Entertainment
Suga Writes Letter to Fans, Marking End of Mandatory Military Service for BTS

Suga, rapper and songwriter in the global K-pop sensation BTS, is discharged from South Korea’s mandatory military service as of Saturday (June 21), marking the official return of all seven members from their enlistment duties.
The group’s representatives, BIG Hit, confirmed on Wednesday that Suga was nearing completion of his service duties after using up his remaining leave. His official discharge date is Saturday.
BIG Hit had said earlier that no events were planned for Suga’s release out of concern for overcrowding.
It is a momentous occasion for fans of BTS, known as BTS ARMY. The seven singers of the superstar K-pop band plan to reunite as a group sometime in 2025 now that they’ve finished their service.
Last week, BTS members RM and V were discharged from South Korea’s military after fulfilling their mandatory service. Jimin and Jung Kook were discharged a day later. All four were enlisted in December 2023.
Jin, the oldest BTS member, was discharged in June 2024. J-Hope was discharged in October.
Six of the group’s seven members served in the army, while Suga fulfilled his duty as a social service agent, an alternative form of military service, due to a prior shoulder injury.
In South Korea, all able-bodied men aged 18 to 28 are required by law to perform 18-21 months of military service under a conscription system meant to deter aggression from rival North Korea.
The law gives special exemptions to athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and ballet and other dancers if they have obtained top prizes in certain competitions and are assessed to have enhanced national prestige. K-pop stars and other entertainers aren’t subject to such privileges.
However, in 2020, BTS postponed their service until age 30 after South Korea’s National Assembly revised its Military Service Act, allowing K-pop stars to delay their enlistment until 30.
There was heated public debate in 2022 over whether to offer special exemptions of mandatory military service for BTS’ members, until the group’s management agency announced in October 2022 that all seven members would fulfill their duties.
On Saturday, Suga wrote to BTS ARMY directly in a letter addressed to fans posted on Weverse, HYBE’s social media/fandom platform.
Noting that he’s missed his fans and that he’s been thinking about how he’d reconnect with them, Suga reflected on BTS’ two-year hiatus. “I think I had two years to think about myself,” he wrote, in part, saying he’d “been running forward, but this time has been an opportunity to look back on myself.”
“Dear ARMY, thank you for your patience and thank you very much. And I’m sorry for making you disappointed and worried about what happened last year. Above all, it was so upsetting that it hurt the fans’ hearts. I felt sorry for the members who must have felt heavy in their seats because of me,” wrote Suga, presumably in reference to an incident in 2024 in which he faced license suspension and fines for driving an electric scooter while intoxicated. At the time, Suga apologized to “everyone who was hurt by [his] careless and wrong actions,” and later said, “It’s all my fault. My carelessness is giving everyone who cares about me a hard time. I will try not to do anything wrong again and live with repentance.”
In his letter on Saturday, Suga wrote, “In the future, we will try our best to repay the love you have given us. I love you.”
Read Suga’s June 21 message to the BTS ARMY in its entirety, as translated in English:
“Hello, everyone. Nice to meet you. It’s a SUGA.
It’s been about two years. How have you all been.
It’s been a long time since I was called off today.
It’s a day I’ve been waiting for and it’s been a long time, so I had a lot of thoughts on how to say hello.
First of all, I wanted to say thank you to the fans who have been waiting for us. I really missed you.
I think I had two years to think about myself.
In particular, I wanted to take a step away from what I had been doing for a long time.
In the meantime, I have not been able to look back on myself because I have been running forward, but this time has been an opportunity to look back on myself.
Dear ARMY, thank you for your patience and thank you very much.
And I’m sorry for making you disappointed and worried about what happened last year.
Above all, it was so upsetting that it hurt the fans’ hearts.
I felt sorry for the members who must have felt heavy in their seats because of me.
In the future, we will try our best to repay the love you have given us.
I love you. Everyone, I’ll keep you posted from time to time.”
Entertainment
Myke Towers & Quevedo Set Charts Ablaze With ‘Soleao’

Myke Towers and Quevedo propel “Soleo” to the top of Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as the song jumps a spot to No. 1 on the list dated Aug. 9.
Their first collab, “Soleao” (which translates to “sunny” in English), was released May 20 on One World International/Warner Records/Warner Latina. It leads the way in its ninth chart week, after an 11% growth in audience impressions, to 9.1 million, across U.S. panel-contributing Latin radio stations in the tracking week of July 25-31, according to Luminate.
Towers claims his 15th Latin Airplay champ, and third consecutively of 2025, after one-week rulers “Otra Noche,” featuring Darell (February), and “Degenere,” featuring Benny Blanco (May).
Further, Towers adds to his satchel of wins as he accomplishes a third trio of No. 1s in a single year. Rewind to 2021, when (after landing two early chart-toppers, for that matter) the Puerto Rican delivered a streak of three straight No. 1s: “Bandido,” with Juhn; “Pareja del Año,” with Sebastián Yatra; and “Bésame,” with Luis Fonsi, that June, August and November, respectively. In 2024, Towers replicated the success with another trio of consecutive No. 1s: “Borracho y Loco,” with Yandel; “La Falda”; and “La Capi,” between that February and May.
Meanwhile, Quevedo makes a comeback to No. 1 on Latin Airplay. He previously led, for four weeks, with “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” with Bizarrap, in 2022.
Beyond its Latin Airplay coronation, “Soleao” likewise lifts 2-1 on Latin Pop Airplay. There, Towers tallies a third No. 1 and Quevedo, his first. Further, the song adds a second week atop Latin Rhythm Airplay.
Banda Carnaval Ignites Regional Mexican Airplay: Elsewhere on the Latin charts, Banda Carnaval secures its eighth No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay, and second of the year, as “Ya La Hice” bounds 9-1 with 6.6 million audience impressions, up 47%, in the tracking week. The act’s “Pude” led for a week in March.
“We are deeply grateful to our fans for taking ‘Ya La Hice’ to No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart,” Banda Carnaval tells Billboard. “This song represents a very special moment for us, and seeing it connect with people in this way fills us with pride and emotion. Thank you to everyone who has made it their own, to the composers for this great story, and to our team who continues to believe in our music. Let’s go all the way with Síganme Tirando!”
“Ya La Hice” earns Greatest Gainer honors, awarded to the song with the largest week-over-week increase in impressions at the format. Leading the charge during the tracking period are Univision stations, with standout support from KSCA-FM Los Angeles, KLNO-FM Dallas, and WOJO-FM Chicago.
Entertainment
Ice Cube’s ‘War of the Worlds’ Film Has a 0% Rating on ‘Rotten Tomatoes’ & Cube’s Son Is Weighing In

Ice Cube‘s latest movie is off to a slow start on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. According to 15 critics (and counting), War of the Worlds so far has a zero percent rating on the Tomatometer scale, while thousands of moviegoers have given it at 14 percent rating on the Popcornmeter.
One review in particular, from Variety‘s Peter Debruge knocked the film for essentially doubling as a commercial for Amazon, writing, “Even with a Prime subscription, you have to sit through two minutes of ads to watch 90 more of what amounts to a feature-length commercial for all things Amazon,” while another from The Telegraph‘s Ed Power wasn’t really into all the screen time Cube got, saying, “It is silly, shoddy and features far too much of rapper-turned-leading man Ice Cube staring at a computer screen while looking as if he’s working through a reasonably urgent digestive ailment.”
An adaptation of H. G. Wells’ classic 1898 novel The War of the Worlds, this version is an Amazon Prime production directed by Rich Lee and also starring Eva Longoria. Cube plays Will Radford, a surveillance expert at the Department of Homeland Security, and most of the movie takes place on his computer screen as he deals with a hacker and an alien invasion while trying to keep his family out of harm’s way.
The synopsis on Prime Video reads as follows: “A gargantuan invasion is coming with this fresh take on the legendary novel of the same name. Renowned actress Eva Longoria is joined by iconic rapper and actor Ice Cube, along with Michael O’Neill and Iman Benson, for a thrilling out-of-this-world adventure that is filled with present-day themes of technology, surveillance, and privacy.”
Cube’s son, actor O’Shea Jackson Jr., replied to a tweet on X of a video clip from the movie in which an Amazon Prime delivery person tells Cube’s character to cop a USB from Amazon, so he can deliver it via Prime Air with a drone. “I truly can’t believe this adaptation of War Of The Worlds is actually a real film with a real budget and Ice Cube is actually in it,” a fan posted, with Jackson replying that the movie was “Shot during the pandemic. Released 5 years later.”
Billboard has reached out to Ice Cube’s team for comment.
Entertainment
Cara Lewis Group Hires Ashley Ventura, Who Will Bring Bhad Bhabie & More to the Agency

Cara Lewis Group (CLG) has hired agent Ashley Ventura, who will bring her clients to the independent agency.
“CLG is an obvious fit for her talents,” said founder/CEO Cara Lewis in a statement. “The entire Cara Lewis Group team is thrilled to have her as a valued addition. We look forward to continuing our mantra of artist development, creating stars and long lasting careers.”
Ventura has worked as an agent in the hip-hop and R&B space for more than five years, previously working at MAC Agency. A press release announcing her hire described her as a “proven” leader and “one of the newest, most exciting agents in the industry.”
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Cara Lewis Group and to continue pushing culture forward alongside such a respected team,” added Ventura. “This new chapter marks an exciting step in my journey, and I’m looking forward to building with incredible artists and creating what’s next.”
Ventura will be bringing a number of talented artists to the CLG roster, including hip-hop icon French Montana and reality TV star and rapper Bhad Bhabie. Her other clients include Atlanta rapper Anycia, Bay Swag, Bktherula, Gashi, K Camp and Kentheman, all of whom are following her to CLG.
CLG’s roster currently includes Eminem, Travis Scott, Khalid, Don Toliver, Clipse, The Roots, Russ, Jill Scott, Ludacris, Ice Spice, BIA and Erykah Badu. Lewis is one of the most successful independent agents in hip-hop, having spent more than 20 years at William Morris as a partner, where she built the urban-pop division before joining CAA’s music department.
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