State Champ Radio Hip-Hop
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It was a family affair on Sunday (April 14) at Coachella when Lauryn Hill surprised attendees at her son YG Marley’s afternoon set with a run through a few of her solo classics, as well as an unexpected get-together with Fugees bandmate Wyclef for a run through their group’s beloved hits. Wearing an orange-and-black suit […]
Drake appeared to respond to Kendrick Lamar and a myriad of other rap peers with a diss track of his own that’s tentatively titled “Push Ups.”
Perhaps the rollout wasn’t what the 6 God envisioned, with a leaked unmastered version hitting the internet on Saturday (April 13). Some fans questioned the track’s legitimacy as a contingent on social media speculated it was AI-generated.
Hours later, DJ Akademiks squashed the fan theories and got his hands on the CDQ mixed edition of “Push Ups” to premiere the scathing diss for the world to hear.
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It wasn’t only Kendrick Lamar that Drake appeared to take aim at with his response to K. Dot’s scorching “Like That” verse that set the rap game on fire. Future, Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, Rick Ross and more were supposedly in the 6 God’s crosshairs on the track.
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Drake jabbed Lamar about his small stature and the financial splits on his contract when it came to his deal with Top Dawg Entertainment.
“How the f— you big steppin’ with a size seven men’s on/ Your last one bricked, you really not on s— / They make excuses for you ’cause they hate to see me lit / Pull your contract ’cause we gotta see the split / Ain’t no way you doin’ splits b—- your pants might rip,” he raps.
“Big difference between Mike then and Mike now/ What the f— is this, a 20-v-1, n—-/ What’s a prince to a king? He a son, n—-/ Get more love in the city that you from, n—-/ Metro, shut your ho ass up and make some drums, n—-.”
Akademiks played the final CDQ version of Drake diss towards Kendrick Lamar, Metro Boomin, Future, and the whole industry.😳🔥 pic.twitter.com/5D13VW8mcA— Hip Hop Ties (@HipHopTiesMedia) April 13, 2024
Drake then turns his attention to Rick Ross and puts his correction officer past on blast and takes credit for lending him plenty of Hot 100 hits with their collaborations like “Gold Roses,” “Money in the Grave,” “Stay Schemin’” and more.
“I might take your latest girl and cuff her like I’m Ricky/ Can’t believe he jumpin’ in, this n—- turnin’ 50/ Every song that made it on the chart, he got from Drizzy/ Spend that lil’ check you got and stay up out my business,” he spews.
Rick Ross didn’t waste any time in returning fire with his “Champagne Moments” diss coming at the OVO boss. Akademiks premiered the record which finds the MMG mogul saying Drake stole Lil Wayne’s flow and alleged that he got a nose job in the past.
“That’s why you had an operation to make your nose smaller than your father nose,” he raps.
Ross didn’t stop there as he continued to clown Drake by posting side-by-side photos of his face to his Instagram Story while referring to him as “BBL Drizzy.”
Drake responded by sharing a text message conversation with his mom on Sunday (April 14) regarding the alleged nose job while calling Ross a “nosey goof.”
“I can’t believe you would get one without me, cuz you know I always wanted one,” she joked while Drake replied, “I would have got us a 2 for 1 deal if I went ma. It’s coming from Rick Ross the guy I did songs with he’s gone loopy off the Mounjaro he hasn’t eaten in days and it’s turned him angry and racist he’s performing at proms for money it’s bad.”
Kendrick Lamar is yet to react to Drake’s “Push Up,” which hasn’t hit streaming services as of press time. Find more of the social media banter between Drizzy and Rozay below.
Drake is responding to Rick Ross‘ claim on a diss track that he had a nose job.
On Sunday (April 14), the Toronto rapper took to his Instagram Story to share a screenshot of a text message conversation with his mother, Sandi Graham. In the text, Sandi playfully addressed online rumors about her son allegedly getting his nose fixed.
“Aubs- the internet is saying you got a nose job?? You looked the same to me in the kitchen today,” Drizzy’s mom begins her message. “I can’t believe you would get one without me … cuz you know I always wanted one. Don’t tell me that you got tattoos without me and now this too?”
Drake’s response began with numerous tears of joy emojis before writing, “I would have got us a 2 for 1 deal if I went ma.”
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The superstar rapper then explained that it was Rozay who made the claim.
“It’s coming from Rick Ross the guy I did songs with he’s gone loopy off the Mounjaro he hasn’t eaten in days and it’s turned him angry and racist he’s performing at proms for money it’s bad don’t worry we’ll handle it,” Drake wrote, referencing the weight loss drug.
The 6 God’s post also tagged Ross’ @richforever account and included the words, “You’re one nosey goof.”
Drake’s IG Story post was in response to Ross’ diss track “Champagne Moments,” which arrived on Saturday (April 13) following Drizzy’s purportedly real “Push Ups (Drop and Give Me Fifty)” leaked earlier in the day.
On “Push Ups,” which had not seen an official release at press time, Drake mostly fires back at Kendrick Lamar and Metro Boomin, but he also takes aim at Ross.
“I might take your latest girl and cuff her like I’m Ricky/ Can’t believe he jumpin’ in, this n—a turnin’ 50/ Every song that made it on the chart, he got from Drizzy/ Spend that lil’ check you got and stay up out my business,” Drake raps.
On “Champagne Moments,” Ross calls Drake a “white boy” and claims he lifted his style from Lil Wayne. Rozay also alleges that the “God’s Plan” rapper employs ghost writers and had cosmetic surgery.
“That’s why you had an operation to make your nose smaller than your father nose,” Ross raps.
On Sunday, following Drake’s IG Story post, Ross shared a video of himself responding to the text message screenshot.
“I just realized BBL Drizzy called his mommy on me,” Ross said in the Instagram Story clip, which included a nose emoji. “He shared their text messages between each other. Ah, cupcake Drake. Tell your momma you stayed out past your curfew, white boy. You wanted to hang at the park with the n—as, smoke weed with the n—as while we washed our old school Chevys.”
He added, “White boy, you got a Chevy, white boy? I doubt it. But, anyway, big nose. Boy you had 25% body fat with a carved-out six piece. Stop, we know what time it is. That s— cost 40 bands. Stop, but tell your momma… tell your old girl she a beautiful lady. I told you that before and I meant that, but you tell your momma, white boy, you stayed out at the park too late and you can’t call her when you get in this s—. This s— too deep to call your momma, white boy.”
See Drake’s IG post here and Ross response here.
Rico Wade, a member of the legendary Atlanta production trio Organized Noize and co-founder of the hip-hop/soul collective Dungeon Family, has died, Billboard confirmed with his representatives. He was 52.
“We are deeply saddened by the sudden and unexpected passing of our son, father, husband, and brother Rico Wade,” Wade’s family wrote in a statement. “Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of a talented individual who touched the lives of so many. We ask that you respect the legacy of our loved one and our privacy at this time.”
Killer Mike, who got his start with the Dungeon Family, announced Wade’s passing through social media on Saturday (April 13).
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“I don’t have the words to express my deep and profound sense of loss. I am Praying for your wife and Children. I am praying for the Wade family. I am praying for us all,” the Run the Jewels rapper wrote on Instagram. “I deeply appreciate your acceptance into The Dungeon Family, mentorship, Friendship and Brotherhood. Idk where I would be without ya’ll.”
He concluded, “This is a part of the journey. You told me ‘It ain’t been hard throughout the journey, it’s been a Journey.’ The journey ain’t gonna be the Same Journey without U. Like U say tho Umma ‘Stay Down on it’……we all are.”
Wade’s cause of death had not been provided at press time.
Wade — considered one of the architects of Southern rap sound — was one-third of the songwriting and production team Organized Noize, whose members also included Sleepy Brown and Ray Murray. The team formed in the early 1990s and played a pivotal role in OutKast’s 1994 debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, and Goodie Mob’s 1995 first release, Soul Food.
Organized Noize also produced much of OutKast’s 1996 sophomore album, ATLiens, as well as tracks on the duo’s Aquemini (including “Skew It on the Bar-B”) and Stankonia (including “So Fresh, So Clean”). The team went on to work with Big Boi on his solo projects, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty (2010) and Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors (2012).
Wade and Organized Noize were also responsible for co-writing and producing TLC’s hit song “Waterfalls,” which spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1995. TLC’s T-Boz revealed in the 2016 documentary The Art of Organized Noize that she was responsible for introducing Organized Noize’s Sleepy Brown and Rico Wade through the latter’s job at LaMonte’s Beauty Supply.
“Rico looked at me, did a little dance and said, ‘So?’” Brown recalled. “And when he did it, it cracked me up so much that I was like, ‘Yeah, I like him.’”
In addition to TLC, Organized Noize was responsible for producing En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go” and Ludacris’ “Saturday (Oooh! Ooooh!).”
Wade and Organized Noize primarily worked with their Atlanta-based Dungeon Family collective, whose members have included a range of talents including OutKast’s Big Boi and Andre 3000, Goodie Mob’s Big Gipp, Khujo, T-Mo and Cee Lo Green, as well as Killer Mike, Slimm Calhoun, BlackOwned C-Bone and Backbone.
Wado was also cousins with rapper Future, who previously noted that Wade helped launch his career in music. “Rico support me 1000 more times than anybody ever could,” Future said in 2014, according to Rolling Stone. “Nobody could ever do what Rico Wade did for me. … Everything I know about music, I know because of Rico.”
Future added, “I got to see Big Boi walk into the studio. Just always looking for a new Outkast album, being a fan and always being behind the scenes and seeing what it took and seeing the process of making records, and it was all just fascinating to me.”
On Saturday, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens shared a statement about Wade following his death.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Rico Wade,” Dickens wrote in a statement on the City of Atlanta’s website. “Rico was a musical genius and one third of the Grammy Award-winning music production team Organized Noize. A product of Atlanta Public Schools, he led in the creation of a hip-hop sound that has spanned decades and genres. Without Rico Wade, the world may have never experienced The Dungeon Family, OutKast, Goodie Mob, Future and many more. Rico left an indelible mark on music and culture around the world and for that, the South will always have something to say.”
The past decade has seen an explosion in the number of YouTube channels showcasing rappers flexing on the mic. NYC-based On the Radar Radio has emerged as one of the most popular of the bunch.
Hosted by Power 105.1 on-air personality Gabe P, On the Radar has made a name for itself by consistently delivering memorable moments from some of the hottest up-and-coming rappers in the game. The channel has become so popular that it’s even attracted established acts like Meek Mill and Drake, the latter of whom accompanied the newly minted UK star Central Cee.
The latest MC to absolutely torch the On the Radar mic is Decatur, Ga.’s own Baby Tate. Rapping over the “Let’s Get Blown” beat, which the Neptunes produced for Snoop Dogg back in 2004 for his R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece album, Tate returns for her second freestyle and sends a few shots at her doubters, rapping, “They say I blink like Nicki, dress like Kimmy, get real freaky on a track like Missy, cocky like Rih Rih, rough like E-V-E, but I don’t understand why n—as won’t let me be me.”
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Elsewhere, Tate gives props to some of her major inspirations, which include her mother, singer Dionne Farris, as well as Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Eve, Kelis, Lauryn Hill and more, but laments the fact that because she’s a Black woman, “They don’t see Kendrick in me, they don’t hear the Ye, and they don’t see the P.”
But don’t just read the lyrics; go watch it. She goes in for the entire two minutes and 10 seconds that she’s onscreen.
Tate’s been killing it since she dropped her 2016 Toni Basil-interpolating “Hey Mickey!,” which became a viral smash seven years later thanks to TikTok. Most recently, TikTok gave her another assist when her 2022 collaboration with JID and 21 Savage, “Surround Sound,” powered what became known as the “ceiling challenge,” which saw fans placing their phones on the ceiling to get a bird’s-eye view as they danced to the song. The track, which peaked at No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, was propelled to No. 1 on Billboard‘s Rhythmic Airplay chart last month.
Since there have been stars there have been superfans. But not until Eminem gave a name to his most obsessed, singularly focused admirers did we have “Stans.” Slim Shady’s 2000 “Stan” single from this smash Marshall Mathers LP — famously featured a lilting sample of Dido’s “Thank You” — has become shorthand for the kind of sometimes too-into-it disciple a famous musician might want to avoid meeting in person.
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Well, now the reclusive Detroit rap god is calling all Stans for possible inclusion in an upcoming untitled documentary about his most monomaniacal mavens. ” [eyeball emoji] Looking for Stans [movie slate emoji] for a documentary produced by Eminem & Shady Films. To share your story, please answer the questions here,” read a tweet on Wednesday (April 10) seeking stories.
The solicitation tweet then whisked fans to a questionnaire featuring a list of queries aimed at gauging their level of super-fandom. “Share your story with the world in an exciting new documentary film produced by Eminem and Shady Films,” reads a message on the doc site. In addition to basic bio and social media information, the list of questions includes the following: “When/how did you first hear Eminem?,” “Would you consider yourself a ‘Stan?’ Why/why not?,” “Do you collect Eminem merch, make Eminem artwork, write fan fiction, etc.? If so, please explain in detail,” as well as queries about whether they’ve ever been to Detroit and where they went while there.
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The questions go deeper still, asking about their favorite Eminem song (and which one hit them on a “deep personal level” and why), as well as which parts of Em’s personal story relates to them, whether his music has helped them through difficult times, things they’ve accomplished thanks to his songs, if they’ve met the rapper (where/when) and what the interaction was like, and, of course, if they have any photos or video of their Marshall meet cute.
The last batch really dig deep into their Stan-itude, asking if they remember the MC taking a break from touring/releasing albums around 2005 (and how it impacted them), how often they listen to his music/look at his socials/Google him, and, most importantly, “if you could tell Eminem anything, what would it be?” In addition to a recent photo, the questionnaire ends with a request for a one-minute video explaining why they are the Stanniest Stan, including a story about “anything unique” they’ve done, a fan letter they sent or their favorite Shady merch.
In February, Variety reported that Em was co-producing a Stans doc aimed at diving into the complicated relationship between artists and their audience. The film will reportedly open later this year, with Steven Leckhart tapped to direct what is described as a “revealing, edgy and disarmingly personal journey into the world of superfandom, told through the lens of one of the world’s most iconic and enduring artists, Eminem, and the fans that worship him.”
In a statement, the rapper’s longtime manager Paul Rosenberg added, “Stans will be the opportunity for us to to turn the camera around and ask the audience about being fans — and in some cases, fanatics. This is a study of the relationship between fanbase and artist through the lens of one of Eminem’s most fascinating songs and one of the world’s most important entertainers.”
“Stan,” produced by The 45 King, peaked of No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 2000. The Oxford English Dictionary added the term “Stan” to its pages in 2017.
Check out the call for stories below.
Lil Nas X has been teasing his upcoming Nasarati 2 mixtape for several months via snippets and previews of songs from his follow-up to his original 2018 Nasarati tape. On Wednesday (April 10) he posted a full new song on SoundCloud, “Right There,” a heater produced by Ojivolta on which Montero drops rapid-fire verses over angelic, gospel-like female backing vocals.
“Hol’ up, lil’ b–ch, what you need? What you need?/ I need a n–ga with loose-lick hips/ I need a model with some big, fake lips/ I just did X in the bathroom stall/ On a B-list star, gettin’ my A-list round/ I’m JK like I’m next to LM/ I’m so drunk that my shit went limp, ayy, ayy/ Pour me some Henny,” he raps on the track with a bare-bones beat that he first previewed in an Instagram Story in February — before deleting it — then again in a tweet.
Later in the song, he gets in his self-referential bag once more, rhyming, “Big Nas, come get that work/ Montero, these hoes gon’ flirt/ Lost and found, I can’t find my shirt/ Montero just popped that Perc/ This feel like God in church/ This scripture a Bible verse/ Buss it open and make it/ Buss it open and make it twerk.”
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The full track was unleashed a day after the MCs 25th birthday and a month after X previewed another unreleased song with typically provocative lyrics. “My big sis just had another baby, popped him out the labia/ My other nephew sitting in class with a broken nephew, he had to beat a n—a ass for talking about his uncle,” he rapped on the unnamed track. “Now listen, I ain’t saying I condone that sh–/ F— it, I’m saying I condone that sh–,” Nas X raps.
X has been honest about his struggle to choose songs over his fear about fans’ perceptions of his music, previously writing on Instagram, “Been hoarding music for years smh i hate my relationship with fear of my songs not doing well and perception. i wish i could just release music and not give af.” At the same time he dumped a handful of snippets on fans to gauge their reaction and possibly guide his track-picking.
Listen to Lil Nas X’s “Right There” below.
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HipHopWired had the opportunity to speak with Martha Diaz about the symposium held at Lincoln Center celebrating the contributions of women in Hip-Hop.
On Friday (April 5), the Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City was home to a groundbreaking event that focused on the numerous contributions that women have made to the culture of Hip-Hop. The Fresh, Bold & So Def Symposium came together as an initiative to highlight the trailblazing women who lent their abundant talent and style to an industry dominated by men and to further empower the next generation of women in the culture.
The all-day symposium came about through a partnership between Martha Diaz, the award-winning activist and community organizer who serves as the founder and chair of the Hip-Hop Education Center and Lincoln Center. The Fresh, Bold & So Def Symposium, inspired by Diaz’s initiative championing intergenerational Hip-Hop feminism began with a panel on mentorship for women and girls in the culture.
It featured veteran designer Misa Hylton, Sophia Chang, Tiffany Miranda and Michelle “Lady Bird” McPhee, a lecture by Rap Coalition founder Wendy Day, and a fireside chat on self-care with Shanti Das and Toni Blackman before the evening’s panels. The panels featured a lecture by Dr. Joan Morgan and a ladies’ cipher discussion led by Diaz with pioneering MCs MC Sha-Rock, Pebblee Poo, Dr. MC Debbie D, Lisa Lee and a panel on innovation with Dr. Rosa Clemente, Jazzy Joyce, Claw Money and Erica Ford, moderated by Kathy Landoli.
The audience in attendance was diverse and was welcomed warmly, with Diaz and her team warming the crowd up in between. Each panel discussion and lecture provided vital information and perspective that garnered enthusiastic applause. A few days before the symposium, HipHopWired had the honor to talk with Martha Diaz about what inspired the symposium and the way it all came together.
HipHopWired: As vital as it is to emphasize the importance of women in Hip-Hop, what prompted the creation of the symposium for this point in time?
Martha Diaz: This symposium has been decades in the making. Since the 1990s and the early 2000s, I wanted to create an initiative to show the contributions of women to Hip-Hop. It just felt like we weren’t getting our props, and that we were being erased from history. So when we met with Lincoln Center, they embraced the idea and the message.
Could you share a little bit about the process and working with Lincoln Center to be a partner in the symposium?
We spoke about the education within it. It wasn’t just to celebrate women, but how could we inform the community about the different roles that we are paying tribute to? It’s about education, celebration. It was about informing people of our roles and our contribution. And we wanted to have a look and conversation about some of these inequities. So carefully curated, so that we could have the best representatives talk about these issues as well. And we wanted it to be intergenerational. So we didn’t want it to be like “oh, the old school,” we wanted to engage young people as well.
So the programs in the morning have workshops, fundamental Hip-Hop 101 workshops so that young people can learn about the history and the elements of Hip-Hop. And then you know, we have master classes for those kids who are a little bit more advanced. And then we have something for the young professionals who are kind of isolated from the culture but are in the music and entertainment industry, so we have something for them. And then we also have the evening portion, much more deeper conversations around erasure and self-care and being disruptors in Hip-Hop culture.
You don’t have to follow everyone else, we can actually make some changes in our culture. That’s pretty much how we kind of developed the day. Lincoln Center as a partner, I have to mention how important it is for them to believe in us, just like how you reached out and said: “Hey, I want to cover this.” They gave us the resources that can help us amplify our base message. So I just really cannot stress enough how important it is and how this is going to be ongoing. It isn’t a one-off.
That leads me to my last question. I’ve noticed that the panels and lectures are extremely impressive. So what was the response from those involved when the organizing team contacted them to take part?
Oh, they were excited. Most of the women, I would say 98% of the women said yes immediately. The other 2% said no, because they have other commitments, but had they not had those other commitments they would have joined us. It is our moment, it’s our time. We are finally having our “Me Too” movement, with everything that’s happening with Diddy.
And it’s great that we finally get the safe space to have these conversations that are delicate and necessary. If we’re gonna evolve as a culture, women have to have this space to have the conversations and create boundaries and guardrails so that you [other women] don’t have to go through some of the things we went through.
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Hip-Hop music and culture have influenced so many musical genres and fashion trends that there is little question about its value to the world. However, the origins of Hip-Hop are currently under debate after a user on X suggested that it wasn’t born from competition.
Breaking the wall a bit here, Hip-Hop wasn’t always something I viewed as a competitive sport. I was too busy being fascinated by the concept of rhyming words over beats, scratching, breaking, and graffiti— the pillars of the culture itself. It wasn’t until much later that I saw value in competition when I began entering rap battles as a fledgling MC. During that time of my journey, I absolutely wanted nothing more than to tear another rapper’s head off in battle, all in the spirit of wanting to be the best.
Social media is currently in serious debate over the decision J. Cole made to withdraw from a battle with Kendrick Lamar after the Compton rapper seemingly took shots at his North Carolina counterpart on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” track. Oddly enough, many listeners feel that the Dreamville honcho let the culture down for not engaging in the battle further and saying that he intends to remove “7 Minute Drill” from his Might Delete Later project.
If you want my opinion, I don’t see a need to debate Cole’s choice to step aside because I don’t know these people well enough to question their motives. My real life has way more of my focus and concern than some battle of the super MCs debate that social media can’t seem to let go of. The fact people are calling each other names and coming to digital blows over this is cornier to me than what J. Cole did.
Twitter user @RonObasi posed a thought in the wake of these recent happenings that garnered some passionate and even disrespectful replies.
“[S]aying hip hop was born from competition is a crazy narrative and a lie. Lets do our homework please,” @RonObasi wrote on Tuesday (April 9). “Also saying hip hop is at its best & “healthy” when n*ggas using their platforms and influences to beef was/is crazy. Sound just like white men we claim to hate.”
Since putting up the reply, fans from all sides of the debate have chimed in and even blasted the assertion that Hip-Hop wasn’t meant to be a clash of talent. As I view it, every rapper, producer, DJ, and graffiti writer should feel like they’re the best, even if they feel they’re only in competition with themselves.
I do agree that the music and culture aren’t necessarily healthier when the top names are going at each other. I feel we as a culture could do more for all under the banner of unity and togetherness. It all seems like a pipe dream at this point, considering how folks are approaching J. Cole’s decision. And if you don’t like what I’m saying here, we can battle if you want.
Check out the replies below.
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Cardi B has been teasing news about her as-yet-unscheduled, untitled sophomore album for months now. The “Bongos” MC hasn’t given any indication of how far in she is or when we can expect the follow-up to her 2018 smash full-length debut album, Invasion of Privacy, but over the weekend she got some killer advice from […]
