Bizarrap‘s Music Sessions have now become a cultural phenomenon thanks to his collaborations with Latin music heavy-hitters such as Shakira, Arcángel, Nicky Jam and, his latest, Peso Pluma.
His “BZRP Music Sessions #53” with Shakira — released in January — peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The diss track broke a handful of Guinness World Records. It now makes them title holders for the most streamed Latin track on Spotify in 24 hours (14,393,324), most viewed Latin track on YouTube in 24 hours (63,000,000), fastest Latin track to reach 100 million views on YouTube (in two days and approximately 22 hours) and most streamed Latin track on Spotify in one week(80,646,962).
Another favorite music session is the Argentine producer’s team up with Spanish artist Quevedo. It’s one of Bizarrap’s most watched sessions on YouTube, and it’s the one that catapulted both artists to global success. Their “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52” scored both their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. Currently, it has more than 520 million views on YouTube.
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Other most-viewed sessions include his “BZRP Music Sessions #36” with Nathy Peluso — which instantly became a viral social media sensation in 2020 thanks to Peluso’s catchy verse (“I’m a, I am a, I’m a nasty girl, fantastic/ Este culo es natural“) — and “BZRP Music Sessions #13” with Argentine rapper and singer Nicki Nicole, who teamed up with Bizarrap early on for one of his first-ever sessions.
Below, vote for your favorite Bizarrap Music Session (so far). If you don’t see your favorite in the poll, feel free to add it in the “Other” section.
It may be Bizarrap‘s 55th music session, but it’s his first one with Mexican superstar Peso Pluma and, as expected, the collaboration between the two hitmakers is fire.
“BZRP Music Sessions” with Peso Pluma dropped Wednesday (May 31) to much anticipation as to what Peso would rap or sing about in his session with the Argentine producer.
Peso Pluma chose heartbreak for his topic, singing about getting over an ex. “I’m still here, it’s been a few nights since I haven’t slept,” Peso sings. “I’m drunk, can’t lie to you, I hit up another girl when I realized I had lost you.” The Mexican rapper and singer laments over his signature corridos sound powered by requintos and trombones. It’s the first time Bizarrap has recorded Mexican music, but toward the end you hear more of Bizarrap’s EDM influence.
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On Tuesday, Bizarrap took to social media to confirm that his music session guest would be chart-topping artist Peso Pluma. In a two-minute animated video, Biza is featured as a rat in his studio wearing his signature dark glasses and baseball cap.
In the clip, Bizarrap appears to be building a guitar out of a walnut shell. But he’s missing a few things to build a trombone, so he steps out from his studio into a home only to get chased around by a broom. He ends up getting saved by a Mexican rat with cowboy boots and a haircut that belongs to none other than Peso Pluma.
The “Por Las Noches” singer — who currently has 12 songs on the Billboard Global 200 (including two top 10 hits) — joins an elite list of artists who have collaborated with the Argentine producer, including Shakira, Arcángel, Nicky Jam, Nicki Nicole and Residente, to name a few.
His Shakira music session — released in January — became an anthem for women around the world. In it, the Colombian star doesn’t hold back and is as blunt as ever about her ex, Spanish soccer star Gerard Piqué. Their “BZRP Music Sessions #53” peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The dis track also broke a handful of Guinness World Records and now holds the title for most streamed Latin track on Spotify in 24 hours (14.4 million streams) and most viewed Latin track on YouTube in 24 hours (63 million views), to name a few.
The Rose That Grew From Concrete is finally receiving his own sidewalk honor: a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On June 7, legendary rapper, poet and actor Tupac Shakur will receive his star in the recording category during a public ceremony at 6212 Hollywood Blvd.
“Tupac Shakur was a rapper, actor, activist, poet, and revolutionary,” says Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “This iconic artist has continued to be part of the zeitgeist for decades after his passing and will continue to be an important cultural figure for many years to come. Surely, as one of L.A.’s own, Tupac’s star will be added to the list of most visited stars.”
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Born in New York City but spending his formative years in California, Shakur is revered as a West Coast legend and a cited inspiration to artists across the globe, including Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, J. Cole, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber and countless others.
At the Baltimore School for the Arts, Shakur studied acting, poetry, jazz and ballet. In his early career, Shakur was known as MC New York before taking on the moniker 2Pac during his time with rap group Digital Underground.
As a solo artist, Shakur released his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991 via Interscope Records. He went on to share three more albums before his fatal shooting at age 25 — all of which charted on the Billboard 200, with All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World topping the chart. Following his death, six posthumous studio albums were released through Amaru Entertainment, started by Shakur’s mother, and Interscope Records.
Both All Eyez on Me and Shakur’s greatest-hits collection are RIAA-certified diamond, surpassing the 10-million mark. In 2017, the rap icon was the first solo hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. As an actor, Shakur starred in films including Juice, Poetic Justice, Above The Rim, Gridlock’d and Gang Related.
The Walk of Fame star unveiling will be hosted by L.A. radio host Big Boy and guest speakers will include director Allen Hughes (Hulu documentary series Dear Mama), writer Jamal Joseph and Tupac’s sister Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, who will accept the star.
The ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m. PT and will stream live here.
With The Little Mermaid making a splash in theaters this past weekend, news regarding another Disney film’s live-action remake is making waves. On Wednesday (May 31), The Hollywood Reporterrevealed that Hamilton and In the Heights director Thomas Kail will helm the upcoming live-action version of Moana.
The film was first announced earlier this spring. Alongside Broadway vet Kail directing, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — who will will reprise his role as Maui, the demigod of the wind and sea — will produce via his company Seven Bucks productions with Dany and Hiram Garcia. Beau Flynn is also producing via Flynn Picture Co. Jared Bush, the animated movie’s original screenwriter, wrote the script for the live-action movie alongside Dana Ledoux Miller.
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While the titular character has yet to be cast for the film, Auli’i Cravalho — who originally starred as the voice of Moana — revealed that she won’t reprise the role but will instead serve as an executive producer on the project.
“When I was cast as Moana at 14, it wonderfully changed my life and started my career,” she said on Instagram earlier this month. “In this live-action retelling, I will not be reprising the role. I believe it is absolutely vital that casting accurately represents the characters and stories we want to tell.”
She continued, “I can’t wait to find the next actress to portray Moana’s courageous spirit, undeniable wit and emotional strength. I’m truly honored to pass this baton to the next woman of Pacific Island descent to honor our incredible Pacific peoples, cultures and communities that help inspire her story, and I look forward to all the beautiful Pacific representation to come. Mahalo.”
The Linda Lindas performed at the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee this week, marking the competition’s first-ever musical performance.
“Playing the @scrippsnationalspellingbee was an honor and a B-L-A-S-T,” the band wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday (May 31), before wishing luck to “all the spellers.” The National Spelling Bee’s Bee Week takes place this week at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, with the finals airing on Thursday (June 1) on ION network at 8 p.m. ET.
The Linda Lindas went viral in 2021 for their powerful performance of their song “Racist, Sexist Boy” at the Los Angeles Public Library, and the all-girl group featuring members Bela Salazar, Eloise Wong, and sisters Lucia and Mila de la Garza released their debut album Growing Up in 2022.
The group is set to head out on tour as the opening act for select shows on Paramore’s tour this summer. The tour follows the Feb. 10 release of Paramore’s sixth studio album This Is Why, the band’s first LP in almost six years. The record’s lead single — which doubles as the title track — dropped in September.
Phil Wickham rolls up his fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart (dated June 3) with “This Is Our God.” In the tracking week ending May 25, the song increased by 5% to 6.4 million impressions, according to Luminate.
The 39-year-old singer-songwriter, from San Diego, co-penned the song with Pat Barrett, Steven Furtick and Brandon Lake. It was produced by Jonathan Smith and will be included on Wickham’s album due this fall.
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“‘This Is Our God’ is my favorite song to sing and lead right now,” Wickham tells Billboard. “This song is a declaration of who Jesus is and what He’s done for us. There is so much faith, hope and truth in it. It’s been incredible hearing the church lift it up and sing it out in the past few months since its release. Thanks to everyone who has been listening to, singing and sharing this one!”
Wickham’s fourth Christian Airplay leader completes his fastest trip to the summit: 19 weeks. His “House of the Lord,” which dominated for four weeks starting in October 2021, took 20 weeks to reach the apex. “Battle Belongs,” which likewise reigned for four frames, beginning in April 2021, needed 25 weeks, and his first No. 1, “This Is Amazing Grace,” ruled for 10 frames starting in March 2014, wrapping a 27-week climb.
Wickham’s new Christian Airplay No. 1 follows his duet with Anne Wilson, “Behold,” which hit No. 2 in December 2022. He has notched 10 top 10s, starting with “Safe,” which hit No. 4 in April 2010.
Jones’First Gospel Airplay No. 1
On Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart, Brent Jones earns his first No. 1, as “Nothing Else Matters (Instead of Complaining, Praise Him),” which he wrote solely, lifts to the top, up 9% in plays.
The Los Angeles native follows “Open Your Mouth and Say Something,” which reached No. 9 in March 2019, and first entry “He Rose” (No. 17, January 2015).
Jones, who is also the Minister of Music at the Friendship Baptist Church in the Los Angeles area, launched his music career as leader of Brent Jones & The T.P. Mobb in the 1990s. The act posted three entries on Top Gospel Albums: 1999’s self-titled LP peaked at No. 4, followed by beautiful (No. 7, 2002); and The Ultimate Weekend (No. 14, 2008).
Jones has charted two solo albums on the survey: Joy Comin’ (No. 6, 2014) and Open Your Mouth and Say Somethin’ (No. 3, 2018).
It’s the last day of May, which means summer is around the corner. As the hottest season of the year approaches, we’ve got you covered with the very best of emerging R&B/hip-hop talent. This week sees the return of rap standouts J Hus and Kenny Mason, while blossoming acts like grouptherapy. and Khamari are making their way to the R&B centerstage.
Check out all of this month’s picks with our Spotify playlist, linked below.
Freshest Find: Khamari, “Cherry Picking”
Boston-made artist Khamari has made a splashy album debut with A Brief Nirvana. The 11-track project is the multi-instrumentalist’s gripping introduction to the world, with cuts like “Cherry Picking” embracing the quiet and vulnerable. Centering songwriting and the texture of his brain-tickling voice, Khamari is captivating, eliciting emotion and forgotten memories with each track.
J Hus, “It’s Crazy”
J Hus returns with a vengeance on his new drill-adjacent track “It’s Crazy.” Released with a frenetic video, the U.K. rapper peers directly into the camera, questioning, “Why you wanna see the evil in me when I wanna live my life peacefully?” The new song marks a new era of music for J Hus — and is hopefully the precursor to a new album.
grouptherapy., “Nasty”
L.A.-based best friend trio grouptherapy. are reveling in their youth. On “Nasty,” the collective is embracing their resilience and self-acceptance: “We all felt a need to let our id speak and embrace our nastier side; whether that be sexy and seductive or slick like an oil spill,” they share in a press release. “This is grouptherapy. on our pimp shit.”
Cochise, “Hydroplane”
“Hydroplane” is the climactic intro to Cochise’s new EP No One’s Nice to Me. He enunciates more than usual on the opener track, rapping, “I’m counting out this money, while I’m counting up my blessings,” over cinematic strings and glimmering keys.
Kenny Mason, “Dracula”
Kenny Mason’s new Coupe-produced track “Dracula” further proves that he is one to watch. The Atlanta artist likens himself to the infamous vampire, but with platinum teeth and thirsting for bags of money. Mason went full rapper mode for “Dracula” though his knack for effortlessly fusing rap and grunge is what makes him a standout amongst the next class of artists.
audrey mika, “satuRday”
Thank god for Saturdays: the day of the week that lacks the scaries of Sundays and the anticipation of Fridays. Audrey Mika agrees, the cheery singer embracing the beauty of the weekend feeling being spread throughout less exciting days of our lives. The cut is uplifting and perfect for those lazy summer afternoons, equipped with a bouncy percussion line and Mika’s soft rasp.
$NOT, “Easter Pink”
An ode to Cam’Ron and Y2K style, $NOT delivers “Easter Pink”: a perfectly summer single, made to be blasted with all the windows down. The MBWAV instrumental is perfectly nostalgic as $NOT coolly raps, “Wanna be my friend again? Ride around up in the Benz/ Drivin’ up into night ’til we hit the mornin’.”
Janelle Monáe is gearing up to take her forthcoming album, The Age of Pleasure, on the road. The singer revealed details for a 2023 North American tour on Wednesday (May 31).
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The star will kick off the 26-date trek on Aug. 30 at WAMU Theater in Seattle, and will make stops in Atlanta, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, New York City and more before wrapping up in Inglewood, Calif., at the YouTube Theater on Oct. 18.
Tickets for the Age of Pleasure tour will go on sale in a Verizon presale beginning Thursday, June 1, at 10 a.m. local time. General onsale for the tour will begin starting Wednesday, June 7, at 10 a.m. local time on Ticketmaster.com.
The Age of Pleasure will arrive on June 9 via Atlantic Records. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the singer explained that the record is inspired by the sounds of the Black diaspora of then and now.
“It was inspired by all of my friends, my community of folks who are from South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, the Caribbean, Atlanta, L.A., Chicago,” she said. “Seeing all of us together in our Blackness, in the love that we had in our eyes for each other. People from the continent f–k around with trap from Atlanta. You know what I’m saying? I love how the diaspora — we talk to each other.”
See the official poster and the full list of dates for the Age of Pleasure tour below.
Police in Arkansas are still investigating, but have discovered the cause of death for a doctor from Cassville.
Investigators say the body of 49-year-old Dr. John Forsyth was found by a kayaker in Beaver Lake outside of Rogers, Arkansas on May 30.
The body was transported to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for an autopsy. The report lists the cause of death as a gunshot wound.
Forsyth was reported missing Sunday, May 21 after he failed to show up to work at Mercy Hospital in Cassville, where he had worked for nearly 15 years.
Authorities issued a search, and found his vehicle at a park in Cassville. There were no signs of foul play, but Forsyth’s wallet, two phones and laptop were found in the car.
There has been no indication as to whether the gunshot wound was self-inflicted or if he was shot by someone else.
The Cassville Police Department, Missouri State Police and Benton County Sheriff’s Office in Arkansas are coordinating the ongoing investigation.
