Hip-Hop
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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.
Tyler, The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA secures a second consecutive and total week atop the Billboard 200 chart (dated Nov. 16). It’s the rapper’s first album to spend two consecutive weeks at No. 1, and second set to log at least two frames in the lead. He previously notched two nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 with Call Me If You Get Lost — separated by nine months — in 2021-22. He ruled the list with one other album, Igor, which logged one frame at No. 1 in 2019.
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CHROMAKOPIA earned 160,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending Nov. 7 (down 47% in its second week), according to Luminate. It’s the set’s first full seven-day tracking week on the chart, following an abbreviated debut frame of only four days, as the album was released on an off-cycle Monday (Oct. 28; most albums are released on Fridays).
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Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 chart, Lil Uzi Vert scores their fifth top 10 set with the No. 3 debut of Eternal Atake 2, while The Cure achieves its highest charting album over 30 years, and first top 10 in over 20 years, with the No. 4 debut of Songs of a Lost World.
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. 16, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Nov. 12). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of CHROMAKOPIA’s 160,000 equivalent album units earned in its second week, SEA units comprise 115,500 (down 27%, equaling 160.31 million on-demand official streams of the album’s songs; it holds at No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart), album sales comprise 44,500 (down 69%; it falls to No. 2 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum (down 3%). The set’s sales were aided in its second week by the continued sturdy sales of six deluxe collectible boxed sets (each containing a CD, poster and another branded merch item). The album’s second week got a sales boost from the release of its stand-alone CD and two additional boxed sets. All physical variants of the album are exclusively sold via Tyler, The Creator’s official webstore.
Sabrina Carpenter’s chart-topping Short n’ Sweet steps 3-2 with 68,000 equivalent album units earned (down 9%).
Lil Uzi Vert’s Eternal Atake 2 bows at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, marking the fifth top 10-charting set for the rapper (all of which have reached the top three). The set launches with 59,000 equivalent album units earned, of which SEA units comprise 56,000 (equaling 76.43 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs), album sales comprise 3,000 and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.
The album was announced Oct. 24 and released on Nov. 1. Its first-week sales were aided by the album’s availability across seven CD variants (five with a randomized branded trading card; one with a branded T-shirt and a CD in a collectible box; and a standard CD) and a digital download.
The Cure debuts in the top five on the Billboard 200 with Songs of a Lost World, bowing at No. 4, marking the band’s highest charting album since 1992 and first top 10 since 2004. Songs of a Lost World is the group’s first album of new material since 2008. The new album is the act’s third top 10-charting set on the Billboard 200, following its self-titled effort (No. 7 in July 2004) and Wish (No. 2 in May 1992).
Songs of a Lost World bows with 57,000 equivalent album units earned (the act’s best week by units). Of that sum, album sales comprise 53,000 (The Cure’s biggest sales week since 2004, when its self-titled album launched with 91,000), SEA units comprise 4,000 (equaling 5.02 million on-demand official streams of the album’s songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. Songs of a Lost World also debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales; the first leader for The Cure on the 33-year-old chart. The new album’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across five vinyl variants (which sold a combined 23,000 copies; the band’s best week on vinyl since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991), a standard CD, a CD/blu-ray audio package, two cassettes, a standard digital download and a deluxe digital download with five bonus live tracks (exclusive to the band’s webstore).
Songs of a Lost World was released on Nov. 1, and cryptically announced in early September. The set’s title and release date were confirmed on Sept. 26, alongside the release of the album’s first cut (and first new song in 16 years), “Alone.” On Oct. 9, a second song from the set, “A Fragile Thing,” arrived. The latter track climbs 25-22 (a new peak) on Alternative Airplay and 12-10 on Adult Alternative Airplay. It’s the first charting hit for The Cure on Alternative Airplay since 2008 and the band’s highest-charting song since 2004’s “The End of the World” reached No. 19. On the Adult Alternative Airplay ranking, “Fragile” is the act’s third charting song ever (dating to the chart’s 1996 start), and first to reach the top 10.
Gracie Abrams’ The Secret of Us rises 7-5 on the Billboard 200 with 50,000 equivalent album units (up 2%).
Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess pounces 12-6 with 46,000 equivalent album units earned (up 5%), following the singer’s performance on NBC’s Saturday Night Live (Nov. 2). On the show, she sang the album’s “Pink Pony Club” and a new track, “The Giver.” Princess was last in the top 10 on the Oct. 26-date list when it ranked at No. 6.
Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft climbs 9-7 on the Billboard 200 (44,000 equivalent album units; down 4%); Rod Wave’s Last Lap falls 5-8 (44,000; down 15%); Taylor Swift’s chart-topping The Tortured Poets Department ascends 11-9 (43,000; down 2%); and Morgan Wallen’s former leader One Thing at a Time falls 8-10 (nearly 43,000; down 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.
Snoop Dogg and his wife, Shante Broadus, were honored with the Black Love Award at the 2024 Give Her FlowHERS Awards Gala.
The legendary hip-hop artist and his spouse accepted the award during Femme it Forward’s third annual gala, held on Friday (Nov. 8) at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
In his acceptance speech, Snoop reflected on the significance of the award. “This is beautiful because throughout my career I’ve been nominated and won a lot of awards, but there’s nothing like an award that brings you back home to the stage to let people know that this is the reason why you are so successful,” the rapper shared, standing beside Shante, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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He continued, “I’ve been nominated for 20 Grammys and never won one, but this right here, this feels better than one. And to the couples out there tonight, it’s always going to be rocky, it’s always going to be hard, but if it’s true love, and it’s meant to be, it’s going to always be good news. That’s real love. Black love.”
The 2024 Give Her FlowHERS Awards Gala, hosted by Saweetie, also honored other musical artists, including Jill Scott, Chloe Bailey, Halle Bailey, GloRilla, Doechii, Lady London and Nija.
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Saweetie, who was also presented with an award, expressed gratitude in her speech. “I’d like to thank God because without prayer and faith, I would have lost my mind a long time ago,” the rapper said. “We all know this because we know how crazy this industry can get, but tonight this room is safe. Thank you all for allowing us to be vulnerable.”
Femme it Forward founder Heather Lowery, in her opening remarks, seemed to acknowledge the emotional impact of the 2024 U.S. presidential election results, particularly among supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris.
“To the women and girls who are overqualified and undervalued, can you all stand if you’ve felt this way at any point in your journey?” Lowery said, according to THR. “We want to hold space for you tonight and remind you we see you, we honor you, and you are more than enough. You are the reason why we are here tonight. I know we’ve all been overwhelmed with so many emotions over the last few days. I want you to treat your grief the same way you would treat your garden. Nurture it. Give it space, give it time, let it bloom.”
Other notable honors during Friday’s gala included the My Sister’s Keeper Award presented to siblings Chloe and Halle Bailey; the Visionary Award for Doechii; the Big Femme Energy honor for GloRilla; and the Muse Award for Jill Scott.
A few years ago, Tom Hardy met Eminem backstage at a show and it didn’t go quite as the British actor expected. Hardy stopped by DJ Whoo Kid’s Whoo’s House Podcast a couple weeks ago and told the G-Unit affiliate about the time he met the Detroit rapper for the first time. “I went to […]
Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine has reached a deal with federal prosecutors after his recent arrest over alleged violations of his supervised release, agreeing to spend a month in prison and another under house arrest.
The rapper was charged last week with breaking the terms of his years-long probation, which stems from a 2018 plea deal he struck with prosecutors over his involvement with a gang called Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods.
In a letter to the judge filed Tuesday, federal prosecutors said Tekashi had agreed to admit to the probation violations and serve one month in prison, followed by a month of home incarceration, a month of less-restrictive home detention, and then finally a month of curfew.
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The deal will also extend Tekashi’s supervised release — which had been set to expire in six months – to a full year following his release from prison. The rapper’s attorney did not immediately return a request for comment.
Once a rising star in the world of hip-hop and social media, Tekashi was charged in November 2018 with federal racketeering and murder conspiracy charges over his involvement with a New York street gang called Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. Prosecutors claimed the gang “wreaked havoc on New York City” by “engaging in brazen acts of violence.”
But just a day after being arrested, Tekashi cut a deal with federal prosecutors to flip on his crew in return for lenience. Taking the witness stand during a 2019 trial, he offered detailed and frank testimony about his involvement in the gang and his former gang mates.
Under the deal with prosecutors, Tekashi was sentenced to two years in prison and five years of supervised release and ordered to serve 1,000 hours of community service and pay a $35,000 fine.
The sentence was set to run until July 2020, but Tekashi was released early, in April 2020, after his attorneys argued that the coronavirus pandemic posed an increased risk to him because he has asthma.
Last week, prosecutors alleged that Tekashi had violated his release conditions on numerous occasions, including by traveling to Las Vegas without permission, failing to submit for drug testing and testing positive for methamphetamine.
At his arraignment hearing, the rapper pleaded not guilty and his attorney argued that the failed drug test was from the use of prescribed Adderall. But the judge was unswayed and ordered him jailed until his next court date, citing a “broader pattern” of misconduct during parole that the judge said suggests a “full spectrum disregard for the law.”
Following Tuesday’s agreement, the judge ordered both sides to appear at a hearing next week (Nov. 12) to explain the plea deal and why the sentence “reflects the proper sentence for these violations.”
Tyler, the Creator released his eighth studio album, Chromakopia, on Oct. 28. And on Monday (Nov. 4), the rapper celebrated that album debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The set launched with 299,500 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 31, his best week ever in terms of […]
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CRT FRSH, Hip-Hop Wired’s playlist where we attempt to showcase music we believe is “Certified Fresh,” is back for the fall season with a truncated selection. Now that we’re back, we’re trimming down the CRT FRSH playlist and updating the concept with our latest drop which we hope you all enjoy.
Disclaimer:
The CRT FRSH playlist is a labor of love. We don’t take payments nor do we do favors. We only add joints to our playlist that fit the theme and vision we’re going for and don’t seek to waste the listener’s time. Further, we don’t stick to one lane of Hip-Hop. We believe that all aspects of the music should get some light, whether it’s young lions in the trenches or those hoping for that one shot to blow up to grizzled veterans puffing out their chests with lots more to say.
I want to explain how I approach curating the CRT FRSH playlist. Most importantly, I don’t segregate my Hip-Hop. Every form of music from the main cultural tree deserves a listen and a look. When I construct the playlist, I want to include all regions across the States and, when applicable, across the globe. I also want to entertain every fan of Hip-Hop, not just those who enjoy one segment of it. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get to it.
For those devoted few who keep up with the updates, you may have noticed I created a playlist in memory of the late Kaseem “KA” Ryan, perhaps Hip-Hop’s greatest lyricist if not the genre’s most sincere and vulnerable. That playlist, which captures just a small slice of who KA was, can be heard by clicking here.
We open up this week’s playlist with Tyler, The Creator’s “Sticky” from his new CHROMAKOPIA, which features GloRilla, Sexyy Red, and Lil Wayne and is considered an early standout among some. We follow that with Megan Thee Stallion’s “Bigger In Texas” from her Megan: Act II reissue and finds the Houston Hottie in prime form.
The Alchemist is great for dropping potent singles out of the thin blue sky and we’re better for it. Adding to that stellar track record is “Ferraris In The Rain 2” featuring Freddie Gibbs and ScHoolboy Q. Danny Brown dropped his solid Quaranta album near the top of the year and the Detroit-born, Austin-based rapper and podcaster released a deluxe of the project. We include the somber “Keep It To Me” from the drop.
The Underachievers, AKTHESAVIOR and Issa Gold have been creating amazing music since their 2013 debut, Indigoism, along with consistent solo projects between then. Their new single “Have Nots” is a continuation of their esoteric poetics and atmospheric beats. We also have Buffalo’s Che Noir and her single “Black Single featuring Rapsody from Che’s The Black Lotus project, which she produced herself.
A strong salute to Patty Honcho, Lil Uzi Vert, A$AP Ferg, RXKNephew, Knowitall, Chuck Strangers, Milc, Blaq Chidori, Ab-Soul, BigXThaPlug, El Cousteau and the rest of the contributors to this week’s playlist.
Check out the latest CRT FRSH drop below.
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