R&B/Hip-Hop
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Hip-hop’s biggest story of the week is technically a year old.
From May 3-5, 2024, Drake (“Family Matters” and “The Heart Part 6”) and Kendrick Lamar (“6:16 in LA,” “Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us”) traded the last five songs of a battle that changed the course of hip-hop history and popular music forever. In the year since, Lamar won five Grammys for “Not Like Us,” dropped his monster GNX LP, spun out two additional Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers (“Squabble Up” and “Luther,” launched a massive stadium tour alongside SZA, and scored the most-watch Super Bowl halftime show of all time. For his part, Drizzy added another Billboard 200 No. 1 album (the Partynextdoor-assisted $ome $exy $ongs 4 U) to his arsenal and a No. 2 hit in “Nokia.”
In 2025 news, Doechii teamed up with Westside Gunn to remix the latter’s “Egypt.” The new collaboration arrived as the Swamp Princess’ “Anxiety” returned to the Hot 100’s top 10 — and just a few days before her stint on this year’s Met Gala hosting committee. With a rich theme of “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” Monday night’s Met Gala steps (May 5) featured eye-popping looks from several of hip-hop’s biggest fashionistas, including Teyana Taylor, Pharrell Williams, Tyla, Doja Cat and more.
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Jorja Smith’s new banger to Benny the Butcher and Styles P’s latest link-up. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
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Freshest Find: Jorja Smith, “The Way I Love You”
U.K. garage and Jorja Smith are a match made in music heaven. J Money gets back in her bag to get the party started just in time for the summer, as “The Way I Love You” should be part of every DJ’s set list, looking to fill the dance floor. The 27-year-old does just that as she throws a rave at Club Nice in the single’s blue-tinted visual. It feels like you could draw a line from “The Way I Love You” to her breakout “On My Mind” anthem that introduced J Money to droves of fans back when she was an emerging star in 2017. At this point, we need a UKG-grime album from Smith in the future. — MICHAEL SAPONARA
Tiana Major9, “Money”
Tiana Major9’s “Money” is a soulful, witty, and emotionally layered meditation on her complicated relationship with wealth. Framed as a love song to money — personified as a flirtatious, fickle, and sometimes cruel partner — Tiana’s new joint explores how financial security, desire, and personal history collide. Tiana highlights how money can feel loving when it’s present, but also how quickly it disappears, reinforcing that “money knows who needs who more.” “Money” is about more than just wealth — it’s about survival, self-worth, and learning how to have a healthy relationship with abundance without letting it define your identity. Tiana brings humor, heart, and honesty to a topic that affects everyone, making the song both relatable and deeply personal. — CHRISTOPHER CLAXTON
Benny the Butcher feat. Styles P, “Toxic”
Produced by BSF, Buffalo rapper and Griselda stalwart Benny the Butcher taps the Ghost in Styles P to give us some of that good old-fashioned hard s–t. The beat sounds like concrete and has an infectious hook that’ll make you nod your head into oblivion and give you the ugly face. — ANGEL DIAZ
Yeat, “Feel No Wayz (Yeat Mix)”
Yeat shocked fans at his Coachella set last month when he performed a cover of Drake’s fan-favorite “Feel No Ways.” Instead of the melodic rapping mixed with Drizzy’s R&B sonic, the Oregon native leans heavily into the AutoTune for an electronic spin on the classic VIEWS deep cut. The official track that landed on DSPs sounds much cleaner than the edition Yeat initially previewed on social media. Drake even lent his stamp of approval with a text to Yeat, which he fittingly turned into the cover art for the single. It might be time for another a Twizzy x The Boy link-up. — M.S.
Girlfriend, “Come Thru”
Mississippi-born singer, songwriter, and rapper Girlfriend (Kenya Edwards) returns with her new EP It’s Complicated, led by the standout track “Come Thru” — a sultry, emotionally raw anthem exploring intimacy, secrecy, and the longing for genuine connection in a situationship. The line “middle of the summer, it’s cold” captures the emotional disconnect between seasons and feelings — even when life should feel warm and full, something is still missing. That “cold” feeling symbolizes loneliness or emotional distance, hinting that both people involved are longing for closeness but are hesitant to fully open up. At its core, “Come Thru” is about vulnerability masked by sensuality, navigating desire in a relationship that lives in the grey area between love and lust, cold and warm, commitment and secrecy. — C.C.
A$AP Nast, “No Hammer”
Nast is back, and he dropped a movie. No, seriously: He and director Dexter Navy gave fans a crime drama set in London, as the Harlem rapper does his thing over Drumatik production. Maybe this means we’ll be getting that song he has with Playboi Carti that was apparently produced by The Alchemist. — A.D.
Mariah the Scientist, “Burning Blue”
Mariah the Scientist ignites her next era with the intoxicating “Burning Blue.” The Atlanta native puts a soulful spin on her unique perspective on the trials and tribulations of romance. Even with the chaos around her, Mariah feels at ease with her man by her side. But her submissive lust will only remain if he holds up his end of the relationship bargain. The 27-year-old’s vocals remain as soothing as ever, with “Burning Blue” reaching a crescendo in its closing moments. Keep fanning the flame, Thugger. — M.S.
GRiMM Doza, “Bullet Train”
Influenced by the Jersey producer’s trip to Tokyo, Grimm Doza paints a soundscape with a beat tape — a format that has become something of a lost art these days. I wanted to highlight this after a conversation I had with Conductor Williams, where he mentioned Dilla’s classic instrumental album Donuts felt like a jazz record. You can check out Tokyo Transit on streaming services. Here’s the YouTube playlist. — A.D.
Samara Cyn, “Bad Brain”
Samara Cyn is a breath of fresh air in rap. The burgeoning rhymer delivered her introspective “Bad Brain” single last week, which finds Cyn battling the voices in her head while combing through the mental gymnastics she has to hurdle to get by. Enclosed by a Thee Sacred Souls sample, Cyn’s wispy flow weaves around the dreamy production as she gives listeners a peek into the warfare she’s dealing with on a day-to-day basis as a rising star. “All these little voices in my voice gon’ drive a b—h insane/ As I’m talking, feel exhausted, think a b—h gon’ pop a vein,” she raps. — M.S.
Roc Marciano, “Period Blood”
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of his seminal work Marcberg, Roc Marciano dropped a special edition of the album that included a brand new song in this insanely titled track. Produced by the man himself, “Period Blood” is standard-issue Marci with a soulful loop and sharp lyrics that have helped make him one of the more influential artists of the last decade and a half. When it comes to underground East Coast rap music, we’re living in his era. Don’t let anybody else tell you different. — A.D.
The Blue Note Jazz Festival’s Black Radio Experience will be returning to California this summer, and the lineup is stacked. On Tuesday (May 6), The festival unveiled its 2025 lineup, which includes headlining performances from Jazmine Sullivan, The Roots and a third mystery headliner that has yet to be announced. Additionally, the fest will of […]
What will Doja Cat‘s fifth album, Vie, sound like? The more apt question after Monday night’s (May 5) 2025 Met Gala might be: what will Vie look like? Doja hit the blue carpet at the high fashion superbowl in a Marc Jacobs pinstripe bodysuit with a velvet ocelot-print bustier design and dramatic shoulder pads on […]
Seems like Drake is making good on his statement that he’s working on new material that will address this past year. A clip has surfaced on social media of OVO artist Smiley speaking on Drake being locked in and concentrating on making new music, saying that the Toronto rapper has been working on new material […]
Chris Brown turned 36 years old on Monday (May 5), and he has extra reason to celebrate his birthday after the RIAA announced that he’s collected another diamond certification with 2011’s “Look at Me Now.” After going eight times platinum in 2021, “Look at Me Now” earned diamond status on Monday. With assists from Lil […]
DJ Akademiks has divided his followers by arguing Drake‘s “Family Matters” was the best diss track exchanged between Drizzy and Kendrick Lamar. As K-Dot and the 6 God’s legendary rap battle reaches its one-year mark, critics and rap fans alike have been reflecting on the cultural impact of the diss tracks exchanged between the two […]
“Interviewing Grace Wales Bonner at the Guggenheim” sounds like a bar you would hear from Westside Gunn, or some other rapper with a high level of fashion sense and sophistication. But that’s what I did over the weekend when I had the pleasure of being invited to the British designer’s latest iteration of her “Togetherness” series where she brings people together from different walks of life that share similar interests when it comes to style, music, and art.
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There was an exhibit by multi-disciplined artist Rashid Johnson entitled A Poem for Deep Thinkers serving as the event’s backdrop, as sounds from electro-R&B genius KeiyaA and pop fusion maven Amaarae bounced off Johnson’s pieces — which included things like a framed throwback dashiki jersey (signed by “Civil Rights All-Star” Angela Davis), and sculptures made out of shea butter.
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Like most of the acts performing, Grace Wales Bonner is multi-faceted, incorporating different reference points into the clothes and accessories she designs for her Wales Bonner fashion house thanks to an almost maniacal obsession with research that then bleeds out into what she presents to the world. When I was walking to the event from the 86th St. stop, I noticed Nigerian rock band Etran de L’Aïr smoking cigarettes outside as they relaxed before they tore the house down later that night — but the first thing I noticed was that they were wearing brown traditional thobes while wearing yellow Adidas x Wales Bonner Adios Neftenga on their feet.
That’s Wales Bonner’s approach right there in front of me. The label mixes high fashion with traditional and street fashion. Soccer kits, durags and sneakers aren’t strange things to see on the label’s runway models. It’s that juxtaposition that makes the brand so interesting.
Etran de L’Aïr at Grace Wales Bonner Presents: Togetherness at Guggenheim New York on May 3, 2025.
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This year’s “Togetherness” event was no different and the melting pot that is New York City was the perfect setting. Hip-hop serves as one of Bonner’s many influences and reference points. “The street photography in New York is a way of understanding sound like looking at what people are wearing around their sound systems,” she said during our quick chat, as she referenced the photography of Jamel Shabazz during the early days of hip-hop. “Music and sounds are part of those references.”
When it came to how she approached curating the wide array of acts, she credited the city’s diversity as inspiration. “I feel like that’s what feels quite special about New York,” she began. “That’s what I always love. You can be with people of lots of different ages together, kind of like multi-generational, while also supporting each other. I think I’ve also been thinking about nomadic sound culture and people moving around and taking different influences through that movement. So, that’s been an influence in terms of programming — movement throughout the space and unexpected moments of discovery.”
One of the acts that incapsulated the event’s thesis statement was model, skateboarder and rapper Sage Elsesser, who goes by the artist name Navy Blue. Dipped in Wales Bonner from head-to-toe, he performed songs in the museum’s Lewis Theater and spoke to me about the similarities between his form of storytelling with Grace’s. “Music is the way that I express myself the best,” he told me in a quiet corner tucked away outside of the theater. “It’s the place where I get to express all of my interests and life experiences, like how I was raised, the food, it’s all of it, you know? It’s so multilayered. I think any artform is the crux of where all of your interests meet. So, I get why Grace is so inspired by music, and why she wants to have music be a part of her storytelling.”
Grace says that they first met through the fashion scene in which they both occupy. “There’s different ways that he can show up in the world of what I do,” she said of Elsesser. “I’m a fan of his music, so artists working with artists feels like quite a natural evolution. I’m always kind of like working and collaborating with different artists and researching a lot of different music for my shows, and have relationships with people that have grown and become organic.”
Another one of those artists that Bonner is referring to is Amaarae, whose style of music is hard to put in a box. She and Grace have been trying to connect on something this impactful for a minute and finally got the opportunity to do so. The two of them approach their art in a similarly unpredictable way.
“I think that a great artist is a great artist,” Amaarae told me backstage. “Whether you make music, films, clothing, draw, sculpt, or paint, I think that you go through life, and everything that you do, everything that you go through is a result of your influences and the things that inspire you.”
She added that one can only be inspired and influenced if they live a rich life culturally and educationally. “I absolutely feel the connection to Grace,” she said. “Just the way that we approach art, not just with music and fashion.”
“Togetherness” at the Guggenheim was a special event that bridged the gap not only culturally, but generationally. “I feel like there’s a strong sense of community in New York, which I really love,” Grace said “I also feel like there’s a kind of elevation and kind of sophistication about sounds I hear coming from New York, which I also see in my peers and their music.”
As New York Knicks captain Jalen Brunson would say, the vibes were immaculate on Saturday night (May 3) and I can’t forget to mention the fits which were of course very much splashy, very much flee, very much “I got that s–t on.”
Doja Cat heard from the fans, and she’s giving them a little Cinco De Mayo gift. There’s been demand for her to release a track titled “Crack” she previewed in 2022 on Instagram Live, and it’s finally available on her website for download on Monday (May 5). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news […]
As Godfather of Harlem returns for its fourth and final season on MGM+, the gritty television series about 1960s crime boss Bumpy Johnson — played by Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker — closes out with one last original soundtrack curated by none other than Swizz Beatz. With nearly three decades of hitmaking under his belt, Swizz has served as executive music producer for all four seasons, enlisting an all-star lineup of veteran MCs and rising voices to match the show’s powerful storytelling.
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The latest 10-track project features collaborations with the likes of Conway the Machine, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, and Jay Electronica, while the lead single “Danger Danger” pairs Swizz with Jadakiss and Pusha T. Additional contributions come from Cruel Youth, ScarLip, Sauce Walka, Tobe Nwigwe, Larry June, and more — proving that the series is going out with a bang.
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Billboard caught up with Swizz Beatz in New York City to talk about what first drew him to the series, how the music helps elevate its message, and what advice Bumpy Johnson might give to today’s generation of artists.
Godfather of Harlem is such a captivating show. What initially drew you to get involved with it, and how did your role evolve over time?Godfather of Harlem is the gift that keeps on giving. I’ve always been a big fan of Forest Whitaker — and come to find out, he was a big fan of mine. When they were looking for an executive music producer, Forest was like, “No, we need somebody from New York who understands the streets — someone who comes from the streets — to give the show the real, the grit that it needs.”
I got a phone call from Forest and a call from the team. It was a simple conversation: “Yo, we’re working on this show based on Bumpy Johnson. It’s set in Harlem.” Most of my family still lives in Harlem. I’m from the Bronx, but it’s HBO — Harlem Bronx Only. That’s what we say. I was just like, “OK, let’s have fun.” Four seasons in, it’s been an amazing journey, and we’re just getting started.
The show explores themes of power, identity and culture in Harlem. In what ways do you think the music you created enhances those themes, and how do you balance staying true to the history while adding your own personal touch?
When I first started, I was just doing tracks. I was like, “Okay, this track sounds good, that track could sound good.” But the way that I really broke down the formula for the show was making the songs voices in the head. My voice is what Bumpy Johnson is thinking. Then you have other artists’ vocals, which are what Rome’s thinking, what Mimi’s thinking. Make the musicians characters themselves in the film. When you see the score and how it’s lined up, it’s coming from the mind of the actor or actress you’re seeing at that moment. I kind of scored the individual actors for the music, instead of just doing music and having them put it with the scene.
How did working on the show influence your approach to creating music? Did it spark any new ideas or projects you’re excited about?
Working on the show is different from a lot of other things, especially in TV. In TV, they really have strict direction of where they want to go. I’m not gonna lie, I had the freedom to do whatever on this show, which is cool because I was able to invite a lot of new artists to the project. I didn’t have to just get hit songs to make the project seem cool. When you listen to the music, you don’t care if it was made then or now, it fits the property of the show.
Chris Brodo and my whole team have been super supportive, just saying, “Listen, let Swizz do what he’s gonna do.” We have parties in the studio — when we’re shooting Godfather of Harlem, it’s a party. The artists are there, the actors are there, the producers are there, the production manager, the sound man… we keep an open-door policy of creativity, and that’s how we feed off the energy from season one to season four.
As someone who’s both a creative force in music and involved in the TV/film world, how do you balance those two worlds? And what advice would you give to others trying to expand their creative boundaries?
The balance of TV and any other part of music is using the same part of the brain, they all go together. They’re all brothers and sisters, photography and artists, brothers and sisters, art and music as brothers and sisters, cinema, photography — all of these are still under the umbrella of art. It’s not even a hard job to just switch your brain from the subject matter.
The advice I would give to anyone is just to be as original as possible. Just do something disruptive, stand on it, and not really follow what everybody’s doing.
If I were to follow the rules or follow what everybody’s doing for this series the music wouldn’t feel organic. I’d feel pressured to make a hit record and feel pressured to do something on the charts. I built and designed this for the viewers and the listeners, but the viewers first.
What’s one song from the soundtrack that you think defines the show?
I would say, ” Crown Don’t Make You King” — that’s Conway the Machine, featuring Cruel Youth. When you see this song in the show, it’s at such a pinnacle peak: You got the crown, but it takes many more things to be a king than just the crown that you’re wearing. It’s what’s under the crown that makes you the king. The way that Teddy Sinclair wrote the words to those vocals is just unbelievable. And then Conway the Machine, just giving his energy on it, it’s one of my favorites.
What’s one piece of advice that you think Bumpy would give to rappers in this day and age?
Bumpy was about building community. Although he had a bad rap for being a gangster, if you really look at what he was doing, it was basically like Robin Hood, he was investing back into his people. He was investing back into every major program — he would fund every major government program. Even his wife would fund them. He was a big philanthropic gangster. I think what he would tell people is to give more, double down more, get your education, and be smart about risking your life.
Fat Joe and Jadakiss have joined forces to launch their Joe & Jada podcast. Produced by Colin Cowherd’s The Volume and Roc Nation, the podcast will tackle all things music, sports and culture.
Starting this week, two episodes will be released weekly on YouTube and all major audio platforms. The pair of New York rap titans wear their hearts on their sleeves and are as authentic as they come in the music world. But their in-depth knowledge and respect span plenty of industries outside of the music game, so it only made sense to bring their brash commentary and expertise to the podcasting world.
“My brother Jadakiss and I will be delivering a podcast experience like none other,” Fat Joe said in a statement. “We’re both passionate and opinionated about music, sports, entertainment and culture, so you can definitely expect to get unfiltered analysis, versatile interviews and untold stories. We’re coming to shake up the podcast game and set a new blueprint.”
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Fans can expect plenty of special guests to join the pair of diehard New York Knicks fans, with athletes, actors and celebrities from all walks of life sitting down for interviews and embracing debate.
“I’m looking forward to teaming up with Joe on this podcast and showing another side of my personality,” Jadakiss added. “We’ve been friends for a long time, so we have the right chemistry and foundation to make this a really special show. Everyone is finally going to get to hear what we debate and discuss all the time behind the scenes.”
Joey Crack and Jada are no strangers to collaborating. They represented the Big Apple on Ja Rule’s “New York” anthem in 2004, which peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Fat Joe and Jadakiss are legends. Joe & Jada is everything we aim to do at The Volume — bring together strong, authentic voices to create conversations that connect with fans,” said Logan Swaim, who serves as chief content officer at The Volume.
The Bronx native has hosted his show Fat Joe Talks on Starz, but Joe & Jada is the first podcast venture for the duo. Look for the first episode to drop later this week and follow the pod’s official Instagram here.