State Champ Radio R&B/Hip-Hop
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Jazmine Sullivan achieves her second No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart as “Hurt Me So Good” tops the list dated Dec. 10. The new champ advances from the runner-up slot after a 13% jump in weekly plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the week ending Dec. 4, according to Luminate.
The new champ strengthens Sullivan’s status as a leading act at the adult R&B format. Though the singer-songwriter posted four top 10 hits on the format from 2008 through 2015, she only claimed her first No. 1 last year, with “Pick Up Your Feelings,” which ruled the list for two weeks. Despite the relatively brief reign, the track proved a longstanding hit with audiences – it logged 44 weeks in the top 10 and finished 2021 as the No. 2 song on the year-end Adult R&B Airplay recap. In addition to unlocking the keys to the Adult R&B Airplay summit for Sullivan, the single and its parent EP, Heaux Tales, won the performer her first Grammy award in February.
“Hurt” appears on the extended version of the EP, entitled Heaux Tales: Mo’ Tales: The Deluxe, which was released in February.
Like its chart-topping predecessor, “Hurt” has established a long-term relationship with listeners. “Hurt” hits No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay in its 28th week on the list, becoming one of nine tracks to require at least that much time to complete a chart-topping run on the radio ranking in the 10 years. Here’s the crew it joins:
Most Weeks to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay in the Last 10 Years41, “I Want You Around,” Snoh Aalegra, Reached No. 1 on March 14, 202032, “Permission,” Ro James, Sept. 10, 201631, “For the Rest of My Life,” Robin Thicke, Jan. 11, 201429, “Keep You in Mind,” Guordan Banks, June 11, 201629, “She…,” Stokley, April 25, 202028, “Call My Name,” Avery*Sunshine, Dec. 27, 201428, “U Say,” The Bonfyre featuring 6lack, Feb. 8, 202028, “So Done,” Alicia Keys featuring Khalid, March 13, 202128, “Hurt Me So Good,” Jazmine Sullivan, Dec. 10, 2022
Elsewhere, “Hurt” ascends 18-13 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks songs through audience listenership on both adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations. There, the single adds 13% more audience in the week to reach 7.6 million in the week ending Dec. 4.
Radio gains, in turn, help the song’s standing on the Hot R&B Songs chart, which combines radio airplay with streaming and sales for its calculations. On that list, “Hurt” pushes 23-19 in its second chart week.
Cardi B hopped on Instagram Live recently to offer her followers some strongly worded advice about plastic surgery.
“In August I got surgery and I removed 95% of my [biopolymers] … if you don’t know what it is, it’s a– shots. It was a really crazy process,” the rapper said, according to People. “All I’m going to say is that if you’re young — if you’re 19, 20, 21 — and sometimes you’re too skinny, and you be like, ‘Oh my god, I don’t have enough fat to put in my a–,’ so you result to a– shots, DON’T!” (The rapper previously opened up to GQ about receiving illegal injections in a basement apartment in Queens for $800.)
“When it comes to BBLs [Brazilian butt lifts], if y’all want advice from me, before you get your BBL done, you have to make sure your blood levels are all right,” she continued. “If a doctor says your blood levels are too low or you have diabetes or whatever, don’t do it.”
Cardi told her 144 million followers that she was addressing the procedure because “a lot of people thought as soon as I gave birth [to baby Wave in Sept. 2021], I got my body done.”
This week, the superstar also used her social media to clap back at a troll who questioned a video of her performing in a backyard at Art Basel, revealing that she was paid a cool million dollars for a 35-minute set at a private party.
Kanye West has had a lot to say over the past few months, facing backlash over his antisemitic interviews and social media posts since early October, but the one place he hasn’t been sounding off is in song.
That changed Wednesday (Dec. 7) when Ye posted a new song titled “Someday We’ll All Be Free,” which samples Donny Hathaway’s 1973 song of the same name, to his Instagram and also shared it with Alex Jones to play on his far-right talk show InfoWars.
The lyrics address much of the last two months’ controversy, including his strained relationship with ex-wife Kim Kardashian and his now-banned Twitter account.
“Tweeted deathcon, now we past three,” he repeats to end the song, referencing the antisemitic tweet that first got him banned on the now-Elon Musk-run Twitter.
After causing ire with “White Lives Matter” T-shirts in early October at Paris Fashion Week, West tweeted that he was going to go “death con 3” on Jewish people on Oct. 16. This kicked off a string of hate-speech-filled interviews that alienated his many business partners (Adidas, Gap, CAA and more dropped him) and fans alike (the r/Kanye subreddit account has begun sharing educational literature about the Holocaust and posts about his sometime rival Taylor Swift instead of Ye news). The interviews reached an even more disturbing level last week when West appeared on Jones’ InfoWars and said “I see good things about Hitler,” among other harmful statements.
On the music front, West’s most recent album, Donda 2, was released in February. He’s also featured on a few tracks from other artists, including Cardi B’s “Hot Sh–,” also featuring Lil Durk, from July.
See the lyrics (as posted on West’s Instagram) below:
VerifiedWaking up toI can’t do this anymore textAnd The Bible saidI can’t have anymore sexTill marriageAnd no drip till ParisAnd the meek shall flurishSo where is my arisYou wouldn’t understandHow thin this air isfriends just staringAnd everyone’s a KarenWhen they claim they care andWasn’t given a fair handGetting calls from parentsGod calls for prayer rantsTemptation at a mere glanceI forgot what fear isI forgot what fear isI forgot what fear isOther than the fear off almighty yashuaWho knew yaBefore you knew who you was
Wear a Donda teeFor you respond to me
You know honostlyYall all honor me
I know it’s cause the headlinesWhy she wanna leave
You know I follow GodSo you should follow me
I ain’t never rock with none of y’all no wayAnd I’m pulling up in that white OJAnd the watch filled up with OshaysThat’s Jackson cause it’s nastyTweeted deathconNow we past threeTweeted deathconNow we past three
Malibu Babie’s path to becoming a sought-after producer started when she was just five years old. Growing up in Olympia, Washington as the daughter of construction workers, the producer would record herself playing the piano and later hand the CDs out to her friends.
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It wasn’t until her senior year of college, though, while studying political science at Vanderbilt University with the thought of going on to law school, that she decided to pursue music professionally. “I was standing in my apartment and I remember being like, ‘Man, every time I think about law school my stomach sinks,’ and all of a sudden I heard a voice in my head go, ‘Well, that’s because you’re not supposed to be a lawyer,’” recalls Malibu Babie. “You’re supposed to be a musician. You’re supposed to write songs and sing them.”
She quickly added an elective songwriting class to her schedule, for which she wrote and played an original song to the class on piano. Her professor took notice, and suggested she work as a studio intern for a company called ZMG on Music Row, in the heart of Nashville’s music and entertainment industry.
Malibu Babie — whose moniker was inspired by her blonde hair and slim physique, and who signs off emails as “Beat Barbie” — spent the next six years mastering her craft and trying to make her mark on the industry. This year, she finally did, producing two Hot 100 hits, one of which topped the chart.
And while success came fast, Malibu Babie affirms it hasn’t been easy. “Whether you’re new or whether because of your gender or whatever, people underestimate you for sure,” she says. “But I realized quickly, if I did the work and if I came into the studio and knocked the socks off of whoever was in the room…they would give me the respect of their business people.”
Nicki Minaj, “Super Freaky Girl”
Malibu Babie’s persistence and hard work led to her producing a Hot 100 hit for Nicki Minaj this year with “Super Freaky Girl,” which samples Rick James’ 1981 smash hit, “Super Freak.”
“This is a [title] I had in my manifestation journal for years,” says Malibu Babie. “I was just doing a beat day with two of my favorite-ever collaborators, and when we landed on that sample we were like, ‘Okay, this is a big sample. Like, if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right,’” she recalls. After several hours spent fine-tuning the beat, it ended up in the hands of LunchMoney Lewis, a close friend and collaborator. “The idea came together and gets played for Nicki, and within 24 hours, she writes the whole song.” What came next was even more surprising: Malibu Babie received a phone call of the rapper laying down a verse in real time. “I was like, ‘Holy fuck, is that Nicki’s voice?’ And then it all happened so fast.”
The No. 1 hit helped Malibu Babie become the first and only woman to debut at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs as a producer this century. And though she and Nicki have yet to meet in person, Malibu Babie says, “I’m so grateful to her.”
Megan Thee Stallion, “Her”
Nicki Minaj isn’t the only megastar for whom Malibu Babie helped score a Hot 100 hit. Also this year, the producer cooked up the beat for “Her” off Grammy award-winning Megan Thee Stallion‘s second studio album, Traumazine.
“This was the last idea of a 6-8 hour session — I usually like to call them Hail Mary ideas,” says Malibu Babie. “They’re always the best work because all the pressure’s off.” She says in this instance, she didn’t even mean to play the bassline now heard at the start of the song. “I just started adding pieces, like hi hats to get the hip-hop thing and a little house, and just kind of playing with the balance of the two and adding the slot machine for fun,” she continues.
Though she and her collaborators wrote over the beat, once it landed in Meg’s hands (they sent the demo to her team) the Houston native rewrote the whole song — while on tour. “I honestly was not sure if it would fit her vibe at all, because it was pretty different,” admits Malibu Babie, “so for that one to get placed and be successful too was like, ‘Wow, it pays to take chances.’”
Malibu SZN Vol 1 Mixtape
Now, Malibu Babie is taking a chance on herself. In November, she released her Malibu Babie SZN Vol 1 mixtape, with the viral Instagram and TikTok breakout, “Barbiegurl.” She’s teasing its upcoming music video, saying she hopes it sparks “confidence and joy. That’s all I want, to make people happy.”
She says that kind of attitude is key to her work as a producer, and she encourages all women wanting to explore and enter the field to just jump in. “Be confident in your abilities and to literally tune out all the noise,” she offers. “I’m hoping that [my own music] will inspire women to know they can be any type of way. You can be feminine, you can be masculine, you can identify however you want, dress however you want, look however you want. As long as you have the talent, that’s all that matters.”
SZA called into HOT 97 on Tuesday (Dec. 6) to talk through her upcoming album S.O.S and clear the air on the Doja Cat collab that didn’t come together.
Originally, SZA hinted while performing at Mad Cool Festival in July that Doja Cat would possibly appear on what became the album’s lead single, “Shirt.” However, when the song finally dropped at the end of October, her pal was nowhere to be found on the track.
“She had surgery, she had to have that emergency, like, vocal cord surgery and she wasn’t ready in the time that we needed to get the song done,” the recent Billboard cover star shared with host Nessa. “There was a crossfire between, I think, her management and my management and they had told us it was done, but it wasn’t actually done.
“It was just a lot of confusion,” she continued, “but don’t know. I hope for the best, and I’m still, like, a major fan of her and her artistry. And I think she’s so incredible and I would love to get her on the deluxe [version].”
Previously the duo struck Grammy gold with their 2021 collab “Kiss Me More” off Doja’s Planet Her, which won the award for best pop duo/group performance, and also scored additional nominations for record of the year and song of the year.
The R&B star also opened up about upcoming album S.O.S. “I just want what’s good, that’s it. I literally just want what’s good. Or what tells a new side of me … and isn’t redundant,” she told Nessa about the approach she took to crafting her long-awaited follow-up to 2017’s Ctrl.
As for how she avoids that redundancy, the singer explained, “The sonics dictate that, the way you express it and over what beats you choose to express it and, like, that type of s–t. You know, the subject matter, that kind of dictates your perspective sometimes. Like what perspective you take on the issue itself.”
Watch SZA’s full interview ahead of S.O.S dropping this Friday (Dec. 9) below.
As the 2022 People’s Choice Awards reached its climax on Tuesday night (Dec. 6), Lizzo was named People’s Champion. With her acceptance speech, she proved just how deserving she is.
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The Detroit singer and rapper snagged a brace of trophies on the night, including song of the year for “About Damn Time,” which led the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks in July and August. But it was her People’s Champion honor, and her inclusive comments that followed, that are resonating on social channels and with those who caught it.
“Imma be honest, when I first heard about this award, I was on the fence about whether I should accept,” she comments. “Because, if I’m the people’s champ, I don’t need a trophy for championing people. You know what I’m saying?”
Speaking without the benefit of notes, Lizzo remarked, “I’m here tonight, because to be an icon isn’t about how long you’ve had your platform. Being an icon is what you do with that platform. And ever since the beginning of my career I’ve used my platform to amplify marginalized voices.”
So, tonight, she continues, “I am sharing this honor. Make some noise for the people, y’all. These are all activists and people that I think deserve the spotlight.”
And with that, Lizzo urged the audience to raise to roof as she introduced to the stage a collection of human rights advocates, freedom fighters, artists, walking inspirations, each of whom she identified.
In the moment, Lizzo blasted the “senseless and despicable gun violence that has become far too common,” and called for organizers and onlookers to give the activists “their flowers.”
Lizzo concludes: “Power will always be to the people. Thank you so much People’s Choice. Follow them, follow them and support them.”
During the show, Taylor Swift won three awards – the female artist of 2022, the music video of 2022 (“Anti-Hero”) and the album of 2022 (Midnights, which has topped the Billboard 200 in five of its first six weeks).
BTS and Selena Gomez were among the multiple honorees at the ceremony, presented at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. Kenan Thompson hosted the show, which aired on NBC and E!
Watch Lizzo’s speech in full below.
SZA is just days away from dropping her much-anticipated new album, S.O.S, and the 33-year-old singer-songwriter took to YouTube Shorts on Tuesday (Dec. 6) to tease one of the LP’s tracks titled “Nobody Gets Me.”
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“I don’t want to lose what’s left of you / How am I supposed to tell you / I don’t want to see you with anyone but me / Nobody gets me like you,” SZA muses over an acoustic guitar melody in the clip, which features a behind-the-scenes look at a promotional photoshoot.
Earlier in the week, the star released the official tracklist for the upcoming set, and the 23 songs on the album has a number of guest features including Don Toliver on “Used,” Phoebe Bridgers on “Ghost in the Machine,” Travis Scott on “Open Arms” and Ol’ Dirty Bastard on “Forgiveless.”
S.O.S follows the star’s 2017 debut, Ctrl, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and featured hits like “Love Galore,” “Broken Clocks” and “The Weekend.”
SZA recently covered Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players issue. In the cover story, she questioned her longevity in music and where she sees her career going forward. “I feel like music, in this capacity, I don’t see longevity,” SZA admitted. “I like to create, I like to write, I like to sing, and I like to share. But I don’t know if chasing after superstardom or whatever I’m supposed to be doing right now is sustainable for me or for anybody. I’mma take a good swing at it, and I’mma give ’em my absolute best.”
S.O.S is out on Friday (Dec. 9).
NBA YoungBoy is letting Kanye West know that he has at least one person in his corner after Ye’s string of increasingly unhinged and hate-speech-filled interviews.
Over the weekend, the “Outside Today” rapper shared an eight-minute-long track titled “This Not a Song, This for My Supporters,” in which he shared his feelings about West and insisted he needs to hold his ground.
“It hurt my heart that Kanye let them people break his soul/ How the f— that go? N—a, stay in yo’ home!/ N—a, hold your ground! You strong!”
YoungBoy’s comments supporting Ye come in the midst of a massive upheaval against the rapper over his antisemitic comments, both via social media and in interviews. Most notably, Ye appeared on Alex Jones’ InfoWars talk show last week and said that he sees “good things about Hitler.”
He added, “I love everyone, and Jewish people are not going to tell me, ‘You can love us and you can love what we’re doing to you with the contracts, and you can love what we’re pushing with the pornography.’ But this guy that invented highways and invented the very microphone I use as a musician, you can’t say out loud that this person ever did anything good and I’m done with that. I’m done with the classifications.”
Despite Jones’ visible discomfort at the comments throughout the interview, Ye doubled down, adding, “I don’t like the word ‘evil’ next to Nazis … I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis.” The rapper reiterated that it’s “time to promote love” by declaring, “I do love Hitler. I do love the Zionists.”
Kanye West has fired off another round of antisemitic comments, this time saying in an interview with Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes that Jewish people need to “forgive Hitler.”
In a 45-minute interview titled “Saving Ye” posted to the alt-right website Censored.TV, McInnes and the artist now known as Ye debated the latter’s recent bout of hate speech aimed at the Jewish community. But the Yeezy founder simply doubled down on his stance even harder.
“Jewish people can’t tell me who I can love and who I can’t love,” he said in the discussion, moderated by far-right personality and West’s recent companion Nick Fuentes, who is a Holocaust denier and has been labeled as a white supremacist by the Anti-Defamation League. “You can’t force your pain on everyone else,” he continued, according to Rolling Stone.
“Jewish people — forgive Hitler today,” he added. “Let it go. Let it go. Stop trying to force it on other people.”
McInnes, who in 2016 established the right-wing extremist group Proud Boys after leaving VICE Media Company, which he co-founded, says at the beginning of the video that he set up the interview to try to “prevent Ye West from becoming an antisemite or a Nazi.” The interview comes just days after the “Donda” musician praised Hitler and said he loves Nazis on Alex Jones’ far-right show InfoWars in a moment so disturbing, even President Joe Biden issued a statement condemning antisemitism and Holocaust denialism.
“I just want to make a few things clear: The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure. And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides,” the president tweeted on Dec. 2. “Silence is complicity.’
She came with the receipts!
After a Twitter troll posted a video of Cardi B‘s performance at Miami’s Art Basel over the weekend with the caption “Not the Grammy winner performing in someone’s backyard,” the rapper responded that she had scored a seven-figure payday to perform at the private party.
“I got payed 1 million dollars to perform at this elite bankers private event for 400 people and only for 35 minutes,” Cardi responded in a since-deleted tweet to the now-private Twitter account (see screenshots below). “THINK ABOUT THAT WHEN YOU TYPE ABOUT THIS GRAMMY WINNER,” she wrote, punctuating the sentiment with a gold trophy emoji.
Screenshots of the tweet show she also attached an invoice from WP Touring Inc. that shows the million-dollar payout from her brief time in Miami.
Later on Twitter, the rapper confirmed she wore a sequined nude illusion bodysuit for the 35-minute set, telling a fan who questioned the revealing outfit, “it’s a custom Jean Paul Gaultier look and it represent the purest form of women bodies.”
During last year’s Art Basel, Cardi launched her boozy Whipshots brand with a raucous party at The Goodtime Hotel. This year, she helped close down the annual event by performing at the party thrown by Tequila Don Julio 1942.
Last week, she called into Angela Yee’s final day hosting The Breakfast Club to tease her long-awaited follow-up to her 2018 Grammy-winning debut album Invasion of Privacy. “I gotta put it out next year,” Cardi said, after revealing it’s still “missing something” despite having “like, a couple of songs that are, like, definite.”
Check out fan-captured footage of Cardi’s Art Basel performance (and receipts) below.
