This article was created in partnership with Sorin Medical

The loss of several Hip-Hop legends over the past few years has ushered in a somber spirit to the culture. As Hip-Hop turned 50, and with a constant stream of premature health tragedies, a chance encounter on Wall Street between a cardiologist, a health advocate, and a music artist led to The CHECK IN being born.

To help mitigate this ongoing health crisis in the culture, Dr. Joseph A. Puma of Sorin Medical, Health Advocate and Media Personality Kenya Gipson (Coach Kenya), and rapper, Maino decided to tackle some of the disparities in care affecting communities of color “head on” by creating a platform that’s both entertaining and informative. It’s designed to empower individuals everywhere to take the fate of their health into their own hands through a preventative approach. Since most health situations can be treated and avoided if detected early, the program aims to ease some of the anxieties faced daily when it comes to understanding and learning about one’s health to make informed and educated decisions. 

How is The CHECK IN – Hip-Hop’s first health platform – different from other platforms in the space?

The CHECK IN is Hip-Hop’s first health and wellness platform designed, from inception, to change and save lives. By telling real stories of hip-hop artists and others in the game, The CHECK IN educates and informs in an entertaining way. One particular episode features artist and rapper Lady Luck, who had life-threateningly low blood counts that required four blood transfusions; these low counts were caused by chronic bleeding from uterine fibroids, which affect three in five women of color by age 50. Had she waited to connect with Dr. Puma, she would have run the risk of an extremely dangerous and potentially negative outcome. Hearing first-hand accounts from artists and executives in the hip-hop world in this program will highlight symptoms and diseases viewers have possibly never heard of, so they can seek out testing and treatments that could benefit themselves. For example, many signs of coronary artery disease can be missed using traditional diagnostic and stress tests. The advanced CT scan technology is a three-minute, non-invasive test that captures images of the heart and prostate in men, and fibroids in women. With education and awareness, we can reduce the morbidity and mortality of common illnesses that afflict the community.         

What will people experience from The CHECK IN?

Authenticity. Each story featured on The CHECK IN has a unique background and covers real-life health scenarios with real-time solutions. The audience will immediately be able to understand these and relate to themselves and their family in order to take a positive step towards addressing their health. The goal of each story is to create healthier, more positive outcomes in communities of color.

For example, Steven “DJ Suss One” Sussman, a beloved radio DJ in the game who can be heard spinning across the airwaves and on The Sherri Shepherd Show, lost a loved one to heart disease. Like many of us who have lost a parent, it’s critical to consider the genetic connection to diseases. That’s what led him to The CHECK IN, where he underwent Sorin’s state-of-the-art Heart Scan that provides patients with HeartFlow’s AI software imaging technology so they can see firsthand how their heart is functioning. 

Another story told on The CHECK IN is of music moguls like Dame Dash, founder of The America Nu Network, and his journey with Type 1 diabetes since age 15, and also explores the story of music executive Steve Lobel, who shares his recent encounter with a debilitating and near death health scare from prostate enlargement.

The CHECK IN is Hip-Hop, stories, health, and healing all rolled into one platform. Dr. Puma, Coach Kenya, and Maino are bringing the conversation of Hip-Hop and Health to the mainstream. Hopefully, by highlighting all of the resources available to the community and having some of Hip-Hop’s biggest players share their stories, we can help catch health complications early and prevent heart disease where possible, especially those affecting communities of color. To find out more about The CHECK IN and to see their latest episode, you can click here.

Connect: @sorinmedicalny @mainohustlehard @coachkenya

Sony Music Publishing Latin has signed Fuerza Regida frontman Jesús “JOP” Ortiz Paz and his label Street Mob Records. A leading indie label that puts out records in the Música Mexicana genre and beyond, Street Mob boasts a roster of more than 25 songwriters, producers and artists, including Chinco Pacas, Calle 24, Clave Especial and Miguel Armenta.

As one of the leading Música Mexicana groups, Fuerza Regida has helped introduce the genre to new fans around the world. The Mexican-American band’s ascent up the Billboard charts began in 2018, when Radicamos in South Central debuted at No. 35 on Regional Mexican Airplay. Since then, the band has produced a slew of hits, including “TQM,”  “Bebe Dame” with Grupo Frontera, “Sabor Fresa,” “Harley Quinn” with Marshmello and many more. The group’s 2023 album Pa Las Baby’s Belikeada peaked at No. 1 on the Top Latin Albums chart and at No. 14 on the Billboard 200.

This week, JOP will join Billboard’s Leila Cobo in Miami at Billboard’s Latin Music Week as part of the Sony Music Publishing Icon Q+A.

Recently, Fuerza Regida earned eight nominations at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards, including artist of the year and album of the year, while JOP received nominations for songwriter of the year and producer of the year, along with recognition on Billboard’s 2024 Latin Power Player list.

“Partnering with Sony Music Publishing marks an exciting chapter for Street Mob Records,” said JOP in a statement. “This deal shows our commitment to exploring songwriting within Música Mexicana and beyond various genres. It’s a true reflection of the talent at Street Mob and what we’re creating together. With Sony Publishing, we’re building a partnership that aims to inspire the next generation of artists and leave a lasting impact.”

Sony Music Publishing president/CEO, Latin America and U.S. Latin Jorge Mejia said of the deal: “We couldn’t be happier to team up with an artist and executive like JOP and Street Mob Records, in order to help support and develop a fantastic stable of writers within Música Mexicana and beyond. This partnership with Street Mob is visionary and an incredible opportunity for the Sony Music Publishing family.”

Sony Music Publishing Latin director of creative Monica Jordan added: “We are thrilled to embark on this journey with JOP and Street Mob Records. We look forward to working with JOP and the Street Mob roster as they continue to innovate and push the boundaries of Música Mexicana even further.”

TikTok’s decision to boycott Merlin and pursue direct deals with Merlin’s member labels is a troubling move that undermines the rights of labels to choose how their music is licensed. While TikTok frames this shift as a way to tackle streaming fraud, it’s clear that the real motive is to weaken the bargaining power of independent labels and use that leverage to suppress rates.

Merlin has built strong partnerships over the last 16 years with more than 40 digital services worldwide. These partners recognize the value Merlin brings—efficiency, scale, and a deep understanding of the independent music community. TikTok’s move to sideline Merlin is not about protecting against fraud but about undermining the ability of independent labels to achieve competitive terms, not just now but for the long term. The ultimate consequence of its refusal to negotiate with Merlin for the music that earns TikTok billions of dollars, will be to damage artists’ ability to make a living from their art. 

This tactic is not new. It echoes the historical struggles of the music industry with partners such as terrestrial radio and MTV, both of which profited massively from the use of recorded music while refusing to pay artists under the pretext of “promotional value” or “exposure” — ostensibly for the sale of an artist’s CDs or LPs. In this largely digital economy the stream is the sale – and it has been widely reported that TikTok pays rights holders far less than other services for equivalent uses of music. 

Independent labels choose Merlin to license their rights, because of its expertise, experience and track record in striking these kinds of deals. This ensures compensation at levels enabling them to compete with the majors and protects independents from being unfairly exploited. TikTok’s decision to bypass Merlin and demand direct deals is an assault on the freedom of small and medium sized enterprises to determine their own business strategies. The fact that TikTok is giving Merlin members a matter of days to accept TikTok’s terms or lose access to its massive platform, is an unfair exercise of its market power.

This apparent divide-and-conquer strategy is, we believe, designed to keep payouts for indie artists low by exploiting their perceived reliance on TikTok’s platform. It’s not about addressing fraud or improving the digital music ecosystem. In fact, by exponentially multiplying the number of license deals TikTok will need to strike and by losing Merlin as a partner in the fight against fraudulent material, more fraud is likely to ensue. Merlin simplifies licensing, making it easier for platforms to access diverse, independent music. Fragmenting this system hurts artists and fans and will limit the range of music available on TikTok.

At its core, this issue is about respecting the rights of independent labels to determine how their music is licensed. TikTok’s behavior doesn’t reflect a problem with Merlin; it reflects TikTok’s lack of respect for the value of music. Every other major platform has struck responsible deals with Merlin that balance the needs of the service with optimized compensation for artists. TikTok’s refusal to do so sets a dangerous precedent for recording artists and their labels.

TikTok must stop undermining and disrespecting the independent music community. It can do this by working with the labels’ rights management agency of choice to establish a fair, transparent licensing system that benefits all stakeholders in the music ecosystem. Independent labels have the right to choose their representatives to negotiate deals that truly reflect the value of their artists’ creative contributions. Anything less is a disservice to the artists and the fans and undermines the very fabric of music culture.

Dr. Richard James Burgess is an acclaimed musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, composer, author, manager, marketer and inventor, who presently serves as the president and CEO of the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM).

Young Miko, our cover star of the month, spoke with Billboard‘s senior writer Griselda Flores during a Superstar Q&A on Tuesday (Oct. 15) during Billboard Latin Music Week 2024. They discussed their perceptions and experiences in the music industry, their artistic vision and the future of Latin music.

Here are the best ten quotes from the Puerto Rican rapper:

Latin Music Week coincides with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards set to air at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 20, on Telemundo. It will simultaneously be available on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.

BLACKPINK’s JENNIE performed her hit solo single “Mantra” on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Oct. 15, following the song’s recent release.

The track marks the singer’s first release since signing as a solo artist with Columbia Records in partnership with her label ODDATELIER in September.

Performing packed crowd on Kimmel, JENNIE did not disappoint as she gave a high-octane performance of “Mantra” that showcased the pop star’s immaculate vocals and impressive choreography.

It comes after music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Oct. 11) on Billboard, choosing the BLACKPINK singer’s new solo single as their favorite new music release for that week. Despite going up against several hot new releases, JENNIE’s song won the vote by a landslide, coming in at over 81% by the time the poll closed on Sunday.

Voters chose “Mantra” over new music releases from Charli XCX, Halsey, Tyla, Jelly Roll, Becky G, GloRilla and Rod Wave.

JENNIE has had a groundbreaking few years. In addition to releasing long-awaited solo music, she also made her acting debut in 2023 in the HBO drama series The Idol and was named an honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire.

In March 2024, she teamed up with Brockhampton’s Matt Champion to release a brand new collaboration, titled “Slow Motion.”

She announced in December that she is launching a new label and company called OA. “Hi, this is Jennie. This year was filled with many accomplishments, and I’m so thankful for all the love I’ve received,” the K-pop singer wrote on her Instagram Story. “I’m also about what’s to come, as I start my solo journey in 2024 with a company that I have established called OA. Please show lots of love for my new start with OA and of course BLACKPINK. Thank you.”

Check out JENNIE’s performance of “Mantra” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! below.