Hip-Hop
J. Cole Drops ‘Fire Squad’ Music Video on 6th Anniversary of ‘2014 Forest Hills Drive’
On the sixth anniversary of his third album 2014 Forest Hills Drive, J. Cole delivered a gift to his fans: the music video for “Fire Squad.” In the BBGUN-directed visual, which was shot in Kingston, Jamaica, a little girl faces off in an intense chess game with an elderly opponent and cautions him of any man who crowns himself a king “because deep down, he clings to the need for power.” But Cole (real name Jermaine Lamarr Cole) doesn’t cling to said power; he owns it fearlessly. “We all kings/ Kings of ourselves first and foremost/ While the people debate who’s the king of this rap game/ Here comes lil’ ol’ Jermaine,” he raps in the outro. His Dreamville Records announced on Twitter that it’s re-uplo...
Blue Ivy Carter Retroactively Nominated for Grammy
At just eight years old, Blue Ivy Carter has landed her first-ever Grammy nomination. The eldest daughter of Jay-Z and Beyoncé is nominated alongside her mother in the category of Best Music Video for “Brown Skinned Girl”. As TMZ reports, Blue’s name was left off the list of nominations when they were revealed on November 24th, but the Recording Academy has since rectified the omission and added her as one of the eligible contenders. (Looks like mom and dad made a phone call.) If “Brown Skinned Girl” is to win Best Music Video (and that seems like a pretty safe bet), Blue Ivy would become the second youngest artist to ever win a Grammy. The current record holder is Leah Peasall, who was eight years old when the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack took home Album of the Year in ...
Griselda Records Announce Conflicted Feature Film and Soundtrack
Griselda Records is breaking into the movie business. The hip-hop collective and record label has announced that a debut feature film called Conflicted is on the way, as is the stacked soundtrack that will accompany it. Check out the official trailer below. According to a press release, Conflicted is an “urban tale” depicting Benny the Butcher as a Buffalo gangster named Hunter who struggles to do right after being released from prison. Faced with the dilemmas of his fresh start, Hunter declares he will never to go back to the game that cost him his freedom. In the process of getting back on track, though, he falls in love and is inevitably confronted with the demons of his past. All of this leaves Butcher feeling — wait for it — conflicted. Conflicted is directed by AK Reed, written by De...
Kanye West Being Sued for Unchristian Treatment of Christian Opera Workers
Kanye West is facing two different class-action lawsuits over the alleged poor treatment of workers on his Christian opera Nebuchadnezzar, as Vice reports. Because while Jesus said, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” Yeezus said misclassify your employees as independent contractors, deny them overtime, and keep them waiting months for checks, and you will be a billionaire on Earth. The ill-fated performance of Nebuchadnezzar took place on November 24th at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. It came on the heels of his execrable album Jesus Is King, and was announced only a week before it bowed. The mess began long before curtain — West put the wrong emperor on his invitations — and afterwards it was panned by critics. The show, such...
Megan Thee Stallion Performs “Savage Remix” and “Body” on Corden: Watch
Last month, Megan Thee Stallion dropped her heavily anticipated debut album, Good News, to rave reviews. To celebrate with one last victory lap before the year’s end, she stopped by the Late Late Show with James Corden on Thursday to perform “Savage Remix” and “Body”, which you can watch below. Before the performance began, Megan Thee Stallion joined the host for a brief interview about rapping as a child, her love of horror movies like Evil Dead, and her recent Grammy nominations, the latter of which took her by surprise far more than it did her relatives. “Literally every time something happened to me, I was always in shock. Like who, me? Megan?” the rapper laughs. “Then I called my grandma like, ‘Grandma, guess what! I got nominated for like four Grammys!’ and she was like, ‘Well, ...
Lil Nas X’s Filthy ‘Tonight Show’ Santa Rap Definitely Landed Him on the XXX-Naughty List
That was wayyyy more than Santa expected, so he nervously plowed ahead with his milk and cookies rhyme about how happy he is at the North Pole and how much he loves his gift-giving uniform. “F–k your black boots, man/ I got Jimmy Choos/ And I got a Lamborghini/ Just kiddin’, I got two,” Santa Nas shot back, noting that instead of giving presents he makes kids pay him. Well, that was more than Santa could take, so he politely asked if they could end the song, which only got Santa Nas more turned up, as he leaned into the “Old Town Road”-esque breakdown. “Let’s get naughty, turn up the track/ Grab my sack while I count these stacks,” Nas rapped. “Don’t need reindeer, that’s a fact/ Got my hoes out front and some presents...
From Billie Eilish to Harry Styles, Which Jingle Ball Performer Are You Most Excited For? Vote!
Maybe you’ll be most thrilled to see which track Shawn Mendes will choose to perform from his new album Wonder, or what holiday snippet BTS will croon for ARMY during the show. And while neither are technically performing, perhaps you’re looking most forward to special appearances by Mariah Carey or Lil Nas X. The Jingle Ball is set to air across more than 95 iHeartMedia CHR radio stations nationwide, as well as on the iHeartRadio app, the CW app and CWTV.com on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Following the show, the CW will also air the concert as a nationwide television special on Monday (Dec. 14) at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Vote for which Jingle Ball performance or appearance you’re most looking forward to in Billboard‘s official poll below! You Deserve to Make Money Even ...
Jack Harlow Unveils ‘Way Out’ With Big Sean Ahead of Debut Album
Harlow chatted with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe upon the song’s release, sharing, “He invited me in the house and I think they the barrier that you could have just was broke down immediately. He’s one of those down-to-earth cats. We just started talking about life. He was giving me gems. He’s been in the game for so long now. He’s experienced it. He knows what it’s like. So he was giving me a game bro, and just saluting me. And honestly, probably one of the nicest rappers I’ve ever met, if not the nicest.” “Way Out” is set to appear on Harlow’s highly anticipated debut album, That’s What They All Say, out Friday (Dec. 11). “I do believe this album is timeless,” he told Lowe. “And I think it wil...
G Herbo Pleads Not Guilty in Fraud Scheme
The group charged, which also includes G Herbo’s promoter Antonio “T-Glo” Strong and rapper Joseph “Joe Rodeo” Williams, allegedly used text messages, social media messages and emails to share account information, and bought private jets, limousine rides, exotic car rentals, a vacation in Jamaica and two “designer” puppies. Earlier this month, 25-year-old G Herbo was named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 list. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenue.
Megan Thee Stallion & Tinder Are Offering Up $1 Million for Daters Who Put Themselves Out There
Having Meg step up as the Hot Girl Coach is a no-brainer after Tinder announced her Hot 100 No. 1 hit “WAP” with Cardi B was its certified freaky anthem of the year. The dating app exclusively revealed its “10 Essential Dating Anthems” of 2020 to Billboard this week, and “WAP” hopped to the top of the list. And Meg’s other Hot 100 chart-topper this year, the Beyoncé-assisted “Savage” remix, came in at No. 7 on the list. “It’s been a challenging year, but we still see our members showing up with their next-level humor, creativity and honesty in their bios. For those who are having a harder time putting themselves out there, we want to give them an extra boost of confidence and that’s why we’re bringing some of t...
Megan Thee Stallion’s Year Just Got Even Better Thanks to a Congressional Shout-Out
Democrat Waters, who has represented California’s 43rd congressional district since 1991, is the most senior of the 12 Black women in Congress, and is currently the chairwoman of the Committee on Financial Services. The rapper’s NYT essay, accompanied by a video, was entitled “Megan Thee Stallion: Why I Speak Up for Black Women,” and it dove into the her feelings about how Black women are disrespected and disregarded, using her recent experience as a victim of a violent incident as an example. “I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man. After a party, I was shot twice as I walked away from him,” she wrote, in reference to the July 12 incident in which rapper Tory Lanez is accused of firing four shots from outside his ve...
Rico Nasty Expands Her Repertoire on Debut Nightmare Vacation: Review
The Lowdown: Rico Nasty has always been a powerhouse, existing on the edge of Soundcloud rap in the mid-2010s while still finishing high school. Her infectious, aggressive-yet-bubbly style made waves on the Internet early on, attracting the attention of Lil Yachty in 2016 to remix her song “Hey Arnold” and being featured in the hit HBO series insecure in 2017. Combining her eclectic fashion sense with spitfire raps that effortlessly bounce between sex and violence makes her one of the biggest pieces in the growing mosaic of this new era of female rappers. Her long-awaited debut album, Nightmare Vacation, takes a fine-tooth comb through the style that has made her one of the most influential rappers of the past few years. With seven mixtapes under her belt, Rico sounds like a seasoned veter...
