Perhaps more than any other city, New Orleans is a music town. In the Big Easy, music is more than an economic or cultural factor; it’s atmospheric and generational in the way it defines and binds communities. When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans two decades ago, it shattered our perceptions of how destructive natural disasters could be. It didn’t just wash away homes and businesses, though; it paused the city’s music, its lifeblood. In New Orleans, brass bands, jazz clubs, second lines and neighborhood gigs are not just entertainment; they are part of the social fabric.
It was also a pivotal moment in recognizing the role of music in disaster recovery. While we don’t always appreciate the power of music when we have it, we know and feel when it is gone. After Katrina, the silence across the city was nearly as haunting as the wreckage itself, and it became clear just how much communities rely on music to heal and come together.
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For musicians, the devastation was personal and immediate: entire collections of instruments were lost to floodwaters, vintage and one-of-a-kind gear gone, and the venues that sustained them shuttered indefinitely. More than half of New Orleans’ 5,000 musicians were displaced. In 2005, MusiCares, the leading non-profit supporting music professionals, was one of the first responders in New Orleans. At the time, we had no apparatus for disaster response, but knew our community was hurting. Our staff handed out cash and essential supplies from their cars to music people in need. In the days and weeks after the storm, MusiCares provided more than $1.7 million in direct assistance to 2,400 music professionals and their families. While our contribution was a very small fraction of the aid that rebuilt New Orleans, by investing in the recovery of music, our efforts had considerable ripple effects on the economic and social well-being of communities. MusiCares’ work was one piece of a larger recovery, getting music people what they needed so they could keep the music playing, and in turn provide a soundtrack to the city’s revival.
Katrina was our first true lesson in disaster response and marked the beginning of a new approach for how we prepare for and respond to disasters that threaten the music community.
It was also a turning point in understanding that for communities to recover, music needs to recover. Disasters, whether natural or economic, have unique and devastating effects on the millions of people in the U.S. who work in music. Many people who work in music live paycheck to paycheck. After 35 years of support for music professionals, we know that as little as one gig can mean the difference between making rent or not. The livelihoods of so many in music are also dependent on highly specialized gear and instruments. The loss of income after a disaster can be immediate if their gear is damaged or venues and studios are destroyed. For music professionals, a lost gig is not just lost income. It can mean lost connection, lost purpose, and often, lost hope.
The mental health needs of music professionals are also unique. Our research shows that suicidal ideation among music professionals is two to three times higher than that of the general population. Disasters can have devastating consequences for this community in the absence of immediate and long-term mental health support.
The challenges of Katrina set the stage for how disasters affect music communities everywhere. Over the past two decades, similar patterns have emerged during crises: Musicians and crews face immediate financial and emotional strain, and communities feel the ripple effects when critical spaces are destroyed. Since Katrina, MusiCares has built a robust and comprehensive disaster safety net for music professionals. We have provided over $45 million in emergency and long-term recovery assistance to tens of thousands of music people impacted by dozens of natural and economic disasters.
Through our data and collaborations, we continue to learn and better understand how comprehensive and far-reaching the impact of disasters is on music people. In the early days of our response, our priority was the essentials: financial assistance for basic living needs — the first step in helping music professionals get back on stage, back in studios and back to fueling the communities that rely on them.
During the COVID pandemic, we saw how financial insecurity impacted mental health and substance use and substantially scaled our support in these areas. And the effects of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles in January 2025 demonstrated how essential it is to marshal a comprehensive and long-term response. While MusiCares has provided over $7 million in assistance already, we know that our support to those directly and indirectly impacted by the fires will continue for years to come.
The recovery of New Orleans showed us what’s truly at stake. Katrina taught us that music isn’t a luxury, it’s essential infrastructure. When music professionals can return to their work, people gather, communities heal and resilience emerges. As large-scale disasters and crises become more frequent, destructive and far-reaching, investing in people who make music possible is one of the most powerful ways to help communities recover and thrive. Investing in music professionals to rebuild and recover isn’t just good for music; it’s good for all of us.
Theresa Wolters is executive director of MusiCares and Harvey Mason Jr. is CEO of the Recording Academy and MusiCares.
After years of inactivity, Radiohead have reunited to announce a 20-date tour for late 2025.
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The Oxford-formed band will perform across the U.K. and Europe — including a four-night residency at London’s O2 Arena — with shows in Madrid, Bologna, Copenhagen and Berlin in November and December. See the full run below.
Tickets will only be accessible by registering on the band’s website. Registration opens on Friday (Sept. 5) at 10 a.m. BST and runs through until Sunday (Sept. 7) at 10 p.m. BST. The tickets will then go on sale to the general public on Sept. 12.
Writing on the band’s Instagram, drummer Philip Selway said, “Last year, we got together to rehearse, just for the hell of it. After a seven-year pause, it felt really good to play the songs again and reconnect with a musical identity that has become lodged deep inside all five of us.”
He continued, “It also made us want to play some shows together, so we hope you can make it to one of the upcoming dates. For now, it will just be these ones but who knows where this will all lead.”
The dates will mark the band’s first gigs in eight years; their last live performance was on Aug. 1, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Radiohead first teased the shows via a series of mysterious flyers, which were distributed around each city the tour is slated to visit.
Radiohead have not released an album since 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool, which they supported with an extensive world tour that included a Coachella headlining slot the following year. It became Radiohead’s sixth No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Album Charts, and hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
A Moon Shaped Pool was the fifth Radiohead album to be nominated for the Mercury Prize, making the four-piece the most shortlisted act in the Prize’s history. It also received a Grammy nod for best alternative music album, while its lead single “Burn the Witch” scored a nomination for best rock song.
In the following years the band have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2018), but otherwise pursued numerous extracurricular projects outside of Radiohead. Drummer Selway and guitarist Jonny Greenwood have worked on a series of film soundtracks, as has frontman Thom Yorke. Guitarist Ed O’Brien’s has shared solo work as EOB, while bassist Colin Greenwood has collaborated and toured with Nick Cave.
Jonny Greenwood and Yorke have also released music as The Smile, which they debuted during a livestream event held by Glastonbury Festival in May 2021. The Smile have released three full-length albums to date, the most recent being 2024’s Cutouts.
During their hiatus, band members have spoken out sporadically about the future of Radiohead. In late 2024, Yorke made headlines when he told Australian outlet Double J that he “really doesn’t give a f–k” about reunion rumors. “I think we’ve earned the right to do what makes sense to us without having to explain ourselves or be answerable to anyone else’s historical idea of what we should be doing,” he added at the time.
His comments followed a video interview between Colin Greenwood and Hay Festival Querétaro that took place last September, in which the musician revealed that Radiohead had been rehearsing together earlier in the summer. He explained that the band “did some rehearsals in London, just to play the old songs,” adding that “it was really fun, we had a really good time.”
More recently, as Radiohead’s hiatus continued, “Let Down”, a track from the seminal 1997 LP OK Computer, entered the Billboard Hot 100 in August after rising in popularity on TikTok. In 2022, the song featured in the season one finale of the hit Hulu show The Bear, but has soared again online in recent months, with users enamored by its emotional feel.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-09-03 14:31:462025-09-03 14:31:46Radiohead Announce Comeback with First Tour Since 2018: See the Dates
MTV’s biggest night — and now officially Music’s Most Iconic Night — is just around the corner (Sept. 7), as the Video Music Awards come to CBS for the first time. Produced for the first time in a decade by longtime MTV exec Van Toffler, hosted by five-time Grammys steward LL Cool J, and featuring performances from a wide array of breakout stars and returning greats, the evening should be a memorable one — but for no one moreso than whichever artist gets to become the latest to take home the top prize for video of the year.
The video of the year category has a storied but imperfect track record of honoring the all-time greats of the format, acknowledging Madonna but not Michael Jackson, Pearl Jam but not Nirvana, Kendrick Lamar but not Drake. Despite the many celebrated artists and classic videos ultimately denied the distinction, the all-time winners list remains a formidable canon of prime MTV fixtures, YouTube sensations and now even theatrically premiered short films — a list of names that this year’s nominees would all be more than happy to add theirs to.
Will that list come to include a repeat winner, like Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga or The Weeknd? Perhaps a long-overdue first-timer, like Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars or Billie Eilish? Maybe a newer crossover star like ROSÉ, Sabrina Carpenter or Playboi Carti? We’ll see on Sunday, but before then, take a look back at Billboard‘s ranked list of the 41 videos that have already received MTV’s greatest honor — there’s not a total dud in the bunch, and at least a couple dozen that remain essential pieces of pop culture history years, if not decades later.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-09-03 14:21:042025-09-03 14:21:04Every VMA Winner for Video of the Year, Ranked: Critic’s Picks
It’s well past midnight at New York’s Daylight Studio, and Cardi B is fighting to stay awake. Five hours into her Billboard photo shoot, a slight wardrobe malfunction with her black dress is prompting a quick timeout. “S–t, I got a wedgie,” she groans, dropping into her seat with a smirk. But like a true New Yorker, she toughs it out — chewing ice and cracking jokes like she’s headlining her own late-night set.
Clutching a Chick-fil-A cup, she rattles off a story about the fast-food chain botching her order. Then she seamlessly swerves into her recent social media spat with WWE’s Naomi. A couple of days earlier, Cardi had hosted SummerSlam at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium — and in the run-up to the event, she’d threatened on X to shave Naomi’s head and use her hair as a wig. “I just be talking s–t because I know these b–ches can really fight,” she gags, eyes gleaming.
Cardi’s jokes and swagger never clock out. But behind the antics, she’s focused — and eager to reassert her hip-hop dominance. Seven years after her Grammy Award-winning, multiplatinum-selling, culture-shifting debut, Invasion of Privacy, she’s finally ready to launch her next act with her long-awaited second album, Am I the Drama?
“I’m really one of those artists that people ask for their albums the most every year,” Cardi says matter-of-factly. “I wouldn’t be confident if nobody asked me for my s–t. Imagine nobody asking for an album of yours? Imagine nobody asking for your music? That’s why I’m so confident.”
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She has only released one album, but Cardi B already boasts a Hip-Hop Hall of Fame-caliber résumé. She became the first female rapper to win best rap album at the 2019 Grammys. She has five Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s and 13 top 10 hits. She’s also the first female artist to have every track on an album certified platinum or higher by the RIAA.
Along the way, Cardi evolved into one of music’s most sought-after collaborators, partnering with pop giants Bruno Mars and Maroon 5 for Hot 100 chart-toppers, as well as hip-hop upstarts such as Latto and GloRilla.
“What’s special about Cardi is that she knows her audience, her fan base and how to stay relevant,” says Shawn Holiday, her manager at Full Stop Management. “She hasn’t put out an album in seven years, but she knows how to stay current because she knows how to do features that keep her in the marketplace.
“GloRilla was a new artist at the time [they collaborated],” he continues. “Cardi didn’t care. She was really trying to empower other females in hip-hop. It wasn’t about the money for Cardi; she did it because she loved the song and knew she could add value to it.”
While her music wins are undeniable, it’s Cardi’s triumphs outside of the studio that have solidified her legacy. Since releasing Invasion of Privacy, she has become a global brand force, securing partnerships with Fashion Nova, Reebok and Whipshots; her deal with NYX Professional Makeup culminated in a Super Bowl commercial in 2024.
It’s hard to believe, given all this enormous cultural influence, that she still has yet to embark on her own headlining tour. “A lot of people say I got comfortable because I make money, but the most money I make is when I go and do shows,” says Cardi, who tweeted in 2022 that she’d netted $1 million for a 35-minute show at a private event during Miami’s Art Basel. “I could rush and put out music like it’s nothing and then pick up millions of dollars per show, but it’s not about that. I want the music to be great. I want it to be amazing.”
Stephane Rolland dress and headpiece, Valentino earrings.
AB+DM
Cardi will finally hit the road in February when she embarks on her first-ever headlining tour. Produced by Live Nation, the arena run will hit more than 30 North American cities through April.
“The market’s been waiting on a Cardi tour for a while, so we’re excited to be involved with her first headlining run,” says Mike G, her booking agent at UTA. “The strategy for someone who’s never headlined is first and foremost making sure she’s healthy on the road. We’re limiting the schedule to no more than four shows a week to give her the proper rest for the entire run.”
Though international demand has surged, Cardi’s immediate focus is on this U.S. leg.
“It’s like a domino effect when it comes to strategy,” Mike adds. “We’re very conscious of ticket pricing, what the market looks like and who would pay for a Cardi tour. Scaling and pricing are a very important thing for your first headlining run, but she’s been in the market for a while. We’re confident it’ll do extremely well.”
With 23 tracks set to appear on Am I the Drama?, including two Hot 100 No. 1s — 2020’s “WAP” and 2021’s “Up” — Cardi’s aiming to prove it was worth the wait. Slated for release on Sept. 19, Cardi’s second act features a tougher storyline: Expectations are sky-high, her divorce from rapper Offset is pending, she’s raising their three kids on her own and she’s navigating the new Atlantic Music Group (AMG) regime under CEO Elliot Grainge.
“Cardi B is synonymous with the excellence that has made Atlantic Records a historically significant record label,” Grainge tells Billboard. “She is a real vanguard and a groundbreaking career artist who continues to push hip-hop and popular music culture forward in surprising and inspiring ways. There is no one like her. We are fortunate to be in her orbit.”
In June, Cardi released the album’s first single, “Outside,” a trunk-rattling track where she defiantly shakes off the shackles of her marriage and steps into singlehood. The song debuted in the top 10 of the Hot 100, a reminder that even amid chaos, Cardi can still storm the charts.
But if “Outside” was Cardi coming out swinging, it’s the René & Angela-sampling “Imaginary Playerz,” released in mid-August, where her pen first draws blood. Jay-Z famously flipped the R&B duo’s 1982 single “Imaginary Playmate” for his own “Imaginary Players” in 1997, and on her version, Cardi makes the beat her own as she fires shots with sniper-like precision. “My flop and your flop is not the same/If you did my numbers, y’all would pop champagne,” she snaps.
“Cardi remains at the top of her game,” AMG COO Zach Friedman says. “She released a great record with ‘Outside,’ marking another exciting milestone for her. The entire AMG family is here to support her vision for the new album. She continues to be one of one.”
It’s 2 a.m. when Cardi finally steps off-set, the 11-hour shoot behind her. She exhales, eager to trade couture for pajamas and finally fix that pesky wedgie. These marathon days, the kind that test your patience and prove your stamina, are the grind she has been craving — the same grind that helped her become an overnight icon. Now, seven years after Invasion of Privacy forever changed the rap game, Cardi is ready to be the headline, the plot twist and the finisher all over again. This time, she’s walking straight into the drama, daring anyone to even match her smoke.
It has been seven years since Invasion of Privacy. How have you grown since then?
Since then, I’ve experienced a lot. The good and bad of fame, the hate, jealousy, drama, balancing my career with my personal life and growing up and maturing. I’ve learned to control my emotions and understand how life works and how to play chess better.
With all you’ve accomplished, what still motivates you to chase greatness?
I’m passionate about winning and everything that I do. If I’m learning something, I want to be the best I can be. I love the game, I love evolving. I don’t love listening to my own music.
Really?
No, it’s not that I don’t like it, but I’ve heard it a million times. Now I hear so many things and I’m like, “Ooh. Why do I sound like that?” So I like evolving, the way I pronounce things and the way I come up with things. I really love it.
AB+DM
Did you ever have a moment where you questioned whether this second album would actually come together?
Never. I always knew that I was going to drop a second album, I just didn’t have a project well put together.
My fans be like, “Oh, you should have put a project together when ‘WAP’ and ‘Up’ was out,” but I only had four records that I liked. I didn’t have an album done around that time. I’m not the kind of person that’s going to lock in in two months and complete an album. I’m very picky with my music.
But in this era, you can drop one-off singles like you did with “WAP” and “Up” and be OK.
Yeah, but I want to put out this whole project because I have a lot of songs. I recorded 60 songs. Every other day, I’m a different person, I change my mind [about everything]. My team is always like, “I hope you don’t change your mind about your songs.” I’m like, “Nope. I’m settled.”
Since you broke out, the world of talented female rappers has become more competitive than ever. How do you stay confident and clear in your lane amid all that?
So many girls come and go. They’re great, but yet [the fans are] asking for my product. Every year there’s a debate on social media about when is my album dropping. They’re not saying that about other people, so y’all need to ask them. That’s why I’m so confident.
Why do you think people are fascinated with women MCs feuding? Is there a world where everyone can coexist peacefully, or does the game thrive off competition?
No lie, these b–ches be catty. You can’t prevent a b–ch from being shady. Sometimes b–ches want to see what you’re about. They want to test you and they want to test your gangsta. A lot of the b–ches will come in this game and feel like they can challenge you. Some b–ches like to die young. In this game, you need to really know who you’re challenging.
People often refer to you, Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion as the “Big Three” women in rap. Even without an album in seven years, why do you still feel like you belong in that tier?
Because I do my job well and I take my time with my music — clearly you can see that. But it’s something you’d have to ask the fans. So many [rappers] come and go, and I’m still here. You can downplay my accent, but I put a lot of thought into my work. I don’t half-ass anything I do.
What does success look like for Am I the Drama? A No. 1? A Grammy? Or is the win just in finally delivering it?
Winning a Grammy, the most prestigious award, you can never take that from me. Everybody wants to downplay it, but everybody wants one. [But] times have changed. Success for me will be people saying, “She put out a great album.“ If [at] 3 a.m. people are talking about the album, that’s going to be success for me because people can’t wait to downplay it. I even want the people who don’t like me to be like, “Yo. That s–t is fire.” Yeah, eat your f–king fruits, n—a.
AB+DM
SZA said she owed you a verse for the album. Did she ever send it in?
She did not! I feel like she’s been really tired because she’s been on tour and then on top of that, I don’t know. Maybe she did do the verse. I’ve been hearing other conversations. We’ll see about that.
Can you share any features we can expect on Am I the Drama?
Nah, I don’t want to share it. (Laughs.) You just got to hear it.
What went into the decision to include “WAP” and “Up” — both several years old — on the album?
Because my fans asked for it. My fans always be like, “B–ch, you better not [leave them off the album].” My fans do not stop reminding me of the fact that I didn’t submit “WAP” for the Grammys. I’m not always going to submit [my music to the Grammys], but on top of that, people are crying about that like, “Oh, it’s about numbers.” Those two records are not going to count for the first-week numbers, which everybody cares about. So what’s the issue? [Editor’s note: Any activity generated by “WAP” and “Up” before Sept. 19, when the album is to be released, will not count toward the album’s weekly chart performance.] At the end of the day, so what, you’re going to get 21 new songs. [“WAP” and “Up”] are going to be at the end. So what you’re crying for? You really don’t care.
Other artists do the same thing. You only care because of me. If I’m really doing it for the numbers, I could put “Money” [released six months after Invasion of Privacy] because “Money” is [multiplatinum]. I could put “Press” [from 2019]. That’s platinum. Hold on, I got a lot of successful f–king records. (Laughs.)
How would you compare your relationship with Atlantic now versus when you first started in your career?
It’s a little different because there’s a lot of new people. I started off with different bosses and now I have new ones. S–t, I feel like I had a disagreement on a song with them because I didn’t really want to put it out, but it still worked out in my favor. It’s like, “Alright. Maybe I can trust y’all a little bit with that.” It’s never like, “Oh, I hate my label. I’m [bumping heads] with my label,” and stuff like that. As long as y’all give me my budget, I’m happy. It is a little sad not being with the same people that you started off with, but the new bosses, they’re cool. They’re young. They get it. You just have to have conversations with people and go directly to them. Be direct, say what you want, be direct to me and that’s just that. We’re good.
Your connection to fans, especially through Spaces on X or Instagram Live, has always been strong. How much did those bonds keep your spirit up through the album process?
We have a relationship where I love them. Just like how you love your family and friends, you are going to get into arguments with them. They could be a little bit annoying, like, “Aight. Now y’all doing too much,” but I really love them. They can be therapeutic. It’s so weird because I have somebody new in my life and explaining that type of relationship to my fans [can be weird], but they know me. And I know them. I don’t go by people’s approvals, but I do take my fans’ approval for certain things into consideration. It’s kind of weird. If they don’t like something or somebody, I want them to like them, but it’s like, “Why do I care? Why do I want my fans’ approval?” But that’s because they care about me a lot.
You’ve built one of the strongest feature runs in rap. In your eyes, what makes a Cardi B verse so special?
First, I got to really like the song. Second, even if I like the song and I don’t hear myself on it, I’ll literally tell an artist, “I don’t want to ruin your song.” If I do it, it’s because I feel very confident. I’m going to put my 100% on it. If you’re putting me on your stuff, I’m going to show love to it. I’m not just going to be like, “Oh, here’s the record,” promote it for one day and goodbye. I really put my all in it and if I can’t do it, I’m going to tell you straight up, I can’t.
You’ve never officially hit the road for a full tour. What would a Cardi B tour look and feel like?
I know I’m a good performer. Well, am I? No, I’m great. I’m actually really great because I was a stripper. (Laughs.) But no, I think my personal tour is not going to be like any other performances that I’ve ever had. From the aesthetics to the look to even the way I perform, I’m going to be doing things that I don’t normally do, like work out, because I want to be the best. I’ve been going to so many different tours. I went to the Madonna show and the Beyoncé show. I can’t perform like Beyoncé, but you can’t half-ass nothing.
You know Beyoncé doesn’t drink water onstage, right? If she does, it’s only a sip.
Yeah, but I got asthma. My fans know I got asthma. They know I’m going to have to take a water break, but I’m going to give it my all. I always say this: I have two left feet, but I’m going to have to get a fake leg. A right one because I’m going to give it my all. This is going to be one of the greatest tours. I’m going to make it the best.
What about the Super Bowl? Is performing at halftime something you see in your future?
Of course. I got asked to do the Super Bowl and I denied it. I feel like soon, if I get to do it, I’m going to have more hits. I’m going to be more experienced and I’m going to eat that up.
Since Invasion of Privacy, you’ve become a mother of three. How has motherhood shaped you?
It turned me into a real woman. I was like, “What makes a woman? Her body? Her cooking?” It’s her maturity and her thinking. If I didn’t have kids, I wouldn’t sacrifice so much. This summer, I haven’t even put my feet in a pool. I do everything for my kids. I’m the only provider and you know what? Ain’t no complaining about it. I love them so much and they ground me. Sometimes I be so exhausted and it’s not even about work, it’s just life. If you think when you get rich you’re going to stop working, you’re never going to stop working. My mom used to be a freakin’ cashier and she used to work every single day. To this day, I still talk about how hard my mom worked. I had a very rough childhood, but my mom always made sure we ain’t go to no shelter. I want my kids to be like, “My mom made sure I had everything that I wanted.”
Friendship has always been at the core of your relationship with Offset. Despite the ups and downs, do you envision a lasting friendship with him?
I tried. Next question.
You’re dating NFL star Stefon Diggs. Was it tough at first to not only date again, but go public, especially with someone who’s also in the spotlight?
It was very tough, but it is what it is. It’s tough hiding. It’s tough dating in your 30s, too, but I like him. I love him, today. (Laughs.) I was always scared of dating people [because] I’ve always been in a long relationship since I was like 21.
How has he inspired you to be a better version of yourself creatively or personally?
Personally, I’ll never complain about my job or about lack of sleep. I’m not superdisciplined. I don’t really have a sleep schedule. I don’t ever like to map out my day. I don’t even like to schedule my month. It just overwhelms me. The one thing I’ve been learning is to be more organized and not complain.
He has to do two different things: learn his playbook and get physical. He has to be in bed at a certain time and wake up at a certain time. I’m like, “Oh, my gosh. You’re literally in the military. You really work hard.” I work hard, but I can take a little break. I can lay back and I don’t have to be running, but it’s very inspirational to see how hard somebody works. It’s just like, “Wow. You should be proud of yourself.”
AB+DM
You’ve inspired a generation of new female rappers. Do you see yourself as a mentor now, and is that a role you embrace?
Have your ever read [Sister Souljah’s novel] The Coldest Winter Ever? (Laughs.) At the end of the book, the main character, Winter, was in jail. She cut a b–ch — or some s–t like that — then they let her out to go to her mom’s funeral. She saw her sister going in her same footsteps and wanted to give her advice. Before she gave her advice she was like, “You know what? F–k it. Let her go through what I went through. Let her learn on her own.” Sometimes you got to let b–ches learn on their own. I have to because there were so many b–ches that I’ve sat down and given advice from the heart. Like, if I see people bullying you because of whatever the f–k, I’m going to go in your DMs and give you advice. But sometimes I got to really hold myself [back] and say, “No, b–ch. Don’t do it,” because these b–ches turned their backs on me, f–ked my man, talked about me and somebody told me about it.
After your first album, you became a force in fashion, beauty and branding. How intentional was that?
Fashion is something I really love. I love clothes. I love style. I like putting things together well. I have an amazing team and we always get a thrill about putting amazing outfits [together]. It’s really a sport to us. Even when it gets intense, like this Fashion Week that just passed. We were always arguing. There were tears shed, but we loved those end results so much. This is why we do it all the time. The lack of sleep, the disagreements [happen], but at the end, I look like a doll and people say I look amazing.
When it comes to branding, if you’re going to put something out, it has to be the best. Imagine somebody f–king you on the first date. They f–ked you but it’s not the best p—y they ever had? You want people to say that’s the best p—y they ever had. You don’t want to give people drunk p—y. Drunk p—y is good, but what happens when you’re not drunk? It’s not good. I want it to be good all the time.
You’ve always immersed yourself in politics. Is that something that you hope to pass down to your kids when they get older?
Yes, please! I hope they take that trait from me. You always have to be aware of what’s happening to the world and what’s happened before, because things really do repeat themselves. Maybe not something drastic like a world war, slavery or the Holocaust, but there’s always shady s–t going on. I just want them to always be aware of what’s going on and what could happen. But there’s something about politics that gets me in a rabbit hole. I remember wanting to say something so bad this week, but I was like, “I can’t.”
You bit your tongue?
I have to bite my tongue. I really, really had to bite my tongue, but you know the reason why I’ve been so silent about politics? It’s because when I used to complain the past four years, I know for a fact that people watch my stuff. I know it. I know the White House watches my stuff. I have a big platform. I know they listen to what I say. I might not say it the prettiest way, but I know they listen to what I’m saying. There’s a president that knows I’ve never supported him and it’s like if I say something, he’s not going to care. I tried to give people warnings and it is what it is. What I can do? What I can say?
There was a time when I said I wasn’t voting for nobody. Everybody’s doing shady s–t. I was like, you know what? I had to pick the lesser evil. People thought it was funny. People made fun of my accent. People made fun of my speech [at a Kamala Harris rally days before the 2024 presidential election]. I was, “Aight. Y’all gonna see what’s funny.” S–t ain’t funny right now, isn’t it? It’s really tough out here. S–t is really rough out here for everybody. I tried to warn ya.
All I’m going to say is America is in a very bad place. No matter who’s in charge, it’s going to stay like that because we’re paying for bad karma. Why [are we] paying for bad karma? Because we have been involved in something morally illegal, morally that God hates, morally that is disgusting. I’m not going to speak about it. Y’all should know why. All I’m going to say is we’re going to be paying for a very long time because there’s no bigger leader than God. We’ve been doing immoral stuff. We’ve been supporting and endorsing immoral, evil things. Not one person is going to pay for it; the whole country is going to pay for it.
If you could pick one word to title this chapter in your life, what word would that be and why?
At first, I was going to say “confusing.”
How so?
It felt like a reset. Maybe that’s the word. I’m resetting again in my career. I took a break and I’m about to go back again. I’m about to be heavy on tour and I haven’t been heavy on the road in a long time. That’s a reset there. Then, it’s a reset on my personal life. The last time I was on the road, I had one kid. Now I have three kids. I was married, now I’m getting a divorce. I’m dating. It’s a reset on everything. Sometimes I feel like I’m 20 again. I shouldn’t feel like I’m 20. I should be feeling like I’m in my 30s and I’m settled, but I don’t feel as settled. I feel like I’m redoing things and relearning again in every aspect of life. Career and personal. So I guess we should say a reset.
This story appears in the Aug. 30, 2025, issue of Billboard.
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This year, Farm Aid will take place in Minneapolis — but fans don’t need to be anywhere near Minnesota to catch the festival. As Billboard is exclusively announcing Wednesday morning (Sept. 3), CNN will help celebrate the annual event’s 40th anniversary by livestreaming sets from Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and more stars later this month.
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CNN’s coverage of the music and food summit — which is this year being held at Huntington Bank Stadium — will take place from 7 p.m. to midnight ET on Saturday, Sept. 20. Viewers can tune in by streaming the presentation live on CNN, CNN.com or via CNN’s TV and mobile apps — no cable login needed.
“CNN is proud to join Farm Aid 40 to help bring attention to our nation’s farmers and agricultural communities,” Eric Sherling, the network’s executive vp of U.S. programming, said in a statement. “The broadcast of Farm Aid 40 is another example of CNN’s commitment to live programming and bringing viewers important cultural moments as they happen.”
In addition to Nelson, Young and Mellencamp — who founded Farm Aid in 1985 to raise funds for the country’s agricultural community — this year’s lineup will include Dave Matthews, Margo Price, Kenny Chesney, Billy Strings, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Lukas Nelson, Trampled by Turtles, Wynonna Judd, Steve Earle, Waxahatchee, Eric Burton of Black Pumas, Jesse Welles, Madeline Edwards and Wisdom Indian Dancers. CNN anchors John Berman and Laura Coates will helm the live special, while chief climate correspondent Bill Weir is slated to deliver on-the-ground reporting.
“Farm Aid is honored to partner with CNN to bring Farm Aid 40 to a broad and diverse audience,” added Farm Aid co-director Jennifer Fahy. “This partnership is critical to elevating the role of family farmers to their rightful place as essential for all of us and showcasing the extraordinary artists who have generously shared their voices of support for 40 years.”
In the four decades since the very first Farm Aid took place in Philadelphia, the event has raised more than $85 million to support farmers and their families across the United States. It’s a cause that hits close to home for the event’s founders, even all this time later.
“Farming was my first job,” Nelson told Billboard in 2015. “I picked cotton. I pulled corn. I knew firsthand what it meant to farm. I knew damn well how tough it was. My farm roots are deep-seated in the soil of my personal story.”
For those who’d like to attend in-person, tickets for Farm Aid 40 are available to purchase through the University of Minnesota’s website.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-09-03 14:03:032025-09-03 14:03:03Farm Aid 2025 to Air Live on CNN to Celebrate 40 Years of Supporting U.S. Farmers: How to Watch
It’s well past midnight at New York’s Daylight Studio, and Cardi B is fighting to stay awake. Five hours into her Billboard photo shoot, a slight wardrobe malfunction with her black dress is prompting a quick timeout. “S–t, I got a wedgie,” she groans, dropping into her seat with a smirk. But like a true New Yorker, she toughs it out — chewing ice and cracking jokes like she’s headlining her own late-night set.
Clutching a Chick-fil-A cup, she rattles off a story about the fast-food chain botching her order. Then she seamlessly swerves into her recent social media spat with WWE’s Naomi. A couple of days earlier, Cardi had hosted SummerSlam at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium — and in the run-up to the event, she’d threatened on X to shave Naomi’s head and use her hair as a wig. “I just be talking s–t because I know these b–ches can really fight,” she gags, eyes gleaming.
Cardi’s jokes and swagger never clock out. But behind the antics, she’s focused — and eager to reassert her hip-hop dominance. Seven years after her Grammy Award-winning, multiplatinum-selling, culture-shifting debut, Invasion of Privacy, she’s finally ready to launch her next act with her long-awaited second album, Am I the Drama?
“I’m really one of those artists that people ask for their albums the most every year,” Cardi says matter-of-factly. “I wouldn’t be confident if nobody asked me for my s–t. Imagine nobody asking for an album of yours? Imagine nobody asking for your music? That’s why I’m so confident.”
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DJing requires capital, with money and access needed to procure even a basic setup. As such, aspiring DJs without the resources to such equipment and skills training can, and do, get left out of the scene.
Your Shot, a DJ competition created 15 years ago in Australia, has long aimed to change that by offering fresh talent with access to equipment, training and industry connections. Since 2010, Your Shot has brought more than 12,500 participants through its programs in Australia and New Zealand, with past winners including Tigerlily, Sippy and Go Freek. A Your Shot rep says that 62% of past participants now regularly perform around the world.
Now, Your Shot will bring these same opportunities Stateside when it debuts in New York and Los Angeles this fall. The program will provide 200 participants in each city with six weeks of expert-led instruction at The Academy. Here, they’ll be taught fundamentals like mixing and music selection and live performance skills, while also receiving advice on how to mentally navigate a DJ career in addition to other technical and emotional support. Your Shot aims to nurture talent to create sustaining skillsets and a life-long love of the art.
After training at The Academy, contestants will show off their newly acquired skills at festival style events, where they’ll play for fans, judges from around the industry and talent scouts. A select group of Your Shot winners also get a slot at an upcoming festival, with past contestants playing at events including CRSSD in San Diego, BPM in Costa Rica, Snowbombing in Austria and more.
In-person selection for the program happens on Sept. 13 at Catch One in Los Angeles and on Sept. 20 at Elsewhere in New York. Your Shot’s 2025 U.S. advisors include artist and Femme House co-founder LP Giobbi, president of Live Nation’s Vibee Harvey Cohen and representatives from dance/electronic management company The Circuit Group.
“Your Shot is about giving people a platform to challenge themselves, learn the basics, build a community outside their bedrooms, and take their passion for DJing and dance music to the next level,” Your Shot founder and CEO Steve Pillemer says in a statement. “That’s what young Americans are asking for today, just like young Australians, and it’s so exciting to finally be able to answer the call.”
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-09-03 14:03:022025-09-03 14:03:02A ‘No Experience Needed’ DJ Competition Is Launching in the U.S. This Fall
Cardi B sits down with Billboard’s Carl Lamarre in anticipation of her second album ‘AM I THE DRAMA.’ The star gets candid on everything from why the album took years to release, ‘WAP’ and ‘UP’ being a part of the track list, female rap beefs and her relationship with Stefon Diggs.
Carl Lamarre:
What’s going on, y’all? I am senior director of R&B/Hip-Hop, Mr. Carl Lamarre, and we are here with one of music’s most transcendent superstars. She is a Grammy Award winner, five chart-toppers on the Hot 100, Miss Cardi B.
Cardi B:
Hi. How are you?
I’m good. How are you?
It’s been a long day shooting, but we here.
You’ve been trooping like a real soldier. We’re here because of album number two.
Yes.
It’s finally here. You know, it’s been seven years since ‘Invasion of Privacy.’ How would you say you have grown since then?
Well, since the seven years, I have experienced a lot. I have experienced fame, the good and the bad of fame, the hate, the jealousy, the drama, the personal life, the balancing my career with my personal life and just growing up and maturing and like opening my eyes more, learning how to like, control my emotions more, or like, understand my emotions, or like, understand just the way life works and like, it’s just how to play chess better.
Right.
Yeah.
I mean, listen, I think you’ve been playing the chess pretty d*mn well.
Well you know…
At any moment in the past seven years, did you question or have any doubts, like, “Sh–, I don’t know if this second album is going to drop.”
No, never. I always knew that I was going to drop a second album. It’s not even about dropping a second album.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-09-03 14:03:012025-09-03 14:03:01Cardi B Gets Real About ‘AM I THE DRAMA,’ Politics & Stefon Diggs Romance | Billboard Cover
Noah Kahan married his longtime girlfriend in his native Vermont last month. According to a statement from a spokesperson, the 28-year-old “Stick Season” singer and his photographer fiancée were married, “in an intimate ceremony in their home state of Vermont on August 23rd.” In the statement, the rep added, “On behalf of the couple, who greatly value their privacy, we respectfully ask that no additional details, photos or video be shared publicly unless they choose to do so in their own time.”
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Kahan has kept his private life out of the public eye, with the couple who are rarely seen together making their first public appearance at the TIME100 event in 2023 after several years of dating. Though the singer has not featured his now-wife on his socials — and she has kept hers private — in the liner notes of the expanded Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever) he thanked her for helping him through tough times on the road, writing, “To my fiancée, you’re the air I breathe, you are everything and whatever is left after that. I could spend the rest of my life thanking you for getting me through this, and I promise I will. I love you to the moon and back.”
He also alluded to her in a 2024 Instagram post in a thank you to the friends and family who helped him through the hardest parts of the Stick Season tour. “I felt immense pressure and responsibility and tirelessly fretted over whether I would be able to bear it or whether it all happened by mistake,” he wrote.
“I was cheered on through it all by my fiancé, by my parents and siblings, my incredible band, my management and the extraordinary crew of folks who all gave 2.5 years of their life to this magical sequence of dreams, this spiral of hotel rooms and dark basements and cramped event center hallways,” he continued. “I owe a great debt to all to them, I hope they can all feel my gratitude. I wish I could express it with proper clarity, but I am still hungover and whiplashed and filled with a wonderful vertigo.”
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-09-03 13:31:272025-09-03 13:31:27Noah Kahan Married Longtime Girlfriend During ‘Intimate Ceremony’ in Native Vermont
Following Tony Harlow’s exit as Warner Music U.K. chief executive, the label has announced a shakeup of its senior leadership team on Wednesday (Sep. 3).
The move will see several U.K. executives from Warner Records and Atlantic Records join the global leadership team of their U.S. counterparts and collaborate more closely across A&R and marketing strategies.
Ed Howard and Briony Turner, co-presidents of Atlantic U.K. will join the global leadership team of Atlantic Music Group (AMG); they will report directly to AMG CEO Elliot Grainge.
Joe Kentish, president of Warner Records and Parlophone Label Group in the U.K. and report to Warner Records Group chairman & CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck and chairman & COO Tom Corson.
Warner Music U.K.’s other teams will be overseen by Simon Robson, president, EMEA, Recorded Music, WMG’s most senior recorded music leader in the U.K., in partnership with Isabel Garvey, chief operations officer of Warner Music U.K.
The move brings U.K. leaders closer to the global leadership team in the hope of boosting U.K. talent in the U.S. and on the global stage. Warner has seen success in recent years with Charli xcx (Atlantic Records) with her 2024 campaign for Brat, and Dua Lipa, who headlined Glastonbury last summer and has embarked on a North American headline tour.
The news comes after Tuesday’s (Sep. 2) announcement that Harlow would step down from his role after six years. In an internal announcement to staff, he described the move as “bittersweet” and will leave the role in October.
Robert Kyncl, chief executive of WMG, says: “The U.K. is home to some of our biggest artists and most exciting emerging talents, who are helping shape culture around the world. It’s also a hugely influential ignition point for global stars who are growing their fanbases. This strategic move will put more firepower behind British artists, while strengthening the UK’s place in our ecosystem, as one of our highest priority markets. Above all, both our UK and US teams will be able to better mirror the way music moves in the world, further strengthening WMG’s collective impact and competitive edge.”