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Late last week, Lil Yachty had what many would consider a meltdown on social media — and his former groupmate is responding to some of the heated allegations.
Yachty hopped on Instagram Live to address both a not-so-flattering clip from his podcast A Safe Place where he and his co-host Mitch got into an awkward conversation about work ethic, and a couple of since-deleted tweets from an X user who claimed to run into his former artist and assistant Karrahbooo at a Red Lobster where she allegedly told the fan she was “kicked out” of the Atlanta rapper’s Concrete Boys collective.
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Yachty accused Karrahbooo of lying and being manipulative. “Tell people how you verbally abuse people. Don’t get on here to make it seem like n—as kicked you out… bullying you? Bro, go ‘head and tell people how you talk to people… You talk to people like they’re small, like they’re beneath you,” he said on IG Live, adding, “This the problem with you new artists. Y’all get poppin’ online and then you become more popular than your actual music. You $900,000 in the hole and I got every f—ing receipt.”
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Boat also claimed he wrote all of her verses and positioned her as the face of Concrete Boys. “I wrote every f—ing verse you’ve done,” he proclaimed. Later saying, “I slowed the beat down, I put 808s specifically on your verse so when it got to your part and the beat dropped, everyone would be like, ‘This girl is the craziest one,’” in reference to her viral On the Radar freestyle.
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Well, over the weekend, Karrahbooo addressed her former label boss.
She first responded to him via Instagram Stories, saying, “Put it on yo kid I ain’t write these songs miles. Stop da cap and leave me out ur internet shenanigans.” She continued, “Stop bullying me big dawg I never said anything you letting random fans get in yo head man up.”
Then, during her set at Pepsi Dig In Day in Chicago, Karrahbooo again addressed Yachty’s ghostwriting allegations. While performing her song “Running Late,” she asked the crowd, “Who ain’t write it?… Who ain’t write it?” several times.
They both then took more jabs at each other on Instagram. “Don’t throw rocks and hide your hand,” wrote Yachty on his IG Story, to which Karrahbooo responded by saying, “I never threw rocks and u have my number u big grown bi— leave me alone literally @lilyachty.” Adding, “I never said nothing about sh– and I still ain’t said nothing about what’s really going on I don’t want no beef wit you industry people just move on wit ur life stop tryna bring me down when I stay out the way I’m done talking u got it yo character gone speak for itself.”
Lil Yachty & KARRAHBOOO trade more shots via IG as their beef continuesLY: “don’t throw rocks and hide your hand”K: “i never threw rocks… u big grown b*tch leave me alone” pic.twitter.com/9XBOAX8stf— Kurrco (@Kurrco) August 25, 2024
Anyone in the rap social media universe has likely shared and commented on an On the Radar Radio freestyle. The setup is simple: a mic with a stand in front of a neon On the Radar sign, a couch that brings the room together, some shelves with merch, and the often-imitated Monster Energy green glowing it up. Using their time wisely, a rapper picks a beat (or multiple beats) and precisely delivers bars, hoping a viral moment will result.
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The trendsetting platform to showcase emerging and established artists has brought back the essence of music discovery. On July 11, Complex published its second annual hip-hop media power rankings for 2024, and at No. 25 was Gabe P, the host and founder, which was his first entry onto the list.
While he’s grateful and appreciative of the acknowledgment, he knows how competitive the hip-hop media landscape is — On the Radar has become a staple of hip-hop culture — and disputes his ranking.
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“It’s a big honor to be on the list with many people I respect in the culture. Look, Uncle Charlamagne [Tha God] said it best, ‘I’ll make an argument for Gabe P to be top ten,’” he says over a Zoom call in early August, referencing The Brilliant Idiots episode with Nyla Symone. “I’m gonna let Uncle Charlamagne speak for me on that one. I ain’t gonna lie. I should be top ten. I feel like if you’re in this culture, you gotta be like ‘Yo, I’m the best.’ I think the real ones know I don’t base my level of success on lists. I base my level of success on how many lives I’ve changed, and how well my platform is doing.”
Six years after its 2018 launch, Gabe P has built a platform he’s deeply embedded in, creating a premier destination for undiscovered talent you wouldn’t normally find on other hip-hop outlets. The YouTube channel’s blend of conversational interviews — with its ability to create noise on social media through exclusive freestyles, song performances, and cyphers — has established itself as a go-to stop for artists worldwide.
With 885,000 subscribers, On the Radar has uploaded over 1,400 freestyles that range from respected names to artists you haven’t heard of yet. Some artists go on there to freestyle and release the track shortly after on streaming services. Last year’s Drake and Central Cee’s “On the Radar Freestyle” was the viral moment that took them mainstream, earning Gabe P his first entry onto the Hot 100 with his platform.
“Some of the songs we’re lucky enough to put out with the artist themselves,” he says. “Some of them we’re not [able to]. But I love that we’re forever memorialized in hip-hop culture. I can forever say that I have a song within Drake’s catalog.”
Rappers like Meek Mill, Big Sean, CyHi, Ice Spice and Baby Tate have made their OTR debuts with impressive freestyles. Chances are, if they’re bubbling under like Laila! or LazerDim700, they’ve already been on Gabe P’s radar.
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Gabe P says that the On the Radar team consists of 5-to-10 people. “I got John, I got Tobby, I got Calvin, I got Aiden, I got Cam, I got Rob,” he says. “Everybody has a very different music taste on the team. And with that, everybody pitches different artists. There might be some cases where we may not all agree on the artist or we may not all like this artist’s specific sound. But we see that the artist has a type of fan base.”
He adds, “I look at On the Radar like a spiderweb. I’m always trying to keep growing my web and reach within different sounds in hip-hop.”
On the Radar is doing “real A&R work,” clearing misconceptions that any artist can just come up to On the Radar if they pay a fee. He and his staff do the groundwork to find artists, communicating with them directly or through their teams to get them on the show. He recognizes hip-hop as a global phenomenon without regional boundaries or personal bias towards either coast. He doesn’t believe in catering to one specific audience. Just take a look at the channel, which has featured Christian rappers (MTMIsaiah, Nobigdyl, Caleb Gordon, Emanuel Da Prophet), Punjabi rappers (AR Paisley, Chani Nattan, Inderpal Moga) and Asian hip-hop artists (Warren Hue, Ted Park, pH-1, Charlu), among many others.
In June, he featured the first Italian On the Radar freestyle with Rondo, who makes Italian drill music. “There was a group from Australia who I like. They’re called Onefour. They’re not 41. See what I did there?” he says, referring to the Brooklyn rap group. “They’re like an Australian drill group. They’re so tough.”
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With the sheer volume of hip-hop music released every week, you’d think Gabe P would have a process for keeping track of all the rappers who have a buzz. Instead, he’s all about having the fan bases overlap, describing a day when On the Radar put out freestyles with Benny the Butcher, Xaviersobased and Rx Papi within hours of each other. There’s no rhyme or reason to that selection, other than the fact that Gabe P’s hip-hop taste is very broad and he wants On the Radar to reflect that.
Gabe P is also a music connoisseur who doesn’t only listen to hip-hop. Growing up in a traditional Puerto Rican household, he was surrounded by salsa and reggaeton. The Long Island native was raised by his father, a “rock head” from The Bronx who introduced him to Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin and Aerosmith. He became a fan of The Beatles and Green Day, too.
“I was really into discovering hip-hop on my own, because when you come from this type of traditional Latin household, you don’t get exposed to hip-hop like that,” he says. “So at the time, I was really into rock music because of my father, but then I was also into what was poppin’ at the time, just being a kid in the early 2000s, listening to Terror Squad, 50, Hov, Nas. The classics.”
One of the first albums he bought was Linkin Park and Jay-Z’s 2004 mashup album, Collision Course. Inspired by opposite genres clashing with each other, it influenced him to want to break into the music industry. “I think it’s so telling of what I would be doing in this industry because On the Radar has become such a diverse platform with so many different music tastes and genres attracting people,” he says. “That was what that project was, it’s a blend of two different worlds in one place.”
Gabe P always had an ear for what’s next. It goes back to his time at St. John’s University, working at WSJU Radio as programming director, producer and on-air personality, where he would bring up artists for interviews. When his friend Romel suggested he should be an A&R, he knew the music side and the media side of the music business would come together. After graduating in 2018, he eventually got an internship at Power 105.1 through Angie Martinez, impressing her in an interview he conducted with Nyla Symone during her My Voice: A Memoir promo run. He was hired officially at Power as a Digital Content Manager.
While working at Power, his idea for On the Radar started to formulate when detractors were trash-talking SoundCloud rappers. At 20 years old, he thought the 2016 XXL Freshmen Cypher with Kodak Black, 21 Savage, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty and Denzel Curry was the “greatest piece of hip-hop media in history” — but he remembers how it made him feel, listening to older hip-hop heads discredit them. “I was like, ‘Damn, am I not the hip-hop fan that I thought I was?’” Gabe P says. “I’m like, ‘No, I’m just younger than everybody, and they just don’t understand the type of music that these kids are making.’
“A lot of these kids, who are my age now, Denzel, Yachty, Uzi, etc., we all grew up listening to the same s–t,” he continues. “We also grew up with the alternative side of ourselves, with rock, punk, things like that. You think about artists like Trippie Redd, XXX, Juice WRLD, the reason why I gravitated so much towards those artists because it felt like an extension of that Jay-Z and Linkin Park, Collision Course album,” he continues. “I think that’s my core for starting On the Radar because I saw everything changing. I saw the rise of drill music, I saw this, I saw that. I’m like, ‘Nah, somebody’s gotta give these artists a fair shot.’”
On the Radar’s rise as a platform comes from its consistency and adaptability to the modern fan’s listening experience. On the Radar began in a small backroom, crediting Power director/producer Nick Ciofolo, who helped him come up with the name. After New York started to reopen after the pandemic, Gabe P connected with Devvon Terrell, a singer, rapper and producer, who assisted him in migrating their operations to HMD Studios. Now, On the Radar calls their own studio space in Brooklyn, New York their home base, although they’ve also taken On the Radar on the road, setting up shop in California, Houston, Nashville, Milwaukee, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Detroit, and Miami. There are plans to go international soon.
“Early on, when On the Radar was starting to get big, we had international artists on the show like Digga D, AJ Tracey,” he says. “A lot of these guys were on the show at the early stages and had already gone viral. Because of them, the reach we were able to have in Europe was a lot bigger. This is in 2021, 2022. Drill music was so big globally at the time. Drill music helped bring the show internationally.”
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He also mentions Cash Cobain and Chow Lee’s freestyle from 2022, which was important for the brand’s growth. “The Cash Cobain and Chow Lee On the Radar freestyle kickstarted everything you see today with the sexy drill s–t,” he says. “It changed a lot for a lot of us. That’s why I feel so indebted to the boys and why I love them so much. I will always support them [because] I look at them as more than just artists, they’re family.”
Cobain, a New York rapper, producer, and frequent guest, knew Gabe P had good instincts, agreeing he helped move the sexy drill sound and “everything in New York, period.”
“Gabe P showed love from Day 1,” Cobain says. “From the first moment he had me up there, I knew he was tapped in. Gabe saw it when a lot of people didn’t, honestly when the world didn’t. He and OTR were extremely important to the scene. It was the spotlight that I needed at the time and to this day, anything he needs from me I got him and vice versa.”
He believed in Gabe P and On the Radar from the start. “The interviews, freestyles –– it was a void the music world was missing,” Cobain says. “It gives a spotlight to artists like myself and eyes and ears for the kids. The kids need to be heard! On The Radar does that for them.”
As Gabe P expands On the Radar into country, rock and other genres, he sees the risk of upsetting his hip-hop segment. But those who know “the real Gabe” find that he’ll be doing a disservice if he doesn’t explore the other musical sides of himself. What’s next for On the Radar is more DJ sets outside of hip-hop like his recent goth one. You can expect On the Radar Records to be more of a presence, teasing a collab EP with Lonny Love and Chow Lee called LoveLee Sounds.
You can also expect Gabe P.to spin his On the Radar web to the farthest threads it can reach, using the “biggest music platform in the world” as his goal. “The mission has never changed,” Gabe P says. “The vision has always been and always will be: I want to be the biggest and I want to be the best. And I think we’re working towards that goal.”
Tommy Richman’s debut album is almost here. The “Million Dollar Baby” rapper-singer announced on Monday (Aug. 26) that Coyote will hit streaming services on Sept. 27.
Richman posted a trailer for Coyote on Monday (Aug. 26), in which he revealed the anticipated LP’s release date. “Welcome to the desert. Coyote, my debut album. 9/27,” he captioned the clip.
The trailer features an actual coyote walking on a Wile E. Coyote-themed desert set, and the camera pans to Richman, who is seated in front of a mirror wiping the clown makeup off his face, which plays off his 2022 Alligator project’s cover art.
Fans and Richman’s peers hopped into his comment section after learning about the announcement. “The World Ready Bro, Get’m,” DJ Paul wrote.
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A fan added: “This gunna be so special!”
Richman exploded onto the mainstream scene with his “Million Dollar Baby,” which became inescapable upon its arrival in April. The track is the longest running No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart to date.
“Baby” also topped the Pop Airplay chart dated Aug. 31, and spent time at the apex of the Hot R&B Songs chart — for 16 weeks through the Aug. 24 tally, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (three, May-June), Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart (three, May-June); the Billboard Global 200 (two, June); and Streaming Songs (one week, May).
“This is a big record, but this doesn’t define me,” the Virginia native told Billboard in June. “I’m using this as, ‘We’re here. We arrived.’ Not as, ‘We made it!’ This is the start of a run.”
“Million Dollar Baby” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has tallied 773 million spins in radio audience, 559 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 77,000 units sold from its release through Aug. 15, per Luminate.
He followed up “Baby” with “Devil Is a Lie” in June, which peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. Coyote is set to arrive on Sept. 27 via ISO Supremacy and PULSE Records.
Watch the trailer below.
As the first gusts of autumn begin, it’s time to accept that we are now closer to sweater weather than the peak of summer vacation.
Although summer is nearing its end — with Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” sitting comfortably in the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 for a 15th consecutive week, no less — Drake seems to be alluding to a round two of their world-stopping feud. On Friday (Aug. 23), Drizzy self-leaked a second batch of unreleased content and music from his 100 Gigs franchise, this time featuring a collaboration with Playboi Carti. Notably, the 100 Gigs update also featured footage of Kanye “Ye” West giving Drake his flowers while onstage at OVO Fest 2013. It’s a smart play that complements Ye’s recent shoutout to Drake during a blockbuster Goyang Stadium Vultures II listening party in South Korea (Aug. 23).
Outside of the Kendrick-Drake beef and its supporting characters, Travis Scott‘s beloved breakthrough 2014 mixtape Days Before Rodeo finally hit streaming services in time for its 10th anniversary, Macklemore accidentally brought a fan onstage who was being looked for by the Slovak Republic Police (she is now in jail), and A$AP Rocky graced Billboard’s latest cover and talked everything from his forthcoming Don’t Be Dumb LP and the differences between his and Rihanna‘s parenting styles.
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Chxrry22’s new girls-night-out anthem to Luh Tyler’s swaggering new banger. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
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Freshest Find: Hamzaa, “25!”
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Heavy percussion and a buttery timbre that sneakily traverses the border between mezzo-soprano and contralto introduce “25,” the heartfelt closing track from Hamzaa’s EP of the same name. “Made it to 25 on my / Made it out alive on my / Now I’m on my A-game / We’re not on the same page, no,” she croons in the chorus, finding a hard-fought peace of mind in light of a pivotal birthday year. Countless songs explore the myriad fears, hopes and anxieties of different stages of your twenties, and Hamzaa stake a claim for herself in that conversation as it relates to the age of 25. Often the age that makes your thirties feel particularly real and near, 25 can get a bad rap because many people feel as if they have to have accomplished something major in their lives by that age. Those anxieties aren’t the primary concern of “25”; Hamzaa is more focused on the stability, growth and self-sufficiency that comes with finally trusting yourself after surviving the abyss that is your early twenties.
Luh Tyler, “Mr. Skii”
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The Tallahassee wunderkind dropped his debut album last week (Aug. 23), as the Bossman Dlow-assisted “2 Slippery” continues to explode across socials — but that’s not the only song from the project worth adding to your playlists. The title track, “Mr. Skii,” finds Tyler employing a laid-back flow through which he effortlessly skates across OhYeaCris’s trap-indebted beat, which smartly plays on the sweet melody of Earl Klugh’s “Living Inside Your Love.” The song’s lone verse is typical braggadocio rap fare, but Tyler’s cavalier delivery and humorous punchlines make it all feel fresh. As he says himself, “P—y capping, that’s a cat in a hat, yeah/ Real shit, ain’t no cap in my rap.”
Ye Ali & Ant Clemons, “All Summer”
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To put it plainly, “We f–king all summer,” even if summer is basically over. R&B maestros Ye Ali and Ant Clemons join forces on this slinky ode to steamy summer nights. Sultry saxophone, sparse 808s, and subtle harmonies all coalesce for a particularly immersive soundscape that conjures up just the allure and mystique the duo’s X-rated lyrics forgo. At just under two minutes, this is more of an overgrown interlude than a full-bodied song, but “All Summer” sources its charm from its brevity. Not only do they get straight to business, but they also stand on it without coming off as aggressive or overly eager; their joint suaveness is the song’s superpower.
Kanii, “Same Stories (Come and Go)”
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Kanii is tired of running in circles for a toxic relationship, but he’s not ready to completely cut her off and close the book on things possibly turning around. The D.C.-bred singer leans into his pop&B bag for the brooding “Same Stories (Come and Go),” with pulsating synths pacing the dance-leaning track as he falls in and out of lust. “I’m tired of the same stories, the same games, the same lies / The tricks that you playing think I won’t realize / The same outcome again I waste my damn time,” he laments. Watch Kanii clear his head and explore what NYC has to offer in the track’s grainy visual.
Chxrry22, “Poppin Out (Mistakes)”
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Kendrick Lamar said something about needing to pop out and show the haters what’s good. The perfect pre-game playlist for girls night, Chxrry22 crafted an awfully fun bop to reverse a heartbreak. And rule No. 1 for Chxrry: there’s no crying over any boys inside her nightclub. But for the guys looking to win her attention, it’s going to be pricey – starting with sending her over six figures because someone has to pay for her mistakes. The best part might be the First Lady of XO living out her raps, as she enjoyed a not-so-demure girls’ night out last week turning up and celebrating “Poppin Out”’s arrival with her friends.
Free Party, “Eyespy”
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Free Party returned on Friday (Aug. 23) to drop off their anticipated Cut Your Teeth EP. It’s an appetizing sprint clocking in at 10 minutes, with “Eyespy” finding the DMV-bred duo showing off their rapping versatility and seamless chemistry in the booth. Jay Veno comes out of the gates blazing with a speedy flow as Free Party looks to make a leap. “They better never let us see a crevice/ Better keep it zealous or we looting the s–t,” he raps. MoCo takes the baton and the plug gets pulled before the AUX cord melts, leaving listeners wanting more. When is that full-length LP coming again?
Drake is back for round two with another drop for his 100 Gigs content website. Drizzy went back into the archives and dug through the Nothing Was The Same-era archives circa 2013 to give fans a peek into his creative genius at the time.
100 Gigs received an update on Sunday (Aug. 25), which also includes the three-pack of tracks he leaked on his burner Instagram on Friday (Aug. 23).
There are highlights scattered throughout the content dump, with one featuring Drizzy talking to YG and Mustard following their “Who Do You Love” collaboration in 2014, which peaked at No. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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“I’m bout to send you a verse I did on this beat that Mustard sent me for you … I’m just about to record the s–t and I’ma send it to you,” Drake told YG and Mustard on the phone. “Just get Future to email it and I’ll send you the verse in 30 minutes … I’ma send you the s–t and let’s turn up the summer, I’m ready.”
It’s an interesting chess move by Drake to showcase his once fruitful relationship with YG and Mustard, considering the pair of West Coast natives aligned themselves with Kendrick Lamar during Drizzy’s feud. YG danced on stage with Kendrick at the Pop Out concert and Mustard produced “Not Like Us.”
Mustard also recently took things a step further regarding his relationship with Drake when he nixed the idea of ever doing another song with the 6 God and referred to him as a “strange guy” in an interview with The Los Angeles Times published Aug. 21.
“I don’t think I want to make a song with that dude,” he told the paper. “He’s a strange guy.”
There were also some run-ins with his on-and-off-again enemy Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — as they shared the OVO Fest stage while Yeezy gave Drake his flowers. West even admitted that Drake’s explosion entering the rap game inspired him and Hov to make Watch the Throne.
“Me and Hov wouldn’t have made Watch the Throne if this n—a wasn’t putting pressure on us like that,” he said before performing “Can’t Tell Me Nothin.” “So I just want to pay my respect.”
New footage of Drake & Kanye at OVO Fest 2013, shared by Drake via his 100 GIGS site”Me and Hov would’ve never made Watch The Throne if [Drake] wasn’t putting pressure on us” pic.twitter.com/QZWtkgnVqo— Kurrco (@Kurrco) August 25, 2024
Drake talks about meeting Kanye at OVO Fest (2013)”I’m the biggest Ye fan. Period. Sometimes I feel like I can’t like it because I gotta go against it. But that sh*t tonight was almost therapeutic.” pic.twitter.com/VbGPCW19hk— Kurrco (@Kurrco) August 26, 2024
The love fest continued backstage when Drake gushed about being a Ye fan and hearing West show his appreciation for his artistry since he grew up idolizing him.
“I’m the biggest Ye fan, period. Sometimes I feel like I can’t like it because I gotta go against it,” Drake admitted. “But that s–t tonight was almost therapeutic.”
There was plenty of other footage in the latest drop, including a time when Drake and The Weeknd were on good terms, as well as footage recording NWTS tracks such as the Jay-Z-assisted “Pound Cake” and “Furthest Thing.”
Nothing Was the Same arrived in September 2013 and debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 658,000 copies sold in the first week.
A few of the songs on Eminem‘s The Death of Slim Shady: (Coup de Grâce) album hit a bit too close to home for the rapper’s daughter, Hailie Jade Scott. On this week’s episode of her Just a Little Shady podcast, Hailie tackled her emotional reaction to a pair of songs on Em’s Billboard 200 chart-topping twelfth LP that have a very personal message.
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“Speaking of things I watched this past week, which I guess I’ll say watched, but I refused to watch again — the ‘Somebody Save Me’ music video is out and I did watch the thing,” Hailie, 28, said of the emotional clip featuring footage of her as a child underneath lyrics from her dad lamenting the countless hours and days he missed due to his struggle with drugs and alcohol; Em celebrated 16 years of sobriety in April.
“I watched it in its entirety. I don’t think I can do it again. I definitely cry every time I hear it at all,” Hailie said of the song featuring Em lashing himself for his shortcomings as a father. “Another pill as I start to spiral/ Message to my daughters/ I don’t even deserve the father title/ Hailie, I’m so sorry/ I know I wasn’t there for your first guitar recital,” Eminem raps on the tune featuring a mournful chorus from Jelly Roll about seeking salvation. “Didn’t walk you down the aisle/ Missed the birth of your first child/ Your first podcast, lookin’ down, sweetie.”
The clip features home video footage of Hailie playing the guitar at a recital, walking across the stage for graduation and celebrating her birthday as well as video of Em’s other children, Alaina Marie Scott, 31, Stevie Laine Scott, 22 and his younger brother Nate in scenes that bring Em to his knees as he seeks forgiveness.
Hailie said in addition to getting emotional over the heartbreaking lyrics and video for “Somebody Save Me,” she also can’t quite bring herself to listen to another one of her dad’s new songs, the Skylar Grey collab “Temporary.” That song features audio of Hailie as a baby and Marshall rapping, “A lot of people ask me, am I afraid of death?/ The truth is, I think what scares me the most/ Is not being able to say all the things I wanna say to you/ When I’m no longer here/ So this song is for Hailie for when that day comes/ Where’s Hailie? Where’s she at?”
Co-host and BFF Brittany Ednie said she wasn’t sure when she’d be able to watch “Save Me” either. “I’m gonna have to brace myself for that one.” Ednie had listened to “Temporary,” however, and she said the song “broke me.”
For now it’s to too much for Hailie. “I audibly sobbed… I think for both songs, but especially ‘Temporary.’” However, after watching the video and listening to the songs, Hailie praised her parents for “doing such a good job” when she was growing up to shield her from the reality of “how bad things were. But now as an adult in hindsight it’s so scary to think about and I think that’s why I get emotional… I will say if you’ve ever lost an addict or loved one, I feel for you,” she added on the verge of tears.
Eminem shares Hailie with ex-wife Kim Scott and as any Slim Shady fan knows, the rapper and his ex have had a tumultuous history over the years. Hailie said she really enjoyed the video and watching clips of her and her siblings when thy were younger, though she noted that another very personal Eminem track, “Mockingbird,” is yet another one she can’t listen to anymore without getting very emotional. “The older I get the less I can listen to any of the songs,” she said.
Watch Hailie discuss her reaction to “Somebody Save Me” below.
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TLC has been forced to cancel two highly anticipated concerts due to a medical emergency involving Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins.
The news came just hours before the group was set to perform at the New York State Fair on Aug. 23.
In a statement shared on Instagram Stories, TLC’s Rozanda “Chilli” Thomas revealed the details of T-Boz’s sudden health crisis following a performance in Toledo, Ohio, on Aug. 22.
“Shortly after arriving in Syracuse, Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins experienced sudden and severe nausea, vomiting, and intense abdominal cramps,” the statement explained.
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“She was immediately seen by a doctor and subsequently taken to the hospital for further evaluation. The doctor verified that this was not food poisoning, but an abdominal blockage. Tionne deeply regrets having to cancel these shows and extends her sincere apologies to all her fans and the event promoters.”
It continued, “The decision to cancel was made under the advisement of her physician, who required her to stay in the hospital overnight to undergo a CT scan to assess the severity of her condition.”
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As a result of the diagnosis, TLC was forced to cancel both their Aug. 23 performance at the New York State Fair in Syracuse and their Aug. 24 show at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, where they were scheduled to perform alongside Shaggy.
The statement also mentioned that T-Boz is expected to be released from the hospital on Sunday, Aug. 25.
The latest cancellation marks another challenging moment for TLC, who have had to navigate several health-related setbacks this year.
Just three months ago, the group postponed four Canadian tour dates after T-Boz and several crew members contracted the flu.
Despite this, T-Boz assured fans in a message posted to Instagram that she’s “on the mend” and expressed deep regret over the cancellations. “This was just one of those unexpected things that I had no control over,” she shared. “I look forward to making it up to you all.”
The group has promised to reschedule the cancelled shows, stating: “TLC is committed to rescheduling the cancelled shows and apologizes to all the fans, particularly those who traveled long distances to attend. The group appreciates the understanding and support.”
TLC’s legacy in the music industry remains unmatched. With four Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits—”Creep,” “Waterfalls,” “No Scrubs,” and “Unpretty”—the group has solidified their place as one of the most influential girl groups of all time. Their 1994 album CrazySexyCool is also certified Diamond by the RIAA. Earlier this year, TLC celebrated the 25th anniversary of their album Fanmail, which featured the chart-topping hit “No Scrubs.”
Fans are encouraged to stay tuned to the group’s official channels for updates on when the cancelled shows will be rescheduled.
Celebrating life through the lenses of contemporary African American poetry and lyrical art is the creative force behind the new Atlantic Records album, On Imagination. Produced by award-winning music producer, engineer and singer-songwriter Ebonie Smith, the project features 12 poems performed by legendary Black women artists and cultural icons such as Roberta Flack, Valerie Simpson, U.S. Representative Maxine Waters and Dr. Angela Y. Davis.
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June Jordan, Gwendolyn Bennett, Phillis Wheatley and Georgia Douglas Johnson are among the esteemed poets whose work is showcased on the new project. As noted in On Imagination‘s press package, the premise was to “harness art’s transformative ability to turn grief into joy and resilience, honoring the tradition of music as a life-giving, affirmative revolutionary force while shining a light on language as a pathway to healing within the Black community.”
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Available now, On Imagination was first revealed in commemoration of this year’s Juneteenth celebration with Dr. Angela Y. Davis reciting Jordan’s 1982 poem, “Moving Towards Home.” The full-length album’s cast of performers also includes Valerie June, Danyel Smith, Genesis Be, Lori Lightfoot and Flyana Boss.
Currently an in-house engineer and producer for Atlantic, Smith has also worked on prior projects such as Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording), Sturgill Simpson’s A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer and Cardi B’s Grammy-winning Invasion of Privacy.
In announcing On Imagination’s arrival, Smith stated, “The poems on this album are restorative. They helped me heal and re-center after COVID. The language is challenging, requiring the listener to work for a deeper understanding, but those who make the effort will find the words of these poets truly powerful and transformative. In the wake of [Migos member] Takeoff’s passing, I turned to these poems to help me heal and make sense of the deaths occurring in and around hip-hop culture. The language on this album helped me find strength during that time.”
Another of the album’s notable tracks is the Bennett-penned “Fantasy,” which artist Dawn Richard performs. It’s accompanied by a dance piece choreographed by Ailey II artistic director Francesca Harper and filmed in collaboration with Richard and Ailey II alumni Maya Finman-Palmer, Brena K. Thomas and Maggy van den Heuvel with former The Ailey School student Raven Joseph. The “Fantasy” video was filmed at Ailey’s home, the Joan Weill Center for Dance.
Commented Richard, “19 years later I get to step through the doors of Ailey on my own terms. The last time I danced in Ailey’s theater was in [ABC/MTV reality series] Making the Band. To be back here and recreate a world of regality and beauty through femininity and empowerment makes this moment so special. It speaks to the power of womanhood and perseverance. You can shape your own dreams, tell the story you wish to tell and dare to imagine the possibilities you wish to create.”
“It was an absolute pleasure working with Dawn Richard, creating movement and collaborating with her on an anthem celebrating the resilience and power of women of color from the African diaspora,” added Harper. “As Ailey stands on the shoulders of our founder Alvin Ailey, who saw the importance of using dance as a vehicle for change, we are honored to partner with Atlantic Records on this milestone project serving as a testament to the power of art in our lives.”
Drop, drop, drop. Surprise, more Drake songs have arrived. The 6 God leaked three new tracks on his plottttwistttttt burner Instagram account on Friday (Aug. 23).
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The three-pack, which Elliott Wilson hilariously dubbed Lucian’s Loosies, includes “No Face” featuring an assist from Playboi Carti along with solo tracks “Circadian Rhythm (The Language 2)” and “SOD,” which is a solo version of the “Super Soak” record that Kai Cenat played on his live stream earlier in August.
Except “SOD” has now removed Yachty’s verse from the track. They previously ran into sampling issues when Mr. Hotspot refused to clear vocals due to the song’s explicit nature. DJ Akademiks teased a music video on the way for “SOD” as well.
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“No Face” finds Drake teaming up with Playboi Carti for the first time since “Pain 1993” landed on 2020’s Dark Lane Demo Tapes. Drizzy floats over the distorted production and addresses those he feels stabbed him in the back.
“They emptied the clip, quick, swapped that s–t out and I came back reloaded/ I’m just so happy that n—s who envied and held that s–t in got to finally show it/ I’m over the moon, yeah, we’ll see you boys soon,” he raps.
Produced by Gordo, “Circadian Rhythm” also serves as a sequel to “The Language,” which originally landed on Nothing Was The Same as a fan-favorite in 2013. Drizzy opens up about how the rap game has planned funerals for him in the past, but he continues to bounce back like a cat with nine lives. “How many funeral dates they plan for me and I dodged it like the truck,” he spews.
This isn’t the first leak of its kind from Drake on the plottttwistttttt account. His first dump came with a trio of songs earlier in August as part of the 100 Gigs delivery featuring collaborations with Latto, 21 Savage and Young Thug. The three-pack eventually hit streaming services and all of the songs debuted on this week’s Billboard Hot 100.
It remains to be seen if the latest drop will land on streaming services in the coming days. Listen to the leaks below.
In case you were living under a rock or just woke up from coma, last night Lil Yachty had a public meltdown on Instagram Live over his former artist Karrahbooo and his podcast co-host and friend Mitch.
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First, a clip of his podcast A Safe Place went around of him, Mitch, and Key Glock having a discussion about trying to understand why some want what others have when things got awkward. “Some people gotta eat, gotta feed they family, however the case may be,” Yachty said. “That’s when the militant part comes into play because sometimes, unfortunately, don’t wanna put in work and just want what you have. And that’s a whole different conversation because I ain’t been rich forever.” Adding, “I done been broke before, so who am I to tell this n—a not to go do what you gotta do.
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Mitch disagreed and said you can give them different advice.” However, Yachty then replied, “Like what? You ain’t never had a job. What you gonna tell a n—a to get a job?” The Atlanta rapper then brought up what Mitch would be doing with his life if Yachty wasn’t around and all Key Glock could do was sit there in silence.
Naturally, Rap Twitter had a field day with said clip and criticized Yachty for being a bad friend. Boat addressed the viral clip during his IG Live session and stated he started the podcast to help his friend and said he was going to end it because Mitch wouldn’t defend him on social media. “I aint want to do no motherf—king podcast, n—a, I’m a f—king rapper.”
Lil Yachty goes off on his bestfriend and producer Mitch and cancels their podcast together ‘A Safe Place’ on IG live, for not clearing up a viral clip “I aint want to do no motherf*cking podcast n*gga, Im a f*cking rapper… I put $400,000 in Mitch pocket…” pic.twitter.com/OX9TloJQ58— SOUND (@itsavibe) August 23, 2024
Mitch then took to X to clear the air, suggesting him and Yachty joke around and are often brutally honest with each other.
As for Karrahbooo, a waitress at Red Lobster set fire to this whole night. X user @C_Staxxz claimed the former Concrete Boy member walked into the restaurant chain to buy some Cheddar Bay Biscuits said she was kicked out of the group after being asked why she left. The user also claimed Karrahbooo told her that “they were really mean to her and bullying her a lot.”
Those two now-deleted tweets bothered Yachty so much, he decided to hop on Live and finally address the situation. He responded by saying, “Tell people how you verbally abuse people. Don’t get on here to make it seem like niggas kicked you out… bullying you? Bro, go ‘head and tell people how you talk to people… You talk to people like they’re small, like they’re beneath you.”
He then claimed that he wrote all of her verses and styled her and the other members of the Concrete Boys. “I wrote every f—king verse you’ve done,” he said. “I dressed you. I dressed all five of y’all n—as, bro. I dressed five n—as every time we stepped out the house. I put an outfit on everybody. I put eight carat earrings in everybody ear. I put three chains on all y’all neck.”
Adding, “We bought a Cartier watch. I gave you that chrome Rolex, bro. You was waiting tables… What are we talking about, n—a? I changed your motherf—king life and you are here lying, talking about some, ‘We bully you’… That sh—t got me f—ked up, bro. You got me f—ked up, bro. You disrespectful, bro. You talk to people crazy. You tell people that they are nothing. You tell people you’re going to spit on them. You tell people they poor and you talk to my f—king label crazy. You claim I was stealing money from you. Stealing money from you how? You ain’t made no money.”
He continued, “This the problem with you new artists. Y’all get poppin’ online and then you become more popular than your actual music. You $900,000 in the whole and I got every f—king receipt.” Boat then brought up her viral On the Radar freestyle and said he was trying to make her pop off and it worked. “I slowed the beat down, I put 808s specifically on your verse so when it got to your part and the beat dropped, everyone would be like, ‘This girl is the craziest one.’”
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For whatever reason, Boat finds himself in these situations and even went as far as to claim he was going to stop talking on the Internet. “I’m not doing no more talkin’,” Yachty said on Instagram Live last month. “I don’t got s—t else to say. I’m gone off this internet s—t. I think I’m gone for the rest of the year. I swear to God. I ain’t got s—t else to say.
Karrahbooo has yet to respond.