State Champ Radio Hip-Hop
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Megan Thee Stallion has broken her silence after Tory Lanez was found guilty on three felony counts in connection with his shooting of the “Savage” rapper in Los Angeles on July 12, 2020. In a new Elle cover story, Megan (born Megan Pete) addresses the “public humiliation” she endured and eventually overcame while the case — and attendant publicity — wound its way through the legal system.
“I don’t want to call myself a victim. As I reflect on the past three years, I view myself as a survivor, because I have truly survived the unimaginable,” the as-told-to story begins. “Not only did I survive being shot by someone I trusted and considered a close friend, but I overcame the public humiliation of having my name and reputation dragged through the mud by that individual for the entire world to see.”
Megan didn’t shy away from addressing Lanez’s social media comments and the harrowing effects they had on her emotionally. “For years, my attacker laughed and joked about my trauma. For years, my attacker peddled false narratives about what happened on the night of July 12, 2020,” she says of Lanez’s reported denials and obfuscations of the narrative of that night. “For years, my attacker tried to leverage social media to take away my power. Imagine how it feels to be called a liar every day? Especially from a person who was once part of your inner circle.”
Megan also addressed the false narratives behind the shooting, which resulted in her hospitalization after suffering a foot injury during the incident. “I could have let the adversity break me, but I persevered, even as people treated my trauma like a running joke,” she said. “First, there were conspiracy theories that I was never shot. Then came the false narratives that my former best friend shot me. Even some of my peers in the music industry piled on with memes, jokes, and sneak disses, and completely ignored the fact that I could have lost my life. Instead of condemning any form of violence against a woman, these individuals tried to justify my attacker’s actions.”
The ordeal left Megan in a depressive state as she struggled to create new music and had little interest in rapping anymore, she revealed. “The truth is that I started falling into a depression. I didn’t feel like making music. I was in such a low place that I didn’t even know what I wanted to rap about,” she wrote. “I wondered if people even cared anymore. There would be times that I’d literally be backstage or in my hotel, crying my eyes out, and then I’d have to pull Megan Pete together and be Megan Thee Stallion.”
Today, Megan acknowledges that she is in a better place, as prayer given her the much-needed solace she needed during her tumultuous past three years. “I’m in a happier place, but I still have anxiety,” she said. “Talking about being shot still makes me emotional. I’ve started journaling as a way to better process my thoughts, hopes, and fears. Prayer has also played a therapeutic role in my healing, because I can have honest and unfiltered conversations with God without any judgment.”
On Monday (April 17), Lanez’s sentencing was delayed again after his attorneys filed a motion to begin a new trial. The initial sentencing was for January following his December guilty verdict. The judge set a hearing for May 8, hoping that sentencing will occur within 30 days of the hearing if the motion for a new trial is denied. Currently, Lanez is facing a potential 21-year prison sentence.
A Fugees rapper on trial in a multimillion-dollar campaign finance and foreign influence case was trying to reinvent himself as he entered the political arena, not break any laws, defense attorneys said Monday (April 17).
Prakazrel “Pras” Michel became a best-selling, Grammy-winning artist with the 1990s hip-hop group the Fugees, but in the years after its breakup was looking for his next chapter, attorney David Kenner said as he began making the defense case.
Michel surrounded himself with people to help with his transition to politics and eventually entered the orbit of a wealthy Malaysian “playboy” but didn’t engage in “James Bond … cloak and dagger stuff,” he said.
“There was no agreement to do anything in an unlawful way,” Kenner said.
Michel is charged in political conspiracies under two different U.S. presidents. Federal prosecutors say he funneled money from the fugitive Malaysian financer through straw donors to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. He’s also accused of trying to squelch an investigation into the businessman and persuade then-President Donald Trump’s administration to return to China a “vocal critic of the government.”
The Justice Department says Michel conspired with Low Taek Jho, usually known as Jho Low. The fugitive financier is accused of masterminding a money laundering and bribery scheme that pilfered billions from the Malaysian state investment fund known as 1MDB. Low has maintained his innocence.
Looted money paid for jewelry and luxury art and helped finance Hollywood films like The Wolf of Wall Street. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio testified that Low had appeared to him to be a legitimate businessman and had mentioned wanting to donate to Obama’s campaign.
When Michel first met Low at a nightclub in 2006, the businessman “appeared and acted as though he had unlimited amounts of money,” Kenner said. Michel would later make money himself through his association with Low, but “making money, even if you consider it greedy, is not a crime.”
Prosecutors, on the other hand, say Low directed millions to Michel, who funneled the money to straw donors to give to the Obama reelection campaign in 2012. He later tried to lean on the donors to keep them from talking to investigators, prosecutors said.
In 2017, prosecutors say, the Grammy-winning rapper worked with a Republican “fixer” to try and shut down a U.S. investigation into Low and embezzlement from the Malaysian fund. He’s also accused of pushing the Trump administration to send a Chinese person who had fled to the U.S. back to China.
The defense says he tried to set up a meeting on that issue, but no one ever told him he should have registered as a foreign agent before doing so, Kenner said.
“What he was trying to do was go through the proper channels,” he said.
The Sacramento Kings are investigating allegations from a Bay Area hip-hop star that “racial bias” led to him being kicked out of his seat during a playoff game against the Golden State Warriors.
The rapper E-40 said in a statement that he was heckled throughout the game Saturday night and addressed one heckler “in an assertive but polite manner” before security guards came and ordered him to leave the arena.
“Unfortunately, it was yet another reminder that — despite my success and accolades as a musician and entrepreneur — racial bias remains prevalent,” he said in a statement. “Security saw a disagreement between a Black man and a white woman and immediately assumed that I was at fault.”
The Kings said they are investigating the circumstances behind the ejection.
“The Sacramento Kings take these claims seriously and are investigating the facts and circumstances regarding the situation, as we do anytime an accusation like this is made,” the team said in a statement.
A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that E-40, whose real name is Earl Stevens, was standing and blocking the view of fans behind him and was given a warning after several complaints. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because details of the situation weren’t released publicly.
The person said E-40 refused to comply and that security officials for the Warriors and Kings escorted him from his seat.
A second person familiar situation, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said E-40 was never given a warning by security about “excessive standing.” E-40 is a prominent Warriors fan and was even part of the delegation that visited the White House earlier this season.
“It’s unfortunate,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. “I love 40. He’s been our biggest supporter for years. I hope they right that ship because he deserves to be there by our bench. In my time knowing him, he’s always been respectful. He’s always been considerate of those around him. Very weird to see, and I hope it’s resolved.”
E-40 is known for his collaborations with other artists, including on songs such as “I Don’t (Expletive) With You” with Big Sean, “Snap Yo Fingers” with Lil Jon and Sean Paul of YoungBloodZ, and “U And Dat” with T-Pain and Kandi Girl.
Sunday night (April 16) wasn’t the first time Lil Wayne touched the famed Apollo Theater stage, but Weezy’s Welcome to Tha Carter Tour rumbled through Harlem to close out the seasonably warm weekend in the Big Apple in style.
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The curtain dropped around 9:15 p.m. ET at the intimate venue and the thick smoke clouds began to form as the New Orleans rap deity emerged with a Jesus piece chain dangling around his neck. Weezy opened with the JAY-Z-assisted “Mr. Carter,” which took fans back to when Wayne and Hov were jockeying for the best rapper alive title in the late 2000s.
Wayne went through his humbling concert routine letting the people know “I ain’t s–t without you” before reflecting on the first time he hit the Apollo stage.
“I don’t know if it was the last time, but I know the first time I stepped on this actual stage, [Showtime at] The Apollo was still an actual show that came on television and I was on that motherf—er,” he recalled. “I think Shemar Moore was hosting it, but I was there though.”
Flanked by DJ T. Lewis and a drummer, Weezy breezed through an array of tracks from his decorated Tha Carter series while jogging the memory of the 1,500-person capacity crowd with songs including “Fireman,” “Blunt Blowin,’” “Hustler Musik,” and the Kanye West-produced “Let the Beat Build” booming through the venue speakers.
The 40-year-old found a groove inside his colossal Tha Carter III album with a medley of the triumphant “3 Peat,” “Comfortable,” “Lollipop,” and “Mrs. Officer” as attendees were hit with a laser beam light show and a heavy dose of 2008 nostalgia, at time when Weezy sat atop the rap food chain at the peak of his powers.
Wayne pressed pause 45 minutes into his set and teased a few special guests, but instead of reuniting with Drake or Nicki Minaj, fans were greeted by Young Money rappers Drizzy P, Euro, Lil Twist, and Mellow Rackz.
The jubilant energy seemed to be drained during the 15-minute intermission, but in fairness to the YM artist cameos, it’s nearly impossible to be thrown into the fire in the midst of a set from one of the greatest catalogs in rap and keep the party rolling. But when Wayne returned around 10:15 the crowd perked up like they’d just collectively downed a Red Bull to get amped for the stretch run.
Mixtape Weezy took centerstage as Dedication 2‘s lyrical masterclass “Cannon,” DJ Capcom’s “I’m Going In” featuring a then-neophyte Drake, The Leak EP’s “I’m Me,” and No Ceilings cut “Shoes” were added as setlist surprises. All that was missing were the fan-favorites “Something You Forgot” and “The Sky is the Limit.”
With all of the Verzuz chatter surrounding the Young Money honcho battling 50 Cent, Weezy’s tour set served as a stark reminder that he can go 40-deep into different bags and eras of his hall-of-fame career to compete with anyone, whether it’s commercial hits, syrupy mixtape anthems that went diamond in the streets, or prolific features.
Wayne is one of the only artists that can have a competitive Verzuz battle with himself, having “Mixtape Weezy” and other memorable loosies that exist on the internet face-off against his own albums and primary streaming service catalog.
Cam’ron surprised his hometown Harlem crowd when the Dipset rapper made an unexpected cameo in a silver tracksuit to team up with Weezy to perform their 2006 “Touch It Or Not” collaboration for the first time ever. Even more impressive, Wayne remembered his verse from the raunchy tune like he’d rehearsed it for weeks.
“Weezy, I love you! It’s the first time we ever performed this, n—a,” Killa Cam stated to Wayne before exiting.
The finish line was in sight for Wayne heading into the final turn jumping from Young Money’s “Every Girl” to his feature on French Montana’s “Pop That” as well as “HYFR” and “The Motto,” sans Drake.
Weezy fittingly capped off the marathon 40-track set with the 8x-platinum “A Milli” and even took off his long-sleeve shirt to match the fervor of his wall-to-wall Tha Carter III anthem’s rhymes.
“F–king thank you, man! Every single one of y’all, man,” he said to the crowd before recognizing the droves of fans sporting his mug on their bodies. “I see people with my face on they shirts and s–t. I appreciate you!”
Wayne wrapped up around 10:45 p.m. ET with Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” serving as the outro music, but he couldn’t leave before going over his three rules one last time.
“I must let you know three important things about myself. No. 1 is I know that we all ain’t s–t without the love from above. No. 2 is I ain’t s–t without you. Ladies and gentlemen, what’s No. 3,” Wayne asked the audience who wasted no time shouting rule No. 2 right back at him in the midst of a standing ovation.
The Welcome to Tha Carter Tour continues Monday night (April 17) with a show in Philadelphia followed by stops in Silver Spring, Maryland and Charlotte.
Up next on SNL will be Pete Davidson as host and Lil Uzi Vert as musical guest.
The lineup for the May 6 episode of Saturday Night Live was confirmed over the weekend. Former SNL cast member Davidson’s return to the sketch comedy show follows April 15’s Ana de Armas-hosted episode, on which Karol G performed.
Davidson left SNL in May 2022, after eight seasons with the cast. He’s readying the release of his upcoming Peacock series Bupkis.
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In February, Lil Uzi Vert claimed their first No. 1 as a lead artist on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart with the single “Just Wanna Rock,” which also peaked in the top 10 on the Hot 100. Their most recent solo full-length album, Eternal Atake, hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 upon its release in 2020.
See the SNL announcement for May 6 below.
Ice Spice‘s “Princess Diana (Remix)” featuring Nicki Minaj has topped this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (April 14) on Billboard, choosing the hip-hop collaboration as their favorite new music release of the past week.
“Princess Diana (Remix)” brought in nearly 37% of the vote, beating out new music by SZA featuring Doja Cat (“Kill Bill (Remix)”), Post Malone (“Chemical”), Kelly Clarkson (“Mine / Me”), Metallica (72 Seasons), and others.
Ice Spice’s latest track adds to her already impressive list of 2023 collabs, including the top 10 smash “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” with PinkPantheress and “Gangsta Boo,” the Lil Tjay team-up from her Like..? EP.
The “Princess Diana (Remix)” not only provides a co-sign from Minaj, but it seamlessly brings a larger-than-life personality into the world of a very good existing song. After the Bronx rapper’s slick cadence and internal rhymes glide across the beat, Minaj provides new highlights like, “She the princess, so f— who you lames is?”
Trailing behind Ice Spice and Minaj on the fan-voted poll was SZA’s “Kill Bill (Remix)” featuring Doja Cat, with almost 28% of the vote. Placing third was Malone’s pop-centric, summer-ready single “Chemical,” which accounted for 15% of the vote.
See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.
After being kicked out of Game 1 of the Golden State Warriors versus Sacramento Kings first-round playoff game on Saturday night (April. 16), E-40 lambasted the Kings’ organization for “racial bias” when handling his confrontation with a female fan.
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40, known as a Golden State Warriors fan and frequent attendee, sent a statement to Billboard, recalling the incident involving him addressing the heckler in “an assertive but polite manner.”
“On Saturday night, I was subjected to disrespectful heckling over the course of the Warriors-Kings game in Sacramento. During the fourth quarter, I finally turned around and addressed one heckler in an assertive but polite manner. Yet, shortly thereafter, Kings’ security approached me, assumed that I instigated the encounter and proceeded to kick me out of the arena,” writes 40.
He also acknolwedges that despite his accomplishments as a musician and businessman, “racial bias” continued to be the norm and played an intergral role in his departure from the game.
“Unfortunately, it was yet another reminder that — despite my success and accolades as a musician and entrepreneur — racial bias remains prevalent. Security saw a disagreement between a Black man and a white woman and immediately assumed that I was at fault,” he says.
At the end of his statement, 40 said that he hopes the Kings organization will do a thorough investigation on the matter and that those “involved are held accountable for their behavior.”
“I’ve attended countless NBA games throughout my lifetime and have always prided myself in my professionalism, so this experience has been jarring. I was absolutely humiliated by the Kings’ security team and I’m calling on the franchise to investigate the appalling conduct that transpired.”
He adds, “I’m truly grateful for my fans and supporters who have reached out to express their concern and disappointment regarding these disheartening circumstances and I hope those involved are held accountable for their behavior.”
Watch the clip below.
Offset is paying tribute to his cousin Takeoff with a prominent tattoo of the late rapper on his back.
The tattoo is an artistic representation of a photo of Takeoff, Offset’s family member and Migos bandmate who died on Nov. 1 of gunshot wounds in Houston.
Takeoff showed off the new ink in a pair of Instagram photos on Saturday (April 15).
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“Love you 4L & after,” Offset captioned the post.
After the 28-year-old’s untimely death, Offset wrote on Instagram, “The pain you have left me with is unbearable. My heart is shattered and I have so many things to say, but I can’t find the words. I’ve been going to sleep and waking up hoping that all of this is a dream, but it’s reality and reality feels like a nightmare.”
He lovingly referred to his cousin as “Take.”
Last month, Offset previewed a new song featuring a posthumous Takeoff verse on Instagram Stories.
The 56-second snippet had Icewear Vezzo and Takeoff exchanging bars before Offset burst through with fiery lines of his own.
See snapshots of Offset’s tattoo in honor of Takeoff below.
Sony Music Entertainment and its Certified unit have partnered with Mass Appeal to unveil 50 product releases to commemorate HipHop50 through Legacy Recordings, Record Store Day, Vinyl Me, Please, Get On Down, Mobile Fidelity and Urban Outfitters.
By way of Legacy Recordings, fans will be able to enjoy “new physical configurations, first-time digital releases, and limited-edition vinyl from the genre’s most influential and indelible icons, including Big Pun, Cypress Hill, Nas, OutKast, Q-Tip, RUN D.M.C., Three 6 Mafia, Wu-Tang Clan and more.”
To kick off the celebratory rollout, Nas’ Made You Look: God’s Son Live 2002 will drop on April 22. The exclusive Record Store Day vinyl will highlight Nas’ historic performance at Webster Hall in New York. It’ll also be available to stream the day before. Following that release, on May 12, Run D.M.C.’s 1988 classic Tougher Than Leather will be released on black vinyl on Legacy Recordings to celebrate its 35th anniversary. Then, Nas will have another reason to celebrate as his lauded 2003 effort, The Lost Tapes, will receive a vinyl update on May 26. According to a press release, “Get On Down is releasing Nas’ The Lost Tapes on limited edition double colored-vinyl in a gatefold jacket with numbered OBI limited to 2000 units.”
Last January, SME and Mass Appeal announced their initial partnership. “Sony Music and Mass Appeal will work together to showcase the creative excellence of SME’s dynamic talent and their contributions to music history through original content, experiences, merch and product collaborations in connection with Mass Appeal’s campaign leading up to this key milestone in Hip Hop culture,” said the release.
Rod Wave nabs his seventh top 10 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as “Fight the Feeling” opens at No. 7 on the list dated April 15. The song also begins at the most-streamed rap song of the week and returns him to the top 20 of the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in two years.
“Feeling” traces its strong start largely to 17.4 million official U.S. streams in the tracking week of March 30 – Apr. 6, according to Luminate. The nine-figure sum generates the single’s No. 2 debut on the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart and No. 1 entrance on Rap Streaming Songs. On the latter, “Feeling” is Rod Wave’s second career champ, after “Tombstone” led for one week in 2021.
While streaming plays the main role behind the “Feeling” debut on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, the track also sold 1,000 downloads in the same tracking week to earn a No. 15 start on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales. It also registered 56,000 audience impressions across all formats, a low sum due to the single not having been officially promoted to radio formats during its debut week.
As “Feeling” becomes Rod Wave’s newest top 10, here’s a recap of the rapper’s full collection on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart:
Song Title, Peak Position, Peak Date“Rags2Riches,” featuring ATR Son Son, No. 7, Aug. 22, 2020“Tombstone,” No. 5, April 10, 2021“Street Runner,” No. 9, April 10, 2021“By Your Side,” No. 10, Dec. 11, 2021“Cold December,” No. 9, Feb. 5, 2022“Alone,” No. 7, Aug. 27, 2022“Fight the Feeling,” No. 7 (to date), April 15, 2023
Elsewhere, “Feeling” begins at No. 3 on the Hot Rap Songs chart, where it secures the rapper/singer’s ninth top 10 placement, and at No. 16 on the Hot 100. The latter’s debut ends a two-year gap for Rod Wave inside the Hot 100’s top 20, as he ranks inside the region for the first time since the April 10, 2021-dated chart.
