Former MTV VJ Bill Bellamy is paying tribute to his former colleague Ananda Lewis, who died this week after a yearslong battle with breast cancer at age 52.

The comedian and actor talked to TMZ after the death of his beloved friend and influential television host, whom he referred to as his “little sister” and had nothing but heartwarming things to say about.

“Ananda had a really warm soul,” he told the outlet. “There was something about her that was very comforting and you could just sit there and kick it with her. And she wasn’t stiff or stuffy or anything — her beauty didn’t even matter, it was actually an introduction to who she was. I just feel very, very heartbroken to get that kinda news about her because she was such a good person and just gave us the best of her.”

He then brought up the important work early in her career when she hosted BET’s Teen Summit for three seasons before she took a gig at MTV. Teen Summit talked about issues plaguing the youth during the ’90s, and Lewis played an important role in the show’s success during her time as host.

“Teen Summit was a big deal,” Bellamy said. “Her show was really, really, really pivotal at that time because it was a voice of the youth [where they] talked about social issues and cultural issues, and she was that beautiful sista, intelligent, talented, her smile would light up a room.”

He continued by saying that the two quickly became friends when she headed over to MTV because of their similar cultural background. “When she came over to MTV, it was kinda dope because it’s like now we got two African-American people on this channel representin’ and we both always felt that we had to represent the culture and that’s when I knew she was my girl, because we knew at an early age that the opportunity we had on television was monumental and that we were representing our culture in a positive way.”

He added that her versatility in who she was able to interview was unique, and he compared her to legendary journalist Barbara Walters. “She would do obviously the music as well, but then she would jump off and do her really dope interviews,” Bellamy said. “She was like to me the Black Barbara Walters, because Ananda could sit down and have a dope ass intelligent conversation with you where she could rock out, from Obama to Lil’ Kim to whatever. She was nice like that. And so, for me, I always rooted for her because I just thought that this is what we need to see.”

Lewis interviewed then-first lady Hillary Clinton on Teen Summit in 1996, during which they talked about topics like healthcare and abortion — which was a big deal, because folks of that stature rarely engaged with shows that focused on minorities and inner-city youth in that era. The former host remembered that important episode on her YouTube page in 2016. You can watch it below.

The controversial cover of Sabrina Carpenter‘s new album Man’s Best Friend has gotten people talking, including the women on The View.

On Thursday (June 12), the ladies shared their takes on whether the artwork — which features the pop star down on all fours, pawing at a man who holds a fistful of her hair — is subversively feminist or just plain sexist. For Alyssa Farah Griffin, it’s the former.

“Oh, boo-hoo,” she began of the criticism surrounding Carpenter’s visual. “If you listen to her music, she’s a feminist. It’s all about women’s empowerment. Her newest single, ‘Manchild,’ is literally just about men who are useless who refuse to grow up.

“It reminds me of Britney Spears in the ’90s … are we still doing that?” Griffin added.

Sunny Hostin, on the other hand, isn’t convinced. “I’ll admit, I don’t know who she is,” she said of Carpenter. “I had never heard of her music. I don’t know anything about her, but I don’t know. I think imagery is important, and even if her lyrics are strong and she’s a feminist, I think about young girls seeing that who may not understand.”

The women’s conversation echoes a much broader discussion happening online about the Man’s Best Friend cover, which Carpenter unveiled Wednesday while announcing that the new LP would drop Aug. 29. The two-time Grammy winner has long had a reputation for being cheeky and a little risqué in her lyrics and performances, from her NSFW “Nonsense” outros to the striking of various sex positions while performing the explicit track “Juno” on her Short n’ Sweet Tour.

But while the Internet is torn over whether Carpenter’s submissive position on the Man’s Best Friend cover is funny or degrading, Whoopi Goldberg was more concerned with something else. “I would’ve bit him,” the actress said of the singer’s pose on The View. “If you’re down there, you bite.”

As for the Girl Meets World alum, Carpenter has her own thoughts on leaning into her sexuality through her pop persona. “It’s always so funny to me when people complain,” she told Rolling Stone in a recent cover story. “They’re like, ‘All she does is sing about this.’ But those are the songs that you’ve made popular. Clearly you love sex. You’re obsessed with it.”

Watch the women of The View debate Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend cover below.

Nelly and Ashanti rekindled their romance in 2023, about 10 years after originally breaking their relationship off. It’s been a busy two years since, with the couple tying the knot and welcoming their son, Kareem “KK” Haynes, in July 2024.

The “Body On Me” collaborators are set to pull back the curtain and give fans an authentic look into the highs and lows of their relationship with their upcoming Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together reality series, which comes to Peacock on June 26.

It’s an eight-episode series that will go behind the scenes of Nelly and Ashanti’s lives as they “rekindle their love, navigate the ups and downs of being newlyweds and new parents, and juggle their careers,” per a synopsis of the show.

The first trailer for the series arrived on Thursday (June 12), featuring Nelly and Ashanti going back and forth about a myriad of topics surrounding their relationship and lifestyles. “With our lives moving so fast, we’re not perfect,” the St. Louis hitmaker admitted. “But we can work our way through it.”

Ashanti and Nelly began dating in 2003 and split for what they thought was the final time around 2013. Life is all about second chances, and they rekindled the flame in 2023. Kareem Haynes is the “Foolish” singer’s first child and Nelly’s fifth.

The music powerhouse couple is onboard as executive producers of We Belong Together alongside Jenny Daly, J Erving and Lauren Lazin with Critical Productions LLC.

“I think we both were pretty much doing what we do, but sometimes being separate you understand one another more,” Nelly told Love and Hip Hop‘s Rasheeda and Kirk Frost last year. “You be like, ‘Yo, let me see exactly what they see.’ You know, because we all can be defensive sometimes in our own relationships. We know we wrong but we going to stand on it. But we all a victim to that.”

Watch the trailer below. Look for We Belong Together on Peacock on June 26.

Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.

This week: Sly & the Family Stone’s streams are way up following the passing of the group’s iconic bandleader, Coldplay sees a heartbroken deep cut go viral for its frontman’s rumored real-life heartbreak, Beyoncé gets a bump for a song she’s not even playing on tour and more.

Sly & The Family Stone’s Streams Up 563% Following Sly Stone’s Death

The legendary Sly Stone died earlier this week (June 9) at age 82, leaving behind a seismic impact on the worlds of funk, rock and soul. Though sadly brief in his run as a prominent recording artist – the original lineup of Stone’s signature outfit Sly & the Family Stone fell apart within a decade, and Stone became reclusive not long thereafter – his imprint on future generations of artists remains indelible, with a pair of undisputed classic albums (1969’s Stand! and 1971’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On) and countless classic singles. 

Unsurprisingly, following his death, fans flocked to streaming services to revisit Sly & the Family Stone’s most beloved works. His catalog combined for 2.5 million U.S. on-demand audio streams over Tuesday and Wednesday, the two days following his death – up 563% from 385,000 streams over the same period the previous week, according to Luminate. Among the most-streamed classics across those two days: “Everyday People” (up 168% to 326,000 streams, following a Cher-and-Future-assisted bump two weeks ago), “Dance to the Music” (up 408% to 174,000) and “Thank You Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Agin” (up 378% to 169,000). – ANDREW UNTERBERGER

Coldplay’s ‘Sparks’ Receives a Streaming Boost Post-Breakup Reports

Last week, news broke that Coldplay’s Chris Martin and actress Dakota Johnson had reportedly called it quits after eight years of on-and-off dating. Although the couple has not publicly commented on the reports, Coldplay has spent the past few weeks playing stadiums as part of their years-long Music of the Spheres tour — and Martin’s performance of the heart-wrenched song “Sparks” during the shows has inspired some post-breakup gawking, and a significant streaming boost.

“And I know I was wrong/ But I won’t let you down/ Oh yeah I will, yeah I will, yes I will,” Martin sings on the track from Coldplay’s 2000 debut Parachutes, which he performs in a stripped-down version on acoustic guitar during the stadium tour. After the band performed for two nights at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium last week and at Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High on Tuesday night (June 10), TikTok clips began to surface focused on Martin’s pained facial expression during the song’s chorus, with one popular clip captioned, “Homie is heartbroken.”

Whether it’s capturing true feelings or just a projection, the viral boost has translated to streaming services, where “Sparks” earned 1.5 million U.S. on-demand audio streams on June 9-10 — a 64% increase from its streaming total during the previous Monday and Tuesday, according to Luminate. We’ll see if the 25-year-old track can keep surging, although Coldplay will play a pair of stadium shows in El Paso this weekend — and many phones will once again be trained on Martin during one of the show’s more emotional moments. – JASON LIPSHUTZ

YG Eyes Comeback Hit with Shoreline Mafia-Assisted “Hollywood” 

With their fast-rising new Hollywood single, Cali rap stars YG and Shoreline Mafia (currently comprised of OhGeesy and Fenix Flexin) are looking to keep the West Coast’s Kendrick Lamar-fueled momentum going for the rest of the year. 

The new single, which dropped on May 23, appears to be another (more upbeat and danceable) taste of the forthcoming project YG teased with March’s “2004.” Featuring an assist from Shoreline Mafia and bars directed at Joey Bada$$ (“All the pretty hoes gon’ play this/ Joey Bada$$ gon’ hate this”), “Hollywood” is an easy song of the summer contender that’s quickly taken over socials. On TikTok, the official “Hollywood” sound has garnered over 10,000 posts, thanks to the music video’s viral Storm DeBarge-crafted choreography. 

According to Luminate, “Hollywood” earned 3.28 million official on-demand U.S. streams in its first full week of release (May 23-29). The following week (May 30-June 5), that figure jumped by 53.5% to just over five million official streams. On the Jun. 14-dated Bubbling Under Hot 100, “Hollywood” debuted at No. 3, a promising sign for the rest of its chart run. Should its growth continue, “Hollywood” could land YG his first Hot 100 entry as a lead artist in nearly three years. – KYLE DENIS 

Nearly a Decade Later, Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’ Fan Favorite Gets Its Day in the Sun 

“All Night,” the sweeping ballad that wraps up Beyoncé’s forgiveness narrative on her blockbuster 2016 Lemonade LP, has been a fan-favorite for nearly ten years. Now, thanks to a viral Cowboy Carter mash-up, it’s become something of a streaming hit. 

On April 14, TikTok user @cowboydanny posted a mashup of “All Night” and Cowboy Carter’s “Tyrant,” laying the latter’s lead vocals over the former’s instrumental and drawing a connection between the songs’ shared theme of redemption. The moving mash-up quickly went viral on TikTok amongst the Beyhive, eventually spreading to the platform at-large once the Cowboy Carter Tour kicked off two weeks later on April 28. On TikTok, @cowboydanny’s original post has collected over one million views, while the accompanying sound plays in around 35,000 posts. On YouTube, the creator’s official upload of the mashup boasts nearly 640,000 hits. For the past eight weeks, “All Night” has seen a steady, gradual resurgence on streaming as a new generation of consumers discover the Lemonade visual album for the first time. 

During the week of April 11-17, “All Night” earned just under 940,000 official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate. Six weeks later (May 30-June 5), that number ballooned by 76% to over 1.65 million official streams. Even though Beyoncé does not perform “All Night” on the Cowboy Carter Tour (she does, however, perform “Tyrant”), the song is still connecting with listeners and gaining new fans nine years later. – KD 

In collaboration with Billboard, Montauk Yacht Club has announced the return of its Marina Music Series, kicking things off with NEIL FRANCES on June 21 and continuing with Paco Versailles on July 5, with more talent announcements yet to come.

The Marina Music Series will bring a string of live performances to the East End all summer, following a 2024 season that featured sets from Anderson .Paak, St. Lucia and more.

Los Angeles indie electronic duo NEIL FRANCES are coming to Ocean Club Montauk at 10:30 p.m. ET on June 21, while Paco Versailles — the duo of guitarist/composer Vahagni and songwriter/producer Ryan Merchant (Capital Cities) — will bring their flamenco-disco fusion to Sunset Pier for a golden-hour set at 5 p.m. ET on July 5.

If you’ll be in Montauk, you can reserve a spot for NEIL FRANCES here and for Paco Versailles here, or reach out about VIP table reservations for larger groups. You can also keep tabs on future summer events at MontaukYachtClub.com/happenings. (Table reservations, hotel guests and marina members have priority access and guaranteed entry; GA guest list is based on capacity and not guaranteed entry.)

At the concerts, guests can enjoy specialty mocktails, cocktails and sparkling energy drinks powered by Bloom Nutrition.

Built in 1928, Montauk Yacht Club is the largest luxury hotel and marina in the Hamptons, spanning 16 acres, with 106 hotel rooms and more than 230 boat slips on the historic Star Island.