News

21 Dec 2022

SZA’s ‘Kill Bill’ Fills No. 1 Spot on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart

One week after SZA’s first anniversary at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the singer-songwriter returns to the summit for her second career chart-topper thanks to “Kill Bill.” The track debuts at No. 1 on the list dated Dec. 24 and is one of seven SZA titles in the top 10, all from her new album, SOS.

“Kill Bill” traces its chart-topping start largely to 36.9 million official U.S. streams in the week ending Dec. 15, according to Luminate, for a No. 1 opening on the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart. The track also sold 1,000 downloads in the same period and pulled 22,000 in radio audience impressions. The low radio audience is due to the song not being an actively promoted single to radio stations — “Shirt” is the current track at R&B/hip-hop stations, while “Nobody Gets Me” is targeted toward the pop and rhythmic sectors.

Before “Kill Bill,” SZA reigned on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart with “I Hate U,” which likewise earned its chart-topping rule by debuting in the top slot. The single arrived in the penthouse on the chart dated Dec. 18, 2021, and led for one week. As both “I Hate U” and “Kill Bill” appear on SOS, the album is the first to yield two Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs leaders since The Weeknd’s After Hours sparked No. 1s in “Heartless” and “Blinding Lights.”

SOS also arrives with chart-topping accolades. The set storms in at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top R&B Albums charts with 318,000 equivalent album units. Of that sum, 310,000 units derive from streaming — equal to 404.6 million official on-demand U.S. streams for the album’s songs, a new one-week record for any R&B album. On the former two charts, SOS grants SZA her first No. 1, while she picks up her second on the lattermost, after Ctrl reigned in 2017 upon its original release and again, earlier this year, following its deluxe edition’s premiere on the set’s fifth anniversary.

“Kill Bill” leads a parade of SZA cuts onto Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, with seven tracks in the top 10 and 20 on the chart overall. Here’s a rundown of all her placements this week:

No. 1, “Kill Bill”
No. 2, “Nobody Gets Me”
No. 3, “Blind”
No. 6, “Low”
No. 7, “Shirt”
No. 8, “Love Language”
No. 9, “Seek & Destroy”
No. 11, “Snooze”
No. 12, “Used,” featuring Don Toliver
No. 13, “SOS”
No. 16, “Special”
No. 17, “Ghost in the Machine,” featuring Phoebe Bridgers
No. 19, “Gone Girl”
No. 20, “Notice Me”
No. 23, “Smoking on My Ex Pack”
No. 24, “Open Arms,” featuring Travis Scott
No. 27, “Conceited”
No. 29, “Far”
No. 30, “Too Late”
No. 35, “Forgiveless,” featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard

Plus, in addition to “I Hate U,” another prior SOS single, “Good Days,” reached No. 3 in 2021.

The SZA takeover also extends to the Hot R&B Songs chart, where the hitmaker posts eight tracks in the top 10 and 18 songs on the 25-position list. “Bill” leads the pack and becomes her third No. 1 on the list, after “The Weekend” and “I Hate U” each ruled for one week in, respectively, 2018 and 2021.

21 Dec 2022

Lizzo Shows Off Her New ‘Wolf Cut’ on TikTok

Lizzo, fresh off of her appearance as musical guest on SNL last weekend, has a fresh new look.

She took to TikTok on Tuesday (Dec. 20) to show off her new hairstyle, a wolf cut featuring shaggy, wavy layers and bangs.

“are we loving the wolf cut ???” she asked her followers on the post, which had reached 3.9 million views at press time.

In the video, Lizzo mouths a Blair Waldorf line from the original Gossip Girl series: “Some people are simply better than others.”

Her cute new hairstyle can also be seen in a second clip, in which the singer applied lipstick and showed off her outfit, a T-shirt dress with cut-outs. “I’m posting a lot today so beware,” she wrote.

“Obsessed w how cute I was yesterday,” she added in an Instagram glimpse at herself in the mirror.

See Lizzo’s new hairstyle below and on her TikTok.

21 Dec 2022

Boosie Badazz “Rocket Man,” Lil Durk & Deeski “Block Is Hot” & More | Daily Visuals 12.21.22

HipHopWired Featured Video
Clark Atlanta Forever 2022 Homecoming Concert

Source: Paras Griffin / Getty

For a while now Boosie Badazz has been making all kinds of noise on social media for his controversial takes on certain situations more than he has been with his music, but the man is a rapper so y’all know he’d eventually have to get back on his music grizzly.

Dropping some new black-and-white visuals for “Rocket Man,” Boosie Badazz stands along on a soundstage with nothing but a gang of jewelry on his person before showcasing some black love and spitting some more controversial takes in his bars. Homie really don’t care about getting canceled, b.

Back in Chicago, Lil Durk returns to the block with his peoples in his clip to the Deeski assisted “Block Is Hot,” Durk counts some stacks in the trap house before he gets turnt up on the streets with his crew.

Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from BlocBoy JB, Sauce Walka and more.

BOOSIE BADAZZ – “ROCKET MAN”



LIL DURK & DEESKI – “BLOCK IS HOT”



BLOCBOY JB – “YOU LEFT ME”



SAUCE WALKA – “HERE I AM”



FLO – “LOSING YOU”



ROOGA – “STASH HOUSE”



SADA BABY FT. SUKIHANA – “SUKISADA”



ROME STREETZ – “BIG STEPPA”


https://youtube.com/watch?v=r_2Pz_3rspQ&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

21 Dec 2022

Rory Kramer, Justin Bieber’s Photographer, Mourns Loss of Son After Premature Birth: ‘How Fragile Life Is’

Gone far too soon. Rory Kramer, Justin Bieber‘s longtime photographer and music video director, took to social media on Monday (Dec. 19) to share the news that his baby son had died after a premature birth.

“It’s with a broken heart that I share on December 1, 2022 at 9:41pm, my wife Amy went into a preterm labor and gave birth to our baby boy, Daniel Thomas Kramer after 21 weeks,” Kramer wrote alongside an Instagram photo of himself cradling the tiny baby, whose face was covered by a heart emoji. “A name after both our fathers. He weighed 14oz and was 11 inches long. He made Amy and I parents for 52 minutes before heading off to heaven.”

Kramer went on to recall his very first moments in the hospital with baby Daniel before writing, “It went from the most beautiful moment to the most eye opening, devastating moment I’ve ever experienced. Daniel taught me so much in those 52 minutes…he showed me patience, he taught me how fragile life is, to never to take life for granted, and that death affects so many.”

“We are so blessed and grateful for the time we had to stare at him, kiss him, and hold him in our arms. He was perfect. Tiny little hands. Big goofy feet. And Rory’s face. We wish you could have met him,” the photographer continued. “I share this, as a lot of you have been following my journey through many peaks and valleys, and as we find ourselves in the trenches, I know we must go on and live a life to honor our son. To anyone, that has experienced a loss or similar situation, my heart aches for you.”

Kramer’s directorial credits include the music videos for Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande’s pandemic hit “Stuck With U,” The Chainsmokers’ 2016 single “All We Know,” both “I’ll Show You” and “Company” off Bieber’s 2015 album Purpose and “Should’ve Been Us” by Tori Kelly.

Read Kramer’s heartbreaking tribute to baby Daniel below.

21 Dec 2022

Sony Music Says Artists Have Withdrawn $50M Using Its Cash-Out and Real-Time Advance Features

On Monday (Dec. 19), Sony Music Entertainment (SME) shared a recap with the company’s artists and earnings participants on the progress of its Artists Forward initiative, which encompasses SME’s legacy unrecouped balances initiative, healthcare assistance, advances on projected earnings and more.

Notably, the recap offers never-before-reported stats on Sony Music’s artist portal and real-time insights platforms. Introduced in 2019, the features offer music creators and their teams “best-in-class” payment capabilities and real-time updates on consumption of their music and audience engagement data. According to the company, artists and other earnings participants have withdrawn nearly $50 million combined from both the cash-out feature, which allows users to cash out payable monthly account balances, and the real-time advances feature, which allows users to receive advances on qualifying projected earnings.

Newly announced as part of the recap is Sony Music’s recent introduction of healthcare advocacy services for on-roster and legacy artists in the United States, designed to make it easier for artists to navigate the process of obtaining and utilizing healthcare coverage, finding a doctor, managing healthcare bills and more. Since launching in the fall, the program has helped U.S.-based artists realize hundreds of thousands of dollars in healthcare cost savings, according to the company.

The label first introduced the Artists Forward initiative in June 2021 with its legacy unrecouped balance program, which waives the unrecouped balances of artists who signed to Sony Music prior to 2000 and have not received advances since that same year. The following month, the program was expanded to include songwriters, and this past May, Sony Music began offering eligibility on a rolling 20-year basis — meaning artists not initially covered by the program will become eligible once they hit the 20-year mark of signing with the label. According to the Dec. 19 recap, eligibility notifications recently began going out to the first group of qualifying artists and participants under the new criteria (those who signed with the label prior to 2001) in select markets around the world.

In September 2021, the company further expanded Artists Forward by launching “Artist Assistance,” an initiative covering mental health services for its artist roster. According to the Dec. 19 recap, over 100 artists globally have since been provided with information and support related to the program, with dozens across more than 12 countries having utilized these services to establish recurring sessions with a licensed therapist or receive in-the-moment support to deal with “acute issues.”

You can read the full recap here.

21 Dec 2022

Oscars 2023: Snubs & Surprises in the Music Shortlists 

Taylor Swift probably has mixed emotions about the Oscar shortlists, which were announced on Wednesday (Dec. 21). She is shortlisted for best original song for “Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing. For a folk-style ballad that wasn’t a big hit, that’s great.

On the other hand, she was not shortlisted for best live action short film for “All Too Well,” which she directed. “All Too Well” won three MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 28 — video of the year, best director and best long-form video.

Swift has had enough awards show experience to know that you win some and you lose some. But to not be shortlisted for a film that she cares deeply about and has worked hard to promote has to sting.

Swift’s pal Selena Gomez also got mixed news in the shortlists. “My Mind & Me,” which she co-wrote for Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, was shortlisted for best original song, though the film itself was not shortlisted for best documentary feature.

M.M. Keeravaani also knows the feeling. He was shortlisted for best original song for co-writing “Naatu Naatu” from RRR, though his score for that film failed to make the best original score shortlist.

Of course, some people got a double dose of good news. Ludwig Göransson, Alexandre Desplat, Simon Franglen and Ryan Lott of Son Lux are each shortlisted for both best original song and best original score.

The Motion Picture Academy released shortlists of between 10 and 15 semifinalists in 10 categories. Our focus here will be on the music categories – best original song and best original score – and two other categories that sometimes include music artists – documentary feature and live action short film.

Nominations for the 95th Oscars will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Final round voting will be held March 2-7. The telecast, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place on Sunday, March 12, 2023, airing live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

Here are some of the most notable snubs and surprises in the music shortlists.

21 Dec 2022

From Beyoncé to Brent Faiyaz, What Was Your Favorite R&B Album of 2022? Vote!

It’s that time of year! Yes, the holiday season, but also when we look back and take stock on the best music of the year. And in the countdown to Christmas, we want to know which R&B album released in 2022 was your favorite.

On Tuesday (Dec. 20), Billboard staffers ranked their ten picks for the year’s best R&B studio sets, starting with Brent Faiyaz‘s Wasteland. Calling it the indie artist’s “most transparent project to date,” the sophomore follow-up to 2017’s Sonder Son was led by singles “Dead Man Walking,” “Gravity” with DJ Dahi and featuring a guest assist from Tyler, the Creator, and “Wasting Time” featuring Drake before finally debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in July.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the year in R&B without considering Beyoncé‘s mammoth Renaissance, even if the Beyhive is still waiting for any hint of visuals from Queen Bey’s house-inspired opus, which includes fan favorite cuts like “Alien Superstar,” “Cuff It,” “Pure/Honey” and hit single “Break My Soul.”

Steve Lacy also made major waves in the genre thanks to his major-label solo debut, Gemini Rights, and its No. 1 hit “Bad Habit,” and Ari Lennox shared many a personal detail with her unapologetic sophomore album Age/Sex/Location.

Other powerhouse contenders that made Billboard‘s top 10 list included The Weeknd‘s radio broadcast-inspired Dawn FM, Ella Mai‘s vulnerable Heart on My Sleeve, Giveon‘s Give or Take and Lucky Daye‘s Candydrip. Plus, Kehlani and Mary J. Blige proved once again to be masters of their craft on their stellar respective albums Blue Water Road and the Grammy-nominated Good Morning Gorgeous.

Vote for your favorite R&B album of 2022 in Billboard‘s year-end poll below.

21 Dec 2022

Las Vegas Punk Rock Museum Opening Delayed Until March

The opening of a Las Vegas museum devoted to punk rock music has been pushed back.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Wednesday (Dec. 21) that the Punk Rock Museum, slated to debut next month, will open its doors in March.

The 12,000-square-foot museum is situated between the Las Vegas Strip and downtown. It will include a bar, a tattoo parlor, a wedding chapel and a “jam room.”

Several punk rock artists have signed on to act as tour guides, including Roger Miret of Agnostic Front and Louiche Mayorga of Suicidal Tendencies.

The museum’s opening day is March 10. Tours will begin April 1.

21 Dec 2022

Billboard Español: Three Months Old and Growing Fast

Exactly three months ago, on Sept. 22, we officially launched Billboard Español with Colombian star Camilo on our first digital cover. We started literally from zero.

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Today, after only 90 days, we publish over 40 original stories per week to the site, boast over a quarter of a million monthly visits to billboardespanol.com and are growing our number of visits and users by 20% month to month.

Thanks to music fans who speak Spanish in every corner of the world, Billboard Español is a hit.

Given what we’ve attained in terms of numbers, it’d be logical to say that launching Billboard Español was a business decision. But this is, first and foremost, an initiative that comes from the heart.  

When I came to work at Billboard, 20 years ago (yes, unreal), I felt my mission was to “translate” our music, our culture and our artists to the mainstream, English-speaking world. I looked around me and I couldn’t understand why major media companies ignored what happened musically in Spanish. The lack of interest extended to other areas, like film and television. We were virtually invisible. It felt like language was an unbreachable barrier.

But in Billboard I found a powerful tool: a media brand that was recognized as the “Bible” of the music industry. And within it, a platform where I could constantly generate content about Latin music and its artists. We devoted the last two decades to growing this platform and opening the eyes and ears of our readers to the sounds of our artists.

From one a column a week, we went to a page, several pages, a Latin department and a wide array of coverage that includes a vast menu of videos, social media and reporters in the Latin world, in addition to the Billboard Latin Music Awards and, of course, our unparalleled Billboard Latin Music Week.

We’ve had more than 40 Latin artists on the cover of Billboard and we’ve made history. We were the first English-language media brand to have a reggaeton star on its cover (Daddy Yankee in 2005), the first and only to have J Balvin and Nicky Jam together on a cover, and the first to join Jennifer Lopez with Maluma. The list goes on and on. This year alone, Romeo Santos, Maluma, Grupo Firme and Sebastian Yatra — four artists representing four different Latin music genres — were on our cover, in addition to Camilo.

The final flourish, of course, was Bad Bunny on the cover of our No. 1s issue. Not only was he the first Latin artist to ever grace our No. 1 cover issue, but he was also the first artist to be featured on simultaneous Billboard covers in English and Spanish.

Billboard Español is the latest link in this long chain of achievements, and it’s perhaps the most significant, for we are covering Latin music in two languages. In addition to our extraordinary Latin music team, we’ve built an excellent editorial team for Billboard Español, with Sigal Ratner-Arias, a respected veteran of entertainment and music reporting, as deputy editor.

We are literally creating a new way of covering music, in our language.

Today, Spanish is the second most-spoken language in the United States; according to the U.S. Census, more than 41 million people speak it at home. And music in Spanish is the second most listened to music in the world, only after music in English.

That means that for 2023, there is only room for us to grow, expanding our coverage of Latin music on all our Billboard platforms, including Billboard Español.

The best is yet to come!

Leila Cobo

Chief Content Officer, Billboard Latin/Español

21 Dec 2022

Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss’ Wife Allison Holker Says Her ‘Heart Aches’ a Week After His Death

Allison Holker Boss, the wife of the late Stephen “tWitch” Boss, is mourning her husband in her first public post on social media since announcing his death a week ago.

“My ONE and ONLY,” she wrote in a heartbreaking note on Instagram on Wednesday afternoon (Dec. 21). “Oh how my heart aches. We miss you so much.”

Holker Boss shared a sweet selfie of the couple, who were married in 2013.

Ellen DeGeneres — who worked with tWitch on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show — was among the many friends to comment on Holker’s post, writing, “There is so much love coming to you. I hope you can feel it.”

Boss — a DJ, dancer and television host — died by suicide at age 40. His wife was the first to share the news of his death through a statement to People. “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us,” she said on Dec. 14. “Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him. He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans.”

“To say he left a legacy would be an understatement, and his positive impact will continue to be felt,” she added. “I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honor his memory. We ask for privacy during this difficult time for myself and especially for our three children. Stephen, we love you, we miss you, and I will always save the last dance for you.”

See her latest post in memory of her husband below.