Hip-Hop
Jay Park’s H1GHR MUSIC Showcases Seoul and Seattle Hip-Hop Talent on RED TAPE: Stream
H1GHR MUSIC, the independent record label founded by South Korean-American pop rapper Jay Park, has released RED TAPE, the first installment of their new two-part compilation album The New Chapter. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. Park originally founded H1GHR MUSIC in 2017 to shine a light on the undiscovered artists from his hometowns of Seattle and Seoul. While he was busy collaborating with Charli XCX and getting signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, Park was simultaneously spending his time inking deals with K-pop and hip-hop artists for his own label. He’s amassed quite a roster since then and the proof is in The New Chapter, which combines various singles and collaborative tracks by members of H1GHR MUSIC to surprisingly cohesive results. The New Chapter is split into two parts, ...
Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams Share Touching Tributes on Beyonce’s 39th Birthday
Beyonce received lots of love from her friends, family and fellow musicians on her 39th birthday. Among those helping celebrate Queen Bey’s special day on Friday (Sept. 4) were the “Crazy in Love” singer’s former Destiny’s Child groupmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, who each penned touching tributes on Instagram. “To my one who knows me, sometimes better than I know myself!” Rowland captioned a colorful photo of the two standing side-by-side in sparkling dresses. “YOU already know… Forever and ever babe! Happy Happy Birthday Love!” Williams, meanwhile, shared an encouraging message alongside a black-and-white photo from Beyonce’s days as a student. “Bey always gets people with the baby pics or younger year ty...
Cardi B Wishes She Could Perform ‘WAP’ for Large Crowds: ‘I Miss Shows and Festivals’
Cardi B is no doubt enjoying the success of her new hit single “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion, but she’s still disappointed over not being able to perform it live for fans. “Yoooo I wanna perform WAP so bad with a lot ass crowd.I miss shows and festivals,” Cardi tweeted Saturday (Sept. 5). “Yoooooo I would of went crazy.” In recent months, thousands of tours and festivals around the world have been postponed or canceled in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Cardi hasn’t performed for major crowds since numerous global festival appearances in 2019. One fan responded to the rapper’s tweet, writing, “We miss you performing! It would’ve been such an iconic performance.” “WAP” recently spent a second week at No...
R. Kelly Attacker Confesses, Singer Requests Release on Bail
An inmate claims he was “forced” to assault Kelly “in hopes of getting spotlight attention and world news notice to shed light on the government corruption.” R. Kelly is asking a judge to release him on bail after he was attacked last week by an inmate. In a motion filed Friday (Sept. 4), Kelly’s attorney Michael I. Leonard says not only did the Bureau of Prisons not protect his client, but also that personnel at the facility actually encouraged the inmate to attack the singer. As proof, Leonard presented to the judge a handwritten motion from inmate Jeremiah Farmer confessing to the attack. In the motion, titled “The Government Made Me Attack R-Kelly,” Farmer said after he told a mental health professional at the facility of his plan to attack Kelly, the person enc...
Lil Wayne Morphs Through His Iconic Decades-Spanning Looks in ‘Big Worm’ Video
Lil Wayne pays tribute to himself throughout the various eras of his career in his latest music video for “Big Worm,” which he released Thursday (Sept. 3). Against a blue-lit backdrop, Weezy stuns viewers with the evolution of his face tattoos and hairstyles over the years, from his long black dreads and signature sunglasses to his short cornrows pulled back with a headband to his current blond mid-length dreads. And the timely homage to his old self comes just after his 2009 mixtape No Ceilings became available on streaming services for the first time last Friday (Aug. 28). “Big Worm” comes from the deluxe version of Wayne’s Billboard 200 No. 1 album Funeral, which featured eight additional tracks with guest artists Doja Cat, Tory Lanez, Lil Uz...
Saint Bodhi Pops Off on New Song “Gold Revolver”: Stream
Dual threat rapper/singer Saint Bodhi pops off on a cheating partner in the new song “Gold Revolver”. A former ghostwriter, the 27-year-old SoCal native earned her stripes collaborating with Beyoncé, Kevin Gates, Erykah Badu, A$AP Rocky, and more. Now a solo artist signed to Def Jam, she first made waves in August of 2019 with the hard-luck R&B of “FlowerChild”, and then returned in the spring of this year with the balls-to-the-wall banger “Bad Mood”. “Gold Revolver” is her most exciting release yet. Over haunting pipes and head-nodding drums, Saint Bodhi raps a tale of violent madness worthy of early Eminem. “Yo, I have a n—- hogtied to the furnace/ Bitch should’ve watched his words/ I’m slipping in my mental/ I’m whispering to the birds.” The narrator’s unfaithful partner is in for a...
Kanye West Has Spent Nearly $6 Million on His Presidential Campaign
Kanye West has spent nearly $6 million since entering the presidential race on July 4th, according to a campaign finance report filed with the Federal Election Commission on Friday. Kanye has largely self-funded his run thus far, loaning approximately $6.7 million to his campaign between July and August. In fact, to date, he’s received only eight outside donations totaling a little over $3800. As for his expenditures, most have gone to consulting firms who’ve been working to get his name on states’ ballots. In particular, Fortified Consulting, which shares the same address as Lincoln Strategy Group, a Republican consulting firm, has received $1.5 million. So far, Kanye hasn’t seen much of a return on his investment; he’s been kicked off more states’ ballots than he’s actually gotten o...
Brandy & Monica Combine for Over 20 Million U.S. Song Streams After Verzuz Battle
Brandy and Monica‘s record-setting Verzuz viewership translated into major gains for both singers’ streaming totals after the event. Combined, the pair registered 21.9 million U.S. on-demand streams for their song catalogs from Aug. 31 through Sept. 2, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, a period comprising the day of the competition and two days after of residual fan activity. That total compares to 6.3 million U.S. on-demand streams in the three days leading up to the broadcast (Aug. 28-30), a surge of 248%. Of the 21.9 million streaming total, Monica’s catalog accounted for 11.2 million plays, while Brandy’s songs clocked 10.9 million streams. The two R&B hitmakers participated in the latest Verzuz showdown on Monday (Aug. 31). At its peak, the web broadcast...
Lil Durk Shares New Song “The Voice”: Stream
Lil Durk has shared a surprise new single called “The Voice”, as well as a corresponding music video. The track finds the Chicago MC ruminating on the rough times he’s going through. “Money ran low right, felons can’t vote, right?/ I can’t even vote for who I believe in, shit ain’t goin’ right,” Lil Durk spits over a wistful yet clacking beat from TurnmeupJosh. “I just dropped a tear inside the funeral, ain’t more right?” Even if it’s hard to connect with some of the finer details, the overall feeling is still something to which we can all likely relate. “The Voice” is accompanied by a simple visual that depicts Lil Durk rapping in front of a fleet of white cars and on a private jet. Take a look below. Editors’ Picks Lil Durk’s latest solo offering comes amidst a summer season filled...
From SZA & Ty Dolla Sign to Big Sean, Which New Music Release Is Your Favorite This Week? Vote!
This week’s supply of new music is full of surprises galore by everyone from SZA and Big Sean to DJ Khaled and Drake, and with so many to choose from, Billboard wants to know which new release is your favorite! Is SZA’s glorious return with some help from Ty Dolla $ign hitting different three years after Ctrl? Were you living for DJ Khaled and Drake’s high-concept “Popstar” video starring none other than Justin Bieber? Perhaps you’re living for the veritable dream team of rising stars — we’re talking Doja Cat, City Girls and Mulatto — assembled by Chloe x Halle for their “Do It” remix or Finneas‘ latest single, “What They’ll Say About Us” has you all up in your feels. And that’s not all! Big Sea...
Big Sean’s Collab-Crammed ‘Detroit 2′ Is Here: Stream It Now
Everything is big about Big Sean’s new LP, Detroit 2. Stretching across 21 tracks, it’s one big album. And at 70-minute’s plus… that’s big, too. He’s also brought some big names along for the ride, including Post Malone, Dave Chappelle, Jhene Aiko, Erykah Badu, Lil Wayne and many more. Detroit 2 also features the previously-released “Deep Reverence”. Big Sean is on something of a streak. The Detroit rapper’s album Dark Sky Paradise hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 back in 2015. I Decided from 2017 also went to the top. Yep, Detroit 2 is something of a big deal. Stream it in full below. 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 y...
Kanye West Barred From Appearing on Arizona’s Ballot
A judge has barred Kanye West from appearing on the Nov. 3 ballot in Arizona, concluding that a voter who challenged his candidacy had shown he would probably prevail and had established the possibility of an irreparable harm if the rapper’s name were to appear on the ballot. The ruling Thursday by Judge Scott McCoy said that the voter who challenged West’s bid in Arizona “established that the relative hardships favor him.” Putting West on the ballot would create confusion for voters, his lawyers argued. The decision came a day after West’s campaign turned in nearly 58,000 nominating signatures, well over the 39,000 needed to appear on the Arizona ballot. Over the last 10 days, more than 120 people living in other states have registered in Arizona as paid signature gatherers for West, who ...
