R&B/Hip-Hop

11 Jun 2024

Teezo Touchdown Turns Student Project Into Funny Video for ‘Third Coast’: Watch

Teezo Touchdown is a genius.

Fresh off a 24-date world tour, the artist out of Beaumont, Texas dropped a new video for the How Do You Sleep at Night? bonus track “Third Coast.”

An ode to the Gulf Coast, where Teezo grew up, “Third Coast” features a series of three beats by D-Lo the Doctor with Teezo rapping over them in various forms. On the first beat, Teezo talks about all the material things he’s acquired since becoming a superstar. On the second one, he raps about all the women he dates all over Texas with an emphasis on the shorty he calls “Port Arthur because baby got that water.” Finally, the third beat has Teezo Suave outside a girl’s house begging like Jodeci. Each switch-up feels its own song, and they’re brought to life by the green screen behind him.

What makes this video even cooler is the fact it was first conceptualized by Rhiannon Wollmuth for a school project a couple of months ago.

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It’s pretty cool that the serious American singer/songwriter Teezo Touchdown (this is an inside joke used by his fans and we’re just going to run with it) would use a fan’s idea for one of his official music videos. More serious American singer/songwriters should follow suit. His refreshing take on alternative music has given him co-signs from some of the greatest artists of our time. Madonna brought him out as a Ballroom guest judge for her last Celebration tour date at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Andre 3000 told GQ that he sees himself in artists like Teezo. His peers like him, too. Teezo was just on the Circus Maximus tour with Travis Scott, and Tyler, the Creator referred to him as “an alien.”

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He’s a playa, you should’ve known.

11 Jun 2024

Tyla, A$AP Rocky, Wiz Khalifa & Ski Mask the Slump God to Perform at Rolling Loud Thailand 2024

Rollling Loud is returning to Asia in November. RL revealed it’s first wave of headlining performers at Rolling Loud Thailand 2024 on Tuesday (June 11) with A$AP Rocky and Tyla leading the charge.

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Other artists headed to Pattaya, Thailand, include Wiz Khalifa and Ski Mask The Slump God, who is coming off the release of his 11th Dimension album.

It’s RL’s second annual event in Asia and third as part of the hip-hop-centric festival’s ’24 world tour. More stars will be announced at a later date to take the Legend Siam stage for the weekend of Nov. 22-24.

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“Rolling Loud Thailand will be a leading music festival that offers an experience and entertainment not found anywhere else. As you can see from this lineup, we are excited to receive confirmation from so many excellent artists from across the globe. Rolling Loud Thailand 2024 will be bigger, better and more memorable,” Director of More Money Entertainment Co. Dr. Wasana Intasang said in a statement.

Tickets for Rolling Loud Thailand will go on sale starting June 18 at 10 a.m. ICT on TicketMelon. Travel packages and VIP accommodations are also available on YakTicket and MorePrivilege’s websites. Prices find general admission tickets retailing for $12,400 THB with VIP going for $20,000 THB.

Rolling Loud kicked off the year Stateside in California in March and will wrap up another campaign celebrating a decade of Rolling Loud come December in Miami.

The festival had a successful debut overseas with Rolling Loud Asia last year, which was headlined by Travis Scott, Cardi B, Chris Brown and more.

Find the lineup below.

11 Jun 2024

Pusha T Pays Tribute to Jay-Z With His New Diamond Chain

If you couldn’t tell from all the times he’s mentioned him in interviews or the songs he’s featured him on, Jay-Z is Pusha T’s favorite rapper. Pusha’s paid homage to Jigga many times in the past, but never like this.

On Saturday (June 8), the Virginia rapper and the jeweler Saint Jewels shared pictures of the new piece on Instagram in a carousel of images that ends with an old picture of Jay-Z wearing a similar pendant around his neck.

“The Anchor inspired by the culture, art, and history,” the caption reads. “Made for @kingpush. Pavé diamonds on solid white gold accented by a bronze rope, reverse set diamond end points. Multifaceted classic briolette cut diamonds handle the steering wheel.”

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The photo of Hov wearing the anchor pendant is from a 1988 photoshoot for his friend and mentor Jaz-O, taken by Timothy White in Brooklyn. At the time, Jay was 19 and relatively unknown to most rap fans. He addressed this era of his life many times through his songs, the most recent being “Bam” from 2017’s 4:44 where he rapped, “I’ve never seen a worker rock so many jewels.”

Push has expressed his Jay fandom before, calling Jay “the best rapper” during an interview with SiriusXM in 2022 when talking about collaborating with the Brooklyn legend. “When I reach out to him about a record, I feel like he sort of knows that I’m not reaching out to him about no bullsh—t … I must really think that this is like, a joint or something that’s gonna add to the great legacy that he has.”

Jay and Push have only two songs together: 2016’s “Drug Dealers Anonymous” and 2022’s “Neck & Wrist,” the former being widely considered a classic. Hopefully, this new tribute will lead to more music from the pair, but what we really need is an entire project produced by the Neptunes. They can even wear matching chains on the album cover and in the music videos.

Check out Saint Jewels and Pusha T’s Instagram post below:

11 Jun 2024

Metro Boomin Launches ‘The Metroverse’ Comic Book Series

Metro Boomin continues to expand his superhero universe with the launch of his new comic book series, The Metroverse, which was announced on Tuesday (June 11).

His literary endeavor comes almost two years after the rap super-producer released his Billboard 200 No. 1 album Heroes & Villains and executive produced the blockbuster, chart-topping soundtrack for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse last June.

The Metroverse superhero saga serves as a visual interpretation of Metro’s musical journey portrayed in an immersive comic universe, which he worked on with Joshua Frankel, founder of Zero Zero, and his partner Patrick Stephens. While paying homage to Metro’s love of comics, each issue will be illustrated by Greek comic book artist Vasilis Lolos, who previously worked on visuals for My Chemical Romance‘s 2010 album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.

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“It’s a dream come true to have my own comic book The Metroverse on shelves,” Metro said in a press release. “Josh and Patrick helped bring my superhero vision to life on these pages with the talented Vasilis Lolos making it pop with incredible visuals. I can’t wait to share what we’ve created with my fans.”

Metro Boomin The Rise #1 will be available here on Friday, June 14 at 8:00 a.m. PT, with 4,000 units of the standard edition and 300 units of the signed edition. In the first issue, Metro “faces off against The Suit, a villainous media mogul with dark powers and even darker intentions,” according to a description on the official website. “The Suit, a master of media manipulation and corporate corruption, seeks to control the city through fear and deception. But standing in his way is Metro Boomin, armed with unmatched creativity and his magic amulet,  he fights back with the power of his beats and his resolve.”

To celebrate the release of the first issue of The Metroverse, Metro and Zero Zero, in partnership with Complex, will launch an immersive pop-up, which will emulate the Metroverse world displayed in the comic’s first issue, and allow fans to buy limited-edition Metroverse merchandise and copies of the first issue. The Metroverse pop-up will take place on Thursday, June 13 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT at Complex LA, located at 433 N Fairfax Ave. The first issue will be drop exclusively on ComplexShop at 9:00 a.m. the same day before officially launching at Metroverse.Media at 9:00 p.m. PT.

“The Metroverse, a brainchild of Metro’s, has been exhilarating to work on from beginning to end,” added Frankel. “With Zero Zero’s mission to transcend boundaries, we really honed in on the most authentic storyline and visuals in each issue that complemented Metro’s raw superhero vision. I know his fans are going to go wild for this series!”

The Metroverse Issue #1 Cover, Metro Boomin'

The Metroverse Issue #1 Cover

11 Jun 2024

The Best Lines From Big Body Bes’ New Video ‘Survivor’

There’s a lot that goes on in a Big Body Bes video.

He might be posted up in his favorite bodega drinking an ice cold Country Club, curling an EZ bar dipped in flames, or breaking bread at a cuchifrito. One thing is for certain, though, he’s going to be outside with the back block movers and shakers.

In “Survivor” — the latest installment of his Body Language series — Bes can be seen running around Brooklyn wearing various Coogi sweaters and lining himself up with a Fila razorblade, all while dropping jewels for us to pick up off the ground and take home.

And he’s doing so over some of the best beats money can buy: This particular track is produced by Kenny Beats, a.k.a. Cadillac Kenny, as Big Bimmer Body so eloquently referred to the producer out of Connecticut. Body last dropped a song in November called “Drug Money” which was produced by London’s Budgie Beats, and the one prior to that (“Sunsets in the East“) was produced by The Alchemist.

The streets have been waiting for the Fordham Road Ferragamo to finally drop the long-awaited spoken-word rap album Body Language. He’s been teasing the project for a minute now, but at least he’s still releasing street philosophy anthems like this one. We might need the Bootleg Man to make a comeback at this point, though, because this is barbershop music. This is the type of rap only available on a burnt CD from the inside of a bookbag.

We felt so inspired listening to “Survivor,” we decided to pick out the best lines. Check ’em out below.

11 Jun 2024

Rihanna Clarifies She’s Not Retired & Is ‘Starting Over’ on ‘R9’

Rihanna isn’t done with music just yet. The Navy can exhale after Ri clarified that her recent “I’m Retired” shirt was just a fashion statement looking into the future and had nothing to do with the present day.

The nine-time Grammy w inner caught up with Extra on the red carpet for her Fenty Hair launch event in L.A. on Monday evening (June 10), where she explained she’s not hanging up her mic for good just yet.

“That was just me looking into the future. I’m not retired. I just like that dress. I got it as a gift and I loved it,” she said. “They didn’t read the second line, I’m not retired, I’m just retired from dressing up — it’s a lot of effort.”

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Fans desperate for any sort of positive developments on the R9 front can take solace in the fact Ri revealed she’s starting over with the elusive album, and the beauty mogul’s “prepared” to get back in the studio with her newfound perspective.

“Yeah, I’m starting over,” RiRi declared to Entertainment Tonight. “But I don’t want to neglect the songs that I have, so I actually want to go back and listen to stuff with new ears, with my new perspective and then see what applies and what I’m still in love with.”

The 36-year-old continued: “I think that music, for me, is a new discovery. I’m rediscovering things. I have been working on the album for so long that I kinda put all that stuff aside and now I’m prepared to go back in the studio. I’m gonna start — give me a second!”

Rihanna’s last album, Anti, turned eight years old in January after arriving in 2016. The project reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in its second week on the chart, with 166,000 units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 4, 2016, according to Nielsen Music.

Watch Rihanna’s interview with ET touching on her much-debated shirt and upcoming album below.



11 Jun 2024

Tory Lanez’s Wife Raina Chassagne Files for Divorce After Less Than a Year of Marriage

Tory Lanez has suffered another loss from behind bars. Raina Chassagne, the Canadian singer’s wife, has filed for divorce after less than a year of marriage.

Per court documents obtained by Billboard, Chassagne filed for divorce from Lanez — born Daystar Peterson — cited irreconcilable differences for the split. She and the incarcerated artist tied the knot on June 25, 2023, prior to his sentencing, and she listed the date of their separation as June 1, 2024.

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Lanez and Chassagne share a 7-year-old daughter; Chassagne is asking for legal as well as physical custody of their daughter, with visitation time for Lanez.

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In the docs, Chassagne indicated that there are no “assets or debts” to be divided, and is reserving spousal support determination for the future, though she is not asking for it now.

Billboard has reached out to Tory Lanez’s attorney.

Lanez has spent the last few years tied up in legal issues related to the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion outside a Hollywood Hills pool party. According to prosecutors, the “Hiss” rapper got out of the car during an argument and began walking away when Lanez shouted, “Dance, b—h!” He then proceeded to shoot at her feet.

Lanez was convicted in December 2022 on three felonies (assault with a firearm; carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence). The “Say It” singer was ultimately sentenced to 10 years behind bars last August.

11 Jun 2024

Flavor Flav Joins Forces With ‘His Favorite Restaurant’ Red Lobster for Crabfest Ad

Flavor Flav has teamed up with Red Lobster a week after buying out the seafood chain’s entire menu in an effort to help save the company, which filed for bankruptcy protection in May. The Public Enemy rapper stars in Red Lobster’s Crab Your Way campaign ad, which was rolled out on Monday (June 10).

In celebration of the upcoming Crabfest, Flav voices the commercial, launching a pair of new flavors in Cajun Butter and Roasted Garlic Butter.

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“When @flavorflavofficial says he wants to rally all the Red Lobster fans the only appropriate response is yeahhhhh boyeeeee,” he and the restaurant chain wrote on Instagram.

The 65-year-old also hopped into Red Lobster’s comments section of the joint post to thank the fans for helping him go viral, which put the idea of a partnership between Flav and the company in motion.

“Y’ALL WE DID THIS TOGETHER!!!, All it took was ya boy going viral to get a partnership with his favorite restaurant,!!! YEAH BOYYYEEEE,!!!,” he added.

Red Lobster’s chief experience officer Sara Bittorf made sure to remind fans that amid bankruptcy claims, the company is “here to stay.”

“We love seeing our fans show up and rally for us, so when Flavor Flav reached out, we answered the call and invited him to join us in reminding fans we’re here to stay,” she said in a statement.

Per the Associated Press, Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy protection in May after shuttering dozens of locations across the United States.

However, the company is planning to continue operating its 600 restaurants. “This restructuring is the best path forward for Red Lobster. It allows us to address several financial and operational challenges and emerge stronger and re-focused on our growth,” CEO Jonathan Tibus said at the time.

Watch the Red Lobster x Flavor Flav commercial below.

11 Jun 2024

Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight & More Bring a Joyous Celebration of Juneteenth to the White House

Gladys Knight glistened through renditions of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Patti LaBelle kicked off her shoes during a spirited rendering of “Oh, People.” Kirk Franklin took the crowd to church and brought Vice President Kamala Harris on stage for a twirl, and Charlie Wilson closed things down with an extended call and repeat after declaring, “Our ancestors are smiling down on us celebrating something that would have seemed unfathomable.”

The second White House concert in celebration of Juneteenth, held on Monday (June 10), was a joyous affair from start to finish. The performances were bookended by opening remarks from VP Harris and closing comments from President Joe Biden, who both stayed for the entire event that took place three years after Biden signed bipartisan legislation establishing June 19 as a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.

“Next Wednesday, across our nation, Americans will come together with generations of loved ones to celebrate Black excellence and leadership, culture and community, resilience and resistance,” said Harris. “And to remember our nation’s history in full.”

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“The White House lawn’s never seen anything like this before,” Biden noted, before warning that “old ghosts in new garments are trying to take us back” in time. “Taking away your freedoms, making it harder for Black people to vote or have your vote counted. Closing doors of opportunity, attacking the values of diversity, equity and inclusion. If you can believe it, banning books about Black experience. Black history is American history.”

Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris dances with US singer Kirk Franklin during a Juneteenth Concert in the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on June 10, 2024.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Musical performances spanned a gamut of genres and decades. Anthony Hamilton, Brittney Spencer, Trombone Shorty, Raheem Devaughn, Doug E. Fresh and Patina Miller also took the stage.

And while the South Lawn was alight with dancing and jubilation, host Roy Wood Jr. made sure attendees — including Billy Porter, George Floyd’s brother Philonise Floyd and sister-in-law Keeta Floyd, leaders of the National Black Caucus, second gentleman Doug Emhoff and dozens of federal and state lawmakers including Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) — remembered the reason for the celebration.

Between musical acts and his own humorous quips, the comedian-actor provided context by outlining the chapters and principal players of Juneteenth history. “It’s important to know how we got all the way from enslavement to the first Black woman vice president and the first Black woman on the Supreme Court,” he said, referring to Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Franklin told Billboard pre-show that because of his Texas roots, Juneteenth has been an integral part of his life since childhood. “Now, for it to be celebrated within the framework of American culture is a very important transition because it gives credence to those moments in time where revisionist history somewhat erased those valuable contributions that people of color made to this country,” he said. “When we have allies in every corner of the American experience, it makes these moments even stronger. When we can celebrate those that were forgotten, overlooked, that were not given the same opportunities and freedoms … Juneteenth definitely is one of those eras in history that I love to see that we are reimagining and rewriting so the next generation can understand the value and importance of trying to get it right.”

Being able to come together through music, he added, is gift. “Especially the kind of music that I do. To do spiritual music, to do gospel music … those were the sounds that were echoing through the chambers of the Black experience during that era, and they were also the songs that were coded and road maps to freedom. Gospel music has always been that beacon of light for our people in one of the darkest of times. So to be here to be the representative of the genre is very humbling.”

11 Jun 2024

Jelly Roll Calls Surprise Eminem Duet the ‘Coolest Moment’ of His Career So Far

Jelly Roll doesn’t have to think too far back to remember his favorite moment of his career so far. Shortly after his surprise performance with Eminem aired over the weekend on NBC’s Live From Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central, the country star gushed that the moment marks a new professional high in an interview with Entertainment Tonight published Monday (June 10).  

“When I think about coolest moments of my career, right now at the top, there has to be this thing that I got to go sing with Eminem in Detroit,” he told the outlet. “I got to sing ‘Sing for the Moment’ with him, which is a record where he sampled Steven Tyler. I mean, just what an incredible night and I got to go do it in Detroit. It was unreal.” 

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The performance was taped Thursday (June 6) and featured Jelly singing parts of Aerosmith’s “Dream On” to support Em, who also performed his new single “Houdini” that night. According to the “Son of a Sinner” singer, it was the rapper’s idea to do a duet. 

“Em reached out, his team reached out and said, ‘Would you be interested in doing this since he was already there doing the secret tribute?’” Jelly recalled. “I couldn’t believe it. I thought it was a joke until I met Eminem himself … As soon as I met Eminem, it was like the coolest moment ever, man.” 

His first meeting with Slim Shady was captured in a video posted by Bunnie XO, who is married to Jelly. In the clip, the ACM Award-winner removes his cap with awe and gives Em a big hug. “When the goat meets the GOAT,” the entrepreneur captioned the clip. 

“I was giddy, like a child,” Jelly added in the interview. “You could see it all over my performance. Just the kid in me. I thought the camera was off of me. So as soon as I get through singing, I’m like, ‘Whoa,’ I just let this steamroller out. It’s really cool.” 

The musician is currently in the process of finishing his new album, which will follow 2023’s hit Whitsitt Chapel. In preparation, he’s been steadily debuting unreleased tracks in performances, such as “I Am Not OK” on The Voice and “Liar” at the 2024 ACM Awards. 

“This has been my whole life the last 11 months,” Jelly said in the ET interview. “I have been drowning in this album. I’ve never wrote more songs. I’ve never took it more serious and I’m probably gonna release more music this year than I’ve ever released in a year of my career.”