News

29 Mar 2023

A 7-Year-Old Taylor Swift Fan Wrote a Letter to Her Idol & Here’s What She Got Back

Taylor Swift made a young Swiftie’s dream come true during The Eras tour stop in Las Vegas, when a seven-year-old named Bella set out on a mission to send her favorite singer a letter.

Bella’s mother, Gina Lanzino, shared the details regarding the letter on TikTok, stating that the child wrote the special note right before the show. According to Lanzino, the letter read, “‘Dear Taylor, I’m your biggest fan. My favorite color is… what’s yours?’ She drew a little picture and she says, ‘I’m gonna bring this to the show and make sure Taylor gets this letter. I was kinda like, ‘I don’t really think that’s going to happen, but let’s try.’”

Upon arriving to the venue, Lanzino explained that Bella got an opening to have her letter delivered to Swift when she approached an usher, who agreed to try his best and deliver the note. Then, during the show, Bella and her mother receive a major update.

“We were about halfway through the show when some people came to our box and they were asking for Bella. I had actually forgot about the letter by that time, and I said, ‘That’s my daughter, what’s going on?’ And they say, ‘We wanted to give this to you,’ and it was the letter Bella gave to Taylor and she [Taylor] signed it. She [Bella] did write her section number on the back, but I really didn’t ever in a million years think that this was going to get returned to her. They filmed my daughter getting the letter back because they wanted to pass it back to Taylor.”

The sweet gesture is just one of many Swift has made in the past. Earlier in the Eras tour trek, the pop star made good on a promise to a 13-year-old who had tickets to see her live in 2018, but suffered an accident that results in burns covering 65% of her body. Swift invited her as a special guest during the opening dates in Glendale, Ariz.

See Bella’s mother detail how Swift received her daughter’s letter in the TikTok below.

29 Mar 2023

Niall Horan Calls Fellow ‘The Voice’ Coach Chance The Rapper a ‘Musical Genius’

Niall Horan stopped by The Spout Podcast on Wednesday (March 29) to talk about his experience on The Voice and praise fellow new coach Chance The Rapper.

“You get a lot of serious-level singers on the show and it’s about making them realize that they’re on a TV show and you should, like, enjoy it for what it is,” the One Direction alum said of his freshman go-round mentoring contestants on the NBC singing competition. “Because I think that was what I took away from when I was on The X Factor. Like, you know, I’m getting to do something that not many people get to do. I still try and carry that now.”

More than a decade after he became part of One Direction on the British reality series, Horan is on the verge of releasing his third solo album The Show, but admitted in the interview that he’s hesitant to get feedback on it from his fellow coaches on The Voice, which also include Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton.

“I should play them the record,” he said. “I mean, I don’t know if they’d like it or whatever, but I always get scared with Chance because he’s such a musical genius. Like, I listen to his stuff and I’m blown away, you know? His stuff is so cool to me.”

Though Chance hasn’t released a full-length since his 2019 debut The Big Day, he dropped a string of singles throughout 2022, including “Child of God,” “Wraith” featuring Vic Mensa and Smoko Ono, “A Bar About a Bar,” and “The Highs & the Lows” featuring Joey Badass.

Meanwhile, Horan — who recently visited the White House for St. Patrick’s Day — will drop The Show on June 9 via Capitol Records. Listen to his full interview on The Spout Podcast below.

29 Mar 2023

5 Things to Know About Evan Winiker, Lana Del Rey’s Artist-Manager Fiance

Lana Del Rey found that heaven is a place on earth, as Billboard learned that she’s engaged to Evan Winiker of Range Media Partners.

It’s unclear how long the couple has been together, but over the past six months, they’ve been spotted hanging out in public together a few times. Back in September, they attended the Malibu Chili Cook-Off festival with a group of friends, and earlier this month, they enjoyed dinner and drinks at Pappy and Harriet’s restaurant in Pioneertown, Calif., where they were approached by fans for pictures.

It’s been an exciting year for Del Rey, whose just-released ninth studio album, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, leads the midweek U.K. chart. If it keeps its position at the summit, Ocean Blvd would mark the singer’s sixth U.K. chart crown in just over a decade, following Born to Die (2012), Ultraviolence (2014), Lust for Life (2017), Norman F*cking Rockwell! (2019) and Chemtrails Over the Country Club (2021).

She was also honored with the Visionary Award at Billboard‘s 2023 Women in Music ceremony earlier this month. “I feel like being happy is the ultimate goal. So I did it,” Del Rey said during her moving acceptance speech.

In celebration of the good news, we’ve compiled five things you need to know about Del Rey’s fiancé. See below.

29 Mar 2023

Rauw Alejandro & Rosalia Say It Was ‘Love at First Sight’ When They Met

Two years ago, on her 28th birthday (Sept. 25), Rosalía announced to the world she was dating Rauw Alejandro. 

“BlisssssSSSS, Libra, and blessed,” the Spanish singer-songwriter wrote alongside never-before-seen photos in the arms of her boyfriend Rauw as he plays video games. Likewise, on his Instagram, the “Todo de Ti” singer shared pics with his girl out in the ocean. “Even if the sun leaves, the day never ends with you. Happy birthday, bebe,” he captioned the post, referencing the heartfelt lyrics of his track “Aquel Nap ZzZz.” The day prior, they posted their first TikTok together on Rosalía’s account—a video where they are seen making a heart gesture with their arms to a catchy sound on the app. 

Now, in Billboard’s Touring Issue, where the two grace their first-ever joint cover, we learn about the first time they met and that they’ve actually been dating for almost four years.  

“We met on social media, long-distance, obviously,” the Puerto Rican star tells Billboard. “In Las Vegas in person,” the Spanish star adds. 

After months of Instagram DMs, the pair finally met at a Vegas hotel lounge during the 2019 Latin Grammys. “I was nervous, I’m not going to lie,” Rauw continues. “Rosi came down and I saw her. I got even more nervous.” 

The “Despechá” singer gushes after Rauw admits it was “100 percent, without a doubt, love at first sight.” “Not at first sight, [but] from the photo I was already in love with you,” he admits. 

“Me too, since I heard your name,” a blushing Rosalía replies. 

The power couple recently dropped a three-track joint EP called RR that not only marks their first collaborative effort but where, in the official music video to the set’s “Beso,” they made their engagement announcement.

Watch Rauw and Rosa explain how they met below:

29 Mar 2023

Ariana Grande & Frankie Are the Perfect Sister-Brother Duo in Sweet Selfies

Ariana Grande and her brother Frankie had a sibling reunion, and some fun selfies were involved. Frankie posted a series of images from his and husband Hale Leon’s trip to England on Wednesday (March 29), in which the “Positions” singer makes a cameo.

Grande shows up in two of the photos in her brother’s carousel — the first one, with her and Frankie peering down into a phone’s front-facing camera, and a second of the brother and sister duo smiling for the camera wearing black ensembles.

While Frankie decided to go the text-less route for his caption — he put the U.K. flag, double heart and bubble emojis to speak for the post — the pop star chimed in with some sweet words and a few emojis of her own. “Miss you already,” she told Frankie in the comments section of the post, adding bubbles, as well as two sad-face emojis.

Ariana’s time with her brother serves as a nice break from work. Grande is currently filming the John M. Chu movie musical adaptation of Wicked and found time in between working on set to record her verse on The Weeknd’s “Die for You” remix, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this month. Because fans were inquiring about the star’s lack of music lately, Chu took to his Instagram Stories on Feb. 23 and wrote that the “Die for You” remix was “Proof that I am not holding @arianagrande hostage!!”

See Frankie’s pics with Ariana below:

29 Mar 2023

Lil Baby’s ‘Low Down’ Is a March Madness Winner on TikTok and Streaming

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: A college team’s locker room pre-game ritual helps Lil Baby score a breakout hit from two solo albums ago, the new John Wick blockbuster gives boosts to its soundtrack cuts, Sexyy Red enjoys an X-rated breakout hit and much more.

Lil Baby’s ‘Low Down’ Soars High Thanks to March Madness

Although the Kansas State men’s basketball team may have had their hopes for a national championship dashed last weekend when they lost a heartbreaker to the upstart Florida Atlantic University team to miss out on the Final Four, hopefully the Wildcats can take solace in the fact that they’ve actively helped Lil Baby score an out-of-nowhere viral hit.

During their run to the Elite 8, the Kansas State squad used “Low Down,” a deep cut from the deluxe edition of Baby’s 2020 chart-topper My Turn (via Capitol/Motown/Wolfpack/Quality Control) as their pump-up anthem, sharing videos of team meetings in which the whole team is clapping along to the song’s beat (with the coaching staff sometimes doing a little more dancing than clapping!). TikTok users ran with the association between the team and the song, and during the week-and-a-half in which Kansas State competed in March Madness, dozens of clap-along clips were posted — and “Low Down” started rising on streaming charts.

During the week ending Mar. 16, “Low Down” earned a total of 2.44 million U.S. on-demand streams, according to Luminate. Then, when March Madness officially kicked off on Mar. 16, weekly streams for “Low Down” dramatically rose 84%, up to 4.44 million during the week ending Mar. 23. While Kansas State’s run may have ended, “Low Down” is still holding strong in the top 10 of Apple Music’s Top 100 chart, and will still be racking up streams by the time a new NCAA champion is crowned early next week. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

John Wick Songs Light Up on Search and Streaming

To the delight of action film fans and dog lovers everywhere, the fourth chapter in the John Wick franchise was released last Friday (March 24) to rave reviews and excellent box office returns. Though the series has never really produced a breakout sync, interest in the dark-hued dance music used in the films remains high: Chapter Four has dominated the TuneFind Trending Music page (which indexes music and songs appearing in popular TV shows, movies and video games), occupying at least three of the top five spots in the days following its release.

That newly piqued interest has resulted in modest streaming bumps for some of the songs involved, as well. Gesaffelstein’s “Hate or Glory” has steadily risen from just over 1,000 daily on-demand official U.S. streams on March 23 (before the movie’s release) to over 7,000 on March 27 – a 417% gain, according to Luminate – while Le Castle Vania’s “LED Spirals” is up from under 10,000 to over 20,000 (a 107% gain) and Justice’s “Genesis” is up from under 9,000 to nearly 12,000 (a 38% gain). And the songs are still climbing, as more fans see the movie and are inspired to soundtrack their own imaginary assassin battle scenes. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Sexyy Red Scores an Explicit Hit

St. Louis rapper Sexyy Red has been delivering raunchy singles over the past three years, turning herself into a quotable local star with songs like “Throw That Mf” and “Hood Bitch.” Yet the MC is primed to break out of the midwest thanks to the X-rated anthem “Pound Town,” with weekly streams for the track starting to soar in recent weeks following the single’s late January release.

With an eerie piano line courtesy of all-star producer Tay Keith (Drake, Travis Scott), “Pound Town” (released independently via Open Shift Distribution) has expanded its audience thanks in part to a sex-positive, ladies-first TikTok challenge. Meanwhile, multiple versions of the song — some with Sexyy Red solo, others with Tay Keith listed as a guest artist — have popped up on streaming platforms, and both a dating-show-spoofing official video and “spring break edition” of the song are listed on YouTube. 

Regardless of how it’s being consumed, “Pound Town” looks like a breakthrough: after earning 121,000 U.S. on-demand streams during the week ending Feb. 23, according to Luminate, the single was up to 1.16 million streams for the week ending Mar. 23. Sexyy Red has yet to score a Billboard Hot 100 hit, but if that growth continues, that’s a challenge she’ll have completed soon enough. – JL

The “Poetic Rizz” of French ‘60s Soundtrack Composers

The phrase “rizz” may sound either eye-rollingly done-to-death or totally unfamiliar to you depending on your age and/or degree of onlineness, but it’s helped a theme song from a 1960s French drama become an unlikely viral sensation in recent weeks. The theme is from 1968 drama La Leçon Particulière (The Private Lesson), and it’s a rousing orchestral instrumental composed by Oscar winner Francis Lai. 

The song found unexpected new life on TikTok thanks to its frequent accompaniment of videos demonstrating “poetic rizz” – or basically, users trying to show off their game at being seductively romantic in a particularly lyrical manner. (Often sarcastically.) In any event, the song’s sweeping melodrama has made the jump to streaming – the clip has exploded from around 31,000 on-demand official U.S. streams for the tracking week ending to over 496,000 four weeks later, a 1,500% hike, according to Luminate. Now, just wait till Gen Z discovers Love Story. – AU

Q&A: Priyanka Khimani, founder of Khimani & Associates, on What’s Trending Up in Her World

As one of India’s most prominent entertainment lawyers, what issues has your firm focused on most recently?

With the increasing presence of global digital streaming and social media services in India, coupled with growing consumption of Indian-language music across territories, we have had to extensively focus on navigating the music rights licensing landscape.

India often becomes a challenging territory, for three reasons:- (i) the various complexities around publishing rights; (ii) the tumultuous relationship between record labels (who double up as publishers) and authors (who, for the most part, do not control any copyright, but are entitled to receive their share of royalties); and (iii) the lack of uniformity in the relationship between major labels and the primary Indian PROs. Generally educating songwriters and artists on the relevance of publishing, its long-term value proposition and why holding on to it is essential to their future, has been another focus area.

Sync music licenses and music clearance generally have also seen a sharp increase in India, with the continued intersection of film and TV with music. Sync licensing has breathed new life into the non-film and independent music sector, giving artists greater control over when, and how, their music is placed or used.

What’s the biggest change that needs to take place within India’s music industry deals?

In so far as digital licensing deals are concerned, there needs to be a clear path towards licensing on all sides of music copyright, especially on the music publishing front. Rights ownership and administration is so uniquely structured in India that licensees often find themselves caught between conflicting interests of record labels (doubling as publishers), authors and the Indian PROs. There’s a pressing need for increased efficiency, better licensing models and structures, as well as clarity on which stakeholder collects what and through which route. This will lead to increased revenue generation, and generally boost confidence in India as an important emerging market.

When it comes to artist/songwriter deals in India, there needs to be a more equitable approach to ownership of publishing rights, as opposed to the traditional buy-out model. Thankfully, there’s been a gradual shift in the recent past as talk and awareness around publishing generally has become more informed and collaborative.

What’s the most common misconception about the Indian music industry?

There are two, actually. First, that the Indian film and music industry is only “Bollywood.” This is obviously untrue – not only are there multiple big film, TV and music industries in India covering different regions and languages, but, more importantly, music is no longer necessarily tied to film & TV. There’s a thriving, stand-alone, non-film, independent music sector which is taking root in India, as well as with the South-Asian diaspora across the world. In fact, most of the current artists that are on top of the India charts are all largely independent and didn’t come out of “Bollywood” or any other Indian film industry. Quite to the contrary, the film and TV industry has been leaning in to the non-film and independent music artists/labels and increasingly licensing or adapting or eventually even buying out their music for on-screen projects.

The other misconception is that we are not a touring market for international artists or festivals. Perhaps the reason for this is the misguided perception that we don’t consume Anglo-American/non-Indian music. I believe this is untrue. There might be other on-ground challenges from the lens of production, infrastructure, and even price points for ticket sales. The rupee value against the dollar doesn’t help either. However, if one is able to take these factors into consideration and tailor the offering to a local audience, organizers may be surprised to discover how much of a demand the market holds.

Fill in the blank: artists attempting to break through on a global stage need to pay closer attention to _______.

Getting their house in order – every artist needs to be equipped with the right team. An agent, manager, attorney, business manager – all have a separate and distinct role to play, and yet must work closely and in sync with each other, because everyone’s playing on the same team. Eliminating a needless string of middlemen, investing in and surrounding yourself with professionals who understand the business, is the key to long-term sustainability of your music and entrepreneurial career. – JL

Season’s Gainings: Future’s Perennial “March Madness”

You’d have to ask the man born Nayvadius Wilburn about how his bracket is doing this upset-heavy NCAA season, but whenever the calendar turns to its third month, you can bet that Future is winning in at least one respect. His 56 Nights fan favorite (and one of Billboard’s Songs That Defined the 2010s) “March Madness” is guaranteed to tick up this time of year – and so far it has, growing from 2.3 weekly million on-demand official U.S. streams for the week ending Feb. 23 to 2.7 million a month later, a gain of 18% – a number that could climb even higher with the Final Four matchups on the docket for this weekend. In any event, it’s already well ahead of “One Shining Moment.” – AU

29 Mar 2023

How ‘Spinning Gold’ Brought the Improbable Story of Neil Bogart’s Casablanca Records to the Big Screen

Spinning Gold, which opens theatrically Friday (March 31), weaves the fantastical tale of Neil Bogart, the freewheeling, charismatic entrepreneur who brought ’70s records from KISS, Donna Summer, Gladys Knight, the Isley Brothers, the Village People and Parliament to the world, through Buddah and then Casablanca Records.

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Though he ultimately created one of the most successful independent labels ever, Casablanca’s future seemed perilous at every turn — as Bogart borrowed money from mobsters to keep the wins coming, became a drug and gambling addict and basically made one bad business decision after another. But his reliable musical instincts in spotting talent and persistence led to a glorious run of hits before he sold the label to Polygram in 1980.  

The movie’s story is told by Bogart, who died in 1982 at age 39, and is played here by Tony-nominated actor Jeremy Jordan, as he looks back on his professional and personal life with the losses as highlighted as the wins as he seemingly rises from the ashes again and again.

Written and directed by Bogart’s oldest son, Timothy Scott Bogart, Spinning Gold has been a two-decades labor of love with many fits and starts, but now that it is here, Timothy Bogart hopes it gives fans of the music a chance to get to know the person behind the hits.   

“I’ve always believed that my father has been lost to music history. When we think of the greatest showmen, we think of Jimmy Iovine, Clive Davis – but my dad was absolutely as significant and transformative,” Timothy Scott Bogart says. “To finally get the film to be seen — for me, as a storyteller who has fought so hard for so long — is remarkably rewarding.”

Bogart’s younger son, Grammy-winning songwriter Evan Bogart, scored the film, wrote two original songs and produced the soundtrack, which comes out digitally on Atlantic Records on Friday. It includes the versions of the hit songs in the film as recorded by the contemporary artists playing the now legends, including Wiz Khalifa (George Clinton), Ledisi (Gladys Knight), Tayla Parx (Donna Summer), Pink Sweat$ (Bill Withers) and Jason DeRulo (Ron Isley).

“We made the creative choice from day one to not use the original masters that everyone has been listening to already for the past 40+ years,” Evan Bogart says. “Tim wanted people to see these iconic artists through the same eyes that my dad did — the moment he heard them for the first time, the moments he recorded them, the moments they played live, the moments they were discovered — so it was important that we captured them in an entirely new light. To do so, we set out to find the artists from today that we felt embodied the spirit of those classic artists. It didn’t matter to us if they sounded or looked like them, it was more about who was going to bring the passion and talent and put their own spin on these legendary songs. I think we really nailed that.”

Timothy Scott Bogart, who also serves as one of the film’s producers, declines to state the budget they had at their disposal — but it “was far less than anyone should have ever attempted to make this film under,” he says. “Creativity comes from adversity and this film, I hope, is a loving example of that.”

Following its theatrical run, Spinning Gold will be released digitally through Universal and then head to a streaming outlet. In an interview edited for length and clarity, Timothy Bogart looks back on his father’s legacy and the process of bringing Gold to the big screen.  

This has been such a beautiful labor of love for you. What did you learn about your dad that you didn’t know going into the movie? 

How scared he was, and how close he was to cataclysmic disaster at every turn. Kids only know who their parents became — we don’t ever get to know who they were at the start, when they were first starting out on their own dreams. For me, out of necessity, I found myself doing a forensic investigation into both who he was at the start  and the honest vulnerability he hid from almost everyone. I always knew he was a dreamer and always understood he had extraordinary perseverance — but the intensity of those dreams and the near-Herculean commitment to that perseverance in the face of a million obstacles and a chorus of “no’s,” that was a revelation to me. 

The movie shows your dad’s heart and his talent for discovering great music — but also shows his darker side with drugs, gambling and shady business dealings. How painful was it to show your dad, warts and all? 

It really wasn’t painful at all, and I mean that. To me, those flaws that defined him did, in fact, define him. Yes, they were messy and challenging — but they really did make him who he was. If my father was not addicted to gambling, there’s no way he would have ever taken the risks he did and achieved the heights he reached. His addictive behavior drove him in every way. 

Many of your dad’s business practices wouldn’t be tolerated today, but do you feel like the record business has also lost a sense of fun because so much of it is so corporate now? 

I absolutely believe the fun has been lost in the face of corporations over independence. But what’s worse is that I believe the love for music and the genuine connection to the artists has been lost along the way, as well … I think that’s why we’re seeing such a resurgence of independent artists working to pave their own paths today. 

How much did accuracy matter to you in the film? 

Accuracy was incredibly important to me. Not just because I believe it should be for any story about our collective history, but because I believe that in this case, the truth was so much more interesting than anything I could ever make up! I interviewed everyone. Over and over again. George Clinton happens to have an encyclopedic memory! Donna, before her death, was incredibly giving with her time and her honesty of what she felt had not ever been told. And Gene [Simmons] and Paul [Stanley] even worked with our design teams to approach the make-up and the costumes and the instruments the way they wanted me to.

Interestingly, there’s been some online comments about their make-up — but the make-up in 1974 was not the make-up it would ultimately become … Every choice was made with the intention of getting the spirit and essence of every single thing right. 

The movie has gone through so many iterations. At one point Justin Timberlake was slated to play your father, before Jeremy Jordan was cast. What happened there? 

I really loved working with Justin. He’s such a professional and has a fantastic story sense. Ultimately, the struggle between his music life and his acting life was just too hard to balance. Every time we’d get close to moving forward – a new album or tour would understandably take over. And while I waited through a few of them, it made sense, in the end, for me to move on. 

Spinning Gold

Courtesy of Spinning Gold

You have experience working in film and TV, but what was the biggest challenge for this film since you were producer, director and writer? 

The biggest challenge was to just keep believing in the value of my dad’s story and the ability for me to tell it. Every time we’d get close – some financier or studio who had been over the moon to get involved suddenly seemed to have a revelation that this wasn’t a biopic of Donna or Kiss or Parliament – that it was about a guy named Neil Bogart who nobody knew. They, like history, seemed to have a hard time embracing the significance of who he was and what he gave to us all. Refusing to give up – in the light of constant, near insurmountable odds. My dad certainly faced the same headwinds and his lesson to me was that the word “no” only applied if you let it. 

Your dad died when you were 12. What is your favorite musical memory of him? 

My mom had started me on violin lessons, probably as a way to annoy my dad. I arrived from the airport to the Casablanca offices and my dad saw the violin and made a call. About 15 minutes later, Gene Simmons walked into the office, took the violin and shattered it. [He] then handed me a bronze-top, 1978 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe and a Pig Nose Amp and declared: “You’re gonna play rock n’ roll, kid.” 

Interview footage of your dad plays over the final credits. Did you think about making a documentary instead? 

We’ve always thought this film was just part of how we hoped to share his legacy. And, in fact, we’ve been actively shooting a documentary about him for the past few years, under award-winning director Mark Brian Smith. 

There is the moment at the end of the film where your dad’s character says, “I bet not any of you know my name. That’s OK. I made you dance.” How do you hope this film rectifies that?

I was just out in Manhattan yesterday and happened into a store – and started nodding to some music when I suddenly realized, it was “Funkytown,” a Casablanca hit [for Lipps, Inc. in 1980]. I smiled, and started walking further through the store — when suddenly, the next song came on, and it was [Donna Summer’s 1979 hit] “Bad Girls!” And just as I stopped shaking my head in amusement, the next song came on and it was [Gladys Knight & The Pips’ 1973 hit] “Midnight Train to Georgia!”

Fifty years later, and there’s three songs in a row that never [would have happened] without him. I don’t think he’s gotten the credit he deserves for making that happen — and if this film can help people remember who he was and what he accomplished even a little bit, well, that’s a hell of a gift any son can give their parent. 

29 Mar 2023

Swarm Brutally Examines The Deeper & Darker Side Of Obsession

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Swarm screen shots

Swarm, the new Amazon Prime series from Janine Nabers and Donald Glover, inspired a flurry of conversations around so-called “stan culture,” parasocial relationships, and the obsessive nature of some music fans. While the series doesn’t necessarily hide from running parallel to the fandom that surrounds a certain Houston, Texas superstar, the program actually serves as an examination of the deeper and often dark side of obsession.

With the promise that this piece will remain spoiler-free as possible, Swarm, which stars the excellent Dominique Fishback in the role of Andrea “Dre” Greene, is at times a very uncomfortable watch.

The opening episode, “Stung,” was directed by Glover and written by Nabers and the director. There exists heavy-handed “wink wink nudge nudge” references to Beyoncé and the BeyHive, but it becomes more about the singular mission of Dre to get next to the show’s fictional pop star, Ni’Jah, a powerhouse artist and performer who commands the so-called “Swarm” — a collection of fans who will ride on anyone who dares the critique their fave.

Naturally, the satirical sendup of fandoms seen within the series mirrors much of what plays out on social media with mega-popular stars. Names on social media that reference the stars the users revere, devoted fans draped in merchandise from the artist, and an abject willingness to defend the honor of the celebrities by verbally attacking critics with ferocity. As most are discovering, Dre handles the enemies of Ni’Jah with murderous intent which highlights the show’s brutal horror elements.

Since the show’s March 17 air date, much has been made of Glover’s intentions with the program including some believing Swarm is a subtle, if unfounded, continuation of his hatred for Black women. Yes, Glover did express some interesting thoughts about what he expected of Fishback in the role of Dre in a Vulture feature story with Fishback, which asked her to channel an animalistic quality. But does that mean he harbors hatred for Black women? It isn’t for us to say.

Other observers noted that Glover seemingly depicted Black women in a bad light or lacking complexity in the hit series Atlanta, and then there is the fact that Glover isn’t married to a Black woman. This isn’t meant to be a defense against the claims of hate but certainly detracts from the fact Glover largely got out of the way after the first episode and let his team handle the rest.

The decision by some to criticize and center Glover instead of Nabers, a talented playwright, and producer in her own right, steals some of the thunder away from the writing room, Fishback, and the dozens of actors and crew members who worked on the show. That same light is also taken from the efforts of established Black women writers on the show such as Karen Joseph Adcock, fledgling writers like Malia Obama, and rising writers such as Kara Brown along with Chloe Bailey and her performance.

Is Swarm perfect? Perhaps not. At its core, the series could simply stand as an indictment of “stan culture” and perhaps also that of the seedy underbelly of social media overall. In addition, it displays a Black woman completely disheveled and in need of loving care

It is heartbreaking at times to see how loss and the lack of others not leaning in to surround Dre with love and understanding affects her mental well-being. What we can say overall is that there is nothing on television quite like Swarm at the moment and it deserves a watch even if just for the sake of satisfying one’s curiosity.

Swarm is currently airing on the Amazon Prime streaming service.

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Photo: Amazon Prime Video

29 Mar 2023

‘We Just Went Double Platinum’: Cardi B Celebrates Vodka-Infused Whipshots Sales Milestone

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Cardi B’s Whipshots are doing better than ever. The vodka-infused whipped cream has sold more than 2 million cans and expanded into new markets, the brand announced Wednesday (March 29).

“We just went double platinum! We’re not playing around when we say Whipshots is the best,” Cardi said in a statement. “Boozy and beautiful since day one, and two million cans later, there is no slowing us down. I love the fans supporting our brand – let’s keep this party going!”

The Bronx native partnered with Starco Brands to release the boozy, non-dairy whipped cream, which sold its first million cans in just 10 months and went on to sell another million cans four months later.

Whipshots retail for $5.99 for the smaller, 50-milliliter can, while the larger, 200-milliliter can is $14.99.

“The overwhelming demand for Whipshots across the U.S. has been astounding and is a true testament to what’s possible when you have an incredible product and best-in-class retail partners,” noted Starco Brands CEO Ross Sklar.

Cardi B and Starco launched Whipshots in December 2021 with vanilla, mocha and caramel flavors. A limited-edition peppermint flavor was released around the holidays last year.

In addition to reaching a sales milestone, Whipshots has expanded into 26 markets around the U.S. including new states such as Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey and Tennessee.

The brand picked up new retail partners as well, including Meijer, Albertsons, Walmart, Vons, Rouses, Woodman’s and Giant Eagle. Whipshots are also available online at Total Wine & More and through delivery apps such as Instacart, Door Dash, Drizzly and GoPuff.

Although she’s not the only recording artist to sell booze, Cardi opened up about her vision for Whipshots in an interview with Complex last year.

“I feel like if it was just mediocre, people would just be like, ‘Ah, whatever.’ Things are always going to sell when you have hard-core fans, but I wanted this to be big,” she said at the time. “Like, bigger than life, and that is always the goal. So I believe in my product. I love my product. It’s delicious and it’s very strong. And I feel like everybody keeps giving me positive feedback.”

29 Mar 2023

Nets Shutting Down Ben Simmons For Rest of Season, NBA Twitter Already Sending Him To China

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Ben Simmons Gets Shut Down Remainder of The Season By Nets

Source: Jim McIsaac / Getty / Ben Simmons

Brooklyn Nets fans don’t have to worry about Ben Simmons being a liability for the team when the playoffs begin.

ESPN reports the Brooklyn Nets are shutting down Ben Simmons for the remainder of the season; coach Jacque Vaughn told the press on Tuesday.

“Ben will not be joining us the rest of the year and through the playoffs,” Vaughn revealed after practice. “After consulting with our doctors, multiple specialists, he’s just going to begin a rehab program. Our doctors and the specialists feel and think that he’ll have a full recovery, so that starts now.”

The fragile hooper has not hit the court for the Nets since the team’s final game before the All-Star break because of a nerve issue in his back. Simmons has been beset with knee and back issues, but Vaughn says he does not expect the point guard to get surgery for this latest injury.

“That is not in sight,” Vaughn said. “That’s the recommendation right now.”

Before making his Nets debut following a trade that saw the Brooklyn franchise swap James Harden for him, Simmons underwent back surgery last summer.

When he did return, he was a mere shell of his former self, seeing a steep decline in his performance from his All-Star days with the Sixers.

During the small sample size with the Nets, Simmons posted career lows in minutes (26.3), points (6.9), rebounds (6.3), assists (6.1), and free throw percentage (43.9).

Jack Vaughn Still Believes In Ben Simmons

Still, his coach remains hopeful the 26-year-old professional hooper can return to his old form.

“That’s our goal,” Vaughn said. “And overall, you just think about, he’s 6-10, athletic, what he can do and bring to our team, how he can help our group on both ends of the floor. We want to be involved in that. We want to see that. I want to coach Ben, and I want to be able to push Ben to get back to all-defensive team and impact our team on both ends of the floor. So that’s definitely the goal going forward.”

The Nets Will Continue To Support Him & Remain Hopeful He Can Return Next Season

According to general manager Sean Marks, the Nets will also continue to support Simmons.

“Same thing we’ve done in the past is support him,” Marks told ESPN. “This is a young man that has been through a very traumatic and pretty arduous last couple years here. And this is not news that he wants to hear. He didn’t want specialists telling him, ‘Hey look, here’s the best thing for you.’ The good news, they were in unison in their plan for a full recovery. I worked hard with these doctors, all the different specialists as well as Bernie Lee, his new agent, to come up with a plan that’s hopefully going to get him back, and back to being the Ben we’ve all seen.”

Marks continues, “I do feel for him because I know he wants to be out here. I know he wants to be part of this team. Nobody likes being told, ‘You didn’t amount to what you should have, and it shouldn’t be this, you should have done this, and so forth’ I hope he uses all of this as whatever you want to call it, chalkboard fodder for motivation, and attack [his rehab]. But I think he would fit with these guys we’ve got, and he fits for multiple reasons. So we hope that he’s back — and that he’s healthy, ready to go.”

Twitter Believes It’s A Wrap For Ben Simmon’s Career

While Simmon’s current team still believes in him, NBA Twitter is saying it’s a wrap for N0.10, and he will probably end up playing professional basketball in China.

LOL.

Damn, you all are ruthless.

You can see more reactions in the gallery below.

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Photo: Jim McIsaac / Getty

2. Howling