Author: Rap Hooks

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Rejoicify! Ariana Grande just dropped two perfumes under her wildly popular fragrance line in celebration of Wicked: For Good.

These two limited-edition perfumes can be shopped right now at Ulta Beauty and retail for $72 each. Are you an Elphaba or a Glinda? Whichever witch you are, this collection caters to both, all packaged in adorable bottles. You’ve got the Glinda Bubbly Pink Eau de Parfum in a round bubble-esque package adorned with a gilded crown cap and an Elphaba Enchanted Eau de Parfum in an emerald green potion-esque bottle with a black slanted cap.

Before we get into the notes and all that jazz, it’s important to know what an Eau de Parfum is. To put it plainly, an Eau de Parfum is classified as a fragrance with a high concentration of fragrance oils, around 15 to 20%. This means an Eau de Parfum is much stronger than an Eau De Toilette, which has a smaller percentage of fragrance oils in it.

Wicked Glinda Bubbly Pink Eau de Parfum

$72

Buy Now at ulta

A Glinda-themed perfume.

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Now that that’s settled, let’s get down to the notes. Glinda’s perfume is a Floral Gourmand, as you’d expect. The fragrance’s top notes include pink sparkle apple, blush nectarine and pink pepper which gives the scent a fruity and slightly peppery hit. The middle notes are straight-up floral with what Grande describes as charming princess tulip and dewy peony. On the bottom, you’ve got creamy cedarwood/blond woods, sandalwood and sugared musks which smells musky and woody, as you’d expect. Added all together this scent is sweet with a hint of something musky and earthy, making the scent more complex.

On the flipside you have Elphaba’s perfume which is an Amber Woody scent. On top, the scent is fruity green glow apple, freesia and black plum while the middle notes are floral and vanilla-scented. On the bottom, there’s smoldering oudwood, oak moss, vanilla elixir which translates to smelling earthy, wood and, once again, vanilla. Overall, this fragrance is woody with sweet vanilla. If you’re looking for a unique scent with a bold mossy undertone, this one is for you.

Wicked Elphaba Enchanted Eau de Parfum

$72

Buy Now at ulta

An Elphaba-themed perfume.

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Following the box office success that was Wicked, Wicked: For Good will hit theaters Nov. 21, 2025, just one day shy of the one-year anniversary of the film’s first half. The sequel was first announced on X back in April from director Jon M. Chu’s “OzPhone.” The filmmaker wrote, “With more space, we can tell the story of Wicked as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys of these beloved characters.”

Following the cheeky post, fans and followers of the franchise were treated to a trailer on June 4, sharing first looks at Glinda and Elphaba’s journeys following the very dramatic “Defying Gravity” sequence and a hefty cliffhanger folks were left with in part one.

Sean “Diddy” Combs has gotten a judge’s approval to participate in the federal prison system’s in-house drug abuse rehab program while serving his sentence for prostitution crimes.

Judge Arun Subramanian said in a Wednesday (Oct. 8) order that Combs qualifies for the Bureau of Prisons’ Residential Drug Abuse Program, known as RDAP. Combs, who has been in a pretrial jail facility since his arrest last year, was sentenced last week to another three years in prison for orchestrating drug-fueled sex marathons known as “freak-offs” between his girlfriends and male escorts.

While the rapper has vehemently denied that his freak-offs violated federal law, his lawyers conceded during trial that he “obviously has a drug problem.” Combs’ team wrote in a recent letter to the court that the nine-month treatment program would help him “address drug abuse issues,” and prosecutors took no position on the matter.

Combs has not yet been assigned a prison to serve the rest of his time. His lawyers have requested that he be sent to Fort Dix in New Jersey, though RDAP is offered at more than 50 federal prison complexes nationwide.

For some inmates, RDAP carries the enticing perk that successful graduates can shave up to a year off their prison sentences. But there’s a catch: only “nonviolent offenders” are eligible for this type of early release, and it’s not clear that Combs will meet that standard.

Prosecutors say Combs relied on “unchecked violence,” including a now-infamous video of him beating Cassie Ventura at a hotel, to force women to participate in the freak-offs. Judge Subramanian seemed to agree at Combs’ sentencing hearing, saying that the rapper’s prostitution activity amounted to “subjugation.”

Combs’ lawyers, meanwhile, have insisted that the jury rejected this theory of violence when they acquitted him of more serious racketeering and sex-trafficking charges. The defense position is that in convicting Combs of interstate prostitution only, jurors determined that the freak-offs were fully consensual sexual encounters.

The true meaning of Combs’ split verdict is a thorny legal question. Experts tell Billboard that it’s up for debate how much of the violence cited by prosecutors during the trial should be deemed part of his prostitution conviction. This question will likely be weighed by a higher court during Combs’ upcoming appeal, as well as by the Bureau of Prisons in deciding whether he qualifies for early release under RDAP.

Combs’ team is now preparing to file his much-anticipated appeal. Meanwhile, they’re also lobbying for a pardon from President Donald Trump, who confirmed on Monday (Oct. 6) that the rapper he called “Puff Daddy” has asked for clemency.

AXS, the AEG-owned ticketing company, is purchasing a majority stake in SISTIC, Singapore’s leading ticketing platform, it was announced on Wednesday (Oct. 8).

“Singapore and Southeast Asia represent some of the most dynamic growth markets in live entertainment,” said Blaine Legere, president of international at AXS. “By combining SISTIC’s deep regional expertise with AXS’s global technology platform, we have a unique opportunity to redefine how fans discover, access, and experience live events.”

Founded more than 30 years ago, SISTIC has been a cornerstone of Singapore’s concert and live entertainment ecosystem. The company services more than 300 organizers annually and facilitates ticketing for over 2,000 events across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hong Kong, selling more than 6.5 million tickets each year.

Notable recent events ticketed by SISTIC include Hamilton, My Chemical Romance Live in Singapore, A-mei’s ASMeiR Max 2024 World Tour, Greatest Hits of A.R. Rahman, Ed Sheeran’s + – = ÷ x Tour in Manila, Philippines, and the upcoming World Aquatics Championships Singapore 2025.

SISTIC CEO Joe Ow said the partnership will allow the company to scale while maintaining its commitment to clients and fans.

“Joining AXS’s network opens new opportunities for us to grow and scale our impact to meet changing demands, while staying true to our commitment to deliver professional ticketing services and experiences,” Ow said. “Our technology integration will be intentionally gradual, allowing us to ensure a seamless experience for clients while we combine AXS’s global platform with our deep market knowledge.”

The deal also reinforces SISTIC’s role in supporting the SG Culture Pass, a government initiative designed to strengthen Singapore’s arts and culture landscape. With AXS’s backing, the partnership aims to introduce more diverse live events to the country and solidify its reputation as a global entertainment destination.

Clipse made history when they became the first rappers to perform at the Vatican on Sept. 13 for the Grace for the World concert, which was produced by the duo’s close friend and longtime collaborator Pharrell.

The Thornton brothers brought Let God Sort Em Out to the holy ground for a poignant performance of Clipse’s album opener “The Birds Don’t Sing,” which is an emotional tribute to their late parents.

Pusha T and Malice feel they carry a responsibility to bring hip-hop to places it hasn’t been before while continuing to elevate the genre.

“It was definitely a moment for us,” Malice told VIBE. “I think we definitely broke ground. It’s overdue and past time that people understand that hip-hop belongs everywhere. It’s expression, it’s communication, it teaches the world about our culture. It’s an art form that’s celebrated in every walk of life. It’s nothing that should be surprising — we should be celebrated everywhere.”

While King Push reflected on the genre’s fight for exposure and recognition, adding: “I’ve been here for a long time with hip-hop, and I remember it not being seen as an art, and it not being televised. And like you said, now being at the Vatican — we do this so everyone can see how far it can go.”

Let God Sort Em Out arrived in July, and serves as the first Clipse album since 2009. The project debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, and the duo also took it back to their childhood home in Virginia while paying homage to their parents for the “Birds Don’t Sing” visual, which was released last week.

Speaking to Billboard at the top of October, Pusha T explained how he made it a mission to break the glass ceiling when it comes to ageism in rap and hip-hop being a “young man’s game” with the Clipse reuniting this year.

“I’ve always looked at rap and other genres, rock specifically, and I’ve never liked how rap always had the age ceiling where everyone else didn’t,” he said. “I’ve personally always wanted to make it my business to crack that ceiling, and I think the Clipse album 1,000 percent [did it].”

Selena Gomez‘s character, Alex Russo, has come a long way since the premiere of Wizards of Waverly Place back in 2007 — but on the latest episode of the Disney Channel show’s reboot, her story may have just come to an end. (Spoiler alert!)

The Wizards Beyond Waverly Place season 2 finale arrived Wednesday (Oct. 8) on Disney+, revealing the answers to some series-long questions. Costarring and executive produced by Gomez and David Henrie — who reprises his role as Justin Russo from the original Wizards — the reboot launched in 2024 with the premise that Alex wanted Justin to help her train a young wizard named Billie Russo, played by Janice LeAnn Brown.

At the beginning, Billie’s past and family were total mysteries. But in the new finale, it was finally revealed: Alex is her mom. And yes, the Rare Beauty founder’s character knew all along.

In the finale, a magic locket activated by Alex’s tears unleashes a memory of the lovably snarky hellraiser wiping a much younger Billie’s memories and sending her off to boarding school to protect her from an evil wizard named Lord Morsus (who also happens to be Billie’s paternal grandfather). “I would do anything to be with you,” Alex tells Billie in the memory. “But right now, there’s someone out there trying to find you, and I can’t let that happen.”

But Alex secretly being a mother wasn’t the only jaw-dropping moment the finale had to offer. During a final confrontation with Lord Morsus, Gomez’s character sacrifices herself by sealing herself inside a portal, dragging the villain in with her. That might be the last fans see of Ms. Russo — unless Billie, Justin and his kids have anything to say about it. At the very end, the gang resolves to find a way to locate and save Alex.

Since its premiere in October last year, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place has brought a new generation of fans into the magical world Disney Channel created in the late 2000s. The original show — which propelled Gomez into superstardom — wrapped in 2012.

And while the actress has her hands full with almost too many projects to count, from running her Rare Beauty empire to starring in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, Gomez has said that returning to her roots has been extremely fulfilling for her. “It’s the best feeling in the whole world to be able to bring this back for you and to all the people who have never seen it before,” she told People in 2024.

She added at the time, “This is what gave me everything that I have today, and I’ll never forget that this is where I started.”

Both seasons of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place are streaming now on Disney+.