Hip-Hop
Page: 8
Tyler, the Creator released his eighth studio album, Chromakopia, on Oct. 28. And on Monday (Nov. 4), the rapper celebrated that album debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The set launched with 299,500 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 31, his best week ever in terms of […]
HipHopWired Featured Video
CRT FRSH, Hip-Hop Wiredâs playlist where we attempt to showcase music we believe is âCertified Fresh,â is back for the fall season with a truncated selection. Now that weâre back, weâre trimming down the CRT FRSH playlist and updating the concept with our latest drop which we hope you all enjoy.
Disclaimer:
The CRT FRSH playlist is a labor of love. We donât take payments nor do we do favors. We only add joints to our playlist that fit the theme and vision weâre going for and donât seek to waste the listenerâs time. Further, we donât stick to one lane of Hip-Hop. We believe that all aspects of the music should get some light, whether itâs young lions in the trenches or those hoping for that one shot to blow up to grizzled veterans puffing out their chests with lots more to say.
I want to explain how I approach curating the CRT FRSH playlist. Most importantly, I donât segregate my Hip-Hop. Every form of music from the main cultural tree deserves a listen and a look. When I construct the playlist, I want to include all regions across the States and, when applicable, across the globe. I also want to entertain every fan of Hip-Hop, not just those who enjoy one segment of it. Now that weâve got that out of the way, letâs get to it.
For those devoted few who keep up with the updates, you may have noticed I created a playlist in memory of the late Kaseem âKAâ Ryan, perhaps Hip-Hopâs greatest lyricist if not the genreâs most sincere and vulnerable. That playlist, which captures just a small slice of who KA was, can be heard by clicking here.
We open up this weekâs playlist with Tyler, The Creatorâs âStickyâ from his new CHROMAKOPIA, which features GloRilla, Sexyy Red, and Lil Wayne and is considered an early standout among some. We follow that with Megan Thee Stallionâs âBigger In Texasâ from her Megan: Act II reissue and finds the Houston Hottie in prime form.
The Alchemist is great for dropping potent singles out of the thin blue sky and weâre better for it. Adding to that stellar track record is âFerraris In The Rain 2â featuring Freddie Gibbs and ScHoolboy Q. Danny Brown dropped his solid Quaranta album near the top of the year and the Detroit-born, Austin-based rapper and podcaster released a deluxe of the project. We include the somber âKeep It To Meâ from the drop.
The Underachievers, AKTHESAVIOR and Issa Gold have been creating amazing music since their 2013 debut, Indigoism, along with consistent solo projects between then. Their new single âHave Notsâ is a continuation of their esoteric poetics and atmospheric beats. We also have Buffaloâs Che Noir and her single âBlack Single featuring Rapsody from Cheâs The Black Lotus project, which she produced herself.
A strong salute to Patty Honcho, Lil Uzi Vert, A$AP Ferg, RXKNephew, Knowitall, Chuck Strangers, Milc, Blaq Chidori, Ab-Soul, BigXThaPlug, El Cousteau and the rest of the contributors to this weekâs playlist.
Check out the latest CRT FRSH drop below.
â
Photo: Getty
The long-awaited reunion of the Hot Boys has finally taken place.
On Saturday (Nov. 2), the iconic rap supergroup â featuring Lil Wayne, Juvenile, Turk and B.G. â performed together for the first time in more than 15 years at Wayneâs Lil WeezyAna Fest in New Orleans.
The groupâs 22-minute set included songs like âGet Your Roll On,â âI Need a Hot Girl,â and âNeighborhood Superstar,â during which the act was joined by Big Tymersâ Mannie Fresh and Birdman, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Watch the performances here.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
This yearâs Lil WeezyAna Fest also featured solo performances from Juvenile, who brought down the house with âBack That Azz Up,â and B.G., who delivered âBling Bling.â
During his solo performance, Lil Wayne once again spoke about being snubbed for the Super Bowl halftime show, expressing his disappointment at being overlooked in favor of Kendrick Lamar.
Trending on Billboard
âI told myself I wanted to be on that stage in front of my mom, and I worked my ass off for that position. It was ripped away from me, but this moment right here⊠they canât take this away from me,â the rapper told the crowd at the Smoothie King Center.
Wayne previously teased the Hot Boys reunion on X (formerly Twitter) in September. Earlier this year, rumors began swirling when Juvenile hinted at a performance at Essence Fest in New Orleans and mentioned the group was working on a new album.
âHot Boys is back together, man. What you talkinâ about put the Hot Boys back together? Show yâall ainât keeping up with shâ,â he said on Instagram Live in May. âTurk gonna be with me tonight, Iâm gonna be with B.G. next week. Me, Wayne, Turk and B.G., all of us gonna be on stage in New Orleans with Mannie Fresh and Birdman. And we already done started working on a Hot Boys album. Any other fâing questions? Keep on askinâ put the Hot Boys together. Have some fâinâ patience.â
Despite the hype, fans were disappointed when the anticipated reunion at Essence Fest didnât occur; while Birdman, Mannie Fresh, Juvenile, and B.G. took the stage together, Wayne opted for a solo set afterward, and Turk was absent.
The Hot Boysâ last album was 2003âČ Let âEm Burn.
Cardi B shared her thoughts on Donald Trump during a Kamala Harris campaign rally near Milwaukee on Friday (Nov. 1).
Ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5, the âBodak Yellowâ rapper delivered a passionate speech at the Wisconsin State Fair Exposition Center in West Allis, voicing her support for Harris and criticizing Trumpâs views on womenâs rights.
âIâve been waiting for this moment my whole life,â Cardi told the crowd, reading from her cell phone. âI take seriously the call to show up, to speak out, and to share a message thatâs been on my heart for a while now.â
She continued, âLike Kamala Harris, Iâve been the underdog, underestimated, and had my success belittled. Women have to work ten times harder and still face questions about how we achieved success. I canât stand a bully, but just like Kamala, I always stand up to one.â
Cardi noted that she hadnât backed either Trump or Joe Biden for the 2024 presidential election until Harris entered the race and âchanged my mind completely.â
Trending on Billboard
âI didnât have faith in any candidates until she joined and spoke the words I wanted to hear about the future of this country,â she said. âI believe every word she says. Sheâs passionate, compassionate, empathetic, and most importantly, sheâs realistic. Kamala recognizes that this country is at risk, and that we need to strengthen our economy and address the rising cost of living.â
Turning her focus to Trump, whom she referred to as âDonny Trump,â Cardi addressed the former presidentâs recent comment about protecting women whether they âlike it or not.â
âProtection for women â especially regarding maternal and mental health care â is not about telling us what to do with our bodies. Itâs about supporting us and providing the care we need for our choices,â the rapper explained. âPeople like Donald Trump donât believe women deserve rights. When those rights are threatened, he disappears.â
She added, âIf his definition of protection means restricting our choices and ensuring our daughters have fewer rights than our mothers, then I donât want it!â
Cardi also labeled the former president a âhustler,â saying, âHustling women out of their rights is disgraceful. Hustling Americans out of their hard-earned money by selling Trump watches, Trump sneakers, Trump Bibles⊠do we really trust this man with our economy? A man who only cares about getting rich and cutting taxes for his billionaire friends. I donât even get a tax cut.â
Following the rally, Cardi continued her support for Harris and critique of Trump on X (formerly Twitter), writing, âDonald Trump talks about having plans, but the only plan he has is to hustle YOU.â
Watch Cardi Bâs nearly 10-minute rally speech for Harris here.
U.K. rapper Central Cee has announced the release date for his long-awaited debut album, Canât Rush Greatness. The LP is slated for release on January 24, 2025 via Columbia Records and will be the first full body of work since his 2023 mixtape 23.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The 26-year-old shared the news on his social media feeds alongside the artwork, which you can see below. Pre-orders are now open on Cenchâs website.
No tracklist has been released for the album so far, but it has been confirmed that his new song âOne By One,â which was recorded in a Colors session, would not feature on the record.Â
Trending on Billboard
A press release also confirmed that the album was recorded in multiple locations over the last year, and it will feature guest producers as well as an appearance from fellow U.K. rapper Dave. The pair collaborated on the single âSprinterâ in 2023, which topped the U.K.âs Official Singles Charts for nine weeks and landed at No.10 on the Billboard Global 200.
2024 has seen a number of singles from the west London artist. In May, he teamed up with Lil Baby for âBAND4BANDâ which landed at No.18 on the Billboard Hot 100, and at No.3 on the Official Singles Chart in the U.K. The song was the highest-charting U.K. rap single on the charts in Hot 100 history.
Elsewhere there was an appearance on Ice Spiceâs debut Y2K, a team-up with Afrobeats star Asake on single âWaveâ and most recently with RAYE on the single âMoiâ in September.
Speaking to Dazed, Central Cee elaborated on the process of the making of Canât Rush Greatness. âWith the mixtapes, I was living in [the same] house I grew up in,â he said. âNow weâve elevated, weâre actually musicians. There were times it was hard to say manâs a musician. I was just a guy that [went into the] studio [sometimes]. Now, Iâm an artist.â
Last week, Central Cee was named as an additional headliner for Spainâs Primavera Sound Festival in June 2025, topping the bill alongside Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan.
Megan Thee Stallion is suing a YouTuber and social media personality who she claims is a âmouthpiece and puppetâ for Tory Lanez, accusing the woman of âchurning out falsehoodsâ about the criminal case stemming from Lanez shooting her.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, attorneys for the rapper (Megan Pete) accused Milagro Gramz (Milagro Elizabeth Cooper) of carrying out a public campaign to âdenigrate, belittle, insult, and spread false statementsâ about her.
That allegedly included Gramz sharing a pornographic âdeepfakeâ depicting the rapper â a move that Meganâs lawyers say violate a Florida statute banning âaltered sexual depictionsâ of real people.
Trending on Billboard
âEnough is enough,â writes Meganâs attorneys at the law firm Quinn Emanuel. âMs. Peteâa victim of violent crime and champion of womenâs rights to her millions of fans worldwideâwill no longer stand for defendantâs campaign of harassment.â
The lawsuit also accused Gramz of cyberstalking, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of privacy.
In a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter), Gramz acknowledged the lawsuit, saying she had âbeen informed that Iâm being sued by Alex Spiro on behalf of his client Megan Thee Stallion.â After quoting from a threat letter, she said: âOf course weâll chat about it. They threw in the tape too.â
The new case came days after a high-profile false story about Megan and Lanez â claiming incorrectly that an appeals court had declared âinnocentâ in the shooting â circulated on social media. Spiro, Meganâs long time attorney, warned yesterday that he was planning legal action over such ânonsense.â
Lanez (Daystar Peterson) was convicted in December 2022 on three felony counts over the violent 2020 incident, in which he shot at the feet of Megan during an argument following a pool party at Kylie Jennerâs house in the Hollywood Hills. In August 2023, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He has filed an appeal, which remains pending.
In the new lawsuit, Meganâs attorneys say Gramz repeatedly spread falsehoods about the case, including questioning whether she was even shot and claiming she was âcaught trying to deceive the courts.â More recently, they say Gramz has pushed the âoutlandish claimâ that the gun used in the shooting had gone missing.
âDefendant Cooperâs statements recklessly disregarded the truth and suggested that the firearm was never presented in court because it had allegedly disappeared. It has not,â Meganâs lawyers write. âThe firearm remains in the custody of the Los Angeles Police Department.â
As for the deepfake video, the lawsuit does not accuse Gramz of directly creating or posting the video, but claims that she âencouraged her followersâ to watch it, including by pointing users to a post that had directly shared the video.
âDefendant Cooper willfully and maliciously promoted the Deepfake Video without Ms. Peteâs consent,â Meganâs lawyers write.
Yeat lands his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 as Lyfestyle debuts atop the list dated Nov. 2. The set earned 89,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 24, according to Luminate â his best week ever by units, largely driven by album sales. Lyfestyle is the fifth total and consecutive top 10-charting set for the rapper, who had gone as high as No. 2 in March with 2093.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Also in the new top 10 of the Billboard 200, SEVENTEEN snares its sixth top 10 effort, all earned consecutively, as SPILL THE FEELS debuts at No. 5. Meanwhile, Gracie Abramsâ The Secret of Us surges 19-8 following a deluxe reissue with added songs, for its first week in the top 10 since it debuted at No. 2 in July.
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 Nov. 2, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboardâs website on Tuesday (Oct. 29). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Trending on Billboard
Of Lyfestyleâs 89,000 equivalent album units earned, album sales comprise 60,000 (Yeatâs best sales week ever; itâs No. 2 on the Top Album Sales chart), SEA units comprise 29,000 (equaling 39.67 million on-demand official streams of the songs on the streaming edition of the album; it debuts at No. 17 on the Top Streaming Albums chart) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.
Lyfestyleâs first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across many variants, exclusively sold through the artistâs webstore. Lyfestyleâs opening-week sales actually exceed the cumulative sales of Yeatâs entire album catalog before this past week. Until Lyfestyleâs release, his catalog of albums had sold a combined 35,000 copies.
The new album, his fifth full-length studio effort, was issued as a widely-available 22-track digital download and streaming set, and in a CD and vinyl edition exclusively sold through his webstore. (Itâs the first time Yeat has released an album on CD.) The CDs were only available as part of deluxe boxed sets (exclusive to his webstore), and all CDs and vinyls were signed by the artist. There were six different deluxe CD boxed sets, each containing a T-shirt and a CD inside a branded box. There were also three webstore-exclusive CD variants, signed by the artist, and each contained two additional bonus tracks unique to the CD (one has âStyle Lyfeâ and âBack ThĂ«n,â the second has â5Brazyâ and âBarbarianâ and the third has âGraveyardâ and âGonĂ«â)
In addition, Yeatâs webstore offered two exclusive digital download album variants â one with the bonus track âProject Lyfestyleâ and one with four bonus tracks: âProject Lyfestyle,â âFor Lyfe,â âNight Comeâ and â5Brazy Remix,â featuring Quavo.
All of the bonus tracks on the CD and download album variants were not available to purchase as stand-alone tracks through any retailer, nor available to stream through an official service.
In total, of Lyfestyleâs first-week sales of 60,000, digital downloads comprise 43,500; CD sales comprise 12,000 and vinyl sales comprise 4,500.
Yeatâs last album, 2093, which debuted and peaked at No. 2 earlier this year, was available in its first week across three digital download variants, but only one of them was exclusive to the artistâs webstore. 2093 sold 12,000 copies in its first week â all from downloads.
Sabrina Carpenterâs chart-topping Short nâ Sweet climbs 4-2 on the Billboard 200 with 79,000 equivalent album units earned (down 7%). After debuting at No. 1, Jelly Rollâs Beautifully Broken falls to No. 3 with 68,000 (down 58%). Rod Waveâs Last Lap dips 2-4 in its second week with 67,000 units (down 47%).
SEVENTEEN collects its sixth top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 as SPILL THE FEELS debuts at No. 5 with 66,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 64,000 (itâs No. 1 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 2,000 (equaling 2.61 million on-demand official streams of the setâs songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The albumâs sales were bolstered by its availability across 17 CD variants, each containing collectible branded paper ephemera (such as photocards, posters, lyric books and stickers, some randomized).
Morgan Wallenâs former leader One Thing at a Time rises 9-6 on the Billboard 200 with 50,000 equivalent album units earned (up 5%), GloRillaâs Glorious falls 5-7 in its second week with nearly 50,000 (down 27%), and Gracie Abramsâ The Secret of Us surges 19-8 with 49,000 units (up 78%). The latter vaults up the chart, and back into the top 10 for the first time since its No. 2 debut in July, thanks to its Oct. 18 deluxe reissue on digital download and streaming services with seven additional tracks. Of the 49,000 units The Secret of Us earned in the latest tracking week, SEA units comprise the bulk of the sum â a little over 45,000 (up 89%).
Rounding out the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 are Billie Eilishâs Hit Me Hard and Soft (falling 7-9 with a little over 48,000 equivalent album units earned; down 4%) and BigXthaPlugâs Take Care (8-10 in its second week; with 48,000; up less than 1%).
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.
Tyler, the Creator is teasing a new song ahead of his upcoming album.
On Saturday (Oct. 26), less than 48 hours before the arrival of his new album, Chromakopia, the 33-year-old rapper shared a music video for the song âThought I Was Dead.â
The nearly two-minute black-and-white video, directed by Tyler, finds the Igor musician dressed in military attire as he dances and prances on the wing of an old war plane in the middle of an airfield.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Chromakopia will be released on Monday (Oct. 28) through Columbia Records. The set comes three years after his last album, Call Me If You Get Lost, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earned a best rap album Grammy award.
Tyler released a single titled âNoidâ on music streaming services ahead of Chromakopia. The accompanying music video features Ayo Edebiri, the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress from The Bear.
Trending on Billboard
The rapper is scheduled to host a Chromakopia listening party at Los Angelesâ Inuit Dome on Sunday (Oct. 27). âLos Angeles Iâm playing my album in full for you at the Inuit Dome. I will not be performing, I will be standing in the middle of the venue lip syncing to the new sounds. This event costs $5,â he wrote earlier in the week on X (formerly Twitter).
And after previewing Chromakopia in L.A., Tyler plans on taking the album around the globe with the Chromakopia: The World Tour. Along with special guests Lil Yachty and Paris Texas, the trek will launch Feb. 4 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., and wrap July 27 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
He also has dates set in Europe, Australia and New Zealand for next year.
Watch Tyler, the Creatorâs âThought I Was Deadâ video below.
Lizzo is officially kicking off Halloween 2024 with a creative new costume.
On Saturday (Oct. 25), the pop-rap sensation took to Instagram to showcase her self-described âLizzOzempicâ outfit, inspired by a recent episode of South Park.
âOk Halloween⊠you can start now,â Lizzo captioned a faux advertisement featuring herself alongside a mock prescription box for a weight loss drug.
The South Park episode, titled âThe End of Obesity,â aired in May and comically critiqued the Ozempic trend, using Lizzo as an alternative to the popular medication. In the episode, Eric Cartman visits his doctor seeking Ozempic for weight loss. When he learns he canât afford it, the doctor prescribes an unconventional solution: âIâm going to write you a prescription for Lizzo. Sheâs a really good singer who talks about body positivity,â he says. âI want you to listen to Lizzo five times a day and watch her videos before bed. Iâm afraid youâll have to be on Lizzo for the rest of your life.â
In another post showing off the Halloween getup, Lizzo clapped back at South Park by dancing to the showâs jingle and flipping off the camera. âOh OH oh⊠itâs Lizzo bâ,â she captioned the clip, which also included a Cartman cut out in the background.
Trending on Billboard
The âAbout Damn Timeâ hitmaker also shared a clip of herself dancing next to someone wearing an inflatable Cartman costume. âItâs that time of year where I feed yâall so ridiculously, and youâre so very welcome, baby,â she captioned the video, soundtracked by ROSĂ and Bruno Marsâ âAPT.â
When the South Park episode originally aired, Lizzo reacted on TikTok, expressing her surprise. âThatâs crazy. I just feel like, damn, Iâm really that bâ-,â she said. âI showed the world how to love yourself, and now these men in Colorado know who the fâ I am and put it in their cartoon thatâs been around for 25 years.â
Lizzo has donned numerous imaginative Halloween costumes over the years, including outfits based on Tina Turner, Marge Simpson and Baby Yoda, among others.
Check out Lizzoâs âLizzOzempicâ Halloween costume on Instagram below.
Who knew that Freddy Krueger had good enough taste in rap music to be a Freddie Gibbs fan?
The Gary, Indiana, rapper tapped the notorious Nightmare on Elm Street slasher to help promote a mysterious new project. Apparently, there are billboards around L.A. featuring a picture of Kruegerâs eyes with âFreddieâs Backâ above them and the phone number (320) 244-5268 under the quote. When you call the number, the Freddy in your nightmares picks up and gives you the message below (or threat, depending on how scared you are).
âWell, hello little rabbits,â the Freddy Krueger voice is heard saying in the message. âHavenât you missed me? Hmmm? The jagged edge piercing through your mundane reality. Freddieâs back, biâ. I canât wait to rip through your dreams like a sledgehammer through a Piñata. Oh, what a rush. Youâre all my children now. Welcome to prime time, biâes. No matter where you run, I am omnipresent like a flock of rabid rabbits. You can keep your mind, but your $oul is $old $eparately. After all, they say You Only Live 2wice, but the truth is You Only Die Once. Sweet dreams.â
Freddy mentions three of the other Freddieâs projects: Piñata, $oul is $old $eparately, and You Only Live 2wice. But then he ends the message with, âbut the truth is You Only Die Once,â which could be a clue about the name of this mystery tape. This hasnât been confirmed, just a little speculating based on a video of a cartoon rabbit (Freddieâs nickname is Rabbit) in a Jason mask posted on an IG account with the handle @youonlydie0nce.
Trending on Billboard
At the top of 2023, Gibbs told XXL that he was working on multiple projects at once. âIâmma hit yâall with some shâ that yâall thought yâall was ready for, but you really ainât ready for,â he told the outlet. âAlchemist and Madlib ainât goinâ nowhere, so keep that in mind. And me and Boi-1da in the studio now real, real, real heavy.â He also mentioned that he might make an R&B album, saying, âIâm making the best music of my life, so itâs no reason to stop. And Iâm the king of R&B, so I gotta do that album as well.â