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D Smoke Provides Gifts & Caroling to L.A. Foster Youth Ahead of War & Wonders Tour: ‘It Was Magical’
Ahead of his debut North American War & Wonders Tour, which launches Jan. 11 in San Diego, Grammy-nominated rapper and Rhythm + Flow inaugural champion D Smoke is wrapping up an incredible year by giving back to younger people in need. On Saturday (Dec. 18), the Inglewood, California, native and former high school teacher hosted a Reimagining CommUNITY During the Holidays event, in partnership with CASA of Los Angeles, Crete Academy and Cancel The Contract: Antelope Valley. Explore See latest videos, charts and news During the heartwarming festivities, D Smoke and his his wife, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and violinist Angelina Sherie, were joined by their parents and pet dog, along with local Crete Academy elementary school students, to sing Christmas carols for South Central L...
See Lizzo Transform Into a Very Festive ‘Mrs. Grinch’ for Christmas
Lizzo is celebrating Christmas early and in style this year. On Wednesday (Dec. 22), the Grammy winner showed off her stylish Mrs. Grinch costume in a series of posts she shared on Instagram. “YOU’RE A BAD B—H… MRS. GRINCH,” she captioned the first snapshot. In it, Lizzo is adorned in full Christmas glam with matching candy-cane nails, a green wig and a mini Christmas tree headdress topped with festive ornaments. Instead of traditional green Grinch attire, Lizzo opted for dazzling red. She captioned her second Mrs. Grinch post, an up-close and personal video, writing, “IMA REAL ONE… I DONT FW [f–k with] THEM.” Explore Explore Lizzo See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The hitmaker completed her holiday series with an additional photo set, which she captione...
Latto Gives Back to Young Moms in Need During ‘Latto 4 The Ladies & Babies’ Christmas Event
Latto is spreading holiday cheer to moms in need. Last Friday, in partnership with her nonprofit organization Win Some Give Some and Georgia’s Rainbow House, the Billboard chart-topper hosted her first Latto 4 The Ladies & Babies Christmas party. The charitable event took place at the Virginia Gray Burton Recreation Center in Riverdale, Ga. During the celebration — which benefited teenagers, young moms and their children — families were gifted meals, Black Santa merchandise, toys, Visa gift cards, filled stockings, free skating passes to their local rink and more goodies. The 23-year-old rising star was thrilled to give back in Georgia, where she was raised. Ohio-born Latto first rose to fame as the inaugural winner of Jermaine Dupri’s The Rap Game in 2016. “It was immediate growth,” s...
Metro Boomin Hosts Fifth Annual Christmas Charity Drive Benefiting Single Moms
Metro Boomin is back with his fifth annual Christmas event. The charitable festivities took place on Dec. 16, in partnership with his label Boominati Worldwide and the McCaskill Treatment Family Home. The proud St. Louis native returned to his hometown to provide helpful resources and a special dinner for single mothers and their families at .ZACK Urban Ballroom. During the dinner, more than 200 families were gifted $200 gift certificates. Attendees also received Boominati gift bags complete with donated items from sponsors including McDonald’s, Republic Records, SalxCo, Essentia, Blk Water, Taco Bell, Baby Bjorn, Master Dynamic, Barebell Protein and Budgeting Buddies. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Since the first event in 2017, Metro Boomin has continuously given back to sing...
Adele’s ‘30’ Becomes 2021’s Best-Selling Vinyl Album, Holds at No. 1 on Top Album Sales Chart
Adele’s 30 spends a fourth consecutive, and total, week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Dec. 25) – and also becomes 2021’s top-selling album on vinyl. Across all of its available formats, both physical and digital, 30 sold 146,000 copies in the United States in the week ending Dec. 16 (down 2%) according to MRC Data. Its total sales climb to 1.21 million. It is the only album released in 2021 to sell a million copies. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news 30 also rules the Vinyl Albums chart for a fourth week, selling 41,000 copies (up 16%). Its total sales on vinyl now climb to 234,000 – becoming 2021’s top-selling album on wax. It surpasses the previous top-seller, Taylor Swift’s Evermore, which has sold 232,000 on vinyl throug...
Lil Durk Proposes to India Royale Onstage at Hometown Chicago Concert: Watch
Lil Durk is officially engaged to his longtime girlfriend India Royale. On Saturday, during his performance for radio station WGCI’s Big Jam Concert at the United Center in the pair’s Chicago hometown, the hitmaker (nee Durk Derrick Banks) caught the audience by surprise when he unexpectedly proposed to Royale onstage. Durk was on bended knee when he asked Royale, “Do you wanna be my wife?” The enthusiastic crowd burst into applause in celebration of the special moment before Royale said yes. The rap star shared a video of his proposal on Instagram. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The two reportedly started dating in 2017. They became parents to daughter Willow Banks soon after in November 2018. The heartwarming marriage proposal culminates an incredible year for Lil Durk, ...
Khalid Says Soulful New EP ‘Scenic Drive (The Tape)’ Is the ‘Perfect Representation of the Person I Became’
R&B sensation Khalid is back with his all-new EP Scenic Drive (The Tape), which comes as a follow-up to his 2018 debut EP Sun City. The Grammy-nominated artist has also partnered with Coca-Cola to launch an all-new TikTok challenge that aims to give BIPOC creators more visibility and recognition. As part of Coke’s TikTok Challenge, which is an extension of the brand’s Real Magic philosophy, Khalid released his tune “Open,” featuring Canadian duo Majid Jordan, to which fellow creative Jalaiah Harmon launched a new “Real Magic” dance to the track. “Growing up, Coca-Cola has always been in my life, and with the release of my EP, it felt like the stars aligned themselves,” Khalid says of his new partnership. “They told me they were fans of my music as much as I’m a fan of them, so it’...
Mary J. Blige, H.E.R, The Isley Brothers & Rick Ross to Perform at Jazz in the Gardens Festival
The star-studded lineup for the 15th annual Jazz in the Gardens has been revealed. On Friday (Dec. 10), it was announced that Mary J. Blige, H.E.R, Rick Ross, The Isley Brothers, SWV, The Roots and soon-to-be-announced local artists are set to perform at the event, slated to kick off at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on March 12 and 13. T-Pain, Stokely, Johnathan McReynolds, Mike Phillips and Mark Allen Felton are also set to make special appearances amid the two-day festivities. Radio personality and comedian Rickey Smiley will return as host for the 2022 event. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Attendees will be required to present a COVID-19 vaccination card or a recent negative COVID-19 test to enter. Social-distancing...
Tory Lanez Is an ’80s Hero in New ”87 Stingray’ Music Video: Watch
Tory Lanez is saving the day and paying homage to the ’80s in his all-new music video for “‘87 Stingray.“ The catchy, uptempo track comes as the second single from the chart-topper’s upcoming thematic album Alone at Prom — out via One Umbrella Records on Dec. 10. Lanez has dubbed the experimental project his “1980s album.” He stars as fictional character Ashton Rain in the all-new music video, which premiered Thursday and is a continuation of his recently released visual for “Lady of Namek.” The storyline picks up where the former left off, as the hitmaker is seen hospitalized and suffering from a stab wound after fighting to save his love interest from a group of men and escaping the medical facility at which he was receiving care. Explore Explore Tory Lanez See latest videos, charts...
The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” Sets Record for Most Weeks on Billboard Hot 100
Perhaps Abel Tesfaye should change his name to The Year and a Hlf. The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” has now been pulsing along the Billboard Hot 100 for 88 consecutive weeks, which means it’s officially broken the record for longest run on that venerable chart. The Hot 100 has been around since August 4th, 1958. Previously, this title was held by Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive,” a taste-free mashup of rock and dubstep that thumped its way to 87 consecutive weeks between 2012 and 2014. We deserved a better record holder, and now we’ve got one. “Blinding Lights” was released as the second single off The Weeknd’s most recent album After Hours, and it premiered at No. 11 on the Hot 100 on December 14th, 2019. It dropped all the way to No. 52 in its second week, but like so many son...
Saweetie & Justine Skye Headline Samsung x Billboard’s First-Ever Songs of Summer Concert
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Samsung / Billboard Samsung is wrapping up its Summer of Galaxy event with the help of the Icy Prince$$ and one of R&B’s brightest stars. Wednesday (Jul.7), Samsung announced its first-ever Songs of Summer concert with Billboard, and to kick things off, Saweetie and Justine Skye will provide the vibes. The concert powered by Billboard’s Songs of the Summer Chart will serve as the perfect wrap-up for Samsung’s Summer of Galaxy month-long event that saw the global music authority partner with the Korean tech giant to help reveal its new annual Songs of the Summer chart that tracks the top artists of the season. Source: Samsung / Billboard The Summer of Galaxy Event gives Samsung Galaxy owners every reason to flex because they get exclusive deals and per...
Lady Gaga Dominates Dance/Electronic Music Categories at Billboard Awards
Pop icon Lady Gaga won big at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards over the weekend, dominating in the categories dedicated to electronic dance music. While some might not expect to see the star so closely associated with electronic music, her catalogue deeply breaches into the realm of EDM. Gaga’s latest album, Chromatica, enlisted many elite dance music producers including Skrillex, Tchami, Madeon, and Axwell, among others. Lady Gaga and “Chromatica” contributing producer Tchami. At the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, Lady Gaga took home the award for Top Dance/Electronic Album for Chromatica, edging out DJ Snake’s Carte Blanche, Gryffin’s Gravity, Kygo’s Golden Hour, and fellow pop legend Kylie Minogue’s latest record, Di...
