Hip-Hop
R.I.P. DMX, Legendary Rapper Dead at 50
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-09T16:14:18+00:00“>April 9, 2021 | 12:14pm ET Legendary New York rapper DMX has died following a drug overdose that led to a fatal heart attack. He was 50 years old. According to a statement released by the rapper’s family, DMX passed away Friday, April 9th. “We are deeply saddened to announce today that our loved one, DMX, birth name of Earl Simmons, passed away at 50-years-old at White Plains Hospital with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days,” the rapper’s family said. “Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end. He loved his family with all of his heart and we cherish the times we spent with him. Earl’s music inspired countless ...
BROCKHAMPTON Get Introspective on the Soul-Searching ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE: Review
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-09T16:21:05+00:00“>April 9, 2021 | 12:21pm ET The Lowdown: We’re now deep into the heart of hip-hop’s psychedelic era. As modern-day rappers and producers have begun to embrace the use of psilocybin and LSD, the mind-altering effects are starting to bleed into the music. But for the same reason that shrooms are being legalized for therapeutic purposes, these drugs, if taken in the right doses and circumstances, can inspire deep reflection and serious psychological growth. Not that BROCKHAMPTON needed any help to gaze inwardly. This Texas crew opt for introspection over braggadocio and thoughtfulness over arrogance. But the tone of their sixth full-length and the subject matter wi...
DMX’s Woodstock ’99 Performance Was Nothing Short of Legendary: Watch
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-09T20:24:06+00:00“>April 9, 2021 | 4:24pm ET You’d be hard-pressed to find a more momentous concert video than DMX’s performance at Woodstock ’99. The 50-year-old rap veteran was sadly pronounced dead earlier today after spending a week in the hospital from a drug-induced heart attack, but thousands of his fans have memorialized his name by sharing clips from the 1999 set on social media. It’s how he deserves to be remembered. Woodstock ’99 was by nearly every metric a disaster (the heat was brutal, the food and water were dangerously overpriced, the crowds were unmanageably large, and there were numerous reported sexual assaults), but DMX’s 45-minute set felt like a beam of heav...
Saweetie & Doja Cat’s ‘Best Friend’ Cracks Top 10 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Likewise, the current hit solidifies Saweetie’s status as a rhythmic radio favorite as “Friend” rises from No. 2 to top Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart. The track ascends after it gained 9% in plays in the week ending April 4 to become the radio format’s most-played song of the week, according to MRC Data. “Friend” gives Saweetie her third Rhythmic No. 1, and second consecutive leader. Her previous release, “Back to the Streets,” featuring Jhene Aiko, ruled for one week in January. Before that, her first trip to No. 1 came with the 2019 hit, “My Type,” a two-week champ. In addition, the rising rapper very nearly made it four in a row – between “Type” and “Streets,” her song “Tap In” peaked at No. 2. Plus, thanks to “Friend,” Saweetie becomes only the fifth female rapper to post three No...
New DMX Track “X Moves” Features Bootsy Collins, Steve Howe, and Ian Paice: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-09T13:54:28+00:00“>April 9, 2021 | 9:54am ET As of Thursday evening, DMX is still on life support and in a vegetative state after suffering a heart attack last Friday. In a curious move, Cleopatra Records thought now was the optimal time to release a new track from the rapper called “X Moves”. The track is a rap-rock banger that happens to feature three legendary performers: Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Bootsy Collins, Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice, and Yes/Asia guitarist Steve Howe. All three of those rock icons contribute to the track’s psychedelic bounce and Collins even hops on the beat for a few bars. It’s messy in a fun way, and it’s yet another reminder of the b...
BROCKHAMPTON Return with New Album ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-09T03:28:06+00:00“>April 8, 2021 | 11:28pm ET BROCKHAMPTON are back with their new album, ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE. The 13-track effort features a score of feature appearances, and you can stream the entire thing below via Apple Music and Spotify. ROADRUNNER comes almost two years after 2019’s GINGER — a significant gap for the Los Angeles crew that released three volumes of SATURATION in 2017 and dropped the incredible iridescence a year later. Collective leader Kevin Abstract tweeted that this would be the first of two BROCKHAMPTON LPs for 2021, and that they would be the group’s last. However, similar statements were made around SATURATION III, so perhaps we shouldn’...
Doja Cat & SZA Release ‘Kiss Me More’ Collab: Stream It Now
The slinky, sensual jam will definitely be a summer playlist staple with its groovy bass line harkening back to Doja’s career-first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Say So” and its playful lyrics about spelling out one’s name on the inside of a lover’s mouth (“Boy, you write your name, I can do the same/ Oh, I love the taste, la-la-la-la-la,” Doja whispers in the post-chorus before switching into a full-on pop sing-a-long chant, “All on my tongue, I want it!”) Meanwhile, SZA knows her worth and asserts that she deserves better and all their friends even know it when she croons, “All your ni—s say that you lost without me/ All my bi—es feel like I dodged it, don’t need.” The 25-year-old rapper has sco...
Late ASAP Mob Affiliate Chynna’s New Song “burnout” Posthumously Released: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-08T21:58:17+00:00“>April 8, 2021 | 5:58pm ET Late ASAP Mob affiliate Chynna is being honored in New York City today on the one-year anniversary of her tragic death at 25 from a drug overdose. A new posthumous song titled “burnout” has been released to mark the occasion. “burnout” is produced by Brooklyn producer and Pro Era member Kirk Knight. Featuring a dark, murky beat, Chynna shows off her swagger with lyrics like, “700 n-ggas getting in, it’s a turnout/ Every other n-gga couldn’t win, better learn how/ Only giving passage to my friends and my birds now.” Chynna Rogers was discovered as a teenager by late ASAP Mob co-founder ASAP Yams. Some of her early breakout songs include...
clipping. Perform Tiny Desk (Home) Concert: Watch
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-08T19:59:05+00:00“>April 8, 2021 | 3:59pm ET The experimental rap trio clipping. have shared their “(Home)” version of NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series, and they really took the “tiny” aspect to its most extreme point. In a typical, non-pandemic-times Tiny Desk concert, the guest artist performs an intimate set while stuffed behind desks in NPR’s actual office workspace. Throughout the coronavirus, NPR has kept the Tiny Desk institution alive by having musicians send in pre-recorded sets from their homes or studios, but clipping. decided to switch up that now-predictable format. For their contribution to the Tiny Desk Meets SXSW series, the group — rapper Daveed Diggs and...
Tkay Maidza Unleashes New Song “Syrup”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-07T21:08:42+00:00“>April 7, 2021 | 5:08pm ET Buzzing Australian rapper Tkay Maidza has shared a new song titled “Syrup”. Stream it below. Produced by Maidza’s frequent collaborator Dan Farber, the beat is reminiscent of 2000s era Missy Elliott and Timbaland, giving the Zimbabwe-born artist a thumping palette over which to deliver energetic rhymes. You can tell she had fun recording the song, thanks to lyrics like, “Homie wants the best, but he can’t pay my rate, yuh/ Small body Hilfiger on the dater/ Small money thinker, I’m a navigator/ And that’s the tea, Arizona.” “Syrup” follows February’s “Kim”, Maidza’s bouncy collaboration with rising Georgia rapper Yung Baby Tate. In Marc...
Rod Wave Rules Hot 100 Songwriters Chart, Led by ‘Tombstone’ & More
Rank, Title (co-songwriters in addition to Rod Wave)No. 11, “Tombstone” (Eric Foley Jr., Jaylon Howard, Jai Beats)No. 16, “Street Runner” (TNTxD, London Blue, Karltin Bankz, Ruth B)No. 22, “Richer,” featuring Polo G (Polo G, Roland Hannah, Flynn Cranston)No. 55, “SoulFly” (TNTxD, Tahj Money, Shaad K Rounds, Ryan Hartlove)No. 61, “Gone Till November” (Drum Dummie, Kimj)No. 63, “Don’t Forget” (TNTxD, Basobeats)No. 65, “Blame on You” (TNTxD, Evrgrn, Adam Fritz)No. 71, “All I Got” (Mook Got The Keys Jumping, LowLowTurnMeUp, DZIMI)No. 85, “Pills & Billz” (Eric Foley Jr., Roland Hannah, Uncle Cameron)No. 88, “How the Game Go” (Ryder Johnson, Taz Taylor, Adawg)No. 89, ...
Kodak Black Toasts to Freedom in New Single ‘Easter in Miami’: Watch the Video
Despite its title and Christian-themed cover art, Kodak Black‘s latest single, “Easter in Miami,” is anything but religious. The track, released on Easter Sunday (April 4), is the Floridian rapper’s fourth single of 2021. In the accompanying video, Kodak toasts with friends (in coordinated pastel suits) to “more blessings, more freedom” and “more health,” presumably celebrating his prison release by way of a commutation from former president Donald J. Trump. The rapper had served nearly half of his 46-month-long sentence on a firearms possession charge. The video, directed by DrewFilmedIt, paints a celebration of everything the “ZEZE” rapper was missing out on during his time behind bars: community, jewelry, designer labels, ...
