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With his new album on the horizon, rapper Infinite Coles has released two new singles that have the web buzzing and speculating about his relationship with his estranged father, Ghostface Killah. But in a new interview, Coles has taken pains to state that there was no disrespect meant in either of the songs.
“It’s no disrespect at all,” he said in the interview with BET. “My dad told his story on ‘All That I Got Is You,’” referencing the duet track with Mary J. Blige from the Ironman album. “I’m just telling mine. What’s the difference? If something happened to him, I’d be devastated. And I know if something happened to me, he’d be devastated too,” Infinite continued. “I just want respect. He doesn’t have to accept me, but he can love me as his son.”
Infinite, who goes by the name SweetFace Killah, has spoken in the past about his estrangement from his famous father because of his queer identity and how it, along with other struggles, led him to truly focus on himself and his craft in 2020. “I was in a shelter during 2020 for a year,” he shared. “That was one of the hardest moments in my life. But that’s when everything started to shift. I had nothing but time to sit with myself. I started writing more, and I stopped caring about what people thought.”The self-titled album, which will be released December 5, reflects that growth, particularly in the singles “SweetFace Killah” and “Dad & I”. Both of those songs, with their respective videos, show a rapper who has some of the same prowess as their renowned parent but their own voice. “My writing got better, my voice got better, and I just became clear about what I wanted to say. I started speaking from my heart,” Infinite Coles said of his artistic growth. “I wasn’t trying to sound like nobody. I was just being me.” His hope is that he and Ghostface can “connect and understand” each other.
Trending on Billboard Reneé Rapp has been criss-crossing North America for the past month on her headlining Bite Me tour. But over the weekend, the singer and former Sex Lives of College Girls star had to pump the brakes on the final two planned gigs on the outing on doctor’s orders. Explore See latest videos, […]
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The Jonas Brothers have gotten used to being pelted with the expected waves of love and affection during their run of stadiums and arenas this year on their Jonas20: Greetings From Your Hometown tour. But those definitely weren’t just gleeful shouts of “Joe!” after the sibling trio took the field on Saturday (Oct. 24) in the middle of game two of the World Series at Toronto’s Rogers Centre to perform the song “I Can’t Lose” from this year’s Greetings From Your Hometown LP.
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In fact, the mid-game performance break at a point when the score was tied 1-1 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays as part of the annual Stand Up To Cancer tribute kind of ticked off a lot of fans who feared it was messing with the game flow and may have actually been thinking “Noooo!!!”
“If the Jays lose it’s entirely on that weird Jonas Brothers performance in the middle of the game,” one incensed fan wrote on X, with another adding, “I’m trying to watch the World Series and they doing a damn Jonas Brothers concert after the 5th inning.”
Joe Jonas heard you and the singer had the perfect response to the chorus of concern in the comments on a Major League Baseball post featuring a still pic and a video of the siblings posing on the field with the caption, “SPEECHLESS, OVER THE EDGE, JUST BREATHLESS.” Joe seemed to humorously sympathize with the confusion, commenting, “Why these guys?“
Self-deprecation aside, there were plenty of fans there to support him, with a number commenting on his comment, with one writing, “@joejonas Because they are the boys with the most beautiful soul in the world” and another adding, “@joejonas cause they’re awesome.”
MLB has been hosting the Stand Up to Cancer tribute since 2009 in which people in attendance at games hold up placards honoring those who’ve been impacted by cancer. The JoBros dedicated “I Can’t Lose” — which was the official anthem of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball coverage, with a video in support of the charity airing during July’s MLB All-Star game — to “everyone standing up to cancer.” Joe also kicked off the performance by holding up a placard for their dad, Kevin Jonas Sr., who was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2017.
The band’s 20th anniversary tour continues on Monday night with the second of two shows at Orlando’s Kia Center.
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The Boss is very much back.
Just days after walking the red carpet (and delivering a typical powerhouse performance) for Disney’s biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, Bruce Springsteen made another surprise appearance, this time for Steven Van Zandt’s Party at the Pony.
Per Rolling Stone, Springsteen joined his decades-long bandmate on stage Sunday, Oct. 26 at Asbury Park, New Jersey, for several performances, including “I Don’t Want to Go Home,” the opener and title track to Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes’ first album from 1976, which was produced and arranged by Van Zandt and includes contributions from Springsteen.
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Guests were also treated to a rendition of “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” from Springsteen’s third album, 1975’s Born to Run, and, reportedly, a performance of Eddie Floyd’s “Raise Your Hand,” a staple of Springsteen shows since the 1970s.
The evening’s program was billed as featuring members of the “E Street Band Family” with appearances by Jesse Malin, Darlene Love & Gary US Bonds, and musical guests Marc Ribler, Anthony Almonte, Curtis King Jr., Ozzie Melendez, Eddie Manion, and Barry Danielian.
The concert benefited TeachRock, a not-for-profit founded by Van Zandt which aims to improve “students’ lives by bringing the sound, stories, and science of music to all classrooms.”
Springsteen has been front and center in recent days, thanks to the theatrical release of the biographical drama, Deliver Me from Nowhere, and the well-timed arrival of Nebraska 82’: Extended Edition.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Deliver Me had to settle for fourth place in its debut after coming in behind expectations with $9.1 million domestically and $7 million internationally from 28 markets for a global start of $16.1 million, though it has yet screen in a number of major markets. The film which had been on track for an open in the $10 million-$12 million range domestically and $20 million globally.
Springsteen doesn’t have any concerts on the slate. But he has hinted at another tour Down Under. Speaking with Rolling Stone earlier this year, the Rock Hall-inducted legend admitted he was long-overdue a long haul to Australia. “I’m doing my best as we speak to get down there, hopefully next year sometime. And I feel bad,” he remarked. “I apologize to my Australian fans for not getting down on this stretch, but I want them to know that we are planning to get down there as soon as feasible, probably in the next year sometime.”
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With two nominations, Ninajirachi could seriously cash in at the first-ever New South Wales Music Prize, the finalists for which were unveiled on Monday, Oct. 27.
The Central Coast-raised artist, DJ and producer’s 2024 girl EDM collection is shortlisted for the main prize, the most lucrative in the Australian music industry which carries with it a A$80,000 ($52,000) winner’s check.
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Ninajirachi is also a chance for NSW Breakthrough Artist of the Year, with a A$40,000 ($26,000) cash prize.
The 26-year-old’s star is on the rise. With eight nominations at next month’s ARIA Awards, Ninajirachi (real name: Nina Wilson) is the leader of the pack. Separately, her debut full length album I Love My Computer (via NLV Records) is one of nine titles shortlisted for the coveted 2025 Australian Music Prize, awarded each year to the outstanding Australian album of original work from the previous year, judged by a music industry panel. In August, she was named as Billboard’s dance rookie of the month.
Other two-time NSW Music Prize nominees include 3% (Kill the Dead), BARKAA (Big Tidda), Shady Nasty (Trek) and SPEED (Only One Mode). Also in the hunt is Royel Otis, RÜFÜS DU SOL, ONEFOUR and more.
The Minns government in July announced the new prize to “celebrate, support and incentivise” the state’s most talented artists, with “the aim of inspiring the next generations of stars.”
All told, 15 artists have a chance of winning a combined prize pool of A$160,000 ($104,000), delivered by Sound NSW and decided by panels of contemporary music experts.
The three categories are:
• A$80,000 NSW Music Prize, to be awarded to the NSW artist or act whose release has had the most significant impact.• A$40,000 NSW First Nations Music Prize for an NSW First Nations artist or act whose release has had significant and meaningful impact.• A$40,000 NSW Breakthrough Artist of the Year for an emerging
Awarding the prize “will provide a vital financial boost for the winners and a big incentive for the next generation of aspiring stars,” says John Graham, NSW Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy. He adds, “we want to boost their careers, recognize the cultural importance of local music and inspire the next generation of prize winners.”
“Unless we back local musicians, the wave of algorithmically enhanced American music will continue to swamp us. We have amazing song writers and world class live performers here in NSW and this is a moment to celebrate them.
The winners will be announced at the NSW Music Prize awards ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in Sydney on Nov. 24 — the week following the ARIA Awards.
“When you look at these names you can see how much talent we have in NSW,” Graham adds. “We want to boost their careers, recognise the cultural importance of local music and inspire the next generation of prize winners.”
Visit the Sound NSW website for more.
NSW Music Prize
3% (Kill the Dead)
BARKAA (Big Tidda)
Kobie Dee (Chapter 26)
Ninajirachi (girl EDM)
ONEFOUR (Look At Me Now)
Party Dozen (Crime in Australia)
RÜFÜS DU SOL (Inhale / Exhale)
Shady Nasty (Trek)
SPEED (Only One Mode)
Vv Pete & Utility (Varvie World)
NSW First Nations Music Prize
3% (Kill the Dead)
BARKAA (Big Tidda)
Djanaba (Did I Stutter?)
Stiff Gins (Crossroads)
Ziggy Ramo (Human?)
NSW Breakthrough Artist of the Year ($40,000)
Don West
Ninajirachi
Royel Otis
Shady Nasty
SPEED
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Australia’s creative industries are savoring a “significant” victory, as the federal government stamps out controversial proposals that would weaken copyright law in the AI age.
A slew of tech companies had lobbied for an amendment to Australia’s Copyright Act, outlined in Harnessing Data and Digital Technology, the Productivity Commission’s interim report which recommended a new fair dealing exception to allow for text and data mining (TDM).
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Should the tech sector get its wishes, warned reps from the across the cultural communities, the exemption would enable AI specialists to rip copyright-protected works without permission or payment for training their platforms. The end result would crater the music space, creatives have said, and would legitimize the industrial-scale theft of music and other cultural and creative sector intellectual property.
That worst-case scenario isn’t going to happen.
Earlier today, Oct. 27, Attorney-General Michelle Rowland confirmed the government has no plans to water-down existing copyright protections, essentially burying talk of a TDM exception.
“There is a body of work to do around what the copyright environment looks like in the AI world, but we are making it very clear that we will not be entertaining a text and data mining exception,” Rowland told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s AM on Monday.
“And this is fundamental to their right as people who are generating works to ensure that they are fairly remunerated for that and that there are fair terms of use.”
Music industry bodies, including ARIA, PPCA and APRA AMCOS, welcomed the decision.
“This is a significant moment for Australian creators and our cultural sovereignty,” says Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS. “The Australian Government has recognized that Australia’s world-leading licensing framework is the pathway to ethical AI development, not a barrier to innovation.
“For far too long, the tech sector has made the false claim that Australia’s copyright framework is preventing AI development in Australia. This lobbying narrative has been thoroughly debunked.”
The industry, he continues, is “ready to work constructively to develop practical licensing solutions. This is everyday business for us. It’s time for tech companies to stop delaying and start licensing discussions covering both the input and output of creative materials in AI platforms.”
The government has made the right call, adds Annabelle Herd, CEO of ARIA and PPCA. “This decision reinforces Australia’s commitment to its artists and creative industries, ensuring that consent, control, and compensation remain at the heart of copyright in the age of artificial intelligence. It recognizes the inherent value of Australian creativity and culture, including First Nations Culture. It recognizes that copyright and IP laws are the foundation of the creative economy, the digital economy, and the technology industry.”
As Australian artists struggle to be seen and heard in the all-access streaming world, the government’s decision, Herd reckons, was a “commonsense” one, by backing the rights of artists, authors, creators, and rights-holders “over a small group of large, powerful tech companies.”
The Australian Society of Authors chimed in, too. “This represents a clear message from government that creators should be paid for their work,” says ASA CEO Lucy Hayward. “It’s also an important acknowledgement of the value of Australian stories and storytellers, and a vital first step in redressing the harm that has been caused by what has been called ‘“’the greatest act of copyright theft in history’.”
Screenrights, which provides licensing services for film, TV and radio, shared a joint statement with the Australia New Zealand Screen Association (ANZSA) and Screen Producers Australia (SPA). “We welcome the Attorney’s announcement ruling out a Text and Data Mining (TDM) exception,” it reads. “Australia’s Copyright Act is fit for purpose. This is a sensible and pragmatic decision that allows for innovation and creativity to progress hand-in-hand for the benefit of rights holders, creators, AI developers, and the Australian public and audiences.”
When the Productivity Commission’s report dropped in August, the music industry brought turned words into action. Then out came some of its big guns, including the likes of ARIA Award winners Missy Higgins and The Presets’ Julian Hamilton, Kate Ceberano, and Midnight Oil frontman and former Labor frontbencher Peter Garrett, who described the recommendation as “shameful.”
Even Spotify distanced itself from the tech giants, siding instead with the artist community, and pointing out that “musicians’ rights matter. Copyright is essential.”
In September, a delegation of industry professionals and high-profile artists, including Holly Rankin (Jack River), Adam Briggs, and Paul Dempsey, attended a Senate committee hearing, where they appealed for stronger copyright protections. Their comments, it would appear, hit their mark.
The next step, industry leaders say, is to ensure these principles are applied in practice, and that the government doesn’t dilute copyright protections.
The battle is won, but the fight goes on. The Copyright and AI Reference Group (CAIRG) reconvenes this week in the capital to examine key policy issues as AI technology develops.
“We will be in Canberra to make the case for keeping Australia’s cultural sovereignty intact,” Herd insists. “We will be there with artists and industry leaders to ensure creators’ voices shape the future of copyright and technology.”
Billboard reached out to the Tech Council for comment.
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LE SSERAFIM’s new collaboration with BTS’ j-hope has topped this week’s new music poll.
In a poll published Friday (Oct. 24) by Billboard, music fans chose the powerhouse team-up’s “Spaghetti” as their favorite new release of the week.
“Spaghetti” earned 77% of the vote, beating out new projects from Demi Lovato (It’s Not That Deep), Megan Thee Stallion (“LOVER GIRL”), Bruce Springsteen (Nebraska ’82), Daniel Caesar (Son of Spergy), Leon Thomas (Pholks), and more.
The track serves as the lead single from LE SSERAFIM’s eight-track HYBE compilation of the same name and marks j-hope’s first-ever feature on a K-pop girl group song.
Earlier in the week, the song was teased through a YouTube video titled “The Kick,” featuring j-hope in a Matrix-inspired outfit and shades, surrounded by flashing strobe lights. The clip ends with a snippet of LE SSERAFIM members — KIM CHAEWON, SAKURA, HUH YUNJIN, KAZUHA, and HONG EUNCHAE — delivering the line “eat it up.”
Speaking with Billboard Philippines, LE SSERAFIM shared insights into the making of “Spaghetti.” The song “expresses LE SSERAFIM’s charm that you just can’t get away from, like spaghetti that’s stuck in your teeth,” SAKURA said. “The part where we sing ‘eat it up’ over and over is the highlight, and since each of us members delivers it in our own styles, it adds even more playfulness to the song.”
LE SSERAFIM have been on a hot streak this year. In March, the group’s album HOT debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, marking their fifth top 10 entry and second chart-topper after 2024’s Crazy.
Placing second in this week’s poll was Lovato’s new album, It’s Not That Deep, which secured 7% of the vote.
Check out the full results of this week’s poll below, and visit Billboard’s Friday Music Guide for more must-hear new releases.
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Since Pinkpantheress first snuck into cool kids’ playlists with 2021’s “Break It Off” — and truly exploded into the world of mainstream pop with 2023’s Ice Spice-assisted “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” — the British singer-songwriter has consistently offered an incisive reflection of Gen Z’s Internet-driven, hyper-self-aware, irony-anchored humor and culture. Her bite-sized tracks helped her become one of TikTok’s earliest favorites, but her witty, honest lyricism and infectious self-produced records that blend drum and bass, garage, and alternative pop helped her transcend the volatile social media app.
On Friday night (Oct. 24), just a week after dropping her inventive Fancy Some More remix project, Pinkpantheress delivered the strongest, most fully-realized show of her career at the launch of the North American leg of her An Evening With… Pinkpantheress Tour. Kicking off her two-night residency at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre with “Stateside,” Pinkpantheress spent her set hitting all of her marks across a tri-staired platform flanked by her hilarious DJ on one end and her terrific drummer on the other. Over the course of a little over an hour, she played her entire Fancy That mixtape, which hit No. 4 on the Dance Albums earlier this year, as well as catalog highlights like “Just for Me,” “I Must Apologise,” “Another Life” and “Mosquito.”
Marking her third headlining trek in as many years, this latest tour seizes every opportunity to flaunt Pinkpantheress’ growth onstage. Not only is she visibly more comfortable — her facial expressions, banter, and sass were dialed up considerably on Friday night — but she and her creative team have also truly figured out how to streamline her aesthetics when translating her music to a live setting. Part of why Pinkpantheress has proven to be one of the most alluring new pop stars of the decade is because of its cozy DIY energy; to bring that to a 3,250-capacity venue, she enlisted the Pinkettes, the adorable faux girl group she forms during the show with her two backup dancers, both of whom donned their best Pinkpantheress-inspired garb. With The Pinkettes helping fill the stage and giving Pinkpantheress co-stars to bounce off of, the show felt much more visually complete than last year’s Capable of Love Tour.
Of course, Pink’s signature 2009 JCPenney-evoking remained paramount to the show’s visual identity, helping present her as a soft antithesis to the ultra-glamorous glitz of some of her contemporaries. Pink finds the sparkle in both the mundane and the profound, which is why she can seamlessly shift from a kitschy flip of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet (“Romeo”) to referencing nice Internet memes during her banter intermission. That intermission also proved strikingly candid, with Pink giving a heartfelt speech about her growth in confidence and comfort onstage over the past four years. “I don’t know if anyone was there for those [early shows], but I was shuffling [around],” she said. “I’m 24 now, and I started when I was 19… to be showing this newfound confidence in front of people is really exciting.”
From her Lalaloopsy-esque styling and classic jazz choreography to a surprise Zohran Mamdani appearance, here are the five best moments of Pinkpantheress’ latest tour.
DJ Joe
Trending on Billboard Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter made a rare live appearance during a surprise DJ set with Fred again.. in Paris. On Saturday (Oct. 25), the duo went B2B at Paris’ Centre Pompidou as part of Because Beaubourg, a two-day celebration marking the 20th anniversary of French record label Because Music. They were joined […]
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Snoop Dogg is celebrating his time with the No Limit crew.
The veteran hip-hop star made a surprise appearance on Saturday (Oct. 25) to show support for his former record label during its battle against Cash Money Records at ComplexCon in Las Vegas.
The “Drop It Like It’s Hot” rapper hit the stage to perform C-Murder’s classic “Down 4 My N****z,” sending the crowd at the Las Vegas Convention Center into a frenzy.
After leaving Death Row Records, Snoop joined Master P’s No Limit Records in 1998, releasing three albums — No Limit: Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told (1998), No Limit Top Dogg (1999) and Tha Last Meal (2000) — during his brief time at the label.
Saturday’s Verzuz showdown celebrated two of Louisiana’s most iconic rap labels. No Limit’s lineup included Master P, Mia X and Silk the Shocker, while Cash Money brought heavy hitters like Juvenile, B.G., Mannie Fresh and Birdman.
Fans were treated to performances of legendary tracks including “400 Degreez,” “I’m Still Fly,” “Bling Bling,” “Break Em Off Something,” “How U Do That There,” “Slow Motion,” “Project Chick,” “Bout It Bout It,” “Real Big,” and “Make Em Say Unh,” according to Complex.
In early October, Complex announced a partnership with Verzuz to relaunch the music battle series at ComplexCon. “Rather than talking so much, we just want to get to the action,” Verzuz co-founders Swizz Beatz and Timbaland said in a joint statement.
Verzuz was launched in March 2020 by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz as a creative outlet during the COVID-19 pandemic. The platform was sold to Triller Network in March 2021 but had been largely dormant for nearly three years. Its most recent battles before ComplexCon included Cypress Hill vs. Onyx; 8Ball & MJG vs. UGK; Omarion vs. Mario; and Luny Tunes vs. DJ Nelson.
Watch Snoop’s surprise appearance at the No Limit-Cash Money Verzuz battle on Instagram here, and see more photos from the event here.
