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06 Oct 2023

Drake, NewJeans & More: Which Is Your Favorite Music Release of the Week? Vote!

This week’s new music Friday features high-profile releases across rap, K-pop and country, with Drake, NewJeans and a collaboration between Noah Kahan and Kacey Musgraves among the drops.

Drake newest album effort, For All the Dogs, shows a return to form for the rapper, who enlists a series of star-studded collaborations to get the fans talking — including the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping collaboration with SZA (“Slime You Out”) and new additions with Sexyy Red (“Rich Baby Daddy”), J. Cole (“First Person Shooter”) and Chief Keef (“All the Parties”). The maximalist approach falls in line with the star power of Certified Lover Boy, and is likely to carry multiple tracks onto the upcoming Billboard charts.

NewJeans has made a name for itself through equal parts nostalgic and infectious R&B-inspired K-pop, but the hallmarks of their specific take on the genre are traded in for this year’s League of Legends World Championship anthem “GODS.” The quintet’s youthful lyrics are traded for assertive ones as they inspire gamers to ascend the ranks to victory against a backdrop and high-octane synth instrumentation and beat drops.

After Kahan and Musgraves had separate tracks with ascending country star Zach Bryan, the two come together to make some magic of their own on the collab “She Calls Me Back.” The song offers up heartfelt storytelling that details two lovers continually returning to each other and reaching equilibrium once reunited.

BLACKPINK‘s Jennie and Tems also return with new music this week.

Which new release was your favorite? Vote in our poll below.

06 Oct 2023

Joey Fatone Says He Felt ‘Blindsided’ by Justin Timberlake’s Solo Career After *NSYNC

*NSYNC has come a long way since their last album arrived in 2001, reuniting this year for the boy band’s first new single in two decades. But in a recent interview, Joey Fatone reflected on how he honestly felt after his bandmate Justin Timberlake went solo, effectively ending the group’s run at the peak of its success.

“I was not blindsided by the breakup,” the 45-year-old singer told Yahoo Entertainment. “I was more blindsided as far as him coming out with music and not knowing that he was going to go and do an actual album/tour thing.”

Fatone said he originally thought Timberlake’s departure was temporary. “It was more of, ‘Hey, I’m going to do some music, and then we’ll get back together,’” he recalled.

Timberlake, of course, went on to become an extremely successful soloist, releasing his first of five straight hit albums in 2002 with Justified, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. “And it wasn’t him,” added Fatone, who emphasized that he never resented Timberlake for his solo success. “It was the record company … When you’re younger, you think it’s that person. But then you look at the whole bigger scheme of things, and you go, ‘Oh, that’s why I wasn’t there for that.’ That’s the business.”

Twenty years later, all five of the band members have worked on solo endeavors, and recently reunited for Trolls Band Together single “Better Place.” Fatone and Timberlake have appeared alongside JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick and Lance Bass as a united front in several press junctions in recent weeks, including Sean Evans’ Hot Ones.

The guys also made a group appearance at this year’s VMAs, presenting the best pop award to Taylor Swift. “I had your dolls!” she exclaimed as they handed her the Moon Person. “You’re pop personified, so to receive this from your golden pop hands is really too much!”

And if you thought that *NYSNC might feel a little rusty after a 20-year hiatus, think again. The quintet is fully confident in its new song, with Timberlake joking in a hilarious Instagram reel, “Let us know if you like it. If you don’t, go f–k yourself.”

06 Oct 2023

How Warner Music Scored One of the ‘EA Sports FC 24’ Soundtrack’s Biggest Synchs

This week, EA Sports released the latest installment of its long-running soccer video game series, this year re-branded as EA Sports FC 24 after a long-running licensing deal with FIFA expired last year. And the demand, despite the new title, has been massive: The game debuted at No. 1 in the United Kingdom and sold 6.8 million copies worldwide in its first week, according to the Financial Times — a 25% boost over the early access sales of FIFA ’23.

That’s a big deal for the music business. Gaming and music have always been intertwined, but EA’s soccer series has sparked a closer relationship with its soundtrack songs than most; in a phenomenon called FIFA Songs, gamers form nostalgic attachments to the music they hear while playing. And because soccer is a truly global sport, the soundtracks to the games over the years have often been global affairs, with both established acts and rising artists from around the world included and exposed to audiences — many of them young — for hours each week as they play.

This year’s edition is no different, with a soundtrack that includes more than 100 tracks from artists hailing from 30-plus countries across six continents. Warner Music Group won one of EA Sports FC 24‘s biggest synchs, landing the coveted slot in the game’s official launch trailer with Royal Blood’s “Trouble’s Coming.” The company also received placements for some established hits (Myke Towers’ “LALA” from Warner Music Latin; Ninho and Central Cee’s “EuroStar” from Warner Music France) as well as up-and-coming acts, like Ezekiel’s “there she goes” (Warner Records) and an unreleased track from KING, “We Are the Ones” (Warner Music India). And that helps Warner Music Group’s executive vp of global sync and U.S. visual media licensing Ron Broitman earn the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week.

Here, Broitman — whose remit goes beyond just video games to include film and TV and advertising syncs for the label’s global roster — breaks down how the label worked with EA to include songs on the soundtrack, as well as the effect of such a huge placement on an artist’s career. “Being placed in a game like this brings a track to millions of fans worldwide and can lead to meaningful streaming and consumption spikes,” Broitman says. “For developing artists it’s also an opportunity to introduce them to a massive, captive audience that maybe wouldn’t have heard their music otherwise.”

This week, the new EA Sports soccer video game, EA Sports FC 24, was the United Kingdom’s highest-selling video game release, and Warner Music has a significant presence on its influential soundtrack, including in the main trailer. What’s the process for getting a song on the soundtrack, and how did the placements for this one come together?

This project is an amazing display of collaboration involving WMG’s recorded music repertoire from all over the world. We’re unique in the fact that we don’t operate within traditional synch borders, we’re one cohesive global synch team, so our partners have direct and open access to all of our local experts from around the globe. With EA, we’ve built a very close, trusting relationship with them over many years — a major testament to the top-notch global gaming community we have within our synch and U.S. frontline label teams. From there, it’s really a multi-layered, ongoing process, but there’s a regular dialogue and sharing of relevant new releases from our U.S. teams and our teams around the world including in the U.K., France, Sweden and LatAm, among others. Especially when dealing with a game with as much global popularity as FC 24, it’s key to involve as many teams around the world as possible so that the final soundtrack is representative of all the great, global music in the WMG family. 

How do you decide what songs to put forward for the soundtrack?

Our global synch gaming experts focus on many factors, but above all, we make sure every recording is authentic and that there’s a natural connection between the artist, the game, the fans and the musical energy that our partner is looking for. Of course, we also consider artist albums and new release cycles as we know synch placements — especially in gaming — have the potential for incredible exposure. EA particularly has built a reputation for music discovery which creates a huge lane for pitching artists at any stage in their career. That’s why on this soundtrack you’ll see massive tracks like Myke Towers’ “LALA” that everyone already loves, alongside tracks like “there she goes” from newcomer Ezekiel so that we can hopefully introduce fans to what will become their next favorite song. 

Soccer, more than sports like baseball or American football, is a truly global game. How does that factor into your thinking when choosing songs or artists for a game like this, vs. something like the Madden franchise?

With a game like FC 24, there’s an opportunity to showcase a diverse group of artists that cross genres and borders because we know there are fans from all over the world playing. We aim to make sure everyone listening hears something that they feel resonates with them, and it’s also a great way to introduce local talent to a global audience. At WMG, we’re lucky to have such a standout group of artists from every corner of the globe, so it makes our jobs easier — or harder, actually. Our representation on this soundtrack speaks to this approach — from India’s KING to France’s Ninho to Sweden’s Baby Mala to Puerto Rico’s Myke Towers to the U.K.’s Sam Gellaitry and many more. 

What effect can a placement in a huge game like this have on a song’s success, or on an artist’s career?

The impact is undeniable. Being placed in a game like this brings a track to millions of fans worldwide and can lead to meaningful streaming and consumption spikes. For developing artists it’s also an opportunity to introduce them to a massive, captive audience that maybe wouldn’t have heard their music otherwise. We’re already seeing this happen with Ezekiel, who I’d mentioned, as well as with swim school, and many others. Players aren’t just enjoying the music in-game passively, they’re actively seeking it out and consuming it elsewhere. The ultimate goal of course is that we convert those players into fans, and they follow along on an artist’s journey. That’s one of the many benefits of a music company like ours, there’s a dedicated team exploring these types of opportunities that have the potential to be a game-changer for an artist’s career. 

How does the demographic of those who regularly play video games factor into that effect?

FC 24 draws an audience of all ages, but we know there’s a large number of players in the Gen Z demographic. This group, more than any other generational cohort, reports that they discover and actively seek out music that they hear when they’re gaming. So we know we have an incredible opportunity to introduce new music and artists to this young group who may still be developing their musical tastes, and there’s a high likelihood that we can turn these players into fans.

How does a synch in a soundtrack for a game like this compare to a synch for a TV ad or a film trailer?

Music has always had a really close connection with gaming, maybe even more so than any other visual form. With gaming, you have engaged players that will play every single day and be hearing these songs over and over again. It’s an incredible amount of exposure as far as sheer number of listening hours. With this game specifically, there’s also a really interesting phenomenon called “FIFA songs” where avid players say they develop a strong, lifelong connection with the songs that they hear while they’re playing. Even years later, hearing one of these songs can bring back nostalgic, happy memories associated with playing the game. So the impact that these songs can have can really last a lifetime. 

06 Oct 2023

Doja Cat Earns Her First Streaming Songs Chart No. 1 With ‘Paint the Town Red’

Doja Cat snags her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart with “Paint the Town Red,” which lifts 3-1 on the Oct. 7-dated tally.

It earned 27.5 million official U.S. streams in its eighth week on the survey, a boost of 3%, according to Luminate.

“Paint the Town Red” lands its first week at No. 1 following the release of its parent album, Scarlet, on Sept. 22; the set concurrently bows at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 72,000 equivalent album units earned, as previously reported.

Prior to “Paint the Town Red,” Doja Cat’s best rank on Streaming Songs had been via “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA, which peaked at No. 2 in May 2021. She first appeared on the ranking in 2019 when “Juicy,” co-billed with Tyga, peaked at No. 40 that November.

The new track concurrently returns to No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs, spending a fifth week atop the survey; it’s Doja Cat’s third ruler there, following “You Right” (with The Weeknd) and “Ain’t Shit,” both in 2021. It also remains atop Rap Streaming Songs for a sixth week, her second following “Ain’t Shit.”

As previously reported, “Paint the Town Red” returns to No. 1 on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100. In addition to its stream count, the song earned 56.2 million radio audience impressions and 6,000 downloads in the Sept. 25-Oct. 1 tracking period. The latter amount was enough for the song to spend a second straight week at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales.

06 Oct 2023

Biggest Winners & Most Memorable Performances At Billboard Latin Music Awards 2023 | Billboard News

Here are all of the biggest winners, most memorable performances and highlights from the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards.

Griselda Flores:
Bad Bunny and Peso Pluma are victorious and both hit the stage … while Karol G gets candid.

The Miami area was scorching during the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards, and we have all the details on the superstar evening.

With seven wins each, Bad Bunny and Peso Pluma tie for the title for most awards during the night, but it was Bad Bunny who took home artist of the year.

And there were show-stopping performances from Tini, Manuel Turizo, Marc Anthony and so many more. Elsewhere during the ceremony, Karol G was awarded with the Spirit of Hope award, which was established in 1996 in honor of the late Selena Quintanilla.

For a full list of winners, head over to billboard.com.

06 Oct 2023

Pianist & Composer Chloe Flower Signs With WME

WME has signed pianist, composer and activist Chloe Flower for global representation.

The signing comes just ahead of the release of Flower’s sophomore album, Chloe Hearts Christmas, out Nov. 1 on Sony Masterworks. The album follows Flower’s most recent single, “Christmas Tree,” which was released on Sept. 22.

In 2021, Flower released her eponymous debut album, which featured music that combines classical and pop music in a form she calls “popsical.” She’s recorded classical renditions of Billie Eilish‘s “Bad Guy” and Lil Nas X‘s “Old Town Road,” performed with Cardi B at the 2019 Grammys, with Lil Baby on Saturday Night Live this past February and served as the house pianist at the 2023 Golden Globes.

Flower has also co-produced and composed for artists including Céline Dion, Johnny Mathis, 2 Chainz, Swae Lee, Nas and Babyface. She’s also scored music for projects including the 2015 documentary A Ballerina’s Tale, a campaign for champagne house Krug and numerous works for Kevin Hart, including Hart to Hart and On the Come Up. She’s also a brand ambassador for Steinway.

Having played the piano since she was two, Flower received her musical education at Juilliard and the Royal Academy of Music. She serves on the advisory board for the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime Blue Heart Campaign and is the youngest board member of The Liberace Foundation. She’s also an activist against human trafficking and a champion of music education and therapy.

The 36-year-old writer, producer, composer and pianist was first discovered by Babyface in 2010 when she signed with Soda Pop, the Island Def Jam Records imprint owned by the veteran producer.

06 Oct 2023

Here’s Why Fans Think Drake Dissed Rihanna & A$AP Rocky on ‘For All the Dogs’

It’s been at least seven years since Drake and Rihanna broke up, but he’s still not over it — at least, that’s what fans have concluded following the Friday (Oct. 2) release of the rapper’s new album, For All the Dogs.

On some of the songs, particularly “Fear of Heights,” listeners are convinced that Drizzy takes shots at his superstar ex-girlfriend, as well as her partner and the father of her two kids, A$AP Rocky. This comes years after Drake and Ri sparked romance rumors in 2009 and went on to date on and off, before Rihanna told Vogue in 2018 that she and the “God’s Plan” musician “don’t have a friendship now, but we’re not enemies either.”

In the “Fear of Heights” intro, for instance, he repeatedly says the word “Anti,” aka the title of Ri’s Billboard 200 No. 1 2016 album. Then, after lamenting how people “make it sound like [he’s] still hung up on” his ex, Drake goes on to seemingly diss Rocky with “That man, he still with you, he can’t leave you/ Y’all go on vacation, I bet it’s Antilles.”

And yes, Barbados — Rihanna’s home country and frequent vacation spot — is located in Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean.

That’s not all, though. On the track “Virginia Beach,” Drake spits, “Drawin’ conclusions like you got a Parsons degree or somethin’/ I coulda treated you better, that’s crazy.” And who has an honorary degree from the Parsons School of Design? That’s right — Rihanna!

Plus, on “Another Late Night,” Drake seems to take aim once again at A$AP Rocky. “I ain’t Pretty Flacko,” he raps, nodding to Rocky’s nickname, “B—h this s–t get really Rocky.”

Billboard has reached out to Rihanna and Rocky’s reps for comment.

Needless to say, Drake’s apparent Rihanna and Rocky disses has a lot of fans fired up, the general consensus being that the “Rich Flex” rapper needs to just move on. “Drake dissed Rihanna and Asap Rocky and that only means one thing, it still hurts him enough to disgrace himself to the public after 6 years,” tweeted one critic. “I didn’t think I’d ever say this but, Drake, you flopped.”

“drake still crying about rihanna 7 years later we tired,” wrote one.

Added another, “drake still rapping about Rihanna pls HANG IT UP.”

See more fan reactions below:

06 Oct 2023

Megan Thee Stallion Drops New Song ‘Out Alpha the Alpha’ From ‘Dicks: The Musical’ Soundtrack: Listen

After flexing her dominance as Gloria Masters, the high-powered CEO for Dicks: The Musical, Megan Thee Stallion aims for total supremacy over all men on the soundtrack’s newest single, “Out Alpha the Alpha.”  

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Co-written by Marius de Vries and co-composer Karl Saint, who also were behind all of the music for the film, “Out Alpha the Alpha,” finds Megan exuding the same swagger and bravado that has catapulted her career. “They say, ‘Boys will be boys,’ man, what a crock of sh–/ These men, they hold all the cards, it makes me wanna spit/ They always fu–in’ shit up, they’re always makin’ a mess/ But I’m a tell you the secret to my success,” she raps. 

“Out Alpha the Alpha” serves as Megan’s first solo record of 2023, after featuring on Cardi B’s “Bongos” last month. In an interview with Billboard in September, Meg dished when fans can expect new music. “It’s definitely coming very soon. I’m really excited about this chapter of my life because I feel like I’m finally closing all the old chapters, and now I’m starting with a blank slate. Very fresh, very new,” she said. “I think Thee Hotties are gonna be so excited. I’m trying different things. I got a lot of things that I produced with Ju and with some new producers.”

Meg’s last album, Traumazine, came in Aug. 2022 and had singles such as “Plan B,” “Sweetest Pie” with Dua Lipa and “Pressurelicious” featuring Future. The album debuted inside the top five of the Billboard 200 following its release. 

Dicks: The Musical, the new film created by A24, is in select theaters today. Listen to “Out Alpha the Alpha” below. 

06 Oct 2023

Drake Finally Drops “For All The Dogs,” Fans React To Possible Subliminal Shots At Pusha T, Rihanna & More

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Los Angeles Clippers v Toronto Raptors

Source: Cole Burston / Getty / Drake

After countless months of teasing his fans, Drake has finally released his highly anticipated album, For All The Dogs, and, of course, the reactions are all over the place.

Fans were wide awake at 6 a.m. and ready to hear lyrics that will end up being Instagram captions when the Canadian Hip-Hop star dropped his new album, For All The Dogs.

The album arrives three months after it was first revealed, featuring artwork by his no-longer secret son, Adonis. as the cover art.

The 23-song album, which is ridiculously long, serves as a follow-up to his other 2022 projects, Honestly, Nevermind, and Her Loss, and there are many features.

Drizzy gets assistance from big names like Bad Bunny and SZA, whom he revealed he dated at one point and is featured on the album’s lead single “Slime You Out” and “Rich Baby Daddy,” which also features Trump lover and victim of a sex tape leak Sexyy Red.

Other notable features include Drizzy’s homie, Lil Yachty, his recent tour mate 21 Savage, Teezo Touchdown, Yeat, and PartyNextDoor.

One standout feature comes from J. Cole, who used his appearance in the song ‘First Person Shooter,” where he addresses his beef with NBA Youngboy.

Did Drake Take A Shot At Pusha-T & Rihanna?

What many fans expected would happen on this album would be Drake taking a shot at his nemesis, Pusha T.

Everyone assumed that would be the case on the album’s first song, “Virginia Beach,” which samples Frank Ocean’s “Wiseman.”

Still, to the disappointment of everyone, it’s just a typical Drake song.

But, in what could be a reach or a clever observation, one X user noticed that in a skit on the 21 Savage assisted track “Calling For You,” a woman complains about not being in first class.

Hilariously, Pusha T hit United Air on X (formerly known as Twitter) on October 3 about the airline not having a first-class option despite letting an agent book a first-class ticket.

Is this a coincidence? Who knows, but if Drake did that in such a short turnaround, it’s pretty damn hilarious.

Another eyebrow-raising moment has the Navy reacting, thinking Drake could have possibly taken a shot at Rihanna on the song “Fear of Heights” on his latest album.

If true, we know Rihanna will have that smoke for Drizzla.

For All The Dogs Production

On the production, the side For All The Dogs boasts help from Bnyx, Boi-1da, Cash Cobain, Justin Raisen, Sadpony, and Southside.

OVO regulars Noah “40” Shebib, Oliver El-Khatib, Noel Cadastre, and Drake serve as executive producers. NBA superstar Kevin Durant serves as A&R on the project.

Of course, like with any significant Drake release, the reactions and crazy are up and down X timelines, with some folks calling the album mid.

Uh oh.

You can see those in the gallery below.

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Photo: Cole Burston / Getty

3. Ruh Roh

4. Accurate

5. Pretty much

7. Interesting

9. HOWLINNNNGGGG

06 Oct 2023

Dreamville’s Bas Attends ‘Call Of Duty: Next,’ New Album By End Of Year

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Bas x Call of Duty: NEXT

Source: Activision / Activision

Bas was amongst the gaming pros and influencers on hand for the Call Of Duty: NEXT event that went down on Thursday, October 5. It shouldn’t be a surprise since the Dreamville rapper is a proud gamer and longtime fan of the franchise, and was as excited as anyone else to get to previewing and playing Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare III.

Call Of Duty: NEXT showcased a sampling of the title’s new content including Multiplayer and Zombies as well as announcements about Call of Duty: Warzone—all in celebration of Call of Duty’s 20th anniversary. Bas was happy to be in the building. “I’m a fan man. I’m blessed to be here to get to play the game early to see all the cool callbacks— the maps they brought back,” Bas told Hip-Hop Wired. “I’m excited to see the new Warzone map. I’m just a gamer like anyone else.”

Bas isn’t just anyone considering he’s part of the Dreamville roster, and dropped a heater featuring his mans J. Cole called “Passports Bros” this past summer (more on that later). The Queens, by way of Paris, France rapper actually credits gaming with building chemistry between him and his collaborators, like renowned producer Boi-1da (Drake, Nas). “Me and him were cool acquaintances for a lot of the earlier part of my career but it wasn’t until we started gaming together and really speaking every night that our collaborative bond formed,” explains Bas, who also counts engineer Mixed by Ali, producer T-Minus and sometime J. Cole as among his regular gaming crew for Call of Duty and Warzone, amongst other titles.

He adds, “It’s almost like a business call but we’re playing a game and keeping in touch. 1da might be like ‘Yo, I did this beat tonight I gotta send it to you,’ he’ll text it to me mid-game. It’s a good way to stay present, stay in each other’s lives. We’re all so busy, we’re all in different parts of the country or we’re on tour. That’s kind of the one constant, you can get on, see who’s online, get in the chat with them, run a few games and just catch up.”

Video games and Hip-Hop have long been linked but formulating joints over the system group chat surely wasn’t on the bingo card of any Rap pioneer. But the joy both elements bring make the union inevitable. “We might tour seven, eight months out of the year. So those breaks where we get to come home that’s mostly what I’m doing. I’m gaming, I’m seeing the family,” explains Bas. “I’m not trying to go out and party, I just came off tour. It’s therapeutic to me honestly. Just to get on and talk to my friends. There’s a lot of value in the communication and the community of it.”

And yes, Bas has new music on deck—his new album, titled We Only Talk About Real Shit When We’re Fucked Up, drops…soon, via Dreamville/Interscope. “I was trying to give y’all the date but there’s some paperwork [so] the label’s got me a little hush hush. But definitely before the end of the year.”

For us civilians, the Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare III Open Multiplayer Beta will be available starting Friday, October 6 and throughout the weekend. XBox and PC gamers will get their turn next weekend. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare III proper will launch on November 10, 2023.

Bas x Call of Duty: NEXT

Source: Activision / Activision