Karol G Releases Bubble Gum Inspired by Her Album “KG0516”

It’s a sticky situation for Karol G

The 30-year-old Colombian singer/songwriter is still celebrating her third studio album KG0516, this time with the release of her very own bubble gum in Colombia.

Karol G

Karol G has partnered with Colombian company Super de Alimentos and brand Oka Loka to create a special edition “chicle bomba” inspired by her latest album, featuring the hit singles like “El Makinon,” “Bichota,” and “200 Copas.”

“With the purpose that her music reaches all corners of her native country in the most fun and colorful way possible,” said a press statement about The Karol G gum, which features colorful packaging that represents Karol’s turquoise blue hair color. The packaging also includes a QR code so that fans can listen to all of her biggest hits.

Karol G Bubble Gum

With the release of KG0516, Karol earned her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart. The climb to the top became the biggest week by a female act in nearly four years with 24,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending April 1, 2021.

Michaela Jaé (Mj) Rodriguez Signs with United Talent Agency (UTA)

Michaela Jaé (Mj) Rodriguez has new representation…

The 30-year-old half-Afro-Puerto Rican actress has signed with United Talent Agency (UTA).

MJ Rodriguez

Rodriguez, who was with Gersh, recently made history as the first transgender actress to be nominated for an Emmy in any lead acting category for her role as house mother Blanca in the FX drama from Steven Canals and Ryan Murphy.

UTA will represent Rodriguez in all areas as she continues to grow her career in film, television, theater and music, among other mediums.

With Pose having wrapped its run earlier this year after three seasons, Rodriguez will next star opposite Maya Rudolph in Apple‘s comedy series Loot.

Her previous television credits include roles in Showtime‘s Nurse Jackie and Marvel‘s Netflix drama Luke Cage.

On the big screen, Rodriguez will next star in Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s feature adaptation of Jonathan Larson‘s Tick, Tick … Boom! She previously earned praise for her role in Saturday Church, which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival.

UTA will also help support Rodriguez as she expands her burgeoning music career. Rodriguez recently released a music video to accompany her debut single, “Something to Say,” the equality anthem she wrote with Verdine White of Earth, Wind and Fire, Neal Pogue and John Paris.

On stage, Rodriguez made her off-Broadway debut in the New World Stages production of Larson’s beloved Rent, playing the role of Angel. Her stage credits include the Encores! production of Runaways and portraying the lead role of Audrey in the Pasadena Playhouse’s production of Little Shop of Horrors.

Cardi B Signs Publishing Deal with Warner Chappell Music

Cardi B is celebrating a new deal…

The 28-year-old half-Dominican American rap superstar has signed a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music (WCM), moving her catalog over from Sony Music Publishing.

Cardi B

The news, first reported by Variety, brings Cardi B’s recording and publishing under the Warner Music Group umbrella, as Cardi B has been signed to Warner Music Group’s Atlantic Records since 2017.

A representative for WCM declined to comment, and representatives for Sony Music Publishing could not be reached at press time.

Cardi B’s move to WCM comes in advance of her highly-anticipated sophomore album, the follow up to Invasion of Privacy, her Grammy-winning debut album released in 2018.

She has released a bevy of successful singles since then, including the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s “Up” and “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion, and notches her latest feature, appearing on Lizzo‘s brand-new single “Rumors.”

WCM co-chairs Guy Moot and Carianne Marshall, alongside president of U.S. A&R Ryan Press, have signed a string of hit artists and songwriters recently, including Anderson .Paak, Bruno Mars, Saweetie, 42 Dugg, Belly, Quincy Jones and Cab Calloway.

Robert Rodriguez Signs Two-Year First Look Deal with HBO & HBO Max

Robert Rodriguez has sealed a new partnership…

The 53-year-old Mexican American filmmaker has signed a two-year first-look deal with HBO and HBO Max, founder of Troublemaker Studios.

Robert Rodriguez

As part of the collaboration, Rodríguez will first bring projects to the cable company and streamer for potential development as original series. His son Racer Rodríguez will serve as lead development executive under the pact. Projects could potentially be completed at the studio’s production facilities in Austin, Texas.

“Robert’s masterful, high concept productions are a perfect match for our HBO Max audiences. We are excited to jump into this partnership and work on brand-new, provocative stories,” said Joey Chavez, executive vice president of original programming, drama, HBO Max.

Rodríguez said of the partnership, “It’s intriguing to be able to tap into the wealth of iconic IP available across the WarnerMedia portfolio and explore new stories to tell. I’m looking forward to a meaningful collaboration with the high caliber creative talent at HBO and HBO Max who have proven they’re willing to take risks, challenge norms and tell inclusive stories while producing a wide breadth of quality content.”

Rodríguez is currently the executive producer and director of the Disney+ series The Book of Boba Fett, a spin-off of The Mandalorian. He’s known for his work as a writer, director, and producer of many notable films including DesperadoFrom Dusk Till Dawn, the Spy Kids franchise, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Frank Miller’s Sin CityThe Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D, Grindhouse, Machete, and Alita: Battle Angel.

DJ Nelson Teams Up with Alfred Matias to Launch Flowmixx

DJ Nelson is ready to let it flow

The Puerto Rican producer has teamed up with Dominican Republic producer and engineer Alfred Matías to launch Flowmixx.

DJ Nelson

Billed as a one-stop-shop for all DJs, the company will be a space for deejays to acquire “top of the line edits” and “prepare records and singles with various deejay friendly versions to maximize your song’s reach all around the world with exposure in clubs, private events and radio,” according to a statement.

“This has been a dream of mine for a really long time and finally it’s become a reality,” DJ Nelson tells Billboard. “The purpose of this project is to elevate the urban culture and help advance the career of producers and deejays of the new generation.”

For more info, check out the new venture’s website at flowmixx.com.

Born Nelson Díaz Martinez, he first made a name for himself as part of the Noise collective in San Juan, Puerto Rico, then went on to release his debut album Nel-Zone in 1997. He’s also a producer, with notable credits on albums like Ivy Queen‘s En Mi Imperio and The Original Rude Girl and Wisin y Yandel‘s Los Reyes del Nuevo Milenio.

Al Madrigal Signs Multi-Year Overall Deal with CBS Studios

Al Madrigal is lookin’ to develop new projects for CBS Studios

The 50-year-old half-Mexican American comedian, writer, actor and producer has signed a multi-year overall deal with the studio to develop new series for broadcast, cable and streaming services.

Al Madrigal

Madrigal is currently co-writing, producing, and starring in Guerrillas, a CBS Studios-produced single-camera comedy from Madrigal and Jenny Snyder Urman’s Sutton Street Productions in development at ABC. The series revolves around a lonely efficiency expert (Madrigal) for an oil company who gets kidnapped in South America and ends up working for a disorganized group of guerrilla soldiers to earn back his freedom.

“We are delighted to make our relationship with Al official,” said Kate Adler, EVP Comedy Development, CBS Studios. “We have been fans of his comedy for years. Al is an extraordinary talent both behind and in front of the camera. We are convinced there is nothing he can’t do…aside from speak proficient Spanish. He tells us he’s working on that.”

Madrigal is one of today’s most successful comedians, credited with breaking down barriers for Latinos in the industry and crossing over to become a writer, producer and entrepreneur.

Madrigal and fellow comedian, Bill Burr, co-founded All Things Comedy (ATC) Over the past five years, ATC has created a digital video platform, original podcasts, production company, comedy record label, television and feature distribution, and a social media consultancy and branded content agency. It’s currently the leading comedy podcast network featuring shows hosted by some of the industry’s top comedians and has over 15 million listeners and 50+ shows.

On television, Madrigal is best known as the Senior Latino Correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, a series regular and writer on Showtime’s I’m Dying Up Here, and served as a writer, actor, and producer on the CBS show, Broke.

Madrigal’s film credits include his standout role as Dan the assistant basketball coach in The Way Back, with co-star Ben Affleck for Warner Bros. Madrigal has also been seen in Night School, alongside Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, and next year, he will play Agent Rodriquez in Sony’s Morbius, alongside Jared Leto.

Madrigal’s stand-up career took-off when he won a jury award for best stand-up comedian at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. He went on to sign a talent holding deal with CBS, which led to his special, Comedy Central Presents. Madrigal went on to complete his first one hour special, Why Is the Rabbit Crying?. The special premiered on Comedy Central and was named one of the top 10 comedy specials of 2013 by both Westword and The Village Voice. In 2017, his critically acclaimed one-hour special, Shrimpin’ Ain’t Easy premiered on Showtime.

“I’m excited to continue to collaborate with David, Kate, Alec, Sean and everyone at CBS Studios to write and produce stories that have largely been absent from television,” said Madrigal. “I’m of course talking about overweight white guys married to women way out of their league.”

Ovy on the Drums Renews Global Publishing Deal with Kobalt Music Group

Ovy on the Drums isn’t going anywhere…

The Colombian artist, producer and songwriter, whose real name is Daniel Echavarria Oviedo, has renewed his global publishing deal with Kobalt Music Group.

Ovy on the Drums“They’ve always believed in me,” Ovy, who first signed with Kobalt in December of 2017, tells Billboard. “The first time Kobalt got me many opportunities and was on top of my project. They are an incredible publisher and that’s why I keep firm with them.”

The renewal deal includes a full range of creative, sync, and administration services for his catalog and future works.

“Kobalt is very transparent in the way they look at revenue and that gives me a lot of security,” he notes, saying he’s excited to continue growing his brand. “I feel that my sound has a lot to offer and with Kobalt, I will be able to work with big artists on the anglo side.”

Nestor Casonu, president of Kobalt Music Latin America, says he’s thrilled to be extending his relationship with the Colombian hitmaker.

“I personally feel very proud to have had the opportunity to witness Ovy’s impressive talent and trajectory not only as a producer but also as a songwriter and artist whose success continues to unfold,” he expressed in a press statement. “It brings us great joy to believe in an artist from the beginning and that feeling multiplies when admiring their continued success, of which we are very proud. We look forward to continuing to support Ovy as his star continues to rise.”

The artist-producer is behind some of Latin’s biggest titles including Paulo Londra’s breakthrough hit “Adan y Eva,” Piso 21 and Micro TDH’s viral track “Te Vi,” and Karol G’s “Tusa” in collaboration with Nicki Minaj.

“Tusa,” which won Song Of The Year at the 2021 ASCAP Latin Awards, also became the first song to debut at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart in 2019, and the first song by a female act in a lead role to bow at No. 1 since 2016, when Shakira‘s “Chantaje,” featuring Maluma, bowed atop the list.

“He is able to produce with new and developing artists and turn them into megastars with his trademark sound heard all over the world,” Leslie Ahrens, svp creative, Kobalt Music, noted. “We believed in Ovy from the very beginning of his career and are proud to be part of his successful journey along with his manager Stephanie Chopurian for many more years to come.”

Up next, Ovy revealed that he’s beginning to work on Karol G’s fourth studio album, finalizing Micro TDH’s sophomore set, producing for Myke Towers, collaborating with Becky G on the artist side, and thanks to connections at Kobalt, he’s also working with Enrique Iglesias.

“Incredible things are coming,” he assures.

Daddy Yankee Partners with Sprite for Limited-Edition Flavor, “Daddy Mix by Daddy Yankee”

Daddy Yankee is getting carbonated…

The 45-year-old Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and rapper has teamed up with Sprite for a limited-edition flavor.

Daddy Yankee

Coined “Daddy Mix by Daddy Yankee,” the new tropical soda was made 100% in Puerto Rico and inspired by the island’s vibe and Yankee’s music.

This marks the first time Sprite has partnered with an artist in Puerto Rico, and only the second time the brand created a new flavor, following “Sprite LeBron’s Mix,” formulated in collaboration with NBA star LeBron James.

Daddy Yankee, Daddy Mix by Daddy Yankee, Sprite

Calling him the “perfect partner” for this exclusive flavor, Michelle Serrano, product life manager at Sprite Puerto Rico, said in a statement: “The ‘Big Boss’ brings you his tropical mix Daddy Mix by Daddy Yankee with the same intensity of our original lemon-lime formula that quenches your thirst with a perfect tropical twist for this summer.”

In true DY fashion, the can and boxing are inspired by the reggaeton superstar’s career, including elements like his initials, signature, and emoji from his 2021 hit “Problema.”

Sprite’s Daddy Mix, available in either a 12oz can or 1.75-liter bottle, will be sold in Puerto Rico for a limited time.

J Balvin Partners with Hasbro for the Brand’s First Celebrity Figure, the “J Balvintron” Transformer

J Balvin is experiencing a career Transformer-ation

The 36-year-old Colombian singer, known as the “Prince of Reggaeton,” is getting his own Transformers figure.

J Balvin

On July 13, Hasbro will make available for pre-order the “J Balvintron,” a 7-inch tall figure with two mini cassette accessories inspired by Balvin’s Energía and Vibras albums that transform into a condor and a tiger to create a mash-up J Balvintron 3-pack. The figure also wields a blaster, and incorporates Balvin’s signature rainbow colors and smiley face icon.

While Hasbro has previously partnered with brands like Marvel and Universal to create figures from their respective universes, the J Balvintron is the first figure created with a musical artist or actual living celebrity since Hasbro launched its collaborative program in 2019.

J Balvin, Hasbro, J Balvintron, Transformer

The figure, which will be available exclusively on the NTWRK platform as a limited edition, will retail for $69.99.

“I’ve loved Transformers since I was a kid so this was a dream come true,” Balvin told Billboard.

“The J Balvintron Transformers that are coming out are a reflection of my dream toy. Ever since the proposal came to me I had this vision in mind.”

The Transformer proposal came to Balvin via livestream shopping platform NTWRK, which is known for its exclusive, celebrity-partnership product drops, and which had a strong relationship with both Balvin and Hasbro.

“NTWRK approached J Balvin and Hasbro with the idea to collaborate with Transformers because Balvin is a huge fan of Transformers and we thought it would be an amazing fan experience and cultural moment — For Balvin and Transformers fans,” says president Moksha Fitzgibbons.

Balvin, whose affinity for games in general is well known, was excited.

“I asked them to include elements from my past albums in the design. This is why they have two cassette options, one for Vibras and then one for Energia,” he says. “The colors, the names, I suggested all of these to them for inspiration. When we were in the process of making the design, Colores had just come out so we wanted to make many different color options.”

Evan Brooks, the designer in charge of the Balvintron, knew the singer was a big G1 Transformer fan, so his starting point was Soundwave, a popular Gen 1 transformer whose best-known disguise is as a cassette player. Brooks designed two small cassette players that transform into Balvin albums. Because the cassettes are usually animal-themed, “We looked at his tatoos and saw he had four or five tigers. We ran it past him and had one of them turn into a tiger that turns into Vibras, and the other one is a condor that turns into Energia.”

The first step in designing based on an actual person, says Brooks, is taking the visual elements that define the person and extrapolating them onto a robot. The biggest challenge, he says, was trying to balance Balvin’s many color associations.

“If you look at Balvin’s figure, I found his rainbow hair style very iconic. We went through ten iterations. The robot head has the five color break. We made sure the smiley face was present.”

The whole process, he says, was “very easy and very smooth,” with a bonus. Brooks, who hadn’t heard Balvin before, became a fan, and “Rojo” is now his favorite track.

The J Balvintron will only be available on the NETWRK App, which will premiere the figure along with an animated video and an interview with the Balvintron designers. Balvin will also promote the figure on social media.

Pitbull Partners with Echelon Fitness for New Content & More

Pitbull is workin’ on his fitness dealings…

The 40-year-old Cuban rap superstar and entrepreneur has been named a new partner in Echelon Fitness, the upstart fitness brand known for their line of spin bikes, fitness mirrors, treadmills and rowers.

Pitbull

Pitbull is teaming up with Echelon to unveil a host of new content on the Echelon website and Echelon Fitness app.

Among the new projects: Pitbull will write a new “anthem” for Echelon that the company says will “inspire members, and get the world moving and feeling good.”

It’s not just for a campaign though – Pitbull says the Echelon anthem will be released as a single on his new album, and says he’ll be playing it on his upcoming “I Feel Good” tour. Expect to hear the new upbeat track on Echelon commercials as well.

Echelon, known for its Peloton-style spin bike (currently shipping faster than a Peloton by the way) will also unveil a special “Ride with Pitbull” channel, with themed rides featuring music from the rapper along with his frequent collaborators (expect Jennifer Lopez, Daddy Yankee, Marc Anthony and Becky G to be on the class playlists). Echelon says you’ll also have the ability to ride with Pitbull himself, in classes created and taught by his dancers. It’s unclear if Mr. 305 will actually pop up on screen riding a bike, but Echelon has confirmed that Pitbull’s lead dancer, Jenny Valdes, will be one of the featured instructors.

The final piece of the partnership will be exclusive Pitbull merch and a co-branded Pitbull spin bike, to be released on the Echelon website. Though details of the merchandise haven’t been released, it’s likely to include athleisure wear, water bottles and other accessories to help you reach your fitness goals.

“It is truly an honor to partner with Echelon Fitness,” says Pitbull, in a press release. “With this new venture, we look forward to producing new avenues for music and fitness. Music is the universal language. Fitness is a cultural movement. Together we will create a powerful generation. I don’t know about you but that makes me feel good, Dale!”

“Learning Pitbull was a fan of our product and our community was humbling,” adds Lou Lentine, President and CEO of Echelon Fitness. “Pitbull has featured and been featured with some of the biggest talents in the music industry. And now his latest feature is with Echelon Fitness. We are so excited to welcome Mr. Worldwide to the team!”

Find out more about the new partnership at EchelonFit.com.