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Billboard Latin Women in Music 2025 is this Thursday, April 24, and we’re here to take you through who you can expect to see on the big night, including Selena Gomez, Celia Cruz, Anitta, Chiquis and more! Who are you excited to see at Billboard Latin Women in Music 2025? Let us know in the […]
When you gotta go, you gotta go. Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t wait until the next commercial break while filming Inside the NBA live, so he got up and headed to the bathroom mid-show on Monday night (April 21).
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While co-hosts Charles Barkley and Kenny “The Jet” Smith were recapping the thrilling game two finish between the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets, Shaq — aka DJ Diesel — made a mad dash for the Studio J exit, which took everyone by surprise.
“You all right, big fella?” Smith asked. “You catching a cramp? It’s that olive oil you been drinking. Hey, listen, he couldn’t hold it. Can’t hold it no more after 40.”
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DJ Diesel implored them to continue the show, while anchor Ernie Johnson wondered if this was some planned skit. “I didn’t like his gait as he left, that was not a typical walk right there,” Johnson said.
Smith took a jab at Shaq as he quipped: “He’s been drinking olive oil to clean his gut, he’s cleaning his gut all right.”
A few minutes later, O’Neal returned to the set and blamed drinking too much water along with Barkley’s loud mouth. “I’m sitting here like shut the hell up and hurry up,” he said to Barkley.
Add this to the many memorable moments of Inside the NBA as the TNT show will be exiting Turner Sports at the end of the NBA’s 2025 Conference Finals.
However, it’s not the end for Shaq, Chuck, Ernie and Kenny. The crew will be heading to the ABC/ESPN family starting next season.
On the music side, let’s hope DJ Diesel uses the restroom before his gig on Friday night (April 25) when he takes over the Silo for a set in Dallas.
Watch the full clip below.
Tina Knowles loves being a grandmother to Beyoncé‘s three kids — but she’s not so much a fan of how the world turned on her daughter when the superstar was first expecting.
In an interview with People published Tuesday (April 22) — the same day the businesswoman’s new memoir, Matriarch, hit shelves — Knowles opened up about how widespread rumors Bey faked her pregnancy with firstborn Blue Ivy in 2011 marred the experience for the entire family. “Babies and children are so precious and so sacred,” the designer began.
“To hear people say the most horrendous things and to call my whole family a lie — because we would all have to be part of that conspiracy and lie about something so sacred — it was one of the worst times of my life, because I couldn’t say anything,” Knowles continued. “My daughter was saying, ‘No, you’re just going to make the story bigger.’ But it didn’t go away for a long time.”
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“It’s one of the most painful things for me, to know that people could be that disgusting,” she added, noting that the incessant pop-culture rumor mill has remained an ever-present challenge for her as a mom. “I deal with lies all the time. I’m dealing with lies now, that I’m having, like, an invisible zipper at my mouth. There’s always these crazy rumors that are out there and, people just get to lie, and they don’t have to suffer any consequences.”
Rumors that the “Texas Hold ‘Em” musician was pretending to be pregnant originally took off after she appeared on an Australian talk show in the fall of 2011. As she sat down for the interview, her dress folded in such a way that some viewers thought it looked like a fake baby bump caving in on itself, leading to inescapable chatter and frame-by-frame analyses from people who were convinced that Bey was lying. Even after Blue was born in January 2012, some haters still theorized that the vocalist and Jay-Z had welcomed her via surrogate.
At the time, Bey’s publicist shot down the rumors as “stupid, ridiculous and false,” while the 35-time Grammy winner added to People months later, “That was crazy. It wasn’t hurtful, it was just crazy.” The musician and Roc Nation founder are now also parents to 7-year-old twins Rumi and Sir — but more than a decade after the fact, Ms. Knowles — who was honored as Mother of the Year at 2025 Billboard Women in Music — says that the 2011 controversy still angers her, especially knowing that her daughter suffered multiple pregnancy losses before Blue came along.
“The worst thing is that people had no idea how hard it was for Beyoncé to go through multiple miscarriages, and then when finally blessed to carry a baby to term, the world starts heckling you as you both try to make it to the finish line,” she writes in Matriarch, according to snippets published by The Independent. “This child was prayed for and prayed over — a wanted, cherished, real baby, and people were making a living off saying she was a lie.”
“I wanted to curse some people out and scream at these losers to set the record straight,” Knowles adds in the book. “They had no idea what she and Jay, and our whole family, had been through.”
Actor/singer Teyana Taylor will join producer/actor La La Anthony and SNL star Ego Nwodim on the 2025 Met Gala red carpet livestream on May 5. The three women will be joined by podcaster/influencer Emma Chamberlain, who is marking her return as Vogue‘s special correspondent, interviewing some of the biggest stars walking the carpet at the […]
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Shapewear can really make or break an outfit — especially for silky summer dresses and special occasion — but really effective […]
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The next movie by Spike Lee has attracted heavy attention, as it represents his fifth time working with Oscar-winner Denzel Washington, but the origins of the casting of rapper A$AP Rocky in the movie is also generating buzz. As the esteemed filmmaker is preparing for the premiere of his latest film, Highest 2 Lowest, he revealed that he was inspired to add A$AP Rocky to the cast after seeing a meme that compared the Grammy Award-nominated rapper to Washington.
“What’s funny is that I was looking at Instagram four or five years ago and people were saying that A$AP looked like he’s Denzel’s son,” Spike Lee said during his appearance on the latest episode of the 7PM In Brooklyn podcast hosted by former NBA star Carmelo Anthony and Kazeem Famuyide. “Everyone was saying it. I seen those memes and then in the film, we used that.” The meme shows childhood photographs of Washington and A$AP Rocky bearing a resemblance to each other. Lee suggested that viewers might see that acknowledged at some point in the upcoming movie.The Bamboozled director also praised the rapper’s acting chops. “A$AP, man, he fire,” Lee said. “I mean, there’s some scenes where him and D head to head – he ain’t backing up. Like, ‘I’m here too.’ So very, very happy with the way the film turned out and looking forward to sharing it with the world.” A$AP Rocky, aka Rakiem Myers, isn’t a stranger to the big screen – he made his debut in the 2015 film Dope, and was in If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You. That film, like Highest & Lowest, was produced by A24. Lee has hinted that A$AP Rocky has a “major” role in the movie.Highest 2 Lowest is set to make its debut at the Cannes International Film Festival next month. Billed as a reinterpretation of High and Low, the 1963 film from Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, Lee stated: “In our film Denzel Washington is a music mogul with his own label and his reputation as the best ears in the business.” Highest 2 Lowest also stars Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, Dean Winters, John Douglas Thompson, and Ice Spice in her first film role.
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This past March the Hip-Hop culture was aghast when news broke that Druski was one of the latest celebrities linked to Diddy’s infamous “freak-off’s” and was accused of partaking in some non-consensual sexual depravities.
Though Druski immediately rebuked the allegations made by Ashley Parham, that didn’t stop the online community from piling on the jokes about Druski possibly violating women at a Diddy party in Northern California. Now, it seems like Druski has a little vindication in the form of leaked documents that seemingly prove his innocence in the incident that was alleged to have taken place on March 23, 2018, well before anyone knew Druski even existed.
According to TMZ, they were able to obtain not only Druski’s phone records, but also bank statements, which show that not only was Druski living with his mother in Georgia at the time of the incident, but was so broke he couldn’t even afford public transportation, much less a plane ticket to a Diddy swingers party. With less than $1 in his bank account and phone calls showing that he was in Georgia the entire time of the alleged violation, Druski seems to be in the clear as he continues to get his name dropped from the lawsuit.
Per TMZ:
The records show Druski’s balance ending the period of March 10, 2018 – April 9, 2018 was capped out at just $0.91 cents!!!
He only had enough for the bare essentials … a bite at Mickey D’s and enough gas at to get from point A to A.2.
We’ve also seen Verizon documents showing Druski was under his mother Cheryl‘s phone plan and made 16 calls on March 23 — all incoming or outcoming to and from Georgia phone numbers.
Yeah, we doubt that Diddy would invite anyone with less than $1 to their name to one of his extravagant house parties where the baby oil flowed like water and celebrities left with all kinds of stories to tell (but probably never will).
At this point, one has to wonder how long it’ll be before Druski is able to get his name dropped from the lawsuit as it’s looking like all evidence points to him not being anywhere near Diddy at the time of the alleged assault.
Earlier this year, Univision Networks Group president Ignacio Meyer‘s role was expanded to include oversight of the Hispanic media giant’s portfolio of 35 owned-and-operated radio stations, nearly 300 affiliates, its Uforia streaming app, live-events business and networks group. The promotion empowered Meyer to fully execute his longheld vision for a streaming-era business strategy. In the wake of Univision’s $4.8 billion 2022 merger with Televisa, his division would operate as part of a global, vertically integrated multimedia company where content created by different units can move freely between countries and platforms, including VIX, the company’s growing streaming enterprise.
That content includes music, and Meyer says he’s focused on fortifying its strength as one of the “pillars”— in addition to drama and sports — of the TelevisaUnivision brand.
For the company’s consumers, “Calling music a passion point is an understatement,” the dapper, Madrid-born executive says. As a result, “The entire company is behind it.”
Meyer, who is known for booking music artists himself on Univision shows and sending personal thank-you notes afterward, is well-loved by the industry, and his office is decked out with signed gold records, awards and other memorabilia. His walls will inevitably become more crowded, given his plans to return Univision to the music business. In the early 2000s, Univision Music Group operated as a label, which was sold to Universal in 2008 (before Meyer joined the company). And in 2016, Univision’s Fusion Media Group division signed a multiyear, multiplatform deal with former Calle 13 member Residente, which is no longer active.
Meyer spoke to Billboard about those plans, as well as his strategy for harnessing the power of music to Univision’s advantage.
How has your job changed since your promotion?
The big difference is we’ve become a platform-agnostic, content- and audience-first company. We’re fortunate enough that, over the years, our ownership has invested in all the platforms. We have TV stations, local and national networks, radio stations, top digital destinations — whether it’s web- or social media-based — and now we have a dedicated streaming platform, VIX. This year, for the first time, we deployed a global content investment strategy and looked at every content investment for profitability and distribution purposes, regardless of platform or country. That’s new and different because we realize that the strategy of having the consumer at the forefront is not about pulling them to a particular platform. It’s about making sure we are everywhere they are and that they can flow freely.
How does music play into that?
Music is a passion point for U.S. Hispanics. We feel strongly that Latin music is mainstream today, and we need to follow that mainstream consumer everywhere they are. So we’ve made structural changes to allow music to travel more seamlessly throughout our ecosystem.
If you look at the history of Univision, there are isolated pockets of success with music. What was missing is the connective tissue. We’re eliminating the barriers between calling something a “radio product” or an “audio product” or a “national” product or a “local” product. It’s intellectual property. It’s music, it’s a song, it’s a brand, it’s an artist.
Can you give me an example?
This year, we treated Premio Lo Nuestro [an annual awards ceremony that recognizes achievements in Latin music] as a platform-agnostic event. It was simulcast on streaming and we had events [tied to] fashion and social with some brands. We decided to light up YouTube and social media before we aired the show, so we did our version of off-air awards and the pretelecast on digital networks. And it was all supported by audio-first talent that represented different genres. For example, we featured talent from our [Mexican musicfocused] radio show, El Bueno, la Mala y el Feo. Just as we lean into our [TV] consumer brands, we’re going to lean into our radio show brands and elevate those shows. And we’re crosspollinating. TV host Alejandra Espinoza, for example, is now also part of our Los Angeles morning radio show.
Awards show viewership in general has declined. How do you make yours profitable?
We found a way to make money because we studied the ecosystem. It’s not just a TV show. We’re communicating, we’re editorializing, we’re telling a story, and we’re using music to do so — across all of our platforms. It creates more inventory for brands to get more deeply involved. Ratings define and validate the commercial side of ad sales, but it’s not the only measure of success. Total impressions, total reach, influence — that is success.
How else are you expanding Univision’s music presence?
We are looking at entering the music business again through strategic alliances. That is new. I don’t have the format a hundred percent. I don’t know if it’s a record label, but by virtue of this vertical, content-first approach, I am going to be getting back in touch with the industry. We want to be a more regular part of the music ecosystem. It could be a strategic alliance with a particular artist, a distribution deal with an artist, a management company, a publishing company or the distribution and promotion of music. I will generate content with you. I will generate social currency. We will make money by participating in a revenue share or license fee of the actual revenue streams we generate.
Some companies are not as convinced about the viability of music as a revenue driver.
We are. We demonstrate it day in and day out with our properties, and we know we could do more with it. So that’s where the investment comes in. Could we have done it as a company 10 years ago? I think the answer is no. Structurally, we probably weren’t set up for it. The power of music is it travels with no borders. Now we have the platforms. You can consume via audio, video, streaming.
Does Univision have any music-driven shows in the pipeline?
There will be announcements made, likely at the upfronts [in May]. But our approach is holistic. For example, you’re going to see a lot more radio shows like El Flow and El Bueno, la Mala y el Feo — which are also podcasts — on TV or on VIX. We are no longer taking a TV-centric approach to business. We will have music properties, but it’s not going be a one-show-fixes-all. Scripted is still a huge vehicle for music, for example. And we have a publishing business with over 100,000 copyrights here that I’m also managing.
What really drives fans to tune in to music-adjacent programming?
Storytelling and pop culture. Music has become a synonym for lifestyle. And it has a lot to do with social media and the way artists interact with their fans. Permanence in any kind of show all year is the most important. Also, there is a lot more being done in scripted than we are getting credit for as a music industry. There are so many storylines, documentaries, entertainment shows that are in and around music. How do we get people to engage? The most successful reality shows on television today have more hours of digital content than they do of [regularly scheduled] linear content. Because there are multiple platforms, they are “always on.” The Latin market is diverse, and we are more than a media company. We are a cultural representation of the Latins who live in the U.S. and of the way we live in the U.S.
This story appears in the April 19, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Etsy has agreed to sell Reverb, an online marketplace for musical instruments and equipment, to Creator Partners, an investment firm founded by a former SoundCloud CEO, and Fender-owner Servco, the companies said on Tuesday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Bought by Etsy in 2019 for $275 million, Reverb is used by fans to purchase collectibles like the recording console used to track the Beatles’ Abbey Road and Travis Barker’s drums, as well as regular guitars, pedals, keyboards and other music-related products.
The deal, which is expected to close in the coming weeks, will see U.S.-based music gear selling site return to its roots as an independently operated company backed by Creator Partners and Servco.
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Creator Partners is the investment company of former SoundCloud CEO Kerry Trainor, and it stakes in BMI, Colors+Studios, Mogul, as well as SoundCloud. Servco is the majority owner of guitar company Fender, which Creator Partners is also invested in. Reverb previously raised $25 million from a group of investors led by Summit Partners.
The deal for Reverb comes at a time when the threat of global tariffs has sparked fears of rising prices for music product imports, merchandise and other goods. In a blog post announcing the new ownership, Reverb CEO David Mandelbrot said the company plans to roll out a new option for sellers “that allows you to get paid faster and drop off your gear locally, without needing to create a listing or ship.” Reverb has other plans to expand its offerings of music-making software and to improve search, ship and help services on the website.
“Over the past five years, we’ve learned a lot from Etsy as we’ve expanded our community,” Mandelbrot wrote in the blog post. “As we look ahead, with a focus on growing the entire industry by helping more people buy and sell used music gear, we’re excited to align ourselves with two new partners who share our passion and focus.”
According to Mandlebrot, buyers and sellers using the website should not notice any disruption as the companies work toward closing this deal in the coming weeks, and Creator and Servco sought to assure Reverb users that Fender will not get preferential treatment on Reverb. Reverb’s partnership with Fender will stay the same, including Fender’s certified pre-owned program, which is one of 20 such offerings available on Reverb, the companies said.
Creator Partners’ Trainor said they are keen to invest in Reverb and its goal of growing “the entire industry through seamless secondhand commerce.”
Mark Fukunaga, executive chair of Servco, said his company has been invested in musical instruments and education for over 90 years. “We remain committed to being good stewards of leading musical instrument companies, like Reverb, and supporting players everywhere in pursuing their passion to create music.”
It’s been 55 years since the first Earth Day launched the modern environmental movement as we know it today, affecting change through a mix of education, public policy and innovative campaigns. The first Earth Day was organized by Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin on April 22, 1970. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See […]
