Rap
Nas to Young Rappers: “There’s No One Keeping Me Up at Night”
Nas isn’t feeling threatened by the youngest generation of rappers. In a new interview with the Financial Times, the hip-hop veteran revealed that while he enjoys many of today’s rising stars, there’s “no one keeping me up at night.” Until relatively recently, hip-hop was considered a young person’s game. However, now that rappers such as the 47-year-old Nas have proven that they can carry out successful careers well into their middle-age, the competitive nature of the genre lends itself to playful generational warfare. During his interview with FT, which was mostly focused on his historic career and various business ventures, the Illmatic icon took a moment to share his thoughts on the rap titans of today — many of whom are more than half his age. “I appreciate what’s ...
Ready or Not, The Opus to Explore Fugees’ The Score
Consequence Podcast Network and Sony’s The Opus returns for an incredible Season 13. Beginning March 11th, host Jill Hopkins will begin exploring the stories and songs behind the Fugees’ second and final album, The Score. After their criminally underrated 1994 debut, Blunted on Reality, struggled to win over critics and fans, the Fugees needed to make a statement. The trio of Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, and Pras Michel were granted a second chance in 1995 by Ruffhouse Records head Chris Schwartz, who gave them a $135,000 advance and complete creative control. Their followup was 1996’s The Score, a diamond album that cemented Fugees’ place in hip-hop history. Led by hit singles “Killing Me Softly”, “Fu-Gee-La”, and “Ready or Not”, the LP went on to be certified six-times Platinum by the ...
10 Artists Worth Bringing Back VH1 Storytellers For
Kendrick Lamar photo by Amy Price; St. Vincent photo by David Brendan Hall; Janelle Monáe photo by Philip Cosores VH1 Storytellers was such a cool show. It borrowed the idea of MTV Unplugged — a hugely popular act performing a stripped-down set in front of an intimate audience — and took it one step further. Audiences could see and hear artists in a more relaxed setting, dishing on their careers and telling stories about creating the songs we know and love. Storytellers first aired 25 years ago in late February 1996; Kinks mastermind Ray Davies was the first performer. It ran for 97 more episodes, the last starring Ed Sheeran in 2015. In between, there was a veritable Who’s Who of talent, from classic rock gods like David Bowie and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to ‘90s stars like Pearl ...
Wesley Joseph Drops Thumping Track “Thrilla”: Stream
23-year-old UK rapper Wesley Joseph has released “Thrilla”, his first new song of 2021. The booming track is co-produced by Jai Paul collaborator Lexxx and Joseph himself. It arrives via a self-directed music video featuring one of the two working DeLoreans in the UK. Stream the clip below. “Thrilla” is propelled by a heavy 808, but the production is also layered with funk-inspired guitar licks and gothic strings. In an interview with BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac, Joseph said he freestyled the song’s lyrics while drunk “off the rum and orange juice.” Accordingly, most of the track features swaggering rhymes, but Joseph also gets introspective at times. “Visions in my dreams, who do you believe / They fear the change,” he raps. “Looking hollow tomorrow, dividing barricades / Thought I saw the fu...
Ghostface Killah and Raekwon to Go Head-to-Head in Verzuz Battle
Verzuz is a quarantine battle series that pits two similar artists against one another to determine who is the hit-for-hit champion. Over the past few months, the event’s organizers have gotten some of the biggest names in the music industry to join in on the fun, and the next battle might just be their most anticipated yet: Ghostface Killah vs. Raekwon. Swizz Beatz and Timbaland announced the news during an Instagram live story last week. In the clip, they hyped up the reveal, saying, “Who’re we talking about?” while playing various songs by the two Wu-Tang Clan members in the background. Unsurprisingly, fans were immediately stoked to realize this meant Ghostface Killah and Raekwon would be dueling it out over a livestream battle, with an excited Common even commenting, “WHOAH!!!!!” Curr...
Redman, Method Man, and H.E.R. Join D’Angelo’s Verzuz in a Celebration of Live Music: Review
For music lovers, the COVID-19 pandemic effectively put an end to live performances for the foreseeable future. Many venues across the country have temporally (or permanently) closed or now operate with capacity restrictions. Never again will we take for granted the sweet simplicity of being able to catch our favorite artist/band in concert. But one of the few positive things to happen for live music during all the insanity that has taken place over the last year and counting is the emergence of the Verzuz series. Curated by super producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, who dueled in the first battle last March, Verzuz gave fans a lifeline as we sat at home watching our favorite producers and singers reminisce about the creation of their classic songs, many of which have defined hip-hop and R...
Benny the Butcher Announces New EP The Plugs I Met 2
Benny the Butcher has announced a new EP. It’s called The Plugs I Met 2 and is scheduled to come out on March 19th. The Plugs I Met 2 will be the first record the Butcher has dropped since putting out Burden of Proof in October 2020. As the title suggests, this new EP will serve as a sequel of sorts to his The Plugs I Met, which came out back in 2019. So far, the only name attached to The Plugs I Met 2 is Harry Fraud, who will serve as the EP’s producer. It’s likely a handful of other rappers will hop on the joint considering the original 2019 EP saw the Butcher link up with Black Thought, Pusha T, Jadakiss, Conway The Machine, and more. “March 19th THE PLUGS I MET 2 EP,” he wrote on Instagram on Friday. “Me and @harryfraud linked up on niggas I could sit here and ...
Post Malone Headlines Pokémon 25th Anniversary Concert: Watch
As part of the festivities celebrating the 25th anniversary of Pokémon, Post Malone headlined a virtual concert on Saturday night. The event saw a digital avatar version of the rapper perform a pre-recorded four-song set for an audience of Pokémon characters. Throughout the course of the 15-minute concert, Posty was transported to different Pokémon environments, from Glimwood Tangle to Charizard’s lair. All the while, beloved Pokémon figures like Gyarados, Umbreon, and Lugia could be seen vibing out. Posty’s setlist included “Psycho”, “Circles”, and “Congratulations”, in addition to his newly unveiled cover of Hootie and the Blowfish’s “Only Wanna Be With You”. Replay Post Malone’s Pokémon concert in its entirety below. At the end of the concert, The Pokémon Company International...
Song of the Week: Jay Som and Palehound Choose the Bachelor’s Life and Debut “Anything at All”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, two longtime friends form a new band and find a new sound. The past year of our lives has taught us that loneliness comes in several shades of blue. It can feel like total isolation, separation from dear friends, or even the tedium of seeing the same faces every single day. Those among us who have fared best have either found ways to beat the loneliness (a little Zoom went a long way there for a while, didn’t it?) or embrace it as a chance to remain in the moment and accomplish something. Jay Som (Melina Duterte) and Palehound voc...
Facebook’s New App Bars Lets You Rap Over Premade Beats
The follow-up era to SoundCloud rappers may well be upon us. As noted by TechCrunch, Facebook is releasing an app that will let users rap over premade beats and share a video of it with their community. It’s called Bars, and it’s currently available to download in closed beta form. From the sound of it, Bars is an app geared towards beginner rappers and freestyle pros alike. Users can choose from a rolodex of beats already available to use on the app, rap over them for 60 seconds, and then post the video to a “TikTok-style feed” where fellow Bars users can watch it and mark it as “fire” if they like it. Bars reportedly offers “studio quality vocal effects,” including everybody’s favorite AutoTune feature, too. Those in need of a creative boost should be pretty pleased with Bars because it ...
Noname Releases New Single “Rainforest” featuring Adam Ness: Stream
Barely five years after releasing her debut mixtape, Noname is gearing up to drop what may be her last album ever, Factory Baby. Today, she’s teasing its release by sharing a new single called “Rainforest” featuring fellow Chicago rapper Adam Ness. Stream it below. Clocking in just under three minutes in length, “Rainforest” is the latest track to showcase Noname’s unique mellow flow and her penchant for slick retro-themed beats. While the hook is seemingly a forlorn take on trust in relationships (“How you get closer to love?/ How you lemonade all your sadness when you opening up?”) the rest of the song concerns itself with the realities of hustle culture, the environmental ignorance of greed, and the intersection of capitalism and race. Noname is one of the few modern rappers to imbue he...
Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats Connect with Joey Bada$$ and The Alchemist on “‘Cosmic’.m4a” Remix: Stream
Last week, Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats announced UNLOCKED 1.5, a reimagining of last year’s UNLOCKED EP. Today, the duo has shared producer The Alchemist’s take on “‘Cosmic’.m4a” featuring Joey Bada$$. Stream it below. Due out March 5th, UNLOCKED 1.5 is described as “a brand new release inspired by Denzel and Kenny’s original.” Additional remixes are produced by Charlie Heat, Jay Versace, Sango, GODMODE, and Georgia Anne Muldrow, with new verses from recent Artist of the Month Arlo Parks, Benny the Butcher, Kenny Mason, and more. Alongside the EP announcement, Denzel and Kenny shared Robert Glasper’s version of “So.Incredible.pkg”, which includes a guest verse from Smino. Pre-saves for UNLOCKED 1.5 are live now. Related You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are ...
