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14 Oct 2022

2 Chainz Debuts New Song In ‘House Party’ Trailer Starring Snoop Dogg, Kid Cudi & More

2 Chainz has dropped off a new song that soundtracks the trailer for the forthcoming House Party remake.

The revamp of the 1990 comedy film was announced back in 2018, with LeBron James and Maverick Carter being pegged as producers.

The film debuted its first look trailer on Friday (October 14), and numerous rap superstars will make a cameo appearance in the film – which follows two broke cleaners as they decided to throw a huge party at LeBron’s mansion.

The trailer alone features appearances from Snoop Dogg, Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne and GaTa from the Lil Dicky comedy series Dave, but what’s even more exciting is that 2 Chainz unveiled a new track titled “2 Step,” which is essentially a rework of Kool & The Gang’s 1973 classic “Hollywood Swinging.”

“2 Step” is the first new offering fans have gotten from the Atlanta rapper since dropping off his Dope Don’t Sell Itself project in February. In the months since, Tity Boi has hopped on a number of songs including Kid Cudi‘s “Can’t Believe It,” Baby Tate‘s “Ain’t No Love,” and Mozzy‘s “In My Face” just to name a few.

Music aside, 2 Chainz has been working hard this year to expand his Esco restaurant chain across the United States, six years after opening his first location in 2016.

Per Franchise Times, 2 Chainz and his business partner Mychel “Snoop” Dillard signed their first franchise agreement in 2022, and plan to build more Esco restaurants outside of its three Atlanta locations.

“[Dillard’s] one of the people that really made my transition into this hospitality space easier because, originally my introduction to the space was real estate,” 2 Chainz said.

“I own properties and dirt and stuff like that. So that, merged with her passion and mine made me very comfortable in this space going on six years now.”

The first alternate Esco location outside of Georgia is coming to Columbus, Ohio, and they’re also reportedly finalizing deals to bring Esco to Dallas and Memphis.

“It’s more lounge with great food and great atmosphere,” Chainz added of the place’s aesthetic. “Of course, we have the best drinks in town. We also have hookahs that attract pretty women, which attract playa guys.”

As for House Party, the new film was penned by Atlanta writer Stephen Glover as well as Jamal Olori, and will debut on HBO Max on January 9 after it got pushed back from its initial December 9 release date.

14 Oct 2022

You Have to Check Out This Wild Halloween Light Show Featuring Metallica, ‘Ghostbusters’ Theme & More

‘Tis the season — spooky season, that is. This Linden, Calif., neighborhood home takes Halloween decor to a whole new level.

The house, which goes by Magical Light Shows on Facebook and via its website, uploaded the 2022 edition of their popular ghoulish light shows to YouTube, and it’s potentially their best one yet.

For Metallica‘s “Master of Puppets,” an angry jack-o-lantern belts out the lyrics as the massive home behind it flashes in creepy light displays, complete with light up gravestones and a drone-powered light show 400 feet above the house. “Come crawling faster / Obey your master / Your life burns faster / Obey your master, master,” the pumpkin shouts. The show then delves into the iconic theme from the 1984 classic film, Ghostbusters.

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The title track to Metallica’s 1986 Master of Puppets album has gotten a major bump this past year thanks to its inclusion in the thrilling season 4 finale of the Netflix mega-hit series Stranger Things. The song soared onto the Billboard charts dated July 16 thanks to Things, making its first appearance on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 at No. 40, marking the rockers’ first time on the chart since “The Day That Never Comes” wrapped its run in November 2008, after reaching No. 31 that September.

“I made this show for free for our community. We are big fans and this was a project of passion,” the Magical Light Shows video description reads.

Watch the full light show below.

14 Oct 2022

Grammys 2023: Categories With Most & Fewest Entries

All Grammys count the same toward someone’s career Grammy total, but we all know they’re not really on an equal footing. Every media outlet on Earth will report the winners of album of the year and record of the year next Feb. 5, but good luck trying to find out who won best regional roots music album (we’ll have it, of course).

Some categories are far more competitive than others. There are more than 20 times as many entries in this year’s most populated category, song of the year (686), as in this year’s least populated category, best opera recording (30). (More than 22 times, actually, but I didn’t want to sound too nerdy.)

Since final-round voting for the 65th Grammy Awards opened Thursday, Grammy voters have been conscientiously wading through the entry lists for 85 of the 91 Grammy categories. (Or so Academy leaders fervently hope.) The nominees in the other six categories are determined by committees.

Voters may find some surprises as they study the entry lists. The number of entries in each of the Big Four categories dropped significantly compared to last year, perhaps due to the Academy’s new policy of charging a fee for entries beyond five “courtesy entries.”

There are 619 entries for record of the year, down from 1,172 last year; 518 entries for album of the year, down from 837; 686 entries for song of the year, down from 1,163; and 368 entries for best new artist, down from 463.

This is actually a positive trend. The entry lists were far too long. It’s asking too much of busy people to expect them to diligently wade through a list of 1,172 entries – and that was just for one category!

Here’s the new rule, and the rationale behind it, taken from the 65th Grammy Awards rules and guidelines booklet: “The per-entry fee structure encourages entrants to consider the value of each entry and make mindful decisions to put forward work that they truly believe is Grammy-worthy. All professional and voting members of the Recording Academy will receive five courtesy entries every year. Any member who would feel burdened by the entry fees can request the fees be waived by reaching out to the awards department.”

In other surprises, best music video has more entries (661) than all but one category (song of the year). Given how competitive it is, this should really regarded as one of the top awards, but it’s tucked away in the music/video film field, not in the general field (usually called the Big Four).

There are nearly five times as many entries for best score soundtrack for visual media (including film and television) (250) as there are for best compilation soundtrack for visual media (51).

The most populated songwriting category (outside of song of the year) is best American roots song (333). Country, though generally thought of as a songwriter-driven genre, lags behind all other genres with 128 entries.

Here are all songwriting categories, ranked from most to least number of entries this year: song of the year (686), best American roots song (333), best rock song (300), best rap song (219), best R&B song (218), best contemporary Christian music performance/song (172), best song written for visual media (154), best gospel performance/song (134) and best country song (128).

All five of the categories that were added this year had a healthy number of entries. There are 270 entries for best alternative music performance, 226 for best Americana performance, 84 for best spoken word poetry album, 71 for best score soundtrack for video games and other interactive media and 62 for songwriter of the year, non-classical.

The number of entries for songwriter of the year, non-classical is only about one-quarter of the number of entries for producer of the year, non-classical (214), probably because of the new category’s restrictive rules, which were intended to put the focus on songwriters who are not also artists or producers.

The Recording Academy keeps track of the number of entries in each category. Here’s the relevant rule from the rules and guidelines booklet: “Each category shall have at least 40 distinct artist entries. If a category receives between 25 and 39 entries, only three recordings will receive nominations in that year.” That’s the case for both best opera recording, which as noted above, had 30 entries this year, and best choral performance, which had 35.

The rules further state: “Should there be fewer than 25 entries in a category, that category will immediately go on hiatus for the current year – no award given – and entries will be screened into the next most logical category. If a category received fewer than 25 entries for three consecutive years, the category will be discontinued, and submissions will be entered in the next most appropriate category.” (That doesn’t apply to any categories this year.)

If you’re curious, the six categories where the nominations are determined by committees, rather than by voters at large, are all four categories in the package, notes and historical field (best recording package, best boxed/special/limited edition, best album notes, best historical album) and two categories in the production field (best remixed recording, best immersive audio album).

First-round voting continues through Oct. 23. Nominees will be announced on Nov. 15. Final-round voting runs from Dec. 14 to Jan. 4, 2023. The winners will be revealed at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, 2023.

Here are the categories with most and least entries.

Categories with the most entries

(in descending order)

Song of the year, 686

Best music video, 661

Record of the year, 619

Album of the year, 518

Best new artist, 368

Best rock performance, 350

Best American roots song, 333

Best instrumental composition, 321

Best arrangement, instruments and vocals, 318

Best pop solo performance, 309

Best rock song, 300

Best improvised jazz solo, 284

Best American roots performance, 283

Best engineered album, non-classical, 282

Best global music performance, 280

Categories with the fewest entries

(in ascending order)

Best opera recording, 30

Best choral performance, 35

Best regional roots music album, 40

Best música urbana album, 41

Best large jazz ensemble album, 41

Best musical theater album, 42

Best country duo/group performance, 44

Best roots gospel album, 47

Best bluegrass album, 48

Best compilation soundtrack for visual media, 51

Best gospel album, 54

Best Latin rock or alternative album, 56

Best Latin jazz album, 56

Best tropical Latin album, 58

Best classical solo vocal album, 60

14 Oct 2022

Lil Baby Seemingly Responds To Quavo’s Saweetie Cheating Claim

Lil Baby has dropped a pair of new songs that hear him comment on the drama surrounding Saweetie allegedly cheating on Quavo.

On the tracks “Stand On It” and “Not Finished” — taken from his newly released album It’s Only Me — Baby spits a few verses that has fans assuming that he’s involved in the messy situation between Quavo and Saweetie.

“I don’t want yo bitch, we can’t swap out (Swap out)/ They ain’t on shit, tell ’em to pop out (Pop out),” he raps on “Stand On It.”

Then on “Not Finished,” Lil Baby seemingly references the picture of the Icy Girl allegedly sitting on his lap during a New York shopping spree that started the rumors of the two hooking up last year.

“She post a picture without my permission/ Got me in some shit, man, these women is wild,” Baby raps on the song.

After Lil Baby’s album dropped, keen-eyed fans shared a photo on social media of an Instagram Story Quavo had shared around the time of the snapshot of Saweetie sitting on the mystery man’s lap.

“Ain’t trippin we can swap it out! #QCTheLabel,” he wrote, speaking on Quality Control Music, the Atlanta-based label both he and Lil Baby are signed to.

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Other fans hopped on Twitter and left their opinions on the alleged diss records. “‘I dont want yo bch, we cant swap out’ Lil Baby cleaaaaarly responded to that ‘we can swap it out’ comment Quavo made bout Saweetie ah sht,” one Twitter user said.

Another tweeted: “Lil Baby dissed Quavo on ‘Stand On It’ lol ‘I don’t want your bitch we can’t swap out’,” another person tweeted. “Lmaoooooo remember he took Saweetie shopping Quavo said it’s cool we can swap out.”

“Lil Baby definitely talking about Saweetie posting him on ‘Not Finished’ lmaoooooo,” one Twitter user posted after hearing the other track, while someone else said: “Lil Baby had to be talking about Saweetie on ‘Not Finished.’”

The two tracks from Lil Baby also come after Quavo seemingly alluded to Saweetie cheating on him on the song “Messy” off his new album with fellow Migos member Takeoff, Only Built For Infinity Links, which arrived on streaming services last Friday (October 7).

“I said ‘Caresha, please’ ’cause she too messy/ Bitch fucked my dawg behind my back but I ain’t stressin’/ You wanted the gang? You shoulda just said it, we would’ve just blessed it/ Now shit got messy,” Huncho raps on the song.

While Quavo didn’t name anyone in particular, many listeners believed he was referring to his partner-in-rhyme and cousin Offset sleeping with his ex-girlfriend Saweetie, suggesting it was the reason behind the Migos’ sudden breakup earlier this year.

14 Oct 2022

Slipknot Continues No. 1 Streak on Top Rock & Alternative Albums Chart

Slipknot‘s The End, So Far continues the band’s string of No. 1s on Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums charts, debuting atop all three rankings dated Oct. 15.

End bows with 59,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Oct. 6, according to Luminate, with 50,000 from album sales.

Each of Slipknot’s studio LPs has ruled the three charts since the lists’ inceptions (Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums in 2006, Top Hard Rock Albums in 2007). Prior to End, the band, which formed in Iowa in 1995, reigned with 2008’s All Hope Is Gone, followed by 2014’s .5: The Gray Chapter and 2019’s We Are Not Your Kind.

End concurrently starts at No. 2 on the all-format Billboard 200, marking the band’s sixth top five title, and No. 1 on Top Album Sales, its fourth ruler.

Six songs from End appear on the multi-metric Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, led by current single “Yen,” which re-enters at No. 6 on the strength of 1.1 million official U.S. streams and 736,000 airplay audience impressions. The top debut from the album is “Hive Mind” at No. 12 (1.5 million streams).

“Yen” and “The Dying Song (Time to Sing)” also rank on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs at Nos. 47 and 50, respectively.

“Yen,” the album’s second radio single, has reached No. 16 on Mainstream Rock Airplay, this week placing at No. 17 with a new high in weekly plays. Preceding single “The Chapeltown Rag” hit No. 28 last December.

14 Oct 2022

Duolingo Shocks Twitter With Very Suggestive Katy Perry Tweet

Duolingo got a little too comfortable on Twitter on Wednesday (Oct. 12), when the language learning app reposted a throwback video of Katy Perry at the 2010 Kids’ Choice Awards.

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In the clip, a blue-haired Perry goes on stage and opens a box, when a violent stream of green slime explodes in her face, which is a typical prank at the Nickelodeon awards show. Now, Duolingo, which has a green owl as a mascot, suggestively retweeted it and wrote, “hold up is that my –.”

We won’t get into the nitty gritty of the innuendo, but we’ll let your imagination take it from here.

At the time of publication, the tweet has more than half a million likes and 47,000 retweets, mostly filled with playful shock from fans for such a bold move on Duolingo’s part. “We’re all thinking it, i just said it,” the educational program wrote in defense.

Perry has yet to respond to Duolingo’s NSFW advances, but she’s likely busy working on new music. In an interview with Drew Barrymore last month, the “Daisies” singer hinted at making a new album. “I’ll probably go and make another record soon and write it and tour the world after this, which will be so great,” Perry continued as Barrymore let out a gasp. “But I’m pretty, like, even offstage. I’m more, like, businesswoman; I don’t talk a lot offstage. … I’m very, kind of, an observer. I really save my energy for when I have to go and turn it on. ‘Cause when I turn it on, it’s up to 11, girl.”

14 Oct 2022

Looking Ahead: A Release Calendar of Upcoming Albums in 2022

It’s a difficult task to keep track of all the music that’s being released in a given week, let alone a month or whole year. From pop and hip-hop to alternative, K-pop, country and more, the choices for music fans can feel endless. And that’s not even considering vinyl, re-releases and collectible editions.

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Below, check out Billboard‘s running monthly calendar of upcoming releases to stay in the know; check back often for updates to our schedule of albums to look forward to each week.

Oct. 21

Arctic Monkeys, The Car
Carly Rae Jepsen, The Loneliest Time
Meghan Trainor, Takin’ It Back
Taylor Swift, Midnights
Tegan and Sara, Crybaby

Nov. 4

Joji, Smithereens
Phoenix, Alpha Zulu
Spice Girls, Spiceworld 25
The Pretty Reckless, Other Worlds

Nov. 11

Bruce Springsteen, Only the Strong Survive
Louis Tomlinson, Faith in the Future

Nov. 18

ENHYPEN, Sadame

Nov. 25

Stormzy, This Is What I Mean

14 Oct 2022

Drake’s Spotify Success To Be Honored During FC Barcelona Vs. Real Madrid ‘El Clásico’ Clash

Drake’s enormous Spotify success will be on full display during this weekend’s “El Clásico,” one of the biggest fixtures in the global soccer calendar.

In January 2021, it was reported that the OVO hitmaker had amassed an astonishing 50 billion streams on Spotify across all credits, becoming the first artist to reach the milestone.

Now, almost two years later, Drake’s historic achievement will be honored when Spanish soccer giants FC Barcelona and Real Madrid face off against each other at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday (October 16).

Barça, whose main kit sponsor is Spotify, announced on Friday (October 14) that their players’ jerseys will be adorned with Drake’s OVO owl logo to commemorate his streaming record.

It’ll make the first time the iconic club, who famously bucked the trend of having a jersey sponsor for decades until 2006, has replaced their sponsor’s logo with an artist’s logo.

“To celebrate being the first artist with 50 billion streams on @spotify @FCBarcelona will wear the OVO owl at El Clasico on Sunday,” Drake wrote on Instagram while sharing a photo of holding up Barca’s special edition OVO jersey. “this doesn’t feel real but it is.”

Drake is no stranger to the world of soccer having attended games and repped the attire of clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea and Juventus (although his multi-team fandom has been a source of amusement amongst fiercely loyal European soccer fans).

The Toronto native has also name-dropped ballers like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and David Beckham in his music. “Take her to see Cristiano, fuck her in that Benz Viano / Champions League shit, there’ll be a driver for you on arrival,” he bragged on Future’s I Never Liked You track “I’m On One.”

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Similarly, Barcelona has flirted with Hip Hop in the past. In July, the club booked Pusha T — ironically, Drake’s former fierce rival — to perform at an event in Miami celebrating their partnership with Spotify, which was attended by a number of the team’s first-team stars.

The Clipse MC was photographed holding up a custom “Pusha T #36” jersey while rubbing shoulders with veteran defender Gerard Piqué and hotshot forward Ansu Fati.

“El Clásico” — a fixture regularly watched by hundreds of millions around the globe — kicks off at 10:15 a.m. ET on Sunday. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.

This weekend’s showdown is especially tantalizing with Barcelona and Real Madrid sitting in first and second place, respectively, in La Liga with 22 points apiece. Whoever wins will take a three-point lead atop the table.

14 Oct 2022

How Omar Apollo Found Clarity While Writing ‘Evergreen’

With his debut studio album Ivory, Omar Apollo shows listeners exactly who he is.

The previously elusive singer from Indiana leaned into all aspects of his identity throughout the 16-track effort — from raw, genre-defying cuts like “Invincible,” alongside Daniel Caesar, to Spanglish trap banger “Tamagotchi,” which reveals a refreshingly playful Apollo. But it was “Evergreen,” a soulful, R&B-tinged deep cut, that captured the hearts of fans and catapulted Apollo onto the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, through what every artists hopes for in 2022: a viral TikTok moment.

It took a few tries for the bridge to take off, with Apollo’s own trendsetting efforts on the platform with “Evergreen” proving futile. “I remember my day-to-day [manager] showed me a TikTok, and it was the same part that I had already been posting, but someone else did it,” explains Apollo from his sunny Los Angeles home. “And then it started going and going. I didn’t expect that at all.”

An influx of users began posting compilations of a hardship soon after — be it depression, body image issues or heartbreak — followed by their post-struggle glow up, to the track’s climactic bridge. To date, “Evergreen” has soundtracked more than 370,000 TikTok videos, also clocking in at over 65.8 million plays across streaming platforms.

It’s proof that the 25-year-old singer’s vulnerability paid off, showing that the longtime alt artist with a cult following is fully equipped for a mainstream breakthrough. The sonically cohesive Ivory‘s popularity on the charts prove as much: after debuting atop Billboard‘s Heatseekers Albums chart in April, it returns to No. 1 for a third week on the chart dated Oct. 15. (“Evergreen” also reaches a new No. 51 high on the Hot 100 this week, after debuting on the Oct. 1-dated chart.)

Below, Omar tells Billboard about the making of “Evergreen,” leaning into his cultural identity, what pushed him to get active on TikTok and more.

What were your intentions while making Ivory?

I knew that it was definitely gonna be something that I put all my effort into. I knew I was going to be proud of it. In terms of how it was received, honestly, I wasn’t really sure. But when I was done, I knew I gave it all that I had. That made me [secure] about what happened after.

The project wasn’t heavy on features, but the two you had, Kali Uchis and Daniel Caesar, fit so beautifully. Tell me a bit about “Invincible.”

That song has a special place with me because the structure is really weird. That’s why I really loved it. [Daniel] told me come to the studio, so I pulled up and started playing a guitar riff. And then we made an eight-minute demo of “Invincible” and it had all the parts in it, but they weren’t structured. Then three or four months later, I opened it back up, added drums, restructured it and sent it to him.

“Tamagotchi” is a Tyler, the Creator-approved hit. It also felt like the song more likely to go viral on TikTok — but it ended up being “Evergreen.” Did you expect that?

When I wrote it, definitely not. It was kind of like a post-rationalize thing. I was like, I”‘m on TikTok all the time. I feel like this would be something that would work.” I tried to make a few TikToks and they didn’t really go up. I was like, “I guess I was wrong, whatever.” Then I remember my day-to-day [manager] Jake showed me a TikTok, and it was the same part that I had already been posting, but someone else did it. And then it started going and going. I didn’t expect that at all.

Tell us about the process of writing “Evergreen.”

I rented a house in Idyllwild [Calif.] to make music with my engineer and my childhood best friend [Manuel Barajas] who plays bass in my band. It felt like how I [made] music in the beginning. I made “Evergreen” and “Endlessly” in the same day. It was so simple. Being far away from everybody, not having access to do things, things become clear.

[For] the part people use on TikTok, I had another song called “How Do You Live in Your Skin” — I was like, “I’ll take [those lyrics] and put [them] on my bridge.” Then I brought in my friend Tao Halm, we got a studio a couple months later — Larrabee Studios — and we hired a band. We focused on [the bridge] so much. There are so many textures — if you listen to background vocals, even Teo [Halm, producer] is singing on that part. It’s beautiful to see that all the effort I put in with Teo, Manny and my engineer Nathan [Phillips] is the part that’s blowing up. That literally makes me so happy.

When you earned your first Hot 100 entry, you tweeted out, “my first hot 100 entry, b–ch. Wow.”

[Laughs.] You already know that was a real reaction in real time, as soon as I got the news.

How did you find out about it?

Like four texts from my manager Jake, my A&R, everyone. I was with Manny. I’ve known him since I was 11. This is like my brother. He’s the one that wrote the chords on the bridge. He’s the one that told me “Evergreen” should have a bridge, and I don’t really do bridges. It was just so crazy being with him. It’s very surreal. It’s bizarre, the feeling of, “Oh, my God. I did this.” I worked with a lot of great people in my life, but it really mattered for my career when I did it with my best friend. That’s why it was so cool.

Before Ivory, you had a pretty low public profile, but it seems that has changed. What inspired you to be more active on socials?

These damn numbers got me over here making TikTok videos! Before the pandemic, I was just touring, I wouldn’t really be on the internet like that. I was like, “I want to make music, I don’t want to be on the internet.” And then it just started popping off. I’m like, “Let me let me get these TikToks together. What we doing? What’s the vibe today?”

Your Twitter followers are loving it.

Literally, please don’t ever take anything I say on my Twitter seriously. [Laughs.] My Twitter is a place for empty thoughts. There’s no there’s no backbone to the thought.

Did you ever consider that singing in Spanish would impede your mainstream growth?

When I was very young, I think so. I thought that people weren’t gonna take me seriously because I didn’t see any Mexican artists that were buzzing at the time [in the mainstream]. I also wasn’t around the music industry, I was in Indiana. And now it’s funny because it’s like, oh, “first-generation Mexican artist!” It’s like, “Well, I was wrong.”

Now, it’s clear you’re leaning into your cultural identity more. In your recent NPR Tiny Desk Concert, you had a mariachi of all women. What has inspired you to make the change?

I started off [making] traditional Mexican music. That’s how I started dancing — I was in ballet folklórico, which is like Mexican folk ballet. My culture was traditional Mexican, Juan Gabriel type of thing. You grew up on that, you take it for granted. And I lived in Indiana, so I really fell in love with R&B music: Aretha Franklin, Lauryn Hill, Sly and the Family Stone, Bootsy Collins. As I got older, I found a new love for the corridos. It was healing for me. Especially that all my songs are about longing, that’s what all that music is about. And I wanted to start the Tiny Desk like that because I love the Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas — I literally hired them to sing at my brother’s birthday. That is something you’re definitely going to hear [more] in the future. It just feels like home.

A version of this story originally appeared in the Oct. 8, 2022, issue of Billboard.