Hip-Hop
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J. Cole has decided to start a blog. The Carolina rapper posted the first entry to The Algorithm on his Inevitable website, which also hosts his podcast of the same name. “This is just a place for me to share,” he wrote. “I been wanting a lil blog for years. Somewhere to post random sh– […]
Max B and Young Thug spoke over the phone recently, the imprisoned rapper revealed this week. The Boss Don — who is reportedly coming home later this year on Nov. 9 — posted a clip of himself talking to Young Thug over the phone on his Instagram Stories. “Man, I’m in here grinding this sh– […]
Latto has tapped Playboi Carti for the remix of her 2024 track “Blick Sum,” giving a fresh spin on the standout from her third studio album Sugar Honey Iced Tea. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Released at midnight on Jan. 28, the remix arrives with a visually […]
Manchester-based rapper Aitch has fired back at Central Cee after the latter dissed him on his recently-released album Can’t Rush Greatness (Jan. 24).
On the LP’s “5 Star,” Central Cee (real name Oakley Neil Caesar-Su) came for Aitch in a line that referenced the latter winning a BRIT Award over him at the 2023 ceremony. Aitch triumphed in the hip-hop/grime/rap category over Central Cee, Dave, Loyle Carner and Stormzy. Central Cee has been nominated for the award a number of times and has yet to grab the prize
“I felt like a p—k when I went to the BRITs and they gave the award to a guy called Aitch/ I had my acceptance speech prepared like, ‘Long live F’s,’ I’m goin’ insane,” he said. The latter line references Central Cee’s close friend Fernando “FDot Johnson” who was murdered in January 2023.
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Later that afternoon (Jan. 24), the Manchester rapper responded to the diss with a track “A Guy Called?” which was uploaded directly to his Instagram with the caption “leave me alone” alongside a picture of his BRITs trophy. On the track’s opening line Aitch claims that Central Cee is an “influencer” and that he will “jump in the booth for something to do.”
Further references in the track allude to Cench’s BRITs barb, saying: “Little boy is just there to be spun, gettin’ mad at the BRITs, there’s bare to be won.” Later in the track, Aitch adds: “Bringin’ the BRITs up two years later, f— my life, you should go live yours.”
Elsewhere Aitch alleges that Central Cee employs ghostwriters (“All your songs get wrote by Clint, in the booth, one mic, two c—s”) and makes reference to Central Cee’s ethnicity (“Clint was p—d ’cause Cench got beat by a white MC, Cench is as white as me”). Speaking to British Vogue in 2024, Central Cee said that he was born to an English mother and a father of Guyanese and Chinese ancestry.
A number of their U.K. rap contemporaries including Kairo Keyz, ArrDee and M1llionz have commented on Aitch’s Instagram post. Central Cee responded to the track by commenting “fair enough” alongside a flame and laughing face emoji. Listen to the track below.
Aitch released his debut album Close to Home in 2022 and which reached No. 2 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart.
Central Cee is nominated once again in the hip-hop/grime/rap category at the 2025 BRITs which take place March 1, where he will go up against Dave, Ghetts, Little Simz and Stormzy for the prize.
The Brothers Clipse were at Paris Fashion Week for Pharrell‘s Fall/Winter 2025 Louis Vuitton Men’s collection runway show dipped in custom LV and were stopped by social media style account @thepeoplegallery_. First, No Malice was asked for styling advice, with the Virginia rapper giving a simple answer: “Being comfortable, being you.” The brothers were then […]
Nikola Jokic is apparently a big fan of 50 Cent, especially the Queens rapper’s song “Many Men.”
After Denver Nuggets teammate DeAndre Jordan recently revealed that the 2003 song is Jokic’s favorite, the NBA on TNT crew joked with the three-time MVP about him supposedly knowing every word and pleaded for him to rap the words during a postgame interview.
“No, no, no, I’m not,” Jokic laughed, refusing to rap. “D.J. is a bad teammate. I love the song, I love the song, but I’m not going to [rap it].”
“Peyton Watson is our locker room DJ, so anytime Nikola request a song, if it’s not, like, Serbian folk music, it is ‘Many Men’ by 50 Cent,” Jordan shared on the Run It Back podcast. “He knows the words from start to finish. … That’s his song, man, he loves it.”
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Jordan couldn’t confirm if the Serbian big man had ever seen 50’s 2003 movie Get Rich or Die Tryin’, but he said he’s going to get him a tape if he hasn’t. “You know what, I don’t know, but if he hasn’t, I’m going to get it for him on VHS.”
However, the Joker bashfully denied Jordan’s claim, but said he’ll learn the words and maybe perform the song sometime in the future.
“No, no, he’s lying. I don’t know the words. But I’m going to [learn] it. Maybe I’m going to perform, I think,” he said as they egged him on and suggested he do the performance during the upcoming All-Star weekend in February.
The highlight of the clip, though, is Adam Lefkoe rapping the hook and Shaq attempting to rap the words in Serbian (or French, maybe Creole, depending on who you ask.)
Jim Jones is defending Drake‘s divisive UMG defamation lawsuit. During an appearance on the Broke N’ Frontin podcast, the subject of the Toronto rapper’s controversial subject came up, and the Dipset member had an interesting perspective. “He’s not personally suing against Kendrick Lamar, which everybody seems to think that this lawsuit is about,” Jones said. […]
Roc Nation is expanding its music business portfolio with a trailblazing partnership. The Roc has teamed up with South Korean fintech company Musicow to launch what it describes as the first Music Equity Service Provider in the United States. Musicow aims to offer Americans the opportunity to invest in music royalties. This partnership allows music […]
Yo Gotti has welcomed another addition to the CMG family as Zillionaire Doe signs to the Memphis native’s imprint. Billboard learned on Tuesday (Jan. 21) that the ink is dry on the deal with the burgeoning Dallas-bred rapper, who looked up to Gotti growing up. “I’m really excited to work with Gotti and the CMG […]
Mac Miller’s estate has finally gifted fans with Balloonerism, a posthumous album that has been the subject of speculation for years.
Released on Jan. 17, the album arrives days ahead with what would have been Miller’s 33rd birthday. The Pittsburgh rapper died in 2018 at age 26 of an accidental overdose.
Balloonerism is a 14-track journey that showcases Miller’s experimental side, blending neo-soul and jazz elements. The album kicks off with “Tambourine Dream” and features standout tracks like “5 Dollar Pony Rides,” “Friendly Hallucinations,” “Mrs. Deborah Downer,” “Stoned,” “Manakins,” and “Rick’s Piano.” Notably, the album includes collaborations with artists such as Thundercat, SZA, and Ashley All Day.
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The origins of Balloonerism trace back to 2014, a prolific period for Miller during which he was also working on projects like Faces. Despite its significance, the album was shelved in favor of other releases, leaving fans to piece together unofficial versions circulating online.
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Following the circulation of leaked songs amongst fan communities, the record’s official release was teased with a trailer at November’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival.
Miller’s family previously shared a statement on his Instagram explaining why they’ve decided to release the project. “Many of Malcolm’s fans are aware of Balloonerism, a full length album that Malcolm created around the time of the release of Faces in 2014,” they wrote.
“It is a project that was of great importance to Malcolm — to the extent that he commissioned artwork for it and discussions concerning when it should be released were had regularly, though ultimately GO:OD AM and subsequent albums ended up taking precedence.”
They added, “We believe the project showcases both the breadth of his musical talents and fearlessness as an artist. Given that unofficial versions of the album have been circulating online for years and that releasing Balloonerism was something that Malcolm frequently expressed being important to him, we felt it most appropriate to present an official version of the project to the world.”
Based on the lyrics and music of Miller, and directed by Samuel Jerome Mason, the animated Balloonerism “follows a group of school friends who are transfigured by the music of a chord organ and launched into a shadow world”, a synopsis of the film reads. “Swallowed by the turtle of time, they must plod through the underbelly of adulthood.”
The film was released on Jan. 15 throughout the U.S., with international fans receiving it one day later. A series of “One Night Only” advance theater screenings were scheduled around the world, including in New York City and Miller’s native Pittsburgh, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Ireland, France, Canada, and the U.K.
Miller’s debut studio album, Blue Slide Park, topped the Billboard 200 upon its release in back in 2011, the first independently distributed debut album to do so since 1995. Over the course of five studio albums, Miller evolved into one of the most eclectic artists of the 2010s, delving into alt-rap, soul and R&B with equal fervor.
Following Miller’s untimely death in September 2018, his music saw renewed interest on the charts. His album “Swimming” re-entered the top 10 of the Billboard 200, jumping from number 71 to number 6.
Fans can cop a physical version of the album, which includes a limited-edition deluxe two-LP pressing that features a rainbow foil-wrapped slipcase with white splatter cloud vinyl and a 32-page color booklet featuring photos and lyrics, as well as a limited one-time pressing that features clear vinyl available now on balloonerism.com.
Stream Balloonerism below.