music
Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of 2021: No. 9 — Dua Lipa
Over the last year, Dua Lipa has proven herself not only as a still-rising global star, but one who could dominate in what would be considered an off-cycle year for most pop artists, after releasing her sophomore album in March 2020. Lipa started the year out stronger than ever, still reeling from the success of the glitzy, disco-inspired Future Nostalgia and its hit singles (“Don’t Start Now,” “Physical,” and “Break My Heart”), which made her a pop titan in 2020. It might have seemed like the Future Nostalgia era was beginning to go stale nearly a year after the album dropped, but thanks to Lipa’s staggering star power, she was able to keep herself front and center throughout 2021. Explore Explore Dua Lipa See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In Febr...
Billboard NXT: Bronze Avery Announced Winner in Thrilling Finale
The winner of Billboard NXT – a first-of-its-kind singing competition from Billboard and Samsung Galaxy, designed to discover the next great unsigned artist – has been crowned! After numerous TikTok challenges, the help of celebrity mentors and riveting performances during the Grand Finale event on Tuesday (Dec. 7), Bronze Avery has been announced as Billboard NXT’s winner, earning the victory over multi-talented finalists Amir Brandon and Sophie Marks. All three finalists took the stage at Avalon Hollywood for Billboard NXT’s live finale event on Tuesday night, after weeks of showing off their skills in various TikTok challenges and standing out from the competition’s 12 total contestants. Each finalist performed in front of the Billboard NXT celebrity mentors – Todrick Hall, Anitta, and ...
Ralph Tavares, Eldest Brother of R&B Quintet Tavares, Dies at 79
Ralph Tavares, the eldest of the five brothers in the Grammy-winning R&B singing group Tavares, whose hits included “It Only Takes a Minute” and “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel,” has died. Tavares died at his home in South Dartmouth, Mass., on Wednesday, two days before his 80th birthday, the group’s manager David Oriola said. The cause was not immediately clear. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The brothers, sons of immigrants from Cape Verde who were based in New Bedford, Mass., began performing together in 1959, settling on the name Tavares in 1973, the same year they had their first hit, “Check It Out.” Tavares sang alongside his brothers Antone Laurence “Chubby” Tavares, Perry Lee “Tiny” Tavares, Feliciano Vierra “Butch” Tavares Jr., and Arthur Paul “Pooch” Tavares. Ano...
Burna Boy Announces 2022 Madison Square Garden Concert
Burna Boy has announced his forthcoming concert at Madison Square Garden, making him the first Nigerian artist to headline the renowned arena. The Grammy-award winning artist released an announcement video on YouTube. [embedded content] Titled “One Night In Space,” the concert is set to take place on April 28, 2022. Burna Boy has kept busy over the past few months with a series of performances that included New York City’s Governor’s Ball’s San Francisco’s Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, Governor’s Ball and his headlining show at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl as part of his Space Drift Tour. Also this past October, Burna Boy dropped a new single and accompanying music video for “Want It All” featuring Polo G. The music video moves between the rapper on set with several dancers to cli...
Earl Sweatshirt Shares First Song From Upcoming LP ‘Sick!’
Earl Sweatshirt is coming out with a new album early next year. Out via Tan Cressida and Warner Records, Sick! follows 2019’s Feet of Clay EP and will debut on January 14. The rapper was originally working on an LP called The People Could Fly but scrapped the project when the pandemic hit. Shifting gears, Sweatshirt recorded the ten tracks that make up Sick! while the world was under lockdown. The cover art for the upcoming album features a silver mold of the rapper wearing a face mask, along with a photo, clove of garlic and two pills. Coinciding with the announcement, Sweatshirt gave fans a first look at the album with his new single “Tabula Rasa” featuring Armand Hammer. The song was produced by Theravada and Rob Chambers and delivered with a music video. Sweatshirt recently released a ...
Little Simz Stars in New Bowers & Wilkins Film Exploring the Art of Making Music
In a new short documentary from renowned audio brand Bowers & Wilkins, we get to the root of how music shapes us, straight from the mouths of artists who’ve unified contemporary audiences and created classics. Directed by award-winning music documentarian Joss Crowley, it’s called How We Make. In the film, we get a unique look into the creative process of rapper Little Simz. Over the course of her decade-long career, the Mercury Award-nominated rapper has carried the deep reverberations of the city she grew up in. She’s an artist who understands the culture to its core, and is comfortable reckoning with it through song. Responsible for records like GREY Area and Drop 6, integral in her building a die-hard fanbase, she recorded parts of her latest album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, ...
Top 10 Rap Albums You May Have Missed in 2021
Our 2021 Annual Report continues with our list of the year’s top 10 overlooked rap albums. As 2021 winds down, stay tuned for more awards, lists, and articles about the best music, film, and TV of 2021. You can find it all in one place here. With the colossal amount of rap music that drops every single day of the year, it’s impossible to keep track of new hip-hop releases — let alone listen to them all. Here at Consequence, we’ve kept our favorite albums tucked in our back pockets all year for that very reason. Containing the records we kept going back to long after their release dates, this list is meant to highlight projects that likely flew under the radar for the average fan. It’s tailor-made for that one friend who is constantly complaining about the state of rap music today. Dro...
2021 Producer of the Year The Alchemist Was a Chameleon at Every Turn
Our 2021 Annual Report continues with the announcement of The Alchemist as Our Producer of the Year. As the year winds down, stay tuned for more awards, lists, and articles about the best music, film, and TV of 2021. You can find it all in one place here. Whether it’s stacking beats in the lab or hitting the road, The Alchemist spends the majority of his time laser-focused on music. So it took a rare moment of downtime for Consequence to catch up with the prolific producer in late November — when he was still recovering from being sick after coming off a tour of Europe. Not one to stay idle for too long, ALC gamely hopped on Zoom from his Los Angeles studio with a cup of coffee in hand to discuss an outstanding year in which he teamed up with Armand Hammer and Boldy James for Haram and Bo ...
Squid Announce 2022 Tour Dates
UK post punks Squid came out with a bang this year, with their debut LP Bright Green Field being named one of the best albums of 2021. Now, they’re ready to do a victory lap. Today the band announced a run of tour dates for 2022. Before Ollie Judge, Louis Borlase, Arthur Leadbetter, Laurie Nankivell, and Anton Pearson hit North America in March, they’ll play a run of UK shows in January. The band’s 13-date jaunt across the pond takes them from the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast, with stops in Canada in between. Then, they head back over to Europe in June to hit the festival circuit, before playing Primavera Sound’s inaugural Los Angeles festival in September. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time — get yours through Ticketmaster. Related Video Back in March, Squid share...
Kanye Stages First Concert in Five Years with Drake as Special Guest: Setlist + Video
Kanye West staged his first headlining performance in five years at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Thursday night, teaming up with longtime frenemy Drake for a concert that Kanye organized in order to raise awareness and support for the release of Gangster Disciples co-founder Larry Hoover. The evening began with a few hymns performed by Kanye’s Sunday Service gospel choir, including slowed-down, harmonious versions of Adele’s “Easy On Me” and Fugees’ “Ready or Not.” As the choir sang “Ultralight Beam,” Kanye and Drake entered the coliseum through one of its arches. And thus began, one of the most anticipated concerts in recent memory. Kanye kicked off his headlining set with a prayer that segued into “Praise God.” “Wait, wait! Hold up, let’s take it back to day one,” he then shouted...
Juice WRLD’s Posthumous Album ‘Fighting Demons’ Is Here: Listen
Two years after he prematurely left us, the Juice WRLD story continues with Fighting Demons. The rapper’s second posthumous album dropped at midnight, and is the followup to Legends Never Die, which arrived in July 2020 and hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Featuring the previously-released numbers “Wandered to LA” with Justin Bieber, and “Already Dead,” Fighting Demons is a call to arms, a reminder for addicts to get help and for those struggling with mental health problems to keep up the fight. The rising hip-hop star (real name Jarad Higgins) was just 21 when he died of an accidental overdose of oxycodone and codeine. Following his death on Dec. 9, 2019, his mother, Carmela Wallace, created the Live Free 999 Fund, to help youth struggling with mental health and substance use issues....
Elton John and Dua Lipa’s ‘Cold Heart’ Returns to No. 1 In Australia
Elton John and Dua Lipa charge back to No. 1 in Australia with “Cold Heart” (Columbia/Sony), as Christmas tunes light up the singles chart. Remixed by Sydney trio Pnau, “Cold Heart” lifts 2-1 and has now logged 17 consecutive weeks in the ARIA Top 10. “Cold Heart” pumps up the tally ahead of former leaders from Adele (“Easy On Me” via Columbia/Sony), and The Kid Laroi with Justin Bieber (“Stay” via Columbia/Sony), while viral star Gayle holds at No. 4 with “ABCDEFU” (Atlantic/Warner). [embedded content] Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” (Polydor/Universal) is heating up once again. The electro-pop song, a slow burner in the U.S., led triple j Hottest 100 poll for 2020, announced in January of this year. “Heat Waves,” a former No. 1, rises 8-5 on the current frame. It’s summer in Australia, thoug...
