R&B/Hip-Hop
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The sun is sticking around a bit longer, the temperatures are rising bit by bit — it looks like spring really is on the way! It’s been a relatively quiet March so far after a particularly jam-packed February, but if anyone is keeping up that momentum, it’s Doechii.
On Monday (March 10), Billboard named the Grammy-winning Tampa MC its 2025 Woman of the Year, making her the first female rapper to earn the honor since Cardi B in 2020. Over the weekend (March 8) — after getting stamps of approval from fashion giants Anna Wintour and Thom Browne during Paris Fashion Week — Doechii collected an incomparable co-sign. Ms. Lauryn Hill brought the “Denial Is A River” rapper to the stage for a joint performance of her 1998 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit, “Doo Wop (That Thing)” during her her headlining set at the Jazz in the Gardens Festival.
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Madison McFerrin’s house-soul banger to GELO’s GloRilla-assisted “Tweaker” follow-up. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
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Freshest Find: Madison McFerrin, “Ain’t It Nice”
SanFran multihyphenate and daughter of jazz legend Bobby McFerrin, Madison McFerrin is ready to begin a new era. “Ain’t It Nice,” a sleek house-infused soul track that explores the allure of new infatuation across a swirling mixture of groovy drum loops and twinkling synths, finds McFerrin flaunting her intimate understanding of vocal dynamics and pacing. Instead of immediately firing off the chesty belts that house often evokes, McFerrin opts for soft coos and lush background harmonies — like the ones in the bridge — that eventually help her sneak into the rafters of her range by the song’s close. — KYLE DENIS
GELO & GloRilla, “Can You Please”
GELO recruited his “Memphis twin” GloRilla for his “Tweaker” follow-up with “Can You Please,” who continues to shred every track she lends a guest verse to. The middle Ball brother is now 2/2 with a meteoric start to his rap career. “Tweaker” set the bar high with his top 40 debut hit and GELO continues his 2000s New Orleans rap pastiche run. It remains to be seen if “Can You Please” will match the virality that “Tweaker” hand to earn GELO the first rap hit of 2025. Next up, he’ll be taking his talents to the festival stage with his Rolling Loud performance debut in California next weekend. — MICHAEL SAPONARA
Aaron Page, “Pretty Girls Like R&B”
Houston-based R&B singer Aaron Page channels smooth nostalgia and modern romance on his latest track, “Pretty Girls Like R&B.” The song thrives on a mix of passion, devotion, and material flexing, with Page weaving through memories of late-night connections and heartfelt gestures. “Wanna vibe with you like Jodeci love,” he croons, setting the tone with a nod to the ‘90s R&B icons known for their raw, sensual love songs.
Beyond the allure of attraction, Page reflects on moments of intimacy like holding her hair when she was sick and proving his loyalty through lavish gestures (“Brought the Maybach out to Kamp for you”). His reference to Drake’s Take Care signals an openness to emotional depth, evoking the vulnerability that made Drizzy’s 2011 album a staple for lovers and heartbreakers alike. “Pretty Girls Like R&B” taps into the kind of love story that resonates with those who cherish both old-school romance and modern-day ambition. — CHRISTOPHER CLAXTON
Curren$y & Harry Fraud feat. Wiz Khalifa, “Airport Industries”
What year is it? Did we wake up and go back in time to the Blog Era? While Curren$y has stayed consistent when it comes to dropping music and posting miniature diecast car content on his hobby page, Wiz has been on a freestyle run of the likes we haven’t seen in a while. This generation’s rap Cheech & Chong link up with one of the game’s most potent horticulturalists in Harry Fraud for a smokey number that sounds better when it’s a sunny day and you have one lit and one rolled already. — ANGEL DIAZ
Icewear Vezzo feat. Big Sean & Skilla Baby, “Worth Something”
Undefeated, Icewear Vezzo’s latest EP — which dropped last Friday (March 7) — is another thrilling collection of Detroit-set street tales. On “Worth Something,” he recruits Big Sean and Skilla Baby, two of his city’s biggest rap stars, for some A1 trap storytelling. “In the Nap with Milly ‘nem, just popped a Tesla, now I’m geeked/ Turned a dream into reality, that’s why I’m laughin’ in my sleep/ Cooked the Vezzo in the lab and now my hands, it smell like bleach/ Rather go to trial than cop no plea, we just cop bags and Louis V,” he spits in his opening verse, opting for a reflective tone that pairs well with Hawkey’s skittering snares. — K.D.
Turbo & Gunna, “Classy Girl”
Turbo and Gunna have been one of the best rapper-producer duos in hip-hop, and it’s been that way for some time now. They reunited on an anthem for the ladies just in time for International Women’s Day with “Classy Girl.” Gunna’s life of luxury allows him to bless the women in life with opulent experiences that most can only dream of. “Pеnthouse suite, we been livin’ on the road/ I’m in Bottega matchin’ slippers to your robe/ And I been runnin’ through a bankroll,” he raps over the bouncy production. It’s almost time for another project from the pairing. — M.S.
Dylan Sinclair, “Lemon Trees” (Motherland Sessions)”
Toronto’s own Dylan Sinclair brings a new depth to his For the Boy in Me album with Motherland Sessions, a live EP paying tribute to his Filipino heritage. Stripping back the production, Sinclair leans into a more intimate, organic sound — especially on “Lemon Trees,” a soulful reflection on love, ambition, and timing. Sinclair’s smooth vocals glide over the laid-back beat as he wrestles with the push and pull of commitment. “I’ll hold you down,” he promises in the chorus, offering devotion while grappling with his own hesitations. He paints his love interest as his “queen” and the “girl of my dreams” and contrasts that adoration with the realities of personal ambition and the fear of settling down too soon; Sinclair lets the tension linger, never forcing an easy resolution. “Lemon Trees” is a tender, honest take on romance. — C.C.
Skepta & PlaqueBoyMax, “Less Is More”
Streamer PlaqueBoyMax’s series “In the Booth With” is one of the more unique online series, helping bring fans into the recording booth with their favorite rappers. Max had U.K. rap legend Sketpa come through recently to lay down a track, and of course, it’s a banger. Big Smoke lays some game down to start off his verse, rapping, “London City is dark and cold/ Don’t take picks with the members screaming that gang if you aren’t involved/Wanna be a ‘G’ better be fully active, gotta do the road with your heart and soul/They wanna know if the street life worth, I told them the answer’s no,” as PlaqueBoyMax delivers a smooth sample flip of the Judy Bailey Quartet’s “Colours Of My Dreams.” — A.D.
Larrenwong, “Out the Frame”
Former NFL player Warren Long has been operating as rising R&B star Larrenwong for some time now, and his new 4th & Long EP is another winning entry in his growing catalog. Standout cut “Out the Frame” finds him moving from the field to the bedroom, crooning “I know that it’s been fun and games/ But you better hold tightly/ Because I go crazy when I’m inside.” At one point, he even nods to Usher, spelling out his name just like the Grammy-winner did on 1997’s “Nice & Slow.” — K.D.
Dende, “Need U Like”
Fresh off signing with Def Jam, rising R&B talent Dende keeps the momentum going with his latest single, “Need U Like.” Through vivid metaphors, Dende paints a picture of unwavering devotion, comparing his connection to his partner to classic, inseparable duos. The verses push that passion even further, with bold declarations of loyalty — he’d spend his last dollar, defy the impossible and rewrite history just to prove his love. Yet, underneath the grand gestures, there’s an emotional core: a promise to heal the wounds of past heartbreak and ensure his partner never feels unappreciated again. With its smooth production and raw lyricism, “Need U Like” is Dende at his best — vulnerable, confident, and completely lost in love. — C.C.
Lady London, “Is You Krazy?”
Walk around the streets of NYC for an hour, and you’re likely to hear one version of someone yelling, “Is you crazy?” Lady London is back with her first single of 2025, and she’s disgusted with the nerve and audacity of these men from around the way. “Cop me the Rollie, cop me the Wraith, and when you see me, you copy and paste,” she raps over Hitmaka’s thumping production. Next up, the Howard University alum is heading out on the road to open for Coco Jones on the North American leg of her Why Not More Tour. — M.S.
03/10/2025
Here’s all the songs we wanna hear from these two superstars.
03/10/2025
Mase is planning a comeback. During the March 7 episode of his sports talk show It Is What It Is, the Harlem rapper-turned-sports pundit kicked things off by revealing that not only is he going to drop his first album since 2004’s Welcome Back, but Cam’ron helped curate the tracklist. “Mo, what’s good? Can y’all […]
Tory Lanez released his Peterson album on Friday (March 7), which was entirely recorded while behind bars serving his 10-year sentence in the 2020 felony shooting case against Megan Thee Stallion. The incarcerated Canadian singer examines his relationships with his peers in the music industry, and how most have turned their backs on him since he got locked up.
However, Lanez showed love to Chris Brown on “T.D.F x L.A. County Jail” for allegedly supporting him financially and helping take care of legal fees.
“Where was you n—-s when I was in Cali fed up with no covers to bundle up/ Only real n—a that helped me was Chris Brown, that really my brother,” he raps.
Lanez continued to address his legal situation and standing with those in the music game on the outro of his album closer, “Free Tory.”
“I had no real, like, access to my funds. I was fed up and my lawyer wanted over, like, a quarter million to represent me for the appeal,” he said. “So, you know, I start hollering at all my rap friends, my celebrity friends, and nobody was there.”
Tory continued: “N—-s treating me like I was dead and this n—a Chris Brown — I’ll never forget it — this n—-a Chris Brown came out of nowhere. He just gave me the money. He said, ‘Look, bro, when you get outside, holla at me. Hope you come home.’ That’s a real n—a, bro.”
Billboard has reached out to Chris Brown’s rep for comment.
Lanez and Brown have a friendship that goes back to the 2010s, as they’ve teamed up in the past on tracks such as “The Take,” “Feels,” “Tell Me How You Feel,” “Flexible,” “Lurkin,” “Bad Then a Beach” and more.
Lanez (real name Daystar Peterson) was sentenced to 10 years behind bars in August 2023 after being convicted on three felony charges stemming from the 2020 Megan Thee Stallion shooting following a pool party in L.A.’s Hidden Hills.
Rihanna celebrated International Women’s Day on Saturday (March 8) by sharing a rare glimpse at the two sons she shares with longtime love A$AP Rocky. The candid pics of RZA, 2 and Riot Rose, 19 months, were taken in the hospital after the singer gave birth to the children, a moment she said was the high-point of her life.
“By far the most powerful thing I’ve ever done as a woman… my little miracles! #InternationalWomensDay,” she wrote in the caption to the post, with the first pic depicting RZA Athelston Mayers laying on his mother’s chest for some crucial skin-to-skin time, with RihRih’s face only partially in the frame, her neck adorned with a pair of gold and pearl necklaces.
In the second snap, Rihanna stares at the camera while rocking pink shades and a black bra as Riot Rose Mayers snuggles up to her in the hospital bed. “And yes I gave birth in pearls and sunglasses,” Rihanna wrote. “Don’t ask, a lot was happening.”
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She got support from fellow pop star and mom Katy Perry, wrote commented, “The BEST.”
The singer and rapper have kept their sons out of the public eye for the most part to date, though last month Rihanna opened up to Harper’s Bazaar about being a mom and her boys’ personalities. “Riot, he’s just hilarious,” she said of her second-born. “When he wakes up, he starts to squeal, scream. Not in a crying way. He just wants to sing. And I’m like, ‘Okay, here we go!’ He’s my alarm in the morning! He’s not taking no for an answer from anyone.”
She also revealed that RZA is “just an empath. He’s so magical. He loves music. He loves melody. He loves books. He loves water. Bath time, swimming, pool, beach, anything. And Riot, he’s just hilarious. When he wakes up, he starts to squeal, scream. Not in a crying way. He just wants to sing. And I’m like, ‘Okay, here we go!’ He’s my alarm in the morning! He’s not taking no for an answer from anyone. I don’t know where he came from, dude.”
Doechii joined Ms. Lauryn Hill onstage in Miami over the weekend for a surprise duet of Hill’s 1998 Billboard No. 1 hit, “Doo Wop (That Thing).”
The collaboration took place during Hill’s headlining set at the Jazz in the Gardens Festival at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday (March 8), marking the Fugees icon’s second live appearance of 2025.
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“I want to introduce y’all to another sister” Hill said before welcoming Doechii to the stage. The rising rapper and singer, who has credited Hill as one of her biggest inspirations, shared the moment with fans afterward, expressing her deep gratitude on social media.
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“Thank you Miss Lauryn Hill,” Doechii wrote on X on March 9. “Thank you. My heart is so full. She is my hero. This is the greatest honor hip-hop could give me. Praise God … my entire body is vibrating with joy right now. I’ll never forget this day! EVER!” She added, “I’ve never been so nervous in my life. She is a QUEEN.”
Doechii, fresh off winning her first Grammy for Best Rap Album, becoming the third woman to take home the trophy following Cardi B and Lauryn Hill. The rapper is also set for a massive festival season, including a headline slot on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury 2025—going head-to-head in a much-publicized clash with Charli XCX, who will headline the Other Stage at the same time.
She’s also on the lineup for Rock en Seine in Paris in August, Forwards Festival in Bristol the same month, and Roskilde Festival in Denmark in June.
The 26-year-old rap star is preparing to cement her quantum leap to stardom with her debut album later this year. On March 4, she dropped her “Anxiety” single via Top Dawg Entertainment and Capitol Records, announcing the drop approximately half an hour ahead of its arrival on X with the single’s cover art, which features a mirrored black-and-white image of the TDE rapper being connected by her braids.
“Anxiety” has been trending on TikTok lately, but Doechii performed the original version five years ago on her YouTube channel. The single samples Gotye‘s 2011 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Somebody That I Used to Know,” featuring Kimbra.
“Denial is a River” from her critically acclaimed 2024 mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal became her highest-charting entry on the Hot 100, peaking at No. 21.
While the music world mourns Roy Ayers, the Godfather of Neo-Soul and a jazz-funk pioneer who died at age 84 on March 4, the hip-hop community will always remember him as one of its brightest inspirations.
“Everybody Loves the Sunshine,” the enduring hit from Roy Ayers Ubiquity’s 1976 album of the same name, became the highlight of his legacy — and everybody loved it so much they couldn’t help but borrow a bit of its brilliance. The New York Times‘ obituary for Ayers reported that “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” has been sampled nearly 200 times.
“Well, I have more sampled hits than anybody,” he said in a 2004 interview with Wax Poetics. “I might not have more samples than James Brown, but I’ve had more sampled hits. Oh, man, and there’s a few I don’t know about.”
Mary J. Blige — who sampled “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” for “My Life” from her 1994 album of the same name, which was later interpolated on “MJB Da MVP” featuring 50 Cent, on her 2005 LP The Breakthrough — opened up about the song’s indelible impact on her in her 2021 documentary My Life. “I don’t know what’s in that record, but it was something in it that just cracked open everything in me. That was the first music as a child that stuck with me because it made me forget that we lived where we lived,” Blige said in the film. “‘My life in the sunshine’ was something I wanted.” The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul also heavily sampled Ayers’ 1976 track “Searching” on her 1997 album Share My World.
Like Blige, Dr. Dre, TLC, Juvenile and Joe Budden also have songs titled “My Life,” while Scarface and Naughty by Nature have songs called “Sunshine.” Thirty years after he sampled “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” on “Book of Life” from his 1994 album Resurrection, Common dug back in the crates and dusted off the sample for the Grammy-nominated song “When the Sun Shines,” featuring Posdnuos, from his and Pete Rock‘s 2024 Grammy-nominated joint LP The Auditorium Vol. 1.
Outside of being sampled and interpolated by hip-hop heavyweights, Ayers also collaborated with Tyler, the Creator on “Find Your Wings,” also featuring Syd and Kali Uchis, from Tyler’s 2015 album Cherry Bomb; Erykah Badu on “Cleva” from her 2000 LP Mama’s Gun; The Roots on “Proceed II” from the deluxe version of the band’s 2005 album Do You Want More?!!!??!; and Talib Kweli on “In the Mood,” also featuring Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), from his 2007 album Eardrum as well as on “Something Special” from Kweli and Madlib‘s 2024 joint LP Liberation 2.
“Roy Ayers called me like ‘tyler, hey man, those changes are amazing, your chord selection is just beautiful my man’ OMG MY HEART MELTED,” Tyler tweeted in 2015. The Chromakopia rapper also sampled Ayers’ 1982 track “Ooh” on “Pothole,” featuring Jaden Smith, from his 2017 album Flower Boy. Later that same year, Ayers performed at his Camp Flog Gnaw festival. Questlove hailed him as “the cat who birthed us all in the ‘vibes only’ movement. The Soundtrack that ALL the incense you ever burned was truly made for. Thank You Roy Edward Ayers Jr for EVERYTHING you gave us. taught us. showed us. soothed us.”
Billboard rounded up 21 hip-hop and R&B songs that have sampled and interpolated Roy Ayers Ubiquity’s “Everybody Loves the Sunshine,” in order from newest to oldest.
Common & Pete Rock feat. Posdnuos, “When the Sun Shines Again”
50 Cent is up to his trolling ways again, and he’s still relishing being somewhat responsible for the recent spat between Cam’ron and Jim Jones. The Queens rapper and filmmaker posted and deleted an AI-created video on Instagram of Jim Jones, Cam’ron, and Floyd Mayweather playing characters in a scene from Rocky III. Jones, as […]
Billy McFarland’s Fyre Fest 2 is slated to take place on Isla Mujeres in Mexico from May 30 to June 2, and one artist has announced his appearance on the bill.
Former NFL star Antonio “AB” Brown claimed in an interview with TMZ Sports on Thursday (March 6) that he’s been booked for a performance on May 30.
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“Ayo, this is AB and I’ll be performing at Fyre Fest part 2 in Mexico on May 30. Be there or be square,” AB said while rocking an army helmet. “Make sure you put that sh– on.”
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Isla Mujeres is located in the state of Quintana Roo and is about a half-hour ferry ride from Cancun. Various ticket packages are available, ranging from $1,400 to $25,000, and there’s even a $1 million package for eight people that has access to luxury villas, a private marina and a private jet.
AB is the first confirmed artist for Fyre Fest 2. The festival has yet to release a lineup of talent. Festival organizers reportedly told TMZ that they have booked several artists.
Billboard reached out to two of the biggest booking agencies for music festivals in February, and neither heard from reps for Fyre Fest 2.
Antonio Brown played his last game in the NFL on Jan. 2, 2022, when he famously left the field with no shirt on mid-game and never took another snap on the gridiron.
AB turned to rapping and a friendship with Ye (formerly Kanye West), who executive-produced his Paradigm project, which arrived in 2022 with standouts like “Put That Sh– On” and features from DaBaby, Young Thug, French Montana, Fivio Foreign and Keyshia Cole. He performed at Rolling Loud California in 2023.
The original Fyre Fest took place in April 2017 and is remembered as one of the most disastrous festivals in music history.
Convicted fraudster Billy McFarland is getting a second chance and he’s promising this edition won’t be a repeat of the first. McFarland was sentenced to six years in 2018 after admitting to defrauding investors of millions of dollars. He was released to a halfway house in 2022.
Comedian Hannah Berner is apologizing to Megan Thee Stallion after her interview with the Grammy-winning rapper on the Vanity Fair Oscar party red carpet over the weekend drew backlash from fans. The part of Berner’s interview drawing ire is when she said she listens to Meg’s music “when I want to fight someone.” Megan immediately […]