R&B/Hip-Hop
Page: 170
Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat Weekend is returning to Las Vegas, where he’ll mesh the world of music and comedy for a Sin City takeover
Slated for Labor Day weekend (Aug. 29 – Sept. 1), Billboard can reveal that Lil Wayne and Ludacris will be headlining performers at the Zouk Nightclub afterparties on the music side, while Kevin Hart will bring his Acting My Age Tour to the Resorts World Theatre to close out the festivities.
“Hartbeat Weekend is all about celebrating the very best in comedy, culture, and music, and this year we’re taking it to a whole new level,” Hart relayed to Billboard in a statement. “I can’t wait for everyone to join us for a weekend packed with laughter, entertainment and unforgettable moments.”
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
From exclusive events to poker tournaments and live performances, the weekend will have it all in Las Vegas. Tickets for Hartbeat Weekend are slated to go on sale starting on Friday (July 19) at 10 a.m. PT.
Trending on Billboard
Vibee is offering fans various VIP package deals with the premiere Zero F–ks Given package, including tickets in the first six rows to Hart’s headlining show, pre-show party access, entry into the celebrity poker invitational, three nights at the Crockfords at Resorts World Las Vegas and more.
“We are thrilled to partner with Resorts World and AEG Presents again to bring audiences an exciting lineup of events during Hartbeat Weekend,” said Jeff Clanagan, Hartbeat president. “We are dedicated to creating impactful live experiences that unite audiences through laughter and joy, and this year’s action-packed, multi-day event promises to be unforgettable.”
The second-annual Hartbeat Celebrity Poker Invitational takes place over two days on Aug. 30 and Aug. 31, with fans having the chance to compete against 50 handpicked celebrities in the high-stakes game going down at the new Allē Lounge on 66.
There will also be a slate of half-hour comedy specials from various acts throughout the weekend as part of the LOL Live stand-up series.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming Hartbeat Weekend back this year,” added president of Resorts World Las Vegas Peter LaVoie. “We’ve enjoyed partnering with Kevin and his team on this iconic weekend and his shows in the theatre throughout the year. Hartbeat Weekend 2024 will be another incredible experience for our guests.”
Hartbeat Weekend
Courtesy Photo
Last weekend (July 13-14), reggae and dancehall legend Buju Banton rocked New York’s UBS Arena for two bombastic sold-out shows — his first U.S. performances in 13 years. As it turns out, those two shows were just the beginning of Gargamel’s massive Stateside comeback.
Today (July 15), Billboard can exclusively reveal that the Grammy-winning superstar is mounting a 14-date U.S. arena trek dubbed ‘The Overcomer Tour.’ Three-time Grammy-nominated R&B singer-songwriter Fridayy will serve as the tour’s special guest. Produced by AG Touring, a Black-owned company, in association with Gargamel Music and XO Management, The Overcomer Tour will kick off on Aug. 24 at Amerant Bank Arena in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and visit major U.S. cities such as Houston, Atlanta and Boston, before concluding on Nov. 17 at Barclay Center in Brooklyn, NY.
Fans can purchase tickets at Banton’s official website. Pre-sale begins Wednesday, July 16 at 10 a.m. local time; General onsale starts Friday, July 19 at 10 a.m. local time.
Trending on Billboard
“In each state of the United States of America, you have different synergy of people, different melting pot of ethnicities coming together. And when the music that they love comes around, they react in one harmonious way, just enjoying themselves,” Banaton tells Billboard via Zoom during a rehearsal break that was later crashed by the legendary Marcia Griffiths. “That’s a remarkable feeling to share among the masses. After not being here for quite some time, I look forward to reigniting that passion and euphoria.”
And it has been quite some time since the star last performed in the States. Just one day after he won the 2011 best reggae album Grammy for his timeless Before the Dawn, Banton’s criminal trial kicked off in Tampa, FL. He was ultimately convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense and using communication wires to facilitate a drug-trafficking offense, and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
The now 50-year-old spent eight years in Georgia’s McRae Correctional Institution and regained his freedom on Dec. 7, 2018. Since his release, Banton signed with Roc Nation and launched a pair of Grammy-nominated LPs: 2020’s Upside Down 2020 and 2023’s Born for Greatness. He has also appeared on several major film soundtracks — including 2020’s Bad Boys for Life and 2024’s The Book of Clarence — and returned to touring around the world, most notably with 2019’s Long Walk to Freedom concert in Kingston, Jamaica, his first post-release performance.
As he prepares to head back on the road, Banton is letting the music lead the way. “Music knows no time, so we don’t have a clock inside the rehearsal room,” he says. “We just do what the music calls us to, and when we feel like we’ve accomplished something, we call it a day and then resume the next day and reconvene.”
With a career that spans nearly 40 years, Banton has an extensive catalog to pull from. He has sent 12 projects to the top 10 of Reggae Albums, including 1997’s eight-week chart-topper Inna Heights. From “Make My Day” and “Champion” to “Wanna Be Loved,” “Blessed” and “Buried Alive,” Banton has soundtracked nearly four decades of dancehall and reggae, bringing the two genres to myriad global audiences and defining multiple generations along the way. Of course, such a deep discography complicates the task of crafting a tour setlist, and Banton isn’t particularly keen on remaining married to a particular collection of songs.
“My catalog is rather extensive, so to highlight one or two songs would be cheating a lot of people and will also be putting my foot in my mouth,” he jokes. “I don’t want to suffer from that deadly disease — foot and mouth disease. You don’t want to catch it! I try to make the masses a part of what I am doing in whatever way I can. We also try to poll to find out what’s the favorite in each territory. It’s important. In modern times we have so much tools, back in the day we didn’t have all this at our fingertips. I want to do more.”
Of course, with a new tour comes new music, and Banton promises a new album that’s “100% dancehall, hardcore roots reggae, something fi yuh skank on, fi di gyal dem bruk wild!” As Banton tells it, “the music needs help and that’s not a secret,” so, with his new record and tour, he hopes to “reignite the passion of reggae music and let [people] know it hasn’t died.” While he hasn’t decided if he wants to prioritize collaborations on the new album, he looks fondly at “Body Touching Body” and “Party Girls,” his two 2023 Victoria Monét duets. “I tried some R&Reggae with Victoria Monét and it was rather successful,” he reflects. “I like that mix of R&B and reggae.”
“I have been in this business since I was 19 years old making reggae music for the world. It’s been 36 years, going on 37 years,” Banton says. “I just [want to] lift up the name of the true and living creator and say ‘Hi’ and greetings and ‘I love you’ to all the good people who come out to see Buju Banton and have been supporting me throughout my struggles.”
Find the Overcomer Tour dates below.
Aug. 24 — Ft. Lauderdale, FL — Amerant Bank Arena
Aug. 25 — Tampa, FL — Amalie Arena
Aug. 27 — Washington, DC — Capital One Arena
Aug. 30 — Boston, MA — TD Garden
Sept. 1 — Philadelphia, PA — Wells Fargo Center
Sept. 6 — Hartford, CT — XL Center
Sept. 8 — Atlanta, GA — State Farm Arena
Sept. 12 — Houston, TX — Toyota Center
Sept. 13 — Dallas, TX — American Airlines Center
Sept. 15 — Phoenix, AZ — Footprint Center
Sept. 18 — Inglewood, CA — Intuit Dome
Sept. 23 — San Jose, CA — SAP Center
Sept. 29 — Chicago, IL — Allstate Arena
Nov. 17 — Brooklyn, NY — Barclays Center
Wiz Khalifa took an unexpected detour to a Romanian jail over the weekend when the 36-year-old rapper (born Cameron Jibril Thomaz) ran afoul of the country’s drug laws while lighting up one of his omnipresent joints on stage. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news According to a […]
“I’m just the warm-up, baby!” So declared Timbaland during his opening set (July 12) for one of the most anticipated tours of 2024: the Out of This World Tour — The Missy Elliott Experience: the rap icon’s first headline outing.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
It was the second of the tour’s two-night Los Angeles stand at Crypto.com Arena. With a percolating set that included classics in the songwriter-producer’s hit arsenal such as “The Way I Are,” 50 Cent’s “Ayo Technology” and Justin Timberlake’s “My Love,” Elliott’s longtime musical partner gave the packed house an appetizing taste of what would be in store later when the legend herself arrived onstage.
Fellow featured guests Ciara and Busta Rhymes brought their A games as well. Deftly catching Timbaland’s baton toss, a black leather-clad Ciara came out blazing to an explosion of audience cheers. Noting that she “just had my fourth baby,” the singer-songwriter proceeded to demonstrate she’s lost none of her formidable dancing skills as she — accompanied by a fiercely flexible dance crew — undulated, twerked and sashayed her way through crowd-pleasers like “Goodies,” “Ride,” “Like a Boy,” Promise,” “Level Up” and, of course “1, 2 Step.”
Trending on Billboard
Following suit, rap legend Rhymes, alongside his fave hype man Spliff Star, ratcheted the excitement level even higher with songs like Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now” (featuring Rhymes’ signature rapid flow: “We don’t use special effects because we are the special effects,” noted Rhymes), “Turn It Up,” “I Know What You Want” and “Pass the Courvoisier.” He also brought Ty Dolla $ign and 310Babii to the stage. “We lift our artists up,” said Rhymes. “That’s what we’re supposed to do.”
Then it was Missy time.
Her ensuing 90-minute show was divided into four acts, introduced by dancer/master of ceremonies Kanec. Act one began with the huge image of a spaceship that touched down onstage. Then a portal door, emblazoned with a giant M, rose and there stood the woman that everyone — all cheering their hearts out — had come to see. Launching into “Throw It Back,” a silver-helmeted Elliott wasted no time getting down to business as she and her 20-member dance crew got to stepping on an invigorating eight-song set that also included “We Run This,” “Sock It to Me” and “I’m Really Hot.”
Elliott left no stone unturned (“We’re going to see who the real Missy fans are.”). as the next two eight-song acts featured roaring crowd pleasers from “The Rain,” “She’s a B—-” (wearing a bubble coat that billowed out behind her at one point) and a rollicking “Get Ur Freak On” to gems “One-Minute Man,” “Drip Demeanor” and “Coochie Don’t Fail Me Now.” To give fans an equal opportunity to view the proceedings a bit closer, four circular screens near the top of the arena relayed what was happening onstage as an energetic, red-haired Elliott went toe-to-toe with her male and female troupe of dancers. And at one point, to get even closer to fans during the second act, she hopped onto a smaller circular platform that was rolled out above the fans on the floor.
In act four, “the last stop on the planet,” Elliott (wearing a large pink fake fur hat) and crew donned graffiti-splashed outfits whose kaleidoscopic neon colors flashed brightly onstage (as did bracelets that were distributed upon entering Crypto). Segueing from a “WTF (Where They From)” mashup to “Bring the Pain” and another rousing fan fave “Work It,” Elliott surprised everyone by coming offstage and walking the perimeter of the venue, a seeming victory lap with her smilingly slapping hands as she passed by clamoring fans. Coming back onstage, Elliott rounded off the final act of her love fest with “Pass Dat Dutch” and “Dance with Me” before ripping it up with Timbaland on “Up Jumps the Boogie,” Rhymes on “Touch It” and Ciara on “Lose Control.”
“I say this every place I go,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer said toward the show’s end. “I never take for granted that you spent your hard-earned money; this means a lot. I appreciate every last one of you all. Amen!” And as a satiated crowd filed out of Crypto.com, their comments echoed what Rhymes had noted earlier in his show: “Thank you, Missy, for putting us all together.”
The 30-date, North American Out of This Word Tour – The Missy Elliott Experience lands in Las Vegas Saturday (July 13) with upcoming stops in Denver (7/16), Houston (7/20) and Washington, D.C. (8/8), before wrapping on Aug. 23 in Rosemont, Ill. View the rest of the tour’s itinerary on her official website here.
During a sitdown interview with Charlamagne Tha God, LL Cool J was asked about his rumored battles with Jay-Z.
One such rumor that has floated around for years was that they ran into each other in a random parking lot in Manhattan and started battling. Supposedly, LL was laughed at for using a verse from his 1993 song “Funkadelic Relic” off his album 14 Shots to the Dome.
When asked about that very rumor, the Queens legend had this to say:
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Okay let’s talk about what it really is. First of all, I didn’t rap a verse from ‘Funkadelic Relic.’ Okay? That’s the first f—ing thing. It’s bullsh—t. It’s not true. What did happen, though, is I see the guy, he’s in the club trying to flash money to get my attention and I’m looking like, okay. And then his man Sauce [Money] came up to me and was rappin’. So, I had a couple of rhymes… remember, I’m albums in now.
Trending on Billboard
“You know, these are guys that ain’t had that deal. So, when I ain’t had a deal, I had a suitcase of rhymes. Now I’m albums in. Sauce said some rhymes. I said a couple of rhymes. Then I said a little bit of a song, ‘Ain’t No Stopping This.’ A little bit. Then Jay came up rapping. I was out of rhymes, b. In no scenario was I fully loaded and ready to rhyme. If I was, I’m not exactly the first rapper that you wanna get into that shit with.
“So yes, did I run out of rhymes? Was I finished rapping? Abso-f—ing-lutely. Was it their peanut gallery? Absolutely. But do you really wanna get into some of that shit with LL? You really want that? You dudes want those problems or it’s just a nice story to have?”
Charlemagne asks LL Cool J about a rumor that he battled JAY-Z in the club and Hov’s crew laughed at LL for running out of rhymes🙃 pic.twitter.com/ZOwXWjj5kW— 💎🍾 (@TheRocSupremacy) July 12, 2024
The two legends have been cordial at times publicly, but have also dissed each other on various records over the years. Jay got at LL on this Tim Westwood freestyle back in the late ’90s and LL took a shot at Jay’s Def Jam presidency on the track “Queens.”
On the other hand, Jay shouted the rap legend out during his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame speech saying LL helped rappers like him feel more comfortable about being vulnerable and “gave us emotional intelligence.”
During JAY-Z Hall Of Fame Induction Speech, he explained what made each of his heroes special. LL Cool J = Emotional Intelligence KRS-One = Made It Cool To Be Smart😂Rakim = Knowledge Of SelfChuck D = Social Commentary Big Daddy Kane = Blackest Person Ever 😂 pic.twitter.com/lQEjFRBV6e— 💎🍾 (@TheRocSupremacy) June 25, 2024
LL is on a promo run for his 14th solo album entitled The FORCE which is scheduled for a Sept. 6 release date.
You can watch the full conversation with him and Charlamagne here.
Veeze and Rylo had fans clamoring for this track when they posted a snippet on social media earlier this year in February and now its finally here. Directed by Kevin Mares, the video for “F.A.F” — short for “F—ed a Fan” — shows Detroit’s Veeze going bar for bar with Alabama’s Rylo Rodriguez in front […]
Eminem fans have been waiting quite some time to get a new album from the rapper — four years to be exact. So when he finally dropped the 19-track The Death of Slim Shady Friday (July 12), longtime admirers were quick to rejoice on social media.
“im speechless,” one person tweeted a few hours after the album dropped. “25 years later & its a full circle moment. eminem delivers one of his best albums & showing us what slim shady does one last time.”
Another fan added, “he just dropped the best album within the last decade … Your favorite rapper can’t f–king compete,” while someone else raved, “Lyrics, word play, message, beats, production, all TOP TIER.”
Trending on Billboard
And though the album — which follows 2020’s Billboard-200 topping Music to Be Murdered By — has only been out for a few hours, listeners have already come together to elect a few songs as fan-favorites. There’s the project’s closer “Somebody Save Me,” featuring Jelly Roll, as well as previously released singles “Tobey” featuring Big Sean and BabyTron and “Houdini,” but the most beloved track appears to be the emotional “Temporary.”
Featuring old recordings of Em’s daughter Hailie Jade, who’s now 28, the song finds the hip-hop titan giving his kin something to remember him by once he’s died. “I wrote you this song/ To help you cope with life now that I’m gone … How should I start? Just wanna say look after Alaina, Stevie, and Uncle Nate/ And sweetie, be strong,” he raps, referencing his two adopted children, 31-year-old Alaina and 22-year-old Stevie, as well as his half-brother Nathan.
Suffice to say, fans are pretty much a bucket of tears. “Me hearing ‘Temporary’ and ‘Somebody Save Me’ after laughing and vibing for 45 minutes,” one listener wrote on X, sharing a gif of Matthew McConaughey sobbing in Interstellar.
Keep reading to see some of the best reactions to Eminem’s brand new The Death of Slim Shady below.
im speechless. 25 years later & its a full circle moment. eminem delivers one of his best albums & showing us what slim shady does one last time pic.twitter.com/K1WZCoOqD8— Omar 🥱 (@omartalkss) July 12, 2024
Jelly Roll checked a historic item off his bucket list when notching a collaboration with Eminem on “Somebody Save Me,” which served as The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)‘s poignant closer.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Hours after the track made waves on streaming services, Jelly Roll reflected on Friday (July 12) in an emotional post to social media about having the chance to contribute to one of his “childhood hero’s” projects.
Trending on Billboard
“I always say my childhood hero’s lived somewhere between Willie Nelson and Eminem,” he began. “As a teenager (and still today) I could recite every song on the Slim Shady album, the Marshal Mathers album and the Eminem show. When I bonded out of jail at 17 years old and was sneaking into cyphers and battles in Nashville they would also play the ‘lose yourself’ beat when I came out on stage at the freestyle battles. I related to every word Eminem wrote. I understand him and felt like he understood me, which was rare cause I spent most of my life feeling misunderstood.”
Jelly Roll continued: “So you can imagine how I felt when I got that the call that Eminem would be sampling my song “Save Me” on his new album. And for him to use the song to discuss the other side of what could’ve happened if he would’ve allowed his demons to win brought me to tears. If you haven’t heard it yet, check out “Somebody Save Me” on Eminem’s new album ‘the death of slim shady’ special shout out to Paul Rosenberg , you’ve been nothing but kind to me and treated me like family and gave me opportunities I didn’t deserve, forever grateful.”
Rapper Chris Webby hopped into his comments to put the seminal moment in perspective. “Legendary my brother,” he wrote. “I had such a moment listening to that album last night and then when I heard your voice it stirred up crazy emotions in my soul. Hard to even explain it honestly, but I’m so damn proud of you dude.”
“Somebody Save Me” heavily samples Jelly Roll’s “Save Me,” which reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November following a Lainey Wilson remix.
Jelly Roll’s angelic chorus surrounds Eminem vulnerably opening up in a candid letter to his children where he admits his faults as a parent and expresses regret about the past. “They say my lifestyle is bad for my health,” the country star sings. “It’s the only thing that seems to help.”
The Nashville-bred star met Eminem for the first time before hitting the stage together outside the Michigan Central Station venue. The heartfelt embrace was captured by Jelly’s wife, Bunnie XO. “When the goat meets THE GOAT,” she captioned the clip soundtracked by Eminem’s “My Name Is.”
Jelly Roll joined Em on stage at the June show where they performed Slim Shady’s Aerosmith-sampling “Sing For the Moment.”
Check out Jelly Roll’s post below.
Eminem is back. The Detroit legend reasserted his status as a titan in the rap game with his The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) album on Friday (July 12). The Grammy-winning rhymer loaded up his 12th studio album — and first since 2020’s Music to Be Murdered By — with 19 songs and a pair […]
As certain sects of Democrats continue to seriously eye Vice President Kamala Harris as a replacement for President Joe Biden atop the ticket for the 2024 Presidential Election, voters are reflecting on their perception of the history-making VP. Among those voters are Billboard-charting rapper and actor Guapdad4000.
On Thursday (July 11), Guap took to his official X page to quote a post featuring a clip from a 2019 Vice YouTube video in which Jamal Trulove, reflected on Harris’ role in sending him to prison for six years during her time as San Francisco’s district attorney.
“Kamala Harris basically sent my mom to jail, changing the course of me and [my] siblings’ lives,” Guap wrote. “She never looked up from whatever she was reading, she never even looked moms in her eyes in court.”
Trending on Billboard
The “Bali” rapper’s tweet helped reignite social media conversations regarding Harris’ history as a “progressive prosecutor” and Black voters’ relationship to her — particularly in the wake of Biden’s disastrous debate performance and the subsequent hysteria about his viability as a candidate. In an exclusive statement to Billboard, Guapdad 4000 contextualizes his X post and opens up about the emotional impact of Harris’ role in his mother’s imprisonment.
“[First,] I have to highlight my momma to see if she wants me to divulge the full details,” he says. “I wrote the tweet thinking like, ‘Man, it just sounds like I’m not putting any accountability on my momma for committing a crime.’ But where we from and what’s illegal now, and especially the laws that was put in place in California during the Biden administration, it just feels like a slap in the face to the s—t that we had to go through.”
“The removal of a parent from my little sister’s life — even if it was briefly, even if it was a long time — no child should be going through that on purpose,” the Black and Filipino rapper continues. “Now, am I proud that my mom was moving illegally? No, but I understand the pressures of the hood when you were a parent, especially with kids like us. Literally, imagine taking care of me. Some support is needed.”
Harris’ record as a prosecutor came under heavy scrutiny during her first presidential campaign back in 2020. Though she touted herself as a “progressive prosecutor,” several instances throughout her time as both San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general highlighted her tendencies to fall in line with the status quo rather than pursuing true criminal justice reform.
“Time after time, when progressives urged her to embrace criminal justice reforms as district attorney and then the state’s attorney general, Ms. Harris opposed them or stayed silent,” wrote Lara Bazelon, the former director of Loyola Law School Project for the Innocent, in a 2019 New York Times op-ed. “Most troubling, Ms. Harris fought tooth and nail to uphold wrongful convictions that had been secured through official misconduct that included evidence tampering, false testimony, and the suppression of crucial information by prosecutors.”
“The feeling that [my mother] described of [Harris] not being able to look somebody [she’s] sending to jail in their eyes is 1) unnerving and 2) dehumanizing as f—k,” says Guap, who celebrates the five-year anniversary of his Billboard Hot 100 debut next week. On the chart dated July 20, 2019, he debuted alongside several other rappers with “Costa Rica” (No. 75), a fan-favorite from Dreamville‘s 2019 compilation, Revenge of the Dreamers III.
As more and more voters continue to voice their disillusionment with the presumptive nominees from both the Democratic and Republican parties, some folks are making the tough choice to sit out the upcoming election, including Guap. According to FiveThirtyEight, 57% of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Biden — that’s the highest his unfavorability rating has been since Jan. 1, 2022. Comparatively, just 53% of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of former President Trump.
“Even knowing all of this, I still ended up voting for Biden [in 2020,]” notes Guap. “Now, would I vote for them? Honestly, [no.] We funding and are a part of a whole genocide. This country was built on so much racism. I’m not surprised, but as much as I wanted to cheer for a f—king Blasian vice president — and our president is so old, so she might as well be the pseudo president — [Kamala’s] done nothing to change my opinion about her… I ain’t voting for nobody.”
Billboard has reached out to Harris’ team for comment.
Check out Guapdad4000’s tweet below.
Kamala Harris basically sent my mom to jail changing the course of me and siblings lives and she never looked up from whatever she was reading , she never even looked moms in her eyes in court . https://t.co/mGUctL7jBv— GUAP (@guapdad4000) July 11, 2024