You don’t have to ask Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson twice if he wants a good time.  When Chris Janson called the actor earlier this year to see if he’d appear in the country star’s music video for “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get,” within an hour, Johnson had replied yes. The result is a fun escapade as the two ride around a field and lounge in the back of a 1970 brown Ford Explorer in the clip, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. The mood matches the upbeat song’s good-timing lyrics: “When I get a truck, I just jack it up/ Find myself a mudhole, go and get it stuck/ Head to toe in camo, that’s just how it is/ But I ain’t tryna hide, what you see is what you get.” “I love this song and love the idea behind it, which is just always remain who you are, anchor in and be your real self,” Johnson says, over Zoom. “I always like to say the most important thing we could be is ourselves, and that’s what Chris is. That’s one of the reasons why we bonded and we shot the video and it was awesome.” The two met in 2022 when Janson was in California with his son and they spotted the wrestling and film superstar in a parking lot, while they were both waiting for their cars. “If it weren’t for my kid going, ‘Oh my gosh, The Rock is right in front of us! Daddy, please ask for a picture,’ this would have never maybe happened,” Janson says. “I’m a pretty shy guy. I’ve never once, I’m proud to say, asked for a photo, because I understand the extent of what it constitutes when you are in the public eye. But God works in mysterious ways.” Trending on Billboard Janson introduced himself, the two started talking about country music, and upon discovering their mutual love for Hank Williams Jr., they broke in to his 1980 hit “The Blues Man.” A friendship and a nickname were born: Janson is listed in Johnson’s phone as “Chris ‘The Blues Man’ Janson,” while, for discretion’s sake, Johnson is listed in Janson’s phone simply as “DJ.” [embedded content] They shot Johnson’s portion of the video outside Dallas on March 8 because he was in town for the WWE Smackdown. They met at the Mesquite Arena, slapped a GoPro camera on the truck and had a video crew follow them, and within two hours they were done. “It was so, so unscripted,” Johnson says. “It was, ‘Hey, I got a truck. You bring your guitar. We got a cool location. You bring your Mountain Dew, I’ll bring the tequila, and let’s see what happens,’” he recalls. “I will say this in front of him: I had the greatest time making this video because as I was telling him afterwards, I gave him a big hug and I said, ‘Dude, I just don’t get moments like this where I could just hang out and be with a buddy and have some drinks and have fun,’ because we’re all so busy.” The only bummer? They didn’t get to buy the vintage truck, which they both fell in love with. “And at the end of it, DJ goes, ‘We should try to buy this truck!’ And I said, ‘Yes, we should!,’” Janson says. “So we both kind of nice like [asked], ‘Hey, man, you want to sell the truck?’ He’s like, ‘No, I don’t think so.’ He was old-school Texas, which I can appreciate. I respect that.” So the two friends shared some barbecue, Johnson left for his gig, and Janson left for his. They are still likely to burst into song. As Janson recounts the story, he starts singing George Strait’s “A Showman’s Life.” “That’s a great one,” says Johnson, nodding his head. Johnson grew up on country music, and by the time he was 15, he had moved from Hawaii to Nashville. As he explains, his career path could have gone very differently. “We were evicted out of Hawaii, couldn’t pay the rent, sent to Nashville,” Johnson says. “I moved in with a buddy of mine, a family friend in a motel. That’s when we started going down, hanging out on [Broadway]. A couple of days later, I was in Piggly Wiggly, singing a Hank song. A woman [who was shopping] came around and she kind of looked at me. I thought I’d done something wrong. She goes, ‘Do you sing?’ I’m 15 and I went, ‘No, I just love to sing. I love country.’ She goes, ‘You should go down to [Broadway]. That’s where all the singers are.'” Prompted by her words, Johnson started hanging out on Broadway, “trying to get a gig at these honky-tonks because I had this dream in my head — or a delusion— that I was going to be a country music star.” He recounts the story on his Instagram. As for whether Johnson, who has shown off his singing chops in movies like Moana, is jumping into the country waters like so many other celebrities and making a country album, he says, “We have to work on it. Maybe this year, we’ll see.” But first he plans to take Janson up on his invitation to join him on the Grand Ole Opry stage. Janson joined the esteemed Opry last year and has played it more than 200 times. Or they could hop on stage at Broadway’s legendary Tootsie’s, where Janson was singing while living out of his car while he was still a teenager. “I was living in the backseat of my car on purpose,” he says. “I didn’t have enough money to have a hotel or anything, which was fine. I felt like I had made it.” “We’ll do it together [at Tootsie’s],” Janson says. “It will be the first time together that we’ve been back in there. That’s the wildest thing. If you think about it, I don’t know one other person who has the same exact story as mine and that’s how we bonded in the parking lot over taking a picture. He tried to do it there and I tried to it there and they gave me a gig there. I was a tip jar guy.” Johnson picks up on his friend’s story, recounting how Janson auditioned at Tootie’s at 10 a.m. and got the gig, but that his try-out didn’t go so well. “What’s full circle for me is I went in [to Tootsie’s], it was in the afternoon, I was told ‘No, you can’t. Get out.’ Eight years later, I returned back to Nashville to the fairgrounds where I was a pro wrestler making 40 bucks a match.” Though the two friends haven’t tried writing songs together, Johnson says he would love to, and Janson is eager to give it a try, too. “He’s one of the most talented guys I know, on and off stage, and I would absolutely be honored to write a song with him,” Janson says. “We’re all about what happens naturally so the answer I would give, and I’m sure he would agree, is that if it happens naturally, great. And if it doesn’t, that’s okay, too. We’re still friends.” As if on cue, prompted by Janson stressing doing what happens naturally, Johnson bursts into the Buck Owens and the Buckaroos’ 1963 hit, “Act Naturally,” grinning as he sings, “They’re gonna put me in the movies.”

HipHopWired Featured Video Source: MEGA / Getty Looks like Kanye West has once again found himself in some legal hot water due to his temper, but if his account is to be trusted, he might’ve been in the right for once as he’s being accused of putting hands on another man (no Diddy). According to TMZ, authorities are searching for the Donda rapper after a man claims Kanye West assaulted him Tuesday night (April 16). Interestingly enough, the man who says Yeezy punched him apparently brought it on himself as Ye’s camp alleges that the man in question “grabbed” and “assaulted Kanye’s wife, Bianca Censori. That action caused Kanye to react as any husband would and put some paws on the alleged assailant. TMZ reports: They add, “The assailant didn’t merely collide into her. He put his hands under her dress, directly on her body, he grabbed her waist, he spun her around, and then he blew her kisses. She was battered and sexually assaulted.” We’re told Kanye and Bianca took off after the alleged altercation … and, the alleged victim did not require treatment for injuries. We’re told police plan on reaching out to Kanye for his side of the story, and will also speak to witnesses. If this actually turns out to be true, we can’t blame Kanye for reacting the way he did. Most men would try to knock out any other man who’d violate their wife in such a manner. At the same time, Kanye has been putting hands on people over the past few years for the smallest of reasons, so you never know with this man. That being said, we wouldn’t be surprised if the man in question saw an opportunity for a quick payday and tried to push Kanye’s buttons to “earn” himself a quick come-up. Just sayin’. What do y’all think of Kanye’s latest situation? Justified or nah? Let us know in the comments section below.

Two weeks ago, FloyyMenor and Cris MJ made history as the first Chileans to enter the top 10 on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart since La Ley and Ednita Nazario’s “Tu Sabes Bien” did so 25 years ago. The only other Chilean artist to have reached similar heights was Myriam Hernández with 1998’s “Huele a Peligro,” which peaked at No. 5. This week, the emerging pair catapulted to No. 1, dethroning Xavi’s months-long reign with “La Diabla.” The song making waves is “Only Gata,” a sly reggaetón number about online flirtation. According to Luminate, the viral track registered 11.11 million official U.S. streams, a 33% gain from the previous week. That landed them a No. 34 debut on the Streaming Songs chart and gave them a second week atop the Latin Streaming Songs chart. “Gata Only” also occupies No. 48 on the Hot 100. Last week it was at No. 74. But how did two relatively unknown Chilean artists manage to not only break through on the global music scene but also clinch the top spot on the Hot Latin Songs chart? The success story begins with some strategic planning, innovative marketing and a dash of serendipity. Trending on Billboard Initially, FloyyMenor was a mysterious figure circulating online who had scored a few local hits. His identity was obscured and the art on his early YouTube releases was composed of car imagery, never revealing his face. “You needed to go to the nightclubs to see him,” says Adrian Mainou, artist marketing manager of Latin/U.S. at UnitedMasters. The Latin team at UnitedMasters had been monitoring the Chilean music scene, having signed Nicko G over two years ago and being fans of Paloma Mami and Polimá Westcast. When the company’s Latin A&R lead, Gerardo Mejía — a music veteran with 30 years of experience and a former rapper/singer originally from Ecuador — began scouting the country’s music scene in the summer of 2023, he encountered FloyyMenor performing live and was captivated by the young artist’s unique appeal and the audience’s enthusiastic response. “This kid was packing venues [with audiences] singing lyric after lyric,” recalls Mejía. At the time, FloyyMenor’s big local hit was “pa la europa,” while “Gata Only” was just a song people knew from his live shows and online teasers. Eager to sign the promising talent, Mejía had to wait until Floyy turned 18 in December. After the signing, UnitedMasters released “Gata Only” in December — and the song began gaining traction within the first week and a half of its release. Not long after, Cris MJ — a Chilean act who had gained recognition from Karol G’s remix of “Una Noche en Medellín” featured in Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season) — reached out to Floyy, expressing his love for the song and his desire to be part of it. As Mejía recalls: “When I got back to Chile in January, [Floyy] called me and said, ‘Cris MJ loves the song.’ I said, ‘Cool. We’ll do the remix.’ He said, ‘No. He loves the song so much he wants to be the original.’ I was like, ‘My brother, if Cris MJ calls you, then get on it with their teams and go record.’ We pulled down the original and waited maybe two weeks before we released it [on Feb. 2] with Cris MJ, and the rest is history.” In a conversation with Billboard, Mejía and Mainou provided an in-depth look at the strategic rise of “Gata Only” to the top of the Hot Latin Songs chart. See below for the full interview. The accomplishment alone as the first Chilean acts to make the top 10 of the Hot Latin Songs chart in 25 years is already very impressive, then to top the chart at No. 1. How does that happen? Adrian Mainou: It was a very interesting and entertaining build up. [After we officially released it], we saw social growth and began working with a press team in Chile. It was a no-brainer to see the movement on TikTok and that we needed to lean into this. So I activated the first phase of influencers with Kono Sur [marketing y diseño]. We pushed [the song] in Chile, Argentina, and Ecuador, and we were able to see a lot of reactions on YouTube from those countries. Once we saw that, we had Floyy go to Argentina and do some shows while pushing press and [involving] influencers. For an artist coming out of Chile, having the Argentina push is a very cool look; it’s a very important country to connect with. For Floyy, it was pretty easy. He loves Argentinian culture. He got in on a Monday, did a show that same Tuesday, and by Thursday it was No. 1 on Spotify Argentina.  [Publicist] Cris Nova then joins the team [and he] was able to paint the narrative with press across socials, streaming and [seeing] the bigger perspective. At this point, we activate a second phase of influencers in Mexico, who helped us create more noise. [Mexico is] the third country in his top demographic at the moment.  Activating influencers. Please explain. Mainou: We looked at lip-synching which fueled social media content. Then we looked into dance challenges. This is where we can start connecting with other countries and going global. We moved from lip-synching to the dance challenge [because] we knew it’s an easier thing for people in other countries to tap into.  We saw a couple of fan [pages] chiming into this. It was key to leverage from this and create new [dance challenges]. We were like, “Let’s take advantage of that and work with them.” We collaborated with fan accounts on TikTok, being like, “Yo, let’s work together. Put this [song] up.” At the end of the day, it’s content that they’re pushing on an organic level.  Once we got into Mexico, it was a no-brainer to start activating DJs for the song. We did that across Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Miami, targeting different demographics. We were able to get data on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. That puts us on this new level, and the song started translating into the U.S., and it was going crazy in the U.S.  FloyyMenor is a relatively unknown artist. What is your thought process when attempting to break an unknown act into the U.S.? Mainou: This is an independent artist, so I don’t have a lot of money. How can we take advantage of what we’re doing? I connected with the digital team to give me Mexico influencers [whose] second-biggest demographic is in the U.S. With that mindset, I can pay for the influencer Mexico fee. Then it caught U.S. growth; [Mexican influencers] have a very strong presence in U.S. Latin culture. That can cover almost every big Latin influencer in the U.S. doing the song without us having to pay. We saw the song growing to almost 20 million streams on Apple, and from that a large portion came from the U.S. That took me into this current new position where I’m starting to push specifically the U.S. The song is already here, and we know it’s [playing] in nightclubs, people doing remixes, and the DSPs are supporting. He’s gotten [on] pretty much every single cover [of official playlists on] DSPs, and social support. We’ve seen artists [using] the audio [on social media], from Kenia Os to Shadi and Malu Trevejo…as well as Trapeton, Trap House Latino, etc. Why do you think “Gata Only” is resonating with the masses? Mejía: The lyrics talk about TikTok, about likes, about following. I think that he hit something that resonates with the kids. To top it off, it’s such a great melody. And having Cris MJ never hurts. Mainou: The sound is very particular. I’ve become a very big fan of the Chilean sound from “Ultra Solo” [by Polimá Westcoast and Paloma Mami] a couple years ago, and from working with Nicko G. I think the production is very Chilean, [combined] with very good vocals and great analogies. [embedded content] What is UnitedMasters doing different than other management and agency companies? Mejía: At UnitedMasters, our mission is to be a tool for the artists and get them wherever they wanna get. We work with independent artists, and that has some challenges around it. Not all of them have managers, nor friends that can make them music videos; not all of them have a studio that they can record music at. We sat down with Floyy, we were able to not only get to know him but make him look at the bigger picture. We told him, “This is what we can do with you if you trust us, if you listen to us. This is where we can take you.” It’s about sitting down with the artists, understanding their needs, and being able to make a plan around it, creating a timeline.

NBA superfan Lil Wayne makes a surprise cameo in a new Chris Rock-narrated ad for the 2024 NBA playoffs. The one-minute spot that dropped a day before the play-in tournament round kicked off is premised on the notion that most A-list NBA players don’t even think the playoffs are “a thing.” It opens with a reporter asking Jayson Tatum if “playoff Jayson” is a thing, with the Celtics forward dropping his head and saying, “nah,” as an on-screen headline reads: “Tatum denies ‘Playoff Jayson’ is a thing” in the spot titled “Playoff Mode.” “Playoff Jayson is not a thing,” he says sternly at a fake press conference. “Okay, Tatum, we all know it’s a thing,” Rock interjects in his patented clipped delivery over a shot of Tatum throwing down a monster dunk. “Just ask Playoff Spida,” Rock says as Cavs shooting guard Donovan “Spida” Mitchell drops his head and denies it’s a thing. Trending on Billboard Similarly, Rock gets a “not a thing” from Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Bucks guard Damian Lillard, Nuggets Center Nikola Jokić and Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, who denies the playoffs’ existence while doing pull-ups with a ridiculously heavy weight vest. Lillard is so annoyed at Rock’s suggestion that it’s time to finally see “Playoff Giannis [Antetokounmpo] play with Playoff Dame,” that Lillard angrily rips off the “Playoff” tag slapped up over his locker. “Not a thing,” Lillard says. And finally, Rock goes to the man who would know the best if it is playoff season: Lil Wayne. “Playoff Tunechi knows it’s a thing,” the comedian says over a shot of glasses-wearing Weezy concentrating really hard at a claw machine game. “It’s game time!” Wayne says as he tries, and fails, to grab an NBA player plushy from the machine. The camera then swings to a front-row shot of some celebs taking in a playoff game, including chef Guy Fieri and Puerto Rican superstar Anuel AA. But when Rock says “even Chuck’s playoff jokes are funnier,” NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal shuts that down quickly, as he scribbles a mustache and glasses on a headshot of fellow hall of famer and broadcaster Charles Barkley. “No they are not,” Shaq says pointedly. The playoffs, a real thing, continue on Friday (April 19) with Chicago vs. Miami at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and Sacramento vs. New Orleans at 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT, with the first round of the playoffs scheduled to kick off on Saturday (April 20). Watch the NBA commerical below. [embedded content]

Travis Barker celebrated wife Kourtney Kardashian Barker’s 45th birthday on Thursday (April 18) by sharing some sweet (and one pretty salty) pics of his beloved, as well as one of the first glimpses of the couple’s adorable 5-month-old son, Rocky Thirteen Barker. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]