With just a week left in the eligibility year for the 65th annual Grammy Awards, it seems likely that Adele and Beyoncé are headed for a rematch. At the 2016 awards, Adele’s 25 beat Bey’s Lemonade for album of the year. This year, both artists are top contenders in that category again – Adele for 30 and Bey for Renaissance.
It’s remarkable that the two superstars – and by all accounts, friends and mutual admirers – are on such similar recording schedules. Both went six years or more between solo studio albums.
This would hardly be the first time that two artists have competed multiple times for album of the year as lead artists. Two pairs of all-time greats went head-to-head for album of the year three times.
With the number of album of the year nominees having jumped from five to eight in 2018 and then from eight to 10 in 2021, we’ll likely see more such recurring match-ups.
The eligibility period for the 65th annual Grammy Awards is Oct. 1, 2021, through Sept. 30, 2022. First-round voting runs Oct. 13-23. Nominees will be announced on Nov. 15. Final-round voting runs from Dec. 14 to Jan. 4, 2023. The awards will be presented at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles (formerly known as Staples Center) on Feb 5, 2023.
Take a look at all the musicians who have, as lead artists, competed against each other for album of the year two or more times. We start with the pairs who competed three times, followed by the pairs who vied twice.
Drill rappers 22Gz, Sha Ek and Ron Suno have all been dropped from the Live Nation-promoted Rolling Loud NYC, which is set to take place this weekend (Sept. 23-25) at Citi Field in Queens. The three rappers, all of whom are from the city, have been pulled at the request of the NYPD. The NYPD has yet to provide a statement explaining why.
The abrupt removal — first reported by The New York Times — marks the second instance of Rolling Loud pulling New York-based drill acts from their lineup. In its 2019 debut, five rappers, including Pop Smoke, 22Gz and Sheff G, were all removed from the lineup mid-festival due to allegations of them being “affiliated with recent acts of violence citywide,” as the police department said in a letter to festival organizers at the time. The letter continued, “The New York City Police Department believes if these individuals are allowed to perform, there will be a higher risk of violence.”
“I don’t understand,” says Suno, who is from the Bronx and was supposed to perform Sunday, claiming he has no criminal record or “problems with nobody in New York City.”
“At the end of the day, I got a family, I got responsibilities,” he said during a phone call Friday afternoon (Sept. 23). “I’m independent, I’m not signed to no major label. I’m doing all this just me and my team. So when you get opportunities like this, it’s just like damn. It’s a bummer.”
While the rapper was involved in a fight at last year’s Rolling Loud NYC, Suno said he and his manager Diamond “Bo” Brown were given no explanation for his removal this year and found out about it only a day or two ago. “I lost a lot of money. I paid for people’s flights. I paid for important TikTokers. I paid for a lot of stuff so that I could have an important set.”
Ek, a 19-year-old who is also from the Bronx, is in a similar boat. A representative for the rapper said “he hasn’t been charged with anything to justify” his removal and that “the police try to associate what he’s doing with violence and negativity.”
A source with knowledge of the situation say NYPD officials have been keeping an eye on the three rappers for some time. Brooklyn rapper 22Gz — whose representative declined to comment for this story — has twice been arrested for attempted murder, once in 2017 in a case that was later dismissed and again in June for allegedly firing shots at a group of people in March. The rapper is currently out on a $500,000 bond and, according to the source, the NYPD was concerned his involvement could lead to potential violence.
Representatives for Rolling Loud NYC and Live Nation also declined to comment for this story.
Since the rise of drill music in New York in the past few years, local police and politicians have targeted the rap sub-genre for allegedly contributing to gun violence and crime throughout the city. In February, Mayor Eric Adams suggested that social media platforms should ban the use of the music genre altogether, telling reporters, “Violent people who are using drill rapping to post who they killed, and then antagonize the people who they are going to kill is what the problem is.” He then held a meeting with Maino, Fivio Foreign and other prominent NYC artists with plans to quell violence in the city. Foreign is slated to perform at the festival on Friday.
When rappers were removed from the Rolling Loud lineup in 2019, founder Tariq Cherif suggested that the festival would not be allowed to return to New York unless it complied with NYPD requests. So far, no other city that hosts Rolling Loud has removed artists due to local police requests.
Should the hip-hop train keep rolling, and give Drake, Cardi B or Megan Thee Stallion a chance to show off their skills? Or should 2023’s Super Bowl have a K-pop takeover with BLACKPINK and BTS? Or maybe pop should have its moment with arena regulars Taylor Swift or Ariana Grande?
In fact, fans have already began speculating that Swift might be next year’s headliner. Following Apple Music’s Friday (Sept. 23) announcement that the streaming service would be taking over Pepsi’s decade-long role as sponsor of the annual Super Bowl Halftime Show, fans were quick to pick up on a couple clues that seemed to hint that the “All Too Well” singer may take the stage.
Apple Music’s announcement went live at 12 a.m., and Swift — who is no stranger to a good Easter egg — is currently gearing up to release her 10th studio album, titled Midnights.
Who should do the honors and headline the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show? Let us know who you’d like to see by voting below.
Grupo Firme have been collecting No. 1 titles on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart since they catapulted to success in 2020. So far, the norteño and banda supergroup has placed five No. 1s on the tally, including anthems such as “Ya Superame” and “Yo Ya No Vuelvo Contigo” with Lenin Ramírez.
All but one chart-topper are collaborations with fellow Mexican hitmakers. In their Billboard cover story, the grupo talked about the importance of collaborating and opening doors for new generations. “We want to keep collaborating inside and outside of our genre and keep opening doors for other groups,” Firme’s frontman, Eduin Caz, said. “It’s not about working alone and being selfish anymore — that’s out of style. We can all have a slice of the cake.”
Grupo Firme — composed of Eduin, Jhonny, Abraham, Joaquin, Dylan and José “Fito” and Christian — will be at the 2022 Billboard Latin Music Week, where they’ll be joining reggaeton superstar Nicky Jam for a recording of his Rockstar Show.
Latin Music Week will also coincide with the 2022 Billboard Latin Music Awards on Thursday, Sept. 29, in Miami’s Watsco Center. The Billboard Latin Music Awards will broadcast live on Telemundo, and will also broadcast simultaneously on the Spanish entertainment cable network Universo and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional. Firme is also set to perform at the awards ceremony.
In celebration of Billboard’s “30 Days of Hispanic Heritage Month” and Grupo Firme’s upcoming participation at Latin Music Week, check out all the group’s songs to top the chart below:
A contestant on the new season of The Voice stunned the judges in a clip posted Friday (Sept. 23) with his soulful cover of Billie Eilish‘s “When the Party’s Over.”
Twenty-two-year-old Andrew Igbokidi’s voice got an immediate reaction from both returning coach Gwen Stefani and newbie Camila Cabello as he sang, “Don’t you know I’m no good for you/ I’ve learned to lose you, can’t afford to/ Tore my shirt to stop you bleeding/ But nothing ever stops you leaving,” with Blake Shelton seconds behind the two women in pushing his button.
Ever the pragmatist, John Legend took his time in deciding whether he wanted the young Nigerian hopeful on his team but eventually pressed his button after hearing the singer effortlessly soar through his first vocal run.
Speaking to the coaches after the song, Igbokidi said he drew inspiration for his style by listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley and Celine Dion while growing up. Oh, and Stefani and Legend too, of course!
“You know, there’s so many people that are so talented with vocal acrobatics and runs,” said the “Hollaback Girl” singer, “but the way that you made them very emotional? I saw all that, and now you finally have this big old stage to show all of America!”
Igbokidi also revealed during the chat that he spent the last year applying to medical school, and now that he was accepted into four different programs but realized he wanted to give his musical dreams a shot first.
The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC. Watch Igbokidi’s impressive audition below.
The Doobie Brothers paid tribute to their co-founder and “wild spirit” drummer John Hartman on Thursday (Sept. 22) in a post announcing the 72-year-old rock veteran’s death. “Today we are thinking of John Hartman, or Little John to us,” read a social statement from the group. “John was a wild spirit, great drummer, and showman during his time in the Doobies.”
At press time no additional information was available on when Hartman passed or his cause of death.
“He was also a close friend for many years and an intricate part of the band personality! We send our condolences to all his loved ones at this difficult time,” read the statement. Hartman moved to Northern California to join what was planned as a Moby Grape reunion with that band’s leader, Skip Spence, in 1969 that never materialized, according to a band bio.
But after Spence introduced him to future bandmate singer/guitarist Tom Johnston, the pair started playing gigs in Bay Area bars, adding in singer/finger-picking guitarist Pat Simmons to the lineup. The band’s 1971 Warner Bros. debut featured original bass player Dave Shogren, who split before the Doobies recorded their 1972 follow-up, Toulouse Street. The latter finally got them on the charts thanks to the easy-rocking hits “Listen to the Music” and “Jesus is Just Alright/Rockin’ Down the Highway.”
By 1972, the Doobies had added new bassist Tiran Porter as well as second drummer Michael Hossack, initiating what would become their signature double-percussionist sound. They continued to churn out a string of indelible AM-radio hits throughout the decade, including “China Grove,” “Black Water,” “Long Train Runnin’,” What a Fool Believes,” “Minute by Minute” and “Takin’ it to the Streets.”
Hartman left the group in 1979 before the release of the band’s ninth album, 1980’s One Step Closer. He returned 10 years later and played on 1989’s Cycles and 1991’s Brotherhood before leaving again in 1992. The beloved drummer was on hand in 2020 when the Doobies were inducting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
See the band’s statement and watch a 1977 live version on “Takin’ it to the Streets” below.
DaBaby has the streets talking. Known for his catchy lyrics and controversy, the North Carolina native is heating up the rap game yet again after alleging he was intimate with Grammy-winning rap star Megan Thee Stallion on a new track.
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DaBaby released his new 14-track LP, Baby on Baby 2, which features the song “Boogeyman,” in which he claims he had a sexual encounter with MTS.
“You play with me that s–t was childish/ The day before she said that Tory Lanez shot her, I was f–kin on Megan Thee Stallion,” he raps. DaBaby is referencing rapper and singer Lanez allegedly shooting Megan in the foot in July 2020. (A judge on Sept. 14 granted a delay for the shooting trial.)
“Waited to say that s–t on my next album/ Hit it the day before too/ But I kept it player,” he rapped on. “I ain’t say nothing ’bout it/ Had her pretty boy, boyfriend tweeting me, ready to die ’bout the bitch like a coward/ I told you n—-s don’t play, now you gone have to handle me/I poked the muthaf–kin’ bear, I’m a animal.”
In the second verse, the “Ball If I Want To” MC appears to be referring to his June 2021 controversy with MTS and her boyfriend Pardison Fontaine. The two went back and forth on Twitter after Megan called out DaBaby for reposting a joke about Lanez allegedly shooting MTS and appearing on a track with the Canadian in a song called “SKAT.”
The discord between the two appeared to be brewing even more when DaBaby brought out Lanez for his Rolling Loud Miami set in July 2021 to perform “SKAT,” after he just performed with MTS.
“I’ll give somebody out here a million dollars if they can guess who in here,” said Da Baby when Lanez revealed himself from his mascot outfit.
Billboard has reach out to Megan Thee Stallion for comment.
Joshua Bassett’s new EP, Sad Songs In a Hotel Room, certainly delivers on its promise. The project – which precedes a debut album he’s still working on – features six songs “from a different episode in a very dark time in my life,” according to the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star, who is honing his craft as a singer-songwriter while trying to remain true to his own arrow amidst Hollywood and headlines.
Speaking to Billboard about the gestation of the EP, Bassett says a lot of the songs were written separately from the formal sessions his label set up for him. Oftentimes, he would wrap a songwriting session with strangers – distraught with the pressure foisted upon him to share personal details – and go off on his own to write a song that addressed his emotional state. And those were the ones that made the cut on the final project.
That commitment to candor has certainly captured the attention of a devoted audience. Watching Bassett perform at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom (not long before his EP’s release), the fervent teen and twentysomething audience hangs on his every word. Well, even more than every word; they seem to know precisely every beat of each song – sometimes before him. Speaking to Billboard a few days after the show, Bassett laughs, “they knew (the lyrics) better than I did.”
He’s certainly grateful for the attention most rising talents would dream of. “Putting your heart and soul into these songs you wrote in your bedroom or car and have people singing it back to you – I couldn’t ask for anything else,” Bassett says.
For the 21-year-old, who has faced more public scrutiny than most of us will ever see in a lifetime, Bassett remains guarded, but kind and hopeful. While he readily acknowledges that the last few years were no treat, he’s grateful for the support and love from fans.
“I hope people can see that if I made it out of that okay — and a lot of people saw publicly what I went through — if I can stand up after that and keep walking and keep my head up, then so can you. That sounds kinda cheesy and I’m not trying to be preachy, but we gotta be there for each other.”
Here, in his own words, Joshua Bassett takes us through each song on his Sad Songs in a Hotel Room EP, from the incidents that inspired each composition to the emotions that fueled them.
Hundreds of people are expected to participate in a walk/run for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital Saturday. The walk will be held in Downtown Springfield.
The organization hoped to raise 250 thousand dollars for St. Jude’s. The event will start and end at Hammons Field.
Greene County Deputies will escort runners through the streets.
This weekend’s debut Portola festival in San Francisco took six years to make happen.
Launching tomorrow (September 24) at the city’s Pier 80, the two-day event was conceived by Danny Bell, VP Talent Buyer for AEG Presents in San Francisco, who came up with the concept after a 2016 music-fueled traipse through Europe’s electronic hubs.
Bell had just left his job as Talent Buyer for HARD Events in Los Angeles, where he’d worked before after graduating from USC. (“I graduated on a Friday and was full time [at HARD] on a Monday,” he says.) With eight months off before he was due to start his new gig at AEG, he wanted to take the type of extended Euro trip many embark on after college.
“Lucky for me, I was 27 and I had some money in the bank. So I was actually able to enjoy myself instead of slumming it on couches.”
He started in London, seeing Four Tet and James Blake headline the city’s Field Day Festival, hit Paris, then went to Barcelona for Sonar, where he was struck by “the electronic music presented in a very adult way.” A plan to spend three days in Ibiza turned into a 12-day marathon with highlights including a set by the legend Sven Väth. “I was wearing flip flops, shorts and a t-shirt expecting to stop by for 15 minutes,” Bell recalls. “Next thing I know, it’s 6:30 in the morning.”
After a run through Berlin, Bell returned to work in San Francisco with the inspiration for what would, in time, become Portola. He envisioned a festival that would present electronic music in that adult way — a hard turn from the neon kandi raver style then experiencing mass appeal amongst the kids driving the U.S. EDM boom and one still popular today at most mega-fests. He imagined an event that was cooler, more rock than rave, and something that focused on artists who play mostly their own music rather than banging out the same old standards.
“That’s the real thing I wanted,” Bell says, “a festival where you don’t hear repeat songs throughout the day.”
He tinkered with the idea for years, even having friends make mock lineup posters to keep the concept top of mind. After Bell successfully launched the hip-hop and R&B focused Day N Vegas in 2021, Goldenvoice and its parent company AEG green-lit the idea he’d been conceptualizing since that flip flop club night in Ibiza.
“That’s one of the things I learned from from [Goldenvoice CEO and Coachella Co-Founder] Paul [Tollett], just how personal you can make these lineups and see how people are more interested in a festival with a personality and a concept behind it instead of just a collection of artists that on paper seem as if they could sell a certain amount of tickets at a certain ticket price.”
The result of this singular vision is easily one of the best U.S. electronic festival lineups of the year, with the bill amalgamating some of the scene’s most credible veterans (The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, DJ Shadow), a gaggle of this generations best and brightest (Arca, Jamie xx, Kaytranada, James Blake, Flume, Four Tet, Caribou, Charlie XCX) and white hot rising acts like HAAi, Fred Again.., DJ_Dave and more.
While it’s taken six years to make happen, Bell says the timing for a collection of artists like this “would not have worked a few years ago, given both the way many of these acts have risen to headliner status over the last few years and how U.S. audiences have become extremely hip to the kind of “esoteric electronic music” (as Bell calls it), played by much of the lineup.
Danny Bell
So too is the timing right for this festival to happen in San Francisco. While the city has a long history as an electronic music hub, it hasn’t had a standalone electronic fest since within the city limits since Treasure Island ended a seven year run in 2018. (The traveling electronic fest Breakaway will make its California debut in October with an event in Oakland, while Porter Robinson’s Second Sky festival, also produced by Goldenvoice, will return to Oakland for its third year at the end of October.)
Portola is happening at Pier 80, a million square foot maritime shipping pier owned by the Port of San Francisco. Amidst ongoing supply chain issues that have affected the global shipping schedule, the facility had one weekend in 2022 available for such an event. The Portola team, a group of 27 spread between Los Angeles and San Francisco, took it. They expect 30,000 attendees per day.
Portola marks a moment not just for the city as an electronic destination, but for San Francisco itself, particularly amidst headlines that largely focus on the city’s pandemic exodus (and the subsequent population return), homeless crisis, the existential dilemma of the tech boom and the extreme cost of living. Bell, a native New Yorker, offers an alternative view, citing the “new guard” moving to town, the great restaurants, choice dive bars and general rise of culture in the post-pandemic era.
In fact, the festival is named after San Francisco’s Portola Parade of October 1909, hosted by the city to show the world it was open for business after the devastating earthquake and subsequent fires of 1906.
The way Bell sees it, this Portola serves a similar function.
“I feel like the city is on the mend, and I’m betting on it big time moving forward, and I really hope Portola gets to help be a part of that.”
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