The political love affair between Nicki Minaj and Donald Trump continued on Wednesday (Feb. 18), as Donald Trump gushed about Minaj during his speech at the White House.

Trump gave the Young Money rapper her flowers, calling Minaj “beautiful” and highlighting her political prowess while speaking at the Black History Month event in Washington, D.C.

“How about Nicki Minaj? Do we love Nicki Minaj? I love Nicki Minaj. She was here a couple weeks ago. She’s so beautiful,” Trump raved. “I said, ‘Nicki, you’re so beautiful.’ Her nails are like that long, I said, ‘Nicki are they real?’ She didn’t want to get into that. But she was so beautiful and so great and she gets it, more importantly.”

Minaj celebrated Presidents’ Day on Monday (Feb. 16) by posting an AI-generated photo to social media of her riding around in a convertible with President Trump while counting money.

The Queens icon also attended the Trump-backed World Liberty Forum event on Wednesday (Feb. 18), which saw Minaj tapped as a keynote speaker for the “Owning the Culture: The Business of Music in a Creator-Led Economy” panel.

Minaj met the president for the first time at the Trump Accounts Summit in Washington, D.C. in January, where she stood alongside Donald Trump and labeled herself the “president’s No. 1 fan.”

“I am probably the president’s No. 1 fan,” Minaj said. “And that’s not going to change. What people have to say, it does not affect me at all. It actually motivates me to support him more. And it’s going to motivate all of us to support him more.”

She continued: “We’re not going to let them get away with bullying him. And you know, the smear campaigns. It’s not going to work. He has a lot of force behind him and God is protecting him.”

Minaj hasn’t been shy about her support for the Trump administration in recent months. She joined podcaster Katie Miller for an interview earlier in February, where she explained the backlash that Trump faced inspired her to be more outspoken in his corner.

“Religious freedom is something that’s very important to me, but if I’m being honest, President Trump,” she said. “When I saw how he was being treated, over and over and over, I just couldn’t handle it.”

Watch the full clip of Donald Trump speaking about Nicki below.

Rapper Lil Poppa has died, the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed on Wednesday (Feb. 18). The Jacksonville rapper (born Janarious Mykel Wheeler) was 25 years old.

Poppa’s cause of death remains under investigation at this time, as details remain scarce. There’s been an outpouring of support from the rapper’s fans and peers since news of his death broke. Dej Loaf, Mozzy and Nardo Wick were among the rappers to pay tribute to Poppa.

Great Day Records CEO Caroline “Baroline” Diaz, who worked with Poppa in the early stages of his career, also paid homage on X. “My little brother is gone,” Diaz wrote. “Poppa I love you so much. I am so broken. One of the first artists I had at Interscope. A&R’ed 4 of his projects. I’m so sad right now.”

My little brother is gone, Poppa I love you so much. I am so broken. One of the first artists I had at Interscope. A&R’ed 4 of his projects. I’m so sad right now……..

— BAROLINE (@Barolinnne) February 18, 2026

Lil Poppa signed to Yo Gotti’s CMG label in 2022. He’s notched collaborations over the years with Gotti, Polo G, Rylo Rodriguez, Toosii, Mozzy, Yungeen Ace and Seddy Hendrix.

Last week, Poppa returned to unleash his “Out of Town Bae” single on Feb. 13. He had been on tour in late 2025 and had a Birthday Bash show set for March in New Orleans.

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Lil Poppa earned a pair of entries on the Billboard 200 in his career. Poppa’s Blessed, I Guess project reached No. 160 in May 2021 and his Under Investigation 3 album peaked at No. 194 in May 2022. He landed several placements on the Heatseekers Albums chart, including a peak of No. 4 thanks to Heavy is the Head in November 2022.

Billboard has reached out to reps for Lil Poppa for comment.

It’s been a truly insane February for Bad Bunny, who began his month by winning album of the year at the Grammys, followed it up by headlining halftime at Super Bowl LX the next week, and now makes it three weeks of headlines in a row by taking over the Billboard Hot 100 in historic fashion.

The Puerto Rican superstar notches 18 songs on the Hot 100 this week’s chart (dated Feb. 21) — most from his 2025 album Debí Tirár Mas Fotos, but also including a handful of catalog hits dating back to 2019 — with four of those songs reaching the top 10, three of which hit new peaks on the chart. One of them is “DtMF,” which tops the chart for the first time (after previously hitting No. 2 in early 2025), making it both his first No. 1 as an unaccompanied artist, and the first predominantly Spanish-language song to reach the top since Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s Justin Bieber-featuring “Despacito” in 2017.

How long will the takeover last? And is Bad Bunny now the biggest pop star on the planet? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.

1. Bad Bunny owns 18 entries on the Hot 100 this week, including four of the top 10 and both of the top two — with “DtMF” marking his first-ever unaccompanied No. 1 hit. Is this kind of post-Super Bowl bump for him bigger, smaller, or about what you expected from him?

Kyle Denis: This is exactly what I expected. Bad Bunny is a monster on streaming, and the project that anchored his halftime set is just over a year old. In fact, he’s still touring it! Between that overall momentum and the boost of his historic album of the year Grammy win earlier this month, the stage was perfectly set for a massive streaming boost post-Super Bowl.

Lyndsey Havens: A bit bigger. I expected to see a bump, of course, but to see him dominating in this way is only further proof of what a smashing success his halftime show was. He delivered such a spectacular set — and message — that it’s nice to imagine this bump being from fans old and new. For the longtime crowd, Bad Bunny delivered exactly what we hoped for (and then some). And for the less-familiar crowd, I would bet they’re still doing a deep dive into all he has to offer.

Sigal Ratner-Arias: I am not surprised at all by these numbers. Bad Bunny has consistently reached the top of charts including the coveted Billboard 200, where four of his albums have been No. 1. The interest generated by his Super Bowl performance – plus the controversy surrounding his selection as the halftime show headliner from the very moment it was announced – led to old and new fans, as well as detractors and curious people, to listen to his music. And it really paid off.

Jessica Roiz: Honestly, I expected him to dominate the Hot Latin Songs chart following the Super Bowl, but never thought he would have such a massive presence on the Hot 100. This, to me, is only a reflection of his real star power, whether you’re a fan of his music or not. What impresses me most is that the No. 1 and No. 2 spots are taken by a modern plena song and a traditional salsa tune — far from the very popular reggaetón and música Mexicana genres.

Andrew Unterberger: If it is surprising, it’s not very. We already saw how Bad Bunny’s numbers just following the Grammys — where he didn’t even perform — so for him to play so many of these songs during the most-watched TV event of the year, to millions of folks who might not have been even able to name a Bad Bunny song previously, was always going to have a majorly galvanizing impact. But it’s still hard to predict anyone will chart 18 songs in a week when he hasn’t even released an album in the past year.

2. Last year, Kendrick Lamar also swarmed the top of the Hot 100 following his Super Bowl show, and eventually used the momentum to land the longest-lasting No. 1 hit of his career in “Luther” with SZA. Do you see Bad Bunny doing something like that with “DtMF” (or one of his other revived hits), or do you think the bump will be shorter-lasting for him? 

Kyle Denis: Because “Luther” was barely a few months old, I think it had a bit of an advantage over “DtMF” given that the latter is a year old and has already had a stint in the top 10. It’s entirely plausible that it sticks around with an even greater shelf-life post-Super Bowl, but I think the boost will slowly subside in the coming weeks as the charts recalibrate.  

Lyndsey Havens: I mean, nothing says new era like a completely wiped Instagram account. It’s possible that Benito will also use his Super Bowl momentum to lead into new music. And if he does, I can definitely see it being (if you can believe it, following a historic Grammy win and halftime show set) his biggest cycle yet.

Sigal Ratner-Arias: Before the Super Bowl, “DtMF” spent 46 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart since January 2025, but only reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. This is not his first No. 1 on this chart – he previously reached the top with “I Like It,” his collab with Cardi B & J Balvin – but it is his first as a solo artist. So, regardless of how many weeks he spends at the summit, it’s already a historic achievement for Bad Bunny — and this is no small feat, given his many records and accomplishments.

Jessica Roiz: Personally, and only because it’s my favorite song right now — and it was named the No. 1 Latin song of 2025 by Billboard editors — I wouldn’t mind seeing “Baile Inolvidable” eventually take the lead. Either way, I’m not sure how long Bad Bunny will dominate the Hot 100 chart for, but if he goes on two weeks or beyond, he will break his own longest-leading record. Prior to “DtMF” reaching No. 1, Bad Bunny topped the chart for one week in 2018 with his appearance alongside Cardi B and J Balvin on “I Like It.”

Andrew Unterberger: I don’t know if “DtMF” will end up a 13-week No. 1 like “Luther” — it already had a pretty good and long chart run last year — but I don’t think it’s gonna disappear next week either, or any time soon. A lot of people are catching onto it for the first time, and just based on the number of times I’ve heard the song in videos on social media or out in the wild in the weeks since the Grammys, folks are more excited about it than ever right now.

3. “DtMF” marks the first predominantly Spanish-language No. 1 since “Despacito” in 2017. Are you surprised it’s been that long? Do you think we’re more likely to see more of them now that Bad Bunny’s broken through like this?

Kyle Denis: I’m not entirely surprised, but it does feel like it should have happened sooner. As far as I’m concerned, “Tití Me Preguntó” was a multi-week No. 1 smash! While it’s incredible to see “DtMF” at the top, it took a well-timed 1-2 punch of Grammys and Super Bowl weekend to get there. That kind of timing is very rare, so I’m not too sure we’re more likely to see more predominantly Spanish-language Hot 100 No. 1s in the years to come. I’d be more hopeful if U.S. top 40 radio routinely got on board with predominantly Spanish-language songs without remixes from non-Latin artists. Some perspective: Benito has yet to reach the top 10 of Radio Songs with a solo song, and “DtMF” has yet to see any of the chart’s 50 positions.

But if anyone can rewrite the rules of language and dialect at top 40 radio in the 2020s, it’s probably Bad Bunny.

Lyndsey Havens: I’m not surprised, no. When you think of a song like “Despacito,” that took over the conversation, the culture and clearly the charts. It’s become a sonic time capsule. But, at the same time, it was also the peak (so far) for Luis Fonsi. An artist like Bad Bunny is quite the opposite, rather than just one song dominating the conversation and culture it is Bad Bunny himself in that position. So, while I do think it’s a possibility we will see more Spanish-language No. 1s, I think if anything Bad Bunny has proven how difficult it really is to get here — and how even at the top, he’s still battling detractors. All is to say, it’s a longer, harder road for Spanish speaking artists to achieve such mainstream acclaim, but it seems Benito is reshaping that path.

Sigal Ratner-Arias: We all knew “Despacito” would open more doors and ears for Spanish-language music – even though the version that hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 was the one featuring Justin Bieber, with his lyrics in English. A lot has happened in nine years in the music industry, so I hope to see more opportunities now that Bad Bunny has broken through like this. 

Jessica Roiz: Yes, it’s surprising that it took almost a decade for a Latin song to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100, but it’s even more shocking that none of the biggest songs on the Hot Latin Songs history reflected in feat: “Bailando” by Enrique Iglesias, December Bueno and Gente de Zona, which spent 41 weeks at the top or Shakira and Alejandro Sanz’s “La Tortura,” which spent 25, would have been deserving of a Hot 100 No. 1 spot. Now, the Super Bowl halftime show definitely sparked an interest in Bad Bunny’s music, and hopefully that will translate to wider Latin music consumption, resulting in more No. 1 Latin songs sooner rather than later!

Andrew Unterberger: It’s been such a globally explosive period for Spanish-language music over the past decade that even though there’s no one song I would say definitely feels like a No. 1 hit that didn’t end up actually being one, it is still a little surprising that no song has gotten there since 2017. But if nothing else, I imagine it will be a shorter distance for Bad Bunny himself to get back to No. 1 than ever before.

4. Do you think Bad Bunny will take advantage of this moment by quickly returning to the studio to record new music, or do you think he’ll take more of a break following the summation of his tour this summer? What would you advise him to do if you were on his team? 

Kyle Denis: Human to human – take a break! My guy has been grinding non-stop for almost two years; I hope he’s able to take a few months for himself — especially considering his heightened fame. Nonetheless, Bad Bunny lives in the studio. In fact, he’s never taken more than a year and a half between studio albums (and that’s not counting the mixtapes and collaborative projects he’s dropped along the way). I fully expect him to have some new music ready by the summertime, if not to celebrate the tour’s conclusion. And that makes total sense! Why not take advantage of the recent expansion of your already massive fanbase?

Lyndsey Havens: I think he may have already been in the studio. And I think he may already know exactly what’s next. If I were on his team, I’d say let this moment breath, drop a project that goes on to become the second Spanish-language Album of the Year winner and then, just when he’s feeling rested, return to the stage to headline … well, with Coachella and the Super Bowl under his belt, he can really tackle whatever stage he wants.

Sigal Ratner-Arias: As a prolific hitmaker, Bad Bunny has never been an artist who can spend much time away from the studio. Even when he’s said he’s taking a break, he’s surprised his fans shortly after not with a single but with a full album. I believe that will be the case now that the Super Bowl is over, although it may take a little longer because of his current world tour. I have no advice to offer; I expect him to continue evolving musically while staying true to his Puerto Rican roots and keep spreading a much-needed message of Latin pride and unity.

Jessica Roiz: Bad Bunny is very unpredictable, and if his 2020 album title YHLQMDLG (yo hago lo que me de la gana) is any indication, he truly does whatever he wants, and there’s no advising him. But I do think he’s at the recording studio creating new music. Following the Super Bowl, he immediately removed all the content from his Instagram account, which has been a strategy in the past when he’s about to drop a surprise album.

Andrew Unterberger: If I had to bet, it would be on a bit of a break from music for the rest of 2026 — but if he released an album in the next three months, I also wouldn’t be shocked at all. Regardless, I don’t think he can really lose, whether he takes his time with the next project or jumps back in immediately. The only advice I’d give him is to make sure the next project is something he’s really passionate about, and that isn’t chasing what anyone else is currently doing: Bad Bunny’s long proven to be his most successful when he’s setting the trends, rather than following them.

5. Is Bad Bunny now the biggest pop superstar on the planet?

Kyle Denis: I mean, c’mon… without question!

Lyndsey Havens: He’s up there, for sure. And deservedly so. 

Sigal Ratner-Arias: Yes. For how long? I don’t know. But as the numbers show, today, he is.

Jessica Roiz: Yes. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Andrew Unterberger: Taylor Swift is maybe still a little bigger. But if she is, she’s the only one.

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K-pop idols always seem to have the most juicy, hydrated lips around. Their makeup is pretty much perfect, almost infuriatingly so.

If you’ve ever wondered how your faves achieve the perfect pout, then this new Laneige launch might be the answer to all your queries. Made in collaboration with KATSEYE, the South Korean cosmetics brand dropped a JuicePop Box Lip Oil Stain in the shade K-pop Pink. The product is marketed as a mix between a lip stain and a lip oil, offering hydration and pigment with one swipe. The shade is described as a “cool bright pink” and is available now at Sephora for $23. The secret to the stain meets lip oil’s success? The unique formula, which combines 80% oil and 20% water for maximum hydration and staining power.

When applied, the lippie leaves a high-shine finish and a tinge of pink that lasts all day, according to Laneige. The doefoot applicator is curved, meant to mimic the natural shape and curvature of your lips for expert application. Along with this K-pop-certified lip product, Laneige dropped eight other JuicePop shades, including neutral hues and vampy mocha hues, all with that high-shine finish. Each shade features names inspired by music genres like Jazz, Lo-Fi, Pop, Disco and more.

Each shade is said to offer wearers up to 12 hours of long-lasting shine. The lip oil stain is also formulated with peptides, which, according to Laneige, visibly firm and improve elasticity for plumper, more hydrated lips overall. Every lippie comes with a unique cap that features an opening on the top that can be clipped onto keychains or bags.

Speaking of keychains, Laneige also dropped a limited-edition JuicePop Box Lip Tint Wristlet & Keychain to go along with their new lip products. The keychain/wristlet retails for $20 and is affixed with a bright pink strap, inspired by the KATSEYE-approved shade, and two charms, including a pink and black record. The keychain clips to your JuicePop Box lippie securely and can be attached to your bag, belt or keys so you’ll have your lip product with you at all times. The limited-edition launch capitalizes on the ever-popular bag charm trend that is still going strong.

Along with the launch of KATSEYE’s K-pop shade, Laneige dropped a promo video featuring the group and the new lippie. The video was set to the group’s latest track “internet Girl,” which peaked at 29 on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts. The track spent four weeks on the charts in total and was dropped on Jan. 2nd. You can watch the video below.

Watch KATSEYE’s Laneige JuicePop Box Promo Video

Kentucky’s Bourbon & Beyond festival will bring a plethora of musical talent spanning country, rock, Americana and more, when the multiday festival launches its eighth year on Sept. 24-27 in Louisville, Ky., at the Kentucky Exposition Center.

This year’s leading performers include Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves, The Red Clay Strays, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Matthews Band and many others. Over 100 artists will perform across five stages.

Also on the massive lineup are Goose, Mumford & Sons, Foster The People, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Hootie and the Blowfish, Of Monsters and Men, The Flaming Lips, Counting Crows, Jesse Welles, Jessie Murph, The War on Drugs, Charley Crockett, Max McNown, Cheap Trick, Marcus King Band, Avery Anna, Gabriella Rose, Sierra Hull and The Creekers.

“Bourbon & Beyond is built to be the best weekend of your year. Plain and simple. From the second you arrive, everything is designed so you can fully experience what a music festival should be,” Danny Wimmer of Danny Wimmer Presents said in a statement. “It’s an escape with soul — a place where you can unplug from real life, let loose, be a kid again, and really live in the moment. You can ride roller coasters at Kentucky Kingdom, discover new artists and see your favorites, sip great spirits, and eat incredible food — and it all just works. At its core, it’s about creating memories. It’s a vacation inside a vacation. This lineup reflects everything Bourbon & Beyond stands for. And I say this with humility and confidence — there is nothing else quite like it in this space. It truly is the best weekend you can have at a festival of this scale.”

David S. Beck, president & CEO of Kentucky Venues, added, “Bourbon & Beyond captures the spirit of Kentucky like no other music festival. Last year’s move to the heart of the Kentucky Exposition Center set a new standard, and together with Danny Wimmer Presents, we’re proving the Commonwealth is the premier destination for world-class events.”

Other offerings during the fest include Fork & Flask curated by Kroger, which will highlight local restaurants, speakeasies and bars. The Kroger Big Bourbon Bar will house the Bluegrass Situation Stage to highlight top bluegrass bands. Attendees can also get free access to amusement rides inside Kentucky Kingdom, which became part of the fest’s footprint last year.

Passes for the fest are available at bourbonandbeyond.com.

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