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Megan Thee Stallion announced Friday (Oct. 27) that she is dropping a project titled “Cobra” next Friday, Nov. 3. Along with the date and title, the rapper shared a revealing photo of herself, her body slick, with the words “Cobra – A Story by Megan Thee Stallion” in orange at the bottom of the image. […]
“S–t’s so beautiful,” Metro Boomin beamed during his Red Bull Symphonic concert at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre Thursday night (Oct. 26).
His one-night-only experience marks the West Coast premiere of the Red Bull Symphonic, which showcases a collaboration between a modern artist and a classical musical director, together with a full-scale symphonic orchestra. It made its U.S. debut last November, when Rick Ross teamed up with conductor Maestro Jason Rodgers and the 50-piece, all-Black Orchestra Noir in Atlanta.
But this time around, the hip-hop super-producer partnered with conductor Anthony Parnther (Encanto, Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Creed II, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) and the Symphonic Orchestra to reimagine many of his biggest hits, including Future‘s “Mask Off,” Migos and Lil Uzi Vert‘s “Bad and Boujee,” Post Malone and Quavo‘s “Congratulations,” Kanye West‘s “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1” and his own “Creepin’” alongside The Weeknd and 21 Savage. Considering his star-studded list of collaborators, Metro treated attendees with surprise guests John Legend, Swae Lee, Nav and Roisee to perform songs from his 2022 Billboard 200-topping album Heroes & Villains, and the 2023 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse soundtrack he executive produced.
It’s rare to see Metro’s DJ controller not be the main instrument of his show, but the 45-piece ensemble elevated the cinematic, orchestral elements embedded in his production’s DNA. And while the Symphonic Orchestra adhered to every one of Parnther’s precise, nimble hand gestures, the black tux-clad hitmaker still ran the show from behind the booth (and sometimes from standing on top of it), his white-gloved hands waving through the air. Metro’s recent ascent into rarefied air as a producer-turned-superstar artist has allowed him to continue headlining major gigs and building out his own sonic, heroic world on new stages across the world.
“Tonight is a celebration. We celebrate music, we celebrate culture, we celebrate y’all for listening to this music and making it what it is,” Metro told his devout fans.
Check out Billboard‘s five biggest highlights from Metro Boomin’s Red Bull Symphonic concert below.
Metro’s Biggest Hits Sounded Larger Than Life
Surprise! Brent Faiyaz announced on Thursday (Oct. 26) that he’s releasing his new album Larger Than Life — and it’s coming out tomorrow. The one-minute clip features a kid selling a box of CDs outside of an auto detailing center and boasting the album as “the hottest sh– out right now.” Faiyaz pulls up in […]
Don’t worry, parents — even Jay-Z‘s daughter doesn’t think he’s cool. In a recent clip from his multi-part interview with Gayle King about his Book of Hov exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library, the bestselling rapper and billionaire mogul admitted that Blue Ivy used to doubt his coolness levels.
“Blue, she be frontin’ on me a little bit,” Jay said of his 11-year-old, asked by King whether any of his kids think he’s cool. “But I catch her. I catch her in the corner, you know? Now she asks me, you know, if this is cool, if her sneakers [are cool]. She’s come back.”
“But there was a time where she was like, ‘Daaaad,’” he added, doing an impression of Blue’s voice while covering his face in mock embarrassment. “I’m like, ‘I’m cool. I don’t know what you sayin. At your house, your parents is cool.”
Blue Ivy is the oldest of Jay’s children with Beyoncé, with whom he also shares 6-year-old twins Rumi and Sir. As hundreds of thousands of fans across the world saw, the tween has definitely inherited her superstar parents’ stage ambitions; at certain Renaissance Tour shows, she joined Bey onstage to impress audiences with her “My Power” choreography.
Running through Dec. 4, Jay’s exhibit offers a free-of-charge, immersive look into his life and career, with artifacts and installations curated by the artist and Roc Nation. With King, the “Hard Knock Life” rapper discussed everything from his debut album Reasonable Doubt to the last song he played for Biggie — “Streets is Watching” from In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 — as well as his move to reclaim ownership of his master recordings ten years ago, which he calls “the fight of my life.”
After working so hard to own his music, Jay-Z insisted he’ll never sell his masters — but if Blue Ivy, Rumi or Sir decide to do so later on? That’s their prerogative, he told King.
See Jay-Z’s “cool dad” confession below.
JAY-Z shares with @GayleKing the man behind the music and stories of fatherhood — including whether Blue thinks he’s a “cool” dad.Part two of our interview airs tomorrow on CBS Mornings. pic.twitter.com/JTq82t5pmC— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) October 26, 2023
To borrow from the title of B.B. King’s signature song, the thrill of his music and legacy isn’t gone. Relaying that message is the B.B. King Life Legacy Initiative, which is launching several new partnerships, retail products and brand concepts in honor of the blues and guitar legend who died in 2015.
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Leading the rollout is a bourbon and whiskey line from Washington state-based Heritage Distilling Company: B.B. King One Whiskey. Also in development is a new album of collaborations with contemporary artists featuring King’s music, a theatrical biopic, a documentary and a 24-hour B.B. King Blues Network.
“B.B. King’s music is for everybody,” Vassal Benford, chairman/CEO of The B.B. King Estate, The B.B. King Music Company and the Family Trust, tells Billboard. “He’s an iconic figure all over the world.”
Benford, who began overseeing the $250 million estate and trust three years ago, is a Grammy-nominated producer whose discography includes hits such as Jade’s “Don’t Walk Away,” Deborah Cox’s “Who Do U Love” and Diplo’s “Be Right There,” plus collaborations with Toni Braxton and U2, among others. He announced the establishment of the B.B. King Life Legacy Initiative, the soft launch of the liquor line and the other forthcoming projects in September at Resorts World Las Vegas during a celebration of what would have been King’s 98th birthday (Sept. 16).
Justin Stiefel, CEO and Co-Founder of Heritage Distilling, Vassal Benford and Jennifer Stiefel, President and Co-Founder of Heritage Distilling.
Vassal Benford
The vision behind the initiative began taking shape two years ago, Benford recalls, when he met with Bruce Resnikoff, president/CEO of Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). “We were trying to create ways to keep B.B. King’s legacy alive,” says Benford. “That was the main thing. And of course, that starts through the music.”
Further stoking that vision was the then-unforeseen 2020 release of “B.B. King Freestyle” by Lil Wayne featuring Drake from the former’s No Ceilings 3 mixtape. “That showed us the hip-hop world loves B.B.,” adds Benford. “So we decided, let’s do an album with hip-hop artists.”
Among the contemporary artists involved with the upcoming project are Quavo, Jason Derulo and Swae Lee. The songs use samples of King’s original records such as “The Thrill Is Gone” and “You’re Gonna Miss Me.” Promises Benford, “The album is phenomenal.”
The aforementioned King documentary will feature a song from Quavo that pays tribute to the late icon and Quavo’s late Migos mate, Takeoff. Already recorded, the track may be released before the documentary, which is currently in production under the supervision of Benford’s partner, film producer Mark Canton (Den of Thieves, TV series Power). And with the writer’s strike now ended, Benford and his team are in the process of engaging writers for the theatrical biopic. In addition, a major commercial campaign on behalf of B.B. King One Whiskey will kick off after the first of the year.
In the wake of launching the B. B. King Life Legacy Initiative to preserve the icon’s legacy and introduce him to a new generation of fans, Benford says, “The blues has been an underserved market. Richie Sambora, Joe Perry, Eric Clapton … I don’t think there’s anybody that I’ve ever talked to who doesn’t love B.B. King. Even the younger guys. When you listen to them on this new album, you can just hear the respect.”
Doja Cat just brought Scarlet to BBC Radio 1. The latest artist to stop by the Live Lounge, Doja performed two tracks off her new album, Scarlet, as well as a sultry cover of Hiatus Kaiyote’s “Red Room.” For both “Red Room” and her own red-themed track, Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single “Paint the […]
Beyoncé will host the dual premieres of her Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé concert movie in Los Angeles on Nov. 25 and London on Nov. 30, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The roll-out will happen just a few days before AMC Entertainment and Bey’s Parkwood Entertainment open the film in theaters around the world on Dec. 1.
The doc chronicling the singer’s highest-grossing tour to date was co-directed by the singer, who also wrote it and executive produced the project. Tickets for international territories — including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, South America and the Caribbean — will go on sale on Nov. 9 here; tickets are on sale now in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
A description of the film notes that it, “accentuates the journey of Renaissance World Tour, from its inception, to the opening in Stockholm, Sweden, to the finale in Kansas City, Missouri. It is about Beyoncé’s intention, hard work, involvement in every aspect of the production, her creative mine and purpose to create her legacy, and master her craft. Received with extraordinary acclaim, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour created a sanctuary for freedom, and shared joy for more than 2.7 million fans.”
While locations for the U.S. and European premieres have not yet been announced, an invitation for London suggested a “formal opulence” dress code, while the L.A. premiere calls for “Cozy opulence,” a seeming reference to the Renaissance album track “Cozy.”
“When I am performing, I am nothing but free,” Bey said in the voiceover of the film’s two-minute trailer that also includes the singer casually walking to stage while flashing a peace sign, stretching pre-show with her kids — including rehearsing with backup dancer/eldest daughter Blue Ivy Carter — and having a cocktail in the green room. Husband Jay-Z also makes a cameo, pumping his fist and smiling from the crowd in the clip that also featured the couple’s twins, Rumi and Sir.
The two-hour-and-thirty-minute unrated film is the latest concert film from Bey, following on the heels of her 2019 Netflix doc Homecoming — which chronicled her 2018 Coachella headlining set — as well as her 2013 HBO movie, Life Is But a Dream, a hybrid live performance and video diary project, and 2009’s I Am… Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas.
Watch the Renaissance trailer below.
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After performing “America the Beautiful” at the Super Bowl in 2021, Grammy-winning R&B star H.E.R. is set to add another massive sporting event to her résumé. Via a press release on Wednesday (Oct. 25), Major League Baseball announced that the “Focus” singer will sing the national anthem ahead of Game 1 of the 2023 World […]
Drake replaces himself at No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart, as “IDGAF,” featuring Yeat, rises to the top of the Oct. 28-dated tally.
“IDGAF” reigns with 26 million official U.S. streams earned in the Oct. 13-19 tracking week, according to Luminate. The song was down 36% from its opening week sum of 40.8 million streams, but it dropped by a smaller percentage than the previous ruler, “First Person Shooter” featuring J. Cole, which falls to No. 4 (20.3 million streams, a 52% drop).
“IDGAF” is the first song to spend its first week at No. 1 on Streaming Songs while being down in streams since Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” which first reigned on the Jan. 7 ranking despite a 3% drop to 46.9 million streams that week.
“IDGAF” is Drake’s record-extending 20th Streaming Songs No. 1, the most since the list’s 2013 inception. Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift remain the next-closest acts with six rulers apiece.
Most No. 1s, Streaming Songs20, Drake6, Justin Bieber6, Taylor Swift5, Travis Scott4, Ariana Grande4, Cardi B4, Lil Baby4, Miley Cyrus
Drake is the first act to replace himself at No. 1 on Streaming Songs since he did it previously with “Nonstop” (July 14, 2018) followed by “In My Feelings” (July 21, 2018).
Meanwhile, “IDGAF” marks Yeat’s first Streaming Song topper. The rapper made the chart one time previously, with “Talk” debuting and peaking at No. 17 in September 2022.
Concurrently, “IDGAF” falls 2-4 on the multi-metric Billboard Hot 100. Its parent album, For All the Dogs, ranks at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 164,000 equivalent album units earned in its second week.
Defunct dance duo LMFAO hit a hard-partying high mark this week when the video for their 2011 electropop anthem “Sexy and I Know It” hit the one billion views mark on YouTube. The song that ran up to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in January 2012 is the […]