genre hiphop

03 Apr 2025

ONEFOUR Announce Debut Album ‘Look At Me Now’

ONEFOUR have announced details of their long-awaited debut album, Look At Me Now, set for release on June 13 via Sony Music Australia.

Alongside the album news, the Western Sydney rap group have also revealed plans for their biggest national tour to date, with full dates expected to drop on Friday (April 4).

“It’s for those who want more,” the group said in a statement. “The ones who wake up and know they’re destined for greatness, no matter what obstacles they face. It’s a message of hope, a letter to the pain and a welcome to a better future that has no boundaries.”

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Comprising J Emz, Celly, Lekks and Spenny, ONEFOUR have built a loyal following through their raw storytelling, global collaborations, and viral moments.

Their songs “The Message” and “Spot the Difference” have been certified double and triple platinum in Australia, respectively, and their “SPINNIN” remix became a TikTok sensation, landing them in Spotify’s Viral 50 charts in over 30 countries.

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The album will mark a significant milestone for ONEFOUR, who have become one of the most talked-about names in Australian music over the past five years. Rising out of Mount Druitt, the group first made headlines for their raw drill sound, but soon became lightning rods for controversy and police scrutiny. Their story became the subject of the acclaimed 2023 Netflix documentary ONEFOUR: Against All Odds, which chronicled their rapid rise and the systemic barriers they faced.

Look At Me Now follows a string of recent singles from the group, including their February release “Phone Call” featuring UK pop artist Mabel. Produced by Grammy-nominated producer 18YOMAN, along with Chelsea Warner and Sykes Beats, the track samples Bob Marley’s classic “Is This Love?”

“This one’s special to us,” ONEFOUR’s Spenny said in a statement. “Bob Marley’s an artist that was loved and listened to often in our households so it’s an honour to be able to sample one of his bangers. To have Mabel feature on this track wid us & DONPROD with the music video made a lot of sense cause we really trynna take this thing international.”

In the past year, the group also supported The Kid LAROI on his Australian tour and picked up a 2024 APRA Award nomination, further cementing their mainstream breakthrough.

ONEFOUR’s upcoming Look At Me Now tour will take them across 13 dates around Australia before they head to the U.K. and Europe later in the year. Tour poster and ticketing info is expected Friday morning (AEDT).

02 Apr 2025

Prosecutors File Motion To Revoke Young Thug’s Probation

The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office has requested that Young Thug’s probation be revoked, according to a motion filed on Wednesday (April 3).

Thug (whose real name is Jeffery Williams) ended a lengthy criminal trial in October 2024 when he pleaded guilty to charges leveled against him. The case, built around Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law, claimed that Thug and his alleged YSL gang had committed murders, carjackings, drug dealing and many other crimes.

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At the conclusion of the trial, Thug was sentenced to 40 years with five to be served in prison commuted to time served. As a result, he was given 15 years probation, with a further 20 to be commuted if successfully completed.

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However, a new motion has been filed in Fulton County Superior Court which has seen the State of Georgia request Whitaker revoke Thug’s probation, alleging that his “continued presence in the community under probationary supervision presents a clear and present danger to public safety and undermines the rule of law.”

Per Channel 2 Action News, the crux of the filing revolves around what prosecutors have labelled “escalating threats and witness intimidation.” They note that Fulton County Investigator Marissa Viverito is in the process of testifying in a “multi-defendant gang murder preliminary hearing” which has seen the Court order witnesses not to be shown on television while testifying. However, a user on social media posted an image of Viverito online with a caption stating, “She doesn’t want to be shown on screen? Well, here she is.”

On Tuesday (April 1), Thug is alleged to have shared a since-deleted repost the image, pairing it with a caption claiming “Marissa Viverito is the biggest liar in the DA’s office.” According to the filing, the post “quickly went viral,” resulting in over two million views, and resulting in “direct threats to Investigator Viverito and her family.”

The filing also claims that as a result of Thug sharing the post, the home addresses of Vivirito and her parents were distributed online, with one post reportedly sharing an image of Vivirito’s mother’s house and stating, “If the hate is really real then pull up on her mama crib.” Another post is alleged to have been shared later which threatened the assassination of District Attorney Fani Willis.

“The escalation from targeting a testifying witness to making a direct death threat against the elected District Attorney of Fulton County is a grave and unprecedented attack on the justice system,” the filing stated.

In response to the probation revocation request, Thug shared a statement on his X (formerly Twitter), writing, “I don’t make treats to people I’m a good person, I would never condone anyone threatening anyone or definitely participate in threatening anyone. I’m all about peace and love.”

The filing alleges that the behavior is a “calculated campaign of intimidation, harassment, and misinformation designed to undermine the legal process,” and have requested the Court take “swift and decisive action by revoking the Defendant’s probation and remanding them into custody without delay.”

Currently, no hearing date has been set. Meanwhile, Thug is scheduled to give his first performance following his trial in June as part of Chicago’s Summer Smash Festival.

02 Apr 2025

Ice Cube Confirmed to Write & Star in New ‘Friday’ Movie’

Billboard Women in Music 2025

Last Friday is really happening, folks.

We’ve been covering updates about the film extensively since June of 2024 when Ice Cube told Flavor Flav that the movie was gaining momentum. “We’re working on it. We finally got some traction with Warner Bros.,” he said. “They have new leadership. My man Mike DeLuca — who used to be at New Line when I first started, when I first did the first Friday and Players Club and All About the Benjamins — Mike DeLuca was there. So, now he’s running Warner Bros. And him and my man Michael Gruber was like, ‘Yo, what the f—k is going on with Friday? Man, let’s get this s—t back online.’”

Cube also told Million Dollaz Worth of Game about a rejected script idea where his character Craig and Mike Epps’ character Day-Day went to jail after beating up a kid after a flash mob bum-rushed their dispensary. While in jail, they run into Deebo and the Joker brothers from the first two films. They eventually make their way into a rehab center ran by Chris Tucker’s character Smokey.

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Then in March, Mike Epps told The Breakfast Club that a fourth installment of the franchise was indeed happening, telling them that Cube called him and said “we just finished the deal.”

Now, there’s even more concrete confirmation from New Line Cinema boss Richard Brener, who sat down with The Hollywood Reporter and was asked straight up if the studio was making a new Friday movie and confirmed the title. “We are making another Friday,” he told the outlet. “We just closed a deal with Ice Cube to write and star. It’s going to be called Last Friday.”

02 Apr 2025

Breakdown of Drake’s Jabs at Kendrick In “Nokia” Video, Ye’s Interview With DJ Akademiks & More | Billboard Unfiltered

In today’s episode of Billboard Unfiltered, Billboard staffers Carl Lamarre, Trevor Anderson, and Kyle Denis are joined by Peter Rosenberg dive into Drake’s “Nokia” music video where he references Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” music video, Ye’s interview with DJ Akademiks where he makes statements surrounding Kim Kardashian, Playboi Carti, Beyonce & Jay-Z and others, and the current state of Summer Jam.

What do you want to hear more of? Drop your suggestion in the chat!

Carl Lamarre:

I’m curious to get your thoughts as far as, like, what were your thoughts on the video? Did Drake deliver, underperform? We’ll start with Mr. Rosenberg on his thoughts.

Peter Rosenberg:

Listen, I appreciate you guys very much. So I’m not gonna hold back here. I only watched highlights of the video. That’s not disrespect. Music videos for me these days. Like I probably watched, “Not Like Us” one time when it came out, was like, cool, right? I just don’t live currently in the space where, like, breaking down music videos is part of my thing. But I saw, like, the little connections people were drawing, yeah, and I it felt like a reach. Like, I’m not saying that it wasn’t little stuff, but it wasn’t enough to, like, honestly, warrant major conversation to me. But again, I’m not like, captain break it down to that degree. I’m like, is it on the surface, then to me, it’s something worth talking about? Like the 50 other- when people broke down the Super Bowl, like, by day two, I was like, All right, no, no, I get it. I don’t need, like, 50 different versions. Yeah, if it takes that long to figure out what we’re talking about, while it’s neat for like, the hardcore nerds,I’m too busy. I’m sorry I got no time. But, yeah, no, it was cool. I’m just, if I’m Drake, I’m just happy I have that big a hit. Like, what’s what’s happened? That’s more interesting to me than whether or not he took subtleties at Kendrick in the video. 

Keep watching for more!

02 Apr 2025

Rubi Rose Says She Makes $400K on OnlyFans During a ‘Horrible Month’

Billboard Women in Music 2025

Rubi Rose sat down with Bobbi Althoff’s The Really Good Podcast and made a shocking revelation.

Rose — who models and sometimes raps — claimed that she makes around $400,000 in a “horrible month” on OnlyFans, and she does it by doing whatever her subscribers want her do, whether that be posting pictures, videos, voice notes or messages. She also said she doesn’t “get butt-naked” and doesn’t do any kind of porn.

However, earlier in the interview, she seemed to regret letting her ex into talking her into starting one during the pandemic in 2020. “It was cool for the first couple of years, but now it’s like I have to keep doing it,” she admitted. “It’s just definitely put a damper on my reputation, but, you know, it’s a choice I made, and I’m just going to stick it out.”

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Rubi first mentioned her ex-boyfriend DDG urging her to start an OnlyFans during an appearance on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast. “My ex did it — DDG — he started it first, and he told me to do it.” she revealed. “People had been telling me to do it, because I would twerk on Instagram for fun already, and then I did that, dropped out of college, moved to LA, and my life has just been going up since.”

Also, we thought we should add that Bobbi hosted the interview in an upscale nursing home that her sister was volunteering at because Rubi asked if she had a pool. And before they got into the OnlyFans talk, one of the residents interrupted them to introduce himself and gave Rubi a Rolex off his wrist.

She probably just earned herself a new subscriber.

You can watch the full conversation below.

02 Apr 2025

Kid Capri Claims His Voice on the ‘Martin’ Theme Was Used Without His Permission

Billboard Women in Music 2025

Kid Capri is claiming he was never compensated for his alleged contribution to the Martin theme song, which he says uses his voice as a sample.

In an interview with the Bag Fuel podcast on Tuesday (April 1), Capri said the popular sitcom’s theme song, which was composed by Steve Keitt, used a sample of Capri’s voice from his time on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam. Capri said that his signature “Martin!” catchphrase was pulled without his permission.

“They took my voice from Def Comedy Jam, sampled it, put it on the Martin show,” Capri explained. “Never got no permission from me, never asked for my rights, nothing. This show been on eight different networks for 30 years. Now if it was a money thing for me, I would been like, ‘Yo where’s my bread?’ I ain’t never did that.”

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He went on to say that before the show’s reunion, Tisha Campbell, who played Martin Lawrence’s wife Gina Waters-Payne, went on Fox Soul and inquired about whether that was Kid Capri‘s voice heard on the iconic intro. But Martin himself denied that was Kid’s voice during his own appearance on the show.

“First of all, that was the dumbest s—t to say, everybody know it’s me,” Capri continued. “Number two, I got videos of this. Number three, all you had to say was, ‘Yo Kid, we used your s—t, is it aight? Here’s a bag.’ Or not.”

Capri added he hasn’t spoken to Martin about the matter, and that he has no plans to talk to the Bad Boys actor.

Regardless of whether the audio was lifted from Def Comedy Jam, it’s unclear whether Capri would have even needed to give legal permission in the first place, as HBO or one of the production companies behind Def Comedy Jam are likely the owner of the copyrights to the material that was sampled.

Billboard has reached out to Steve Keitt and Martin Lawrence’s team for comment.

The claim comes after Kid Capri made headlines last summer for criticizing Travis Scott over his interaction with a fan who wanted a photo. In a video of the incident, Scott appeared to push the fan’s arm out of the way, while saying, “Don’t touch me.”

“Ayo, Travis Scott, when did we start being disrespectful to kids, bruh?” Capri said after the video went viral. “Little kid asked you for an autograph, [you] pushed his hand away, looked at him like he was the devil and just walked away from him. At one time, you would’ve wanted somebody to ask you for an autograph or ask you for a picture or whatever it is he asked you for.”

Watch the full interview below.

02 Apr 2025

Did Drake’s ‘NOKIA’ Video Curse Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? LeBron’s ‘Man on the Lakers’ & More | Billboard News

After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made a cameo in Drake’s “Nokia” music video, fans wondered if his team is cursed. LeBron James reacts to “Man on the Lakers,” and we cover who’s going to be performing at the NCAA March Madness music festival.

Do you think Shai has been cursed by Drake? What did you think about “Man on the Lakers”? Let us know in the comments below!

Tetris Kelly:

Did Drake just curse the NBA’s front-runner for MVP? LeBron James reacts to the LeBron song that’s going viral on social media. And the men’s and women’s Final Four have been officially set for this weekend.

We’re running it all down in this week’s Sports Round-Up. NBA superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been playing like an MVP all season, but fans are now concerned about the infamous Drake Curse. Shai just made a cameo in Drake’s newly released music video for his song “NOKIA.” But fans were quick to comment that Shai and his team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, may now have the infamous Drake Curse, which is a theory that sports fans have about when Drake publicly supports or bets on a team, the team tends to lose. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how Shai and the Thunder will perform in the playoffs.

From a new face of the league to one of its most iconic, LeBron James. A parody of MJ’s “Man in the Mirror,” renamed “Man on the Lakers,” is going viral thanks to online creator IMAKEPARODYZZ. The parody has inspired many TikToks using the viral song and even a cover of the parody from Baylor University’s men’s choir, and it caught the King’s attention. He shared his reaction to the song after his game on Monday. And LeBron was not the only one to react to “Man on the Lakers.” Some of the stars of March Madness also shared their favorite LeBron parodies. 

Keep watching for more!

02 Apr 2025

Drake’s ‘NOKIA’ Video, Mustard’s Comeback & Ye’s Interview: ‘Billboard Unfiltered’

Billboard Women in Music 2025

The calendar has turned to April. With quarter 1 of 2025 officially in the rear view, which was a busy three months in the hip-hop world, Billboard Unfiltered is back with a new episode on Wednesday (April 2).

The trio is joined by Hot 97 and proud Duke University hater Peter Rosenberg for the discussion, which touches on Drake’s “NOKIA” video and what it means for Kendrick Lamar, Mustard’s comeback, Ye’s interview with DJ Akademiks and more.

Directed by Theo Skudra and shot in IMAX, “Nokia” arrived on Monday in black-and-white, and some fans perceived certain scenes to be jabs at Lamar.

“I saw connections people were drawing, and it felt like a reach,” Rosenberg said. “It wasn’t enough to warrant major conversation to me.”

Rosenberg thinks Drake should continue to dish out the hits and shy away from the Kendrick Lamar snipes. “If I’m Drake, I’m probably staying away from the Kendrick stuff,” he said. “And focusing on this. No matter what people say about this man, the hits are coming. Drake is fully back on the Hot 100.”

The Hot 97 radio host called Mustard’s hot streak one of the “greatest comebacks” in music history after the producer helmed “Not Like Us” and then hit the stage at the Grammy Awards, as well as Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show.

“That comeback to producer of the year to onstage at the Grammys to at the Super Bowl,” he said. “That may be one of the greatest music comebacks of all time. And It’s not really being talked about.”

Ye sat down with DJ Akademiks for an explosive interview last week, which saw him double-down on his hate for Jay-Z following his flagrant tweet about Jay’s twins, Sir and Rumi.

“There’s so no coming back from where he’s going,” Rosenberg said. “There’s no response at this point to Ye that I would think is inappropriate.”

Hot 97’s Summer Jam is back in 2025 with A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Gunna, GloRilla and more performing. While the event has moved indoors to Prudential Center, Rosenberg reflects on how the festival has transformed from its heyday in the ’90s to now.

“What I’m not gonna do is get up here and say, ‘Summer Jam’s the same as its ever been.’ It’s definitely not the same and it’s not coming back,” he added. “But I’m not gonna get up here and say it’s not a good time. … It’s not 2001, it’s not Michael Jackson with Jay-Z.”

Watch the full episode below.

02 Apr 2025

After Drake Trolls ‘Joe Budden Podcast’ With Melyssa Ford Merch, She Asks ‘Where’s My Check?’

Billboard Women in Music 2025

After dropping the highly anticipated “Nokia” video, Drake made some merch available on his website, andJoe Budden Podcast co-host Melyssa Ford isn’t happy about it.

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On DrakeRelated.com, the Toronto rapper is selling a “Hot Moms Vixen” hoodie with an image of Ford and lettering that says videovixens.ca on the back. And while the web address redirected to the podcast’s Patreon page at first, it now redirects to Ford’s Hot & Bothered with Melyssa Ford podcast YouTube page.

Of course, the pod talked about the hoodie, and when asked if she was given a head’s up, Melyssa Ford said she wasn’t and “woke up to it” like everybody else. She then mentioned that the website that’s printed on top of her image redirects to the pod’s Patreon page. “There is a jacket with my image on it,” she explained. “And underneath it, it says ‘videovixex.ca.’ So, dot c-a is dot com in Canada. You click on that link and it take’s you to Joe’s Patreon.”

She added: “What the f—k is going on? Where’s my check? Where’s my f—king check? That’s what the f—k I want to know.”

She then claimed that she may own the image because it’s from her first calendar and said that she sent Drake a DM about the situation. “There’s a possibility that I do own it,” she suggested. “There’s a possibility that I shot that for my first calendar… I sent a DM, said, ‘Hey.’”

While Drake and Budden’s rift goes back a ways, the former recently mentioned Budden and Ford on the $ome $exy $ongs 4 U song “Gimme a Hug” where he raps, “Melyssa Ford, you a legend from the 6, hate to see you with a d—ksucker,” in reference to Joe’s analysis of his battle with Kendrick Lamar last year.

02 Apr 2025

Ye Says J. Cole’s Music Is for Virgins & He’s ‘Hurting Hip-Hop’

Billboard Women in Music 2025

Ye — formerly Kanye West — blasted J. Cole and his music during another X rant on Tuesday night (April 1), but it didn’t seem to be any sort of April Fools’ Day joke.

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“I hate J Cole music so much,” West said matter-of-factly. “It’s like between Kendrick and J Cole I bet you industry plants asked J Cole to diss Drake then we would have been accosted with a J Cole Super Bowl commercial with no SZA song to save it.”

The embattled Chicago native went on to diss Cole’s artistry by claiming that the Dreamville leader’s music was strictly for virgins. “No one listens to J Cole after loosing [sic] their virginity,” he wrote.

Ye also brought up purported conversations around 2021’s Donda era when he pleaded with Drake that he was “hurting hip-hop” by giving J. Cole a bigger platform.

“When I met up with Drake during Donda most of the convo was me telling him he was hurting hip hop by giving J Cole a platform and I was saying how much I loved Future,” he added.

Kanye previously dissed J. Cole last year when adding a verse to the “Like That” remix. “Play J.Cole get the p—y dry,” he raps.

The relationship between Ye and Cole has been icy for some time. The North Carolina rhymer jabbed at West on multiple occasions in the past. While he respects Ye’s artistry, Cole hasn’t had any issue checking him on tracks like 2016’s “False Prophets” and 2019’s “Middle Child,” saying he feels West hasn’t lived up to the billing.

The 48-year-old has been draped in controversy in recent months while his unhinged X rants have found him doubling down on his antisemitic remarks and appreciation for Hitler while wearing a Swastika shirt and chain.

West provided context about some of his recent rants when he spoke with DJ Akademiks last week for an hour-plus-long interview, which saw him wearing a black KKK-inspired hood and touching on Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Kim Kardashian, Diddy, Virgil Abloh, Jay-Z, Playboi Carti and more.

Find Ye’s rant sniping at J. Cole below.