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Dua Lipa Tops Artist 100 Chart for First Time, Thanks to ‘Levitating’ Bump
Before Lipa, the last British soloist to lead the Artist 100 chart was Harry Styles in December 2019. The last British solo woman was Adele in March 2016. Among other Artist 100 chart moves, Weezer re-enters at No. 8, a new peak and the group’s first week in the top 10, as its new LP Van Weezer debuts at No. 1 on Top Rock Albums and Alternative Albums and No. 11 on the Billboard 200 (27,000 equivalent album units), as well as No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart (23,000 copies sold). The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay, streaming and social media fan interaction to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts o...
Xscape vs. SWV in Verzuz Battle of ’90s R&B Greats: See the Scorecard and Winner
With the event serving as a true testament to the groups’ staying power, here’s how Billboard kept tally of the round-to-round showdown, with our overall winner declared at the bottom. Round 1: Xscape’s “Is My Living in Vain” vs. Coko feat. Faith Evans, Fantasia & Lil Mo’s “Endow Me” Following a heartfelt prayer led by Tamika Scott, Xscape jumped straight into full harmony, performing a cover of the Clark Sisters’ “Is My Living in Vain” from their 1993 debut Hummin’ Comin’ At Ya. In response, SWV’s frontwoman tapped into her gospel bag with her 2006 cover of The Clark Sisters’ “Endow Me”. Winner: Xscape Round 2: Xscape’s “Feels So Good” vs. SWV feat. Missy Elliott’s “Can We” In a battle of the bounce, Xscape turned the vibe up ...
‘I’m Here For a Reason’: Bebe Rexha on Finding Peace & Her Place in the Music Industry
The result is an unflinching self-assessment that hopscotches across pop, hip-hop, alternative rock and dance music, and pulls in a few of Rexha’s famous friends, from Lil Uzi Vert on “Die for a Man” to Travis Barker on “Break My Heart Myself” to Doja Cat on lead single “Baby, I’m Jealous.” A version of Better Mistakes was originally finished prior to the pandemic and resulting shutdown; in the interim, Rexha changed managers, signing to Wassim “Sal” Slaiby’s Sal & Co. last fall, where she joins artists like The Weeknd and Doja Cat. During a Zoom chat a few days before the release of Better Mistakes, Rexha discussed what the project represents to her personally and professionally, battling imposter syndrome, and why she wants to dabble in metal music. You had spoken about the focus of ...
Method Man and Redman Give Fans the Ultimate Concert Experience For 4/20 Edition of ‘Verzuz’
Even after skating through their solo records with fervor, Red and Meth didn’t have a problem performing lyrical gymnastics on their collaborative records such as “Diz Is For My Smokers” and “Y.O.U.” After Method Man breezed through his verse with vigor on the latter, Redman matched his lyrical agility, proving why their chemistry remains stellar 20-plus years after the song’s release. And while they reveled in telling jokes to the virtual crowd, the pair took a moment to chime in on today’s verdict. After Meth yelled out “Guilty,” Red issued a resounding message to Chauvin: “You get what you put out there. He deserved every f–king bit.” Besides flooding fans with their hits, Red and Meth didn’t mind ...
Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero’ & Justin Bieber’s ‘Peaches’ Continue Atop Billboard Global Charts
Billboard‘s two global charts (the latest of which are dated April 24) began last September and rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by MRC Data. The Billboard Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the U.S. Chart rankings are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations. ‘Montero’ Holds Atop G...
Little Big Town, Minus One Member, Hits the Nashville Streets For ‘Wine, Beer, Whiskey’ at the 2021 ACM Awards
Assisted by a backing marching band — and down one usual member — Little Big Town performed their 2020 hit “Wine, Beer, Whiskey” outdoors in downtown Nashville at the 2021 ACM Awards on Sunday night (April 18). One of the quartet’s founding members, Phillip Sweet, introduced the performance by explaining that he would not be joining, as he had recently tested positive for COVID-19. In good spirits and “on [his] way to a full recovery,” Sweet wished for a full return to live music — and Little Big Town gave viewers a taste of that with their roaring performance of the Nightfall single, strutting down the streets of Nashville with drums and horns providing able support behind them. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Da...
Architects of ’01 Hip-Hop Fashion Discuss the Era’s Most Iconic Looks
Ambrose, who styled over 200 music videos, was Missy’s right-hand woman, costume designing for every major Missy Elliott production including “Get Ur Freak On,” “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” “One Minute Man,” and “Lose Control.” She was a go-to designer for R&B/hip-hop heavyweights including Diddy, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey, and currently works as a creative director for Puma. “We didn’t have a point of reference that came before us,” explains Ambrose. “We took the risk for the future.” The “Rain” designer discussed the role of late ’90s to early ’00s designers as trailblazers, bursting through barriers between high-end labels and R&B/hip-hop culture. “I bridg...
How Britney Spears’ ‘I’m A Slave 4 U’ Shifted Her Career and Pop’s Direction
Spears continued to raise her own bar sonically and stylistically, and her first three albums, released in back-to-back-to-back years, couldn’t have been a better character arc. If 1999’s…Baby One More Time showcased her girl next door likability with a schoolgirl uniform and pigtails, and Oops!… I Did It Again (2000) found her slowly chipping away at her perceived purity with videos featuring chair-straddling dance solos, then Britney (2001) was the culmination of those bubblegum-wrapped eras bursting once and for all, as she proved she really was “not that innocent.” Britney’s lead single “I’m A Slave 4 U” (originally intended for Janet herself) carries a thematic double-entendre. During MTV’s 2001 “Making The Video” episode for the song, Spears said it’s about being “enraptu...
Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero (Call Me by Your Name)’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100
“Montero,” released March 26 on Columbia Records, is the 1,120th No. 1 in the Hot 100’s 62-year history. It’s the 51st single to debut at No. 1, and Lil Nas X’s first. “Montero” drew 46.9 million U.S. streams and sold 21,000 downloads in the week ending April 1, according to MRC Data. It also attracted 1.1 million radio airplay audience impressions in the week ending April 4. The track opens at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, where it’s Lil Nas X’s second leader, after “Old Town Road” ruled for a record 20 weeks, and No. 2 on Digital Song Sales. It was available in three versions in its first week: its original version; its “Satan’s Extended Version”; and its “But Lil Nas X Is Silent the Entire Ti...
The Isley Brothers vs. Earth, Wind & Fire in Funk Legends ‘Verzuz’ Battle: See Billboard’s Scorecard For the Event
Hosted (with a somewhat heavy touch) by star comedian Steve Harvey, and with music courtesy of veteran DJ and quarantine-era sensation D-Nice, the event was clearly going to be a special one even before the two groups began spinning. D Nice span ’80s classics from Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan, before Harvey introduced himself, offered a prayer for “down bad” Verzuz veteran DMX, and raved about the formative importance of the two groups in his own life: “These groups made me. This music shaped me.” See Billboard‘s round-by-round scorecard for the epic showdown below — a supersized 25-round match, in accordance with the bands’ stunningly expansive catalogues — with our final winner tallied up and declared at the bottom. Round 1: The ...
Justin Bieber Debuts at No. 1 on Hot 100 With ‘Peaches,’ Becomes 1st Solo Male to Open Atop Hot 100 & Billboard 200 in Same Week
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated April 3) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (March 30). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram. Here’s a look at the coronation of “Peaches,” released on Raymond Braun/Def Jam and the 1,119th No. 1 in the Hot 100’s 62-year history. The song is the 50th single to debut at No. 1. Streams, Sales & Airplay: “Peaches” drew 30.6 million U.S. streams and sold 16,000 downloads in the week ending March 25, according to MRC Data. It also attracted 12.1 million radio airplay audience impressions in the week ending March 28. (Parent album Justice arrived March 19.) The track ...
First Spin: The Week’s Best New Dance Tracks From Jungle, Zhu, Elkka, Floating Points & More
Welcome (back) to the Jungle. The British duo returned earlier this week with the announcement of their third album, Loving in Stereo, heading our way this summer. In the meantime, they’ve shared its lead single, “Keep Moving.” Taking cues from second-LP songs like “Heavy California” and “Beat 54 (It’s All Good Now),” “Keep Moving” is a funky, feel-good disco-soul sermon with its almost gospel-choir-like chorus and stirring strings. While a year of lockdown has left many of us feeling down, the song serves as a divine source of encouragement to power through the sludge. One lyric in particular — “I could live with it, I could live with it, oh!” — repeats near the end, creating a glorious burst of catharsis and the record’s rawest moment, as if giving oneself permission to ackno...
