R&B/Hip-Hop

24 Jan 2024

Jack Antonoff Calls Kanye West a ‘Little Cry Baby B—h’ Ahead of ‘Vultures’ Release 

Jack Antonoff came out swinging after discovering that Kanye West has an album release planned for the same day as him. 

In a Wednesday (Jan. 24) tweet, the Bleachers frontman did not mince his words. “kanye on bleachers release date is hilarious little,” he wrote, adding that West is a “cry baby b—h.” 

For context, Bleachers’ self-titled album is set to arrive March 8, the same date the second installment of Ye’s planned Vultures trilogy with Ty Dolla $ign is scheduled for release. The first act of the rapper’s much-delayed project is slated for Feb. 9, while the third is expected to drop April 5. (Vultures was originally supposed to be released in October, but continued to get pushed back — first to December, and now into February.) 

Why is this a big deal? Antonoff has been vocal in the past about his distaste for Ye, particularly after the “Donda” rapper’s many antisemitic remarks that got him dropped from almost every one of his business partnerships in 2022. The producer, who is Jewish, simply tweeted in October of that year: “Kanye a little b—h.” 

It’s also worth noting that Ye has a yearslong feud with Taylor Swift, one of Antonoff’s closest friends and collaborators.  

While the Bleachers’ fourth studio album hasn’t yet arrived, Antonoff has dropped a number of singles leading up to its release. In September, he  unveiled “Modern Girl,” followed by “Alma Mater” in November and “Tiny Moves” last week. He also shared a music video for the latter single, starring and directed by his wife, actress Margaret Qualley. 

Meanwhile, Ye released the single “Vultures” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Durk and Bump J in November and on Tuesday (Jan. 23) posted a spooky album teaser revealing the release dates for the now trilogy. 

See Antonoff’s tweet below: 

24 Jan 2024

Snoop Dogg Gives Update on Daughter Cori Broadus After Stroke: ‘Doing a Little Bit Better’

Snoop Dogg gave an update on his daughter Cori Broadus‘ health this week after the 24-year-old revealed that she’d suffered a “severe stroke” last week. The rapper, 52, spoke to People magazine about Cori’s recovery from her Jan. 18 stroke, telling the magazine that she is “doing a little bit better.”

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Asked if the health scare put his life in perspective, the hip-hop veteran said, “Yeah, yeah. Something like that.”

In an Instagram Story from her hospital bed posted on Tuesday (Jan. 23), Cori Broadus wrote, “they took me off heaprin tonight (blood thinner) & most likely can go home tomorrow,” followed by a second message in which she said, “thank you thank you [crying face emoji] when I get out I’m going to share everything more in depth.” She also swung her phone’s camera around to show off the many flower arrangements in her room.

She narrated the video, saying, “I just want to thank everyone single person that has sent me flowers… I mean, like, thank you so, so much. I really, really appreciate all the love and support, it’s been keeping me going in here, like for real.” The Story also included a slide of Broadus passing the time playing Uno and rolling through the hospital on a gurney on her way to get a CT scan of her chest to determine the cause of her stroke.

Last Thursday, Cori posted a Story from her hospital bed in which she wrote, “I had a severe stroke this am. I started breaking down crying when they told me,” later adding, “I’m only 24. What did I do in my past to deserve all of this?”

Broadus was diagnosed with lupus when she was six-years-old, and, according to Lupus Corner, “the risk of stroke is 4-times to 8-times higher in lupus patients, due to inflammation influencing the tendency of blood to clot and vasculitis stiffening the blood vessels; at press time it was still not what caused Broadus’ stroke.

23 Jan 2024

Flavor Flav Shows Off His Taylor Swift Hoodie, Talks AI-Facilitated Chuck D Collab & More

Flavor Flav teamed up with his Public Enemy bandmate Chuck D for “Every Where Man,” a new single that uses AI to translate the track to dozens of different languages. To celebrate, he joined Billboard’s Rania Aniftos to discuss the inspiration behind the song.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“My partner Chuck D mentioned to me about doing a record called ‘Every Where Man,’ because Flavor Flav is everywhere, man,” he shared. “Me and Chuck sat down, Chuck put the pen to the paper, so really Chuck D wrote this song. He writes it, I recites it.”

He continued, “This song in Spanish, I was bugging out like, wow, listening to my voice in Spanish! […] Korean! I never, ever thought that I would be speaking Korean.”

Flav added that he’s “glad” to use the technology, “because AI has been misused so much. I feel that I’m one of the first ones to show the example of AI being used correctly.”

The star also showed off his Taylor SwiftEras tour-inspired hoodie, which was gifted to him by a Swiftie. “She’s one of the most important and influential artists of our time,” he said of Swift, before adding that he’s in his 1989 era.

Watch Billboard’s full interview with Flavor Flav above.

23 Jan 2024

Lil Nas X Dropping ‘New Music to Match With Your Depression’ Alongside HBO Doc

It’s only been two weeks since Lil Nas X officially returned with his first single in over a year “J Christ.” But now, he’s making it clear that the drought is officially over with yet another new track.

On Tuesday (Jan. 23), the rapper took to Instagram to let fans know that his next single “Where Do We Go Now” will officially drop on Friday. “good news yall im dropping new music to match with your depression,” he wrote in his caption.

The accompanying photo shows a piece of hand-drawn artwork created by artist Aaron Fahy. The piece depicts Lil Nas X — dressed in a white robe and a pair of white boots — holding the hand of a child, similarly dressed in white, while standing in a green field.

Lil Nas X revealed that he was releasing his new track to coincide with the release of his new HBO documentary, Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero. The film — which premieres on HBO this Saturday at 8 p.m. ET — follows the superstar as he embarks on his first headlining tour, while simultaneously retelling the story of his rapid rise to fame with “Old Town Road,” his public coming out and the release of his debut album Montero. “So many queer people are making these huge strides, but it’s a fight,” he says in the movie’s official trailer. “There’s still parts of myself that I’m learning to accept. But we’re getting closer.”

The announcement for “Where Do We Go Now” comes one day after the rapper’s latest single, “J Christ,” debuted at No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100. Taking to X, Lil Nas X congratulated his fans for hitting “the funny number” with his controversial new song. “be very proud of yourselves. this is our moment,” he wrote.

Check out Lil Nas X’s official announcement for “Where Do We Go Now” below:

23 Jan 2024

YFN Lucci Pleads Guilty to Gang Charge, Gets 10 Years in Prison

YFN Lucci pleaded guilty to a gang-related charge in a plea deal on Tuesday (Jan. 23).

After spending nearly three years behind bars, Lucci — born Rayshawn Bennett — pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. He was indicted in Atlanta in 2021 on murder, gang and racketeering charges.

The plea deal included having 12 of the 13 counts against Lucci dropped — including felony murder, which comes with a life sentence — related to the 2020 shooting death of rival gang member James Adams in Atlanta.

YFN Lucci will serve 10 years behind bars, and another 10 years on probation.

“After three years of pretrial litigation, more than two weeks of jury selection and three years of incarceration waiting for his jury trial, today, the prosecution finally relented and dismissed the murder and RICO charges against Rayshawn Bennett,” Lucci’s attorney Drew Findling tells Billboard. “After the dismissal of 12 of the 13 counts against him, Mr. Bennett entered a plea to one gang-related count.”

The “Everyday We Lit” rapper surrendered to authorities in January 2021 and was part of a May 2021 sweeping indictment targeting alleged Bloods gang members.

He will be credited for time served, which means he can be eligible for parole in four months. If granted, Lucci is slated to serve out the rest of the sentence on probation.

The state of Georgia also agreed to not file anything that will object to his release later this year. According to Atlanta’s local ABC affiliate WSB-TV, the 32-year-old addressed the court and apologized to the victim’s family before his sentencing.

Findling also vehemently denied that his client would be cooperating in any case such as Young Thug’s YSL RICO trial following his plea deal.

“As he has maintained for three years now, Mr. Bennett will NOT cooperate in any other case,” the attorney tells Billboard. “By entering into this resolution, he will be eligible for parole in as early as four months from now. The prosecution has also agreed that he should be released early on parole and this will allow him to get back to his children, family and career.”

Billboard has reached out to the Fulton County Courthouse for additional comment.

23 Jan 2024

Watch Travis Scott Juggle Models Emily Ratajkowski & Anok Yai as His Love Interests in ‘I Know?’ Video

Travis Scott can’t keep his women straight in his latest “I Know?” music video, which he released on Tuesday (Jan. 23).

Co-directed by Dave Meyers and Scott, the visual finds the rapper and model Emily Ratajkowski leading parallel lives in the Hollywood Hills, from playing video games to snacking on Scott’s signature McDonald’s meal. But model Anok Yai comes into the frame, and the drugs start messing with Scott’s vision. “I’m lookin’ at her, when her startin’ to turn into you/ Now you startin’ to f— up my mind, is it you, is it her?” he raps in the second verse.

The last time Ratajkowski appeared in a music video was in 2017 for Russian singer and 2008 Eurovision Song Contest winner Dima Bilan’s “Inseparable” visual. She’s also famously appeared in the music videos for Maroon 5’s “Love Somebody,” Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and Taio Cruz’s “Fast Car.”

“I Know?” is from Scott’s fourth studio album, Utopia, which was released in July via Cactus Jack and Epic Records. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and stayed at the top for four consecutive weeks. The track reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became his eighth No. 1 on Rhythmic Airplay.

Scott will be performing at the 66th annual Grammy Awards in February, where he’s nominated for best rap album with Utopia.

Watch the “I Know?” music video below.



23 Jan 2024

Kanye West Teases ‘Vultures’ With Spooky Trailer: Watch

Kanye West shared a sinister album trailer on Tuesday (Jan. 23) to tease the much-delayed Vultures collaborative project with Ty Dolla $ign.

West — who now goes by Ye — tapped Jon Rafman to direct the visual, which is filled with haunting scenes throughout and no appearances from Kanye, Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Durk and Bump J.

The spooky clip finds citizens summoned by vultures as their souls are seemingly overtaken and controlled by a new host. Heading to battle, they vanish one by one as the city is the target of an explosive onslaught.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The trailer ends with a reveal of Ye’s master plan to break down Vultures into three different volumes, with the first arriving on Feb. 9, as previously confirmed, with the others following suit on March 8 and April 5. West later confirmed the dates and various album covers in a post to his Instagram Story.

Vultures was originally supposed to be released in October, but continued to get pushed back, first to December, and now into the new year.

Kanye could be facing sampling issues contributing to the album delay. For example, the last time Nicki Minaj spoke on “New Body” — which was originally intended for Ye’s Yandhi album in 2018 — she didn’t have any plans on clearing her vocals for Vultures.

“Now regarding Kanye, that train has left the station, OK?” she said in an Instagram Live in December. “No disrespect in any way, I just put out a brand new album. Now why would I put out a song that has been out for three years? Come on guys. You know?”

West responded to Minaj’s rejection at a December Vultures listening party, saying, “I made that girl rewrite her verse three times for ‘Monster.’ I supported her career.” 

Barring another setback or change-of-heart from Ye, volume one of Vultures will arrive on Feb. 9.

Watch the trailer below.

23 Jan 2024

Lil Nas X Celebrates ‘J Christ’ Debuting at No. 69 on the Hot 100: ‘We Reached the Funny Number’

After a promotional frenzy filled with plenty of controversy, Lil Nas X is officially back like “J Christ” on the Hot 100.

Lil Nas X’s latest single “J Christ” debuted at No. 69 on the chart dated Jan. 27, and the rapper is taking that particular ranking as a milestone achievement in his career. “we did it boys! we reached the funny number,” he tweeted. “be very proud of yourselves. this is our moment!”

Jokes about the number aside, the singer made sure to properly thank his fans over on his Instagram Stories, while also giving them something to look forward to in the weeks to come. “We made it to Billboard! I don’t want y’all to think I take this for granted,” he wrote over a behind-the-scenes photo of himself at the song’s video shoot. “I appreciate you and adore you. New song next week!”

As with some of the rapper’s past work, “J Christ” caused plenty of controversy in the lead-up to its release. Using religious iconography in the promotion of both the song and video, Lil Nas X came under fire from some Christians online claiming that he was “mocking” their religion. In a video posted to his Instagram, Lil Nas explained that his song was never meant to mock anyone’s religion.

“I knew there would be some upset people simply because religion is a very sensitive topic for a lot of people,” he said in the clip. “But I also didn’t mean to mock — this wasn’t a f— you to the Christians. It was literally me saying I’m back like Jesus … I know given my history with the [‘Montero (Call Me by Your Name)’] video, anything that I do related to religion can be seen as mockery. That just was not the case with this.”

Check out Lil Nas X’s reaction to his No. 69 debut on the Hot 100 below:

23 Jan 2024

Offset Announces First Solo Headlining Tour: Here Are the Dates

Offset will be hitting the road for the first time as a solo act and not under the Migos umbrella. The Atlanta native announced plans for his Set It Off Tour on Tuesday (Jan. 23); it is slated to kick off in March.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Pre-sale tickets are set to go on sale starting on Wednesday (Jan. 24) at 10 a.m. local time, while the general public will have their chance on Live Nation’s website on Friday (Jan. 26).

“SET IT OFF is more than a phrase, it’s a vibe we’re creating together. This tour is not just a series of concerts, it’s a journey into my mind,” Offset relayed in a statement. “I’m ready to hit the road on my first solo headlining tour, bringing the heat and most importantly, giving the fans a new way to experience my music.”

Offset’s first North American trek sans Quavo and the late Takeoff will begin in Philadelphia on March 10, and makes stops in New York City, Boston, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, Denver, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Dallas and Houston before wrapping up in his hometown of Atlanta.

There’s still no word on possible openers. The tour announcement comes in support of Offset’s sophomore album of the same name, Set It Off, which arrived in October.

The LP debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 with 70,000 album-equivalent units moved in the first week and 59.1 million on-demand streams.

To execute his vision, Offset recruited a plethora of superstar guests on the expedition including Travis Scott, Cardi B, Don Toliver, Future, Latto, Chloe Bailey, and more.

See the list of tour dates below:

  • March 10 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia
  • March 12 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
  • March 14 – New York, NY @ Palladium Times Square
  • March 15 – Boston, MA @ Citizens House of Blues Boston
  • March 17 – Toronto, ON @ HISTORY
  • March 19 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit
  • March 20 – Grand Rapids, MI @ GLC Live at 20 Monroe
  • March 22 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
  • March 23 – Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
  • March 27 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
  • March 29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
  • March 30 – San Francisco, CA  @ The Masonic
  • April 1 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues Anaheim
  • April 3 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
  • April 5 – Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
  • April 7 – Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
  • April 10 – Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy

23 Jan 2024

Ludacris Dramedy About Early Rap Career in Development at BET+

If you’ve ever heard Ludacris talk about the early days of his career working as an intern at Atlanta’s Hot 97.5 under the name “Chris Lova Lova,” then parlaying his undeniable hustle into a nearly three-decade run as a hitmaker, movie actor and author, then you know there’s a great story there.

A story that could be coming to BET+.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the streamer is developing an untitled half-hour scripted dramedy inspired by the life of the man born Chris Bridges, focusing on his experience “coming up in the competitive music scene in Atlanta as DJ Chris Lova Lova.”

The show will follows the “misadventures of a sharply drawn ensemble who are willing to do anything and everything to bolster ratings at their hip-hop radio station.” The script for the potential series currently in development will be written and executive produced by Noah Gardenswartz (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), with Luda slated to serve as an executive producer and music supervisor.

The series is being developed by Universal Television and Disturbing Tha Peace, the label the rapper launched in the late 1990s along with his longtime manager, Chaka Zulu, who will also serve as an executive producer; Larry Wilmore (The Daily Show, Insecure) and Malcolm D. Lee (Night School, Girls Trip) are also on board as exec producers.

While it’s not yet known if the series will get a full green light, Luda will be on your screens soon as he was recently announced as one of the judges — alongside Latto and DJ Khaled — on the reboot of Netflix’s hip-hop competition show, Rhythm + Flow. The series is slated for a long-awaited return later this year for season two after a five year hiatus; the first run of the show featured guest judges Cardi B, Chance the Rapper and T.I.