Rap
Lorde Calls Kendrick Lamar ‘The Most Popular and Influential Artist in Modern Music’
Lorde shared an update with her fans on Tuesday (May 24) and couldn’t help but gush over Kendrick Lamar‘s latest album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. “I’m loving Kendrick,” she wrote in her email newsletter to fans. “I cannot get over the most popular and influential artist in modern music displaying a working nervous system, admitting mistakes, trying to process intergenerational trauma and prejudice. I love the way the album opens, the pace and heat of the first few songs, and later ‘Count Me Out,’ the build and strings in ‘Auntie Diaries’… special.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The double LP — the rapper’s fifth full-length — bowed atop the Billboard 200 upon its May 13 release, notching the best first week of 2022 with 295,000 alum ...
The Cool: Lupe Fiasco Will Be Teaching Rap, Computing & Activism Course At MIT
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Jeff Schear / Getty The world does not move without Black creativity and Lupe Fiasco is about detail how Hip-Hop plays into that fact. He has been slotted to teach a Rap course at MIT. As per Complex the Chicago, Illinois native is taking his talents to one of the most prestigious and exclusive educational institutions in the world. On Friday, May 20 he announced that he will be teaching at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “I been holding this for a while. I’ll put together something more sophisticated later that really captures the nuance and gravity but for now I’ll just say it straight and raw: I’m going to teach Rap at @MIT” he tweeted. Related Stories The school’s press release detailed the residency in further detail. “Grammy aw...
Eminem Shuts Down Pete Davidson’s Final SNL Rap Video: Watch
Pete Davidson had one final treat for SNL viewers before ending his seven-season run: a rap tribute video to the show’s creator, Lorne Michaels. The skit, which was apparently cut for time, begins with host Natasha Lyonne informing Davidson that Michaels is depressed because the two never got to make a rap video together. “You know, that guy has literally done everything for me, so I’m going to pay him back by doing this rap video exactly the way he wrote it,” decades Davidson. Set to the tune of “Forgot the Dre,” David proceeds to honor Michaels’ legacy by ratting off his many accomplishments — from discovering comedians like Chris Farley, David Spade, and Kristen Wiig, to writing Three Amigos, to winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The accompanying visuals feature Davidson dressed...
Migos’ Quavo and Takeoff (But No Offset) Form Unc and Phew, Drop New Song “Hotel Lobby”: Stream
Drama may be brewing in the Migos camp. Shortly after fans noticed Offset unfollowed his bandmates Quavo and Takeoff on Instagram, the duo have dropped “Hotel Lobby,” a new song under the name Unc and Phew. “Hotel Lobby” is accompanied by a music video inspired by Terry Gilliam’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Watch it below. Given that Quavo is Takeoff’s uncle, Unc and Phew is an appropriate name for the duo. No word on Offset’s supposed beef with the two, but his wife, Cardi B, has also unfollowed them on Twitter. Advertisement Migos’ last album was Culture III, which they released last summer. They promoted the project with a Tiny Desk (Home) Concert. All three of the rappers have released solo albums: Takeoff dropped The Last Rocket in 2018, while Quavo released Quavo Huncho...
Rihanna Gives Birth to Baby Boy
Congratulations are in order to Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, who have welcomed their first child. According to TMZ, Rihanna gave birth to a baby boy on May 13th in Los Angeles. The couple has not yet revealed the boy’s name. Rihanna and A$AP Rocky reportedly began dating in January 2020, and they announced Rihanna’s pregnancy in January 2022 after posing for photos in Rocky’s home neighborhood of Harlem, with Rihanna showing off her bump. A$AP Rocky spoke about his relationship with Rihanna in an interview with GQ in May 2021. Calling her “my lady” and “the love of my life,” the rapper said, “[It’s] so much better when you got the One. She amounts to probably, like, a million of the other ones.” Advertisement “If that’s in my destiny, absolutely,” Rocky then said regarding plans to have ki...
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...
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...
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 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 ...
Atlanta Rapper Lil Keed Dead at 24
Atlanta rapper Lil Keed has died at the age of 24. Keed’s brother and fellow rapper, Lil Gotit, shared news of his passing in an Instagram post on Saturday. “Can’t believe I seened u die today bro,” he wrote. “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 #ImaHoldthisShitDown.” Fellow members of the hip-hop community have also paid tribute to Keed, including Drake Rick Ross, Lil Yachty, and Quavo. Related Video A cause of death was not immediately clear. Lil Keed was a protégé of Young Thug and signed to his YSL record label. He released two mixtapes through YSL, 2019’s Long Live Mexico and 2020’s Trapped on Cleveland 3. Advertisement Earlier this week, Young Thug, Gunna, and several other members of YSL were arreste...
With Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar Chooses Himself and Makes a Masterpiece
“I choose me, I’m sorry.” The last five words on Kendrick Lamar‘s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers hit the hardest for anyone who “did the work,” as trained and untrained therapists like to say. Kendrick’s fifth album, out today (May 13th), is a lot of things: part political analysis, part social critique, with a dash of familial observations. But from start to finish, it’s all therapy. Kendrick’s latest effort is the Compton emcee putting himself on the couch and asking, “Why?” Why is he addicted to women and cheating? Why is he overwrought with guilt when he can’t help old friends? Why does he bathe in toxic relationships? Or even why he’s so damn competitive when it comes to rap? Advertisement Kendrick created a double LP sure to inspire tons of ink spillage from the pop culture indust...
Rap Song of the Week: Kendrick Lamar Is No “Savior”
Rap Song of the Week is a round-up of the hip-hop tracks you need to hear every Friday. Check out the full playlist here. Today, Kendrick Lamar returns with “Savior” off his new album, Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. In the second half of Kendrick Lamar’s double album, Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, he focuses on breaking free of other people’s expectations. Due to the Compton rapper’s position as a public figure, fans look to him to lead the conversation about racial and social issues, but just like Charles Barkley, Kendrick doesn’t want to be their role model — nor should he be. On “Savior,” Kendrick makes his case while pointing to other Black celebrities like J. Cole, Future, and LeBron James, who are also expected to shoulder the burdens of the Black community. Although each person...
