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Usher finally unveiled the tracklist for his upcoming ninth studio album, Coming Home, revealing features from Latto, Burna Boy, 21 Savage and many more. The 20-song album due out on Feb. 9 â two days before Ush takes the stage at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to perform the halftime show at Super Bowl LVIII â also boasts features from The-Dream, H.E.R., Summer Walker and Usherâs BTS pal, Jung Kook.
âU been asking⌠so I had to deliver,â Usher said in the caption to a post on Wednesday (Jan. 31) featuring the song list. The album opens with the title track (featuring Burna Boy), followed by âGood Goodâ (with 21 Savage and Walker), âA-Town Girlâ (with Latto) and âCold Bloodedâ (with The-Dream).
Among the songs that donât have features are: âKissing Strangers,â âKeep On Dancinâ,â âBop,â âStone Kold Freak,â âBIG,â â On the Side,â âI Am the Party,â âI Love U,â âPlease U,â âLuckiest Man,â âMargiela,â âRoom in a Roomâ and One of Them Ones.â
The album ends with the remix of Jung Kookâs âStanding Next to You.â H.E.R. appears on the song âRisk It Allâ â which was featured on the soundtrack to The Color Purple â and Pheelz is featured on âRuin.â
In the lead-up to the big game, Usher received the second most nominations in the music/recording categories for the 2024 NAACP Image Awards with five nods, just behind Victoria MonĂŠtâs six noms. Usher also recently previewed his plans for his Super Bowl, revealing that his plan to pack his entire career into 13 hard-hitting minutes has to be âperfect⌠Iâve been doing this for 30 years. I want people who have been a part of that journey to feel like itâs a celebration for everybody, for all of us, from the beginning up until this point.â
At press time no specific details were available about the set list, but usher promised that it would contain some of his signature moves, including roller skating, awesome choreography, a major costume change and some special guests.
Check out the tracklist for Usherâs Coming Home below.
If you asked 310babii what school was like after he nailed his first Hot 100 hit, he would probably say it was just another day.Â
âIt wasnât too crazy,â he says months after watching his viral song âSoak City (Do It)â climb the charts. âUnderclassmen would sing my lyrics in the hallway and be childish, but everybody else would be chill to the point where they didnât make it weird. They knew what was going on with my music, but they didnât like to fan out to me and yell. They were pretty regular and chill.â
Released last June, âSoak Cityâ became an instant favorite on TikTok, courtesy of 310âs buoyant energy and simple dance instructions. Encouraging listeners to showcase their best moves, all thatâs required is footwork and attention to detail. âLeft, do it. Right, do it,â chants 310 on the hook like a playful drill sergeant on the playground. Football stars Travis Kelce and CJ Stroud joined in on the action by performing an adapted version of the Squabble Dance during their respective football games. The earworm also got the stamp of approval from LeBron James, Travis Scott and famous Twitch streamer Kai Cenat.
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âWhen I saw CJ Stroud dancing after scoring and they put my song behind him doing The Squabble, I was like, âOh. I think itâs out of here,’â says 310. âThat was the first big step to being a hit record. I just needed that push.â
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According to 310, the whole creative process only took him 15 minutes.
âI was making songs in my room, doing my regular recording like I would everyday at that time and I just felt good about the song at the moment,â he remembers. âIt seemed like everything I said was butter. I wouldnât say that it seemed like âthe one,â but I thought that it seemed like a song that was going to be good. I didnât think it was going to be on the Billboard Hot 100 and change my life the way it did, but I knew it was a good song. Itâs catchy.â
310 also didnât use fancy studio equipment to make âSoak City.â All he needed was his phone, as he used the app BandLab, a straightforward music recording program, to create the track. According to him, the song wasnât mastered until months after its release. âSoak City (âDo Itâ) debuted at No. 100 in September and currently sits at No. 61 on the Hot 100 this week, a new peak.
âI feel like BandLab offers exactly what the kids want and wanna hear,â says 310. âRight now, Iâm speaking on behalf of my generation; we donât want the million-dollar mixes or the Drake mixes. We want sât thatâs not low quality, but it doesnât need to be too crisp and epic. Sometimes, the 808s are gonna be a little distorted, or the voice is going to sound like [it came from] a cheap mic, but thatâs the beauty of it. I think thatâs what it was for me,â he says.Â
He adds: âFor so long, the kids didnât even hear the mixed version of the song, bro. It was just straight off the phone, and thatâs what they like. BandLab is just the new wave. They have some presets on there that big industry guys are aware of. Itâs for sure a hidden gem.â
âSoak City (Do It)â received the remix treatment with West Coast all-stars Tyga, DJ Mustard, Blueface, OhGeesy and BlueBucksClan jumping on the song. The trackâs popularity also allowed 310 to meet Texans quarterback CJ Stroud, the athlete who made him first realize that his music was gaining traction. They met before the Texansâ AFC Divisional Game in Baltimore this month.
âIâm motivated after seeing my song on the Hot 100,â he relays to Billboard. âMy mental is just like, âKeep going.â If I can get that one, I can get another by working hard. [Itâs] motivation for working on my album and having the determination and work ethic to keep going harder and trying to improve.â
Megan Thee Stallionâs âHissâ just got a bit louder as she released a pair of new versions of her vengeful first solo offering of 2024. In a salute to her Houston roots, a chopped ân screwed edition as well as the official instrumental â which is co-produced by LilJuMadeDaBeat and Bankroll Got It â hit […]
Lil Pump is Team MAGA forever. The âGucci Gangâ rapper and devoted follower of former president Donald Trump proved his fealty to the one-term Republican party leader once again by getting one of the most famous images of the one-time Apprentice star inked onto his leg. In an Instagram post on Tuesday (Jan. 30) Pump […]
Charlie Wilson, aka Uncle Charlie, was the focus of a double celebration in Hollywood this week, aka Grammy Week. The singer-songwriter and former frontman of The Gap Band not only received the 2,770th star on Tinseltownâs legendary Walk of Fame on Jan. 29, he also rang in his 71st birthday that same day. Also joining Wilson for the momentous occasion were fellow music stars Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Babyface, Snoop Dogg, Kanye âYeâ West, ChantĂŠ Moore and Tyler, the Creator.
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Upping the occasionâs emotional quotient was the fact that during a very low point in his career, Wilson was an addict living on the streets of Hollywood. Now sober for 29 years, Wilson is also a prostate cancer survivor of 16 years.Â
âThis star represents not only my journey,â said Wilson, âbut the power of resilience, faith and unwavering support of those who believe in you.â
Jimmy âJamâ Harris, one-half of the Grammy-winning production/songwriting team with Terry Lewis, emceed the event, noting, âCharlieâs showmanship remains unmatched.â
Stepping up to the podium to pay additional tribute were Babyface, Snoop Dogg and Wilsonâs longtime manager Michael Paran.
Kanye West, Tyler, The Creator, Terry Steven Lewis, Jimmy Jam, Babyface and ChantĂŠ Moore attend the ceremony as Charlie Wilson is honored with star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Jan. 29, 2024, in Hollywood, Calif.
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Describing the lessons that Wilson taught him about showmanship, business and family as âa treasure,â Snoop Dogg said, âTo have somebody like you to stay in my life and be there for me and my family, it means the world to me, Charlie.â
Grammy-winning icon Babyface remarked, âThe fact of who showed up here for Charlie shows why he needs a star because heâs got the best students in the world.âÂ
Paran, also president/CEO of P Music Group, called Wilson âa true powerhouse whose energy comes from his pure hunger to bring joy to others.â
Alongside his late brothers/group co-founders Robert and Ronnie, Wilson scored a string of classic hits during The Gap Bandâs â70s/â80s heyday such as âBurn Rubber on Me,â âOutstandingâ and âYearning for Your Love.â Heading out on his own in 1992, Wilson has since left his own imprint on a host of R&B hits, among them âThere Goes My Baby,â âIâm Blessedâ featuring T.I., âCharlie, Last Name Wilson,â âOne I Gotâ and his guest turn on Snoop Doggâs âBeautiful.â
The 13-time Grammy nominee and indefatigable live performer recently released his latest single âSuperman.â
Eminem proved he bleeds Honolulu blue, dark steel grey and white. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame rapper repeatedly showed up during the Detroit Lions run to a heartbreaking NFC Championship loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, showing beyond a doubt that he is a lion for life.
Which made his X post on Tuesday (Jan. 30) about shelving a planned diss track aimed at the teamâs offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, that much funnier. After rumors floated that Johnson had turned down offers for head coaching positions in Seattle and Washington to stay in the Motor City, Slim Shady said he holstered his mic.
âGuess I should stop recording this diss track..!! Lol!!,â Eminem tweeted. â@ Ben Johnson Thank you for staying!!! We canât break this team up ESPECIALLY since IâM on it!!! Coach Campbell we love you bro!!! Letâs run it back next year!!âŚIâm READY!!!! I promise you I WILL get us to the super bowl!!!â
After years of wallowing in also-ran status, the Lions had a magical season that put them on the brink of their first Super Bowl appearance. That dream was deferred, however, when they had a historic meltdown against the 49ers, blowing a 17-point lead on their way to Sundayâs 34-31 loss.
Eminemâs bit about being on the team was a callback to his earlier social media posts boosting his favorite ballers. Two weeks ago, he was spotted in a skybox when the Lions punched their first ticket to the NFC Championship game in 32 years, where the big screen flashed a September tweet from the rapper in which he wrote, âLetâs fâking go!!!! Detroit.â That got fans hyped while the stadium speakers blasted his iconic 8 Mile pump-up anthem, âLose Yourself.â
The cameras then showed Slim Shady, decked out in Lions gear, jumping up to flex and scream before pounding his chest during the game in which the Lions topped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At the time, Em also responded to a meme featuring a picture of his 8 Mile character B-Rabbit driving around town with the caption, â[Lions QB Jared] Goff and the Lions pulling up to the NFC Championship game,â writing, âCanât believe I did it again!!! @Lions.â
That tweet was the sequel to one Eminem posted the week before, telling Lions coach Dan Campbell that he was ready to suit up to help break the teamâs three-decade playoff drought. âYo, Dan, Iâm reporting. Iâm going to report. Third quarter,â the 5â8â˛, 150 pound rapper said. âIâm reporting, offensive line, eligible receiver. Iâll be the quarterback, the entire line, (the) offensive line. And the receiver, I will throw it to myself and score a touchdown. In the third quarter. Just give me a uniform. Or at least just a helmet.â
Bleeding blue clearly runs in the family, as evidenced by a family pic post from the rapperâs daughter, Hailie Jade Scott, from Sundayâs loss. Though Em was not in the shots, the 28-year-old Just a Little Shady podcaster shared pics of herself in a custom Lions jacket, as well as one of her with fiancĂŠ Evan McClintock, Emâs half-brother Nate, her sister Alaina Marie Scott and Alainaâs husband.
See Eminemâs post and the Mathers family pic below.
Guess I should stop recording this diss track..!! Lol!! @ Ben Johnson Thank you for staying!!! We can’t break this team up ESPECIALLY since I’M on it!!! Coach Campbell we love you bro!!! Let’s run it back next year!!âŚI’m READY!!!! I promise you I WILL get us to the superâŚâ Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) January 30, 2024
Ice Spice is bringing new millennium freak out back. The âThink U the Sâ (Fart)â rapper revealed on The Today Show on Tuesday (Jan. 30) that sheâs planning to release her full-length debut album, Y2K, âthis year.â
âYes, thereâs gonna be an album,â the MC told co-hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager. âIâm so excited,â the Bronx spitter added about the album whose title is reference to her birthday, Jan. 1, 2000. If youâre old enough to remember, in the years leading up to the calendar flip to the new millennium there was a global freakout over fears that the worldâs computers and energy grids would melt down catastrophically due to a glitch in their internal calendar systems that experts feared would re-set them to 1900 instead of 2000.
Spoiler: that didnât happen.
But Ice Spiceâs album is happening, though the rapper didnât reveal a specific release date for the record she said is âalmost finished.â She also said that she has âa crazy collaboration that just got locked in, like two days ago,â again not divulging any specifics.
In November, Ice Spice posted an image of her new lower back tat with the caption âY2K! ?/?/24.â
The debut album tease came just days after the 24-year-old rapper dropped the Miami-based video for her new single, âThink U the Sâ (Fart).â In the clip, Ice twerks and parties all around the city, flashing stacks of cash while cruising in luxury rides and hanging with her friends on luxury car-shaped watercraft. âBâ-es be quick, but Iâm quicker / Bâ-es be thick, but Iâm thicker / She could be rich, but Iâm richer,â she raps on the hook.
Itâs been a busy few months for Ice, who dropped âPretty Girlâ with Afrobeats star Rema in October, which they performed during her Saturday Night Live debut. She is also up for four Grammys at the 66th annual awards â best new artist, best pop duo/group performance for âKarmaâ with Taylor Swift, best rap song and best song written for visual media with âBarbie Worldâ with Nicki Minaj â which take place this Sunday (Feb. 4).
Watch Ice Spice talk about her new album on The Today Show below.
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After producing for BeyoncĂŠ, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Travis Scott and more for over a decade, Hit-Boy has solidified his stance as one of the best rap producers in the game.
The three-time Grammy winner is up for producer of the year, non-classical this year, and itâs the second time heâs been nominated in the category. âI didnât have no label budget. Everything is funded by me, music by me, engineered by me, studio time by me, like literally coming out of my pocket. I feel like I already won for real,â he told Billboard Newsâ Tetris Kelly. âI donât have no big powerful manager like the rest of the producers. Iâm thugginâ this shâ by myself with a couple of my homies.â
But Hit-Boy isnât always solo in the studio. In the last three years, Hit-Boy has executive produced six albums for Nas, with three Kingâs Disease and three Magic albums. Nas won his first-ever Grammy in 2021 in the best rap album category with the first Kingâs Disease installation.
âNas empowers me to be the best producer I can and allows me to grow through my production process. When he comes [to] lay two, three verses and a hook, and [heâs] like, âYo, do what you do.â Iâm doing breakdowns, Iâm adding additional keys, Iâm doing things to just keep the production interesting. And when he comes back to the studio, he like, âYo! I didnât expect this. My mind is blown. What made you think to put this sound and it matches what Iâm saying?’â he says. âWe got mutual, super respect. He allows me to be me and grow through this, and I allow him to be him. Heâs one of the greatest, period. I just try to keep my ear open, my eyes open. Thatâs how you got 80 songs in three years â you got to leave ego out the room.â
The 36-year-old producer hitmaker (real name Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr.) recently worked with another superstar, Jennifer Lopez, on her first single of the year, âCanât Get Enough.â The song, which Latto recently hopped on for the remix, arrives ahead of J.Loâs ninth studio album This Is Me⌠Now, due Feb. 16 via Nuyorican Productions and BMG. And itâs not the first time Hit-Boy has ever worked with her: His first official beat placement was on Lopezâs âForeverâ from her 2007 album Brave.
But the most special collaborator heâs ever worked with is his father Big Hit, who recently finished serving nine years of a 12 year-sentence after being found guilty and convicted of a hit-and-run in L.A. resulting in great bodily injury in 2014. After being released from prison, Big Hit went straight to the studio and started getting back to work. The father-son duo released Surf or Down, Vol. 2 just in time for Fatherâs Day last year. Then Hit-Boy executive produced his fatherâs highly anticipated debut album The Truth Is In My Eyes, which was released on December 16, 2023, exclusively on Big Hitâs Bandcamp. Two weeks later, at the top of this year, Hit-Boy, Big Hit and The Game joined forces on the 9-track project Paisley Dreams.
âItâs a dream come trueâŚ. Sitting and just laying in the bunker in the cell, surrounded by all the concrete and all the noise, all the bullshâ, trying to block it out, I just told myself, âOne day, Iâmma be in the mansion. Iâll focus on the vision.â And I stayed focused,â said Big Hit. And that focus doesnât go unnoticed by his own son. â[Iâm] getting to know different parts of myself through him and seeing his work ethic. Since I was a teenager, people be like, âAll you do is work. You locked in all the time.â I got that hustle in my blood, you know what I mean? Seeing him record 300 songs in seven months, Iâm trying to keep up with him now!â Hit-Boy added.
Watch Hit-Boyâs full Billboard News interview above.
Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) made headlines when he jabbed Drake by comparing the 6 Godâs discography to the music played while shopping at stores like Target.
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Mos felt the backlash and clarified his comments with a 25-minute clip that he posted to his Instagram on Monday (Jan. 29) in a halfway apology to Drizzy.
âFirst of all, I donât hate anyone,â Bey began. âMy opinion is mine. Itâs legal in all states, as far as Iâm aware. It was not an opportunity to try to slander him or to clown on him. I have reached out to him. I have no responses yet.
âIâm not keen to talk about people or to them through a screen, I prefer to talk to people directly. But I will say this: The young man is very talented. Heâs been able to be very successful with that talent, and I have no issue with his success or anything that heâs been able to achieve as a result of his talent.â
Mos didnât want to be grouped in with those who have unfairly critiqued Drake throughout his career and opened the door to having a direct conversation with the OVO boss, if thatâs what he wanted.
âI do feel that some of the criticism that heâs received in the past has been mean-spirited or unfair. So I donât want to participate in that,â he continued. âIâve never had no issue with you personally â I donât know you well enough to have any sort of issue with you in that regard. Nonetheless, itâs not sacrilegious to have a critique or opinion of a public figure, particularly one of that magnitude in current, modern culture.â
Bey contacted Dave Chappelle in hopes of having the legendary comic serve as a mediator in extending the olive branch.
âDrake, if you would like to speak to me directly, you can at any point,â he added. âI reached out to Chappelle, asked him to reach out to you. I DMâd you. You are a very talented MC. But for me, I require more of myself and others than just talent or charm or charisma â particularly in times of urgent crisis.â
Ultimately, the Black Star rapper wants more substance from artists of today in hopes of seeing them connect further with the audience than the club.
âWhat I would like to see, in terms of creators or creative people in the world as it relates to our culture, is for people to connect with us beyond the jukebox or the dance floor,â the 50-year-old opined. âA fair-weather friend can hardly be called a friend at all. The people that party with you, thatâs cool, but will they show up if you at the triage, or you in a crisis situation?â
The Brooklyn rap dignitary made the controversial comments swiping at Drake during an appearance on The Cutting Room Floor podcast earlier this month.
âDrake is pop to me,â he said when asked if he looked at Drake as hip-hop. âIn the sense like if I was in Target in Houston and I heard a Drake song⌠It feels like a lot of his music is compatible with shopping⌠You know, shopping with an edge in certain instances.â
The âNice for Whatâ rapper has yet to respond directly to Beyâs latest comments on social media but did post a video of Method Man describing his definition of what hip-hop is following Yasiinâs âshoppingâ remarks.
Drake responds to Yasiin Bey / Mos Def saying Drake is Pop not Hip Hop, he references the Mos Def song “Umi Says,” (Umi means mother) and he posted this older interview by Method Man explaining what Hip Hop is”Hip Hop is the culture, way of life, way you dress, way you talk⌔ pic.twitter.com/lVyA2xWepAâ SOUND (@itsavibe) January 16, 2024
âWhat Umi say again? Lemme shine my light king, donât change up now,â Drake captioned the repost to his IG Story earlier in January.
Drake has mentioned the backpack rapper on a couple of occasions within the last year. Bey caught a stray jab from Drizzy when describing the target audience of his Titles Ruin Everything poetry book.
âCan you do an article now where the baddest Instagram girls in the world review my poetry book, not the head of the Mos Def fan club⌠Thanks,â he wrote in a comment to Complex over the summer.
Rumors have swirled about SZA potentially teaming up with Paramore in the past, and the SOS artist confirmed that a collaboration is indeed âin the works.â
SZA sat down for a fan Q&A with Apple Music on Tuesday (Jan. 30), and one of the rapid-fire questions asked about the status of the âSnoozeâ singer working with the rock band.
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âYeah. Soon, soon,â she replied. âItâs in the works.â
Seconds later, SZA revealed that the pop-punk-leaning âF2Fâ became her favorite song to perform on the SOS Tour. Thereâs a Paramore connection to the track, as SZA sought out Hayley Williamsâ approval on her switching lanes prior to the SOS deep cutâs arrival.
âI was like, âDoes this suck?’â she recalled messaging the Paramore lead vocalist in an interview with the Los Angeles Times last year. ââBecause you actually do this for a living.â [Williams] said, âThis is great.’â
Paramore has long shown love to SZA, as they performed a mash-up of the bandâs âGrow Upâ with SZAâs â20 Somethingâ at a 2018 concert in Paris. Years ago, Hayley Williams even posted a brief clip to social media singing along to SZAâs Ctrl standout âGarden.â
Donât be surprised if Paramore is listed as a feature on SZAâs upcoming Lana project, which is said to double as the deluxe edition of the Grammy-winning singerâs chart-topping SOS effort.
Earlier in January, SZA voiced her frustration and lashed out at anonymous leakers for releasing her music without her permission.
âLEAKING MY MUSIC IS STEALING . THIS IS MY JOB . THIS IS MY LIFE AND MY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. YOU ARE A FUCKING THIEF AND I PROMISE TO PUT MAXIMUM ENERGY INTO HOLDING EVERYONE ACCOUNTABLE TO THE FULL EXTENT OF THE LAW . I AM TIRED,â SZA wrote on Twitter.
SZA previously addressed song leaks in a November interview with Variety: âWhen people leak my songs, they ruin them,â she declared. âThen itâs not mine anymore; itâs actually yours. Itâs something unfinished that you decided was ready to be shared.â
Watch SZAâs Q&A with Apple Music below.