Hip-Hop
Drake Is on Dad Duty In Adorable Snap
Beside putting himself in the picture for “dad of the year,” Drake is preparing to release new music. The Toronto rapper recently shared an update on the release date for his delayed next album, Certified Lover Boy. During an interview at the Ultimate Rap League’s N.O.M.E. XI battle rap event, Drake confirmed that the full-length LP drop before the end of summer, but he didn’t give out a specific date. Certified Lover Boy, Drake’s sixth album, was originally scheduled for release in January, but was pushed back due to his rehab from surgery. To tide fans over, Billboard’s Artist of the Decade shared the three-song Scary Hours 2 project in March, featuring guest appearances by Lil Baby and Rick Ross. Drizzy also guested with Lil Wayne on Nicki M...
Roc-A-Fella Records Sues Co-Founder Damon Dash Over ‘Reasonable Doubt’ NFT
Roc-A-Fella Records is seeking a ruling that states the label exclusively owns all rights to Reasonable Doubt. The label is also asking that Dash transfer ownership of “any NFT or other asset in his possession, custody, or control reflecting rights to Reasonable Doubt” to Roc-A-Fella Records Inc. Dash co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records alongside Jay-Z and Kareem Burke in 1995. It was officially incorporated in New York on Jan. 8, 1996, and became a division of Def Jam in 1997. The label became defunct in 2013. Dash disputed the claims to Rolling Stone on Monday (June 21), claiming the lawsuit is inaccurate. He says he was not attempting to sell an NFT of the album, but that he was trying to auction his stake in Roc-A-Fella Records after he claims the label attempted ...
Cardi B, Beyonce & More Artists Who Have Competed Against Themselves For Video of the Year at BET Awards
Beyoncé has had two nominated videos as a lead or co-lead artist three times, more than any other artist. Jay-Z, like Cardi B, has done it twice. But does having two nominated videos mean that Cardi B is so hot she is likely to win with one or the other, or that her competing entries are likely to split her votes so that neither one wins? The history of the BET Awards doesn’t yield a clear answer. In the nine previous times that an artist has had two nominated videos (as a lead or co-lead artist), that artist won five times. In the other four cases, somebody else won the award. Here’s a full list of artists who have had two video of the year nominees as lead or co-lead artists — and who won the award that year. OutKast, 2004: “Hey Ya!” and “The Way You Move” (featuring Sleepy Brown) ...
Fans Choose Tyler, The Creator’s ‘Lumberjack’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
“Lumberjack” seemingly masquerades as a straightforward rap song flexing fame and fortune. But a closer looks reveals that it’s an irrepressible Tyler tune, with ad-libs from DJ Drama and outlandish wordplay. Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler’s sixth album, is scheduled for release on June 25. The hip-hop star’s last album, Igor, was released in 2019 and featured “Earfquake,” which peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Igor also won the Grammy for best rap album in 2020. Placing second on the past week’s tally with nearly 23% of the vote was H.E.R.’s engrossing new album, Back of My Mind. The R&B star’s debut full-length spans 21 tracks and features appearances by Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Baby, Thundercat, Chris Brown, DJ Kh...
Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa & More Celebrate Father’s Day 2021
Bieber showed love to his father, Jeremy Bieber, with a black-and-white throwback pic from the pop star’s childhood. “I LOVE YOU DAD WIF MY WHOLE HEART. HAPPY FATHERS DAY,” the singer wrote. In a similar vein, Grande celebrated Father’s Day by sharing a snapshot of her overjoyed dad, Edward Butera, holding her as an adorable baby. “i love you endlessly @edbutera,” Grande captioned the photo. i cherish every moment of our time together, i cherish our facetimes, your laugh ! making you laugh ! i cherish the parts of me that remind me of you (there are very many). they make me smile. you make me smile. i love you and i am deeply grateful for your being in my life and proud to be your daughter everyday ~ happy father’s day.” See more Father’s Day...
Polo G Lands First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With ‘Hall of Fame’
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new June 26, 2021-dated chart (where Hall of Fame debuts at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on June 22. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram. Of Hall of Fame’s 143,000 equivalent album units earned in the tracking week ending June 17, SEA units comprise 12...
Roc-A-Fella Suing Damon Dash For Plans to Sell Jay-Z Album as NFT: Report
The latest bout of NFT-related drama has resulted in a first-of-a-kind lawsuit between Roc-A-Fella Records and one of its founders. TMZ reported Friday that the record company is suing co-founder Damon Dash for allegedly trying to sell Reasonable Doubt, Jay-Z’s 1996 debut album, as an NFT (non-fungible token). Roc-A-Fella claims that Dash had plans to auction off the Reasonable Doubt NFT; the record is notoriously difficult to find on vinyl, often being listed for over $100 on Discogs. According to documents filed by attorney Alex Spiro, the auction has since been canceled, but the company believes that Damon is “frantically scouting for another venue to make the sale.” Roc-A-Fella says Dash cannot legally sell Reasonable Doubt as an NFT because the rights to the album belong to the label....
F9: The Fast Saga Soundtrack Features A$AP Rocky, Pop Smoke, Juicy J: Stream
The official soundtrack to F9: The Fast Saga has arrived. It’s available via Atlantic Records/Universal Pictures, and you can stream it below with Apple Music or Spotify. The 14-track compilation hit digital retailers and streaming services just one week ahead of the film’s long-delayed June 25th theatrical release. It features revved-up tunes by the likes of A$AP Rocky, Juicy J, Pop Smoke, Kevin Gates, Sean Paul, and Polo G, as well as collaborations including Don Toliver, Lil Durk, and Latto (“Fast Lane”), Ty Dolla $ign, Jack Harlow and 24kGoldn (“I Won”), and NLE Choppa and Rico Nasty (“Speed It Up”). There are also solo offerings from Anitta (“Furiosa”), Lil Tecca (“Bussin Bussin”) and Jarina De Marco (“Mala”). Originally slated to hit theaters in the summer of 2020, F9’s release ...
Dark Nights: Death Metal Soundtrack Features Rise Against, Manchester Orchestra, Mastodon, Soccer Mommy: Stream
DC fans, assemble: the soundtrack to Dark Nights: Death Metal has hit streaming services. In collaboration with Loma Vista Recordings, the companion piece to the DC Comics series of the same name features songs by Soccer Mommy, Denzel Curry, Rise Against, HEALTH, Mastodon, Manchester Orchestra, Chelsea Wolfe, and more. Stream it below with Apple Music or Spotify. The Dark Nights: Death Metal soundtrack was executive produced by Tyler Bates, who’s composed scores for films like Guardians of the Galaxy and John Wick. Previously-released singles include Denzel Curry and PlayThatBoiZay’s “Bad Luck”, Chelsea Wolfe’s “Diana”, HEALTH’s “Anti-Life”, Rise Against’s “Broken Dreams, Inc”, and Mastodon’s “Forged By Neron”. Each artist wrote their own songs for the soundtr...
Mach-Hommy & Westside Gunn Are Having Their Ric Flair-Bobby Heenan Championship Run
Pray For Haiti is the first collaboration between Westside Gunn and Mach-Hommy since they first went their separate ways in the early 2010s. Fans came up with all types of theories as to why there was friction, but at the end of the day, as Westside Gunn says, “We picked up right where we left off.” Time apart couldn’t tarnish the impeccable synergy Mach-Hommy and Westside Gunn show on Pray For Haiti. Mach leads the way with his complex array of bars, while Gunn’s ability to curate a well-rounded tracklist brings the masked rapper’s vision to life. “Who the f–k I’m supposed to call?” says Mach when asked why Gunn was the best choice to executive produce his album. “There’s somebody else for me to call? He’s ...
DaBaby, H.E.R., Tyler, The Creator, Leon Bridges & More: What’s Your Favorite New Music Release? Vote!
Music lovers had some great new releases to dive into this week, including standouts from DaBaby, H.E.R., Tyler, The Creator, and more. Billboard wants to know which one tops your list! This week, Charlotte superstar DaBaby dropped “Ball If I Want To,” his second solo single of 2021 after “Masterpiece.” Clocking in just under two minutes, the raunchy new track is filled with not-so-thinly veiled sexual innuendo, and finds the rapper making his music video directorial debut with a rowdy high school-themed visual. On the heels of winning a Grammy Award for “I Can’t Breathe” and an Academy Award for “Fight For You,” H.E.R. releases her engrossing new album, Back of My Mind. The R&B star’s debut full-length spans 21 tracks and features appearances by Ty Dolla ...
DaBaby Drops New Single “Ball if I Want To”: Stream
DaBaby is back with “Ball if I Want To”, his second single in the wake of his 2020 EP My Brother’s Keeper (Long Live G). On the braggadocios track, the rapper unapologetically flexes while running through verses about chartering private jets, name-dropping family members, and boasting about his sexual prowess. “Bitch, it ain’t even my birthday/ But I can ball if I want to/ Pull up, foreign cars if I want to/ Hop out that bitch with that iron in my jumpsuit/ Just do what I say and I love you, kay?” he raps over a sparse beat and an echoing choral sample. The song also arrives with a video directed by DaBaby himself. It finds the rapper goofing off on a college campus, complete with a cheerleading squad, library parties, and a mascot of a giant baby. Watch DaBaby’s self-directed “Ball if I W...
