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Nathy Peluso dazzled during her late-night TV debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday (Dec. 2), captivating audiences with a powerful performance of “El Día Que Perdí Mi Juventud” and “Corleone” from her latest album, Grasa. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Adorned in an […]
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Huge news coming out of the long-winded YSL case. The last two defendants, Deamonte Kendrick aka Yak Gotti & Shannon Stillwell have been found not guilty of murder in the gang trial. Yak walks free with no charges, while Shannon is convicted on one charge for having a gun as a felon. Even though he was found not guilty on the other charges, he still got the full 10-year sentence. Since he already served 2 years, that time counts, and he’ll finish the rest on probation.
Less than 48 hours after getting into a fight and getting stabbed by another inmate, Yak Gotti walks out of the YSL trial with a not-guilty verdict.
This follows the release of Young Thug, the superstar and face of YSL, on October 31st, 2024. Thugger flipped his plea to guilty in the massive YSL case in Georgia, which is one of the longest-running trials in the state’s history. The case tried to link his label YSL to a street gang, accusing them of crimes like drugs and violence. Which taking the plea deal, Thug avoided a long sentence and got out sooner than people thought. Now that the Stoner rapper is free, he still has to follow certain rules like:
Banned from Metro Atlanta for 10 years, except for family weddings, funerals, graduations, or serious illnesses
Must give four annual anti-gang/gun presentations/concerts in Metro Atlanta
Allowed to travel for work
No contact with gang members or co-defendants (except his brother and Gunna)
Forbidden from promoting gang-related
content in any form
Big day for the YSL label!
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President Joe Biden is nearing the end of his term, and as that time nears, he has just weeks to make any sweeping orders before he leaves office at the top of next year. Hunter Biden, the first child of a sitting United States president to be convicted of a crime, was pardoned by President Joe Biden over the weekend, sparking critique from lawmakers and other figures on both sides of the aisle.
President Joe Biden issued the pardon of Hunter Biden on December 1 and the flurry of comments since the news broke have ranged from understanding a father’s position to protect their children to those bashing Biden for reneging on a promise to not grant his son’s clemency.
Not surprisingly, many of Biden’s opponents from the Republican Party had plenty to say, including President-elect Donald Trump. Trump took to his TruthSocial platform and called the pardon “an abuse and miscarriage of Justice” while calling for the pardon of 29 inmates at the District of Columbia Jail, who he referred to as “J-6 hostages.”
For comparison purposes, Biden has granted just 26 pardons in his time in office while Trump pardoned 143 individuals during his time, some of which were questioned.
Beyond Trump, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer spoke on the pardon and did not mince words.
“Joe Biden has lied from start to finish about his family’s corrupt influence peddling activities. Not only has he falsely claimed that he never met with his son’s foreign business associates and that his son did nothing wrong, but he also lied when he said he would not pardon Hunter Biden,” Comer wrote.
Rep. Greg Stanton, a Democrat representing Arizona’s 4th Congressional District, took to X to blast the pardon.
“I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong. This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers,” Stanton said.
Adding to the criticism from members of Biden’s party, Rep. Greg Landsman of Ohio wrote on X, “As a father, I get it. But as someone who wants people to believe in public service again, it’s a setback.”
Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas appeared on MSNBC and pushed back on the comments made by her colleagues on both sides and spoke in her usual direct fashion.
“So, for anyone that wants to clutch their pearls now because he decided that he was going to pardon his son, I would say take a look in the mirror because we also know that when it comes to this cabinet, this cabinet has more people accused of sexual assault than any incoming cabinet probably ever in the history of America,” Crockett said. “So we are living in unprecedented times, and we know that this was completely political.”
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Because they knew each other, Kristin Chenoweth and Ariana Grande have been changed for good — and now, they have matching jackets to prove it.
On Monday (Dec. 2) — just over a week after Jon M. Chu’s Wicked premiered in theaters Nov. 22 — the 56-year-old singer-actress revealed on Instagram that she’d surprised the 31-year-old pop star with coordinating pink denim coats while on set together. In the film, Grande plays Glinda — a role Chenoweth originated on Broadway — while the Our Little Secret star makes a cameo alongside Idina Menzel, who first played Cynthia Erivo’s role of Elphaba.
“Leading my babygirl down the yellow brick road,” Chenoweth captioned her post, sharing multiple photos of herself and the “Yes, And?” singer posing in their new apparel. “I surprised @arianagrande with these jackets on set at @wickedmovie… a little physical memento of our ‘passing of the wand.’”
The backs of the jackets feature custom illustrations of Grande and the Broadway legend holding hands while walking down Oz’s famous Yellow Brick Road toward the Emerald City, both of them dressed in Glinda gowns. The two women have been in each other’s lives for about two decades now, first meeting when the Victorious alum saw the original Broadway cast of Wicked when she was a child. When Grande was cast to play Chenoweth’s iconic role in the two-part film adaptations, the latter was on hand to give the former advice and support throughout the two-year production process.
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“[Ariana] was really nervous,” Chenoweth recalled on The Kelly Clarkson Show last year. “She said, ‘I want to pay homage to you but I’m scared. I want to make you proud.’ I go, ‘Well you’ve already made me proud, so it doesn’t matter … What I want to encourage you to do, Ariana, is make Glinda your Glinda. Sure, you can tip your hat at me if you want, but really I just want you to do you.”
In her Monday post, Chenoweth added, “I’ll lead you down any road you let me, Ari. I’m so so proud of you baby. 🫧”
The “We Can’t Be Friends” artist wrote in the comments, “my entire heart 🫧 thank you for your thoughtfulness, generosity and support ♡ my Glinda.”
In the 10 days since its release worldwide, Wicked has seen massive success. Its soundtrack album recently opened at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 — the highest ever debut for a big-screen adaptation of a stage musical on the chart — and the film has so far brought in over $260 million in North America, becoming the highest grossing movie ever at the domestic box office based on a Broadway musical.
The project has also generated newfound interest in the original Broadway soundtrack led by Chenoweth and Menzel. A quarter-century after it was first released, the musical’s album reached the top 40 of the Billboard 200 for the first time ever, jumping to No. 33 on the chart dated Dec. 7.
Sixteen-year-old New York native Sydney Sterlace made a strong case for a slot in the upcoming finals when the Team Gwen singer wowed the studio audience and viewers on Monday night (Dec. 2) during the launch of the live rounds on The Voice. Dramatically backlit, Sterlace stood alone center stage in a black and tan […]
NLE Choppa is partnering with a new company that helps young artists collaborate with some of today’s biggest stars. Beginning today (Dec. 3), Feeture, a new app created by industry veterans Jareiq “JQ” Kabara and Edward “Ed” Ponton Jr., will “streamline the artists-to-artists collaboration process from idea to file delivery.”
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“I’m honored to represent a platform like Feeture that makes it so easy to connect with other artists and make music together,” Choppa tells Billboard. “As someone who’s experienced major success from both my features on other artists’ tracks and their features on mine, having an app that takes the heavy work out of finding collaborators is invaluable.”
After carving out a fistful of Hot 100 hits, including “Shotta Flow” and “Walk Em Down,” Choppa will serve as Feeture’s first global ambassador as they look to expand across genres to serve artists from different backgrounds and communities. The app allows artists to search for collaborators based on location, genre, and fees. Once a potential collaborator is found, the app provides a platform for negotiating terms, payments, and music file delivery. This process is designed to be as user-friendly as possible, allowing artists to focus on making music together.
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“Our goal was to create a space where finding and facilitating artist features is as easy as possible,” says Kabara, who formerly served as an A&R for Janet Jackson. “We want artists to focus on making music together—while leaving the administrative and legal challenges behind.”
“Feeture is a dream come true—a community exclusively for artists, free from middlemen and built on real, transparent connections,” says Ponton Jr, an experienced songwriter and now Feeture’s COO. “It opens doors the industry once kept closed, creating opportunities for all. I thank God for this journey and the vision to bring something new to the independent music industry.”
With Kabara and Ponton Jr.’s combined experience and knowledge in the industry, they hope to reduce the stress rising artists experience when negotiating artist collaborations with the creation of Feeture. Upon signing up, artists will get a one-month free trial with the promo code Feeture01. The app will also be available to Android users next year, empowering even more artists to connect and create.
Watch the Feeture commercial starring Choppa below:
NLE Choppa
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Taylor Swift has a new plaque to hang up behind her desk at the Tortured Poets Department, as the Recording Industry Association of America has announced that her blockbuster 11th studio album went 6x Platinum Nov. 30. In an Instagram post delivering the news Monday (Dec. 2), the RIAA revealed that the pop star’s The […]
Actors Mindy Kaling and Morris Chestnut will present the nominees for the 2025 Golden Globes on Monday, Dec. 9, with all 27 categories announced on CBS’ Golden Globes website and the CBS News mobile app at 8:15 a.m. ET/5:15 a.m. PT and 10 exclusive categories revealed beginning live at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT on CBS Mornings.
The nominees will be highlighted across Golden Globes social media accounts as they are announced, with the complete list of nominees available on the Golden Globes website immediately following the announcement.
The 82nd Annual Golden Globes will air live on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on CBS and stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. The show will be held at its usual home, the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
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The Golden Globes also announced a new partnership with entertainment data and analytics partner Luminate. The company will provide the Golden Globes team with streaming viewership data for all submitted film titles in the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category, helping to inform consumption trends and amplify viewership insights beyond box office performance. Analysis will be done via Luminate’s Streaming Viewership product, which measures viewership of originally produced and library content across all major streaming platforms, including Netflix, Max, Hulu, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Paramount+, Disney+, AMC+ and Peacock. The product fuels Variety’s recently launched Streaming Original Charts.
This will be the second year the Globes have presented the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category. In its first year, it went to Barbie over such rivals as Oppenheimer and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.
Votes will be tabulated by KPMG, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm.
The Golden Globe Awards, which likes to call itself Hollywood’s Party of the Year, is the first major awards show of the season. It’s also the world’s largest awards show to celebrate the best of both film and television.
Nikki Glaser is set to host the show for the first time. Glaser was nominated for her first Primetime Emmy this year for outstanding variety special (pre-recorded) as executive producer and performer on the HBO special Someday You’ll Die. She is currently nominated for her first Grammy Award for best comedy album for that same title.
Viola Davis and Ted Danson have been named as recipients of the Cecil B. DeMille Award and the Carol Burnett Award, respectively. They will be recognized on the Golden Globes telecast. In addition, they will be feted at a separate gala dinner on Friday, Jan. 3, also at the Beverly Hilton. This marks the first time that the Golden Globes will host a special evening dedicated to the recipients of these two honorary awards. The DeMille Award dates to 1952; the Burnett Award originated in 2019.
Multi-Emmy Award-winning producing duo Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment will return as executive producing showrunners for the 82nd Golden Globes. Dick Clark Productions will produce the show.
The Golden Globes will air on Sunday, Jan. 5 (8-11 p.m. ET/5-8 p.m. PT) on CBS, and stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs).
Penske Media Eldridge — a joint venture between Billboard’s parent company Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge — owns Dick Clark Productions, the producer of the Golden Globe Awards.
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Kendrick Lamar could easily take the next year off, considering the epic year he’s had thus far but that won’t be the case heading into the following year. Kendrick Lamar and frequent collaborator SZA will embark upon the North American 19-city Grand National Tour, kicking off in the spring.
The Grand National Tour was announced on Tuesday (December 3), just over a week since the release of Kendrick Lamar’s first full-length project GNX on his pgLang recording label and entertainment brand. SZA joined Lamar on GNX standout track “luther,” and has recorded hits with the Compton, Calif. native which include crowdpleasers such as “All The Stars,” among others.
It should be assumed that with all the recent fanfare, this will be one of the hottest tickets in town. However, Cash App Visa Card holders will have access to a pre-sale event on Wednesday (December 4) at 10 am local time. Cash App Visa Card holders will also receive 20% off all Grand National Tour merch when purchased with their card during the city stops.
More about the Cash App Visa pre-sale can be found by clicking here. On Friday (December 6) at 10 am local time, the general sale kicks off on www.grandnationaltour.com.
The tour dates and stops for the Grand National Tour are listed below.
Apr 19 – Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Bank Stadium
Apr 23 – Houston, TX – NRG Stadium
Apr 26 – Arlington, TX – AT&T Stadium
Apr 29 – Atlanta, GA – Mercedes Benz Stadium
May 03 – Charlotte, NC – Bank of America Stadium
May 05 – Philadelphia, PA – Lincoln Financial Field
May 08 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
May 09 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
May 12 – Foxborough, MA – Gillette Stadium
May 17 – Seattle, WA – Lumen Field
May 21 – Los Angeles, CA – SoFi Stadium
May 23 – Los Angeles, CA – SoFi Stadium
May 27 – Glendale, AZ – State Farm Stadium
May 29 – San Francisco, CA – Oracle Park
May 31 – Las Vegas, NV – Allegiant Stadium
Jun 04 – St. Louis, MO – The Dome at America’s Center
Jun 06 – Chicago, IL – Soldier Field
Jun 10 – Detroit, MI – Ford Field
Jun 12 – Toronto, ON – Rogers Centre
Jun 16 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
Jun 18 – Washington, DC – Northwest Stadium
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Fresh off teaming up for a pair of tracks on Kendrick Lamar’s GNX album, K. Dot and SZA are joining forces for the co-headlining 2025 Grand National Tour. Presented by Live Nation, pgLang and Top Dawg Entertainment, the North American trek featuring the former TDE running mates is set to invade 19 stadiums across the […]