Month: August 2023

Last month, Lil Tjay returned to the limelight when he released his new album, 222. The Bronx rapper’s latest output features Summer Walker, YoungBoy NBA, The Kid Laroi, Polo G, and more. He recently caught up with Billboard to discuss his newest effort, performing alongside his “Gangsta Boo” collaborator Ice Spice and more. 

For Tjay, 222 comes after the Bronx rapper was shot seven times last year during a botched robbery attempt. The near-fatal shooting left TJay with wounds to his lungs, neck and chest. In his song “Beat The Odds,” he rapped about the ordeal saying, “Grateful for the s–t I got ’cause I come from a hard life/ Demons on my mental, saw some s–t I wanna archive/ Feds lookin’ out tryna bring a n—a down/ Just thinkin’ ’bout the possibility, I frown.”

“I feel like the best I could feel,” he shares with Billboard a year after the incident. “My body works fine, my mind is in an alright place and my music is doing well. The trajectory for the next five years is only up.” Tjay also notes his appreciation for life now, after taking the little things for granted.

“I take life a little bit more seriously now. I take my career a lot more seriously now. I feel more appreciative. When I was in the hospital, I remember I woke up and couldn’t get out the bed or nothing. I had a tube in my throat and couldn’t brush my teeth. It was for days, and the amount of money I would have paid if they allowed me to brush my teeth is crazy.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Tjay shares his jubilation for his Bronx teammate and “Gangsta Boo” collaborator Ice Spice, with whom he shared the stage with at Hot 97’s Summerjam concert in June. 

“It’s crazy because I was supposed to perform but missed my set,” remembers TJay. “I was late. I was like, ‘Ice. Yo bring me out.’ We had spoke about it before that. I wasn’t sure, but I wound up just doing it. It was turnt. I ain’t gon lie. It was lit.”

He adds: “It was one of those full circle moments, being that I met Ice before who she is today. To see the crowd go crazy for her for the first time in person, it was lit.”

Watch Tjay’s full interview with Billboard News.

After gaining six new top 10 showings across Billboard charts, including two No. 1s, with “Where She Goes,” Bad Bunny extends his winning streak as the song rises to No. 2 on the Latin Airplay chart (dated Aug. 5). It concurrently lands at No. 1 on Latin Rhythm Airplay.

On Latin Airplay, “Where She Goes” surges 20-2 as the Greatest Gainer of the week with 9 million in audience impressions, that’s a 70% gain from the week prior. Bad Bunny unseats one of his own from the runner-up slot as “Un X100to,” with Grupo Frontera dips 2-6 with a 6% decline in audience impressions (to 8.2 million).

The song’s biggest supporters for the week includes SBS’s KXOL (Los Angeles), Univision’s WVIV (Chicago) and KQMR (Phoenix), and Grupo Radio Centro KAMA (Houston).

With “Where She Goes,” Benito banks his 26th top 10 on Latin Airplay, tying with Maluma for the seventh-most among Latin rhythm acts since the chart launched in 1994. Here’s the top 10 recap:

48, Daddy Yankee
40, J Balvin
37, Ozuna
28, Wisin & Yandel
27, Wisin
26, Bad Bunny
26, Maluma

Further, the new Latin Airplay top 10 follows two chart commands: “Where She Goes” gifted Bad Bunny a third ruler on the Billboard Global 200 and his 14th champ on Latin Digital Song Sales, both on the June 3-dated rankings. On the latter, Benito extends his second-most record, trailing only Shakira’s 15 No. 1s.
Plus, as mentioned, “She Goes” now dominates Latin Airplay in its 10th week. Let’s look at the song’s achievements across the charts:

Peak Date, Chart, Peak Position
June 3, Billboard Global 200, No. 1
June 3, Billboard Global Excl. U.S., No. 3
June 3, Latin Digital Song Sales, No. 1
June 3, Hot Latin Songs, No. 2
June 3, Latin Streaming Songs, No. 2
June 3, Streaming Songs, No. 3
Aug. 5, Latin Airplay, No. 2
Aug. 5, Latin Rhythm Airplay, No. 1

Beyond its top 10 on Latin Airplay, “She Goes” takes over Latin Rhythm Airplay, which gives Benito his 21st ruler there. He breaks from a tie with Wisin & Yandel for the fourth-most among all acts, trailing Daddy Yankee (35 No. 1s), J Balvin (34), and Ozuna (29).

Matchbox Twenty’s classic hit “Push” revisits multiple Billboard charts dated Aug. 5, sparked by its synch – via its original version and Ryan Gosling‘s cover – in the new movie Barbie.

Released in 1996, “Push” reaches the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs tally at No. 17. (Older songs are eligible to rank on the chart if in the top half and with a meaningful reason for their returns.)

The tune from the Rob Thomas-fronted band also hits Hot Alternative Songs and Hot Rock Songs at Nos. 11 and 13, respectively.

In the July 21-27 tracking week, “Push” earned 3 million official U.S. streams, up 31%, according to Luminate. It also sold 1,000 downloads, a 201% burst.

Additionally, Gosling’s cover of the song heard in the movie earned 932,000 streams and sold 1,000 downloads in its first week of availability. Gosling plays Ken in the film; an original song for Barbie, “I’m Just Ken,” also makes multiple charts, including the Billboard Hot 100, at No. 87.

“Push” became Matchbox Twenty’s first No. 1 on a Billboard songs chart, leading the Alternative Airplay list for a week in July 1997. It also reached Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 6 on Adult Alternative Airplay, Pop Airplay, Mainstream Rock Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay, respectively.

“Push” parent album Yourself or Someone Like You peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 in September 1997; Matchbox Twenty’s breakthrough LP has earned 9.6 million equivalent album units to date. (Gosling’s cover is on the Best Weekend Ever edition of Barbie: The Album, the new film’s soundtrack that starts at No. 1 on the Soundtracks chart and No. 2 on the Billboard 200.)

Susan Benedetto is mourning the loss of her husband, Tony Bennett, following his death. The widow detailed some of her last days with the singer and revealed what his last words were, in addition to the very last song he sang hailing from his decades-long career.

Speaking with Hoda Kotb on TODAY, Benedetto revealed that Bennett’s touching last words were “that he loved me,” she said.

“He would wake up every day and still say that. He woke up happy every day. Even if he had had a bad day or night, he didn’t remember it,” Benedetto continued. “That was the only blessing. He woke up happy. And he’s just like, ‘Susan. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.’ And he would say that to me all the time.”

Benedetto and Bennett tied the knot in 2007, more than 20 years after their first meeting at one of his concerts in 1985. She also revealed that he sang one of his classic tracks before passing away.

“He sang ‘Because of You.’ We were getting him up to exercise, and so it was easy to just latch onto the piano,” she said. “And I said, ‘Ton, why don’t you get up and you can sing?’ You know, any excuse to just get him up. I said, ‘Why don’t you sing?’ He’s like, ‘What do you want to hear?’ I said, ‘How about singing “Because of You”?’ So he sang ‘Because of You.’” (“Because of You” appeared on Bennett’s 1952 debut album.)

The “I Wanna Be Around” singer passed away on July 21 at 96 following a years-long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Watch Benedetto’s interview on TODAY in the video above.

Imagine being the son of a lauded WWE Hall of Famer and wanting to fill his iconic wrestling boots. That was once the story for Cody Rhodes — the son of the legendary Dusty Rhodes — whose gripping promos and electric matches with Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, and Lex Luger made him the standard in pro wrestling during the 1980s. Once grappling with the legacy and shadow of his late father, Cody is no longer chasing ghosts. 

Since his return to the WWE in 2022, Rhodes is arguably the company’s top star, courtesy of his charisma, in-ring prowess and captivating entrance theme, which doubles as a rallying cry for his audience. Created by the alternative rock band Downstait in 2016 during Rhodes’ departure from the WWE, “Kingdom” tells the story of the wrestler seeking fans’ support while on his road to greatness. Though Rhodes’ journey wasn’t the most glamorous, as he wrestled in gyms for hundreds of people during the early stretches of his indie run, he pushed forward in hopes of reestablishing his name and identity in the wrestling world. 

By 2019, Rhodes flourished and became a ubiquitous star in the indie circuit, wrestling for companies such as Evolve Wrestling, Ring of Honor, TNA and New Japan Wrestling. After hosting a successful pay-per-view titled All-In with acclaimed indie wrestlers in 2018, Rhodes launched a new wrestling promotion titled AEW alongside Matt and Nick Jackson of The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega to rival WWE. Though Rhodes left the company in 2022 to return to his first home, his song “Kingdom” followed him after he and the band endured an excruciating battle with WWE over song rights and royalties. Today, “Kingdom” sits at a whopping 28 million plays on Spotify, and continues to be among the most popular themes in WWE, propelling Rhodes further into the hearts of the WWE Universe amid his quest for the championship. 

Billboard spoke to Rhodes about “Kingdom,” his new Peacock documentary, American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes, his similarities to LeBron James and more. 

When Downstait first made “Kingdom,” I read they were struggling financially and working regular jobs. How did his song eventually become a win not only for you, but for everyone involved?

It was so nice when I left WWE initially and I went into the unknown — I wanted to be prepared for it. I almost felt like I was drawing up blueprints for what I wanted my career to be like, now that I was my own boss and I was going to be in charge. And those guys, Downstait, have done music for WWE for years and they’ve done multiple themes of mine already, which I didn’t even know. There wasn’t that connection between the artists and the artists, I supposed. They were banging out banger themes left and right, but I contacted them and they were game to do it.

They put together lyrics that were kind of this rallying cry — because that’s the trick with sports entertainment and wrestling music. The song can be good, sure; it could be a good song, a good beat, a good melody, but it also has to be catchy. You gotta remember it. In the case of today, I’d say today that we have the catchiest of songs because, it creates this whole moment that happens multiple times throughout its play-through, with the “Whoas.”

But their journey, Downstait — you mentioned them going through it and the struggles — their journey mirrored my own. So for us to pair up, take it, and then for me to be so specific with everyone to the point [where] in plenty of meetings, people did not love how absolutely adamant I was about this being the song: This is the song. There’s no other song. Maybe one day, but this is the song and it goes everywhere I go. That’s just the way it gotta be — and I’m glad we stuck to our guns on that one, because those guys are great. They do music for tons of folks and they’ve made a very catchy song.

Considering you’re near the apex of your career — I say near because I know that elusive belt is something you’re still chasing — are there any lyrics from “Kingdom” that still hit home and resonate with you today?

I think probably the No. 1 [thing] in the lyrics that resonates is the part about following you til the end — in terms of, I was asking fans when I left [WWE], flat out, “Hey, will you go with me?” Doesn’t mean you don’t watch WWE still, but will you go with me to Evolve in Joppa, Maryland in front of 400 people? Will you go with me to NorthEast wrestling? Will you go with me to All-Pro Wrestling? Because as much as these independents are in high-school gyms and in myriads of places, they’re streamed. You can get them, you can see them. I wanted to have fans ride with me. That’s why I created the list of the different opponents that I would want.

I think that following me until the end has become a genuine [feeling] for those who were onboard and for those who’s just getting onboard tomorrow, or today even. I’m gonna do everything I can to get to the finish — and then of course, who knows what happens after that? Because you mentioned being near the apex of my career — there’s really this one thing that I’m looking to tackle, and what will happen if we’re able to get that chip. But that line about following you until the end sticks with me, because I’m always looking at the people when I hear it in the speakers in the ring, and it’s a very real transaction that we have. 

From “undesirable to undeniable” is a quote I always hear from announcer Corey Graves when describing your journey. At what point in your journey did you hit the undeniable chapter of your life? 

I think probably when you can no longer say, “OK. He was disenfranchised and he didn’t like what he was doing, so he quit.” I think when you had to turn the narrative into, “no, he had a point,” was around the first All-In. When [wrestling columnist] Dave Meltzer said we couldn’t get 10,000 people in an arena and we got 11,236 in under an hour. We shut the site down, and there’s a plaque on the side of the arena. That was the one where you could no longer be denied — and what I tried to do after that was if anyone showed up then and there like, “no, no, this is a fluke,” I kept trying to put them through the goal post.

At that point, our industry really changed. If you ever interview any of the big wigs or the top brass behind the scenes, this might be the area where they don’t love my story — because it meant everyone had to get paid a lot more. I’m so glad I had Matt, Nick, and Kenny for that — because that’s something that’s pretty cool, whenever someone comes up to you and says, “Thank you. I got the biggest deal of my life because of this silly show you guys did and this gamble that you took.” That’s a very, very rewarding feeling that I never anticipated would ever come up in my career. But I think that that point was where the whole concept of “I will not be denied further” [came from]. It emboldened me. 

I see a similar storyline arc between you and LeBron in terms of starting your career at home, going elsewhere to find success and then coming back to where it all began. Am I crazy for drawing that comparison?

I can’t say that and here’s why: LeBron’s the GOAT, or if not, one of the GOATs. It’s LeBron. So I can’t just go like, “You know I see my story is a lot like LeBron James.” [Laughs.] For you to say it — I’ve thought the same thing about my time away very much. It was this needed thing where we were doing something unique and special. But then to be able to come back to what was your home and deliver. .. Not just come back for any other reason, but to come back and deliver, it’s very similar from that arc. So I’m happy to be discussed in the same vein as somebody like LeBron. 

I think your finest promo was the one you cut with Paul Heyman earlier this year. Then, I think about your time at the Howard Fine acting school when you were younger. How much do you credit your skill-set in promos to your natural poise and charisma versus the acting classes you once took?

When I’m able to go out there, I always flip the mic. I flip it before I start talking. It almost feels like you’re this gun slinger when you have a mic, because that’s such a powerful thing, knowing you’re gonna tell [the fans] how you feel, why you need something and hope they’re in agreement with you. You’re gonna hope they find it entertaining or they have fun with it. All you’re doing is talking. There’s no wrestling going on in this ring, you’re talking in this ring.

I don’t know if it’s charisma. I feel like [my brother] Dustin got all my dad’s charisma. I don’t know if it’s Howard skills, because Howard skills are more about things that wouldn’t happen in your life. You’re really pretending. You’re acting — whereas what happens in the world of sports entertainment, where you’re in-between sport and entertainment, a lot of what I’m just saying is real.

The biggest part of why I’ve had success with promos and interviews is I prepare it like it’s a dissertation. I prepare that week before if I know I’m going to speak to them. [I’m] very, very in-depth about how I wanna deliver this message, because what I’m telling them is biographical. What I’m telling them is real to me.

You mentioned the Paul Heyman one, Mr. Heyman. That’s authentic. He gave my dad this job that changed the trajectory of my dad’s life. So as much as that problem with him and I exist, that is an area where I’ll always kind of nod my head and have a respect for [him]. I needed him to know it. He did not know that story until that show. I really needed him to know that this thing you did had a very, very large effect on my whole family. So to this day, I have a ton of respect for Mr. Heyman.

But I think with my promos and interviews, I think my preparations been key. I prepare heavily to speak to them. People complain sometimes that I use big words, but I never want to talk down to them. I feel like the sports entertainment wrestling audience is incredibly intelligent — and for some reason, maybe the stigma of the industry of old — some people don’t realize that, but that’s how I talk to them. We’re educated superstars and wrestlers in the ring and this is an educated audience. So I don’t dumb it down.

Your first match in the WWE was against Randy Orton. If and when the Viper returns, what would a Cody Rhodes versus Randy Orton match look like? 

It almost feels like it’s a first-time-ever match, because we wrestled against one another. We tagged together, we traveled together, but Randy arrived in WWE and was ready to go right out of the box. I have taken every piece of that little broken road that I’ve been on to really build what the American Nightmare is. Who I am when I step into the ring, and having that confidence, knowing my skillset, strengths and weaknesses. That’s why it comes across to me like this match never happened before, and I can only hope that Randy gets healthy and gets back to what he does — because he’s so, so, great at it. That would be quite a match. I think that’s one people are whispering about right now, and I feel both of us would be open to it, if not very open to it.

You were an incredible heel during your first run in the WWE. Because you’re the top babyface this time around, can you ever see yourself being a bad guy again, or do you think you’re stuck in this good guy role?

At the end of my AEW run, I felt we were doing heel — but apparently it wasn’t heel enough? Apparently, you have to say you’re a heel, and when you say you’re a heel, then you’re cool? So the definition of it was “the least cool, boo this guy out of the building.” That’s what I want out of my bad guys and bad girls, so I’m not stuck in it. I’ll say there’s probably less likely a chance of it happening, only because one thing I noticed, I’m really big on making eye contact with the audience. I noticed that my audience for me in particularly when you see the Nightmare shirt and the hat, it’s a lot of kids. That’s an important thing.

I don’t know if I’m a standard for them or anything of that nature, but if I even stand a chance of being someone that inspires them, I feel like I’m careful with screwing that up and letting them down. It felt like there was a spot in WWE after John [Cena] had left that maybe nobody was really filling and I don’t know why. But the youngest of our audience has really taken into what’s going on — which is funny, because if they watch this documentary, they might not even know about any of this stuff that even happened. They might just know the guy with the robe who says “Whoa” and the fireworks go off. But with them in mind, I don’t know if turning heel is as likely as it used to be.

American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes streams now and WWE SummerSlam streams August 5, only on Peacock.

Keith Urban and Kix Brooks are among the five newest hitmakers set to be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The two country artists — who each wrote several of their own hits — will join the hall alongside fellow inductees Casey Beathard, David Lee Murphy and Rafe Van Hoy.

Since its founding in 1970, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame has honored many of Music City’s premier songcrafters, inducting 235 songwriters, including Bill Anderson, Bobby Braddock, Garth Brooks, Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, Don and Phil Everley, Harlan Howard, Loretta Lynn, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, Cindy Walker, Fred Rose and Cindy Walker.

During a press conference held at Nashville’s historic Columbia Studio A on Thursday (Aug. 3), the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame executive director Mark Ford and chair of the board of directors Rich Hallworth revealed that Beathard and Murphy will be added to hall’s ranks, inducted into the contemporary songwriter category, while Van Hoy will be inducted in the veteran songwriter category. Urban will be inducted as the contemporary songwriter-artist, while Brooks will be inducted as the veteran songwriter-artist.

During the press conference, Urban recalled his early days in Nashville, his first time visiting the Bluebird Café and his years spent in writing rooms along Nashville’s Music Row. He also expressed gratitude for being inducted alongside Brooks.

“Kix was one of the first that came along, who sat at [Nashville venue] Jack’s Guitar Bar to hear me play, and later took me on tour. He’s been a champion ever since. I’m honored to be here with you,” Urban told Brooks.

Urban penned many of his own hits, including “But For the Grace of God,” “Somebody Like You,” “Wasted Time” and the CMA Award nominated songs “Tonight I Wanna Cry” and “Better Life.” His 2009 song “Sweet Thing” was named SESAC’s country song of the year, while 2012’s “For You” was featured in the film Act of Valor and earned Urban a Golden Globe nomination for best original song.

Country Music Hall of Fame member (as part of the duo Brooks & Dunn) Brooks had a hand in writing many of the duo’s hits, including “Brand New Man,” “My Next Broken Heart,” “Lost and Found,” the 1995 ACM song of the year nominee “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone” and the 2003 CMA song of the year nominee “Red Dirt Road.” He has also written chart-toppers including John Conlee’s “I’m Only In It For the Love,” Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Modern Day Romance” and Highway 101’s “Who’s Lonely Now.”

Brooks said, “I walked in here and saw these guys and was like, ‘We’re doing this together?’” He recalled a time when he and David Lee Murphy were sweeping floors at what is now the Musicians Hall of Fame. He wrote “I’m Only In It for the Love” with fellow inductee-elect Van Hoy.

“I came here as fan of songwriters. That’s all I wanted to do,” Brooks said. “My heroes were not just artists, but artists who wrote their own songs. To even think I would even be recognized in the same sentence as the mention of their names …”

California-born, Virginia-raised Beathard moved to Nashville in 1991; by 1998, he earned his first writing deal and penned the title track to Kenny Chesney’s I Will Stand album. In 2002, he earned his first No. 1 with Tracy Byrd’s “Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo.” Additional hit writing credits followed, including “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” (Tracy Lawrence), “Cleaning This Gun” (Rodney Atkins), Kenny Chesney’s “Don’t Blink,” “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems” and “The Boys of Fall.” He’s also frequently collaborated with Eric Church, writing “Like Jesus Does,” “Hell of a View” and “Like a Wrecking Ball.” He also penned “There Was Jesus,’ recorded by Dolly Parton and Zach Williams. Beathard was named BMI’s country songwriter of the year in 2004 and 2008, and was named NSAI’s songwriter of the year in 2008.

“I’m just grateful to God and to everybody in this room … for considering me,” Beathard said. “It’s humbling beyond words and I’m just grateful.”

Murphy moved to Nashville in 1983, before forming the band The Blue Tick Hounds and eventually signing with MCA Records a decade later. In 1994, his debut album spurred the hit singles “Party Crowd” and “Dust on the Bottle.” In the 2000s, he began writing songs for other artists, penning several hits for Kenny Chesney, including “Living in Fast Forward,” “Here and Now” and “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” which Murphy performed as a duet with Chesney. The song earned Chesney and Murphy the 2018 CMA Award for musical event of the year. Murphy also penned hits including “Big Green Tractor” (Jason Aldean), “Why We Drink” (Justin Moore) and “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not” (Thompson Square).

“It’s a huge honor to be here today,” Murphy said. “Most writers, this is one of those ten feet off the ground moments … The songwriter community in Nashville is such a tight-knit community … guys that I write with all the time. It’s a special group of people that are songwriters in Nashville. They are supportive and hugely talented and creative. That makes it even more special that I am here today with these guys … this is something I will always remember.”

Raised in Bristol, Tenn., Van Hoy and his family moved to Nashville after he graduated from high school in 1972. Curly Putman signed him to Green Grass Music, which led to a publishing deal with Tree International. In 1976, Van Hoy found success as a writer on the George Jones/Tammy Wynette classic “Golden Ring.” His catalog of writing hits would grow to include the 1983 best country song Grammy-nominated “Baby I Lied” (Deborah Allen), “Friday Night Blues” and “I’m Only In It For the Love” (John Conlee), “Hurt Me Bad (In a Real Good Way)” (Patty Loveless), “Let’s Stop Talkin’ About It” (Janie Fricke) and “What’s Forever For” (recorded by artists including Michael Martin Murphey, Anne Murray, Johnny Mathis, B.J. Thomas and Olivia Newton-John).

“To be in the Hall of Fame is something I always dreamed of,” Van Hoy said. “To be included with the club of brilliant minds and brilliant songwriter that are in the Hall of Fame is unbelievably humbling and immense gratitude from my heart.” He also noted that earlier in the day, his phone started playing Tammy Wynette’s “’Til I Get It Right.” “I hadn’t touched it,” he said. “It was like my buddies [the song’s writers] Red Lane and Larry Henley were saying, ‘Welcome in.’”

The honorees will formally inducted into the prestigious organization during the 53rd Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Wednesday, Oct. 11, to be held at Nashville’s Music City Center.