Billboard Unfiltered
In this episode Billboard Unfiltered, Billboard staffers Trevor Anderson, Kyle Denis, Damien Scott and Carl Lamarre rank the best rap and R&B albums of 2024, go through the biggest scandals of the year, share their predictions for 2025 and more!
Damien Scott:You’re out here talking, you know, making the 2024 song about dating and getting into arguments and s–t.
Kyle Denis:In 2024 specifically.
Damien Scott:This is all Kat Williams’ fault.
Trevor Anderson:That’s really where it started.
Carl Lamarre:In case y’all missed last week’s episode, there were talks about y’all potentially being gone because Amber and Regina killed it.
Trevor Anderson:Oh, was that the conversations in the back?
Carl Lamarre:Yeah, but the OG squad is here!
Trevor Anderson:I see those conversations got squashed quickly.
Carl Lamarre:We got Charles and Kenny back, you know what I’m saying?
Damien Scott:We’re what’s best for the show.
Trevor Anderson:Shout-out to Kenny, man.
Carl Lamarre:No, I was happy to have the gang back especially for this last episode of 2024. We unveiled two fire lists this week, which include the Best Rap Albums of 2024 and the Best R&B Albums of 2024, so what we’ll do, I’m going to give a quick breakdown of the top 10. The full list is on billboard.com, so here’s the top 10.
For the Best Rap Album of 2024: No. 10 Freddie Gibbs’ You Only Die 1nce; nine: Future, Mixtape Pluto; eight: Latto, Sugar Honey Iced Tea; seven: Megan Thee Stallion, Megan: Act I and Megan: Act II; six: Schoolboy Q, Blue Lips; five: GloRilla, Glorious; four: Tyler, the Creator, Chromakopia; three: Doechii, Alligator Bites Never Heal; three: Future and Metro, We Don’t Trust You …
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In today’s the 25th episode of Billboard Unfiltered, Billboard staffers Kyle Denis and Carl Lamarre are joined by Vibe‘s Regina Cho and Amber Corinne. Together, they dissect Billboard’s 10 Hottest Female Rappers of 2024, discuss who fell off the list, share their personal favorites and explain why each rapper earned her ranking. They also react to Jay-Z’s assault allegations, his response and more.
Carl Lamarre:I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes from 10 to one.
Kyle Denis:Oh, you’re predicting it?
Regina Cho:I personally feel like the girlies were kind of just like, “OK the boys are fighting. I want to have fun. Like pack it up, like, please. Where’s Latto? Where’s Glo? Let’s go on tour, let’s wear our cheetah prints.”
Amber Corinne:I do think that Jay-Z might have known that this was coming and that’s why the response was so quick. I do believe it might’ve been prepared already.
Carl Lamarre:Yo , yo, yo. What’s going on, y’all? Welcome to a fresh episode of Billboard Unfiltered, No. 25! What it do? What it do? It may look a little different because we fired some cads, but we got some fresh superstars. Brother Kyle is still in the building.
Kyle Denis:I try to stay in the building.
Regina Cho:You kept the job.
Carl Lamarre:I’m still here. But no, we have two amazing superstars representing Vibe magazine. To my left, Ms. Amber Corrine, news staff writer, a beast all across. Make sure y’all see her interviews with the Rhythm + Flow cast.
Amber Corinne:Go watch that.
Carl Lamarre:Ms. Latto, Luda, DJ Khaled. We have … can I say an award winning? Can I do that?
Regina Cho:Oh my goodness, I was not prepared for this.
Carl Lamarre:An award winning podcast. She is also the associate news editor for Vibe magazine, Ms. Regina Cho.
Regina Cho:Hello Carl, look at us podding together!
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It’s Kendrick Lamar Week for Billboard Unfiltered following the Thanksgiving break. Lamar unleashed his GNX album without any sort of warning on Nov. 22, and the LP debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 319,000 equivalent units earned.
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Dot also took up a ton of real estate on this week’s Billboard Hot 100, with seven out of the top 10 and the entire top five. He even announced an accompanying 2025 North American stadium trek called the Grand National Tour, on which his “Luther” collaborator and former Top Dawg Entertainment running mate SZA will be joining him.
There was a clean sweep of approval from the quartet of co-hosts, with GNX launching Lamar into the album of the year conversation and stamping his banner year of rap domination.
Deputy Director of R&B/Hip-Hop Carl Lamarre believes K. Dot’s ’24 rivals some of the great years rap’s seen in the last 25 years. “Him being able to land three No. 1s this year on the Hot 100 … Him announcing this tour, him having a No. 1 album,” he said. “I think his run this year is probably comparable to what we’ve seen from an ’08 [Lil] Wayne, an ’03 50 [Cent], a 2018 Drake with what he’s been able to do.”
Editorial Director Damien Scott credited Lamar with “blanketing the culture” and compared GNX to Jay-Z’s The Blueprint with how direct and to the point the project is while releasing digestible hit records. “To me, this album feels like a Jay-Z album. It feels like The Blueprint. It’s very direct, it’s very to the point. Here’s Jay at the height of his powers being like, ‘I run this s–t. F–k all of you.’ Just like Kendrick is on the opening track,” Scott opined. “First it was f–k this one guy, now it’s f–k all of you … It’s an amazing rap record.”
The Debbie Deb-sampling “Squabble Up” launched at No. 1 on the Hot 100, and Senior Charts Analyst Trevor Anderson didn’t expect to hear a hit record like that. “Coming off ‘Squabble Up,’ I was up there looking like Jonathan Majors in my apartment doing the little civil rights dance,” he joked. “One thing we missed with Mr. Morale was a clean Kendrick hit.”
Elsewhere during Billboard Unfiltered, the staff discussed Drake making a pair of legal filings against Universal Music Group in November, alleging that his record label artificially inflated the popularity of Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”
Staff Writer Kyle Denis was confused initially by the 6 God’s legal actions, but believes the first pre-filing has a chance to be a landmark case if it indeed heads to trial and there’s a ruling in Drake’s favor that shakes up streaming’s landscape. “If this does end up going to trial and we get a decision that actually impacts the very model of streaming, this would be an important case,” he stated. “All of that is still colored by the timing of it all, and this arriving during GNX week. It’s a little bit pathetic … It just feels a little bit ‘Let me do what I can to muddy up this guy’s release week any way that I can.’”
Watch the full episode above.
In this episode of Billboard Unfiltered, Billboard staffers Kyle Denis, Trevor Anderson, Carl Lamarre and Damien Scott discuss Kendrick Lamar’s GNX chart takeover, along with their initial reactions to the surprise drop, Drake’s legal battle with UMG over “Not Like Us,” J. Cole’s Inevitable podcast series and his 10-year anniversary show at MSG for Forest Hill Drive.
Carl Lamarre:I think his run this year is probably comparable to what we see maybe from like an ‘08 Wayne, an ‘03 50, a 2018 Drake.
Kyle Denis:I don’t like this arriving during, you know, GNX week, it’s like … it’s a little bit pathetic.
Trevor Anderson:Oh I already know I love this. I just haven’t had access to it and you mean to tell me it’s right here, you know, on the app that I already use. Like, let’s go, let’s download it, let’s play it.
Carl Lamarre: Before the break, Compton superstar Kendrick Lamar did a surprise drop. Now I’m here to talk about it with you guys. GNX, his sixth studio album, 12 tracks, featuring SZA, a slew of up-and-coming L.A. rappers. The project came No. 1 on the 200, 319 album equivalent units, seven records in the top 10 of the Hot 100. He’s occupying the top five, No. 1 with “Squabble Up.” Mr. Lamar is back in full force, gentlemen. How do we feel about this album?
Damien Scott:Fire, in a word.
Carl Lamarre:Fire?
Damien Scott: Fire. Also, just straightforward rap. You know, just like … I know that PG, Dave and Kendrick love to be subversive, they love to just do what everyone is not expecting them to do, and I think this album is a great example of that. Every Kendrick album is like a grand affair. It has this big, huge meaning that has to get worked through.
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In this episode Billboard Unfiltered, Billboard staffers Kyle Denis, Trevor Anderson and Damien Scott recap J. Cole’s Inevitable episode 1 and the fan reactions, what to expect from Beyonce’s Christmas halftime show, debate if celebrities were paid for their endorsements, monitor celebrity movement from X to Bluesky and more! Damien Scott:For someone like Jermaine, who is […]
In this episode of ‘Billboard Unfiltered,’ Billboard staffers Carl Lamarre, Trevor Anderson, Kyle Denis and Damien Scott discuss the significant role hip-hop artists have played in the upcoming election by being vocal about their endorsements. They also react to Tyler, the Creator’s ‘CHROMAKOPIA,’ Lil Durk’s arrest, and the reasons more rappers are ending up in jail, and more!
Carl Lamarre:
I know you’ve said he’s in your Big 3. I think this has solidified it.
Kyle Denis:
I mean, last two albums won Grammys, he’s going to probably lock up another No. 1, hopefully, with this one.
Carl Lamarre:
I don’t think Ari got that kind of time or the patience to really try to play this indie game.
Trevor Anderson:
You really trying to put somebody away for, you know, charges that are going to be murder. You know it’s got to be multi-decade sentences, life sentences. All these kinds of things.
Damien Scott:
It really feels like rap kind of gave up this election. We kind of sat this one out.
Carl Lamarre:
Hey guys what’s going on and welcome to another episode of ‘Billboard Unfiltered.’
Damien Scott:
What’s good?
Carl Lamarre:
Gentleman!
Trevor Anderson:
What’s up?
Kyle Denis:
Yo, yo, yo.
C
And we’re back again, let’s close out this week in a good way. We got some music on Monday from a certain cat called Tyler, the Creator. His seventh studio album, ‘CHROMAKOPIA.’
Damien Scott:
I enjoyed the Monday release. I enjoyed the Monday morning-
Carl Lamarre:
It feels good right?
Damien Scott:
I enjoyed going to work, listening to a new album in the morning, on a Monday morning, starting the week with new music. I liked that, we should try more of that.
Kyle Denis:
If more releases are as good as this one, I am all for Monday’s.
Carl Lamarre:
You know, we could be on to something.
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In this episode of Billboard Unfiltered, Billboard staffers Carl Lamarre, Trevor Anderson, Damien Scott and Kyle Denis break down GloRilla’s No. 5 debut with Glorious and Rod Wave’s No. 2 debut Last Lap on the Billboard 200, discussing why they are so successful. They dive into whether hip-hop journalism is dead, if the BET Hip-Hop Awards should continue and more!
Trevor Anderson:Glo had that one year, she had “F.N.F.” she had “Tomorrow 2” and that’s the end of GloRilla. So for her to come back, not only with these songs.
Damien Scott:Which is insane, it was such an insane narrative.
Carl Lamarre:Is it time to put a bow on the BET Hip Hop Awards, which started in 2006, and call it a day? Or what changes would y’all make?
Damien Scott:They want participation, but they don’t, themselves, want to participate.
Carl Lamarre:Hip-hop is back clearly on the Billboard 200 in terms of we got Mr. Rod Wave debuting at No. 2 this week with Last Lap with 127,000 while Ms. Glo, big Glo.
Kyle Denis:Big Glo!
Carl Lamarre:No. 5 this week with 69,000 her debut album, Glorious, doubling her mixtape which came out earlier this year, Ehhthang Ehhthang, so shout out to those two for making their splashes this week. We’ll start with this: What are you guys more surprised about I guess — is it Rod not going No. 1? Is it Glo getting a top five entry? Thoughts.
Damien Scott:It’s got to be Glo because this is just what Rod does, Rod is just nothing if not consistent, and you know I think the idea of him going up against a Jelly … I thought he was going to take it, but you know, especially because I like Jelly Roll, I do. I actually like Jelly Roll. I don’t think this was the album that I would see he would, if I had to play an album for people, this is not the album I would give people to listen to of his.
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In this episode of ‘Billboard Unfiltered,’ Billboard staffers Carl Lamarre, Trevor Anderson and Kyle Denis debate who the new big three of rap are, why Tommy Richman’s debut album failed, the current state of R&B and more!
Carl Lamarre:
Uzi was in those conversations, I feel like Lil Baby was in those conversations as well.
Trevor Anderson:
You know, A&R Twitter, PR Twiiter, management Twitter is sitting there thinking “what?”
Kyle Denis:
The artists are the issue, because there have been major R&B moments I feel like in recent years.
Carl Lamarre:
Hey, what’s going on guys. Welcome to a fresh episode of ‘Billboard Unfiltered,’ and we have the gang here. Trevor Anderson, Kyle Denis.
Kyle Denis:
Yo, yo, yo.
Carl Lamarre:
No Damien Scott. He is on the mend but will be back. We want to start the show because I know you were out.
Trevor Anderson:
I didn’t want to say it, but…
Carl Lamarre:
We got to do a quick “happy birthday” seg, you know, a little sing-along.
Trevor Anderson:
What, a little two-part harmony?
Kyle Denis & Carl Lamarre:
*singing*
Carl Lamarre:
I could’ve gone all the way in. Wow, we gave you a little something, something.
Kyle Denis:
We’re giving you a little tease. We’re thinking of all the viewers right now.
Trevor Anderson:
Yeah, first show was, you’re old, and yeah it was a really good one. There was no crazy sort of all in one, but there was a couple events throughout a couple different days. Got to hang out with a lot of different friends.
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In this episode of Billboard Unfiltered, Billboard staffers Carl Lamarre, Kyle Denis, and Damien Scott dissect J. Cole’s features on Tee Grizzley’s “BLOW FOR BLOW” and Daylyt’s “A Plate of Collard Greens,” as well as his best features overall. The team also gives their predictions for who could receive a 2025 Grammy nomination, discusses Ye’s […]
In this episode of ‘Billboard Unfiltered,’ Billboard staffers Tetris Kelly, Trevor Anderson, Kyle Denis and Damien Scott go into Janet Jackson’s “not black” claim towards Kamala Harris, and the aftermath after her comment. The team also broke down Future’s third album ‘Mixtape Pluto’, Chlöe Bailey’s career and more! Damien Scott: In his new video that […]