Kid Rock loves to dunk on his haters, but the bullgod didn’t seem to like being the butt of a joke at the Academy Awards. The rapper-turned-rocker-turned-MAGA-country crooner didn’t take kindly to Oscars host Conan O’Brien taking a mild swing at him during Sunday night’s (March 15) awards show, when the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend star tweaked Rock during his monologue.

“I should warn you, tonight could get political,” O’Brien said at the top of the show during a monologue that took some pointed shots at Timothée Chalamet’s ballet/opera gaffe controversy, as well as tweaking Netflix boss Ted Sarandos and absent best supporting actor winner Sean Penn.

“And if that makes you uncomfortable, there’s an alternate Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock,” O’Brien added. “It’s at the Dave & Buster’s down the street.”

The “Don’t Tell Me How To Live” singer didn’t like that jab one bit. In a response on X, Rock (Born Robert James Ritchie), 55, wrote, “I love a good joke, even when I am the butt of it, unfortunately this was not a very good one.”

Rock was reacting to the dig that took a playful swing at last month’s Turning Point “All-American Halftime Show,” which featured Rock playing two songs in front of what appeared to be a sparse audience in a pretaped livestream meant to counterprogram Bad Bunny’s record-setting official halftime show that featured guests Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin.

Rock also took aim at the time what he called the “fake news media” for suggesting he was lip-syncing during the set that included a glitchy “Bawitaba,” in which his rapping didn’t seem to lineup with the audio feed, blaming it on an alleged editor’s error in post-production.

While Rock promoted his livestream as an the event for people who “love football, love America, love good music and love Jesus,” the tune-in for his alternative has racked up 21 million views on YouTube to date, versus the YT tune-ins to date for Benito’s set, which has more than 125 million views. According to co-producer Roc Nation, the uplifting performance by the one of the world’s most popular performers is the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show of all time with a global viewership record of 4.157 billion worldwide views in the first 24 hours across global and U.S. broadcasts, as well as YouTube and other digital properties.

Rock ended his response with a plug for his upcoming Freedom 250 Tour — The Road to Nashville, which is slated to kick off on May 1 at Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas, Texas with a lineup that also includes Brantley Gilbert and Them Dirty Roses.

See Rock’s response below.

The Lollapalooza lineup for 2026 is finally here, and — from Charli xcx to Lorde, JENNIE, Tate McRae and Olivia Dean — it features some of the biggest names in pop.

As revealed Tuesday (March 17), the annual Chicago music festival will feature the “Girl, So Confusing” remix collaborators working it out at the top of the bill, with the Canadian pop star, “Man I Need Singer” and BLACKPINK band member as co-headliners. The Smashing Pumpkins and the XX are also listed at the top of the lineup.

Other major acts heading to Grant Park in the last weekend of July are Lil Uzi Vert, Turnstile, sombr, The Neighbourhood, Yungblud, Beabadoobee, Ethel Cain, Empire of the Sun, Major Lazer, aespa, the Chainsmokers, Disco Lines, Not for Radio, Leon Thomas, Clipse, Muna, Zara Larsson, Geese, Freddie Gibbs, Wet Leg, Worship, Blood Orange, Suki Waterhouse, I-Dle, Alison Wonderland, 5 Seconds of Summer, Kettama, Hot Mulligan, Mustard, Audrey Hobert, Sienna Spiro, Amber Mark, Slayyyter and Finn Wolfhard. Plus, Monaleo, Sidepiece, Wolf Alice, Notion, Ayybo, Cameron Whitcomb, Between Friends, Adéla, Riordan, Loathe, Mother Mother, Julia Wolf, Wunderhorse, Haute & Freddy, Los Retros, PartyOf2 and Justine Skye are on the lineup.

The weekend festival will take place July 30 through Aug. 2. Lolla also announced Tuesday that 2026 will be the first year it introduces several “premium hospitality experiences,” which include Northside Suites, Suites at Perry’s and the Speakeasy Lounge and offer private lounges, curated dining options and VIP amenities.

See the full Lollapalooza 2026 lineup below.

When BTS dropped the ARIRANG tracklist on March 4, most eyes went straight to the star-studded producer credits that include Diplo, Ryan Tedder, Kevin Parker and Mike WiLL Made-It. But tucked in the credits was a name that tells a different story: El Guincho, the Spanish producer who helped Rosalía turn flamenco into global pop currency.

Pablo Díaz-Reixa — better known as El Guincho — made his mark coproducing Rosalía’s 2018 album El Mal Querer, layering electronic percussion and minimalist synths over flamenco structures to create something that sounded rooted in tradition yet unmistakably modern. He’s since lent his ear to Björk, Charli xcx and BLACKPINK’s JENNIE on “Mantra.” His presence on an album named after Korea’s most beloved folk tradition is a pairing worth paying attention to.

BTS has flirted with Latin production before. j-hope and Becky G’s 2019 “Chicken Noodle Soup” blended Korean, English and Spanish over a Latin hip-hop bounce, proving the group could navigate multiple cultural touchpoints without losing its center. ARIRANG appears ready to push that experiment further.

The Latin American fanbase has already spoken volumes. Three Mexico City shows at Estadio GNP Seguros moved 150,000 tickets in 37 minutes during general sales, with approximately 1.1 million fans attempting to purchase tickets. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum took the unprecedented step of writing a diplomatic letter to South Korean President Lee Jae-myung requesting additional dates.

That kind of demand doesn’t happen in a vacuum. HYBE has been building infrastructure through HYBE Latin America and Santos Bravos, a Latin boy group that debuted in October 2025 at Mexico City’s Auditorio Nacional after being formed through a K-pop-style development program. El Guincho’s presence on ARIRANG — on track No. 2, titled “Hooligan,” according to the tracklist’s reveal — reads less like a one-off collaboration and more like a calculated bridge between two massive music markets already sharing touring circuits and creative talent.

What “Hooligan” — produced alongside Fakeguido and Jasper Harris, actually sounds like remains under wraps as of this writing — but one might anticipate intricate percussion, unexpected textures and a willingness to let tradition and experimentation collide.

Billboard wrapped its return to SXSW 2026 reaching more than 20,000 attendees with three sold-out nights of live music, artist conversations, and fan experiences across Billboard Presents THE STAGE at SXSW and Billboard House at Mohawk, bringing together artists, industry leaders, and fans from around the world for one of the festival’s most dynamic music hubs.

Across March 13–15, Billboard’s signature concert series Billboard Presents THE STAGE at SXSW was a three-night celebration of genre-spanning music, featuring headlining performances from Don Toliver, Junior H, and Mau P alongside a diverse lineup of emerging and breakout artists. Meanwhile, Billboard House at Mohawk served as a central gathering point throughout the weekend, hosting conversations, showcases, and special events spotlighting the artists, executives, and creators shaping music and culture today.

Night one of the concert series, presented by Intuit TurboTax, kicked off with performances from Chase B, sosocamo, Yakiyn and house DJ Cee Watts, before hip-hop and R&B star Don Toliver took the stage for a sold-out crowd. During his set, Toliver celebrated the sixth anniversary of his platinum-certified debut album Heaven or Hell, performing fan favorites including “After Party” and his Billboard Hot 100 hit “Body.”

The following evening, DJ HELIOS and Música Mexicana breakout artist Oscar Ortiz opened the stage to another sold-out crowd, ahead of a powerful headline performance from Junior H, who delivered a high-energy set including hits “LAS NOCHES,” “sad boy,” “Y Lloro,” and “El Azul.” During the show, the artist surprised fans by signing a Mexican flag handed to him from the crowd before closing the night with “CULPABLE.” A portion of ticket proceeds from nights 1 and 2 benefited Waterloo Greenway Conservancy. The Waterloo Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing the natural and cultural resources of Waterloo Park. 

Presented by Carnival Cruise Line, Billboard closed out the series on Sunday with performances from Apex Martin and house DJ Austin Ashtin, followed by a headlining set from internationally acclaimed Dutch DJ and producer Mau P. Despite a weather-related venue move to The Concourse Project, which quickly reached capacity, Mau P delivered an electrifying performance, including his remix of “Mercy” by Kanye West featuring Big Sean, Pusha T, and 2 Chainz.

Carnival Cruise Line invited guests to find their fun again during all three unforgettable nights of music and celebration, bringing Carnival’s unmistakable brand of fun to the heart of Austin. Guests were welcomed to a one-of-a-kind experience that brought the Carnival cruise vacation to life with a pool deck-inspired bar serving up tropical cocktails, a taste of onboard favorites, including soft serve ice cream and towel animals, an airbrush tattoo station,  and custom photo opportunities.

Beyond the concert series, Billboard House at Mohawk offered fans a packed slate of programming across the three days, including artist conversations, industry panels, and cross-genre showcases spotlighting rising talent.

Highlights included conversations with The All-American Rejects, Mark Cuban, Jonás Cuarón, and Edgar Barrera, along with Billboard’s Superstar Q&A series featuring Don Toliver, Junior H, and Mau P. The programming also featured a special discussion on mental health and creativity with Corinne Bailey Rae and Ravyn Lenae, presented by BetterHelp, the world’s largest online therapy platform, as well as the debut of Billboard and BetterHelp’s new mental health storytelling initiative, a video series called “Like Minded.”

Additional moments throughout the weekend included the U.S. debut of Los Guitarrazos, the Mexico City-born traveling event spotlighting regional Mexican music.

Billboard House also hosted more than a dozen artist showcases throughout the weekend featuring Alicia Creti, Amie Blu, Babyfxce E, BrunOG, Dizzy Fae, EddyJae, feel trip., The Gringos, Hermanos Espinoza, INK, Kairo Keyz, Karina Galicia, Lena Dardelet, Momo Boyd, Mosmo, Oscar Ortiz, Panic Shack, Sassy 009, Sofish, THEBROSFRESH, TTSSFU and more.

On Friday night, Billboard House at Mohawk transformed into the CHEETOS FLAMIN’ HOT Pickle Pop-Off, an afterparty featuring DJ duo Loud Luxury. Guests experienced the unexpected pairing of CHEETOS FLAMIN’ HOT and dill pickle through product sampling, custom cocktails, fan-favorite arcade games, karaoke battles, and a high-energy dancefloor soundtracked by Loud Luxury’s signature mashups.

The weekend concluded with “The Offline Sessions,” an afterparty hosted in partnership with Global Day of Unplugging, encouraging fans and artists to connect through music and conversation without digital distractions.

Billboard will continue to report live from SXSW throughout the week as the festival takes over Austin from March 12–18, 2026. Viewers can follow the latest news and moments from the event by visiting Billboard.com and following @billboard across social media.

Billboard parent company Penske Media acquired a majority stake in SXSW in 2023.