Michael Saponara

New York

Journalist at Freelance

Back by unpopular demand 📝 @Billboard

Articles

Addison Rae Says She Used to Get Paid $20 by Record Labels to Post TikTok Videos: ‘It Was Actually Really Sketch’

3 days ago | billboard.com | Michael Saponara

Addison Rae is on the verge of pop superstardom, but there was once a time when she was a rising TikTok star and a college student looking to get by. Rae joined The New York Times‘ Popcast on Friday (May 30), where she reflected on her time at Louisiana State when she was getting paid $20 via PayPal by record labels to post videos dancing to their artists’ songs on TikTok.
Lola Young Announces 2025 North American Tour: See the Dates

3 days ago | billboard.com | Michael Saponara

Lola Young Announces 2025 North American Tour: See the Dates"Can't wait to be back in the room with you all," she wrote on Instagram. Lola Young performs at Mojave Tent during the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 18, 2025 in Indio, Calif.
E-40 Kicks Off Black Music Month With Smooth Tiny Desk Concert Performance

3 days ago | billboard.com | Michael Saponara

E-40 kicked off Black Music Month with a swaggering Tiny Desk concert debut on Monday (June 2), which saw 40 Water run through three decades worth of boastful bops in 25 minutes.
Pusha T Reflects on Severed Relationship With Ye: ‘I Don’t Think He’s a Man’

3 days ago | billboard.com | Michael Saponara

Pusha T severed ties with G.O.O.D. Music, where he served as the label’s president and distanced himself from Ye (formerly Kanye West) in late 2022. King Push and his brother No Malice graced the cover of GQ on Monday (June 2), and Pusha reflected on his falling out with the embattled rapper, who has faced criticism for his repeated hate speech.
Pusha T Reflects on Severed Relationship With Ye: ‘I Don’t Think He’s a Man’

3 days ago | flipboard.com | Michael Saponara

1 hour agoAfter more than fifteen years apart, the brothers Thornton, better known as Malice and Pusha T, are back together, with a new Pharrell Williams-produced album that ranks with their most potent product ever—and they’re ready to go on record about Kanye, Drake, and the state of the game. Pusha T and …
R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Justine Skye, Molly Santana, J.P., Leon Thomas & More

3 days ago | billboard.com | Kyle Denis |Angel Diaz |Angel Díaz |Michael Saponara |Christopher Claxton

R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Justine Skye, Molly Santana, J.P., Leon Thomas & MoreListen to new must-hear songs from emerging R&B/hip-hop artists like Mavi and Benji Blue Bills.
50 Cent Says He’s Going to ‘Make Sure’ Trump’s Aware of ‘Really Bad’ Things Diddy Said About President

3 days ago | billboard.com | Michael Saponara

50 Cent is making his feelings about Sean “Diddy” Combs known to Donald Trump after the president relayed that he’d “look at the facts” of the embattled music mogul’s sex trafficking case regarding a potential pardon. “[Diddy] said some really bad things about Trump, it’s not ok. I’m gonna reach out so he knows how I feel about this guy,” 50 Cent wrote in a since-deleted May 30 post to Instagram captured by Rolling Stone.
‘A Shared Language’: Inside Country Music’s Rap Revival

3 days ago | billboard.com | Michael Saponara

It’s no coincidence that the two songs tied for most weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 toe the line between country and rap. Lil Nas X set the record with his Billy Ray Cyrus-featuring “Old Town Road” in 2019, and late last year, Shaboozey tied the record when “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” hit the same 19-week mark. “Country and rap might come from different worlds, but they thrive on the same foundation — raw storytelling and authenticity,” UnitedMasters director of A&R Aaron Hunter says.
‘A Shared Language’: Inside Country Music’s Rap Revival

3 days ago | yahoo.com | Michael Saponara

Generate Key TakeawaysIt’s no coincidence that the two songs tied for most weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 toe the line between country and rap. Lil Nas X set the record with his Billy Ray Cyrus-featuring “Old Town Road” in 2019, and late last year, Shaboozey tied the record when “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” hit the same 19-week mark.
Ye Says He Misses Pusha T's ‘Friendship' After Being Name-Dropped in New Clipse Song

6 days ago | msn.com | Michael Saponara