A second federal lawsuit aimed at stopping sports betting in Florida was filed Monday in the District of Columbia, this time with the backing of two of Miami’s most outspoken … Click to Continue »
HARTFORD, Conn. — An ex-U.S. Army Ranger from Connecticut faces extradition to the Netherlands where authorities say he was part of a plot by former and active duty American soldiers … Click to Continue »
When dozens of Florida teachers tried to cash their state-issued $1,000 bonus checks this week, they got a startling response: “insufficient funds.” No, the State of Florida hasn’t run out … Click to Continue »
The Kid LAROI has amicably parted ways with his management at Scooter Braun’s SB Projects and is now being repped by Adam Leber at Rebel Management, a source familiar with the situation tells Billboard.
The 18-year-old Australian-born rapper-singer LAROI had been managed by Braun’s SB Projects since June. He had previously been at Grade A Projects.
LAROI’s track “Stay” with Justin Bieber — another Braun client — is currently the No. 1 song in the country, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks since its July 9 release. The song has also topped topped Pop Airplay, Radio Songs, Streaming Songs, the Global 200 and the Global 200 Excl. U.S. charts. His previous single, “Without You” with Miley Cyrus, reached No. 1 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Adult Pop Airplay charts.
Since LAROI released His F*ck Love EP on July 24, 2020, as a 15-track album that debuted at No. 8 on the Aug. 8, 2020-dated Billboard 200 albums chart, he’s continued to reissue it as subsequent volumes with additional tracks — and great success. It was reissued on Nov. 6, 2020, as F*ck Love: Savage with seven additional tracks and bounded 81-3 on the Nov. 21, 2020, Billboard 200 chart. It was then reissued a third as F*ck Love: 3 on July 23 and again for a forth time as F*ck Love: 3+ on July 27, adding seven and six tracks, respectively, including “Stay,” and finally topping the Billboard 200. The album’s total tracklist now stands at 35.
The Kid LAROI was nominated for best new artist at the MTV Video Music Awards, which were held on Sept. 12. MTV revealed that he was one of the top two finalists for that award, which went to Olivia Rodrigo. Both artists are expected to land Grammy nods for best new artist, among other categories.
Leber — who also manages Lil Nas X, Labrinth and until last month Miley Cyrus — launched Rebel in April in conjunction with Live Nation. He had previously been a partner at management conglomerate Maverick, which he co-founded in 2014 alongside other music management heavyweights Clarence Spalding, Larry Rudolph, Guy Oseary, Gee Roberson, Scott Rodger, Cortez Bryant, Ron Laffitte and Caron Veazey.
Braun and Leber did not respond to request for comment at time of publishing.
BTS are returning to Los Angeles for a mini-residency at the brand-new SoFi Stadium. The international pop stars will bring the BTS Permission to Dance on Stage – LA show to Inglewood, Calif., on Nov. 27 and 28 and Dec. 1 and 2.
The in-person concert will mark the first time BTS have been able to be face-to-face with fans since the 2019 BTS World Tour. The news also arrives on the heels of their recent announcement of the livestream concert BTS Permission to Dance On Stage, which will be held Oct. 24. The October livestream follows the group’s “BTS Map of the Soul On:e” event from October 2020. According to the release, that show was viewed in 191 countries/regions and used AR and XR tech that allowed the septet to interact with their followers via the “ARMY on Air” fan event.
SoFi Stadium is one of the largest music venues in Southern California and fans can begin to get tickets on Oct. 5. According to promoter Live Nation, VIP Ticket purchasers of 2020’s Map of the Soul Tour – North America will get first access to presale tickets starting Oct. 5 at 3 p.m. PT. All other ticket purchasers of the Map of the Soul Tour – North America will get presale access following the VIP Ticket purchasers on Oct. 6.
Members of BTS Global Official Fanclub Army Membership will get access to the exclusive presale on Oct. 7. All other fans will be able to register for Verified Fan presales. Registration to purchase presale tickets for the new tour dates will begin now through Saturday at 6 p.m. PT.
Snoop Dogg has a new album on the way — and one for the kids too.
During his interview on Monday night’s (Sept. 27) Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — premiering exclusively on Billboard below ahead of tonight’s telecast — Snoop discusses his new role as Def Jam executive creative and strategic consultant and announces that he has his own album on the way too.
The project — which will be Snoop’s 19th studio album, following April’s From Tha Streets to Tha Suites — is called Algorithm. It’s coming in November, and it’s “featuring a lot of big-name acts,” Snoop tells Fallon. This will mark the first time Snoop has released two studio albums in the same calendar year.
But that’s not all: He’s also working on a Def Jam kids’ album coming this year too.
“I was a fan of Def Jam Records as a kid, and knowing the talent that they have over there and the opportunity that was waiting on me, I wanted to go over there and give a lot of opportunity to the artists over there to get some information, some wisdom and some guidance from me and then also develop some new acts and give some opportunity,” he tells Fallon of his new role at the legendary label. “So Def Jam was the perfect place for me, considering how much I love it and how much it means to hip-hop and how it really needed somebody like me to change the energy of the building. I’m over there for one reason: to get the music back poppin’ and to make the people feel the way they’re supposed to.”
Snoop was on Fallon to promote his role as a pastor on Starz’s BMF, as well as his voice role as Cousin Itt in The Addams Family 2 film, out Friday.
Watch the full seven-minute-plus chat below. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon airs at 11:35 p.m. ET on NBC.
What role should artists take when it comes to social justice issues? Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Kany García, Cuban artist Yotuel and ChocQuibTown’s Goyo and Tostao come together for a candid conversation on speaking out and against social inequalities in the premiere episode of Billboard’s Cultura Clash.
Hosted by Latin music and culture executive AJ Ramos, episode 1 was filmed live in Miami during Billboard’s Latin Music Week. All four artists have been on the forefront of issues such as domestic violence, Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+ rights and political oppression, using social media and music as their platform to rally for change.
“There are moments when people would want to go out and raise a fist, and that moment should be accompanied by music,” Tostao says.
Most recently, Yotuel’s “Patria Y Vida” became the anthem of unprecedented anti-government protests in and out of Cuba. “Music has a major impact when it comes to social justice issues,” Yotuel adds. “Music isn’t just about numbers on Spotify or YouTube, music moves the conscience and inspires people.”
Speaking out wasn’t always an option for artists, argues García. “If we were talking about the role artists play when it comes to social justice issues 15 years ago, we’d say that the artist should not have an opinion on such matters or become associated with certain topics. But over the past few years, times have changed. We’ve realized that social media platforms aren’t only there to promote our new single or our tour, they’re there to help us move the masses.”
Billboard’s newly announced video series Cultura Clash will spotlight Latin artists and influencers who will be discussing trending topics within the Latin culture and music. The show will provide nuanced views on issues within the Latin space that affect both fans and the industry at large.
Cultura Clash will premiere new episodes every Wednesday on Billboard.com, social media and on Billboard’s YouTube channel. Watch the first episode, in Spanish, on social justice issues above.
Judas Priest has postponed the remainder of their U.S. tour after lead guitarist Richie Faulkner was hospitalized due to his “major medical heart condition.”
“It is with deep regret that we have to postpone the rest of our U.S. tour. Richie Faulkner has major medical heart condition issues which have landed him in the hospital where he is being treated,” read a statement from the band sent to Billboard. “In the meantime, we are all sending love to our Falcon to wish him a speedy recovery… As soon as we have any updates from the doctors on when we can reschedule the dates, we will of course announce them – Tickets will be valid.”
According to their official website, the English heavy metal band’s next show was scheduled for Wednesday at Denver’s Mission Ballroom. Their 50 Heavy Metal Years North American Tour would have concluded in November with a three-show run in Canada, before the European leg would resume Jan. 26, 2022, in Berlin’s Mercedes Benz Arena. It remains unclear if their European dates are impacted by Faulker’s hospitalization.
The 50 Heavy Metal Years Tour is the belated celebration of Judas Priest’s 50th anniversary featuring songs from their last studio album from 2018, Firepower, which went No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums chart and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 — the British metal legends’ highest-charting effort on the all-genre albums tally to date.
On Oct. 15, Sony Legacy will release the Judas Priest 50 Heavy Metal Years of Music limited-edition box set, including remastered versions of every one of the band’s official live and studio album, new artwork, memorabilia, collectible items and a photo book.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Sunday report showed 6,914 COVID-19 patients reported from 262 Florida hospitals. That’s 271 fewer patients than Saturday’s report from 262 hospitals. In … Click to Continue »
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man Sunday, charging him with first-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend. Detectives were first alerted what a relative of Elizabeth Crisanti … Click to Continue »
