Metro Boomin dropped some heat on Friday (Aug. 1) with his A Futuristic Summa mixtape.

He released the first single, “Slide” with Roscoe Dash, on YouTube on the Fourth of July. The hip-hop superproducer’s MySpace-themed website revealed 23 tracks would be featured on A Futuristic Summa, which is hosted by renowned Atlanta DJ/producer DJ Spinz. Outside of Dash, Quavo, Young Dro, 2 Chainz, Lil Baby, Future, T.I., Waka Flocka Flame, Gucci Mane, Young Thug and more were previously revealed as features.

He also echoed Tyler, the Creator’s sentiments about wanting people to dance again without the pressure of being perceived behind screens. “PUT THE PHONES DOWN TOO!!!!! DANCE AGAIN!! PARTY AGAIN!! HAVE FUN AGAIN!!!!” Metro wrote on X on Wednesday (July 30).

The Atlanta-bred hitmaker has been busy this year helming tracks on other artists’ Billboard 200-topping albums, including The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow, Playboi Carti’s MUSIC and JACKBOYS’ second album. He also made a small cameo during the nightclub scene in The Weeknd’s first feature film that shares the same name of his latest album.

A Futuristic Summa arrives one year after Metro and Future’s chart-topping LPs We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You. The former scored a Grammy nod for best rap album, while the title track for the latter, featuring The Weeknd, earned a nomination for best melodic rap performance. “Like That” with Kendrick Lamar from We Don’t Trust You was also nominated for best rap song and best rap performance.

Listen to Metro Boomin’s A Futuristic Summa below.

Demi Lovato is back in the mainstream music game, with the star’s first pop song in three years, “Fast,” released today (Aug. 1).

Over a club-ready, EDM-tinged beat, Lovato returns to the form of past Billboard Hot 100 hits such as “Cool for the Summer” and “Really Don’t Care” on “Fast,” singing, “I wanna go fast/ I wanna go hard/ I wanna go anywhere, anywhere you are.”

The track arrives after weeks of the musician teasing a return to pop music years after holding a “funeral” for her songs in the genre. Since 2022, Lovato has strictly released rock music, starting with 2022 album Holy Fvck and followed by Revamped, a compilation of the musician’s past pop hits reimagined as rock anthems.

According to a recent report from Rolling Stone, “Fast” is just the precursor for a full album of new pop music Lovato is preparing. The publication says that the vocalist is readying a “celebratory dance-pop” album informed by the singer’s romance with husband Jordan “Jutes” Lutes.

The publication also spoke to their producer on the upcoming project, Zhone, who said, “This album is about letting inhibitions go, and we had so much fun making this music!”

To promote her pop homecoming, Lovato also recently revisited another important piece of the past: The Bigg Chill, a.k.a. the frozen yogurt shop the Camp Rock alum previously visited in 2021 and made headlines for slamming as “toxic” because of its calorie-count displays. The singer apologized for slamming the store at the time, but now amends have truly been made with Lovato posting a video of their dessert run and writing, “love you bigg chill.”

Listen to “Fast” below.

Universal Music Group (UMG) reported strong streaming and publishing growth on Thursday (July 31), with total revenue reaching 2.98 billion euros ($3.38 billion), up 4.5% in constant currency (which excludes losses from foreign currency changes). That was less than half the first quarter’s growth rate of 9.5%, and some parts of UMG’s business — namely physical music and merchandise — didn’t compare well to the prior-year quarter.

Here are some key takeaways from UMG’s second quarter earnings release and a conference call with executives.

Streaming Growth Hit the Target 

Streaming growth is the financial metric that tends to attract the most attention in earnings results, and for good reason. Streaming accounted for about 70% of UMG’s recorded music revenue in the second quarter, and subscription revenue is the single most important determinant of the health of the music business.

UMG’s recorded music division maintained strong subscription growth of 8.5% (in constant currency) in the second quarter, well within its target 8% to 10% range and comparable to the 9.3% growth rate in the first quarter (also in constant currency). The 8.5% growth also compares well to 2024’s quarterly subscription growth rates of, in order, 12.5%, 6.9%, 8.2% and 9.0% (all in constant currency).

It’s important to note that UMG’s subscription results don’t reflect its latest licensing deals with Spotify and Amazon, COO Boyd Muir said during UMG’s earnings call on Thursday (July 31), which allow UMG to influence price increases through its setting of wholesale rates. In the second quarter, growth came mostly from an increase in the number of subscribers, while price increases played a smaller role, according to Muir.

Ad-supported streaming revenue improved 9.1% in constant currency, although as reported (which takes foreign exchange into account), the quarterly numbers haven’t improved much recently. From broadcast radio to satellite radio and streaming, advertising revenues have disappointed in recent quarters. Spotify said as much on Tuesday (July 29): “We’ve simply been moving too slowly,” CEO Daniel Ek said of Spotify’s advertising business during the company’s earnings call.

UMG’s publishing division doesn’t break out subscription revenue, but its digital revenue, which includes all streaming income, jumped 16.2% to 351 million euros ($398 million) and accounted for 62% of total publishing revenue.

Foreign exchange made the numbers look worse

UMG’s total revenue in the second quarter grew 4.5% in constant currency but just 1.6% as reported. Billboard’s article on UMG’s earnings went to lengths to differentiate between “as reported” and “in constant currency” results. That’s because looking only at numbers as reported would give the reader a warped sense of UMG’s performance. By converting results to constant currency, UMG removed the effects of a weakened U.S. dollar.

Thanks to the uncertainties created by President Trump’s tariff policies and Trump’s criticism of the U.S. Federal Reserve, it’s been a rough year for the dollar. In 2025, the euro has lost 9.3% of its value against the dollar and was once down 12.3%. Those changes add nuance to financial results for companies such as UMG, which reports in euros and receives a large portion of its business from the U.S.

Still, while a 4.5% growth rate beats 1.6%, it was less than half the 9.5% growth in the previous quarter and the 9.6% growth in the second quarter of 2024.

Superfan products are delayed, but they’re coming

Labels want to target superfans, but other than Tencent Music Entertainment, streaming services have yet to launch tiers aimed at those high-value customers. Alex Norström, Spotify’s chief business officer, explained the wait on Tuesday when he mentioned the “very high value standards” Spotify has for new products. “We’re making progress for sure, but it’s taking time,” he said.

The topic also came up during UMG’s earnings call, and executives provided a similar message. “Getting the product right is more important to us than launching it too early,” said CEO Lucian Grainge, while Michael Nash, executive vp of digital strategy, said that UMG is “encouraged” by its conversations with streaming services and “deeply engaged with all of our key partners, including Spotify.” But each company is going to move at its own pace. “These partners have product roadmaps and business development requirements around execution, which impact their timing,” Nash added.

Superfan tiers have become a hot topic because they could be a boost for both streaming services and rights holders. UMG’s internal research suggests that 20% of subscribers would upgrade to a superfan tier. And short of constant price increases for all customers, using superfan tiers to generate more revenue from a subset of subscribers is a feasible way to support the revenue growth that companies and investors want to see.

UMG’s Downtown acquisition “will pass” the European Commission review

Grainge sounded confident that UMG’s acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings will receive a green light from European Commission regulators, who are currently reviewing the deal. The way Grainge and UMG see it, UMG’s bid for Downtown is fundamentally different from its 2012 acquisition of EMI Music’s recorded music division, which reduced the number of major label groups from four to three. “Because the combined company will help support the growth and success of independent labels, and there are artists everywhere in what is a very highly competitive artist services space with more than 100 companies, we remain confident that the transaction will pass that review and will be completed before the end of the year,” Grainge said. 

Chris Kirkpatrick says his *NSYNC bandmate Justin Timberlake “showed me a whole new level of strength” in the wake of Timberlake’s announcement that he has Lyme disease on Thursday (July 31).

Kirkpatrick took to Instagram to show support for Timberlake, who struggled with Lyme disease on his recent Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which closed out last night.

“Watching him battle Lyme disease day in and day out, while still getting on that stage night after night, was something I’ll never forget,” Kirkpatrick wrote under a photo of himself, Timberlake and fellow *NSYNC members Lance Bass and JC Chasez. “The long days, the travel, the exhaustion — and yet, he never gave up. No complaints, no excuses — just heart, grit, and pure determination.”

Kirkpatrick added about Timberlake, “That kind of resilience is rare.”

In a vulnerable Instagram post Thursday (July 31), Timberlake shared photos from his time on the road and wrote, “As I’m reflecting on the tour and festival tour — I want to tell you a little bit about what’s going on with me.” 

Timberlake went on to announce, “Among other things, I’ve been battling some health issues, and was diagnosed with Lyme disease — which I don’t say so you feel bad for me — but to shed some light on what I’ve been up against behind the scenes.” 

“If you’ve experienced this disease or know someone who has — then you’re aware: living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically,” he continued. “When I first got the diagnosis I was shocked for sure. But, at least I could understand why I would be onstage and in a massive amount of nerve pain or, just feeling crazy fatigue or sickness. I was faced with a personal decision. Stop touring? Or, keep going and figure it out. I decided the joy that performing brings me far outweighs the fleeting stress my body was feeling. I’m so glad I kept going.” 

Continuing his support, Kirkpatrick wrote: “I couldn’t be more proud to call him my friend. Tour life is already a grind, but doing it while fighting Lyme disease? That’s superhero status.” 

Kirkpatrick concluded his post with, “Here’s to strength, perseverance, and one hell of a tour. Love you little bro.”

Timberlake isn’t the first musician who’s publicly shared his Lyme diagnosis, with Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne, Justin Bieber and more stars also previously speaking about their struggles with the illness.

Ghostface Killah‘s sequel to his critically acclaimed LP Supreme Clientele is on the way.

The Staten Island rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member dropped the project’s first single “Rap Kingpin” today and it doesn’t disappoint.

Produced by Scram Jones, the song’s beat calls back to his classic single “Mighty Healthy” and Eric B & Rakim‘s influential record “Check Out My Melody.” Meanwhile, the title is a reference to his opening verse on Raekwon‘s “Ice Water” where Ghost raps, “Check out the rap kingpin, the Black Jesus/ I know a few n—as sniff coke and caught seizures,” and Supreme Clientele‘s second track “Nutmeg” where he says, “You fake cats done heard it first/ On how I sh—tted on your turf that time/ Cuban Link verse, yo, ‘Check out the rap kingpin,’ summertime fine, jewelry drippin’/ Face in the box, I seen your ear twitchin’,” in the nonsensical flow the album has become synonymous with.

Fans get some of the same vibes from Tony Starks on “Rap Kingpin” as he lays down rhymes like, “Cascade Kids rock more glass, that’ll splash you,” and he says he has a Cam’ron gun with a pink nozzle along with bulletproof Spalding googles. Direct sequels already have a high bar to reach, but he’s getting off to the right foot with this record, and it’s something that he’s aware of.

“Supreme Clientele was a frame of mind and era in time,” he said in a press release. “You could never duplicate that feeling, but you can tap back in. We dug in files from years ago and pulled together a Clientele that is Supreme! Get ready, Supreme Clientele 2 is now.”

Supreme Clientele 2 is set to drop Aug. 22 and will feature guest appearances from Raekwon, Method Man, Nas, GZA, Redman, Conway the Machine, Styles P, M.O.P., and Dave Chappelle.

The project is part of Mass Appeal’s “Legend Has It” campaign where they’ll be releasing albums from Slick Rick, Raekwon, Mobb Deep, Big L, De La Soul, and an album from Nas and DJ Premier.

Slick Rick and Raekwon have already dropped their respective albums Victory and The Emperor’s New Clothes to mostly positive reviews.

Check out the new single below.