Kendrick Lamar is expanding his upcoming run of Australian shows, announcing second stadium dates in both Melbourne and Sydney for his 2025 Grand National Tour.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper will now perform two nights at Melbourne’s AAMI Park (Dec. 3 and Dec. 4) and Sydney’s Allianz Stadium (Dec. 10 and Dec. 11), Live Nation confirmed on Tuesday (Aug. 6). The newly added shows will see fellow U.S. artist and Spilt Milk festival alum Doechii join Lamar as support, while original opener ScHoolboy Q will continue in his slot for the first night in each city.

The forthcoming shows will be Lamar’s first visit to Australia since The Big Steppers Tour in 2022, though unlike his current run of North American dates, they will feature Lamar in solo mode, with two different support acts, as opposed to his co-headlining status with SZA.

His return comes off the back of a dominant start to 2025, with his viral diss track “Not Like Us” becoming the longest-running No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and spending multiple weeks at No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Lamar held three songs in the ARIA Top 10 — “Not Like Us,” “Luther,” and “All the Stars” — reflecting his sustained commercial and cultural impact in the region.

Lamar’s Australian fanbase has remained strong since his early good kid, m.A.A.d city era, and his 2025 chart success has further amplified interest in his long-awaited return. Industry observers point to a record-breaking run of sold-out shows across North America and Europe.

In February, Lamar swept five awards at the 2025 Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Not Like Us.” He also delivered one of the most talked-about performances at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, cementing his place as a defining live performer of his generation.

The newly announced Australian shows will cap off an extensive international leg that includes dates in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Colombia throughout September and October, alongside festival appearances. Lamar and Doechii are also set to appear on the 2025 Spilt Milk Festival lineup, performing in Canberra, Ballarat, Perth and the Gold Coast across late November and early December.

Presented by Live Nation and pgLang, the Grand National Tour is one of the biggest global touring projects of the year, with an emphasis on high production value, political messaging, and artistic direction that blends music, visuals, and choreography into a multi-layered experience.

Tickets for the new Melbourne and Sydney dates go on general sale at 1 p.m. AEST on Monday, Aug. 11 (Melbourne) and 2 p.m. AEST (Sydney) via grandnationaltour.com. A 48-hour Vodafone pre-sale begins on Thursday, Aug. 7 at 11 a.m. for Melbourne and 12 p.m. for Sydney.

Kendrick Lamar – 2025 Australia Tour Dates

Saturday, Dec. 3 – AAMI Park, Melbourne (Support: ScHoolboy Q)
Sunday, Dec. 4 – AAMI Park, Melbourne (NEW DATE, Support: Doechii)
Saturday, Dec. 10 – Allianz Stadium, Sydney (Support: ScHoolboy Q)
Sunday, Dec. 11 – Allianz Stadium, Sydney (NEW DATE, Support: Doechii)

Col Joye, the pioneering musician and ARIA Hall of Famer renowned for his bringing rock and roll to the top of the local charts for the first time, has passed away at the age of 89.

Born in Sydney in 1936 as Colin Jacobsen, Joye first began his journey into the world of music in 1957, performing as part of his brother Kevin Jacobsen’s group, the KJ Quintet. 

After being invited to perform at the Jazzorama in the Sydney suburb of Manly, the group’s plans to change the name to Col Jay and the Playboys were swiftly nixed in favor of the soon-to-be-famous moniker of Col Joye and the Joy Boys.

Though later regretting this name change, the group forged on, and in 1959 Joye and his bandmates hit No. 1 on the Sydney charts with “Bye Bye Baby.” That same year, they became the first Australian artist to hit No. 1 om the national charts with “Oh Yeah Uh Huh,” which enjoyed four weeks at the top.

Further top ten hits followed, with the group becoming staples of television program Bandstand throughout the ’60s, ahead of Joye’s final chart-topper, 1973’s “Heaven Is My Woman’s Love.”

Alongside his work on the performance side, Joye and brother Kevin were noted entrepreneurs, setting up their Joye Enterprises and Joye Music companies, alongside their label and talent agency ATA.

One of the biggest successes in this field came by way of their signing of the Bee Gees, who came to their attention following a 1961 performance in Queensland. 

The Bee Gees would later become the first Australian act to have a song hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 with the release of “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” in 1971. The group would repeat that feat a further eight times over the following decade, while the members’ younger brother Andy Gibb (himself an ATA signee) would hit number one three times on his own.

In 1988, Joye was one of the inaugural inductees into the ARIA Hall of Fame, sharing the honor with fellow acts such as Joan Sutherland, Johnny O’Keefe, Slim Dusty, AC/DC and songwriting and production duo Vanda & Young. 

“From music to TV, publishing to concert promotion, artist management and live performances, Col Joye made a remarkable contribution to Australian music for more than six decades,” ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd said in a statement.

“At a time when the local industry was dominated by US and UK artists, he proved that Australians would embrace local artists and local music. Our deepest condolences go to Col’s family. He will be sadly missed.”

Soulja Boy has been released from custody two nights after his arrest during a traffic stop in Los Angeles, with prosecutors determining that there’s not enough evidence to charge the rapper with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The 35-year-old “Crank That” rapper (DeAndre Cortez Way) was arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning (Aug. 3) while riding in the passenger seat of a vehicle that was pulled over in West Hollywood, Calif. Police said they spotted a gun in the car and booked Soulja Boy on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm (the rapper has a criminal record for previous weapons violations).

But Soulja Boy was released from custody just before 2 p.m. PT on Tuesday (Aug. 5) after prosecutors opted not to bring charges against him, according to city jail records. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office tells Billboard, “A case was declined due to insufficient evidence.”

The rapper tacitly celebrated his release with an Instagram story, writing, “First day out” against a plain black backdrop. Soulja Boy’s legal reps did not immediately return a request for comment.

Soulja Boy was convicted in 2014 for carrying a loaded firearm in public. While he was initially sentenced to probation, the rapper was later arrested for violating the terms of that probation and served 240 days behind bars in 2019.

He’s also faced a series of civil lawsuits for alleged sexual assault and domestic abuse in the years since the success of “Crank That,” which spawned a viral dance craze and spent seven weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in 2007.

Soulja Boy has already lost two trials over these abuse allegations, and he’s facing down jury verdicts totaling more than $4 million in cases brought by his ex-girlfriend Kayla Myers and an anonymous former personal assistant. Another anonymous ex-girlfriend has a pending civil lawsuit claiming Soulja Boy beat her while she was pregnant with their child.  

Myke Towers and Quevedo propel “Soleo” to the top of Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as the song jumps a spot to No. 1 on the list dated Aug. 9.

Their first collab, “Soleao” (which translates to “sunny” in English), was released May 20 on One World International/Warner Records/Warner Latina. It leads the way in its ninth chart week, after an 11% growth in audience impressions, to 9.1 million, across U.S. panel-contributing Latin radio stations in the tracking week of July 25-31, according to Luminate.

Towers claims his 15th Latin Airplay champ, and third consecutively of 2025, after one-week rulers “Otra Noche,” featuring Darell (February), and “Degenere,” featuring Benny Blanco (May).

Further, Towers adds to his satchel of wins as he accomplishes a third trio of No. 1s in a single year. Rewind to 2021, when (after landing two early chart-toppers, for that matter) the Puerto Rican delivered a streak of three straight No. 1s: “Bandido,” with Juhn; “Pareja del Año,” with Sebastián Yatra; and “Bésame,” with Luis Fonsi, that June, August and November, respectively. In 2024, Towers replicated the success with another trio of consecutive No. 1s: “Borracho y Loco,” with Yandel; “La Falda”; and “La Capi,” between that February and May.

Meanwhile, Quevedo makes a comeback to No. 1 on Latin Airplay. He previously led, for four weeks, with “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” with Bizarrap, in 2022.

Beyond its Latin Airplay coronation, “Soleao” likewise lifts 2-1 on Latin Pop Airplay. There, Towers tallies a third No. 1 and Quevedo, his first. Further, the song adds a second week atop Latin Rhythm Airplay.

Banda Carnaval Ignites Regional Mexican Airplay: Elsewhere on the Latin charts, Banda Carnaval secures its eighth No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay, and second of the year, as “Ya La Hice” bounds 9-1 with 6.6 million audience impressions, up 47%, in the tracking week. The act’s “Pude” led for a week in March.

“We are deeply grateful to our fans for taking ‘Ya La Hice’ to No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart,” Banda Carnaval tells Billboard. “This song represents a very special moment for us, and seeing it connect with people in this way fills us with pride and emotion. Thank you to everyone who has made it their own, to the composers for this great story, and to our team who continues to believe in our music. Let’s go all the way with Síganme Tirando!”

“Ya La Hice” earns Greatest Gainer honors, awarded to the song with the largest week-over-week increase in impressions at the format. Leading the charge during the tracking period are Univision stations, with standout support from KSCA-FM Los Angeles, KLNO-FM Dallas, and WOJO-FM Chicago.

Cara Lewis Group (CLG) has hired agent Ashley Ventura, who will bring her clients to the independent agency.

“CLG is an obvious fit for her talents,” said founder/CEO Cara Lewis in a statement. “The entire Cara Lewis Group team is thrilled to have her as a valued addition. We look forward to continuing our mantra of artist development, creating stars and long lasting careers.”

Ventura has worked as an agent in the hip-hop and R&B space for more than five years, previously working at MAC Agency. A press release announcing her hire described her as a “proven” leader and “one of the newest, most exciting agents in the industry.”

“I’m thrilled to be joining the Cara Lewis Group and to continue pushing culture forward alongside such a respected team,” added Ventura. “This new chapter marks an exciting step in my journey, and I’m looking forward to building with incredible artists and creating what’s next.”

Ventura will be bringing a number of talented artists to the CLG roster, including hip-hop icon French Montana and reality TV star and rapper Bhad Bhabie. Her other clients include Atlanta rapper Anycia, Bay Swag, Bktherula, Gashi, K Camp and Kentheman, all of whom are following her to CLG.

CLG’s roster currently includes Eminem, Travis Scott, Khalid, Don Toliver, Clipse, The Roots, Russ, Jill Scott, Ludacris, Ice Spice, BIA and Erykah Badu. Lewis is one of the most successful independent agents in hip-hop, having spent more than 20 years at William Morris as a partner, where she built the urban-pop division before joining CAA’s music department.