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As the world woke up to Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, Billie Eilish summed up her thoughts in five simple words. Taking to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday morning (Nov. 6), the “Birds of a Feather” singer posted her message over a black background to her audience of 120 million followers. “It’s a […]
50 Cent is back on the Trump train. A week after boasting that he’d turned down a purported nine-figure payday to appear at former and now-future President Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden campaign stop, the “Wanksta” rapper appeared to be back in The Donald’s corner.
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“I don’t care how the fight goes, I’m leaving with the winner s–t,” 50 (born Curtis Jackson) wrote on Instagram on Wednesday morning (Nov. 6) in a post that featured two pictures of the rapper with Trump, who defied odds on Tuesday night to join Grover Cleveland as the only American to be voted into the nation’s top office to non-consecutive terms.
“I still don’t know what’s going on,” 50 added along with a face palm emoji and “congratulations!”
In an appearance on The Breakfast Club last week, 50 claimed that he’d been offered $3 million to appear at Trump’s MSG rally. “Yeah. They offered me $3 million!” said 50, confirming co-host Charlamagne Tha God’s query about that event, as well as reports that 50 was also offered an undisclosed amount to perform his song “Many Men” at this summer’s Republican National Convention as well.
50 did not appear at either event, explaining to the Breakfast Club crew why he rejected the lucrative offer. “I didn’t even go far,” he said of the offers. “I’m afraid of politics, you understand? I do not like it. … It’s because when you do get involved in it, no matter how you feel, somebody passionately disagrees with you. Look, if you say ‘I stay away from religion,’ I stay away from politics. Religion, that’s the formula for the confusion that it sent Kanye to Japan. He said something about both of those things and now he can only go to Japan. So you know I’m like I don’t want to get in that, man.”
At the time, a Trump campaign source told Billboard that the story was not true, though they did not specify which part was erroneous — that Trump wanted 50 at the rally or that the offer was $3 million.
After a comedian referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage” at Trump’s MSG event, a number of major Puerto Rican artists spoke out in support of Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost Tuesday’s closely contested election to the former reality TV star who has continued to deny that he lost his second bid for the White House in 2020 to President Biden.
During that failed 2020 bid 50 initially supported the twice impeached former commander-in-chief before retracting his endorsement after former girlfriend Chelsea Handler called him out. “F–k Donald Trump, I never liked him,” the rapper later said in a retweet of Handler’s appearance on The Tonight Show in which she criticized her ex for his support of Trump, 78, who will become the oldest man, and first convicted felon, to ascend to the nation’s highest office when he is inaugurated on Jan. 20.
Political spending among the major players in the live music industry has largely remained flat this election cycle, while contributions by individuals working at Live Nation were up slightly over past years and money spent on lobbying members of Congress dropped in 2024, according to election data reviewed by Billboard.
At Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), owner Phil Anschutz spent $1.9 million supporting this year’s Republican reelection efforts but opted not to throw any support behind presidential candidate Donald Trump. Anschutz has never supported the brash presidential candidate, but though AEG boss is sinking millions of dollars into efforts to flip the Senate for Republicans.
Live Nation chief executive Michael Rapino, on the other hand, gave $25,000 in political donations to mostly Democratic Senate candidates and causes, records show, while the usually politically active James Dolan, chairman of Madison Square Garden Entertainment, made a single $25,000 donation this election cycle to Secure NYS PAC, a shadowy political action committee created to defeat House member Tom Suozzi (NY-D).
At Live Nation, executives donated about $387,000 to mostly Democratic candidates, a drop of about 6% compared to 2020, when executives donated $410,000.
The spending cycle comes during an unusually politically active year for the concert business, with a major ticketing reform package inching forward in Congress and the Department of Justice’s investigation of Live Nation on anti-trust grounds making its way through the courts.
Neither political cause has driven major spending by Rapino or his long-time rival Anschutz, who has once again sunk hundreds of thousands of dollars into an effort to flip the Senate over to the Republicans. Anschutz, a Colorado billionaire who made large parts of his fortune in energy, railroads and communications, has long supported groups like the National Republican Senatorial Committee. This year, Anschutz made more than 200 donations totaling $1.9 million to right-leaning political groups, the bulk of which went to political groups supporting Senate Republicans like John Cornyn, John Thune and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Anschutz also spent $1.9 million during the 2016 cycle and $836,000 during the 2020 cycle.
Rapino spent considerably less than Anschutz this election cycle, with his biggest political contribution being the $10,000 he donated to Live Nation’s political action committee, which gave $200,000 to candidates from both political parties this cycle. As an individual donor, Rapino cut about $4,600 in donations to Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jacky Rosen in Nevada and supported Adam Schiff’s campaign for Senate in California, as well as the campaigns of high-profile California House members Katie Porter and Eric Swalwell.
Meanwhile, Gregg Maffei, president/CEO of Liberty Media and the chairman of Live Nation Entertainment, spent more than $112,000 on conservative politicians and political causes, mostly supporting the presidential candidacy of Trump and Senate Republicans. That’s significantly down from the 2020 election cycle when Maffei spent $420,000 on right-wing political causes and politicians, and the 2016 cycle when he spent $324,000.
Rihanna clapped back at social media trolls after she encouraged her fans to vote. Keep watching to see what she said. Tetris Kelly:Rihanna claps back. After posting a video on her IG, “Me trying to sneak into the polls with my son’s passport #VoteCauseICant #TanSuitSeason,” Rihanna received several negative responses and RiRi clapped back! She […]
Three years after its release, Illenium is sharing the emotional backstory behind his track “Brave Soul,” the closer from his 2021 album Fallen Embers.
In a video posted to YouTube Monday (Nov. 4), the producer tells this story alongside Jordan Hamilton, the CEO of Choice House, the Colorado addiction and mental health treatment center for men where Illenium (born Nick Miller) got sober more than a decade ago after an opiate addiction.
“I met Jordan when I was on my long trek of rehabs,” Miller says in the video. “Jordan had two years sober at the time. I had gone through treatment a couple years before that and was just trying to figure out how to live life.” Watch the complete video below.
The pair became friends, with Jordan’s sister Emma, a singer-songwriter, getting introduced to the group. Together, they eventually wrote a song that turned into “Brave Soul,” with this music written in memory of Jordan and Emma’s late brother Braden, who they lost to an overdose in 2018.
“Emma and I shared the love of [being] able to speak through music and heal through music,” Miller says in the clip. “I think that’s a really impactful thing to give back to a person that you love, and give back to yourself.”
Illenium debuted the track at his Trilogy show at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on July 3, 2021. “It was so sick having you there and having Emma there and being able to give your brother the words from beyond,” Miller says in the video.
“To hear 40,000 people respond to that and to hear his memory, it was a super special special moment,” Hamilton continues of the song, whose lyrics honor his brother memory by saying “here’s to your brave soul/ you fought but you lost hold/ and now I’m alone to face the truth.”
Illenium opened up about his journey of finding sobriety and going on to became a stadium filling artist in his Billboard cover story this past March. Of how addiction effected his relationship with his mom, he said, “Watching that relationship get torn by the s–t you keep doing — at first, it’s like, ‘Why are you on me so much, I’m not even that bad,.’ Then it goes into ‘OK, I can’t stop’ and then it goes into, like, “F–k everyone. I can’t live without it.’ And then you’re just breaking down.”
“For anyone who’s in that place, it feels so horrible in that moment,” Hamilton says in the video, “but if you’re willing to ask for help and take some steps, that’s the jumping off point of where we get better.”
If you or anyone you know is struggling with substance abuse, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s website for resources.
During Puerto Rico’s Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5, Bad Bunny cast his vote early at Saint John’s School in San Juan. Dressed in a classic salsero style sporting shades, an open-buttoned tee and burgundy pants, the superstar took a moment to address undecided voters. “Listen to your heart,” he advised after submitting his ballot, […]
Jason Kelce is taking responsibility after a heated clash with a heckler who insulted Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift went viral earlier this week.
On the latest episode of Monday Night Countdown, the retired Philadelphia Eagles center opened the show with his co-hosts by addressing the incident — which found Jason smashing the phone of an instigator who’d called his little brother a homophobic slur — head on. “Everybody’s seen on social media everything that took place this week,” he began. “Listen, I’m not happy with anything that took place.”
“I’m not proud of it,” Jason continued with a solemn expression. “In a heated moment, I chose to greet hate with hate, and I just don’t think that that’s a productive thing.”
The moment in question went down at the Ohio State vs. Penn State football game Saturday (Nov. 2), where onlookers filmed as a heckler taunted Jason by saying, “Hey, Kelce! How does it feel your brother’s a f—– dating Taylor Swift?”
Jason then turned around, grabbed the heckler’s phone and threw it to the ground before picking it back up and walking away. As the instigator chased him down trying to retrieve the phone, the New Heights podcaster again turned around and said, “Who’s the f—– now?”
“In that moment, I fell down to a level that I shouldn’t have,” Jason reflected on Monday Night Countdown. “Bottom line is, I try to live my life by the Golden Rule … treat people with common decency and respect. I’m going to keep doing that moving forward, even though I fell short this week.”
Penn State University Police confirmed to The New York Times on Tuesday (Nov. 5) they they are investigating the incident.
Travis and the “Anti-Hero” singer have been dating since summer 2023, since which time Swift has become close with Jason and the Kelce brothers’ parents, Donna and Ed. At the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers game Monday (Nov. 4), the 14-time Grammy winner watched the tight end play alongside Jason and Donna in a box suite at Arrowhead Stadium.
Jason has also been indoctrinated into Swiftieland since his little brother’s romance with the star began. In October, the elder Kelce attended Swift’s Eras Tour show in Miami and afterward raved on New Heights, “It was on another level … When Reputation came on, and she came out in the new outfit, and the rain was coming down, the place could’ve f–king erupted.”
Azealia Banks has changed her mind about the presidential election. The mercurial MC best known for her frequent beefs with fellow celebs announced on Monday (Nov. 4) that she is now endorsing Democrat Kamala Harris over her previous commander-in-chief pick, Donald Trump.
Though the endorsement included a reference to the sitting Vice President as “stupid and incoherent” — as well as calling Harris’ VP pick, Gov. Tim Walz “trash” — Banks said she’s bailing on convicted felon Trump in large part because of her fears that the three-time presidential nominee will make good on his vow to give equally mercurial SpaceX/Tesla CEO Elon Musk a place in his potential second administration.
“I really think keeping Elon Musk away from any type of political power in the USA is tantamount to any issue on the table here. You have to be a complete idiot to think that dirtbag cares about anyone or anything other than himself,” Banks, 33, tweeted about Musk, who has become one of Trump’s biggest financial supporters and stumpers over the past month.
“He’s already been given way too much tax payer money – Allowing him to ascend to any position of political authority is very f–king dangerous,” wrote Banks in an attack on Musk featuring a string of provocative claims. “One does not become the richest man in the world because of honesty and good character lol, you must be an expert liar, thief and cheater to become that.” The tweet also included incendiary, unverified statements about Musk’s alleged business practices as well as his parenting and treatment of singer Grimes, who has two children with the tech billionaire; at press time a spokesperson for Musk had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on Banks’ claims.
In 2016, Banks endorsed Trump and congratulated him following the former reality TV star’s win over former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton in that year’s election, offering to perform at his inauguration. While she was seemingly not invited to play that event, Trump was feted with sets from Toby Keith, Three Doors Down, Lee Greenwood, Jackie Evancho, DJ Ravidrums, the Piano Guys and a speech from actor Jon Voight. Last year, Banks said she would be supporting Trump again because she thought he was “f–king funny.”
NBC reported that Musk’s financial and stump support of Trump could be result in lucrative business wins for the world’s richest man, noting that the billionaire has turned X into “a pro-Trump echo chamber” over the past few months in the apparent expectation that Trump will offer up more tax breaks for the richest Americans and provide more government contracts for SpaceX. Musk has reportedly donated nearly $120 million to convicted the twice impeached former President’s third White House bid. Though he is not expected to have an official seat in a Trump cabinet owing to his many foreign business interests and government contracts, there are report that Musk could have an unofficial role as the “secretary of cost-cutting.”
Banks concluded her Harris endorsement tweet — one of dozens she posted on Monday in which she weighed in on everything from her distaste for iPhones and owning property in South Florida to a plea for Harris to “incentivize” men who don’t want to have children to get vasectomies — by explaining her latest swipe at Musk.
“I will be Voting For Kamala Harris tomorrow because Elon Musk (a f–king overrated Ketamine addict) belongs no where near American Politics. The End,” she wrote. Musk has spoken openly in the past about his use of prescription Ketamine, an anesthetic that has gained interest from doctors and researchers for its potential to treat depression and anxiety. In an interview with CNN earlier this year, Musk denied overusing Ketamine, saying, “if you use too much ketamine, you can’t really get work done. I have a lot of work, I’m typically putting in 16-hour days … so I don’t really have a situation where I can be not mentally acute for an extended period of time.”
The rapper — who has released just one full-length album to date, 2014’s Broke With Expensive Taste, along with a handful of EPs and mixtapes — referred to an overnight stay at Musk’s home in 2018 as being akin to “a real life episode of ‘Get Out‘”; she later apologized for those remarks.
Banks’ 11th hour support for Harris comes after a galaxy of A-listers have lined up behind the VP, including: Taylor Swift, Cardi B, Eminem, Scarlett Johansson, Ricky Martin, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Bad Bunny, Harrison Ford, Cher, Usher, Olivia Rodrigo, Madonna, Kesha, Billie Eilish, Bruce Springsteen, Charli XCX and many more.
Kamala Harris took a moment Monday (Nov. 4) during one of the busiest weeks of her life to honor Quincy Jones following the 91-year-old musical legend’s death the day prior.
Sharing a photo of herself sitting with Jones on a couch at a house gathering — the duo deep in conversation with the famed producer’s arm around her shoulder — the 2024 presidential candidate wrote on Instagram, “Quincy Jones was a trailblazer.”
“As a composer, arranger, record and movie producer, he created art that brought joy to millions of people,” Harris continued. “As an activist, Quincy championed civil and human rights. As a role model, he offered inspiration and mentorship, in particular for young people of color in the music industry.”
“I was honored to call Quincy a friend, and I will always remember his generosity of spirit, his selfless support, and his deep kindness,” she added. “Doug [Emhoff] and I are praying for the Jones family and all those who loved him.”
Harris posted her tribute on the same day Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, confirmed that the 28-time Grammy winner died Sunday night (Nov. 3) surrounded by loved ones at his home in Los Angeles. “Although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him,” read a recent statement from his family, which includes daughter Rashida Jones and six other children.
“He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him dearly; we take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created,” it continued. “Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’ heart will beat for eternity.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s passing preceded Election Day (Nov. 5) by just two days, an event that will determine whether Harris’ whirlwind White House bid was successful. The VP is running against twice-impeached ex-POTUS Donald Trump, whom Jones once called a “crazy motherf–ker” in a 2018 interview with Vulture that has newly been making rounds online in light of the news of the musician’s death and the election.
“I used to hang out with [Trump],” Jones continued in the interview, in which he also claimed to have previously dated Ivanka Trump. “Limited mentally – a megalomaniac, narcissistic. I can’t stand him.”
Harris is just one of many public figures to honor Jones in the wake of his death, with Elton John, Dr. Dre, Jon Batiste, LL Cool J, David Guetta, Victoria Monét and many others sharing posts over the past 24 hours. “A legend, a titan, a mentor,” wrote Mariah Carey in a message on Instagram. “You’ve given the world, and me, so many life defining moments that will be forever cherished. Rest in Power, sir Quincy Jones.”
“I find myself with a heavy heart today,” added Justin Timberlake on the social media site. “We lost someone so special. But, I also consider myself so fortunate to be here while he was and to experience his essence, dedication, and mastery.”
Dick Van Dyke reached back 60 years on Monday (Nov. 4) to a time when the United States was riven by racial animus and division to remind voters that such emotions are not, and should not, be the norm. The 98-year-old Hollywood legend and Mary Poppins star posted a black-and-white video on his socials endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris a day before voters took to the polls to weigh in on the neck-and-neck race between the sitting Democrat Vice President and former command-in-chief Donald Trump.
“Fifty years ago – May 31, 1964 — I was on the podium with Dr. Martin Luther King” he said of the Religious Witness for Human Dignity event held by the late civil rights leader in front of 60,000 people at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. “I was there to read a message written by Rod Serling, the guy who wrote The Twilight Zone. I got it out the other day, and I think it means as much today, if not more, than it did then. So if you don’t mind, I’d like to read it,” Van Dyke said.
The beloved actor and singer then read a selection from Serling’s note, which was entitled “A Most Non-Political Speech,” reprising his recitation at the King event more than half a century ago. “Hatred is not the norm. Prejudice is not the norm. Suspicion, dislike, jealousy, scapegoating, none of those are the transcendent facet of the human personality. They’re diseases,” Van Dyke said. “They are the cancers of the soul. They are the infectious and contagious viruses that have been breeding humanity for years. And because they have been and because they are, is it necessary that they shall be? I think not.”
With the trademark sparkle in his eye and warmth in his voice, Van Dyke continued. “If there’s one voice left to say ‘welcome’ to a stranger, if there’s one hand outstretched to say ‘enter and share,’ if there’s one mind remaining to think a thought of warmth and friendship, then there’s a future in which we’ll find more than one hand, more than one voice and more than one mind dedicated to the cause of man’s equality. Wishful? Hopeful? Unassured? Problematical and not to be guaranteed, that’s all true.”
He added, “But again, on this spring evening of 1964, a little of man’s awareness has shown itself. A little of his essential decency, his basic goodness, his preeminent dignity, has been made a matter of record. There will be moments of violence and expressions of hatred and an ugly re-echo of intolerance, but these are the clinging vestiges of a decayed past, not the harbingers of the better, cleaner future.”
The powerful message from Van Dyke came as both Trump and Harris were delivering their final messages to supporters on Monday night (Nov. 4), both in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania. Harris was joined in Philadelphia by a galaxy of A-list stars — including Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Ricky Martin and The Roots — during an address where she once again vowed to fight for the future of all Americans.
“We love our country. And when you love something, you fight for it,” Harris said in an address just before midnight. “I do believe it is one of the highest forms of patriotism, of our expression of our love for our country, to then fight for its ideals and to fight to realize the promise of America… America is ready for a fresh start, ready for a new way forward, where see our fellow Americans not as an enemy, but as a neighbor.”
Also speaking in Pennsylvania, Trump — who would be the oldest person ever elected president at 78 — stuck to his foreboding, grievance-filled stump speech, vowing to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 in an effort at the mass deportation of illegal migrants he has promised on day one of his potential second administration. He also once again referred to Harris as a “radical left Marxist” and promised to “get critical race theory and transgender insanity the hell out of our schools” in the closing argument of a campaign in which he has questioned Harris’ racial identity and sought to lure Latino voters to his side despite recently featuring a comedian at his New York rally who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” Referring to the U.S. as an “occupied country” on Monday, Trump also again falsely claimed that “a lot of bad things” happened in the 2020 election he lost to President Biden.
In his recitation, Van Dyke — who did not mention either candidate, but did encourage his fans to vote and included hashtags for Harris — added a most poignant bit from Serling. “To those who tell us that the inequality of the human animal is the necessary evil, we must respond by simply saying that first, it is evil, but not necessary. We prove it, sitting here tonight, in 1964. We prove it by affirming our faith. We prove it by having faith in our affirmations,” he said.
The reading ended with a quote from 19th century abolitionist and U.S. House Rep. Horace Mann, “‘Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.’ I’d like to paraphrase that tonight. ‘Let us be ashamed to live without that victory,’” Van Dyke said, lamenting that “a lot” has happened since then, but perhaps not as much as MLK dreamed of. “But it’s a start,” Van Dyke smiled.
Van Dyke joins a long roster of major stars who’ve supported Harris’ campaign, a list that includes: Taylor Swift, Cardi B, Eminem, Scarlett Johansson, LeBron James, George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey, Ricky Martin, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Bad Bunny, Harrison Ford, Cher, Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts, Usher, Olivia Rodrigo, Madonna, Kesha, Billie Eilish, Bruce Springsteen, Sarah Jessica Parker, Charli XCX, Arnold Schwarzenegger and many more.
Pollsters have repeatedly claimed that Trump and Harris are in a neck-and-neck race, with most predicting that results will likely not be finalized when voting ends on Tuesday night (Nov. 5). If you are not sure where your polling place is, click here to find out.
Watch Van Dyke read Serling’s message below.