The Boyz Drop Another Summer K-Pop Hit With ‘Whisper’: Watch

After nearly five years together, The Boyz have been able to rise and stand out from other K-pop boy bands by utilizing their large number of members and knack for vivid visuals; and the new summer single “Whisper” delivers on what TBZ does best.

“Whisper” is The Boyz’s latest feel-good pop single, letting the band’s 10 singers unite through a slew of harmony-heavy hooks. Sitting nicely alongside the group’s past bubblegum summer singles like 2019’s “D.D.D” and last August’s “Thrill Ride,” the new track offers a bit more of a mature edge, particularly in moments like Sunwoo and Juhaknyeon’s intense whisper-raps on the second verse.

The accompanying “Whisper” video brings TBZ into a colorful, pink-and-blue world with bunny rabbits, sparkly balloons and delicious desserts. But fans can also catch edgier moments like when member Kevin is first introduced to viewers while chained up by heart-shaped strings.

The music video also closes on a more mysterious note as the ending scene cuts to the set drained of vibrant color as captivating whistling plays in the background. Could it hint that a new (whistle-hook-laden?) track will be released soon?

“Whistle” is the lead track from The Boyz’s new Be Aware EP. Ahead of its release, the group also dropped a music video for the new song “Timeless.” Noted in the opening credit of the music video as a song “Only for The B,” addressing the group’s fandom name, the summery visual sees the boys enjoying a coastal vacation and making memories on a sailboat, around a campfire and with polaroid cameras.

Last year, The Boyz made their debut appearance on the World Digital Song Sales chart with the November single “Maverick.” After a U.S. tour this year, in addition to an appearance at the upcoming KCON festival this weekend in Los Angeles, “Whisper” looks primed to land another chart hit for the group.

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Timbaland & Swizz Beatz Sue Triller, Claiming $28M Never Paid From ‘Verzuz’ Sale

Eighteen months after Timbaland and Swizz Beatz sold their popular Verzuz livestream series to Triller, the two are now suing the social media platform for allegedly failing to pay them a whopping $28 million that they’re still owed from the deal.

Triller, a TikTok-like service that allows users to create and share short videos, announced in March 2021 that it would pay an undisclosed sum in cash and equity to acquire Verzuz – a breakout hit during the pandemic in which two artists square off in a livestreamed music battle.

But in a lawsuit filed Tuesday (Aug. 16) in Los Angeles Superior Court, Timbaland (Timothy Mosley) and Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Daoud Dean) say Triller has failed to actually pay for the company it purchased. After initial payments last year and early this year, the pair of hitmakers say the company has refused to hand over more than $28 million that they’re still owed.

“Defendants have failed and refused to respond to plaintiffs’ written notice and demand for payment,” the pair’s lawyers wrote in the complaint. “To date, defendants have failed and refused to make any payment to Mosley and Dean of the past due sums due and owing, and defendants continue in default of their payment obligations.”

A representative for Triller did not immediately return a request for comment from Billboard.

Timbaland and Swizz Beatz launched Verzuz in March 2020, just days after the global shut-down from the COVID-19 pandemic, and it took off as peak quarantine entertainment – a virtual music battle between top artists, livestreamed to millions of users on Instagram and other platforms. Since the pair of producers squared off in the inaugural show, Verzuz has featured high-profile showdowns between T-Pain and Lil Jon, Alicia Keys and John Legend, DMX and Snoop Dogg, Brandy and Monica, and many other top names, often drawing millions of viewers.

After launching in 2015, Triller rose to prominence in 2020 as a competitor to TikTok when the Trump administration said it was considering banning the popular social media service from the U.S. market over its ties to the Chinese government. Triller — whose investors include Snoop Dogg, The Weeknd and Marshmello — made aggressive moves to compete with TikTok by courting influencers to the platform, but also experienced serious hiccups. Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company, pulled its catalog from the platform in February 2021 over royalty issues before eventually resolving the matter and restoring the songs a few months later. The service also admitted to — and then denied — inflating user numbers just weeks before it was expected to go public as part of a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merger.

The SPAC merger didn’t happen, but recently Triller has been making another play to go public — meaning the Verzuz lawsuit is coming at a particularly bad time. After calling off a $5 billion proposed merger with video-tech company SeaChange International in June, the company submitted paperwork to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering.

According to Tuesday’s lawsuit, under the terms of Triller’s deal to buy Verzuz, the first cash payments to Timbaland and Swizz Beatz were due January 2021 and April 2021 – both of which Triller successfully made. But when another payment was due in January 2022, the producers say the company failed to pay.

The two sides quickly reached a settlement to avert a dispute by agreeing to a new payment plan, the suit says, and Triller made the first payment under that new agreement in February. But the settlement agreement required Triller to pay another $18 million by March 17, plus $1 million more per month for another 10 months – and Timbaland and Swizz Beatz say those payments have never been made.

“The aforesaid defaults constitute material breaches of the agreement by defendants,” the pair’s lawyers wrote. “By reason of defendants’ continuing uncured defaults, the sum of $28,095,000.00 is immediately due to be paid under the agreement.”

The lawsuit from Timbaland and Swizz Beatz isn’t the first time this year Triller has been accused of not paying its bills. In June, boxing reporter Dan Rafael reported that Triller had not fully paid several fighters from a May 2022 bout. And earlier this month, The Washington Post reported that Triller had a spotty history of paying Black influencers that had been recruited to join the platform; the company strongly denied those allegations.

It’s also not the first sign of tension between Timbaland/Swizz Beatz and Triller. Back in February, Verzuz faced backlash when it was announced that the latest battle would be exclusively aired on Triller’s $2.99-per-month premium service. Later in the day, Swizz Beatz assured fans that the show would still be available on Instagram and other free platforms: “I was out of the country don’t ask me who did it,” he wrote with a laughing emoji. “It’s fixed.”

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Nipsey Hussle Receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame: ‘He Lives Forever’

Revered rapper Nipsey Hussle was posthumously honored with the 2,729th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on what would have been his 37th birthday, Monday, Aug. 15.

Located at 6212 Hollywood Boulevard in front of Amoeba Music, the star was presented by the City of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in recognition of the L.A. native’s contributions to music and his philanthropic work.

Paying tribute to the late rapper — born Ermias Joseph Ashegdom — were family members and close friends such as L.A. radio personality Big Boy and fellow rappers Roddy Ricch and YG.

Additional guests in attendance at the 30-minute ceremony included Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president/CEO David Michael Jerome, California Assembly member Isaac Bryant and Los Angeles City Council Member Marqueece Harris Dawson, who officially declared Aug. 15 as Nipsey Hussle Day.

Among the family members sharing their love and inspirational thoughts about Hussle and his legacy were:

Lauren London, Hussle’s girlfriend: “Nip would’ve been honored by this moment. I think he would want everyone to remember that you can’t get to what’s possible unless you commit to moving forward. That doesn’t mean forgetting where you come from, but it requires acknowledging the reality you were born into and the power you have to change that reality for the better. So whenever you’re in the City of Angels, and you see this star, I hope it encourages you to break away from whatever might be holding you back and for you to run your marathon until God says that it’s finished.”

Samantha Smith, his sister: “Hussle man, wow. Today is bittersweet, but proud is an understatement. Nip the Great, look at who you are, look at what you did. I’m in awe, but I’m not surprised. You’ve been a star in my eyes, the family’s eyes, God’s eyes far before the accolades caught up. You’ve affected the lives of so many in the realest ways. You’ve been a pillar in our family in the community, you’ve poured into me from day one and I’ve always been so amazed and impressed at the example you’ve set. I feel so blessed and grateful to call you my brother.”

Dawit Asghedom, his father: “A tragedy like Ermias’ murder can act to bring us together. I have powerful belief that even in the madness of this tragedy we must have faith, and there is a better path ahead of us. Although he was taken from us too soon, he will live in our hearts and minds forever. Ermias may be dead, but that idea of faith and hope must endure. That is the challenge my family and Nipsey’s fans [have] ahead of us: to keep his legacy going forever.”

Margaret Boutte, his grandmother: “Nipsey was the love of my life, always very respectful. I miss him, but I look at his picture and remember all the wonderful times we had together. I thank my daughter for blessing me with Nipsey and [his siblings] Sami and Samantha. I love you all. He will never be gone in my heart. He lives forever.”

Before his untimely passing on March 31, 2019, Hussle made waves as a rapper, activist and entrepreneur. He burst onto the local music scene with Slauson Boy Volume 1 and the Bullets Ain’t Got No Name mixtape series at the tail-end of the 2000s before launching his indie record label, All Money In.

In 2010, Hussle unleashed the label’s debut mixtape, The Marathon, which landed him a slot on XXL’s annual Freshman list as well as on various year-end lists. A year later saw the arrival of his second mixtape, The Marathon Continues, and 2013’s Crenshaw. The latter garnered considerable media buzz thanks to Hussle selling 1000 cassettes priced at $100 each that sold out in less than a day.

Hussle cemented his impeccable grind by signing a partnership deal with Atlantic Records in 2017 and released his major label debut album, Victory Lap, to critical acclaim the same year. It was nominated for best rap album at the Grammy Awards in 2019. While he lost that time, the father of two posthumously won two Grammys in 2020: best rap performance for “Racks in the Middle,” featuring Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy, and best melodic rap performance for his guest appearance along with John Legend on DJ Khaled’s “Higher.”

Hussle’s philanthropic work was just as prolific as his music career. He opened his first smart store, The Marathon Clothing (TMC), in 2017 inside the market square, at L.A.’s Crenshaw Boulevard and Slauson Avenue, that he frequented as a street hustler. He owned several other business ventures as well including The Marathon Agency and SC Commercial Ventures. Hussle and his team also launched The Neighborhood Nip Foundation in 2018, introducing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) initiatives to children from his  South L.A. neighborhood. It was the first in a string of planned STEM locations in cities such as Atlanta, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

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AIM CEO Paul Pacifico to Step Down at End of 2022

Paul Pacifico will exit the U.K.’s Association of Independent Music (AIM) at the end of 2022, the organization announced Monday (Aug. 15). His departure coincides with the end of his second three-year term as CEO, which officially ends on Oct. 31, though he will remain in the role through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition.

During his tenure, Pacifico led AIM through such earth-shattering chapters as Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. He also oversaw the establishment of a free Associate Membership tier and the launch of last year’s free Future Independents online conference to foster access to learning resources and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs and artists from diverse backgrounds.

More recently under Pacifico’s leadership, the organization co-created a new MA Music Business distance learning program with Middlesex University, which launched in July. AIM also partnered with the skills accreditation organization CLOCK to award formal credits for on-the-job learning, good toward qualifications including the Middlesex University MA.

In his first three-year term as CEO, Pacifico spearheaded the move of the AIM Independent Music Awards to The Roundhouse for its first public live show in 2019. Since then, he has expanded AIM’s program of events by introducing AIM Sync and Future Independents, while broadening the organization’s network by developing the “Friends of AIM” and “Platinum Partnership” initiatives.

Other key achievements during Pacifico’s time as CEO include the creation of AIM’s free diversity and inclusion training program, EDI Level-Up, and the initiation of the Music Climate Pact, an effort to de-carbonize the global recorded music industry.

For his efforts, Pacifico was named a Billboard International Power Player earlier this year.

Pacifico joined AIM in 2016 following stints as CEO of the U.K.’s Featured Artist Coalition and as founding president of the International Artist Organisation. Throughout, he has continued working as an associate professor at Berklee Valencia, as well as a creative director, session musician and featured artist.

“I came to AIM six years ago faced with the challenge to refresh it as one of the most energised and relevant voices in music to represent both the established but also the up-and-coming creative entrepreneurs in our sector,” said Pacifico in a statement. “I feel I have done much of the work I came to AIM to do and I’m proud to leave AIM in a position of huge strength for the future of the community, the members and the team. I am hugely grateful for the support from the community, my board and my incredible team over the last six years, which has enabled me to deliver on so much of the promise AIM represents and to shine a light on the vibrant and innovative UK independent music community. I look forward to the road ahead and the opportunities that no doubt await.”

Nadia Khan, chair of the AIM board, added, “It’s been a very rewarding experience to work closely with Paul and see first-hand his commitment to values-driven leadership, investment in promoting open communication and building a culture of equitable and transparent leadership. AIM’s board, team and membership are the most diverse they have ever been, we have levelled out access to resources and opportunities for creative entrepreneurs, and Paul’s impact and legacy are towering embodiments of this. I am truly sad to see him leave, and I wish him the best in his future endeavours.”

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The Game Drops Eminem Diss Track, BlackPink to Take On VMAs, Bella Poarch Talks New Music & More | Billboard News

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Zayn Revisits His One Direction Days, Singing ‘Night Changes’ in New Video

ZAYN appears to be getting a little nostalgic, posting a 30-second black-and-white video of himself singing One Direction‘s 2014 single “Night Changes” on Monday night (Aug. 15) to Instagram.

The ballad was released as the second single from the group’s fourth studio album Four in November 2014 — just four months ahead of Zayn Malik’s surprise departure from the boy band in March 2015. It peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a top 20 hit on the Pop Airplay chart. Malik is a co-writer on the song alongside all his 1D bandmates, as well as Jamie Scott, Julian Bunetta and John Ryan.

In the new video, Malik sings the second half of the chorus — originally recorded by bandmate Harry Styles — crooning, “Everything that you’ve ever dreamed of/ Disappearing when you wake up/ But there’s nothing to be afraid of/ Even when the night changes/ It will never change me and you.”

While Malik mostly avoids addressing his days in 1D, this is actually the second time he’s revisited the band’s catalog on social media in the last three months. Back in June, he posted a video of himself hitting the high notes from “You & I,” the fourth and final single from One Direction’s 2013 album Midnight Memories, with eagle-eyed fans noticing that former bandmate Louis Tomlinson liked the clip on Instagram.

Directioners are losing it over ZAYN’s 1D callbacks, with one Twitter user commenting: “ZAYN SINGING ONE DIRECTION TWICE IN THE GOOD LORDS YEAR OF 2022 ??!!!?!!!?” and another writing, “WE DON’T NEED THERAPY, WE JUST NEED ZAYN MALIK SINGING NIGHT CHANGES.”

This feel-good news is a change of pace from the bleak headlines last year about Malik pleading no contest to four charges of harassment against his ex Gigi Hadid — with whom he shares daughter Khai — and Gigi’s mother, Yolanda Hadid, in the wake of a Sept. 29, 2021, argument in which the singer is alleged to have grabbed and shoved the elder Hadid. In a statement posted to Twitter at the time, Malik described the incident as a “private matter” and said that “despite my efforts to restore us to a peaceful family environment that will allow for me to co-parent my daughter in a manner in which she deserves, this has been ‘leaked’ to the press.”

Watch Malik’s 1D throwback and see Directioners’ breathless reactions below:

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