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05 Sep 2024

BLACKPINK’s ‘Kill This Love’ Video Hits 2 Billion YouTube Views

BLACKPINK have two billion reasons to celebrate this week after the video for their 2019 No. 41 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Kill This Love” became the K-pop girl group’s second visual to cross the double billion mark.

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“Kill This Love” now joins the quartet’s 2018 hit, “DDU-DU DDU-DU,” atop that lofty views mountaintop. The video for the stompy, electro-pop “Kill” finds the quartet — Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé — backed by a towering wall of trumpets as the members cycle through a series of eye-popping set pieces, including giant swans and a room whose walls are packed with colorful, fake cereal boxes adorned with messages of love.

Other scenes find Rosé driving and crying through the night and the whole team doing a dance routine in a crumbling room while dressed in Lara Croft-style Tomb Raider outfits. The clip ends with all four dancing on the edge of danger while doing choreo in the jaws of a colossal bear trap.

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The group made history at the time of the song’s release when it became the highest-charting Hot 100 hit ever at that time by a K-pop girl group. In addition, at the time the visual scored the biggest music video debut in YouTube‘s history, notching 56.7 million views in its first 24 hours on its way to racking up more than 100 million views in less than three days.

The group’s members have been branching out this year, with Rosé unveiling her first campaign with PUMA and Lisa being named Louis Vuitton’s newest house ambassador, as well as landing her first acting gig in the upcoming third season of White Lotus and dropping her collab with Rosalía on the song “New Woman.”

Check out the “Kill This Love” video below.

19 Aug 2024

Kesha’s Name Back in Credits For Pitbull’s ‘Timber’ Video After Mr. Worldwide Said He Was ‘Looking Into’ Reports of Removal

Kesha fans were sent for a loop on Sunday (Aug. 18) after claims that the “Eat the Acid” singer’s name was removed from the video credits of Pitbull‘s 2013 hit “Timber.” According to screenshots posted on Reddit of what appeared to be the altered credentials for the visual for the single from Mr. Worldwide’s Meltdown EP, whose hook is sung by Kesha, her name looked like it was scrubbed.

But a check of the credits for the song on Monday morning (Aug. 19) showed that the song is credited to both the artists, with Kesha’s former stage name (Ke$ha) also listed as a feature in the official video title. According to reports, for an unknown period of time on Sunday, the video, which has more than 1.5 billion views to date, was amended to read “Pitbull – Timber (Official Video).”

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In a statement posted on Sunday afternoon to X, Pitbull sent a direct message to Kesha assuring her that he was looking into the reports. “@KeshaRose and I have an incredible song together. Nothing will change this. Team Pitbull is looking into this matter. Always nothing but love for Kesha, Dale!”

At press time spokespeople for Kesha and YouTube had not returned Billboard‘s request for additional comment and a spokesperson for Pitbull had also not responded to a request for clarification. The statement from Pitbull appeared to come after Kesha fans flooded social feeds on Sunday with anger over the apparent erasure of her significant contribution to the song which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks.

Many fans speculated that the removal could have been tied to Kesha’s yearslong feud with the song’s main producer, Dr. Luke (born Lukasz Gottwald), whom she sued in 2014 alleging that he sexually, mentally and emotionally abused her; Dr. Luke denied all the allegations and filed a defamation suit in response, with the two settling of court in 2023 just before a trail was set.

Watch the “Timber” video and Pitbull’s message to Kesha below.

12 Aug 2024

Susan Wojcicki, Longtime YouTube CEO and Google Executive, Dies at 56

Susan Wojcicki, a pioneering tech executive who helped shape Google and YouTube, has died, her husband said. She was 56.

Wojcicki played a key role in Google’s creation and served nine years as YouTube’s CEO, stepping down last year to focus on her “family, health, and personal projects I’m passionate about,” she said at the time.

She was one of the most respected female executives in the male-dominated tech industry.

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Her collaboration with Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin began shortly after they incorporated their search engine into a business in 1998. Wojcicki rented the garage of her Menlo Park, California, home to them for $1,700 a month, cementing a formative partnership. Page and Brin — both 25 at the time — continued to refine their search engine in Wojcicki’s garage for five months before moving Google into a more formal office and later persuaded their former landlord to come work for their company.

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Wojcicki joined Google, now known as Alphabet, as its marketing manager in 1999 and served in various positions as Google grew its online advertising presence by acquiring YouTube in 2006 and DoubleClick in 2008. She served as Google’s senior vice president of advertising and commerce from 2011 to early 2014 and CEO of YouTube from 2014 to 2023.

“Her loss is devastating for all of us who know and love her, for the thousands of Googlers she led over the years, and for millions of people all over the world who looked up to her, benefited from her advocacy and leadership, and felt the impact of the incredible things she created at Google, YouTube, and beyond,” Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in a note to employees.

Former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, who was vice president of Google’s sales and operations from 2001 to 2008 before decamping to Facebook, said in a Facebook post that Wojcicki was formative in her tech career.

“She taught me the business and helped me navigate a growing, fairly chaotic organization at the beginning of my career in tech,” Sandberg wrote. “She was the person I turned to for advice over and over again. And she was this person for so many others too.”

Her husband, Dennis Troper, announced her death in a social media post late Friday.

“My beloved wife of 26 years and mother to our five children left us today after 2 years of living with non small cell lung cancer,” he wrote.

“Susan was not just my best friend and partner in life, but a brilliant mind, a loving mother, and a dear friend to many,” Troper said.

No other details of her death were immediately provided.

Wojcicki and Troper’s 19-year-old son, Marco Troper, died in February at the UC Berkeley campus where he resided as a freshman student.

07 Aug 2024

All of J Balvin’s Music Videos With 1 Billion YouTube Views: ‘Mi Gente,’ ‘Ay Vamos’ & More

Ahead of the release of his highly awaited studio album Rayo, J Balvin continues to crown YouTube’s Billion Views Club as the artist with the most titles in the coveted club. He has a total of 15 music clips with more than 1 billion views, at time of publishing, and surpasses previous titleholders such as Ozuna and Justin Bieber.

The Colombian artist’s most recent BVC entry is his collaboration on Tainy’s “Agua,” part of the 2020 The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run movie soundtrack. The next visual clip that’s closest to the 1 billion mark is “Sensualidad” with Bad Bunny and Prince Royce (currently at 930 million views).

In 2023, Balvin reclaimed his crown as the artist with the most videos in YouTube’s Billion Views Club, climbing to the top with the entry of David Guetta’s 2018 “Say My Name,” in collaboration with Bebe Rexha and Balvin.

“With the move, Balvin breaks a three-way tie with Bad Bunny and Ozuna for the artist with the most entries in the Billion Views Club as a lead, featured artist or collaborator,” according to former press release. At that time, “Say My Name” marked the French DJ’s fifth title with more than one billion views, as well as Rexha’s third entry, and Balvin’s 14th entry.

The artist born José Álvaro Osorio Balvin made his comeback in early 2023 after a nearly 10-month hiatus from social media and creating music.

“Really right now, I’ve been focused on my family,” he previously told Billboard about his break. “I left social media to be connected to my reality and to my family. That has taught me a lot — to live more in the present. Obviously, I miss my fans, but when the time is right, I’ll be back.”

Balvin’s sixth studio album, Rayo, is set to drop Aug. 9, following his sets La Familia (2013), Energía (2016), Vibras (2018), Colores (2020), and José (2021).

In celebration of his new set, Billboard spotlights all of his music videos in the coveted BVC, below:

24 Jul 2024

Every Latin Artist With Over 5 Videos in YouTube’s Billion Views Club

YouTube established its coveted “Billion Views Club” in 2012, when Psy’s “Gangnam Style” made history as the first-ever music video to hit one billion views on the platform.

Since then, countless music videos have formed part of the elite music video club, including those of Latin acts such as Karol G, Daddy Yankee, Christian Nodal, Becky G, Myke Towers, Romeo Santos and Los Angeles Azules.

To date, the fastest Latin music video to reach one billion views was “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, surpassing the impressive number in only 97 days. “Mi Gente” by J Balvin and Willy William followed, reaching one billion views in 103 days.

With more than eight billion views, the former is currently the second-most-watched music video, overall, on YouTube — behind just Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark,” but above Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See You Again,” Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” and “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, to name a few.

Balvin, on the other hand, is the Latin artist with the most music videos in the Club, having racked up 15 in total at the time of publishing.

“The Billion Views Club represents the diverse mix of global sounds and voices that have helped make YouTube the home of music,” YouTube Music Trends manager Kevin Meenan explained in a YouTube blog post. “The list serves as a reminder of the power of the visual pairing with a great song, with the music video – alongside features like Premieres and Shorts — serving as the ultimate way for artists to share their art and vision directly with fans.”

Below, check out every Latin artist — as a lead, featured artist or collaborator — with more than five music videos to enter YouTube’s Billion Views Club:

22 Jul 2024

The Rise of “Mr. Kick Door”: Bounty Tank & His World

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Bounty Tank

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HipHopWired got the chance to speak exclusively with YouTube star Bounty Tank, who is preparing to release his new album Kick Door University.

The world of reality television has produced quite a few notable stars, and with that in mind, it’s not hard to see how Bounty Tank is the next one up in that progression of fame. The Cleveland, Ohio native is the star of his own YouTube series (recently added to Tubi) which is in its sixth season and has over 780,000 subscribers including paid members in addition to a social media following of over 1 million subscribers. For Bounty Tank aka Franklin Frazier, becoming a bounty hunter was a pivot after attaining a nursing degree from Hampton University which he attended on a football scholarship. His goal to become a U.S. Marshal was put on hold due to hiring freezes, which led him to the world of bounty hunting.

A desire to serve his community and lead with understanding is at the heart of Bounty Tank’s mission, and that energy has led him to dive further into creating music, which is another passion of his. Beginning in 2019, Bounty Tank started to create and release singles, leading to his first album Skeletons being released in 2021. On the verge of his upcoming album, Kick Door University, HipHopWired got the chance to talk extensively with him about his music and his career.

HipHopWired: With your pivot into getting into rap, what was the inspiration for that? 

Bounty Tank: Honestly, what planted the seed was – “I got my own show, so why pay someone or pay somebody else for music on the show, when I can do my own?” I’ve always had a passion for music, so it just made sense.

HipHopWired: So with that – when you rhyme, what’s the energy that you like to evoke? Every MC pretty much has their own energy that they want to give off to their fans like for you? How would you define that?

Bounty Tank: I have energy just telling stories about what’s going on in my life. I’m a regular guy. So whatever the vibe is, or the story of the lyrics that I’m talking about, I just like to give. I have a lot of laid-back stuff. I got some songs where I’m just amped up. I mean, it just depends on the vibe of the song. So I think I’m naturally just a laid-back, kind of smooth type of rapper.



HipHopWired: With the album coming out, are we going to get that mixture?

Bounty Tank: The album is called Kick Door University, but the next single coming out, “Mr. Kick Door” is pure energy – I’m talking about “Okay, I need my money”, (laughs) and it’s full energy. It’ll be a mixture. There’ll be some smooth songs on there too.

HipHopWired: Pivoting back to the show – how’s the feedback been from fans who’ve stuck with you starting the show, seeing you evolve into this artist, in addition to being in the bounty hunter profession, how’s that feedback been?

Bounty Tank: Everybody’s excited. Everyone’s happy to be back. I’ve been gone for six months filming. So everyone’s excited man, they’re loving it. I mean, they like the excitement that the show brings, they like the music, and the energy coming with it. So yeah, it’s a good feedback. It’s crazy.

HipHopWired: One thing that I got from just getting the chance to watch some of the show -the one thing that stands forth is you pretty much being that presence of a guiding light. You’re doing it in a way that most people who have their own preconceptions of being a bounty hunter have them shattered. That is amazing to see. Is it challenging at times to keep that consistent?

Bounty Tank: No, that’s just embedded in me. At the core, I just like to help people so it’s not hard. You know, the people that receive it, they’ll get it and the people that don’t receive it, they just don’t get it. But I’ve always had that door open and lane open. So that’s easy for me because that’s just it’s me, it’s my core. 

HipHopWired: And you’ve gotten some great feedback already from like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre giving you a shout-out. Has there been anybody else, you know, from the rap world that’s been giving you the green light, like, “keep going”? 

Bounty Tank: It’s a lot of people that watch the show, man…Justina Valentine. she rocks with the show, man. Nick Cannon. There’s a ton of people. I was talking to DJ Drama a couple of months ago, he was on tour and he was watching the show, man. So it’s a lot of people tapped in. 

HipHopWired: So, what are your go-to songs, aside from your music, what are your go-to Hip-Hop tracks?  Something like, “I need to get my day started or maybe I want to wind down a little bit?”

Bounty Tank: Man, it depends on the vibe, what I’m doing. If I’m on some therapeutic, trying to chill and get my mind right, I’m going to listen to some J. Cole or Kendrick Lamar…it depends on the vibe and really what I have going on to get my day started. Just to get pumped up, man, I might throw some Lil Wayne. The Carter. 



03 Jul 2024

Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj’s ‘Bang Bang’ Notches Two Billion YouTube Views

Those loud bangs you’re hearing are not pre-Fourth of July fireworks, but the sound of Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj‘s 2014 collaboration “Bang Bang” cruising past the two billion views mark on YouTube.

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The high water spot for the official video for the song from J’s third album, Sweet Talker, marks Jessie’s first clip to reach the double billie mark; Grand and Minaj scaled that height earlier thanks to the video for their 2016 collaboration on Ari’s “Side to Side.”

The visual filmed in Los Angeles was directed by Hannah Lux Davis (Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus) and it opens with footage of Grande getting primped, Minaj walking to a helicopter and J exiting a muscle car in black pants, suspenders and a bra on a sweltering afternoon as a group of dancers join her for a traffic-stopping routine. As J makes her way down the boulevard, Grande pulls off her own dance part in a neon-lit bedroom and Minaj flies in to a heliport for a fierce rooftop verse.

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The trio finally unite on top of the building as they dance it out while the city streets are emblazoned with pink lights.

“Bang Bang” was co-written by Max Martin, Savan Kotecha, Rickard Göransson, Grande and Minaj and co-produced by Martin, Göransson and Ilya Almanzadeh; the song was also included on the deluxe edition of Grande’s sophomore album, My Everything. It reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as well as topping the U.K. singles chart and earning a nomination for best pop duo/group performance at the 57th Grammy Awards.

Watch the “Bang Bang” video below.

26 Jun 2024

Karol G’s ‘Provenza’ Surpasses 1 Billion Views on YouTube

Karol G has achieved yet another career milestone with the “Provenza” music video surpassing one billion views on YouTube, just two years after it was released.

The beachy music video filmed by Pedro Artola on the island of Lanzarote marks the Colombian artist’s ninth clip to enter the coveted “Billion Views Club” as a lead, featured artist or collaborator. She also ranks No. 17 on the Global Top Artists chart. On the Billboard charts, “Provenza” hit No. 1 on both the Hot Latin Songs and Latin Airplay charts in 2022.

“Provenza” follows her other one-billion titles: “China” with Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, Ozuna & J Balvin; the Nicki Minaj-assisted “Tusa”; “Secreto” in collaboration with Anuel AA, as well as “Culpables”; “Bichota”; “TQG” with Shakira; “El Makinon” in collab with Mariah Angeliq; and the Bad Bunny-assisted “Ahora Me Llama.”

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Climbing up the list with more than 750 million views each are “Mi Cama,” “A Ella,” and the heartfelt “Creéme” with Maluma.

The news comes on the heels of Billboard’s 2024 Woman of the Year and Latin Woman of the Year unleashing her summer-friendly tropical tune “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” (which translates to “if I would’ve met you before.”)

The feel-good track, produced by Edgar Barrera, Sky Rompiendo, and Karol, is a flirty merengue inspired by her love and admiration for the Dominican Republic. “”ts culture, its music, its colors, the hospitality, the energy … everything feels very authentic and special there,” she expressed of the Caribbean Island in an Instagram post. “Its people have embraced me in a way that fills my heart and inspires me all the time.”

Revisit the “Provenza” music video below:

24 Jun 2024

YouTube Teams With U.S. State Department on Music Diplomacy Initiative Supported by Jelly Roll, Chuck D

Any music lover knows that a great song transcends borders and languages. Now, that unifying power is being leveraged as a diplomatic tool.

On Monday (June 24), YouTube announced a partnership with the U.S. State Department as part of the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative, a program launched last September by U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken that aims to use music to promote peace and diplomacy around the world.

The project centers around a group of genre-spanning artists who will act as musical ambassadors. Chuck D, Herbie Hancock, Jelly Roll, Armani White, Breland, Denyce Graves, Grace Bowers, Justin Tranter, Kane Brown, Lainey Wilson and Teddy Swims are all participating, with additional artists to be announced.

The Global Music Diplomacy Initiative is an extension of the PEACE through Music Diplomacy Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden last year and directed the State Department to facilitate public-private partnerships that would support music-related diplomacy.

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YouTube was selected as a partner given its global reach and influence on music culture worldwide. The partnership will include micro-grants to support people who use music to create positive change in their communities; YouTube will also assist the State Department in its work using music as a tool for learning English. Additionally, they will team up to engage audiences and aspiring artists in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France and India and “utilize major international gatherings to inspire action around the unifying power of music,” according to a blog post written by YouTube global head of music Lyor Cohen and YouTube vp of public policy Leslie Miller.

In a joint statement, Cohen and Miller wrote, “Music is a unifying force — it transcends language, cultural and national differences. It helps us understand and appreciate each other in ways almost nothing else can. During the height of the Cold War, the United States launched the Jazz Ambassadors program to send artists like Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Sarah Vaughn overseas to bridge cultural gaps and cultivate goodwill across the globe. The Jazz Ambassadors program left a lasting legacy, demonstrating the power of music as a diplomatic tool for fostering cultural understanding.”

“We’re excited to be a part of the next chapter in music diplomacy, helping to amplify the voices of artists and strengthen our community bonds across borders,” the statement continued. “Music reminds us more of what we can have in common than what separates us. That is the message we intend to echo around the world as we embark on this partnership, using the power of music to inspire peace for all.”

14 Jun 2024

Cash Money Founders Bryan and Ronald Williams to Receive YouTube’s Leaders and Legends Award

Cash Money Records founders/CEOs and hip-hop icons Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams will be the 2024 honorees at YouTube Music’s second Leaders and Legends gala. The invitation-only event will take place in Los Angeles on June 27. 

Developing a roster that included pioneering hitmakers such as Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Mannie Fresh and Juvenile, Birdman and Slim not only helped shine a spotlight on Southern rap during the late ‘90s and early 2000s. The siblings have also played an instrumental role in fostering hip-hop’s creative and cultural evolution over the last 30 years.

In a release announcing the honor, YouTube’s global head of music Lyor Cohen said, “The story of Cash Money Records is one for the history books. Leaders and Legends recognizes entrepreneurship and leadership in Black music and culture, attributes Birdman and Slim embody to their core. They defied the odds, raising up some of rap and hip-hop’s most iconic figures to superstardom and shattering sales records while doing it. We are humbled to honor their success and look forward to celebrating the music that continues to shape the label’s incredible legacy.”

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In comments emailed to Billboard, Baby says of the honor, “I appreciate Lyor and YouTube for respecting what we’ve accomplished, and what we continue to do. This honor shines a light on all the artists who have been on Cash Money Records or have been affiliated with the label. They share in this honor, too.”

Adds Slim, “Over the years, we just stayed out of the way and let the music speak for itself. But it feels great to be recognized for our contribution to the culture.”

LaFace Records co-founders Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds were the honorees at YouTube Music’s inaugural Leaders and Legends gala, held in Atlanta in 2020. Cohen will present the Williams brothers with their award during the gala.

“We at YouTube are committed to pushing the culture forward, so leading the charge to celebrate Cash Money’s impact via Birdman and Slim’s leadership is an honor,” said Tuma Basa, YouTube’s director of Black music and culture, in the company’s announcement. “As a platform with a global reach and influence, it is our responsibility to acknowledge and elevate the stories of Black trailblazers in the industry and remind the world of the immeasurable impact Black music has on the culture globally. That’s what Leaders and Legends is all about.”