A judge has thrown out civil sexual assault claims brought against Kevin Liles by an executive assistant who worked for the legendary record executive at Def Jam in the early 2000s.

An anonymous woman filed suit in February alleging Liles, who was her boss and the president of Def Jam, made sexually inappropriate comments, groped her and ultimately raped her in 2002. Liles denied the claims as “patently false,” saying when they were filed that he has “intentionally built a reputation for doing things the right way, treating people the right way and empowering women.”

As it turns out, these allegations are barred entirely from court. That’s because Def Jam’s corporate parent, Universal Music Group (UMG), already paid the woman $47,500 in 2005 to settle a civil rights complaint she’d filed with New York state regulators.

That original complaint alleged the woman was unlawfully fired in retaliation for complaining about verbal harassment and inappropriate dancing by Liles. It did not include rape claims. Without admitting any wrongdoing, UMG agreed to pay the woman in exchange for her agreeing not to bring any further legal action.

Liles was not involved in that settlement agreement, since he’d left Def Jam by the time it was signed. But U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald held in a Monday (Nov. 24) order that the release language still “expressly and unambiguously covered” Liles, meaning the woman cannot now sue the music mogul.

“The agreement and release itself contains no language cabining its terms at all,” wrote Judge Buchwald. “To the contrary, the agreement consistently and intentionally utilizes broad language discharging ‘any and all’ claims which ‘are known or reasonably should be known’ by plaintiff.”

The judge threw out the lawsuit permanently, saying there’s no amendment the woman could make that would allow her to “avoid the consequences of a comprehensive settlement agreement.”

Reps for Liles declined to comment on the decision Monday. Lawyers for the accuser did not immediately return requests for comment.

Liles ran Def Jam from 1999 to 2004, and he co-founded 300 Entertainment with Lyor Cohen, Roger Gold and Todd Moscowitz in 2012. The label, which quickly gained recognition for developing hip-hop superstars like Megan Thee Stallion, Migos and Young Thug, was acquired by Warner for $400 million in 2021. He left his role as 300’s CEO last year.

A few months after the former Def Jam assistant brought her lawsuit this past year, Liles put out a statement saying rapper Lady Luck was trying to extort him with false sexual assault claims of her own. Liles said in May that Lady Luck, who was signed to Def Jam during his tenure, had threatened to release a book and file a lawsuit filled with “utterly false and horrendous allegations” if he didn’t pay her $30 million.

iHeartRadio’s chief programming officer and president, Tom Poleman, sent a letter to staff on Friday (Nov. 21), obtained by Billboard, pledging that the company doesn’t and won’t “use AI-generated personalities” or “play AI music that features synthetic vocalists pretending to be human,” among other promises.

The pledge marks the beginning of iHeart’s new “Guaranteed Human” program, which will also see the company publish only “Guaranteed Human” podcasts, according to Poleman’s letter.

Starting Monday (Nov. 24), “‘Guaranteed Human’ is a core part of our brand,” Poleman wrote. “You’ll hear it in our imaging, and we want listeners to feel it every time they tune in.” iHeartRadio DJs must now add a line to their hourly legal IDs about being “Guaranteed Human.”

“Remember, this isn’t a tagline — it’s a promise,” Poleman added. “And it’s part of every station’s personality.”

News of the pro-human content initiative comes after recent headlines about the growth — and increasing indistinguishability — of AI-generated voices, songs and podcasts. According to French streaming service Deezer, 97% of participants in a recent study could not tell the difference between AI and human-made songs; the platform also estimates that 50,000 full AI-generated songs are added to their service every day. Billboard also recently revealed that AI music company Suno is generating 7 million tracks a day.

While most of these AI songs aren’t receiving many streams or sales, there have been several breakthroughs in recent weeks. This includes Xania Monet, an artist whose work was recorded using Suno and paired with AI images. Her song “How Was I Supposed to Know?” recently debuted on the Adult R&B Airplay chart and has been put in rotation by a handful of radio stations across the U.S.

In terms of radio DJs, an AI radio personality called DJ Tori has taken over the undesirable overnight and weekend shifts at a hard-rock radio station in Hiawatha, Iowa, called KFMW Rock 108, according to a Rolling Stone report. Her voice and image — that of a fashionable tattooed rocker — are both AI-generated. Meanwhile, will.i.am launched RAiDiO.FYI, an interactive AI radio app featuring synthetic voices that tell you about the songs that are playing. Spotify also continues to push its AI DJ feature, programmed based on the voice and persona of one of its employees.

In the world of podcasting, a company called Inception Point AI, founded by a former Wondery executive, has more than 5,000 podcasts and is generating 3,000 episodes a week at a cost of $1 or less per episode.

To underscore his point to iHeart employees, Poleman added some stats, including that “70% of consumers say they use AI as a tool, yet 90% want their media to be from real humans,” and that “92% say nothing can replace human connection — up from 76% in 2016.”

Read the full letter below.

Team,

A few weeks ago, I shared that iHeart is one of the last truly human entertainment sources and our listeners come to us for companionship, connection, and authenticity — something AI can’t replicate. We’re Guaranteed Human. We don’t use AI-generated personalities. We don’t play AI music that features synthetic vocalists pretending to be human. And the podcasts we publish are also Guaranteed Human.

Thank you for leaning into our commitment to keep everything we do real and authentic. That’s what makes us special. And now we’re taking it a step further.

Starting Monday, 11/24, we’re making “Guaranteed Human” a core part of our brand. You’ll hear it in our imaging, and we want listeners to feel it every time they tune in. Here’s how:

Hourly Legal IDs:

We’re changing hourly legal IDs beginning Monday to say:

“(Station call letters/name), (city of license) an iHeartRadio station… Guaranteed Human” (with the iHeartRadio audio signature heartbeat).

These will run every hour on our stations.

Sweepers

To augment our legal IDs, we also want you to create fun, nonchalant sweepers that fit your station’s vibe and reinforce that we’re Guaranteed Human. Sweepers should end with the words “Guaranteed Human.” Drop them in every hour, between songs or talk content where it feels natural. Many stations will also start these on Monday, with others ramping up in the following weeks.

Attached are examples of the hourly legal ID and sweepers.

Remember, this isn’t a tagline — it’s a promise. And it’s part of every station’s personality. When listeners interact with us, they know they’re connecting with real voices, real stories, and real emotion. That’s our superpower.

A little about why this matters so much; research says:

To be clear, we do encourage the use of AI powered productivity and distribution tools that help scale our business operations – such as scheduling, audience insights, data analysis, workflow automation, show prep, editing and organization. Those tools help us reach more people efficiently, while preserving the human creativity and authenticity that define our brand.

We talk to our listeners constantly, and they tell us they are also using AI as a tool, but they tell us there’s a limit:

The bottom line is our research tells us that 96% of consumers think “Guaranteed Human” content is appealing. So, we’re leaning in.

Thank you for keeping it real and making “Guaranteed Human” something that our audience hears and feels every day.

Sometimes you have to pick a side — we’re on the side of humans.

Tom

Femme It Forward returned to The Beverly Hilton for its 4th Annual Give Her FlowHERS Awards Gala, where the celebration centered on women whose impact continues to shape music, community, and the future of entertainment.

Hosted by Femme It Forward President & CEO Heather Lowery and executive produced by Miatta Johnson and Massah David of MVD, Inc., the evening brought together an electric group of artists, executives, athletes, and mentors for a night anchored in gratitude, sisterhood, and the power of uplifting women.

The evening also marked a standout moment for Billboard as its Executive Director of R&B/Hip-Hop, Gail Mitchell, was honored for her decades of shaping the genre’s narrative and opening doors for the next generation of women across the media industry. Her recognition underscored the gala’s emphasis on lineage, mentorship, and the women who have spent their careers amplifying others.

The night opened under warm lights and lush florals, and included performances from Jordan Ward, Goapele, and FLO. This year’s honorees included Ciara, Jhené Aiko, Mariah The Scientist, Kehlani, Olandria Carthen, Normani, and Ravyn Lenae as they were celebrated alongside industry architects whose work has redefined possibility for women across entertainment.

The Next Gem Femme mentorship program, Femme It Forward’s flagship initiative, was also spotlighted for its pivotal role in providing access and accelerating career trajectories for women of color entering the field. Across the ballroom, mothers presented daughters, friends honored friends, and industry peers highlighted one another’s evolution, creating a night rooted in community and mutual admiration.

Teyana Taylor opened the evening by presenting her mother, Nikki Taylor, with The Queens Raising Queens Award. With barely a dry eye in sight, she thanked her for the blueprint she set, telling her, “I am the mother I am today because you are the mother you chose to be.”

Model Salem Mitchell presented longtime friend Ravyn Lenae with The Fem Z Award, spotlighting Gen Z artists who are setting the tone for the next generation.

Billboard’s Executive Director of R&B/Hip-Hop, Gail Mitchell, received the Mentor Excellence Award, honoring her 26-year legacy of elevating artists, nurturing talent, and advocating for inclusive storytelling across music media. Reflecting on her decades of mentorship, Mitchell told the room, “The main goal I’ve sought to accomplish throughout my career is paying my fortune forward: to hold the door open for others to walk through and fulfill their own dreams.”

Mitchell also offered a heartfelt nod to her colleagues, adding, “Thank you to my R&B/hip-hop family at Billboard, who are part of the next generation carrying the torch forward.”

Mariah The Scientist was recognized with The Bloom Award, presented by her sister Morgan Buckles, celebrating her artistic endeavors, where her momentum, vision, and evolution exemplify creative growth.

Jhené Aiko, whose catalog has contributed to shaping the fabric of contemporary R&B for more than a decade, received The Glow Getter Award from her mother, daughter, and sisters in a deeply vulnerable yet gratifying speech where she thanked her family for carrying her through a challenging year. “This year, they pulled me out of some really dark places,” she said. “They sat by my side when I couldn’t get out of bed.”

Olandria Carthen, honored with The Self-Love Award, emerged as one of the night’s breakthrough voices. With a growing fan base drawn to not only her beauty but her pure honesty, she used her moment to speak directly to women still learning to trust their own worth. “I dedicate this award to any woman who has ever questioned their worth.”

Normani took the stage to accept The Femme It Forward Award from Ryan Destiny, where she spoke spirit behind her work and the role of community in sustaining women in the industry.

“The Femme It Forward award fills me with immense gratitude because it speaks to humanity and who we are as people beyond anything else,” she said. “Philanthropy is never the work of one individual—it’s a shared effort built by communities, mentors, friends, and everyone who believes compassion is a force capable of real change.”

Kehlani’s acceptance of The Alchemist Award, presented by fellow Bay Area artist Goapele, unfolded as one of the night’s most vulnerable speeches. Coming off recent Grammy recognition and a years-long journey of evolution, she reflected on the often unseen parts of transformation.

“I firstly must thank God, the ultimate alchemist, the transformer of all things,” she said. “Alchemy isn’t always shiny; sometimes it happens in the dark when no one is watching, when you’re trying to remember who you are and what you’re here to do.” She thanked her community for allowing her to grow openly, saying, “Thank you for giving me the space to grow, to shift, to unlearn, to heal, and to come back to myself again and again.”

In her first major appearance after stepping down as Chairwoman of Epic Records, Sylvia Rhone accepted the inaugural Sylvia Rhone Legacy Award—a distinction honoring her groundbreaking, decades-long impact in the music industry.

She addressed the women in the room with clarity and conviction: “Now I am passing the baton to you all. Like the Olympic relay races, passing the baton transfers momentum. Successful exchanges make up time you thought you might have lost. Success relies on teamwork, timing, and communication. It’s your time, so go forth and prosper even more.”

The evening closed with a powerful message from Heather Lowery, who told the room: “To every woman watching, listening, or quietly dreaming, remember your story is sacred; your roots are strong; and your flower will bloom in its own divine timing.”

 Ball Park Music are getting another boost from their career-defining support slot on Oasis’ blockbuster Australian reunion tour, with the Brisbane five-piece featured in the latest instalment of Live Nation’s Soundcheck series.

The behind-the-scenes episode documents the band stepping onto the biggest stages of their career, performing to arena-sized crowds across the country as Oasis returned to Australian venues for the first time in more than a decade.

The new video follows Ball Park Music from soundcheck through to showtime, capturing the emotional and technical build-up before the house lights drop. The band — who have long cited Oasis as formative influences — are shown tuning up backstage, taking in the scale of the arena, and reflecting on the surreal nature of opening for one of the most culturally dominant bands of the ’90s and 2000s.

“It’s hard to even describe what it feels like to open for Oasis,” the band say in the episode. “We’ve all grown up with their music and to suddenly be standing there, playing before them, it’s surreal. You can feel the crowd buzzing from the moment you walk out. It’s a mix of nerves and pure joy. Nights like that remind you why you started playing music in the first place.”

The Oasis tour itself has been one of the major Australian live music stories of 2025, prompting rapid sellouts across multiple cities and adding extra dates to meet demand. For Ball Park Music, the run marks a significant step up following a strong year that already included major touring and chart success.

Earlier in 2025, the group scored their first ARIA No. 1 album with Weirder & Weirder, extending their streak of consecutive top-10 entries on the ARIA Albums Chart. Until then, three of the band’s releases had stalled at No. 2: Puddinghead (2014), Ball Park Music (2020), and Weirder & Weirder (2022).

The Soundcheck episode portrays this shift in real time. Cameras capture the band navigating the fast pace of arena production, walking onstage to tens of thousands of fans, and later watching Oasis’ performance from the side of the stage. There are quieter moments too: the group describing their pre-show nerves, laughing about technical mishaps, and taking in the “full-circle” nature of the moment.

Live Nation’s Soundcheck series has previously highlighted artists across the Australian touring landscape, including Anna Lunoe, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Coterie and Dallas Frasca. The Ball Park Music instalment continues the focus on documenting live performance culture from the inside — showing the realities and emotions artists experience at key turning points in their touring career.

Watch the extended episode of Live Nation’s Soundcheck with Ball Park Music and Daphne Berry here.