The 59-year-old Puerto Rican singer, who rose to acclaim in the 1980s as one-third of the band Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, will be among the artists spotlighted when Lifetime’s 2025 “Voices of a Lifetime” platform returns this winter.
Arriving on February 1 is Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story about the Latin hip-hop pioneer born Lisa Velez.
The authorized biopic focuses on Lisa Lisa’s career as a member of the group.
The gold- and platinum-selling band’s Full Force-produced chain of hits includes “I Wonder If I Take You Home,” “Head to Toe,” “Lost in Emotion” and “All Cried Out.”
Jearnest Corchado stars as Velez who, in turn, portrays her own mother and doubles as executive producer.
Also in the cast: Bre-Z and New York City radio personality Angie Martinez.
Produced by Swirl Films, the biopic is directed by Tailiah Breon with a script from Rebecca Murga.
Other artists who’ll be spotlighted include Mary J. Blige and Gloria Gaynor.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation has revealed the nominees for the 2024 induction, with the 54-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer making the list.
Referred to as the “Songbird Supreme” by Guinness World Records, she’s regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of music. She’s noted for her songwriting, five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whistle register.
Carey is one of the best-selling music artists, with over 220 million records sold worldwide. She’s an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress and the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame.
She holds the record for the most Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles by a solo artist (19), a female songwriter (18), and a female producer (15), spending a record 93 weeks atop the chart.
To be eligible for nomination, an individual artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination.
Ten out of 15 of the 2024 nominees are on the ballot for the first time, including Carey, Cher, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & the Gang, Lenny Kravitz, Oasis, Sinéad O’Connor, Ozzy Osbourne and Sade.
The rest are Mary J. Blige, Dave Matthews Band, Eric B. & Rakim, Jane’s Addiction (including guitarist Dave Navarro) and A Tribe Called Quest.
“This remarkable list of nominees reflects the diverse artists and music that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honors and celebrates,” said John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “Continuing in the true spirit of Rock & Roll, these artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps.”
The 2024 ceremony will once again stream live on Disney+ with a special airing on ABC at a later date and available on Hulu the next day. The 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony streamed live on Disney+ for the first time ever; the special on ABC reached over 13 million viewers across linear and streaming, and ABC’s New Year’s Day telecast was the No. 1 entertainment choice among Adults 18-49.
Nominee ballots will be sent to an international voting body of more than 1,000 artists, historians and members of the music industry. An artist’s musical impact and influence on other artists, length and depth of career and body of work as well as innovation and superiority in style and technique are taken into consideration.
Inductees will be announced in late April. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2024 Induction Ceremony will take place in Cleveland this fall.
One of Miguel’s iconic singles is a thing of history…
The 37-year-old half-Mexican American R&B singer has broken the record for the title with the most weeks on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart thanks to its second wind 11 years after its initial chart run.
The track logs an unprecedented 76th week on the list dated May 6, surpassing the 75-week marathon of the previous record holder, Mary J. Blige’s “Be Without You” in one continuous run in 2005-07.
“Sure Thing” achieves the record-breaking mark as it jumps 8-6 on the newest published chart.
The song, released in 2010, is enjoying a TikTok-fueled renaissance, as a sped-up version, has soundtracked more than 4 million videos on the social media platform.
While activity TikTok does not directly contribute to the Billboard charts, many of the app’s most popular songs have seen corresponding gains on streaming services that factor into Billboard chart rankings.
“I’m glad that ‘Sure Thing’ still connects and resonates with a new audience, and that they feel what I’ve always felt with this song,” Miguel tells Billboard of his new honor. “More than anything, this achievement is a wild reminder of how things – all across the board – can cycle back into cultural relevance.”
A clear hit today, “Sure Thing” was a smash in its original era too. The second single from Miguel’s 2010 debut album, All I Want Is You, reached No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for one week among the 61 total frames it logged in its initial run. Starting with its No. 20 re-entry on the list on the chart dated Jan. 14, 2023, “Sure Thing” has since added 15 more weeks to its total to accumulate its historic run.
As “Sure Thing” resets the leaderboard, here is a look at the tracks with the most weeks at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart since it became an all-encompassing genre survey in 1958:
Weeks on Chart, Song Title, Artist, Peak Position, Year(s) Charted 76, “Sure Thing,” Miguel, No. 1 (one week), 2011-12, 2023
75, “Be Without You,” Mary J. Blige, No. 1 (15), 2005-07
74, “God in Me,” Mary Mary featuring Kierra “KiKi” Sheard, No. 5, 2008-10
73, “On the Ocean,” K’Jon, No. 12, 2008-10
71, “You Make Me Wanna…,” Usher, No. 1 (11), 1997-98
71, “There Goes My Baby,” Usher, No. 1 (four), 2010-11
70, “Step in the Name of Love,” R. Kelly, No. 1 (two), 2002-04
68, “Can’t Let Go,” Anthony Hamilton, No. 13, 2005-07
66, “Blinding Lights, The Weeknd, No. 1 (11), 2019-21
63, “In My Bed,” Dru Hill, No. 1 (three), 1997-98
63, “Just Fine,” Mary J. Blige, No. 3, 2007-08
Though “Sure Thing” has already secured its place in the record books, it’s primed to extend its stay on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, which blends streaming, radio airplay and sales data into its rankings. In the latest tracking week (March 21 – 27), the song improved in two of the three metrics: sales and radio airplay.
“Sure Thing” sold 2,000 downloads, up 21% from the previous frame and registered 46.6 million in total audience, a 10% increase from the prior week, according to Luminate.
While the former No. 1 R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart hit is receiving renewed play at that format, the majority of “Sure Thing” radio success comes from the pop and rhythmic format this time around. The single repeats at its No. 5 peak thus far on this week’s Pop Airplay chart – after never having made the list in its initial era – and advances 21-19 on Rhythmic Airplay, nearing its No. 14 peak from July 2011.
Radio gains help counter streaming slides in the past weeks, though the song maintains an overall high count. “Sure Thing” generated 11.1 million official U.S. streams in the most recent tracking week, essentially even with the prior week, and keeps it near its performance in prior weeks, with 11.1 million, 11.4 million and 11.7 million totals in the past three weeks, respectively.
The 25-year-old Mexican/Cuban singer/actress will star in Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Rob Peace.
Cabello, who made her acting debut in Prime Video’s Cinderella, will star opposite Jay Will, Mary J. Blige Ejiofor in the drama Ejiofor is directing from his own script, as his sophomore feature effort.
The film, currently in production, is based on Jeff Hobbs’ bestselling biographyThe Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League.
It follows Robert Peace (Will), a young man who grew up in a crime-ridden section of Newark, NJ and later graduated from Yale with degrees in molecular biophysics and biochemistry earned on scholarship. Peace led a dual life living in the insular world of academia and as a lab researcher of cancer and infectious diseases, while at the same time making six figures from the sale of marijuana. He was killed in a drug-related shooting in 2011.
Cabello will play Peace’s fellow Yale student Naya, with Blige and Ejiofor as his mother and father.
LAMF presents Rob Peace, in association with Hill District Media and Participant, a Sugar Peace production.
Cabello is a Latin Grammy, AMA and Billboard Music Award winner who, before going solo, broke out as a member of Fifth Harmony, one of the top-selling girl groups in history.
In 2021 she emerged as the first Hispanic woman to achieve RIAA Diamond status with her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash “Havana” [feat. Young Thug], and that same year found her first major film role as the lead of Kay Cannon’s Cinderella — a modern, musical adaptation of the classic fairy tale from Prime Video, which had her starring opposite Billy Porter.
Cabello’s career in music has seen her collaborate with everyone from Ed Sheeran to Shawn Mendes and Machine Gun Kelly, with her work thus far amassing streams in the billions. Her most recent studio album, Familia — following 2018’s Camilaand 2019’s Romance— was released last year via Epic Records.
The 53-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer has released a new EP celebrating her 2009 deep cut “It’s a Wrap.”
“IT’S A WRAP!!” Carey shared on Instagram announcing the release, “by popular lamb demand, EP out now!”
The four-track project contains the original album cut from 2009’s Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel and the Mary J. Blige-assisted remix originally included as a bonus track on 2014’s Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse, as well as a TikTok-friendly sped-up version and a new three-minute edit of the song.
The EP’s arrival comes on the heels of Mimi turning the fan favorite into a viral hit thanks to the “It’s a Wrap” TikTok challenge she launched after the start of the new year.
In addition to giving Carey a dose of post-holiday glee as she watched thousands of Lambs lip-synch to the song, the challenge also gave “It’s a Wrap” a massive streaming bump, earning more than one million weekly streams as of the start of February.
Prior to the kiss-off’s unexpected revival, Carey wrapped up her absolute domination of yet another holiday season with “All I Want for Christmas Is You” returning to the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 for four consecutive weeks from the middle of December through the beginning of January.
The chart achievement marked the modern holiday classic’s fourth year topping the chart since it first became Carey’s nineteenth career No. 1 in 2019.
Cardi B is taking the stage on music’s biggest night…
The 30-year-old half-Dominican American Grammy-winning rap superstar will help hand out awards at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 5.
Previously, Cardi B made Grammy history as the first and only woman to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Albumas a solo artist was the second female rapper to have her album nominated for Album of the Year.
Other presenters include Viola Davis, Olivia Rodrigo, Shania Twain and Dwayne Johnson. Davis will become an EGOT if she wins in her category, best audio book, narration, and storytelling recording, on Sunday.
Performers set to appear on the show are Harry Styles, Lizzo, Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy and Sam Smith & Kim Petras.
The Recording Academy made its first performers announcement a week ago. It added a big name – Styles – on Sunday, January 29. The announcement was made during the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs. The game aired on CBS, the Grammys’ network since 1973.
Three of this year’s four leading nominees – Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and Adele – have yet to be announced as performers. But the Academy is expected to announce additional performers in the remaining days before the big show.
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards will air live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and will be hosted for the third year in a row by Emmy-winning comedian Trevor Noah.
The show will be broadcast live on Sunday, February 5, at 8:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PT on CBS, and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards are produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy. Raj Kapoor serves as showrunner and executive producer, alongside Ben Winston and Jesse Collins as executive producers. Phil Heyes joins the team for the first time as director. Eric Cook is co-executive producer with Tabitha Dumo, Tiana Gandelman, Patrick Menton, David Wild as producers.
Prior to the telecast, the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony will be broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater at 12:30 pm PT, and it will be streamed live on live.Grammy.com. Randy Rainbow, a first-time Grammy nominee this year for best comedy album for A Little Brains, A Little Talent, is co-hosting the show. His co-host has yet to be named.
Performers at the Premiere Ceremony include Arroj Aftab, Madison Cunningham, Samara Joy, Anoushka Shankar, Carlos Vives and The Blind Boys of Alabama with La Santa Cecilia.
Presenters at the Premiere Ceremony include Babyface, Domi and JD Beck, Myles Frost, Arturo O’Farrill, Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Jimmy Jam.
The 48-year-old half-Puerto Rican artist’s current single “Off” has risen to the top spot om Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart dates April 2, making Maxwell only the second man to land eight No. 1s in the 29-year history of Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart.
The track advances from No. 3 after it saw a 10% improvement in plays to become the most played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the week ending March 27, according to Luminate, formerly MRC Data.
Eight No. 1s ties Maxwell with Charlie Wilson for the most among any male act since the list began in 1993.
On the overall count, the pair trail only Alicia Keys (12) and Toni Braxton (11).
As “Off” joins the chart-toppers club, here’s a recap at Maxwell’s eight champs:
“Fortunate,” No. 1 for 18 weeks, beginning May 22, 1999
“Lifetime,” 15, Sept. 29, 2001
“Pretty Wings,” 12, July 4, 2009
“Bad Habits,” nine, Oct. 10, 2009
“Fistful of Tears,” two, April 17, 2010
“Fire We Make,” with Alicia Keys, June 22, 2013
“Lake by the Ocean,” 10, June 18, 2016
“Off,” one (to date), April 2, 2022
With “Off,” Maxwell also becomes the first man to log No. 1s on Adult R&B Airplay in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. Fellow R&B legends Toni Braxton and Mary J. Blige also have achieved the feat, with Braxton inaugurating the group in 2020 and Blige attaining membership in February.
In addition to its Adult R&B Airplay coronation, “Off” holds at No. 22 of the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks by audience listenership across both adult and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations.
There, the single repeats in rank but adds 3% in audience to reach 5.7 million in the week ending March 27. “Off” previously had climbed to No. 20 to clinch Maxwell’s 12th top 10 on the list. The stretch began with his breakout hit, “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder),” which soared to No. 7 in 1996, and includes two No. 1s, “Fortunate” and “Pretty Wings.”
“Off” is expected to appear on Maxwell’s forthcoming album, blacksummers’NIGHT, the third and final installment of his album trilogy.
The first chapter, BLACKsummers’night, premiered in 2009, while the follow-up, blackSUMMERS’night, arrived in 2016. Both projects debuted at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with the former ruling for four weeks and the latter on top for two frames.
The 33-year-old part-Spanish and Dominican American Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter will perform “America the Beautiful” before the start of the game at Super Bowl LVI on February 13.
Country star Mickey Guyton will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the game, while Sandra Mae Frank, who plays Dr. Wilder on NBC’s New Amsterdam, is set to perform both songs in American Sign Language on behalf of the National Association of the Deaf.
Also set to take the pregame stage is veteran gospel duo Mary Mary, who will accompanied by the LA Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra Los Angeles on “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Zedd will serve as the pregame DJ.
NBC will telecast the Big Game from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The NFL championship will pit the hometown Los Angeles Rams against the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals.
The game will also air on Telemundo and stream live on Peacock.
Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar will headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show. The quintet, which never have appeared together onstage, have 43 Grammys and 22 No. 1 albums among them.
The 27-year-old Puerto Rican superstar will be making an appearance on The Shop: Uninterrupted’s upcoming fourth season.
The show is set to premiere on Friday May 28 on HBO and HBO Max.
In addition to Bad Bunny, the other stars joining LeBron James and Maverick Carter for the season premiere are iconic music mogul Jay-Z; WNBA star Nneka Ogwumike; and marketing executive Paul Rivera.
The group will discuss confidence on the big stage, parenthood and WrestleMania.
Staged periodically throughout the year, the show offers conversation and debate between some of the biggest names in sport and entertainment.
Past guests include Drake, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Diddy, Jimmy Kimmel, Patrick Mahomes, Lil Nas X, Will Smith, Megan Rapinoe, Kevin Hart,Rob Gronkowski and most recently, Barack Obama.
Executive producers are James, Carter, Jamal Henderson, Devin Johnson and Philip Byron; director is Robert Alexander; producers are Kevin McGrail, Brandon Riley and Rob Roediger; co-executive producer is Camille Maratchi; and creators are Paul Rivera and Randy Mims.
The 36-year-old Puerto Rican Golden Globe-winning actress has been cast in Netflix’s Lost Ollie, a live-action/animation hybrid family series based on William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg’s book Ollie’s Odyssey.
Rodriguez, who rose to acclaim on Jane The Virgin, will star opposite Jonathan Groff, Mary J. Blige, Tim Blake Nelson, Jake Johnson and Kesler Talbot in a mix of live action and voice roles in the series from Shannon Tindle, Peter Ramsey, producer Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps Entertainment and Industrial Light & Magic.
Created, adapted and executive produced by Tindle, Lost Ollie follows a lost toy, searching across the countryside for the boy who lost him, and the story of the boy who lost more than a best friend.
Groff will voice Ollie, a handmade toy rabbit stitched together from odds and ends. Ollie has a pure spirit with a heart of gold and never ruins a chance to make friends. He’s been best friends with Billy since forever, until one day he ends up in a resale shop with no way home. Though he’s often afraid of the unknown, Ollie puts on a brave face and sets off to find Billy, meeting other toys to help him along the way.
Rodriguez will play Momma. Billy’s mother Sharon is a loving woman who inspires creativity and imagination in her son. She makes sure to cherish their time together, teaching Billy all the things he’ll need to know to find happiness in the future.
Arriving on February 1 is Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story about the Latin hip-hop pioneer born Lisa Velez.
The gold- and platinum-selling band’s Full Force-produced chain of hits includes “I Wonder If I Take You Home,” “Head to Toe,” “Lost in Emotion” and “All Cried Out.”
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