Latest news with #GovernorsBallMusicFestival
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pusha T Says Def Jam Tried to Censor Kendrick Lamar Verse On Upcoming Clipse Album Due To Drake Beef
After much anticipation, Pusha T and No Malice — collectively known as Clipse — finally announced that Let God Sort 'Em Out, their first album in 15 years, will arrive on July 11th. But when the press release was sent out last week, there was curiously no mention of Def Jam, who the duo had signed with last year for the project. Instead, distribution and marketing were attributed to JAY-Z's Roc Nation — and now Pusha T is opening up about why. In a new interview with GQ, the rapper claimed their relationship with Def Jam crumbled over Kendrick Lamar's verse on the song 'Chains & Whips.' More from The Hollywood Reporter Sean "Diddy" Combs' Ex-Aide Says She Was "Brainwashed" When She Sent Loving Texts Years After Rape Governors Ball Music Festival 2025: Where to Buy Last-Minute Tickets Online Are Music and Other Celebrity Films Killing the Documentary? Universal Music Group, the parent company of Def Jam, is also home to Drake (OVO Sound/Republic Records) and Lamar (pgLang/Interscope Records). Given last's summer highly publicized beef between Drake and Lamar — which resulted in Drake's filing a lawsuit against UMG — Pusha T said the label was hesitant on the idea of two of Drake's biggest enemies putting out a song together. 'They wanted me to ask Kendrick to censor his verse, which of course I was never doing,' he said. 'And then they wanted me to take the record off. And so, after a month of not doing it, Steve Gawley, the lawyer over there was like, 'We'll just drop the Clipse.' But that can't work because I'm still there [solo]. But [if] you let us all go… ' For those unaware, Pusha T outed Drake for having a 'secret' son in 2018 during their own contentious battle on the incendiary track 'The Story of Adidon,' while Lamar buried Drake with the proverbial nail in the coffin, 'Not Like Us,' last May. Def Jam ultimately decided to release Clipse and drop Pusha as a solo artist, Pusha said, allowing Clipse to search for another label home. A rep for Def Jam and UMG didn't immediately reply to request for comment. The move forced Clipse to push back the album's release date, which was originally supposed to be sometime in 2024. Still, Pusha T conceded the entire process was worth it: 'It felt good to even see how other labels were buying for the project.' In January, Drake filed an 81-page federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging UMG 'approved, published and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track that falsely accuses Drake of being a pedophile and calls for violent retribution against him.' The situation was only exacerbated by Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show performance of the song the following month, which drew in a record number of viewers. At one point during the performance, Lamar looked directly at the camera when he got to the lyrics, 'Say Drake, I hear you like 'em young…' a moment that will forever live in pop culture history. To add insult to injury, Lamar also swept the 2025 Grammy Awards' rap categories, with 'Not Like Us' taking home the trophies for best rap performance, best rap song, best music video, record and song of the year. UMG strongly denies all of Drake's allegations, calling the lawsuit 'frivolous,' 'reckless' and 'misguided.' The label argues that the lyrics in question are 'non-actionable opinion and rhetorical hyperbole' typical of rap battles—not statements of fact— and that taking them as literal defamation threatens free speech and artistic expression. UMG has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, asserting that Drake's claims are an attempt to simply salvage his image after sorely losing the public feud with Lamar. Drake's lawsuit remains active as of now Discovery is underway, and both sides are preparing to present evidence. UMG continues to seek dismissal, while Drake's legal team is focused on proving that UMG's actions went beyond standard music promotion and crossed into deliberate character assassination with real-world consequences. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up' Passes 1 Billion Spotify Streams
Rick Astley's 1987 hit song 'Never Gonna Give You Up' has passed 1 billion streams on Spotify — 38 years after the song debuted. The feat is even more noteworthy given that the song was released more than 20 years before Spotify launched. More from The Hollywood Reporter Pusha T Says Def Jam Tried to Censor Kendrick Lamar Verse On Upcoming Clipse Album Due To Drake Beef Sean "Diddy" Combs' Ex-Aide Says She Was "Brainwashed" When She Sent Loving Texts Years After Rape Governors Ball Music Festival 2025: Where to Buy Last-Minute Tickets Online 'I never could have imagined back in 1987 that 'Never Gonna Give You Up' would still be going strong decades later,' Astley said in a statement. 'Thanks to streaming platforms, a whole new generation has been able to discover music like mine. Reaching 1 billion streams is something I never dreamed of and to everyone who's ever listened, thank you.' The song became a hit upon its initial release, reaching No. 1 on more than 20 international charts, including spending five weeks at the top of the charts in the U.K. and two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. However, the tune reached a new generation in later years thanks to the Rickrolling phenomenon, which went viral circa 2007. A brief explainer, if you have somehow managed to avoid this until now: Rickrolling is a joke played online on unsuspecting folks who click on a hyperlink about anything unrelated to Astley only to be taken to the music video for the song. 'Never Gonna Give You Up' was certified platinum in the U.K. in 2020 and went double platinum three years later; it was certified five times platinum in the U.S. Meanwhile, the video has been watched 1.6 billion times on YouTube. Astley had a string of other hits in the late '80s, including 'Together Forever,' 'It Would Take a Strong Strong Man' and 'She Wants to Dance With Me.' He retired from the music business in 1993 to spend time with family but mounted a comeback in 2016 with the album 50, which hit No. 1 in the U.K. He performed at the Glastonbury Festival in 2023 as well as other venues around the world. In 2024, he released a memoir, Never: The Autobiography. Watch the music video for 'Never Gonna Give You Up' below. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
Forbes
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Kendrick Lamar Makes History With Another Week At No. 1
Kendrick Lamar and SZA's 'Luther' hits 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, tying ... More 'Old Town Road' and nearing an all-time record. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 11: Kendrick Lamar performs during the 2023 Governors Ball Music Festival at Flushing Meadows Corona Park on June 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage) In just the past year, Kendrick Lamar has produced two of his biggest songs. That's quite the feat for a rapper who has already been at the top of his game for well over a decade. Following 'Not Like Us,' which ended his feud with Drake with certainty, Lamar dropped a new album titled GNX at the end of 2024. That project has produced multiple smashes, with 'Luther' — his latest collaboration with SZA — being the most popular. It's that tune that makes history again this frame, as it holds at No. 1 on multiple Billboard rankings. 'Luther' is steady at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart this week. The track reaches its milestone twentieth frame in charge of the list of the most consumed songs in those styles throughout the U.S. The ranking blends sales, streams, and radio activity to show true popularity — and for months now, that top spot has belonged to 'Luther.' Amazingly, the Lamar-SZA tune has only spent 24 weeks on this ranking, as it needed only a very short span of time before it rose to the summit, and it's largely proved unbeatable since. 'Luther' is just the fourth track in history to spend 20 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Half of those tunes are by Lamar, and coincidentally, half are also by SZA — though the two musicians manage the feat with different compositions. With 20 weeks at No. 1, 'Luther' is tied with 'Old Town Road' by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus as the third-longest-running leader of all time on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Ahead of it by just one frame is 'Kill Bill' by SZA. The all-time record was set only a few months ago by 'Not Like Us' — which means Lamar may soon match, and then pass, his own best showing. In just a few days, it's highly likely that SZA will tie her greatest performance on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. At the moment, it doesn't look like 'Luther' faces any serious competition that may dethrone it. There's every chance that SZA will soon not only match Lamar's greatest performance and the all-time record, but beat her own best showing as well. The two have been unstoppable for several years now, and 'Luther' is quickly becoming a career-defining success for the pair.
