Rap
slowthai Shares New Song “CANCELLED” Featuring Skepta: Stream
Later this week, slowthai will finally unveil his sophomore album TYRON, which is one of our most anticipated projects of the year. As one last preview before it drops, the UK rapper has shared a song from the record called “CANCELLED” that features fellow British MC Skepta. slowthai is no stranger to transgressive behavior, and as the title suggests, this track is all about reveling in disorderly conduct that the public might frown upon. “I ain’t an actor, fuck the Oscars, main stage in my boxers/ Thousand grams, fuck the Grammys, same-same for the shoppers,” are the opening lines to slowthai’s short yet piercing verse. Skepta handles the hook, starting with chest-puffing braggadocio — “How you gonna cancel me?/ Twenty awards on the mantelpiece/ Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury/ Girls in...
Judas and the Black Messiah Soundtrack Features JAY-Z, Nipsey Hussle, NAS, ASAP Rocky, More
Nipsey Hussle, JAY-Z (photo by Amy Price), Nas (Ben Kaye), and ASAP Rocky (Kimberley Ross) Judas and the Black Messiah officially arrives later this week, but the Shaka King film has already drawn rave reviews, including being named on of the Top 10 Movies of 2020 by the National Board of Review. The soundtrack is shaping up to be a blockbuster in its own right — Rapsody and others shared the tracklist on social media, and it boasts the first collaboration between JAY-Z and Nipsey Hussle, as well as NAS, ASAP Rocky, and more. The movie concerns Fred Hampton, a leader in the Black Panther movement who was betrayed by fellow panther William O’Neal and then assassinated in his sleep by the FBI on December 4th, 1969. It’s produced by Ryan Coogler and stars Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanf...
Conway the Machine and Big Ghost LTD Reunite on New Album If It Bleeds It Can Be Killed: Stream
Conway the Machine is still putting the final touches on God Don’t Make Mistakes, his debut album on Shady Records, but he’s got another release to keep fans occupied in the meantime: If It Bleeds It Can Be Killed, a joint LP with producer Big Ghost LTD. Today’s new effort marks a reunion for the two hip-hop acts, who previously linked up on last year’s well received No One Mourns the Wicked. Conway, Big Ghost LTD, and fellow Griselda regular Westside Gunn also put out a collaborative project in 2015 called Griselda Ghost. There are 10 tracks in all on If It Bleeds. Many feature soulful, almost Motown-esque production (“J Batters” and “Highly Praised”), while others like “Toast” couple heavy artillery sounds with fuzzy funk. There’s also “Red Beams”, which fills every conceivable spac...
Pell Announces New Album with NOLA Collective GLBL WRMNG, Shares “504”: Stream
Rapper/producer Pell has formed the new musical collective GLBL WRMNG with dozens of his fellow artists from New Orleans. Their debut album glbl wrmng vol. 1 is out February 19th, and today they’ve shared the lead single, “501”. GLBL WRMNG is an expansive project, with contributions from dozens of producers and artists including Jelly of Tank and The Bangas, Malik NinetyFive, Jzzle, Lil Iceberg, Kr3wcial, and $leazy EZ. That inclusivity is by design; Pell set out to foster connections in the NOLA songwriting community. As he explained in a statement, “I wanted to make records with all my hometown friends that didn’t have to be just Pell records that could showcase the talent of New Orleans and what we had to offer. I wanted to executively produce this record and then give us all somet...
Song of the Week: boygenius Reunite on Julien Baker’s Confessional “Favor”
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. While several stories over the past few weeks have reminded us that the entertainment world can still be very much a boys’ club in the worst ways imaginable, on the artistic side of matters, we’ve seen an undeniable shift in the recognition women are finally beginning to receive within the music industry, especially in the rock genre. Studies have shown that young women are not only picking up guitars at the highest rates ever, but they’re actually learning to play them in larger numbers than their male counterparts. No doubt it’s been partl...
R.I.P. Ricky Powell, Iconic Hip-Hop Photographer and Honorary Beastie Boy Dead at 59
Ricky Powell, the celebrated hip-hop photographer who was known as the honorary fourth member of the Beastie Boys, has died at age 59. Powell’s manager and business partner Tono Radvany confirmed that his client had passed away on the night of February 1st. No cause of death has yet to be revealed. “I just want to let everyone know he was a very special man, and he will be sorely missed,” Radvany told Complex. A New York City native through and through, the Brooklyn-born Powell entered photography mainly to stick it to an ex-girlfriend. He discovered a camera she’d left behind and determined to use it to make a name for himself. After photographing art galleries in Greenwich Village and hip-hop shows in downtown Manhattan for a year, he was able to quit his job selling lemon ices to head o...
“Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” Rapper Silento Arrested for Murder
Silento, the Atlanta rapper best known for the viral hit “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)”, has been charged with murdering his cousin. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Silento (born Ricky Lamar Hawk) was arrested by DeKalb police on Monday. Hawk’s cousin, Frederick Rooks, was shot and killed on the morning of January 21st. “After a thorough investigation, DKPD detectives identified Hawk as Rooks’ cousin, and the person responsible for Rooks’ murder,” according police spokeswoman Michaela Vincent. Detectives are still working to establish a motive. The 23-year-old Hawk has had several previous run-ins with the law. In August, he was arrested twice on domestic violence and gun charges. Then in October, he was booked after being clocked speeding at more than 140 mph. Hawk achieved ...
Tha God Fahim and Your Old Droog Uncork New Album Tha Wolf on Wall St.: Stream
Mixtape masters Tha God Fahim and Your Old Droog have linked up for the new collaborative album Tha Wolf on Wall St. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. The pair have been prolific both separately and together, most recently teaming up on Droog’s December drop Dump YOD: Krutoy Edition. That LP was executive produced by Mach-Hommy, who also lays down some guest work here. But Tha Wolf on Wall St. owes it’s jazzy, laid-back soundscapes entirely to Tha God Fahim. As a rapper-producer, Fahim favors atmospheric beats that can accommodate a wide variety of flows, often allowing his vocal phrases to unspool across several bars. His higher voice provides an airy contrast to Droog’s earthy rumble, and together they put on a masterclass in lyric-forward hip-hop. Previously, TG...
Fredo Releases New Album Money Can’t Buy Happiness: Stream
British rapper Fredo has dropped his star-studded new album, Money Can’t Buy Happiness. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. Money Can’t Buy Happiness is the second studio album of Fredo’s career, following 2019’s Third Avenue. On his new effort, he links up with Summer Walker for The Fugees-sampling song “Ready” and collaborates with both Pop Smoke and Young Adz for the uptempo number “Burner on Deck”. He also reunites with Dave, his longtime friend and fellow British rapper, for “Money Talks”, which serves as a follow-up single of sorts to their 2018 smash hit “Funky Friday”. In a statement, Fredo explained that he scrapped his original version of Money Can’t Buy Happiness before settling on this current version, in part to portray a more realistic version of himself and his belie...
Song of the Week: FKA twigs and Headie One Unite Social Movements in “Don’t Judge Me”
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. The #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements may have different origins, but they share certain goals: among them, making certain that those who suffer sexual abuse and racial injustice, respectively, are acknowledged, listened to, and believed. Only when those things happen can healing begin, changes be implemented, and true justice attained. In this week’s Top Song, British artists FKA twigs and Headie One bring their own survival stories together and, in doing so, unite these movements under a common anthem. This collaboration, which ...
Death Grips’ Gmail and the Restraining Orders EP, “More Than the Fairy” Finally Added to Spotify, Apple: Stream
It’s been two years and counting since we last got a proper album from Death Grips, but today’s surprise drop should keep fans preoccupied in the meantime. The group’s experimental EP Gmail and the Restraining Orders and one-off single “More Than the Fairy” have finally been added to streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple. Gmail and the Restraining Orders is a 30-minute collection of noise rock that was played prior to Death Grips’ live shows in 2015. The project was then featured in Warp Records’ WXAXRXP radio festival in 2019, before subsequently being released onto YouTube. As for “More Than the Fairy”, this track was initially put out on YouTube in 2016. It notably features bass from special (and very unexpected) guest Les Claypool of Primus. The collaboration is consider...
T.I. and Wife Tiny Issue Statement Denying Accusations of Sexual Abuse
T.I. and Tameka “Tiny” Harris, image via Instagram/@majorgirl Rapper T.I. and his wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris have both been accused of horrendous sexual abuses by former family friend Sabrina Peterson, who says she has anonymously collected dozens of women’s stories. Now, the Atlanta MC and his partner have released a statement “emphatically” denying the claims. Peterson, who runs the Instagram account @TheGlamUniversity, posted a statement earlier this week accusing the Atlanta MC of putting “A GUN TO MY HEAD IN FRONT OF CHILDREN.” While she herself has not accused T.I. of sexual misconduct, she alleges that dozens of women have since anonymously reached out to her. Their stories, which she has collected on her Instagram stories as screenshots of DMs, include being pressur...
