Hip-Hop
This article was created in partnership with White Claw®.
White Claw® Sessions Powered by Billboard is a premier event series that celebrates music, creativity, and social connection. On Monday night, this free experience touched down in LA, delivering electrifying performances from some of today’s most exciting acts. Fans were invited to bring themselves and their crew out to enjoy an evening of musical sets from New York rapper FERG, West Coast rapper Larry June, and DJ/producer Zeemuffin.
The evening kicked off with an intimate discussion with FERG, bringing his VIP fans closer to the multihyphenate. FERG gave insights into his storied career, ranging from stories behind his new album DAROLD to his fashion journey, in conversation with Billboard host Tetris Kelly.
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When asked about the legacy he wants to leave behind, FERG enlightened fans: “If I can do anything, it’s to inspire the next generation, or somebody, to want to do better for themselves, you know what I’m saying?” he shared, “And do better for humanity. Figure out your purpose, figure out your ‘why.’ Why are we here? Why are we doing what we do?”
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In addition to the exclusive Q&A, White Claw surprised a select group of superfans, who arrived at Sessions first in line, with a meet and greet and photo op with FERG.
Ferg shares insights into his career and new music at White Claw® Sessions Powered by Billboard in Los Angeles.
Julian Bajsel
The party continued as doors opened, filling the room with excitement as concert goers grabbed their favorite White Claw® beverages and got ready for a night of fun and music Anticipation was high as the crowd waited for the show to begin, knowing that they would be some of the first to hear songs from FERG’s new album DAROLD live. Zeemuffin warmed up the crowd with today’s biggest hip-hop hits as fans enjoyed drinks, dancing, photos and merchandise to commemorate the night. Larry June followed her set with an energetic performance that got his fellow Californians moving, showing off his dance moves to hits including “Clocked In.”
FERG closed out the night with a set balancing tracks from his new album DAROLD with earlier fan favorites. He opened the set to the explosive new track “Thought I Was Dead,” following it with other star-studded DAROLD selects including “French Tips” featuring Coco Jones and “Demons” with Denzel Curry. Despite the fact that DAROLD had dropped less than two weeks before the event, many fans knew the words and rapped along. “Now last but not least, you know I can’t leave this place without doing this one song that I got,” teased FERG as he approached the end of his set, “What song y’all think I’m finna do?” After the crowd chanted in response, the headliner gave fans one last performance of his biggest song to date: “Plain Jane.”
From can’t-miss shows and fly away festival experiences to partnerships with top charting artists and exclusive fan giveaways, White Claw® is no stranger to the music space. The White Claw® Sessions Powered by Billboard will continue to bring fans closer to the music they love throughout 2024. Don’t miss your opportunity to Grab Life By The Claw: make sure you’re signed up to be notified about all-access gigs, epic drops, everyday thrills, and community vibes. For you and your crew.
See more from White Claw® Sessions Powered by Billboard with FERG, Larry June and Zeemuffin.
DJ/producer Zeemuffin got the celebration started at the White Claw® Sessions Powered by Billboard in Los Angeles.
Julian Bajsel
White Claw surprised a select group of superfans with a meet and greet and photo op with FERG.
Koury Angelo
Larry June performed his biggest hits at White Claw® Sessions Powered by Billboard in Los Angeles.
Koury Angelo
Fans enjoyed their favorite White Claw® beverages at White Claw® Sessions Powered by Billboard in Los Angeles.
Koury Angelo
FERG shared songs from his new album ‘DAROLD’ onstage at White Claw® Sessions Powered by Billboard in Los Angeles.
Koury Angelo
Louisiana-based rapper NBA YoungBoy pleaded guilty Monday to his role in a large-scale prescription drug fraud ring that operated out of his multimillion-dollar home in Utah.
The 25-year-old artist, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, walked into a courtroom in Logan, Utah, with his head hung low as he entered the plea for his part in the alleged scheme, KTVX-TV reported.
Gaulden was originally charged in the Logan District Court with 46 charges related to the alleged crime. On Monday, he pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree felony identity fraud, two counts of third-degree felony forgery, and six counts of misdemeanor unlawful pharmacy conduct. Gaulden entered a “no contest” plea to the remaining charges.
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As part of a plea deal, Gaulden will not serve prison time in Utah. Instead, his four felony charges were reduced to Class A Misdemeanors and he was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine, the television station reported.
District Judge Spencer Walsh agreed to suspend a prison sentence as Gaulden is expected to serve a “substantial” 27 months in federal prison for related charges in a case stemming out of Weber County, Utah. Following his release, Gaulden will then be placed on five years of federal supervised probation.
“This is somewhat of a unique case where there have been multiple jurisdictions involved both in the federal and the state systems,” said state prosecutor Ronnie Keller. “This is just really a smaller cog in the bigger wheel of ultimately seeking justice.”
Gaulden had been living in Utah under house arrest having previously been allegedly involved in a 2019 Miami shooting. His relocation to Utah came as part of a deal in 2021 in which his lawyers argued that “moving to Utah would keep YoungBoy out of trouble.”
During his hearing Monday, Walsh said it was clear that Gaulden was a very talented young man.
“I’ve seen so many times where you have young men and women who have a lot of talent and potential. They can be robbed of that potential when they start to really struggle with their addictions,” Walsh told Gaulden. “I don’t want that for you.”
Walsh continued saying, “I’m sure that in your future, once you’re done with your federal prison time, you can be really successful on federal probation and have a really bright future where you can reach your full potential in every aspect of your life. Best of luck to you, Mr. Gaulden.”
Tyler, The Creator took a well-deserved victory lap and brought festival-goers along for a joyful ride down memory lane on Saturday (Nov. 16) when he headlined the first night of Camp Flog Gnaw at his Los Angeles hometown’s Dodger Stadium.
The ambient sounds of a shipping dock — deep-toned ship horns, squawking seagulls and crashing waves — play before Tyler marches onto the stage and incites “Chromakooooooopia” chants from the crowd. A single green light highlights the masked and military uniform-donning headliner standing atop a “Chromakopia” shipping container. Tyler introduced the album’s aesthetic exactly one month ago on Oct. 16, when he released the “St. Chroma” video. And already, he’s created another definitive character in the Tyler Cinematic Universe, where commitment to world-building is paramount for every one of his projects.
He forges ahead to the next three songs off CHROMAKOPIA’s track list. “The biggest out the city after Kenny, that’s a fact now,” he reaffirms on the subsequent track “Rah Tah Tah.” Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem, who were billed as The Hillbillies, headlined the first night of Camp Flog Gnaw just last year. Tyler isn’t typically one to do the honors given the fact that it’s his festival (and he already rewards himself with the most performance time out of any other artist on the lineup). Giving other luminaries the primetime slot is a courtesy, but this year’s different because Tyler gradually ascends into a higher echelon of stardom with each album.
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He’s reached cult icon status without having a definitive “hit,” and now he’s earned his first three Billboard Hot 100 top 10s with an album that was released on an off-cycle Monday but has become Tyler’s biggest album to date. His star continues to burn even brighter, but the overexposure proves it can sometimes be destructive. “Noid” feels particularly poignant given his recent heated encounter with paparazzi as he was leaving the GQ Men of the Year party on Thursday night.
“No cameras out, please, I wanna eat in peace/ Don’t wanna take pictures with you n—as or bi—es,” he spits on the second verse with an extra splatter of vitriol.
But Tyler doesn’t marinate in the sour feeling. Over the instrumental outro of “Darling I,” he pauses to prematurely celebrate his album’s three-week No. 1 streak on the Billboard 200. “Thank all you motherf–kers for supporting me, man, for real. To do that, at my 10th carnival in my f—ing city, what’re we talking about?! I don’t even have no heartfelt message. I’m really filled with so much love and joy,” Tyler beams. “We did the new sh–, y’all clearly know it and like it. So if you don’t mind, I’mma go through my old sh– real fast.”
Tyler takes it back to last year with “WUSYANAME,” “LUMBERJACK” and “DOGTOOTH” from his Grammy-winning album Call Me If You Get Lost before rewinding all the way back to 2011 with “She” and “Yonkers” from his Goblin LP and splicing in cuts from 2013’s Wolf, 2017’s Flower Boy and 2019’s IGOR. He asks the audience to take over Playboi Carti‘s verse on “EARFQUAKE” because “this n—a in Vegas” headlining ComplexCon, but he’s slated to close out the second and final night of Camp Flog Gnaw on Sunday (Nov. 17).
“I wanted to build a place where n—as could just come and just be, and it’s beautiful to see that y’all have been rocking with me for real. All this s–t really be starting from my notebook. It’s f—ing crazy, bruh! N—as is really three weeks No. 1, and I’m like, ‘What the f— going on? This is crazy!’” he says. “This is a test run ’cause all the songs are so new. The first four went great, could I continue to do some new s—?”
He shushes the festival-goers’ affirmative response so they can pick up the introductory whistle of his Hot 100 top 10 hit “Sticky,” where B-roll of step teams and marching bands complement the song’s cheerful energy. But Sexyy Red‘s surprise appearance cranks it up a thousandfold. Tyler gasses her up while she twerks for the crowd, and he even throws it back and earns a satisfactory smack from her.
They match each other’s freak as well as the same IDGAF energy of their viral booty-popping, middle-finger-flinging photo. “I love you, girl. She’s so sweet,” Tyler sings her praises as she heads off the stage and repeats the “It’s gettin’ sticky!” hook. But the raunchy rapper can’t deliver more fitting final words than “He was sucking up on my coochie, y’all.”
Tyler invites more CHROMAKOPIA guests like ScHoolboy Q for “Thought I Was Dead” and the “motherf–king swamp princess” Doechii and “my motherf—ing brother” Daniel Caesar for “Balloon.” “This n—a helped me with this album, I get emotional when I see this n—a ’cause he came through for me for CHROMAKOPIA,” Tyler says of Caesar, who performed on the main stage just right before him and is featured on “St. Chroma” and “Take Your Mask Off.” It took a village to make his latest masterpiece, but he built an even bigger one right before his eyes.
Check out the full set list for Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw headlining set below:
1. “St. Chroma”
2. “Rah Tah Tah”
3. “Noid”
4. “Darling, I”
5. “WUSYANAME”
6. “LUMBERJACK”
7. “DOGTOOTH”
8. “She”
9. “Yonkers”
10. “Tamale”
11. Boredom
12. “Who Dat Boy”
13. “I THINK”
14. “EARFQUAKE”
15. “Sticky” (with Sexyy Red)
16. “Take Your Mask Off”
17. “Thought I Was Dead” (with ScHoolboy Q)
18. “Like Him”
19. “Balloon” (with Doechii and Daniel Caesar)
20. “NEW MAGIC WAND”
21. “See You Again”
Tyler, The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA spends a third consecutive and total week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated Nov. 23). It’s the artist’s album with the most weeks atop the list, surpassing the two weeks spent at No. 1 by his previous leader, Call Me If You Get Lost in 2021-22.
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CHROMAKOPIA earned 104,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending Nov. 14 (down 35% in its third week), according to Luminate.
Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 chart, TOMORROW X TOGETHER debuts at No. 2 with The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY, marking the sixth top 10-charting set for the group.
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The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Nov. 23, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Nov. 19). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of CHROMAKOPIA’s 104,000 equivalent album units earned in its second week, SEA units comprise 76,000 (down 34%, equaling 106.87 million on-demand official streams of the album’s songs; it holds at No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart), album sales comprise 28,000 (down 37%; it’s steady at No. 2 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum (down 35%).
The album continues to profit from sales generated by Tyler, The Creator’s official webstore, with the set’s vinyl, CD, and eight previously available deluxe collectible boxed sets continuing to ship to customers. The third week also saw four additional boxed sets shipped to customers. All boxed sets contain a CD, poster and another branded merch item in a branded box. All physical editions of the album are exclusively sold via the artist’s webstore.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER nabs its sixth top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 as The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY debuts at No. 2. The set earned 98,000 equivalent album units in its first week. Album sales comprise 95,500 of that sum (it debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 2,500 (equaling 3.74 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The album’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across 23 CD variants (all containing collectible branded paper ephemera, some randomized), eight digital download variants (seven were exclusive to the act’s official webstore; all included bonus tracks).
The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY is the group’s second top 10-charting effort of 2024, following No. 3-peaking Minisode 3: TOMORROW in April.
Sabrina Carpenter’s chart-topping Short n’ Sweet slips 2-3 on the Billboard 200 (68,000 equivalent album units earned; up 1%), Gracie Abrams’ The Secret of Us climbs 5-4 (52,000; up 5%) and Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft spikes 7-5 (48,000; up 9%) to round out the top five.
Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is a non-mover at No. 6 (47,000; up 3%); Morgan Wallen’s former leader One Thing at a Time rises 10-7 (43,000; up 1%); Taylor Swift’s chart-topping The Tortured Poets Department ascends 9-8 (nearly 43,000; down less than 1%); Rod Wave’s Last Lap falls 8-9 (38,000; down 12%); and Noah Kahan’s Stick Season steps 14-10 (33,000; up 7%).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
Sean “Diddy” Combs has tried to reach out to prospective witnesses and influence public opinion from jail in a bid to affect potential jurors for his upcoming sex trafficking trial, prosecutors claimed in a court filing urging a judge to reject his latest bail request.
The government accusations were made in a Manhattan federal court filing late Friday (Nov. 15) that opposes the music mogul’s latest $50 million bail proposal. A bail hearing is scheduled for next week.
Prosecutors wrote that a review of recorded jail calls made by Combs shows he has asked family members to reach out to potential victims and witnesses and has urged them to create “narratives” to influence the jury pool. They say he also has encouraged marketing strategies to sway public opinion.
“The defendant has shown repeatedly — even while in custody — that he will flagrantly and repeatedly flout rules in order to improperly impact the outcome of his case. The defendant has shown, in other words, that he cannot be trusted to abide by rules or conditions,” prosecutors wrote in a submission that contained redactions.
Prosecutors wrote that it could be inferred from his behavior that Combs wants to blackmail victims and witnesses into silence or into providing testimony helpful to his defense.
Lawyers for Combs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Prosecutors said Combs, 55, began breaking rules almost as soon as he was detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after his September arrest.
He has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years with the aid of a network of associates and employees, while silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.
Two judges have concluded he is a danger to the community and a risk to flee.
His lawyers recently made a third request for bail after the rejection of two previous attempts, including a $50 million bail proposal.
In the request, they cited changed circumstances, including new evidence, which they said made it sensible to release Combs so he can better prepare for his May 5 trial.
But prosecutors said defense lawyers created their latest bail proposal using some evidence prosecutors turned over to them and the new material was already known to defense lawyers when they made previous bail applications.
In their submission to a judge, prosecutors said Combs’ behavior in jail shows he must remain locked up.
For instance, they said, Combs has enlisted family members to plan and carry out a social media campaign around his birthday “with the intention of influencing the potential jury in this criminal proceeding.”
He encouraged his children to post a video to their social media accounts showing them gathered to celebrate his birthday, they said.
Afterward, he monitored the analytics, including audience engagement, from the jail and “explicitly discussed with his family how to ensure that the video had his desired effect on potential jury members in this case,” they said.
The government also alleged Combs during other calls made clear his intention to anonymously publish information that he thought would help his defense against the charges.
“The defendant’s efforts to obstruct the integrity of this proceeding also includes relentless efforts to contact potential witnesses, including victims of his abuse who could provide powerful testimony against him,” prosecutors wrote.
Shyne isn’t finished talking about his relationship with Diddy.
During a recent appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show to promote his Hulu documentary The Honorable Shyne, the rapper-turned-politician again spoke on his relationship with his former Bad Boy label boss Diddy and why it was the right time to do a documentary about his journey and second chance at life.
First, Shyne revealed that he’s been asked to make a documentary about his life for 20-plus years, and he revealed that actor and producer Mark Wahlberg had once offered him $1 million to do one. “I had been inundated with solicitations to do a documentary for the last 22 years, to be factual,” the Leader of the Opposition in the Belize House of Representatives told Stephen A. Smith. “Mark Wahlberg offered me, I think, a million-dollar deal back in 2004 and I have that proposal, I can share it with you. I just was always looking for the right partner and it had to make sense fiscally.”
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Shyne also said he waited this long because he didn’t want the documentary to just be about Diddy. “I didn’t want to tell the Diddy story, because that’s not my story,” he said. “My story is ‘next Prime Minister of Belize.’ My story is power. My story is victor. My story is triumph over tragedy. That’s my story.”
Stephen A. pushed back, though, and asked Shyne to explain exactly what happened to him and why he’s been reluctant to talk about that fateful night in 1999 and its aftermath. “In my words, I said so many years ago back in 2001,” he said, referring to his first of six XXL covers entitled Death Before Dishonor. It was me talking about not snitching on Diddy and not getting him in trouble to get myself out of trouble. I said that 20-odd years ago.
He added: “I’ve always maintained in every interview I did until recently when I healed and I moved on and I forgave, but for years I was saying what a creep I thought he was and how he destroyed my life and at one point, I thought he was the devil,” he said. “But because of the power of Diddy, which is so loud as far as a pop culture icon, nobody listened. So I moved on. And I pivoted my life to healing, to forgiveness and to taking accountability for what I can control.”
He then continued by claiming he was made the fall guy without being offered compensation for the pain and suffering he endured during his 10-year sentence. “And I can’t control what someone did to me decades ago. I can’t control them not wanting to pay reparations, not wanting to make it right,” Shyne admitted.
“People say, ‘Oh, Diddy gave me millions to go to jail.’ Nothing! Probably made two what I thought were offensive contributions over the last 20-something years, which led to a breakdown in the relations. But I moved on. So yes, was I the sacrificial lamb? Of course. Did I take the fall? Yes. There was no quid pro quo. There was not, ‘Listen, we’re gonna have $10 million waiting for you when you come out,’ or just do the right thing. I did that on my own. I’ve been saying that, it’s not anything new.”
However, he did give Diddy credit for teaching him the entertainment business and referred to the fallen mogul as a “professor” and referred to his label as “the University of Bad Boy.”
Billboard reached out to Diddy’s team for comment and received this message: “Mr. Combs categorically denies Mr. Barrow’s allegations, including any suggestion that he orchestrated Mr. Barrow to ‘take the fall’ or ‘sacrificed’ him by directing witnesses to testify against him. These claims are unequivocally false.
“Mr. Combs was acquitted of all charges related to the 1999 Club New York incident and has consistently maintained his innocence. He cannot accept or condone any characterization of his actions as ‘demonic’ or malicious.
Mr. Combs appreciates the path Mr. Barrow has pursued and wishes him continued success. It is unfortunate that Mr. Barrow has chosen to revisit these allegations. Mr. Combs trusts that responsible journalism will weigh both the established legal outcomes and Mr. Combs’ positive, longstanding support for those he has worked with.”
You can watch the full conversation below.
One of hip-hop’s most celebrated pairs, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, are back on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart together for the first time in 13 years as “Gorgeous,” their collaboration with R&B singer Jhene Aiko, debuts at No. 29 on the list dated Nov. 16.
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“Gorgeous” reunites Snoop Dogg, the multi-platinum rapper, and Dr. Dre, a hitmaking producer and rapper in his own right, on the chart for the first time since “Kush,” a Dr. Dre track featuring Snoop Dogg and Akon, reached No. 43 in 2011. The new hit arrives with 3 million U.S. audience impressions in the tracking week of Nov. 1 -7, according to Luminate. Its strongest support came from a pair of Midwest stations, WHHH-FM in Indianapolis. and WIZF-FM in Cincinnati, while KRRL-FM in Los Angeles – a hometown station for all three performers – ranked third.
With “Gorgeous,” Snoop Dogg collects his 69th credited appearance to the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, Dr. Dre lands his 34th visit and Jhene Aiko notches her 16th entry. Notably, Aiko extends a streak of having at least one song on the chart every year since her debut on the list in 2013, when she and Lil Wayne featured on Big Sean’s “Beware.”
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Plus, “Gorgeous” rewrites Dr. Dre and Aiko’s career-best debut ranks among their R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay hits, while Snoop Dogg falls one spot shy of equaling his best. The rapper and Ball Greezy guested on Lil’ Duval’s “Smile (Living My Best Life),” which opened at No. 28 in 2018.
Released Nov. 1, “Gorgeous” previews Snoop Dogg’s forthcoming album, Missionary, which Dr. Dre will produce. The new LP, due Dec. 13, marks the first full-length collaboration from the pair since their work on Snoop Dogg’s debut album, Doggystyle. The set, which contains classic tracks including “Gin and Juice” and “What’s My Name?” was released in 1993, one year after Dr. Dre’s own debut solo release, The Chronic. Both projects were instrumental in establishing the Los Angeles area as a hip-hop powerhouse and rivaling the New York-centered East Coast for commercial dominance and artistic influence.
Elsewhere, “Gorgeous” begins at No. 34 on the plays-based Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and at No. 26 on Rhythmic Airplay.
Fredro Starr, rapper, actor and member of influential Queens rap group Onyx, recently sat down with Art of Dialogue and revealed that the group gets royalty checks from Travis Scott‘s “Sicko Mode.” Scott’s record — which also features Drake, Swae Lee and Big Hawk — samples The Notorious B.I.G.‘s song “Gimme the Loot” from his […]
Cordae’s latest project, The Crossroads, marks what he might describe as the most refined version of himself as an artist. In an exclusive interview with Billboard News, Cordae deep-dives into why this album — which comes out on Friday — feels like his strongest work yet.
Cordae is clear on why now is the right time to drop this album. “I think it’s ready. I think I’m better than I’ve ever been as an artist,” he says.
He spent time focusing on his craft and drawing inspiration from life to make sure he was putting his best foot forward. “I feel like I needed that time to just live life, assess life,” he says. “This album in particular, I needed to get better.”
For Cordae, growth has been about everything from beat selection to songwriting. “I wanted to get better, like, as a songwriter, as a rapper. I wanted my verses to be better. I wanted my storytelling to be better. I wanted my beat selection and taste in beat selection to get better, and that requires work and time, so I feel like this is my best foot forward thus far.”
The album title, The Crossroads, speaks to a turning point that he felt he reached. “I felt like I was at a crossroads in my life,” he says, describing a period when every decision felt high-stakes. “It was like life or death. … If I go right, everything is gonna be perfect and yay, life is great, and if I go left, all life is horrible.” Over time, he’s learned that life is rarely shaped by a single choice. “I’ve kinda realized that one decision doesn’t hold that much weight. It’s a culmination of decisions.”
Cordae also reflects on his journey with J. Cole, a major influence. After rapping over J. Cole’s “1985” beat and calling it “Old N—as,” the track went viral when WorldStarHipHop labeled it as a response to J. Cole’s original. That music video caught Cole’s attention, eventually leading to their collaboration. “That’s what ended up getting me the beats and us locking in,” he says.
Cordae credits the recent Drake and Kendrick Lamar rivalry for energizing hip-hop’s competitive edge. “It was great for hip-hop,” he says. “The competitive nature is kind of the fundamentals of hip-hop, like, ‘Nah, I’m nicer than you, son.’” The rivalry, he adds, energized the culture. “It kind of just put a battery in everyone’s back, like, nah, we can just say how we feel — even if it’s like, ‘F— this guy.’”
Watch the full interview with Cordae in the video above.
Tyler, The Creator completes a rare self-replacement at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as “Sticky,” featuring GloRilla, Sexyy Red and Lil Wayne evicts “St. Chroma,” featuring Daniel Caesar, from the summit on the list dated Nov. 16.
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By knocking his own record from the perch, Tyler, The Creator is the 16th artist in the chart’s 66-year history to achieve a self-replacement, and first since 21 Savage on Dec. 17, 2022. Then, the rapper’s “Rich Flex,” a collaboration with Drake, yielded to his own “Creepin’,” with Metro Boomin and The Weeknd.
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“Sticky,” released on Oct. 28, vaults 3-1 to get the gold after its first full tracking week for Billboard’s charts. On the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, it registered 20.9 million official streams, 1,000 sales downloads and 726,000 airplay audience impressions in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 7, according to Luminate. Thanks to the streaming sum, “Sticky” pushes 4-1 to rule the all-genre Streaming Songs chart, and ousts the rapper’s own “St. Chroma” from the top spot.
Elsewhere, “Sticky” skips 3-1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart and rolls 14-10 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.
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With the “Sticky” coronation on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Tyler, The Creator scores his second No. 1 (after “St. Chroma” last week). GloRilla and Sexyy Red each achieve a first leader – the former’s previous career peak was No. 3, for the Cardi B collaboration “Tomorrow 2” in 2022, while the latter’s prior best was a No. 4 result with her and SZA features on Drake’s “Rich Baby Daddy” last year.
Lil Wayne, meanwhile, secures his 12th No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and becomes the 10th artist to reach a dozen leaders since the chart began in 1958. Let’s review the club:
Artists With the Most No. 1s on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs30, Drake20, Aretha Franklin20, Stevie Wonder17, James Brown16, Janet Jackson14, The Temptations13, Marvin Gaye13, Michael Jackson13, Usher12, Lil Wayne
“Sticky” is one of five tracks by Tyler, The Creator in the top 10 of this week’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart – a feat he achieves for the second consecutive week. Four tracks – “Sticky,” “St. Chroma” (down 1-2), the Teezo Touchdown-assisted “Darling, I” (4-5) and “Rah Tah Tah” (5-6) – are holdovers, while “Like Him,” featuring Lola Young, leaps 17-8.
All five songs appear on the rapper’s CHROMAKOPIA album, which rules the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts for a second week.