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Rick Ross is in a giving mood. The rapper partnered with Rolling Loud co-founder Tariq Cherif to donate $10,000 of scholarships to eight Miami students from his alma mater, Carol City Senior High School in Miami Gardens, Fla.
“You know, to come give back to the community right here, that means a lot,” Ross said during his visit to the school. Along with the scholarship, students were gifted tickets to Rolling Loud Miami in July. Ross and Cherif were joined by City of Miami Gardens Councilman Reggie Leon and school board member Dr. Steve Gallon II.
“I am nothing but blessed,” scholarship recipient De’Zyre Frederick told CBS Miami. “It’s good to see the alumni come back and give back to the students which is something that is so amazing.”
The scholarships were in honor of Ross’ Boss Up Day 2023 and awarded to students who displayed academic excellence. “It’s not a gift,” Cherif added. “They earned it.”
During the awards ceremony, Ross himself reached into his pocket and handed out hundred-dollar bills to a student with a whopping 4.6 GPA.
Recently, the rapper teased a collaboration with Meek Mill on Instagram, posting a picture of the two in the studio with the caption “Dreams & Nightmares.” Ross will also be joining Jadakiss, Jeezy, Gucci Mane, Cam’ron, Remy Ma, Fivio Foreign and others on the 2023 Legendz of the Streetz Reloaded Tour, kicking off in Philadelphia on April 14.
Matthew Lawrence sat down for a new interview on Wednesday (March 15) to walk back his recent comments about starting a family with girlfriend Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas.
“It’s such an interesting story. Joe and I were commiserating about this plan that we had to have children together…when we were growing up,” he told E! News of a recent conversation with his older brother Joey Lawrence. “And I missed the first go around and now he’s starting a new family and I was thinking, ‘Man, it’d be great if we could do it again, when I didn’t have the chance to raise a family together.’”
However, the middle Lawrence brother was quick to insist that his comments weren’t specific to his new relationship with the TLC member. “So that’s what I meant by that,” he continued. “I didn’t mean to put any pressure on somebody I was dating or anything.”
The Money Plane actor and Chilli have been linked since before the holidays, when they posted an adorable lip sync to a-ha’s “Take On Me” on Instagram wearing matching onesies. In the new interview, Lawrence also raved about his new love, saying, “She’s an amazing person. She’s already a mother, she has an incredible son. I respect so much as to how she’s raised him. She’d be an incredible mother again and I’d be incredibly lucky but that’s way in the future.”
While the couple’s plans for a baby may be on hold, Chilli is set to embark on her Hot Summer Nights Tour with TLC bandmate T-Boz and Shaggy, along with special guests En Vogue and Sean Kingston, starting June 1 in Alabama.
Pharrell announced the return of his annual festival, Something in the Water, featuring Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne, The Clipse, Summer Walker, Grace Jones, Lil Uzi Vert, Kehlani and more on Wednesday (March 15).
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Sponsored by AirBnB and Walmart, the three-day soiree will occur in Virginia Beach, Va., between April 28 and April 30. Last year, the festival took place in Washington, D.C., after Pharrell voiced his disappointment in his hometown’s handling of his cousin’s death the year before. His letter, written in October 2021, discussed the decision to move the festival due to what he called a “toxic” environment.
“I was disappointed with how the local municipal government handled the loss of my cousin’s life,” he told Billboard ahead of last year’s festival. “It is one thing for the officer to make a mistake, but it is another to follow up the way they did. I did not feel there was enough love, respect and reverence for his life. Him being a fellow Virginian, his life and the loss of his life should have been treated like anybody else’s. When we start seeing situations handled differently, not only with African Americans but with minorities in general handled differently, then coming back is something we can think about doing again.”
Along with a bevy of performances, Pharrell’s team-up with Walmart will look to impact communities in Virginia. “Strengthening local communities is core to Walmart’s DNA,” said Cedric Clark, executive vice president of store operations for Walmart U.S., in a press release. “By investing in our associates and in the communities we serve, we help build a foundation where people can live their full potential every day. We’re excited to team up with Something in the Water, returning to a special place to Walmart, Virginia’s Hampton Roads, to help celebrate and empower this community we’re so proud to be a part of.”
Fans will see a mixed bag of talent, including revered legacy acts such as Wu-Tang Clan, Mumford & Sons and SWV, to burgeoning stars including Kid Laroi, Lil Durk and Latto.
See the full lineup below.
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In the early 2000s, Michael Jackson and Jay-Z had some memorable moments together. The King of Pop popped up at Jay-Z’s headlining set at Hot 97’s Summer Jam concert in 2001, and the Brooklyn MC even made a cameo on Jackson’s “You Rock My World (Remix).” In a new interview with Noah Callahan-Bever for Bloomberg’s Idea Generation, longtime Roc-A-Fella producer Just Blaze added more tales to their storied relationship by revealing that Jackson contributed to the once-fabled “Girls, Girls, Girls (Remix).”
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Produced by Blaze, the single originated from Jay-Z’s 2001 opus, The Blueprint, and peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. During quarantine, Blaze unearthed rare vocals from the Thriller legend on his own computer and realized that the urban legend of Jackson teaming up with Hov was indeed fact.
“So Michael Jackson is on the ‘Girls, Girls, Girls remix’ — the A version,” begins Blaze. “And I never knew that. I don’t know if I didn’t go to the studio that day. I thought it was an urban legend or something that Jay said like in jest one day or just was some kind of a myth.
He continues: “So one day I was looking for something on the server and I find this straight folder that says ‘MJ vocals.’ And I’m like, ‘MJ — don’t that mean Michael Jackson — oh whatever.’ And I’m thinking it’s probably stuff from — remember Jay had or remember they had the ‘[You] Rock My World’ — so I’m thinking it’s, like, takes from that session. And I’m like, ‘I don’t think they recorded this at Baseline, but let me take a listen and see what it is.’ And I realize as I’m listening to it it’s him singing on ‘Girls, Girls, Girls.’ And I’m like … ‘It’s true.’ The last 20 years, I just found it during quarantine. So all these years, I’ve never known it was a real thing. And turns out the files had been sitting downstairs this entire time.”
Watch Blaze’s full interview with Idea Generation below.
Brian May said he had “no words!” for the honor of being knighted by England’s King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday (March 14). In a photo posted on Instagram of the gilded ceremony, May smiled beatifically as Charles laid a ceremonial sword tap on the Queen guitarist’s left shoulder.
May, 75 — who will now be known as Sir Brian — was knighted for his services to music and charity during the investiture ceremony where he received the title of Knight Bachelor. The official Queen Twitter account shared a congratulatory note, writing, “Arise Sir Brian May. Brian’s investiture as a Knight of the Realm took place at Buckingham Palace. The knighthood was presented to Brian by His Royal Highness, King Charles. Many congratulations, Sir Brian!”
Queen drummer Roger Taylor has also been honored with a royal title, following his appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2020; May was also previously given the title of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2005.
May joins a long list of English rock stars who’ve been knighted, including Live Aid organizer/Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof, Cliff Richard, producer and “Fifth Beatle” George Martin, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Elton John, Placido Domingo, Mick Jagger, Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, Bono, Van Morrison, the Kinks’ Ray Davies and the Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb.
Becoming a knight or a dame is one of the highest-ranking awards in the British honours system, followed by CBE, the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). A knighthood or damehood entitles recipients to use the title of sir or dame if they wish to do so.
Check out a snap from May’s ceremony below.
It’s a mutual admiration society in the behind-the-scenes video for “On The Street,” BTS member J-Hope‘s collaboration with his longtime idol J.Cole. “Being able to meet my muse, J. Cole is nerve-wracking,” Hope says in the video’s open, during which he’s getting final-touch make-up applied backstage before the shoot begins.
One way the K-pop superstar soothes his nerves is by writing Cole a letter, telling the MC, “working with you has been a meaningful moment,” while repeatedly stopping to comment on his poor handwriting and trying to put himself in ARMY’s shoes when his fans pen gushing odes to him.
“Look at this horrific handwriting,” he laments as he holds the note up to camera and says that it’s not only an honor to work with Cole, but actually the realization of a childhood dream. “You’re always an inspiration to me and always give me good energy,” he writes in the note. The BTS star then heads to the set, where he can’t hide his excitement upon finally meeting his hero.
Hope beams as Cole starts filming his bits, watching the performance in a monitor and marveling at how he went from watching the rapper as a child on TV to filming a video with him on a bridge in Manhattan. “Is this real life? Is this a dream or is this real life?” J-Hope asks as the two share a series of handshakes and Hope hands over a gift bag featuring the note and some other goodies.
The rest of the 13-minute chronicles the process of shooting the video on the streets of New York, including a freestyle dance scene in a subway station.
“On the Street” is particularly meaningful to J-Hope. While BTS has long shared their admiration for the North Carolina-raised rapper — revealing in 2013 their reinterpreted take on J. Cole’s “Born Sinner” with “Born Singer,” which was only officially released last year on Proof — J-Hope has always shared how Cole is one of his ultimate favorite singers.
“On the Street” is J-Hope’s first new solo song since hopping on “Rush Hour” with Korean R&B singer “Crush,” while Cole dropped a surprise song in mid-January, “Procrastination (Broke).”
Check out the “On the Street” behind-the-scenes video below.
Jennifer Hudson took to social media on Tuesday (March 14) to wished Common a happy birthday amid chatter the pair may have sparked a romance.
“Team Jhud pls help me wish one of the brightest lights, a Chicago and hip hop legend, the one and only @common a very happy birthday on today!” the Jennifer Hudson Show host captioned a March 13 Instagram post alongside a smiling photo of herself and rapper.
Fans were quick to speculate about the pair’s prospective relationship status in the comments. “Is that a ‘Soft Launch Insta Offical,’” one wrote using a trio of winking emojis, while another questioned, “Is this confirmation or naw[?]”
“Oh so he BEEN in the picture huh,” a fan page speculated. A separate follower commented, “I don’t know but I heard on TMZ that Common is your new bew.” (Back in late February, the gossip site reported that Hudson and Common were spotted going out on a dinner date at Malibu hot spot Nobu.)
Common, who the American Idol alum tagged, shared her post in his Instagram Stories. “Thank You!” he wrote.
On her eponymous talk show, which has been renewed for a second season by Warner Bros. Discovery, Hudson has recently welcomed both DJ Khaled and Paula Abdul. The We the Best producer dished on picking the title for his most recent album God Did after receiving a particularly disappointing phone call, and the original American Idol judge looked back on Hudson’s controversial elimination from the reality juggernaut in seventh place back in Season 3.
For his part, Common most recently made his Broadway debut at the end of 2022 in Between Riverside and Crazy at Second Stage Theater.
Check out Hudson’s sweet birthday post for Common on her Instagram.
NF’s “Motto” makes a splash on Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart upon release, debuting at No. 1 on the March 18-dated tally.
Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by Twitter, track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across Twitter, viewable over either the last 24 hours or past seven days. A weekly, 20-position version of the chart, covering activity from Friday through Thursday of each week, posts alongside Billboard’s other weekly charts on Billboard.com each Tuesday, with the latest tracking period running March 3-9.
“Motto” is the second taste of NF’s upcoming fifth studio album Hope (April 7), following the title track.
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Released March 9 (the final day of the March 18 Billboard charts tracking week), the song nonetheless garnered 1.2 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads toward the latest rankings, according to Luminate, with more chart appearances possible for the song on the March 25-dated surveys.
“Motto” reigns over Poze do Rodo’s “Metflix,” which bows at No. 2. The Brazilian act’s song was initially released in July 2022, but its latest boost is owed to a remix released March 7 that adds L7NNON.
Music from Jay-Z, ONEW and Anuel AA round out the top five.
Keep visiting Billboard.com for the constantly evolving Hot Trending Songs rankings, and check in each Tuesday for the latest weekly chart.
Another Monday, another round-up of the freshest picks of the week. From smooth, late-night R&B to upbeat, 808-filled rap anthems, this list is bound to have a track suitable for every moment of the next seven days.
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This week, listen to the sounds of Lola Brooke, Navy Blue, Venna, Deb Fan and more. And of course, don’t forget to share the wealth with our Spotify playlist, linked below.
Freshest Find: Khamari, “On My Way”
On “On My Way,” Boston singer Khamari details his journey to new beginnings. The tender new song is dedicated to the musician’s cross country move to Los Angeles, which he made during the pandemic. “I packed everything I owned into my car and drove across the country,” he says in a press statement. “‘On My Way’ is a song about my move, my confidence in knowing I was making the right decision starting fresh so I could build something from the ground up.”
Navy Blue, “Chosen”
“Chosen” is Navy Blue’s poetic major label debut. The L.A. rapper raps about being “overseas with Mr. Dave Chappelle and brother Yasiin [Bey] in Paris” and his journey on the way to turning 30. The Def Jam signee delivers the boom-bap track ahead of his forthcoming project due out later this year.
Lola Brooke, “So Disrespectful”
Brooklyn’s own Lola Brooke is no one to play with. The fast-rising rapper delivered a grim new track called “So Disrespectful” where she brings her signature big gator energy. Once again, Brooke shows off her booming voice over bass-knocking production for her first release since signing to Arista Records.
Neru Thee Fourth Fugee feat. BbyMutha, “End Daze”
Baltimore meets Atlanta as Neru Thee Fourth Fugee and bbymutha link for their new single “End Daze.” The track sees two women rap powerhouses tag-teaming as they share confident bars and infectious wordplay. “The song was inspired by MF Doom and Vince Staples, while the title itself is a double entendre on ‘end days,’ referencing a catastrophic end-of-the-world event, and ‘in daze’ connecting those moments when you find yourself lost inside your thoughts,” explains Neru in a press release. “End Daze” is a glimpse into her upcoming sophomore album Greater Than, set to be released this summer.
Connie Diiamond, “Move”
Connie Diiamond is a force to be reckoned with. With “Move,” the rapper added a Bronx spin to Ludacris’s 2002 hit “Move B–ch.” She originally performed the song on BlockWorktv a few months ago, though “Move” got its official release last week via Def Jam.
Hudi, “Top B–ch!“
It’s got a little bounce to it, and sometimes, that’s all you need. By way of Washington Heights, rapper Hudi revived this self-produced cut from four years ago with a new hook and verses, starting off strong with the smirk-inducing line, “I would really drop my weight to fight a bad b–ch battles.” And really, what more could you want?
Halima, “VEHICLE”
Halima’s latest offering, “VEHICLE,” is one of those cuts that gives listeners exactly what they want, when they want it. Starting off with a groovy Hush Forte-produced guitar loop, trap drum pattern and rap cadence, the Brooklyn-based artist flows seamlessly into a falsetto hook and alto second verse, transfixing listeners from the jump.
B. Cool-Aid feat. Liv.e, Jimetta Rose & V.C.R, “soundgood”
Ahead of their upcoming album Leather Blvd., B. Cool-Aid dropped single, “soundgood” and it sounds, well, you know. Perfectly composed for a slow Saturday driving up the PCH, the cut embodies laid back elevation, an indication of the utopian March 31 project to come from the dynamic Long Beach duo.
Deb Fan, “Run My Mind”
A perfect union of hard and soft, Deb Fan’s “Run My Mind” features the Hong Kong-made songstress’ silky vocals coupled with staticky drums and deep synths. On her first single of the year, Deb Fan ruminates over unrequited love, baring it all for the one who runs her mind.
Venna feat. JADA, “Tam Tam”
Venna has been on a roll. For the third single from his upcoming project EQUINOX, he enlisted singer JADA who delivers tantalizing vocals overtop the soulful instrumental. “My love don’t depend on/ If you ain’t hands on/ I would prefer you were straight up/ Turning friends into strangers,” she repeats amidst a waterfall of piano melodies.
SWV and Xscape: The Queens of R&B premiered March 5 on Bravo, and to celebrate the reality series, SWV sat down with Billboard‘s Gail Mitchell to discuss their incredible career.
“It’s a blessing,” Lelee said of the trio’s success. “We didn’t even know we were going to make it, let alone be here 30 years later. I mean, as long as the fans want us here, we’re going to show up.”
As for what it is about SWV that still resonates with music fans after all these years, Taj says that it’s all about consistency. “We haven’t changed one bit from day one. This is us,” she shares. “We were always the quirky, around the way girls who just love to have fun and sing. We’re still that, but we’re just much older.”
The six-episode Queens of R&B series follows SWV and Xscape as they prepare for a joint concert and navigate personal drama that could derail their stage plans. The reality series explores “the inner working of putting on a live concert performance” while exposing “the discord and complex dynamics of sisterhood within singing groups.”
The hardest part, Taj says, was being away from their families during filming. “You just want to be portrayed the right way,” Lelee adds. “Everybody don’t take your life and your story serious. It’s not their baby. It’s television.”
“Don’t get caught up in the hype,” Coko replies when asked what she wants fans to take away from the show, before adding with a laugh, “Enjoy it and don’t at me.”
Watch SWV’s full interview with Billboard above, included a gorgeous a cappella rendition of “Weak.”