R&B/Hip-Hop
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Days after teasing a new collaboration with Roc Marciano, Grammy-nominated TDE MC Ab-Soul graced the fifth and final Dreamville Fest — and Billboard caught up with him moments before he hit the stage.
“I’m a little offended because me and [J.] Cole are very good friends and I’m a very good rapper, if not the best rapper of all time,” he said in jest. “Why is this my first time on the lineup? It’s beyond me. They really saved the best for last!”
Though it is Ab’s first time performing at the North Carolina festival, it may not be his last opportunity to head down to Raleigh. During a press conference on Thursday (Apr. 3), Raleigh festival organizers surprised fans by revealing that Dreamville Fest will return in the future under a new iteration. Of course, the final (for now) Dreamville Fest is a poignant moment for Ab, who “came up in the same era” as several key Dreamville stars.
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“These are really my guys, Bas was on my first headlining tour, and that’s where I met Earthgang, JID, Cozz, the whole team,” he said. “They’re undeniable. They’re true MCs, true artists. Ari [Lennox] goes crazy. I’m sure [Dreamville Fest] is a dream come true for Cole and for many others in this area. I’m honored to be here [today].”
Last year, Ab dropped his sixth studio album, Soul Burger, a record dedicated to his best friend Doeburger, who passed away in 2021. Stacked with collaborators like Doechii, Ty Dolla $ign and Lupe Fiasco, Soul Burger also features Doeburger as a posthumously credited writer across all tracks.
In the caption of an Instagram post teasing his forthcoming Roc Marciano collaboration and honoring Doeburger’s birthday (Apr. 1), Ab gave a special shoutout to Cole, thanking the “Middle Child” rapper for sharing his perspective. “Preciate the insight Cole. It was much needed,” he wrote, detailing how much the new song means to him. “It’s imperative that I let the world know the impact my brother left on me and so many others. I didn’t do this for views nor to monetize. I did this to honor someone who was undoubtedly ‘none of a kind.’”
At the very end of his caption, Ab-Soul wrote: “Soul Burger: The Odyssey… Stay tuned.” While it’s unclear what exactly he’s teasing, Ab confirms to Billboard that this new project and his 2022 LP are “two different things.”
“Soul Burger is a character, it’s the fusion of me and Doeburger,” he explains. “The Odyssey is… the odyssey. It’s one of the most special pieces I’ve ever put together, I’m very excited about it. It’s very therapeutic — liberating, if you will. It’s a continuous ode to my brother.”
With new music and a performance at Wiz Khalifa’s forthcoming 420 on the Rocks show on the horizon, Ab-Soul is showing no signs of slowing down in 2025.
Comedian John Mulaney won’t be seeing Bone Thugs-N-Harmony at the crossroads — at least for the time being.
During his monologue of a recent episode of his Netlfix talk show Everybody’s Live, Mulaney told the audience a ridiculous story about how the show tried to get the legendary group out of Cleveland to make a surprise guest appearance and ran into a scammer in the process. “Before we get to the rest of the show, motherf—ker, let me tell you about the week I had,” he began. “We had something very special planned for you this evening that we had to scrap very recently.”
He then explained that they planned to do a bit about actor Richard Kind’s fictional recently deceased tortoise and wanted to figure out how to give the little guy a proper send off. “Then we were gonna be like, ‘How can we possibly pay tribute to dead tortoise here on our show? Then, ding-dong, the doorbell would ring, I’d walk up there, I would open the door, and it’s Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and they were gonna say, ‘Our tour bus broke down and we heard you guys were sad.’”
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Adding, “The setup didn’t even make sense at all. But then, in honor of the tortoise, they were gonna perform ‘[The] Crossroads.’ If you’re not familiar with ‘Crossroads,’ it was an enormous hit that Bone Thugs-N-Harmony had in 1996 about their friend’s tragic death and I cannot overstate how hugely popular it was with horned-up junior high kids at Catholic schools to grind with each other during the Clinton administration.”
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The show then tracked down what they thought to be the group’s management and started the process of pitching them the idea. However, they quickly realized that they were being scammed.
They setup a Zoom call with the so-called manager where the individual told Mulaney and his writers that Bone loved the idea, but that Bizzy Bone would be too busy to be involved. Nothing out the ordinary, right? Well, they then tell the manager that the guys need to wear pants with back pockets so that they can pull out their wireless microphones after they ring the doorbell to which the fake manager responded: “The pants we bought don’t have pockets. If you want pants with pockets, you should get some yourself.”
And when the group hadn’t signed the contract to appear on the show, the manager requested $2,800 in cash for “running around money” because they were currently on tour — which was true — and their appearance would essentially constitute as a side mission. But once Mulaney talked his wife Olivia Munn into giving him the cash because he’s not allowed to have more than $300 in cash due to his past issues with substance abuse, the manager then requested $100,000 and finally the Everybody’s Live crew began to notice the red flags.
“I’m genuinely worried,” Mulaney admitted. “After a little investigating, I have come to believe that the man I was talking to was not the manager of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.”
Stereogum managed to get in touch with one of the members in Bizzy Bone, but when the outlet mentioned if he had came across the story, he asked: “Whose that?”
You can watch the clip below.
The reports of Dreamville Fest‘s death have been greatly exaggerated. Many fans were disappointed when they heard this was going to be the last year of J. Cole’s annual music festival, which has become a fan favorite over the course of the last five years. However, during a press conference on Thursday (Apr. 3), Raleigh […]
Playboi Carti might not be done releasing music in 2025 just yet. According to DJ Swamp Izzo, Carti’s upcoming Baby Boi album is “ready” and “done.”
Swamp Izzo sat down with Complex on Friday (April 4), where he talked about his work on Carti’s Music album as well as what’s to come with Baby Boi.
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The Atlanta mixtape DJ confirmed that the project is done, as Carti has over “50, 60” songs finished in the stash.
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“New music. He got over 50, 60 songs done,” he said. “Completed to his liking? I couldn’t say. But they’re done. If I was still in that mixtape era, we’d have Baby Boi one through nine. Fifteen years ago, we were so heartfelt on them exclusives. We couldn’t even sleep until we put it out before everybody.”
Swamp Izzo continued to build on his decorated ATL legacy with Music‘s arrival following his acclaimed mixtape work with the likes of Future, Young Thug, the late Young Scooter and more.
“I judge every artist by how much they study hip-hop,” he added. “[Young] Thug studied it more, so he can input more ideas. Same with Carti… Carti listens to Wu-Tang. He’s attuned. He’s paying attention. You can’t tell?”
Music arrived in March to much fanfare as the long-awaited LP debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 298,000 units earned in the first week. Swamp Izzo claims he was working with Carti right up until the buzzer when the project hit streaming services around 7 a.m. ET on March 14.
“We recorded all the way up to the album actually came out,” said Izzo. “So when they dropped at 7 a.m., we were still in the studio, on everything I love.”
Carti added another four previously released tracks as part of the Sorry 4 Da Wait deluxe, as all 30 original songs hit the Billboard Hot 100.
Music has continued to remain atop the charts and is battling Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine Deluxe for another week at the apex.
Carti will take his show on the road when he joins The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn Tour in May.
Kevin Gates and Brittany Renner appear to be romantically involved after the pair shared a sweet moment together on Instagram. On Thursday (April 3), Gates posted a clip from his Instagram Live onto his page, where he was seen riding shotgun and catching a vibe to Soul For Real’s “Candy Rain.” He then panned the […]
Eminem’s daughter, Hailie Jade, announced on Friday (April 4) that she gave birth to her first child in March — and she revealed her son’s name, which pays homage to her “Rap God” father. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Slim Shady is officially a grandpa. “Happy […]
One of the most controversial relationships of our time has just added another layer of drama. During a recent appearance on Adin Ross‘ stream, Rubi Rose dropped a bombshell and revealed that her whirlwind romance with comedian Druski was indeed real and not a PR stunt as the former couple had previously stated publicly. “Here’s […]
Rob49’s “WTHELLY” arrived two weeks ago (on March 21) and the title of the viral track has taken over social media. Justin Bieber even tapped in, and it seems everyone can’t stop saying “WTHelly.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news TMZ caught up with the New Orleans […]
Ken Carson is keeping the chaos alive. The Atlanta rapper has announced his next project, More Chaos, arriving April 11 via Opium/Interscope.
The news comes as pre-orders for the album go live this Friday (April 5), marking the beginning of a new era following the success of his breakout project A Great Chaos, which debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200.
His last single, “Overseas,” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 and continues to chart, and also debuted at No. 34 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, marking his third appearance on the ranking, after “Fighting My Demons” (No. 40) and “Jennifer’s Body” (No. 43).
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A Great Chaos (Deluxe) added fan-favorite cuts like “ss” to his growing catalog, with the project earning over 828,000 album-equivalent units in the U.S. alone, with 1.3 million globally, and was recently certified gold.
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At just 24, Ken Carson is already carving out a legacy as one of the most daring voices in the next generation of hip-hop. Known for blending high-octane production with a genre-less aesthetic, his music has resonated with a global fanbase while attracting praise from major names across music, fashion, and pop culture.
Among his high-profile fans and co-signers: Jay-Z, Drake, J. Cole, LeBron James, Anthony Kiedis, and Sydney Sweeney. Carson’s Chaos World Tour sold out its first leg, including three nights in New York City, two nights in Los Angeles, and a stop at London’s 12.5k-capacity OVO Arena Wembley. To date, the tour has hit over 70 cities across 80+ dates and shows no sign of slowing down.
In 2024, Carson’s reach expanded even further. He toured with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, modeled for HVN x Y/Project by Marc Jacobs, and played major festival slots including Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash and Coachella.
You can now pre-save Ken Carson’s More Chaos ahead of its April 11 release.
Flavor Flav is opening up about a recent relapse on his sobriety journey — offering a heartfelt message to fans about struggle, accountability, and healing.
The Public Enemy co-founder and longtime reality TV personality shared the news on Instagram Stories on Friday (April 4), revealing that he briefly relapsed after maintaining over four years of sobriety.
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“I remain authentic to who I am and a large part of the past 4.5 years for me has been my sobriety journey. I think I’ve been an inspiration to many that if I could get sober, anyone can do it,” Flav wrote.
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He continued, “But just when you think it’s easy, it ain’t. I briefly relapsed. I say this to admit my mistake and publicly hold myself accountable. I am a human being who makes mistakes and it doesn’t make me a bad person. I hope those who are around me support my choice to be sober.
He added, “I went back to Day 1, again. Time didn’t stop, my journey continues.”
Flav, born William Jonathan Drayton Jr., has received widespread praise for his honesty around addiction and recovery. His openness has resonated with fans and peers alike, especially in a genre and industry where such transparency can still feel rare.
As the iconic hype man of Public Enemy, Flavor Flav played a pivotal role in shaping the sound and attitude of politically charged hip-hop during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, cementing their place in music history.
In 2020, Public Enemy were honored with the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing their decades-long impact on music, activism, and culture. The group’s work, including groundbreaking albums like It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and Fear of a Black Planet, continues to influence generations of artists.
Beyond music, Flav became a pop culture icon in the 2000s through reality TV hits like The Surreal Life, Strange Love, and Flavor of Love, where his chaotic charisma drew in a new wave of fans.