State Champ Radio R&B/Hip-Hop
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Living for it! The Weeknd offered his thoughts Tuesday (Nov. 22) about potentially revisiting a remix of his 2017 single “Die for You” with SZA.
The topic came up when a fan asked SZA about the pair’s long-rumored remix of the Starboy-era song, which was never released. “SZA I know you don’t like rumors, can you clarify this for us??” the Instagram user asked, to which SZA replied, “Lmao it’s super old but it does exist. I should re record it.”
While the “Shirt” songstress has since deleted her comment, a screenshot of the exchange caught The Weeknd’s eye, and he endorsed the idea by retweeting it and writing simply “yes please.” Interestingly, the original track has recently found a second life thanks to its re-emergence as a hit on TikTok, even reaching a new high of No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 (chart dated Nov. 26).
In her brand-new Billboard cover story, SZA finally confirmed that she’s readying the release of her long-awaited sophomore album, titled S.O.S, after a more than five-year wait since her celebrated 2017 debut Ctrl.
Check out The Weeknd’s stamp of approval on a new “Die for You” remix with SZA below.
For over 25 years, New York native celebrity photographer Johnny Nuñez has captured the scenes of the entertainment industry’s hottest, most epic events with icons from every era. As Nas once rapped, “Johnny Nuñez got all the pictures.”
Nuñez, who is known by his rapid-fire flash and click photo style, is well beloved by the stars he takes shots of on the streets, in the clubs and at private dinners or invite-only galas. He is also the first Afro-Latino photographer to have his photos displayed by the Grammys and honored by the Recording Academy’s affiliate organization the Black Music Collective. Becoming an official Grammys photographer is a barrier-breaking and crown achievement for Nuñez. “We belong in these rooms, we created so many music forms, we need to document these moments,” he says. “I feel great that I’m pushing this narrative and getting our genres into new spaces with our images.”
A long-time grandfathered contributor to Getty Images, Nuñez has introduced many creatives, producers and executives, linking them on red carpets which have led to music and film collaborations beyond his wildest dreams. “I’ve elevated a lot of careers. I was adopted and we were poor,” he says of his family. “My adoptive mom was an amazing connector while selling Avon. She would connect neighbors who needed things for people to survive day-to-day. That taught me that your network is your net worth.”
Getting the accolades for his career is a joy, but being able to open doors for those photographers on the come up is his real reward. “I just want those coming behind me to experience more and gain access to more,” he adds. “That’s my mission.” Nuñez gets the moments you wish you were there for…but he makes you feel like you were there.
A version of this story originally appeared in the Nov. 19, 2022, issue of Billboard.
Kelly Rowland shut down a round of booing aimed at Chris Brown Sunday night (Nov. 20) when she accepted an American Music Award on his behalf — and now, she’s defending him once again. When the 41-year-old Destiny’s Child star was asked after the show whether Brown, who violently assaulted Rihanna in 2009, deserved forgiveness for his past actions, she insisted that “everybody deserves grace.”
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“I believe that grace is very real, and we all need a dose of it,” Rowland told TMZ in a video published Tuesday (Nov. 22). “Before we point fingers at anybody, we should realize how grateful we are for every moment that we get.”
“Even our own things that we have, I just think it’s important to remember to be humans,” she continued.
Last weekend, Rowland attended the AMAs as a presenter and accepted the favorite male R&B artist award in place of Brown, who wasn’t present at the show. When she announced that the 33-year-old “Run It!” singer had won, she was met with several loud boos from those in the audience.
“Excuse me, chill out,” she said in the moment, sternly holding a finger up to shush the upset crowd. “I want to tell Chris thank you so much for making great R&B music, and I want to tell him thank you for being an incredible performer. I love you, congratulations.”
Brown, of course, has long been a controversial figure in the music industry. Though he was convicted for beating Rihanna (his girlfriend at the time) on the morning of the 2009 Grammys and has been accused of several acts of violence in the years since, he remains a steadfast contributor to the Hot 100 and maintains nearly 50 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
“You know what, we all need to be forgiven for anything that we could be doing,” she also told TMZ. “We all come up short in some sort of way.”
“We are humans,” she added. “Everybody deserves grace, period.”
Membership has its privileges. Especially when you’re part of Klub Kardashian. That might explain how Kim Kardashian and Ye‘s daughter North West, 9, got a special audience with Lizzo at the singer/rapper’s final Special Tour stop on Saturday at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.
Not only did North seemingly get some premium seats for the gig — sharing footage from the show on her TikTok, on which the tween can be heard shouting, “Lizzo!” — but she also got a backstage audience with the Twerk Queen.
In another video posted on the TikTok account she shares with her mom, North and her pal Ryan chill in a backstage corridor with Lizzo, with all three wearing hot pink tops as they bust out the choreo from the viral “Get Sturdy” dance. After the girls got things going with the trend’s signature one-foot hopping and leg swinging, Lizzo — in a pink bodysuit with nude cut-outs — joined in by busting out some squats and heel taps.
The girls looked elated to be sharing this special time with the global superstar, laughing and smiling as they moved in unison to one of the most popular TikTok dance trends. The videos were on the joint account launched by mom and daughter last November, on which they’ve since posted dozens of clips, most of which find North hamming it up while dancing and lip synching. It became a point of contention in February, when Ye lambasted estranged wife Kim for allowing their underage daughter to have a TikTok account.
“SINCE THIS IS MY FIRST DIVORCE I NEED TO KNOW WHAT I SHOULD DO ABOUT MY DAUGHTER BEING PUT ON TIK TOK AGAINST MY WILL?,” Ye wrote on Instagram. Kim responded by saying, “As the parent who is the main provider and caregiver for our children, I am doing my best to protect our daughter while also allowing her to express her creativity in the medium that she wishes with adult supervision — because it brings her happiness.”
Check out the videos below.
Seven months ago, 23-year-old Tennessee native Gloria “GloRilla” Woods exploded onto the hip-hop scene with “F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” a bass-knocking track that became a summer anthem as well as a Grammy contender (the breakout hit is nominated for best rap performance at the 2023 Grammy Awards).
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She was discovered by producer Hitkidd a few years ago at a local showcase. After contributing to Megan Thee Stallion’s Something for the Hotties, he continued working with the Houston rapper on a new project. Around April, Hitkidd found himself with a beat on his hands, but felt it was “too hard” to be waiting on Megan — so he passed it along toGloRilla.
GloRilla admitted to Billboard that she “was on the toilet and gonna get my lashes done” when he called. “I did tell her, ‘We need a summer anthem, something the girls can chant,’” said Hitkidd. The pair then met in the studio. GloRilla stepped out for a moment to smoke some Backwoods cigars and then she came up with “I’m F-R-E-E, f–k n—- free.” Within 30 minutes, GloRilla and Hitkidd had a soon-to-be-hit on their hands.
The song finds GloRilla no longer worried about her troubles with a man, instead enjoying a good time with her “rachet a– friends.” On April 29, 2022, GloRilla dropped a music video to go along with the song that has so far accumulated over 46 million views on YouTube. The song became the rising star’s first No. 1 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip Hop AirPlay and is still in the top 10 on that chart.
In June, she and Hitkidd earned their first Hot 100 hit as “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” logged in at No. 91 and then reached No. 75. The track went on to earn 43.2 million official on-demand U.S. streams through July 7, according to Luminate. GloRilla rode the momentum from “F.N.F.” to a deal with Yo Gotti’s CMG Imprint.
And she didn’t stop there.
After her hit made waves on the hip-hop scene, GloRilla went on to release “Blessed” featuring her mentor, Yo Gotti. She followed up with “Tomorrow,” which was remixed as “Tomorrow 2” with Cardi B. The remix added another achievement to GloRilla’s belt, logging in at No. 3 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 9 on the Hot 100 back in early October; “Tomorrow 2” also landed GloRilla a performance slot at the 2022 American Music Awards, where Cardi B made a surprise appearance.
Billboard spoke with November’s R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month GloRilla about doing a record with Cardi B, maintaining friendships in the music business and more.
How did you and Cardi B link up for “Tomorrow 2”? I heard she showed you a lot of love in the DM when “F.N.F.” came out!
Actually, my team, Gotti and them. They had already reached out to her. I didn’t know. That was a surprise me to find out that she was on the song. They had already had it in the works and everything, but I didn’t know about it. They were going to surprise me. And so, I texted her one day. I was just in the studio. I had made another song. I had DM her, like, “I got another song for you.” She was like, “Oh, girl I already recorded my verse for ‘Tomorrow.’” I was like, “No way.”
In September, you and Cardi B hit the No. 1 spot for “Tomorrow 2” on Apple Music, and you guys also landed on No. 3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. How does that feel?
It ain’t nothing but getting blessed and hard working.
You always have your friends with you from Gloss Up, Slimeroni, Aleza, Nicki Pooh, Teezy, and the list goes on. How do you keep such a tight bond with your friends — specifically with Gloss Up — without letting envy, jealousy and ego get in the way?
It’s really just keeping it real, you know what I’m saying? I always say what’s on your mind. Don’t keep nothing secret. Really, keeping the same attitude, same outlook on loyalty that I been had before everything.
Let’s talk about the mentorship you’ve received from Gotti. What’s the best advice he’s given you?
Don’t get too comfortable.
Where do you see yourself among the female rap landscape knowing that there’s so much beef and competition among each other?
I see myself at the top and getting bigger.
You talked about almost shooting your ex during an interview for Bootleg Kev back in August. Is that who you made “F.N.F.” for?
I really just made the song off of being high, and that came with the pain and all of that.
How do you feel about people talking about you getting plastic surgery?
What people say doesn’t affect me. It’s all about what I want to do. As of now, I’m comfortable in the skin I’m in… and I’m already thick. I’m thick as f–k. It’s all about self-love. You can’t let nobody else determine how you feel about yourself.
Describe your sound.
I’d say crunk, and dominant. I have a dominant sound.
How have things changed for you since becoming a star? Do you find it harder to keep up with demands of the music industry?
I do see a lot of things different from just trying to make it. Nowadays, I have finally got into the industry and a lot of things are different. But I still feel like at the end of the day, you got to work, you got to put in and work, no matter what. You can’t be fake. Everybody got to work. Nothing coming to you free, really.
Do you feel like you have rid yourself of the one hit wonder tag or do you believe you have more to prove?
You know, I never felt like I was a one hit wonder, but I know a lot of people was saying that. But everything I’ve been dropping, people be messing with. They’re like, “Oh, okay,” so I feel like I have done it, but I still feel like I got way more. I want like 100 plaques, 100 No. 1s.
What are you most proud of to date?
Making it, really. Being able to… You know what I’m saying? Put other people on. Put my folks on, take care of my family. I really feel like I helped break a door down for my people.
Who do you listen to the most to draw inspiration from?
Chief Keef.
Who would you like to work with or collaborate with next?
Oh I’d say, Beyonce, Lil Wayne, what else? Who else? And Durk!
Lastly, what do you want fans to know about GloRilla as it pertains to your music?
That I’m really versatile. They’re going to see a lot of that as time goes by!
Julia Fox is coming clean about her messy relationship with Kanye West. In a new TikTok responding to one commenter who shaded Fox for having dated the rapper for about a month earlier this year, the Uncut Gems actress got very real about how their romance started and ended — going as far as to say that she once thought she could help both the rapper and his ex-wife by distracting him from Kim Kardashian.
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Fox decided to clear the air on her time with West, who legally changed his name to Ye last year, after one user left a comment on one of her previous videos that said: “I just wish you weren’t dating a famously violent misogynist and antisemite.”
“I realized pretty quickly that he wasn’t gonna take my help,” she replied in the Monday (Nov. 21) TikTok. “I sounded almost as dumb as you guys saying I should have done something to stop him. But I know, I was delusional, I thought I could help him.”
Ye and Fox first started dating around January this year, nearly a full year after Kim had filed for divorce from the “Donda” musician in 2021. While they were together, Ye began making headlines for his repeated verbal attacks against Pete Davidson, whom Kim was dating at the time. He also began airing out private conversations between him and his ex-wife, and alleged that the Kardashians had prohibited him from attending their daughter Chicago’s fourth birthday party.
During this time, Ye was at the center of much criticism for his public treatment of Kim, with many labelling it as harassment or even emotional abuse. Months after the rapper and Fox broke up, he landed himself in even bigger scandals for featuring “White Lives Matter” shirts in his Paris Fashion Week show and for posting antisemitic comments on his Twitter, something which led to his suspension from the site.
“He hadn’t been doing anything out there yet,” Fox said of the time she was dating Ye. “I will say, that month we spent together, he wasn’t on Twitter. He wasn’t on any forms of social media. We only really talked about clothes and weird ideas, plans for the future.”
“Then I had this thought,” she continued. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, maybe I can get him off Kim’s case. Maybe I can distract him, like just get him to like me. I knew if anyone can do it, it’s me. When I set my mind to something, I do it.”
But soon after Ye started “yelling” at Fox for not texting him back enough and began posting about Kim and Davidson, the PVT Chat star said she ended the relationship. “The moment he started tweeting, I was out,” she shared. “The media reported on our relationship the week after it happened or something.”
“During that week I think you guys thought that we were together but we weren’t,” she continued. “I’d already been like, ‘Dude, I’m not gonna stick around for this shit.’”
“I don’t want to reduce his whole career to his really bad moments,” she concluded. “That being said, I stand with the Jewish community. Period.”
Watch Julia Fox’s new TikTok about Ye below.
There is no one, absolutely no one, quite like Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar – or as you probably know her, Cardi B. From her assailing, punchy style of one-liner rap to the addictive sound of her mischievous laugh, the Bronx native is truly incomparable.
First finding fame in 2016 as a fan-favorite cast member on VH1’s reality series Love & Hip-Hop, Cardi leveraged her popularity on the show and on social media into a blockbuster music career. Her first mixtape, Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1, came out in 2016, heralding the arrival of a full-fledged, game-changing superstar.
The rest is history, and a controversial history at that. The former strip-club dancer quickly became known for her raunchy lyrics and empowered swagger – like on her hit Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 2 single “Lick,” featuring her now husband Offset, with whom she’s welcomed two children – that had some people shaking their booties and others shaking their heads.
Her almost effortless ability to spark public discourse came to a head in 2020, when she and Megan Thee Stallion teamed up for the Billboard Hot 100-ruling track “WAP.” The sex-positive single had conservative commentators such as Ben Shapiro and Candace Owens clutching their pearls — but obviously, that didn’t stop Cardi from being Cardi.
The “Bodak Yellow” artist herself said it best in her 2020 Woman of the Year interview with Billboard: “I want to show people that you can do positive things, but you can also be yourself. I like justice. I like to work and be creative. But I also like popping my p—y.”
Keep reading for a detailed look at Cardi B’s biggest career highs below:
DJ Khaled is all about curating spaces and the latest one he’s built might have your name on it. The We The Best boss announced over the weekend that he’s offering some lucky fans the chance to spend a luxurious night at his home in Miami. Okay, not literally his home, but an Airbnb one that looks kind of like it, down to his famous baller sneaker closet.
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The two one-night stays (Dec 5 and 6) at the spot with a pool and outdoor lounge includes a bedroom set up in a replica of Khaled’s sneaker sanctuary, along with a pair of his We The Best Jordan 5s, as well as a private shopping session at a Miami high-end sneaker shop. He’s even throwing in a catered dinner from his The Licking restaurant.
“Sneakers are an essential part of hip hop culture and collecting them is an art – just like creating music,” said Khaled in a statement announcing the unique brand extension. ”We bring the same passion and energy to the shoe game as we do the studio. That’s why we’re excited to share our sneaker kingdom with fans and give them a chance to walk in our shoes, literally.”
The two one-night stays for two guests will only cost you $11, in a nod to Khaled’s shoe size. It will also include a handwritten welcome note from Khaled and a chance to sleep among hundreds of pairs of shoes, including some of Khaled’s most-prized kicks such as the Jordan 3 “Grateful” and Jordan 8 “Oregon PEs.”
“I call these ‘you wish you had ’em,’” Khaled said in a promotional video for the staycation stunt while holding up a baby blue pair of his Jordans. “But guess what? Wishes come true. Don’t give up. This could be all you right here.” Interested fans can request to book the dream vacation beginning at 1 p.m. ET on Nov. 29 here; guests are responsible for their own travel to Miami.
Check out Khaled’s announcement below.
At around 11:30 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 19), a handful of fans were bundled up in beach chairs and tents along the Fonda Theatre’s parking lot fence in L.A. “BROCKHAMPTON ENDS AT THE FONDA,” the venue’s marquee sign read. The kids were camping out in hopes of getting tickets to Brockhampton’s final show, and on the night of the event, naturally, the line was wrapped around the block.
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Brockhampton declared it “BH Weekend” two days prior when they announced the show and released their final two albums, The Family and TM. Live-streamed on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel, the concert was free, and starting at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, fans were able to get wristbands from the venue on a first come, first served basis, guaranteeing them a ticket to the show the following day.
The concert came as a surprise to fans since the group said their last two shows would be at Coachella earlier this year. Inside the Fonda, the floor slowly began to fill up in the hour preceding the show, which was scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. The balcony was reserved for Brockhampton’s guests, including their family and their label, RCA. Dua Lipa was also attendance and fans spotted Tyler, the Creator as he slipped out at the end.
By 8:05 p.m., Kevin Abstract slowly walked on stage to Celine Dion‘s “All By Myself” before erupting into “Big P—y.” The band’s six other vocalists — Matt Champion, Joba, Bearface, Jabari Manwa, Merlyn and Dom McLennon — joined him shortly after and the boys played songs from each of their albums dating back to their debut studio album 2017’s Saturation.
Unlike their previous performances, the set design this time around was minimal. Only a wide, black staircase sat towards the back of the stage, and was used as a resting spot for the band in between songs. The boys also didn’t wear matching outfits this time, like their varsity jackets at Coachella earlier this year or their orange jumpsuits from their 2017 Camp Flog Gnaw Festival set, but looked as if they arrived separately to the show in clothes they had been wearing all the day. Yet, the crowd didn’t seem to notice or care, as they sang every word to every song with their favorite boy band for the last time.
“Brockhampton’s just like, acceptance and so many things that are important to me, and just changed everything. Thank you so much,” a front-row fan named Brendan said when asked why he likes Brockhampton. Brendan, who was also celebrating his birthday, was then invited on-stage for “Bleach.”
As the show went on, fans were lost in the moment, but there was an undeniable bittersweet feeling amongst the crowd. Like the fans, it seemed as though Brockhampton was excited to release some pent-up energy. The guys were running around the stage and jumping up and down, but it also felt like they were trying to get the show over with the way they transitioned between songs. There was little chatter in-between tracks too, except for the fan interaction and Merlyn introducing his former bandmates at the end. At one point, Abstract got a fan so hype, he almost jumped across the rail and climb on-stage.
By 9:39 p.m., the group walked off after performing “New Shoes” from TM. Naturally, fans began chanting “One more song!” and two minutes later, Bearface came back out to sing his solo ballad, “Summer.” They all then closed out the show for real with “Boogie.”
And while they didn’t take a group bow at the end, Brockhampton still made sure to provide a tad bit of closure. “Thank you very much, thanks for everything,” said Abstract. “See you guys, when we see you.”
Two very special guests took the stage at Lizzo‘s Friday night (Nov. 18) concert at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.
Missy Elliott joined the singer on “Tempo,” from Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You album, and Cardi B reunited with Lizzo for their Hot 100 hit “Rumors.”
“My face after @MissyElliott surprised us last night! Being on stage w you is a DREAM but knowing you is unfathomable! My absolute ICON! I love you 5EVA! thank you!” Lizzo gushed on Saturday on Twitter, where she shared a heartwarming image of the pair embracing in a hug.
“You are one of a kind lizzo & I love watching you perform so much STAMINA!!” Missy wrote back. “You are a Star & the crowd LOVE you! Your HUMILITY & HEART trumps everything! I love you & I am Humbly Grateful to have shared the stage with you.”
“I am a Fan of Cardi B!” Lizzo also tweeted. “I been following her since before love&hiphop… But as much as I fan over her as an artist, who she is as a PERSON is UNMATCHED. @iamcardib thank U for always coming thru for me, for standing up for us when you don’t have to. U the peoples champ! I LOVE U.”
Cardi then wrote, “Lizzo show was amazing !It was very pretty,very positive and I saw Missy Elliot.”
Lizzo returns to the Kia Forum for another show Saturday night, wrapping the North American leg of her tour for 2022.
See a couple fan-filmed clips from the guest appearances at Friday’s show below.
