R&B
Basketball Player Dylan Gonzalez Accuses Trey Songz of Rape
Content warning: Acts of sexual assault are detailed in this piece. Former University of Nevada Las Vegas basketball player Dylan Gonzalez has accused Trey Songz of raping her. Gonzalez first accused the R&B singer of sexual assault on December 30th, but didn’t provide any other information at the time. Now, she’s come forward with a more personal allegation against the singer. “With what seems like endlessly recurring news of the alleged sexually assaults committed by Trey Songz, I am forced to repeatedly relive in my mind, and suffer anew, the long-supressed horror and unbearable PTSD of my rape by his very hands at a well known Las Vegas hotel,” Gonzalez tweeted on January 11th. “I want to send my love, strength, and hope to all who are victims of sexual assault and its fatal nature...
The Weeknd Hints at New Trilogy, Shares New “Gasoline” Video: Watch
Sonically, The Weeknd’s new album, Dawn FM, draws from a similar throwback era as his 2020 effort, After Hours, and it looks like fans should expect more of the same from his next studio set. In a recent tweet, the superstar explained the albums are part of a greater collection, writing “I wonder… did you know you’re experiencing a new trilogy?” Longtime fans of The Weeknd will recall the Toronto native got his start with a trio of 2011 mixtapes — House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence — establishing the mysterious artist as an emerging force in R&B. After signing to Republic Records, the projects were collected together as part of an official release titled Trilogy featuring a handful of bonus tracks. Along with the teaser, The Weeknd released a new music video f...
R.I.P. James Mtume, Jazz and R&B Musician Dead at 76
James Mtume, the multi-instrumentalist who performed with Miles Davis before founding the R&B group Mtume, has died at the age of 76, Pitchfork reports. No cause of death has been revealed. The son of jazz saxophonist Jimmy Heath, James Mtume (born James Heath Jr.) grew up in a musical environment. He was raised by his mother, Bertha Forman, and pianist James “Hen Gates” Forman, who played in Charlie Parker’s band and introduced Mtume to the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Sonny Rollins. In 1969, Mtume took on percussion on his uncle Albert “Tootie” Heath’s album Kawaida, which also featured Jimmy Heath, Don Cherry, and Herbie Hancock. A member of the Black empowerment collective US Organization, Mtume released the album Land of the Blacks in 1972 under th...
Song of the Week: The Weeknd Struggles With a “Sacrifice”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, a new single from The Weeknd provides the perfect Friday soundtrack. The Weeknd went high-concept with Dawn FM, the new album that arrived today, January 7th — and it worked. The radio station storyline is tinged with an air of sadness, and the commitment to the bit feels perfectly paired with the artist’s penchant for ’80s sounds. “Sacrifice,” the artist’s next single, is more of the irresistible fare for which The Weeknd has become known. He knows how to keep things interesting, pulling off homages that don’t feel outdated,...
The Weeknd Releases New Album Dawn FM: Stream
The Weeknd has dropped his new album, Dawn FM, via XO/Republic Records. Stream it below on Apple Music and Spotify. The 16-track LP features the hit single “Take My Breath,” as well as collaborations with Tyler, the Creator (“Here We Go…Again”) and Lil Wayne (“I Heard You’re Married”). Other album contributors include Quincy Jones, Oneohtrix Point Never, and actor/comedian Jim Carrey, who struck up a friendship with The Weeknd over the pandemic. “Music can heal and that feels more important than another album rollout. Let’s just drop the whole thing and enjoy it with the people,” The Weeknd wrote in a note teasing the album’s imminent release last week. Advertisement Related Video To celebrate the release, The Weeknd will present “103.5 Dawn FM,” a livestream event which will air excl...
Jill Scott Shuts Down Sex Tape Rumors: ‘Y’all Too Much’
Twitter went wild Tuesday after rumors of a sex tape involving Jill Scott went viral on the platform, and the singer is not having it. “Say word!?!” the R&B singer tweeted alongside a GIF of herself taking her bows onstage in front of an adoring crowd. “I expect this energy when my new movies, albums and tv show drop. Ya’ll too much. #headedbacktowork #hydrate.” Soon enough, however, the Twitterverse realized that the salacious gossip was just that, and no such video was being passed around in links and DMs. Explore Explore Jill Scott See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “It’s no Jill Scott sex tape that mf was lying. How you gone start a rumor like that ?! Report his account,” one fan wrote, while a second chimed in, “You know what, if y’all lying abou...
What Was Your Favorite Cover by BLACKPINK’s Rosé This Year? Vote!
As Rosé once said, “BLACKPINK is the revolution!” On Tuesday (Dec. 28), the New Zealand-Korean singer shared her cover of Cautious Clay‘s “Wildfire.” The acoustic take, which the BLACKPINK member filmed in front of a stunningly vivid sunset, added to the collection of impressive covers she’s released throughout the year in the wake of her debut solo single “On the Ground.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news To celebrate, Billboard rounded up the K-pop idol’s five best cover performances from her streak this spring and summer on South Korean variety show Sea of Hope. Often paired with fellow K-pop stars Onew (of SHINee) and Lee Su-hyun (of AKMU), Rosé showed off her wide and varied range of musical influences, performing everything from rock (The K...
Charlie Puth, Kali Uchis & Rico Nasty to Headline TikTok’s New Year’s Eve Special
TikTok is ready to ring in the new year! On Monday (Dec. 27), the social platform announced the lineup for TikTok New Year’s Eve livestream, including headlining performances by Charlie Puth, Kali Uchis and Rico Nasty. “Celebrate the New Year with @KALIUCHIS, @charlieputh, @Rico_nastyy, host @Avgfashionblog and special guests as they say goodbye to 2021 and hello to 2022,” TikTok tweeted to reveal the Dec. 31 special. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The trio of musicians will be joined by TikTok creators Tyshon Lawrence, Cristian Dennis, Tracy Joseph, Billy and Scarlet May, while Courtney Parchman — otherwise known as Average Fashion Blogger to her nearly one million TikTok followers — will serve as the evening’s host. The livestream is set to ...
Frank Ocean Premieres New Nine-Minute Song: Stream
On Christmas, Frank Ocean returned with a new episode of blonded RADIO, and with it came the premiere of a brand new song from the R&B crooner. In introducing the song, Ocean said it was inspired by a conversation he had with Wim “The Iceman” Hof, a Dutch extreme athlete and motivational speaker who specializes in cold therapy and breathing techniques. As Ocean explained, he spoke to Hof about “the purpose of grief” in the wake of the passing of his brother, Ryan Breaux, last year. “We spoke for a while about his work, the purpose of grief, and how going into the cold water changed his life,” Ocean wrote on Instagram. “It reminded me of conversations in the studio with players I know. Freewheeling, psychedelic, emotionally charged, intelligent, and generous.” Advertisement Related Vide...
Proud Grandma Tina Knowles-Lawson Thanks Beyoncé and ‘Beautiful Grand Babies’ For Talk Show Theme Song
Tina Knowles-Lawson roped in some A-list ringers to record the theme song for her new Facebook Watch interview series, Talks With Mama Tina. In a 40-second trailer that dropped on Monday (Dec. 20) Knowles-Lawson announced the show, which she promised would find her inviting “some of my favorite people over to my home” for a chat, and revealed the theme sung by daughter Beyoncé and the matriarch’s grandchildren. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Among the stars who pop up in the trailer are comedian/actor Kevin Hart, Chloe & Hailey, Kelly Rowland, Ciara, John David Washington, Paulette Washington, Storm Reid, Marsai Martin, Zendaya and Tiffany Haddish. The series’ mellow R&B theme song opens with a group of children saying, “let’s talk abo...
Posthumous Aaliyah Collab with The Weeknd “Poison” Released: Stream
Aaliyah’s original catalog hit streaming services for the first time earlier this year, and now, a posthumous album is on the way via Blackground Records 2.0 and EMPIRE. The late artist’s estate has just shared the first look at the record with the song “Poison,” a collaboration with The Weeknd. Most of Aaliyah’s music had been out of print for a decade because Barry Hankerson, Blackground Records founder and Aaliyah’s uncle, refused to license her catalog to streaming services. Only her 1994 debut, the R. Kelly-produced Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number, had been on streaming services because Hankerson didn’t control its masters. In August, however, Hankerson revealed in an interview with Billboard that he had struck a deal with EMPIRE to release the rest of her catalog, as well as...
FKA twigs and The Weeknd Drop Collaborative Single “Tears in the Club”: Stream
FKA twigs and The Weeknd have teamed up for a new song called “Tears in the Club.” Produced by Arca, Cirkut, and El Guincho, the song comes with a music video directed by Amber Grace Johnson, which you can watch below. “Tears in the club ’cause your love has got me fucked up,” FKA twigs sings over ringing piano and heavy bass. The Weeknd’s verse comes later, when he begs the singer to “let it out like therapy.” In the music video, he does just that, as tears wet his face while he watches twigs dance. At one point, he’s shrunk down to the size of her hand and stands on her finger while she sings. It’s a fun visual all around. Last year, FKA twigs said she made an entire album during quarantine with El Guincho, but it has yet to be released. She last dropped the Central Cee collaboration “Me...
