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Fuerza Regida celebrates a dual win this week, as 111XPANTíA, the group’s ninth studio album, moves 2-1 on the Top Latin Albums chart (dated May 24) in its second week. The set also earns a second week at No. 1 on the Top Regional Mexican Albums chart, plus, it becomes the eighth album of the 2020s to simultaneously top both charts.
111XPANTíA rises to No. 1 on Top Latin Albums despite slipping to 43,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. (from 76,000 the week prior), that’s a 43% decline during the May 9-15 tracking week, according to Luminate. Of the set’s second-week sum, album sales contribute 6,000 units, down 85%, which prompts a 2-12 drop on the overall Top Album Sales chart.
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Things look brighter in the streaming sector, as the album generated 38,000 units, up 6%, representing 53.4 million official on-demand U.S. audio and video streams of the album’s tracks. That figure yields a 5-4 jump on the overall Top Streaming Albums chart, becoming Fuerza Regida’s highest-charting title there.
Thanks to 111XPANTíA landing at the summit, Fuerza Regida dethrones Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ 18-week run at No. 1. Plus, the group earns a second champ on Top Latin Albums, which began in 1993. It joins Pa’ Las Baby’s y Belikeada (three consecutive weeks at No. 1 in 2024).
111XPANTíA was released May 2 on Street Mob/Rancho Humilde/ Sony Music Latin. A deluxe version of the album followed immediately on May 5. The latter includes three new songs, two of which debut on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart: “Como Tú” at No. 13 and “Lokita,” with Anuel AA, at No. 43. Meanwhile, “Marlboro Rojo,” from the original album, climbs 14-4 with the Greatest Gainer honors in streaming, after a 56% gain, to 7.4 million clicks in the U.S.
With the new dual coronation on Top Latin Albums and Top Regional Mexican Albums, 111XPANTíA becomes the eighth album of the 2020s to simultaneously claim the No. 1 spot on both charts. Alejandro Fernández was the first to achieve the feat, placing Hecho En México, his 16th studio album, at the summit on both rankings for one week in February 2020.
Here’s a recap of all the albums with concurrent reigns on Top Latin Albums and Top Regional Mexican Albums, at least for one week, this decade:
Album, Artist, Peak DateHecho En México, Alejandro Fernández, Feb. 29, 2020Vibras de Noche, Eslabon Armado, Aug. 1, 2020Desvelado, Eslabon Armado, May 13, 2023Génesis, Peso Pluma, July 8, 2023Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada, Fuerza Regida, April 27, 2024Éxodo, Peso Pluma, Sept. 6, 2024Incómodo, Tito Double P, Oct. 5, 2024111XPANTIA, Fuerza Regida, May 24
Neil Young has had it with President Donald Trump, especially after the politician’s recent digs at Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift.
In a post on his website Tuesday (May 20), the “Heart of Gold” singer slammed Trump for being “out of control” with his comments about the Boss and “Fortnight” singer on Truth Social a few days prior. On the platform, the POTUS had called Springsteen “highly overrated” and “dumb as a rock,” while saying that Swift is “no longer ‘HOT.’”
“Bruce and thousands of musicians think you are ruining America,” Young wrote in response to the insults. “You worry about that instead of the dyin’ kids in Gaza. That’s your problem. I am not scared of you. Neither are the rest of us. You shut down FEMA when we needed it most. That’s your problem Trump. STOP THINKING ABOUT WHAT ROCKERS ARE SAYING. Think about saving America from the mess you made.”
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“Taylor Swift is right. So is Bruce,” the Canadian-American musician continued, referencing the Eras headliner and “Born in the U.S.A.” rock star’s history of opposing Trump’s policies. “You know how I feel. You are more worried about yourself than AMERICA. Wake up Trump.”
The post is far from the first time Young has criticized the president, calling Trump a “disgrace to my country” in a scathing 2020 open letter and later speaking out about his fear of being barred from re-entering the United States after his tour on the president’s orders. The “Old Man” artist’s latest takedown comes after Trump went on a roll with posts antagonizing musicians, starting with Swift on Friday (May 16). “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?’” he wrote on Truth Social.
He then turned his attention to Springsteen. Incensed by the E Street band leader’s prior comments in Manchester about Trump’s administration being “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous,” the latter wrote of Springsteen on Truth Social, “Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK.”
But that was just the tip of the iceberg. A few days later, Trump returned to Truth Social to once again slam Springsteen, this time accusing him — as well as Beyoncé, Bono and Oprah Winfrey — of taking part in an “illegal election scam” run by Kamala Harris. “HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT? … WHAT ABOUT BEYONCÉ?” he wrote at the time.
“I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter,” the president continued Monday. “Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment.”
There is no record of Harris paying money to any of the artists who endorsed her, and her campaign has denied doing so. That didn’t stop Trump from perpetuating the unsubstantiated claim to the contrary through his posts, something Young sees as a distraction from what’s really important.
“You are forgetting your real job,” Young concluded his post on his website Tuesday. “You work for us. Wake up Republicans! This guy is out of control. We need a real president!!”
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We’re still months away from finally seeing what James Gunn has been cooking in his DC Studios when Superman: Legacy hits theaters on July 11, and with all kinds of rumors being thrown around as to who’ll be appearing or making cameos, it seems like we’ve gotten confirmation as to which villain will be involved in the film and we aren’t talking about Lex Luthor.
According to Newsweek, it’s been leaked that Superman villain Ultraman will be part of Superman: Legacy and for those that aren’t familiar with the villain, he’s basically an evil version of Superman from an alternate universe. Confirmation came as the action figure for the villain was revealed online and fans were excited to learn that Superman would be going toe-to-toe with an bad version of himself (not like in 1983’s Superman III though. That was just weird).
As for a little backstory on the villain, Newsweek breaks it down.
Newsweek reports:
In the comics, Ultraman is from an alternate universe in which most of people who we know as heroes in DC comics are instead villains. For example, instead of the Justice League of America, Ultraman is part of the Crime Syndicate of America. A villain named Johnny Quick replaces The Flash, Power Ring instead of Green Lantern, Owlman instead of Batman, etc.
So if the Ultraman of “Superman” is – like his comic book counterpart – a Superman variant, the question is exactly how A.R.G.U.S. finds him and gets him to help them out. The Ultraman of the comics would need a whole lot of convincing to help A.R.G.U.S. or anyone else to work for something other than his own selfish designs; not to mention doing it while hiding his identity.
Y’all already know Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) might’ve figured out a way to pull off such a feat. He’s an evil mastermind for Christ’s sake.
The only question is, who’ll be behind the mask of Ultraman? With rumors that Henry Cavill is somehow a part of this film (fingers crossed), imagine the theater reaction to a reveal that Cavill is the evil Superman? Heads would explode. Just sayin.’
What do y’all think about Ultraman being a big baddie in Superman: Legacy? Do you have any expectations for the film? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Several new witnesses took the stand Tuesday at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking trial, including a male escort named “The Punisher” and Cassie Ventura’s mother, who testified that she was “scared for my daughter’s safety.”
Regina Ventura told jurors that she documented the physical abuse Cassie suffered from Combs, who prosecutors claim coerced the younger Ventura and others into participating in drug-fueled sex shows known as “freak-offs.”
The elder Ventura later testified that she once wired $20,000 to Combs’ company in 2011 after Cassie told her that the rapper was threatening to release a sex tape of her, according to the New York Post and other media outlets — allegedly because he was enraged at her romantic relationship with Kid Cudi: “I was physically sick,” she testified, before adding, “I was scared for my daughter’s safety.”
She later said the money, which she obtained by taking out a home-equity loan, was returned days later and she had no contact with Combs about it.
Later in the morning, jurors heard testimony from Sharay Hayes, a male exotic dancer who goes by the nickname “The Punisher.” He testified that he attended as many as 12 freak-offs, and that Combs often closely directed how he and Ventura were to have sex.
Combs was indicted in September, charged with running a sprawling criminal operation aimed at facilitating the freak-offs — elaborate events in which Combs and others allegedly pressured Ventura and other victims into having sex with escorts while he watched and masturbated. Prosecutors also say the star and his associates used violence, money and blackmail to keep victims silent and under his control.
Once one of the music industry’s most powerful men, Combs is accused of racketeering conspiracy (a so-called RICO charge), sex trafficking and violating a federal prostitution statute. If convicted on all of the charges, he faces a potential life prison sentence.
Defense attorneys maintain that Ventura and other women consensually took part in the sex parties. They’ve admitted that Combs had committed domestic violence during his and Ventura’s “toxic” relationship and had unusual sexual preferences, but that he had never coerced her into participating in his “swinger” lifestyle.
Tuesday also saw testimony from David James, Combs’ former personal assistant, continuing his testimony from Monday; and Gerard Gannon, a federal law enforcement agent who led the headline-grabbing raid of Combs’ house in Miami last spring that turned up guns and huge amounts of baby oil.
Cudi himself is expected to take the witness stand later this week, where he will potentially be asked about an infamous incident in which Combs allegedly set his car on fire as payback for his brief relationship with Ventura.
NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is standing by his friend Chris Brown, who remains behind bars in a U.K. jail following his May 15 arrest. The former New York Giants superstar took to his Instagram Story early Tuesday (May 20), calling for CB’s freedom. “Free Breeeezyyy,” OBJ wrote. “The moral compass will never lie… […]
Universal Music Group (UMG) announced on Tuesday (May 20) that it will move its East Coast headquarters to Penn 2, a recently redeveloped building that sits on top of the transportation hub Penn Station. “Located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan and literally adjacent to Madison Square Garden, one of music’s most storied venues where […]
Joe Jonas and Aly & AJ are squashing all potential of “Potential Breakup Song” being about the DNCE frontman, with the trio reuniting in a hilarious TikTok posted Tuesday (May 20). In the clip on Jonas’ account, he mimes talking on the phone while singing the lyrics to the 2007 hit. “It took too long, […]
THE BIG STORY: Jennifer Lopez is facing copyright lawsuits over paparazzi pictures — of herself.
In complaints filed this week in federal court, photographer Edwin Blanco and photo agency BackGrid USA accused the star of violating their rights by reposting images of herself outside a Golden Globes pre-party in January.
A star getting sued for posting a picture of herself might sound unusual, but it’s exceedingly common. Over the last few years, Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Emily Ratajkowski, LeBron James, Katy Perry and others have all faced similar cases.
Unfortunately for J. Lo, the law is pretty clear: Photographers own the copyrights to the images that they take, and using them without a license constitutes infringement. Simply appearing in an image does not give a celebrity co-ownership of it, nor does it give them the right to repost it for free.
As we’ve written here previously, that probably seems unfair to stars hounded by paparazzi. When Khloe Kardashian was hit with such a case in 2018, she said as much: “They can legally stalk me and harass me and then on top of it all I can’t even use the pictures of myself they take LOL what the f— is this,” the reality star wrote on social media.
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Those arguments haven’t gotten much play in court. When Ratajkowski was sued, she briefly argued she had legally re-used an “exploitative image” to criticize the “harassing and relentless behavior of paparazzi.” But the vast majority of these cases quickly end in small settlements — and the Lopez case is unlikely to be any different.
For all the details on the case against J. Lo, go read our story on the new lawsuits from Billboard‘s Rachel Scharf. And for more details on how these cases work, go read my in-depth explainer.
You’re reading The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between.
Other top stories this week…
DIDDY TRIAL CONTINUES – The sex-trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs continued into its second week, first with more bombshell testimony from star prosecution witness Cassie Ventura — about Kid Cudi, a $20 million settlement and more vivid allegations of abuse. The singer was then cross-examined by defense attorneys, who showed jurors huge numbers of her emails and text messages — some loving, others sexually graphic — in an effort to prove she was a willing participant in the so-called “freak-off” sex shows at the center of the case. Friday (May 16) and Monday (May 19) were dominated by testimony from Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard, who said she saw Diddy repeatedly attack Ventura, including once with a frying pan and another time at a restaurant with Usher and other celebs present. The trial is expected to run until early July.
POSTY CUSTODY FIGHT – Post Malone legally opposed efforts by his ex, Hee Sung “Jamie” Park, to move their two-year-old daughter to California, arguing that the child has lived in Utah most of her life and should remain a resident there. The filing came in response to a custody petition filed by Park last month, seeking sole physical custody of the girl following their split in November.
COVID COLLUSION? The Justice Department is conducting a criminal antitrust investigation into whether Live Nation and AEG illegally colluded in their concert refund policies at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The probe was first reported by Bloomberg and later confirmed by Live Nation, which strongly denied any wrongdoing: “It is not illegal for artist agents, promoters and ticketing companies to work together to solve the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic,” said Dan Wall, the company’s regulatory chief.
“INFLAMMATORY ACCUSATIONS” – Days after sending subpoenas to Taylor Swift and her lawyers, Justin Baldoni’s attorneys made a shocking claim that Blake Lively asked Swift to delete text messages and used “extortionate threats” to try to get a statement of support from the pop superstar. Those allegations, credited to an anonymous source and denied by Lively’s lawyers as “categorically false,” were later thrown out of court by a federal judge, who called them a “misuse of the court’s docket” by Baldoni’s attorneys: “The sole purpose of the letter is to promote public scandal by advancing inflammatory accusations,” the judge wrote.
DRAKE CASE IS “DANGEROUS”? A group of legal scholars warned a federal judge that Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” was “dangerous” because it would have a “chilling effect” on hip-hop and encourage prosecutors to use rap lyrics as evidence in criminal cases. The professors, hailing from UC Irvine, said that diss tracks are a form of creative expression, not a “series of news reports” — and that Drake’s case threatens to “deny rap the status of art and instead to flatten lyrics into literal confessions.”
TERMINATION LITIGATION – Salt-N-Pepa sued Universal Music Group to win back control of their masters, claiming in a new lawsuit that the music giant has stonewalled their use of copyright’s so-called termination rights. Rather than accepting the move, the case claims UMG has instead “punished” the legendary hip-hop duo by removing some of its music from streaming and holding its music “hostage.”
DURK LYRICS BATTLE – Federal prosecutors fired back at Lil Durk’s “false narrative” that they’re unfairly using his lyrics against him, arguing that he was indicted because of a “brazen murder plot” and not because of his music. Weeks after the feds removed all musical references from the case, they argued they still had more than enough to charge him for murder-for-hire: “Defendant was charged for his murderous conduct, not his lyrics.”
SMOKEY POLICE REPORT – Attorneys for the housekeepers suing Smokey Robinson for sexual assault confirmed that they had filed a police report against the 85-year-old Motown legend, leading the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to open a criminal investigation. The singer’s attorneys said such a probe was automatically required after the filing of a report, and said they “welcome that investigation”: “We feel confident that a determination will be made that Mr. Robinson did nothing wrong.”
LIL NAS X CASE TOSSED – A federal appeals court dismissed an unusual lawsuit accusing Lil Nas X of copying Instagram posts by a freelance artist and model named Rodney Woodland, who claimed the rapper stole his distinctive semi-nude poses and used them in his own IG posts. The Ninth Circuit ruled that the disputed images “share few similarities” and Lil Nas likely never saw them anyway.
SHEERAN AT SCOTUS – Ed Sheeran urged the U.S. Supreme Court to finally end one of the long-running lawsuits claiming his “Thinking Out Loud” infringed Marvin Gaye‘s “Let’s Get It On.” The star’s lawyers said the case, filed by a company that owns a partial stake in Gaye’s 1973 song, was rightfully dismissed by a lower appeals court in November, which ruled that the two tracks share only basic “musical building blocks.”
TUPAC/BIGGIE COPYRIGHT CASE – A pair of photographers who snapped photos of the late legendary rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. teamed up to sue Univision for copyright infringement, accusing the broadcaster of using the images without permission in a web article about “unsolved” murders.
BANKRUPT STREAMER – Free music streaming service AccuRadio filed for bankruptcy, citing $10 million in debts to SoundExchange for artist royalties. The company, which describes itself as “the only online music streaming service curated by human beings, not algorithms,” said it had been unable to reach a settlement to resolve a lawsuit filed by SoundExchange over those debts.
Kid Cudi is expected to testify as a witness in Diddy’s sex trafficking trial.
According to CNN, prosecutor Maurene Comey announced on Tuesday (May 20) that Cudi (born Scott Mescudi) will take the stand later this week.
Last week, during Cassie’s time on the stand, she testified that Diddy became irate and threatened to blow up Cudi’s car after learning she was dating the Cleveland-bred rapper in 2011.
“Too much danger, too much uncertainty of what could happen if we continued to see each other,” she reportedly said of why she ended things romantically with Cudi after a brief dating stint.
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“[Diddy] said he wanted Scott’s friends to see Scott’s car blown up,” Cassie added. “We met, [Diddy], [Kid Cudi] and me. [Kid Cudi] said, ‘What about my vehicle?’ And [Diddy] said, ‘What vehicle?’ And that was the end of the meeting.”
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Cassie’s bombshell 2023sexualabuse lawsuit against Combs accused Diddy of blowing up Kid Cudi’s car in his driveway after repeatedly threatening the “Day ‘n’ Nite” rapper. Reps for Cudi confirmed the car explosion to The New York Times.
Cassie’s mother, Regina Ventura, took the stand and claimed that Diddy demanded he be paid $20,000 for the money he spent on Cassie as he became enraged to find out she was dating Cudi.
According to Complex, Ventura took out a home equity loan to get Diddy the cash, but returned the money days later without an explanation.
An email sent from Cassie to her mom was reportedly shown in court, which accused Diddy of threatening to leak a pair of sex tapes featuring Cassie. “He is going to release two explicit tapes of me,” the 2011 email reportedly reads. “One on Christmas Day… Another one soon after that. He has also said that he will be having someone hurt me and Scott Mescudi physically.”
Kid Cudi’s testimony will follow George Kaplan, who was an employee of Diddy’s who quit after allegedly witnessing physical abuse. Cudi’s time on the stand could come on Wednesday (May 21) or Thursday (May 22).
Diddy is facing charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, and the Bad Boy mogul could be sentenced to life in prison if found guilty on all counts. The trial is expected to last into July.
The maker of Fortnite has defeated a $32.5 million patent lawsuit over animated in-game concerts put on by Travis Scott and Ariana Grande, with a federal jury deciding that it did not steal another company’s technology for the virtual events.
The verdict came down on Monday (May 19) after a weeklong trial against Fortnite maker Epic Games. Epic was accused of infringing a patent invented by Canadian virtual reality company Utherverse Digital when it staged the virtual Scott and Grande concerts for tens of millions of Fortnite users in 2020 and 2021.
Utherverse was seeking $32.5 million in damages for the alleged infringement. But the jury in Seattle federal court rejected the claims, siding with Epic to rule that neither the Scott nor the Grande concert stole Utherverse’s technology.
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Lawyers for Utherverse and Epic did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s requests for comment on the verdict Tuesday (May 20).
The litigation has been ongoing since 2021. That year, Utherverse claimed that the Fortnite concerts relied on a patent it was issued in 2017, which covers a type of technology for playing back a recorded event in a virtual world.
Epic denied any infringement, saying the technology behind its virtual concerts used completely different processes than Utherverse’s patent. Epic’s attorney, Daralyn Durie of the law firm Morrison Foerster, said during the trial’s closing arguments that Utherverse was “trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.”
Jurors heard testimony during the trial from Brian Shuster and Aaron Burch, two Utherverse employees who co-invented the patent at issue. Multiple Epic executives also testified, including controller Brian Boyle and former head of marketing Matthew Weissinger.
Scott’s “Astronomical” concert series in April 2020 made history as Fornite’s largest-yet in-game gathering, drawing nearly 28 million unique players from across the world across five airings of a pre-taped performance by the rapper’s avatar.
In August 2021, Fortnite followed up its success with the Scott concerts with Grande’s “Rift Tour,” which similarly featured an animated version of the pop star performing hits like “7 rings” and “Positions” across five viewings.
A number of other artists have since performed their own virtual concerts within the massively popular Fortnite gaming universe, including Eminem, The Weeknd and Billie Eilish.
