R&B/Hip-Hop
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The Super Bowl is here — not the crew of Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift, and Patrick Mahomes, but the rap Super Bowl consisting of the genre’s biggest heavyweights, Drake and J. Cole, as they kicked off their hotly anticipated It’s All A Blur – Big As The What? Tour Friday night (Feb. 2) at Tampa’s […]
Few people had a bigger 2023 than Coco Jones — and she could very well turn 2024 into an even bigger year following Sunday night’s 2024 Grammys, where she’s nominated for a whopping five Golden Gramophones.
Ahead of Music‘s Biggest Night, Billboard staff writer Kyle Denis sat down with Jones to break down her whirlwind year and her feelings going into her first Grammy Awards as a nominee. At Sunday night’s telecast, Jones is nominated for best new artist, best R&B song (“ICU”), best R&B performance (“ICU”), best traditional R&B performance (“Simple,” with Babyface) and best R&B album (What I Didn’t Tell You – Deluxe).
“The Grammys are just a very respected group of people who earned their voice and their credits and credentials,” she says. “To me, I respect everyone who is nominated and decides because I just feel like the Grammys also help up-and-coming [artists and creatives]. For them to recognize the work that I’m doing, it just feels very affirming.”
The “Caliber” singer continues, “When I first learned I was nominated, I was on the plane. I definitely was asleep. My phone was vibrating so much, I was like, ‘This turbulence is crazy!’ But what I realized was, everyone was texting me congratulations.”
Last year, Jones earned her first Billboard Hot 100 entry with “ICU” (No. 62), which earned a remix featuring Justin Timberlake and also reached the top of Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and R&B Digital Song Sales. The success of “ICU” also gave way to a deluxe version of 2022 EP, What I Didn’t Tell You, which climbed to No. 6 on Heatseekers Albums — her first appearance on the chart in exactly a decade. In addition to her own music, Jones has lent her talents to collaborations with the likes of Brent Faiyaz (“Moment of Your Life”), Lil Tjay (“Grateful”), Adekunle Gold (“Make It Easy”) and Mean Girls movie musical star Reneé Rapp (“Tummy Hurts”).
“I have to say I really loved [working with] Reneé Rapp,” Jones gushes. “I think that was just so cool because it was mixing pop and R&B, and that’s something I want to do moving forward, so I like that. To me, it was kind of like foreshadowing.”
Like Rapp, Jones is also an acclaimed multi-hyphenate. She’s currently gearing up to film the forthcoming new season of Peacock’s Bel-Air, in which she portrays the ever-fashionable Hilary Banks. “I’m excited! A lot is still up in the air, we just ended the strike and I know everybody is getting back to work,” she says. “I’m not sure what’s in store for Hilary, I definitely want it to be surprising though, I’m like ‘Let’s up the stakes!’”
After spending 2023 on a major headlining tour, racking up R&B smashes and promoting season two of Bel-Air, Jones is ready to conquer the new year with the lessons she’s learned from those experiences. “Everything’s in seasons,” she muses. “Sometimes, people come into your life for a season, sometimes you have seasons where you don’t understand what’s going on, but seasons are the weather so they must change and they must evolve and they must go to something different. Don’t try to hold on to whatever has outlasted its season.”
Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz took center stage before a packed and cheering ballroom for The Recording Academy Honors presented by The Black Music Collective (BMC) Thursday evening (Feb. 1) in Los Angeles. The two music icons were saluted as this year’s Global Impact Award recipients — a CEO Merit Award “honoring the essence and evolution of Black excellence,” as Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. noted in his opening remarks.
And with Mason’s declaration, “Let’s get this party started,” a stellar array of music performances and emotion-packed acceptance speeches rocked the rafters of the Fairmont Century Plaza. Leading the charge was Davido with a spirited performance of “Mona Lisa” that that got the audience on its feet, dancing and waving napkins around the room.
That moment was just the first in a series of standing ovations setting the tone prior to the award presentations. Among the evening’s noteworthy performances, under the direction of the event’s music supervisor Adam Blackstone, was Andra Day’s powerful rendering of the Billie Holiday classic “Strange Fruit,” Gabby Simone’s insightful interpretation of Nina Simone’s “Four Women” and Erica Campbell’s soul-clenching take on the gospel standard “I Love the Lord.”
Just as stirring were the performances and speeches given on behalf of the honorees, beginning with H.E.R. paying tribute to singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Lenny Kravitz. Referencing one of his hits, she said, “’American Woman’ made me say to my dad, ‘I want to play guitar. I want to be a rock star like Lenny Kravitz’ … Thank you for breaking so many barriers and paving the way for artists like me. Thank you, Lenny Kravitz, for teaching us all to let love rule” — (a nod to the title of Kravitz’s 1989 debut studio album).
Kravitz began by sharing early musical memories that helped shape his legendary career, such as being a 5-year-old sitting on the lap of Duke Ellington in the Rainbow Room while the latter played “Take the A Train.” And Kravitz’s dad taking him to see the Jackson 5 at Madison Square Garden and afterwards “wanting to be the sixth brother.” The four-time Grammy winner further invoked a host of additional influences such as Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, James Brown, Nina Simone, Grandmaster Flash, Parliament-Funkadelic and Bob Marley.
Lenny Kravitz accepts the Global Impact Award onstage during the Recording Academy Honors presented by The Black Music Collective during the 66th GRAMMY Awards on February 01, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
“I could go on all night,” he continued. “I love this music because it feeds our hearts and strengthens our resolve to keep conveying hope and healing to a whole new world. To be a part of this lineage is a privilege I cherish. It is with deep gratitude that I thank you, knowing that music in every corner of the planet uplifts and expresses the goodness of God’s everlasting love.” Then fellow musicians Andrew Watt, Chad Smith, Verdine White, George Clinton and Quavo joined forces to perform “Fly Away” to roaring applause — and hearty hugs from Kravitz on stage.
More cheering ensued when Stevie Wonder took the stage to pay tribute to Mariah Carey in word and song. “Every time we meet and talk, it’s like having a brand new day,” he began. “I thank you for your friendship, your heart and the consistent spirit of love that you show … and I’m just going to say this …” That’s when Wonder segued into the choruses of two of his songs: “Knocks Me Off My Feet” (“I don’t want to bore you with it, but I love you, I love you”) and “All I Do” (“all I do is think about you”) and ad libbing at the end, “you are my hero.”
After thanking Wonder (“I will never not get excited to be in the company of your greatness!”), Carey drew plenty of audience laughter as she held the award and remarked that she hadn’t won a Grammy in a long time. She went on to thank Harvey Mason jr. and the Academy, congratulate fellow honoree Kravitz and wish everyone a happy Black History Month, the five-time Grammy winner said in part:
“When I first started in the music business, I was often told to conform to certain expectations. I wasn’t encouraged to focus on my love for Black music. It took countless arguments, endless tantrums and mostly unwavering determination. But eventually, I was able to reveal my authentic self, as they say, and create music that came from my heart … I discovered a newfound sense of freedom and fulfillment. As I accept this award, I do so with gratitude for all of you here and every person who has supported me along this journey; the fans that have stood by me through thick and thin.
“But most importantly,” she continued, “I accept this award on behalf of every person who has ever felt silenced or marginalized, who has ever been told their voice doesn’t matter. Your truth matters. We will continue to pave the way together for a future where authenticity is celebrated, diversity is embraced and music has the power to change the world.”
Additional performers feting Carey in song included Babyface (“Everytime I Close My Eyes”) Busta Rhymes (“I Know What You Want”), Tori Kelly (“Vision of Love”) and Yolanda Adams (“Make It Happen”). And among the Recording Academy executives who shared remarks were BMC chair Rico Love and Ryan Butler, the Academy’s vp of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Prior to the event — produced by MVD Inc. — guests were treated to striking black-and-white portraits of Jay-Z, Nipsey Hussle and other artists in the Icons Gallery curated by music executive and photographer Lenny S.
Life is moving fast for Ice Spice amid her meteoric rise to stardom, but one life-changing moment brought her to tears of joy.
The 24-year-old star sat down with the Today show on Friday (Feb. 2), where she reflected on having the chance to work with Taylor Swift on the “Karma (Remix).” Ice Spice revealed hearing that T-Swift wanted to collaborate left her in tears.
“I started crying when I heard about it,” Spice said. “I was like, ‘No, you’re lying. That’s not real!’ I was so emotional, it was like tears of joy, of course. But, just grateful — iconic.”
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The “Karma (Remix)” arrived last May as part of Swift’s Midnights extended edition. The duo performed the collab for the first time days later at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on the Eras Tour, and the rework would debut at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Swift called working with Ice Spice made sense and reached out to the budding artist directly after hearing she’d be interested in collaborating, the “Anti-Hero” singer told Spotify last year. The pop superstar added she was actually already a fan of Spice and had listened to her music on tour.
“Collaborating with Ice Spice on ‘Karma’ was one of the most natural things,” Swift said at the time. “I had been listening to her nonstop, like getting ready for my (Eras) tour, I was just listening to Ice Spice constantly.”
Elsewhere in Ice Spice’s Today interview, she opened up about her upcoming Y2K debut album, which is slated to arrive later this year — and she’s teasing a “crazy collaboration.”
“Yes, there’s gonna be an album this year. It’s called Y2K; it’s almost finished so I’m really excited. I have a crazy collaboration that just got locked in two days ago,” she said while remaining tight-lipped about the mega collab.
Watch Ice Spice reflect on working with Taylor Swift and more from her TODAY interview, which includes a sneak peek at her Starry Super Bowl commercial, below.
Ice Spice speaks to Hoda and Jenna about collaborating with Taylor Swift for ‘Karma’ and shares how it felt receiving that call: “I started crying.” pic.twitter.com/pPdD6RbxUF— TODAY with Hoda & Jenna (@HodaAndJenna) February 2, 2024
Fans had been calling for Azealia Banks to give her opinion on the vicious Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion feud sweeping the rap game.
After initially believing she was going to sit this one out, the “212” rapper delivered, to the tune of 30 posts on her Instagram Story early Thursday (Feb. 1), weighing in on the beef and even dragging Jay-Z into the mix.
“Originally I was just going to stay out of this because it’s another day, another rap beef — who really cares? But I think there’s some interesting parts to this that everyone’s missing. This isn’t about Meg [collaborating] with Cardi,” Banks began. “This is about Jay-Z. … Jay-Z has this way of presenting himself in the culture as a Daddy Warbucks type of figure.”
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The Harlem native hypothesized that a majority of female rappers lack a father figure and look to Jay for that kind of validation and guidance.
“When you really dig down deep into it, Nicki be sweating Jay in a different type of way,” she continued. “Low-key, she be on his di–. I’m really good at reading body language and I could see in the ‘Feeling Myself’ video, Beyoncé’s kinda like laughing at her.”
Banks, who has clashed with Minaj in the past, believes that Nicki ultimately wanted a co-sign from Jay and felt dissed when Hov threw his support behind Meg and brought her to Roc Nation.
“Jay-Z has kinda positioned himself in this way where almost every type of female urban artist feels she needs his approval of sorts,” Banks said. “I could just low-key feel she’s felt slighted by Jay. Just by his association with Meek Mill. But at the same time, Nicki wants to wiggle her way in bad. That’s what this beef is about. She wants to be a Roc Nation girl so f—ing bad.”
She continued: “It’s been years since Jay-Z publicly co-signed any female rapper, and the fact that it’s Megan — it could be anyone — the fact some female rapper that’s not Nicki got Jay-Z’s public co-sign makes Nicki jealous. … And I’m really not trying to diss Meg. She’s not a typical Roc Nation girl. She’s still ham hocks and hushpuppies.”
Further into the extended rant, Banks poked at Nicki for her financial situation and alleged issues with her butt implants.
“It’s pretty clear that Nicki’s f—ed. That she’s f—ed financially,” AB claimed. “I realized it when she was frying the can of cream corn in the Teflon pan. I was just like, ‘What in the welfare is happening right now?’ … You can tell by whatever keeps happening with Nicki’s butt that she’s f—ed right now. Because there’s something very f—ing wrong with the butt right now. I do know that the surgery to get that out of there is a pretty penny.”
Megan Thee Stallion lit the fuse when she jabbed Nicki and her husband Kenneth Petty — who is a convicted sexual predator — on her fiery “Hiss” track last Friday (Jan. 26).
Minaj didn’t waste any time attacking Meg on social media for a variety of things, ranging from her late mother to her rapping ability as well as the Tory Lanez 2020 shooting.
The Young Money rapper packaged those social media threats up and turned them into her “Big Foot” single, which served as a response to the Houston Hottie on Monday (Jan. 29).
Watch some of Azealia Banks’ Instagram Stories giving her take on the feud below.
Azealia Banks is just saying what we’ve been catching on too. Nicki is just mad that Jay Z co-signed another artist that isn’t her. 🗣️👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/pjE9qhPCxQ— CertifiedBloodyShoes (@bardigangontop) February 1, 2024
Azealia Banks finally speaks out about the whole Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion situation and calls Nicki broke + talks about her deflated butt. I love her so much 😭 pic.twitter.com/PQsV8OHNwP— bҽα 🫠 (@lsdchic) February 1, 2024
Don Toliver has a new rock edge to him with his brand-new single “Bandit,” which he released Thursday (Feb. 1) via Cactus Jack and Atlantic Records. The song, which samples Tame Impala‘s “One More Hour” from the 2020 album The Slow Rush, is Toliver’s first new music release since his 2023 album Love Sick, which […]
The wait is over for Schoolboy Q fans, as he’s officially announced his first project in five years. The Top Dawg Entertainment rapper revealed plans for his next LP with a cinematic trailer that arrived on Thursday (Feb. 1). Q’s sixth studio album — titled Blue Lips — is slated to arrive on March 1. […]
Usher has opened up about how he nearly formed a supergroup with Jay-Z, Pharrell and Diddy.
The 45-year-old singer stopped by Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast Wednesday (Jan. 31), where he made the revelation about the talented group that never was.
“Jay-Z, Pharrell, Diddy and me were supposed to be a group,” he said. “Yeah, that’s crazy. I didn’t say ‘No.’ I didn’t say ‘Yeah.’ I think that we just got caught up. I think we all got caught up in the moment.
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“We was talking about it and having secret meetings about it. We were talking about music and how we gon’ flip it and the business of it. And somehow, man, we just got distracted and it never happened.”
Usher added that this is one of his career’s biggest regrets along with turning down starring in 2006’s Dreamgirls: “That’s the one I actually wish would have happened.”
It’s a busy time for Usher, who will be performing at the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show in Las Vegas on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium. To capitalize on the momentum of the Sin City SB performance, the “Yeah” hitmaker also has a new album on the way, titled Coming Home, which will arrive on Feb. 9, ahead of the big game.
Coming Home serves as Usher’s ninth studio album, and it’s a star-studded affair. Across the 20 tracks, he’s recruited Latto, Burna Boy, 21 Savage, The-Dream, H.E.R., Summer Walker and BTS’ Jung Kook to join him on the journey.
Watch Usher speak with Shannon Sharpe about the potential supergroup falling through the cracks below.
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Katt Williams certainly set the tone for 2024. Less than a week after the Emmy-winning comedian fired shots at peers such as Rickey Smiley and Tyler Perry on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, two of contemporary dancehall’s leading ladies launched their own lyrical battle.
Funnily enough, the two major January dancehall clashes — Jada Kingdom v. Stefflon Don and Teejay v. Valiant — center around the two biggest dancehall crossover smashes of 2023: Teejay & DJ Mac’s “Drift” and Byron Messia & Burna Boy‘s “Talibans II.” Thankfully, both clashes were kept on wax, as all artists involved participated in the battles for fans’ entertainment and the greater dancehall culture over anything else.
“This is dancehall music, and once it is [a] lyrical battle, I am down for it,” Teejay told DancehallMag. “Nothing violent; nothing out of the studio, nothing outrageous… just music, and if it seems like it’s getting too far, I will definitely wrap this up, because you know we have to get back to the money at times— that’s the bigger picture… for now, we have to just entertain people but nothing serious. I don’t know about the next side, but on my side I am positively sure that it is just music.”
While the hip-hop world is frenzied with haphazard rap beefs peppered with days of spiraling in lieu of actual good music, dancehall’s clash culture is still going strong and further emphasizing the global reach of this iteration of the genre — especially considering how much these battles dominated online conversations in January. If you’re not already familiar with the details, here’s a primer on both of them.
Jada Kingdom v. Stefflon Don
As the old saying goes: Think of the messiest person you know. It’s a man, ain’t it?
At the eye of the hurricane that was Jada Kingdom and Stefflon Don’s five-song clash lies Grammy-winning Afrobeats crossover star Burna Boy. The “Last Last” singer is an ex of Stefflon Don’s, and once pictures of Jada and him started making the rounds on social media, tensions began to rise. Before the ladies took it to the booth, Steff threw some vague Instagram Story shade that she later clarified as directed towards her former managers. The “Hurtin Me” singer would soon throw more shade that eventually sparked the first track in her clash with Kingdom.
Before that moment, however, Burna’s remix of Byron Messia’s breakout hit, “Talibans,” hit the airwaves. In verse three of the song — which hit No. 99 on the Billboard Hot 100 — Burna croons, “All of the best pumpum deh yah Kingston/ So me buy a Birkin fi Jada Kingdom.” Burna wasn’t just bragging about his new fling; the line is also a play on the “You gon need a Birkin if you wanna show me off” lyric from Jada’s “Turn Me On” (with The 9ine).
By autumn, Jada — also known as Twinkle — was seen with Pardison Fontaine, Grammy-winning songwriter and former beau of Megan Thee Stallion. But with the rumor mill swirling about a December reconciliation between Steff and Burna, the timeline between the two flings started to look a bit funky.
Naturally, months of tension gave way to Steff putting her feelings to wax. At the top of the new year, the award-winning Brit shared a teaser of a new song on Rvssian’s “Dutty Money” riddim, in which she threatens to “box” an unspecified woman who messed with her man. In total bad gyal realness, Jada not only confirmed a casual fling with Burna Boy, but she also pressed Steff to clarify just who was going to get boxed. After a bit more back and forth, Steff’s “Dat a Dat” arrived and the clash ensued, eventually ending after two tracks from Jada and three from Steff.
“For everyone who’s saying ‘war start’, war jus done! Well, for me that is,” Jada Kingdom wrote in an Instagram Story (Jan. 9). “I’m in a happy and healthy relationship now, I won’t be prolonging this nonsense.”
Teejay v. Valiant
Teejay & DJ Mac’s “Drift” was one of the defining global hits of 2023 — and debate over which artist is more responsible for the song’s success is the basis of this clash. During an Instagram Live a few months ago, Teejay blasted Mac for allegedly trying to swindle Panda out of production credits on the hit song.
On his October DJ Mac-produced “Beer & Salt” single — which was featured on that month’s Reggae/Dancehall Fresh Picks column — Valiant jabbed, “Mac them a link when them can’t find a hit song,” a clear hit at Teejay, who recently repped dancehall on one of Billboard‘s five Genre Now cover stories this month (Jan. 10). In a Jan. 14 interview on the Let’s Be Honest podcast hosted by Jaii Frais, Teejay acknowledged the shade, and soon enough, Valiant responded to the acknowledgement via Instagram, spurring Teejay to preview a diss track shortly thereafter.
Nonetheless, the clash stayed on social media for a bit longer. Valiant responded to Teejay’s preview with a message on his Instagram Story that read, “Me naah give you no strength for you EP sir, go work and promote it.” I Am Chippy — Teejay’s first project since signing to Warner Records last year — is slated for a Feb. 2 release. Right after the IG Story jab, Valiant then went live with DJ Mac himself as the “Drift” riddim played in the background. After one more Instagram Live from Teejay’s side, in which he doubled down on his DJ Mac’s disses, the musical phase of the clash began.
After two tracks each from both Teejay and Valiant, the two artists put their beef to bed. While all four songs are currently available on their respective official YouTube pages, both dancehall stars have since removed the songs from their respective official Instagram pages out of respect for one another.
Without any further ado, here’s a ranking of the eight songs that made up two of the biggest contemporary dancehall clashes of the young decade.But first be sure to check out our Spotify playlist highlighting January’s hottest new tracks across reggae, dancehall, soca, calypso and more.
Teejay, ‘Chapter 2’
Kanye West made a surprise appearance at Travis Scott’s Circus Maximus Tour stop in Orlando on Wednesday (Jan. 31). La Flame promised a special night and he delivered as word spread about West — who now goes by Ye — performing when he was spotted in the Orlando airport rocking a Jason Voorhees hockey mask […]