Rap
Rap Song of the Week: Kendrick Lamar Issues a Warning Shot on Baby Keem’s “Family Ties”
Rap Song of the Week breaks down the rap and hip-hop tracks you need to hear each week. Check out the full playlist here. For our latest installment, Kendrick Lamar makes a roaring comeback on Baby Keem’s “Family Ties.” It’s no surprise that Kendrick Lamar’s first guest appearance since announcing his final album on TDE is on Baby Keem’s new single. Not only are the two rappers cousins, but Keem is the flagship artist on Kendrick’s company, pgLang, which will logically be the Compton rapper’s focus after leaving his label of 17 years. Besides that, 2021 is shaping up to be Keem’s mainstream breakout year. After teaming up with Travis Scott on “durag activity,” the 20-year-old rapper was featured on a track played at one of Kanye West’s early DONDA listening parties. Advertisement Rela...
Angel Haze Announces New EP Girl with the Gun, Drops “Never Seen”: Stream
Angel Haze has shared new single “Never Seen,” the first taste of her upcoming EP, Girl with the Gun. Stream it below on Apple Music and Spotify. On the track, the rapper unapologetically revels in her ego over a wobbling beat. “I am not the type of bitch/ To be appeased with all the average/ I got lots of codependents/ Ding ding what’s the tab/ I been known to flip the digits/ Loose change turn to racks/ Put a nigga on the bench/ If he need time to reflect,” she raps before abruptly cutting the song off just past the 90-second mark. “I explore the territories of my voice, both in and outside my mind,” she said of the track in a statement. “I wanted to play with different tones and intertwine certain phrases to create a woozy, dreamlike impression. This song is my daydream of a life bigger...
Kendrick Lamar Joins Baby Keem on New Single “Family Ties”: Stream
Baby Keem has linked up with his cousin Kendrick Lamar for a new collaborative single called “Family Ties.” It comes with a music video starring the rapping relatives alongside former Fifth Harmony member Normani. Earlier this week, Baby Keem teased the track by revealing the “Family Ties” cover art on social media. The image is an old photo with 11 family members standing around, arms thrown around one another in an embrace. Everyone’s faces are blacked out except for two people: a very young Lamar and an even younger Keem. Seeing the two rappers grinning while surrounded by their loved ones is pretty charming, even if the rest of their crew has their eyes obscured in an ode to the classic good kid, m.A.A.d city album artwork. “Family Ties” is produced by Cardo and features some gnarly be...
Kanye Brings Out Marilyn Manson and DaBaby at Donda Listening Party
Kanye West held his latest Donda listening party at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Thursday night, and he made the conscious decision to appear alongside two of the most toxic figures in music: Marilyn Manson and DaBaby. Manson and DaBaby accompanied West on the porch of a replica of his childhood home, constructed midfield at Soldier Field. Presumably, their appearances were some sort of commentary on “canceled” musicians; in the case of Manson, he’s been accused by multiple women of sexual abuse. Meanwhile, DaBaby was dropped by a number of major music festivals after going on a homophobic rant last month. What’s more, Kanye replaced a Jay-Z verse on Donda with one from DaBaby. And the evening only got more bizarre from there: towards the end of the listening party, Kanye literally lit himse...
LiL Nas X Sets Release Date for Montero
Lil Nas X has finally set a release date for his long-awaited debut album, Montero. It’s set to arrive on September 17th through Columbia Records. “creating this album has been therapy for me,” Lil Nas X said in an Instagram post announcing the album’s release date. “i’ve learned to let go of trying to control people’s perception of who i am, what i can do, and where i will be. i’ve realized the only opinion of me that really matters is my own.” In advance of Montero’s release, Lil Nas X has offered up a trio of singles: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” “Sun Goes Down,” and “Industry Baby” featuring Jack Harlow. Each track has been accompanied by an equally provocative music video, which has only added to the hype and controversy surrounding the album’s release. His “Montero” ...
Kanye West Files to Legally Change Name to “Ye”
Kanye West has filed documents to legally change his name to “Ye.” TMZ reports that the 44-year-old rapper submitted the paperwork with a California court this week. Under state law, he’ll be given a court date sometime in the next three months, at which point a judge will hear Kanye’s petition and decide whether to approve the name change. Kanye has yet to publicly comment on the move, but this is not the first time he has flirted with a rebrand. In 2019, he said he had considered legally changing his name to “Christian Genius Billionaire Kanye West” “until ‘yall understand exactly what it is.” Kanye did not follow through with that threat, but this time he’s gone as far to actually file a legal petition with the court. It’s now in the hands of a judge to decide whether one of the biggest...
Kanye Goes The Joker on Drake: “You Will Never Recover. I Promise You”
From Jesus to the Joker? Kanye West has seemingly reignited his feud with Drake with a Joker-themed meme directed at the 6 God. In a since deleted Instagram post, Kanye posted a screen capture of a group text message thread. Though Drake’s name is not specifically mentioned in the thread, it’s evident he is the target of Kanye’s ire. For one, Kanye made a point to add Drake’s arch nemesis, Pusha-T, to the group thread. He then tweeted a photo of Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker and wrote, “I live for this. I’ve been fucked with by nerd ass jock n****s like you my whole life. You will never recover. I promise you.” Kanye’s post was seemingly made in response to a new Drake verse included on Trippie Redd’s song “Betrayal.” Addressing rumors that Kanye is aiming to steal Drake’s thunder by releas...
Rap Song of the Week: Big Boi and Sleepy Brown Declare “The Big Sleep Is Over”
Rap Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the rap and hip-hop tracks we just can’t get out of our head each week. Check out the full playlist here. For our latest installment, Big Boi and Sleepy Brown share the latest single from their upcoming collaborative album. Ahead of Big Boi and his longtime collaborator Sleepy Brown’s upcoming joint album, The Big Sleepover, the duo have recently teamed with affiliates like Killer Mike and Cee Lo Green on singles like the swaggering “lowercase (no cap)” and silky smooth “Intentions.” This time around, Big Boi and Brown link up with Jamaican singer Kay-I on “The Big Sleep Is Over” for a Caribbean-influenced jam combining laidback production with booming 808s. Nearly 30 years after joining forces with André 3000 as OutKast, Big Boi h...
Kendrick Lamar Announces Final Album with TDE
Kendrick Lamar has shared an update on his long-awaited next project, revealing that it will be his final album with his longtime label home Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). The Compton rapper announced the news in a letter posted to a new website called oklama.com. “I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years,” Kendrick wrote. “The Struggles. The Success. And most importantly, the Brotherhood. May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators. As I continue to pursue my life’s calling.” Advertisement Related Video “There’s beauty in completion. And always faith in the unknown,” Kendrick added. “Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts. I’ve prayed for you all. See you soon enough.” Kendrick also signed the letter with the name “oklama.” ...
Kevin Abstract Shares New Solo Track “SIERRA NIGHTS” feat. Ryan Beatty: Stream
Following up on his “SLUGGER” collaboration with slowthai and $snot from last month, Kevin Abstract has shared another new solo single called “SIERRA NIGHTS.” This time, the BROCKHAMPTON leader has re-teamed with frequent cohort Ryan Beatty. Described as an “ode to the end of summer” (oh God, too soon), “SIERRA NIGHTS” has the West Coast beat and echoing vocals of the perfect top-down jam. The track comes accompanied by a music video directed by Abstract himself that finds him and Beatty making moves around California. Check it out ahead. Both “SLUGGER” and “SIERRA NIGHTS” serve as precursors to Abstract’s third solo studio album. Abstract has been teasing the project for a few weeks now, and a press release confirms the effort is expected out “before the year is over.” The LP will be his ...
R.I.P. Steve “Zumbi” Gaines, of Zion I, Dead at 47
Steve “Zumbi” Gaines, a co-founding member of the Bay Area hip-hop group Zion I, has died at the age of 47 due to complications from COVID-19. According to a statement from Gaines’ family, the rapper passed away Friday morning (August 13th) at Alta Bates Hospital in San Fransisco, California. In the mid-1990s, Gaines teamed with producer Amp Live and released their debut album, Mind over Matter. Their breakout release came with 2005’s True & Livin’, which boasted collaborations with Gift of Gab, Talib Kweli, and Aesop Rock. The following year Zion I released the first of two collaborative LPs with Oakland rapper The Grouch. Advertisement Related Video Amp Live left Zion I in 2015, but the duo recently reunited and had planned to tour together prior to Gaines’ passing. “He was working o...
Nicki Minaj and Husband Sued by His Attempted Rape Victim for Harassment and Witness Intimidation
The woman who was sexually assaulted by Nicki Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, has filed a lawsuit against both Minaj and Petty, accusing the couple of harassment and witness intimidation. TMZ reports that Jennifer Hough says Minaj and Petty “have directly and indirectly harassed her and threatened her to not speak about the incident.” The assault occurred in September 1994, when both Hough and Petty were 16 years old and living in South Jamaica, Queens. According to a complaint filed at the time, the victim had been walking to school when Petty came up behind her, pressing an object against her back and instructed her to “keep walking.” The two eventually arrived at Petty’s residence, where he allegedly forced her upstairs and began to rape her at knifepoint before she was able to strike h...
