State Champ Radio Hip-Hop
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Snoop Dogg paid tribute to his beloved half-brother, Bing Worthington, on Tuesday in an Instagram post featuring an image from the 44-year-old’s funeral. “Everlastin love Beverly’s boys. Dirty left Bing and snoopy [fire, flower, dove emoji],” Snoop wrote alongside an image of himself at the funeral wearing an all-red suit and matching Kangol hat as […]
Hip-hop fans have been waiting for Cardi B‘s next album for more than five years. And while the “Bongos” rapper has repeatedly teased that the follow-up to her smash 2018 major label debut, Invasion of Privacy, is just around the corner, as of now there is still no information or release date out there. The […]
Against all odds — and a brief disappearance from digital streaming platforms — Vultures I is finally here. The new joint LP from Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign launched atop the Billboard 200 on Sunday (Feb. 18), while its breakout single, “Carnival,” starts at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 (chart dated Feb. 24).
Although that new set, which features appearances from North West and Playboi Carti, dominated much of the conversation in the hip-hop and R&B worlds, it was far from the only thing of note to occur over the past week. On Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) — or “Worst Day” if you’re a part of the Future Hive — Maze frontman Frankie Beverly announced his farewell tour. Beverly, of course, lent his voice to the seminal “Before I Let Go,” covered by Beyoncé for her 2019 Homecoming live album. Her version peaked at No. 65 on the Hot 100.
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In other R&B performance news, Usher added yet another new slate of dates to his ever-growing Past Present Future tour (Feb. 20) and the Roots Picnic announced their 2024 headliners, which include Jill Scott, Nas, Lil Wayne & The Roots and André 3000. On the hip-hop side of things, there’s no getting around the eye-popping new music video for Drake, SZA and Sexyy Red‘s “Rich Baby Daddy.” The clip — which has already amassed over 7.5 million YouTube views — finds Drizzy and Solána partying in a hospital while the “Pound Town” rap princess (who recently gave birth to her second child in real life) goes into labor.
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Bryson Tiller‘s new heater to Rae Khalil’s tender meditation on existentialism. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: Pratt & Moody & Cold Diamond & Mink, “Creeping Around“
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Finnish soul duo Pratt & Moody are dishing up heavy old school vibes on their new Cold Diamond & Mink-produced single “Creeping Around.” Their take on contemporary soul is infused with an especially haunting approach to melody. The grandiosity of the song’s production — built almost exclusively around Moody’s sultry guitar — evokes the most stirring of James Bond themes, while the duo’s expansive combine vocal ranges trade off fluttery falsettos with robust full-voice crooning. “We gotta stop creeping around” is a simple, but incredibly effective hook; the song’s lyrical sparseness allows the meticulous arrangement ample room to breathe, making it a flawless backdrop for the slight twang that contours each repetition of “creeping around.”
Bryson Tiller, “Whatever She Wants”
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After initially appearing on his Slum Tiller, Volume 2 mixtape last November, Bryson Tiller has finally unleashed fan-favorite track “Whatever She Wants” on all digital streaming platforms. Crafted with the intent to appear on a stripper’s pre-show playlist, “Whatever She Wants” finds Bryson far-removed from his heart-bearing hip-hop-inflected R&B. Instead, the Grammy nominee skates across TylianMTB-produced Detroit-inspired beat with all of the effortless swagger and braggadocio of a guy who could quite literally buy the whole club. “CC, Gucci, hit Bottega, whatever she want/ She piss me off, somehow she still get whatever she want,” he spits, somehow striking a fine balance of gruffness and seduction in his delivery.
Tierra Whack, “27 Club”
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Mental health has long been a lyrical touchstone in hip-hop, just as the “27 Club” — an infamous collection of celebrities who passed at age 27 — has been a figment of pop culture’s obsession for decades. Thus, the convergence of these two concepts is fairly natural, and Tierra Whack expertly tackles them both on her new track, “27 Club.” Produced by J Melodic and ProdbyBRIANNA, “27 Club” finds Tierra contemplating suicide. “When your life gets hard but it’s simple/ When everybody ’round you suspenseful/ It ain’t really hard to convince you/ Lookin’ for somethin’ to commit to?” she spits. The dark beauty of this song is that Tierra wholly rejects the notion of a happy ending or a narrative of triumph; she simply sits in the aching self-loathing, guilt and depression that comes with suicidal ideation.
Lola Brooke & 41, “Becky”
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Last year, both Lola Brooke and 41 dropped off full-length projects — Dennis Daughter and 41 World: Not the Album, respectively — and now the two fast-rising New York rap breakout stars are kicking off 2024 with a new collaboration. Predicated on a definition of “Becky” that refers to fellatio, the fiery drill joint marks the union of some of the most exciting voices in the contemporary hip-hop scene. Lola’s characteristically menacing delivery is a smart complement to TaTa’s boisterous ad-libs and Kyle Ricch’s high-octane flow. Of course, the “Don’t Play With It” rapper also pairs well with 41’s Jenn Carter, whose slick wordplay makes her closing verse the strongest.
Chantae Cann & Kenyon Dixon, “B-Side”
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Kenyon Dixon has been on something of a hot streak lately between his 2024 Grammy nomination and a recent string of gorgeous duets. On “B-Side,” his new joint alongside Billboard-charting jazz and soul signer Chantae Cann, he keeps that streak alive. Produced and co-written by Masego, there’s a throughline of sultry, “come-hither” energy that encapsulates the innate, tasteful allure of the slinkiest jazz-inflected R&B melodies. Cann delivers the hook in a breathy tone that pairs well with Dixon’s whimsical descending riffs. Who said grown and sexy R&B was dead?!
Rae Khalil, “Is It Worth It”
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In celebration of the announcement of her signing with Billboard chart-topping rapper-singer Anderson .Paak‘s APESHIT label, Rae Khalil has unleashed a new .Paak-produced single titled “Is It Worth It.” Built around an understated drum-laden and bass-anchored soundscape, Khalil asks “Is it worth it?/ If I show up when I want/ In the sea of the same face/ Is it worth my time, time?” The lyrical battle between her own pride and her desire for connection and yearning to be wanted and desired come to a head in the lush instrumental break that simultaneously serves as the song’s bridge and outro — talk about a stunner.
ScHoolboy Q, “Yeern 101”
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Q’s new LP, Blue Lips, arrives in just under two weeks, and the Grammy-winning rapper is amping up his rollout. Built around a skittering, bass-blaring beat crafted by Cardo, J.LBS, Johnny Juliano & Yung Exclusive, “Yeern 101” finds the TDE star effortlessly skating over the track with a borderline breathless flows. There are no easy hooks or choruses here, these are two heady voices chock-full of smart wordplay, high-speed flow switches and sly changes in inflection and intonation — both of which are elevated by the ever-intensifying instrumental. “I’m a n—a out here, everything come free/ I ain’t never met God, but I bet he know me/ Put the money in a set, a n—a die in them streets/ Threw the boy alley oop, now he ridin’ on fleek,” he spits.
Nas, Jill Scott and Lil Wayne will headline the 2024 Roots Picnic. The June 1-2 annual throw down in The Mann in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia will feature Weezy celebrating the music of his hometown of New Orleans with Trombone Shorty and PJ Morton, as well as other superstar collaborations, including the Roots’ Black Thought […]
Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and Ty Dolla $ign’s joint project Vultures 1 debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Feb. 24), giving Ye his 11th leader and Ty his first. The set earned 148,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 15, according to Luminate, following its release on Feb. 10.
Plus, Usher scores his highest charting album on the Billboard 200 in over a decade, as his latest studio release Coming Home bows at No. 2 with 91,000 units earned.
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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 Feb. 24, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Feb. 21, one day later than usual, owed to the Presidents’ Day holiday in the U.S. on Feb. 19. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of Vultures 1’s 148,000 units earned in the tracking week ending Feb. 15, SEA units comprise 129,000 (equaling 167.78 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs), album sales comprise 18,000 and TEA units comprise 1,000.
Vultures 1 was only initially available via streaming services and as a digital download album for purchase. The original 16-track set was available through all major streamers, and sold through leading digital retailers, as well as Ye’s own official webstore. Physical versions of the album on CD and vinyl are expected to be released at a later date, and Ye’s store is accepting pre-orders for both presently. The set’s first-week sales were boosted by aggressive sale pricing.
The album boasts appearances from collaborators Travis Scott, Playboi Carti and Chris Brown, though none are given billed artist credit on the tracklist. Ye’s 10-year-old daughter North also contributes vocals to the set’s “Talking.”
Vultures 1 is the first studio album for both Ye and Ty released outside of the major label system, and arrived on Feb. 10 via Ye’s own label YZY after a number of delays (it was originally slated for release last October). Vultures 1 is Ye’s first album since his string of hate speech and antisemitic remarks, which resulted in companies like Adidas and Def Jam Recordings distancing themselves from Ye. (Def Jam released all of Ye’s previous studio albums, including his last widely released album, 2021’s Donda.)
Vultures 1 was issued on Feb. 10 and had a bumpy first-week in the marketplace. Its initial independent distributor, FUGA, took down the project on Feb. 15. The set then found a home with another indie, Label Engine (part of Create Music Group), that same day.
Meanwhile, one of tracks initially included on the Vultures 1 — “Good (Don’t Die)” — was removed from the streaming edition of the album on Feb. 14 on Spotify, and then other streamers and digital retailers on Feb. 15. The song appears to interpolate elements of Donna Summer’s 1977 single “I Feel Love,” which Summer’s estate claimed West used without permission and alleged “copyright infringement.” On Feb. 15, with “Good” removed from the album’s tracklist, the album was no longer purchasable in digital retailers like the iTunes Store and Amazon. (It was, however, still available to buy, with “Good” intact, through Ye’s official webstore.)
Ye ties Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand with 11 No. 1s each. Ahead of them are only The Beatles (a record 19 No. 1s), Jay-Z (14), Drake and Taylor Swift (each with 13). Vultures 1 is Ye’s 11th consecutive charting album to debut at No. 1, the most of any artist. (Overall, Jay-Z has the most debuts at No. 1, with 14, but they were not consecutive.)
For Ty, Vultures 1 brings him his first leader and second top 10-charting effort. He’s logged a total of eight entries on the list, going as high as No. 4 in 2020 with Featuring Ty Dolla $ign.
Vultures 1 was preceded by the single “Vultures,” featuring Bump J, which reached No. 38 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in December.
At No. 2 on the Billboard 200, Usher achieves his highest-charting album in over a decade, as his new studio set Coming Home starts in the runner-up slot. The album was released on Feb. 9 and earned 91,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 15. Of that sum, album sales comprise 53,000, SEA units comprise 34,500 (equaling 45.82 million official on-demand streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise 3,500.
Coming Home’s release date was announced last September, hot on the heels of news that Usher would headline the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 11.
The 2024 Super Bowlitself was the most-watched broadcast in American TV history, with 123.4 million viewers across CBS and the game’s simulcasts across Nickelodeon, Univision, Paramount+ and other digital platforms. Usher didn’t perform any material from the new album during the halftime show, focusing instead on familiar favorites from the past, such as “My Boo” (with Alicia Keys), “U Got It Bad” (with H.E.R.) “OMG” (with will.i.am) and the show-closing “Yeah!” (with Lil Jon and Ludacris).
Coming Home marks Usher’s ninth top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200 and his highest-ranking set since Looking 4 Myself debuted at No. 1 in June of 2012. He then charted with Hard II Love (No. 5 in 2016) and the collaborative set A with Zaytoven (No. 31 in 2018).
Coming Home is Usher’s first independently distributed album after a career with majors BMG and Sony (through the labels LaFace, Arista and RCA). The new project was released via mega (Usher’s own company in partnership with L.A. Reid) and Gamma (helmed by Larry Jackson), and distributed by Vydia (part of the Gamma organization).
Coming Home was available to purchase in its first week as a standard digital download, a standard CD, five different vinyl variants, two deluxe boxed sets and a deluxe digital album with a bonus track and alternative cover art. The latter was promoted as a SKIMS exclusive (alongside Usher’s new starring role in a SKIMS campaign) and sold for a limited time via SKIMS’ official store and Usher’s own webstore. Like Vultures 1, the Coming Home digital album was deeply discounted during its first week.
Coming Home was preceded by the single “Good Good,” with Summer Walker and 21 Savage. The track peaked at No. 25 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 in November, marking Usher’s first top 40 since 2017, and highest-charting track since 2015, when “I Don’t Mind,” featuring Juicy J, reached No. 11.
Noah Kahan’s Stick Season climbs 5-3 on the Billboard 200, matching its peak rank, spurred by the release of its new deluxe edition. Stick Season surges with 85,000 equivalent album units earned (up 74% — its best week yet by units earned), following the bow of a deluxe edition of the album on Feb. 9 with nine additional tracks. That deluxe iteration is dubbed Stick Season (Forever) and added collaborations with Post Malone, Kacey Musgraves and others. The original Stick Season album debuted in 2022 with 14 tracks, was deluxed last June with an additional seven tracks (which prompted its jump from No. 100 to No. 3), and then deluxed again on Feb. 9 with nine more tracks. All versions of the album are combined for tracking and charting purposes.
The rest of the top 10 on the new Billboard 200 is comprised of former No. 1s: Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time falls 2-4 (64,000 equivalent album units earned; down 1%); SZA’s SOS dips 3-5 (51,000; down 4%); Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) rises 8-6 (50,000; up 3%); Swift’s Lover moves 9-7 (48,000; up 7%); Swift’s Midnights falls 5-8 (46,000; down 9%); Toby Keith’s 35 Biggest Hits tumbles 1-9 (46,000; down 31%); and Drake’s For All the Dogs descends 6-10 (45,000; down 8%).
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.
Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign are bringing Vultures 1 to Paris. On Saturday (Feb. 18), Ye and Ty announced through social media that they will present their new joint album to fans at Paris’ Accor Arena on Sunday, Feb. 25. The duo’s newly announced “listening experience” follows previously announced events scheduled in Italy. Earlier […]
At this point the only question might be: what genre can’t Post Malone tackle? The lanky rapper who began his career rhyming before pivoting back-and-forth between rock, pop and every combination in-between appears to be ready to fully take a country detour. After wowing the crowd at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas last weekend with his meditative take on “American The Beautiful” on acoustic guitar, Posty surprised fans again on Thursday afternoon (Feb. 15) with a brief snippet of a new collaboration with Luke Combs.
Smoke in hand, Malone energetically plays air drums and shakes his head as he sings along to a song that appears to be called “Ain’t Got a Guy For That.” At press time spokespeople for Malone and Combs had not returned Billboard‘s request for additional information on the song.
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In the brief snippet, Combs can be heard singing “No VIP up at MIT/ And they still won’t let me fly the time machine,” before Malone grabs the chorus, “She’s searching for someone good who’s gonna built it back/ Ain’t I ain’t got a guy for that/ Ain’t got a guy for that (x3).”
Combs posted a comment on the snippet, matching Posty’s beer emoji and adding a fire one, while Malone’s label, Republic Records, commented, “LFG [cowboy emoji]” and Republic’s relaunched Mercury Records added, “in your country era fs.” Over Super Bowl weekend, Combs posted a pic with Malone and Peyton Manning.
Malone has been dipping his toe into country lately, including making his first Country Airplay chart appearance last year on a “duet” version of Joe Diffie’s “Pickup Man”, which debuted at No. 54 just after Posty teamed up with Morgan Wallen and HARDY to play the song at the 2023 CMA Awards; the track will appear on HARDY’s upcoming Hixtape Vol. 3: Difftape, due out on March 29.
Speaking to Access Hollywood at the time, Malone teased his own country music project when asked if he has a country album in the works. “I think so… yes,” he said.
In addition to covering Brad Paisley’s “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song),” Malone has performed on stage with a number of other country stars, including Blake Shelton, Little Big Town and Darius Rucker and he has been pictured in the studio or in writing rooms with Paisley and Combs.
In a June 2022 visit to Howard Stern’s SiriusXm radio show, Malone first hinted that a country turn might be in the offing. “To be honest, there’s nothing stopping me from taking a camera or setting up in my studio in Utah and just recording a country album and me just putting it on f–king YouTube,” Malone said. “I’m allowed to do that… I split my time between a lot of different things because I am happily obligated to do concerts and show love to my fans … and then I’m happily obligated to write music and make beats by myself, and I’m happily obligated to, you know, take care of my family. So, it’s a lot of time, and it’s about finding that space to allot that time. If I get another year to myself, maybe I’ll make a f–-king country album.”
In the meantime, the Malone country era will continue on April 28 when he takes the stage at the Stagecoach Festival, which will also feature sets from headliners Morgan Wallen, Miranda Lambert and Eric Church, as well as Jelly Roll, Dwight Yoakam, Willie Nelson & Family, Leon Bridges, Ernest, HARDY, Bailey Zimmerman and many more.
Watch Malone jam out to the Combs collab below.
Killer Mike visited The Daily Show on Tuesday night (Feb. 13) to talk about taking home three 2024 Grammy Awards for his deeply personal Michael album, as well as his arrest that night for what police said was a physical altercation with venue security. But what host Jordan Klepper really wanted to know, though, was […]
Fresh off his mesmerizing performance of “America the Beautiful” at Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII, Post Malone is bloodied but unbound in a new teaser poster for the upcoming Road House remake. Amazon’s Prime Video released images from the upcoming film on Tuesday (Feb. 13), including one in which Posty gives a menacing “come at me” […]
Last night (Feb. 11), not only did Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj‘s beef seemingly come to an end — the H-Town Hottie’s “Hiss” debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 — the duo’s war of words took a backseat to a much more daunting showdown: the San Francisco 49ers v. the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ultimately, the Chiefs — led by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Taylor Swift‘s loverman Travis Kelce — pulled out a last-minute win over the 49ers. As thrilling of a game as the Super Bowl was, all eyes in the hip-hop and R&B worlds were squarely fixed on Usher‘s dazzling halftime performance. A flashy, maximalist ode to Black performance history and Las Vegas iconography, the King of R&B sprinted through his hit-packed catalog, including anthems such as “Superstar,” “U Got It Bad,” “OMG,” “Nice & Slow” and “Yeah!”
Of course, the top-level entertainer was in prime form, showing off intricate footwork and boundless sex appeal as he trotted out surprise guests such as Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Lil Jon, Jermaine Dupri and Ludacris. Between a major Grammy night for Victoria Monét and SZA — both ladies took home three trophies — and Usher’s three-pronged blitz of a killer halftime show, a star-studded new LP and a massive forthcoming headlining arena tour, R&B and hip-hop are starting off Black History Month with a bang.
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Honey Bxby’s blunt Other Woman™ anthem to Nardo Wick and Sexyy Red’s meme-interpolating “Somethin’.” Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: Honey Bxby, “Fkn Him Too”
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While some of her contemporaries would rather cry over a toxic situationship, Honey Bxby is relishing the innate messiness of being the Other Woman™ on her new single. “I’m f—kin’ him too!/ I don’t know what you’re gonna do/ It’s time you heard the truth/ That he don’t belong to you,” she proclaims in the chorus. Reverb-drenched backing harmonies and a booming 808-laden trap&B beat provide the song’s foundation, and Honey paints across the soundscape with a tongue-in-cheek tone that highlights the jauntiness of the track’s “F—k You Tonight”-evoking melody.
Jermaine Dupri feat. Nelly, Ashanti & Juicy J, “This Lil’ Game We Play”
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Reuniting Nelly and Ashanti for their first song together since 2008’s “Body on Me,” Jermaine Dupri delivers a joint that perfect captures the essence of the two stars’ era of R&B/hip-hop crossover collaborations. Assisted by Juicy J, Nelly and Ashanti contour Dupri’s Miami bass-inflected beat with heated lust as they wax poetic about the cat-and-mouse courtship game. To his credit, Juicy adds some of his trademark sexual brazenness to balance out the couple’s reliance on innuendo. “Don Julio, ass so fat, I might lose composure/ Take you back to my penthouse, see if you can squirt like a Super Soaker/ Gon’ head, touch your toes, baby, maybe we can do a little roleplayin’/ Maybe we can have us a night cap, maybe you can be my throat baby,” he rhymes.
Nardo Wick feat. Sexyy Red, “Somethin’”
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If you’re a late Millennial or early Gen Z, you know the glory days of IceJJFish’s social media reign. On their new track, Nardo Wick and Sexyy Red team up for a hood love song that hinges on a sample of one of IceJJFish’s viral tracks. “It’s somethin’ ’bout my b—h I love, I can’t put my finger on it,” Nardo chants in the chorus, riffing on decade-old “On the Floor.” Over an ominous, piano-anchored beat, the two rappers trade vulgar, no-holds-barred verses about the things they love about their significant other. Sexyy maintains her hot streak of enjoyable guest verses, finessing some hilarious onomatopoeia-centric rhymes in the process. “Have a hood n—a singin’, “Fah-la-la”/ Let him hit the c—chie like grrah, grrah, grrah/ Swervin’ all in traffic, gettin’ freaky in the car/ If he try to leave me, then it’s bah-bah-bah,” she spits.
GloRilla, “Yeah Glo!”
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It’s been some time since her dominant run of “F.N.F.,” “Blessed” and “Tomorrow 2” (with Cardi B), but GloRilla is back in top form with her latest single, “Yeah Glo!” A return to focusing on straightforward, unvarnished Memphis rap over too-obvious ploys for pop crossover success, “Yeah Glo” finds the Grammy nominee getting real busy over a rattling beat crafted by B100, Go Grizzly & Squat Beats. “Yeah, Glo! Stomp a lil’ p—y ho with some shell toes/ Slappin’ rap b—hes and makin’ bail, ho/ Two-tone Cartier match the nails, ho/ No competition, these b—hes stale, ho,” she chants in the chorus. Although she never specifies who exactly she slapped, her gruff Gangsta Boo-esque tone provides the perfect vehicle for her rambunctious rhymes.
Latto, “Sunday Service”
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Not even a week after “Hiss” vs. “Big Foot,” the rap ladies are now treating us to… “Think U the S—t (Fart)” vs. “Sunday Service?” Although Latto has skirted around plainly labeling “Sunday Service” as a diss record, there are enough likely shots at fellow ascendant rap star Ice Spice to warrant that label. Across a trap-rooted beat courtesy of Go Grizzly, Pooh Beatz & Bankroll Got It, Latto spends her first verse rapping about her wealth and looks, but by the second verse, she’s focused on addressing those that would rather tweet than rap. “Do you rap or do you tweet? ‘Cause I can’t tell, get in the booth, b—h/ Stop all that motherf—n’ yellin’, ho/ ‘Cause I ain’t buyin’ what you’re sellin’, ho/ Think I’m the s–t? B—h, I know it, ho / Jesus walked on water, I got ice boilin’ though,” she spits.
Kith, Cam’Ron & Swizz Beatz, “Last Stop”
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For the first-ever track under Kith Records, New York rap icons Cam’Ron and Swizz Beatz team up for a rousing new single titled “Last Stop.” Anchored by hearty drums and funky guitars, the Dipset frontman delivers several cocky couplets about his legacy, his sexual prowess, his rap skills and his unshakeable position as an elder statesman in the rap game. Even when he gets especially dirty — “Brought her friend with her, watch em eat each other out/ The way I f—ked her face, man, she gon’ need another mouth” — he makes sure to balance that out with more tasteful bars of good old fashioned New York braggadocio. “Different leader, same habits/ I know I’m what you want but you can’t have it/ You got bad habits, me I’m a bank magnet/ And the coupe roof missing like Frank Mathis,” he raps.
Usher, “I Am the Party”
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A new cut from the R&B maestro’s Coming Home album — released the Friday before his Super Bowl halftime show (Feb. 9) — “I Am the Party” finds Usher in a familiar gear: dirty macking as the top player in the game. Through lyrics that run the gamut from corny to cheeky (“Club in my house, I call it G-spot”), Usher paints, alongside longtime collaborators Jermaine Dupri and Bryan Michael-Cox, gently toes the line between dated slogs and enjoyable throwback pastiche. As per usual, Usher’s voice is the main attraction; he delivers a vocal performance so committed to the song’s eternal bachelor bit that you can’t help but be overwhelmed by his melismatic charisma. Oh, and who can resist, a nice warning shot to the competition: “N—as talmbout Verzuz with me, please stop/ Know you think he is, but baby, he’s not,” he croons.
