Lil Tecca is entering his Plan A era on Sept. 20, and to help launch it, he dropped “Taste” and “Bad Time.” The rapper talks to Billboard‘s Mike Saponara about how he gathered inspiration for his album, how he handled reaching success at a young age, linking with Don Toliver and Juice WRLD, and listening to his fans when they speak about his music. Keep watching to see all the gems Lil Tecca drops and to see him play a game!

What’s going on, guys? This is Beat by Beat. I’m Mike Saponara here with Billboard. We have the great Lil Tecca. Tecc, talk to the people — how are we feeling? 

Feeling good. I’m about to drop Plan A with my guy, Mike.

Hey, yeah, we’re looking forward to that. Take us back. When did that world start to take form for you?

I honestly got the name Plan A when I was about to finish Tec, my last album. 

OK. 

I didn’t really know what I wanted to call the next one. So when it was kind of time to decide the name for this album, I had a couple mines, couple names in my head, but I just remembered, like I was thinking about Plan A.

Plan A. There’s no Plan B.

Going Plan A.

Word. Where do you do most of your recording, I guess. How was the creative process for that? 

For this album, we recorded most of it in Miami. I was just in the studio everyday with, like, money and ties and all of them. There was a couple songs that I did in New York and also in my crib, too. 

Did you produce a lot of this album?

I didn’t produce a lot of it, but definitely my beat selection is what drives a lot of the production, 

Right, right.

Keep watching for more!

There was never a Plan B for Lil Tecca, who is gearing up to unleash his Plan A album next Friday (Sept. 20). Ahead of the LP’s arrival, the New York rapper stopped by Billboard News to discuss all things surrounding his new project and much more.

Plan A serves as Tecca’s fourth studio album and boasts 18 tracks with a lone feature from Don Toliver and production from Taz Taylor and the Internet Money crew.

“I honestly got the name Plan A when I was about to finish Tec, my last album,” he said of the title’s inspiration. “I think it kind of summarizes where I was at in my life when I was probably 14 and I kind of decided that I wanted to rap and actually only rap. There would be people in class telling me, ‘Ay bruh, you know gotta have a backup plan and sh– like that.’ I’m like, ‘Not really, bro. I don’t really got no back-up plan.’”

Tecca added: “We recorded most of it in Miami. I was just in the studio every day with Internet Money, Taz [Taylor] and all of them. There were a couple songs I had did in New York and at the crib too. I didn’t produce a lot of it, but definitely my beat selection is what drives a lot of the production… The whole message is like decide what you want to do and do it.”

The 22-year-old also debunked the bizarre situation involving the Pennsylvania Army National Guard using his personal photo taken from his “Ransom” hit’s cover art as part of a recruitment flyer.

“That sh– is real,” he said. “I seen that sh– on Twitter — I’m like, ‘What is going on right now? … They got in contact with the people that was responsible and he’s like, ‘Sorry, we used the picture by accident.’ He used super-big words. Basically that’s what he was saying, ‘We didn’t know this was an artist.’ My thing is that picture doesn’t exist without ‘Ransom.’”

“Ransom” arrived in May 2019 as Tecca’s breakout smash when he was just 16 years old. It eventually reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 when it peaked at No. 4. The track’s currently 8x-platinum.

“That was my first time hopping on a beat that was not from YouTube,” Lil Tecca revealed. “That was my first time ever taking edibles in the studio. I had edibles and a drink from Starbucks.”

Juice WRLD eventually hopped on the official remix and Tecca reflected on being amazed watching a master at work in the studio with the late rapper.

“That right there was one of the craziest moments ever,” he said. “I remember when I first met him he was like, ‘Ay bro, this flow hard.’ That was my first time ever meeting someone that I seen online that was going crazy at the time and actually gave me an opinion on my music… It really meant a lot, bro.”

Tecca went on: “All the stuff he would say to me and actually seeing him work. Seeing it. Seeing it in person though — it was crazy… He did the verse. He did it in one take. It kind of fried me because I didn’t really know people were doing stuff like that at the time. I was really used to writing s–t and reading it off my phone.”

Plan A hits streaming services on Sept. 20. Watch the full interview below.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Joe Jonas has been feeling gratitude lately as he prepares to debut a new solo album that he’s already been teasing with the release of the first single “Work It Out.” But before you fully immerse yourself in the 35-year-old singer’s new sound, the Jonas Brother wants to bring a touch of his vintage aesthetic to your fall fashion rotation with the release of his debut clothing collection in collaboration with Scotch & Soda.

As the first brand ambassador for the clothing designer, the “Sucker” artist had the chance to utilize his creativity beyond crafting playlist-essential songs.

“Scotch & Soda let me have creative control and I had the chance to explore colors, prints, styles and references that were really personal to me,” he says in an interview with Billboard. “I always like to tell a story with what I wear.”

That story involved his own personal drawings-turned-graphics with vintage themes from his favorite decade serving as the inspiration.

“I’ve always been influenced by the ’70s and the fashion from those eras, and the fun,” the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper says. “It felt so free, and I wanted that to be reflected in the clothing.”

Joe Jonas x Scotch & Soda
Joe Jonas x Scotch & Soda

The new collection includes a mix of vintage and sports-inspired pieces ranging from bold prints to everyday layering pieces you can throw on and go. Eagle-eyed fans may also notice Easter eggs that further hint to what you can expect on the new album.

“I carry around this little yellow book with me everywhere I go, and I write down a bunch of quotes and just thoughts for the day,” he explains. “I started to feel quite inspired by some of the ideas that I could stitch some of the quotes in the clothing. There are certain song lyrics that are on the clothes, and it’s just perfect timing.”

Keep reading to shop pieces from the Joe Jonas x Scotch & Soda collection.

light green joe jonas jersey

Scotch & Soda x Joe Jonas Football Jersey

Add a bit of Jonas’ style to your everyday outfit rotation with this muted jersey featuring design elements picked by the singer himself. The collar comes with an open design in a contrasting shade while the material is lightweight and breathable for a more cozy feel.


teal hoodie with joe jonas graphic

Scotch & Soda x Joe Jonas Washed Artwork Hoodie

Layer your outfits in this vivid hoodie decorated with lyrics from the star’s upcoming album. It’s created with a soft interior that’ll help lock in heat while the cuffed sleeves and bottom prevents breezes from escaping inside.


pink t-shirt with cups graphic

Scotch & Soda x Joe Jonas Ringer T-Shirt

Bring a touch of pink to your looks in this T-shirt featuring a contrasting hem. Completing the look is a crew neckline while the graphic features a photograph turned into drawing of one of the artist’s actual photos he took.


For the artist, he would personally pair the looks with a classic pair of jeans, bomber jacket and a versatile tote bag.

And in terms of what you can expect on the new album, Jonas said the project is full of themes of gratitude.

“I’m very grateful for the people that I have in my life, where I’m at as a person and being good to myself a little bit more — and looking at the bright side of situations when things can be overwhelming so easily,” he says.

For more product recommendations, check out ShopBillboard‘s roundups of the best band T-shirts, vinyl record player accessories and gifts for music lovers.

In a new interview, LL Cool J admitted to being nervous about the response his 14th solo album The FORCE would get, saying that he had a hard time sleeping the night it dropped. However, when he checked social media, he was relieved by the positive response.

“When I told people, ‘Yo, I wanna do a culturally relevant album’ in the midst of all these [younger artists], people looked at me like I had nine heads,” the 56-year-old told Variety. “They looked at me like I was a hydra — a hydra! — looking at me crazy like that, not because of any ill will, but just ‘How can you do that?’”

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While the genre has welcomed older acts, their mainstream success has been hit-or-miss, unless you’re Jay-Z, Nas or Eminem. LL was up for the challenge, though, saying, “It’s like breaking the 4-minute mile. Nobody thought it could be broken until Roger Bannister did it, and then a lot of people started breaking it.”

Adding, “Now you’ll see, when [The FORCE] has success, you’ll see people believing that they can make it happen, and it’s gonna extend the life of hip-hop in general. But if somebody doesn’t do it, if I don’t do Rock the Bells and [other] festivals and show that guys without records in the marketplace still can be relevant, and then if I don’t tell you that a guy who’s been out for a long time can make a new record and be relevant — if nobody does it, it never happens.”

Also, before LL worked with Q-Tip on his latest release, he says he recorded a bunch of songs with Dr. Dre, but the Queens MC wasn’t confident in the raps he laid down, so he decided to start over. “That would have meant I would have more confidence in him than I have in myself when it needs to be equal,” he told the outlet. “He deserves a better LL than that. For me to go in there and not give Dr. Dre the best possible LL, it’s not fair to him and it’s definitely not fair to me, because it means I’m not taking advantage of the opportunity.” He continued by saying, “We both knew it wasn’t there. The sonics were there, but I gotta deliver on the writing. I’m not putting nothing out if I don’t feel it’s right.”

Later in the interview he revealed that he and the late Michael Jackson have unreleased songs stashed away and that the King of Pop was inspired by LL’s song “I’m Bad” to make his own “Bad” song. “Me and Michael Jackson went to the studio, man,” he said. “Mike showed a lot of love to me in general, and definitely to hip-hop. Let’s be clear: For me, he’s the king. I’m a Michael Jackson fan, B. His talent speaks for itself.” Adding, “[Former Def Jam chief] Russell [Simmons] played my record for him and Quincy [Jones], and they got inspired. That’s OK.”

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

If you’re a fan of Tarte Cosmetics, you won’t want to miss this deal: Grab a trio of Maracuja Lip Gloss-Balms for just $33.98 at QVC. These lip balms are usually $26 each when bought separately, so you’ll be getting more shades for less with this offer. If you’re new to shopping at QVC, you can save an extra $20 on your first purchase of $40 or more with the code HELLO20.

According to the brand, these balms can help you achieve a “juicy wet-lip look.” With this set, you can get three flattering lip shades: Sheer Petal, Sheer Lotus, and Sheer Berry Pink at a great price. Whether you’re off to work or meeting up with friends, this lip set is a great one to add to your makeup bag. With this practical and functional lip set, you can add a quick pop of shine to your lips wherever you go. One QVC customer said, “This lip vinyl makes your lips feel so hydrated… I love the way it made my lips feel.”

Hurry and snag this juicy lip trio and take advantage of the sale price.

Tarte Cosmetics High-Shine Lip Trio On Sale for $34

Tarte Cosmetics Maracuja Juicy High-Shine Lip Vinyl Trio

$33.98 $48 29% off

Buy Now at qvc


The brand recommends applying more than one layer onto your lips to achieve “a juicer pop of color.”

If you are looking for additional Tarte Cosmetics steals, consider adding these four-piece Tarte Shape Tape Ultra Creamy Concealer set to your cart. It’s also on sale now for just $39.98, down from its original price of $55. The set includes two shape tape ultra creamy concealers, a sponge, and a purple Tarte headband to keep your hair away from your face.

For more product recommendations, check out this Everlane’s Bestselling Catch-All Makeup Case, this roundup of the best makeup bags, and these must-have makeup products to add to your shopping list.

There’s nothing in the water this year. Pharrell has announced that his Something in the Water festival in Virginia Beach will no longer be taking place in October and has been postponed to April 2025.

While pre-sale tickets still went on sale on Friday (Sept. 13) and the festival’s lineup was set to be revealed — the latter never happened — Pharrell stepped in to pen a letter to fans revealing that Something in the Water had been delayed once again until April 2025 because “it just isn’t ready yet.”

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“Dearest Virginia, I love you with all my heart,” he began. “Nobody loves you more than I do. Virginia doesn’t deserve better, Virginia deserves THE BEST. So SOMETHING IN THE WATER has to match that. It just isn’t ready yet. That’s why we as a team have decided that we must postpone this year’s SOMETHING IN THE WATER festival that was due to take place in October.”

P continued: “This is not a Pharrell festival, this is the state of Virginia’s festival so it has to be the best. Virginia made me, and I want to honor it with as much love as it’s shown me my entire life. And you know me, everywhere I go it’s VA.”

Fans who paid for tickets already by debit/credit card will be refunded through their point of purchase. Those who waited on line to purchase tickets in-person can receive a refund at the Veterans United Home Loan Amphitheater ticket office. Those who bought tickets will have first access when the new dates are announced for next year.

Pharrell added: “I am so grateful to our amazing sponsors and the city for their continued support and trust in us to get this right, and that time is April 2025.”

Something in the Water was originally slated for April 2024 before being pushed to October, which will now take place when we turn the calendar to 2025.

April 2023’s SITW festival was a three-day soiree in Virginia Beach, Va. and saw headlining performances from Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne, The Clipse, Summer Walker, Grace Jones, Lil Uzi Vert, Kehlani and more.

Find Pharrell’s full letter below.

Billy McFarland, the convicted fraudster behind the disastrous Fyre Festival of 2017, has announced new dates for the long-awaited follow-up to the often-mocked Bahamian influencer event that landed him in prison for four years, owing victims more than $26 million in restitution.

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Earlier this week, McFarland took to the Today Show to “announce” the new dates for Fyre Fest II, which he now says will take place April 25-28 on “a private island off the Caribbean coast of Mexico.” By most counts, however, this is the third or fourth version of a sequel to the event McFarland has broadcast to his followers. McFarland has been hyping up a follow-up to the disastrous 2017 Bahamas festival since he went to prison in late 2018, changing the date for his redemption-style event several times while carefully removing or updating past references to Fyre II each time he updates his social media sites.

According to court documents, McFarland has been writing up a plan for the event — first called PYRT festival — since he was incarcerated at Elkton Federal Correctional Institute in Ohio on charges of fraud and lying to the FBI. McFarland immediately begin hawking the event on TikTok when he got out of prison in mid-2022 with a scavenger hunt. McFarland had fans looking through empty bottles by late November of that year for free tickets to an event he’d eventually rebrand as Fyre Fest II in August of 2023, where he claimed to have placed 100 tickets on sale for $499 a pop and immediately sold out of them, which would have generated nearly $50,000 in revenue.

The date for that event was scheduled for late 2024 and at one point McFarland bragged there were more people signing up for his event than buying tickets for Coachella. Besides the first 100 tickets allegedly sold to Fyre II, fans have only been able to “sign up” for tickets to the sequel event, clicking through a form-style website where they are encouraged to apply for the opportunity to buy tickets to Fyre Festival II, with prices ranging from $1,400 to $1.1 million. At this point, fans can’t buy tickets for the event — they can only apply to attend.

McFarland detailed the venture to both the Wall Street Journal and NBC News, saying that he hopes to gather about 3,000 people for the event and also promises “an incredible production company who’s handling everything from soup to nuts” for the fest.

“We have the chance to embrace this storm and really steer our ship into all the chaos that has happened, and if it’s done well, I think Fyre has a chance to be this annual festival that really takes over the festival industry,” McFarland told NBC.

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McFarland has not avoided legal trouble since leaving prison. Last year he was served a civil summons, which claimed he ripped off an investor who gave him $740,000 for his new venture. An attorney for 54-year-old Jonathan Taylor of New York — who met McFarland while both were serving prison sentences at Elkton — said Taylor struck an agreement with McFarland and his business partner, Michael Falb (also named as a defendant), in which they allegedly offered him one-third equity in the venture, PYRT Technologies, in exchange for a $740,000 investment. Taylor claims McFarland and Falb then reneged on the deal by refusing to grant him the equity they promised or to return the money despite his demands that they do so. A judge later ruled that Taylor needed to refile the lawsuit to push the case forward.

McFarland has managed to stay busy with other ventures since leaving prison. In May, McFarland won a heavily hyped martial arts fight against a social media influencer, defeating the heavily favored crypto YouTuber Justin “Jchains” Custardo via TKO during the main event of Karate Combat’s Influencer Fight Club series at the Consensus conference in Austin, Texas.

McFarland has also launched the PYRT marketing agency and been heavily involved in the promotion of the song “ONBOA47RD,” a pro-Donald Trump rap song from Fivio Foreign and Kodak Black.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Searching for the best September beauty deals? The weeks between summer and fall are a good time to score great deals on makeup must-haves that can be used from one season to the next.

Laura Geller’s Best of the Best Baked Face makeup palette is one of the brand’s star products, and it’s on sale for 40% off the list price. The beloved set, valued at $112, includes blush, bronzer, highlighter and eyeshadows available in “universal shades” of pink, brown and nude.

The palette is on sale for $41.40, or $27 off, during the brand’s September Markdown Event.

Laura Geller Best of the Baked Face Makeup Palette: 40% Off

Laura Geller The Best of the Baked Face Palette


Packing some of the Laura Geller’s bestselling products in one place, the makeup palette scored a 4.3-star rating on the the beauty brand’s website from more than 3,300 customer reviews. The palette doesn’t include foundation, but Laura Geller recommends pairing it with Baked Balance-n-Brighten Foundation, which you can grab on sale for $18 (reg. 36).

What else is on sale? Save 40-60% off Laura Geller palettes, eyeshadow, foundation, blush, bronzer and more during the sale, plus an additional 10% off with a special discount code: SE10.

Designed for mature skin, Laura Geller is known for its baked products, and was named one of Oprah’s Favorite Things last year. The beauty brand is available at major retailers such as QVC, Macy’s and Amazon.

For more beauty essentials, check out this pumpkin eye mask from Peter Thomas Roth and Haus Labs‘ calligraphy–pen inspired eyeliner.

Lauren London sat down with Radhi Devlukia on the A Really Good Cry podcast and talked about how she’s been handling grief since her boyfriend Nipsey Hussle was murdered in 2019.

“I still feel like a mess, that’s the thing,” she said of how she’s been dealing with his death. “I guess I have to ask my friends how far I’ve come because I still genuinely feel like I have not arrived anywhere.” Adding, “I feel like I’m really heavy a lot, but again, I have to counter that to just, like, the grace of God, because if it was up to me, I would be sliding in here on my stomach, but I also don’t want to take away from the work that I’ve done from then until now. So, I don’t wanna do that, ’cause I’m good at doing that.”

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She credited her kids and her community for helping her “push through” the pain. “God just placed people in my life that can kinda just usher me in and teach me and guide me. I always say the prayer of strangers held me up.”

London also talked about how she’s been teaching her two sons about dealing with losing Nipsey. “It’s so different with both of them, because one’s 14, the other one’s 7, so you know. I’m always, like, a container for whatever emotion they have,” she explained. “I’m just like, ‘It’s OK to feel all these things, you know? I’m holding it for you, I feel you, I understand, I hear you.’” Adding, “But also, playing his music. I’m always telling them to journal as well, like, write him a letter, tell him how you feel.”

Earlier in the interview, London told Devlukia that their love was “intentional, pure and safe” and talked about what she learned from him. “All the things he was saying to me made more sense after he left,” she said. “I’m such in my cave and a homebody, that he would be like, ‘People really need to hear from you. You have a lot of truth you should share.’ He saw me like my kids see me.”

She added, “But when he was here, just the reliance on God. He really relied on God, he truly believed in himself, he really did not believe in ‘Somebody else has the keys to your destiny as much as you and your creator does.’ And authenticity is something you can’t buy, it’s something that you can’t fake, it’s something that you can’t put on.”

On the fifth anniversary of his death, London shared a tribute on Instagram. “If you know me You know March is always tough for me 31 days of holding my breath,” she wrote. “This day decided to fall on Easter Sunday this 2024 Interesting…. considering your name #GodWillRise Energy never dies…. I love you. Eternal.”

You can watch the full interview here.

This past July, the Desert Hearts crew road-tripped out to Arizona for their first edition of the festival outside California.

After being bounced around SoCal a bit after launching the festival near San Diego more than a decade ago, then moving to Riverside County in 2022, then to downtown Los Angeles in 2023, over the July 4 weekend, the team assembled in what seems to be a viable new home at the Playa Ponderosa ranch near Flagstaff, Arizona, throwing the festival in partnership with the Phoenix-based Walter Productions.

For this edition, Desert Hearts also went back to its origins, returning to its original single stage format for its 72 hours of house and techno. The lineup included Anja Schneider, Ardalan, Coco & Breezy, Rinzen, Life on Planets, Lubelski, Mary Droppinz, Walker & Royce and many more, including, of course, the Deserts Hearts founders/house DJs, each of whom played separately and then together for a closing set.

Hear this closing set exclusively below, along with sets from Desert Hearts’ Lee Reynolds, Los Angeles legend Doc Martin and club maven Öona Dahl.

In a statement posted to social media after the event, the Desert Hearts team wrote that their goal with the 2024 festival was “to return Desert Hearts to the quality of events we hosted at Los Coyotes Indian Reservation. The result surprised us and far surpassed anything we’d ever done!”

They continued by saying that “The last five years have been incredibly challenging for DH since losing our long-time home during the pandemic. Canceling the 2023 camping festival was the hardest thing we’ve had to do since founding Desert Hearts. But it was your resilience and unwavering support that kept us going.”

Keep it going yourself with these seven hours of music from the fest.

The Desert Hearts Crew

Öona Dahl

Doc Martin

Lee Reynolds