R&B/Hip-Hop
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Ye went on a hate-filled tweet spree on Friday morning (Feb. 7) in which he once again praised Nazis and Adolf Hitler, while insulting the LGBTQ community and people with disabilities with phrases such as “f–k ret-rds.”
West, whose once formidable music and fashion empire crumbled in 2022 after a string of hate-filled, antisemitic rants in which he stated “I like Hitler” and repeatedly embraced antisemitic stereotypes and hate speech, doubled-down on that rhetoric in the dozens of posts on Friday.
The all-cap tweets began early in the morning with a statement in which Ye claimed that he “turned down 3 photos this week with Make-A-Wish kids in wheelchairs,” followed by a further, full embrace of antisemitic language. “I love Hitler, how what b–ches,” Ye wrote, followed by “I’m a Nazi.”
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt responded to the posts on X with a statement that read: “Here we go again. Another egregious display of antisemitism, racism and misogyny from Ye on his X account this morning. Just a few years ago, ADL found that 30 antisemitic indents nationwide were tied to Kanye’s 2022 antisemitic rants. We condemn this dangerous behavior and need to call it what it is: a flagrant and unequivocal display of hate.”
He added, “We know this game all too well. Let’s call Ye’s hate-filled public rant for what it really is: a sad attempt for attention that uses Jews as a scapegoat. But unfortunately, it does get attention because Kanye has a far-reaching platform on which to spread his antisemitism and hate. Words matter. And as we’ve seen too many times before, hateful rhetoric can prompt real-world consequences.”
Ye’s spree also included the use of homophobic slurs (“f—ot a– n–gas”), ableist insults (“dumb a– ret-rds”) and the statement “all white people are racist.” A number of the tweets were marked “visibility limited” as they ran afoul of X’s rules against hateful conduct.
Among them were comments such as, “Jewish people actually hate white people and use Black people,” “you can get money with Jewish people but they always gonna steal” and “this is how I really feel, how I really felt and how I will always feel… f–k all of your f–k a– unfair business deals any Jewish person that does business with me needs to know I don’t like or trust any Jewish person and this is completely sober with no Hennesy [sic].”
West also referenced Twitter/X owner and White House advisor Elon Musk’s repeated use of a Nazi-like salute at an inauguration event for Donald Trump last month that was widely criticized (Musk responded to critics by saying they “need better dirty tricks”). “Elon stole my Nazi swag at the inauguration… yooo my guy get your own third rale,” Ye wrote, adding, “I can say Jew as much as I want. I can say Hitler as much as I want.”
Claiming he has no interest in “adjusting nothing I do or say for anybody,” West promised to “normalize talking about Hitler they [sic] way talking about killing ni–as has been normalized,” followed by “Hitler was sooooo fresh” and “call me Yaydolf Yitler.”
The string of hate speech was seemingly embraced by white supremacist Nick Fuentes who wrote “and we’re back” in response to one of Ye’s tweets; Ye posted a series of crying laughing emoji on that Fuentes comment. Fuentes, known for his antisemitic, misogynistic and white supremacist views, also reposted a few of Ye’s most incendiary tweets, including one that read: “all you pleeeeease come at me… that’s who we spot the k–ns… let these white people and Jewish people tell you what to do and say.”
Amidst Ye’s earlier embrace of Hitler and Nazi propaganda, experts spoke to Billboard about the dangers of someone with such a wide social media reach promoting antisemitic tropes at a time when hate crimes against Jews and Jewish institutions were at the highest point in recent memory.
“At a time when the community is dealing with this level of hatred to have one of the most well-known entertainers in our culture making statements like ‘I like Hitler’ and showing up on [Jones’] InfoWars is not just vile and offensive, but it’s also endangering Jews by giving people permission to express that kind of prejudice,” Greenblatt said at the time. “People in the mainstream did not make such overtly awful, inflammatory comments before like this.”
Ye also tweeted support for Diddy, who is currently behind bars as he awaits trial for sex trafficking charges. “Puff we love you,” he posted. “I stood up for Puff and I’m still winning 20 Grammies [sic] next year and doing the Super Bowl.”
In a podcast interview earlier this week, Ye claimed that he’d recently been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) after his wife said she thought his previous diagnosis of bipolar disorder was incorrect.
Over the past year, West had slowly begun to try and rebuild his music and fashion empire following its rapid meltdown after his 2022-2023 spree of antisemitic hate speech in interviews, which included a tweet announcing he was going “death con [sic] 3 on Jewish people,” repeated praise for Holocaust mastermind Adolf Hitler and the promotion of the white supremacist phrase “White Lives Matter” on shirts at Paris Fashion Week.
In the wake of those incidents, Ye was dropped by the Gap, Adidas, Balenciaga and his agents at CAA and his social media accounts were suspended or revoked in a fallout so wide-ranging that the former — and according to him, again — billionaire said in February of last year that he nearly went bankrupt.
At press time, the string of antisemitic statements continued unabated with Ye writing, “I don’t even know what the f–k anti semetic [sic] means… its just some bulls–t Jewish people made up to protect their bulls–t,” as well as a claim that he “channeled” misogynist influence Andrew Tate in his comments. Tate was released from five months of house arrest in Romania in January related to allegations of human trafficking and sex with a minor; Tate has denied the allegations.
Everyone’s curious about the teens and twenty-somethings who make up Gen Z. How do they interact with each other? Do they even dance in the clubs anymore? What’s the dating world like for them? With his new Wonderlove album, rising ATL-bred R&B singer Chase Shakur may have a few answers.
Introduced by singles like “Focus on Me” and the TyFontaine-assisted “Fairytailes in Midtown,” Wonderlove arrived on Friday (Feb. 7) as Shakur’s debut studio album — and his second full-length project under Def Jam. His new record charts its moody, introspective emotional odyssey through a soundscape that amalgamates gospel, soul, dancehall, Miami bass, trap, Afrobeats and more. Inspired by the surrealist world of Quentin Tarantino’s Oscar-winning Pulp Fiction and the globe-traversing DJ sets of his closest friends, Shakur sought to make an album that truly examined what love looks like for Gen Z in 2025.
“Sometimes we look at love kinda surface-level,” he tells Billboard just two days before the album drops. “We look at love for what we can get from it instead of adding to one another. I wanted to make a body of work that feels like a hug.”
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After bursting onto the scene with his 2022 debut project, It’ll Be Fine, Shakur spent the next two years pumping out music and hitting the showcase circuit in 2023. Last summer, he toured the globe alongside The Kid LAROI on the Grammy nominee’s The First Time tour.
A rapper-turned-singer with deep reverence for the roots of traditional R&B, Shakur displays tremendous growth across his debut album, which he began recording while touring London in December 2023 and finished during The Kid LAROI’s tour. On “Fairytales,” he slickly flips Sexyy Red’s raucous “Get It Sexyy” into a brooding, sensuous ballad, and he even buried a trap-inflected hidden track on the back half of the album’s closer, “A Song for Her.”
Billboard caught up with Chase Shakur about Wonderlove, deepening his film knowledge, his forthcoming tour, and honoring his family legacy through music.
Do you have a favorite moment from the creative process for this album?
Just living in L.A. for three months and being hella disciplined. I was on a meal prep routine and going to the gym; we only wore black clothes so we could lock in and not be distracted by anything else.
How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist and as a person since your debut?
I have a better understanding of what I’m trying to do with my career and my art. I’m learning maturity in my music.
What are some elements that you would consider immature in your older music?
Being scared a girl I’m talking to might hear something that I say [on a record] and crash out on me. I used to be nervous about that, but now I’m like “F–k that s—t.”
How do you think your growth manifests itself on Wonderlove specifically?
I’m a lot more fearless on this project. I had a session with No I.D. and Raphael Saadiq, and No I.D. gave a n—a the illest advice about not giving a f—k about perception. Just tell your story and bring those special nuances. I was nervous as f—k because they’re my inspirations, but they’re mad cool. In between recording, I would walk out into the lobby and get to hear how they did “How Does It Feel” with D’Angelo. We [as up-and-coming artists] overthink it. Listening to them talk about how the song was made because D’Angelo was looking for weed… we overthink a lot of the time!
You dropped your first two projects in back-to-back years. Why’d you take a bit more time with this one?
I wanted to make a story that people could understand. This was my first time doing something that had elements of surrealism, but I still wanted to keep it rough at the same time. When I was on tour [with The Kid LAROI], I was watching a bunch of movies that I hadn’t seen but everybody else had seen. I watched Pulp Fiction for the first time, and it felt real but like… your friend not gonna tell you no s—t like that, you know what I’m saying? [Laughs]. I’m trying to blend that world with my production and lyrics and make a full body of work, not just one song.
What does the term “wonderlove” mean and when did you know that was the title?
I came up with the title after coming home from tour and going to my grandma’s house. I grew up in a house with eight people, split between the women in the family and the men in the family. In Black households, we all have that picture that everybody knows. I was flipping through the photo album with my grandma, and there’s a picture of her and my grandpa. I never met my grandpa, but my grandma used to always tell me about the love they had for each other and the type of man he was. In her telling me that, I wanted to make something that was the opposite of what people are talking about right now.
Other than Pulp Fiction, what else were you consuming while making Wonderlove?
I listened to a lot of stuff. Reggae, a lot of Afrobeats, R&B of course. I watched Belly and Paid in Full – I know, I’m supposed to have been seen that shit – and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I’ve just been studying film, man; I’m trying to make my visuals stand out with those elements of surrealism.
I think when people see me – I don’t know what they think really – but I feel like there’s an element of mystique. And with mystique, there’s a little bit of magic.
How did the Smino collaboration come together?
I was on The Kid LAROI’s tour, and he sent his verse a month before I left Baltimore. I randomly got it on the bus, and I was like, “What the f—k!” In my personal opinion, we got the best Smino verse in a minute. The video for that is gonna be wild too, so I’m excited. There’s always an element of unpredictability; I was playing his s—t months before that particular exchange even transpired. I like having a blend of vocals or a different contrast when I collaborate with people. I also want to step outside [my comfort zone] and mix genres.
You got a track on here called “Sex N Sade.” What’s your favorite Sade song?
“Soldier of Love!”
You end the album with a slightly more traditional piano-led ballad. How do you keep traditional R&B present in your style?
For this album, I would say the [main traditional] element was gospel music. With “2ofUs,” my mentor, Ari PenSmith, really helped me understand how to use my voice in a way that still has what I grew up on: the gospel and blues elements of traditional R&B.
In the past, I undermined my vocal evolution. I listened to the last project I dropped a couple of days ago, and vocally, I’ve made a 180 [degree turn]. When you listen to the first joint and then listen to me now, I’m much more confident and open.
“Undercover Angel” is a sick mix of Miami bass and dancehall. What was that studio session like?
Everybody thought I was crazy when I said [that was gonna work], ain’t gon lie. That’s slick how it goes a lot of the time, and then it works! A lot of my friends are DJs, and I go to their events and listen to their mashups and s—t. I record them when they blend Afrobeats and all that, I think it’s cool. I don’t know what made me want to have those dancehall elements, but I just wanted people to have fun. People be like, “What the f—k?” when they hear it – especially when the bass drops.
“Face” also has some overt house influences. Do you plan on exploring dance music further on future projects?
I try everything in the studio. I have rock songs, I got jazz songs, I got country songs, everything. When I tried making dance songs for the first time, it wasn’t cause I could dance. I can’t f—king dance. When I started working on this album, I was going to a lot of clubs where it wasn’t section culture. I’m in Atlanta, so I’m pulling up on R&B nights and seeing it’s possible for us to have fun and be cool at the same time. That’s what inspired me to make and throw out more dance songs.
How have you grown personally and professionally since signing to Def Jam?
I learned that everything is a choice. Somebody told me that, at this stage, you can choose to do three shows a night or do one show and go home. But it’s all up to you to put in 10,000 hours — not just with recording, but performing and being an all-around artist too. I know I want to be an artist with longevity, and being on Def Jam is teaching me ways to be patient with that.
Do you have any tour plans?
It’s gonna be a family affair, man. I’m excited about the tour. I got SWAVAY opening up and my family with me. Got a couple of shows being opened up by artists from the [Forever N September] collective. We’re coming with a stage that tells a story. It’s my first time doing some stage design, so this is a real learning process. I’m most excited to perform “Say That You Will.”
GELO has teamed up with Lil Wayne on the remix of his 2025 runaway hit “Tweaker” on Friday (Feb. 7). The NBA G-League hooper and middle Ball brother (real name LiAngelo Ball) released the original song at the top of the year after it was previewed on popular streamer N3on’s platform last December and it officially […]
Pardison Fontaine and Cardi B dropped their highly anticipated “Toot It Up” collab on Friday (Feb. 7) via Hitmaker Music Group. “You guys keep asking for ‘Toot It.’ Where’s ‘Toot It’? Where’s ‘Toot It’ at? Can we get ‘Toot It’? Here go the song, here go ‘Toot It.’ Take it, play it, do whatever y’all […]
Legendary hip-hop outfit the Wu-Tang Clan are teaming up with producer and group DJ Mathematics to release their first new record in eight years.
Set for release on Record Store Day, on April 12, the album’s full title is Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman: Wu-Tang, The Saga Continues Collection, and brings to mind their last joint effort, 2017’s The Saga Continues.
A somewhat controversial entry in the band’s discography, the release was issued without the word ‘Clan’ in the group’s name, and described as a ‘compilation’ album due to the absence of U-God. “It can’t be a complete Wu-Tang Clan album without UG,” Mathematics said at the time.
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The forthcoming record, however, has seen Mathematics recruit the entire group for the project. As Variety reports, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Cappadonna, U-God, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, GZA and RZA all confirmed to appear, along with guest spots from Kurupt, Kool G. Rap, Benny the Butcher, and more.
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“You can be sure of a great body [of] work,” Raekwon said to Variety. “Mathematics is a top tier producer who makes music with his soul attached.”
“Wu-Tang has always been about pushing boundaries — musically, artistically, and culturally. With Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman, I’m giving fans not just an album, but a piece of history — something truly one of a kind,” Mathematics explained in a statement. “This is more than music; it’s innovation, storytelling, and legacy all in one. I am excited for everyone to hear the music and see the artwork around this album.”
5,000 copies of the album will be made available for Record Store Day. According to its dedicated page on the RSD website, “Every album jacket features unique ‘1 of 1’ cover art, making each design truly distinct and highly collectible – a first in the vinyl record industry.” A digital release is also expected, with final track “Charleston Blue, Legend of a Fighter” described as a vinyl-only bonus track.
Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman will mark the first Wu-Tang Clan record to feature the full current lineup of the collective since 2015’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. To date, no widespread commercial release for that album has been announced since its controversial sale to the notorious so-called “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli. It did, however, receive a debut public airing at the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, Australia last year.
DMX‘s ex-wife opened up about the late rappers unfortunate business decisions and finances. Sitting down with Carlos King for his Reality with the King podcast, Tashera Simmons revealed DMX was on his way to becoming a billionaire at one point. “I remember looking at our bank accounts and the zeros wouldn’t stop. I’m not even […]
Kendrick Lamar rarely does interviews these days, but he sat down with Apple Music’s Nadeska and Ebro Darden on Thursday morning (Feb. 6) in New Orleans prior to taking the stage this weekend for the Super Bowl LIX halftime show. Lamar answered questions for about a half-hour, and while Drake wasn’t brought up directly, K. […]
Drake was in a giving mood during the second stop of his Anita Max Win Tour in Australia and New Zealand. During his set at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, the Toronto rapper randomly spotted a couple of fans in the crowd and gifted them $20,000 apiece, as captured by Australian hip-hop Instagram account Take […]
Lil Wayne may not be headlining the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, but he’s still making some noise days ahead of the big game. Weezy starred in an ad for Cetaphil on Thursday (Feb. 6). However, it wasn’t his skin routine that left our jaws on the floor as the New Orleans icon seemingly announced […]
From Theodoros Bafaloukos’ classic film Rockers (1978) to Steve McQueen’s more contemporary anthology entry Lovers Rock (2020), the luscious melodies and charming lyrics of lovers rock – a particularly romantic reggae subgenre – have been enrapturing and inspiring artists for decades. Montreal rapper Skiifall (pronounced “skyfall”) is the latest rising star to be bitten by the lovers rock bug, but he’s not wholly unfamiliar with the style.
Hailing from Barrouille in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Skiifall moved to Montreal, Canada, with his family as a child, and spent his high school years falling in love with Atlanta rap, moving away from the soca and reggae that soundtracked in his childhood. After a few years of toiling in local bands and honing his chops with partially government-funded studio time, he released his breakthrough debut single, “Ting Tun Up,” in 2020. The song garnered massive buzz in the U.K., leading to a remix with Knucks and increased eyeballs and ears on Skiifall. Though his sound morphed into something closer to hip-hop than soca, Skiifall’s sonic profile never completely abandoned his roots: think of the infectious dancehall pulses on “2 Charming” from his 2023 Woiiyoie Vol. 2 – Intense City EP.
Montreal-based producer and DJ YAMA//SOTO is billed as a co-lead artist on “Ting Tun Up,” and that song kicked off a professional relationship that would soon bring both parties into brand new creative spaces. The idea of making a lovers rock project started with “Yama sharing this playlist with me in 2022,” says Skiifall. “From there, I went to Spotify and learned how to use the algorithm to find new music. Once I found one, I couldn’t stop there. It’s now a 12-hour playlist, filled with lovers rock.”
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In his exploration of lovers rock, the music became more than the background noise he used to disregard it as. He and Yama worked on a few early cuts and “from that first session, we knew that we were going to make a whole project – but we didn’t know exactly what we were going to make,” Skiifall recalls. In less than two weeks, the pair had three songs they worked on with Kenny Beats, a genre-agnostic producer whose penchant for live instrumentation made it easy to wade into the world of lovers rock. Their sessions eventually culminated in Lovers Till I’m Gone: a breezy, earnest seven-song lovers rock set that explores stories of contemporary Vincy love and includes a guest appearance by Grammy-nominated U.K. R&B star Jorja Smith. The full set arrived on Jan. 10, with the Smith-assisted “Her World” garnering over one million Spotify streams in less than a month.
In a candid conversation with Billboard, Skiifall recounts how his producers helped him find the coverage to reimagine lovers rock for the 2020s.
When did your family move to Montreal?
My mom moved away before I did; she got me to come join her about two years after in 2009. I was around eight [years old] at that time.
I used to love this movie called Monster House, and the only way I would imagine overseas was through that lens as a kid. I thought that when I got to Canada it would be autumn all the time, but when I arrived, it was fully snowing – like snow to your knees-type s—t [laughs]. I remember being held by the flight attendants waiting for my mom to come pick me up. It felt like a movie, like a new start.
Did you grow up listening to a lot of Vincy music?
When I was small, yes. Soca music has always been a part of my life, reggae music as well. When I got older and went to high school, it was the first time [I had my own phone] and was able to download music. I automatically gravitated towards rap; I started listening to a lot more American music from that age: Rich Homie Quan, Young Thug, Migos, Travis Scott, K Camp, 2 Chainz, etc
It’s only in 2021 that I tapped back in with reggae. I didn’t like it so much because I felt like everywhere we went, it came on. Parties, barbecues, everywhere – that’s all you’re hearing. I wanted to hear some rap.
When did you start working as Skiifall?
Around 2018. But I really started making music as Shamar, at 12 [years old]. I was a vocalist in a band, and we did summer sessions together where we would write albums and perform in front of a bunch of people. We would [also] have studio sessions, which are offered to you while you’re in school. While I was in high school – from 12 to 18 – there were studios in Montreal that allowed you to record for free. You get free recording and free mixing and mastering, so I’ve been going there for a long time. Most of my early music that came out was made there.
I’m super open to exploring and seeing what I can pull from, whether it’s jazz or classical. I take bits and pieces and merge them all together. For [Lovers Till I’m Gone], it was important to try something like that. Me and Yama made a few good songs and then later showed them to Kenny. That spiraled into us like making “Mystery Man” in our first session in 2022. From there, we knew that we should definitely continue to build it. In our first three sessions, we made “Mystery Man,” “Sandy” and “No More.” I remember walking around L.A. at the time and blasting [“Mystery Man”].
I automatically knew what to do [in those sessions], but I wasn’t sure if I was gonna be able to do justice to some of my faves. Yama, Kenny, Venna and Nami [Ondas] really gave me that boost — whether it’s lyrics or the beat or just saying something that might inspire me. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to make [this project] by myself.
What was it like working with Kenny Beats and bringing him into the reggae world?
I think it just came naturally. If you’re a fan of music, you’re able to make whatever you wanna make. If the right parts are there, then the machine is gonna move. Kenny’s aura is the perfect vibe; he makes you feel at home. If you’re not inspired, he’s not gonna force it. He’s gonna let it be and try again the next day. I’m looking forward to making more music [with him] for sure.
Our managers are friends, so that’s how we met. He’s also a fan of my music as well. The first time we met was at his home in 2022 after he DMed me on Instagram. That’s the day we made “Mystery Man.”
How did you get Jorja Smith on “Her World?”
She’s been a fan of mine ever since I blew up, and I was always a fan of hers as well. Her name kept coming up during the process of figuring out who would be the best person to join forces with and build a great song. Luckily, at the time our managers were friends, so she was down to work on the song. She got the song, and she was pretty down, so I waited for her to send her verse back and the rest was history.
At first, I didn’t like “Her World” because I didn’t think it sat on the same level as “Mystery Man,” but Jorja brought it to that level. She gave it a different flow. She bodied that because I’d never heard anybody do lover’s rock like that; she just broke it down and built it back up.
What are your plans for the visual world of Lovers Till I’m Gone?
I have this film coming that’s supposed to be sort of like Rockers (1978). I worked on it super closely with my director Simon [Davis] and my dad; we went back to Saint Vincent to shoot. It’s about 17 minutes and is meant to showcase the country and the vibe going on there.
I remember speaking to Kenny about not wanting to [recreate] the ‘80s or what people looked like back then. We wanted to keep it [focused on] how it is currently – what people are going through right now and how they’re living and all that. It’s kind of like a documentary but with music.
What should we know about the Montreal music scene right now?
I think you should know nothing because… yeah.
Do you plan to stay in the lover’s rock space a bit longer?
This project was recorded a long time ago, so I already have all the stuff that I’ve been working on ready to go. I’m ready to be out on the road as well. If this lifetime grants me the time, I will definitely keep making reggae. I love rap, so reggae is gonna be occasional. But when it’s done, I have to make sure that it’s done well because I feel like it’s not been treated well in some ways. If I’m going to personally attack it, then I have to do right by it.
Who are your top three favorite lovers’ rock artists?
Billy Boyo, Dennis Brown and Johnny Osbourne. My favorites of all time are two very different people: Sister Nancy and Yellowman. Jah Cure is in there too.