Author: Rap Hooks

Cardi B scores her second No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart as AM I THE DRAMA? debuts atop the tally (dated Oct. 4) with 200,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the week ending Sept. 25, according to Luminate. That marks 2025’s biggest week for an R&B/hip-hop album by a woman. AM I THE DRAMA? is Cardi B’s second full-length studio project, and follows her chart-topping debut, Invasion of Privacy, in 2018.

Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200, Nine Inch Nails’ soundtrack to TRON: Ares debuts at No. 5, marking the first top 10 for the band since 2013.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Oct. 4, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Sept. 30. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Of AM I THE DRAMA?’s 200,000 first-week equivalent album units, SEA units comprise 110,000 (equaling 145.72 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs during the tracking week — it also debuts at No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 88,000 (it debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 2,000.

AM I THE DRAMA?’s opening-week sales were boosted by its availability across an array of permutations. It was issued as a standard 19-song widely available digital download album; 20-song CD and vinyl editions; and a 23-song download and streaming edition. There were also further digital variants: an iTunes Store and Apple Music edition with bonus live video tracks, a 30-track artist webstore-exclusive edition and two widely available expanded editions (with 24 tracks each).

The CD and vinyl variants for AM I THE DRAMA? were largely only available through Cardi B’s webstore and through some independent record stores. AM I THE DRAMA? was issued on two standard CD variants (one signed by the artist), seven additional CD cover variants (four of them signed, inclusive of three versions with cover art showing gone-viral photos of the artist on the stand during her assault trial in August, dubbed the “courtroom edition”) and eight deluxe CD boxed sets containing merchandise and a CD. The album was also issued on two standard vinyl editions (one signed) and nine additional vinyl variants (some with different covers and/or color vinyl, most of them signed, including a “courtroom edition” cover variant).

In addition to a typical promotional press run to raise awareness of the album’s release, the artist also mounted a busy schedule of in-store appearances during release week, doing photo ops and meet-and-greets with fans purchasing the album. During release week, she hit four independent record stores (Looney Tunes in West Babylon, N.Y.; Spin Me Round in Easton, Pa.; DBS Sounds in Riverdale, Ga.; and Fingerprints in Long Beach, Calif.) and a Hot Topic location in Elmhurst, N.Y. and a Walmart in Cypress, Texas.

The widely available editions of AM I THE DRAMA? contain the Billboard Hot 100-charted hits “Outside” (No. 10 peak in July), “Imaginary Playerz” (No. 70 in August), “Up” (No. 1 in March 2021) and “WAP” (featuring Megan Thee Stallion, No. 1 in August 2020).

The chart-topping KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack holds at No. 2 with 104,000 equivalent album units earned (down 7%). The set also notches a 10th week inside the top two on the Billboard 200, marking the most weeks inside the top two for a soundtrack since the Frozen album logged 21 nonconsecutive frames in the top two (13 of them at No. 1) in 2014. KPop surpasses Encanto, which had nine weeks in the top two (all at No. 1) in 2022.

Morgan Wallen’s former No. 1 I’m the Problem is steady at No. 3 (90,000 equivalent album units, down 7%) and Sabrina Carpenter’s chart-topping Man’s Best Friend is stationary at No. 4 (69,000, down 21%).

Nine Inch Nails are back in the Billboard 200’s top 10 for the first time in over a decade, as the band’s soundtrack to the film TRON: Ares debuts at No. 5 (the highest debut of 2025 for a soundtrack) with 45,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 39,000 (it debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 6,000 (equaling 8.37 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. Nine Inch Nails have tallied seven top 10 albums on the Billboard 200: TRON: Ares, Hesitation Marks (No. 3 in 2013), Year Zero (No. 2, 2007), With Teeth (No. 1, 2005), The Fragile (No. 1, 1999), The Downward Spiral (No. 2, 1994) and Broken (No. 7, 1992).

The first-week sales of TRON: Ares were aided by its availability across four vinyl variants, a cassette, two CD variants and a download and streaming edition (all containing the same tracklist).

TRON: Ares is the companion soundtrack to the film of the same name, which will be released on Oct. 10 in movie theaters, and is the third in the Tron film series. It follows Tron: Legacy (2010) and Tron (1982). The TRON: Ares soundtrack is the second Tron movie soundtrack to reach the Billboard 200, following Daft Punk’s TRON: Legacy (which peaked at No. 4).

TRON: Ares was preceded by the album’s single “As Alive as You Need Me To Be,” which has reached the top 10 on both Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock Airplay.

Also, with KPop Demon Hunters and TRON: Ares at Nos. 2 and 5, there are two soundtracks in the top five simultaneously for the first time in more than six years. It last happened on the March 30, 2019 chart, when Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s chart-topping A Star Is Born was No. 3 and Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody was No. 5.

Rounding out the rest of the latest top 10 on the Billboard 200: Alex Warren’s You’ll Be Alright, Kid rises 7-6 (35,000 equivalent album units, down 3%); SZA’s chart-topping SOS climbs 8-7 (33,000, down 2%); Wallen’s former leader One Thing at a Time steps 9-8 (32,000, down 3%); Justin Bieber’s SWAG shifts 6-9 (just under 32,000, down 27%); and Bad Bunny’s former No. 1 DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS climbs 13-10 (nearly 32,000, up 21%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

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Benny Blanco can’t stop gushing over new bride Selena Gomez.

Just one day after tying the knot, the 37-year-old music producer celebrated his new wife on social media with a heartfelt tribute and a behind-the-scenes look at their wedding day.

Blanco and Gomez, 33, exchanged vows on Saturday (Sept. 27), at the Sea Crest Nursery in Santa Barbara, California.

“i married a real life disney princess,” Blanco captioned a photo carousel on Instagram.

The gallery opens with the couple lounging on a white couch — Gomez looking radiant in her wedding dress, and Blanco dressed in a black-and-white tuxedo. A close-up shot of their hands follows, showing off their rings and sparkling accessories. Another snap shows them fast asleep in bed, and the final image captures a young boy lying in front of the altar, surrounded by floral arrangements.

“I love you soooo much,” Gomez commented on her husband’s post.

The couple’s famous friends quickly joined the celebration in the comments. SZA wrote, “Literally perfect . Love yall !!!!” with fire emojis. Paris Hilton added, “What a beautiful evening celebrating your wedding! … I love you both and so happy for you” and Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul shared three red heart emojis.

On Saturday evening, the pop star and Only Murders in the Building actress confirmed the happy news with her own Instagram post, sharing an intimate wedding album. The photos featured the bride and groom embracing, along with glimpses of wedding-day details like her custom halter-style Ralph Lauren gown, her bouquet, and the lush private estate setting.

“9.27.25,” Gomez wrote in the caption. Blanco replied in the comments, “my wife in real life.”

Before the ceremony, Gomez celebrated with a beachside bachelorette getaway in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The newlyweds revealed their engagement in December 2024, after about a year of dating. Their professional relationship, however, began years earlier with collaborations on 2019’s “I Can’t Get Enough” (with Tainy and J Balvin) and 2023’s “Single Soon.” In March, the couple released their joint album, I Said I Love You First, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

See Blanco’s sweet Instagram post here.

Lola Young is taking time to rest and recover after collapsing onstage during a recent performance in New York City.

On Sunday (Sept. 28), the 24-year-old South London singer announced through social media that she would be canceling her scheduled performance at the All Things Go music music festival in Washington, D.C., set for later that evening at the Merriweather Post Pavilion.

The announcement came just one day after Young collapsed mid-song during her Saturday night (Sept. 27) set at All Things Go at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York.

“I’m sorry to confirm that I won’t be playing all things go in DC today,” Young wrote on Instagram. “I love this job and I never take my commitments and audience for granted so I’m sorry to those who will be disappointed by this.”

She added, “I hope you’ll all give me another chance in the future. Thank you to all those who listen and care. To all the people that love to be mean online, pls give me a day off.”

Following her post, fellow artists and fans flooded the comments with messages of support. Kehlani wrote, “Get better sweetie pie. take all the time u need!!!!” while Aurora added, “I am so happy to see these comments … I’m so glad you’re doing what’s right for YOU, it’s very easy to forget when you feel so much responsibility … much love and hugs to the end of the world.”

Young’s onstage collapse occurred Saturday during a live performance of her 2023 single “Conceited.” Midway through the song, she appeared to pause to communicate with her keyboardist but collapsed before reaching them. Security and members of her team rushed to assist, surrounding her onstage. She remained on the ground for roughly 30 to 45 seconds before being carried off.

Later that day, Young reassured fans through an Instagram Story. “For anyone who saw my set at all things go today, I am doing okay now,” she wrote. “Thank you for all of your support.”

The incident followed another last-minute cancellation two days earlier (Sept. 26), when Young was pulled from Audacy’s We Can Survive concert at New Jersey’s Prudential Center. Her manager, Nick Shymansky, shared an update at the time, citing a “sensitive matter.”

“Lola is very open about her mental health and there are very occasionally days where myself and my team have to take protective measures to keep her safe,” Shymansky wrote on Instagram. “She is an incredible person and always takes her fans, career and performances seriously. I can only send huge apologies for the inconvenience caused.”

See Young’s addressing the All Things Go D.C. cancellation on Instagram below.

A 10-foot statue of rock n’ roll queen Tina Turner was unveiled Saturday (Sept. 27) in the rural Tennessee community where she grew up — before becoming a Grammy-winning singer, an electrifying stage performer, and one the world’s most recognizable and popular entertainers.

The statue was revealed during a ceremony at a park in Brownsville, located about an hour drive east of Memphis. The city of about 9,000 people is near Nutbush, the community where Turner went to school as a child. As a teen, she attended high school just steps from where the statue now stands.

The statue shows Turner with her signature wild hairdo and holding a microphone, as if she was singing on stage. It was designed by sculptor Fred Ajanogha, who said he tried to capture her flexibility of movement on stage, how she held the microphone with her index finger extended, and her hair style, which he compared to the “mane of a lion.”

Turner died May 24, 2023 at age 83 after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich. Her Grammy-winning singing career included the hit songs “Nutbush City Limits,” “Proud Mary,” “Private Dancer,” and “We Don’t Need Another Hero,” from the film “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.” Her movie credits also include Tommy and Last Action Hero.

Turner teamed with husband Ike Turner for hit records and live shows in the 1960s and ’70s. She survived her troubled marriage to succeed in middle age with the chart-topping “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” released in 1984.

Her admirers ranged from Mick Jagger to Beyoncé to Mariah Carey, and she was known as the the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

The unveiling was part of the 10th-annual Tina Turner Heritage Days, a celebration of her life growing up in rural Tennessee, before she moved away as a teenager. The statue was sculpted in clay and cast in bronze, and it took about a year to complete.

Karen Cook said she traveled from Georgia to attend the event with her friend, a cousin of Turner’s, to honor the legendary performer.

“She’s a great artist, I love her music,” said Cook, 59. “My mom listened to her a lot. It’s a big deal and a great thing for the community to have Tina Turner in her small town.”

About 50 donors gave money for the statue, including Ford Motor Co., which donated $150,000. Ford is building an electric truck factory in nearby Stanton.

The statue stands near a museum honoring Turner at the the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville. The museum opened in 2014 inside the renovated Flagg Grove School, a one-room building where Turner attended classes in Nutbush. The school closed in the 1960s and was used as a barn before the dilapidated building was moved by tractor-trailer from Nutbush to Brownsville.

Morgan Wallen is locked and loaded in a new teaser for Battlefield 6.

On Saturday (Sept. 27), the 32-year-old country superstar took to social media to build hype for the upcoming live-action trailer of the latest installment in the popular first-person shooter franchise, set for release on Oct. 10 through Electronic Arts and Battlefield Studios.

In the 12-second clip shared to Instagram, Wallen appears in a war-torn setting, sporting a backward baseball cap and a green long-sleeve shirt while wielding an intimidatingly large automatic rifle.

“For the bad guys out there,” Wallen says as he cocks his weapon. “Yeah, I’m the problem.”

The line is a direct nod to Wallen’s latest album, I’m the Problem, which spent 12 nonconsecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200 following its release in May 2025.

The teaser ends with a message revealing that the full live-action trailer for Battlefield 6 will drop Sunday (Sept. 28).

Wallen isn’t the only celebrity joining the Battlefield 6 campaign. Actor Zac Efron, NBA star Jimmy Butler and MMA fighter Paddy Pimblett simultaneously posted similar-style teasers through their Instagram accounts on Saturday.

Adding even more intrigue, Limp Bizkit’s new track “Making Love to Morgan Wallen” appears to be tied to Battlefield 6, as it was released through EA Games, according to details on their official YouTube account. A recent trailer for the game also features a remix of the band’s 1999 hit “Break Stuff.”

Meanwhile, Wallen fans seem all in regardless of his exact role in the game. In the comments section of his IG post, one fan wrote, “Well I guess I’m a gamer now lmfao.” Another added, “Never bought a video game in my life……. Until now.” A third summed it up, writing, “I was gonna play it before but uhhh… yeah I’m LOCKED in now.”

Watch Wallen’s Battlefield 6 teaser on Instagram below.

Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean are reuniting for a co-headlining concert at the University of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium.

On Saturday (Sept. 27), the Georgia-born country stars and longtime friends announced they’ll take the stage together at the approximately 93,000-capacity venue in Athens on April 25, 2026.

This marks the first concert at Sanford Stadium in more than a decade. The last time the venue hosted live music was in 2013, when Aldean headlined his Night Train Tour (with Bryan as the opening act at the show), making them the first artists ever to perform a concert at the stadium.

The upcoming UGA concert will also feature performances from country acts Zach Top and Lauren Alaina, along with appearances by DJ Rock and Dee Jay Silver.

Pre-sale tickets for Aldean and Bryan’s fan club members will be available starting Monday (Sept. 29). General ticket sales begin Oct. 3.

The 2026 show will kick off the newly launched Live Between the Hedges Concert Series Presented by Pruitt Health. Additional events had not yet been announced at press time.

Aldean and Bryan made the surprise announcement live on SEC Nation, just hours ahead of Saturday night’s game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide at Sanford Stadium. They shared the news in front of a fired-up crowd of UGA students.

“Luke and I had a chance to play at Sanford Stadium in 2013, the first concert — and only concert, I think — to ever be held there,” Aldean said during the broadcast. “To be able to go back again and do it again, Luke and I doing that together, is going to be pretty incredible. My favorite show we’ve ever done right there.”

Watch Aldean and Bryan’s announcement on SEC Nation here.