Hip-Hop
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...
6ix9ine Flashes ‘$1 Million’ Jewelry & Stacks of Cash from House Balcony: Watch
6ix9ine is living his best life after being granted an early release from prison. On the heels of dropping his new comeback single “Gooba” on Friday (May 8), the 24-year-old rainbow-haired rapper shared a video on Instagram of himself flashing stacks of cash and showing off his “$1 million” diamond encrusted shark pendant and watch. “Every rapper calling each other pushing there albums back,” 6ix9ine captioned the video, adding the cost of his jewelry. “1,500,00 WATCHES (and) 750,000 CHAIN.” In his video post, the rapper — who was granted an early prison release last month amid the coronavirus pandemic — is seen on the balcony of a discreet house wearing a baby blue hoodie and shorts while singing and dancing to a remix of Brytiag...
BROCKHAMPTON Share New Tracks “Things Can’t Stay the Same” and “N.S.T.”: Stream
Exuberant hip-hop group BROCKHAMPTON have shared two new songs, “Things Can’t Stay the Same” and “N.S.T.”. According to reports on Reddit, both tracks were initially premiered during a password-protected livestream late Friday night, and were later uploaded to the group’s YouTube channel. Both cuts are said to be unfinished and unmastered. While hearkening back to the SATURATION days of banger after banger, both “Things Can’t Stay the Same” and “N.S.T.” offer a little taste of the unusual. The former is built around a chipmunk soul sample of “Trouble Will Find Me” by Amnesty, while the latter features a rare, welcome verse from producer Jabari Manwa. But the tracks have at least one thing in common: a scene-stealing, face-melting performance by Matt Champion. Check out “Things Ca...
Andre Harrell, Founder of Uptown Records, Dies at 59
Andre Harrell, music mogul and founder of influential R&B and hip-hop label Uptown Records, has died. Details are if his death are not yet known, but Harrell’s passing was first announced by DJ D-Nice on his Instagram Live early Saturday morning (May 9), and sources have separately confirmed it to Billboard. He was 59. Raised in the Bronx, New York, Harrell started a career in music as half of the early-’80s hip-hop duo Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (with Alonzo Brown). The pair had a handful of minor hits on Billboard‘s Hot R&B Songs chart — the biggest being the No. 31-peaking, Tom Tom Club-sampling “Genius Rap” in 1982 — but Harrell soon found other career aspirations, particularly after meeting Def Jam records founder Russell Simmon...
He’s Back: 5 Best Moments From 6ix9ine’s Return to Instagram Live
He’s back! Nearly 18 months since his 2018 arrest, Tekashi 6ix9ine finally returned to the public eye on Friday (May 8) with a highly-anticipated Instagram Live session, which shattered the IG Live record by topping more than two-million viewers at its peak. The usually-rowdy Brooklyn native has been radio silent, laying low for the most part since his April 2 release from prison, which came four months prior to the original date he’d be set free. Tekashi’s legal team secured him the right to serve the rest of his sentence on house arrest since he suffers from asthma and the coronavirus outbreak continues to run rampant through the prison system. Tekashi is wasting no time in resuming his rap career, as he debuted his pugnacious “GOOBA” single on Friday (May 8...
New Music Friday: 7 Songs You Need to Hear
Each Friday, Consequence of Sound rounds up the most exciting new music to hit our inbox. Today, May 8th, brings fresh releases from Angela Muñoz, Reo Cragun, Nana Adjoa, BandoKay, Peter Bibby, Berwyn, and Ariel View. Take a listen below, and keep track of all our favorite New Sounds via our exclusive Spotify Playlist. Angela Muñoz -“So Young” [embedded content] 18-year-old Los Angeles singer Angela Muñoz got her start collaborating with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad on their 2018 project The Midnight Hour. Now, she’s ready to step into the spotlight on her own with the upcoming release of Introspection, due out on June 26th through Linear Labs. The hypnotic “So Young” serves as the album’s latest single. Reo Cragun – “Cuss You Out” [embedded content] Following opening stints...
Tekashi 6ix9ine Releases First New Single Since Prison “GOOBA”: Stream
Tekashi 6ix9ine has returned with his first new single since his release from prison. Check out “GOOBA” via its colorful, NSFW video below. According to TMZ, the video was filmed in the rapper’s backyard, as he is currently under house arrest. It’s been over a year since the troubled rapper pled guilty to racketeering, firearm possession, and drug trafficking charges. He also admitted to being involved in an attempted hit on a rival gang member, as well as the shooting of Chief Keef. But after cooperating with prosecutors — some have called it snitching — the artist born Daniel Hernandez rejected witness protection and then behaved like such a model prisoner that his release date was moved up. He subsequently got out of prison even earlier than expected, when the coronavirus cri...
