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50 Cent made history with his 2023 Final Lap Tour when he joined Kendrick Lamar to become the second rapper ever to gross over $100 million ($103.6 million to be exact across 83 shows in North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia) with his global trek, according to Billboard Boxscore. (Drake, Nicki Minaj and Travis Scott have since joined the $100 million club with their own lucrative hip-hop tours)
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Even with a discography largely built off a dominant 2000s run, filled with inescapable street records and a trio of titanic studio albums, 50’s voice has stood the test of time.
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The Queens native has remained a fixture in the hip-hop world while transitioning to elder-statesman status. His polarizing and hilarious cultural commentary has racked him up over 34 million Instagram followers, with no topic seemingly off limits or person safe from being roasted.
The 49-year-old continues to run laps around peers who have long moved out of the spotlight, and 50’s shrewdly been able to evolve within the digital space and social media era with sharp-wittedness. His relentless work ethic hasn’t wanted in the slightest either: His “Hustler’s Ambition” still burns like he’s back in the Southside of Jamaica, Queens.
He took home Hustler of the Year at the BET Hip Hop Awards last week, an honor he locked up in my opinion after headlining Dreamville Fest in April, and then flying 500 miles to make his Atlantic City club appearance at Harrah’s the same night. Only 50.
And the grind doesn’t stop for 50 Cent: Next up, the film and television mogul will be heading to Las Vegas for his first-ever residency to ring in the New Year. Announced earlier in October, 50’s slated to perform at Ph Live at Planet Hollywood for six different shows coming up on Dec. 27, Dec. 28, Dec. 30, Dec. 31, Jan. 3 and Jan. 4. Tickets are currently on sale.
“I get to take it up a notch [with] the production value of the show and put on a special show,” 50 promises in conversation with Billboard, regarding the concerts at the 7,000-capacity venue in Vegas. “The show itself is a dream. We gotta turn it up a notch. I’m gonna be there for New Year’s [Eve]. That’s the real turn up.”
Give the rest of our interview with 50 Cent a read as he goes long on his Las Vegas plans, the Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud, his 2007 battle with Kanye West and what he texted Eminem on his birthday.
The 50 Cent: In Da Club
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We gotta talk about the Vegas residency, congrats on that. Why now?
Yeah, it’s super cool, man. I could do things in the show I couldn’t do if it was a moving show. And I’ll change the setlist and do different things. Some that I wanted to do that I didn’t actually perform on the last run, I’ll be integrating those things and creating things to connect to them.
I can actually expand it. Don’t think there’s not a part of this that got me into the film production. I’m able to add that into it. The technology’s so different. Remember Limitless, like the opening sequence? It was crazy when you saw it for the first time. It’s easier to create things like that [in a residency], and I can do different s–t. I want to use a dream sequence thing.
It’s dope to see rappers getting residencies now. Even legacy acts like Wu-Tang Clan and Nas have them.
It’s super cool. These guys are alive. Those groups are a lot older, like Wu-Tang and Nas. It’s something they want to catch. I may not have them expose what the show is. I’m building everything into the set. How to transition from one song into the next into the room.
What do you think about having this discography that’s been able transcend generations? For me, I was 10 years old when Get Rich or Die Tryin’ came out, and that’s like the soundtrack to our lives. To now we got careers, jobs, money to spend. You did a $100 million on your world tour last year.
It’s cool. You don’t usually have artists that sustain themselves this long in our culture. Hip-hop has a low attention span, and it’s out with the old and in with the new repeatedly. There’s even a point they’ll create a resistance for you. You have so much consistency, even when there’s not a break in the material, they’ll ask about your record and say, “That’s good, but it’s not like his first one.” And you don’t get a second chance at a first impression. That’s what the artist community does to the artist that are already in pocket. They wanna see you go up, but they want to see you come down — because if you don’t, how am I gonna have my chance to go up?
Drake is in that position right now. They trying to resist the music, because he put out some things that are dope. I say a lot of things on social and they get upset because they look and go, “Ahh, I’m automatically supposed to be on Kendrick’s side because of my association with Dre.” And I love Kendrick, but I’ll say it to you — I didn’t see where what [Drake] did was wack at any point. They giving [Drake] the, “Oh you wack, you finished.” I’m like, “Nah, come on.” That’s the system trying to make some sort of resistance and it’s from the consistency. When you win consecutively, that part of the hip-hop demographic wants you out of there. I started to feel the resistance for the Curtis album.
I was going to touch on that, with you and Kanye [West] facing off in 2007. What do you remember about that time? Because it represented to two different sectors of rap.
We made the highest sales week for hip-hop culture, doing that and being competitive. People that were participating as fans were buying more than one copy of it, because of the competitive side of it. When you look at it… we had to stand together to face off, but we never had an issue. That was his “break” album that broke him in. If I was trying to combat that, I would’ve went on tour with him. I would’ve had all of the material with the albums that worked ahead of [Graduation] to draw from, while he had that one record.
That’s some Art of War s–t right there, 50. It represented two sides of rap back in 2007, with 50 being the street dude making hit records and Kanye’s representing the high-fashion with a different production looking for stadium status.
Anything that was less aggressive. Look at The College Dropout, or the themes of his records versus Get Rich or Die Tryin’, The Massacre and Curtis. Those albums were a lot more aggressive, but they gave him all the trophies. They would rather hip-hop be what he was at that point… He was like, “F–k that! Beyoncé’s supposed to have that.” I’m like, “Yo, they be tweaking.” But I don’t think anybody’s been through more or have more reasons to fall apart than Kanye. The success of his project comes, and his mom passes away. So what you been praying for — the gift is a curse. You lose that, and he had real reasons to f–king be out of it. He did the right thing. He went to work.
When you linked up with Drake, did you have advice for him as far as his next move?
I was telling him, it’s not him. I’m listening on the outskirts, it’s not you. Don’t let yourself think that for a second. On some real s–t, I said, “They said you lost, okay. Well what did you lose?” What exactly did he lose, if he got $300 something million on his last tour? You didn’t lose a motherf–king thing, man. If that’s the moment, you keep your creative energy in the right place, and keep creating. If you slow down because you feel, “What the f–k?” The resistance will make you feel like your material isn’t good. Then you gotta figure out how to keep pushing, how to keep creating — because that’s what it feels like to you at the moment. That s–t was good for hip-hop. It made both of them create quality material faster.
I feel like people cared about lyrics again.
It was about the lyrics, but that s–t was on a different level. The f–king [good kid, m.A.A.d city] car in the video. That s–t was a mystery. Everything was tied to something. I was like what the f–k? That wasn’t in hip-hop before that. Before that battle, I do not remember this was the car from this and that was this. Everything that was a part of it was some other s–t. It was almost encrypted.
Then they’re making some crazy allegations against each other. Do you think you lose once you get on the defensive? I thought Drake lost his footing a little bit there.
When you say something that isn’t true, and the person wants to defend themselves, they encourage — the public likes that you’re vulnerable. Because it matters to you that it wasn’t true and they jump on you. That’s like Meek Mill. When they say Meek is fruity or gay with Puff in the situation now. It’s how he responds to it that makes people talk about it more. It gets bigger and bigger and it turns into a thing going on out there. You don’t hear one thing about French Montana. And French was in that circle and around that a lot. Not one thing, and Meek’s s–t is all over the place. It’s the way they respond to what people say about them publicly. They feel like, “That bothers you?” If you say anything, then they start harping on that harder. They want the fight to continue.
It’s Eminem’s birthday. Do you hit him up? What’s that message like? Did you hit him up about being a grandpa?
I texted him, “Happy birthday.” Not about the baby. He’s gonna be a granddad. It’s crazy because a lot of times when we were going on tours, they would offer Em ridiculous amounts of money for us to tour and him go out on a run. He would just be like, “Nah, I just don’t wanna go out and then come back and Hailie’s grown.” I didn’t know what the f–k he was saying. I’m looking at him like, “What are you talking about? Did you not hear how much money they gonna give us?”
I had a moment where I told him at the wedding — because I went to Hailie’s wedding — I told him I understand now. That s–t happened really fast. The time went by really fast, and she’s grown. I’m like, “What the…?” She was right there with us the whole time. It’s ill. The time goes by. He’ll be working on a project and be working on the next record. Simple but complex at the same time, because he’s putting intricate things inside the records. I had to listen to it for three or four days before I understood it. I kept finding new s–t on the records.
What did you think about Power Book II: Ghost coming to an end?
I feel good about it. Every time we have an ending, something good happens. This was when the first original Power went six and a half seasons. I was betting seven, because of the success of The Sopranos that went seven seasons. They didn’t want to pay for the other half of the seventh season. It’s a continuation, so you felt the effects of Power and it went to a whole new space. When we get to the development like Raising Kanan, Kanan will go on, while the next one matures. Then the next couple of seasons will go into the origin story. So you’ll see the original Tommy and Ghost. We just needed a little time to get Kanan to be the driving force of what was going on. He got another season.
I remember reading your Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter book about Omari Hardwick not doing too well in the original Power Ghost audition, and you went and got him after and told him to lock in.
Yeah, you know what it was? He was reading the material low. He was internalizing the material while he was reading it. Joseph Sikora was already performing as Tommy. He already read everything. It was a little lopsided — but I had a communication with Chris Albrecht at the time, and he was like, “Are you sure this is the guy?” All it takes is for you to be betting on the wrong guy. I’m like, “Nah, he’s the right guy.” I seen him in Next Day Air with Mos Def and Wood Harris and I knew he could play the character. When I called him, I was like, “They questioning if you’re the right guy.”
He goes, “If they want to give it to somebody else, then they can give it to somebody else.” I’m like, “N—a, you got another plan?” What you talking about, “Give it to somebody else?” I’m telling you that to get you pumped up so you could get focused and be ready. Not for you to say, “Give it to somebody else.” I’m like, “God d–n, man.” We spent about an hour and a half on the phone and before we got off, he was in the right space. Thinking about it the right way. We took off and it worked out.
Yeah, he was perfect for that role. It’s crazy we’re here 10 years later and even after him getting killed off, the show was still so popular and kept going. What were some early memories of Las Vegas for you?
A lot of good times in Drai’s Nightclub. I don’t understand what they just did with BET [Hip- Hop Awards] though.
They had the award show in the nightclub. I’m like, “What the heck is this?”
I’m done with them. God d–n it! Is there anything else that’s gonna indicate we’re running out of money? What the f–k is going on at BET, bro? An award show in a nightclub? I can’t wait to see where they’re doing the Country Music Awards. It’s not gonna be at club Drai’s.
Would you ever stop doing club appearances?
When I go to the nightclub, this is when I’m kinda hearing everyone’s work, too. For me, I didn’t go to the nightclubs in the beginning of my career. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ took off so fast I had already sold 1.6 million copies by the second week. I was in arenas — I didn’t go to nightclubs. Only reason why I go to nightclubs is [because of] my spirits brand.
With you being a mentor, how big of an artist do you think Pop Smoke would’ve been?
I think he would’ve been the biggest one out here by now. He would’ve had a run that allowed him to be that. He was doing different kinds of music. He was singing and doing all these different things on these records. That’s why it was important for me to make sure the album went the right way. I stepped in and made sure it got executive produced. The second one wasn’t as good. Of course, it was because I wasn’t involved at that point.
There was records on the first album with young artists. I’m like, “I don’t give a f–k about rapping with these guys.” They’re not my peer group, where I’m excited to be on the song with them. I knew Roddy Ricch was in pocket all the way. That’s why I reached out to him and told him, “I need you to be on this record “The Woo.” That’s what really catapulted the album.
Cardi B was the victim of an horrible prank when an anonymous tipster called Child Protective Services to her home alleging that she was abusing her three children. Cardi hopped on Instagram Live to address the prankster early Tuesday (Oct. 22) from what appeared to be a hospital bed (she said she’s been hospitalized since […]
Embattled music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ adult children broke their silence about their father’s ongoing jailing as he awaits a May trial on sex trafficking and racketeering. In their first statement since Combs, 54, was arrested and detained on the charges that could land him a potential life sentence, Quincy Brown, 33, Justin Combs, 30, King Combs, 26, Chance Combs, 18, and twins Jessie and D’Lila Combs, 17 said they support their dad against what hey said were false charges.
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“The past month has devastated our family. Many have judged both him and us based on accusations, conspiracy theories, and false narratives that have spiraled into absurdity on social media,” read the post that included a picture of Combs’ children posing with the rapper/producer’s mother, Janice Combs, and his youngest child, daughter, Love Combs, 2, with her mother, Dana Tran.
“We stand united, supporting you every step of the way,” the message continued. “We hold onto the truth, knowing it will prevail, and nothing will break the strength of our family. WE MISS YOU & LOVE YOU DAD.”
The statement from Combs’ family came a week after the disgraced Bad Boy Records boss wished daughter Love a happy birthday in his first post from behind bars; Combs has been denied bail twice and is expected to remain locked up until his trial is slated to begin on May 5. Earlier this month, mother Janice Combs issued a statement supporting her son, saying that he’s not guilty of the allegations against hm. “My son is not the monster they have painted him to be, and he deserves the chance to tell his side,” she wrote of the musician who has been accused by multiple men and women of sexual assaults and rapes that allegedly occurred after the victims said they were drugged or coerced.
“It is truly agonizing to watch the world turn against my son so quickly and easily over lies and misconceptions, without ever hearing his side or affording him the opportunity to present his side,” Janice Combs added.
Diddy was hit with six more civil abuse lawsuits over the weekend, including one claim that he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl at a house party following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards in an alleged incident that took place in front of two unnamed celebrities who also participated in the alleged assault. The latest legal actions came from lawyers Andrew Van Arsdale and Tony Buzbee, who warned earlier this month that they represent at least 120 alleged victims.
In a previous statement on Buzbee’s earlier suits, Combs’ legal team said he has “never sexually assaulted anyone” and that he has “full confidence in the facts, their legal defenses, and the integrity of the judicial process.” Combs was indicted by federal prosecutors last month over allegations that for years he ran a sprawling criminal operation aimed at satisfying his need for “sexual gratification.”
While Combs’ children and his mother have been attending his hearing in New York Federal Court, the once high-flying music entrepreneur whose infamous white parties featured A-list guest lists has so far garnered little to no public support from his famous friends since his Sept. 16 arrest on a three count indictment on racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing.
See the Combs family statement below.
President Biden handed out the prestigious National Medals of Arts and National Humanities honors to 39 recipients at the White House on Monday (Oct. 21), including hip-hip legends Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott.
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“I am HUMBLY GRATEFUL! Crying Tears of JOY!,” wrote Elliott on X after the ceremony in which she was given the highest honor bestowed on artists by the U.S. government. “Thinking of the days I wasn’t so strong but through FAITH & PRAYER I kept going..I’m SO THANKFUL @POTUS & CONGRATULATIONS to the other amazing ppl who was blessed with this honor.”
Elliott also shouted out Latifah, saying, “And a BIG CONGRATS to my sis @IAMQUEENLATIFAH who deserve all the bouquets she also was honored today! Thank you for kicking down doors QUEEN for me & those after you.”
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“Above all, you are the masters of your craft that have made us a better America with all of you have done,” Biden said at the ceremony according to the Associated Press. Among the other National Medals of Arts recipients were directors Steven Spielberg and Spike Lee and Ken Burns, as well playwright/screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and historian Jon Meacham, who received National Humanities Medals.
See the full list of honorees here.
Beloved singer Selena Quintanilla was awarded a posthumous humanities honor, along with late chef/author Anthony Bourdain. During his remarks, Biden also mentioned Vice President Kamala Harris with just two weeks left in the presidential election. “I know the power of the women in this room to get things done,” he said, adding that the day’s female winners were “proving a woman can do anything a man can do, and then some, that includes being president of the United States of America.”
After getting a standing ovation for the former, Biden also told the winners that their special moment came at a “very consequential time in the arts and humanities in America [because] extreme forces are banning books, trying to erase history, spreading misinformation”; the event celebrated both the 2022 and 2023 National Medal of Arts recipients.
Others who received the arts medals — managed by the National Endowment for the Arts — were actors Idina Menzel and Eva Longoria, as well as musician Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez and ukulele master Herbert I. Ohta, as well as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The arts medals are awarded “to individuals or groups who are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States.”
Last year’s event for the 2021 Medal of Arts recipients included honors for Bruce Springsteen, Gladys Knight, José Feliciano, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Mindy Kaling and more.
Check out Elliott and the White House’s posts below.
🙏🏾I am HUMBLY GRATEFUL! Crying Tears of JOY! Thinking of the days I wasn’t so strong but through FAITH & PRAYER I kept going..I’m SO THANKFUL🙏🏾@POTUS 🙏🏾& CONGRATULATIONS to the other amazing ppl who was blessed with this honor🙌🏾☺️ https://t.co/F86ksfZZsM— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) October 22, 2024
The Biden-Harris Administration believes in the power of the arts and humanities. Today, we are proud to celebrate the extraordinary recipients of the National Medals of Arts and Humanities. pic.twitter.com/AduzqWV7pk— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 21, 2024
Today, President Biden presented the 2022 and 2023 National Medals of Arts and the 2022 and 2023 National Humanities Medals – awarding 39 extraordinary individuals and organizations with two of our nation’s highest honors. pic.twitter.com/S2d9Z3oa28— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 22, 2024
“Scarface the movie did more than Scarface the rapper to me.”
That’s what Jay-Z rapped towards the end of “Ignorant S—” featuring Philly’s Beanie Sigel from his 2007 album American Gangster.
During an appearance on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast to plug his new memoir Sonny Boy, the legendary actor Al Pacino talked about how the audience helped turn the remake of the 1932 film of the same name into a cultural phenomenon after it was initially panned by critics and Hollywood insiders. Pacino’s co-star Steven Bauer, who played Manolo, once said director Martin Scorsese warned them about the possible response during the movie’s premiere. “At the premiere Martin Scorsese turned around in the middle of the film, and he said, ‘You guys are great — but be prepared, because they’re going to hate it in Hollywood.’ He said that to me and he didn’t know me from Adam. “And I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘Because it’s about them.’”
“I was surprised that it had that reaction,” Pacino said after admitting that he had lost interest in acting at the time. “The audiences liked it. Took a while.” Adding, “Hip-hop just got it. They understood it. They embraced it, the rappers. And then the next thing you know, VHS is going out and more people are seeing it. Plus, we’re on the records, these rappers. And then it just carried and it kept going and going.”
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Directed by Brian De Palma, and starring Al Pacino in a role that revitalized his already storied career, Scarface has been one of the hip-hop community’s favorite films since its release in 1983. Those from the inner city and marginalized communities saw themselves in Tony Montana’s rise to power as a Cuban immigrant during Miami’s cocaine glory days in the early ’80s. This feeling was depicted in 2002’s Paid in Full, the movie loosely based on the lives of Harlem kingpins Rich Porter, AZ Faison, and Alpo Martinez as they too rose from nothing to becoming three of the most influential drug dealers in American pop culture.
The scene shows Ace (played by Wood Harris) narrating as he’s in a packed movie theater during a showing of Scarface. “Things really got hot in Harlem when Scarface came to town,” he says as the audience around him cheers on Montana’s antics. “It’s like n—s love seeing a poor ass Cuban just blow up to be “the man,” all by himself.
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Along with Brooklyn’s Jay-Z, Queens group Mobb Deep, Staten Island’s Wu-Tang Clan, and Texas’ Scarface all have famously sampled or referenced the movie in some form or another over the course of their respective careers.
You can check out the full convo here.
After dropping new song in “St. Chroma” last week and announcing that his seventh studio album, Chromakopia, is set to be released Monday, Oct. 28, in an effort to end the current industry standard of Friday midnight releases, Tyler, the Creator just gave fans the project’s second single and video, “Noid.” Explore Explore See latest […]
Between Megan Thee Stallion‘s “Hiss” and Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar‘s “Like That,” hip-hop rang in 2024 with war. Now, as Halloween approaches, peace might be the new name of the game.
On Friday (Oct. 18), Young Thug wrote on X, “@Drake @1future @MetroBoomin we all bruddas. Music aint the same without us collabin.” The Billboard Hot 100-topping rapper — who has collaborated with all three of the rappers he mentioned — appeared on We Don’t Trust You, the Billboard 200-topping joint album between Future and Metro, which ignited the Lamar-Drake feud by way of “Like That.” Future did not respond to Thugger’s post, but he did share it on his own page, prompting fans to speculate about a truce that would bookmark one of the most shocking battles in modern hip-hop.
Lamar, for his part, did not acknwoledge the post — but he did sit with SZA for an interview in the latest issue of Harper’s Bazaar, in which he details what “Not Like Us” means to him. Megan, whose “Hiss” also took aim at Drizzy, announced the release of Megan: Act II, a deluxe reissue of her self-titled June LP, which topped R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Out Oct. 25, the revamped set will arrive just six days before her In Her Words documentary premieres on Prime Video on Halloween (Oct. 31).
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In legal news, Diddy was hit with yet another round of lawsuits on Sunday (Oct. 20), including one shocking allegation that he “drugged and raped a thirteen year-old girl at a house party” in the presence of unnamed celebrities (who also participated in the assault) following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Dajah Dorn’s ode to the ’90s to Jordan Adetunji and Lil Baby’s new link-up. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: Dajah Dorn, “90s Fine”
The current era’s obsession with the ’90s is already insufferable, but if it gives us more records like Dajah Dorn’s “90s Fine,” then, by all means, let it continue. “They love my Southern demeanor/ Doing what I want, I’m a R&B diva, okay/ I’m just having my way/ Ain’t nothing bringing me down, I’m up now,” rap-sings over a laid-back drum-heavy hip-hop soul beat reminsicent of the subtle sensuality of ’90s Mary J. Blige. As the pre-chorus comes in and morphs into the hook, Dajah sharpens her delivery into straight singing, her honeyed tone and gentle vibrato complementing Buda and Grandz & Saint Cassius’ unfussy soundscape. It’s not often that a song inspired by the ’90s doesn’t sound like paint-by-numbers creation of a track from that era, but leave it to Dajah to truly deliver.
Nija, “Unruly”
In between penning Hot 100-topping hits for Ariana Grande (“Positions) and tracks for Beyoncé’s Grammy-winning Renaissance LP (“Cozy”), New Jersey multi-hyphenate Nija still finds time to write some bangers for herself. “Unruly,” her first solo offering since 2022’s “Love Like This,” extends her stay in the moody drill-meets-R&B lane she helped cultivate with 2022’s Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You. “Rude, unruly/ They don’t come as bad as this, no/ One of one,” she proclaims over a skittering beat that nods more to sexy drill than its brasher forefather. With her lyrical embrace of raucous freedom when it comes to her love life — and life in genreal — Nija offers up a worthy female perspective to the still-raging slizzy era of New York drill.
Ari Lennox, “Smoke”
Back with her first solo singe of the year, Ari Lennox is throwing it back to Motown. Lennox has been open about both her struggle with social media and her sobriety journey, and she lets out all of her frustration on “Smoke.” “Talk shit now/ I might just slap a bitch in the face/ It could blow up/ You’re lucky I’m just lightin’ my sage,” she promises in the second verse of the doo-wop-infleceted, BongoByTheWay-helmed track. The driving force of “Smoke” is Ari’s impassioned vocal performance, her piercing timbre ringing across the track and nailing the sense of urgency that the hook is anchored by. “Save all your f—s for me/ I want all the smoke,” she proclaims — and she gives us no choice but to wholeheartedly believe her.
Lexa Gates & Zeelooperz, “Sweet.. Time”
Lexa Gates is here with her Elite Vessel debut album after spending the final 12 hours until the project’s arrival inside a glass box case in the middle of an NYC park. Brass woodwinds produce a jazzy backdrop for Gates to nestle her way through a timeless beat that could’ve arrived any of the last few decades. “Sweet.. Time” displays Gates’ full repertoire as a talented singer-rapper and she doesn’t waste a second packing a punch through listeners’ chests. “I love you so much I want to kill myself,” she pleads, before eventually handing the baton to Detroit’s Zeelooperz for a spicy assist.
Jordan Adetunji & Lil Baby, “Options”
If something’s not broken, don’t fix it. Jordan Adetunji builds off of the massive success of his Billboard Hot 100 hit “Kehlani” with “Options,” featuring an appearance from Lil Baby. JA continues experimenting with melodies, but installs a similar bass drum pattern that became looped in fans’ heads on “Kehlani.” Partners are only as faithful as their options and Adetunji has plenty of avenues to explore, but he prefers to hone in on a certain love interest. Lil Baby makes it two for two when connecting with singers recently following his 4batz collaboration last month.
Sofia Ly, “Needy”
Romance and an acoustic guitar have been a cathartic formula for R&B success throughout the genre’s existence. Sofia Ly returns with her second single “Needy” as the Cambodian-Canadian singer peels back the layers of a turbulent relationship while vulnerably sifting through her insecurities. “I wanted Needy to feel like having a conversation with myself,” she says about the poignant track. “It’s about battling that inner voice when you’re not sure if someone still cares, and how easy it is to second-guess everything when they start pulling away.” Essentially, love fades but the scars last forever. The 19-year-old recently inked a deal with LiveHelpLive/Pulse Records and is a name to keep an eye on going forward.
Snoop Dogg wants to see more originality in rap these days. The Doggfather said in a new interview that he believes there are too many copycats running around hip-hop and there needs to be more artists looking to stand out rather than following the trends.
Snoop and Dr. Dre stopped by The Stephen A. Smith Show on Friday (Oct. 18), where the legendary West Coast duo spoke candidly while giving their thoughts on today’s landscape of rap.
“Be original,” Snoop said when asked what he would tell an aspiring artist. “Right now there’s so much copycatting, mimicking, sounding alike and imitation. Find your production, your sound — find your ear for who you are and be original even if it ain’t hitting. Stay you.”
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Dr. Dre chimed in about wanting to see artists find their sound with a specific collaborator, as he isn’t a fan of songs or albums with a multitude of producers involved in the creative process.
“Find your collaborator. I don’t like the fact there’s nine different producers on one album. I like the idea of one producer on one album,” Dre added. “The continuity is everything for me. I don’t know [when that started], but I don’t like it. If you’re a producer, you should be able to produce the entire album. That’s what I thought it was supposed to be. That’s what I was doing at the beginning.”
Snoop Dogg chalked it up to there being a plethora of beatmakers in rap rather than traditional producers. “I think the fundamentals was taken out of it,” Snoop said of the industry. “Now it’s just a phone that makes you an artist. Something stupid gets you five minutes of fame, and you take that and make a record and you got a two-and-a-half-minute song saying the same thing somebody else just said and now you considered hot.”
He continued: “It used to be about creativity and understanding the musicianship, harmony, melodies and that don’t even matter anymore.”
However, Dre feels there’s a shift in the market from “mumble rap,” and he thinks there’s the next Prince or Michael Jackson out there coming up to change the game.
“I feel like it’s a change happening now from all this mumble rap that’s happening now,” the legendary producer predicted. “There’s somebody in somebody’s garage that’s gonna be the next Snoop or Dre or the next Prince or the next Michael Jackson that’s coming up with something that’s change the game.
“It’s gotta happen right now and it’s wide open because everything that’s happening right now in the music game — especially hip-hop — is weird as f–k,” Dre declared. “It’s gonna get back to the musicianship. I’m seeing it happen.”
Snoop and Dre are reuniting for their first album in more than three decades since 1993’s Doggystyle with their Missionary follow-up, which is expected to arrive in November.
Kendrick Lamar didn’t hold anything back in his vicious rap battle with Drake earlier this year, but he claims to not be an angry person at heart. In his first profile since the year-defining feud, K. Dot covered the Harper’s Bazaar 2024 November Voices Issue on Monday (Oct. 21), which had him in conversation with his former Top Dawg Entertainment teammate SZA.
Lamar explained during the chat how he doesn’t believe he’s an angry individual, but how the duality of love and war do pose a need to exist.
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“I don’t believe I’m an angry person,” Lamar declared. “But I do believe in love and war, and I believe they both need to exist. And my awareness of that allows me to react to things but not identify with them as who I am. Just allowing them to exist and allowing them to flow through me. That’s what I believe.”
While “Not Like Us” proved decisive in his feud with Drake, Kendrick defined what the phrase means to him culturally, and it’s much bigger than anything OVO-related.
“Not like us? Not like us is the energy of who I am, the type of man I represent,” he said. “Now, if you identify with the man that I represent . This man has morals, he has values, he believes in something, he stands on something. He’s not pandering.”
Lamar continued: “He’s a man who can recognize his mistakes and not be afraid to share the mistakes and can dig deep down into fear-based ideologies or experiences to be able to express them without feeling like he’s less of a man. If I’m thinking of ‘Not Like Us,’ I’m thinking of me and whoever identifies with that.”
“Not Like Us,” the scathing Drake diss mixed with Mustard’s Cali bounce, became the longest running No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart earlier this month when it helmed a 21st week atop the chart to trot past Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road.”
The “Not Like Us” train doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon, and the diss track could make its presence felt at the 2025 Grammy Awards when nominations are unveiled in November.
See Kendrick’s cover of Harper’s Bazaar below:
It’s an understatement to say that there’s no love lost between 50 Cent and Sean “Diddy” Combs. The two hip-hip moguls have been trading jabs in public for nearly 20 years, but lately 50 has appeared to ramp up the rhetoric in response to the avalanche of legal action against Combs. Over the weekend, the disgraced hip-hop mogul was hit with another six civil abuse lawsuits, adding to the half dozen similar cases filed last week, all alleging that the Bad Boy Records boss sexually and physically abused the anonymous victims; Combs has previously denied the allegations.
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In an interview with People, 50 (born Curtis Jackson), discussed his feelings about Diddy’s actions before the 54-year-old mogul was arrested in Manhattan on Sept. 17 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution, charges Combs has plead not guilty to.
“Look, it seems like I’m doing some extremely outrageous things, but I haven’t. It’s really me just saying what I’ve been saying for 10 years,” 50 said of his jabs at Combs over the past few months as more details have emerged about Diddy’s alleged sex-and-drug-fueled “fFreak Off” parties.
“Now it’s becoming more full-facing in the news with the Puffy stuff, but away from that, I’m like, ‘Yo, it’s just my perspective because I stayed away from that stuff the entire time, because this is not my style.’” 50 has said several times in recent months that he did not attend any freak offs, confirming in September that he’s prepping a documentary about Diddy’s alleged history of sexual abuse is coming to Netflix.
The untitled work will reportedly focus on claims about Combs’ alleged history of sexual assault and abuse, which investigators allege stretches back decades. “This is a story with significant human impact. It is a complex narrative spanning decades, not just the headlines or clips seen so far,” 50 and director Alexandria Stapleton said in a joint statement. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to give a voice to the voiceless and to present authentic and nuanced perspectives.”
Last month, 50 said in a podcast interview that he “didn’t participate” in Combs’ freak offs. “I also didn’t go to those parties. So a lot of the celebrity culture that you don’t hear saying anything is because they participated to a degree,” 50 said, adding, “I’m just not with all that freaky sh–. Like, all of the stuff he’s doing, I’m not into that type of stuff. I’m just a little more, maybe you could say, basic or normal.” 50 has said more than once this year that he’s practicing celibacy in order to focus on his business.
50, who has made a habit of trolling Diddy on X, originally announced plans for a doc about his rival in December, following a shocking lawsuit filed by Combs’ ex, singer Cassie, who settled with the Bad Boy founder one day after filing papers alleging more than a decade of physical and sexual abuse, including rape; Combs denied Cassie’s claims and the two both issued statement acknowledging the settlement without discussing its terms.
In September, 50 posted the latest in a long series of posts trolling Combs, uploading a picture of himself with Drew Barrymore, writing, “Here I am keeping good company with @DreBarrymoreTV and I don’t have 1,000 bottles of lube at the house,” 50 wrote, in seeming reference to what authorities said was the copious stash of baby oil and personal lubricant found at Diddy’s homes in Miami and Los Angeles during a federal raid in March.
Though Diddy’s reps have not commented on the latest civil suits, in a previous statement about the first six legal actions put forward by attorneys Tony Buzbee and Andrew Van Arsdale, they said that Combs “never sexually assaulted anyone” and that he has full confidence “in the facts, their legal defenses and the integrity of the judicial process.”
Combs, 54, is the subject of a dozen additional lawsuit alleging sexual and physical assault and rape, some dating back to the early 1990s. A judge has denied bail for Combs twice, which means the rapper/producer could stay locked up until his trail begins in May.
