music
Jack Harlow Honored With His Own Day in Louisville Hometown
Jack Harlow is entering the new year with a new honor. On Monday, the Grammy-nominated artist revealed that Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer named Dec. 28 Jack Harlow Day in the rapper’s Kentucky hometown. Harlow shared the news by posting a photo of his honorary plaque on Instagram. With a fun reference to his 2020 Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit “Whats Poppin,” the plate reads, “For answering, once and for all, that what’s poppin’ is Louisville when it comes to talent that makes it bigger than big, but doesn’t forget the ‘home’ in hometown or homegrown. The rapper’s way with words and beats has earned him untold fans, chart-topping releases and an ability to give back in meaningful ways, and he does.” The honorary plaque concludes, “Our city is excited and proud to observe December 28, 2021, a...
Aaliyah’s New Album ‘Unstoppable’ Reportedly Dropping This Month With Features From Drake, Future and More
Aaliyah‘s forthcoming posthumous album Unstoppable is supposedly set to release some time this January. The late artist’s uncle and Blackground Records founder Barry Hankerson recently appeared on The Geno Jones Show to confirm the release and a series of high-profile collaborations. “One of the songs that’s out now is doing incredibly well. And that’s the song that she did with Weeknd,” he said, referring to the track “Poison.” “Because of that success, we think it’ll only get better with people such as Ne-Yo and Snoop Dogg, Future, and Drake — one of her biggest fans. Those are the features that’ll be on the record and that’ll be out in January.” Unstoppable was announced in late 2021, shortly after Aaliyah’s records finally made its way to streaming services and her estate released “Poi...
Original Coal Chamber Bassist Rayna Foss Was Reported Missing Four Months Ago
Rayna Foss, the original bassist of the nu metal band Coal Chamber, was reported missing in September, with her whereabouts currently unknown. The 51-year-old musician was living in a group home in New Orleans at the time she disappeared. Foss was a member of Coal Chamber from 1994 through their initial breakup in 2003. She appeared on the band’s first three albums — 1997’s Coal Chamber, 1999’s Chamber Music, and 2002’s Dark Days. She did not join the band when they reunited from 2011 through 2016. Coal Chamber’s lead singer, Dez Fafara, currently fronts the metal band DevilDriver. At the time Foss went missing, local Fox TV station WVUE issued the following notice via its official Facebook page (as seen below): “MISSING: Rayna Foss, 51, was last seen by a group home manager on Sept. 7, ac...
Jeopardy Contestant Confuses Nickelback with Arcade Fire
At least she got the Canadian part right! Jeopardy contestant Kate Woomer-Deters was quick to pose the question “Who is Arcade Fire?” when given a clue that required the response “Who is Nickelback?” — thus confusing one of the 21st century’s most critically acclaimed bands with one of its most critically maligned acts. The musical faux pas happened within the “Billboard Top 200 Albums in 2021” category on Monday night’s episode of the popular quiz show. Reigning champion Amy Schneider had gotten the first four items correct in the category before the contestants were posed the $1,000 clue, “‘The Best Of’ this Canadian band, ‘Volume 1’ included ‘Rockstar,’ ‘How You Remind Me’ & 17 other songs.” After Woomer-Dieters gave her “Who is Arcade Fire?” response, contestant Harsh Daga rang in ...
2 Chainz Announces New Album ‘Dope Don’t Sell Itself’ Will Release This Month
2 Chainz took to social media on Tuesday to announce that his upcoming album, titled Dope Don’t Sell Itself, will release later this month. “Hey you how you been!? It’s been a minute I know, but im back with something new and exotic,” the rapper wrote on Instagram. “You know I ain’t been around this long with out being a thinker and a constant student & teacher of the game my album DOPE DONT SELL ITSELF drops this month and single drops this week.” “Sincerely Yours, Two Tone Toni,” he concluded the post. Dope Don’t Sell Itself, which 2 Chainz first announced during his set at San Bernardino’s HARD Summer Music Festival in August, will mark the rapper’s final trap album. “This gone be my last trap album, enjoy,” he wrote on Twitter in July. This gone be my last trap album , enjoy — Tity...
Looking Ahead: A Release Calendar of Upcoming Albums in 2022
It’s a difficult task to keep track of all the music that’s being released in a given week, let alone a month or whole year. From pop and hip-hop to alternative, K-pop, country and more, the choices for music fans can feel endless. And that’s not even considering vinyl, re-releases and collectible editions. Below, check out Billboard‘s running monthly calendar of upcoming releases to stay in the know; check back often for updates to our schedule of albums to look forward to each week. Jan. 7 Eric Nam, There and Back AgainRuPaul, MamaruThe Weeknd, Dawn FMThe Wombats, Fix Yourself, Not the WorldTwin Atlantic, TransparencyYears & Years, Night Call Jan. 14 Elvis Costello & The Imposters, The Boy Named IfThe Lumineers, BrightsideUnderoath, Voyeurist Jan. 21 Aoife O’Donovan, Age of ...
Rapper J $tash Dead After Allegedly Shooting Girlfriend, Then Himself on New Year’s Day
Rapper J $tash allegedly killed his girlfriend while three kids were in the home, and then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a New Year’s day incident in Temple City, Calif. “It appears Justin Joseph, aka J $tash, Shot and killed his girlfriend … before turning the gun on himself,” Homicide Lt. Derrick Alfred of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department tells Billboard. “The children were in the home, but it does not appear it happened in front of them. … They heard gunshots, then called 911.” According to an LASD press release, deputies responded to a possible domestic violence call around 7:15 a.m. on Jan. 1, and found a 27-year-old woman and 28-year-old man unresponsive; they were pronounced dead at the scene. “The female victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds,” according ...
Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ Keeps Atop Billboard Global Charts
Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is again the biggest song in the world, as it holds at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts dated Jan. 8, reflecting activity in the Dec. 24-30 tracking week. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Plus, GAYLE’s “abcdefu” remains the top-charting non-holiday global hit, while José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” and Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” return to the Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. top 10, respectively. Billboard‘s two global charts (which in September marked their first year) rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by MRC Data. The Billboard Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Billboard Global E...
Kelly Clarkson’s Covers Phil Collins’ Socially Conscious Ballad ‘Another Day in Paradise’
Kelly Clarkson kicked off the Tuesday (Jan. 4) episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show with a mystifying rendition of Phil Collins‘ “Another Day in Paradise.” Dressed in a sleek black dress and blinged-out hoops, the original American Idol took on the social problem of homelessness highlighted in the 1989 hit with her empathetic and heartfelt vocals. The star was joined by her four-piece band and legendary bassist Leland Sklar, who has played on hundreds of iconic albums for artists including Collins himself, Rod Stewart, Kristen Chenoweth, Bette Midler, Ray Charles, Toto and many more. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “We always love when Leland comes to play with us,” Clarkson gushed after the performance. Clarkson’s emotional performance follows a number of other impressive “K...
Gunna Unveils Daniel Arsham-Designed ‘Drip Season 4’ Album Artwork
Gunna has revealed the album artwork for his upcoming record, Drip Season 4, which is set to release this Friday, January 7. The cover, designed by contemporary artist Daniel Arsham, resembles a diamond-filled statue of the rapper wearing an iced-out chain and black, angular sunglasses. Arsham shared the image to Instagram, simply tagging Gunna in the caption, to which the “Drip Too Hard” vocalist responded, “Thank you bro ! I’ll cherish this 4ever” in the comments. Drip Season 4 marks the “final installment” of Gunna’s Drip Season series, according to the rapper. Earlier this week, the hip-hop artist shared a teaser video to Instagram featuring himself and his friends getting together for drinks with the caption, “DS4 1-7-22 #HNY !!” next to a series of emojis. It is presently u...
Old Man Weeknd Wants You To Tune Into New Album Dawn FM This Week
When The Weeknd dropped “Blinding Lights” — recently named Billboard‘s No. 1 Hot 100 song of all time — way back in 2019, the world was a much different place. The album that followed, After Hours, was released in March 2020, right around the time the coronavirus pandemic prompted worldwide lockdowns. Since then, it feels like we’ve all aged approximately 70 years. The Weeknd likely agrees. That’s one reading of the cover art for his next album, titled Dawn FM, that features the artist caked in old-man makeup (liver spots and all) and wisened with long gray hair and a gray beard. As he announced earlier this week, Dawn FM will drop on Friday (January 7). The Weeknd has spent the past few years playing with his own image, distorting his own features into an ...
Widowspeak Announce New Album The Jacket, Share “Everything Is Simple”: Stream
New York indie rockers Widowspeak have announced their sixth studio album, The Jacket. The record is out March 11th via Captured Tracks, but first single “Everything Is Simple” is available to stream now, along with a music video directed by OTIUM. Check it out below. Widowspeak recorded The Jacket with producer Homer Steinweiss. The record, initially a concept album centered around the formation and disintegration of a fictional band, is rife with self-referential, full-circle moments. Now a duo, band members Molly Hamilton and Robert Earl Thomas reunited with founding drummer Michael Stasiak for the recording, which also features J.D. Sumner on bass, and piano and keyboard contributions from Michael Hess. “Everything Is Simple” previews The Jacket with a minimalist, country groove. ...
