J. Cole Scores Seventh No. 1 Album
J. Cole scored his seventh No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with "The Fall-Off," cementing his place among hip-hop's elite. Brandy performed with June's Diary at the NBA All-Star Game, blending music and sports spectacle. The music world is mourning the passing of Billy Steinberg, legendary songwriter behind hits like "Like a Virgin" and "True Colors," who died at 75.
- J. Cole's "The Fall-Off" sold 280,000 equivalent album units in its first week, making it the largest opening week for a hip-hop album in nearly a year. - The album's sales included 169.5 million streams and 113,000 pure sales, with a significant 80,000 of those being vinyl copies, a career-best for Cole. - "The Fall-Off" is a 24-track double album featuring guest appearances from artists such as Future, Erykah Badu, Burna Boy, and Tems. - All seven of J. Cole's official studio albums have now debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, a streak that began with his 2011 debut, "Cole World: The Sideline Story." - Brandy and the vocal group June's Diary performed an a cappella R&B arrangement of "The Star-Spangled Banner" that intentionally veered from the song's traditional melody. - The performance at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood drew mixed reactions online for its creative liberties but earned a standing ovation from former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, who were in attendance. - Beyond his Madonna and Cyndi Lauper hits, Billy Steinberg also co-wrote a string of other major songs, including Heart's "Alone," Whitney Houston's "So Emotional," The Bangles' "Eternal Flame," and The Pretenders' "I'll Stand By You." - Many of Steinberg's most famous songs were co-written with his primary collaborator, Tom Kelly, with whom he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011.
