JO1 caught up with Billboard’s Tetris Kelly on the red carpet at the iHeartRadio Music Awards 2026.
Cardi B‘s legal winning streak continues. Los Angeles judge Ian C. Fusselman ruled on Thursday (March 26) that Cardi (born Belcalis Almanzar) can recover nearly $20,000 in trial fees tied to her court victory over a security guard who accused her of assault.
According to the ruling viewed by Billboard, the Superior Court of California’s tentative decision was posted prior to Thursday’s hearing, which will allow Cardi to recoup the $19,690.26 legal tab from security guard Emani Ellis, who lost her assault lawsuit against the Grammy-winning rapper in September.
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The five-figure sum will cover Cardi’s costs for “filing and motion fees, jury fees, deposition costs, costs for service of process, court reporter fees, model costs and photocopies.”
Ellis and her attorney, Ron Rosen Janfaza, had been fighting to avoid paying up the nearly $20,000 in fees since November.
Judge Fusselman found the costs to be “reasonable” and rejected Ellis’ motion to dodge the sum in its entirety, ruling that her “unevidenced and legally untethered bad faith argument” against Cardi was non-persuasive. The court additionally ruled that Cardi and her attorney actually provided “substantial evidence in its opposition.”
Back in January, a Los Angeles judge fined Ron Rosen Janfaza $1,500 for violating court orders during the 2025 assault trial. Rosen had quizzed Cardi B about alleged gang ties on the stand despite that line of questioning being barred from the courtroom.
“It was no accident. It was not the result of inexperience or stress,” Judge Fusselman wrote in January’s ruling. “It was a knowing and intentional violation of the court’s ruling.”
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Ellis sued Cardi B in 2020, claiming that she was assaulted by the rapper during an altercation outside a Beverly Hills gynecologist’s office in 2018, where she was working as a security guard at the time. Ellis alleged that the incident turned physical and that a pregnant Cardi left her with a scratch across her face.
The complaint finally went to trial in September, and jurors took less than an hour to reject all of Ellis’ assault claims and cleared the Grammy-winning rapper of any wrongdoing.
“This time around, I’m gonna be nice, but the next person that try to do a frivolous lawsuit against me — I’m going to countersue, and I’m gonna make you pay because this is not okay,” Cardi said following the September ruling. “I work hard for my money for my kids and for people I take care of, so don’t you ever think that you gonna sue me, and I’m just gonna settle and just give you my money. It’s not gonna happen.”
Cardi B is currently on the road for her Little Miss Drama Tour, which continues on Thursday with a second New York show at Madison Square Garden.
Cardi B’s lawyer offered no comment on the ruling, and Ellis’ attorney did not return Billboard‘s request for comment.
3Quency caught up with Billboard’s Tetris Kelly on the red carpet at the iHeartRadio Music Awards 2026.
She’s done it again: Olivia Dean was the big winner at the 2026 MOBO Awards on Thursday (March 26) with victories in three categories.
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The award ceremony recognizes music of black origin and includes a genre-spanning category field. Held at the Co-op Live in Manchester, the event honoured the 30th anniversary of the MOBOs’ first ceremony in 1996.
Dean collected a clutch of prizes during the ceremony. Her sophomore album The Art of Loving won album of the year while breakout hit “Man I Need” earned the song of the year prize. She also collected the best female act award and performed live on the night. These were Dean’s first nominations and wins at the MOBOs. They come hot off the heels of Dean’s win in the best new artist category at the Grammys and a haul of four gongs at the BRIT Awards.
Northampton-born rapper DC3 picked up multiple prizes in the best newcomer category and the best gospel act category.
Jim Legxacy earned the best male act prize, his first major award as a recording artist. His acclaimed mixtape Black British Music was released via XL Recordings in 2025, and he scored three BRIT nominations last month. RAYE won music video of the year for “Where Is My Husband!”, directed by The Reids.
The ceremony featured a number of genre categories, with FLO (R&B act), Ezra Collective (Jazz act), WizKid (African act), Chip (Grime act) and more among the winners. Pharrell Williams was honoured with the global songwriting award and Slick Rick was recognized with the lifetime achievement award.
Alongside Dean, the night featured performances from FLO, Tiwa Savage, Aitch, Myles Smith and more. A special medley performance honouring 25 years of grime featured Chip, D Double E, Wiley, Nolay and Scorcher.
The ceremony was hosted by comedian Eddie Kadi and musician Eve, and broadcast live on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel. Speaking to Billboard U.K. in the lead-up to the event, founder Kanya King said the anniversary was a “testament to endurance and the imagination and power to shape Black culture far beyond the U.K.”
See the full winners at the 2026 MOBO Awards below.
Best male act
Central Cee
Elmiene
WINNER: Jim Legxacy
Nemzzz
Odeal
Skepta
Best female act
Flo
Kwn
Little Simz
WINNER: Olivia Dean
PinkPantheress
Sasha Keable
Album of the year
Central Cee – Can’t Rush Greatness
Ezra Collective – Dance, No One’s Watching
Flo – Access All Areas
Kojey Radical – Don’t Look Down
Little Simz – Lotus
WINNER: Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving
Song of the year
AJ Tracey feat. Jorja Smith – “Crush”
Donae’o feat. Omar, Lemar & House Gospel Choir – “Nights Like This”
Fred Again, Skepta & Plaqueboymax – “Victory Lap”
Jim Legxacy & Dave – “3x”
Kwn – “Do What I Say”
Myles Smith – “Nice To Meet You”
WINNER: Olivia Dean – “Man I Need”
PinkPantheress – “lllegal”
Raye – “Where Is My Husband!”
Tim Duzit – “Kat Slater”
Best newcomer
WINNER: DC3
EsDeeKid
Finessekid
Jim Legxacy
Kwn
namesbliss
Nia Smith
Sekou
Skye Newman
YT
Video of the year
Pozer – “Shanghigh Noon” (Directed by Bas Haselager)
FKA Twigs – “Eusexua“ (Directed by Jordan Hemingway)
Jim Legxacy – “’Father“ (Directed by Lauzza)
Little Simz – “Flood“ (Directed by Salomon Lighthelm)
WINNER: Raye – “Where Is My Husband!“ (Directed by The Reids)
Skepta & Fred Again – “Back 2 Back“ (Directed by Domamanic and Skepta)
Best R&B/soul act
Elmiene
WINNER: Flo
Kwn
Odeal
Olivia Dean
Sasha Keable
Best alternative music act
Alt Blk Era
Blood Orange
Hak Baker
Michael Kiwanuka
WINNER: Nova Twins
Rachel Chinouriri
Best grime act
WINNER: Chip
Jayahadadream
Kasst 8
Ruff Sqwad
Scorcher
Wiley
Best hip hop act
Aitch
Asco
Catch
WINNER: Central Cee
D-Block Europe
Kojey Radical
Little Simz
Loyle Carner
Wretch 32
Youngs Teflon
Best drill act
36
Booter Bee
Chy Cartier
Esdeekid
K-Trap
Leostaytrill
Nemzzz
Pozer
WINNER: Twin S
Wohdee
Best international act
WINNER: Ayra Starr
Cardi B
Clipse
Gunna
Kehlani
Leon Thomas
Mariah The Scientist
Moliy
Tyla
Vybz Kartel
Best media personality
Bemi Orojuogun (Bus Aunty)
DJ AG
In My Opinion
Melissa Holdbrook-Akposoe (Melissa’s Wardrobe)
Nadia Jae
WINNER: Niko Omilana
PK Humble
Remi Burgz
Uche Natori
Winners Talking
Best performance in a TV show/film
Aaron Pierre – Mufasa: The Lion King
Ashley Thomas – Hostage
Ashley Walters – Adolescence
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Damson Idris – F1
Dayo Koleosho – Eastenders
Lennie James – Mr Loverman
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
WINNER: Stephen Graham – Adolesence
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Best African music act
Adekunle Gold (Nigeria)
Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
Davido (Nigeria)
Joshua Baraka (Uganda)
Moliy (Ghana)
Rema (Nigeria)
Shallipopi (Nigeria)
Tiwa Savage (Nigeria)
Tyla (South Africa)
WINNER: Wizkid (Nigeria)
Best Caribbean music act
Ayetian
Lila Iké
Masicka
Shenseea
WINNER: Vybz Kartel
Yung Bredda
Best jazz act
Cktrll
Ego Ella May
WINNER: Ezra Collective
Kokoroko
Nubya Garcia
Yazmin Lacey
Best electronic/dance act
FKA Twigs
Jazzy
Kilimanjaro
Pinkpantheress
Salute
WINNER: Sherelle
Best gospel act
Annatoria
WINNER: DC3
Faith Child
Imrhan
Sondae
Still Shadey
Best producer
Inflo
Jae5
Miles Clinton James
WINNER: P2J
Sammy Soso
Zach Nahome
Global songwriting award
WINNER: Pharrell Williams
Lifetime achievement award
WINNER: Slick Rick
Gather ’round, Weezer fans: On Thursday (March 26), the veteran rockers announced a 32-city arena tour called The Gathering, inviting The Shins and Silversun Pickups to join them on the road this fall.
The tour begins and ends in the band’s home base of California, kicking off Sept. 8 in Sacramento and wrapping Oct. 24 in Los Angeles.
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To celebrate the tour announcement, the band will host events all over their L.A. hometown for Weezer: The Gathering – Initiation Week, including a trivia night at Barney’s Beanery on Thursday night and a pickleball tournament against the band themselves on Monday, plus other surprise moments. (RSVPs are closed for trivia night, but still open for other events here.)
Tickets for The Gathering will start with presales for Citi, Verizon, Mastercard and American Express cardholders as well as the Weezer fan club on Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on sale starting April 3 at 10 a.m. local time at Weezer.com.
Also next week: Weezer will release the new song “Shine Again” on Wednesday from their upcoming, yet-untitled 16th studio album — their first on new label Reprise/Warner Records and their first in five years, since 2021’s Van Weezer.
Find the full list of tour dates for The Gathering below.
Sept. 8 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
Sept. 9 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
Sept. 11 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
Sept. 12 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Sept. 13 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Sept. 15 – West Valley City, UT – Maverik Center
Sept. 16 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Sept. 20 – Saint Paul, MN – Grand Casino Arena
Sept. 22 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sept. 23 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Sept. 25 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Sept. 26 – Laval, QC – Place Bell
Sept. 27 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Sept. 29 – Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena
Sept. 30 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Oct. 2 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
Oct. 3 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
Oct. 4 – Raleigh, NC – Lenovo Center
Oct. 6 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
Oct. 7 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
Oct. 9 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Oct. 10 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Oct. 11 – Orlando, FL – Kia Center
Oct. 13 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena
Oct. 14 – Tampa, FL – Benchmark International Arena
Oct. 16 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Oct. 17 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Oct. 18 – Austin, TX – Moody Center ATX
Oct. 20 – Phoenix, AZ – Mortgage Matchup Center
Oct. 21 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena
Oct. 23 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
Oct. 24 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
Many of K-pop’s biggest superstars will gather in Los Angeles this summer for KCON LA 2026, including TOMORROW X TOGETHER, NCT 127, P1Harmony and more.
As announced Thursday (March 26), the three-day festival will kick off Aug. 14 with NCT 127 as the headliner of a bill featuring KickFlip, SANTOS BRAVOS, TREASURE, &TEAM, from20 & HELLO GLOOM, KEYVITUP and ONE PACT. The next day will be led by ZEROBASEONE with ILLIT, izna, P1Harmony, NCT’s TAEYONG, YEONJUN and RESCENE also set to appear.
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The third and final day of the festival on Aug. 16 will feature headliner TOMORROW X TOGETHER as well as ALLDAY PROJECT, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, JO1, MEOVV and So!YoON!
Most of the acts on the lineup will perform on the M COUNTDOWN STAGE, while from20 & HELLO GLOOM, KEYVITUP, ONE PACT, RESCENE, So!YoON! will take the X STAGE, which is dedicated to amplifying up-and-coming artists on a global scale.
KCON dates back to 2012 and is now held in 14 different locations across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America. Beyond music and the ever-expanding genre of K-pop, the festival also spotlights Korean beauty, food, culture and lifestyle. In 2025, NCT 127, aespa, RIIZE, KISS OF LIFE, MEOVV, NOWADAYS, MONSTA X and more were among the artists on the L.A. lineup.
This year, KCON LA is taking place at Crypto.com Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center. A presale for KCON EXPRESS members will launch April 1 at 10 a.m. PDT on AXS.com, while a general ticket sale will follow on April 3 at 10 a.m. PDT — also via AXS.com.
Check out the KCon LA lineup below.
It’s been a long journey, but BTS is finally back. And in the new Netflix documentary BTS: The Return, premiering Friday (March 27), the K-pop superstars are giving fans an intimate look inside the creation of ARIRANG, the group’s first album in almost four years.
While shooting, director Bao Nguyen was thinking a lot about “the mythology of someone who leaves,” he tells Billboard, suggesting that the band’s massive comeback shares much in common with the story of Odysseus returning home to Penelope. Quite the lofty comparison, though the actual film takes a much more grounded view of the world’s biggest boy band as they establish their “2.0” era. In it, the album’s studio sessions — held over two months in Los Angeles, then continued in Seoul — are captured with surprising transparency, offering an unmediated glimpse at the artistic process as BTS battle exhaustion, creative slumps and disagreements with each other and their label alike.
“I feel like everything about us has changed, at least a little bit,” V says at one point. And while there may be truth to that statement — especially with the members completing mandatory service in South Korea’s military and putting out solo work in the intervening time — through its insightful car chats and grainy camcorder POVs, the documentary serves as a straightforward reminder of why exactly the world fell in love with these seven guys in the first place.
From ongoing struggles with fame to the many difficult conversations that went into the making of ARIRANG, here are seven key takeaways from BTS: The Return.
The University of Southern California (USC) has reached a tentative settlement in Sony Music’s lawsuit alleging its sports teams used hundreds of unlicensed songs by stars like Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Bruno Mars and Travis Scott in Instagram and TikTok hype videos.
A Wednesday (March 25) notice in New York federal court says Sony and USC have agreed to a “settlement in principle” that would end the major label’s copyright infringement claims. They asked a judge to suspend current litigation deadlines so they can finalize and sign the deal, the terms of which have not been disclosed.
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Reps for Sony and USC both declined to comment on the settlement on Thursday (March 26).
Sony sued USC almost exactly a year ago, claiming the school’s various sports social media accounts had posted more than 250 videos featuring more than 170 unlicensed songs owned by the music giant. The list included a slew of No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk,” Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode,” Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” and SZA’s “Kill Bill.”
The lawsuit complained that USC could have afforded to buy synch licenses for these songs, noting that the college sports powerhouse generates more than $200 million in annual revenue. Sony sought the maximum damages of $150,000 per allegedly infringed song, which would total more than $25 million.
In a statement to Billboard at the time, a USC rep said the university “respects the intellectual property rights of others and will respond to these allegations in court.” USC’s pre-settlement court filings focused narrowly on the issue of venue, arguing it was improper for the California-based institution to be sued in New York.
It’s become common practice in recent years for the major record labels to sue owners of corporate social media accounts over music licensing. While platforms like Instagram and TikTok have blanket licenses in place that allow individual users to freely soundtrack their videos from vast libraries of pre-cleared songs, music companies require commercial accounts to purchase synch licenses to use their material.
These lawsuits have roped in such targets as Chili’s, NBA teams and the cookie company Crumbl. The bulk of these cases settle confidentially. Some defendants fight back, though; shoe retailer DSW, for example, recently went on the offensive with a lawsuit of its own, claiming blanket social media licenses should also cover businesses.
Cardi B brought her blockbuster Little Miss Drama tour to her hometown of New York City on Wednesday night (March 25), marking the first of two nights at the iconic Manhattan arena. Naturally, Bardi put on a special show for her city, stacked with special guests, a relentless setlist, and her trademark energy and charisma.
As the lights dimmed over a crowd diligently decked out according to the 35-date trek’s “schoolgirl” dress code, the opening seconds of “Get Up 10” blared through the speakers, setting the stage for an equally celebratory and cinematic night. But this show was deeper than that; last night was also a homecoming moment for one of the most incredible hip-hop come-up stories of the late 2010s. Just under a decade since she exploded onto the scene with “Bodak Yellow,” Cardi returned to the city that gifted her the roots and the tools to become a Grammy-winning rapper who’s also the only female MC to have her first two albums — 2018’s Invasion of Privacy and 2025’s Am I the Drama? — debut atop the Billboard 200.
And those roots were meticulously honored throughout the show. From the Highbridge-indebted grit and bravado that anchored her searing opening run of solo rap anthems, to the Afro-Latin-Caribbean colors and rhythms that grounded the party-rocking third act, nearly every corner of New York City got some love at the Little Miss Drama Tour. She even paid tribute to her strip club days by turning the night’s fifth act into a booty-clapping bonanza, soundtracked by steam cuts like “On Dat Money,” “Thotiana” and, of course, “WAP.”
Drama songs comprised the bulk of the set list, with Invasion of Privacy and her enviable collection of standalone singles and classic guest verses making up the rest. While Megan Thee Stallion was in town for her Moulin Rouge! Broadway stint, the Hot Girl Coach did not pop out for a surprise performance of “WAP” and “Bongos.” Nonetheless, Bardi treated her hometown to Bed-Stuy-bred female rap legend Lil’ Kim and new-school Bronx star Cash Cobain. She also ceded some stage time to Natalie Nunn of Zeus Network’s Baddies franchise — which, in a way, called back to her own pre-“Bodak Yellow” reality TV days.
Here are the seven best moments of the first NYC stop of Cardi B’s Little Miss Drama Tour at Madison Square Garden.
Melissa Etheridge says she approached her new album, Rise, with “all joy” — even though there were some dark matters to be dealt with this time around.
“I hadn’t gone in and made an original album since The Medicine Show [in 2019], so it was a good six, seven years and I hadn’t written about my life and the events and the motions and things that have happened,” Etheridge tells Billboard via Zoom from her home near Los Angeles. Her last album, 2021’s One Way Out, comprised unreleased songs written during her early career.
But this time Etheridge had weighty things to write about.
“I went through the pandemic,” she notes. “I lost my son [Beckett, during May 2020, to complications from opioid addiction]. So I was really analyzing and looking into my life and wanting to write and express it and get it out — to do what I’ve always done. So in 2024 I started gathering things that I was thinking about and going through, experiences.”
Etheridge adds with a laugh that, “In 2024 I told my management, ‘I’m gonna make a record. I know you guys don’t think that albums live anymore or have any place, but I’m gonna make one.’ I believe in the album as an art form. I want to write songs; I want people to put (the album) in their car and take a drive and listen. I want to be in their ears on an airplane. I want them to have 45 minutes with me and lift them up and feel better when they hear this. I want to feel better when I hear these songs.’”
Beckett’s death was, not surprisingly, the first thing Etheridge wrote about for Rise, which she co-produced with Shooter Jennings.
“I had to just write a song [‘Call You’] about losing my son, and how I lived with that,” she explains. “That’s one of the things that I miss; in any sort of loss with anyone, I think, you just go, ‘Oh, I want to call that person. I just want to talk and connect with them,’ and you can’t. But I wanted the song to have hope and really state that even though I’ve experienced this great loss, I can’t stop living and enjoying life. He wouldn’t want me to stop living.
“It’s a very simple song about, ‘Since I can’t call you anymore I’m just gonna take a drive. I’m gonna go to my hometown, I’m gonna dance, I’m gonna go to my garden and grow things — even though, Jesus, this is horrible.’ It’s something I really wanted to model for my other children, and for anyone in the world who’s gone through loss.”
“Call You,” Etheridge adds, was “the ground floor” of Rise, her 17th album overall and first for Sun Records. “I have gone through this, I’ve expressed it and I’m living and I’m loving and I’m surviving and finding a way to not be drowning in guilt and shame,” she says.
“Thriving” could be added to that list. Kicking off with the hard-rocking “Bein’ Alive,” Etheridge declares “there were times I was down on my knees saying this is gonna break me/I chose to survive” amidst a crunch of electric guitars and big beat from drummer Eric Gardner. The equally autobiographical “Matches” follows, starting a cappella and easing into a gentle, rootsy roll. The rest of the album blends upbeat tracks (the bluesy “Don’t You Want a Woman,” the country-flavored “If You Ever Leave Me,” the honky-tonkin’ “Davina”) with heartstring-tuggers such as the title track and the stripped-down, piano-led “More Love.”
“I wanted people who go to my Yes I Am album (six-times platinum from 1993) when they want to feel a certain way, I want them to feel the same way for this album,” says Etheridge, who has two Grammy Awards and an Academy Award to her credit, as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “I want it to become part of the Etheridge repertoire…so there was this constant reminding myself, ‘Melissa, stay in your lane right now. Just stay in what you love to do.’ I didn’t need to experiment. I didn’t need to do anything but write good, solid songs about myself and put it to music.”
Etheridge — who used her current touring band on Rise — adds that Jennings was the perfect partner in that process. “Shooter is a music lover,” she says. “He comes from a music family, of course. He doesn’t interfere. He provides support when it’s needed, and a little bit of guidance. He’d be really moved by it, and really excited. Sometimes you work with a guy who’s like, ‘That’s perfect — let’s do it again.’ (laughs) (Jennings) would just be like, ‘Yes!’ and we’d move on to the next thing.”
Etheridge says her management proposed the idea of a duet for the album, and Chris Stapleton was her sole choice for what became the easy-tempoed “The Other Side of Blue.” “I’d never met him, never talked to him whatsoever, so it was sending that out into the world or whatever,” she recalls. “My manager came back and said, ‘Yeah, he wants to do it.’ So one day I went to Nashville and sat down and started writing with him…off of the conversation we were starting to have. We talked about, ‘Where are you from?’ He told me about his kids, all five of them; it’s crazy how much he loves them. I told him (about Beckett) and he said, ‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ and I said, ‘No, he was my greatest teacher.’ Chris goes, ‘Oh, you talk in songs,’ and that started the whole thing there. I’ll tell ya, it was one of the most uplifting, intense, creative experiences I’ve had in writing.”
Etheridge begins her tour supporting Rise on March 26 in Detroit, with dates currently into the summer, including a run of shows with Wynonna Judd. Also on Etheridge’s docket is her first-ever nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with public fan voting running through April 3. She’s hoping for the best — “It’s great to finally be in the room,” she told us when the nomination was announced in February, “and the rest is up to the voters” — and if elected she’ll certainly serve.
But her real focus now is on Rise and being on the road playing its songs. “I’m changing up my whole show,” she promises.
“I just feel so blessed, ’cause I can do a tour every year and sing songs for people and do what I love so much,” Etheridge says, “I really relate to Bruce Springsteen; he just said, ‘Look, I’m not good at everything else. I want to do this.’ That’s how I feel, so I take this on as my job. I write my life experiences as I’m living it, which helps me keep my music fresh and it gives me purpose.
“I don’t come from the, ‘Oh, I need to write a hit song.’ I can’t do that. I write like me, and I write my experience. It’s made this career really fun for me, and I could not imagine doing anything else.”
