R&B/Hip-Hop
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The Notorious B.I.G.’s acclaimed Ready to Die debut album, which turns 30 years old in September, is getting some special treatment for the big anniversary: A limited-edition 2-LP reissue is set to mark the occasion. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Ready to Die (30th Anniversary) will […]
Not only was Drake out a six-figure wager following Canada’s loss to Argentina on the pitch in the Copa América semi-final on Tuesday (July 9), but the winning soccer team’s X account added insult to injury while trolling Drizzy. Argentina poured salt in the wound after the 2-0 victory over Canada by quoting Kendrick Lamar’s Drake […]
While you all are busy playing checkers on your phones, Eminem is playing multi-dimensional chess on his Apple Vision Pro headset. How do we know? Enterprising Stans went back to check the tape this week on an ad Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg released in February to promote their Gin & Juice cocktails in which […]
Eminem has finally revealed the tracklist for his forthcoming album, The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), set to release this Friday, July 12.
The album, which promises to be a deep dive into the psyche of Eminem‘s notorious alter ego, Slim Shady, features 19 tracks that explore themes of rebirth, inner turmoil, and resolution.
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The tracklist was unveiled by Apple Music on July 10, just two days prior to the album’s release. It comes following Eminem’s reveal of the album’s cover art, which features Slim Shady’s head emerging from a body bag in what seems to be a metaphor for the end of one era and the beginning of another.
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The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) tracklist reads as follows:
Renaissance
Habits
Trouble
Brand New Dance
Evil
All You Got (skit)
Lucifer
Antichrist
Fuel
Road Rage
Houdini
Breaking News (skit)
Guilty Conscience 2
Head Honcho
Temporary
Bad One
Tobey (featuring Big Sean and BabyTron)
Guess Who’s Back (skit)
Somebody Save Me
One standout track that’s bound to get longtime fans excited is “Guilty Conscience 2,” a sequel to the 1999 hit that featured Dr. Dre. With Dre having previously confirmed his involvement in Em’s latest project, expectations are high for this fresh take on a classic collab.
In the lead-up to the album, Eminem has dropped two singles that have sparked conversations and fueled anticipation. “Houdini,” released on May 31, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Charts and quickly became a topic of discussion for its intricate lyricism and controversial references.
The track samples the Steve Miller Band’s “Abracadabra” while addressing hot-button issues such as the 2020 Megan Thee Stallion shooting incident and cancel culture.
The second single, “Tobey,” featuring Big Sean and BabyTron, was released on July 8, after initially being slated for July 5. The track marked Em’s first collaboration with Babytron and his fourth with Big Sean, following their team-up in 2017 on I Decided’s “No Favors,” Detroit 2‘s “Friday Night Cypher” and ShadyXV‘s “Detroit Vs. Everybody.”
As the release date rapidly approaches, both fans and industry insiders are filled with anticipation, eager to delve into the journey through the mind of one of rap‘s most iconic figures.
The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) is out July 12.
Drake fans, get ready: DJ Akademiks has revealed that new music from the Canadian superstar is on the way.
The news comes in the wake of Drake’s highly publicized feud with Kendrick Lamar, which has dominated the hip-hop world for months.
On Monday (July 8), Akademiks took to social media to rally behind Drake, addressing those who doubted the rapper’s staying power.
“All u n—– who been acting like Drake finished… bookmark this tweet for 6 months from now,” he declared. “We don’t want u n—– no where near us… Remember that.”
He added, “And yes… enjoy all the other noise and bs… Drake new music otw. and it’s fye… trust.”
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and yes.. enjoy all the other noise and bs.. Drake new music otw. and its fye…. trust.— DJ Akademiks (@Akademiks) July 8, 2024
Akademiks, one of Drake’s most loyal supporters, has remained steadfast in his defense of the “Hotline Bling” hitmaker throughout his ongoing beef with K.Dot.
During a May appearance on the Flagrant podcast, Akademiks argued that Drake came out on top in the conflict, highlighting the different expectations placed on the two artists.
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“The rules aren’t the same for both artists… Drake has never ducked a battle. He’s always been there,” he explained.
The anticipation for new Drake music has been building, especially after his longtime producer, Gordo, hinted at a summer release. In an Instagram post featuring a photo with Drake, Gordo teased, “You guys ready for summer 2024…”
Drake’s latest chart-topping success was with his track “First Person Shooter” featuring J. Cole, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 17, 2023.
This marked Drake’s 13th No. 1 hit, tying him with Michael Jackson for the most No. 1 singles by a solo male artist. “First Person Shooter” is from his latest album, For All the Dogs, which has already produced several other top 10 hits.
During a recent appearance on the Uninterrupted’s The Shop, Andre 3000 recalled the time UGK‘s Pimp C got upset about the verse Stacks turned in.
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In a clip of the episode which premieres this Thursday, July 11 at 12 p.m. ET on The Shop’s YouTube channel, he had this to say after LeBron pointed out Draymond Green and his wife played “Int’l Players Anthem” during their entrance:
“Rest in peace Pimp, but I got a story about that. Pimp was so mad at me because they sent the beat and I wrote my verse, put my words down and I took the beat out for me to rap. When I sent it back to them, Pimp was like, ‘Man, f—k this muthaf—a, man! This n—a gon’ gotdamn take my beat out! Like, who the f—k he think he is?!’ So he was really mad at the choice that I had made to take the beat. I don’t know if it was Bun or somebody, they were like, ‘Nah, but you don’t understand, when that beat drop, though, it sets it off.’ So it’s almost like a set-up. So it worked, and once he got that, he was like, ‘Okay, okay.’ But he was so mad at me.”
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Back in 2016, during an appearance on the podcast A Waste of Time with ItsTheReal, veteran A&R Jeff Sledge told a similar story about Pimp’s reaction to André taking the drums out:
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“When André sent his piece back and had no drums, Chad was pissed off. He was like, ‘Man, f—k André, man! How the f—k is he gonna send my sh—t back and take my drums out? I’m muthaf—in’ Pimp C, f—k that.’ He was up at the office going off about André taking the drums out. André had a thing — and even if you listen to André’s stuff now — he doesn’t really like drums under his stuff much because he wants people to hear what he’s saying. I was like, ‘Chad, hold up fam. Let’s rock it like that because when André doing a capella and then when the beat drops, that’s when your verse drops. And then your verse is gonna lift the record up because now the beat is rockin’ and your verse is kickin’.’ And he’s like, ‘Alright, Jeff. I’m gonna give it a shot. If it f—ks up, it’s on you.’”
This particular episode will also include guests Sexyy Red, fashion designer Jerry Lorenzo, BMX athlete Nigel Sylvester and comedian/actress Jiaoying Summers.
Ye — the artist formerly known as Kanye West — appears to be calling it a career on the music front.
Rich The Kid shared an alleged text message from West on Tuesday (July 9) which shows Ye explaining how he’s walking away from doing music professionally.
“I am retiring from professional music Not sure what else to do,” Ye wrote in the message while seemingly caught in a state of uncertainty.
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Rich The Kid replied trying to convince him otherwise: “Retire? Why? How? The ppl NEED you the music you & Ty & we have made the BIGGEST STAMP in culture to this date in 2024. Drop Ye about mine & V2 and we do it all over again the kids need you big bra fasho maybe some time to chill but retiring ain’t it.”
The “New Freezer” rapper deleted the text message exchange featuring Ye’s alleged retirement from his Instagram Story about a half-hour after originally posting it.
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Fans were left flabbergasted at the idea Kanye would be done with music. “BOOOOOOOOOO NEVER Ngl I never thought I would hear him use the word retirement in life,” a person replied on X.
Another shocked fan wrote. “That’s what happens when people don’t respect your genius. If it is true yeah should be mentioned with the greats of all time. An artist before anything.”
However, some aren’t taking West at his word and believe this could be a marketing ploy leading into his next album or venture.
It all might be for none as Rich The Kid followed-up announcing that his Life’s A Gamble album is arriving next Friday (July 19) and features West on “Gimme a Second 2” and “Plain Jane.” Ye and Ty Dolla $ign also serve as executive producers on the project.
“ACTUALLY WE DROPPING FRIDAY 7/19,” he wrote with a series of crying laughing emojis.
However, Ty Dolla $ign announced over the weekend that he and Ye were planning to bring the Vultures experience to South Korea with a listening party slated for Aug. 23 at Goyang Stadium. Tickets are reportedly scheduled to go on sale later in July.
Rich The Kid has worked with Yeezy in the past and he appeared on Vultures anthem “Carnival” alongside Ty Dolla $ign and Playboi carti, which gave Ye his fifth No. 1 hit atop the Billboard Hot 100.
Even after releasing music independently this year following his string of antisemitic remarks and controversies, West still put numbers on the boards with Vultures topping the Billboard 200 — his 11th project at the chart’s apex — in February.
Ye has notched 157 Hot 100 entries in his decorated career — which is good for the sixth most of all-time — spanning two decades with 21 top 10 hits to his name.
Billboard has reached out to a rep for Ye for comment.
It’s Lucky Daye’s winning week on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart as the singer achieves his first No. 1 in a lead role with “That’s You.” The song, released on Keep Cool/RCA Records and co-written by Bruno Mars, advances from the runner-up spot to rule the list dated July 13, although it declined 4% in plays for the tracking week of June 28 – July 4, according to Luminate.
Despite the drop, “That’s You” becomes the most-played song on U.S.-monitored adult R&B stations as last week’s champ, Keith Sweat’s “Lay You Down,” sank 18% in plays for the tracking week.
While “That’s You” gives Lucky Daye (born David Brown) his first champ in a lead role, the singer-songwriter previously topped the list thanks to his and Khalid’s featured spots on Alicia Keys’ “Come for Me (Unlocked).” The single ruled Adult R&B Airplay for two weeks in June 2023.
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Beyond the pair of chart-toppers, Lucky Daye claims two more top 10s on Adult R&B Airplay, from six total career appearances. His debut entry, “Roll Some Mo,” climbed to No. 8 in April 2019, while his supporting turn on Earth, Wind & Fire’s “You Want My Love,” resulted in a No. 2 peak in November 2021.
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In addition to Lucky Daye, the “That’s You” triumph also boosts the Adult R&B Airplay achievements for two of its co-creators, Bruno Mars and D’Mile. The two produced the track and co-wrote it alongside Lucky Daye, Mike “Hunnid” McGregor and Austin Brown. As an artist, Mars has become an Adult R&B Airplay staple in the last few years, with eight No. 1s from 2015 – 2022 thanks to his solo output and as one-half of Silk Sonic, his duo with Anderson .Paak. Producer and songwriter D’Mile, meanwhile, continues his standing as one of R&B’s steady hitmakers, composing 10 top two Adult R&B Airplay hits since 2019.
Elsewhere, “That’s You” advances 19-17 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks songs by combined audience totals from adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations. There, the song enjoys its two-spot gain despite a 5% slide to 5 million in total audience, from 5.3 million in the previous week.
“That’s You” appears on Lucky Daye’s latest album, Algorithm, which was released on June 28.
We detail the back-and-forth that exploded on social media last night and carried over to this morning.
Now that 4th of July festivities are in the rearview mirror, we’re officially smack in the middle of summer. Despite arriving in the springtime (May 4), Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” continues to dominate the cultural conversation, with the track’s excellent new music video hitting YouTube on Independence Day, subsequently sending countless cookouts into a Kung Fu Kenny frenzy.
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Naturally, only an event like Essence Fest could cut through the mountains of additional discourse sparked by the “Not Like Us” music video. Featuring eye-popping sets from Usher, Janet Jackson, Victoria Monét, SWV, Lil Wayne, Charlie Wilson and more, Essence Fest rocked New Orleans with a sprawling collection of performances that bridged several generations of R&B and hip-hop. Of course, rising hits from recent major album releases — like Megan Thee Stallion & Yuki Chiba’s “Mamushi” and Camila Cabello & Drake‘s “Hot Uptown” — continue to make waves across the Internet as the summer heat continues to intensify.
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from 42 Dugg’s and Lil Baby’s new link-up to Ken Carson’s ode to Emmy-nominated actress Sydney Sweeney. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
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Freshest Find: SAHXL & Kaash Paige, “Negligent (Remix)”
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Hailing from Sydney, Australia, R&B/hip-hop artist SAHXL has been making major waves in R&B circles, and the new Kaash Paige-assisted remix of his moody “Negligent” track is sure to continue that momentum. On the Sid Mallick & CRATER-helmed track, Kaash Paige sings from the perspective of the “pretty but messy” woman SAHXL waxes poetic about on the original song. “You be calling me like 4 in the morning/ I don’t see why your ass be so annoyed/ I don’t answer, your ass be paranoid/ And that’s just so not cool,” she croons menacingly, expertly playing up the emotional immaturity and overall toxicity that grounds the aptly titled song. Though the two singers don’t actually end up harmonizing together, that stands as a smart artistic choice that underscores their refusal to move as a unit in a romance with a flimsy foundation.
42 Dugg feat. Lil Baby, “No Love“
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The ominous 42 Dugg whistle has returned. The Detroit native reunites with his “We Paid” collaborator Lil Baby, as the duo looks to make another standout entry into their joint catalog. Baby sets the tone by comparing himself to prime ‘06 Gucci Mane and lets the rap game know he’s ready to get active, even with an alleged nine-figure net worth. That number might need to be fact-checked; either way, it sounds good. Then the 4PF boss passes the baton to Dugg, who is surprised to find out it’s the women – allegedly – snitching with loose lips since he’s been getting reacclimated to the free world.
Khalil, “Cancer”
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In a past life, Khalil was a close associate to then-labelmate Justin Bieber. Now, with his atmospheric new “Cancer” single, the Sacramento singer emerges as a fully-realized artist in his own right. “Can’t look into your eyes, ’cause I’m blind, girl,” he gently croons over desolate acoustic guitar strums. Less of a full-bodied song and more of a snapshot of the feeling of being drawn to someone who ultimately harms you, “Cancer” uses its moody guitars to mask the bite of lyrics like, “I still want you to stay tonight/ Don’t care if you’re no longer mine.” Khalil isn’t relishing this situation at all, but it’s his ability to showcase truly anguished vulnerability that makes “Cancer” such a captivating listen, if only for just over two and a half minutes.
Ken Carson, “SS”
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Ken Carson decided it was time for more disorder when he returned to tack on seven more tracks to his A Great Chaos album, turning it into A Greater Chaos. “SS” serves as an ode to film and TV star Sydney Sweeney, and he somehow compares her voluptuous breasts to the drum mags attached to his gun. X Man even hopped into her IG comments, appearing to shoot his shot with the actress. The Opium rapper then moves on to detail his Paris Fashion Week romantic escapades, and ends the journey by dissing Rolex and anyone rocking with the luxe Swiss brand. “I can buy 15 Richard Milles, why would I cop a Rolex?” he scoffs.
Ovi Wood, “Problems”
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Across a murky soundscape built around skittering hi-hats and brooding synths, Ovi Wood attempts to explain the mental torment that prevents him from showing up as the lover that he would like to be. “When my anxiety goes through the roof/ I’ve been hurting bad and I feel so consumed,” he sings, squeezing each word out as if he’s trying to fit them into the gasps of air that punctuates a good crying session. On one hand “Problems” is a song about working through anxiety as it relates to romantic relationships, on the other, it’s a disarmingly honest ode to the solace that music provides. “Music the only thing to get me through/ Music the only thing to heal my wounds,” Ovi sings in the final chorus, perhaps the only time he sounds certain about anything in his life on the track.
Shordie Shordie feat. 03 Greedo, “Ride With You”
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Shordie and Greedo’s “Ride With You” passes the car test and the breezy Cali bounce provides the perfect soundtrack to a summer sunset cruise in the Baltimore rapper’s baby blue Corvette. “Come over you can slide too/ I just need something I can ride to,” the Warner signee melodically raps with a raspiness washing over his flow. If only the ride from Shordie’s Baltimore to Greedo’s Watts, California was as smooth as their freshest team-up. The Captain Hook rapper delivered a pair of projects in 2023, and he should have more heat in store for 2024’s second half.