News

17 Jul 2023

Morgan Wallen’s ‘Last Night’ Logs 14th Week Atop Hot 100, Tying for Fifth-Longest Reign Ever

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” rebounds to top the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart for a 14th total week. The smash ties for the fifth-longest command in the Hot 100’s nearly 65-year history.

Plus, as Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) launches at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the set’s “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” debuts at No. 5 on the Hot 100. The song joins Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” from 2019’s Lover, and “Karma,” from 2022’s Midnights, in the Hot 100’s top 10 – making Swift the first woman ever with simultaneous top 10s from three of her own albums. Among all acts, only The Beatles previously achieved such a triple from three of their albums.

Meanwhile, “I Can See You” opens as Swift’s 42nd Hot 100 top 10, extending her record for the most among women.

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 July 22, 2023) will update on Billboard.com Tuesday (July 18). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Wallen’s “Last Night,” released on Big Loud/Mercury/Republic Records, drew 75.4 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 1%) and 28.6 million streams (down 4%) and sold 7,000 downloads (down 8%) in the July 7-13 tracking week, according to Luminate.

As “Last Night” leads the Hot 100 for a 14th week, returning from No. 2, it ties for the fifth-longest domination in the chart’s history.

Longest-Leading Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s:

  • 19, “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, beginning April 13, 2019
  • 16, “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, May 27, 2017
  • 16, “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, Dec. 2, 1995
  • 15, “As It Was,” Harry Styles, April 16, 2022
  • 14 (to date), “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen, March 18, 2023
  • 14, “Uptown Funk!,” Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, Jan. 17, 2015
  • 14, “I Gotta Feeling,” The Black Eyed Peas, July 11, 2009
  • 14, “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey, June 4, 2005
  • 14, “Candle in the Wind 1997”/“Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” Elton John, Oct. 11, 1997
  • 14, “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” Los Del Rio, Aug. 3, 1996
  • 14, “I’ll Make Love to You,” Boyz II Men, Aug. 27, 1994
  • 14, “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston, Nov. 28, 1992

“Last Night,” which first led the Hot 100 in March, becoming Wallen’s initial leader on the list, pushes from No. 2 for a 16th week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart; lifts 5-2 on Digital Song Sales, following a week on top; and holds at its No. 3 best on Radio Songs.

“Last Night” also tops Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, which employs the same multi-metric methodology as the Hot 100, for a 23rd week, the sixth-longest rule since the chart became an all-encompassing genre reflection in 1958; Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant To Be” spent a record 50 weeks at No. 1 in 2017-18.

Plus, “Last Night,” which crowned the Country Airplay chart for eight weeks, ascends to No. 5 on both Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay – as it becomes the first song by a lead male soloist to have topped Country Airplay and hit the top five on the two latter lists. (It’s the first top five hit by a lead solo male on all three charts since Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” hit No. 2 on Adult Pop Airplay and No. 4 on both Country Airplay and Pop Airplay in 2008.)

“Last Night” additionally notches a seventh week atop Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart, having ranked at No. 1 each week since the survey returned.

Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” rebounds for a third week at its No. 2 high on the Hot 100, from No. 3, with top Sales Gainer honors (11,000, up 7%).

A week after soaring in as her third Hot 100 No. 1, Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” falls to No. 3. Although down 32% to 24.3 million streams and 81% to 5,000 sold, it jumps by 6% to 27.9 million in airplay audience. It falls to No. 3 on Streaming Songs, from No. 1, and 2-6 on Digital Song Sales, while rising 22-21 on Radio Songs.

Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” holds at No. 4 on the Hot 100, after reaching its No. 3 best, as it spends a fourth week atop Radio Songs (92.2 million, essentially even week over week). The collab concurrently tops the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a 46th week, extending the longest reign since the ranking began over a year ago (in partnership with music festival and global brand Afro Nation).

As Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) soars in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart – marking her 12th leader, the most among women, as she surpasses Barba Streisand’s 11 – the re-recorded LP’s “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” debuts at No. 5 on the Hot 100. The song starts with 24.7 million streams, 361,000 in airplay audience and 4,000 sold.

The track arrives as Swift’s 42nd Hot 100 top 10, extending her record for the most among women.

Most Billboard Hot 100 Top 10s:

  • 68, Drake
  • 42, Taylor Swift
  • 38, Madonna
  • 34, The Beatles
  • 32, Rihanna
  • 30, Michael Jackson
  • 29, Elton John
  • 28, Mariah Carey
  • 28, Stevie Wonder
  • 27, Janet Jackson
  • 26, Justin Bieber
  • 25, Lil Wayne
  • 25, Elvis Presley (whose career start predated the Hot 100’s inception)

“I Can See You” is also Swift’s 26th top five Hot 100 hit, the chart’s fifth-best total. Drake leads with 35 top five entries, followed by The Beatles (29), Madonna (28) and Mariah Carey (27).

Meanwhile, “I Can See You” joins Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” down to No. 9 on the Hot 100 from its No. 7 high, and “Karma” (featuring Ice Spice), which dips 9-10 after reaching No. 2, in the top 10. With the tracks from three Swift albums – Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), 2019’s Lover and 2022’s Midnights, respectively – she becomes the first woman with simultaneous top 10s from three of her own albums.

Swift scores the feat thanks to the stars-aligning combination of the arrival of her new LP and its highest-charting hit on the Hot 100; the revived “Cruel Summer,” now being promoted as a single four years after its release; and the continued run of the latest single from her newest studio album of all-new material.

Among all acts, only The Beatles have also charted three simultaneous Hot 100 top 10s from three different albums of theirs: On the Feb. 29, 1964, chart, “I Want To Hold Your Hand” ranked at No. 1, “She Loves You” placed at No. 2 and “Please Please Me” entered the top 10 at No. 6; the songs were released on, respectively, the Fab Four’s U.S. albums Meet The Beatles, The Beatles’ Second Album and Introducing… The Beatles.

Also notably, “I Can See You” is Swift’s second “Taylor’s Version”-titled song to hit the Hot 100’s top 10; “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” from Red (Taylor’s Version), premiered at No. 1 on the Nov. 27, 2021, chart. “I Can See You” is also Swift’s second “From the Vault”-branded song to reach the top 10, after multiple mixes of “All Too Well” contributed to that song’s Hot 100 run, including its 10-minute-plus “From the Vault” version; she has unearthed such-named songs on Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version) and Fearless (Taylor’s Version), the first three of her planned six re-recorded albums.

Meanwhile, “Cruel Summer” claims the Hot 100’s top Airplay Gainer award for a third consecutive week (38.3 million, up 27%).

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” falls 5-6 on the Hot 100, after eight weeks at No. 1 beginning upon its debut in January.

Gunna’s “Fukumean” pushes 8-7 for a new Hot 100 high. It concurrently reaches No. 1 on both the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, becoming the rapper’s first leader on each ranking. On the Hot 100, it takes the top Streaming Gainer nod (23.7 million, up 17%).

Elsewhere in the Hot 100’s top 10, Lil Durk’s “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole, descends 6-8, after it debuted at its No. 2 peak.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated July 22), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com Wednesday (July 18).

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.

17 Jul 2023

Morgan Wallen Meets With Idaho Murder Victim’s Family During His San Diego Concert

Morgan Wallen is helping one family on their healing journey, after four University of Idaho students were found murdered last year in a home not far from the university’s campus. A suspect was ultimately arrested and charged in the incident.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Stacy Chapin, the mother of one of the four slain students, 20-year-old Washington native Ethan Chapin, shared on Instagram how Wallen’s song “Thought You Should Know” was a special song for the mother and son.

“On Mother’s Day 2022, Ethan sent me the best text about how @morganwallen had written a song for his mom @lesliwallen and how that could be our song. It was a very touching moment between us. I listen to ‘I Thought You Should Know’ all the time,” Chapin wrote in an Instagram post. “Thought You Should Know” was written by Wallen with Miranda Lambert and Nicolle Galyon and included on Wallen’s current album One Thing at a Time.

The story made its way to Wallen’s team, who reached out to Chapin and her family to offer them tickets to Wallen’s show in San Diego on July 15, as well as a meet and greet with the singer. A dozen of the late Chapin’s family and friends attended the show and meet-and-greet, and according to a rep for Wallen, the singer-songwriter spent about half an hour with the family, listening as they shared stories of Ethan and taking photos with them. Wallen’s mother Lesli also flew in to meet with the family.

In the Instagram post, which features a photo of Wallen with the family, Chapin’s mother called the meeting “an incredibly bittersweet full-circle moment. Truthfully, the show would have been enough. We were all over the moon.”

Making the moment even more heartening, the Morgan Wallen Foundation made a donation to the Ethan’s Smile Foundation, which was set up to honor Ethan’s life and funds education scholarships for students.

“It was one of the kindest gestures in my life,” Chapin said in the Instagram post. “I still cannot believe it happened, and it isn’t easy to recognize it all came at a massive cost to our family. Morgan, thank you for everything.”

See Chapin’s Instagram post below.

17 Jul 2023

Maybe He Ain’t That Young Anymore, But Bruce Springsteen Proves His Glory Days Aren’t Over in Hamburg

Bruce Springsteen was 34 in 1984 when he released “Glory Days,” a deceptively upbeat song about looking back at the high school years rock songs cast as the prime of our lives. He was almost 50 when he reunited the E Street Band in 1999 and gradually turned what seemed like it would be a celebration of his past into the second half of his career. Now, at 74, he’s taken some time to look back – in his memoir, during his one-man Broadway show, and on his album Letter to You – but his July 15 concert at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, Germany was a joyous celebration of the power of rock n’ roll.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: Yes, Springsteen has slowed down a bit. Concerts on this tour clock in at less than three hours, with relatively stable set lists, and he doesn’t slide across the stage on his knees anymore. Who could? It’s inevitable. But he still delivers the greatest show on earth. He’s not playing the kind of concerts he did four decades ago, but — let’s face it – no one else is, either.

The band endures. Video segments during “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” honor late band members Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici, but the band tours on. That seems to be the point of these shows, many of which open with “No Surrender” and its vow of dedication, followed by “Ghosts” and its salute to a lost bandmate. It’s a look back, but in Hamburg, Springsteen leaned into its statement of purpose: “By the end of the set we leave no one alive.”

Springsteen played four songs from Letter to You during the show, which (along with his spoken introduction to “Last Man Standing”) were presented with German subtitles onscreen. The implication was clear: These are the important ones. (They’re probably easier for foreigners to understand than any of his lyrics about the New Jersey turnpike.) Really, though, they’re all important. Some went by fast (“Working on the Highway”), while Springsteen stretched others into extended jams, including “Out in the Street,” during which he showcased the horn section; “Kitty’s Back”; and “Backstreets.”

Springsteen is one of the only rock musicians – truly one of just a few figures in pop culture in general – to chronicle the arc of his life in an art form usually obsessed with teenage concerns. Over the years, he’s turned his creative attention from escaping the life he grew up with (Born to Run) to the difficulties of building his own (Darkness on the Edge of Town) to the challenges of sharing it with someone else (Tunnel of Love) – then, later, to the brotherhood he finds with his band. Over the last few years, his attention has turned to his own mortality, in a way that’s free of the hope-I-die-before-I-get-old mythology but still cast in his usual rock n’ roll terms.

The band endures – even, perhaps, beyond its members. Before he played “Last Man Standing,” from Letter to You, Springsteen told a story about his first rock band – the same way he might have on Broadway, only to about 70,000 people – and how he’s the last one of the members still alive. He compared the situation to standing on railroad tracks, looking at the headlight of an oncoming train and how it “brings a certain clarity of thought, of purpose.” Back then, he remembered, life was full of hellos and “later on there’s a lot more goodbyes.”

Any resignation was immediately followed by defiance in the form of “Backstreets,” which could be about the time he formed that first band, followed by “Because the Night” and soon “Badlands” – both of which are essentially about seizing the day. Springsteen is old enough to confront the idea of hanging up his rock n’ roll shoes, but he’s not ready to do it. It seemed the crowd could relate: Sounds of recognition greeted the line in “Thunder Road” about how “you’re scared and you’re thinking we ain’t that young anymore,” a line Springsteen wrote almost half a century ago.

The concert paused there, then continued with a six-song encore – “Born to Run,” a Born in the U.S.A. triple-header of “Bobby Jean,” “Glory Days” and “Dancing in the Dark,” and then that joyous, extended “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” His final song was more subdued: “I’ll See You in my Dreams,” a goodbye about goodbyes, “For death is not the end.” At once stark and hopeful, it circled back to “No Surrender” and the start of the show. “Now young faces grow sad and old,” Springsteen sang just after he took the stage, “And hearts of fire grow cold / We swore blood brothers against the wind / Now I’m ready to grow young again.” Then he spent the next two hours and forty-five minutes doing exactly that.

17 Jul 2023

DJ Khaled Hails Jay-Z’s Greatness at NYC Shawn Carter Foundation Gala: ‘Best Rapper That Ever Did It’

It was a celebratory weekend in the Big Apple for Jay-Z. Hours after launching the sprawling Book of HOV exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library, the rap deity hosted the 20th anniversary Shawn Carter Foundation gala alongside his mother, Gloria Carter, on an overcast Friday night (July 14).

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Dignitaries across sports, music, Hollywood, and business crossed paths at the swanky Black-tie affair at Chelsea Piers on Manhattan’s West Side.

The star-studded guest list included Beyoncé, DJ Khaled, Lil Uzi Vert, Tinashe, A$AP Ferg, Meek Mill, Babyface, Regina Hall, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, Yo Gotti, Miguel, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and many more.

Khaled was the last of the stars to hit the Pier 60 red carpet but his entrance was well worth the wait. The energy of the venue noticeably refilled when he and his partner Nicole Tuck stepped out of their mocha Mercedes-Maybach S680 designed by Virgil Abloh, and his array of Khaled-isms could be heard before even being seen.

When the lights are brightest and the cameras are rolling, DJ Khaled is at his best. Strutting down the carpet in a sleek black suit and matching designer shades, the We the Best mogul agrees with Billboard‘s ranking of having his “GOD DID” collaborator atop the greatest rappers list.

“Hov is the GOAT for a lot of reasons,” he begins while taking off his sunglasses. “It would take many books to write the reason why, but for me, it’s to let you know that it’s possible. When I say possible, anything he puts his mind to he makes it happen and takes it to the higher heights.”

Even outside of music, Khaled is impressed with how Jay-Z’s been able to bring his greatness to numerous endeavors and help others along the way. “What I love about him the most is that he’s always there to help somebody,” Khaled continues. “Come on, that’s Jay-Z – the best rapper to ever do it, entrepreneur, mogul, father, family man, friend, partner. It’s too many – that’s HOV did!”

Apple Music executives Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden have had a front-row seat to the Brooklyn legend’s decorated career as longtime radio veterans for over two decades.

“Quality and consistency and knowing the time to expand and when he expanded, he did it really thoughtfully,” Lowe testifies to Jay’s brilliance. “I saw an interview with Burna Boy the other day and someone said, ‘Did it feel like a good decision?’ And he said, ‘I only make good decisions.’ And I feel like that’s JAY-Z’s mantra.”

Ebro adds to give HOV his flowers: “I think his taste, intellect and appreciation of art and culture are the real drivers when you listen to his music. Not only the things that he talks about, but how he puts it together.”

The Shawn Carter Foundation ended up raising over $20 million by the end of the night, which will benefit individuals enduring socio-economic hardships that hope to continue their education. Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez also made a notable $10 million legacy donation.

Inside the gala, Babyface delivered one of the night’s rare performances, with the Grammy-winning legend candidly raving about having the ultimate respect for Jay-Z.

“I’m honored to be here — and if you ask me to do anything, I will always do it, because you deserve that,” Babyface said to a round of applause. “You always deserved to be honored.”

Still recovering from his famous July 4 Hamptons white party, Michael Rubin is someone who has got to know Jay-Z in recent years, through the launch of the REFORM Alliance in 2019 advocating for criminal justice and partnering to purchase sports apparel brand Mitchell & Ness.

“What I’ve learned about Jay is that there is nobody who I know that steps up to do the right thing all the time,” Rubin says. “He cares as much about that as much as anything in his life. That’s what makes him an inspiration to me.”

On the flip side, Roc Nation athletes Dez Bryant and Rudy Gay have long idolized HOV while reaching the top of their respective crafts but now they’re inspired to chase their post-playing career dreams — thanks to seeing the diverse empire JAY-Z has been able to build into his 50s.

“For me, being at the end of my career, it’s something I could really look up to and try to emulate,” Gay says, while the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver adds: “He makes me feel like I can touch anything I want by watching him be great.”

17 Jul 2023

6 Must-Hear New Country Songs: Mickey Guyton, Kane Brown, Hailey Whitters & More

In this week’s column, collaborations abound again as Kane Brown and Mickey Guyton team for a sultry romantic ballad, while Caroline Jones welcomes bandmates Zac Brown Band for a jaunty, bluegrass-infused track, and Alana Springsteen offers up a unique take on a Chris Stapleton collaboration.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Mickey Guyton and Kane Brown, “Nothing Compares to You”

On the heels of Brown’s recent Billboard Country Airplay chart-topping collaboration, “Thank God,” featuring his wife Katelyn, he teams with illustrious vocalist Mickey Guyton for another R&B-inflected romance ballad. Guyton’s passionate, octave-jumping vocals pair nicely with Brown’s cooly smooth vocal tones — a true duet, Guyton takes the lead on the first verse, while Brown helms the second and their voices meld into the chorus, atop fuzzy guitar lines and lush, pillowy production. Guyton recalls a time when she “never needed anyone,” until she finds the pulse-quickening kind of romance she couldn’t live without. Writers on the song are Tyler Hubbard, Bebe Rexha (known for the Rexha/Florida Georgia Line 2018 megahit “Meant to Be”) and Jordan Schmidt.

Dan + Shay, “Save Me The Trouble”

One of a trio of new songs Dan + Shay have released in advance of their upcoming Sept. 15 album Bigger Houses, “Save Me the Trouble” further substantiates their reputation as master purveyors of power balladry, fueled by Smyers’ country-pop production sensibilities and Mooney’s lithe tenor. This time around, the duo offers up a more live-concert feel to the production, but still keeps the focus on the the duo’s tight-knit harmonies.

Josh Ross, “Ain’t Doin’ Jack”

Canada native Ross broke through with “Trouble” earlier this year, and follows it with this brooking, guitar-driven track infused with explosive percussion capable of keeping up with Ross’s surly vocal. Here, he craves a higher-grade buzz than his current drink of choice can provide — the kind of liquid salvo that can fizzle the memories of his lover slamming the door and walking away.  Ross wrote the song with Mason Thornley, Ben Stoll and Sam Martinez.

Hailey Whitters, “I’m in Love”

Whitters is a longtime mainstay in Nashville’s songwriting circles, having made her debut album nearly a decade ago and followed with two more albums chock full of her top-shelf writing. Following her ACM new artist of the year win in May, she’s offering a taste of her upcoming EP with this title track. Though not a writer on the track (which comes courtesy of Cameron Bedell, Lee Thomas Miller and Nicolle Galyon), Whitters’ exuberant vocal is a perfect match for this slice of bubbly, delightful pop-country whisked along by strains of mandolin and handclaps, with each line revealing another vivid vignette, setting the scene (a Chevy ride soundtracked by a George Jones LP) of a giddy romantic infatuation.

Alana Springsteen with Chris Stapleton, “Ghost in My Guitar”

The best country music writers can always find a fresh way to bring life to an old topic. Whereas many country compositions wax poetic about the life-changing, sentimental properties of their favorite six-string, Springsteen takes a decidedly opposite approach; in her latest, she sings of aching to smash or even torch a trusty axe — any means to break the emotional ties to an ex-lover. Meanwhile, Chris Stapleton is one of music’s most sought-after collaborative vocalists, having teamed with everyone from Adele to Taylor Swift, but his bluesy guitar work remains both essential and underrated. Springsteen’s latest features Stapleton on Jazzmaster guitar, the instrument’s mournful, incisive tones crafting a second “vocal” on the track, weaving together with and apart from Springsteen’s breathy, anguished vocal.

Caroline Jones with Zac Brown, “Million Little Bandaids”

Jones has been on the road touring with Zac Brown Band for a few years, and officially became a member of the group last year. Now she teams with Brown and the ZBB cohorts on this jaunty, bluegrass-infused jamband track about replacing self-defensive mechanisms with self-acceptance. Flashes of mandolin, Fiddle, banjo and the band’s signature full harmonies wrap around Jones’ lilting, dynamic soprano and the song’s searching sentiments. “Million Little Bandaids” is included on Jones’ recent EP, Superpower.

17 Jul 2023

Ariana Grande & Dalton Gomez Split After 2 Years of Marriage: Reports

Thank u, next? Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez have separated after two years of marriage, according to multiple reports.

According to TMZ, who was first to report the news, the couple has been separated since January and are planning to legally end their marriage. People also reports that the pair went their separate ways earlier this year.

Billboard has reached out to Grande’s reps for comment.

The singer-actress has been in the U.K. filming the Wicked movies, and was spotted at Wimbledon on Sunday (July 16) in London without her wedding ring. In photos from the tennis championship, her fingers are bare as she sits next Andrew Garfield, Tom Hiddleston and her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey.

The singer and the 27-year-old luxury real estate broker wed in a private ceremony in May 2021 after getting engaged in December 2020, about 10 months after they were first spotted together in February that year. Gomez also appeared in the music video for “Stuck With U,” Grande’s lovey-dovey mid-pandemic collaboration with Justin Bieber.

The two kept their relationship mostly private, though Grande would occasionally share snaps of their life together on Instagram, including one Valentine’s Day post showing off their glamorous date night looks. The last time she posted a picture of Gomez was in November 2022.

Prior to their reported split, they attempted to reconcile without success. TMZ, People and Entertainment Tonight also report that Grande and Gomez remain friends, and talk regularly over the phone.

The R.E.M. Beauty founder was previously engaged to Pete Davidson, though she and the comic called it quits in 2018. She’s also been linked to Big Sean and Mac Miller, who passed away in September 2018.

17 Jul 2023

LeBron James Will Wear 23 Out Of Respect For Bill Russell

HipHopWired Featured Video

The 2023 ESPYS - Show

LeBron James thrilled his legion of fans and put haters on notice when he announced at the ESPY Awards last week that he will return to the Los Angeles Lakers for his 21st NBA season. LeBron James has worn the number 6 but with the league retiring the number after the passing of NBA legend Bill Russell, King James will switch back to 23 out of respect.

News of the jersey number switch for LeBron James came via a report from ESPN that over the weekend, Rich Paul, James’ agent, and member of his inner circle, shared that his client will be donning the new number on the back of his jersey this coming season.

“It’s LeBron’s decision,” Paul told ESPN. “He chose to out of respect for Bill Russell.”

Russell, who brought championship glory to the Boston Celtics many times over, died last year at 88. The NBA decided to retire Russell’s No. 6 jersey number league-wide, which was the first that that has ever happened. If a current NBA player donned the No. 6, they could keep the number if they so choose.

As the outlet suggests, jersey sales with James’ number will be in high demand as his No. 6 replica jersey was a hot seller last year. Fans can expect to be on a long list of potential owners of a No. 23 LeBron James jersey when the season launches this fall.

—

Photo: Gilbert Flores / Getty

HipHopWired Radio

Our staff has picked their favorite stations, take a listen…

17 Jul 2023

Suspects In Young Dolph’s Murder To Stand Trial In March Of 2024

HipHopWired Featured Video

The Parking Lot Concert Presents Young Dolph's Official Album Release Concert

Source: Paras Griffin / Getty

It’s been almost two years since the tragic death of Young Dolph, and now the two men charged with his murder will have their day in court as a trial date was set Friday (July 14).

According to The Grio, a judge has set a trial date of March 11, 2024 for Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith for the shooting of Young Dolph near a Memphis bakery on Nov. 17, 2021. Both Johnson and Smith have pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder charge they’ve been hit with, but they’re not the only men charged in connection with the 2021 killing.

The Grio reports:

Jermarcus Johnson, the half brother of Justin Johnson, pleaded guilty June 9 to three counts of accessory after the fact, and he could testify at the trial.

During questioning by prosecutor Paul Hagerman, he also acknowledged taking possession of car from Justin Johnson. The car was not the one tied to the killing, Hagerman said. Jermarcus Johnson also identified a photo in which Justin Johnson was wearing the same clothing as one of the two shooters accused of gunning down Young Dolph the day the rapper was killed.
The other man arrested in connection with Young Dolph’s muder, Hernandez Govan, also pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder and conspiracy charges he faces. Authorities are alleging that Govan was the mastermind behind everything and actually arranged the shooting. He’s since been released on bond but police have yet to establish any motives behind Dolph’s murder.
Guess we’ll just have to wait and see what prosecutors allege during the trial of both Johnson and Smith.

HipHopWired Radio

Our staff has picked their favorite stations, take a listen…

17 Jul 2023

Milo Yiannopoulos Pays Marjorie Taylor Greene For Ye aka Kanye West’s Website

HipHopWired Featured Video

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Holds Press Conference On Elon Musk Buying Twitter

Source: Win McNamee / Getty

Marjorie Taylor Greene and Milo Yiannopoulos have closed a chapter after he repaid her for the financing of Ye aka Kanye West’s campaign website.

According to reports, the controversial far-right activist reimbursed the Republican representative from Georgia for the “use of campaign credit card for personal use,” based on a new filing with the Federal Election Commission. The amount came out to $7,020.16 which Yiannopoulos paid back on May 12th. The purchase was apparently for a campaign website domain, ye24.com, for West who is now known as Ye. Greene’s congressional staff did not respond to requests for comment.

Further details from the filing show that the reimbursement total matches an expense item for a “domain registration and hosting” purchase made with GoDaddy on November 22nd, 2022. That had been previously reported by Greene’s team. According to The Daily Beast, Ye’s team reported paying Yiannopoulos $9,955 for a “domain transfer”. Notably, the purchase was made on the same day that Ye and Yiannopoulos and white nationalist Nick Fuentes arrived at Mar-a-Lago to dine with former President Donald Trump. The situation caused a stir, as a purchase of that type would count as an official sign of entering the 2024 race. The “DONDA” rapper has not yet announced an official presidential run for 2024, although he had a short-lived campaign in 2020.

Yiannopoulos, who has made headlines for seemingly defending pedophilia in addition to making homophobic and racist statements, took credit for the dinner meeting claiming it was “to make Trump’s life miserable.” The dinner would be a precursor to Ye appearing with Fuentes, a rabid Holocaust denier on right-wing figure Alex Jones’ Infowars podcast where he infamously praised Hitler and the Nazi regime along with issuing other antisemitic remarks.

Yiannopoulos would be fired by Ye last December and then rehired in May, but not after suing the rapper for over $100,000. More controversy ensued after Patrick Krason, a former treasurer for Ye, resigned and internal documents were found showing Krason’s concern over Yiannopoulos submitting false invoices.

HipHopWired Radio

Our staff has picked their favorite stations, take a listen…

17 Jul 2023

Sneaker Scammer Zadeh Kicks Founder Owes $19 Million In Back Taxes

HipHopWired Featured Video

Zadeh Kicks

Source: @zadehkicks / Instagram

It’s been more than a year since infamous sneaker reseller Zadeh Kicks was taken down by feds for fleecing countless customers out of millions of dollars, and now it seems like the state of Oregon has a bone to pick with him, too.

Nice Kicks is reporting that Zadeh Kicks founder Michael Malekzadeh has failed to pay the state of Oregon more than $19 million in back taxes and was publicly put on blast by the Oregon Department of Revenue as his name was one of 2,000 Oregon residents who owe more than $50,000 to the state. Being that his business is shut down, the feds have seized all of his remaining merchandise and his reputation is shot to hell, we’re not sure he’ll be able to pay the $19,302,486.13 that he owes the state anytime soon.

Nice Kicks reports:

Last May, Michael Malekzadeh surrendered the reigns to Zadeh Kicks when it voluntarily entered into receivership ending the nine-year-old sneaker resale business. In July of 2022, Malekzadeh and his CFO Bethany Mockerman were indicted with charges of Wire Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud, and Money Laundering associated with the Zadeh Kicks business. Malekzadeh and Mockerman have pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Federal prosecutors accuse Michael Malekzadeh of knowingly selling shoes he could not obtain by pre-order that include 600,000 pairs of Cool Grey Air Jordan 11s totaling more than $70M.

Keep in mind there were one million pairs of Cool Grey Air Jordan 11’s produced at the time of release and Malekzadeh was out there basically saying he could get ahold of 60% of Nike’s entire stock. The audacity.

This just goes to show how cold the sneaker game is these days and if you don’t have a reliable plug out on these streets, you have to be careful when dealing with resellers and pre-sellers as you never know when they’ll be down to run off with your money.

Be safe out there my fellow sneakerheads.

HipHopWired Radio

Our staff has picked their favorite stations, take a listen…