entertainment blog
Trending Up: ‘Wakanda Forever’ Soundtrack Soars, Patty Loveless Lands a CMAs Comeback
Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. This week: The much-anticipated release of blockbuster sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever leads to huge streaming gains for much of its soundtrack, while Aerosmith experiences a bizarrely 2022 revival for one of their signature hits and Patty Loveless enjoys a more old-fashioned sort of comeback. ‘Black Panther’ Box Office Mojo Is Translating Into Streaming Wins Last weekend, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever blasted into movie theaters with a box office haul of $1...
TikTok Has Gen Z Hooked — Can Its Streaming Service Get Them to Pay for Music?
Ask music business executives to characterize their relationship with TikTok and the response is typically a variation of, “It’s complicated,” as one major-label executive puts it. As the short-form video streaming platform continues to dominate pop culture — last September, it claimed 1 billion monthly active users globally, a figure that has surely ballooned in the 13 months since — it has continued to draw the ire of the music industry for its low payouts to rights holders, even as labels, managers and publishers increasingly rely on the platform to market singles and break artists. But as TikTok’s parent company ByteDance explores an expansion of its fledgling music streaming service Resso — currently only available in India, Indonesia and Brazil — into new territories, another respons...
What’s It Like Using TikTok’s Music-Streaming App?
After swiftly taking over social media in a matter of years, TikTok has its sights set on music streaming, too. In 2020, the company’s Chinese owner ByteDance, officially debuted a music-streaming app, Resso, in three countries — Brazil, India and Indonesia — with ambitions to soon expand into new territories, likely under a brand name associated with its most famous product. This past spring, the company registered the handles @TikTokMusic on both Twitter and Instagram; in May, it filed a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a service under that name. And in October, The Wall Street Journal reported, and Billboard has confirmed, that ByteDance is in conversations with all the major music rights holders to launch its music streaming service in additional coun...
Black Star Shines With ‘SNL’ Performances & Madlib As Guest
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Gladys Vega / Getty The powerhouse duo of Black Star lit up the stage as musical guests as Dave Chappelle hosted SNL last weekend, with Madlib also joining in. Last Saturday (Nov. 12), Dave Chappelle was the SNL host for the third time. This time was more unique, as the duo of Black Star – Talib Kweli and Yaasin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) – joined him as musical guests. Chappelle, who co-hosts The Midnight Miracle podcast with the two rappers in addition to being great friends with them, introduced the duo as “Brooklyn’s finest rappers” for their first song, “So Be It.” [embedded content] The track, from their latest album No Fear of Time, showcased the fiery intensity from Black Star, backed up by the stellar producer and artist Madlib, who manned t...
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Hip-Hop Wired Presents: CRT FRSH [Certified Fresh] Playlist 11.11.22
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: FabrikaCr / Getty What up, Hip-Hop Wired Nation? We’re a little late updating our last edition of CRT FRSH AKA Certified Fresh but we’re back on schedule. Part of our duty as a publication and crew is to school the masses on who is doing what musically and there’s no better way to do that beyond our CRT FRSH (Certified Fresh) bi-weekly playlist. Disclaimer: The CRT FRSH playlist is a labor of love. We don’t take payments nor do we do favors. We only add joints to our playlist that fit the theme and vision we’re going for and don’t seek to waste the time of the listener. Further, we don’t stick to one lane of Hip-Hop. We believe that all aspects of the music should get some light, whether it’s young lions in the trenches or those hoping for that one shot t...
Blueface Arrested In Las Vegas On Attempted Murder Charges
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Handout / Getty Blueface is back in the news again and, as in previous reports, it has nothing to do with his musical career. The rapper and social media star was arrested in Las Vegas and charged with attempted murder. TMZ reports that Blueface, real name Johnathan Jamall Porter, was in Las Vegas with his girlfriend, Chrisean Rock when local authorities swarmed on the 25-year-old artist outside of Lo-Lo’s Chicken & Waffles. The arrest took place on Tuesday (Nov. 15). According to the outlet, the charges Blueface was hit with include felony attempted murder with the use of a deadly firearm or tear gas. The other charge listed was discharging a gun into a house, building, vehicle or craft. The incident in question that sparked Blueface’s arrest occurre...
Lebron James’ SpringHill Partners With Marathon Films For Nipsey Hussle Docuseries
HipHopWired Featured Video Nipsey Hussle and his rise as a recognized rapper, entrepreneur, and community advocate is an inspirational tale deserving of the documentary treatment. Marathon Films, the production company founded by the late rapper, partnered with SpringHill media studio, founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, to produce a docuseries focused on Neighborhood Nip. Nipsey Hussle and the story of his life will be depicted across the still-untitled docuseries focusing on his upbringing in Crenshaw en route to his musical career which culminated in collaborations with some of Hip-Hop’s biggest and brightest stars. SpringHill will fund the venture with Marathon Films guiding the storytelling aspect of the docuseries, which will afford the creative team an accurate and thorough...
Children of Zeus Are Born Again
The term “good things come to those who wait” isn’t used enough, especially in the world of music. We’re currently living in a time where everything is demanded instantly; music, with visuals, have to be dropped weekly to garner eyes and engagement and mixtapes are gradually dominating popular music more than ever before. In increasingly impatient times, it’s rare that we come across contextualized and soulful music, written from the heart and for the heart. It’s even rarer to build a solid discography that’s jam-packed with substance, and songs that become a part of your everyday life and routine. But for Manchester’s soul and hip-hop duo, Children of Zeus, quality over quantity is everything. Comprized of Tyler Daley and Konny Kon, the two friends used to make their own solo music with o...
Wiz Khalifa Takes a Trip Down “Memory Lane” in New Music Video
Wiz Khalifa has shared an official video for his single “Memory Lane.” The song was teased in the process of the rapper rolling out his summer LP, Multiverse. The visual offers a story-driven backdrop to the introspective track. It opens with a woman nervously entering a doctor’s office. A team of doctors attaches a mass of wires to her head, and she’s instantly transported back in time. The woman looks back on her relationship with her boyfriend, played by Khalifa, beginning from when they first met to their eventual breakup. “When the days turn to nights / I keep thinking ’bout you moving on,” he raps. “Makes me wonder if you hear this song / Would you right the way that we went wrong?” Khalifa’s seventh studio album, Multiverse, debuted in July with guest appearances from Girl Talk...
PinkPantheress Releases Romantic Cut “Do you miss me?”
Breakthrough pop songstress PinkPantheress has released a new single “Do you miss me?”. Since jumping on the scene, the young star has been known for her innovative approach to fusing pop, bedroom pop, dance and hyperpop and more. With production from Kaytranada and phil, the new cut adds to her catalog of soft yet upbeat tracks. Harboring a romantic cadence, the song’s feeling of longing centers around a past lover and the feelings that still exist. “We don’t even get in fights / Went downstairs to make a coffee / In the morning how you like / Ha, ah, yeah / All I wanted was to scream / When I saw one of her messages that popped up on your screen,” sings the UK-native in the first verse. Even though the song meditates on a past relationship, the lyrical repetition and pulsating beat from ...
Playboi Carti, Travis Scott and Future To Headline Rolling Loud California 2023
Rolling Loud has unveiled the lineup for next year’s California festival. Slated for March 3 to March 5, the upcoming event will take place at Inglewood’s Hollywood Park, adjacent to the famed SoFi Stadium. The first day of the hip-hop festival will be headlined by Playboi Carti. Other big-name rappers gracing the festival on that Friday are Kodak Black, DaBaby, Tyga, Trippie Redd, Saweetie and Fivio Foreign. Travis Scott will take over on Saturday, joined by Lil Baby, Don Toliver, 2 Chainz, Kevin Gates, Lil Yachty, City Girls, Amine and Chief Keef. Come Sunday, Future will round out the weekend of performances, while Lil Wayne will offer a special guest appearance. Additional acts for the day include Lil Uzi Vert, Polo G, Moneybagg Yo, Ski Mask the Slump God and Sheck Wes. Check out the e...
Chris Lake Drops Long-Awaited House Track, “In The Yuma”
On 11/11, wishes apparently do come true. After two years of rinsing out a mythical ID, Chris Lake has finally released the highly anticipated track, “In The Yuma,” by way of his own Black Book Records imprint. A collaboration with Aatig, “In The Yuma” is an uplifting tech house record inspired by Lake’s 2019 Coachella performance in—you guessed it—the Yuma Tent. The invigorating track begins with a soft croon, “I feel so good / Don’t bring me down,” before Lake introduces a kinetic bassline with punchy piano chords and a thumping kick drum. You can listen to “In The Yuma” below. Scroll to Continue Recommended Articles The chart-topping house music tastemaker called his new track “the best thing [he] did in the pandemic...
