State Champ Radio R&B/Hip-Hop
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Summer Walker‘s name was noticeably absent when this year’s crop of Grammy nominations was announced on Tuesday (Nov. 15) and the R&B star took to social media to speak about it.
In a since-expired pair of Instagram Stories, the “Girls Need Love” singer wrote, “Thanks for all the overflowing love in my dm’s… & as for the grammys for a 2nd time, the math is literally not mathing… I was gone post some numbers but it’s ok, atleast the streets fuq with me. y’all always pack out every show & support everytime I drop so thanks for the love I do receive” with a pair of white heart emojis.
While Walker may have been disappointed her 2021 sophomore album Still Over It failed to earn any nods from the Recording Academy, she actually did, in fact, earn her first Grammy nomination this year for contributing to Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, which is up for album of the year. (The singer co-wrote and provided guest vocals on album cut “Purple Hearts” with Ghostface Killah.)
Meanwhile, the R&B fields for the 2023 ceremony were crowded by the likes of Beyoncé’s Renaissance, Mary J. Blige’s Good Morning Gorgeous, PJ Morton’s Watch the Sun and other work by Muni Long, Lucky Daye, Jazmine Sullivan and Robert Glasper.
In the last few months alone, Walker has released new collaborations with The Weeknd (“Best Friend [Remix]“), Ciara (“Better Thangs“) and Ari Lennox (“Queen Space“).
The 2023 Grammys will be held on Sunday, Feb. 5 at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. Check out the full list of nominees here.
Kendrick Lamar can’t seem to get himself out of the house — literally. The rapper surprised fans with the video for his Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers track “Rich Spirit,” on Wednesday (Nov. 16), in which he delivers the song’s clever and well thought out lines from the confines of a sparsely decorated home that he never attempts to leave due to continued torment from the telephone.
“Rich n—a, broke phone (ah)/ Tryna keep the balance, I’m stayin’ strong (ooh)/ Stop playin’ with me ‘fore I turn you to a song (yeah)/ Stop playin’ with me ‘fore I turn you to a song (ooh)/ Ayy, b—h, I’m attractive (ah)/ Can’t f–k with you no more, I’m fastin’, ugh (ooh)/ B—h, I’m attractive (ah, ah, ah, ah)/ Can’t f–k with you no more, I’m fastin’, ugh,” Lamar raps on the chorus of the track.
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers — Lamar’s highly anticipated follow up to 2017’s DAMN. — was released on May 23. The double album, which features singles “N95,” “Silent Hill” and “Die Hard,” was commercial success and charted spent a total of 26 on Billboard 200, where it peaked No. 1. All three of the LP’s singles charted within the top 5 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Lamar is currently up for eight awards at the 2023 Grammys — Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is up for album of the year and best rap album, meanwhile “The Heart Part 5” is nominated for record and song of the year, best rap performance, best rap song and best music video. “Die Hard” is up for best melodic rap performance.
Watch the music video for “Rich Spirit” in the video above.
Brooklyn Academy of Music announced on Wednesday (Nov. 16) that Solange is set to curate the lineup for the venue’s 2023 Spring Music Series.
Through her multidisciplinary creative collective Saint Heron, the When I Get Home auteur will be responsible for hand-selecting a lineup of concerts, films, performance art, dance and other theater pieces for the stages of BAM’s multi-theater campus “honoring the intergenerational and genre-spanning impact” of innovative musicians and artists.
“We’re excited to work with Solange and her Saint Heron collective for this incredible music series of genre-crossing artists presented in unprecedented ways,” said David Binder, BAM’s artistic director, in a statement. “Her experimental, global, and authentic approach consistently pushes the boundary of what performance can be and charts new pathways for audiences to connect. We can’t wait to see how this transpires on our stages.”
The complete lineup curated by Solange is expected to be announced soon with performances slated to begin this coming winter. The singer last worked with BAM nearly a decade ago when she headlined the 2013 Crossing Brooklyn Ferry music festival.
Her creative partnership with Brooklyn Academy of Music will follow Solange’s recent foray into composition. She wrote the score for Play Time for the New York City Ballet, which premiered at the end of September as part of the celebrated dance troupe’s Fall Fashion Gala. The premiere earned raves from Beyoncé, who sweetly shouted out her younger sister on social media by saying, “Might I suggest you don’t f–k with my sis” — a lyric from Renaissance fan favorite track “COZY.”
A trampoline park in Austin isn’t the first place you’d expect to see hundreds of SZA fans. Yet on a Friday night in October, there they were — lined up, excitedly chanting the lyrics to “The Weekend” from the singer-songwriter’s 2017 debut album, Ctrl. And in fact, it wasn’t a completely unexpected sight: SZA had just wrapped her headlining set at the Austin City Limits festival and sent an open invite on Twitter to “randomly jump w me” till 2 a.m. The former competitive gymnast flipped into the foam pit with the utmost joy, just like her fans.
Altitude Trampoline Park, which bills itself as the “world’s best trampoline park,” also might not be where you’d expect to hear a preview of what RCA Records chairman/CEO Peter Edge calls “one of the most important albums of the year.” But on this particular evening, for any attendees listening closely, it was. Terrence “Punch” Henderson, SZA’s manager and president of her label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), played “at least 4 songs off the new album on the loud speakers,” she tweeted the following morning. Unlike this night in Austin, though, getting that album out has been far from all fun and games.
When SZA released Ctrl on June 9, 2017, on RCA and TDE, she immediately established herself as alternative R&B’s girl next door and one of the most exciting new voices in music. Sonically, it was the kind of music SZA had always wanted to hear growing up but never quite found outside of herself — an abstract form of R&B influenced by indie and trap music and shaped by lo-fi beats. And lyrically, it was the kind of ultra-relatable songwriting that young people from all walks of life needed: SZA chronicled familiar coming-of-age quandaries, like wondering if your significant other believes you’re enough, or debating if being normal would benefit your relationships, or, well, questioning everything else life throws at you in your 20s.
Read SZA’s full Billboard cover story, part of our R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players issue, here.
Rolling Loud announced the lineup for the 2023 Rolling Loud California festival on Tuesday (Nov. 15), with a jam-packed roster topped by headliners Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, Future and Lil Wayne. The three-day event will take place in Inglewood, California at the 300-acre Hollywood Park Grounds adjacent to SoFi Stadium from March 3-5.
The first edition of Rolling Loud in the Los Angeles area since 2019 — the event was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and moved to San Bernardino in 2021 — will mark Scott’s first major headlining performance since the Nov. 2021 Astroworld tragedy, where 10 fans died and hundreds were injured in a crowd crush. Among the other acts slated to take the stage at the festival are: Kodak Black, Tyga, Trippie Redd, Dababy, Saweetie, Fivio Foreign, Soulja Boy, Lil Baby, Don Toliver, 2 Chainz, Kevin Gates, Lil Yachy, City Girls, Chief Keef, Lil Uzi Vert, Polo G, Moneybagg Yo and many more.
“Rolling Loud is deeply honored to be the first-ever music festival to take place at the incredible Hollywood Park,” said Rolling Loud co-founders Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif in August when they announced the L.A. dates. “We’re pumped to return to L.A. and make our debut in Inglewood, such an important neighborhood in rap history. Rolling Loud California 2023 will be an event worthy of its historic location, celebrating the undeniable influence of the West Coast on hip-hop and featuring some of the hottest rappers in the game. Stay tuned for our biggest and best California festival yet!”
Check out the full 2023 Rolling Loud L.A. lineup below.
Donald Trump kicked off his third bid for the White House on Tuesday night (Nov. 15) at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and within an hour the twice-impeached one-term former president was already facing his latest threat of legal sanction.
In the midst of a nest of investigations into Trump’s actions before and during his tumultuous four-year term, the estate of late R&B/soul legend Isaac Hayes tweeted that it was exploring its legal options to stop the former reality star from using one of Hayes’ compositions at his campaign events. “Once again, the estate and family of Isaac Hayes DID NOT approve the use of ‘Hold On I’m Coming’ by Sam and Dave by Donald Trump at his 2024 Presidential announcement tonight,” read the tweet.
“We are exploring multiple legal options to stop this unauthorized use,” it warned. Hayes co-wrote the 1966 hit and in a subsequent tweet the estate added, “Stopping a politician from using your music is not always an easy task, but we are dedicated to making sure that Donald Trump does not continue to use ‘Hold on I’m Coming’ by written by Isaac Hayes an David Porter in further rallies and public appearances.”
As he launches his latest attempt to return to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in the wake of a middling to poor showing by the large slate of candidates he endorsed in last week’s midterm elections, the warning from the Hayes estate is likely the least perilous legal threat facing the real estate mogul. Trump is facing a Dept. of Justice probe into the large collection of official documents he took from the White House after his failed 2020 re-election bid.
He is also facing two investigations in New York — one civil, one criminal — examining his Trump Organization for allegations of fraud, as well as a probe into his alleged role in the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021 and a criminal investigation into his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Trump, 76, repeatedly fell afoul of number of musical acts during his first presidential run in 2015-2016, as well as during his term as president and his 2020 campaign when he played their music at his rallies. On his way out of office after being defeated by Pres. Joe Biden, the Village People called out the “bully” ex-president for playing their gay anthem “Y.M.C.A.” one more time against their wishes at his sparsely attended farewell event on Jan. 20, 2021.
For years Trump ignored pleas from a long list of famous acts to cease and desist from using their music during his rallies and political events and in addition to the costumed disco act, the legacy manager for Laura Branigan took issue with Trump playing her hit “Gloria” at his final official appearance as well.
Over the five years of his campaigns and presidency, artists ranging from Adele to Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, R.E.M., Aerosmith, Panic! at the Disco, Guns N’ Roses, The Rolling Stones, Rihanna and the estates of Leonard Cohen, Tom Petty and Prince have vociferously objected to Trump playing their music at his rallies. At press time a spokesperson for Trump could not be reached for comment.
See the Hayes estate tweet below.
Stopping a politician from using your music is not always an easy task, but we are dedicated to making sure that Donald Trump does not continue to use “Hold on I’m Coming” by written by Isaac Hayes an David Porter in further rallies and public appearances.— Isaac Hayes (@isaachayes) November 16, 2022
Blueface was arrested Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 15) in connection with a shooting last month in Las Vegas, and is expected to face several charges including attempted murder.
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The 25-year-old rapper, whose real name is Johnathan Porter, had warrants out for his arrest following a shooting that took place Oct. 8 near Sunset Road and S. Las Vegas Blvd, reads a statement from Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
LVMPD detectives apprehended the artist at approximately 2.40pm, and were set to book him into Clark County Detention Center on warrants for attempted murder with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm at/into an occupied structure, the statement continues.
The department also supplied Blueface’s mugshot.
Based in Los Angeles, Blueface had a commercial breakout in 2019 with “Thotiana,” which peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Thotiana” remains his only top 40 entry, and is one of three appearances on the chart, including “Daddy,” with Rich The Kid (peaking at No. 78); and “Slide,” with French Montana and Lil Tjay (No. 90), both from 2019.
The hip-hop artist’s debut mixtape, 2019’s Famous Cryp, reached No. 29 on the Billboard 200, and is one of his three entries on the chart.
The controversial rapper first got attention thanks in part to his high-pitched voice, which observers have likened to cartoon character Courage the Cowardly Dog. A series of memes took off on YouTube, with clips of his music soundtracking the cartoon.
Blueface was in the news in August of this year when his girlfriend Chrisean Rock was detained and arrested after she punched him during an altercation in an Arizona bar.
He tested his talents outside of the studio last year when he participated in the BKFC 19 — the official Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship pay-per-view event, airing on FITE.tv.
Marathon Films dropped the trailer for Hussle, a new docuseries exploring the life and legacy of Nipsey Hussle, on Tuesday (Nov. 15).
“Crenshaw-Slauson, in the Crenshaw District, well that’s where, really, the Nip Hussle story,” the rapper’s voice narrates over footage from his lifetime, later adding, “Faith is a required element on your marathon to success and on your marathon of life. It’s your footprint in the sand, your dent in the universe, the impact on the world around you. I want ’em to say that he wasn’t afraid to live. Chasing a dream.”
Elsewhere, the trailer also highlights Hussle growing up in the ’90s in L.A., the births of his two children, his first Grammy nominations and the ways he was determined to give back to his community as his career continued to take off.
“If me being from over here…or representing this area or being accessible to the area affects my career in a negative way, I’m just taking that one on the chin,” the late rapper says in one undated interview from the clip, ominously foreshadowing his murder in the parking lot of his South L.A. clothing store, Marathon Clothing, in March 2019.
While the trailer doesn’t tease a release date, Hussle is being financed by SpringHill, the media studio owned by LeBron James and Maverick Carter. “It’s an incredible honor for SpringHill to have a part in sharing Nipsey’s story and legacy with the world,” said the NBA great in a statement. “He used his gift to give back to his community and lived what it means to inspire, empower, and uplift others along the way. His words, his ambition, and his actions stick with me to this day as he continues to inspire myself, our company, and people everywhere.”
Last summer, Hussle was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, just weeks after his killer was found guilty of first-degree murder as well as two additional counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter.
Watch the first teaser for Hussle below.
Offset broke his silence on Tuesday (Nov. 15) to publicly honor Takeoff on social media.
“Dear Take, doesn’t feel real posting you like this….This still doesn’t feel like reality. I’ve been searching for the right words to say, but there aren’t any that will suffice. Until we meet again, Rest In Power. I love you,” the rapper captioned the Instagram post dedicated to his late bandmate and first cousin.
At the front of the slideshow of pictures and memories, Offset included a longer letter to Takeoff, who was shot down at a Houston bowling alley in the early hours of Nov. 1. “Dear Take, The pain you have left me with is unbearable. My heart is shattered and I have so many things to say, but I can’t find the words,” he wrote. “I’ve been going to sleep and waking up hoping that all of this is a dream, but it’s reality and reality feels like a nightmare. Every time you would see me, you didn’t give me a dap you gave me a hug.
“I wish I could hug you one last time,” the Migos rapper continued. “Laugh one last time. Smoke one one last time. Perform one last time. I know someone with a soul like yours is in heaven now. I hope you can see how much we love you and miss you. You have left a hole in my heart that will never be filled. Give me strength, give your brothers strength, give your family strength.”
Offset finished the letter by asking his cousin to “throw me a lil sign or a beautiful dream” to let him know he’s still with him.
While Takeoff’s public memorial took place earlier this month at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, stars like Cardi B, Quavo, Drake and more have also memorialized their fallen friend since his tragic death.
Swipe through Offset’s memories with Takeoff below.
Gucci Mane is channeling his pain into art with the poignant new video for his track “Letter to Takeoff,” released on Tuesday (Nov. 15).
The song honors his slain friend, who was shot and killed on Nov. 1 at just 28 years old. “Just left another funeral, I shed a tear / I’m still in disbelief, I can’t believe it’s real / I think about the memories, it give me chills / I’m wonderin’ why they left the fake and took the real / Like how the f— we gon’ lose Takeoff / Damn, he didn’t deserve it,” he raps on the track.
Gucci is a longtime collaborator with Takeoff, most recently appearing on the late rapper’s first and only album with his uncle and fellow Migos member Quavo, Only Built for Infinity Links.
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Shots rang out, fatally shooting Takeoff while he was attending a private party at a bowling alley in downtown Houston with Quavo. The musician was killed by “penetrating gunshot wounds of head and torso into arm,” according to a report from the Harris County coroner’s office. A woman and another man were also wounded in the shooting. No arrests have been made.
On November 11, Offset, Cardi B, Drake, City Girls, Chloe Bailey, Justin Bieber and more gathered to remember the beloved artist at a public funeral at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, near where the late rapper grew up. During the event, Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens honored Takeoff’s family with the city’s highest honor, the Phoenix Award.
See below for Gucci Mane’s “Letter to Takeoff” video.
