Rap
Coachella 2022: Kendrick Lamar Joins Baby Keem for “Family Ties” and “Vent”
Kendrick Lamar made a surprise appearance at Coachella on Friday, joining his cousin Baby Keem to perform “Family Ties” and “Vent.” The on-stage collaboration came at the end of Baby Keem’s Friday night set during weekend two of the festival. After rapping the opening verse to “Family Ties,” Baby Keem introduced his cousin by simply proclaiming, “Oh shit!” Kendrick proceeded to perform his own rapid-fire verse in front of a large video screen of fire and water. The two then closed the set with the live debut of their collaborative track “Vent.” Watch fan-captured footage below. Earlier this week, Kendrick announced the release of his long-awaited new album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, which is due out on May 13th. Next month, Lamar is also set to headline Miami’s Rolling Loud. ...
Pusha T Unleashes New Album It’s Almost Dry: Stream
Pusha T has unveiled his fourth studio album, It’s Almost Dry, via GOOD Music/Def Jam. Stream the record on Apple Music and Spotify below. Preceded by the lead single “Diet Coke” and “Neck & Wrist” featuring Jay-Z and Pharrell Williams, the album is the rapper’s long-awaited follow-up to 2018’s Daytona. It’s entirely produced by Kanye West and Pharrell, and features additional guest appearances from Kid Cudi, Lil Uzi Vert, and No Malice. In our review, Consequence called the LP “more well-rounded” than its predecessor. “The album is a potent blend of evil deeds, evil thoughts, regrets, and insults to imaginary players,” wrote Marcus Shorter. “Pusha’s latest is filled with several reminders that [he] can still go ‘blow for blow with any Mexican,’ even as a family man. Or, go rhyme for r...
Megan Thee Stallion Unveils New Single “Plan B”: Stream
Megan Thee Stallion has officially dropped her new single “Plan B,” first previewed during the Houston rapper’s Coachella debut last weekend. Meg’s latest offering has been teased out since early April when she posted on Twitter about a “song that I recorded and every time I play it for a woman they start jumping and clapping.” Following the surprise reveal during her festival set, Stallion shared a video of her lip-syncing a full verse to a studio quality recording of the song and subsequently debunked rumors that the single was called “Letter to My Ex.” With the full track now released, it’s clear that the aforementioned letter is actually ‘B,’ as in “Poppin’ Plan B’s ’cause I ain’t planned to be stuck with you.” The song, which dabbles in past regret but mostly looks back as a meas...
The Kid LAROI Announces Release Date for Upcoming ‘Thousand Miles’ Single
The Kid LAROI took to social media on Tuesday (April 19) to tease his upcoming single “Thousand Miles.” In the brief, six-second snippet, the rising pop star sits on the end of a bench, licking a chocolate ice cream cone in an all-white suit when, out of the blue, a bright red grand piano drops out of the sky onto his head. The clip also hints at the song’s lyrics, as LAROI can be heard singing, “I was dead/ A thousand miles away” over top of the video before the screen cuts to black, revealing a release date of this Friday (April 22). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The new single will serve as the rapper’s first follow-up to “Stay,” his No. 1 smash hit with Justin Bieber, which turned out to be the Australia native’s breakout hit and ...
R.I.P. DJ Kay Slay, Legendary New York Hip-Hop DJ Dead at 55
DJ Kay Slay, a pioneer in New York hip-hop, has died at 55 years old. The longtime fixture on Hot 97 passed away on Easter Sunday, his family confirmed in a statement. Although no cause of death was given, Kay Slay had been hospitalized with COVID-19 for four months. “Our hearts are broken by the passing of Keith Grayson, professionally known as DJ Kay Slay,” the family wrote. “A dominant figure in Hip Hop culture with millions of fans worldwide, DJ Kay Slay will be remembered for his passion and excellence with a legacy that will transcend generations. In memory of DJ Kay Slay, our family wishes to thank all of his friends, fans, and supporters for their prayers and well wishes during this difficult time. We ask that you respect our privacy as we grieve this tragic loss.” Related Vid...
Wu-Tang Clan and Nas Team Up for Co-Headlining Tour
Hip-hop legends Wu-Tang Clan and Nas are joining forces for a co-headlining US tour. Taking its name from Nas’ classic Illmatic track, the “NY State of Mind” tour hits 25 American cities between August 30th and October 4th. Check out the full schedule below. Tickets go on sale starting Tuesday, April 26th at 10:00 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster. Related Video Wu-Tang Clan recently saw their pioneering debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), added to the Library of Congress’ National Registry. As for Nas, he’s fresh off the release of two albums in 2021: August’s King’s Disease II and December’s Magic. Both projects were produced by Hit-Boy. Advertisement Wu-Tang Clan an Nas’ “NY State of Mind” Tour Dates:08/30 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre09/01 – Noblesville, IN –...
Pusha T Dropping New Album It’s Almost Dry on Friday
The ink has dried: Pusha T has announced the release date of his much-anticipated new album It’s Almost Dry. Today, the rapper revealed the LP is dropping this Friday, April 22nd. King Push made the announcement with a trailer soundtracked by an artist singing, “I pray for my enemies/ I pray for my friends/ I pray for the one that will betray me again.” Watch the clip below. Pusha T teased in January that the follow-up to 2018’s Daytona was his final release on Def Jam. In fulfilling his contract, he now has full ownership of his master recordings. However, Push’s manager Steven Victor confirmed to Complex that he will remain with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint while staying open to the possibility of re-signing with Def Jam. Advertisement Related Video It’s Almost Dry was produc...
Rap Song of the Week: A$AP Rocky Channels “Frankenstein” on Swedish House Mafia Collab
Rap Song of the Week handpicks all the new hip-hop tracks you need to hear every Friday. Check out the full playlist here. Today, A$AP Rocky’s Swedish House Mafia collab “Frankenstein” has finally been officially released. At this point, it’s possible even A$AP Rocky doesn’t know if he’ll ever drop a follow-up to 2018’s Testing. Between older material like “Lost and Found Freestyle 2019” with Tyler, the Creator and features on songs by $not, Nigo, and Fivio Foreign, however, he’s kept fans fed this year. This week brings another new release with his long-awaited Swedish House Mafia collaboration “Frankenstein,” which appears on the dance supergroup’s new album Paradise Again. As A$AP Mob diehards might remember, “Frankenstein” has actually been floating around since the late Virg...
Cardi B Joins the Sample Drill Wave on Kay Flock’s “Shake It”: Stream
The latest trend in New York drill has been the liberal use of ’90s and early 2000s R&B samples, as heard in regional hits like B-Lovee’s “My Everything,” which flips Mary J. Blige’s “Everything.” Kay Flock is the latest rapper to hop on board with his new single “Shake It,” bringing fellow Bronx native Cardi B along for the ride. Produced by Elias Beatz, the track samples Akon’s 2005 hit “Bananza (Belly Dancer).” A snippet of the song had already gone viral on TikTok, but anticipation for “Shake It” reached a fever pitch after clips from the video shoot surfaced of Cardi performing her verse while draped out in red — her wig even looks like a red bandana. That unbridled energy is the perfect fit for the sample drill production: “I gotta step up, bitch, I’m a stomper/ All of my opps ge...
JNR Choi & Sam Tompkins’ ‘Moon’ Lands in Top 10 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart
The TikTok-to-charts pipeline yields another success story as JNR Choi and Sam Tompkins‘ “To the Moon!” breaks into the top 10 of Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The collaboration rises from No. 12 to No. 10 on the list dated April 16 as the song reaches new highs in radio airplay. “Moon” surfaced on TikTok beginning last August. The drill single’s origins are double-layered: It samples Sam Tompkins’ cover of Bruno Mars‘ 2010 release “Talking to the Moon” – a situation that temporarily led to its removal from streaming services, as JNR Choi detailed in his Billboard Chartbreaker profile earlier this month. JNR Choi and Tompkins each earn their first top 10 with their first entry on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Notably, Mars, credited as a songwriter on “Moon,” collects his 10th ...
Yung Lean and FKA twigs Team Up on “Bliss”: Stream
Blissed out. Yung Lean and FKA twigs have released their new collaboration, “Bliss,” as well as its accompanying music video. Stream the track below. In the quirky, nostalgic clip, the rapper picks the avant garde pop singer up for a chauffeured joy ride through a suburban town, complete with a white horse, bicycle gang, and a nod to Kelly Rowland’s famous texting via Excel spreadsheet in the music video for “Dilemma,” her 2002 smash hit with Nelly. “Oh, yeah, but I pray to God you’re good for me/ I want your bliss on bliss, a little company,” FKA twigs sings on the chorus before ceding the floor to Yung Lean, who raps, “You don’t know me or the shit I’m in/ Like The Exorcist, I’m making heads spin again/ Flash, flash, flash, flash, flash, flash/ Leandoer in the club, yeah, you find him in...
Rap Song of the Week: ScHoolboy Q Proves He Isn’t Your Average “Soccer Dad”
Every Friday, our new music column Rap Song of the Week breaks down all the new hip-hop tracks you need to hear. Check out the full playlist here. This week, ScHoolboy Q made his grand return with “Soccer Dad.” Since dropping his first two albums in back-to-back years, ScHoolboy Q has slowed down his release pace. The TDE rapper’s last LP, 2019’s CrasH Talk, dropped after a three-year hiatus, and prior to Tuesday night, he hadn’t released any solo material since then. With the arrival of the triumphant “Soccer Dad,” however, it looks like a new project could be on the way. Fans of ScHoolboy Q are well-acquainted with his life as a soccer dad, having seen videos on the LA rapper’s Instagram Stories of him cheering from the sidelines while also bragging about his daughter’s accomplishments. ...
