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Count Janelle Monáe among those furious at Nelly for his performance at Donald Trump’s Liberty Ball inauguration celebration on Jan. 20. Monáe hit the stage Sunday night alongside Anderson .Paak and a live band at a 2025 Grammy Awards afterparty going down at Andy’s in West Hollywood. The tuneful collective covered Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” anthem, […]

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Journalist Don Lemon is clapping back at being called a “koon” by Kanye West. Ye blamed Lemon for a rumor that he and his wife, Bianca Censori, were kicked out of the 2025 Grammys.
On Monday, Ye took to Instagram, posting a photo of Lemon alongside a message that read, “This the goofball that started the rumor that me and my wife got kicked out the Grammies. 3 decades of innovating music and they always KOONS like this.”

RELATED: Super Snubbed: 25 Music Icons Who Never Won a Grammy

Despite Ye’s claim, Don posted a response video saying that he not only did he not start the rumor, but he corrected it (by request of someone on Ye’s team).

The story gained traction after the X account Pop Base posted that Entertainment Tonight reported Ye and Bianca were “escorted out of the Grammys after showing up uninvited.” The post even included a screenshot that appeared to be from ET’s Instagram page, but it has since been deleted.
However, sources close to the Recording Academy told TMZ that Ye was an invited guest—he was nominated for Best Rap Song—and was never removed from the event. Though some speculated that her revealing look (a sheer top that left little to the imagination) might have been to blame, the couple reportedly left on their own terms after walking the red carpet.
RELATED: Hip-Hop Fashion Taking Over the 2025 GRAMMYs Red Carpet
Ye’s presence at the Grammys was a surprise, as he hadn’t attended since 2015. Given his past criticisms of the Recording Academy, some fans found it shocking that he showed up at all.

How Ye? Don Lemon Claps Back After Kanye’s “Koon” Comment & GRAMMY Rumor 
was originally published on
blackamericaweb.com

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Source: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Getty
The 2025 Grammys red carpet was a playground for bold fashion statements, especially from the rappers who showed up to steal the spotlight. Kanye West, ever the controversial figure, turned heads with his unconventional look alongside his “naked” boo, Bianca Censori. Kanye, known for pushing boundaries, kept it typically understated but intentionally strange—draped in an all black  outfit, while Bianca, had to match the “no rules” theme. It felt like a statement of raw minimalism, with their odd but eye-catching energy capturing everyone’s attention.

Jaden Smith, another fashion wild card, was at it again with a look that screamed high fashion. Sporting a head piece that looked like a castle. Jaden’s outfit seemed to be the most left field outfit on the red carpet. Smith was a living, breathing work of art that blurred the lines between fashion and performance.

Overall, the Grammys red carpet is basically a runway for self-expression, where celebs don’t just dress to impress—they dress to make a statement. It’s a place where boundaries are pushed and fashion is used as a form of art. The red carpet feels like a reflection of celebrities personalities —where style is personal and unique. The outfits seen on the carpet often mix bold streetwear elements with high fashion, creating a look that’s all about confidence and individuality. There’s no fear of breaking norms; in fact, the more daring, the better.
What makes the red carpet outfits so special? It’s all about not following trends—it’s about setting them. It’s a reminder that you can wear what feels right for you, express your personality through style, and stand out from the crowd. Whether it’s through oversized silhouettes, unexpected materials, or fierce accessories, the red carpet is a place where everyone can let their true selves shine.
Check out our full list rating some of our favorite artist looks at the 2025 Grammy’s:

On Monday morning (Feb. 3), Beyoncé announced details for her Cowboy Carter Tour. Following shortly after 2023’s record-breaking Renaissance World Tour, she could add another $300 million to her career Boxscore total.

Like most weeks, it’s a good week to be Beyoncé. Last night, she won her record-extending 33rd, 34th and 35th Grammys, including album of the year for Cowboy Carter. But one night earlier, she teased a 2025 tour for her genre-busting album, and the morning after, she confirmed it with dates and venues.

Cowboy Carter Tour will take Beyoncé across the U.S. and over to Europe, just like the routing for the Renaissance World Tour. But while her 2023 trek took a relatively traditional route through 14 European cities and then another 25 in North America, her upcoming schedule is consolidated into a series of multi-night stops in major markets.

First, the tour will begin with four shows at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., less than a half-hour drive from downtown Los Angeles. Then, two nights in Chicago and four in New Jersey (New York market). Next, Beyoncé will fly to London for four shows and to Paris for two. Finally, she’ll return Stateside for double-headers in Houston, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta.

With an initial routing of 22 shows, the Cowboy Carter Tour will be Beyoncé’s briefest solo headline tour yet, but that doesn’t mean it won’t register mammoth grosses. Using the same average ticket prices and per-show attendance from each city’s stop on the Renaissance World Tour, the 2025 trek would sprint to a finish of $294.3 million and almost 1.2 million tickets. Just two years removed from her last tour, a 4% inflation bump would bring her upcoming stint to $306 million.

But just as the initial announcement for the Renaissance World Tour grew from 41 shows to a final count of 56, additional dates for Cowboy Carter Tour could push its final gross further beyond the $300 million mark. And like its predecessor, its actual impact will go far beyond standard ticket sales.

By playing 22 shows in just eight markets over two and a half months, Cowboy Carter Tour reframes Beyoncé’s touring schedule and capitalizes on some of the frenzied energy that followed the Renaissance World Tour. During that trek, it was well–documented that fans were traversing across city, state and country lines, turning Renaissance shows into festival-style destinations. From travel and lodging to wardrobe and entertainment, the tour boosted local economies beyond the purchase of a concert ticket.

Channeling the scale of a world tour to eight major cities on either side of the pond, Cowboy Carter Tour teases each stop as a destination event. It makes sense, then, that Live Nation partner Vibee is providing curated experience packages that pair concert tickets with hotel stays and other VIP add-ons. While the company’s homepage shows similar packages for artist residencies like Bad Bunny’s upcoming 21 shows in Puerto Rico and various artists at Sphere in Las Vegas, Cowboy Carter Tour is the only proper tour featured. Further signaling a new era of concerts that double as immersive experiences, it’s another way to efficiently meet growing demand in the post-pandemic touring landscape.

Beyoncé’s Boxscore history has continued to bloom into the new decade. The Renaissance World Tour finished with $579.8 million and 2.8 million tickets in 56 shows. That’s more than double the take of 2016’s The Formation World Tour and 2018’s On the Run II Tour with Jay-Z ($256.1 million and $253.5 million, respectively), both of which had improved upon The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour ($211.9 million in 2013-14) and the original On the Run Tour ($109.6 million in 2014).

By design, simply due to the limited number of scheduled tour dates, it’s unlikely that Beyoncé will continue to one-up herself with Cowboy Carter Tour, but it will push her career totals to new heights. Dating back to the 2004 Verizon Ladies First Tour with Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott, and her first solo outing with 2007’s The Beyoncé Experience, the pop-dance-R&B-country superstar has grossed $1.3 billion and sold 11.6 million tickets over 431 reported concerts. By year’s end, those totals should climb past $1.6 billion and 12.8 million tickets.

Cowboy Carter Tour follows Beyoncé’s album of the same name. In addition to its Grammy win for album of the year, it made her the first Black artist to win best country album. Upon its release last Spring, the set debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 407,000 equivalent album units earned, according to Luminate, marking Queen Bey’s biggest week, by units, since Lemonade eight years prior. Cowboy Carter includes “Texas Hold ‘Em,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and Hot Country Songs for 10 frames.

A ticketing reform law meant to clean up the concert industry has been revived in the U.S. Senate after nearly becoming law at the end of last year.
Originally introduced by representative Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Florida), the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing Act (TICKET Act) would introduce a number of reforms to the ticket-buying process. That includes rules to increase pricing transparency, which would require sports teams and concert promoters to clearly and prominently display the full price of a concert ticket, with fees and taxes added, so that the price they first see is the price they pay at checkout.

The TICKET Act died with the end of the 2023-2024 congressional term but has been reintroduced in the U.S. Senate by senators Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri) and Ed Markey (D- Massachusetts). It heads to the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday (Feb. 5) for a hearing.

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The TICKET Act would also mandate refunds for canceled events, ban speculative ticket sales and crack down on the unauthorized use of venues, teams and artists on resell sites designed to confuse fans. Born out of the bungled Taylor Swift ticket sale for her record-breaking Eras Tour — which was crashed by scalpers and billions of bots trying to buy up tickets to flip for profit — the TICKET Act passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee in December 2023 and passed the House in June of last year in a 344 to 24 vote. The bill was even included in the first iteration of the end-of-year Continuing Resolution spending bill signed by former president Joe Biden at the end of last year before eventually being pulled from it.

Whether or not the TICKET Act ends up on President Donald Trump’s desk, one of its key tenets — all-in pricing — was solidified in December by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) when it announced a rule change tackling “junk fees.” The so-called Junk Fees Rule — which also applies to hotel rooms and airline fees — requires total price disclosure including fees for any event tickets listed for sale on the internet.

“People deserve to know up-front what they’re being asked to pay — without worrying that they’ll later be saddled with mysterious fees that they haven’t budgeted for and can’t avoid,” former FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said on Dec. 17, hours after FTC commissioners announced the rule change.

The TICKET Act isn’t the only bill designed to create a more hospitable ticketing marketplace for consumers — though some have claimed that violators of existing laws aren’t being held to account. In September, the National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) sent Khan a letter urging her to begin enforcing the 2016 BOTS Act, which prohibits scalpers from using technology that circumvents “a security measure, access control system, or other technological measure used to enforce ticket purchasing limits for events with over 200 attendees.” The Sept. 9 letter claimed NITO members had attended a ticket resale conference and “observed a sold-out exhibition hall filled with vendors selling and marketing products designed to bypass security measures for ticket purchases, in direct violation of the BOTS Act.”

In July, songwriter and music industry analyst Chris Castle wrote that the BOTS Act has only been enforced one time since its 2017 passage. He went on to argue that the government needs to focus on enforcing its existing laws before moving on to a new regime of legislation that will ultimately go “under-enforced.”

ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” dominates the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart for a record-tying 14th week. The team-up, which in November debuted as the stars’ second leader each on the list, matches Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” for the longest command in the chart’s four-year-plus history. The latter has run up its reign via at least one week at No. 1 in each holiday season since the survey began.
“APT.” concurrently rebounds for a 12th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart.

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Plus, Lola Young’s “Messy” reaches the top five, jumping to No. 5, on each ranking.

The Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.

“APT.” holds atop Global Excl. U.S. with 108 million streams (down 3% week-over-week) and 10,000 sold (down less than 1%) outside the U.S. Jan. 24-30.

Lady Gaga and Mars’ “Die With a Smile” rises 3-2 on Global Excl. U.S., following eight weeks at No. 1 starting in September, and Bad Bunny boasts two songs in the top five: “DtMF,” down to No. 3 from its No. 2 high, and “BAILE INoLVIDABLE,” which holds at its No. 4 best.

Elsewhere, Lola Young’s first Global Excl. U.S. top 10, “Messy,” surges 8-5 with 38.7 million streams (up 8%) and 7,000 sold (up 35%) outside the U.S.

Meanwhile, “APT.” rebounds 2-1 on the Global 200 with 126.2 million streams (down 3%) and 17,000 sold (essentially even) worldwide Jan. 24-30.

“Die With a Smile” ascends 3-2 on the Global 200, following eight weeks at No. 1 beginning in September, while Bad Bunny places at No. 3 with “DtMF,” down from No. 1 the past two weeks, and “BAILE INoLVIDABLE,” steady at its No. 4 high.

Plus, “Messy” bounds 9-5 with 53.9 million streams (up 11%) and 14,000 sold (up 42%) worldwide, boosted by Young’s performance of the song and her interview on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Jan. 21.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Feb. 8, 2025) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, Feb. 4. For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. What a weekend for Sabrina Carpenter. After picking up her first pair of Grammys — best pop album for Short n’ Sweet […]

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft released a powerful new Super Bowl advertisement on Monday (Feb. 3) via his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, in which Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady break down how “the reasons for hate are as stupid as they sound.”

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In the 30-second spot, the rapper and athlete are standing facing each other, spewing out that they hate each other for a variety of ridiculous reasons, including being from different neighborhoods, looking different, needing someone to blame, talking different, acting different and more.

“Man, I hate that things are so bad, that we have to do a commercial about it,” Snoop says to end the ad, and Brady agrees.

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Kraft told People that he chose the two stars in particular because “it was important to have two individuals from seemingly different walks of life to relay this campaign message,” adding, “because I think you don’t automatically think that Tom Brady and Snoop Dogg would have much in common, which is the reason they were the perfect pairing for me, for no reason to hate.”

Of asking his longtime friend Snoop to be in the commercial, Kraft recalled, “He didn’t pause, he said, ‘Brother, I’m in. I’m about preaching for love and anti-hate.’”

Kraft added that he’s “really worried about our country and the divisiveness,” noting, “What bothers me about what’s going on in America today, is that people aren’t born with hate. I think they’re born with empathy, and I believe they’re born with love. But they learn hate and they learn it because people are different than they are. And I don’t think how someone worships God, or what the color of their skin is, or the color of their hair, or what their appearance is, that people should be judged on that.”

Watch Snoop and Brady in Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism Super Bowl ad below.

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Source: ROSIE MARKS / ROSIE MARKS courtesy of Versace
Even decades after his untimely passing The Notorious B.I.G. continues to influence fashion. Versace’s newest eyewear campaign is inspired by the later rapper’s signature shades.

As per High Snobiety, the Italian luxury brand has launched a new collection of lenses inspired by The Notorious B.I.G.’s go-to sunglasses. Aptly called the “Biggie,” these frames replicate the pair that Big Poppa frequently wore during his career. In the “One More Chance” video he is spotted wearing the Versace 424 Col 852 model and the Versace 413A model in the “Hypnotize” video. He would also be frequently seen with the Versace T75, which did not feature the label’s Medusa emblem but rather the Greca branding on the temples.

Donatella Versace explained the brand’s approach to the new collection in a statement. “From Notorious B.I.G. to the extraordinary talent of today, the Biggie community are rebels, groundbreakers, and champions of the true Versace spirit,” she said. Versace has enlisted the talents of musician Sabrina Carpenter and NBA center Alexandre Sarr to bring the new collection to life. Included in the this drop are new color ways, both for sun and optical purposes. The Washington Wizards taken explained why working with Versace on the rollout made so much sense to him. “I’ve seen Biggie sunglasses worn by everyone — my NBA teammates, friends I’ve made across the globe, business guys and kids playing basketball in the yard. Biggies are for anyone who wants to give and take a bit more from life.”
You can shop the new Biggie eyewear collection here.

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Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty / Babyface
The Associated Press had to apologize to Babyface following some blatant disrespect on the Grammys’ red carpet.
Reporters for the Associated Press, Leslie Ambriz and Krysta Fauria, had to apologize after social media, specifically the Black delegation, expressed dissatisfaction with how they treated the legend, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.

Ambriz and Fauria were initially talking to Babyface but quickly lost interest in the iconic singer/songwriter when Chappell Roan appeared behind him.
Babyface quickly noticed the disrespect, telling the two thirsty reporters to interview Roan, “You guys wanna do that? Go do that,” before handing them back the microphone and walking off.

The outrage on social media was instant. Dionne Warwick said on X, formerly Twitter, “13x Grammy Award-winning Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds? Am I seeing this correctly?” and followed that up with a screenshot of the dictionary definition of the word “decorum.”

You know it’s bad when culture vulture Khloe Kardashian calls you out.

The Associated Press Apologized
The fallout was so bad that the Associated Press apologized to Babyface for the two reporters’ behavior.
“We are deeply sorry for cutting our interview with Babyface short on our YouTube livestream of the Grammys red carpet. We have apologized to him through his representative and to our viewers on the live stream,” AP’s post reads.

Folks on X aren’t accepting the apology. One person wrote in response to the AP, “Girl [middle finger emoji] you and this fake ass apology. Next time hire some real reporters and not dumb fangirls to conduct the interviews.”
Damn.
Still, it was an epic night that saw Kendrick Lamar sweep every category he’s in and cement “Not Like Us” as the greatest diss song ever, Doechii bring home a Grammy for the rap girlies, Beyoncé win “Best Country Album,” and the elusive “Album of The Year,” and Janelle Monáe piss off Michael Jackson fans.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.

2. Very true

3. Shawn Stockman from Boyz II Men with a message

4. Well deserved