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07 Feb 2023

Chris Brown “Apologizes” After Instagram Temper Tantrum Following Grammys Loss To Robert Glasper

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In My Feelz Festival 2022

Source: Scott Dudelson / Getty / Chris Brown

The Grammys always will leave folks in their feelings. The BeyHive was tight after Beyoncé didn’t win Album of The Year, and R&B bad boy Chris Brown was BIG MAD after failing to secure a Grammy and played himself big time in the process.

Minus the bowtie this time around, Chris Brown had to say he was sorry after he hopped into his Instagram stories and took shots at highly beloved and decorated artist Robert Glasper after losing the Grammy for best R&B album to him.

For those who are like Breezy, stuck in a bubble, and have no idea who Robert Glasper is, he is a damn good pianist and producer, and his work transcends Jazz, R&B, and Hip-Hop.

In his “apology” to Glasper after the disrespect, Brown shared a screengrab of an apology he sent via direct message to Glasper.

“Congratulations my brother… I would like to apologize if you took offense to my reaction at the Grammys. You were not the intended target and I know I came off really rude and mean.”

He continued, “After doing my research I actually think you’re amazing… the organization isn’t doing us Blacks our due diligence. You and I should never be in the same category… two totally different vibes and genres. So from one Black man to another, congratulations. Hope you are able to feed your family for life. God bless my G.”

Here’s Where Chris Brown Played Himself

After Glasper secured his fifth Grammy, Brown pop and locked into his Instagram stories posting a story stating, “Y’all playing. Who da fuck is this?” He then wrote, “Ima keep kicking y’all ass! Respectfully.”

His next post was an image  asking, “Who the f*ck is Robert Glasper.” Brown, who has been the recipient of 21 Grammy nominations, winning one, posted a photo of himself with a harmonica, writing, “I gotta get my skills up… ima start playing the harmonica.”

Brown ended his now-deleted tirade by sharing a TikTok showcasing all of his achievements that closes with a Google search of Glasper with a voiceover asking, “Who the fuck is this?”

Well, after Twitter users gathered him all the way up, now he knows, and he’s singing he’s sorry.

You can see more reactions to Chris Brown being BIG MAD in the gallery below.

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Photo: Scott Dudelson / Getty

2. Let It Be Known

07 Feb 2023

‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’: How to Watch the Whitney Houston Biopic Online  

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Don’t you want to dance? The Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, starring Naomi Ackie and Stanley Tucci, arrived on digital platforms on Tuesday (Feb. 7).

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Directed by Kasi Lemmons, I Wanna Dance With Somebody is a “powerful and triumphant celebration of the incomparable Whitney Houston,” per Sony Pictures. The film takes audiences through Houston’s emotional journey from New Jersey choir girl to one of the most prolific recording artists of all time.

I Wanna Dance With Somebody was written by Oscar-nominated Bohemian Rhapsody screenwriter, Anthony McCarte, and produced by Clive Davis. “It hit home,” Davis told Billboard late last year. “It’s realistic. Scenes between Whitney and me, obviously, were emotionally impactful, from the time we first met to going through the musical, personal relationship we had, the more difficult times in dealing with her problems. I think the film is very accurate in its portrayal of the dialogues we had.”

Read on for ways to stream I Wanna Dance With Somebody online.

How to Stream I Wanna Dance With Somebody from Anywhere

You can stream I Wanna Dance With Somebody from your computer, smartphone, TV or another streaming device,so long as you have internet access. The movie is $19.99 to rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play, YouTube, RedBox, YouTube and AMC.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody

$19.99

Fans can also shop the official movie merch store for T-shirts, sweatshirts and other items in the official Whitney Houston store on Amazon.

I Wanna Dance With Somebody will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on Feb. 28. Click here to pre-order the movie.

Watch the trailer below.

07 Feb 2023

The Legal Beat: Lizzo’s ‘100% That B-tch’ Trademark Win – Plus Taylor Swift, Kanye & More

This is The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings, and all the fun stuff in between. This week: Lizzo wins a key ruling in her efforts to secure trademark protection for ‘100% That B-tch,” Taylor Swift calls a lawsuit over her Lovers companion book “legally and factually baseless,” Kanye’s lawyers finally track him down long enough to drop him as a client, and much more.

THE BIG STORY: Lizzo Is Now – Legally Speaking – ‘100% That B-tch’

A Grammy for record of the year wasn’t all Lizzo won last week.

Just days before her big Grammy win Sunday night, a tribunal at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office sided with the superstar in her quest to secure a federal trademark registration for “100% That B-tch” – the iconic lyric from her breakout single “Truth Hurts.”

Last year, the agency had rejected Lizzo’s application for the trademark on the grounds that it was merely a commonplace “motivational phrase” aimed at “female empowerment,” not the kind of unique brand name that’s eligible for trademark protection.

But the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) overturned that ruling last week, saying that consumers who see the phrase on apparel would likely “associate the term with Lizzo and her music.”

For a full breakdown of Lizzo’s legal victory, including access to all the actual court documents, go read our story here.

Other top stories this week…

SWIFT RIPS COPYRIGHT SUIT – Taylor Swift‘s attorneys asked a federal judge to toss out a copyright case claiming the star stole aspects of a self-published book of poetry when she created a companion book for her album Lover, calling it “a lawsuit that never should have been filed.”

LAW FIRM FINDS KANYE – After months of searching, attorneys from the law firm Greenberg Traurig said they had finally tracked down Kanye West and formally notified him that he’s no longer a client of the firm, ending a bizarre ordeal in which the lawyers said they’d be willing to run newspaper ads to be rid of the disgraced rapper.

COGNAC UNDER THE BRIDGE – Jay-Z and Bacardi reached an agreement to end bitter litigation over their D’Ussé Cognac brand. Under the deal, Bacardi will take over a “majority interest” in the company, which was previously split 50-50 between the two sides.

COACHELLA v. MOECHELLA – The organizers of Coachella filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against the operators of a Washington D.C.-based music event called “Moechella,” accusing the smaller group of confusing consumers with the similar name.

RAPHY PINA LOSES APPEAL – A federal appeals court upheld a federal gun conviction against Daddy Yankee’s manager Raphy Pina, citing “overwhelming” evidence. The court overturned a separate conviction over an illegal automatic weapon, but it’s unclear if the ruling will reduce Pina’s 41 month sentence.

NICK CARTER STRIKES BACK – Two months after Nick Carter was hit with a civil lawsuit claiming he raped a 17-year-old girl on his tour bus in 2001, the Backstreet Boys member filed a countersuit claiming the allegations were the product of a “five-year conspiracy,” designed to extort him by coopting the #MeToo movement.

07 Feb 2023

Megan Fox Praises Machine Gun Kelly’s ‘Grace & Maturity’ Following His Grammy Loss

Machine Gun Kelly may not have won an award at the Grammys Sunday (Feb. 5), but his fiancée still couldn’t be more proud of him. In a sweet Instagram post two days after the 2023 ceremony, Megan Fox praised the “Emo Girl” singer for how well he handled the loss.

“Congratulations on being in the very small percentage of artists who have received a Grammy nomination,” wrote the 36-year-old actress, who attended the awards at her fiancé’s side. “You have handled this process with a grace and maturity that I haven’t seen from you before and I’m so proud of you.”

Born Colson Baker, MGK was up for best rock album with his 2022 set Mainstream Sellout, which debuted atop the Billboard 200. Though the 32-year-old rapper-turned-punk-rocker lost out to Ozzy Osbourne, he certainly still has big cause to celebrate — the Recording Academy nod was his first ever Grammy nomination.

“Watching you walk in humility and gratitude, watching you grow into yourself and become a better man is an immeasurably more satisfying experience than watching you accept an award,” Fox continued in her post, sharing a carousel of glam photos of her and Baker on awards night. “Although those will come… and this is irrelevant I guess but I will just never ever get over how beautiful your face is.”

“I hope one day you’ll see yourself the way I see you,” she concluded. “I love you and I’ll keep this memory of you forever.”

Baker himself opened up about the bittersweet night in an interview with Laverne Cox for E! News, confessing that he always feels “pretty uncomfortable” when atttending the awards show. “Ultimately, I’m really happy to be in the company of such great musicians,” he said. “I didn’t take the category home, and I almost feel like I asked for that lesson. Like, I felt like I lacked self-love, and I was valuing myself so much on career accomplishments that I needed this. The car ride here was very cathartic for me … I need to appreciate what I already have, and once that self-love happens for me, things like the awards and all that will come.”

07 Feb 2023

Billboard Promotes VPs Shira Brown and Sara Katzki

Billboard elevates key employees Shira Brown and Sara Katzki, who are named as vice presidents of the music industry title.

Brown, previously associate vice president of video strategy and development, rises to vp of video at Billboard. In her new position, Brown will be responsible for maintaining and improving production quality, while growing the video business, and expanding the venerated title’s revenue streams to include e-commerce, archival licensing and show IP development.

Additionally, she will play a central role in Billboard’s live and event video content.

A Billboard veteran of seven years. Brown had previously led content strategy and partnerships for Larry King Now and Ora TV, and has accumulated upwards of 15 years’ experience in the video space.

Katzki, meanwhile, is the ex-senior director of project management at Billboard. Moving forward, she will serve as vp of Brand Studio, with duties for overseeing ideation, development, and execution of multi-faceted custom concepts for partners across live events, video, social and talent-based programs for all branded content.

A Penske Media Corporation (PMC) stalwart for almost a decade, Katzki has overseen music and brand project management for clients including Honda, Samsung, Amazon, American Express, Google, Diageo and more.

“It’s a privilege to be able to promote two very talented team members who continue to make massive contributions to your brand, culture, and business,” says Mike Van, president of Billboard, in a statement issued Tuesday (Feb. 7) by the trade title’s parent company Penske Media Corporation.

Brown and Katzki “are the best at what they do,” says Dana Droppo, chief brand officer at Billboard, “and it is an honor to be able to acknowledge their hard work publicly.”

The promotions follow the June 2022 appointments of Van and Droppo to their new roles at Billboard.

07 Feb 2023

Grambling State University Music Studio Named After Alum E-40

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In today’s episode of Earl Stevens Had Us Thinking Rational, West Coast Hip Hop legend E-40 is gifting his alma mater with 100 racks because HBCU music programs matter—and who better to send that message than a music veteran with more than three decades in the game? 

According to TMZ, the “Yay Area” rapper donated $100,000 Friday to Grambling State University in order to help the HBCU fund its various music programs and marching band.

E-40, who attended GSU beginning in 1986, told students and faculty at the school that he wanted to let people know there “ain’t nothin’ wrong with being in band,” and he just wanted “to make a contribution” to help his school’s music department—*wait for it*—In a Major Way. (Please don’t delete me, 40 fans.)

But GSU had a little surprise for the Vallejo emcee in return. After E-40 announced the huge contribution he made to the university, the GSU Tigers revealed The Earl “E-40” Stevens Sound Recording studio, which TMZ described as “a commemorative installation to inspire students’ music hustle.”

From TMZ:

He explained growing up in his impoverished Vallejo, CA neighborhood led him to look for an escape and hopped on the first train smokin’ when the Grambling opportunity came — and never looked back but jumped forward into a career of platinum plaques, millions of streams and mounds of classic songs!!!
Thanks to 40, the 122-year-old campus has the chance to produce the best rappers in college!!!Imagine that—rappers reminding the world that Hip-Hop has always been about education, just as much as it is about the culture and community. Much respect to E-40. This is a great look!

07 Feb 2023

Ozzy Osbourne Has Typically NSFW Reaction to 2023 Grammy Award: ‘I’m One Lucky…’

Ozzy Osbourne reacted to winning two Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 5) in the exact way you’d expect from heavy metal’s legendarily salty king of darkness. After landing best rock album for Patient Number 9 and best metal performance for the album track “Degradation Rules,” in a statement on Monday (Feb. 6) Osbourne, 74, was perfectly candid about what it felt like to land his fourth and fifth Grammys wins.

“I’m one lucky motherf—er to have won the ‘best rock album’ Grammy,” Osbourne said. “I was blessed to work with some of the greatest musicians in the world and [producer] Andrew Watt was my producer on this album.” The rock icon added that winning best metal performance was “equally gratifying being that the song featured my longtime friend and Black Sabbath bandmate, [guitarist] Tony Iommi.”

Osbourne’s 13th solo studio album was indeed packed with some of his favorite players, from the title track (one of several that featured late guitar legend Jeff Beck), to songs featuring Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready (“Immortal”) and Ozzy’s longtime musical partner guitarist Zakk Wylde (“Parasite,” “Mr. Darkness,” “Nothing Feels Right,” “Evil Shuffle”) and Eric Clapton (“One of Those Days”). Other guest performers/songwriters included: Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins and others.

Though Osbourne will make a hilarious appearance in a Super Bowl LVII commercial on Sunday (Feb. 12), he recently revealed that he will never tour again due to a spinal injury, which forced the cancelation of his scheduled European/UK tour.

07 Feb 2023

Hollywood Bowl Reveals 2023 Summer Season Lineup 

Janet Jackson is set to open the official 2023 Hollywood Bowl Summer Season with a performance of her Together Again Tour on June 10.

Jackson leads the long list of talent the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association announced Tuesday (Feb. 7) for this year. The season will include dates from Jill Scott, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, The Beach Boys, Kool & The Gang, Sparks, Café Tcvba, Portugal. The Man, Maggie Rogers, Louis Tomlinson and more.

Prior to the summer season, the Bowl will also see shows from Reba McEntire, Phish, Andrea Bocelli, Shania Twain and a special celebration for Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday.

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The LA Phil has announced concerts and events running through Sept. 24 with additional artists including Jacob Collier, Buddy Guy, Air Supply, Culture Club, Herbie Hancock, My Morning Jacket and Gladys Knight.

“As we look to the next hundred years at the Hollywood Bowl, I am honored and excited to share a season which, to me, speaks of a beautiful future ahead,” says LA Phil music and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel in a release. “From timeless music by Mendelssohn, de Falla and Verdi, to modern-day classics by John Williams and Duke Ellington, to the soul-filling sounds of our Pan-American Music Initiative, to the singular energy of Café Tacvba, each of these programs takes us on the kind of magic journey that can only begin at the Bowl.”

This season, the Bowl will also host a special birthday concert, Quincy Jones’ 90th Birthday Tribute, with a roster of special guests alongside the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, led by Jones collaborator Jules Buckley. The Bowl will also feature several films in concert including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and 2001: A Space Odyssey. There will also be a sing-a-long for Sound of Music and Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Concert that will showcase the music and animation of Disney over the past century including highlights from Snow White to Encanto.

The famed Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival will take place June 17-18 with Kamasi Washington, Leon Bridges, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Digable Planets, The Soul Rebels with Big Freedia, Samara Joy, West Coast Get Down and more.

Dudamel will also conduct the LA Phil in Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and, alongside famed Hollywood movie composer John Williams, will share the podium for three special evenings of Maestro of the Movies: John Williams with the LA Phil including a selection of films clips on the big screens.

The LA Phil is also partnering with KCRW to present genre-spanning concerts: Reggae Nights XXI featuring Beres Hammond and Steel Pulse, Portugal. The Man with Chicano Batman and Say She She, Maggie Rogers with Alvvays, Los Auténticos Decadentes and more.

“There is no place like the Hollywood Bowl on a summer night, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back for another unforgettable season of music led by the extraordinary vision of Gustavo Dudamel,” said LA Phil chief content and engagement officer Renae Williams Niles.

Check out the full schedule here.

07 Feb 2023

Questlove Explained Why Some of Your Favorite Rappers Weren’t in 2023 Grammys Hip-Hop Tribute

Roots drummer and bandleader Questlove was given a nearly impossible assignment in pulling together Sunday night’s (Feb. 5) generation-spanning, all-star tribute to hip-hop’s 50th anniversary at the 2023 Grammy Awards. How do you represent a wholly American art form that has spread from coast-to-coast and around the globe without leaving out someone’s favorite MC?

Welll, according to a series of posts from Quest on the day after, he did his best, but there are some good reasons he couldn’t get everyone’s No. 1 in there. “general ?s answered about last night: (some are asking if we are playing erasure games so uh….yeah I don’t play that so—in answering the questions of “why wasn’t dada there?),” he tweeted.

The answer(s) were simple, he added, “1. already booked 2. declined our offer straight up 3. or a third option im not gonna get into.” A fourth reason, he noted, was that the team made the decision to wait for a two-hour taping of a special slated to take place in August that will give the team more space to fill in the blanks. “We decided to eschew those who passed away, & give flowers to the living — for starters I learned with VH1 Honors not all rappers are good MCs and bad karaoke is a danger slope,” he said. “And WAY too many legends passed so someone’s estate was gonna be heated.”

QuestloveThe Roots timekeeper said in an interview that his original cut for the special segment ran to nearly a half hour, something the Grammy brass said was obviously untenable. So he had to cut it down to around 12 minutes for the heart-racing final version. In the end, the impassioned, mind-bending medley roped in everyone from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run-DMC, LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa, Rakim and De La Soul’s Posdnous (Kelvin Mercer), to Scarface, Ice-T, Queen Latifah, Public Enemy, Outkast’s Big Boi, Method Mad, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Nelly, Too Short, Swizz Beatz and the Lox, as well as new schoolers Lil Baby and Glorilla.

“This went through a crazy evolution. all my suggestions were 20 min presentations with Breakbeats/Graf Legends/Dancers/DJ/Beatboxers,” Quest continued. “You’ll be shocked how fast 25-40 secs goes by and you don’t even get the halfway mark of 1995l remember 1973 to 2023 was the goal… we were aware of playing our biases out (if it were me alone? idda just skewered to my teenyears). at one point I said ‘we should do ALL women!!’ —that idea didn’t get too …..far (we didnt have time to do a ‘Some Kind Of Monster’/Kumbya thing to make that a reality).”

The notoriously methodical drummer said he had some criteria he wanted to follow (“alive? harmonizing? turntablism? fighting shape? NYC? LA? BAY? ATL? NAWLINS? HOUSTON? MIDWEST [checkmark emoji] born before 1960? born after 1995? Superlyrical? Stylistic? Original? generally known by at least 2 generations?”). But if your pick wasn’t there there might be a reason.

One, he revealed, was that two “crucial” acts canceled 10 minutes before air. “Cancellations that mighta made it look like we were biased in our choices. but just understand we literally tried to SQUEEEEEEEZE everyone in,” he promised.

As for why there was not much representation from the new generation of 2010’s rappers, Quest explained that as well. “Because they said ‘no’, or they walked out… I’m sure there were all types of circumstances, but Ice-T as the Only L.A. representative, in Staples Center, in Los Angeles… is WILD!! Great performance otherwise.” Questlove answered, “welp: I asked like 10 legends so….sometimes you gotta go with the one who wants you. again might not be your preference but most of hip hop has side gigs. Acting was the main issue. lotta movies being shot.”

In a pre-show interview with the New York Times, Quest further detailed the crazed rush to get the set together, revealing that the two who dropped out at the last minute (Lil Wayne, Future) and the “damn near Jerry Maguire levels” of cajoling he needed to employ to get Missy Elliot — “world famous for the word ‘no’” — to perform. Plus, he noted, there are a number of major acts (Drake, Jay-Z, Public Enemy) who have for years accused the Recording Academy of not giving hip-hop its proper due at the awards.

See Questlove’s tweets and the full performance below.

07 Feb 2023

Lil Yachty’s ‘Let’s Start Here’ Debuts Atop Rock Album Charts

Lil Yachty’s Let’s Start Here., his foray into the rock world, debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts dated Feb. 11.

The set bows with 36,000 equivalent album units earned in the Jan. 27-Feb. 2 tracking week, according to Luminate.

Start is not only Lil Yachty’s first No. 1 on each ranking, it’s his first leading title on any consumption-based Billboard album chart. His previous best, Lil Boat 2, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts in March 2018.

Speaking of the Billboard 200, Start begins at No. 9 there, marking his third top 10 and first since Lil Boat 2. In between that set and Start, he appeared on the ranking with three entries, paced by the No. 12-peaking Nuthin’ 2 Prove in 2018. He has notched three top 10s on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, in 2017-18, and four on Top Rap Albums, in 2017-20.

Concurrently, cuts from the new 14-track LP dot Billboard’s song surveys, led by “The Black Seminole.,” which debuts at No. 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 powered by 5.4 million official U.S. streams.

“Seminole” also opens at Nos. 5, 7 and 8 on the Hot Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts.

The entire album infuses Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, with “Seminole” followed next by “Pretty” at No. 14 (3.9 million streams).

“Seminole” also leads the new album’s haul on the Rock Streaming Songs and Alternative Streaming Songs charts.