Category: Music

SPOILER ALERT: The following story contains details about the singer eliminated on Wednesday night’s (Jan. 21) episode of The Masked Singer.

There are typically two kinds of celebrities who get revealed on The Masked Singer: ones who the judges and studio audience simply can’t pinpoint because they’ve adjusted their vocals and mannerisms just enough to go incognito and ones with such an unmistakable, signature tone to their voice that it’s pretty obvious from jump who they are.

Wednesday night’s (Jan. 21) boot-ee was one of the latter. If you’re old enough to have shopped for CDs in the Bush 1.0/Clinton era, then you probably sussed out the identity of Handyman from the second he took the stage last week. While the artist was hidden in a bright yellow, Jack-of-all-trades outfit — complete with hard hat and prominent tool belt — when he got funky with Peaches & Herb’s 1978 Billboard Hot 100 No. 5 disco classic “Shake Your Groove Thing,” a lightbulb likely popped up right away.

And while he was hidden behind a metallic mask as he waved his wrench arms and sang into a screwdriver microphone, the low, throaty growl and laconic delivery was pretty much a dead giveaway. The first clue package was also kind of obvious, with a reference to his “wild guy face” and a crew of past big-screen co-stars including Robert DeNiro (Heat) and Courteney Cox (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective).

Then, on Wednesday night’s Clueless-themed episode, he joined the rest of the cast for a run through Kim Wilde’s 1981 classic “Kids in America” alongside fellow season 14 contestants Pugcasso, Scarab and Snow Cone, with his voice again reading pretty obviously after he described the childhood accident that gave him his signature rasp. His vocals really popped during his run through A Tribe Called Quest’s “Can I Kick It?,” which got both the crowd and the judges on their feet as he showed off his impressive rhyming skills, with the audience enthusiastically chanting “yes you can!”

When it came time to guess, panelist Rita Ora went with Vanilla Ice — based on a clue featuring an ice sculpture of a microphone — though the more “gravelly” voice made her think Ice-T. Always wrong Ken Jeong was all the way off with his pick of A-Team legend Mr. T. He was, naturally, totally in the wrong ballpark, as the real man behind the mask was none other than “Funky Cold Medina” rapper and occasional actor (Poetic Justice, Posse) Tone Lōc.

Billboard caught up with Lōc (born Anthony Terrell Smith), 59, before his elimination to find out why he didn’t even try to disguise his instantly recognizable voice, who convinced him to appear on the show and why the show may have convinced him to get back in the studio for the first time in three decades.

You said your daughter dared you to do the show. What did she say?

She grew up with me and she was like, “There’s no way you would do something like that.” I had never seen it, but she had and now I see what she was talking about. [She said] “You would not put on a mask and costume and dance and sing.” Once I saw it, I said, “Yeah I’ll do it.” Most people who called after the first day [I was on the show] saw me on there and had no idea I was doing it. 

What did they say?

First they said, “‘Shake Your Groove Thing?’ Huh?”

Were they able to figure out it was you right away?

Oh, immediately. “Oh, dude, first voice we heard, we knew.” I didn’t realize [my voice] was that noticeable. It is kind of, a little bit, I think.

C’mon! You have such a distinctive voice, one of the most distinctive in rap, really. Did you even try to switch it up to fool people?

I mean, I think I did try, but I couldn’t change it. It’s basically is what it is. When I try to change it even slightly, it doesn’t matter. It is what it is, it’s who I am.

Sometimes singers will purposely pick a song out of their genre, like you were saying with Peaches & Herb, but then tonight you went with a Tribe song, which kind of made it more obvious who was under the hard hat. Did you do that on purpose?

I didn’t really know. I couldn’t hear it [in the costume] but it was kind of cool. I don’t know how it came out sounding, but I liked it. I didn’t pick Peaches to throw anyone off… they had some songs they wanted me to sing that wouldn’t have worked out well. I think my agent decided, “Let’s try Peaches & Herb.” I don’t know what was on his mind. Tribe was cool, though. 

You’ve been doing the I Love the 90s tour for a couple years, but haven’t really been on the music scene that much. Why this show to come back to singing on a big platform?

I’ve been doing that tour for like six years and I did this, like I said, because of the dare. I’m still doing shows; I have never stopped doing shows. I’ve always tried to keep it pushing, maintain the people who like Tone Lōc, stay in my lane.

The Handyman was a bonkers costume. Why did you pick that one?

They handed it to me. It’s a big costume with a big helmet and head. You have to be committed, because that’s a serious costume. You have to make sure you have everything tight. I like Handyman, that was the most masculine one I’ve seen, that worked out quite well. 

It’s been 35 years since your last album, 1991’s Cool Hand Lōc. Any chance you’re working on a new album now?

Oh man, that long? Man. I wasn’t working on a new album, but I think I will now because of the big song I do have now that is bigger than [my other hits]. It’s called “Hey, What’s Up?” and I haven’t recorded it yet. I do it live on tour and the audience response to that is way higher than “Funky Cold Medina” or “Wild Thing.”

The judges’ guesses were hilarious: Vanilla Ice, Ice-T Mr. T…

The ones who don’t know, who have no idea who Tone Lōc is. Then you have people who know exactly who that is from the first word or two out of that graggily-ass voice. Now I see how my voice sounds to people, I had no idea.

Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “lulu.” debuts atop the Billboard Japan Hot 100, on the chart dated Jan. 21. 

The song serves as the opening theme for the anime Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2. After its digital release on Jan. 12, the track tops both downloads and streaming, comes in at No. 2 for video and No. 8 for radio airplay to secure the summit on the all-genre song chart. Mrs. GREEN APPLE earns its sixth No. 1 song on the list and its 13th week at No. 1 overall.

Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s Japan Hot 100 No. 1 Hits to Date

“breakfast”
“Tengoku”
“KUSUSHIKI” (two weeks at No. 1)
“Lilac” (seven weeks at No. 1)
“Bitter Vacances”
“lulu.”

Kenshi Yonezu’s “IRIS OUT” follows at No. 2. While streaming dips to 90%, downloads to 72%, radio to 67% and karaoke to 97% of the prior frame, video climbs to 115%.

At No. 3 is King Gnu’s “AIZO.” The opening theme for TV anime Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 (Culling Game arc, Part 1) was released digitally on Jan. 9, leaving it with a shorter tracking window last week. This frame, streaming surges to 194% and radio to 904%, lifting the track three notches this week.

Ryosuke Yamada’s “Blue Noise” bows at No. 4. The song appears on his first CD single released under the Hey! Say! JUMP member’s solo moniker and serves as the opening theme for season two of the anime Blue Miburo (Serizawa Assassination Arc). The song launches with 101,964 copies to top sales and comes in at No. 40 for downloads. Holding at No. 5 is M!LK’s “Suki Sugite Metsu!” While most metrics edge down slightly, karaoke rises to 108%.

In other chart activity, Bruno Mars’ “I Just Might” makes its Japan chart debut at No. 26. The lead single from his first new album in roughly a decade — The Romantic, due Feb. 27 — the song also marks his first-ever debut at No. 1 on the U.S. Hot 100.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.

See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Jan. 12 to 18, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.

A mere 67 years after they first made the Billboard Hot 100 with the classic “Shout – Part 1,” The Isley Brothers will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The group’s star ceremony is set for Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 11:30 a.m. PT at 7051 Hollywood Blvd. Jon Platt, chairman and CEO of Sony Music Publishing, and Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Terry Lewis are set to speak at the ceremony. Melvin Robert, entertainment anchor at L.A. station KTLA, is set to emcee.

The event will be streamed live exclusively at WalkOfFame.com.

The Isley Brothers’ biggest hits include “It’s Your Thing,” “That Lady (Part 1)” and “Fight the Power Part 1,” all of which made the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. They have also landed two No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 – The Heat Is On in 1975 and Body Kiss (credited to the Isley Brothers featuring Ronald Isley) in 2003.

The Isley Brothers were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy in 2014 and were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022. They are also widely regarded as the most sampled group of all time, with their songs sampled by such artists as Drake, Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G. and Megan Thee Stallion.

Ronald Isley (age 84)  and Ernie Isley (age 73) continue touring, creating bonds with new generations of fans.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce administers the Walk of Fame for the City of Los Angeles and has hosted star ceremonies for decades. Millions of people have visited the cultural landmark since 1960.

Brandon Lake earned a massive crossover hit with the Jelly Roll collaboration “Hard Fought Hallelujah” and earned his first CMA Award nomination last year when the song was nominated for musical event of the year. He also recently teamed with Cody Johnson for a collaborative rendition of “When a Cowboy Prays.”

And it looks like there could be plenty more country collabs where that came from. On Wednesday (Jan. 21), Lake recently posted a Reel on social media, which showed him writing new music alongside country music luminaries including Lainey Wilson, Thomas Rhett, HARDY, Russell Dickerson, Dan+Shay and Bailey Zimmerman. In the video’s caption, Lake revealed that he had assembled 25 country music artists and songwriters, along with many of Lake’s friends in faith-based music, for a five-day stretch of writing sessions, which yielded nearly 50 songs. On Instagram, he also tagged artists and/or songwriters including Benjamin William Hastings, Micah Nichols, Hank Bentley, Trannie Anderson and Jacob Sooter.

“God put a dream in my heart to start loving on and encouraging those leading in the country music space, and shortly after He just started flinging wide the doors,” Lake wrote. ‘So the other week my team and I had the honor of hosting over 25 of the best Country Music artists and songwriters along with some of my closest friends in the faith based music space. I knew we’d get something special but I never would’ve thought we’d get over 43+ songs in 5 days.

He added, “IDK what this next chapter looks like BUT I know it’s gonna be special cause it was birthed from genuine love and friendship. Praying God continues to allow me to love this community that’s blessed me so much and if He’s willing allow me to contribute a lil something of my own. Thank you to everyone who poured out your heart and poured into me over those special 5 days. God bless Country & Christian Music!”

This is isn’t the first time Lake has signaled his intention for more CCM and country collaborations. During the ASCAP Christian Music Awards in November, Lake said, “This is what’s on my heart. The collision of Christian and country. Revival and redneck-ness, if you will.” Lake took home honors including Christian music songwriter of the year, while “Praise,” written by Lake and Pat Barrett, was named Christian music song of the year.

Whatever path the music will ultimately take, the new songs will follow his 2025 album King of Hearts, which debuted at No. 7 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.

A$AP Rocky appeared to take shots at Drake on Don’t Be Dumb‘s “Stole Ya Flow,” and he addressed his simmering feud with the 6 God during an interview with Apple Music’s Ebro Darden on Wednesday (Jan. 21).

Rocky explained that despite the icy nature of their frayed relationship, there’s no “real smoke” between him and Drake, but things went wrong “over females.”

“This thing between us it’s not real smoke, but I just don’t f— with him,” he candidly said. “We was once friends. I feel like it’s over females. I feel like he wasn’t happy and he expressed that.”

The Harlem rapper also labeled Drake as “soft” for sending repeated shots at Rihanna in recent years, and Rocky thinks it’s time for Drizzy to get over whatever happened in the past between them.

“I think at some certain point and everyone getting older and you supposed to be moving on. For you to be picking at a female, that’s soft to me,” he continued. “I didn’t put out music for me to say something back and I finally did say something back to a few people. I do think that sh– is petty. It’s enough money, fame, women, spotlights to go around. We not really tripping off nothing. Is it real smoke? It could never be. That ain’t real smoke.”

There were plenty of bars on “Stole Ya Flow” connected to Drake from Rocky. “Stole my flow, so I stole yo’ bi—/ If you stole my style, I need at least like 10 percent,” he raps, before adding. “First you was my bro, pussy n—a switched/ Turned into a opp, f— his block, he a bi—, boy.”

In 2024, Rocky also seemed to take more swipes at Drake during guest appearances on We Still Don’t Trust You‘s “Show of Hands,” and then on J. Cole’s “Ruby Rosary.”

That pair of shots followed Drake sniping at the Mob frontman on his “Family Matters” Kendrick Lamar diss track in May 2024. “Rakim talkin’ sh– again/ Gassed ’cause you hit my BM first, n—a, do the math, who I was hittin’ then/ I ain’t even know you rapped still ’cause they only talkin’ ’bout your ‘fit again/ Probably gotta have a kid again ‘fore you think of droppin’ any sh– again/ Even when you do drop, they gon’ say you should’ve modeled ’cause it’s mid again,” Drake raps.

Drake and Rocky had a closer relationship in the 2010s when Drizzy appeared on Rocky’s “F—in’ Problems” hit in 2012. The OVO rapper also brought Rocky on his Club Paradise Tour in the same year.

Rocky and Rihanna are currently dating and have three kids together, while Drake was romantically linked to RiRi throughout the first half of the 2010s. Many fans believed that Drake dissed Rihanna on For All the Dogs‘ “Fear of Heights.”

“Why they make it sound like I’m still hung up on you/ That could never be,” he sings. “Gyal can’t ruin me/ Better him than me, better it’s not me/ I’m anti, I’m anti/ Yeah, and the sex was average with you/ Yeah, I’m anti ’cause I had it with you/ OK, I’m auntie like your daddy sister/ Auntie like a family picture/ And I had way badder bi—es than you, TBH/ Yeah, that man, he still with you, he can’t leave you/ Y’all go on vacation, I bet it’s Antilles.”

Listen to Rocky’s full interview below and check out the clip of him addressing Drake here.

Meghan Trainor announced Tuesday (Jan. 20) that she and husband Daryl Sabara welcomed a third child over the weekend: baby girl Mikey Moon Trainor.

According to the couple’s Instagram post, Mikey Moon was born on Sunday (Jan. 18) “thanks to our incredible, superwoman surrogate.”

“We are forever grateful to all the doctors, nurses, teams who made this dream possible,” the couple wrote alongside a carousel of seven photos, starting with a teary-eyed Trainor holding her newborn daughter. “We had endless conversations with our doctors in this journey and this was the safest way for us to be able to continue growing our family. We are over the moon in love with this precious girl.”

A second photo shows Trainor’s two older boys — 4-year-old Riley and 2-year-old Barry — wearing matching “big brother” T-shirts and holding their baby sister.

“Riley and Barry have been so excited, they even got to choose her middle name,” the caption continues. “We are going to enjoy our family time now, love you all.”

The carousel also includes close-ups of Mikey’s face, a selfie of Trainor and Sabara with baby, and an adorable pic of Barry looking lovingly at his little sis.

See the Instagram post below:

Trainor and Sabara married in 2018 after just two years of dating. They welcomed Riley in 2021 and Barry in 2023 before Mikey Moon joined their family.

Most recently, Trainor has been poking some lighthearted fun at the mama drama her name has been linked to after Ashley Tisdale published an essay about leaving a “toxic” group of mom friends after feeling excluded by them. On Jan. 8, the pop star broke her silence on the subject by sharing a TikTok in which she frantically types on a computer keyboard with a confused look on her face. “me finding out about the apparent mom group drama,” she captioned the clip, which she appropriately set to her song “Still Don’t Care” — the lead single from her upcoming seventh album, Toy With Me, set for April 24 release.