R&B/Hip-Hop

28 Aug 2023

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Donates $1 Million to Jackson State University: ‘I Wouldn’t Be Here If It Wasn’t For HBCUs’

Sean “Diddy” Combs never forgot the advice his grandmother gave him, and over the weekend he put her words into action with a major donation to an HBCU (historically black college or university). “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for HBCUs,” Combs wrote on Instagram on Sunday (Aug. 27), along with a video of the hip-hop mogul presenting a $1 million check to the Jackson State University Development Foundation in honor of in Jackson, Mississippi.

“It is my honor and my responsibility to support the HBCUs! The work they are doing is to be commended! My grandmother raised me to sow my seed in my community and that’s what I’m going to continue to do!!” he added in the caption to the video taken between the first and second quarters of Jackson State’s decisive victory on Saturday against South Carolina State.

Combs, 53, had pledged the donation at the 2022 BET Awards while accepting a lifetime achievement award, saying he planned to donate $1 million to another HBCU, Howard University — where he was a student for two years before leaving to intern at Uptown Records — as well as Jackson State; in 2016, Diddy pledged $1 million to his alma mater to establish the Sean Combs Scholarship Fund.

“As someone who went to Howard University and understands the invaluable experience of attending historically Black colleges and universities, it’s important that we all do our part to protect and preserve their legacy,” said Combs of the donation. “This contribution to Jackson State isn’t just about making a financial donation, it’s about giving back to a part of our culture that has changed countless lives and assuring HBCU’s receive the support they deserve.”

“This contribution by one of the world’s greatest and most influential entertainers and businessmen is another historic moment in the legendary history of Jackson State University,” said JSU’s director of athletics/VP Ashley Robinson. “Beyond the financial investment, it’s what it represents that is paramount – the belief in the value of our football student-athletes both on and off the field, which provides an elite pathway to current and future successes.”

Watch the check presentation below.

26 Aug 2023

Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’ Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Yes, hip-hop is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. But 2023 also marks the golden anniversary for one of R&B’s most seminal albums, Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On.

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Let’s Get It On, the pioneering erotic and emotional follow-up to Gaye’s game-changing 1971 album What’s Going On, is now the centerpiece of a digitally revised 50th anniversary package. Released this week (Aug. 25) by Motown/UMe, Let’s Get It On: Deluxe Edition boasts 33 bonus tracks, 18 of which are previously unreleased and include songs from a lost session by jazz icon Herbie Hancock. The new package replaces a deluxe edition of the album first issued in 2001.

Rush-released as the lead single even before the album was completed, title track “Let’s Get It On” became a No. 1 R&B and pop hit. The album’s subsequent classics included “Distant Lover” and “You Sure Love to Ball,” as well as “Come Get to This” and “Just to Keep You Satisfied.” The eight-track album spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B albums chart, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004.

However, also captured sonically on Let’s Get It On: Deluxe Edition is Gaye’s fascinating, long-gestating journey that birthed the original August 1973 album. Beyond releasing that album, 1973 was an important year for Motown. Founder Berry Gordy’s storied label was also celebrating its first full year in Los Angeles after relocating from Detroit. And that celebration resulted in a host of other album releases. That 1973 bumper crop included The Temptations’ Masterpiece, Eddie Kendrick’s eponymous third album, Diana Ross’ Touch Me in the Morning, Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions and Smokey Robinson’s solo debut, Smokey. 

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At that point in time, an experimental Gaye was busy following wherever his creative muse led him. During six months of recording sessions, he was working with collaborators such as artist/songwriter/producer Ed Townsend, arrangers Rene Hall and David Van DePitte and top-notch musicians such as guitarist Melvin “Wah Wah” Ragin and bassists Wilton Felder and James Jameson, in addition to Hancock. It’s the unused music from these sessions — unheard mixes, intriguing instrumental tracks, unreleased versions of ballad recordings — that richly enhance the deluxe edition. They also spotlight Gaye’s versatility both musically and vocally at a time when he was in the throes of a broken marriage and a new romance while grappling with the issue of spirituality versus the flesh.

“Two of the greatest things that happened at Motown was when Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye produced their own music,” said Smokey Robinson during a special Grammy Museum event earlier this week (Aug. 23) commemorating the 50th anniversary of Let’s. Moderated by UMe vp of A&R Harry Weinger, the panel of special guests included songwriter/producer Jimmy Jam and Gaye biographer David Ritz (Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye). Among those in the audience: Gaye’s children Marvin III and Nona.

In outlining Gaye’s mindset in 1973, Ritz referenced a line from the album’s title track: “We’re all sensitive people with so much to give.” As Ritz explained, “Marvin was a beautiful soul, extremely charming and funny, a complicated man, always deep. [With this album], he was thrilled because he was able to express another part of his personality. He took the chaos in his life and harmonized it, taking disparate elements and weaving them together. He knew it was a heavy and autobiographical work. But it was one that people loved.”

Weinger also premiered several tracks from the deluxe edition, including “The Shadow of Your Smile” (“Marvin wanted to be the Black Sinatra; he could sing anything,” said Robinson) and the instrumental “Perfection” with Hancock on piano and Gaye writing/producing. Drawing “ahhs” from the audience was remix guru John Morales’ stripped-down mix of “Just to Keep You Satisfied” that exquisitely showcases Gaye’s searing vocals.

“Listening to this sounds like music in heaven to me,” said Jam of Let’s Get It On. “It’s a brilliant and sublime album with very powerful messages. With Marvin, the deeper you dig the better it gets.”

According to Motown/UMe, the original Let’s Get It On will also be available in Dolby ATMOS in honor of its 50th anniversary. Also in the works: Motown/UMe will premiere new video content for select tracks and an e-commerce-only colored vinyl edition of the original album.

25 Aug 2023

All of J. Cole’s 2023 Features Ranked

Earlier this year, J. Cole made his intentions loud and clear on Lil Durk’s “All My Life”: “Lately, I just wanna show up and body some sh-t.” To his credit, Cole has been living up to his word, treating the rap circuit like a demolition derby.

A proven features savant, this is familiar territory for the Dreamville commander, who had a torrid run in 2018 with his sea of verses. Slinging out gusty bars for 21 Savage’s Grammy-Winning song “a lot,” 6LACK’s “Pretty Little Fears,” and Wale’s “My Boy,” Cole’s penchant for destruction stems from his competitive edge. Since his early mixtape days in the late 2000s, Cole has always used guest appearances or freestyles as target practice and a way to improve.

More than 15 years later, he continues to employ that same system as he readies his upcoming release, It’s A Boy, the follow-up to his 2021 Billboard 200 chart-topper The Off-Season. He’s already made a trio of Billboard Hot 100 appearances this year, on songs alongside R&B star Summer Walker, BTS alum J-Hope and rap hitmaker Lil Durk. The latter teamup, “All My Life,” proved to be an immediate smash, debuting at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in May — tying “My Life,” his 2021 single alongside Morray and 21 Savage, for the highest peak Cole has yet reached on the chart — and still hanging strong in the top 15 three months later.

Below, Billboard ranked Cole’s best 2023 features, including the two he dropped today with Gucci Mane and Burna Boy.

25 Aug 2023

SZA Snuggles With Justin Bieber, Benny Blanco & More in New ‘Snooze’ Video

SZA rounded up some of the hottest male stars for her new music video for “Snooze” released on Friday (Aug. 25).

In the sultry Bradley J. Calder and SZA-directed clip, the superstar lays in the grass, rolls a joint in bed, plays video games and more with co-stars Justin Bieber, Benny Blanco, Beef actor Young Mazino and Power Book II: Ghost star Woody McClain.

“Snooze,” which was featured on SZA’s groundbreaking sophomore album, S.O.S., notched the singer her second No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart as “Snooze” topped the list dated July 1. “Snooze” likewise is SZA’s second career champ on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. She first led with the two-week No. 1 “Shirt” in February.

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Upon its release back in December, S.O.S. immediately debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, her first chart-topper. With more than 400 million streams in the U.S. during release week, S.O.S. became the second-largest streaming week for a female artist and third-largest of 2022 among all albums.

The album enjoyed a non-consecutive 10-week run atop the Billboard 200, and in the middle of that stretch, she kicked off the aptly titled SOS Tour, in which SZA took over arenas across the country. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the SOS Tour grossed $34.5 million and sold 238,000 tickets.

Watch the “Snooze” music video below.

24 Aug 2023

Polo G Arrested for Firearm Possession During Home Police Raid

Polo G was arrested in Los Angeles on Wednesday (Aug. 23) while police raided his home, Billboard can confirm.

It all started last week, on August 15, when Polo G’s brother Taurean Bartlett (a.k.a. Trench Baby) was identified as the suspect for a robbery in Granada Hills, Calif. According to LAPD reports, when the victim arrived at Taurean’s house to film a music video, the rapper pulled out a “handgun with an extended
magazine and demanded that the victim transfer money to an unknown account.”

Detectives then obtained an arrest warrant for Taurean, before discovering that he was living with Polo G. Upon serving the warrant on Wednesday (Aug. 23), police discovered “numerous firearms” at Polo G’s home and arrested both rapper brothers. Trench Baby was booked for robbery and Polo G was booked for possession of a short-barreled rifle at Van Nuys Jail.

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Billboard has reached out to Polo G’s reps, but did not receive a response at press time.

Polo G’s lawyer, Bradford Cohen, told People of the arrest: “Polo is being held under the guise that the police department needs to double check that he is not a convicted felon as there was a purported firearm found in the home. He is not and never was a convicted felon. Any previous charges he had I got dismissed and it’s all public record.” 

24 Aug 2023

Justin Timberlake, Timbaland & Nelly Furtado Reunite for New Single: Here’s When It Arrives

Sixteen years after notching a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit with “Give It to Me,” the trio behind that track is reuniting for a brand new single. On Wednesday (Aug. 23), Timbaland shared a teaser video announcing a new collaboration with Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado.

“WE BACK,” Timbaland captioned the Instagram post, alongside a barrage of emojis of peeking eyes and exploding heads. “Da king has returned!”

The teaser begins with the phrase “The time has come” emblazoned across the screen before cutting to a clip of an old Timbaland-Furtado performance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Brief video snippets and headline clippings showcasing the evolution of Timbaland’s career and relationships with both Furtado and Timberlake flash across the screen, eventually giving way to the song’s official release date. The new single from Timbaland, Furtado and Timberlake is slated for a Sept. 1 release. The title is still yet to be revealed.

Timbaland also shared the teaser to his Instagram Story, writing, “Watch me work, da king is back. Album [in] Nov.” The as-yet-untitled album will be Timbaland’s first since 2009’s Shock Value II, which peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard 200. Both Timberlake and Furtado also shared the teaser to their respective Instagram Stories with more eye emojis; the “Say It Right” singer added a raising hand emoji as well.

Timbaland’s announcement comes nearly exactly one month after he shared Instagram posts showing him and Timberlake on a FaceTime call with Furtado while the two worked on Timberlake’s forthcoming sixth studio album. “Da dream team,” he captioned the post.

All three artists have released singles this year. In March, Timbaland teamed up with “Whole Lotta Money” rapper BIA for a collaboration titled “I’m That Bitch.” In June, Furtado unleashed her first single as a lead artist in five years with the Dom Dolla-assisted “Eat Your Man,” which peaked at No. 15 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs. The following month (July 12), Timberlake guested on the remix to Coco Jones’ “ICU,” which climbed to No. 62 on the Hot 100, albeit without a credit for the “Mirrors” singer.

Check out Timbaland’s announcement:

23 Aug 2023

Trippie Redd’s ‘Love Letter to You 5’ Debuts in Top 5 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart

Trippie Redd extends his top-10 streak on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, as his A Love Letter to You 5 debuts at No. 3 on the list dated Aug. 26. The mixtape opens with 37,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 17, according to Luminate.

Of the 37,000 starting sum, 26,000 units derive from streaming, a figure equaling 46.8 million official U.S. audio and video on-demand streams of the project’s tracks. Traditional album sales contribute 11,000 of the remaining units, with a negligible amount of activity from track-equivalent album units. (One unit equals the following levels of consumption: one album sale, 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams for a song on the album.)

With A Love Letter to You 5, which Trippie Redd stated is the last installment of his popular mixtape series, the rapper-singer banks his eighth consecutive top 10 release on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Here’s a recap of the eight projects’ chart results:

Album Title, Peak Position, Peak Date

  • Life’s a Trip, No. 4, Aug. 25, 2018
  • A Love Letter to You 3, No. 1 (one week), Nov. 24, 2018
  • !, No. 2, Aug. 24, 2019
  • A Love Letter to You 4, No. 1 (one week), Dec. 7, 2019
  • Pegasus, No. 1 (one week), Nov. 14, 2020
  • Trip at Knight, No. 1 (one week), Sept. 4, 2021
  • Mansion Musik, No. 2, Feb. 4, 2023
  • A Love Letter to You 5, No. 3 (to date), Aug. 26, 2023

Of Trippie Redd’s 10 appearances on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, only the first two A Love Letter to You chapters missed the top 10. The first edition peaked at No. 32 in February 2018, while its follow-up reached a No. 19 best in October 2017.

Elsewhere, A Love Letter to You 5 starts at No. 2 on the Top Rap Albums chart and at No. 13 on the all-genre Billboard 200.

As A Love Letter to You 5 launches, three of its tracks debut on Hot R&B Songs: “Take Me Away” with Corbin (No. 16), “Thy Motion” (No. 19) and “How You Alive” (No. 23). The album’s overall arrival helps Trippie Redd score a No. 33 re-entry on the Billboard Artist 100, which measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption – album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming – to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity. The return gives Trippie Redd his first visit to the list since February, when he raced to No. 23 as Mansion Musik debuted.

23 Aug 2023

Latto & Cardi B’s ‘Floor’ Is on Top of Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Chart

Latto achieves her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart as her Cardi B-assisted “Put It on Da Floor Again” tops the radio list dated Aug. 26. The track ascends from No. 2 after a 7% gain in plays that made it the most played song on U.S. monitored R&B/hip-hop stations in the week ending Aug. 17, according to Luminate.

With her first champ, Latto outdoes her prior best peak of No. 2, which she managed twice. “Big Energy” stopped at the runner-up rank in January 2022, as did “Don’t Play With It,” her collaboration with Lola Brooke and Yung Miami, in April of this year. Notably, her “Put It On Da Floor Again” collaborator, Cardi B, played a role in blocking “Big Energy” from the summit – the No. 1 song that week was Normani’s “Wild Side,” which features the rap superstar.

For Cardi B, “Put It on Da Floor Again” banks the hitmaker an 11th No. 1 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. Here’s a recap of her leaders:

Song Title, Artist (if other than Cardi B), Weeks at No. 1, Date Reached No. 1

  • “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves),” nine, Sept. 16, 2017
  • “No Limit,” G-Eazy featuring A$AP Rocky & Cardi B, five, Dec. 9, 2017
  • “I Like It,” with Bad Bunny & J Balvin, one, July 28, 2018
  • “Ring,” featuring Kehlani, one, Nov. 17, 2018
  • “Money,” five, Feb. 2, 2019
  • “Backin’ It Up,” Pardison Fontaine featuring Cardi B, one, March 9, 2019
  • “Please Me,” with Bruno Mars, six, April 13, 2019
  • “Up,” one, March 27, 2021
  • “Wild Side,” Normani featuring Cardi B, three, Jan. 1, 2022
  • “Tomorrow 2,” with GloRilla, 10, Dec. 3, 2022
  • “Put It on Da Floor Again,” Latto featuring Cardi B, one (to date), Aug. 26, 2023

Thanks to her 11th leader, Cardi B ties R. Kelly for the sixth-most No. 1s on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay among all artists since the chart began in 1993. Here are the current standings:

  • 45, Drake
  • 20, Lil Wayne
  • 18, Chris Brown
  • 16, Usher
  • 13, Beyoncé
  • 11, Cardi B
  • 11, R. Kelly
  • 10, JAY-Z
  • 10, Rihanna

Elsewhere, “Put It on Da Floor Again” advances 3-2 on Rhythmic Airplay through a 5% improvement in plays in the latest tracking week. The single also climbs 4-3 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, which ranks songs through combined audience totals on both adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations. There, it added 1% in audience, to reach 15 million, in the weekly tracking window. The song likewise rises one spot, 20-19, on the all-genre Radio Songs chart, where it improved 4% to 27.8 million in total audience across all formats.

23 Aug 2023

Ice-T & Public Enemy to Headline Free National Celebration of Hip-Hop Concert

Add another entry to the list of events saluting hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. Rap legends Public Enemy and Ice-T will headline The National Celebration of Hip-Hop. The free concert and cultural event will take place in Washington, D.C. — at West Potomac Park on the National Mall — on Oct. 6-7.

Among the two-day event’s highlights will be DJ Hurricane’s Beastie Boys tribute set with special guests. Also joining the aforementioned headliners will be performers Kurtis Blow, Kid ‘n Play, Soulsonic Force, Roxanne Shante, CL Smooth, Melle Mel and Scorpio, The Sugarhill Gang, Peter Gunz, DJ Kevie Kev Rockwell, Mad Skillz, MC Sha-Rock, Busy Bee, Joe Ski Love, Positive K, Boogie Black, Mick Benzo, Gumbo and Donald D.

Additional artists will be announced soon. Rounding out the celebration will be various activities including guest speakers, comedians and public figures, as well as interactive events and exhibits.

The National Celebration of Hip-Hop is presented by executive producers Nathan Parienti and Lauren Bissell of Chasing Live. They’re working collaboration with producer Mickey Bentson’s The Art of Rap, which features Ice-T.

“We are honored to continue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop against the backdrop of America’s capitol with a free event for everyone,” said Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav in a statement. “I can’t wait to get on stage and do our thing.”

Added fellow Public Enemy member Chuck D, “Hip-hop is beyond, not just a musical genre. It’s a cultural movement that has dominated art, fashion, politics, poetry, academia, film and every corner of the world for the past 50 years. This National Celebration brings it all together in one place for the people, by the people.”

Noted Ice-T, “We are coming to the National Mall itself to bring you authentic hip-hop for the 50th celebration!”

VIP pay and travel packages will be available for purchase. And sign-up for free general admission begins Wednesday (Aug. 23). More information can be found on the event’s website.

The-National-Celebration-of-Hip-Hop-poster-2023-billboard-1240

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23 Aug 2023

‘Out of Time?’ More Like Way Out of Tune: The Weeknd Cringes After Handing His Mic to a Fan

It’s a sweet gesture familiar to any fan who regularly attends concerts: a star hands their microphone to an enthusiastic audience member who is visibly psyched to show off their knowledge of the artist’s songs by crooning a few lines. And, if they’re lucky, that fan might just surprise them by actually killing the vocal.

The Weeknd learned the hard way recently that it doesn’t always go to plan. During a show on the current swing of European After Hours Til Dawn shows, the Canadian singer/actor (who now goes by his birth name, Abel Tesfaye) spotted a woman shouting out the lyrics to his 2022 Dawn FM song “Out of Time.”

As seen in a video posted by HipHopDX, he appeared to reach out to the unseen fan and sang the lyrics of the tune directly to her, crooning, “Say I love you girl, but I’m out of time,” before pushing the mic her way, seemingly expecting the woman to seamlessly add the next line.

What came next clearly shook Abel, though. Instead of charming him with her vocal talents, the woman flat-out caterwauled “out of time” in a shriek so shocking that the singer looked genuinely stunned, closing his eyes momentarily, shaking his head and then grasping her hand as he moved on without making eye contact.

The comments on the video said it all: “LMFAO! He’s never gonna do that again. hahahha,” as well as “she had one chance and blew it lmaoo.”

Tesfaye recently announced an extension of the tour, which will now play stadiums in Australia and New Zealand in November and December after breaking attendance records at London’s Wembley Stadium with attendance of 87,000 for a one-night-only show on Aug. 18.