Hip-Hop
Rap Song of the Week: City Girls and Usher Get Freaky on “Good Love”
Each Friday, Rap Song of the Week rounds up the hip-hop tracks you need to hear. Check out the full playlist here. Today, City Girls return with “Good Love” featuring Usher. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Usher’s breakout album My Way, but the R&B legend is still capable of blowing minds, as demonstrated during his stunning 25-minute Tiny Desk concert to close out Black Music Month. In addition to maintaining his silky smooth voice through the years, Usher hasn’t lost his inner freak, either. His hook on City Girls’ new single “Good Love” confirms as much. “All the freaky things that I can do,” the 43-year-old boasts. “I can freak you ’til the mornin’/ Get on top and ride on it/ Eighty ways, I’ll keep you comin’.” After all, age ain’t nothing but a number and there’s...
Cardi B Teams with Kanye West and Lil Durk for New Song “Hot Shit”: Stream
Cardi B is back with the new song “Hot Shit,” which features an assist from Kanye West and Lil Durk. Listen to the single below. The origins of the track actually date back several years, as Cardi told fans during a pre-release Q&A. “I think this record is actually older than ‘WAP,’” she explained. She described “Hot Shit” as “masculine” and “great for the clubs,” but due to behind the scenes issues it’s being released without a music video attached to it. Earlier this year, Cardi teamed up with Summer Walker and SZA for the Song of the Week “No Love,” and appeared alongside Kay Flock on the track “Shake It.” Apart from hip-hop, we recently learned that the rapper is a big My Chemical Romance fan, and outside of music, Cardi appeared as “Sharki B” in an episode of Baby Shar...
Vince Staples Joins Reboots of White Men Can’t Jump and The Wood
Having already brought back the coming-of-age rap record on Summertime ’06 and house music on Big Fish Theory, Vince Staples is ready to save the ’90s buddy comedy. The West Coast MC will star in Showtime’s series reboot of the 1999 movie, The Wood, and as Deadline reports, he’s also joined the remake of 1992’s White Men Can’t Jump. Directed and co-written by Rick Famuyiwa, The Wood was a coming-of-age comedy following three young Black men in Inglewood, California. The new series appears to be something of a sequel with at least two returning characters: Richard T. Jones as Slim and Tamala Jones as Tanya. Famuyiwa is executive producing and directing the pilot from a script by Justin Hillian (The CHI). But this series revamp...
Danny Brown Accuses Die Antwoord Member Ninja of Sexual Assault
Danny Brown has accused Die Antwoord’s Ninja of sexually assaulting him at a party in Paris. During an appearance on comedian Tom Segura’s 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast, the Detroit rapper said the experience left him “shellshocked.” “Ninja tried to fuck me. I was scared,” Brown said during the sitdown. “They’ve been getting canceled a lot lately, been doing a lot of weird shit. But he always throw Yolandi on you. I think that’s how he’s been fucking n****s. Fuck them, though! Fuck them. I could’ve canceled cuz. Me too. I was sexually assaulted by Ninja. I stand by that. He know I ain’t lying.” The two met after Ninja allegedly sent a DM to Brown about attending his concert. “I’m like, ‘Man, you want me to put you on a list?’” Brown recalled. “[He’s like,] ‘Don’t worry about it, I’ll ...
LUCI Pops Off on Debut Single “Ash & Dust”: Stream
LUCI has signed to Don’t Sleep Records and unveiled her debut single, “Ash & Dust,” a wildly original statement that points towards the future of hip-hop. The artist born Lucianna Ania is a trip-hop veteran, and as part of the now-defunct band Defbeat she was influenced by groups like Death Grips and Massive Attack. But if “Ash & Dust” is any indication, her solo project will vibe check everything from punk and gospel to Kanye West. The track opens with waves of dark synths before stripping back to layers of skittering percussion. Her words are about transformation, but her delivery is somewhere between a rap and a howl, with occasional yips and warbles that suggest being demolished and reborn is even less pleasant than you might imagine. Advertisement Related Video “Wakin up from ...
The Big Climate Thing 2022: The Roots, HAIM, Sheryl Crow Playing Inaugural NYC Fest
The Big Climate Thing Festival is the, uh, next big thing in New York’s live music scene. The Roots, HAIM, and Sheryl Crow are slated to perform at the inaugural three-day event this September 16th-18th at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens. Khruangbin, The Flaming Lips, and Gary Clark Jr. are also among those billed for the green-focused fest, presented by Climate Control Projects and benefitting Brian Eno’s EarthPercent. Additionally, the lineup includes Courtney Barnett, Princess Nokia, Antibalas, Bonny Light Horseman, Guster, Mykki Blanco, Pom Pom Squad, Sunflower Bean, The Weather Station, Valerie June, with more special guests to be announced. “The purpose of the event is to serve as a unified call to action for artists, fans and the music industry itself,” a representative for Climate C...
Kendrick Lamar Chants “Godspeed For Women’s Rights” to Close Glastonbury Set
Kendrick Lamar closed his headlining set at Glastonbury on Sunday with a forceful rebuke of the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and prevent women from access safe abortions. At the conclusion of set closer “Savior,” Lamar repeatedly recited the phrase: “They judge you, they judge Christ! Godspeed for women’s rights!” Adding to the intensity of the moment, Lamar’s head was adorned with a crown of thorns, and blood dripped down his face — all as his group of male and female backing dancers stood silently next to him. According to the Guardian, Lamar wore the crown of thorns throughout the 22-song performance, which leaned heavy in religious imagery. “I was locked up in LA during the pandemic. You feel like family… I see so many faces. Different creed, different colors,” t...
Cardi B Announces New Single ‘Hot S—’
Cardi B‘s “Hot Shit” is coming. The rapper has announced a release date for her new single and is promising “another surprise” is on the way. “My new single ‘Hot Shit’ available everywhere THIS FRIDAY 7/1,” Cardi revealed on social media Sunday night (June 26). The post featured a very short teaser clip. “Tomorrow 8pm I got another surprise for yall, tune in,” she hinted with a winking emoji. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Hot Shit” will be the artist’s first single since last year’s “Up,” which peaked at No. 1 for a week on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart in March 2021. “Up” followed “WAP,” which spent four weeks topping the Hot 100 in 2020. Fans have been patiently waiting for the follow-up to her full-length debut album, 2018’s I...
5 Things We Learned From Kevin Liles & Al Sharpton’s ‘It’s a New Day’ Conversation
American record label 300 Entertainment and financial services company Nasdaq joined forces on Friday morning (June 24) for a special intimate conversation between legendary music executive Kevin Liles and civil rights activist Al Sharpton. The event brought people from all over the media industry to the Nasdaq MarketSite in the heart of New York City to hear the gems and knowledge Liles and Sharpton have developed throughout their careers. 300 and Nasdaq treated guests to a complimentary breakfast before activist and former organizer of the Women’s March, Tameka Mallory, opened the event with a moving introduction that reflected on the efforts Kevin Liles and Al Sharpton have put forth in their respective fields. Despite the early start time, the audience was fully locked into Liles and S...
Lizzo and Live Nation Pledge $1 Million to Planned Parenthood
Lizzo and Live Nation have announced a $1 million donation to Planned Parenthood in light of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and end the constitutional right to a safe abortion. “I’m pledging $500k from my upcoming tour to Planned Parenthood and Abortion Rights. Live Nation agreed to match— to make it 1 MILLION dollars,” Lizzo wrote in an Instagram post on Friday (June 24th). “The most important thing is action & loud voices. @plannedparenthood @abortionfunds & organizations like them— will need funding to continue offering services to people who are most harmed by this ban,” Lizzo added. “Black women & women of color have historically had disproportionately less access to family planning resources— this is a great loss but not a new one.” Advertisement Rel...
Lil Nas X Says “Fuck BET” on “Late to da Party” with NBA YoungBoy: Stream
“Fuck BET!” With those words, Lil Nas X unveiled his new single featuring NBA YoungBoy, “Late to da Party.” The collab arrives amid Lil Nas X’s ongoing war of words with the network over his exclusion from being nominated at the 2022 BET Awards. Earlier this month, he accused BET of homophobia for the snub, though the network responded by placing the onus on BET’s unaffiliated Voting Academy for his lack of nominations. Ahead of the release, the rapper teased the song with a Star Wars-themed visual, complete with an intergalactic text crawl taking aim at BET that read, “NBA YOUNGBOY is on house arrest, trapped on the isolated planet HATU. The Brutal Empire of Terror (BET) has betrayed LIL NAS X, turning their back on him after using him for clout. With the music industry in turmoil, t...
Kendrick Lamar Performs “Savior” and “N95” in Crown of Thorns at Paris Fashion Week: Watch
Kendrick Lamar gave a performance beside the runway at the Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring-Summer 2023 Show during Paris Fashion Week on Thursday, June 23rd. The Compton rapper, adorned in a crown of thorns resembling the one he sports on the cover artwork for his most recent LP Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, sat in the audience next to Naomi Campbell and longtime associate Dave Free for the nearly 20-minute engagement. The set began with Lamar honoring the late Louis Vuitton creative director Virgil Abloh over the instrumental from “Savior – Interlude,” solemnly repeating the phrase “Long live Virgil… How many miles away?” He then launched into “Savior,” followed by other Mr. Morale cuts including “Rich Spirit,” “Count Me Out,” and “N95,” the latter of which ranked No. 2 on Consequence’s T...
