State Champ Radio News
Page: 385
Nicki Minaj‘s last album arrived with her Pink Friday 2 to close out 2023, and she’s laid low for much of 2025 so far on the music side. Gracing the cover of Vogue Italia on Tuesday (May 27), Minaj opened up about the creative process heading into her next LP.
While the Queens legend has a collection of songs she’s proud of, Minaj is in no rush to release her next body of work until the time is right and aligns with her life.
Trending on Billboard
“I’ve got a bunch of really strong tracks, but I don’t want to rush,” she explained. “I want the record to mean something, both for the fans and for me. I’ll never be one of those people who puts out songs just to put them out. I love music. I respect it.”
When that time does come, she plans on hitting the road once again. “To experience it all again, as soon as possible. For me, and for the Barbz,” she added. The Pink Friday 2 World Tour earned Minaj the honor of having the highest grossing rap tour for a woman.
Elsewhere in the interview, Minaj revealed that she actually initially hated how she looked in the viral “Did I Lie” video, which was born from a CRWN interview in 2018 surrounding the rollout of Queen with Elliott Wilson.
“I hate how I look in that video,” she said. “When people started using it I thought, ‘I’m blocking you all!’ Then I gave in — it’s actually pretty funny.”
Minaj hasn’t made many public appearances this year, but she did pop out at the 2025 Met Gala earlier in May, as the Young Money rapper stunned in a Thom Browne navy pinstripe mermaid dress. “It reminded me of putting on your Sunday’s best and being iconic in your own world,” she told Entertainment Tonight of her attire.
Pink Friday 2 arrived with much fanfare in December 2023. The project debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 228,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 14, according to Luminate. That figure is the largest week for a rap album by a woman in the 2020s.
See Nicki’s Vogue Italia cover below:
Source: Getty Images / Bernard “Beanz” Smalls / Kid Cudi / Diddy
The legal team for Diddy, also known as Sean Combs, is seeking to have Kid Cudi’s explosive testimony dismissed.
It’s no secret that the Diddy saga is a pure circus that not even Netflix or HBO could have dreamed of in terms of shenanigans following his arrest on racketeering and federal sex trafficking.
One of the more eyebrow-raising claims is that Kid Cudi’s Porsche was torched because of his relationship with Diddy’s ex, Cassie Ventura. Lawyers for Diddy are asking the judge to dismiss Mr. Rager’s testimony on the grounds of CAP, strictly based on his unconfirmed claim that the disgraced mogul lied about his involvement.
During his testimony in Combs’ federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial last week, Cudi spoke about meeting Diddy at Soho House after his car was set ablaze.
Cudi’s testimony provided the public with one of the more memorable statements when he hilariously said that Diddy was “standing there like a Marvel supervillain.” Still, Diddy’s team of lawyers believes the focus should be on discussion when Cudi was asked if he believed Diddy when the Bad Boy general said he didn’t know anything about Cudi’s whip being torched.
After Judge Arun Subramanian overruled an objection from Combs’ lawyer Brian Steel, Cudi went on to say that Diddy was “lying.”
As part of their argument to have Cudi’s testimony thrown out, Comb’s legal team argues that Cudi’s claims qualify as an opinion and should be stricken from testimony because it is in reference to the “Day ‘n’ Nite” crafter’s firebombed vehicle and could sway the jury’s opinion.
Ye & Young Thug Were Not Fans of Kid Cudi Testifying
Speaking of opinions, there are those within the Hip-Hop community who are not happy that Cudi testified against Combs.
Taking time off from being an antisemtic douchebag, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, Ye, expressed disappointment in Cudi.
“I wish Cudi hadn’t testified against Puff,” the problematic producer/rapper wrote on his X, formerly Twitter account, per HipHopDX.
West continued, “We need to not be locked in white systems. Praying for Puff and his family.”
Ummm, ok.
Young Thug also demonstrated why those in the Hip-Hop community continue to hold flawed logic regarding “snitching.” The rapper, who recently returned home from a lengthy prison stint, wrote on X, “Dam Cudi a rat lol.”
SMH.
Trust and believe if someone blows up our car and we knew who did it, we would be on the stand testifying too.
Just saying.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. Ridiculous
3. Exactly
4. Make it, make sense
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
300 Entertainment co-founder Kevin Liles has denied sexual assault allegations made by rapper Lady Luck (born Shanell Jones). Liles released a statement on Tuesday (May 27) claiming the former Def Jam artist engaged in a $30 million extortion plot against him earlier this month. According to Liles, Jones and her legal team threatened to release […]
05/27/2025
Listen to new must-hear songs from emerging R&B/hip-hop artists like AKIA and Praise.
05/27/2025
This week’s crop of new music features two-time ACM entertainer of the year winner Lainey Wilson‘s new track, which she performed during the recent American Music Awards. Meanwhile, Vincent Mason offers up a sterling new song with “Painkiller” and country-rock group Treaty Oak Revival reimagines a Goo Goo Dolls classic on its new EP The Talco Tapes. Also offering up new tunes this week are Elizabeth Nichols, Jessica Willis Fisher and the SteelDrivers.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Lainey Wilson, “Somewhere Over Laredo”
Trending on Billboard
This piano and fiddle-laced ballad pays homage to the Judy Garland classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” though Wilson’s “rainbow” here is a border town near Laredo, Texas. She sings about traveling on a plane and as her travels take her over Texas, she’s reminiscing on the sights, feel and romance of a Lone Star State town. Wilson also turns in one of her most commanding, dynamic vocal performances to date, crescendoing from a soft-focus, tender vocal, before gradually reaching into her upper register for powerful moments that heighten the song’s emotional acuity.
Vincent Mason, “Painkiller”
Vincent Mason keeps rolling out a string of solid songs with this toe-tapping, guitar-fueled track he wrote with Jessie Jo Dillon, Luke Laird and Chase McDaniel. His laid-back voice floats over an easygoing groove as he sings a post-heartbreak sentiment about moving on (however briefly) with an enthralling new flame, only to find the memories of their romance stay with him long after their final moments together. “She’s red dirt raised with them blue jean eyes,” he sings, offering a vivid portrait of the one who has captured his heart. He’s steadily building upon his previous hits, such as “Hell Is a Dancefloor,” to become one of country’s most buzzed-about new troubadours.
Treaty Oak Revival, “Name”
Treaty Oak Revival offers up a version of the Goo Goo Dolls three-decade old hit “Name” as part of TOR’s new acoustic project The Talco Tapes. Instead of offering up a faithful rendition of the classic, they envelop it in their signature rustic, country-tilted rock, a musical fusion that placed TOR lead singer Sam Canty’s commanding voice at the forefront. While TOR is known for its hard-charging, rock-infused shows, this Taylor Kimbrall-produced track showcases the breadth of the band’s creative skill.
Elizabeth Nichols, “Somebody Cooked Here”
Nichols turns in an exquisite track rich in striking details as she crafts a narrative of a woman visiting her lover’s residence for dinner and taking note of details — heart-shaped cookie cutters and perfectly-baked salmon — that are still there from his previous relationship. “It must’ve been love/ ‘Cause you kept all her stuff,” she sings with bittersweet realization. Nichols’ tender twang elevates the song’s storyline and furthers her reputation as both a gifted songcrafter and country vocalist with a penchant for stick-in-your-head lyrics that uniquely put forth a song’s message.
Jessica Willis Fisher, “Healing”
Willis Fisher returns with her sophomore album, the nine-song Blooming, which released May 16. Among the project’s fresh tracks is this sunny slice of pop-country that finds Fisher celebrating the strong and lasting love of her marriage to husband Sean Fisher (the couple wed in 2017). This earthy, romantic track feels like an auditory equivalent of a late-spring breeze wafting through a field after a long, frozen winter, as she revels in a soul-heartening romance.
The SteelDrivers, Outrun
As this soulful bluegrass outfit celebrates two decades of genre-expanding music, it’s weathered lineup shifts over the years while staying true to their blues-meets-bluegrass sound. Now, with the new album Outrun, the group has issued its first project under the iconic Sun Records label. The album’s tightly constructed dozen songs highlight the Drivers’ enduring top-shelf vocal harmonies and an excellent musicianship that time has only further refined, on songs such as the somber “When the Last Teardrop Falls,” the honkytonk country-tinged “Booze and Cigarettes” and the foreboding “Cut You Down.”
There was a blank space where fans thought Taylor Swift was going to be at the 2025 American Music Awards, with the pop star skipping the show altogether despite weeks of Swifties theorizing that she was going to make an announcement at the ceremony Monday (May 26).
And though there was never any guarantee that the “Fortnight” singer would attend — much less reveal something by way of new music — many fans are still taking to social media to express their disappointment in the lack of a Swift surprise. While some are sharing memes declaring themselves “clowns” for believing that the 14-time Grammy winner would show up, others are still looking for an explanation behind the seeming “clues” that led them to believe she would be there in the first place.
“i know that taylor doesn’t owe us anything but what was the reason behind this?” one person wrote on X, sharing a screenshot of Swift’s online store with a display menu that reads, “Apparel, Music, Accessories, Sale.”
Trending on Billboard
The store menu — which spells out “AMAs” with each word’s first letter — was one of several non-Easter eggs that gave fans false hope that Swift would be at the ceremony. Over the past couple of weeks, Swifties also noticed that many of her site’s items were on sale for 26% off, which they pointed out matched the date of this year’s AMAs: May 26.
And while some thought that Swift would announce Reputation (Taylor’s Version) and others were convinced that she’d unveil her next studio album, all of the believers were absolutely certain that the aforementioned details were no coincidence — except, they turned out to be just that. Not only did the “Karma” artist not make an announcement, she didn’t even show up.
To cope with the letdown, many of those fans are making jokes at their own expense. “me bc taylor didn’t show up to the #AMAs,” one Swiftie wrote on X, posting a screenshot of the singer’s Folklore song “This Is Me Trying” edited to say, “This Is Me Clowning.”
Another person shared a screengrab of a fitting lyric from The Tortured Poets Department‘s “But Daddy I Love Him” — “You should see your faces” — and a third fan shared a photo of an empty AMAs red carpet and wrote sarcastically, “Taylor Swift stuns at the #AMAs.”
Swift hasn’t dropped an album since Tortured Poets in April 2024, after which the LP spent 17 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It’s been even longer since she released another Taylor’s Version re-record, with the last one, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), arriving in October 2023. Fans have been eager for the next one in the series ever since, with Reputation and Swift’s 2006 self-titled debut being the only two of her first six albums due for a re-rerelease amid her quest to reclaim ownership of her masters.
And as the AMAs proved to be fruitless in terms of any Swift news, fans will just have to keep clowning. Keep reading to see some of their best reactions to the musician’s absence below.
The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
K-pop girl group BLACKPINK announced the dates for the Asia leg of their upcoming world tour on Tuesday (May 27). The Live Nation-promoted outing set to launch this fall will now include Oct. 18 and 19 shows in Kaohsiung, Taiwan at Kaohsiung National Stadium, as well as multiple nights in October at Rajamangala National Stadium […]
Source: Marvel Studios / Avengers: Doomsday
Just as hype for Avengers: Doomsday was beginning to really rev up thanks to rumors, leaks and secret set photos hitting the internet, fans were disheartened by the latest news coming out of Marvel Studios pertaining to the highly anticipated film.
According to Variety, the original release date for Marvel’s latest epic has been changed from May 1, 2026 to Dec. 18, 2026. But it doesn’t end there. Doomsday‘s follow-up, Avengers: Secret Wars, has also been pushed back from May 7, 2027 to Dec. 17, 2027. Though no reason was given for the new release dates for both films, we’re going to go out on a limb and place the blame on the Trump administration because what haven’t they made worse at this point? Just sayin’.
While we’re sure this isn’t the news that comic book fans wanted to hear coming out of Disney in relation to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this wasn’t the only change made to the MCU line-up as Disney continues to shake things up for unknown reasons.
Variety reports:
Disney announced both “Avengers” delays Thursday afternoon, alongside a sweeping reorganization of its coming theatrical slate. Notably, the new calendar saw the studio remove several unannounced Marvel titles off of its calendar. The date of Feb. 13, 2026, previously slotted for an “Untitled Marvel” project, has been removed from the schedule. Meanwhile, the dates of Nov. 6, 2026 and Nov. 5, 2027 — also both previously set for “Untitled Marvel” features — have been amended to simply “Untitled Disney” films.
With those changes, “Avengers: Doomsday” and Sony’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” are now the only Marvel Cinematic Universe entries slated to hit theaters in 2026. Also of note: the new pre-holiday December frame for both “Avengers” installments is the same one that “Spider-Man: No Way Home” launched on in 2021, which became one of the franchise’s highest-grossing installments at $1.9 billion worldwide.
Two huge Avengers films releasing for the Christmas holidays a year apart? Yeah, Marvel’s going to clean up at the box office.
That being said, it seems like Spider-Man: Brand New Day may be the film that will lead into Avengers: Doomsday as it will release four months before the fifth Avengers film on July 31, 2026. With word that the villains for Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be some classic Spidey villains in Tombstone, Scorpion and Boomerang, it should be interesting to see how that particular adventure would tie into Doctor Doom invading the MCU.
As underwhelming as those villains may be, Marvel Studios has yet to let us down with their Spider-Man films. And it would make sense as the next Spidey film will serve as a soft reboot of the franchise and cast Spider-Man as a more grounded superhero as he restarts his life following the events of the multiverse-centered Spider-Man: No Way Home.
But as long as Marvel Studios has a plan to get Spider-Man his black suit in Secret Wars a la the original comic book arc in 1984, and have him face off an actual evil Venom at some point in the future, we’ll let Marvel cook with its current plans.
What do y’all think about Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars getting their films pushed back to the Christmas holidays of 2026 and 2027? Let us know in the comments section below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
A man was struck and later died after a stray bullet flew into his residence in the northwest section of Washington over the Memorial Day Weekend. The killing was part of a violent stretch of incidents that have occurred over the past nine days in the District of Columbia.
Local outlet WJLA reports that on Sunday (May 25) at around 6:20 PM local time, a man was struck by a stray bullet at the home on the 1500 block of Ogden Street, Northwest. Officers and emergency medical technicians attempted to revive the man after discovering him suffering from the wound, but the man would later die of his injuries. The victim was revealed to be Jose Carcarmo of Northwest Washington.
Executive Assistant Chief for the Metropolitan Police Department Andre Wright held a press conference addressing the shooting and to allay concerns that residents might have.
“Based on the evidence and what we know, this does not appear to be a targeted shooting of the individual who was inside of his residence,” Wright said. “It appears, preliminarily, that this was a stray round that struck his residence and subsequently struck him.”
The outlet also reported on a double homicide in Southeast Washington that left Royell Walker, 16, and Jamar Jackson, 19, dead. An unnamed victim, 14, was also seriously injured in the Friday night (May 23) shooting.
—
Photo: The Washington Post / Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” remains the biggest song in the world, as it notches a fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and a third week atop Billboard Global Excl. U.S.
Meanwhile, Morgan Wallen adds two Global 200 top 10s, led by “What I Want,” featuring Tate McRae, from his new album, I’m the Problem, which launches at No. 1 on the U.S.-based Billboard 200 with the year’s biggest week by equivalent album units. Plus, JIN’s “Don’t Say You Love Me” debuts in the top 10 of both global surveys, as the BTS member’s parent album Echo starts at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
The Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.
Trending on Billboard
Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
“Ordinary” leads the Global 200 with 69.7 million streams (up 1% week-over-week) and 11,000 sold (down 5%) worldwide May 16-22.
“Die With a Smile” holds at No. 2 on the Global 200, after 18 weeks at No. 1 starting last September (second only to the 19 weeks at No. 1 for Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” since the chart began); ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” repeats at No. 3, after 12 weeks at No. 1 starting in November; and Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” keeps at No. 4, following three weeks at No. 1 last August.
Wallen’s “What I Want,” featuring McRae, debuts at No. 5 on the Global 200 with 39.3 million streams and 2,000 sold worldwide. Plus, his “Just in Case” hits the top 10 for the first time, at No. 9 (surging from No. 56), with 32.1 million streams (up 83%) and 3,000 sold (up 53%) worldwide. Wallen ups his count to five career Global 200 top 10s and McRae, two; her “Greedy” led the list for two weeks in November-December 2023.
Also in the Global 200’s top 10, JIN’s “Don’t Say You Love Me” enters at No. 7 (42.8 million streams, 32,000 sold worldwide). Here’s an updated count of BTS members’ Global 200 top 10 totals as soloists: Jung Kook (five); Jimin, JIN (three each); V (two); and Suga (one). BTS boasts 11 top 10s as a group.
“Ordinary” crowns Global Excl. U.S. with 50.4 million streams (up 3%) and 5,000 sold (down 5%) outside the U.S.
“Die With a Smile” is steady at No. 2 after 17 weeks atop Global Excl. U.S. starting last September. Only “APT.,” which holds at No. 3, has led longer: 19 weeks, beginning in November. “Birds of a Feather” is likewise stationary, at No. 4, following three weeks at No. 1 last August.
Meanwhile, JIN’s “Don’t Say You Love Me” enters Global Excl. U.S. at No. 5 (38.9 million streams, 19,000 sold worldwide). Here’s an updated rundown of BTS members’ Global Excl. U.S. top 10 totals as soloists: Jung Kook (seven); Jimin (five); JIN, V (four each); and j-hope and Suga (one each). BTS has banked 11 top 10s as a group.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated May 31, 2025) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, May 27 (one day later than usual due to the Memorial Day holiday in the U.S. May 26). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
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.
