• Bret Michaels — Poison frontman and former Celebrity Apprentice winner — announced he is withdrawing from the Freedom 250 Great American State Fair concert series on the National Mall, citing “threats and safety concerns” and saying the event has “evolved into something much more divisive” than what he agreed to
• Michaels becomes the fifth act to exit since the lineup was announced on May 27 — joining Martina McBride, Morris Day and The Time, and Young MC — leaving just a handful of the original nine announced performers still on the bill
• In his statement, Michaels said: “Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of” — while also noting his shows have “never been about politics”
• The Freedom 250 Great American State Fair is still scheduled to run June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., organized as part of the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations under President Trump

The Freedom 250 Great American State Fair is losing its lineup faster than it can replace it. Bret Michaels — the Poison frontman who also won Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice — announced Friday that he is pulling out of the Trump-backed concert series on the National Mall, citing safety threats and a festival that had become something other than what he originally agreed to. He is the fifth act to exit since the lineup was publicly announced just 48 hours earlier on May 27. As Variety pointedly observed, Freedom 250 is now a festival with very few acts left to lose, per Variety.

Michaels posted a statement to his website explaining his decision. “When this opportunity was presented to me,” he wrote, it was framed as a nonpartisan celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. That framing, he said, did not hold. “Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of.” He was also specific about the physical dimension of his exit: threats and safety concerns were raised, and those concerns factored into his decision to step away. “My shows have never been about politics,” he added, per Deadline.

Michaels’ departure carries a particular resonance given his history with Trump. He appeared on Celebrity Apprentice and won — making him, of the artists who have now exited the series, the one with the most direct personal connection to the president. That he is still choosing to withdraw, and citing safety concerns as part of his reasoning, adds a dimension to the story that goes beyond the standard political opt-out, per Billboard.

The Growing Exodus

The cascade of departures began almost immediately after the Freedom 250 lineup dropped. Morris Day and The Time were among the first to announce they would not perform, followed by Young MC. Martina McBride exited Thursday, writing on Instagram that she had been presented with “a nonpartisan event” but that “what we were told is not, in fact, what is happening.” McBride’s statement used nearly identical language to Michaels’ — both described being misled about the event’s nature before signing on. By Friday morning, five of the nine originally announced acts had now publicly withdrawn, leaving the festival’s music programming in significant disarray with less than four weeks until the scheduled June 25 opening, per Forbes.

Freedom 250 was established by President Trump to organize the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations, and the Interior Department declared it the official branding for those events. The organization has maintained publicly that it is nonpartisan — a characterization that multiple artists say does not match what they encountered when they examined the event’s structure and political affiliations more closely. The pattern across the departures is consistent: artists say they accepted based on a nonpartisan pitch, then withdrew when the fuller picture emerged.

What’s Left of the Lineup

With five of nine acts now out, the Great American State Fair faces a significant rebuilding challenge before its 16-day run on the National Mall. The festival is still scheduled to operate from June 25 through July 10 — the stretch spanning the lead-up to and follow-through on July 4th — with programming across the area between the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument. What remains of the original music lineup, and whether organizers can attract replacement bookings, remains to be seen. Each new departure has arrived accompanied by statements that echo one another almost verbatim: nonpartisan is how it was sold, divisive is how it landed. For artists weighing whether to join or stay, those statements are accumulating into a pattern that is hard to ignore, per Yahoo.

The post Bret Michaels Exits Freedom 250 Over ‘Threats and Safety Concerns’ — Now 5 of 9 Acts Have Pulled Out appeared first on Cream.

• Scooter Braun — former manager to Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Kanye West, and the central figure in Taylor Swift’s masters dispute — sat for a rare 90-minute interview on the Second Thought With Suzy Weiss podcast, his most extensive public appearance since stepping down as CEO of Hybe America last year
• Braun said he never had a substantial relationship with Swift before the controversy: “I think I’ve met her in my life three times” — and said he never had a real conversation with her before he became, in his words, “a villain” to her fan base
• The dispute began in 2019 when Braun’s company Ithaca Holdings acquired Big Machine Records, the label that owned the master recordings of Swift’s first six albums; Swift responded publicly and called it her “worst case scenario”
• Braun also discussed Kanye West, Spencer Pratt, and Sydney Sweeney in the wide-ranging interview

Scooter Braun doesn’t do many interviews. But the former music mogul sat for a 90-minute conversation with Suzy Weiss on her Second Thought podcast — and used a significant portion of it to address the Taylor Swift masters dispute that defined his public image for the past several years.

His main point: he barely knew her. “I think I’ve met her in my life three times,” Braun told Weiss, per Billboard. He said he’d never had a real conversation with Swift before the 2019 acquisition of Big Machine Records — and his company’s ownership of her first six albums’ master recordings — made him the target of one of pop music’s most public feuds. “I was a villain overnight,” he said.

Swift had called the acquisition her “worst case scenario” and went on to re-record her first six albums as the Taylor’s Version series, eventually reclaiming commercial control of her catalog. Braun maintained that there was no personal animosity on his end going into the situation — a framing that does little to resolve the underlying dispute but clarifies his own account of it, per TMZ.

A Rare Public Appearance

The interview covers more than Swift. Braun also spoke about Kanye West, Spencer Pratt, and made brief mention of Sydney Sweeney. He stepped down as CEO of Hybe America — the US arm of the South Korean entertainment conglomerate — last year, and has largely stayed out of the public eye since. The Second Thought podcast appearance is the most he’s said publicly in some time, per Variety.

The post Scooter Braun Says the Taylor Swift Feud Made Him a ‘Villain’ Overnight — ‘I Think I’ve Met Her Three Times in My Life’ appeared first on Cream.

• Madonna, 67, named John F. Kennedy Jr. as the best sex of her life in a new video made in partnership with Grindr to promote her upcoming 15th studio album Confessions II
• When asked to name the “best d***-down” she’s ever had, Madonna offered a qualifier first: “I’m only going to name dead people” — then picked JFK Jr., with whom she had a brief relationship in the early 1990s
• The video was obtained early by Page Six and also features playwright Jeremy O. Harris, Bob The Drag Queen, dancer Ivy Mugler, designer Raul Lopez, and i-D’s Marcello Gutierrez
• Confessions II is the follow-up to Madonna’s 2005 album Confessions on a Dance Floor; no release date has been announced

Madonna has never exactly been tight-lipped about her personal life, but her latest disclosure comes with one of her better qualifiers in recent memory. In a new video made with Grindr to promote her upcoming album Confessions II, the 67-year-old was asked to name the best sex she’s ever had. She was happy to answer — on one condition.

“I’m only going to name dead people,” Madonna said. Then she named John F. Kennedy Jr., per Page Six, which obtained the video before its release.

Madonna and Kennedy Jr. had a brief relationship in the early 1990s — a pairing that was the subject of considerable tabloid attention at the time and has been referenced in the decades since. Kennedy Jr. died in a 1999 plane crash at 38. The caveat Madonna attached to her ranking — limiting it to deceased exes — was noted across coverage as both practical and characteristically Madonna: a way of answering the question while declining to compare anyone currently living.

The Confessions II Rollout

The Grindr collaboration is part of an unconventional promotional push for Madonna’s 15th studio album, the follow-up to her landmark 2005 record Confessions on a Dance Floor. Instead of a traditional press tour, she filmed a roundtable-style video with playwright Jeremy O. Harris, Bob The Drag Queen, dancer Ivy Mugler, designer Raul Lopez, and i-D Global Beauty Editor Marcello Gutierrez — a mix of queer artists and tastemakers suited to the Grindr platform, per Us Magazine.

The questions in the video ranged from playful to pointed. The JFK Jr. answer has naturally dominated the coverage since the clip began circulating Thursday, per Just Jared. No release date for Confessions II has been announced.

The post Madonna Says JFK Jr. Was the Best Sex of Her Life — With One Very Madonna Caveat appeared first on Cream.

• Portola Music Festival has announced its 2026 lineup for the event’s fifth annual edition: September 26-27 at Pier 80 in San Francisco, presented by Goldenvoice
• Saturday night is headlined by Robyn and Dog Blood — the duo of Skrillex and Boys Noize — alongside Soulwax, Fatboy Slim, Skepta, Tove Lo, Groove Armada, DJ Shadow (performing a set celebrating 30 years of Endtroducing…..), Beastie Boys’ Mike D with his 5D project, and Tricky
• Sunday is headlined by Swedish House Mafia, with Tiësto making his Portola debut; the day also features Four Tet performing a live set, Zara Larsson, Ninajirachi, Kettama, and Mel C (the former Spice Girl) performing as a DJ
• Passes go on sale Tuesday at noon Pacific time; registration is required for access, and a “Party People Loyalty” presale is available for returning attendees

Portola just put together the kind of lineup that will have electronic music fans clearing their late-September calendars. The San Francisco festival, now heading into its fifth year, dropped its 2026 bill Thursday — and it’s headlined by Robyn, Dog Blood, Swedish House Mafia, and Tiësto across two nights at Pier 80.

Saturday leads with Robyn — the Swedish pop-dance icon whose catalog has anchored DJ sets and club nights for two decades — and Dog Blood, the project Skrillex runs with producer Boys Noize. Supporting on Saturday: Soulwax, Fatboy Slim, Skepta, Tove Lo, Groove Armada, Tricky, and DJ Shadow, who will be performing in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Endtroducing….., his landmark 1996 album. Beastie Boys’ Mike D is also on the bill with his 5D set, per Brooklyn Vegan.

Sunday belongs to Swedish House Mafia as headliner, with Tiësto making his debut at Portola. Four Tet will perform a live set — a different proposition from his usual DJ work — alongside Zara Larsson, Ninajirachi, Kettama, and Mel C, the former Spice Girl who has built a substantial second career as a DJ, per Billboard.

Tickets and Details

Portola takes place September 26-27 at Pier 80, the waterfront industrial venue on the outskirts of Potrero Hill that has become the festival’s signature setting. Passes go on sale Tuesday at noon Pacific time, per GVWire; registration is required, and returning attendees can access a “Party People Loyalty” presale.

The post Portola 2026 Lineup: Robyn, Swedish House Mafia, Dog Blood, Tiësto, Four Tet, and More Head to San Francisco This September appeared first on Cream.

• Ravyn Lenae has announced her third studio album Blue Island, arriving August 7 via Atlantic Records; it follows her 2024 album Bird’s Eye and the billion-stream breakout single “Love Me Not,” which reached the top 10 on the Billboard charts
• The announcement comes with a new lead single “Handle,” accompanied by a music video directed by Andre Muir with choreography by Akira Uchida
• The album was executive produced by Dahi — who also produced Kendrick Lamar’s “Worst Behavior” and “Money Trees” — continuing the creative partnership that defined Bird’s Eye
• Blue Island will include the previously released singles “Bobby” and “Reputation” (featuring Dominic Fike); Lenae also collaborated with Kali Uchis and PinkPantheress during 2025
• On the album’s concept: “‘Blue Island’ is a point of arrival, and feeling set in my ways and in who I am, and feeling free of any of those preconceived notions about Blackness or what I had to be in the past… really say ‘fuck all of that’ and do my own thing”

Two years after Bird’s Eye and the slow-burning rise of “Love Me Not” to a billion streams, Ravyn Lenae is back. The Chicago singer-songwriter announced her third studio album Blue Island on Wednesday alongside a new single, “Handle,” and a music video that captures a looser, more confident version of the artist who first emerged as a teenage prodigy on the Chicago indie scene.

Blue Island arrives August 7 via Atlantic Records, executive produced again by Dahi — the Grammy-winning producer behind Kendrick Lamar’s “Worst Behavior” and “Money Trees” — whom Lenae has described as a creative partner who works the way she does. The album includes the previously released “Bobby” and “Reputation” featuring Dominic Fike, and comes after a 2025 that saw Lenae collaborate with both Kali Uchis and PinkPantheress.

“Handle” was directed by Andre Muir, with choreography by Akira Uchida. Per Pitchfork, the track and video land as upbeat, movement-driven work — a different register from some of the more introspective material on Bird’s Eye.

“Say ‘F— All of That'”

Lenae’s statement about the album explains what Blue Island is trying to do — and what it’s trying to leave behind. “‘Blue Island’ is a point of arrival, and feeling set in my ways and in who I am, and feeling free of any of those preconceived notions about Blackness or what I had to be in the past,” she told Brooklyn Vegan. “So I think now it’s fun to challenge the idea of what R&B is supposed to sound like, what pop is supposed to sound like… and really say ‘fuck all of that’ and do my own thing.”

That’s a meaningful statement for an artist who came up being compared to everyone from Erykah Badu to SZA, and whose sound has consistently resisted easy categorization. Blue Island appears to be the record where she’s done explaining herself. It’s out August 7.

The post Ravyn Lenae Announces Third Album ‘Blue Island’ and Drops New Single ‘Handle’ appeared first on Cream.

• Riley Green released his new single “Think As You Drunk” on May 28, featuring a sample of Toby Keith’s 2005 hit “As Good As I Once Was” — a song Green says his dad used to joke was written about him
• Green also announced his new album That’s Just Me will be released on September 18; the album title signals a more personal statement after the commercial success of his previous record
• “Think As You Drunk” was co-written with Green’s frequent collaborators Erik Dylan, Wyatt McCubbin, and Jessi Alexander — the four of them finished it in 20 minutes
• The single is a comedic drinking anthem built around the malapropism “I ain’t as think as you drunk I am,” with Green deploying the kind of self-deprecating humor that has defined much of his catalog alongside his more emotional material
• Green is currently on the road for his Cowboy As It Gets Tour; his previous album Don’t Mind If I Do (October 2024) produced two No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hits — “Worst Way” and the Ella Langley duet “Don’t Mind If I Do”

Riley Green has been one of country music’s most consistent hitmakers over the past two years, but “Think As You Drunk” is something different — a song that leans into absurdist humor and summer-party energy rather than the heartbreak and longing that made “Worst Way” a No. 1 hit.

The single arrived Wednesday alongside a bigger announcement: Green’s new album That’s Just Me is coming September 18. It’s the follow-up to Don’t Mind If I Do, which was released in October 2024 and cemented his standing as one of country’s premier solo songwriters with back-to-back chart-toppers.

“Think As You Drunk” is built around a Toby Keith sample — specifically a lift from Keith’s 2005 hit “As Good As I Once Was.” Green told Billboard the Keith song held personal meaning before it even became a sample: his dad used to joke that “As Good As I Once Was” was written about him. Green covers Toby’s songs at every live show, and weaving him into a new track is as much tribute as creative choice.

The song itself leans into comedic wordplay. The central hook — “I ain’t as think as you drunk I am” — is a deliberately scrambled version of a classic protest-too-much phrase, with Green playing a character who insists he’s sober while the evidence around him says otherwise. “Don’t pay no mind to the smell of those crushed up cans,” goes another line from the preview Green shared ahead of the release.

Written in 20 Minutes

Green wrote “Think As You Drunk” with three of his go-to collaborators: Erik Dylan, Wyatt McCubbin, and Jessi Alexander. The four of them knocked it out in 20 minutes — which tracks for a song that runs entirely on a single, gleefully stupid premise and doesn’t try to be anything other than that.

The release lands in the middle of Green’s Cowboy As It Gets Tour and gives the live show a new crowd-ready moment ahead of the album drop in September. That’s Just Me doesn’t yet have a tracklist or lead single beyond “Think As You Drunk,” but given that Green’s last album opened with a No. 1 and added another before the cycle was done, the expectations heading into fall are high.

The post Riley Green Drops ‘Think As You Drunk’ With a Toby Keith Sample — and Announces New Album ‘That’s Just Me’ appeared first on Cream.

• Beran A., 21, a Austrian citizen who admitted to plotting an attack on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts in Vienna in August 2024, told an Austrian court Thursday: "I would like to say that I’m sorry" — brief remarks made ahead of the court’s deliberation on a verdict
• He faces charges including terrorist offenses and membership in a terrorist organization, which carry a potential sentence of up to 20 years; his defense attorney says he pleaded guilty during the opening of the trial last month
• Beran A. allegedly planned to target crowds outside Ernst Happel Stadium with knives and homemade explosives as tens of thousands of Swifties had traveled to Vienna for three Eras Tour shows; Austrian authorities thwarted the plot and canceled all three performances on August 8, 9, and 10
• He is also alleged to have networked with other members of ISIS ahead of the planned attack; he faces trial alongside Arda K., and a third man remains in pretrial detention in Saudi Arabia
• The three allegedly planned coordinated attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE during Ramadan 2024 under the ISIS banner

Nearly two years after Austrian authorities thwarted a plot to attack Taylor Swift fans in Vienna, the man who admitted to planning it stood in a Wiener Neustadt courtroom Thursday and said two words: "I’m sorry."

Beran A. — identified only by first name and last initial under Austrian privacy rules — offered the brief apology before the court adjourned to consider a verdict in his case. The 21-year-old Austrian citizen faces charges of terrorist offenses and membership in a terrorist organization, which carry a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

His defense attorney said Beran A. pleaded guilty to all charges related to the concert plot when the trial opened last month. The apology Thursday was the last thing the court heard before deliberations began.

What He Allegedly Planned

According to prosecutors, Beran A. had planned to target crowds gathered outside Ernst Happel Stadium with knives and homemade explosives. Swift had been scheduled to perform three consecutive nights — August 8, 9, and 10, 2024 — as part of the record-breaking Eras Tour. Tens of thousands of Swifties had traveled to Austria for the shows, per Billboard.

Austrian authorities detected the plot before it could be carried out and canceled all three performances out of an abundance of caution. In the aftermath, fans who had already arrived in Vienna gathered in the city center to trade friendship bracelets and commiserate over the cancellations.

The case goes beyond Vienna. Per the Associated Press, Beran A. also allegedly networked with other members of the Islamic State group ahead of the planned attack, and is facing trial alongside a second defendant, Arda K. A third man — also allegedly involved in the broader scheme — was arrested and remains in pretrial detention in Saudi Arabia. The three reportedly planned simultaneous attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates during Ramadan 2024 in the name of ISIS. Only Beran A. faces charges specifically connected to the Swift concert plot.

The post Man Who Plotted to Attack Taylor Swift’s Vienna Shows Apologizes in Court as Jury Considers Verdict appeared first on Cream.

• John McClain died Tuesday, May 26, in Malibu, California, from complications after a fall at his home that left him with a broken arm; he had been hospitalized at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in the days before his death
• He was 71 and had reportedly been dealing with health issues for several years; he was surrounded by friends and his nephew Warner Wright at the time of his death
• McClain was named co-executor of Michael Jackson’s estate in MJ’s 2002 will and took the role in 2009 — alongside attorney John Branca, he erased hundreds of millions of dollars in debt and built the estate into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise
• Before his estate work, he was an A&M Records executive who oversaw Janet Jackson’s breakthrough album Control and worked with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre
• His death comes as the estate is in the midst of a legal battle with Paris Jackson over a court-ordered accounting of fees from 2019 through 2024

John McClain, the music executive who transformed Michael Jackson’s debt-riddled estate into a multi-billion-dollar empire, died Tuesday in Malibu. He was 71.

According to TMZ, which first reported the news, McClain had fallen at his Malibu home and was medevacked to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where he was treated for a broken arm in the days before his death. He died Tuesday afternoon from complications related to the fall. A representative for the estate, Diana Baron, confirmed his passing. He was surrounded by friends and his nephew Warner Wright.

“I am profoundly grieved at the loss of my partner and ‘brother’ John McClain,” said attorney John Branca, his co-executor, in a statement. “One of the great innovators in the world of music and music marketing, John was a visionary, seeing past the mundane and into the future. He brought a passion and sense of conviction to all that he did and was the most generous of friends. It is difficult to imagine a world without him.”

The Estate He Helped Build

When Michael Jackson died in June 2009, he was reportedly close to half a billion dollars in debt — the result of years of extravagant spending and deteriorating business arrangements. McClain and Branca had been named co-executors in Jackson’s 2002 will, and when they stepped in, they inherited that debt alongside one of the most commercially powerful music catalogs in the world.

What followed was one of the more striking financial turnarounds in entertainment history. The two men cleared the debt and went on to generate billions through music releases, licensing, theatrical productions, and film. The posthumous projects included two albums of archival material, two Cirque du Soleil shows built around Jackson’s catalog, and the Broadway hit MJ: The Musical. Most recently, the estate produced the Michael Jackson biopic Michael, starring Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson — the film has grossed close to $800 million at the global box office since its April 24 release, making it the highest-grossing music biopic of all time in North America. In 2024, a California appeals court cleared the estate to proceed with the sale of half of Jackson’s publishing and recorded music catalog to Sony Music.

At the time of his death, McClain and Branca were in the midst of a legal dispute with Jackson’s daughter Paris — along with her brothers Prince and Bigi — over a court-ordered accounting of all attorney and estate fees from 2019 through 2024, with a compliance deadline set for September 15, 2026.

The Career Before the Estate

McClain was a Los Angeles native whose entry into music was practically inherited. His father owned the It Club, a jazz venue that hosted Miles Davis and John Coltrane; his mother was a pianist. He began his career as a music director and session musician, working with Gladys Knight, Diana Ross, and Lionel Richie, and later served as music director for R&B acts including the Sylvers and Shalamar.

His most consequential pre-estate role came at A&M Records, where he oversaw the label’s work with Janet Jackson and shepherded her breakthrough album Control (1986) — a record that repositioned her as an independent artist and became one of the defining pop albums of the decade. He also worked with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, and was responsible for urging the label to sign Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.

He had been close to the Jackson family since well before either of those roles, a quiet insider presence at the center of some of the biggest business decisions in pop music history. Per Variety, sources said he had been ill for several years, though the estate cited the fall as the official cause of death. No funeral arrangements had been announced as of Tuesday.

The post John McClain, Who Rebuilt Michael Jackson’s Estate From $500M in Debt, Dies at 71 appeared first on Cream.

• BTS officially unveiled their limited-edition Oreo collab on May 26 after a week of teasing
• The flavor is hotteok — a brown sugar-filled Korean street food pancake — chosen by the members themselves
• Each package contains cookies with 13 secret embossed designs, one for each year of BTS’s career
• “We ate them as kids, we eat them in the studio,” the group said of hotteok
• The Limited Edition Oreo & BTS Cookies are available globally

BTS could have made a safe cookie. They chose hotteok instead — and that choice is the whole story.

After a week of teasing, BTS officially unveiled their Limited Edition Oreo & BTS Cookies on May 26. The flavor: hotteok, a brown sugar-filled Korean street food pancake that’s been a staple of Korean winters for generations. It’s humble, sticky, and deeply nostalgic — and it’s exactly what the group picked when Oreo handed them creative control over their first global snack collaboration.

“We ate them as kids, we eat them in the studio,” the members said of hotteok. That’s the logic: not a trend, not a marketing calculation, but a flavor that actually means something to them.

13 Embossments, 13 Years

The packaging goes further. BTS designed 13 secret cookie embossments — one for each year of their career — specifically for ARMY to collect. The number isn’t accidental. Thirteen years in, the group turned a cookie collaboration into a love letter to the fandom that’s been there the whole time.

The cultural dimension of the hotteok choice matters too. Korean street food has been having a global moment, and BTS choosing a flavor that doesn’t translate easily into Western snack culture — rather than reaching for something more universally familiar — is a flex in the best possible way. It says: this is ours, and we’re sharing it on our terms.

Get Them While You Can

The Limited Edition Oreo & BTS Cookies are available globally. They will disappear. ARMY already knows this.

The post BTS Just Dropped a Limited-Edition Oreo — and the Flavor Choice Means Everything appeared first on Cream.

• Drake’s “Janice STFU” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, his 14th career chart-topper
• That breaks Michael Jackson’s record for most No. 1 hits by a solo male artist
• Drake now ties Rihanna and Taylor Swift for most No. 1s across all acts with 14
• He charted a record 42 songs on the Hot 100 in a single week and holds nine of the top 10
• His three new albums — ICEMAN, HABIBTI, and MAID OF HONOUR — debuted at Nos. 1, 2, and 3 simultaneously, a Billboard 200 first

Drake just did something no solo male artist has done in the 67-year history of the Billboard Hot 100. And then he did about five more things on top of it.

“Janice STFU” debuted at No. 1 this week, giving Drake his 14th career Hot 100 leader and breaking him out of a tie with Michael Jackson for the most No. 1 hits by a solo male artist in the chart’s history. He now ties Rihanna and Taylor Swift at 14 apiece across all acts. Only Mariah Carey (19) and the Beatles (20) have more.

The song drew 69.4 million streams and 3,000 sales worldwide in its first week, according to Luminate.

The Numbers Are Absurd

The No. 1 was just the headline. The full picture is staggering.

Drake charted a record 42 songs on the Hot 100 in a single week — all from his three new albums, ICEMAN, HABIBTI, and MAID OF HONOUR, which dropped May 15 on OVO Sound/Republic. That demolishes Morgan Wallen’s previous single-week record of 37 entries from last year. With 40 of those 42 being debuts, Drake also became the first artist ever to accumulate more than 400 career Hot 100 entries.

He occupies nine of the top 10 slots. The only song in the top 10 that isn’t his is Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas.”

On the Billboard 200 albums chart, ICEMAN debuted at No. 1 with 463,000 equivalent album units — the vast majority from streaming, pulling in over 462 million official on-demand streams. HABIBTI landed at No. 2 and MAID OF HONOUR at No. 3, making Drake the first artist in the chart’s 70-year history to hold the top three spots simultaneously.

That also pushed his career total to 15 No. 1 albums, surpassing Jay-Z for the most by a solo male artist and tying Taylor Swift among all solo acts.

What It Means

The records Drake broke this week span decades of chart history. He passed Michael Jackson, Jay-Z, and Morgan Wallen in a single chart cycle. He tied Taylor Swift and Rihanna. The only names still ahead of him on any list are Mariah Carey and the Beatles — and at 39, with three albums dropped in one night, he doesn’t appear to be slowing down.

On the Global 200, “Janice STFU” also debuted at No. 1, with Drake claiming eight of the top 10 globally. He joins BTS and Taylor Swift as the only artists to ever hold the chart’s top seven positions in a single week.

Fourteen No. 1s. Forty-two songs on the chart in one week. Three albums in the top three at once. Whatever the opposite of a quiet week is, Drake just had it.

The post Drake Just Broke Michael Jackson’s Billboard Record appeared first on Cream.