R&B/Hip-Hop
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Just about every aspect of Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s artistry has been picked apart over the course of the months since their explosive feud in the second quarter of the year. As a hip-hop savant, RZA stopped by Complex, where he talked about the battle and whether he could see a possible reconciliation down the line between Kendrick and Drizzy, with the 55-year-old comparing the foes lyrically.
“Yeah, it just takes time,” he said. “First of all, Kendrick is the natural lyricist, and Drake is a trained lyricist. You could train a fighter and he could be good. Then you got those natural fighters who also then go through training. So that’s a different chamber there. And while Drake got bars forever, Kendrick’s bars’ potency was stronger.”
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The Wu-Tang Clan frontman believes Drake may have underrated K. Dot’s rapping ability coming into the battle.
“The battle bar-for-bar was something that was just not good advising on Drake’s camp in the sense of just getting in that fight without really taking some more training for that,” he added. “When Kendrick wrote the letter to his son or his daughter and to his [mother], Kendrick is going to come like that. Nas, Kendrick, Eminem, Raekwon, certain people are going to break your s–t down to the element.”
However, RZA made sure to give Drake his flowers as one of hip-hop’s trailblazers in the 21st century, crediting him with pushing the genre melodically and raising the next generation.
“[Drake] expanded it with his melodies and he raised a generation too, and you can’t take that away from him. And these two were at the top of the pinnacle at the end of the day. Nas and Jay-Z, that’s another good example, but it was tough,” RZA continued. “It took years for them to swallow that pill and then come and shake hands on it. So hopefully it is not the same. Hopefully this generation can take it as fun like how the beginning generation took it more for fun.”
As far as RZA’s music goes in his own decorated career, he returned in August to release his classical collaborative project called A Ballet Through Mud, which he crafted alongside Australian conductor Christopher Dragon and the Colorado Symphony.
In this episode of Billboard Unfiltered, Billboard staffers Carl Lamarre, Trevor Anderson, Damien Scott and Kyle Denis break down GloRilla’s No. 5 debut with Glorious and Rod Wave’s No. 2 debut Last Lap on the Billboard 200, discussing why they are so successful. They dive into whether hip-hop journalism is dead, if the BET Hip-Hop Awards should continue and more!
Trevor Anderson:Glo had that one year, she had “F.N.F.” she had “Tomorrow 2” and that’s the end of GloRilla. So for her to come back, not only with these songs.
Damien Scott:Which is insane, it was such an insane narrative.
Carl Lamarre:Is it time to put a bow on the BET Hip Hop Awards, which started in 2006, and call it a day? Or what changes would y’all make?
Damien Scott:They want participation, but they don’t, themselves, want to participate.
Carl Lamarre:Hip-hop is back clearly on the Billboard 200 in terms of we got Mr. Rod Wave debuting at No. 2 this week with Last Lap with 127,000 while Ms. Glo, big Glo.
Kyle Denis:Big Glo!
Carl Lamarre:No. 5 this week with 69,000 her debut album, Glorious, doubling her mixtape which came out earlier this year, Ehhthang Ehhthang, so shout out to those two for making their splashes this week. We’ll start with this: What are you guys more surprised about I guess — is it Rod not going No. 1? Is it Glo getting a top five entry? Thoughts.
Damien Scott:It’s got to be Glo because this is just what Rod does, Rod is just nothing if not consistent, and you know I think the idea of him going up against a Jelly … I thought he was going to take it, but you know, especially because I like Jelly Roll, I do. I actually like Jelly Roll. I don’t think this was the album that I would see he would, if I had to play an album for people, this is not the album I would give people to listen to of his.
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The velvet vocals of Luther Vandross take center stage again with the Friday (Oct. 25) release of the late singer-songwriter’s cover of the Beatles’ classic “Michelle.” The never-heard-before rendition is among the 21 tracks featured on the upcoming Never Too Much: Greatest Hits. The Dec. 13 compilation and previously unreleased single are part of the celebration underscoring the Nov. 1 theatrical premiere of the documentary Luther: Never Too Much.
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“Michelle” not only showcases Vandross’s distinctive, soulful tenor and signature vocal riffs. It also spotlights the eight-time Grammy winner’s innate talent for adding rhythmic nuances and other colorful arrangements to songs he covered during the course of his career. Those include Stevie Wonder’s “Creepin’”; “A House Is Not a Home,” originally covered by Dionne Warwick; and the Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway duet “The Closer I Get to You” with Vandross and Beyoncé. The latter two songs are featured on the forthcoming compilation, as is another previously unreleased track: “Speak Your Love,” written and produced by Vandross and his longtime friend and background vocalist Fonzi Thornton.
In announcing the release of “Michelle” and Never Too Much: Greatest Hits, Epic Records and Sony Music’s catalog division Legacy Recordings note that additional details about the recording “remain a mystery.” What is known is that Thornton discovered a cassette labeled “Luther Vandross Michelle 6/1/89.” However, no further information about the recording such as location or session players has yet come to light.
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Borrowing its title from Vandross’ 1981 debut solo album Never Too Much, the documentary Luther: Never Too Much chronicles the ups and downs of his career and personal life. Among Vandross’ close friends and musical collaborators sharing their perspectives are Warwick, Mariah Carey, Valerie Simpson and Roberta Flack. Directed and executive produced by Dawn Porter, the documentary will open theatrically in select cities on Nov. 1 with preview screenings on Oct. 30. Then the film will premiere on CNN, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network and Max in 2025.
The album’s track list is as follows:
1. “Never Too Much”
2. “Power of Love / Love Power”
3. “Give Me the Reason”
4. “Stop to Love”
5. “Take You Out”
6. Any Love
7. “Michelle”*
8. “Here and Now”
9. “I’d Rather”
10. “So Amazing”
11. “Heaven Knows (Classic Radio Mix)”
12. “Dance With My Father”
13. “Speak Your Love”*
14. “The Closer I Get to You”
15. “Endless Love”
16. “Always and Forever”
17. “A House Is Not a Home”
18. “Superstar / Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)”
19. “Never Too Much (Lost Frequencies Edit)”*
20. “Get Myself Together (Louie Vega Radio Remix)”*
21. “Michelle (Radio Edit)”*
*previously unreleased
Megan Thee Stallion has always been proud of her Houston roots. The “Hiss” MC pays tribute to her hometown in the flashy video for her slow-grinding anthem “Bigger In Texas,” which dropped on Friday (Oct. 25) along with her new album, Megan Act II. The visual — co-directed by Megan and Julian Klincewicz — is H-Town from the bottom to the top, beginning with the flossy opening graphics, which depict the title in the classic blinged-out 1990s Pen & Pixel font.
“E’rrythang bigger in Texas, ain’t no injections, we at the pole, no elections/ B–ch, don’t come around me tryna pass out drugs, ho, I ain’t poppin’ no Teslas/ I don’t wanna take no pictures, I don’t get along with these out here b–ches/ I don’t even know this hoe, but the b–ch keep beggin’ me for attention,” Meg raps on the second verse of the thick-as-molasses tune co-produced by Bankroll Got It, Shawn Jarrett, Truckee Street and Han Yang Kingsley Wang.
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After flashing her custom grill, Meg gets down to to work, grinding on the back of a candy orange car with extended chrome “swangas” rims in a pair of denim booty shorts and matching bikini top and knee-high boots before she changes locations, and outfits, for a visit to beloved hometown jeweler to the stars Johnny Dang.
Clapping it up on the Dang showroom floor in a green shorts and bikini top outfit with matching cowboy hat, Megan checks out a diamond-encrusted butterfly necklace to go with the flapping wings tattooed on the back of her thighs. Along with a custom Houston Astros cap, Megan further pays tribute to her birthplace by hosting an impromptu parking lot jam with a gang of Houston legends, including the Geto Boys’ Scarface, Paul Wall, Slim Thug and Sauce Walka.
Megan: Act II features 12 new tracks, including TWICE on the remix of Meg’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 36 hit “Mamushi” — originally featuring Yuki Chiba — as well as Flo Milli on “Roc Steady” and Spiritbox on “TYG” and “Neva Play,” featuring BTS‘ RM as a bonus track.
Next week, Megan will take center stage again with the release of the Prime Video doc Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words on Halloween.
Watch the “Bigger in Texas” video below.
Rapper Lil Durk was arrested late Thursday (Oct. 24) in Florida on a federal murder-for-hire charge, hours after several of his alleged associates were indicted on similar charges over their alleged involvement in a shooting aimed at rapper Quando Rando.
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The Chicago rapper (Durk Devontay Banks) is being held in Broward County jail on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Office, according to Broward Sheriff’s Office inmate records. Charges are not yet public in court records, and additional details on the case against him are not yet available.
The star’s attorney, Brian Bieber, confirmed to Billboard that Durk was in custody and would have an initial court appearance in Florida federal court on Friday.
Durk’s arrest came hours after Los Angeles federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against several alleged members of Durk’s Only the Family (OTF) hip-hop group. The five men — Kavon London Grant, Deandre Dontrell Wilson, Keith Jones, David Brian Lindsey and Asa Houston — are charged with murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire conspiracy.
In the indictment, prosecutors say the five men were behind a 2022 shooting in Los Angeles aimed at Quando Rondo (Tyquian Bowman) that left his cousin dead. They say that shooting was ordered by an unnamed co-conspirator in retaliation for a 2020 shooting in Atlanta, in which a Rondo associate allegedly shot and killed Chicago rapper King Von (Dayvon Bennett).
“After the [2020] murder, Co-Conspirator 1 made clear, in coded language, that Co-Conspirator 1 would pay a bounty or monetary reward, and/or make payment to anyone who took part in killing T.B. for his role in D.B.’s murder,” prosecutors write, using Rondo and Von’s initials.
Durk is not charged or mentioned in the earlier case.
King Von, a rising rapper in Chicago’s drill scene and a childhood friend of Durk, was shot and killed outside an Atlanta nightclub on Nov. 6, 2020, after an argument between two groups turned into a fight in the parking lot. A 22-year-old man named Timothy Leeks, reportedly an associate of Rondo, was arrested days later, but the case was eventually dropped.
Two years later, on Aug. 19, 2022, Rondo and associate Lul Pab (Saviay’a Robinson) were ambushed by gunmen while sitting in their car at a Los Angeles gas station. Rondo emerged unscathed, but Robinson later died at the hospital.
According Thursday’s indictment, that killing was allegedly carried out by OTF members Grant, Wilson and Houston, as well as by Jones and Lindsey, who prosecutors say were “members of other gangs in Chicago.” They allege the group “used two vehicles to track, stalk, and attempt to kill T.B. by gunfire — including with a fully automatic firearm — resulting in the death of S.R.”
Prosecutors say the group carried out the attack on orders from the unnamed “Co-Conspirator 1” in retaliation for the earlier King Von slaying. At one point, that unnamed conspirator allegedly texted another co-conspirator: “Don’t book no flights under no names involved wit me.”
“Co-Conspirator 1 would place bounties on individuals that Co-Conspirator 1 and other OTF members wanted to kill, including T.B.,” prosecutors write in Thursday’s indictment. “As part of the bounty, co-conspirators … would pay anyone who took part in the killing of T.B. and/or reward individuals with lucrative music opportunities with OTF.”
Some people remember DMX for the late Ruff Ryder boss’ snarling, take-no-prisoners bars about the dangers of coming at him. But the MC born Earl Simmons was also memorably a deeply spiritual man whose lyrics often focused on the push-and-pull between sin and salvation.
The latter, more sacred, side of the born again rapper’s personality will be on display on the upcoming posthumous album Let Us Pray: Chapter X. The eight-track collection from Def Jam/UMe due out on Dec. 13 will combine DMX’s prayers with original music created by Grammy-winning gospel songwriter/producer Warryn Campbell (Kanye West, Alicia Keys).
“Working on Let Us Pray: Chapter X has been one of the most fulfilling experiences for me as a creative,” said Campbell in a statement. “When you hear the voice of DMX, it inspires instant creativity and what better way to showcase who X really was than through prayer. I believe I can speak for MC Lyte, Killer Mike, Snoop Dogg, LeCrae, Mary Mary, Lena Byrd Miles, and Terrace Martin when I say it was an honor and privilege to be part of this amazing work.”
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According to a release, “Campbell notably crafted new original music to accompany the signature prayers of DMX and instrumentally scored these spoken-word messages straight from the artist’s heart.” The album features a number of additional vocals from artists including rappers Snoop Dogg, Killer Mike, MC Lyte and LeCrae, MC/producer Terrace Martin, as well as gospel acts Mary Mary, Lena Byrd Miles and the RoyzNoyz Orchestra.
“Ultimately, Let Us Pray: Chapter X reflects upon the depth, emotionality, and spirituality of DMX, and it invites fans to celebrate his legacy from a new standpoint altogether,” according to a statement about the album from the ordained pastor MC who died at 50 in April 2021 of a heart attack. “Let us pray/ Father, thank you for making me righteous/ And accepted through the blood of Jesus/ Because of that, I am blessed and highly favored by you/ I am the object of your affection,” DMX intones over sweeping strings on the emotional first single “Favor.”
The collection is the follow-up to 2021’s Exodus, the first posthumous album from the late “Party Up” rapper; X’s seventh, and final album released in his lifetime, was 2012’s Undisputed.
Listen to “Favor” here and check out the full track list below:
1. “Favor” (feat. Killer Mike, Mary Mary, & RoyzNoyz Orchestra)
2. “Bear” With Me (feat. LeCrae)
3. “One Life To Do It” (feat. MC Lyte & RoyzNoyz Orchestra)
4. “Until I’m Gone” (feat. Snoop Dogg, Terrace Martin, & Lena Byrd Miles)
5. “Favor” (Instrumental)
6. “Bear With Me” (Instrumental)
7. “One Life To Do It” (Instrumental)
8. “Until I’m Gone” (Instrumental)
Summer Walker released her new single “Heart of a Woman” on Friday (Oct. 25) via LVRN and Interscope Records. “Heart of a Woman” is the lead single from her upcoming third studio album Finally Over It. The new LP follows the theme of Walker’s 2021 sophomore album, Still Over It, and 2019 debut album, Over […]
Here it is, Hotties! Megan Thee Stallion dropped her Megan: Act II deluxe album on Friday (Oct. 25) via Hot Girl Productions. The set features 12 new tracks plus “Neva Play,” featuring RM of BTS, as a bonus. TWICE is featured on the remix of her Billboard Hot 100 No. 36 hit “Mamushi,” originally featuring Yuki […]
GloRilla added some of her characteristic sense of humor to her social media page this week, throwing her followers for a loop when she shared a series of mirror photos cradling a baby bump.
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While GloRilla did not caption the photos, she caught the attention of her famous fans in the comments, with Latto writing, “Gloria, gone on,” while Muni Long added, “You play!” along with a laughing emoji. See the post here.
The rapper, however, is not pregnant, and actually discussed parenthood in a recent interview with Charlamagne Tha God. “I do want to have kids, but not my own kids. I want to do a surrogate,” she said. “I want somebody else to have my baby. I want them to have my DNA, but I don’t want to have it.”
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She continued, “I just don’t want to actually have a baby… All my friends have kids, and they’re restricted a lot when they’re pregnant. I’m like, ‘Nah, I don’t want to go through that.”
Earlier this month, GloRilla dropped her debut album, GLORIOUS, featuring Megan Thee Stallion, Latto, Sexyy Red, Kirk Franklin, T-Pain and more.
“Last year, I was supposed to drop my debut album, but I was still just getting used to stuff and working a lot,” Glo told Billboard of the project. “When the top of the year came, I had the project basically done. I was like, ‘OK, I gotta give them the mixtape before I give them the album,’ because I went the whole year without dropping anything. That’s why I said I was gonna give them the mixtape first, get em’ back used to me first, give ’em a feel of me, and then that’s gonna prep me for the album. The mixtape did good and did what it was supposed to do, which prepped me for my album.”
Hit-Boy shared the unfortunate news yesterday (Oct. 23) that his father Big Hit is back in prison. The producer posted a video of Big Hit speaking from a jail phone and sharing appreciation for his fans. “It’s free Big Hit, my n—a,” he said. “You know what I’m saying, I f—k with my real fans, […]