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It’s an understatement to say that Doja Cat‘s relationship with the mainstream music industry is fraught at best. Over the past year, the “Kiss Me More” rapper has proclaimed that she’s finished making pop music, then agreed with commenters who said her rapping was “corny” and joked that she was making an album inspired by German rave music before claiming her next album would be spoken word.
It’s fine, she was kidding about last one. But in a new cover story in V Magazine, the unpredictable 27-year-old singer said that one of the reasons she’s taking so much time working on her follow-up to 2021’s smash collection Planet Her is that she wants to be sure it is 100% authentically her.
After jumping from R&B to hip-hop and pop over the course of her career, Doja explained that a lot of her pushback and left turns are tied to making music she wasn’t totally down with. “I have thrown fits my whole career because I have been making music that didn’t allow me to have a mental release,” she told the magazine. “I have been making music that is palatable, marketable and sellable, that has allowed me to be where I am now.”
Now, she added, she’s making music for her fourth album that allows her to express how she feels about the world around her. “These upcoming projects are going to be very different compared to everything I have done and I am excited about that,” she said. “I do not care if people are not.”
Though the provocative black and white shots she took for the magazine have a rock and roll edge, Doja said she doesn’t consider herself a rock star. “I have made pop music. I’m currently making rap, soul and R&B music with jazz elements,” she said of her upcoming album, which she also noted is inspired by “hatred and outrage” culture.
Doja dropped the long-awaited single “Attention” in June, which asked the apropos question for a star who has gotten attention for shaving her head and razoring off her eyebrows live on camera: “Look at me, look at me?/ You lookin’?” To date, the singer has not announced a release date for the album she tweeted in May will be called First of All, the follow-up to Project Her, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart and produced the hits “Need to Know,” “Woman,” “Ain’t S–t” and “Get Into It (Yuh).”
Click here to see pictures from the V Magazine shoot.
Chicago-based drill rapper FendiDa Rappa is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist as she scores her first appearance on the list with her new collaboration with Cardi B, “Point Me 2.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The song, released July 7 through Giant Music (which relaunched in […]
The road to Utopia has gotten bumpier for Travis Scott after Egyptian government officials canceled his July 28 concert at the Pyramids of Giza on Tuesday (July 18), according to multiple reports.
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The news comes after The Egyptian Syndicate of Musical Professions reportedly cited myriad issues about Scott’s forthcoming performance. The Syndicate, which ultimately approves concert permits, is said to have concerns about ensuring “the safety and protection of the audience.”
Dr. Mohamed Abdullah, in a statement on behalf of the Musicians Syndicate obtained by Egypt Today said: “Regarding the concert scheduled to be held on 28th July at the Pyramids area in Giza by American rapper Travis Scott, the Musicians Syndicate, as the entity responsible for issuing licenses for music and singing concerts in Egypt, in coordination with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture represented by the Censorship Authority for Artistic Works and the Ministry of Labor, emphasizes the necessity of considering security aspects and obtaining approvals from the relevant authorities as a top priority when organizing concerts. This is to ensure the safety and protection of the audience.”
The statement also cites Abdullah as saying that the group welcomes various art forms, “it has set conditions and regulations to safeguard the customs and traditions inherited by the Egyptian people.”
In addition, Egypt Today quotes Abdullah as saying that social media played a part in the decision to cancel the concert’s license. “After examining social media opinions and feedback, as well as the news circulating on search engines and social media platforms, which included authenticated images and information about peculiar rituals performed by the star during his performance, contradicting our authentic societal values and traditions, the Syndicate’s president and board of directors have decided to cancel the license issued for hosting this type of concert, which goes against the cultural identity of the Egyptian people,” he reportedly said in his statement.
Billboard has reached out to Scott’s reps for comment.
In 2021, 10 people died and many more were injured at Scott’s Astroworld Festival due to a crowd crush. After 19 months of police investigation, a grand jury ultimately decided that no one should be criminally charged for the disastrous event. In a statement to Billboard, Scott’s attorney Kent Schaffer said the grand jury’s decision proved that “Travis Scott is not responsible for the Astroworld tragedy.”
“This is consistent with investigative reporting by numerous media outlets and federal and state government reports that have squarely placed the onus for event safety crises on organizers, operators and contractors — not performers,” Schaffer said. “While waiting patiently for the District Attorney’s decision to not file charges, Travis Scott has been inaccurately and wrongly singled out, despite stopping the show three separate times and being unaware of the events as they were unfolding. Now that this chapter is closed, we hope for the government efforts to focus on what is most important — stopping future heartbreaking tragedies like Astroworld from ever occurring again.”
Utopia marks Travis Scott’s fourth studio album and drops July 28.
Grammy-winning songwriter/producer Jermaine Dupri is being honored by the Otis Redding Foundation. Dupri will be presented with the Otis & Zelma Redding Award of Respect at the foundation’s upcoming King of Soul Music Festival (Sept. 8-9) in Macon, Georgia.
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The second annual festival, a fundraiser for the Otis Redding Center for the Arts, will also double as a celebration of late icon Redding’s 82nd birthday (Sept. 9).
“We are thrilled to honor Jermaine Dupri at this year’s King of Soul Music Festival,” said Karla Redding-Andrews, vp/executive director of the Otis Redding Foundation, in a statement announcing the news.
“Jermaine and his father Michael Mauldin have been connected to the Redding family since he was a young man visiting the Big ‘O’ Ranch with his dad. And we are so proud of his remarkable contributions to the music industry as a songwriter, producer, DJ, and entrepreneur. He was very close to my brother Otis III, who passed away in April, and credits him with teaching him to make beats. Jermaine aligns with Otis Redding’s spirit and the foundation’s mission to inspire and empower young artists.”
Dupri — who also founded pioneering label So So Def Records — said, “The Reddings and Otis III became my musical family before the world knew of Jermaine Dupri. While I understand the family is honoring me, in my mind I am also honoring them for all they have allowed me to do, see and be a part of at a time when they didn’t have to.”
Atlanta’s esteemed Orchestra Noir will get the festivities underway Sept. 8 with “An Evening of Respect” concert at the historic Macon City Auditorium. Founded in 2016, Orchestra Noir is known for paying tribute to the cultural legacies of African American music pioneers through vibrant performances encompassing classical, jazz, blues, R&B and hip-hop. The next evening will feature The Big “O” Homecoming Show & Dance at the Capitol Theatre. During both nights, renowned artists and musicians will salute Redding’s enduring musical legacy.
Proposed to open in late 2024, the Otis Redding Center for the Arts will house the Otis Redding Foundation’s various music and arts programs for students. That slate includes the annual Otis Music Camp for students between the ages of 12-18, Camp DREAM for those aged 5-11, music education workshops, private and group lessons and the chance to perform on legendary stages such as Nashville’s Ryman Theatre. The foundation itself was established in 2007.
For more information about the festival, tickets, the Otis Redding Center for the Arts and the Otis Redding Foundation, visit otisreddingfoundation.org.
For a huge stoner, Wiz Khalifa is a model of consistency. Morning? High. Afternoon? High. Evening? High. On stage? High. Tossing out the first pitch at a game by his hometown MLB team the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday? “Stoned AF.” That’s what Khalifa, 35, promised before landing one over the plate to kick off the […]
From show-stopping vocals to eye-popping choreography and production, Beyoncé‘s Renaissance World Tour is one of the grandest shows happening right now. In the midst of all the show’s opulent elements stands one special surprise for select dates: a dance performance by Grammy winner Blue Ivy, the eldest daughter of the superstar and husband Jay-Z, and grandma Tina Knowles-Lawson couldn’t be prouder.
“Well, this is a heels family. You’re trained early to walk in heels,” Knowles-Lawson, mother to Beyoncé and grandmother to Blue Ivy, told People. “She’s having the time of her life, and I couldn’t be more proud of her because she really worked hard.”
Blue Ivy, the second-youngest Grammy winner in history, seamlessly fit into Beyoncé’s crew of seasoned dancers, featuring ballroom powerhouse Honey Balenciaga and renowned dancer-choreography Aliya Janell.
At the tour’s Paris stop (May 26), Blue surprised the sold-out stadium with some dazzling dance moves set to a pair of her mother’s most empowering anthems: “My Power” and “Black Parade,” both from 2019’s The Lion King: The Gift (Deluxe Edition). Blue’s flawless execution of the “My Power” choreography went viral and sparked a dance trend on TikTok.
Knowles-Lawson, a credited costume designer for the Renaissance World Tour, told the publication, “She is 11 years old, and she had one week to prepare, and she’s just getting better and better. So I’m the proud grandma, always.”
Blue is the eldest Carter child; she is the big sister to 6-year-old twins Rumi and Sir Carter. According to her grandmother, the tween’s confidence has soared “to the sky” since joining the Renaissance Tour. The young dancer made her debut on the tour’s North American leg at the Philadelphia show on July 12.
Blue Ivy has earned one entry on the Billboard Hot 100: 2019’s “Brown Skin Girl” (with Beyoncé, Wizkid & SAINt JN), which won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Music Video and peaked at No. 76.
After netting his first Billboard Hot 100 top 10 record last week with “Fukumean,” Gunna looks to take his talents on the road for two upcoming shows this September. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Slated to be his first headlining concert in two years, Gunna will […]
It was a celebratory weekend in the Big Apple for Jay-Z. Hours after launching the sprawling Book of HOV exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library, the rap deity hosted the 20th anniversary Shawn Carter Foundation gala alongside his mother, Gloria Carter, on an overcast Friday night (July 14).
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Dignitaries across sports, music, Hollywood, and business crossed paths at the swanky Black-tie affair at Chelsea Piers on Manhattan’s West Side.
The star-studded guest list included Beyoncé, DJ Khaled, Lil Uzi Vert, Tinashe, A$AP Ferg, Meek Mill, Babyface, Regina Hall, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, Yo Gotti, Miguel, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and many more.
Khaled was the last of the stars to hit the Pier 60 red carpet but his entrance was well worth the wait. The energy of the venue noticeably refilled when he and his partner Nicole Tuck stepped out of their mocha Mercedes-Maybach S680 designed by Virgil Abloh, and his array of Khaled-isms could be heard before even being seen.
When the lights are brightest and the cameras are rolling, DJ Khaled is at his best. Strutting down the carpet in a sleek black suit and matching designer shades, the We the Best mogul agrees with Billboard‘s ranking of having his “GOD DID” collaborator atop the greatest rappers list.
“Hov is the GOAT for a lot of reasons,” he begins while taking off his sunglasses. “It would take many books to write the reason why, but for me, it’s to let you know that it’s possible. When I say possible, anything he puts his mind to he makes it happen and takes it to the higher heights.”
Even outside of music, Khaled is impressed with how Jay-Z’s been able to bring his greatness to numerous endeavors and help others along the way. “What I love about him the most is that he’s always there to help somebody,” Khaled continues. “Come on, that’s Jay-Z – the best rapper to ever do it, entrepreneur, mogul, father, family man, friend, partner. It’s too many – that’s HOV did!”
Apple Music executives Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden have had a front-row seat to the Brooklyn legend’s decorated career as longtime radio veterans for over two decades.
“Quality and consistency and knowing the time to expand and when he expanded, he did it really thoughtfully,” Lowe testifies to Jay’s brilliance. “I saw an interview with Burna Boy the other day and someone said, ‘Did it feel like a good decision?’ And he said, ‘I only make good decisions.’ And I feel like that’s JAY-Z’s mantra.”
Ebro adds to give HOV his flowers: “I think his taste, intellect and appreciation of art and culture are the real drivers when you listen to his music. Not only the things that he talks about, but how he puts it together.”
The Shawn Carter Foundation ended up raising over $20 million by the end of the night, which will benefit individuals enduring socio-economic hardships that hope to continue their education. Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez also made a notable $10 million legacy donation.
Inside the gala, Babyface delivered one of the night’s rare performances, with the Grammy-winning legend candidly raving about having the ultimate respect for Jay-Z.
“I’m honored to be here — and if you ask me to do anything, I will always do it, because you deserve that,” Babyface said to a round of applause. “You always deserved to be honored.”
“If you ask me to do anything, I will always do it because you deserve that. You always deserved to be honored.” – Babyface to Jay-Z at the Shawn Carter Foundation 20th Anniversary Gala pic.twitter.com/gwYtLrMqz3— JAY-Z Daily (@JAY_Z_Daily) July 17, 2023
Still recovering from his famous July 4 Hamptons white party, Michael Rubin is someone who has got to know Jay-Z in recent years, through the launch of the REFORM Alliance in 2019 advocating for criminal justice and partnering to purchase sports apparel brand Mitchell & Ness.
“What I’ve learned about Jay is that there is nobody who I know that steps up to do the right thing all the time,” Rubin says. “He cares as much about that as much as anything in his life. That’s what makes him an inspiration to me.”
On the flip side, Roc Nation athletes Dez Bryant and Rudy Gay have long idolized HOV while reaching the top of their respective crafts but now they’re inspired to chase their post-playing career dreams — thanks to seeing the diverse empire JAY-Z has been able to build into his 50s.
“For me, being at the end of my career, it’s something I could really look up to and try to emulate,” Gay says, while the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver adds: “He makes me feel like I can touch anything I want by watching him be great.”
New week, new Fresh Picks! From drill love songs by J Hus and Maiya The Don to rap rhythms by Atlanta heads SwaVay and KEY!, we have a wide range of sounds to help you power through another steamy week.
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And of course, check out this month’s Fresh Picks (so far) in our Spotify playlist, linked below.
Freshest Find: J Hus feat. Jorja Smith, “Nice Body”
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J Hus is the latest addition to the streak of U.K. rappers (following Dave and Central Cee) who have crossing over and dominating the scene as of late. Last Friday (July 14), the Gambian-British rapper released his long-awaited third album, Beautiful and Brutal Yard, with a handful of features including big names like Drake, Burna Boy and Jorja Smith. Hus and the lattermost teamed up for a slowed down heater, “Nice Body,” a track about being with your lover through thick and thin. Hus and Smith duet, finishing each other’s sentences — making for a rather steamy track.
Alex Mali, “DinnerTime”
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Brooklyn native Alex Mali knows her self-worth and with “DinnerTime,” the singer is giving fans a taste of her upcoming debut album, Trust the Process (out August 16). With the hard-hitting new single, Mali explores the concept of women comparing themselves to “a snack” or “a meal,” delving into her own perspective and redefining what it means to be sexy. “Finding yourself is a journey and you should allow yourself the grace to find the beauty in every phase, every setback and every triumph,” she shared. “Go through those emotions with confidence in knowing that all will be as it’s meant to be because you have appreciated the evolution and trusted the process. Keep going.”
SwaVay, “UH”
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“I don’t need no cosign, p—y, I’ll just get my own bag,” Swavay raps. The Atlanta rapper released the deluxe version of his 2022 album Almetha’s Son on which includes two new singles, “UH” and “DUBLIN” featuring Ben Reilly and NASAAN. SwaVay gravitates towards mid-song beat switches, with “UH” being a prime example. The song laces a thumping bass line and 808 claps with orchestral loops as SwaVay stomps all over the beat with fiery bars.
Maiya the Don feat. Shawny Binladen, “Luv U Better”
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Maiya The Don recruits Shawny Binladen for a drill flip of Mary J. Blige and Lil Kim’s 1997 hit, “I Can Love You.” The Brooklyn rapper declared her song, “Luv U Better,” a track to post your man to — as she took to socials to hard launch her boyfriend, Wu-Tang: An American Saga actor Siddiq Saunderson, as part of the song’s promo.
Mack Keane, “Chances”
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On “Chances,” Mack Keane is feeling all the feels. The L.A.-based singer learns to let go and take a chance on love with the sultry, conga-driven song that went through 12 iterations before Keane landed on the final product. “It’s a real story and a timestamp of that period of my life, which is always the intention of my music,” he shares in a press release. “The lyrics in the second verse are my favorite because it’s something that I’m still learning to do in my life today: letting go, accepting the things that I can’t control, and staying present and grounded in this reality. I’m really happy to finally get this one out in the world.”
KEY! & Redd Smash, “Crank Dat”
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Like its title suggests, KEY! and Redd Smash pay homage to 2000s Atlanta hip-hop with their new single “Crank Dat.” Sporting vintage ATL sports team jerseys and fitteds, the song’s video sees the two and their crew cranking dat, hitting the folks and hitting the woah. “Crank Dat” will appear on KEY!’s upcoming project, Marquis.
Lil Baby‘s It’s Only Us tour got a bit shorter this week. The Atlanta rapper appeared to trim more than half a dozen dates from the outing that is currently slated to kick off on July 26 at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX. According to the Ticketmaster site, shows in Phoenix (August 1), Sacramento […]