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14 Feb 2023

BTS’ Suga Sets Dates For First Solo Tour

BTS‘ Suga announced the dates for his first-ever solo world tour on Tuesday morning (Feb. 14). According to a posting on Weverse, the unnamed tour is slated to kick off on April 26 at UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York before dates at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (April 29), Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL (May 3, 5 & 6), the Kia Forum in Los Angeles (May 10, 11, & 14) and Oakland Arena in Oakland, CA (May 16, 17).

The outing will then head overseas for dates in Jakarta, Bangkok and Singapore, as well as a two-night stand in BTS’ home country of South Korea at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seioul on June 24 and 25 and as-yet-unannounced gigs in Japan.

A release announcing the tour noted that the Weverse post mentioned Agust D, Suga’s other stage name, which caused a lot of ARMY chatter about what fans might expect from the dates; click here for ticketing and Verified Fan information. The rapper and dancer posted a video in December in which he showed off his smooth moves in a hip-hop dance 101 class with the help of a private instructor.

“Hello everyone. At age 30, I’ve come to take dance lessons. Basic hip-hop moves. It’s been about 12 years since I last did this in high school. I’ll give it a try,” he said in the video, telling fans that he felt like he’d taken a trip back in time to his pre-BTS trainee days. “I’m a mess. This is so hard. It’s so hard to do this [basic moves] after a long time. I feel kind of dumb doing this. When I first joined as a trainee I’d never danced before.”

He also updated ARMY on what he’s been up to since the group announced their hiatus in June. “I’ve learned some basic hip-hop moves. I’ve suddenly got an interest in learning at the age of 30,” he said. ”I’m taking all kinds of lessons now. I’ve started playing the keyboard again. I’m also taking guitar and dance and Japanese and English.”

While J-Hope headlined Lollapalooza in Chicago last July and Jin performed his single “The Astronaut” with Coldplay in Argentina in October, Suga’s outing is the first full-fledged solo tour by a member of BTS. The rapper previously released two mixtapes under his solo alter ego, Agust D (2016) and D-2 (2020).

Check out Suga’s tour poster and 2023 solo tour dates:

suga, tour

Courtesy Photo

April 26 — Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena

April 27 — Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena

April 29 — Newark, N.J. @ Prudential Center

May 3 — Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena

May 5 — Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena

May 6 — Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena

May 10 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum

May 11 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum

May 14 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum

May 16 — Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena

May 17 — Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena

May 26 — Jakarta, ID @ Indonesia Convention Exhibition Hall 5-6

May 27 — Jakarta, Indonesia @ Indonesia Convention Exhibition Hall 5-6

May 28 — Jakarta, Indonesia @ Indonesia Convention Exhibition Hall 5-6

June 10 — Bangkok, Thailand @ Impact Arena

June 11 — Bangkok, Thailand @ Impact Arena

June 17 — Singapore, SG @ Singapore Indoor Stadium

June 18 — Singapore, SG @ Singapore Indoor Stadium

June 24– Seoul, KR @ Jamsil Indoor Stadium

June 25 — Seoul, KR @ Jamsil Indoor Stadium

Japan dates TBA

14 Feb 2023

21 Best Hip-Hop Love Songs of All Time

Hip-hop – which believe it or not turns 50 this year — has always blossomed from love. It may seem corny to the average hip-hop head, but in an industry based on stealing the hearts of listeners, love is a universal language. Rappers who can balance vulnerability with machismo are undeniable chart-toppers whether it comes to self-love, love for their homies or even love of riches. If you’re a love hater, here’s a fact — Certified Lover Boy Drake was crowned Billboard’s Artist of the Decade in 2021.

But on this list, only one song from Drake’s love catalog will be mentioned. We’re also rounding up our top affectionate hip-hop cuts from classic ‘80s throwbacks to Y2K-era favorites to modern masterpieces.

To kick-off Valentine’s Day, check out the Best Hip-Hop Love Songs of All Time below.

Editor’s Note: A lot of these songs come from some of the greatest to ever pick up a mic. Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Lil Kim, LL Cool J, Drake, 50 Cent and The Notorious B.I.G. all appear on Billboard and Vibe’s recently unveiled list of the 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, which was born out of block parties in the Bronx back in 1973.

While the best rappers of all time is a subject for hot debate, there’s also a less contentious top 50 list you can turn your attention to. Billboard’s Top 50 Love Songs of All Time isn’t an editorial list, but rather a roundup of songs with love (or some variation on the word) in the title that have performed the best on Billboard’s charts over the years. You can check that out here.

14 Feb 2023

Taylor Swift Drops Heart-Shaped ‘Lover (Live From Paris)’ Vinyl Just in Time for Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day, Swifties! Taylor Swift has dropped a special surprise for Cupid’s holiday on Monday (Feb. 13) — a heart shaped vinyl recording of her performing tracks from her 2019 album Lover live in Paris.

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The vinyl announcement arrived on the pop star’s webstore and featured pictures of the new release. Lover (Live From Paris) will be spread across two heart-shaped vinyl records, one baby pink, the other baby blue. Sides A and B holds tracks “ME!,” “The Archer,” “Death By a Thousand Cuts” and “Cornelia Street,” while sides C and D holds tracks “The Man,” “Daylight,” “You Need to Cam Down” and the album’s title track, “Lover.”

“My heart’s been borrowed and yours has been blue. Now both are on vinyl to end up with you,” Taylor Nation tweeted. “#LoverLiveFromParis Special Edition Heart-Shaped Vinyl available while supplies last at store.taylorswift.com!”

The heart-shaped vinyl duo retails for $39.99 and is limited to one per customer, while fans in the United Kingdom are allowed to order two per customer. Fans looking to secure the limited release will likely need to act fast, as Swifties have a reputation for selling out Swift’s special releases rather quickly.

Upon Lover‘s release, it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and spent a total of 181 weeks on the all-genre tally. Singles “ME!” and “You Need to Cam Down” both charted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 while “Lover” and “The Man” hit Nos. 10 and 23, respectively.

Take a look at the new vinyl below.

14 Feb 2023

Drake’s 5-Year-Old Son Adonis Adorably Crashes His Interview

Drake‘s son Adonis Graham is starting his media training early. The five-year-old recently crashed a hilarious Barstool Sports interview with the rapper and answered questions about his friends, reading and life with his famous dad.

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The 11-minute Sundae Conversation video interview begins with footage of Adonis, with big blue eyes and curly hair, sitting in place of his dad in the interviewee’s chair. After he finishes sipping on a juice box, he hands it off to his assistant — aka Drake.

“That’s a funny dad,” Adonis says in the Sunday (Feb. 12) interview, looking over at his father sitting off camera. “He does a lot of jokes.”

Adonis also talked about having “a lot of friends of me who are really nice to me” and got candid about when another kid was mean to him, revealing he had to “fight him back.” Drizzy’s son also confessed that he’s not yet able to read, but he knows a kid named Kyle who can.

The “Rich Flex” artist, who shares Adonis with Sophie Brussaux, the founder and artistic director of the nonprofit Arts Help, eventually took over, gushing that his son is always “vibing out with me, telling me how great I am as a single father.” Drake also opened up about that eyebrow-raising necklace he commissioned back in December, which featured 42 diamonds, one for each time he ever thought about proposing to a woman.

“It was more just a joke,” he told host Caleb Pressley. “Obviously, people took it pretty literal. I was just trying to have an interesting story.”

Watch Adonis crash his dad’s interview below.

14 Feb 2023

Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band Add 18 Cities to 2023 North American Tour

Just two weeks after hitting the road for their 2023 international tour, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band added a slew of new dates to the North American portion of the outing. On Tuesday (Feb. 14), the band announced additional shows in 18 cities, kicking off with an August 9 gig at Chicago’s legendary Wrigley Field through a Dec. 8 gig at San Francisco’s Chase Center.

The new shows also include multiple-night stands at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank park, New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena and Los Angeles’ Kia Forum. Tickets for the 22 new North American shows will go on sale over the next two weeks, with the first onsale kicking off this Friday (Feb. 17) at 10 a.m. local time.

The tour will be using Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan service for many of the cities (you can pre-register for VF here); VF is open through Sunday (Feb. 19) at 11:59 p.m. ET. Tickets for the show at Wrigley Field and Citizens Bank Park will be sold directly by the stadiums.

Springsteen kicked off the band’s tour with their first North American show in seven years in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 1, but by Friday they were already down a few members. The group’s show in Dallas, Texas was missing both guitarist Steven Van Zandt and violinist/singer Soozie Tyrel, who sat out after testing positive for COVID-19 ahead of their tour stop at the American Airlines Center, while Springsteen’s wife singer/guitarist Patti Scialfa was also absent from the stage for undisclosed reasons.

At press time, Billboard had reached out to Springsteen and the E Street Band’s rep for comment on whether the next planned tour stop, on Tuesday (Feb. 14) in Houston, Texas, will feature the full band.

Check out the new dates for Springsteen & the E Street Band’s 2023 North American tour below:

August 9 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field (Onsale: February 17 at 10:00 a.m. CT) 

August 16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Citizens Bank Park (Onsale: February 28 at 10:00 a.m. ET)

August 18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Citizens Bank Park (Onsale: February 28 at 10:00 AM ET 

August 24 – Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium (Verified Fan Onsale: February 27 at 10:00 a.m. ET) 

August 28 – Washington, DC @ Nationals Park (Verified Fan Onsale: February 28 at 10:00 a.m. ET )

August 30 – East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium (Verified Fan Onsale: February 24 at 10:00 a.m. ET) 

Sept. 1 – East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium (Verified Fan Onsale: February 24 at 12:00 p.m. ET) 

Sept. 7 – Syracuse, NY @ JMA Wireless Dome (Verified Fan Onsale: February 24 at 10:00 a.m. ET 

Sept. 9 – Baltimore, MD @ Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Verified Fan Onsale: February 28 at 10:00 a.m. ET) 

Sept. 12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena (Verified Fan Onsale: February 23 at 10:00 a.m. ET) 

Nov. 3 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena (Verified Fan Onsale: February 22 at 10:00 a.m. PT) 

Nov. 6 – Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place (Verified Fan Onsale: February 23 at 10:00 a.m. MT) 

Nov. 8 – Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome (Verified Fan Onsale: February 23 at 10:00 a.m. MT) 

Nov. 10 – Winnipeg, MB @ Canada Life Centre (Verified Fan Onsale: February 22 at 10:00 a.m. CT) 

Nov. 14 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena (Verified Fan Onsale: February 22 at 10:00 a.m. ET) 

Nov. 16 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena (Verified Fan Onsale: February 22 at 10:00 a.m. ET) 

Nov. 18 – Ottawa, ON @ Canadian Tire Centre (Verified Fan Onsale: February 22 at 10:00 a.m. ET) 

Nov. 20 – Montreal, QC @ Centre Bell (Verified Fan Onsale: February 23 at 10:00 a.m. ET) 

Nov. 30 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center (Verified Fan Onsale: February 22 at 10:00 a.m. MT) 

Dec. 4 – Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum (Verified Fan Onsale: February 23 at 10:00 a.m. PT) 

Dec. 6 – Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum (Verified Fan Onsale: February 23 at 10:00 a.m. PT) 

Dec. 8 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center (Verified Fan Onsale: Feb. 23 at 10 a.m. PT)

14 Feb 2023

Twitter Debates If Usher Has Enough Pop Hits To Rock Super Bowl Halftime Set

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HUNGRY, Sunfare and Usher Raymond Donate Healthy Thanksgiving Meals

Usher Raymond, the fourth of his name, is a certified hitmaker, entertainer, and vocalist so it’s curious to see him trending on Twitter regarding his ability. A Twitter user raised the question if Usher has enough pop hits to rock a Super Bowl halftime show set and the debate is still raging.

The Super Bowl halftime show has become an annual event as seen by the chatter sparked by Rihanna’s welcomed performance after five years away from the stage. Naturally, fans on social media began to debate who should be next to rock at the big game. Usher was a reasonable name tossed into the hat but @asj519 had other thoughts.

“I know y’all think Usher should perform the next SB but I don’t think he has enough pop/hip-hop hits,” the user wrote, sparking a flurry of comments and quote retweets.

Seemingly flustered by the responses, the user fired back with, “Y’all are being intentionally obtuse. Not R&B. Pop. Crossover hits. He doesn’t have enough *pop* hits for a *13* min medley performance. It’ll be ok. That’s not a diss to Usher the artist. Bc you don’t think they would’ve considered him? Beyoncé would be a better choice.”

We’re not sure if the Twitter user recalls but Beyoncé already handled her business in 2013 at the Super Bowl to great effect and she’s probably focused on her upcoming world tour than entertaining sports fans for a few minutes.

As it stands, Twitter has a lot of thoughts about this dream scenario of having Ursher touch the halftime stage and we’re already aware that he does indeed have a handful of tracks that crossed over to the wider pop audience.

Check out all the reactions below.

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Photo: Paras Griffin / Getty

14 Feb 2023

Post Malone Hotboxes a Stranger’s Car on ‘Impractical Jokers’: Watch the Exclusive Preview

Driving past a parking structure in midtown Manhattan, you’d never guess what you’d find inside: a group of jokesters and Post Malone pulling some expert hidden-camera pranks.

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Billboard was on set for a season 10 episode shoot of truTV’s Impractical Jokers, which saw the tatted rapper team up with the show’s stars and long-time friends, Brian “Q” Quinn, James “Murr” Murray and Sal Vulcano. It all went down just a day before Post’s two-night stint at Madison Square Garden on his headlining Twelve Carat Toothache Tour.

The set-up was simple: at the entrance to the lot, Post and Q acted as parking attendants pranking a handful of unsuspecting customers looking to pick-up or drop-off their cars. Murr and Sal were out of sight a few floors up, watching everything go down on a couple monitors while using secret earpieces to guide the duo through each prank. Beyond the main monitors and cameras were bins of props, craft services and a couple dozen other crew members — several of whom were situated in front of their own computers, each controlling a different camera hidden on the main floor.

Post Malone x 'Impractical Jokers'

Post Malone x ‘Impractical Jokers’

Aysia Marotta / truTV

In one prank, Post and Q convince a couple of friends that they stashed roadkill in the trunk of their car (complete with an uber-realistic dead possum). In another, Post brings out a couple’s SUV after seemingly hotboxing it.

“Boss, thanks for letting me smoke that up in there,” Post says to Q stepping out of the car’s passenger seat, coughing as smoke rushes out of the open doors. “Give it about five to ten if you guys don’t want the contact high.”

To make matters worse, the female car owner says she’s allergic to tobacco. “Oh, don’t worry about that, it’s not tobacco,” Q assures her as Murr and Sal cackle off-screen. Unsurprisingly, that isn’t enough for these customers to let it go. Post even offers up a can of Febreze, but the couple really isn’t having it — demanding corporate’s number.

Of course, it’s only a matter of time until it’s all revealed as an elaborate prank. But just how long did it take to get the fake marijuana smoke out of the couple’s car? We may never know.

Watch Post Malone hotbox a stranger’s car in the exclusive clip above before his full episode of Impractical Jokers airs on truTV Thursday, Feb. 16 at 10 p.m. ET.

Post Malone x 'Impractical Jokers'

Post Malone x ‘Impractical Jokers’

Aysia Marotta / truTV

14 Feb 2023

Michigan State University Shooting Leaves 3 Dead, 5 Injured

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Multiple People Reportedly Shot At Michigan State University

Source: Bill Pugliano / Getty

A shooting incident broke out at Michigan State University on Monday (Feb. 13) that left three students dead and five others critically injured. Local police say they located the gunman at a separate location where he died of a self-inflicted gun wound.

Local outlet Click On Detroit was among many outlets that covered the Michigan State University shooting, which took place at 8:18 PM local time inside Berkey Hall, an academic building on the MSU campus grounds. Two students were shot dead inside Berkey Hall along with others being injured. Later, the gunman opened fire at the MSU Union building, leaving another student dead and injuring more.

Details surrounding the shooting are scant at best but naturally, the news of the violent act once again drummed up the ongoing debate of gun control in the nation and with so many unanswered questions about the gunman’s motives, tensions are high as police continue to investigate the matter.

The gunman was identified as 43-year-old Anthony McCrae. As reported by Click On Detroit, McCrae had a criminal record in the city of Lansing, Mich. The 2019 charge was over a concealed weapon and McCrae completed probation in 2021.

As this story develops, we’ll return to add details as they become known to the public.

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Photo: Getty

14 Feb 2023

Marty MARO Signs Publishing Deal with Ryan Tedder and Brandon Silverstein

Grammy-nominated producer, songwriter and engineer Marty MARO has signed a co-publishing agreement with Brandon Silverstein Publishing and Patriot Publishing. MARO, born Marty Rod, has written and produced with talents like Selena Gomez, DJ Snake, John Legend, Anitta and Bastille, and his work has been featured in ads, gaming and films, including Meta, Madden 23, Space Jam and others.

MARO’s signing announcement arrives just after Brandon Silverstein Publishing also inked a publishing agreement with producer and songwriter Jasper Harris — best known for songs like “First Class” by Jack Harlow, “Family Ties” by Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar, and “I Like You” by Post Malone and Doja Cat.

Brandon Silverstein Publishing is the new monicker for S10 Publishing, a company which has signed a number of deals in conjunction with Avex USA, the American branch of Japanese music and entertainment company Avex Group. These partnered deals include Harris as well as “Peaches” writer HARV, Jamaican singer Shenseea, The Kid LAROI collaborator and Internet Money member Cxdy, “Build a Bitch” co-writer David Arkwright, “Stunnin’” producer Declan Hoy, and Travis Scott, Bad Bunny and Future writer/producer KOSA.

For MARO’s signing, the quickly building BSP has partnered with OneRepublic frontman and hitmaker Ryan Tedder’s company Patriot Publishing. Tedder says of the new signing, “Marty’s a beast with an insatiable work ethic. He is an extremely gifted producer and topliner, and I hope to have him part of the family for years to come.”

MARO adds, “I am extremely excited to be joining forces with Ryan and Brandon in this new chapter of my career! They are both two forces of nature in the business and their belief in my vision and musical ability, along with their experience and global reach feels like the perfect combination for me. Together we’ve already achieved some major accomplishments, and I believe the future of my career is in great hands.”

“I’ve been lucky enough to watch Marty work in the studio and I’ve seen how he’s able to help artists create their best work,” says Silverstein, founder and CEO of Brandon Silverstein Publishing. “I’m so thrilled to have him join the family.”