10 Pop Culture Moments That Got The World Talking In 2024

2024 was the year American pop star, Beyoncé, donned her stetson for Cowboy Carter, while Taylor Swift conquered the world on her Eras tour.

It was also 12 months when Drake and Kendrick Lamar faced off in an epic rap battle and rap mogul Diddy faced the law for his dark past of sexual abuse.

Diddy charged with sex crimes 

In a case filed in New York, hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs was accused of kidnapping, drugging and coercing women into sexual activities. Prosecutors described the star as the head of a criminal enterprise that used threats of violence to force women into participating in drug-fuelled orgies with male prostitutes, known as "freak-offs".

Combs, who is also facing more than two dozen civil legal cases, denied the charges and vowed to fight them in court. However, he was denied bail three times, after judges heard he posed "a serious risk of witness tampering". His trial is set to begin on May 5, 2025.

Death Of Liam Payne

The music world was stunned following the death of One Direction star Liam Payne at the age of just 31. The singer, who had been in Argentina to watch a show by his bandmate Niall Horan, fell from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room and sustained fatal injuries. Three people were charged in connection with his death.

The late Liam Payne. /GLAMOUR UK

Friends, family and fans all paid tribute. "His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it," said Harry Styles. "I can't explain to you what I'd give to just give you a hug one last time," added Zayn Malik.

Beyoncé goes country 

Not only does Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter hail from Houston, Texas, but she ended her Renaissance tour by riding around football stadiums on a giant glitterball horse. She made it official in March with the release of Cowboy Carter, an album inspired by righteous anger (she was treated like a pariah at the 2016 Country Music Awards), and a desire to explore country music's forgotten black roots.

With over 27 sprawling tracks, Beyoncé tipped her hat to rodeo culture, the chitlin' circuit, Honky Tonk, bluegrass, folk and gospel - connecting the dots between genres, and daring the country music establishment to look itself in the eye.

It flopped, however. Acclaimed as it was, Cowboy Carter failed to pick up a single nomination at the 2024 Country Music Awards.

Drake vs Kendrick Lamar 

They started as friends, but Drake and Kendrick Lamar's relationship turned into a protracted, public spat.

Their anger then escalated over a series of 10 diss tracks, incorporating everything from playground insults (Drake mocked Lamar's height), to serious criminal allegations (Drake accused Lamar of domestic abuse, to which the rapper branded his rival a "certified paedophile").

The beef produced an all-time classic in the shape of Not Like Us - earning Lamar four Grammy nominations and a spot at next year's Super Bowl half-time show. However, many hip-hop heads were disappointed at how low the rappers had stooped.

Terror threat at Taylor Swift tour 

One of the biggest tours of all time came to a grinding halt when evidence was uncovered of a "planned terrorist attack" as Taylor Swift played in Austria.

Security officials revealed that a 19-year-old was planning to kill "a large crowd of people" in a suicide attack. Three people were arrested in connection with the plot.

About 195,000 fans had been expected to attend the shows, and many took to the streets of Vienna in a show of solidarity and defiance after the cancellations.

Swift disclosed that the incident "filled me with a new sense of fear", but thanked authorities "because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives". The tour resumed with a record-breaking run at London's Wembley Stadium. When it wrapped up in December, Swift had made a record $2 billion (Ksh258.3 billion) at the box office.

Madonna Sued For Lateness At New York Concert

Two Madonna fans tried to sue the singer for showing up late to one of her concerts in New York. Michael Fellows and Jason Alvarez were incensed that the star took to the stage at 22:30 - two hours later than expected - and didn't wrap up the show until after 01:00.

In a lawsuit filed in New York, they claimed her tardiness impacted their sleep and their ability to "get up early to go to work" the next day. In response, Madonna's lawyers argued that "no reasonable concertgoer - and certainly no Madonna fan" - would expect her to take to the stage at the advertised time.

The case was later dismissed without a settlement.

JD Vance's distasteful remarks on childless women 

Top Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston criticised Donald Trump’s then vice-presidential candidate, JD Vance, for resurfaced comments calling Democrats a "bunch of childless cat ladies with miserable lives". The Friends actress, 55, posted a 2021 interview with Vance, and she wrote on Instagram: "I truly can’t believe that this is coming from a potential VP of the United States."

Collage of Jennifer Aniston and JD Vance. /SKY NEWS

"All I can say is…Mr Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day." He later defended his position, saying: "Obviously it was a sarcastic comment...The substance of what I said...I'm sorry, it's true."

Charli XCX's Brat Summer kicks off 

The official colour of summer 2024 was slime green, and the official soundtrack was hedonistic house bangers - all thanks to Charli XCX and her sixth album, Brat. The record represented a specific, bad-ass spirit. Charli characterised it as "a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra".

There was certainly a bulletproof bravado to tracks like 360 and Von Dutch ("It's ok to just admit that you're jealous of me"); but they were balanced by moments of naked vulnerability, as Charli explored female rivalry and her changing attitude to motherhood.

Formerly a cult favourite among pop fans, Brat made Charli into a mainstream phenomenon.

BBC Show scandal 

The BBC apologised to actor Amanda Abbington after she complained about her treatment by her professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice when she took part in the 2023 series Strictly Come Dancing. It was widely reported that while complaints of verbal bullying and harassment were upheld, claims of physical aggression by Pernice were not.

Earlier this year, the BBC confirmed Pernice would not return to the Strictly professional line-up for the new series.

"This apology means a great deal to me," Abbington said. "So too does the fact that the BBC have acknowledged the steps that were put in place to support and protect me and past contestants were "not enough".

Pernice weighed in, stating: "The majority of the false allegations have been thrown out by the review. It has been an extremely difficult year, reading story after story and not being able to say anything in return."

Chris Brown's biggest career concert in South Africa 

The FNB stadium concert was Chris Brown's biggest of his career. 94,736 people showed up at the sold-out show in Johannesburg, South Africa at Africa's biggest stadium.

Interestingly, Brown sold out many stadiums and Arenas, but he had never sold out a venue as big as FNB stadium. Tickets sold out by December 14 which made this his biggest career concert by capacity.

FNB Stadium, fully (First National Bank Stadium) is not only Africa's biggest stadium, it's also the 7th biggest stadium in the world. Brown wound up giving South Africans the best performance of his life.

Chris Brown performing in South Africa on December 14, 2024. /NEWS24