Scoreboard: Usher, Aaron Lewis, Mac Miller

Week 4 of the Fall season witnesses Twenty One Pilots taking #1 on the Artist 100 and new albums from Usher, Aaron Lewis, and Mac Miller.

Billboard Artist Top 10

For the magazine dated October 8, 2016

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

The Scoreboard highlighted Twenty One Pilots back in July when the release of their new single “Heathens” off the soundtrack to Suicide Squad took them to #3 on the Billboard Artist 100. In the 10 weeks since, “Heathens” climbed to #2 on the Hot 100 and Suicide Squad has collected over $700 million in global box office receipts. This week, @tylerrjoseph and @joshuadun take the Artist 100 #1 spot for the first time ever, riding the momentum of “Heathens” and the appropriately-titled “Ride,” which is #11 on the Hot 100 this week. The boys from Columbus have had a dominant year, never dipping below #16 on the Artist 100, and should finish as top group of the year (the Chainsmokers, at #3 this week, are the closest competition based on my unofficial math, their 2016 low was at #69). This week also put new releases from Usher, Aaron Lewis, and Mac Miller on the Scoreboard, though none of them have been able to get in front of the long-in-the-works Twenty One Pilots championship.

Twenty One Pilots victory tour goes to Saturday Night Live next week

Usher Is Not That Hard II Love

According to Billboard’s Top Pop Singles Usher was the #1 artist of the 2000’s, so in the context of his career, his move to #10 on this week’s Artist 100 comes off as an underachievement. For artists that reached their peak over a decade years ago, staying relevant as music trends constantly change grows challenging, but Usher Raymond IV is not yet ready to become a nostalgia act. Last year, the singer got married to Grace Miguel, his second marriage, and love is obviously the central topic of his eighth album Hard II Love. The album cover features a bust of Usher done by artist Daniel Arsham. Weathered and deteriorating, the face on the album shows how the years in the spotlight took their toll on @usher. However, comparing the statue to the real Usher Raymond leads to confusion. Just this year he starred in the film Hands Of Stone, in which @usher portrayed fit and muscular boxer Sugar Ray Leonard. As for the music, Usher is keeping pace with changes in R&B, embracing gloomy hip-hop style with Young Thug and Future, while also hearkening back to the 90’s Master P empire on lead single “No Limit.” Even if @usher will not earn a #1 single off this album, he deserves credit for his experimentation and commitment to figuring out how to be less hard II love.

@usher and his body double

Aaron Lewis Gets The Sinner Tour Started

Aaron Lewis is most famous for being the lead singer of Staind, the alternative metal band that had a Top 5 hit in 2001 with “It’s Been Awhile.” Since then, Lewis has gone country, following the likes of Kid Rock, Michelle Branch, Sheryl Crow, and most recently Steven Tyler. On his new solo album Sinner, which places Lewis at #11 on the Artist 100, the angst of Staind is gone. Instead what we get is everyman country twang on typical topics like whiskey, being a (northern) redneck, and country music itself. The greatest achievement by @aaronlewismusic on this album is the inclusion of Willie Nelson on the title track. The 83-year-old country legend joins Lewis to sing about how he is a sinner to his core. Sinner or not, Aaron Lewis has a lot of work ahead to get to Willie Nelson status. With three country albums under his belt, he is starting the Sinner tour with a lot of country miles to travel.

Aaron Lewis is miles away from Staind hard rock on his new album, musically and sartorially

Mac Miller Pays Tribute to the Divine Feminine

Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller has hung out on the fringes of alt-rap since 2010 and continues being dogged with questions about his 2011 hit “Donald Trump,” most recently in a Billboard interview. In short, Miller earned the Republican Presidential candidate’s ire on Twitter back in 2011 and Miller does NOT endorse Trump for the presidency. Musically, the rapper also known as @larryfisherman has been a rap chameleon and his latest album The Divine Feminine kicks it back and relaxes, channeling one of his influencers, 90’s chill rappers A Tribe Called Quest. It is a sexy record, paying tribute to the positive influence of women on Miller’s life, ranging from his grandmother to the legendary Ariana Grande, who joins on “My Favorite Part.” The Internet is convinced that Grande and Miller are dating, but funnily enough @arianagrande still exceeds Miller’s standing on this week’s Scoreboard, at #7 vs. Miller’s #13. Let’s also not remind him that his only Billboard Top 40 hit was a guest verse on Ari’s “The Way” back in 2013. Whatever Miller will bring as his next rap move, he has already had a great Fall ’16 musically and romantically.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKqw33YAYrE/?taken-by=larryfisherman&hl=en

Check in on the Scoreboard to see if the @arianagrande / @larryfisherman relationship is built to last