NEWS
Lamborghini Essenza SCV12 Is the 830-HP Track Car Owners Can’t Bring Home
Lamborghini is seeking the attention of the world’s wealthy gentlemen and gentlewomen racers with its new Essenza SCV12 track car. Limited to 40 units, the Essenza SCV12 allows customers to enter what Lamborghini deems an “exclusive club. “ Of course, any owner of a rare car is arguably part of an exclusive club, but the Essenza SCV12 packs perks not often associated with automobile ownership. After all, this is a tried-and-true track car, and Lamborghini won’t have Essenza SCV12 owners use it in any other way. That’s because purchasing an Essenza SCV12 also nets entry to regular drive events at various FIA Grade 1 circuits. Alas, Lamborghini didn’t share the individual tracks it plans to host events at, the first of which occurs in 2021. See all 11 phot...
2021 Hyundai Veloster N First Look: Automatically Better?
It’s official. The 2021 Hyundai Veloster N welcomes a self-shifting transmission to the hot hatch’s options menu. Don’t worry manual fans, the car’s standard-issue six-speed gearbox sticks around. See all 26 photos Performance Package, Shmerformance Package The 2021 Veloster N, however, does away with the outgoing model’s optional Performance package. Or rather, it no longer charges extra for the contents of the package’s kit. As such, every 2021 Veloster N boasts 275 hp from the turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four that rests underhood (the prior, standard 250-hp tune no longer exists), a limited-slip differential, 19-inch wheels shod on sticky summer tires, a variable exhaust system, and large 13.6-inch front and 12.4-inch rear vented rotors (0.6-i...
Who Should Win Video of the Year at the 2020 VMAs? Vote!
MTV announced their nominations for this year’s Video Music Awards on Thursday (July 30), with Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga leading the pack with nine nominations each. Billie Eilish and The Weeknd follow with six each. Up for the coveted video of the year award are Billie Eilish‘s “Everything I Wanted,” Eminem and Juice WRLD‘s “Godzilla,” Future and Drake‘s “Life Is Good,” Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande‘s “Rain on Me,” Taylor Swift‘s “The Man” and The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights.” Starting today, fans can vote across 15 categories including video of the year, artist of the year, best quarantine performance and more&nbs...
Latin Artist on the Rise: Elena Rose on Going From Songwriter to Recording Artist
Elena Rose will perform August 2 as part of Lollapalooza’s four-night virtual fest. At age 11, rising Venezuelan singer-songwriter Elena Rose began writing poetry as an outlet to express her emotions. “Everything I was feeling or what I thought someone else was feeling, I would write it down,” Rose told Billboard. “While doing poetry, I started playing around with rhymes and that’s when I got into songwriting.” Now, at 25 years old, Rose has written songs for artists like Becky G, Rauw Alejandro and CNCO. But these opportunities didn’t come easily and it wasn’t until she moved to Miami in 2014 that she got her foot in the door. “Since I was a little girl I had the dream of being an artist. I always wanted to be singing bu...
Who Should Win Artist of the Year at the 2020 MTV VMAs? Vote!
The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards revealed its nominations Thursday (July 30), with DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, Post Malone, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd and Justin Bieber as the six choices for artist of the year. But who’s your top choice? DaBaby already nicknamed himself “Billboard Baby” after his Roddy Ricch-assisted hit “Rockstar” has been No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard‘s Songs of the Summer chart for the last seven weeks. Fellow Interscope Records artist Lady Gaga leads the whole pack with nine nominations (tied with her “Rain On Me” collaborator Ariana Grande), as her sixth album Chromatica lands her back as one of the biggest pop stars on planet Earth. The Weeknd also comes for the title for one of the bigges...
From Bonaire to the World, Ir-Sais Talks ‘Dream Girl’ Success & His Latin Roots
Two years ago, Ir-Sais (real name: Irgwin Placido Sluis) released his single “Dream Girl,” singing about the girl of his dreams in his native language, Papiamento. Fast forward to now, the song is a global hit, fueled by a 2019 remix with Rauw Alejandro. Born and raised in Bonaire, an island municipality of the Netherlands, Ir-Sais is also half Dominican, telling Billboard that his favorite artist of all time is Romeo Santos and that he was raised with Latin music. “Dream Girl (Remix)” marks his first collaborative effort with a Latin artist. Fusing the best Caribbean rhythms found in Bonaire and Puerto Rico, the remix is a sultry dancehall-meets-reggaeton sung in Spanish and the Portuguese-based creole language. Currently with over one billion views on TikTok and over one million views on...
Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande Lead 2020 MTV VMA Nominations
Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande lead the nominee field for the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, earning nine nods each. The ceremony is set for August 30 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center with “limited to no audience,” as detailed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The “Artist of the Year” nominees are Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Justin Bieber, and DaBaby. Up for “Video of the Year” are Gaga and Grande (“Rain on Me”), Billie Eilish (“everything i wanted”), Taylor Swift (“The Man”), Eminem featuring Juice WRLD (“Godzilla”), The Weeknd (“Blinding Lights”), and Future featuring Drake (“Life Is Good”). The “Song of the Year” category features Gaga and Grande (“Rain on Me”), Eilish (“everything i wanted”), Megan Thee Stallion (“Savage”), Post Malone (“Circles”), Doja Cat (“Say So”)...
Fountains of Wayne’s Jody Porter Shares New Single, Announces Album
While Fountains of Wayne’s future may be put on hold, the band’s former lead guitarist is going solo…kind of. Jody Porter is teaming up with his new backing band, the Berlin Waltz, for their latest single “Sunsick Moon” and new album, Waterways, out this fall. The LP, which Porter recorded in London, features his former Fountains of Wayne bandmate Brian Young on drums. The three-minute track showcases Porter’s distorted shredding abilities and lead vocals. In a statement, he detailed how the track evolved over time. “‘Sunsick Moon’ was birthed on the North Sea,” he said. “It was meant to be an instrumental, but then the lyrics started to flow.” This isn’t the only time Porter and Young have recently shared space on wax. Earlier this year, after Fountains of Wayne’s ...
The War on Drugs, Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold to Play Voter Registration Stream
The War on Drugs, Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold, Waxahatchee, Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen and Christopher Bear, and TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone and Jaleel Bunton will all participate in an online concert. The only price of admission? Verifying your voter registration status and, if necessary, registering. The Vote Ready Live event — set for Friday, Aug. 14 at 7 pm ET — will feature original, self-recorded performances. The lineup also includes Kevin Morby, Hand Habits, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, Ciggy, The Suffers’ Kam Franklin, The Building, and Our Native Daughters’ Allison Russell and Leyla McCalla. The event was created by voter registration nonprofit HeadCount, along with Fort William Artist Management and Live From Out There. In a statement, HeadCount executive director Andy Bernstein des...
Rolling Stones Preview Steel Wheels Live DVD Featuring Axl Rose, Eric Clapton
The Rolling Stones keep the musical treats coming. The British rock legends announced the details about their previously unreleased Steel Wheels Live – Atlantic City, New Jersey. The 1989 concert film features Guns N’ Roses members Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin, Eric Clapton, and John Lee Hooker. Both Rose and Stradlin join the Stones on “Salt of The Earth” off the 1968 LP, Beggars Banquet while Clapton plays “Little Rooster” with them. And finally, Hooker comes in on “Boogie Chillen.” After 7 years off the road, see the Stones glorious return in 1989 with Steel Wheels Live, a performance from Atlantic City NJ, ft. special guests John Lee Hooker, Eric Clapton, Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin – coming out on September 25th. Pre-order now at https://t.co/RpUyhKJSol pic.twitter.com/GaV9esaR...
Tekashi 6ix9ine Requests Extra Security To Complete Community Service
Source: @JustInMyView / R1 Digital Obviously, Tekashi 6ix9ine isn’t a complete idiot. The rap game’s biggest troll and most infamous snitch has requested extra security for completing his community service because, duh. Actually, it’s the “Gummo” rapper’s lawyers who are looking out for their cash cow, ahem, client. Reports TMZ: T69’s attorney, Lance Lazzaro, tells us his client will be released from home confinement by Saturday — which will allow him to move into the next phase of his sentence … community service. We’re told 6ix9ine hasn’t done a single hour since he’s been stuck at home. Now that he’ll be able to get out again … Lance says there’s a new problem his legal team is circling — namely, where the hell to put the guy so he can complete 300 hours of community service. ...
Wiley Somewhat Apologizes For Antisemitic Tweets, Permanently Banned From Twitter
Source: Joseph Okpako / Getty Wiley, known as the “Godfather of Grime” in the UK, has been embroiled in controversy after sharing a series of antisemitic messages on Twitter. After a suspension and eventual ban from the social media network, Wiley has addressed the matter but seemingly isn’t distancing himself from some of the more explosive comments. In a sitdown with Sky News, Wiley, real name Richard Cowie Jr., spoke about what he framed as “generalizing” when it came to his comments, which led to a falling out with his Jewish manager. By way of a recent interview, the 41-year-old artist isn’t necessarily backing down from his stances that members of the Jewish community within the music industry are pulling the strings and, in Wiley’s view, responsible for systemic racism. “I just want...
