Hip-Hop
J.I.D Pops Off on New Song “Skegee”: Stream
J.I.D. in “Skegee” video J.I.D packs a history lesson into his searing new track about man’s inhumanity to man with his new track “Skegee”. “Skegee” takes its title from the infamous and horrifying Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the African American Male. The experiment launched in 1932 under the auspices of science, but at its core it was nothing but cruelty. Researchers promised about 400 Black men with syphilis free health care, but instead of offering treatment, they watched hundreds of men die. Proving that the experiment had nothing to do with research, the project continued for decades after penicillin was known to cure syphilis. As The Associated Press reported in a shocking exposé in 1972, “even after penicillin became common, and while its use probably c...
Chicago Rappers Mother Nature Drop New Single “Momentz”: Stream
Mother Nature are a Chicago rap duo who make a crisp and punctuated style of underground hip-hop. They have a new mixtape coming out later this year, and today they’re give fans a taste with a new single called “Momentz”. The Windy City MC’s Klevah and TRUTH have been putting out music together as Mother Nature since 2016, and have kicked around in the Chicago local scene ever since. In that time they’ve released a handful shorter projects and a full-length in 2020 called Portalz, and last year they also appeared on a compilation that included bigger names like Open Mike Eagle and Kemba. The project was a collaboration between producer BoatHouse and the venerable Chicago label Closed Sessions, and Mother Nature once again teamed up with those two local entities for for this new joint, “Mom...
Cardi B Was ‘Freaking Out’ While Talking to Mariah Carey About New Album, Hair Care
Cardi also ran down the laborious routine of keeping her team safe, which involves everyone getting tested three or four times a week and coordinating hair, makeup and fashion from a distance. But even with her high-flying lifestyle, when Mariah asked Cardi if she considers herself down to earth, the “WAP” rapper said, “I can vibe with anybody. I know hood chicks, I know college girls. I can relate to any type of vibe.” After describing how writing her memoir — The Meaning of Mariah Carey — helped Carey work through her “interesting, dysfunctional childhood,” things got real when Mariah asked Cardi if she felt beautiful as a little girl, or, like Carey, like an outsider. Bronx-bred Cardi said growing up Dominican/Trinidadian in New York made ...
Moet Hennessy Buys 50% Stake in Jay-Z’s Champagne Brand
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, gave the brand a boost in 2006 when he featured one of their bottles in a music video after a public fallout with Cristal, a rival brand. Carter accused Cristal of racism after an executive for the brand mused in an interview about whether partnering with a rapper would harm its image. In 2014, Carter bought Armand de Brignac for an undisclosed sum. The brand sold more than 500,000 bottles worldwide in 2019. Moet Hennessy President and CEO Philippe Schaus said Armand de Brignac breaks barriers and reflects contemporary ideas of luxury, even as it supports historic Champagne-making traditions. “We are incredibly proud to be partnering with them,” Schaus said. Carter said the partnership will help Armand de Brignac grow and flourish, noting Moet Hennes...
Cardi B, Mariah Carey & More Wish Rihanna a Happy Birthday: ‘One of the Nicest in the Industry’
“Rihanna!” Carey tweeted. “Happy birthday girl! I hope you’re feeling festive as always.. wherever you are!!!! Love you gorgeous!!!!!!” “Happy ri day,” Meg posted on her Instagram Stories, along with a recent Instagram picture of the star. “Happy Birthday to the [queen]. We love you @rihanna,” actress Kerry Washington tweeted. “A little Sunshine in our life hbd @badgalriri god bless you,” Fat Joe said on Instagram, while DJ Khaled uploaded a video clip and wrote, “Happy bday @badgalriri the light is love. BLESS.” Earlier in the week, Rihanna celebrated the release of a new collector’s item, an oversized, 504-page book featuring 1,000 images from throughout the singer’s career. The Rihanna Book: Qu...
Song of the Week: serpentwithfeet Gains Traction with Soulful “Same Size Shoe”
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, serpentwithfeet gains traction with “Same Size Shoe”. There are two types of hype in the music business. One type makes it feel like an artist has the primal forces of nature behind them, controlling all media and advertising to make it seem like their next album will not only be the next canonical masterpiece to change music forever, but also the antidote to all that ails our suffering species and planet. And, then, there’s the type of hype that seemingly finds root in the tiniest speck of soil imaginable and slowly grows from th...
DijahSB Announces New Album Head Above the Waters, Shares “By Myself”: Stream
DijahSB has announced the new album Head Above the Waters. It’s out in April, and the rising rapper is offering a preview with the single “By Myself” featuring Harrison. Based in Toronto, DijahSB first made waves with the deceptively-titled EP 2020 the Album. Unsurprisingly for an artist known for “Frontin’ Like Pharrell”, they rap over toe-tapping percussion accented with funk and disco vibes. The new eight-track effort features contributions from Ray HMND, Chris Castello, and Harrison, and it boasts one of the grooviest tracks of 2021 in “Throw That Back”. Anyone who’s been paying attention knows DijahSB can play lord of the dance, but with “By Myself”, the MC is offering a change of pace. Produced by Harrison, “By Myself” slows things down with glittering keyboards and a funky bass line...
Preview Jhené Aiko’s ‘Lead the Way’ in Disney’s ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ First Look
Jhené Aiko wrote and performed the new song “Lead the Way” for Disney’s upcoming Raya and the Last Dragon film, and now fans can hear a minute of it. A brand-new first look of the film premiered Friday (Feb. 19), in which the Grammy-nominated R&B singer’s triumphant anthem echoes in the background. “Lead the Way” will be featured on the soundtrack album Raya and the Last Dragon (Music From the Disney+ Film), which will be available digitally Feb. 26 ahead of the film’s premiere on Disney+ Premier Access and in theaters March 5. Premier Access for Raya and the Last Dragon will cost $29.99. Aiko is currently up for three 2021 Grammy nominations, with her third solo album Chilombo snagging two nods for ...
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian Officially File for Divorce
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have officially filed for divorce, ending their marriage of seven years. TMZ reports that Kardashian recently filed the requisite documents through her lawyer Laura Wasser. Kardashian is asking for joint legal and physical custody of the couple’s four children, which West has apparently agreed to. Additionally, neither Kardashian nor West is said to be contesting their prenup. Settlement negotiations are reportedly “amicable” at this time. West first hinted at a riff in the couple’s marriage over the summer when he bizarrely tweeted about divorcing Kardashian in the wake of a meeting she had with Meek Mill. “I been trying to get divorced since Kim met with Meek at the Warldolf [sic] for ‘prison reform,’” he tweeted, seeming to refer to a criminal justice ...
Justine Skye Joined by Bella Hadid, Lil Yachty & Timbaland in ‘Intruded’ Video
All eyes and cameras are on Justine Skye in a music video for “Intruded,” her new Timbaland-produced single released Friday (Feb. 19). The mega-producer stars in the visual alongside Bella Hadid and Lil Yachty, who all try catching Skye’s attention from the confines of her security-camera footage and video calls, but to no avail. The 25-year-old R&B singer is too busy hitting all her angles while spinning around on a 360 platform in the six-minute Nina Holmgren-directed visual. “Intruded” spotlights a love that knows no escape because of how hard Skye is willing to keep it around. “Falling in love can make you feel kind of crazy,” she said in a statement. “When I wrote ‘Intruded,’ I wrote from a place of being comple...
Questlove to Direct Documentary About Sly Stone
Common will exec produce the project from MRC Non-Fiction. After making his feature directorial debut with Sundance-winning doc Summer of Love, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has set his follow-up feature on Sly Stone. Questlove will direct the documentary about the influential artist, king of funk, and fashion icon, with his partners Zarah Zohlman and Shawn Geehis producing under their Two One Five Entertainment banner. According to the announcement, the doc will follow the musician “who was breaking all the rules at a time when doing so was extremely challenging, even dangerous. The pressure of explosive mainstream pop success and the responsibility of representing Black America forced him to walk the fine line of impossible expectations.” You Deserve to Mak...
Trace Lysette on Debut Rap Single ‘SMB’: ‘I Needed Another Outlet for My Artistry’
What made you want to get into music with “SMB”?In this business, we’re constantly evolving and showing the world more layers of who we are. I think that’s always a struggle with talent: this relationship of trying to figure out how to present your most authentic self to the world, and hopefully be loved for it. I grew up on hip-hop, had Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown plastered on my walls as an adolescent, and I always wanted to dive into that space. Acting can be so limiting, especially as a trans actor. You just get what’s thrown at you, and a lot of times, it’s crumbs. I needed another outlet for my artistry. I really wanted the song to have a message. Sometimes I feel like it might be going over people’s heads, cis people’s heads. Maybe they don’t quite get the meaning of being a self-made b...
