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6ix9ine’s Florida home was reportedly the target of a home invasion on Sunday night (Nov. 16). According to TMZ, Tekashi’s mother was held against her will as four masked gunmen ransacked the residence while looking for keys to his cars and cash around the house. Police officers responded to a robbery-in-progress call at 6ix9ine’s home, […]
Todd Snider, a singer whose thoughtfully freewheeling tunes and cosmic-stoner songwriting made him a beloved figure in American roots music, has died. He was 59.
His record label said Saturday (Nov. 15) in a statement posted to his social media accounts that Snider died Friday.
“Where do we find the words for the one who always had the right words, who knew how to distill everything down to its essence with words and song while delivering the most devastating, hilarious, and impactful turn of phrases?” the statement read. “Always creating rhyme and meter that immediately felt like an old friend or a favorite blanket. Someone who could almost always find the humor in this crazy ride on Planet Earth.”
Snider’s family and friends had said in a Friday statement that he had been diagnosed with pneumonia at a hospital in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and that his situation had since grown more complicated and he was transferred elsewhere. The diagnosis came on the heels of the cancellation of a tour after Snider had been the victim of a violent assault in the Salt Lake City area, according to a Nov. 3 statement from his management team.
But Salt Lake City police later arrested Snider himself when he at first refused to leave a hospital and later returned and threatened staffers, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
The scrapped tour was in support of his most recent album, High, Lonesome and Then Some, which released in October. Snider combined elements of folk, rock and country in a three-decade career. In reviews of his recent albums, The Associated Press called him a “singer-songwriter with the persona of a fried folkie” and a “stoner troubadour and cosmic comic.”
He modeled himself on — and at times met and was mentored by — artists like Kris Kristofferson, Guy Clark and John Prine. His songs were recorded by artists including Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver and Tom Jones. And he co-wrote a song with Loretta Lynn that appeared on her 2016 album, Full Circle.
“He relayed so much tenderness and sensitivity through his songs, and showed many of us how to look at the world through a different lens,” the Saturday statement from his label read. “He got up every morning and started writing, always working towards finding his place among the songwriting giants that sat on his record shelves, those same giants who let him into their lives and took him under their wings, who he studied relentlessly.”
Snider would do his best-known and most acclaimed work for Prine’s independent label Oh Boy in the early 2000s. It included the albums New Connection, Near Truths and Hotel Rooms and East Nashville Skyline, a 2004 collection that’s considered by many to be his best.
Those albums yielded his best known songs, “I Can’t Complain,” “Beer Run” and “Alright Guy.”
Snider was born and raised in Oregon before settling and making his musical chops in San Marcos, Texas. He eventually made his way to Nashville, and was dubbed by some the unofficial “mayor of East Nashville,” assuming the title from a friend memorialized thusly in his “Train Song.” In 2021, Snider said a tornado that ripped through the neighborhood home to a vibrant arts scene severely damaged his house.
Snider had an early fan in Jimmy Buffett, who signed the young artist to his record label, Margaritaville, which released his first two albums, 1994’s Songs for the Daily Planet and 1996’s Step Right Up.
A recently announced Limp Bizkit show in Tallinn, Estonia has been canceled, reportedly due to frontman Fred Durst’s resurfaced comments praising Russian president Vladimir Putin. According to Estonia’s ERR news agency, the show planned for May 31 at Unibet Arena was called off by promoter the Baltic Live Agency (BLA), which announced on Thursday (Nov. 13), “we inform you that due to circumstances beyond the organizer’s control, the Limp Bizkit concert planned for May 31, 2026 is canceled. Our apologies!”
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Ticket pre-sales for the show announced on Nov. 7 were set to begin on Monday (Nov. 10) but were reportedly postponed. The announcement of the gig from the newly resurgent nu-metal band reportedly sparked concern in Estonia — which declared independence from former occupier Russia in 1991 — due to previous comments from Durst supporting Russia’s military campaigns.
Specifically, the site reported that the concerns were tied to Durst holding up a sign in 2015 that reportedly read “Crimea=Russia” and “welcome” after the Russian military annexation of Crimea in 2014. After the show was announced last week, ERR reported that the nation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said there was no place in Estonia for support of aggressor state Russia.
“Estonia supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the principle that every last centimeter of Ukrainian territory belongs to Ukraine,” ministry media adviser Brita Kikkas told ERR. Foreign Affairs minister Margus Tsahkna added, “My position is clear, and I will repeat it: Russia is the aggressor, and Crimea is occupied by Russia. Those who justify Russia’s aggression and the occupation of a neighboring country are not welcome in Estonia. They have no place on Estonian stages and should not be earning income here.”
At press time, spokespeople for the band and the promoter had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment. In addition, the show is not listed on the group’s official tour routing and no longer appears on the site for the Arena; attempts to purchase tickets through Ticketmaster takes fans to an error page reading “the page you requested was not found.”
Promoter BLA told ERR that it was aware of Durst’s sign and that the only explanation was that “at the time (until 2019), Fred Durst was married to a Russian Crimean woman and evidently living in a distorted information bubble.” TMZ reported in 2018 that Durst filed for divorce from his third wife, Ukrainian makeup artist Kseniya Beryazina Durst, after six years.
Durst was reportedly banned from entering Ukraine — which has been at war with Russia since Putin’s forces launched an unprovoked invasion in Feb. 2022 — for five years in 2015 after holding up the abovementioned sign and reportedly expressing interest in buying a house in Crimea a year after Russia’s 2014 annexation of the peninsula widely recognized as part of Ukraine. The singer had earlier claimed that he planned to move to Crimea to produce film and TV content there.
ERR also reported that following Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula, Durst praised Russian dictator Putin, calling him a “great guy with clear moral principles and a nice person.” In 2023 the band dropped a video for “Out of Style,” in which Durst was deepfaked to appear as Putin, while DJ Lethal was mocked-up as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and guitarist Wes Borland portrayed a smiling President Biden.
50 Cent is sick and tired of airports in the United States being outta control. In recent posts on Instagram, the rapper shared his frustration with major delays and flight cancelations happening across the country due to the government shutdown.
His first post on Sunday (Nov. 9) was of a news montage of clips filmed at airports overrun with frustrated travelers, helplessly packing in like sardines. A headline attached to the video reads, “More Than 700 Flights Cancelled Across the Nation Due to Shutdown.”
“Man the airport is f–ked up, for get about traveling right now!” 50 wrote in his caption.
The G-Unit icon then followed up with a video showing his own POV on the situation, filmed as he deplanes a private jet that wasn’t allowed to take off — possibly due to the lack of air traffic controllers showing up for work as a result of President Donald Trump’s shutdown-mandated cuts to U.S. air travel. “It’s a wrap, man,” says 50, wearing a furry jacket and New York Yankees cap. “Can’t even take off in jets no more, they just said they’re not even letting the jets go.”
“Im headed back to Shreveport this ain’t it,” he captioned the clip. “Bad Travel day!”
Over the past few days, thousands of flights have been canceled across some of the biggest metropolitan airports in America. CNN reports that more than 1,000 departures were canceled on Friday (Nov. 7) alone, while 4,500 others were delayed.
The disarray comes amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which began on Oct. 1. One of the many effects of this pause has been a 4% reduction in trips flying to and from the 40 busiest airports in America, as required by the Federal Aviation Administration.
With his travel plans on hold, it sounds like 50 is going to spend more quality time in Shreveport, La., where he opened his G-Unit Studios in April 2024. A New York native, the hip-hop legend also recently criticized another governmental change, taking issue with the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of the city earlier in November.
“I think his intentions are good,” 50 wrote on Instagram of the politician, sharing and deleting memes indicating his disappointment with the election results. “But his Tax plan is gonna run the big money out of the city and if he defunds the police they are gonna purge. @50centaction All Roads lead to SHREVEPORT !”
See 50 Cent’s video from his recent negative experience with air travel below.
Rod Wave has been arrested by the Atlanta Police Department on multiple weapon and drug charges.
The 27-year-old rapper-singer, whose real name is Rodarius Green, was taken into custody Friday (Nov. 7) in Fulton County, Georgia, and charged with possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies, reckless driving, possession of a Schedule V controlled substance and possession of Schedule II controlled substance, according to TMZ.
Following his arrest, Rod Wave was booked into the Fulton County Jail, Fox 5 Atlanta reports. As of Saturday morning, he remained in custody. His attorney, Drew Findling, told TMZ that the artist had made his first court appearance and that bond had been set at $8,000.
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Further details about what led to the arrest were not available at press time.
This is not Rod Wave’s first legal issue. In May, he was arrested in Georgia and booked into Fulton County Jail on charges of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm. He later faced 12 additional counts, including aiming a pistol at another person, reckless conduct, criminal damage to property, obstruction of law enforcement, evidence tampering, conspiracy to commit a felony, and simple assault.
Court records show that the May arrest stemmed from an alleged April 21 altercation. The musician was released the same day after posting a $50,000 bond. “There is no truth to these charges,” his attorney Findling told Billboard at the time.
The “25” rapper-singer also faced gun charges in April 2024 in Manatee County, Florida, after being accused of illegally possessing a weapon or ammunition. Authorities attempted to connect him to a gang-related shooting at a St. Petersburg sports bar. In May 2022, he was also arrested on a felony charge of battery by strangulation, which was later dropped.
Aside from his legal troubles, Rod Wave released the singles “Westside Connection” and “Sinners” in 2025. The latter appeared on the Sinners movie soundtrack and played during the horror film’s final scene. His most recent album, Last Lap, was released in October 2024, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
Do you get deja vu? Donald Trump‘s administration has once again been slammed by an artist for using their music without permission, this time receiving a comment from an unhappy Olivia Rodrigo after the White House and Department of Homeland Security shared a video set to one of her songs.
The controversial clip in question was shared in a joint Instagram post on Tuesday. Soundtracked by “All-American Bitch,” the opening track on the pop star’s Billboard 200-topping sophomore album, Guts, the video shows United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers forcibly tackling, detaining and deporting people.
It then cuts to a montage of supposed immigrants voluntarily boarding flights organized by the DHS, smiling and giving thumbs up as they go. “LEAVE NOW and self-deport using the CBP Home app,” the caption reads. “If you don’t, you will face the consequences.”
In the comments, Rodrigo wrote, “don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda.”
Billboard has reached out to the White House and ICE for comment.
It’s unclear why the government would want to use a song by the three-time Grammy winner. Not only has Rodrigo been vocal in her opposition to Trump, endorsing his opponent Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, but she’s also specifically called out his harsh crackdown on immigration by way of ICE raids this past year.
“I’ve lived in LA my whole life and I’m deeply upset about these violent deportations of my neighbors under the current administration,” she wrote on her Instagram Story in June. “LA simply wouldn’t exist without immigrants. Treating hardworking community members with such little respect, empathy, and due process is awful. I stand with the beautiful, diverse community of Los Angeles and with immigrants all across America. I stand for our right to freedom of speech and freedom to protest.”
That said, Trump’s administration is famous for using music without artist permission at this point. In the past few weeks alone, Kenny Loggins slammed the twice-impeached POTUS for pairing “Danger Zone” with an AI-generated video of himself dumping feces on “No Kings” protestors, and Swifties called out the White House for making a TikTok set to Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia.” (The pop star herself didn’t comment on the issue, but given her long history of clashing with Trump, it’s probably safe to say she didn’t give him the green light.)
Nicki Minaj showed love to Ye (formerly Kanye West) for taking accountability for his hurtful actions against the Jewish community after meeting with a rabbi.
West met with Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto on Tuesday (Nov. 4), during which he expressed remorse and apologized for his previous antisemitic remarks about the Jewish community.
“So happy to see Kanye publicly take accountability for the pain his words may have cause to so many,” she wrote to X on Thursday (Nov. 6), praising West. “Standing with our Jewish brothers & sisters.”
Footage surfaced of West’s meeting with Rabbi Pinto when an Instagram account for Pintoposted the exchange on social media on Thursday.
“I feel really blessed to sit here and take accountability,” West began. “I was dealing with various issues. I was dealing with bipolar also, so I would take the ideas I had and forget about the protection of the people around me and myself. So I wanted to take accountability.”
Ye added: “So it’s like if you left the house and you left your kid at the house and your kid went and messed up the kitchen and messed up the garage and messed up the living room. Then when you get back, it’s your responsibility because that’s your job. That’s the way I look at it. It’s like I gotta go clean up the kitchen, I gotta clean up the living room, I gotta clean up the garage.”
West saw his meeting with Rabbi Pinto as the “first steps” in rebuilding “brick by brick” for the “strong walls” as far as his damaged relationship with the Jewish community goes.
Rabbi Pinto appeared to accept Ye’s apology. “A person is not defined by his mistakes, but by the way he chooses to correct them,” he replied in a translated statement. “This is the true strength of man: The ability to return, to learn, and to build bridges of love and peace.”
The Chicago rapper has been slammed for his repeated antisemitic rhetoric over the last few years, which includes a tweet saying he was going to go “death con 3” [sic] on Jewish people in 2022, and again praising Hitler on X in February this year.
As a result, just about all of his business deals vanished, as companies such as Universal Music Group, Balenciaga, Adidas and Gap ended their partnerships with the rapper.
There are a lot of happy New Yorkers out there celebrating the victory of Zohran Mamdani in the 2025 mayoral race, and some of them — including Gracie Abrams, Halsey and more — are also big-name musicians.
In response to the 34-year-old Democratic Socialist triumphing over opponents Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa after the election wrapped up Tuesday night (Nov. 4), numerous stars shared messages of excitement and congratulations on social media. Abrams shared a number of posts about Mamdani’s win on her Instagram Story, writing that she was “SCREAMING” and adding, “I keep getting chills over and over.”
On X, Halsey wrote, “I just got off stage from an AMAZING show and Zohran Mamdani is mayor of New York and I am NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO SLEEP I’m too ALIVE!”
Lorde also weighed in, sharing a “New York” graphic on her Story and typing, “Change … Have a Nice Day” while tagging Mamdani’s account.
All three of those singer-songwriters are based in NYC, which showed up for Mamdani on Election Day with more than 1,036,051 ballots cast in his favor, according to The Associated Press. Running on a platform of lowering the cost of living in the city, the assemblyman earned an estimated 50.4% of the vote, while Cuomo and Sliwa split the rest 41.6% and 7.1%, respectively.
Many other musicians celebrated the results in the comments of Mamdani’s posts on Instagram with Clairo dropping a fire emoji and Lizzy McAlpine writing, “YAYYYY.”
“he’s home!” Rachel Zegler replied, while King Princess commented, “I think we should throw a party ?”
Lauren Jauregui chimed in, “thank God!! May you be protected and guided!! Yayyyy!”
The outpouring of happiness in response to Mamdani’s win reflects the unprecedented grassroots momentum he was able to curate with his campaign. Backed by politicians such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Ugandan-born immigrant leaned into social media strategy and pop culture throughout the race, at one point coming out on stage during PinkPantheress’ October concert in Brooklyn.
Mamdani also got himself in the good graces of Swifties by shouting out Taylor Swift’s “Only the Young” — as well as “Hate It or Love It” by The Game featuring 50 Cent and “Right Above It” by Lil Wayne featuring Drake — when he was asked to summarize his campaign in three songs.
Is it hot in here, or is it just our chart?
11/5/2025
Randy Madden, a singer who competed on season eight of American Idol, was arrested in Ventura County, Calif., and is facing multiple felony charges.
According to court documents viewed by Billboard, the 45-year-old musician faces six felony charges, including unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 18, as well as sending harmful matter, luring and dissuading a witness from reporting a crime. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Public online records show that the date of violation was July 21, and he was taken into custody on Oct. 30 before being released on bail early Tuesday (Nov. 4) morning after paying a $100,000 bond. A criminal protective order has been filed for the victim, according to court records.
Madden’s next hearing for the case will take place on Nov. 13, with a second hearing set for Nov. 17.
Billboard has reached out to the Ventura County Police Department, the district attorney’s office and Madden.
The aspiring rock star tried out for Idol in 2008, back when the program still had its original lineup of judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. He never made it past his first audition, earning unanimous “No” votes from the trio after performing Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Cowell was especially tough on him, calling Madden — who had started to cry — “cliche” and a “drama queen.”
Kris Allen would go on to win the season.
Before his brief time on Idol, Madden played in a band called Sexual Harassment. In August 2024, he started a GoFundMe to help cover his living expenses and medical costs after suffering severe complications from a ligament replacement surgery he’d had on his left leg in May of that year. He was still seeking donations this past June, at which time he shared that he still couldn’t walk without crutches or a cane and anticipated needing at least two more procedures to treat the issue.
American Idol is now on its 24th season, which will premiere in January next year with judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan.
If you or anyone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, contact RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline for 24/7 support and resources at 800-656-HOPE or via the website.
