With two wins each, Cub Sport, Jem Cassar-Daley and Bluey composer Joff Bush were the standouts at the 2024 Queensland Music Awards, presented Wednesday, April 17 at Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Homegrown electro-pop act Cub Sport nabbed album of the year for their ARIA No. 1 collection Jesus At The Gay Bar, and the electronic award for “Songs About It.” “This is very unexpected,” drummer Dan Puusaari said from the dais as Cub Sport collected best album honors. “We’ve been a band for 13 years, won our first QMA 12 years ago, it’s very cool to still be up here, still making music. It’s a massive privilege. This is the fifth record we’ve made. To be acknowledged like this is really cool.” Trending on Billboard Jem Cassar-Daley snagged the pop award and song of the year, the QMAs’ top honor, both for “King of Disappointment.” With the song of the year award, Cassar-Daley, daughter of homegrown country great Troy Cassar-Daley, scores a prime piece of real estate – a plaque on the Walk of Fame in the city’s Brunswick Street Mall. As she accepted her trophy, Cassar-Daley thanked “every single one of you in this room for inspiring me to pursue music, even during COVID when everything had locked down and we’d all lost gigs.” Composer Joff Bush won the children’s music award for “Dance Mode” and music for screen award for “Cricket,” both written for the popular animated series Bluey. Also, country veteran James Blundell was honored with the lifetime achievement award, recognition of a decades-long career during which he has recorded 14 studio albums, won nine CMAA Golden Guitars, and earned induction into the CMAA Role of Renown and the CMC Hall of Fame. “It is an acknowledgement of survival,” he said of his latest award, which he celebrated with members of his family. “I say to all the young artists I work with that longevity is a major part of the equation. You can be fabulous for a nanosecond but to sustain a career, well you’ve got to be a bit more interesting (laughs). Now I have never claimed or intended to be an interesting artist, but I have lived very honestly and very much in the public eye. So, I am very grateful to receive this award.” Other winners included Busby Marou (blues/roots award), DZ Deathrays (heavy award), Tia Gostelow (Indigenous award), and Sahara Beck (soul/funk/RnB category). “We are massively proud Queenslanders, and we’re inspired by the young fellas coming through. And of course, all the old fellas too,” remarked Thomas Busby, one-half of Rockhampton roots act Busby Marou. The “beauty of making music,” he added, is that you “make friends all along the way, then you keep them.” The 2024 Queensland Music Awards are produced by QMusic, which is supported by the Queensland government. Guests in the room included Queensland premier Steven Miles. 2024 Queensland Music Awards winners: Major Awards Song Of The Year Jem Cassar-Daley – ‘King Of Disappointment’ Album Of The Year Cub Sport – Jesus At The Gay Bar Lifetime Achievement Award James Blundell Scholarships 2023 Billy Thorpe Scholarship Lottie Mcleod 2023 Carol Lloyd Award Jo Davie Dennis “Mop” Conlon Scholarship Kristal West 2023 Grant Mclennan Fellowship Georgia Potter Dalwood-Wylie Foundation Scholarship Ethan Roberts Category Awards Blues | Roots Award Busby Marou – ‘Conversation’ Children’s Music Award Joff Bush – ‘Dance Mode’ (Bluey) Contemporary Classical & Music For Stage Karin Schaupp – ‘Cybernylon’ Country Award Tori Forsyth – ‘Sometimes’ Electronic Award Cub Sport – ‘Songs About It’ Folk Award Minor Gold – ‘Cannonball’ Heavy Award Dz Deathrays – ‘My Mind Is Eating Me Alive’ Hip Hop Award Ozi Jarel – ‘Uptown’ Indigenous Award Tia Gostelow – ‘Spring To Life’ Jazz Award Andrew Butt Trio – ‘Le Baiser Salé’ Music For Screen Joff Bush – ‘Cricket’ (Bluey) Pop Award Jem Cassar-Daley – ‘King Of Disappointment’ Rock Award Felony. – ‘Everyone I Like Wants To Kill Themselves’ Soul | Funk | Rnb Award Sahara Beck – ‘Compromise’ World Award Taitu’uga – ‘Falealili Manusamoa’ Youth (Ages 10 – 17) Award Parker – ‘Sofa Bed’ Regional | Regional Award Lt – ‘Act Your Age’ Video Award Luis Campbell, Adam Hasa & Julian Panetta – ‘Make It So Easy’ By Jordan Briton Feat. Juno Export Award Skin On Skin Highest Selling Single Fisher & Kita Alexander – ‘Atmosphere’ Highest Selling Album Brad Cox – Acres Venues + Festival Of The Year Awards People’s Choice Award Metro Venue Of The Year The Fortitude Music Hall People’s Choice Award Regional Venue Of The Year Kings Beach Tavern People’s Choice Award Festival Of The Year Nominees Gympie Music Muster Accessible Venue Of The Year Kingston Butter Factory Cultural Precinct

Trailblazing Indigenous artist Bart Willoughby is the recipient of the 2024 Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music. The prestigious honor will be presented at the 2024 APRA Music Awards, to be held May 1 at ICC Sydney, on Gadigal land. Willoughby was a founding member and the driving force behind No Fixed Address, Australia’s first and arguably most influential First Nations reggae-rock band, and the first Aboriginal band to sign a major label deal. The group’s 1981 protest song “We Have Survived” continues to resonate and is preserved in the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Willoughby’s “fusion of reggae with traditional Indigenous influences is a testament to the richness and diversity of Australia’s original cultural identity,” reads a statement from the PRO. “His illustrious career has garnered numerous accolades, yet his influence transcends music, encompassing roles as a cultural ambassador, a master storyteller, a nurturing mentor, and a steadfast advocate for truth within Indigenous communities nationwide.” The Ted Albert Award is one of the Australian music industry’s highest decorations, and is decided by the APRA board of writer and publisher directors. Trending on Billboard Previous recipients include the late Mushroom Group chairman Michael Gudinski, Paul Kelly, The Seekers, Cold Chisel, former Alberts CEO Fifa Riccobono and last year’s honoree, Colin Hay of Men at Work. “I am very proud to receive the Ted Albert Award for my services to Australian music,” comments Willoughby, a Kokatha and Mirning man. “The best advice I received as a young musician was from Aunty Leila Rankin at CASM whilst I was preoccupied practising; she kindly opened the door and forced me out telling me ‘I’ll learn my craft on the road, it’s been a Long Road.’” Ahead of this year’s APRAs, Taylor Swift and co-writer Jack Antonoff win most performed international work for “Anti-Hero,” her hit lead single from her chart-topping 10th studio album Midnights. “Anti-Hero” wins from a shortlist that included songs by Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Sam Smith, and David Guetta.As previously reported, Sarah Aarons leads the pack heading into 2024 APRAs, with Troye Sivan, Budjerah, Ainslie Wills, Styalz Fuego, Amy Shark, The Kid LAROI, James Johnston and MAY-A close behind. Established in 1982, the Australasian Performing Right Association’s annual songwriters’ ceremony is one of the Australian music industry’s most treasured events, a worthy counterpart to Britain’s Ivor Novello Awards.

HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: MARK PETERSON / Getty A reporter caught Donald Trump dozing off during his Manhattan “hush money” trial again, and social media was quick to poke fun at him.Former president Donald Trump was back in the Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday (April 16) for the jury selection in his “hush money” trial involving adult film star Stormy Daniels. But the proceedings seemed to have a different toll on Trump, as a reporter in the courtroom observed him falling asleep. Frank G. Runyeon, who is covering the trial for the legal analysis website Law360, detailed the septuagenarian’s slumber in steps in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Trump’s head slowly dropped, his eyes closed. It jerked back upward,” Runyeon wrote. “He adjusts himself. Then, his head droops again. He straightens up, leaning back. His head [droops] for a third time, he shakes his shoulders. Eyes closed still. His head drops. Finally, he pops his eyes open.” Other reporters present in the courtroom also noticed Trump’s nodding off, which some noted lasted a minute or more. The moment caught on like wildfire on social media, with the hashtag #SleepyDonald rising in the trending categories. Alina Habba, one of Trump’s lawyers and a frequent spokesperson, dismissed the idea as a “remarkable story at best,” before adding: “There were a tremendous amount of emotions being heard yesterday. I wasn’t there so I can’t comment on that. I find that to be a ridiculous thought though.” Trump himself has bragged that he doesn’t need a lot of sleep in the past. Maggie Haberman of the New York Times also pointed it out, also noting that he dozed off in court on Monday (April 15). Trump’s sleepiness was still a hot topic on the court’s off day on Wednesday (April 17), with one expert stating to The Daily Beast that the significance of the trial as he is the presumptive Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election is weighing on him. “Anyone that is on the campaign trail and fighting all these indictments against him might not be sleeping well,” said Dr. Chris Winter, a sleep expert and advisor to Mattress Firm. We’ve collected some of the more colorful responses to Trump’s snoozing moment on social media below. 1. Ron Filipkowski 2. Jon Cooper 3. TruthHurts 4. Victoria Brownworth 5. Ron Waxman 6. Marc A Caputo 7. Santa Claus, CEO 8. Janey Vee 9. We The Sheeple

HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty It’s starting to seem like today’s celebrities are learning the hard way that when you deal with women (well, anyone) you meet off of Instagram or OnlyFans, it’s not necessarily going to be a one-and-done affair. Kai Cenat has become the latest student of how cold the game can get when you play around with the wrong one, but he’s not taking it lying down (at least not like he did at one point with her). According to Vibe, the world-famous social media influencer is allegedly being extorted by an OnlyFans model, Layla Red, who is looking for a bigger payday in exchange for her secrecy pertaining to their sexual encounter. Apparently, Red has been asking Cenat to cough up $5,000 (on top of the $5,000 he’d allegedly already paid her) or she’d go public with their “relationship.” To show that she wasn’t playing, the OF content creator “leaked” a picture of a naked Kai sleeping in her bed after one of their “baby-making sessions.” Trying to avoid looking like a simp to his millions of fans, Cenat went on the offensive and refuted the notion that he came out of pocket for $5,000. Per Vibe: However, Cenat went live on Sunday night (April 14) debunking the OF content creator’s claims and threatening to take her to court due to her breaking a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that she supposedly signed. He also shared a transcript of his Apple Pay transactions, showing proof that he never paid her five stacks for sex, but only $50 for her Uber ride. In response, Red also shared a screen recording of her own which apparently shows a message from Cenat sending over $5k via Apple Pay. After Red tried to drop her receipts, Kai Cenat went digital age petty on the model and informed everyone that he purchased her name domain so that any time someone Google’s her name, they’ll be directed to “all of her lies,” instead of her OF link, Vibe reports. That’s pretty damn clever. Continuing to fight for his good name, Cenat continued to troll Red on his Live and let viewers witness just how messy things can get when you try to come for him and his money. That man really seems unbothered by the situation. Just sayin’. Check out the posts below, and let us know your thoughts on the situation in the comments section.

HipHopWired Featured Video Source: YouTube / Fox It seems G. Dep is looking to resurrect his music career. He says he is looking to reconnect with Diddy despite his pending legal issues. As reported by HipHopDX the Harlem, New York, native was recently released after serving over 10 years in prison for a robbery-turned murder. In December 2023, his 15-years to life sentence was commuted by Governor Kathy Hochul and he was released earlier this month. Now, as a free man he has conducted multiple interviews with various media outlets. Recently, he spoke to Fox 5 New York about his plans post prison and recording new music. He also made it clear that the public shouldn’t be so quick to condemn Diddy when it comes to his ongoing legal issues. “I’m like, ‘When? When did that happen?’” G. Dep said. “We were in the studio for months on end with each other. So I don’t know where this is coming from. People should give people the benefit of the doubt. If somebody just saying that you did something, you know people can say anything.” He then went on to directly address the Bad Boy Entertainment executive saying “[I] got a lot of songs, bro. I’m looking for you so we can get some type of musical situation going.” You can watch the G. Dep interview below. [embedded content]