Hip-Hop
How to Watch Raekwon vs. Ghostface Killah ‘Verzuz’ Battle
Co-created by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz as a form of socially distanced entertainment in the midst of COVID-19, Verzuz is now in its second season. In recent months, we’ve seen the aforementioned D’Angelo set, preceded by Ashanti vs. Keyshia Cole, Jeezy vs. Gucci Mane, and E-40 vs. Too Short. A Verzuz spokesperson confirmed to Billboard that co-founders Swizz Beatz and Timbaland will be doing a battle of their own for the series’ one-year anniversary coming up. Speaking of Tim and Swizz, they made industry headlines earlier this month when news broke that Verzuz had been acquired by the Triller Network, parent company of the Triller app. While Saturday night’s Verzuz will still be watchable on Instagram Live — as every battle has b...
Saweetie Says She’s ‘Single’ Amid Quavo Breakup Rumors
She also confirmed a Demi Lovato collab is on the way. After rumors that she and Quavo had broken up, Saweetie set the record straight. The rapper confirmed she was “single” via Twitter on Friday (March 19), saying she’s suffered “too much betrayal and hurt behind the scenes” and that being publicly showered with presents, from a Birkin to a Bentley, can’t heal the pain. But she assured her followers that she’s walked away from their relationship of more than two years “with a deep sense of peace and freedom.” “I’m single. I’ve endured too much betrayal and hurt behind the scenes for a false narrative to be circulating that degrades my character. Presents don’t band aid scars and the love isn&...
Pink Siifu and Fly Anakin Release New Collaborative EP $mokebreak: Stream
Fresh off the release of their album Fly Siifu today, rising hip-hop stars Pink Siifu and Fly Anakin have released a new collaborative EP called $mokebreak. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. $mokebreak spans 10 tracks in total, all of which will be included on the deluxe edition of Fly Siifu. Throughout the EP, Anakin and Siifu take turns rapping over previously unheard production from Black Noi$e and Chuck Strangers in addition to original beats by Ohbliv, iiye, Graymatter, Ewonee, and Budgie. Apart from three songs, every single track on $mokebreak sees Siifu and Anakin linking up with another artist, including several heavy hitters. Chuck Strangers raps alongside them on “Oatmeal” while Peso Gordon and B. Cool-Aid jump into the fold for “Remote Relocation”. Elsewhere, the dup...
Cardi B Snaps Back at California Republican’s Criticism of Grammys ‘WAP’ Performance: ‘The Grammies Are PG’
Cardi had a very simple response to the Black GOP member who was trounced in his 2020 congressional race before joining the dozen Republicans trying to unseat democrat governor Gavin Newsom. “The Grammies are PG,” she tweeted. “That means parental guidance.Meaning is your job like it is to mine to my child to monitor what they watch.My performance was around 10 pm on a Sunday Your child should be in bed ready for school the next day why are they up watching Wap?” According to WFFA in Dallas, the FCC received around 80 complaints from viewers who thought the performance was obscene, pornographic, or as one viewer from Colorado reportedly opined, “as if they were dancing in a strip club.” The response to Webber followed up on Cardi’s celebration of t...
Megan Thee Stallion Thanks Haters for Pushing Her All the Way to the Grammys
“The fact that somebody telling me, ‘No, you can’t,’ made me be like, ‘Bi—, yes I can!'” the 3-time winner says in new video. Haters are Megan Thee Stallion‘s motivators, and they never stopped the “Don’t Stop” rapper from becoming who she is today: a three-time Grammy-winning artist. Before she took home three awards Sunday night — best rap song and best rap performance for her “Savage” remix, featuring Beyoncé, as well as best new artist — Meg previewed her “Road to the Grammys” in the latest “Hottie World” YouTube vlog. Grueling days of dance practice with famed choreographer JaQuel Knight led Meg to reflect on her even longer road to superstardom, as the mont...
DijahSB Goes Into “Overtime” on New Single: Stream
Rising Toronto rapper DijahSB is back with more new music that packs plenty of atmospheric style. Earlier this morning, they released “Overtime”, a slice of trip-hop funk featuring fellow Canadian artist Chris Castello. Stream it below. “Overtime” is an infectious, uptempo dance groove, especially compared to DijahSB’s previous single “By Myself”. Whereas that track was a more straightforward hip-hop number meant to showcase DijahSB’s freestyle skills, this new one is all about smooth choruses, slick rap verses, and finding the perfect casual-but-energetic balance between a shimmering synth loop and a funky bass line. Needless to say, DijahSB pulls it off perfectly. Considering DijahSB is behind some of the best new sounds of the year so far, we’re eager for the MC to drop their upcoming a...
Demi Lovato, DDG & Sub Urban to Kick Off Season 2 of YouTube’s ‘Released’ Series
DDG runs it up tonight ahead of his music video premiere for “Rule #1,” featuring Lil Yachty, while Sub Urban‘s episode launches on March 25 and Lovato‘s segment premieres on April 1, the day before her seventh studio album, Dancing with the Devil…The Art of Starting Over, drops. BLACKPINK was the first subject of the YouTube series back on Oct. 1, the night before their debut Album dropped, while Rosé got her own episode last week on March 11 in celebration of her “On the Ground” music video premiere. Other artists who were featured in season 1 of RELEASED include Major Lazer, Karol G, Sam Smith, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby, Miley Cyrus, Paul McCartney, Ozuna x Anuel AA,&n...
Kanye West Now Worth Estimated $6.6B Thanks to Lucrative Gap, Adidas Deals
The document further reveals that Gap, an ailing brand whose partnership with West represents a play for younger consumers, expects its Yeezy line to break $150 million in sales in its first full year in 2022 and envisions it surpassing a billion dollars in revenue within eight years, or even as soon as 2023 on the upside. West stands to profit handsomely in any event, as he retains sole ownership and creative control of the Yeezy brand and earns royalties on sales under the deal, with the rate increasing as the business grows. He’ll also receive stock warrants when the collection hits sales targets, with the highest set at $700 million, according to a securities filing. West’s longstanding deal with Adidas has been the most lucrative part of his business endeavors to date, with Yeez...
Saba Drops New Songs “Ziplock” and “Rich Don’t Stop” : Stream
Chicago rapper Saba is throwing deuces left and right. He’s dropped two separate double-singles since September, and now he’s back with a third set featuring the new songs “Ziplock” and “Rich Don’t Stop”. The 26-year-old MC has been busily writing guest verses and working with his Pivot Gang on releases like their 2019 album You Can’t Sit With Us, and so it’s hard to believe it’s already been three years since his last solo full-length Care for Me. But as the latest tracks demonstrate, his presence is as charming — and his flows as challenging — as ever. “Ziplock” comes with a beat by D.Phelps and Coop The Truth with Karim Hutton on bass and Justin Zim handling guitar. Saba layers his internal lines like a master chef layering lasagna. When he spits, “I come from the pa...
Open Mike Eagle Unleashes New Song “Gold Gloves”: Stream
Open Mike Eagle has dropped a new song called “Gold Gloves”, which appears on Mello Music Group’s upcoming Bushido compilation album. Stream it below. The track is produced by Michigan producer The Lasso, who laces OME with a spacy beat and hypnotic bassline. “I brought a glitched-out Moog, a circling bassline, and a bag of plucky percussion, and did what we came to do,” The Lasso said in a statement. Meanwhile, Mike raps in a chanting flow. “Stretching out my arms, focusing my chi,” he raps. “Concentrating hard, can’t remember how / Swear I knew before.” “Gold Gloves” is the third preview of Bushido. Previously, Mello Music Group released Joell Ortiz, Namir Blade, Stalley & Solemn Brigham’s “Black Rock” and Oddisee’s “No Trouble”. Other featured artists include Quelle Chris,...
Kanye West is Now Worth $6.6 Billion
Well, he’s definitely got his money right. Lord. According to Bloomberg, Kanye West is now worth a whopping $6.6 billion dollars. It was around this time last year that the rap superstar finally cracked the nine-figure threshold and became a certified billionaire. Now, after a terrific sales year for his sneaker and apparel brand Yeezy, and the closing of a new Yeezy partnership with Gap, the recent divorcee has seen his wealth skyrocket roughly 500%. Like all net worth estimations, some of this is based on fickle market speculation. However, Yeezy’s high-profile deals with Adidas and Gap have launched its value into the neighborhood of $3.2 to $4.7 billion. Since West remains the sole owner of the company, that money can be attributed to his personal net worth, which also includes another...
Paris Texas Share New Song “Situations”: Stream
Last month, the South Central rap duo Paris Texas released their first ever song, a metal-tinged banger fittingly titled “Heavy Metal”. The track quickly picked up some considerable blog buzz, and now they’re back with a much different-sounding loosie called “Situations”. There’s not a whole lot of info out there about the LA pair, but we do know that their names are Louie Pastel and Felix, and it seems unlikely that this is their first entry into the world of music. “Heavy Metal” featured pounding guitar chords that stopped and started with the choppy suspense of a horror film, but “Situations” is a completely different vibe. The track is piece of funky, warped club rap that sounds a lot more like Outkast than Death Grips. The vocals slip and slide over its tubular groov while gurgli...
