HITS HIGH 5: EVERYBODY PLAYS THE FOOL

Consider yourself warned. On Monday, someone might tell you an Internet company is buying half of Universal Music, a musician’s death was hoax and Brian Eno was in the audience at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. We’ll stick with the truth on April Fool’s Day. Or so we think.

Before anyone plays tricks with truth, let’s review the biggest facts of the last week in the HITS High 5.

Billie Eilish comes roaring out of the gate with her Darkroom/Interscope debut positioning her as the next major pop star. The importance of her position lies in the trailblazing route she created by ignoring the cliché break-your-pop-act checklist. Take a look at her recent past via video.

The Recording Academy has hacked a month off the eligibility period for the next Grammy Awards and the biz is in an uproar.

In our Crosscurrent series, we look at the growth of Motown and Stax against the backdrop of a burgeoning movement for enfranchisement and inclusion. Here are the songs of the mid-‘60s that provided a soundtrack for change.

Is Columbia’s freshly inked Lil Nas X a country act or not?

Warner Music says bye-bye to Burbank, the ski lodge and Bob’s Big Boy and says hello to the concrete banks of the L.A. River, Wurstkuche and Blade Runner design.