GoneTrending

The bond between music and anime just got a little tighter with the announcement that Crunchyroll has tapped reggaeton star J Balvin for his vocal qualities — not just as a musician, but as a voice actor in one of the streamer’s hit series. Balvin has been cast as a “key character” in Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise From the Shadow-, which he’ll handle in both English and Spanish.

“I’m beyond thrilled to join the cast of Solo Leveling!” said the “Rio” singer in a press release. “This series has such a passionate fanbase and getting the chance to be part of the anime world, after being a fan for such a long time, is an absolute honor. I can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve been working on!”

Solo Leveling is an adaptation of a Korean web comic, inspired by dungeon crawling video games. The protagonist, Sung Jinwoo, searches for answers about The System, a mysterious program that increases his powers and skills way beyond what they should be.

The connection was an easy one to make; unbeknownst to some in the US, anime has a long and rich history in Latin America, where some series were translated to Spanish and aired decades before their English counterparts Stateside. There’s a long and fascinating history; you can find out more about it here.

Crunchyroll has been stepping up its efforts to unite anime fans within music with the medium itself; in 2024, it invited Megan Thee Stallion to present at the Anime Awards in Japan and teamed up with Logic for an exclusive merch collection inspired by the classic series Cowboy Bebop. With J Balvin joining the cast of an anime directly, it’ll be fascinating to see how this connection evolves in the future.

For as long as I can remember, basketball fans have been begging for a 1-on-1 tournament featuring the best players in the world. It has been floated for years as the way to make NBA All-Star actually competitive and entertaining, but for a variety of reasons, players have not wanted to get out there on that island.

In its inaugural season, Unrivaled has managed to get 30 of the top women’s players in the world signed up for their 1-on-1 tournament that will take place next week — the first round starts Feb. 10 and the semifinals and finals are on Feb. 14. Players will play make-it-take-it games to 11 (or for 10 minutes of a running clock) by twos and threes with a 7-second shot clock to keep things moving quickly. The tournament, which landed Sprite as its presenting sponsor, will put up a $350,000 prize pool for players, with $200,000 going to the winner, $50,000 to the runner-up, and $25,000 to the other two semifinalists — with the teammates of the winner also receiving $10,000 each.

Fans were able to vote on player seeds, and on Wednesday the league unveiled the full bracket for the inaugural tournament. Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd, and Arike Ogunbowale earned the 1-seeds — with Loyd and Ogunbowale getting first round byes — with Chelsea Gray, Rhyne Howard, Kayla McBride, and Kahleah Copper getting in on the 2-seed line. The full bracket can be found below and features some very fun first round matchups, with the potential for some tantalizing showdowns later in the tournament as well.

Stewart draws Aaliyah Edwards as her first round matchup, while Collier will face Katie Lou Samuelson. There are some fascinating guard-big showdowns, with Copper going up against Aliyah Boston and Skylar Diggins-Smith facing Dearica Hamby. Other intriguing matchups from the first round include Tiffany Hayes-Courtney Williams, Jackie Young-Rickea Jackson, and Marina Mabrey-Kate Martin.

The tournament will begin on Monday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET, with TV details still TBD as to whether it will be on TNT or truTV.

“Here With Me” d4vd has been on a steady climb since 2023, when that song and its follow-up, “Romantic Homicide,” first put the young alt singer on his upward trajectory. Since then, he has toured with SZA, headlined his own tour, been tapped to contribute to the buzzy soundtrack of Netflix’s Arcane, and released a steady trickle of new songs, including “My House Is Not A Home,” “There Goes My Baby,” and “Where’d It Go Wrong?” The only thing left to complete his ascension is release a new album — which he’ll do on April 25 with Withered.

In a social media announcement for his upcoming debut album, d4vd wrote: “Thank you all eternally for waiting on me. This album means SO much to me you have no idea the blood sweat and tears that came with trying to create this project over the past 2 years. Constantly starting over and over and over until there was nothing left on this audio landscape of a canvas than thoughts, melodies, and emotions that were unequivocally me.”

He also announced his next single, titled “One More Dance,” is coming this Friday, February 7.

Withered is out on 4/25 via Darkroom / Interscope Records. You can find more info here.

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

Since the last update of this weekly R&B column, we’ve received plenty of music and news from the genre’s artists.

The Weeknd announced the After Hours ‘Til Dawn Tour and Frank Ocean began filming his directorial debut with David Jonsson in the starring role. Kehlani explained how Grammy nominations “hasn’t changed anything,” but not in a bad way while Kelela announced a new live album, In The Blue Light.

The Weeknd — Hurry Up Tomorrow

Three years after teasing the project, confirming the existence of a trilogy with After Hours and Dawn FM, The Weeknd returns with Hurry Up Tomorrow. His sixth album presents features from Future, Lana Del Rey, Anitta, Travis Scott, and other, and arrives as an excellently crafted combination of the various eras in his stellar career.

Coco Jones & Leon Thomas — “Here We Go (Uh Oh) [Remix]”

Coco Jones had one of the best R&B songs of 2024 with “Here We Go (Uh Oh),” and she’s ensuring the song lives in 2025 thanks to a new remix with Leon Thomas. The new version of the song features a second verse from Thomas where he plays the role of a pleading lover trying to regain Jones’ love, making for a sweet back and forth between R&B’s brightest stars of the future.

Jessie Reyez — “Goliath”

With her new album on the way, Jessie Reyez checks back in with her new single, “Goliath.” A reflection on self-love, “Goliath” is also another step in the right direction as Reyez readies the release of her upcoming album

Mahalia — “Pressure Points” Feat. Lila Iké

A new Mahalia era may be upon us as the British singer delivers “Pressure Points” with Lila Iké, her first single of the new year. Driven by production that blends R&B and reggae, Mahalia and Lila sing of their desires with love how they want their partners to be intimate with them, but through their own choice to do so.

Jacquees & DeJ Loaf — “Favorite One”

Jacquees and DeJ Loaf are taking things back to 2016 with the upcoming release of their F*ck A Friend Zone II mixtape. With that on the way, the duo deliver “Favorite One,” the second single from the project. The sweet and sultry single dives into the growing feelings between lovers and why they turned out to be better than the rest.

Yung Bleu & Meek Mill — “Friends To Miami”

Continuing his streak of releasing a project every year since 2019, Yung Bleu is readying the release of What Makes Us Human with “Friends To Miami” alongside Meek Mill. Together, Bleu and Meek recall a past lover’s decision to search for their replacement during a girl’s trip to Miami and how they handled the situation.

Journey Montana — Lucky Girl Syndrome

Following up on her Stargirl EP released in 2023, 21-year-old singer Journey Montana arrives with her debut album Lucky Girl Syndrome. Montana releases the project complete with 10 songs and a lone feature from Maliegh Zan for a body of work that she says is “a labor of self-love and self empowerment.” She adds, “Lucky Girl Syndrome is a collection of real stories of womanhood and feelings that I hope everyone can understand and enjoy.”

Qing Madi — I Am The Blueprint

Nigerian singer Qing Madi steps out with her debut album I Am The Blueprint. Complete with 13 songs, the new LP is a strong effort from the 18-year-old that thrives off a combination of afrobeats, alt-R&B, afropop, soul, and more. “With this album I found love with myself,” Madi says of I Am The Blueprint. “I am telling my stories in a place of love and peace.”

Dee Gatti — “Control”

Fort Worth singer Dee Gatti concluded her 2024 by releasing Look What You’ve Done EP, her first project since 2021’s Just Called To Say. Though it might’ve been a long way for her latest project, it hasn’t been a long wait for new music since it’s release as Gatti feeds us with new music thanks to “Control.”

Breez Kennedy — “Talk 2 Me”

For his second record of the year, Breez Kennedy is back with “Talk 2 Me.” The new song takes inspired from 2000s R&B production as Kennedy attempts to sway a new love interest into arms. “Talk 2 Me” follows “Love Language” which he released in mid-January.

Iyla — “Overboard”

Iyla makes a grand return in 2025 in the form of her hypnotic new single, “Overboard.” The LA singer follows “Strut” with a spicy record that shares the yearning desire she and a partner share for each other. “’Overboard’ is a soulful vocal rollercoaster that exudes sexiness and confidence that splashes you in the face,” Iyla said about the song in a press release.

Kadeem Tyrell — “One Time”

London singer Kadeem Tyrell gets to work with his new single “One Time,” which pays homage to Ginuwine’s “Pony.” The new record is seductive, playful, and cheeky — qualities that R&B fans will surely come to appreciate from Tyrell’s new song.

The official release of From The Private Collection Of Saba And No ID is edging closer, and the latest sign of life is their celebratory new single, “Woes Of The World.” In his chest-beating bars, Saba acknowledges that life is hard, but declares his intention to rise above any adversity, rapping, “But who is the GOAT? I wanna go toe-to-toe with her / Well, it’s ’cause I just know I ain’t second to no n****s / I said enough, guess up next is to show.”

The long road to the Chicago natives’ joint album started way back in 2023, with the release of “Back In Office,” which they followed in relatively short order with “Hue_Man Nature.” However, it was some time before we next heard from the duo; their next single, “Head.Rap,” didn’t drop until a year after “Back In Office.” Its follow-up, “How To Impress God,” showed up six months later, in October.

If it seems like it has been a bumpy road to release, at least you know Saba and No ID remain committed to cooking up a classic. As an independent artist, Saba has more control over his release schedule, which means more time to tweak the tracks to his heart’s content. However, the Windy City rapper and producer assure us, their private collection won’t remain so for too much longer.

From The Private Collection Of Saba And No ID is out soon via ARTium Recordings/Pivot Gang Records, LLC.

The Milwaukee Bucks have been in rumors for weeks regarding trade packages that would see them part ways with former All-Star forward Khris Middleton. They were reportedly in the mix for Jimmy Butler, but as deadline week arrived, buzz had shifted to a different target in Washington: Kyle Kuzma.

On Wednesday morning, the Bucks made that move a reality, sending Middleton to the Wizards to bring Kuzma back to Milwaukee in a deal that gets them a bit younger but also dips them below the punitive second apron. The full deal, as reported by Shams Charania and Chris Haynes, is below.

Bucks get: Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr., 2025 second round pick
Wizards get: Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, 2028 first round pick swap rights

It seems pretty clear that the Bucks did not have much faith that Middleton, who has been limited with knee injuries over the past few years, would get back to the level that made him such a crucial piece of the Bucks 2021 championship squad. This season, he was averaging just 12.6 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game, but was doing so on strong efficiency (51.2/40.7/84.8 splits). Now they bring in Kuzma, who like Middleton has one more year on his deal but will be owed more than $10 million less, and will hope being on a contender can get him going.

Kuzma is having the worst season of his career in Washington, averaging 15.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game on the hapless Wizards, with some truly horrific shooting splits (42.0/28.1/60.2, all career-worsts). Kuzma has been frustrated with the situation in Washington this season — a year after turning down an opportunity to get traded to Dallas — and now gets to join the Bucks to play between Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee will be banking on being on a contender lighting a fire under Kuzma that gets him back to being a helpful player.

Now that they are under the second apron, the Bucks can make more moves if they’d like without as much difficulty, and figure to remain a team to watch through the deadline. The Wizards, meanwhile, manage to still get a future pick-swap and only take on big money for one more year with Middleton’s player option despite selling as low as possible on Kuzma.

Taylor Swift is perhaps the most widely and passionately beloved musician working today. Among her fans is The Eras Tour opener Gracie Abrams, who gave Swift her flowers in a new Cosmopolitan interview.

During the conversation, Abrams shared her thoughts about Swift’s important place in pop culture history, saying:

“Taylor is an athlete, a brilliant businessperson, and a genius writer. She’s a grounded human being who makes time for everyone in her life. It’s been really cool to be in the orbit of a person like her. There’s also nothing that comes close to what she has done. People will still gaslight her and her capabilities and all this sh*t. But please point me to one man who has come close to defining pop culture in this way. There is nothing! But people are not ready for that conversation.”

Abrams’ take has generated some discussion online. In response to posts from popular X (formerly Twitter) accounts sharing the quote (like this one and this one), some users agree with what Abrams said. Others make the case for famous men who supposedly disprove Abrams’ claim: Michael Jackson seems to be the most commonly mentioned artist, while also being discussed are Elvis Presley, Prince, and The Beatles.

Is Blackpink about to be in your area? The K-pop group shared a video teasing a world tour coming later this year. There’s no dates or anything like that yet, but it’s still an exciting update. Watch it above.

Since wrapping up the Born Pink World Tour in 2023, the members of Blackpink have focused on their solo careers: Rosé became the first Korean female solo artist with a top-10 hit in America with “APT”; Lisa’s album, Alter Ego, comes this month, followed by her acting debut in The White Lotus; Jennie is going on an “intense and intimate” mini-tour in support of her upcoming album, Ruby; and Jisoo’s “new era” includes the Amortage EP.

Jennie recently spoke to Billboard about how she’s excited to see what Blackpink looks like once they’re back together. “I’ve missed the girls,” she said. “I’ve missed doing tours with them. I miss our silly moments. I’m excited to see what everyone brings. You know, everyone took their own journey [during] this time, and I’m excited to share that with the girls. I want to say it’s going to be the most powerful [versions] of ourselves that anyone has seen.”

It appears we’ll find out later this year.

Back To The Beginning was dubbed the “greatest heavy metal show ever” by musical director Tom Morello, and it has the lineup to prove it.

The headliner of the one-day festival in Birmingham, England, is the original lineup of Black Sabbath — singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward — performing together for the first time in 20 years to celebrate Ozzy’s final live performance.

There’s also Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Alice In Chains, Halestorm, Lamb Of God, Anthrax, and Mastodon, as well as additional performances from The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, Korn’s Jonathan Davis, Faith No More’s Mike Bordin, Ghost’s Papa V Perpetua, Sammy Hagar, Wolfgang Van Halen, and many more.

“It’s my time to go Back To The Beginning… time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” Ozzy said in a statement. “How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love? Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.”

Tickets for Back To The Beginning, which takes place in Birmingham’s Villa Park on July 5, go on sale on Friday, February 14, at 10 a.m. GMT. Proceeds will go towards Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice. You can find more information here.

As the world learned in 2024, engaging Kendrick Lamar in a rap battle may not be the best idea… unless you want everybody at the Grammys to rap along with a chart-topping diss track about you, specifically the part that suggests you engage in inappropriate conduct with minors. That said, Kanye West doesn’t seem to fear Lamar. In fact, Ye seems to believe that if he and Lamar came to rap-based blows, he would be the one to emerge on top.

In a new interview on the Download podcast, West said (here’s the clip):

“If you rap against Kendrick, you will lose. This man does this. You know in Street Fighter, you get Chun-Li, you get a certain kick, and no matter what, you can’t beat that thing [laughs]? If you rap against Kendrick Lamar… like, Joe Budden said, ‘Never rap against Kendrick Lamar.’ If you rap against Kendrick Lamar, it’s a difficult task, but perhaps it’s something… I’m a psycho genius, so you know, it could be…”

Host Justin Laboy then concluded, “There you have it: Do not rap against Kendrick Lamar.” Kanye added, “Unless you’re a psycho genius like me.”

That said, he also indicated Drake could somehow mount a comeback against Lamar, saying, “You can’t ever count out Steph Curry. That man might get 200 points in one song.”