Finesse2Tymes has spoken out about his Monday (Oct. 20) arrest on drug charges, and said the situation has caused him to experience a lot of growth.

The Memphis rapper was released from the Harrison County Jail in Texas on Tuesday (Oct. 21), according to local Fox affiliate Fox13, and hopped on Instagram to address the situation the next day. In his post, he said he wasn’t shying away from documenting this harrowing experience.

“See the difference between me and most is I don’t care about showing my growth,” he wrote. “I ain’t running from my flaws, I ain’t hiding behind no PR, I ain’t hiding behind no money, I ain’t doin’ what no label tell me to don’t. I show that I don’t like you n—s, I don’t sugar coat and shake hands when I see ya, and I ain’t fakin’. Thismy real life, and yeah ima shake back, I always do.”

The rapper continued, reflecting on his upbringing and determination to overcome challenges: “God never put me through more than I can handle. But while y’all posting my downfall, post what’s gone bring me up too. I ain’t just a f—k up, I got talent, and it ain’t my fault that I gotta catch on to life late. I ain’t have a mama, daddy, to hold my hand—they was fups too—but at least I know what loyalty is.”

Finesse then hopped on Instagram Live and said that he was arrested for THC vapes and not hard drugs. He also criticized his mom as “manipulative” after comments she made about his arrest, and said he was “highly blessed and favored by a high power.”

As reported by Fox13, The Department of Public Safety in Harrison County, Texas, arrested Finesse2tymes on Monday and charged him with several counts of possession of a controlled substance, including two counts of possessing less than a gram of a controlled substance and two counts of possessing between one and four grams of a controlled substance.

Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan headlined an “Icon Q&A” panel on Wednesday (Oct. 22) at Billboard Latin Music Week 2025 in Miami, where they reminisced about their beginnings in the industry, reflected on some of their major achievements and shared their views on topics such as the conservative backlash to Bad Bunny’s selection for the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show and the strict immigration policies of the Trump administration.

Presented by BMI, the panel was moderated by Jesús González, vice president, creative, Latin, at the music rights organization, who introduced the power couple as the artists who achieved “truly the first Latin crossover” and “the pillars that this industry has been built upon” after revolutionizing pop music in the ’80s with their Miami Sound Machine.

“I have worked on three Super Bowl Halftime Shows, three Olympic games and produced for six U.S. presidents with 48 events at the White House,” said the No. 1 Latin music producer, noting that he is neither a Democrat nor a Republican. “But … we need to have opportunities. For example, Bad Bunny, who has incredible success and was already part of the Super Bowl with Shakira and Jennifer [Lopez in 2020], has been the subject of major news coverage. I’m very happy with what he has done for Puerto Rico, for his country [with his recent residency at the Coliseo]. And we must have opportunities in different languages. It’s a normal thing.”

“The most important thing for me is that people see the value of Latinos who came here to contribute, to work, and the gratitude we have for being in the best country in the world,” he added, as a Cuban immigrant who truly achieved the American Dream. “I don’t want a child to think they don’t have opportunities in this great country.”

Meanwhile, Gloria expressed her concern over the current government’s aggressive deportation campaign and the loss of respect for other people’s opinions. “We’re human beings, and we’re kind of split down the middle on probably everything that exists. But one thing that’s always inspired me about this country that I deeply love and respect is the fact that there’s always been respectful discourse, and after every debate, people shook hands. And it scares me to see that changing,” the legendary singer-songwriter said.

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“And the freedoms we share must be defended, mi gente. There is no reason to be cruel to people. Yes, we absolutely need our border to have a legal process. But there’s no need to take someone that has put years of work into this country, that has sacrificed … They are not criminals!” she continued, receiving a roaring applause from the audience at The Fillmore Miami Beach. “It scares me to see what we’re seeing. It scares me. And I will always speak up because freedom must be defended.”

This year, Gloria Estefan is celebrating five decades in music and four decades of “Conga,” the megahit by Miami Sound Machine that launched her to stardom. Meanwhile, Emilio Estefan just topped the list of the Top Producers of the 21st century on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart, with 14 No. 1 hits between 2000 and 2024 as a producer for artists including Carlos Vives, Paulina Rubio and, of course, Gloria Estefan.

With over 30 years of history, Latin Music Week is the largest and most important gathering of Latin artists and industry executives worldwide. The event coincides with the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards, which will air on Thursday (Oct. 23) on Telemundo and Peacock, and where Bad Bunny will be honored as the Latin Artist of the 21st Century.

Reba McEntire is set to usher in the holidays as host of this year’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center special, which will air Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. on NBC and simulcast on Peacock.

The two-hour special, held at Rockefeller Center in New York City, will celebrate the holidays with the lighting of one of the world’s most well-known trees. McEntire will not only host the special, but she will perform throughout the night. The three-time Grammy winner won’t be the only musical performer that evening — a full lineup of musical guests is slated to be announced soon.

McEntire is currently a coach on season 28 of NBC’s The Voice and starring in the network’s comedy Happy’s Place, which will start its second season on Nov. 7. Of course, the star is also no stranger to spearheading a television special, as she has hosted the ACM Awards 18 times. In 2017 and 2018, McEntire also served as host and performer for the Country Music Association’s CMA Country Christmas holiday special. Over the years, the Country Music Hall of Famer has released holiday albums including 1987’s Merry Christmas to You, 1999’s The Secrets of Giving and 2017’s My Kind of Christmas.

Universal Television, in association with Jesse Collins Entertainment, is producing Christmas in Rockefeller Center, with Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay serving as executive producers, and Glenn Weiss directing.

McEntire announced her role on Christmas in Rockefeller Center with a sweet social media video that showed McEntire holding up a strand of holiday lights, while lip synching to a snippet of Mariah Carey’s famous “It’s time!” announcement that Carey uses to ring in the holidays.

See the video below:

Chappell Roan is walking the walk. After advocating for the LGBTQ+ community throughout her career, the pop star has announced a fund called the Midwest Princess Project supporting vulnerable trans youth.

The news came in the form of an Instagram post on Thursday (Oct. 23), with Roan writing, “I am so excited to announce @midwestprincessproject, an organization we’ve launched to provide support and needed resources for trans youth and LGBTQ+ communities!”

“The Midwest Princess Project already raised over $400,000 at my Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things Pop-Up Shows, and those funds will be donated to incredible organizations making a positive impact for trans youth in their communities,” she continued. “Outside of transaction fees to host the donation page and limited costs for my team to effectively manage the project, we have committed to donating every dollar possible to the organizations that need it most.”

Among the organizations that have benefitted so far from Roan’s fund are the Ali Forney Center and The LGBT Center in New York; Trans Wellness Center and TransLatin@ Coalition in Los Angeles; and The GLO Center and The Center Project in Missouri. Each of those organizations were local to the three cities the Grammy winner performed in for her recent run of Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things Pop-Up Shows, which contributed $1 per ticket sold to the Midwest Princess Project.

The launch of Roan’s fund marks a natural next step in her career, which she’s spent fiercely defending the rights of queer and trans people. One of the most notable instances of this was when she revealed at Gov Ball 2024 that she’d declined an invitation to perform at the White House’s Pride Month festivities, saying at the time, “We want liberty, freedom and justice for all … That means freedom in trans rights.”

In 2023, Roan penned a love letter to the LGBTQ+ community for Billboard. “To the community that saved me,” she wrote at the time. “‘Thank God I’m gay’ is a sentence I thought I’d never say, but it’s true. Thank God I love women. Thank God you taught me to accept myself, inspired me to dress loud and dance the way I have dreamt of since I was nine.”