R&B/Hip-Hop
Page: 98
Zach Bryan recently said that he doesn’t want to be known as strictly a “country musician.” Luckily, an upcoming collaboration with one of hip-hop’s greatest living legends (Snoop Dogg!) might just help with that.
On Thursday (Oct. 17), the 52-year-old rapper revealed on Today that he and the “I Remember Everything” singer-songwriter have a little something in the works. “Zach sent me a song,” he shared with the show’s hosts. “I gotta put a verse on it.”
“I’m inspired, seeing that with him, with The Boss, Bruce Springsteen,” Snoop added of Bryan’s recent conversation with the “Born to Run” icon for Rolling Stone, in which the younger musician explained why he doesn’t like to be labeled under any given genre.
Trending on Billboard
“I want to be a songwriter, and you’re quintessentially a songwriter,” Bryan told Springsteen at the time. “No one calls Bruce Springsteen — hate to use your name in front of you — but no one calls Bruce Springsteen a freaking rock musician, which you are one, but you’re also an indie musician, you’re also a country musician. You’re all these things encapsulated in one man. And that’s what songwriting is.”
The Boss agreed that Bryan has potential beyond the country landscape, telling the “Something in the Orange” artist he sees “so much — and I don’t want to call it rock — just energy in your performance.” “You bust all those different genre boundaries down,” Springsteen added in the Musicians on Musicians feature.
If Bryan is looking to expand his sound further, he’s come to the right collaborator. The Doggfather is one of music’s most versatile duet partners, guesting on songs with everyone from Katy Perry to Bruno Mars, Mariah Carey, Benny Blanco and BTS, Jason Derulo, Akon, The Pussycat Dolls and more. Most recently, Snoop worked with a number of artists on the soundtrack for Peacock’s film Bosco.
Watch Snoop talk about working with Bryan below.
As the WNBA continues to soar, courtesy of its tremendous female athletes, rising young talents, and nail-biting moments, one team exudes a swagger and moxie that has been hard to replicate all season long: the New York Liberty.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Not only are the Liberty backed up by two-time league MVP Breanna Stewart, three-time All-Star Sabrina Ionescu, and five-time All-Star and former MVP Jonquel Jones, but they also have the hip-hop world championing their every move and dribble along the way. And now, the team stands on the brink of a historic triumph: clinching its first-ever title in franchise history, after a hard-fought Game 3 victory Wednesday night (Oct. 16) against the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Finals.
“The New York Liberty is restoring the feeling of pride in the streets of New York,” Ja Rule tells Billboard over email after performing at halftime of Game 2 of the Liberty’s first-round series win against the Atlanta Dream last month. “Watching Breanna Stewart take someone in the post, and the crowd erupts, is the similar feeling to hearing the distant roar of the cheers from inside Yankee Stadium through the adjacent blocks outside of the Bronx when Derek Jeter slaps a home run! In translation: New York, we are back, baby! And we are on the backs of the New York Liberty.”
Trending on Billboard
What originally was the home that Jay-Z built in 2012 when he christened the Barclays Center as a former part-owner of the Brooklyn Nets has morphed into a basketball wonderland operated by the Liberty. After reaching the WNBA Finals last year, there’s been a growing appetite for seeing the team compete, especially amongst hip-hop stars. Since then, the Liberty has had Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys, Common, Jennifer Hudson, Fat Joe, and A Boogie wit Da Hoodie attend its games on multiple occasions, cheering them on from the sidelines.
This connection to hip-hop royalty is not just a massive win but a source of pride for Liberty, whose chief brand officer, Shana Stephenson, wanted to take the next step: inviting artists to perform at the team’s home games. Stephenson, a born-and-raised New Yorker, is an avid lover of ’90s hip-hop and saw an opportunity to bridge the gap between her two loves, women’s sports and music.
“New York is full of rich culture, and hip-hop is a key ingredient,” she says. “Basketball and hip-hop go hand in hand in hand. As someone who loves hip-hop and grew up in ’90s hip-hop, it made sense to me.”
Last year, in honor of 50 years of hip-hop, Stephenson sought ways that the Liberty could pay homage to the genre’s most respected trailblazers. She accomplished that last August when the Liberty held a concert celebrating 50 years of women in hip-hop, and enlisted MC Lyte and Rapsody as the night’s performers. Stephenson’s love for legacy acts continued this year when the Liberty stormed into the Finals for a second consecutive season. With the stakes higher than ever, she tapped acclaimed rap stars Rick Ross and Jadakiss to perform at Game 1 and 2 of the Liberty Finals home games, with the latter being in front of a record-setting crowd of 18,000 fans.
And while the Liberty franchise has reveled in watching a hip-hop’s “Who’s Who” taking centerstage during their games, it has also used its halftime performances as a platform for emerging talent, especially those from New York to take advantage of.
“We see this as a platform for up-and-coming artists looking to get their music out there and in front of a different audience,” says Stephenson, who has had Cash Cobain, Maiya The Don, Lola Brooke, and more perform. “And we know that even though they aren’t as mainstream, they also still have followings, whether it’s cult followings or underground followings. That’s also an opportunity for us to tap into their core fan base, who might not be as familiar with the Liberty or fans of the WNBA. We see that as mutually beneficial.”
“It’s beautiful,” adds Maiya the Don. “For a long time, women’s sports, especially basketball, didn’t get the shine they deserved, but now the hip-hop community is showing love in a way that’s lifting these women up. It’s dope to see artists, especially in hip-hop, recognizing their greatness and supporting them. There’s a natural connection between basketball and hip-hop, so it’s about time the ladies got that same recognition. And honestly, it’s empowering. They’re paving the way for all of us to get the respect we deserve in our lanes.”
Maiya the Don at Atlanta Dream versus the New York Liberty in Brooklyn, New York on September 22, 2024.
Courtesy of New York Liberty
With the Liberty just one game away from potentially winning its first championship in franchise history, Stephenson envisions a future of even greater success. She dreams that icons like Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Rihanna and LL Cool J will one day grace the Liberty’s court at Barclays Center, further solidifying the bond between the Liberty and the culture.
“This is a championship we’re aiming for,” says Stephenson. “It doesn’t matter that it’s the WNBA; it doesn’t make it any less than if the Nets were competing for an NBA championship, or the Yankees or Mets competing for an MLB championship; it means a lot in the sports world to be recognized as the best. For everyone wanting to cheer us on, be supportive, be in the building for that, and know that a halftime performance can motivate the fans and players, it means a lot.”
Tyler, the Creator is back. The Grammy Award-winning rapper announced plans for his eighth studio album on Thursday (Oct. 17). Titled Chromakopia, the set will be released later this month.
Following an initial teaser on Wednesday (Oct. 16), Tyler revealed Chromakopia‘s cover art along with the project’s Oct. 28 release date, which is a Monday rather than the typical Friday.
“All songs written, produced and arranged by Tyler Okonma,” reads the text across the cover in a shade of emerald green. As for the art, it’s a black-and-white photo of Tyler as the soldier rocking a mask who fans got a glimpse of in the “St. Chroma” visual earlier this week.
Trending on Billboard
Chromakopia will serve as the official follow-up to 2021’s Call Me If You Get Lost. Tyler had released an album every other year since his Goblin debut in 2011, but that streak came to and end when no project arrived in 2023.
Fans can access the Chromakopia website, where they can pre-save the album and pre-order merch bundles filled with CDs, hoodies, hats, T-shirts, tote bags and mini commemorative Chromakopia containers.
Fans got their first taste of Tyler launching into his new era on Wednesday when the musician posted a clip of the “St. Chroma” video, which some fans believed to be the opening track of his next album. Solange Knowles, Lil Yachty, Gunner Stahl, IDK, Lil Dicky, Wolfacejoeyy, Laila!, Swizz Beatz, Doechii, Wynne and more hopped into his comment section on IG to show him love.
Call Me If You Get Lost arrived in June 2021 and debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 169,000 total album units sold in the first week. The LP won best rap album at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
Next up, Tyler will be performing at his Camp Flog Gnaw festival at Dodger Stadium during the weekend of Nov. 16 and Nov. 17, where attendees will likely get to hear music from his upcoming album. A full lineup for the carnival is yet to be revealed.
Check out the Chromakopia cover below.
Cardi B is taking care of some business with a nine-day trip to Los Angeles. The Bronx native hopped on X Spaces on Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 16) to discuss her plans while on the West Coast, which include tending to her long-awaited sophomore LP.
“I’m also in L.A. because I have to do something pertaining the album. I know you guys are gonna be like, ‘What the f–k, b—h?’ But it’s something that’s gonna be done really f–king quick,” she said. “It’s just gonna be a one-two. I did it when I was pregnant, and nothing came out how I wanted it to come, out so we gotta do it again.”
Cardi continued without saying exactly what she had to do for the LP. “It’s gonna be amazing and unique because everything I do it gotta be amazing and unique,” she promised. “I’m sorry for the delay. It’s not gonna be a crazy delay. It’s gonna come out amazing. I’m gonna be out here for nine days.”
Trending on Billboard
It’s been more than six years since 2018’s Invasion of Privacy and Cardi has teased the album for 2024, but the calendar days left in the year are dwindling.
“Album is coming really, really soon, announcements is coming really really soon,” she promised later on. “Things are getting more done now! I’m not pregnant no more.”
Cardi delivered a pair of singles with Billboard Hot 100 hits “Enough (Miami)” and “Like What (Freestyle)” earlier this year, but then cooled off and leaned on a few assists while hopping on Rob 49’s “On Dat Money” and Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla’s “Wanna Be (Remix).”
The 32-year-old also gave birth to her third child with estranged husband Offset in September. Following her filing for divorce from the Migos rapper at the end of July, Cardi is enjoying her new chapter in life.
“Life has been really weird,” she added. “I’m single and I’ve been having fun, but I feel like me being single and me having fun, I have to stop it because I don’t want it to get in the way of my work. I’m paranoid to give people my time, I’m just playing around right now,” she said with a laugh. “I just want peace.”
Listen to the full Spaces session below.
Kendrick Lamar already has 17 Grammys to his name, and he could add several more if “Not Like Us” dominates next month’s Grammy nominations announcement (Nov. 8).
A strong contender for both record and song of the year, the Billboard Hot 100-topping diss track is also a frontrunner in the rap field categories of best rap song and best rap performance. Should “Not Like Us” take home the gold in both of those categories, it would become the fifth Lamar track to pull off the feat following “I” (2015), “Alright” (2016), “Humble” (2018), and “The Heart Part 5” (2023).
As can be the case across genres, there has been a fair amount of overlap between performance and songwriting categories in the rap field over the years. Since the best rap performance category was introduced in 2012 – several more specific categories were condensed in a major rehaul of the ceremony — eight songs have triumphed both there and in best rap song, which was introduced in 2004. In addition to Lamar’s victories, the other winners include Jay-Z & Kanye West‘s “N—as in Paris” (2013), Macklemore & Ryan Lewis‘ “Thrift Shop” (2014), Megan Thee Stallion & Beyoncé‘s “Savage” (2021) and Killer Mike, Future, André 3000 and Eryn Allen Kane‘s “Scientists & Engineers” (2024).
Trending on Billboard
Before the categories were restructured, two best rap song winners — Jay-Z, Rihanna and West’s “Run This Town” (2010) and Jay-Z & Alicia Keys‘ “Empire State of Mind” (2011) — also won best rap/sung performance (now called best melodic rap performance). In 2004, Eminem‘s “Lose Yourself” won best rap song — making him the inaugural winner in that category — and best male rap solo performance.
But what tracks could block “Not Like Us” from a rap field sweep? Let’s break down the leading contenders in both categories.
Best Rap Song
First, there’s the question of “Like That.” If Lamar’s Hot 100-topping collaboration with Future & Metro Boomin wins both best rap song and best rap performance, Lamar would still earn his fifth double-whammy. In the event that both “Not Like Us” and “Like That” earn nods in best rap song, Lamar would increase his tally to 10 career nods in this category — the fourth most of all time. A nod for “Like That” would earn Future his fourth nomination in this category and Metro Boomin his first.
Two non-Lamar Hot 100 chart-toppers could also earn nods here: Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hiss” and Ye & Ty Dolla $ign‘s “Carnival.” Megan remains the first and only female rapper to win this category, and a nod for “Hiss” would be her first nomination in this category for a solo song. Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) has the most wins in the history of this category (7); a nod for “Carnival” here would be his seventeenth — the most of all time — and Ty Dolla $ign’s first. “Carnival” could also earn career-first Grammy nods for Don Toliver and Playboi Carti, who are credited songwriters and featured artists on the track.
Carti is also in contention by way of Travis Scott‘s “FE!N,” which reached No. 5 on the Hot 100 in 2023. The duo performed the track at the 2024 Grammy telecast, where its parent album, the Billboard 200-topping Utopia lost best rap album to Killer Mike’s Michael. Between his globe-trotting Circus Maximus Tour and a historic re-release of his decade-old Days Before Rodeo mixtape, Travis has remained a consistent presence this year. Killer Mike, on the other hand, could bookend his 2024 victory in this category with “Humble Me.”
Two other massive 2024 Hot 100 hits — Jack Harlow‘s “Lovin On Me” (No. 1) and Tommy Richman‘s “Million Dollar Baby” (No. 2) — are also very strong contenders. Richman is looking for his first Grammy nod, while Harlow is looking to earn his second nod in this category following “Churchill Downs” (with Drake) in 2023.
There are also a number of other notable Hot 100 hits that are in contention, including: Sexyy Red‘s “Get It Sexy” (No. 20), Nicki Minaj‘s “FTCU” (No. 15), GloRilla‘s “Yeah Glo” (No. 28), Flo Milli‘s “Never Lose Me” (No. 15), Doja Cat‘s “Demons” (No. 46), Lil Baby & Central Cee‘s “Band4Band” (No. 18), Cardi B‘s “Enough” (No. 9) and 21 Savage‘s “Redrum” (No. 5). Both Lil Baby and Cardi B are seeking their second nominations in this category, while Minaj and Doja are each aiming for their third. 21 Savage, who won this category alongside J. Cole for “A Lot” in 2020, is looking to earn his fourth nomination in this category. Out of these contenders, Hot Girl Summer tourmates Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla are likely the strongest contenders, but both have a more favorable history in best rap performance.
As always, there are also a few dark horses for which to keep an eye out. Rapsody, a previous nominee in this category for “Sassy” back in 2018, could pull off a nomination for “Asteroids,” while ScHoolboy Q could earn his first nod in this category with “Thank God 4 Me.” Eminem is the inaugural winner of this category, and he’s since added four additional nominations. “Tobey” (with Big Sean and BabyTron) could earn Slim Shady his first best rap song nod since 2019, when his Joyner Lucas-assisted “Lucky You” earned a nomination. Lucas is also in contention with his Jelly Roll duet, “Best for Me,” which earned a nod for best video for good at the MTV Video Music Awards last month. Finally, Common could earn his second nomination in this category with “When the Sun Shines Again” (with Pete Rock and Posdnuos).
Our Fearless Forecast
So, which five songs have the best chance to be nominated in this Grammy category? The rap field is always unpredictable, but here goes nothing: “Not Like Us” (Kendrick Lamar), “Lovin On Me” (Jack Harlow), “Like That” (Future, Metro Boomin & Lamar), “Asteroids” (Rapsody) and “Carnival” (Ye, Ty Dolla $ign, Don Toliver & Playboi Carti)
Best Rap Performance
Given the history of overlap between best rap song and best rap performance, most of the aforementioned songs are also contenders in this category. Some other Hot 100 hits to keep an eye on include Bryson Tiller‘s “Whatever She Wants” (No. 19), Eminem’s “Houdini” (No. 2) and Megan Thee Stallion and Yuki Chiba‘s “Mamushi” (No. 36). A nod in this category would be the first for Tiller and Chiba. Also in contention here with “Hiss,” Megan is looking to add to her two previous nominations in this category. Eminem has earned 12 career nods across rap performance categories; he has won best rap solo performance three times in addition to one triumph in best male rap solo performance and two wins in best rap performance by a duo or group.
Other strong contenders include Doechii‘s “Nissan Altima,” Latto‘s “S/O to Me,” LL Cool J & Eminem’s “Murdergram Deux,” Big Sean‘s “Yes” and ScHoolboy Q’s “Blueslides.”
Our Fearless Forecast
So, which five songs have the best chance to be nominated in this category? I predict: “Not Like Us” (Kendrick Lamar), “HISS” (Megan Thee Stallion), “Like That” (Future, Metro Boomin & Lamar), “Murdergram Deux” (LL Cool J & Eminem) and “Yeah Glo” (GloRilla)
On Saturday (Oct. 19), A Tribe Called Quest will join the ranks of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame during the 2024 induction ceremony in Cleveland. And for a group who rose to prominence as part of the Native Tongues collective, which valued communal creativity over winner-takes-all competition, it’s fitting that they won’t be alone.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The surviving members of the group (Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White; Phife Dawg died in 2016 at age 45) will be joined in their performance by Busta Rhymes, The Roots, Queen Latifah, De La Soul, Common and Spliff Star.
Rhymes’ inclusion is a no-brainer: Busta’s chest-rattling verse on Tribe’s 1992 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Scenario” helped launch his career. Similarly, Q-Tip and Phife Dawg’s appearance on De La Soul’s 1989 posse cut “Buddy (Native Tongues Remix)” helped boost their pre-debut album profile. Also featured on that classic remix? Queen Latifah, a key force in the Native Tongues collective.
Trending on Billboard
Aside from ATCQ being a clear inspiration for The Roots’ thoughtful, Afrocentric rhymes and jazz-inflected rhythms, drummer Questlove chose his name as an homage to the trailblazing group — plus, Q-Tip guested on their 1996 album Illadelph Halflife. Tip also featured on Common’s 1997 album One Day It’ll All Make Sense, and Common returned the favor on a track from the Abstract’s shelved 2004 album, Open. As for Spliff Star, he’s known as one of hip-hop’s most energetic hype men and has performed “Scenario” onstage with Rhymes and Q-Tip. Got all that?
A Tribe Called Quest enters the Rock Hall on its third nomination. Along with Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & the Gang and Ozzy Osbourne, they make up the Rock Hall’s Class of 2024 in the performers category.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2024 ceremony will stream live on Disney+ on Oct. 19 starting at 7 p.m. ET. An edited primetime special featuring highlights will broadcast on ABC on Jan. 1, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET.
A Tribe Called Quest
Courtesy Photo
Bloomberg reports Jay-Z and the NFL plan on continuing their partnership. During the NFL’s owner’s meeting in Atlanta on Tuesday (Oct. 15), commissioner Roger Goodell said, “It’s been a mutually positive relationship, I’m not sure either one of us really spend much time talking about contracts. Jay is happy. Desiree Perez is happy. I’m happy, […]
Chris Brown has responded to a petition looking to ban him from performing a pair of concerts in South Africa later this year.
A women’s rights advocacy group launched a petition that had nearly 40,000 signatures as of press time on Wednesday (Oct. 16), and C. Breezy hopped into the Women for Change Instagram comments with an unfazed reply to their efforts.
“Can’t wait to come,” Brown wrote with a heart emoji.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The comment was left under a post detailing Women for Change’s battle to stop gender-based violence. “Thanks to @darrencampher.com_ and everyone standing with us. This goes beyond Chris Brown – it’s about standing up for millions of survivors of Gender-Based Violence,” the caption reads. “Join us in demanding accountability, Sign the Petition!”
Trending on Billboard
The embattled R&B superstar’s comment has over 6,000 likes as fans had plenty to say while chiming in to support Brown’s cheeky response. “Tickets are secured, lessss goo,” one excited fan wrote.
Women for Change initially launched the petition on Oct. 2 on Change.org. The BBC reports that South Africa has a long history of abuse and one of the “highest rates of femicide and gender-based violence in the world.”
According to the petition, the group wants the concert’s promoters and South African government to “reconsider” having Brown perform a pair of shows at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium in mid-December.
“When I saw the news that Chris Brown was coming to South Africa, I was shocked and deeply disappointed,” Women for Change executive director Sabina Walter said to the BBC. “The petition was started to send a strong message that we will not tolerate the celebration of individuals with a history of violence against women.”
Walter added: “When someone like Chris Brown is given a platform in a country where GBV is at crisis levels, it sends a damaging message — that fame and power outweigh accountability.”
Even with the backlash, there remains an overwhelming demand for tickets to see Brown at his Dec. 14 and Dec. 15 shows. He reportedly sold out the 94,000-capacity venue in less than two hours, causing show organizers to add a second FNB Stadium date.
In 2016, the conservative-leaning New York Post outed Kaseem Ryan‘s career as a New York City firefighter, in which he was a 9/11 first responder and rose to the rank of captain. You see, the Post took umbrage with the “anti-cop” rhetoric in his raps and felt the need to lift the veil of the rapper known as Ka, one of the genre’s most mysterious figures.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Ka approached rap music differently than his peers. He produced most of his songs and music videos, often during his off time from saving lives as a fireman. His words came across as brutal, humble, calm, and wise all at once. His beats evoked a cold winter night when the only people outside were the hustlers and the late-night stragglers looking for that last fix before the sun comes up and the block gets hot again. He would host pop-ups to sell his latest albums and meet his fans. Most of the time the only way to hear his music was to go to his website and buy it directly from him. And he would handle every online order himself. He was truly a man of and for the people, and he believed in the sanctity of hip-hop to his core.
In 2012, while sitting down with Out Da Box TV, Ka explained his creative process and how he felt about the state of hip-hop at the time. “I’m a purist. To me hip-hop is a beautiful artform that I feel isn’t being respected as such now,” he said before going on a minor rant about the trend of not writing rhymes popularized by acts Jay-Z and Lil Wayne. “I was taking offense to all that shit,” he added. “Ayo, B, it takes time to sculpt. [The] Sistine Chapel wasn’t done [on] how fast you could do it; the shit was done over years. David wasn’t sculpted in, you know, ‘Yo, I did that in a day.’ There’s no time on art. When I’m doing a verse, it takes me a long time to do the verse, and as far as doing the verse, I’m speaking from a lifetime of experiences. It took a lifetime to write that.”
Trending on Billboard
His approach was just as profound as his music. There are lines from his work that stick to you. On the song “I’m Ready” from his 2013 album The Knight’s Gambit, towards the end of the chorus he raps, “If judged by a scale I pray my righteousness is heavy/ I’m ready, I’m ready” in his raspy voice as if he was already grappling with the prospect of what awaits him beyond this life. I would say that his righteousness was indeed heavy, judging by the outpouring of kind words from his peers and fans alike. Frequent collaborator and one half of their group Metal Clergy, Roc Marciano called Ka his “big brother” and “guardian angel.” The Alchemist called him “a living prophet.” Fans posted pictures of themselves with him at his pop-ups and mentioned how accessible and friendly he was.
His art resonated with people because they felt the effort he put in and the pain he was holding inside. Sure, he was a captain for the FDNY, but he grew up in Brownsville during the crack era, and seemed to be working through survivor’s remorse in his music. “I wanted them to know this is personal what I’m giving you,” he said in that same Out Da Box interview. “This is blood I’m giving you. I’m not spittin’ this s–t, this is blood. I needed them to know that, to appreciate it, that if you don’t hear a lot from me, it’s because I’m pulling a lot from me and I’m actually expending a lot of energy to give you these songs. So, I just want you to appreciate it.”
And we did.An artist like Ka wasn’t defined by numbers or trophies — he was defined by the art, by the culture, by the people. In an interview with Passion of the Weiss, he spoke on living two lives and what he wanted his legacy to be. “I’m living two lives, man. I’m trying to be who I am in the day and then trying to feed my soul at night with being the artist that I want to be,” he told the outlet. “I want to respect the culture and give back what it gave to me. The reason I’m alive right now is because of hip-hop.
He continued about the music that saved his life: “It made me want to be a smarter person. It made me want to read, so I would write better rhymes. It was that important to me. It gave me drive; I wanted to be the best MC there ever was. Hip-hop don’t have a museum like this yet but if we have, I want to be a wing. I want to be my own f–king room, the Ka chamber right here. ‘At the time he was doing it, there wasn’t a lot of light on it, but yo, we went back and checked it, that s–t was incredible’ — that’s what I want. Van Gogh, he wasn’t revered, he cut his ear off and killed himself later on. That man wasn’t known until years after his death – he needed to have known what he was during the time he was alive.”
Ka leaves this life behind as being one of the best rappers of his era and as an even better man. It’s our duty now to continue to tell his story and put people on to his music, so that he can live forever.
Sound the alarms, the next chapter of Tyler, The Creator‘s career is here. It’s been over three years since his Grammy Award-winning Call Me If You Get Lost was released, and it appears a new Tyler era is upon us.
Tyler took to social media on Wednesday (Oct. 16) to kick off his next chapter with the eerie “St. Chroma” video. The clip finds a person rocking a mask with a group of mesmerized soldiers marching to some whispered rapping through a barren desert.
The clip follows the group as they walk into a container emblazoned with the word “Chromakopia” on its side, before someone hits a detonator to blow up the box and splatter some color onto the screen. It’s unclear if this is the opening track of Tyler’s next era, but plenty of the rapper’s peers think so.
Trending on Billboard
Solange Knowles, Lil Yachty, Gunner Stahl, IDK, Lil Dicky, Wolfacejoeyy, Laila!, Swizz Beatz, Doechii, Wynne, Montell Fish and more excitedly commented under his new clip. Some fans speculated that Chromakopia could even be the title of the next LP.
Since releasing his Goblin debut in 2011, Tyler has released an album every other year through 2021’s Call Me If You Get Lost. However, he broke the streak when 2023 came and went without an album. Although he essentially released a Call Me If You Get Lost deluxe with The Estate Sale in March 2023.
While he notched his first feature film role in an upcoming A24 movie alongside Timothée Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow, Tyler has been quiet for much of 2024 on the music side.
With this teaser now out to the masses, the timing of rolling out his next project could make sense with his Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival set to take over Dodger Stadium for the weekend of Nov. 16 and Nov. 17 where he’ll be headlining.
Call Me If You Get Lost arrived in June 2021 and debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 169,000 total album units sold in the first week. The LP went on to win best rap album honors at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
Watch the clip below: