Hilary Duff‘s upcoming album Luck … or Something covers a lot of ground, from the challenges of being a mom to having an “inappropriate” age-gap relationship when she was younger and dealing with tensions with members of her family.

And in a Glamour cover story published Tuesday (Feb. 17), the singer/actress opened up about why she decided to bear it all on the new project. “I just felt really ready to share,” she explained. “I wanted to make something that I could connect with people again on the level of who I am now. I felt like people have definitely gone through some of the similar large strokes that I have in the past 10 to 15 years.”

“That’s my family,” she said of tracks such as “We Don’t Talk,” which seemingly addresses her rumored rift with sister Haylie, and “The Optimist,” on which she sings about wishing her “father would really love” her. “Those are the people that affect you the most, take up the most space naturally as a human who’s born into something.”

“Just because you’re born into a family doesn’t mean that it always stays together,” Duff continued. “You can only control your side and your street … I’ve had a very complicated life, and my parents had a very complicated thing.”

The Lizzie McGuire alum hasn’t said much about her parents, but some of their challenges were made public when her father, Robert, admitted to having an affair during his marriage to Hilary’s mother, Susan. While going through divorce court in 2008, he reportedly spent a day in jail after allegedly selling his family’s assets without court approval.

As for Haylie, Hilary is rumored to be feuding with her older sister amid speculation that the younger Duff was part of the “toxic” mom group fellow Disney Channel star Ashley Tisdale wrote about in a recent op-ed. Hilary’s husband, Matthew Koma, mocked Tisdale’s essay with a satirical post calling her “tone deaf,” shortly after which Haylie posted about hanging out with Tisdale and her kids.

Hilary didn’t touch on the alleged mom group drama, but she did have high praise for the group of women she’s become friends with since welcoming 13-year-old son Luca with her ex-husband, Mike Comrie, and 7-year-old Banks, 4-year-old Mae and 1-year-old Townes with Koma.

“I feel exceedingly lucky that my kids happen to spend time with people that I feel like our values are aligned with,” she told the publication. “The friends that I’ve made since becoming a parent are some of the deeper, more surprising friendships I’ve found as an adult.”

Luck … or Something arrives Friday (Feb. 20), after which the How I Met Your Father performer will embark on a sprawling arena tour. So far, fans have heard two songs from the album: “Roommates” and lead single “Mature.”

Of the latter song, Duff told Glamour, “It’s definitely about a relationship that I had. It was very brief with someone older than me, and that was not illegal, but inappropriate when you have this much time removed from it.”

“I think that it’s super nuanced, and it’s hard to defend certain things that have happened in my life,” she added of “Mature.” “But the one thing that I’ll say is, working as an adult since I was 10 years old, it’s very hard to have relationships with people your own age.”

See Hilary on the cover of Glamour below.

As Lil Durk’s federal trial on murder-for-hire charges nears, a judge has ruled that prosecutors can introduce some lyrics that allegedly show the Chicago rapper’s motive for placing a bounty on his rival Quando Rondo.

Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald issued a key ruling on Friday (Feb. 13) establishing parameters for the upcoming April trial of the rapper (Durk Banks) and several members of his Only the Family (OTF) crew, who allegedly shot Rondo at a Los Angeles gas station in 2022. Rondo (Tyquian Bowman) was ultimately unscathed, but his friend Lul Pab (Saviay’a Robinson) was killed in the crossfire.

The decision allows prosecutors to present the jury with lyrics from two successful Lil Durk songs: his Nardo Wick collaboration “Who Want Smoke??”, which peaked at No. 5 on Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 2021, and “Ahhh Ha,” which hit No. 4 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 2022.

Judge Fitzgerald ruled that both these songs contain lyrics about a key disputed question in the case: whether Durk, who was not present at the Rondo shooting, ordered the violence in retaliation for the 2020 killing of his close friend and collaborator King Von (Dayvon Bennett). Durk denies that he was involved.

In “Who Wants Smoke??”, Durk raps, “They be on my page like ‘Slide for Von’, I know they trollin’ me … Got it back in blood, y’all just don’t know that’s how it ’posed to be.”

And on “Ahhh Ha,” he raps, “Don’t respond to s–t with Von/ I’m like, ‘f–k it, you trippin’, go get your gun’/ They droppin’ locations, I’m getting’ it done/ F–k tweetin’, we slidin’, the feds are comin’.”

“The court agrees that these lyrics are relevant for the stated purpose of showing motive,” wrote the judge. “The discussion of violence in conjunction with getting revenge for ‘Von’ makes the evidence more probative than prejudicial in this instance.”

Judge Fitzgerald also determined that the jury can hear some lyrics showing the tight bond between Durk and OTF member Deeski (Deandre Wilson), who is also a defendant in the case. But he barred prosecutors from introducing other rap lyrics that merely depict OTF as violent without any real connection to the facts of the case.

The government had wanted, for example, to play part of the 2023 song “Beverly Hills,” in which Durk raps, “Before they spin, told the tints darker … Fool his ass, he think we buyin’ some cars, we hop out, scoom his ass.” Prosecutors argued these lyrics told the story of the Rondo shooting, but Judge Fitzgerald was unconvinced.

“There is no inference that the lyrics here are ‘autobiographical’ of the events involved in these charges — indeed, as Banks points out, there is virtually no evidence of the timing of when these lyrics were written or even recorded,” wrote the judge. “There is certainly a danger of unfair prejudice given the content of the lyrics — which here, explicitly reference committing acts of violence — apart from the probative value.”

This is not the first time the question of Durk’s lyrics has come up in his case. When prosecutors initially charged and arrested the rapper in 2024, they included lyrics from the song “Wonderful Wayne & Jackie Boy” in the indictment. The government claimed these lyrics described the Rondo shooting, but they ultimately deleted the reference after Durk’s lawyers pointed out that the song was written months before the incident.

The use of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal cases is controversial, with critics arguing that it threatens free speech and injects racial bias into legal proceedings. Several states have banned or limited this practice for local prosecutions. It’s still legal in federal court, though, where Durk is being tried.

A rep for the prosecution declined to comment on the matter on Tuesday (Feb. 17). Durk’s lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment.  

The rapper’s trial is scheduled to begin on April 21 in Los Angeles.

Cardi B is already feeling the effects of life on stage for her Little Miss Drama Tour. Following Monday night’s (Feb. 16) Kia Forum show in Inglewood, Calif., Cardi joked about getting some of her butt removed and sizing down her backside.

While backstage with Kehlani after the “Folded” singer served as a special guest, the Bay Area native couldn’t help but reveal how enamored she was with Cardi’s behind. “So much a—,” she said. “That was the most a— I’ve ever seen!”

Rocking her titanium chrome bodysuit, which accentuates her curves, Cardi shared a laugh and admitted her plans to take “some out” after wrapping up the Little Miss Drama Tour.

“After this tour, I’m taking some out,” she said. “I don’t want to hear from nobody for three months. I’m going to Colombia, nobody hit me up, nobody nothing. I’m taking this a— out!”

Kehlani hopped into Real 92.3’s IG comments and couldn’t help but laugh at the exchange caught on camera. “LMAOOOOOOOOO just f—ing wow,” she wrote.

Cardi kicked off the Little Miss Drama Tour on Feb. 11 in Palm Desert and then headed to Las Vegas, where she took a tumble off a chair and jokingly blamed the government for the mishap.

The Grammy-winning rapper took over the Kia Forum for a pair of sold-out shows on Sunday (Feb. 15) and Monday night (Feb. 16). Kehlani wasn’t the only special guest in Los Angeles, as Cardi brought out Tyla, Blueface and GloRilla.

Kehlani took to Instagram to give Cardi’s show a rave review, calling her “Safe” collaborator’s tour “one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.”

“To one of the best shows i’ve ever seen in my life, one of the most incredible house hold names of our time… BRAVO @iamcardib EVERY SINGLE PART of this show rocked me,” Kehlani penned.  “@itsbankhead you are absolutely out of your mind, @kollincarter you are absolutely out of your mind.”

She continued to gush: “I’ve been watching this undeniable thing build for years, from Ring to Safe and you will always have me in your corner Big Bardi! you are A SUPER STAR. i was emotional as hell for you. i laughed, i cheered, i lost my voice. there ain’t a day on this earth you gon shine and i wont be cheering! EVERYBODY PLEASE GO SEE THIS SHOW IT WAS 11/10 !!!”

Next up, Cardi brings the Little Miss Drama Tour to Portland on Thursday (Feb. 19) before heading north of the border.

In today’s music business, the race to acquire and manage legacy catalogs has been defined by high-stakes valuation and the promise of perpetual returns. We have seen billions of dollars deployed on the basis of a seemingly inherent and enduring power of iconic IP. Yet, from a strategic and operational perspective, and the fact that these assets never live in a vacuum, there is a glaring inefficiency. While Digital Service Providers (DSPs) like Spotify and Apple Music are optimized for audio consumption, the industry’s most dynamic, high-value platform — YouTube — remains consistently and grossly underutilized.

For years, the industry viewed YouTube as merely a video repository, which has proved to be a fundamental and egregiously costly error. YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine and a powerhouse DSP in its own right — a narrative Lyor Cohen emphasized in his “$8 Billion Letter.” We view the platform through a different lens: It is the ultimate ecosystem for brand preservation and revenue generation.

However, for many legacy artists, this ecosystem is in disarray. Search for a legend, and you are often met with a fragmented reality: pixelated bootlegs, unofficial uploads outranking official channels, and a visual identity that feels frozen in a bygone era. This neglect dilutes the brand and leaves significant revenue on the table.

To correct this, we operate on a specific methodology we call the Brand & Revenue Blueprint, which we have successfully deployed for icons including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Linda Ronstadt and others. It relies on three core pillars.

Reclaiming the Brand Narrative

The first step in modernizing a legacy brand is winning the battle for attention. In many instances, user-generated content (UGC) indexes higher than official artist channels simply due to neglect. When an official channel suffers from infrequent uploads, poor metadata or low-resolution assets, the algorithm — and the fans — drift elsewhere.

This issue must be approached with the precision of a media company, including by upscaling archival footage to meet modern HD standards, redesigning thumbnails to compete in a crowded feed and rigorously correcting metadata. This is not just digital housekeeping; it is brand elevation. By reintroducing tentpole content with a polished, authoritative presentation, you ensure that the official channel dominates search results. We are effectively telling the algorithm that the artist is active, relevant and the definitive source of their own history.

Protecting Rights & Brand Integrity

Once the official channel is established as the hub, the vast ecosystem surrounding it must be addressed. YouTube’s claiming capabilities are robust, yet often misunderstood or passively managed.

For legacy artists, the volume of UGC uploaded by fans over the last two decades is immense. Many rights holders view this as a nuisance, but it should instead be viewed as a revenue stream and branding opportunity, with an emphasis on capturing revenue from the “long tail” of content that many labels and estates miss.

However, this requires a nuanced, operational hand; YouTube content optimization companies must act as a neutral extension and partner to artists’ teams, labels and distributors, policing brand integrity without alienating the fan base. This means aggressively managing bootlegs and unauthorized full albums, and, increasingly, monitoring the rise of AI-manipulated uploads that threaten the authenticity of the artistry — in essence, protecting the IP while monetizing the fandom.

Extending Lifetime Value: Repackage for the Modern Fan

Finally, nostalgic search habits must be converted into recurring consumption. It is not enough to simply upload a music video from 1985. You have to speak the language of 2026.

This involves reimagining existing IP into new media formats, including utilizing YouTube Shorts to capture younger audiences with bite-sized, viral-ready moments; deploying 24/7 themed live streams to drive “lean-back” consumption, turning the channel into an always-on broadcast station; and creating visualizers that give audio-only tracks a visual footprint.

This active content strategy revitalizes the brand footprint. It creates a multi-hyphenate ecosystem where the artist is not just a musician, but a content creator, a broadcaster and a visual storyteller.

George Karalexis is co-founder/CEO of Ten2 Media. His expertise as a media executive, strategic advisor, and serial entrepreneur spans 15-plus years across multi-sector leadership, with a focus on music, marketing strategy and tactical team building. Donna Budica is co-founder/COO of Ten2 Media. With a degree in finance from The Wharton School and an MBA from USC Marshall, she leads corporate strategy and operations at Ten2 and its subsidiaries.