Chino Pacas is stepping into the action. The 19-year-old música Mexicana star releases his third studio album, Que Sigan Llegando Las Pacas V2, on Thursday (Sept. 3) via Street Mob Records — a 13-track, genre-hopping set steeped in revenge, love, ambition and a sleek John Wick-inspired universe.
It’s a new chapter for the Guanajuato-born artist, who was named to Billboard’s 2026 21 Under 21 list after breaking through with his unflinching corridos. On V2, Chino stretches that foundation in every direction: There are corridos and cumbia, hip-hop turns and hyperpop detours, plus appearances from Fuerza Regida on “Te Digo” and Mexican artist FLVCKKA on “Madrugada,” the only single released ahead of the album. The album also features labelmate Calle 24 on “Bonita.”
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The project’s focal point is “Envidia,” which comes with an accompanying mini-movie-style video that channels the world of the legendary fictional hitman and antihero. “We made a short film based on the plot of John Wick,” Chino tells Billboard. “Whenever I listened to this song, I always imagined this.” Beyond the action, it was the film’s visual language — “the theme, the costumes” — and the image of John Wick facing enemies from all sides that connected with him.
That cinematic world gives Chino room to reveal sides of himself that don’t always fit inside a traditional corrido. “These new songs allow me to express myself in a way that isn’t possible in a corrido,” he says. “In hyperpop, I can really immerse myself.”
Chino adds: “I’ve achieved many of the goals I had from the beginning, and now those goals have expanded and become much bigger.” He hopes the album highlights “the versatility that allows me to grow as a musician and songwriter.”
Stream Que Sigan Llegando Las Pacas V2 below:
Live Nation’s rivals are urging a federal judge to reject the Department of Justice’s proposal for the live entertainment giant to retain ownership of Ticketmaster with new antitrust guardrails.
AEG and SeatGeek have both submitted public comments criticizing the settlement reached by the federal government a week into Live Nation’s blockbuster antitrust trial this spring. State attorneys general continued with the trial, and a jury ultimately held Live Nation liable for monopolizing the live music industry via artist promotion, venue ownership and ticketing. Live Nation denies those claims and has promised to appeal.
Judge Arun Subramanian is now at a crossroads: He can either resolve the matter via the business changes outlined in the DOJ settlement, or he can order the more drastic and rare remedy of breaking up Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The states are advocating for a total breakup — as is AEG, a major Live Nation competitor that also promotes concerts, owns venues and has a ticketing service.
“The bottom line is simple: as long as Ticketmaster remains vertically integrated with Live Nation, venues will continue to face pressure to choose Ticketmaster because of Live Nation’s control over content,” reads AEG’s public comment, docketed on Thursday (Sept. 3). “The proposed decree does not address that fundamental incentive structure. Divestiture is needed to restore competition.”
While SeatGeek does not expressly push for a Ticketmaster divestiture in its public comment, the ticketing company similarly argues that the DOJ settlement is insufficient to fix Live Nation’s alleged market dominance. AEG and SeatGeek have both been involved throughout the antitrust case, and executives of both companies testified against Live Nation at trial.
One key dispute in the case is whether Live Nation boxes out competition by pressuring venues to sign exclusive primary ticketing agreements with Ticketmaster. The DOJ settlement addresses this by requiring Ticketmaster to offer non-exclusive contracts and by barring Live Nation from withholding concerts in retaliation from those venues that choose rival ticketers like SeatGeek or AEG’s AXS.
AEG and SeatGeek both argue, however, that Live Nation cannot be trusted to refrain from this type of retaliation. They say the company has promised this to the DOJ twice before — both when it merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 and in a follow-up 2020 deal that imposed additional compliance obligations. According to AEG and SeatGeek, Live Nation did not meaningfully change its business practices then, and it won’t now.
“In purporting to offer major concert venues the freedom to switch portions of their primary ticketing business from Ticketmaster to a rival provider, the proposed final judgment ignores the reality that major concert venues already have the freedom to switch all of their business to a rival provider — but have been unwilling to do so for fear of losing Live Nation concert revenue,” writes SeatGeek in its public comment, filed on Aug. 31 and exclusively obtained by Billboard. “This is a feeble gesture masquerading as a serious solution.”
AEG and SeatGeek also both take issue with the portion of the DOJ settlement that would require Ticketmaster to lend its back-end technology to other ticketers. AEG’s comment argues that rather than open up the market, this would have the “perverse” result of further entrenching Ticketmaster’s dominance by making it “the gatekeeper through which competing providers must operate.”
Alongside these public comments, veteran tour promoter Louis Messina filed a response of his own criticizing Live Nation’s DOJ settlement. Messina, whose company Messina Touring operates in partnership with AEG, says the settlement would not fix the high Ticketmaster fees that provide Live Nation with capital to “throw monopoly money at artists in the form of big guarantees” and box out independent promoters.
Messina also argues that while the settlement requires Live Nation to allow indie promoters into the amphitheaters it owns — addressing another key issue in the antitrust case — this provision is “full of loopholes that could easily allow Live Nation to block another promoter’s access.”
“I am worried. While I am of course worried about the survival of my own business, I am more worried about the entire music industry falling into the hands of one company,” writes Messina in his comment, docketed on Thursday. “I care about this business and the artists I work with. They deserve better and so do the fans. The court should reject the consent decree and order actual relief to save the industry.”
Live Nation has consistently maintained that the DOJ settlement is more than sufficient to resolve the claims in the case. Dan Wall, Live Nation’s executive vp of corporate and regulatory affairs, said in a Thursday statement to Billboard, “AEG and SeatGeek are Live Nation’s competitors, and their filings advance their own commercial interests, not those of artists, venues or fans.”
“Much of what they say misrepresents the settlement’s terms,” added Wall. “The Department of Justice negotiated this settlement and has said it delivers meaningful relief for consumers. Nothing in these filings changes our confidence that the court will approve it.”
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Some Little People sets are toys, while others become instant collector favorites, like Disney’s Frozen nine-figure set. The franchise behind the Billboard Hot 100 top five hit “Let It Go” teamed up with Fisher-Price on an Amazon-exclusive set featuring a carry-along castle case packed with nine characters: Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff, Sven, Grand Pabbie, Bulda, Pebble and Marshmallow. With more than a thousand purchased in the past month, the Frozen Little People set is one of many music-themed releases demonstrating the popularity of these tiny figures.
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The official *NSYNC Little People Collector set, for instance, quickly became a standout music release, selling out almost immediately as ’90s nostalgia fueled demand. The Britney Spears Little People Collector set likewise drew attention, featuring four figures inspired by some of her most recognizable music-video looks. And as KPop Demon Hunters merch continues its commercial takeover, its Little People Collector sets have been flying off the shelves too. Beyond music, the Gilmore Girls Little People and Kansas City Chiefs Collector sets also sold out rapidly following their respective launches.
Each figure in this Frozen Little People set is sized for small hands, while the portable case opens into a castle-themed playset with a dedicated space for each character. A built-in handle makes the set easy to carry, and the format supports imaginative storytelling and fine-motor practice for children ages 18 months and up. Recent Amazon sales estimates also indicate strong demand, so collectors should act quickly while stocks last.
MUSICAL VERSION
Fisher-Price Little People Elsa’s Ice Palace From Frozen
200+ Bought This Month
Collectors and young Frozen fans can also add Elsa’s ice palace musical playset to the lineup.
This Amazon exclusive features Elsa and Olaf alongside a bed and chair accessory. The interactive palace incorporates lights and sounds, plus “Let It Go,” giving the collectible a musical component. One button reveals a staircase with lights and sounds, while another button expands the castle with a spinning snowflake feature. Designed for children ages 18 months to 5 years, the set combines pretend play with storytelling and fine-motor activities.
Generative AI music platform Suno has pulled a controversial ad starring Mary J. Blige after learning that the legendary singer hadn’t actually approved it.
In a statement shared with Billboard on Thursday (Sept. 3), a spokesperson for Suno said, “We entered into a business deal with someone who presented themselves as Ms. Blige’s official representative.
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“As soon as we learned this was not the case, and that Ms. Blige was uncomfortable, we terminated the advertising campaign,” it continued.
The spokesperson also said that Blige is “an icon who we all deeply admire” who “hasn’t stopped innovating.” “That’s why we wanted to work with her,” they added.
Billboard has reached out to Blige’s reps for comment.
The development comes after the nine-time Grammy winner appeared in a video posted by Suno that showed her listening as someone who appears to be a producer demonstrates the AI system’s capabilities. “I just process, because I don’t know what the hell y’all talking about,” she says in the clip posted at the end of August. “So I like to learn what you talking about. Now, it’s like, ‘Ah, OK, this is pretty dope,’ if we could play with it more and learn more of everything else going on. It’s pretty dope.”
Her apparent participation in the ad led to immediate backlash from fans and think pieces criticizing her choice to seemingly endorse Suno, one of the most polarizing companies in the music industry today. (See: Billboard‘s feature in March on the company titled “Is Suno the Music Industry’s Biggest Nightmare — or Greatest Hope?”)
In the past three days alone, Billboard has reported on three separate lawsuits against Suno concerning alleged infringement on artist rights. Jason Isbell filed a class action suit at the end of August accusing Suno of violating artists’ name, image and likeness rights, while independent Gerencia 360 Music claimed in a recent legal complaint that Suno had illegally trained its AI model using music owned by the label.
Suno, however, has always maintained that its training process is protected by copyright law’s fair use principle, which allows unlicensed works to be reused for transformative purposes.
The Premios Juventud celebrations have officially arrived.
The first winners were announced earlier in the day Thursday (Sept. 3) on social media. Among them, Shakira and Burna Boy took home the OMG collaboration award for “Dai Dai,” the official song of the 2026 World Cup, which has topped Billboard’s global charts for weeks.
Additionally, Cazzu won the award for best cumbia song for “Con Otra,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Argentina chart, while Carín León and Alejandro Fernández shared the My Favorite Track honor for their hit “Me Está Doliendo,” which reached No. 1 on the Latin Airplay and Regional Mexican Airplay charts.
For the first time, Premios Juventud is taking place in Europe, at the Starlite Auditorium in Marbella, Spain, following previous editions in Miami, Puerto Rico and Panama. Under the theme “Conéctate al Vibe” (“Connect to the Vibe”), this year’s ceremony coincides with the inauguration of the PJ Fest, a weeklong event that included activations for creators and live concerts in Houston, Miami and Los Angeles, before culminating with the live gala in Spain.
Carín León leads the list of nominees with nine nods, followed by Beéle, Kany García and Rauw Alejandro, each with seven nominations. Meanwhile, Marc Anthony and Yandel are among the artists who will be recognized as “Agents of Change,” an award highlighting their social, artistic and cultural impact.
Artists such as Quevedo will make their Premios Juventud debut with a medley of hits including “Columbia,” “Al Golpito” and “La Graciosa” alongside Elvis Crespo. Farruko and Greeicy will also take the stage to perform their EDM hit “Yapaque,” which reached No. 1 on the Latin Airplay chart in July.
The 2026 Premios Juventud — which celebrates the artists and young changemakers making an impact in music, social media and community service — are being broadcast live on Univision, UNIMÁS, Galavisión and ViX.
Below is the full list of winners, which we’ll be updating.
Slayyyter might be actually kinda famous, but now she has something even better: a stamp of approval from Lady Gaga.
Mother Monster gave the pop singer a major shout-out in a new TikTok posted Thursday (Sept. 3), soundtracking a makeup tutorial with Slayyyter’s “I’M ACTUALLY KINDA FAMOUS.” In the video, Gaga shows off what she calls her “daily holy trinity” — concealer, contour and lip liner — while getting ready in under a minute.
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But it was Gaga’s comments section that delivered the real crossover.
“I know Slayyyter is going to burst into flames when she sees her song was used,” one fan wrote underneath the video. Gaga then responded with possibly the only thing that could make the moment more exciting for Slayyyter: “I love Slayyyter,” followed by three black-heart emojis.
Slayyyter didn’t literally combust, but she did promptly freak out and respond. The rising pop star reposted Gaga’s comment to her Instagram Story, writing in all caps, “I LOVE GAGA.” But the crossover didn’t end there.
The singer later made her way into Gaga’s TikTok comments herself, writing, “OMG… OMG.” Gaga was quick to respond, and she couldn’t resist slipping in a reference to another Slayyyter song.
“You mean… Yes GODDD!!!! You’re the best,” Gaga wrote, alluding to Slayyyter’s WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA track “YES GODDD.”
This public declaration from one of pop music’s most prominent figures is just one of many prizes Slayyyter has collected within the year. She recently earned her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 when “brand new chanel$” charted at No. 98 during the week of Aug. 15. Her latest album, WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Dance Albums chart.
So, yes, Gaga picked an especially appropriate soundtrack. “I’M ACTUALLY KINDA FAMOUS” is already one of the most deliciously self-aware titles in Slayyyter’s catalog. Now, one of pop’s biggest stars has given it a co-sign.
Take a look at the interaction below.
KISS scores its highest-charted title on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart in more than a decade, as KISS Destroys Anaheim ’76 debuts at No. 8 on the list dated Sept. 5. The archival live project brings the band to its highest rank on the tally since 2012, with the group’s final studio album, Monster, debuted and peaked at No. 3 in October 2012.
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KISS Destroys Anaheim ’76 commemorates the 50th anniversary of the group’s Aug. 20, 1976 show at the Anaheim Stadium, where the band played to its largest audience at the time: 42,000. As part of KISS’ The Spirit of ’76 Tour (also known as the Destroyer Tour), the recording was newly mixed for its first official public release across an array of physical and digital formats.
The album boasts recordings of KISS favorites like “Detroit Rock City,” “Strutter,” “Shout It Out Loud” and “Rock and Roll All Nite.” KISS Destroys Anaheim ’76 also debuts on an array of other Billboard charts: Indie Store Album Sales (No. 8), Vinyl Albums (No. 16), Top Hard Rock Albums (No. 12), Top Rock & Alternative Albums (No. 48) and the overall Billboard 200 (No. 173). On the latter, the set marks KISS’ 37th chart entry
Elsewhere on the Sept. 5-dated Top Album Sales chart, ENHYPEN nabs its fifth No. 1 with THE SIN : BLISS’ chart-topping arrival, while Weezer and Twenty One Pilots see their latest projects make top 10 bows at Nos. 4 and 5. Check out the full chart.
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on pure album sales (physical and digital download purchases combined). The chart’s history dates to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album (TEA) units and streaming equivalent album (SEA) units.
Ciara Miller might have found her perfect first dance song ahead of her Dancing With the Stars stint, thanks to Sabrina Carpenter fans.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight posted Wednesday (Sept. 2), the reality star reacted to audience members requesting that she and pro partner Brandon Armstrong break it down to “Taste” for their first televised performance on the competition. “Oh my gosh!” Miller gasped. “That is so funny. That is amazing.”
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“The audience is messy!” she said, meanwhile the gears appeared to be turning in her head as she considered the possibility. “I love it. Messy boots.”
For the uninitiated, Miller’s personal life was thrust into the center of pop culture discourse earlier this year after it came out that her Summer House castmates Amanda Batula and West Wilson had begun an intimate relationship without her knowledge. Given that Batula was Miller’s good friend and Wilson was Miller’s ex, Miller felt a lot of hurt and betrayal over the situation — which she unleashed during a memorable, heated season reunion in May.
And as fans have evidently pointed out, “Taste” is the perfect song for the situation. “Now I’m gone, but you’re still layin’/ Next to me, one degree of separation,” Carpenter sings on the Short n’ Sweet track, which hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2024. “I heard you’re back together, and if that’s true/ You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissin’ you.”
For the record, Armstrong is here for it as well. “I’m just here for support and vibes,” he told ET. “I’m just down.”
“We’re gonna leave it all out on the dance floor,” Miller added. “It’s gonna be healing. We’re gonna cry, we’re gonna laugh. It’s gonna be a good time.”
The interview comes on the same day the full DWTS season 35 cast was announced. In addition to Miller, Taylor Hanson, Guillermo Rodriguez, Maura Higgins, Harry Shum Jr., Julia Stiles, Jenna Dewan, Tyler Cameron, Conner Leavitt and more will compete.
Watch Miller and Armstrong’s full conversation with ET below.
Even after dropping three albums in May, Drake isn’t satisfied.
He’s been teasing what appears to be a project titled Fear of Missing Out, and the 6 God officially set the rollout in motion on Thursday (Sept. 3) when he announced plans for a YouTube livestream slated for Sept. 15 at 9 p.m. ET.
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Drizzy posted a Fear of Missing Out poster to Instagram and revealed the date of the livestream without any other details. The only other possible hints were an island and Ferris wheel emojis in the caption.
“You really said steak, lobster and shrimp, now we’re getting caviar. You’re making sure we’re well fed this year,” one fan wrote.
Other members of the OVO hive predicted that a single will arrive during the stream and an album will be in tow not too far down the line.
Drake made plenty of history in May when he released ICEMAN, HABIBTI and MAID OF HONOUR in May, becoming the first to ever occupy the top three slots of the Billboard 200 albums chart simultaneously.
“Janice STFU” became the 14th Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit of Drizzy’s career, which broke a tie with Michael Jackson to give the 6 God the most among male soloists, as he charted a record-high of 42 songs on the chart in a single week.
ICEMAN topped the Billboard 200 to notch Drake his 15th No. 1, which broke a tie with Jay-Z for the most among rappers. ICEMAN has had staying power, as the album is spending a 13th week atop the Top Rap Albums chart, which is a career best for Drake.
Drizzy performed a few songs from ICEMAN in an arena setting for the first time on Monday night (Aug. 31), when he made a guest appearance at Don Toliver’s OCTANE World Tour stop in Toronto at Scotiabank Arena.
Find Drake’s Fear of Missing Out announcement below.
Management, publishing and creative development company Only Good People launched in London and Stockholm, while its publishing division, Only Good Songs, operates as a joint venture with Sony Music Publishing Germany.
The new company is founded by Giovanni Damiani, serving as head of business development, Sebi Bohnenberger as head of operations, board member Jay Pidgeon and managing director Martina Pemac.
“What stood out to us from the beginning as Only Good People’s genuine commitment to creativity and long-term artist development,” Kristina Altinger, senior manager, A&R, at Sony Music Publishing Germany, said in a statement. “They created an environment where songwriters and producers can truly grow, collaborate and reach their full potential. We’re excited to partner with the team behind Only Good Songs and help create new opportunities for the next generation of creative talent.”
The company’s publishing roster includes James Newman, Giovanni Damiani — who co-wrote the official anthem for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, “DNA (More Than A Game),” via Only Good Songs — Reece Taylor and Dom Lyttle (also known as Decoy Tunes).
“Songs break faster, earn slower but live longer than they ever had,” Pemac, who is based in the company’s Stockholm office, said in a statement. “That is the whole game now, yet most of the industry is still structured for a world where releases are events and artist development the labels’ problem. Only Good People was built as infrastructure to mee the new demands: management, publishing and creative development under one roof, with publishing that directly feeds dance music’s biggest stages, and careers you can sustain. This is just the beginning.” — Ariel King