Hip-Hop
Bad Bunny Announces 2022 “El Último Tour del Mundo” Tour Dates
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-12T17:15:30+00:00“>April 12, 2021 | 1:15pm ET Bad Bunny packed as much into his 2020 quarantine as anybody on earth, releasing three albums, earning a Grammy, and winning a match at Wrestlemania 37 with the “Bunny Destroyer” finisher. After this latter feat, the trap and reggaeton star announced “El Último Tour del Mundo”, a run of 25 North American tour dates that kicks off in February of 2022. Named after his excellent 2020 LP El Último Tour del Mundo (“The Last Tour of the World”), the jaunt will be among his first chances to stump for the albums YHLQMDLG and Que No Iban a Salir. Bad Bunny will make his triumphant return to touring on February 9th in Denver, CO,...
Snoop Dogg Honors DMX’s Higher Purpose: ‘His Soul Will Live On & His Music Will Live On’
Snoop also acknowledged X’s greater calling via Instagram on Monday when he shared a message that read, “DMX did NOT wait to be perfect for God to USE him. He taught people that u can be flawed and still be a vessel.” But he added in his new interview that Darkman’s messages translated best through genres of music outside of rap. “He was funny. He loved old-school music. He loved old-school cars. And when I say he loved old-school music, he loved old-school music and gospel music, probably more than rap music. And that’s what people didn’t know,” he said. “But if you listen to him talk and you listen to what he testify and what he’s always giving up, it’s either that R&B or the gospel music that always pushed the message behind DMX.&#...
DMX’s Family Denies Rumor That Jay-Z & Beyoncé Bought His Master Recordings
The family of DMX (real name Earl Simmons) set the record straight about the alleged sale of the late rapper’s master recordings and his upcoming funeral in a new statement. “There have been a few rumors following our loved one, Earl Simmons’, passing that we’d like to clear up,” his family said in a statement provided to Billboard. “No one has bought Earl’s masters. Additionally, we are not selling any merch or raising money for Earl’s funeral. If anyone is requesting for money for his funeral please be aware the person is a scammer. We will keep the public posted on funeral/memorial service arrangements.” The most popular rumor around DMX’s catalog alleged that Beyoncé and Jay-Z had purchased X’s master recordings fo...
DMX’s 2003 Autobiography Returns to Bestsellers List After Rapper’s Death
Written by DMX alongside Smokey D. Fontaine, a former music editor at The Source, the book follows “The dark journey of a boy who became a man, the man who became an artist, and the artist who became an icon,” according to the publisher’s notes. “A talent for rhyme saved his life, but the demons and sins of his past continue to haunt him.” The book’s prologue opens with a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche, that now seems eerily foreboding: “To live is to suffer, but to survive is to find meaning in the suffering.” The accompanying chapters chronicle the rapper’s rise to fame, from his early days growing up in Yonkers, New York, to his record deal with Def Jam and creation of his first major label album, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot...
Kid Cudi Wears Dress on ‘SNL’ in Honor of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, Rocks Chris Farley Shirt
Kid Cudi paid tribute to Nirvana‘s Kurt Cobain and Saturday Night Live great Chris Farley during his musical guest debut on the long-running NBC sketch comedy show. During the April 10 episode hosted by actress Carey Mulligan, the 37-year-old rapper — born Scott Mescudi — performed two tracks from his 2020 album, Man on the Moon III: The Chosen, while paying his respects to the fallen legends. For his first performance of “Tequila Shots,” Cudi stepped onto the stage wearing a fuzzy olive-green cardigan similar to the one Cobain famously wore during Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York live performance, which aired months before his death in 1994. Underneath, he rocked a white shirt emblazoned with a headshot of the boisterous actor-comedian Farley, who wa...
Kid Cudi & Timothee Chalamet Celebrate Rap’s ‘Weird Little Flute’ on ‘SNL’: Watch
Kid Cudi joined Saturday Night Live‘s Pete Davidson and Chris Redd in a hilarious sketch celebrating one of rap music’s most underrated instruments — the “weird little flute.” “We got the fits, we got the flow, we got the 808s, we got the Xanned out tempo,” the faux hip-hop trio begins the musical skit. “We got that drip-drip-drip, we got that Brut, the only thing that’s missing is that weird little flute.” From there, Cudi, Davidson and Redd take viewers into a music video-reminiscent world of nightclubs, pool halls and music stores to show off their flute-playing skills. They also explore the many other practical applications of the airy woodwind instrument, such as using it for a pool cue, chopsticks and back scratcher.&nb...
Kid Cudi Wears Dress on SNL in Tribute to Kurt Cobain: Watch
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-11T14:23:47+00:00“>April 11, 2021 | 10:23am ET Kid Cudi appeared as the musical on Saturday Night Live last night, where he performed a pair of songs from his 2020 album Man on the Moon III: The Chosen. Cudi’s late-night spins on “Tequila Shots” and “Sad People” will be remembered as much for the rapper’s wardrobe than the performances themselves — through both were impressive in their own right. For “Tequila Shots”, Cudi wore a T-shirt donning the image of former SNL cast member Chris Farley, while “Sad People” saw him wear a floral dress akin to the cardigan Kurt Cobain famously wore. Replay both performances below. Cudi has long expressed his admiration of Cobai...
Busta Rhymes to Release 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of The Coming
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-11T14:56:35+00:00“>April 11, 2021 | 10:56am ET Oh, it’s a party. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Busta Rhymes is releasing a special deluxe edition of his 1996 album The Coming, featuring remastered audio, instrumental tracks, and loads of hard-to-find remixes. The digital-only release is out April 16th via Rhino, and it’s pretty much the most elaborate version of the rapper’s debut that one could possibly imagine. The 36-song tracklist includes newly remastered versions of the original 12 tracks, previously-unreleased instrumental versions of each song, and nearly a dozen remixes of its singles “Woo Hah!! Got You All In Check” and “It’s a Party”. In fact, there are actua...
Too Soon Gone: How the Life and Music of DMX Tell a Tragically Familiar Story for Black Men
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-11T15:15:47+00:00“>April 11, 2021 | 11:15am ET “I want Black men to grow old.” While scaling out to the larger population, away from the complexities of rapper Earl “DMX” Simmons’ untimely death, television writer Camilla Blackett simultaneously managed to home in on a core understanding. For Blackett and many others, the premature loss of Simmons labors as a frightening reminder that we, Black men, do not grow old, at least not nearly enough of us. Chadwick Boseman, Charlie Murphy, Bernie Mac, Nipsey Hussle, Prince, Heavy D, George Floyd, Gerald LeVert, Tupac Shakur, Notorious BIG, Prodigy (of Mobb Deep), J Dilla, Bernard Tyson, Fred the Godson. MF DOOM. These are an exceedingly...
Beyonce & Jay-Z Share ‘Sin City’ Photo Album Following Their 13th Wedding Anniversary
Beyoncé uploaded a series of stylish new photos from a trip to Sin City with Jay-Z. On Saturday (April 10), the singer’s official website was updated with a number of pictures — many of Beyoncé herself, but some featuring Jay-Z, too. The couple celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary last week, on April 4. Beyoncé showed off a killer outfit — tweed shorts and a matching blazer with a fit made for her, accessorized with red heels — from all angles, and she shared some plane ride and date pictures in a gallery that was simply labeled “Sin City.” You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the proce...
Song of the Week: Tkay Maidza’s “Syrup” Longs for Hot and Sticky Summer Nights to Come
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-10T20:55:49+00:00“>April 10, 2021 | 4:55pm ET Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, rapper Tkay Maidza reminds us of the fun times just around the corner. The rise of streaming has meant many things for the world of music over the past decade: the slow pull away from the power of radio and CD sales, increased accessibility to new artists, and constant questions around payment structures in this model, for starters. It also means that music is an abundance of...
Architects of ’01 Hip-Hop Fashion Discuss the Era’s Most Iconic Looks
Ambrose, who styled over 200 music videos, was Missy’s right-hand woman, costume designing for every major Missy Elliott production including “Get Ur Freak On,” “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” “One Minute Man,” and “Lose Control.” She was a go-to designer for R&B/hip-hop heavyweights including Diddy, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey, and currently works as a creative director for Puma. “We didn’t have a point of reference that came before us,” explains Ambrose. “We took the risk for the future.” The “Rain” designer discussed the role of late ’90s to early ’00s designers as trailblazers, bursting through barriers between high-end labels and R&B/hip-hop culture. “I bridg...
