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Travis Scott is looking to turn his charges into cash. The Cactus Jack boss — born Jacques Webster — was arrested early Thursday (June 20) on disorderly intoxication and trespassing charges. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Scott posted bond hours later and he’s already unleashed merchandise […]
Kendrick Lamar unified the West Coast with his epic Pop Out: Ken & Friends concert celebrating Juneteenth on Wednesday night (June 19), which was one for the hip-hop history books with K. Dot performing his Drake diss track “Not Like Us” five times in a row to close out the show.
After performing the live debut of his nuclear guest verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” K. Dot welcomed his mentor and iconic West Coast rapper Dr. Dre to the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., as he rose from underneath the stage for one of the biggest surprises of the night. “I see dead people,” Dre whispered as Mustard’s signature Cali bounce on “Not Like Us” blared through the speakers.
In a red hoodie with jeans and a pair of Nike Shox (an outfit some fans compared to 2Pac‘s at the 1994 Source Awards), Kendrick had the 18,000-plus in attendance and rap world watching via Amazon Music at home in the palm of his hand.
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The raucous crowd sang along to every last word of the “Not Like Us” live debut. They held the “A-minor” Drake punchline for what seemed like an eternity while Lamar basked in what he curated.
But that wasn’t all. Kendrick ran the Drake kill shot back a second time and spun the block for a third round of “Not Like Us.” The fourth edition was the most special, as K. Dot proved West Coast unity about 15 miles northwest of where the Compton native grew up, while bringing various L.A. luminaries such as NBA stars DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook on stage, who essentially danced on Drake’s figurative grave.
Mustard, G Perico, Hit-Boy, Blxst, Steve Lacy, Big Boy, Westside Boogie and Lamar’s Black Hippy running mates joined the party alongside other gang members repping different sets across Los Angeles. Each took a turn dapping up Kenny on stage as he kept his breath control intact amid the distractions.
“This s–t making me emotional,” Lamar admitted while gathering the blended crew for a group photo moment that he wished could last forever “We been f—ked up since Nipsey died. We been f—ked up since Kobe [Bryant] died,” he poignantly declared. “This is unity at it’s finest.”
“Not Like Us” wasn’t the only Drake diss performed by Lamar for the first time as part of his explosive set. He kicked things off with the bristling “Euphoria,” which found him tweaking a lyric directed at the 6 God. “Give me 2Pac’s ring back and I might give you a little respect,” he spewed. Lamar also brought out Ab-Soul to perform his verse on “6:16 in L.A.” mixed into his run of greatest hits.
“Not Like Us” gave Kendrick his fourth Hot 100 leader as it debuted atop the all-genre chart on May 13 with over 70 million streams in the first week. The West Coast anthem sits at No. 6 in its sixth week on the Hot 100 while “Euphoria” holds at No. 47.
While gang violence and street politics have cut lives way too short, Kendrick Lamar united a city for one night where territory allegiances and banging sets didn’t matter in the name of hip-hop. “It ain’t got nothing to do with no back-and-forth records,” Kendrick said, dismissing his Drake feud. “It’s got everything to do with this moment right here. That’s what this s–t was about. To bring all of us together.”
Find more highlights from Kendrick’s memorable “Not Like Us” performance below.
Perhaps nobody in rap capitalized on the stillness brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic than Moneybagg Yo.
The CMG rapper posted four Hot 100 entries with the vengeful “Time Today” and the Debarge-sampling “Wockesha” powering his 2021 A Gangsta’s Pain album, which completed Bag’s transition to commercial stardom and gave him his first No. 1 project atop the Billboard 200.
Three years later, Moneybagg returned with his fifth studio album, Speak Now, released Friday (June 14). The 32-year-old feeds his core fan base with plenty of trap flossing, designer flexes and street motivation over thumping trap beats and hi-hats courtesy of Tay Keith, Turbo and more.
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“I feel like I don’t got nothing else to prove,” Bag casually admits to Billboard during his visit to the Big Apple. “I got all these plaques, I got success. I’m just letting them know I really do this. Don’t play.”
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The Memphis stalwart does innovate on his latest LP too, which finds Bag getting more melodic testing out his vocal range while teaming up with Chris Brown for the infectious “Drunk Off U” [and there’s more where that came from]. He slides across the state to Nashville for the country-leaning “Whiskey Whiskey” featuring Morgan Wallen, a collab that was two-years-in-the-making.
Bag’s an open book with his chiseled rhymes, delving into life experiences behind his Prada shades, like having Denzel Washington rock his blinged-out AP watch while grabbing lunch at The Polo Lounge, or listing his entire wing order at J R Crickets when he’s in Atlanta.
There’s more heat in the stash, too — as Moneybagg Yo will deliver a project sequel, fittingly titled Forever Hold Your Peace, later this year, which will cater more toward the ladies. “I’m versatile,” he adds. “I feel like I can play in different lanes.”
Give our interview with Bag a read below, which dives into him meeting Washington, attending his first wedding, working with Wallen and more.
Billboard: What was your mindset heading into this album?
Moneybagg Yo: It was just trying to deliver a body of work for my day-one fanbase who been rocking with me since Federal 3x— that type of vibe. That’s kinda what I did. I also mixed it with a sequel, which is called Forever Hold Your Peace. It’s gonna be the more melodic vibes. It’s dropping a couple months after Speak Now. I did stuff like “Drunk Off U” with Chris Brown kinda singing.
How was that kinda singing on there and experimenting with your voice more?
Just trying different stuff like I got 80 of those type of songs before even Chris [Brown] got on it. I was experimenting and playing with the craft and the talent. It came out good and I put Chris on it. I got one called “I Feel It,” and the Morgan Wallen situation.
How did the Morgan Wallen relationship form?
He’s actually a big fan of me. We been locked in for like two or three years. We had the song when we first locked in off the rip. I had it for like a year and a half, or two years, and he’s been on me about putting it out. “When that song coming out?” And all this s–t. The perfect time is now.
Coming off of A Gangsta’s Pain, do you feel like you have anything left to prove?
I feel like it’s really about enjoying what I’m doing and expanding at the same time. I feel like that’s it. I feel like I don’t got nothing else to prove. I got all these plaques, I got success. Just basically coming off a two-year break. I’m just letting them know I really do this. Don’t play.
You had to remind everyone one time with that post [to Instagram] of all your plaques.
And I think I missed some, to be honest. It was like some s–t. It’s a blessing. All that is.
How do you feel your music’s been able to resonate with a wide range of people from different cultures and backgrounds?
Even with what you said — like, I’m kinda singing on “Drunk Off U,” it’s not forced. It’s like, “All right bet, he doesn’t sound too bad. He’s vibing on there. Can we get more of that type?”
“Gangstas Relate” with Lil Durk – talk about that record and him sending his verse back in less than 20 minutes.
How that came about — he hit me the night before I had to turn the album in. “You in L.A. let’s do something.” I’m like, “Boom,” sent him the record. He sent back all the snowman emojis and sent that motherf–ker right back, like he was sitting in front of the mic or something. It was good, though.
What’s the quickest you’ve ever sent back a feature?
It went so crazy. Money Mu, the “Hittin” remix. He’s from Atlanta and it made noise. I was rushing I had somewhere to be. I had my girl, Ari, she pulled up with me when we in the A. I’m like, “Take me over here to do this feature right quick.” I’m just thinking, like, “I’m getting some little money, I’ll just pull up in the joint.” I do it and leave. I didn’t know when he dropped it — I’m going in the clubs and it’s going crazy. S–t’s turnt up.
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As someone who’s had hits, what makes a hit record to you?
At this time in this generation, I feel like it’s impact. It’s gotta have impact. Everyone can drop records, just because who you is — but if you analyzing the game people who are very successful, you’ve been seeing records come out from these artists and they ain’t been ugh [snaps]. You got the more upcoming artists [hitting] [claps]. It’s just gotta be an overall good record.
On “Tryna Make Sure,” did you say that Pharrell sent you a Louis Vuitton bag?
I was saying, like, making a call and shouting him out. I was like, “Ay, send me the bag at Louis.” I was going in the Louis stores and s–t all the sizes be so skinny and little. They fit for him. So I’m like, “Send me the bag at Louis!”
I saw you and Quavo step in to help recruit this high school quarterback, Antwann Hill Jr., to [the University of] Memphis. That’s pretty cool.
Quavo actually hit me — like, it’s official, “My boy about to come through the city. I need you to take care of him.” I’m not a big fan of football — basketball is my preference — but I told Quavo I got him. I went back up with him. It was kinda like how we locked in with Ja [Morant]. We made him feel good and at home in the town.
Were you at a wedding last week with Quavo?
Two or three days ago, with the Gumbos. The couple got married so I popped out. It was an experience. I had never been to no wedding. The ceremony was boring, but after the ceremony it was [cool].
They try to give you a mic?
They ain’t do that, but they gave Quavo the mic, though. He grabbed it and just performed. It was crazy.
That was your first wedding? That’s crazy. Did you bring a date?
Nah, she was actually sick at the house. It was like [one] plus God damn five or six with us. It was a vibe though.
I was listening to a 2Pac interview and wanted to get your thoughts on this quote: “In this country, as a Black man, you have five years where you can exhibit maximum strength. Once you turn 30, it’s like they take the heart and soul out of a man.”
I feel like when you turning 30 and get in your 30s, this is when your eyes open. You really see life for what it is, and you start moving and different. You almost wish how I’m thinking at 30 when I was 25 or whatever. All that comes with timing. I’m just moving better and thinking clearer. I see s–t for what it is. I been dealing with so much crazy a– s–t. I was just listening to Pac.
What’s your favorite Pac song or album?
All Eyez on Me. What’s the [song] he got with Scarface? “Smile.” That’s the one I have to listen to to keep me going.
What kind of business ventures do we have going on?
Yeah, we got a tequila liquor we’re gonna start pushing. I got a water we’re looking for distribution for right now. This is my clothing line I got on right now. It’s actually called Lof. This is in Japanese. Doing a high-end fashion brand. I’m trying to expand that. I got a restaurant in Memphis called Cache 42. It’s a lounge with an upscale side to it. I got a strip club in Miami that I’m 50/50 with a partner. Taboo Miami by G5ive. Just marketing and branding the club, I actually dedicated a song to one of the tracks on this album, called “Taboo Miami.” I got a little something going.
Do you have any advice for younger artists when it comes to dealing with labels?
I tell them to stay independent as long as they can. You gon’ get to a certain level where you’re gonna need some help. Everybody needs somebody. If your dreams and aspirations where you want to be up there, you’re gonna have to align with somebody to go to that. We can only go so far. Second, whatever you’re doing and whatever your craft is, force it on the world. Everybody don’t get it when you first put something out. No shade, look at some of the artists that’s out today. To be honest, they’re not lyrically talented. It’s more dumb-downed music that’s taking over the world. Just don’t think too hard. Force it on ’em, they gon’ get it. It’s gotta be ear-candy.
We’ve seen a lot more people in hip-hop focusing on their health, and I feel like you’ve been part of that.
Yeah, s–t, I worked out last night and this morning. My bro said, “You coming like an athlete or something. Damn, slow down.” I just want to look good in my clothes. I want to try to create more opportunities. Get on some of these magazines. I need to be on the cover of Billboard with the shirt off with the Louis scarf. That’s the type of timing I’m on. I want to feel good anyway.
Before you go, how did you link up with Denzel Washington?
I was with my PR eating at the Polo Lounge chopping it. I was wrapping up a meeting with her, and he was sitting to my right and looking. I’m like, “I want to go over and say something to him.” He just sitting there looking. Poker face. When I was paying for the tab, I stood up, he told me to come here. I went over there, he got to sweet-talking. His son was a big fan. We got to talking. S–t turned from a “what’s up” to “sit down and have lunch.”
We really had lunch. He was telling me about the movies. Training Day. He was like, “With me, you gotta know how to be Shakespeare, and you gotta know how to be the man in Training Day. You gotta know how to do both of them. That’s what made me different. That’s why I’m at the caliber I’m at. I know how to really do this.” I felt him, and we wrapped it up with a picture. I was like, “Yo, put on a watch!” He was looking like, “Man, you shining.” I was like, “Put the watch on!”
Hip-Hop has spoiled us. In the 50 years since a group of kids decided to throw a party in the Bronx, the genre has grown and blossomed in ways Kool Herc couldn’t have imagined. Hip-hop left New York and moved south to Atlanta, Miami, Memphis, and Houston, and west to Chicago and St. Louis. It […]
Ty Dolla $ign is defending his Vultures 1 collaborator, Ye (formerly known as Kanye West).
The “Or Nah” rapper is the latest Billboard cover star, and he opened up about working with Ye on their recently released joint album. When asked if he feared Vultures wouldn’t perform well due to Ye’s string of controversial behavior, Ty shrugged it off. “Ye is the best artist of this generation, besides me, and I don’t give a f–k about what people were talking about. I know my n—. He’s one of the best people I’ve ever met,” he said. “Just with my analysis of how it goes with him, he goes all the way to the top. And something may happen and he’ll say [something people find offensive] — and then people [get] right back, you know. Because this s–t is undeniable.”
Ye has had a long string of controversies over the past few years, making headlines at his Yeezy Paris Fashion Week show in 2022 for wearing a shirt with the phrase “White Lives Matter” on the back, in addition to featuring Black models wearing the shirt. The phrase is one that was adopted by neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, and the rapper faced backlash from both fans and celebrities online.
He also came under fire after a 2022 tweet in which he announced he was going “death con [sic] 3 on Jewish people.” Ye then repeatedly shared antisemitic hate speech, even going so far as to praise Adolf Hitler, a main leader responsible for the systematic murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust. Ye’s controversies have since cost him several lucrative deals, including one with Adidas.
Elsewhere in the interview, Ty discussed the making of Vultures, which arrived after much delay in February 2024. “Japan was hotel rooms, Italy was hotel rooms. Then we got Sting to let us use his [Italian] villa. At first we were just recording in the living room, recording by the pool, setting up recording equipment out there, and then we found out that there’s an actual recording studio there. […] It’s a very expensive album, I will say that. It would make for a crazy documentary.”
The duo are currently gearing up to release the album’s delayed sequel, Vultures 2. “We got all the songs. Basically, it’s just like, ‘How can we get it there? How can we go bigger than the first album?’” Ty said. “Certain people will probably expect you to just do the same exact sound, but that sound’s already out.”
Read the full cover story here.
Megan Thee Stallion is coming back to Chicago this summer, as she’s been tapped to replace Tyler, the Creator at Lollapalooza 2024.
The Windy City-based festival announced on Thursday (June 20) that the Houston Hottie will be headlining Thursday night (Aug. 1) of Lollapalooza. The announcement comes on the heels of Tyler revealing that he’s pulling out of Lolla as well as Outside Lands 2024 this summer.
“Hot girl summer in Chicago Unfortunately, Tyler, the Creator will not be able to perform this year. See @theestallion headline Lolla on Thursday, August 1st,” the festival wrote to social media.
There seemed to be a mixed reaction in the Lollapalooza Instagram comments, with the headliner switch leading to some fans asking about a refund.
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“Bro tyler was carrying. who tf decided megan was a good idea,” one person asked while another wrote, “Why is everyone so mad tyler always headlines megan is such a good replacement.”
Megan is currently wrapping the North American leg of her Hot Girl Summer Tour this weekend with shows in L.A. and Las Vegas, before heading across the pond for a handful of European dates through July, which will give her time to make it back stateside to kick off Lollapalooza on Aug. 1.
Megan Thee Stallion will have plenty of new music in her return to Chi City, as her Megan album is slated to arrive on June 28. She previously headlined Chicago’s United Center as part of her tour run in May.
Minutes prior to Lollapalooza making Meg official, Tyler surprised fans when he announced that he’d be dropping out of Lollapalooza and Outside Lands in back-to-back weekends this summer.
“I hate saying this but i have to cancel lollapalooza and outside lands,” he wrote to X. “I made a commitment that i can no longer keep, and that bums me out knowing how excited folks were. That is not sexy at all. please please forgive me or call me names when you see me in person. love.”
Outside Lands also acted quickly when they revealed that Sabrina Carpenter would be replacing Tyler at the San Francisco festival on Aug. 10. Following the performance, the “Espresso” singer will embark on an arena trek this fall, with the Short n’ Sweet Tour slated to begin in September.
Find both festivals‘ announcements below.
Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” rules the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart for a sixth week, tying it with Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine” for the longest reign in the tally’s history as it tops the June 22-dated survey.
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The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity June 10-16. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.
Since the chart’s September 2023 inception, Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine” had been the only song to rule for at least six weeks, stringing together three-week leads between Oct. 14-28, 2023, and Nov. 18-Dec. 2, 2023.
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The rule of “Million Dollar Baby” has occurred consecutively; it achieved the longest such streak at No. 1 upon the June 15 chart with its fifth frame in a row.
“Million Dollar Baby” was officially released April 26, though its premiere on TikTok came when Richman uploaded a snippet of the track on April 13, a clip that’s since accrued 13 million views as of June 18. A dance trend has been a major driver of activity on TikTok since.
Richman fends off a challenge from Sabrina Carpenter, whose “Please Please Please” vaults to No. 2 in its second week after debuting at No. 10. That’s concurrent with the newly released tune’s No. 2 debut on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100.
“Please Please Please” was first teased on TikTok on June 5, followed by its full release June 7. Its uploads are a grab bag of content, from makeup tutorials and transitions to lip-synching clips and general-interest videos.
In the week ending June 13, “Please Please Please” earned 50.3 million official U.S. streams, 533,000 radio audience impressions and 7,000 downloads toward the Hot 100, according to Luminate.
“Please Please Please” isn’t the only song to hit the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s top three for the first time. Tinashe’s “Nasty” climbs 7-3, a new peak in its fifth week on the tally.
A slow burner since its initial April 12 release, “Nasty” has risen on TikTok due to a dance trend soundtracked by the tune’s “I’ve been a nasty girl” refrain.
“Nasty” reaches a new peak of No. 69 on the latest Hot 100, Tinashe’s highest ranking song on the tally since “2 On,” featuring ScHoolboy Q, reached No. 24 a decade earlier.
Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” falls from No. 3 to No. 4 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, while Sexyy Red and Drake’s “U My Everything” drops from No. 2 to No. 5 to round out the top five.
After debuting at No. 15 on the June 15-dated list, NXY0TAR0’s “Porsche” leads a pair of newcomers to the chart’s top 10, jumping 15-9. The song’s trend involves using a filter filling the screen with floating hearts while a clip of the uploader plays and rewinds on a loop. It’s often accompanied by a captioned compliment (“I like your smile,” “I like your eyes,” etc.).
Sexyy Red’s “Fake Jammin” is the other top 10 newcomer, lifting one spot to No. 10. Uploads featuring the song generally use the “We go together now, mwah, give me a kiss/ Bitch, you know I’m hella sexy” lyric, with lip synchs, dances and more.
See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.
Tyler, the Creator has pulled out of his headlining slot at 2024 Lollapalooza about six weeks before the festival was slated to take place. He also won’t be appearing at Outside Lands 2024 the following weekend in August.
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The Grammy-winning rapper made the announcement early Thursday (June 20) that he won’t be making the pair of August festival appearances, but didn’t provide a reason as to why.
“I hate saying this but i have to cancel lollapalooza and outside lands. i made a commitment that i can no longer keep, and that bums me out knowing how excited folks were,” he wrote on social media.
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Though he turned off replies from angry fans on X, Tyler gave them permission to call him names when they see him in person for bailing. “That is not sexy at all. please please forgive me or call me names when you see me in person. love,” he continued.
Billboard has reached out to reps for Tyler as well as both festivals for comment.
The “Earfquake” rapper was slated to headline the annual Windy City festival alongside SZA, Blink-182, The Killers and Future with Metro Boomin. Scheduled for Aug. 1 through Aug. 4, the Chicago festival has more 170 acts across the four days. Other artists on the bill include Tate McRae, Killer Mike, Kesha, Chappell Roan, Zedd and more.
Outside Lands is still going down on Aug. 9 through Aug. 11. Tyler was slated to headline Aug. 10, but his cancellation has left a major hole in the lineup. The San Francisco festival boasts additional headlining acts such as Sturgill Simpson, The Killers and Post Malone.
However, Tyler, the Creator surprised California fans when he popped out to perform “Wusyaname” during Mustard’s set at Kendrick Lamar’s Pop Out concert at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Wednesday night (June 19).
Tyler took to X to put into words how wonder the the experience was for him. “It was beautiful to see the whole city come together last night,” he wrote. “my first raps were written at home off crenshaw dr and 82nd, right down the street from the fourm. thank you. shoutout FREE LUNCH.”
Find his announcement cancelling his Lolla and Outside Land sets below.
i hate saying this but i have to cancel lollapalooza and outside lands.i made a commitment that i can no longer keep, and that bums me out knowing how excited folks were.that is not sexy at all. please please forgive me or call me names when you see me in person. love— T (@tylerthecreator) June 20, 2024
Travis Scott was arrested early Thursday morning (June 20) for disorderly intoxication and trespassing, CNN reports. Miami-Dade County Jail records show that Scott — born Jacques Webster — was arrested for trespassing of property after a warning.
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Billboard has reached out to the rapper’s attorney and reps, as well as the Miami-Dade police for comment.
According to the cable news network, Scott (born Jacques Webster) was booked into Miami-Dade County Jail at 4:35 a.m. ET after being arrested at 1:44 a.m. He’s facing trespassing of property charges along with disorderly intoxication. The outlet, citing jail records, reports that Scott has already submitted a $650 bond following his early morning arrest at the Miami Beach Marina.
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Scott was on a charter boat and allegedly got into a dispute with another crew, CNN reported, citing law enforcement. Police were called, and he was asked to leave the scene, which he did. According to the affidavit obtained by the cable news network, police — who were wearing body cameras — saw the rapper yell at the crew on the yacht, and were able to “sense a strong smell of alcohol” on his breath. But he returned minutes later and allegedly started yelling at the crew again despite police telling him to not approach the boat, which led to his arrest.
“The defendant later admitted that he had been drinking alcohol and stated, ‘It’s Miami,’” CNN quoted from the affidavit.
Scott appeared to have some fun with his mug shot after his release on Thursday morning. In an Instagram Story post, he added a pair of white headphones and brown shades to the photo.
It’s not the first time the 33-year-old has had run-ins with the law. In 2018, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct following allegations of inciting a riot at a Northwest Arkansas concert the year prior. The rapper is also entrenched in a litany of lawsuits tied to the 2021 Astroworld Festival, which left 10 people dead and more than 700 injured.
The final wrongful death lawsuit from the festival was settled in May. Terms of the agreement remain unknown. The family of 9-year-old Ezra Blount, who was killed in the Houston festival crowd surge, sued Scott along with Live Nation, Apple and more entities connected to Astroworld.
The Weeknd, Madonna and Playboi Carti‘s “Popular” just got a whole lot more popular: The song has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. According to the RIAA, platinum certification for a song recognizes 1 million units certified in the U.S. for a song, and one unit equals either one permanent download […]