R&B/Hip-Hop
Page: 198
Lil Wayne remained quiet for much of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake feud, but appeared to break his silence and throw his support behind the 6 God over the weekend.
The Young Money family bond between Young Angel and Young Lion is still going strong. During his performance at Zouk Nightclub in Las Vegas on Saturday night (July 13), Wayne took the intro of “The Motto” and tweaked lyrics to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” while briefly flashing his OVO owl pendant chain.
“They don’t like us,” Wayne can be heard rapping to the T-Minus instrumental while dancing on stage. It appeared to draw some confusion from the audience, as some thought he was saying, “They not like us.”
Trending on Billboard
“Not Wayne being an instigator Him and Ab Soul are trying to reignite the beef, I guess lol,” one person tweeted.
Lil Wayne is actually name-dropped on “Not Like Us” when Kendrick raps, “F—-d on Wayne girl while he was in jail, that’s connivin’/ Then get his face tatted like a b—h apologizing.”
The lyric appears to reference when Weezy was behind bars on gun charges in NYC and Drake allegedly got romantically involved with Wayne’s then-girlfriend Tammy Torres. The New Orleans rapper addressed the rumored fling in his Gone’ Til November: A Journal of Rikers Island prison journal. “I woke up still feeling f–ked up about the f–ked-up day that I had. Hell is what it was! I’m used to arguing with my girl [daily], but finding out that she f–ked Drake was the absolute worst thing I could’ve found out,” he wrote.
Thanks to a boost from the release of the official music video on July 4, Lamar’s “Not Like Us” returned to the No. 1 slot on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the Drake diss track’s momentum doesn’t appear to be slowing. Even though the dust is settling on the Drake and Lamar feud, “Not Like Us” continues to be a force in pop-culture and churns out headlines. Serena Williams even Crip walked to the song and mocked Drake while on stage at the ESPY Awards, which Wayne attended.
As for the Weezy and Kendrick Lamar relationship, the pair of hip-hop titans teamed up in the past on Tha Carter V‘s “Mona Lisa,” and fans have requested Weezy perform the 2018 record at concerts, but Wayne revealed in June he doesn’t remember the lyrics to it. “This is the second time I’ve seen this within my last three shows. Somebody had a sign that said, ‘Mona Lisa’… If y’all real Lil Wayne fans, you know I don’t know the lyrics to my s-t,” he said on stage.
The rapper continued: “You know how hard that f–king song is, girl… You know what I mean? I don’t like to rap the words, but I’m going to learn that s–t. I’m going to learn it. I got you.”
Watch Lil Wayne tweak the lyrics to “Not Like Us” during his concert below:
Kendrick Lamar‘s business partner and creative collaborator Dave Free sat down with Elephant last week and spoke on pgLang’s formula for success.
“Here’s the whole process,” the former TDE executive began. “Kendrick or I will dream something up, although the idea could come from staff members too, and we’ll come into the office, and we’ll figure out how to create a system around the idea to make it self-sufficient. We make sure it’s going to be impactful, influential, financially stable, it’s going to shake people up, and it’s going to tell a story.”
He added, “When it’s developed, we ask, ‘Does it move you?’ Eventually, after repeating that process enough times, we get to a place where we can’t poke any more holes. That’s what we call ‘break and repeat.’ Once there are no more holes to poke, I feel comfortable putting it into the universe. So that’s the process. We apply that to everything that we do.”
Trending on Billboard
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Free also talked about the creative agency’s “No Yapping” policy. “We want to treat artists like they’re start-ups. We want them to take ownership of their brand, which is really taking ownership of themselves.”
He continued, “You always hear people talking about all these elements of the business that they don’t like, but it’s not like there are a lot of active participants putting their money where their mouth is. We were like, ‘Let’s not talk about what we want to see from the industry — let’s just do it.’”
When asked about the company’s website use of only “action words,” Dave Free answered simply, “That’s the ‘no-yapping’ rule we have around here. We don’t do the yapping. Ain’t got time for all that yapping.”
Dave Free found him in the center of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake feud that has dominated much of the conversation surrounding rap music this summer. The duo squashed any rumors of any rifts between them, with Free not only making a cameo, but also directing the “Not Like Us” video alongside Lamar.
As a music video director, Free has won three MTV Video Music awards, two BET Video Director of the Year awards, and has a Grammy for best music video.
pgLang was launched in March of 2020, with Lamar officially ending his tenure with longtime label TDE with his 2022 album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.
Eminem‘s long-awaited 12th studio album, The Death of Slim Shady, has been out for more than an entire weekend, meaning fans have had plenty of time to decide on their favorite songs from the album — and Billboard wants to know yours. Four years after 2020’s Billboard 200-topping Music to Be Murdered By, the Detroit rapper’s […]
Cardi B isn’t one to mince her thoughts when it comes to politics. Last week, she called the Democratic party “selfish” for continuing to let President Joe Biden seek re-election later this year.
A clip re-surfaced and Cardi doubled-down on her stance Thursday (July 11) when captioning the post with “Yeup Yeup Yeup” on X. She also voiced her belief that it was time for Vice President Kamala Harris to step in for Biden in the upcoming election.
“I feel like it was very selfish of Biden and the whole Democrat party that they allow Biden to continue to run for president,” she said. “I feel like they should have passed the torch to Kamala [Harris]. This was the perfect moment for her. Right now, I don’t feel like we have strong candidates.”
Cardi continued: “I feel like this would have been her perfect time to shine. We already know she’s sharp with the f–king mouth. Whatever value that Biden wants, she’s practically the same value. So I feel like it was a little bit selfish to not make that choice to give her this moment to run for presidency.”
In the replies, the Bronx native also tweaked her Bardi Gang fanbase’s name to the “Smarty gang.”
Cardi B has been critical of President Biden in the past, but calmed fans’ worries earlier in July when she assured them she’s never going to be a Republican. “I will never turn republican lol,” she replied to a fan on X.
Cardi has criticized the United States’ involvement in the Israel-Hamas war, and she was also critical of Biden’s inaction on the economy as part of her Rolling Stone cover story in May. “I feel like people got betrayed,” she said at the time. “It’s just like, ‘Damn, y’all not caring about nobody.’ Then, it really gets me upset that there is solutions to it. There is a solution. I know there’s a solution because you’re spending billions of dollars on any f–king thing.”
After interviewing and endorsing Biden in the 2020 election, Cardi isn’t supporting either party’s candidates right now. “I don’t f–k with both of y’all n—-s,” she said about Biden and Trump.
While reports emerged earlier in July about Democrats fielding interest in Harris going to the top of the ticket, Biden has said he has no plans to step aside. He addressed the public from the Oval Office on Sunday (July 14) in the wake of the apparent assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump over the weekend in Pennsylvania.
“We can’t allow this violence to be normalized,” Biden said. “The political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It’s time to cool it down. We all have a responsibility to do that … Politics must never be a literal battlefield, God forbid, a killing field.”
Glass Animals would never look a gift hit in the mouth. After all, the group landed one of the biggest chart singles by a British group since the Spice Girls in 2021 when their slinky track “Heat Waves” went viral thanks to TikTok.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Surely you remember it? The one with the hypnotizing chorus, “Sometimes, all I think about is you/ Late nights in the middle of June/ Heat waves been fakin’ me out/ Can’t make you happier now.” Though the single from the Oxford-bred band was released in June 2020 in the heat of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, it took an epic 59 weeks to make its way to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 2022, where it stayed for five weeks; the song also set a record by hanging around on the Hot 100 for a total of 91 weeks, making it the longest-charting hit in the Hot 100’s then-64-year history.
Now, four years later, the group is prepping their return with their fourth studio album, I Love You So F***ing Much (July 19), and in an interview with The Independent singer Dave Bayley revealed that the band’s signature smash almost went to another artist with much more chart-topping experience.
Trending on Billboard
“I had hoped it would be someone else’s song,” Bayley told the paper about an attempt to get Rihanna to record it. “It got so far that I was sitting in the Roc Nation offices, playing the song for her manager,” he explained. “I ended up sending them parts of the song, but I’m grateful it didn’t go further.”
Don’t get him wrong, either way would have been just fine with him. “But at the same time, obviously, I’m a huge fan – I would’ve loved it,” Bayley said of the possibility of RihRih taking a swing at “Heat Waves.”
After “Heat Waves” passed the 90-week Hot 100 run of The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” Bayley told Billboard he was blown away. “Wow, all I can say is wow,” he said at the time. “Many of you know when I wrote this song I was writing about missing someone I loved very dearly. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that it would lead to so much love and connection across the globe.”
Though she obviously didn’t take them up on the offer, the possibility that the song could have ended up in Rihanna’s hands would surely have thrilled her Navy. The mother of two toddlers and founder of the billion-dollar Fenty Beauty brand has not released a new album since 2016’s multi-platinum Anti and with the exception of a handful of features — as well as her 2022 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Oscar-nominated hit “Lift Me Up” — has kept a low musical profile for much of the past seven-plus years.
Watch the “Heat Waves” video below.
[embedded content]
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.