R&B/Hip-Hop

Patti LaBelle turned 80 years old last week (May 24) and her close friend Whoopi Goldberg threw the music icon a surprise party attended by the likes of Gayle King, Fat Joe, Tamron Hall and more.

Entertainment Tonight caught up with LaBelle at the party, where she revealed plans for her next album and a possible collaboration on the horizon with Cardi B.

The “On My Own” singer hailed the Bronx bombshell as her “new best friend” and said she loves the idea of working with the Grammy-winning rapper. “Why not,” she said of teaming up with Cardi B. “[Cardi’s] like one of my new best friends. And to know that she was into Patti LaBelle, she’s like my new buddy.”

Patti LaBelle added that her upcoming album should arrive in 2024, and the title is inspired by her age combined with the amount of time she’s spent working in the music industry.

“It should be out at the end of this year, and it’s called 8065,” she said. “I’m 80 years young and 65 years in show business.” 

If they do hit the studio, it won’t be the first time Cardi and LaBelle linked up. The pair joined forces last Thanksgiving to combine their products for a delectable holiday side dish. Cardi B brought her pumpkin-flavored Whip Shots Vodka to Patti’s house to mix with her Good Life Pies for a sweet snack.

“Being with Ms Patti and her family was such a honor,” Cardi said of the experience with LaBelle on Instagram. “The way she speaks with such gentleness, calmness, and grace is soooo soothing.. I kept asking her questions just to hear her talk and one hug from her was so warm it makes you just feel welcome and like you knew her forever!”

She continued: “So charming and so sweet but at the same time you can tell she can get real Philly on ya ass if she needs to! Thank you so much @mspattilabelle you are everything and I’m coming over for dinner every chance I get!!!

While Cardi’s sophomore album is still in limbo, she remains in-demand when it comes to her features. She’s dropping another guest verse as part of the “Wanna Be” remix with Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla on Friday (May 31).

As for Patti LaBelle, her last project to make the Billboard 200 came in 2007 with her holiday-themed Miss Patti’s Christmas, which reached No. 174.

Watch Patti LaBelle talk about Cardi B and her new album below.

It’s been a turbulent last five years for Megan Thee Stallion. While her star power has grown, she suffered the losses of her mother and grandmother and had to deal with the fallout and trauma that came with the 2020 Tory Lanez shooting and subsequent trial.

In her bout with depression, Meg turned to alternatives such as therapy to improve her mental health as she dealt with a hate train that her feeling like people were continuing to kick her while she was down.

The Houston Hottie opened up in her new L’OFFICIEL cover story about her mental health battle and the cathartic release that came with dropping her fiery “Hiss” single earlier this year, which topped the Billboard Hot 100.

“I felt so awful every day,” Meg shared. “It was such a hard place to get out of. I don’t even want to care who hates me, really. What I should be focusing on is the love that I do receive. That’s what I’m trying to get better about now. Everything is not going to be great all the time. If I’m going to be here for the cheers, I got to be here for the boos.”

Thee Stallion claims she didn’t know there would be such a visceral response to “Hiss.” Although, the 29-year-old was happy to get the weight off her shoulders after people had so much to say about her in the recent years.

“I absolutely did not know it was going to do all of that! I had no clue that was going to happen,” Megan added. “I had been holding in feelings for a while. I felt like everybody was kicking me when I was down.

She continued: “It felt good to finally be able to just talk my talk because I was in a place where I was so down, and I didn’t want to do anything to disrupt any kind of peace. I felt like, ‘Oh, Megan Thee Stallion, everybody hates you right now. Don’t you say a word. Just be quiet.’”

“Hiss” arrived in the last week of January and bowed in at the top spot to give Megan her third No. 1 Hot 100 hit and first solo entry at the apex. The track launched with 29.2 million first-week streams, 2.9 million radio airplay audience impressions and 104,000 downloads sold Jan. 26-Feb. 1, according to Luminate.

Megan Thee Stallion’s rebirth-themed album is slated to arrive this summer. She says fans can expect a full cycle of emotions and different sounds throughout the LP.

“This is music I would like if I wasn’t Megan Thee Stallion. I don’t want to say I’m tapping into other genres. I’m just tapping into other sounds. But it’s still very much Megan Thee Stallion. It won’t feel like I went so left. It’ll feel true to me,” she said. “You’ll almost be like, ‘I wouldn’t have thought she would’ve rapped over that, but this sounds great.’”

Meg is currently on the road as part of her Hot Girl Summer Tour, which will rumble through Memphis and Atlanta this week.

Take a look at her L’OFFICIEL cover below.