine Music and penning songs recorded by Keith Urban, Carly Pearce and others (Vaus also performed with Urban at the 2024 CMT Music Awards). With “Happy Trails,” she issues the lead single from her own debut album, one steeped in the sounds of ’70s Laurel Canyon with a Nashville sense of lyrical detail.
Vaus’ own “Happy Trails” embodies much the same sentiment of the Dale Evans-written, Roy Rogers-performed 1952 classic of the same name, though here, Vaus sings a story close to her own, of wishing the best to a friend who is setting off on a jet plane to chase their dreams in Music City. She employs a classical country construction, detailing simple well-wishes such as warm coffee and flowers growing in a yard, before digging deeper on lines such as “I hope you learn to love the parts of you you hate/ And the things you cannot change ’cause therein liеs the heart.” A solid, promising start from this established songcrafter.
Max McNown, “Snowman”
McNown’s “A Lot More Free” has escalated up the viral charts, and he’s followed with the just-released EP Willfully Blind. “Snowman,” featured on the EP, captures his longing over a once-blazing romance that transformed into the chilliest of receptions whenever he sees his ex. Over polished acoustic production, he considers, “You said goodbye and I said see you round/ Cuz a boy don’t close a book/ Until he knows a story’s done.” McNown wrote “Snowman” with Paul Duncan, Cory Asbury, Paul Mabry and Michael Farren.
Ian Munsick, “Western Woman”
Wyoming-born Munsick earned an RIAA Gold-certified song with his Cody Johnson collaboration “Long Live Cowgirls,” and he reprises that theme on his new solo track, “Western Woman,” which Munsick wrote with Billy Montana and Randy Montana. In his new song, he acknowledges the appeal of the way of life from the coasts, but sings that ultimately, “My kinda darling is grounded as a fence post/ She got wild in her smile, dust on her jeans.” Mandolin playing from Charlie Worsham and fiddle work from Tim Hayes serve to further heighten the song’s Western sound.
Hunter Hayes, “In a Song (Lost & Found)”
Hunter Hayes revisits to his previously-released “In a Song,” originally featured on the Encore edition of his 2011 self-titled album. The new version retains the largely pop sonics, but showcases his matured vocal while still giving the song a youthful, refreshed patina. The song is one of three remixed and remastered renditions of his previously-released songs on his upcoming EP Lost & Found.
The Save The Music Foundation is proudly partnering with Billboard to expand funding of its grants for Latin music programs. This announcement was made ahead of 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week.
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Save The Music team members will be attending Latin Music Week on October 14-18 to spread awareness about their program, along with 24 of their participating students, educators and local partners via Young Musicians Unite. Additionally, the organization is auctioning off fan experiences in conjunction with CharityBuzz for the week-long takeover to raise funding. The auction, which went live on Monday, September 23, includes prizes like industry credentials to the event, signed merchandise and M&G experiences with Grupo Frontera, Saiko, Omar Courtz and Dei V.
If that wasn’t enough, Billboard will also host a fundraiser via Instagram to help support Save The Music’s mission of creating culturally rich music programs for public schools through their Miami Music Saves project.
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“Billboard is proud to support the next generation of musicians and music lovers through its ongoing partnership with Save The Music,” Sara Katzki, Head of Billboard’s Brand Studio, said in a statement. “Our shared goal is to provide students with unforgettable experiences, and spotlight unique music career pathways both on and off the stage. Save The Music does incredible work bringing music education into schools across the country, and we’re thrilled to amplify the Miami Music Saves project at Latin Music Week.”
For over 25 years, the Save The Music Foundation has worked diligently with local community partners, school districts, funders, and artists to create sustainable music education programs that align with a community’s specific needs. The organization has worked to address the systemic inequities within public education by investing in culturally rich communities to ensure that students have access to quality music education.
While Billboard showcases Latin American artists and cultural icons, Save The Music funds programs to inspire artists of the future. Together, these institutions have been creating engaging programs for future musicians across the United States.
In fact, since partnering with Miami Dade Public Schools in 2017, Save The Music has been able to serve over 32,000 students by delivering over 8,700 instruments to public schools along with updated technology and new music programs. Because of its rich music history, Miami has been a priority for the organization in its efforts to rebuild and jumpstart new music programs for students K-12. This provides them opportunities to learn firsthand about south Florida’s musical legacy, as well as pave their own way as future artists.
With Save The Music, a K-8 school in the Miami area is teaming up with The Mexican American Council to develop a brand new mariachi program for their students. In the last few years, mariachi grants and programs have been provided to schools in California, New Jersey, Nevada and Oklahoma. As more schools receive funding for engaging and culturally relevant programming, Save The Music is expanding beyond mariachi programming to include other Latin music programs.
If that guy on stage at Dino’s Lounge in Las Vegas singing karaoke sounded a bit better than the average drunk piker from Minnesota, it’s because he did. Coldplay singer Chris Martin took a break from his band’s Music of the Spheres global juggernaut tour to have some fun in Sin City this weekend when […]