R&B/Hip-Hop
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Baseball has always felt lightyears behind basketball and football when it comes to the sport’s connection and crossover ability with hip-hop.
Bossman Dlow’s “Get in With Me” checked off another box in its ascension last month (May 5) when Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh quoted lyrics to the braggadocious breakout hit from the Florida native during an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball broadcast against the San Francisco Giants.
“Bae these Off-White, these ain’t no Huarache,” Marsh rapped while mic’d up for an interview mid-game after being tee’d up with a question from teammate Alec Bohm. “He did not just ask me that, Bossman Dlow!”
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The reference went over the announcers’ heads, so Marsh schooled the broadcasters (and millions watching at home), who didn’t understand Dlow’s flexing about the gold-certified song he’s listened to “religiously.”
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“Get In With Me” arrived in January and hit the Hot 100 for his first entry a month later where it debuted at No. 68 and currently occupies the No. 88 slot in its 19th week on the chart. It’s not just “Get In With Me” making waves on the charts, either as Dlow’s boss-talk formula led to the boastful “Talk My S–t” (No. 34) and “Mr. Pot Scraper” (No. 38) landing on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart with the former also invading the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart and even spending one week on the Hot 100.
Bossman Dlow looks to add to his winning streak in 2024 — which has been reminiscent of DaBaby’s scorching 2019 run, where everything the Charlotte native touched seemingly turned to gold — with his “Sportscenter” single, named after the flagship ESPN highlights show
With all the momentum he’s garnered, the Port Salerno rapper doesn’t have plans of stopping either. Dlow’s promising another project before the year expires, and has collaborations on the way with Lil Baby, Veeze and Wiz Khalifa.
Check out of our interview below with Billboard‘s R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month, which finds Bossman Dlow explaining about keeping songs under two minutes, linking with the aforementioned Marsh and much more.
You’re our Rookie of the Month for June — congrats on that. What’s your thoughts on receiving that and how it fits as far as a snapshot into your career right now?
We gotta keep it going. It means a lot. I’m seeing a lot of success for real. I feel great about it. I appreciate it too.
“Get in With Me” is still popping and holding strong on the Hot 100, is it crazy for you to see how far it’s gone in these last few months? I even saw a video of Cardi B dancing to it in the club.
I ain’t see that. Was that on her page? I gotta go check that out. That’s cool.
We gotta get her on a remix or something.
For sure, we gotta get her on something.
Have you had those type of moments where an artist you admire is showing you love or bumping your music?
It’s been a lot of artists. Plies. I seen Ciara post it to her TikTok. That was crazy.
How was linking up with Brandon Marsh on the Philadelphia Phillies? I loved seeing him quoting “Get in With Me” during a game when he was being interviewed. I’m sure the reference went over the broadcasters’ heads.
You know my bars when I rap I refer to sports and stuff like that. It’s cool to see players [quote them], so I appreciate that for sure. I had went before the game. I couldn’t stay because I had to catch a flight. I got to talk to him thought and that was cool. He gave me a bat too. That was hard.
“SportsCenter” is your newest song. What can you tell us about it?
Yeah, that’s one we’re gonna make it the sports anthem. You could damn near play that before your games. We’re gonna try to make it a broad song.
Was ESPN’s SportsCenter a big part of your life growing up?
Yeah, for sure. That will get a lot of attention from people like that — they love sports. We gonna have it playing on every commercial. We ain’t got time to play.
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In the “Talk My S–t” video, I saw you linked up with Deion and Shadeur Sanders. What were your conversations like?
Yeah, we was in Colorado. We saw all of them. It’s dumb love over there, and they on my music hard. Especially Deion — he’s got encouraging words for you. It was cool to meet them. He’ll take you to the bad days and all that. I’m damn sure gonna try to get out there [to a game this season].
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I saw one of your new chains they’re saying it was worth $100,000. Is that true and what does it mean to you?
Yeah, it’s a motherf–king shark with a suit on, with a briefcase standing on that business. I’m just getting what I like. I feel like I’m a shark in that water and I stand on business. Suit and tie… that’s just how I’m going. I just felt like dropping that chain, and that for damn sure was $100,000.
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What do you got planned for tour coming up? How have you improved on your live performance? We’ve seen younger rappers tend to struggle with it when they get in the game.
Nah, we not doing no damn struggling. We gon keep this s–t going. We got plenty of gas and this tour coming up. We got creative with the shows. We gon’ entertain and improve and keep it going. We damn sure gonna be giving away money the whole God damn tour. It’s gonna be little money games and little basketball shots. S–t like that. It’s gonna be dancers there. We gon’ be smoking everywhere — Big Za. That’s just how it’s going. We gonna be entertaining.
I always see rappers like Busta Rhymes and Wiz Khalifa in your comments section on Instagram. Have you connected with any of them, and do you have any mentors like that in your career that you’ve gotten advice from?
Yeah, for sure. Definitely talked to Wiz. We supposed to do a song. Busta Rhymes definitely be talking to me. We got each other’s phone number and we stay in contact. It’s just good to link to these kinda people. They really know what’s going on. They been here for years.
There’s a singer, PinkPantheress, that went viral with her saying that songs don’t need to be longer than 2.5 minutes and I was listening to your music and I’m seeing some of the time stamps with you keeping your songs two minutes and some just have one verse. Is that something that’s done purposefully and do you agree with her?
I agree with that 100 percent. Most definitely. I purposely do one verse — and it’s just because nowadays, people just want so much music from you. They want more songs, and less time on the songs, basically. They don’t have the attention span to listen to the same beat for five minutes. It’s just how it goes. You’d rather just give them five two-minute songs than two five-minute songs.
What collabs do you have coming up that you can tell us about? I saw something with Babyface Ray and Veeze.
Me and Veeze definitely got some s–t coming. Me and Babyface got two [coming]. I got some s–t with Lil Baby on the way.
If there was a pop star or someone outside of the rap world that you could work with, who would it be?
All of them, to be real, because I kinda wanna switch lanes on them people. Definitely Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, all that different kinda s–t.
TikTok has been a pretty big tool for you helping some of your records blowing up. Can you speak to working records and connecting to a different part of your fan base on there?
That’s that out. That s–t will take you further than damn YouTube. People just network and catch on. There’s a dance to a song and they catch on fast.
Do you look at that differently compared to your fanbase at shows?
There damn near is, because some of the kids on TikTok ain’t going out to no clubs.
Do you think any rappers of your generation could have a battle to the magnitude of Drake and Kendrick?
It be getting a little too personal. I don’t really do the beefing s–t. All that making songs and beefing, I don’t really do that, but to each his own. I don’t feel no type of way toward the beef.
So no Dlow diss records coming in the future?
Nah, we don’t do that.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
We gonna stay busy. Stay in the studio and keep this hits going, keep active with videos and singles. Drip, living life, and everything. We popping s–t.
Do you plan to come back with another project before 2024 ends?
Yeah, for sure. We definitely gon’ have another project before the year [ends]. We ain’t formed a name and all of that yet, and we don’t got a date yet. But as far as the music, they’re getting made, so we’re definitely gonna put it together.
Are there any other artists you’d want to see pop on there with you?
I definitely gotta get Future on there. I might get one with Wiz Khalifa on there. Try to put some different s–t on there. Fridayy, some s–t like that.
Do you want to show more versatility with your next project?
Yeah, we gon’ try to do things differently. You know, get some vibe songs. I might talk to the ladies a little bit. We gonna try to sauce it up.
Is it tough creatively to want to stick to what’s working and what the fans love, but also want to take the fans to this place and try something new for myself?
Yeah, that’s definitely hard when you already know what they liking and you gotta try to transition into something else hoping they like that too. You ain’t gonna hurt to try so you gotta try something. You don’t veer too far off. You keep it a little different, but keep it to where you know it’s still on their type of vibe.
I got you, maybe switching lanes but staying on the same highway.
Yeah, we on the same road, but we just switched the lane up.
When we talked a couple of months ago, you had some pretty big business plans when it came to real estate, trucking businesses, carwashes, restaurants. Have any of those started to come to fruition?
Nah, right now we gon’ deal with these houses, and property and we gon’ eventually start to sell and rent cars. We gonna have hands in all pots really.
[Management: He just signed for a house — he’s being modest. He got his people a house.]
I just do what I do. I don’t even really like speaking on s–t like that, ya feel me? But yeah. That’s my momma and them, though. I’m supposed to do that. I’m not speaking on that. I’m telling you. Anybody that gets some cheese, you supposed to know, you supposed to get your people a house.
With just two days to go before Kendrick Lamar‘s highly anticipated The Pop Out: Ken & Friends concert (June 19), all eyes are on the West Coast for what’s expected to be a victory lap for the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper, following his heated beef with Drake this spring.
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As usual, the South also has something to say, with Megan Thee Stallion‘s Hot Girl Summer Tour still going strong. In the past week, the “Hiss” rapper has brought out scores of fellow Southern rap stars — including Paul Wall, Z-Ro, Bun B, Slim Thug, Lil Keke and Monaleo. Never a region to be left out, New York took a sweet trip down memory lane at Sunday night’s Tony Awards (June 16), with Alicia Keys and Jay-Z performing “Empire State of Mind” in celebration of both Keys’ new Tony-winning Hell’s Kitchen musical and the song crossing the one billion streams threshold.
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Normani’s ’00s Southern fantasia to Chow Lee’s latest addition to the “sexy drill” lexicon. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
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Freshest Find: Marsha Ambrosius, “Greedy”
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Nine-time Grammy nominee Marsha Ambrosius offers the latest taste of her forthcoming Casablanco album with “Greedy.” A gorgeous amalgamation of neo-soul and hip-hop, “Greedy” combines samples of Leon Russell’s “This Masquerade” and OutKast’s “SpottieOttieDopaliscious” with lush orchestration (the cellos are particularly gorgeous here) for a rumination on a partner who takes more than then give. “How much do I owe you? It’s like I don’t know you/ Go ‘head, I don’t own you, now you on your own now/ I’m remembering that you’re so hard to trust/ Just tell me, baby/ When is enough, enough?/ ‘Cause it’s never enough,” she croons in the second verse. Produced by Dr. Dre, “Greedy” previews what is sure to be a record full of smart arrangements and evocative vocal performances.
Donte Thomas, “Sayonara”
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Drake has compared the last verse on his albums to performing surgery. Fortunately for Donte Thomas, the Portland-bred rapper keeps the doctor away thanks to An Apple a Day. Thomas puts a bow on his introspective album, which arrived on Friday via Skyzoo’s First Generation Rich imprint, with the starry project closer “Sayonara,” featuring Shelby Swims. Thomas candidly comes to terms with his journey and knows it’s going to be a laborious brick-by-brick grind to get to the top, but at least the ship’s back in motion. “This is my life ain’t no part of no image/ Out of control it’s only beginning/ Out on the road you know that we winning,” he raps.
Chow Lee feat. Cash Cobain & Bay Swag, “Act Bad Twin!”
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As the Slizzy Summer of 2024 begins to hit its stride, New York rapper Chow Lee recruits fellow “sexy drill” flagbearers Cash Cobain and Bay Swag for his new single, “Act Bad Twin!” “She think she know me/ Well she kind of do ’cause I f–ked her/ She still the homie, we keep it P/ When I see her that’s the sis, I’m the brodie,” he spits, seamlessly adding new punchlines and one-liners to the sleazy casual sex that grounds the “sexy drill” subgenre. Cash and Bay Swag deliver characteristically strong verses that play up the different pockets on the spacious hi-hat-accented mix. If the year’s earlier “sexy drill” hits presented a stark male perspective, then Chow Lee’s new joint gives the ladies some time in the driver’s seat of these semi-grimy pursuits.
Forest Claudette, “Moonlight”
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Moonlight won best picture at the 2017 Academy Awards – with a botched presentation nobody will ever forget – and inspired millions of viewers across the globe. One of those acolytes was Forest Claudette, who picked up their guitar after the life-changing experience and grappled with their gender identity, which turned into a poignant alt-R&B track inspired by Barry Jenkins’ film. “I been thinking ‘bout moonlight, I been thinking ‘bout the boys in my life again/ It’s not like me to be keeping quiet, no silence,” the Warner Records artist croons with angelic vocals floating over soothing strings. Next up, the Australian-American singer heads home to the Land Down Under where they’ll open up for Omar Apollo on the Australian leg of his tour.
Normani, “Still”
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Last week (June 14), Normani finally dropped her long-awaited debut solo studio album, Dopamine. Alongside collaborations with James Blake, Starrah and Gunna lies “Still,” perhaps the album’s best stab at combining the ’00s Southern hip-hop of ‘Mani’s childhood with the Brandy and Michael Jackson-influenced vocal layering that’s become a cornerstone of her sound. “Still goin’ up in the section/ Standin’ on the couch, gettin’ reckless/ I be saucin’ nigga like dressin’/ In Christian Dior, I’m a blessin’” she croons across the Tommy Brown- and Leather Jackettt-produced banger. Featuring an interpolation of Mike Jones’ classic “Still Tippin,” Normani’s new track achieves the increasingly rare feat of mining the past and truly innovating on what is found.
Rexx Life Raj, “Blame the Bad B—h”
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Rexx Life Raj puts his own twist on Layton Greene’s “Leave Em Alone” with his gentle croon on the woozy chorus. The California native wrestles with settling down with a “good girl” or running through a plethora of “bad b—hes.” He keeps it real when admitting people are only as faithful as their options, and Raj boasts that he’s got plenty of applications at his desk these days. “I tried that good girl s–t, but the bad b—h turning me on,” the former college football player sings. “Got a solid one, but this sea of h–s making me question it.” The contemplative single is the final tune-up for Rexx Life Raj before the 34-year-old gets into album rollout mode later this year.
Ice Spice is in the middle of rolling out her debut album Y2K!. Earlier today, the Bronx rapper posted a video of her rapping an unreleased song with the caption reading, “phattt buttttttttt,” and she has a clear message for her competition: Stop bitin’. “Got these b—s copying my pose/ Got these b—s biting all […]
Wiz Khalifa is going to be a girl dad. The Taylor Gang honcho and his girlfriend Aimee Aguilar announced that the couple is expecting their first child together. The Pittsburgh native teamed up with Clear Blue to make it official on Father’s Day (June 16) with an Instagram post revealing that they have a baby […]
Chief Keef made a triumphant return to his hometown of Chicago this weekend. Hailing from the city’s South Side, the drill pioneer headlined the last day of Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash Festival on Sunday (June 16). His setlist included classic bangers like “Faneto,” “Love Sosa,” and, of course, “Don’t Like. And as you might’ve guessed, […]
Ice Cube doesn’t think the beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar is over. While making an appearance on The Big Podcast With Shaq to promote his basketball league The Big 3, the West Coast legend was asked his thoughts on the rap battle between the two current rap heavyweights. After saying that he “approves of […]
Megan Thee Stallion is enjoying her time on the road reuniting with Hotties across the country, but there is a request she has for the crowd when it comes to respecting her space. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The “Hiss” rapper played host to a pair […]
Normani is getting a ton of love from her former Fifth Harmony bandmates. After years of teasing that her debut record was on its way, Normani’s Dopamine finally arrived on June 14 — complete with collaborations from Gunna, Cardi B, James Blake and more. The star shared a celebratory post on Instagram, writing in the caption, “Thank you […]
Snoop Dogg is essentially completing life’s side missions at this point. The Doggfather tried his hand in the announcer booth to broadcast a couple of innings of the Milwaukee Brewers vs. Cincinnati Reds game on Saturday (June 15). Before his performance in the booth in Milwaukee, Wisc., Snoop had an eventful afternoon at American Family […]
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys reunited for their first performance of “Empire State of Mind” since 2016, and Lil Mama was nowhere in sight. Hov and Keys took the stage for their Big Apple anthem — which turns 15 later this year — on Sunday night (June 16) in their hometown at the 2024 Tony Awards […]