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A Voice Silenced, A Legacy Begins: Mexican Rising Star Chuy Montana’s Debut Album Arrives Posthumously

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Chuy Montana’s story began at the border — but his voice carried far beyond its lines. Found busking with his guitar for traffic-bound listeners at the Tijuana-San Ysidro crossing, Jesús Cárdenas (real name) was discovered by JOP of Fuerza Regida, whose belief in Chuy’s talent led to him signing the young artist to Street Mob Records in 2023. It was a moment that would propel Montana into the booming international Mexican music scene.

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But on February 7, 2024, just as his music was beginning to flourish, Chuy Montana was found murdered in Tijuana. He was only 23 years old. Now, nearly a year and a half later, his voice emerges again.

On Thursday (June 26) night, Street Mob Records releases Montana’s posthumous debut album: No Fue Suerte, an 11-track collection featuring collaborations with some of the most buzzworthy names in regional Mexican music today, including Fuerza Regida, as well as Calle 24, Clave Especial, Armenta and more. With the help of Street Mob, the project was completed in close collaboration with Montana’s family.

“This has been the most [unique] type of project I’ve ever worked — the most challenging, but also the most rewarding,” Cindy Gaxiola, VP of commercial affairs at Street Mob Records, tells Billboard Español. “When you’re sitting there playing music for Chuy’s mom, and she’s taking it in and expressing her emotions — that was definitely a learning process for me, in a very positive way. So it’s rewarding to know that all of those emotions, all of that work, finally gets to be heard.”

The project features never-before-heard recordings that showcase the full breadth of Chuy Montana’s artistry: from corridos bélicos that confront life’s raw truths (“No Fue Suerte”), tender ballads steeped in emotional honesty (“Mamá”), and pensive tracks that showcase the creativity of a young artist finding his voice (“Qué Será”).

The album represents a community effort, largely featuring artists within the Street Mob Records roster, all of whom shared close ties with Montana. Most of the collabs were recorded over the artist’s voice after his death.

Two songs feature collaborations with hitmakers Fuerza Regida. “JOP was very involved in the creative process,” Gaxiola says. “He wanted to know where the album stood and get everything as close as possible [to finished]. He decided to jump on ‘Fama’ with Güero X, but as we continued mixing, mastering, and finalizing, he said, ‘You know what? I want to jump on another song.’ That’s how he ended up joining ‘Sin Chingarme a Nadie.’”

Chuy Montana

Chuy Montana

Street Mob Records

Montana’s friendship with Güero X helped to shape the album’s direction and ensure Chuy’s voice was centered, mentions Gaxiola. “Güero was the one that also took a really good lead on this project, in terms of helping us gather the music and a bridge between us and the family since the beginning,” she adds.

“Calle 24 was already on one of the songs because they were friends,” she explains. “When it came to Clave Especial, who’s at such an exciting point in their career, their response was immediate: ‘Of course, what an honor for us to be a part of it.’” Both Calle and Clave are featured on track “Cuadros Peruanos.”

Other collaborators, like songwriter Armenta, joined at the request of Montana’s family for the steel-string guitar-laden “De Tijuana a París.” “Armenta asked if he could change some of the lyrics,” Gaxiola recalls. “And the family gave him their blessing because they wanted his voice and his touch to shine on the track. Everything about this project was very organic.”

At the heart of the album lies Montana’s ability to transport listeners into emotional, often visual worlds. His lyrics blend confessional candor with poetic imagery — a talent that stands out most on the album’s eerily foreshadowing focus track, “Perdón Mamá.” Featuring Juanpa Salazar and menacing accordion riffs, the song opens with the chilling lines: “Perdón, mamá, no fui lo que quisiste/ Yo se que ahorita tú te encuentras triste/ Mi cuerpo ahí estaba tirado, el charco rojo, empapados” (“Forgive me, mom, I wasn’t what you wanted/ I know that right now you’re feeling sad/ My body was lying there, the red puddle, soaked”).

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“When you listen to the album, you can visualize everything that he’s singing,” Gaxiola says. “That’s what makes listening to it so hard — yet it shows just how great of a storyteller he was. Even though he hadn’t lived some of these stories, you could feel how much he understood them.”

“Every note, every word on this album carries Chuy’s spirit,” shares a family member in a press release. For Montana’s relatives, the album’s completion offered not just a chance to celebrate his work, but also a moment of healing.

Street Mob Records also honored the family’s grief by organizing a private trip in Mexico’s Caribbean coast where 16 relatives gathered to hear the finished product for the first time. “They all had Chuy’s merch, were wearing it that night,” Gaxiola says. The trip created a space for connection and reflection. “This project wasn’t just about music — it brought people together, from the artists to our team and his family.”

For fans, Montana’s debut album offers the bittersweet promise of what could have been — a glimpse into a rising star whose stories resonate even beyond his years. “I hope fans listen to it with an open heart,” Gaxiola adds. “We’re all just excited for everyone to give this album the time and respect [it deserves], and for Chuy’s legacy to continue to live on.”

Chuy Montanta’s No Fue Suere pre-save link is available here.

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Doechii Performs a Star-Making Set at Montreal’s Osheaga Festival

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Osheaga has a knack for booking budding superstars right as they blow up. Last year, it was Chappell Roan. This year, it was Doechii.

The Grammy-winning, Florida-born rapper took the stage on the first night of the Montreal music festival on Friday (Aug. 1), and it felt like a star-making performance. The Killers headlined the mainstage, but unlike Chappell Roan, who played for 40,000 people at 3:30 in the afternoon last year, Doechii did have the honor of closing out the festival on the secondary Forest Stage.

Her set was pushed back slightly to start at 10:10 p.m., meaning she was the final performer of the night before the noise curfew at 11 p.m. And for those who wanted to catch both acts, The Killers made it easy by playing their belt-along favorite “Mr. Brightside” as their first song and packing the first hour of their two-hour, 9:10 p.m. set with hits.

Doechii’s stage set was decked out to fit her Swamp Princess persona, covered in greenery and a large, elevated swampy platform for her to stand on. The crowd was packed in, so the fans stuck at the back still had a visual feast. “I look good from the nosebleeds,” she rapped from her 2025 hit “Nosebleeds,” and this show proved it.

Doechii performs at Osheaga 2025 in Montreal.

Charlotte Rainville @jailli

For a full hour, Doechii kept the energy up. She rapped a mile a minute, all live with almost no reliance on a backing track. She showed off her full skill set, from pure hip-hop to sung R&B/pop hooks, and comedic banter to thought-out stagecraft. She brought unbridled charisma, taking time to dance and twerk and show off some vogue moves as well. She showed off a reverence for classic hip-hop, rapping over Wu-Tang’s “C.R.E.A.M.,” and later screaming over a distorted guitar sample — almost veering towards nu-metal. She showed she can do it all.

The audience stayed captivated, rapping along and matching her energy throughout. It was Doechii’s first time in Canada, and you could tell she was impressed by the reaction. “As an artist, you can get so much hate and negativity,” she said. “Then you go out in real life and see your real fans.”

She took some time to thank her gay fans, her female fans, and the fans who brought their boyfriends. “If your boyfriend hates female rappers, then leave him immediately,” she said.

Seeing all the phones out, she seized her moment. “Ya’ll can’t be scared to stand up for what you believe in, you can’t be scared to say what matters,” she said. “Free Palestine.”

Doechii Osheaga 2025

Doechii performs at Osheaga 2025 in Montreal.

Charlotte Rainville @jailli

Doechii broke out her biggest hit, the Billboard Hot 100 top-10 charting “Anxiety,” and thanked all her fans for streaming it. The “Somebody That I Used To Know” sampling song is a bit of an outlier in her catalogue, but it’s a viral TikTok favourite, and she’s found a way to fit it perfectly into her set. After playing the song, she thanked Gotye for approving the sample.

The true highlight of the set was “Denial Is a River.” The song, which features Doechii rapping with her internal monologue, took on a whole new call-and-response dimension with fans chanting along to every word.

It felt like she was still just getting started when, midway through the next song, the beat cut out. “F— that, they cut me off!” she yelled. She put her thumbs down, inciting the crowd to boo, then threw her hands up. “Whatever,” she said, walking off the stage.

Unfortunately, Osheaga has a hard 11 p.m. noise curfew. It’s clear the next time she’s back, she’ll have to have a longer headliner-length set.

Doechii performs tonight (Aug. 2) at Lollapalooza in Chicago, where she’s teased a special guest. If Osheaga was anything to go by, her set will likely be all over social media soon.

This article originally appeared on Billboard Canada.

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Olivia Rodrigo Rocks Out With Weezer During Her Headlining Set at Lollapalooza 2025

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Olivia Rodrigo was joined by surprise guest Weezer during her headlining set at Lollapalooza 2025.

On Friday (Aug. 1), the 22-year-old pop superstar made her debut on the second day of the Chicago music festival at Grant Park. Toward the end of her evening set, she surprised the crowd by inviting Weezer to join her on stage.

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Olivia Rodrigo Brings Out The Cure’s Robert Smith at Glastonbury 2025

Olivia Rodrigo performs on the orange stage at Roskilde Festival 2025 on July 04, 2025 in Roskilde, Denmark. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

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In a fan-captured video on TikTok, Rodrigo shared with the crowd that Weezer was the first band she ever saw live.

“You always remember your first concert. It’s a very, very special moment,” the “Drivers License” singer said. “I remember my first concert. It was a very memorable night. I watched this incredible band and I am so over the moon, because that incredible band is actually here tonight to play a few songs. Will you please say hello to Weezer?”

Weezer then joined Rodrigo for performances of their classic hits “Buddy Holly” and “Say It Ain’t So,” both from the group’s 1994 self-titled album. She played guitar and harmonized alongside frontman Rivers Cuomo during the collaboration. Check out clips from the performances here and here on X.

This marked Weezer’s first Lollapalooza performance since they headlined alongside Widespread Panic in 2005.

This isn’t the first time Rodrigo has brought out surprise guests during her recent festival appearances. She recently invited David Byrne onstage at New York’s Governors Ball to perform Talking Heads’ 1983 hit “Burning Down the House,” and welcomed The Cure’s Robert Smith at this year’s Glastonbury Festival to perform “Friday I’m In Love” and “Just Like Heaven.”

During her Lolla set on Saturday, Rodrigo opened with “Obsessed” and “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl,” and also performed hits including “Driver’s License,” “Traitor,” “Bad Idea, Right?” and “Love Is Embarrassing.”

The Chicago festival continues Saturday (Aug. 2) with headliners Rüfüs Du Sol and TWICE, followed by closers Sabrina Carpenter and A$AP Rocky on Sunday.

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Kelly Osbourne Honors Dad Ozzy Osbourne With NSFW Post Days After His Funeral

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Kelly Osbourne is paying tribute to her father, Ozzy Osbourne, just days after his funeral.

On Friday (Aug. 1), the 40-year-old TV personality shared an NSFW photo on her Instagram Story in memory of the rock legend, who passed away on July 22 at the age of 76.

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UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 01:  Photo of Ozzy OSBOURNE and BLACK SABBATH; of Black Sabbath, posed  (Photo by Ian Dickson/Redferns)

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Tributes are left prior Ozzy Osbourne's funeral cortege is set to travel through his home city of Birmingham on July 30, 2025 in Birmingham, England.

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The outdoor image featured a beautiful display of purple flowers arranged to spell out “Ozzy F—ing Osbourne,” set beside a serene pond surrounded by a rolling hill and trees.

In a second post, Kelly shared a heartfelt clip from The Osbournes, the MTV reality series that aired from 2002 to 2005. The snippet shows Ozzy lying in bed with his wife, Sharon Osbourne, offering words of wisdom.

“Listen, all you got to worry about is getting through today,” the Black Sabbath frontman says. “That’s all you got to worry about.”

Just days earlier, Kelly attended her father’s funeral procession in his hometown of Birmingham, England, where fans flooded the streets to pay their respects. Sharon, along with Ozzy’s other children — Aimeé and Jack — laid flowers at the Black Sabbath Bridge, which had been covered with tributes from mourners.

Shortly after Ozzy’s passing, Kelly posted another emotional tribute to her Instagram Story on July 24. “I feel unhappy I am so sad,” she wrote. “I lost the best friend I ever had,” the Fashion Police alum added, along with a heartbroken emoji. Her words echoed lyrics from Black Sabbath’s ballad “Changes,” which she and her father released as a duet in 2003.

Ozzy Osbourne died at age 76, just weeks after performing his final concert. His family confirmed the news in a joint statement. “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” they wrote. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”

Just a month before his death, Kelly had honored her dad on Father’s Day with an Instagram post that included a slideshow of Ozzy spending time with her young son, Sidney, whom she shares with fiancé Sid Wilson.

“Happy Father’s Day daddy,” she wrote at the time. “I love you more than anyone or anything in the world! I am so proud to be your daughter and Beyond honored to watch you be the best #Papa in the world to my son!”

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