Hip-Hop
JAY-Z Taps Jadakiss, Conway the Machine, BackRoad Gee for New Single “King Kong Riddim”: Stream
JAY-Z has shared “King Kong Riddim,” a new song from the soundtrack to The Harder They Fall featuring Jadakiss, Conway the Machine, and English drill-grime star Backroad Gee. Backroad Gee provides the framing and the hook, rapping, “Gorilla in the jungle, man, I don’t sing song/ Bang my chest like my name King Kong.” Jadakiss still sounds like he needs a lozenge, and Conway wraps his marble-mouthed flow around, “Them subliminals on Twitter don’t really rattle my cage/ Notice when I mention my release date, had ’em afraid/ Made legends get in they bag when they heard the way I spazz/ Shooters on the road, them n****s half of my age.” As for JAY-Z, his verse hearkens back to the concrete jungles of his youth. He raps, “Jungle, I move a bundle, a hundo at my peak...
Flo Milli Drops New Single “Ice Baby”: Stream
Not that she needs your approval, but Flo Milli continues to make promising arguments that she’s one of the most exciting young names in hip-hop. Today, the Alabama rapper returns with “Ice Baby,” a searing banger that’s sure to make you feel like a million bucks. Along with the track comes a brief accompanying clip called “I Love Flo Milli.” As is the case with most Flo Milli tracks — like her viral TikTok anthem “Beef FloMix” — “Ice Baby” is backed by a rattling bass, courtesy of producers Brad!, brettonthebeat, and Slade. After recently debuting the track in her COLORS Studio performance, her playful flow takes the forefront, and there’s plenty of fun bars to go around, too: “Money my mood, make a million a month/ This easy like Evel Knievel to stunt,” she spits. The video sta...
Fugees Postpone Reunion Tour
Fugees are postponing their 25th anniversary reunion tour “to ensure the best chance that all cities on the tour will be fully open so we can perform for as many fans as possible.” Ms. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michel had been scheduled to kick off the 12-date arena tour in early November. According to a statement announcing the postponement, those shows are being moved to early 2022. The trio also says they’re “adding more cities and dates.” Given the long and messy history between Fugees’ three members, the idea that their reunion tour would go off without a hitch always felt like a pipe dream. In the group’s defense, there’s nothing in today’s announcement to suggest the tour is in danger of being canceled outright, but until Hill, Jean, and Michel physically take the stage, ma...
A$AP Rocky Unveils New Song “Sandman”: Stream
A$AP Rocky has unveiled the new song “Sandman.” The track appears as a bonus cut on the new digital edition of his 2011 breakout mixtape Live. Love. A$AP, which is now available on streaming services for the first time. “Sandman” was produced by Clams Casino, who contributed five tracks to the original mixtape, as well as Kelvin Krash. Rocky opens by comparing himself to visionary fimmakers: “My mind like George Lucas, I think like Stanley Kubrick/ House full of eucalyptus, that boy straight mucus.” After starting off with a slower flow, he quickens the pace for the second half of the verse, spitting, “Back to the wall, with your wall to the back, don’t back down/ Buck up, tell ’em how the fuck your mama ain’t raise no bitch.” This serves to set the scene for the spaced...
Mick Jenkins Releases New Album Elephant in the Room: Stream
Mick Jenkins has dropped a proverbial elephant into the room. Today, the rapper unveiled his third full-length studio set, Elephant in the Room, via Free Nation/Cinematic Music Group. Stream it below. The studio set from the Chicago MC was preceded by singles “Contacts” and “Scottie Pippen,” and also features collaborations with Ben Hixon (“Things you can die for”), Ayinde Cartman (“Stiff Arm”), Green SlIime (“D.U.I”), and serpentwithfeet (closer “Rug Burn”) In a statement, Jenkins revealed that the LP touches on a wide variety of subjects, “from my estranged relationship with my father to friendships that don’t feel the same anymore to the even more basic idea of acknowledging that I need help.” Advertisement Related Video He continued, “We become accustomed to allowing none progressive q...
Rolling Loud New York Day 1 Recap: 50 Cent, DaBaby, Lil Uzi Vert, and More
Rolling Loud returned to New York City on Thursday (October 28th) after a one-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. After a rocky start caused by set times not being announced until the day of, there was palpable excitement in the air for hip-hop fans in attendance. Day 1 was set up to be a homecoming for several rappers scheduled to play the main stage, and 50 Cent, Joey Bada$$, and Dave East were triumphant with some of the strongest performances thus far. Lil Uzi Vert, Flo Milli, and IDK also turned in standout sets. However, 50’s set was marred by the return of DaBaby to the Rolling Loud stage after delivering a homophobic rant at the festival’s Miami edition in late July. According to a report from TMZ, Rolling Loud’s organizers actually approved the guest appearance despite th...
JAY-Z and Kid Cudi Fire Off New Song “Guns Go Bang”: Stream
With the new Netflix Western The Harder They Fall cocked and loaded for next week, executive producer JAY-Z is dropping the official soundtrack today, October 29th. One of the early standouts is “Guns Go Bang,” which sees Hov shooting from his lyrical hip as Kid Cudi brings some literal bang to the hook. “My guns go bang!” Cudi sings, “I can make the guns go bang!” For his part, JAY-Z promises death to whoever dares stand against him. “Bullet’s what your name’s drew,” he spits, “Cock back, aim, shoot.” Check it out below. The soundtrack to The Harder They Fall also boasts Seal, Cee-Lo Green, and “King Kong Riddim,” which features JAY-Z, Jadakiss, and Conway the Machine. The movie arrives on Netflix November 3rd. This weekend, JAY-Z will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along...
Travis Scott’s Astroworld Fest 2021 Boasts Tame Impala, SZA, Bad Bunny & More
Travis Scott has revealed the lineup for the 2021 installment of his Astroworld Festival. Set to take place November 5th and 6th at NRG Park in Scott’s hometown of Houston, TX, this year’s Astroworld is top-lined by Tame Impala, SZA, Bad Bunny, and Lil Baby, in addition to a headlining performance from Scott himself. Other notable acts include Roddy Ricch, Young Thug, Baby Keem, Earth Wind & Fire, 21 Savage, Don Toliver, Master P, Chief Keef, Sheck Wes, Toro y Moi, Yves Tumor, Sofaygo, and the Houston All-Stars. A number of this year’s acts have worked with Scott in the past, setting the stage for some intriguing on-stale collaborations. Notably, Scott and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker collaborated on the track “Skeletons” from Scott’s smash Astroworld album. Scott also recently appeared ...
Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Distribution in Connection to Mac Miller’s Death
One of the men charged in connection with providing Mac Miller the fentanyl that led to his untimely death has agreed to plead guilty. As TMZ reports, Stephen Andrew Walter will enter a guilty plea to federal charges of distribution of fentanyl. In exchange, another charge of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance was dropped, though Walter still faces up to 20 years in federal prison. According to the plea agreement, Walter “knowingly and intentionally directed Ryan Michael Reavis to distribute fentanyl in the form of counterfeit oxycodone pills, to Cameron James Pettit” on September 4th, 2018. Reavis was Walter’s runner, while Pettit was the drug dealer who eventually delivered those pills to Miller. Miller died from an overdose of fentanyl in combination with cocaine and alcoho...
Kid Cudi Shares Trailer for Amazon Documentary A Man Named Scott: Watch
Next month, Kid Cudi will let fans behind the scenes of his successes and stresses with the new documentary A Man Named Scott: The Kid Cudi Story. Today, he’s shared a first-look at the Amazon Prime film by releasing its first trailer. Coming from director Robert Alexander, A Man Named Scott traces the Cleveland-born rapper’s career from his 2009 Man on the Moon: The End of the Day debut through “over a decade of creative choices, struggles and breakthroughs.” (The doc’s title is actually taken from an unrealized mixtape Cudi announced way back in 2011.) “I sacrificed the privacy of my life and put my story out there to help others,” Kid Cudi says in the documentary’s trailer. “That’s always been my mission. I’m not done yet.” Advertisement Related Video Check out the traile...
New Documentary Explores Cultural Divide Between Chicago’s House Heads and Hip-Hop Fans
Chicago is the birthplace of house music and an incubator for hip-hop hitmakers, yet the city remains divided over how it views its musical legacy. A forthcoming documentary titled It’s Different In Chicago, slated for debut at the Black Harvest Film Festival in November, uncovers the animosity between fans of house music and fans of conscious rap, otherwise known as “backpackers.” Directed by David Weathersby, the film explores how this divide manifests through the lens of numerous Chicago-native industry professionals who provided their first-hand impressions. “I’ve noticed that, especially within the Black community, we like the music but it also becomes our tribe—the flag that we fly,” Weathersby told the Chicago Sun-Times. “And chronicling...
Wale Reflects on Nigerian Culture, Rick Ross’ Influence & Creating ‘Folarin II’
That’s a lot for any artist to juggle — especially after being hospitalized and recovering from a severe case of COVID-19 and pneumonia. “I had to shut everything down for about a month,” Wale says of battling the virus. “I was in the hospital for a couple days, and then I was on bedrest. The album would have been out significantly earlier for sure. It was a lot, but I’m glad I made it out, and I’m excited to get back on the road and see my fans, hopefully early next year, because I appreciate everybody supporting the music.” Folarin was a mixtape in 2012. Why did you switch formats and release Folarin II as an album in 2021? It was a certain era in my career when part one was out, and I feel like this is the closing chapter to that era. I’m paying homage to that and we’ll...
