Month: July 2024

Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) is officially the No. 1 album in the country, dethroning Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department after 12-weeks on top of the charts. The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) marks Eminem’s 12th studio album (and his first in four years), comprised of the hit singles “Houdini,” “Tobey,” and “Somebody Save Me.”

Per Billboard, “Eminem achieves his 11th No. 1 on the #Billboard200 with ‘The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce).’ ⁠ His latest studio album debuts with the largest week for any rap album in 2024.⁠”

During the week ending July 18, The Death of Slim Shady debuted with 281,000 units in the U.S., along with 220 million streams and another 114,000 digital downloads, making its way to the top of the Billboard 200, and earning the biggest sales week for a Rap album in 2024. This latest achievement now sees Eminem tied with Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, and Ye (formerly Kanye West) for the fifth-most number one’s on the Billboard 200. Ahead of them are The Beatles, with a record 19 number one’s, JAY-Z and Taylor Swift, with 14 each, and Drake with 13.

Swift’s TTPD has now dropped to the No. 4 spot, its first time below number one since its debut — K-Pop group Enhypen’s album Romance: Untold debuted at No. 2, while Zach Bryan’s Great American Bar Scene fell to the No. 3 spot. Swift thanked fans on social media for her 12-week run, writing on social media: “I also wanted to say to everyone who’s supported The Tortured Poets Department, I am completely blown away by what you’ve done – it stayed at #1 for the first 12 weeks of its release and that’s never happened to an album of mine before, not even close!! You’re just the greatest.”

Swift’s 12 weeks at No. 1 with The Tortured Poets Department broke multiple chart records, among them surpassing Whitney Houston’s 1987 album Whitney to become the only album by a woman to spend so many weeks in the top position.

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Kesha recently released her her new single “Joyride,” her first track since being being released from her contract with Kemosabe Records back in December.  2017’s Rainbow was Kesha’s first full-length project without a Dr. Luke production credit, while each of her five previous albums have been released under a Dr. Luke-associated label. Dr. Luke originally signed Kesha in 2005, when she was just 18, and subsequently helped produce and release her first two records, 2010’s Animal and 2012’s Warrior, which boasted her hit songs “TiK ToK,” “Your Love Is My Drug,” “We R Who We R,” and “Die Young.”

The 37-year-old singer-songwriter hasn’t dropped music since 2023’s Gag Order, which was her last contractual release with Kemosabe. It’s also her first project since settling her nearly decade-long defamation lawsuit with the label’s founder, Dr. Luke whom she accused of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse in 2014.

Shortly after Kesha’s lawsuit was filed, Dr. Luke quickly filed a countersuit, claiming defamation. Both Kesha’s request for a temporary injunction to release her from her recording contract with Dr. Luke and her sexual assault suit were dismissed by a New York judge in 2016. The defamation suit, however, continued on, only getting resolved in June of 2023, when Kesha and Dr. Luke settled out of court.

Kesha wrote in a December TikTok post shortly after it was first reported that her contract had been fulfilled: I haven’t felt this free since I was 18 .. First day I’ve owned my voice in 19 years.”  Also in a newsletter sent out to fans, the popstar shared: “I’ve waited for this day for more than half of my life. All of my adult life. There is so much more that I have to say, and experiences we have to share. This is the time for our joy ride. We made it… and I wasn’t alone thanks to each of you. Thank you. So much is on the horizon… But for now… Freedom. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Listen to ‘Joyride’ – here.

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Duran Duran have announced a new run of U.S. tour dates, which includes a special Halloween concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Danse Macabre show will take place on Halloween (Oct. 31), with the band also playing concerts along the East Coast before/after that date.

Duran Duran released their 16th album, Danse Macabre, in October 2023, inspired by a Halloween 2022 concert in Las Vegas where the band performed obscurities from their catalog as well as covers of songs by the Rolling Stones, Siouxsie and the Banshees. Billie Eilish, Talking Heads and the Specials.

The new run of fall shows officially kicks off in Allentown, PA on Oct. 21, and includes additional dates in Verona, NY; Uncasville, CT; Atlantic City, NJ; and Baltimore, MD, leading up to the Danse Macabre Halloween Party at MSG on October 31st. The tour will then come to a close on November 2nd in Manchester, NH.

For tickets, head to Ticketmaster.

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Taylor Swift hit a new career-best milestone with her 11th studio album album, The Tortured Poets Department, which marked its 12th consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Per Billboard, TTPD also set a new precedent as it surpassed a record set by Whitney Houston’s 1987 self-titled LP, which spent its first 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 from its initial release date — making TTPD is the only album from a woman to spend its first 12 weeks at the No. 1 spot. Swift, 34, previously beat Houston’s Billboard 200 record for the most weeks ever spent at No. 1 on the chart with her 2020 album Folklore, which brought her career total to 47 (topping Houston’s previous record of 46). In addition, Swift also surpassed Houston’s record of having the fourth-most No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 following the success of “Fortnight,” her 12th single atop the chart (per Forbes.)

Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department has dominated the albums chart this year, with numerous additional versions of the album having been released across digital, vinyl, CDs and more. Swift is also still currently on the road with her record-breaking The Eras Tour.  Swift’s upcoming stops include Hamburg with shows on July 23 and 24, followed by two stops in Munich on July 27 and 28.  The global tour will finally come to an end in December after a rum of shows in the United States and Canada.

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Shaboozey is celebrating his first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and top 10 breakthrough on Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart with the double-platinum smash hit, “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”

Shaboozey also made history with “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” becoming the first-ever single to reach the top 10 on all four charts — Billboard’s Country Airplay, Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay, and Rhythmic Airplay, and the second ever single by a black artist to top both the Billboard Hot 100 and Country Songs Charts.

“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has also amassed over 550 million streams and landed in the Top 10 in several countries globally with No. 1s in Canada, Sweden, Denmark, and the UK’s Big 40.

Shaboozey will also be embarking on the first leg of his 2024 Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going headlining tour, with a run of shows kicking off in Minneapolis on August 9th and making stops in Chicago, Toronto, Boston, New York, Atlanta, Nashville, and more before wrapping up in Winnsboro, South Carolina.

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