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As right-wing legislative attacks against queer and trans people continue to skyrocket around the country, some conservatives seem to only be talking about one thing as of late: Bud Light.
On April 1, transgender TikTok star and social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney shared a video of herself participating in Bud Light’s Easy Carry Contest for the end of March Madness, revealing that the company helped her celebrate her “365th day of womanhood” with “possibly the best gift ever” — a commemorative can of Bud Light with Mulvaney’s face emblazoned on the side.
While Anheuser-Busch (the company that makes Bud Light) told Billboard in a statement that the commemorative cans bearing Mulvaney’s face are “not for sale,” that didn’t stop right-wing commentators from causing an uproar online, saying that the brand shouldn’t be promoting transgender “ideologies.” Some even said that they would be “boycotting” the companies many products, which include Budweiser, Busch, Stella Artois, Michelob Ultra, Hoegarden and others.
Some of those who spoke out included celebrities such as Kid Rock and Travis Tritt, who promised that they would be cutting all ties with the brand from that point forward. Other artists, including Jason Isbell and Zach Bryan, defended the brand against the online backlash, pointing out the importance of diversity. Even shock jock Howard Stern weighed in on the issue, saying he was “dumbfounded by why someone would care so much” about a trans person acting as a spokesperson for the beer brand.
See what artists have had to say about the ongoing Anheuser-Busch controversy below:
Kid Rock
One of the first artists to express his displeasure with Anheuser-Busch, Kid Rock decided to take his anger out with some help from an assault rifle. Posting a video across his social media on April 3, the self-proclaimed “Devil Without a Cause” said that he was “feeling a little frisky” and promised to be “as clear and concise as possible,” before firing a series of rounds at three unopened cases of Bud Light, sending the drinks spraying across his lawn.
Making good on his promise of remaining “clear and concise,” the “Cocky” singer yelled “f–k Bud Light, and f–k Anheuser-Busch” directly into the camera to close out his video.
Jason Isbell
After watching Kid Rock express himself through gunplay, country star Jason Isbell decided to take the rap-rocker to task through a series of tweets. Retweeting the rap-rocker’s original video, Isbell mocked the clip, asking, “Is this one of those three words you wish you could say to your teenage self things.” Later, retweeting an infographic that showed Coors Light’s long history of corporate support for the LGBTQ community, the “Cover Me Up” singer said, “This is finally how we get him. Leave no bigoted beers to drink.”
When a number of users tried to clap back at Isbell, he continued to taunt them, telling one fan who said “Kid Rock is 100 times a better musician than you” that “he can’t shoot for s–t though can he.”
Travis Tritt
As the backlash to the brand continued, country singer-songwriter Travis Tritt announced on Twitter on April 5 that he would be “deleting all Anheuser-Busch products from my tour hospitality rider,” adding that there were “many other artists who are doing the same.”
As for why those other artists didn’t seem to be vocalizing their alleged boycott of the brand, Tritt theorized that their silence was due to “fear of being ridiculed and cancelled. I have no such fear.” The “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” performer also added that while he went on a tour sponsored by the brand back in the ’90s, he did so when they were “a great American company,” before they apparently “sold out to the Europeans and became unrecognizable to the American consumer.”
The “Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)” singer didn’t stop at Anheuser-Busch. Sharing an advertisement from Jack Daniel’s promoting its own Pride campaign with drag stars from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Tritt said that buyers “should take note.”
In full disclosure, I was on a tour sponsored by Budweiser in the 90’s. That was when Anheuser-Busch was American owned. A great American company that later sold out to the Europeans and became unrecognizable to the American consumer. Such a shame.— Travis Tritt (@Travistritt) April 6, 2023https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
John Rich
John Rich of country duo Big & Rich made it very clear that he would be one of the artists joining Tritt in his boycott of Anheuser-Busch’s products. In an April 5 tweet, the “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” singer asked his fans, “What beer should my bar @rnrbarnash in Nashville replace #BudLight with,” referring to his restaurant/bar Redneck Riviera. He also posted a poll on Twitter asking his followers if they were “thirsty for a Bud Light now,” with the resounding response being “Hell Naw.”
Noodles (The Offspring)
With a handful of artists declaring that they would be boycotting Anheuser-Busch products, The Offspring’s lead guitarist Noodles (born Kevin John Wasserman) announced that the band would be going in exactly the opposite direction. “We are going to be adding Anheiser-Busch products & Jack Daniels to our hospitality rider just to piss off a bunch of dimwitted bigots who fear what they don’t understand,” the guitarist wrote over a retweet of Tritt’s original statement. “I know a s–t-ton of artists who feel exactly the same. (And we all drink A LOT).”
Ted Nugent
With more and more stars commenting on the ongoing backlash to Anheuser-Busch, Ted Nugent appeared on Newsmax April 6 to support of Kid Rock, saying he “trained” the singer appropriately, “because nothing says ‘I love you’ like a fully automatic MP5 and nine-millimeter blasting about 600 rounds per minute.”
Shifting his focus to Anheuser-Busch, the “Cat Scratch Fever” singer said that he would “never allow” any Anheuser-Busch products “anywhere near my world,” and called the company’s work with Mulvaney was “the epitome of cultural deprivation.”
Zach Bryan
Rising country superstar Zach Bryan came to the defense of the trans community on Twitter, attempting to diffuse the growing tension. “I mean no disrespect towards anyone specifically, I don’t even mind @travistritt,” he tweeted on April 8. “I just think insulting transgender people is completely wrong because we live in a country where we can all just be who we want to be It’s a great day to be alive I thought.” He added a shoutout where he told Tritt that “I love Jack Daniels (my dogs name) and I will drink enough for both of us I promise.”
When some fans pointed to a recent incident where former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines was allegedly “physically assaulted” by a group of protestors supporting trans rights, Bryan quickly said he did not support any kind of violence. “I just have family transitioning and have blood to defend here,” he wrote. “No one threaten me pls.”
I mean no disrespect towards anyone specifically, I don’t even mind @Travistritt. I just think insulting transgender people is completely wrong because we live in a country where we can all just be who we want to be It’s a great day to be alive I thought— Zach Bryan (@zachlanebryan) April 8, 2023https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
As conservative uproar over Bud Light teaming up with a trans person continues, Ted Nugent threw his hat in the ring to criticize the beer brand.
The “Stranglehold” singer appeared on a recent episode of Newsmax’s “Eric Bolling the Balance” to share his response to Anheuser-Busch working with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. “The beauty of my life is that I’ve never spent one red cent on alcohol,” the guitarist said. “But I made sure that my entire crew and my family will never allow any Anheuser-Busch products anywhere near my world.”
After referencing a Pride-related campaign coming from Jack Daniel’s as well, Nugent called out these campaigns for being “disrespectful” to the brands’ “core consumer demographic,” appearing to refer to conservatives. “How can they possibly have a meeting around the table and come to the conclusion that they’re going to piss in the face of the people who pay their salaries?” he said. “This is the epitome of cultural deprivation in an ongoing tsunami of cultural deprivation.”
Nugent is just one in a series of artists to share their displeasure with Anheuser-Busch’s recent work with Mulvaney. Country singer Travis Tritt declared that he would no longer include any of the company’s products on his tour rider, while John Rich of duo Big & Rich “congratulated” anyone who was joining him in boycotting Bud Light.
Perhaps the most fiery response came from Kid Rock, who declared “f–k Anheuser-Busch” in a video last week after shooting three cases of Bud Light with an assault rifle. Nugent applauded the “Devil Without a Cause” singer in his interview, saying, “I think I might’ve trained Kid Rock appropriately, because nothing says ‘I love you’ like a fully automatic MP5 and nine-millimeter blasting about 600 rounds per minute.”
The partnership in question came when Mulvaney posted a video to her social media accounts promoting a March Madness-themed campaign for Bud Light, wherein she received a commemorative can of the drink with her face emblazoned on the side. Anheuser-Busch stood by its campaign in a statement to Billboard last week, saying it was one of “hundreds” meant to help the brand “authentically connect with audiences across various demographics.” The spokesperson also added that Bud Light cans with Mulvaney’s face were not for sale, since the piece was “a gift to celebrate a personal milestone.”
Jack Daniel’s also offered a statement to Billboard last week, standing by their values of “individuality and living life boldly on your own terms,” and adding that their products are made “with everyone in mind, including the LGBTQ+ community.”
It’s L-I-Z-Z-O; five letters and two vowels — and she’s here to show off her brand new nail art with a little help from RuPaul’s Drag Race.
In a post on TikTok on Saturday (April 8), Lizzo shared that she recently got duck nails — the divisive, flared-tip nail shape that has been taking over TikTok in the last two years. But instead of offering up any more discourse on whether or not duck nails are the “ugly sneakers” of nails, as Dazed put it, Lizzo simply decided to play with her new nails to the sound of Drag Race season 15 finalist Anetra.
The clip shows Lizzo voguing with her new pink nails while lip-synching along to Anetra’s now-iconic talent show performance from the season 15 premiere. “You better walk that f–king duck duck walk,” Lizzo mouthed to the camera. The duck-walking queen ended up seeing Lizzo’s video, and commented “Oh…. My god” under the clip.
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The “About Damn Time” singer has been a longtime fan of Drag Race, even appearing on the show twice as a guest judge — once during season 10 of the show, and again for the season 14 premiere. She even enlisted a group of queens from the show (A’keria Davenport, Detox, Asia O’Hara, Mariah Paris Balenciaga, Morgan McMichaels, Silky Nutmeg Ganache, Soju, Kylie Sonique Love and Mayhem Miller) to help create a second music video for her track “Juice” back in 2019.
Meanwhile, Anetra will be one of four finalists — alongside Sasha Colby, Mistress Isabelle Brooks and Luxx Noir London — to compete for the crown and a record-breaking cash prize of $200,000 on Friday’s finale episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15.
Check out Lizzo’s full lip sync to Anetra’s talent show performance below:
Another week, another opportunity to catch up on the latest tracks from you favorite queer artists. Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
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From Ashnikko’s fierce new track to Yaeji’s truth-telling LP, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below.
Ashnikko, “Weedkiller”
You can run all you want, but you cannot hide from Ashnikko’s wrath. On “Weedkiller,” the titular single off the rising star’s forthcoming album, Ashnikko dives headfirst into a fearsome, violent persona, intent on hunting down those who have wronged her. The chaotic drum beats and glitching strings further add to the frenzied energy of this electric single, as Ashnikko declares that she “will be the one to eliminate you.”
Yaeji, With a Hammer
Most fans know Yaeji as the dance artist behind “Raingurl” — but the Korean-American star is ready to smash that perception apart With a Hammer. On her remarkable new album, Yaeji is done dealing with image and perception — Hammer is the DJ’s unflinching look at her interior life, parsing through the deep sadness (“Passed Me By”), simmering anger (“Fever”) and generational aches (“Done (Let’s Get It)”) of her life, all while maintaining her signature sound.
Cub Sport, Jesus at the Gay Bar
With Easter Weekend officially upon us, Cub Sport wants to propose a toast to all of the queer folks brought up in Christian homes who never had a chance to explore their sexuality or gender expression until later in life. Jesus at the Gay Bar, the Australian indie trio’s fifth full-length, sees Cub Sport bursting with unbridled queer joy — tracks like “High for the Summer,” “Always Got The Love” and “Magic in U” are practically bursting with sparkling house music, while even the more pared-down tracks like “Hold” and “Zoom” still manage to bring feel-good energy back into the mix. Put simply, this exuberant LP is the ode to queerness that so many need to hear right now.
Corook, “CGI”
Get ready to groove along to Corook’s thrumming new single. The latest from the singer-songwriter is “CGI,” a deliciously funky love song where she revels in the utter perfection of her lover. As she declares that “your face is so perfect like CGI,” a bouncing bass line pumps along with the stacked synth chords, marking a clear departure from the budding star’s softer sound into something slicker.
KiNG MALA, “Dirty Dishes”
With April upon us, plenty of people are looking to get their spring cleaning done as soon as possible. But KiNG MALA is in no rush, as she proves on her new single “Dirty Dishes.” Imbued with a funk-fueled guitar-and-bass section, the new track sees the pop upstart reveling in the grime surrounding her, as she lets a prospective lover know that she’ll only be motivated to tidy up if they come over and help her out. While the delectable production is certainly worth noting, the star of the track is KiNG MALA’s gorgeous vocal, as she promises that if you “come on over, I’ll get it figured out for you.”
Dorian Electra, “Freak Mode”
It’s been a few years since electro-pop artist Dorian Electra graced our ears with new solo music. But don’t worry; they’re here to let you know that they’re still ready to give you weird new tunes. “Freak Mode” is Electra at their best — the shock-rock-meets-hyperpop aesthetic provided by producer Clarence Clarity is a perfect fit as the experimental star revels in everything that makes them “different.”
Arthur Moon, “7 O’Clock Clap”
Brooklyn avant-pop singer Arthur Moon wants to get out of the hole they dug for themselves. “7 O’Clock Clap,” the latest track off their aptly named forthcoming album Chaos! Chaos! Chaos! Side B, blends together two distinct, often intentionally separated melodies, as Lora-Faye Åshuvud (the artist behind Arthur Moon) waxes poetic on the performance of personality. As the track picks up speed, Åshuvud proves to be in complete control, bringing the haywire production in for a smooth landing.
LEADR, “Aeiou Nothin”
Rising indie-pop artist LEADR promises that they have approximately no time for your relationship nonsense with this fiery breakup anthem. “Aeiou Nothin” doesn’t give into the schmaltzier, “I’m gonna love me for me” side of things — LEADR even turns their nose up at the idea early in the song’s lyrics. Instead, this brutal kiss-off sees the emerging artist letting their ex know that they’re not pressed. After all, “the fine print says karma’s a bitch.”
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
Days after country singer Travis Tritt said he would be banning Anheuser-Busch beverages from his backstage hospitality riders, The Offspring guitarist Noodles responded by announcing that the veteran punk act is doubling down on the Bud products.
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“We are going to be adding Anheiser-Busch products & Jack Daniels to our hospitality rider just to piss off a bunch of dimwitted bigots who fear what they don’t understand,” wrote the 60-year-old guitarist born Kevin John Wasserman. “I know a s–t-ton of artists who feel exactly the same. (And we all drink A LOT).”
Noodles retweeted Tritt’s original post, in which he announced that he’d be “deleting” all Anheuser-Busch products going forward, adding, “I know many other artists who are doing the same.” Tritt’s action came after backlash against the brand — whose products include Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob, Rolling Rock, Busch, Shock Top and many more — for teaming up with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney in a March Madness campaign. Trans singer Laura Jane Grace responded to Tritt’s tweet by turning around a frequent right-wing insult against liberals on the 60-year-old country act, “Snowflake,” they wrote.
Tritt’s announcement came after MAGA-hat wearing rapper-turned-country singer Kid Rock opened fire on cases of Bud Light with a military-style assault rifle while announcing, “f– Bud Light and f–k Anheuser-Busch.”
While neither Tritt nor Rock specifically referred to Mulvaney or AB’s partnership with the TikTok star, the “Foolish Pride” country singer’s run of tweets about breaking up with AB also included his posting of a Jack Daniel’s ad featuring a trio of drag performers (BeBe Zahara Benet, Trinity Taylor and Manila Luzon) as part of the brand’s pact with RuPaul’s Drag Race alums on the “Drag Queen Summer Glamp” campaign.
“All the @JackDaniels_US drinkers should take note,” Tritt wrote while noting that he was on a a Bud-sponsored tour in the 1990s while lamenting the brand’s merger with Belgian beverage giant InBev in 2004.
In a statement to Billboard, Jack Daniel’s stood by its Glamp campaign and its support for the queer and trans communities. “Jack Daniel’s is made with everyone in mind, including the LGBTQ+ community,” a spokesperson said. “As a longtime champion of the LGBTQ+ community, Jack Daniel’s celebrates individuality and living life boldly on your own terms.”
As previously reported, AB did not respond to a request for comment regarding Tritt’s tweets, but in a previous statement shared with Billboard the brand also stood by its inclusive stance. “Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics,” a spokesperson said. Tritt has declined Billboard‘s request for further comment.
See Noodles’ tweet below.
We are going to be adding Anheiser-Busch products & Jack Daniels to our hospitality rider just to piss off a bunch of dimwitted bigots who fear what they don’t understand. I know a shit-ton of artists who feel exactly the same. (And we all drink A LOT) https://t.co/z94xPnobVi— Noodles (@TheGnudz) April 6, 2023
After Donald Trump made headlines once again last week, people online were shocked that beleaguered former President was still making waves three years after losing the 2020 election. Chief amongst those left surprised was viral internet sensation Randy Rainbow.
In a new interview with The Los Angeles Times, published on Wednesday (April 5), Rainbow talked about his latest parody video “Grumpy Trumpy Felon From Jamaica In Queens,” where the singer roasted Trump to the tune of the Andrews Sisters’ “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” after the former president’s indictment by a Manhattan grand jury. As Rainbow tells it, he was torn between surprise and resignation when it came time for him to once again make fun of Trump.
“To some extent it’s bizarre and to some extent it makes complete sense,” he said. “As long as there are stories and this kind of circus, they’re going to keep putting him in the news. Because people like keeping up with this ridiculous saga … this might not be popular to say out loud, but this is entertaining as [expletive] hell. We want to see how it will end, and it never ends!”
As for the song parody itself, Rainbow said that he found himself struggling with nailing the classic jazz track for his parody. “Musically, the song is trickier than I thought. It’s not just all about the politics,” he said. “It was a bit of a vocal lesson figuring out how to sing it. It took me half a day to find right the key.”
In the years since Trump left office, Rainbow has largely turned his sights onto other members of the GOP, including Marjorie Taylor Green, George Santos, Kevin McCarthy, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, while only occasionally doubling back to jab at Trump. “Even for the nine minutes that he was not in the headlines, there was no shortage of nonsense coming out of D.C.,” Rainbow explained. “I had plenty of material to choose from … all these ‘Dick Tracy’ villains that Trump unleashed.”
Rainbow’s parody video came just after Trump was officially indicted on Thursday, March 30, becoming the first former president to face criminal charges. The full indictment, released to the public on Tuesday (April 4) showed that Trump was facing 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in the first degree, specifically related to the former Apprentice host’s alleged hush-money payments made to Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign.
With the 2024 presidential election looming large, and Trump still vying for the Republican nomination, Rainbow made it clear that while he remains skeptical that the former president will face serious repercussions for his actions, he doesn’t think he will ever be president again. “I never quite believe that anything will really catch up with him,” he said. “But I can’t imagine him back in White House at this point.”
Read Rainbow’s full interview here, and watch his latest parody video below.
Country singer Travis Tritt is removing the King of Beers from his own royal retinue. On Wednesday night (April 5), Tritt released a series of tweets announcing that he would no longer be working with Anheuser-Busch, the company that produces Budweiser and Bud Light, among other beers.
“I will be deleting all Anheuser-Busch products from my tour hospitality rider,” the singer wrote, referring to the list of requests — including food and drink — an artist will submit to a live venue they’re scheduled to perform at. “I know many other artists who are doing the same.”
The announcement came after significant online backlash against the brand for partnering with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney in a March Madness campaign. One of the most vocal protestors of the announcement was Kid Rock, who posted a video of himself opening fire on three cases of Bud Light with an assault rifle, declaring, “f–k Bud Light and f–k Anheuser-Busch.”
When some commenters began asking which other stars Tritt knew would be removing Anheuser-Busch products from their tour riders, the “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” singer chose not to name names. “Other artists who are deleting Anheuser-Busch products from their hospitality rider might not say so in public for fear of being ridiculed and cancelled,” he wrote. “I have no such fear.”
The singer also added that he had worked directly with the beer manufacturer in the past, but had no plans to do so again. “In full disclosure, I was on a tour sponsored by Budweiser in the 90’s. That was when Anheuser-Busch was American owned,” he wrote. “A great American company that later sold out to the Europeans and became unrecognizable to the American consumer. Such a shame.”
While Tritt never directly referred to Mulvaney or Anheuser-Busch’s partnership with the TikTok star, the “Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)” singer did post an advertisement from Jack Daniel’s featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race stars BeBe Zahara Benet, Trinity Taylor and Manila Luzon, telling his followers that they “should take note.”
In a statement to Billboard, Jack Daniel’s stood by its Drag Queen Summer Glamp campaign, as well as its ongoing support for the queer and trans communities. “Jack Daniel’s is made with everyone in mind, including the LGBTQ+ community,” a spokesperson said. “As a longtime champion of the LGBTQ+ community, Jack Daniel’s celebrates individuality and living life boldly on your own terms.”
Anheuser-Busch has not yet responded to a request for comment regarding Tritt’s tweets, but in a previous statement shared with Billboard, the brand stood firm in its stance. “Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics,” a spokesperson said.
The whiskey brand is not the only one to fire back at the online outrage. Country star Jason Isbell openly mocked Kid Rock for his violent response to the Bud Light advertisement, encouraging other beer brands to follow suit. “This is finally how we get him,” Isbell said. “Leave no bigoted beers to drink.”
Billboard has reached out to Tritt comment. See his tweets below:
I will be deleting all Anheuser-Busch products from my tour hospitality rider. I know many other artists who are doing the same.— Travis Tritt (@Travistritt) April 5, 2023
Other artists who are deleting Anheuser-Busch products from their hospitality rider might not say so in public for fear of being ridiculed and cancelled. I have no such fear. https://t.co/YgjO9P03tR— Travis Tritt (@Travistritt) April 6, 2023
In full disclosure, I was on a tour sponsored by Budweiser in the 90’s. That was when Anheuser-Busch was American owned. A great American company that later sold out to the Europeans and became unrecognizable to the American consumer. Such a shame.— Travis Tritt (@Travistritt) April 6, 2023
Pretty soon, Kid Rock might be a devil without a case… of beer. After the conservative rapper-turned-country crooner posted a video earlier this week in which he blasted three cases of Bud Light using a semi-automatic AR-15-style rifle while intoning, “f– Bud Light and f–k Anheuser-Busch,” Jason Isbell had some bad news for the MAGA hat-wearing Bullgod.
“This is finally how we get him,” Isbell wrote. “Leave no bigoted beers to drink.” The comment came above a re-tweet of a post in which a user noted that Robert Ritchie’s beer of choice — Coors Light — is “guilty too!” The post featured an infographic noting that Coors “has had an anti-discrimination policy including sexual orientation since 1978, one of the first American corporations to do so.”
The image also said that the company “has financially supported its GLBT employees group since 1993,” while listing a number of LGBTQ-friendly bars where you can enjoy the brew that Rock promoted in a 2003 Super Bowl ad.
Rock’s rifle video came shortly after trans activist Dylan Mulvaney teamed up with Anheuser-Busch to promote the brand’s Easy Carry Contest, posting a video of herself talking about the campaign and even receiving “possibly the best gift ever” — a commemorative can of Bud Light with her face on it.
Mulvaney’s video immediately sparked outrage from right-wing commentators, who lambasted the brand for working with a transgender influencer. Anheuser-Busch responded to the backlash first in a statement to Fox News, which they reiterated to Billboard, saying the company works with “hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics and passion points,” and adding that Mulvaney’s commemorative can “was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public.”
The clip also came just weeks after a mass shooting at a private Nashville elementary school in which an assailant using a semi-automatic military-style rifle murdered three nine-year-old children and three adult staffers. Rock’s beer rant raised the ire of Fred Guttenberg, the father of a child who was killed during the Parkland shooting in Florida in 2018.
Guttenberg — who has turned into an outspoken gun control advocate in the wake of the massacre in which 14 teenagers and three staffers were killed — lambasted Rock for glorifying the kinds of war weapons often employed in mass shootings.
“Hey @kidrock, this dad is ‘feeling a little frisky today,” Guttenberg tweeted, mimicking Rock’s playful tone in a post that showed his late daughter trying to evade the murderous school shooter. “Let me be ‘as clear and concise’ as I can with you. This is my daughter Jaime (under the black oval) and these are the students running over her for safety to avoid getting shot by the AR 15 that killed her. F–K YOU!!!
Billboard has reached out to Kid Rock and Dylan Mulvaney for comment.
Rock’s video — which did not specifically mention Mulvaney or the LGBTQ-friendly Bud campaign — came amid amid a nationwide targeting of transgender people by conservative state legislatures around the U.S. Kentucky became the latest state to pass anti-trans legislation into law last week when lawmakers overrode Gov. Andy Beshear‘s veto of a bill banning gender-affirming care for anyone under the age of 18, while also compelling physicians to cease any ongoing gender-transition care for minors.
See Isbell and Guttenberg’s tweets below.
Hey @KidRock, this dad is “feeling a little frisky today.” Let me be “as clear and concise” as I can with you. This is my daughter Jaime (under the black oval) and these are the students running over her for safety to avoid getting shot by the AR 15 that killed her. FUCK YOU!!! https://t.co/Viv1Jzkuzu pic.twitter.com/OW9PDjETjW— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) April 4, 2023
Kid Rock is taking out his frustration on a few dozen cans of Bud Light.
Late Monday night (April 3), the “Bad Reputation” singer posted a video of himself across his social media accounts, speaking directly to the camera. Wearing a white MAGA hat, the rock-rapper said that “Grandpa’s feeling a bit frisky today,” and promised to be as “clear and concise as possible” with his statement.
The “Devil Without a Cause” singer then lifted up a semi-automatic rifle and opened fire on three cases of Bud Light propped up on a wooden table. Ceasing his fire on the beer cans, Rock looked back into the camera to make his point clear: “F–k Bud Light, and f–k Anheuser-Busch.”
The video came shortly after trans activist Dylan Mulvaney teamed up with Anheuser-Busch to promote the brand’s Easy Carry Contest, posting a video of herself talking about the campaign and even receiving “possibly the best gift ever” — a commemorative can of Bud Light with her face on it.
Mulvaney’s video immediately sparked outrage from right-wing commentators, who lambasted the brand for working with a transgender influencer. Anheuser-Busch responded to the backlash in a statement to Fox News, saying the company works with “hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics and passion points,” and adding that Mulvaney’s commemorative can “was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public.”
The ongoing backlash comes at a time when transgender people are being targeted at a steady cadence by state legislatures around the U.S. Kentucky became the latest state to pass anti-trans legislation into law last week when lawmakers overrode Gov. Andy Beshear‘s veto of a bill banning gender-affirming care for anyone under the age of 18, while also compelling physicians to cease any ongoing gender-transition care for minors.
Billboard has reached out to Kid Rock, Dylan Mulvaney and Anheuser-Busch for comment.
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If you feel like you’ve heard Sam Smith and Kim Petras‘ “Unholy” approximately one billion times, new data might show you’re close to being right.
On Monday (April 3), Spotify announced that Smith and Petras were the latest inductees into the company’s Billions Club, after the pair’s viral hit single “Unholy” crossed the 1 billion streams mark. This is Smith’s fifth song to enter the Billions Club (following his tracks “Stay With Me,” “I’m Not the Only One,” “Too Good at Goodbyes” and “Dancing With a Stranger” with Normani, respectively), and Petras’ first.
To celebrate the news, Smith took to their social media to share a compilation video of the song’s success, showing off behind-the-scenes clips from the shoot of the music video, as well as viral dance challenges, beauty tutorials and covers of the track from TikTok. At the conclusion, Smith offered a simple message to their fans: “Thank you,” the text read.
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Along with achieving the milestone, Smith and Petras’ “Unholy” has been added to Spotify’s Billions Club playlist, which was created in 2021 in order to help fans discover songs that had reached the formidable goal. “Spotify has long celebrated artist milestones and we wanted to find a unique way to honor the artists and songs fans can’t stop listening to,” Ashley Graver, the then-global head of creative artist partnerships, told Billboard at the time.
While “Unholy” continues to rack up streams, both Smith and Petras are pursuing new creative endeavors. Smith is currently preparing to embark on their globe-spanning Gloria Tour, which kicks off its European leg on April 12 at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena. Petras, meanwhile, has been teasing new music for the last few weeks, putting out an image of her backside on Tuesday with the caption “all will be revealed on Thursday.”
Check out the video to Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” below: