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T-Pain emerged as a major force in the music scene during the 2000s, leaving an undeniable mark on Hip-Hop.
Known for his unique style and innovative sound, he played a key role in shaping the pop-rap genre. Perhaps his most lasting contribution was the creative use of autotune, not just as a pitch-correction tool, but as a distinctive artistic effect. Though initially divisive, his approach soon became widely accepted and highly influential, helping to spark a wave of artists who followed in his footsteps.
Despite the changing landscape of the music industry, T-Pain has remained active and relevant. In recent years, he has released both original music and inventive cover albums that showcase his vocal range and versatility beyond the autotuned sound he popularized. His creativity and charisma have also translated into success outside of music, particularly on Twitch, where he streams regularly. Fans tune in not only to watch him play video games, but also to witness impromptu beat-making sessions and interact with him in real time.
Now, however, T-Pain appears to be reflecting on his next steps. In a recent social media post, he hinted at a potential retirement, writing, “I gave you all everything for 20 years. I’m grateful to each of you for making this such a great ride. Right now I just need some time to think about what’s next and what’s best for me.” This heartfelt message has sparked both concern and appreciation among fans.
I gave you all everything for 20 years. I’m grateful to each of you for making this such a great ride. Right now I just need some time to think about what’s next and what’s best for me ✌🏿 pic.twitter.com/9DKXvNJsHJ— T-Pain (@TPAIN) June 2, 2025
Adding to the speculation, T-Pain recently shared a clip from his archives showing the moment he came up with the iconic “Wiscansin” line from his 2008 hit “Can’t Believe It” featuring Lil Wayne. Whether this was a nostalgic moment or a subtle hint at closure is unclear. Regardless of what the future holds, T-Pain’s impact on modern music is undeniable, and his legacy as a trendsetter and innovator remains secure.
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For Wu-Tang Clan superfans with money to burn, snagging a premium ticket for their upcoming tour won’t just buy killer seats, but gain them entry to an exclusive pre-party offering an immersive look at the kung-fu and iconography of the famed Staten Island hip-hop collective.
“We’re really being thoughtful from a pricing perspective,” Ben Duvdevani, co-founder of One More Time VIP, says of the Shaolin Temple Preshow Party ticket package, which offers entry to a time capsule-style exhibit showcasing rare Wu-Tang fan memorabilia and 3D video projections of classic films like The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and Five Deadly Venoms that inspired albums like Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and Wu-Tang Forever.
“Packaging premium seats with these programs is enticing for the fan and helps push inventory. It helps push the bots out of purchasing premium inventory” and, he adds, “helps conversion for VIP.”
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The Shaolin Temple package is just one example of the lucrative VIP concert business in 2025, which is poised for a comeback thanks to a new generation of fans looking to invest in artist-centric experiences.
“There’s a ton of business out there because there are so many artists on the road right now, and so many artists at all levels trying to create something memorable for their fans,” adds Duvdevani, whose company is handing VIP packages for about 300 tours this year including Shaboozey, Sabrina Carpenter, Teddy Swims and HAIM.
It’s an impressive feat for an industry hit hard by COVID-19. The VIP business was born in the 1990s thanks in part to the work of New Yorker Shelley Lazar — the beloved “Ticketing Queen” who convinced iconic artists like the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and The Who to let her build out premium offerings for diehard fans she came to know on a first name basis — and it continued to grow in the new millennium as touring exploded. By the early 2000s, most artists were offering fans some type of VIP product, from meet and greets to destination concerts, facilitated and produced by a new generation of VIP companies with names like Fresh Beats and CID.
Beginning in 2017, many of the VIP companies started to consolidate. Several of them came under the NFL-backed firm OnLocation, which was purchased in March 2020 by Endeavor — just weeks before the concert business shut down for more than a year during COVID-19. During the pandemic, one popular U.K. VIP and hospitality company, Pollen, was forced to file for bankruptcy and later dismissed most of their staff.
Many VIP executives used the pandemic period to leave Endeavor and begin serving out their non-competes. By 2022, a new crop of companies founded by these execs started popping up, including One More Time, which won the contract to build the Shaolin Temple Preshow Party for Wu-Tang Clan’s upcoming Final Chapter North American arena tour. “It’s a bespoke preshow activation, where there’s going to be some surprises and a really special experience for fans,” Duvdevani tells Billboard of the exhibit that was created for the group’s 27-city tour. The Shaolin Temple pre-party is being packaged with front section floor tickets and priced at $740 a piece all-in.
VIP conversion has become increasingly common as more artists embrace platinum ticket pricing and higher prices for front row seating inventory as a response to secondary ticketing prices. Coupling these high-end tickets with VIP add-ons has become an important way to move aggressively priced inventory.
That need has led to one major change in how VIP packages and fan clubs are operated. Prior to the pandemic, many VIP companies operated ticketing systems that pulled tickets off the Ticketmaster or AXS platform, a practice that has largely ended.
“We want to put our best foot forward to make sure everyone’s winning, so we’re not taking anything off platform,” Duvdevani says. “Promoters are still getting the sale, and we’re also being mindful of that inventory. We don’t want to hold up a sell-out.”
Eddie Meehan got his start running VIP access company A Wonderful Union in the early 2000s before eventually selling to OnLocation and subsequently launching Please & Thank You. Meehan said his new company’s clients include Backstreet Boys, Alice Cooper, Melissa Etheridge and Peso Pluma.
“You have to be creative because many artists simply aren’t interested in doing meet and greets, it’s very taxing,” says Meehan, noting that he’s found success creating activations for artists like Aimee Mann, who offered VIP package holders a preshow soundcheck performance with songs not performed during the concert. Fans of another Please & Thank You client, *NSYNC, were invited to a restaurant for a private dumpling making party.
“We’ve had a lot of success bringing in brands to underwrite some of these events, which means more money in the pocket of the artist,” says Meehan, who has struck deals with Amazon Music and eBay Motors. “I tell brands they won’t get the same exposure to 600,000 fans they would get on a tour, but they do get access to 3,000 diehard, loyal fans who will evangelize your brand.”
Duvdevani added that VIP offerings shouldn’t be limited to established artists, pointing to newcomer Jessica Baio, a 23-year-old singer-songwriter who hired One More Time to run a VIP meet and greet program for her first headliner club tour.
“I feel like such an important part of going and performing live is also getting to meet people face to face,” Baio tells Billboard. “It’s something I wanted to offer to people and it’s just one of my favorite parts of the night, getting to physically hug people and meet them in person and allow them to share why my songs have touched them.”
While young artists like Baio have found success with a meet and greet program scaled to fit their tours, VIP industry luminary Dan Berkowitz, who is widely recognized with having helped create the VIP business through his firm CID, which he sold in 2016, says artists should only offer VIP experiences to fans if those experiences promote an “authentic connection.”
If the artist is committed to making the experience work, says Berkowitz, who launched his new company, 100x Hospitality, in 2022, there’s always potential for success.
“There is always going to be a strong demand for compelling experiences and people are always going to want to feel connected to the music that they love and to each other,” he says.
A week after becoming Jon Reddick’s first Billboard chart No. 1 — on the Christian AC Airplay tally — his “No Fear” rises to the top of Christian Airplay. The song increased by 15% to 4.4 million audience impressions May 23-29, according to Luminate. It holds atop Christian AC Airplay with a 5% gain in […]
Justin Bieber is speaking his mind once again, sharing a cryptic post on Instagram slamming people who tell others what they “should or shouldn’t have.”
In white text typed over a purple gradient Tuesday (June 3), the pop star began by writing that “telling other humans they deserve something is like raising someone else’s kids.”
“Who are you to tell someone what someone should or shouldn’t have,” he continued. “The audacity. That’s not your place.”
The “Peaches” singer added, “God decides what we deserve.”
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Billboard has reached out to his reps for comment.
Bieber did not specify to whom he was referring in the post, but it does come at a particularly prosperous time for his family. A few days prior to his message, skincare mogul Hailey Bieber — whom the pop star married in 2018 — announced that she’d sold her Rhode company to e.l.f. Beauty for a reported $1 billion, something the musician celebrated by proudly sharing the news on his Instagram.
Before that, the model — with whom Justin welcomed son Jack Blues in August — appeared on the cover of Vogue. In the accompanying profile, the “Baby” vocalist said, “I’ve done a lot of dumb things in my life, but the smartest thing I’ve ever done was marry Hailey.”
The Grammy winner’s post is just the latest cryptic statement he’s made on Instagram in recent months. In February, he made headlines for posting about how it was “time to grow up” on his Story, after which he penned musings in March about feeling like he was “drowning” in “hate” and struggling with feeling “unworthy.”
In April, Justin called out paparazzi in Los Angeles, sharing a video of cameramen following him out to his car, writing, “This has to stop.”
“IM CURRENTLY ASKING [GOD] TO HELP ME WITH PATIENCE BECAUSE It CAN BE REALLY HARD TO NOT RIP THESE F–KIN GUYS HEADS OFF,” he also wrote at the time. “Today I’m forgiving myself for my own selfishness, AND forgiving THOSE WHO SEEK TO USE AND ABUSE ME SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY WANT TO CAPITaLIze off of me, Or Their jealousy makes them want to make me feel small like how they feel.”
See Justin’s latest post below.
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Lil Uzi Vert has added model to their resume, starring in Vans‘ latest Premium Old Skool campaign.
The “Just Wanna Rock” rapper showcased the brand’s iconic sneaker silhouette in true Uzi fashions, worn with on-trend baggy streetwear, maximalist jewelry and punk-esque spikey hair. The two styles spotlit for the campaign included the Premium Old Skool in Black/White and Old Skool in True White.
The musician seems like the obvious choice for the face of the campaign. They’re a bastion of experimental style, music and culture, facets that perfectly align with the Vans brand DNA. Dropped back in 1977, the Vans Old Skool quickly became a favorite following its release, standing as a symbol of skate culture and street style all around the world.
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Uzi is no stranger to skate culture. Growing up in Philidelphia, a city boasting a rich skateboarding culture spanning decades, the lifestyle was bound to rub off on them. The rapper has been known to share their skateboarding escapades, posting videos of practiced and perfected kickflips on occasion. This, mixed with their love of the punk rock genre, makes Uzi a pretty perfect candidate for Vans’ Premium Old Skool campaign. Wanna get like Uzi? Here’s how to shop the beloved styles seen on the star in the campaign.
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Premium Old Skool Shoe in Black/White
$90.00
$90.00
Black-and-white low-top Vans with platform-esque soles.
Vans’ Old Skool just got a premium upgrade. Retailing for $90 this updated classic features all the details fans loved about the OG, but with elevated comfort. It’s all about the Sola Foam All-Day-Comfort insoles. This anti-fatigue detail is made of 30% bio-based materials that cushion the feet. There are also the classic black-and-white canvas uppers with that instantly recognizable side striping that tethers the style to the original.
The leather collar lining is enforced with padding and raised slightly, adding extra comfort. White cotton laces give way to platform-esque rubber soles, offering the wearer a subtle lift. It’s a style that aptly pays homage to the Old Skool legacy made for all-day wear. Worn with streetwear or your favorite athleisure pieces, these timeless sneakers will fit right into your wardrobe.
Old Skool Canvas Shoe in “True White”
A monochrome white canvas sneaker.
It’s all about the classics. Vans’ Old Skool sneaker is a tried-and-true model loved by skaters and sneaker enthusiasts alike. The True White colorway is a monochrome model with sturdy canvas uppers and cotton laces. Signature rubber waffle soles give way to padded collars that give the wearer added support.
The low-top sneaker also includes reinforced toe caps to withstand wear and tear on the skateboard. Whether you’re a skateboarding pro or a sneaker fanatic, these would make a great addition to your footwear rotation. They’re versatile, thanks to the monochrome colorway, and super comfortable.
“What we continue to try to drive toward as a company is maintaining this sense of heritage, this sense of the familiar and keeping that kind of core spirit alive, and then modernizing it through elevated materials, construction,” said Diandre Fuentes, head designer of footwear at Vans, via statement. “Once you put it on, you’ll immediately notice enhanced comfort.”
Three months after the announcement that deadmau5 sold his catalog to Create Music Group for $55 million, the producer has commented on the deal. “It was time to just let it go,” the producer born Joel Zimmerman said in a June 2 cover story alongside Rezz for Billboard Canada. “I’m not so attached to [my […]
The Tony Awards on Sunday night (June 8) will include performances from all five nominees for best musical and all four nominees for best revival of a musical — as well as two more 2024-25 shows — Just in Time, which stars Tony-nominated Jonathan Groff as legendary performer Bobby Darin, and Real Women Have Curves, which features Tony-nominated Justina Machado.
There will also be a special 10th anniversary salute to Hamilton, with a performance by that show’s original cast. Three of that show’s stars, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Ariana DeBose, are also set to present on the show.
There will also be a performance by Broadway Inspirational Voices. The ensemble, founded by Michael McElroy, won a 2019 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theater.
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Cynthia Erivo, who won a Tony in 2016 for The Color Purple, is set to host the show for the first time. Brian Stokes Mitchell, who won a Tony for in 2000 for a revival of Kiss Me, Kate, will serve as the show’s announcer. The show will air from Radio City Music Hall in New York City for the first time in three years.
Other presenters include Adam Lambert, who played the emcee in Cabaret on Broadway; Lea Michele, who starred on Broadway in a revival of Funny Girl; and Sara Bareilles, a three-time Tony nominee and past Tonys cohost.
Past Tony winners Aaron Tveit, Bryan Cranston, Kelli O’Hara, Kristin Chenoweth, Lea Salonga and Sarah Paulson are also set to present.
Darren Criss and Renée Elise Goldsberry are set to host the pre-show, dubbed The Tony Awards: Act One. This could be a very big night for Criss, who is also a leading nominee for best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical for Maybe Happy Ending.
Two nominated shows, Buena Vista Social Club (which received 10 nods) and Stanger Things: The First Shadow (which got five) are guaranteed to go home with awards. The musicians who make up the band Buena Vista Social Club have been voted a special Tony Award. Other special Tonys will be presented to the illusions and technical effects of Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
Other special Tonys will be presented to Harvey Fierstein, for lifetime achievement in the theatre; Celia Keenan-Bolger, the 2025 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award; and Great Performances, Michael Price, New 42 and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, 2025 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre.
The 78th annual Tony Awards will air live coast to coast on Sunday, June 8, from 8 to 11 p.m. ET on CBS (its network home since 1978) and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S.
The Tony Awards: Act One is available to viewers for free on Pluto TV from 6:40 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET/3:40 to 5 p.m. PT. Viewers can access the show on their smart TV, streaming device, mobile app or online by going to Pluto TV and clicking on the Live Music channel, found within the Entertainment category on the service.
The Tony Awards are produced in collaboration with Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League, and White Cherry Entertainment. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss are executive producers and showrunners for White Cherry Entertainment. Weiss will serve as director.
Here are the performers and presenters on the 2025 Tony Awards. Additional names will be added as they are announced.
Best musical nominees
Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw
Death Becomes Her
Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Best Revival of a Musical nominees
Floyd Collins
Gypsy: A Musical Fable
Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Sunset Blvd.
Other 2024-25 shows
Just in Time (Bobby Darin musical)
Real Women Have Curves
Special performances
Hamilton original cast, 10th anniversary
Broadway Inspirational Voices
Aaron Tveit
Adam Lambert
Alex Winter
Allison Janney
Ariana DeBose
Ben Stiller
Bryan Cranston
Carrie Preston
Charli D’Amelio
Danielle Brooks
Jean Smart
Jesse Eisenberg
Katie Holmes
Keanu Reeves
Kelli O’Hara
Kristin Chenoweth
LaTanya Richardson Jackson
Lea Michele
Lea Salonga
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Michelle Williams
Oprah Winfrey
Rachel Bay Jones
Renée Elise Goldsberry
Samuel L. Jackson
Sara Bareilles
Sarah Paulson
Sony Music has named Clio Massey and Matt D’Arduini as co-presidents of Arista Records, succeeding David Massey, who announced his retirement as president and CEO in April. The newly appointed leaders, both Arista veterans, are based in New York and will report directly to Rob Stringer, chairman of Sony Music Group.
In a statement, Stringer emphasized the “seamless transition” from Massey to Massey/D’Arduini and praised the duo’s complementary strengths and vision for the iconic label. “Clio and Matt are dynamic and forward-thinking executives who are best placed to build on the artist development they have been involved with in the first phase of the new Arista,” Stringer said. “Their skills complement each other neatly and as a partnership will lead to an exciting future for the label.”
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Massey got her start at Liberal Arts Music in 2013 and later joined Sony/ATV Music Publishing, where she worked in A&R from 2014 to 2018, signing notable songwriters such as Maggie Rogers and Geoff Warburton. She then joined Work of Art Publishing to collaborate with her father, David, and by 2020, was named general manager of WoAP as well as vice president of A&R at Arista. She’ll continue to oversee Work of Art Publishing, the company said.
“I look forward to continuing the work with the great artists and exceptional team at Arista, alongside Matt,” said Massey. “We’re excited to help shape and grow our group into its next chapter.”
D’Arduini has been a big part of Arista since its 2018 relaunch, contributing to the success of artists like Måneskin and Paul Russell, as well as playing a role in the soundtrack for The Idea of You. Prior to joining Arista, he spent 10 years at Robins Entertainment and six at Island Records, where he collaborated with David Massey on projects for artists including Nick Jonas, Demi Lovato and Shawn Mendes.
“We are eager to expand on Arista’s progress and reach over the last few years, cultivating even more talent at our company,” he said. “We’re also grateful for the leadership at Sony Music who believe in this organization and will help us advance our creative core.”
With new co-presidents in place, Arista believes it is positioned to build on its momentum and drive continued growth. The label has recently broadened its global roster, signing and nurturing rising stars such as Damiano David, JP Saxe, Lola Brooke, Jonah Kagen, and Sunday (1994).
Founded by Clive Davis in 1974 and home to icons like Whitney Houston and Carlos Santana, Arista was retired in 2011 and later revived by Stringer and the David Massey in 2018 with Davis’ blessing.
Antoine Massey is one of the two remaining inmates still on the run since allegedly breaking out of the Orleans Justice Center on May 16, and he may be looking for help from the president, as well as three rappers who have been entangled in the criminal justice system.
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A video that appears to feature Massey surfaced on social media on Monday (June 2), in which the man pleads with Lil Wayne, Meek Mill, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Donald Trump for assistance in his legal situation.
“Who I was in the past is not who I am today,” a man appearing to be Massey begins in the video. “So I’m asking, please for help. [NBA] YoungBoy, Meek Mill … People that been through the system that know it’s corrupt. Lil Wayne, Donald Trump, please, I’m asking for help … When I get back in custody, I’m asking y’all please to come and help me.”
He continued: “I’m letting y’all know I’m not a raper, man. I’m not none of that. None of that. I’m a good person. I am a father that want to be in my children’s life … I want to let the younger you know that going down the route of trying to be a street person is not the route.”
Neither the rappers nor Trump have responded to Massey’s video, which the Louisiana State Police has been made aware of.
According to Baton Rouge ABC affiliate WBRZ, Massey was arrested in March on charges of domestic abuse battery and vehicle theft, and that he was also wanted for suspicion of rape and kidnapping in St. Tammany Parrish. At the time of his escape, he had not entered a plea yet.
“If the individual depicted in the video is indeed Antoine Massey, we strongly urge him to come forward and turn himself in to the proper authorities,” said Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson in a statement. “Cooperating with law enforcement is in his best interest and may help avoid additional charges. It is important that justice is served appropriately and that due process is followed.”
This isn’t Massey’s first reported escape either. According to local CBS affiliate 4WWL, Massey and five others broke out of the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center in 2007. He also escaped from Morehouse Detention Center in 2019.
Orleans Justice Center maintenance worker Sterling Williams was reportedly arrested on felony charges for facilitating the May prison break. CBS affiliate KFVS12 in Cape Girardeau, Mo., reports that Williams claimed that Massey threatened to stab him if he didn’t take part in helping the escape. The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office also said the inmates’ jail break may have been helped by “defective locks,” the outlet reported.
Of the 10 fugitives, Massey and Derrick Groves are the final two inmates remaining at large. There’s a $50,000 reward being offered for information leading to their apprehension.
Billboard has reached out to the Orleans Police Department and the White House for comment.
Twenty years ago today (June 3), Shakira dropped her sixth studio album, Fijación Oral, Vol. 1, via Epic Records — the follow-up to her debut English-language LP, Laundry Service, released in 2001.
After a successful debut in the English market with tracks such as “Whenever, Wherever” and “Underneath Your Clothes,” the Colombian superstar returned to singing in her native language for Fijación Oral, where she reeled in producers such as Gustavo Cerati, Lester Méndez, Luis Fernando Ochoa, and José “Gocho” Torres.
Home to 10 tracks — including singles “La Tortura” (2005), “No” (2005), “Día de Enero” (2006), “La Pared” (2006), and “Las de la Intuición” (2007) — the set debuted at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums for 17 weeks, marking her fourth champ then (she has scored seven No. 1s to date). It also debuted at No. 1 on Top Latin Pop Albums, where it dominated for 25 weeks between 2005-06, and at No. 4 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.
Fijación Oral also gave fans the timeless collaboration with Alejandro Sanz, “La Tortura.” The pop urban-tinted track, with dancehall and acoustic elements, peaked at No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs chart dated June 4, 2005, and ruled for 25 weeks. It was also the only track from the album that entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The album was followed by Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, released in November 2005, where the global hit “Hips Don’t Lie” in collaboration with Wyclef Jean, lives. Vol. 1 is home to 10 Spanish-language songs and Vol. 2 to 10 English-language ones.
“The idea of making a double project was never planned or premeditated, it just happened,” Shak previously shared in an interview with MTV. “I found myself writing 60 songs and put myself on the mission of selecting my favorite ones, which happened to be 20.”
Below, Billboard editors rank all 10 songs on Fijación Oral, Vol. 1, from worst to best.
Shakira, “Fijación Oral: Vol. 1”
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“Lo Imprescindible”