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‘Creepin” Became the Biggest Hit Off Metro Boomin’s ‘Heroes & Villains’ — But It Almost Didn’t Make the Album

“Creepin’” by Metro Boomin with The Weeknd and 21 Savage — a remake of Mario Winans’ 2004 R&B smash “I Don’t Wanna Know” featuring Diddy and Enya — became the biggest hit off the superproducer’s latest solo album, Heroes & Villains. The song spent the entire first half of 2023 in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 3.

But getting the green light from those credited on “I Don’t Wanna Know” proved to be quite the feat, Metro tells Billboard during his latest cover story interview that was published Monday (Oct. 2).

“[Amir ‘Cash’ Esmailian], one of my managers, [and I] were figuring out what songs Abel [Tesfaye] and I would do for Heroes. Cash had mentioned, ‘Yo, between me and you, [Abel] always wanted to do something with “I Don’t Wanna Know.”‘ One day, I just presented the idea to him and he was like, ‘Hell yeah, I been wanting to do that!’” Metro recalls. “We both f–k with Mario hard; he’s served like a mentor [to me]. So he did the background vocals. And it was always in my mind to put Savage on it, ‘cause I know [him and Abel] have never had a song before and he’s nonchalant, like how Puff’s verse was back in the day.”  



Diddy had no issue clearing “I Don’t Wanna Know,” which samples Enya’s 1987 track “Boadicea,” but the Irish singer did. She didn’t sign off on Metro’s original working title, which abbreviated the original hit to “IDWK.” “I tried to call it something else, and she wasn’t with that,” he says.



“That’s one of them ones that almost didn’t make it just ’cause the process of trying to get it cleared was so much,” adds Ryan Ramsey, another one of Metro’s managers.

Since he was cutting it too close to his album release date, Metro suggested Enya send over a list of acceptable song titles that he could pick from. That list included “Undecided,” “Creepin’,” “Don’t Come Back to Me,” “Better Off That Way” and “Wanna Let You Know.”

“‘Creepin’’ was the one. I was like, ‘F–k, why didn’t I think of that?’” says Metro. “It ended up being a blessing because it’s the best name for it.”  

Latin Music Week 2023: 5 Best Tips to Maximize Your Revenue in the Streaming Era

The 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week kicked off Monday, Oct. 2 at the Faena Theater and Forum in Miami Beach with a handful of educational panels about the music industry. 

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The “So you have a Million Streams… Now what?” panel, presented by Rimas Publishing, featured artist-songwriters Lyanno and Miky Woodz, and executives Emilio Morales, managing director of Rimas Publishing and Enrique Marquez Paris, songwriter and publishing relations of Latin music, Spotify.  

The conversation, moderated by Billboard Latin’s senior charts and data analyst, Pamela Bustios, focused on how artists can optimize their songwriting and production revenue in the streaming era. 

Below, check out the best tips given at the panel: 

On the importance of streaming: According to both Woodz and Lyanno, streaming has benefited the success of their music careers. “We’re in a digital era where we can take advantage of everything we have in our reach,” Lyanno said. “Thanks to streaming, we can reach new audiences,” added Woodz. 

On splitting royalties: “Immediately talk about the splits when you enter a recording studio,”  recommends Marquez Paris, who also says it’s important to communicate with your publisher about any song or piece of work that comes out of a recording session. “Publishers are not fortune tellers, but they will protect your composition,” he explains.

On not buying fake streams: “I don’t recommend it because it’ll damage your algorithm as an artist,” noted Morales. Buying bots will amplify your numbers and reach territories you might not want to reach with your music. Instead, Morales states that being consistent is crucial, which includes having your own formula and creating your own fan base, organically.

On optimizing revenue: The key is to never stop working. “Put out more music, more compositions, and work harder. The more you work, the more success you will have,” Lyanno said. For Woodz, it’s key to create content for fans. “The fan base supports you and consumes your content. It is with them that you have to have a connection. Continue giving them music, content, and make them feel identified with you.”

On creating music with artificial intelligence: All panelists agreed that AI has its pros and cons when creating music but they are aware that technology is advancing and it really depends on each artist, composer, and producer if they want to use it in the studio.

Celebrated for more than 30 years, the 2023 edition of Latin Music Week includes a Superstar Q&A with Shakira; the Legends on Legends chat with Chencho Corleone and Vico C; Making the Hit Live! with Carin León and Pedro Capó; a panel with RBD’s Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann, and Maite Perroni; Superstar Songwriter discussion with Edgar Barrera and Keityn, among many other panels, Q&As and workshops. See the ultimate Latin Music Week guide here. This year’s Latin Music Week, taking place Oct. 2-6, also includes showcases by Peso Pluma, Mike Bahía and Greeicy, DannyLux and Fonseca, to name a few. 

Check out the dates and times for the showcases throughout the week here.

Official partners of the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week include AT&T, Cheetos, CN Bank, Delta Air Lines, Lexus, Netflix, Michelob ULTRA and Smirnoff.

Latin Music Week coincides with the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards ceremony, which will broadcast live from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla., on Thursday (Oct. 5) and will air on Telemundo. It will also broadcast simultaneously on Universo, Peacock, the Telemundo App, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.

Peter Gabriel Shares Song Co-Conceived With Skrillex: ‘He Was Trying to Encourage Me to Write a Song About Staying Up All Night’

In the realm of perhaps surprising collaborations, Peter Gabriel‘s latest song, “This Is Home” had some input from Skrillex.

In a statement released with the song, out Friday (Sept. 29), Gabriel noted that “I’d had a call from Skrillex, who’s a very talented musician, and I thought it would be interesting to see what he had in mind, so he came to my home studio and we sat down and talked and tried to evolve bits and pieces and it was mainly for this song.

“He was trying to encourage me to write a song about staying up all night in a night club and that sort of thing, but that’s not really my life so I made it more about family and home and I like it. Though we took the song in this other direction it was an interesting experience nonetheless, and I think it is good for me to be taken outside my normal comfort zone sometimes.’

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The final product is indeed more domesticity than drops, with the gentle love song featuring orchestral arrangements and contributions from a Swedish male voice choir. The song does have some electronic world bonafides, however, with the first released being the (Dark-Side Mix) by producer Tchad Blake. Listen below.

“This Is Home” is the tenth track from Gabriel’s forthcoming album, i/o.

Gabriel is currently on tour in the United States, with shows happening through October 21. Meanwhile Skrillex had a busy weekend playing Australia’s Listen Out festival in Sydney, then flying around the world to play a Sunday night set at Portola in San Francisco.

Listen to “This Is Home” (Dark Side Mix) below.



Latin Music Super Fans Key to Driving Double-Digit Growth, Says Luminate

Latin music consumption is growing almost twice as fast as the overall music consumption in the U.S., driven largely by Latin music super fans and by the growth of regional Mexican music, according to Luminate’s most recent research on Latin music.

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Unveiled at a Monday morning (Oct. 2) session during Latin Music Week 2023 presented by Luminate CEO Rob Jonas, Luminate’s research also found an unlikely discovery platform for Latin music: WhatsApp. A whooping 73% of Hispanic listeners use WhatsApp, 265% more than the general population.

Luminate’s numbers once again underscored the impressive growth of Latin music consumption. For example, in the first 34 weeks of 2022, there were 47.4 billion on demand audio streams. For the first 34 weeks of 2023, that number had jumped to 57.9 billion streams, a 22.2% upward change that far surpasses the 13.3% growth registered for the industry overall. All told, Latin is now the 5th largest major music genre in the U.S., behind only the big four core genres: R&B and Hip-Hop, pop, rock and country.

Latin music is also seeing consumption growth outside Latin pockets. A stunning 40% of all U.S. listeners report listening to music in languages other than English; and among those languages, the most listened to — after English — is Spanish. While 93% listen to music in English, roughly 23% of listeners will listen to music in Spanish.

Likewise, while the English language share of streaming in the U.S. –- as measured by the top 10,000 most streamed tracks of the past 12 months — has dipped slightly by 4%  in the past year, streaming of Spanish language tracks has increased by 3.5%.

A key driver to the growth are Latin super fans. According to Luminate’s data, they spend 120% more per month on music related activities than other fans, and 30% more than U.S. super fans.

“The trends we saw starting in 2022 have accelerated and developed the growth of Latin music,” says Jonas. “We initially saw a lot of growth in streaming, but now, that growth translated to revenue. In 2023, it’s definitely been exceeding expectations.”

You can access Luminate’s full report here.

Thomas Rhett, Lainey Wilson & Lynyrd Skynyrd to Lead CBS’ ‘New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash’

Thomas Rhett, Lainey Wilson and Lynyrd Skynyrd will help ring in the new year in Nashville, as the first performers announced for CBS’ New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, airing Sunday, Dec. 31 from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT. The annual concert will put Nashville in the national spotlight, highlighting a range of artists, including some of country music’s current premier performers and several of the city’s beloved venues.

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ACM entertainer of the year winner Thomas Rhett just headlined two electrifying shows at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, while current CMA entertainer of the year nominee Wilson just earned her third Billboard Country Airplay No. 1 hit. Meanwhile, southern rock practitioners Lynyrd Skynyrd is gearing up to celebrate five decades since the band’s debut album. They will perform at Nashville’s Bicentennial Park stage.

Thomas Rhett, Wilson and Lynyrd Skynyrd are just a few of the performers that can be expected during the five-hour show, which will feature more than 50 performances from venues across Nashville, including the mainstage at Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. Additionally, the music-filled evening will conclude with the anticipated Nashville note drop and fireworks at midnight CT.

The show will also stream on Paramount+, live and on demand for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers and on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs.

“Building on what we have established over the last two years by focusing on our artists, the fans and the vibrancy of downtown Nashville, this year’s lineup is shaping up to be our most exciting yet. We will celebrate 50 years of the iconic southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, the skyrocketing Lainey Wilson and country music superstar Thomas Rhett, with over a dozen artists and special guests still to be announced,” said executive producer Robert Deaton in a statement. “Nashville is quickly becoming THE destination for New Year’s Eve, and we are honored that CBS wants to help us continue to show off our music and incredible city with a new multi-year deal!”

The Bicentennial Park stage is free and open to the public.

New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash is executive produced by Deaton and Mary Hilliard Harrington in partnership with the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. The special will be directed by Sandra Restrepo.

Billboard Hot 100 Chart Reveal: Oct. 7, 2023 | Billboard News

The numbers are in! Morgan Wallen is climbing back up our charts, Luke Combs continues his rise and SZA reaches a new high.

This is the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 for the week dated October 7th.

Dua is not done dancing at No. 10.

Selena & Rema reappear with “Calm Down.”

Gunna rises again to No. 8.

“Vampire” keeps its fangs in No. 7.

“Last Night” climbs this week to No. 6.

Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves hold at No. 5.

“Cruel Summer” is up again to No. 4.

“Fast Car” drives to No. 3.

SZA’s “Snooze” hits a new No. 2 peak.

And with a second non-consecutive week on top with her first No. 1 on her own is Doja Cat.

Watch the full video above!

How to Get Tickets to Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ Tour Movie

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Beyoncé is bringing the Renaissance tour to the silver screen, and if you belong to the BeyHive, you need to be there opening night. Tickets to Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé went up for pre-sale on Monday (Oct. 2) via AMC Theaters, Regal, Fandango and Cinemark.

Keep reading for more details on the film and ticket information.

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How to Get Tickets

Saddle up! Beyoncé’s Renaissance concert film arrives on the big screen on Dec. 1 (pre-sale tickets are available for select screenings on Nov. 30). The two-and-a-half-hour film takes fans from rehearsal to the stage with behind-the-scenes footage of Beyoncé touring the globe, and candid moments with her family including Jay Z and their kids Blue Ivy, Rumi and Sir. The film will also feature music videos, Variety reports.  

Pre-sale tickets to the Renaissance film are available online at AMC Theaters, Regal and Cinemark. To secure tickets for opening night, you might have to check all three theaters, as tickets are selling out fast. Tickets are currently available for Nov. 30 and Dec. 1-3. Prices range between $22-$28 depending on the theater.  

Per the film description, “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé accentuates the journey of Renaissance World Tour, from its inception, to the opening in Stockholm, Sweden, to the finale in Kansas City, Mo. It is about Beyoncé’s intention, hard work, involvement in every aspect of the production, her creative mind and purpose to create her legacy and master her craft. Received with extraordinary acclaim, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour created a sanctuary for freedom, and shared joy, for more than 2.7 million fans.”

Beyoncé dropped the film trailer at the end of her tour in Kansas City, Mo., on Sunday (Oct. 1). She also posted the trailer on Instagram with the caption, “Be careful what you ask for, ‘cause I just might comply,” a reference to fans asking for visuals from the Renaissance album (and a lyric from her song “All Up in Your Mind”).

Where to Watch Beyoncé’s Other Concert Movies Online

Where can you watch other Beyoncé films? Bey’s 2020 concept film, Black Is King, is streaming on Disney+; Homecoming, chronicling her headlining set at Coachella, is streaming on Netflix.

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Beyoncé Drops Trailer for ‘Renaissance’ Concert Movie

You can stream a bunch of Beyoncé movies on Prime Video, Apple iTunes and Google Play including Beyonce’s I Am World Tour, The Beyonce’s Experience and Life is But a Dream.

To watch Beyoncé’s concert documentaries all in one place, subscribe to Quello Concerts by Stingray, a streaming platform for on-demand music concerts and music documentaries. Click here to launch a free trial.

Doja Cat’s ‘Paint the Town Red’ Tops Hot 100 for Second Week, Taylor Swift’s ‘Cruel Summer’ Rules Radio

Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” rebounds from No. 2 for its second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. The rapper/singer’s second career leader, which first led three weeks earlier, is her first to reign for multiple weeks, after her “Say So,” featuring Nicki Minaj, spent a week at No. 1 in May 2020.

Plus, Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” rises 6-4 on the Hot 100 (after reaching No. 3) and ascends to the summit on the Radio Songs chart, becoming her eighth leader on the airplay ranking.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated Oct. 7, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Oct. 3). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.



“Paint the Town Red,” released on Kemosabe/RCA Records, drew 52.6 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 17%) and 27.5 million streams (up 3%) and sold 6,000 downloads (down 19%) in the Sept. 22-28 tracking week, according to Luminate. It wins the Hot 100’s top Airplay Gainer award for a second consecutive frame.

The single climbs 3-1 on the Streaming Songs chart – becoming Doja Cat’s first leader on the list; adds a second week at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales; and pushes 9-7 on Radio Songs. It concurrently tops the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts for a fifth and sixth week, respectively.

(As “Paint the Town Red” samples Dionne Warwick’s 1964 standard “Walk on By,” legendary late songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David are credited as writers on both songs. Doja Cat’s hit is Bacharach’s first multi-week leader, among eight total No. 1s, since “That’s What Friends Are For” by Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder [four weeks in 1986]; David has his first multi-week No. 1, among five leaders, since the Carpenters’ “[They Long To Be] Close to You” [four weeks, 1970].)

SZA’s “Snooze” rises 3-2 for a new Hot 100 high, with 72.9 million in radio audience (up 4%), 17.5 million streams (down 18%) and 2,000 sold (down 35%); a week earlier, it jumped from No. 8 following the Sept. 15 release of its remix featuring Justin Bieber. It tops the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs chart for a 10th week.

The song becomes SZA’s third to reach the Hot 100’s top two – all this year – following her first two No. 1s: “Kill Bill,” which led for a week in April, and Drake’s “Slime You Out,” on which she’s featured; the latter debuted at No. 1 a week earlier and falls to No. 12.

Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s No. 6-peaking 1988 Hot 100 classic “Fast Car” rides 4-3, following eight weeks at its No. 2 high. It adds a second week at No. 1 on the multi-metric Hot Country Songs chart.



Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” advances 6-4 on the Hot 100, after hitting No. 3, and elevates 2-1 to crown the Radio Songs chart (76.1 million, up 2%). The song becomes Swift’s eighth Radio Songs leader, as she breaks out of a tie with Maroon 5, Katy Perry and Usher for the fourth-most since the chart began in December 1990; Rihanna leads with 13 Radio Songs No. 1s, followed by Mariah Carey (11) and Bruno Mars (nine).

Here’s an updated look at Swift’s Radio Songs No. 1s:

Title, Weeks at No. 1, Year(s):

  • “Cruel Summer,” one, to date, 2023
  • “Anti-Hero,” five, 2022-23
  • “Wildest Dreams,” two, 2015
  • “Bad Blood” (feat. Kendrick Lamar), five, 2015
  • “Blank Space,” six, 2014-15
  • “Shake It Off,” four, 2014
  • “I Knew You Were Trouble.,” four, 2013
  • “You Belong With Me,” two, 2009

As previously reported, “Cruel Summer” becomes Swift’s sole longest-leading No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart, where it leads for an eighth week, surpassing her seven-week reign with “I Knew You Were Trouble.”

“Cruel Summer” was originally released on Swift’s 2019 album Lover. Republic Records began promoting it as a single in June, as Swift has performed it on her The Eras Tour, her first in which she’s been able to spotlight songs from Lover, which was released shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, the song is the second released in the 2010s to top Radio Songs this year; The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Die for You” (also on Republic) dominated for two weeks in February, after it was originally released, by The Weeknd solo, in 2016.

Meanwhile, with Radio Songs No. 1s in the 2000s, ’10s and ’20s, Swift is the only artist with leaders on the chart in each of the three decades, as well as the only artist with No. 1s as a lead act in any three distinct decades, dating to the ‘90s.

Zach Bryan’s “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves, holds at No. 5 on the Hot 100, four weeks after it debuted at No. 1. It leads the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Rock Songs charts for a fifth week each.

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” rebounds 8-6 on the Hot 100, following 16 weeks at No. 1, the most ever for a non-collaboration; Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” keeps at No. 7, following two nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1; and Gunna’s “Fukumean” rises 9-8, after hitting No. 4.

Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” returns to the Hot 100’s top 10, lifting 11-9, after reaching No. 3. It rules the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a record-extending 57th week.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10,  Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” is steady at No. 10, after hitting No. 6.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Oct. 7), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Oct. 3).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

Stevie Nicks Is Getting Her Own Barbie: Where to Pre-Order

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Mattel is honoring Stevie Nicks with her very own Barbie Music Collector doll. The music legend announced the release during her concert at Madison Square Garden on Sunday (Oct. 1).

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“My Stevie @Barbie has been with me now for several months. When Mattel came to me asking if I would like to have a Barbie made in the Rumours cover style I was very overwhelmed,” Nicks posted on X.com, formerly Twitter. “Of course I questioned ‘would she look like me? Would she have my spirit? Would she have my heart…’ When I look at her, I see my 27 year old self~ All the memories of walking out on a big stage in that black outfit and those gorgeous boots come rushing back~ and then I see myself now in her face. What we have been through since 1975~ the battles we have fought, the lessons we have learned~ together. I am her and she is me. She absolutely has my heart.”

“Thank you Mattel, for working with me to make Stevie Barbie so pretty and so soulful and so real; she means the world to me!”

Channeling the heydays of Fleetwood Mac, the Stevie Nicks Barbie is outfitted in a flowing black dress inspired by her outfit on the album cover for the band’s 1977 LP Rumours. The doll also wears a replica of Nicks’ signature golden moon necklace along with black knee-high boots and carries a tambourine with red and black ribbons.

The Stevie Nicks Barbie doll ($55) is available for pre-order at Amazon, Target and Walmart while supplies last. The doll will be released on Nov. 10.

Drake Gives $50K to Fan Who Was Supposed to Attend Concert With Now Ex-Girlfriend

Drake just gave one fan the chance to have their very own “rich flex.”

At the hitmaker’s recent concert in Miami, Drake noticed that one man in the audience was holding a sign that read, “I spent all my savings buying tickets for me and my ex, but Honestly, Nevermind, it’s really Her Loss.” And while the “Hotline Bling” musician has made a habit of giving luxurious presents to women in attendance at his shows, this time, Drake singled out the male fan who had been expecting to have a date with him that night.

“That’s a good sign to pick tonight,” Drake said. “Usually I’ll do something nice for a lady. I’ll do something nice, I’ll give away a bag or some s–t like that.”

“So, she ain’t come with you tonight?” he continued. “What the f–k is wrong with her?”

When the crowd at Kaseya Center started to get a little too hostile, though, Drake shut down a “F–k that b—h!” chant. “Alright, that’s a little aggressive,” he told the audience.

Then, the Grammy winner added, “You know what? She’s gonna feel real f–ked up ’cause I’ma give you 50 bands, so you gon’ flex on her tonight. That’s how we doing it tonight, big dog! It’s your night tonight! And I won’t say it how y’all said it, but f–k that young lady.”

As mentioned, Drake has been giving out lavish gifts to his fans on the It’s All A Blur Tour. He’s handed out luxury bags from Chanel and Hermès, and last week, he promised a newlywed couple he’d pay for a honeymoon flight to the Bahamas.

Watch Drake give away $50,000 in Miami here.