R&B/Hip-Hop
Page: 331
Ari Lennox is refusing to be another victim of the dangerous trend in which concert attendees throw objects at artists onstage. The “Pressure” singer was performing her opening slot for Rod Wave’s Nostalgia tour at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (Nov. 29), when someone threw a water bottle onstage and hit […]
While Tyla‘s hit single “Water” hasn’t lost its steam yet, she’s quenching fans’ thirst for new music. The South African “popiano” singer performed her new single “On and On” on Colors Thursday (Nov. 30). Over a warm vanilla background, Tyla’s honeyed, old-school R&B vocals transport viewers back to 1995. “Let’s take it back in time/ […]
Once upon a time, years before she was one of Spotify’s most streamed musicians of 2023, SZA had no choice but to hand over her song “Consideration” to an artist who was a much bigger star at the time — Rihanna, who ended up using the track on her 2016 album Anti. And though it was tough to accept at first, the “Kill Bill” singer now says she’s thankful it happened.
“I cared so much,” SZA reflected in a video interview with Variety published Wednesday (Nov. 29). “I was so, just, frustrated. And I felt like, ‘I’ll never have anything this cool again.’ I’ll never make anything this cool again, and that was so crazy and so wrong.”
SZA had recorded “Consideration” for her 2017 album Ctrl and even filmed a music video for the track, she told the publication. Days before its release, however, she says Rihanna asked to have the song for Anti and negotiations were made without SZA knowing. “It was already done,” the Grammy winner recalled. “Whatever the conversation, label-wise, was already done. It was just a matter of accepting.”
“[The song] was like the centerpiece to my album at the time,” she added. “And for her, it was just, like, part of her album. And I was like, ‘Please, no.’”
“Consideration” ended up serving as the opening track on Anti, with SZA billed as a featured artist whose voice can be heard singing the song’s refrain in between Ri’s verses. The exposure she gained from the switcheroo turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though, as difficult a pill as it may have been to swallow at first.
“Now I’m so glad that that happened, and that it didn’t cost me anything,” SZA said. “If anything, I gained a bunch from it. And I thank God that I made cool music outside of that. I don’t know why I just really thought my creativity would just stop, and this was the pinnacle of what I could make.”
Watch SZA’s Variety interview above.
Nicki Minaj offered up a stern warning and an exciting promise about her upcoming Pink Friday 2 album in a series of early morning tweets on Thursday morning (Nov. 30). “December 8th is COMING SOON,” she wrote about the collection due out on her birthday, before adding an ominous alert.
“If you on my $h!t list, you will never EVER recover. The. Fkng. End.”
Nicki also teased that her fifth studio collection is a certified classic that she can’t wait to share with the Barbz. “This album is just beyond anything I could have imagined,” she tweeted hours before. She also appeared to share some lyrics from an unnamed track on the collection, which read, “I just wanna watch him do his push-ups w/his sweats on/ Every time he hit it, he gon nail it like a press-on/ When I ride his d!&@ the only time he gettin flexed on/ Hit it from the bak with my pumps & my dress on.”
The hard-hitting bars are just the first in what Minaj promised would be a series of new lyrics, with a line slated to drop every day until Dec. 8. But before that, she let the Barbz decide something crucial: “on a scale from 1-10, how hard you want me to go on #PinkFriday2,” she asked, with the options including “TEN (to the white meat), EIGHT (foot on necks), FIVE (let’m live but ntm) and ONE (#NiceNicki #PopStar).”
Never one to soft-pedal her skills, Minaj has been stoking the hype train all week, assuring Barbz on Monday that it had just dawned on her that she is about to release “one of the greatest albums of ALL TIME.” She followed that promise up on Wednesday with an all caps second assurance that minds will be royally blown. “Right now as a type this mthaPHUCKAZ HAVE NO PHKNG IDEA WTF IS ABOUT TO PHKNG HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY WILL CHANGE AFTER DECEMBER 8th, 2023!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I SHALL APOINT BARBZ ONLY!!!! EVERY CONGRESSMAN, SENATOR, PRESIDENT, MONARCHY, YOU NAME IT!!!!!”
She also responded to a tweet from the Walmart account (“nothing but respect for the queen of rap! [heart emoji],” writing, “Can’t wait to go to Walmart & pick up my 5th album. My goodness [crying face emoji].”
Minaj pushed the album’s original Nov. 17 release date back earlier this month to avoid a conflict with good friend and longtime mentor Lil Wayne’s joint album with 2 Chainz, Welcome 2 Collegrove. The rapper previously said that she delayed the collection because she had writer’s block during her pregnancy and didn’t want to say “freaky” stuff. Pink Friday 2 is the follow-up to Minaj’s 2018 album, Queen.
Check out Minaj’s tweets below.
This Album Is Just Beyond Anything I Could Have Imagined— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) November 30, 2023
December 8th is COMING SOON. If you on my $h!t list, you will never EVER recover. The. Fkng. End.— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) November 30, 2023
LETS LET THE INFAMOUS BARBZ DECIDE. (And I still have to post an official PF2 lyric, coming right up)- but first… on a scale from 1-10, how hard you want me to go on #PinkFriday2 12/08/23😅— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) November 30, 2023
I just wanna watch him do his push-ups w/his sweats on. Every time he hit it, he gon nail it like a press-onWhen I ride his d!&@ the only time he gettin flexed on Hit it from the bak with my pumps & my dress on#PinkFriday2 12-08-23 ▶️— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) November 30, 2023
Rihanna and Drake’s sultry “What’s My Name?” music video has officially reached one billion YouTube views, 13 years since its release in 2010. In the clip, the rumored ex-couple gets cozy in a convenience store, before cuddling up in a New York apartment, drinking wine, holding hands and even having a little pillow fight. RiRi […]
SZA is Variety‘s Hitmaker of the Year, and the “Snooze” singer sat down with the publication for a wide-ranging interview about her career as one of 2023’s most prominent songwriters and artists. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The Grammy-winning superstar is one of many artists that […]
The King of Pop reigns forever. Despite coming from a completely different era of media, Michael Jackson‘s seminal “Beat It” music video has become the latest clip to reach one billion views on YouTube, as confirmed by the streaming giant on Wednesday (Nov. 29). “Beat It” is Jackson’s third music video to enter the Billion […]
Drake scores another pair of top 10 hits on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as “You Broke My Heart” and “Evil Ways,” featuring J. Cole, debut at Nos. 5 and 10, respectively, on the list dated Dec. 2. Both songs spring from the deluxe “Scary Hours” edition of the rapper’s latest studio album, For All the Dogs, which rebounds to No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and grabs a seventh straight week in charge of Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
In addition to a top-five start on the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart — which combines streaming, radio airplay and sales into its rankings — “You Broke My Heart” also leads the six new deluxe Dogs additions in streams for the week. The cut registered 18.3 million official U.S. streams in the tracking week of Nov. 17 – 23, according to Luminate, and opens at No. 2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart.
“Evil Ways,” meanwhile, wins the sales race among the new half-dozen tunes. The collaboration sold 2,500 downloads in the week, enough to nab a No. 3 entrance on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales.
With two new top 10 deposits, Drake’s account swells to 130 such hits on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. It extends his record for the most top 10s among all artists, which the superstar took from James Brown in February 2018. Here’s an updated count of the acts with the most top 10s on the chart, dating to October 1958, when the chart became the first all-encompassing songs survey for the genre:
130, Drake
57, James Brown
52, Aretha Franklin
51, Lil Wayne
48, Stevie Wonder
[embedded content]
Plus, the “Evil Ways” arrival secures J. Cole’s 27th top 10 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and third of 2023. Both prior visits this year – also through featured roles – captured the No. 1 slot, with the Lil Durk-collab “All My Life” leading the list for seven weeks and another Drake teamup, “First Person Shooter,” reigning for one frame.
Beyond the new top 10s, the other four deluxe Dogs cuts all land in the top 25 on this week’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. “Red Button” begins at No. 15, with “The Shoe Fits” (No. 16), “Stories About My Brother” (No. 18) and “Wick Man” (No. 23) closely behind.
To close out his banner year — which included an appearance on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Year-End Chart (“Annihilate,” No. 100) — Offset has announced his plans and goals for his second annual Toyz 4 the Nawf Christmas charity event.
The event will return to Offsett’s hometown of Gwinnett County, Ga., on Dec. 2. “We had a great turn out last year, and I’m hoping for an even better one this year,” Offset said in a statement. “I’ve been so blessed this year, I’m excited to bless others. That’s the reason for the season.”
Offset launched the event last December with the assistance of more than 85 community volunteers and partnerships, including the Lawrenceville Boys & Girls Club and BGLOs such as Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. More than $35,000 in toys was distributed across 248 families, including around 500 children. Last year’s Toyz 4 the Nawf event netted both the charity and the “FAN” rapper an honorary key to Gwinnett County and an honorary key to the city of Lawrenceville, Ga..
As a father of five — including Kulture Kiari Cephus and Wave Set Cephus, his children with his Grammy-winning wife Cardi B — Offset’s own experience with fatherhood has spurred him to set even more ambitious goals for the sophomore iteration of Toyz 4 the Nawf. Most of the goals focus on expanding the services provided by the charity event, including a winter coat drive, on-site wellness checks, raising awareness for the Internet Affordable Connectivity Program, barber services for kids and a hope to double the number of families served.
This year’s event — which Offset is hosting in partnership with the Ann Cephus Family Fund Corporation — will have a “Christmas carnival” theme, with fun eats such as cotton candy and corn dogs available to all.
Toyz 4 the Nawf will help put a cap on a big year for Offset. In 2023, the Migos rapper unleashed his sophomore studio album Set It Off, which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-charting singles “Jealousy” (with Cardi B, No. 55), “Say My Grace” (with Travis Scott, No. 48) and “Worth It” (with Don Toliver, No. 92).
Drake blasts into another orbit on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart as the list’s most frequent chart-topper adds to his staggering total, earning a 39th career No. 1 with “Rich Baby Daddy” featuring Sexyy Red and SZA.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Rich Baby Daddy” jumps from No. 3 to lead the chart dated Dec. 2. The song’s advance comes after a 24% spike in plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored rhythmic radio stations in the week ending Nov. 23, according to Luminate. By reaching the summit in its sixth chart week, “Rich Baby Daddy” becomes Drake’s eighth leader to have wrapped its run to No. 1 in six weeks or less. Here’s a look at his quickest climbs to the penthouse among the 39 chart-toppers:
Weeks to No. 1, Song Title, Artist (if other than Drake), Date Reached No. 1
4, “In My Feelings,” Aug. 11, 2018
5, “God’s Plan,” March 3, 2018
5, “Toosie Slide,” May 9, 2020
6, “Work,” Rihanna featuring Drake, March 19, 2016
6, “One Dance,” featuring Wizkid & Kyla, May 28, 2016
6, “Nice for What,” May 26, 2018
6, “Way 2 Sexy,” featuring Future & Young Thug, Oct. 23, 2021
6, “Rich Baby Daddy,” featuring Sexyy Red & SZA, Dec. 2, 2023
[embedded content]
As he banks his newest Rhythmic Airplay victory, Drake extends his record for the most champs among all artists. His latest, though, comes with a bonus. With 39 No. 1s, he now has at least three times as many leaders as every other act who has ever hit the top of the list — save for only Rihanna, who has 17 No. 1s. Here’s a look at the current leaderboard for the most No. 1s in Rhythmic Airplay history, which dates to October 1992:
39, Drake
17, Rihanna
13, Bruno Mars
13, Chris Brown
13, The Weeknd
13, Usher
12, Beyoncé
12, Lil Wayne
For Sexyy Red, “Rich Baby Daddy” secures the breakout rapper her first Rhythmic Airplay No. 1 with her third appearance. She previously landed hits on the radio ranking with two viral-turned-radio hits: “Pound Town 2” with Tay Keith and Nicki Minaj, which reached No. 19 in August, and “SkeeYee,” which repeats at its No. 13 peak for a second frame.
SZA, meanwhile, nabs her fifth Rhythmic Airplay champ and third of 2023, tying Drake and Ice Spice for the most this year. The R&B hitmaker first ruled the radio chart via a featured spot on Doja Cat’s two-week champ “Kiss Me More” in 2021. Between “Kiss Me More” and “Rich Baby Daddy,” SZA ruled with three of her own tracks: “I Hate U” (one week, 2021), “Kill Bill” (three weeks, 2023) and “Snooze” (two weeks, 2023).
“Rich Baby Daddy” appears on Drake’s latest studio album, For All the Dogs, which gave the superstar his 13th champ on all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart. Thanks to the arrival of a deluxe edition release with six new tracks, the set rallies from No. 4 to earn a second week at the summit on this week’s chart.