As Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce celebrate their nuptials over Fourth of July weekend, the couple made sure that several different charities have cause to celebrate as well.

In light of the Thursday (July 2) news that the pop star and Kansas City Chiefs tight end had contributed $26 million to a slew of charities across the United States, many of those organizations have shared public messages of thanks. One of them, the Grammy Museum Foundation, posted a statement praising the soon-to-be-newlyweds for their “transformative gift” that will “help expand our mission of bringing music education to students across the country,” while New York Cares said it was “enchanted” by their generosity and added, “Thank you for making our mission a part of your love story.”

“We’d like to send a heartfelt thank you to @taylorswift and @killatrav for their very generous donation to our food bank just prior to their big wedding day,” wrote Harvesters in Kansas City. “The two of them have incredibly big hearts and have shown up to support not only us but many charities over the years. We feel so lucky that they make the conscious effort to invest in hunger relief and the beautiful community we call Kansas City!”

Those are just three of more than a dozen thank-you notes released by charities Swift and Kelce selected to benefit from their pre-wedding donation. The 14-time Grammy winner’s rep announced the act of goodwill earlier on Thursday, sending a list of the organizations who received parts of the sum. Notably, all of the cities featured have personal significance to the couple, from Reading, Pennsylvania, and Cleveland — where Swift and the football player are from, respectively — to Nashville and Kansas City, where they started their careers.

The pair also donated to a number of causes based in NYC, where they are set to celebrate their wedding on Friday at Madison Square Garden.

See some of the posts from charities thanking Swift and Kelce below.

Michael Rubin hosted his fifth annual White Party at the Fanatics CEO’s estate in Southampton, N.Y., on Wednesday (July 1), and the bash was a star-studded affair with dignitaries from across Hollywood, music and sports connecting. 

The celebrity guest list included Jay-Z, Cardi B, Travis Scott, Tate McRae, Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Shaboozey, Ciara, Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, Ice Spice, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, DJ Khaled, Lil Baby, Meek Mill, The Chainsmokers, French Montana and Fat Joe.

There were performances from Lil Wayne, who ghosted a concert in Maine on Tuesday (June 30) and later apologized; Snoop Dogg and Cardi B. It was a poetic close to the night, which ended with a fireworks celebration over the Atlantic Ocean while Alicia Keys performed “Empire State of Mind.”

Plenty of iconic athletes headed to the Hamptons as well, with Tom Brady, Mike Tyson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Davante Adams, Klay Thompson, Alex Rodriguez and Puka Nacua in attendance. 

The White Party is typically scheduled surrounding July 4 and celebrating America, but Rubin said the party’s date this year was considered in part to not have guests decide between his event and attending Taylor Swift’s wedding in NYC, which is slated for July 3 at Madison Square Garden.

“We were debating the dates. We were certainly aware of that date, but we didn’t change it because of that date,” Rubin, who shared photos of the event on his Instagram, told People. “But we were aware of that date and we didn’t want to have people have to choose. People come to the White Party no matter when we do it.”

Rubin’s White Party continues to bring star power to the Hamptons, and remains one of the premier July 4 parties when it comes to celebrity attendance. 

As for Jay-Z, he’s gearing up to return to the stage in NYC, where he’ll headline Yankee Stadium for a trifecta of shows on July 10 through July 12, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt as well as 25 years of The Blueprint.

Pretty Lights has announced his first new album in 13 years, the 45-song A Trip Thru Time Fantastic. The project is the artist’s fifth studio album and first since 2013’s A Color Map of the Sun.

The project’s 45 songs are divided into nine sections, called “constellations” by the producer born Derrick Vincent Smith. The first three constellations, encompassing 15 songs, are not on DSPs but are available to stream and download for free via the Pretty Lights website.

“I said i didn’t want to focus on albums after ACMOTS over 10 years ago & shifted my energy towards living creative systems & conscious cohesion via the soundship space system and the swirlbridge,” Smith wrote on social media on July 1 when announcing the album. ” So much music was made over those years with my bestest friends, for the purpose of swirling and experimenting with journeys into expressive flow state transmissions & reaching new depths of connection with our beloved cosmic caravan, the PLF [Pretty Lights Family].

“In the last 9 years of timeline weavery,” the statement continues. “I built a home with the love of my life, found a spiritual path, reunited with my eternal soul brother Michal Menert, formed an AV ensemble to power a traveling laboratory, and been blessed with the most beautiful experience of my life… meeting my son Ayahn. The time has come to release our musical swirl fodder in the form of the next PL album. A galaxy of 45 songs in 9 constellations before my 45th birthday.” 

The project comes in tandem with a seven city summer and fall tour that includes dates Ohio’s Secret Dreams Music Festival, Pretty Lights’ own Yahn Dawn festival, happening for the second time this September in Buena Vista, Colo. and Florida’s Hulaween in October.

While Donald Trump has his heart set on making Canada part of the United States, our neighbors to the North would rather join Euro(Vision). The Eurovision Song Contest announced on Wednesday (July 1) that, despite being an ocean away, Canada has officially been invited to join next year’s competition.

The announcement came on Canada Day, of course, with the beloved, predictably bonkers event revealing the news in an Instagram post that explained how, despite fully not being on the European continent, Canada has been welcomed into the fold for the first time.

“Happy Canada Day! 🇨🇦 Canada will make its Eurovision Song Contest debut in Bulgaria next year 🎤 Now that CBC/Radio-Canada has become a full EBU Member, Canada will be the first new country to join our lineup since Australia in 2015,” read an Instagram post. The joyous news comes after CBC/Radio-Canada became a full member of the European Broadcasting Union, which coordinates the contest, following a vote at the 96th general assembly in Prague on June 25.

“On top of the many benefits and opportunities this offers Canada’s national public broadcaster, which has been an Associate member of the EBU since 1950, full membership means that CBC/Radio-Canada is now eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest,” explained a statement on the Eurovision site.

Canada will compete in the semifinals of the contest when they join next year, with Canadians encouraged to follow their country’s journey to Bulgaria by joining Eurofan to track their progress. “We’re so excited to confirm that we’re bringing the world’s largest live music event to Canadians. Our participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, starting next year in Bulgaria, will allow Canadian talent to be showcased on one of the most storied music stages in the world,” said CBC/Radio-Canada president/CEO Marie-Philippe Bouchard in a statement. “It will also allow fans in Canada to continue watching and voting in the Song Contest, as they have done for years — with the added thrill of seeing their own country represented on the Eurovision stage.”

The annual song spectacle is known for its sometimes outrageous staging and costuming, soaring ballads, bonkers metal acts and Canadian icon Celine Dion, who, not for nothing, is the only Canadian to ever win Eurovision. A year before her global breakthrough in 1989, Quebec native Dion gave Switzerland its second Eurovision victory in Dublin with her unforgettable performance of “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi.”

In addition to noting the long list of Canadian-bred artists who’ve taken the stage at Eurovision over the past 70 years while representing other countries — including Lara Fabian, Sherisse Laurence, Annie Cotton, Natasha St-Pier, La Zarra, Katerine Duska and Rykka — the announcement noted that at this year’s contest in Vienna Canada was in the top 3 nations choosing their favorites in the Rest of the World vote. The country was also reportedly among the top ticket-buyers outside of Europe this year, with a number of Canadians making the trek to Austria to take in the event.

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome CBC/Radio-Canada to the Eurovision Song Contest family – a further sign that, while born in Europe, the Contest continues to welcome the world,” said Eurovision director Martin Green. “Canada has a proud and memorable connection to the Contest, with Canadian artists, not least 1988 winner Céline Dion, having taken to our stage many times leaving a lasting mark on audiences around the world. With CBC/Radio-Canada now able to participate in the Contest as a full EBU Member, we look forward to seeing Canada bring its own voice, creativity, and energy to the Eurovision Song Contest stage in Bulgaria in 2027.”

The 71st Eurovision Song Contest will take place at an as-yet-unannounced venue in Bulgaria after native singer Dara won this year’s contest with her beat-bonkers disco anthem “Bangaranga.”

Tencent Music, Billboard China and Billboard Korea have officially announced the winners of the inaugural cross-market fan voting initiative recognizing standout K-pop artists across four categories.

Based on the combined results from both the China and Korea voting channels, the final winners are:

Boy Group: SEVENTEEN 《THUNDER》

Girl Group: i-dle 《나는 아픈 건 딱 질색이니까 (Fate)》

Male Solo: THE8 《Cold Love》

Female Solo: NINGNING 《Ketchup And Lemonade (NINGNING Solo)》

The project combines editorial curation with fan participation. Nominees were selected based on their performance on the Tencent Music Korean Chart alongside recommendations from Billboard Korea‘s editorial team, with final results determined through fan voting. The awards recognize artists who demonstrated both strong chart performance and broad fan support.

The campaign featured four categories — Boy Group, Girl Group, Male Solo and Female Solo — highlighting both group and solo artists across the K-pop landscape.

In the Tencent Music Chart and Billboard China voting channel, EXO topped the Boy Group category with “Crown,” while i-dle’s “Fate” led the Girl Group category. THE8 earned the top spot in Male Solo with “Cold Love,” and NINGNING topped the Female Solo category with “Ketchup And Lemonade (NINGNING Solo).”

The final winners were determined by combining results from the China and Korea voting channels. Voting in both markets produced the same winners in the Male Solo and Female Solo categories. In the Korea voting channel, BTS’ “Body to Body” topped the Boy Group category, while BLACKPINK’s “JUMP” led the Girl Group vote.

The combined results highlight both the strong alignment in audience tastes across markets and the subtle differences in fan preferences, offering an interesting snapshot of how music resonates with listeners in different regions.

The inaugural cross-market initiative marks a new collaboration between Billboard China, Billboard Korea and Tencent Music, bringing together chart performance, editorial curation and fan participation in a cross-market initiative. The project also reflects a broader effort to explore new ways of connecting music fans across different markets through Billboard’s global network.

Rush‘s Fifty Something reunion tour has hit yet another snag. Just hours before they were slated to take the stage a Dixies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, the beloved Canadian prog rockers announced on Tuesday (June 30) that they would need to push back that night’s gig as well as a show on Thursday (July 2) at the same arena due to 72-year-old singer/bassist Geddy Lee’s health.

“We are deeply sorry to share that we must postpone our June 30 and July 2 shows.
Geddy has been diagnosed with laryngitis and bronchitis. After being evaluated by his doctors, he has been advised that he needs additional time to rest and recover before returning to the stage,” read a statement from the group on Facebook.

“This is incredibly disappointing for all of us. We know many of you have made travel plans and have been counting down the days to these shows. Please know this decision was not made lightly. After more than 50 years of touring, we’ve always believed that if we’re going to step on stage, we owe you the very best performance we can give — and right now, that simply isn’t possible.”

As a result, the show originally scheduled for Tuesday night has been pushed back to July 11, while Thursday night’s (July 2) gig will now take place on July 13, with tickets for both shows to be honored on the new dates; fans who cannot attend the rescheduled shows can get refunds at point of purchase.

“Thank you for your patience, your understanding, and for always standing with us,” the band added. “We look forward to seeing you in just a couple of weeks and appreciate your continued support while Geddy makes a full recovery.”

It’s the latest setback for the tour that kicked off on June 7 in Inglewood, Calif. with the first of four shows at the Kia Forum, before moving on to a pair of gigs at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City on June 18 and 20. The band, which also features co-founder guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Anika Nilles — who has taken over the drum seat formerly held by the power trio’s legendary longtime drummer and lyricist Neil Peart, who died in Jan. 2020 at age 67 — had to push back the originally scheduled first night in Fort Worth on June 24 due to what they described at the time as “travel and border-related delays”; that show was rescheduled for July 2, then pushed again due to Lee’s illness.

Following next week’s rescheduled Fort Worth shows, the group is slated to move on to a four-night stand at the United Center in Chicago on July 16, 18, 20 and 22. The reunion tour is currently scheduled to wrap up with an April 10, 2027 gig in Helsinki, Finland.

Over the weekend, Lupe Fiasco appeared on former battle rapper Breezy Nice’s YouTube page KoalaTeaReacts to discuss issues they’ve had in the past, when the discussion pivoted into a conversation about Kendrick Lamar.

The Chicago rapper has shared his opinion in the past about Lamar — opinions he thinks have been blown out of proportion by fans and the media — one of which is that he thinks he’s the better rapper.

“I find it crazy that you can’t even say that you think that you are a better rapper than Kendrick Lamar,” he said in astonishment before conceding that the Compton rapper is better in other areas.

“I’m not talking about album, I’m not talking about making songs, I’m not talking about being an artist. All the things that I’ve said all these years: He’s a better artist than me, he makes better albums, he has a better team, he has better beat selection, he has better production, right? He has all these better things, right? When it comes down to lyricism, when it comes down to these lyrics and putting these bar-for-bar-for-bar? No. Everything else? For sure. 100 percent.”

However, what’s been causing chatter in rap social media circles is that he said he can name “hundreds” of rappers better than Dot. This is because Lupe has said that battle rappers are better lyricists than mainstream rappers and can name a bunch that are better than most, including Kendrick. “I said it was hundreds and I’ll name ’em, and we could list them,” he doubled down. “We gonna just start listing n—as and then let’s see how long that list get before we start naming one n—a with a record deal? As the better rapper? Stop.”

Back in 2014, he made headlines after he claimed King Los, Logic and Cassidy were better rappers than Kendrick during an appearance on Hot 97. Fast forward to 2018, Fiasco took to Twitter and criticized the “Control” verse. “The only issue that the world thinks I have with K. Dot and I actually do is that I think his ‘Control’ verse was wack and super overhyped to be a verse claiming you are the best rapper,” he quote-tweeted a troll at the time who suggested Kendrick’s “Look Out for Detox” is better than every Lupe song ever. “It was very weird. I was told it was just bait, but still.”

He later apologized a couple of months later and said he’ll never talk about someone else’s career again. “Maybe I should have just left it alone. Even though my impetus was the ‘Control’ verse,” he said. “I mean you put yourself out there like that. So, you opened yourself up to critique, but even that still, I should have just shut my f—ing mouth. I apologize for even engaging and talking about n—as’ careers, I’ll never do that sh– again.”

You can watch the full convo below.

As anticipation continues to build for Madonna’s Confessions II album, fans will be able to check it out sooner than expected.

The project is getting an early spotlight through a new partnership with iHeartRadio and TikTok, who are teaming up for an exclusive preview event ahead of the album’s Friday drop.

The “iHeartRadio and TikTok LIVE Premiere With Madonna” will air Thursday, giving audiences a global first listen one day before the album’s official release date. Fans will be able to follow along via @tiktok, @madonna and @iheartradio, while more than 200 iHeartRadio stations across the U.S. broadcast the experience.

According to a press release, the hour long stream will have Madonna, Bob the Drag Queen, longtime collaborator Stuart Price — who served as musical director and co-producer for the album, as well as the original Confessions project — and her daughter Lola Leon, who appears on the new track “The Test.” Instead of a standard interview setup, the format will use TikTok’s live tools, where viewers can engage with polls, custom reactions, Q&As and real-time audience prompts, turning the event into an interactive listening session.

Confessions II is Madonna’s 15th studio album and includes 16 songs, including collaborations with Sabrina Carpenter, Feid, Martin Garrix, Lola and Stromae. 

In April, Madonna released “I Feel So Free” as the first taste of the project. The song cemented the singer’s return to multiple Billboard charts, including Digital Song Sales, Hot Dance/Pop Songs and Dance/Mix Show Airplay, where it also reached No. 1 on Dance Digital Song Sales. Lead single “Bring Your Love” with Carpenter hit the Billboard Hot 100 as well as the top 10 of Hot Dance/Pop Songs, so far peaking at No. 7.

Earlier this month, Madonna offered an early glimpse at the project’s track list during the Tribeca Festival, where Confessions II —The Film debuted with six songs tied to the album: “I Feel So Free,” “Good for the Soul,” “One Step Away,” “Bring Your Love,” “Danceteria” and “Read My Lips.” The film is also now available on YouTube.

The “iHeartRadio and TikTok LIVE Premiere With Madonna” will air Thursday at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT.

Political satire, but make it jazzy. Randy Rainbow is once again using the power of song to tear into Donald Trump, this time reimagining Cole Porter‘s classic “It’s De-Lovely” to say that he thinks the president is anything but.

The parody posted Tuesday (June 30) opens with the musical comedian portraying a news correspondent, editing clips of Trump from real interviews to make it look like the pair are having a conversation. After questioning the twice-impeached POTUS about his widely opposed handling of the Iran war, the setting shifts into a jazz club as Rainbow, wearing a retro tux, breaks into a song titled “He’s De-Mented.”

“This dumbf–k tyrant seems to be the tyrant-ithesis of sanity,” he croons to the tune of Porter’s famous melody. “His screws are loose, his tangents roam/ The lights are on but no one’s home/He’s defective, he’s destructive, he’s demented.”

Rainbow — who’s made countless viral song parodies making fun of the president — goes on to change the original song’s lyrics to take aim at Trump’s old age and “decrepit” appearance. “It’s clear that Grandpa’s off his pills,” the Internet personality sings. “He can hear that bipartisan fear/ They’re united left and right: He’s in decline/ Time to resign.”

The video comes after the politician’s approval rating for the second-to-last week of June was calculated at just 34%, according to Reuters. Many of Trump’s past supporters in the conservative commentary landscape have turned against him, taking issue specifically with his approach to the conflict in Iran. Two months ago, Trump threatened that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran failed to agree to a ceasefire deal; at press time, the U.S. is still in slowly progressing peace talks with Iran.

Watch Rainbow’s new parody above.