R&B/Hip-Hop
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Summer is quickly approaching, and dancehall princess Shenseea is here to deliver the soundtrack to the warmest months of 2024. Ahead of the release of her sophomore studio album, Never Gets Late Here (out May 24), Shenseea stopped by Billboard News to reflect on how she’s approached collaborating with other artists throughout her career.
“It helps me to get over my nerves,” she muses. “I feel like artists [are] easily intimidated by others’ success. Not to be badminded, not like that vibe, more of like, ‘Whoa, this is the pressure to have when somebody who’s this successful in the industry [is here.] What do I bring to the table?’”
Alpha, Shenseea’s debut studio LP, boasted collaborations with a slew of chart-topping artists, including 21 Savage, Beenie Man, Megan Thee Stallion, Offset, Sean Paul and Tyga. That set peaked at No. 2 on Top Reggae Albums and at No. 3 on Heatseekers Albums. Prior to Alpha, the Jamaican powerhouse began her crossover endeavors by throwing assists to American artists such as Masego, Christina Aguilera and Kanye “Ye” West.
“You will never know until you do it,” she says. “Doing it over time and taking on the challenge over and over and just trying to be myself, it helps that there’s nothing I can’t take on.”
Later in her conversation with Billboard News — which also traced the creation of her new LP, how she learned to harmonize and some of her earliest musical memories — Shenseea expounded on her career shifting link-up with Ye. The two artists joined forces alongside Roddy Ricch on “Pure Souls,” a track from the “All of the Lights” rapper’s Billboard 200-topping Donda album, which earned all three artists nominations for album of the year at the 2022 Grammys.
“One of the moments I knew things changed was when I did the collaboration with Kanye,” Shenseea gushes. “I felt like that opened a whole different type of doors — fashion, hip-hop, different artists just reaching out. I think that Kanye is cool, as much as how he’s artistic, he’s a cool person to look at. Always entertaining. I feel like me being associated with him, it has led me to a lot of open doors.”
Ahead of its full release later this month, Shenseea has delivered a few tastes of Never Gets Late Here. On Tuesday (April 30), she unveiled the LP’s full tracklist, revealing forthcoming collaborations with Coi Leray, Anitta and Wizkid. The set’s lead single, “Hit & Run” (with Masicka and Di Genius), has amassed nearly 40 million views on YouTube for its official music video.
Watch Shenseea’s full Billboard News interview above.
“A Hunting We Will Go.”
That’s the song whose melody Omar whistles in the eighth episode of the first season of The Wire, after he baits Wee-Bay and Stinkum into an ambush, shooting the former in the leg and killing the latter. This is the tune that must’ve been ringing off in Drake’s head as he grew more and more impatient waiting for Kendrick’s rebuttal. Well, it’s finally here — and The King in the North is wounded, ducking for cover like Wee-Bay behind that car.
“Them super powers gettin’ neutralized, I can only watch in silence/ The famous actor we once knew is lookin’ paranoid, and now it’s spiraling,” is how Kenny starts off “Euphoria,” essentially confirming the speculation that he was making Drake wait on purpose.
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I’ve been one of those people preaching patience — mainly because I remember when in order to hear a diss track, you had to either go find the mixtape it was on, wait for it to be premiered on the radio or live on stage, or wait for an artist’s album to drop. A back-and-forth often took months to play out, not days or weeks. Drake took about three weeks to respond to Kendrick’s verse on “Like That,” and has since dropped two songs: “Push Ups,” directed at Rap’s Sinister Six (Future, Metro, Kendrick, The Weeknd, Rick Ross, A$AP Rocky) and the very weird and controversial “Taylor Made,” featuring AI versions of 2Pac and Snoop, which he was eventually forced to take down. And this all of this was happening while he tried to out-meme and out-funny Rick Ross on Instagram, which is a losing battle in itself. The irony of all this is “Euphoria” makes it seem as if Kendrick would have responded earlier if Drake didn’t try to bait him with gimmicks.
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But that’s all in the past. Today, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 at 8:24 AM PST (remember the Kobe line from “8am in Charlotte“?,) the King of the West pushed the button on a diss track that is six minutes and 23 seconds of pure, unadulterated hate. And let’s be clear and let the record show: Kendrick didn’t “leak” this diss record to a streamer, or leave any doubt about this track being AI. He didn’t wait to put it on streaming services on New Music Friday, or attach the song to an album rollout. No, he put the song on his YouTube page and tweeted the link out, completely owning the moment. This track is basically that Beef DVD clip of 50 Cent standing outside on a balcony speaking on Ja Rule, shaking his head in disgust and telling the camera: “I really don’t like that guy.”
There are so many things to unpack. First you have the title of the song being “Euphoria” and the definition of the word as the single artwork. I’ll spare you the Genius annotation, but we all know Drake is an executive producer on HBO’s hit show Euphoria, right? The definition can also be a nod to Lamar having a feeling of euphoria after finally getting all this Drake hate off his chest. The song starts off with backwards audio from a scene in 1978’s The Wiz, where the Wizard (played by Richard Pryor) is exposed as a phony. “Everything they say about me is true, I’m a phony…,” the Wizard says. Lamar also mentions the paranoia Drake must’ve been feeling as he waited on this rebuttal. Kenny then flips a switch and goes into overdrive, giving critics and fans what they’ve been waiting for: a real life rap battle.
He throws shots in every direction, telling the Canadian rapper all the money and power can’t stop someone from being lame. He then refers to the game of chicken he’s been playing and asks Drake, “Have you ever walked your enemy down, like with a poker face?” He’s basically saying Drake blinked first after the “Like That” verse shook up the game. He mentions that Drake buying one of Tupac’s rings and using artificial intelligence to manipulate Pac’s voice made the late hip-hop legend “turn in his grave.” And he questions Drake’s “fake tough guy” act, advising him to finish his beef with Pusha T before thinking about responding to him, spitting, “I don’t like you poppin’ s–t at Pharrell, for him, I inherit the beef/ Yeah, f—k all that pushin’ P, let me see you push a T/ You better off spinnin’ again on him, you think about pushin’ me? He’s Terrance Thornton, I’m Terrance Crawford, yeah, I’m whoopin’ feet.”
Kendrick also confirms that this battle isn’t really for fun or for the crown, it’s really about “love and hate” — revealing that he’s also secretly Drake’s biggest hater, rapping, “I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk/ I hate the way that you dress I hate the way you sneak diss/ If I catch flight, it’s gon’ be direct/ We hate the bitches you f—k, ’cause they confuse themselves with real women/ And notice, I said “We”, it’s not just me, I’m what the culture feelin’.” He’s clearly sick of the Canadian’s sh—t and has been for a while now.
Drake’s “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle” were solid efforts, but for my money, they didn’t hit as hard as the “Like That” verse or “Euphoria.” “Push ups” was clever and funny, and he was in a tough spot because he had to respond to like six different people. “Taylor Made Freestyle,” however, showed a chink in his armor. It came across desperate for a response, and it wasn’t very boss-like. I think it exposed how impatient he was becoming, as Kendrick gave nothing but radio silence as rumors started to spread about what he had under his sleeve.
This response was well worth the wait. You can’t put a timer on art, and I’m not putting a timer on Drake to fire back. I hope this rap battle carries on for the rest of the year, because steel sharpens steel and rap music in general can only benefit from this clash of titans.
Now we wait in the arena for the King in the North to gather his thoughts and respond. But, as Omar said, “You come at the king, you best not miss.”
17 days after Drake’s “Push Ups” diss track leaked, Kendrick Lamar rose from the ashes to unleash “Euphoria.” “Euphoria” — also the title, of course, of the hit HBO show where Drake serves as an executive producer — hit K. Dot’s YouTube channel early Tuesday (April 30) to send the rap world into a frenzy. […]
If Ye is to be believed, Vultures 2, the follow-up to the Billboard 200-topping album Vultures 1, is set to drop on Friday, May 3. But in the event the album does not pop up on streamers at the end of this week, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, and Ty have delivered a video […]
Lucky Daye will be taking his new album, Algorithm, on the road this summer with The Algorithm Tour, which he announced Tuesday (April 30). Produced by Live Nation, the 33-date jaunt will kick off at San Francisco’s The Warfield on July 11, and will go through major U.S. cities such as Chicago, Washington, D.C., New […]
Few songs withstand time, distinguished by their infectious beats, experimental sounds, poignant lyrics or enduring appeal, rendering them as classics. In partnership with Tres Generaciones Tequila, a brand that champions the journey and not just the destination, we’re on a exploration to roundup the top Get Up Anthems over this next year from these six cities: Houston, Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles. Guided by curated panels, we delve deep into each city’s sonic history, spotlighting tracks that embody resilience, authenticity, and innovation and celebrate the power music has to inspire listeners to get up and chase their passions, in the spirit of perseverance.
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The Top 10 Get Up Anthems from Houston were crafted through a blend of editorial expertise, data-driven analytics, social impact and personal sentiment, to create a ranked list of the songs which inspired, captivated, and energized the Bayou City. In a historical dive from 1973 to present day, the city’s playlist [click HERE to play] features hometown hits that are synonymous with the city’s rich history and culture, hand selected by Houston’s very own, Bun B. and Chase B, Billboard editors, Damien Scott and Cat Johnson, and moderated by Rocsi Diaz.
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Did they get it right? Or were they off the mark?
Take a look at the Top 10 Get Up Anthems for Houston:
10. “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” – Geto Boys (1991)
Known for its haunting piano loop, gritty production, and raw, introspective lyrics, “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” epitomizes the distinct sound and storytelling prowess of the Geto Boys, off of their 1991 album, We Can’t Be Stopped. The record pushed the album to reach No. 5 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and spent three-weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart, No. 10 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 23 on the Hot 100 and went on to influence Kid Cudi’s No. 3 Hot 100 hit “Day ‘N’ Nite.” The song still pulls an average of 750,000 streams a week since last summer.
Bun B.: “This record not only set the tone for us musically, but also business wise, that you don’t have to run in New York, you don’t have to go to L.A., you don’t need nobody. You can do it right here in Houston. That set the tone for us.”
Chase B.: “I was born in 1990. The song came out in 91, and, literally I was out just running around on Saturday, just going to different brunches and whatever different, DJ sets and everything and I must’ve heard that song 6 or 7 times.”
9. “Savage (Remix)” – Megan the Stallion feat. Beyoncé (2020)
Bringing together two of Houston’s prominent female voices, the remix not only propelled Megan Thee Stallion to greater prominence but also showcased the enduring influence and talent of Houston’s homegrown artists on the global stage. The song’s infectious beats, catchy hooks, and confident delivery epitomize the trademark styles of both artists, creating a synergy that captivates listeners. To no surprise, the song gave Megan her first No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 and Beyoncé’s first in almost three years. It was the No. 1 on Streaming Songs, spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart, No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, No. 1 on Rhythmic Airplay and No. 7 on Pop Airplay. The song still pulls an average of 1.5 – 1.75 million streams a week since last summer.
BB.: “I think it’s also a good look for Houston women in particular. Once again, Beyoncé understands the platform and understands her power and passes that on to the next generation of Houston representatives for the women.”
Cat Johnson: “So it was Megan’s first number one [on the Hot 100] and Beyoncé’s first number one in almost three years, which is a big deal. Like Megan did that for Beyoncé in a sense. The song also pulls an average of 1.5 to 1.75 million streams a week.”
Damien Scott: “t was a massive moment, and Meg was on the rise. And as Bun said, this was Beyoncé passing it forward to the next generation, handing her the baton. And, you know, not just for her being a major, black female musician, but someone from her hometown.”
Rocsi Diaz: “ I think that what Megan did for Beyoncé was bring out more fun out of Beyoncé, I think she gave her the liberty to really go down and drop, although we were already dropping down on our knees.”
8. “Get Throwed” – Bun B feat. Pimp C, Jeezy, JAY-Z and Z-Ro (2005)
Crafted with Bun B’s signature lyrical prowess and accompanied by infectious beats, the 2005 hit record, “Get Throwed” from the legend’s debut album Trill, embodies the chopped and screwed style synonymous with Houston’s rap culture. Featuring collaborations with fellow Houston legends Pimp C, Z-Ro, and Young Jeezy, the song seamlessly blends gritty realism with infectious energy, creating a sonic landscape sure for a crowd favorite. Since its release, it peaked at No. 49 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and No. 24 on Rap Airplay.v
R.D: “ First of all, can I say that’s one of my favorite songs? And that’s not because you’re sitting here that’s just like as a song.”
C.B: “ just when you hear those guitars in the intro, that’s like one of the most important fabrics in Houston culture, just, in general, and it’s been sampled so many times just because of what it means and just the whole aura of it, the atmosphere of the sound and just how slow it comes in. And also just the title of the song, throwed is obviously a huge Houston word, you know, born and bred right here in Houston, Texas.”
7. “25 Lighters” – Fat Pat, DJ DMD & Lil Keke (2001)
The song’s laid-back vibe and infectious groove capture the essence of Houston’s street culture, while its evocative lyrics pay homage to the city’s unique slang and traditions. Released in 1998, although the song didn’t chart nationally, the track became an instant classic within the city’s rap scene, embodying the spirit of Houston’s underground culture.
B.B.: “ It’s so Houston that ZZ Top remade the record. And I don’t mean a play on the record, they literally redid the record just singing instead of rap. And I mean ZZ Top, we’re talking about Texas. We’re talking about Houston. It’s a big deal.”
C.J: “The song didn’t chart, but on a national level though, you’ve heard “25 lighters.”
Damien: “It’s one of those songs that’s just like an indelible part of the fabric of of hip hop. It’s. Everyone knows it. Everyone you know has either recited it or used it or remixed it or sampled it. It’s just one of those songs.”
R.D.: “It was a victim of the timing of when it came out that it just didn’t make it outside of the South. Per se, charting wise, but again, to piggyback on what you said, like, it’s just a classic hip-hop song.”
B.B.: “This was like us getting to hear Pat again after him passing – like new music. That was a big part of this record being as big as it was, like as far as Houston.”
6. “Wanna Be a Baller” – Lil’ Troy feat. Yungsta, Fat Pat, Lil’ Will, Hawk, and Big T (1999)
Serving as an anthem for ambition and perseverance, “Wanna Be a Baller’s” portrayal of the hustle and dreams of making it big resonates deeply with Houstonians, reflecting the city’s entrepreneurial spirit and drive for success. As the fourth track on the album, Sittin’ Fat Down South, it helped propel the album’s success, reaching No. 6 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 20 on the Billboard 200. Lil’ Troy’s melodic delivery and vivid storytelling paint a vivid picture of the city’s street life and aspirations for success, making it an instant favorite among listeners, still pulling an average of 1.25 million streams a week since last summer. The record peaked at No. 5 on Rap Airplay, No. 31 on Hot Rap Songs, No. 70 on the Hot 100 No. 22 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.
B.B.: “It’s unmistakably Houston recipe’s big team. One of the best hooks ever to come out of Houston. That independent spirit, right? Lil’ Troy is one of the first people to have an independent label here. The original person to find and sign Scarface and, I mean, “Wanna Be a Baller” was a hit record as soon as anybody heard it.”
C.J.: “Crazy fact. It still pulls an average of 1.25 million streams a week.”
D.S.: “It’s one of those songs that you hear every year. At least once. If you go to, like a basketball game or, you know, a festival or you watch a movie.”
5. “Southside” – Lil’ Keke (1997)
Off of his 1997 debut album, Don’t Mess With Texas, “Southside” by Lil’ Keke stands as a timeless ode to Houston’s hip-hop culture through its authentic lyrics and enduring impact on the city’s social fabric. Both the title of the song AND album quickly suggests to listeners Houstonian pride, remaining a cherished part of the city’’s musical identity. The song reached No. 28 on the Hot Rap Songs chart and No. 55 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Bun B: “Keke is as Houston a person as you can get. And I’m not talking about music, lyrics or rapping. Any day you sit and talk to Keke and see his personality, his character, he’s Houston, all right.”
D.S.: “I think if this was released later in the time of streaming, it would be a way bigger hit and it would, it would dominate, it would be on every playlist. It would be way, way higher on the hip hop chart, would probably be on the pop charts. It was just a massive song. And you hear it everywhere, it’s one of those songs again that everybody, if you’re a rap fan of a certain age, you just know it. Everyone’s used to it, everyone knows where it’s from. They know Keke. This is a classic record.”
C.B.: “This is the only song from Houston that has a dance attached to it. And to that, I feel like, is an anthem.”
4. “Tops Drop” – Fat Pat (1998)
Fat Pat’s vivid storytelling creates a sonic experience that resonates with listeners, capturing the essence of cruising through Houston’s streets and slab culture. The song’s portrayal of Houston’s car culture and laid-back lifestyle resonates deeply. The record reached No. 5 on Hot Rap Songs and its parent album Ghetto Dreams reached the top 40 of Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, peaking at No. 39.
C.B.: “‘Welcome to the land where just don’t stop is:’ I feel like that just embodies where we are, where we’re from. That’s, you know, MLK on Sundays. That’s this. You really can see the sunshine and old schools and slab lines, you can envision the whole thing when it comes to that song. And, you know.”
B.B.: “The song is a testament to how much Houston loves its hip hop community, and some of us here, as we talked about earlier, will never have nationally celebrated records. But because we’re a part of certain records, that represent the culture of Houston.”
C.J.: “The song is in a major retailer commercial in 2024. And the fact that, again, people from all across America, maybe even the world are going to be re-introduced to the song via this commercial, it’s amazing – iconic.”
3. “Still Tippin’” – Mike Jones feat Slim Thug and Paul Wall (2005)
Released in 2004, the song propelled Mike Jones to national fame while showcasing Houston’s unique rap style and culture to a broader audience. This would become each artist’s first entry to the Hot 100 charts, peaking at No. 60 and No. 25 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Built on a mesmerizing beat, catchy hooks, and Mike Jones’ distinctive flow, “Still Tippin” captures the essence of Houston’s rap scene in the early 2000s and since last August, the song still pulls in 1 – 1.25 million weekly streams on average.
D.S.: “ It’s just rare that you get to witness a watershed moment in music. Yeah. You know, it’s rare that you get to be present for it and see it. And a lot of people at the time don’t may not understand what’s happening. But I think with this, everyone who was watching and listening thought to themselves, this is the start of something new.”
Roxy: “It stayed on the countdown, that’s for sure. Just stayed on the countdown.”
2. “Mo City Don” – Z-Ro (2005)
The 6-minute freestyle, “Mo City Don” by Z-Ro holds a revered place within Houston’s hip-hop pantheon, embodying the ethos and experiences of Mo City (Missouri City), a suburb of Houston. The composition is marked by its raw authenticity and emotional depth and the song’s production features haunting melodies and a hypnotic beat that serves as the backdrop for Z-Ro’s introspective and impassioned lyrics. Although there wasn’t any noticeable charting activity for the song, the influence of this song is undeniable. As the opening track on Let The Truth Be Told, the localized success of the record contributed to the album reaching No. 5 on Top Rap Albums and No. 14 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
C.B.: “First of all, as a loud and proud Missouri City for my entire life, this song is another testament of how well Houston artists flip samples as songwriters, not even necessarily the beats, but as songwriters and just take it our own thing. Growing up in a house party, that middle school, high school and everything, this was our chance to, like, kind of, like, represent where we were from, and it belonged to us.”
B.B: On a daily basis. On an hourly basis. There is no record in Houston, I think in 2024 that more people will agree represent Houston than ‘Mo City Don”
1. “June 27th” – DJ Screw (1996)
You cannot debate Texas music and fail to mention DJ Screw’s chooped and screwed technique. The 1996, 38-minute freestyle evokes a sense of nostalgia and reflection, characterized by its hypnotic tempo, slowed-down rhythms, and manipulated vocal effects. Through its unconventional structure and immersive atmosphere, “June 27th” captures the essence of DJ Screw’s artistic vision and his deep connection to the city he called home and although it never charted due to its non-commercial release, the 38-minute freestyle is a hometown beloved.
B.B: “You’d be hard pressed to find something that represents Houston culture, to a myriad of people right across the board, that this song doesn’t really speak to.”
C.B: “I just feel like if you’re going to pick a Chopped and Screw song, this is obviously the one to do it. And I feel like Chopped and Screw music definitely should be represented on the list. So I feel like June 27th, this is like its purpose right here.”
Watch the full discussion HERE and recreate the cocktails that powered the conversation at home!
Mary J. Blige has been in our ears, and on our screens, for more than 35 years. The nine-time Grammy-winning queen of hip-hop soul released her 14th album, Good Morning Gorgeous, in 2022 and recently co-starred in actor Chiwetel Ejiofor’s directorial debut, Rob Peace, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
From the looks of it she’s not slowing down at all. But in a new interview with Extra, the 53-year-old music icon who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this fall revealed that she is already thinking about her exit strategy. Asked what she’s singing about these days, Blige said, “Mary is singing about life. Life… love… being stable and understanding you can have things like love. You can have a good life.”
Just as importantly, Blige is also thinking about her future, which she said could include an exit from the stage sooner than you might think. “Right now, I’m definitely gonna do some more acting and I’m definitely gonna retire in, like, five or six years,” she told Extra without specifying what retirement would look like for her.
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Now before you freak out, Blige — who has had memorable roles in films including Rock of Ages, Mudbound and the 2021 Aretha Franklin biopic Respect as Dinah Washington — said the music retirement is more of an “eventual” thing, explaining, “Right now, I’m still doing what I’m doing but not as often as I was doing it because I don’t have to now.”
For now her future includes joining Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Kool & the Gang, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Ozzy Osbourne and A Tribe Called Quest at this year’s RRHOF induction ceremony in Cleveland on Oct. 19. In a recent interview with Tamron Hall, Blige said she was “still trying to process” the news. “It’s a big deal. I’m just so grateful because I know it didn’t have to be this way but it is this way, and I give all the credit to God. I don’t even know what else to do. It’s just so humbling,” she said. “I don’t know what to do besides be grateful and thankful.”
Grab the popcorn, because Kendrick Lamar has returned. K. Dot emerged to unleash the eviscerating “Euphoria,” taking aim at Drake on Tuesday (April 30).
The Compton artist’s Drake diss hit his YouTube channel early in the day and looks to land a knockout punch, with “Euphoria” — Drake is an executive producer of the HBO show of the same name — serving as his official response to Drizzy’s “Push Ups.”
Drake comes under fire as Lamar refers to him as a “degenerate,” “scam artist” and more, with Kendrick utilizing more of a spoken-word flow before horns come in to turn the intensity up a few notches after the first-minute warm-up.
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Next, Kendrick turns his focus to Drake and his 2018 battle with Pusha T, during which King Push revealed that the 6 God had a son, Adonis, on “The Story of Adidon.”
“Yeah, Cole and Aubrey know I’m a selfish n–a/ The crown is heavy, huh/ I pray they my real friends, if not, I’m YNW Melly/ I don’t like you poppin s–t at Pharrell, for him I’ll inherit the beef/ F–k all that pushin p, let me see you Pusha T, you better off spinning again on him you think about pushing me/ He’s Terrence Thorton I’m Terence Crawford I’m whooping feet,” he raps.
There’s no love lost between Lamar and Drake, with their long-simmering feud dating back more than a decade. K. Dot lets it be known this isn’t about competition, but there’s a genuine hatred for Drake.
“I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk/ I hate the way that you dress/ I hate the way that you sneak dissing/ If I flight it’s gonna be direct/ We hate the b—-s you f–k because they confuse themselves with real women,” Lamar spews.
He isn’t even close to done by this point, as he brings up hating Drake’s mob boss persona, claims the OVO boss doesn’t have a classic record in his discography and questions the legitimacy of his six-pack abs.
“Yeah, my first one like my last one, it’s a classic, you don’t have one/ Let your core audience stomach that/ Didn’t tell ’em where you get your abs from,” Dot continues to fire.
Drake’s “Push Ups” largely centered around him accusing Lamar of having to give away 50 percent of his earnings as part of his deal with Top Dawg Entertainment.
Kendrick turns the tables in “Euphoria,” wondering about Drizzy’s deal in which he was signed to Lil Wayne’s Young Money, which lived under Birdman’s Cash Money Records and Universal Music Group.
He even alleges that Drake’s team served up a cease and desist over the Billboard Hot 100-topping “Like That,” which essentially lit the fuse of the feud earlier this year.
“You was signed to a n—a that’s signed to a n—a that said he was signed to that n—a/ Try cease and desist on the ‘Like That’ record/ Oh, what? You ain’t like that record,” he contests.
Lastly, Kendrick attacks Drake’s biracial identity and voices his disgust with him using n—a in his lyrics. “I even hate when you say the word ‘N—a,’ but that’s just me,” he raps before closing out the track. “We don’t want to hear you say n—a no more.”
“Euphoria” arrives 17 days after Drake’s “Push Ups” was leaked before he brought the diss record to streaming on April 19. (The track debuted at No. 19 on this week’s Hot 100.)
Listen to Kendrick Lamar’s “Euphoria” response below.
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Rich the Kid isn’t much of a blackjack player or one to be firing up bets on FanDuel, but he believes every decision in life is a gamble — which doubles as the title of his upcoming LP.
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The Queen-born rapper bet on himself when taking a flight to Saudia Arabia for the first time last year to meet up with Ye and Ty Dolla $ign, where the origins of “Carnival” began to take place.
Rich cooked up the slippery chorus and his verse in what he estimates took about “15 to 20 minutes, tops.” The early version of the track eventually got into Kanye’s hands, which he turned into a chanting stadium anthem, with additions from Ty Dolla $ign and Playboi Carti.
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“Carnival” hit the ground running as an immediate Vultures 1 fan-favorite when landing on streaming services on Feb. 10. Without much playlisting or radio play, “Carnival” chugged along and finally pushed through to reach the apex on the March 16 Billboard Hot 100, giving Rich The Kid his first No. 1 hit.
“So many people counted you out and down-talking you — to go from that to No. 1, you can’t script it,” he tells Billboard with a smile on his face.
Just a few months prior to “Carnival,” Rich the Kid was down on his luck, as his RCA Records label dropped him and he began plotting his next move.
The single was a full-circle moment for Rich the Kid, who met Kanye two years ago, and says Ye texted him about how people continued to tell him that Rich was a genius. Their universes finally aligned under unlikely circumstances, and the collaboration led to West’s first Hot 100 No. 1 since guesting on Katy Perry’s “ET” in 2011.
RTK will look to carry his momentum into Life’s a Gamble, his first solo album since 2020. Ye has continued to work with Rich since they returned to Los Angeles, as the Vultures duo of West and Ty Dolla $ign will serve as Gamble‘s executive producers.
During his visit to Billboard earlier in April, Rich played album cuts such as “Bandman,” which will serve as the lead single, dropping on May 10. He’s got more heat in the stash, as he teased another possible banger titled “Gimme a Minute,” featuring Peso Pluma and another superstar guest.
Life’s a Gamble is slated to arrive in June, and it will be a busy affair, with co-stars including Ye, Ty Dolla $ign, Chief Keef, BIA, Rob49 and Migos rappers Quavo, Offset and even a posthumous contribution from Takeoff.
Check out the rest of our interview here, as Rich speaks on the magic phone that connected him with Frank Ocean, Vultures 2, “Carnival” and more.
Life’s a Gamble. Talk to me about where your headspace is when naming the album that.
I feel like everything in life’s a gamble. You walk out the front door, you could get hit by a bus. Everything’s a gamble. I’ve took wins and losses with my career and I felt it was a perfect title. I didn’t think twice about it.
Was there a certain gamble in your career that you think paid off?
Just investing in myself and my career. Even to the little things – getting CDs pressed up and handing out mixtapes. I used to have to take the bus from my grandmother’s house from Marietta to get to Atlanta. I had to take the bus to the train station to get to Atlanta. I didn’t have money so I had to take chances investing in myself. To now going to record with Ye and Ty [Dolla $ign] in Saudi [Arabia]. Got a flight and a taxi from the airport. It’s the same hustle.
What was Ye and Ty [Dolla $ign]’s involvement as executive producers on the project?
The project was almost already done. Ye and Ty been helping me with tweaking the beats. Tuning and making everything perfect. We just been tweaking and making everything perfect – perfecting the sound. That’s something me and Ye got in common. I’ve always wanted to perfect the sound or make the next sound. I feel like that’s what we’re doing. When I go in the studio and I heard beats, I try to go off what I know is the next level. This hasn’t been done before. This is the new sound. I try to elevate it. We been in the studio day-in-day working [in L.A.] on music.
“Carnival” hits No. 1 on the Hot 100 – how did that come together? Take me back to cooking the song up.
I’m independent. It’s kinda like three months before “Carnival” came out, me and my label wasn’t on the same page and [RCA] let me go. What a blessing! It was a big moment for me too.
I had a show in Dubai. Ty was like, “We in f–king Saudi.” I’m like, “S–t, I’m an hour away.” And I had an off day before another show. I’m like, “F–k it, off day I’m gonna go to f–king Saudi.” It was kinda different. I never been out there. You can’t smoke out there. You can’t drink but I think you can drink now they passed it after we left. Like what the f–k, why didn’t they have that when we was there? I got out there at the airport they said I needed a visa. I was like, “How the f–k I need a visa?” They like, “You could buy it right here.”
It was me and my boy. We took a taxi cab about an hour and 15 minutes out. Pulled up to a resort type of thing. It was dope. We get out there. The first night Ye and Ty played me Vultures 1. I was like, “Yeah, this is hard.” Second day, I got woken up early around 11 or 10 and we had a set-up in the room. Me and Ty was recording. I was looking for beats and [TheLabCook] sent me a bunch of beats to my phone and I was going through them.
When I heard “Carnival,” I just felt, “Oh yeah, this is the one. This is a new-age rage rock star s–t. This is the one.” I pulled it up and after I did my part. I did the chorus first, then the verse. I probably did it in 15 minutes – 20 minutes tops. Ty was in the room while I was recording. I played it back after I took my headphones off. Then Ty got on there. Ye didn’t get on it right away. I left and Ty hit me up before they had the Vegas listening like, “Ye said he wants you on the album. What song do you think we should put on there?” At the time, it was called ‘Honor Roll’ and another song we had did. I was like, “S–t, let’s put ‘Honor Roll’ on there.’” It had that energy. Ye added a lot of production [and] the chants.
One thing I always think back to, two years ago when I first met Ye, he like “Yo, people are telling me you’re a genius.” He texted me this two years ago. Ye’s a genius. So it’s like two geniuses together. He did the production and picking the chants and I picked the beat. [We] joined forces. [Playboi] Carti got on it two days after Vegas. When I first heard it, I knew it was gonna be No. 1. I was like, “This is a No. 1 song.” I was telling my team that.
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Let’s talk about that road to No. 1 on the Hot 100. Not much playlisting or any radio push, it was really the people. What do you remember about pushing “Carnival” to get to No. 1?
Both [Ye and I] being independent and No. 1 is crazy. It’s crazy, because people was asking me why I’m going so hard. “That’s not even your song.” I’m like, “What you mean? I’m on the song.” I feel it’s just as much my song as everyone on the song. It’s my first No. 1, Carti’s first No. 1, Ye’s first since ‘07 and Ty’s second No. 1. We really made history with one song. Largest streaming song of 2024 as of right now. That’s crazy!
Rich The Kid
Courtesy of Helio PR
Elliott Wilson said you were the luckiest dude on the planet after that. I was like, “How could you say that?”
It’s kinda weird. I think he should’ve said something like, “Damn, we watched Rich work for so many years and grind so hard from the bottom. So many collaborations, he’s a young GOAT. Salute him!” Instead, he’s like, “He’s lucky.” What the f–k kind of s–t is that? Keep doing your thing. He too old to be hating on young guys like me. I feel like it’s more No. 1s to come. More No. 1s this year, plural.
What’s your best memories of “Carnival” rising and just traveling with Ye and the team?
We was in Milan and the energy was insane. Blow the top off the roof. After we performed, we were backstage and they’re still singing “Carnival.” Loud as f–k. I’m like, “What’s going on?” Pulling out, my car was surrounded by fans and I jumped on top of the sprinter and they started singing “Carnival” a cappella. Knowing it’s coming too. I was telling people it’s coming. I’m on the way! Y’all see my track record. Just because I was plotting for a minute doesn’t mean I wasn’t working. This album too, it’s gonna be slapping them in the face.
What did you think about Ye’s comeback?
I feel like I call myself the comeback kid. I did a comeback and Ye did a comeback. Perfect timing. We did it.
Vultures 2, is the “Motion” record with you, NBA YoungBoy and Takeoff gonna be on there? You played that for [Ye]?
Yeah, just like that. We were cooking up and working on V2 and I was like, “I think I got something.” Takeoff said something about Ye on the song.
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What else do you got lined up for the rest of the year?
I did a full Latin project. My DJ is Dominican. We been working nonstop the last two or three years recording music with different artists and places. I say some things in Spanish. It’s a lot of the biggest Latin artists in the game on there. J. Balvin, for sure. Arcangel, Peso Pluma. Yovngchimi. I was immersing myself in the culture. It’s not like I was like, “I’m gonna do a Latin album one day.” I was tapping in with people.
What do you think about this civil war breaking out in rap right now?
I think a lot of the old heads love it. It’s competition. That’s what I been hearing from the OGs. They love the competition of it.
Do you think that’s lost with the new generation?
I don’t think it’s all the way lost. We got n—as dissing each other all the time.
Last time we spoke [in 2020], people were talking about your lost Frank Ocean collaboration. Was that actually true?
My phone somehow was uploaded with someone’s contacts. Magic contact book. I have everybody you could imagine’s phone number. Executives, artists, restaurant owners, singers, rappers.
You got Dua Lipa’s phone number?
Nah, I don’t got Dua Lipa. That’s how I got on that FaceTime with Frank Ocean. When I got the contacts I was like, “What the f–k’s going on?” I started typing in people’s names. Frank Ocean, damn! You could also go to another time I FaceTimed Ye a couple years back. It was the same way. I FaceTimed him and he picked up the phone looking like, “What the f–k is this?” I screenshotted it and posted it [to social media]. To this day, I don’t know how the contact thing happened. I had Rihanna’s number too.
Did you try hitting Rihanna up?
Yeah, this was three years ago. She didn’t pick up. I texted her saying I was trying to work… I got my first record deal off of that. When I was leaving [Quality Control], I had to pay $500,000 for the buyout, and at the time, I didn’t have $5,000. I had to make something happen, bro. I didn’t know what I was gonna do. I was like, “Let’s go to the magic contact list.” I started typing in record labels from A-Z. A lot of people didn’t answer. Then I typed in Interscope and I called every Interscope person. One person picked up and they was like, “What’s up?” I explained, “I’m Rich the Kid and I got some songs and I’m trying to get signed.” I had a project ready. He’s like, “Bet, come to Interscope this day.” Bet.
I come to Interscope and I’m playing music for somebody in the office. I played seven songs. It’s hard. Then I’m thinking the meeting’s over and someone else walk in the room like, “Hey, I’m Manny Smith.” The person I thought I was meeting wasn’t him. It was another A&R. Everything was meant to be. I played the music for Manny and he wanted to make it happen. Interscope bought me out of the deal. I was also signed to 300 Entertainment too. They bought them out. I was able to get paid from the deal. Three months later, I released “New Freezer” with Kendrick [Lamar] from this magic phone.
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