genre hiphop

What’s Doechii’s Red Flag When It Comes to Dating? ‘Straight Men’

Doechii is openly bisexual, as the Swamp Princess came out in a 2022 interview with GQ. The rapper faced off with her DJ Miss Milan on Friday (March 7) for an episode of Hot Ones Versus, where the duo revealed their red flags when it comes to the dating scene.

“Is it being on the DL?” Miss Milan asked.

Doechii said she was on the right track but revealed the red flag was actually “being a straight man.” Milan had a laugh and admitted she was actually going to plainly say, “Men.”

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The Grammy-winning rapper hasn’t been shy about discussing her sexuality as her star power and exposure grows. “I’m bisexual. That’s cool,” she told The Breakfast Club in December. “I’ve dated bisexual men, no problem.”

Doechii continued: “Let me know what it is up front. I’ll accept you for who you are. It doesn’t really matter,” she said. “I think it’s like cheating on top of lying and secrecy about just who you are as a person. How can I be bisexual and then I’m gonna date somebody else who’s bisexual? Why, because it’s a man? Who cares?”

The Top Dawg Entertainment signee confirmed she had a girlfriend and went on to add, “I think that sexuality is fluid and I really don’t give a damn.”

On the music side, Doechii is preparing to cement her quantum leap to stardom with her debut album later this year.

The 26-year-old is coming off a best rap album win at the 2025 Grammy Awards for her Alligator Bites Never Heal mixtape and currently holds a pair of slots on this week’s Billboard Hot 100. “Denial Is a River” sits at No. 25 and her JENNIE collaboration “ExtraL” debuted at No. 75.

Watch the full Hot Ones Versus episode below.

Everybody Loves This Roy Ayers Hit: 21 Songs That Sample ‘Everybody Loves the Sunshine’

While the music world mourns Roy Ayers, the Godfather of Neo-Soul and a jazz-funk pioneer who died at age 84 on March 4, the hip-hop community will always remember him as one of its brightest inspirations.

“Everybody Loves the Sunshine,” the enduring hit from Roy Ayers Ubiquity’s 1976 album of the same name, became the highlight of his legacy — and everybody loved it so much they couldn’t help but borrow a bit of its brilliance. The New York Times‘ obituary for Ayers reported that “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” has been sampled nearly 200 times.

“Well, I have more sampled hits than anybody,” he said in a 2004 interview with Wax Poetics. “I might not have more samples than James Brown, but I’ve had more sampled hits. Oh, man, and there’s a few I don’t know about.”

Mary J. Blige — who sampled “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” for “My Life” from her 1994 album of the same name, which was later interpolated on “MJB Da MVP” featuring 50 Cent, on her 2005 LP The Breakthrough — opened up about the song’s indelible impact on her in her 2021 documentary My Life. “I don’t know what’s in that record, but it was something in it that just cracked open everything in me. That was the first music as a child that stuck with me because it made me forget that we lived where we lived,” Blige said in the film. “‘My life in the sunshine’ was something I wanted.” The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul also heavily sampled Ayers’ 1976 track “Searching” on her 1997 album Share My World.

Like Blige, Dr. Dre, TLC, Juvenile and Joe Budden also have songs titled “My Life,” while Scarface and Naughty by Nature have songs called “Sunshine.” Thirty years after he sampled “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” on “Book of Life” from his 1994 album Resurrection, Common dug back in the crates and dusted off the sample for the Grammy-nominated song “When the Sun Shines,” featuring Posdnuos, from his and Pete Rock‘s 2024 Grammy-nominated joint LP The Auditorium Vol. 1.

Outside of being sampled and interpolated by hip-hop heavyweights, Ayers also collaborated with Tyler, the Creator on “Find Your Wings,” also featuring Syd and Kali Uchis, from Tyler’s 2015 album Cherry Bomb; Erykah Badu on “Cleva” from her 2000 LP Mama’s Gun; The Roots on “Proceed II” from the deluxe version of the band’s 2005 album Do You Want More?!!!??!; and Talib Kweli on “In the Mood,” also featuring Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), from his 2007 album Eardrum as well as on “Something Special” from Kweli and Madlib‘s 2024 joint LP Liberation 2.

“Roy Ayers called me like ‘tyler, hey man, those changes are amazing, your chord selection is just beautiful my man’ OMG MY HEART MELTED,” Tyler tweeted in 2015. The Chromakopia rapper also sampled Ayers’ 1982 track “Ooh” on “Pothole,” featuring Jaden Smith, from his 2017 album Flower Boy. Later that same year, Ayers performed at his Camp Flog Gnaw festival. Questlove hailed him as “the cat who birthed us all in the ‘vibes only’ movement. The Soundtrack that ALL the incense you ever burned was truly made for. Thank You Roy Edward Ayers Jr for EVERYTHING you gave us. taught us. showed us. soothed us.”

Billboard rounded up 21 hip-hop and R&B songs that have sampled and interpolated Roy Ayers Ubiquity’s “Everybody Loves the Sunshine,” in order from newest to oldest.

50 Cent Trolls Jim Jones & Floyd Mayweather With ‘Rocky III’ Edit

50 Cent is up to his trolling ways again, and he’s still relishing being somewhat responsible for the recent spat between Cam’ron and Jim Jones.

The Queens rapper and filmmaker posted and deleted an AI-created video on Instagram of Jim Jones, Cam’ron, and Floyd Mayweather playing characters in a scene from Rocky III. Jones, as Clubber Lang, publicly challenges Killa as Rocky, but Cam’s trainer Floyd Mayweather as Mickey advises him not to take the fight and stay retired.

This all stems from 50 making an appearance on Cam’ron’s talk show Talk With Flee a few weeks back when the two old foes reminisced about the time when they were trading diss songs because 50 downplayed The Diplomats signing with former indie label Koch. It was also a situation that gave us one of the more memorable moments in Rap Internet history in Cam sending 50 a video message as he stood in front of the pool of his vacation home while in his boxers.

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Jim Jones got involved because 50 and Cam talked about when he and Juelz Santana performed at a G-Unit show during their beef, prompting Jones to take offense when the interview was brought up while he was talking to Justin Laboy.

Anyway, while on The Breakfast Club, Capo referred to Cam as “a birdhead” and challenged him to a boxing match for $10 million. “You with Mayweather and ’em,” Jones said referring to Cam living in Las Vegas these days. “$10 million. I’ll meet you in any boxing ring. Now go make some jokes about that on your next show. I’ll box your head off. You know that. Don’t play with me. Now go type about that.”

Speaking of boxing, Cam and Mase blamed Jimmy and Juelz for Gervonta Davis earning himself a draw in his recent fight with Lamont Roach Jr., which made Jim tell Mase to go on a diet.

Instagram page HolliHoodNews is responsible for the edits and they posted about four videos in total. You can check them out here.

Antonio Brown Says He’s Performing at Fyre Fest 2

Billy McFarland’s Fyre Fest 2 is slated to take place on Isla Mujeres in Mexico from May 30 to June 2, and one artist has announced his appearance on the bill.

Former NFL star Antonio “AB” Brown claimed in an interview with TMZ Sports on Thursday (March 6) that he’s been booked for a performance on May 30.

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“Ayo, this is AB and I’ll be performing at Fyre Fest part 2 in Mexico on May 30. Be there or be square,” AB said while rocking an army helmet. “Make sure you put that sh– on.”

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Isla Mujeres is located in the state of Quintana Roo and is about a half-hour ferry ride from Cancun. Various ticket packages are available, ranging from $1,400 to $25,000, and there’s even a $1 million package for eight people that has access to luxury villas, a private marina and a private jet.

AB is the first confirmed artist for Fyre Fest 2. The festival has yet to release a lineup of talent. Festival organizers reportedly told TMZ that they have booked several artists.

Billboard reached out to two of the biggest booking agencies for music festivals in February, and neither heard from reps for Fyre Fest 2.

Antonio Brown played his last game in the NFL on Jan. 2, 2022, when he famously left the field with no shirt on mid-game and never took another snap on the gridiron.

AB turned to rapping and a friendship with Ye (formerly Kanye West), who executive-produced his Paradigm project, which arrived in 2022 with standouts like “Put That Sh– On” and features from DaBaby, Young Thug, French Montana, Fivio Foreign and Keyshia Cole. He performed at Rolling Loud California in 2023.

The original Fyre Fest took place in April 2017 and is remembered as one of the most disastrous festivals in music history.

Convicted fraudster Billy McFarland is getting a second chance and he’s promising this edition won’t be a repeat of the first. McFarland was sentenced to six years in 2018 after admitting to defrauding investors of millions of dollars. He was released to a halfway house in 2022.

Comedian Hannah Berner Apologizes to Megan Thee Stallion After Interview Backlash: ‘It Was a Careless Choice of Words’

Comedian Hannah Berner is apologizing to Megan Thee Stallion after her interview with the Grammy-winning rapper on the Vanity Fair Oscar party red carpet over the weekend drew backlash from fans.

The part of Berner’s interview drawing ire is when she said she listens to Meg’s music “when I want to fight someone.” Megan immediately rejected that framing of her music, responding, “You want to throw that fighting sh– out the window and you want to get cute and be a bad bi—.”

Clearly Berner heard the backlash to the idea of attaching violence to Megan’s music — after the rapper has been open about surviving domestic violence and being shot by Tory Lanez in 2020 — posting an apology to her Instagram Stories on Thursday.

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“Interviewing Megan Thee Stallion was a dream of mine,” she wrote in the now-expired Story. “I love her music and it’s my go to whenever I need to boost my confidence before a show. Looking back at the interview, I wish I used any other word except ‘fight’ to describe how her songs impact me. It was a careless choice of words and though there was no ill intent, I recognize and acknowledge that what I said has a deeper meaning and I am so sorry to Megan. I appreciate everyone who brought this to my attention.”

You can watch the interview with Megan here:

Megan Thee Stallion released her most recent album, Megan: Act II, back in October, and she’s already teasing her fans that Act III is coming in 2025. “Real Hot Girl Sh– ACT 3 2025 … be ready hotties,” she wrote on X.

Normani Goes Public With Her Relationship, Kai Cenat Debates LeBron vs. Jordan & More | Billboard News 

Normani went public with her relationship and credited Ciara and Russell Wilson for the setup, Kai Cenat debates who the GOAT is between MJ & LeBron, and GloRilla is ready to take the stage for various sports events.

What’s your favorite sports and music update from today? Let us know in the comments!

Kai Cenat:

You always got something to say about LBJ and I’m here to say it, bro: LeBron is better than Jordan, I said it.

Tetris Kelly:

Billboard cover star Kai Cenat was a guest on ESPN’s ‘First Take’ and he had a lot to say. Kai debated Stephen A. Smith on the MJ vs. LeBron GOAT debate and whether he was a better baller than Stephen A.

Kai Cenat:

Michael Jordan ain’t never had 50,000 points. Let’s talk about that, OK? 

Stephen A Smith:

He ain’t play 25 years.

Tetris Kelly:

Kai also shared his opinion on which team he’d like to see Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter get drafted to.

Kai Cenat:

He gotta come to the New York Giants. Come on, we need something. I feel like New York, yo we need something

Tetris Kelly:

We’ll just have to wait until the NFL draft in April to see if Kai’s wish comes true. But someone who can’t wait for the draft is GloRilla! March Madness is coming up & GloRilla was just announced as the headliner for AT&T’s Super Saturday concert at the Women’s NCAA Final Four on April 5 in Tampa. GloRilla told Billboard she “can’t wait to connect with her fans during one of the most exciting times for women’s sports.”

Keep watching for more!

Cash Cobain, Bay Swag & Rob49 Are ‘Trippin on a Yacht’: Watch

Cash Cobain makes addictive music.

Since he previewed “Trippin on a Yacht” on PlaqueBoyMax‘s stream earlier this year, the snippet has been all over TikTok, as has become a tradition when it comes to music he purposely teases on social media. And when he finally dropped the single, we included it on our Fresh Picks of the Week column.

So today we present to you the music video, which was shot in New Orleans, directed by Frankie and produced by FreeWater. With Cash flipping a sample of a New Orleans bounce beat, it made sense to hit Nola for the visuals. N.O. native Rob49, showed them some of that southern hospitality as he took Cash and Bay Swag through his city where they ended up partying on a yacht with India Love amidst a ton of booties bouncing. Maybe they can get Justin Bieber on the remix, with Biebervelli recently outing himself as a member of the Slizzy Mafia and the kids are calling him Slizzy Bieber.

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Cash is starting his year off on a good foot as he looks to follow up his impressive debut album Play Cash Cobain. Expect to hear the words “I think I gotta take another shot/ I think I fell in love with a thot/ The Don Julio got me hot” a lot this summer, especially in New York City.

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It looks like we’re in for another Slizzy Summer and the only question is: Will this summer be slizzier than the last?

Watch the video below.

Mustard, Lucky Daye & More Share How They Unplug From Social Media

It’s almost Global Day of Unplugging, and in honor of it, Mustard, Lucky Daye, Lil Mosey and more shared how they take a break from their screens to reconnect. 

Starting at sundown and lasting for the next 24 hours, take a moment — whether it’s a minute, an hour, or the full day — to unplug and be present.

How do you unplug? Let us know in the comments!

Rania Aniftos:
You’re always plugged in, always locked in. What do you do to unplug?

Lucky Daye:
I’ll travel or it’s really tough for me to unplug first of all, but I’ll break something just to put it back together.

Julia Michaels:
Things I do to unplug? Oh, I love the sun. Love to be in the grass. I love a drive. 

Tetris Kelly:
There we go. 

Julia Michaels:
Love a long drive.

Lil Mosey:
It’s hard to unplug. I was just saying last night. Right when you see a video on any Instagram, TikTok, you’re stuck in there for a whole hour just going.

Rania Aniftos:
Going down the rabbit hole with the weirdest stuff, too. 

Lil Mosey:
You just gotta throw your phone out the window or something. Just call it a day. 

Tetris Kelly:
For the people that might be at home right now feeling like I don’t know what to do. I’m tired of scrolling through Twitter or X. What advice do you have to them? 

Green Day:
Take a break, stay off of social media for a while. I think one of the worst things in the world is the anxiety that we all feel collectively, and I think it has a lot to do with social media freaking us out even more, and then all of a sudden, you just realize you go and you hang out with a friend and you just make those connections that you’re supposed to make. 

J. Cole Shares Wiz Khalifa ‘Clouds’ Freestyle

The Blog Era is back?

Both J. Cole and Wiz Khalifa have been going back to the fundamentals to start off 2025. They’ve each achieved massive success over the course of their careers and they know that to stay motivated, you sometimes have to do the things that got you there.

After releasing his Inevitable podcast last year that essentially worked as career retrospective, Cole launched his Algorithm blog, where he quips about things like AI and shares music he likes like a live performance from Tems.

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On Thursday (March 7), the Carolina rapper shared a Wiz Khalifa “Clouds” freestyle, saying that he “skated,” acknowledged the run Wiz has been on lately, as the Pittsburgh rapper has been dropping new music left and right since 2025 kicked off, and posted a new song from Premo Rice, Harry Fraud, Curren$y and Wiz entitled “Jill Scott.”

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And Cole didn’t lie about him skating, as he compared his rolling skills to Origami and boasts that he taught a generation how to roll a proper joint.

Last week, Wiz teased his freestyle in a video he posted on Instagram and told fans Cole reached out for him to get on it. “Cole asked me to do a verse on here,” he wrote. “And I don’t know when he’s gonna drop it so I figured I’d let y’all get a sneak peek. Taylor Gang the world.”

The Pittsburgh rapper is also planning on releasing the sequel to his classic mixtape Kush & Orange Juice on April 18 just in time for 4/20, which might explain this Blog Era run he’s been on.

You can check the song out on The Algorithm.

Big Sean Claims Beyoncé Called ‘I Don’t F–k With You’ ‘A Little Disrespectful’ & Suggested Nicki Minaj Feature

Sometimes, artists’ biggest hits are the ones they don’t see coming. Big Sean doubted the commercial appeal of “I Don’t F–k With You” and thought it was “dumb” while nearly cutting it from his 2015 Dark Sky Paradise album.

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Sean Don joined Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown and his brother Equanimeous St. Brown on March 5 for an episode of the St. Brown Podcast, which saw the Detroit native recall playing “I Don’t F–k With You” for Beyoncé and Jay-Z at their house ahead of the project’s arrival.

According to Sean Don, Bey thought the brash anthem was “a little disrespectful” and suggested Nicki Minaj as a feature to balance the track, while Hov loved it and implored him to release the song.

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“I went to their house and was playing them songs. Beyoncé was like, ‘It’s a little disrespectful. Maybe you should [get] Nicki Minaj on it for a female’s voice.’ Jay-Z was like, ‘Nah, it’s hard, though.’ He was like, ‘People gonna get it that you just having fun.’”

Sean continued: “Then I remember I was getting texts from Hov. He sent me a text one time that was like, ‘Every day you not putting that song out, you losing.’ I almost didn’t put it on the album. I thought it was a little dumb.”

Billboard has reached out to reps for Beyoncé for confirmation.

Fortunately for fans, Big Sean added E-40 to the mix and kept “I Don’t F–k With You” on Dark Sky Paradise, which went on to reach No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, and is nearly diamond at 9x-platinum.

A day before Dark Sky Paradise‘s release (the album celebrated its 10th anniversary in February), Big Sean paid homage to one of his favorite Bey tracks with a freestyle over 2003’s “Me, Myself and I.”

Watch the full clip below.