As we reported here, Country superstar Kenny Chesney ended Drake‘s decade-long Billboard 200 #1 streak when his latest album bested the Canadian hitmaker’s ‘Dark Lane Demo Tapes’ for the tally’s top spot this week.

The narrow win earned a unanimous thumbs down from the rapper’s (born Aubrey Graham) devoted fans as they called out the fact Chesney’s victory was aided by ticket bundling – the act of combining a tour’s ticket sales with album giveaways to pad sales figures.  An issue earning Billboard criticism recently, fans are wondering how the tactic is allowed when most tours are temporarily on hold due to the global health crisis.

Now, the ‘Here & Now’ singer is back in the bad graces of Graham’s supporters as he’s announced the year-long postponement of the very ‘Chillaxification’ used to get him the top spot.

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Is 6ix9ine just a sore loser or is he shedding light on a hot topic in the music industry?

Regardless of where one stands on the issue, what is sure is the 24-year-old (born Daniel Hernandez) is making new enemies on freedom’s side of prison as he’s taken to social media almost everyday this week to call out Billboard for allowing artists to use unconventional tactics to score high chart positions (like we’ve reported here).

As his latest single, ‘GOOBA,’ is in a tight race with Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande‘s, ‘Stuck With U,’ for next week’s top spot, the latter have launched promotional campaigns to assist with the sell of their duet.  After Amazon urged fans to buy the tune in exchange for them donating $5 for each copy sold (click here to read more), Billboard themselves – in the final hours of sales tracking – took to Twitter to announce:

Because more and more artists are utilizing “bundling” the physical sale of singles (i.e. vinyl, signed CD copies) with the accompaniment of a free digital download, the sales-padding is helping their overall first week sales.  Apparently, 6ix9ine has had enough of this move, especially if such move costs him the #1 next week.

Look inside to see his lengthy rant to Billboard about how Ariana and Justin are “manipulating the charts.”

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 Photo courtesy: Getty Images

King of Pop Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, and Beyoncé are just a few of the multi-Platinum selling artists who have soared to the top of charts on the wings of production from Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins.

With hits spanning over two decades, the GRAMMY-winning producer boasts a collection of RIAA certification plaques that knows few rivals.

Yet, despite having amassed accolades and peer recognition beyond measure over his storied career, the 42-year-old operates with a hunger and tenacity akin to that of an industry newcomer – a trait he recently told That Grape Juice is among the many that keep him humble.

In addition to dishing exclusively about his new single ‘Come Together’ – an amalgamation of some of Gospel music’s biggest names (i.e. Fred Hammond, Karen Clark Sheard, Kirk Franklin, Lecrae, Marvin Sapp, and more) – Jerkins waxed honest on his love for longtime collaborator Brandy, the VERZUZ battle franchise, and so much more.

See the “must read” interview inside:

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Lady Gaga has teamed with Ariana Grande to make an almighty splash!

For, Mother Monster has officially announced ‘Rain On Me’ as the next single from forthcoming album ‘Chromatica.’

Full story below…

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Kelly Rowland is hot on the promotional trail for new single ‘Coffee.’

With the scintillating track heating up at Urban radio, Ms. Kelly checked-in with The Breakfast Club and spoke on a multitude of topics.

The super candid sit-down saw the solo GRAMMY winner open up about music (including having recorded three albums worth of material), her hiatus, ageism in the industry, her label situation, and much much more.

A great interview awaits after the jump…

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Though most of her time is spent hosting daytime TV series ‘Strahan, Sara, and KeKe,’ the multitalented KeKe Palmer is not leaving her fans hungry for new music.

Since the turn of the year, the 26-year-old has been pouring a steady flow of singles including ‘FYG,’ ‘Got Em Mad,’ ‘Virgo Tendencies,’ and more (click here to listen).

Now, she’s tag-teaming with rising rapper Coi Leray for the braggadocious tune, ‘Sticky.’

“Lip gloss sticky, attitude b–chy/ How I taste? Peachy/ He wanna lick my keke,” she proclaims in the Tasha Catour-produced tune’s chorus.

See its equally sizzling music video, helmed by Rosero McCoy, inside:

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Not even 12 hours after its official release, Katy Perry‘s new song – ‘Daisies’ – has reached the summit of real-time iTunes sales chart.

A warm welcome for The Monster & Strangerz-produced cut (which was picked to be the official lead single from her yet-titled fifth studio album), the status on iTunes USA mirrors the song’s international success as it – as of time reported – has topped the same tally of over 20 countries worldwide including France, Greece, Brazil, United Kingdom, and more.

Hot on the promo trail this week in its support, the diva’s latest stop was accompanied by the unveiling of ‘Daisies’ first live performance.  Look inside to see how she fared at Amazon Live!

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Hindsight may be 20/20, but as Mariah Carey‘s ‘Vision of Love’ evinced with its May 15, 1990 debut, some visions are clear from onset.

What started as a demo developed by a virtually unknown backup singer was eventually remastered into a piece of Pop music history that – even in 2020 – stands as the definitive debut single.

Join us inside as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the announcement of Carey’s arrival:

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Tinashe teams with sensational singer-producer ZHU for his latest single, ‘Only.’

A dance floor ready bop, the Alternative EDM tune sees T play assistant by chiming in with:

“Looking for someone to love / Waiting for ya want you to know / I’m looking for someone to love / Waiting for somebody to love me / Looking for someone to love / You gon’ be my number one,” she confidently croons throughout the song.

Look inside to hear the song and see its official accompanying music video:

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If you thought the talents of Emmy-nominated TV star Tracee Ellis Ross were limited to acting, ‘Love Myself’ – the first single from her forthcoming film ‘The High Note’ – will make you think again.

It’s no surprise, we suppose, given her mother is the iconic diva Diana Ross, but ‘Love Myself’ shows Tracee Ellis stepping into her own musical spotlight – even if technically by proxy of her character (“Grace Davis”) in the motion picture.

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‘Small Talk’ singer Katy Perry has been all talk recently as she’s hit the promo trail running in support of the long-awaited follow-up to her last album, ‘Witness’ (2017).

Amping awareness of the set’s official lead single, ‘Daisies,’ ahead of its May 15 premiere, the GRAMMY nominee went on an onslaught of ZOOM interviews to shed light on the The Monsters and the Strangerz-produced cut and its August 14-due parent project.

A standout of her many virtual chats came courtesy of a visit to the Hits Radio Breakfast Team recently where she not only denied the longstanding rumor her former nemesis, Taylor Swift, would guest star on her new LP but also dished on wanting to go college after her daughter is born and more.

Look inside to hear her sound off on these topics and more:

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Ro James calls on R&B royal Brandy for new song ‘Plan B.’

The butter-smooth collaboration features on the singer’s forthcoming album ‘Mantic’ – which arrives on May 29th. 

With James taking the lead, B-Rocka garnishes the track with a quality that elevates in earnest.

Take a listen after the jump…

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