State Champ Radio Hip-Hop
Page: 47
As we get closer to Usher‘s highly anticipated Super Bowl Halftime Show performance, the worlds of hip-hop and R&B are back in full swing with major albums, singles and pop culture moments driving tons of discourse across social media.
From Kendrick Lamar‘s tease of new music to Megan Thee Stallion‘s surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live alongside Reneé Rapp in support of their Mean Girls collaboration, some of hip-hop’s biggest heavyweights used stealth to their advantage. In contrast, Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign‘s elusive Vultures joint album received yet another release date; this time, the record is slated to arrive on Feb. 9. — just two days before Usher is set to take the stage at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, NV. There was also a hilarious meme acknowledgment from Drake by way of the rapper’s recreation of TikTok creator Drew Wall’s viral day-in-the-life Target run videos — soundtracked by the Grammy-winner’s “Virginia Beach,” naturally.
Of course, the R&B OGs also had an eventful week — chief among them funk legend George Clinton, who received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday (Jan. 19).
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Anycia and Latto’s new outside anthem to Naomi Sharon’s gorgeous, acoustic paean for love. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: Anycia feat. Latto, “Back Outside”
[embedded content]
For their first official collaboration, Anycia and Latto skate over a horn-laden JetsonMade production that perfectly complements the laid-back-yet-urgent feel of each of their respective verses. When Anycia begins her pre-chorus with the deliciously cavalier, “Huh? I’m back outside/ Yeah, huh? N—a done made me mad,” her delivery immediately sets the foundation for a woman on a mission: she’s back outside and ready to get her lick back, but you’ll never see her sweat. As a fellow Atlanta rapper, Latto sounds right at home on the track, delivering yet another strong verse complete with funny punchlines (“And they sayin’ that I rap my ass off/ Turn around like, ‘I can’t tell’) and a healthy dose of shade (“Walked in, young b–ch, I’m turnt/ Got auntie hatin’, she burnt”).
Fivio Foreign & Meek Mill, “Same 24”
[embedded content]
Reuniting for the first time since 2020’s “Demons & Goblins,” Fivio Foreign and Meek Mill get introspective over a drum-heavy beat courtesy of Saint Cardona and Lala the DJ. Worlds away from the Brooklyn drill that dominated his debut studio album, 2022’s B.I.B.L.E., Fivi opens “Same 24” with a stream-of-consciousness verse in which he exalts his tenacity and his maturation journey. “We got the same twenty-four hours, n—a / Why what’s mine gotta be ours, n—a? / Talkin’ ’bout n—as need help, n—as, I was “n—as” / But I rose out of the dirt, give me my flowers, n—a,” he spits. Meek adds a characteristically loud guest verse that celebrates his own come-up by way of slick double entendres; “My granny house a mil’, she ain’t even know I could rap my ass off/ You s–ttin’ me? I was super broke, I took that cast off,” he raps.
Rob49 & Lil Wayne, “Wassam Baby”
[embedded content]
NOLA, stand up! In a week of stellar rap collaborations, Rob49 and Lil Wayne climb into the ring with thei rown “Wassam Baby.” Built around a gritty piano-anchored Mac Fly beat, the two New Orleans rappers wax poetic about their wealth and sexual prowess while spitting game at women from across the city, as Rob emphasizes in the chorus. If that hook sounds familiar, that’s because “Wassam Baby” leaked months ago and made the rounds as a viral sound on TikTok. With the addition of a strong Wayne verse — his balance of alliteration, punch lines and rhyme scheme variations are top-notch — Rob didn’t just give “Wassam Baby” a second wind, he gave it a completely new life.
Andra Day, “Where Do We Go”
[embedded content]
It’s been nearly a decade since Andra Day’s Grammy-nominated “Rise Up” first entered the world, and in the time since, the multihyphenate has earned a slew of major industry awards and honors, including an Academy Award nomination for best actress in a leading role for her starring turn as Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Now, she’s back with the lead single for her second non-soundtrack studio album. “Where Do We Go” is a rousing exercise in the pacing of show-stopping vocal performance. Day’s sense of dynamics is on full display as she parses through the complicated process of seeking closure from a relationship she’s not ready to leave. “I see love inside your brown eyes/ Listening to ‘New Sky’/ Is everything an absolute, babe?/ Like, do we absolutely have to say goodbye?” she croons.
1K Phew & Zaytoven, “Let Go Let God”
[embedded content]
For the latest chapter in the ever-evolving relationship between gospel and hip-hop, 1K Phew has finally unleashed his collaborative project with iconic rap producer Zaytoven. Titled Pray for Atlanta, the genre-blending set — which features collaborations with Hunxho and Jekalyn Carr — is a heartfelt address to the city from a rapper who clearly adores his hometown, and a producer who has helped shape the city’s modern sound. Focus track “Let Go Let God,” blends familiar Atlanta rap cadences with a hearty gospel message, finding the common ground between the secular notion of “trusting the process” and the sanctified notion of leaving things in God’s hands. “I been down if that’s okay, had to learn from yesterday/ Took a lot of L’s in my life, baby, and I ain’t goin’ back there, no way/ I got an iced out cross on my neck right now, tryna show him that he already paid,” he spits over Zaytoven’s trap production.
Destin Conrad, “WAR!”
[embedded content]
Last Friday (Jan. 19), Destin Conrad dropped off Submissive2, the sequel to last year’s Submissive. “War,” the fourth track on the set, is a perfect blend of the rising star’s penchant for idiosyncratic Gen Z humor and lustful-yet-subtle R&B melodies. Obviously, the song is about the lengths one will go to for the person they want — rather the person they want to bag — but the trick of “War” is the way Destin plays into the innate melodrama of the concept. “I would smash the windows out your ex’s car without a second thought, baby/ I would gladly take the f–kin’ charge and that’s a criminal offense,” he opens the song.
It’s the chorus, however, that really drives home Destin’s shtick. He plays with his pitch and intonation to embody different characters across a melody that plays on the bounce-rooted “I’ll do [insert outlandish thing] for the d–k” punchline set-up. “I’ll sing Adele for that d–k / Rolling in the deep for that d–k,” the voices joke. It’s all fun and games until one voice proclaims that they’ll “pay for the d–k,” to which Destin comes back down to earth and ends the song, quipping, “Alright, you’re buggin’ (Yeah, b–ch, you dragged it) / You did too much, b–ch, too much.”
Naomi Sharon, “Nothing Sweeter”
[embedded content]
Just a few months removed from the launch of her acclaimed debut album, Obsidian, Naomi Sharon has unveiled another new addition to her growing discography. “Nothing Sweeter” arrives as the latest evolution of the most Sade-influenced edges of Sharon’s sonic profile. The First Lady of OVO lays her elegant vocals over a sparse, delicate guitar-forward instrumental that allows her ample space to showcase her sense of vocal control. Lyrically, she extols the healing power of love while calling back to iconic R&B ballads of yesteryear, singing, “Uncover my skin, undo this pain/ Unbreak my heart/Until I remember the way.”
The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t the only NFL team in the playoff run with a superstar super fan. While Taylor Swift was getting her by-now-familiar screen time cheering on boyfriend Travis Kelce during KC’s hard-fought win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night (Jan. 22), earlier in the day the Detroit Lions had their own mega-platinum No. 1 fan firing up the crowd on the way to a punching the Motor City team’s ticket into the NFC championship round for the first time in 32 years.
D-town legend Eminem was once again in a skybox watching the action from on high on Sunday, and at one point in the game the big screen flashed a now-legendary September tweet from the rapper in which he wrote, “Let’s f–king go!!!! Detroit.” That got fans hyped up as the stadium speakers blasted the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s iconic 8 Mile pump-up anthem, “Lose Yourself.”
But when the cameras swung up to Slim Shady in the box, the MC — decked out in Lions gear, naturally — jumped up, flexed hard and screamed before pounding his chest and sitting back down in a moment that encapsulated the sheer, unrestrained joy felt by long-suffering Lions fans as they watched their beloved hometown heroes slip by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Em also responded to a meme featuring a picture of his 8 Mile character B-Rabbit driving around town with the caption, “[Lions QB Jared] Goff and the Lions pulling up to the NFC Championship game,” writing, “Can’t believe I did it again!!! @Lions.”
The tweet was the follow-up to an offer Eminem made last week, telling Lions coach Dan Campbell that he’s ready to help break the team’s three-decade playoff drought. “Yo, Dan, I’m reporting. I’m going to report. Third quarter,” the 5’8′, 150 pound Rap God said. “I’m reporting, offensive line, eligible receiver. I’ll be the quarterback, the entire line, (the) offensive line. And the receiver, I will throw it to myself and score a touchdown. In the third quarter. Just give me a uniform. Or at least just a helmet.”
It wasn’t the first time Marshall has offered to suit up for his favorite team. Back in 2022, the then-49-year-old appeared in an episode of HBO’s NFL series Hard Knocks, claiming he was ready to lace up whenever needed. “I said I’m here for whatever position. I’m here. Any of ‘em. All of ’em,” Em said while hanging on the sidelines at a Lions practice.
The Lions move on to the NFC championship game next week against the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers in search of the team’s first-ever Super Bowl appearance.
Watch video of Eminem at the Lions game cheering on his team.
21 Savage scores his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart as American Dream debuts atop the tally (dated Jan. 27). The set bows with 133,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 18, according to Luminate, nearly completely powered by streaming activity.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
All four of the rapper’s leaders have come consecutively, starting with I Am > I Was in 2019, and followed by Savage Mode II (with Metro Boomin in 2020), Her Loss (with Drake in 2022) and American Dream.
American Dream launches with 21 Savage’s best week, by units earned, for any of his non-collaborative projects (surpassing his previous high of 131,000 in the debut frame of I Am > I Was). The set also boasts his biggest streaming week for any of his non-collaborative sets, as its collected songs generated 169.53 million on-demand official streams in its first week (again, beating the opening stanza of I Am > I Was, with 151.87 million).
American Dream was released with little warning, as the set was announced on Jan. 9 and premiered on Jan. 12. The 15-song album boasts guest turns from the likes of Metro Boomin, Doja Cat, Lil Durk, Travis Scott, Young Thug and Summer Walker.
Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Kali Uchis logs her highest-charting album ever, as her second Spanish-language full-length set, Orquideas, starts at No. 2 — and with her biggest week ever by units earned (69,000).
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 Jan. 27, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Jan. 23. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of American Dream’s 133,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Jan. 18, SEA units comprise 128,500 (equaling 169.53 million on-demand official streams of the 15 songs on the album), album sales comprise 4,000 and TEA units comprise 500.
Kali Uchis achieves her highest-charting album ever on the Billboard 200, as Orquideas starts at No. 2 with 69,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum — her best week ever — SEA units comprise 38,000 (equaling 51.01 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 14 songs; her biggest streaming week ever for an album), album sales comprise 31,000 (her largest sales week, and the top-selling album of the week) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.
Orquideas is Uchis’ second top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200, following the mostly-English-language Red Moon in Venus, which debuted and peaked at No. 4 in March 2023.
Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time falls 1-3 on the Billboard 200 with 61,000 equivalent album units earned (down 1%). Drake’s chart-topping For All the Dogs dips 2-4 (52,000; down 10%) and Taylor Swift’s former leader 1989 (Taylor’s Version) descends 3-5 (50,000; down 11%).
Noah Kahan’s Stick Season slips 5-6 with 45,000 equivalent album units (down 1%), while the rest of the top 10 comprises former No. 1s: Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 falls 4-7 (44,000; down 16%), Swift’s Folklore rises 10-8 (43,000; up 24%), SZA’s SOS drops 6-9 (41,000; down 6%) and Swift’s Lover falls 8-10 (38,000; 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.
Snoop Dogg‘s list of endorsements and product extension stretch from his recent Goon With the Spoon cookbook to deals hawking Beyond Meat, Skechers, Corona, SodaStream and his Snoop Doggie Doggs line of pet products.
But in an appearance earlier this week on the debut episode of comedian/actor Slink Johnson’s “Wake & Bake With Double S Express,” the Doggfather pulled up to smoke (including showing off a giant joint shaped like the “Smoke Weed Every Day” MC’s head), chat and laugh it up with the host and co-star of the 2023 White Men Can’t Jump reboot. During their convo, Snoop revealed that OnlyFans reached out to him saying he could probably pull down a cool $100 million to show off his private parts.
And while Snoop is always down to sign a lucrative deal, he said his wife of 27 years and manager, Shante Broadus, would never be okay with him pulling his “thang out.”
“They got at me when one of them little girls made like $20 million on there,” Snoop said of an reach out from the online subscription content service frequently used by sex workers and B- and C-list stars looking to cash in on NSFW content. “They were like, ‘OnlyFans wants you to come on there, Snoop. You could do about $100 million. All you gotta do is pull that thang out.”
And as much as he enjoys product extensions, Snoop, 52, said it would never happen. “I’m like, ‘I got a Black wife, n—a. Ain’t no way in the world she gonna allow me to go on there and pull that thang out for no amount of money,’” he said of the expected thumbs down from his high school sweetheart and mother of three of his children.
At press time a spokesperson for OnlyFans had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on the alleged offer.
The legendarily lean, mean and lanky rapper also bragged that he’s been hitting the gym recently and has been building muscles for the first time in his life and, not for nothing, he said Shante is definitely into that.
Snoop might get to show off his newly jacked physique this summer with his gig as a correspondent for NBC’s coverage of the Paris Olympics. “I grew up watching the Olympics and am thrilled to see the incredible athletes bring their A-game to Paris. It’s a celebration of skill, dedication, and the pursuit of greatness,” Snoop said in a statement earlier this month. “We’re going to have some amazing competitions and, of course, I will be bringing that Snoop style to the mix. It’s going to be the most epic Olympics ever, so stay tuned, and keep it locked. Let’s elevate, celebrate, and make these games unforgettable, smoke the competition, and may the best shine like gold. Peace and Olympic LOVE, ya dig?”
Check out the chat below (warning: the OnlyFans talk doesn’t come around until well into the video).
The 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival will feature headlining sets from The Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, Chris Stapleton, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, The Killers and Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The eight-day fest that takes place across 14 stages over two weekends — April 25-28 and May 2-5 — at the Fair Grounds Race Course, draws nearly half a million music lovers to a sprawling event that includes some of the biggest names in rock, pop, hip-hop, country, funk and jazz, including the usual compliment of homegrown legends.
Among the other acts slated to perform this year are: Hozier, Jon Batiste, Queen Latifah, Vampire Weekend, Greta Van Fleet, Heart, Widespread Panic, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Bonnie Raitt, Earth, Wind & Fire, Celebrating Jimmy Buffett with the Coral Reefer Band, Fantasia, The Revivalists, The Beach Boys, Big Freedia, Kem, Juvenile with Mannie Fresh, Irma Thomas, Joe Bonamassa, Steel Pulse, Cyril Neville, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Jeffrey Osborne and Rhiannon Giddens, and hundreds more.
This year’s Jazz Fest will also celebrate the music and culture of Colombia at the Expedia Cultural Exchange Pavilion, with 17 bands and a variety of artists sharing the unique sights and sounds from the South American nation, including Colombian salsa, cumbia, champeta, vallenato, chirimia, and currulao. There will also be daily parades honoring Colombia’s vibrant carnival spirit, with attendees getting opportunities to meet Indigenous and Afro-Colombian artisans, purchase their crafts and taste traditional Colombian food and drinks, according to a statement announcing the lineup.
Weekend and VIP packages are available here now, with single day tickets slated to go on sale in February; all tickets are subject to additional service fees and handling charges and an account with AXS is required for purchase. This year’s Jazz Fest will also offer a 4-day GA+ weekend pass for the first time, with access to an exclusive GA+ lounge with private restrooms, a full-service bar and shade. There will be a limited supply of 4-day second weekend passes including admission to the May 2 Rolling Stones set, the group’s only announced 2024 North American festival gig.
Stapleton, Killers, .Paak, Batiste and Vampire Weekend are the top line acts for the first weekend (April 25-28), with the Stones, Foo Fighters, Young, Hozier and Queen Latifah topping the list for the second weekend (May 2-5). Click here for the full day-by-day lineup.
Check out the 2024 lineup poster below.
Ice Spice is facing a copyright lawsuit over allegations that her recent hit “In Ha Mood” was copied from a Brooklyn rapper’s earlier track.
In a complaint filed Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court, the rapper D.Chamberz (Duval Chamberlain) says Ice Spice’s 2023 song is “strikingly similar” to his own “In That Mood” that he released in 2021.
“By every method of analysis, ‘In Ha Mood’ is a forgery,” D.Chamberz’s attorneys write in their complaint, obtained by Billboard. “Any proper comparative analysis of the beat, lyrics, hook, rhythmic structure, metrical placement, and narrative context will demonstrate that ‘In Ha Mood’ was copied.”
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
In addition to naming Ice Spice (Isis Naija Gaston) as a defendant, the lawsuit also names her frequent producer, RiotUSA (Ephrem Lopez, Jr.), as well as Universal Music Group, Capitol Records and 10K Projects.
Released early last year following Ice Spice’s 2022 breakout, “In Ha Mood” reached No. 58 on the Hot 100 and No. 18 on the US Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart. It was later included on her debut EP Like..?, and she performed the song during her October appearance as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
But D.Chamberz says the song shares so many similarities with “In That Mood” that the overlap “cannot be purely coincidental.” He says the similar elements “go the core of each work,” and are so obvious that they’ve already been spotted by listeners.
“Non-expert listeners have independently pointed out that Defendants ‘stole’ ‘In That Mood’ in creating In Ha Mood,” the rapper’s lawyers write. “The two songs clearly employ numerous noticeably similar composition elements and lyrics, which result in a sound and feel that are very much alike.”
In any copyright lawsuit, an accuser like D.Chamberz must show that an alleged infringer had “access” to their work in order to copy it. That requirement might seem technical, but it’s often the fatal flaw in copyright cases filed by lesser-known acts, like one filed against Dua Lipa over “Levitating.”
In an effort to show “access,” Tuesday’s lawsuit notes that D.Chamberz shared “In That Mood” to his Instagram followers, and that the song got “significant airplay” on New York City radio stations, including Hot 97 and Power 105.1. It even cites one instance in which Riot allegedly posted an Instagram story of him listening to Hot 97 “less than two minutes” before the song was played on the air. And Chamberz’s lawyers also point out that Riot’s father is the well-known New York City radio personality DJ Enuff, who hosts a show on Hot 97 and allegedly “actively engaged with D.Chamberz’s social media content.”
“Based on all of the facts and circumstances known to plaintiffs, as described above, it is probable – or, at the very least, reasonably possible – that defendants heard the work and knew about the work prior to the creation and publication of ‘In Ha Mood,’” his lawyers write.
Read the full lawsuit filed against Ice Spice here:
The NFL unveiled the lineup for the pregame entertainment for Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Thursday morning (Jan. 18). Before Usher takes the stage for the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime show, country icon Reba McEntire will sing the National Anthem, while Post Malone will tackle “America the Beautiful” and Andra Day will […]
As Stephen Colbert often says on The Late Show, if you want to truly, deeply peer into the soul of an artist the best way to do it is via his show’s signature “Colbert Questionert” probing list of queries. Nicki Minaj found that out on Tuesday night (Jan. 16) when she sat for the pre-taped segment in which the Pink Friday 2 MC revealed the burning answers behind such soul-searching questions as: “what is the best sandwich?”
There are no wrong answers, even though Minaj’s response was definitely far from standard. “Turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, salt and pepper, oil and vinegar, jalapeños, mayonnaise, mustard, toasted, hero,” Minaj told her old pal Colbert in her signature rapid-fire cadence.
Her next answer, however, was even more unique. Asked about her first concert, Minaj recalled going to the Hot 97 Summer Jam in 2001 when Jay-Z shocked the crowd by bringing out surprise guest Michael Jackson. “Many, many years ago… and Michael Jackson came out. Yes,” she recalled, rolling her eyes when Colbert asked what MJ sang. “He didn’t perform, he came out of this box and the people went crazy.”
The “Anaconda” rapper also, of course, said the snake is the scariest animal and that the apple is superior to the orange, because it could help feed her and her infant son, affectionately known as “Papa Bear.” In an answer that certainly pleased observant Catholic Colbert, Minaj opined that when we die, the good go to heaven and the bad go to hell, naturally. “Pearly gates, fiery pit, what more do you need to know?” Colbert said.
Nicki added that her favorite action movie is a tie between Gladiator and Black Panther, that she would never be caught dead in an aisle seat on a plane — she doesn’t worry about climbing over someone to get to the bathroom because she “doesn’t fly on those kind of planes” — and her least favorite smell is when the garbage piles up on the streets of New York.
She also noted that her earliest memory is of wanting to go to a chain called Burger Boys in her native Trinidad and when asked which song she could listen to on repeat for eternity, Minaj chose the Whitney Houston classic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.”
Check out all of Minaj’s answers below.
[embedded content]
As the music industry continues to wake from its holiday season slumber and awards season barrels on, there’s much to catch up on in the worlds of hip-hop and R&B.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Earlier this month (Jan. 6), Jay-Z picked up his second Primetime Emmy — outstanding directing for a variety special for The Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Starring Rihanna. He won his first last year as an executive producer of the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent. In more somber awards news, last Friday (Jan. 12), The Hollywood Reporter exclusively revealed that Diddy — nominated in best progressive R&B album for The Love Album: Off the Grid — would not be attending the upcoming 66th Annual Grammy Awards amid his recent sexual assault allegations.
In non-awards news, Lil Nas X made a characteristically controversial comeback with “J Christ,” Kali Uchis dropped off a new album alongside a pregnancy announcement, Janet Jackson announced new North American dates for her acclaimed Together Again tour and 21 Savage released his first solo LP in five years.
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Destin Conrad and Alex Isley’s devastating duet to 21 Savage’s Shining-inspired street anthem. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: Destin Conrad & Alex Isley, “Same Mistake”
[embedded content]
We’re only a few months removed from Submissive, but Destin Conrad already has his focus on Submissive 2. “Same Mistake” arrives as a forlorn ballad chiefly concerned with documenting the final moments of a disintegrating romance. “Why you always wanna play games?/ Night time you’re mine, and daylight you act like you don’t even know my name,” Destin croons over Louie Lastic’s ethereal production. Isley first delivers her trademark honeyed vocals as background accompaniment on Destin’s verse before commanding her own verse with equal parts ache and devastation. “Only wanted the best and I’m stickin’ to my story/ This was a moment for me, and this was all it could be,” she sings.
K CAMP & NoCap, “My Flowers”
[embedded content]
Few expressions have been run into the ground in the past half-decade as much as “giving somebody their flowers.” Miraculously, K CAMP and NoCap manage to deliver a spin on the phrase that feels fresh. Featuring production contributions from Trappin N London, Theevoni, MilanoTheProducer & J-RoD, “My Flowers” finds K Camp nimbly flowing over a solemn guitar-inflected trap beat. “N—as playin’ with my worth, you better have a check for me/ Or you better not check for me, angels standin’ next to me,” he spits. NoCap perfectly matches K Camp’s energy with a slightly more melodic flow that picks up on the same lyrical throughlines of loyalty and genuine love.
Kevin Gates, “Birds Calling”
[embedded content]
Kevin Gates is always good for a ratchet bop, and he’s dropped off yet another one in “Birds Calling.” A play on the trope of birds singing at sunrise, Gates waxes poetic about women hitting his line at all hours of the day. With Starrah and 302 on production duties, Gates hides some pretty sobering bars in between the sing-song hook. “Cleansing my sins started healing, I’m righteous/ Free everybody who thuggin’ in Rikers/ Know that I’m free, I’m authentically me,” he raps. “Birds Calling” is a headier complement to “Yonce Freestyle,” the club banger that served as the other pre-release single from Gates’ forthcoming The Ceremony LP.
Jhené Aiko, “Sun/Son”
[embedded content]
It’s been a little over three years since Jhené Aiko last gifted us a studio album, but she’s still remained musically active. Her latest release, “Sun/Son” serves as a loving tribute to her son for his first birthday. Lyrically, Aiko plays on the homophonous quality of the words in the song’s title, painting with broad strokes that contour the “solar power” her son’s love “charges her up” with. Vocally, she opts for a lush flurry of subdued harmonies that reside almost exclusively in her falsetto. It’s a relatively coy vocal performance, but one whose delicateness is the key ingredient to crafting a song with such a self-assured sense of intimacy.
Samaria, “Beating Myself Up”
[embedded content]
This glitchy slice of electronic R&B is the perfect backdrop to a session of serious self-loathing. “Want to think I’m one of a kind/ But it gets way too, too loud/ Used to get professional help/ Too scared of what they found,” Samaria says in a cadence somewhere between rapping, singing and stream-of-consciousness rambling. The flashes of drum’n’bass production drive home the song’s most sinister undertones, but it’s Samaria’s tone — hurt masked by a veneer or apathy — that embodies the destruction of innocence that anchors the track’s sentiments.
Jeymes Samuel, Doja Cat, Kodak Black & Adekunle Gold, “JEEZU”
[embedded content]
Jay-Z caused quite the stir on Spaces last week when he sang Doja Cat’s praises, but he wasn’t just running his mouth. After scoring a runaway hit with “Vegas” from the Elvis soundtrack in 2022, the “Agora Hills” rapper has lent her talents to another blockbuster movie OST. Alongside Adekunle Gold, Kodak Black and film director Jeyemes Samuel, Doja delivers a standout verse for the Book of Clarence soundtrack posse cut. “Y’all got an agenda, but we’ll see how that gon’ turn out/ Many false prophets leavin’ brothers with a firm doubt/ Father, please forgive me, for today, they finna learn now/ Put me in the dirt, and you gon’ see, I make it worthwhile,” she spits over Samuel’s laid-back jazz-inflected production. Adekunle’s impassioned hook is the song’s glue, while Kodak delivers one of his best verses in recent years on the Diaspora-traversing song.
21 Savage, “Redrum”
[embedded content]
A new 21 Savage album normally means the return of the rapper in both savage mode and R&B mode. While both personas made for enjoyable tracks on his newly released American Dream LP, “Redrum” is the unequivocal standout from his “savage mode” tracks. Featuring production from London on da Track, “Redrum” — “murder” spelled backwards, of course — finds the Grammy-winner rattling off his gun collection and delivering a slew of menacing metaphors and one-liners. The key part of the track, however, is the outro, which samples Jack Nicholson’s recitation of the “Three Little Pigs” nursery rhyme from The Shining (1980). Talk about thematic consistency!
Nicki Minaj expanded her anticipated Nicki Minaj Presents: Pink Friday 2 World Tour on Tuesday (Jan. 16) with the addition of second nights in a number of North American cities and new overseas shows in Europe.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
A total of 13 fresh dates were revealed for what has already become the rapper’s highest-selling tour to date, according to promoter Live Nation Entertainment. The new North American dates rolled out on Tuesday include gigs in Atlanta, Boston, Brooklyn, Chicago, Nashville, and Toronto along with just-announced global dates in Amsterdam, Cologne, Copenhagen, Glasgow, Manchester, Paris and Stockholm.
The initial run of 25 arena shows rolled out in December to support Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 album found the rapper hitting the road on March 1 in Oakland, CA and staying out until a June 7 gig in Berlin. The outing will still launch at the Oakland Arena, but now also include a second night at State Farm Arena in Atlanta (March 21), a March 24 gig at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, as well as a second night (April 8) at Boston’s TD Garden, a second show (April 25) at the United Center in Chicago and fresh dates at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto (April 30) and a May 1 show at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The North American tickets will roll out with a Citi presale beginning today, with additional presales running throughout the week ahead of Friday’s (Jan. 19) general onsale at 9 a.m. local time; click here for more ticketing information. Tickets for the new European dates will start with an artist presale on Wednesday (Jan. 17) begging at 9 a.m. local time, with additional presales leading up to the general onsale on Friday at 9 a.m. local time.
Check out the full run of Pink Friday 2 World Tour dates below (new dates in bold):
March 1 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
March 3 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
March 8 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
March 10 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
March 13 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
March 15 – Inglewood, CA @ Rolling Loud California*
March 18 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
March 20 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
March 21 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
March 22 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
March 24 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
March 26 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
March 28 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
March 29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
March 30 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
April 1 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
April 2 – Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena
April 4 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
April 5 – Hartford, CT @ XL Center
April 7 – Raleigh, NC @ Dreamville Festival*
April 8 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
April 10 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
April 12 – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
April 13 – Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum
April 17 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
April 18 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
April 20 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
April 24 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
April 25 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
April 27 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
April 30 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
May 1 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
May 9 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
May 11 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
May 12 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
May 13 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center
May 23 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome
May 25 – Manchester, UK @ Co-Op Live
May 26 – Birmingham, UK @ Resorts World Arena
May 28 – London, UK @ The O2
May 29 – Glasgow, Scotland @ OVO Hydro
May 30 – Manchester, UK @ Co-Op Live
June 1 – Paris, France @ Accor Arena
June 2 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome
June 4 – Cologne, Germany @ Lanxess Arena
June 5 – Cologne, Germany @ Lanxess Arena
June 7 – Berlin, Germany @ Mercedes Benz Arena
June 9 – Paris, France @ Accor Arena
June 11 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Royal Arena
June 12 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Tele2 Arena
*festival date
