At the top of October international superstar Ed Sheeran welcomed a slew of certification upgrades from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) including a 16x Platinum plaque for his 2014 megahit ‘Thinking Out Loud.’

The award toasts sales equivalence of 16 million in the United States.

Making it the highest-certified hit in the 71-year history of the RIAA at the time, the ascent to 16x Platinum saw it snatch the honor from the previous titleholder – Drake‘s 2018 ‘Scorpion’ hit ‘God’s Plan’ – by just 1 million units.

Just weeks later, however, the Canadian hitmaker welcomed his own slew of certification upgrades including an update to ‘Plan’ that put him squarely beside Sheeran.

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From Flavor Flav to Jordin Sparks, Dinah Jane, and more, the past week was filled with headline-grabbing renditions of the U.S. national anthem.

Among the favorites was that of EMMY, GRAMMY, and Academy Award-winning songstress H.E.R.

Two years after garnering critical acclaim for her spirited take on ‘America the Beautiful‘ at Super Bowl LV, the R&B diva took her soaring talents to another major sporting event – the 2023 MLB World Series – to tackle another patriotic tune: ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’

Sending the crowd into a frenzy before Game 1 when the Texas Rangers hosted the Arizona Diamondbacks at Globe Life Field, look inside to see how she fared if you missed the action when it first aired.

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Thanks to her latest single, ‘Call My Name,’ GRAMMY-nominated songstress Jordin Sparks sees her name printed on a Billboard R&B chart for the first time in nearly 10 years.

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‘Pound Town’ hitmaker Sexyy Red has driven straight to her overall Hot 100 peak thanks to a guest appearance on the popular Drake cut ‘Rich Baby Daddy.’

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Over 50 years after making its debut the Glastonbury Festival is still finding ways to tread new territory.

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Chrisean Rock may see her name atop headlines more for her personal drama than professional endeavors, but that changed (a little) this week when the 23-year-old found her hit song ‘Mr. Take Ya B*tch’ listed at #1 on multiple Billboard charts.

Details inside.

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Seven nominations and over two decades after her first year of eligibility, Queen of Funk Chaka Khan finally received a royal welcome into the coveted Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Friday (November 3).

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There are 379 icons in the coveted Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and, as of 2023, only one of them is a female rapper: Missy Elliott.

Six months after making headlines for being included in the class of prospective inductees that also included legends like George Michael, Chaka Khan, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, and others, the GRAMMY-winning rapper-singer-producer (born Melissa Elliott) took to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in New York City on Friday (November 3) to officially accept the honor.

Look inside to see photos and video clips from her touching acceptance speech.

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Although ‘Bongos,’ the 2023 reunion single from Rap hitmakers Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, isn’t resonating with music lovers the way its history-making predecessor ‘WAP‘ did that doesn’t mean the song isn’t a force in its own right.

Debuting in the Hot 100’s topmost quadrant with the week’s biggest sales upon its September premiere, the DJ SwanQo-produced song sits at #53 on the updated hitlist – 14 weeks after opening at #14.

In a bid to push the racy cut back into the top 20, B and Stallion have lifted the lid on yet another behind the scenes peek at the creation of its accompanying Tanu Muino-directed video.

Supercharged with jaw-dropping choreography helmed by Sean Bankhead, look inside to see more about how the ‘Bongos’ visual magic came to be.

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Before moving forward with his recently announced retirement plans, self-proclaimed King of the South T.I. is ready to claim the Billboard 200’s throne one last time with his forthcoming double album ‘Kill the King’ and ‘Kiss the Ring.’

In a bid to build even more buzz for his final musical era, the 43-year-old has tapped South African hitmaker Kamo Mphela to assist on the new song ‘Vacay.’

“She said she like it rough, I told her ten pour / Said she already bust, I told her ten more,” he raps on the Champuru Makhenzo-produced song.

Arriving on the wings of its official music video featuring his wife/Xscape star Tiny, hop inside to get acquainted with ‘Vacay.’

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After rising to fame as musical director to superstars like Rihanna, Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake and Nicki Minaj, EMMY award-winning and GRAMMY-nominated  songwriter and producer Adam Blackstone has become a force to be reckoned with himself thanks to his 2022 debut album, ‘Legacy.’

In keeping up with the momentum of that critically acclaimed effort, Blackstone has announced his debut holiday LP, ‘A Legacy Christmas,’ and is bringing along some serious star power to make the season brighter.

Case in point? Award-winning singer-actress KeKe Palmer aboard the project’s first single ‘Christmas Kisses.’

“Ooh, Santa baby, baby, baby, please grant my wishes / Got plenty on my list but only one thing I’m missing / Now you know, you know I like diamonds and gold / But I hope you’re listening / Don’t forget about my kisses on this Christmas,” she sings on the tune’s festive chorus.

Hear it in full inside.

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BravoCon 2023 is underway in Las Vegas and has brought out many of Bravo’s heaviest hitters.

And while Sin City is hyper-hot, the only thing hotter was the chatter around the ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ – specifically murmurs around a possible cast shakeup (which may even manifest as a total reboot).

RHOA favorites Kandi Burruss and Kenya Moore were on hand in Sin City and responded frankly when quizzed about changes on the show.

Full story below…

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