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BelaireRae Sremmurd is poppin’ bottles as the brother duo announced today a multi-million dollar partnership with the French champagne company, Belaire.

“We’re excited to announce our $20 million deal with Belaire,” brothers Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi said in a celebration video. They were congratulated by fellow members of the Belaire team, including DJ Khaled, Rick Ross and Dave East.

The Rae Sremmurd members are now “The Golden Boys” promoting Belaire Gold in the “Belaire It Out” campaign. They signed their contract with Belaire CEO Brett Berish in Miami, Florida.

“We’re inspired by Rae Sremmurd’s sense of humor and creativity,” Berish says. “So ‘Belaire it Out’ made perfect sense with Swae and Jxmmi. Belaire is a place where artists like Rae Sremmurd and our other partners like DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, G Herbo and Dave East can tell their stories and express themselves.” 

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ABC/Ida Mae AstuteDestiny’s Child fans were in ecstasy when the group reunited for a performance this year at Coachella, but for Michelle Williams, the show marked the height of her depression.

“The entire year we were rehearsing every day for hours,” she tells People.com. “I was burying it, and before you knew it, I was looking up out of the pit like, ‘Oh my God.’”

The 38-year-old singer remembers after their show, she knew she needed medical treatment.

“I’d been there before in that darkness,” Williams says. “I was like ‘No, you better go [to the hospital].’ By the time I got there, I was stable.”

Williams says she was depressed as a child, and believed she had put the condition behind her.

“I thought I was over depression. I thought, ‘I’m good! I’ve got love, I’m working out,’” she recalls. “But I was so angry. The rage built up in me. I did not attempt suicide, but I was questioning [life].”

The singer from Rockford. Illinois, is now engaged to pastor Chad Johnson, and they star in the upcoming  reality series, Chad Loves Michelle. She briefly broke off their engagement after he proposed earlier this year, however, he had faith they would get back together.

“Some of the things said and done were very hurtful,” Johnson says.  “But I was like, ‘I don’t even want to talk about what happened. Get well and we can work on us later.’”

Chad Loves Michelle premieres November 3 at 9 p.m. on OWN.

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Epic Records/Grand HustleT.I. says he recorded his new album, The Dime Trap, to remind people he started trap music

In a new documentary about the making of the album, TIP says he was inspired to record the album when he heard people debating about who created trap music.

“It was really when all of the back and forth happened about who started what,” he says.”It was a little bit of a fire lit up under me.”

The Dime Trap features several collaborations, including Meek Mill, Young Thug, and Yo Gotti. T.I. says he’s proud to have a personal connection with all of his guest stars.

“I like it that way because the people that I have relationships with they have a good idea of what I expect as far as my music is concerned,” he says.  

The Grand Hustle CEO began recording in 2001, and he explains why he’s been able to remain relevant with his fans.  

“It’s sincerity,” he comments. “It’s the ability to relate. and realize what it is that allows you to connect with them.”

T.I. has also become a successful actor, appearing in numerous films, including this year in Ant-Man and the Wasp. He says being on time has been his greatest challenge as an actor.

“In music, I get there when I get there. If the studio session at 8 I get there at 10. Hey, they waiting on me,” he says.

“Acting not so much. If your call time is 8 and you get here 8:30, it’s like a dozen people looking for you,” he continues. “People talk about memorizing lines.  I’m trying to get there on time. I got the lines. That’s fine. If I could just get there on time, the scene is done.”

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ABC/Randy HolmesBack in 2015, rapper Kanye West declared himself the “greatest living rock star on the planet.” Now, it appears he’s turning to the Grammys to validate that claim.

According to his label Def Jam, West’s track “Freee (Ghost Town Pt. 2)” will be submitted in the Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance categories for next year’s Grammys.

“Freee” was recorded in collaboration with Kid Cudi for their joint album Kids See Ghosts. If one song from the album had to be submitted for a rock Grammy, “Freee” would be the one, as it boasts a big drum beat and some psychedelic-esque guitars.

The 2018 Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance winners were “Run” by Foo Fighters and “You Want It Darker” by the late Leonard Cohen.

In recent years, the categories have featured artists not traditionally considered to be “rock” — for example, Beyonce‘s song “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” which features Jack White, was nominated for the 2017 Best Rock Performance award.

The 2019 Grammy nominees will be announced December 5, and the awards will be handed out February 10.

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AtlanticRecordsCardi B released her new single “Money” Tuesday after it was leaked, and she’s calling out Nicki Minaj’s fans for posting the song.

“Money” was originally scheduled to be released Thursday, and after the leak, Cardi tried to stop the song from being posted online. However she says, Nicki’s fans, the Barbz, kept posting it.

“I think it got leaked because sometimes when you send your records early to these streaming platforms, somebody from their building leak it,” the “Bodak Yellow” rapper said in an Instagram live session.

“Then we try to retract it, but the Barbz, they always posting everything I do. They claim they hate me, but they really love me because they be on my page before my fans. Everything that I do, they be on it before my fans so clearly. That seems like love to me.”

Cardi also revealed her favorite part of the song.

“I hope ya’ll like it. I really love it,” she says. “My favorite part of the song is, ‘I got a baby. I need some money. Yeah. I need cheese for my egg.’ You know like my egg, that’s my baby. That’s really my favorite part. I really felt that.“

The three-time American Music Award winner added that she has more music she’s ready to release. 

“I actually have 5. 6 more songs that I did. I’ll say about two of them are features. One of them is with an artist that I did a feature before, and the other one is with an artist that I never did a feature with before,” she says.

Cardi wants to drop all the songs on one day, and she’s undecided whether she will release her new music this year, or wait until 2019.

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FilmMagic Inc via ABC/Jeff Kravitz/AMA2018In something that seems entirely too coincidental to actually be a coincidence, the delivery app Postmates has named Post Malone its #1 customer of the year.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the rapper has spent more than $40,000 on Postmate deliveries in the past year, ordering 3,000 items over 660 orders in 52 different cities.  Among his favorite places to order from: GameStop, CVS, Popeyes, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, KFC, Petco and Panda Express.

Posty is such a pro at ordering that he’s included very special requests — for example, he asked Target for the “most expensive chess board they have,” and asked a restaurant to “open the boxes a little” on his chicken finger orders “so it doesn’t get soggy.”

Apparently, the rapper even tipped his Postmates delivery driver with a CD of unreleased songs.

According to THR, all this information was revealed in a new weekly series called The Receipt.

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David Livingston/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Kobe Bryant revealed that although he once took up tap dancing to improve his skills, the NBA star said he felt forced to keep it a secret.

Bryant spoke out about his secret lessons in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday, when the late-night host asked him if he had any celebrity friends who might surprise his fans.

“Surprised? I don’t know. Maybe not surprised, but, you know, recently, I’ve been spending a lot of time with Debbie Allen,” Bryant said, referring to his famous dance teacher.

The former Los Angeles Lakers superstar said he began tapping in 2000 when he sprained an ankle during the NBA Finals. He said the tap lessons helped him recover, improved his endurance and even built up his strength

But he still felt embarrassed.

“Well, it was kept secret for obvious reasons,” Bryant said Tuesday, adding that he had to get customized size-14 tap shoes. “I had to get them made. I can’t go to a store and be like, ‘Yeah, I’ll take those size 14s. Tap.'”

He said he doesn’t consider himself an “accomplished tapper,” but does think he had some potential.

“[At one point,] I could, like, tell my feet to do this, and they would actually do that,” he said. “I walked into the studio, and it’s all these, like, 6-year-olds … and these kids are looking up at me like, what in the world? What’s this grown-ass man doing in here learning tap dance?”

Bryant, who revealed the secret in his new bodycare book, said spoke out about it because thought it might help young athletes.

In “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play,” Bryant said he reveals other secrets about the game, but the key is to teach athletes about the importance of holistic self-care.

“We psych ourselves up too much,” he said. “If you try to talk yourself into, ‘This is a big moment, it’s a big shot,’ you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself. You’ve shot that shot hundreds and thousands of times, just shoot another one. It’s like breathing. You do it so many times, you just do it again.”

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ABC/Craig SjodinMary J. Blige was the headline artist for the first all-female “She Is the Music” song camp held last week in Nashville, and she says it was inspiring to create new music with other women in the music business.

“This event represents strength for us,” the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul tells Rolling Stone. “When we come together as women, when we do something like this, we inspire and uplift each other. We encourage each other. And we encourage other people to do something similar.”

The three-day event at the recording studio owned by veteran producer Ron Fair was deigned to increase opportunities for women in the music industry. Sponsored by the performers’ rights organization ASCAP, it involved female songwriters, producers and engineers who have worked with Beyonce, Rihanna, Childish Gambino, Usher and Chris Brown.

“It’s hard out here in music, and in any business, for women,” Blige adds. “It’s really hard on women, so women are hard on each other. So when you see us come together, it’s like, ‘This is good. This is God.’ To see us come together and write songs and be in the same room and smile and compliment each other is very empowering.”

The nine-time Grammy winner, who began her recording career in 1992, offered advice to the other participants in the song camp.

“Continue to speak your truth,” Blige says. “Continue to write other people’s truth and continue to give other people what it is that they want and they need. Always be flexible and always be true to yourself. You’ll be around if you speak your truth.”

Alicia Keys is among the people who founded the “She Is The Music” program, in response to a report from USC Annenberg that revealed huge inequalities for female musicians.

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Combs EnterprisesDiddy is continuing his commitment to education with a pledge of $1 million for a new charter school in New York City.

The Bad Boy CEO is supporting the Capital Preparatory Schools network which will open a new school in the Bronx section of New York City next year for 160 students in the 6^th and 7^th grades. The network already has locations in Harlem and Bridgeport, Connecticut. 

“I came from the same environment these kids live in every day,” Diddy says in a statement. “I understand the importance of access to a great education, and the critical role it plays in a child’s future.”

“Our school provides historically disadvantaged students with the college and career skills needed to become responsible and engaged citizens for social justice,” he continues.” We don’t just teach kids to read, write and compute, we teach them how to make a difference and nurture them to be future leaders of our generation.”

Diddy is working closely with Dr. Steve Perry, founder of Capital Prep Schools.

“Mr. Combs’ commitment and leadership continue to inspire us,” Dr. Perry says. “On behalf of the Capital Prep students, parents and teachers I want to express our sincerest gratitude for such a generous gift,”

“Mr. Combs wanted to open schools to develop leaders,” he continues. “What he’s done with his investment is embody what we expect students to do, which is to invest their resources in our communities.”

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2018 Parkwood EntertainmentBeyonce and JAY-Z broke the bank on their On The Run II tour, earning over $250 million.

Round two was more than twice as successful as the first On The Run tour in 2014 which earned $109 million from 980,000 tickets sold in 21 stadium shows. Bey and Jay performed 48 stadium concerts during OTR2; 18 in Europe and 30 in North America, grossing $253 million, according to Billboard Box Score.

They sold over 2 million tickets for the entire tour, grossing $5.3 million for each show.

Following the end of the tour, Beyonce praised her husband, commenting on Instagram, ”To Shawn Carter, my Clyde, my best friend: this journey on OTR2 has been a highlight of my life. Thank you for every moment. I’ll be your hype man any day!  To the Hive and all the fans who supported OTR2, cheers to you and I. Salud!”

DJ Khaled and Beyonce’s proteges, Chloe X Halle. opened the North American shows. During the tour, $100,000 scholarships were awarded to high-school seniors in 11 cities. The Boys & Girls Club of America selected the winners.

The On The Run II tour kicked off June 6 in Cardiff, Wales. The North American leg began July 25 in Cleveland, and wrapped up October 4 in Seattle.

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