State Champ Radio Hip-Hop
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We are officially in awards season, folks! On Sunday night (Nov. 19), Billboard announced the winners of the 2023 Billboard Music Awards, with Beyoncé, Drake, The Weeknd, SZA, 21 Savage, Nicki Minaj and Metro Boomin reigning victorious in the rap and R&B categories. The 2023 Soul Train Music Awards were also taped last night; Keke Palmer will host the R&B-centric awards ceremony, which is set to air on Sunday, Nov. 26, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET and BET Her. SZA, Summer Walker and Usher lead the nominations with nine nods each.
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In the midst of all of the celebratory extravaganzas, New Music Friday (Nov. 17) proceeded with business as usual, dumping a plethora of new tracks to listen to over the holiday break. With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from ScarLip’s fast-rising new hit to Inayah’s tender, Fantasia-nodding R&B jam.
Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: Inayah, “For The Streets”
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Since its release back in 2007, Fantasia’s “When I See U” has become a certified R&B classic — the kind of song everyone covers for fun but no one would dare try to truly make their own. Enter Inayah, a rising R&B star who flips an interpolation of the song’s lyrics and instrumental into a no-holds-barred takedown of ain’t s–t men. “I had your picture on my mirror/ I took that s–t down/ Finally see that you been a clown/ Been holding us down while you f–king ’round,” she opens the song. Inayah smartly delivers each line with a sneaky wink, nodding to the sublime amalgam of the unmistakably iconic aura of Fantasia’s original and the tongue-in-cheek gems of truths sprinkled throughout her own track.
41 & Jenn Carter, “Problems”
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One of the new tracks from 41’s “11-track EP” 41 World: Not the Album, “Problems” is a Jenn Carter solo cut that is yet another reminder that she’s one of the most captivating voices coming out of the Brooklyn drill scene right now. The Touchamill-produced tracks find her getting a bit introspective as she waxes poetic about a relationship in turmoil. Sonically in a lane most similar to the most lovelorn snap-laden ballads of A Boogie wit da Hoodie and Lil Tjay, “Problems” proves just how versatile Jenn is. “Takin’ all my еnergy, tryna’ keep you next to me / Wе been through the worst, but I know you want the best for me/ Why you keep on testing me?/ Like, you know these bitches texting me?” she spits.
Jay Rock feat. Bongo ByTheWay, “Still That Way”
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It’s been five years since Redemption, but Jay Rock has been making up for the lengthy wait between studio albums with a steady stream of new music this year. His latest offering is the Bongo ByTheWay-helmed “Still That Way,” a booming anthem that treads the familiar ground of celebrating success while still maintaining the grounding and authenticity of your roots. Triumphant brass and skittering hi-hats provide most of the instrumental’s background while Jay Rock’s commanding voice supplies the momentum.
ScarLip, “Blick”
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Since becoming one of this year’s biggest new stars with her rousing late-summer anthem “This Is New York.” ScarLip has maintained a consistent musical and online presence. Last week (Nov. 15), the Bronx rapper unleashed “Blick,” her catchy new single that combines the raw intensity of her DMX-nodding breakout hit with the dance-facing rhythmic qualities of Jersey club-inflected drill. Already soundtracking a TikTok dance challenge, “Blick” is looking to become a sizable hit — one that smartly reveals the different shades of her artistic ethos.
Mannywellz, “Be Alright”
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Appearing on his new Mr. Oúlala EP, Mannywellz’s “Be Alright” is a no-frills guitar ballad heralding peace and security in the knowledge that everything will eventually work out as it needs to. With a sweeping melody to add some weight to the simple lyrics in the chorus (“It’s gonna be alright”), Manny relies on the warmth of his tone and the idiosyncrasies of his enunciation and phrasing to add some dynamics to the song.
Terrace Martin & Gallant, “Tandem”
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In this subtly funky slow jam, Terrace and Gallant use an extended metaphor of a tandem bike to croon about how they and their respective lovers fit perfectly together. “We’re in tandem like bikes, why don’t you take a seat?/ You’ll be riding all night, I’ll be rocking in sync/ We might fuss, we may fight, never lose chemistry/ We’re in tandem like bikes, why don’t you take a seat?” Gallant sings. Terrace’s lush production, which features notes of funk and doo-wop, provides a sensual backdrop for Gallant’s come-hither coos, but it’s the restraint in his vocal performance that’s most impressive.
No Guidnce, “Long Walk”
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Rising British R&B boy group No Guidnce continues their ascension with a reflective new cut titled “Long Walk.” Sitting on the opposite end of the hip-hop-inflected R&B spectrum from “Spicy,” the quarter opts for a soulful drum-heavy beat courtesy of Ben Billions and Terrence Rolle. It’s a simple story about meeting someone new for the first time, but the contrast of the chugging drums with their yearning harmonies makes for a particularly immersive listening experience.
If true love is being able to hear your beloved’s signature laugh from across a crowded, noisy room, then A$AP Rocky is the love guru. During an interview over the weekend on the red carpet at the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix race, Rocky was preparing to answer a question when he heard a familiar chuckle from an undisclosed location that stopped him in his tracks.
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“I believe that…” Rocky began saying before his eyes got side and he glanced around with a look of pleasant surprise on his face. “What the f–k is that? What was that?” he asked with a smile.
The moment, of course, instantly bred a meme, with fans going hard on jokes about Rocky’s apparent delight in hearing the voice of the mother of their two children, RZA and Riot Rose. “Chile, ASAP heard Rihanna’s giggle and lost his train of thought tryna figure out who was making this woman laugh! Aww,” wrote one, while another paid tribute to Rocky’s Spidey sense.
While fans have been eagerly anticipating Rihanna’s follow-up to 201’s Anti album, according to People, during the race weekend A$AP said there is no reason for him to collaborate with Rih-Rih on a song because they’ve already made beautiful music together at home. “I think we do a real great job at collaborating [by] making children,” he said. “I think that’s our best creation so far! Nothing is better than [RZA and Riot] out there. I mean, we had a third designer come and help, a ghost designer named God, [who] shaped everything. And we had these beautiful angels, so that’s the best collaboration.”
The couple were among the bevy of stars who came out for Saturday’s first F1 race in Sin City, which included Brad Pitt, Anthony Mackie, Terry Crews, will.i.am, Steve Aoki, Rod Stewart, Shaquille O’Neal, Usain Bolt, Kylie Minogue, Lupita Nyong’o, Gordon Ramsey and many more.
Watch A$AP’s reaction and see some of the best memes below.
This too cute😂😂😂😂😂🥹💛— 🍭💋🍒Sugaa baddie🍒💋🍭 (@Gimoneyy071) November 19, 2023
Snoop Dogg giving up the smoke is like Slick Rick hanging up his signature neck-breaking chains: ain’t gonna happen, ever. But, last week the Doggfather momentarily pulled a fast one on all of us when he seemingly declared with a straight face that he was giving up his lifelong weed habit. “I’ve decided to give up smoke,” Snoop said in a statement on his socials.
It seemed unlikely that the MC who has rarely been seen without his trusty blunt for the past three decades would so suddenly and inexplicably give up the habit that has made him the world’s most beloved stoner. So, it should also come as no surprise that there was more than met the (bloodshot) eye to his announcement.
He cleared the air on Monday morning (Nov. 20), revealing that the “smoke” part of his statement was the key in unveiling his latest endorsement deal. “Go smokeless with Snoop Dogg,” read the headline on the website for the Solo Stove firepit company. The release noted that the brand’s limited-edition collab with Snoop includes a $350 “Snoop Stove” featuring the rapper’s logo, signature and a pair of dog paws emblazoned on the side, as well as a bucket hat and sticker pack.
In an accompanying video, a solemn Snoop intoned, “I have an announcement. I’m givin’ up smoke,” as he sat among chirping crickets in the woods by himself. “I know what you’re thinkin’, ‘Snoop, smoke is kinda your whole thing!’ But I’m done with it. Done with the coughing and my clothes smelling all sticky icky. I’m going smokeless,” he added as the camera panned back to frame the rapper sitting in front of a Solo firepit. The limited edition Snoop Dogg Solo stove is on sale now here.
In a statement, Snoop said, “I love a good fire outside but the smoke was too much. Solo Stove fixed fire and took out the smoke. They changed the game and now I’m excited to spread the love and stay warm with my friends and family.”
The company said that Snoop will partner with the company on “smokeless product innovation and contribute toward designing a new signature line of Snoop Dogg x Solo Stove products.”
Solo Brands CEO John Merris added in a statement, “We’re stoked to have a product so good, it even inspired Snoop to go smokeless. As the most popular smokeless fire pit in the world, Solo Stove is all about bringing people together and creating a vibe that encourages you to sit back, relax, and enjoy your time with friends and family. Snoop, like Solo, is about good moments, and we’re looking forward to welcoming even more people to the Solo Stove family.”
Watch Snoop’s smokescreen announcement below.
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As Americans gear up for the next year of election madness, Cardi B got a head start on endorsing a candidate for president on Sunday (Nov. 19) when she revealed who she’s planning to back in the expected second smackdown between Pres. Biden and former one-term president Donald Trump.
“I don’t give a f–k… I’m not endorsing no f–king presidents no more,” Cardi said in a heated 10-minute-long Instagram livestream rant in which she stridently expressed her views on New York Mayor Eric Adams’ announced budget cuts while slamming Biden’s support for funding the wars in Ukraine and Israel. “Joe Biden’s talking about, ‘Yeah, we can fund two wars. We can fund two wars.’ Motherf–kers talkin’ about ‘we don’t got it, but we got it. We’re the greatest nation.’ No the f–k we’re not! We’re going through some s–t right now.”
Cardi made news during the 2020 election when she interviewed then-candidate Joe Biden for Elle magazine, telling him “I just want Trump out” and endorsing the former two-time veep for president over the twice-impeached real estate mogul currently facing four indictments on 91 felony charges in cases tied to his alleged alleged election interference, retention of classified documents and financial misdeeds by his titular company.
But now as Biden tries to convince recalcitrant Republicans in the House to support his call for robust military aid for the wars in Ukraine and Israel, Cardi sounds like she’s basically done with politics and politicians.
“I’m an angry b–ch… I need y’all to spread this video, and if something happens to me, it’s because I’m speaking truth. So God forbid something happens to me, or my family or some s–t, it’s because n—as is after me because I’m speaking the truth,” Cardi said in the new clip in which she’s dressed down in a fluffy grey robe and purple hair bonnet.
“In New York, there is a $120 million budget cut that’s going to affect schools, public libraries, and the police department — y’all know I don’t give a f–k about the cops, but it is what it is,” she added. “There’s gonna be a $120 million budget cuts, with schools, with libraries and the cops… And a $5 million budget cut in sanitation. B–ch, we are gonna be drowning in f–king rats,” the Bronx-bred MC said.
Last week, embattled mayor Adams unveiled harsh budget cuts for the city’s police department and schools, with CBS News reporting that 653 schools — or 43% of the school system — will be impacted by mid-year budget cuts totaling more than $120 million. The announcement from Adams came after the mayor’s budget director said that the belt-tightening was necessary due to a $7 billion budget gap caused in part by the need to shelter asylum seekers and a reduction in federal COVID-19 relief funds.
“Where these kids gonna go. Like, I’m lucky. I’m blessed,” Cardi said. “I’m whatever the f–k, but what’s going to happen to my nieces? What’s going to happen to nephews? What’s going to happen to my cousins, my aunts, my friends that’s livin’ in the hood?… B–ch New York is already f–king super dirty.”
In addition to being incensed about the sanitation, safety and school cuts, Cardi seemed especially upset about Biden’s financial support of Israel’s retaliatory war against the terrorist Hamas group, which invaded the country and killed more than 1,200 and kidnapped over 240 citizens in its murderous Oct. 7 attack. She’s also seemingly mad about the administration’s continued financial and military aid to Ukraine’s war against invading forces from Russia.
“Y’all need to sit the f–k down with these people and find agreement. No we cannot fund these f–king wars!” Cardi said. “The world is in f–king shambles… we can’t fund these wars. We can barely f–king fund this country. Finish it! Y’all need to finish it! Stop frontin’ like you got the f–kin’ money! You don’t got no money. You don’t got no sugar for your honeys.”
Cardi warned that these kind of extreme cuts are coming to everyone’s states and that crimes will go up “through the roof,” kids won’t have places to read and streets will be filled with “rats and squirrels and raccoons” if the budget reductions go through.
Though the message from Cardi was full of dark foreboding about the future, it ended with something that sounded positive. “I’m gonna finish recording this motherf–in’ song… and I’m gonna go to bed. We don’t sleep over here, b–ch… I’m on a very tight schedule with this album. I’m almost finished, it’s almost there,” she said of her eagerly anticipated follow-up to full-length studio debut, 2018’s Invasion of Privacy.
Check out a capture of Cardi’s video below.
Cardi B goes off on the US government about the $120 Million Dollar budget cut in New York that’ll effect Schools, Libraries, The Police Department, & Sanitation while funding wars. pic.twitter.com/WwCrbFbvGS— Cardi B | Updates (@updatesofcardi) November 19, 2023
Drake added some more ink to his face recently, as seen in pictures over the weekend in which some Arabic script was spotted above the rapper’s right eyebrow. As spotted by HipHopDX, on Saturday (Nov. 18), photographer Brent Kore posted an image of Drizzy’s new face art on his Instagram Stories, capturing the phrase “miskeen” […]
Kanye West has returned with the new song “Vultures,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Durk and Bump J. On the track, which premiered Friday night (Nov. 17) on WPWX Power 92 Chicago, Ye doubles down on some of his controversial statements from late 2022. “How I’m antisemitic? I just f—ed a Jewish b—-,” West raps […]
“I hate to stop the show like this again,” Monaleo quipped in frustrated jest. “But I’m bout to go slap the s–t out the sound guy!” During the sold-out New York stop on her Monaleo Like Monalisa Tour, the 22-year-old Houston rapper conquered severe technical difficulties — she was forced to stop her show and […]
Since the day he rolled into our lives in 1992 on Dr. Dre’s debut solo single, “Deep Cover,” Snoop Dogg has been laser focused on two things: bars and blunts. The famously high like every single day rapper, 52, shocked the world on Thursday (Nov. 17) when he made the most unexpected statement possible: he’s going to kick-y his sticky icky habit to the curb.
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“After much consideration and conversation with my family, I’ve decided to give up smoke,” Snoop posted to his socials. At press time there was no additional information on Snoop’s alleged sinsemilla cessation kick, and it was unclear if his dope holiday referred to just inhaling or if the Leafs By Snoop cannabis brand owner will trade his bountiful many-blunts-per-day count with edibles, tinctures or other weed-delivery methods.
In a nod to the seriousness of the nugs news, Snoop added, “please respect my privacy at this time,” alongside a photo of the glassy-eyed MC making prayer hands.
The post came as a shock to fans who are used to the sight of Snoop burning one — or 5 — blunts during his live shows, appearing on late night in a clearly buzzed state, or blunting the reality of fellow celebs like Ed Sheeran, who recently told Conan O’Brien that the D-O-G-G smoked him out so hard once that he “couldn’t see.”
Some fans were skeptical of the news, with one writing, “this is probably just gonna be some viral campaign where he launches his own line of vapes or edibles or something,” another adding, “today isn’t April Fools day Snoop” and a third bravely promising, “don’t worry Snoop, we your disciples will carry on your legacies… we’ll smoke on your behalf… stay strong for us.”
Snoop’s brand has been associated with his weed intake for so long it’s hard to imagine him doing junkets without his skunk. But in an interview with the Daily Mail earlier this year, Snoop hinted that becoming a grandfather may have “changed” him in several ways. “The main way is being concerned with how I live, how I move, the kind of people I’m associated with, because I want to see my grandkids grow old,” he said. “The only way I can do that is to take precautionary steps as far as how I move, who I hang out with, where I go out, my intake… I just don’t want to do this to my body anymore. I want to survive.”
Some of Snoop’s cheeba chums gave him props for his decisions, including Sean Paul (“Big Up mi bredda Snoop. I’ll keep it blazin’ in your honor 2nite”) and Meek Mill, who said he plans to follow Snoop’s herb holiday path. “Ima go to Dubai and completely stop smoking … ima follow snoop, my doctor said I got a lil bit emphysema in a chest if I don’t stop smoking it cuts my lifeline in half, I was addicted to the nicotine and this new weed got too many chemicals and too risky to play with my mental!” Meek tweeted.
See Snoop’s post and celeb reaction below.
Ima go to Dubai and completely stop smoking … ima follow snoop, my doctor said I got a lil bit emphysema in a chest if I don’t stop smoking it cuts my lifeline in half, I was addicted to the nicotine and this new weed got too many chemicals and too risky to play with my mental! https://t.co/NYAJ9BzJ6e— MeekMill (@MeekMill) November 16, 2023
If you know anything about Eminem it’s that he always reps his city. Which is why it made perfect sense that the sometimes reclusive MC came out during the grudge match between the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals last night (Nov. 16) to talk about a Motor City NFL great.
The surprise appearance came during a promo for an upcoming documentary on legendarily elusive Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders, who won the league’s MVP award in 1997 when he rushed for more than 2,000 yards during the regular season and also secured his second NFL Offensive Player of the Year hardware.
“I’ve seen every documentary on Barry Sanders that there is to see and I never walked away feeling like I knew why he walked away,” Em said in the brief clip from the film in which he talked about Sanders while sitting at the mixing console of a recording studio. “And I know that he walked away at a time when he could have broken every single record there ever was and ever will be.”
Sanders led the league in rushing yards four times during his 10-season career before shocking fans by retiring from football in 1999 at 31, at a point where he was 1,457 yards short of overtaking Chicago Bears great Walter Payton for the all-time rushing record. His shock decision to pull the plug is the subject of the film promoted during the Em appearance, the new sports doc Bye Bye Barry, which will world premiere at Detroit’s Fox Theatre on Friday night (Nov. 17).
“We had the greatest running back that ever played the game,” Em says in the official trailer for the film, which probes Sanders’ shocking decision to leave the league, still at his peak
According to the Detroit News, tickets for the screening will be available to Lions season ticket holders only, with Sanders expected to walk the red carpet along with Lions coach Dan Campbell, QB Jared Goff and other current team members. In addition to Marshall Mathers, the film features interviews with actor Jeff Daniels and a number of sports luminaries, including Jalen Rose, Calvin Johnson, Herman Moore, Chris Spielman, Patriots coach Bill Belichick, Emmitt Smith and ESPN’s Dan Patrick.
Bye Bye Barry will debut on Prime Video on Nov. 21.
Watch Eminem talking Sanders and watch the Bye Bye Barry trailer below.
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In the ultimate example of game recognizing game, Drake makes a humble acknowledgement on the lyrics to “Red Button,” the opening track from the 6 God’s surprise Scary Hours 3 EP. The six-song collection that dropped on Friday (Nov. 17) as part of an expanded editino of his recent For All the Dogs album, kicks off with the headlong lyrical tumble track that finds Drizzy paying homage to the chart prowess of none other than Taylor Swift.
“Taylor Swift the only ni–a that I ever rated/ Only one could make me drop the album just a little later/ Rest of y’all I treat you like you never made it/ Leave your label devastated/ Even when your pad the stats, period, I never hated,” he raps on the song co-produced by Lil Yachty that surrounds his bars with an angelic chorus and a scorched-earth series of scenarios in which the Toronto native promises winter is coming for his detractors.
Drake — who is in a perpetual Billboard chart horse race with Swift over the most Hot 100 hits crown — released his most recent album, For All the Dogs, on Oct. 6, three weeks before Swift released her 1989 (Taylor’s Version), the latest in her series of catalog re-records. Last year, Swift released her Midnights album on Oct. 21, with the Drake/21 Savage joint album, Her Loss, originally scheduled for Oct. 28, then pushed to Nov. 4, seemingly giving Swift a few weeks to run the boards.
Her Loss then bumped Midnights out of the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 album charts upon its release.
Drake also finds time to take a mild swipe at Kanye West in a couplet suggesting that the long-running feud between them is not quite settled. “Every time that Yeezy call the truce/ He had my head inflated/ Thinking we finally peace it up and get to levitating/ Realized that everything premeditated,” Drake raps about the disgraced MC whose career melted down last year after West (who now goes by Ye) went on a series of hateful antisemitic rants.
The Drake/Ye feud dates back years and though it seemed to tamp down when the two got together for the “Free Larry Hoover” benefit concert in Los Angeles in 2021, it was reignited last year with Drizzy taking shots at West on the Her Loss track “Circo Loco” and this year’s “Search & Rescue,” which featured a sample of Ye’s ex, Kim Kardashian, talking about the couple’s split.
Drake announced the third in his Scary Hours series on Wednesday in an elaborate video featuring the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in which he revealed that he’d cooked the lyrics up just days before the collection’s release.
