Rap
Isaiah Rashad Details New Album The House Is Burning
Isaiah Rashad is prepping the release of his sophomore album The House Is Burning, which he announced today will drop July 30th via Top Dawg Entertainment/Warner Records. The studio set serves as the rapper’s follow-up to The Sun’s Tirade, his 2016 debut album, and will feature previously-released track “Headshots (4r Da Locals)” and the Duke Deuce-assisted lead single “Lay Wit Ya.” With cover art showcasing the titular home ablaze in crayon, and Rashad’s multi-colored name scrawled in all caps across the bottom, the LP’s title is drawn from the rocky road Rashad has walked since the release of his first album — one that involved drugs, alcohol and a successful trip to a rehab facility in Dana Point, California. “I took it seriously, but I was drunk in the studio and trying my best to make...
Declaime and Madlib Break Down New Album In the Beginning (Vol. 1) Track by Track: Exclusive
For our Track by Track feature, artists break down the meaning behind each song on their latest project. Today, Declaime gives insight into his joint album with Madlib, In the Beginning (Vol. 1). Today, prolific producer Madlib and Oxnard rapper Declaime have released their collaborative album, In the Beginning (Vol. 1). Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify, and read a complete Track by Track breakdown of the effort from Declaime. In the Beginning (Vol. 1) compiles 13 previously unreleased tracks recorded from 1993 to 1996, during which Declaime, aka Dudley Perkins, and Madlib lived across the street from each other. The two became fast friends outside of the studio, eventually leading them to enter the booth together. For Declaime, releasing the project is his way of paying tr...
Cardi B Reveals She is Pregnant During Surprise Performance at BET Awards
Cardi B made a surprise appearance at tonight’s BET Awards and revealed she is pregnant with her second child. The “Up” rapper joined her husband, Offset, and the rest of Migos to perform their latest collaboration, “Type Shit”. She chose to share the big news by wearing a body suit with a hole cut out atop her stomach, revealing her baby bump for all to see. Cardi subsequently confirmed her pregnancy in an Instagram post tagging Offset. Despite being noticeably pregnant, Cardi effortlessly twerked and danced around on stage throughout the performance of “Type Shit”. Migos also ran through “Straightenin’”. Both tracks appear on the trio’s latest album, Culture III, and you can replay their BET Awards performance in full below. Related Video Cardi B and Offset’s first child, a da...
Megan Thee Stallion Performs “Thot Shot” Live for First Time at BET Awards: Watch
Megan Thee Stallion appeared at the 2021 BET Awards to perform her latest single, “Thot Shot”, live for the first time. Compared to past awards show appearances, Megan chose to forgo theatrics in favor of a by-the-books performance wherein her impressive lyrical flow was able to truly shine. Watch the replay below. Earlier in the evening, Megan’s “WAP” collaborator Cardi B revealed she is pregnant with her second child. Related Video Megan has lined up several upcoming festival appearances, including Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN; Governors Ball in New York, NY; Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI; and Firefly Festival in Dover, DE. Get tickets to her upcoming dates here. Share this: You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. I...
Tyler, The Creator Performs “LUMBERJACK” at 2021 BET Awards: Watch
Tyler, The Creator hit the stage at the 2021 BET Awards tonight for a performance of his new “LUMBERJACK”. Marking his first-ever performance at the BET Awards, Tyler made the most of the opportunity with a creative stage production that began with him riding in the back of a Roll- Royce and ended with him being blown away by a wind storm. Watch the replay below. “LUMBERJACK” comes off the pioneering hip-hop star’s latest album CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, which arrived Friday, just two weeks after the artist otherwise known as Tyler Okonma dropped the first mysterious teaser announcing a new release was on its way. Related Video In the coming months, Tyler is set to play multiple festivals including Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, and Day N Vegas Festival. Get tickets to all of his upcoming dates he...
Silk Sonic’s Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak Perform “Leave the Door Open” at BET Awards: Watch
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak may only have one single out under their collaborative Silk Sonic moniker, but that didn’t stop the duo form nabbing Best Group at the 2021 BET Awards on Sunday night. Later in the evening, they proved that their joint star power alone made them worthy of the honor by performing their hit “Leave the Door Open” at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theatre. Silk Sonic have thus far only played at awards show, debuting at the Grammys back in March and stopping by the iHeartRadio Music Awards last month. Their BET Awards performance continued that string of smooth, soulful appearances for a third straight ceremony. Check out the replay below. Silk Sonic’s debut album, An Evening with Silk Sonic, will feature funk legend Bootsy Collins as “guest host.” The full...
Lil Nas X Performs “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” at 2021 BET Awards: Watch
The last time Lil Nas X took to a nationally televised stage, the viral rapper went viral for all the wrong reasons when his pants ripped during his Saturday Night Live performance. Thankfully, he was safe from a repeat wardrobe malfunction during his appearance on Sunday night’s BET Awards. The chart-topping rapper may have not been up for any awards during Culture’s Biggest Night, but he delivered the goods with a streamy performance of “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)”, which culminated with a long kiss with one of his backing dancers. The Egyptian aesthetics all called to mind something between Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time” and The Mummy series. Watch the replay below. Next up for Lil Nas X is a cameo appearance on the hit FXX series Dave. Season 2 of Lil Dicky’s comed...
DMX Honored with Star-Studded Tribute at BET Awards: Watch
DMX was honored at tonight’s BET Awards with a star-studded performance curated by his close friend Swizz Beatz and featuring Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Jadakiss, The Lox, the rap collective Griselda, and actor Michael K. Williams. The performance kicked off with Method Man performing “Get At Me Dog” a cappella before giving way to Griselda to spit their posthumous collaboration “Hood Blues”. Williams, channeling DMX to a T, then took the stage and recited the lyrics to “Slippin’”. To close the set, Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss, The Lox, and Ruff Ryders performed a medley of “The Hood At?”, “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem”, and “Party Up”. Watch the replay below. Speaking to Complex ahead of the awards show, Beatz opened up about approaching the tribute to his fellow artist in a “noncon...
Jay-Z Commissions Reasonable Doubt NFT at Sotheby’s for 25th Anniversary
JAY-Z has commissioned a non-fungible token to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt. Created by Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist Derrick Adams, the NFT is titled Heir to the Throne and is being auctioned off at Sotheby’s. (Via Pitchfork.) Opening bids for the NFT start at $1,000, with the auction set to close on July 2nd. A portion of proceeds from the sale will go directly to the rapper’s eponymous charitable organization, the Shawn Carter Foundation, whose mission is to “help individuals facing socio-economic hardships further their education at post secondary institutions.” “It’s fitting that JAY-Z’s pioneering lyrical brilliance is commemorated through the iconic vision of acclaimed artist Derrick Adams in a bold new medium,” said Cassandra H...
R.I.P. Gift of Gab, Blackalicious Rapper Dead at 50
Gift of Gab, who set a new standard for tongue-twisting lyricism as part of hip-hop duo Blackalicious, has died at 50. The artist also known as Timothy J. Parker passed away on June 18th. His exact cause of death has not been released publicly, though a statement from his family and crew noted that he had been diagnosed with kidney failure in 2014. He was undergoing dialysis three to four times a week even while on tour, and successfully received a new kidney in 2020. Born October 7th, 1971, Gift of Gab became a fixture in the Sacramento rap scene in the early 1990s. But with the formation of Blackalicious alongside DJ Chief Xcel (aka Xavier Mosley), he would change the trajectory of hip-hop forever. The pair’s first two albums, 1999’s Nia and 2002’s Blazing Arrow, ...
Tyler, the Creator Shares New Album CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: Stream
Tyler, the Creator released his new album, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, today. Stream it via Apple Music and Spotify below. The 16-track project follows his 2019 Grammy-winning album, IGOR, and features an impressive list of guests. Featured artists include Lil Wayne, Lil Uzi Vert, and Pharrell, as well as 42 Dugg, Ty Dolla $ign, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. Odd Future member Domo Genesis also makes an appearance. In the lead-up to CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, Tyler shared “LUMBERJACK” and “WUSYANAME”. Word of new music from Tyler first surfaced earlier this month via mysterious billboards and an accompanying website. Both provided a phone number which initially played a conversation between the rapper and his mother. Related Video Tyler has lined up a number of festival appearances t...
Mick Jenkins Drops New Single “Truffles”: Stream
Mick Jenkins has unveiled his new single “Truffles”, produced by Monte Booker and available via Cinematic Music Group. The track serves as the rapper’s follow-up to his pair of 2020 one-offs, “Frontstreet Freestyle” and the Kojey Radical-assisted “Snakes”, as well as last year’s The Circus EP. The accompanying visual for “Truffles” — directed by Andre Muir — depicts Jenkins in an eerie suburban neighborhood filled with smiling, zombie-like residents that slowly transform from Black to white. “It was Goyard totes and Carhartt tees/ And atop the Coldplay carpet ’round my feet/ The Dolce scarf that’s ’round my face, forgot my mask/ Fuck,” he raps as he watches a jogger make her way down the street. Later, he’s surrounded by his creepy, dead-eyed neighbors as they invade his house, c...
