R&B/Hip-Hop

13 Jun 2023

R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Sexyy Red, Maeta, Sam Tompkins & More

The sky is clear and Fresh Picks is here. This week, we’ve got an array of sounds to get you through the week and beyond — from the R&B stylings of Maeta and Col3trane to rap anthems by Sexyy Red and Statik Selektah. Don’t forget to share the wealth and check out our June picks so far in the Spotify Playlist, linked below.

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Maeta, “Cool Cat”

Maeta includes a cover of Queen’s 1982 cut “Cool Cat” — recently given a bump in exposure by an Amazon Prime ad — on her new EP, When I Hear Your Name. The Roc Nation newcomer adds her falsetto to the funk-rock song, making for a standout track alongside other impressive album cuts, including “Sexual Love” with James Fauntleroy, “ASMR” and “See You Around.”

Sexyy Red, “SkeeYee”

When Sexyy Red hollers “SkeeYee,” that means pull up. The St. Louis rapper has another hit on her hands with the track from her new mixtape, Hood Hottest Princess. She also shared a video to the song, in which her and GloRilla get lit at a strip club.

Sam Tompkins, “Time Will Fly”

After making a splashy entrance alongside Jnr Choi on the 2022 Hot 100 hit “To the Moon,” U.K. singer-songwriter Sam Tompkins blitzes listeners with his poignant single “Time Will Fly.” Tompkins aims for heartstrings as he ruminates about his humble beginnings over the melancholy soundscape. Up against the shot clock, Tompkins’ determination fuels his musical dreams, as he looks to take the next step in his burgeoning career.

Statik Selektah feat. Conway, Ab-Soul & Bun B, “Ain’t Too Much to It”

For this 10th studio album Round Trip, Statik Selektah loads up 20 tracks for his ravenous hip-hop fanbase. Armed with a crew of heavy bar-spitters (Logic, Joey Bada$$, Russ, & Benny The Butcher), Statik Selektah’s lush production and funky soul samples anchor the lyrical collection. Statik’s knack for clever pairings makes Round Trip an even better ride, as he puts together Ransom and AZ on “Historic” along with Conway the Machine, Ab-Soul and Bun B on “Ain’t Too Much To It.”

Tay Iwar, “Summer Breeze”

The title is self-explanatory, and boy, does it not disappoint. Tay Iwar captures the essence of summer on this recent offering, the trailing saxophone melodies and reverberating keys wrapping around Iwar’s perfectly wispy vocals.

Col3trane, “Moderation”

According to many, moderation is the key to a balanced life. On his latest R&B-pop cut, Col3trane agrees. The U.K. artist dips medicine in honey, delivering an important life lesson amidst summertime production and a relatable storyline.

13 Jun 2023

Anita Baker Says She’s Going It Alone on ‘Songstress’ Tour After Alleged Babyface Fan Harassment

Anita Baker has had it. After going on a tweet spree over the past few days decrying the harassment she said she’s been receiving from Babyface’s fans, the “Caught Up in the Rapture” singer announced on Tuesday morning (June 13) that she’s had it.

“After Silently, Enduring Cyber Bulling/Verbal Abuse & Threats of Violence from the Fan Base, of Our Special Guest/Support Act. In the Interest of Personal Safety. I will continue, The Songstress Tour, alone. Appropriate refunds will be made. Blessings,” Baker wrote alongside a new tour poster that doesn’t feature her former opener’s name on it.

The tour celebrating Baker’s four decades in the music business that kicked off in Florida in February — and is slated to run through a Dec. 23 show at Oakland Arena — had featured opening support sets from singer/songwriter/producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. But after Edmonds was unexpectedly cut from a May 10 show at the Prudential Center in New Jersey due to reported technical issues that pushed that night’s start time by two hours, she said his fans have been relentlessly harassing and trolling her.

“I am truly sorry to my fans who have been waiting for us to hit the stage this evening at the Prudential Center,” Babyface wrote at the time. “I was asked not to perform in order to give Ms. Baker her space and time to perform her show in its entirety. My band an I are extremely saddened we didn’t get to perform for y’all tonight.”

In the series of tweets last weekend that stretched into the weekend and then Monday, Baker made it crystal clear that Edmonds was always the opening act and that she is fed up with the alleged taunting from his fans. Dubbing his followers “Kenny’s Crazies,” on Monday Baker made a direct plea to Babyface to stop the madness.

“Dearest one. You are Not, privy to *The Contracts*. Yes, Babyface is Special Guest/Support Act, on My Tour,” she tweeted. “This False Narrative, of A Co-headliner is creating Unrealistic Expectations & Aggression, from his fans towards me. He should tell you guys, the Truth.”

At press time it did not appear that Babyface had reacted to Baker’s tweets and a spokesperson for the singer had not returned a request for comment.

Baker’s tour is a celebration of 40 years in music and the anniversary of her debut album, 1983’s The Songstress. The dates also mark the first time the Ohio native is performing her classics live since winning back the right of her masters in 2021 with the help of Chance the Rapper. The next scheduled date on the tour is June 30 at the United Center in Chicago.

See Baker’s tweet below.

13 Jun 2023

Anita Baker Tells Babyface Fans to Stop Trolling Her: ‘Cyber Bullies Will Not Silence Me’

Anita Baker was excited to tour with the “Legendary” Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds on her The Songstress outing. That’s how she tagged the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/producer in the tour poster for the 15-date run that began in February.

But after Baby was unexpectedly cut from a May 10 show at the Prudential Center in New Jersey after reported technical issues pushed that night’s start time by two hours — resulting in Edmonds getting yanked from the bill — she said Babyface’s fans have been relentlessly harassing and trolling her.

“I am truly sorry to my fans who have been waiting for us to hit the stage this evening at the Prudential Center,” Babyface wrote at the time. “I was asked not to perform in order to give Ms. Baker her space and time to perform her show in its entirety. My band an I are extremely saddened we didn’t get to perform for y’all tonight.”

The badgering has clearly gotten under Baker’s skin, as evidence by a dayslong tweet spree from the 65-year-old “Sweet Love” singer, who has made two things clear: Babyface was the opening act on her tour and she’s had it with the nonsense. “When A friend, is being attacked, by Your friends?… because, of Mis-information/fake news And, You have an Opportunity, to Say Something/Correct it? … It’s A Nice, thing. … It’s the Right thing to do. Reputation, Peace & Safety Matters,” Baker tweeted on June 9th along with a GIF of cartoon mouse Jerry (of Tom & Jerry fame) shaking a baby bird’s hands.

Things got heated over the weekend when Baker upped the ante, tweeting, “Out of Kindness & Community, you Gift them $200k worth of Production/that YOU Pay for… And, Still, they Complain & hold up, the show Annnd, Slander & *Villanize, Your name to social media blogs & press #Massa&Plantation.”

She doubled-down a bit later on Sunday, adding, “It was 9:30pm. *Contractually?… It was WAAAY Past time 4 the Headline Performer, to be On Stage/Anita Baker Support Act did Not Perform. I have No Contract with Support Act Not my Call I Did what i was *Contracted 2 do & Love, as Headline Performer, of my Sold Out Concert.”

The dust-up appeared to stem from Babyface fans who assumed the singer was co-headlining the tour — Baker’s first in nearly 28 years — and that she had made the decision to scotch his set, though the dates were clearly labelled as a celebration of her four decades in music.

Baker’s gloves really came off on Monday, when she seemed to lose patience with the trolling from the fans she dubbed “Kenny’s Crazies” and asked the singer to step in and call them off. “Dearest one. You are Not, privy to *The Contracts*. Yes, Babyface is Special Guest/Support Act, on My Tour,” she tweeted. “This False Narrative, of A Co-headliner is creating Unrealistic Expectations & Aggression, from his fans towards me. He should tell you guys, the Truth.”

She continued to troll the trollers for wanting to “fight a 65 yr. old Woman,” and then seemed to take the fight to another level, writing, “#And, here is what its All about… P.R. for One Person, whi [sic] needs it. And one person who does not,” before adding, “YES… Cyber Bullies, will not Silence me. I will continue to speak.”

Baker appeared to run out of patience around midday Monday, when she again asked Edmonds to tell his fans to stop while suggesting that someone behind the scenes was ginning Baby’s fans up, writing, “There is A White man, behind these Grown Black Men… harassing Me & Gaslighting, My Fans. Because he Cant take over, this Tour… sO? He wants to Destroy it. Kenny’s Crazy Narcissist call off, your Boys.”

At press time it did not appear that Babyface had reacted to Baker’s tweets and a spokesperson for the singer had not returned a request for comment.

Baker’s tour commemorates 40 years in the music game and the anniversary of her debut album, 1983’s The Songstress. The tour dates also mark the first time the Ohio native is performing her classics live since winning back the right of her masters in 2021 with the help of Chance the Rapper. The next scheduled date on the tour is June 30 at the United Center in Chicago

See Baker’s tweets below.

12 Jun 2023

Cardi B Shows Off Her Booty to Celebrate ‘Put It on da Floor’ Success

Cardi B is fresh off the release of putting her spin on a remix of Latto‘s “Put It On Da Floor,” and now she’s shaking what her mama gave her to celebrate.

The “Bodak Yellow” rapper took to Twitter on Monday (June 12) to share a brief video in which her bottom is seen on full display underneath a minidress, as she spanks herself a few times. “YALL DID THAT !!! Put it on the floor then !!” she captioned the post.

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While Cardi didn’t specify what the video is in reference to, “Put It on da Floor Again” earned an impressive 3.92 million U.S. on-demand streams last Friday, a 554% increase from the previous day’s streams, according to Luminate. 

The Grammy-winning rapper has been bringing the heat to social media in recent weeks, as she took to Instagram last week to welcome summer with a sizzling series of photos, in which she’s seen rocking a sleek white one-piece swimsuit with cut outs on the sides. She also recently teased some exciting things on the way. “You guys can expect a lot from me this summer,” she told Rolling Stone, which added that Cardi was specifically referring to music and other projects. “I promise,” she added. A new album would mark her first full-length project since her 2018 debut, Invasion of Privacy.

See Cardi’s bootylicious post below.

09 Jun 2023

Drake Seemingly Confirms Lilah Pi Romance With Sweet Birthday Post

Drake was being a Certified Lover Boy on Thursday (June 8) when he took to his Instagram Stories to wish Lilah Pi a happy birthday.

“More life to the gyal that’s impossible to duplicate,” he wrote alongside a stunning photo of Lilah. “My inspo, my confidant, my best mate, my heart @lilahpi happy birthday.”

The singer reposted the story, adding a pink heart emoji and “4L,” which is an acronym for “for life.”

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The post added fuel to the flame of dating rumors between the two, after the rapper name dropped her in a recent verse on J Hus’ song, “Who Told You.” On the track, he raps, “So Lilah Pi, don’t make my eye cry / Let me hold your controller, I’m not one of the controllin’ guys / I want you to touch road with the girls dem, and socialize / Enjoy your life, your backside is so fit, it opens eyes / I know the vibes, I know the vibes.”

Lilah is a musician herself, as the East London native released her debut EP Atlantis back in November 2021 via The Flight Club Records. 

While the duo’s relationship isn’t officially confirmed, Lilah Pi also appeared on the cover art for Drake’s April single, “Search & Rescue.”

See Drizzy’s birthday wishes below.

09 Jun 2023

Moneybagg Yo Announces Larger Than Life Tour

Moneybagg Yo is ready to hit the road this summer for his upcoming tour, Larger Than Life. 

Announced Friday (June 9), the “Wockesha” rapper will go on a multi-city trek beginning in Orlando on Aug. 3, and continuing throughout various cities including Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. Then, he will conclude his 23-city trek in his hometown of Memphis on Sept. 30 at the Fed-Ex Forum.

Joining Bagg on tour for select dates will be Finesse2tymes, Sexxy Red, Luh Tyler, Big Boogie, and YTB FATT. Tickets are available to the public on Tuesday (June 13) at 10 a.m. local time and can be purchased here. 

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Last week, Bagg released his long-awaited mixtape Hard to Love. The 20-track project includes features from Future, Lil Durk and GloRilla and also singles such as “Sticky,” “Ocean Spray” and “On Wat U On.”

Bagg initially had plans to drop his mixtape earlier, but quickly changed his mind when Taylor Swift announced that her Midnights (Til Dawn Edition) would drop the same day. Instead of sulking over the announcement, Bagg took to social media and posted a video of him singing Swift’s “Lover” before delaying his mixtape by a week. “I just got the news my little baby Taylor dropping tonight,” he said. “I ain’t gonna lie, you know how I feel about Taylor, so I think I’m gonna push Hard to Love back just a few days. Ya’ll be patient with me, man.”

Check out the dates for Bagg’s Larger Than Life Tour below.

09 Jun 2023

Offset & Cardi B’s 2-Year-Old Son Wave Plays With Piles of $100 Bills: See the Photos

At less than 2 years old, Wave Set is rolling in the dough — figuratively and literally. Offset shared Instagram snaps of his and Cardi B‘s son looking like a baby baller while playing with piles of cash on Thursday (June 8).

In the photos, Wave — wearing a diaper and diamond earrings — carries thick stacks of $100 bills in his tiny hands, collecting more from piles of money strewn across the floor. In another snap, Offset adorably holds his son in his arms.

“Bad Boy Wave,” the Migos rapper captioned the post.

In the comments, Cardi chimed in with: “My babyyyyy.”

Offset and Cardi welcomed Wave, their second child together, in September 2021. The couple welcomed their first child together in 2018, when the “WAP” rapper gave birth to daughter Kulture Kiari.

Offset also has 13-year-old son Jordan, 8-year-old daughter Kalea and 7-year-old son Kody from previous relationships. In May, he escorted both of his daughters to the Little Mermaid live-action film premiere, where the girls got to meet Princess Ariel herself, Halle Bailey. And later that month, he took his three sons to the premiere of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in matching leather outfits.

And while fistfulls of cash aren’t exactly the most modest of toys for toddlers, the “Ric Flair Drop” musician has previously explained that there’s a reason he and Cardi love showering their children with extravagant gifts and experiences. “At the end of the day, we went through life and we didn’t have the opportunities,” he told Jimmy Fallon last year after throwing Wave a luxury car-themed first birthday party.

“I bet if my mama had the chance, she would have went all out and did what she wanted to do for me,” he continued. “So I’m just lending it to my kids. Just letting them see they can have another life too, you know? We work hard to do that.”

See Offset’s post below:

08 Jun 2023

Janelle Monae Releases Her First Album in Five Years With ‘Age of Pleasure’

Today (June 9), Janelle Monae swims back into the limelight with Age of Pleasure, her first album in five years. 

The predecessor to her 2018 acclaimed effort Dirty Computers is 14 tracks deep and includes features from Grace Jones, CKay, Amaarae, Doechii, and more. Her single, “Lipstick Lover,” remains a sticky summer jam that sparked conversation since its release last month. 

“That song, ‘Lipstick Lover,’ I’m like, ‘Why didn’t I write this song years ago?’ Because if you know me … Today, I don’t have on any red lipstick, but I’m always in red lipstick. And there have been so many instances where I’ve made out with somebody at a party, and it’s dark,” she said in her interview with Zane Lowe following the song’s release. “Nobody notices it. But when the lights come on, whoever I’ve made out with, lipstick all over their face. And then I’ve also been on the receiving end of a human … who’s so attractive. … Or I’ll get home, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God. I have lipstick all over my face.’ And I’ve also been the ‘Lipstick Lover’ where … you know exactly who I kissed.”

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Monae also explained to Lowe how the songs from her new album came from honesty.

“All the songs were written from such an honest space,” she began. “And what I’m super excited about with The Age of Pleasure. The Age of Pleasure is that … Listen, I’ve had my age of depression. I’ve had my age of anxiety. I’ve had my age of struggle. And again, it’s not like life is pleasurable every single day, but I think I have actively just sought out … How do I create a space for myself? How do I redirect my mind on how I’m thinking about things? How do I realize that right now, in this present moment, moments that we’ll never get back, this is where you need to find your pleasure? This is your moment. Don’t let it get confused that five minutes later, we’re going to try to go into doing something different. And again, this is just my experience where I’m at; even though, despite what I may be going through, there’s going to be a moment where this bad moment, I won’t even be around to even discuss it. I won’t.”

Stream Age of Pleasure below.

08 Jun 2023

Killer Mike Talks Getting Personal on ‘Michael,’ Growth of Atlanta Rappers & More | Billboard News

Killer Mike stopped by Billboard News to talk about creating Michael — his most personal album yet — the start of his career, Atlanta rappers such as Latto and Lil Baby, his thoughts on Georgia politics and more!

Killer Mike:
Run the Jewels is the X-Men, right? It’s us as a group — me, El-P, Trackstar. We have this world that’s the uncanny X-Men. Well in my character, you get the superhero of Killer Mike. But there’s still this story that this 9-year-old kid is just a regular human kid.

Hey, what’s up? This is Killer Mike, and this is Billboard News.

Tetris Kelly:
It’s Tetris with Billboard News, hanging out with Grammy-winning rapper Killer Mike. Man, what’s up?

Killer Mike:
Man, trying to get back to more Grammys, man.

Tetris Kelly:
Hey, I like to hear that. I actually think this is the first time I’ve had another Georgia brother on the couch, man.

Killer Mike:
Red Clay brothers, man. Good to be here.

Tetris Kelly:
There we go. I’m happy to have you. We’re gonna get back to Georgia. But let’s jump into this music, right now.

Killer Mike:
Let’s do it, let’s do it!

Tetris Kelly:
So Michael, the album, obviously naming the album that, you know, it’s got to be really personal for you. So why did you decide to name it Michael?

Killer Mike:
It really is. If you look at the cover, it’s a bucktoothed little kid with a halo and some horns popping out. And that really is the spirit of that record. At 9 years old, when I did that school picture, I decided I was going to be a rapper. And there’s something about a kid’s imagination, once he says you can do it, it’s not impossible. But this record is about a 9-year-old Black boy, essentially, grows up in an all-Black enclave in Atlanta, Ga., which is a Black city, in the Deep South. And he blossoms and he and the city and this music all grew up together. And it’s that journey.

So there’s deeply personal records on there like “Shed Tears” that talks about, you know, as a man, you’re going to endure some hardships and pains. And the women who love you — whether it’s your mother, your wife, your lover, your daughters — people cheer for you and sometimes you just got to go in the bathroom and shake yourself up. Let a few tears flow and then go out and conquer the world.

I just wanted people to understand that the superhero Killer Mike created an image of his 9-year-old boy, it was really started by this 9-year-old boy named Michael.

Watch the video above to see what else Killer Mike shares about his new album, the rise of Atlana rappers and more.

08 Jun 2023

Cardi B Pairs Cut-Out Swimsuit With Colorful Hairstyle in New Photos

Cardi B is welcoming summer with her first swimsuit of the season.

The “I Like It” rapper took to Instagram on Thursday (June 8) to show off a sleek white one-piece swimsuit with cut outs on the sides. She paired the look with pink strappy heels and long blonde locks stamped with colorful crosses. “LET ME POP IT OFF,” she captioned the post, before tagging her hair stylist Tokyo Stylez and her makeup artist Erika La’ Pearl.

Cardi is clearly gearing up for a sizzling summer, as she recently teased some exciting things on the way. “You guys can expect a lot from me this summer,” she told Rolling Stone, which added that Cardi was specifically referring to music and other projects. “I promise,” she added.

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New music from the Grammy-winning rapper would be her first proper release since July 2022, when she dropped “Hot S—” with Kanye West and Lil Durk. Last year she also guested on songs by Rosalia, GloRilla and Summer Walker. However, it’s been five years since Cardi unveiled a full-length LP, her debut album Invasion of Privacy which was released in 2018.

Since then, she’s topped the Billboard Hot 100 with two songs: 2020’s “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion and “Up.”

See her new swimsuit snap below.