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Cam’ron has responded to former Terror Squad rapper Cuban Link alleging that Cam and Mase stole the chorus to Cam’s early hit song “Horse & Carriage.” Cuban Link told the story of how he originally came up with the hook in a resurfaced clip of his Link & Panda Show podcast. He explained that he […]
Ye (formerly Kanye West) is giving the sound of his next album a new label, which finds the Chicago native digging his heels into a recent string of antisemitic remarks. “This next album got that antisemitic sound,” West posted to X on Thursday afternoon (March 6). “My new sound called antisemitic.” It’s unclear if this […]
Two months removed from his Billboard cover story, Vybz Kartel is effortlessly maintaining his comeback momentum.
After attending last month’s Grammys (Feb. 2) on the heels of his very first nomination (best reggae album for Party With Me), Worl’ Boss received the Impact Award at the MOBO Awards, where he performed a medley of “Fever” and “Clarks.” This summer (July 13), he’ll join three-day headliner Drake as a special guest alongside PARTYNEXTDOOR, Summer Walker and Burna Boy.
Of course, the Caribbean music scene has been buzzing outside of Karrtel and dancehall. Earlier this week (March 3-4), Trinidad celebrated its Carnival with a explosive collection of new soca anthems. Machel Montano’s “Pardy” was crowned the Road March winner, racking up 267 plays. Bunji Garlin’s “Carry It” — a heavy favorite for the title — landed in a close second with 253 plays. The Arima-born artist also placed in third with “Thousand.” Montano’s victory marked his 11th Road March title, tying him with the late Aldwyn “Lord Kitchener” Roberts for the most of all time. The King of Soca also claimed first-ever Chutney Soca Monarch title with “Pepper Vince,” but he came in fifth place at Calypso Monarch behing Yung Bredda’s third place-finishing “We Rise.”
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Naturally, Billboard’s monthly Reggae/Dancehall Fresh Picks column will not cover every last track, but our Spotify playlist — which is linked below — will expand on the 10 highlighted songs. So, without any further ado:
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Valiant, “Whole Lotta”
One of dancehall’s brightest stars, Valiant continues his streak of solid rap performances and trap dancehall offerings with “Whole Lotta.” Fingerpicked guitar introduce the track, eventually slinking into the background and serving as warm complement to the dark underbelly of the song’s dancehall soundscape. “Rick Owens beats currency/ Gyal, come with me cah yuh man n’ave no sense/ Travel ’round the world, we nuh travel inna comments/ Compare me and me take that as a offense,” he raps in the first, immediately establishing an arresting cadence that nods to the agression of classic gun chunes without visiting that space lyrically.
Kraff Gad, “Chant”
Leaning even more into trap than dancehall, Kraff Gad’s latest track is one that you can’t help but “Chant” along too. Kraff probably has the most interesting flow of his class; it shapeshifts effortlessly, going from rapid fire delivery one second to a more laid-back cadence that plays on the kick drum instead of the skittering hi-hats another. Less of a club track and more of a vibe, “Chant” offers an interesting look at what happens when you slow down the tempo and temper your trap with Jamaican patois.
Lila Iké, “Too Late to Lie”
One of the leading female voices in contemporary reggae, Lila Iké has been on a roll with her recent releases, including collaborations with Joey Bada$$ (“Fry Plantain”) and H.E.R. (“He Loves Us Both”). On this tender roots reggae ballad, Lila croons of the specific pain sourced from betryal and shattered trust. “I know my life will never be the same/ You made your choice and I will not complain/ Don’t raise your voice/ Please don’t speak my name,” she sings in the chorus. “Just say goodbye/ It’s too late to lie.”
Likkle Vybz, “Miss Independent”
Last month, we named Likkle Addi one of 10 Caribbean Artists to Watch in 2025. With the release of his Valentine’s Day-themed Love Lane EP, Likkle Vybz — Addi’s brother and fellow offspring of Vybz Kartel — lets it be known that he’s also one to keep an eye on. “Miss Independent,” a smooth, guitar-inflected dancehall midtempo dedicated to the baddest lady in the room, is a surprisingly solid showcase of Likkle Vybz’s vocal abilities. He tenderly sings the hook, bleeding into verses that echo his father’s cadence while opting for a notably lighter, flirtier tone.
Voice & Bunji Garlin, “Flatten”
Though he came up short for the Road March title at Trinidad’s Carnvial, Bunji Garlin was once again an inescapable voice and presence this season. Outside of “Carry It” and “Thousand,” “Flatten” stands as a winning tribute to the fetes of soca’s golden era. Anchored by relentless “Hand up, hand up, hand up” chants, vigorous drums and jaunty background brass, “Flatten” isn’t just a reflection of the road; it’s a reflection of the road before the commercialization of Carnival started significantly altering its vibe.
Lutan Fyah, “Pieces of Broken Soul”
“Abundance of weed, crack pipe and liquor so cheap, there’s a lot of hungry mouths to feed/ There’s a lot of hungry mouths to feed!” Lutan Fyah cries out in “Pieces of Broken Soul,” a heartwrenching reggae ballad that yearns for humanity to achieve some semblance of wholeness. Fyah’s voice is at once forlorn and cautiously hopeful, just like the horns that wail in the background across Zion I King’s lush roots reggae production.
Patrice Roberts, “The Great Escape”
“I’ll take you to a place not too far away/ Where all of your dreams come rushing in like a tidal wave/ You could be my Carnivl dahlin’/ And we gon’ fete till we fall in love,” sings soca queen Patrice Roberts. Written and produced by Tano alongside Kitwana Israel, Mical Teja Williams and Jovan James, “The Great Escape” is a classic, no-frills Carivnal jam. With her lyrics painting a gorgeous portrait of the road and Kyle Peters’ guitars adding a melodic touch to those pounding drums, “The Great Escape” is a welcome taste of musical escapism.
Yung Bredda, “We Rise”
This song helped Yung Bredda place third in his first-ever Calypso Monarch appeance — and it’s clear to see why. The Ato Williams-helemed track shifts Bredda away from soca and zess and toward classic calypso. His charismatic, animated vocal performance appropriately honors the message of the song: that Trinidad and her people will rise again despite the ever-changing forces of oppression that seek to keep them down. Written by Leeanna Williams, Kester Stoute and Ato, “We Rise” is calypso that you must listen and dance to — another stellar offering from Trinidad’s hottest new star.
Kes & Tano, “Last Drum”
Kes has been dominating the season with both the Full Blown-assisted “No Sweetness” and their own “Cocoa Tea,” and they’ve once again teamed up with longtime collaborator Tano for another anthem for the aunties. With his pleas for his lady to “show me your wild side,” Kes continues his streak of clean, digestible soca tunes that are perfect for all ages and audiences, while still maitaining the unbridled energy at the center of the genre.
Aidonia, “Waste Har Time”
Though Aidonia preceded the trap dancehall wave, he’s routinely proven that he can hang with the best of them in that space. As X-rated as the come, “Waste Har Time” is Aidonia’s personal lesson in seduction. “You don’t know what fi do with it/ She wine pon di cocky right to the tip,” he rhymes before slightly dipping in his falsetto for a hook that would make any avid reader of “spicy books” blush. “I get you wet, I make you cum/ She like when sex is fun/ We haffi go one more time when we done,” he proclaims.
James Brown, the trailblazing Godfather of Soul who passed in 2006, places a new song on a Billboard chart for the first time since 1993 as his co-billed collaboration with 310babii, “Bad,” reaches No. 37 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart dated March 8. The new single samples Brown’s “The Boss” from his 1973 album, Black Caesar.
“Bad,” released on HIGH IQ/EMPIRE, is the fourth Rhythmic Airplay hit for rapper 310babii, born Kameron Milner. His debut entry, “Soak City,” ruled the list for two weeks in March-April 2024. His follow-up track “Rock Your Hips” peaked at No. 2 last December, and his collaboration with Jaydon, “Ah! Ah!,” reached a No. 19 best last week (it slides seven spots to No. 26 on the current list.)
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For Brown, who died in 2006 at age 73, “Bad” is the icon’s maiden appearance on the Rhythmic Airplay chart, which launched in October 1992. It’s his first new recording on any Billboard songs chart since 1993’s “Can’t Get Any Harder,” which netted a No. 76 high on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Some of his best-known recordings, including “I Got You (I Feel Good),” “Living in America” and “Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto” banked time on digital song sales or other charts in recent years due to commercial syncs or holiday-fueled consumption.
In addition, Brown charted for one week in 2012 on the now-defunct Hot Singles Sales chart with a Record Store Day-exclusive vinyl single release of two previously unreleased live recordings from 1972 — “There It Is” and “Pass the Peas.”
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“Bad” adds another piece to Brown’s legendary career on the Billboard charts. To scratch the surface of his many accomplishments, the oft-proclaimed “hardest working man in show business” logged 57 top 10 entries on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, a record that stood from 1969 until 2018, when Drake surpassed the mark. Among them, 17 titles topped the chart, a run that spans from “Try Me” in 1959 to “Papa Don’t Take No Mess (Part I)” in 1974 and contains classics such as “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” “Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)” and “Get on the Good Foot.” His crew of No. 1s is the fourth-most among all acts, with only Drake (30), Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder (20 each) above him.
From 1958-1986, Brown accumulated his 91 Billboard Hot 100 hits, with a No. 3 career high through “I Got You (I Feel Good)” in 1965. Thanks to his storied career, Brown was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s inaugural 1986 class alongside legends such as Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley and Little Richard.
And while Brown more than merits his spot with the all-time greats, his legacy credentials only swell with his catalog’s prolific sampling for new generations. In the past few decades, Brown, via sampling, has collected songwriting credits on plenty of top 20 Hot 100 hits, including Mary J. Blige’s “Everything” (No. 24) in 1997, Jennifer Lopez’s “Get Right” (No. 12) in 2005, Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Otis,” featuring Otis Redding (No. 12) in 2011 and Beyoncé’s “Church Girl” (No. 22) in 2022.
Drake and Sabrina Carpenter have been duking it out on the charts lately, as their albums sat at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively last week on the Billboard 200 — but that doesn’t mean that have any animosity towards each other. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]
Much has been made of the Drake and Kendrick Lamar feud of 2024, and Xzibit has chimed in with some thoughts on the historic battle, as well as what’s fair when embroiled in a rap beef.
The West Coast rapper joined Bill Maher’s Club Random Podcast earlier this week, and X made it clear he’s backing Lamar in the feud.
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“What you’re seeing and why people are celebrating it so much is that this big, huge machine and this so-called rapper from Compton,” he said. “Yes, he has success, but he’s not as big as his [Drake].”
Maher was focused on getting Xzibit’s thoughts on Lamar calling Drake a “pedophile” on his Grammy-winning anthem “Not Like Us” and performing the track during his Super Bowl Halftime Show.
“This is a rap battle,” X pleaded. “This is not a testimony or deposition. This is a f—ing rap battle. I’m going to talk about your mama, your daddy, your children, your grandma’s wooden leg, your missing teeth. It’s all a game.”
However, Xzibit appears to say that if the pedophile allegations made in “Not Like Us” were true, there would be cases and lawsuits against Drake tied up in the court system.
“But I never saw anything that proved he was a pedophile. There’s been no court, there’s been nobody brought any cases against him,” X added. “If there was something weird going on, then there would definitely be people that would come forward and testify, and then people would be charged for that.”
Maher didn’t understand where the allegations against Drake stemmed from, and Xzibit pointed to the “Hotline Bling” artist’s friendship with actress Millie Bobby Brown.
“But when you’re playing the dozens, and I give you one that hurts your feelings, don’t be the guy who wants to fight because I got a good joke,” Xzibit said, defending Lamar.
But it seems the Pimp My Ride alum isn’t supporting Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over “Not Like Us.” (The label has denied the allegations made by Drake, slammed the suit as “illogical” and “frivolous.”)
“But he’s basically saying that you did something for someone else that you used to do for me, and here’s how I know,” X stated. “And I’m blowing a whistle now — but that’s not true. Like, the world loves that song.”
Drake reached a settlement with iHeartMedia over an airplay dispute surrounding “Not Like Us” earlier this week. Drizzy had alleged that iHeartMedia received illegal payments from Universal Music Group to boost the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit’s airplay.
Watch the full interview with Xzibit below.
Cam’ron isn’t one to look back on his career, as he’s typically focused on the business moves ahead. However, during an episode of Talk With Flee on March 4, Cam talked about artists he wished he had collaborated with over the years.
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After mulling over it for a few seconds, the Dipset rapper admitted he would’ve loved to bar up on a track with Eminem as well as fellow New York legend Nas. “There was a time, probably when we first came out in the late ’90s, early ’00s, I wanted to work with Eminem when his career was taking off and my career with Dipset was taking off,” he said. “I wanted to do a record with Eminem because he’s super-duper lyrical.”
Cam continued: “I can be super-duper lyrical. I dumb a lot of my s–t down for my audience, but I thought that would have been a sensational record. The other person would be Nas. That would be the other artist I would have loved to work with at one time.”
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With Em and Nas still rapping in 2025, the dream’s not dead yet for Cam, although it would probably feel a lot different than the record fans would’ve received in the 2000s.
Cam has always held Eminem in high regard as one of rap’s best. “Is Eminem one of the best rappers? Yes, Eminem is one of the best rappers,” he said in an Instagram video last April. “Look, what happens is, a lot of people say Eminem don’t be saying nothing, he just putting words together or whatever, but you gotta realize you gotta do what works for you.”
Killa added: “If that works for Eminem, for him to make all the money he made and the Grammys and awards, he so rich that he can’t come outside by himself, then that just works for Eminem.”
While Cam and Em might not hit the studio, they may be appearing on the screen in Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore 2. “Put the whole team in da movie. #HappyGilmore2,” Cam captioned a social media post, hinting at his involvement. Sandler has previously confirmed Em’s cameo in the upcoming film.
Watch the clip of Cam’ron below. Talk about his missed collaborations with Eminem and Nas takes place around the 48-minute mark.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis is speaking out from behind bars as he faces a murder charge for the 1996 shooting death of Tupac Shakur.
Davis, who pleaded not guilty, has remained at Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas since his September 2023 arrest, and he has now given ABC News his first-ever interview since being arrested.
“I’m innocent,” he said in the sit-down, which aired Thursday (March 6) on Good Morning America. “I did everything they asked me to do. Get new friends. Stop selling drugs. I stopped all that. I’m supposed to be out there enjoying my twilight at one of my f—ing grandson’s football games and basketball games. Enjoying life with my kids.”
2Pac’s murder remained a cold case until Davis’ 2023 arrest nearly 27 years after the legendary Death Row rapper was gunned down in Las Vegas. Still, the former Crips gang member, who prosecutors believe was the “shot caller” to orchestrate the hit on Pac, is confident he’ll be found not guilty.
“I did not do it,” he insisted during the interview. “They don’t have nothing. And they know they don’t have nothing. They can’t even place me out here. They don’t have no gun, no car, no Keffe D, no nothing.”
Davis claims he was hundreds of miles away when the 2Pac shooting took place, and said he’ll have about “20 or 30 people” coming to court to corroborate his alibi.
He spoken about his alleged involvement in Pac’s murder in the past, as he’s given his account in numerous interviews as well as his 2019 Compton Street Legend memoir. However, back in 2008, Davis allegedly agreed to a proffer agreement with authorities connected to an L.A. task force, which would have granted him immunity from being prosecuted in the case.
Per ABC News, he once again admitted his alleged role in Pac’s murder a year later to detectives in Las Vegas, but they were not required to honor any previous agreements.
A Clark County District Court judge ruled in January that Davis had not shown proof of any immunity deals. He’s repeatedly been denied bail.
Shakur was shot on Sept. 7, 1996, in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Authorities believe Davis orchestrated the hit with others in the car following a brawl at the MGM Grand casino.
Davis was arrested in September 2023 and has been charged with first degree murder. He will head to trial in February 2026.
Watch Davis’ interview with ABC News above.
Billie Joe Armstrong is Bay Area to the death. The Green Day frontman has long flown the flag of his hometown of Oakland, CA, and nothing has fired him up more than the heartbreaking loss over the past few years of the proud city’s professional sports franchises, the Oakland A’s and NFL’s Raiders.
Now he’s doing something about it.
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The Hollywood Reporter revealed on Wednesday (March 5) that Armstrong has joined fellow Oaktown legend rapper Too $hort as part of the ownership group of the Oakland Ballers, the new independent Pioneer League team that as of this year will be the Bay’s only professional baseball team; the A’s are playing in Sacramento for the next two years ahead of a planned move to Las Vegas in 2028 and the Raiders left in 2020 for Las Vegas.
“This is all about bringing families to a ball game,” Armstrong told THR. “After the A’s left, the town was heartbroken. The Ballers are going to bring good vibes back to Oakland and the broader East Bay.” The privately owned team played their first season in 2024 in the new 4,000-capacity Raimondi Park, which drew baseball lovers for its first season with a unique offer that allowed more than 2,200 fans to buy a share in the team and take seats on its board; the minimum buy-in is $510, a nod to the Bay Area’s area code.
$hort Dogg told THR that he thinks the Ballers are a shining example of what his city’s value proposition. “Oakland is the connection, it’s the diverse city of all walks of life and cultures. We respect each other’s originality, you can be you and with your people,” he said. “It’s ‘I f–k with you regardless.”
And, not for nothing, the “Blow the Whistle” MC — who said he worked as a vendor at the old Oakland Coliseum in high school — loves the name, too. “If I can’t brag on a big-league franchise I can brag on being a Baller,” he said of the team whose name is a pointed rejoinder to former MLB team the A’s. The two musicians bought in as part of the second round of community investment that opened this week, aimed at raising $2 million.
While the amount of Armstrong and Too $hort’s investment has not been revealed, one of the Ballers’ co-founders, Bryan Carmel, said their stake is not just another example of a celebrity swooping in to try and goose a team’s prospects, a la Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds’ purchase of revival of Welsh soccer team Wrexham, chronicled on the FX series Welcome to Wrexham.
Carmel said Armstrong’s relationship with the Ballers began when the rocker and his wife showed up at a game last year. “I looked over and there they were, sitting in front of my parents,” Carmel said. “And then I looked again and they were at the merch stand and Billie Joe was buying a T-shirt. It was crazy because we were playing Green Day songs earlier — not because he was there but just because we’re an Oakland club so we play Green Day songs.”
Armstrong spray-painted the Oakland B’s name over the Oakland A’s logo at the Rogers Center in Toronto last year.
“Sports in the Bay Area have been transforming over the last couple of years. We’ve had some emotional goodbyes to teams we grew up with, but recently there has been a major shift,” Armstrong told The Athletic. “The Oakland Ballers and the Oakland Roots and Soul represent everything I love and grew up on in the Bay Area. The welcoming atmosphere, DIY attitude and the people behind it make me proud to be an investor and support the next generation of teams kids in the Bay will be proud of.”
The Ballers hosted an open try-out last year that led to the signing of history-making right-handed pitcher Kelsie Whitmore, their first female player and, in 2022, the first woman to sign a professional contract with a Major League Baseball Partner League team. The team will kick off their second season on Mary 20.
Roy Ayers, the multi-hyphenate composer and artist nicknamed the ‘Godfather of Neo Soul,’ has passed away at the age of 84.
News of Ayers’ passing was confirmed on Wednesday (March 5), with a statement shared via his official Facebook page.
“It is with great sadness that the family of legendary vibraphonist, composer and producer Roy Ayers announce his passing which occurred on March 4th, 2025 in New York City after a long illness,” the post wrote. “He lived a beautiful 84 years and will be sorely missed. His family ask that you respect their privacy at this time, a celebration of Roy’s life will be forthcoming.”
Born in Los Angeles in 1940, Ayers was surrounded by music from a young age thanks to his pianist mother and trombonist father. Ayers himself took to the vibraphone at the age of five when he was gifted a pair of mallets from Lionel Hampton.
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Performing music throughout high school thanks to a church choir and local bands, Ayers launched his musical career in earnest in 1962, serving as a sideman for saxophonist Curtis Amy and cool jazz outfit The Jack Wilson Quartet, releasing his debut solo album West Coast Vibes in 1963.
By 1970, Ayers had formed his own group under the name Roy Ayers Ubiquity, and in 1973 he found wider fame after soundtracking Jack Hill’s blaxploitation film Coffy, starring Pam Grier. Roy Ayers Ubiquity experienced years of chart success in the latter half of the decade, starting with 1975’s Mystic Voyage, which hit No. 13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and 1976’s Everybody Loves the Sunshine, which reached No. 10 on the same chart, and No. 51 on the Billboard 200.
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The title track to the latter record would become one of Ayers’ best-known compositions, going on to be sampled by artists such as Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige and Common, and covered by the likes of D’Angelo, Jamie Cullum and Robert Glasper. It also cemented his status as one of the more prominent figures in the neo-soul scene, with the likes of Pharrell Williams citing Ayers as one of his most influential artists.
While 1977’s Lifeline saw “Running Away” hitting No. 19 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Ayers’ career continued as a solo artist in the coming decades, with his biggest chart success coming by way of 1980’s No Stranger to Love, which reached No. 22 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
He remained a prominent force on the charts throughout the ‘80s, and while he never scored a track on the Hot 100, 1986’s “Hot” would hit No. 20 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, while his Eric Benet collaboration “When You Think Of Me” would give him his last appearance on the same chart, peaking at No. 46 in 2000.
Ayers would continue composing and performing into the 21st century, working with the likes of Erykah Badu, Tyler, the Creator, Kerri Chandler, and more. He is survived by his wife Argerie, and their two children Mtume and Ayana Ayers.