Hip-Hop
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Childish Gambino turned New York City’s Little Island into Close Friends Island on Saturday night (July 6) for the live debut of his upcoming Bando Stone & The New World album, which will be his final under the artistic moniker.
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Floating on the Hudson River and surrounded by grass and trees, Gambino gave lucky fans a break from the concrete jungle in the sweltering 90-degree heat and the chance to be the first to hear his anticipated LP.
Only 100 were expected to be invited, but it appears most were given a plus one as the Chelsea amphitheater was filled to capacity while others were left to watch via the livestream shown in the park.
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Gambino took centerstage in a pair of Chubbies, a yellow button-down and white snapback. He got things going shortly after 9 p.m. ET and showed love to Amaarae, who provided a smooth assist on the opening track, which he dubbed to be his favorite verse on the entire album.
The multi-hyphenate joked that the Bronx native would soon stop answering his texts as she’s on her way to stardom and opening up on Sabrina Carpenter’s tour.
An unlikely guest appearance came from Chloe Bailey and her heavenly vocals on “Survivor,” while Kamassi Washington helmed saxophone duties.
The first standout moment came when Childish Gambino sat down next to Steve Lacy and Foushee, who were both in attendance, and they performed their airy collaboration “Steph’s Beach.”
“I’m down to clown around,” Gambino recalled the “Bad Habit” singer telling him when asking if he wanted to potentially collaborate. Lacy and Foushee are no strangers, as they previously teamed up for tracks like “Sunshine” and “Candy Grapes.”
Hearing Jorja Smith’s piercing harmonies came as a pleasant surprise on personal favorite “Free the Night.” The intoxicating track finds Bino putting his croon to the test against the talented U.K. singer and Amaarae.
“We made it a long time ago. I asked her to do it, and she just finished having a baby,” Glover revealed. Smith has never confirmed she had a child publicly. He added: “She finished another part of the verse two days ago.”
Childish Gambino made it clear with his final offering that he’s not leaving any stone unturned and catering to all facets of his fan base’s palette. Sonics are important to the 40-year-old, and he had to check with the crew to see if the sub speakers were working before pressing play on the thumping Flo Milli-assisted “Talk My S–t,” where he takes a step back and lets the Alabama rhymer jackhammer the tune.
While the “This Is America” rapper leans into a range of influences, rapping is still a core passion for Gambino, who bars up on a blistering track with fiery rhymes taking aim at his detractors. “White boy throwing dirt on my name for the think piece,” he spews.
“Cruisin’” is a track Gambino started way back in 2014, and he invited Yeat into the fold to take it across the finish line. Other album cuts included another Foushee collaboration, “Running Away,” the “intense” dubstep-leaning “Got to Be” and the “very Euro” LP closer “Place Where Love Goes,” which feels like something Ye and Travis Scott would’ve cooked up.
He fittingly wrapped up the 75-minute show and got the crowd involved for an intimate debut sing-along to his grungy Max Martin-produced “Lithonia” single that arrived earlier in the week. Fans already had most of the verses memorized.
Bando Stone & The New World is a diverse exploration into Gambino’s artistry, and the variety pack has something for every era of his fans. The project hits streaming services on July 19 and will serve as the soundtrack companion to the blockbuster, which remains without a release date.
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Lana Del Rey and Quavo‘s “Tough” tops this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (July 5) on Billboard, choosing the duo’s just-dropped, Western-trap track as their favorite new music release of the past week.
Lana and Quavo’s fresh new collab brought in more than 66% of the vote. Voters this week chose “Tough” over new music releases from Kesha, Childish Gambino, Eminem feat. Big Sean and BabyTron, Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan.
Lana Del Rey brought the Migos rapper to the stage to surprise-debut “Tough” at her sold-out (and delayed, due to inclement weather) stadium show at Fenway Park on June 20, right after he’d hyped the song in a clip on Instagram that week.
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A little bit country, a little bit trap and alt-pop, the Andrew Watt- and Cirkut-produced track has a dreamy hook that’s tough to quit humming when the song’s over, with a chorus the two share: “Tough like the scarf on a pair of old leather boots/ Like the blue-collar, red-dirt attitude/ Like a .38 made out of brass/ Tough like the stuff in your grandpa’s glass/ Life’s gonna do what it does/ Sure as the good lord’s up above/ I’m cut like a diamond shining in the rough, tough.”
“I’ll show you around … Come take a ride with me. Whenever. Whenever you ready, call on me,” Quavo tells Lana as the song comes to a close.
“Our new song is out with the toughest rapper I know @quavohuncho,” Del Rey wrote in an Instagram post on release day, while Quavo predicted the track will be “Song Of The Summer” on his own post.
A music video for “Tough” with home-video vibes was also unveiled alongside the single’s release this week, putting the pair’s chemistry on display as they spend a sweet, intimate day together out in the countryside.
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Among the new music trailing behind “Tough” on this week’s poll is Kesha’s brand-new song “Joyride,” with 21% of the vote, and Childish Gambino’s “Lithonia,” with 5% of the vote.
See the final results of this week’s new music poll below.
Just after the launch of Missy Elliott‘s headlining tour, Out of This World — The Missy Elliott Experience, the star will be hosting a special event in downtown Los Angeles, on Wednesday, July 10.
Fans are invited to Missy Elliott Presents Party on the Plaza: An Out of This World Experience, presented in partnership with The Music Center and Gloria Molina Grande Park, at Jerry Moss Plaza this week.
Starting at 7 p.m. PST on July 10, it’s free and open to the public; you can RSVP and get all the details here. Elliot is expected to give an onstage welcome at 7:30 p.m. By the end of the dance party, a “can’t-miss surprise” is planned to wrap the hip-hop icon’s fun night.
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The party, which is set to feature live DJs and Elliott’s tour dancers, coincides with the Out of This World Dance Challenge Elliott recently announced, and takes place ahead of her duo of headlining dates at the Crypto.com Arena on July 11-12. Party on the Plaza is produced by Monami Entertainment and Wright Productions, and sponsored by adidas, PATRÓN EL ALTO Tequila. and Monster Energy.“As a cultural destination in Los Angeles County where dancing and artistry thrive, The Music Center is proud to be a vital part of Missy Elliott’s OUT OF THIS WORLD Dance Challenge — it is an exciting opportunity to highlight L.A.’s vibrant dance community and encourage people to be creative and connect,” Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center, said in a statement released about the event. “Bring on your best dance moves, Angelenos, and get ready to share them with the world!”
Elliott’s 30-date North American tour kicked off on July 4 with a sold-out concert at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, with DJ Navarris, Timbaland, Ciara and Bust Rhymes featured on the bill.
She’ll next perform on Saturday night, July 6, in Seattle, before heading to California. Elliott’s tour, which — even with a decades-long career behind her — is actually her first headlining run, goes through Aug. 23: see what cities she’ll be heading to on her official website here.
Below, check out Missy sharing a behind-the-scenes preview of the tour.
Shaboozey scores his maiden top 10 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated July 13), as his launch entry “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” jumps six spots to No. 6. It surged by 20% to 20.5 million audience impressions June 28-July 4, according to Luminate.
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The track interpolates J-Kwon’s 2004 hip-hop classic “Tipsy,” with the pair performing a mash-up of the songs on June 30 at the 2024 BET Awards. The makeover by Virginia native Shaboozey (born Collins Obinna Chibueze) has already led the multimetric Hot Country Songs chart for three frames beginning in May.
The song is the lead single from Shaboozey’s LP Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, which arrived at its No. 2 Top Country Albums high in June. The crossover hit is also the first song ever to go top 10 on all four of these charts: Country Airplay, Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay and Rhythmic Airplay.
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Baldridge Banks First Top 10
Drew Baldridge notches his first Country Airplay top 10 as his co-written “She’s Somebody’s Daughter (Reimagined)” pushes 11-10 (18.3 million, up 7%). The hit is a rerecording of the Patoka, Ill., native’s 2019 track “She’s Somebody’s Daughter” and marks his fifth entry on the chart.
In addition to writing, recording and touring, Baldridge is a radio personality, currently handling weekend shifts on Mt. Wilson Broadcasting’s KKGO Los Angeles.
‘Help’ Ties 2024’s Best
Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, controls Country Airplay for a third week (32.6 million, up less than 1%). The former’s first No. 1 and Wallen’s 13th ties for the longest command among the 15 leaders in 2024, joining Sam Hunt’s “Outskirts,” which started its reign in April.
Ice Cube‘s popular three-on-three basketball league, BIG3, is setting down roots. Since its founding in 2017, the 12-team league featuring former NBA and international players has barnstormed around the country setting up shop in cities and playing a series of games, with last year’s contests rolling into Chicago, Dallas, Brooklyn, Memphis, Miami, Boston, Charlotte and Detroit.
In May, BIG3 CEO Cube announced the plans to pivot to a more traditional city-based model, writing on Instagram, “We need to plant our roots in cities so we can be more than a rolling all-star game coming through. It’s really about growing the sport and the league.” The league sold its first franchise in Los Angeles in May for $10 million to a group of investors led by DCB Sports.
In June the league welcomed a Miami franchise (also to the tune of $10 million) and on Thursday (July 4), the BIG3 announced that businessmen Eric Mullins and Milton Carroll had purchase the rights to a team in Houston. Those three teams will join a group of colorfully named squads including the Ghost Ballers, 3 Headed Monsters, 3’s Company, Aliens, Ball Hogs, Bivouac, Enemies, Killer 3s, Power, Tri-State, Trilogy and Triplets.
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The BIG3’s 2024 season marches on this weekend, with six games scheduled for Sunday (July 7) in Newark, N.J. at the Prudential Center, followed by weekend contests in Anaheim (July 14), Portland (July 20), Cincinnati (July 28), San Antonio (August 4), Nashville (August 11) and Boston (August 18). In March, Cube offered college superstar Caitlin Clark $5 million to join the BIG3, though she opted to sign a four-year contract with the WNBA’s Indiana Fever that was reportedly worth $338,000.
Megan Thee Stallion has welcomed another member of the Hot Girl crew. It all began over the weekend when U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles shouted out the Houston rapper after she punched her ticket to Paris when she was selected as part of the American squad. “This was for you uncle and Megan, I’m going to […]
Kendrick Lamar just threw gasoline on the simmering flames of his feud with Drake, sending fans into a frenzy with a series of explosive teaser photos from the set of his upcoming “Not Like Us” music video.
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The track, a blistering diss aimed at the 6 God, has been a juggernaut since its release, skyrocketing to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and dominating the cultural conversation.
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Anticipation for the video reached a fever pitch following K. Dot’s Juneteenth concert at The Forum on June 19, The Pop Out – Ken & Friends, where he performed “Not Like Us” a staggering five times in a row.
The 18-track set also featured guest appearances from Kendrick’s Black Hippy crewmates and his longtime industry mentor Dr. Dre.
Among the images causing the biggest stir is a shot of Kendrick obliterating an owl piñata, a not-so-subtle jab at Drake’s OVO brand.
The photo, cheekily captioned “DISCLAIMER: NO OVHOES WERE HARMED DURING THE MAKING OF THIS VIDEO,” set social media ablaze with excitement over the music video’s contents and the escalating tensions between these two rap titans.
But it’s not all barbs and bravado.
Another snap shared offers a rare glimpse into Kendrick’s personal life, showing the Compton native posing alongside his longtime partner Whitney Alford and their two children. The tender family moment suggests that the video may offer a more multifaceted look at the rapper, balancing its hard-hitting disses with an intimate portrait of the man behind the mic.
Shot on location in Kendrick’s hometown of Compton, Ca., the “Not Like Us” video looks to continue with the authentic, gritty aesthetic that has become synonymous with the rapper’s celebrated body of work.
While the exact release date remains under wraps, one thing is certain: the cultural impact of this video is bound to be seismic.
For Mark Foster’s next trick the Foster the People frontman has cooked up a triple-headed remix of songs titled “Houdini.” In an Instagram video posted on Tuesday (July 2), Foster explained, “alright, so there’s like two ‘Houdini’s on the radio right now, one from Eminem, one from Dua Lipa,” while sitting at a keyboard in […]
Those loud bangs you’re hearing are not pre-Fourth of July fireworks, but the sound of Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj‘s 2014 collaboration “Bang Bang” cruising past the two billion views mark on YouTube. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The high water spot for the official […]
Rihanna recently went viral for hilariously rapping and dancing along to Glorilla‘s “TGIF” single — with A$AP Rocky‘s reaction being a meme in and of itself — and on Tuesday (July 2), Glo posted a DM from RiRi herself containing a “wild hypothetical” question. “You got all summer sis!” the Fenty mogul wrote to the […]