Hip-Hop
Brockhampton Announces Two New Albums in 2020, Drops Surprise Singles
Brockhampton hit only a number of fans with quite the double whammy Friday night (May 8) during their secret, password-protected live stream titled “Technical Difficulties Radio.” Frontman Kevin Abstract announced the LA-based boy group would release two albums in 2020 and dropped two new singles “N.S.T.” and “things can’t stay the same” on YouTube later on. But while Abstract and the clan tie loose ends on both of their full-length projects, he revealed they’ll be dropping new non-album tracks every Friday. The latest batch of roughly mixed two-minute songs gives fans the first taste of Brockhampton’s new music since their album Ginger from August 2019, consisting of Abstract and Matt Champion’s nostalgic vocals about gr...
‘Rise Up New York!’ Telethon: The 10 Best Moments
“We care about our neighbors, and that’s why we want to help.” New York native and acting legend Robert De Niro kicked off Robin Hood and iHeartMedia’s Rise Up New York! telethon on Monday (May 11) with that simple reasoning about why the benefit show was happening. Since the coronavirus began spreading across the nation earlier this year, New York City has been the hardest hit, becoming the epicenter of the pandemic with more than 26,000 deaths to date and too many jobs lost. The telethon, hosted by Tina Fey from 30 Rockefeller Plaza, featured numerous famous faces with New York ties, from musicians to Broadway stars to chefs and beyond. Each offered messages of hope and urged viewers to donate to help the people of New York get back on their feet after the devasta...
Snoop Dogg and Meek Mill Blast Tekashi 6ix9ine After Post-Prison Song
Snoop Dogg and Meek Mill have both called out the media for their coverage of Tekashi 6ix9ine following his comeback single, “GOOBA”. The two vented their frustrations on Instagram, with Snoop going as far to say, “Fuck Tekashi 6ix9ine… Feel me on this, and if u don’t fuck u 2.” Tekashi 6ix9ine got a lot of attention for his new song — it racked up over 36 million views in less than 24 hours on YouTube — and part of that praise was coming from music writers and influencers alike. Snoop Dogg and Meek Mill had enough when they saw Elliott Wilson, Rap Radar founder and a longtime hip-hop journalist, share the cover art for “GOOBA” in his Instagram Stories, notes HipHopDX. Snoop Dogg has been a vocal critic of Tekashi 6ix9ine for a while, so it’s no surprise he was angry to see the felon ...
Uptown Records’ Biggest Billboard Hits: ‘Forever My Lady,’ ‘Real Love,’ ‘Candy Rain’ & More
Jodeci and Mary J. Blige, among others, gave the imprint its most successful singles. As both fans and leading industry figures mourn Andre Harrell, best known for founding the Uptown Records imprint, Billboard reveals and ranks the biggest hits from the label’s roster. Many of the tunes, from acts such as Mary J. Blige, Guy and Jodeci, bridged the gap between R&B and hip-hop as the genres surged in popularity in the 1990s. Harrell died at age 59 of an apparent cardiac arrest episode. The mogul founded Uptown in 1986, and it quickly became a home for some of the hottest emerging R&B and hip-hop artists. In addition to Blige, Guy and Jodeci, Uptown counted Heavy D & The Boyz, Soul For Real and Monifah as key players in its heyday. The organization kept its eye on industry talent...
Here Are the Lyrics to Doja Cat’s ‘Say So’ Remix, Feat. Nicki Minaj
The Barbz celebrated the end of Minaj’s 10-year odyssey to reach the top after giving Doja’s groovy disco-tinged hit more liftoff than TikTok (which first sparked the song’s popularity) with her signature bars that bow down to her status as a hip-hop icon. Check out the lyrics and pretty-in-pink dance visual below. Yeah, you know itMhm, this the remixDoja, rrr Day to night to morning, keep with me in the momentI’d let you had I known it, why don’t you say so?Didn’t even notice, no punches left to roll withYou got to keep me focused, you want it? Say so (uh) Every time I take a break, the game be so boringPretty like Naomi, Cassie, plus LaurenSpittin’ like Weezy, Foxy, plus LaurynBall like the ram, see, now that’s GordonThey don’t unders...
Lil Dicky’s FXX Series Dave Renewed for Second Season
Lil Dicky’s surreal comedy series Dave has been renewed for a second season. A fictionalized story based on Lil Dicky’s own life, the first season of Dave proved a hit for FX, as it surpassed Atlanta as the network’s most-watched comedy series with a per episode average of 5.32 million viewers. No doubt bolstering Dave’s viewership was the slew of guest starts who appeared throughout the first season, including Justin Bieber, Young Thug, Gunna, YG, Marshmello, Macklemore, MadeinTYO, O.T. Genasis, Ninja, and Charlamagne tha God. That’s not to discount Lil Dicky, a star in his own right, whose comedy-rap videos have amassed hundreds of millions of views on YouTube. The show’s season one cast also included “Pillow Talk” co-star Taylor Misiak, GaTa, Andrew Santino, Travis “Taco” Benn...
Migos Share New Track “Racks 2 Skinny”: Stream
Migos, the prolific rappers with the sticky triplet flows, have returned with a new track, “Racks 2 Skinny”. Produced by DJ Durel, “Racks 2 Skinny” finds the Migos having just spent an unwise amount of money. But the trio are not deterred. “When the racks too skinny (too skinny),” Quavo says in the hook, “I can make somethin’, squeeze a milli (squeeze, uh).” The song comes with a music video directed by Joseph Desrosiers and Migos. It features huge piles of rubber-banded cash, expensive grills, and space-age sports cars filmed like something out of Sin City. Check out “Racks 2 Skinny” below. This is the second new track that Migos have released in as many weeks. On May 5th (Cinco de Mayo) they released the new track “Taco Tuesday”. In February, they teamed up with Young Thug and ...
Slowthai Turns His NME Awards Drama Into New Song “ENEMY”: Stream
Slowthai loves to get up to no good, and now he’s ready to immortalize one of his most egregious actions in a new song. Presenting “ENEMY”, a single the UK rapper released this weekend that digs deep into his controversial speech from this year’s NME Awards. To understand what he’s getting at on this new track, you must first revisit what went down at the awards show. Back in February, Slowthai was primed to have a big night at the NME Awards. He opened the evening by performing his excellent Mura Masa collaboration “Deal Wiv It”, which went swimmingly until he decided to get cheeky by mooning the crowd. Things somehow got worse. When Slowthai accepted his fan-voted award for Hero of the Year, he harassed host and comedian Katherine Ryan by propositioning her. One audience member was so re...
Denzel Curry Unleashes “I’m Just Sayin Tho” Freestyle Featuring Tommy Swisher: Stream
Denzel Curry has unleashed a new freestyle, “I’m Just Sayin Tho”, featuring Atlanta MC Tommy Swisher. In a statement on YouTube, he wrote he was releasing the track now, “because we need music and happiness at a time like this.” Here, Curry borrows a track produced by The Olympicks, which had previously appeared on the Rick Ross rarity “Bust Back”. But while Ross used the epic strings as an excuse to stunt, Curry’s verse is more relatable. He starts with the words “2020 vision”, and then uses it to look backwards: to That’s So Raven, Mr. Miyagi, and the Rugrats. But while he plans to skip a visit to Dr. Lipschitz, his childhood comes loaded with trauma. “Try to keep the balance, be honorable and sadistic/ Lost a lot of homies, but in my dreams they revisit.” Check out “I’m Just S...
Betty Wright’s 10 Best Songs: Staff Picks
Betty Wright was one of the most venerated figures in ’70s soul, funk, gospel and disco — not just a brilliant singer- songwriter, but also an accomplished producer and even an instinctive A&R woman, helping singers and eventual disco stars George & Gwen McCrae sign their first record deal in the late ’60s while just a teenager herself. While Wright’s multi-faceted career has seen her importance and influence trickle down to future generous in numerous ways — including as liberally sampled source material — what still resounds the most are her classic original songs. Following her death this week at age 66, Billboard takes a look back at here at 10 of our favorites from her towering catalog. “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do”...
Jill Scott vs. Erykah Badu in ‘Verzuz’ Battle of Neo-Soul Titans: See Billboard’s Scorecard and Winner For the Showdown
At the end of nearly two months of battles between regional producers, legacy producers, legendary rap producers, R&B and pop producers and writers, the Verzuz series of Instagram live song battles still had a glaring omission from their line-up: women. Lack of women behind the boards in music creation and production is a long-time industry issue, but Verzuz creators and battle commissioners Swizz Beats and Timbaland told fans they were working on a way to bring women into the fold soon. Last night, it finally came to fruition. On Saturday, May 9th, in partnership with Live Nation’s Femme It Foward, the series finally showcased two women for a singers version: neo-soul sisters Erykah Badu and Jill Scott. Fans and spectators joining Jill Scott’s IG live shortly after 7:00 p.m. imm...
Ghetto Fabulous: Andre Harrell Created a Culture of Black Excellence
“My goal is to bring real black America — just as it is, not watered down — to people everywhere through music, through films, through everything we do.” This was the manifesto of 32 year-old, newly-minted entertainment mogul Andre O’Neal Harrell, in conversation with the L.A. Times in 1992 about his $50M multi-media deal with MCA Records. Harrell, who founded Uptown Records, died on Friday, May 8th of an apparent cardiac episode at the age of 59. As the music industry mourns this unexpected loss, a refrain keeps echoing through posts and tributes: Andre’s impact on music and culture was never properly celebrated. In conversations about culture shifters and modern music moguls, Andre Harrell is often relegated to a supporting character role in the Sean Combs story. He’s t...
