Author: Rap Hooks

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BTS and Funko Pop have done it again. The sensational South Korean boy band and the vinyl figure manufacturer have come together once more to drop an all-new exclusive BTS Bitty Pop! line titled Bitty Stages, retailing for $7.99 each. The collection is currently available for preorder. The itty-bitty K-Pop figures can be placed on an accompanying stage reading “Dynamite” in reference to the band’s hit song of the same name that dropped back in 2020.

Bitty Pop! Stages J-Hope (Dynamite)

$7.99

Buy Now AT FUNKO

J-Hope figure from BTS’ “Dynamite” era.

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Bitty Pop! Stages Jimin (Dynamite)

$7.99

Buy Now at funko

Jimin figure from BTS’ “Dynamite” era.

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You’ve got figures of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook all dressed in intricate stage outfits down to tiny sunglasses. You can collect each member to complete the band, or just one if you’re a proud solo stan (you know who you are.)

Each figure comes neatly nestled into a hard acrylic display case with a detachable bottom lid. The detachable bottom lid doubles as an acrylic base to which the Bitty POP! figure is adhered. The Vinyl figures are approximately 0.9 and 2 in (2.3 and 5.1 cm) tall, perfectly pocket-sized. Of course, this would be a great gift for the ARMY or music collector in your life.

Bitty Pop! Stages Jin (Dynamite)

$7.99

Buy Now at funko

Jin figure from BTS’ “Dynamite” era.

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Bitty Pop! Stages Jungkook (Dynamite)

$7.99

Buy Now at funko

Jungkook figure from BTS’ “Dynamite” era.

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Funko’s Bitty Pop! line includes a slew of mini figures in reference to pop culture from movies, TV shows and comic books to video games. Some of our favorites include the Bitty Pop! Arcade Five Nights at Freddy’s, Bitty Pop! The Fantastic Four: First Steps 4-Pack, Bitty Pop! Hello Kitty and Friends 4-Pack Series 1 and Bitty Pop! Netflix Squid Games 4-Pack Series 2, just to name a few. The company also makes Bitty Pop! playsets themed to match some of their tiny figurines.

BTS has collaborated with Funko Pop on numerous occasions. The boy band collabed with the figuriene brand on a collection inspired by their 2021 Proof album. Most recently in 2024, BTS had a Funko Pop Despicable Me 4 collaboration where each member was turned into a little Minion, complete with goggles and overalls. The band also dropped a line reimagining the group as “Toy Story” characters. If you’re a solo stan, each member of BTS also has their own solo Funko Pop to commemorate their individual solo eras.

Bitty Pop! Stages RM (Dynamite)

$7.99

Buy Now at funko

RM figure from BTS’ “Dynamite” era.

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Bitty Pop! Stages Suga (Dynamite)

$7.99

Buy Now at funko

Suga figure from BTS’ “Dynamite” era.

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Bitty Pop! Stages V (Dynamite)

$7.99

Buy Now at funko

V figure from BTS’ “Dynamite” era.

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In other BTS news, the group released Permission to Dance On Stage — Live, a live album that features recorded hits like “Dynamite” and “Butter” from their Permission to Dance On Stage tour back in 2021 through 2022. The project includes a 22-song tracklist including renditions of “Life Goes On,” “Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey)” and “ON.”

Kehlani‘s childhood idol is now one of her collaborators, with Mariah Carey tapping the R&B singer for new song “Sugar Sweet.”

And on the day of the track’s release Friday (July 25), Kehlani penned a sweet note gushing about how meaningful it was to work with someone who was so influential in their life growing up. “nobody speak to me i got a song with the one and only @mariahcarey,” she wrote, sharing a promotional photo for the song, which also features Shenseea.

“the earliest video of me singing and first song i ever learned was ‘Hero’ and everybody who knows me knows this is one of my heroes,” Kehlani continued of Carey. “this woman is the definition of an icon. to have given us so much, for DECADES & never fail to impress us through all the twists and turns music makes. i am so honored and immensely grateful. there truly are no words.”

The musician also added a kind shoutout to their other collaborator on “Sugar Sweet.” “@shenseea you’re an absolute BAD A– who is right on your way to legendary status yourself,” Kehlani concluded. “i’m happy man. #SUGARSWEET 🐑 LAMBS WE ARE SO UP.”

In the comments, Shenseea returned the love. “WE DID THAT!!!!” the Jamaican singer-songwriter wrote. “Thank you @kehlani I’m so happy for you especially, given your history!”

“Sugar Sweet” marks the second single fans have gotten from Carey’s upcoming album Here for It All, which will drop in September. Mimi has also shared the song “Type Dangerous” from the set, locking in her milestone 50th entry on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this summer with the track.

Kehlani is also fresh off the release of a new track titled “Folded,” which dropped in June via Atlantic Records. The star’s last album, Crash, arrived in July last year and reached No. 25 on the Billboard 200.

See Kehlani’s post below.

On July 16, Coldplay’s generally controversy-free Music of the Spheres World Tour rolled through Foxborough, Mass., just south of Boston. A day later, the show had gone viral because of its fan-cam moment gone-wrong. Internet discourse lit up, but the attention also drove listeners to the band’s sprawling catalog, sending streams shooting toward the (sky full of) stars in the days that followed.

In the five days before the show (July 12-16), Coldplay’s catalog received 28.7 million official U.S. on-demand audio streams, according to Luminate. In the five days following (July 17-21), that number surged by 25% to 35.7 million.

The day after the concert (July 17), listens stayed steady, up just 2% as memes spread. The conversation translated to streams more significantly the next day, up 15% from 6.6 million to 7.6 million. That remains the high mark for Coldplay’s streams this month.

Gains are fairly consistent throughout Coldplay’s catalog but are topped by 2005’s “Fix You.” Notably quoted in a widely circulated fake apology from former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, the iconic ballad soared by 34%, from 1.1 million (July 12-16) to 1.5 million (July 17-21). “Hymn for the Weekend” (2015) and “The Scientist” (2002) each bumped by 27%, and this year’s TikTok-resurgent “Sparks” (2000)…well, sparked by 18%.

Coldplay’s catalog has already been a mainstay on Billboard’s charts. Six of the band’s tracks appear on the July 26-dated Billboard Global 200 (based on the tracking week July 11-17), the most recent of which was released eight years ago (2017’s “Something Just Like This,” with The Chainsmokers). Since the band’s most notable streaming increase occurred on July 18, as noted above, chart gains could show on next week’s rankings.

The Music of the Spheres World Tour launched in 2022 and continues through a 10-night run at London’s Wembley Stadium that wraps on Sept. 8. It’s already in the record books as the best-selling tour in history, over 11.7 million tickets so far.

Nicki Shamel has been named head of TuneCore in the U.S., the company announced on Thursday (July 24).

In the role, Shamel will be tasked with overseeing a team focused on artist acquisition, growth and development strategy in the U.S., where the company hopes to make a greater impact. Part of that responsibility will include aligning the Believe-owned platform’s artist success and DSP partnerships teams to serve artists more effectively, and championing its suite of products and services, including TuneCore Accelerator (which offers artists services including marketing and promotion) and its advanced trends and analytics dashboard.

Before joining TuneCore, Shamel served as senior vp at AWAL, where she developed the global commercial partnerships team and led the company’s digital strategy, helping foster the careers of artists including Laufey, Jungle and Little Simz. Prior to that, she worked in international marketing and sales roles at Sony Music for seven years and, earlier in her career, in digital marketing at Primary Wave Music.

Based in New York, Shamel will report to TuneCore’s chief revenue officer, Brian Miller.

“I am honored to join TuneCore at this pivotal moment in its mission to empower and develop independent artists,” said Shamel in a statement. “TuneCore’s commitment to artist development, combined with best-in-class technology and innovative programs like TuneCore Accelerator, is unmatched at propelling the careers of independent artists, and I am grateful to TuneCore’s leadership for trusting me to drive the next phase of the company’s artist development strategy in the US.”

Added Miller, “At TuneCore, we’re doubling down on our mission to not just support artists — but to actively help them build lasting, successful careers on their own terms. The US is the most competitive and influential music market in the world, and it demands focused leadership. As we make artist development a core focus, Nicki brings the expertise needed to connect strategy with impact. Her proven track record of empowering artists makes her the right person to lead this next phase and ensure our teams, services and programs are driving real, long-term growth for independent creators.”

GloRilla has spoken out after being arrested for a pair of felony drug possession charges in Georgia.

The Memphis rapper’s arrest came after law enforcement searched her home following a burglary while Glo was out of town for her performance at the WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday (July 20).

GloRilla turned herself in to Forsyth County Jail on Tuesday (July 22), where she was booked on a charge of felony possession of marijuana and a separate charge of possession of a Schedule I controlled substance.

The CMG artist says she doesn’t understand how her home being burglarized could lead to her arrest while she’s not even present. “CRAZY My House got Home Invaded Saturday While I was in Indianapolis performing for the WNBA all star game,” she wrote to X on Thursday (July 24). “Instead of Focusing on finding the Suspects , they focus on some cannabis.”

Glo continued to clear the air: “1. So no I wasn’t  busted 2. My house got robbed 3. I wasn’t home Long story short my house gets home invaded and Im the only one that gets arrested. So that’s tea.”

The suspects fled the scene after being met with gunfire by occupants at Glo’s home, but no arrest warrants have been issued by police.

GloRilla posted a $22,260 bond to secure her release just hours after turning herself in. Glo’s attorney, Drew Findling, slammed law enforcement in a statement to Billboard, calling the arrest “a disturbing window into how warped law enforcement priorities have become.”

Findling concluded with another jab: “This is our tax dollars at work, absolutely unbelievable.”

GloRilla will host her first-ever Glo Bash on Friday (July 25) in her hometown of Memphis at FedEx Forum with performances from Sexyy Red, Rob 49 and Muni Long.

Despite exploring themes of love in her music for years, Ethel Cain says she’s never dated anyone — until now.

While speaking to The Guardian in an interview published Thursday (July 24) — just a couple of weeks ahead of her new album Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You — the indie-pop star revealed that she recently began her very first romantic relationship at the age of 27. “Love was always my final frontier,” she told the publication. “I never explored it.”

“I never progressed past the idea of love that I had as a teenager,” she continued, noting that her anxieties surrounding her newfound experiences with romance often made the recording process of Willoughby Tucker difficult — to the point where she would cry every day and beg for the album to feel finished.

“If [2022 album] Preacher’s Daughter was my learning experience of what not to do with trauma and healing, Willoughby Tucker has been my experience of what not to do in love,” Cain added. “The entire Preacher’s trilogy is centered around love. Love lost, love gained, love perverted, love stolen. Love is everything to us. It doesn’t matter what you love or who you love, but that you love something — and that love is what propels you forward every day. For better or worse, I think that is a beautiful thing.”

Dropping Aug. 8, Willoughby Tucker will follow January’s Perverts. Before that came Preacher’s Daughter, which rose to No. 10 on the Billboard 200 this past April after a vinyl reissue — making her the first-ever openly trans artist to reach the chart’s top 10.

The interview comes shortly after Cain released a statement explaining and apologizing for controversial remarks she made many years ago during a period of time she called “shameful.” She also wrote at the time that “transphobic” trolls had resurfaced her past comments as part of a “baseless attempt to assassinate my boyfriend’s character.”

“He will address these claims in his own time on his own terms and I support him wholeheartedly,” she added at the time.