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11 Sep 2023

Selena Gomez Is ‘Grateful’ After Rema Collaboration Hits 1 Billion Spotify Streams

Selena Gomez could hardly “Calm Down” after her breezy Rema collaboration hit 1 billion Spotify streams.

The star took to her Instagram Stories and Twitter on Sunday (Sept. 10) to share the accomplishment, writing, “I’m so grateful. Love you @heisrema!”

The billion stream milestone is particularly special for Rema, as it’s the first time an African artist-led track has reached the number, per a press release. “It’s a blessing. It’s not just a big win for me, my team and family, it’s also a big one for the culture. I feel really happy and I’m really proud of the fans as well for going back to the song and putting people on the song. Shout out to the DJs and everyone who made this possible,” the singer said in a press statement.

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Over on the Billboard charts, “Calm Down” fared particularly well. The crossover hit topped Billboard’s Adult Pop Airplay chart (dated May 13), marking Rema’s first leader on the list. It also topped the all-format Radio Songs chart and Pop Airplay chart. “Calm Down” also topped the Rhythmic Airplay chart for four weeks in May-June. On the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, the song has hit No. 3, becoming Rema’s first entry and Gomez’s ninth top 10.

Rema, from Nigeria, released the original version of “Calm Down” in February 2022 as a single from his debut solo LP, Rave & Roses. Its remix with Gomez arrived last August, and that version’s official video premiered in September.

11 Sep 2023

How ‘NBA 2K’ Bridged the Gap Between Hip-Hop & Gaming

The bustling streets of New York City provided both the stage and audience for A Boogie wit Da Hoodie and Swae Lee on Thursday (Sept. 7), as they parked themselves across the newly-assembled TSX Stage to play NBA 2K24 on an 18,000-square-foot billboard.

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As Boogie and Swae sauntered into the plush designated gaming area inside the heart of Times Square, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, tennis star Frances Tiafoe and digital marketing director for 2K Games, Ronnie 2K, were awaiting them to test their gaming prowess. For an hour, the five men huddled around the XBOX console, playing a single-game elimination-style tournament in front of New York City pedestrians, hoping to win the coveted iced-out 2K chain and, most importantly, bragging rights for the night. (Cunningham ultiamtely took home the top prize.)

“I think it’s a symbiotic relationship,” says Ronnie 2K on rappers’ affinity for the storied sports gaming franchise. “[Hip-Hop] has shown us so much love, and we show it right back by trying to create opportunities with the way we release music. It makes sense about athletes wanting to be rappers and [how] rappers wanna be athletes. It never speaks truer than in 2K, because if they can’t physically play, they can play in the digital world.”

First developed in 1999 by Visual Concepts, NBA 2K was released in November 1999 with cover athlete Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson. Over the years, NBA2K became a favorable video game franchise because of its sleek gameplay and its scintillating soundtracks. The 2K franchise previously enlisted rap heavyweights such as Jay-Z, Pharrell and Travis Scott to executive-produce their playlists — later taking things further by inviting artists like Lil Durk, Lil Wayne, Jack Harlow and Quavo to become playable characters in the game. Last year, J. Cole became the first rapper to land on the series’ cover.

“NBA 2K has become an influential platform where basketball and hip-hop culture intersect, creating a place where fans can enjoy the best of both worlds,” says David Kelley, director of partnerships and licensing at 2K Games. Our goal has always been to be a global platform for music discovery for our players. We want to both honor the culture that came before but also push that musical culture towards what’s next and upcoming, just like how NBA basketball has always done the same for hip-hop.

The previous night, 2K set up a launch event for the game in Brooklyn, where they laid out the welcome mat for many hip-hop stars, such as Boogie and Swae Lee, to experience the game in advance. 2K enthusiasts got the best of both worlds, experiencing a collision course between watching NBA stars like Cade Cunningham and Tim Hardaway Jr. compete on the gaming console and watching rappers such as Lil Uzi Vert grace the stage to perform some of their biggest hits.

For Swae and A Boogie, 2K entered their lives pretty young. “When I first fell in love with NBA2K, I was a little kid, like 11, 12,” relays Lee after his first-round loss to Boogie. “We had all the early games. Me and brothers been on that. We had four controllers. So we all played and be on the same team versus the computer. 

Like Swae Lee, Boogie’s love for 2K stemmed from competition, especially after winning a $20 bet against one of his friends. 

“I fell in love with 2K my first time winning money off the game. I won $20,” remembers Boogie, who lost to Cunningham in the tournament finals. “When it comes down to 2K, we was playing since like 2K14. “Now that we doing things [different in-game features] like MyPlayer, and go into the park, we get to see all the cool add-ons that make the game fun.”

Besides the gaming experience, it’s the music in 2K that once again reigns supreme. This year, the NBA 2K24 Soundtrack features over 50 artists, including A Boogie, Lil Wayne, Central Cee, Ice Spice, Burna Boy, and more. The music collection will grow weekly, as fans can expect new songs to be added to the soundtrack every Friday. Def Jam Recordings partnered with 2K this year to kick off season one of their soundtrack by adding past and present hits ranging from Rick Ross’ “Hustlin” to Armani White’s “Goated” to bolster the audio experience. 

“The soundtrack has always been such an important part of the NBA 2K series,” says Kelley. “We’ve built the union by continuing to innovate our soundtrack over the last 25 years of the series, including bringing in global talent – both established names and hot up-and-comers, partnering with global record labels to bring new artists to new audiences, in-game crossover series cards and so much more. Fans can now even experience exclusive drops of music in-game before it goes live on streaming services. 

Released last Friday (Sept. 8), the late Kobe Bryant graces this year’s cover, after previously being featured in NBA 2K21, NBA 2K17 and NBA 2K10. Three editions are available for fans: the Kobe Bryant Edition for $69.99, the Black Mamba Edition for $99.99, and the 25th Anniversary Edition for $149.99.

11 Sep 2023

Billy Joel Is Playing a New Year’s Eve Concert: Where to Get Tickets to the Show

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Billy Joel is ready to party like it’s 2024 with a special New Year’s Eve concert happening Dec. 31 at the UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. This will not only mark the “Piano Man” singer’s debut performance at the arena, but will be his first show back on Long Island since 2018.

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Get ready to say goodbye to 2023 with songs such as “Vienna,” “Only the Good Die Young,” “Uptown Girl” and more with the concert starting at 9:30 p.m. ET. You won’t want to miss out on this event, especially if you’re looking for some tours and festivals to add to your calendar before the end of the year. The show will be a one-night only affair before the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer continues on with his almost sold-out tour.

The singer’s official Instagram account made the announcement on Thursday (Sept. 7) with a photo of the outside of the arena followed by the show date.

“Kicking off the New Year with a bang! ? Long Island’s very own Billy Joel is returning to his roots for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve at UBS Arena at Belmont Park on December 31, 2023! ?,” the caption said.

Whether you’re looking for cheap concert tickets or just want to know how to score a ticket to this once in a lifetime performance, we’ve got all the details below.

Where to Buy Tickets to Billy Joel’s NYE Concert

Tickets from Ticketmaster will go on general sale Friday (Sept. 15), but there are a few ways you can snag one or more tickets before then including Vivid Seats, StubHub and Seat Geek.

Tickets at Vivid Seats start at around $123 and include 100% Buyer Guarantee protection to help keep you and your purchases safe. To make sure you get the type of tickets you want, the site allows you to sort tickets by price or seating area in the arena.

Vivid Seats

$From $123

StubHub is currently offering tickets to the Billy Joel performance for as little as $131 with the ability to customize tickets based on recommended ones from the site, price or you can click on the interactive map to select exactly where you want to sit. The site also comes with the FanProtect Guarantee, which you can read more about here.

StubHub

$131

Another option is Seat Geek, which has tickets starting at $111 and ranks each ticket on a scale of 1-10, labeling 10 as the best deal and one as the worst. You can include fees when looking at ticket prices and even sign up to get notified if ticket sales drop in cost.

Seat Geek

$From $111

11 Sep 2023

VP Kamala Harris Enlists Common, Jeezy, Lil Wayne & More To Celebrate Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary, X Users React To MVP’s Dance Moves

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Vice President Harris Hosts Event Celebrating 50th Anniversary Of Hip Hop

Source: Kevin Dietsch / Getty / Vice President Kamala Harris

Over the weekend, Vice President Kamala Harris held a huge bash to celebrate Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary.

One of the biggest parties celebrating Hip-Hop 50 went down in Washington D.C. on Saturday, Sep. 9, at the Vice President’s residence.

With the VP handling hosting duties with some help from Club Quarantine’s owner, DJ D Nice, Hip-Hop vets like Common, Roxanne Shante, Dougie Fresh, MC Lyte, and Slick Rick all hit the stage to perform tunes out of their iconic catalogs.

“Hip-hop now shapes nearly every aspect of American popular culture, and it reflects the incredible diversity and ingenuity of the American people. I truly believe hip-hop is one of America’s greatest exports,” VP Harris told the roughly 400 guests in attendance.

The Second Gentleman, Douglas Emhoff, added, “This is a hip-hop household!”

Lil Wayne Was A Big Surprise

The day also featured scorching performances from Fat Joe and Remy Ma, who hit the stage to perform “All The Way Up,” but the biggest surprise came when Lil Wayne made an appearance.

For those who still remember, Lil Wayne let us all down when he decided to take a picture with Agent Orange, disgraced former President and leader of the mayo-infused insurrection, Donald Trump.

Trump, more than likely caping for some Black votes, gave Weezy a pardon, but he denied shilling for Trump. 

Per Variety, after his surprise set, which included a “Mrs. Officer” performance off his critically acclaimed album Tha Carter III during the concert, Wayne told attendees, “I can’t believe I’m here.”

We’re sure many of the guests felt the same due to his previous actions, but hey, we all can appreciate when a person rights their wrongs.

Vice President Kamala Harris Honors 50th Anniversary Of Hip-Hop

Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty

VP Kamala Harris Dancing To “Vivrant Thing” Was A Vibe

Of course, the reactions were pouring in on X (formerly Twitter) about the event, specifically the MVP’s dance moves. A video of VP Harris hitting her auntie two-step to Q-Tip’s classic record “Vivrant Thing” has made its rounds on social media.

Shoutout to the MVP for giving Hip-Hop its flowers and celebrating the art form in a space many would have never thought you would hear rap at.

You can see more reactions in the gallery below.

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Photo: Getty Images

2. Love to see it

3. The VP is right

4. Hold up

5. Love to see it.

11 Sep 2023

BTS’ V Reflects on His ‘Severe’ Burnout in 2018: ‘It Was the Toughest Time of My Life’

BTS‘ V celebrated the release of his debut solo album, Layover — which arrived Sept. 8 — with a Monday (Sept. 11) appearance on Suga‘s Suchwita drinking show. While the pair listened to several tracks from the album, the conversation turned serious when V reflected on a rough time in the group that took place during 2018.

“When I think of Taehyung, the year 2018 comes to mind so much, during our ‘Fake love’ promotions,” Suga said, to which V replied, “It was the toughest time in my life.”

A clip from BTS’ award acceptance at the 2018 MAMA Awards speech played in an aside, which saw V telling the audience, “Even if I die and come back alive, what doesn’t change is that ARMY is such a precious gift to me.”

Suga explained that after the members saw how exhausted V was, it led the group to wonder about how tired they also were. V’s source of stress, however, came from feeling insecure about his performance abilities compared to his group members’.

“I started to compare myself to others. ‘Because my pace is slower than the members and my thoughts are a bit different … is that why I’m more burned out?’ I thought this a lot,” V explained. “Whenever I looked at our members when we perform, [I thought,] ‘The members are so perfect and they enjoy the stage. But why am I the only one like this?’ So relatively, my burnout was severe.”

Despite gaining international attention and getting invited to perform at the Billboard Music Awards and the American Music Awards for the first time in 2018, the accolades were not enough for the group to feel good about their lack of rest, and according to V, his exhaustion came to a head as BTS prepared for the release of “Fake Love.”

“I was so exhausted that I asked, ‘Since tomorrow we only have dance practice, would it be OK if we took a day off?’ But we were preparing for our comeback and it was an important dance practice, so we couldn’t rest. … All this negativity piled up inside me,” he recalled. “I didn’t think I could do anything in that state, so I kept thinking of ways I could rest, but I couldn’t think of anything, so I even thought I should get hurt [‘If I get hurt, would I be able to rest?’]. I thought I should get hurt, but now I want to change that me of the past.”

Though Suga noted that 2018 felt like a “life and death situation” for BTS, ARMY can rest easy knowing those days are behind the group. “They’re gone now!” V assured Suga.

Watch V’s episode of Suchwita above.

If you or someone you know are struggling with thoughts of self-harm, text CONNECT to 741741 for 24/7 help from the Crisis Text Line. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org for help from the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

11 Sep 2023

Doja Cat’s ‘Paint the Town Red’ Rises to No. 1 on Billboard Global 200 Chart

Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” reaches No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart (dated Sept. 16). It’s her first leader on the list, since it began in September 2020, and the first rap No. 1 on the ranking this year.

Meanwhile, Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, adds an eighth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, encompassing its entire run on the survey so far.

Elsewhere, Japanese band King Gnu notches its first Global Excl. U.S. top 10, as “Specialz” debuts at No. 8.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts 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.

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.

New Coat of ‘Paint’ Atop Global 200

Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” rises 2-1 on the Billboard Global 200, with 84 million streams (up 31%) and 12,000 sold (up 37%) worldwide Sept. 1-7. The viral hit is the rapper/singer’s first No. 1 since the list launched in September 2020, among six top 10s. It’s also the first rap leader this year; most recently for the genre before, Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex” topped the tally dated Nov. 19, 2022, upon its debut.

Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, drops to No. 2 on the Global 200, after spending its first seven weeks on the chart at No. 1; Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” keeps at its No. 3 high; Myke Towers’ “LaLa” lifts 7-4, after reaching No. 3; and Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” holds at No. 5, after hitting No. 3.

Eight Weeks for ‘Seven’ at No. 1 on Global Excl. U.S.

Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, leads the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart for an eighth week, with 83.8 million streams (down 5%) and 3,000 sold (down 58%) outside the U.S. Sept. 1-7. Upon its debut, the song became the first No. 1 on the chart, as well as the Global 200, for a member of BTS as a soloist.

The entire Global Excl. U.S. top five holds in place, with “Seven” followed by Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red,” at its No. 2 high; Myke Towers’ “LaLa,” at No. 3 after it led for a week in July; Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” at its No. 4 best; and Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night,” at No. 5 after it hit No. 3.

Plus, King Gnu claims its first Global Excl. U.S. top 10, as “Specialz” debuts at No. 8 with 15.9 million streams and 30,000 sold outside the U.S. Sept. 1-7. The Japanese group logs its fourth top 40 entry on the chart, having previously peaked as high as No. 26 with “Chameleon” in March 2022.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Sept. 16, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Sept. 12). 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.

11 Sep 2023

Grimes & Elon Musk Confirm They Have a Third Child Together

It’s not every day that news of a new baby makes it out to the world before the parents are able to announce the bundle of joy on their own terms, but such is the life of Grimes and Elon Musk, whose baby news was revealed in a Saturday (Sept. 9) New York Times book review of a biography on Musk by Walter Isaacson. But the two parents have now spoken out separately to confirm that they share three children.

On Sunday (Sept. 10), Grimes took to X — formerly known as Twitter, which Musk owns — to address a family matter and subtly confirm that she and Musk have welcomed a third child. “Hey, I wud prefer to not breathe any more life into this current press cycle but I want to de-escalate the narrative atm,” she began, referencing a since-deleted post in which she accused the tech magnate of keeping her from one of their kids, and also took aim at Shivon Zilis, with whom Musk shares twins. “I spoke with Shivon at length finally, which was long overdue. This wasn’t her fault, plz don’t be angry at her! We respect each other a lot and we’re excited to become friends and have the kids grow up together.”

She ended her tweet by pointing out how women are often pitted against each other — and confirming she the name of her third child, which The New York Times reported is nicknamed “Tau.” “Speaking with Shivon, it’s very evident she’s an amazing human and we both just want what’s best for our kids,” she concluded. “I wish I could show u how cute little Techno is [alien emoji ] but my priority rn is keeping my babies out of the public eye.”

Musk also confirmed the news with a tweet on Saturday night (Sep. 9), writing, “Tau Techno Mechanicus. Circumference/Diameter” in a reply to a tweet listing the names of his and Grimes’ children.

Musk, 52, and Grimes, 35, co-parent two other children together: son X AE A-XII (“X”), who arrived in May 2020, and daughter Exa Dark Sideræl (“Y”), who was born via surrogate in December 2021, after the couple announced they were “semi-separated” in September that year. Neither has shared when their third child was born.

The Tesla CEO and Zilis — who is an exec at the Musk-owned Neuralink — welcomed twins named Strider and Azure in November 2021, according to a July 2022 Business Insider report. He is also dad to son Nevada (who died from sudden infant death syndrome), twins sons Griffin and Xavier, and triplet sons Kai, Saxon and Damian with first wife Justine Wilson. He and Wilson couple divorced in 2008.

Grimes has earned three entries on the Billboard 200: 2012’s Visions (No. 98), 2015’s Art Angels (No. 36) and 2020’s Miss Anthropocene (No. 32). Art Angels spent one week atop Top Alternative Albums.

Check out Grimes’ and Musk’s confirmations of their third child below:

11 Sep 2023

Ice Spice Teases Collaboration With… Dunkin’ Donuts??

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Wireless Festival 2023 - Day 1

Source: Joseph Okpako / Getty

Is Ice Spice getting her own donut? We don’t know exactly what’s going on but the Bronx bombshell just teased a possible partnership with Dunkin’ Donuts, and the world is wondering “WTF is going on?!”

On Sunday (Sept. 10), the “In Ha Mood” rapper took to her X page to drop a hint to her millions of fans that on Sept. 13 she and Dunkin’ Donuts would be releasing some sort of collaboration in the form of some pastry to get your morning started. With a picture of a Munchkin rocking a diamond encrusted piece, Spice simple wrote “america runs on MUNCHKINS.”

What, y’all thought she got her famous cakes by eating healthy?

What Ice Spice and Dunkin’ Donuts have in store for consumers remains to be seen, but y’all already know whatever it may be will ultimately move like hot cakes as her fans eat up any and everything she puts out for consumption. Whether it be an Ice Spice latte or Icey munchkin donuts, heads will buy it just to talk about it on social media.

Will y’all be copping some Ice Spice Dunkin’ menu items? Let us know in the comments section below.

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11 Sep 2023

Gunna Stands Out With Sold-Out ‘The Gift’ Show At Barclays Center In NY

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Gunna - The Gift Live at Barclays Center

Source: Craig Barritt / Getty

Gunna has been dealing with detractors since his release from jail, but that didn’t stop him from getting major love in the form of a sold-out New York City concert.

The Atlanta rapper performed at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday (Sept. 9) at a headlining concert, The Gift, named partly for his latest album, a Gift & a Curse. The arena was packed with a sold-out crowd eager to hear Gunna, who was performing live after being incarcerated due to the RICO indictment involving him and other YSL label mates including Young Thug. Part of the proceeds from the ticket sales went to The Goodr Foundation, a nonprofit group that “strives to end world hunger by cultivating countless resources.”

Gunna had been dealing with a barrage of comments from people who felt he snitched on Young Thug to be in a position to get a deal with Fulton County, Georgia prosecutors earlier this year. He received a four-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to one racketeering conspiracy charge last December.

The “Drip or Drown” rapper has vehemently denied doing anything of that nature and has expressed his support for Young Thug since being released. Another example occurred at the concert, with one of the stage monitors displaying a “Free Jeffrey” message on the screen. Gunna also included a video interlude which showed a montage of clips showing him in various moments of reflection and despair interspersed with snippets of conversations with his mother and others.

The concert featured a bevy of his greatest hits from his Billboard No.1 album DS4Ever such as “Poochie Gown” and “South To West,” all with Greek-inspired imagery throughout. Gunna also stimulated the crowd by performing tracks from his new album, ending with “Fukumean,” which made the crowd explode, capping off his first major show in two years. “I love the f— out of y’all, I swear to God,” he said to the audience. “This s— is crazy.” He’s set to do another headlining concert in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.

 

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11 Sep 2023

Black Manta Is Out For Revenge In New ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ Teaser Trailer

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Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Source: Warner Bros. / Warner Bros. Pictures

Months ago rumors began to swirl that a private screening for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom left much to be desired, and studio executives felt they had a dud on their hands.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Source: Warner Bros. / Warner Bros. Pictures

Still, the film is set to release this holiday season and yesterday (Sept. 10), a teaser trailer was released for the what many believe is Jason Mamoa’s final film as the King of Atlantis. Seemingly picking up where Aquaman left off, the teaser trailer finds Aquaman (Jason Momoa) in his full superhero attire as Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II aka Candyman) looks to inflict as much pain as possible on the defender of the earth’s oceans.

Armed with the mythical Black Trident, Black Manta now has the weapon he needs to get revenge on Aquaman and everything he loves in his quest for vengeance. Can Aquaman survive a showdown with an enraged supervillain who can now go toe-to-toe with him? Probably, but don’t be surprised if this film bombs at the box office as interest in this sequel is little to none at the current moment (no shots). So whether or not he lives by the time the credits roll, social media probably won’t be talking about it.

Check out the teaser trailer to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom below, and let us know if you’ll be checking for this when it hits theaters Dec. 20.



Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Source: Warner Bros. / Warner Bros. Pictures

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