Entertainment
In Canada: Program to Empower Black Canadian Music Managers Launches
A new initiative is elevating Black Canadian artist managers in the industry.
F.A.M.E. (Foundations & Acceleration for Management Excellence) is designed to strengthen capacity, leadership and sustainability for Black music managers.
Started by Toronto-based non-profit, Breaking Down Racial Barriers (BDRB), the eight-week program — running from October 14 to December 4 — will provide intensive training, mentorship and industry access for Black-identifying music leaders.
Led by music manager Katrina Lopes, the initiative includes weekly Zoom workshops with management industry leaders, one-on-one mentorship and networking sessions with senior music executives and guest speakers from Canadian and U.S. music markets. Participants can gain practical skills, networks and the confidence needed to grow their management businesses and support artists on a global scale.
“F.A.M.E. was created to equip Black music managers in Canada with the tools and resources to build stronger careers and foster more success stories,” says BDRB co-founder and program David ‘Click’ Cox. “F.A.M.E. is about access, mentorship, and community — so managers can thrive and lead the next generation of Canadian music.”
Combining practical knowledge and education with a cultural lens, F.A.M.E. boasts problem-solving skills to tackle future challenges in the music industry — from disruptive technologies to new models of artist sustainability and equity.
“Developed from the ground up with a detailed curriculum specifically curated to the needs of Black music artist managers from the perspective of Black music industry professionals who have successfully navigated the industry,” says Ian Andre Espinet, BDRB co-founder.
Read more here. — Heather Taylor-Singh
Allison Russell Talks Working with Joni Mitchell at SOCAN Awards: ‘One of the Most Surreal Gifts of My Life’
SOCAN celebrated its 100th anniversary by presenting the Global Impact Award to a true Canadian legend: Joni Mitchell. The singer-songwriter won the award for her 1969 classic, “Both Sides, Now.”
Mitchell was not able to attend the SOCAN Awards ceremony in Toronto on Sept. 30, but she was honoured in an outdoor ceremony in Los Angeles, including SOCAN executives like CEO Jennifer Brown and the consulate general of Canada.
Instead, the awards brought on a musician who now knows her well: Grammy-winning roots singer-songwriter Allison Russell.
The Montreal-born, Nashville-based artist performed a powerful solo version of “Both Sides, Now” that included a spoken poetry intro, a cappella singing and unaccompanied clarinet. It was an unconventional performance that echoed the mature gravitas of Mitchell’s performances since coming out of retirement at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival. And there’s a reason for that: Russell has been a major part of that comeback.
“I’m very, very lucky to have a wonderful chosen sister, Brandi Carlile, who invited me into the magic circle of Joni Jam [the star-studded performances by Mitchell and a large circle of other musicians],” she tells Billboard Canada on the red carpet before the ceremony. “I play clarinet and sing backups. We’ve done Newport, we’ve done the Gorge, we’ve done Hollywood Bowl, we did the Grammys, which was just extraordinary. [Joni] really likes my clarinet playing, which is mind-blowing.”
Russell has been welcomed by the legendary songwriter at jam sessions in her Los Angeles home, which is a big deal for the musician who grew up idolizing her.
“Walking into her living room is like walking into her beautiful mind,” she explains. “Every inch of the walls are covered with her extraordinary paintings, which she’s planning to donate to a museum in Saskatoon right by the Saskatchewan River when she, I hope 50 years from now, rejoins the stars.”
“Getting to be in creative communion and community with her has been one of the most surreal gifts of my life,” she continues. “I’ve been listening to her since I was in utero. She’s my mom’s favourite singer. My mom’s from Saskatoon, and Joni still has her Saskatchewan accent. She’s been in the Canyon forever, but she still sounds so Canadian. We love talking about Saskatoon together.”
Asked if Mitchell has plans to play more live shows, Russell says she doesn’t know but praises the “determination, grit, resilience and sheer willpower” of her recovery from health struggles after a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 2015. She’s played marathon three-hour sets onstage in the last year, and Russell says she’s playing piano and guitar again.
Read more from the interview with Allison Russell at Billboard Canada here. – Richard Trapunski
Entertainment
NFL Player Keion White Shot Following Alleged Argument With Lil Baby at a Nightclub
NFL player Keion White was shot early Monday (Feb. 9) following an alleged argument with Lil Baby at a San Francisco nightclub.
According to ABC7, White was shot in the ankle at Dahlia’s, where the 49ers defensive lineman was hosting a Super Bowl party.
SFPD responded to calls for gunshots around 4 a.m. PT on Monday, according to ABC7. The San Francisco Standard viewed the police report, which, according to the publication, said a witness told law enforcement that White got into an argument with Baby as the rapper and his entourage tried to enter the private event, and was then shot, hours after the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.
Billboard has reached out to reps for Lil Baby and the SFPD for comment.
“Any violent incident in our city is unacceptable, and I’m hoping Keion recovers quickly. I’ve spoken with SFPD and 49ers leadership — we are all grateful to our SFPD officers for their quick response,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said on X. “As always, I will continue working with San Francisco law enforcement to ensure our neighborhoods and our residents are safe.”
According to the San Francisco 49ers, White underwent successful surgery on his ankle and the injuries are not expected to be “career-threatening.”
“A preliminary investigation revealed a verbal altercation occurred between two groups inside a business,” San Francisco police said in a statement, per ESPN. “The victim was injured when shots were fired by an unknown suspect.”
No arrests have been made yet, and no suspects have been named by the San Francisco Police Department.
Lil Baby was spotted attending Super Bowl LX with his son, Jason. On the music side, Baby has already notched collabs with Tkandz as well as Veeze and Rylo Rodriguez in 2026. The Atlanta rapper’s “Mrs. Trendsetter” held at No. 89 on last week’s Billboard Hot 100.
Entertainment
Don Toliver Scores His First No. 1 Hit on Hot Rap Songs Chart
Don Toliver’s busy week across Billboard’s charts includes the rapper-singer’s first No. 1 hit on the Hot Rap Songs list, as “Body” debuts atop the ranking dated Feb. 7. The new champ, on Donnway & Co./Cactus Jack/Atlantic Records, captains his collection of 17 tracks this week’s chart. They’re all from his new album, Octane, which storms in at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart with 162,000 equivalent album units.
The 17-track parade marks the most cuts that Don Toliver has posted on the Hot Rap Songs chart in a single week, and makes him only the sixth artist to claim 17 or more simultaneous appearances. He joins Drake, who has done it twice, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Baby, Playboi Carti and Travis Scott in the chart’s 34-year history.
“Body” owes its coronation on the multimetric Hot Rap Songs chart, a weighted combination of streaming, radio airplay and sales data in the United States, almost entirely to 14.3 million official on-demand streams for the week of Jan. 30-Feb. 5, according to Luminate. Thanks to that sum, it sparks a No. 1 debut on the Rap Streaming Songs chart. In the remaining categories, “Body” had 106,000 radio audience impressions and a negligible amount of song downloads.
With “Body,” Don Toliver achieves his first Hot Rap Songs No. 1 after 30 prior appearances. The performer previously peaked twice at No. 3 through featured roles: He and NAV guested on Internet Money and Gunna’s “Lemonade,” which reached the bronze in November 2020, while his and Future’s supporting turns on Metro Boomin’s “Too Many Nights” led to the same prize in December 2022. As a lead artist, his own “Tiramisu” set his previous career high of No. 6 in September 2025.
Similarly, “Body” leads Don Toliver’s ledger on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart (No. 3) and the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 (No. 14).
With “Body” on top, here’s a recap of all 17 Don Toliver tracks on Hot Rap Songs. Among them, 15 are debuts, while “ATM” and “Tiramisu” nab their second and third weeks, respectively.
- No. 1, “Body”
- No. 2, “E85”
- No. 4, “ATM”
- No. 5, “Secondhand,” feat. Rema
- No. 6, “Rendezvous,” feat. Yeat
- No. 8, “Tiramisu”
- No. 9, “Rosary,” feat. Travis Scott
- No. 10, “Call Back”
- No. 11, “Gemstone”
- No. 12, “Excavator”
- No. 13, “Opposite”
- No. 17, “All the Signs,” feat. Teezo Touchdown
- No. 18, “Tuition”
- No. 19, “K9,” feat. SahBabii
- No. 22, “TMU”
- No. 24, “Sweet Home”
- No. 25, “Pleasure’s Mine”
Entertainment
Baby Keem Announces ‘Ca$ino’ Album Release Date & Previews Kendrick Lamar Collaboration
Baby Keem is back. Keem announced plans for his upcoming album, Ca$ino, on Tuesday (Feb. 10), and the sophomore LP is slated to arrive on Feb. 20.
“Ca$ino Feb 20, 2026 Limited Edition Vinyl Available Now,” Keem wrote on Instagram. The 25-year-old revealed the LP’s cover art, which features a photo of a young Baby Keem with the parental advisory sticker.
Ca$ino boasts 12 tracks, including collaborations with his cousin Kendrick Lamar, Too Short, Momo Boys and Che Ecru.
With the four-plus-year layoff, fans are anticipating Keem’s return. “Took your time bro this better be a classic,” one person commented. Another added: “USED TO PRAY FOR TIMES LIKE THIS!”
Keem also released a Ca$ino documentary on YouTube to accompany the announcement. The Booman I doc features appearances from plenty of Keem’s family members describing his upbringing, including an appearance from Kendrick. “I understand the hardships before he was born. Knowing his mom, that’s my first cousin,” he said. “I already knew what she was going through, just the history of our family in general. We don’t call ourselves the hillbillies for nothing.”
Lamar continued: “Section 8, welfare … This is a story of a warfare environment and a warfare psychologically trying to change our generational curses.”
There’s also footage of Keem in the studio working on his collab with Lamar, “Good Flirts.” “Walking in the party, I don’t feel nobody/ What the f—k,” K. Dot raps on the hard-hitting track. “Is it fake, is it love, probably/ I smell something.”
Baby Keem’s debut album, The Melodic Blue, arrived in September 2021 and debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. He released a deluxe for the LP in October 2022 featuring Lil Uzi Vert and PinkPantheress.
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