After attending Clive Davis’ funeral on Monday, Usher took to social media to share some words about the late record executive.

“Rest in peace to the legendary Clive Davis,” he wrote in a post that included photos of them together over the years. “There are people who hear music… and then there are people who hear destiny. Clive heard something in so many of us before the world ever did. His vision, his belief and his commitment to artists helped shape the sound of generations and for me, he will always be part of the foundation of my journey.”

Usher added that Clive’s “impact is everywhere,” as “he didn’t just help build careers, he helped build legacies.”

“Thank you, Clive, for your wisdom, your ear, your belief, and the doors U opened,” he continued. “Your influence will live forever in the music, in the artists, and in every dream U helped make real. My prayers are with your family and everyone who loved you.”

Usher’s music career was launched on LaFace Records, which was founded by L.A. Reid and Babyface, with backing from Clive and his label at the time, Arista Records.

Usher maintained a relationship with the executive over the years, attending many of his star-studded events.

Clive died on June 22 at his New York home while surrounded by family. He was 94 years old.

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Grandmaster Flash, widely known as a pioneer in hip-hop and of modern deejaying, is sharing his knowledge of both — as well as personal stories from his life and career — in a new book.

Titled Birth of a Culture, the book brings readers back to the early days of hip-hop, when the genre was rooted in the Bronx, dance, graffiti, original raps, beats and neighborhood block parties. It also features conversations with artists about DJ techniques, the science behind a turntable and more.

“This story has been on my mind for a very long time. It depicts the early history and many subjects that pertain to the culture called hip-hop,” Grandmaster Flash said in a statement. “I talk about not just my come-up, but the rise and participation of others who were responsible for giving hip-hop life. It entails joy, pain, fun, drama, math and science, real-life struggles and incredible achievements.”

The book arrives on Sept. 22 but is now available for preorder.

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Yung Miami’s latest single, “Spend Dat,” has been declared by many the song of the summer — something she says she knew would happen from the moment she recorded it. Speaking to People, Yung Miami says she immediately fell in love with the record.

“I just loved the energy, the beat, the feeling it gave me,” she said of making the song. “The beat just got me moving. When I recorded that song, I said that this song is going to be a song that resonates with the people and I was right. I feel just so happy seeing everybody love the song.”

“Spend Dat” was released in late April and has become Yung Miami’s highest-charting solo hit of her career, debuting at #66 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song’s popularity was visible at the BET Awards Sunday night, where Yung Miami took the stage as a presenter. As she walked out, the crowd gave her a standing ovation and continued singing the song a cappella even after the track stopped playing. She later shared videos of the moment to her Instagram. 

In the event that she does a remix for the song, Yung Miami said she already has someone in mind.

“You gotta stay tuned for that, but I really want Drake,” she told Complex. “Champagne Papi. You know we gotta call Drake. Iceman. I want Iceman!”

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Alicia Keys attended Clive Davis’ funeral service on Monday, which was livestreamed from Central Synagogue in Manhattan. Taking the stage, she reflected on the impact he had on her life.

“Clive, you are woven into the fabric of who I am, not just as an artist, as a woman. You showed me what it looks like to move through with integrity and intention. You showed me that excellence is not an accident, it’s a devotion, a daily, relentless, beautiful devotion and I carry that with me everywhere I go,” she said.

Alicia said that Clive was behind “the music that has moved us and comforted us and that we celebrate with” and therefore created “a legacy [that] will outlast all of us.”

“I honor you and I love you. I am because you believed I could be. Thank you for the music, for the vision, for the encouragement, for the, for the friendship,” she said. “Thank you for seeing me fully, completely from the very beginning, even before I fully saw myself. With all my heart, all my soul, and every single note I’ve ever played.”

Elsewhere during the funeral, Dionne Warwick shared a few words about her late friend, while Jennifer Hudson performed Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and Whitney Houston’s classic “I Will Always Love You.”

Clive died on June 22 at his New York home while surrounded by family. He was 94 years old.

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The Michael Jackson movie has moonwalked into the record books once again. 

Michael has taken in $977 million worldwide. That surpasses the Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer, which raked in $975 million globally. Michael had already become the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time, out-earning the Queen movie Bohemian Rhapsody — but now it’s tops among all biographical films.

Michael opened in April with an impressive $217 million globally. As per Variety, it’s now become Lionsgate’s biggest movie of all time, surpassing 2013’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which earned $865 million.

Lionsgate is reportedly planning on at least one more movie about Jackson’s life, since Michael ends in 1988. The King of Pop died in June 2009.

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SZA helped Lizzo work through her feelings regarding the reception to her latest album cause she’s Lizzo girl, they codependent.

Speaking on the Proto Pop podcast, she admitted she was disappointed by the first-week album sales of Bitch, which sold 2,649 copies, especially because of the work she put into marketing it.

Lizzo’s fourth studio album, Special, debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 in 2022 after selling 69,000 copies in its first week.

“I had all of these high hopes, I think, for what we would do the first week, and it didn’t match,” Lizzo said of the Bitch rollout. “I was so excited because I met my presave goal and I met all of that, and then it dropped, and I was like, ‘Oh, this isn’t what I kinda thought it would be.'”

“There was like 24 hours of my life where I based my success, and my worth, on a number — and I think that was soul crushing,” Lizzo said, before expressing her gratitude for SZA, who called her at the right time.

“She just called me, she was like, ‘Hey, you’re on my mind,'” Lizzo recalled. “I was like [crying sound], ‘Am I a failure?’ She was like, ‘Oh my God, no!'”

Lizzo continued, “She’s so sweet, and I like meditated and prayed on it. I was, like, this is why I don’t judge myself and my success, or my impact, on numbers … because it’s soul-crushing if you do.”

Lizzo was also among the many artists who paid tribute to Ms. Lauryn Hill at the BET Awards 2026 on Sunday, where Hill received the Living Legend Icon award.

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