Month: July 2023

From Jay-Z to Miley Cyrus, Kevin Hart has had conversations with many of music’s biggest and brightest stars on his Peacock talk show Hart to Heart. For the show’s latest episode, the Emmy-nominated multi-hyphenate has recruited music industry titan Dr. Dre. In two clips from the July 13 episode shared exclusively with Billboard, the seven-time Grammy-winning rapper opens up about the creation of The Chronic, the Straight Outta Compton biopic and the challenges of maintaining authenticity as a creative.

The men of N.W.A were in their early 20s when they exploded onto the scene with ruthless debut album Straight Outta Compton, and their individual priorities shifted once each member started exploring solo endeavors. “The difference there was money and business got involved, and it separated the friendship,” Dre tellsHart in one clip. “I had to separate myself from [Eazy-E] because he decided to take a different route. [Ice] Cube had already left, so I’m out here on my own. I have absolutely no idea what the f–k I’m gonna do, I just know I have this talent.”

Dr. Dre released The Chronic, his landmark debut solo studio album, on Dec. 15, 1992. The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and spawned a pair top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” (No. 2) and “Dre Day” (No. 8). Another single, “Let Me Ride,” earned Dr. Dre his very first Grammy award. “A close friend of mine, we’ll call him D.O.C., talked me into doing the Chronic album,” he reveals. “It wasn’t my decision, I was talked into doing that. I just went in there and went for it because I felt, at that time, it was a life or death situation.”

For Dre, the quality and success of The Chronic would determine whether or not he “stayed in the studio.” “It’s really tough to find that kind of ambition and energy today,” he wistfully notes to Hart. Seven years passed between The Chronic and Dre’s sophomore album, the multiplatinum 2001 (1999). A further 16 years separated 2001 and Compton (2015), the most recent studio album from hip-hop’s first billionaire. Nonetheless, the former N.W.A member remained omnipresent in the music industry across the fields of music production, tech, mentorship and groundbreaking business deals — a feat he had to achieve while maintaining the authenticity he first established with Straight Outta Compton and “F–k the Police.” “It was really just to impress our neighborhood. We can be good in L.A., and everybody in L.A. is paying attention to us,” he reflects. “Little did we know we were gonna get attention around the world and from the FBI and that whole s–t, it was crazy.”

In 2015, Dr. Dre joined forces with fellow former N.W.A member Ice Cube and director F. Gary Gray to bring the legendary rap group’s story to the silver screen. “I think that everybody that was involved in the movie in the beginning didn’t believe in the movie and didn’t trust it,” he muses in a second clip shared with Billboard. “Myself, Cube and Gary Gray, we went for it. What you see on the screen is a result of what myself, Cube and Gary did.”

Straight Outta Compton grossed $201.6 million at the worldwide box office and earned an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay.

Dr. Dre’s episode of Hart to Heart will be available to stream on Peacock beginning Thursday, July 13, at 6 a.m. ET.

Watch the rap icon talk about The Chronic above, and Straight Outta Compton below:

Manuel Turizo rewrites his career-best debut on Billboard’s Latin Pop Airplay chart as “Copa Vacía,” his collaboration with Shakira, bows at No. 4 on the chart dated July 15, his first top 10 launch, among 12 top 10s.

According to Luminate, “Copa Vacía” traces its start in the upper region on Latin Pop Airplay to 4 million in audience impressions earned in the U.S. during the June 30-July 6 tracking week.

With the new top 10 entry, Shakira collects her 42nd top 10, dating back to the four-week champ “Estoy Aquí” in 1996. She ties with Ricky Martin for the second-most top 10s among all acts, both with 42, just behind Enrique Iglesias who leads with 45. Here’s the scoreboard:

45, Enrique Iglesias
42, Ricky Martin
42, Shakira
33, J Balvin
31, Daddy Yankee
30, Chayanne
30, Cristian Castro

For Shakira, “Copa Vacía” starts at an equal No. 6 as her predecessor, “Acróstico” which rose to No. 2 in its seventh week (dated July 8).

Back to Turizo, as mentioned, “Copa Vacía” becomes the Colombian’s best debut to date, after 25 chart visits. Previously, his best start was his last entry, “Vagabundo,” with Sebastián Yatra and Beéle, at No. 12 in June; the song later peaked at No. 6 (July 8-dated ranking).

According to Beyoncé, “America Has a Problem” — but Philadelphia’s Fox 29 news host Alex Holley is unbothered.

Leading up to the arrival of Bey’s Renaissance Tour in Philly on Wednesday night (July 12), the Good Day Philly co-host got dressed in a costume that mirrors Bey’s own when she performs “America Has a Problem” in order to pay homage to the singer and celebrate the highly anticipated tour touching down Stateside at last.

The funny video kicks off with Holley — wearing a black and gold sequined dress and dark cat-eye sunglasses to evoke Beyoncé’s Mugler bee outfit — behind the news desk, mimicking the instrumental’s introductory dance moves. With the help of a crew member, a fan blows air through her honey-colored locks as she looks in the camera and says, “We got a problem in the studio, because Philly! Are you ready for Beyoncé? I know I am!”

Fellow hosts on Good Day Philly join in on the shenanigans, dressed in all black as Holley’s backup dancers. “Heard you got that D for me/ Pray your love is deep for me/ I’mma make you go weak for me/ Make you wait a whole week for me,” Holley lip-syncs in the video. “Had to make sure Philly was ready to kick off #RENAISSANCEWORLDTOUR on the news!!!!!” she captioned the post.

Fans in the comments section flocked to tell the host she nailed it. One user wrote, “It took me far too long to figure out you weren’t Beyoncé!” while another added, “Lol we found the perfect opening act to Beyoncé.”

Bey’s tour stop in Philadelphia marks her first in the United States since the Renaissance World Tour kicked off; the performer will continue throughout the U.S. until her final Sept. 27 gig at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Watch Holley’s video below.

Yng Lvcas picks up his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as “La Bebe,” with Peso Pluma, ascends 2-1 to lead the list dated July 15. The collab checks into the penthouse on the overall Latin chart in its fourth week at No. 1 on Latin Rhythm Airplay.

“La Bebe” takes over Latin Airplay with 10 million audience impressions, up 1% from the week prior, earned in the U.S. in the week ending July 6, according to Luminate.

The song replaces Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny’s “X100to” from its six-week domination, dipping 2-1 with a 14% decline in impressions, to 9.3 million.

“La Bebe” grants Lvcas his first Latin Airplay champ, who joins four other acts who have also taken over the tally in 2023 with their first leaders: Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera through “Bebe Dame” (one week, March 25), Marshmello with the Manuel Turizo-assisted “El Merengue” (one week, June 10), and his contemporary Peso Pluma, as “Ella Baila Sola,” with Eslabon Armado, placed the Mexican at the lead for one week (June 17). Thus, the latter collects his second ruler.

Further, “La Bebe” is the only collaborative charting effort by Lvcas on any Billboard chart. He captured his maiden entry on any Billboard tally when the original version of the song, sans Pluma, debuted on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart at No. 152, reaching a No. 2 high in April, after the remix with Pluma dropped.

Since then, the successful partnership has experienced a rewarding performance across charts. Here’s the recap:

Peak Position, Chart, Peak Date

No. 2, Latin Streaming Songs, April 8
No. 2, Hot Latin Songs, April 15
No. 1, Latin Digital Song Sales, April 15
No. 2, Global Excl. U.S, April 22
No. 5, Streaming Songs, April 29
No. 2, Global 22, June 10
No. 1, Latin Rhythm Airplay, June 24 (four weeks atop)
No. 1, Latin Airplay, July 15

Beyond its Latin Airplay coronation, “La Bebe” holds steady at its No. 2 high for a seventh week on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, despite a 5% decline in streaming activity: it logged 13.2 million clicks in the U.S. during the same period. Plus, it also sees a fall in sales: 12% from the previous week to 1,000 downloads.

Disclosure is coming back in a big way.

On Wednesday (July 12), the Lawrence brothers announced a new album, Alchemy, will be out this Friday.

The 11-track LP is their first since 2020’s Energy, and their first to drop since the pair left Capitol Records. Alchemy will be out via the brothers’ own Apollo Recordings, in partnership with AWAL, the independent distribution and label division of Kobalt Music Group.

“This record is a celebration of us feeling liberated right now,” Guy Lawrence says in a press release. “We’re no longer signed to a major record label. We’re not going to tour this record. We can do whatever we like and be super creative.” 

A statement about the album also reveals that “Alchemy was written while the British duo were at two very different points in their lives. On one hand, Guy was recently married and settling into a new home in Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles. On the other, Howard was reeling from heartbreak and exhausted from a 150-date tour.”

“There was this combination of deep heartbreak and sadness, but also deep admiration and appreciation,” Howard Lawrence says of this period. “Let’s turn this horrible feeling into something beautiful. The whole idea was to channel pain into beauty—which, in hindsight, is always the aim.”

Alchemy will not incorporate any features or samples, instead promising a “back to basics” approach and production melding jungle, breaks, “trance-like supersaw synth riffs” and club tracks” See the album’s cover art below.

In tandem with the LP’s release, Disclosure will host a pair of release parties in London on Thursday and Friday.

This announcement comes on the heels of the 10-year anniversary of Disclosure’s landmark debut album, Settle, released in June 2013 and voted the No. 1 EDM album of the decade by Billboard. The LP was commemorated with a deluxe anniversary edition due in August.