Hip-Hop
Yo, Holmes to Bel Air! Will Smith Just Put the ‘Fresh Prince’ Mansion on Airbnb
Now this is the story all about how you can become the prince of Bel Air. Well, at least for a night. On Sunday (Sept. 13), Will Smith shared the news that he’s working with Airbnb to put the iconic home from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air up on the platform as a vacation rental for just five nights to celebrate the beloved sitcom’s 30th anniversary. “YOOOO!! Y’all think we should rent out the @freshprince house?? We’re making it happen with the squad at @airbnb!! #FreshPrince30th,” the star captioned a selfie with bestie and former co-star DJ Jazzy Jeff posing outside the mansion, which is actually located in neighboring Brentwood. Smith added even more charm and detail in the Airbnb listing for the property, writing, “Ready for the freshest staycation ever...
Gladys Knight vs. Patti LaBelle in ‘Verzuz’ Battle of Soul Legends: See Billboard’s Scorecard For the Event
Two of the true living legends of popular music squared off live from Philadelphia in the latest installment of Verzuz last night (Sept. 13), in a matchup about as highly anticipated as any NFL game on this season-opening Sunday. Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle, iconic soul voices, personalities and hitmakers whose careers stretch back to the early ’60s, got together for the most generation-spanning Verzuz yet, to the delight of over half a million fans watching over Instagram Live, and untold more via Apple Music — and for the first time, thousands more via the series’ official YouTube account as well. “We are so happy to be together,” LaBelle kicked off the event by saying. “We’ve been together for many, many, many years.” The two...
YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s Top Hints at a Next Level: Review
The Lowdown: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has become home to some of the most fertile “breeding grounds” in the hip-hop industry. Considered a small city by census standards, it is the hub to several major tech, medical, and entertainment companies — along with being the home of Louisiana State University. For all of its bright spots, Baton Rouge is also one of the poorest cities in America, riddled with crime, poverty, and a culture of youth facing an uncertain future. With hip-hop being born out of struggle and desperation, this town has become a hot bed of sorts, giving rise to some of the genre’s biggest emerging stars, including YoungBoy Never Broke Again. Since 2015, YoungBoy has released 16 mixtapes and two studio albums, an output level that is a testament to the dedication he has for h...
Fans Choose Demi Lovato and Marshmello’s ‘OK Not to Be OK’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
Demi Lovato and Marshmello‘s “OK Not to Be OK” has topped this week’s new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Sept. 11) on Billboard, choosing the inspiring ode to mental health as their favorite new music release from the past week. “OK Not to Be OK” brought in 52 percent of the vote this week, beating out new music by Usher (“Bad Habits”), Major Lazer and Mr. Eazi (“Oh My Gawd”), David Guetta and Sia (“Let’s Love”), and others. In an interview with Apple Music, Marshmello explained that the emotional subject matter in “OK Not to Be OK” took on a new meaning, given that it was released on World Suicide Prevention Day (Sept. 10). “I think it’s just such an important su...
Lil Nas X Seems to Be Teasing New Songs: See the List
Earlier this week, Lil Nas X said new music is imminent, and now it looks like he’s getting ready to deliver. “gonna start back releasing music soon the old town road money running out,” he’d tweeted on Thursday (Sept. 10). By Sunday, he’d casually posted a page of what could be song titles — since one of the items on the list is “Call Me By Your Name,” a clip fans first heard from him in July — on Instagram. He seemingly confirmed that guess when he retweeted a post indicating the list “reveals part of his track list” for his upcoming album. “Call Me By Your Name” is joined by potential song titles “Titanic,” “One of Me” and “Don’t Want It” on Lil Nas X’s list. Mos...
Judge Rules Kanye West Stays Off Ballot in Battleground Wisconsin
Kanye West does not qualify to be on the presidential ballot in battleground Wisconsin after missing a filing deadline, a judge ruled late Friday (Sept. 11), upholding a bipartisan decision by the state elections commission. The decision is likely to be rapidly appealed to the conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court. That court put the mailing of absentee ballots on hold Thursday while it considers whether Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins should be added. The delay is being closely watched in Wisconsin, a swing state that President Donald Trump narrowly won in 2016 and that polls show is tight again this year. State law requires ballots to be mailed by Sept. 17 to more than 1 million voters who have requests on file. There is also a Sept. 19 deadline in federal law ...
Growing Concerns Poetry Collective Announce New Album Big Dark Bright Futures
Chicago’s own Growing Concerns Poetry Collective have announced their new album, BIG DARK BRIGHT FUTURES. Due out October 16th, the followup to 2017’s We Here: Thank You for Noticing once again reunites filmmaker, poet, and actor McKenzie Chinn; actor and DIY hip-hop prodigy Mykele Deville; and multidisciplinary visual artist/musical composer Jeffrey Michael Austin. In anticipation, they’ve shared a music video for their latest single “Shout Across Mountains”. Written and composed between 2017 and 2019, the new album offers “an emotional, expansive, no-holds-barred journey through both the shadowed valleys and hopeful peaks of our current moment,” a press release notes. The Collective cites influences of Afrofuturism, Solange, and Frank Ocean, insisting that it “finds the common place...
Audrey Nuna Uncorks New Song “damn right”: Stream
Emerging singer/rapper Audrey Nuna has uncorked her new song “damn right”. This satirical stunt track is the first single from her forthcoming debut EP. Nuna grew up in New Jersey, releasing Instagram covers that eventually attracted the attention of manager/producer Anwar Sawyer. After high school, she split time writing with Sawyer and attending the prestigious Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU. But soon, her studies had to give way to the real thing. Now 21 years old and signed to Arista Records, Nuna has released a string of buzzworthy singles, of which “damn right” just might be the best. Producer Nate Donmoyer has built a thumper of a beat, but with delicate synth touches which keep the track from sounding overly serious. Nuna kicks off with a slurred, chest-banging flow...
Executive of the Week: RECORDS CEO Barry Weiss
This week, 24kGoldn and iann dior’s record “Mood” climbed into the top 10 of the Hot 100 in its fourth week on the chart, reaching No. 8 with the distinction of top airplay and streaming gainer honors. The track, released by RECORDS/Columbia, has been boosted by an unusual multi-genre appeal, which sees it spending its second straight week at No. 1 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts, while maintaining a slot at No. 5 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. And that’s helped RECORDS CEO Barry Weiss earn the title of Billboard’s Executive of the Week, for helping shepherd the song to huge gains across the board. And while this is the first top 10 for 24kGoldn, Weiss isn’t expecting it to be his last. “He’s been building through old-fashioned artist...
Here’s the Real Reason Lil Nas X Is Working on His New Album
Ever since Lil Nas X released his debut 7 EP in 2019, fans have been itching for new music. Now, the star is ready to give fans what they’ve been asking for–but not for the reason you might think. “gonna start back releasing music soon the old town road money running out,” he jokingly tweeted on Thursday (Sept. 10). gonna start back releasing music soon the old town road money running out — nope (@LilNasX) September 10, 2020 “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus become the longest-leading No. 1 single in Hot 100 history, with an unprecedented 19 weeks on top. The hit surpassed Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day,” which first set the 16-week mark in 1995-96, as well as Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’...
Conway the Machine Drops New Album From King to a God: Stream
Conway the Machine has unleashed his new album From King to a GOD on Griselda Records. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. This is Conway’s third release of the year, following on his EP collaborations LULU (with The Alchemist) and No One Mourns the Wicked (with Big Ghost LTD). Those projects were short and hyper-focused. In contrast, From King to a GOD is an expansive effort, with the Machine picking grimy throwback beats from The Alchemist, Hit-Boy, Daringer, Erick Sermon, Beat Butcha, DJ Premier and more. The list of featured MCs is perhaps even more impressive, including Con’s brother Westside Gunn, his cousin Benny the Butcher, and hard-hitting rappers Method Man, Freddie Gibbs, DeJ Loaf, Lloyd Banks, Havoc, Flee Lord, Armani Caesar, and El Camino. Via&nbs...
Travis Scott Unleashes Second Cactus Jack for McDonald’s Merch Drop
Ba-da-ba-ba-bah, Travis Scott is loving it. Just days after the rapper unveiled wave one of his capsule merch collection with McDonald’s, through his existing partnership with the iconic burger chain, the second drop arrived on Thursday (Sept. 10). The new collection features short and long sleeved tees, as well as hoodies, sweats, slippers, key-chains and hats all featuring designs nodding to a little bit of Trav and a little bit of Mickey D’s. A number of items in the capsule also feature the “Live From Utopia” slogan, in reference to Scott’s much-teased upcoming album. As previously reported, the popular fast-food brand teamed up with the Astroworld star for a nationwide promotion around his “signature” meal: a quarter-pounder with che...
