A day after Tupac Shakur‘s estate threatened to sue over the use of AI-generated vocals from the late rapper, Drake has pulled his “Taylor Made Freestyle” down from social media. Last Friday, Drake posted the Kendrick Lamar diss track — […]
Colombian singer/rapper Ryan Castro channeled a candid rendition of Héctor Lavoe’s timeless salsa song “El Cantante,” appropriately titled “El Cantante del Ghetto” at the Latin American Music Awards 2024.
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Sporting a red, snazzy suit with bold glasses and cornrows, the Medellín native showed off his vocal prowess on his heartbreak tribute song.
“Loves like yours can’t be bought, they can’t be compared, they can’t be known/ If I gave my all to make this relationship last/ Look me in the face and tell me you don’t know me,” he crooned against blaring horns a festive rhythm section, enlivening the crowed in attendance, and this viewer. The song is the first single of his upcoming album, set for release May 9th.
The song was a timely choice, especially considering that the original 1978 classic was inducted into the National Recording Registry this year, the song that became emblematic at the height of the 1970s New York City salsa era.
The 2024 Latin American Music Awards took place Thursday, April 25, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas via Univision.
Hitmakers Feid and Peso Pluma lead this year’s list of nominations with 12 nods each. The Colombian singer and Mexican star, who are up for the coveted artist of the year award and album of the year award, are followed by top nominees Bad Bunny (11), Grupo Frontera (11), Karol G (9), Shakira (9), Eslabon Armado (8) and Fuerza Regida (8).
Thalia, Becky G, Alejandra Espinoza and Carlos Ponce co-hosed the award ceremony that presented in a combination of English and Spanish, marking the first time any major U.S. award show featured a bilingual broadcast.
After its first six days of release in the U.S., Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department has broken the single-week streaming record in the U.S. for an album, according to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate.
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The collected 31 songs across the deluxe edition of The Tortured Poets Department generated 799 million on-demand official streams in the U.S. on April 19-24. It breaks the record for the largest streaming week for an album, previously set by the opening frame of Drake’s Scorpion (745.92 million for its 25 songs in 2018).
Luminate’s sales, streaming and airplay data powers Billboard’s charts. All numbers in this story reflect U.S. consumption only. The current tracking week ends on April 25.
The album’s final first-week numbers (equivalent album units, total traditional album sales and streaming figures) are expected to be announced by Billboard on Sunday, April 28, along with its assumed large debut on the multi-metric Billboard 200 albums chart (dated May 4).
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each units equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.
The Tortured Poets Department earned 2.5 million equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first six days. Of that sum, traditional album sales comprise 1.85 million.
If The Tortured Poets Department debuts atop the Billboard 200, it will mark Swift’s 14th No. 1 album, extending her record for the most among women. She would also tie Jay-Z for the most No. 1s among soloists. The only act with more No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 is The Beatles, with 19.
All 13 of Swift’s full-length studio albums and re-recorded projects from 2008’s Fearless (her second album) through 2023’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) have debuted at No. 1.
PREVIOUSLY (April 24): After its first five days on sale, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department has sold 1.8 million copies in the U.S., according to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate (reflecting April 19-23 activity). With two days left in the tracking week (ending April 25), the album already has the fourth-largest sales week in the modern era (since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991) and is nearing lofty milestones set by *NSYNC over 20 years ago.
The top four biggest sales weeks in the modern era for albums are (all in debut weeks): Adele’s 25 (3.378 million), *NSYNC’s No Strings Attached (2.416 million, in 2000), *NSYNC’s Celebrity (1.878 million, 2001) and The Tortured Poets Department (1.8 million, 2024).
The new album’s 1.8 million sales total is inclusive of both over-the-counter and download purchases of The Tortured Poets Department made April 19-23, in addition to a likely large number of pre-orders of the album through Internet retailers that were shipped to customers for arrival on release day. Sales reflect more than 20 different editions of the album available among physical and digital configurations (see story, April 20, below).
The Tortured Poets Department earned 2.4 million equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first five days (inclusive of the 1.8 million in traditional album sales), while its collected 31 songs (on its deluxe edition) generated 706 million on-demand official streams.
PREVIOUSLY (April 23): The numbers continue to grow ever larger for Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, according to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate. (Luminate’s sales, streaming and airplay data powers Billboard’s charts. All numbers in this story reflect U.S. consumption only.)
In the album’s first four days of release (April 19-22), the set’s collected 31 songs (on its deluxe edition) generated 602.3 million on-demand official streams in the U.S. – breaking Swift’s own record for the largest streaming week for an album by a woman. She previously held the record with the opening frame of her last studio album, Midnights, which collected 549.3 million on-demand official streams for its 20 tracks (in the week ending Oct. 27, 2022).
The Tortured Poets Department also claims the third-largest streaming week overall, surpassing Midnights, and only trailing the opening frames of Drake’s Scorpion (745.92 million for its 25 songs in 2018) and Certified Lover Boy (743.67 million for its 21 songs in 2021).
Equivalent Album Units & Sales So Far: In the album’s first four days of release, The Tortured Poets Department has earned 2.1 million equivalent album units, with traditional album sales (purchases of digital downloads, CDs, vinyl LPs and cassettes) accounting for 1.6 million of that sum.
With 2.1 million units earned so far, The Tortured Poets Department has the biggest week for any album since Adele’s 25 debuted with 3.482 million units (week ending Nov. 26, 2015), and the second-largest week (by units) for any album since the Billboard 200 began measuring by equivalent album units in December 2014.
In terms of straight album sales, that 1.6 million total is inclusive of both over-the-counter and download purchases of The Tortured Poets Department made April 19-22, in addition to a likely large number of pre-orders of the album through Internet retailers that were shipped to customers for arrival on release day.
Fifth-Biggest Sales Week in Modern Era: After just four days, The Tortured Poets Department has the largest sales week for any album since Adele’s 25 bowed with 3.378 million copies sold (week ending Nov. 26, 2015), and Swift’s largest sales week ever (as reported on April 20, see below).
Currently, The Tortured Poets Department has the fifth-largest sales week for an album in the modern era (since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991). The top five biggest weeks are (all in debut weeks): Adele’s 25 (3.378 million), *NSYNC’s No Strings Attached (2.416 million, in 2000), *NSYNC’s Celebrity (1.878 million, 2001), Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP (1.76 million, 2000) and The Tortured Poets Department (1.6 million, 2024).
The Tortured Poets Department’s sales are aided by its availability across more than 20 different editions among physical and digital configurations (see story, April 20).
Vinyl Sales Continue To Grow: Of the 1.6 million sold of The Tortured Poets Department so far, vinyl sales represent 800,000 of that sum. The album – available in six vinyl variants – already broke Swift’s own record for the single-largest sales week for a vinyl album in the modern era (as reported April 22, see below).
PREVIOUSLY (April 22): Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department continues to rack up massive numbers after its first three days of release in the U.S. (April 19-21), according to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate. (Luminate’s sales, streaming and airplay data powers Billboard’s charts. All numbers in this story are for the U.S. only.)
In its first three days, the album has now sold 1.5 million copies across all configurations (digital download, CD, vinyl and cassette). That figure is inclusive of both over-the-counter and download purchases of The Tortured Poets Department made April 19-21, in addition to a likely large number of pre-orders of the album through Internet retailers that were shipped to customers for arrival on release day.
As earlier reported (April 20), the album sold 1.4 million copies on its first day, immediately becoming Swift’s biggest sales week ever for an album. The Tortured Poets Department’s sales are aided by its availability across more than 20 different editions among physical and digital configurations (see earlier story, April 20).
Further, of the 1.5 million sold, vinyl sales represent 700,000. That breaks Swift’s own record the largest sales week for an album on vinyl in the modern era (since Luminate began tracking data in 1991), beating the 693,000 sold of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) in its first week (ending Nov. 2, 2023).
The Tortured Poets Department’s 31 songs (available on its deluxe streaming and digital editions) generated 490.2 million on-demand official streams in the album’s first three days of release. That’s already the largest streaming week for an album in 2024 (by collected song streams), and the biggest for any album since Drake’s For All the Dogs debuted with 514 million on-demand official streams for its songs (week ending Oct. 12, 2023). Swift’s largest streaming week for an album is the opening week of Midnights, which collected 549.3 million on-demand official streams for its 20 tracks (week ending Oct. 27, 2022).
In total, The Tortured Poets Department earned 1.9 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first three days. That’s already the biggest week for any album since Adele’s 25 debuted with 3.482 million units (week ending Nov. 26, 2015), and the second-largest week (by units) for any album since the Billboard 200 began measuring by equivalent album units in Dec. 2014.
PREVIOUSLY (April 20): Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department is off to a blockbuster start in the U.S. On its first day of release, on April 19, the set sold 1.4 million copies in traditional album sales, according to initial reports to data tracking firm Luminate. That marks Swift’s biggest sales week ever for any album in the U.S. (Luminate’s sales, streaming and airplay data powers Billboard’s charts. All numbers in this story are for the U.S. only.)
Plus, the set’s 31 songs (available on its deluxe streaming and digital editions) generated 243.4 million official on-demand audio streams in the U.S. on April 19, led by the album’s first single, “Fortnight,” featuring Post Malone, with 18.4 million clicks. (That’s more than double the number of streams generated on the first day of Swift’s last release, 1989 [Taylor’s Version] – its 21 songs spurred 110 million clicks on its opening day.)
In total, the album earned 1.6 million equivalent album units in the U.S. on its first day. The last album to exceed a million units in a week was Swift’s own 1989 (Taylor’s Version), when it tallied 1.653 million units in its first week late last year (week ending Nov. 2, 2023).
With 1.4 million copies sold across all of the CD, vinyl, cassette and digital download versions of the album, The Tortured Poets Department garners the single-largest sales week for any Swift album. Previously, her largest sales week was registered by the opening week of her re-recorded 1989 (Taylor’s Version) last year, when it sold 1.359 million copies.
The Tortured Poets Department (abbreviated as TTPD) was initially released on April 19 as a standard 16-song digital download album, as well as an array of 17-song physical configurations (more details on the assorted versions later in this story). Two hours after the album’s release, Swift announced an expanded 31-song edition of set and released it as a digital download and streaming album. She wrote: “It’s a 2am surprise: The Tortured Poets Department is a secret DOUBLE album. I’d written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it all with you, so here’s the second installment of TTPD: The Anthology. 15 extra songs. And now the story isn’t mine anymore… it’s all yours.”
Sales Story: The 1.4 million sales number registered for the album is inclusive of both over-the-counter and download purchases of The Tortured Poets Department made on April 19, in addition to a likely large number of pre-orders of the album through Internet retailers that were shipped to customers for arrival on release day. Swift announced the album during the Grammy Awards on Feb. 4, and her official webstore began accepting pre-orders for the project that same day.
After one day on sale, The Tortured Poets Department is the top-selling album of 2024 in the U.S., surpassing the 188,000 sold by Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter through the week ending April 11.
The Tortured Poets Department’s sales were bolstered by its availability across 19 different physical configurations (nine CDs, six vinyl LPs and four cassettes – with four of the physical configurations exclusively sold by Target stores) and two digital download offerings (the standard 16-song album, and a surprise deluxe 31-song edition that was released two hours after the original album bowed).
Collectively, the six vinyl LPs combined to sell 600,000 copies on the album’s first day – already the second-largest sales week for a vinyl album in the modern era (since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991). Swift holds the record for the largest sales week on vinyl in the modern era, with 693,000 copies sold of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) on vinyl its first week.
Here’s a recap of the retail-available versions of The Tortured Poets Department:
Standard 16-song digital download album
“The Manuscript” edition (standard CD, deluxe CD containing Swift-branded merchandise, ghosted white-colored vinyl, Target-exclusive clear vinyl, and white-colored cassette – each with the standard album’s 16 songs plus one bonus track: “The Manuscript.” The standard CD and vinyl editions are widely available through all retailers, the deluxe CD and cassette are exclusive to Swift’s webstore. Swift also sold signed copies of the standard CD and vinyl variants exclusively through her webstore)
“The Albatross” edition (Target-exclusive CD, deluxe CD containing Swift-branded merchandise, smoke-colored vinyl, smoke-colored cassette – each with the standard album’s 16 songs plus one bonus track: “The Albatross.” The Target CD contains a poster. The vinyl is widely available, while the deluxe CD and cassette are exclusive to Swift’s webstore)
“The Bolter” edition (Target-exclusive CD, deluxe CD containing Swift-branded merchandise, beige-colored vinyl, beige-colored cassette – each with the standard album’s 16 songs plus one bonus track: “The Bolter.” The Target CD contains a poster. The vinyl is widely available, while the deluxe CD and cassette are exclusive to Swift’s webstore.
“The Black Dog” edition (Target-exclusive CD, deluxe CD containing Swift-branded merchandise, charcoal-colored vinyl, charcoal-colored cassette – each with the standard album’s 16 songs plus one bonus track: “The Black Dog.” The Target CD contains a poster. The vinyl is widely available, while the deluxe CD and cassette are exclusive to Swift’s webstore)
Deluxe 31-song digital download album (Contains the 16 songs on the standard digital album, plus the four bonus tracks that were issued on the above four variants [“The Manuscript,” “The Albatross,” “The Black Dog” and “The Bolter”] and 11 additional songs)
Million-Sellers History: Though the week isn’t nearly over with, The Tortured Poets Department already has the largest sales week for any album since Adele’s 25 bowed with 3.378 million copies sold (week ending Nov. 26, 2015). Presently, The Tortured Poets Department has the sixth-largest sales week for an album in the modern era (since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991). The top six biggest weeks are (all in debut weeks): Adele’s 25 (3.378 million), *NSYNC’s No Strings Attached (2.416 million, in 2000), *NSYNC’s Celebrity (1.878 million, 2001), Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP (1.76 million, 2000), Backstreet Boys’ Black & Blue (1.591 million, 2000) and The Tortured Poets Department (1.4 million, 2024).
The Tortured Poets Department is the seventh Swift album to have sold at least 1 million copies in a single week, following the debuts of 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Midnights, reputation, the original 1989, Red and Speak Now. She is the only act with seven different albums to each sell at least 1 million copies in a single week in the modern era. In total, there have been 26 instances – by 24 different albums – in which an album sold at least 1 million copies in a week in the modern era. One of those albums, Adele’s 25, sold more than 1 million in three separate weeks.
Strong Streaming Numbers: On the album’s first day, the 31 songs on the project generated 243.4 million official on-demand audio streams. (On-demand video official streaming information for the project will be available in the coming days.) The album’s top five most-streamed songs, by official on-demand audio streams, on April 19 were: “Fortnight,” featuring Post Malone (18.4 million), the title track (14 million), “Down Bad” (13.3 million), “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” (12.7 million) and “So Long, London” (12.6 million).
Swift’s largest streaming week, by total on-demand official streams (both audio and video) generated by the songs on an album, is the opening week of Midnights, which garnered 549.26 million clicks for its 20 songs (week ending Oct. 27, 2022). Midnights also owns the third-largest streaming week overall, trailing the opening frames of Drake’s Scorpion (745.92 million in 2018) and Certified Lover Boy (743.67 million in 2021).
Jeezy has responded to the allegations of domestic abuse and child neglect made by his estranged wife Jeannie Mai. The Snowman released a statement to his Instagram on Thursday (April 25) denying the “disturbing ” accusations.
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“The allegations are not only false, but also deeply disturbing, especially coming from someone I loved. This malicious attempt to tarnish my character and disrupt my family is ridiculous,” Jeezy wrote to social media. “It’s disheartening to witness the manipulation and deceit at play and at this time my main concern is being an active father to our daughter as I continue to fight for court mandated joint custody. Rest assured, the truth will prevail through the proper legal channels.”
Per a court filing made on April 25 obtained by Complex, Mai accused Jeezy — born Jay Jenkins — on four different occasions. She claimed that the rapper choked her from behind and pushed her down the stairs during a stay at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco in April 2022.
Another January 2022 incident alleges that Jeezy struck Mai in the face with a closed fist just weeks after giving birth to their only daughter, Monaco. She claimed the force from the blow caused a hemorrhage while he hurled insults at her.
“[Jeezy] has a history of threats, violence, and bodily harm. [Mai] mistakenly believed [Jeezy] when he convinced her prior to their marriage that he was a changed man, and his past was in his past, but as one can see from the examples of abuse [Mai] endured during the marriage that has not turned out to be the case,” the filing reads.
Two other incidents in the filing include one where Jeezy operated a golf cart while allegedly intoxicated and crashed which injured himself and Mai. Another reportedly went down following the 2022 Atlanta Mayor’s Masked Ball.
Jeezy allegedly verbally abused Jeannie Mai on their way home and when the argument continued outside their ride home, the “Put On” rhymer grabbed and ripped her dress around the neckline. Mai claimed the incident stemmed from Jeezy being unhappy she went to the bathroom without telling him at the gala.
Jeezy and Mai welcomed their daughter Monaco in 2021. The trap pioneer and Mai tied the knot in March 2021 after meeting in 2018. However, their relationship deteriorated and Jeezy filed for divorce from the former The Real co-host in September 2023 after two-and-a-half years of marriage.
According to documents viewed by Billboard at the time, the filing stated that the former pair were “living in a bona fide state of separation.” The rapper also states that the marriage is “irretrievably broken” with “no hope for reconciliation.”
Billboard has reached out to Jeezy’s reps for comment.
Kelly Clarkson is in the trees, in the breeze with a brand new Olivia Rodrigo cover. For her The Kelly Clarkson Show‘s popular Kellyoke segment on Thursday (April 25), the star took on Rodrigo’s “Can’t Catch Me Now,” the powerful […]
Madonna‘s Celebration Tour is a family business. And in a new Instagram post on Thursday (April 25), the pop icon thanked her son David and daughters Mercy, Stella and Estere for serving as both her support system and co-performers on the ongoing trek.
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“On the day before our 80th show of the Celebration Tour I need to acknowledge my incredibly talented children who carried me through this Journey,” she wrote, sharing a carousel of snaps with her children on and offstage. “Each of them bringing their own unique talent to the stage.”
Throughout Madge’s latest run, which kicked off in October, each of her adopted kids has gotten their own moment onstage. Mercy joins her mom on piano during “Bad Girl,” David duets with the seven-time Grammy winner on “Mother and Father” and twins Stella and Estere dance along to “Don’t Tell Me.”
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“Rehearsals began over a year ago with almost a 2 month break waiting for me recover from a near death experience,” she continued, referring to the shows she had to postpone due to her severe bacterial infection and subsequent hospitalization last year. “They never stopped practicing… they never stopped cheering me on and supporting me … They were also going to school and rehearsing every night. !! . am so very proud of all of them.”
Madonna is also mom to daughter Lourdes Leon, whom she shares with ex-boyfriend Carlos Leon, and son Rocco Ritchie, whom she shares with ex-husband Guy Ritchie. She and the director went on to adopt David shortly after the “Material Girl” singer founded her charity organization Raising Malawi in 2006. Later, she adopted Mercy, then Stella and Estere — all three of whom are also from Malawi — as a single mother.
The new post comes one day after Madonna opened up about touring with her kids in an interview with W Magazine. “When I go on tour, nothing brings me more happiness to know, we are all working on the same show creating the magic together,” she told the publication. “It would be boring if they were just traveling from hotel to hotel, and occasionally coming to watch the show.”
“Of course, I am also their mother so sometimes we get on each other’s nerves,” she added. “We are a family of artists but are also a family and that’s what happens.”
Chenayder, the 17-year-old singer from Orlando, Fla., shares her new single “Colors” featuring North Carolina’s MAVI. Her music first caught my attention when I came across it on TikTok after she posted the original version of this song — sans […]
Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” holds at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, now at 13 consecutive weeks on the chart dated April 24.
The MASHLE Season 2 opener continues to rule streaming for the 13th straight week, video views and karaoke for the 6th straight week. Downloads also climbed 5-3 and continues to coast along at over 10,000 total points (13,626).
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Jumping 26-2 this week is “Click” by ME:I, the debut single by the 11-member girl group born from the audition program PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS. After being released on April 17, the single launched with 263,399 copies to rule sales, while also coming in at No. 2 for radio airplay, No. 10 for downloads, No. 17 for streaming, and No. 28 for video, collecting points in a balanced way. The track is off to a great start, debuting with a total 12,366 points, only 1,260 points behind “BBBB.”
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Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” rises 11-3 after bowing on the Japan Hot 100 last week. The opener for Oblivion Battery went on sale on April 12 after the anime series premiered on April 9. The track rises overall metric-wise, jumping from outside the top 100 to No. 8 for radio, while climbing 15-4 for streaming (11,059,001 streams) and 8-3 for video (2,157,523 views) this week.
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ILLIT’s “Magnetic,” which topped the TikTok chart this week, holds at No. 6 on the Japan Hot 100. The new HYBE group’s first single reportedly surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify recently (April 22), and overall streams increased by about 16.4% to 12,305,862 streams (3-2). Downloads also rose by about 48% to 2,936 units (25-13), and video by about 24% to 942,054 views (20-15). ILLIT is set to travel to Japan in May to perform at Rakuten Girls Award 2024 SPRING/SUMMER and KCON JAPAN 2024, likely fueling the group’s popularity in the country where two of its five members hail from.
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aiko’s new single “mutual love” breaks into the top 10 this week at No. 9, soaring from No. 46. The theme song for the latest Case Closed movie (Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram) dropped digitally on April 12 — the same day the anime movie hit domestic theaters — prior to the CD version’s release set for May 8. The track comes in at No. 5 for downloads with 5,736 units, while rising significantly from No. 95 to No. 12 for streaming and from No. 21 to No. 3 for radio, probably due to the movie’s release.
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The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from April 15 to 21, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.
Mary J. Blige is one of the well-deserved inductees of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024, and the superstar was visibly moved while discussing the honor on a new episode of the Tamron Hall Show.
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“I’m still trying to process this whole thing. 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 to all the credit to God. I don’t even know what else to do. It’s just so humbling,” she shared, before adding, “I don’t know what to do besides be grateful and thankful.”
Blige will be inducted in the performers category alongside Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & the Gang, Ozzy Osbourne and A Tribe Called Quest. In the musical influence category, Alexis Korner, John Mayall and “Big Mama” Thornton will be inducted and the musical excellence category features Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick and Norman Whitfield.
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“I was home and I got the news from some people in my camp, my business, and I was grateful for the nomination because I was next to Cher, Mariah Carey, Sade, all these amazing women,” Blige said of finding out that she’s in the Rock Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024. “When I saw Cher, I was like, ‘We can forget about it.’ [laughs] Let me just sit down and be grateful for the nomination. So, when I heard the news on Sunday, I was like ‘What the—?’”
The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul concluded, “I work so hard mentally, spiritually, physically, intellectually. I’ve been through everything in front of the world, from taxes to shame to abusive relationships. All kinds of stuff I’ve been through. I figured out how to come out classy and strong, you know? Just keep moving to the next thing. It’s just about being grateful. Amazing things have happened.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2024 ceremony will stream live on Disney+ on Oct. 19, be available on Hulu the following day and air in edited form on ABC at a later date. Watch Blige’s interview will Hall below.
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Gucci Mane has returned and he’s throwing haymakers in Diddy’s direction with his latest single trolling the embattled Bad Boy mogul’s signature phrase “TakeDat.”
Guwop delivered the buzzworthy track along with the Omar The Director-helmed video on Wednesday, which finds Gucci uttering “No Diddy” 119 times throughout the song to be exact, as counted up by Complex.
“No Diddy” is a phrase that has gone viral on social media since the myriad of sexual assault and misconduct allegations have been levied against Diddy, particularly one by producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr., who accused Sean Combs of groping him, grooming and forcing to take part in sexual acts.
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“The CEO in the video but no Diddy/ ‘Cause I ain’t dancin’ like a ho, no Diddy/ Can’t go out like Pac, no kizzy,” he raps while seemingly attaching a “No Diddy” to every bar.
Gucci Mane also references Cassie’s lawsuit against Diddy, in which she accused him of blowing up Kid Cudi’s car out of jealousy because of their brief fling.
“But I blow a n—a car up like Kid Cudi’s/ I’m on the yacht, takin’ shots, no Diddy,” Gucci spews.
Back in December, Diddy denied all of the allegations against him. “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,” he wrote to social media. “For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy. Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
In the lavish clip, Gucci Mane and his wife Keyshia Ka’Oir recreate a champagne toast bubble bath scene from The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Big Poppa” video, which arrived in 1994 courtesy of Hype Williams (The “Big Poppa” visual starred Diddy with his girlfriend Misa Hylton at the time).
Diddy isn’t the only person name-dropped by Gucci as he pokes at Drake, 50 Cent, 2Pac, Yung Miami, Biggie and more throughout “TakeDat.”
“Some n—-s wanna boss me, I’m not 50/ But get a nigga ass touched like Biggie, no Diddy,” Guwop rhymes. The jab didn’t seem to bother 50 as he reposted the clip looking to antagonize his enemy Diddy even further.
“Oh s–t WOP TOOK DA HIT this Diddy POPPED That’s what you get,” 50 wrote.
Watch the “TakeDat” video below.
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