Never change, James Hetfield. This Halloween, the Metallica frontman paid tribute to Stranger Things by dressing up as fan-favorite character Eddie Munson, whose performance of “Master of Puppets” in a season four episode sparked a renaissance for the band’s song earlier this year.
Hetfield debuted his 1980s-inspired outfit in an Instagram photo posted to Metallica’s official account, just a couple hours after Halloween ended. In the photo, the singer-guitarist does one of Eddie’s signature poses — two rock n’ roll hand-horns signs held to the top of his head, tongue sticking out — while dressed in a denim jacket, shaggy hair and a recreation of the “Hellfire Club” T-shirts worn by his group’s Dungeons & Dragons players in Stranger Things.
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“Eddie Munson says Happy Halloween!” read the post’s caption.
Played by Game of Thrones actor Joseph Quinn, Eddie Munson captured the hearts of millions of Stranger Things fans when the character debuted this summer in the Netflix sci-fi series’ fourth chapter. One of his most beloved scenes came in the season’s finale, when Eddie whipped out his electric guitar and performed an epic cover of Metallica’s 1986 track “Master of Puppets” in an alternate dimension known on the show as the Upside Down, earning his long-awaited hero moment when the concert successfully distracted evil creatures from harming his friends.
After the episode premiered on Netflix in July, Metallica took to Instagram to praise Quinn and the show’s creators, The Duffer Brothers. “We were all stoked to see the final result and when we did we were totally blown away,” wrote the band, also comprised of Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo. “It’s so extremely well done.”
Following the song’s use in the show, “Master of Puppets” appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, 36 years after the song was originally released. It reached a peak at No. 35 and also experienced a surge on streaming services, with daily on-demand U.S. audio streams growing nearly 400% in a matter of days.
See James Hetfield’s Eddie Munson Halloween costume below:
The fallout from Kanye West‘s recent spate of antisemitic remarks has once again impacted the students at the rapper’s private Christian K-12 Donda Academy school. Atlanta’s historic HBCU Morehouse College announced on Monday (Oct. 31) that it was canceling a basketball tournament slated for Nov. 6 at the city’s Forbes Arena between the Donda Doves and The Skill Factory due to Ye’s “divisive and unproductive” statements.
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“Throughout its history, Morehouse College, perhaps more than any other institution, has stood for social discourse which advances equity and healing, particularly in areas involving race, culture, and socio-economic disparities,” the university said in a statement. “We therefore cannot condone, in perception or implication, the recent divisive and unproductive statements by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.”
This is the second event the Donda team has been kicked out of recently, coming on the heels of the squad being uninvited from the Dec. 11 Scholastic Play-By-Play Classics tourney in Louisville. West (who now goes by Ye) had his Instagram account restricted again on Monday following his latest reported violation of the platform’s policies. This 30-day lockdown comes after Instagram and Twitter both placed temporary restrictions on his social media accounts after he posted antisemitic comments earlier in October.
Billboard has not been able to reach a spokesperson for West. While Instagram parent company Meta did not specify what caused West to be locked out again, the move came as Ye continued to amplify hateful antisemitic tropes in a series of interviews and social media posts, actions that have resulted in many of the former partners in his once-sprawling fashion and music empire cutting ties with the rapper.
Ye appeared to react to the news that the Donda Academy has shut its doors on Sunday by sharing a graphic photo of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black teen who was tortured and lynched after being accused of offending a white woman in 1955. He also posted a series of photos of Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, who wrote in an op-ed for the Financial Times last week that West’s business partners, including companies that profit off his music — such as Apple, Spotify, Adidas and his touring partners — should stop working with the star.
“Can you find a place for the Donda Academy kids to go to school that’s properly zoned for a school? I got about 60 children that have no place to be as they look to transfer,” West wrote in an Instagram caption on Sunday before his account’s restriction. He also referenced the Donda basketball team’s freeze-out, writing, “They tried to dismantle our basketball team. Those boys are being penalized without reason. Even professional athletes were threatened by their owners to disassociate.”
The Voice is doing three-way knockouts for the first time this season, and on Tuesday night (Nov. 1), three of John Legend‘s best team members went head-to-head-to-head for a spot in the competition’s next round.
First up, Ian Harrison took views down a more alternative route with a smooth rendition of Young the Giant‘s “Cough Syrup,” before Omar Jose Cardona took on Imagine Dragons‘ “Radioactive,” which led to a standing ovation from Legend and fellow coach Camila Cabello. Morgan Taylor wrapped things up with a fresh, feminine take on the James Brown classic, “I Got You (I Feel Good).”
“You got a problem now, don’t you?” Blake Shelton told Legend after the three impressive performances.
The “All of Me” singer then began to address his contestants directly. “Ian, you sound like you should be making alternative records. No question,” he told Harrison. “But when you perform live, you need to make sure people feel it, not just vocally but physically. I think that’s the only thing that’s missing.”
Legend then told Taylor, “You started to open people’s eyes to how amazing you can be, and that’s exciting. You just nailed it, it was so good.”
Lastly, he gushed over Cardona’s performance, telling the singer, “You were building the performance and holding back in the right moments and then unleashing the dragon when necessary. You just built a journey in that short time.”
Fans will have to wait until the episode tonight to see who wins the knockout round, but check out the performances exclusively on Billboard below. The Voice airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
Get ready, ARMY: More BTS music is coming! Pharrell Williams and RM sat down and interviewed each other for Rolling Stone‘s Musicians on Musicians issue in a snippet published on Tuesday (Nov. 1), which resulted in several teasers about both artist’s upcoming music endeavors.
During the pair’s conversation, RM asked Pharrell what’s up next for for his music, to which the 49-year-old shared exclusive information regarding his forthcoming album and a collaboration with BTS.
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“Well, my project, it’s called … it’s [under] my name, and the title of the album is Phriends,” the songwriter-producer told the BTS member. “It’s the volume one. You guys [BTS] are on there, obviously. And I’m actually talking about this way more than I’m supposed to, but it’s a song from my album that [BTS] sang and it’s amazing, and I’m super grateful.”
While the pair made sure to keep details under wraps, RM said, “I just love this song.”
Pharrell noted that “Everyone that hears it is like, ‘Whoa.’”
Happy with their collaborative effort, Pharrell wanted RM to know he’s more than willing to share his talents on RM’s solo work. “You said you’re 90 percent done with your solo album,” he revealed. “But if within that last 10 percent, if you need — you don’t need me, but I mean …”
“I always needed you, for 15 years,” RM replied, adding that he feels “honored and grateful.”
Concluding their conversation, Pharrell gave RM some parting advice for his career. “I would just say continue to move forward. Continue to be curious. And don’t put any kind of pressure on what it is that you do by saying … No absolutes, like, ‘Oh, I will never do music again,’ or ‘I will never …’ I wouldn’t do any of that,” he told the rapper. “No nevers. Just stay along for the ride. Just keep going.”
On Nov. 1, 1894, Billboard published its first issue, one that’s vastly different from today’s magazine, as well as Billboard’s expanded platforms. The premiere issue wasn’t even focused on the music industry; Billboard’s eventual trademark concentration on music, and, of course, charts, would develop over decades.
THE FIRST ISSUE
Before it became a weekly publication, and a 24/7 presence online, Billboard launched as Billboard Advertising. Its original mission? One that helps explain its name: “A monthly résumé of all that is new, bright and interesting on the boards.”
Upon its premiere, the eight-page magazine (priced at 10 cents an issue, or, 99 cents per year), was “devoted to the interests of advertisers, poster printers, bill posters, advertising agents & secretaries of fairs.”
The magazine’s first cover subject was R.C. Campbell, then-president of the Associated Bill Posters’ Association. “No more fitting tribute can be paid to Mr. Campbell than to state that he is a man of infinite resource, progressive ideas and tireless industry,” Billboard noted in the inaugural issue.
“In selecting his photograph for the first number of this magazine, the Editor was actuated by the fact that he is the acknowledged leader, the first and foremost and most eminent man in the field which we aim to cover.”
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THE CHARTS
As 128 years have passed (and Campbell has ceded the cover to, most recently, Steve Lacy, Brad Pitt and Damien Quintard), Billboard’s mission to report on and analyze the entertainment business remains on point, although with, for the past seven-plus decades, a more specific focus on the music segment of the industry.
The magazine’s first national music chart, the 10-position “National List of Best Selling Retail Records,” appeared in the July 27, 1940, issue. Previously, Billboard had highlighted the national “Sheet Music Best Sellers,” “Records Most Popular on Music Machines” (compiled from national reports from phonograph operators), and “Songs With the Most Radio Plugs” on a handful of New York radio stations. The “National List of Best Selling Retail Records,” however, was the first to poll retailers nationwide on record sales.
Tommy Dorsey crowned the first retail list with “I’ll Never Smile Again.” The eventual standard, featuring vocals by Frank Sinatra, would total 12 weeks at the summit. The scorecard paved the way for the industry-standard Billboard 200 albums chart (which became a weekly chart on March 24, 1956) and Billboard’s present-day menu of Luminate data-based format-centric song and album rankings and more. The Billboard Hot 100 songs chart premiered Aug. 4, 1958, with Ricky Nelson’s “Poor Little Fool” the first of the tally’s 1,144 No. 1s and counting – right through Taylor Swift’s historic haul in the top 10 of the latest list, reflecting that, 128 years on, unprecedented feats can still be achieved in any week.
In more recent years, Billboard’s charts offerings have expanded to include surveys covering social and streaming activity, with streams added to the Hot 100’s weekly tabulation. Billboard has also launched the weekly Billboard Artist 100, expanded touring tallies, weekly surveys ranking songwriters and producers, the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. lists and more.
‘LET ITS GROWTH BE NATURAL’
Meanwhile, Billboard has grown to encompass multiple platforms, including the top-rated Billboard Music Awards, Women in Music, industry conferences, podcasts, and Billboard Live on SiriusXM, in addition to the weekly magazine and more.
“Although only in its swaddling clothes, [our] success is already absolutely assured,” Billboard proclaimed on page four of the maiden issue. “The publishers aim to have it always newsy and to maintain a high and exacting standard of excellence in all articles appertaining to the interest of its readers.”
As a “What They Think of Us” feature reflected, “Responses to the very modest prospectus demonstrated that beyond all doubt or peradventure … surely a journalistic youngster was never started under such auspicious circumstances.”
“Start the new paper in a small and inexpensive manner, and let its growth be natural. Do not force it. You will not need to. There is a field for it,” advised Col. Burr Robbins.
Added Al. Bryan of Cleveland, “It should have been started long ago.”
Morgan Wallen‘s “You Proof” dominates Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart (dated Nov. 5) for a fourth week, as it drew 30.5 million audience impressions (down 1%) in the tracking week ending Oct. 30, according to Luminate.
Wallen wrote the song with ERNEST, Ashley Gorley, Keith Smith and Charlie Handsome, the latter of whom also produced it with Joey Moi.
“You Proof,” the Sneedville, Tenn.-born Wallen’s seventh Country Airplay leader, becomes his first to reign for four frames. It surpasses “Wasted on You,” which started its three-week rule in July, and “Whiskey Glasses,” which also controlled the list for three frames, beginning in June 2019.
Wallen’s additional four No. 1s led for a week each: “Sand in My Boots” (this February); “More Than My Hometown” (November 2020); “Chasin’ You” (May 2020); and “Up Down,” featuring Florida Georgia Line (June 2018).
What makes Wallen’s latest, a standalone single, strong enough to stand apart from his prior Country Airplay chart-toppers? “The support from country radio has been astounding,” Stacy Blythe, Big Loud senior vice president of promotion, tells Billboard. “The one thing that I can definitely point to with ‘You Proof’ is that there was much anticipation for new music from Morgan. Morgan continues to up his game with every single release and, as the team responsible for taking each one to radio, we have jointly been committed to upping our game.”
“Proof” concurrently ties Wallen’s longest stay atop the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart. Reigning for an 11th week, it matches the command of “Wasted,” which logged its 11th week at No. 1 in August. “Proof” drew 13 million official streams and sold 3,000 downloads in the U.S. in the Oct. 21-27 tracking week.
Meanwhile, Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album (which houses “Wasted”) rules Top Country Albums for a record-extending 80th week, with 43,000 equivalent album units earned in the tracking week.
‘Half’ Time
Thomas Rhett rolls up his 20th Hot Country Songs top 10 as “Half of Me,” featuring Riley Green, jumps 15-10. The single corralled 5.5 million streams (up 53%), having received more prominent placement on Amazon’s Country Heat playlist in the tracking week. On Country Airplay, it pushes 6-5 for a new high (23.1 million, up 5%).
Rhett co-penned “Half” with his dad Rhett Akins, Will Bundy and Josh Thompson. It’s from Rhett’s album Where We Started, which arrived at its No. 2 Top Country Albums peak in April. Rhett first reached the Country Airplay top 10 in September 2013 with “It Goes Like This,” his first of 17 No. 1s.
Green hits the Hot Country Songs top 10 for the first time. He previously reached a No. 11 best with his first entry, “There Was This Girl,” in March 2019.
Police in Morrisville are searching for suspects in a string of vandalisms in the area.
Officers say dozens of buildings were vandalized with spray paint, and that mailboxes and one resident’s fence were also damaged.
Authorities say they have three prime suspects, but have not identified them to the public at this time. if you have any information, call 417-756-3082.
The superstar returns to No. 1 on the Artist 100 for a 51st total week on top, extending her record for the most weeks spent at the summit. Meanwhile, Midnights launches atop the Billboard 200 albums chart and its lead single “Anti-Hero” soars in at No. 1 on the Hot 100 songs chart.
Midnights becomes Swift’s 11th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 – tying her with Barbra Streisand for the most among women – with 1.578 million equivalent album units earned in the Oct. 21-27 tracking week, according to Luminate. That’s the largest one-week total since the debut week of Adele’s 25 (3.482 million) on the Dec. 12, 2015, chart. The new set is also already the top-selling album of 2022, with 1.140 million copies sold in its first week.
On the Hot 100, all 20 tracks from Midnights (encompassing its 13-song standard version and its “3am Edition,” adding seven songs) debut on the latest list, with a single-week record 10 in the top 10. (Drake previously charted as many as nine simultaneous Hot 100 top 10s, on the Sept. 18, 2021, ranking.)
Swift became the first act to lead the Artist 100, Hot 100 and Billboard 200 simultaneously on charts dated Nov. 15, 2014, thanks to her LP 1989 and its lead single “Shake It Off.” The only artist to spend more weeks tripling up is Drake, who’s done so 16 times.
Most Weeks Spent at No. 1 on the Artist 100, Hot 100 & Billboard 200 Simultaneously
16, Drake
11, Taylor Swift
9, Adele
5, The Weeknd
2, Ariana Grande
2, Ed Sheeran
2, Harry Styles
1, Beyoncé
1, Justin Bieber
1, BTS
1, Camila Cabello
1, Future
1, Kendrick Lamar
The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.
More performers have been added to the upcoming 56th annual CMA Awards, set to air Nov. 9 on ABC (and available the following day on Hulu).
BrothersOsborne, Brandy Clark, Luke Combs, Caylee Hammack, Cody Johnson, Elle King, Patty Loveless, Ashley McBryde, Reba McEntire, John Osborne,Katy Perry, Pillbox Patti, Chris Stapleton, Cole Swindell, The Black Keys, The War and Treaty, and Thomas Rhett have all been added to the performer lineup.
Reigning CMA entertainer of the year Combs, who is again nominated for the night’s most coveted honor, will perform his single, “The Kind of Love We Make.” Johnson, a four-time nominee heading into the ceremony, will perform his BillboardCountry Airplay chart-topping hit “‘Til You Can’t,” while Elle King (who will release the country project Come Get Your Wife in January) will team up with The Black Keys to honor the late Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Fame member Jerry Lee Lewis with a rendition of Lewis’ 1957 classic “Great Balls of Fire.”
Reigning CMA vocal duo of the year Brothers Osborne will team with duo The War and Treaty for a rendition of The Rolling Stones’ 1974 hit “It’s Only Rock & Roll (But I Like It).” Five-time CMA Awards nominee McBryde will be joined by Clark, Hammack, Pillbox Patti and Osborne for a performance of Linda Ronstadt’s 1975 hit “When Will I Be Loved” (itself a cover of The Everly Brothers’ 1960 classic). The song is featured on McBryde’s recent collaborative project, Lindeville.
Two-time CMA Award winner Thomas Rhett and Perry will team up to perform their recently released collaboration, “Where We Started” (the title track to Thomas Rhett’s 2021 album) while Swindell is set to perform his Jo Dee Messina-inspired hit “She Had Me At Heads Carolina.” Stapleton, who is nominated for five CMA honors heading into this year’s ceremony, will be joined by five-time CMA Award winner Loveless for a performance of “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.”
These new performers join previously-announced performers Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Bryan, Kelly Clarkson, HARDY, Marcus King, Miranda Lambert, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, and Zac Brown Band.
UPDATE(Nov. 1): Stormzy, GAYLE, OneRepublic, Kalush Orchestra (fronted by Ukrainian rapper Oleh Psiuk) and a collaboration by SPINALL, Äyanna and Nasty C have been added to the performance lineup for the 2022 MTV EMAs. Stormzy is nominated for best longform video; GAYLE is up for two awards– – best new and best push. In addition, singer-songwriter Julian Lennon, model and activist Leomie Anderson, and British singer-songwriter and TikTok star Sam Ryder are the first presenters to be announced.
Fans who tune into the 2022 MTV EMAs on Nov. 13 have an excellent chance of seeing David Guetta and Bebe Rexha perform their international hit “I’m Good (Blue),” which jumps from No. 16 to No. 14 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100. MTV has announced that both stars are set to perform on the show, along with Ava Max, Gorillaz, Lewis Capaldi and Muse.
The 2022 MTV EMAs, hosted by Rita Ora and Taika Waititi, are set to air live from the PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf, Germany.
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Five of these six acts are nominated for 2022 EMAs. Guetta is vying for best electronic and best collaboration with Rexha for “I’m Good (Blue).” Max is also up for best collaboration for “The Motto” with Tiësto.Gorillaz is nominated for best alternative. Muse is up for best rock.
Three of these acts have albums slated for release in the first half of 2023. Max’s sophomore album Diamonds & Dancefloors is due Jan. 27. Gorillaz’ eighth studio album Cracker Island is due Feb. 24. Capaldi’s sophomore album Broken by Desire to be Heavenly Sent is due May 19. “Forget Me,” the first single from Capaldi’s album, dips from No. 95 to No. 99 on this week’s Hot 100. But it may very well turn around. The Scottish artist topped that chart in November 2019 with “Someone You Loved” and climbed as high as No. 9 in September 2020 with “Before You Go.”
Muse’s ninth studio album, Will of the People, debuted and peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 in September. It was the band’s sixth consecutive album to reach the top 15.The album did even better on the Official U.K. Albums chart, where it became the band’s seventh album to reach No. 1.
Rexha hosted the 2016 EMAs in Rotterdam. Max took home best push artist at the 2019 show. Capaldi is making his EMAs debut.
Muse are Matt Bellamy, Dominic Howard and Chris Wolstenholme. Gorillaz, created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, currently consists of singer 2D, bassist Murdoc Niccals, drummer Russel Hobbs and guitarist Noodle.
Additional performers and presenters will be announced at a later date.
The 2022 MTV EMAs will broadcast live on MTV in more than 170 countries and on Pluto TV in select territories across the U.S., Latin America and Europe and Comedy Central in Germany on Nov. 13. The show will be available on Paramount+ and Pluto TV globally beginning Nov. 14.
Fans may vote for their favorites across 17 gender-neutral categories at www.mtvema.com until Nov. 9 at 11:59pm CET. There are two new categories this year, best longform video and best metaverse performance.
Bruce Gillmer and Richard Godfrey are executive producers of the 2022 MTV EMAs. Debbie Phillips and Chloe Mason are producers.
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