News
Page: 237
Nelly thinks Diddy wouldn’t stand a chance against Jermaine Dupri in a Verzuz. The St. Louis rapper visited Drink Champs recently, where he was asked to choose between Timbaland and Dupri, and the convo veered into a Verzuz that — for whatever reason — never came to fruition. “Respectfully, and outside of current situations,” he […]
Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik may not be a couple anymore, but they’ll always be on the same team thanks to their daughter, Khai.
In a Vogue cover story published Tuesday (March 11), the model got candid about her co-parenting relationship with the former One Direction star. She and Malik dated for about six years — and welcomed Khai in September 2020 — before calling it quits in 2021 following a dispute between the singer and Gigi’s mother, Yolanda Hadid.
“Zayn and I do our custody schedules months in advance,” the Victoria’s Secret Angel told the publication, noting that she and her ex plan everything around the weeks they respectively have their daughter. “That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t change here and there, but we help each other out and have each other’s backs.”
Gigi went on to say that she and Malik both approach their co-parenting relationship with “love and a feeling of camaraderie,” though it’s sometimes difficult knowing that parts of their history will forever be public knowledge. Though she didn’t mention it specifically, one of the most talked-about moments in the former couple’s relationship — and subsequent breakup — is definitely the 2021 incident in which Malik was accused of grabbing and shoving Yolanda. The “Pillowtalk” singer later pleaded no contest to four counts of harassment and agreed to serve 360 days of probation as well as complete anger management and domestic violence programs.
“There is the hard part of the world knowing this much, and thinking they know everything,” Gigi told Vogue. “At the end of the day, we’re not interested in giving everyone our whole story. What we are interested in is raising our daughter together, with so much respect for each other, and not just as co-parents, but what we’ve been through together.”
Gigi is now dating actor Bradley Cooper, whom she met at a birthday party for a mutual friend’s child. Calling their relationship “very romantic and happy,” the model said, “I think just getting to the point where knowing what you want and deserve in a relationship is essential.”
“Then to find someone that is in a place in their life where they know what they want and deserve … and you both do work separately to come together and be the best partner that you can be,” she added. “I just feel really lucky. Yeah, lucky’s the word.”
See Gigi on the cover of Vogue below.
Tina Knowles revealed that Beyoncé is stepping away from the film world, and we’re running through her biggest blockbusters. What do you think of Beyoncé being done with the film world? Let us know in the comments below! Tetris Kelly: Beyoncé said she is done with movies! Her mama, Tina, broke it all down as […]
Benson Boone might appear confident onstage, but things are a bit different behind the scenes. The rising star discussed his self-consciousness surrounding his appearance in a new interview with Rolling Stone published on Tuesday (March 11), especially since his fanbase is primarily young women who view him as a heartthrob. “There is an art to […]
Ian has seemingly responded to Tyler, The Creator after the Grammy-winning rapper subliminally dissed him during an interview with Maverick Carter last year. Ian pulled up to the Lyrical Lemonade studios on Monday to deliver his fiery “Lunch Break Freestyle,” which saw him reference his love for Odd Future while growing up and address some […]
Three months after SiriusXM pivoted away from its streaming app in favor of its core in-car satellite listeners, the company further thinned its ranks on Monday (March 10) with a new round of layoffs. The cuts came primarily in the company’s product and technology group and were part of the strategic shift announced in December, according to a company spokesperson. The company did not specify the number of employees affected.
Monday’s layoffs mark the third time in as many years that SiriusXM has cut its workforce. The company also laid off 3% of its employees in February 2024 and 8% of its employees in March 2023. The company described the previous two rounds of layoffs as necessary to build its platform and invest in technology to generate growth. Satellite subscription growth has stalled in recent years, though, and the company’s effort to attract new subscribers with a lower-priced streaming app brought disappointing results.
Trending on Billboard
In December, the company returned its emphasis to satellite listening, planning to “tak[e] steps to drive profitability and cash flow as we face marketplace headwinds impacting the company’s growth trajectory,” CEO Jennifer Witz said in December. At the same time, SiriusXM named former Google and Viacom executive Wayne Thorsen as COO in charge of the company’s product and technology, corporate strategy and parts of the commercial business. Thorsen’s arrival coincided with the departure of chief product and technology officer Joseph Inzerillo.
One of the products SiriusXM is using to bring in new subscribers is a lower-cost, ad-supported satellite service that had a limited launch in 2024. “In having an ad-supported tier, it gives us a place where we can market to these individuals,” CFO Tom Barry said Tuesday (March 11) during the Deutsche Bank Media, Internet & Telecom Conference. “We can bring them up to a higher price point as they appreciate and they increase their engagement in the product.” The full roll-out is expected to happen at some point in 2025, “but it could slip,” he added.
Advertising continues to be a problem, however. As concerns build over the Trump administration’s tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada, SiriusXM started “to see a drop-off” in advertising in the last “couple of weeks,” particularly in consumer-packaged goods brands, said Barry, adding, “I would say we’re cautious about where the ad industry is going right now.”
More subscriber losses are expected in 2025. SiriusXM is reducing its marketing spending on the streaming app and will “tighten” the terms of promotional plans, Barry said, which should result in the loss of approximately 200,000 subscribers this year. That drop would follow a 4% decline in subscribers in 2024, when SiriusXM revenue fell 3% to $8.7 billion.
A few unsuspecting Little Monsters were learning the choreography to Lady Gaga‘s “Abracadabra” when, just like magic, the pop star appeared right in front of them for an emotional surprise.
In a video shared by Mastercard on Tuesday (March 11), Gaga secretly watches from behind a one-way mirror as a handful of fans take a class with one of the 14-time Grammy winner’s longtime dancers, who teaches them some of the moves from the “Abracadabra” music video. “[There’s] something about Little Monsters that is this deep connection,” Gaga says while looking on proudly. “They were just giving it their all — I didn’t expect myself to feel so emotional.”
After finishing the dance, the group posed for a photo — at which point the A Star Is Born actress suddenly popped out from behind the sliding mirror. In response, the shocked fans loudly screamed and cheered, some of them covering their mouths with surprise.
Gaga then sat on the floor with the Little Monsters for a heart-to-heart conversation, during which the fans told her their personal stories about how long they’ve been fans. “The purpose for why I kept making music really was all of you,” the vocalist told the group. “It means so much to me, the way you have been celebrating this song.”
“Abracadabra” was one of three singles that preceded Gaga’s new album, Mayhem, along with Billboard Hot 100-topper “Die With a Smile” featuring Bruno Mars and “Disease.” The full LP dropped March 7, marking the musician’s first album since 2020’s Chromatica.
Gaga has long maintained a special relationship with her fans, but in a recent interview with Billboard, the star said that something about the Mayhem era that’s brought them even closer. “I’ve seen Little Monsters be so amazing for almost 20 years,” she said at the time. “I haven’t seen us like this in a long time.”
“Between the dancing, the makeup, the hair, the costumes, it gives me so much life,” she continued. “I am really honored. All I ever want to do is make something that you press play and you feel good for the duration of the record, and maybe you play it again.”
Watch Gaga surprise her fans above.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Ron Galella, Ltd. / Getty
Now that Ma$e is back in the spotlight thanks to his and Cam’ron’s highly successful sports talk show, It Is What It Is, it seems like the former Bad Boy artist is readying his long-awaited return to the rap scene, as he’s announced that he has a new project in the works.
During the March 7 episode of It Is What It Is, Ma$e revealed that not only does he have a new album on the way, but that he’s dropping it on the same day that Diddy’s trial is set to begin! Once known as Murda Ma$e when he first came into the rap game, could the artist also formerly known as Pastor Ma$e be trading in his former monikers for something like Petty Ma$e? We don’t know, but it certainly seems to fit the bill. But hey, we’re not mad at him one bit.
During his conversation with former football player Maurice Clarett, Ma$e let it “slip” out that he was working on a new album and that Cam’ron was helping him pick and choose which songs would make the cut saying, “I’m listening to the songs that Killa picked out of the stuff I made.” When asked when we would be hearing his new project, Ma$e didn’t hesitate to say, “May 25. The first day of the Diddy trial. We’re dropping. You like that? You made me put it out there. I wasn’t going to put that out there, but Mo, you made me.”
While the Diddy trial is actually slated to begin on May 5, Ma$e is clearly looking to send a message to his former boss and might just tweak his release date once he realizes the trial is set to begin a lot sooner than he originally thought.
Interestingly enough, Ma$e is also revisiting a trend from Hip-Hop’s golden era by releasing a double album, which would’ve consisted of a double CD (do kids even know what CDs are these days?), but he’s taking it a step further by dropping a triple album so things can be “even.” What that means to him is anyone’s guess, as it could be related to business or simply a personal statement. But regardless, it will be interesting to see what Ma$e and Cam have been cooking in the lab come May.
Will Ma$e have songs aimed directly at Diddy? Will it be ready for a May 5 release date? Will his day one fans want to hear what he has left in the tank?
Are y’all looking forward to a new Ma$e album? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
The numbers don’t look good for festival promoters — and they’re getting worse.
Since the end of the pandemic, the economics of stadium concerts have become so much more favorable for fans and artists that major festival promoters are losing headliners who can dependably drive ticket sales.
Take Zach Bryan. In 2023, the then-rising star headlined the Railbird Festival in Lexington, Ky.; the Two Step Inn Festival in Georgetown, Texas; the Pilgrimage Festival in Franklin, Tenn.; and Under the Big Sky in Whitefish, Mont., among the eight that he performed at that year.
After playing just two festivals last year and releasing a wildly successful fifth studio album in July, Bryan, now a superstar, had festival buyers rejoicing in September when he was announced as the opening headliner for 2025’s Stagecoach festival. But instead of signing on as the top draw for other country festivals like Faster Horses or Tortuga, Bryan opted to partner with Stagecoach producer AEG Presents for 10 large-scale shows this summer, including stadium dates in New York, San Francisco and Ann Arbor, Mich., at the newly rebuilt Michigan Stadium, the largest such venue in the country, which will host Bryan as its inaugural concert.
He’s not alone. Festival staples like Post Malone and Kendrick Lamar, who performed at 10 apiece in 2023, are mostly ditching those live events this summer in favor of stadium concerts in major markets like Los Angeles, where the SoFi Stadium is hosting a record 19 shows from Beyoncé, The Weeknd, Shakira, Blackpink and more during the first half of the year.
Trending on Billboard
Add in stadium dates from Coldplay and Metallica and a co-headliner tour with Chris Stapleton and George Strait, and it’s easy to see why festival promoters are feeling suffocated by the abundance of stadium concerts in most major markets.
“The popularity of stadium concerts represents a significant challenge to festivals,” says Josh Kurfirst, a partner at WME who runs the agency’s 40-person festival department. From a competitive standpoint, festivals face a number of disadvantages compared with stadium concerts “that are very difficult to overcome,” he explains.
The biggest of those drawbacks is the economics. At most, festival headliners earn $5 million to $6 million per appearance, while an artist with an aggressively priced stadium show can generate double that amount. The trade-off is the costs an artist pays — a festival slot has little to no costs to cover, while a stadium headliner is responsible for nearly all of the show’s expenses. On a one-to-one basis, an artist’s net from a big festival date might be the same as what the artist would earn from a stadium show. But when those costs are amortized over a dozen stadium dates, the economics heavily favor the stadiums. That’s especially true in 2025, when the number of festivals capable of paying out high-seven-figure headliner slots has dropped significantly while the number of markets hosting stadium shows has increased.
The numbers work in favor of consumers as well. Most stadium concert tickets cost $200 to $300, while festival tickets have climbed considerably in recent years to offset rising costs, often averaging $400 to $700 per attendee. And while most festivals stretch out to several days and include access to dozens of artists, “many fans would prefer to spend an afternoon at a concert seeing their favorite artists and knowing that they have a seat to sit down in and access to basic creature comforts,” says Jarred Arfa, executive vp/head of global music at Independent Artist Group.
“It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, and there’s significantly more work involved in promoting a stadium concert than booking an artist on a festival,” Arfa continues. “But in general, a stadium concert is more appealing to older fans than a GA pass to a festival.”
That said, Arfa points out that the number of acts capable of leaping from festival headliner to the top of a stadium tour lineup is quite small and that as early incubators of artists, festivals have the resources and reach needed to cultivate a new generation of top talent.
Kurfirst adds that the headliners come and go for most major festivals and that the best brands tend to be defined by their cultural significance, the fan experience and the community that supports the festival. To remain relevant, maintain ticket demand and attract star acts, he says festival organizers need to understand the appeal of their brand and “double down on superserving the fan. Find out what your audience wants and deliver it to them in a way that no one else can.”
This story appears in the March 8, 2025, issue of Billboard.
The 2025 Baja Beach Fest lineup has been announced with J Balvin, Don Omar, and Maluma joining this year’s festival as headliners. They will be performing at the beachfront event on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively. Returning to Rosarito Beach, Mexico from August 8 to 10, Natanael Cano and some of his artist friends are also scheduled for a special performance on Sunday.
The festival’s 2023 edition marked a pivotal moment, as the festival, initially dedicated to música urbana, embraced regional Mexican music, spotlighting Tijuana’s own Grupo Firme. Last year, Peso Pluma, Fuerza Regida, and Xavi made waves at the festival—the former two as headliners.
This year, a wave of Música Mexicana stars have already been confirmed including Tito Double P, Oscar Maydon, and for the first time at the fest, Los Tucanes de Tijuana.
Also making her Baja Beach debut this year is Anitta, who’s part of the lineup that includes El Alfa, Wisin, Arcangel, Young Miko, Myke Towers, Danny Ocean, Rels B, and Blessd. Newcomers Cris MJ, Yerimua, and De La Rose also form part of the festival that embodies the slogan “Menos hate, Más perreo” (less hate, more twerking).
Since its inception in 2018 by founders Aaron Ampudia and Chris Den Uijl, Baja Beach Fest 2025 continues to build on its legacy as a must-attend event, especially for Southern California residents, with Rosarito being a 45-minute drive south of San Diego, Calif.
For ticket sales and more information, visit the Baja Beach Fest website here, and check out this year’s full lineup below: