genre hiphop
Page: 47
It’s a homecoming for Master P. The New Orleans rap dignitary has been named the President of Basketball Operations at the University of New Orleans.
The move was made official during a press conference on Wednesday (Feb. 26) where P — born Percy Miller — revealed his plans to restore glory to his hometown university’s basketball program.
“Today is history,” he began. “We’ve come a long way. Growing up in New Orleans, when I was a kid, I looked at the University of New Orleans basketball program as probably one of the best in the country. Every kid wanted to come to the Lakefront Arena and be a part of this.”
Master P continued: “I’m just so appreciative and blessed that God has given me this opportunity … to rebuild this program. We gonna change this. This is our culture, this is our team and this is our family. We want to give that family love out here to the city to bring the people back where it should be at.”
Trending on Billboard
The No Limit Records boss is promising to “change the culture” at UNO, and he’s got his work cut out for him, as the Privateers fell to a lowly 4-25 following loss to Texas A&M-Commerce on Monday (Feb. 24). The team is yet to secure a win on its home floor this season.
The 2024-2025 Privateers season has been draped in controversy, as The Field of 68‘s Jeff Goodman reported on Wednesday that the University of New Orleans has held out four of its top five starters on suspension due to an ongoing gambling investigation.
The team has lost eight straight games in the players’ absence. They last suited up on Jan. 27. “Leading scorer James White (19.2 ppg), Jah Short (9.2 ppg), Dae Dae Hunter (8.2 ppg) and Jamond Vincent (7.8 ppg) have all been out since the 74-58 loss to UIW,” Goodman wrote. “There is currently an ongoing school and NCAA investigation.”
https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/status/1894744804015194305?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
Master P has quite the hoops background in his own right. He was on a college basketball scholarship at the University of Houston before injuring his knee. P battled back to earn pre-season roster spots on the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors in 1998 and 1999, but was cut before the regular season.
He passed down his love of basketball to his children. P’s son Hercy Miller suits up for Southern Utah University, while Mercy Miller is a freshman at the University of Houston. The Houston Cougars are currently ranked No. 4 in the country and a bona fide National Championship contender.
Watch the full press conference below.
Vince Staples and his manager Corey Smyth made an appearance on After Hours podcast and talked about how they were able to get Netflix to understand the concept behind The Vince Staples Show.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“A lot of the times people undermine the intelligence of the audience, and then that becomes learned behavior,” he explained. “And I feel like a lot of the time we just have to have conversation like, ‘OK, we’re making a dark comedy in the streaming era … some are on television and have commercial breaks. We ended up putting title cards in the show because it was important to have tonal breaks in this dry, slow show or else we end up boring. There’s a big difference between boring and interesting, but there’s also a fine line between the two.”
Trending on Billboard
Staples then brought up some executives and fans having trouble disassociating Vince the rapper and the person with Vince the character. “The way the show was written — and this was always the intention — The Vince Stapes Show is not about Vince Staples as a character,” the Long Beach rapper and actor said. “It’s about a perspective. It’s The Vince Staples Show because I made it not because it’s about me. I think that was a hard thing for a lot of people to grasp. Going from writing for me and then writing for the characters it became kind of a disconnect because they’re expecting me to come in and write a show about myself, but I’m writing a show about other people and how they view me in the world.”
He then got into being underestimated when it came to tone, execution and directorial style while also dealing with a big company such as Netflix. “I just don’t think people think I know as much as I do about certain things,” he suggested. “So, if I’m making a show, they’re expecting me to have seen certain shows. They always say, ‘This is like Curb [Your Enthusiasm], have you ever seen Curb?’ And I say I haven’t seen it, but I know who Larry David is, I’m familiar with his work and I like it.”
Staples continued, “That would kind of throw people for a loop, so then it would get shaky. Especially when you’re dealing with a big company with a lot of finances and a lot of things on their slate it’s not wrong to answer those questions for them. I think that’s the place a lot of creative people have to get to.”
He added, “Of course, I’m going to ask what you’re doing if I don’t know what you’re doing. But sometimes that hurts people, so we just wanted to make sure that we were communicating and letting people know the real influences, the real identity of the show, and the way I wanted it to be.”
Last May, Netflix picked up The Vince Staples Show for its second season. Still no word on a release date yet, though.
You can watch the conversation below.
Drake becomes the first act in the 12-year history of Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart to earn 100 top 10s, scoring four new top 10s on the March 1-dated survey.
The rapper achieves the feat via songs from his new collaborative album with PARTYNEXTDOOR, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, which concurrently debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, as previously reported.
“Gimme a Hug” leads the way, debuting at No. 4 with 24.5 million official U.S. streams earned in the week ending Feb. 20, according to Luminate.
Trending on Billboard
Drake’s other new top 10s include “Nokia” (No. 7, 20.2 million streams), PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake’s “CN Tower” (No. 9, 19.8 million streams) and PARTYNEXTDOOR, Drake and Yebba’s “Die Trying” (No. 10, 18 million streams).
Drake now boasts 103 top 10s on Streaming Songs, which was first published as of the Jan. 26, 2013, Billboard charts. He was part of the region on the inaugural ranking as a featured artist on A$AP Rocky’s “F–kin Problems” (alongside 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar), which ranked at No. 10 (and ultimately peaked at No. 2 in February 2013). His first top 10 as a lead artist followed that March with the No. 3 peak of “Started From the Bottom.”
His 103 top 10s is nearly double the next closest act; Taylor Swift has the second most at 58.
Most Top 10s, Streaming Songs
103, Drake
58, Taylor Swift
35, Lil Baby
33, Kendrick Lamar
33, The Weeknd
32, 21 Savage
31, Future
31, Travis Scott
Drake also holds the record for the most No. 1s on the chart: 20, 11 ahead of his next-closest competitor, Swift.
And the mark for most chart entries overall? Drake too — with 15 new appearances on the March 1 chart, he now has 277 entries; Swift is second with 179.
Concurrently, as previously reported, “Gimme a Hug” debuts at No. 6 on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100, leading all 21 songs from $ome $exy $ongs 4 U onto the ranking.
Drake postponed the remaining handful of dates on his Anita Max Wynn Tour slated to run through Australia and New Zealand in March. And now, fans are reacting to the unexpected news. It all started after rep for Drake confirmed Tuesday (Feb. 25) that the trek was delayed due to a “scheduling conflict” in a […]
Lauryn Hill paid loving tribute to the “beauty and brilliance” of late quiet storm singer Robert Flack on Tuesday (Feb. 25) in a lengthy post in which the Fugees frontwoman and solo star described the world-changing, enduring impact the “Killing Me Softly With His Song” singer had on her life and career.
“Whitney Houston once said to me that Roberta Flack’s voice was one of the purest voices she’d ever heard. I grew up scouring the records my Parents collected. Mrs. Flack was one of their favorites and quite instantly became one of mine as soon as I was exposed to her,” Hill, 49, said of Grammy-winning singer Flack, who died on Monday at 88 of undisclosed causes.
Trending on Billboard
“She looked cool and intelligent, gentle and yet militant. The songs she recorded from ‘Compared To What’ to ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ to her version of ‘Ballad Of The Sad Young Men’ fascinated me with their beauty and sophistication,” Hill continued in an Instagram post that featured a gallery of Flack in her 1970s prime, as well as a shot of the two women together as part of one of the many emotional tributes to the singer, pianist and lifelong educator.
“Mrs. Flack was an artist, a singer-songwriter, a pianist and composer who moved me and showed me through her own creative choices and standards what else was possible within the idiom of Soul,” wrote Hill, who noted that though Flack did not write her Grammy-winning, career-defining 1973 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Killing Me Softly With His Song” — it was penned by Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel and Lori Lieberman — she made it “hugely popular.”
In fact, not only did Flack score a No. 1 with the track and win record of the year and best pop vocal performance, female Grammys for “Killing” in 1974, she also gave Hill and her group the song that “catapulted myself and the Fugees into household phenomena.”
The hip-hop group recorded their own version of the song in 1996 and also hit No. 1 around the world — though not in the U.S. because it wasn’t officially released as a commercial single — topping the Pop Airplay and R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts on its way to winning the group a Grammy for best R&B vocal performance by a duo/group and an MTV Video Music Award for best R&B video. Flack and the Fugees performed the song together at the 1996 VMAS.
“We wanted to honor the beauty and brilliance of this song and her performance of it to our generation,” Hill wrote. “I will forever be grateful for the sensitivity and delicate power of her Love and Artistry. Rest in Grace Beloved One.”
Check out Hill’s tribute here.
Kendrick Lamar and SZA land new No. 1s on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart – Lamar his seventh, SZA her third – as “Luther” rises to the top of the March 1-dated ranking.
“Luther” enjoys its coronation in its 13th week on the tally with 45.2 million official U.S. streams in the week ending Feb. 20, a boost of 6%, according to Luminate.
Originally released as part of Lamar’s album GNX on Nov. 22, “Luther” finally climbs to No. 1 on Streaming Songs after it was performed during Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show set on Feb. 9, plus continued success on user-generated content apps such as TikTok.
Trending on Billboard
Lamar replaces himself atop the survey; “Not Like Us,” also performed during the halftime show, ascended back to the summit on the Feb. 22 list via 49 million streams Feb. 7-13; it ranks at No. 2 on the latest ranking (39.2 million streams, down 20%).
All told, Lamar boasts seven No. 1s on Streaming Songs, which began in 2013. With his seventh ruler, he assumes sole possession of the third-most No. 1s in the chart’s history, breaking out of what had been a three-way tie with Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber.
Most No. 1s, Streaming Songs
20, Drake
9, Taylor Swift
7, Kendrick Lamar
6, Ariana Grande
6, Justin Bieber
5, Travis Scott
Lamar first reigned in 2017 with the four-week rule of “Humble.” Four of his No. 1s have occurred in the past year, beginning with the reign of Future, Metro Boomin and Lamar’s “Like That,” which led for three weeks beginning last April.
As for SZA, “Luther” is her third leader, following four weeks at No. 1 for “Kill Bill” in 2022 and 2023 and one frame atop the survey in 2023 for Drake’s “Slime You Out,” on which she’s featured.
Concurrently, as previously reported, “Luther” rises to No. 1 on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100.
BigXthaPlug (born Xavier Landum) has been arrested on a possession of marijuana charge in Arlington, Texas. The Arlington Police Department tells Billboard BigX was booked into Arlington City Jail early Wednesday (Feb. 26) following a traffic stop shortly after midnight, and was charged with possession of less than two ounces of marijuana. An Arlington Police […]
Submit questions about Billboard charts, as well as general music musings, to askbb@billboard.com.
Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the United States.
Or, reach out on Bluesky.
Let’s open the latest mailbag.
Dear Gary,
With “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, it joins the list of songs that have incorporated people’s names in chart-topping titles. The song is, of course, a tribute to the late Luther Vandross, who never topped the chart as a billed artist, although his voice has been heard on multiple No. 1s dating back nearly a half-century.
No. 1 songs with proper names in their titles continue a trend that began soon after the Hot 100 started in 1958. Here’s a (long) look at them below (including one famous group name, in a 2016 hit), while realizing that there’s room for interpretation; Faith is a name, but George Michael didn’t mean it that way in his 1987 hit. Thankfully, others are as obvious as can be: “Venus was her name!”
Thanks,
My name … Jesper TanSubang Jaya, Malaysia
Trending on Billboard
“Tom Dooley,” The Kingston Trio (1958)
“Stagger Lee,” Lloyd Price (1959)
“Venus,” Frankie Avalon (1959)
“Running Bear,” Johnny Preston (1960)
“Cathy’s Clown,” The Everly Brothers (1960)
“Mr. Custer,” Larry Verne (1960)
“Michael,” The Highwaymen (1961)
“Hit the Road Jack,” Ray Charles and His Orchestra with the Raelettes (1961)
“Runaround Sue,” Dion (1961)
“Big Bad John,” Jimmy Dean (1961)
“Johnny Angel,” Shelley Fabares (1962)
“Sheila,” Tommy Roe (1962)
“Sherry,” The 4 Seasons (1962)
“Hey Paula,” Paul and Paula (1963)
“Dominique,” The Singing Nun (1963)
“Hello, Dolly!,” Louis Armstrong and the All Stars (1964)
“Ringo,” Lorne Greene (1964)
”Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter,” Herman’s Hermits (1965)
“Help Me, Rhonda,” The Beach Boys (1965)
”I’m Henry VIII, I Am,” Herman’s Hermits (1965)
“Hang On Sloopy,” The McCoys (1965)
“Ruby Tuesday,” The Rolling Stones (1967)
“Ode to Billie Joe,” Bobbie Gentry (1967)
“Judy in Disguise (With Glasses),” John Fred and the Playboys (1968)
“Mrs. Robinson,” Simon & Garfunkel (1968)
“Hey Jude,” The Beatles (1968)
“Love Theme From Romeo & Juliet,” Henry Mancini (1969)
“Venus,” Shocking Blue (1970)
“Cracklin’ Rosie,” Neil Diamond (1970)
”Me and Bobby McGee,” Janis Joplin (1971)
“Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey,” Paul & Linda McCartney (1971)
“Maggie May,” Rod Stewart (1971)
“Theme From Shaft,” Isaac Hayes (1971)
“Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl),” Looking Glass (1972)
“Ben,” Michael Jackson (1972)
“Me and Mrs. Jones,” Billy Paul (1972)
“Frankenstein,” The Edgar Winter Group (1973)
“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” Jim Croce (1973)
“Brother Louie,” Stories (1973)
“Delta Dawn,” Helen Reddy (1973)
“Angie,” The Rolling Stones (1973)
“Bennie and the Jets,” Elton John (1974)
“Billy, Don’t Be a Hero,” Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods (1974)
“Annie’s Song,” John Denver (1974)
“Angie Baby,” Helen Reddy (1974)
“Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” Elton John (1975)
“Mandy,” Barry Manilow (1975)
“Lady Marmalade,” Labelle (1975)
“A Fifth of Beethoven,” Walter Murphy & the Big Apple Band (1976)
“Sir Duke,” Stevie Wonder (1977)
“MacArthur Park,” Donna Summer (1978)
“Bette Davis Eyes,” Kim Carnes (1981)
“Jessie’s Girl,” Rick Springfield (1981)
“Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” Christopher Cross (1981)
“Jack and Diane,” John Cougar (1982)
“Mickey,” Toni Basil (1982)
“Billie Jean,” Michael Jackson (1983)
“Come On Eileen,” Dexy’s Midnight Runners (1983)
“St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion),” John Parr (1985)
“Oh Sheila,” Ready for the World (1985)
“Sara,” Starship (1986)
“Rock Me Amadeus,” Falco (1986)
“Venus,” Bananarama (1986)
“Amanda,” Boston (1986)
“Jacob’s Ladder,” Huey Lewis & the News (1987)
“Dirty Diana,” Michael Jackson (1988)
“A Whole New World (Aladdin’s Theme),” Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle (1993)
“Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” Los Del Rio (1996)
“Maria Maria,” Santana feat. The Product G&B (2000)
“Ms. Jackson,” OutKast (2001)
“Lady Marmalade,” Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya & P!nk (2001)
“Hey There Delilah,” Plain White T’s (2007)
“Moves Like Jagger,” Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera (2011)
“Black Beatles,” Rae Sremmurd feat. Gucci Mane (2016)
“The Scotts,” The Scotts, Travis Scott & Kid Cudi (2020)
“Montero (Call Me by Your Name),” Lil Nas X (2021)
“We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz & Encanto Cast (2022)
“Jimmy Cooks,” Drake feat. 21 Savage (2022)
“Kill Bill,” SZA (2023)
“Luther,” Kendrick Lamar & SZA (2025)
Thanks, Jesper!
Oddly enough for a tribute song with such a title, as fellow longtime “Ask Billboard” contributor Pablo Nelson notes, the name Luther isn’t said in “Luther” (nor is Bill in SZA’s “Kill Bill”).
Meanwhile, five Hot 100 No. 1s other than Lil Nas X’s above include the word “name” in their names:
“Stop! In the Name of Love,” The Supremes (1965)
“A Horse With No Name,” America (1972)
“You Give Love a Bad Name,” Bon Jovi (1986)
“Say My Name,” Destiny’s Child (2000)
“What’s My Name?,” Rihanna feat. Drake (2010)
It shouldn’t be a surprise that so many songs with names in their titles have topped the Hot 100. After all, everyone hears their name in “Happy Birthday to You,” which is listed first in Guinness World Records’ recap of the most frequently sung songs in English.
As for Luther Vandross, he and Richard Marx shared the 2004 Grammy Award for co-writing “Dance With My Father.” In a 2012 visit to Billboard, Marx mused about meeting Vandross at the American Music Awards in 1990, while they were both touring. “You meet somebody and … ‘I could hang with this guy,’” he recalled of his early impressions of the R&B legend. “Then when we both came off the road, we went to dinner and he offered to sing background vocals on my record I was making” — 1991’s Rush Street, whose lead single, “Keep Coming Back,” with prominent runs by Vandross, hit No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
“I said at the dinner, ‘Dude, that’s like if I was having dinner with Michael Jordan and I said, ‘You know … me and my buddies play pick-up basketball in the park on Sundays,’ and Michael Jordan said, ‘Do you need somebody for your team?’ ”
Ultimately, “He was just my pal,” Marx said of Vandross, who passed in 2005. “We spent a lot more time watching movies, going to dinner, just driving around. I was in love with his voice, as everybody was, but I just miss him. He was the funniest guy — hilarious. I just miss my friend. My memories of Luther are, 99%: We were bros.”
Drake has called off the remaining dates of his current tour of Australia and New Zealand.
News of the postponement comes just hours after the OVO rapper wrapped up a performance in Brisbane, which itself took place alongside swirling rumors of an impending premature end to the trek.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, Feb. 26 (Australian time), it was confirmed that Drake has indeed axed the remaining dates of his tour Down Under.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Per Rolling Stone AU/NZ, a statement from the musician’s representatives has confirmed the remaining four shows on his sold-out 16-date Anita Max Win Tour have been axed due to a “scheduling conflict”. The rep added, “We are actively working on rescheduling these dates along with adding some additional shows.”
“All tickets for the affected shows will remain valid for the new dates,” the statement continued. “Refunds will be available for those who prefer, but please note that as these shows are sold out, any refunded tickets will be released for sale.
Trending on Billboard
“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience. Drake and the entire team have had an incredible time doing these shows and are excited to return soon. We look forward to sharing the rescheduled dates with you as soon as possible.”
Drake’s Australian tour launched on Feb. 4 with two nights in Perth, and was followed by four shows each in Melbourne and Sydney, and an additional two dates in Brisbane. Further shows in Sydney and Brisbane were planned for next week, with an already-postponed pair of dates in Auckland, New Zealand scheduled for mid-March. The tour was Drake’s first visit to both Australia and New Zealand since 2017.
The run of dates has also been making headlines thanks to the 6 God’s generosity towards fans during his concerts. He previously handed out $20,000 to a pair of fans in Perth, gave $45,000 to some OVO faithful in Melbourne and upgraded a pregnant fan to VIP in Sydney and blessed her with $30,000 ahead of her baby’s arrival. Most recently, he promised to look after the cancer treatment of a fan’s mother while in Brisbane.
The Anita Max Win Tour is named after a viral moment from Drake’s December 2023 livestream on Kick, where he introduced a new “alter ego” named Anita Max Win. The name is a playful pun on the gambling phrase “I need a max win,” referring to hitting the maximum payout on a slot machine.
As the online feud between Bhad Bhabie and Alabama Barker continues to heat up, Bhabie dropped a music video for her “Ms. Whitman” diss track on Monday (Feb. 24), featuring a drummer that looks a whole lot like Travis Barker.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The song’s title references Alabama’s first name, which was inspired by the character Alabama Whitman from the 1993 movie, True Romance. In the track, which samples Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign’s “Carnival,” Bhabie throws a number of jabs at Alabama, accusing her of promiscuous activity, and having an unconfirmed abortion from a Tyga pregnancy.
“Why this b— obsessed with me? I just don’t understand/ You sucked the d— straight out my a–, who got the upper hand?/ I see why you ain’t got no friends, you’re Miss I’ll-F—Your-Man,” she raps in the opening verse, later adding, “This h- belong all in the zoo, see, I don’t understand/ She f—ed on Tyga and killin’ babies, I seen the sonogram.”
Trending on Billboard
Tyga has previously denied having a physical relationship with Alabama.
The accompanying “Ms. Whitman” music video features a tattooed lookalike of Alabama’s Blink-182 drummer father, who rocks a beanie and plays drums as Bhabie twerks on him throughout the two-minute clip. Bhabie also takes aim at Travis’ wife, Kourtney Kardashian, rapping, “Your stepmom burnt out, why she took her sister’s second-hand?”
The drama between Bhabie and Alabama seemingly took off in December, when the “Gucci Flip Flops” rapper claimed in an Instagram Story that Alabama meddled into her relationship with Le Vaughn, with whom Bhabie welcomed a daughter with last March.
Alabama also released her own diss track two weeks ago, titled “Cry Bhabie.” Watch the “Ms. Whitman” music video below.