Rap
Page: 7
What’s in the water lately?
Since Future and Metro Boomin dropped We Don’t Trust You a couple of weeks back, rap drama has spilled out from all corners. First, Kendrick Lamar ignited a civil war between the Big 3, which now is down to Drake and Lamar after J. Cole politely bowed out this weekend at Dreamville Fest. Then you have the ladies of rap going at it, with Glorilla beefing with JT from the City Girls late last week over Big Glo’s song “Aite.”
And then today, the OGs, Joe Budden and Skillz, went back and forth over Cole’s backtracking.
Now Skillz…… there is NO LIVING BREATHING person that has you as a better MC than me. & YOU can’t career shame a mosquito with a mixtape. And the one time a year ppl wanted to hear from you got stolen from you. Go be with your family. https://t.co/YA4vjnetNY— Joe Budden (@JoeBudden) April 8, 2024
But the biggest story in “Today in Rap Beef” is undoubtedly Meek Mill being upset with Wale for taking a picture with someone he’s no longer friends with. In a now-deleted tweet, Meek posted a screenshot of Wale’s photo with Philly rapper Dean Stay Ready and wrote, “Wale never liked me.”
Trending on Billboard
Meek Mill goes off on Wale after he linked up with Meek’s former bestfriend Dean in Philadelphia.”Wale never liked me … now ima treat him like the streets every time I see him.” 😳 pic.twitter.com/AL0fnGBUW3— No Jumper (@nojumper) April 8, 2024
Wale responded, suggesting he didn’t realize taking a flick with Dean would end up being this serious.
When u get in other people unserious drama in this industry 90pct of the time they be back friends… eventually ..and then u look silly… in the end… so I love minding my business. If a photo can create such vitriol , one has to ask himself some questions. Happy Monday— Wale (@Wale) April 8, 2024
Meek then accused Wale of having “always been jealous” of him and said the D.C. rapper “killed all his relationships.” He followed it up with a series of tweets mentioning a fight Wale had in D.C., how he doesn’t believe any sex stories about Diddy, how he’s his own publicist, and how he’s treating X like his journal, among other things.
This why the rap game screwed along of niggas be having these secretly jealous vibes you can’t do songs or tours with them lol he’s always been jealous of me but tryna link with meek haters intentionally ..wale killed all his relationships dont come around again with bad energy! https://t.co/8UelusekMx— MeekMill (@MeekMill) April 8, 2024
We’re only four months into 2024 and this isn’t the first time Meek has had a public meltdown on social media. Back in February, after being named in a lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs by a producer who worked on his Grammy-nominated The Love Album: Off the Grid, Meek hopped on X and told DJ Akademiks to stop playing with his name, accused a competing music label of trying to smear him, promoted his Heathenism EP, and then asked his fans to send him the lawsuit so he could read it for himself. It was quite the day.
But as to why Meek would be so mad at his former labelmate for taking a photo with Dean Stay Ready, look no further than a DJ Akademiks interview. In the video interview, Dean talked about his past relationship with Meek Mill and accused the head Dreamchaser of blackballing him. The two reportedly had a falling-out due to Dean’s belief that Meek was preventing the advancement of his career.
The Pandora’s Box that Katt Williams opened in January isn’t closing any time soon. While Beyoncé enjoyed big wins in the country and Americana worlds, the rap game was in complete disarray the past week: Grammy-nominated “F.N.F.” rapper GloRilla dominated headlines with the release of her new Ehhthang Ehhthang mixtape which housed a new track titled “Aite” where she spits, “‘Cause Cardi and Nicki on a track would break some f–kin’ records/ Me and JT ain’t the best of friends but we ain’t beefin’.”
While that line was intended to be unifying, it opened the floodgates for heated social media back-and-forth between GloRilla and JT of City Girls. While the exact details of the origin of their beef are unclear, in this instance, JT was upset at being name-dropped in that bar after GloRilla let rumors of her slapping the “No Bars” rapper fly unchecked. This, of course, bookmarked a weekend that began with J. Cole responding to Kendrick Lamar‘s Billboard Hot 100-topping “Like That” verse on “7 Minute Drill.” That track, which served as the final track on his surprise Might Delete Later mixtape, garnered very mixed reactions, and Cole eventually walked the whole thing back by Sunday evening (April 7) at Dreamville Fest.
Trending on Billboard
“That s–t don’t sit right with my spirit,” Cole said. “That s–t disrupts my f–king peace… I want to say right now tonight, how many people think Kendrick Lamar is one of the greatest motherf–kers to ever touch a f–king microphone? Dreamville, y’all love Kendrick Lamar, correct? As do I.”
As we deal with the aftermath of Cole’s culture-quaking decision and continue to wait for Drake’s “Like That” response, there’s still so much new music to explore. With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Fivio Foreign’s fiery new drill anthem to Bryson Tiller‘s sultry new Victoria Monét duet to J. Cole’s cross-generational link-up with Cam’ron. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: The Amours & TA Thomas, “Pick Me Up”
[embedded content]
Ahead of their new Changes EP (out April 26), sister duo The Amours team up with R&B savant TA Thomas for the gorgeous “Pick Me Up.” Forlorn guitars immediately introduce the track, with the duo trading devastating lines about the turbulent nature of growing together in a relationship. Their tight harmonies function as just another instrument in the overall arrangement, which allows for the song to maintain a conversational, back-and-forth feel despite there technically being three vocalists on the track. “You can always be yourself around me/ Caught in the middle of trust and belief,” they croon harmoniously. TA Thomas, of course, delivers a characteristically silky vocal performance that provides just enough depth to contrast with the brighter tones of The Amours.
GloRilla & Megan Thee Stallion, “Wanna Be”
[embedded content]
Most people opened Instagram on Sunday to a two-minute clip of Megan Thee Stallion flaunting “the best a– on IG” while promoting her new GloRilla collaboration “Wanna Be.” While the clip is certainly a winner, so is the new song. Built on samples from a pair of timeless tracks — Soulja Boy‘s “Petty Boy Swag” and Project Pat‘s “Don’t Save Her” — the two Southern rap stars flaunt their independence and reject the notion of being “claimed.” With an all-star line-up of Ace Charisma, Payday, MKMentality and Yo Gotti on production duties, “Wanna Be” boasts one of the most infectious beats of the year so far. If that weren’t enough to secure its spot as a viable summer anthem, both Glorilla and Meg delivery fiery verses and an incredibly catchy, Instagram caption-ready hook, to boot.
Bryson Tiller feat. Victoria Monét, “Persuasion”
[embedded content]
With D’Mile on production, you know you’re in for a treat. Add Victoria Monét and Bryson Tiller, and you’re in for some heat too. “Persuasion,” one of two collaborations of Bryson Tiller’s new eponymous album, is easily one of the LP’s best offerings. Across the bouncy ’90s-inspired instrumental, Bryson and Victoria trade verses where they play with enunciation and innuendo, teasing listeners with phrasing that hints at expletives before delving into something cleaner — and sneakily more nuanced. “He asked if he could grab all on my— absolutely/ I’m in no opposition so I’m gonna sit on that decision tonight,” Victoria croons. The two R&B stars have palpable verve and chemistry on this track, adding just the right amount of dynamism for an instant standout.
J. Cole feat. Cam’ron, “Ready ‘24”
[embedded content]
J. Cole comes out of the gate guns blazing on this Might Delete Later standout, hilariously bragging about being able to pull your girl without a haircut while rocking some Crocs. Admittedly, his puffed-out chest declarations about “nobody being better” than him on the planet are hitting differently after copping a plea at Dreamville Fest and waving the white flag in his feud with Kendrick Lamar. The Barbara Mason-sampling tune uses the same lift as a Dipset classic from two decades earlier, and Cam’ron himself steps into the booth here like he hasn’t lost a step since Diplomatic Immunity dropped.
Khalid, “Please Don’t Fall In Love With Me”
[embedded content]
It’s been a minute since Khalid led R&B conversations as he did with blockbuster hits such as 2017’s “Location” or 2019’s “Talk.” “Please Don’t Fall In Love With Me” could thrust him back into that limelight. Produced by Jason Kellner and featuring an interpolation of Alicia Keys‘ “Unthinkable (I’m Ready),” the new single finds Khalid updating his plaintive, atmospheric R&B style with some trap inflections. Pounding bass soundtracks his nimble rap-sung in the verses, while the production opens up into synthy mirage when he lifts into his falsetto in the hook. “I hope that you believe in the end that I got you/ How can I move forward when every relationship I get in/ Don’t hit the same ’cause it’s not you?” he asks. With a pen as sharp as ever and a sound that feels fresh and believable, Khalid appears to be back on track.
Doja Cat feat. Teezo Touchdown, “MASC”
[embedded content]
Only Doja Cat can flip threats to end a relationship into a light-hearted angelic chorus. With cinematic production that sounds as if it could’ve landed on Kanye West’s Vultures, Doja aims to have her man sleeping on the couch again while revealing this love story needs a rewrite. “You gave me the d–k / Then gave the d–k without the D,” she cleverly rhymes. Teezo Touchdown steps in to play Doja’s romantic interest in the fried relationship, and attempts to win her back. “I need your time, I need your feet cuddlin’ mine,” he sings. Doja Cat and Teezo Touchdown’s rap-singing styles smoothly mesh, making for a robust collaboration between the eccentric RCA labelmates.
G-Eazy feat. Coi Leray & Kaliii, “Femme Fatale”
[embedded content]
After taking over a year off, G-Eazy kicks off his next era by catering to the women and “sex positivity.” In his hitmaking prime, Young Gerald meticulously dished out catchy hooks and he crafts another one centered around Century Steel Band’s “Heaven and Hell Is on Earth.” Eazy invites rising female rap stars Coi Leray and Kaliii to join him at the party and Leray steals the show with a raunchy assist. “Get this p—y, get more wings and I could get him to fly/ G-Eazy want a bite and I could see in his eyes/ But slow down, don’t rush, baby, give it some time,” she raps. With an album on the way set for this fall, it’s a step in the right direction for the Bay Area rhymer looking to reclaim his hip-hop titan status.
What’s rap beef?
Rap beef is when the best claim the throne. This has happened throughout the genre’s history. Battling on wax is etched in stone, the ritual is one of the game’s 10 Rap Commandments. Rap’s been a game of thrones since the very beginning. Do the knowledge on MC Shan and KRS-One or Kool Moe Dee vs. LL Cool J. Carrying on tradition, last night J. Cole responded to Kendrick’s sneak attack on “7 Minute Drill,” the last track on his surprise mixtape Might Delete Later. However, he sounded like his heart wasn’t fully in it like when Nino had to put G-Money down, just as he alluded to on the song. And instead of a headshot like most expected, Cole instead fired a shot in the air. His retort wasn’t enough.
Though Cole gets right to it and is very direct, he never crosses the lines that need to be crossed. To be fair, he does say this is just a warning shot and this thing is just getting started. But when you first hear Cole spit, “Now I’m front of the line with a comfortable lead/How ironic, soon as I got it, now he want somethin’ with me” as he runs down his thoughts on Lamar’s catalog and claims to have overtaken him in the power rankings, your ears perk up and you start rubbing your hands together, expecting a proper reply. But then he just coasts along until the beat switches to something a little more sinister courtesy of Griselda stalwart Conductor Williams and your ears perk up again.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
And still, Cole plays with his food and never truly handles his business. Instead, he comes off reluctant to really engage, spitting, “My text flooded with the hunger for a toxic reply/I’m hesitant, I love my brother, but I’m not gonna lie/I’m powered up for real, that shit would feel like swattin’ a fly/Four albums in twelve years, n—a, I can divide.” Cole knew he needed to send a shot back, especially before the weekend of his annual Dreamville Fest. What’s interesting is “7 Minute Drill” would’ve hit a little harder if, instead of just coopting Jay lyrics, he went full Jigga and premiered it live on stage and not on streaming services on New Music Fridays. He missed the opportunity to put Kenny on that Dreamville screen.
Trending on Billboard
When Jay-Z was closing out his Volume era at the end of the ‘90s, he and Nas were the Defacto Kings of Rap with acts like Prodigy and Scarface not far behind. Jay was aware of the stakes and the history of this thing of ours. He understood what it took to be the best. So, at Hot 97’s annual Summer Jam concert in 2001, he boldly reached for the crown and snatched it. During his set he performed “Takeover” for the first time, months before it would appear on his sixth album, The Blueprint, and called Nas out by name. That moment was so seismic and important to hip-hop history, people forgot that he brought out Michael Jackson during that same performance! The stakes were that high. Now, over 20 years later, another band of kings must usher in a new era.
[embedded content]
The Big 3 Civil War has officially begun. Last month, Future and Metro Boomin dropped their chart topping collab album We Don’t Trust You. It’s essentially the equivalent of the Mean Girls burn book directed at Drake. On the album’s sixth track, “Like That,” there was a hidden pipe bomb that reverberated throughout every corner of hip-hop. It was very slick on Future and Metro’s part and fitting that they and Lamar chose that song to launch their offensive, with its Rodney-O & Joe Cooley sample serving as a reminder that at the end of the day, this is hip-hop.
Those saying Kendrick’s verse is mid (for the record, they’re delusional, but for the sake of an argument let’s go with it) are missing the point. The “Like That” verse has the potential to be the Big 3 Era’s defining moment. It’s closer to Jay on that Summer Jam stage performing “Takeover” than it is to Lamar’s first attempt at claiming the throne with ‘Control” back in 2013. We Don’t Trust You and Kenny’s vitriol have sparked the beginnings of a power struggle atop Mt. Rap and the game will be better for it in the long run.
[embedded content]
“Like That” is the number one song in the country. It’s being played in sports arenas and during “NBA on TNT” halftime shows. This is a page taken out of Drake’s own playbook. His Meek Mill diss “Back to Back” was made to be played in clubs and on the radio; you couldn’t escape it. The song peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and put a dent in Meek’s resume forever. Now, Drake and Cole find themselves in the position Nas was in when Jay said his name on that Summer Jam stage. Cole’s first rebuttal fell flat, but he still has a chance to drop an “Ether.” Drake, however, should pay attention to the response J. Cole is getting. He now knows that warmup jabs aren’t going to get it done, nor will they appease the fans thirsty to watch the game’s three biggest stars go bar-for-bar. Drake needs a “No Vaseline” or, you know, another “Back to Back.”
But one thing is for sure: The Great Rap Battle of 2024 is here, folks.
03/22/2024
Young Metro and Pluto connect for the first portion of their anticipated double-album.
03/22/2024
Future and Metro Boomin finally dropped their long-awaited joint album We Don’t Trust You on Friday (March 22). We Don’t Trust You plays off Metro’s notorious “If Young Metro don’t trust you, I’m gon’ shoot you” producer tag that Future originally said in their 2015 track “Right Now” with Uncle Murda. Since then, the tag went […]
A triad of star-studded events dominated the worlds of hip-hop and R&B over the past week — the 55th NAACP Image Awards, Rolling Loud California and the final weekend of SXSW. At the NAACP Image Awards — which was hosted by Grammy-winning Kennedy Center honoree Queen Latifah — Chris Brown dominated with three wins, including two trophies for “Sensational,” his hit collaboration with Davido and Lojay. Victoria Monét followed with two wins — outstanding album for Jaguar II and best new artist — while Usher took home outstanding male artist, entertainer of the year and the President’s Award. Of course, The Color Purple movie musical cleaned up with a staggering 12 wins, including outstanding motion picture, outstanding soundtrack/compilation album and four individual acting awards.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Outside of the awards circuit, hip-hop and R&B had impressive showings at both of March’s marquee music festivals. At SXSW (March 14), PARTYNETDOOR launched his new single “Real Woman,” the first taste from his forthcoming LP, PartyNexxtDoor4, whose release date (April 26) he revealed during his headlining performance at Billboard’s annual THE STAGE at SXSW concert series. A few states over in California, Nicki Minaj turned Inglewood into Gag City, Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign performed some Vultures cuts without actually performing at all and Metro Boomin and Future previewed some exciting new tracks from their two forthcoming joint albums.
Trending on Billboard
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Sexyy Red‘s latest head-banging anthem to Maxo Kream‘s reflective tribute to his late father. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: Rapsody, “Stand Tall”
[embedded content]
As she continues to gear up for the release of her forthcoming fourth studio album, Please Don’t Cry, Rapsody is taking some time to address those who are obsessed with the details of her personal life. “Judgment’s on me, they wondering if I’m a ‘Eat the c—chie’ fan/ All because I choose to style in sneakers and some baggy pants/ Used to make me aggy, wanna black out like the Aggie fans,” she spits over a contemplative Eric G-helmed production that’s delicately tempered with twinkling piano keys.
The hat trick of “Stand Tall,” however, is that Rap isn’t giving the messiest people among us the satisfaction of seeing her dedicate an entire song to their speculation. Instead, she flips the script and uses “Stand Tall” to recenter the conversation around the sanctity of family, learning to live with anxiety and a cheeky reminder to read up on the architects of Black political thought. “Navigating through this business, tryna find some decency/ But you only wonder if I eat c—chie or like some d—k in me/ Y’all need to read Dick Gregory, b—tches,” she rhymes before launching into a chorus that has the charming quality of a letter postscript.
Sexyy Red, “Get It Sexyy”
[embedded content]
For most of 2024 so far, Sexyy has been laying low. Outside of a few shows, she’s been enjoying time with her new baby and the continued success of her smash SZA-assisted Drake collab “Rich Baby Daddy.” With “Get It Sexyy,” Sexxy Red SZN is officially in full effect: Over a characteristically rapturous head-knocking beat — courtesy of go-to collaborator Tay Keith and Jake Fridkis — Sexyy delivers a familiar barrage of irresistible catchy couplets (“Booty shorts, c—chie swole/ Thong all up my booty hole”), hilarious background ad-libs (“I’m his favorite hoe!”) and an ingenious interpolation of the “Little Sally Walker” nursery rhyme — “Little miss Sexyy walkin’ down the street/ I don’t know what to do ’cause the n—as after me/ I’m so f—kin’ sexy, yeah, my skin is bustin’ it/ Diamonds hittin’ hard, n—as wanna drive my tank.”
Maxo Kream, “No Then You a Hoe”
[embedded content]
“No Then You a Hoe” is yet another strong addition to Maxo’s recent stream of standalone singles, but it’s also using that position to mask it being a loving tribute to his late father. “Papa Maxo was a soldier and through me forever livin’,” he proclaims in the song’s final line, but not before a pair of harrowing verses that recount the cyclical nature of the dynamic between family and mortality. Across an incredibly sparse Nascent-produced beat, Maxo spits, “Got a call the other day big brother diagnosed with Lupus / He told me he might die soon, I told him, ‘B—ch, you stupid’/ Cause real gangsters live forever.” Maxo’s delivery is caked in grief, the kind that bubbles under the surface while the person it resides in tries their best to hold themselves together. Equal parts reflective and healing, “No Then You a Hoe” is a home run for Maxo.
MaKenzie & TA Thomas, “Maybe”
[embedded content]
For her first official release under Warner Records, MaKenzie taps TA Thomas for a rousing duet that embodies the hallmarks of ’90s and ’00s R&B vocal collaborations without feeling trapped in a corny pastiche of those eras. “Why can’t you look at me in my eyes?/ Believe me, swear that I’m never gon’ make you cry/ Lately, you keepin’ me up at night/ Runnin’, runnin’ through my mind,” they croon harmoniously in the second verse. Their joint affinity for dizzying descending riffs pairs well with the Rob Knox- and Darryl Pearson-crafted beat, which incorporate warped strings and subtle, grounding percussion.
Elmiene, “Crystal Tears”
[embedded content]
Marking his first new single of 2024, Elmiene’s “Crystal Tears” is a winning collaboration with Grammy-winning R&B savant D’Mile. “I apologize for leaving, and I know that/ If I curse my ways/ Won’t mean you might stay,” he croons in his trademark honeyed tone. The British R&B breakout artist’s voice sounds right at home over D’Mile’s sultry guitar-centric arrangement; he dips into his delicate falsetto to convey the most painful parts of his introspection before bringing in his immersive background harmonies to pair with the introduction of twinkling synths and earthy drums. “My dreams are dragged on/ Dеspite of my home/ I might be alonе,” he sings.
Chief Keef & Mike WiLL Made-It Feat. 2 Chainz, “PULL UP GHOST-CLAN”
[embedded content]
The Trap-A-Holics tags pack Chief Keef and Mike WiLL Made-It’s Dirty Nachos with a dose of 2000s mixtape nostalgia that’s lacking in today’s rap landscape. Sosa pours up and slithers in for a syrupy verse on standout track “PULL-UP GHOST-CLAN” before adding a lean PSA for listeners. “N—as drinking brown lean, actin’ like a sipper/ Be careful, ’cause that s–t will probably f–king kill you,” he contests. 2 Chainz invades the party as the perfect guest star, utilizing elementary rhymes that just wouldn’t work if they were spit by just about any other rapper outside of the Drench God. “Don’t try to compare, I’m in a whole ‘nother category/ Everybody know, my flow is nastier than a lavatory/ I’m straight out the laboratory,” he boasts. Dirty Nachos sets the stage for what should be a banner year for both Mike Will and Sosa.
Don Toliver, “Deep in the Water”
[embedded content]
Building off the success of “Bandit,” Don Toliver delivered the woozy “Deep in the Water” in the middle of the week to stand out from the clutter of New Music Friday. The Cactus Jack artist dives headfirst into an emotional kaleidoscope on “Deep in the Water,” which finds him getting candid about his intimacy with girlfriend Kali Uchis as he attempts to curb the vices throwing hurdles into their relationship. “You said you wanna take control of me but I got all the answers/ You want me done with the strip club, you know I’m done with them dancers,” he croons. An accompanying blue-tinted music video gives fans a first glimpse at Toliver in dad mode; Uchis gave birth to the couple’s first child – a baby boy – earlier this year.
Ye and Ty Dolla $ign sat down with Big Boy to talk all things Vultures for an exclusive interview. They touched on a variety of topics, ranging from the duos chemistry, Ye trying to convince Ty Dolla to make a “clean” album with no profanity, how their No. 1 song “Carnival” came about, and family. But the clip that stood out was the one in which Ye claimed he “invented every style of music of the past 20 years,” essentially saying he birthed the careers of The Weeknd, Drake, Future, and Young Thug.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“I done invented every style of music of the past 20 years, I created this genre. I created Weeknd’s genre, Trav, Drake…I’m gonna go ‘head and say it, with all love, Future and Thug also, because of the autotune album if you think about it,” Ye said to Big Boy.”
Trending on Billboard
Ye speaks on inventing every style of music in the last 20 years.He names Drake, The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Future and Young Thug. pic.twitter.com/mcQwQwAEnl— Ye Updates (Fan Account) (@KanyeUpdated) March 15, 2024
Now, that is certainly an interesting take. Some may agree while others would be right to bring up T-Pain when it comes the question of who popularized autotune. We all know those two have a rocky history, so maybe it’s not all that surprising Ye would conveniently forget to mention the influential Florida artist.
It’s also interesting that Ye did not give Kid Cudi the credit many believe he deserves for ushering in a new style of melodic hip-hop. After all, it’s well known that Cudi heavily influenced Ye’s 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak. That’s the “autotune album” he’s referring to in the interview. It’s also the album many believe paved the way for an artist like Drake to flourish.
Elsewhere in the interview, Ye explained that the reason he decided to go on this album run with Ty is due to the fact that Ty stood by him when “a million people told him to not stand beside me.” He also compared the singer/songwriter to another longtime collaborator, producer Mike Dean, saying, “you can give him something, even just like a murmur or something, and he could bring it back with the words; he can fix all the notes on it; he can bring the drums, the music.”
Also interesting is the origin of the Vultures duo. Ty said the idea for the group and the album originated when the two met up in a studio while in Japan. He asked Ye if he would executive produce his next album and Ye agreed. The first song they made after that was the Band of Thieves-sampling “Burn” which lead them to say “f**k it, let’s just do a whole [album]!”
Released on February 10 after months of false starts and delays, Vultures 1 debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart. The album’s third single, “Carnival,” featuring Rich the Kid and Playboi Carti recently hit number one on the Hot 100 chart, marking Ye’s fifth chart topper and Ty’s second.
The full sitdown with the legendary Big Boy clocks in at around an hour and 20 minutes. You can watch the entire thing below.
[embedded content]
“Carnival” is Ye’s (the artist formerly known as Kanye West) first No. 1 single since being featured on Katy Perry’s “E.T.” (his first as a lead artist since 2007) and it seems like he’s back on top. Musically, at least.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Rich, Ty, Carti and the supporters that stood by us through everything, this No. 1 is for you. It’s for the people who won’t be manipulated by the system and f*ck adidas and everybody who works there or with them. Anyone who goes to school with anyone whose parents work at adidas, just know they tried to destroy me and here we are with the No. 1 song in the world,” he posted in a since-deleted statement on his Instagram account this week.
If you thought Ye wasn’t going to be cocky after earning his first No. 1 in 13 years, you thought wrong. He clearly feels that him sitting atop the Billboard Hot 100 is a huge deal. And to be fair, it is. At 46 years old he’s the oldest rapper to achieve this feat — and doing so after some of the most tumultuous years of his career makes this achievement even more unbelievable.
Trending on Billboard
But the question on everyone’s mind right now is: how long will this last?
Kanye West disses Drake, Adidas, Hailey Bieber, Daily Mail and others in an Instagram post promoting his new music video for “Carnival.”“And it’s f**k Drake for taking Durk right at the beginning of the Vultures role out.” pic.twitter.com/FKjViPbvO5— XXL Magazine (@XXL) March 12, 2024
We’ve seen this movie before. Granted, this time it’s been both amplified and accelerated, but the general idea remains the same. Ye does something to infuriate a large group of people which puts his career in peril. When the peril seems all too real, he shows contrition either through an apology or through a piece of art that tries to explain why he did the thing that infuriated all those people in the first place. And eventually, after some passage of time, he winds up back in everyone’s good graces. Most people think of him on stage at the VMAs and the subsequent release of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as the precedent of this cycle.
That was all a long time ago, though. His legacy has taken a major hit over the years as his erratic and, at times, offensive behavior has overshadowed his art. Back in 2016, things got shaky for Ye when some of his Saint Pablo Tour performances were derailed by rantings and ravings. This was blamed on exhaustion and dehydration and led to him being hospitalized and forced to cancel the remaining legs of the tour. That same year he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and pledged his allegiance to Former President Donald Trump. Ye then became a born-again Christian and started to share some of his religious beliefs, like his pro life view on abortion.
Then came his very public divorce from Kim Kardashian and his run of antisemitic remarks that resulted in adidas dissolving their groundbreaking partnership and other companies like JP Morgan Chase severing ties with the artist. Amid all of this, the music he was releasing wasn’t getting the critical acclaim his earlier work received. Ye, Jesus Is King, Donda 1 & 2, and Kids See Ghosts all got mixed reviews. The combination of his controversial opinions and the stream of mid music resulted in fans starting to completely tune him out. History has proven that hit records can fix a lot. But smashes can only do so much—they ain’t magic wands.
[embedded content]
It’s clear Ye has amassed a new legion of fans who are more tolerant of his antics off the field; ones who are able to excuse his bigotry and abrasiveness. But his older fans (I’m one of them) have been mostly turned off by his shenanigans in recent years and it’s going to take a lot more than a hot song to win us back. When I first ran through Vultures 1, “Carnival” didn’t immediately jump out to me as a song that had the potential of becoming a hit record. I thought “Paid” and “Vultures” were the “ones” off this album, and even then I didn’t believe either of them would hit the top of the charts. However, in hindsight, I underestimated “Carnival’s” anthem potential and the power of a #veryrare Playboi Carti feature.
Now, that said, even with “Carnival” going number one, I have to say that on a scale of 1 to 10, I’m at around a five when it comes to Ye continuing this run of success. I’m just not sure he’s into traditional success anymore. He seems to love the drama more than the music these days.
Just look at what’s happening with this Julieanna Goddard debacle. Instead of people talking about his first No. 1 in over a decade, people are talking about a controversy involving members of his Yeezy team. On Tuesday, Ye publicly distanced himself from the Miami-based marketer better known as YesJulz, posting an Instagram Story that read, “We have decided to no longer have YesJulz involved in the role out of Vultures. All the activity on her page and with our fans in the past few days has been unauthorized.” Then an email floated around—allegedly from Chief of Staff Milo Yiannopoulos, yes the far right commentator who managed Ye’s presidential campaign—saying she had been fired and will be fined $7.7 million for violating her NDA, even though she didn’t sign her contract. I’m no legal expert, but I don’t think you can violate a contract you never signed. YesJulz then went on the offensive and shared several screenshots and emails from Yiannopoulos which contained disparaging remarks about Ye’s fanbase. And, frankly, It’s all a sh*tshow.
Heres what Milo, the Chief of Staff who controls who gets hired + fired & when they get paid, thinks about the very fan base that fought so hard to get Ye his first #1 in over a decade pic.twitter.com/N0FEZTny1k— Yesjulz (@YesJulz) March 14, 2024
We should be talking about Ye’s return to form, instead we’re trying to piece together why Milo Yiannopoulos is back on his team and if the original email is even legit or not. Ye eventually deleted his posts about YesJulz, but the damage has already been done. No one knows what’s really going on over there, but one thing is for sure: Ye is addicted to drama. How long before he makes more disparaging remarks about people he perceives to be against him? If his celebratory Instagram caption is any indication, it won’t be long at all. If he’s not able to get his house in order and focus on the art, his first No. 1 in nearly a decade and a half will mean nothing and he will only have himself to blame.
Initially, BossMan Dlow didn’t think he crafted a breakout hit in “Get In With Me” — after recording the track last year, he quickly discarded it into his dossier of files and got back to working on his next hopeful street anthem. But he’s happy to be wrong: the song become his debut entry on the Billboard Hot 100 in mid-February and has since reached a No. 49 high in five weeks on the chart. In the March 1-7 tracking week, “Get In With Me” earned 9.6 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate.
The 25-year-old credits the slick rhymes on the trunk-rattling single to the alcohol flowing through him during a November studio session in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “Patrón was talking to me,” he tells Billboard. “That beat came on and I think I had just spent $1250 on some shoes — so that was in my brain, ‘Pair of shoes $1250.’ It just came to me on some drunk s–t to be real.”
Trending on Billboard
Dlow motivates listeners with his work hard, play hard mentality stacking paper and getting fly to floss on the competition. (“You wanna be a boss, you gotta pay the price,” he raps on “Get In With Me.”) And he isn’t apologizing for his making recent waves in the industry, either, breaking through after pounding on rap’s door seeking entry since 2019 (“I’m trying to step on they throat — ya hear me”).
He signed a record deal with Alamo Records last summer, and he’s the latest integral piece to an already-loaded R&B/hip-hop roster that boasts stars Rod Wave and Lil Durk. And with a label team in tow, life is moving faster than ever for the burgeoning Florida native. He’ll look to stay hot with the release of his gritty Mr. Beat the Road mixtape on Friday (March 15). The 17-track project boasts features from Sexyy Red, Rob49 and more.
Below, Dlow tells Billboard about the success of “Get In With Me,” manifesting a Future collab and his entrepreneurial plans outside of music.
Did you know “Get In With Me” was a hit when you first recorded it?
Hell nah. I had just ran through it. I heard the beat and that probably took me 45 minutes to an hour and then I was like, “You know what? F–k it, next song.” Type of s–t. That’s just another song. [I’m] punching in freestyling. I used to write. Now I don’t be having no time like that. I just go in that b—h and speak my mind, which is a little better.
Where were you eating hibachi on the 50th floor?
That’s boss activity. Get you a bad b—h and take her to the 50th floor and order the most expensive s–t you can. You know, just living life. Doing s–t to talk about doing s–t.
When did you know it was a hit outside your fanbase?
When I first did the freestyle, the s–t went up to like 200,000 likes. I ain’t never had that many likes. Then it was people reposting it. Rod Wave, Moneybagg Yo, even Ciara posted it, DaBaby wanted to get on it. He posted it. A lot of reaction from big rappers too so it’s really crazy.
I saw Quavo using your lyrics in an Instagram caption. What do you think about seeing that?
That s–t crazy. From playing these dudes’ [songs] to now they playing my music. I never talked to him, he just did that.
What was your reaction to making the Hot 100?
The s–t just keep getting crazier and crazier. That’s hard as f–k to do, bro. Especially rap music. It’s unbelievable.
Do you ever have the mentality of “I’m trying to make the Hot 100” when making music?
Nah, I was really in the streets. This is new to me. So my manager telling me, “You at No. 52 on Billboard [Hot 100].” Like damn, Billboard?! I don’t really know what it mean but you know that s–t is hard.
What do you think about “Get In With Me” taking off on TikTok and helping promote it?
Yeah, I seen Lil Baby posted it. It’s crazy. I really didn’t know that song was gonna do all that. That’s what I learned. It be the songs you don’t like. That’s just how it goes. I’m not saying like I thought it was trash, I’m saying more I put it to the [side] like this ain’t one of ‘em. This ain’t my main focus.
[embedded content]
How’d you link up with the producer Dxntemadeit?
Yeah, I f–k with bro. Bro was in the studio with us and we got a couple beats off him. I f–k with his selection and how he make his beats. We started working and we gonna keep it going. We got us some [more] s–t coming for sure.
How did you end up signing with Alamo last year? The label is loaded with you, Lil Durk and Rod Wave to name a few.
Real street. My music started off in Tallahassee and started swinging its way up north and down south in Florida. Couple rappers were reposting my music from the start, and it ended up having me to keep going. [I signed with Alamo during] Last year around August or September. Yeah, we finna crush. We got no time to play.
What was your childhood like growing up? I know you were a hoops fan.
Yeah, Port Salerno. Small hood running around doing kid s–t. Riding dirt bikes and s–t. Couple of streets to ride on, couple of dirt path roads to ride on. Play a little basketball and it’s really just the streets after that. You’ll catch the streets young where I’m from. It’s all around. You end up doing street s–t and then you end up in trouble and then you end up all in now. Just some small city.
Who were some of your early music inspirations?
My people used to play old-school music. I used to play Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa. That was my s–t.
What did you find so appealing about Future’s music?
He’s been going for a long time and he can drop a hit whenever he wants to. It speaks for itself. I want to be long-lasting like that. He’s probably looking at 20 years right now.
We’re gonna get that Dlow and Future collab?
We definitely gon’ get it.
I read you wanted to change your name from BossMan Dlow. What was it gonna be?
Yeah, in 2019 I was BossMan Dlow and I got locked up and had some s–t to deal with. I didn’t want to get back out and rap with the same name I got locked up in. I was gonna just be Big Za. I had a little music, and I had my listeners knowing me as BossMan Dlow. I didn’t wanna throw them off so I just kept it.
What about “Slide” by H.E.R. helped you get through being locked up?
When I heard it, I just had to go by myself and zone out. I picture me just seat laid back, foreign car, I’m on [Interstate] 95 talking to this b—h and good za. I’m just sliding and handling business. That song put me in that mode for real. I used to play a lot of Roddy Ricch too.
[embedded content]
What are some of your 2024 goals? [Is there] Another project on the way?
We’re trying to go on tour, bro. We trying to get this tour right. We trying to get to the arenas and sell out arenas and make better music. We gon’ stay consistent. We gon’ keep it rolling. Another tape and we gon’ have an album this year too.
Bossing up, what other ventures do you have lined up to create avenues for income outside of music?
I want a trucking business. We gon’ rent and sell cars. We gon’ buy property houses. We gon’ build houses. We gon’ own car washes and restaurants. We gonna do it all. I want every store you pass to be Dlow’s establishment. You could come work for Too Slippery Entertainment.
A version of this story originally appeared in the March 9, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Queens native and World’s Fair member Remy Banks just dropped the final installment of his champ hoody music series. His first album in three years, Banks took a break from music in 2021 after releasing the phantom of paradise. “That album was the introduction [of] where I was taking my sound,” he tells Billboard. “I […]