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Beenie Man vs. Bounty Killer in ‘Verzuz’ Battle of Dancehall Legends: See Billboard’s Scorecard and Winner For the Showdown
Why was this night different from all other Verzuz battles? Streamed live from Kingston, Jamaica, the Memorial Day “Soundclash Edition” of Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s flagship IG Live series was easily the most exciting and entertaining yet, as well as the first to delve into dancehall reggae. Considering the fact that Jamaican sound systems pioneered the sort of “beat battles” have made Verzuz a social media sensation well over half a century ago, the creative decision was more than fitting. By pitting two icons of the genre, Bounty Killer and Beenie Man, in head-to-head competition, this Verzuz battle did not just showcase two of its most respected lyricists ever to hold a microphone, it also tapped into an epic rivalry that stretches back more than a quarter of a century. At that time t...
Michael Buble Reigns on Top Facebook Live Videos Chart With Cookie Baking Upload
The 30-minute video earned nearly 40 million views in its first seven days. A stream of Michael Buble baking oatmeal cookies with wife Luisana Lopilato crowns Billboard’s Top Facebook Live Videos chart for April 2020. The chart, the latest of which recaps April 2020 activity, is a monthly look at the widest-reaching and most-reacted-to videos posted by musicians on Facebook Live, as tracked by media analytics company Shareablee. Rankings are determined by a formula that blends reactions, comments, shares and first-seven-days views. Buble’s April 6 upload documents his process of baking cookies with Lopilato. The 30-minute video reigns thanks to a whopping 38.6 million views in its first seven days; the next closest video on April’s chart managed 4.1 million. In addition to leading all musi...
One To Watch: How Soolking Kick-Started His Career On a Radio Show
Before finding his footing as Soolking, the artist born Abderraouf Derradji first worked as an acrobat, a dancer and even drummed in a rock band. Once he moved to Paris in his mid-20s, though, his career finally took off. Now, fresh off the release of his second album Vintage, the 30 year old is already getting to work on its follow-up. Born and raised in a northern suburb of Algeria’s capital, Derradji grew up in the middle of a civil war. He first worked as an acrobat and dancer, later discovering rappers like 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G. and French rapper Booba. Before founding a rap group of his own, which had relative success in Algeria, he had drummed in a rock band. By 24, he moved to Paris, where he lived and worked illegally — sometimes in restaurants, or by selling cigare...
From Webb Pierce to Tupac: Country’s Roots Are Showing
Many artists aren’t just singing in one style and hoping to make a career out it. The fences officially have been moved. When Sam Hunt slid “Hard to Forget” into country radio playlists, he expanded the playing field for the format. On one hand, he introduced modern listeners to Webb Pierce‘s “There Stands the Glass,” a 1953 single that demonstrates the whiny twang that once defined the genre. But he packaged it with start-and-stop, tech-based rhythms that pulled directly from hip-hop. It’s a stunning development: blending musical sounds that are separated by seven decades on the calendar and perhaps an even greater distance on a sonic map. But it’s also indicative of the increasingly elastic nature of the format. Jon Pardi‘s “Ain...
Future’s ‘High Off Life’ on Course for No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart
Plus: Polo G set to start at No. 2 with “The Goat” & Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit’s “Reunions” rushing towards top 15 after wide release. Future is set for his seventh No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as High Off Life should open in the top slot on next week’s chart, according to industry forecasters. Prognosticators suggest the new album, which was released on May 15 via Freebandz/Epic Records, could start with over 140,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending May 21. Perhaps about 85% of the album’s starting unit sum will be driven by streaming activity. Future has previously hit No. 1 with Future HNDRXX Presents: The WIZRD (in 2019), HNDRXX, a self-titled album (both in 2017), Evol (2016), What a Time To Be Alive (with Drake) and DS2 (both in 2015). T...
What Place Will Virtual Tipping Have in the Post-Pandemic Music Industry?
In China, virtual tipping provides a widespread, legitimate revenue stream for artists. Some think the pandemic will help (finally) normalize the practice Stateside. Andy Bothwell, a Brooklyn-based artist who performs under the moniker Astronautalis, has an online hub that lists links to his music, social media accounts and merch site. But after the coronavirus pandemic cut off the touring income he relies on to pay his bills, he added two new links to the top of the list: His Cash App and Venmo accounts, allowing fans to send him money directly. “I’m curious to see if I keep it there,” he says. His decision is more than a curiosity. As the pandemic has shut down economies across the globe, many artists are asking fans directly for cash — and music companies like SoundCloud and Spoti...
Why Madonna Brought 14 Cape Verdean Drummers on Tour – And What They Taught Her
In 2017, Madonna thought she was moving to Portugal to “be a soccer mom,” but instead, the 61-year-old icon found inspiration for her then-upcoming album, Madame X, thanks to a friend she calls her “musical plug,” Dino d’Santiago. One night, the Cape Verde-born, Lisbon-based singer — who coached Madonna on how to speak Portuguese and sing in Portuguese and Creole — had arranged a concert for her by Batukadeiras Orquesta, a group of female drummers specializing in batuka, a rhythmic call-and-response style created in Cape Verde during the early days of the slave trade. “I’d never seen anything like it, never heard anything like it. So of course, I couldn’t get it out of my head,” says Madonna. She invited several members of the collective to perform on her album and even brought some to the...
‘This Isn’t a Fad’: Three of Africa’s Biggest Stars on Making the Industry Come to Them
Tiwa Savage, Davido and Mr Eazi are opening doors (and labels’ checkbooks). Here’s what they’re up against. The next musical revolution is brewing in Africa. As the industry buzzes with — and profits from — new languages and sounds from all over, the prospects for artists across the continent have never been brighter or more numerous. There have, of course, always been African superstars — from Miriam Makeba to Hugh Masekela to Fela Kuti — as well as great respect for the continent’s music, thanks to projects like Paul Simon’s iconic 1986 album, Graceland, which famously put Ladysmith Black Mambazo and others on the international map. But despite major-label deals, chart successes and eye-popping sales figures, African artists have often been siloed from the popular music landscape, segreg...
Big Hit Entertainment Global CEO Lenzo Yoon Talks New Role, ‘Localizing’ In the U.S. & Growing Artist Roster
“Any new service that Big Hit will present all starts from our business philosophy of ‘What content will fans enjoy the most?'” A decade into his tenure at Big Hit Entertainment, Lenzo Yoon is gearing up for some big moves — both in the company and in his personal life. One of the biggest takeaways of last week’s executive changeups at Big Hit Entertainment — the South Korean label home to the record-breaking BTS, Tomorrow X Together and GFriend — came in co-CEO Lenzo Yoon’s expanding his role to Global CEO and soon leading from the United States. The move not only pointed to a more global outlook for the company (which had its biggest year ever with a record $500 million in revenue in 2019), but also that it was official...
Cher’s 20 Biggest Billboard Hits
In honor of the legendary diva’s birthday, we’ve ranked the biggest songs of her inimitable six-decade-long career. To celebrate superstar dance/pop diva Cher‘s 74th birthday today (May 20), Billboard has unveiled the legendary performer’s top 20 Billboard Hot 100 hits. As we … turn back time … in our chart archives, we find that the Academy-, Emmy- and Grammy Award-winner’s 1973 No. 1 hit “Half Breed” leads this exclusive list. The Cher song is one of five No. 1s on this tally; four are by Cher as a solo artist and one from her time as half of Sonny & Cher. The husband-and-wife duo place five songs on this recap, including all five of its top 10 Hot 100 hits. At No. 20 on the tally is Cher’s debut chart hit as a soloist, the ...
Bad Bunny’s ‘Las Que No Iban a Salir’ Takes Over Hot Latin Songs Chart
With 10 debuts, he extends his record for the most career entries on the survey, with 93. Bad Bunny’s Las Que No Iban a Salir takes over the Hot Latin Songs chart, as all 10 tracks debut on the May 23 survey. With the 10 debuts, his total number of career hits on the list now climbs to 93. Daddy Yankee remains in second place with 75. The 10 debuts joins 10 holdover titles from Bad Bunny on Hot Latin Songs chart, the fourth time Bad Bunny has claimed 20 concurrent hits on the list — and all four have occurred in 2020. (Only Ozuna has ever placed more songs on the chart at one time, with 21 on the Sept. 8, 2018-dated chart.) The Hot Latin Songs chart blends airplay, digital sales, and streaming data. Bad Bunny’s 10 debuts were mostly on the strength of streaming activity as he collect...
God, Family, Country: Vet Craig Morgan’s New Album Tackles All-American Issues
America is headed into the oddest Memorial Day in its history. The National Memorial Day concert will be broadcast from indoors instead of in front of a crowd outside the U.S. Capitol Building. Seats at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will remain empty. And in many states, citizens are being encouraged to avoid barbecues or, at the very least, to exercise social distancing when they attend. Despite the unusual nature of living through a pandemic-challenged era, Craig Morgan is moving forward with the release of a new album, God, Family, Country. Due May 22, the Friday of the holiday weekend, the project is practically made for Memorial Day: It focuses on meaning-of-life and meaning-of-death issues while exploring sometimes uncomfortable topics. Morgan, who served more than two decades in t...
