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Lil Nas X can’t be sued by an Instagram user who claimed the superstar stole his distinctive “poses” and used them in his own posts, federal appeals court says – ruling that the dispute images “share few similarities” and Lil Nas likely never saw them anyway.
Rodney Woodland, a freelance artist and model, claimed in his 2022 lawsuit that the “Old Town Road” rapper (Montero Lamar Hill) had illegally replicated several provocative photos in which Woodland struck elaborate poses while partially nude.
But in a ruling Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit says that the dueling sets of Instagram posts share only a few scattered similarities that didn’t legally add up to copyright infringement.
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“Hill’s photograph shares almost nothing in common with Woodland’s,” Judge Kenneth K. Lee writes, analyzing two of the images. “The photos both depict a Black man folded in on himself, but the similarities stop there. The objective elements in the photos—the men’s poses, colors, lighting, backgrounds, etc.—are different.”
The appeals court also rejects Woodland’s lawsuit for an even simpler reason: That Lil Nas had likely never seen the images he was accused of copying. That issue – known as “access” in copyright law – is a crucial component in any infringement lawsuit.
“It is not enough to simply allege that [Lil Nas] is an active user of Instagram and thus had a reasonable possibility of viewing Woodland’s photos,” Lee writes for a three-judge panel. “There are over a billion users and many more posts on Instagram. The mere fact that Hill uses Instagram and that Woodland’s photos are on Instagram raises no more than a bare possibility that Hill viewed Woodland’s photos.”
Attorneys for both sides did not return requests for comment on the ruling on Monday.
Woodland sued Lil Nas in June 2022, claiming the rapper had ripped off 11 of his copyrighted photographs, illegally copying “original and unique elements” of them including “poses, colors, lighting and coloring.” The images all feature Woodland and Nas naked with their genitals obscured, either by their pose or the use of editing elements.
A federal judge dismissed the case in 2023, and the Ninth Circuit affirmed that ruling on Friday. In its written opinion, the appeals court included side-by-sides of each disputed pair of photos and detailed why each of Nas’ posts were not improper.
“The commonalities go no further than the depiction of a man reclining on his side with certain body parts strategically covered — a common pose in photos of male models and actors,” the court wrote about one set of images.
Several of the disputed photos featured both Woodland and Nas “draped in chains.” The court said that was a clear similarity, but not one that trigger’s copyright law’s protections for creative expression.
“The idea in each of the photos is the same — the provocative image of a Black man in chains,” the court wrote. “But that idea is not protected — indeed, it is a common motif in many pieces of art. Only the expression through the selection and arrangement of objective elements receives copyright protection.”
Friday’s ruling carries added importance because it is a so-called precedential ruling, offering new case law on the issue of copyright “access” in the era of social media.
The court said the rules had involved in an analog world and that Instagram and other platforms had made it “easier than ever” for copyright works to be widely disseminated. But the court also warned that accusers would still need to prove that an alleged infringer had a good chance of seeing their work — and that none of Woodland’s posts had recieved more than 75 “likes” on Instagram.
“Social media and other digital-sharing platforms could make it easier for plaintiffs to show that defendants had access to their materials —but only if they can show that the defendants had a reasonable chance of seeing their work under that platform’s algorithm or content-sharing policy,” the appeals court wrote. “That is a big “if”— and, as explained below, Woodland has fallen short here.”
President Donald Trump has accused Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen and more stars of participating in an “illegal election scam” run by Kamala Harris‘ campaign during the 2024 election, with the billionaire calling for a “major investigation” into their allegedly “corrupt” endorsements of the former VP.
In two Truth Social posts from the early hours of Monday (May 19), Trump first accused the Boss — whom the POTUS also called “highly overrated” and “dumb as a rock” just a few days prior — of illegally accepting an undisclosed payment to appear at one of Harris’ rallies last year before lumping the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer, as well as Oprah Winfrey and U2’s Bono, into the alleged scheme. “HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT?” Trump began. “WHY DID HE ACCEPT THAT MONEY IF HE IS SUCH A FAN OF HERS?”
“ISN’T THAT A MAJOR AND ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION? WHAT ABOUT BEYONCÉ? …AND HOW MUCH WENT TO OPRAH, AND BONO???” he continued early Monday morning. “I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter. Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment. In addition, this was a very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds.”
“IT’S NOT LEGAL!” Trump added. “For these unpatriotic ‘entertainers,’ this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system.”
In a follow-up post about seven hours later, Trump doubled down on his claims. “According to news reports, Beyoncé was paid $11,000,000 to walk onto a stage, quickly ENDORSE KAMALA, and walk off to loud booing for never having performed, NOT EVEN ONE SONG!” he wrote. “Remember, the Democrats and Kamala illegally paid her millions of Dollars for doing nothing other than giving Kamala a full throated ENDORSEMENT. THIS IS AN ILLEGAL ELECTION SCAM AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL! IT IS AN ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION! BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, OPRAH, BONO AND, PERHAPS, MANY OTHERS, HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!!!”
When that 11-million figure first surfaced last year and made the rounds on social media, fact check organizations found no evidence to support the claim. Billboard has reached out to reps for Beyoncé, Springsteen and Bono for comment.
The president’s remarks come about three days after he first targeted the “Born in the U.S.A.” rocker shortly after Springsteen slammed Trump’s “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous” administration during a concert in Manchester. Trump called the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer a “pushy, obnoxious JERK” who “ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT” on Friday (May 16). That same day, Trump also wrote that Taylor Swift is “no longer ‘HOT’” following her September endorsement of Harris and his subsequent “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT” post.
Springsteen was vocal in his support of Harris throughout the 2024 election, performing at rallies in Pennsylvania and Georgia as well as appearing in an advertisement supporting the Democratic politician’s campaign. Beyoncé also appeared at a Harris rally in Houston, delivering a speech in which she asserted: “I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother. A mother who cares, deeply, about the world my children and all of our children live in.”
An Irish citizen, Bono did not endorse a candidate in the 2024 U.S. election or participate in any campaign events.
The E Street band leader and Destiny’s Child alum were just two of many stars who backed Harris during the 2024 election, with Megan Thee Stallion, Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Cardi B, Eminem and more throwing their support behind the former prosecutor’s campaign. Finance records do not show that any of them were paid for their endorsements — something Harris would have needed to disclose if that were the case — and Harris’ campaign has denied in the past that it ever paid artists to perform at events. “We have never paid any artist and performer,” senior spokesperson Adrienne Elrod stated to Deadline when rumors to the contrary first surfaced last year. “We have never paid a fee to that person.”
Beyoncé’s camp has also denied that she accepted payment for her endorsement of Harris, as has the 35-time Grammy winner’s mother, Tina Knowles. “The lie is that Beyonce was paid 10 million dollars to speak at a rally in Houston for Vice President Kamala Harris,” Knowles wrote on Instagram in November. “When In Fact : Beyonce did not receive a penny for speaking at a Presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harrris’s Rally in Houston. In fact she actually paid for her own flights for her and her team, and total Glam . They are not only lying and disrespecting Beyonce’s name but they are trying to further discredit the power of our vice president! When does the lies and rumors stop?”
There is record of Harris paying Bey’s production company, Parkwood Production Media LLC, $165,000 after the Texas event; that payment would be in accordance with federal law, which prohibits corporations from giving directly to a candidate’s campaign and mandates that campaigns reimburse the costs of large event production, according to The Hill.
Billboard Latin Music Week, the most prestigious and longest-running week dedicated to the celebration of Latin music, will return to Miami from Monday, Oct. 20 to Friday, Oct. 24, with the Billboard Latin Music Awards set for Thursday, Oct. 23.
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Set once again at the historic Fillmore Miami Beach, Latin Music Week 2025 will bring together top and emerging Latin music artists and executives from around the world for a week of showcases, networking, exclusive conversations, panels, workshops, activations and concerts.
The event — which last year featured conversations and performances by an impressive lineup including Alejandro Sanz, Peso Pluma, J Balvin, JOP, Bad Gyal, Belinda, Chiquis, Danny Ocean, Eden Muñoz, Eslabon Armado, Fat Joe, Feid, Keityn, Maria Becerra, Thalia, Yahritza y Su Esencia, Yeri Mua and many more — is known as the top gathering place for the most influential and impactful artists today, both established and emerging, as well as the ultimate meeting ground for top music executives.
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Marquee panels in 2024 included the now-iconic Women’s Panel and “Making the Hit Live,” which last year featured Grupo Frontera, who wrote a song live, “Ya No,” and later released it on Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day.
More than 10,000 people attended Latin Music Week last year, including the live shows by Fuerza Regida with Majo Aguilar; a reggaeton night with Omar Courtz, Dei V, and Saiko; and LMW’s 35th anniversary party with Young Miko, Tito Double P, Belinda, Elvis Crespo and more, among other events. (See the full 2024 schedule here.)
Ticket and lineup information for Billboard Latin Music Week 2025 will be announced in the coming weeks. Pre-register now for the latest information at billboardlatinmusicweek.com.
Source: MELINA MARA / Getty / Donald Trump Jr.
It should come as no surprise that Donald Trump Jr. lacks decency.
Following the awful news of President Joe Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis, Donald Trump Jr. didn’t waste anytime showing the world how much of a complete douche he is.
At first, it appeared the alleged booger sugar abuser was following his father’s lead by “putting politics aside” and wishing Biden well.
Trump Jr. reposted a meme of Biden with the caption “Politics aside, we wish him a speedy recovery,” hours after the news broke that Biden is battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.
At the time he wrote, “Agree 100%.”
That good would only last roughly three hours when he dropped another post mocking President Biden’s wife, former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, who holds a doctoral degree in education, pushing a conspiracy theory that is, as expected, taking off in MAGA land with Trump Jr. leading the charge.
“What I want to know is how did Dr. Jill Biden miss stage five metastatic cancer or is this yet another coverup???”
This masterclass in stupidity is now pinned to the top of his personal X page.
Uncle Joe has since given the American people an update on his diagnosis, writing on his personal social media accounts, “Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
Donald Trump Jr. Is Getting Slammed On X
On the other hand, social media has been tearing Donald Trump Jr. to shreds for his tasteless post. “There’s no bottom for Don Jr. Truly despicable,” the Republican For Trump account on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
“I lost both of my parents to Cancer. This is disgusting and an insult to every patient and family dealing with this insidious disease. Grow the fuck up,” another post read.
The Trump family is full of rotten apples.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. Damn shame
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It’s a familiar pattern: paisley, to be specific about the visual; cutting and masculine, to identify the sonics.
A late-1960s version of the Telecaster guitar with that amoeba-like design and signature sound was particularly fascinating to Brad Paisley once he discovered that Fender had produced a line that matched his last name.
Now he has partnered with the company to create a limited-edition Brad Paisley 1967 “Lost Paisley” Telecaster, a select line of guitars that captures the vintage appearance and muscular tone of the instrument that was introduced to the market in 1968.
“There’s some magic involved in getting these things to feel old again and new again,” Paisley says in a small room on the second floor of Fender’s East Nashville building. “We had to really figure out what was it that made these things so cool. They are a unique moment — like, why in the hell Fender ever thought it was a good idea to make Paisley Telecasters? And then here I come, born with the strangest last name.”
The Tele was already legendary before Paisley’s national arrival, associated with the likes of Keith Richards, Vince Gill, Muddy Waters and Nashville studio veteran Brent Mason, who contributed key licks to recordings by Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, George Strait and Lee Ann Womack. Country Music Hall of Fame member James Burton gave the Paisley Tele a high profile when he started playing a red model during Elvis Presley‘s concerts.
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“They became cool,” Paisley says. “Otherwise, I am Brad Plaid. I’d have had to change my name by the time I had a deal. [There’s] nothing cool about Paisley, but it was, luckily, cool thanks to James.”
The sound is cool, but there’s something nerdy about making guitars. And Paisley celebrated the retro instrument line by performing a short set at Fender for an invitation-only crowd of insiders and fellow nerds, including Steve Wariner, who joined Paisley’s band for a rollicking, extended version of “Workin’ Man Blues.”
Paisley’s guitar project owes its reemergence to one of the nerds attending that day. Canadian broadcaster Alan Cross spotted a Craigslist ad for an ammo case of blue Cling-Foil, the adhesive wrap Fender used on the Paisley Tele back in the day. Cross talked the seller from $50 down to $25 — and, to keep peace at home, told his wife he’d only paid $20 for the material.
Once that foil got into Fender’s hands, the company had the opportunity to re-create the line, and Paisley worked hand in hand with Ask Zac YouTube host Zac Childs, Glaser Instruments owner Joe Glaser and the Fender team to learn the nuances of the Paisley Telecaster production process: assembling the neck, body and pickups; applying the paper wrinkle-free; and covering it with a sleek finish.
“The finish is a key element,” Paisley says. “It’s not just the look of it. It does change everything about how it responds. So it’s really great that they were willing to sort of go down the rabbit hole with me. We’ve worked on this for a year now, trying to get it exactly right.”
In recognition of the Lost Paisley’s 1967 model year, Fender will produce 67 guitars through its Custom Shop in Corona, Calif., pricing them at $7,000. Paisley will manufacture 19 pieces with the Fender Nashville team, videoing the assembly and playing each guitar, providing its future owner an assessment of that guitar’s particular strengths and weaknesses. He’ll burn the neck of each of them with a cigar to simulate the abuse they take onstage, and the cigar label will be pasted inside the guitar cavity.
“I’m going to have time-lapse cameras set up,” Paisley explains. “As I paint each one, I will hold up the number, you’ll see me [build] it, you’ll get a little video, and then I’ll tell you what I think of it. I’ll play it once it’s assembled. They get a guitar with its birth [documented], and then a lot of case candy, the really fun stuff, too. There’s all these cool old campaigns and bumper stickers and things they did in the ’60s with Fender. They had these buttons that said, ‘Fender Lovin’ Care,’ and they had the ‘Peace, Love’ bumper sticker. Your case will be covered.”
Paisley is covering plenty of other bases as well. For starters, with the economy poised for a likely downturn, The Store — a referral-only grocery store for financially struggling Nashvillians that he co-founded with his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley — is expected to experience greater demand at a time when a portion of its donors are tightening their belts.
“It’s going to be probably a really important thing for people that didn’t expect to need it coming up, based on what things look like,” Paisley predicts. “There’s funding that went away, but at the same time, we are in a really generous town. I knew this when we decided to try this idea. There are really generous people here, and there are generous people outside of Nashville that know about it, that are committed to helping us in a lot of ways, so it’s not easy right now, but it definitely keeps me sane.”
Meanwhile, he’s optimistic about changes at Music Corporation of America, formerly Universal Music Group Nashville. UMGN chair/CEO Cindy Mabe, who was key in bringing Paisley to the label, left the company. New MCA chief creative officer Dave Cobb and senior vp of A&R Austin Jenkins successfully quelled any apprehensions about the turnover.
“New regimes at labels, which I’ve dealt with three or four times in the course of my career, can make it very clear right away whether or not they get you,” Paisley notes. “These guys have really done a great job of being like, ‘We get you, and we want to empower you to be who you want to be.’ And I’m thrilled so far.”
Paisley was prepared for the new leadership to present a game plan that might not resonate with him. Instead, the team came in with questions.
“They were like, ‘Will you play us some stuff? Will you talk to us and give us an idea of what you have, and what you are in your mind, and what you want to be?’ ” he says. “Then they came up with ideas, sitting there with me, that I went, ‘Oh, I love that.’ The next thing you know, we have days on the calendar now based on one idea in a meeting. So I’m really hopeful that this is a good thing.”
The Paisley pattern is set for its next chapter, whether it’s for the Fender guitar, the artist or both.
“To finally be the headliner and not the maid of honor or the freakin’ bridesmaid?” Cyndi Lauper says with a laugh over Zoom. “It was pretty good.” The Brooklyn-born pop/rock legend is talking about her first-ever headlining show at New York’s Madison Square Garden last fall, part of her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour. These goodbye shows — an invigorating blast of rock energy, pop balladry pathos and vivid art – have been met with rave reviews from fans and critics alike. After overseas legs in Europe, Australia and Japan, Lauper is bringing her tour back to the States (and Canada) this summer for 24 final North American dates, kicking off July 17 in Mansfield, Mass.
Selling out arenas like MSG was a huge part of the reason Lauper – who will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this fall – wanted to do this farewell tour in the first place. While wrapping up mastering on a soundtrack companion to her 2023 career-retrospective documentary Let the Canary Sing, Lauper says that “everybody turned around and said, ‘Why don’t you do a farewell tour?’” The Grammy, Emmy and Tony winner was into the idea, but with a condition: “If I’m leaving, I would like to headline these places,” she recalls telling her team. “I don’t want to play theaters – I’m in theaters anyway,” she notes, tipping to the fact that she’s spent much of the last 15 years working in musical theater, between Broadway’s Tony-gobbling Kinky Boots and a long-gestating musical adaptation of the 1988 film Working Girl she’s still crafting with Theresa Rebeck.
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Now, for the tour’s North American swan song this summer, Lauper wants the chance to reconnect with fans in places she missed last fall. “I didn’t get to Philadelphia [last year]. I’m going to leave and not go to Philly?” she asks rhetorically ahead of a July 20 date in the City of Brotherly Love. “I wanted to say goodbye to everybody. I really do. That’s the end of this chapter.”
The final North American dates of her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour will feature some changes – including a setlist swap thanks to a famous fashion designer. Apart from alterations to the staging to accommodate outdoor venues, the Billboard Hot 100-topping singer is adding in some dance music for her fervent LGBTQ fanbase. “I am going to switch one song, because Christian Siriano said, ‘The gays want glamor.’ On Instagram, somebody wrote, ‘The gays love glamor, but they also love to dance. Would you mind just putting in a dance song from [the 2008 album] Bring Ya to the Brink?’ I thought that was really funny,” she admits. “So I said okay, fine.”
While it’s hard to quibble with an injection of upbeat dance music (just imagine if she sang “Sex Is in the Heel” from Kinky Boots? A stan can dream!) to the setlist, the show’s standout moments often come during her peerless ballads. “Time After Time” has found her duetting with guests like Sam Smith and Lucinda Williams, while “True Colors” and “Sally’s Pigeons” are staged in a way that’s as much performance art as pop music (Daniel Wurtzel’s “air fountain” factors heavily into those).
Lauper says it’s impossible for her to pick a standout moment from the shows, though – and she means that literally. “Once I step out there, I’m not there anymore because I’m in it,” she insists. “I used to work at Belmont walking the horses. I feel like one of those racehorses – you’re in it but you can’t think. You have to have one foot in reality and one foot in someplace else, and that place is where things come through you.” She once had a conversation with Prince about this very topic, which he likened to turning off a third eye. “He was like, ‘Part of you, you go out of your mind a little bit [on stage]. You’re not there. You can’t be, because if you are, then you have a third eye. And all of a sudden, whatever magic, otherworldly door it is that you’re knocking on is not going to open.’”
Accidents, however, can test that tenuous connection. Lauper describes one such incident during this tour’s “Sally’s Pigeons,” which features a white sheet undulating through the air thanks to an assortment of crisscrossed fans (not the flesh-and-blood type). “It’s so beautiful, right? Gorgeous. One time I saw that big sheet, it went right up — I had to look away because I was going to start laughing – it fell right on top of somebody. I saw everybody scrambling,” she chuckles. “It’s live, right? You don’t know what the heck (will happen).”
Mostly, however, she’s able to stay in the magic zone – though she admits to fighting some serious nerves prior to that first headlining MSG show. “Before I went on stage at Madison Square Garden, I was thinking, ‘You idiot. You had all your friends come here, and if you fall flat on your face, everybody and all your friends are going to see.’ Then I said to myself, ‘No, be positive. Do not think like that.’ I was like, ‘You know, it’s only rock n’ roll, but I like it. Whatever.’”
Lauper did not, for the record, fall flat on her face, literally or metaphorically – I was there, and it was one of the best concerts I’d seen in years, both performance-wise and conceptually. Much of the tour’s aesthetic traces to Lauper’s love for art, museums and eye-popping fashion; the tour boasts original collaborations with Wurtzel, Siriano, Geoffrey Mac, Brian Burke and Yayoi Kusama. “When you’re moving and you have all that color, it’s like a painting,” Lauper says in her gloriously unrepentant Brooklyn accent – a tone one doesn’t typically associate with a hifalutin arts discourse. “[Kusama] wore her art, and for me in the ‘80s, that’s kind of what I was doing,” she says of the Japanese artist whose distinct polka-dot palette broke through globally around when Lauper catapulted onto MTV and the Billboard charts. “I could kick myself for not knowing in the ‘80s – I had no idea about Kusama. But I was on the hamster wheel and peddling so fast that I did not go to museums (back then), which was sad for me.”
While the 71-year-old icon makes time to experience art in her life these days, it’s hard to escape the sneaking suspicion that, unlike many musicians who can’t keep away from the grind, it’s the hamster wheel that’s following her.
Prior to the tour’s next leg kicking off in July, Lauper is still tinkering with the music for Working Girl. “I am short four songs that I gotta do before the tour, but I think I can do it,” she sighs. “June is pretty full. My God, everything happened at once,” she says, noting that she also needs to start prepping for her induction. “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is on the eighth (of November), and (Working Girl) opens on the ninth. Wow. So, kill me now, right?”
Schedule overload notwithstanding, Lauper sounds honored to join many of the legends who inspired her in the Rock Hall’s ranks. “It’s a community of people, rockers that have changed the world,” she muses. “Here’s the thing: I still believe that rock n’ roll can save the world. I just want people to remember that we did make a difference. We can make a difference if we band together. We must come together as a community and make light and bring people together to make change, to do the good work.”
For Lauper, sharing her story in her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour is part of that. “I wanted to have people know who the hell has been singing to them all this time so they would have a connection. And maybe they would be inspired to look at their history, to understand themselves,” she opines. “Everybody has a different perspective. When you tell your story, it makes human beings closer. It makes communities. That’s very important. In the darkest time, remember – you write the chapters, you make light.”
Billboard U.K. Live headed to The Great Escape on Friday (May 16) with a stellar lineup of emerging new artists.
Taking over the Deep End stage at the TGE Beach site, the Billboard U.K. Live stage played a key role in The Great Escape’s programming. The event, held in Brighton annually, kicks off the U.K.’s festival season with a number of global acts heading to the seaside for days of music, networking, conferences and more.
A number of big name artists performed at the festival across the four-day event, with The Libertines frontman Pete Doherty, Rizzle Kicks, Skunk Anansie and The Horrors all heading down to the city on the south coast.
Over on the Billboard U.K. Live stage, RIP Magic – dubbed London’s “buzziest buzz band” by The Guardian – opened proceedings with a set of intense, genre-bending electronica, and offered a chance for punters to hear the band’s music in a live setting. As it stands, the band has yet to release any music officially online, with hype building via their performances and live clips on YouTube.
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Westside Cowboy drew a packed tent as fans jostled to catch a glimpse of the band that recently won Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition. With just two songs released so far, the Manchester-based band pulled a full-house in their third and final set of the festival, airing unreleased material and new single “Shells.”
In their second consecutive year at The Great Escape, My First Time brought sharp songwriting and an energetic stage presence in their set. Soon after, Liverpool-formed band Courting aired cuts from their new album Lust for Life, Or: ‘How to Thread the Needle and Come Out the Other Side to Tell the Story’ in a fun, frenetic set. The electronic rock outfit are set to play a number of festivals this summer, including the upcoming BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend.
Rising group RabbitFoot, whose set showcased baroque-pop to pummeling electronic synth lines, showcased a theatrical, personable approach to their songs. Daffo, who is set to support Blondshell on their upcoming U.S. tour, featured indie-rock material with bite in what was their first live show in the U.K.
Leeds’ English Teacher closed the stage in their return to The Great Escape festival, this time as headliners of a major stage. The group won the 2024 Mercury Prize with debut album This Could Be Texas, and proved how the U.K.’s grassroots scene is continually producing stellar acts, and why it must be protected and treasured.
The set featured much of the material from that LP, with “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab,” “Nearly Daffodils” and “Broken Biscuits” all being played, and a poignant “Albert Road” closing the show’s set. The band are poised to play a number of headline shows in the U.K. this coming autumn.
Before Ron Killings became a grappling warrior in WWE rings, he was a rhyme-slinging MC barreling through the Carolinas in pursuit of rap notoriety. Armed with demo tapes and unflappable ambition, Killings trekked from city to city, chasing his big break at the celebrated Jack The Rapper Conventions — a cornerstone of hip-hop culture that, for over two decades, united Black executives, DJs and artists under one roof.
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There, Killings brushed shoulders with some of hip-hop’s most venerable legends, including Tupac Shakur and Eazy-E, leaving an indelible mark with his contagious personality and tireless hustle.
“I would follow those places around. Every year I’d go,” Killings recalled in an interview with Chris Van Vliet earlier this year. “It lasted a good three months, and I’d meet Tupac. He’d be at the Jack The Rapper Convention. It was him and Eazy. There would be so many celebrities there. It was the WrestleMania of the music industry.”
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Though Killings never reached the rap pinnacle of Pac or Eazy, his efforts paid off in another arena. After signing with WWE in 1998, he rebranded as K-Kwik — a spry, charismatic performer who brought lyrical swagger to the squared circle. By the time he exited in 2002, Killings was a two-time Hardcore Champion, laying the groundwork for a storied wrestling career.
Shortly after, Killings joined the rising promotion TNA, where he elevated his stock and became one of its premier in-ring performers. In doing so, he made history as the first African American NWA World Heavyweight Champion — a title he held twice. His star power on the indie scene eventually caught WWE’s eye again, and in 2008, Killings returned. This time, with refined in-ring skills and his signature comedic flair, he became a fan favorite all over again.
Over the years, Killings racked up accolades — United States Champion, Tag Team Champion, 24/7 Champion — while headlining against marquee names like John Cena and AJ Styles. But beyond the belts and bouts, his mic work made him unforgettable. Whether playing the lovable goof who couldn’t tell left from right, or hilariously claiming Cena was his childhood hero (despite being five years older), Killings turned even throwaway segments into Saturday Night Live-worthy skits. He didn’t just survive in WWE — he thrived, by turning his time on the mic into comedic art.
Now, at 53, Killings steps into what might be his most poetic moment yet: a one-on-one match against the Undisputed WWE Champion, John Cena, this Saturday at Saturday Night’s Main Event. The match was sparked after Truth jokingly told Cena he “sucks at wrestling” following his victory over Randy Orton earlier this month. Now leaning into a darker persona, Cena didn’t take it lightly, slamming Truth through a table at a post-match press conference.
This weekend, two veterans — both closer to curtain call than curtain jerk — will share the ring in a match loaded with nostalgia and mutual respect. For Killings, it’s a chance to shine once more on a grand stage, proof that the consummate professional can still steal the show.
And in case you’re wondering — yes, Truth still has big boy bars. Like Cena, he rapped his own entrance theme and was still dropping music as recently as 2024, teaming up with D4L’s Fabo on the swaggering tune “You Know It.” Whether he’s taking bumps or spitting rhymes, Killings has always done one thing without fail — bring the truth.
GTS (Global Talent Services), Universal Music’s Latin talent management and services company, has fully acquired respected music management company RLM (Rosa Lagarrigue Management).
As a result of the acquisition, RLM founder, veteran artist manager and promoter Rosa Lagarrigue, will join GTS as executive vice president global, reporting to Narcís Rebollo, president and CEO of GTS. Likewise, RLM’s team will also be integrated into the company.
Founded in 1980 by Lagarrigue as one of the first management companies owned by a woman, RLM has had a role in developing the careers of artists like Miguel Bosé, Alejandro Sanz and Mecano, among other Spanish icons. The company’s current roster includes Raphael and Rozalén among many others.
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Joining GTS is meant to maximize and improve the services provided to RLM’s artists in addition to bringing Lagarrigue and her team’s expertise to GTS.
Founded in 2011, GTS has grown to have presence in Spain, Portugal, the U.S., Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile and Brazil and its roster includes Aitana, David Bisbal, Ela Tauber, Lola Indigo, Pablo Alborán and Vivir Quintana among many others.
“With her extensive experience, knowledge, and track record, Rosa is a key and respected figure in the management world, and this addition to our organization is a further investment in our position as a leading Talent Management and Services Company in Latin Music today,” said Rebollo in a statement. “I am convinced that the integration of our teams will provide each of our artists the best service and strategic support to achieve their goals across all markets.”
Added Lagarrigue: “I have always believed that every artist needs unique and personalized support; one that combines listening, intuition, strategy, and honest work. I’m excited to share this project with Narcís, undoubtedly one of the most brilliant executives in the industry, and with his team. What we started at RLM not only continues, but it is amplified and strengthened alongside them.”
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Gunna ain’t pushing P anymore with his former homie Young Thug, as he removed his YSL tattoo, once a symbol of their brotherhood.
The rapper recently posted a gym mirror selfie, and fans quickly picked up on the fact that the ink paying tribute to Young Stoner Life Records had been covered with a new design. This change has only added fuel to ongoing speculation that things between the two may not be the same. Their bond has been in question since 2022, when both artists were swept up in a major RICO indictment involving YSL affiliates.
Gunna took a plea deal and was released later that year, sparking backlash and accusations that he betrayed Young Thug. Despite repeatedly denying any form of cooperation with law enforcement, the “snitch” rumors have stuck, casting a shadow over his reputation and industry relationships.
In a GQ interview from April, Young Thug was asked directly about where things stand between him and Gunna. His response—“I don’t know”—left fans without any real clarity. The vague reply, paired with Gunna’s quiet cover-up of the YSL tattoo, has only deepened suspicions of a fallout. With Thug now free after spending more than two years behind bars, some hoped for signs of a reunion or at least mutual respect.
As it stands, the silence and subtle gestures seem to speak louder than any statement, suggesting a real distance between the former collaborators.
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