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This Valentine’s Day, Drake released his first new album since before his 2024 feud with Kendrick Lamar changed everything about his career outlook and overall narrative — the PartyNextDoor full-length team-up $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. While the final verdict on the album and what it might (or might not) do for Drake’s overall trajectory […]
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Lawyers for Diddy filed a motion alleging that one of the sex trafficking charges he’s facing is unfair and applied due to his race.
Diddy and his lawyers are alleging that the usage of one law in federal prosecution against him has been wrongfully applied because he is Black, in a motion filed in court on Tuesday (Feb. 18). The specific lesser charge of sex trafficking, “transportation to engage in prostitution,” is the third count brought against Diddy aka Sean Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York. That count is based on the Mann Act, a federal law on the books since 1910 created as an anti-prostitution law.
In the motion, Diddy’s lawyers cite the “racist origins” of the law, claiming he is being “selectively prosecuted” as they are targeting a “prominent Black man” with the charge. “No other person, and certainly no white person, has ever been prosecuted under the White-Slave Traffic Act (the Mann Act) for hiring male escorts from another State,” his attorneys write.
They continued, “The use of escorts, male or female, is common and indeed widely accepted in American culture today,” citing that the chief executive of the escort service that Diddy allegedly used has been interviewed frequently in the media and took part in a reality series on Showtime to support their claim. The lawyers also stated that the charge was being used to prosecute “Black male sexuality,” citing how it was used against the first Black heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson, who had been convicted for violating the act for transporting a white woman across state lines. Johnson would receive a posthumous pardon in 2018 by President Donald Trump during his first term.
Former federal prosecutor Elizabeth Geddes, who was part of the first successful prosecution against R. Kelly, noted that the Mann Act is regularly used against individuals who have committed more serious crimes. In comparison to other charges in the indictment, which include the use of “force, fraud or coercion” to compel someone to engage in a sex act, the lesser charge stemming from the Mann Act only requires the jury to find that Diddy “willfully caused” the transportation of people with that express purpose of engaging in prostitution. “No doubt it is far easier to prove,” Ms. Geddes said to the New York Times. If convicted of that charge alone, Diddy would face a sentence of 10 years in prison.
What were some of the most notable trends on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart during 2024? Hit Songs Deconstructed, which provides compositional analytics for top 10 Hot 100 hits, has released its year-end 2024 State of the Hot 100 Top 10 report.
Here are three takeaways from Hit Songs Deconstructed’s latest in-depth research.
Hip-Hop Topped Pop, Country
Hip-hop/rap reigned as the most common primary genre in the Hot 100’s top 10 throughout 2024, contributing to 38% of all top 10 hits, and bounding from a 23% take in 2023.
Pop placed second with a 29% share in 2024, the same total as 2023, when it finished first.
“Hip-hop/rap was the only primary genre that increased in prominence when compared to 2023,” Hit Songs Deconstructed notes. “This is largely due to the success of artists who appeared on three or more of the year’s hip-hop/rap top 10s: Kendrick Lamar (eight), Future and Metro Boomin (five each) and Tyler, the Creator (three).”
Hip-hop/rap and pop have traded annual titles as the leading primary genre in the Hot 100’s top 10 since the former led in both 2017 and 2018:
2024: Hip-hop/rap, 38% — Pop, 29%
2023: Pop, 29% — Hip-hop/rap, 23%
2022: Hip-hop/rap, 38% — Pop, 35%
2021: Pop, 39% — Hip-hop/rap, 34%
2020: Hip-hop/rap, 41% — Pop, 40%
2019: Pop, 47% — Hip-hop/rap, 34%
2018: Hip-hop/rap, 59% — Pop, 24%
2017: Hip-hop/rap, 32% — Pop, 31%
Country has been the third-biggest primary genre the past two years, with a 15% share of Hot 100 top 10s in both 2023 and 2024. From 2017 to 2022, R&B/soul placed third each year, ranging from 8% to 17% takes of the top 10.
Women Vocals Vaulted
The gap nearly closed between male- and female-sung Hot 100 top 10s in 2024.
“Male-led songs continued to be most common in 2024, but have been in decline,” Hit Songs Deconstructed reports. “Conversely, female-led songs have been on the rise and reached their highest level in over a decade. This was largely thanks to Taylor Swift and her 10 top 10s, along with Sabrina Carpenter and Beyoncé, each scoring three.”
Billboard
Meanwhile, Hot 100 top 10s with a solo lead vocalist claimed their highest share in a decade: 70%, up from wins of 66% in 2023 and 62% in 2022. (In 2021, multiple lead vocalists edged out soloists, 51% to 49%, thanks to collaborations by the likes of Coldplay and BTS, Elton John and Dua Lipa, and The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber.)
Drumming Up New Interest
Looking at (or, listening to) instruments in Hot 100 top 10s, acoustic drums continued to surge in 2024.
“The use of primarily acoustic drums/percussion nearly quintupled since 2022, rising to 37% of songs in 2024, its highest level since 2014,” Hit Songs Deconstructed finds. “Representatives spanned an array of genres,” including country (Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen), hip-hop/rap (Tyler, the Creator’s “Noid”), pop (Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please”) and rock (Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things”).
Billboard
Plus, electric bass rose to 32% of Hot 100 top 10s in 2024, up from 17% in 2020, and electric piano rose to 18%, tying its highest level in over a decade, mostly via hip-hop/rap- and R&B/soul-influenced hits.
Conversely, and while still central in Hot 100 top 10s, synth usage dropped to a 71% share in 2024, its lowest since 2014. Similarly, electronic drums/percussion declined to a 42% take – down from 45% in 2023 and 64% in 2022 and likewise their lowest since 2014.
The REPUBLIC Collective, which includes Island Records, Def Jam Recordings, Mercury Records and Republic Records, has announced several executive promotions and new hires.
Recently, Jeffrey Remedios, former Universal Music Canada chief, was appointed president of strategic development. In his new role, Remedios oversees high-priority growth initiatives for Republic’s labels, focusing on international A&R, Republic recording studios, brand expansion, and more, reporting directly to REPUBLIC Collective CEO Monte Lipman and COO Avery Lipman.
Key promotions across departments include Joe Carozza as executive vp and global media officer, Brittney Ramsdell as evp of creative sync, Julie Vastola as svp of creative, and Zoë Briggs as vp of global marketing. Gary Spangler revamped the Audience team, elevating Natina Nimene to evp of urban audience and artist relations, Lucas Romeo to evp of pop audience, Brett Dumler to svp of pop audience, James Brown to svp of urban audience, and Roya Raji to vp of touring.
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Kevin Lipson expanded his team with strategic hires and promotions, including longtime Capitol Music Group svp of streaming strategy Jeff Temske coming over as evp of global research and analytics, and Colin Yost elevated to vp of innovation and gaming partnerships. Additionally, Brian Sutnick was promoted to evp of global replay strategy, Ryan Stevens to svp of commerce, Charlene Thomas to svp of global replay strategy, and Blair O’Brien to vp of commerce.
Monte Lipman praised these recent advancements, calling them “hard-earned and well-deserved,” and emphasized the collective’s commitment to artist development and finding “generational talent.”
The executive changes follow another record-breaking year for REPUBLIC Collective, which topped Billboard’s major year-end label rankings for the fourth consecutive year. In 2024, the collective amassed 72 albums on the Billboard 200, including 13 No. 1s, and 209 songs on the Hot 100, with eight chart-toppers, reinforcing its dominance in the music industry.
Record executive and former artist manager Abou “Bu” Thiam has formed a new partnership with Atlantic Music Group that brings his BuVision label to the Warner-owned major, Billboard has learned. As part of the deal, BuVision’s artists’ projects will now be released and marketed through Atlantic moving forward. Artists as part of the venture include […]
It was a beautiful ride in 2024 for Benson Boone, as the breakthrough artist scored the biggest hit on the planet.
Boone’s “Beautiful Things” is crowned the IFPI Global Single Award for 2024, effectively the world’s best-performing single across all digital formats.
Boone earns bragging rights as his signature song planted itself at or near the top of sales charts, everywhere.
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Released in January 2024, “Beautiful Things” nabbed top spot in this year’s IFPI Global Single Chart, his first appearance in an IFPI Global Chart Top 10, and won silverware at the Billboard Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and MTV Europe Music Awards.
The 21-year-old Monroe, WA native was nominated for best new artist at the 2025 Grammys, where he performed the song, and it peaked at No. 1 in the U.K. and Australia. “Beautiful Things” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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During the calendar year, “Beautiful Things” racked up 2.11 billion equivalent global subscription streams, according to data published today (Feb. 20) by the IFPI, and including paid subscription streaming, ad-supported platforms, and single-track downloads.
“We are delighted to present the IFPI Global Single Award to Benson Boone,” comments Victoria Oakley, CEO, IFPI. “As a global breakout artist, this is an amazing achievement to produce a truly worldwide hit. Congratulations to Benson, his team and Warner Records for this incredible accomplishment.”
Boone discovered his love for music when his friend asked him to join their group for a Battle of the Bands competition. He went on to audition for American Idol, where he received a standing ovation from the judges. Ultimately, he dropped out of the talent quest and took a different road, signing to Imagine Dragons’ lead singer Dan Reynolds’ label, Night Street Records/Warner Records. Now he’s on top of the world.
Boone leads a fresh-faced top three, ahead of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” respectively. U.S. artists dominate the tally with nine of the top 10. Irishman Hozier prevents a clean sweep with “Too Sweet,” dropping in at No. 6. IFPI’s recently-anointed Global Recording Artist of the Year, Taylor Swift, appears at No. 9 with “Cruel Summer.” The cut, lifted from her 2019 album Lover, enjoyed a resurgence thanks to her record-breaking The Eras Tour.
Top 20 IFPI Global Singles Chart 2024
Janelle Monáe will explore the art of the con in the upcoming Universal Pictures adaptation of Tanya Smith’s 2024 memoir, Never Saw Me Coming: How I Outsmarted the FBI and the Entire Banking System – and Pocketed $40 Million. According to Variety, Monáe will star in the film and also produce through her Wonderland Pictures company.
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Smith — who saw herself a modern-day Robin Hood after figuring out how to wipe out her relatives’ debt by manipulating the banking system — will be an executive producer on the movie. The gripping story is described as a heist thriller that provides a “powerful examination of systemic prejudice and economic inequality,” following Smith’s journey from mischievous teenage hacker to a master manipulator of the U.S. financial system.
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The book’s publisher, Hachette Book Group calls the story a riveting tale of an “unsuspecting woman who creates an ingeniously clever white-collar scheme that manipulates the Federal banking system out of millions — who eventually loses everything that is most important to her.”
The story follows Smith as she begins her life of deception as a teenager with an interest in technology, figuring out how to acquire the phone numbers of stars including Michael Jackson and other celebs, before moving on to stealing and depositing $5,000 into her grandmother’s bank account, and, by 18, confiscating $40 million dollars in cash, gold, diamonds and commodities from banks using hacked wire transfers.
“The FBI is hot on her tail and hauls her in for an interview, demanding Smith let them know who she’s working for, ‘as these are not the kind of crimes Black people are smart enough to commit,’” reads the book synopsis. “Their words, indicating that intelligence was determined by race, severely offended Smith. Up for the challenge, she proves the FBI wrong and over time steals $40 million dollars, while securing diamonds, gold bars, and other commodities. Her lifestyle attracts the wrong kind of people, even those who set out to kill her.”
The investigators hot on her trail, Smith is tagged as “one of the single biggest threats to the entire U.S. banking system,” earning her the longest prison sentence ever (13 years) for white-collar crimes, only to be released after mounting her own “brilliant defense.” Along the way, Smith escaped from prison two years into her sentence by disguising herself as a lawyer and gave birth to two children while incarcerated.
Monáe latest starring role will follow up on her well-received roles in the films Moonlight, Hidden Figures, Harriet, Antebellum and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
The Osheaga Festival in Parc Jean-Dreapeau in Montreal (Aug. 1-3) announced its 2025 lineup on Wednesday (Feb. 19), which will feature headlining sets from The Killers, Tyler, the Creator and Olivia Rodrigo.
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The stacked-and-packed roster also includes: Glass Animals, Doechii, Dominic Fike, Lucy Dacus, Finneas, Gracie Abrams, The Chainsmokers, The Struts, Future Island, Smino, Tommy Richman, Shaboozey, Kaleo, TV on the Radio, Cage the Elephant, Jamie XX, Royel Otis, The Beaches, Chet Faker, Gigi Perez, Bossman Dlow and Bigxthaplug, among many others.
Tickets for this year’s event will go on sale on Friday (Feb. 21) here; $1 from every ticket will be donated to the Evenko Foundation, which provides musical instruments to schools in Quebec and encourages young people to pursue a life in the performing arts.
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Among the other acts on this year’s roster are: Barry Can’t Swim, Jorja Smith, Artemas, James Hype, Nico Moreno, Måneskin singer Damiano David, Omah Lay, La Femme, Joey Valence & Brae, Wunderhorse, BBNO$, Sammy Virji, Alex Warren, Claude Vonstroke, Good Neighbours, Naomi Sharon, Adam Ten, Whitney, Matt Champion, Isoxo, Marina, Mark Ambor, Amaarae, Loco Dice, The Dare, Jersey, Oden & Fatzo, Ruby Water, Inji and Kenny Mason.
Last year’s Osheaga hosted nearly 150,000 fans at the city’s largest outdoor concert venue, where they took in sets by Noah Kahan, Green Day, SZA, Melanie Martinez, Lil Tjay, Smashing Pumpkins, Martin Garrix, Reneé Rapp, Hozier, Teddy Swims, Teezo Touchdown, Rancid, Chappell Roan, Raye, Tyla, Kevin Abstract, Justice, Jungle and T-Pain.
Check out the 2025 Osheaga Festival poster below.
Lady Gaga has made a career of wearing the most outrageous, impractical and confounding costumes in pop history. But one outfit in particular has continued to top the list of her most cuckoo couture: the Franc Fernandez-designed meat dress she wore to the 2010 MTV VMAs.
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The cow costume accessorized with steak shoes and a shank chapeau blew minds at the time and continues to be one of her most iconic looks. But in a new lie detector test with Vanity Fair, Gaga was asked if she would ever wear the raw chuck couture — which was later preserved and turned into beef jerky — again.
“I don’t think so. No,” Gaga, 38, told the examiner, who informed the singer that her answer was “inconclusive.” Gaga seemed taken aback, responding, “Oh, well, that was a surprise.” She was also reminded that she asked Cher to hold her meat purse while accepting the video of the year award for “Bad Romance.”
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When the interviewer asked if that moment brought her closer to the fellow pop icon, Gaga said, “I think so. In the moment.”
Dressed in a lacy white outfit with peaked shoulders and a corset top, a serious-looking Gaga seemed nervous to take the test, admitting that she does not “have a good poker face,” which the examiner said caused the machine to detect “some deception.”
“So I do have a good poker face? Thank you,” she replied with a contented smile. In a timely query, Gaga was reminded that the video for her 2009 collab with Beyoncé, “Telephone,” says “to be continued” at the end, prompting a question about whether there will be a second part some day. “Yes,” Gaga said, though she admitted she didn’t know when it would be released, and, when presented with a picture of Beyoncé and asked if her fellow pop icon would be involved the second time, slyly saying “maybe.”
As for whether she’s ever answered the phone and said, “sorry, I can’t hear you, I’m kind of busy,” as she sings in the song, Mother Monster said, “I feel like I might have done that before, but maybe not,” fretting that she was saying both yes and no; the interviewer said either way she was being truthful.
Also, for the record, she still has that giant egg she arrived in at the 2011 Grammy Awards, which is stashed in her 40,000-square foot archive with her other famous costumes.
At press time it wasn’t clear if the second “Telephone” would be including on Gaga’s upcoming seventh studio album, Mayhem, which is slated to drop on March 7. Earlier this week, the singer revealed the full track list for the 14-track LP, which will feature the previously released singles “Die With a Smile,” “Abracadabra” and “Disease,” as well as “Garden of Eden,” “Perfect Celebrity,” “Zombieboy,” “Vanish Into You,” “LoveDrug,” “How Bad Do U Want Me,” “Don’t Call Tonight,” the Gesaffelstein-collab “Killah,” “Shadow of a Man,” “The Beast,” “Blade of Grass” and two bonus tracks, “Kill For Love” and “Can’t Stop the High.”
Watch Gaga take the VF lie detector test below (beef talk begins at 11:30 mark).
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