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12 Jan 2023

Finally: 50 Cent Apologizes To Megan Thee Stallion For Online Troll

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Get the devil a North Face bubble coat because hell has officially frozen over.

Weeks after 50 Cent joked that he didn’t believe Megan Thee Stallion’s side of the story in the Tory Lanez trial (by posting a pic of Megan that magically morphed into Jussie Smollett), the Get Rich or Die Tryin‘ rapper took to the airwaves to actually apologize for his online antics. During an interview on Big Boy’s Neighborhood, Fiddy admits he did indeed think Megan was lying after she tole Gayle King that she didn’t have an intimate relationship with Tory only for it to be revealed during the trial that they actually did.

“I’ma apologize to Megan Thee Stallion,” Fif said. After revealing that the Gayle King interview played a role in him believing that Megan was making the whole thing up. 50 said he changed his mind after hearing the jail call conversation saying, “That made me feel like ‘Ooohh sh*t. Now I know what happened.’ I’m sure that was what swayed people in court too.”

Well, at least he said he’s sorry. That’s more than anyone’s gotten out of him over the past few years. From Madonna to Lil Kim, 50’s taken all kinds of shots at them and kept mum after fans called him out for being disrespectful. Who knows, maybe he’s apologizing because he may try to woo her at some point in the future. Just sayin.’

What do y’all think about 50 Cent finally apologizing to Megan Thee Stallion? Too little too late? Check out the full interview below and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.



12 Jan 2023

Miguel’s ‘Sure Thing’ Returns to Hot R&B Songs’ Top 20 After TikTok Explosion

Just as Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary” arrives on the Billboard charts thanks to activity that originated on TikTok, the platform (which itself does not currently contribute to charts) revives another 2011 track: Miguel’s “Sure Thing,” which returns at No. 20 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

“Sure Thing” drew 8.4 million official U.S. streams in the week ending Jan. 5, according to Luminate, up 14% from the previous week. The sum prompts a No. 20 start on the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart and at No. 46 on the corresponding, all-genre list.

The resurgence isn’t only having impact stateside, either. “Sure Thing” rockets 143-69 on the Billboard Global 200, sparked by 21.2 million global streams in the same period, a 14% bump from the prior frame. It debuts on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. at No. 134. Both appearances mark Miguel’s debuts on the global surveys, which launched in 2020.

“Sure Thing,” first released in 2011, became not only one of the singer-songwriter’s biggest hits, but one of the genre’s biggest smashes of the 2010s. As just his his second appearance on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, “Sure Thing” became Miguel’s first No. 1 on the list and spent 23 weeks in the top 10. It ultimately posted 59 weeks on the chart in it is initial run in 2011-12, and at the time of its departure, was one of only 17 songs to reach that mark since the list began in 1958. In 2019, the track finished at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs recap for the 2010s decade.

In addition to the placements above, “Sure Thing” returns at No. 14 on the Hot R&B Songs chart to secure a 47th total week on the list. Plus, the song’s activity helps “Sure Thing” parent album, All I Want is You, score a No. 20 entrance on the Top R&B Albums chart, with 8,000 equivalent album units earned in the latest tracking week, a 13% improvement over the previous week.

12 Jan 2023

Paramore Drop ‘Dance Punk’ New Single ‘C’est Comme Ça’: Stream It Now

There’s still about a month left to go before Paramore‘s highly anticipated sixth studio album, This Is Why, arrives, but it is finally beginning to take shape with the release of new single “C’est Comme Ça.”

Described by frontwoman Hayley Williams as a dance punk return to form, the brand new track arrived Thursday (Jan. 12). It’s the third single to be unveiled off This Is Why, due out Feb. 10, and follows lead single and title track “This Is Why” along with “The News.”

“C’est Comme Ça” largely features the Nashville native delivering sharp, irony-clad lyrics in spoken word form over drummer Zac Farro’s driving percussion and guitarist Taylor York’s percussive riffs. The caustic nature of the verses is turned on its head, though, with every repetition of its cloying main hook: “C’est comme ça, na na na na na na na.”

“I know that regression is rarely rewarded/ I still need a certain degree of disorder,” Williams belts, a rare moment on the track where she sings instead of speaks. “I hate to admit getting better is boring/ But the high cost of chaos?/ Who can afford it?”

Fans have been waiting for the single since Paramore began teasing it in the week prior to its release. At one point, the band posted a cryptic video to its Instagram story, captioning it with nothing but the letters “ccc.”

“I’m trying to get un-addicted to a survival narrative,” Williams said of the song’s meaning in a statement. “The idea of imminent doom is less catastrophic to me than not knowing anything about the future or my part in it. The guys and I are all in much more stable places in our lives than ever before. And somehow that is harder for me to adjust to.”

The trio’s newfound stability comes after a five-year hiatus, which Williams, Farro and York spent taking a break from the demands of being one of the world’s best-loved pop punk groups to reevaluate and explore solo projects. They haven’t released an album since dropping After Laughter in 2017, and prior to their string of live shows last year, they hadn’t toured in nearly as much time.

Speaking to Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1, Williams said Paramore “had a really good time getting back into a little bit of dance punk vibes” when making “C’est Comme Ça.”

“I had been listening to a lot of Dry Cleaning and Yard Act and just artists that talk a lot over great, cool, music,” she shared. “So I guess I was just feeling poetic and feeling a bit critical of myself and fused all that stuff.”

Stream Paramore’s newest single “C’est Comme Ça” below:

12 Jan 2023

Jack White Reflects on Playing With Jeff Beck as The Yardbirds: ‘One of the Greatest Thrills of My Life’

The music industry is coming together to mourn the loss of Jeff Beck, one of rock’s most masterful guitarists. Following Beck’s death on Wednesday (Jan. 11), famous admirers of the celebrated guitarist have been coming forward to express their sadness, with White Stripes‘ Jack White reflecting on special moments he shared with the late guitarist.

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“Jeff Beck, guitar innovator extraordinaire has moved to the next realm. I wrote to him a couple of years ago to show him that I was standing where he once stood inside Sam Phillips studio in Memphis some 50 odd years before,” White wrote on Instagram. “He was amazingly kind and instructional to me over the years. Many shows that I’ve played began moments after listening to his song “Led Boots” backstage.”

But one moment in particular stands out to White. “This bootleg clip that I’m posting is when I had one of the greatest thrills of my life, along with Meg White and Jack Lawrence of the Greenhornes, we were ‘the yardbirds’ for one night backing up Jeff at the Royal Festival Hall in London,” he shared. “In our rehearsals he plugged straight into an amp, no effects pedals. He was changing the sound of the guitar and doing things people didn’t know were possible from his earliest days on stage. God Bless you Jeff, you must already be chatting with Cliff Gallup somewhere.”

The news of Beck’s death was confirmed in a statement released by his family: “It is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing,” the statement reads. “After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss.”

See White’s tribute post to Beck below.

12 Jan 2023

‘What a Queen’: Artists React to Shakira’s Hard-Hitting Bizarrap Music Session

If you went to sleep with Shakira on your mind and woke up with Shakira on your mind, you’re not alone. The Colombian star’s Music Session with Argentine hitmaker Bizarrap is all the buzz. The striking new song, in which she slams ex Gerard Piqué for leaving her for another woman, is stirring up strong emotions among other artists, who are celebrating Shak for her new girl-power anthem.

“My God, what a queen Shakira,” Argentine artist Emilia posted on Twitter.

“BZRP: Music Sessions #53” dropped on Wednesday (Jan. 11) after much speculation about what she could possibly have to say in a session with Bizarrap, which typically features emotional rappers who don’t hold back taking aim at something or someone. Such was the case with Residente, who teamed up with Biza for his tiraera against J Balvin.

Shakira didn’t disappoint. Throughout the nearly four-minute track which feels like it serves as a therapy session, an empowered Shakira doesn’t hold back, letting her emotions take over, and slams the Spanish soccer star, who is the father of her two children. “You traded a Ferrari for a Twingo/ You traded a Rolex for a Casio/ You’re going fast, slow down/ Lots of time at the gym, but your brain needs a little work too.”

She also takes aim at Piqué’s new girlfriend. “She has the name of a good person/ It’s clearly not what it sounds like/ She has the name of a good person/ She’s clearly the same as you/ For guys like you/ I’m too good for you and that’s why you’re with someone just like you.”

But perhaps the most celebrated and tweeted about line is when she sings, “Las mujeres ya no lloran, las mujeres facturan,” which translates to, “Women don’t cry anymore, they cash in.”

“Burned,” tweeted Mexican singer Paty Cantú. “I love it.”

Below, check out some of the artist reactions to “BZRP: Music Sessions #53.”

12 Jan 2023

Samsung NXT 2.0 Contestants Put Their Voices to Ultimate Test in Final Challenge

Samsung NXT 2.0 is nearing the end of this stage of the competition as the contestants have finished their final challenge in the singing face-off.

After weeks of sharing cover tracks and their own original material, the 12 contestants tried their hand at the last challenge in the showdown, using their vocal chops, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch5. For this round, the dozen had a batch of hits, varying in genres, moods and languages, to which they were instructed to create the music for their track —  using their voice — and sing the cover in just 60 seconds using the Samsung products. As they have in the past, the dozen showed up with their submissions, sharing renditions of Rihanna’s “Stay,” Shawn Mendes’ “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back” and more. 

As with the previous round, the contestants have since been ranked on a specialty Billboard chart, which serves as the cumulative chart average and revealed the top trio advancing to the next round of the competition as finalists. Click here to see who made it to the top. In the weeks to come, each will partake in an intimate one-on-one mentorship session with mentors Mariah Angeliq, Flo Milli and BIBI. 

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The winner of Samsung and Billboard’s NXT 2.0 competition will land on the cover of a special digital issue of Billboard, receive a meeting with a record label, studio time to record their first single, funding for a music video and tickets to the 2023 Billboard Music Awards. Check out each submission as part of the customize it challenge, and click here to follow along for the latest on the Samsung NXT 2.0 competition. 

Andrew Leonforte

Shawn Mendes happens to be one of Leonforte’s biggest musical influences, so “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back” was an easy pick for the aspiring star. “I had so much fun reimagining this incredible song,” the contestant said of creating the backbone of his submission.

FIKI

Fiki wanted to choose a track that she was really going to connect with and Rihanna’s “Stay” featuring Mikky Ekko happened to be that song. “I knew that performing this song would showcase my vocal strength and ability,” she said of her cover song video submission. 

Julian King

King opted for Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” for challenge three based on pure nostalgia. “It takes me back to middle school, traveling to Italy, during our ‘rock band’ phase,” he said while speaking about giving the 2004 hit a customized makeover.

Kyn Rose

For Rose’s submission, the aspiring star opted for a cover of Rihanna’s “Stay,” with layers of heavenly harmonizing as the foundation of the track — and that has been a longtime idea for the contestant. “Every time I’ve listened to the song, I couldn’t help but sing harmonies and additional vocals to it, and I’ve always pictured a beautiful choir singing this song in a dark, echoey room,” he explained.

Lordus

@iamlordus

Ok ya’ll ? pls! Sooo this week’s #SamsungNXT challenge was a challengeeee!? But listennn as hard as this was for me I think I did what needed to be done! #ad we were asked to create our own backing track using just our voice and our hands, NO instruments! While also showcasing our #GalaxyWatch5 on the GalaxyZFlip4. Thank youu sm @billboardnxt and @samsungus for this opportunity! This is the Final challenge to determine who’s their TOP3‼️ Please continue to support me the way you’ve been! I appreciate all the love and support so far! LET’S KEEP ME IN THE TOP 3!!! We can do this! Please LIKE, COMMENT, & SHARE this video to let them know why I’m #samsungnxt unsigned artist! ………. #fyp #fypシ

♬ original sound – Lordus

Lordus knows the power of transforming a track and she had her eyes set on “There’s Nothin’ Holdin’ Me Back” for the last challenge. For her submission, she flipped the pop record and gave it the Lordus treatment with her silky smooth delivery and vocal foundation to pair. 

Mar’yana Hicks

“Stay” got Hicks on her feet to show off some dance skills, in addition to her vocals. For this round, the contestant said she went with the tender ballad as it “represents [her] style and range very well.”

Nicole Tortolani

Instead of creating a backing track using her vocals, Tortolani let a live a capella version of “Stay” take the forefront of this submission. “It is a beautiful composition and the higher notes are a touch of class inside the melody,” she said of the 2012 hit.

Nyla XO

Nyla XO’s went with a Brandy Brunch-style approach for her cover of “There’s Nothin’ Holdin’ Me Back,” where she showed just how she created the backing track. Throughout the submission, she shined a light on her original composition, highlighting vocal bass, soprano, adlibs and more.

Peyton McMahon

McMahon is a big fan of both Rih and Mikky Ekko, so he said he was excited to put his touch on “Stay.” Stacking a number of vocal harmonies together, the aspiring singer delivered big belts and falsetto runs on top of his backing track. 

Vaishalini

Janelle Monae’s “Make Me Feel” is an all-time favorite for Vaishalini. In fact, she and one of her best friends used to keep it in constant rotation when it dropped. She brought that love for the song to life with her smooth approach, a ton of vocal layering and minimal beats.

Wampy

For Wampy, the contestant picked a Spanish song that had a significant impact on his childhood during his upbringing in Chicago. For his cover of Selena’s “Como La Flor,” he kicked things off with clean vocals, before elevating the submission to new heights with a customized backing track.

12 Jan 2023

GOP Grifter George Santos Declares “I Will Not Resign”

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Embattled Newly Elected Rep. George Santos (R-NY) Is Sought After By Reporters On Capitol Hill

Source: Win McNamee / Getty

Embattled congressman George Santos has broken his silence to insist he will not resign over growing calls to step down over his growing history of lying about his past.

On Wednesday afternoon (Jan. 11), as the freshman Republican congressman was leaving his office, he was asked about the calls to resign from local officials of his party by ABC reporter Rachel Scott. “Will you step down?”, she asked. Santos swiftly answered, “I will not.” As he stepped onto the elevator, he refused to answer further questions from other reporters.

Santos would later take a more defiant tone on social media. “I was elected to serve the people of #NY03, not the party & politicians, I remain committed to doing that and regret to hear that local officials refuse to work with my office to deliver results to keep our community safe and lower the cost of living. I will NOT resign!”, he wrote.

Earlier on, leaders from the Nassau County Republican Party had held a press conference to publicly call on Santos to resign. “Today, on behalf of the Nassau County Republican Committee, I’m calling for his immediate resignation,” committee chairman Joseph G. Cairo said to the press. Saying he “deceived voters”, Cairo continued: “His lies were not mere fibs. He disgraced the House of Representatives. … He’s not welcome here at Republican headquarters.”

Cairo was joined by more than 20 prominent Republicans at the conference and remotely from Washington D.C., including four of Santos’ fellow members of the House – New York Representative Anthony D’Esposito along with Reps. Nick LaLota, Nick Langworthy, and Brandon Williams, as well as South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace. It was the strongest condemnation of the controversial politician from his own party to date, marking a sharp contrast to their full support of him during his campaigns in 2020 and 2022. Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County GOP executive, stated that Santos’ lies about being Jewish were particularly offensive. “He is a stain on the House of Representatives. He is a stain on the 3rd Congressional District,” he said.

The senior Republicans in the House – Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer – have remained mum about the latest calls for Santos to resign. McCarthy said on Wednesday “the voters have a voice in the decisions, not where people pick and choose based upon what somebody’s press has.” The GOP currently has a slender majority in the House, thanks to Santos’ flipping of the district in the midterms.

12 Jan 2023

Double Win for Fuerza Regida: The Band’s 2 New Albums Debut in Top 10 on Latin Albums Chart

Fuerza Regida kicks off the year with a double win, scoring two top 10s on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart: Pa Que Hablen and Sigan Hablando debut at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, on the Jan. 14-dated ranking. The Mexican corridos group becomes the first act to have two projects bow in the top 10 in the same chart week since 2016.

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“We worked on every track like if it was a single,” Jesús Ortiz Paz, the act’s lead singer, who goes by JOP, tells Billboard. “We spent more than 24 hours on each track, we worked on it with our heart and that is something that I remember a lot.”

Both Pa Que Hablen and Sigan Hablando were released Dec. 30 through Street Mob/Rancho Humilde/Sony Music Latin. While the former was announced on social networks, the latter was dropped unexpectedly right after. Both albums comprise 13 tracks and a collection of collaborators.

“We thought 26 songs in one album was a bit much,” JOP adds. “We picked up the phone and called Jimmy, our manager, who suggested we should split them. We were kind of iffy about it, but thought there was too much fire in one album, so decided to do two. Then, we came up with the name of the second album, and now they’re both charting on Top Latin Albums. Let’s go!”

Most of both sets’ opening sums derive from streaming equivalent album units, starting with Pa Que Hablen, which debuts at No. 5 with 10,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 5, according to Luminate. That equates to 13.61 million on-demand official streams of the album’s songs.

Meanwhile, Sigan Hablando at No. 6 logged 9,000 equivalent album units, equating to 13.2 million on-demand official streams in its first week.

The San Bernardino, Calif. — by way of Michoacán, Mexico — band formed in 2015. Band members include lead singer JOP, Khrystian Ramos on six-string guitar, José García on tuba, Samuel Jaimez on requinto and Moisés López on tololoche.

The quintet becomes the first act to notch two top 10 debuts on Top Latin Albums in the same chart week since Vicente Fernández achieved the feat with the live sets Un Azteca En El Azteca, Volumen 2 and Un Azteca En El Azteca, Volumen 1, which debuted at Nos. 5 and 9, respectively, in 2016. Fuerza Regida is the first act to have two concurrent top 10 debuts with new studio albums since Larry Hernández in 2012.

Two Top 10 Debuts

Notably, only seven acts have debuted two or more projects in the top 10 concurrently since Top Latin Albums launched in 1993: Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Intocable, Alejandro Fernández, Wisin & Yandel, Larry Hernández, Vicente Fernández and Fuerza Regida. Here’s a look at their double achievements:

Date, Debut Position, Title, Artist, Debut

  • May 10, 1997, No. 5, Tucanes De Plata, Los Tucanes de Tijuana
  • May 10, 1997, No. 8, Tucanes De Oro, Los Tucanes de Tijuana
  • Dec. 2, 2000, No. 6, Corridos De Primera Plana, Los Tucanes de Tijuana
  • Dec. 2, 2000, No. 8, Me Gusta Vivir De Noche, Los Tucanes de Tijuana
  • March 1, 2003, No. 1, La Historia (CD), Intocable
  • March 1, 2003, No. 5, La Historia (CD/DVD), Intocable
  • Dec. 26, 2009, No. 2, Dos Mundos: Evolución, Alejandro Fernández
  • Dec. 26, 2009, No. 10, Dos Mundos, Alejandro Fernández
  • Dec. 26, 20093, No. 3, Dos Mundos: Tradición, Alejandro Fernández
  • Oct. 9, 2010, No. 5, La Revolución: Live: Volume One, Wisin & Yandel
  • Oct. 9, 2010, No. 6, La Revolución: Live: Volume Two, Wisin & Yandel
  • Nov. 17, 2012, No. 3, Capaz de Todo, Larry Hernández
  • Nov. 17, 2012, No. 6, Larryvolucion, Larry Hernández
  • Oct. 1, 2016, No. 5, Un Azteca En El Azteca, Volumen 2, Vicente Fernández
  • Oct. 1, 2016, No. 9, Un Azteca En El Azteca, Volumen 1, Vicente Fernández

Seven Titles on Hot Latin Songs

In the songs’ realm, as Fuerza Regida’s Pa Que Hablen arrives, two of the set’s cuts debut on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart: “Igualito a Mi Papá,” with Peso Pluma, at Nos. 45 and “Mi Vecindario” at No. 49. In total, the group places seven simultaneous songs on the airplay-, digital sales-, and streams-blended tally. Plus, “Bebe Dame,” with Grupo Frontera, from Sigan Hablando takes home the Greatest Gainer/Sales & Streaming honors of the week (jumps 5-3). Here’s the list:

  • No. 3, “Bebe Dame,” with Grupo Frontera (from Sigan Hablando)
  • No. 19, “Billete Grande,” with Edgardo Nuñez (from Pa Que Hablen)
  • No. 21, “Ch y La Pizza,” with Natanael Cano (from Pa Que Hablen)
  • No. 27, “911 (En Vivo),” with Grupo Frontera
  • No. 34, ‘Se Acabó,” with Lenin Ramirez & Banda Renovación
  • No. 45, “Igualito a Mi Apa,” with Peso Pluma (debut from Pa Que Hablen)
  • No. 49, “Mi Vecindario” (debut from Pa Que Hablen)

“The songs we connect with the most are ‘Mi Vecindario’ and ‘Francotirador’ because they talk about real stuff, about me, about the whole clique, stuff about the hood,” JOP adds.

As both albums launch in the top tier on Top Latin Albums, Fuerza Regida adds a career fourth top 10 there.

12 Jan 2023

Ringo Starr and All Starr Band Announce Spring 2023 Tour Dates

Ringo Starr announced the dates for a spring 2023 tour by his All Starr Band on Thursday morning (Jan. 12). The mostly West Coast outing by the Beatles drummer and his famous friends is slated to kick off on May 19 at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, CA and feature a three-show run at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas, as well as shows in San Diego, Seattle, Denver, San Francisco and Los Angeles before wrapping up on June 17 in San Jose, California.

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“It’s a new year and here are some new tour dates,” Starr said in a statement. “I love playing with the All Starrs and can’t wait to be back out on the road again with this band. I send Peace and Love to you all and we hope to see you out there.” This year’s model will feature Starr joined by Men at Work singer Colin Hay, Toto guitarist/singer Steve Lukather, jazz/rock drummer Gregg Bissonette, keyboardist/singer Edgar Winter, Average White Band bassist Hamish Stuart and Kansas/Toto multi-instrumentalist Warren Ham.

The All Starr Band hit the road again in 2022 after a pandemic lay-off and Starr also dropped his EP3 collection in September.

Check out the All Starr Band’s dates below.

May 19 — Temecula, CA @ Pechanga Resort Casino

May 20 — Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theatre

May 21 — Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theatre

May 24 — Las Vegas, NV @ Venetian Theatre

May 26 — Las Vegas, NV @ Venetian Theatre

May 27 — Las Vegas, NV @ Venetian Theatre

May 28 — San Diego, CA @ Humphreys Concerts

May 31 — San Diego, CA @ Humphreys Concerts

June 2 — Eugene, OR @ Cuthbert Amphitheater

June 3 — Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater

June 4 — Seattle, WA @ Venue TBD

June 6 — Denver, CO @ Bellco Theater – Denver Convention Center

June 7 — Colorado Springs, CO @ Pikes Peak Center

June 9 — Lincoln, CA @ Thunder Valley Casino

June 11 — San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic 

June 13 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Eccles Theater

June 15 — Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre

June 16 — Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre

June 17 — San Jose, CA @ San Jose Civic