Hip-Hop
2021 NAACP Image Awards Winners: Complete List
Davis and Boseman each won a second Image Award this year. Davis won for outstanding actress in a drama [TV] series for the second time for ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder. Boseman also won outstanding supporting actor in a motion picture for Da 5 Bloods. In the music categories, announced March 25, Jhené Aiko’s Chilombo, a Grammy nominee for album of the year, won outstanding album. Beyoncé was named outstanding female artist for a record-extending sixth time. Drake won outstanding male artist for, surprisingly, the first time. Beyoncé won four NAACP Image Awards this year, more than anyone else. Meghan Thee Stallion, Chloe x Halle, Jon Batiste and Marsai Martin of ABC’s black-ish each won two (as did Boseman and Davis). D-Nice took the award for entertainer of the year. In March ...
Song of the Week: BROCKHAMPTON and Danny Brown Call Out the Haters on Return Single “BUZZCUT”
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, BROCKHAMPTON make their epic return with the help of Danny Brown. “BUZZCUT” marks the first official release from BROCKHAMPTON, the sprawling 13-member hip-hop group, since 2019. After dropping a series of limited-time songs throughout 2020, the band have now made an official return with the assertive single, along with some help from Danny Brown. The undercurrent of the track is one of frustration, focusing on false dreams, haters and detractors, and dysfunctional family dynamics. Member Kevin Abstract leads the first verse and c...
Kenny Mason Drops New Single “Play Ball”: Stream
Rising Atlanta rapper Kenny Mason has released a new song titled “Play Ball”. Stream it below. Co-produced by Mason with Julian Cruz, the guitar-driven track is the latest preview of Mason’s upcoming project, Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut. After opening with a melodic intro and chorus, he switches over to a fast-paced flow while rapping about the realities of street life. “Life of a rough neck, die for my respect / Y’all n-ggas suspect, lie to get success,” Mason spits. “Lot of these n-ggas is lottery tickets in my hood / Inspirin’ me to jug, who ’bout to slip up next?” Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut is out April 16th and includes the previously released singles “Pup” and “Partments”. The 12-track project features heavy hitters like Freddie Gibbs and Denzel Curry. Mason is coming off a breakout 202...
Cardi B Says Rumors That Eminem Rejected Her Feature Request Are ‘Big Lies’
The 28-year-old MC has been riding high after “Up” climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week (dated March 27). She took to Instagram to debunk more rumors that she had paid for radio play to top the tally. “They love to run with that ‘Payola’ to make them feel better,” Cardi wrote earlier this week. “Mind you I didn’t debut number 1 because of my low radio play and WAP barely made radio cause it was so explicit yet still made number 1…. WHEN YOU START WINNING THE STORIES START SPINNING!!! Imma adress all the hate on my album tho wait on it !!!” “Up” will be featured on Cardi’s sophomore studio effort, which she’s been hard at work on. “Since they like to make up LIES abut me cause t...
How to Watch the 2021 NAACP Image Awards
Additionally, NBA star LeBron James will be honored with the prestigious President’s Award, presented in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service. He joins a roster of previous recipients that include Rihanna, Jay-Z, Jesse Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Soledad O’Brien, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Muhammad Ali, among others. The event will also feature performances from outstanding female artist nominee Jazmine Sullivan and Maxwell, who is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his debut album Urban Hang Suite. Throughout the evening, there will be appearances from Alicia Keys, Andra Day, Arsenio Hall, Cynthia Erivo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Michelle Obama, Misty Copeland, Regina King, Samuel L. Jackson,...
Lil Nas X Releases New Single “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”: Stream
After teasing it for nearly a year, Lil Nas X has finally released his long-awaited new single “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” alongside a dreamy music video. Stream it below. Technically “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” sounds nothing like Lil Nas X’s original breakout single “Old Town Road”, which stirred some controversy by being deemed too hip-hop for country radio before ultimately dominating the Billboard charts at large anyway. However, this new track aims for a similar unexpected mashup of sorts, blending low-key rap with a beat that recalls flamenco and reggeaton dipped in pop. It’s catchy, warm, and primed to become a summer hit. “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” derives its title from Nas’ birth name, which may explain some of the angelic life-versus-death themes present in the ...
Beyonce Is Top Music Winner at 2021 NAACP Image Awards
Batiste won outstanding jazz album – instrumental for Music From and Inspired By Soul and shared the award for outstanding soundtrack/compilation album for Soul with Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Tom MacDougall. Jhené Aiko’s Chilombo, which was nominated for album of the year at the Grammys, won here for outstanding album. Doja Cat, who was nominated for best new artist at the Grammys, won here for outstanding new artist for “Say So.” Trevor Noah, who hosted the Grammys, won for outstanding host in a talk or news/information (series or special) for The Daily Show With Trevor Noah. Hit-Boy took the award for outstanding producer of the year. Hit-Boy has won two Grammys, but has yet to be Grammy-nominated for producer of the year (non-classical). Verzuz, the red-hot webcast series cre...
Fugees Put Haiti on the Hip-Hop Map
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Consequence of Sound and Sony present The Opus, an exploration of legendary albums and their ongoing legacy. For Season 13, host Jill Hopkins (The Moth Chicago, Making Beyoncé podcast) will explore the Fugees’ second and final album, The Score. The Fugees were culturally unique in myriad ways. They were a trio comprised of one American-born Black woman and yet also two Haitian immigrants, who both took pride in their heritage. Naturally, this pride was weaved into the fabric of 1996’s The Score, and the album’s success meant that they were able to champion Haitian music in both America and abroad. In this episode, host Jill Hopkins speaks to the trio’s family, friends, and fans about Haiti’s effect on the Fugees and the...
Ric Wilson Drops New Singles “Woo Woo Woo” and “Everybody Red In The Face”: Stream
Chicago rhymer Ric Wilson has unleashed pair of new singles titled “Woo Woo Woo” and “Everybody Red In The Face”. Stream both tracks below. The kinetic “Woo Woo Woo” arrives with a music video featuring dancers Tanya and Kid Nimbus. Running under two minutes long, the track features Wilson showing off a nimble flow. “From the land of gas station and Dunkin D’s,” he spits over the Melaniac-produced beat. “Chips and cheese / Grand Prix / Come roll with me.” “This song is just about me wanting to talk my shit sometimes and thinking less about how everyone receives and more about me expressing myself freely,” Wilson said about “Woo Woo Woo”. “Because sometimes you have to smile at yourself & frown at the world to keep from your own madness.” Wilson addresses social issues on the minute-lon...
BROCKHAMPTON Team Up with Danny Brown on “Buzzcut”: Stream
Danny Brown (photo by Philip Cosores) and Kevin Abstract of BROCKHAMPTON (photo by Amy Price) BROCKHAMPTON have been teasing new material throughout 2021. Now, the band has shared their new song, “Buzzcut”, featuring Danny Brown. Stream it below. After vaguely hinting at a possible return in January, BROCKHAMPTON uploaded a 47-second teaser clip titled “Meet the Roadrunners” earlier the month containing previously unheard music. They followed up with a pair of cryptic videos featuring RZA and Rick Rubin seemingly praising the group’s upcoming project. “This particular album, the melding of it now, it’s like if someone thought it wasn’t cool… it’s cool now!” RZA said in his video. Meanwhile, Rubin appeared to weigh in on the song selection for the project. “The first three, though, you can’...
YoungBoy Never Broke Again in FBI Custody After Police Chase
Rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again, aka NBA YoungBoy, was arrested on Monday afternoon and taken into FBI custody in the Los Angeles area, according to CBSN Los Angeles. The 21-year-old Louisiana native, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, was wanted for an outstanding warrant. Police attempted to pull him over, but wound up in a short pursuit ending in the rapper trying to flee on foot. According to TMZ, police reportedly found a firearm in the vehicle — although it’s unclear if it belongs to Gaulden. An alleged video of the arrest was shared with TMZ, which you can watch below. Baton Rouge’s ABC affiliate, WBRZ, reported back in February that Gaulden was under federal investigation following his September 2020 arrest on drug and weapons charges. In November 2016, Gaulden was arrested and...
National Recording Registry Adds Titles From Nas, Janet Jackson, Kool & the Gang and More
The addition of 25 recordings this year brings to 575 the total number of titles in the registry, which selects recordings worthy of preservation based on their cultural, historical and/or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage. Several artists and songwriters whose works land on this year’s registry roster spoke with Billboard about the legacy of their work. “A Soundtrack for Life in Queensbridge”Illmatic, Nas’ debut studio album, swept onto the scene in 1994 with masterful rhymes, sample-soaked production and lyrics that painted an unabashed portrait of life growing up in the Queensbridge housing project in Queens, NY, home to a bevy of rap and hip-hop luminaries. Producers, including Q-Tip, Large Professor, Pete Rock, L.E.S. and DJ Pre...
