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Hip-Hop Lives Here
Ed Sheeran is closing out 2021 with a major achievement under his belt. On Wednesday (Dec. 22), the singer posted a video to his Instagram announcing that his 2017 hit “Shape of You” has become the first song in Spotify’s history to reach 3 billion streams.
“I’ve just heard ‘Shape of You’ has reached 3 billion streams on Spotify, which is absolutely insane. I remember this song hitting a billion and thinking that that was weird,” Sheeran said. “The first song to hit 3 billion streams and I’m really, really chuffed with it. Thank you, Spotify, for your support over the years. We’ve had a great 10 years together and hopefully, we have a great 10 years more.”
The 30-year-old also took a brief moment to share some backstory on how the track became a single in the first place, revealing that he went back and forth with Ben Cook — former president of Atlantic Records UK who signed Sheeran — about making “Shape of You” the first single from his 2017 album, ÷ (Divide).
“The song wasn’t meant to make the album … the album wasn’t done, and when I finished the song, Ben Cook from my record label was basically saying, ‘You have to put this on the album, it has to be a single.’ I said to him, ‘I want ‘Castle on the Hill’ to be the first single, that’s going to be bigger,'” Sheeran explained. “We agreed to disagree and put both songs out at once, and I have to say that Ben, I was wrong and you were very much right.”
“Shape of You” would go on to spend a total of 59 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; the tracked stayed at the No. 1 spot for 12 weeks. (“Castle on the Hill,” in comparison, peaked at No. 6 on the chart and enjoyed 33 weeks on the Hot 100.) The success of “Shape of You” — alongside “Castle on the Hill” and “Perfect” — helped ÷ become Sheeran’s second longest charting album to date, spending a total of 250 weeks on the Billboard 200.
Watch Sheeran celebrate his Spotify milestone below.
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Police video recorded during Justin Timberlake’s 2024 DWI arrest in Sag Harbor, New York, has now been made public.
On Friday March 20, authorities in Sag Harbor released an edited version of the footage to media organizations that had filed public information requests. The 45 year old artist had previously taken legal action in an attempt to prevent the video from being shared, but eventually accepted the edited version being released as part of a legal agreement.
Timberlake was taken into custody in June 2024 after being suspected of driving under the influence. He later admitted guilt to a reduced charge related to impaired driving and received a sentence that included 25 hours of community service. He also participated in a public safety message warning about the risks of drinking and driving, saying, “Even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car.”
TMZ was one of the first publications to share the footage, which shows the pop star having difficulty completing several sobriety checks after police stopped his BMW SUV along the roadside.
“Guys, I’m just following my friends back to my house,” he’s heard saying in slowed down speech. “I’m not doing anything. I’m just following my friends back to my house.”
At one point officers ask him to walk in a straight line using nine heel to toe steps. “Sorry, I’m a little nervous,” the singer says as he takes more steps than instructed. In another test, where he is told to raise one foot about six inches and count out loud, Timberlake responds, “Sorry, my heart is racing,” before adding, “These are, like, really hard tests.” Officers later place him in handcuffs before taking him into custody.
Court documents submitted on March 2 show Timberlake’s legal team argued that the footage showed him in what they described as an “acutely vulnerable state” and claimed releasing it would “serve no legitimate public interest.” A judge on Long Island temporarily instructed police to hold off on releasing the recordings while the court reviewed the matter.
In comments provided to Billboard on March 20, the Village of Sag Harbor said, “We are pleased that this matter has now been resolved and the village will be able to comply with its statutory obligation to release the material that is subject to disclosure.”
“From the beginning of this matter, after Mr. Timberlake’s arrest, the village has attempted to comply with the mandates of the Freedom of Information Law,” the statement reads. “As would be true in any case involving records or video footage from our police department, such material is reviewed and redacted to address public and officer safety concerns as well as personal privacy considerations.”
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