Hip-Hop

07 Sep 2023

Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion Reunite For ‘Bongos’: Stream It Now

You thought it was over? Think again! Record-breaking “WAP” collaborators Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are back with a new single titled “Bongos.” The song officially hit all digital download and streaming platforms on Friday, Sep. 8.

Obviously, “Bongos” serves as the first collaboration between the two rap queens since 2020’s “WAP,” but don’t make any rash assumption about the new song. “I wonder how people are gonna react to this vibe because they’re really, like, expecting ‘WAP,’ like, ‘oh, here they go again talking this and that,’” Cardi said. “We are talking a little, you know, about some p—y, but not like ‘WAP’ type of stuff.”

Cardi first announced “Bongos” via social media on Monday, Sep. 4. She shared the track’s cover art, which features her and Megan sucking on lollipops while posing in elaborate multi-colored wigs and skimpy swimsuits. The song’s announcement came less than two weeks after the Bronx rapper told Vogue México y Latinoamérica, “I’m not going to release any more collaborations, I’m going to put out my next solo single.” While it is still unclear if “Bongos” will appear on Cardi’s forthcoming sophomore studio album, fans can bask in the song’s “intricate… beautiful” accompanying music video.

“Bongos” is the latest in a string of Cardi B collaborations this year. Prior to this, she scored Billboard Hot 100 hits alongisde Latto (“Put It On Da Floor Again,” No. 13), Fendi DaRappa (“Point Me 2,” No. 82) and husband Offset (“Jealousy,” No. 55). The new collaboration will also serve as Megan Thee Stallion’s first release of the year. The Houston rapper has been taking sometime for herself to focus on her physical and mental health following her shooting at the hands of Tory Lanez and the lengthy trial and media circus that followed.

“WAP” debuted atop the Hot 100 on the chart dated Aug. 22. The song debuted with 93 million official on-demand U.S. streams in its first full week of availability, the greatest total for any song in history. The culture-shifting collaboration — which spurred thousands of FCC complaints after the two artists performed it at the 2021 Grammys — ultimately spent four weeks atop the Hot 100.

On the Hot 100, Cardi B has earned five No. 1 singles, including “Bodak Yellow,” “Girls Like You” (with Maroon 5) and “Up.” Invasion of Privacy, her debut studio album, peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and has spent over 220 weeks on the ranking. Megan Thee Stallion has earned five top 10 titles on the Billboard 200 and three top 10 singles on the Hot 100, including the No. 1 single “Savage” (with Beyoncé).

Stream “Bongos” here:

06 Sep 2023

Drake’s ‘For All the Dogs’ Album Has a Release Date

Drake‘s next album has a release date. The rapper took to Instagram late Wednesday (Sept. 6) to reveal that For All the Dogs will arrive on Sept. 22.

“FOR ALL THE DOGS SEPTEMBER 22,” Drake captioned an Instagram reel featuring an archival video of his dad, Dennis Graham, going by the moniker “Cousin Dennis” and singing with a blues band on the local Toronto TV show Stormy Monday With Danny Marks in the early ’90s. “I’m Dennis Graham from Memphis, Tennessee,” Graham says to introduce himself ahead of the performance, which includes an epic harmonica solo.

Drake first teased the album and its title back in June, taking out a full-page advertisement in major outlets like the New York Post, Los Angeles Times and Houston Chronicle to promote his July poetry collection Titles Ruin Everything: A Stream of Consciousness, by Aubrey Drake Graham and Kenza Samir. The ad contained a QR code leading to the website titlesruineverything.com.

“I made an album to go with the book,” Drake wrote on the site at the time. “They say they miss the old Drake girl don’t tempt me. FOR ALL THE DOGS.”

This will be Drake’s eighth studio album and his first solo project since the dance-leaning Honestly, Nevermind in June 2022. He also released the joint album Her Loss with 21 Savage in November 2022. Both albums debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Prior to Drake’s announcement, Doja Cat had revealed that her next album, Scarlet, is also set for Sept. 22.

Drake is currently on his co-headlining It’s All a Blur Tour with 21 Savage.

See Drake’s post below:

06 Sep 2023

Beastie Boys Mike D, Ad-Rock To Celebrate Hip-Hop 50 With Unveiling of Beastie Boys Square in New York

Beastie Boys members Mike D (Mike Diamond) and Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz) will be on hand on Saturday (Sept. 9) to celebrate the unveiling of Beastie Boys Square in New York’s Lower East Side. According to a press release announcing the event, the living members of the Rock and Roll hall of Fame rap trio — third member MCA (Adam Yauch) died of cancer in 2012 at age 47 — will join NY City Council member Chris Marte at the corner of Rivington St. between Ludlow and Essex streets for the celebration that will begin at noon and feature a guest DJ set by Jon Bless HiFi System.

The corner of Ludlow and Rivington will be renamed Beastie Boys Square in honor of the site of the cover photo for the band’s landmark 1989 sample-soaked second studio album, Paul’s Boutique. It’s a fitting tribute to the trio of teenage friends who formed in the city on Yauch’s 17th birthday and cycled through a hard-core punk phase before recording their breakthrough hip-hop debut, Licensed to Ill, what would become the first rap record to hit No. 1 on Billboard album chart.

The dense Dust Brothers-produced Boutique was a commercial dud at first, but still stands as a landmark in sampling thanks to its intense tangle of more than 100 samples, which range from obscure jazz to songs and pioneering early hip-hop to snippets of tracks by Rose Royce, Afrika Bambaataa, Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, Curtis Mayfield, Kurtis Blow, Tower of Power, Public Enemy, the Eagles, Loggins and Messina, the Beatles, Cameo, Deep Purple, Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix and many more.

In addition, the album — which was recorded in Los Angeles — has dozens of references to classic New York personalities, places and traditions, including shout-outs to the Ramones, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, the Village, Chrystie Street, the D Train, Ed Koch, the Knicks, the Yankees, Shea Stadium, the Palladium, Phil Rizzuto, the Atlantic Antic, the New York Post, El Diario, Bernard Goetz, Broadway, Jazzy Jay, Bad Brains, and many others.

The unveiling is part of the year-long celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary and it will be accompanied by the cinema debut of the Apple Original film, Beastie Boys Story at the IFC Center in Greenwich Village on Friday (Sept. 8) and Saturday at 9 and 11:30 p.m. SiriusXM will also relaunch the Beastie Boys Channel on Thursday (Sept. 7) on channel 105.

05 Sep 2023

Hot Boys Star B.G. Released From Prison

B.G., a founding member of the popular ’90s rap group Hot Boys, was released from prison Tuesday (Sept. 6) after serving 12 years for gun possession and witness tampering, a Cash Money rep confirmed to Billboard.

Cash Money founder Birdman was on Instagram Live when he greeted his New Orleans comrade with a big hug, welcoming him home. He also came bearing gifts, and B.G. was overwhelmed with emotions upon his release.

In 2009, B.G. was arrested during a traffic stop where cops discovered three guns inside his vehicle, with two of them stolen. Two years later, he entered a guilty plea deal for two counts of firearm possession and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. He received a 14-year federal prison sentence.

This past weekend, B.G. celebrated his 43rd birthday on Instagram, signaling his upcoming status as a free man. “After 12 winters and 13 summers, I see the end zone. It’s my last #Birthday being buried alive. This year I’m celebrating the whole Virgo cycle, matter of fact, from this year forward I’m living and celebrating like everyday is #MyBIRTHDAY,” he wrote.

“The main focus, is to stay focused,” the post continued. “I’m not letting nobody rob me of my productivity, prosperity, positivity and peace of mind. My dreams then got bigger and my vision is clearer. 13 years was more then enough time for me to change the reckless path I was on.”

B.G. helped construct The Hot Boys in the late ’90s, which featured Lil Wayne, Juvenile and Turk. The crew enjoyed success with their 1999 platinum album Guerrilla Warfare, which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the breakout hits “I Need a Hot Girl” and “We on Fire.” B.G.’s biggest win came from his fourth album, 1999’s Chopper City in the Ghetto, which birthed the phrase “Bling Bling” in the song of the same name, a No. 36 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

05 Sep 2023

Did Offset Tease Solo Album Release Date With Michael Jackson-Inspired Outfit at Beyoncé Renaissance Tour Date?

Fans have been eagerly awaiting any information about Offset‘s upcoming solo album, his first full-length since 2019’s Father of Four. After the recent release of his latest team-up with wife Cardi B, “Jealousy,” the timing seemed right for an update on the as-yet-untitled album and some fans think the Migos member secretly spilled the news via a Michael Jackson-inspired outfit he wore to Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour show in Los Angeles over the weekend.

In a series of Instagram photos posted on Saturday, Offset stood on a street in a black outfit covered with a silver breastplate, arm shields and several silver belts that were reminiscent of the military-like costumes favored by the late King of Pop. But what caught fans’ eyes was a white armband ‘Set sported on his left arm.

It read “1013,” leading to speculation that the collection could be released on Oct. 13, which is a Friday, the day that albums typically drop; at press time Offset had not revealed any additional details about the release date and a spokesperson for the rapper could not be reached for comment. The photos also included Offset standing with four male dancers dressed in black pants and white jackets, their faces obscured by white gas masks.

The final slide was from the rapper’s performance before Beyoncé’s set — with the masked dancers — of Migos’ 2016 hit “Bad and Boujee” with DJ Khaled during the latter’s pre-Bey warm-up set, which also included slots from 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne, Coi Leray and others.

Offset was also front-and-center in what will surely be one of the most famous electric slide videos of all time, shot on Friday’s opening night of the three-night stand at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium. In the clip, ‘Set moves side-to-side alongside Jay-Z and Kris Jenner while Bey performs her take on Frankie Beverly and Maze’s “Before I Let Go” behind them.

Check out Offset’s outfit below.

04 Sep 2023

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion Announce ‘Bongos’: Here’s the Release Date

Get ready for Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion to team up again, this time for “Bongos.”

“Bongos” will be here Friday (Sept. 8), Cardi and Megan just announced. The new track can be pre-saved now via streaming services Spotify and Apple Music.

They unveiled “Bongos” artwork with the announcement. The colorful visual shows the two rappers in coordinating blue and purple one-pieces and high heels, with their hair styled in playful, multi-colored curls, and lollipops in hand.

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Cardi and Megan haven’t shared further details yet, but this is their second collab — so fans are already hyped. Their first song together — the NSFW smash hit “WAP,” released on Atlantic Records — spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2020.

“Y’all remember when the FCC almost sued me cuz I performed WAP at the Grammys? What about when all the republicans literally harassed me over it? On the news everyday… Y’all remember? Oooohhh cuz I do,” Cardi reminisced over the summer. Last week, Cardi B and Megan won a court ruling tossing out a lawsuit that accused them of stealing the lyrics to “WAP” and Meg’s “Thot Shit” from an earlier track called “Grab Em by the P—-.”

Also in August, Cardi gave an update on her sophomore album that interestingly turned out to be a decoy — or maybe “Bongos” just came to be very recently.

“I’m not going to release any more collaborations,” she said for her Vogue México y Latinoamérica cover story. “I’m going to put out my next solo single. Right now, I’m working on the cover art and ideas for the next record because it’s definitely coming up. Everyone always tells me I should put the record out now. They did when I released ‘WAP’ [with Megan Thee Stallion] and when I released ‘Up,’ but I always let them know I’m not going to wait long after all these singles. So stay tuned because it’s coming out very soon.”

See the pair’s “Bongos” announcement and artwork below.

03 Sep 2023

Fans Choose Nicki Minaj’s ‘Last Time I Saw You’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music

Nicki Minaj‘s “Last Time I Saw You” has topped this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Sept. 1) on Billboard, choosing the Queen of Rap’s first taste of her Pink Friday sequel as their favorite new music release of the past week.

“Last Time I Saw You” brought in nearly 48% of the vote, beating out new music by Timbaland featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake, (“Keep Going Up”), Doja Cat (“Demons”), Lil Wayne (“Kat Food”), Jhayco and Peso Pluma (“Ex-Special”), and others.

“Last Time I Saw You” is the latest taste from Minaj’s forthcoming Pink Friday 2. The album, which is due on Nov. 17, will serve as both the sequel to Minaj’s Billboard 200-topping debut studio album and the follow-up to 2018’s Queen, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and spawned singles including “Chun-Li” and “Good Form.”

“Last Time I Saw You” recalls the original Pink Friday’s “Moment 4 Life,” with a gentle pop production providing the foundation for an impassioned sing-rap performance in which Minaj reflects on drifting apart from someone special.

“Beggin me to stay and then you walk away/ There’s something that you wanted to say/ I was in a rush and you say you were crushed/ But I said I’d be back, it’s OK,” the 40-year-old superstar sings over a breezy, R&B beat.

Trailing behind “Last Time I Saw You” on the poll is Timbaland’s dream team track “Keep Going Up,” which brought in 27% of the vote. Sixteen years after Timbaland, Timberlake and Furtado unveiled their Billboard Hot 100 chart topper “Give It to Me” in 2007, the trio reunited for their newest collab “Keep Going Up.”

See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.

01 Sep 2023

Billboard Explains: The Women of Hip-Hop

For this latest episode of Billboard Explains, the topic of discussion anchors around the women of hip-hop. While names like Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Travis Scott continue to cause waves in the landscape, it’s a golden age in the genre thanks to the plethora of female MCs wreaking havoc on the mic.

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Before the scorching success of Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion and more, many pioneers broke through the seams of hip-hop and paved the way for generations to come. Hip-hop’s first female artist was MC Sha-Rock, who originally started as a Funky 4 + 1 group member. Following Sha-Rock were MC Lyte and Roxanne Shanté, who further fortified the lanes of female hip-hop with their presence in the ’80s. Queen Latifah, Lil’ Kim, Salt-N-Pepa, Foxy Brown, Missy Elliott and Eve were among some of the thriving stars in the ’90s and ‘2000s who placed the welcome mat for women looking to step onto the scene.

Even with contrasting styles, their lyrics, individuality and unshakable confidence were the ingredients needed to step inside the lion’s den and prove to be fierce competitors alongside their male counterparts.

“It’s took years, but it’s just that time. They’re not going to be held back,” Nas tells Billboard regarding the feats of female rappers.

Today, sisterhood in hip-hop is at an all-time high, as many collaborations find female artists pairing together and, in some cases, legacy acts joining forces with rookie talents.

“We have our own fanbases, messages, shows — our own everything,” says Baby Tate. “I don’t really see any of this as a competition. Everybody has their own story.”

Watch the newest episode of Billboard Explains on The Women of Hip-Hop.

01 Sep 2023

Playboi Carti Reschedules U.S. Leg of Antagonist Tour For Early 2024

Playboi Carti has rescheduled the U.S. dates for his previously announced Antagonist Tour. The run of dates was originally slated to kick off on Sept. 6 at the Ball Arena in Denver and criss-cross the nation through an Oct. 20 date at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

The revamped routing will now see the tour launch on Jan. 14 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City and hit Dallas, Houston, Miami, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle before winding down at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, OR on Feb. 29.

At press time no explanation was given for the re-shuffle for the American dates that were originally announced on July 12, though tickets purchased for the original shows will be honored on the new ones. Carti will be joined by his Opium Records crew members on the dates, including Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely and Homixide Gang. The previously scheduled European leg of the tour will go on as planned, kicking off on Nov. 19 at the 3Arena in Dublin and winding down with a Dec. 4 show at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen.

The Antagonist Tour is Carti’s first headlining run since his 2021 Narcissist Tour in support of his Billboard 200-topping album Whole Lotta Red. Carti was most recently featured on “Popular” alongside The Weeknd and Madonna, released in support of the The Weeknd’s one-season-and-done HBO series The Idol. “Popular” peaked at No. 14 on Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Check out the U.S. dates for Carti’s Antagonist Tour below.

Jan. 14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Delta Center

Jan. 15 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena

Jan. 17 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center

Jan. 18 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center

Jan. 19 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center

Jan. 23 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center

Jan. 24 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena

Jan. 25 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center

Jan. 27 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena

Jan. 28 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center

Jan. 29 – Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena

Jan. 31 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

Feb. 1 – Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Arena

Feb. 2 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden

Feb. 4 – Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

Feb. 6 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center

Feb. 7 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena

Feb. 8 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena

Feb. 12 – Chicago, IL @ United Center

Feb. 13 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center

Feb. 14 – Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center

Feb. 17 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena

Feb. 18 – Glendale, AZ @ Desert Diamond Arena

Feb. 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena

Feb. 22 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena

Feb. 24 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center

Feb. 25 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center

Feb. 28 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena

Feb. 29 – Portland, OR @ Veterans Memorial Coliseum

01 Sep 2023

Devilish Doja Cat Terrifies Christina Ricci in Horror-Themed ‘Demons’ Video

Christina Ricci knows a thing or two about spooking people thanks to her iconic role as Wednesday Addams in a pair of Addams Family movies. But the actress has the tables turned on her in the video for Doja Cat‘s single “Demons,” which dropped on Friday (Sept. 1).

In the terrifying visual for the latest single from Doja’s Scarlet (Sept. 22) album, the Emmy-nominated Yellowjackets star plays a mild-mannered homeowner whose bedroom is haunted by a razor-clawed Doja Devil. The clip co-directed by Christian Breslauer and the rapper/singer, opens with an image of the “sold” sign in front of Ricci’s new house as the suburban mom tries to get some shut eye on a stormy night.

The only problem is the terrifying red-eyed, midnight black horned demon crawling (and rapping) on her ceiling, illuminated by a snowy TV screen in an homage to another freaky suburban nightmare classic, Poltergeist. “How my demons look (How your demons)/ Now that my pocket’s full?/ How my demons look/ Now that you b—hes shook? (B—h)/ Yeah, how my demons look/ Now that my pocket’s full?,” Doja raps as she crawls menacingly into bed with Ricci.

Cut to a bald, naked Doja in a bathtub overflowing with black water, sweetly rapping about blocking her enemies from her V.I.P. section as two black demon hands reach up out of the water, with one pulling her head back to reveal milky white eyes. The demon party really takes off at that point, with two more hellhounds joining Doja in the attic for a Beelzebub dance party.

Ricci reaches for an old-school on-the-shoulder video camera to capture footage of Doja typing out the song’s lyrics on a typewriter and wearing a “cash cow” t-shirt in another homage to The Shining, while, inexplicably, surrounded by baby goats. And, spoiler alert, it just gets worse from there.

“Demons” follows in the heels of previous Scarlet singles “Paint the Town Red” and “Attention.”

Watch the “Demons” video below.