genre hiphop
Page: 10
What is Frank Ocean up to? The multi-hyphenate man of mystery recently sent fans into a tizzy with what the kids are calling his supposed finsta account (@kikiboyyyyyyy), which features a profile picture of Michael Jordan holding up three fingers that can be interpreted as Ocean hinting at his third album (and before you react, […]
Lil Durk clinches a milestone 10th top 10 project on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart as Deep Thoughts opens at No. 2 on the list dated April 12. The set, released March 28 through Alamo Records, starts with 64,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. for the week ending April 3, according to Luminate.
Streaming activity fuels almost all of Deep Thoughts’ first week, with 63,000 units deriving from the sector, equaling 85.9 million official on-demand U.S. audio and video streams of the album’s songs. 1,000 units are from traditional album sales, with a negligible amount of track-equivalent unit (TEA) activity. (One unit equals the following levels of consumption: one album sale, 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams for a song on the album.)
Lil Durk, who is currently incarcerated amid federal murder-for-hire charges, lands his 10th top 10 effort two months short of his 10th anniversary on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. He arrived on the list dated June 20, 2015, when Remember My Name began at No. 2.
Trending on Billboard
Here’s a full review of the rapper’s top 10s on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart:
Album Name, Artist (if other than Lil Durk), Peak Position, Peak DateRemember My Name, No. 2, June 20, 2015Lil Durk 2X, No. 5, Aug. 13, 2016Signed to the Streets 3, No. 8, Nov. 24, 2018Love Songs 4 the Streets 2, No. 2, Aug. 17, 2019Just Cause Y’all Waited 2, No. 2, July 11, 2020The Voice, No. 1 (two weeks), Jan. 16, 2021The Voice of the Heroes, with Lil Baby, No. 1 (one week), June 19, 20217220, No. 1 (five weeks), March 26, 2022Almost Healed, No. 1 (two weeks), June 10, 2023Deep Thoughts, No. 2 (to date), April 12, 2025
Elsewhere, Deep Thoughts launches at No. 2 on the Top Rap Albums chart and at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200.
[embedded content]
Alongside Deep Thoughts’ debut, 14 of its tracks flood the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. “Vanish Mode” leads the pack with a No. 16 start and was the album’s most-streamed track for the week, at 7.9 million clicks. Of the 14 cuts, 11 make their debut, while “Turn Up the Notch” (No. 30) and “Monitoring Me” (No. 32) return for their second weeks on the list – after each charted for one week last October – and achieve new peaks. Lastly, “Can’t Hide It,” featuring Jhene Aiko, rallies 34-24 in its second week.
A couple of days ago, Portland’s Animé previewed his latest single via On the Radar, complete with his own backup dancers, and on Wednesday (April 9), he made the song available on streaming services after announcing his first album since 2020’s Limbo. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and […]
Sada Baby was arrested on drug possession charges in Michigan on Tuesday (April 8). According to Macomb County Sheriff’s Office records, Sada (real name Casada Sorrell) was booked in Macomb County Jail by the Sterling Heights Police Department. Per The Detroit News, Sada Baby’s arrest stemmed from a traffic stop in January. Last week, Sterling […]
Travis Scott and Pop Smoke connected in late 2019 for “GATTI,” and the gritty visual saw the duo riding in style inside a lavish Bugatti Chiron.
Instead of renting the luxury sports cars, Scott wanted to make the video authentic, so he ended up buying the Bugatti Chiron — reportedly worth more than $5 million — off the lot, which he explained to Complex‘s Joe La Puma as part of the publication’s On Display series.
“I remember I was doing the song, and Pop’s like, ‘You know, we gotta bring Bugattis out, man!’ I forgot who was helping us with the video,” Scott recalled. “The guy was like, ‘Yeah, man, I know somebody that can bring some Bugattis out for us.’”
La Flame continued: “I’m thinking, ‘Bring ’em out for us?’ Nah, f–k that. So I’m like, ‘Naw, I’m just gonna go and get this.’ We was at the shoot, me and Pop. He was like, ‘Man, damn bro. This s–t smells brand new.’ I was like ‘Yeah, bro. I just got it like a week ago.’”
Trending on Billboard
“GATTI” went on to serve as a standout from Scott and Cactus Jack’s JACKBOYS label compilation project in December 2019. The drill track peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was Pop’s first Hot 100 entry. The Brooklyn rapper was killed less than two months later in February 2020 during an armed robbery shooting in L.A.’s Hidden Hills.
Pop Smoke was just 20 at the time of his death, and Scott had envisioned an extremely bright future for his friend as one of the superstars that would change the rap game.
“You one of the illest rappers,” he recalled telling Pop in 2019. “I feel like you changing the whole sound of New York. I don’t even know if you know right now, but from the sound of the beats to the way you putting it together, it’s gonna create an allegiance of sound and the creatives so you gonna have a million [Bugattis].”
Watch the “GATTI” video and Scott’s sit-down with Complex below.
Loyle Carner has shared his first taste of new music in almost three years with the release of new singles “All I Need” and “In My Mind.”
The London-based musician (real name Ben Coyle-Larner) released hugo, his most recent LP, in October 2022. The album hit the No. 3 spot on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart and was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize.
In the last week, he began teasing new music with photos from the studio on his Instagram, and in an accompanying press release, Carner said that indie acts such as Fontaines D.C., Idles and Big Thief inspired him to write more alternative music after years with his hip-hop-influenced sound.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
On the tour supporting hugo, Carner formed a live band to help elevate his material, and utilised the new set-up for “All I Need” and “In My Mind.” The tour concluded in August 2024 with a show at London’s 35,000-capacity All Points East festival in Victoria Park.
Trending on Billboard
Carner is yet to confirm the release of what could be his fourth studio album, but in June, he will headline Glastonbury’s Other Stage alongside other huge names across the weekend, including Charli XCX and The Prodigy, and has teased it as “his only show of the summer.” The Pyramid Stage will be headlined by The 1975, Olivia Rodrigo and Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts.
Since arriving on the British scene more than a decade ago, the south Londoner has released three studio albums — Yesterday’s Gone (2017), Not Waving, but Drowning (2019) and hugo (2022) — and his material has crossed over 1.1 billion streams throughout his career. In that time, he has sold out historic venues such as London’s Wembley Arena, and collaborated closely with guitarist Tom Misch and jazz group Ezra Collective.
He has been passionate about his love of cooking and raising awareness for people living with ADHD. In 2024, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of the Arts London, and was recently announced to star in his first acting gig in the upcoming BBC series Mint, by BAFTA-nominated Scrapper director Charlotte Regan.
Listen to his two new songs below:
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard Hot 100 dated April 19, we look at a number of albums threatening to end the seven-week reign of Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s “Luther” — led by a recent rival’s own runaway hit.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Drake, “Nokia” (Santa Anna/OVO/Republic): Well at this point, it’s official: Drake has another smash on his hands. Aided by the debut last Monday (March 31) of the song’s long-awaited, IMAX-filmed music video, “Nokia” jumps from No. 7 to a new peak of No. 3 on the Hot 100 this week – now making it the biggest hit from his and PartyNextDoor’s new collaborative album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, passing the No. 6 peak of “Gimme a Hug,” and rating as his highest-peaking hit since 2013.
Trending on Billboard
Now, it’s a question of whether it could climb those last two spots to No. 1. It’s certainly trending in the right direction, as its streaming numbers continue to climb, with the song currently sitting atop both the Apple Music real-time chart and the Spotify Daily Top Songs USA listing. It’s also been lingering near the top of the iTunes realtime chart, after rebounding to No. 2 on the Digital Song Sales chart last week. And most crucially, it’s been growing on radio, debuting at No. 44 on Radio Songs this week and trending towards the top 40 for next week (up 32% in audience from March 4-7, according to Luminate).
That last part is where it has the most ground to make up if it’s going to have any shot at unseating the current longtime frontrunner – which just happens to be from Drake’s recent opponent on the mic, Kendrick Lamar, with SZA on the seven-week No. 1 “Luther.” That song tops Radio Songs for the first time this week, and should be widening its lead on the listing next week, while also still reigning on Streaming Songs. Drake’s got the momentum, but he’s going to probably have to keep riding it for a little while to replicate his Billboard 200 unseating of Lamar a couple months ago on the Hot 100.
Alex Warren, “Ordinary” (Atlantic): One of the surprise breakout hits of 2025 has come from YouTuber-turned-performing artist Alex Warren. The California singer-songwriter has been climbing the Hot 100 in recent weeks with his ballad “Ordinary” — which first took off on TikTok, and then exploded after he performed it on a reunion episode for season eight of Netflix’s hit reality show Love Is Blind. Last week, the song became Warren’s first top 20 hit on the Hot 100, and this week, it jumps another six spots to No. 14 on the chart.
Next week, the song might have the top 10 in its sights. It continues to build on streaming, now residing in the top 10 on both the Apple Music real-time and Spotify daily charts, and has taken over the top spot on the iTunes real-time chart as well. Most crucially, radio is beginning to embrace “Ordinary,” with the song up 81% to more than four million in airplay audience March 4-7, according to Luminate, as it debuts at No. 31 on the Pop Airplay chart this week. The U.S. is just catching up to the rest of the world at this point, as “Ordinary” has already reached No. 3 on both Billboard Global charts, as well as topping the Official UK Singles chart for three weeks and counting.
BigXthaPlug feat. Bailey Zimmerman, “All the Way” (UnitedMasters): BigXthaPlug and Bailey Zimmerman have both been frequent presences on the Hot 100 the past couple years, and now both look to potentially be headed for their biggest hit yet with their new collab. “All the Way,” expected to be the lead single from an upcoming country-themed set from rapper BigX, is off to an awesome start on streaming — rating in the top five on Spotify’s daily chart and behind only “Nokia” at No. 2 on Apple Music, while its domestic drama-and-monster-trucks-themed music video leads even “Nokia” on YouTube’s trending page for Music. The song hasn’t found its radio footing yet, but if it ever does, it looks like it could easily become one of the biggest hits of spring and summer.
Morgan Wallen, “Just in Case” (Big Loud/Republic/Mercury): Morgan Wallen currently has five songs rating in the top 40 of the Hot 100 – including last year’s “Love Somebody” and Post Malone-led “I Had Some Help,” as well as newer cuts “I’m the Problem” and “I’m a Little Crazy.” But the one with the most momentum currently is probably “Just in Case,” which notches a second week in the top 10 at No. 8. this week, after debuting at No. 4. The song is still performing very well on DSPs, and has already started making inroads at radio, where it is likely to jump into the Country Airplay top 40 next week – meaning it could be peaking right around the time Wallen releases his highly anticipated fourth album I’m the Problem next month.
Ye (formerly Kanye West) has been staunch in his support for Donald Trump since the business mogul’s first presidential term. During a stream with Digital Nas on Tuesday (April 8), the embattled rapper claimed that Frank Ocean attempted to talk him out of supporting the twice-impeached president prior to the 2016 election.
“Frank Ocean p—y a– come over my house talking about Trump all day and how I shouldn’t support Trump,” he said. “N—a f–k you know about politics and n—a I’m your motherf—ing senior, OG, y’all used to come on tour with mea.”
Ye continued: “None of you n—-s can tell me about politics n—a. F–k you think? You read a book and now you can tell me some s–t? None of these n—-s as talented. I’m the greatest motherf—ing artist that ever existed. They can just be slightly better at one thing cause they only do that one thing.”
Billboard has reached out to Ocean’s reps for comment.
Ye — who has faced continued backlash for his ongoing hate speech — hasn’t been shy about his support for Trump over the years. He originally had a pro-Trump rant during his Saint Pablo Tour in 2016 and met up with the president at Trump Towers in December 2016 for a photo op.
He pulled up to the White House in 2018 while rocking a red MAGA hat, where he spoke about his appreciation for the president and met with Trump at the Oval Office. Ye kept the MAGA hat on throughout the year and even wore it during his appearance on Saturday Night Live.
While Ye opposed Trump in 2020 during his own brief presidential bid, he came back to support Trump — who has since been convicted on 34 felony charges in his hush money case — for the 2024 election as DT defeated Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
Around the time of the alleged conversation between Ocean and Ye in 2016, they had been collaborative on the music side. Ocean helmed “Frank’s Track” on The Life of Pablo, while West had a cameo on Blonde‘s “White Ferrari.” Ocean hasn’t released a project since.
However, West’s tune changed in March when he claimed during an explosive interview with DJ Akademiks that “Moon” from 2021’s Donda album was the end of his former collaborator’s time in music.
“Like when I made, ‘Moon,’ it basically ended Frank Ocean’s career. He ain’t have a song since then. He talking, ‘Sipping some wine.’ I knew it I heard it, I was like, ‘Oh, this n—a not gonna be able to make another album again,’” he said. “Any genre of music that anyone has, I make a better version of it. I’m 10 times stronger at music than anyone living.”
Weeks after rumors spread that Californian experimental hip-hop trio Death Grips had split, the band have now taken to social media to deny these claims.
Reports of the band’s initial breakup surfaced in early February, when a supposedly leaked message from producer Andy Morin appeared online, with the musician confirming, “yeah it’s over,” before placing the blame on vocalist MC Ride (whose real name is Stefan Burnett).
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Stefan doesn’t want to do any more,” the message read. “But truthfully none of us can ever predict what will happen with the group.” At the time, no public statement from the notoriously media-shy band was issued.
Trending on Billboard
However, on Tuesday (April 8), the group took to their semi-active Instagram account to share their first post since October 2023, confirming that Death Grips is still very much a going concern.
“Despite rumour and hearsay, we remain active as Death Grips,” a message signed by Burnett and drummer Zach Hill read in the post, with the text itself written in marker atop a framed artwork. Notably, the statement lacked Morin’s signature, potentially suggesting that the group will continue as a duo in the future.
Death Grips first formed in Sacramento, CA in 2010, with Burnett, Hill, and Morin sharing their debut EP Exmilitary in April 2011. The group found wider fame thanks to the release of debut album The Money Store the following year, with positive reviews accompanying its appearance in the top 20 of the Heatseeker Albums and Rap Albums charts, and a placing of No. 130 on the Billboard 200.
Following a handful of other releases, Death Grips announced their initial split in July 2014, claiming “We are now at our best and so Death Grips is over,” and withdrawing from a planned tour supporting Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden.
Despite this apparent breakup, the planned second half of their The Powers That B album followed in 2015, with the group returning to the live stage soon after. Further albums and EPs have since followed, though Death Grips have not performed live since an appearance at 2023’s Austin City Limits festival, and have announced no further live shows.
Cardi B is sending her love to the Dominican Republic after the tragic collapse of the Jet Set nightclub roof in Santo Domingo left at least 66 people dead and more than 160 injured, at the time of publication. The rapper, whose father is Dominican, wrote a message of mourning to her BG Secret Society […]