Memphis Bleek was “happy” to see his mentor Jay-Z address his haters during his Roots Picnic freestyle.

The Brooklyn rapper turned podcaster recently sat down with Boardroom and gave some insight on how Jay operates

“Jay just be having verses. I know,” he said after admitting that he didn’t really get to hear the freestyle until it hit social media due to how chaotic it was backstage. “I be trying to get him to spit, but he got too many verses that he just tucks. When you’re a writer, you’re a rapper, you’re an artist, you’re gonna continue to write. Whether you release it or not.”

Bleek then explained why the people Jigga dissed had it coming because it’s easy to lie in today’s digital climate. “Everybody get hit. He put the fully on,” he began. “These kids got the switch, they don’t know about the fully. They know Shawn Carter, they know Jay-Z, they don’t know Jigga. That’s Jigga. Welcome, man.”

He added: “I’m happy he did ’cause a lot of people they just talk and talk and talk and its no one to rebuke it, to go against it, speak the truth, so lies get spewed all over the Internet and turned into truth. Because, you know, these guys are gonna believe what they want, but it’s not the other side fighting against it, only the lie seems like the truth. So, I’m glad he put belt to ass on certain people. They deserved that spanking.”

He then continued by saying that if you’ve paid attention, Jay-Z almost always talks about what he’s going through in his music. “Jay always responds through music,” the Memph Man explained. “Anything he’s feeling or going through, it’s always been in the music. That’s how we’ve always been. All of us. We really don’t get on here like, ‘Yo, I hate this rapper. When I see you, I’ma catch you.’ It’s on the record. If we’re going to entertain, I’ma make money off it. I’m not gonna just go on here and just be on everybody platform. Your algorithms go up and I’m just angry.”

You can watch the full conversation below.

Fans are getting to see one more conversation with Oliver Tree following his untimely death, with the singer/songwriter recording a guest appearance on Bobbi Althoff’s Really Good Podcast prior to the helicopter collision that killed him earlier this month.

In the episode posted Monday (June 29), Tree — dressed, as he often did, in a comedic costume, this time donning an Elmo suit and red face paint — discussed a wide range of topics, including his “high risk” lifestyle. Tree often turned interviews into extended bits with outlandish takes, but did make a prescient comment in one of his final interviews, when he explained why he preferred to live as adventurously as possible.

“My parents, they’re like, ‘Oliver, it’s a lot to travel all the time,’” he said. “I’m like, ‘Guys, look. We don’t know if I’ll be alive next year, or if you’ll be alive.’”

“There’s no day promised,” he added. “You know how high risk I live my life, for real? The last two years I was living in poo huts in Africa, I stayed in mud houses in Iraq.”

Tree died at age 32 on June 14 along with the two pilots and three other passengers who were onboard the pair of helicopters that crashed into each other in Rio de Janeiro. The musician had been abroad while on his global tour in support of the April ablum Love You Madly Hate You Badly, playing what would become his final show on June 6 in São Paulo.

Shortly after Tree’s death, it was announced that his fortune will go toward launching Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Grant for Baby Geniuses, a grant supporting the creation of art that he’d publicly discussed setting up prior to his death. “I take no credit for anything I’ve ever done,” Tree said on the Zach Sang Show this past April. “I don’t believe that any of the wealth or things that get made from it is mine. My will is set up so that when I pass, my family, nobody is going to get a penny. All the money is going to go back to artists.”

Althoff said in a disclaimer at the beginning of her video interview with Tree that all profits from their conversation will go toward his grant. “I’m grateful to have had this conversation with Oliver,” it reads. “I’m sharing it with love and respect for his life, his art, and the unforgettable world he created.”

Watch her full interview with Tree below.

Nicki Minaj wished Elon Musk a happy birthday as the Tesla CEO turned 55 years old on Sunday (June 28), and the Barbz leader credited the tech mogul with “saving free speech.”

Minaj shared what appears to be an AI-generated selfie with Musk on Sunday, alongside the birthday note. “Thank you for saving free speech, Elon. Happy Birthday Love always From Gag City & the Barbz,” she wrote to Musk’s X platform.

The Queens rapper hasn’t been shy about her Musk fandom. In May, she pulled up to Musk’s Starbase in Texas to see SpaceX’s flight test. Unfortunately, the launch was delayed due to technical errors within the spacecraft.

“Barbz, come on down, because this is a lot of fun. I’m excited,” she said in an interview at Starbase with members of the SpaceX content team. “This is historic, this is a major moment y’all.”

Minaj continued: “Major shout-out to Elon. Thank you for everything that you’re doing for humanity.”

At the time, Minaj was fittingly wearing a “Starship” graphic T-shirt, as her Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded lead single “Starships” reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2012.

Earlier in June, the “Super Bass” rapper wished Donald Trump a happy 80th birthday with a series of AI-generated photos, one of which included Elon Musk and actress Sydney Sweeney taking a road trip with Minaj and Trump.

There’s plenty of overlap between Trump and the Tesla CEO, as Musk previously served as Trump’s senior advisor and was the head the Department of Government Efficiency before leaving the administration in May 2025.

Minaj has spent much of the year raving about Donald Trump and her MAGA allegiance. She even claimed to be the president’s “No. 1 fan” in January when she met the president for the first time at a Trump Accounts Summit.

Find Nicki Minaj’s happy birthday post to Elon Musk here.

 Yung Miami is once again asking Drake to get on one of her songs.

Earlier this month, the Miami rapper and media personality joked that she got left on read by Drake when she asked the Toronto superstar to hop on her song “Take Me to Chanel.”

 “I remember DM’ing him, but that was at the time when he was going through all his sh–. And when people going through they sh–, like, I get it, I understand,” she told Cam Newton. “But I DM’d him like, ‘Drake, I think you’ll sound good on “Take Me to Chanel.”’ He just liked the message — like come on, now, don’t do that! Drake, don’t do that now ’cause when you called me I was there! But, nah, I f— with Drake, I understand.”

Now, during a red carpet interview at Sunday night’s 2026 BET Awards, she was asked by Complex who she would like to get on the remix, so naturally she mentioned Drake and pleaded with him to stop ignoring her calls. “You gotta stay tuned for that, but I really want Drake,” the former City Girl shared. “Champagne Papi. You know we gotta call Drake. Iceman. I want Iceman! Iceman, pick up the phone.”

Yung Miami is having a moment with her record “Spend Dat.” She performed it on a float during the New York Knicks championship parade because the team loves the song so much and even Fabolous put his own spin on it with the help of content creator Lowkey Mar as the team was closing in on it’s first title in 53 years.

“Spend Dat” currently sits at No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Yung Miami might have the song of the summer.

Twista (born Carl Mitchell) has pleaded guilty to five counts of willfully failing to pay taxes for five years between 2019 and 2023.

The 52-year-old owes the IRS more than $440,000 in back taxes and now faces up to five years in prison, according to Chicago federal court documents viewed by Billboard. Each of the five charges comes with a one-year maximum sentence along with a $25,000 fine.

Twista entered a guilty plea on Wednesday (June 24), which the court accepted. The Chicago native is slated to be sentenced on Oct. 22.

Broken down by year, the hefty six-figure sum of tax liabilities includes $18,891.25 for 2019, $5,715.83 for 2020, $32,571.71 for 2021, $71,703 for 2022, and $49,102.73 for 2023.

The “Overnight Celebrity” rapper was also found to have unpaid tax liabilities from 2011 through 2018. Including penalties and interest, the annual totals are listed as $5,101.98 for 2011, $9,619.26 for 2012 $40,263.33 for 2014, $25,574.22 for 2015, $95,568.57 for 2016, $17,241.44 for 2017, and $69,706.59 for 2018.

“Mitchell entered into agreements with a third-party company to pay him advances on future royalties, knowing that the IRS would not be able to levy these funds,” the IRS claimed, while alleging that Twista received payments totalling $578,322.

Federal prosecutors claimed that Twista bought luxury cars instead of using the funds to make payments on his tax liabilities.

The purchases named in the court docs list a “2015 BMW I8 worth $81,893.81, a 2016 Tesla Model X worth approximately $65,099, a 2022 Chevrolet Corvette worth $100,354.03 and a 2025 Jeep Gladiator worth $64,400.75.”

Hailing from Chicago, Twista rose to prominence in the early 2000s and became known for his speedy rapping and breath control. His 2004 Kamikaze album topped the Billboard 200, and he’s been part of three top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: the No. 1 hit “Slow Jamz” with Ye and Jamie Foxx, “Overnight Celebrity” (No. 6) and Trick Daddy’s “Let’s Go” (No. 7).

Billboard has reached out to Twista’s attorneys for comment.

Lauryn Hill was honored Sunday night (June 28) at the 2026 BET Awards as the inaugural recipient of the Living Legend Icon Award.

According to BET, the Living Legend Icon Award celebrates “the pioneers who mastered their craft and never let go of the culture.” Connie Orlando, EVP of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy, called Hill the very definition of a living legend, while further explaining why she’ll be the award’s first honoree. “Across every era, she has never chased the moment; she has shaped it,” Orlando said. “Her artistry redefined what was possible in our music and gave a generation permission to be fearless, spiritual and free. Her influence is woven into the fabric of the culture, and it is a profound honor to celebrate her legacy on Culture’s Biggest Night.”

The New Jersey singer, rapper and actress first made a name for herself on the silver screen playing the stubborn but talented student Rita Louise Watson in 1993’s Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. She then reinforced herself as one-third of the legendary Fugees alongside Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel in 1994 when the group dropped their debut album Blunted on Reality. However, it wasn’t until 1996’s The Score and Ms. Hill’s rendition of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song” that she really catapulted to superstardom. She then upped the ante two years later with her seminal debut solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill that forever changed what a hip-hop album could sound like.

Her tribute started off with Ice Cube setting the table as he broke down her career, which was then followed by her bandmate Wyclef narrating their time with the Fugees. As for the medley, The War and Treaty started things off with a callback to Sister Act 2 as they performed “Joyful, Joyful,” originally performed by the fictional St. Francis Choir in the movie; Doechii and SZA covered “Ready or Not”; Tems and Tierra Whack did “Fu-Gee-La”; Lauryn’s daughter Selah Marley performed the title track from her mother’s solo project; Doja Cat came out for “Superstar”; Nas did their classic collab “If I Ruled the World” with Doja; Hill’s son YG Marley performed “Turn Your Lights Down Low”; Lizzo brought Tierra out again to help her perform “Doo Wap (That Thing)”; her other song Zion Marley did a rendition of a song that’s named after him; Alexia Jayy blew the crowd away with her cover of “Killing Me Softly”; and Queen Latifah and Common ended the tribute with “Lost Ones.”

Hill then surprised the crowd and viewers by performing “Ex-Factor” before accepting her award.

During her speech, she explained why she’s so outspoken and encouraged artists to do the same before she congratulated her children on their many accomplishments.

“I do this because I love y’all,” the singer began. “I do this because I want you to have everything that I experienced, right? I had wonderful parents who loved on me, poured into me, and protected me. And once I realized that not everybody got to have that experience, I felt like it was my duty, my responsibility to share as much love, and to pour into as much people as I possibly could. And music was a way for me to do that. But also, I had always cared about the expression and the representation of the dignity of our people. So, you know, we put ourselves at times as artists, we put ourselves in places and in situations where we have to say things that aren’t always comfortable. But we understand that people will understand later.”

She added: “I fight for y’all. Everybody may not know about it, but I fight for y’all. And fighting for y’all is me fighting for myself, it’s me fighting for my children, it’s me fighting for my parents, it’s me fighting for my grandparents, it’s me fighting for my community. I have a desire to make music as well as I can, or to communicate with people as well as I can because I wan’t people to know that’s what we do. I want people to know what we can do.”

Finally, Lauryn ended the show with an emotional performance of “Everything Is Everything” as the credits began to roll.

You can watch her acceptance speech below.

For the past 45 years, A Capitol Fourth has celebrated the nation’s birthday on July 4 live from the U.S. Capitol, bringing some of America’s most beloved performers together for an Independence Day concert and fireworks that is televised on PBS.

This year, as the country heralds its Semiquincentennial, A Capitol Fourth: 250^th Weekend Celebration is starting early, moving its annual festivities to July 3 to get the jump on a crowded slate. “Not only are there tons of things going on in Washington, there’s tons of things going on all over the country,” says Michael Colbert, executive producer of A Capitol Fourth. “We’ve heard already from so many public television stations how excited they are that we’re kicking off this year a day early. Next year, we’ll go back to the Fourth, as we’ve always been.”

Joining host Alfonso Ribeiro will be a packed roster of artists across the musical spectrum including Chicago, Trace Adkins, Patti Labelle, Kool & The Gang, Carly Pearce, Alan Jackson, Loren Allred, Angel Blue, the National Symphony Orchestra and the Broadway cast of Just in Time, as well as actors Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna.

“We really try to have something for everybody,” Colbert says. “You start out with a blank sheet of paper, and you end up with just an unbelievable group of artists from so many wonderful genres.”

Given the nature of the holiday, the focus is on American performers, but in past years “we have been blessed here and there to have friends from other parts of the world to come and celebrate with us,” he says.  

In these divisive political times, A Capitol Fourth (and its sister, the National Memorial Day concert) remains devoutly nonpartisan. “Since day one, these have been completely nonpartisan, and they’re always going to be,” Colbert says. “There’s no other way to do it. Left, right or center, everybody is for celebrating our birthday.”

Also special this year to commemorate the 250^th birthday, the concluding fireworks will shoot off from George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Virginia, home, instead of the usual location on the National Mall in D.C., as actress/singer Allred sings “God Bless America.” “What a perfect connection to 250 years ago,” Colbert says. “We wouldn’t be a country if it weren’t for George Washington.”

The concert airs commercial-free starting at 8 p.m. ET on PBS stations across the country, and then many markets immediately repeat it, so the special takes up PBS’s entire three-hour primetime block that night. The program, presented by Boeing, also streams on YouTube and airs on the American Forces Network.

Because of the special 250^th anniversary, more festivities than usual are planned. The unusually crowded field includes the Macy’s two-hour 4^th of July Fireworks on NBC. Also happening is Disney Celebrates America, a 24-hour cross-platform broadcast and primetime special anchored by David Muir that starts July 3 and carries over through July 4, and President Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair/Freedom 250 celebration that began June 25 on the National Mall and concludes July 10.  

The Capitol Fourth is literally a family affair for Colbert, whose late father started the event 46 years ago when Colbert was 12. “I was there, holding his script and a Diet Coke for him,” Colbert recalls. He and his wife, Jill Jackson, now serve as the executive producers of the festivities.

And many of the performers feel like family, having played the events several times. Riberio returns as host for a fourth year. “We all know he does live television every week [as host of Dancing with the Stars], but he is a joy to work with,” Colbert says. “He’s such a talent, but he’s also one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and when you’re live and you got that clock dangling above your head to get off on time, he is just such a pro.”

Several of the artists have special performances planned. Adkins will perform the television debut of his new song, “American Made,” as well as “Still a Soldier” in a tribute to 250 years of military service and sacrifice, flanked by service members dressed in period uniforms through 1776 to current day.

LaBelle will sing Frank Sinatra’s “The House I Live In,” while operatic soprano Blue will perform “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Pearce will sing “The National Anthem” and a country-tinged version of “This Land Is Your Land.”

Additionally, the Artemis II crew and members of the Winter Olympics and Paralympics will take part.

While the bulk of the performances are live (the only exception over the decades has been during the Covid-19 shutdown), this year will have one taped appearance from Jackson performing “American the Beautiful,” which the country superstar taped at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium over Memorial Day. (Jackson, who suffers from degenerative neurological disorder Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, filmed a farewell concert at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium June 27.)

For Colbert, each year’s participation brings a greater appreciation for the event and the country. “I just feel very humble and happy and grateful to be able to do this,” he says. “Not just continuing my dad’s legacy, but to be able to do something that it ultimately about love of country and love of one another. Let’s celebrate and dance all the way through it.”

Teyana Taylor was honored with the Icon of the Year Award at the 2026 BET Awards on Sunday night (June 28) for her enduring impact across music, fashion and film.

Janet Jackson, who’s Taylor’s main artistic inspiration, made a surprise appearance to present the Harlem-bred polymath with the award, which caught Taylor off guard and saw her immediately break down in tears.

“It seems like only yesterday, our rose from Harlem grew out of the concrete and blossomed into our Icon of the Year. I’ve enjoyed watching you, as you know, over the years,” Jackson gushed. “Watching you defy expectations, rewrite the rules and lead with an unstoppable work ethic.”

Rocking a 2Pac T-shirt, the pop icon continued: “The world is made more luminous with the art that you have given it. This year, it belongs to you.”

Overcome with emotion, a sobbing Taylor wiped her tears and hit a Janet Jackson-esque strut across the stage in a blue dress to accept the Icon of the Year Award, but made sure to give Jackson her flowers before turning the spotlight to herself.

“I love you so much,” Taylor said to Jackson. “Thank you for always seeing me. Thank you for every text, every hug, every talk. You are my biggest inspiration. Everybody who I know knows how I feel about you. The fact you even took out the time to be here and celebrate with me, this is crazy. I love you so much. There would be no me without you.”

Taylor went on: “Tonight they handed me a title and that title is Icon of the Year. For a little minute, I wondered if I was supposed to be feel uncomfortable saying that title out loud. But nah, I worked my a– off 20 years for this. So I’m not what I’ve earned with arrogance, I’m accepting what I’ve earned with gratitude.”

Taylor urged the importance of pouring into others, as she believed that helping others doesn’t mean she has to dim her own light. “So tonight I will wear this title loud and proud because I promise to continue to earn it,” she added.

Teyana Taylor is coming off a banner 2025, which included her starring in the Oscar-winning One Battle After Another. For her performance as Perfidia, she picked up a Golden Globe Award and a nomination at the Academy Awards. The 34-year-old also released her Escape Room album, which debuted at No. 67 on the Billboard 200.

Spike Tee also picked up an additional three BET Awards, for video director of the year, the fashion vanguard award and best actress.

Watch Taylor’s full speech below.

“Watch It Burn,” Katy Perry‘s latest single, tops this week’s new music poll.

Listeners voted in a poll published Friday (June 26) on Billboard, choosing the pop star’s just-released song as their favorite new music.

“Watch It Burn” soared ahead new releases from artists including TEEKS, sombr, Gracie Abrams and Phoebe Bridgers. At the poll’s closing time on Sunday, fans took Perry to the top with 27% of the vote.

Perry lets loose her rage in “Watch It Burn,” which has her declaring in verse one, “For years, I tried to rise above/ Was only light and love/ But now I’m, ‘Shut the f— up.’” The track was accompanied by a fiery new music video directed by Christian Breslauer.

“You know I gave and I gave/ Now I’m giving up/ There’s nothing more you can take/ No, I don’t want to cause a scene/ But give me the gasoline/ Tonight’s the night, I light a match/ Throw it hard behind my back/ Gonna try to forgive and forget/ Light a cigarette, and watch it burn/ With the past, I’ma breathe in the ash/ Gonna try to forgive and forget/ Light a cigarette, and watch it burn,” Perry sings in the chorus.

“Watch It Burn” is Perry’s follow-up to “Bandaids,” which dropped in November. She last released a full-length studio album in 2024, 143, which was a top 10 hit on the Billboard 200.

Trailing just behind Perry’s single are TEEKS’ “My Boy,” coming in with 18% of the vote, and sombr’s “My Body Isn’t Ready,” with 16% of the vote.

See the final results of this week’s poll below.