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Tyga and Sabrina Claudio have sparked dating rumors as the newest musical power couple. T-Raww and the 27-year-old R&B singer posed for a series of intimate photos on the beach, which sent their fans into a frenzy on Monday afternoon (July 8) coming off the holiday weekend. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See […]
Robert Glasper stays busy. When Billboard recently caught up with the five-time Grammy winner, it was on the eve of his performance — with his band and special guest Yebba — at the annual Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival on June 16. And between rehearsals for that performance, he was in the midst of recording his next album.
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And this after announcing the arrival of his latest album, Let Go, just a few days prior. The release of the meditative instrumental album, one of several planned projects via an exclusive partnership with Apple Music, also coincided with the music platform’s celebration of jazz during Black Music Month.
Thanks to critically acclaimed, burgeoning jazz artists such as Grammy winner Samara Joy, fellow Grammy winner Laufey and 2023 Mercury Music Prize winner Ezra Collective, jazz has been making some headlines in the last several years. And as a noted jazz artist himself, Glasper is here for this new wave.
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“I think that people are OK with jazz moving into the modern times,” he says. “People are kind of letting go and allowing it to do what it needs to do. We already have jazz history. But new things [in jazz] also need to be done so that the new things can, in turn, make history. People like Samara Joy … she’s a breath of fresh air. She obviously has studied the history of the music, but you can hear her through it as well. And she’s not afraid of genre-hopping either. I love the fact that she’s steeped so deep in gospel music and R&B. People are seeing others like Esperanza [Spalding] and Gregory Porter, who are bringing jazz into a new day.
“They’re saying it’s OK to learn the history,” continues Glasper, “but don’t get held back by it. That lesson is being taught. And a lot of people are embracing this new wave of artists who are telling their stories and aren’t afraid to do so.”
Now back in the studio recording his next album for Apple Music, Glasper describes the forthcoming project as half jazz and half hip-hop. With fellow musicians Walter Smith on tenor saxophone, Keyon Harrold on trumpet, Vicente Archer on bass, Kendrick Scott on drums and Mike Moreno on guitar, Glasper is currently recording the album’s jazz half.
“We’re recording some jazz tunes in a very acoustic, sextet style,” Glasper explains. The other half of the album will be hip-hop versions of those jazz songs. I’m going to have different hip-hop producers sample each of those songs and make a hip-hop beat out of it.”
In the meantime, Glasper is busy ramping up for Blue Note Jazz Festival Presents: The Black Radio Experience. As earlier announced, John Legend, Jill Scott and André 3000 are headlining the Napa Valley, Calif., event during Labor Day weekend (Aug. 30-Sept. 1). The festival, a partnership between Blue Note Entertainment Group and Black Radio Productions, will be hosted by Sway Calloway.
Ticking off a lineup that also features Andra Day, Common with Pete Rock, Musiq Soulchild, Nile Rodgers and Christian McBride (more info here), Glasper — also doubling as artist in residence — says the festival “will be a tad bit more intimate than last year. We’re looking forward to a great weekend.”
Offstage, Glasper has been busy working on various television projects since scoring the music for Peacock’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot Bel-Air in 2022 with fellow artist/musician Terrace Martin. Those projects include creating the original score for the current Apple TV+ limited series The Big Cigar. With a cast that includes André Holland and Glynn Turman, the six-part drama chronicles Black Panther founder Huey P. Newton’s escape from the FBI to Cuba.
Glasper, who also counts The Photograph and season two of HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty among his film and television credits, most recently did the music for the forthcoming documentary about R&B/pop singer/songwriter legend Luther Vandross. Luther: Never Too Much, directed by Dawn Porter, is slated to premiere next year on CNN, OWN and Max.
“Luther was the soundtrack to my childhood,” Glasper tells Billboard about the chance to work on the documentary. “We didn’t have a family gathering without Luther’s music playing. Doing the music for this doc was close to my heart. It felt like him.”
Serena Williams expects to be dancing to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” for the rest of the summer.
Speaking at ESSENCE Festival in New Orleans over the weekend, the tennis legend called “Not Like Us” a “jam” and crowned the Drake diss track as the “hit of the summer.”
“I love that song. It’s like the hit of the summer,” she said. “When they play that jam, I’m jamming. That jam is jamming.”
Per Complex, Serena added that she’s getting her “Crip walk” on to the Mustard-produced Hot 100-topping banger. “You definitely Crip walking in that song. It’s so cool what he did though. Bringing everyone to the stage? That was incredible. I couldn’t believe it,” she continued.
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K. Dot actually name-drops his fellow Compton icon on the track. “From Alondra down to Central, n—a better not speak on Serena,” he raps about Williams while seemingly daring Drake to keep her name in his mouth.
Drake was rumored to be dating Serena Williams throughout the first half of the 2010s. However, in June, Common insinuated that “wars happen over women” after N.O.R.E. brought up how the two were linked to dating Serena at different times. (Common dated Serena from about 2007 to 2010).
“You know, wars happen over women,” Common admitted of his feud with Drake on Drink Champs. “That’s just what it is. But I ain’t going to get at you if you with somebody I was with. But if you start throwing me a couple little, you know, you trying to throw some jabs, you know, and I’m like, ‘Come on man, OK.’”
Williams and Drake were spotted locking lips in 2015 and he pulled up to her U.S. Open tennis match in the same year, which had many thinking the couple was taking their relationship to the next level. However, her rep denied to People in October that year that the two were dating, instead noting that they were merely longtime friends.
Serena tied the knot with Alexis Ohanian in 2017. The tennis icon and entrepreneur share two daughters.
Drake dissed the Reddit co-founder on 2022 Her Loss cut “Middle of the Ocean.” “Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie/ He claim we don’t got a problem but/ No, boo, it is like you coming for sushi,” he raps.
Ohanianappeared to reply to Drake via X at the time, writing: “The reason I stay winning is because I’m relentless about being the absolute best at whatever I do—including being the best groupie for my wife & daughter.”
“Not Like Us” reached the Billboard Hot 100’s apex, and is holding firm at No. 3 on this week’s chart. The track could receive a boost next week thanks to the Dave Free and Lamar-directed music video, which arrived on July 4.
Watch Serena talk about “Not Like Us” below:
Eminem has once again demonstrated his enduring influence in the rap game with the release of his highly anticipated music video for “Tobey” on Monday (July 8). The track, featuring fellow Detroit natives Big Sean and BabyTron, has received major attention since its release and received the visual treatment that fans have been waiting for. […]
The talk of a Hot Boys reunion at Essence Fest this past weekend was all the hype in New Orleans. Juvenile told fans that a long-awaited Hot Boys album was in the works, and Birdman recently told Billboard he hoped to get everybody on stage together.
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“It’s been 15-20 years since we’ve been onstage together,” he said. “We’ve got a great production and some special guests. It’s going to be amazing! We are working on a few things that we can’t talk about yet. But I can promise you that it’s going to be a night to remember.”
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However, things didn’t go as planned. Lil Wayne chose not to hit the stage with Birdman, Mannie Fresh, Juvenile and B.G., instead performing a 20-minute set after they finished. He also changed the Cash Money logos onscreen to Young Money logos and said he was “here on behalf of Young Money f–king Records,” according to nola.com.
This is as close as we got to a full Cash Money/Hot Boys reunion at Essence Fest. Mannie was on stage, but not in this shotEveryone thought Wayne was a no show, but he came & did a solo set after everyone left. He never appeared on stage w/ BG & Juvy. Turk wasn’t there at all😢 pic.twitter.com/ov4ZaN0jfH— Andrew Barber (@fakeshoredrive) July 6, 2024
Weezy also said he had no idea about a new Hot Boys album. While making a guest appearance on NFL player Cam Heywood’s podcast Not Just Football in late June, he responded when asked about a Hot Boys comeback, “Sh—t, you just told me.”
Heywood then replied, “Juvie said, ‘We got the album already cookin’.’” Still a bit confused, Wayne then answered, “I ain’t been to the kitchen yet. I would not lie to you, I have not been in that kitchen yet. I have no problem with going to that kitchen, but I ain’t smell it, it ain’t come through the window yet. I ain’t smell the food … They ain’t told me nothing yet.”
Turk was noticeably absent from the Hot Boys reunion on stage as well. Last month on social media, he addressed a possible reunion at the popular festival, saying he was still trying to iron out the business side of things and that he was doing everything in his power to be there.
B.G. went on Instagram Live and gave his take as to why Turk wasn’t there. “It’s only one n—a that ain’t in this b—h, you heard me?” B.G. said. “He brought that on hisself. N—a did a bunch of h— sh—t, he can’t take it back. He got to fault hisself for not being here.”
The Hot Boys released three albums all together, with their last project being 2003’s Let ‘Em Burn.
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” has permeated different avenues of pop culture, and now, even libraries are feeling the impact of the Drake diss. The Los Angeles Public Library went viral over the weekend when it posted a video to TikTok and Instagram over the weekend, debating whether its owl puppet needed to say farewell […]
Ice Spice keeps her side of the street clean, especially when Taylor Swift is involved. When fans at the rapper’s Rolling Loud Europe set started booing her “Karma” collaborator’s song Sunday (July 7), the former had the best reaction: blowing kisses to the haters and keeping things moving.
The moment came when Swift’s part of the duo’s “Karma” remix — which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 after Ice hopped on the track last year — started playing over the speakers during the 24-year-old Bronx native’s festival set in Austria. “Swifties, make some noise!” Ice cheered, to which a group of fans started booing loudly, waving thumbs-down symbols.
Ice, however, was unbothered. Instead of directly acknowledging the negativity, she simply blew a kiss and gave a stony expression, seemingly in the haters’ direction, before moving right along.
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The “In Ha Mood” artist was one of several musicians to take the stage at this year’s European edition of Rolling Loud, where she also performed tracks such as “Gimmie a Light” and new single “Phat Butt.” Nicki Minaj, Playboi Carti and Travis Scott served as headliners, while Gunna, Sexyy Red, Don Toliver, Offset and more were billed on the 2024 program as well.
And if some festivalgoers were expecting Ice not stand by Swift, they were sorely mistaken. Both artists have been vocal in their support for one another since coming together on “Karma,” with the pop star asserting on more than one occasion that the rapper is the “one to watch.”
Ice has also said that Swift often acts as a guiding light for her when it comes to her career. “When I was in the studio with Taylor, like, I’ll never forget that,” the rapper shared with Billboard in the March 2024 issue. “She told me, ‘No matter what, just keep making music and everything’s going to be fine.’”
The younger musician is currently gearing up to release her debut album, Y2K!, on July 26. After teasing that the project features more than one A-list collaboration, many fans have speculated that Swift may make an appearance for a “Karma” sequel — but Ice isn’t giving anything away just yet.
“I don’t know,” she said at the BET Awards in June when asked about the rumors, giving a coy smile. “Let’s see, let’s see, let’s see.”
See the moment Ice Spice blew kisses at her crowd while “Karma” played at her Rolling Loud Europe set.
Nicki Minaj canceled a planned set at the SAGA Festival in Romania on Sunday night (July 7) after the rapper said her security team warned her of potential issues due to a protest reportedly planned in Bucharest on Monday (July 8).
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“Out of concern for the well-being of our team and myself, I have been advised by my security detail not to travel to Romania’s festival tonight due to safety concerns regarding protests in the area,” Minaj tweeted on Sunday night just hours before she was slated to take the stage. “I look forward to seeing you all at another time.”
Minaj noted that the decision was also made with her family in mind. “As a mom, I have to make sure I’m making sound decisions for me to make it home to my son and for my team to make it home to their families,” wrote the mother of a three-year-old son with husband Kenny Petty. “To not heed the advice of security at this time is simply not what I think I should be doing. I love you and thank you for your understanding and support. I am very excited to see my fans this Friday in London for another very special headlining show at Wireless Festival.”
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Minaj was slated to headline the weekend festival that also featured sets from Armin Van Buuren, Raye, Rita Ora, Hardwell and Tyla among many others. The MC did not specify what the security concerns were and at press time a spokesperson had not returned a request for additional information on the cause of the show’s cancelation; in addition, at press time there appeared to be minimal reporting about a protest in Bucharest on Monday.
According to Rolling Stone, SAGA festival organizers issued a statement on Sunday, writing, “It is with a heavy heart that we have to announce Nicki Minaj has just cancelled her performance due to concerns for her and her team’s well-being in Romania… This has nothing to do with SAGA, and is beyond our powers. The news has left us all devastated, and we know it’s a huge disappointment for all of you, just as it is for us.” Organizers reportedly said that all unscanned tickets for the sold-out Sunday festival gig would be refunded.
The MC also reportedly ran into some issues during her show at Malahide Castle near Dublin, Ireland on Saturday night, when fans complained she took the stage late and performed a shortened set. The Irish Independent reported that some Barbz were demanding a full refund after Minaj was said to have made fans wait in the rain for 45 minutes before reportedly taking the stage after 10 p.m. local time, then cutting the gig short after 45 minutes. Other reports place her stage time between 60-63 minutes. Before the show, producer MCD Productions noted in an X post that “Nicki Minaj’s set is due to start at 8.20 pm,” noting that “the licensed curfew is 10:30pm.”
Typical set times on Minaj’s current tour have been running between 60 and 75 minutes according to setlist.fm and it appeared that the rapper performed for just over an hour in Dublin after being played on by her tour DJ, DJ Boof.
Minaj posted a series of pics from the set in Dublin — which she dubbed “#GagCityDUBLIN” — with followers taking to the comments section to air their disappointment about both shows. “girl when are you coming to romania if you didn’t attend saga?,” wrote on about the scotched Romania gig, with an Irish fan adding, “You have no respect for your fans @nickiminaj actually awful €100 for us to get drenched in the rain for you to play for 40 mins wow its actally shocking!!! No manners young kids badly disappointed you have no morals woman !!!! I hope all your future shows are boycotted.”
In another Instagram post featuring footage of Minaj preparing to take the stage in Dublin, fans continued to complain about the show, with one writing, “Worst gig ever, arrived on stage at 9.50, kept fans waiting in the lashings of rain, proceeded to have loads of length costume changes, lots of fans left disappointed,” with another saying, “The real reality?….Dublin mad as f cause she’s turned up hours late and people had to leave cause they were standing in rain for hours waiting.”
While Minaj has not made any additional statement beyond the one concerning the show in Romania, the rapper did cryptically post a series of images of the terrifying Chucky from the Child’s Play movies on her X account with no additional comment late Sunday night.
This isn’t the first hiccup on the tour. Minaj was arrested in Amsterdam in May on her way to perform in the UK at Manchester’s Co-Op Live after being detained by Dutch police who reportedly found “dozens of joints” in her luggage; shortly after, Minaj canceled a planned June 2 show at Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam.
The next gig on Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 tour is slated for Friday (July 12) at the Wireless Festival in London.
See Minaj’s statement below.
Out of concern for the well-being of our team and myself, I have been advised by my security detail not to travel to Romania’s festival tonight due to safety concerns regarding protests in the area. I look forward to seeing you all at another time. As a mom, I have to make sure…— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) July 7, 2024
Oh my God they’re back again. Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — and Ty Dolla $ign are headed to Korea for a Vultures listening experience later this summer. Amid the speculation of the Korea show, Ty made it official on Saturday (July 6) with a post to Instagram announcing the listening party slated […]
Childish Gambino turned New York City’s Little Island into Close Friends Island on Saturday night (July 6) for the live debut of his upcoming Bando Stone & The New World album, which will be his final under the artistic moniker.
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Floating on the Hudson River and surrounded by grass and trees, Gambino gave lucky fans a break from the concrete jungle in the sweltering 90-degree heat and the chance to be the first to hear his anticipated LP.
Only 100 were expected to be invited, but it appears most were given a plus one as the Chelsea amphitheater was filled to capacity while others were left to watch via the livestream shown in the park.
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Gambino took centerstage in a pair of Chubbies, a yellow button-down and white snapback. He got things going shortly after 9 p.m. ET and showed love to Amaarae, who provided a smooth assist on the opening track, which he dubbed to be his favorite verse on the entire album.
The multi-hyphenate joked that the Bronx native would soon stop answering his texts as she’s on her way to stardom and opening up on Sabrina Carpenter’s tour.
An unlikely guest appearance came from Chloe Bailey and her heavenly vocals on “Survivor,” while Kamassi Washington helmed saxophone duties.
The first standout moment came when Childish Gambino sat down next to Steve Lacy and Foushee, who were both in attendance, and they performed their airy collaboration “Steph’s Beach.”
“I’m down to clown around,” Gambino recalled the “Bad Habit” singer telling him when asking if he wanted to potentially collaborate. Lacy and Foushee are no strangers, as they previously teamed up for tracks like “Sunshine” and “Candy Grapes.”
Hearing Jorja Smith’s piercing harmonies came as a pleasant surprise on personal favorite “Free the Night.” The intoxicating track finds Bino putting his croon to the test against the talented U.K. singer and Amaarae.
“We made it a long time ago. I asked her to do it, and she just finished having a baby,” Glover revealed. Smith has never confirmed she had a child publicly. He added: “She finished another part of the verse two days ago.”
Childish Gambino made it clear with his final offering that he’s not leaving any stone unturned and catering to all facets of his fan base’s palette. Sonics are important to the 40-year-old, and he had to check with the crew to see if the sub speakers were working before pressing play on the thumping Flo Milli-assisted “Talk My S–t,” where he takes a step back and lets the Alabama rhymer jackhammer the tune.
While the “This Is America” rapper leans into a range of influences, rapping is still a core passion for Gambino, who bars up on a blistering track with fiery rhymes taking aim at his detractors. “White boy throwing dirt on my name for the think piece,” he spews.
“Cruisin’” is a track Gambino started way back in 2014, and he invited Yeat into the fold to take it across the finish line. Other album cuts included another Foushee collaboration, “Running Away,” the “intense” dubstep-leaning “Got to Be” and the “very Euro” LP closer “Place Where Love Goes,” which feels like something Ye and Travis Scott would’ve cooked up.
He fittingly wrapped up the 75-minute show and got the crowd involved for an intimate debut sing-along to his grungy Max Martin-produced “Lithonia” single that arrived earlier in the week. Fans already had most of the verses memorized.
Bando Stone & The New World is a diverse exploration into Gambino’s artistry, and the variety pack has something for every era of his fans. The project hits streaming services on July 19 and will serve as the soundtrack companion to the blockbuster, which remains without a release date.
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