State Champ Radio Hip-Hop
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Fans of Brockhampton can officially rest a little easier — the collective is finally announcing their latest project.
In a series of YouTube clips posted on Thursday (Oct. 27), Brockhampton announced their upcoming “final album” The Family, due out Nov. 17 via Question Everything and RCA Records. The official album teaser shows three men digging through a bag of stolen goods that are seemingly useless — a rubber duck, some small army figurines, gelatinous goo — before discovering an old iPod. Putting in the earbuds one at a time, the trio stop arguing and start to vibe.
The group also posted a short retrospective video called “I Miss the Band Already,” showing archival footage of the band throughout their Saturation era as the come up with the triple album’s title, jot down ideas for how to market it and more, all while Kevin Abstract‘s voice croons over the footage. “I love these n—-s so much,” he sings. “God please don’t make me grow up.”
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The news comes six months after the band announced that their next album would be their last during a much-hyped Coachella set in April. During the performance, they played a clip of Abstract sitting everyone in the band down and telling them he’d made a “group album” in New York, before showing a screen that read “THE FINAL ALBUM 2022.”
The collective then went on an “indefinite hiatus” following the performance, canceling their remaining world tour dates. In the time since, Abstract has occasionally teased updates, but had not confirmed details about the release of the hip-hop boy band’s final album until Thursday.
Watch the teasers for Brockhampton’s upcoming album The Family below:
Kanye West has put a hard, shocking number on the gargantuan financial free-fall caused by his recent spate of antisemitic remarks. In an Instagram post on Thursday morning (Oct 27) addressed to Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel — who last week urged companies to stop working with West — the rapper who now goes by Ye wrote, “Ari Emanuel. I lost 2 billion dollars in one day. And I’m still alive. This is love speech. I still love you. God still loves you. The money is not who I am. The people is who I am.”
At press time Billboard was unable to confirm the figures cited by West, who over the past week has been dropped by his reps at CAA, lost partnerships with Adidas, The Gap and Balenciaga, had his Essentials playlist pulled from Apple Music, his products taken off shelves at TJ Maxx and was cut off by Foot Locker. The end of the Adidas deal will reportedly result in a $246 million loss for the company this year and is believed to be the linchpin in Ye’s loss of billionaire status.
The athletic company had stated earlier this month that its collaboration with Ye was “under review” after he claimed on a now-removed episode of the Drink Champs podcast that “the thing about it being Adidas is, like, I can literally say antisemitic s–t and they can’t drop me … I can antisemitic things and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?” Then, after several weeks of interviews in which Ye repeatedly made derogatory comments about the Jewish people — after also raising ire over the “White Lives Matter” shirts he unveiled at Paris Fashion Week earlier this month — the team at Adidas said they had had enough.
In further blows to the once-esteemed rapper’s crumbling public image, he was unceremoniously escorted out of the Skechers office on Tuesday (Oct. 26) after showing up “uninvited,” even as his wax figure was removed from Madame Tussauds London and his Donda Academy basketball team was bounced from a tournament over his hate speech. In addition, two of the prominent athletes signed to his Donda Sports marketing firm severed ties citing their objection to West’s repeated amplification of anti-Jewish tropes. At press time Billboard was not able to reach a spokesperson for West for comment on his Instagram post.
West’s fall from grace has been accompanied by condemnation from nearly every corner of his once-formidable music and fashion empire, with longtime label Universal Music and publisher Sony also denouncing his hate speech and his longtime engineer Andrew Dawson vowing to donate his royalties to Jewish organizations.
West appeared to mock his dire situation in an earlier post on Tuesday featuring a fake headline from a fictional news agency (whose offensive name Billboard will not publish) that read, “Ye has reportedly cut ties with Kanye West,” in which he seemed to mock his business empire’s meltdown alongside the comment “Had to cut ties bro.”
The swift reprisals have taken an ax to a war chest Ye once claimed was closer to $3.3 billion, but which Forbes now estimates is in the still-formidable $400 million range; the multi-year Adidas partnership alone was reportedly worth around $1.5 billion. The financial magazine said that what remains of West’s financial empire now consists of “real estate, cash, his music catalog, and a 5% stake in ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s shapewear firm, Skims.”
See West’s Insta posts below.
Jack Harlow is pumped and totally ready to pull double-duty as host/musical guest on this weekend’s Saturday Night Live. In the promo for the show Harlow runs into SNL long-hauler Kenan Thompson and new guy Marcello Hernández who seem kind of confused about the “First Class” rapper’s sartorial style.
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In the bit, Harlow is waiting by an elevator while dressed in a full length white shearling coat when Thompson and Hernández excitedly roll up. “I’m so hyped to host this week,” Harlow says as Thompson assures him that he’s gonna kill it. “Looks like you’re already in the Halloween spirit,” Kenan says while pointing to the jacket and Jack’s all-white outfit for the 2022 Halloween edition of SNL. “Yeah, bro, costume goes crazy,” Marcello laughs.
The two then begin a riff-off guessing what Harlow is dressed as, tossing out a variety of options, from a box of Kleenex to a cotton ball, “the whole White Lotus,” sanitary napkin, pimp on a cruise ship and sexy yeti. Harlow thinks a second on that last one, but says the answer is still no, it’s none of those things.
The hits keep coming, though, including MC Teddy Roosevelt, Fluff Daddy, Almost Historically Accurate Jesus and, sigh, Macklemore. “Guys, this is just my outfit!” Harlow assures them before getting into the elevator and whispering the real inspiration behind the ‘fit.
Harlow follows fellow artist Megan Thee Stallion, who also recently pulled double duty as host and musical guest; while it’s his first hosting run, Harlow performed on SNL last year and appeared in a bit about NFTs that parodied Eminem’s “Without Me.” And, earlier this month, Jack got some late-night television practice time in with Jimmy Fallon when he co-hosted The Tonight Show.
Check out Harlow’s SNL promo below.
October’s Very Own is shifting to November.
Drake took to his Instagram Story on Wednesday night (Oct. 26) to announce that his joint album with 21 Savage, Her Loss, will now arrive next week instead of this Friday as planned.
The rapper revealed that his go-to producer Noah “40” Shebib got COVID, so the mixing and mastering of the album has been delayed.
“Our brother @ovo40 got Covid while mixing and mastering the crack so he’s resting up,” Drake’s message revealed. “NOVEMBER 4th is HER LOSS day we’ll see you soon.” He wrapped the note with a devil and rose emoji.
21 Savage shared the same message to his Instagram Story.
OVO Sound also shared the news, tweeting the new 11/4 release date for Her Loss along with the Friday release of DVSN’s Working On My Karma.
Drake and 21 Savage only announced the album on Saturday, with the news tucked into a new music video for their “Jimmy Cooks” collab from Drake’s most recent project, Honestly, Nevermind. The song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 at the end of June, as the album also started atop the Billboard 200.
Drake and 21 Savage have become frequent collaborators over the years, previously teaming up for “Knife Talk” from Drizzy’s Certified Lover Boy last year, “Mr. Right Now” from 21 Savage’s Savage Mode II collab album with Metro Boomin in 2020, Drake’s stand-alone release “Sneakin’” in 2016 and more.
Kanye West was escorted out of the Skechers office in Manhattan Beach, Calif., after the controversial MC showed up unannounced on Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 26). The company said in a statement that Ye was escorted out by two executives following his recent antisemitic remarks.
“Kanye West — also referred to as Ye — arrived unannounced and without invitation at one of Skechers’ corporate offices in Los Angeles,” the company said in a statement. “Considering Ye was engaged in unauthorized filming, two Skechers executives escorted him and his party from the building after a brief conversation.
“Skechers is not considering and has no intention of working with West,” the statement continued. “We condemn his recent divisive remarks and do not tolerate antisemitism or any other form of hate speech. The Company would like to again stress that West showed up unannounced and uninvited to Skechers corporate offices.”
Several companies and organizations have also dropped Ye recently over his racist and antisemetic remarks, including Adidas, Gap, Foot Locker and TJ Maxx.
“At TJX we do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or hate of any kind,” read a statement shared by TJ Maxx with CNN. “We have instructed our buying teams not to purchase this merchandise for sale in any of our stores globally.”
Forbes noted that the Chicago native lost his billionaire status when Adidas severed ties with him, dropping his net worth to $400 million — down from $1.5 billion with the Adidas deal.
“We will not be supporting any future Yeezy product drops, and we have instructed our retail operators to pull any existing product from our shelves and digital sites,” a spokesperson for Foot Locker told CNN, adding that the company will remain “a partner with Adidas and carry a wide assortment of their collections.”
Ye’s current fall from grace began Oct. 3 when he featured shirts printed with the phrase “White Lives Matter” during his Paris Fashion Week show. A few days later, he was suspended from Twitter and Instagram for posting anti-Jewish hate speech, which continued in interviews with CNN’s Chris Cuomo, REVOLT’s Drink Champs and more.
The ongoing fall-out from Kanye West‘s recent spree of antisemitic statements has reached nearly every corner of the former billionaire artist’s once-sprawling empire, with the latest defections coming from his Donda Sports division. In the wake of a series of interviews in which West has doubled- and tripled-down on inflammatory, derogatory hate speech, L.A. Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald tweeted on Tuesday (Oct. 25) that he was unable to continue their professional relationship.
“Our family has made the decision to part ways with Donda Sports,” read a statement from Donald and his wife, Erica Donald. “The recent comments and displays of hate and antisemitism are the exact opposite of how we choose to live our lives and raise our children. We find them to be irresponsible and go against everything we believe in as a family.”
They continued, “as parents and members of society, we felt a responsibility to send a clear message that hateful words and actions have consequences and that we must do better as human beings. We do not feel our beliefs, voices and actions belong anywhere near a space that misrepresents and oppresses people of any background, ethnicity or race.”
Boston Celtics shooting guard Brown — who earlier this week said he was sticking with Donda Sports — shifted his position on Tuesday, saying, upon reflection, he could not keep working with West (who now goes by Ye).
“In the past 24 hours, I’ve been able to reflect and better understand how my previous statements lack clarity in expressing my stance against recent insensitive public remarks and actions,” Brown tweeted in a statement. “For that, I apologize. And in this, I seek to be as clear as possible. I have always, and will always, continue to stand strongly against any antisemitism, hate speech, misrepresentation, and oppressive rhetoric of any kind.”
Brown said in light of his reflection he recognized that “there are times when my voice and my position can’t coexist in spaces that don’t correspond with my stance or my values. And, for that reason, I am terminating my association with Donda Sports.” Both men signed with West’s marketing agency Donda Sports in May of this year. And while they cut ties, the company’s president, former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown — who was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 after taking off his uniform and running off the field during a game — said he was staying put.
“Over the past few weeks the world’s reactionary and selective outrage at comments in the media made by my brother, Ye, have inflamed and sparked rampant conversation and reflection,” Brown tweeted on Tuesday. “I too have been able to reflect on statements that I and others in my circle have made that lack clarity in expressing my stance. The people and brands that have relentlessly profited from Black ideas and Black culture chose to distance themselves at a very specific time: a time that demonstrated their prioritization of certain groups over others.”
Brown said, for those reasons, he is standing by his “dedication to freedom of speech, thought, and opinion.” He added that as president of the company he remains “true to the mission of Donda,” as well as “dedicated to helping clarify statements taken out of proportion by the media.”
West’s recent spate of controversial statements and actions — including wearing and promoting a “White Lives Matter” shirt featuring a slogan adopted by neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups as a response to the Black Lives Matter movement and his weeks-long series of interviews in which he has made antisemitic comments — have cost the rapper dearly.
In addition to facing backlash from both fans and celebrities online, he has been dropped by many of his fashion and business partners, including The Gap, Balenciaga, Adidas, as well as getting him dropped by his agents at CAA, and seeing an already-finished documentary from MRC shelved. In addition, Forbes reported this week that the loss of the lucrative Adidas deal — valued at around $1.5 billion — would cost Ye his billionaire status, dropping his net worth to around $400 million.
See Donald, Brown and Brown’s statements below.
Kodak Black is headed for Capitol Records — he just has to fulfill his obligations to his current label, Atlantic Records, first. That’s according to sources familiar with the situation, who note that Black still has two releases left under his agreement with Atlantic.
The rapper’s eventual move follows last month’s announcement that Orlando Wharton — who previously signed Black to Atlantic — had joined Capitol as executive vp and president of the relaunched Priority Records. Wharton starts the new role early next year.
Representatives for Atlantic and Capitol declined to comment.
Black released his major-label debut album through Atlantic Records in 2017, and has scored 34 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 to date, including “Super Gremlin,” a solo cut that climbed to No. 3 last year. When he moves to Capitol, he will be one of the biggest active artists on the label’s roster.
While Black has enjoyed commercial success, he has also faced a series of charges for sexual assault, drugs, robbery and weapons. The rapper was sentenced to 46 months in prison on federal weapons charges in 2019; former president Donald Trump later commuted that sentence on his last day in office. During a sexual misconduct case last year — Black was accused of sexually assaulting a high school student following a 2016 show — the rapper pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and battery.
While Black’s decision to eventually leave the label where he built his career is notable, entertainment attorneys say it’s not unusual for artists to start having conversations with potential new label partners once they enter into the final stretch of their current recording contract. Recording agreements are typically structured so that an artist is required to deliver a certain amount of music during an initial contract period. Labels can then usually choose to pick up an “option” (they have a set amount of months to mull over the decision), which triggers the release of another advance payment and recording budget for the artist to put towards the next project for that company. If the label decides not to pick up the option, it ends its relationship with the artist.
Historically, managers note, it was common for artists to sign longer-term deals — what the industry likes to call a “one plus four” or “one plus five,” meaning that the label was able to exercise four or five options and potentially keep the artist under contract for many years. Recently, in a world where acts are increasingly able to generate streams on their own without help from a label, the balance of power in some deals has shifted.
It’s more common now to hear about buzzing artists signing a “one plus one,” or even a deal for one album with no options attached, if an act has a lot of streaming momentum. Fewer options means that acts who are unhappy with their record company don’t need to stay with that partner for long if the relationship sours. Matt Buser, a music industry lawyer, says “it’s rough when an artist gets locked in with a team that has lost its appeal, or if the artist loses their champion in the building due to lateral movement or termination — that’s one reason why we try to keep the option number low in negotiations.”
When artists start to search for a new partner while still working with an old one, managers and lawyers alike say they usually try to keep these conversations discreet. If an artist still has music to deliver under his current agreement, but he’s flaunting the fact that he’s hunting for a fresh deal, “depending on the circumstances, it might undermine the enthusiasm of his current label to market and promote that last project,” according to Larry Katz, a veteran entertainment attorney.
There are other political reasons for an artist not to upset a record company before his or her contract is up. A label that feels spurned, for example, might decide to classify an artist’s project as a mixtape rather than an album, according to one manager. That seemingly small decision around nomenclature could mean that the act then has to turn in another entire project, depending on the terms of his or her contract, to fulfill recording obligations. (Debates over what constitutes an album and what constitutes a mixtape are more prevalent in hip-hop than in other genres.)
In addition, lawyers say that some artists make another mistake when they are gearing up to switch labels: They turn in the final album required by their contract and then immediately begin to record music in anticipation of a new deal elsewhere. But many exclusive recording agreements extend for nine to 12 months past the date that the last album was delivered or released — meaning songs that artists cut during this period still belong to their previous label partner. (Contract terms vary, of course, and stars have a lot of negotiating power, which gives them more latitude.)
“Artists may not be aware that in most record deals, the recording services remain exclusive during the entire term, and there’s often a period of time in between the release of the last project and the end of that exclusive term,” Katz says. “If you’re not careful, anything you record during that period is owned by the old label.”
Black released his fourth official album under his Atlantic deal, Back for Everything, in February. According to the rapper’s Instagram posts, he is now planning to release a follow-up, Kutthroat Bill: Vol 1, on Oct. 28.
Few rappers have made the jump to popular music’s A-list as successfully this decade as Atlanta rapper Lil Baby, whose 2020 album My Turn topped the Billboard 200 albums chart for five weeks and spawned major hits like “Emotionally Scarred,” “Woah,” and (from its deluxe edition) “We Paid” and “The Bigger Picture.”
This month, Lil Baby returns with that set’s proper follow-up, It’s Only Me — which was preceded with a slow trickle of one- and two-off single releases. The set bows atop the Billboard 200 this week with 216,000 equivalent album units moved and all 23 tracks appearing on the Billboard Hot 100, making it one of the year’s most dominant streaming releases.
Is the album a step up for Lil Baby? And where would we have him go next? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. It’s been two years since My Turn officially introduced Lil Baby as a solo superstar — does this reception for It’s Only Me tell you that his status has grown, fallen, or maintained in the years since?
Rania Aniftos: Grown! A second album as a solo star topping the Billboard 200 is an impressive feat, proving that it wasn’t just hype that launched My Turn to the top of the chart. It’s the fact that he’s a full-blown artist with fans that love his music, and this confirms his staying power in the music world.
Carl Lamarre: For someone who amassed superstar success in 2020, I think Baby’s appeal has grown since then, especially knowing he doesn’t have a traditional hit record behind this album. When Baby trucked his way into rap supremacy, he was armed with a bevy of singles like “We Paid,” “The Bigger Picture,” and “Emotionally Scarred.” This time around, he doesn’t have any surefire hits, but his consistency post My Turn has garnered loyalty from his core fanbase, along with new fans he’s picked up on the road.
Jason Lipshutz: Grown. Lil Baby has a much bigger profile than he did two-and-a-half years ago, with more hits, high-wattage collaborations, larger performance venues, and now, an even bigger No. 1 album debut on the Billboard 200. My Turn was the project that lit the fuse for Lil Baby as a modern hip-hop superstar, and It’s Only Me continues his prolonged explosion.
Andrew Unterberger: Maintained — which is hard enough to do, especially when nothing you’ve released in the last two years has really cut through in a major way, and the streaming ecosystem is constantly shifting behind you. Lil Baby appears to be established enough now to not really have to worry about pushing back against the tides; an enviable spot for 99% of rappers right now.
Christine Werthman: Grown. 2020 was a banner year for Lil Baby, as My Turn debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 with 197,000 equivalent album units earned — and then he just kept going, as “The Bigger Picture” turned into an anthem for those marching in Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020, and was nominated for two awards at the 2021 Grammys. Luminate named My Turn the biggest album of the year in 2020, and this year, it was certified quadruple platinum on Feb. 28, exactly two years from its release. The new set, It’s Only Me, once again debuts at No. 1, this time with 216,000 equivalent album units earned, exceeding his 2021 No. 1 with Lil Durk, The Voice of the Heroes, by 66,000. The new album’s numbers also surpass those from 2020, and considering he’s now got 25 songs on the Hot 100, it’s clear that demand has only increased for Lil Baby.
2. While Lil Baby has slow-released a number of new songs in the past year (“Right On,” “Frozen,” “Detox,” etc.), only “In a Minute” and the just-released “Heyy” appear on It’s Only Me. Do you think this has proven an effective promo strategy — or see it as an effective release strategy in general?
Rania Aniftos: Definitely, especially in the hip-hop scene, with new rappers budding up in the game all the time. I think the consistent rollout of tracks keeps Lil Baby relevant in the press and among hip-hop fans, while giving him time to work on his full album. Hence, when It’s Only Me dropped, fans knew what to expect and hadn’t forgotten about him, so they flocked to stream the album.
Carl Lamarre: If you couple Baby’s features with his slow-churning output, this is a smart recipe to success: If you feed your fans, they won’t yearn for more music. Like I previously said, despite his singles not having the same luster as his previous ones, Baby remained a formidable contender in-between releases because of his consistency. Thanks to that formula, his fans stood by him and showed up on his big day.
Jason Lipshutz: In this case, the release strategy was half-effective — those new songs didn’t become hit, or at least, hits of the stature of Baby’s most effective crossover singles — but they did keep him top of mind ahead of the It’s Only Me release, and that may have helped deliver the best Billboard 200 debut of his career. Perhaps It’s Only Me bows with an even bigger equivalent album unit total had one of those pre-release singles caught fire, but even without it, Lil Baby dominated this chart week.
Andrew Unterberger: Effective for maintaining, but not necessarily effective for growing. If Lil Baby wanted to make the jump to the Kendrick/Bad Bunny/Harry Styles level of stardom (and accompanying first-week numbers), he could probably stand to pull back on the regular releases and maybe turn his albums into more discrete projects and eras, building a more pronounced sense of anticipation for each new song when it arrives. But he’s doing quite fine as is, so I can’t really blame him for sticking with his current strategy.
Christine Werthman: Considering all those songs currently on the Hot 100, I’d say this strategy worked just fine. As a listener, it’s never that exciting to get an album that’s packed with singles you’ve already heard, so I appreciate that he kept dropping new music this year while still managing to have enough in the can for a full album. And it seems like lots of other listeners felt the same way — with the singles, whether or not they appeared on the album, building anticipation for this new project.
3. While all the songs Lil Baby has released this year have been decently successful, only “In a Minute” has really verged on being a major multi-platform success. Do you think see any of the new tracks on It’s Only Me going to a higher commercial level? (See list of his current Hot 100 entries at bottom of e-mail.)
Rania Aniftos: I’m thinking “Heyy” is going to have a commercial moment, especially because it jumped from No. 77 to No. 21 on the Hot 100 this week, which is a pretty big leap. The trap-infused hook makes it a really great party hit too. “California Breeze” is also a contender for a hit, because it’s fun and catchy, and it’s the only song currently in the top 5 on the Hot 100.
Carl Lamarre: I think “Heyy” has the most pull to become a quality single for Baby and Co. The bars are steely, the hook is sticky and the song itself boasts enough TikTok flavor to attract a whole new movement and trend on the popular app. I also am a fan of Fridayy’s hook capabilities, as the pairing of him and Baby on “Forever,” is a winner for me.
Jason Lipshutz: I’m all in on “Pop Out,” the team-up with Nardo Wick that perfectly balances Lil Baby’s floating, elastic wordplay and Wick’s deep, sinister murmurs. Love the singsong intro, the subtle strings in the production, the beat switch-up — “Pop Out” is one of the best hip-hop collaborations of the year, and deserves to be unavoidable.
Andrew Unterberger: “Pop Out” also seems like the one for me — TikTok could certainly have a field day with the mid-song switch-up — though Future collab “From Now On” is also up there for me for a lot of the same reasons.
Christine Werthman: The moody and melodic “California Breeze,” currently the No. 4 song on the Hot 100, is a standout track, and I see it sticking around, though I don’t know if it will surpass No. 4. The background sample comes from Danish artist Coco O., who is half of Quadron, the electronic duo with Robin Hannibal, who is one of the founders of the equally chill and vibe-y Rhye. Coco O.’s song “Gwen” is pitched down and stretched out, creating a soft atmosphere around Lil Baby’s lines about mistrusting some, protecting others and keeping his bookings up. Lil Baby dropped a video along with this one, so it seems like he has confidence in it as well.
That said, this doesn’t sound like a hits-generating album. It’s best absorbed in one complete go — if you’ve got an hour and five minutes to spare — so you can fully feel the weight of the dark clouds overhead.
4. Do you have any deeper favorites on It’s Only Me? Anything that you think pushes him into new or interesting territory?
Rania Aniftos: While I think sound-wise, “Russian Roulette” follows a similar feel to the rest of the tracks on the album, the lyrics are super vulnerable for Lil Baby. Talking about how he grew up, friends who have died along the way and how he feels about his music career gives him an added layer of depth, which I personally always appreciate.
Carl Lamarre: “Not Finished” is prime Baby, where he exudes feline agility without losing his lyrical verve. When Baby is dialed in, no rapper can keep up, as we have previously seen with Drake (“Wants & Needs”) and J. Cole (“Pride Is The Devil”). Also, Baby’s penchant for samples this outing was gold, as he floated on the album standout “California Breeze.”
Jason Lipshutz: A song like “Danger” only slightly tweaks the proven Lil Baby formula, but he spits with such wild-eyed conviction over that racing piano line that the song functions as a jolt of adrenaline on It’s Only Me, and an interesting change-up of Baby’s approach in the second half of the album. A project that leans toward this type of urgency would be a different lane for Baby, but a rewarding one.
Andrew Unterberger: Not really.
Christine Werthman: Instead of pushing Lil Baby into new territory, these songs find him staking out his zone, characterized by a haze of anxiety and the pursuit of revenue. What better rapper to welcome back to that bleak, hedonistic party than Future, who joins Lil Baby on “From Now On”? While Baby says his image revamp requires “no more pictures with my Styrofoam,” Future is contentedly “drinkin’ out Styrofoam,” unbothered or numb or both, his apathy making Lil Baby sound like a hopeful youth by comparison.
5. While there are some differences, It’s Only Me does seem largely patterned after My Turn in terms of its sound and structure. If Lil Baby was to go in a different direction on his next LP, how would you recommend he switch it up?
Rania Aniftos: I’d love to see him play with a little more R&B. There are incredible female R&B singers out there, and it would be so fun to see him have some collaborations with SZA or Jessie Reyez.
Carl Lamarre: I like the idea of Baby leaning more into samples. He does a great job in being introspective and I can honestly see him own that lane a la Drake with the right production. I also believe a tighter and more concise album — 14 tracks max — would bode well for Baby going forward.
Jason Lipshutz: I’d go slightly shorter and more uptempo — It’s Only Me is a highly satisfying listen that requires the listener to sink into its charms for 65 minutes, but I also believe Baby is capable of a 40-minute project that’s wall-to-wall bangers. He doesn’t need to drop something like that to stay on top, but damn if I wouldn’t enjoy it.
Andrew Unterberger: I’d love to see him explore a one-rapper, one-producer team-up project, a la 21 Savage and Metro Boomin’s pair of Savage Mode full-lengths. Baby’s one of the best rappers of his generation, but his production tastes can sometimes drift towards the indistinct — so for him to find a musical collaborator with a strong signature sound and see what kind of chemistry they could build over 12-15 tracks would be a really, really exciting prospect to me.
Christine Werthman: The sound and structure might be generally similar across the two albums, but the beats on It’s Only Me are less varied, and he seemed more charged up on My Turn. I like that he brought on a lot of guests that comfortably fit his vibe and support but don’t outshine him, but he gets more amped when paired with someone less similar, like Nicki Minaj on “Do We Have a Problem?” or J. Cole on “pride.is.the.devil.” It’s Only Me shows that Lil Baby knows his lane, but it’d be fun to see him step out of it.
Hailey Bieber is the latest celeb to condemn antisemitism in the wake of Kanye West‘s recent string of hateful rhetoric. The model took to Instagram Stories on Tuesday (Oct. 25) to voice her opinion — without specifically naming West (who now goes by Ye) — writing, “You cannot believe in God and be anti-Semitic.”
Bieber added, “You cannot love God and support or condone hate speech. To love God is to love people. ALL people.” Hailey’s husband, Justin Bieber, has appeared at Kanye’s Sunday Service gospel events in the past and while her statement didn’t specifically mention West, it came as the Jesus is King MC is embroiled in controversy over his promotion of a “White Lives Matter” shirt and a series of recent interviews in which he has repeatedly amplified hateful rhetoric against Jews.
Those appearances resulted in The Gap announcing on Tuesday that it was taking “immediate steps” to remove all Yeezygap product from its shelves and shut down the Yeezygap online store. “In September, Gap announced ending its Yeezy Gap partnership,” the company wrote in a statement. “Our former partner’s recent remarks and behavior further underscore why. We are taking immediate steps to remove Yeezy Gap product from our stores and we have shut down Yeezygap.com.”
The move comes as Ye’s once-thriving business empire has begun to wither due to his repetition of hateful conspiracy theories and antisemitic tropes. “Antisemitism, racism and hate in any form are inexcusable and not tolerated in accordance with our values,” the Gap continued in its statement. “On behalf of our customers, employees and shareholders, we are partnering with organizations that combat hate and discrimination.”
In addition to The Gap, another former Ye fashion partner, Adidas, has cut ties with him over his offensive comments, while his statements led to talent agency CAA dropping him and MRC studio announcing on Monday that it is shelving a complete documentary about the rapper.
In addition, Women’s Wear Daily reported that fashion house Balenciaga cut ties with West last week, and his bank, JPMorganChase said they’ve ended their business relationship with Ye; the company said its move came weeks before Ye’s recent barrage of antisemitic slurs. Ye’s former wife, Kim Kardashian — and sister Khloe — have also condemned his hurtful rhetoric.
A month after Kanye West said he was splitting with The Gap after claiming that the retailer “just ignored” his planned Yeezy roll-out, the company said it is taking immediate action to remove all West-related product from shelves due to the rapper’s recent string of antisemitic remarks.
“In September, Gap announced ending its Yeezy Gap partnership,” the company wrote in a statement on Tuesday (Oct. 25). “Our former partner’s recent remarks and behavior further underscore why. We are taking immediate steps to remove Yeezy Gap product from our stores and we have shut down Yeezygap.com.”
The move comes as Ye (as the rapper is now known) has seen his once-thriving business empire begin to wither in the wake of the fallout from his barrage of hateful rhetoric amplifying anti-Jewish tropes and conspiracy theories. “Antisemitism, racism and hate in any form are inexcusable and not tolerated in accordance with our values,” the Gap continued in its statement. “On behalf of our customers, employees and shareholders, we are partnering with organizations that combat hate and discrimination.”
West’s recent media tour has found the rapper/fashion designer repeatedly making disparaging comments about Jews, including claiming in a new interview with MIT research scientist Lex Fridman that “Jewish doctors” conspired to medicate him in the wake of a mental health diagnosis.
West’s recent run of controversial interviews, as well as his promotion of his “White Lives Matter” T-shirt, has led to the crumbling of his business empire. Adidas is the latest former corporate partner to cut ties with Ye over his offensive comments, saying in a statement on Tuesday (Oct. 25): “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
Ye was also suspended from Twitter and Instagram this month over antisemitic posts that the social networks said violated their policies. His most recent controversial statements have led to talent agency, CAA dropping him, and MRC studio announcing on Monday that it is shelving a complete documentary about the rapper.
In addition, Women’s Wear Daily reported that fashion house Balenciaga cut ties with West last week, and his bank, JPMorganChase said they’ve ended their business relationship with Ye. The company said its move came weeks before Ye’s recent barrage of antisemitic slurs. Ye’s former wife, Kim Kardashian — and sister Khloe — have also condemned his hurtful rhetoric.
