State Champ Radio R&B/Hip-Hop
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DJ Khaled closed out the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 5) by welcoming an all-star lineup of collaborators including Fridayy, Jay-Z, John Legend, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross.
DJ Khaled began the performance inside Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena before the camera cut to the rapper joining Ross and Lil Wayne outside, with Legend seated at an intricately decorated piano and joining on vocals.
The performance reached its pinnacle with a “Last Supper”-esque scene, with the artists seated at a table filled with a spread of fruits, breads, cakes and pies along with candelabras, and Jay-Z rapping a nearly five-minute verse. The song ended with the artists raising their glasses high in tribute, as DJ Khaled looked directly into the camera and said, “We did an eight-minute song on the Grammys!”
The collaborative performance from these major artists was a musical companion and continuation of an evening that had already featured a tribute to 50 years of hip-hop music, with a string of performances (curated by The Roots’ Questlove) from Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes, Run-DMC, GloRilla, LL Cool J and more. The celebration also highlighted Dr. Dre, who was honored with the inaugural Dr. Dre Global Impact Award.
DJ Khaled was nominated for six Grammy Awards this year, with “God Did” earning five of those nods. The tune was up for song of the year, best rap song, and best rap performance. “God Did” is also the title track of DJ Khaled’s album, which was nominated for album of the year and best rap album. DJ Khaled’s “Beautiful” was also nominated for best melodic rap performance.
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 5) celebrated hip-hop history with a behemoth of a performance. Following Dr. Dre’s acceptance of the first-ever Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, dozens of artists graced the stage to showcase hip-hop’s evolution over the last 50 years. Curated by The Roots’ Questlove, the Grammys brought out a diverse all-star cast and turned the ceremony into a full-fledged house party.
The all-encompassing performance covered every era beginning with Grandmaster Flash’s “Flash to the Beat” and “The Message.” The ’80s received a nice jolt from the genre’s fondest pioneers as Run DMC (“King of Rock”), LL Cool J (“I Can’t Live Without My Radio”), Salt-N-Papa (“My Mic Sounds Nice”) and Public Enemy’s Chuck D & Flavor Flav (“Rebel Without a Pause)” followed suit. During the flurry of quick-hitter performances, DJ Jazzy Jeff dialed in a rendition of “Rock the Bells.”
The ’90s enjoyed an equally scintillating run as a bevy of heavyweights matched the fervor and intensity of the previous performers. The crowd reveled in seeing Queen Latifah saunter onstage to rap “U.N.I.T.Y.” before trying to play catch-up with Busta Rhymes and his frenetic flow. Busta combed through his classic “Put Your Hands Where Your Eyes Can See” and his rapid-fire feature from Chris Brown’s 2011 hit “Look at Me Now” before passing the baton to Missy Elliott for a quick rendition of “Lose Control.”
Despite the time lapses, Queen Latifah guided viewers through the 2000s as Nelly and City Spud kicked things off with “Hot In Herre,” followed by Too Short’s West Coast gem “Blow the Whistle.” The East Coast also enjoyed a moment of nostalgia when The LOX partnered up with Swizz Beatz for “We Gonna Make It.”
The performance didn’t only cater to the old-school, as new generation stars GloRilla and Lil Baby dished out their hits “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” and “Freestyle,” respectively. To close things out, Lil Uzi Vert appeared as “Just Wanna Rock” blared through the speakers, and LL Cool J rallied all the performers. “We started in the Bronx. And ever since, we’ve gone everywhere,” he declared.
See the full setlist below:
Chapter 1:
Black Thought Narration
Grandmaster Flash w/ Barshon, Mele Mel, Rahiem & Scorpio – “Flash To The
Beat”
Grandmaster Flash w/ Barshon, Mele Mel, Rahiem & Scorpio – “The Message”
Run-DMC – “King Of Rock”
LL Cool J – “I Can’t Live Without My Radio”
DJ Jazzy Jeff – “Rock The Bells”
Salt-N-Pepa – “My Mic Sounds Nice”
Rakim – “Eric B Is President”
Chuck D & Flavor Flav – “Rebel Without A Pause”
Chapter 2:
Black Thought w/ LL Cool J – “El Shabazz Skit”
De La Soul – “Buddy”
Scarface – “My Mind’s Playing Tricks On Me”
Ice-T – “New Jack Hustler (Nino’s Theme)”
Queen Latifah – “U.N.I.T.Y.”
Method Man – “Method Man”
Big Boi – “ATLiens”
Busta Rhymes & Spliff Star – “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See” /
“Look At Me Now”
Missy Elliot – “Lose Control”
Chapter 3:
Queen Latifah Narration
Nelly & City Spud – “Hot In Herre”
Too $hort – “Blow The Whistle”
Swizz Beatz & The Lox – “We Gonna Make It”
Lil Baby – “Freestyle”
GloRilla – “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)”
LL Cool J – “Just Wanna Rock
Just moments after Beyoncé made history at the 2023 Grammy Awards, hip-hop-soul superstar Mary J. Blige gave the crowd a chance to take a breath on Sunday night (Feb. 5).
The singer appeared during the live telecast to perform her single “Good Morning Gorgeous.” Descending from a high platform clad in a skin-tight crystalline dress with rhinestoned boots and gloves to match, Blige delivered her personalized message of self-love and confidence with her once-in-a-generation voice. “Sometimes, you gotta look in the mirror and say, ‘Good morning, gorgeous,’” the star sang.
As the performance went on, Blige was joined on stage by a full choir backing her up as she riffed and ran the house down. By the time she reached the song’s last note, the crowd was on its feet for a standing ovation.
Blige wasn’t only at the event to entertain the masses. She is nominated, including album of the year for Good Morning Gorgeous, and record of the year for the album’s titular track. 2023 marked the first time Blige was nominated as a solo artist in one of the Big Four the ceremony since her nomination for record and song of the year in 2007 for “Be Without You.”
The R&B icon spoke to Billboard on the red carpet ahead of the ceremony, sharing that she felt honored to be nominated for album of the year for the first time in her career. “I’ve earned the moment, I’ve been in the game for a while,” she said. “It’s a blessing to still be around doing what I love.”
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 5) served as Quavo’s first TV performance since the death of his Migos bandmate and nephew, Takeoff.
Following Kacey Musgraves’s heartfelt tribute to Loretta Lynn for the ceremony’s “In Memoriam” segment, Quavo and renowned gospel group Maverick City Music delivered a gripping rendition of his record “Without You.” Released in January, “Without You” highlights Quavo and Takeoff’s tight-knit relationship.
“I wish I had a time machine/ Just so you take a ride with me/ I miss just how you smile at me/ Unc & Phew until infinity,” sang Quavo. Maverick City Music matched Quavo’s somber tone with their resiliency as they anchored the ATL star, who performed sitting on a stool.
Soon, singers from the choir emerged and performed Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See You Again.” Quavo — who wore an all-black outfit and a mask covering half his face — grabbed Takeoff’s chain and held it triumphantly in the air as the singers crescendoed.
Shortly after Takeoff’s death in November, Quavo posted a heartfelt message on his Instagram page. “It’s so hard to tell you Ima miss you because you always with me and we did everything together. Since we were kids you been by my side lookin up at me, them eyes waiting on me to make the next move.. then you followed up right behind me,” he wrote at the time. “You always made sure I did it first so you can do it right with me. You never competed with me, we were always on the same team.”
Along with Takeoff and Loretta Lynn being honored, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and Mick Fleetwood paid respect to Christine McVie with “Songbird.”
Chris Brown didn’t hold back after losing out to Robert Glasper for best R&B album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 5).
Brown voiced his frustration in a since-deleted Instagram Stories, where he posted a picture of Glasper and asked, “Y’all playing. Who da f–k is this?” with a series of crying-laughing emojis. The “No Guidance” singer didn’t stop there. He continued to lambast the winner. “Who the f–k is Robert Glasper,” he wrote. “I’ma keep kicking y’all a– respectfully.”
Lastly, Brown concluded his tirade by posting two more also since-deleted Stories. In one, he wrote, “I gotta get my skills up…Ima start playing the harmonica.” The second was a Photoshopped image of Brown playing the harmonica, quipping, “New Level Unlocked! Harmonica Breezy.”
Brown’s lone nomination came courtesy of his 10th studio album, Breezy (Deluxe). The album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 72,000 album equivalent units and included features from Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, Jack Harlow, H.E.R., and more. Conversely, Glasper’s Black Radio III trumped the competition, defeating Brown, Lucky Daye (Candy Drip), Mary J. Blige (Good Morning Gorgeous) and PJ Morton (Watch the Sun) in the category of best R&B album. The set also included a slew of musical all-stars, including Q-Tip, Common, Erykah Badu and Jennifer Hudson.
Additionally on the R&B front, Beyonce clinched a win for best R&B song for “Cuff It.” That would serve as her fourth award of the evening, tying her for the most Grammy wins with 31. Bey is still on pace to break the tie, as she’s also up for album of the year, song of the year, and record of the year.
Check out Breezy’ posts below.
There he is! Ice-T starred in a TikTok for the very first time on Thursday (Feb. 2).
In the clip, the rapper lip-syncs along to Miguel’s 2010 single “Sure Thing,” mouthing, “Cause you’re the cigarette and I’m the smoker/ We raise the bet ’cause you’re the joker/ You are the chalk, and I can be the blackboard/ You can be the talk and I can be the walk, yeah,” alongside Coco Austin and their six-yera-old daughter Chanel.
The video was posted to the official channel of his wife who amusingly recognized what such a rare occasion it was in the clip’s caption. “I finally got Ice to do a TikTok !!” the Ice Loves Coco star wrote. “Please Like and follow so he will do more!”
Naturally, fans couldn’t get enough of the Law and Order: SVU actor’s big TikTok debut, with one in particular commenting, “His timing and talent unmatched.” Others focused on the three as a unit and couldn’t resist pointing out Chanel’s resemblance to her famous dad, writing, “You guys are literally the cutest lil family” and “she is a mini ICE-T.. Omg she looks so much like her dad” with a string of red heart emojis.
This weekend, Ice-T will make another special appearance — this time at the 2023 Grammy Awards, where he’ll help lead a segment introduced by LL Cool J celebrating 50 years of hip-hop history with heavyweights like Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Big Boy, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, Nelly, Method Man, Salt-N-Peppa and DJ Spinderella, Too $hort, Swizz Beatz, Queen Latifah, Public Enemy and many others also performing.
Watch Ice-T and Coco’s cute TikTok below.
If the reported millions of fans registered for ticket queues is any indication, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour is going to be one for the books.The Queen’s first solo all-stadium show since 2016’s Formation World Tour was announced Wednesday (Feb. 1) after several days of speculation and reported venue location leaks. She’ll hit up Europe first in May, and will perform in North America beginning in early July.
There have been so many changes in the world since the last time Beyoncé performed a headlining show — and in her own life and career. Her family with husband Jay-Z grew by two, while she became the most-nominated artist in Grammys history and also garnered an Academy Award nomination. Considering the magnitude of her artistic growth since 2016 — coupled with the deep musical layers informing the RENAISSANCE era of her career — there is absolutely no telling what songs might comprise this tour’s setlist.
Beyoncé has never been a one-trick performer, and she consistently keeps fans on their toes with innovative ideas, fresh choreography and endearing song mashups. Now that she’s long beyond icon status, she has earned the liberty of continuing to do whatever the heck she feels like doing.
Where do you even start when thinking of the ideal setlist for an act as significant as Beyoncé, during a tour as massive as this one is expected to be? Will she pull deep cuts out of the vault? Will she hit every album era? Well, you won’t have to think too hard about all of that, because we have you covered.
Below is our dream setlist for Bey’s Renaissance World Tour. The setlist covers Beyoncé’s discography, keeps her past tour tendencies in mind, and also hearkens back to the beginnings of dance and house music, as Renaissance (and much of modern music as we know it) would hardly exist without them. We’re hoping that the show runs for a reasonable two-and-a-half hours — which would be fair, considering it’s her first trek in nearly seven years!
A majority stake in late rapper Juice WRLD‘s rights and income streams quietly sold to Opus Music Group in early 2022 in a nine-figure deal, according to a source close to the acquisition. Opus now owns 90% of Juice WRLD’s interest in master recording income and 90% of his share of publishing ownership.
The prolific Chicago-born talent’s deal includes his “hundreds” of unreleased tracks as well as his full released music catalog. Ownership of his master recordings remains with his label partners, Grade A Productions and Interscope Records.
Opus Music Group is financially backed by Elliott Management, a New York-based investment management company with one of the largest activist funds in the world. According to Opus Music Group’s website, the firm represents three artists: Juice WRLD, Rauw Alejandro and Maluma.
Juice WRLD boasts five top five-charting albums on the Billboard 200, encompassing the entirety of his charting releases. Two of those albums, Death Race for Love and Legends Never Die, finished at No. 1 on the tally. The late rapper has also charted nine songs on the Billboard Hot 100. He’s earned 16.3 million equivalent album units in the United States for his solo albums as well as his collaborative set with Future, according to Luminate. He also has 26.2 billion on-demand official streams in the U.S. for his catalog of songs where he’s billed as the primary artist, including those credited to Future & Juice WRLD from their collab set, according to Luminate.
Opus Music Group, which would not comment on deal terms, emailed the following statement to Billboard: “To represent the body of work of Juice Wrld – whose cultural significance and generational influence can’t be overstated – is an honor and a responsibility.”
A representative for Juice WRLD declined to comment.
Born Jarad Anthony Higgins, Juice WRLD died in 2019 following a seizure when he was 21 years old. He is best known for his hit “Lucid Dreams,” a melodic, emo-tinged rap track that brought the Soundcloud Rap subgenre to mainstream airwaves in 2018 and reached No. 2 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart. The emotive, catchy track was the focal point of his debut album, Goodbye and Good Riddance (2018), a record which also included “All Girls Are the Same,” his first song to gain serious traction, as well as “Lean wit Me,” “Wasted” and “Armed and Dangerous.” That same year, he released the collaborative mixtape with Future called Future & Juice WRLD Present…Wrld on Drugs. One year later, he released his second album, Death Race for Love, which featured the song “Robbery” and reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Juice WRLD was also known for featuring on other artists’ tracks, often crossing traditional genre lines in the process. Some of his collaborators included Lil Uzi Vert, Benny Blanco, Trippie Redd, Ellie Goulding and BTS.
Posthumously, Juice WRLD has released even more music, starting with the 22-track record Legends Never Die (2020) and Fighting Demons (2022).
For Boi-1da, starting off his career in Canada was no walk in the park. In 2008, Toronto fans were even more brutally cold than the Ontario climate, earning the metropolitan center Boi-1da’s crown for “the worst place to perform.” The city was then known as “the Screwface capital” — a far cry from the overwhelming Drake-mania that exploded in years to come. “I remember we would go places at colleges to perform and everybody was hating on each other booing each other, except for us,” the 36-year-old explains. “We weren’t making gangsta rap, so it was really tough in Toronto.”
Instead, the Jamaica-born Boi-1da — alongside collaborators like Noah ‘”40″ Shebib and T-Minus –painstakingly plowed what was formerly infertile ground, cultivating a cross-cultural, genre-bending sound that would forever change rap. The feat was unprecedented, considering Canada was seldom taken seriously in the music space (save icons like Celine Dion and Shania Twain) and especially within hip-hop.
But now, everything is different — including the way Toronto receives its own musicians. Drake’s success alongside his homegrown team opened the doors for artists like The Weeknd, Partynextdoor, dvsn, Majid Jordan and Jessie Reyez. Boi-1da helped discover and usher in some of these acts, including bringing producers like Sevn Thomas and Vinylz into the fold, who have gone on to work with megastars like Rihanna, Travis Scott and Jay-Z.
Outside of his work with Drake, the mega-producer has brought the R&B and hip-hop genres some of their most iconic musical moments of the last decade, by way of artists like Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, Jack Harlow, J. Cole, Cardi B and Chris Brown. He even took it back to his roots, tapping into Latin sounds with Romeo Santos, J Balvin and Maluma, as well as Jamaican artists like Popcaan.
“I’m so open to music and I make all different kinds of music,” he explains. “I’m going to give people different versions of myself and what I can do [in these new projects].”
Now celebrating nineteen Grammy nominations, including this year’s nomination for producer of the year (non-classical), the chart-topping producer is overwhelmed with gratitude. “It’s a blessing that people care about you or even think about your music,” he says, “because I remember at one point, nobody had any idea who I was. I had no listeners, I was just a kid making music. So I’m grateful for anything.”
Ahead of the Grammys, Boi-1da caught up with Billboard to reflect back on his 17-year-long career, the “terrible” state of hip-hop and what’s left for the multi-hyphenate to achieve.
You’ve been on every Drake project from Room for Improvement through Certified Lover Boy — what was that come up like?
It was the worst. It was literally a warzone in Toronto, nobody showed anybody love. I felt like the boy who cried wolf. I was like, “Yo, this guy’s really good!” and nobody believed me. Nobody wanted to take him seriously as the light-skinned guy from Degrassi.
What were your career goals at that time?
My head around those times was just in getting good at making music. I really wanted to impress people with with my music, that was my main goal. I would get joy [from] a reaction of anybody liking my music. I’m pretty sure every kid with a basketball is growing up wanting to be LeBron James or Steph Curry, so obviously you want to be the best. But really, truly, I was just thinking very small-scale at first. To just be locally good. Once I started making moves and winning competitions for beats, I started expanding my mind and realizing that I can go bigger with it.
What was the catalyst that began to change things?
Up until the co-sign by Lil Wayne, people were not [tapped in]. I don’t know why, because the music was so good.
Early on, what was the music that inspired you?
I was born in Jamaica, so all I heard in my household was dancehall and reggae… I remember we moved to a city called Scarborough. My older sister listened to a lot of R&B — I remember she would constantly play [Soul for Real’s] “Candy Rain” and Boyz II Men. We never had no Spotify and barely any radio. My mom listened to a lot of Ace of Base and Toni Braxton.
I know you’ve tapped into reggae and dancehall, which isn’t a far cry from reggaetón. Would you tap into any Latin genres?
Definitely. I’ve collabed with a few [Latin] artists. I worked with Romeo Santos, a really good friend of mine. I can’t even pronounce the song properly, it’s “Sin Filtro.” He’s the GOAT. We have a few unreleased songs together, as well as [me and] J. Balvin, and I’ve worked with Maluma.
You’re a 19-time Grammy nominated producer. Does that number carry weight for you?
The funny thing is — I just heard that two days ago. I didn’t even know I was 19-times Grammy nominated. So yeah, it definitely does. It’s just an honor to even be acknowledged by the Academy. It’s the highest form of respect. I would have never thought being a little kid that I would have this many nominations, or be doing anything I’m doing. So I’m just grateful.
You’ve already won twice at the Grammys. Would walking away with another win on Sunday change anything for you?
if anything, I’m just gonna go even harder. If I win on Sunday, that’s motivation for me to take it to another level. I think I have a great chance and I’m definitely more than deserving of it. If it’s in God’s grace for me to win, that’ll be a blessing. It’s only gonna make me go harder and make even better music — win or lose.
For someone of your stature, and level of accomplishment, it would be easy to get lost in that. What helps to keep you level-headed?
Having very honest friends and family around me constantly and keeping them very close. I don’t really have friends that are “yes people” around me. I have friends and family that definitely hold me accountable. I prefer that around me, than people just telling me I’m doing the right thing if I make a mistake.
My daughter, she keeps it pretty funky with me. I’ll play her music and she’ll be like, “This sucks.” My dad always taught me that you’re not better than anybody, regardless of whatever you do. I treat everybody with the same respect and put everybody on the same level.
Any picks for best new artist this year?
Definitely excited for Anitta. She’s super cool. Spoke to her a few times. Latto’s really dope and so is Muni Long. I’ve been meaning to work with Anitta, but we haven’t done anything just yet. Latto as well, I have a few friends who are connected with her, who are gonna connect us eventually. I don’t rush anything.
You were born in Jamaica and came to Canada as a four-year-old. Did you experience the typical child-of-immigrants pressure?
My parents grew up extremely rough. They grew up in Jamaica when it was literally the murder capital of the world. We actually moved to Canada because there was a lot of murder around where we lived. I’ve watched my dad work overtime, sacrifice every night, to live in the places we used to live [in Toronto]. And my mom worked extremely hard. When I came to Canada, it was without my my mom. Just me, my dad and my sister. I didn’t see my mom for two years.
So I’ve seen them work very hard. There was definitely a lot of pressure but they also gave me a lot of love and said, “No matter what, win or lose, we’re still family and we love you.”
There’s been a lot of conversation in the last year about the state of rap and where it is headed. Most recently, the genre lost a portion of its market share and there’s been some concern about its positioning. What are your thoughts on where rap is at today?
I’ll be completely honest with you. I think hip-hop is terrible right now, and one-dimensional. But I think it’s up to the people at the forefront — including myself — to start doing new things and taking risks. I feel like it’s been stuck at the same spot for a long time. Hip-hop always has its ups and downs. I just feel like it’s a little bit of a downward phase right now. And it’s gonna go back up eventually.
A lot of people thought that drill music would give the genre that boost, but it seems that the subgenre’s biggest hopefuls have been killed, imprisoned or had their careers hampered.
Yeah, that’s unfortunate. There’s still a lot of dope drill, and a lot of people doing it. I feel like a lot of creatives these days — they’ll see something as hot and just want to do that. Whereas the way I think about things is, I see something and I want to go in the complete opposite direction, at all times. I’m just gonna continue to do that, and try my best as a leader in music to bring something new to the table and shake it up a little bit.
What was it like working with Kendrick Lamar on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, which is up for album of the year and best rap album?
I worked on “N95” and “Silent Hill.” It’s always dope to work with Kendrick. He’s just a creative free spirit and so am I. When we both connect, it’s just a bunch of ideas being shot out there. We did those songs a while ago on the spot here in California. I’ll work on [the songs] to a certain extent, because I trust Kendrick’s creative integrity — and then he took them and made them what he wanted.
How involved is Kendrick in the production of his music?
Extremely involved. He is almost a producer himself. He’s just moving things out the way, changing things. He’s literally a musical genius composer, artist, writer, visionary, everything. He’s really a gift from God to the world. I really appreciate that man and his art.
Another visionary you worked with — who is also up for album of the year — is Beyoncé. What was it like creating “HEATED?”
That was a record that I had originally worked on with Drake. It was an idea we started that he took over with Beyoncé. That’s another guy that I fully allow to be himself. There’s no point in telling Drake anything. He knows what he’s doing. I’m like [DJ] Khaled — I like what Drake likes. Whatever Drake wants to do, he can do, because he gets it right every single time.
Did you and Drake make “HEATED” with Beyoncé in mind?
Yeah, we had Bey in mind. We just wanted to do a song with the Queen.
You’ve had an almost two-decade long career as a producer so far. What’s left for you?
I think what’s left for my career is to start putting out projects of my own. I feel like I’ve been floating around and helping everybody else with their projects. I think it’s about time I do something creative that is completely my vision. I feel like I haven’t showed that to the world at all.
It’s in motion right now. I’m creating a lot for myself, and talking to artists about ideas that I’ve worked on. I’m working on a cool project right now that’s coming together slowly but tastefully. When it’s done, everybody’s gonna hear it. I don’t like putting release dates on things. I want it to be perfect.
It’s officially February, and as we turn the page on a new month, we’ve got a whole batch of new music to soundtrack the lead-up to Valentine’s Day. And Billboard wants to know: Which release are you loving the most?
More than half a decade after 2017’s Now, Shania Twain reasserts her claim to the country-pop throne with her new album Queen of Me. Preceded by singles “Waking Up Dreaming” and “Giddy Up!,” the new studio set also lifts the icon’s title track to her 2022 compilation Not Just a Girl (The Highlights) and incorporates the anthemic single into its 12-song track list.
Meanwhile, GloRilla feeds the haters and calls out the fakery in all our social media feeds on her delicious new single “Internet Trolls.” “Watch out for them internet trolls/ They be tryna satisfy them internet goals/ You just got locked up ’cause the internet told/ Fake it ’til you make it, that’s the internet code,” she spits on the Hitkidd-produced track.
There’s also RAYE, who caps off a long and arduous music industry journey of the past few years by finally releasing her debut album 21st Century Blues. “Please get nice and comfortable and lock your phones, because the story is about to begin,” she declares at the top of the independent studio set, which arrives on the heels of her U.K. No. 1 hit “Escapism” featuring 070 Shake and also contains highlights like “Oscar Winning Tears,” “The Thrill Is Gone” and the Mahalia-assisted “Five Star Hotels.”
Plus, Morgan Wallen previews the massive 36-song track list of his upcoming album One Thing at a Time with a trio of new tunes; Karol G and Romeo Santos team up for the Spanish-language “X Si Volvemos”; and more.
Vote for your favorite new release of the week in Billboard‘s poll below.
