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This week, Kaitlin Butts celebrates inking a label deal with Republic by issuing a tender revamping of a Jimmy Eat World hit. Meanwhile, Riley Green teams with Jamey Johnson for a robust new collab, and ERNEST, Sammy Arriaga and newcomer Joshua Slone also offer new tracks.
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Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of some of the best country, bluegrass and/or Americana songs of the week below.
Kaitlin Butts, “The Middle”
Butts, who recently inked a deal with Republic Records, offers up a revamped version of Jimmy Eat World’s 2001 hit, transforming it into a soothing, hopeful, acoustic-driven track driven by guitars, fiddle and understated percussion. Butts’ version comes across as tender, wise and thoughtful, particularly on lines such as “Just do your best, do everything you can/ And don’t you worry what their bitter hearts are gonna say.” That’s a timeless message people of all ages can cling to.
Jamey Johnson and Riley Green, “Smoke”
Jamey Johnson welcomes Riley Green for this barn burner, intertwining Johnson’s weathered, gravelly vocal with Green’s burnished twang as they explore the motif of “smoke” with varying meanings throughout the heartbreak-driven track. At various points throughout “Smoke,” the titular phrase references the plumes billowing from an ex’s tires as she speeds away, or the wisps of smoke curling from the end of the lit cigarette he’s using to obscure his pain. Green and Johnson wrote the song with Erik Dylan and recorded the track at the Cash Cabin and Big Gassed Studios, with production from Kyle Lehning and Jim “Moose” Brown, which captures complementary ties between Johnson and Green’s distinct styles.
ERNEST, “Blessed”
In his latest, ERNEST weaves a tale of love and legacy, as this song looks at a piece of land being handed down generation after generation. “Granddaddy bought this slice back in 1962/ It came with a barn, a dog in the yard and a Chevrolet painted blue,” he sings, before sketching his own dreams of passing the land down to his son. Reserved guitars, bass and drums put ERNEST’s vocal at the fore, as he brims with pride about passing down wisdom he hopes his son will continue learning from. “Blessed” precedes ERNEST’s upcoming project Live From The South, out Nov. 21.
Sammy Arriaga, “Before the Next Teardrop Falls”
First-generation Cuban American Sammy Arriaga bridges cultures and languages, combining English and Spanish-language tracks on his bilingual country Latin album Heart in Texas, which released Oct. 31. The album also includes Arriaga’s heartfelt, Spanglish rendition of Latin country trailblazer Freddy Fender’s classic “Before The Next Teardrop Falls” (Fender’s original topped both the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and Hot 100 in 1975). Arriaga’s version simultaneously pays graceful homage to Fender’s original, while, like the rest of the songs on the album, Arriaga stamps every lyric and message with his unique artistry and warm, welcoming vocal tone.
Joshua Slone, “Your Place at My Place”
Slone makes a striking entrance with his 16-song, debut album Thinking Too Much, which features Slone as the sole writer on each track. The angst-fueled “Your Place at My Place” finds him musing about unfruitful attempts to move past a faded relationship. “No one’s ever taken your place at my place,” the Kentucky native concisely laments. His full project showcases his vivid, vulnerable songwriting, cementing Slone as one of country music’s most compelling new voices.
Trending on Billboard Kehlani’s “Folded” makes its way into the top 10 of the Hot 100, while “Daisies” and Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” continue to climb. Meanwhile, HUNTR/X’s “Golden” and Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” continue to battle for the No. 1 spot. Tetris Kelly: The battle between “Golden” and Taylor Swift stays […]
Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” notches a fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, encompassing its entire run on the chart so far. Helping the song’s continued Hot 100 command, Swift released its “Alone in My Tower Acoustic Version” for digital purchase Oct. 28, just after 4:30 p.m. ET, ahead of […]
The Alchemist is on a historic run in 2025 that already concluded in a flurry of releases that all should land comfortably on AOTY lists at the end of the year. After a buzzing meme online suggests The Alchemist work on an introspective jazz album with Young Thug, it came out that Thugger doesn’t have a clue who the producer and rapper is.
It appears the meme of the completely fake collaboration album between Young Thug and The Alchemist got its legs back in 2024, and fans have kept the false dream alive since the release of the Atlanta rapper.
In a twist of fate, Ian Connor took to social media to share a private message exchange between him and Thug, with Connor responding to a Young Thug fan account featuring a video of Dylan Hull asking The Alchemist about the album at the most recent ComplexCon event. For what it’s worth, it appears that Uncle Al isn’t against the idea.
Connor looks like he’s on the case of educating Young Thug on the greatness that is The Alchemist’s production abilities.
Given that Alchemist has worked with the likes of Freddie Gibbs and earned a Grammy nomination to boot, along with works with 2 Chainz, Larry June, Hit-Boy, and underground kings Armand Hammer this year alone, maybe the connection would be fruitful.
Stay tuned.
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Trending on Billboard Thought you’d seen it all? Not quite. Jeezy just proved that he’s always climbing to new heights after accomplishing something that’s never been done before, earning himself a place in the Guinness World Records. On Saturday (Nov. 1), the trap-music tastemaker made history by performing with 101 orchestra musicians on stage at […]
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Carlos Rivera chose the Day of the Dead celebration to launch VIDA, a six-song EP filled with nostalgia, delving into mariachi, sierreño and even tumbado music. The Mexican pop star, born in Huamantla, a small town in the state of Tlaxcala, recently presented this material there, proudly showcasing his roots.
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“I want the world to know more about my country’s traditions,” Rivera tells Billboard Español. “We Mexicans celebrate the lives of those who have passed away in a very unique way, with flavors, colors, and music.”
“Mexico is mariachi, Día de Muertos,” adds the singer of “Recuérdame,” a song that was part of the Disney-Pixar animated film Coco (2017), famous for celebrating the way Mexicans deal with the subject of death. “I always thought that if I was going to do a project like this, it had to be looking at life from a different angle. This EP is inspired by loss and grief.”
Released by Sony Music Mexico on Oct. 30, VIDA opens with “Larga Vida,” a song about enjoying every moment with our loved ones. It includes a collaboration with Ana Bárbara accompanied by traditional mariachi, “Cuento de Nunca Acabar,” about trying to forget someone without success. And songs like “Calavera,” a huapango about denying death, and “Alguien,” which talks about being used to replace someone.
The singer says that after his father passed away three years ago, he began composing and searching for songs as a form of catharsis to ease the pain a little and help others who have been through the same situation.
“There are a couple of songs I wrote for my dad when he died,” he says. “One of them is ‘No Es Para Menos,’ in which I talk about the pain coming all at once so that whatever needs to hurt hurts and the suffering ends. In ‘Almas,’ the guitars practically cry from the beginning; the lyrics are about the absence of a person when they leave and places like an armchair are left empty.”
With “Larga Vida,” the focus track, “rather than honoring those who died, I wanted to talk about the importance of enjoying those who are alive and whom we never want to see leave,” Rivera explains. “Originally it was with guitar, which was very beautiful, but I thought we could put more energy into the requinto. So it sounded very sierreño and even tumbado, but using mariachi instruments.”
Regarding the only collaboration on the EP — “Cuento de Nunca Acabar,” with regional Mexican star Ana Bárbara — he says: “From the very beginning, I thought of her to sing it together. Her style of practically crying the songs fit perfectly.”
After participating in the soundtrack for Coco, Rivera had sporadically experimented with regional Mexican music. He did so with mariachi on that occasion and in “100 años” with Maluma. Later, in 2023, he invited Carín León and Edén Muñoz to accompany him on “Alguien Me Espera en Madrid,” and in early 2025, he released “Tu Amor Es Mío” with Fato and Alfredo Olivas.
“I love the genre. It’s my roots, and I want to take it everywhere,” says Rivera. “Fortunately, my music is heard in many places in Latin America and Europe, so I want to take the whole concept of VIDA on my next tour.”
He revealed that he is putting together a band of musicians that will include mariachi, and that he will also perform in palenques. The two-year tour will begin in 2026, during which the artist with two decades of experience will bring his fans hits such as “Que Lo Nuestro Se Quede Nuestro,” “Te Esperaba,” and “Me Muero.” The dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Source: Robin L Marshall / Getty
NLE Choppa is on NBA YoungBoy’s head top, and now he took it to another level.
Recently, fans spotted a billboard in YB’s hometown of Baton Rouge for Choppa’s newest song, “KO”. This record was a direct shot by the Memphis rapper, making it clear he doesn’t rock with YoungBoy. The billboard shows NLE holding a fake head resembling NBA YoungBoy.
Gloves completely off.
Throughout the last 5 years, the Shotta Flow rapper has sent indirect shots at YB, but “KO” was crystal clear. Coming for his character in the diss saying, “You poison the youth, nothin’ positive you do. You the reason n*ggas beating b*tches thinking that it’s cute.” The diss track flips a classic diss track, “Hit Em’ Up” by Tupac. In the music video, he also randomly pays homage to Michael Jackson & Mike Tyson in multiple scenes. NBA YoungBoy has not yet responded to NLE The Great’s diss track.
In fact, the beef between both rappers has seemed to be one-sided from the very beginning. As YB never seems to address Choppa’s subtle disses in the past. Even after King Von’s tragic passing after a dispute between YB’s affiliates, Quando Rondo & Lil Tum, Choppa made sure to make it clear he was team OTF. Before that, NLE seemed to have fallen back and even made a song titled, “Free Youngboy” in 2024.
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Zohran Mamdani seems poised to win the 2025 mayoral race in New York City this coming Tuesday (Nov. 4), and while the far-right continue to do what they can to smear his name and character in an effort to tank his campaign, the man is out here living his best pre-election life, as proof from clips that surfaced on social media over the Halloween weekend.
Much to the chagrin of his haters and mayoral competitors Andrew Cuomo and Curti Sliwa, Zohran Mamdani hit up the club in New York City this past weekend and showed New Yorkers that he’s very much like us, as he turned up to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” while kicking it in the DJ booth much to the delight of the New York crowd.
Andrew Cuomo could never.
Keeping the good vibes going, Mamdani took the time out to visit a gay bar and rile up the crowd in attendance there, as he continues to campaign for their vote, which, needless to say, looks like he’ll be getting.
Curtis Sliwa would never.
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As Mamdani’s popularity continues to grow amongst New Yorkers, billionaires continue to pour money into trying to stop his ascension in the political arena, as he’s looking to tax the ultra-wealthy once he’s sworn into office. Something that rich people fear more than anything.
Heck, even Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from New York City if Mamdani is elected the next Mayor of New York (we still can’t believe y’all voted us into this fascist timeline).
Still, it looks like Mamdani has this election in the bag, as New Yorkers want change and a fresh new face that will bring change to the city that actually helps everyday people and not just the top 1%. It also helps that he isn’t in the Epstein files. So there’s that too.
What do y’all think about mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani hitting the club scene this past weekend in NYC? Let us know in the comments section below.
Source: Anadolu / Getty
The government shutdown continues into a fifth week, and the prolonged situation carries a new risk as millions of Americans are poised to miss their food stamp benefits on Nov. 1. The United States Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), issued a memo stating that no benefits will be distributed earlier this week, which affects 42 million people or 1 out of every 8 Americans.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a program that was created in 1939 to help no-income and low-income families needing assistance to purchase food to maintain a baseline of health and nutrition. The USDA runs the program through the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), which distributes the benefits to those who qualify through specific departments at the state level.
Those benefits first took the form of food stamps, which were a booklet of coupons with various denominations from $1 to $10. These days, SNAP recipients can make their purchases using digital electronic benefit transfer accounts, or EBT accounts, thanks to the revamping of the Food Stamp Act of 1977. Each month, the benefits are posted into the accounts and accessed through a debit card. Purchases can be made at supermarkets, convenience stores, and other retailers, including some farmers’ markets.
To qualify for SNAP, a family of four’s net income can’t exceed $31,000, which is the federal poverty line. On average, recipients get $187 monthly. Federal rules attached to the program stipulate that recipients should get their benefits, despite the Trump administration saying it’s not allowed to use a contingency fund with $5 billion in it designated for that purpose. Democratic Party-led states have argued that the money should be used, along with a separate fund of $23 billion that could be tapped into.
States have already begun advising those with EBT funds left from October to use them next month, but sparingly. Twenty-five states, including the District of Columbia, are suing the Trump administration over the suspension of benefits. A federal judge in Boston is leaning toward issuing a ruling that the government use the emergency funds. “If you don’t have money, you tighten your belt,” District Court Judge Indira Talwani said. “You are not going to make everyone drop dead because it’s a political game someplace.”
Source: Yui Mok – PA Images / Getty
On Thursday (Oct. 30), Buckingham Palace issued a statement that King Charles had “initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours” of his younger brother, Prince Andrew. The move was made to distance the British monarchy from the pressure brought about by Andrew’s ties to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. “Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor,” the statement read, formally stripping him of the title of The Duke of York.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was also directed to leave his home at the Royal Lodge, close to Windsor Castle. “His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation,” the statement read. He will reside at the royal family’s private estate at Sandringham. “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse,” the statement also said.The move is striking and rare – Andrew is the first prince to have been stripped of his title in over 100 years, after the Duke of Cumberland, who sided with the Germans in World War I. He voluntarily gave up the Duke of York title two weeks ago, after the memoir from Epstein accuser Virginia Guiffre was published, citing “the continued accusations about me” and not wanting to “distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.” His daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will retain their titles and their place of succession in the royal bloodline. As for his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, she is also expected to move out of the Royal Lodge and will no longer be referred to as the Dutchess of York.
In the book, entitled Nobody’s Girl, Giuffre wrote of having been forced to have sex with Andrew on three distinct occasions. A photograph of Andrew with Giuffre and Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001 is part of the files of Jeffrey Epstein publicly released by the U.S. government. The former royal denied that the photograph was real, but did settle a financial suit Giuffre filed against him in 2022. Giuffre would take her own life in April of this year.
