Author: Rap Hooks

LL Cool J and Jazmine Sullivan said they wouldn’t perform at a Fourth of July festival in Philadelphia in support of a strike by nearly 10,000 city workers.

LL Cool J had been scheduled to appear at the Wawa Welcome America Festival on Friday, along with Sullivan and other performers.

In a video posted on social media, he said that “there’s absolutely no way that I can perform, cross a picket line and pick up money when I know that people are out there fighting for a living wage.”

“I hope, I hope, I hope that, you know, the mayor and the city can make a deal. I hope it works out,” the rapper said.

LL Cool J also said that he never wants to disappoint his fans and that he planned to be in Philadelphia in case an agreement is reached.

The festival came as the strike moved into a fourth day Friday. Trash has been piling up in some areas, and more than 30 Medical Examiner’s Office staffers have been ordered back to work because of a growing backlog of bodies in storage.

Sullivan, a Philadelphia native and Grammy award-winning artist, said in a post on Instagram on Friday that she would stand with the striking workers “until the city and the union find a way to bring fair living wages to our working class. I love my city and I believe in you,” she wrote. “Hopefully we will get to celebrate when things are better.”

The latest talks between the city and leaders of District Council 33 — the largest of four major unions representing city workers — ended late Wednesday. Both sides have said they were willing to continue negotiations. The union represents many of the city’s blue-collar workers, from trash collectors to clerks to security guards. Police and firefighters are not on strike.

The city has offered a three-year contract with annual raises of about 3%, which the union said amounts to little more than $1,000 after taxes for members making $46,000 a year on average.

Mayor Cherelle Parker has said the city has “put its best offer on the table.” She stressed that the effective 13% pay hike over her four-year term — including last year’s 5% bump — along with a fifth step on the pay scale would be the best contract the union has seen in decades.

Parker responded to LL Cool J’s statement, saying that she spoke with him on Thursday.

“I respect his decision, and understand his desire to see the city unified,” the mayor said. “He is always welcome in Philadelphia.”

The union also responded, saying LL Cool J’s support for municipal workers “highlights his commitment to social justice and community well-being.”

“His support not only brings attention to our efforts but also inspires others to recognize and advocate for the rights and respect of all workers,” the union said. “It’s heartening to see public figures using their influence to champion causes that matter to everyday people.”

On Thursday, Common Pleas Court Judge Sierra Thomas-Street approved the city’s request to have the medical examiner’s office staffers return to work because bodies have been piling up there in storage, posing a health and safety risk. Those workers include death and forensic investigators, forensic technicians and clerks.

The order came a day after the judge ordered some emergency service dispatchers and essential water department employees back to work.

Mounting trash piles in some parts of the city were also still causing grief for residents and officials, who have strongly urged residents to follow the collection guidelines imposed when the strike began Tuesday. They also urged residents to report problems at the trash collection sites, and noted trash is being cleared as fast as possible and the city is working to open more sites.

Pop-punk is having a moment, and two of the most popular bands from the genre’s early 2000s peak teamed up for a celebration at Festival d’été de Québec (FEQ).

Avril Lavigne headlined the gargantuan main stage on the historic Plains of Abraham in Quebec City on Friday night (July 4) for more than 80,000 fans, which also coincided with the final date of her Greatest Hits Tour with fellow Canadians Simple Plan.

The two acts recently released the collaborative track “Young and Dumb,” which reflects on their 2002 heights from the perspective of their current selves. They played the nostalgic tune for the crowd at FEQ, inviting a group of fans up on stage — ranging from young children to diehards who have been following them for over 20 years — and gave them all special signed Avril Lavigne skateboards.

Since it was their final show together, though, Lavigne invited Simple Plan to stay up on stage a little longer. They decided to pay tribute to another of the biggest pop-punk bands of the era, which she said influenced both acts’ careers: blink-182. Together, they played a cover of one of their most enduring hits, “All The Small Things,” while the crowd all sang along.

Lavigne has been teaming up for covers lately, reuniting with her ex-husband Deryck Whibley for a performance of Sum 41’s “In Too Deep” at a recent Warped Tour performance.

While the mall-set teen angst and big emotions of the early ’00s pop-punk boom felt life-or-death dramatic to teens of the era, Lavigne has started to lean into the campy appeal of the music.

Some fans (many now in their late 30s or early 40s, like Lavigne herself) came decked out in her signature “Complicated” era black eyeliner and necktie combo. Lavigne donned a sequined green guitar for performances of songs like “My Happy Ending.” She raised a toast to teenagers, adults and “adults that still act like teenagers” for “Here’s to Never Growing Up” and led the crowd in sing-alongs of songs like “Sk8er Boi.” She shouted out her hometown of Napanee, Ontario.

She may not be as animated onstage as she once was, but her deep catalogue of hits easily kept the crowd engaged. Occasionally, during songs like “What the Hell,” she took a moment to flex her vocal chops, reminding us that beneath the zeitgeist-defining pop hits, she has always had an incredible voice.

In their earlier set, Simple Plan brought the energy. The band hails from Montreal, and they used the rare opportunity playing for Quebecois fans to do the majority of their stage banter in French. They also invited up rising Quebec singer Claudia Bouvette for their bilingual version of “Jet Lag” (originally a duet with Marie-Mai).

Lead singer Pierre Bouvier donned a shirt that said “I’m Just a Kid” with “Kid” crossed out and replaced with “Adult.” They leaned into the fun aspect of their hook-heavy tunes, even breaking out their What’s New Scooby-Doo? theme song while people in Scooby Doo costumes danced around them. They played some of their own crowd-pleasing covers too, putting their spin on Smash Mouth’s “All Star” and The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” At one point, Bouvier switched places with drummer Chuck Comeau as he dove into the audience to crowd-surf.

It felt like 2002 all over again.

This article was originally published on Billboard Canada.

Kesha is a free artist at last — period.

After years of working toward this moment, the singer-songwriter has dropped her first-ever independent LP, . (Period), featuring 11 fun-fueled pop tracks. Led by singles “Joyride,” “Yippee-Ki-Yay,” “Delusional,” “The One” and “Boy Crazy,” the project marks her first full-length release under her own Kesha Records.

Leading up to the album’s release on Friday (July 4), Kesha has been open about how emotional and empowering the process of assuming control over her own artistry has been. Prior to . (Period), she was under contract to Kemosabe Records, despite her yearslong legal battle with label owner Dr. Luke, whom she accused of drugging her and raping her at a 2005 party in 2014. The producer has always vehemently denied the allegations, and the two parties reached a settlement in 2023.

In March 2024, Kesha was finally released from her deal with Kemosabe. With her first album since, the artist says she feels like she’s experiencing a “homecoming,” as she told Billboard in a recent interview.

“I really do feel like it’s been a homecoming in a lot of ways — not only legally, to the rights of my voice, but to letting go of that internalized shame, of letting all that go and coming home to my own body, my joy, myself,” Kesha said. “And part of that has been healing my relationship with the records that I’ve put out that were difficult to make — that were perceived in a way that wasn’t the way I intended, that were tied to events that I don’t stand for.”

. (Period) marks Kesha’s sixth studio album, and her first since 2023’s Gag Order. She’s scored four top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 over the course of her career, including No. 1 hits Animal (2010) and Rainbow (2017).

Stream Kesha’s . (Period) below.

Drake addresses what happened amid, and in the aftermath of, his fallout with Kendrick Lamar on new song “What Did I Miss?” — a track the Toronto rapper dropped unexpectedly at midnight (July 5).

On the surprise single Drake calls out those who turned their backs on him: “You n—-s just better not ask for no favors,” he warns. “It’s love for my brothers and death to a traitor.”

“I don’t give a f– if you love me/ I don’t give a f— if you like me/ Askin’ me ‘How did it feel?’/ Can’t say it didn’t surprise me/ Last time I looked to my right/ You n—-s was standing beside me/ How can some people I love/ Hang around pussies who try me?/ Let’s go,” says Drake, wrapping an introspective chorus with one question on repeat: “What did I miss?”

Later, he references sightings at Kendrick’s 2024 Pop Out show, lamenting, “It feels like nobody’s there until you start givin’ out two-tones/ And nobody cares until they in front of your tombstone/ Y’all been on that type of timing for too long/ Iceman, Tiffany blue stones/ I done made plenty s— right out of two wrongs/ S—, let’s go.”

On a third verse, he raps, “What did I miss?/ When I was looking at y’all and cooking with y’all/ And giving out verses and bookings to y’all/ Making sure wires were hit/ Man, what did I miss?/ When you was all in my crib lookin’ at hoes/ Word for word at all of the shows/ You always felt like this, man?/ What did I miss?”

“What Did I Miss?” was penned by Drake, produced by London Cyr, O Lil Angel, DJ LEWIS, FNZ, Elyas, GYZ, Tay Keith, OZ and Patron, and released via OVO/Republic on streaming services.

Ahead of the song’s premiere, fans caught an unannounced livestream on Friday that had Drake clocking in at an Iceman warehouse, where he went from sipping coffee on break to launching into a solo performance of the new track: first surrounded by rifles on the break room TV screen, and then among ice blocks in the warehouse freezer. The footage also had him driving an Iceman truck around the city and making small talk with fans approaching his vehicle: “Iceman, man, you already know,” Drake said at one point. “C’mon, bro, you already know.”

Drake didn’t upload the event to his channels after streaming, but fans captured and shared the clip across social media, speculating “Iceman” is his new album era.

Stream Drake’s new song “What Did I Miss?” below.

Kelly Clarkson‘s 4th of July opening of her Studio Sessions concert series, a residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, was canceled shortly before she was expected to take the stage Friday night. The singer said both of her shows this weekend, scheduled for July 4 and July 5, would not go on.

Clarkson’s announcement was released around 6:30 p.m. local time. Ticketmaster lists her show time as 8 p.m.

“We have been working 24/7 to make Studio Sessions the most intimate and extraordinary experience with and for my incredible fans. I am beyond grateful that you always show up for me and I am devastated to have to postpone tonight and tomorrow’s opening at Caesars,” the pop star, who’s the original American Idol and now a daytime talk show host, wrote in a statement shared on Instagram Friday evening (July 4).

“The prep and rehearsals have taken a toll on my voice,” said Clarkson. “I want the shows to be perfect for y’all and I need to protect myself from doing serious damage so I am taking this weekend and next week to rest up so that we can deliver what you all deserve.”

She added, “The show is truly incredible. The musicians and singers are outstanding, and I want us all to start out strong.  I can’t wait to be back next weekend and show y’all what we’ve been working on.”

Kelly Clarkson: Studio Sessions was announced in early February. Clarkson expressed excitement about returning to Vegas following 2023 and 2024 residencies at PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

Her 2025 residency was set to kick off on the 4th of July and run through mid-August, before a break that would have her going back to The Colosseum for four dates in November.

Clarkson is now expected to open the show on Friday, July 11.

Morgan Wallen logs his 18th No. 1 — and the fourth from his album I’m the Problem — on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart as “Just in Case” ascends two spots to the top of the survey dated July 12.

The single surged 22% to 29.4 million audience impressions June 27-July 3, according to Luminate.

Wallen co-authored the song, and Joey Moi produced it.

The ballad becomes the fourth Country Airplay chart-topper among the 37 songs on Wallen’s blockbuster I’m the Problem, which has led Top Country Albums and the Billboard 200 in its first six weeks of release. The title track dominated for eight weeks beginning in April, “Love Somebody” ruled for three weeks in February, and “Lies Lies Lies” led for a week last November.

Notably, as we pass the halfway point this year, Wallen’s latest Country Airplay No. 1 marks his third of 2025 — no other act has more than one. In 2024, he became the first artist to roll up five leaders in a single year since the list launched in 1990: “Lies Lies Lies”; “Cowgirls,” featuring Ernest; Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Wallen; “Man Made a Bar,” featuring Eric Church, and Thomas Rhett’s “Mamaw’s House,” featuring Wallen.

Rhett’s Milestone 25th Top 10

Speaking of Thomas Rhett, he claims his 25th Country Airplay top 10 with his co-authored “After All the Bars Are Closed.” The single pushes 12-9 (19 million, up 15%). It follows “Beautiful as You,” which hit No. 2 in November. His first top 10, “It Goes Like This,” became his first of 20 No. 1s in October 2013.

Bryan’s Top 10 ‘Country Song’

Luke Bryan scores his 37th Country Airplay top 10 as “Country Song Came On” lifts 11-10 (18.1 million, up 8%). “Love You, Miss You, Mean It” awarded the American Idol judge his prior top 10 (No. 2 last October). His rookie entry “All My Friends Say” hit No. 5 in 2007, while “Rain Is a Good Thing” became his first of 26 No. 1s in 2010.

Bryan ties Reba McEntire for the 10th-most Country Airplay 10s (surpassing Garth Brooks’ 36). Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw and George Strait lead the pack with 61 each.