Hip-Hop
Dethklok and Run the Jewels Top the Bill for 2022 Adult Swim Festival Block Party
The mighty Dethklok will return to the stage at the 2022 Adult Swim Festival Block Party, which is being staged on the East Coast for the first time. The three day event is taking place August 5th through 7th in Philadelphia, and will also headlining performances from Run the Jewels and Tierra Whack. Dethklok, of course, are everyone’s favorite band from the beloved Adult Swim animated series Metalocalypse. While the series was canceled back in 2013, just last year it was announced that a new Metalocalypse movie is in development. Brendon Small, the creator of Metalocalypse and musical mastermind behind Dethklok, will lead the live band. Run the Jewels will be making their appearance at the Adult Swim Festival in between gigs opening for Rage Against the Machine on the latter’s highly anti...
How to Get Tickets to Kendrick Lamar’s 2022 Tour
Kendrick Lamar is taking his latest masterpiece, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, the road as he embarks on a 2022 world tour that stretches to the end of the year. Get tickets here, and read on for more details including pre-sale dates. What Is Kendrick Lamar’s Next Tour? The 65-date “Big Steppers Tour” is comprised of three legs hitting North America, the UK and Europe, and Australia and New Zealand. The tour kicks off in Oklahoma City on July 19th and is immediately followed by three nights in Texas and two nights in Florida. The circuit moves north to Atlanta on July 30th and Nashville on the 31st, then heads up the East Coast in early August for back-to-back shows in Brooklyn, stops in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and Boston, and two nights in Toronto. He covers the Midwest startin...
Mac Miller Drug Dealer Sentenced to 17.5 Years in Prison for Fentanyl Sale
Stephen Walter, one of the three men charged in the overdose death of Mac Miller, has received a 17.5-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to federal charges of distribution of fentanyl, reports Rolling Stone. The sentence came after US District Judge Otis D. Wright, II rejected a plea agreement that Walter struck with federal prosecutors in October 2021 for a flat 17-year sentence. Since prosecutors claimed Walter continued to sell cocaine and counterfeit oxycodone pills even after Miller’s untimely passing, Judge Wright said he couldn’t accept the deal’s terms. “The court has elected not to accept that plea agreement. So, sir, if you want, at this point, you can withdraw your guilty plea and go to trial,” Judge Wright said. “I may as well lay it out, okay. When you continue to enga...
2022 Billboard Music Awards: Megan Thee Stallion Performs “Plan B” and “Sweetest Pie”: Watch
Megan Thee Stallion hit the stage at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards to perform a medley of her latest singles “Plan B” and “Sweetest Pie.” Watch it below. Baring her body in sleek, black bodysuit full of cutouts, the rapper kicked off the number completely solo, transfixing the crowd as she spit the bars of “Plan B.” Eventually, she was joined by two different groups of backup dancers, transitioning into “Sweetest Pie” sans collaborator Dua Lipa. During the ceremony, Megan took home the award for Top Female Rap Artist, beating out “WAP” collaborator Cardi B and fellow BBMAs performer Latto. However, she did shout out her contemporaries during her acceptance speech, saying, “Everybody in this category is a winner, and I feel like we all been workin’ so hard all year, we been workin’ hard f...
2022 Billboard Music Awards: Travis Scott Debuts New Song, Performs “MAFIA”: Watch
Travis Scott made his first televised performance since the Astroworld tragedy at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night, during which the rapper debuted an unreleased song and performed the single “MAFIA.” However, he made no mention of Astroworld during the performance. On an icy, futuristic set with snow flurrying down, Scott began by performing “MAFIA” — released just ahead of Astroworld last year — while lying down before getting up to play a song that’s believed to be called “LOST FOREVER.” He first previewed the latter track at his Cactus Jack for Dior Summer 2022 fashion show in June 2021. In November 2021, Scott’s Astroworld Festival left 10 people dead after a crowd crush. The Cactus Jack label head is still facing a multi-million dollar class action lawsuit brought fort...
2022 Billboard Music Awards: Latto Performs “Big Energy”: Watch
Latto hit the stage at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night for a triumphant performance of her hit single “Big Energy.” Watch the musical number below. The rising star strutted across the stage in a glittery silver and chrome ensemble as she rapped, “Bad chick, I could be your fantasy/ I could tell you got big, big energy/ It ain’t too many of ’em that could handle me/ But I might let you try it off the Hennessy” while flanked by a bevy of backup dancers. Latto also received her first BBMA nomination at this year’s ceremony, as a finalist in the Top Female Rap Artist category against Cardi B and winner Megan Thee Stallion. Advertisement Related Video Watch Latto’s Billboard Music Awards performance below. Last month, the Atlanta rapper ran through a solo version of her breakout...
Post Malone and Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold Debut New Song on SNL: Watch
Post Malone previewed his upcoming album, twelve carat toothache, with an appearance on the penultimate episode of Saturday Night Live’s 47th season. Posty made the most of his SNL debut, as he brought along Roddy Ricch for “Cooped Up” and Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold for the debut of “Love/Hate Letter to Alcohol.” Replay both performances below. If you’re wondering how the A-list rapper linked up with the alternative folk singer, it’s pretty simple: Post Malone is a big fan of Fleet Foxes. “If you don’t like Fleet Foxes, then fuck you,” he tweeted in 2015. He added in another tweet, “Fleet Foxes is the only group that I love every single song of.” Fast forward to 2021, and Pecknold was seen in the studio with Post Malone. Elsewhere on last night’s SNL, Post Malone appeared in a sketch alon...
Kendrick Lamar Drops Striking New ‘N95’ Video: Watch
Kendrick Lamar has shared an explosive music video for his new song “N95.” On Saturday (May 14), the 34-year-old superstar rapper dropped the second visual from his just-released fifth album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. The powerful clip, directed by Lamar and Dave Free, opens with the phrase “This S— Hard” flashing across the screen in red capital letters. From there, the rapper is seen hovering in a Jesus-like crucifix pose over crashing ocean waves while a young child looks on from the beach. The three-and-a-half minute video alters from color to black-and-white, as Lamar takes on several roles with striking imagery, including a piano player surrounded by beautiful women and a man doing an intense workout on the rooftop of a large building. Explore Explore See latest videos, char...
Travis Barker, Rick Ross, Murda Beatz & More Pay Tribute to Lil Keed: ‘Gone Too Soon’
On Saturday (May 14) rising Atlanta rapper Lil Keed died at the age of 24. He was signed to Young Thug‘s Young Stoner Life Records. Keed’s brother, Lil Gotit, first shared the news of his passing in an Instagram post: “Can’t believe I seened u die today bro I did all my cries I know what u want me to do and that’s go hard for Mama Daddy Our Brothers Naychur and Whiteboy.” Tributes soon poured in online, with friends, collaborators and admirers expressing condolences for the late rapper. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Damn RIP Keed,” Travis Barker wrote on Twitter. “So Talented Gone [Too] Soon,” Murda Beatz tweeted. Keed signed to YSL, an imprint of 300 Entertainment, in 2018. He released two projects on the label and worked with ...
Kendrick Lamar Floats Above Water in Striking “N95” Video: Watch
Kendrick Lamar has revealed the video for “N95,” which marks the first visual to be released his new album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Co-directed by Kendrick alongside Dave Free, the visually striking video opens with Kendrick floating above the water. Later, we see the Compton’s hip-hop poet laureate running away from a group of men, doing push-ups on the top of a building, joy-ridding with Baby Keem, and walking down the steps of a waterfall. As is the case with the song itself, the video for “95” is chock full of intense imagery and symbolism. Unpack it for yourself down below. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick’s fifth album (and fifth masterpiece) to date was released on Friday. He will support the album by embarking on a massive world tour starting in July. Tickets ...
5 Takeaways From Latto’s ‘Future of Hip-Hop’ Q&A at Billboard MusicCon
Latto brought her famous “Big Energy” to “The Future of Hip-Hop” panel during Billboard’s inaugural MusicCon on Friday (May 13) at Area 15 in Las Vegas. The 23-year-old rapper – whose Mariah Carey-sampling hit “Big Energy” has stayed in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 for the last six weeks, thanks in part to a remix with Mimi herself and DJ Khaled – chopped it up with Billboard R&B/hip-hop staff writer Neena Rouhani about how she’s taking over the rap game while holding it down for the South. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Here are the five takeaways from Latto’s “The Future of Hip-Hop” panel: She’s living her 8-year-old self’s biggest dreams The ATL MC told Rouhani that she’s been rapping since she was only 8 years old. “This...
Lil Keed, YSL Records Rapper, Dies at 24
Lil Keed, an up-and-coming Atlanta rapper signed to Young Thug‘s Young Stoner Life Records, has died. He was 24. Keed’s brother, Lil Gotit, first shared the news of the rapper’s passing in an Instagram post early Saturday morning (May 14). “Can’t believe I seened u die today bro I did all my cries I know what u want me to do and that’s go hard for Mama Daddy Our Brothers Naychur and Whiteboy,” Gotit wrote alongside a photo of the siblings. The cause of Keed’s (real name: Raqhid Render) death was not known at press time. Billboard has reached out to the artist’s representatives for further information. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Gotit shared another post on his Instagram Story on Saturday, writing, “@lilkeed Whyyy bra whyyy u leave ...
