Space Ranger Brings First Taylor Swift Cover to ‘Masked Singer' Just Before His Exit: ‘They Only Cleared It Because of Me!'
The Masked Singer.
Space Ranger made his debut on last week's Masked Singer, bounding out with his neon-tinged swagger and a silver space suit topped by a glowing, planet be-decked cowboy hat. It was a fitting 'fit for what came next: an electrifying performance in which he bounced around, dropped to his knees and flashed finger guns with so much rizz that judge Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg was convinced he must be a famous comedian.
More from Billboard
'The Masked Singer' Winners: Which Mystery Musician Won Each Season?
Willie Nelson Spotlights the Songs of Rodney Crowell on 'Oh What a Beautiful World' Album
How Doechii Could Have Two Different Hot 100 'Anxiety' Hits Next Week
If you were paying any attention at all, the clues (and his one-of-a-kind voice) made it pretty obvious: He's futuristic, lives on his own planet and a childhood report card included an A+ in, ahem, 'PE.' Oh, also, sometimes, he said, you have to show them all that you're 'worth the hype,' as he showed off a belt that appeared to have a clock face on it.
His debut performance, of a track by his 'bestie,' was a spirited run through Taylor Swift's 'Bad Blood' that left judge Ken Jeong dumbstruck, while host Nick Cannon knew right away that it was one of his 'favorite people' on the planet.
Both Robin Thicke and Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg agreed that it could be comedian/actor Tracy Morgan, while always-wrong Jeong — who said he's opened for Morgan on the road — thought the space case was retired boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Rita Ora suggested a showman like actor/comedian Marlon Wayans.
Wednesday night's Ghostbusters-themed episode was back with more super obvious clues, including one about his gig 'schlepping furniture' in New York as a young man before he and his partner came up with a crazy idea for a career change with help from a 'beastly band of boys' who boosted their career.
For his second song, he went in another direction with the swinging Busboys' Ghostbusters soundtrack album tune 'Cleanin' Up the Town,' which further showcased his showmanship and vocal dexterity. The second performance made Jeong think it was DJ Jazzy Jeff, even as Thicke doubled down on his Morgan guess, while Ora and McCarthy-Wahlberg totally figured out that it was none other than Public Enemy hype man rapper Flavor Flav.
Before his elimination, Billboard spoke with Flav, who described the joy of getting the special dispensation to cover Swift, his shock at the judges' guesses, and why he wanted to hang around just a bit longer.
You said being on the show has been on your bucket list for years. Why? What took you so long?
I don't know what took it so long 'cause I've been wanting to do this show for years! So when I was asked to be on the show, I said, 'Wow! Finally? OK, let's go!' One thing about me is I love surprising people, I love amusing people, and I love keeping people in suspense. So this show put me on that platform to do all of these things.
People know you as the hype man from PE, but were you nervous to try singing on national TV, especially a Taylor Swift song?
One thing about Flav — Flav is never, ever nervous. I always love being the center of attention. I love being the most positive, talked-about. I'm the biggest hype man, I'm the original hype man, so I could not wait to get out there on that stage and hype up the world.
You are the self-proclaimed 'King Swiftie' and there's never been a Taylor song on . Was that an extra layer of pressure?
Nah, I wasn't nervous at all, and I was honored that Taylor Swift and them did clear the song for me to do. Because Masked Singer been trying to get a Taylor Swift song cleared for years and they could not get one cleared, until Flavor Flav, King Swiftie, came on their show. [A spokesperson for the show confirmed that it was the first-ever Swift cover on the series.] They cleared it for King Swiftie. I'm honored and proud that Taylor Swift and them cleared me to do 'Bad Blood.' I said, 'I'm gonna have fun with this song and I know I'm gonna do a good job with it.' I ain't gonna lie, I am my biggest fan and I do amuse myself and I love watching me on TV.
Did she approve it because she knew you were going to do it?
They knew I was going to do it, that's why the song got cleared. They only cleared it because of me! They weren't clearing it for nobody else! And you know what? I don't think they're gonna get another Taylor Swift song after this.
You have an iconic, signature look. So how did it feel to be in that ridiculous costume? Did it help you relax to be covered up?
It was real fun jumping in and out of that costume. When I first seen the costume, I was like, 'Wow, how am I gonna pull this off?' But, you know, I can make anything work, I can pull this off. I really had fun… but it was a little hot and muggy up in there and I was running out of fresh air. But I said, 'Keep it going. KIM — keep it movin' Flav, you got this!'
Not gonna lie, I've been covering you for 30 years and so this was the easiest mystery to guess in the history of the show. From the way you walked out , to the super obvious clues and your one-of-a-kind voice it seemed almost too easy.
What do we say when we pick up the phone? 'Heloooooooo?' C'mon now, it was the biggest, easiest giveaway! My voice is distinctive like James Earl Jones, like Samuel L. Jackson, like Morgan Freeman. I have the most sampled voice in the history of music and my voice is very, very recognizable. So when you take my voice and match it up with them easy-ass clues… the easiest clues! The first one was 'PE.' C'mon now, everybody knows Flavor Flav is Public Enemy! Everybody knows that I'm famous for my hardware that I wear around my neck [holds up giant clock pendant]. It's clocks. And also the other easy giveaways was the clock belt and they showed the belt twice! I'm like, 'C'mon man, everybody knows that's Flav!' I was trending number 3 on Twitter [after his first episode] and everybody on Twitter was like, 'Man, that was the most easiest giveaway ever!' I think they should have did me better.
Be honest: Did you want to win?
I didn't go on that show to win. I went on that show to have fun. Did I expect to win? No. But I did want to last a little longer than I did and last as long as I can. At least I could say I had fun. At least I could say I was onstage with one of my favorite people on the planet too, Nick Cannon. I've always been a Nick Cannon fan and when Nick said 'I know who this is! This is one of my favorite people on the planet!' When he said that, you don't know how honored I was and how proud I was to hear those words come out of his mouth. 'Cause before Nick Cannon was Wildin' Out, I was wildin' out first, since 1986! The surprising thing was when the judges were trying to guess me… where the hell did they get Tracy Morgan from? [Laughs] The weirdest one was Floyd Mayweather. What in the world is Floyd Mayweather going to be doing in a costume?
Best of Billboard
Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1
Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits
H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
8 Best Moments From Olivia Rodrigo's Headlining Gov Ball 2025 Set: ‘I Want Them to Hear Us in F—king Manhattan'
Olivia Rodrigo is a machine. More from Billboard Thousands Fill Nation's Capital for WorldPride Parade With Reneé Rapp, Laverne Cox, Gay Men's Chorus & More Miley Cyrus Says Disney Stopped Her from Singing 'Hannah Montana' Songs After Series Ended: 'Not Like I Wanted to' Rod Stewart Cancels Additional U.S. Tour Dates Due to Illness: 'I'm Devastated' While most artists would opt to take a break after touring an album around the world for over a year, Rodrigo wasn't quite done after wrapping her GUTS tour last fall. In March, she took the stage at Lollapalooza Chilé — her first of a whopping 18 headlining festival sets she booked for 2025. A handful of Latin America gigs later, Rodrigo made her way back to the States for the second day of Governors Ball on Saturday (June 7) night. Her first appearance at the New York City festival unfortunately didn't come without obstacles — particularly for fans. Due to inclement weather, (heavy rain and lightning were forecasted for a few hours during the day), festival organizers announced that doors would be pushed from 11:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., leaving dozens of fans who arrived bright and early for a prime barricade spot to wait outside the gates even longer. When doors finally did open, a handful of afternoon sets were cut, while others were shortened and pushed. Rodrigo's main stage set moved from 8:30 p.m. to 9:25 p.m., immediately following Feid, who performed during her original set time on the nearby Kiehl's stage. When she finally hit the stage dressed in a sparkly new red two-piece set, Rodrigo controlled the crowd with a rock 'n' roll prowess we haven't seen since artists like Avril Lavigne and Gwen Stefani toured in the early aughts. She effortlessly blended her pop-rock bangers with her somber ballads for nearly an hour and a half — keeping the crowd of all ages captivated whether she was strumming her guitar, playing the piano or dancing and jumping all over the stage. The weather delays may have been rough, but they didn't stop Rodrigo from delivering a set to remember. Here are the 8 best moments from her headlining set below. About an hour after The Go-Go's 'We Got the Beat' blasted through the mainstage speakers as part of Rodrigo's pre-show playlist, who would've guessed that another 1980s classic would make its way onto her setlist… and with an IRL surprise. Following a moving performance of 'favorite crime,' a starstruck Rodrigo introduced rock legend David Byrne for a duet rendition of Talking Heads' 'Burning Down the House.' Rodrigo and the now 73-year-old rocker, wearing a white tee and red overalls (which perfectly matched Rodrigo's two-piece set), flawlessly switched off lines of the 1983 smash and happily danced around the stage. Throughout the performance, Rodrigo even took part in some of Byrne's signature choreo. After kicking off the final set of the night with her GUTS deluxe single 'obsessed' followed by fan-favorite 'ballad of a homeschool girl,' Rodrigo slowed it down with what could only be described as a holy trinity of back-to-back ballads. Sitting at a grand piano, 'Vampire' was the perfect way for Rodrigo to tee up the trio of slower songs. By the time its climactic bridge hit, the crowd's vocal cords were warmed up for what was to come: the song that started it all and her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 'drivers license' (Rodrigo said that she thinks 'of my life in before and after this song'). For the final song in this little trio, she went with 'traitor' a clear fan-favorite from her debut album considering that the crowd was just as loud, if not louder, than they were just one song before. 'I wrote this song when I was falling in love with this boy,' Rodrigo cheekily shared with the crowd before going into 'so american,' a GUTS (spilled) track that fans believe was written as a love letter to her boyfriend, English actor Louis Partridge. 'Maybe you'll understand this feeling when you're first falling in love with someone, and everything you do, you just think of them,' she continued. 'When I wrote this song, I was driving in the car, thinking of this person, and I started humming this chorus, and it turned into this song.' We'll take the Louvia crumbs. Other than a shortened setlist, there were a few key differences between Rodrigo's festival set and last year's GUTS tour. For one, the on-screen visuals are slightly different, although they definitely still fit within the GUTS world. Her background dancers were also cut from this gig, giving the spotlight to just Rodrigo and her all-female band. She performed a stripped-back rendition of 'pretty isn't pretty' with just her strumming her acoustic guitar, and later equipped herself with just an electric guitar for a solo performance of her heart-wrenching SOUR ballad, 'enough for you.' Some encores don't give what they need to give, but Rodrigo's was not that. It was a couple minutes after 10:30 p.m. when she wrapped up her performance of 'deja vu' — which seemed to be the final song of the night after Rodrigo exited the stage. That was until a stunning visual of her gracefully sitting in a white slip dress popped up across the big screen, which was soon engulfed in digital flames. By 10:37 p.m., Rodrigo re-emerged, equipped with a red megaphone adorning her first and only outfit change of the night: a red and white cropped baseball tee that read 'New York City Never Looked So Blue.' The songs in the encore were just as satisfying: 'brutal,' 'all-american b—h,' 'good 4 u' and 'get him back!' With him taking the stage just an hour before her, Rodrigo took a minute out of her set to give a shoutout to her longtime friend and fellow artist, Conan Gray. 'I love him so much, he's my best friend,' she excitedly told the crowd ahead of singing 'enough for you' (a SOUR track she revealed is her 'favorite song she's ever written'). Gray delivered a mainstage set complete with props and a costume to match the sailor aesthetic of his upcoming album Wishbone, for which he just released its first single, 'This Song.' 'Have you listened to his new song yet?' Rodrigo asked the crowd, which immediately erupted in screams. 'That's the right answer. I love him so much and I love playing music.' It became a GUTS tour tradition for Rodrigo to lead fans in a primal scream fest during her performance of 'all-american b—h' — and that tradition continued for her Gov Ball set's penultimate song. 'There is so much s—t to be pissed off about in the world today,' she said before getting into the song's bridge. 'When I tell you 'go,' I want you to scream as loud as you can and let it all out. Okay? I want them to hear us in f—ing Manhattan.' (The festival takes place outside the city in Queens, N.Y.). Probably channeling their emotions that came with the delay, downpour, mud and muggy weather that came earlier in the day, the crowd certainly followed directions. When Rodrigo tee'd up the screams with the first line of the bridge and and said 'go,' the stage went completely black — and for a good 10 seconds, all that could be heard were the most guttural of screams. Not that the rest of the show wasn't, but this was a true moment of group catharsis. 'obsessed' 'ballad of a homeschooled girl' 'vampire' 'drivers license' 'traitor' 'bad idea right' 'love is embarrassing' 'pretty isn't pretty' 'happier' 'enough for you' 'so american' 'jealousy, jealousy' 'favorite crime' 'Burning Down the House' (with David Byrne) 'deja vu' Encore 'brutal' 'all american b—h' 'good 4 u' 'get him back!' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Chartbreaker: Mariah the Scientist on Her Biggest Hit's ‘Casual' Start & Using Her Platform to ‘Help People Feel Included'
True to her name, Mariah the Scientist's songs are often the result of several months, and sometimes years, spent combining different elements of choruses and verses until finding the right mixture. But when it came time for the 27-year-old to unveil her latest single, the sultry 'Burning Blue,' the R&B singer-songwriter was at a crossroads. So, she experimented with her promotional strategy, too — and achieved the desired momentum. 'Mariah felt she was in a space between treating [music] like a hobby and this being her career,' recalls Morgan Buckles, the artist's sister and manager. And so, they crafted a curated, monthlong rollout — filled with snippets, TikTok posts encouraging fan interaction and various live performances — that helped the song go viral even before its early May arrival. Upon its release, Mariah the Scientist scored her first solo Billboard Hot 100 entry and breakthrough hit. More from Billboard Young Thug Recalls Getting 'Stood Up' By Mariah The Scientist on Their First Date Chappell Roan Did the Viral 'Apple' Dance During Charli xcx's Primavera Sound Set: 'Love You B-ch!' 50 Years Ago, Elton John Became First Artist to Enter Billboard 200 at No. 1 - Just How 'Fantastic' Was the Feat? Mariah Amani Buckles grew up in Atlanta, singing from an early age. She attended St. John's University in New York and studied biology, but ultimately dropped out to pursue music. Her self-released debut EP, To Die For, arrived in 2018, after which she signed to RCA Records and Tory Lanez's One Umbrella label. She stayed in those deals until 2022 — releasing albums Master and Ry Ry World in 2019 and 2021, respectively — before leaving to continue as an independent artist. 'Over time, you start realizing [people] want you to change things,' Mariah says of her start in the industry. 'Everybody wants to control your art. I don't want to argue with you about what I want, because if we don't want the same things, I'll just go find somebody who does.' In 2023, after six months as an independent artist, Mariah signed a joint venture deal with Epic Records and released her third album, To Be Eaten Alive, which became her first to reach the Billboard 200. She then made two Hot 100 appearances as a featured artist in early 2024, on 'IDGAF' with Tee Grizzley and Chris Brown and 'Dark Days' with 21 Savage. 'Burning Blue' marks Mariah's first release of 2025 — and first new music since boyfriend Young Thug's release from jail following his bombshell YSL RICO trial. The song takes inspiration from Purple Rain-era Prince balladry with booming drums and warbling bass — and Mariah admits that the Jetski Purp-produced beat on YouTube (originally titled 'Blue Flame') likely influenced some lyrics, too. She initially recorded part of the track over an unofficial MP3 rip, but after Purp caught wind of it and learned his girlfriend was a fan, he gave Mariah the beat. Mariah then looped in Nineteen85 (Drake, Nicki Minaj, Khalid) to flesh out the production. 'I [recorded the first part of 'Burning Blue'] in the first room I recorded in when I first started making music in Atlanta,' Mariah says. 'I don't want to say it was a throwaway, but it was casual. I wrote some of it, and then I put it to the side.' Once Epic A&R executive Jennifer Raymond heard the in-progress track, she insisted on its completion enough that Mariah and her collaborators convened in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in February to finish the song. By that point, they sensed something special. Mariah shared a low-quality snippet on Instagram, but Morgan — who joined as a tour manager in 2022 — knew a more polished presentation was needed to reach its full potential. Morgan eyed Billboard's Women in Music event in late March as the launchpad for the 'Burning Blue' campaign. Though Mariah wasn't performing or presenting at the event, Morgan wanted to take advantage of her already being in glam to shoot a flashier teaser than Mariah's initial IG story, which didn't even show her face. The two decided on a behind-the-scenes, pre-red carpet clip soundtracked by a studio-quality snippet of 'Burning Blue.' Posted on April 1, that clip showcased its downtempo chorus and Mariah's silky vocal and has since amassed more than two million views, with designer Jean Paul Gaultier's official TikTok account sharing the video to its feed. Ten days later, Morgan advised Mariah to share another TikTok, this time with an explicit call to action encouraging fans to use the song in their own posts and teasing that she 'might have a surprise' for fans with enough interaction. Mariah then debuted the song live on April 19 during a set at Howard University — a smart exclusive for her core audience — as anticipation for the song continued to build. Two weeks later, 'Burning Blue' hit digital service providers on May 2, further fueled by a Claire Bishara-helmed video on May 8 that has over 7 million YouTube views. 'We're at the point where opportunity meets preparation,' Morgan reflects of the concerted but not overbearing promotional approach. '[To Be Eaten Alive] happened so fast, I didn't even know what 'working' a project meant. This time, I studied other artists' rollouts to figure out how to make this campaign personal to her.' 'Burning Blue' debuted at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated May 17, marking Mariah's first time in the top 40. Following its TikTok-fueled debut, the song has shown legs at radio too, entering Rhythmic Airplay, R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay — to which Morgan credits Epic's radio team, spearheaded by Traci Adams and Dontay Thompson. '[The song] ended up going to radio a week earlier [than scheduled] because Dontay was like, 'If y'all like this song so much, then play it!,' and they did,' Morgan jokes. With 'Burning Blue' proving to be a robust start to an exciting new chapter, Mariah has a bona fide hit to start the summer as she prepares to unleash her new project, due before the fall. She recently performed the track on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and will have the opportunity to fan the song's flames in front of festival audiences including Governors Ball in June and Lollapalooza in August. But as her following continues to heat up, Mariah's mindset is as cool as ever. 'I'll take what I can get,' Mariah says. 'As long as I can use my platform to help people feel included or understood, I'm good.' A version of this story appears in the June 7, 2025, issue of Billboard. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tyler, The Creator Ignites Opening Day of 2025 Governors Ball: 7 Best Moments
After a sweltering first day at the 2025 Governors Ball on Friday (June 6), Tyler, The Creator made sure to remind everyone multiple times throughout his explosive closing set just how hot it really was. With sweat pouring down his face, he paused his music a few times just to comment on how he was 'hotter than a b—h,' and how he knew there were hundreds of 'moist' orifices out in the crowd. More from Billboard Olivia Rodrigo Brings Out David Byrne for Scorching 'Burning Down the House' (And Does Some of His Dance Moves) at Gov Ball Governors Ball 2025 Delays Headliners, Cancels Early Sets Due to Weather on Day 2 Chris Brown Earns 21 New RIAA Certifications - Including 8x Platinum for These Two Hits Tyler was right, and I hadn't realized until those moments of reflection just how disgusting I actually was from an eventful first day at Gov Ball. JPEGMAFIA motivated dozens of dirty and bruised teenagers to mosh the afternoon away while performing a capella renditions of Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Call Me Maybe.' There was a trip down memory lane hosted by T-Pain, who has been on an absolute tear of nostalgic shows as part of his Back to Wiscansin Tour. Somewhere in the distance Benson Boone was doing a flip, was blowing out speakers, and Tyla was enthralling supporters in her steamy 'popiano' sound. But we had all gathered there to see Tyler, The Creator bring his Chromakopia album to life, and when he finally stepped out in his green suit, the crowd could hardly contain themselves. While Tyler acknowledged the heat, his mid-tour exhaustion, and the fact he had only a little over an hour, he made sure to run through hits both new and old. As he did his best to satiate his moist and sweaty fans who had braved the elements to witness him live. Here are the best moments from Tyler's memorable Gov Ball set. Coming out the gates with the first three songs of Chromakopia, Tyler opened with an explosive performance of 'St. Chroma,' 'Rah Tah Tah' and 'Noid,' letting each track flow into the next as he rapped each bar with lyrical precision. The crowd was energized and fired up, and unsurprisingly rapped along to every syllable from Tyler's new album. Whenever Tyler has performed 'Sticky,' it's always been such a moment — and this time was no different. The crowd went bananas (quite literally, one kid was crowd surfing in a banana costume), screaming out GloRilla and Sexyy Red's verses as the bass rattled everyones ear drums. While IGOR's 'Earfquake' satisfied everyone there, it was 'New Magic Wand' that truly sent a shockwave through the crowd. The energy was magnetic as Tyler tore through the 2019 single. Tyler, The Creator barely did any leg work during his run through of 'Like Him,' as his fans carried the song from start to finish. As Tyler pirouetted his way across his signature Chromakopia shipping container, the fans cried out the song in what was a surprisingly moving moment of solace. 'Can you rap my sister's verse, New York?' Tyler called out as a video Doechii appeared on the screen behind him. As fans ripped through her 'Balloon' bars, Doechii's ravenous energy was felt all through the crowd. The Swamp Princess' magnetic energy was indescribable as it shot through the crowd, reminding me and everyone else that 'Balloon' is a sleeper hit. While he only indulged for a few bars, Tyler's 'Yonkers' still goes hard when it's played outside. The 13-year-old song shook the festival, as fans raged and rapped along to the Goblin classic. Tyler, the Creator's Flower Boy made only a few appearances during the set, but 'See You Again' was the perfect closer to a great night. The fans swooned as Ty did his thing, showcasing the timeless nature of that song. It was a great closer, and one that people were chattering about on their way out of the grounds. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
