Despite bans on corridos in Mexico and a crackdown on immigrants stateside, Latin music continues its upward trajectory in the U.S. and beyond, according to Luminate’s Mid-Year Music Report published Friday (July 18), which measures consumption for the first six months of 2025, through July 3.
After ending 2024 ranked as the No. 5 core genre in the U.S. in terms of total consumption (although Latin is music in Spanish and not a genre per se, it is identified as a core genre by Luminate), Latin preserved its No. 5 spot in the first half of the year. However, its on-demand audio streams grew 7.8% over the same six-month period in 2024, to 59.4 billion. Overall, Latin’s market sharepoint change was +.25, the second largest growth of any genre behind only rock and outpacing both country and Christian/gospel.
All told, an analysis of several metrics in the report shows that Latin music, which as recently as a decade ago was still a modest niche genre in the U.S., is now playing with the big kids in the sandbox and continues registering major and consistent growth markers, both in consumption and as a percentage of the overall market.
Latin’s growth in the first six months of the year was largely fueled by regional Mexican music, the subgenre with the second highest growth rate in terms of volume, behind only alt rock.
Regional Mexican was also the sub genre with the second-largest percentage growth — 32.95% — outpacing alt rock, hard rock and Christian music and behind only the Broadway subgenre. Beyond Mexican music, however, Latin rhythm registered robust 16.25% growth — a rebound from its negative 3.8% last year. Although this is likely due in large part to the Bad Bunny effect, it shows that reports of reggaetón and urban ceding major ground to other genres were overblown. Despite being heavily touted, Latin tropical grew more modestly, by 6.16% — a sharp decrease in growth compared to the past three years — and surprisingly, Latin pop decreased by 1.29%.
Outside the U.S., things got exciting for Latin. In Luminate’s ranking of the Global top 10 countires, ranked by overall streaming volume (Total On-Demand Audio + Video), two Latin countries finished in the top five: Mexico was No. 3, with 226 billion streams, only slightly behind India’s 235.5 billion streams; and Brazil was No. 4, with 195.4 billion, far surpassing No. 5 Germany, which had 115 billion streams.
Those rankings are different from the ones on the IFPI’s year-end report for 2024, which uses different methodologies. Still, Brazil and Mexico also made it into the IFPI’s top 10 ranking, with Mexico edging out Australia to land at No. 10. This is excellent news for Latin both as a producer and consumer of repertoire.
These successes in no way mean the Latin industry should get complacent. When it came to U.S. current music (music 18 months old or newer), Latin’s share of the pie actually shrank by 1.1% compared to the first six months of 2024. This is a much smaller loss than that shouldered by R&B/hip hop, but it signals that fans’ tastes are quickly changing, and that the market needs to adapt to continue enticing those listeners.
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Planning a trip to Atlanta? In our guide, you’ll find the best places to stay, eat and explore the city’s rich history of music and culture. More commonly known these days for the birthplace of trap music and many modern-day artists like Future, Young Thug, 21 Savage, Lil Baby, Gucci Mane, Migos, 2 Chainz and Jeezy, Atlanta has an even deeper imprint on music that exceeds the genre and era. From James Brown to Mariah Carey to CeeLo Green to Gladys Knight, the city of Atlanta has given us many iconic superstars over the decades and its impact is felt throughout the city.
With so many things to explore like iconic music venues, one-of-a-kind museums, and cultural landmarks, a weekend is hardly enough time to fully take in everything Atlanta has to offer. However, we’ve created a fun 48-hour itinerary that will give you a great slice of culture that A-Town has to offer.
Checking In: The Candler Hotel Atlanta, Curio Collection by Hilton
The Candler Hotel Atlanta, Curio Collection by Hilton
Courtesy of The Candler Hotel Atlanta, Curio Collection by Hilton
With a city filled with history, the most historic stay for travelers is the Candler Hotel Atlanta, Curio Collection by Hilton. Built by Coca-Cola founder and former Atlanta Mayor, Asa Griggs Candler in the early twentieth century, the building was Atlanta’s first downtown skyscraper and the city’s tallest building at the time. It was also initially used for offices, including those of Coca-Cola. There was even a rumor that the brand’s famous Coca-Cola formula was hidden away in the building’s basement.
In 2019, the location was remade into a 17-story steel beauty infusing classic style and art deco glamour with a sweeping marble staircase, Tiffany windows and a stunning pink-marble reception desk inspired by the pink marble found in the hotel’s basement during renovations. There are also plenty of amenities and restaurants to keep you entertained without leaving the building.
For dining, By George is a must-visit for your stay. This sleek restaurant is located in the building’s former bank and is headed by celebrity chef Hugh Acheson (of Top Chef and Iron Chef Canada) and serves locally sourced Southern cuisine with a mix of French flair. For more historic charm, the restaurant’s name pays homage to the building’s original architects, George E. Murphy and George Stewart.
The Candler Hotel is located minutes from a lively downtown Atlanta with many sights like the Georgia Aquarium, State Farm Arena and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
First things first – breakfast! Start day one at the popular downtown restaurant, Atlanta Breakfast Club. Treat yourself to their delicious fried chicken and waffles or try their signature “Georgia Peach” meal featuring crispy all-natural chicken breasts, a Belgian-style waffle, fresh peach cobbler sauce, shortbread crumble, powdered sugar, and vanilla butter.
Once your stomach is filled, go walk it off at the Georgia Aquarium nearby. With over 11 million gallons of water, you’ll find everything from tiger sharks and whale sharks to African penguins, bottlenose dolphins, and sea lions. For adults only, the Aquarium hosts “Glow Nights,” an 18+ event that includes live music, signature cocktails, and glowing décor throughout the Aquarium after hours.
Other great daytime activities downtown include walking through the Coca-Cola museum, as well as checking out the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame. The monument honors African Americans and Black people worldwide for their achievements in music and entertainment. Initial honorees included icons Quincy Jones, James Brown and Otis Redding. Currently, many of hip-hop’s best like Jay-Z, Beyonce, Usher, Mariah Carey, Pharrell Williams OutKast, and Lauryn Hill are all honorees. For the full list of nominees, see here.
In the evening, let’s head over to the vibrant Summerhill neighborhood that’s just south of downtown. Decorated with colorful murals and art, this quaint area is home to the city’s most exciting restaurants. At the heart of Summerhill is Georgia Avenue, a lively street filled with incredible eats like Little Bear. Owned by Michelin’s Young Chef Award winner Jarrett Stieber, this cozy, brick-lined eatery features a rotating menu with international dishes, plus beer & cocktails.
Other great food options to check out in the area include the trendy Thai eatery, Talat Market, a southern-global hotspot Southern National, the brewpub Halfway Crooks and a laidback barbecue joint called Wood’s Chapel. If you have a sweet tooth, head over to Little Tart Bakeshop and its soft serve ice cream sister, Big Softie.
Day 2: Trap Museums & Live Music
To start off day two, head over to the Inman Park neighborhood to treat yourself to delicious coffee and donuts at Revolution Doughnuts. After stuffing your face with their delicious peach sliders, take a quick car ride over to Wax N’ Facts, a historic music shop serving up new and classic records, CDs, turntables and other music gear since 1976. A staple location in the area, Wax N’ Facts used to house the record label of co-owner and Georgia Music Hall of Famer Danny Beard. DB Recs released records such as the B-52’s 1978 debut single “Rock Lobster” before shuttering in the ‘90s. If you’re a music lover, this store is a must during your visit. For more landmarks like this, check out our music lover’s guide to Atlanta here.
Once you grab some classic vinyls, it’s time to go appreciate more modern hip-hop music at the Trap Music Museum. The space is a unique gallery specializing in the exploration of Atlanta’s most polarizing music genre, trap. Guests will step inside a recreated “trap house,” complete with a replica drug dealer living room, a crack cooking kitchen, an armed walk-in closet, a jail cell and escape room. To be clear, the museum isn’t glorifying violence or drug use, but exploring the origins and harsh realities that helped birth the music genre and its storytelling.
Not far from the Trap Music Museum is Miller Union, a delicious New American eatery with a farm-fresh, Southern-accented menu in a country-modern space. Perfect for dinner, this refurbished warehouse turned restaurant is cranking out a seasonal American menu with Southern twang. To start, go with their seared spätzle with corn, poblano chile, parmesan and tajín, as well as the merguez spiced kofta with bbq sea island red peas, summer slaw and white BBQ. Then tuck in to a seared, herby braised duck breast and save room for their award-winning desserts, especially the seasonal cake served with ice cream.
With a city known for its music, its only right to go catch a live show. In the A, there are plenty of famous music venues within the city to choose from. We recommend Tabernacle, a former church renovated into a staple concert hall since 1996, or Center Stage, which is located downtown and features not one but three music venues within the facility. Choose between the more intimate 300-capacity Vinyl space, the 650-capacity Loft area, or the larger 1,050-capacity Center Stage Theater. Many superstar artists have graced the Center Stage including Adele, Jay-Z, Beck and 21 Savage.
After the show, make sure to hit Metro Diner downtown for some late night eats as you make your way back to the Chandler Hotel.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-07-21 20:51:232025-07-21 20:51:2348 Hours in Atlanta: Where to Stay, Eat & Explore the City’s Rich Music Culture
A kaleidoscope of sonic innovations and bold lyrical statements, K-pop songs in 2025 have already proven to be a year where artists’ confidence in their sound and messages has an unmistakable, unshakable boldness.
Acts like JENNIE, IVE, NMIXX, ONEW, BBGIRLS, STAYC and ALLDAY PROJECT flip the scripts on stardom, stereotypes and social expectations with anthems that are as empowering to listen to as they undoubtedly are for the artists to sing. Meanwhile, groups like SHINee, SEVENTEEN, DAY6, ATEEZ, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, JUSTB, ONE PACT, MEOVV, and KickFlip saw their members contributing across production, arrangement and lyrics to craft undeniable messages and sounds.
Zooming in, newly debuted acts like KickFlip and CLOSE YOUR EYES have churned out earworm hooks and unexpected genre dives, staking their claim alongside fellow next-generation boy bands like ZEROBASEONE and ONE PACT, ushering in a promising wave of male groups on the horizon. Elsewhere, rising female troupes like H1-KEY, MEOVV, and RESCENE demonstrate how new girl groups continue to set new trends with pristine soundscapes.
Moreover, beloved artists like ITZY leader YEJI and NCT superstar MARK secured their solo debuts to demonstrate new sides of their artistry, as the former leaned into her passion for dance, while the latter offered up an experimental, multifaceted musical exploration of his life. Both artists offered new ways for audiences to connect with them on a more personal level and crafted compelling records all their own.
With so many musical achievements from the K-pop industry already this year, which songs stand tallest among the best? Billboard‘s 25 best K-pop songs released in 2025 so far are below.
Rapper Ca$h Out (born John Michael Hakeem Gibson) has been sentenced to life in prison plus a 70-year sentence for racketeering, rape and sex trafficking charges tied to Gibson allegedly running a prostitution enterprise.
According to WSB-TV, the “Cashin’ Out” rapper was sentenced during a hearing in Atlanta court on Monday (July 21) after being convicted by a grand jury last week. Ca$h Out’s mother, Linda Smith, was reportedly also sentenced to 30 years behind bars while the rapper’s cousin, Tyrone Taylor, received life in prison plus 70 years for his involvement in the trafficking enterprise.
According to court documents viewed by Billboard, Ca$h Out’s racketeering charges date back to 2013 while he was charged with trafficking in 2018 and rape in 2019. The 34-year-old also faced charges for aggravated assault, aggravated sodomy, firearm possession as well as misdemeanors for pandering and pimping.
“For the rest of my life, I will fear that he will kill me, all because I wouldn’t do what he wanted me to do,” one victim reportedly told the courtroom.
Ca$h Out took the stand on Monday and faced the judge to once again deny the charges and heinous accusations levied against him. “I was able to see how the jurors are put in a tough position to sit there and judge someone’s life,” Ca$h said. “It’s a hard decision and I felt like they made the wrong judgment. I’ve done things in my life — I’m not perfect, but the things I’ve been accused of I know I haven’t done those things.”
He continued: “During this trial, I was able to see how valuable life is… Sometimes I let people stay around who I knew was going to affect a situation I had going on. For the people who came to this trial I never met a day in my life… [I] don’t even know where most of these stories came from, it’s baffling.”
Ca$h Out, a Georgia native, rose to prominence in 2012 with his breakout trap anthem “Cashin’ Out,” which cracked the Billboard Hot 100’s top 40 and topped the Hot Rap Songs chart. The Epic Records signee caught another Hot 100 hit in 2014 when “She Twerkin” reached No. 98 on the chart.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-07-21 20:36:002025-07-21 20:36:00Rapper Ca$h Out Sentenced to Life in Prison on Racketeering & Sex Trafficking Charges
Rapper Sean Kingston’s mother is begging a federal judge for a lenient prison sentence after the mom-son duo were convicted of running a fraudulent scheme to effectively steal high-end cars, jewelry and other luxury goods.
In a court filing Friday (July 18), attorneys for Janice Turner asked Judge David S. Leibowitz to sentence her to only 30 months — far less than the 63 to 78 months recommended by sentencing guidelines. They say even the low end of that range would be an excessive punishment for a 62-year-old with “a myriad of health issues” and “minimal criminal history.”
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“Ms. Turner will go to prison; she has earned the prison sentence,” her lawyers write, adding emphasis in their filing. “However, a sentence greater than thirty months is a waste of taxpayer resources based upon the history and characteristics of Ms. Turner.”
Later in the same filing, Turner’s lawyers cite letters from supporters that described her as “Mama Kingston,” a figure who served as a “pillar in her community” and had been a “motherly figure whose home was a refuge.”
“Ms. Turner fed the hungry, clothed the less fortunate, and encouraged those who had lost their hope,” her lawyers write. “Her generosity and love for others did not have a limit, and she exemplifies a life lived of service to the public.”
Kingston, best known for his chart-topping 2007 hit “Beautiful Girls,” was convicted in March along with his mother of defrauding luxury goods vendors of more than $1 million in merchandise, including a Cadillac Escalade and a massive LED television.
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According to prosecutors, Kingston and Turner exploited his celebrity status to convince vendors to deliver goods without immediate payment, either by “promising to place his victims and their products in social media promos” or by “name-dropping high-profile celebrities as potential referral clients.” When payment was due, Kingston or Turner would text them fake wire transfer receipts, falsely suggesting that the money had been sent.
Following a trial in March, it took jurors less than four hours of deliberation to convict the pair of one count of wire fraud conspiracy and four counts of wire fraud. A sentencing hearing is currently scheduled for Aug. 15.
According to court records, a pre-sentencing report prepared by federal probation officers recommends that Turner face a sentence between 63 and 78 months. The actual report remains under seal, but prosecutors disclosed those basic details in court filings.
In Friday’s filings, Turner’s lawyers called that length of sentence “wholly unnecessary” to punish her for her crimes. They said that none of the stolen items were “for her personal gain,” and that she was almost certain to be deported to Jamaica on top of any eventual prison term: “She will be separated from her family and the friends she has.”
In addition to seeking a shorter sentence, Turner also asked the judge to recommend that she be sent to a Miami-area prison so that she can be visited by her friends and family: “The love and support resulting from Ms. Turner’s family and friends being able to visit her while in custody will allow her a greater chance of positive matriculation through the prison system,” the filing reads.
Prosecutors have not yet filed their own sentencing request. But their most recent court filing — an objection to the probation report arguing that it omitted certain victims and undercounted losses — suggests they’ll oppose Turner’s bid for a lenient sentence. A spokesperson for the Miami U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment.
Probation officers have prepared a similar pre-sentencing report for Kingston, but it remains under seal, and details have not been disclosed in other filings.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
The list of celebrity-owned beauty brands keeps expanding.
From hair care to nail polish and everything in between, musicians have launced beauty lines informed by their own experiences in the beauty world, offering unique perspective on product and how it’s used.
For starters, you’ve got Ariana Grande who launched her dreamy makeup line R.E.M. Beauty in November of 2021 and Becky G who unveiled her Treslúce makeup brand in the summer of the same year. Selena Gomez’s line Rare Beauty was conceived as far back as 2019. The ladies aren’t the only music acts making noise in the beauty world. Machine Gun Kelly, Harry Styles, Tyler The Creator and Lil Yachty released nail polish lines and Pharrell debuted his Humanrace skincare line in 2020. As recent as June of this year, Shakira dropped a haircare line called Isima inspired by her Latin roots.
With so many options to choose from, we decided to narrow things down a bit to make it easier for you to shop the brands launched by your favorite music artists. See the list below, and for more beauty-related shopping recommendations, be sure to read our list of celebrity beauty brands.
When it comes to beauty and lingerie, Rihanna’s reign just won’t let up. The billionaire beauty maven launched Fenty Beauty in 2017. Since then, the Fenty Beauty roster has ballooned to include an array of Fenty Skin products including toners, moisturizer, body butter, toning serum and eye cream. And of course, Fenty Beauty’s must-have gloss bombs, foundations, highlighters and makeup brushes are a hit among makeup lovers. You can shop Fenty Beauty’s beauty, skincare and hair products at Fenty Beauty’s website, Sephora and Ulta Beauty.
Jennifer Lopez took her time creating JLo Beauty. The singer-actor spent over a decade working on the brand before its officially debuted last year. Prior to the launch, Lopez went through over 100 rounds of product development to carefully craft her line of sumptuous serums, cleansers, hydrating cleansers designed to “work as hard as you do.” JLo Beauty retails from around $60 to $200. You can purchase JLo Beauty items at Revolve.
Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty line is designed to make you feel good – without covering up those unique features that make you stand out. The vegan and cruelty-free beauty line carries everything from lip paints and bronzer to makeup brushes and hair clips. You’ll also find primer, eyeliner, mascara and foundation in the Rare Beauty collection. And the best part? Everything retails for less than $30. You can shop Rare Beauty at Sephora.
About Face Matte Fluid Eye Paint in Vertigo Flowers
Makeup without rules. Halsey’s About Face line is about empowering self-expression. The line contains high-performance, vegan and cruelty-free products for your face, lips and eyes. Best-sellers from the line include the About Face Shadowsticks (available in pearly or matte), and Matt Fluid Eye Paint (pictured above) which is available in more than a dozen vibrant colors. You can shop About Face at Ulta Beauty and the brand’s official website.
Lady Gaga Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Foundation in 300 Medium Neutral
Welcome to Lady Gaga’s Haus! Mother Monster has always had a flare for theatrics, so a makeup line feels like a natural fit for the pop star. The native New Yorker credits “experimenting with makeup” with helping harness the inner confidence that inspired her to create Lady Gaga. As for Haus Labs, the line was founded in 2019 as Haus Laboratories.It initially launched exclusively on Amazon. In June 2022, the brand recieved a rebrand, re-launching with a new focus on “clean artistry” in collaboration with Sephora. The beauty line now includes everything from their viral Triclone Skin Tech Foundation to their ultra-pigmented Color Fuse blushes. You can shop the Gaga-backed brand on Sephora.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-07-21 20:14:522025-07-21 20:14:52From Rihanna to Lady Gaga: 6 Artists Who Launched Their Own Makeup-Specific Lines
Village People previously gave Donald Trump the green flag to use “Y.M.C.A.” in his campaign efforts, but a recent video featuring the song shared by the president may have just crossed a line in the eyes of the disco group.
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Shortly after the POTUS shared a fake, AI-generated video on Truth Social of former president Barack Obama getting arrested while the band’s iconic 1970s hit plays in the background, Village People shared its thoughts on the matter in a joint statement to Peopleon Monday (July 21). “While we don’t want ‘Y.M.C.A.’ to be used for political endorsements of any kind, President Trump merely sharing a video containing our song does not meet the standard for copyright infringement,” the members said.
“However, we will attempt to find the original person or entity who posted the offensive video featuring President Barack Obama, and have such video taken down as not being endorsed by Village People, nor any of the owners of the copyright,” the group added.
In the controversial video, digital renderings of Trump and Obama sit together in the Oval Office. As faux FBI officers suddenly come into view, the twice-impeached chief of state smiles unnaturally while the Democratic politician is handcuffed and carried out of frame.
The clip — which also features a montage of Democratic party leaders repeating the phrase, “No one is above the law” — then cuts to AI-generated shots of Obama standing behind bars, wearing an orange jumpsuit. The former president has never been arrested, though the sitting POTUS is a convicted felon.
This isn’t the first time Trump has platformed misleading AI-generated content. Last August, he shared false images that led supporters to believe that Taylor Swift had endorsed him for president, something the pop star later rebuked while throwing her support behind Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
Much like the AI materials he’s shared, “Y.M.C.A.” has also become a hallmark of Trump’s second term in the White House. The billionaire often used the track at his events and rallies leading up to his 2024 election win, and — despite previously requesting that he stop — Village People has signed off on his affinity for the song.
“The Trump campaign knew they had obtained a political use license from BMI and absent that license being terminated, they had every right to continue using Y.M.C.A.,” founder Victor Willis said in a December statement on Facebook. “The financial benefits have been great as well as ‘Y.M.C.A.’ is estimated to gross several million dollars since the President Elect’s continued use of the song. Therefore, I’m glad I allowed the President Elect’s continued use of Y.M.C.A. And I thank him for choosing to use my song.”
The following month, Village People performed “Y.M.C.A.” at the president’s pre-inauguration rally in Washington, D.C., where Trump joined the band members and danced along on stage.
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In 2010, six years into his career as a music agent, Mike Marquis was a punk-rock fan who did not want to sign punk-rock bands. My Chemical Romance, New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday and the rest had come and gone, and music had moved on. “Any genre that has a gigantic breakout moment, whether it’s emo in the 2000s, or EDM in 2012, or nu metal in 1999, it just can’t exist forever,” says Marquis, now of CAA. “That bubble, culturally, pops.”
Still, he remained a fan of punk and emo band All Time Low, which he signed in 2018 even though it hadn’t had a hit single since 2009’s “Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don’t)” or a hit album since 2012’s Don’t Panic. But it turned out like buying a stock before the market took off: Punk came back, the band’s “Monsters” was No. 1 on Alternative Airplay for 18 weeks during the pandemic, and “Sleepwalking” hit No. 1 on that chart in 2023. “I have a 10-year-old son. To him, All Time Low is this old cool band,” Marquis says. “When I process ticket requests for my friends’ kids, they want to see Gracie Abrams, but they also want to see Green Day.”
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After hip-hop’s and EDM’s longtime cultural dominance, punk, pop-punk and emo bands are experiencing a commercial comeback — their first in decades.
When We Were Young — a festival first held in 2017 in California and now based in Las Vegas whose headliners include blink-182, Panic! at the Disco and All Time Low — recently added a second day in October due to high ticket demand. As of June, the Warped Tour, which shut down in 2018 after nearly 25 straight summers of punk bands, sold 240,000 tickets for its comeback shows in Washington, D.C.; Long Beach, Calif.; and Orlando, Fla., and announced it would return next year.
Punk bands make the bulk of their revenue from concert ticket sales and “an absolute killing on merch,” says Ali Hedrick, agent for Lambrini Girls. And the bands taking advantage of this surge in audience size with 2025 tours include blink-182, Social Distortion, Yellowcard, Less Than Jake, Black Flag, Bad Religion and a Johnny Rotten-less Sex Pistols.
“Our business is bigger than it’s ever been, as far as live shows are concerned. It’s definitely a really good time to be in a pop-punk band,” says Jaret Reddick, frontman for Bowling for Soup, also on tour this year. “We all had records that came out 20 years ago and everybody is celebrating these anniversaries. There’s a nostalgic aspect.”
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That wistfulness may also explain why the reissue of My Chemical Romance’s landmark 2004 album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, hit No. 6 on the Billboard 200 in June, selling 37,000 albums in its first week, according to Luminate, more than three times its first-week sales in 2004.
Kevin Lyman, founder and producer of the Warped Tour, which is working with EDM festival giant Insomniac to promote this year’s events, says he doesn’t think punk’s popularity “ever went away,” adding, “Does it drift back into the underground once in a while? Yeah. And all of a sudden, someone pops out with a song or sound that crosses over.”
Erin Kelly-Burkett, whose longtime punk label, Fat Wreck Chords, recently partnered with Hopeless Records to put out albums by established label stars such as NOFX, is among those genre veterans who says punk’s “cyclical” rebound is at least partially due to the current political climate. “When people feel let down by their government — when they feel their interests are not being represented — they look for community. Punk rock’s always been at the heart of that,” she explains.
Ken Casey, frontman of Boston’s venerable Dropkick Murphys, has spent 2025 trashing President Trump as a “rat and a coward,” among other insults — and the band’s new For the People hit the top 10 on Spotify’s rock album chart and Apple Music’s pre-add chart. Its lead single, “Who Will Stand With Us?,” scored 826,000 Spotify plays and 350,000 YouTube views in its first six days. “Our streaming numbers have never been bigger,” says the band’s manager, Jeff Castelaz.
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Castelaz, who is also harshly critical of the Trump administration, suggests more punk-rock stars should follow Casey in revealing “what they stand for.” Invoking classic bands like The Clash and Subhumans, which emerged during the similarly heavy-handed Margaret Thatcher era in Britain, he says, “Punk rock is a great pressure-release valve for society. It’s one of the reasons punk has always been with us.”
But Michael John Burkett, the NOFX frontman known as Fat Mike, who is also a partner in Fat Wreck Chords, says the current political atmosphere has had a chilling effect on the genre. “How politics are right now, it’s not good for punk rock,” he says. “A lot of bands are scared because of Trump and his followers. They love to hate and take revenge.”
Another reason for punk’s recent resurgence: Exciting new bands, including Turnstile (hardcore), The Paradox (pop punk), The Bug Club (indie rock) and Lambrini Girls (a combination of those) have been going viral, selling out club tours, playing festivals and opening for established headliners.
After forming in Atlanta a year ago, The Paradox covered cartoon theme “What’s New Scooby-Doo?” (a minor 2021 hit cover for Simple Plan) on TikTok and landed millions of views, en route to a social media following of 811,000 on TikTok and 833,000 on Instagram. Since then, manager Darrion Tate has helped the band sign with CAA and its label, Hundred Days Records, and land slots on Warped Tour and When We Were Young as well as opening dates this fall with All Time Low. In Tate’s view, the new punk audience is a combination of rebellious Rise Against fans and more laid-back Simple Plan fans. “There are people who just want the music and are sick and tired of the politicization,” he says. “Some of this music is just feel-good music.”
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who endeared himself to millions playing Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show from 1984 (when he was just 13 years old) to 1992, died on Sunday (July 20) afternoon at the age of 54.
Warner died by accidental drowning after a current pulled him out into the ocean off the coast of the Limón Province, according to a report from Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department, per the Associated Press.
In addition to his Emmy-nominated acting on The Cosby Show, Warner also worked as a poet and musician, winning a Grammy Award in 2015 for his work on Robert Glasper’s Black Radio 2; alongside Glasper and Lalah Hathaway, Warner won the best traditional R&B performance Grammy for a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Jesus Children” on the acclaimed album.
At the 2023 Grammy Awards, Warner was nominated for another Grammy, best spoken word poetry album, for Hiding In Plain View, an LP credited to Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Miles Long (his fourth album overall). “My band, Miles Long, is a jazz-funk spoken word band,” Warner told Billboard in 2015. “There’s jazz sensibilities, but I’m a bass player, so I’m very much into the head-bobbing vibe with sophisticated lyrics. I’ve always been a poet. My dad went to Lincoln University with Gil-Scott Heron, so I came out of the womb listening to Gil-Scott Heron. I’ve been writing all my life and playing bass came later on, when I was about 26. What I recognized with poetry and music that I had a different voice — there were things I wanted to express that I could not as an actor or even as a director. It was another avenue of expression that my soul needs.”
In addition to poetry, acting and music, Warner also worked as a director throughout his career, helming music videos for New Edition (“N.E. Special Edition,” 1989) and Brooklyn rapper Special Ed’s “I’m the Magnificent.” In 2024, Warner, Weusi Baraka and Candace O. Kelley started the Not All Hood (NAH) podcast to discuss the lives of Black Americans.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-07-21 20:14:502025-07-21 20:14:50Malcolm-Jamal Warner, ‘Cosby Show’ Star & Grammy Winner, Dies at 54
Since its June 20 release, KPop Demon Hunters has morphed from a Netflix curiosity into a multimedia phenomenon: the animated musical focused on a K-pop girl group, HUNTR/X, who slay demons in between selling out arena shows, has not only become a smash streaming film but has spawned seven hits on the Billboard Hot 100 from its soundtrack. On this week’s chart (dated July 26), “Golden” reaches a new peak of No. 4, while songs like “Your Idol,” “How It’s Done” and “Soda Pop” continue to perform well on daily U.S. and global streaming charts.
Below, executive music producer Ian Eisendrath shares how “Golden” came together — and what it’s been like witnessing the soundtrack’s multihit takeover.
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“Golden,” positioned as girl group HUNTR/X’s new single in KPop Demon Hunters, has established itself as the film’s biggest hit. Have you been surprised by that?
Not at all. “Golden” was a song that we kept looking for — it had to be something transcendent, that functioned as the characters establishing what they want and were going to pursue for the rest of the film, but that pursuit could not be what they ultimately learned and achieved. But then, it was also their hit single! We felt like it had to be an aspirational pop song that we could get the audience to believe in and want for HUNTR/X.
Before it became a potential real-world hit, “Golden” had to follow the age-old movie trope of sounding like a hit single in a fictional world.
And it had to be a smash! This was a film that was made by Korean hit-makers, and the song couldn’t be our approximation of the K-pop hit — it actually had to be one. When I first heard Black Label’s [production], it had the exact right energy, and then we threw it to [co-writers] EJAE and Mark Sonnenblick. The melody EJAE wrote, that became the pre-chorus and back half of the chorus for “Golden,” is so emotional. The film directors [Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans] were amazing to work with, but they were tough customers because they knew exactly what they wanted. But the first time I played “Golden” for them, they were like, “That’s it.”
“Golden” is one of seven KPop Demon Hunters songs to reach the Hot 100. What’s it like watching so many songs from the soundtrack become hits?
Truly thrilling and surprising. [Sony Motion Pictures Group music president] Spring Aspers put together this incredible stable of artists, from Teddy Park to Steven Kirk to Jenna Andrews to Lindgren. I’ve always believed in the songs and thought they would pop — but not like this.
A version of this story appears in the July 19, 2025, issue of Billboard.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-07-21 19:26:422025-07-21 19:26:42Why the ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Directors Held the Music Team to ‘Tough’ Standards
