Hip-Hop
Busta Rhymes Says Mask Mandates Can “Suck a Dick”
Here’s some news that’ll make you want to “Break Ya Neck”: a clip has resurfaced of a Busta Rhymes performance from earlier this summer, during which the legendary MC went on a heated rant slamming mask mandates in the wake of spiking COVID-19 cases. Back in June, just as concerns about the Delta variant took precedence in the US, Busta voiced his ill-advised frustrations during his set as the surprise headliner at the Seoul Taco’s 10th anniversary block party in Missouri. The clip is now being recirculated on social media. “This is my second show in front of human life in the last 15 fucking months,” the rapper told the crowd in-between cheers. “COVID can suck a dick. All these little weird-ass government policies and mandates — suck a dick.” “It’s called the God-given right of freedom, r...
Megan Thee Stallion Allowed to Release BTS ‘Butter’ Remix, Judge Rules
Megan Thee Stallion claims if the “Butter (Remix)” isn’t able to come out, then her “art will be impacted, the release of the song derailed, and Pete’s goodwill, reputation, and overall career will suffer detrimental, undesirable, and irreversible harm,” according to the filing. It also states that preventing the release will have a “devastating impact to her relationships with her fans and with other recording artists in the music industry.” Megan Thee Stallion’s first TRO filed against 1501 came in March 2020 after the rapper filed a lawsuit over unfair contract terms and claiming the label prohibited her from releasing new music. A judge ruled in her favor and ordered 1501 Entertainment “to do nothing to prevent...
Boys Noize Lends Sample-Heavy Production to ABRA and Playboi Carti On “Unlock It”
After opening the door to her first major label release on RCA Records, ABRA has returned with Playboi Carti for “Unlock It.” The track marks ABRA’s first single in nearly a handful of years, and with it she brings an optimistic new tone and brisk production from Boys Noize. As ABRA shines over the crisp production with angelic falsettos, the underlying production is dotted with lo-fi, soulful vocal ad-libs that will have 90’s hip-hop fans feeling nostalgic. The track also features a verse from the always unpredictable Playboi Carti, who ABRA says played a role in inspiring the next leg of her journey. Recommended Articles Fans of Boys Noize have been enlightened to the producer’s keen ear for smooth R&B with the advent of the moody &#...
DaBaby Apologizes to “Cry Babies” at Summer Jam 2021
In an unusual feat of dexterity, DaBaby has spent most of the last month with his foot planted firmly in his mouth. He accomplished it again Sunday at Hot 97 Summer Jam, when he apologized for his recent homophobic remarks before clarifying that many of the people who had been offended were “cry babies.” DaBaby has been alternating between contrition and defiance since his appearance at Rolling Loud Miami, when he singled out gay audience members and asked that they restrain from getting hyped along with the rest of the crowd. Since then he’s been booted from the bills of Lollapalooza, Governors Ball, Austin City Limits, and more. Summer Jam was one of his first high-profile appearances following the controversy. DaBaby opened the set with a pre-taped video in which he thanked Hot 97 ...
Lil Nas X Named Chief Impact Officer at Taco Bell
If the Great Potato Return wasn’t enough to make Taco Bell your fast food joint of choice, allow Lil Nas X to step in. Today, the “Old Town Road” phenomenon was announced as the chain’s first chief impact officer. This new role will reportedly see him take on an array of creatively-focused opportunities, including some “menu innovations” and “an exclusive experience” focused around the release of his forthcoming debut album, Montero. Lil Nas X is the first to hold this honorary role, which “combines food, music, and philanthropy.” As Billboard points out, he’ll also be teaming with the Taco Bell Foundation to benefit creative youth via the Live Más Scholarship, and will appear in the restaurant’s breakfast campaign. More “fan engagement opportunities” will be announced later this year. The...
Tory Lanez Bail Increased After Violating Megan Thee Stallion Protective Order at Rolling Loud Miami
The penalty comes nearly one month after Lanez made a surprise appearance at the Rolling Loud Miami festival on July 25, in which he joined DaBaby onstage to perform — moments after Megan Thee Stallion delivered her set. For Lanez, attending and performing at the event was in violation of the protective order he was issued in October, which mandated that he stay at least 100 yards away from Megan at all times. At one point in court, the judge revealed that he was going to issue Lanez a court-ordered tracking device. But the rapper’s attorney, Shawn Holley, helped prevent the measure by giving a series of arguments. She said, “It was a unique circumstance, errors in judgement were made, but this can easily be prevented from happening again.” She went on to say, &...
Kacey Musgraves Drops New Song, Announces Upcoming Album & Film ‘Star-Crossed’
Kacey Musgraves announced on Monday (Aug. 23), that she will release her upcoming studio album, Star-Crossed, on Sept. 10 via Interscope/UMG Nashville. She also dropped the project’s title track. For the new project, Musgraves reunited with Ian Fitchuk and Tashian, her collaborators on the Grammy-winning 2018 project Golden Hour. A press release for Star-Crossed describes the album as being “structured as a modern-day tragedy in three acts,” one that relates “an extremely personal journey of heartache and healing.” The 15-song album marks the first since Musgraves’ divorce from fellow musician Ruston Kelly. The couple wed in 2017 and announced their split in July 2020. In the title track, which was also released Monday, Musgraves includes the lines, “Signed the papers yesterday/ You ...
T.I. Encourages Lizzo After Her Tearful Reaction to Haters: ‘Keep Doing What You Do’
A Facebook company spokesperson confirmed to Billboard that Facebook and Instagram were taking down hateful comments under her accounts as well as removing accounts. Tip also encouraged the singer and others who’ve faced hate on social media, “Don’t pick up your phone and look in your comments and expect for strangers off the internet, who got their own s— they’re trying to bear with and deal with and go through, you know what I’m saying?” The singer occasionally panned the camera to his 5-year-old daughter Heiress, who was audibly singing in the backseat. He later encouraged his followers to tag Lizzo in the comments section so that she could see his message since he claimed to not know her personally. “I think she talent...
DaBaby Returns to the Stage, Addresses Homophobic Remarks
After facing mounting criticism, DaBaby posted apologies first on Twitter and later on Instagram, the latter of which was later deleted. At Summer Jam, DaBaby opened his set with a video montage that also featured his voice-over, according to Vibe. In video posted on social media and according to various reports, the rapper thanked New York radio station Hot97, which he said “allowed me to share my gift, share my blessing with y’all out here live on this stage amongst all the chaos and all the backlash. So hats off to y’all for that. … They accepted my sincerity and all my apologies when I said I never, ever meant to offend anybody or say anything to make anybody feel any type of way live on that stage a few weeks ago.” He continued: “And Hot 97 was also willing to stick they neck out on t...
Drake Seemingly Targets Kanye West on New Trippie Redd Song ‘Betrayal’: Listen
Both Drake and West are in the process of releasing new albums. The Toronto MC’s long-delayed sixth album, Certified Lover Boy, is expected to arrive sometime this summer; and Ye’s upcoming 10th album, Donda, has been teased at large-scale listening events and is speculated to drop soon. West’s long-term collaborator Consequence responded to Drake’s diss in a tweet on Saturday. “F— a betrayal. It’s the disrespect for me dawg,” the rapper wrote alongside a screenshot of the track’s lyrics. “Wit Trippie Redd shotgun. Respect my team. It’s party time.” Kanye also seemingly responded to Drake’s latest on-record diss in a group text with other rappers, including Drizzy’s other hip-hop rival Pusha T. On Saturday, Ye reportedly pos...
Kanye Goes The Joker on Drake: “You Will Never Recover. I Promise You”
From Jesus to the Joker? Kanye West has seemingly reignited his feud with Drake with a Joker-themed meme directed at the 6 God. In a since deleted Instagram post, Kanye posted a screen capture of a group text message thread. Though Drake’s name is not specifically mentioned in the thread, it’s evident he is the target of Kanye’s ire. For one, Kanye made a point to add Drake’s arch nemesis, Pusha-T, to the group thread. He then tweeted a photo of Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker and wrote, “I live for this. I’ve been fucked with by nerd ass jock n****s like you my whole life. You will never recover. I promise you.” Kanye’s post was seemingly made in response to a new Drake verse included on Trippie Redd’s song “Betrayal.” Addressing rumors that Kanye is aiming to steal Drake’s thunder by releas...
Kanye West Shares Childhood Home Photo Ahead of ‘Donda’ Release, Deletes Other Instagram Posts
Last year, Kanye bought his childhood home for a reported $225,000. His late mother, Donda West, purchased the house in the early 1980s and sold it in 2004. The property reportedly went through foreclosure before it was bought by West’s former collaborator, Rhymefest, who planned to turn the home into an “arts incubator.” Since returning to Instagram in late July, West had shared numerous posts on the social media platform. The images included his makeshift bedroom inside Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium, where he held his first two Donda listening events and had been living while completing work on the album. While Yeezy fans have clamored online over the superstar collaborations he’s cooked up with Jay-Z, The Weeknd and Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, and more, Donda has not been given...
