A$AP Rocky is looking to gain some momentum heading into the arrival of his new album Don’t Be Dumb this fall, and he put the rap world on high-alert when teaming up with J. Cole on Friday (Sept. 6) for “Ruby Rosary,” which some fans believe may be dissing Drake.

The Alchemist gets on the keys and provides the intoxicating production. Rocky kicks things off helming a pair of smooth verses bragging about his drip and place in the game. “Funny how I birthed so many sons with no ovaries,” he raps.

Fans speculated that the Harlem native revived his feud with Drake and sent more subliminal shots at the 6 God throughout “Ruby Rosary.” “N—a want smoke with me, tell him, ‘Push up, Hercules’/ Hercules, tell him push up, tell him pull up, 33,” he raps in what some perceived as a play on words with Drake’s “Push Ups” diss track.

Rocky continues to snipe: “Who in your top five? Haha (F–k your top five)/ I don’t get fresh to death, b–h, I’m buried alive/ I heard dawg talkin’ funny, like it’s Family Guy/ Carin’ for n—s like I’m Mary or Bob, made a promise to God/ You gotta strive when you marry the mob.”

J. Cole comes in from the bullpen and picks up the pace with a fiery assist while using a common flow from his repertoire. “What happens when rappin’ no longer matters? Can I still make a stack on my brilliance/ I don’t wanna go back to civilian status/ I’m an addict for comfort and doin’ whatever I want to,” he admits.

“J.Cole ain’t diss Drake but ASAP Rocky definitely did,” one listener tweeted. “That buried alive line was clever.”

Added another, “That family guy bar by asap rocky is genuinely the worst diss bar against drake from this entire rap beef.”

A$AP addressed his situation with Drake in his August cover story with Billboard, and he’s not paying Drizzy any mind.

“You got to realize, certain n—as was throwing shots for years. I ain’t in the middle of that s–t,” Rocky said. “That’s not how I retaliate right now. I got bigger fish to fry than some p—y boys. It is real beef outside. It is real. N—as getting really clipped and blitzed every day. N—as sniping n—as every day. That little kitty s–t ain’t about nothing.”

“Ruby Rosary” marks the first time Rocky and J. Cole have collided on a track. It’s also Rocky’s third single following the arrival of “Tailor Swif” and “Highjack,” which debuted at No. 89 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August.

Listen to the collab below.

The gaming platform Roblox announced on Friday (Sept. 6) that it will roll out music charts early in 2025, bringing songs a new level of potential visibility for its nearly 80 million daily active users.

At the Roblox Developer Conference, the company also said it was entering a new partnership with DistroKid, allowing the distributor’s acts to make their music available in the Roblox ecosystem, which consists of millions of games. This marks the platform’s first partnership with a major rightsholder in the music business. However, the independent artists who avail themselves of this opportunity won’t make any money from Roblox when their songs are used, underscoring the thorny relationship between the music and gaming industries. 

Artists and labels are dying for better ways to reach gamers — a hefty chunk of the world’s population, many of them young, who often get just as enthusiastic about music as they do about the games they love. But artists and labels also want to be paid for their work. 

Across the aisle, games would love to benefit from artists’ credibility and add pizzazz to their soundtracks. But they often have little patience for the music industry’s licensing system, which they view as old-fashioned and overly complicated, and its interest in steep up-front fees. And games’ success usually does not depend on music industry involvement.

The chasm between these views has limited the opportunities for artists in gaming — especially those who aren’t already stars — outside of a few titles. 

But the music industry would still like to bridge the gap, and Roblox’s virtual universe is a particularly tempting target. That’s because it has a tantalizing number of users whose avatars are wandering around, hanging out with friends, or flocking to games like Adopt Me!, where they raise virtual pets. Labels would love to reach these crowds. 

Roblox chief product officer Manuel Bronstein says the platform wants to help. To drive more music discovery, it will add a sort of audio player that can show users what track is playing in the Roblox experience they are enjoying. 

As a result, “users are going to be able to see the name of the song, the artist [behind it], and even like the song,” Bronstein says. That information will then flow into the platform’s music charts, which will rank tracks according to engagement. In an ideal world, charts function like a two-way mirror — they reflect listening habits but also facilitate discovery for curious listeners. (Roblox will also set up a separate ranking that tallies the popularity of music experiences on the platform to help players seeking out what are known as “rhythm games,” where activity is usually linked with playing an instrument or dancing.) 

The music industry’s approach to Roblox has evolved gradually in the last few years. Initially, stars like Lil Nas X made headlines with one-off concerts. However, these are expensive and time-consuming to put together, and the payoff is short-lived. They have largely gone out of vogue. 

Artists and labels have also built their own Roblox experiences. But it’s tough to stand out in the land of a million-plus games, and a big name does not ensure a big audience. 

On Aug. 29, for example, the electronic producer Zedd announced that he was taking over Universal Music Group’s Roblox experience, Beat Galaxy. Visits jumped up from around 4,000 on the 28th to around 10,000 a day later, according to the site RoMonitor, which tracks Roblox activity. Not bad, except that that amounts to a drop in the platform’s ocean-sized audience. Piggy, where players try to escape a homicidal swine wielding a baseball bat, attracted more than 2.7 million visits the same day. And RoMonitor’s data indicates that there are over 30 Roblox experiences earning more daily visitors than Piggy. 

“There are so many games on the platform,” says Mat Ombler, who works as a music and gaming consultant while also editing MusicEXP, a newsletter about the intersection of the two worlds. “There is absolutely no guarantee that launching an activation will get artists in front of those 80 million players.” 

Some artists have had success “activating in already thriving experiences,” according to Jessie Wylde, senior director of artist and business development at Artist Partner Group (APG). “And short-form Roblox UGC edits across socials” — clips of Roblox activity posted on TikTok and elsewhere — “continue to be a key driver for consumption across APGs roster.” (In the future, Wylde would love to see “more native means for players to save songs and/or follow artists on streaming services while remaining in Roblox.”)

Ombler sees Charli XCX’s recent collaboration with the wildly popular game Dress to Impress as a new high-water mark for artists in Roblox. In his newsletter, he noted that “daily visits for Dress to Impress jumped from 22.49 million on Aug. 16 to 34.09 million on [the collaboration’s Aug. 17] launch, an increase of 41%.” Concurrent users also jumped from a peak of 290,000 to a peak of 641,000.

But Charli XCX, a well-known artist with major hits, doesn’t need Roblox to break through. The Holy Knives are interested in the platform’s partnership with DistroKid because it could afford smaller acts like them a chance to find new listeners. “Majors probably don’t need more exposure,” says Kody Valentine, a member of the duo along with his brother Kyle. “As independent artists, that’s the number one thing we need. If that can come through Roblox, that is amazing.”

The band opted to make their music available on Roblox so that game developers can put it into experiences. (DistroKid artists must opt in to be part of the program.) The hope is that they will gain enough fans to offset the fact that they won’t be directly compensated for any use of their music. 

Bronstein points out that if artists like The Holy Knives are discovered on Roblox, “they also have means to monetize outside of the platform” — if players go stream the band elsewhere, for example. (It’s also easy for artists to start selling virtual merch on Roblox, which has been lucrative for some stars; Ombler believes more artists should try this.) But Roblox is “starting as a promotional vehicle to begin with,” Bronstein notes. 

Artists only have one career, so they will often trade royalty income for exposure. DistroKid earns money when artists sign up to distribute their music and doesn’t share in the royalties they make, so it doesn’t have a dog in the fight. For the major labels, on the other hand, giving away music for free is a tough pill to swallow, especially recently. 

UMG CEO Lucian Grainge made this clear during a speech in 2022. Initially, “[we] were given a lot of reasons why our artists shouldn’t get paid” by MTV and YouTube, Grainge recalled. “People said, ‘It’s great promotion,’ or ‘you can use it as a platform for discovering new artists.’ Technology platforms were built on the backs of the artists’ hard work.”

When asked about the potential for future monetization opportunities, Bronstein says, “We want to get there. Once you get the momentum, you have the opportunity to think about creative ways in which artists can monetize.” (Karibi Dagogo-Jack, who previously served as Roblox’s head of music partnerships, is no longer with the company.) But the music industry’s fear is that the opposite thing happens: Platforms get momentum and then use that leverage to argue they should pay even less for music.

Alex Tarrand, COO/co-founder of STYNGR, has tried to come up with a way for rightsholders to get their music played on Roblox but also get paid for it. STYNGR has licenses with all the major labels and publishers; game developers can then use that music without paying up-front. 

In the Roblox universe, this music comes out of a boombox — old-school radio in a newfangled virtual world. Users either shell out for listening time, or developers can put an ad-funded version of the product into their experiences. The revenue from user payments and advertisements is then shared between major labels, publishers, game developers and STYNGR. “Session lengths go up for the people who are actively engaging with the music player,” according to Tarrand. “And we see session frequency go up.”

Despite some of the ongoing friction between the music industry and Roblox, the search for common ground continues. This week, Tarrand flew to the Roblox Developer Conference to meet with more developers. “Music is a big topic of conversation at this RDC,” he says. “That’s promising.” 

k.d. lang and The Reclines will perform together for the first time in 35 years in Edmonton on Sept. 14 for the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Awards. 

lang may have found international fame as a pop superstar with a powerful and emotionally expressive voice and as a queer icon, but her roots in country music run deep. She first made her mark in Canadian music as a maverick cowpunk artist back in the ’80s, at the start of a career that has spanned over four decades.

“Reuniting with The Reclines after 35 years in Edmonton for the CCMA Awards feels like a full-circle moment,” shares lang. “The bond we shared, both musically and personally, remains as strong as ever, and revisiting a song that shaped our journey together is incredibly special. I’m thrilled to bring this experience to life on such a celebrated stage and share it with fans, both old and new.”

Based in her birthplace of Edmonton, k.d. lang and the Reclines were together from 1983 to 1989, after starting out as a Patsy Cline tribute act. The first band featured Stu Macdougal on keys, Dave Bjarnson on drums, Gary Koligar on guitar and Farley Scott on bass.

After regular gigging at Edmonton’s Sidetrack Café, the group gained national attention with its 1984 album, A Truly Western Experience. Her unique sense of fashion and energetic performance style caught the attention of Rolling Stone, who dubbed her “a Canadian Cowpunk.” lang earned a 1985 Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist, famously accepting the award wearing a borrowed wedding dress.

k.d. lang will also be inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall Of Fame, adding to her remarkable legacy of accolades. –Kerry Doole

The Billboard Canada Women in Music Industry Spotlight

This week, Billboard Canada unveiled the full Billboard Canada Women in Music honours. 

Stars like Alanis Morissette, Charlotte Cardin and LU KALA will be at the Billboard Canada Women in Music event on September 7 in Toronto. 

In addition to those award-winners, which include Executive of the Year Kristen Burke, the head of Warner Music Canada and the only female major label head in the country, there is also an Industry Spotlight list of women from throughout the Canadian music industry. 

From label boardrooms to influential positions in radio, touring, festivals, artist funding and more, women and gender-diverse people are shaping music. 

Each person featured on the Industry Spotlight list also gave their advice for the next generation of women in the music industry, from speaking honestly and authentically, to surrounding yourself with other talented and supportive women.

There are also exclusive videos of interviews and performances of Billboard Canada Women in Music honourees, including The Beaches, Allison Russell and artist manager Laurie Lee Boutet.

Because of the incredible contributions of women and gender-diverse individuals, Billboard Canada Women in Music is not only a celebration of women, but of Canadian music as a whole – and a vision for where it can go next. –Richard Trapunski

AP Dhillon Safe Following Reports of Gunshots at His Home Near Victoria, B.C.

Gunshots were fired into the home of Punjabi-Canadian musician AP Dhillon early Monday morning (September 2).

B.C. police are investigating the incident, with CTV News reporting that around 1:15 a.m. the RCMP was called to the house. There are reports of two vehicles set on fire, in addition to multiple gunshots, as well as reported video of the shooting circulating online.

“I’m safe. My people are safe,” Dhillon shared on Instagram.

The Times of India reports that an associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has claimed responsibility for the shooting on social media, threatening Dhillon for working with Salman Khan. The actor and producer Khan had a cameo appearance in the video for Dhillon’s new Billboard Canadian Hot 100-charting single, “Old Money,” and the gang reportedly has a history of targeting Khan.

“Preliminary investigation suggests that this was a targeted event and there is no information to believe that the general public is at any further risk as a result,” says a statement from the West Shore RCMP detachment.

The gunfire follows Dhillon’s recent major label signing with Republic Records, with “Old Money” marking the first release as part of that deal. –Rosie Long Decter

SZA had a big night at the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, which were held at Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles on Thursday (Sept. 5). In addition to receiving the previously announced BMI Champion Award, she was named BMI’s R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year and received Song of the Year for “Kill Bill” alongside her co-writers Rob Bisel and Carter Lang. The smash hit reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has over one billion streams on Spotify.

Upon receiving the BMI Champion Award, SZA said, “I have to say songwriting awards mean the most to me because when I started and I needed people to come and write for me; I didn’t have anybody. … I’m grateful to be honored today because there’s so many songwriters in here that literally made me.” 

This marked the first time the BMI Champion Award has been presented in the R&B/Hip-Hop ceremony’s 24-year history. Mike Steinberg, BMI’s EVP, chief revenue & creative officer, praised SZA “for using her voice as a champion … and raising the bar in songwriting creativity and breaking boundaries at every turn.” He added, “Her once-in-a-lifetime sound has mesmerized audiences around the globe.”

In a tribute to SZA, Bren Joy performed “Broken Clocks,” and MaKenzie performed “Nobody Gets Me.”

The private event was hosted by BMI president & CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI vice president, creative, Atlanta, Catherine Brewton.

As previously announced, Babyface was named a BMI Icon at the ceremony. In accepting the award, Babyface said, “I only know that I got here because I love music, and it was the one pure thing that I knew that I could do, and I did it with all my heart. If you do it from the heart, that’s the main thing that keeps you going.”

He then surprised the audience with a performance of his 1990 smash “Whip Appeal.” Babyface and Perri McKissack co-wrote the song, which reached the top 10 on both the Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Babyface has collected 64 BMI Awards. He received BMI’s Song of the Year three times, BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year seven times and, together with his LaFace Records co-founder L.A. Reid, was named a BMI Icon in 2006.

Several artists paid tribute to Babyface by performing his songs. Mac Royals opened with “My My My,” followed by Tamar Braxton with “Superwoman” and Mario with “I’ll Make Love to You” and “Can We Talk.” Lil Wayne paid tribute to his mentor and friend before O’Neill and Brewton presented the Icon Award. O’Neill praised Babyface’s talent and impact on generations of music makers, and for being with the BMI family for nearly five decades.

Hitmaker Tay Keith received Producer of the Year for his work on hits such as “First Person Shooter” performed by Drake featuring J. Cole, “Meltdown” by Travis Scott featuring Drake, “SkeeYee” by Sexyy Red and “Circo Loco” by Drake and 21 Savage. This marks the third time Keith has been named Producer of the Year. (He was also named BMI’s R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year in 2018.)

Coleman, Dougie F, Metro Boomin, RIOTUSA and Jahaan Sweet were also named top producers during the ceremony.

Universal Music Publishing was named BMI’s R&B/Hip-Hop Publisher of the Year for representing 21 of the previous year’s most-performed songs, including “Kill Bill,” “Barbie World,” “Paint the Town Red,” “Players,” “Superhero (Heroes & Villains)” and “Snooze.”

Over the course of the ceremony, BMI recognized the top producers and songwriters of the previous year’s 35 Most-Performed R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in the U.S., naming 56 first-time winners.

To see a complete list of winners, visit BMI’s site.