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Playboi Carti accepts the Artist of The Year award from Billboard’s Deputy Editorial Director Damien Scott at Billboard’sR&B Hip-Hop Power Players 2024. Damien Scott: My name is Damien Scott. I am the Deputy Editorial Director at Billboard. I’ve been here for a year now. This is the first Power Players, Hip-Hop Power Players I’ve been […]
In late May, Teezo Touchdown — clad in all-black leather, spiky silver nails piercing his shoulder pads — leaped across the stage of Los Angeles’ Fonda Theatre. As he performed his groovy 2023 song “Mood Swings,” he screeched helium-pitched “Wee!” ad-libs mid-air, and a vibrant flower bouquet encasing his microphone swung along with him.
“A night at Lil Yachty’s house” inspired his mic setup, Teezo says today as he periodically munches on a raw orange carrot that matches the couch he’s lounging on. Teezo and Yachty were marathoning Morrissey music videos, and the way the former Smiths frontman nonchalantly swung a bouquet of flowers in the “This Charming Man” video “really influenced” Teezo — so much so that the avant-garde 31-year-old rapper-meets-rock star eventually made it his own.
He has now whirled that microphone onstage at the country’s biggest arenas and stadiums, thanks to opening gigs for Tyler, The Creator in 2022 (after featuring on Tyler’s “RunItUp”) and Travis Scott in 2023 (after appearing on Scott’s UTOPIA track “Modern Jam”). “Being an opener is so hard,” Teezo admits — but he gained valuable perspective playing for early arrivers interested in the main act.
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“I’m like the doorman welcoming you into Tyler’s crib, Travis’ crib: ‘Can I grab you anything? He’ll be down shortly. But while you here, let me entertain you,’ ” he explains. That attitude has also informed Teezo’s recent guest appearances on tracks by artists including Drake, Doja Cat and Don Toliver — A-list collaborations that launched him onto the Billboard Hot 100 with “Amen,” from Drake’s 2023 album, For All the Dogs, marking Teezo’s highest-charting entry, at No. 15.
“Teezo is your favorite artist’s favorite artist,” says his manager, Amal Noor, who has worked with him since 2019. “He respects these artists’ careers, and to know that they love him creatively is an amazing feeling.”
Jean Paul Gaultier top, Diesel jeans, Athanasiou bracelet.
Ariel Fisher
Teezo Touchdown photographed on July 18, 2024 in Los Angeles. Vintage Jean Paul Gaultier top, Louis Vuitton belt and jeans, Prada shoes.
Ariel Fisher
Following his own first headlining tour last spring, which came on the heels of his 2023 debut album, How Do You Sleep at Night?, Billboard’s 2024 R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Year is still coming to terms with his current level of stardom. “I can still go to Whole Foods and grab my six hard-boiled eggs or go to Paris and walk the streets, and no one bats an eye,” he says. “But on the other end, I’m on the biggest albums in the world, biggest tours.”
Long before he became Teezo Touchdown, the artist born Aaron Lashane Thomas followed in the footsteps of his father, a DJ and avid music collector, and started DJ’ing in the second grade, performing at friends’ parties, weddings and graduations in his hometown of Beaumont, Texas. “Every year, I would get something music-related for Christmas, but in seventh grade, I got this small box. There was a key inside to the studio that my dad had built for me upstairs,” he says. Teezo made his first song ever that day — and he still plays the piano riff at studios he visits “to call back to that kid on Christmas, like, ‘Look where you at right now.’ ”
Tragedy affected his trajectory early on. After his girlfriend was fatally shot in 2016, Teezo channeled his grief into his art, and in February 2019, he dropped the somber single “100 Drums,” which decried gun violence over a sample of Panic! at the Disco’s emo smash “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.” Chance the Rapper and Trippie Redd both noticed, and the latter flew him out to L.A. for the first time the following month. Noor noticed, too: After seeing a clip of the “100 Drums” music video on a meme page, she also reached out to Teezo.
While spending time at his childhood home afterward, Teezo stumbled upon his father’s toolbox. “Punks are usually spiky. My dad had nails around the crib, and I was like, ‘This is going to be my spike,’ ” he says. In March 2020, Teezo asked his best friend to braid the nails into his hair for the first time, for his “Strong Friend” music video. “I think I was meant to find [the nails],” Teezo says, adding that he has comfortably slept with them in his hair multiple times.
Ariel Fisher
His unorthodox image complemented his developing sound, which he now describes as “R&B with the boom of rock.” He didn’t think he could meld those genres until he saw the Afropunk festival’s Instagram post about Black rock band Living Colour and his producers, Brendan Grieve and Hoskins, played him a mashup of Craig David and metalcore band Killswitch Engage.
How Do You Sleep at Night? (released last September on Not Fit for Society/RCA Records) showcases Teezo’s genre-defying talents — from the garage punk-meets-R&B anthem “Too Easy” to the guitar-driven indie-rock jam “Impossible.” It failed to crack the Billboard 200, but Teezo only cares about the numbers for one reason: “I’m so obsessed with numbers because I just want to make my team proud. I’m proud because I’m making music and one person knows who I am.”
Drake called How Do You Sleep at Night? “some of the best music ever” when Teezo played it for him a month early. But ironically, Teezo’s profile expanded even further when Kendrick Lamar name-dropped him in the opening lines of his Hot 100 No. 1 Drake dis track, “Not Like Us” (“Nail a n—a to the cross/He walk around like Teezo”). Having just started his own tour (a “little bubble” filled with “loving fans”) at the time, “I made a decision that I wasn’t going to listen to any of the back-and-forth,” says Teezo, who claims to have somehow avoided listening to the inescapable “Not Like Us” in its entirety. “I’m seeing a mob mentality, and I don’t like division. Sorry I’m so kumbaya, but it’s all love over here.” The simple fact that both Drake and Lamar “know who I am… it’s still one of those moments where you have to pinch yourself. The kid in Beaumont, I’m pretty sure he’s jumping through the roof right now.”
Vintage Jean Paul Gaultier top, Louis Vuitton belt and jeans, Prada shoes.
Ariel Fisher
Vintage Jean Paul Gaultier top.
Ariel Fisher
Come October, Teezo will hit the road again on Don Toliver’s North American arena tour — an opportunity he initially hesitated to take because he wanted to focus on making his next album. But “[Don] was like, ‘Teezy, I’m telling you. If you know you got a tour coming up, it’s going to make you lock in.’ I needed a fire under me, and that was the fire.”
And it’s working: Teezo has already started on his next project. “The word that [we] keep bringing up is ‘undeniable.’ Everything that we’re making, is it undeniable?” he says. “If it’s not, put a red mark on it and let’s move on to the next.”
This story appears in the Aug. 31, 2024, issue of Billboard.
“The way this song was born is probably contrary to what everyone thinks,” Muni Long says with a laugh of her R&B hit “Made for Me.” That’s because the compassionate ballad — which arrived in 2023 before catching fire on TikTok, followed by a Mariah Carey remix this year — was inspired by a different kind of love story.
As Muni Long recalls, it was November 2022 and she had given birth to her son two months prior (all of which she kept private until this August, when she performed with him on her hip during her opening set touring with Chris Brown). She says she was “getting the itch to write,” so she had a studio put in her house. One day, the Grammy Award winner began listening again to a piano chord progression she had sent a while back to her friend, producer Jordan XL. “I just started literally doing what the song says,” Muni Long adds, “looking around this room, seeing baby toys. And I write this song about my baby because he’s right next door.”
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Still not satisfied with the track after performing it live a couple of times, Muni Long questioned what was missing — “Does it need drums?” she wondered. At her A&R executive’s suggestion, she booked a session with producers Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox. While working on other songs with the pair, she played the track she had become obsessed with. “They were polite, but nobody had a crazy reaction,” she recalls. Two weeks later, they sent her a new version — complete with drums.
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Yet Muni Long was still unsure: “ ‘Maybe it is just a piano vocal,’ ” she thought. “I toyed with it for a couple of months, asking others, ‘Is this good? Am I tripping?’ Then Tunji [Balogun, Def Jam Recordings chairman/CEO] said, ‘This is the song we’re going with.’ I’m like, ‘If you’re willing to stand behind this, then do it.’ ”
In January, the catchy track with its emotional chorus gained traction on TikTok thanks to a challenge tied to a lyric: “Twin, where have you been?” The boost helped “Made for Me” hit a No. 8 peak on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 20 on the Hot 100 in March. In May, Muni Long sustained momentum with her Carey remix. And now, her hot streak continues with “Make Me Forget,” her first No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay. Both hits appear on her newly released second album, Revenge.
This story appears in the Aug. 31, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Mr. David Washington stands on the grounds that he has tended for decades, amid the Georgia Pines that flood much of the property, as the early-morning June heat creeps across the lawns. Now in his 70s, he’s quick to laugh and does so often, each one punctuating his thick, Southern drawl as he tells the […]
From paying homage to the African continent to packing a punch with boxing ring-ready jams, R&B and rap artists and producers have made memorable movie soundtracks that can fit any scene and that are filled with their own all-star casts.
Eminem not only had his first starring role in the 2002 semi-autobiographical movie 8 Mile, but he also executive produced its soundtrack. Thirteen years later, Slim Shady helmed the official soundtrack for Southpaw. Eminem was originally supposed to play the lead role of Billy Hope, and Southpaw screenwriter Kurt Sutter told Deadline in 2010, “in a way, this is a continuation of the 8 Mile story, but rather than a literal biography, we are doing a metaphorical narrative of the second chapter of his life.” (Eminem eventually passed on the lead role, which went to Jake Gyllenhaal, to focus on music.)
Jay-Z executive produced The Great Gatsby: Music from Baz Luhrmann’s Film in 2013, with Jeymes Samuel (also known by his stage name The Bullitts) as executive music consultant. Almost a decade later, the two worked together again on The Harder They Fall in 2021, which Samuel directed, co-wrote and co-produced; Hov co-produced the film and executive produced the soundtrack.
Jay-Z, Future, Pharrell Williams and Shawn Stockman have all pulled double duty by producing the films they also helmed the soundtracks for, while Eminem and Metro Boomin are the only stars featured on this list who star in the films they also helped make the music for (since we’re counting Metro’s cameo as Metro Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse last year). Plenty of artists have made “cameos” on others’ soundtracks, from Future appearing on Metro’s Spider-Verse soundtrack and Kendrick Lamar‘s Black Panther: The Album to Lamar appearing on Beyoncé‘s The Lion King: The Gift to Hov appearing on Bey’s The Lion King: The Gift, Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album (which Hit-Boy co-executive produced) and Eminem’s 8 Mile: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture.
And with all this star power fueling these film soundtracks from the front and back ends, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that so many of them have been recognized at major award shows. Beyoncé’s The Lion King: The Gift, which was nominated for best pop vocal album at the 2020 Grammy Awards, produced a Grammy-nominated hit and a Grammy-winning hit: “Brown Skin Girl” by Bey, Blue Ivy Carter, SAINt JHN and Wizkid won best music video at the 2021 Grammy Awards (making Blue Ivy the second-youngest Grammy winner in history at age 9), while “Spirit” was up for best pop solo performance and best song written for visual media at the 2020 Grammy Awards. “Fight For You” by H.E.R. from Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album won best traditional R&B performance at the 2022 Grammys.
“Spirit,” “Fight For You,” Kendrick Lamar & SZA‘s “All the Stars” and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” from 8 Mile: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture have also earned best original song nods at the Golden Globe Awards in various years, with “Fight For You” eventually taking home the trophy. H.E.R.’s hit also won best original song at the 2021 Academy Awards, which Slim Shady’s smash won 18 years prior and Dot and SZA’s monster collab was nominated for two years prior. “All the Stars” was nominated for song of the year, record of the year, best song written for visual media and best rap/sung performance at the 2019 Grammy Awards, while “King’s Dead” with Lamar, Jay Rock, Future and James Blake won best rap performance and was nominated for best rap song.
“Lose Yourself” also won best rap song and best male rap solo performance at the 2004 Grammy Awards, when Kill Bill Vol. 1 Original Soundtrack — which RZA co-executive produced — was up for best compilation soundtrack album for a motion picture, television or other visual media. The Great Gatsby: Music from Baz Luhrmann’s Film was nominated for best compilation soundtrack for visual media at the 2014 Grammy Awards, while “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey was up for best song written for visual media.
Billboard rounded up 16 times rap and R&B artists and producers have curated or executive produced 2000s movie soundtracks, in order from newest to oldest.
Metro Boomin, Metro Boomin Presents Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Soundtrack from and Inspired by the Motion Picture) (2023)
Tank hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart for a ninth time, as “Before We Get Started,” featuring Fabolous, rises to the top of the June 1-dated survey. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Before We Get Started” is Tank’s third straight ruler, following “Slow,” […]
Victoria Monét informed fans on Monday (May 20) that she has been forced to cancel a series of planned festival appearances this summer due to health issues. “I am gutted to share that I will no longer be able to perform at Governors Ball (NYC), Roots Picnic (Philadelphia) or Blavity (Nashville) this June,” she wrote […]
Rihanna had a brand-new look over the weekend when she accompanied boyfriend A$AP Rocky to his A$AP Rocky X Puma pop-up in Miami on Saturday during the Grand Prix F1 event in town. The bubblegum pink locks she rocked accompanied a look that included a black satin dress and matching corset, as well as a […]
Usher deeply believes in the old “show must go on” maxim. After the singer got the disappointing news that his headlining gig at this weekend’s planned Lovers & Friends Festival 2024 in Las Vegas was canceled due to the threat of dangerous weather conditions, the “Confessions” star found another way to celebrate.
According to the Las Vegas Journal-Review, after the festival slated to draw more than 65,000 fans to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on Saturday was scotched due to threats of high winds, Usher packed up his planned “Bad Girl: 20 Years of Confessions” celebration and moved it indoors to the more intimate 1,900-capacity Jewel at Aria Hotel club.
The paper said Ush’s first show in Vegas since his killer Super Bowl headlining show at Allegiant Stadium across town earlier this year found him playing a medley of hits to a packed club that including guest spots by his good friends Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon and Victoria Monét, who slipped into the DJ booth for a bit. The paper said other A-listers on hand included Real Housewives of Beverly Hills co-star Crystal Kung Minkoff, as well as the Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean and Howie Dorough and Kandi Burruss, among others.
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TMZ reported that Usher arrived in an all-white outfit around three hours after the festival cancellation, with Lil Jon joining him for “Lovers and Friends,” the rapper’s 2004 Crunk Juice single that also featured Luda.
In addition to Usher, the Lovers show was slated to feature sets from the Backstreet Boys, Gwen Stefani, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Ludacris and many more. Shortly after organizers said the one-day festival was going to be called of over weather, Usher shared a message with fans expressing his disappointment.
“Mannn… I’m just as disappointed as you are. We were getting ready to turn up and celebrate today. I have to follow the orders of city officials and the National Weather Service for everyone’s protection and stand strong in my belief that everything happens for a reason,” Usher tweeted. “I’m sorry we won’t get to see each other today, but know that I am always working on something to express my heartfelt gratitude for each and every one of you who continue to support me.”
Fans who purchased their Lovers & Friends tickets directly through Front Gate Tickets will receive a refund within 30 days, organizers said.
Mary J. Blige has been in our ears, and on our screens, for more than 35 years. The nine-time Grammy-winning queen of hip-hop soul released her 14th album, Good Morning Gorgeous, in 2022 and recently co-starred in actor Chiwetel Ejiofor’s directorial debut, Rob Peace, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
From the looks of it she’s not slowing down at all. But in a new interview with Extra, the 53-year-old music icon who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this fall revealed that she is already thinking about her exit strategy. Asked what she’s singing about these days, Blige said, “Mary is singing about life. Life… love… being stable and understanding you can have things like love. You can have a good life.”
Just as importantly, Blige is also thinking about her future, which she said could include an exit from the stage sooner than you might think. “Right now, I’m definitely gonna do some more acting and I’m definitely gonna retire in, like, five or six years,” she told Extra without specifying what retirement would look like for her.
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Now before you freak out, Blige — who has had memorable roles in films including Rock of Ages, Mudbound and the 2021 Aretha Franklin biopic Respect as Dinah Washington — said the music retirement is more of an “eventual” thing, explaining, “Right now, I’m still doing what I’m doing but not as often as I was doing it because I don’t have to now.”
For now her future includes joining Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Kool & the Gang, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Ozzy Osbourne and A Tribe Called Quest at this year’s RRHOF induction ceremony in Cleveland on Oct. 19. In a recent interview with Tamron Hall, Blige said she was “still trying to process” the news. “It’s a big deal. I’m just so grateful because I know it didn’t have to be this way but it is this way, and I give all the credit to God. I don’t even know what else to do. It’s just so humbling,” she said. “I don’t know what to do besides be grateful and thankful.”