The 52nd American Music Awards announced its slate of 50 categories reflecting the ever-evolving music landscape.

There are 14 genre-neutral categories and 36 genre-specific categories. Of those, country and Latin lead, with six categories each; followed by pop, hip-hop and R&B, with five each; rock/alternative, with four; K-pop, with two; and dance/electronic, Afrobeats and Americana/folk, with one each.

This is a far more diverse picture than when Dick Clark created the show in 1974. For the first five years, through 1978, there were just 15 categories – five categories each for pop/rock, soul/R&B and country.

The 52nd American Music Awards returns to CBS and Paramount+ on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, which the show’s organizers point out is the largest venue in the show’s history. The show was held in the tiny Earl Carroll Theatre in Hollywood in its first year, before graduating to such larger venues as the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, the Shrine Auditorium and the Peacock Theatre. Last year it was held at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

Nominations for the 52nd American Music Awards will be announced on Tuesday, April 14. Fan voting opens that same day and will remain open until May 8.

Additional details, including performers, presenters, special honorees, and the ticket on-sale date, will be announced in the coming weeks.

 Here’s the complete list of categories:

Miley Cyrus will receive her “Flowers” at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, which are set to air live on Thursday, March 26, on FOX from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

Cyrus will receive the Innovator Award, which is given to an artist who is continuously contributing to pop culture and the music industry. Past recipients are Pharrell Williams, Justin Timberlake, U2, Bruno Mars, Chance the Rapper, Alicia Keys, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.

Ludacris is set to host the show for the second time in three years. (LL Cool J did the honors last  year.) Luda will also perform on the show and will receive the Landmark Award, which honors artists whose portfolio has shaped culture across multiple decades. Past recipients are Green Day, TLC and Nelly.

Alex Warren will receive the Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award, celebrating his rise over the past year with “Ordinary,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks. He will also perform on the show. Warren won best new artist at the MTV Video Music Awards and was nominated in that category at the Grammys.

Other artists taking the stage include Lainey Wilson, RAYE, and — performing for the first time together — TLC, Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue.

“I’m excited to return as host of the iHeartRadio Music Awards to celebrate and perform alongside some of the best in the industry,” Ludacris said in a statement. “It’s going to be a night with special performances and surprise moments fans are going to love.”

The iHeartRadio Music Awards will air live on Thursday, March 26 (8-10 p.m. ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. The event will also air on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app.

In addition to paying tribute to music and artists, the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards will give iHeartRadio listeners the opportunity to decide winners in several categories. Fan voting will determine this year’s Favorite Broadway Debut, Favorite TikTok Dance, Favorite Debut Album, Best Lyrics, Best Music Video, Favorite On Screen, Favorite Tour Photographer, Favorite Soundtrack, Favorite Tour Style, Favorite Tour Tradition and Favorite K-pop Collab. Social voting will close on March 19 at 11:59 p.m. PT for all categories. Fans can vote by visiting iHeartRadio.com/awards. 

Additional categories include Label of the Year and individual winners for Album of the Year in music’s biggest genres, including pop, country, alternative, rock, dance, hip-hop, R&B, Latin and regional Mexican formats. 

Executive producers for the iHeartRadio Music Awards are Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Jeannaé Rouzan-Clay for Jesse Collins Entertainment (JCE); John Sykes, Tom Poleman and Bart Peters for iHeartMedia; and FOX Entertainment Studios.

Country superstar Ella Langley is a history maker. Her hit single “Choosin’ Texas” was the first track by a woman to simultaneously top the Country Airplay, Hot Country Songs and all-genre Billboard Hot 100 charts. The song, which has a writing and producer credit from country legend Miranda Lambert, was Langley’s first Hot 100 chart-topper.

With “Choosin’ Texas,” Langley also became just the fourth solo woman to earn a multi-week Country Airplay No. 1 in 10 years.

Below are the lyrics to Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas.”

Just when I thought I got him to fall in love with Tennessee
I shoulda known better than to take him back to Abilene
I put him right back into her arms
I wasn’t a match for that kinda spark

She’s from Texas, I can tell by the way
He’s two steppin’ ’round the room
And judgin’ by the smile that’s written on his face
There’s nothin’ I can do
It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see
A cowboy always finds a way to leave
Drinkin’ Jack all by myself
He’s choosin’ Texas, I can tell

Well, I guess he forgot about the Smoky Mountain rain
Them old Hank tunes, the Memphis blues we used to sing
He always loved Amarillo By Morning
I shoulda taken that as a warning

She’s from Texas, I can tell by the way
He’s two steppin’ ’round the room
And judgin’ by the smile that’s written on his face
There’s nothin’ I can do
It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see
A cowboy always finds a way to leave
Drinkin’ Jack all by myself
He’s choosin’ Texas, I can tell

When I’m eastbound and down and I can’t help but cry
‘Cause I-40 gets lonelier with every mile
I’ll know that his mind wasn’t ever gonna change
‘Cause his heart still belongs to the Lone Star State

She’s from Texas, I can tell by the way
He’s two steppin’ ’round the room
And judgin’ by the smile that’s written on his face
There’s nothin’ I can do, nah, yeah
It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see
A cowboy always finds a way to leave
Drinkin’ Jack all by myself
He’s choosing Texas, I can tell, no
Drinkin’ Jack all by myself
He’s choosin’ Texas, I can tell

Come on, baby
Oh, yeah
Just when I thought I got him to fall in love with Tennessee

Lyrics licensed & provided by LyricFind
WRITERS
Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Joybeth Taylor
PUBLISHERS
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

The NBA, the Atlanta Hawks and Magic City have found themselves in a bit of a Streisand Effect vortex.

Last month, the Hawks announced that the team would host “Magic City Monday” on March 16 via the team’s website, with T.I. set to perform at halftime, an exclusive hoodie that was going to sold at the arena on the team’s online shop and the Atlanta strip club’s notable lemon pepper wings. However, NBA players Luke Kornet and Al Horford spoke out against the decision, which then led to a bit of a firestorm on social media and ultimately Magic City Night’s cancellation.

Of course, Cam’ron and Mase had something to say on their daily sports talkshow It Is What It Is.

“Adam Silver is serious about pulling out all stops to be different, and I like this,” Mase, who lives in Atlanta, said. “But this was something he had to put his foot down. There’s people that love Magic City, there’s people that hate Magic City, but when you talk about the NBA, you talk about the Atlanta Hawks, it’s not just about the guys that watch this game or the ladies that watch this game, but it’s about the kids that are watching this game, and I think this particular statement is a statement that needed to be made, so that they can bring some respect back to the game where children are concerned, right?”

He then said that continuing with this particular night would send the wrong message to kids.

“If the children are coming there and you got a little girl there, she’s loving the NBA, or a kid there and he’s watching the NBA … and then you pull out Magic City and you honor that in front of children, I just felt like it would have sent the wrong message to the whole NBA,” he added. “It would’ve definitely sent the wrong message to the kids, and I think that’s what you have to do. … You have to protect children at all costs. I’m thankful that he did that, especially being a person that lives in Atlanta.”

Cam, on the other hand, had a different opinion. “Yeah, I dig it. I totally understand,” he said. “I don’t support it. That’s you. I don’t support it.”

He added: “If you wanna bring your kid to Magic City Night, we gotta look at you as a parent. You got 41 games at home. Come on, man. You can pick another night to not bring the kids to Magic City Night.”

The NBA released a statement, saying that they feel like they made the right decision. “When we became aware of the Atlanta Hawks’ scheduled promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and rationale,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. “While we appreciate the team’s perspective and their desire to move forward, we have heard significant concerns from a broad array of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees. I believe canceling this promotion is the right decision for the broader NBA community.”

Meanwhile, the Hawks expressed disappointment in their own statement. “While we are very disappointed in the NBA’s decision to cancel our Magic City Night promotion, we fully respect its decision,” the team said Monday. “As a franchise, we remain committed to celebrating the best of Atlanta — with authenticity — in ways that continue to unite and bring us all together.”

You can watch the full episode below and try not to spend too much money on those hoodies once they hit the resale market.

Rapper Bentley Bugz (real name Jimmy Francois) was arraigned Friday in a federal court in Brooklyn on a six-count indictment of sex trafficking charges involving a minor.

According to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office, Bugz faces charges of sex trafficking of a 16-year-old girl using force, fraud and coercion, as well as coercing and enticing a minor, sexually exploiting a child and prostitution across state lines.

Francois is also accused of physically assaulting and intimidating the minor victim, in addition to assaulting separate women while she was present.

Prosecutors allege that the New York rapper created sexually explicit images of the 16-year-old and posted the photos in various prostitution ads.

“As alleged, the defendant preyed on a vulnerable child and sold her body for his own profit, while subjecting her to physical violence and threats,” U.S. Attorney Nocella said in a statement. “With today’s arrest, Francois is being held to account for his cruel and depraved crimes. Our Office will continue to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of sex trafficking that threatens the safety of our communities.”

Bugz was arrested Jan. 29 in Miami and transported to the Eastern District of New York earlier in March. He remains in custody without bail and faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars if convicted and up to a possible life sentence.

Court filings allege that Bugz forced the Jane Doe victim to engage in sexual acts with multiple clients per day between June 2024 and August 2024. Prosecutors accused the 37-year-old of sex trafficking the minor through multiple states, including a stop in Queens.

Francois is also accused of assaulting the victim and intimidating her with verbal threats. “I’ma violate you… You gonna have broken bones… in your hotel room. No hospital, no nothing,” Bugz allegedly told her. “I will personally break your bones.”

“As alleged, the defendant’s exploitation and trafficking of an innocent teenager — across state lines and over the course of months — can only be described as depravity in its most vile form,” HSI New York special agent Alfonso added. “He hid his dark life of threats and abuse behind a facade of power and luxury. Together with our law enforcement partners, HSI New York is wholeheartedly focused on protecting victims as we relentlessly pursue those who dehumanize and debase them for their own selfish gain and satisfaction.”

On the music side, Bentley Bugz has released singles to streaming services dating back to 2012. His most recent release on DSPs arrived in late 2023 with “Spin Again.”