La Cura Fest by Carín León will take place for the first time in March, and the Mexican music star announced his first guests on Thursday (Jan. 15). These include Spanish pop star Alejandro Sanz, Mexican music idols Grupo Frontera and country singer and rapper Jelly Roll as headliners, reflecting León’s eclectic musical tastes and versatility.

The lineup also features Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Kany García, Mexican singer-songwriter Kevin Kaarl and country band Midland, with more artists to be announced in the coming weeks.

The event will be held on Saturday, March 14, and Sunday, March 15, at the Expogan in the Mexican city of Hermosillo, Sonora, León’s hometown.

The lineup, in this first phase, includes colleagues and friends of the “La Primera Cita” singer, many of whom he has collaborated with throughout his career. With Sanz, for instance, León recorded hits such as “El Vino de Tu Boca” and “Mil Motivos”; with García, “Te Lo Agradezco”; and with Grupo Frontera, “Que Vuelvas” and “Mutuo.”

In addition to the main stage at the Expogan (Expo Ganadera), there will also be a secondary stage at the venue’s palenque for more intimate shows, according to a press release.

Originally planned as a one-day event, the festival announced a second date after tickets, which went on sale Dec. 5 without the lineup being announced, sold out within hours. Anticipation grew on Dec. 22 when Sanz confirmed his attendance in a video, followed by Grupo Frontera.

Tickets are still available for the second date of La Cura Fest by Carín León, with prices ranging from about $100 to $200.

Here’s the lineup with the artists announced so far:

50 Cent’s intuition and pettiness helped guide him to rap glory. The G-Unit mogul looked back on turning down a million-dollar deal with Universal, which was a blessing that led him to sign with Eminem and Dr. Dre.

50 posted a clip on X on Wednesday (Jan. 14) of the late Irv Gotti talking about how he was trying to block 50’s deal with Universal Music Group over the Queens rapper’s feud with his Murder Inc. label, which operated under the Def Jam/Universal umbrella in the early 2000s.

50 Cent ended up rejecting the alleged $1.3 million offer from Universal. He ended up meeting Eminem, who introduced 50 to Dr. Dre, and, well, the rest is history. 50 signed a million-dollar deal with Shady Records through Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment in 2002.

“[Tony] Yayo did not understand why I wouldn’t do a deal with universal they offered me 1.3 mill and we was broke,” 50 recalled. “I said No yall can keep that. Now you see why I love Eminem so much, if he ran your kid over with a car. I’d say No he didn’t! LOL.”

50 and Em remain close to this day, more than 20 years later, and they’ve teamed up for a handful of collaborations over the years, including “Don’t Push Me,” “Gatman & Robin” and “Patiently Waiting.”

During a 2023 backstage interview with Apple Music’s The Rebecca Judd Show at O2 Arena, 50 revealed that the first purchase he made with his rap money after signing a deal was a Mercedes Benz for his grandma.

“I bought my grandmother a C220 Benz. I’ll never forget because when I got the car, I got it right away is the first thing I bought when the deal was done,” he said.

Things turned out OK for 50, who went on as dominant a run that rap has ever seen in the mid-2000s, while selling millions of albums, topping the charts and notching profitable brand deals.

Even though he’s still not releasing new music and running the charts, 50 remains a pillar of hip-hop culture, and has pivoted to owning spirits brands as well as running his lucrative film/television production company.

Lauryn Hill paid tribute to the late Fugees producer John Forté, who was found dead at 50 years old on Monday (Jan. 12).

Hill shared a heartfelt tribute to her late Fugees collaborate on Instagram on Wednesday (Jan. 14), which saw the Grammy-winner recall first meeting Forté, whom she remembers as a “gentle king,” and how they quickly became close friends.

“I can’t remember the exact moment I met John Forte or Forte as we used to call him, but I know we became fast friends very soon after. I loved him, my family loved him,” she shared. “I remember meeting his mom with her sweet voice for the first time and walking New York City streets with him in full youthful fascination mode. Our generation of hip hop was young and at the ascent of its epic rise. We were both there…participating and taking it all in, full of excitement and possibility. Forte was a gentlemen and a scholar with a strong pen, deep soul, and kind heart.”

Hill continued: “I hadn’t seen John in years before the last Mised-Fugees Tour, but he stepped on stage like no time had passed at all. We were in contact only a few weeks ago. This loss is unexpected and surreal and my heart aches… for his family, for his wife, for his children, for his friends, and for all of us who were blessed to know him. I Love you John. Rest in peace gentle King.”

Police revealed Forté’s passing on Tuesday (Jan. 13), after the Grammy-winning producer was found dead Monday afternoon in his Massachusetts home, according to Chilmark police. Officials did not reveal a cause of death as an investigation remains ongoing.

“Rest in peace to my refugee brother, John Forte,” Wyclef Jean relayed to Billboard following Forté’s passing. “One of the kindest legends I’ve ever met. A gentle giant with a warrior’s story. You carried pain with grace, and freedom with humility. Thank you for always flooding my life with music. Like clockwork at least once a month, there was a new track, a new idea, a new spark. Your creativity never stopped. I know the angels are welcoming you with open arms, to a place where you’ll play guitar, rap, and sing a brand-new song. We weep down here, but heaven smiles. And I can’t help but say it one more time, just like I did on our song: JOHN FORTE!!!!!!!!”

Forté was a New York City native who became renowned for his contributions to the Fugees’ The Score album as well as Wyclef’s The Carnival Grammy-nominated LP.

In addition to his work alongside the Fugees and the Refugee Camp All-Stars, Forté earned a solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Ninety Nine [Flash The Message]” reaching No. 59 in 1998. His Poly Sci album peaked at No. 84 on the Billboard 200 in 1998 as well.

It’s been a fascinating year in pop stardom, as several A-listers rolled their massive 2024s into nearly-as-big 2025s, some proven hitmakers made the jump to to true ubiquity, and some underground up-and-comers poked their heads above the surface for the first time. It all made for a crowded field, from which it was difficult to choose just 10 names to be our official Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 — which we’ll be counting down one a day starting Monday (Jan. 19) — and nearly as tough even just to decide the 10 honorable mentions, which we just posted today.

On this first Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, we focus on those 10 unranked best-of-the-rest artists. YouTuber and Song vs. Song podcaster Todd in the Shadows stops by to help us size up those 10 artists — and share his takes about who should have made the main list, and who didn’t necessarily need to be recognized at all — as we also look at some of the artists we couldn’t find room for, and also make some predictions about artists who could be in the Greatest Pop Stars discussion in 2026.

Along the way, we answer all the most important questions about our Nos. 11-20 Greatest Pop Stars of 2025: Does it matter that Ariana Grande’s 2025 mostly feels like leftovers from her 2024? Is Benson Boone the Barry Manilow of the 2020s? Did Chappell Roan not make a single truly wrong move all year and still end up losing a lot of her momentum from the year before? Did Justin Bieber out-Swag himself? How highly do we value SZA being the most valuable supporting pop star of the year? And perhaps most importantly: Where exactly do we rate Drake in all of this?

Check it out above, along with a YouTube playlist of some of the greatest moments in best-of-the-rest 2025 pop stardom — all of which are discussed on the pod — and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!

Also, check out Todd and Lina Morgan’s awesome Song vs. Song podcast here — including the most recent episode featuring host Andrew Unterberger — and watch his videos here (best of 2025 coming soon!)

And as we say in every one of these GPS podcast posts — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights:

Transgender Law Center

Trans Lifeline

Destination Tomorrow

Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe

Also, please consider giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.