R&B/Hip-Hop

Big Boogie went onstage during the BET Hip Hop Awards at Drai’s Las Vegas and brought out GloRilla to perform their hit single “BOP!” complete with a coordinated dance and backup dancers for one of Tuesday (Oct. 15) night’s most energetic performances.

Host Fat Joe knew what the crowd and viewers at home were in for when he introduced Boogie. “Our next artist is a fan-favorite for two reasons: his music and his energy,” he said. “He had the camera crew turnt up during rehearsals, and now it’s time to see him go crazy.” And Boogie and Glo didn’t disappoint.

“BOP!” — from Big Boogie’s Gangsta Grillz tape REDRUM Wizard with DJ Drama — currently has around 33 million views on YouTube and counting. The tape not only features his CMG labelmate GloRilla, but their label boss Yo Gotti makes an appearance on the song “Whatever,” while Lola Brooke and Bankroll Jizzle lend a hand on songs “Turnt” and “Army,” respectively.

GloRilla is having a monster 2024 so far, as she followed up her critically acclaimed mixtape Ehhthang Ehhthang from earlier this year with her debut album Glorious. We ranked all 15 tracks, which you can check out here.

This year’s BET Hip Hop Awards were a departure from the usual format as the show focused more on performances than the awards themselves. Travis Scott took home the I Am Hip Hop Award, the fourth recipient behind legends Marley Marl, Trina and Nelly.

You can check out the full list of winners here.

On Tuesday (Oct. 15), Travis Scott accepted his I Am Hip Hop Award at the 2024 BET Hip Hop Awards in Las Vegas. The hip-hop polymath received the honor after his decade-plus of wins and achievements in the rap space as a hitmaker and producer. Presented by Brisk, Teyana Taylor and Travis’ Epic Records labelmate Tyla were on hand to present him with the award.

“I come from this generation where they considered us nowhere near hip-hop,” said Travis during his acceptance speech. “Every day, I try to push the sound. Coming in as a producer, nobody knew what I was trying to do, but I always had this idea and I had this vision still to this day to take this sound and take things to the next level. I’m just so glad that we made it this far.”

Scott’s hellacious run in hip-hop can be credited to his 100-plus Billboard Hot 100 entries and two blockbuster releases, 2018’s Astroworld and 2023’s Utopia, which both secured the top spot on the Billboard 200. Earlier this year, Scott re-released his 2014 project Days Before Rodeo for streaming platforms and earned another chart-topping win for his stout resume.

“I come from Houston, Texas and we don’t have a lot of billboards and a lot of big advertisements to try to get us on our way,” added Scott. “I just want to let everybody know where you come from, it doesn’t really matter. It’s just what goes on in your brain can take you to the next level and beyond. With true focus, true drive, and real surroundings, you can go wherever the f–k you want to go.”

In addition to shouting out his kids, Stormi and Aire, he thanked the network, too. “I just want to thank you, BET, for actually recognizing me. I be feeling like sometimes people don’t give a f–k about me, so this is actually dope.”

Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) recently had a Vultures listening party at Wuyuan River Stadium in Haikou, Hainan, China where he debuted a new song and announced a new sold album. “I got a new album coming out,” he told those in attendance. “The album is called Bully and this song is called ‘Beauty and the Beast.’”

He posted a trippy live video on his Instagram with the caption, “Live from Haikou. Updated from Tokyo. Ran the ASR through the SP 1200. Bully on the way.” The song, entitled “Beauty and the Beast,” takes a much more somber tone than his recent work with collaborator Ty Dolla $ign. Ye sings about having “fresh new tires” and mentions how he’s trying control his emotions in order to “keep [his] audience up.”

According to an Instagram video posted by journalist Touré, Ye is now living in Japan and is looking to handle the majority of the production on Bully himself. “Kanye is now living in Tokyo and living in a hotel hard at work on his next album Bully. He’s recording the album in the hotel room. Like, all the machines are set up in the hotel room.”

Adding, “It’s a concept album and he plans to be the only producer on it. Traditionally, Kanye is the product of a team, there are producers helping him, there are writers helping him, he comes with the big ideas but there’s others in. Not this time. This time, Kanye is gonna make this pretty much by himself. A fresh chapter in his life because in Tokyo he can be who he wants to be.”

Also, while in China, Ye shouted Drake out for writing the chorus of “Yikes” from his 2018 album ye. We will be sure to keep you updated once he announces the Bully release date.

A documentary chronicling Chief Keef’s rise as one of the pioneers of Chicago’s seminal drill music scene is in the works.

Lyrical Lemonade‘s Cole Bennett is set to direct the untitled doc. Variety was first to report the news on Tuesday (Oct. 15). Through his Khalabo Ink Society, Black-ish creator Kenya Barris is onboard as a producer alongside Jeremy Allen.

In addition to exploring Sosa’s meteoric rise from the South Side of Chicago to viral fame, the documentary is slated to delve further into his exile from the city and eventual return to Chicago.

The doc will also examine how his turbulent upbringing influenced his art, which led to him leaving an indelible mark on Chi-Town for years to come.

An Apple Music documentary surrounding Chief Keef — born Keith Cozart — was in the works in 2017, but The Story of Sosa: The Movie never saw the light of day.

Bennett will make his debut behind the lens in the film space. “My first film, the chief keef documentary,” he announced on Instagram earlier Tuesday.

The Lyrical Lemonade founder has been a staple in the Chicago music scene throughout his decorated career, as he’s worked with the late Juice WRLD, Vic Mensa, King Louie and more directing music videos.

Chief Keef finally delivered his long-awaited and much-delayed Almighty So 2 album in May. The sequel project featured Quavo, Tierra Whack, G Herbo, Sexyy Red and more and peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard 200.

Fat Joe has lost nearly 200 pounds in recent years, and he’s shedding some light into how he transformed his body.

Speaking to Us Weekly at the 2024 BET Hip Hop Awards, Joey Crack credited Ozempic along with dietary changes for his much slimmer figure.

“Ozempic says you may only have two pieces of your favorite stuff,” he said of maintaining his weight loss. “We just try to eat everything with the least carbs as possible. So we try to stay away from the bread, the pasta, the rice. That’s the smartest way to eat.”

Joe continued: “Like, this morning I ate breakfast, I had this toast. I cut the corner off, ate it and kept it moving. Normally I would’ve ate the whole thing. But you know, that’s what we do. We cut carbs and try to be smarter.”

Ozempic is typically a medication used to treat individuals diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, but has also found success off label as an anti-obesity drug.

Fat Joe clarified to TMZ that he was diagnosed with diabetes as was a teenager, and that he used Ozempic along with exercise and proper dieting to achieve his weight loss goals.

Ozempic has been a topic of conversation around several Hollywood stars and their figures as some artists such as Ice Spice have shut down rumors of taking the diabetes drug.

Fat Joe will take the stage at the 2024 BET Hip Hop Awards and play host for the night when the award show airs on BET on Tuesday (Oct. 15) at 8 p.m. ET.