Kanye West’s Chicago ‘Donda’ Event Coming On-Demand to Apple Music

An edited version of Kanye West’s final livestreamed listening session for his 10th album Donda is expected to go live exclusively on Apple Music Tuesday, multiple sources tell Billboard.

West partnered with Apple Music to host two listening sessions at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and another at Soldier Field in Chicago, collectively bringing out well over 100,000 people to hear him complete his latest work. West’s Chicago show set a livestreaming record on Apple Music, with 5.9 million people tuning in to watch the spectacle.

Since the album was released on Sunday, Donda has continued to set records, becoming the first album in Apple Music history to top the charts in over 150 countries.

Donda also became the most streamed album in the U.S. in 2021 on Apple Music in its first 24 hours with over 60 million streams, which helped West land the title for most streamed artist on the service in a day this year. The 27-track album is named after West’s late mother who passed in 2007 at age 58.

The project has also put up significant numbers on Spotify, with Donda pulling in over 94 million streams globally in 24 hours on the service, which is home to 365 million monthly users. (Apple Music last reported having over 60 million users in 2019.)

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R. Kelly’s First Male Accuser Testifies in Sex-Trafficking Trial

After several days of testimony from women claiming they were groomed and sexually abused by R. Kelly, a man took the witness stand at Kelly’s sex-trafficking trial in New York City on Monday (Aug. 30) to say the R&B star exploited him in the same way when he was a high school student.

The witness, testifying in federal court in Brooklyn without using his real name, told a jury how Kelly lured him to his Chicago-area home in 2007 with false offers of helping him with his fledgling music career.

Kelly asked the alleged victim, then 17, “what I was willing to do for music,” the witness said. He replied, “I’ll carry your bags. … Anything you need, I’ll be willing to do.”

“That’s not it. That’s not it,” he said Kelly responded before asking him if he ever fantasized about having sex with men. He described how Kelly then “crawled down on his knees and proceeded to give me oral sex,” even though, “I wasn’t into it.”

Afterward, “he told me to keep it between him and me,” he said.

In a later episode, Kelly snapped his fingers to summon a naked girl from where she was hiding under a boxing ring to give Kelly and the witness oral sex, the man told the jury.

He kept seeing Kelly after that because “I really wanted to make it in the music industry,” he said.

The witness was testifying as part of a cooperation agreement stemming from his guilty plea in a separate case alleging he was part of a botched scheme to bribe a woman to not testify against Kelly. No charges were brought against Kelly related to the scheme.

Kelly, 54, has repeatedly denied accusations that he preyed on victims during a 30-year career highlighted by his 1996 mega hit “I Believe I Can Fly.” His lawyers have portrayed his accusers as groupies who are lying about their relationships with him.

Earlier Monday, a woman testified that Kelly sexually assaulted her at age 17 following a performance in Miami in 1994. The witness, also testifying without using her real name, claimed that Kelly’s cronies took her and a friend to his dressing room after the show before he pulled down her shorts and forced her to have unprotected sex, she said.

“I was in complete shock,” she said. “I didn’t know what to say at all. I basically went blank.”

Afterward, she and her friend “unlocked the door and ran out of there,” she said.

On cross-examination, defense attorney Deveraux Cannick pressed the witness on why, after someone allegedly “raped you,” she waited more than two decades to contact law enforcement.

“Because I didn’t want to feel more shame and trauma,“ she said.

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D-Nice Brings Club Quarantine to the Hollywood Bowl with Common, Isley Brothers and More

One of the most uplifting events to take root during COVID-19’s stay-at-home mandates was D-Nice’s Club Quarantine. The DJ’s game-changing live sets became a culture-raising fixture on Instagram for celebs and music fans alike over the last year, attracting millions thanks to his masterful curation of R&B, soul and hip-hop classics. Last night (Aug. 29), D-Nice brought his online party to the Hollywood Bowl — and kept the house rocking for three hours.

The first stop in a road show series staged in partnership with Live Nation Urban (next up: Brooklyn, Sept. 2; Atlanta, Sept. 3), Club Quarantine Live at the Bowl co-starred Common, the Isley Brothers, Deborah Cox and Trey Songz, among others. Donnie Wahlberg and Chris Spencer co-hosted the sold-out affair during which D-Nice’s deft spinning coupled with the artists’ lively and passionate performances kept the exuberant crowd on its feet the entire time.

A pre-show video montage featuring comments from Club Quarantine fans not only set the evening’s tone but also paid homage to D-Nice for the relief, hope and fun his trips down memory lane provided as the pandemic and social unrest took their toll. Noted one fan, “I don’t know how I would have made it; [Club Quarantine] was a sanctuary.” Added another, “Club Q gave me a new ideology of what life is … If you stay authentic, humble and true to yourself, good guys will always win.”

Holding court atop a tall platform wearing a white suit and ever-present hat (starting with gray and changing later to red), good guy D-Nice kicked off the show with Sister Sledge’s fitting “Lost in Music.” From there he segued into a medley that had the Bowl audience singing along at the top of their lungs: Stevie Wonder’s “Do I Do,” Prince’s “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” Mary J. Blige’s “Just Fine,” Patrice Rushen’s “Haven’t You Heard” and Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.” Between his solo spins, D-Nice welcomed special guests into his VIP section: two white couches located on each side of the stage.

Deborah Cox had fans cheering ecstatically during her powerful performance of her hits “Sentimental” and “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here”; surprise performer Tank (previously announced artists Amerie and Carl Thomas didn’t appear) winningly crooned his way through a sexy and grown set featuring “Maybe I Deserve,” “Please Don’t Go” and “When We.” Trey Songz raised that bar to the next level with the sensual and searing “Can’t Help But Wait,” “Can’t Be Friends” and “Neighbors Know My Name.”

Earlier in the show, emerging star Kiana Ledé sang her platinum-certified “Ex” and the vibey “Rather Be.” She’s the featured guest on the latter, D-Nice’s latest singe from his forthcoming album. Giving thanks for surviving a tumultuous year, gospel singers Karima Kibble and Erica Campbell propelled a spirited praise and worship session that included Mary Mary’s 1999 classic “Shackles” (Praise You).”

Letting his spinning and the fervent audience sing-alongs do most of the talking, D-Nice further revved up the crowd with an homage to his New York City stomping grounds (Puff Daddy’s “All About the Benjamins,” JAY-Z’s “I Just Wanna Love You [Give It 2 Me]”) and HBCU’s (E.U’s “Da Butt”). He closed the inaugural Club Quarantine Live with another Sister Sledge track, “Thinking of You (Dimitri From Paris Remix).” Explained D-Nice, “This is the song that got us — the Club Quarantine family — through the last year.”

Among other choice Club Q moments:

Double Icons: Not one but two mighty legends hit the Club Q stage — the Isley Brothers and George Clinton. Garbed in a glittery cape, No. 34 Lakers jersey and silver helmet-type hat, chief of funk Clinton engaged the delighted audience with riffs on verses and choruses from three of Parliament-Funkadelic’s best-known hits: “(Not Just) Knee Deep,” “Flash Light” and “Atomic Dog.” Helping to close out the show’s last hour, brothers Ronnie and Ernie commanded the stage during a too brief, two-song performance: the sultry “Footsteps in the Dark” and seductive “Between the Sheets.” Resplendent in white — Ronnie dressed in a suit accessorized by a matching chapeau and gold-topped black cane in hand; Ernie in a white head scarf, white pants and silver vest — the siblings adeptly showed that age ain’t nothing but a number.

The Audience: It was difficult to discern who was having the most fun — the artists or the audience. But the audience perhaps had the edge. After 18 months of a forced hiatus, the party-starved crowd was ready to let loose, especially after co-hosts Wahlberg and Spencer hit the stage tot he opening beats of Dr. Dre’s “The Next Episode.” From there it was all systems go as candid shots of fans going to town dancing and singing flashed across the giant video screens flanking the stage. One such fan: This Is Us star Sterling K. Brown during D-Nice’s homage to his New York City stomping grounds with Puff Daddy’s “It’s All About the Benjamins” and JAY-Z’s “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me).”

Star Trio: “This is the party of all parties, right?” declared Common who took the stage after Clinton for a strong set that included him breakdancing and performing his timeless mantra “The Light.” Then the rapper and the funk guru returned to sing along with the ever-fierce Sheila E. during her riveting take on “The Glamorous Life,” which she wrapped with a compelling, standing ovation-earning drum solo.

Salute to Biz Markie: One of the night’s most touching and ethereal moments occurred during D-Nice’s tribute to hip-hop pioneer Biz Markie. Requesting a minute of silence, the DJ/rapper proclaimed that “without Biz, I wouldn’t be on this stage right now. He inspired me to come back. So shine a light right now for Biz Markie.” The sea of camera phone lights shining across the entire venue as the crowd chanted the hook to Markie’s “Just a Friend” spoke volumes.

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Rain Causes Bonnaroo Organizers To Reduce Camping Capacity

As music lovers gear up for Bonnaroo 2021 on Sept. 2-5 at Great Stage Park in Manchester, Tenn., the event’s organizers are reducing the festival’s camping capacity, in anticipation of “significant rain” from Hurricane Ida.

Organizers posted an update on Bonnaroo’s official social media accounts Monday evening (Aug. 30), stating, “Due to the expectation of significant rain on The Farm from Hurricane Ida, and the knowledge that areas of our campgrounds will be rendered unusable, Mother Nature has forced us to reduce our camping capacity.”

Previously, Bonnaroo delayed the opening of its campground area from Tuesday until Wednesday. Those who no longer wish to attend Bonnaroo this year can request a full refund, from now until Tuesday (Aug. 31) at 8 p.m. CT. All current ticket holders will receive an email from Front Gate Tickets with information on how to request a refund.

Among this year’s Bonnaroo performers are Deadmau5, Foo Fighters, Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion, My Morning Jacket, Run The Jewels, Young Thug and Tyler, The Creator.

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Lil Nas X & Tony Hawk Confirm There’s No Bad Blood With New Skate Tutorial

There wasn’t any bad blood between Lil Nas X and Tony Hawk when the two met up and filmed a skate tutorial following the debacle about Hawk’s blood-infused skateboard.

The rapper shared photos of their positive meetup on Monday (Aug. 30), with LNX proudly holding up the sold-out Hawk Blood Deck that has two vials of the legendary athlete’s blood infused with red paint. Last Tuesday, the canned mountain water company Liquid Death revealed the limited-edition product in a graphic video announcement, where Hawk claimed part of the proceeds from the board would go toward “killing plastic pollution and to building skate parks in underserved communities.” He also told Forbes that the inspiration behind the blood-infused deck came from a 1977 Kiss comic book that had real blood in the ink.

Nas took it to the skate park to help out struggling skateboarders on how to perform vert tricks in a TikTok tutorial. But the real trick is spotting Hawk actually performing them as his stunt double. “Nah WE tweakin,” Lil Nas X captioned the moment, a clever play on his previous, ultra-viral “nah he tweakin” comment under Rap’s original Instagram post. On his Instagram Story, Nas shared a picture of the back of the board, which not only contains Hawk’s blood but also his signature. “Montero – we tweakin,” read the short message.

In the spring, to promote his Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” LNX partnered with the New York-based design company MSCHF to launch 666 pairs of limited-edition Satan Sneakers that may or may not have contained human blood in the midsole. Nike followed up with a lawsuit against MSCHF for trademark infringement, claiming the studio materially altered the sportswear brand’s popular Air Max 97 design without permission, which has since been settled.

“Now that tony hawk has released skateboards with his blood painted on them, and there was no public outrage, are y’all ready to admit y’all were never actually upset over the blood in the shoes? and maybe u were mad for some other reason?” the Grammy-winning rapper tweeted last Wednesday in his defense.

See the dynamic duo’s skatepark meet-up below.

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Ghost kitchens haunt Miami’s dining scene. You may be eating from one and not know it

Ghost kitchens are not as spooky as they might sound. Instead, they’re a new concept designed to reduce restaurants’ operating costs by catering only to delivery and, occasionally, takeout diners. … Click to Continue »
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Two men and a boy shot late Saturday night near a food truck in Broward County

An overnight triple shooting in West Park hospitalized two men and a boy in Sunday’s first hours, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said. BSO described their injuries as “not life threatening.” … Click to Continue »
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Man traveling on raft from Cuba saved, Coast Guard says. Three others died on the journey

Braving the Florida Straits on a makeshift raft, four people tried to make it to Florida’s shores from Cuba, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Adrift for more than a … Click to Continue »
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Kanye West Claims Universal Music Group Released ‘Donda’ Without His Approval

Kanye West doesn’t seem pleased with the rollout of his latest album, Donda.

Just hours after Donda arrived on streaming services Sunday morning (Aug. 29), the 44-year-old rapper and fashion mogul claimed on social media that the oft-delayed album was released without his approval by Universal Music Group, the parent company of Def Jam Recordings.

“UNIVERSAL PUT MY ALBUM OUT WITHOUT MY APPROVAL AND THEY BLOCKED JAIL 2 FROM BEING ON THE ALBUM,” West wrote in all caps on Instagram.

Billboard has reached out to Def Jam for comment.

The Donda track “Jail pt 2,” featuring DaBaby, was originally unavailable when the album first appeared on streaming services Sunday morning, but became available later in the afternoon. In a now-deleted Instagram post from early Sunday, West shared screenshots of text messages saying the track was being held up because of clearance issues from DaBaby.

During Ye’s third large-scale listening event for Donda at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Aug. 26, it was revealed that Jay-Z’s verse on “Jail” had been replaced by a new one from DaBaby, who has been under fire for making homophobic and misogynistic comments at Rolling Loud Miami in July. Fans were pleased to learn Sunday that Jay’s verse had been reinstated on the original “Jail.”

Donda, Kanye’s 10th album, was first due on July 23 via G.O.O.D. Music and Def Jam following his first large-scale listening event inside Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium, but then the project experienced multiple delays. Named after the rapper’s mom who died in 2007, Donda comes nearly two years after his ninth studio album, Jesus Is King, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

In addition to Jay-Z and DaBaby, Donda also features numerous high-profile collaborations, including The Weeknd and Lil Baby (“Hurricane”), Travis Scott (“Praise God”), Young Thug and Pop Smoke (“Tell the Vision”), Kid Cudi (“Moon”), Pusha T, Roddy Ricch and Ariana Grande (“Donda”), and more.

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Fans Choose BTS & Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Butter’ Remix as This Week’s Favorite New Music

The remix of BTS’ summer smash “Butter,” featuring Megan Thee Stallion, has topped this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Aug. 27) on Billboard, choosing the team-up between the K-pop boy band and Houston rapper as their favorite new music release of the past week.

The “Butter” remix brought in 76% of the vote, beating out new music by Halsey (If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power), Selena Gomez and Camilo (“999″), Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar (“Family Ties”), Kacey Musgraves (“Justified”), and others.

BTS, who recently graced the cover of Billboard, and Megan Thee Stallion’s remix arrived days after the rapper filed an emergency temporary restraining order against 1501 Certified Entertainment, alleging that her label was blocking her from appearing on a remix of BTS’ Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash “Butter.” On Tuesday (Aug. 24), a Texas judge ruled in favor of the Megan’s request to extend the TRO that permitted her to release the remix. The following day, both acts announced the remix.

“Butter” has been sticking to the top of Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart, where it remains in the week dated Aug. 28. The song, which ruled the Hot 100 for nine weeks and became the longest-running No. 1 of 2021 (so far), is currently in the No. 8 slot of the all-genre tally.

Placing second on the past week’s tally with nearly 11% of the vote was Halsey’s fourth album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. The new set, executive produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, explores themes of pregnancy and motherhood.

Halsey has described the 13-track project as “a concept album about the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth. It was very important to me that the cover art conveyed the sentiment of my journey over the past few months.”

See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.

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