Hip-Hop
Mally Mall Sentenced to Prison in Las Vegas Prostitution Case
“Rashid exploited hundreds of victims” through manipulation, rules and threats, the top federal prosecutor in Nevada said, “encouraged victims to get tattoos of him to demonstrate their loyalty, and led many of them to believe he would advance their careers in show business.” Rashid’s attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, said he “accepted full responsibility for his conduct that occurred almost a decade ago.” “He will serve his sentence and looks forward to returning to the music industry,” the attorneys said in a statement. A San Francisco Bay Area native, Rashid worked with artists including Tyga, Justin Bieber, Usher and Sean Kingston. His 2013 collaboration with Tyga, “Molly,” reached No. 66 on the Billboard Hot 100. He was featured as Mally Mall in the VH1 reality TV serie...
Dallas Cowboys Superfan Post Malone Stars in Team’s Hilarious Schedule Release Video
“The Postman” shows up to play some beer pong with team owner Jerry Jones. Apparently, NFL teams are now making elaborate schedule release videos, so of course Post Malone is the shining star at the center of the one dropped by his beloved Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday (May 12) to announced their 2021 season. The rapper, dubbed “The Postman,” in the two-and-a-half minute teaser, shows up in a Cowboys-themed postal uniform as he carries the all-important paperwork to the team’s headquarters. Unfortunately, the front door is locked and Posty is forced to yell “Jerry! Jerry!” over and over until someone in the security office sends a message to the big man. “Boss, The Postman’s here,” he says before pulling a lever that opens the door....
DJ Khaled’s ‘Every Chance I Get’ Debuts in Top 10 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
For Lil Baby, “Chance” secures his 13th top 10 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and second of 2021, after a featured turn on Drake’s “Wants and Needs” peaked at No. 2. Lil Durk, meanwhile, adds a third top 10 to his ledger. It’s also his second this year, following a guest spot on Pooh Shiesty’s No. 6 hit “Back in Blood.” “Chance” leads eight new Khaled Khaled tunes on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Here’s a full rundown of the new additions: No. 10, “Every Chance I Get,” featuring Lil Baby & Lil DurkNo. 13, “Sorry Not Sorry,” featuring Nas, Jay-Z & James FauntleroyNo. 17, “I Did It,” featuring Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby & DaBabyNo. 25, “Let It Go,” featuring Justin Bieber & 21 SavageNo. 33, “Body in Motion,” featuring Bryson Tiller, Lil Baby & R...
The Duo Behind 2021 Brit Awards Sets From Olivia Rodrigo, Arlo Parks & More Reveal How They Came Together
After launching in 2012, Tawbox scored its major break working with Stormzy in 2017. Now, the pair is working on the creative direction for his upcoming headlining slot at Reading and Leeds Festival this August. In spite of so many years and so much success, both Bronski and Rimmel say it doesn’t feel like they’ve been doing this for nearly a decade, largely because, as Rimell says, “We’re always evolving. We’re constantly working towards the next thing and how we can progress from the last thing that we’ve done.” Below, Tawbox breaks down how its three 2021 Brit Awards performances came together. Olivia Rodrigo One of Bronski and Rimell’s first Zoom calls was in fact with Rodrigo and her team. They say it didn’t take long to develop the idea for this performance — for which the 18-y...
Drake Is ‘High on Life’ After Billboard Artist of the Decade Honor & Dinner With His ‘Idol’
Drake had a pretty big Tuesday. First, he found out he was named Billboard‘s Artist of the Decade, thanks to his 2010s charts dominance, and then he had dinner with a very special guest: Ronald Isley. Billboard announced Tuesday that the chart-topping rapper will receive the Artist of the Decade Award at the Billboard Music Awards on May 23, and his surreal day had an equally impressive ending when the Toronto superstar dined with his “idol” and a founding member of The Isley Brothers. “Today was one of those days it doesn’t feel real,” he wrote on his Instagram Story (see below). “Waking up to artist of the decade then having dinner with my idol @ronaldisley and listening to the stories behind every song that shaped my love for emotional ...
J. Cole to Play in Basketball Africa League for Rawandan Team
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-10T17:57:44+00:00“>May 10, 2021 | 1:57pm ET J. Cole is chasing his hoop dreams by playing in Basketball Africa League during its inaugural season. As first reported by The New Times Rwanda, and subsequently confirmed by ESPN, the rapper’s signing with the Rwanda Patriots BBC is expected to become official on Thursday. According to ESPN, Cole arrived in Rwanda over the weekend and is in the midst of quarantining so he can play in the league. NBA skills coach Chris Joseph Brickley also confirmed Cole’s upcoming debut. “To see [J. Cole] dream of playing Pro Basketball come true makes me so happy,” Brickley wrote on Instagram. “He believed in me to completely reconstru...
DMX’s New Posthumous Album Exodus Coming on May 28th
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-10T18:41:49+00:00“>May 10, 2021 | 2:41pm ET 18 years after his last release on Def Jam, nine years after his most recent LP Undisputed, and seven weeks after his death, Earl “DMX” Simmons will be heard on the new posthumous album Exodus. It’s out May 28th via Def Jam and Ruff Ryders, and Swizz Beatz is serving as executive producer. The New York legend’s return to Def Jam feels like the closing of a circle. The label began to flounder in the mid 1990s as it suffered from money problems, changed owners, and searched for its voice in a shifting hip-hop landscape. Well, if you can’t find an identity yourself, then X gon’ give it to ya. His 1998 Def Jam debut,&nbs...
15-Year-Old Admits to Being Trigger Man in Pop Smoke’s Murder, According to Detective’s Testimony
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-09T21:30:55+00:00“>May 9, 2021 | 5:30pm ET A 15-year-old has allegedly admitted to being the trigger man in the murder of rising hip-hop artist Pop Smoke. The revelation came during testimony of LAPD Detective Carlos Camacho at a preliminary hearing for a different defendant in the case, 20-year-old Corey Walker. According to Camacho, the shooter, the youngest of four defendants in the case, admitted to a cellmate at a juvenile detention center that he indeed was the one who pulled the trigger on Pop Smoke. The interview from last May was recorded by police (via The Daily News). According to Detective Camacho’s testimony, the 15-year-old “admitted that they asked for the jewelry”...
DJ Khaled Lands Third No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With ‘Khaled Khaled’
Of Khaled Khaled’s 93,000 equivalent album units earned in the tracking week ending May 6, SEA units comprise 76,000 (equaling 106.87 million on-demand streams of the album’s tracks), album sales comprise 14,000 and TEA units comprise 3,000. Khaled Khaled was preceded by a pair of top 10-charting songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, both featuring Drake: “Popstar” and “Greece,” which reached Nos. 3 and 8, respectively, on the Aug. 1, 2020-dated chart. The next five albums on the Billboard 200 are all former No. 1s. Moneybagg Yo’s A Gangsta’s Pain slips 1-2 in its second week (70,000 equivalent album units earned; down 37%), Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album is a non-mover at No. 3 (53,000; down 2%), Justin Bieber’s Justice rises 5-4 (42,000; down 12%), the Slime Language 2 ...
Xscape vs. SWV in Verzuz Battle of ’90s R&B Greats: See the Scorecard and Winner
With the event serving as a true testament to the groups’ staying power, here’s how Billboard kept tally of the round-to-round showdown, with our overall winner declared at the bottom. Round 1: Xscape’s “Is My Living in Vain” vs. Coko feat. Faith Evans, Fantasia & Lil Mo’s “Endow Me” Following a heartfelt prayer led by Tamika Scott, Xscape jumped straight into full harmony, performing a cover of the Clark Sisters’ “Is My Living in Vain” from their 1993 debut Hummin’ Comin’ At Ya. In response, SWV’s frontwoman tapped into her gospel bag with her 2006 cover of The Clark Sisters’ “Endow Me”. Winner: Xscape Round 2: Xscape’s “Feels So Good” vs. SWV feat. Missy Elliott’s “Can We” In a battle of the bounce, Xscape turned the vibe up ...
Song of the Week: HEALTH and Nine Inch Nails Bring ’90s Apocalypse Vibes with “ISN’T EVERYONE”
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-08T15:11:59+00:00“>May 8, 2021 | 11:11am ET Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head ever 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, noise rockers HEALTH and industrial icons Nine Inch Nails are a match made in end-of-days heaven. Catharsis can take many curious forms: a good cry after a film, the euphoria among strangers dancing to an electric piece of pop, a long run (allegedly). Then, there’s HEALTH and Nine Inch Nails, two groups that have long harnessed the power of noise as their tool of choice, active...
L’Orange and Namir Blade Uncork New Album Imaginary Everything: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-07T16:44:03+00:00“>May 7, 2021 | 12:44pm ET Producer L’Orange and Nashville MC Namir Blade have uncorked their new collaborative album Imaginary Everything. Stream it below with Apple Music or Spotify. Blade broke out last year with Aphelion’s Traveling Circus, while L’Orange has been bubbling just below mainstream success for close to a decade. For Imaginary Everything, the Mello Music Group labelmates acquired guest verses from Quelle Chris, Fly Anakin, Jordan Webb, and Marlowe, with L’Orange producing every track. In an interview with Consequence, L’Orange explained how he achieved the soundscapes on Imaginary Everything using an Akai MPC. “T...
