Music

Kodak Black is free to keep building up his hip-hop empire now that he's out of jail, but the dude's turning down tons of cash to focus on something more important ... TMZ has learned. Sources close to the "Roll in Peace" rapper tell us KB has become a hot touring commodity since getting sprung out of Broward County Jail early last week after serving 7 months. You'll recall ... he was doing time for 2 probation violations after being arrested in January. Turns out, the 7 months did wonders for his going rate. We're told a number of promoters have reached out to his camp with offers. He was asked to perform at a D.C.-area college for $100k, not to mention an offer from a venue in South Dakota for $105k and a weed festival in Oregon for a little more than $100k. He even turned down a Labor Day gig in Tallahassee for $125k! Do the math -- that adds up to well over $400k Kodak's leaving on the table. Sources say it's all because his priority is recording new music. Kodak was in solitary for a majority of his jail stint, and had a lot to get off his chest in song. In other words ... look out for new Kodak tunes soon. (TMZ)

Ariana Grande Throws Shade at Nicki Minaj's Rival Travis Scott. Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj are thick as thieves. During a Sweetener Session at The Vic in Chicago Wednesday, Grande threw shade at Travis Scott, who's been the target of numerous attacks by Minaj on both Queen Radio and Twitter. Grande's manager, Scooter Braun, predicted onstage that her album would "100 percent" debut at No. 1. "We got three days left," Grande said. "You don't know what Travis could pull!" Minaj first dissed Scott after his album, ASTROWORLD, beat her album, Queen, holding on to the No. 1 spot for the second week in a row, with the equivalent of 205,000 albums in the U.S. According to Nielsen, Scott sold 78,000 complete albums and had 167 million streams. Queen, by contrast, debuted with 185,000 equivalents, including 78,000 sales and 129 million streams. Minaj accused her rival of using his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, and his daughter, Stormi Webster, to promote his music, while also arguing his merch bundles and concert tickets contributed to inflated album sales. Minaj accused Spotify of suppressing promotion of her album to "teach me a lesson" for playing Queen on Apple Music's Beats 1; a rep for Spotify denied the rapper's claims. "I spoke to him," Minaj told her followers over the weekend, referring to Scott. "He knows he doesn't have the #1 album this week. I love my fans for the #1 album in AMERICA!" Neither Jenner nor Scott have publicly responded to Minaj's tirades. On Tuesday, four days after Queen was first released as a 19-track album, Minaj added an additional track: "Fefe," a collaboration with the rapper 6ix9ine that came out in July. The "Chun Li" rapper also included copies of her album with merch sales and concert ticket bundles. Minaj delayed her tour this week, promising to reschedule North American shows in 2019. Grande is featured on "Bed," the sixth track on Queen, while Minaj is featured on "The Light Is Coming," the third track on Sweetener. Minaj's album was originally slated to drop in June, but it was delayed until Aug. 10 due to her "perfectionism." In late July, while attempting to clear a Tracy Chapman sample used in one of her songs, Minaj asked fans whether she should push back her album release until Aug. 17 -- the same date Grande was releasing Sweetener, her highly anticipated four studio album. Rather than view Minaj as competition, Grande laughed off their rumored rivalry on Twitter. "That's my f--king sister. She's clearing a sample," she wrote on Twitter, in part. "These numbers don't mean as much to the artist as they do to y'all." Similarly, Minaj tweeted, "I love this woman. Can't wait for the fans to benefit from all the hard work on both ends. We love your passion. You guys will be VERY happy. Trust. That's all I'll say." Grande and Minaj -- who previously collaborated on the songs "Bang Bang," "Get on Your Knees" and "Side to Side" -- were seated next to each other Monday at the 2018 MTV VMAs. The rapper avoided a run-in with Scott, who arrived after she left Radio City Music Hall (and later took her seats). But Minaj did cross paths with Jenner as she walked outside of the venue. Like Scott, Grande has been bundling copies of her album with limited edition merchandise, including backpacks, enamel pins, eye masks, fanny packs, fragrances, hoodies, socks and tees. (Eonline)

Pink Stops Concert to Hug Teen Who Recently Lost Mom. Here's yet another reason to love Pink. On Monday, the artist stopped her concert to hug a young teen who recently lost her mom. According to the girl named Leah Murphy, she and her mom had planned to see the show together, but before they could go, her mom passed away. So the young girl's aunt, Katrina Donkin, decorated posters for them to wave around, in the hopes that the artist would see them. And her wish came true! Donkin told ABC News in Australia, the audience made way for the teen and her to reach the star in the front row, allowing the singer to hold the grieving daughter for what "felt like 20 seconds." As the 14-year-old shook with tears, the Beautiful Trauma performer told her, "It's going to be alright," and signed her hand. It was an especially emotional moment for the teen since "she relates to the music" and she is "a huge, huge fan of Pink, and so was her mum." Pink's touching encounter with Leah comes after the singer was hospitalized with a gastric virus, which forced her to cancel two shows in Sydney. Then, when she was later spotted relaxing on the beach, paparazzi seized on the moment and accused the singer of canceling her concerts so she could relax on the beach. However, the artist set the record straight, telling fans, "This break in Byron has been scheduled since 2017, as a way to get outside the hotel and the winter and have some time with my children." Her response was praised by artists like Justin Timberlake and when she returned to the stage, she was supported by friends Katy Perry and Hugh Jackman. Now that she is feeling better, the star is finishing out her Beautiful Trauma Tour in Australia. (Eonline)

Aretha Franklin Re-Enters Artist 100 at No. 4, Travis Scott Rules For Second Week. Plus, Trippie Redd debuts at No. 13. Less than a week after her death on Thursday, Aug. 16, Aretha Franklin posthumously re-enters the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated Aug. 25) at No. 4, a new peak. The Artist 100, which launched in July 2014, measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay, streaming and social media fan interaction to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity. Franklin re-enters as her music catalog storms back onto Billboard's charts. Her album 30 Greatest Hits re-enters the Billboard 200 at No. 7 with 35,000 equivalent album units earned, according to Nielsen Music, becoming her highest-charting album in 46 years. Plus, her Amazing Grace: The Complete Recordings debuts at No. 1 on Top Gospel Albums (2,000 units). She previously spent one week on the Artist 100 in November 2014, at No. 68. (Franklin's surges stem largely from one day of reaction to her passing, as she died on the final day of the tracking week.) Meanwhile, Travis Scott holds as the top musical act in the U.S. for a second consecutive week, as the rapper's LP Astroworld leads the Billboard 200 for a second week. Rounding out the Artist 100's top five, Nicki Minaj vaults 45-2, as her new set Queen launches at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, Drake dips 2-3 and Post Malone falls 4-5. Elsewhere on the chart, Trippie Redd debuts at No. 13, the highest debut of the week, as his first LP Life's a Trip opens at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip/Hop Albums (72,000 units). (Billboard)

Hugo Boss Is Recreating Michael Jackson's White 'Thriller' Suit. The King of Pop lives. Hugo Boss wants to thrill fans with its latest pop-inspired capsule. Boss is honoring what would have been Michael Jackson's 60th birthday with a new edition of his white Thriller suit. An updated take on the iconic style Jackson wore on his 1982 album cover, the suit is made from lightweight twill with a three-button cuff jacket in a slightly slimmer fit than the one singer wore in the height of the oversized 1980s, and pants with a few less pleats. The Boss x Michael Jackson collection includes three unisex tees to celebrate the king's diamond jubilee, all of which will be released in Boss stores worldwide on the singer's birthday, August 29. One washed cotton jersey tee by Graham Dolphin features the Thriller album cover alongside messages from Jackson's fans; another design shows a silhouette of his signature dance pose. Jackson died in 2009, but his musical legacy has lived on (The Eagles' Greatest Hits only just surpassed Thriller as the best-selling album in the U.S. of all time this month). Meanwhile, the Michael Jackson Estate and Columbia Live Stage are working on a Broadway musical inspired by his life, set to debut in 2020. Outside of his influence in music, Jackson remains an icon for his fashion choices -- his white crystal glove fetched thousands in an auction this year. Jackson's costume designer Michael Bush even explored his style choices in a 2012 book. German luxury brand Boss is certainly a big fan, also sponsoring the exhibition "Michael Jackson: On the Wall" at the National Portrait Gallery in London in June. (Hollywood Reporter)

Quavo Gets Kidnapped by Some Bad Men In 'W O R K I N M E' Music Video. Quavo is riding a real hot streak. The Atlanta rapper is currently on the road with Migos on the hip-hop stars' Aubrey & the Three Migos Tour with Drake; he hit the red carpet at Monday's VMAs (where "No Brainer" was nominated for song of the summer); and he found the time last week to drop a new music video, for "L A M B T A L K". The action doesn't end there. Quavo co-directed the "W O R K I N M E" music video (with Joseph DeRosiers Jr. and Edgar Esteves), which arrived Wednesday and has already clocked up more than one million views. He also flexes his acting chops, playing an easily distracted guy who winds up getting kidnapped and threatened by some very bad men. (Hollywood Reporter)

Paces Readies New Album 'ZAG,' Drops 'Close Enough' Featuring 'AGT' Alum Caly Bevier: Exclusive Premiere. Paces is ready to shuffle with ZAG, the Aussie electronic producer and artist's collab-packed sophomore album. The follow-up to 2016's Vacation, ZAG drops Friday (Aug. 24) through Sydney-based etcetc and features another assist from pop vet Guy Sebastian (on "Siren") and guest stints from the likes of rising Aussie acts Midas. Gold, CLYPSO, Jeida Woods, Doolie and America's Got Talent alum Caly Bevier, whose track "Close Enough" premieres exclusively on Billboard. Bevier, a cancer survivor who enjoyed a run to the semis of the 2016 AGT season, showcases her range and vocal muscle on "Close Enough," an exotic production with breathy notes that manages to play in the space between two musical worlds. "I love the blurry area where underground music and pop intersect," Paces tells Billboard. "That's how this one started, just creating contrast between that big Persian Santoor section at the beginning, the 808 bass, and the super bright pop vocals." Stream the track below. Paces is the musical project of Mikey Perry, a Gold Coast-raised music maker who released his debut EP On My Mind in 2014 and emerged the following year from triple j's Unearthed platform. He has nothing but praise for Bevier, who he hails as "an incredible character," an artist who overcame cancer as a teen, performed on Ellen, and won hearts during her glorious AGT run. "Her future is so bright and it's an honor to have her on this track," he says. There's been no letup for Paces in the two years between album releases. "I was playing bigger shows and festivals, I became a dad, I went through some serious personal crises and was in therapy for much of the time, I put myself through a Berklee College music course, got more into fitness and changed my diet, signed a global publishing deal, got engaged," Paces recounts. On ZAG, which features the previously-released tracks "Savage," "Technique" (featuring former G.R.L singer Emmalyn), "Call The 5-0" and "Siren," Paces pours in a festival vibe, with more of a pop sensibility than his previous works. Also, there's more of a "hip-hop influence shining through" and the harmonies are "more carefully considered," he explains. Becoming a father has put everything into perspective and given Paces an unlikely musical partner. Listen closely to "Close Enough," especially the closing bars. "That's my son Koa at the end," Paces admits. Find ZAG here. (Hollywood Reporter)

Fall Out Boy's 'Lake Effect Kid' Is a Love Letter to Chicago: Stream It Now. Fall Out Boy are back for more. The alternative rock outfit dropped a surprise release at midnight, Lake Effect Kid, ahead of their headline slot this weekend at the U.K.'s Reading and Leeds Festivals. The three-track EP is a shout-out to the city of Chicago, Fall Out Boy's hometown. It features a finished version of the title track, plus "City In a Garden" and "Super Fade," and got a tip off from the band's social accounts just hours before. "Forever a lake effect kid. New EP dropping tonight at midnight ET to celebrate our biggest homecoming yet," reads the tweet, which refers to their Sept. 8 show at Wrigley Field, their first-ever stadium headlining gig in the Windy City. Super-fans will know, "Lake Effect Kid" was originally a demo from Fall Out Boy's 2008 mixtape Citizens FOB Mixtape: Welcome to the New Administration. And here we are ten years later, with the finished product. "This is our love letter to Chicago," Fall Out Boy tweeted as the track dropped. It's all there in the lyrics. "Boomerang my head/Back to the city I grew up in/Again and again/Forever a lake effect kid," Patrick Stump sings on "Lake Effect Kid." And again, on "City," Stump sings, "You make feel some summer fling/You know that I know that I owe you everything/I love you Chicago." Earlier this year, Fall Out Boy landed their fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with Mania, the group's seventh full-length studio set. Mania bowed at the summit in January and is their third consecutive studio effort to hit the top after American Beauty/American Psycho (2015), Save Rock and Roll (2013) and Infinity on High (2007). The rockers return to the U.S. next week to resume their Mania run, starting Aug. 29 at NYCB Live in Uniondale, NY. (Billboard)

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