Hip-Hop
Kamaiyah Announces New Project No Explanations, Shares “Still I Rise”: Stream
Kamaiyah rang in 2020 with a project called Got It Made. Now, she’s looking to close out the year the same way: the Oakland rapper has announced a new effort, No Explanations, due out later this month. Spanning 11 tracks, No Explanations is actually Kamaiyah’s third (!) collection of the year following the aforementioned Got It Made and September’s Oakland Nights, a collaborative mixtape with fellow Bay Area talent Capolow. As the project makes readily apparent, Kamaiyah isn’t answering to anyone, nor is she letting anything — even the nightmare that is the pandemic — hold back her prolificness. The Oakland MC makes this message crystal clear on “Still I Rise” featuring Jackboy, the lead single off No Explanations. In a statement, Kamaiyah said that the track “is about how we’re all f...
Heem Announces New Project, Shares “The Realest” featuring Benny the Butcher: Stream
Benny the Butcher is best known as one of the leaders of the prolific Griselda crew alongside Conway the Machine and Westside Gunn. However, the Buffalo rapper is also the head honcho of a different collective called the Black Soprano Family, which consists of a number of underground MCs including the rookie Heem. Back in April, Benny signed a deal to make BSF an imprint of eOne, and over the summer he released their debut project, Benny the Butcher & DJ Drama Present: The Respected Sopranos, which featured numerous amazing verses from Heem that hinted at his potential star power. Today, Heem has announced his first solo project, Long Story Short, and he’s giving listeners a fitting preview by sharing a song called “The Realest” that features The Butcher himself. Over an instrumental t...
Teyana Taylor Announces Retirement From Music: ‘When One Door Closes Another Will Open’
She continued by announcing that she’s “retiring this chapter of my story with the comfort that i can depart with peace of mind seeing that all the hard work & passion put in was indeed loved & supported somewhere in the world!” “To all my supporters from day 1 & all my new ones I love you and I thank you for everything & don’t worry y’all know,” Taylor concluded. “all hustlers have the understanding that when one door closes another will open…either that or I’m pickin da locks petunia!!! So wassup.” See the post here. Billboard has reached out to Taylor’s rep for additional comment. Since her debut in 2014, the multihyphenate has released three albums and one EP, the most recent being 2020’s The Album. S...
Chance the Rapper Hit With $3M Lawsuit From Former Manager Pat Corcoran
Corcoran is suing for breach of contract, violation of the Illinois Sales Representative Act and unjust enrichment, among other counts. He is additionally asking the court to order an accounting of all amounts earned by the Bennetts beginning in Feb. 2013 — the date Corcoran says that Bennett agreed to pay him 15% commission on all touring, merch and album sales, among other income streams — as well as to enforce a sunset clause that will entitle him to future commissions for a three-year post-termination period ending Apr. 25, 2023. The complaint names as defendants Chance the Rapper, LLC as well as the rapper’s merchandise and touring companies Cool Pop Merch and CTR Touring. The 20-page suit (read in full here) narrates Corcoran’s years-long relationship with Bennett a...
First Beat: New Music by Lil Baby, 24kGoldn Rico Nasty and More
Lil Baby refuses to hit pause on his banner year. In honor of his 25th birthday this week, Baby resumed his hot streak with two new explosive tracks. Whether the discussion is finances or street prowess, Lil Baby swiftly breaks down his credentials on “Errbodyy.” He also reminds folks why he doesn’t take any offers lower than $100,000. Meanwhile, “On Me” finds Baby in a more focused zone. Instead of celebrating his wins, he’s pensive. From reflecting on baby mama drama to exploring his vices, he reawakens his ambitions on this deep cut. 24kGoldn feat. DaBaby, “Coco” After clocking his first Hot 100 No. 1 with “Mood,” 24kGoldn begins his quest for his second chart-topper. His affinity for rich designer brands remains st...
Watch Chance the Rapper, Jeremih & Valee Light Up a Christmas Party in ‘Are U Live’ Video
Chance the Rapper, Jeremih and Valee liven the party and overall holiday season in their “Are U Live” music video, which unwrapped itself on Thursday (Dec. 3). “Are U Live” was featured on Jeremih and Chance’s SoundCloud mixtape Jeremih & Chance’s Merry Christmas Lil Mama: Rewrapped that the Chicago natives released on Dec. 15, 2017. Now after Chance and Co. have “been trying to clear this record for THREE years,” as he noted on Twitter, the song has arrived on streaming services for the very first time with an accompanying Lyrical Lemonade visual. The three rappers get the party started, commit a couple of party fouls from broken glass to unsuccessful daps, and dance the night away in the Cole Bennett-directed clip, w...
Aminé Uncorks Deluxe Edition of Limbo: Stream
Aminé has dropped a new deluxe edition of his latest album Limbo. Stream it below through Apple Music or Spotify. This continues the trend of hip-hop deluxe editions that offer a whole new record’s worth of material. The Portland rapper has added seven additional tracks: “Mrs. Clean”, “Zack & Cody” featuring Valee, “Gelato”, “Talk” with Saba, “Chicken” featuring Toosii, “Buzzin” with Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and “Solid”. These cuts come front-loaded, after which Limbo unspools as it did when first released over the summer. In a September interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting, Aminé explained his intentions behind the album, saying, “When I started making Limbo I though a lot about legacy. I was inspired by a lot of albums, but one that inspired me a while ago was 4:...
Rico Nasty Drops Debut Album Nightmare Vacation: Stream
Genre-bending rapper Rico Nasty has finally released her first full-length album, Nightmare Vacation. The highly-anticipated debut is a fitting end to 2020, which has felt like a year-long nightmare. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. Today’s new effort follows mixtapes like Sugar Trap in 2016 and the 2019 Kenny Beats collaboration Anger Management. It features standout singles in “iPhone” and “OFHR?”, both produced by Dylan Brady of experimental pop outfit 100 gecs. The tracklist also includes “Own It”, as well as the Gucci Mane and Don Toliver joint cut “Don’t Like Me”. Other guests include Aminé (“Back & Fourth”) and Trippie Redd (“Losers”). In an interview with the Recording Academy, Rico talked about her evolution over the years and how that impacted the LP. “I definitely...
Megan Thee Stallion Rules Hot 100 Songwriters Chart for First Time
Here’s a look at all six of Megan Thee Stallion’s songwriting credits on this week’s Hot 100. Rank, Title (songwriters in addition to Megan Thee Stallion)No. 12, “Body” (Lil Ju, Christopher Petrel) (debut)No. 23, “WAP,” Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion (Cardi B, Ayo, Keyz, Pardison Fontaine, Frank Rodriguez) (spent four weeks at No. 1 beginning in August)No. 62, “Don’t Stop,” feat. Young Thug (Young Thug, BuddahBless) (peaked at No. 30 in October)No. 71, “Cry Baby,” feat. DaBaby (DaBaby, d.a. got that dope, Daniel Levin, Katie Smith) (debut)No. 80, “Girls in the Hood” (Scott Storch, IllDaProducer, Bobby Sessions, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre) (peaked at No. 28 in July)No. 82, “Shots Fired” (Buddah...
Top 50 Songs of 2020
The 2020 edition of our Annual Report continues today with our Top 50 Songs of 2020. If you haven’t already, check out our Top 50 Albums of 2020, which came out earlier in the week. Also, be sure to tune in next week as we begin handing out our annual accolades and continue looking back on the strange year that was 2020. Upon being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame some years ago, Tom Waits said, “We love music, but what we really want is for music to love us back.” Believe it or not, it felt like music did that in 2020. For me, anyway. I know that it’s easy to see the world through pandemic goggles right now or strictly through the lens of racial injustice or political turmoil. Tragedy and frustration that keeps piling on can definitely cloud our vision or color our window on t...
Drake Selling Scented Candles That Smell Like Drake
The only thing Drake loves more than himself is knowing how much more he’s loved by other people. Perhaps that’s why the Toronto rapper has created a new scented candle that “actually smells like Drake,” so fans can cozy up to his essence in the comfort of their own homes. Drake began teasing his new candle line, Better World Fragrance House, in June by mailing the fragrances to a bunch of his friends, including Kehlani, Steph Curry, and Toronto Raptors players Norm Powell, Fred Van Fleet, and Kyle Lowry. In turn, the celebs all shared pictures of the wicked wonders on social media. “Okayyyyyy thank you @champagnepapi,” wrote Kehlani alongside a photo of a candle inscribed with her name. The official Better World Fragrance House line is set to officially launch “this holiday season,” but t...
G Herbo Arrested for Stealing Identities to Pay for Vacation, Designer Puppies, More
Maybe it’s time for G Herbo to drop “Lawyer Fees Pt. II”. The Chicago rapper has been arrested on 14 counts of aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, as the Chicago Tribune reports. The $1.5 million scheme allegedly took place over the last four years, and was used to charter private jets, book a vacation, and purchase two designer puppies. The MC born Herbert Wright III isn’t the only one facing legal scrutiny. His manager and promoter Antonio “T-Glo” Strong is “alleged to be the ringleader of a $1.5 million fraud,” according to court records written by U.S. District Judge Robert Dow. Four other men are also charged: rapper Joseph “Joe Rodeo” Williams, and alleged co-conspirators Terrence Bender, Steven Hayes Jr., and Demario Sorrells. All have been charged wi...
