R&B/Hip-Hop

14 Dec 2023

Top 10 Highest Grossing Rap Tours of 2023

Last week, Billboard revealed its year-end Boxscore charts, ranking the top tours, venues, and promoters of 2023. That coverage included analysis of the new wave of genre diverse artists crashing stadium stages, and in turn, our charts. Here, we are breaking down the year’s biggest tours, genre by genre. Today, we continue with rap.

Hip-hop had a confusing year, celebrating all of the groundbreaking art and success that has come in its first 50 years, while also dealing with a drought of crossover hits. But major releases from Drake, Nicki Minaj and Travis Scott helped momentum in the second half of 2023, while a new class of headliners waits in the wings.

Rap has never scaled on stage in quite the same way that pop, rock and country have. Its share of the top 100 tour grosses slips from 3.4% in 2022 to 2.7% this year, having peaked at 5.2% in 2019. And even as Latin and K-pop acts increase their touring footprint with international stadium shows, hip-hop artists have yet to cross that threshold. The genre’s biggest names have mounted stadium tours alongside pop peers (Jay-Z with Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake; Eminem with Rihanna) but outside of one-off dates, there has yet to be a major stadium tour by a rapper on their own.

That’s not to say that rap hasn’t generated stars big enough to compete with pop stars such as Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. R&B/hip-hop was confirmed as the most popular genre in America in 2017 and has continued that reign into the new decade. Rap artists led Billboard’s year-end Top Artist ranking for four consecutive years (2018-21) and there are six in this year’s top 20 – more than any other genre. With Doja Cat, Lil Uzi Vert, Rod Wave and Travis Scott already touring into the 2024 reporting period, the genre’s prospects are looking up.

Keep reading to check out the top 10 highest grossing tours of 2023 by hip-hop artists, with such acts qualifying due to recent performance on Billboard’s Top Rap Albums and/or Hot Rap Songs charts. Rankings are determined according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. All reported shows worldwide between Nov. 1, 2022 – Sept. 30, 2023, are eligible.

14 Dec 2023

Double Feature: Beyoncé’s ‘My House’ Premieres in Top 10 on Rap & Dance Charts

Beyoncé earns her first lead entry on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart as “My House” debuts at No. 9 on the list dated Dec. 16. The standalone single, released on Dec. 1 via Parkwood/Columbia Records, accompanied the launch of Beyoncé’s concert film, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, which arrived in theaters the same day. The house and rap-flavored track also starts at No. 2 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.

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For its debut week on both multimetric charts — which combine streaming, radio airplay and sales for its rankings — “My House” generated 9.7 million official U.S. streams in the tracking week of Dec. 1-7, according to Luminate and opens at No. 7 on the Rap Streaming Songs chart. The single sold 5,000 downloads in the same period, prompting its No. 2 entrance on the Rap Digital Song Sales ranking, and registered 1.8 million in total radio audience.

With “My House,” Beyoncé scores her sixth top 10 on Hot Rap Songs and first in a leading role. Here’s a look at the superstar’s six visits to the top tier:

Song Title, Artist, Peak Position, Peak Date

  • “’03 Bonnie & Clyde,” Jay-Z featuring Beyoncé Knowles, No. 2, Dec. 28, 2002
  • “Part II (On the Run),” Jay-Z featuring Beyoncé, No. 9, March 29, 2014
  • “Feeling Myself,” Nicki Minaj featuring Beyoncé, No. 6, June 6, 2015
  • “Walk on Water,” Eminem featuring Beyoncé, No. 6, Dec. 2, 2017
  • “Savage,” Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé, No. 1 (three weeks), May 16, 2020
  • “My House,” No. 9 (to date), Dec. 16, 2023

On the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, “My House” gives Beyoncé her fifth top 10 appearance. The previous four titles all come from the diva’s Renaissance album in 2022: the 11-week No. 1 “Break My Soul,” “Summer Renaissance” (No. 3), “Thique” (No. 4) and “Pure/Honey” (No. 6).

In addition to its top-10 premieres on the Hot Rap Songs and Hot Dance/Electronic charts, “My House” begins at No. 11 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 57 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.

14 Dec 2023

Quavo Prepares to Enter His André 3000 Era in Tokyo With the Purchase of a Flute

André 3000 has been breaking records with his flute-forward solo album New Blue Sun. And while the no rapping, finger-snapping ambient jazz collection has disappointed some OutKast fans who were hoping for the first fresh bars from 3 Stacks in more than 20 years, it has clearly had a huge impact of fellow A-town MC, Quavo.

The Migos member has been chronicling his whirlwind visit to Japan on his Instagram over the past two weeks, and in one of his latest videos he appears open to following in André’s footsteps. Watching a street vendor show off his flute skills, Quavo asks someone off camera, “can you give me one? I want one. I want a flute,” he says as the man calmly trills behind him.

In the same post, Quavo is seen rapping on a monitor in what appears to be footage from a new music video for an unnamed song. Earlier in the week, Huncho posted a series of pics in which he chilled near a classic car with a tall stack of cash, as well as a shot of him eating sushi off the body of a naked woman, rocking a black kimono — which appears to be part of a costume for the same video — and breaking a board with his fist in a dojo. And, in the latest tribute to his late Migos bandmate, TakeOff, Quavo also appeared in a video with a shirtless Japanese fans who, literally, gave Huncho the TakeOff shirt off his back as a present, with the rapper dubbing his new favorite city “Tokyo-off.”

Quavo recently released his new Huncho Farms Cookbook, just in time for Thanksgiving, while providing meals for those in need.

Watch Quavo’s search for a magic flute below (video appears in fourth slide).

13 Dec 2023

Beyoncé Drops ‘Grown Woman’ on Streaming to Celebrate 10 Years of Her Self-Titled Album

It’s a big day for Beyoncé and the Beyhive. On Wednesday (Dec. 13), Queen Bey commemorated 10 years of her self-titled surprise visual album, and she’s treating fans to some new music — kind of — to celebrate.

When Beyoncé arrived on iTunes with no pre-release announcement or promotion in the wee hours of Dec. 13, 2013, the 14-track record came complete with 17 music videos. While certain songs on the album — namely “Partition” and “Haunted” — got two music videos to honor their long-winding structures, there was a bonus music video that did not accompany an audio track.

For a decade, Beyoncé fans have only been able to stream “Grown Woman” as a music video. On YouTube — where the clip was uploaded to honor the album’s one-year anniversary and the release of its platinum edition — the Jake Nava-helmed video has amassed over 145 million views. Before that, however, Beyoncé first teased a lengthy snippet of “Grown Woman” in a career-reflecting Pepsi ad that debuted just a few months after she rocked the Super Bowl Halftime Show stage in 2013.

Now, fans can enjoy the track as they would any other Beyoncé song. The Afrobeats-tinged single finally arrived on streaming platforms on Dec. 13, marking the second gift from Queen Bey following an Instagram video montage acknowledging the album’s anniversary.

“Grown Woman” is co-written by Beyoncé, The-Dream, Timbaland, Kelly Sheehan, Garland Mosley, Chris Godbey and Darryl Pearson, with production contributions from Timbaland and J-Roc.

Despite dropping in the middle of the tracking week, Beyoncé debuted atop the Billboard 200 with just three days of sales, becoming the fastest selling album in iTunes history at the time. The three-time Grammy-winning LP housed the Billboard Hot 100 No. 2 hit “Drunk in Love” (with Jay-Z), as well as “7/11” (No. 13), “Partition” (No. 23) and “Flawless” (No. 41).

Listen to “Grown Woman” via YouTube above.

13 Dec 2023

Tyla’s ‘Water’ Cruises to No. 1 on Rhythmic Airplay Chart

The widespread radio success of Tyla’s “Water” spills over to Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart, where the single tops the list dated Dec. 16. “Water” rises from No. 2 to rule the chart after a 15% jump in plays that made it the most played song on U.S. monitored rhythmic radio stations in the week of Dec. 1–7, according to Luminate.

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With its advance, “Water,” released on FAX Records/Epic Records, pushes last week’s champ, Drake’s “Rich Baby Daddy” featuring Sexyy Red and SZA, to No. 2 after its one week in charge. The latter’s coronation yielded Drake’s record-extending 39th No. 1 on the radio ranking.

“Water,” the breakthrough single for 21-year-old South African singer Tyla, has evolved into a radio smash in the past few weeks. Beyond its Rhythmic Airplay reign, the track sits at No. 1 for a third week on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, where it added 1% in plays in the last tracking week, and repeats at No. 3 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay for a second term thanks to a 4% boost in weekly audience to 18.3 million in listenership.

Plus, the single is making waves in the pop sector, holding at No. 19 for a second week on Pop Airplay with an 18% swell in weekly plays. Combined strength from rhythmic, R&B/hip-hop and pop radio powers “Water” 8-6 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart, where it added 11% in audience to reach 48.5 million.

“Water,” which is nominated for a Grammy for best African music performance, also leads the streaming and sales-based U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a ninth consecutive week. The global hit will appear on Tyla’s forthcoming self-titled debut album, which will be released on March 1, 2024. To preview the project, the singer released three new cuts on Dec. 1: “Butterflies,” “On and On” and “Truth or Dare.”

13 Dec 2023

Beyoncé Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Surprise Self-Titled Visual Album: Watch the Video Montage

It’s been 10 years since Beyoncé dropped her self-titled visual album, and even the notoriously quiet Queen Bey had to acknowledge the momentous occasion. When the clock struck midnight on Dec. 13, Beyoncé took to her official Instagram page to share a brief video montage commemorating her critically acclaimed, career-shifting fifth studio album.

“I still get scared with every album release,” Beyoncé says in the background of the reel. “I’m constantly searching for the deeper purpose of my art.” The “Cuff It” singer’s reel is a compilation of behind-the-scenes footage previously seen in her five-part Self-Titled documentary, performance clips, pieces of the album’s 17 music videos, media clips and vintage fan reactions on that fateful night of Dec. 13, 2013.

With the release of Beyoncé, Queen Bey unleashed a 14-track visual album in the middle of the tracking week with absolutely no pre-release announcement or promotion. The album proved to be a commercial smash, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with just three days of sales. At the time, Beyoncé was the fastest selling album in iTunes history.

The record — which spawned the Billboard Hot 100 No. 2 hit “Drunk in Love” (with Jay-Z), as well as “7/11” (No. 13), “Partition” (No. 23), “Flawless” (No. 41) and “XO” (No. 45) — also won three Grammys and landed on several year-end and decade-end album lists. The record-breaking LP found Beyoncé at her most experimental and political at the time, proudly wearing the “feminist” label on the MTV VMAs stage and heavily incorporating trap into her R&B base for the first time.

Most of the reel’s narration is taken from the first episode of the album’s accompanying Self-Titled documentary, but Beyoncé did record a new message. At the very end of the clip, she sweetly says, “Happy tenth anniversary.”

Now, 10 years after her iconic visual album, fans await the elusive visuals for Queen Bey’s Renaissance album — which is currently blasting in movie theaters around the world thanks to her box office-topping Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé concert documentary film.

Celebrate 10 years of Queen Bey’s industry-revolutionizing self-titled album by watching Beyoncé’s commemoration reel below:

13 Dec 2023

Jodeci Announce 2024 ‘The Show, The Afterparty, The Vegas Residency’ Las Vegas Run

The latest superstar act to announce a 2024 Las Vegas residency are R&B legends Jodeci. The New Jack Swing quartet featuring DeVante Swing, K-Ci, JoJo and Mr. Dalvin announced on Tuesday (Dec. 12) that they’ll bring their aptly-named stay-put, “The Show, The After Party, The Vegas Residency,” to the Mandalay Bay Resort at the House of Blues beginning March 15.

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Pre-sale for the shows start on Wednesday (Dec. 13) at 10 a.m. local time with the code: VEGAS. General admission tickets will go on sale on Saturday (Dec. 16) at 10 a.m. local time.

The North Carolina-bred quartet released their debut album, Forever My Lady in 1991, which featured three No. 1 Billboard R&B hits, including the title track, “Stay” and “Come and Talk to Me.” They followed up with 1993’s Diary of a Mad Band and 1995’s The Show, the After Party, the Hotel, which spawned the hit singles “Freek’n You” and “Love U 4 Life.” The group went on hiatus in 1996, at which point K-Ci and JoJo broke off as a duo; they reformed in 2013 for their fourth album, The Past, the Present, the Future.

The Jodeci news came on the same day that hip-hop legends Wu-Tang Clan announced the initial four dates of their “Wu-Tang Clan: The Saga Continues… The Las Vegas Residency” at the Theater at Virgin Hotels during Super Bowl weekend (Feb. 9-10) and March Madness (March 22-24).

Check out the Jodeci residency dates and announcement below:

Residency dates

March: 15, 16, 20, 23, 24

July: 5, 6, 10, 12, 13

12 Dec 2023

Ty Dolla $ign Drops Off Cover Art From His & Ye’s Upcoming Joint Album ‘Vultures’

Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign have unveiled the cover art to their upcoming album Vultures. 

Posted on Ty’s Instagram page, the hazy cover finds a bird perched on a shovel atop a coffin in a grassy field. The album art comes after Ye and Dolla $ign previewed new music during Art Basel and performed at Miami’s LIV Nightclub. The newly formed tag team also unleashed the upcoming album’s tracklist, featuring their previously released song “Vultures” with Bump J and Lil Durk and the elusive song “New Body” with Nicki Minaj. “New Body” was slated to appear on West’s 2018 album Yandhi, but the album was shelved, and he pivoted to 2019’s Jesus Is King. It will also include “Everybody,” which sampled Backstreet Boys 1997 hit “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).”

After playing the album on Monday night (Dec. 11), West looks to have numerous features on display, including Future, Playboi Carti, Freddie Gibbs, Lil Baby, and North West, who was rapping alongside Ye during his listening party. The event was also starry as Offset, Lil Durk, and Freddie Gibbs were all in attendance as they watched Ye and Ty perform cuts from the project. 

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Vultures will be Ye’s first album since the release of his 2021 album Donda, which won a pair of Grammys the following year, most notably for best rap song. As for Ye and Ty, their collaborations date back to Ty’s “Ego Death” (2020), Ye’s “Everything We Need” (2019), “Real Friends” (2016), and “Only One” (2014). 

Check out Ye and Ty’s album cover for Vultures below. The album arrives Friday (Dec. 15). 

12 Dec 2023

Kanye West Previews Long-Awaited Nicki Minaj-Assisted Song ‘New Body’ at Miami Listening Party

It appears the long-awaited Kanye West song “New Body” will finally arrive after Ye previewed the elusive track featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign at a Vultures listening party in Miami on Monday night.

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Initially slated for a 2018 release on West’s shelved album Yandhi, the song features a stirring verse from Minaj and an earworm of a hook from Ty, which praises women seeking enhancements and plastic surgery. “Can’t wait to see your new body/ Don’t be actin’ like you don’t know nobody/ No body count on your new body/ I’ll be the first one to hit your new body, oh, whoa,” Dolla $ign sings on the hook.

As for Minaj’s verse, it remains unchanged despite the song leaking and being unofficially out for years. “Ayo, you ain’t f— me, you f—ed the old body/ You ain’t f— Nicki, you f—ed Nicole body/ Ain’t no miles on this here new body/ Off with they heads, these bi—es is nobodies,” she raps on her punchy verse.

Minaj is coming off the release of her fifth album, Pink Friday 2, which is vying for the top spot on the Billboard 200 next week. The project features Drake, Lil Wayne, Future, J. Cole and more. “New Body” would be the first collaboration for Minaj and West since Ye’s 2010 colossal record “Monster.” That year, the rap twosome also partnered on Minaj’s 2012 Pink Friday song “Blazin.”

Vultures is set to drop this Friday (Dec. 15) and will serve as the first joint project between Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign. Listen to a snippet of “New Body” below.

12 Dec 2023

Kanye West Wears KKK-Style Hood at ‘Vultures’ Listening Party & Fans Are Shocked

Following the Art Basel Miami Beach festivities, Kanye West surprised fans at Wynwood Marketplace early Tuesday morning (Dec. 12) with an album listening party.

During the introduction to his forthcoming joint project with Ty Dolla $ign, titled Vultures, Ye appeared onstage wearing what appears to be a black Ku Klux Klan hood to perform the album’s title track with his 10-year-old daughter North West by his side.

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“I ain’t antisemitic / I just f—ed a Jewish b—-,” West rapped during the song, adding to his controversial antisemitic statements from late 2022. Billboard reported in mid-October that Ye and Ty were shopping a joint project to distributors and that West would “make a decision soon.” The set would mark the first release for Ye since his antisemitic comments, which led to Def Jam parent company, Universal Music Group, distancing from the artist.

It’s hardly the first time Ye has promoted racist imagery in public. In October 2022, the rapper wore a long-sleeved shirt with “White Lives Matter” emblazoned on the back while debuting his Yeezy Season 9 collection during Paris Fashion Week.

Following Ye’s decision to wear the black hood onstage, fans took to Twitter to express confusion and frustration over the clothing choice, especially given that he is a Black man and that his daughter was standing next to him. See some of their reactions below.