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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida prosecutor told jurors during closing arguments Tuesday (March 7) that three men on trial for the 2018 slaying of rapper XXXTentacion were “predators” who waited outside a motorcycle shop to rob and shoot the rising star, escaping with $50,000.
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Prosecutor Pascale Achille played cellphone videos the defendants allegedly took hours after the killing that showed them smiling and dancing as they flashed handfuls of $100 bills. Michael Boatwright, Dedrick Williams and Trayvon Newsome are all charged with first-degree murder and face mandatory life sentences if convicted.
“This is who they are. This is their real character. Killers that within 24 hours after shooting the victim dead and stealing $50,000 from him, this is what they do,” Achille told the jury as she played the video. “Look at how happy they look. Look at how excited they look.”
She also played surveillance video from the motorcycle shop and from where two of them allegedly stashed an SUV that she says link the men to the killing. And she recounted statements from a fourth man, Robert Allen, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last year and testified against his former friends.
George Reres, Newsome’s attorney, implored the jury not to convict his client based on Allen’s testimony or evidence implicating the other two defendants, saying, “He was not there.” He said that Allen, a 12-time convicted felon, should not be believed and that Newsome’s DNA was not found on any evidence.
He told jurors they should not believe Newsome is guilty simply because of the video showing him flashing money with the others, arguing he may not have even known where they got it.
“He did some stupid things — he posed with some money,” Reres said. “Guilt by association is not something the law permits.”
George Reres, Newsome’s attorney, implored the jury not to convict his client based on Allen’s testimony or evidence implicating the other two defendants – “he was not there.” He said Allen, a 12-time convicted felon, cannot be believed and that Newsome’s DNA is not found on any evidence.
He said they should not believe Newsome is guilty simply because there is a video showing him flashing money with the other defendants – he may not have even known where his friends got it.
“He did some stupid things – he posed with some money,” Reres said. “Guilt by association is not something the law permits.”
Mauricio Padilla, Williams’ attorney, called Allen a “liar.” He said the prosecution’s witnesses contradicted each other and Broward County sheriff’s detectives didn’t look at other possible suspects, including the Canadian star rapper Drake — he and XXXTentacion had an online feud. He said his client did tattooing and other work that paid him in cash, so the video of him flashing money means nothing.
Padilla also cast doubt on the value evidentiary value of the surveillance video, saying that while it may show his client in the store and walking back to the SUV, there are moments where the vehicle is blocked and Williams could have gotten out and left.
Boatwright’s attorney is to give his closing argument later Tuesday. The trial began a month ago.
XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, had just left Riva Motorsports in suburban Fort Lauderdale on June 18, 2018, with a friend when his BMW was blocked by an SUV that swerved in front.
Surveillance video showed that two masked gunmen emerged and confronted the 20-year-old singer at the driver’s window, and one shot him repeatedly. They then grabbed a Louis Vuitton bag containing cash that XXXTentacion had just withdrawn from the bank, got back into the SUV and sped away. The friend was not harmed.
Boatwright, 28, is accused of being the shooter, while Newsome, 24, is accused of being the other gunman. Williams, 26, is accused of being the driver.
Prosecutors say the men, along with Allen, set out that day to commit robberies and went to the motorcycle shop to buy Williams a mask. There they spotted the rapper and decided to make him their target. Allen and Williams went inside the motorcycle shop to confirm it was him. They then went back to the SUV they had rented and waited for XXXTentacion to emerge and ambushed him, according to prosecutors.
The rapper, who pronounced his name “Ex ex ex ten-ta-see-YAWN,” was a platinum-selling rising star who tackled issues including prejudice and depression in his songs. He also drew criticism over bad behavior and multiple arrests, including charges that he severely beat and abused his girlfriend.
Logic is coming to a city near you. On Tuesday (March 7), the rapper announced that he will be embarking on a tour across the United States this summer in support of his recently released album, College Park.
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The College Park tour will see Logic — real name Sir Robert Bryson Hall II — performing across 23 dates. The tour will kick off on May 25 at The Sylvee in Madison, Wisc., and will make stops in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Houston, New Orleans and more before concluding the trek on June 30 at Phoenix’s Arizona Financial Theatre.
Juicy J will serve as the special guest on The College Park tour, while Logic’s BobbyBoy Records signees C Dot Castro and Travis Stacey will open all shows on the tour.
Fans looking to score tickets early can sign up for the Citi card presale, which begins on Tuesday, March 7, at 12 p.m. local time, and will conclude on Thursday, March 12, at 10 p.m. local time. General onsale for the tour commences on Friday, March 10, via livenation.com.
See Logic’s tour announcement, as well as the full list of dates, below.
Logic’s The College Park Tour dates:
May 25 — Madison, Wis. — The Sylvee
May 27 — Chicago, Ill. — Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom ^
May 28 — Detroit, Mich. — Fox Theatre
May 31 — Akron, Ohio — Akron Civic Center
June 2 — Boston, Mass. — MGM Music Hall
June 3 — Bridgeport, Ct. –Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
June 4 — New York, N.Y. — Hammerstein Ballroom
June 7 — Philadelphia, Pa. — The Met
June 8 — Washington, DC — Echostage ^
June 10 — Charlotte, N.C. — Skyla Credit Union Amp
June 11 — Jacksonville, Fla. — Daily’s Place
June 12 — New Orleans, La. — Fillmore
June 14 — Houston, Texas — 713 Music Hall
June 15 — Austin, Texas — Moody Center
June 16 — Dallas, Texas — South Side Ballroom ^
June 19 — Denver, Colo. — Fillmore Auditorium
June 20 — Salt Lake City, Utah — Union Event Center
June 22 — Seattle, Wash. — WAMU Theater ^
June 23 — Portland, Ore. — RV Inn Resorts Amp
June 25 — San Francisco, Calif. — The Masonic
June 28 — Los Angeles, Calif. — YouTube Theater
June 29 — San Diego, Calif. — Gallagher Square at Petco Park
June 30 — Phoenix, Ariz. — Arizona Financial Theatre
^ without Juicy J
While 26-year-old rapper-singer Baby Tate had her eye on music stardom since she was a little girl, she also had an even more pressing childhood dream: becoming a cheerleader. “I was a huge Bring It On fan,” she says of the 2000 cult classic film. “I wanted to be a cheerleader real bad but I went to a performing arts high school, so we had no sports at all.”
Although she never had the chance to yell “go team!” from the sidelines at a high school football game, she still achieved her pom-pom filled dreams on her own terms when the cheer-tastic “Hey, Mickey!” — her 2016 single interpolating Toni Basil’s 1982 Billboard Hot 100-topper “Mickey,” which itself was a cover of 1979’s “Kitty” by British pop group Racey — began bubbling up on TikTok, seven years after its initial release. “It’s really crazy the things that that app can do,” she says today, biting into an egg roll at Hollywood’s Luv2eat Thai Bistro.
The latest example of the TikTok-virality-to-charts pipeline, “Hey Mickey!” began racking up listens in January, after a few K-pop fans began using the sound on edits of their favorite acts, including Stray Kids and BIBI, and posting to social media. Soon after, Quinn Goydish — who manages Tate alongside LVRN partner/executive vp/GM Amber Grimes — noticed a bump in the song’s daily plays, from dozens of streams to a few thousand. “I feel like for Quinn, checking my Spotify for Artists is his daily newspaper,” jokes Tate. Since, the song has accumulated more than 1.6 million user-created videos on TikTok and grown into her first entry on multiple Billboard charts.
At the time of the song’s inception, she was a budding artist performing as Yung Baby Tate and living in her hometown of Atlanta. She recalls rocking “synthetic wigs,” seeing some SoundCloud success and bringing in a couple hundred dollars per show. “I remember a song doing 300 streams in a day and I was so excited,” she says. “It’s so crazy how [our] perspective of success can change.”
Baby Tate photographed on February 22, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Joelle Grace Taylor
After receiving the beat from a producer who often sent sounds her way, Tate recorded Basil’s famous “Mickey” chant atop the wonky production on a Snowball USB microphone, and it stuck. The lyrics tell the story of an attractive guy named Mickey that Tate meets and goes out with, only to find out that he’s gay. “My whole schooling was in performing arts and I was always surrounded by LGBT culture and community, so for me, the people that I was dating in high school were gay,” she explains with a giggle. “[‘Hey Mickey!’] was the best song of all of my old songs to go viral.”
Since then, she’s dropped the “Yung,” signed a label deal with Warner Records in 2021 and management deal with LVRN in 2022. Warner initially approached Tate in 2019, she says: “I wasn’t ready mentally. I was kind of all over the place as far as where I wanted to go with my music.”
But Tate says she grew a lot during the pandemic, and in December 2020, she released one of her most successful singles “I Am,” through a partnership with Issa Rae’s label Raedio, as part of her EP After the Rain (Tate is no longer affiliated with Raedio). Her monthly Spotify listeners have ballooned to 10.6 million and gone are the days of a few hundred dollars per show.
Baby Tate photographed on February 22, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Joelle Grace Taylor
As soon as Tate’s management team caught wind of “Hey Mickey!” bubbling up, the dynamic pair of Goydish and Grimes — who have known each other for over a decade — kicked things into high gear, meticulously planning TikTok strategy, rereleases and remix ideas. “Tate immediately leaning in on TikTok was the first thing that helped,” says Goydish. “We also decided to invest in a TikTok campaign. The second we saw an opportunity, we put money into outside influencers.”
By early February, “Hey, Mickey!” had reached Nos. 21 and 40 on Billboard‘s Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, respectively, as well as a No. 5 high on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 list.
Tate’s “Hey Mickey!” visual — directed and choreographed by Nicole Kirkland — then amassed nearly two million views in a week, following its Feb. 20 release, and perfectly portrayed the story of Tate’s almost-boyfriend, Mickey. “Jumping on a [music] video as fast as we could made all the difference,” Grimes says. “We were able to capitalize in less than three months off of a visual to keep this going.” The same week, Tate’s team also released Hey, Mickey! — Full Pack, an EP including sped up, bass-boosted and slowed down versions of the song, a new strategy popularized by TikTok.
Two official remixes for the track are also set to release, the first being a Jersey Club mix from the famed DJ Smallz, paying homage to Tate’s East Coast roots, where she spent summers in New Jersey with her mom’s side of the family as a kid, learning the latest dance crazes and sharing Atlanta staples like Dem Franchise Boyz’s “Lean Wit It Rock Wit It” with her cousins. The second remix will arrive with what Tate calls the “official” music video (with a possible cameo from Bring It On star Gabrielle Union) and include one or two surprise features, including a fellow woman rapper. “It’s super cute and fun and girly,” she says. “But if the other person gets on, it’s still gonna be fun but not so girly. It’ll be gworly.”
Ahead of an album on the horizon, which she hopes to release this year, Tate moved to Los Angeles last month. “This is the first project that I’m beginning from scratch with both Warner and LVRN by my side, so I’m really excited to get into the creation of it,” she says, adding that she has yet to make a single song for the album. “There may be some songs that I’ve created throughout my long history of making music that might fit, but for the most part, I want to just start with a clean slate.”
From left: Amber Grimes, Baby Tate, and Quinn Goydish photographed on February 22, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Joelle Grace Taylor
A version of this story will appear in the March 11, 2023, issue of Billboard.
A concert in New York was marked by tragedy Sunday (March 5) after two people died and nine others were injured in a stampede, caused by fans rushing to the venue’s exits to escape as yet unfounded reports of gunshots. And now, GloRilla — who played the show at Rochester’s Main Street Armory along with Finesse2tymes — is sharing her sadness.
“I am devastated & heartbroken over the tragic deaths that happened after Sunday’s show,” she tweeted Monday night (March 6), one day after the fatal crowd rush occurred. “My fans mean the world to me 😢praying for their families & for a speedy recovery of everyone affected.”
The “Tomorrow 2” artist first tweeted about the incident early Monday morning, about an hour after crowd flow took a turn for the worse as concertgoers started leaving the venue just after 11 p.m. “I’m just now hearing about what happened wtf,” she wrote. “praying everybody is ok.”
Police confirmed Monday that two women had died, and another is in critical condition. Seven additional people were taken to hospitals and treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.
As for the frenzy over a potential shooter being present at the show, police said there was no evidence of gunshots at the scene. They plan to conduct an investigation to determine what caused the audience members to think they were in danger in the first place.
“We do not have any evidence of gunshots being fired or of anyone being shot or stabbed at the scene,” said Police Chief David M. Smith at a Monday press briefing, according to the Associated Press.
He added that law enforcement will continue to investigate the possible causes of the stampede, which could have been due to “possibly crowd size, shots fired, pepper spray and other contributing factors.”
“We are going to hold people accountable for what happened last night, period,” said Mayor Malik Evans, who called the fatal stampede “a tragedy of epic proportions” and also promised a thorough investigation.
See Glorilla’s tweets following the fatal stampede at the New York concert below:
I am devastated & heartbroken over the tragic deaths that happened after Sunday’s show. My fans mean the world to me 😢praying for their families & for a speedy recovery of everyone affected 🙏🏽— GloRilla 🦍 (@GloTheofficial) March 7, 2023
I’m just now hearing about what happened wtf 😢😢😢praying everybody is ok 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼— GloRilla 🦍 (@GloTheofficial) March 6, 2023
Chance the Rapper did a late-night triplet when he visited The Tonight Show on Monday (March 6), by participating in an interview, playing a daft game, and performing a new number.
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First up, the Chicago hip-hop star (real name: Chancelor Johnathan Bennett) sat for a chat with the NBC program’s host Jimmy Fallon, and cleared up any questions about whether Martin Short really is such a good guy.
Well, yes, apparently. Chance regaled with a tale of a flight from Los Angeles to Chicago, in which he was separated from his eldest daughter, Kensli. That was until a “kind older gentleman gets up” and offered his seat to the girl. It was indeed the Martin Short. “I super freaked out,” Chance admits. “He was really, really nice and I don’t think he knows who I am. So I think he just did it…that’s a really kind gesture.”
Conversation moved on to Chance’s Black Star Line Festival in Ghana. “It was very successful,” he says of the event, held earlier this year with a lineup featuring Erykah Badu, Dave Chappelle, T-Pain, Jeremih, Sarkodie, Tobe Nwigwe, Asakaa Boys and M.anifest.
“It was magical. 52,000 people, the largest concert in the history of Ghana”. With the dust barely settled, Chance and Vic Mensa are plotting the next round for the festival in January 2024. And perhaps, this time visiting the West Indies.
“We’re actually thinking about hosting the next one in Kingston, Jamaica,” he explains. “We’re still working it out in our heads. And we love the city of Accra and Ghana and West Africa as a whole. We just want to continue to, like, create community in other spaces.”
The Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer also squeezed in some promo for season 23 of The Voice, for which he’s the newest coach. Would he have auditioned for the show if the whole Chance The Rapper thing never happened?
Sure, he would have done just fine, Chance admits confidently.
And which song would he hit, given the chance? “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going Song,” the Jennifer Hudson piece from Dreamgirls.
Chance stuck around and showed he’s a good sport by playing a round of “Peanut Butter That’s My Jam Tic-Tac-Toe,” a sticky new spot and a real mouthful.
The Coloring Book star closed it out with a solo-performance of “YAH Know”. The recording, which features King Promise, will appear on his upcoming album Star Line Gallery, expected for release later this year.
Watch the performance below.
Spring is upon us and the emerging and underground class of R&B and hip-hop acts have all the tunes you need to get ready for the fast-approaching equinox. From the moody sounds of Jordan Ward and 6lack to bouncy rap cuts from Pap Chanel and Young Nudy, our round-up is sure to have something for every music lover.
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Feel free to share the wealth with a friend, using our Spotify playlist linked below.
Freshest Find: Jordan Ward, “Pricetag/Beverlywood”
Jordan Ward’s Lido-assisted song “Pricetag/Beverlywood” earns this week’s Freshest Find spot. The song is a standout track from his new album, Forward. Overtaken by moody chords, the first half of the song transports listeners as Ward sings, “That’s my currency, when you break down you often turn to me/ I been a–ed out in emergencies/ And never got the same from you or urgency.” The track then transitions into “Beverlywood,” an acoustic tale of hardship and growth referencing the time Ward was temporarily uprooted due to an emergency.
slowthai, “YUM”
On his latest project, UGLY, slowthai reveals to listeners the grueling life lessons he has come to learn with unapologetic vulnerability. The U.K. master storyteller is known to wield his power through gripping visuals and raw lyricism, with “YUM” proving to be no exception to the rule.
Elli Ingram feat. Mahalia, “Fool’s Gold”
Singer-songwriter Elli Ingram bares it all on her latest offering, “Fool’s Gold.” Assisted by fellow U.K. artist Mahalia, the Amy Winehouse-inspired vocalist tells her lover she’s fed up over a slow groove singing, “It don’t mean s–t/ If you don’t kiss my lips.”
6LACK, “Since I Have a Lover”
“This took longer than I promised,” opens 6lack on his latest release — a spoken word titled “A Letter to My Fans”– adding, “but some promises are meant to be broken.” After a five-year hiatus, the Atlanta hometown hero announced his upcoming album alongside the recited letter and title track single, “Since I Have a Lover.” The song is reflective of a new chapter for the critically acclaimed singer-rapper, as he free-falls through a gray and rainy sky into a dilapidated home. “Since I have a lover, no more lonely nights/ The type of love that you supply, can’t televise,” he declares overtop a breezy pop beat.
Shann Aberdeen, “Prayers 4 You”
Canadian singer Shann Aberdeen’s latest offering envelops listeners in warmth and care, the singer dedicating “Prayers 4 You” to “everyone who’s ever shared their love with me, and for those I’ve ever felt compelled to share mine with.” Aberdeen, who formerly sang back-up for artists including Daniel Caesar and Don Amero, shows undeniable vocal prowess on the irresistible and timeless R&B cut.
Pap Chanel, “Left, Right”
If you want to be pretty and paid, take a page out of Pap Chanel’s book. Luckily, the budding Atlanta rapper is handing out free game on her latest offering, “Left, Right.” The track carries a militant theme, as Pap Chanel lets it be known that she’s keeping everyone in line.
THEY. feat. Yung Bleu, “In the Mood”
Dante and Drew are a dynamic duo. The two paid homage to ‘aughts’00s-era R&B in the video for their new Yung Bleu-assisted single “In the Mood.” “We wanted to make something smooth that still had that knock to it, kinda like the uptempo joints that Donell Jones was known for back in the day,” the duo says in a press release. THEY. also announced the upcoming album Nü Moon is slated for release on April 7.
Avenoir, “Moral”
“Moral” is the latest addition to Canadian singer Avenoir’s catalog of druggy, tell-all ballads. The song is the new artist’s first release of the year, and he’s preparing to release his debut project in the near future.
Kenny Mason, “Avatar”
On his new EP 3, Kenny Mason gives us a glimpse into the new sounds he’s approaching. “Each song has an intentionally distinct sound to highlight a different concept,” he says in a press statement. “These are essentially my three favorite songs made after RUFFS. Enjoy :)” “Avatar” is the glitchy, hi-hat and bassline-driven rap offering from the EP’s trio of tracks.
Young Nudy, “Brussel Sprout”
“Brussel Sprout” is the bold new intro to Young Nudy’s new album Gumbo. The East Atlanta rapper has a knack for amusing song titles, and here he raps about — what else — making money.
After reuniting on their new collaboration “Don’t Text, Don’t Call,” Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa join forces for their forthcoming High School Reunion Tour. Slated to kick off July 7, the multi-city jaunt will feature West Coast staples Warren G, Too $hort and Berner with special guest DJ Drama.
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The 33-city tour will span the nation and touchdown in various cities including Brooklyn, St. Louis, Atlanta and Houston Tickets are available now for Citi card members through Thursday, March 9, 10 p.m. ET. The general on-sale will begin Friday, March 10, at 9 am ET on ticketmaster.com.
Snoop and Wiz’s storied friendship dates back to their 2011 smash hit “Young, Wild, and Free” featuring a then-burgeoning Bruno Mars. The song peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and resided on the duo’s Mac and Devin Go to High School soundtrack. In February, the pair teased a possible sequel for the stoner comedy with a photo posted on social media by Snoop. “High school reunion comin summer 23 @wizkhalifa,” he captioned the pic.
As for Wiz, he will be a busy man on the road this year. Aside from his upcoming tour with Snoop, he’ll also lead the way for his headlining effort, The Good Trip Tour. The seven-date venture will feature acts such as Joey Bada$$, Smoke DZA, Berner and Chevy Woods. It’ll begin next month.
Check out the dates for the High School Reunion Tour below.
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2023 High School Reunion tour dates:
Fri Jul 07 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Sat Jul 08 – Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
Sun Jul 09 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre
Tue Jul 11 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
Wed Jul 12 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Sat Jul 15 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
Sun Jul 16 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis
Tue Jul 18 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
Thu Jul 20 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
Fri Jul 21 – Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago
Sun Jul 23 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
Wed Jul 26 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Fri Jul 28 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
Sat Jul 29 – Hartford, CT – XFINITY Theatre
Sun Jul 30 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Tue Aug 01 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
Wed Aug 02 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
Fri Aug 04 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Sat Aug 05 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
Sun Aug 06 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Tue Aug 08 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
Wed Aug 09 – Atlanta, GA – Lakewood Amphitheatre
Fri Aug 11 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
Sat Aug 12 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Tue Aug 15 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
Fri Aug 18 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Sat Aug 19 – Houston, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Sun Aug 20 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
Tue Aug 22 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
Wed Aug 23 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Fri Aug 25 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
Sat Aug 26 – Concord, CA – Concord Pavilion
Sun Aug 27 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre
Fans at Madison Square Garden were treated to not one, but two super special guests at SZA‘s recent concert. Two of the 33-year-old chart-topper’s collaborators, Cardi B and Phoebe Bridgers, made surprise appearances at her SOS Tour’s New York City stop Saturday night (March 4).
Cheers erupted when Bridgers walked onstage in an oversized T-shirt to assist in singing “Ghost In the Machine,” her collaboration with SZA on the latter artist’s blockbuster sophomore album, SOS. The pair finished their performance by bowing in respect to each other, with SZA cheering, “Phoebe f–king Bridgers!”
And when Cardi B showed up in a stripey orange dress to rap “I Do,” her 2018 duet with SZA, the crowd went equally wild. “This queen is so kind to even take time with two children and a bajillion dollar career to come here,” SZA thanked the “WAP” rapper. “Thank you so f–king much.”
“Should we get ratchet?” Cardi then asked the crowd, jumping into a performance of her 2022 feature on GloRilla’s “Tomorrow 2.”
The next day, Cardi tweeted a rave review of her friend’s performance, writing, “Sza show was amazing!!!! I recommend….It was giving vanilla & lavender aroma vibes ..I loved it soooo much!”
Just last week, SZA was in Los Angeles being honored by Billboard at this year’s Women in Music ceremony, where she was awarded with Woman of the Year just as SOS clocked its 10th nonconsecutive week atop the Billboard 200. The “Kill Bill” musician gave special thanks to fellow honorees such as Lana Del Rey and Latto in her speech, and shared her secret to success.
“I realized that the key is to stay open and available for whatever the universe or God wants to do with your life,” she said, confessing she used to feel like she “didn’t belong” in artistic spaces. “Saying yes to everything that’s scary, to everything that feels like it’s not for you or where you don’t belong, is really the only way where we walk through those doors.”
See videos from SZA’s surprise performances with Cardi B and Phoebe Bridgers at Madison Square Garden below:
https://twitter.com/THR/status/1632211731131793409
https://twitter.com/THR/status/1632214201245597700
https://twitter.com/hourlycbmedia/status/1632405484740177920
Justin Bieber was back on stage on Saturday (March 4) just days after canceling his Justice World Tour. Don Toliver posted footage of the pair sharing the stage at the star-studded 2023 Rolling Loud Festival in Los Angeles this weekend, during which Bieber joined the Houston MC for a collab on “Private Landing” from Toliver’s new Love Sick album.
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Bouncing his way down the stage in a backwards ball cap, baggy jeans and tweed jacket, Bieber looked to be in fine form and good energy more than six months after he played his last full set at Rock in Rio in Sept. 2022. “KEEP Going!!!!! KEEP Going!!!! Let’ Go Justin,” Toliver captioned the brief clip in which the pair happily trade off vocals and rhymes as they shared what appeared to be a joint.
The surprise cameo came after Bieber appeared to cancel all 80 dates on his Justice World Tour with no explanation last week; at press time no tour dates were listed on Bieber’s official site and his spokesperson had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment. Last week Ticketmaster’s site listed all the 2023 Justice dates as canceled just as Bieber was slated to pick things up again with a March 2 date in Dublin.
In June, Bieber told fans that he would take a break from the road after one month of dates because of the effects of the neurological disorder Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome, which left his face partially paralyzed. “As a result of this illness, I was not able to complete the North American leg of the Justice Tour,” he wrote in a message to fans at the time. Bieber went on to explain that after taking some time to rest and consult with his family and doctors, he went ahead with the European leg of his tour.
“After getting off stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realized that I need to make my health the priority right now,” he explained about how he felt after completing his Rock in Rio set in September. “So I’m going to take a break from touring for the time being. I’m going to be ok, but I need time to rest and get better.”
He got back on the stage a month later, but after just six shows he said he need to take a break again. The AEG Presents-promoted Justice tour was Bieber’s first global outing since the 2016-2017 Purpose World Tour. It was unclear at press time if Bieber’s tour cancelation was related to his recovery from Ramsay-Hunt.
James Blake and Kali Uchis also joined Toliver during his set on Saturday.
Watch Bieber with Toliver below.
A crowd pushed toward the exits of a concert in Rochester, N.Y., amid apparent fears that shots had been fired, killing one person and injuring eight others, police said.
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Police found “no evidence to support a shooting having occurred” inside the concert late Sunday (March 5) featuring rappers GloRilla and Finesse2tymes at the Main Street Armory, Rochester police Lt. Nicholas Adams said in a statement to ABC News. A 33-year-old woman died, and two people were in critical condition, the department said.
The Associated Press sent messages early Monday (March 6) seeking information from Rochester police and other authorities.
Six additional people were dropped off by private vehicle at hospitals with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, the Democrat & Chronicle newspaper reported.
Officers responded around 11 p.m. to initial reports of gunshots fired inside, Adams said, but later determined injuries weren’t consistent with gunshot wounds.
“The injuries appear to be as a result of a large crowd pushing towards the exits following accounts of individuals hearing what they believed to be gunshots,” Adams said. GloRilla responded to the incident after midnight in a tweet in which she wrote, “I’m just now hearing about what happened wtf,” followed by three crying emoji, adding “praying everybody is ok [four prayer hand emoji].”
See GloRilla’s tweet below.
I’m just now hearing about what happened wtf 😢😢😢praying everybody is ok 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼— GloRilla 🦍 (@GloTheofficial) March 6, 2023