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It’s prime time in Colorado as the university’s new head football coach, Deion Sanders, has led the squad to a 3-0 start and is drawing A-list talent to their games. At Saturday’s in-state rivalry match-up between Colorado and Colorado State, Sanders — also known as Coach Prime — welcomed Lil Wayne, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, […]
Nicki Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty was ordered to serve 120 days of home detention on Wednesday (Sept. 20) after he violated his probation terms by posting what seemed to be a social media threat directed toward Offset. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Petty was put under house […]
Philly newcomer Fridayy has already accomplished what most new R&B/hip-hop artists dream of — times four: he’s on a song alongside Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and John Legend.
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Last year, DJ Khaled corralled the heavyweights for “God Did,” on which Fridayy flexes his rich, baritone chords for the song’s hook. After seeing Khaled chanting the mantra on social media ahead of his album of the same name, Fridayy resonated with the saying and felt inspired to record a hook. “I just made it off faith. No beat was there, it was just me and the piano,” the 26-year-old tells Billboard.
Through mutual connections, the hook fell into the hands of Khaled who ended up using it for the track, which reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Fridayy’s first entry on the chart. (Meanwhile, the album God Did hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200).
Born Francis Leblanc to Haitian parents, Fridayy grew up in the Olney section of Philadelphia. He was heavily involved in church at a young age, leading youth choirs and learning instruments like the piano and guitar by ear. It wasn’t until middle school when he received his first laptop that he started taking music more seriously, but his parents didn’t see the art form as a viable way to make a living.
“They would always be like, ‘You’re talented, you’re a genius, you play every instrument, [but] make sure you go to college. Make sure you get a stable job so you can take care of us and yourself’,” he says.
Fridayy respected his parents wishes and attended college for two years from 2015-2017 before dropping out to pursue his passion. Fast forward to now and he has a growing list of collaborators that also includes Lil Baby and Chris Brown, a record deal with Def Jam and a self-titled debut album that arrived last month.
“I’m not even thinking outside of music right now. I know music is my gift from God that I have to use to get everything else,” he says.
Billboard chatted with the September R&B/hip-hop rookie of the month about his musical upbringing, “God Did” and his new album Fridayy.
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For people who don’t know you, how would you describe yourself?
I’m a good guy. I love music, I love family, I love God.
Where did you get your stage name from?
I got my name “Fridayy” before I was about to go to college. The Weeknd and PartyNextDoor, they was my favorite artists at the time. I came up with something to try to get Drake’s attention [and] try to be part of OVO. I went to college introducing myself [as Fridayy] and it stuck because nobody knew me by my real name.
Why did you decide to drop out?
I didn’t really have no reason going there, it was a forced thing. I got Haitian parents so it’s like you gotta go to school, this is a must. So I went there to make them happy. I ain’t have no major or nothing. It wasn’t for me, though.
When did you realize you could sing?
Since I was a kid, I used to sing in church — probably at like, 9 or 10. I used to play instruments too, so everybody knew early on I was talented. But I started taking music seriously when I was 14, when my cousin Marco introduced me to producing. He gave me my first laptop so being the [type of] musician I was in church, it was very easy for me to produce and record myself.
Which instruments do you play?
I play the piano, guitar, bass [and] drums. I play all of them at a high level.
Were you trained?
I learned at church by ear. I would hear things and try to play it on the piano, and I did that for years. So it’s basically teaching myself but it’s also years of trying to copy stuff.
Do you know how to read music?
Nah.
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Being a baritone R&B singer gives you an edge, but did that present any challenges to you growing up as you started realizing your vocal tone?
[My voice] was always deep, even when I was singing when I was 10 and 11 [but] it was always good. It wasn’t no challenges, it was always like “Oh s–t!” It was always a surprise when I started singing, and I’ve liked that reaction since I was a kid. As soon as I started singing, I loved that, “Oh, he different!” reaction.
There aren’t many other baritone R&B singers in the space right now besides Givēon. Are you a fan?
Yeah, I f–k with bro. I be seeing the comparison but it’s just the deep voice. Me and him make completely opposite type of music. If you listen to my albums and you listen to his, we’re two different artists coming from two different places. I listen to bro, I’m a fan.
Philly has a rich R&B history. How did growing up there inform your sound?
It did a lot to my sound. One of the first Philly artists I listened to was Boyz II Men. Outside of church, I would listen to [them] a lot and that influenced a lot of my music — their harmonies, feelings, soulfulness. It led to Brian McKnight and all the R&B legends. Meek Mill had a big influence. Philly really inspired my sound a lot just between those artists, Meek Mill and Boyz II Men.
How did Meek Mill influence you?
Just the way he was talking in the records. It was relatable, his lyrics.
How has your parents’ attitude on pursuing music full-time changed now that you’re seeing success?
They happy as h–l for me because I’m doing it in a good way. I’m still being myself, I ain’t lose myself. At first, they didn’t believe it…it wasn’t that they didn’t believe in my talent [but] they from Haiti so [they] never even seen somebody doing what [I] was doing.
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“God Did” was a breakout moment for you. How did you get involved?
I was signed to a publishing label called Big Noise and the A&R that signed me left, and [my team and I] were looking for a buyout. My manager Edgar Cutino was looking around to see who could buy me out and he met Mary J. Blige’s A&R [Eddie Fourcell], who works at Prescription [Songs]. He just kept telling Eddie, “Buy Fridayy out. He’s the one.” Months went by and Eddie ended up buying me out my deal and during that time, [DJ] Khaled was promoting God Did — he kept saying it on Instagram before we knew the album was coming. Everytime he would do it, it touched me, so I made the hook. We heard that he was working on the album and my manager told me to make a bigger hook — not even knowing how we could get it to him. We played it for Eddie and he sent it to Khaled and [he said] “I need this for my album.”
What happened next?
I signed with Def Jam right after “God Did.”
Why was that the right fit?
My manager was already connected to Tunji [Balogun, Def Jam chairman and CEO] and he been telling [him] about me for months. And based off the acts that Tunji had and worked with in the past, I seen myself in that group of people.
Tell me about your new album Fridayy and its themes.
It’s a life album. I wrote it for me but for everybody else too. It’s something in there for everybody, that’s why I think it’s being streamed so well right now. Whether you want to listen to R&B, Afrobeat, something inspirational, some pain — it’s something in there for every type of person. The inspiration came from seeing what my music did in the past, seeing how it saved a lot of people, how it helped a lot of people get through what they went through.
My two favorites are “Stand By Me” and “When It Comes To You.”
Those are my two favorites too! That s–t’s crazy.
What are some things you want to pursue aside from music?
I just got in the game, I’m not even thinking about any other stuff. I’m thinking about giving great music and establishing myself to the point where I can play with other things.
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Will Smith’s “Parents Just Don’t Understand” is one of those songs that will always resonate with each new generation. For some, like his wife, Emmy-winning actress and talk show host Jada Pinkett Smith, the song holds myriad memories. On Wednesday (Sept. 20), Pinkett Smith shared an adorable throwback video of her and the late Billboard Hot 100-topping rapper Tupac lip-syncing to Smith’s 1988 hit single.
“Not in a million years would I have dreamed that the Fresh Prince and I would become, um, very acquainted. Not in a million years did I imagine three lives, their fates, would be so intertwined,” she wrote in a lengthy caption. “And… I never would have imagined that this video would become a tangible memory, of the last time Pac and I, were simply kids together. Pac and I lip syncing Parents Just Don’t Understand by Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince during our Junior year in high school. Who would have thought?”
The caption appears to be an excerpt from a chapter from Worthy, Pinkett Smith’s forthcoming memoir. In the clip, she dons a collection of gold chains, a black top and grays shorts as she lip-syncs and dances along to the song with Pac, who sports a blank sleeveless tank, black shorts and similar gold chains. Era-appropriate hairstyles and visual effects help round out the vintage clip. In a second post, Pinkett Smith joked that the pair did a “terrible job” lip-syncing.
Smith, as one-half of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, released “Parents Just Don’t Understand” as the second single from 1988’s He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper. The song peaked at No. 12 on the Hot 100, and won the inaugural Grammy for best rap performance. Under her first post — Pinkett Smith limited the comments of the second clip — DJ Jazzy Jeff commented, “Absolutely amazing.”
Since Pac’s unfortunate passing in 1996, Pinkett Smith has often relived her memories with him in front of the public. In 2017, she revealed that she was a drug dealer when she first met him, and in 2021, she shared an unpublished poem from the “Dear Mama” rapper. While Pac was alive, Pinkett Smith appeared in his “Keep Ya Head Up” and “Temptations” music videos, and covered $100,000 for his bail after he was convicted for sexual abuse. While the two stars never officially dated, their incredibly close friendship has become a point of public debate, especially in light of her and Smith’s “entanglement” controversies — hence the feisty comment section under the first throwback clip.
Worthy is slated for an Oct. 17 publication date.
Check out Jada Pinkett Smith’s throwback Tupac clips below:
Young Nudy achieves a milestone feat as his song “Peaches & Eggplants” featuring 21 Savage pushes 14-7 to reach the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The track advances on the list dated Sept. 23 after the release of its remix with Latto and Sexyy Red on Sept. 8. (As the original version of “Peaches & Eggplants” contributes most of the week’s activity, the song’s chart listing is not updated to include Latto and Sexxy Red.)
“Peaches & Eggplants” becomes the East Atlanta, Ga.-native’s second Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs top 10 and matches his prior such hit, 2022’s “Umbrella” with Metro Boomin and 21 Savage, for his best career peak on the list. Unlike “Umbrella,” however, an album cut from Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains album that debuted at its peak and spent five weeks on the chart, “Peaches & Eggplants” has steadily worked its way up, cracking the top 10 in its 19th week on the list.
For featured artist 21 Savage, who is also Young Nudy’s cousin, “Peaches & Eggplants” is his 28th visit to the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs’ top 10, and his second debut in the region in 2023, following his and Rob49’s supporting spots on Travis Scott’s “Topia Twins,” which launched at No. 10 last month.
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In the latest tracking week, Sept. 8 -14, “Peaches & Eggplants” garnered 11.7 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate, up 68% from 7 million in the prior week. The surge powers a 23-6 flight on R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs, where it captures the week’s Greatest Gainer tag for the biggest increase among the chart’s 25 titles.
In the radio world, the song also registered 11.7 million audience impressions across all formats, a 5% lift compared with the previous frame. On the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, “Peaches & Eggplants” scores another top 10 placement, moving 11-10 thanks to 9.6 million impressions from that format, up 8% in that sector. Plus, the song holds at No. 10 for a third week on Rap Airplay, with a 4% boost in the latest tracking week.
Elsewhere, “Peaches & Eggplants” rallies 11-6 on Hot Rap Songs and 51-33 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion drum up a top five debut on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as “Bongos” starts at No. 4 on the list dated Sept. 23. The track, released Sept. 8 via Atlantic Records, begins as the genre’s best-selling and one of the three most-streamed tracks of the week, and becomes […]
There’s nothing stopping Cardi B and Offset’s love story — not even that infamous Michael Jackson tattoo. The power couple celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary with an elaborate floral display and heartfelt Instagram tributes on Wednesday (Sept. 20).
“Thank you sooo much baby 💕 Thank you for the flowers, the empowerment, the protection and for being a great father to our children… I love so many things about you. I love the fact that I’m with a grown ass man that’s going to provide , protect and help both of us GROW and can handle my mouth ,my attitude,my confidence my weakness and all this ASS!!😜” Cardi wrote. “MY FAVORITE FAVORITE FAVORITE thing about you is that you study me and always pay attention to what I’m into From my favorite colors, my favorite brands to MY FAVORITE foods… I love that you into details like me because it’s always the lil things that make me smile or even drive me off the wall 😩Happy anniversary to US”
In the video Cardi posted to her page, she thanks Offset — “I love you, thank you!” she squeals — as she shows off tons of pink and red roses arranged in a gorgeous collection of bouquets, with scores of lit candles adorning either side of the display. In a comment underneath the post, Offset wrote, “I love you 4Ever.”
Beyoncé & Diddy’s “Summertime” — a song from the soundtrack to the 2003 musical comedy The Fighting Temptations — plays in the background as Cardi sings along. She emphasizes the lyrics, “Wanna grow old wit’ ya/ Fill a house wit’ your pictures/ Have a son for you, a little girl for me/ Together we’ll raise a family.” Cardi and Offset do, in fact, “have a son for [him], a little girl for [her]” — daughter Kulture Kiari Cephus, 5, and Wave Set Cephus, 2.
Offset — who recently dropped a music video that nods at the King of Pop — also posted clips of his anniversary gift, as well as an emotional message to Cardi on his Instagram page. “Happy anniversary my beautiful Gorgeous Pretty Wife. Since I met you I grown to become a better man no matter what you have my back and I can trust you with my life blessed to have a loyal strong woman on my side,” he wrote. “You blessed me with beautiful kids you are my safe place in this crazy world 🌎 you believe in me more than I do sometimes… I couldn’t imagine a life without you….. we gone continue life together I LOVE YOU ❤️”
The “FAN” rapper posted a photoset consisting of Cardi posing with her flowers in a cozy, no-frills home photoshoot. She pairs furry rainbow slides with a simple figure-hugging pink dress as she smiles for the camera. Cardi also took a trip to Offset’s comment section, replying, “Ride for you 🏎️ and you know that.”
Cardi and Offset’s romance began in early 2017. By June of the following year, the “Money” rapper confirmed that she and Offset married the September prior, one month before the Migos rapper publicly proposed to her. The couple’s Instagram tributes come a few months after Cardi hinted at an official wedding via X (formerly Twitter) last year.
2023 has been a solid year for both Cardi and Offset, career-wise. She is fresh off the release of “Bongos,” her newest collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion, which debuted at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Bardi and Thee Stallion linked up to perform the song at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 12, where Cardi was nominated alongside GloRilla for the best hip-hop. Offset is gearing up for the release of sophomore studio album Set It Off, which is scheduled to drop on Oct. 13. And back in July, the couple released “Jealousy” — their sixth collaboration as soloists — which peaked at No. 55 on the Hot 100.
Check out Cardi B and Offset’s anniversary tributes below:
When Lil Wayne first entered the Colorado Buffalos football program facilities last February, he couldn’t help but gasp at the revamped locker room constructed by newly named head coach Deion Sanders.
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After a smoldering 27-6 run at Jackson State, Sanders — also affectionately known as Coach Prime — encouraged Wayne and the Colorado faithful to buckle their seatbelts as he intended to rewrite history for the once-hapless program. Wayne, a longtime friend of Sanders, was one of the few who believed in Coach Prime’s ability to reverse the fortune of a team that went 1-11 and finished dead last in the Pac-12 division last year.
“I never doubt Unc,” Wayne relays to Billboard. “I would never doubt him. I think if you were to ask me that question before the season or even before that day I walked in there, I think I probably would have said the same thing. I would have said I could see them at 3-0. I spoke to him that night [when I visited him in February], and his confidence was through the roof, past the stars and the moon.”
Within the season’s first two games, Sanders toppled the likes of last year’s National Championship runner-up TCU in a 45-42 yard burner and a squash match against Nebraska the following week. Coming into their third game last Saturday (Sept. 16), Sanders’ loquacious demeanor, paired with the elite play of his star players Travis Hunter and his sons Shilo and Shedeur Sanders, have propelled the Buffs into the national spotlight as they embarked on a contentious battle against in-state rivals Colorado State.
The hotly anticipated match-up in Boulder, Colorado was a starry event, as names such as The Rock, Kawhi Leonard, Master P, Offset and Key Glock gallivanted around the stadium to support Prime. Wayne led the team onto the field alongside Prime with a fiery pre-game performance of “Uproar.” Donning a custom-made Buffs Jersey with “Tunechi” emblazoned on the back, Wayne’s spirited efforts ignited the motor of the NCAA’s most-talked-about team as they secured their third win of the season, remaining undefeated.
“I love Wayne to life like a friend and a son,” Sanders tells Billboard. “I understand his gift and his heart. I see one of the best human beings I’ve ever known well beyond the stage and the handclaps of life.”
Billboard chatted with Lil Wayne about his father-son relationship with Sanders, the resounding results of the “Prime Effect,” hip-hop rallying around Colorado’s football team and shouting out Deion on Nas’ newest song “Never Die.”
Give me a play-by-play of walking out Deion in Boulder last Saturday.
First of all, it was electric. That man got Colorado turnt right now. Them people, they believe. For me, it was just an honor. For the most part, I still can’t believe what he’s doing. It’s unbelievable. Plain and simple. The way he has those people believing, just for him to even invite me and to implicate me and to include me, I just try to make sure I do my part to the fullest, just like those boys do out there for him.
Before Deion went to Jackson State in 2020, you sent out a tweet to Florida State University in 2019 about hiring him to become the next head coach. You saw the vision very early on. What made you think he could be such a success story in the college game?
You know, he’s been a coach. You gotta look like at Shedeur. Shedeur hasn’t played for no else but his dad. He’s been a coach, he’s been doing this. So with that said, what is it about him or what does he have? It’s just him. Plain and simple — just him. He’s not the only person like that in the college game. There’s a few coaches that has that kind of status.
What I mean by that is due to the transfer portal, you gotta have certain things to get those kids to wanna come to your school and wanna play for you. There’s only a handful of coaches that don’t need those things — it’s just their names. The kids just wanna play for that coach for whatever reason. He’s one of those guys, and when [the kids] get there, they see what it is. They see exactly what it is and he gives them an option. “Are you with it?” If you ain’t with it, then he ain’t gonna tell you to get out, you’re gonna leave. But I bet even if you leave, you leave a better man.
Mannnnnn!!!!! @DeionSanders gotta be the HC at FSU! It’s only right. What’s right is right. That’d be great for the university, fans, football, and most importantly the student athletes. I’d send my sons to play for Coach Prime fr fr! #ItsTimeforPrime— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) November 8, 2019
You also said in that same tweet that you would let your sons play for Coach Prime, so having someone who’s not only a coach but a father figure is a beautiful thing.
A wonderful thing. If you were ever even able to spend 10 minutes around him and those players, you would already see that they’re not just whatever their numbers say. They’re not just whatever positions they are to him. Just like they would run through a wall for him, he’ll run through 20 walls for them.
I don’t know if you caught wind of this, but Deion over the weekend during a press conference said that he loves you like a son.
No. I didn’t hear that. What did he say?
He said he loves you like a son.
Wow. Wow.
With that being said, beyond football, talk about that relationship that you guys do have off the field.
I mean, I didn’t get to see what he said during the press conference but to elaborate on it, that’s it right there in a nutshell. A father-son relationship. It’s been that way. He’s known me since I was a teenager, man. He’s one of those guys where you could be doing something in the world, living your life and you can do something where it won’t be the right thing to do, you’ll get a call from him and you’ll be looking at your phone like, ‘How the hell you got my number, man?” There were times in my life where my mama couldn’t get my number [Laughs]. That man will hit you up and it’s straight from the heart.
With that said, there’s only certain people like that where people have met him and called him “Unc” or “Coach.” What that mean is you automatically put him on a pedestal or a level higher than yourself — levels higher than yourself — so you can always look up to him. You don’t do that for everybody.
One thing I will say, I can’t remember the last time I saw hip-hop in Colorado the way I did on Saturday. You, Offset, Key Glock and Master P were all in the building. We have athletes, entertainers and artists rallying behind Prime. Why is that important to the sport of college football?
No, no, no. I have to disagree. [Laughs?] Hip-Hop has been in Denver before. You forgot A.I. was out there?
You talking about Bubba Chuck.
I’m talking about Allen Iverson. You forgot A.I. was in Denver? You forgot he a Nugget?
Him and Melo. You’re right.
Both of them shorts were so big. [Laughs.]
They had the baby blue jerseys.
Yeah and I gotta go back on you because you forgot the University of Miami. You forgot how Uncle Luke had the hip-hop over there.
Ed Reed and those boys.
Yeah. Honestly, with Unc, this ain’t even him trying to bring hip-hop to it, it’s him just going off the vibes and the moods of the kids that he’s coaching. If they love Taylor Swift, he’ll try his hardest to get her up in there. [Laughs.] Trust me, he’s just going off the vibes. Like I said, they’ll run through walls for him because they understand that he’ll do whatever for them, as well. He’s only going to do it for the better of them.
I don’t know if you saw, but yesterday Shilo and Shedeur joked about playing in the NFL next season and Prime was quick to stop any talk of that. What’s the ceiling for them on the NFL level?
For Shedeur, I don’t think there is one. He works with The GOAT [Tom Brady] and he’s a sponge. He loves to learn and to get better. When you got a guy like that in any sport or way of life, that path and future is always bright. I think he’s gonna be in the Heisman talk this year.
Shilo is like, “Hold up. Y’all gotta understand who I am.” Shilo plays the same position as his pops and I think he’s gonna be right there with him. I think it’s gonna be one of those drafts where you got the brothers there. Just like when you had the Watt brothers. It’s gonna be one of them type of drafts.
From a competitive standpoint, do you see any similarities between you and Prime?
Yeah, it’s impossible for myself not to because I try my hardest to make sure there is some. [I see it] in our drive. The way he believes in himself, is how I believe in myself. Of course, the way that he’s fathered his kids. I have kids of my own. I have sons just like himself.
Also, speaking on that, I also gotta shout out Lil Deion, man. We don’t speak about Lil Deion, we speak about Shilo and Shedeur, but I want everybody to know that whatever you see on television, online or on social media about Colorado University or about the football team, you’re watching it through the lens of Lil Deion. He runs that part of everything. He was doing the same thing for Jackson State. When I went to Colorado that night to holla at Unc, he filmed the whole thing and edited it that night so it can be out the next morning.
Lastly, you shouted out Deion on the new Nas record that you’re featured on called “Never Die.” That was the first time you guys teamed up in over 10 years. What was it like to get back in the booth and just be on the same song again?
It’s always love with Nasty, man. Always. He a God. He a God in this thing that we do. I think we saw each other at an Awards show or something. We saw each other recently and we switched info right there. He said he was doing his joint. He sent it to me. I knocked it out and he sent it back.
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Will Smith announced his new forthcoming podcast, Class of ’88, on Thursday (Sept. 21). Produced by Wondery, Audible, Westbrook and Awfully Nice, Smith will celebrate 1988 hip-hop with episodes alongside Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa, Darryl ‘DMC’ McDaniels, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Rakim and Chuck D. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]
The trauma Migos rapper Quavo suffered after witnessing his nephew Takeoff being gunned down last year is a disturbing sight he doesn’t want anyone else to experience.
Through his pain, Quavo found his purpose as a vocal advocate against gun violence. He met privately with some powerful political figures including Vice President Kamala Harris then later spoke on a panel about combating the issue during the Congressional Black Caucus legislative conference in Washington on Wednesday (Sept. 20).
The Grammy-nominated rapper said Takeoff’s untimely death in 2022 ultimately convinced him to speak up. “I feel like your calling comes at the least expected times,” said Quavo, who also honored his nephew with their Migos bandmate Offset during the BET Awards earlier this summer.
Police say Takeoff was an innocent bystander who was shot outside a Houston bowling alley after a disagreement over a lucrative dice game led to gunfire. Takeoff’s death was the latest in a string of fatal shootings in recent years that involved hip-hop stars such as Nipsey Hussle, Pop Smoke, PnB Rock and Young Dolph.
“You don’t think nothing is going to happen,” Quavo continued. “I need to step up to the plate and hit a homerun. I have to do something about it, so it won’t happen to the masses — especially in our culture. I don’t want this to happen to the next person. I want to knock down these percentages.”
Quavo joined a panel discussion Wednesday alongside Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, Rep. Lucy McBath — whose activism was propelled after the shooting death of her teenage son — and Greg Jackson of the Community Justice Action Fund. It was a solutions-oriented conversation on community intervention strategies, the battle with gun violence and the power in advocacy.
Earlier, Quavo arrived at the conference hand-in-hand with his sister Titania Davenport, the mother of Takeoff. After Quavo met with Harris, the vice president praised the rapper and Davenport’s “call for action” to prevent gun violence.
“We need to do better with the control of guns,” Quavo said. “We need to figure out how do we keep these types of incidents from happening to people going anywhere and thinking they can hurt somebody where it shouldn’t happen.”
After Takeoff’s shooting, Quavo often asked himself “How do we use (guns) safely?”
“And how do you keep them out of the hands of people that make bad decisions?” he said. “I’m kind of in a half-and-half place. Even police have guns. Unfortunately, some of the people in our culture and loved ones have been lost to police brutality. It’s all about choices and how we can put a filter on who can use these guns.”
Jackson said Quavo’s voice could make a difference. He applauded the rapper for sitting down with members of Congress, offering his firsthand insights and putting the pressure on them for impactful change.
“His voice and commitment around community violence intervention could provide more resources for those who are most at risk,” said Jackson, whose Community Justice organization hosted Quavo for a day of advocacy. They are both pushing for passing of the Break the Cycle of Violence Act, which would provide a $6.5 billion federal grant to communities to curb gun violence, create prevention programs, job training and workforce development for youths.
Jackson, who was shot in 2013, said combating gun violence has become personal for him.
“It’s what we need,” Jackson said. “With gun violence, in order to change it, we have to change the behavior just as aggressively as we focus on safety and ownership and access. But we can’t change behavior if our communities don’t have the resources they need, and our youth is being overlooked and forgotten.”
So far, Quavo has taken the right steps forward: Last year, the rapper and his family launched the Rocket Foundation in honor of Takeoff and he committed $2 million to invest in community violence intervention. He aspires to develop more after school programs in areas where community centers have been shut down and basketball goal rims were taken down.
Quavo says it’s imperative to keep the youth busy with productive activities in a safe environment. He’s already reached out to some in the hip-hop community for support including rapper Meek Mill, who’s been active with criminal justice reform.
But Quavo says he knows he needs more political backing to streamline much-needed resources to the less fortunate.
“I feel like after going to the White House, I need resources,” he said. “I need a bag of goodies, so I can take back and say ‘Here, this is for the culture.’ We have that extension cord. We are plugged into that type of environment. I don’t think no one else in our stature is that connected. In order for things to change, we need resources.”