Megan Thee Stallion No Longer Performing With BTS at 2021 American Music Awards

Megan Thee Stallion has dropped out of her appearance at the 2021 American Music Awards, which included her highly anticipated performance with BTS, due to a personal matter.

The rapper was scheduled to join BTS onstage to perform the Hot 100 hit “Butter” at Sunday’s (Nov. 21) event. The live collaboration was set to be the televised world premiere of their “Butter” remix.

“Hotties I was so excited to go to the @AMAs and perform with @BTS_official, but due to an unexpected personal matter, I can no longer attend,” she wrote on Twitter on Saturday, the day before this year’s AMAs.

“I’m so sad! I really can’t wait to hit the stage with my guys and perform #BTS_Butter real soon!” said Megan, who is nominated for three awards this year.

The AMAs Twitter account replied, “We will miss you, @theestallion!” and confirmed that BTS — who were scheduled to perform once with Megan and once with Coldplay — would still be taking the stage twice during the awards show: “We can’t wait for @BTS_twt to perform TWO TIMES tomorrow!”

The 2021 AMAs, hosted by Cardi B, will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and stream the following day on Hulu. The show will be available globally across a footprint of linear and digital platforms in more than 120 countries and territories. MRC Live & Alternative and Jesse Collins Entertainment are producing.

See a full list of the performers and presenters originally announced to appear at this year’s American Music Awards here. On Saturday, the AMAs also announced that Jennifer Lopez will perform “On My Way” from her upcoming rom-com Marry Me, which is due Feb. 11, 2022. Lopez, a three-time AMA winner, hosted the show in 2015.

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Jay Jacobs, Former Longtime William Morris Music Agent, Dies

Jay Jacobs, a retired music agent who worked with the William Morris Agency for three decades, has died.

“Today we mourn the loss of Jay Jacobs, whose lengthy career as a talent agent was part of a rich and colorful life,” the Motion Picture and Television Fund (MPTF) wrote on Twitter on Friday (Nov. 19).

“We were recently honored to talk to Jay here at MPTF and share his journey, and may he rest in peace,” said MPTF’s tweet, which linked to a profile about Jacobs, who over the years received assistance from the organization. Billboard has reached out to MPTF for further comment.

Jacobs resided at Hersholt Place at the Motion Picture Home after being diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in early 2021.

“He’s charming and generous, with a distinct self-deprecating sense of humor and stories to tell that could last for days,” said the article about Jacobs on MPTF’s website.

Jacobs, who was born in Philadelphia, began his career in the mail room of the William Morris Agency in New York in 1961. He went on to become an agent and a founding member of the William Morris music department, where he booked acts “from country to jazz to R&B,” says the MPTF profile. He worked with the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel and Diana Ross, to name a few.

He recalled, “It was really thrilling because when I was 21 or 22, I represented the Beach Boys back in the day, getting $7,500 a night. I created the very first percentage date with them where they got about 70% of the gross at the door, and they walked out with $28,000. That was an amazing stepping-stone to getting percentages for the groups instead of flat fees.”

Jacobs, who also worked at ICM for a few years before retirement, is survived by two children.

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Kanye West and Drake Set for ‘Free Larry Hoover’ Benefit Concert in Los Angeles

Kanye West and Drake will soon be taking the stage together after ending their long-running beef.

The 44-year-old rapper and fashion mogul, who recently changed his name to Ye, announced on Saturday (Nov. 20) that he and Drizzy will perform at the “Free Larry Hoover” benefit concert at Los Angeles’ Coliseum on Dec. 9.

“God’s Plan,” Ye captioned the announcement on Instagram, referencing Drake’s 2018 hit, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The poster lists Ye as the evening’s headliner and Drake as the special guest. Tickets will go on sale on Monday (Nov. 22) at 10 a.m. PST.

After years of feuding, Ye and the OVO MC officially buried the hatchet on Tuesday (Nov. 16) after reuniting during a Dave Chappelle comedy show and later hanging out at Drake’s mansion in Toronto. In a sign of peace, Ye shared a photo on social media of himself posing with Drake and Rap-A-Lot CEO J Prince.

In early October, J Prince teased on Instagram that Ye and Drake were working to “free our brother Larry Hoover.” Weeks later, Ye and J Prince appeared in a video together asking for Drake’s assistance in getting convicted felon Hoover released from federal prison.

“I believe this event will not only bring awareness to our cause, but prove to people everywhere how much more we can accomplish when we lay our pride to the side and come together,” Ye said in the clip.

West previously advocated for the release of Hoover, the convicted co-founder of Chicago’s Gangster Disciples gang who was first sentenced to serve life in prison in 1973 after he was found guilty of murder. More than two decades later in ’97, Hoover received six additional life sentences after he was found guilty on charges of continued gang activity while imprisoned.

In 2018, Ye attempted to help free Hoover by appealing to former U.S. President Donald Trump, but he was unsuccessful. Most recently, he featured Hoover’s son, Larry Hoover Jr., on the song “Jesus Lord” which appears on his latest album, Donda. In the track, Hoover Jr. thanks West for his involvement in his father’s case.

While Ye vs. Drake had been going on for more than a decade, the two most recently butt heads over the summer during the lead-up to their Donda and Certified Lover Boy albums. After Ye briefly leaked Drake’s address, the Toronto MC seemed to take shots at him on his song “7am on Bridle Path” and later leaked Ye and André 3000’s “Life of the Party” collab that didn’t make the cut on Donda.

See Ye’s “Free Larry Hoover” benefit concert Instagram post below.

 

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Travis Scott’s “MAFIA” | Watch Now!

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Cardi B Reflects on 2018 AMA Performance That Made Her a ‘Superstar’ Before Hosting 2021 Show

“I’m just going to go in there and just, ‘Ahhh!’” Cardi B screams while telling Billboard about her upcoming hosting gig at the 2021 American Music Awards.

The first-time host is a three-time nominee this year, getting nods for favorite female hip-hop artist as well as favorite music video and favorite hip-hop song for her Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Up.” Although she won’t be taking the AMA stage as one of the performers this year, Cardi previously performed her Hot 100 No. 1 “I Like It” alongside J Balvin and Bad Bunny in 2018 — and she says in the new interview on Friday (Nov. 19) that performance is “the biggest one that everybody loved.”

“Every single time that they bring up my performances, that’s the one they be like, ‘Oh, this the one! This the one that Cardi was a superstar! This the one!’ the 29-year-old rapper recalled.

She believes performances are not only the best part of the AMAs, but also crucial to the way artists are received by the public. “Performances can make or break you,” adds Cardi. “They won’t break your career, but if it’s a great performance, it’s like, ‘Oh wow!’ But if it’s a bad performance, it’s like, ‘Oooh, you got one more chance.’”

The 2021 American Music Awards will air live Sunday from Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and will stream the next day on Hulu.

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