R&B/Hip-Hop
Page: 376
The rapper Quando Rondo has been jailed after being indicted on drug and gang charges in his hometown of Savannah. The 24-year-old rapper, whose given name is Tyquian Terrel Bowman, was behind bars in the Chatham County jail Tuesday. According to court records, he has a bond hearing scheduled Friday. Bowman and 18 others were […]
The second week of the double murder trial of rapper YNW Melly began Tuesday with the judge denying a motion from the defense for a mistrial.
Defense attorneys had asked Broward Circuit Judge John Murphy for a mistrial last week, arguing the jury had been tainted following testimony that could not be verified from the mother of YNW Melly’s ex-girlfriend, the Sun Sentinel reported. The judge told defense attorneys jurors could be instructed to ignore statements that were ruled inadmissible.
YNW Melly, whose legal name is Jamell Demons, is facing a possible death sentence for the October 2018 fatal shooting of his childhood friends, Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Williams and Thomas were both part of the YNW collective, known respectively as YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy.
Demons, Williams and Thomas were riding in a Jeep driven by Cortland Henry, known as YNW Bortlen, after a recording session in Fort Lauderdale when Demons, 24, fatally shot Williams and Thomas, prosecutors said. Henry is charged as an accomplice in the case but will be tried separately.
After killing Williams and Thomas, prosecutors said Demons and Henry drove the bodies to an area near the Everglades, where they shot at the back and passenger sides of Henry’s Jeep from the outside to make it look like Williams and Thomas were the victims of a drive-by shooting.
Prosecutors say the shooting was part of a gang action, while defense attorneys say the motive lacks credibility because Demons and the victims were close friends.
The gun used in the shooting has not been recovered. The first week of trial focused mostly on the physical evidence, with prosecutors establishing that the bullet casings found inside Demons and Henry’s vehicle likely came from the same weapon as the casings found at the scene of the staged drive-by shooting.
Demons gained attention with his breakout song “Murder on My Mind” in 2017. He later worked with Kanye West on “Mixed Personalities,” which was released in January 2019, a month before Demons was arrested on the murder charges.
We’re back with a certified-fresh round of picks from the best acts in emerging R&B and hip-hop. Victoria Monet is spicing up the summer with her latest single, “On My Mama,” while Amindi and Ambré are digging into our deeper side with their introspective and smooth new offerings. On the hip-hop side of things, alternative duo Paris Texas are keeping us on our toes, while SoFaygo leans into his inner rock star.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Don’t forget to share the wealth by checking out our Spotify playlist linked below & sharing it with your friends.
Freshest Find: Forest Claudette, “Pool Boy”
On his soulful new EP, Everything Was Green, Forest Claudette shines across genre spaces. On “Pool Boy,” the 23-year-old singer dips their toes into funk and hip-hop, delivering a timeless cut with a worthy message. “If I apologize with heart in hand/ With heavy eyes/ Will that absolve me?” he contemplates within the groovy track’s opening lines.
Victoria Monét, “On My Mama”
Victoria Monet is on a roll. The R&B rising star dips into her vicious rap flow on the Chalie Boy-inspired “On My Mama.” Interpolating the Texas rapper’s breakout single, Monet adds a feminine edge, breathing new life into the confident 2009 cut.
Amindi, “green house”
Boasting one of those timeless tones and cadences, Amindi can’t go wrong. “Green house” is no exception, as the Inglewood native paints a pretty picture of romantic wonder, singing, “Thinkin’ ’bout that green house you said that we’d buy when/ We get at all these millions that we get from ridin’.”
Paris Texas, “Everybody’s Safe Until…”
You can always be sure that Paris Texas will do things their way. On “Everybody’s Safe Until,” the pair dig into the intrusive thoughts about their own insignificance atop bouncy live drums, as they run away from themselves in an artfully simplistic visual. The single comes ahead of their debut album, MID AIR.
Foggieraw, “Psalm 62”
Foggieraw used the power of social media to secure Alicia Keys’s blessing for the use of her 2003 hit “You Don’t Know My Name” for his new track “Psalm 62.” In March, the DMV artist teased the song on Twitter, asking his followers, “okay guys I’ve tried everything in my power to get this out… maybe y’all could kindly ask miss alicia on my behalf lol.” Three months and nearly 60,000 likes later, Foggieraw met Keys, she cleared the sample (her first time doing so for this song) — and “Psalm 62” got its official release, via Republic Records.
Ambré, “Muse Freestyle”
The intro to her new EP, who’s loving you?, “Muse Freestyle” sees Ambré posing the title question of the five-song project. “who’s loving you? is a question I’m asking myself and asking the audience,” the New Orleans artist said in a press release. “What does it feel like? What does it sound like to be loved? I wanted to create something that felt like b-sides or deep cuts, almost like a mixtape. Still very intentional but it was very easy to make.”
SoFaygo, “BEAUTIFUL ROCKSTAR”
“I am a beautiful rockstar/ I got some folks in my life I love, so I do this s–t with my heart in it,” sings the beautiful rockstar himself, SoFaygo. The Atlanta artist delivers this high-energy song as a bonus track on his latest EP, GO+, though he first teased it on Instagram Live in December 2021. “Beautiful Rockstar” also samples Jhené Aiko and H.E.R.’s 2020 hit “B.S.”
JAHKOY, “Man On Fire”
JAHKOY is a walking flame. On “Man On Fire,” the Toronto singer exaggerates his emotions and likens them to a fire. “[The song] is about when a guy feels a spark with a woman, but not only is there a spark, it slowly turns into what becomes a full-fledged fire,” he told Billboard. “The feelings become so ignited that he is now a walking flame.”
As Black Music Month marches on, the popular LA event concert series TheBasement Series returns. Beginning on Tuesday (June 20), the third installment will occur at KISS KISS BANG BANG with performances from Hamzaa, Reggie Becton, Ebony Riley, Maiya The Don and Lakeyah. Amazon Music’s R&B/hip-hop brand Rotation presents the event. Explore Explore See latest […]
As the global climate crisis continues to cause the planet’s oceans to warm and rise, imperiling citizens of island (and low-lying) nations, Rihanna issues an urgent plea to world leaders to step it up. In a tweet Tuesday morning (June 20) that called out U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and World Band President Ajay Banga, […]
When Erykah Badu announced her latest tour, Unfollow Me, the singer-songwriter shared what fans could expect. “You can expect us to become one living breathing organism. You’ll receive my sincerest, purest love. I love what I do and I love doing it for you.”
The Grammy-winning artist made good on that promise during her Los Angeles stopover at Crypto.com Arena Saturday evening (June 17).
Already hyped by a fun and memory-evoking opening set by yasiin bey, Badu kept fans on pins and needles as her drummer and percussionist fired up the crowd even further with energetic solo turns. Then, some 10 minutes later, the lady of the hour took the stage to loud cheers and shoutouts amid laser lights and lightning flashes across a giant video screen. But it was worth the wait.
Opening her show with the fitting, self-empowering “20 Feet Tall,” Badu — wearing a feathered floor-length coat and tall head wrap that she later doffed for a slinky black dress with front-facing slits underneath — took command of the stage for the next hour and 45 minutes. From there the evening became a giant sing-along with an ethereal and playful Badu leading her faithful choir, beginning with the classic “On & On” peppered with humorous adlibs like “People in the back … what the F you looking at?”
After segueing into “…& On,” the Grammy winner dished up a host of flavorful tracks from her deep-rooted catalog, including “Appletree,” “No Love,” “Me,” “Time’s a Wastin,” “Kiss Me on My Neck,” “A.D. 2000,” “Didn’t Cha Know” and closer “Window Seat.” In the latter song, Badu smoothly sidled into a snippet of “Whipped Cream” by Ari Lennox, of whom she noted, “I love you, Ari.” Also eliciting massive sing-alongs that resonated throughout the arena: “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop),” “Otherside of the Game,” “Next Lifetime” and a very moving “Orange Moon.”
To an audience that ranged from ’60s- to 2000s -era fans, Badu declared of her game-changing 1997 debut album, Baduizm, “I wrote that for you ’90s babies,” as she recalled being pregnant with her first child while writing and recording the project. “So I’ve been waiting for you ’90s babies to grow up,” she said with a laugh.
The evening’s master class in neo-soul and hip-hop — in honor of the latter’s 50th anniversary this year — got off to a grand start with rap icon yasiin bey. The Brooklyn-born artist took the stage to heartwarming applause and shoutouts before delivering a strong 45-minute set. At times self-deprecating (at one point the rapper/singer-songwriter/actor referred to himself simply as “local talent” to audience laughter); at other moments twirling around onstage to his tracks with free abandon, bey referenced milestones in his long-running career as well with songs like “Auditorium,” “Casa Bey,” “Mathematics,” “Ms. Fat Booty” and “UMI Says.”
Adding an exclamation point to bey’s show was the surprise appearance of his former Black Star colleague and fellow Brooklynite Talib Kweli. The two hip-hop icons dove into a rollicking take on their 1998 gem “Respiration.”
Badu’s 25-city Unfollow Me tour with yasiin bey, produced by Outback Presents, launched in San Antonio on June 11 before making its fifth stop in Los Angeles. Upcoming shows include Sacramento (June 20), Seattle (June 23), Denver (June 26), Chicago (July 1), New York (July 8) and Atlanta (July 15) before wrapping in Badu’s hometown of Dallas (July 23).
Victoria Monét sees herself as something of a musical jaguar — particularly in the way she has written for other acts (like Ariana Grande and Fifth Harmony) during her career. “I feel like I’ve been behind the bushes and in the background, and I think jaguars themselves live in that way,” she explains. “They find […]
Dionne Warwick had to cancel an upcoming concert at the Rivers Casino Des Plaines outside Chicago after the 82-year-old “That’s What Friends Are For” singer reportedly suffered a minor health issue. TMZ was first to report that Warwick said she began having an unspecified issue with one of her legs on Thursday that was serious […]
A man who was named by police as a person of interest in the 2021 murder of rapper/music exec Young Dolph has been killed. According to Memphis’ ABC 24, family members identified Joshua Taylor as the victim of a fatal shooting in the city on Wednesday afternoon. At press time it was reported that there […]
She’s back! Doja Cat‘s long awaited new single “Attention” was officially released on Friday (June 16). “Look at me, look at me/ You lookin?” she asks on the track, which arrived along with a music video that puts an eerie twist on fame. The star announced the song on Twitter earlier in the week, posting the […]