R&B/Hip-Hop
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After a few previous trips to BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge as a part of Little Mix, Leigh-Anne Pinnock has stepped out on her own and made her solo debut on the segment. She and her former bandmates previously delivered covers of certified classics and contemporary hits, but Leigh-Anne put her own twist on their […]
Ice Spice is teaming up with Rema for her next single, “Pretty Girl” — and it’s arriving sooner than you think.
The 23-year-old rapper dropped the news in a Wednesday morning (Oct. 11) Instagram post, sharing the brightly colored painting that may serve as the track’s cover art. “pretty girl ft rema this friday,” she captioned the post.
Rema, who’s still fresh off the release of his late September duet with Feid “BUBALU,” also shared the announcement in his Instagram Stories.
Ice is becoming something of a serial collaborator, having teamed up with Taylor Swift on “Karma,” PinkPantheress on “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2,” Lil Tjay on “Gangsta Boo” and twice with Nicki Minaj for both “Princess Diana” and “Barbie World” for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie — all released this year. Rema is also a seasoned co-creator, most famously enlisting Selena Gomez for their Billboard Hot 100 No. 3 smash hit “Calm Down” last year.
The Ice and Rema’s new single will arrive just one day before she makes her Saturday Night Live debut, serving as musical guest on the comedy show’s season 49 premiere on Oct. 14. Former cast member Pete Davidson will host the episode, which will mark SNL‘s first since shutting down in May due to the recently resolved writers’ strike.
The “Munch” artist recently opened up about her star-studded list of collaborators while gracing the cover of Variety, sharing that she’s grown close with Minaj and Swift, and frequently texts both. The “Anti-Hero” singer, whom Ice lovingly calls her “sis,” told the publication that the rapper’s “dedication and focus” blew her away “from the very start.”
“She’s extremely professional without being cold,” the pop star added. “Playful and fun without ever taking her eye off the prize. She knows what is and isn’t ‘her’ and sets those boundaries with grace.”
Ice also addressed the controversial moment Matty Healy made inappropriate remarks about her on the Adam Friedland podcast this year, revealing that she and The 1975 frontman made amends behind the scenes. “When I had heard that little podcast or whatever, I was so confused,” she confessed. “Because I heard ‘chubby Chinese lady’ or some s–t like that, and I’m like, ‘Huh? What does that even mean?’”
“But then they apologized or whatever,” she added. “And the whole time, I didn’t really care … I saw [Healy] at the Jean Paul Gaultier party a couple days ago, and he was like, ‘Hey, you OK?’ and I’m like, ‘Of course.’ He apologized to me a bunch of times. We’re good.”
See Ice Spice’s announcement for her Rema collab below:
As the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards honored producers on the 50th anniversary of the genre, they made sure to pay homage to arguably the backbone of Atlanta’s musical production with Jermaine Dupri. The So So Def general took centerstage and ignited his fiery efforts with a performance of Kris Kross’ 1992 Hot 100-topping single […]
On Tuesday night (Oct. 10), Swizz Beatz and Timbaland received the Rock The Bells Cultural Influence Award at the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta. The hip-hop luminaries were on hand to accept the award for their cultural contributions to hip-hop and boundless creativity. “I always dreamed I’d be on stage accepting an award […]
Drake‘s latest album, For All the Dogs, is finally here. The set, released on Friday (Oct. 6), saw the return of the rapper with a few special guests, including SZA, 21 Savage, J. Cole, Chief Keef, Sexyy Red, Snoop Dogg and more. Prior to the release of For All the Dogs, Drake released the SZA […]
Drake is about to receive a sizable addition to his bra collection — in every sense of the word. Following her recent breast reduction, Sherri Shepherd opened up about the surplus of brassieres she has on her hands now that she’s gone down a few sizes. Luckily, she knows just who to pass them on […]
The feud between Joe Budden and Drake has consumed a lot of hip-hop oxygen over the past few days. The latest tangle between Drizzy and the retired rapper-turned-podcaster centers on a recent episode of Budden’s eponymous show in which he took aim at Drake’s new For All the Dogs album, which he said is tantamount […]
21 Savage is set to perform in the U.K. for the first time after recently resolving immigration issues. The U.K.-born, Atlanta-raised rapper (real name She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph) will perform at London’s O2 Arena on Nov. 30. This marks 21 Savage’s first and biggest headline show to date. Presale starts Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 9 a.m., while general […]
Drake’s For All the Dogs album — and his subsequent back-and-forth with Joe Budden — took up a lot of airtime this weekend, but the rest of the music world was just as active. As usual, New Music Friday (Oct. 6) unleashed a fresh batch of new R&B and hip-hop tracks to sort through as we count down to the BET Hip-Hop Awards on Tuesday (Oct. 10).
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With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Fivio Foreign’s fiery new drill anthem to Megan Thee Stallion’s swing at hip-hop musical theatre. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: Fivio Foreign, “Why Would I?”
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For his first unaccompanied release in several months, Fivio delivers a biting piece of authentic New York drill. With pop-drill — a subgenre that Fivio helped pioneer — topping Top 40 radio and soundtracking the Barbie movie, the skittering snares and staccato flows of New York drill have reached the apex of pop culture. With “Why Would I,” Fivio goes back to basics, as he flexes his real-life successes and achievements in the face of Internet haters, over a menacing drill beat crafted by LS Da Producer and FritzThaProducer.
Megan Thee Stallion, “Out Alpha the Alpha”
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After making a return to the rap scene alongside Cardi B with “Bongos,” Megan Thee Stallion commemorates her foray into film acting with a new song for D—ks: The Musical, a musical comedy based on Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson’s off-Broadway musical of the same name. More Hamilton than Traumazine, “Out Alpha the Alpha” finds the Hot Girl Coach delivering familiar rhymes serenading women’s independence and power — but this time she adds an extra dose of comedy in her delivery to play on the arrangement’s jaunty piano and horns.
Connie Diiamond & Jenn Carter, “Ghetto & Ratchet (Remix)”
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As two of the buzziest names coming out of the New York rap scene, it’s no surprise that Connie and Jenn have found their way on a track together. On the remix to Connie’s fast-rising “Ghetto & Ratchet,” Jenn delivers a characteristically rambunctious verse full of bars flexing both his street cred and his status as one of his city’s hottest rappers. His high-octane delivery offers a smart complement to the smoothness of Connie’s tone.
Digga D, “TLC”
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On this tender G-funk-inflected track — which incorporates a well-known guitar lick from Soul Mann & The Brothers’ “Bumpy’s Lament,” by way of Dr. Dre’s “Xxplosive” — British rapper Digga D offers an introspective number in which he waxes poetic about needing something a bit more real and human in the face of his fast-moving career. “I know it’s insane / I’m grateful, but I’m kinda tired of fame / I need some TLC, I’m drained,” he spits.
Majid Jordan, “Hands Tied”
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For the latest taste of their forthcoming Good People album, Majid Jordan delivers a vibe in the spirit of Sade. Steady percussion and twinkling keys soundtrack a love story concerned with two loves, for whom risk is the reward itself. “Suspicious, suspicious, dismissive, dismissive, dismiss us, dismiss us/ Love is the answer, love is the message, you know it,” they croon. On this smooth, quiet storm-evoking track, the duo makes the smart choice to prioritize singing straight, instead of over-embellishing the song with runaway riffs.
Mannywellz, “Serious”
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On “Serious,” ManNywellz continues his soulful blend of Afrobeats and R&B. Here, Manny extends the spirit of “no weapon formed against me shall prosper” for a war-ready anthem of resilience steeped in faith. He waltzes across the peppy, percussive beat with swagger and confidence, sourced from his knowledge of God’s protection over his life. “I identify as God’s n—a / No weapon can dance with us / Can’t compete, I got stamina,” he proclaims.
Drake‘s giving streak is still going strong. At his homecoming concert in Toronto over the weekend, the 36-year-old rapper raffled off a luxury car to one lucky fan in the crowd.
The “Rich Flex” musician has made a tradition of doling out expensive gifts to fans at his It’s All a Blur Tour, with past presents spanning designer handbags to stacks of cash. This time, however, Drizzy switched things up. Not only did he give away something he’s never given away before — a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon — but he also selected his recipient completely at random, as opposed to his usual method of scanning the crowd and choosing someone — oftentimes holding a clever homemade sign — whom he sees in the crowd.
“This is what I’m gonna do,” he told the crowd mid-show at Scotiabank Arena. “I’m gonna pick a winning ticket out of this drum here. I want everybody to be super quiet.”
The Grammy winner then dipped his hand into a clear container filled with seat numbers printed on slips of paper. The winner? No. 17483, which appeared to be located in the upper level of the venue.
According to the Mercedes-Benz website, the base model G 550 SUV starts at $139,900.
The luxury car giveaway comes a couple weeks after Drake made headlines for hooking up one fan at his Miami show with $50K after reading the fan’s sign, which read, “I spent all my savings buying tickets for me and my ex, but Honestly, Nevermind, it’s really Her Loss.” “You know what? She’s gonna feel real f–ked up ’cause I’ma give you 50 bands, so you gon’ flex on her tonight,” he consoled the recently single — and newly rich — person in the crowd.
Prior to that, Drake offered to send a newlywed couple to Turks & Caicos after finding out they’d skipped their honeymoon in order to attend the show.
But while Drake’s good deeds have earned him some positive press in recent months, fans have been calling him out ever since he dropped his new album For All The Dogs Friday. That’s due to several lyrics on the record that fans saw as disses aimed at Rihanna, his onetime love interest, and her now partner, rapper A$AP Rocky.
On the track “Fear of Heights,” for instance, the hip-hop star repeatedly says the word “Anti,” aka the title of Ri’s Billboard 200 No. 1 2016 album. He also appears to make indirect references to her home country (Barbados), as well as her honorary Parsons degree. Plus, he seemingly takes a dig at Rocky by rapping, “That man, he still with you, he can’t leave you.”
Drake hasn’t responded to the criticisms over his apparent Rihanna lyrics, but he has started a war of words with Joe Budden in the days following The Dogs’ release. He’s also let fans know that the new album will probably be his last one for a while, as he plans to temporarily step away from music to focus on his health.
Watch Drake give away a G-Wagon below: