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A Los Angeles man who was convicted of sending his then-17-year-old son to shoot and murder PnB Rock in 2022 has been sentenced to 31 years to life in prison, per ABC7.
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Freddie Lee Trone, 42, was found guilty of one count of murder, two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery in August before he was sentenced in court on Monday (Sept. 23).
PnB Rock — born Rakim Allen — was dining with his girlfriend in Sept. 2022 at a South Central Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in L.A. when he was approached by Trone’s son in an armed robbery attempt of his jewelry, which turned fatal after he struck Rock with gunfire. The rapper was transported to a local hospital, but succumbed to his injuries.
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The prosecution ruled that Trone’s son wasn’t fit to stand trial and believe he was fulfilling his father’s orders, which led to him being charged in the case. Video footage caught Trone inside the parking lot 30 minutes before the murder.
A second defendant, Tremont Jones, was also sentenced to 12 years behind bars for his role in the murder on multiple robbery charges.
PnB Rock’s mother, Deannea Allen, made the trip to the hearing where she delivered a poignant victim impact statement addressing Trone, per Rolling Stone.
“I want to address you Mr. Trone, even though you’re talking [to your lawyer]. As a parent, I do not understand – and I’ve been trying these two whole years – I do not understand how a parent could directly put their child in danger,” she said. “I just can’t comprehend it. That one action had a ripple effect, and it has ruined many lives.”
Allen continued: “I hope that you can feel my pain, as a parent. I’ve watched your son’s life unfold. He has had a horrible life. I shouldn’t feel sorry for this young man, but I do. He has two parents, but he was in foster care. He had a rough go of it. And I shouldn’t feel bad for him, but I do. Just as a parent. I just want you to put yourself in my shoes and our family’s shoes.”
Rock’s mom also added that his 10-year-old daughter wanted to be in attendance, but couldn’t get on the plane to make the trip due to suffering an anxiety attack.
PnB Rock was just 30 years old. The Philly native meshed his melodic raps with a star-studded cast of collaborators including Nicki Minaj, the late Pop Smoke and XXXTENTACION, Lil Durk Quavo, Trippie Redd, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and more.
Rock broke through with his “Selfish” hit in 2017, which peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100. He made other top 40 Hot 100 appearances the rest of the decade on YFN Lucci’s “Everyday We Lit” (No. 33), Ed Sheeran’s “Cross Me” (No. 25 and Meek Mill’s “Dangerous” (No. 31).
Over the weekend, Dame Dash addressed Diddy‘s arrest and old pictures of himself out partying with the fallen mogul that have gone viral.
Late last week, Drake fan X account @keep6ixsolid, resurfaced photos of a bunch of celebs hanging out — which included the likes of Diddy, Jennifer Lopez, Dame, Jay-Z, and Aaliyah — with a caption that read: “Bro, this is getting DARK! Dame Dash, Aaliyah, Jennifer Lopez, Jay-Z and Diddy all sharing a giant bed.”
The pictures in question are from an annual Fourth of July party Diddy used to throw in the Hamptons. According to one of the photos on Getty Images, the date of the party was July 2, 2000.
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Dame Dash seemed to confirm the location when he was asked about partying with Diddy on Instagram Live on Saturday (Sept. 21.) “Nah, I didn’t go to those parties…I went to one about 20 years ago in the Hamptons with Aaliyah but that’s about it,” he said. “A lot of people were at those, you know what I mean?”
Later in the video he was asked again about the photos and revealed that specific party was one of the first times he and the late singer hung out. “Ain’t sh—t happen in the Hamptons. That’s the day I met…that me and Aaliyah…we hung out there and then we left and that’s what happened,” he said. “That was 20 years ago, that was not in LA or Miami. I know they gonna play games with those pictures. It’s all good, I don’t really care.”
He was then later asked about Diddy getting arrested and said the situation is “sad,” “crazy,” and “shocking.”
Diddy was taken into custody after a grand jury indicted him on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. He has been denied bail as he awaits trial.
Pusha T is a big fan of Kendrick Lamar. During a panel at Revolt World in Atlanta, the Virginia MC spoke highly of his fellow rapper after being asked what he thought about Lamar’s impact on rap music. “It’s amazing,” he said. “I’m sure people have said and have told him his whole career, ‘Oh, […]
Method Man may have a different point of view, but the past week in hip-hop and R&B was utterly dominated by the latest news in the federal indictment against embattled music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
On Tuesday (Sept. 17), less than a day after his arrest in New York, federal prosecutors unsealed a criminal indictment against Combs, revealing sweeping allegations of sexual abuse and running a racketeering conspiracy that included forced labor, sex trafficking, kidnapping, arson and bribery. The new development in Comb’s case comes months after both Cassie Ventura‘s bombshell November 2023 lawsuit and a reported raid of Combs’ Miami and Los Angeles Homes on March 25. As a vile hurricane of gossip, misinformation, and victim-blaming continues to surround this case, it was nearly impossible to think about the worlds of hip-hop and R&B without landing on this culture-rocking indictment.
Nonetheless, a few musicians were able to stake a small claim for themselves in the news cycle — including Future, who dropped off a new mixtape called Mixtape Pluto, marking his third full-length project of the year so far. Grammy-winning rapper Eve also found herself back in the news as she promoted her new memoir, which included heartfelt memories of working with Nicki Minaj on the set of 2016’s Barbershop: The Next Cut and conversing with Jay-Z amid the release of her Billboard 200-topping 1999 debut album, Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady.
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With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Jae Stephens’ new Y2K fantasia to 4batz and Lil Baby’s smooth new duet. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: Jae Stephens, “PDA”
After cutting her teeth as a songwriter and signing a deal with Raedio, in partnership with Def Jam, Jae Stephens is ready to fully step into her spotlight as the world’s favorite new pop girl. Cheekily titled Sellout, Stephens’ new EP runs a tight six tracks, all of which hone in on her funky, R&B-steeped take on the percussive pop fantasies of the late ’90s and early ’00s. While recent singles “Wet,” “Girls Don’t Cheat” and “Body Favors” have made the rounds on socials, it’s “PDA” that stands as the project’s crown jewel. “Does anybody in here have a problem with us acting up?/ Ain’t you ever seen a baddie and her baby bad in love?” she questions at the song’s onset. She’s not really asking us for permission to love on her baby, but it’s that combination of devil-may-care swagger and tongue-in-cheek cockiness that makes “PDA” such a nifty encapsulation of Sellout’s vibe and sound. From sultry electric guitar licks to sneaky trips to her fluttery falsetto and spunky spoken word breakdowns, “PDA” is a surefire song of the fall.
Jean Dawson, “Houston”
For the latest taste of his forthcoming Glimmer of God LP (due Oct. 18), Jean Dawson turns up the heat on his flirtations with pop and dance for an atmospheric new joint titled “Houston.” Over a beat that sounds like a distant cousin of the soundscape The Weeknd curated with 2020’s After Hours, Dawson picks up where the Canadian pop icon left off by localizing his balance of life’s most epic highs and lows in an American city with its own lore and mythology. For The Weeknd, that city is normally Los Angeles, but Dawson opts for Houston as he croons, “Ima lose my soul tonight/ Only for the moment right I/ Sink into the lonely night/ Dancing with my own desire higher.” He tempers the song’s synth-pop skeleton with a vocal delivery that exposes the melancholy that courses through his desire to get “higher,” making for a worthy lesson in lyrical and melodic tension.
Jaz Karis, “Talk About It”
Last week (Sept. 20), South London R&B singer-songwriter Jaz Karis dropped her debut full-length album, Safe Flight, and “Talk About It” is one of the project’s most impressive cuts. Produced by contemporary R&B architect Camper, “Talk About It” finds Karis trying her best to convince her partner of the merits of talking through issues rather than shutting down when conflict arises. “Know these ain’t the goals you see online/ It ain’t picture perfect, it’s real-life/ We don’t stand a chance, if we don’t fight/ I don’t wanna give up, not this time,” she coos in the second verse, over a twinkling arrangement equally supported by lush R&B chords and gorgeous vocal stacks. In her embrace of sonic signifiers of past eras of R&B, Karis can root her explorations of the feasibility of Internet Age “relationship goals” in a different context, making for some truly effective songwriting despite the tried-and-true nature of the song’s concept.
4batz & Lil Baby, “Roll Da Dice”
4batz adds another superstar collaborator to his decorated resume that already includes tracks with Usher, Drake and Kanye West. Lil Baby brings the Atlanta trap to the Dallas crooner’s doorstep for the woozy “Roll Da Dice.” As a gambler, Baby is always down to test his luck and take another spin at the wheel. 4batz brings that same mentality to romance while doing whatever it takes to win over a woman so he’s not left love sick. “I roll the dice, make sure there’s no babies,” 4batz reveals of his unguarded nature. But when it comes to intoxicating love-drunk anthems, the elusive R&B singer-songwriter already is impossible to defeat like he was dealt ace-king on the blackjack table.
TiaCorine, “Different Color Stones”
Imposter Syndrome can be an exhausting battle for artists when it comes to releasing music. Luckily for TiaCorine, her friends and team reportedly pushed her to deliver “Different Color Stones.” The bubbly tune finds Tia collecting infinity stones in the form of different flows as she plays hopscotch mixing in speedy 100 MPH rhymes with a slower-paced hypnotic pocket. “Listen baby/ If you got some money goin act up/ Shawty throw yo ass up/ We ballin’ baby,” she raps while saluting the self-made women winning across the globe. FreakyT’s elevation continues while moving into the post-Almost There era.
Ray Vaughn & NLE Choppa, “FNBM”
With Cuffing Season just around the corner, don’t expect Ray Vaughn or NLE Choppa to get involved. The TDE rapper and Memphis native connect for the explicit “FNBM” as they’re going to be outside for quarter four. The brash duo doesn’t care about women’s ties to previous partners to complicate their own love lives. “Excuse me, I’m from Los Angeles/ Just f–k the homie, b—h, cause I’m scandalous/ Afterwards she puttin’ chips on my sandwiches,” Vaughn raps. Choppa takes the baton and brings his raunchiness and “SLUT SZN” energy to the track. The visual is worth a watch as well, where an ex pulls up to Vaughn and Choppa’s estate and he’s met face-to-face with an assault rifle.
“Oh, you wish you were my Levi’s jeans,” Beyoncé sings on the chorus of the Post Malone-assisted “Levii’s Jeans.” Little did fans know, they may soon have the chance to zip up the same denim as Bey.
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Levi’s teased a collaboration with Beyoncé is on the horizon on Monday (Sept. 23). The famed denim clothing company posted an image on Instagram featuring what appears to be Bey riding a horse, à la Cowboy Carter, while rocking a cowboy hat.
Levi’s tagged Beyoncé in the photo on social media, and added a caption to the post hinting at the next era: “INTRODUCING: A New Chapter.” The account also teased fans regarding the collaboration. “Let the countdown begin,” the bio reads.
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“COWBOY CARTER WORLD TOUR SPONSORED BY LEVIIS,” one fan guessed on the Instagram post, while another is ready to hit the checkout button, writing, “sighs and pull out credit card.”
Others’ pockets are feeling stretched. Commented another, “I don’t have no more money, Beyoncé!”
Billboard has reached out to reps for Bey and Levi’s for additional information.
This would mark the first official collab between Bey and Levi’s. Following “Levii’s Jeans” arrival in March, the brand enjoyed a spike in sales and the company’s CFO, Harmit Singh, gave Bey her flowers for the uptick thanks to her The-Dream-produced ode to the jean maker. “There’s no better person than [Beyoncé], who we call the center of culture,” he said in April.
From the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, @LEVIS CFO boasts their recent uptick in impressions, customer traffic, revenue, and stock price since the release of Beyonce’s song “LEVII’S JEANS” on #COWBOYCARTER: “There’s no better person than [Beyoncé], who we call the center… pic.twitter.com/pahJT59aPZ— BEYONCÉ LEGION 𐚁 (@BeyLegion) April 9, 2024
Cowboy Carter debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 earlier in 2024 with 407,000 total album-equivalent units. With the feat, Beyoncé became the first woman to debut her first eight albums at the chart’s apex.
The last week of September is proving to be a busy one for Beyoncé. She stunned in three different looks as part of a new promo video for her SirDavis American Whisky brand, which is cued to Betty Davis’ 1974 soul funk classic “They Say I’m Different.”
See Levi’s Beyoncé teaser post below.
Nicki Minaj is giving Eve her flowers. The Young Money rapper penned a heartfelt message to the Ruff Ryders’ first lady on Sunday (Sept. 22) for being a “trendsetter” and the “groundbreaking” level of “emotional and spiritual maturity” she displayed throughout her career.
Eve has been on a press tour in support of her Who’s That Girl? memoir, and she revealed that she joined therapy after finding out that Minaj was joining the Barbershop: The Next Cut cast in 2016, which seemingly prompted a response from the Barbz leader.
“Dear Eve, The various things you’ve shared recently, are groundbreaking (in my opinion) for so many reasons,” she began in her message posted to X. “First, thank you. The level of grace; the level of emotional & spiritual maturity it takes to be this vulnerable & transparent is a sign of TRUE peace, happiness, fulfillment, & mastery of self. Self reflection @ its height. I always say that I think accountability is the sexiest trait a person can have. I was one of the kids in NY watching Ruff Ryderz on TV.” ”
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Nicki reflected: “I DEFINITELY remember how when you took the game by storm, that there were some ppl who couldn’t hide their insecurities. Even tho it’s swept under the rug now, I remember that you handled it with grace but ALSO a big sprinkle of unapologetic TALENT & charisma. You soared & soared. Classic music w/the illest team, to the BIG SCREEN. And made it look easy, too. Trendsetter. The Eve blonde short cut, the Eve paw print tats on the chest…”
While they never released music together, the Queens artist recalled being on set with Eve for Barbershop and how they bonded amid women typically feeling the pressure to compete against one another. Eve later called Nicki a “good addition to the cast” during an interview with Larry King in 2016.
“I was so nervous coming onto that movie set every day,” Nicki added in her tweet. “You looked like a pro & I admired that so much. Thank you for trying to not do to me what was done to you. Women feel so much pressure to compete & it’s a shame b/c we usually have so much in common & could rlly benefit from one another just as human beings. We all share so many of the same experiences as artists, wives, moms, ups & downs, anxiety, etc. I remember telling a friend of mine that I didn’t think you liked me after our first day on set together.”
Minaj continued: “But you know something crazy? I swear. I KNEW that YOU could tell deep down inside that I really liked YOU. So you went easy on me. lol Loved the way the movie turned out. Blessings to you & your beautiful family. Congratulations on your new book as well as all your many accomplishments in Hip Hop & Film & TV. P.S. you STILL looK sooooo pretty.”
Eve’s Who’s That Girl? with Kathy Iandoli arrived earlier in September. The rapper’s memoir explores the depths of her decorated career and it previously made headlines when she recalled a phone call from Jay-Z where he tried to temper expectations when it came to Eve’s 1999 debut LP. However, Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady went on to top the Billboard 200 with more than 200,000 total album units sold in the first week.
As for Nicki, she’s trekking across North America for a second U.S. run of shows as part of the Pink Friday 2 World Tour. The rest of the month includes stops in San Diego, San Francisco and Las Vegas.
Nick Cannon, the Wild ‘N Out community and the city of Atlanta are all looking out for the family of Rich Homie Quan following the 33-year-old rapper’s death Sept. 5.
During the hip-hop comedy show’s recent tour stop through the Georgia capital Thursday (Sept. 19), the Masked Singer host brought a few of Quan’s family members on stage and presented them with $25,000, according to local news network WSB-TV. Fans of Wild ‘N Out, Cannon explained, had raised the first $10,000, which he then personally matched in full. The night’s venue, State Farm Arena, provided the final $5,000.
“That’s how much I love that dude,” Cannon said of the late Atlanta musician, who was born Dequantes Lamar. “We’ve got to support one another, because this is what community looks like.”
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Earlier in the night, the Drumline alum and his Wild ‘N Out castmates honored Lamar by performing a handful of Rich Homie Quan songs. The show came exactly two weeks after the “Flex” artist’s death sent the hip-hop world reeling, with Quavo, Playboi Carti, Jacquees and more artists posting condolences online following Lamar’s passing.
The cause of Lamar’s death has not yet been revealed. A memorial service was held for him Sept. 17 in South Fulton, Ga., near his hometown of Atlanta, where hundreds of people — including friends, family and industry peers such as Killer Mike and D.C. Young Fly — gathered to mourn the Rich Gang alum.
At one point, his father, Corey Lamar — who was also in attendance at Cannon’s Wild ‘N Out show two days later — shared some emotional remarks. “From the day I met Quan and I held him, my life changed,” he said. “I knew failure was not an option. But little did Quan know, he pushed me to be a dad, a role model and to be an example as what a man should be. Built upon integrity, morals and values.”
Watch Cannon present Rich Homie Quan’s family with $25,000 and honor the late rapper below.
Chow Lee is basking in the moment. Just a week shy of what was supposed to be the release date of his new album SEX DRIVE, he flashes a dimpled smile on a morning Zoom call before expressing his excitement: “I can’t wait to drop. I’m feigning to drop.”
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Although the 25-year-old Long Island native has recently ascended in the sexy drill wave he co-pioneered with Cash Cobain and Lonny Love, the newly released project SEX DRIVE marks his 12th album since 2018. After sample clearances delayed the album’s release date twice, he’s finally ready to introduce fans to his most versatile ensemble yet.
Like most Gen Z artists, the majority of his references trace back to the early ’00s, when hip-hop and R&B fusions were re-defining both genres. He cites Drake and his OVO imprint as early inspiration when he began rapping nearly a decade ago in high school. He released a string of albums and mixtapes before linking up with the Bronx hitmaker Cash Cobain in 2020. Their instant creative chemistry led to the successful 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy mixtape two years later. They buffed the rough-around-the-edges drill markers with sultry R&B samples and lusty pillow talk on popular tracks like “JHOLIDAY,” and “VACANT.” Not as sensual as R&B, but not as gritty as New York and Chicago drill, sexy drill was born.
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“People were like, ‘Sexy drill? What is that?,’” he recalls.
Last year, he performed on Rolling Loud Miami’s main stage and was recruited to open up for Sexyy Red’s Hood’s Hottest Princess Tour and Lil Tecca’s HVN ON EARTH Tour. He also teased the project with back-to-back one-offs like the TikTok viral hit, “swag it!,” a catchy melodic track with punchy bass.
His horny escapades are at full throttle on SEX DRIVE. He penetrates the sexy drill sound with Jersey club pulses and experimental regional mashups. An unlikely crew of features from AJ Tracey, Anycia, Flo Milli, and Roy Woods takes listeners on a sonic journey from the U.K. to a tropical escape. He links back up with Cash Cobain on tracks like the Bay Swag-assisted “act bad twin!,” a dance mix undergirded by PARTYNEXTDOOR’s “Resentment.”
He’s here for a good time, not a long time on sinful tracks like “ms. beautiful v!” and “im not really spiritual!,” featuring U.K. drill vet AJ Tracey. He cruises on loverboy mode on “Tequila Vacay” featuring OVO signee Roy Woods, but reverts back to his old ways on the “Swag it” remix featuring Flo Milli. On “Get Back,” he enlists Atlanta’s newest “It Girl” Anycia whose relaxed delivery is juxtaposed by his retaliatory actions. “Ten times out of ten if you f–king my mans, I’m f–king your friend,” he declares over flirty piano riffs.
A sonic tale of a reckless slizzy summer, Lee’s new album embodies the “love, sex and drugs”-fueled ambitions of a young rapper on the rise. He builds on the heavily sampled sexy drill niche while underlining not-so-guilty pleasures. Right before he headed back to his new home in Miami to celebrate the release of SEX DRIVE, Lee spoke to Billboard about his collaboration with Cash Cobain, expanding his sexy drill sound, and what makes a slizzy summer.
Tracks from the 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy mixtape like “JHOLIDAY” and “VACANT” led up to the sexy drill sound you’re experimenting with on SEX DRIVE. What inspired sexy drill? Was it from the natural creative chemistry that you both share?
It’s really a little bit of both. It was kind of a natural part of our creative process. We talk about women and Cash is the mastermind behind the beats. I’ll give him a song to sample or he’ll sample something. He’ll type in YouTube and ask like, “Give me a song to sample?’’ Then, he’ll sample it. Shit, we’ll just rap on it. That’s really the creative process. And we kept doing that. And we also worked with artists like Lonny Love. He also helped us create sexy drill too. It was all three of us.
You’re definitely making a statement with SEX DRIVE and the cover art. What was the creative process behind the album’s cover art?
We wanted to make it sexy and still be on brand. It’s kind of a high school vibe with the letterman jacket and the cool car. We shot it in Cali and had to get that old school car. I had to go with the American muscle.
You team up with a variety of artists on this album. What was it like to bring together all these different sounds and meld it with your sexy drill signature?
It’s a blessing. It shows that everyone from different places can get on sexy drill. Like [AJ] Tracey is on there. He’s from the U.K. It’s a universal thing. It’s past New York at this point.
Speaking of sexy drill being universal, “swag it” took TikTok by storm and was everywhere. Can you talk about linking up with Flo Milli on the remix?
It was a movie. We shot the video and it was mad cool. She came and loved the song. She made a TikTok to it, so we reached out to her and asked if she wanted to get on the song. She did that s–t mad fast. She was willing to shoot the video so we shot it in L.A. She was a great person to work with. Hopefully I can get her on more stuff and we can drop again.
One of my favorite songs on the album is “tequila vacay!”. What was the idea behind that direction with Roy Woods?
I made that song probably like a year or two years ago. I had contacted him because he was following me. He was like, “Yo send me some s–t and I’ll send you something.” That was the first song that came to my mind ‘cause you know how Roy Woods gets. I was like, “I have to switch it up.” I sent him some s–t I thought he would be good on and he went crazy. I was like, ”Nah, I needed this for the album. They not gon’ expect that one.”
You also enlist collaborators like Cash Cobain, Sleepy Hollow and Bay Swag for a few tracks on the album. Why is it important to show the flexibility of the sexy drill sound?
When you think outside the box, you get better results. You’re not going to get far if you keep doing the same thing. I take my creative process very seriously, and fans are already saying it’s a classic before the album drops. That matters to me.
You’ve been on tour for the past year from performing at Rolling Loud in Miami last summer to opening for Sexyy Red’s tour. What is it like to bring the energy of your songs to the stage?
It’s a movie. You can go on stage and perform your songs, and people will like it and not really know it — but that means something. It’s not that hard to go on stage, you just have to bring that energy. The songs are already getting them lit. It can be a curse sometime, cause some people will be like, “Listen, we wanna see Sexyy Red. Get off stage already.”
Are there any standout songs for you? Any artists in particular who you just had to work with and you got them on the album?
Definitely Roy Woods and AJ Tracey. I always used to bump Roy Woods. I never got a chance to make a song with someone who can sing like that. Usually, I’m making songs with the guys or another rapper. I never got to do a song with someone who can sing. I wanna sing like that, but I can’t.
Take me through your songwriting process. When you’re getting ready to record, are you inspired by a night out or is this just coming off the dome?
It depends on the mood I’m in. I can think about a scenario and write about that and fabricate it or I can talk about something that actually happened with a girl. Or I can make some whole s–t up and write about it. I’ve watched enough movies. I may get drunk and freestyle and say some bulls–t.
How does SEX DRIVE embody a slizzy summer?
A slizzy summer is being outside. It’s a lifestyle. It’s catering to the women, having fun and being yourself. Not being a bozo while handling your business at the same time. SEX DRIVE is just…SEX DRIVE. Keep that sex drive up because we outside. I’m trying to keep it PG-13, but it speaks for itself.
Macklemore continued his support for the Palestinian people over the weekend when he dropped “Hind’s Hall 2,” the sequel to his May song of the same name whose proceeds are aimed at the United Nations Relief and Words Agency (UNRWA), which provides assistance to Palestinian refugees. He also shouted a provocative slogan calling out the United States during a hometown Seattle show on Saturday at the Palestine Will Live Forever Festival.
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The original song expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people has been updated with new vocals from Gaza-bred rapper MC Abdul, Palestinian-American singer Anees, author Amer Zahr the L.A. Palestinian Kids Choir, Tiffany Wilson and friends and the Lifted! Youth Gospel Choir. In the final verse, the rapper drops a caustic couplet taking aim at Israel’s nearly year-long war in Gaza sparked by the Oct. 7 raid by Hamas militants on Israel that resulted in the killing of more than 1,200 and the kidnapping of more than 250 men, women and children.
“Long live the resistance if there’s something to resist/ Had enough of you motherf–kers murdering little kids/ PC for a minute, I was tryna be a bridge,” the “Thrift Shop” MC raps before lashing out at Democratic presidential candidate and current VP Kamala Harris with a warning about potentially losing the large Arab-American/Muslim vote in Michigan if she continues to administration’s support for Israel.
“But there’ll never be freedom by pleading with Zionists/ World screaming Free Palestine/ We see the manual, we know how you colonized… Hey Kamala, I don’t know if you’re listening/ But stop sending money and weapons, or you ain’t winning in Michigan/ We uncommitted, and hell no we ain’t switching positions/ Because the whole world turned Palestinian,” he raps.
The song also features the antisemitic chant “from the river to the sea/ Palestine will be free,” a phrase the American Jewish Committee says has been a “rallying cry for terrorist groups and their sympathizers… [as well as] a common call-to-arms for pro-Palestinian activists, especially student activists on college campuses. It calls for the establishment of a State of Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, erasing the State of Israel and its people.”
Macklemore took to the stage with his message of solidarity with the Palestinian people and disdain for current American policy in support of Israel’s war against militant group Hamas during the debut performance of “Hind’s Hall 2” at the Palestine Will Live Forever Festival at Seward Park Amphitheatre in his hometown over the weekend.
“Straight up, say it, I’m not gonna stop you,” Macklemore, 41, says in fan video from the show after the crowd shouts unheard slogans at him. “I’m not gonna stop you… yeah, f–k America,” he adds to loud cheers from the audience, later adding “it’s a genocide and it has been since 1948” in reference to the year the state of Israel was established. The original “Hind’s Hall” and its sequel were named in honor of a young girl named Hind Rajab who was killed in Gaza in a shooting Palestinians have blamed on Israeli forces.
At press time a spokesperson for Macklemore had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on his statement at the Seattle show.
Last month, the rapper canceled a planned show in Dubai on Oct. 4 over the UAE’s role in support of the RSF, one of the warring parties in the country’s devastating civil war.
Listen to “Hind’s Hall 2” below.
Call it the “Three Faces of Bey.” Beyoncé tries on a trio of distinctive looks in a new promo video for her SirDavis American Whisky brand. The nearly two-minute ad cued to Betty Davis’ 1974 soul funk classic “They Say I’m Different” opens with the singer in a long platinum wig and black cocktail dress […]