Three Rap Albums Could Land Grammy Nominations for Album of the Year for Just the Second Time Ever

When the 2026 Grammy nominations are announced on Friday, Nov. 7, three rap albums could be in the running for album of the year for only the second time in Grammy history. If Kendrick Lamar’s GNX; Tyler, The Creator’s Chromakopia; and Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out all make the final cut, this will be the first time that three rap albums were nominated in the same year since 2019, when Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy, Drake’s Scorpion and the Black Panther soundtrack were nominated. (Lamar was nominated as a featured artist, producer and songwriter on Black Panther.)

There have been two rap nominees on four occasions, which we list below.

If GNX is nominated, Lamar will become the first rapper to land five album of the year nods as a lead artist, pulling ahead of Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, who has received four. Lamar would also become the first solo artist – from any genre – to be nominated for album of the year with five consecutive studio albums. (Donald Fagen also achieved that feat, but only if you combine two solo album and three albums he recorded as half of Steely Dan.)

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Kendrick Lamar at the 67th GRAMMY Awards held at the Crypto.com Arena on February 2, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Kendrick Lamar Could Set These Records at 2026 Grammys

Lamar is a 22-time Grammy winner. Tyler, The Creator has yet to be nominated in a marquee Grammy category, but he won best rap album with his two albums preceding Chromakopia: Igor and Call Me If You Get Lost. Clipse’s only Grammy nod to date was for best rap/sung collaboration as a featured artist on Justin Timberlake’s “Like I Love You” in 2003. (Clipse’s Pusha T has received five additional Grammy nods.)

Coincidentally, both Lamar and Tyler, the Creator are featured on Clipse’s album, along with such other past Grammy winners as John Legend, The Dream, Pharrell Williams and Nas. Pharrell, the sole producer of the Clipse album, is a three-time winner of the Grammy for producer of the year, non-classical – twice on his own and once as half of The Neptunes.

The other two albums that have a strong chance at album of the year nods also feature multiple past Grammy winners. Lamar’s album features SZA and Roddy Ricch. Tyler, The Creator’s self-produced album features Daniel Caeasar, Lil Wayne and Doecchi.

Tyler, The Creator released two albums in the eligibility period for the 68th annual Grammy Awards, which runs from Aug. 31, 2024 to Aug. 30, 2025 — Chromakopia (released on Oct. 28, 2024) and Don’t Touch the Glass (July 21, 2025). Only one of them can be nominated for album of the year, according to Recording Academy rules.)

Several other rap albums could conceivably make the album of the year finals. They include Central Cee’s Can’t Rush Greatness, Party Next Door & Drake’s $ome $exy $ongs 4U, Playboi Carti’s Music and Lil Baby’s WHAM.

The Recording Academy’s ongoing efforts to diversify its membership make it seem entirely possible that three rap albums could be nominated this year. On Oct. 3, 2024, the academy revealed that 66% of the Grammy voting body at that point had joined since the academy introduced its new membership model in June 2019. Under that model, the academy invites large new member classes to join each year, with an eye on boosting the numbers of women, people of color and people under 40 in the academy.

On July 7, the academy announced that it had extended membership invitations to nearly 3,600 additional music professionals spanning, in its words, “diverse backgrounds, genres and disciplines.” According to the academy, this year’s class of invitees is 49% women, 56% people of color and 60% under the age of 40. That 3,600 total includes about 2,600 who are being invited to join as voting members and about 1,000 who are being invited to join as non-voting professional members. To put that 3,600 figure into perspective, the Academy reported last year that it has 16,000+ total members, of which 13,000+ were voting members.

Two notes: It has become easier to have multiple album of the year candidates from any one genre in recent years as the Grammys have expanded the number of nominees in each of the Big Four categories. The Grammys generally had five nominees for album of the year each year through the 2018 ceremony. The number jumped to eight in 2019 and then to 10 in 2022, before (mercifully) dropping back to eight in 2024.

Also, I’m adhering to Grammy classifications of the albums in question — where they competed in that year’s Grammy process. They classified Lil Nas X’s two album of the year nominees, 7 and Montero, as pop; Doja Cat’s Planet Her and Post Malone’s Beerbongs and Bentleys also as pop; and Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You as urban contemporary.

Here’s a complete list of all the times that multiple rap albums received Grammy nominations for album of the year in the same year. The years shown are the years of the Grammy ceremony. We also show you who won the award each year.

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A ‘Beautiful Gateway Drug’ to Bobby Darin: Jonathan Groff & Cast Talk Bringing ‘Grit’ to the ‘Just in Time’ Broadway Cast Recording

“It’s kind of like being in a long-term relationship,” Jonathan Groff muses of portraying the late Bobby Darin in the Tony-nominated musical Just in Time. “Is this working? Is this not working? Should we continue what’s happening here? My love, admiration, respect and passion for Bobby continues to deepen. The way that he lived the 37 years of his life, he’s a never-ending source of inspiration.”

Hot off his Tony win for Merrily We Roll Along in 2024, Groff returned to Broadway in April as the Grammy-winning, Billboard Hot 100-topping pop chameleon behind hits like “Mack the Knife,” “Beyond the Sea” and “Dream Lover.” While the show has found a home at the Circle in the Square Theatre for the past six months, the germ of this project began to take shape much earlier, in 2017, born out of a kinship Groff felt with the late singer. “He just innately had a real old-school showbiz thing that I personally relate to,” Groff explains Billboard.

You might have to squint, but similarities exist: Like Darin, Groff is a student of the Great American Songbook – and living proof that in the right hands and in the right setting, old songs can be as electric today as they’ve ever been. Like Darin, Groff enjoyed a mainstream breakthrough singing featherweight pop to a youth audience (was Glee his “Splish Splash?”) before quickly demonstrating he could do so much more to the wider world. And like Darin, who played to cross-generational crowds during his lifetime, Groff is packing seats with everyone from kids (some wearing “I love Jesse St. James” shirts) to fellow Millennials to 80-year-olds who caught the real Darin onstage when they were young.

Darin was both a songwriter and an interpreter, which means the musical palette of Just in Time is expansive. There’s a world of difference between the novelty rock of “Splish Splash” and the swinging, murderous “Mack the Knife,” but it’s all sonically unified thanks to a tight, expert band of pros led by music supervisor and arranger Andrew Resnick, who ensures that Just in Time feels less like Broadway and more like a Las Vegas residency from the Rat Pack era.

“There’s no electronics — we wanted it to feel like no matter what, a live band was playing,” Resnick says. Working with director Alex Timbers, Resnick – who has been with the project since its 2017 genesis at the 92nd Street Y – helped determine which songs would be deployed as storytelling devices and which ones as jaw-dropping showcases. “Mack the Knife,” the Brecht/Weill tune from 1928’s The Threepenny Opera that Darin took to the top of the Hot 100 for nine weeks in 1959, is decidedly the latter: “66 years later, it swings just as hard,” Resnick says.

“Andrew really is one of those music directors that listens to your voice and shapes an arrangement to your talents and your vibes specifically,” says Gracie Lawrence, who earned a Tony nom for her portrayal of Connie Francis in the show (she recently left the production to focus on her sibling-duo band Lawrence). To that end, Resnick added a key change moment for Lawrence in Francis’ signature hit, “Who’s Sorry Now.” “I think it was such a smart story idea to have a show-stopping moment in Connie’s first scene, so that we leave feeling like we’ve established that she’s an important person musically to Bobby and vice versa. Andrew and Alex’s choices were so story driven, it doesn’t feel superfluous,” Lawrence says.

Prior to Francis’ death on July 16 at 87, the pop legend – the last living person to be portrayed in this musical — sent Lawrence and Groff signed photographs as gifts on the show’s opening night (April 26). Lawrence said the first show after her death was “all the more real,” and a reminder that “we have such a responsibility to do right by these people and share their intense love of performing. It made me reflect on how lucky I am to have this job.”

Groff and Lawrence aren’t the only ones portraying old-school icons. Erika Henningsen took on the role of cinema legend Sandra Dee, who was married to Darin from 1960-67, for the musical (her run with the show wrapped just last week). Intent on delivering a performance that didn’t “become scenery or just a plot line, but a fully fleshed woman,” Henningsen focused on “the true woman inside the very girlish doll the studios made her out to be,” she says. “I come out and look like a cupcake… but want people to know the Sandra who become an adult much sooner than most people do.”

Erika Henningsen and Gracie Lawrence pose at the opening night after party for the new Bobby Darin musical "Just in Time" on Broadway at Guastavino's on April 23, 2025 in New York City.

Erika Henningsen and Gracie Lawrence pose at the opening night after party for the new Bobby Darin musical “Just in Time” on Broadway at Guastavino’s on April 23, 2025 in New York City.

Bruce Glikas/WireImage

Having grown up listening to Groff on the Spring Awakening cast album, Henningsen is thrilled to be immortalized alongside him on the Just in Time cast album (out now on Atlantic — Darin’s longtime label, fittingly). She hopes this cast album serves as a “beautiful gateway drug” to the era and the “grit that Bobby Darin has on his recordings.”

The grit and gusto that Groff brought to the cast album was hard-earned. He went into the studio the week after the 2025 Tony Awards, “bone-tired” on a Sunday night after doing his eighth show of the week. Not that you’d know from listening to the recording. “There was something really magical in the air from the first downbeat that sustained through the all the next day on Monday. It didn’t feel stressful. It didn’t feel tired,” Groff says wonderingly. (“Even one of the A&R people at Atlantic was like, I’ve never seen a session be that stress free,” Resnick said separately.) “Bobby had such a relationship with his band members through the years, and I’ve never had a relationship with a band like this,” Groff says.

When the final recording wrapped on the 21-song cast album, Groff – who at this point has been working on this project for years — burst into tears, exclaiming, “Who needs therapy?”

“Doing eight shows a week is probably the best practice for how you want to sing the song in the official version of it,” Lawrence points out. “Particularly with Jonathan, every nuance in his voice, every growl and color comes out,” Henningsen raves of the recordings.

“This is an album that you can play front to back and just lose yourself in the experience of these really fun, joyful songs that this one man really helped bring into the world,” Resnick says. “I hope we’ve honored (Darin) in a way that he would be proud.”

Spit Takes: A Just in Time Sidebar

Early in the show, Groff warns audiences members sitting close to the stage that they’re in the splish-splash zone – he’s a wet performer, and liable to sprinkle some saliva while singing. Below, his colleagues offer first-person testimonials of that experience.

Erika Henningsen: I believe Jonathan can control it. When he’s talking to a scene partner, it’s just a leaky faucet. When he’s front and center, spotlight on him, it’s like a sprinkler system. We [duet on “Irresistible You”] and ‘irresistible’ is a salivating word, lots of Rs and Ss. One day it was just a stream. As a teenager who listened to the cast album of Spring Awakening, I have these little moments where it’s like, “You’re literally across from Jonathan Groff right now getting spit on.” Never in my 15-year-old brain was that on the horizon.

Gracie Lawrence: I don’t get spit on that much. It might be a height difference; I think it clears my head. There have been a few shows where I’ve gotten (hit), but very few. We do eight shows a week and I can think of two times where I’ve been hit directly in the eye or something like that. Because he’s the most amazing performer and loves embracing the reality of what’s happening, I wiped my face and then wiped it on his shirt. And he loved that so much. I welcome Jonathan Groff spit – I feel like I’m being baptized every time I get showered by his talent juice – but it doesn’t happen that often because he’s like 5’11” or something.

Andrew Resnick: There are a few songs where I go off stage and he plays the piano. He learned how to play the piano specifically for this. He’s singing while he’s playing, and then when I return to the piano, there are keys covered in spit. Also, oftentimes he is sucking on a Halls cough drop, a cherry cough drop, so the spit is tinged with red when I come back, which makes it very easy to see in the light. I often have to bring tissues with me to wipe down the keys because otherwise my hands are covered in his saliva. But whatever makes the magic work.

Jonathan Groff: They released a video on YouTube of us performing “This Could Be the Start of Something Big” [in the studio]. I’ve done sex scenes on TV shows before, but I cannot believe… like, my nipples are hard in this video, I’m spitting all over the microphone. I was like, “They released this thing? This is the most pornographic video that has ever been released of me.” I know I’m feeling it while I’m doing it, but I’m not thinking of how it’s coming across visually. But because they recorded it and put it out in the world, I can say I was lit up. You know, Bobby Darin used to — apparently, rumor has it — wear a condom on stage in case he ejaculated while he performed. And so I’m always trying to bring that energy.

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The 75 Best Regional Mexican Acts of All Time (Updating List): Staff Picks

Over the past five years, regional Mexican music has once again caught fire within our industry, thanks to a new generation of Mexican and Mexican American hitmakers who’ve taken the historic genre into the future. Artists like Peso Pluma, Grupo Frontera, Natanael Cano and Fuerza Regida have struck the perfect balance between honoring tradition and embracing the decades-old genre’s experimental essence, catapulting música mexicana to global popularity.

But those artists didn’t reach the summit on their own. Far from it. They may be the new generation and the face of the genre today, but the foundations of regional Mexican – an umbrella term comprising banda, corridos, norteño, sierreño, mariachi and more subgenres – lead back decades, to pioneering greats like Pedro Infante, Vicente Fernández, Lucha Villa, Antonio Aguilar, Chalino Sánchez and Los Tigres del Norte.

Latin’s growth in the first six months of the year has been largely fueled by regional Mexican music – the subgenre with the second highest growth rate in terms of volume, behind only alt rock – according to Luminate’s midyear report. So, given regional Mexican music’s ever-growing popularity today, it’s only fitting that we give you our staff’s picks for the 75 Best Regional Mexican Acts of All Time, saluting the pioneers for laying the groundwork while acknowledging some of those that represent the eclectic new class.

For this list, Billboard staffers agreed on the following criteria: vocal prowess, body of work, career longevity, industry achievements, Billboard chart accomplishments, game-changing influence and enduring generational/cultural impact. While it was taken into consideration, songwriting was not a major deciding factor. Furthermore, música mexicana is comprised by legendary singers, but groups and bands are a major part of the genre’s narrative and fabric, which is why we decided to include those bands who’ve made and continue to make strides in the genre. (Editor’s note: Artists from the subgenre son jarocho were not included, for the purpose of tightening the list.)

We ask that you keep in mind that this is a carefully curated, thoughtfully assembled list – believe us when we say this has been a back-and-forth, months-long discussion, with heated conversations. And we understand you may or may not agree with the names included or left out, or the positioning of those included. However, we firmly believe every name on this list is deserving of the honor. We look forward to hearing our readers’ feedback, and to the cultural discussions this list will ignite. At the end of the day, this is all about celebrating regional Mexican music: the genre’s past, present and future.

Another thing: You’ll notice that many from the new generation of música mexicana artists are not included in this big list. As we said above, longevity and a sizable body of work matter in this particular selection. Rest assured, we’re working on a separate list for members of the new generation, who we think will eventually join the ranks of GOATs. 

Coinciding with Hispanic Heritage Month, and launching on Mexican Independence Day, below find Nos. 75-61 on the list. Billboard will be unveiling a new round every week until the final 15.

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Diddy ‘Making the Band’ Accuser Launches Appeal After Sexual Assault Case Is Dismissed

“Making the Band” contestant Sara Rivers has launched an appeal following the dismissal of her sexual assault lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Rivers, who became a member of group Da Band, sued Combs earlier this year, accusing him of sexually harassing and groping her during the filming of the 2000s MTV reality show. But a federal judge tossed out the case last month, ruling that she had waited far too long to sue.

That won’t be the final ruling on the case. In a motion filed Monday in Manhattan federal court, Rivers said she would appeal the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which could revive the lawsuit against Diddy.

The appeal, which has not yet been filed, will center on the statute of limitations. The ruling against Rivers said that her case – over conduct that allegedly took place during the filming of a 2000s MTV reality show – was clearly filed years after the time limits to do so had expired.

“It is important to remember the many positive purposes served by statutes of limitations,” the judge wrote at the time. “They promote justice by preventing surprises through plaintiffs’ revival of claims that have been allowed to slumber until evidence has been lost, memories have faded, and witnesses have disappeared.”

Detailed arguments for Rivers’ appeal have not yet been filed in court. The appellate process could take months or years to resolve.

Following a blockbuster trial, Diddy was largely acquitted in July on criminal charges that accused him of coercing women to engage in drug-fueled sex parties. The jury rejected the most serious charges leveled against him by prosecutors, including racketeering (RICO) and sex-trafficking.

But Combs is hardly out of the woods. He was still found guilty on two lesser counts of interstate prostitution that could see him face several years in prison. And he’s still facing dozens of civil lawsuits over alleged sexual misconduct.

One of those cases was filed by Rivers, who claims that Combs cornered her in a recording studio and “ran his left hand across her breasts.” She says he then later blackballed her in the music industry in retaliation for rebuffing his advances.

But in a ruling last month, Judge Jed Rakoff rejected Rivers’ explanations for why she waited so long to file her case. She claimed she was afraid of retaliation from Combs and his business empire, but the judge said that simply wasn’t enough.

“While Rivers does allege that she experienced a general fear of retaliation preventing her from speaking out against Combs, general claims of psychological stress cannot give rise to duress tolling,” the judge said at the time, referring to the technical term for such a delay.

The ruling was one of two major civil victories Combs has won since the criminal trial. Weeks after the Rivers decision, another judge dismissed a civil lawsuit accusing Diddy of drugging and sexually battering a 23-year-old man at an afterparty in 2015 – citing the same problem with the statute of limitations.

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Travel Back to the Upside Down with ColourPop’s ‘Stranger Things’ Halloween-Ready Collaboration Available to Shop Now

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

ColourPop is taking us all back to the Upside Down with their latest Stranger Things collaboration.

The collaboration comes in at the perfect time ahead of the show’s final season, season five, which is set to air at the end of this year. The show’s final act will be released in three volumes, with the first releasing Nov. 26, volume two on Dec. 25 and the series finale on Dec. 31. The beloved horror show has been running since 2016, so bringing an end to it is surely not easy, however, makeup can fix that.

This ColourPop collaboration consists of six total products, including spooky blushes that change colors before your very eyes and buttery waffle-shaped lip masks hinting at a reference that only real fans of the show will get. You can snag each themed product right now on ColourPop’s website. Pricing ranges from $12 to $28. Unfortunately, the only product you can’t get online is the Chapter One Shadow Palette, given it has already sold out. Not to fret though. There are plenty of other hits in this collection still available to purchase.

To help you with your purchase, ShopBillboard will guide you through each product, aiding you in picking out some favorites that we hope you’ll use again and again.

ColourPop's 'Stranger Things' Collab: The Best Product To Shop From

ColourPop x ‘Stranger Things’ Byers Natural Matte Cream Blush

$14

Buy Now at colourpop

A pH color-changing cream blush.

The Byers Natural Matte Cream Blush retails for $14 and changes color. It’s not witchcraft and it’s definitely not dark magic either. This is a pH-changing blush backed by science, a concept that was made popular in the makeup world in 2022 and 2023. The formula reacts to the warmth and pH of your skin, causing a chemical reaction with a bromic acid dye in the product.

This changes the color you see in the pan, a grayish black, to turn into a pink or red flush tailored to you. You’ll get a unique flush based on your skin’s pH or “potential of Hydrogen.” How cool is that? For a cream product like this one, we’d recommend going in with a sponge or your fingers to really work this product in, aiding in that color-changing effect.

ColourPop's 'Stranger Things' Collab: The Best Product To Shop From

ColourPop x ‘Stranger Things’ Waffle Lip Mask

$12

Buy Now at colourpop

A lip mask in a waffle-inspired container.

While this lip mask isn’t an Eggo waffle, we still think Eleven would like it. Retailing for $12, this collaborative lip mask comes nestled in a waffle-shaped package. The formula is jam-packed with hydrating and softening ingredients like squalane, Shea Butter and vitamin E. If the ingredients haven’t sold you yet, the lip mask is also flavored like buttery maple waffles, a tasty touch that makes this lippie good enough to eat, although we don’t recommend it.

ColourPop's 'Stranger Things' Collab: The Best Product To Shop From

ColourPop x ‘Stranger Things’ Talk To Me Ultra Glossy Lip Set

$28

Buy Now at colourpop

A set of three themed lip glosses.

This Talk To Me Ultra Glossy Lip Set gives your lips an otherworldly shine in just one swipe. Retailing for $28, the set comes with three shades all inspired by the iconic Christmas lights scene from the show. Shades include Where are You?, a sheer but vibrant fuchsia with rainbow flecks, Right Here, a sheer yellow hue with rainbow flecks and Run, which is a sheer turquoise hue also with rainbow flecks.

Each lippie gives the lips a sheer wash of color, while those multichrome flecks suspended in the formula do all the heavy-lifting, catching the light for an unexpectedly colorful twist. These glosses are not sticky and super hydrating thanks to ingredients like hyaluronic acid.

ColourPop's 'Stranger Things' Collab: The Best Product To Shop From

ColourPop x ‘Stranger Things’ Hawkins Milk Face + Body Highlighter

$12

Buy Now at colourpop

A frosty liquid highlighter.

This Hawkins Milk Face & Body Highlighter is just as bright as your dreams, if not brighter. The best part? It’s only $12. The ultra-reflective product is silver with pink flecks suspended in a weightless, nonsticky gel that glides onto the skin. Use this for your face or body to give your look a shine you can see from space.

ColourPop's 'Stranger Things' Collab: The Best Product To Shop From

ColourPop x ‘Stranger Things’ The Monster Chrome Liquid Eyeshadow Set

$20

Buy Now at colourpop

A set of two duochrome liquid eyeshadows.

This liquid eyeshadow duo was inspired by the fearsome Demogorgon. Retailing for $20, you get two liquid eyeshadows, one in a blue smokey blue with multichrome shift of green, teal and violet called Interdimensional and a smoky plum with multichrome shift of olive and pink called Humanoid. Both sparkling shades can be worn all-over the lid or in the center for a pop of shine that shifts as it catches the light. Easy to use and effortlessly blendable, these liquid eyeshadows would make a great addition to any makeup kit, especially for Halloween or any spooky-themed occasion.


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What to Shop from Beauty Creations Nostalgic Makeup Collection with ‘Goosebumps’

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

If you were a kid in the 90s and early 2000s, your nightmares were fueld solely by Goosebumps.

The popular book and TV series frightened just about every kid back then, thanks to imaginative, albeit horrifying, stories, all penned by iconic author R. L. Stine. The franchise is and will always be nostalgic despite scaring the pants off of many of us. In honor of the frightening franchise, Beauty Creations collaborated with Goosebumps, allowing us grown-ups to re-live the sheer terror we felt as children just in time for Halloween.

The collection is available right now on Beauty Creations’ website and includes makeup and accessories inspired by some of Goosebumps‘ most terrifying moments. The collection includes everything from themed makeup pouches and mirrors to eye shadow palettes and lip oils. Pricing on this spooky collection ranges from $7 to $59. Can’t decide on a singular product? You can get the full collection for just $67. We’ve picked out a few of our favorite pieces from the collection for you to shop below. We’re talking about the packaging, formula and price point; everything you need to know to make the most informed decision possible.

What To Shop From Beauty Creations' Creative Collab With 'Goosebumps'

Beauty Creations x ‘Goosebumps’ If Looks Could Kill Shadow & Face Palette

$14

Buy Now at beauty creations

Eye shadow and face palette.

An eyeshadow and face palette in one? Sign us up! This If Looks Could Kill palette currently retails for $14 and comes with nine eyeshadows and two blushes. In total, you’ve got six mattes with mostly neutrals, save for a mossy green hue, and three striking jewel-toned metallics that can be used in the center of the lid or in the inner corner to give your look dimension. The featured blushes include Slappy Red, a muted coral and To Die For, a neutral red. These hues are universally flattering, great for creating a frightening flush. The palette is shaped like one of R. L. Stine’s frightening Goosebumps books, a perfect piece for collectors who love the franchise to death.

What To Shop From Beauty Creations' Creative Collab With 'Goosebumps'

Beauty Creations x ‘Goosebumps’ Monster Blood Jelly Mask

$8

Buy Now at beauty creations

A jelly face mask.

To avoid scary skin, we’d recommend purchasing Monster Blood Jelly Mask for $8. The playful mask features a slime-like consistency that dries down and peels off like you’re shedding a layer of skin. The mask is formulated with chamomile and cica, both plants known for soothing irritation, along with witch hazel for toning and cleansing. As a result of these ingredients, the mask reduces redness while hydrating. We’d recommend this mask to our readers with rosacea, as it might help calm and reduce inflammation.

What To Shop From Beauty Creations' Creative Collab With 'Goosebumps'

Beauty Creations x ‘Goosebumps’ P-Ouch Cosmetic Bag

$12

Buy Now at beauty creations

A themed Goosebumps makeup bag.

You can keep all your favorite cosmetics close by with this P-Ouch Cosmetic Bag for $12. The stylish vinyl bag comes with a zipper closure along with a spacious interior and an inner pocket for more organization. While organization is pretty cool, the bag’s most attractive feature is its glow-in-the-dark detailing. Who says makeup storage has to be boring?

What To Shop From Beauty Creations' Creative Collab With 'Goosebumps'

Beauty Creations x ‘Goosebumps’ Dummy Duo pH Lip & Cheek Oil + pH Glitter Lip Balm

$12

Buy Now at beauty creations

A glitter lip balm and lip oil.

This Dummy Duo pH Lip & Cheek Oil + pH Glitter Lip Balm retailing for $12 features two pH-shifting products, a lip oil and a lip balm. Both of these products change color. No, it’s not dark magic. pH formulas react to the warmth and pH of your skin, causing a chemical reaction with a bromophenol dye in the product.

While both lippie products look green in the tubes, they’ll go on pink thanks to that chemical reaction. The hue it will change to will be different for everyone, since everyone’s skin has a different pH. Both the lip oil and glitter lip balm are strawberry scented and have hydrating properties. The lip balm features subtle pink, blue and silver glitter suspended in the formula. Both the lip balm and lip oil can be purchased separately for $7 each.

What To Shop From Beauty Creations' Creative Collab With 'Goosebumps'

Beauty Creations x ‘Goosebumps’ Haunted Mask Handheld Mirror<br>

$22

Buy Now at beauty creations

A themed Goosebump mirror.

Add a spooky touch to your makeup pouch with this Haunted Mask Handheld Mirror for $22. The handheld mirror is inspired by the Haunted Mask from the Goosebumps novels that absolutely rattled kids to the bone at the time. The mirror is durable and lightweight, perfect for traveling.

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From BLACKPINK to BTS – Make Sure You’re Prepped for Your Next K-Pop Concert with These Official Light Sticks from Amazon

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of attending a K-pop concert, you might have seen fans holding what looks like a fancy glow stick. The iconic sight of thousands of glowing lights flickering on and off through the crowd at a show is a thing of beauty that can only be likened to twinkling stars in the night sky.

This high-shine item is a light stick, and it’s very important to a K-Pop fan’s concert-going experience. Wide and tall, neon green and square, round and diamond-shaped: these light sticks come in all sizes and shapes, meant to represent their respective K-Pop groups. You’ve got neon green for NCT, a pink and black hammer for BLACKPINK, a lightbulb meets bomb design for BTS, interlocking symbols for TXT and so on and so forth. Light stick designs implement specific colors or symbols that represent the band and are created sometime around the K-pop group’s debut, if not a little while after.

Where To Get Official Light Sticks Before Heading To A K-pop Concert

SAYZER Stray Kids Official Light Stick Ver 2 Kpop Merch Merchandise

$69.99 $79.99 13% off

Buy Now On Amazon

A Stray Kids light stick

Where To Get Official Light Sticks Before Heading To A K-pop Concert

TXT Official Light Stick Ver.2

$64.98

Buy Now On Amazon

A TXT light stick.

Fans of these groups will tote their light sticks to concerts, signaling to their fellow diehareds that their love for said group runs deep. These light sticks are used in boisterous fan chants, another iconic practice of K-Pop concert attendees, or moved to the beat of a song. Oftentimes, light sticks will be put into “concert mode,” controlled by event staff via Bluetooth to create a synchronized light show that syncs up to the beat of each track. If you’ve ever experienced this phenom, it’s quite beautiful, even emotional. While light sticks have become a symbol of camaraderie and fandom, it wasn’t always this way.

Light sticks weren’t introduced to K-pop until 2006 when BIGBANG, a boy group under YG Entertainment, dropped a design consisting of a crown atop a light source for their fans aka VIPs. Before that, hit 90s groups like H.O.T and g.o.d. utilized balloons in band-specific colors, usually white, to differentiate fans from one another.

Once BIGBANG dropped their light stick, or “Bang Bong,” other groups quickly followed suit. Since its conception, there have been some crazy light stick designs over the years, from Golden Child‘s bowling pin design and I.O.I’s ice cream light stick to Cherry Bullet’s water gun and iKON’s baseball bat design. It’s safe to say that light sticks have come a long way, transforming from the humble balloon to symbols of unity amongst fans.

Where To Get Official Light Sticks Before Heading To A K-pop Concert

Sayzer BTS Light stick Official Special Edition with 7 Photocards Kpop Merch Merchandise

$74.99

Buy Now On Amazon

A BTS light stick with photocards.

Where To Get Official Light Sticks Before Heading To A K-pop Concert

KPOPINTOUCH BLACKPINNK Official Fan Light Stick Version 2

$56.08 $63.92 12% off

Buy Now On Amazon

A BLACKPINK light stick.

There are often multiple iterations of these light sticks, developed as the group grows and changes. All that being said, they can cost a pretty penny, so you’ll want to make sure you’re getting an official version. Amazon has a bunch of groups light sticks from Stray Kids and Red Velvet to TWICE and EXO. We’ve chosen a few of our favorites in no particular order. If you’re looking to showcase your love for your group at their next concert, light sticks are the way to go.

Where To Get Official Light Sticks Before Heading To A K-pop Concert

SM Entertainment EXO Official Light Stick ver 3

$70.00

Buy Now On Amazon

An EXO light stick.

More K-Pop Light Sticks That We Love

Where To Get Official Light Sticks Before Heading To A K-pop Concert

TWICE Candybong Infinity Ver3. Official Light Stick

$61.98 $75.99 18% off

Buy Now On Amazon

A TWICE light stick.

Where To Get Official Light Sticks Before Heading To A K-pop Concert

LE SSERAFIM Official Light Stick

$64.99

Buy Now On Amazon

A LE SSERAFIM light stick.

Where To Get Official Light Sticks Before Heading To A K-pop Concert

SEVENTEEN Official Light Stick Ver 3

$52.60

Buy Now On Amazon

A SEVENTEEN light stick.

Where To Get Official Light Sticks Before Heading To A K-pop Concert

Red Velvet Official Fan Light Stick

$65.90

Buy Now On Amazon

A Red Velvet light stick.


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Ariana Grande Unveils Final Round of 2026 Eternal Sunshine Tour Dates, Adds 5 London Shows

Ariana Grande has unveiled the final batch of shows on her 2026 Eternal Sunshine Tour, adding five extra nights to her upcoming run in London and confirming that no other dates are coming for this trek.

Related

Ariana Grande at the MTV Video Music Awards 2025 held at UBS Arena on September 07, 2025 in New York, New York.

Ariana Grande Forecasts Brighter Days With 9 New Eternal Sunshine Tour Shows: Here Are the Dates

Ariana Grande attends the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 02, 2025 in Hollywood, California.

Ariana Grande Addresses Ticket Resellers: ‘It’s Not Right’

Ariana Grande attends the 2025 National Board of Review Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on January 07, 2025 in New York City.

Ariana Grande Announces ‘Eternal Sunshine’ Tour Dates for 2026: ‘See You Next Year’

Sharing the news Tuesday morning (Sept. 16) via an updated tour poster on Instagram Stories, the pop star wrote, “All of the dates for our mini (not so anymore) tour are now announced.”

“i love you,” she added to fans.

The additional shows will take place next year at the O2 Arena on Aug. 24, 27, 28 and 31, with one final night to close out the tour on Sept. 1. They will follow Grande’s previously announced performances at the venue on Aug. 15, 16, 19, 20 and 23.

The Grammy winner’s announcement comes shortly after she added extra shows to her already established stops next summer in Oakland and Los Angeles, Calif., Austin, Texas, Sunrise, Fla., Atlanta, Ga., New York, Boston, Montreal and Chicago. When she finally hits the road in 2026, it will mark her first time touring since 2019’s Sweetener World Tour.

Though the Eternal Sunshine Tour will be far smaller than Grande’s last trek, which spanned 10 months with nearly 100 dates, the Wicked star has expressed that winding down the scale of her touring output has been necessary to redefining her relationship to performing in a healthy way. “Very silly of you all to assume that just because i have my hands full with many things that i plan to abandon singing & music … !!!” she wrote on Instagram in July after some fans vocalized disappointment that Grande may never tour again in order to focus on acting projects.

She added at the time, “It may not look exactly like it did before but i much prefer how it looks in my head … so i’m working on a plan to sing for you all next year. even if it’s just for a little.”

The next month, Grande unveiled the first round of Eternal Sunshine dates, excitedly telling fans, “See you next year.” When tickets to those shows went on sale and fans struggled to purchase seats snatched up by resellers, however, the vocalist expressed her frustration on her Story.

“i’ve been on the phone every second of my free time fighting for a solution,” she wrote at the time. “i hear you and hopefully, we will be able to get more of these tickets into your hands instead of theirs. it’s not right.”

See Grande’s full Eternal Sunshine Tour course — including the newly added London dates — below.


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Cardi B Announces 30-Date 2026 North American Arena Tour In Support of ‘Am I the Drama?’ Album

Cardi B is hitting the road next year. The “Imaginary Playerz” rapper announced her 2026 Little Miss Drama tour on Tuesday morning (Sept. 16) during her stint co-hosting Today with Jenna & Friends. After host Jenna Bush Hager requested a drum roll, Cardi — dressed in a morning chat appropriate lavender floor-length dress — shouted, “I’ll be headed to 30 cities across North America. Cardi B’s going on tour,” pumping her arms and letting out a whoop as she shared the news about her first-ever headlining arena tour.

The outing is slated to kick off on Feb. 11 in Palm Desert, Calif. and take Cardi to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Portland, Vancouver, Seattle, Sacramento, San Francisco, Phoenix, Houston, Austin, Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Detroit, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Chicago, New York, Newark, Toronto, Boston, Hartford, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C, Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C. and Sunrise, Fla. before winding down on April 17 in Atlanta.

“After the whole album run I’m going straight to rehearsal,” she told Bush Hager of her plans to get ready for her first major tour since 2016 and her first all-arena solo outing. “Every single day! I’m going to be working out — I hate working out, but I gotta do it,” she added with an eye roll. At press time no support acts have been announced.

The tour will support Cardi’s long-awaited “spicy” sophomore studio album, Am I the Drama?, which is due out on Friday (Sept. 19). On Monday, the rapper revealed that the LP will feature eight guest artists: Cash Cobain, Janet Jackson, Kehlani, Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion, Selena Gomez, Summer Walker and Tyla. So far, she’s released two singles from the collection, the Hot 100 top 10 “Outside” and the Jay Z-sampling “Imaginary Playerz.

“It’s spark, it’s tears, it’s fun, it’s outside!” Cardi teased about the album on Today.

Tickets for the tour will first be available through Citi and Verizon pre-sales. A Cardi B Artist pre-sale will kick off on Sept. 23 at 10 a.m. local time, with fans encouraged to sign up by Sunday (Sept.) 21 at 10 p.m. PT; click here for details on tickets.

Check out the tour poster for the Little Miss Drama tour and the full list of dates and venues below.

Cardi B Little Miss Drama tour

Cardi B Little Miss Drama tour

Courtesy Photo

Cardi B 2026 Little Miss Drama tour dates:

  • Feb. 11: Palm Desert, Calif. @ Acrisure Arena
  • Feb. 13: Las Vegas, Nev. @ T-Mobile Arena
  • Feb. 15: Los Angeles, Calif @ Kia Forum
  • Feb. 19: Portland, Ore. @ Moda Center
  • Feb. 21: Vancouver, B.C. @ Rogers Arena
  • Feb. 22: Seattle, Wash. @ Climate Pledge Arena
  • Feb. 25: Sacramento, Calif. @ Golden 1 Center
  • Feb. 27: San Francisco, Calif. @ Chase Center
  • March 1: Phoenix, Ariz. @ PHX Arena
  • March 4: Houston, Texas @ Toyota Center
  • March 6: Austin, Texas @ Moody Center
  • March 7: Dallas, Texas @ American Airlines Center
  • March 9: Denver, Colo. @ Ball Arena
  • March 12: Minneapolis, Minn. @ Target Center
  • March 14: Indianapolis, Ind. @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse
  • March 15: Detroit, Mich. @ Little Caesars Arena
  • March 17: Kansas City, Mo. @ T-Mobile Center
  • March 19: Cincinnati, Ohio @ Heritage Bank Center
  • March 21: Chicago, Ill. @ United Center
  • March 25: New York, N.Y. @ Madison Square Garden
  • March 28: Newark, N.J. @ Prudential Center
  • March 30: Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
  • Apr. 2: Boston, Mass. @ TD Garden
  • Apr. 3: Hartford, Conn. @ PeoplesBank Arena
  • Apr. 4: Baltimore, Md. @ CFG Bank Arena
  • Apr. 7: Philadelphia, Pa. @ Xfinity Mobile Arena
  • Apr. 8: Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Arena
  • Apr. 11: Raleigh, N.C. @ Lenovo Center
  • Apr. 12: Charlotte, N.C. @ Spectrum Center
  • Apr. 14: Sunrise, Fla. @ Amerant Bank Arena
  • Apr. 17: Atlanta, Ga. @ State Farm Arena


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Internet Archive and Major Labels Settle Copyright Lawsuit Over ‘Illegal’ Record Digitizing Project

Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group and Concord have reached a settlement to end their lawsuit  against the Internet Archive over a project to digitize old vinyl records from Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby and other iconic artists.

In a motion filed Friday in Manhattan federal court, both sides say they have a deal to resolve litigation over the “Great 78 Project,” in which thousands of physical records have been digitized and made available to users for free.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, and neither side immediately responded to requests for more details on the settlement. The Recording Industry Association of America, which represents the major labels, said in a statement: “The parties have reached a confidential resolution of all claims and will have no further public comment on this matter.”

The labels sued in August 2023, calling the Great 78 Project the “wholesale theft of generations of music” under the guise of historical preservation: “The Great 78 website is a massive, unauthorized, digital record store of recordings.”

The Internet Archive fired back that its project was no such nefarious effort – and that it had “preserved hundreds of thousands of recordings that are stored on shellac resin, an obsolete and brittle medium.”

“When people want to listen to music they go to Spotify,” Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle said in the statement at the time. “When people want to study sound recordings as they were originally created, they go to libraries like the Internet Archive. Both are needed. There shouldn’t be conflict here.”

Though the lawsuit claimed that “hundreds of thousands” of songs had been illegally copied, the labels specifically sued over 2,749 songs, including iconic tracks like Crosby’s “White Christmas” and Sinatra’s “I’ve Got the World on a String.” They later added thousand more to the case.

In the two years since the case was filed, it has chugged slowly along. In May 2024, a federal judge refused the Internet Archive’s request to dismiss the lawsuit, allowing it to move into discovery and toward an eventual trial. Earlier this year, the non-profit accused the labels of “gamesmanship,” claiming they were “stonewalling” on key evidence and unfairly trying to add more songs to the case.

But in April, the case was halted after the two sides said they had made “significant progress in settlement discussions.” It has remained largely on ice ever since, leading to Monday’s settlement notice.

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