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Capital One City Parks Foundation announced the 2023 roster for its SummerStage concert series on Tuesday (April 25) including Grandmaster Flash, Tanya Tucker, Noel Gallagher and more.
The season will kick off June 10 with a free performance by St. Paul and the Broken Bones in Central Park, and continue through the summer with 80 free shows and benefit concerts across all five boroughs of New York City.
Highlights this year will include a celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop throughout the summer, starting with Mike bringing his Young World Festival to Brooklyn’s Von King Park on July 15 followed by Grandmaster Flash returning to the Bronx for a special hometown show on Aug. 2 in Crotona Park. A few days later, a Hip-Hop 50 Special Edition Showcase will head to Coney Island on Aug. 6.
“We are thrilled to present another vibrant season filled with captivating artists from around the world and introduce music fans to their diverse sounds,” said SummerStage executive artistic director Erika Elliott in a statement. “As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop this year, we are excited to highlight the global impact that the genre has had on music and culture with an outstanding lineup of international artists and hometown heroes. SummerStage has been featuring hip-hop in our performances since the ’90s and is dedicated to giving a platform to showcase this important culture, shining a light on the genre every season.”
SummerStage won’t just be hip-hop, though. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Garbage will join forces on July 10; Juanes will bring his Latin flair on July 12 as part of the Latin Alternative Music Conference; rising electronic Afro-Cuban/French duo Ibeyi will join The Comet Is Coming for a night of electronica-jazz stylings on August 2 and Tucker will close out the season-long series with her own headlining show in Central Park on Sept. 14.
Check out the SummerStage 2023 announcement below and get a look at the entire schedule of concerts here.
After releasing his third studio album, Since I Have a Lover, 6LACK is ready to hit the road after announcing his colossal world tour Tuesday (April 25).
Slated for the fall, the Since I Have a Lover World Tour will kick off its North America trek on Oct. 1. The 40-plus date jaunt will span across the nation in cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia before concluding in Atlanta on Nov. 24 at the State Farm Arena. His Spillage Village teammate Mereba will open for him on select dates. Other guests include Spinall and Sabodi.
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Then in February, 6LACK will embark on the European leg of his tour, touching down in Germany, Denmark and Belgium. On social media, 6LACK celebrated the announcement by saying, “The most special one so far, 5 years since the last trip & telling the story from FREE 6LACK to EALL to now.”
Produced by Live Nation, the artist presale for the Since I Have a Lover Tour will go live from April 26 through April 28 at 10 a.m. local time, and then tickets for the general public go on sale immediately after. VIP packages are also available, including meet-and-greets with 6LACK, premium tickets, exclusive merch items and early entry. Fans can visit the Live Nation website for more information.
Check out the tour dates below:
October 1, 2023 – Portland, OR @ Alaska Airlines’ Theater of the Clouds **
October 4, 2023 – Vancouver, BC @ PNE Forum **
October 5, 2023 – Seattle, WA @ WAMU Theater **
October 7, 2023 – San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic **
October 10, 2023 – Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater **
October 12, 2023 – San Diego, CA @ SOMA **
October 13, 2023 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren **
October 15, 2023 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex **
October 17, 2023 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium (Denver) **
October 19, 2023 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant *
October 21, 2023 – Dallas, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory *
October 22, 2023 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater *
October 25, 2023 – Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center *
October 26, 2023 – New Orleans, LA @ The Fillmore New Orleans *
October 31, 2023 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore Minneapolis *
November 1, 2023 – Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom *
November 2, 2023 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit *
November 5, 2023 – New York, NY @ Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom *
November 6, 2023 – Brooklyn, NY @ Great Hall – Avant Gardner *
November 8, 2023 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem *
November 10, 2023 – Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway *
November 11, 2023 – Montreal, QC @ MTELUS *
November 13, 2023 – Toronto, ON @ HISTORY *
November 16, 2023 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia *
November 18, 2023 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz *
November 19, 2023 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte *
November 21, 2023 – Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live Orlando *
November 22, 2023 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center *
November 24, 2023 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena *
February 12, 2024 – Dublin, Ireland @ 3Olympia Theatre #
February 14, 2024 – Glasgow, United Kingdom @ O2 Academy Glasgow #
February 15, 2024 – Manchester, United Kingdom @ O2 Apollo #
February 17, 2024 – Birmingham, United Kingdom @ O2 Academy Birmingham #
February 18, 2024 – London, United Kingdom @ Eventim Apollo #
February 20, 2024 – Paris, France @ Bataclan #
February 21, 2024 – Cologne, Germany @ Live Music Hall #
February 22, 2024 – Brussels, Belgium @ Ancienne Belgique #
February 25, 2024 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Melkweg #
February 27, 2024 – Berlin, Germany @ Huxley’s Neue Welt #
February 29, 2024 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Amager Bio #
March 1, 2024 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Berns #
March 3, 2024 – Oslo, Norway @ Rockefeller Music Hall #
Shows supported by special guest *
Show dates supported by Mereba **
Show dates supported by Spinall and Sadboi #
Behind all of Missy Elliott‘s success, there’s always been a very important source of motivation: her mother. The rapper revealed in a Sunday (April 23) tweet that her desire to help her mom safely escape an abusive relationship was one of the main reasons she was so driven to make it big in the music industry, back when she first started out in the early ’90s.
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Elliott’s revelation was prompted by a question from a fan, who tweeted that they wanted a documentary on the “Work It” artist to be made. “I wanna know like what inspired her and what was her drive to remain persistent in a male dominated industry at the time,” the fan wrote.
But instead of a documentary, the fan got their answer straight from the source herself. “I seen many strong women in the industry be4 me that made it through,” Elliott replied. “my mom was in [an] abusive relationship so I told her I would make it so I could get her out of that situation & I would make sure she’d never have to work again that’s what really kept me going🙌🏾💜”
The “Get Ur Freak On” musician, of course, went on to become one of the most influential hip-hop artists of her generation. After getting her start in the R&B girl group Sista, she worked with longtime collaborator Timbaland to forge a bestselling solo career that spawned nine top 10 hits the Billboard Hot 100, five top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 and four Grammy wins. Last week, she was announced as one of this year’s Black Music Honors honorees.
Elliott has long been open about growing up with a physically violent father. In a 2003 interview with The Guardian, she said her dad used to hit her mom almost daily and once pulled a gun on both of them. “My father was very abusive, and it was hard for my mother at first to leave because we had depended on him for so long,” she told the publication. “Sometimes you kind of get adjusted to getting that beating.”
When she was 14, Elliott’s mother was finally persuaded by family members to leave her father. “When we left, my mother realized how strong she was on her own, and it made me strong,” she said. “It took her leaving to realize.”
See Missy Elliott’s tweet below:
I seen many strong women in the industry be4 me that made it through🙌🏾 & my mom was in a abusive relationship so I told her I would make it so I could get her out of that situation & I would make sure she’d never have to work again that’s what really kept me going🙌🏾💜 https://t.co/JHDvBysNbE— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) April 24, 2023
If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233.
Chance the Rapper will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of his celebrated mixtape Acid Rap in his hometown of Chicago in August. Chance will also release one of the project’s most decorated songs, “Juice,” Sunday (April 30) on streaming services to kick things off.
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Produced by Live Nation, the Acid Rap 10-Year Anniversary Show will be held Aug. 19 at Chicago’s United Center, and marks Chance’s first performance at the arena since 2019. Tickets and VIP packages will be available with an artist presale Wednesday (April 26) at 10 a.m., while general on-sale starts Friday (April 28) at 10 a.m. on the Live Nation website.
Acid Rap is a seminal hip-hop mixtape that includes features from Childish Gambino, Action Bronson, Twista, Ab-Soul, Vic Mensa and more. Aside from “Juice,” Acid Rap also featured “Cocoa Butter Kisses” and “Favorite Song.”
Chance is currently piecing together his new album, Star Line Gallery, an immersion between art, music and cinematography. “What I’ve been trying to do — and learning to do — is collaborate with visual artists in the process of making my songs,” Chance the Rapper revealed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in March. “[I’m] having each individual song have its own visible, like physical, tangible, piece of art that goes along with it.”
The Grammy award winner released “Yah Know” in 2022 and released a music video for the song. He bought a painting from Chicago artist Mia Lee that corresponds with the record, he told Fallon. “She’s somebody I grew up with who’s just amazingly, immensely talented,” he shared. “She inspires me. We made the record ‘Yah Know’ at the end of last year, and traveled together to Ghana, and just like taught each other a lot of things. It came out of this conversation and collaboration, that’s how this crazy song with a lot of meaning and a lot of history came to be.”
Chance the Rapper is also currently a coach on NBC’s The Voice.
Happy Monday! We’ve got 10 new songs to help you power through the week. From the soulful sounds of Jon Vinyl, Q and Baby Rose, and Ckay to hard-hitting cuts by TiaCorine and Peezy, there’s a song to cater to all of this week’s ups and downs.
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And of course, don’t forget to share the wealth with our Spotify playlist, linked below.
Freshest Find: Q feat. Baby Rose, “Understand”
Q and Baby Rose are not from this decade. The singers are taking R&B and soul rhythms to a new level by modernizing old-school sounds. “Understand” marks their first collab and the fifth single from Q’s upcoming debut album Soul,PRESENT, due May 5. Baby Rose is also releasing her new album Through and Through this Friday (April 28). You can also catch them on their Through the Soul Tour this summer.
Roy Woods, “Young Boy Problems”
On “Young Boy Problems,” Roy Woods comes face-to-face with his vices. Co-produced by Mike Hector, the song sees the OVO singer droning about “girls and drugs/ sex and money” and all of his young boy problems.
Jon Vinyl, “No Feelings”
Jon Vinyl is living out his 1970s R&B fantasy. With “No Feelings,” the Canadian singer is “on the edge” with his lover, calling her love “a cancer.” The music video gives us a glimpse into the makeshift recording sessions for what he fantasizes as being his “1976 hit record.”
redveil, “pwf”
After learn(ing) 2 swim, redveil is playing with fire. The 19-year-old continued his streak of releasing new music on or around his birthday, this time exploring the element of fire as he enters his final year as a teenager. Earning co-signs from Denzel Curry, JPEGMAFIA and JID, the DMV musician is barred up on the six-song EP, especially on its title track “pwf.”
TiaCorine feat. Latto, “FreakyT (Remix)”
TiaCorine tapped Latto for her “FreakyT” remix. The two debuted the track during Latto’s Coachella performance during weekend 1. Mimicking Tia’s flow, the Atlanta rapper slides in midway through the song saying, “Freaky girl, I like freaky things, what’s up FreakyT?” She then switches it up, going back and forth between flows over the Honorable C.N.O.T.E.-produced beat.
DRAM feat. Daniel Hex, “Brandy Joint”
On the deluxe version of his 2022 album What Had Happened Was…, DRAM is leaning into his sensual side. Alongside burgeoning Detroit R&B singer Daniel Hex, the smooth-talking duo deliver a late-night anthem sure to remain in rotation throughout the summer and beyond.
Olamide & CKay, “Trumpet”
Song of the summer? Olamide and CKay have entered the chat. Posted up in a sprawling Hollywood mansion, CKay brings romance to the table while rapper Olamide drops brow-raising bar after bar, showering his love interest with sexual innuendos, balanced by CKay’s sweet melodies.
Peezy, “Heart in It”
Detroit rapper Peezy’s latest album Ghetto showed the former Team Eastside artist’s versatility. On “Heart In It,” the “2 Million Up” lyricist gets deep, reflecting on his childhood, romance and come-up. The beat feels more reminiscent of early Drake in Toronto than Detroit, proving Peezy’s multifaceted approach and potential.
PGF Nuk, “The Next”
On “The Next,” Chicago rapper PGF Nuk unleashes a volley of threats in under two minutes, warning his opps that he’s not the one. Over a bouncy and sinister beat, PGF Nuk warns, “Pop ’em like a tire, I can make the toughest n—a cry.”
Oblé Reed, “SK [I] NCARE.”
Thank you Oblé, for this ode to self-love. The 21-year-old artist delivers loads of wisdom beyond his years how he knows best: through heartfelt lyricism and groovy instrumentals. “Mental health is so neglected in our communities, and even more so in the music industry,” he says. “It’s time that we build a culture of taking care of and understanding ourselves before we try to project anything into the world.”
It’s a travel day for TiaCorine, who is riding on a tour bus from Salt Lake City to Seattle for her next stop as a supporting act on Key Glock’s Glockoma Tour when she talks to Billboard over Zoom. She turns her camera to show that the bus is going through the mountains — making for an occasionally choppy conversation, but demonstrating the kind of new terrain that Tia’s promising career is now regularly visiting.
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Hailing from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Tia (born Tia Shultz) takes pride in her hometown and still lives there with her seven-year-old daughter. But the rising rapper has been out and about a lot more recently — for tour of course, but thanks to her growing popularity she’s also found herself at New York Fashion Week, in Los Angeles for Grammy events and most recently, performing alongside Latto at Coachella.
TiaCorine has been a product of virality ever since her 2018 song “Lotto” found its way to TikTok in 2020. Fittingly, she sounds like an anime character rapping on the song, as her love for the animation style heavily informs her vibrant wardrobe and visuals. Last fall, she released her third project I Can’t Wait, on which she weaves totether hip-hop, rage rap and alternative rock. Tia took inspiration from The Wizard of Oz, Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts for the album’s artwork (video games are another big influence) and earned another viral moment via standout track “FreakyT.”
Produced by Honorable C.N.O.T.E., the song sees Tia rhyming over a beat that reminded her of Memphis rap staples Project Pat and Three 6 Mafia, whom she’s a big fan of. (“Look at me, where she wanna be, call me Freaky T/ Off the leash, I feel like a dog, I get hella flee,” she opens in a staccato flow.) “FreakyT” has been used in over 23,000 TikTok videos, and reached a No. 22 high on Billboard’s Rap Airplay chart. She even released an official sped-up version as well as the first remix of the song featuring Latto last Friday (April 21).
“It got a little doubt from the beginning, but I knew it was a good song,” she says. “I knew people would like it, but I didn’t know it was going to go this far.”
TiaCorine is just getting started. Billboard spoke with April’s R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month about balancing motherhood and newfound fame, her dream collab and the freakiest thing she’s ever said.
It’s good to be talking again since we met a few months ago in the office. How’ve you been since then?
Good! Just on tour. Working, working!
What’s been the most lit city so far?
I think it was Kansas City, [Missouri]. Kansas City was real, real lit.
How do you balance motherhood with your newfound stardom and touring?
Being on tour, [my daughter and I] have certain times that we FaceTime throughout the day – we play Roblox together, we talk, we text. She just calls me whenever she feels like talking. Sometimes it makes her sad the more that she talks to me, because she doesn’t really understand the time — like, April 28th [the last day of tour], she doesn’t know how long [from now] that is. She doesn’t understand how long I’m gonna be gone. But it’s been good, though. My mom’s staying at my house so [my daughter’s] at home.
Do you find it hard to say “no” to opportunities?
No. I usually just say “no” when I don’t want to do something, because at the end of the day, I’m the boss and it’s all about me. This is my face, my brand — so if I don’t wanna do something, I just say “no.” I could care less how you feel. I say “no” all the time.
Tell me about your childhood and your beginnings in music.
I’m from Winston-Salem, North Carolina and my parents just really love music. My mom played music all the time. I just naturally liked music, I guess. And then I picked up my first instrument in sixth grade, which was the flute, and I fell in love with the sounds — reading a body of music and the behind-the-scenes of music. I started hearing things in songs that I normally didn’t hear at first. My mom would take me to symphonies and orchestras, because if you were a part of the band, you would get tickets to go there if you wanted to after school.
I started talent shows in third grade where I started off singing. [As I got older], it kinda morphed into rapping, because I used to hang out with guys and they would be rapping. I just tried it one day, and the first time I did it, I was like “Oh s–t. D–n, I sound pretty good.” I had fun doing it and I just kept practicing and “Lotto” was the second song I made and it went viral.
Do you write your raps or freestyle?
It’s a mixture of both. I don’t have a certain way that I do it — every time I record it’s kinda different. I might get on the mic and find a tune, or I might have something to start me off in my phone because I have little bars that I write throughout the day. It’s kinda [like] how I dress, I just do it depending on how I’m feeling that day.
Who is someone that you really want to work with?
I really wanna work with Tyler, the Creator, I look up to him a lot. I think he’s a genius. I love a lot of the things that he does, and I kinda see myself being like him.
Did you expect “FreakyT” to take off the way it did? I saw Rick Owens used it in a TikTok.
Yeah, that was crazy! My brother sent me that TikTok and I was like, “What the f–k, it’s Rick Owens! He needs to send me some Rick’s.” [Laughs.] But nah, I didn’t — because I definitely was told that it wasn’t one of my best songs and they weren’t trying to put it on the project, so I had to fight to get that on and keep it on there.
I know you have a few remixes of the song coming out.
I have a boy version and a girl version, and we are dropping one soon.
What’s the freakiest thing you’ve ever done or said?
It had to be something I said on Twitter. I don’t know if it’s the freakiest, but I posted a photo of Lois Griffin. She was in the bed with big muscles and I was like, “This is me when I make myself [nut].” And everybody was like, “What the f–k.” [Laughs.] I didn’t think it was that freaky at the time, but I guess so — everybody said I was out of pocket.
I saw in another interview you said when you make it big you want to move to Japan. Why is that?
I just think Japan is so cool-looking. It’s so futuristic and I love cherry blossom trees. The scenery out there is so crazy and magical. When people send me pictures, I just see myself being there.
What anime shows do you recommend for people who want to get into it?
I’ll always recommend Hunter x Hunter, I just like the way that it started off. Anybody that’s never watched anime or doesn’t like it, when I put them on to that, they’re like “D–n, this is actually really good.” Parasyte is good, even Death Note is really good to start off with. Or you can start off with something smaller like Inuyasha, but that’s more of a romantic type [and] it’s kind of funny.
It seems like your bubbly personality is reflected in your style and videos. How do you maintain such bright energy?
Because I love it. I’m really passionate about [making music] and having fun. Like, if I’m not having fun, then what am I doing this for? It’s a mixture of naturally having the love to do it and I talk to my supporters a lot online, and they always give me good words of advice and say really encouraging things. That just makes me more excited and inspires me to make more music.
And just having people around me — like Kyra, she does my hair, but that’s a childhood friend of mine. So a lot of people that I keep around me are actual, real true friends that were here from the beginning. I think having that natural, raw energy around [me] keeps me grounded. Also, I still live in North Carolina where everything started for me. [That’s] what keeps me going and aligns me.
Drake announced a dozen new dates for his upcoming It’s All a Blur tour with 21 Savage on Monday morning (April 24). The Live Nation-produced outing has added fourth shows in Inglewood and Brooklyn and second gigs in Glendale and Nashville.
The rapper also announced new dates in Columbus, Memphis, Denver, Austin and Charlotte, as well as announcing a new pair of back-to-back shows in his hometown of Toronto to close out the now 54-date tour at Scotiabank Arena on Oct. 5 and 7.
In the meantime, some dates have also shifted around. The New Orleans, Nashville, Houston, Dallas, Miami and Atlanta dates — which were originally slated to take place between June 16 and July 2 will be rescheduled to take place between Sept. 14 and Oct. 2.
The All a Blur tour is Drake’s first headline run since the 2018 Aubrey & the Three Migos tour. Tickets for the new dates will go on sale beginning with Cash App Card and Sprite presales beginning Wednesday (April 26) at 12 p.m. local time through 10 p.m. local time on Thursday (April 27) for Cash App and Thursday at 10 a.m. local time for the Sprite presale, which runs through 10 p.m. that day; click here for more presale information. Tickets for rescheduled dates will not be included in either presale or the general onsale.
See the full list of Drake It’s All a Blur 2023 tour dates below:
June 29 – Memphis, TN @ FedExForum
July 1 – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
July 5 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
July 6 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
July 8 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
July 9 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
July 11 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
July 12 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
July 14 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *
July 15 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *
July 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
July 18 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
July 20 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
July 21 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
July 23 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
July 25 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
July 26 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
July 28 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
July 29 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
July 31 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
August 1 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
August 3 – Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum
August 12 – Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum
August 13 – Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum
August 15 – Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum
August 16 – Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum
August 18 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
August 19 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
August 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
August 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
August 25 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
August 26 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
August 28 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena *
August 29 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena *
Sept. 1 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
Sept. 2 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
Sept. 5 – Glendale, AZ @ Desert Diamond Arena
Sept. 6 – Glendale, AZ @ Desert Diamond Arena
Sept. 8 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
Sept. 11 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
Sept. 14 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center +
Sept. 15 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center +
Sept. 17 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center +
Sept. 18 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center +
Sept. 20 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center +
Sept. 22 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
Sept. 25 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena +
Sept. 26 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena +
Sept. 28 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center +
Sept. 29 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center +
Oct. 1 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
Oct. 2 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena +
Oct. 5 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena *
Oct. 7 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena *
* 21 Savage not on this date.
+ Rescheduled dates.
New dates are bolded.
Beginning this June, Audible Originals will spearhead its extensive rollout in honor of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary with a slate of new programming, including big names such as Snoop Dogg, Lil Kim, Yasiin Bey, DJ Drama and more.
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“Hip-hop has made an indelible mark on music and culture since its inception — running the gamut from the emergence of DJs to innovation and creative artistry in sampling, dance styles, fashion, audio technology and so much more,” Rachel Ghiazza, Audible evp and head of U.S. content, tells Billboard. “Audible is proud to celebrate such incredible cultural influence with this lineup of new originals that both elevate and commemorate the 50-year history of this iconic genre.”
Snoop’s Words + Music: From the Streets to the Suites will debut June 15 and honor the 30th anniversary of Doggystyle. According to a press release, From the Streets will find Snoop reflecting “on his coming-of-age journey from the streets of Long Beach to around the world and his decision to pursue love and life over death and destruction.” It also touches on his days “from singing in the church choir as a boy to meeting Dr. Dre and eventually buying Death Row Records.”
Then, Yasiin Bey’s: A Dynamic Career in Communications will drop on July 7. Bey, formerly Mos Def, will take “listeners on a journey touching on his Brooklyn origins, faith and spirituality, as well as his creative inspirations and influences.”
The week after, DJ Drama Presents Gangsta Grillz will debut and highlight the mixtape’s “inception to its production to its lasting impact.” The podcast features Drama alongside a guest, most notably Lil Wayne and Tyler, The Creator, to discuss the series’ influence. That releases on July 13.
Then, Lil Kim’s Audible Original — which is currently untitled — will arrive in August. It will break down the rapper’s long-lasting legacy, most notably the success of her 1996 album, Hardcore.
Visit Audible’s website for more information on its slate of programming for the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
The Brooklyn Nets continue to celebrate hip-hop “The Brooklyn Way” with gusto during last night’s playoff game against the Philadelphia 76ers, bringing out revered rap duo M.O.P. to take centerstage during their halftime show. The Bushwick duo delivered a rim-rocker of a performance, dishing out their 2000 classic “Ante Up.”
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“It’s a major look. Just to touch down in the middle of the court live in Brooklyn [is special],” says Lil’ Fame, one-half of the rap duo. “We ran around these parts before this thing was even built. Just to come back on a positive note and do what we do naturally, it’s a good thing.”
The crowd reveled at the group’s frenetic energy as it yielded shockwaves throughout Barclays Center in hopes of helping the Nets secure a much-needed Game 3 win — which they failed to produce, as the Sixers pulled ahead in the game’s final stretch. Released in 2000, “Ante Up” peaked at No. 19 on Billboard‘s Hot Rap Songs chart and featured multiple cameos in its video, from the likes of Gang Starr, Method Man, and Buckshot of Black Moon.
“Ante Up’ is not just an anthem; it’s a world record,” says Fame. “We could perform that song everywhere we go, and they go crazy. We’ve been blessed to have ‘Ante Up.’ It’s a gift that keeps giving. The impact that it had on the hood and what it had on hip-hop overall was successful. It was a beautiful thing.”
“Ante Up” also received the remix treatment, with guest turns from Busta Rhymes, Remy Ma and Teflon. “It was a blessing, man. When you align yourself with these type of talents that M.O.P. bring to the table, it’s only natural that you come and bring your A-game,” relays Teflon. “So I appreciate them tipping their hats off to me. Of course, I tip my hat off to them.”
Since their entry in the early ’90s, M.O.P. has served as a staple in New York hip-hop after notable runs with Loud Records, Roc-A-Fella, and G-Unit. Though they lack the commercial accessibility of some of their contemporaries, their street rigor always echoed through the five boroughs. “We definitely in there, but there’s so many before us. Run D.M.C., Tribe Called Quest, N.W.A., Geto Boys, Cypress Hill and M.O.P. is right there with them,” says Fame of their own all-time status. “There’s not so many groups out in hip-hop right now that’s still locked in. We’ve been locked in since we were kids. This was before music.”
“Maybe this explains why when people talk about the greatest groups of all time, many don’t mention M.O.P.,” adds Billy Danze. “Maybe we should feel a way — but the fact that Fame just mentioned is that we’re not a group anyway, so we shouldn’t feel bothered. And we will make short work of whoever the f–k they put out there. We’re just being honest.”
With a dearth of groups in today’s landscapes, the duo offer insight into what’s needed to break through and succeed: “Just do something different. When I think about M.O.P. and how we make music, what comes to mind is our personality and how we know each other. The reason why we continue to keep going at this same level is because we did it differently. No one ever had a sound like M.O.P. So for the next group that wanna be something special, if you do it differently, you got a really good shot of doing that. You might even be a young M.O.P. or something, and we might train ya.”
We learned a lot of things in Diddy‘s “Carpool Karaoke” ride with James Corden on The Late Late Show Thursday night (April 20). For one, despite his myriad of stage names — Puffy, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy, Sean “Diddy” Combs — there are exactly two people who are allowed to call him by his given name Sean.
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His mom — typically when he’s in trouble — and Jay -Z. “We call each other Sean,” Diddy explained of the fellow MC born Shawn Carter. “There’s not a single person outside of my mother that should be calling me Sean.”
“You can call me any of the approved names,” Diddy told Corden. “I was born Puffy and then I became P. Diddy. Then they called me Diddy because I was so pretty. And then Puff Daddy and then I became who I am now, which is Love. L-O-V-E, not Brother Love, just Love.”
There is so much love, in fact, that when Corden asked Diddy to give him a new nickname for his “joyous, uplifting, fun” new era when his show ends its run next week, Combs said he was happy to share the Love, dubbing James “Love” as well. “We’re both Love, we’re both trying to have fun,” Combs said.
The catalog run began with the Bad Boy boss’ signature anthem, “Bad Boy For Life,” with Corden and Combs bouncing along to the song from Diddy’s third album, 2001’s The Saga Continues.
Corden also revealed that the rapper/entrepreneur’s eponymous 2001 hit “Diddy” kind of makes no sense. “The thing with that song, it goes, ‘It’s Diddy,’ and the chorus goes, ‘The D, the I, the D, the D, the Y, the D, the I, the D,’ which is Diddydid,” Corden pointed out in the most polite way possible after the pair bopped to the tune featuring the Neptunes. The always chill Combs explained that it’s about a vibe, describing how “you don’t have to say the rest of it,” because it’s implied and the last “dy” gets lost due to “silent letters.”
They agreed to disagree on that one and then locked in their flow for the Notorious B.I.G. tribute tune “I’ll Be Missing you,” with both men crooning Faith Evans’ keening chorus.
In the spiciest segment, father of three Corden congratulated Diddy on the birth of his seventh child in December, while soliciting advice for setting the perfect mood in the bedroom. Diddy said the baby was inspired by his move back into producing R&B via his Love Records label, which is all about making “baby-making music.”
Describing his “Super Bowl of R&B” playlist for lovemaking, Diddy then gave Corden step-by-step instructions for building the perfect intimate night: turn on a red light, put the kids to be, disconnect your phone, play some sensual music, do a little dancing, pour a bit of his signature tequila, press play on the mix and commence bopping.
“And then we take it, we go let’s…,” Corden asked swaying. “No, you gotta take your time and smell her and talk sweet nothings into her ear, man… it’s not a rush-in,” Diddy counseled. Then comes the conversation portion, which James suspected would go something like his wife saying, “‘I’m tired. I’m exhausted.’ She’ll then talk about we’ve got some mold, we’ve got a mold issue in the garage which you’ve got to sort out,” as Combs looked on with a confused look.
“How do I switch it from the mold and the termite issue back to the bop?” Corden wondered. “You say ‘shhhh… tonight it about you, don’t worry about the mold,’” Puff suggested. Things got even more explicit before the Loves slipped into “I Need a Girl (Part 2) and after a chat about the giant billboard Puff had in Times Square for a decade as a message to young people about perseverance and fortitude, the ride ended with a rousing run through Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.”
Watch Diddy’s “Carpool Karaoke” below.
