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Taylor Swift will have much to celebrate this New Year’s Day, with the musician taking home two major year-end accolades on Spotify to close out 2024.
And in response to the news that she is both Spotify’s most streamed artist of 2024 and the creator of the app’s most streamed album of the year — both things the platform announced Wednesday (Dec. 4) as part of its annual Wrapped — the 34-year-old pop star gushed about the feats in a heartfelt thank-you message to fans on Instagram Stories.
“Top Streamed Artist and Album on @spotify this year?!” Swift wrote incredulously. “You guys are unbelievable.”
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The end-of-year victories come just a couple days before the 14-time Grammy winner takes the stage for one last trio of Eras Tour shows Dec. 6-8 in Vancouver, B.C. Coincidentally, Sabrina Carpenter — a former opener on the nearly two-year trek — had the top-streamed song on Spotify in 2024, with smash hit “Espresso” racking up more than 1.6 billion global listens.
“What an amazing thing to find out going into our last weekend of eras shows,” she added in her post. “THANK YOU!”
According to Spotify, more than 26.6 billion global streams pushed Swift to the top of their artist list this year, with The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, Drake and Billie Eilish respectively finishing out 2024 as the site’s second, third, fourth and fifth most streamed artists. This turn around the sun marks the second year in a row that the “Karma” artist has been the service’s top artist, having taken the crown in 2023 as well.
In addition to her post on Stories, Swift also personally thanked fans with a video message sent out to her top listeners on Spotify. “I just wanted to say thank you so much for being one of my top listeners on Spotify, that’s so nice of you,” she said, addressing in the camera while outfitted in one of her Eras Tour leotards. “Thank you for streaming the music — it’s just been such a wild ride.”
As for the most streamed album honors, that’s only the latest feather in The Tortured Poets Department‘s cap. Swift’s expansive 11th studio album has spent a total of 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2024 and was recently certified 6x Platinum by the RIAA, meaning it has surpassed 6 million sales units in the U.S.
Swift’s streaming reign in 2024 wasn’t limited to Spotify, though. This year, she was also Apple Music’s top streamed artist, while Tortured Poets was the competing platform’s biggest album.
“Ahhhhhh thank you for listening to my music and TTPD so much!!!!” she wrote of the latter feat on her Story Dec. 3. “You, the fans, made The Tortured Poets Department the TOP STREAMED ALBUM of The Year on @applemusic!!!”
The Masked Singer crew will get a very special visit from a musical superstar on Wednesday night’s (Dec. 4) “Quarter Finals: Merging of the Masks” episode. None other than 13-time Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/producer Babyface dials into the show to deliver words of encouragement to the three-headed singing sensation Buffalos. Calling in on the show’s fuzzy, rainbow-hued […]
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Source: Anadolu / Getty / Brian Thompson
More news to prove we are living in what feels like a Netflix drama series: Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare’s Insurance division, was fatally shot Wednesday morning outside of the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan in what the NYPD is already calling a “targeted attack.”
Social media was buzzing this morning when breaking news of Brian Thompson, 50, was gunned down in broad daylight. The details, which read like the plot of a movie, claim a masked man approached Thompson, who was in town to speak at a conference Wednesday and killed him using what witnesses claimed was a “silent gun.”
Per the New York Post:
Brian Thompson, 50, was at the hotel around 6:46 a.m., arriving early for a conference, when a masked man allegedly waiting for the CEO repeatedly shot at him along Sixth Avenue before dashing off on a bicycle, police sources told The Post.
Thompson was hit in the chest, prompting a desperate attempt by first responders to save him with CPR, harrowing video shows.
He was rushed in critical condition to the Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, police said.
Surveillance photos obtained from the news site show the shooter aiming the murder weapon at Thompson in front of the posh hotel and then fleeing on a bicycle down an alley.
NYC’s embattled Mayor, Eric Adams, spoke about the shooting during a separate press conference, telling reporters, “It appears as though this was a targeted murder,” he added, “It seemed to have been clearly targeted by an individual, and we will apprehend that individual.”
Officials say no arrests have been made and are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the suspect’s arrest.
People Are Using The Apparent Assassination To Call Out United Healthcare
Social media is sharing their thoughts on the shooting. Basically, they are dragging United Healthcare for its reputation for denying coverage to customers, even alluding to the shooter being someone who was denied coverage by the company.
“I’ll be waiting on pins and needles to find out what demonic shit United Healthcare did to this man or his family,” one user on X, formally Twitter, wrote.
Another user on X wrote, “The police will be investigating every American with a United health care plan.”
Still, this is tragic news; no one deserves to be gunned down in such a manner, but people do have a point about the United States health insurance system and how terrible it is.
We will continue to follow this story to see how this all plays out. Until then, you can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. Very unerious, smh.
4. What is wrong with y’all?
Venezuelan band Rawayana announced Tuesday night (Dec. 3) that its tour scheduled for this month in Venezuela was canceled, two days after President Nicolas Maduro criticized its recent hit “Veneka” as an insult to Venezuelan women.
The announcement also comes months after the trippy-pop group openly expressed its stance against the Maduro government following the disputed July 28 presidential election.
“Our Venezuela tour CANCELED,” Rawayana wrote in a post on Instagram, explaining that ”this is how we say goodbye to our country until further notice. Our music is not made to divide.” The band also thanked its followers and asked them to be on the lookout for ticket refunds.
“Someday we’ll get together again. Now watch us conquer the world!” added the band, which just last month won its first Latin Grammy, for best pop song for “Feriado,” and received a Grammy nomination for best Latin rock or alternative album for ¿Quién Trae Las Cornetas?
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Rawayana’s canceled concerts in Venezuela were scheduled for Dec. 13-29, and included dates in Caracas, Mérida, San Cristóbal, Maracaibo, Valencia, Barquisimeto, Lechería and Margarita Island.
It was not specified if the group canceled the tour, or if it was the government. “For security issues and protection of our allies, I don’t want to give statements,” Rawayana frontman Alberto “Beto” Montenegro told Billboard Español Wednesday (Dec. 4). “What is evident doesn’t require much explanation.”
On Sunday (Dec. 1), during a speech at an event called Toma de Caracas, Maduro fiercely criticized Rawayana’s song “Veneka,” which has given a positive tone to a term considered derogatory. The song also became a viral hit on social media since its October release. “The women of Venezuela are called dignity, respect and are called Venezuelans, they are not venekas,” Maduro said. “The group that made that song as insulting, as derogatory, as horrible as ‘Veneka,’ screwed up.”
In July, when the Venezuelan electoral authority declared Maduro the winner with 51.2% of the votes (although it has not shown the documents that support the results), the opposition denounced irregularities in the count and claimed that its candidate, Edmundo González, had obtained almost 70% of the votes, Rawayana was among the many Venezuelan artists in exile who reacted to the political situation in their country.
“Venezuela has been living a great fraud for many years … an ideological, moral and ethical fraud,” Montenegro told Billboard at the time. “Unfortunately we are not surprised by another electoral fraud, we have already seen it all.”
Rawayana’s Tuesday night post — which in addition to the brief statement also includes photographs of the band’s early days in Venezuela, at the Latin Grammy red carpet and performing at a massive concert — generated dozens of reactions from major names in entertainment, media and politics.
“A new announcement will be soon. In Freedom!!!” opposition leader María Corina Machado, who has been under protection since August due to threats against her integrity, wrote in the comments section.
Danny Ocean, Elena Rose and Mau y Ricky — who were featured on the October cover of Billboard Español‘s Music from Exile: Venezuelan Voices Find Purpose in the Fight for Their Country — also responded to their compatriots’ announcement.
“Soon you will sing and we will all go to be there with you,” expressed Danny.
“There is no darkness that can stop the love we want to give to our country. Soon we will be back. For now with faith, we go on,” wrote Elena Rose.
Mau and Ricky, who had planned to share the stage with Rawayana for their first performance in their native country, wrote: “We had the illusion of going up there to sing with you for the first time there. Our dream will come true!!!! Sending hugs.”
In the United States, the band — up for a Grammy at the Feb. 2 ceremony — is confirmed for Coachella 2025, which will take place on the weekends of April 11-13 and 18-20 in Indio, Calif.
Check out Rawayana’s statement on the tour cancellation below:
LONDON — As international president of Oak View Group (OVG), Jessica Koravos has a clear vision of how she wants the U.S.-based facility management and development firm to grow its already rapidly expanding global business.
“We’re trying to be the best venue operators, offering the best entertainment experiences in the world,” she says confidently. “That’s what our goal is.”
Just over six months ago, OVG’s long-planned pivot to international markets took an embarrassing stumble with the repeatedly delayed launch of Co-op Live – the United Kingdom’s biggest indoor music venue and the firm’s first major project outside the United States.
When the official opening for the 23,500-capacity arena, located in Manchester, was pushed back by three weeks following a series of highly publicized delays — including part of a ventilation system falling from the roof just prior to a show by rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie – Co-op Live became the butt of jokes on social media and generated a slew of negative headlines.
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“It looked worse in the media than it felt on the ground,” reflects Koravos, half a year on from the venue’s troubled launch. “In the grand scheme of things, when you have been working on a project for five years, spent £400 million ($505 million) on it and it’s three weeks late, there’s a long-term perspective that says: ‘This is not the end of the world.’ When you look at it in the context of other big infrastructure projects in the U.K. I don’t think it’s going to go down in history anywhere on the list of problematic deliveries.”
Co-op Live eventually opened its doors May 8 with a headline show by local rock group Elbow. Since then, the venue has quickly become established as a key destination in the European touring circuit, selling over one million tickets and staging over 60 shows to date, including stopovers by Pearl Jam, Nicki Minaj, Liam Gallagher, Keane, Janet Jackson, Charli XCX and the Eagles‘ five-night sellout run – the group’s only U.K. dates on its farewell tour.
A general view of the Co-op Live arena as Elbow performs the inaugural live show at Co-op Live on May 14, 2024 in Manchester, England.
Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage
In November, Co-op Live hosted the MTV European Music Awards (EMAs), featuring performances from Benson Boone, Teddy Swims, Tyla and Busta Rhymes, which had a global digital reach (excluding broadcast) of over 7 billion, according to the venue’s post-event analysis. Upcoming shows at the arena include Paul McCartney, Slipknot, Cyndi Lauper and Sabrina Carpenter.
Co-op Live is one of seven new arenas that OVG has built and opened in the last two years, including the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, UBS Arena in New York and Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, Calif. The fast-growing firm, co-founded in 2015 by former AEG CEO Tim Leiweke and ex-Live Nation chairman Irving Azoff, which operates more than 400 buildings globally, also has arenas under development in Nigeria, Canada and Wales, and is “actively looking” for opportunities to further expand its global footprint, says Koravos.
This fall saw the launch of a new division, OVG Stadia, headed by Chris Wright, dedicated to growing the company’s global stadium business. Its remit includes identifying international markets to develop and build new multi-purpose stadiums, as well as expanding OVG’s roster of stadium clients, which includes London’s Wembley Stadium, Scotland’s Murrayfield Stadium, Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego and the historic Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas. The company is additionally pursuing arena development and partnership opportunities in the U.K., Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
“That showcase of Co-op Live is very helpful and we have a lot of other cities [around the world] now saying, ‘Can we have one of those?’” says London-based Koravos, who served as president of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group and formerly held senior roles at AEG Live and AEG Europe before joining OVG.
Ballooning construction costs means “it’s easier said than done,” she cautions, “but we’ll find a way.”
Koravos declines to discuss Leiweke’s publicly stated aim of building a new music arena in London, saying only that there are “announcements to come in the U.K. and continental Europe.”
In the meantime, Oak View Group is looking to grow its share of the live music business by making its full suite of venue services, including hospitality, management, booking, marketing, facility development and sponsorship sales, available to non-OVG affiliated venue owners and third-party operators in Europe, like it already does in the U.S.
To support the rollout, OVG International has bulked up its executive team with recent appointments including former Co-op Live interim general manager Rebecca Kane Burton as executive vice president of venue management and Michalis Fragkiadakis as vice president of hospitality strategy, responsible for driving forward OVG’s food and beverage business following last year’s acquisition of U.K.-based hospitality provider Rhubarb Hospitality Collection. They will be supported by Sam Piccione, international president of sales, Alex Reese, commercial and brand strategy director, and Gary Hutchinson, vice president of booking and commercial partnerships.
“We take pride in the fact that we think about third party business in the same way that we think about our own,” says Koravos. She points to OVG completing “$5 billion worth of naming rights and sponsorship [deals] in the last three years” as evidence of the “industry-leading expertise” that it is offering to venues and live music businesses. Current venue service clients outside North America include football clubs Birmingham City FC, Real Betis and AS Roma, Manchester-based arts venue Aviva Studios and Lloyd Webber Theatres.
“There are lots of facilities, arenas and stadiums all around Europe who would like to host concerts and that’s something that we’re trying to help to see if we can open up more markets for music internationally,” says Koravos. “Our goal is not to win all the contracts and to be everywhere. It’s to be with the right partners that share our values.”
Taylor Swift loves Travis Kelce, but it’s definitely not ruining her life — especially as the Kansas City Chiefs tight end supports her on projects such as the “Fortnight” music video, according to cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto.
In an interview with People published Wednesday (Dec. 4), the filmmaker — who worked on the pop star’s gothic The Tortured Poets Department visual — opened up about how Kelce was on hand to be with his superstar girlfriend during filming. “Travis is a lovely man,” Prieto said. “They both are.”
“I would say that it seems like their parents educated them well,” he continued of the couple, who have been dating since mid-2023. “They are not just polite, but actually interested in what others have to say. I think she felt very supported by his presence, and probably also proud to show him what she does, and the kind of leader she is.”
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Swift herself previously touched on having the New Heights podcaster on set with her during the making of the “Fortnight” visual, which is nominated for best music video at the 2025 Grammys. While accepting the coveted video of the year award alongside duet partner Post Malone at the 2024 VMAs in September, she told fans, “This video seems very sad when you watch it, but it was actually the most fun video to make.”
“I would always just hear someone cheering, like, ‘Whoo!’ from across the studio — that one person was my boyfriend, Travis,” she continued at the time. “Everything this man touches turns to happiness and fun and magic, so I want to thank him for adding that to our shoot.”
Also featuring cameos from Dead Poets Society‘s Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles, the “Fortnight” video marked just the latest self-directed project from Swift, who has previously masterminded her visuals for “Anti-Hero,” “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” and more. While speaking to People, Prieto shed some insight on the Eras Tour headliner’s creative process.
“I find it amazing that she has such a vivid imagination for music, lyrics, and images,” he told the outlet. “She is a storyteller at heart, and she uses all the mediums at her disposal to express herself.”
“One thing I have loved of being on set with her is that when we are discussing a camera angle or a moment of the story of the video, is that she will softly sing to herself the lyrics of the moment in question,” he continued. “She connects each lyric to an image. It’s never about just filming random stuff to figure out in the edit. She creates a script where the images have a meaning that is intrinsically related to a moment in the song.”
Parmalee earns its fourth leader on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart as “Gonna Love You” jumps 6-1 on the list dated Dec. 7. During Nov. 22-28, it advanced by 28% to 28.8 million audience impressions, according to Luminate.
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The single, from the band’s upcoming LP, was written by Parmalee frontman Matt Thomas with Abram Dean, David Fanning and Andy Sheridan. It was produced by Fanning (who is also the group’s manager). Parmalee records for Stoney Creek Records, under the Broken Bow Records umbrella.
The act is rounded out by Scott Thomas (Matt’s brother), Barry Knox (a cousin of the Thomases) and Josh McSwain.
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The official video for “Gonna Love You” starkly chronicles a shooting involving armed robbers on the band’s bus following a show in 2010, which culminated with Scott Thomas being critically injured.
“‘Gonna Love You’ is personal to all four of us,” the band collectively tells Billboard. “It allowed us to tell our story and film the music video, which recreates the night we were robbed after a show that resulted in a shooting. A lot of people think it’s just a love song, so it’s been amazing hearing and seeing the responses when they see the video and find out what the song is really about. Having it connect with so many people and go to No. 1 is pretty emotional. But at the same time, we’re like, hell yeah … it was the right song at the right time for us.”
“Gonna Love You” follows Parmalee’s “Girl in Mine,” which reached No. 3 on Country Airplay in October 2023. Before that, the group led with “Take My Name,” for two weeks in June 2022, and “Just the Way,” with Blanco Brown (one week, March 2021). The act first reigned with “Carolina” for a week in December 2013 and has scored two additional top 10s: “Already Callin’ You Mine” (No. 10, December 2015) and “Close Your Eyes” (No. 4, December 2014).
Shaboozey Parties On
Shaboozey’s multi-genre smash “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” logs a 24th week atop Hot Country Songs, tying Walker Hayes’ “Fancy Like” (2021-22) and Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” (2012-13) for the fifth-longest command since the chart became the genre’s singular songs survey in 1958. The tracktotaled 68.1 million in all-format airplay audience, 20.5 million official U.S. streams and 9,000 sold Nov. 22-28.
A week earlier, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” tied Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, for the longest command – 19 weeks – in the all-genre Billboard Hot 100’s history.
Zach Top 10
Zach Top’s“I Never Lie” rises 13-10 on Hot Country Songs, awarding the Sunnyside, Wash., native his first top 10. His co-written single drew 8.8 million streams (up 13%) and sold 2,000. On Country Airplay, it climbs 39-33 (4.5 million impressions, up 33%). The song follows Top’s “Sounds Like the Radio,” which reached Nos. 29 and 15 on the charts, respectively.
Billboard staffers are ranking the 10 Hottest Female Rappers of 2024. From Megan Thee Stallion to Latto to Cardi B, we’re explaining why these artists made our list. Do you agree with No. 1? Let us know who you think your Hottest Female Rapper of 2024 is in the comments below! Carl Lamarre:The Hottest Female […]
A time capsule of Jay-Z’s decorated career was on display at the Brooklyn Public Library in 2023, and the immersive exhibit has been turned into The Book of HOV: A Tribute to Jay-Z.
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Published by Assouline, The Book of HOV coffee table book was released on Wednesday (Dec. 4), which is also Jay’s 55th birthday.
The classic version of the collector’s item is available for $120, while the ultimate version is going to run fans $2,000, as a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Brooklyn Public Library. The tome is filled with nearly 700 iconic images broken down into eight chapters depicting different pillars of Jay-Z’s artistry, along with personal essays penned by those who know the Roc Nation mogul best.
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One of those legendary images from Jay’s career is his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, from when he became the first solo rap act to enter the HoF as part of the class of 2021. But it wasn’t exactly a smooth ride from the time Mr. Carter received the induction call to getting on stage at the ceremony to make a moving acceptance speech.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame chairman John Sykes had his work cut out for him convincing Hov to make the trip to Cleveland, and Billboard can exclusively reveal his poignant essay as an excerpt from The Book of HOV.
Sykes recalled Jay imploring, “Rock is dead. Rap is the new rock!” He spent the next half-hour explaining how six of the first 10 artists in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were Black, and there would be no rock n’ roll without Black artists.
“My last words, as I pleaded for Jay to come to Cleveland to accept his award, were that rock n’ roll is not any one sound, rather a gumbo,” he wrote. “To paraphrase the great Barry Gordy, rock n’ roll created the sound of young America. It’s a spirit, and the spirit of hip-hop and rap connected rock n’ roll with an entirely new generation.”
Sykes was in the dark and didn’t hear from Hov until Jay-Z and his family showed up in Cleveland on Oct. 30, 2021, and the chairman could breathe a sigh of relief. The rapper’s induction video included star-studded cameos from wife Beyoncé, LeBron James, Rihanna, Chris Rock, Usher, Rick Ross, Dave Letterman and his daughter Blue Ivy.
Introduced by Dave Chappelle, Jay-Z took the stage and moved the room with his speech detailing his journey from Marcy Projects to mogul status, while paying respect to the legends who paved the way before him.
Read the excerpt in full below.
The Book of HOV: A Tribute to Jay-Z
There have been few times in my years in the music industry where I have been a witness to asingle moment that changed popular culture forever. Being in the room when we launchedMTV on August 1st , 1981, was one of them. The night of October 30th, 2021, in Cleveland,Ohio was another.
The occasion was the 36th Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony at a sold-out sportsarena in Cleveland, just down the street from the storied Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum. The museum was established to honor those artists whose original sounds created and promoted the growth of Rock and Roll Music and had a profound impact on culture. Gathered backstage that evening was a “who’s who” in music and arts, from Paul McCartney to Taylor Swift, Dave Chappell, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Eminem, Lionel Richie, Keith Urban, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Lopez and more. All had traveled to Cleveland from around the globe to induct and honor the Class of 2021 inductees which included: LL Cool J (the original GOAT), Tina Turner, Clarence Avant, The GoGo’s, The Foo Fighters, Billy Preston, Charley Patton, Carole King, Gil Scott-Heron, Kraftwerk, Fela Kuti, Todd Rundgren, Randy Rhoads, and JAY-Z.
I had just been named the third Chairman in the history of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which was founded in 1986. It was a dream job for me, as a lifelong obsessed music fan. I accepted the position with one promise and vision; to honor the original mission of the Hall, which was to recognize artists who, regardless of race, gender, or style, contributed to the continued growth and spirit of Rock & Roll music. Rock & Roll was born in 1955 not from one singular sound, but rather a collision of Rhythm & Blues, Gospel, and Country, and continues to evolve as new artists and sounds are created.
Artists spend their entire careers hoping to one day be inducted into the Hall of Fame. It’s a rare honor. On the day the ’21 inductees were announced, I personally called my longtime friend JAY Z to give him the good news. We had worked together for over two decades during my time at MTV, VH1, iHeartRadio, and as a board member of the New York charity, the Robin Hood Foundation. I was beyond excited, as JAY had made the coveted ’21 inductee list on his first year of eligibility, which is a seldom accomplished feat. And, while the Hall of Fame had previously inducted great rappers like Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy and N.W.A, JAY stood out. He was not only the greatest rapper of his time but was now an icon for bringing Hip Hop to the mainstream, as well as becoming an enormously successful business executive, and a beacon for culture.
This was exactly the direction that I envisioned the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame moving towards. However, JAY’s response to my good news was not exactly what I was expecting. “Rock is dead,” he said. “Rap is the new Rock.” For the next 30 minutes I explained to him that “Rock” is not “Rock & Roll”. Yes, it’s an important part, but it’s only one part. In fact, six of the first ten artists inducted into the Hall of Fame were Black: James Brown, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke, and Little Richard. The next year Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and Bo Diddley were inducted. Without Black artists there would be no Rock & Roll.
My last words, as I pleaded for JAY to come to Cleveland to accept his award, were that Rock & Roll is not any one sound, rather a gumbo. To paraphrase the great Barry Gordy, Rock & Roll created the sound of young America. It’s a spirit, and the spirit of Hip Hop and Rap connected Rock & Roll with an entirely new generation.
Then, we waited.
On the induction evening of October 30th JAY-Z arrived in Cleveland with his family and team. After a moving induction video featuring “A-list” pop culture icons, including a former President of the United States, Dave Chappelle took the stage to give a powerful induction speech. He then invited JAY to come up to accept his statue. What followed was a speech for the ages. Just like Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, or Paul McCartney did before him, JAY told the 16,000 people in the room, and millions more watching on television, his own story of being turned down by record companies who called his music “trash”, and how he refused to compromise, never giving in to conventional wisdom. JAY looked over to his fellow inductee LL Cool J and gave him his admiration and thanks. He then ended his passionate speech, holding his statue high in the air proclaiming, “Now THAT’s Rock & Roll”.
The crowd roared. JAY smiled and walked off the stage and to the exit, knowing that he had accomplished his mission of recognizing rap as a true force in music and culture, while at the same time opening the door for the next generation of musical dreamers and creators to follow in his footsteps and continue to honor and evolve the attitude, spirit, and many sounds of Rock & Roll.
John SykesChairman, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
After releasing the first iteration of the Hottest Female Rappers List in June, Billboard returns with the final rankings for 2024.