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22 May 2023

Fifty Fifty’s ‘Cupid’ Flies to No. 1 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S. Chart

Fifty Fifty’s “Cupid” shoots to No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart (dated May 27), marking the first leader on the list for the South Korean pop quartet.

Notably, the act is the first K-pop group, or all-female group of any genre, to reign with a debut entry on the chart, dating to the list’s 2020 inception.

Meanwhile, Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” adds a third week atop the Billboard Global 200 survey.

Plus, two songs hit the respective charts’ top 10s: Loreen’s “Tattoo” soars from No. 146 to No. 7 on Global Excl. U.S., after the single won Sweden the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, while Lil Durk’s “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole, debuts at No. 7 on the Global 200.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.

‘Cupid’ Feels the Love Atop Global Excl. U.S.

Fifty Fifty’s “Cupid” rises from No. 2 to No. 1 to rule the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart for the first time, despite dips of 2% in streams, to 65.1 million, and 9% in sales, to 2,000, outside the U.S. May 12-18.

The quartet – Aran, Keena, Saena and Sio – becomes the third K-pop group to have scaled the Global Excl. U.S. summit, joining BTS (six No. 1s) and BLACKPINK (three). Fifty Fifty is the first K-pop group, or all-female group of any genre, to reign with a debut entry on the chart, dating to the list’s September 2020 inception.

Contributing to the success of “Cupid” are its original recording, a “Twin” mix and an instrumental version, with TikTok having been a key factor in the single’s growth over its ascent.

Fifty Fifty was formed by South Korean entertainment agency ATTRAKT last year and the group debuted its first single, “Higher,” on its introductory four-track EP, The Fifty, released Nov. 18, 2022. A new partnership with Warner Records was announced in April.

Peso Pluma ranks in the next two spots on Global Excl. U.S., as “La Bebe,” with Yng Lvcas, returns to its No. 2 high, from No. 3, and “Ella Baila Sola,” with Eslabon Armado, rebounds 4-3, after reaching No. 2.

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” lifts 5-4 on Global Excl. U.S., following a record-tying (with Harry Styles’ “As It Was”) 13 weeks at No. 1 beginning upon its debut in January; YOASOBI’s “Idol” rises 6-5, after reaching No. 4; and Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny’s “Un x100to” falls to No. 6 from No. 1, after three weeks in the top spot.

Elsewhere in the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, Loreen’s “Tattoo” inks a 146-7 vault, after the song won the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden May 13. It blasts to the tier with 30.7 million streams (up 247%) and 12,000 sold (up 756%) outside the U.S. May 12-18, marking the singer’s first top 10.

Loreen is the first woman to win Eurovision twice, having triumphed in 2012 with the song “Euphoria.” Meanwhile, Sweden has tied Ireland for the most victories – seven each – since the competition began in 1956. “The only thing I feel right now is so much love,” Loreen, from Stockholm, said upon the new coronation. “Not in my wildest dreams did I think this was going to happen.”

‘Ella Baila Sola’ Tops Global 200

Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” leads the Billboard Global 200 for a third week, with 90.5 million streams (down 3%) and 2,000 sold (down 21%) worldwide May 12-18. The collab initially ruled four weeks earlier, becoming the chart’s first No. 1 for the regional Mexican genre.

Fifty Fifty’s “Cupid” climbs 3-2 on the Global 200 for a new high, with 81.7 million streams (down 3%) and 4,000 sold (down 15%) worldwide; Yng Lvcas and Peso Pluma’s “La Bebe” revisits its No. 3 best, from No. 4; Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny’s “Un x100to” descends 2-4, following two weeks at the summit, as it became the second regional Mexican leader on the list; and Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” holds at No. 5, after 12 weeks on top in January-April.

Meanwhile, Lil Durk’s “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole, bounds in at No. 7 on the Global 200, with 48.8 million streams and 1,000 sold worldwide from its release May 12 through May 18.

Lil Durk tallies his third Global 200 top 10 – and first in a lead role – following his featured turns on Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later” (No. 5, 2020) and “In the Bible” (No. 9, 2021), the latter also featuring Giveon. J. Cole notches his fifth top 10 (and first as a featured artist).

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated May 27, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (May 23). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

22 May 2023

Here’s What Happened When Hot 100 No. 1 Rivals Later Competed for the Record of the Year Grammy

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” and SZA’s “Kill Bill” will probably go head-to-head again on Music’s Biggest Night.

Miley Cyrus and SZA

Miley Cyrus and SZA

John Sciulli/Getty Images for Gucci; Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” and SZA’s “Kill Bill” held down the top two spots on the Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks earlier this year (from Jan. 28 through March 4). “Flowers” was on top in each of those weeks, though “Kill Bill” finally moved up for a week on top in late April.

“Flowers” and “Kill Bill” probably aren’t done competing, either. The two hits are likely to square off again when the nominations for the 66th annual Grammy Awards are announced later this year. Both hits are very likely to be nominated for record of the year. It would be Cyrus’ first nomination in that category; SZA’s third, but her first on her own. She was previously nominated for collabs with Kendrick Lamar (“All the Stars” from Black Panther) and Doja Cat (“Say So”).

“Flowers” and “Kill Bill” would be the sixth pair of singles that held the top two spots on the Hot 100 concurrently for six or more weeks and later squared off again for record of the year at the Grammys. Cyrus’ dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, is involved in one of the pairs. Little Nas X‘s “Old Town Road” (featuring Cyrus) was locked in a similarly fierce battle for No. 1 with Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy,” before their rematch the Grammys.

Here are the six pairs of singles that spent six or more weeks in the top two positions on the Hot 100 concurrently and later competed again for record of the year at the Grammys. They are listed in ascending order, with the pair that had the most weeks in the top two listed last.

22 May 2023

Warner Music CFO Reiterates Call for Streaming Services to Raise Prices: ‘The Industry Can Bear It’

Warner Music Group executive vp/CFO Eric Levin reiterated the label’s call for streaming services to raise their prices while speaking at a conference hosted by JP Morgan Chase & Co on Monday (May 22).

Levin, who worked at HBO between 1988 and 2002, told the group of investors and Wall Street analysts that, unlike streaming services, the cable network almost annually raised prices during that period because the company knew customers wanted its content enough to pay a premium.

“I think and I am hopeful now that much of the [streaming] industry has done a round of rate increases successfully…that they start to understand that the industry can bear it,” Levin said.

Levin’s comments echo WMG CEO Robert Kyncl‘s previous call to streaming company hold-outs to raise prices, delivered during a wide-ranging presentation in March that touched on WMG’s growth strategy if streaming growth slows as well as its light release schedule in the first two quarters.

An increase in music streaming revenue, the main driver behind WMG and other major music companies’ double-digit growth in recent years, is expected to decline from 10% growth in 2024 to 3% growth in 2029, according to a recent presentation by MIDiA Research. That projection, which is far gloomier than Goldman’s forecast for a 12% compound annual growth rate for streaming revenue until 2030, prompted several questions to Levin about WMG’s streaming revenue expectations and how it may grow even if the streaming engine slows.

“We still have a lot of conviction that streaming has a lot of growth,” Levin said while noting that growth may come from a series of drivers.

“When we went public three-ish years ago, our growth story really revolved around subscription streaming,” he said. “Now … it includes ad-supported streaming [and] emerging [sources] of streaming, social, fitness, gaming, etc. So the facets of growth have really diversified.”

The industry has seen steady growth in subscription streaming since roughly 2015, and growth in that area remains present in all economic forecasts, Levin added.

Other revenue drivers like ad-supported streaming, he continued, are more impacted by “cyclicality based on slowdowns when the economy slows and rapid recovery when the economy is solid.”

Emerging sources of streaming revenue, such as from social media and short-form video apps, have significant growth potential, Levin said, because “you have potential for multiple products per person in a home — people have multiple social media accounts in one home.”

This month, WMG reported its second straight quarter of basically flat recorded music revenue, driven by a slower first half of the year for music releases. Recorded music streaming revenue declined nearly half a percent from the prior year due to the light release schedule.

Pressed to provide greater detail around why the company is experiencing a modest release slate this year, Levin said the May 5 release of Ed Sheeran‘s – (pronounced Subtract) is expected to be the first in a slate of upcoming releases by prominent artists — and indeed, the company is already showing signs of a second-half rebound. Still, he acknowledged WMG has lost ground to its competitors.

“We lost a little bit of momentum, but we fully expect to get it back,” Levin said.

22 May 2023

DJ Envious: Rick Ross Simmers & Sautees DJ Envy Over Car Show Beef

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Rick Ross Visits SIRIUS XM�s Hip-Hop Nation Channel

Rick Ross taking on DJ Envy was not in anyone’s bingo card for 2023, but that’s exactly what’s unfurling in hilarious fashion on social media and abroad. After Rick Ross fired a shot at DJ Envy over hosting an upcoming car show in Memphis amid his own battle to get a permit for a car show, the beef between the pair has heated all the way up with Rozay seemingly getting the better of the exchange.

Based on what we’ve seen play out online, Rick Ross set off the beef by throwing a shot at DJ Envy for The Breakfast Club host’s upcoming car show, Drive Your Dreams, in Memphis, Tenn. this coming weekend.

The following weekend, Rick Ross will be hosting his own car show at his Promised Land estate in Fayetteville, Ga. despite resistance from neighbors and unsigned permits according to recent reports. The announcement of Envy’s show seemed to rankle Ricky Rozay, and he fired off a number of Instagram Stories slamming his car show rival.

Envy, a man of pride, fired back and tried to give it as good as he got it but it’s really getting personal after Ross invited Envy, his wife, and his sons to come “mop the marble” of his pool after Envy claimed Ross “Airbnb’s his crib,” in no doubt a reference to the fact that Ross rents out the property to production studios. How is that a diss? Anyway.

Ross upped the ante by inviting Envy and his sons to come clean and then breakdance at   the pool to the tune of Beastie Boys’ “Brass Monkey” track along with other shots that’d be difficult for anyone to recover from.

Based on the chatter from Twitter, it appears that Rick Ross has been kicking DJ Envy’s back in about the car show for 24 hours. We’ve got the reactions from all sides below.

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Photo: Getty

22 May 2023

DJ Khaled Stuns Hip-Hop Community With Twerking Video, Allegedly

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DJ Khaled

Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz

DJ Khaled is a man of many talents, but is twerking actually one of them?

We don’t know but apparently someone with a striking resemblance to the “We The Best” producer out of Miami had Twitter in a frenzy when DJ Akademiks shared a video clip of DJ Khaled jumping into the pool followed by a clip of someone who may or may not be Khaled twerking underwater with the skills of a mermaid.

Naturally the video caught the attention of some of DJ Khaled’s Hip-Hop peers such as Wack 100 who wrote ““WTF DID I JUST SEE. NAW MAN THE WORLD IS CHANGING. THIS ISNT WHAT WE DO,” and Wacka Flocka who chimed in with “unfollowing buddy right now ????”

Rick Ross meanwhile saw the humor in the post and simply wrote “Haaaaa.” Lowkey read like a nervous “Haaaaa” but that’s just us.

Regardless if this was DJ Khaled or not (it more than likely wasn’t) it was still a pretty funny sight to see along with the reactions it garnered in it’s aftermath. Now we wait to hear from the God Did producer to deny or confirm that he can give Megan Stallion a run for her money.

What do y’all think of the video? Was that DJ Khaled or nah? Let us know in the comments section below.

22 May 2023

Cringe: Man Charged With Murder of Jordan Neely Speaks

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US Marine veteran Daniel Penny, 24, is escorted in handcuffs...

Source: Pacific Press / Getty

Weeks after being seen on video choking Jordan Neely on a subway train, Daniel Penny publicly speaks about being charged with Neely’s death.

Penny spoke out about the incident for the first time in an interview with Dana Kennedy of the New York Post in a Long Island enclave not far from where he grew up. The 24-year-old, who is facing manslaughter charges for the killing of Neely, claims that his move to put the 30-year-old houseless man in a chokehold “had nothing to do with race.”

“I judge a person based on their character. I’m not a white supremacist,” Penny continued. “Everybody who’s ever met me can tell you, I love all people, I love all cultures. You can tell by my past and all my travels and adventures around the world. I was actually planning a road trip through Africa before this happened.”

The former Marine said he was on his way to the gym after going to school when he encountered Neely on the northbound F train on May 1st. He alleged that Neely was invoking “terror” and was “menacing”. “I can tell you that the threats, the menacing, the terror that Jordan Neely introduced to that train has already been well documented. I don’t think it’s going to even be controverted,” he said to Kennedy. Penny also seemed to suggest that he would do what he did again. “You know, I live an authentic and genuine life,” he said. “And I would — if there was a threat and danger in the present.”

Penny was asked what he’d say to Neely’s family, who buried him last Friday (May 19th). “I’m deeply saddened by the loss of life,” he said. “It’s tragic what happened to him. Hopefully, we can change the system that’s so desperately failed us.” Lennon Edwards and Donte Mills, the lawyers representing Neely’s family, ripped the interview, calling it disgraceful and an attempt to whitewash Penny. “There’s no remorse,” Mr. Edwards said. “There is no accountability. There was no acknowledgment he killed someone.”

Penny was blasted by Reverend Al Sharpton in his eulogy for Neely, focusing on the way Penny has been treated by the media at large and argued that if Neely was a white Elvis Presley impersonator and Penny was Black and choking him, police “would not have let that Black guy leave the precinct that night.” Kennedy informed Penny of those comments, who nodded and said he was “not sure” of who Sharpton is. “I don’t really know celebrities that well,” he said.

22 May 2023

Instagram Is Working On A Text-Based App To Rival Twitter, Also Suffered Another Service Outage

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Instagram Is Working On New App To Rival Twitter: Report

Source: SOPA Images / Getty / Instagram

With Twitter still on a path to self-destruction thanks to Elon Musk, Instagram is looking to offer people a substitute.

The Verge reports Instagram is working on its own text-based social media component that aims to be a direct competitor to Twitter, according to Social and Influencer Marketing teacher Lia Haberman. Via her ICYMI Substack newsletter, she shared a screenshot of a marketing slide detailing the new app.

According to the slide, the new app has no name and is just “Instagram’s new text-based app for conversations.” Haberman reports it is codenamed P92 and Barcelona.

Users can sign in using their current Instagram username and password, and their bio, IG handle, followers, and verification status will transfer over.

Per The Verge:

In the app, you’ll see a feed, and you can make text posts up to 500 characters long with attached links, photos, and videos.

The app looks pretty much like if you mixed Instagram and Twitter together, based on two screenshots included in the leaked marketing slide. And Meta will apparently have some good moderation controls from the start, “equipping you with settings to control who can reply to you and mention your account,” the slide says. Any accounts you’ve blocked on Instagram will apparently carry over.

Per the slide, the new Instagram App will feature some form of decentralization, noting, “Soon, our app will be compatible with certain other apps like Mastodon.”

Instagram Suffered A Serious Service Outage

No one asked for this new app, but okay. But it would also be nice if Meta made sure Instagram works appropriately. On Sunday, the popular photo-sharing app turned TikTok clone was down “for a couple of hours,” according to The Verge.

Timelines did not refresh, and users were receiving error messages when refreshing them. If you hit Instagram via the website, it only loads a blank page.

“Earlier today, a technical issue caused some people to have trouble accessing Instagram. We resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone who was impacted, and we’re sorry for any disruption this has caused,” Meta spokesperson Dave Arnold told The Verge in an email following the service outage.

Like any time Instagram is down, social media (Twitter) has plenty of jokes because nothing is serious on that app.

You can see the jokes in the gallery below.

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Photo: SOPA Images / Getty

2. Howling

22 May 2023

Nick Cannon Jokes About Child Support With Bre Tiesi: ‘WE PAY LAMBO SUPPORT!!’

Nick Cannon took to social media over the weekend to poke fun at the headlines about his child support arrangement with Bre Tiesi.

“Nope! The Government don’t have to tell us to pay Child Support… WE PAY LAMBO SUPPORT !! My Money is Their Money! Just accept it, We different over here !! LOL,” the host of The Masked Singer wrote in a now-expired Instagram Story, reposting a photo of the black Lamborghini he gifted Tiesi for her 32nd birthday earlier this month.

For her part, the newest addition to Netflix’s Selling Sunset happily reposted Cannon’s Story, writing, “Tell ’em Daddy [tea emoji].. [heart emoji] you.” In addition to the tea and heart symbols, she also added a bunch of laughing and clapping emojis.

The father of twelve’s commentary comes on the heels of Tiesi speaking about their child support agreement on the newly released sixth season of Selling Sunset. After joining The Oppenheim Group as a real estate agent, the model — who gave birth to son Legendary Love Cannon last summer — was questioned by her new co-stars about Cannon’s support.

In episode seven of the Netflix hit, Tiesi erroneously stated that Cannon didn’t have to pay child support in the state of California for any kids after his tenth. The gaffe even prompted a public chiding from Tiesi’s lawyer, who gave a statement to Us Weekly. “Bre, you should know better!” she said before clarifying, “That is absolutely not true. There’s no cap on child support based on the number of children. So, to the extent that Nick Cannon can have babies, he owes child support for those babies under California law.”

22 May 2023

Eileen Mercolino Hired as Veeps First Chief Marketing Officer

Veeps, the Live Nation-owned streaming platform has named Eileen Mercolino as its first chief marketing officer. She joins Veeps most recently from SPIN where she served as CMO and has held a number of senior marketing and partnership roles at leading entertainment brands including The Walt Disney company, festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents, Hard Rock International, Gibson Brands and Vans Warped Tour.

Mercolino brings decades of expertise in entertainment and music marketing with leading brands like Bud Light, Pontiac, Old Spice, Ubisoft, Coca-Cola, Gillette, Monster Energy, Sony Electronics, Target, Toyota, and countless more. And through it all, she’s never forgotten the artist, managing relationships with leading artists like Slash, Tom Morello, Foo Fighters, Gary Clark Jr, Blink-182 and more.

In her role as CMO, Eileen will take over stewardship of the Veeps brand which, as the leader in its category, will continue championing concert streaming with artists, their fans, and the wider music and entertainment industry that serves them.

“We are living in a pivotal moment in the live music space, where enhanced streaming technology gives artists and performers the ability to reach new audiences beyond traditional concert goers,” Mercolino said. “Veeps is at the forefront of that movement, having methodically built the company and product offerings with a grassroots approach, harnessing the ability to produce new forms of immersive live performances with high production value and a seamless fan experience. I look forward to working with the Veeps team to introduce the brand to new audiences so everyone can experience live entertainment anywhere and at any time.”

22 May 2023

Lewis Capaldi Pokes Fun at Internet ‘Discourse’ Over Taylor Swift & Matty Healy Dating Rumors

Lewis Capaldi is giving his two cents on that whole Taylor Swift, Matty Healy thing. Amid swirling rumors that the “Anti-Hero” pop star is now dating the 1975 frontman following her breakup from Joe Alwyn, Capaldi is poking fun at fans who can’t seem to get enough of the gossip, speculation and brimming controversy surrounding the two stars’ love lives.

In a Monday (May 22) TikTok, dramatically-edited clips show the “Someone You Loved” singer shaking his head in faux concern and satirically gazing off into the distance in deep thought, all while Carl Orff’s famous “O Fortuna” symphony rages on in the background. “Random people on the internet preparing to give their thoughts on the ‘Taylor swift/Matty Healy discourse,’” Capaldi wrote in text layered over the video.

In his caption, the 26-year-old musician further parodied invested fans by writing, “the world must hear what i have to say.”

Suspicions that Swift and Healy were linked first sent the internet into a frenzy earlier this month, just weeks after news of the “Bejeweled” musician’s breakup from Alwyn went public. Per Capaldi’s point, the matter has pretty much been a trending topic on Twitter nonstop ever since, with many spectators commenting specifically on Healy’s past controversies (including his participation in a racist conversation mocking Ice Spice, as well as his admission that he watches pornography in which women of color are “brutalized”).

For instance, a large camp of Swifties drafted and mass-reposted an open letter calling for Swift to break up with Healy using the hashtag “#SpeakUpNow,” a play on Tay’s upcoming album Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). “[Healy] has been involved in acts and controversies that deeply trouble us,” the letter reads.

Other fans, however, have come to Healy’s defense by insisting his past comments were misunderstood, taken out of context, or said as satirical performance art. Meanwhile, more neutral Swifties have added to the debate by saying that Swift’s personal life shouldn’t be up for debate at all.

Capaldi, however, seems to think that it’s all a bit too much. And, when asked for his opinion in the comments, he simply replied: “I have none.”

See Capaldi’s TikTok below.