entertainment blog
Jamal Edwards, Trailblazing British Music Entrepreneur, Dies at 31
Jamal Edwards, the trailblazing founder and CEO of SBTV, the British youth media platform with hip-hop at its heart, died Sunday (Feb. 20) at the age of 31. Edwards, who grew up on a council estate in Acton, West London, was a teenager when he started SBTV in 2006, a venture that has helped guide the careers of Dave, Skepta, Stormzy, and many others. In those early days, Edwards, an early-adopter of YouTube, used his channel to give exposure to his talented friends. It still does, only Edwards’ circle of friends grew. Over time, he’d work with the likes of Nicki Minaj, Ed Sheeran and Jessie J. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Today, the broadcaster he built from the ground up is a multi-million pound business with the strapline “Connecting Worlds,” while operating with the same c...
Alok se apoiou em produtores fantasmas não pagos para criar seus hits de Brazilian Bass
Nota do Editor: A Billboard publicou anteriormente uma versão condensada deste artigo em português. Como uma cortesia aos nossos leitores brasileiros, a Billboard decidiu publicar a matéria original em inglês na íntegra em português. Inclui atualizações sobre o status de “Un Ratito”. RIO DE JANEIRO – Atrás de um complexo murado numa estrada de terra cercado por palmeiras e uma exuberante montanha verde, os produtores e DJs Sean e Kevin Brauer aprenderam a fazer música enquanto viviam na comunidade religiosa Meninos de Deus nas duas primeiras décadas de suas vidas. O objetivo, no entanto, não era o estrelato na dance-music — era produzir rock cristão e música folclórica para apoiar o movimento religioso. Os irmãos Brauer tiveram uma educação domiciliar, não tiveram acesso à internet e tiver...
The Weeknd’s ‘Dawn FM Experience’ Music Special Is Heading to Amazon: Watch the Teaser
A music special expanding on The Weekend‘s Dawn FM album is heading to Amazon. The digital giant announced on Monday (Feb. 21) that the R&B superstar’s upcoming television special, titled The Weeknd x The Dawn FM Experience, will premiere exclusively through Prime Video on Saturday (Feb. 26). “I’m ecstatic to partner with Amazon to premiere the most elaborate live TV special I’ve ever done,” The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, said in a statement. “Welcome to the next phase of Dawn FM — a purgatory otherworld where live performance, theater, and performance art collide for a night out at the club.” Explore Explore The Weeknd See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news A teaser video for the Micah Bickham-directed Dawn FM Experience shows a much older-...
Stephen Marley Details Nina Simone Reggae Tribute: ‘Our Queens Deserve Recognition’
A defining voice of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements as well as a brilliant, genre-blurring musician and vocalist, the late Nina Simone’s revolutionary songs have taken on renewed significance in these tempestuous times. A classically trained pianist who was dubbed the High Priestess of Soul, Ms. Simone’s smoky contralto was a disarming vessel for her own searing lyrics that decried racism in songs such as “Mississippi Goddam” and “Old Jim Crow.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Aiming to familiarize his own fan base with the fearlessness of Simone’s oeuvre, eight-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Stephen Marley has produced Celebrating Nina: A Reggae Tribute to Nina Simone, Billboard can announce. The seven track EP features as ma...
Prime Video Announces The Weeknd x The ‘Dawn FM’ Experience Live TV Special
Prime Video has officially announced the release date and unveiled the teaser video for The Weeknd‘s The Dawn FM Experience TV special. The upcoming special is billed as “a mesmerizing visual, creating a theatrical performance event that will envelope audiences in its unnerving and moody world.” The Dawn FM Experience will be exclusively available to Prime members in over 240 countries and territories worldwide. “I’m ecstatic to partner with Amazon to premiere the most elaborate live TV special I’ve ever done. Welcome to the next phase of Dawn FM—a purgatory otherworld where live performance, theater, and performance art collide for a night out at the club,” The Weeknd shared in a statement. “Dawn FM is a masterful display of The Weeknd’s artistic vision and creative ge...
Conway The Machine Confirms He Is No Longer With Griselda Records
Conway The Machine has confirmed his departure from Griselda Records and Shady Records. Speaking in a recent interview on the Bootleg KevPodcast, the former Griselda titan shared that it is “free agency right now” and that he is looking for a “supermax” contract. “Yeah, like sitting right here right now, I’m not on a contract with Griselda, Shady none of that shit no more,” Conway The Machine explained. “It’s free agency right now you heard. I need that supermax man, I need that Giannis [Antetokounmpo] bag.” There seems to be no hard feelings between him and his brother Westside Gunn, who co-founded Griselda Records. Conway The Machine notes that the two of them “built” the label together and that while they have yet to talk about his return to Griselda, his current responsibilities t...
Macy Gray Sings the National Anthem at NBA All-Star Game: Watch
Macy Gray, introduced as the “acclaimed singer, songwriter and Grammy Award winner from Canton, Ohio,” performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. Gray sang her rendition of the national anthem accompanied by a guitarist ahead of Sunday night’s (Feb. 20) matchup between Team LeBron and Team Durant. Explore See latest videos, charts and news This year’s All-Star Game took place at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and aired live on TNT and TBS. Gray’s debut studio album, On How Life Is — featuring her breakthrough single “I Try,” which earned her a Grammy for best female pop vocal performance — peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 in 1999. “I Try” reached No. 5 on the Hot 100 songs chart in 2000. Her most recent album, Ruby, was released in 2018. See Macy G...
Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift Score U.K.’s Highest New Chart Entry With ‘The Joker and The Queen’
Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift’s “The Joker and The Queen” (Asylum) can’t unseat Encanto’s magical hit for the U.K. crown, though it makes a fist of the chart battle. Sheeran and Swift’s latest collaboration debuts at No. 2 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, for the highest new entry this week. The track, which becomes Sheeran’s 36th Top 10 single and Swift’s 18th, enjoyed a “dramatic uplift” following the double-hit of a new mix featuring the U.S. pop superstar’s vocals, and Ed’s performance at the 2022 Brit Awards, held Feb. 9 at the O2 Arena. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Joker” is one of several tunes which enjoy a post-Brit Awards climb. Among them, Sam Fender’s “Seventeen Going Under” (Polydor) up 7-6; Sheeran’s “Bad Habits” (Asylum) up ...
Frank Turner Reigns Over U.K. Chart With ‘FTHC’
For the very first time, Frank Turner is king of the U.K. albums chart. The British punk rock poet debuts at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart with FTHC (an initialism for Frank Turner Hardcore), his ninth studio effort. Until now, eight of Turner’s album have impacted the U.K.’s Top 75 and five have cracked the Top 10, including his most recent release, 2019’s No Man’s Land, which peaked at No. 3. Turner got even closer to the summit in 2013 with Tape Deck Heart, which peaked at No. 2. According to the Official Charts Company, FTHC (via Polydor) blasts to No. 1 with physical sales accounting for 90% of its first-week total. “It’s official folks,” reads a victorious post on his Instagram account. “I’m tired, proud, and mostly grateful.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See...
‘Encanto’ Songs Set for 1-2 on U.K. Singles Chart
Disney’s Encanto isn’t done with its magical chart tricks. Based on sales and streaming data from the first 48 hours in the chart cycle, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is poised for a sixth week at No. 1, while Jessica Darrow’s “Surface Pressure” could lift to a new peak of No. 2, while “The Family Madrigal” also improves to No. 7. When “Bruno” reached No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, it became the first original Disney number to do so. Later, the Encanto soundtrack set another record by becoming the first animated film soundtrack in U.K. chart history to simultaneously chart three songs in the Top 10. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Meanwhile, Mimi Webb is motoring to the week’s highest new entry with “House on Fire.” It’s new at No. 6 o...
TDE President Punch Henderson on Kendrick Lamar’s Departure From Label: “It’s a Full-circle Moment”
TDE President Terrence “Punch” Henderson has opened up about Kendrick Lamar‘s imminent departure from Top Dawg Entertainment, sharing nothing but words of praise and encouragement for the next phase of the rapper’s career. In a recent interview with Mic, Henderson explained that K-Dot has been with TDE for so long — “almost 20 years” — that watching him grow and move on is completely natural: “I don’t even know if I would describe it that way as ready to leave, as more so ready to build his own thing. That’s a grown man right now. We watched him grow from a teenager up into an established grown man, a businessman, and one of the greatest artists of all time. So how long do you actually be signed up under somebody? It’s been almost 20 years. So it’s time to move on and try new things and ve...
Kanye West Claims Stem Player’s One-Day $2.2 Million USD Revenue Made More Money Than If ‘DONDA 2’ Was on Streaming Services
The artist formerly known as Kanye West shared on social media that his Stem Player made $2.2 million USD in sales in just one day, and noted that his team would have never made the same amount of money if DONDA 2 was out on streaming services. Calling it “the first Yeezy Tech product,” Ye wrote, “To earn the $2.2 million we made on the first day on the stem player the album would have had to stream 500 million times.” He continued, “We did more revenue on stemplayer, without the album even being out, than we would have done with the album being out on streaming.” The artist announced last week that his upcoming album DONDA 2 will release exclusively on the Stem Player. “Today artists get just 12% of the money the industry makes. It’s time to free music from this oppressive system. It’s ti...
