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19 Apr 2023

Drake’s ‘Search’ Finds No. 1 Spot on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart

Drake’s historic dominance on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart adds another chapter to the story this week as his latest song, “Search & Rescue,” extends his record for the most No. 1s in the chart’s history. The track opens atop the list dated April 22 and secures the superstar his unprecedented 27th champ.

The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart blends streaming, airplay and sales data to rank the 50 most popular R&B/hip-hop songs of the week in the U.S.

“Search & Rescue,” released April 7, storms in as the genre’s most-streamed song of the week, with 33.8 million official U.S. streams in the week ending April 13, according to Luminate. That translates into Drake’s record-extending 19th leader on the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart, which reaches its 10th anniversary this week. (He nearly bookends the first decade of the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart, having ranked at No. 2 with “Started from the Bottom” on the first published edition, dated April 20, 2013.)

The new track, likewise, is the genre’s top-selling tune for the week, with 4,000 downloads sold in the same period. As “Search & Rescue” begins atop the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart, Drake acquires a – yes, record-extending – 24th No. 1.

Drake teased “Search & Rescue” in the days before its release, with an audio snippet making the rounds on social media, while it was also previewed on Sirius XM Canada’s The Fry Yiy Show. The song drew most attention for including audio from an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians of Kim Kardashian discussing her reasons for divorcing Kanye “Ye” West. The song’s cover art, too, generated chatter for featuring a Kim lookalike.

In addition to its strong streaming and sales starts, “Search & Rescue” also finds some activity in the third metric – radio airplay – that factors into the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In the radio realm, the song registered 70,000 audience impressions across all formats. (All airplay, regardless of radio genre format, contributes to a song’s rank on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs). The rhythmic and R&B/hip-hop formats have adopted the new cut most readily: “Search & Rescue” enters at No. 31 on Rhythmic Airplay and at the anchor slot, No. 40, on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.

As Drake rewrites the leaderboard again, here’s an updated look at the artists with the most No. 1 hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart since it became an all-encompassing genre recap in October 1958:

27, Drake
20, Aretha Franklin
20, Stevie Wonder
17, James Brown
16, Janet Jackson
15, The Temptations
13, Marvin Gaye
13, Michael Jackson
13, Usher

Notably, “Search & Rescue” marks Drake’s ninth No. 1 without any unaccompanied acts, and his first in two years and one month, since “What’s Next” launched at the summit on the chart dated March 20, 2021. Additionally, the new No. 1 marks Drake’s 11th of his 27 chart-toppers to premiere directly in the top slot. It joins this crew of his other instant champs:

Song Title, Artist (if other than Drake), Date Debuted at No. 1
“Work,” Rihanna featuring Drake, Feb. 13, 2016
“Summer Sixteen,” Feb. 20, 2016
“God’s Plan,” Feb. 3, 2018
“Nice for What,” April 21, 2018
“Toosie Slide,” April 18, 2020
“What’s Next,” March 20, 2021
“Way 2 Sexy,” featuring Future & Young Thug, Sept. 18, 2021
“Wait for U,” Future featuring Drake & Tems, May 14, 2022
“Jimmy Cooks,” featuring 21 Savage, July 2, 2022
“Rich Flex,” with 21 Savage, Nov. 19, 2022
“Search & Rescue,” April 22, 2023

19 Apr 2023

Tyler Hubbard, Trisha Yearwood, CeCe Winans & More to Participate in Nashville Event to Support Teachers

Tyler Hubbard, Trisha Yearwood, Lauren Daigle and CeCe Winans will take part in an upcoming free event set for May 1 in Nashville, aimed at providing home and comfort to Nashville-area teachers and staffers in public and private K-12 schools, as well as universities.

“Hope and Healing for Heroes” will be hosted by the Onsite Foundation and will take place at Belmont University’s The Fisher Center. Tickets will be free and open to educators and staff across Metro Nashville public schools, private schools and universities on a first-come, first-serve basis.

In addition to the performers, the evening’s programming will also include a panel of experts and speakers who will discuss mental health and working through trauma, grief, and fear, in light of the recent school shooting at Nashville-area private school The Covenant School on March 27. Three children and three staffers were killed during the incident, as was the shooter.

Onsite chairman Miles Adcox will emcee the May 1 event, while teachers from the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school mass shooting in Parkland, Fla. will offer their stories and encouragement, as well as Brittney Thomas, a survivor of the 1997 Heath High School mass shooting in Paducah, Ky., and Crystal Woodman Miller, a survivor of the 1999 mass shooting in Columbine High School in Columbine, Colo.

“The dramatic increase in the number of school shootings–and now having one in our hometown—has taken its toll on each of us. As a father and mental health professional who has been part of initiatives directly supporting hundreds of mass shooting survivors around the country, now is the time to come together in support of our community as we start the healing process,” Adcox said via a statement. “We must acknowledge the unique stress and pressure our teachers and educators are carrying. We created this event in hopes of coming alongside them with support and resources while celebrating their vital role in leading the next generation.”   

Other guest speakers include:

  • Sissy Goff, M.Ed, LPC-MHSP, CCATP – Director of Child and Adolescent Counseling, author of twelve books including a book on anxiety, and co-host of the popular podcast “Raising Boys and Girls”
  • David Thomas, L.M.S.W. – Director of Family Counseling at Daystar, author of ten books including the best-selling Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys and Raising Emotionally Strong Boys: Tools Your Son can Build on for Life and co-host of the “Raising Boys & Girls” podcast 
  • Madison Lawn, MSCMHC, CET-II – Group leader at Onsite, crisis counselor with experience facilitating groups for grieving children and providing weekly therapy to students in a university counseling center  
  • Carlos Martinez, M.Div., MSMHC, LPC, ACS, CET-II – Lead Clinician at Onsite and Onsite Foundation’s Triumph Over Tragedy workshop, the nation’s first trauma-informed program for survivors of mass shootings 
  • Carlos Whittaker – Author, speaker, host of the Human Hope podcast as well as People’s Choice Award winner & social media storyteller

The event has been organized and produced by Nashville-area entertainment marketing agency FlyteVu, with a donation from Tyler and Hayley Hubbard.

“As someone who has lost a loved one due to trauma from a mass shooting, I know firsthand the long-lasting effects of these school tragedies,” said Laura Hutfless, CEO of FlyteVu and former Board President of The Onsite Foundation, via a statement. “As a new mom, I want to equip the teachers in our community who are leading our children through an unprecedented time with tools, hope, and confidence to step back into the classrooms and thrive.”

Nashville-area educators and staff members can claim a free general admission ticket beginning Friday, April 21 at 10 a.m. CT at hopeforheroes.com. Event doors will open at 5 p.m. CT on May 1, with programming beginning at 6 p.m. CT.

19 Apr 2023

Megan Thee Stallion Opens Up About Tory Lanez Shooting, Says “People Treated My Trauma As a Running Joke’

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Megan Thee Stallion Opens Up About Her Trauma

Source: Derek White / Getty / Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion talks about her traumatic experience one last time and has much to say.

In an Elle Magazine cover feature, Megan Thee Stallion told the iconic publication she didn’t think she would be the victim of harassment for simply telling the truth.

In her first interview since Tory Lanez was found guilty on all charges of shooting her in 2020, she told Elle, “It never crossed my mind that people wouldn’t believe me.”

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“Still, I knew the truth and the indisputable facts would prevail. I had worked way too hard to reach this point in my career to let taunts deter me. When the guilty verdict came on Dec. 23, 2022, it was more than just vindication for me. It was a victory for every woman who has ever been shamed, dismissed, and blamed for a violent crime committed against them,” she continued.

Megan Thee Stallion Had Time For Her Haters

Tina Snow also pointed out how her attacker and rumored boo at the time “laughed and joked about my trauma” and tried “to leverage social media to take away my power.”

The Traumazine crafter was not done. She also called out other Hip-Hop artists, talking heads, and social media for making fun of her situation. Looking at you, 50 Cent, DJ Akademiks, 21 Savage, and Drake.

“I could have let the adversity break me, but I persevered, even as people treated my trauma like a running joke,” she told Elle.

“First, there were conspiracy theories that I was never shot. Then came the false narratives that my former best friend shot me. Even some of my peers in the music industry piled on with memes, jokes, and sneak disses, and completely ignored the fact that I could have lost my life. Instead of condemning any form of violence against a woman, these individuals tried to justify my attacker’s actions,” the Houston rapper continued.

She Will No Longer Be Talking About The Incident After This Interview

Megan Thee Stallion has been front and present since her break from the world immediately following Lanez’s well-deserved guilty verdict. She notes that this interview with Elle will be her final time discussing the trial and the incident.

“I understand the public intrigue, but for the sake of my mental health, I don’t plan to keep reliving the most traumatic experience of my life over and over again. I’m choosing to change the narrative because I’m more than just my trauma.”

We understand.

While she is living her best life and looking good as hell doing so, Tory Lanez is struggling to get a second trial.

Welp.

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Photo: Derek White / Getty

19 Apr 2023

Fox News & Dominion Settle Major Defamation Suit Before Trial

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Dominion And Fox News Reach Settlement In Defamation Case

Fox News managed to avoid further embarrassment in a defamation trial by reaching a historic settlement with Dominion Voting Systems before it got underway.

The right-wing media network came to terms on a settlement with the company on Tuesday (April 18) after a reportedly racially diverse jury selection in the defamation trial held in Delaware related to false claims made about Dominion’s role in the 2020 presidential elections by former President Donald Trump was completed. Judge Eric M. Davis informed the court of the settlement, which was later revealed to be $787.5 million. Dominion was originally seeking $1.6 billion in damages.

“Money is accountability and we got that today from Fox,” said Dominion attorney Stephen Shackleford in a statement outside of Delaware Superior Court after the trial’s dismissal. “The truth matters. Lies have consequences,” said Justin Nelson, another attorney for the voting system manufacturer. Dominion Voting Systems also has pending lawsuits against Newsmax and OANN as well as Trump supporters Rudy Giuliani, Mike Lindell, and Sidney Powell.

Other details of the settlement weren’t disclosed, but the most striking element was that Fox News was not required to issue an apology on air. In its vague statement issued afterward, it conceded being found at fault: “We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards.” The settlement also means that Fox’s top personalities such as Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham and founder Rupert Murdoch would not have to take the stand and testify.

Judge Davis had previously ruled that Fox had aired false claims in 20 broadcasts on its network concerning Dominion’s role in the presidential election, with implicit “no contest” pleas for several pretrial findings in the case. Many observers noted that while Dominion had a high bar to prove defamation in the trial, the volumes of damning information it had from Fox News stars reluctant to amplify Trump’s false claims and being sanctioned for withholding evidence placed the network at a serious disadvantage.

The settlement doesn’t mean Fox News is safe. Another election tech company, Smartmatic, has a lawsuit against the network. In a statement to Semafor political reporter Ben Smith published on Twitter, their lawyer Erik Connolly stated: “Dominion’s litigation exposed some of the misconduct and damage caused by Fox’s disinformation campaign. Smartmatic will expose the rest.” The case is still in the discovery phase.

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Photo: Getty

19 Apr 2023

Jesy Nelson Slams Media Coverage of Little Mix Feud: ‘I Think It’s Disgusting’

Jesy Nelson took to social media on Tuesday (April 18) to vent about media speculation over her falling out with Little Mix.

“What’s really s–t about this f–king music industry is that when you’re going in to do an interview and you think you’re going to be talking about your music, and the video, and actually talking about something that’s really important to you, that went on in your life and has happened to women around you — domestic violence — which is what my music video was about,” she said through tears in an Instagram Story. “It’s really s–t to then, you know, obviously get asked a question about Little Mix. Which is inevitable, I was in Little Mix for 10 years.”

“So naturally, people are gonna be curious, like, are we still speaking?” she continued. “I said, ‘No, we haven’t spoke for two years but I honestly wish them all the best. We’re all on our solo journeys, it’s such an exciting time for us all right now.’ And yeah, honestly that was all I said.”

However, the former girl group member didn’t take kindly to the simple sound byte become the headline of virtually every story about the interview, rather than the focus being on her latest single “Bad Thing.”

“It’s just f–king bulls–t, ’cause I just feel like women just get pitted up against each other 24/ 7 in music,” Nelson added. “And I hate it, I think it’s disgusting, and it’s just really frustrating that when you’re actually going in there to talk about something that’s really close to my heart and means something to me, it’s then all taken out of context.”

Since departing from Little Mix in late 2020 shortly after the group released their sixth studio album Confetti, Nelson has launched a solo career laden with controversy — dropping her debut single “Boyz” in 2021 featuring Nicki Minaj and facing a barrage of accusations of “Blackfishing” in the song’s accompanying music video.

Watch Nelson’s tearful thoughts on Little Mix and her new music below.

19 Apr 2023

Travis Barker Wishes ‘Soulmate’ Kourtney Kardashian Happy Birthday: ‘You Deserve Everything’

Love is in the air once again for Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian — this time, Barker dialed up the affection via Instagram on Tuesday (April 18) for The Kardashian star’s 44th birthday, and wrote a touching tribute message to his wife in honor of her special day.

“My soulmate. I’m so grateful that today you were born. You deserve everything your heart desires,” the Blink-182 drummer captioned a carousel post that featured several stripped back and candid moments of him and the Poosh founder. “Nothing makes me happier than seeing you smile. You stole my heart the moment we met. Happy birthday to the most beautiful amazing woman to walk the face of the earth. I love you my wife.”

Kourtney, naturally, took to the comments section of her husband’s post to express her gratitude at his kind words. “I’m crying because you make me so happy. I love you my husband,” she wrote, adding a teary-eyed face and red heart emoji.

Barker’s birthday post to Kardashian comes amid the couple celebrating their first marriage anniversary earlier this month. To make the momentous occasion, Kardashian took to Instagram to reminisce and share the spontaneous photos they took during their Vegas wedding.

“One year ago today, an Elvis impersonator married me and @travisbarker after the Grammys and way too much tequila in a chapel in Las Vegas!” the 44-year-old star captioned a series of photos from before, during and after their nuptials. “It was one of the best nights of our lives, dreaming of a lifetime filled with fun adventures together. And yes, that’s me about to throw up on the floor in the car. Thankful to @clemente_310 @kevinhwolff for all the iPhone footage so that I could remember the night.”

See Barker’s sweet birthday post for his wife below:

19 Apr 2023

Rancid Roar Back With ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’ Single From First Album in Six Years

Rancid slammed back to life on Tuesday (April 18) with the galloping title track from their upcoming 10th studio album, Tomorrow Never Comes. “No judge, no jury, no civil rights/ Show up on the line, get ready to fight/ Run the streets and seize the night/ Mow ’em f–king down/ Everyone know it’s all about hate/ Take control, go eliminate,” singer Tim Armstrong bellows on the song over the veteran California punk quartet’s signature galloping drums, shouted gang backing vocals and slashy guitars.

Produced by Bad Religion guitarist, Epitaph Records founder and longtime collaborator Brett Gurewitz, the song is the first taste of the 16-track album due out on June 2nd on Epitaph as the follow-up to 2017’s Trouble Maker. The bull-rushing tune was accompanied by a frenetic black and white performance video co-directed by Armstrong and music video legend Kevin Kerslake (Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers) in which co-vocalist/guitarist Lars Frederkisen bellows the chorus, “Don’t you tell me about tomorrow/ Cause tomorrow will never come/ Gonna cheat, steal, and borrow/ Cause tomorrow never comes/ Tomorrow tomorrow (Tomorrow never comes)/ Tomorrow tomorrow (Tomorrow never comes).”

Other songs on the album include “Mud, Blood & Gold,” “New American,” “Drop Dead Inn,” “Magnificent Rogue,” “Hellbound Train” and “When the Smoke Clears.” Rancid will kick off a European tour on June 2 at the Slam Dunk in Rimini, Italy that will keep them on the road through a June 25 show in the Czech Republic before hopping back to the U.S. for a Sept. 9 show at the Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, KY and a gig at the Aftershock club in Sacramento, CA on Oct. 8; click here to see the list of tour dates.

Watch the”Tomorrow Never Comes” video and see the full track listing below.

Tomorrow Never Comes tracklist:

1. “Tomorrow Never Comes”
2. “Mud, Blood, & Gold” 
3. “Devil In Disguise” 
4. “New American” 
5. “The Bloody & Violent History” 
6. “Don’t Make Me Do It” 
7. “It’s a Road to Righteousness”
8. “Live Forever” 
9. “Drop Dead Inn” 
10. “Prisoners Song” 
11. “Magnificent Rogue” 
12. “One Way Ticket” 
13. “Hellbound Train” 
14. “Eddie the Butcher” 
15. “Hear Us Out” 
16. “When The Smoke Clears” 

19 Apr 2023

Yung Miami Confirms Breakup, Addresses ‘Pee Diddy’ Controversy: ‘That’s Not My Man’

Thought you’d never have to re-read the phrase “Pee Diddy?” Think again. Yung Miami just confirmed that she and Diddy are no longer an item, but not without touching on her viral January confession that she enjoys “golden showers” in the bedroom.

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When asked in a Wednesday (April 19) interview with The Cut about her relationship status with the “I’ll Be Missing You” rapper, the City Girls star revealed: “We’re still friends! We’re still good friends! But we’re single”

“That’s not my man,” Miami continued. “We had our own situation, I’m not gonna put a title on it. We were f–king with each other hard. We were together every day at one point. He supported me, I supported him. I’ll let the internet call it whatever they want to call it.”

But where the “Act Up” rapper’s romance with P. Diddy is concerned, so is — ahem — Pee Diddy. The unflattering nickname was assigned to Mr. Sean Combs a few months ago thanks to Miami’s revelation on her Caresha Please talk show that she likes for her partners to “pee on me in the shower.” Fans naturally assumed that her then-boyfriend was obliging her in that department, and memes and tweets about the situation resulted in the words “Pee Diddy” trending on Twitter.

“I never said he was the one I did that with,” Miami said in her latest interview. “Sex is a part of life. I’m grown, and maybe I talk about it too much, but everybody’s got their personal experiences. Some people get sh–ted on. Some people live life on the edge, some people boring as f–k. I watch a lot of porn, b-tches get peed on.”

“If we grown and we in the house just chilling and want to talk about sex, what’s wrong with that?” she added.

Miami didn’t just talk about pants-down activities in the interview, though. She also teased that her next album is coming “sometime this summer,” adding that “when you doing a project, it takes time. We’re trying to sit through it and make sure that that’s what we want to put out. It’s gonna hit different.”

19 Apr 2023

Cody Johnson Says Another Double Album is Coming Soon: ‘It All Has To Be Fun’

Cody Johnson‘s previous project, the 18-song Human: The Double Album, became one of the biggest successes of the Texas native’s career, spearheaded by the CMA-winning, two-week No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hit, “‘Til You Can’t.”

But Johnson says he’s got an even more ambitious project up his sleeve. Speaking with Audacy’s Gunner and Cheyenne during the Country Thunder music festival, the singer revealed more details another upcoming double album, which Johnson says will be a 24-track project titled Cody Johnson: Leather.

“This round of 24 songs, I have to say, is the best round of songs I have ever recorded and I feel like that’s the way it should be,” Johnson said. “Each album should outdo the last one.”

The “Me and My Kind” singer continued, saying that the forthcoming album’s theme was “fun” in all of its forms. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s a ballad or whether it’s tongue-in-cheek kinda fun. It all has to be fun, it all has to make you kind of want to move around and bob your head a little bit.”

Johnson didn’t offer concrete details regarding when the album might release, saying only that it could release later this year or in 2024.

Backstage at the CMT Music Awards on April 2, Johnson also hinted at a few more album details to Billboard. “We’ve got some duets and some collaborations set for this next album,” Johnson said, adding that one of the artists contending to be on the project is none other than Jelly Roll, who was the evening’s biggest winner at the CMT Music Awards.

“Jelly Roll is definitely sending flowers, trying to get a spot on the project. Not guaranteed, we’ll see how it goes,” Johnson said.

As he continues work on the album, Johnson is on the road, with upcoming shows set for Stockton, California (April 21), Fresno, California(April 22), and Alpharetta, Georgia (April 28).

Check out Johnson’s full conversation at Country Thunder below:

19 Apr 2023

Not ‘Impossible’: Pastor Mike Jr. Makes History Atop Gospel Airplay Chart

With his fourth straight career-opening No. 1 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart, Pastor Mike Jr. achieves a first. As “Impossible” ascends to the summit of the April 22-dated list, he links the longest career-opening No. 1 streak in the history of the survey, which began in March 2005.

Pastor Mike Jr. (actual name: Mike McClure Jr.) previously ruled Gospel Airplay with “Amazing,” for two frames last May; “I Got It,” for four weeks beginning in March 2021; and his first entry, “Big Rock City,” for 10 weeks beginning in February 2020.

DOE is right behind Pastor Mike Jr., and could still match his career-launching run. The singer has banked three consecutive career-opening Gospel Airplay chart-toppers; her most recent, “When I Pray,” reigned for two weeks last September and October.

Jonathan McReynolds and Todd Dulaney share the record for the most consecutive Gospel Airplay No. 1s overall with five each.

Pastor Mike Jr. has an additional song on Gospel Airplay, as featured on Kierra Sheard’s “Miracles.” The track ranks at No. 14 after reaching No. 11 a week earlier.

Pastor Mike Jr.’s unprecedented chart start follows his haul at the 2022 Stellar Gospel Music Awards, where he was the top winner. At the event, held last July 16 at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, he claimed six awards, including artist of the year and album of the year, the latter for I Got It: Single’s Ministry Vol. 1. As he also captured artist of the year in 2021, he’s the first act to win in that top category for two years running since Donald Lawrence in 2006-07.