State Champ Radio Hip-Hop
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Cardi B spoke to girls in a police mentorship program Friday (Feb. 24) as part of what she says has been an eye-opening and emotional week performing court-mandated community service for her role in a pair of brawls at New York City strip clubs in 2018.
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The 30-year-old “Bodak Yellow” singer visited an NYPD “Girls Talk” event at the police training academy in Queens and shared what the department said was “her rags to riches story.” She danced with teens and posed for photos.
Cardi B’s plea deal requires her to perform 15 days of community service by March 1 to avoid a 15-day jail sentence.
“I feel like there’s so many people that make y’all probably feel like, ‘This is what’s cool, this is what’s going on, this is what it takes to be lit, this is what it takes to be fire,’” Cardi B told her young audience.
“Sometimes that’s a little bit of peer pressure like on a girl. Don’t fall into that. You know what I’m saying? Like, be great. Be you. You’re amazing. You’re dope yourself.”
The NYPD posted a video to Twitter showing highlights of the event.
Cardi B shared her rags to riches story with #NYPD Girls Talk. She talked about her struggles and how she overcame them to achieve success. She encouraged the girls to work hard and pursue their dreams, no matter how big or small they may be. Thank you @iamcardib pic.twitter.com/7j06hi6F60— Police Academy (@NYPDTraining) February 25, 2023
That drew criticism from some people, including a retired police lieutenant, who questioned whether Cardi B was an appropriate role model for children given her sometimes provocative lyrics, criminal record and past admission that she drugged and robbed men while working as a stripper before she got famous.
Cardi B, a New York City native whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar, has been chronicling her community service on Twitter all week. On Saturday, she wrote: “Community service has been the best thing that has happened to me.”
She likened the experience to a spiritual journey that sometimes left her in tears. “Those people that we leave behind they just need somebody to talk and a lil push and YOU might be able to change their life forever,” she wrote.
In another post, on her way to the police academy, the multiple-platinum selling artist and mother of two complained about waking up early to perform community service before going to the recording studio, but added: “I did the crime ‘I only have myself to blame’.”
Cardi B agreed in September to a conditional discharge just as her case was about to go to trial. She pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges stemming from the August 2018 fights. Ten other counts, including two felonies, were dismissed. Two co-defendants also pleaded guilty.
In a statement at the time, Cardi B said: “Part of growing up and maturing is being accountable for your actions. As a mother, it’s a practice that I am trying to instill in my children, but the example starts with me. I’ve made some bad decisions in my past that I am not afraid to face and own up to. These moments don’t define me and they are not reflective of who I am now.”
According to prosecutors, Cardi B and her entourage were targeting employees of Angels Strip Club in Flushing, Queens, over an apparent personal dispute. In one fight, chairs, bottles and hookah pipes were thrown as the group argued with a bartender. She and another employee had minor injuries.
In 2019, Cardi B rejected a plea deal that would have given her a conditional discharge. Prosecutors then presented the case to a grand jury and obtained an indictment that included the two felony charges.
NYPD Chief of Training Juanita Holmes created the “Girls Talk” program to build trust and foster mentorships between police officers and girls, with occasional special guests. Ballet dancer Misty Copeland spoke to the group at police headquarters in December 2021.
Cardi B’s chart-topping hits include “I Like It” and the Maroon 5 collaboration “Girls Like You.”
Angela Bassett and Beyoncé were the top individual winners at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards, with three awards each. Bassett took the top award – entertainer of the year – and opened her speech by having a little bit of fun with Ariana DeBose’s widely-mocked rap at last weekend’s Brit Awards, where the young star rapped, “Angela Bassett did the thing.”
“I guess Angela Bassett did the thing,” Bassett said, to much laughter. This marked the first time all five entertainer of the year nominees were women. The other nominees were Mary J. Blige, Quinta Brunson, Viola Davis and Zendaya.
Bassett also won outstanding supporting actress in a motion picture for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and outstanding actress in a drama [TV] series for 9-1-1 on FOX. The veteran actress is considered the front-runner to win an Oscar in the Oscar for best supporting actress on March 12. (DeBose won in that category last year for the reboot of West Side Story.)
All three of Beyoncé’s categories were presented prior to Saturday and she wasn’t present on the telecast. She took outstanding album for Renaissance (her third win in the category), outstanding soul/R&B song for “Cuff It” and outstanding female artist (her record-extending seventh win in the category).
Chris Brown, Brunson, Ryan Coogler and Davis each won two awards. (Some of their shows also won awards; this counts only awards presented to individuals.)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever won outstanding motion picture, just as the original Black Panther did four years ago. This marks the second time in three years that a franchise film has won in this category. Two years ago, the award went to Bad Boys for Life, the third film in that franchise.
ABC’s Abbott Elementary won outstanding comedy [TV] series. The show was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in that same category last year and while it didn’t win, it’s practically a foregone conclusion that it will win this year.
That doesn’t mean there were no surprises at the 54th annual NAACP Image Awards, which were presented at nightly ceremonies this past week, culminating in a live broadcast on Saturday (Feb. 25) from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. The show, ably hosted by Queen Latifah, aired on BET and was also simulcast across a dozen Paramount Global networks including CBS, MTV, VH1 and CMT.
One of the biggest surprises is that Kendrick Lamar didn’t win a thing. The acclaimed rapper received five nominations, which put him in a tie with Beyoncé for the most nods by anyone in the music categories. But where she won three awards this year, he was shut out.
Another hip-hop superstar, Drake, went 0-3 this year.
Without further ado, here are 14 Snubs & Surprises at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards.
Snub: Kendrick Lamar
Lamar lost outstanding male artist (which he has yet to win) to Chris Brown (who won it for the third time). In addition, Lamar’s Billboard 200-topping Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers lost outstanding album to Renaissance; “Die Hard” (featuring Blxt & Amanda Reifer) lost outstanding duo, group or collaboration (traditional) to Silk Sonic’s “Love’s Train”; and “The Heart Part 5” lost twice. It lost outstanding hip hop/rap song to “Hotel Lobby” by Quavo and Takeoff and outstanding music video/visual album to Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up.”
Surprise: Will Smith
It both is and isn’t a surprise that Smith won outstanding actor in a motion picture for Emancipation. This was his first nomination here since The Slap on last year’s Oscar telecast, which tarnished his image and imperiled his career. Smith also won here last year for King Richard, the role that brought him his first Oscar. Smith is the first actor to win back-to-back Image Awards in this category since Denzel Washington scored in 2002-03 with Training Day and John Q, respectively. Smith wasn’t on hand to receive his award. Instead, presenter Janelle Monáe simply accepted it on his behalf.
Snub: Samara Joy
Joy won two Grammys on Feb. 5 – best new artist and best jazz vocal album for Linger Awhile. So you might think she’d be a shoo-in to win here for outstanding jazz album – vocal. Nope. The award went to Adam Blackstone’s Legacy. Blackstone is also coming off a major award win. He won his first Primetime Emmy in September for outstanding music direction for The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent.
Surprise: Coco Jones
Jones took outstanding new (recording) artist for “ICU” over Steve Lacy for Gemini Rights, among others. Lacy’s album won a Grammy for best progressive R&B album and spawned the smash “Bad Habit,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks.
Snub: Future’s “Wait for U”
The hit by Future featuring Drake and Tems topped the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy for best melodic rap performance. But it came up short in both categories in which it was nominated here. It lost outstanding hip hop/rap song to “Hotel Lobby” by Quavo and Takeoff and outstanding duo group or collaboration (contemporary) to Chris Brown featuring Wizkid’s “Call Me Every Day.”
Surprise: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Prince-Bythewood won outstanding directing in a motion picture for The Woman King (Sony Pictures Releasing). She beat Ryan Coogler, the director of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, among others. This is Prince-Bythewood’s record-setting third win in the category, following The Secret Life of Bees (2009) and The Old Guard (2021). Coogler has won twice in the category for Creed (2016) and Black Panther (2019). Coogler won two awards on the night – outstanding writing in a motion picture and outstanding soundtrack/compilation album, both for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Snub: Jerrod Carmichael
Jerrod Carmichael won his first Primetime Emmy in September for outstanding writing for a variety special for his HBO Max special, Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel, but he lost in the equivalent category (outstanding writing in a television movie or special) here. The winner? Netflix’s Entergalactic, with a story by Scott Mescudi (better known as Kid Cudi) and written by Ian Edelman and Maurice Williams.
Surprise: Keke Palmer
Palmer won outstanding character voice-over performance – motion picture. She beat out a pair of past Oscar nominees – Angela Bassett (nominated for Wendell & Wild) and Taraji P. Henson (nominated for Minions: The Rise of Gru).
Snub: Sheryl Lee Ralph
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Ralph won her first Primetime Emmy in September for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for her role in Abbott Elementary, but lost here to her castmate Janelle James. Both were vying here for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series. The two actresses presented the first award on the telecast. Ralph warmly congratulated James on her win the previous night.
Surprise: Tabitha Brown
The host of Tab Time on You Tube Originals won outstanding host in a reality/reality competition, game show or variety (series or special) – individual or ensemble. (That category name is longer than the show!) Her win was sweet because she was up against four major names – Lizzo for Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, Trevor Noah for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Taraji P. Henson for hosting the 2022 BET Awards and Keke Palmer for NBC’s revival of Password. Tab Time also won outstanding children’s program.
Snub: ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’
Guillermo del Toro’s film is the front-runner to win the Oscar for best animated feature film, but it lost outstanding animated motion picture here to Wendell & Wild. The latter film wasn’t even nominated for an Oscar.
Surprise: Nicco Annan
The star of Starz’ P-Valley won outstanding actor in a drama [TV] series, beating, among others, Sterling K. Brown of NBC’s just-wrapped This Is Us (who won in this category twice). Annan stars as Uncle Clifford Sayles, the non-binaryowner and proprietor of a strip club called The Pynk in the fictional city of Chucalissa, Miss. P-Valley also won outstanding drama series.
Not a Surprise: Michelle Obama
Image Award voters seem to prefer the real Michelle Obama to a dramatized version. ABC News 20/20 Michelle Obama: The Light We Carry, a Conversation with Robin Roberts won outstanding news/information (series or special). But Viola Davis’ portrayal of the former first lady on The First Lady (Showtime) lost in the category of outstanding actress in a television movie, limited-series or dramatic special. (The winner there was Niecy Nash-Betts, playing the suspicious neighbor on Netflix’s Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.)
Not a Surprise, but Really?: Jennifer Hudson
Hudson took outstanding host in a talk or news/information (series or special) – individual or ensemble for the first season of her syndicated The Jennifer Hudson Show. That’s not a surprise. Hudson is an EGOT, after all. Her competition included Lester Holt for NBC Nightly News. These shows – a resolutely positive daytime talk show and an evening news broadcast – should not be in the same category. It’s not really fair to either.
“My photo the Jordan logo of this rap s—,” raps Nas on 2021’s “YKTV” (shortened to say “You Know the Vibes”), from his Grammy-nominated King’s Disease sequel. Of course, that “photo” is none other than his bunker-buster debut Illmatic, which propelled hip-hop into the future upon its arrival in 1994. Off sheer impact alone, that album certainly makes a strong case for being the definitive emblem for the genre. But for now, on a blustery cold Friday night (Feb. 24) in New York City, the vibes were unquestionably certain for another pivotal occasion: Nas’ first headlining show at Madison Square Garden.
Never mind how long of a journey it’s been to get to this point — the timing for this night was perfect. Nas is hot off the heels of releasing King’s Disease III, the threequel to his Grammy-winning series with super producer Hit-Boy, the quarterback to his wide receiver, all as hip-hop celebrates its 50th anniversary. That said, Friday’s show was as much a victory for Nas as it was for hip-hop. It was a proud occasion for the sea of generations-spanning fans, from those who remember the first time they heard “Live at the Barbecue” to those who recently tapped in with his recent work. Overall, the Garden couldn’t have been a more perfect venue to host this celebration.
“Live in Madison Square now, we on fire,” a visibly elated Nas hailed, while fire bolted around him during his fiery performance of “I’m on Fire.”
And on fire he was, launching into standout-after-standout throughout his 34-song set. Sticking to the night’s “King’s Disease Trilogy” bill, the Queens rap icon pulled out gems across the trinity-spanning gem, from storytelling favorites like “Blue Benz” and “Car 85” to party-flavored cuts like “Spicy” and “Get Light.” By the time the latter blared through the arena, MSG had practically turned into a park jam as fans throughout the sold-out arena swayed, bopped, and two-stepped from row to row. Like his output over the last two years suggests, Esco refused to let up on the momentum throughout the night. Between the King’s Disease cuts, he also made room for a few records off his 2021 project, Magic, sprinkling in cult favorites like “Speechless” and “Wave Gods” to much fanfare.
The fact that Nas was performing these relatively fresh cuts to a fully-invested audience inside a sold-out Madison Square Garden was truly a moment to behold — something, even he, at times, seemed to be amazed by, sometimes even taking a brief moment to relish the vibe. At one point, he stopped to recollect and then turned the spotlight onto the other half of his winning formula: Hit-Boy.
“I love this brother for bringing the art out of me again,” Nas acclaimed before tapping the producer to join him onstage for the floor-quaking “Michael & Quincy.” Not a soul remained seated, especially as more surprises trickled in.
After performing “Reminisce,” a song that samples a certain Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Nas brought out — you guessed it — Mary J. Blige, who sent the excitement levels through the roof as she performed “You Remind Me.” After running through King’s Disease, he hopped through hits from the rest of his catalog, including Illmatic. You always have to return to Illmatic. This time dressed in an all-orange jumpsuit with a matching skully, wheat construction Timberland boots, and his signature diamond-covered “QB” chain, he dispatched “N.Y. State of Mind.” Subsequently after, he brought out AZ for “Life’s a Bitch,” and one of “my motherf—ing heroes,” Slick Rick, for “Hey Young World.” Embracing the magnitude and momentous occasion of the night, he kept his foot on the gas, running through a medley of tracks — “The Message,” Street Dreams,” “If I Ruled The World,” “Hate Me Now,” “Made You Look” and “One Mic.”
One of the crowning moments occurred while performing “Memory Lane (Sittin’ In Da Park).” He did away with the instrumental for the second verse and delivered a masterclass in mic control, performing the tongue-twisting verse a capella with absolute clarity and supreme breath control. As he took a bow while being showered in the crowd’s adulation, one thing was crystal clear: Nas is still that good.
For the encore, preceded by Nas admitting, “I don’t want to leave yet,” he shifted the energy back to the party spirit that hung high throughout the night. As hands waved and cheers clamored from all corners of the arena, he spun through more hits, including “Hot Boyz (Remix),” “Oochie Wally” and “Owe Me,” before sealing the night with an emotional reminder: “We did it!”
Did you know 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of hip-hop? The genre has lived through many different iterations from acts like Grandmaster Flash to LL Cool J to Tupac and Drake. It has become the number-one genre in the world with nearly 250 No.1 albums on the Billboard 200 and over 100 No.1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. So how did hip-hop begin? Who were the key players? What is the future of Hip-Hop? This is Billboard Explains: The Origins of Hip-Hop.
Lil Uzi Vert claims their first No. 1 as a lead artist on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart as “Just Wanna Rock” ascends to the summit of the chart dated Feb. 25. The single, which spent the six previous weeks at No. 2, is their second overall champ, following their featured turn on Migos’ 12-week champ, “Bad and Boujee,” in 2017.
As “Rock” ascends from No. 2 on Hot Rap Songs, it ends a peculiar streak at the top. The eight previous champs all began their reigns with No. 1 debuts, making “Just Wanna Rock” the first song to climb into the No. 1 spot on Hot Rap Songs since Latto’s “Big Energy” advanced 2-1 in April 2022. In the 44 weeks between, here are the eight titles that all debuted at the top and passed the baton among themselves to prevent any challengers from ascending all the way.
Song, Artist, Weeks at No. 1, Date Debuted at No. 1“First Class,” Jack Harlow, 14, April 23, 2022“Wait for U,” Future featuring Drake & Tems, two, May 14, 2022“Jimmy Cooks,” Drake & 21 Savage, one, July 2, 2022“Staying Alive,” DJ Khaled featuring Drake & Lil Baby, one, Aug. 20, 2022“Super Freaky Girl,” Nicki Minaj, 11, Aug. 27, 2022“California Breeze,” Lil Baby, one, Oct. 29, 2022“Rich Flex,” Drake & 21 Savage, 13, Nov. 19, 2022“Superhero (Heroes & Villains),” Metro Boomin, Future & Chris Brown, one, Dec. 17, 2022
“Just Wanna Rock” advances to No. 1 on Hot Rap Songs as it posts weekly improvements in all three of the chart’s contributing metrics – streaming, radio airplay and sales – in the tracking week of Feb. 9 – 16, according to Luminate. In the foremost category, “Rock” totaled 17 million official U.S. streams, a 7% gain, and returns to No. 1 on the Rap Streaming Songs chart for a second overall week on top. The cut previously reigned in its second week on the list, the chart dated Nov. 12, 2022. “Rock” also sold 2,000 digital downloads in the tracking week, an increase of 5% from its previous week.
While the song had been steadily climbing, “Rock” received an extra promotional boost as an adopted anthem for the Philadelphia Eagles NFL team on their road to a Super Bowl appearance. The team used the hometown artist’s song as their warm-up introduction track in several playoff games, including Super Bowl LVII, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
For radio airplay, “Rock” registered 34.7 million in total audience, an 11% addition from the prior week and climbs 19-18 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart. Airplay advances trickle down to several genre formats as well, with “Rock” rising to No. 1 on the Rap Airplay chart (up 11% in audience), 4-2 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (up 11% in weekly plays at the format), 5-4 on Rhythmic Airplay (up 12% in weekly plays) and 34-33 on Pop Airplay (up 17% in weekly plays).
In other Lil Uzi Vert news, they land a No. 19 debut for “Watch This (Arizonatears Pluggnb Remix).” The song is based on “Watch This,” an unreleased track Lil Uzi Vert previewed in 2019 in an Instagram Live that was later leaked in 2022 and never officially released. This official remix version, released Feb. 5, earned 4.3 million official U.S. streams.
Ariana DeBose did her homework before taking the stage to open the 2023 BAFTA Awards on Sunday night. The Oscar-winning singer/actress faced an avalanche of snarky criticism and memes after she performed a bit that mixed a high-energy version of a 1985 Eurythmics/Aretha Franklin collaboration with an original rap ticking off some of the famous and nominated women in the room.
And though some commenters dinged DeBose for what they deemed clunky bars, ever the professional, Ariana definitely had the routine down before hitting the stage, as evidenced by a 35-second TikTok video shared by Broadway music director Benjamin Rauhala on Wednesday (Feb. 22).
In the clip, the actress smiled and shimmied in place as her received her final makeup touches, with the on-screen graphics reading, “We did the thing… backstage with Ariana getting ready to… do the thing… We had SO much fun celebrating the brilliant female nominees at the BAFTAs. It was an honour to give love to all these iconic women and to get the party started.”
In fact, DeBose was bristling with energy as she put some extra on certain names and lines, still at it just before going on stage as her team adjusted the tear-away sections of her voluminous magenta gown. And though DeBose has not made an official public statement about the blowback, Rauhala’s TikTok ended with a suggestion that all fair in love and memes.
“We are giggling at everyone who has our campy little number stuck in their head. Thank you for the love and hilarious memes,” read one of the final captions. “She did the thing.”
The producer of Sunday night’s show, Nick Bullen, told Variety magazine earlier this week that the pile-on was unwarranted. “We wanted to open the show with some energy, some fun, and also lay out straight away that this was hopefully going to feel like a different night, but with a familiarity as well, and what Ariana did was exactly that,” producer Bullen said the morning after the telecast. He said that DeBose and her team put the entire bit together in close consultation with the show’s musical director and choreographer and that he didn’t think she deserved the biting reaction.
The highly choreographed bit opened with DeBose singing “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” as a group of dancers pulled at her dress and removed long pieces of fabric. The performance then flipped into a solo rap in which DeBose did call-outs to a variety of actresses in the audience.
It was the latter bit — specifically her awkward Angela Bassett and Viola Davis shout-outs — that got the Twitterverse revved up. “Angela Bassett did the thing/ Viola Davis my ‘Woman King’/ Blanchett Cate you’re a genius/ Jamie Lee you are all of us,” rapped DeBose in a clip that quickly went viral after the show thanks to what looked like less-than-enthusiastic looks on the faces of some of the actresses she mentioned.
“I think it’s incredibly unfair, to be frank. I absolutely loved it,” Bullen told Variety of the criticism. “Everybody I’ve spoken to who was in the room absolutely loved it. She’s a huge star, she was amazing. The songs she was singing are very familiar songs, the room was clapping, and people were sort of dancing to the music. That rap section in the middle, mentioning the women in the room, was because it’s been a great year for women in film, and we wanted to celebrate that. And here is a woman of color who is at the absolute top of her game.”
DeBose deactivated her Twitter account after the online backlash.
Watch the TikTok below.
Though Iggy Azalea remains bummed that her 2015 collaboration on “Pretty Girls” with Britney Spears was not all she dreamed it could have been, the Australian rapper said she is still down for whatever when it comes to Brit.
“I have spoken about this before. I just feel like there was so much we wanted to do with it that we never got to… We never got to do all we wanted to do,” Azalea told Andy Cohen on Wednesday night’s (Feb. 22) Watch What Happens Live in response to a caller’s question about whether she has kept in touch with Spears since the singer’s conservatorship ended in Nov. 2021 and if she’d be up for another collaboration.
Whether it was more performances or remixes, Azalea said she thought the song never reached its full potential because Spears was “so limited” at the time. “Now that she has the ability to do it her way 100%… I love Britney and she’s so much more creative than what people give he credit for… I would love to be a part of more of anything that she had to do, especially when they’re 100% her own ideas,” Azalea said.
Azalea also noted that the two have been in touch since the dissolving of Spears’ restrictive conservatorship and that they DM each other on Instagram. “My collaboration with her is always one of my favorite collaborations,” she said of the song that peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100; at the time, Azalea angered some Britney fans when she expressed her frustration with the lack of promotion for the song, tweeting, “its difficult to send a song up the charts without additional promo and tv performances etc. unfortunately im just featured.”
In a supportive tweet in summer 2021, Iggy said she backed then efforts to remove Spears from her 13-year conservatorship, noting that such arrangements should be “illegal” and that during a performance of “Pretty Girls” in 2015 she witnessed the tight control on Spears’ life at the time.
“She is not exaggerating or lying,” Azalea wrote at the time. “I saw her restricted from even the most bizarre & trivial things: like how many sodas she was allowed to drink. Why is that even necessary.” Azalea also claimed that moments before the pair’s Billboard Music Awards performance she was told that if she did not sign a non-disclosure agreement she would not be allowed on stage.
During the “Truth or Touch Up!” segment of the WWHL chat, Iggy daintily sidestepped the question of who the better rapper is between Nicki Minaj and Cardi B while slathering makeup on Vanderpump Rules star James Kennedy. But when asked what the weirdest request has been on her OnlyFans account, Azalea laughed and said, “I actually love it. Men pay me to tell them that they’re a piece of s–t!”
The rapper also broke down the sexist quality she looks for in men (“witty banter”), the wildest part of opening for Beyoncé on tour (the excellent catering), the pet peeve that drives her nuts (when her assistant doesn’t strap her clothes down in a suitcase) and the sexiest music video of all time.
Watch Azalea on Watch What Happens Live below.
Doechii recently watched Avatar: The Way of Water, and it got her thinking about a key Na’vi tenet: “All energy is borrowed, and someday you have to give it back.” “That’s exactly how I feel,” she says. “From the women before me, I’m borrowing their energy so that one day I can give it back to the girl after me. That’s what I’m here to do.”
In just the past year, the 24-year-old rapper from Tampa, Fla. — who started releasing music in the 2010s before self-funding her debut EP in 2020 — has used that energy to impressive ends. In March, she became the first female rapper to sign with Top Dawg Entertainment, subsequently scoring a record deal with Capitol as well. Late-night TV and awards show performances followed, as did a string of standout singles, most notably “Persuasive,” which has 30 million official U.S. on-demand streams, according to Luminate. She also released her major-label debut EP, the five-track she / her / black b–ch, which peaked at No. 23 on the Heatseekers Albums chart and featured Rico Nasty and labelmate slash “big sister” SZA.
“Everything aligned,” says Doechii. And yet, despite her stellar 2022, this year’s Rising Star is planning an even bigger 2023 — which will include the first male feature on one of her songs, a Coachella performance and the release of her first full-length. “I’m in year three of my five-year plan,” she continues. “I’m constantly rising and I definitely haven’t arrived yet — at all. But I’m coming.”
What kind of pressure have you felt as the first female rapper signed to Top Dawg Entertainment?
A good pressure, because I know with me being the first, the next female rapper on TDE is going to look to me, look at the things I did and didn’t accomplish, and hopefully be better than me. That’s the point. I’m a leader of a new era of TDE, which feels really good. A lot of my fans reach out all the time about the impact that I’m making for them just being an alternative Black girl. Doing it on TDE like this is cool.
You mentioned borrowing energy and passing it on. Who did that for you?
They don’t even know they did it for me. It was artists like Trina, Nicki Minaj, Lauryn Hill, SZA — just powerful women being powerful women. Even watching Beyoncé be Beyoncé, she shows me that I have permission to be a boss. I can be a woman, and I can be a boss. Then Rihanna, she’ll be like, “I can be a savage.” Sometimes I’m sassy, sometimes I’m not. Watching all of them gives me permission to be more of myself.
Doechii photographed on May 17, 2022 at Seret Studios in Brooklyn.
Hao Zeng
Is there a favorite recent memory you shared with your labelmate SZA?
She’s like a big sister to me. When we were on tour [in 2021] she gave me a lot of advice on what to expect from the industry and how to carry myself. She has just always been supportive of who I am.
You mentioned your five-year plan — what will year five look like?
By year five I want to be at my peak. I want to be in my Sasha Fierce era, the top of my game with still a long way to go — but I want to reach my prime and never leave it.
You show so many sides of yourself in your music. What haven’t we seen yet?
Y’all are going to get it this year. It’s my pop era. Usually I’m alone [in the studio], but these days I’ve been inviting people in. Usually I like people to send me beats and I’ll just listen through, but recently I’ve been working with producers like J White in person, which is cool. So my vibe is kind of changing; it’s a lot of energy. It feels like a party.
Doechii photographed on May 17, 2022 at Seret Studios in Brooklyn.
Hao Zeng
Is this the year you’ll release a full project?
I will. I said that last year, though, and I didn’t. Like, for real for real, I have to this year. It’s not even funny, I have to. It’s time for me to debut this year. My fans will kill me if I don’t.
This story will appear in the Feb. 25, 2023, issue of Billboard.
Quavo dropped the video for his second tribute to late Migos partner and nephew Takeoff on Wednesday night (Feb. 22). In the clip, Quavo is surrounded by luxury cars and jewels, lamenting that he would give all his riches and spoils of fame away just to see his Unc and Phew bandmate one more time.
The video opens with Quavo burning a blunt on his couch while watching footage of the good old days and promising to take care of their families as he laments that he’s trying to move forward, but just doesn’t have the answers. “But I know I can’t look backwards, that’s dangerous,” he raps. “I had to go read the Bible and take a few pages.”
This is the second song Quavo has released since Takeoff’s killing in November outside a bowling alley in Houston, Texas. Earlier this year he dropped “Without You,” an emotional ballad that he performed with Maverick City during the In Memoriam segment of this year’s Grammy Awards.
And while Quavo gets nostalgic about the good times he shared with Take on the new song (“My chain, my watch, my wrist/ My motherf—in house, my rise and grind/ I’d give away all this s–t just to see my dawg one more time”), he also hints at the ongoing reported tension between himself and third Migos member Offset. “So don’t ask about the group/ He gone, we gone, young n—a, it can’t come back,” he raps on the track.
But near the end of the three-minute horn-spiked tune, Quavo comes back around to paying tribute to the genre-smashing trio, stating in the outro, “This how legends was born, greatness/ I couldn’t do it without the greatest group in the world… greatness.”
Watch the “Greatness” video below.
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Black Thought manages to still dazzle as a lyricist and had done so with expert ease since the 1990s, so it is fitting that his latest missive salutes the culture that raised him. As part of BET’s yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop, Black Thought shares a potent tribute titled “Love Letter To Hip Hop.”
Black Thought, known to most as the frontman for The Roots, used the tribute to highlight the culture’s beginnings in the inner city of New York and the purpose of unity that sparked its inception. Further, Thought uses the moment to highlight the likes of mogul Sylvia Robinson and other women who paved the way such as Salt-N-Pepa, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Sha Rock, and Roxanne Shante.
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Some of Thought’s contemporaries are mentioned in the poetic tribute such as Common, Jay-Z, and A Tribe Called Quest, and also expertly shouts out regions outside of the usual East Coast locales such as Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston, and more.
Benny Boom directed the visually stunning piece that captures Black Thought’s crystal clear delivery and gives it a necessary punch since the ode is delivered acapella.
Check out Black Thought saluting the culture as only he can in the video shared below.
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Photo: VALERIE MACON / Getty
