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27 Jun 2023

Lil Wayne to be Named a BMI Icon at 2023 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards

Lil Wayne will receive the BMI icon award, the organization’s highest honor, at the 2023 R&B/Hip-Hop Awards on Sept. 6. Hosted by BMI president & CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI vice president, creative, Atlanta, Catherine Brewton, the private event will be held at LIV Nightclub in Miami Beach. The event will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

“As a legend and superstar of hip-hop, Lil Wayne is synonymous with the genre,” Brewton said in a statement. “He’s been part of the BMI family since 2002, and we’re proud to name him a BMI Icon in keeping with his reputation as one of the most influential artists of all time. We’re also excited to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with a celebration that reflects the genre’s legacy, which has infiltrated entertainment, fashion, sports and much more.”

Previous recipients of the BMI Icon award include Janet Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Nile Rodgers, Snoop Dogg, The Jacksons, LA Reid, Babyface, Al Green, Isaac Hayes, James Brown and Busta Rhymes.

BMI will also salute the songwriters, producers and music publishers of the past year’s 35 most-performed R&B/hip-hop songs in the U.S. from BMI’s repertoire. The BMI R&B/hip-hop song, songwriter, producer and publisher of the Year will also be named.

Lil Wayne has amassed five No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 – for the third, fourth and fifth installments in his Tha Carter franchise as well as I Am Not a Human Being (2010) and Funeral (2020). He has notched three No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 – “Lollipop” (featuring Static Major) and as a featured artist on Jay Sean’s “Down” and DJ Khaled’s “I’m the One.”

The rapper won four Grammys in 2009, including best rap album for Tha Carter III and best rap song for “Lollipop.” He won a fifth Grammy in 2017 – best rap performance as a featured artist on Chance the Rapper’s “No Problem.” In addition, he recently received the global impact award at The Recording Academy Honors Presented by The Black Music Collective.

Wayne has received 52 BMI Awards as well as being named R&B/hip-hop songwriter of the year in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013. He also received college song of the year at the BMI London Awards in 2009 for “Down.” He has garnered 15 BET Hip-Hop Awards, 11 BET Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, four Soul Train Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards.

Wayne also owns and operates Young Money Entertainment, a company that has ignited the careers of such artists as Drake and Nicki Minaj. The philanthropist also founded The One Family Foundation – a charitable group focused on helping under-served youth.

27 Jun 2023

Chris Stapleton, Tim McGraw & Kane Brown Among ACM Special Awards Honorees

The Academy of Country Music has revealed the recipients of the Special Awards for the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards, leading up to the 16th annual ACM Honors, which will take place Aug. 23 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

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This year’s honorees are Clint Black, BRELAND, Kane Brown, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Charlie Cook, Charlie Daniels, Mike Dungan, Ashley Gorley, HARDY, Bill Mayne, Tim McGraw, K.T. Oslin, Chris Stapleton and Troy Vollhoffer.

Carly Pearce, who has taken home four career ACM Awards, will return as host for a third consecutive year.

“The Academy of Country Music has played such a crucial role in the rise of my career in the last several years, giving me opportunities to expand my artistry with hosting,” Pearce said in a press release. “To be able to come back as the host of the ACM Honors for the third year in a row, I feel so grateful and excited for what I know will be such a special night!”

“This year’s ACM Special Award honorees have made a tremendous impact on the music we know and love, from icons and veteran executives who have shaped and steered the industry for years, to newer artists making a splash and welcoming fresh audiences into the community, and I am so excited about celebrating them in August at what is always one of the best nights of the year,” said KP Entertainment’s Kerri Edwards, chair of the ACM Special Awards Committee, in a press release. “I’d like to thank our committee members for their invaluable participation and contributions in selecting this year’s exceptionally worthy class of honorees and offer my congratulations to all of the recipients.”

Additionally, previously-announced winners including artist-songwriter of the year HARDY and songwriter of the year Ashley Gorley, as well as the studio recording award and industry award winners, will be celebrated during the event, with reigning ACM new female artist of the year Hailey Whitters presenting the ACM studio recording and industry awards portion of the ACM Honors.

ACM TRIPLE CROWN AWARD – Chris Stapleton will receive the prestigious ACM Triple Crown Award following his first win for ACM Entertainer of the Year at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards. Stapleton qualified for the triple crown award after winning ACM new male vocalist of the year, ACM male vocalist of the year and ACM entertainer of the year throughout his career, an honor only eight other artists have been awarded.

Previous recipients of the ACM triple crown award include Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Mickey Gilley, Merle Haggard, Miranda Lambert, Barbara Mandrell and Carrie Underwood.

ACM ICON AWARD – Tim McGraw and former UMG Nashville chairman/CEO Mike Dungan have both been chosen to receive the ACM icon award, honoring the contributions of Cliffie Stone, who was known for his producing work along with his Country Music career. This award is presented to a country music artist, duo/group or industry leader who, throughout their career, has advanced the popularity of the genre through their contributions in multiple facets of the industry, such as songwriting, recording, production, touring, film, television, literary works, philanthropic contributions and other goodwill efforts.

Past recipients of the ACM icon award include Alabama, Connie Bradley, Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, Joe Galante, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Alan Jackson, George Jones, The Judds, Loretta Lynn, Martina McBride, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Conway Twitty, Hank Williams, Hank Williams Jr. and Dwight Yoakam, among others.

ACM INTERNATIONAL AWARD – Kane Brown has been chosen to receive the international award, inspired by Jim Reeves and presented to a country music artist, duo/group, or industry leader for outstanding contributions to the growth of country music throughout the world.

Kane Brown broadened his global appeal with the Drunk or Dreaming Tour, an international trek that launched in Melbourne, Australia, in September 2022. During his trip down under, Brown also performed in Sydney and CBC Rocks in Queensland, followed by a show in Auckland, New Zealand. Concluding the year, he headlined 10 arenas in Canada, including stops in Ottawa, Montreal, London, Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton. In early 2023, Brown resumed the international tour in the United Kingdom and Europe, taking the stage for O2 Academy shows in Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham, as well as the Hammersmith Apollo in London. The European leg ended with shows in Amsterdam, Cologne and Munich.

Past recipients of the ACM International Award include Garth Brooks, Eric Church, Dick Clark, Roy Clark, Dan + Shay, Alan Jackson, Lady A, Kacey Musgraves, Buck Owens, Dolly Parton, Rascal Flatts, Roy Rogers, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban.

ACM LIFT EVERY VOICE AWARD – BRELAND has been chosen to receive the first-ever ACM lift every voice award. This award is presented to a country music artist, duo/group, industry leader or affiliate/partner who plays a pivotal role in elevating underrepresented voices throughout the country music genre, transcending demographics and geography. The nominee for this category is proposed by the rising leaders in the Academy’s LEVel UP: Lift Every Voice professional development and enrichment program, a two-year curriculum designed to empower participants to play a pivotal role in expanding the horizons of Country Music into new audiences that transcend demographics and geography.

ACM LIFTING LIVES AWARD – Troy Vollhoffer has been chosen to receive the lifting lives award, honoring the contributions of Gary Haber, known as a business manager and past president of ACM Lifting Lives. This award is presented to a country music artist, duo/group, or industry professional who is devoted to improving lives through the power of music, has a generosity of spirit, and is committed to serving others. It is voted on by the ACM Lifting Lives Board of Directors.

ACM Lifting Lives executive director Lyndsay Cruz congratulates this year’s recipient and says, “This recognition for Troy is so well deserved and is a testament of his generosity and commitment to helping others. As a longtime board member and former Chair, his support has had a huge impact on the work of ACM Lifting Lives, and I’m so delighted we get to celebrate his contributions to making the industry a better place at ACM Honors in August. Troy’s efforts have made a difference in people’s lives whether they know it or not, as he doesn’t seek the spotlight and has always been a selfless leader and a beacon of support to so many.”

Troy Vollhoffer has been successfully involved in the music industry for more than 30 years, and during that time, he has placed an emphasis on giving back to support the country community. He joined the Board of ACM Lifting Lives, the philanthropic partner of the Academy of Country Music, in 2016 and rose quickly to officer positions, including vice president, president, and ultimately chair in 2022. Additionally, he’s served on the advisory boards of the T.J. Martell Foundation and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, among other causes.

His company, Premier Global Production, has provided touring lights and outdoor staging to some of the biggest artists in the industry including Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Florence and the Machine, Tim McGraw, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen, Riley Green, Lee Brice and many more. Vollhoffer is also well-known for music festivals, including six Country Thunder events across North America and a seventh event called Big Valley Jamboree. Past recipients of the ACM Lifting Lives Award include Paul Barnabee, Ross Copperman, Gayle Holcomb, Lady A, Dolly Parton, Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood and Dwight Wiles.

ACM POET’S AWARD – Clint Black, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and K.T. Oslin have each been chosen as recipients of the ACM poet’s award. This award is presented to a country music songwriter for outstanding and longstanding musical and/or lyrical contributions throughout their career, with special consideration given to a song or songs’ impact on the culture of country music.

Previous recipients of the ACM Poet’s Award include Bill Anderson, Rodney Crowell, Dean Dillon, Kye Fleming, Merle Haggard, Tom T. Hall, Toby Keith, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Buck Owens, Eddie Rabbitt, Fred Rose, Don Schlitz, Billy Joe Shaver, Shel Silverstein, Sonny Throckmorton, Shania Twain, Cindy Walker and Hank Williams, among others.

ACM SERVICE AWARD – Cumulus Media vp, country music and operations manager, Cumulus/Nashville Charlie Cook and former country radio broadcasters executive director Bill Mayne have both been chosen as the recipients of the ACM service award, honoring the contributions of songwriter Mae Boren Axton and her service to the Academy. This award is presented to an outstanding country music artist, duo/group, or industry leader in recognition of years of dedication and service to the Academy of Country Music.

Previous recipients of the ACM Service Award include Barry Adelman, Duane Clark, RAC Clark, Bob Kingsley, Reba McEntire, Gayle Holcomb, Keith Urban and Gene Weed, among others.

ACM SPIRIT AWARD – Charlie Daniels has been chosen for the ACM spirit award, honoring the contributions of Merle Haggard, who received 20 ACM Awards in his career, including the triple crown award. This award is presented to a singer-songwriter who is continuing the legacy of Country Music legend Merle Haggard by following his/her own path, crafting great songs and epitomizing Haggard’s spirit through genuine performances and great storytelling.

Previous recipients of the ACM Spirit Award include Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton.

ACM ARTIST-SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD – As previously announced, HARDY was awarded the 58th ACM artist-songwriter of the year award. This award is presented to an individual known both as an artist and a songwriter, selected by a Professional Panel of judges whose members composed of songwriters, publishers, producers and performing rights organization (PRO) representatives. The Panel submits five nominees, at which time ACM members in the Artist/Musician/Producer/Engineer, Songwriter, Music Publisher/PRO and Record Company categories vote for the winner. This is the first-ever ACM artist-songwriter of the year Award and HARDY receives the honor after winning ACM songwriter of the year last year.

ACM SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD – As previously announced, Ashley Gorley was awarded the 58th ACM songwriter of the year award. This award is presented to an individual known predominately as a songwriter, selected by a professional panel of judges composed of songwriters, publishers, producers, and performing rights organization (PRO) representatives. The Panel submits five nominees, at which time ACM members in the Artist/Musician/Producer/Engineer, Songwriter, Music Publisher/PRO and Record Company categories vote for the winner. This is Ashley Gorley’s first ACM songwriter of the year award.

Past recipients of the ACM Songwriter of the Year Award include Ross Copperman, Dallas Davidson, HARDY, Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsey, Shane McAnally, Lori McKenna and Roger Miller.

Tickets for ACM Honors will be available to ACM A-List email newsletter subscribers and Academy members through an exclusive pre-sale beginning Thursday, June 29, with general on-sale beginning Friday, June 30, through AXS. Fans can subscribe now to the A-List here to gain access to Thursday’s pre-sale.

27 Jun 2023

Lil Uzi Vert New Album ‘Pink Tape’ Allegedly Arriving On Friday, Drops Teaser For New Anime-Inspired Movie

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Source: Paras Griffin / Getty / Lil Uzi Vert

Lil Uzi Vert has been the talk of Twitter and Hip-Hop sites after his girlfriend threw her smartphone at him. It seems the Philly rapper will allegedly be chucking his album at us on Friday.

Spotted on Consequence of Sound, Lil Uzi Vert is gearing up to drop their highly anticipated album, Pink Tape, on June 30th, according to a press release from the rapper.

Via Instagram, they dropped a trailer for the anime-inspired movie. In it, we see the Uzi Vert getting his $24 million pink diamond ripped from their head by an ancient samurai—a play on Thanos removing the mind stone from Vision in Avengers: Infinity Ward.

Animated Uzi Vert is transported to real-world Japan and takes a page out of Akira’s book featuring the rapper riding a cyberpunk-esque bike in the Gibson Hazard-directed trailer for the film they say will release alongside the album.

The short clip gives us a taste of what to expect from the Pink Tape sonically with some pop-punk instrumentals and trap-heavy beats, and it ends with Lil Uzi Vert besting the stone samurai with a blow to the heart.

Pre-orders for Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape are now live, but we still have no tracklist for the project. According to Consequence of Sound, we can definitely expect the infectious dance single, Just Wanna Rock, to be on the album.

Pink Tape is their latest project since the 2022 Soundcloud EP Red & White and 2020’s Eternal Atake.

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Photo: Paras Griffin / Getty

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27 Jun 2023

Gracie Abrams Hits No. 1 on Emerging Artists Chart Thanks to ‘Good Riddance’ Vinyl Release

Gracie Abrams re-enters Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart (dated July 1) at No. 1, becoming the top emerging act in the U.S. for the first time thanks to her debut studio album, Good Riddance.

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The set, released Feb. 24 via Interscope/IGA, re-enters the Billboard 200 at No. 63 with 13,000 equivalent album units (up 773%) June 16-22, according to Luminate. Its re-entry can be attributed to the set’s vinyl release on June 16, as 10,000 of the album’s units total are from vinyl sales alone. The album debuts at No. 3 on the Vinyl Albums chart, and re-enters the overall Top Album Sales chart at No. 7, a new high.

Good Riddance debuted at its No. 52 best on the Billboard 200 in March.

The album’s single “I Know It Won’t Work” reached No. 20 on the Hot Alternative Songs chart and No. 28 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs in March. This week, it stands at No. 35 on Pop Airplay, after reaching No. 32 a week earlier — it’s Abrams’ first song to chart at the format.

Elsewhere on the Emerging Artists chart, French singer-songwriter Jain debuts at No. 12 thanks to her viral hit “Makeba.” The song, originally released in 2015 (and which is an ode to iconic South African artist Miriam Makeba), jumps 68-41 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and 89-55 on the Billboard Global 200 (20.4 million streams, up 18%, worldwide). The track has recently gone viral on TikTok, where one portion of it has been used in more than 800,000 clips, and another has soundtracked over 700,000.

“Makeba” also sold 3,000 downloads (up 71%) in the latest tracking week, as it jumps 50-17 on the Digital Song Sales chart, and tallied 3 million U.S. streams (up 24%).

The Emerging Artists chart ranks the most popular developing artists of the week, using the same formula as the all-encompassing Billboard Artist 100, which measures artist activity across multiple Billboard charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200. (The Artist 100 lists the most popular acts, overall, each week.) However, the Emerging Artists chart excludes acts that have notched a top 25 entry on either the Hot 100 or Billboard 200, as well as artists that have achieved two or more top 10s on Billboard’s “Hot” song genre charts and/or consumption-based “Top” album genre rankings.

For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

27 Jun 2023

Usher, Miguel, GloRilla & More to Perform at iHeartRadio Living Black! 2023 Event

iHeartRadio is celebrating Black music and culture with the return of its Living Black! event. On Tuesday (June 27), iHeartMedia announced that Usher, Miguel, GloRilla, Coco Jones and NLE Choppa will be performing for the 2023 iteration.

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iHeartRadio Living Black! will take place on Aug. 2 at Market Street in Inglewood, Calif., a historic location for Black culture in the Los Angeles area. This year’s event largely draws inspiration from the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, as well as the history and innovation within the genre and Black culture. LL Cool J, Ty Dolla $ign, Roddy Ricch, Warren G, Chlöe, Lola Brooke, D Smoke, Kash Doll, SleazyWorld Go, DDG and more will also make special appearances at the annual celebration.

iHeartRadio Living Black! — which will be broadcast on iHeartRadio’s YouTube and Facebook, iHeartMedia Hip-Hop and R&B stations and the iHeartRadio app on Aug. 2 at 7 p.m. local time — will feature The Breakfast Club’s DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God, Angela Yee, Big Boy and Nyla Symone. The hour-long special is also an interactive block party with multiple themes, including artists reflecting on their journey in the music industry (In the Booth, Mic Drop) and iconic moments in hip-hop (Flip The Script: Big Boy’s Neighborhood) and mental health within the genre (FundaMENTAL).

“We’re thrilled to celebrate iHeartRadio Living Black! in its third year, bringing together fans and superstar artists to honor Black culture and continue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop,” Doc Wynter, president of hip-hop and R&B programming for iHeartMedia, said in a press release. “Living Black! is a true testament to the power and lasting influence of Black artists and the community they reflect. We’re excited to once again partner with some of the very best talent and celebrate the impact that Black lives have on American culture.”

27 Jun 2023

Killer Karen: No Murder Charge For Susan Lorincz In Ajike Owens Case

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Susan Louise Lorincz

Source: Marion County Sheriff’s Office / MCSO

A prosecutor in Florida has declined to pursue murder charges against Susan Lorincz, who shot and killed Ajike “AJ” Owens, who was unarmed.

On Monday (June 26th), State Attorney William Gladson publicly announced the criminal charges brought against Lorincz for Owens’ killing, and cited “insufficient evidence” as a reason that his office would not upgrade the charge of manslaughter to murder, claiming that they couldn’t establish that she showed “a depraved mind toward the victim at the time of the killing.” Gladson said that he had consulted with Owens’ family before the announcement. “My office will do all it can to seek justice for Ms. Owens and her family,” he said.

Pamela Dias, Owens’ mother, expressed that the family was “devastated” by the decision. “How do I explain to AJ’s children, my young grandbabies, that the loss of their mother’s life is still not being taken seriously?” she said to a local news network. “Only a living, breathing AJ would be true justice, and today’s charge could not be further from that.” Reverend Al Sharpton also blasted the decision in a statement: “The fact that this woman hurled insults including the N-word at her children and proclaimed, ‘this isn’t the underground railroad, slave,’ should be enough for the Justice Department to investigate this as a federal hate crime.

The mother of four, who is Black, had gone to Lorincz’s door in their Ocala neighborhood to confront her for taking an iPad that belonged to one of her children on June 2nd. Lorincz, a white woman who has a history of documented racist behavior, shot through the door striking Owens who was standing next to her 9-year-old son at the time. Owens died later at a local hospital. Lorincz wouldn’t be arrested until June 6th, after heavy public pressure about the case prevailed. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office claimed that the delay was due to investigating if the incident fell under the “Stand Your Ground” law, which would make it justified.

The 58-year-old Lorincz is being held on a $154,000 bond at the Marion County Jail on a charge of manslaughter with a firearm. Protests over the decision were scheduled for Monday evening. Owens’ family has also created a website where those concerned can take action in addition to a surging GoFundMe campaign, with one of those actions including a petition to repeal Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” gun laws.

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27 Jun 2023

Lil Uzi Vert’s New Album ‘The Pink Tape’ Is Dropping Soon: Watch the Trailer

Lil Uzi Vert‘s long-awaited album The Pink Tape is coming sooner than you think. On Monday (June 26), the Generation Now artist announced that his third album would arrive this Friday (June 30), after unveiling the artwork and trailer. 

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The artwork is semi-patriotic as Uzi stands before a U.S. flag draped in pink versus the traditional red, white, and blue. Uzi’s signature spiked hair also appears as he dons a jacket matching the flag. As for the trailer, it’s an animated clip helmed by Gibson Hazard.

The amine-style visual finds Uzi in combat with a demon creature who initially bests him in their contentious showdown. The creature rips off Uzi’s pink diamond from his forehead and steals his powers. Upon having his diamond pulled out, Uzi reverts to human form, and is transported to a mysterious world. Seeking vengeance, Uzi races to retrieve the diamond and ends up in more action-packed battles. Proving to be the ultimate samurai, Uzi wins his early bouts before entering a rematch with the demon creature for his diamond. This time, Uzi is sharper and evades any attacks issued against him and retrieves his prized possession. 

The Pink Tape is the follow-up to his 2020 album Eternal Atake, with wich he dodged the sophomore slump when he netted his second Billboard 200 No. 1 album with EA. The celebrated project sold 288,000 copies in its opening week, and had three songs debut in the Billboard Hot 100 top 10, led by “Baby Pluto” at No. 6. 

Check out Uzi’s trailer and artwork for The Pink Tape below. 

27 Jun 2023

Jennifer Lawrence Addresses Rumors Liam Hemsworth Cheated on Miley Cyrus With Her

Jennifer Lawrence may have had a short-lived romance with Liam Hemsworth in The Hunger Games, but offscreen, she wasn’t playing any games. In her Monday (June 26) appearance on Watch What Happens Live, the No Hard Feelings star finally addressed speculation that she and Hemsworth hooked up while the actor was still in a relationship with Miley Cyrus.

Playing a round of “Plead the Fifth” on the talk show, host Andy Cohen cut right to the chase by asking Lawrence whether there was any weight to rumors that Cyrus subtly shaded her earlier this year by sporting a figure-hugging gold dress, similar to one worn by the actress at a Hunger Games red carpet premiere in 2012, in the “Flowers” music video. Some fans took the look as Cyrus calling out Lawrence for having a fling with the singer’s now ex-husband.

Suffice to say, Lawrence did not plead the fifth, instead eagerly cutting off Cohen before he’d even finished the question to respond.

“Not true,” she said, according to Entertainment Tonight. “I would love to [respond], it’s not true. Total rumor.”

The Don’t Look Up alum previously insinuated that she and Hemsworth had locked lips behind the scenes, which some fans took at the time as “proof” the two costars had an affair. But on Monday night, Lawrence insisted to Cohen that there was no overlap between their kiss and Hemsworth’s on again, off again romance with Cyrus.

“I mean, we all know that me and Liam, like, kissed one time,” said Lawrence, who’s now married and shares a son with art gallery director Cooke Maroney. “But it was years after they broke up.”

“So I just assume that was like a coincidence,” she added of Cyrus’ gold dress.

But while the gold dress may have been just that — a gold dress — there is a pretty compelling case to be made that Cyrus was shading Hemsworth with “Flowers.” For instance, the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper was released not so subtly on the Last Song star’s 33rd birthday.

Anyway, during her appearance on WWHL, Lawrence also spoke about another female pop star: her friend Adele. When asked by fans calling in to the show to rate how drunk she was when she and the “Easy on Me” vocalist famously went out together in 2019 to Pieces, a gay bar in New York City, she replied: “10 out of 10 hammered.”

Watch J. Law talk about her night out with Adele on Watch What Happens Live below:

27 Jun 2023

Shakira Says Gerard Piqué ‘Betrayed’ Her While Her Dad Was In the ICU: ‘My Home Was Falling Apart’

Shakira has been very open and honest about the demise of her relationship with former professional footballer Gerard Piqué, and the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer is continuing her showcase of vulnerability.

In a new interview with People en Espanol published Monday (June 26), Shakira shared the extenuating circumstances that made the split even more devastating for her. “Everything was happening all at once, my home was falling apart,” she said. “I was finding out in the press that I had been betrayed while my father was in the ICU. I thought I wouldn’t survive so much.”

The former pair announced their split in June 2022 through a joint statement. “We regret to confirm that we are separating. For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect our privacy,” the statement read. Shakira and Piqué were together for 11 years and have two children together: Milan, 9, and Sasha, 7.

Over the past year, many rumors around the end of the pair’s relationship have made the rounds — from cheating allegations to a jar of strawberry jam. For Shakira — who in April was named Billboard‘s Woman of the Year at the first Latin Women in Music — her father’s condition intensified the pain of the split. “The man that has loved me the most, my father, wasn’t by my side when I most needed him,” she told People en Espanol. “I couldn’t speak to him or receive the advice from my best friend that I so needed.”

Despite the drama of the breakup, Shakira has been pushing forward with a steady stream of new music releases. This year, she has already scored two top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: the Bizarrap-produced “BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 53” (No. 9), in which she takes aim at her former partner; and the Karol G duet “TQG” (No. 7).

The Colombian music icon is looking to her father as “the biggest example of resilience.” Speaking of her parents’ relationship, the “Waka Waka” singer mused to the publication, “They have both been a reflection of that dream that didn’t come true for me. But I hope they are role models for my kids of love, of patience in relationships, of absolute devotion and zest for life.”

27 Jun 2023

Kesha Settles With Dr. Luke, RIAA Cracks Down On AI & More of the Week’s Biggest Legal Stories

This is 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.

This week: Dr. Luke and Kesha end their long-running lawsuit with a settlement just weeks before trial; the RIAA takes legal action against a popular message board centered on artificial intelligence-driven voice mimicry; Kanye West aims to dismiss a lawsuit accusing him of illegally sampling a legendary hip hop group; and much more.

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THE BIG STORY: Dr. Luke v. Kesha Ends With Settlement

After nearly a decade of bitter litigation between Kesha and Dr. Luke, in which she accused him of rape and he accused her of defaming him by doing so, the lawsuit will end not with a blockbuster trial, but with joint statements wishing each other well.

Just weeks before the case had been set to go to trial, the two sides announced that they had reached a settlement to resolve the long fight, which kicked off in 2014 after Kesha accused her former producer of drugging and raping her after a 2005 party.

The start of the lawsuit pre-dated the #MeToo movement, but it foreshadowed many of the themes that would characterize much of the litigation arising from that cultural reckoning. Dr. Luke claimed her “vengeful” allegations had been designed to “extort” him into releasing her from her record deal; Kesha claimed he was using the court system to silence and bully a victim who spoke out.

It’s not hard to speculate why Dr. Luke settled rather than test his defamation claims before a jury. Ten days before the deal was reached, New York’s top appeals court finally weighed in on key issues that had long delayed the case, and the result wasn’t good for the producer. The court not only said he was a “public figure” – a designation that makes it extremely hard to win libel cases in American courts – but also that Kesha could potentially recoup her legal bills if she won at trial.

But with or without a courthouse showdown, Dr. Luke appears to have gotten some of what he wanted. In their joint statement, Kesha said that “only god knows what happened that night” and that she “cannot recount everything that happened.” In the same joint statement, Dr. Luke was unequivocal: “I never drugged or assaulted her and would never do that to anyone.”

Go read the full statements, and the long backstory of the case, in our story on the big settlement.

Other top stories this week…

FLORIDA DRAG LAW BLOCKED – A federal judge barred Florida from enforcing its recently enacted restrictions on drag performances, ruling that the law likely violates the First Amendment. Proponents of the statute, including presidential hopeful Gov. Ron DeSantis, claimed it was needed to protect children from “lewd” performances, but the judge said the vague new rules were “dangerously susceptible to standardless, overbroad enforcement which could sweep up substantial protected speech.”

RIAA’S AI CRACKDOWN – Lawyers for the industry group moved to shut down a popular Discord server centered on artificial intelligence and voice models called “AI Hub,” obtaining a federal court subpoena to reveal the identities of its users and sending takedown request demanding that Discord shut down the entire channel. The RIAA’s actions are the latest effort by music companies to rein in the disruptive new technology.

NO SCOTUS FOR GENIUS – The U.S. Supreme Court said that it would not take up a lawsuit claiming Google stole millions of song lyrics from Genius, the popular music database that lets users add and annotate lyrics. Genius claimed Google free-rode on the site’s work, but multiple lower courts had ruled that the site couldn’t sue over copyrighted lyrics it didn’t actually own.

SUMMERTIME SETTLEMENT – Lana Del Rey reached a settlement to end a copyright lawsuit claiming her 2012 music video for “Summertime Sadness” featured 17 seconds of material lifted directly from a short film by a director named Lucas Bolaño. The agreement came weeks after a federal judge denied a motion to dismiss the case filed by Del Rey’s lawyers, who argued that the case was filed well after the statute of limitations.

TROY AVE SHOOTER SENTENCED – Hip-hop podcaster Taxstone was sentenced to 35 years in prison following his conviction earlier this year on manslaughter charges over his 2016 fatal shooting of rapper Troy Ave’s bodyguard during a T.I. concert at a New York City venue. His attorneys told Billboard they would appeal: “Justice wasn’t served.”

BOOSIE RELEASED ON GUN CHARGE – Rapper Boosie Badazz was ordered released on bond on his federal gun charge, after a judge rejected a request by prosecutors to keep him behind bars even longer. The charge follows a May 6 traffic stop in which the feds say the New Orleans rapper was found with a handgun — an alleged violation of a federal law prohibiting former felons from possessing firearms.

KANYE RIPS SAMPLING LAWSUIT – With Kanye West facing a lawsuit for allegedly using an uncleared sample from the pioneering rap group Boogie Down Productions, his lawyers made an unusual argument: That BDP founder KRS-One had “emphatically” stated in a 2006 documentary that “my entire catalogue is open to the public” and “you will not get sued if you sample.”