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As the 2024 BET Awards loom, the Black TV network aims to inject fun and great vibes during its celebratory weekend. On June 28 and 29, BET will bring back the BET Fan Fest Experience with an action-packed lineup slated to feature artists including Flo Milli, Rob49, Mustard and more.
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Presented by Walmart, The BET Fan Fest Experience will host myriad activations and events catered around a Celebrity Basketball game led by Million Dollars Worth of Game podcast hosts Gillie & Wallo, a skating party hosted by Mustard, and a 106 & Park stage catered to a slew of performers ranging from Baby Tate to Marsha Ambrosius and NLE Choppa.
The Fan Fest experience will also have villages beyond music, catering to style and beauty, culinary dishes made by some of L.A.’s favorite Black-owned restaurants, and entrepreneurship. Aspiring talents can also have a crack at stardom, as they’ll have the chance to audition for “Robi Reed Casting Call,” orchestrated by BET’s Head of Casting, Robi Reed, the BET Talent & Casting team, and other key industry figures. Attendees interested in checking out the experience can register on the BET Experience’s website.
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The 2024 BET Awards will be held the following day (June 30), with Drake leading the charge with seven nominations. Drake’s Young Money cohort, Nicki Minaj, comes in second, trailing him with six nods, followed by J. Cole, Sexyy Red, SZA and Victoria Monét, each with five nominations. So far, the first slate of performers includes GloRilla, Latto, Muni Long, Sexyy Red, Shaboozey, and Monét.
Fans can watch the show live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET.
Just days after the New York Knicks were eliminated from the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the Indiana Pacers, the mood in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night (May 21) was instantly transformed. Once heavy with gloom and despair, the air became charged with anticipation. The World’s Most Famous Arena not only hosted a double-shot of raps and twerk-filled stunts by Megan Thee Stallion‘s Hot Girl Summer Tour, but also celebrated a warm homecoming for some of the city’s brightest stars, including Cardi B and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.
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The anticipation was palpable as fans streamed in, eager to rally behind The Captain of the Hotties. They adorned themselves with cowboy hats, skin-tight shorts, and T-shirts emblazoned with Megan’s name, a testament to their fervent support. By 8:10, the party kicked off with CMG’s GloRilla, who was clearly ready to go. Though she was billed as Meg’s opener, Big Glo had the charisma of a headliner, oozing with swagger. The extra pep in her step was felt by The Garden crowd as they reveled in her hard-hitting performance of “Lick Or Sum.”
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With an army of dancers in tow, they looked to match Glo’s bulldog energy with hard stomps and twerks strong enough to reverberate through the stage set. Glo dug deep into her catalog and performed songs such as “Bop,” “All Dere,” and “In My Mode.” She even had time to joke with the crowd while dealing with a minor wardrobe malfunction. “I’m not gonna try to cause an earthquake with all this ass,” she quipped.
Before steamrolling through her Hot 100 hits “Tomorrow” and “Yeah Glo,” Glo brought out A Boogie, who she said was initially set to perform three songs but was left to only do one because of his tardiness. Despite the lateness, fans cheered Boogie, who dove deep in his bag to perform his 2017 track “Jungle.” Quickly after, Boogie passed the baton back to Glo, who revved up the energy level when she dived into “FNF (Let’s Go).” Glo relished the NYC atmosphere with a toothy grin as fans standing at the edge of the staircase used the rail to support their twerking theatrics.
Following Glo’s impressive outing, it was Meg’s turn. Considering the Hot Girl Summer Tour is her first headlining trek, Meg savored the moment and proved exacttly why she’s an arena-caliber superstar. Dressed in a bright red outfit, Meg’s fiery intentions were clear from the jump as she was ready to party. From the onset, Meg sought to create separation between her and her adversaries as she performed her Hot 100 chart-topper “HISS.” Rapping every bar with vigor and intent, Meg applied pressure, looking to see if fans could match her swagger. And when she wasn’t in attack mode, she tested her stamina, flaunting her flexibility and elite twerk abilities. The self-proclaimed “Megan Knees” were on display, most notably during throwback anthems like “Freak Nasty” and “Kitty Kat.” And when she finally got a breather, she took in the crowd’s electric energy, exclaiming: “This my first tour, y’all.”
Megan also had brilliant spots during certain songs. When she performed “Gift And a Curse,” she reiterated her stance on abortion laws, rapping, “My mother–king body, my choice,” with her fist in the air. The three-act set hosted many nostalgic moments for day-one fans as Meg revisited songs including “Big Ol Freak,” “Girls in the Hood,” and more. She even quizzed fans by rapping a capella to see if they could rap alongside her. Later, she placed a pseudo-Instagram Live filter on the big screen to gauge who had the best twerking moves, regardless of gender.
The show reached its apex when Megan brought out Bronx native Cardi B to perform “Bongos” and their 2020 Hot 100 chart-topper “WAP.” The crowd roared as the chemistry between Meg and Cardi was undeniable. Despite Cardi struggling to catch the beat due to sound delays, the crowd didn’t care, as they enjoyed watching two rap superstars in their prime adore each other. The lovefest didn’t stop there. Once Cardi unleashed her classic verse from “Tomorrow 2,” GloRilla returned on stage, creating a moment between all three female MCs. The thunderous crowd marveled at the camaraderie, especially after much of the year consisted of lyrical warfare in hip-hop. It was refreshing and a much-needed moment after months of contention in the genre.
After bulldozing through the song, Cardi sat back and watched Megan and GloRilla perform “Wanna Be.” Following the performance, Glo teased a surprise, which Meg later pulled out of her: an upcoming remix of “Wanna Be” featuring Cardi. Meg thanked Cardi and Glo while acknowledging the importance of banding together as women in hip-hop before returning back to her solo mission of conquering The Garden.
Following “Stalli Freestyle” and “Cash Sh-t,” Meg encouraged everyone of all sizes and shapes to embrace their “Body” as she feverishly rapped her signature 2020 hit. The proverbial cherry on top came when she closed the show with her Grammy-winning single “Savage.”
After conquering The Garden as a first-time headliner, Meg’s showmanship shouldn’t be questioned. She embodies the value of playing the long game and why, sometimes, good things come to those who wait.
Muni Long finally joins forces with Mariah Carey on the remix of Long’s viral hit “Made For Me,” which dropped Tuesday night (May 21) via Supergiant Records/Def Jam Recordings. “When I got the call from JD [Jermaine Dupri, one of the song’s producers] to work on the ‘Made For Me’ remix, I said yes immediately. […]
05/21/2024
Em’s 12th studio LP is slated to arrive this summer.
05/21/2024
Metro Boomin is giving back to his hometown of St. Louis in honor of his late mother. The producer—who’s fresh off two back-to-back number one albums—recently announced $100,000 in donations for five St. Louis nonprofits centered around women. According to Variety, he partnered with Rung for Women and Amazon Access to give Almost Home, Diamond […]
For the first time, two songs have at least 70 million official U.S. streams in a single chart week.
Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, earned 76.4 million in the May 10-16 tracking week, according to Luminate. The same frame, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” tallies its second week of 70 million-plus streams, with 72 million, a 2% jump from 70.9 million in the May 3-9 frame.
As a result, “I Had Some Help” debuts at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Streaming Songs chart dated May 25, pushing “Not Like Us” down to No. 2.
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That’s the first time two songs have had at least 70 million weekly official U.S. streams since Billboard incorporated streaming data into its charts, with the Streaming Songs tally beginning in 2013. The closest any week had previously come was on the Aug. 22, 2020, survey, when Cardi B’s “WAP,” featuring Megan Thee Stallion, reigned via 93 million streams, followed by Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later,” featuring Lil Durk, with 69.8 million.
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And that’s before one brings Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby,” the May 25 Streaming Songs chart’s No. 3 song, into the equation. It ranks with 66.3 million streams, up 14%. You can probably see where this is going: the May 25 rundown is the first time three songs have accrued 60 million streams or more in a single week.
“I Had Some Help” reigns in its first week, having been released May 10. It’s Post Malone’s fourth No. 1 on Streaming Songs and second in a row, following his rule as a featured artist on Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight” earlier in May. His other No. 1s were “Rockstar,” featuring 21 Savage, in 2017 and “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse),” billed as a co-lead with Swae Lee, in 2019.
Wallen, meanwhile, boasts his second No. 1, following a long rule for “Last Night” last year. As “Last Night” rose to No. 1 rather than debuting there, “I Had Some Help” becomes his first entry to premiere atop Streaming Songs.
Lamar’s “Not Like Us” achieves an additional distinction of being the first song in the chart’s history to actually rise in streams after first accruing 70 million since chart calculations began including only official streaming content in September 2020. That said, Lamar’s first week (May 3-9) was with a partial week of data, as “Not Like Us” was released May 4.
Going back to that week in September 2020, the new May 25, 2024, chart contains three of the seven biggest streaming weeks since. “I Had Some Help” is the biggest, while “Not Like Us” achieves the fourth largest in its latest frame, while “Million Dollar Baby” boasts the seventh largest.
Biggest Streaming Weeks Since Sept. 19, 2020:
“I Had Some Help,’ Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen, 76.4 million (May 25, 2024)
“Fortnight,” Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone, 76.2 million (May 4, 2024)
“Drivers License,” Olivia Rodrigo, 76.1 million (Jan. 23, 2021)
“Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar, 72 million (May 25, 2024)
“Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar, 70.9 million (May 18, 2024)
“Way 2 Sexy,” Drake feat. Future & Young Thug, 67.3 million (Sept. 18, 2021)
“Million Dollar Baby,” Tommy Richman, 66.3 million (May 25, 2024)
“Good 4 U,” Olivia Rodrigo, 62.7 million (June 5, 2021)
“Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, 59.8 million (Feb. 4, 2023)
“Anti-Hero,” Taylor Swift, 59.7 million (Nov. 5, 2022)
Of the above, all were the No. 1 songs of the week on the Streaming Songs chart, aside from “Not Like Us” and “Million Dollar Baby” via the May 25 chart.
Concurrently, as previously reported, “I Had Some Help” reigns on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100, followed by “Not Like Us” and “Million Dollar Baby” at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively.
Roc-A-Fella alum and former State Property member Oschino Vasquez appeared on a podcast for the African Cultural Art Forum in Philadelphia recently and weighed in on Kendrick vs. Drake. The Philly rapper — whose known for the gritty realism in his music — surprised the room when he deemed Kendrick Lamar “overrated.”
When asked about the feud, Oschino bigged up Drake, saying, “First of all, Drake got a whole country behind him. Drake got the most hits. Girls like Drake. Drake comes across as a nice guy,” before predicting Rick Ross is going to lose “a lot of fans” for beefing with the Canadian rapper.
But when he was asked about Kendrick, the State Property member had to think about his answer before saying, “Kendrick can rap, too, but I think he’s overrated,” before shaking his head and adding, “I know people are gonna be talkin’ s–t.” He explained his stance further, telling the host, “All of his songs are not hot to me. When Drake sings, I hate it. When Drake sings, I cut it off. I say, ‘Drake, don’t do this.’ When Kendrick Lamar sings on some of his songs, he tries to go too deep.”
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He drills down further, giving Kendrick credit for his lyricism, but that’s about it. “People like something they don’t understand a little bit,” he says. “You need to be saying some crazy double entendres sometimes, but Kendrick Lamar got a lot of songs I don’t like. Lyrics? He hot. But some of the songs, they ain’t for me.”
Later on in the interview, he outs himself as a Drake fan, saying, “Drake is the best. As far as rappin’? I think Drake’s better than all of them because consistently he puts some s–t out. It’s hot, it’s lyrical, it’s everything.”
Oschino has been making a name for himself online as a podcaster and vlogger. A couple weeks ago, Oschino posted a clip on his YouTube saying he thought Drake won the battle after listening to all of the songs.
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If you’re not familiar with Oschino, you can start here.
The entire West Coast is back outside thanks to Kendrick Lamar‘s scathing Billboard Hot 100-topping “Not Like Us,” and YG is ready to bring that energy across North America. On Monday (May 20), the “Big Bank” rapper announced his upcoming Just Re’d Up tour, which will kick off on June 28 in his hometown of Los Angeles, and concludes on Aug. 17 in Hawaii.
Assisted by fellow L.A. native DJ Vision and Cleveland rapper Doe Boy — who earned his first unaccompanied Billboard hit with this year’s “Way Too Long” (No. 29 on Rhythmic Airplay) — YG’s Just Re’d Up tour will visit major cities such as Chicago, New York and Houston. YG shared the official tour poster — which features his sunglasses-clad face emblazoned across a $100 bill with a suggestive image of two women mirrored on each sides of the frame — on his official Instagram page. “Let me know what songs yall wanna hear in the [comments],” he captioned the post
In line with recent concert dress codes such as Beyoncé‘s silver cowboy attire, Harry Styles‘ feather boas and Taylor Swift‘s friendship bracelets, YG’s tour poster suggested that “everybody wear black.”
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Ticket presale for the Just Re’d Up tour launched Tuesday (May 21) at 10 a.m. PT, while the Spotify presale commences on Wednesday (May 22) at 10 a.m. PT. General public sale begins Friday (May 24) at 10 a.m. PT; fans can find more tour information on YG’s official 4Hunnid website.
The new tour marks YG’s first headlining trek since 2019’s Stay Dangerous tour, which he launched in support of his 2018 LP of the same name. Stay Dangerous reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200, his third of five consecutive top 10 titles on the ranking. Last year, YG was slated to mount the Str8 to the Klub tour alongside Grammy-nominated rappers Tyga and Saweetie, but those dates were quietly canceled.
The Just Re’d Up tour marks a new era for YG, who recently signed a multi-album deal with BMG under his 4Hunnid Records label. On April 26, he unleashed the blazing, West Coast-indebted “Knocka,” laying the foundation for his forthcoming seventh solo studio album.
In addition to his five Billboard 200 top 10 projects — including 2014’s No. 2-peaking My Krazy Life — YG has earned more than 20 Hot 100 hits, including “Don’t Tell ‘Em” (No. 6, with Jeremih), “My Hitta” (No. 19, with Jeezy and Rich Homie Quan), “Big Bank” (No. 16, with 2 Chainz, Big Sean and Nicki Minaj), “Who Do You Love?” (No. 54, with Drake) and “Toot It And Boot It” (No. 67).
Check out the dates for YG’s Just Re’d Up tour below.
Tems is set to make 2024 her most dominant year in music yet. The Nigerian singer-songwriter pulled up to The Tonight Show on Monday (May 20), where she performed a two-track medley as the musical guest for the night. Wearing a glossy vanilla-white bodysuit hugging her curves, Tems shined bright in front of the amber […]
Like anyone who’s been in the game for more than three decades, Snoop Dogg has accumulated a lot of Doggy Dogg… stuff. But unlike a lot of other famous folks, pretty soon it’s going to go under the gavel in a novel celebrity auction via sports-and-music auction house the Realest in which Snoop is directly […]