R&B/Hip-Hop

Ye Says He Invented ‘Every Style of Music of the Past 20 Years’

Ye and Ty Dolla $ign sat down with Big Boy to talk all things Vultures for an exclusive interview. They touched on a variety of topics, ranging from the duos chemistry, Ye trying to convince Ty Dolla to make a “clean” album with no profanity, how their No. 1 song “Carnival” came about, and family. But the clip that stood out was the one in which Ye claimed he “invented every style of music of the past 20 years,” essentially saying he birthed the careers of The Weeknd, Drake, Future, and Young Thug.

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“I done invented every style of music of the past 20 years, I created this genre. I created Weeknd’s genre, Trav, Drake…I’m gonna go ‘head and say it, with all love, Future and Thug also, because of the autotune album if you think about it,” Ye said to Big Boy.”

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Now, that is certainly an interesting take. Some may agree while others would be right to bring up T-Pain when it comes the question of who popularized autotune. We all know those two have a rocky history, so maybe it’s not all that surprising Ye would conveniently forget to mention the influential Florida artist.

It’s also interesting that Ye did not give Kid Cudi the credit many believe he deserves for ushering in a new style of melodic hip-hop. After all, it’s well known that Cudi heavily influenced Ye’s 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak. That’s the “autotune album” he’s referring to in the interview. It’s also the album many believe paved the way for an artist like Drake to flourish.

Elsewhere in the interview, Ye explained that the reason he decided to go on this album run with Ty is due to the fact that Ty stood by him when “a million people told him to not stand beside me.” He also compared the singer/songwriter to another longtime collaborator, producer Mike Dean, saying, “you can give him something, even just like a murmur or something, and he could bring it back with the words; he can fix all the notes on it; he can bring the drums, the music.”

Also interesting is the origin of the Vultures duo. Ty said the idea for the group and the album originated when the two met up in a studio while in Japan. He asked Ye if he would executive produce his next album and Ye agreed. The first song they made after that was the Band of Thieves-sampling “Burn” which lead them to say “f**k it, let’s just do a whole

!”

Released on February 10 after months of false starts and delays, Vultures 1 debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart. The album’s third single, “Carnival,” featuring Rich the Kid and Playboi Carti recently hit number one on the Hot 100 chart, marking Ye’s fifth chart topper and Ty’s second.

The full sitdown with the legendary Big Boy clocks in at around an hour and 20 minutes. You can watch the entire thing below.



Gunna & Offset Flex Their Designer Luxuries in New ‘Prada Dem’ Video: Watch

Gunna and Offset have reunited on the music side as the two joined forces once again on Friday (March 15) for the decadent “Prada Dem.”

An ode to the Italian design house, Gunna and Set trade slippery bars over the woozy synths and high-hats. The “Fukumean” rapper pushes back against the snitching allegations stemming from him reaching an Alford Plea deal in the YSL RICO case in December 2022.

“I set the trend, I’m a trendsetter (Yeah)/ I’m not a rat, still getting cheddar,” Gunna raps.

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The duo head to New York City for the Leff-directed music video. Set and Gunna weave through the Big Apple and take over the 5th Avenue Prada location to turn the luxury store into a private photo shoot, flossing their favorite designer garments.

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“Young rich bastard, I got 10 figures/ Run a n—a pockets, I ain’t friends with him (Uh-uh)/ 10 years in and I’m still winning,” Offset rhymes.

It’s far from the first time Offset and Gunna have connected, as they collaborated in the past on records such as “Wild Wild West” and Drip Season 2‘s “Beat the Case.”

Reuniting in 2024 is a big deal, as it marks the first time a prominent rapper has lent a feature standing next to Gunna since he reached a plea deal in the YSL RICO case to secure his freedom.

Some in hip-hop — such as Lil Baby — have distanced themselves from Gunna amid the YSL case, with Young Thug still behind bars.

Despite that, it was a busy Friday for Gunna, as he hopped on Flo Milli’s Fine Ho, Stay album for their “Edible” collab.

Watch the “Prada Dem” video below.



Halle Bailey Serenades Baby Son Halo in Ethereal ‘In Your Hands’ Music Video: Watch

After reserving her right to keep her first pregnancy to herself, Halle Bailey is slowly beginning to share her baby boy with the world. In the music video for her latest single, “In Your Hands,” the Grammy-nominated singer and actress cradles her son as she belts out the moving ballad.

“All in your hands, in your hands/ The world is yours when I’m in it/ In your hands, in your hands/ You can’t let go or you’ll lose your chance,” Halle sings in the soaring chorus.

Co-produced by Dem Jointz and Davekeyz and co-written by Halle and Feli Ferraro, “In Your Hands” finds Halle crooning of the stability and safety she feels when she’s with those she loves the most — whether that’s her partner — YouTuber and rapper DDG — or her baby son, Halo. In the final frame of the music video, Halle cradles her child in her arms as she gently sways from the side to side, taking in the closing notes of the powerful ballad.

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“In Your Hands” marks the second non-soundtrack solo release of Halle’s career, following the Grammy-nominated “Angel,” which peaked at No. 6 on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs in 2023.

Halle revealed on Jan. 6 that she and DDG had welcomed their first child together. “Even though we’re a few days into the new year, the greatest thing that 2023 could have done for me, was bring me my son.. welcome to the world my halo,” she wrote in the caption of an Instagram post at the time. “The world is desperate to know you.”

The arrival of baby Halo came after months of online rumors and speculation about the star possibly being pregnant.

2023 was a banner year for the “Angel” singer, given her starring turns in two of the year’s biggest movie musicals — The Little Mermaid and The Color Purple — both of which spawned accompanying soundtracks that featured contributions from her. At the 2024 NAACP Image Awards, Halle took home the outstanding ensemble cast in a motion picture award alongside her Color Purple castmates, including Taraji P. Henson, Fantasia Barrino and 2024 Oscar nominee Danielle Brooks (best actress in a supporting role).

Watch Halle’s gorgeous “In Your Hands” music video above.

Cardi B Backs Up GloRilla’s Claim That They’re Related: ‘That’s My Cousin’

Cardi B’s got some biological family lighting up the music industry. Bardi backed up GloRilla’s claims that they’re really cousins during an interview with Big Boy’s Neighborhood on Friday (March 15).

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The Bronx bombshell was initially hesitant to explain how her family tree is connected to Tennessee, but eventually gave in and detailed how she’s related to her “Tomorrow 2” collaborator — who’s from Memphis — through her grandfather.

“That’s my cousin,” Cardi replied in response to Big Boy’s doubts. “A lot of people don’t know this. My grandfather, he used to — I don’t like to put my family business out there — push weight or whatever. He lived in Tennessee.”

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“He didn’t really told my grandma that he was dealing with somebody over there. He had a kid out there, and that’s GloRilla’s dad. So that’s what make us related.”

Cardi felt a deeper connection to GloRilla when meeting the Memphis rapper, and they dug further to find out they were related.

“I asked her, ‘You just feel like we’re too much alike? You get my jokes and everything,’” Cardi added. “She’s just like, ‘Yeah. There’s something funny. Something really weird.’ So we just [started asking].”

The family claims stem back to an October 2022 interview when GloRilla stepped into The Neighborhood and asserted she was a cousin of Cardi’s, to which Big Boy wasn’t having any part of at the time.

Cardi isn’t the only family that GloRilla has in the rap game, as the 24-year-old recently revealed she’s also related to Lil Uzi Vert. “That’s my cousin,” she told Past Your Bedtime podcast host Fannita Leggett in February. “Yeah, that’s my real cousin.”

Cardi B hopped on Big Glo’s “Tomorrow” for the “Tomorrow 2” remix in September 2022, which soared to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Watch Cardi B confirm her relationship to GloRilla below:



Dr. Dre Crowns Eminem as the ‘Best Emcee Ever’: Watch

Dr. Dre and Eminem are among the most iconic collaborative duos to ever grace hip-hop. Even 25 years into their relationship, Dre still believes that the Detroit legend is the best to pick up a microphone.

The West Coast legend stopped by SiriusXM’s The Life of Mine With James Corden on Thursday (March 14), where he championed Eminem’s greatness.

“I think he’s the best emcee ever,” he said of Marshall Mathers, who landed at No. 5 on Billboard‘s Greatest Rappers of All Time list. “Point blank, period. Of course, there are going to be arguments about that because he’s a white guy. I don’t think anyone that’s rapping can touch Eminem on that microphone.”

Dre reflected on meeting Eminem for the first time at Jimmy Iovine’s office in the ’90s and how their first time in the studio produced The Slim Shady LP‘s “My Name Is.”

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“I met Eminem at Jimmy Iovine’s office,” Dre shared. “We slapped hands, went to the studio and started recording and I’m not sure if anybody knows this, but I think the first four albums was just me and him and his writing and his delivery and his imagination is off the charts and I don’t think anyone would disagree with that.”

“I was playing with the MPC and I hit play on it and he just went, ‘Hi, my name is.’ It happened that fast. No bull—t, and then we went from there and that was the beginning of this relationship.”

Dr. Dre’s handprints are all over Eminem’s first four albums he’s referencing on his Aftermath label, the latter two (Encore and The Eminem Show) Dre served as an executive producer.

The 59-year-old is also reuniting with an old friend for a new project, as Dre’s teasing an album on the way with Snoop Dogg.

From “Stil D.R.E.” to “Nuthin’ But A G Thang” and “The Next Episode,” Dre and Snoop have effortlessly cooked up plenty of G-funk anthems together over the years, and they’re looking to recapture that magic once again decades later.

“I know as odd as it sounds, I’ve only produced one album on Snoop, which was in 1993, Doggystyle,” he said of Snoop’s acclaimed debut, which topped the Billboard 200. “I mean, we’ve done some songs and we’ve played around in between, of course, but that is the one and only album I’ve produced on Snoop, Doggystyle, so we decided to call this one Missionary.”

“Snoop is really sounding fantastic and people are gonna be really shocked and amazed at how we’ve been able to come back together after all these years and do something,” Dre shared. “It’s really interesting.”

YK Osiris Reveals His New EP Will Feature Tyga & Dej Loaf: ‘I’m Very Excited’

YK Osiris is ready to bring the focus back to his music. The Jacksonville, Fla., native sat down with Billboard News to discuss all things YK Osiris, including his new EP on the way.

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Osiris isn’t putting a title or release date on the project just yet, as he looks to carry over the momentum from February’s “Time Goes By” single into the EP. He’s slated to team up with a couple of special guests such as Tyga and Dej Loaf, who will be making appearances.

“EP coming out,” he begins. “I got a couple features on there. I know for sure it’s coming soon. It’s elevated, I feel new, I feel great.”

The 25-year-old has a pair of sultry singles also releasing soon — titled “Woozy” and “Soul Ties” — as he touched on how relationships are influencing his creative side.

“I have a song with Dej Loaf and Tyga,” he says. “I’m very excited about Dej and me, that’s a great record. It’s called ‘TV.’ … And the song with me and Tyga is hard. Party vibe. It’s not a record you’re gonna expect from me.”

It’s a new slate for YK Osiris, who left Def Jam Records in 2022 to explore the independent route. “Now understanding the work you have to put in. You gotta put in a lot of work because this is groundwork now. The work you put in, you really have to cherish your work,” he says. “Every little thing you gotta go 110 percent about.”

Osiris broke through in 2019 with his breakout single “Worth It,” which spent six months on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at No. 48.

Watch his full interview with Billboard News above.

Cardi B Leaves Nothing to the Imagination in Provocative ‘Enough (Miami)’ Video

Cardi B might make it hard for some fans to focus on the punchy lyrics of her new single, “Enough (Miami)” thanks to the eye-popping visual for the track that dropped Friday morning (March 15). In the Patience Harding-directed clip Cardi models a series of increasingly skimpy high-fashion, thong-forward ensembles, from a futuristic black leather and spikes bondage gear kit to a burgundy sling bikini and matching platform boots — as well as a copper-colored pixie cut wig — matched with a full-length fur, and nothing else.

The video stars Cardi in a series of NSFW outfits, including a space-age red one featuring a shiny, pointy helmet and plastic oversized shades paired with a crimson tape bikini that barely covers her bikini area. The clip — which bears the heavy influence of Cardi’s musical icon Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott’s most beloved visual spectacles — mostly consists of Cardi spitting the song’s venomous lyrics on a blank soundstage. It frequently flashes between a quintet of outrageous looks, which also includes a white half shirt and thong bottom ensemble the MC models while lounging on a curved piece of plastic.

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“B—s is washed, soap on the dishes/ I apply pressure like boa constrictors/ One b—h, two b—h, old b—h, new b—h/ None of y’all b—s not gon’ do s—t,” Cardi raps on the OG Parker and Romano-produced track while striking seductive poses. I see my opps linkin’ up, I’m like, ‘What in the f–k?’/ If you scared, then just say that, ho, enough is enough/ They was just in my DMs, ain’t no trustin’ these sluts/ I’m about to call up Diamond, b–ch, knuck if you/ Opps linkin’ up, I’m like, ‘What in the f–k?,’” she continues on the one-off single fans hope is a signal that she’s gathering tracks for her long-awaited follow-up to 2018 full-length studio debut, Invasion of Privacy.

Watch the “Enough (Miami)” video below.



Offset Celebrates Baltimore H.S. Students For Great Attendance With Gift Cards, $30K of Groceries

Offset celebrated a group of Baltimore high school students with exemplary attendance this week when he dropped by Paul Laurence Dunbar High School to hand out some special gifts. The moment was captured in a Facebook post from the Baltimore Police Department with pics of the Migos rapper walking the halls of the school and posing the students.

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“The BPD, along with DTLR and @thelachow, had a wonderful time surprising the students at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Baltimore, Maryland) who showed great attendance and academic success this school year! They even got to meet Rapper Offset and received gift cards. Great job, students!,” read the post.

According to CBS News, in coordination with the DTLR and LA Chow, ‘Set gave the students and their families $30,000 worth of groceries and gift cards during the meet-and-greet before his solo gig at the Fillmore in Silver Spring. While hanging with the teens, the rapper also shouted out senior Caden Bowie, who was accepted to more than 40 colleges.

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Offset is currently on his first solo tour, which launched last weekend in Philadelphia in support of his 2023 Set It Off album. The tour will touch down in Boston at the House of Blues on Friday night (March 15) and will keep the rapper on the road through mid-July, with gigs in Toronto, Detroit, Cincinnati, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston and his hometown of Atlanta before hopping overseas for a July 15 gig in Paris at the Salle Pleyel and London on July 17 at the Forum Kentish Town.

PartyNextDoor Reveals ‘P4’ Release Date During His Billboard SXSW Headlining Set

PartyNextDoor’s anticipated performance at the Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park on Thursday, March 14 was the perfect kick-off to Billboard’s annual THE STAGE at SXSW concert series.

During Party’s one-hour set, he not only delivered hits including “Break from Toronto” and “Come and See Me” (feat. Drake), but elevated them to new heights with a show stopping crew of dancers and lively three-piece band. But naturally, he ended on the ultimate high: a surprise announcement about his long-awaited fourth studio album, PartyNextDoor4 (P4).

As he told Billboard in his current cover story: “This is the hardest I’ve ever worked on an album. This is the proudest I’ve felt…I’m excited to grind even more for the next [one]. I’m in love with how hard you should work for it.” To coincide with the big reveal — which turned out to be the album’s release date of April 26 — Party also dropped his new single “Real Woman.”

Over the years, Party has established himself as a go-to hitmaker for artists including Ye, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Post Malone and Rihanna (he’s scored two Hot 100 top 10 hits with the lattermost, including “Work” and “Wild Thoughts”).

THE STAGE takes place from March 14-16 as part of SXSW, Austin’s annual music, film and tech festival, and features performances from Billboard’s latest cover stars: Party, Christian Nodal, and Illenium. Tickets can be purchased here.

Last year’s THE STAGE headliners included Lil Yachty, Feid and Kx5.

Read on for the five best moments from Party’s sold-out show below.

PartyNextDoor Releases ‘Real Woman’ Single: Stream It Now

PartyNextDoor released his new single “Real Woman” Friday (March 15) after finishing his headlining set at Billboard’s THE STAGE at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

And while closing out his set, Billboard‘s latest cover star revealed the news all of his fans have been waiting for: His forthcoming fourth studio album, PARTYNEXTDOOR 4, will be released on April 26 via OVO Sound. It marks his first full-length album in four years since Partymobile, which debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 4 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

The album also arrives 10 years after his debut album, PARTYNEXTDOOR 2. Its second single “Her Way” experienced a lot of success last year: The sped-up version of the song became 2023’s most popular TikTok song in Canada and third-most popular in the United States.

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Produced by Noah “40” Shebib, Eli Brown and Prep Bijan, “Real Woman” employs bright, twinkling synths, trap hi-hats and a backing choir for the hypnotic late-night anthem. The single follows “Resentment,” which debuted in the top 10 of Hot R&B Songs last July, and “Her Old Friends” from January 2023.

The R&B singer-songwriter and producer talked about his highly anticipated LP in his recent Billboard cover story. “This is the hardest I’ve ever worked on an album. This is the proudest I’ve felt,” he said. “I’m excited to grind even more for the next [one]. I’m in love with how hard you should work for it.”

Following his SXSW set, Party will perform at Rolling Loud California tonight before traveling to Australia next week for the five-date Souled Out festival.