State Champ Radio R&B/Hip-Hop
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Music history is littered with tales of shoulda, coulda, woulda. But after Rihanna soared to new heights during her instant-classic Super Bowl LVII halftime show one of the least likely headlines to emerge in the wake of her performance linked the singer to the last band on Earth you’d imagine.
“True story. There is a version of a @Hoobastank song featuring @rihanna when she was a ‘newer’ artist,” tweeted the California nu-metal band’s singer, Doug Robb on Tuesday. “Displaying a total lack of foresight, we didn’t use that version of the song for the album. We also didn’t think ‘The Reason’ was a single though either so… Oops.”
The accompanying video mashed up a clip of Rihanna’s halftime extravaganza with ‘Stank’s hit “Crawling in the Dark.” After a fan asked, Hobbs said the unreleased version was for the song “Inside of You,” the second single from the group’s third album, Every Man for Himself. When another wondered if it would be kosher to release it now as a bonus track, Robb said, “not sure.”
Robb also did an interview with ALT98.7FM radio host Ted Stryker elaborating on the story. He said during the sessions for Every Man, their label Island/Def Jam — Rihanna was signed to Def Jam at the time — approached them asking if they’d be up for including one of their new acts on a song. “Which is pretty common… we’re like, ‘cool, sure, like, what song?’,” he said they asked.
They landed on “Inside of You,” which the band sent to RihRih’s camp back in 2005. “They chopped it up and rearranged some parts because it wasn’t written as a duet or anything, so they had to extend some part and they sent it back and they basically put this pre-chorus where Rihanna wrote some new lyrics and sang a melody,” he said. The group listened to it and because they were so used to hearing it the way they originally wrote it, “nobody really loved it.”
Robb said they ran into Rihanna a few times during that album cycle and she was always, “super cool and so there was never any hard feelings.” And, believe it or not, Robb said they don’t regret saying no to the feature. “I don’t think anybody loved it at the time,” he said, admitting that he hasn’t listened to it in years, but that the subject comes up every once in a while and they all have a laugh about it.
“‘Dude, can you believe we nixed Rihanna on one of our songs?’,” Robb said the band’s members ask each other.
Check out Robb’s tweets below.
True story. There is a version of a @Hoobastank song featuring @rihanna when she was a “newer” artist. Displaying a total lack of foresight, we didn’t use that version of the song for the album. We also didn’t think The Reason was a single though either so…🤦🏻Oops 🤷🏻 pic.twitter.com/NjIAj4IMGM— Doug Robb (@HoobaDoug) February 14, 2023
He’s finally here! Rihanna unveiled the long-awaited first look at her baby son with partner A$AP Rocky in a new cover story for British Vogue published Wednesday (Feb. 15).
“My perfect baby!!!” the superstar captioned the photo on her Instagram, which features the tot — whose name she and the rapper still have yet to share publicly — smiling the camera as he lays on his back with his teeny tiny feet in his hands.
In the associated profile, Rih dished on how motherhood has changed her entire perspective, telling the magazine, “It’s everything. You really don’t remember life before, that’s the craziest thing ever. You literally try to remember it – and there are photos of my life before – but the feeling, the desires, the things that you enjoy, everything, you just don’t identify with it because you don’t even allow yourself mentally to get that far, because…Because it doesn’t matter.”
Of course, the “Diamonds” songstress is currently readying her world for baby number two following that epic baby bump reveal during her Super Bowl LVII halftime show performance. The 13-minute set featured the Savage x Fenty mogul running through her massive back catalog of hits including the likes of “Where Have You Been,” “We Found Love,” “Rude Boy,” “Work,” “Umbrella” and more.
Rihanna also teased the likelihood of finally releasing her long-awaited ninth album in the British Vogue interview, saying, “I want it to be this year. Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos.”
See the first look at Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s baby boy below.
Mary J. Blige is introducing fans to a whole new side of her with her upcoming TV special The Wine Down With Mary J. Blige, in which the icon will sit down with a number of her famous friends for candid, intimate conversations.
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“You all know me as Mary the entertainer, but I can’t wait for you to get to know me as Mary the friend,” Blige shared in a new 30-second promo, published on Wednesday (Feb. 15) by ET. In the clip, she’s seen chatting with guests 50 Cent, Taraji P. Henson and Yung Miami of the City Girls.
“This is what I always wanted to do with a show that’s about me hanging out with people that I love, respect and admire,” the “Good Morning Gorgeous” added in the teaser, in which she chats with her guests about everything from their careers to their relationships.
The show comes fresh off the heels of Blige’s highly anticipated performance the 2023 Grammy Awards, in which she was nominated for a number of categories including album of the year for Good Morning Gorgeous, and record of the year for the album’s title track. 2023 marked the first time Blige was nominated as a solo artist in one of the Big Four categories at the ceremony since her nomination for record and song of the year in 2007 for “Be Without You.”
The two-episode special will air on March 1 and March 8 at 10 p.m. on BET and BET Her. Watch The Wine Down With Mary J. Blige promo below.
After several requests to give more cover tracks a spin, T-Pain is listening to his fans. On Wednesday (Feb. 15), the “Buy U a Drank” rapper announced that he is gearing up to release a non-Auto-Tuned album that will feature a series of cover songs intended to give his vocals a real chance to shine.
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The album, titled On Top of the Covers, will see The Masked Singer season one winner giving the world his own renditions of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come,” Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show’s “Sharing The Night Together,” Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me,” Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life” (with a feature from NandoSTL) and Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.”
T-Pain first teased the release of the project on Tuesday (Feb. 14) via Twitter. A fan of the rapper tweeted, “Anything that T-Pain covers or remixes is always so hard.” The Billboard Hot 100 hitmaker replied, “Buckle up because I got an announcement coming tomorrow.” He reposted the tweet exchange to his Instagram, adding a message to his followers to “Stay tuned.” A fan in the comments hilariously guessed, “T-Sinatra or Frank Pain,” which ended up being accurate.
On Top of the Covers will be released on March 17. To support the album release, the rapper also shared that he will be performing two back-to-back concerts at Los Angeles at the Sun Rose at Pendry West Hollywood on March 17-18. On Top of the Covers marks the rapper’s first album release since 2019’s 1UP.
When they go low, Robert Glasper goes viral. The Grammy-winning pianist and producer/songwriter could have stewed about the static he got from Chris Brown after he bested the “Iffy” singer for this year’s best R&B golden gramophone and Brown griped, “Y’all playing. Who da f— is this?”
Instead of getting into a social media showdown with Brown, Glasper did something way better: he took the insult and printed it on a t-shirt while promising to donate the proceeds to a charity. On Tuesday (Feb. 14) Glasper announced that after just four days those shirts had sold out already.
“Thanks for the support. A portion of the proceeds from this shirt will be donated to the Community Music Center of New Orleans,” Glasper said in an Instagram post featuring an image of the black shirt emblazoned with Brown’s insult. “A nonprofit created to share the music culture and music education in New Orleans, providing free music lessons to underserved youth. I can’t thank y’all enough for supporting this cause.”
At press time Glasper had not announced how much was raised by the limited-edition shirts.
After an avalanche of social media critique for his fit of pique, Brown posted an apology 24 hours later, DMing Glasper to express regret for his comments. ““Congratulations my brother.. I would like to apologize if you took offense to my reaction at the Grammys,” Brown wrote. “You were not the intended target and I know I came off really rude and mean. After doing my research I actually think your amazing…THE ORGANIZATION ISN’T DOING US BLACKS OUR DUE DILIGENCE. YOU AND I SHOULD never be in the same [category].. two totally different vibes and genres. So from one black man to another.. CONGRATULATIONS. HOPE YOU ARE ABLE TO FEED YOUR FAMILY FOR LIFE. God bless my G.”
Glasper’s righteous dunk on Brown is just the latest example of a musician turning hate into delicious haterade. It came six months after Maren Morris flipped her feud with Jason Alden’s wife, Brittany, over the latter’s transphobic joke into a “Lunatic Country Music Person” t-shirt that raised money for LGBTQ right organization GLAAD; the effort raised more than $100,000 for GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program and Trans Life.
Check out Glasper’s posts below.
The NBA is taking things global for their upcoming halftime show at the 2023 All-Star Game. This year, the league tapped Burna Boy, Tems and Rema to anchor the Afrobeats-themed performance this Sunday night (Feb. 19) in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Along with the trio of Afrobeats stars, Post Malone will kick things off with a medley of hits at the show’s start. Jewel will perform the National Anthem, while Fast X star Vin Diesel will lead the player introductions for the newly named NBA All-Stars. The league will also honor LeBron James for breaking the scoring record two weeks ago. Last year, the NBA recruited DJ Khaled to perform at the halftime show, and he brought out Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Migos, Lil Baby and Gunna.
Before Sunday, the NBA will host a number of events leading up to the big night’s festivities, including this Friday’s (Feb. 17) Ruffles Celebrity Game. A myriad of musicians will play during this year’s outing, including Janelle Monae, 21 Savage, Cordae, Ozuna, Kane Brown, Nicky Jam and more.
In previous years, the NBA has reeled in a bevy of musical talents to play at its celebrity game, including J. Cole, Jack Harlow, Common and Quavo. The Migos frontman dazzled in both of his appearances. In 2018, he scored 19 points and won the MVP award. The following year, he had a game-high of 27 points.
For fans interested in watching the Celebrity Game, it begins at 7 p.m. ET and will air exclusively on ESPN. It will also be available on the ESPN App, while the All-Star game will air Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.
Eminem‘s younger brother swung by Hailie Jade‘s podcast earlier this month to reflect on growing up with the superstar rapper as a sibling.
To introduce Nathan Mathers as her guest, Eminem’s daughter opened the “super special and exciting” Feb. 3 episode of Just a Little Shady with some context about her family. “For those of you who may not know, Nate is my uncle – my dad’s younger brother – but also we kind of grew up together because Nate lived with us for a while when I was young,” she explained. “So he’s kind of like a ‘bruncle.’ I would say brother-uncle. … You definitely act younger than your age, I always think that. … We are closer in age than you are to [my] dad, but still, I never realize how much older you are than me because I feel like you are like a brother.”
In fact, Mathers happens to be 14 years younger than his famous older brother, compared to being 12 years older than Jade. And when it comes to his memories of the artist otherwise known as Marshall Mathers, Nate had nothing but good things to say — even admitting he bleached his hair to copy Em’s signature look.
“He was the best role model I could have had to help me be the dad that I am today,” the younger Mathers brother said, though he added that it took him a while to understand the size of Eminem’s fame. “I started understanding a little more when reality would hit when I would start seeing him on TV and going to shows and all the signatures and crazy people. I’m like, ‘All right, well, this is real.’”
Earlier this month, Jade announced her engagement to longtime boyfriend Evan McClintock just months after Eminem was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Watch Hailie’s full interview with her uncle below.
Spike Lee didn’t mince words when it came to sharing his opinion about Beyoncé‘s loss at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Speaking to The Guardian, the director explained that while he’s by no means “the male president of the Beyhive,” he does have “love and support” for the superstar. “Her album is amazing,” he continued. “I know she’s won multiple Grammys, but four times nominated for album of the year and she’s lost every time? No disrespect to those artists like Adele or Harry Styles who won – it’s not their fault – but that’s some straight-up bullsh–.”
She is the most-awarded artist in Grammy history, but Beyoncé has gone zero-for-four when it comes to album of the year nominations as a lead artist. The singer has also only ever one once in any of the Big Four categories — taking home song of the year in 2009 for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).”
In his interview, Lee eventually widened the scope of his remarks to reflect on Black artistry as a whole. “We all know their work is great, because art speaks for itself,” the BlacKkKlansman filmmaker said. “But then it always comes down to this tricky territory of validation. Do black artists say ‘F–k it,’ or seek white validation and chase awards?”
While Beyoncé is still without a Grammy for album of the year, her latest single “Cuff It” reached a new high mark on the Hot 100 this week by leaping to No. 6 (chart dated Feb. 18).
Olivia Wilde is not having it. On Monday, the actress clapped back at trolls who criticized her for calling A$AP Rocky “hot” during Rihanna‘s Super Bowl halftime performance.
“For anyone who got it twisted [eyeroll emoji]… It’s hot to respect your partner,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories. “Especially when your partner just did thaaaaaat.”
Earlier in the day, Wilde had taken heat from her followers for posting a separate, since-expired Story on which she had written, “If I thought he was hot before, this really put me over the edge,” over footage of the “Same Problems?” rapper proudly filming RiRi from his front-row view of the field.
Not only did Rihanna use the Super Bowl spotlight to reassert her position as one of the biggest pop superstars of the last two decades after a seven-year hiatus; she also slyly revealed that she’s expecting her second child with A$AP Rocky less than a year after giving birth to their son. The effortless 13-minute set included tracks from nearly ever era of Rihanna’s discography — from “What’s My Name” and “Only Girl (In the World)” to “Pour It Up,” “Work,” “Umbrella” and “Diamonds.”
Wilde, meanwhile, is recently single after splitting from Harry Styles in late 2022. The pair were linked for nearly two years, starting in January 2021 and throughout the release of sci-fi thriller Don’t Worry Darling, which WIlde directed and co-starred in while Styles served as the film’s leading man.
Get a look at Wilde’s follow-up thoughts on A$AP Rocky here before her Story expires.
If Lola Brooke had the chance to meet one person, she’d probably pick the late legend DMX.
“DMX gives me chills,” says the Brooklyn dynamo. “I wish I had that [co-sign] so bad. One day, I hope somebody comes up to me and says, ‘You know I brought you up to X, right?’ I just pray that happens.”
Standing 5’0′ tall, the East Coast fireball has traces of her Yonkers role model embedded in her petite frame. Like X, her bark can hush any sizable threat, as previously proven on her 2021 Tri-State standout “Don’t Play With It.” The drill-centric track, featuring her Brooklyn cohort Billy B, showcases Brooke’s charisma and grit, which are essential ingredients needed to climb the hip-hop ranks in New York City. Then, the song received a boost on TikTok and attracted a whole new audience for Brooke.
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Today, she touts a fistful of co-signs from Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott, Meek Mill, and more. Last December, Future brought out Brooke during his New Year’s Eve show at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center. Her homecoming performance went viral, and was punctuated by her electric stage presence, causing Missy Elliott to even sing her praises on Twitter. The following week, Brooke announced her deal with Arista Records in collaboration with Team Eighty Productions.
“Lola is the rare talent whose presence matches her message,” Arista Records CEO David Massey told Billboard last month. “Her music is larger-than-life, but her vision is just as powerful. We’re excited to welcome her to the Arista Records family.”
With “Don’t Play With It” now gaining chart success two years after its release (it entered the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart last month), Brooke looks to carve up her next big play and become more than New York’s latest rising star. We caught with our February Rookie of the Month to speak about her scorching rise, appreciating her co-signs and what it’ll take to crack the next level.
How did your love for poetry pivot over to you rapping?
I don’t want people to think that I was deeply into poetry. I learned that academically in school. I always had journals and diaries. When I went to school, they taught us about poetry. So I went back home and tried to fix up my journals in that format. It didn’t last too long. I went straight into [makes machine gun noises]. I went straight into that mode. [Laughs.]
You had some influences on the rap side, especially Meek, right?
Meek is the top one. Meek Mill is the one that I said to myself, “If Meek can do it, then I could do it.” The first song I heard from Meek was “Goons Gone Wild.” I remember listening to it, and I was catching the bars — because I used to listen to Lil Wayne and run his songs back, just to make sure I understood what he was saying. So when Meek had his vibe, I knew straight on from jump [what to expect]. I was a fan from there.
He used to vlog his journey and I remember when the public used to say funny stuff. When you’re a fan, you see everything. “He could rap, but can he make songs? Is he gonna last? He just a battle rapper?” And then he proved them wrong. I knew if could do it, I could do it for real.
Do you remember the first song you wrote?
Yeah, it was like a little love verse. I wrote it for a boy. It was a verse for someone.
Did they hear it?
Yeah, they heard it. I don’t remember telling them if was for them though. I just sent it.
Though people know you for your more aggressive material, I think you’re pretty versatile. Why has that been an important trait for you to have?
It’s important because it’s me. A lot of people be afraid to show their vulnerable side a lot of times, and it’s OK to show that. It’s also OK to hold your guard up too, as well. That’s just the Brooklyn in me. It’s my stomping grounds. I’m always going to hold it up — but at the same time, I do love love. I’m in a space that if you cross me, that love can turn into hate. Without love, there’s no hate. Without hate, there’s no love.
What does being a female rapper from Brooklyn with your kind of momentum mean for you right now?
It means everything. It means power and control. I’m in control of my own destiny. It’s a lot of girls like me that’s scared to come out, because they feel they’re not feminine enough — but you are enough. When I was younger, I used to feel like I wasn’t enough, but now I know that I’m enough.
That power doesn’t scare you?
It used to, but my voice is so powerful. I feel like I have no choice. This is what I’m here to do, so even if I am scared, it means that I’m normal and I’m human. It happens. Sometimes, I do get scared, but I have no choice to keep going. I have people looking up to me.
Another one of your influences, Missy Elliott, showed love on social media for your performance in Brooklyn at the Future concert. What did that mean for you?
I wanted to ask for her number, but I kept it cool though! It meant everything, because when I look at Missy, it’s not just an artist — I look at her as a creator, as a director. Everything that she did was off the grid, but it was her, and it still made sense, because she’s showcasing who she is. That right there meant a lot to me, because she’s an OG telling me that I did a great job with my stage presence. I can only imagine how many other people I touched that understand that craft of music. That meant a lot to me.
Command the audience👏🏾— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) January 1, 2023
Are there any other co-signs that you’re most proud of?
Snoop and Jadakiss.
That kind of validation must hit differently for you, versus praise from your peers?
It’s like a trophy. It’s like I got the Grammy before the Grammy type of thing, because they’re not just going to say they f–k with something if they really don’t. If they feel something, and they say it out loud, you’re gonna feel them. That’s just my chance to make sure the people don’t look at them crazy [for making those co-signs]. Now it’s my job to make sure what they’re saying is not a lie.
You’ve been in the studio with Conway The Machine and Juelz Santana. Do you feel the need to step your pen game up when you’re locked in working with those caliber of MCs?
My pen game is gonna be stepped up wherever, with whoever, whenever — because it’s not just about having one of the greats in the room and go crazy … whoever is in the room, [I’m gonna] go crazy. Even if I’m doing a record by myself, I do the first verse and the second verse, you better go crazy on Lola. You better be [my alter-ego Big Gator] on the second verse. That’s how I look at it. I don’t even compete with people, I compete with myself.
But at the end of the day, as a young artist, I do look for that kind of validation from the OGs — and if they’re in the room, of course I gotta make sure they know this is real. I’m already prepared, so I don’t gotta worry about that. The pen game is there now. Where the vibes at? Where the energy at?
You’ve accomplished a lot of buzz in the Tri-State. What’s the plan in becoming a mainstream superstar?
Consistency. That’s the main key. That’s the blueprint. Even if s–t wack, put it out so you know what not to do again. Put stuff out so you know what your fans like. That’s the only way you’re going to win. It’s to know the feedback from your fans.
What’s the roadmap for you knowing you’re getting these early looks, like Artists to Watch wins?
It’s self-care, and making sure that I’m healthy, so that I can keep applying pressure — because without me having a stable mentality, none of this can get done. As well as my team. They need to be mentally ready, as well as me, so that we can feed off each other and always come with strategies on how we can win.
