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24 May 2023

Este Haim Dives Into Her Process of Curating a Star-Studded Lineup of Classic Covers for ‘A Small Light’ Soundtrack

When Este Haim was approached to take on the executive music producer role on National Geographic’s limited series A Small Light, she felt ready to step out of her comfort zone and take charge.

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“I’ve always had this saying that people who say ‘yes’ have adventures, people who say ‘no’ play it safe and people who say ‘maybe’ spend their whole life saying ‘maybe.’ So I said yes,” the HAIM vocalist and bassist tells Billboard of the opportunity.

Turns out, she felt a special connection to the show’s story. The series is inspired by the true story of Anne Frank and follows the carefree and opinionated Miep Gies (played by Bel Powley) as she encounters Anne’s dad Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber), who asks her to help hide his family from the Nazis during WWII. “The producers and the writers of the show got in contact with me about doing a show about Miep and I guess they kind of assumed that I didn’t know who she was, but I knew very well who she was because I’ve read the diary of Anne Frank, cover to cover, a handful of times,” Este recalls, noting that she read The Diary of a Young Girl for the first time at just eight years old. “I thought that it was really interesting the way that they were telling the story of Anne Frank and I jumped at the chance to be involved in a TV show that showed the story through Miep’s eyes.”

For the soundtrack, Este was tasked with creating updated versions of classic songs from the 1930s and 1940s with her friends and fellow musicians, something that she was “super jazzed” about. “Pun intended,” she adds with a laugh.

“I’ve been listening to that music since I was a kid,” she says, noting that her great-grandmother, whom she affectionately calls “Bubby Blanche,” would play vinyl records for her as a child when she would visit her home in Palm Springs, Calif. “We would listen to the The Andrews Sisters, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk — she was such an avid music lover and I’ve come from a long, long line of musicians, so I already had a foundation when it came to knowing and understanding the material.”

Her passion for the songs that influenced not only who she is as a musician but also history in general led to a robust Small Light soundtrack that features everyone from King Princess and Orville Peck putting their spin on Bing Crosby‘s “I’m Making Believe” and Angel Olsen’s rendition of Larry Clinton‘s “My Reverie” to Remi Wolf‘s take on Nat King Cole‘s “Autumn Leaves” and Moses Sumney taking on Billie Holiday‘s “I’ll Be Seeing You.”

“Moses’ version of ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ is so f—ing heartbreaking and beautiful,” Este gushes. “He knows how much I love him and his artistry and his songwriting, but his voice is just so incredibly, insanely beautiful. For him to have signed on to this, I was over the moon.”

She adds that there was a few criteria for which artists she chose for the project. “They needed to be a vocalist that could really handle the material because it’s not easy material,” she explains, before jokingly adding, “But also I wanted people that I selfishly just wanted to be friends with and hang out with.”

Este even worked with her sister, Danielle Haim, on a rendition of Doris Day‘s “Till We Meet Again,” which she says was different than a regular HAIM recording session. “We’re all producers in our own right, but this time, Danielle just was kind of looking at me like, ‘Whatever you want to do,’” she said of creating the song with her sibling and bandmate. “It was different in the sense that we go into every session knowing that it’s a three-way democracy. This time, it was like, ‘This is your gig. I’m just here to sing the song.’ Thankfully, I know Danielle’s voice so well, so we finished ‘Till We Meet Again’ in, like, a day.”

She continues, “Danielle is just so f—ing talented and she has the best voice, and there’s a vulnerability to her voice that I knew would really lend itself to that song.”

As for what she hopes fans will take away from A Small Light, Este is rooting for everyday people to stand up for what’s right. “Miep is a shining example of an ordinary woman doing an extraordinary thing,” she says. “Now more than ever, I think that it’s important for people to stand up for what they believe in and to also protect their community.”

Listen to the full A Small Light: Songs From the Limited Series album below, and watch the show over on Disney+ and Hulu.

24 May 2023

D.A. Says Tory Lanez Deserves Longer Sentence For Megan Thee Stallion Shooting: ‘Indifference for Human Life’

Los Angeles prosecutors are asking a judge to impose a harsh sentence against rapper Tory Lanez after he was convicted last year of shooting Megan Thee Stallion, arguing he behaved with “indifference for human life” at a moment when Megan was “particularly vulnerable.”

Following his December conviction on three felony counts, Lanez (real name Daystar Peterson) faces a maximum of 22 years when he’s sentenced next month. But California law only allows courts to impose such “higher term” sentences when prosecutors have proven there are “aggravating circumstances.”

In a new filing on Tuesday (May 23) obtained by Billboard, attorneys for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office said Lanez’s conduct clearly met those circumstances. Among other things, they said Lanez had fired the gun not just at Megan one time, but five times “in the middle of a residential neighborhood.”

“The brazenness of defendant’s conduct is alarming but the conscious disregard for the well-being and safety of all those around him signifies a high degree of indifference for human life,” prosecutors wrote.

The filing also said Megan had been “particularly vulnerable” at the moment of the crime, another factor that can serve as aggravating circumstances. She had been “unarmed and completely defenseless,” they wrote, while “dressed in only a bikini, shoeless and on foot in a neighborhood completely foreign to her.”

“As she walked away from defendant, unaware he was armed with a firearm, defendant fired multiple rounds at victim striking her bare feet,” the filing said. “She was afforded no opportunity and was in no position to defend herself, find cover, or shield herself in any way. Besides an argument in the car, there was no justifiable provocation or event that would have signaled to her that defendant would have fired a gun at her, not just once but five times.”

Attorneys for Lanez did not immediately return a request for comment on the new filing.

Lanez was convicted on Dec. 23 on three felony charges over the mid-2020 incident, during which the rapper allegedly shot Megan (real name Megan Pete) in the foot during an argument after a pool party in the Hollywood Hills.

The shooting happened in the early-morning hours of July 12, 2020, when a driver was shuttling Lanez, Megan and her assistant and friend Kelsey Harris from a party at Kylie Jenner’s house. According to prosecutors, Megan got out of the vehicle during an argument and began walking away when Lanez shouted “Dance, bitch!” and proceeded to shoot at her feet.

Following the incident, Megan initially told police officers that she had cut her foot stepping on broken glass, but days later alleged that she had been shot. Lanez was eventually charged with the shooting in October 2022.

During the blockbuster trial, Lanez’s lawyers made their best effort to sow doubt over who had pulled the trigger, painting a scenario in which Harris could have been the shooter. But a key defense witness offered confusing eyewitness testimony, and prosecutors pointed to an earlier interview in which Harris pinned the blame squarely on Lanez. Megan herself offered powerful testimony that Lanez had been the one to shoot her; neither Lanez nor the driver took the witness stand.

Following the guilty verdict, Lanez’s attorneys filed a motion seeking a new trial. They called the case a “miscarriage of justice,” arguing that Judge David Herriford made numerous errors that had put their client at an unfair advantage.

But that motion was denied last month, clearing the way for sentencing. A hearing is currently set for June 13, but such scheduled events have often been pushed back in Lanez’s case.

24 May 2023

Dua Lipa Loves Giving ‘Main Pop Girl Energy’: ‘It’s So Fun for the Fans’

Dua Lipa‘s love for pop music knows no bounds. In the “Levitating” singer’s Wednesday (May 24) cover story for Dazed, she reiterated her love for the genre and shared that it is the perfect medium for her to explore the many facets of her personality.

The three-time Grammy winner was asked about Charli XCX’s comments on her At Your Service podcast, in which the Crash artist stated, “We live in this world where there is desperation and fear for authenticity. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Sell me the dream.’ I want my pop stars to sell me the f—ing dream.”

Lipa seems to agree to an extent. “I love the main pop-girl energy,” she says. “It’s so fun for the fans and the character. I can be that girl; I can do that for the videos, for the red carpet, for the performances. For me, there’s a time and a place to do that. There are so many sides to me that I also love to embody.”

The pop star’s dedication to the genre has certainly paid off — the singer’s most recently released album, 2020’s Future Nostalgia, peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. It charted six singles on the Billboard Hot 100 — “Don’t Start Now” and “Levitating,” which both peaked at No. 2, as well as “Break My Heart” (No. 13), “We’re Good” (No. 31), “Love Again” (No. 41) and “Physical” (No. 60).

Up next for the star is the release of her forthcoming single “Dance the Night” from the Barbie soundtrack. Lipa will also star as Mermaid Barbie in the movie, which hits theaters July 21.

24 May 2023

Ice Spice Calls Taylor Swift the ‘Sweetest Person Ever’ After ‘Karma’ Remix News

Ice Spice has a major fan in Taylor Swift — so much so that the two women are officially collaborators.

On Wednesday (May 24), Swift set the Internet ablaze when she announced that she would be dropping a special remix of her Midnights track “Karma.” In the announcement, the pop star also shared several kind words about Ice. “Um. SO much to tell you. I’m a massive fan of this brilliant artist and after getting to know her I can confirm: she is THE ONE to watch,” Swift wrote in the announcement, which featured the new cover art for “Karma” featuring Ice. “So delighted to say that Karma Featuring the incredible @icespicee_ will be out TOMORROW night at MIDNIGHT ET as a part of the new Midnights (Til Dawn Edition) deluxe album.”

Following Swift’s announcement — which also revealed that a new cut of her Lana Del Rey collaboration “Snow on the Beach” is on the way too — the 23-year-old Bronx native took to Twitter and replied, “sweetest person ever thank u sm i love yuuuu” with purple heart and hand heart emojis.

The new Swift collaboration is one of many recent wins: Billboard crowned Ice the new Princess of Rap in a May 11 cover story. A few short days after, Lady Gaga danced to Ice and Nicki Minaj’s “Princes Diana” remix while trying on Haus Labs lipstick shades and captioned the post, “These NEUTRALS are HOT LIKE THIS RECORD.” Minaj couldn’t contain her excitement at the shout-out, reposting Gaga’s TikTok to her Instagram Story with “GAGGGG!!!!!!” in all caps.

See Ice Spice and Swift’s tweet below.

24 May 2023

LØREN Talks About His Favorite Late-Night Snack, Obsession With Cars, Labelmate Somi & More | Billboard News

LØREN talks about his favorite late-night snack to eat, obsession with cars, love for tattoos, connection with his Black Label mate Somi and more during this rapid-fire game.

LØREN 0:00
Hi, this is LØREN and this is Billboard News

Tetris Kelly 0:12
I do want to play a game with you, it’d be really easy. I’m just going to say a sentence and you finish it with the first thought that comes to your head as quick as possible. Alright?

LØREN 0:19
All right.

Tetris Kelly 0:20
My favorite late night snack is…

LØREN 0:22
Instant noodles.

Tetris Kelly 0:23
Instant noodles?!

LØREN 0:24
It’s like in my blood, you know? Like, it’s like the one thing that you’re not supposed to eat at night.

Tetris Kelly 0:28
If I wasn’t a singer, I would be…

LØREN 0:31
A tattooist.

Tetris Kelly 0:32
Have you ever done one of your own tattoos?

LØREN 0:33
I actually have a really close tattooist, and you know, I give her like a really bad picture of what I want, and she just kind of like refines it, you know, and so we kind of go back and forth and she’s like, What do you think about this angle? What do you think about the size? And then we just kind of put it together.

Tetris Kelly 0:48
The most famous person that follows me on IG is…

LØREN 0:50
I think Somi from the Black Label. I think

LØREN 1:00
I’m pretty sure that’s it.

Tetris Kelly 1:02
I’m gonna go through your followers now.

Tetris Kelly 1:03
My current obsession is,

LØREN 1:06
I think cars. I’ve always been a car guy and I don’t think I ever grew out of it. But I recently got into a car crash and so I need to get like a rental. Right? So I got a Toyota Supra and that cars has been like really, really fun. So I think just going for drives has been my obsession.

Tetris Kelly 1:19
Well, thanks so much for again for coming out and hanging out. This is so fun.

24 May 2023

Tina Turner’s 20 Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits

Tina Turner, whose gritty vocals and fierce, sizzling performances powered two iconic music careers — first as one-half of husband-and-wife duo Ike & Tina Turner and, later, an internationally revered solo star — died Wednesday (May 24) at age 83.

Turner, who has born Anna Mae Bullock on Nov. 26, 1939, made her Billboard chart debut as the lead singer of the group Ike & Tina Turner with “A Fool in Love” in August 1960. The track launched at No. 10 on the Hot R&B Sides chart (today’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs) and zoomed to No. 2 in just two weeks. It likewise became a hit on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, debuting at No. 87 and reaching a No. 27 that October.

“A Fool in Love” was the first of 20 Hot 100 hits for Ike & Tina Turner, including their biggest success, a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary.” The Turners’ take reached No. 4 on the Hot 100 and won a Grammy Award for best R&B vocal performance by a group. A year after their last Hot 100 entry, 1975’s “Baby-Get It On,” a fight en route to a show in Dallas prompted Tina to leave Ike and file for divorce. 

While Tina struggled to find commercial success over the next few years, she launched one of music’s most successful comebacks with 1984’s Private Dancer. The album sparked her first five solo Hot 100 hits, including her first No. 1, “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” which ruled the chart for three weeks. The hits continued for the next decade, with a pair of No. 2 hits, 1985’s “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” and 1986’s “Typical Male,” and the No. 9-peaking “I Don’t Wanna Fight” among the highlights. She last visited the chart with “Missing You” in 1996.

As the world remembers the iconic double Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Billboard recaps the legend’s 20 biggest hits on the Billboard Hot 100, spanning both her solo career and time in Ike & Tina Turner.

24 May 2023

HYBE Signs Distribution Deal With Tencent Music

South Korea-based music and entertainment company HYBE signed a music distribution deal with Tencent Music Entertainment this week, according to media reports.

Reuters, citing an article by the Seoul Economic Daily, reported Tuesday (May 23) that the agreement allows music by BTS, TOMORROW X TOGETHER and other HYBE artists to be streamed on Tencent Music’s platforms.

Shenzhen-based Tencent Music operates QQ Music, Kugou Music, Kuwo Music and the karaoke singing app WeSing.

HYBE and Tencent Music did not respond to requests for comment.

HYBE has been expanding its U.S. presence since its 2021 acquisition of Scooter Braun‘s Ithaca Holdings. Following HYBE’s acquisition of QC Media Holdings — parent company of hip-hop label Quality Control — earlier this year, founder and chairman Bang Si-hyuk said this was “just the beginning” of its global ambitions, and expressed a “sense of urgency” for the company to look outside of South Korea for future growth opportunities.

“We are living in an era where everything we do in the content industry resonates beyond geographical boundaries,” Bang said. “At the same time, K-pop has become a global industry that can only continue to grow by targeting both domestic and international markets.”

China’s leading music streaming platform, Tencent Music reported earnings last week that beat market expectations, with quarterly revenue up 5.4% to RMB 7 billion ($1.02 billion) thanks to an 18% jump in paying music subscribers.

Tencent has been gaining streaming market share in China through partnerships like the deal with HYBE as well as with live events and artist promotion with companies like JD.com.

In 2019, Tencent Music struck a similar deal with rival K-pop agency SM Entertainment. Earlier this year, HYBE backed out of a bidding war with Korean tech company Kakao for control of SM, electing to sell its 15% stake to Kakao for 564 billion won ($435 million).

24 May 2023

Another Streaming ‘Renaissance’ for Beyoncé Following Tour Kickoff & New Remix

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.

This week: Beyoncé’s new tour (and new remix) gives her catalog a big boost, while Lana Del Rey becomes the latest artist to score with a new old-song, an American Idol winner shows early commercial promise, and much more.

A Streaming Renaissance: Beyoncé Scores Gains With New Tour & Remix 

The launch of Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour — the superstar’s first headlining run in seven years — has understandably caused plenty of social media chatter about set list inclusions, outfit choices and choreography highlights as viewed through fan videos. Since kicking off on May 10 in Stockholm and continuing across the U.K. and Europe over the past two weeks, the tour has also resulted in a healthy uptick in streams for Queen Bey’s catalog. 

Weekly U.S. on-demand streams for Beyoncé’s solo music totaled 52.1 million for the week ending May 11, a 9.2% increase from the prior week (47.7 million), according to Luminate. During the first full week of the Renaissance tour, that number jumped to 58.1 million streams for the week ending May 18 — and on the current Billboard 200 albums chart, last year’s Renaissance album benefited from those streams, jumping up 16 spots to No. 29. Considering that these millions of plays are exclusively coming from U.S. listeners, expect those streaming totals to stay healthy when the Renaissance tour touches down in North America on July 8.  

To provide the BeyHive with even more excitement, Beyoncé unveiled a new remix of Renaissance highlight “America Has a Problem,” featuring Kendrick Lamar, last Friday night (May 19). We’ll see next week exactly how much the remix impacts her overall streaming total — and how high the song, which originally peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100, can climb in its new form — but early streaming returns are promising: “Problem” jumped from 564,000 daily streams on Friday to 1.77 million in its first full day of release on Saturday, a bump of 213%. – JASON LIPSHUTZ  

Fans “Say Yes” to New-Old Lana Del Rey Song 

Lana Del Rey has one of the year’s most acclaimed albums thus far with Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, which hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. But one achievement she doesn’t have from that project is a Hot 100 hit – in fact, the last one of those the alt-pop star scored as a solo lead artist was four albums ago, with her No. 59-peaking cover of Sublime’s “Doin’ Time,” from 2019’s Norman F—king Rockwell.  

That might change next week, thanks to the release of her new one-off “Say Yes to Heaven.” The song, which Del Rey wrote with frequent collaborator Rick Nowels in 2012, had become a fan favorite in the decade since as an unreleased leak, with sped-up versions of it also helping it go viral more recently on TikTok. Fan excitement over its official release helped it land nearly 1.9 million on-demand U.S. streams in its first full day of release last Friday (May 22), along with nearly 900 in digital song sales, according to Luminate.

Those numbers slipped a little the next couple days, but have still remained fairly strong, as the song is still hanging in the Spotify Daily Top Songs USA chart’s top 50 five days after its release. If they stay near that level, “Say Yes” will likely crack the Hot 100 last week – just the latest example of an artist’s newer work being no match for a newly celebrated older song of theirs on the Billboard charts in 2023. — ANDREW UNTERBERGER  

Bad Bunny’s ‘Goes’ Gets Going With Strong Streaming Start 

Does Bad Bunny have another summer hit on his hands? After ruling last year’s dog days thanks to the May release of his Un Verano Sin Ti album, he unveiled a club-ready single, “Where She Goes,” late last week, and initial streaming numbers suggest more ubiquity on the way for the record-setting star. The track earned 5.1 million U.S. on-demand streams on Friday (May 19) after hitting streaming services the previous day, and scored another 6.4 million combined streams over the course of the weekend. While “Where She Goes” may not be an immediate threat to top the Hot 100, Bad Bunny has yet to score a No. 1 single on the chart as a solo artist — and could very well try to check that feat off his professional list in the coming weeks. – JL 

Will We Finally “Be Seeing” This Year’s Idol Winner on the Charts? 

Two decades on from the show’s debut, the commercial impact of American Idol in 2023 is fairly muted compared to what it once was – with Nick Fradiani in 2015 being the last season winner to even notch a hit on the Hot 100. Time will tell if 18-year-old Iam Tongi, announced on Sunday (May 21) as Season 21’s winner, is going to be the one to break that trend. But based on the early returns, he’s off to a pretty good start.  

“I’ll Be Seeing You,” dedicated to Tongi’s late father and released as his first single last Friday, got off to a decently impressive start – with official on-demand U.S. streams around 50,000 and sales around 1,500 in its first day of release, according to Luminate. But those numbers have gone way up following his emotional performance of the song on Sunday’s finale, with daily streams rising to over 100,000 and sales now over 3,000, as the song topped the daily U.S. iTunes chart.  

And right below it on that chart? James Blunt’s “Monsters,” a 2019 single that also moved over 3,000 copies on Monday, with daily streams over 200,000, following a similarly powerful duet the two singers performed of the ballad on Sunday’s show (with country star Jelly Roll calling it “one of the most emotional things ever” in its YouTube comments). If Tongi can help get James Blunt back onto the Billboard charts, big things may indeed lie ahead for him. — AU 

Q&A: Harvey Cohen, President of Vibee, on What’s Trending Up in His World 

Why is now the right time for an immersive music trip organization like Vibee? 

During the pandemic, travel and in-person experiences – including live music & entertainment – came to a halt. When the world opened back up, we witnessed a renewed appreciation for community, exploration, and real-life music experiences, especially at a more boutique level. As a result, Vibee recognized there was an incredible opportunity to build out-of-this-world trips for music fans that intersect passions for travel, connection, and exceptional live entertainment, while bringing fans closer than they’ve ever been to their favorite artists. And here we are. 

Vibee has thus far offered both destination experiences, like “Lionel Richie’s Dancing on the Sand” in the Bahamas, and music festival integrations with fests, like Lollapalooza and ACL. How have these events been selected and curated to fit the Vibee brand? 

At Vibee we make it a point to offer elevated experiences for all types of music fans. We find the right locations and produce events in conjunction with, and which align with the lifestyles of, our partner artists. For example, Tiësto’s “Chasing Sunsets” is taking place in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico this November where attendees can enjoy boat parties, tequila tastings, and watersport excursions in addition to multiple incredible performances by Tiësto and some of his favorite artists. The “Honky-Tonk Homecoming” weekend in Nashville will include performances from ‘90s country legends, a special songwriters brunch, tours of renowned venues like the Grand Ole Opry, and more. This will be an all-encompassing Nashville weekend, where we will bring fans back to that amazing era in country music with theme parties, honky tonk crawls, coupled with concerts by the likes of Trace Adkins, Jo Dee Messina, Lonestar, and Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry. These are just a couple examples of what we have in the works.  

Can you describe Vibee’s partnership with Live Nation, and how you expect it to evolve in the near future? 

Vibee was founded by Live Nation to tap into the desire from fans to have experiences more deeply rooted in a love of music and travel. Vibee focuses on three main verticals: curated experiences, festival integrations and Las Vegas residencies. Through our Live Nation partnership we’re able to work with the industry’s most respected festival producers including C3 Presents, Country Nation, Founders Entertainment, and other Live Nation festival properties. Vibee is also proud to have signed an exclusive global partnership with Insomniac, to bring premium hospitality experiences to their events around the world. These include the recent Hotel EDC takeover at Resorts World in Las Vegas, and the sold out inaugural EDSea cruise this fall.  Fans can find more of what we’re working on at Vibee.com or by following us at @VibeePresents on social media. There are a lot of incredible things to come this year. 

What’s one goal that you’d like to see Vibee — and, to some extent, the immersive sector of the live industry — achieve in the next few years? 

We truly want to surpass fans’ expectations by creating the most memorable immersive music destination experiences, all over the world. We want people to find love and life-long friends at Vibee events. And in years to come when asked how they met, say, “We met while dancing to our favorite artist on an unbelievable trip that was curated by Vibee.” – J.L. 

Season’s Gainings: Streamers Show Their Mother’s Day Appreciation 

If you forgot to send your mom a card or give her a phone call two Sundays ago (May 14), it’s probably a little late now – but hopefully you were at least one of the many listeners who showed your gratitude by streaming some Mother’s Day classics on DSPs. 2Pac’s “Dear Mama,” likely also boosted recently by the Hulu doc series named after the 1995 classic about the rapper’s relationship with mother Afeni Shakur, was up 48% to over weekly 2.6 million official on-demand U.S. streams for the week ending May 18, while The Intruders’ Philly Soul perennial “I’ll Always Love My Mama” was up 335% to 154,000 streams, according to Luminate. Another more recent entry in the canon also benefitted: Meghan Trainor’s 2016 bonus cut “Mom,” which kicked off Spotify’s official Mother’s Day playlist and climbed 147% to 382,000 weekly streams. — AU

24 May 2023

DaBaby Drops ‘Sellin Crack’ Collaboration With Offset: Watch the Music Video

DaBaby is making music like he’s “Sellin Crack,” according to his new single with Offset that was released on Wednesday (May 24) via Interscope Records.

Produced by Charlie Heat and Zion Brown, “Sellin Crack” finds DaBaby hyping himself up for a comeback and assuring he’ll win over the people with the good stuff. The single comes as part of DaBaby’s new CALL DA FIREMAN three-single bundle, which also contains “Shake Sumn” and “Ghetto Girls>>>>.” “Shake Sumn” has brought DaBaby back to the Billboard charts, becoming his 54th entry on the Billboard Hot 100 after the single debuted at No. 92 last week and jumped to No. 74 in the week ending May 27.

“‘Shake Sumn’ climbing the Charts, the streets tapped in, the dancers dancing! the ladies ain’t playing! the kids goin crazy! The parents loving it too! So for that I got a gift for y’all!” he tweeted on Tuesday before revealing that he would drop the “Sellin Crack” music video.

In the visual, DaBaby and Offset take turns cosplaying as Nino Brown, Wesley Snipes’ role in the 1991 New York City-based crime drama film New Jack City.

The two have worked on numerous tracks together, including the “Baby Sitter” single from DaBaby’s debut album Baby on Baby — which reached No. 11 on Billboard‘s Rhythmic Airplay chart in 2019 — and “Pink Toes” also featuring Gunna from Quality Control’s compilation album, Quality Control: Control the Streets Volume 2.

Watch the “Sellin Crack” music video below.

24 May 2023

George Strait Pays Tribute to Blake Shelton During ‘The Voice’ Season Finale

Blake Shelton‘s 23-season run as a coach on The Voice came to a close Tuesday (May 23) with the singing competition’s season finale on NBC.

Shelton, a coach on the show since its first season, was celebrated by several celebs, including his wife, singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani. But he also earned a special shout-out from none other than Country Music Hall of Fame member George Strait, who sent in a video congratulating Shelton.

“Hey, Blake, I just want to say congratulations on the successful run you had on The Voice,” Strait said. “You really stole the show, man, you really did. So, congratulations on that and I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide to do next. I’m sure it’ll be great, whatever it is, and I’ll see you out there on the road sometime.”

Shelton responded after watching the video, saying, “That’s the true king of country right there.”

The “Minimum Wage” singer has earned the most wins of any coach on The Voice, with nine of his team members taking home victories over the years, including Danielle Bradbery, Cassadee Pope, Jermaine Paul and Sundance Head. However, in Shelton’s final season, Team Blake wasn’t victorious; that honor went to Team Niall Horan member Gina Miles.

Reba McEntire has been named as Shelton’s replacement in the coach’s chair next season. The Voice season 24 coaches are McEntire, Stefani, Niall Horan and John Legend.

Shelton recently told Entertainment Tonight that he plans to spend more time focusing on his personal life after leaving The Voice.

“I want to finally have the opportunity to say yes to more stuff in my personal life and not say, ‘Let me check,’ or just flat-out no,” the singer said.

Check out George Strait’s message to Blake Shelton below: