🎵 Rebecca Black Transforms From Meme to Queen

Plus, Bruno Mars strikes again, this time with BLACKPINK’s Rosé. Another soundtrack of despair, courtesy of Machine Girl.

Liam Payne, best known for his time in One Direction, tragically passed away on Wednesday. He was 31. Payne fell from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, where he was attending a concert by his former bandmate Niall Horan. You can revisit Payne’s X-Factor auditions from 2008 and 2010, and read heartfelt tributes from Harry, Zayn, Louis and Niall.

Just two days earlier, news broke that Brooklyn underground rapper Ka died unexpectedly at 52. A lyrical genius, Ka was also a FDNY captain and a first responder during the 9/11 attacks. His 2021 album A Martyr’s Reward was among the first five albums to earn all four thumbs-up from us.

Click here for a Spotify playlist with the songs mentioned in this newsletter.

BIGGEST Songs of the Week 📈

The members of BLACKPINK are flooding the market with solo releases. Just last week, Jennie dropped “Mantra,” and the week before that, Lisa followed up her summer hits with “Moonlit Floor.” Now, it’s Rosé’s turn to join the fold with “APT.,” a collaboration with Bruno Mars, who’s building quite the reputation as…