Scoreboard: Spring Singles with Lorde and Nicki Minaj

Ed Sheeran continues to top all major Billboard charts this week; Scoreboard spotlights spring singles.

Billboard Artist Top 10

For the magazine dated April 1, 2017

See the full chart at http://www.billboard.com/charts/artist-100

It’s another victorious week on the charts for Ed Sheeran who has the #1 album on the Billboard 200 and the #1 single on the Hot 100 with “Shape Of You.” You can read all about Ed’s big debut on last week’s Scoreboard. This week’s biggest new album is the soundtrack to Disney’s new live-action remake of Beauty And The Beast that features Scoreboard regulars Ariana Grande and John Legend doing their best Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson impression on the theme song. If you are wondering why Justin Bieber is back in the Billboard Artist Top 10, that is because of his Instagram video ridiculing Australian Channel 7 News. I guess POTUS is not the only one trolling Australia this year.

@justinbieber channels Australian comedian Chris Lilley in addressing the paparazzi

Singles Spotlight: Pop

No EDM group had a bigger 2016 than The Chainsmokers. The New Yorkers finished as the #13 Billboard artist of 2016 and they are on track to be equally successful in 2017. Their former #1 “Closer” ft. Halsey still sits at #13 on the Hot 100. “Paris,” released in January, is at #9, and their latest “Something Just Like This,” is at #8. On their newest single @thechainsmokers don’t sing vocals but bring in the #9 artist of 2016, Coldplay. Chris Martin and company have already been on the EDM train, employing Avicii on “A Sky Full Of Stars” in 2014, so a collaboration with @thechainsmokers is not surprising. The result  is a too-big-to-fail production that sounds like the “Closer” backing track featuring big ideas and “superhuman gifts” from Chris Martin. Though it is not immediately clear what “this” is in the song’s title, it will certainly help sell The Chainsmokers’ forthcoming debut album and Coldplay’s EP that will feature this single and leftovers from last year’s A Head Full Of Dreams.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRmKu9ThJEn/?taken-by=thechainsmokers

The Chainsmokers tease their tracklist

Lorde had a huge debut in 2013 with her Hot 100 #1 “Royals” and triple platinum Pure Heroine. It has been a while since we heard new material from her, but the wait was over with “Green Light,” which falls to #39 on this week’s Hot 100. “Green Light” and promotional single “Liability” introduce a new Lorde. Gone is the teenage angst of her debut. Instead, we have mature pop-rock reminiscent of recent Lady Gaga albums. The question is will Lorde top the charts again with her new sound or will she become a more prosaic chart presence like @ladygaga? Radio play will be an early indicator. “Green Light”‘s initial performance has been driven by streaming, but as anticipation for her second album Melodrama builds, @lordemusic will make her presence felt on the charts, if not with “Green Light,” then with future singles.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRi_pDAhD6I/?taken-by=lordemusic&hl=en

@lordemusic already made the rounds on Saturday Night Live this month

Singles Spotlight: Hip-Hop

The biggest hip-hop story this month is the return of Nicki Minaj. She has not been gone as long as Lorde (her previous album The Pinkprint came out in December 2014) and her guest appearances (see: Grande’s “Side To Side“) keep Nicki in the cultural conversation. More recently, @nickiminaj has been the target of two diss tracks by Terror Squad rapper Remy Ma. In response Nicki released “No Frauds” featuring frequent collaborators Drake and Lil Wayne (why not!?) on which shade is served: “You can’t be Pablo if your work ain’t sellin’.” That new single debuts at #14 on the Hot 100 this week and Nicki is not done. She released two more singles simultaneously: the fast-paced pop track “Regret In Your Tears” comes in at #61 and another Lil Wayne collaboration “Changed It” lands at #71. These debuts put @nickiminaj at #1 for most Billboard Hot 100 hits for any female artist, with 76. Now that’s #queentime.

With three new hits on the Hot 100 @nickiminaj sets a Billboard milestone for female artists

XXL Magazine included South Florida rapper Kodak Black in its 2016 Freshman Class. @kodakblack first made the Hot 100 last year guest rapping on French Montana‘s “Lockjaw,” but 2017 has made him a household name…for both good and bad reasons. In a short month his single “Tunnel Vision” rocketed to #6 on the Hot 100. At the same time, @kodakblack ended up in jail in February for violating his probation. He is currently held without bail in Florida as he also awaits trial on sexual assault charges in South Carolina. The 19-year-old rapper certainly had a rocky start to his career, but the boldness of the “Tunnel Vision” music video cannot be ignored. It features a wrestling match between a white man clad in confederate denim and an African-American man that he tries to shoot. Check it out below and watch this space to track Kodak Black’s extraordinary sophomore year.