Hip-Hop Music News
Snoop Dogg and DMX to Go Head-to-Head in Verzuz Battle Tonight
Snoop Dogg and DMX, two of hip-hop’s biggest heavyweights, will go head-to-head in a Verzuz battle on Wednesday. It’s scheduled to go down tonight at at 8:00 p.m. ET via Verzuz’s Instagram. For the uninitiated, Verzuz is an Instagram TV show of sorts that pits two producers, rappers, or songwriters side-by-side to revisit their career highs and lows, with the ultimate goal of determining who has the best catalog. As Vulture writer Craig Jenkins notes, each battle consists of 20 rounds, sees contestants play a hit and then hear a rebuttal, and revolves around rules that come together “on the fly.” Past battles have featured Nelly vs. Ludacris, Timbaland vs. Swizz Beatz, and Teddy Riley vs. Babyface, among others. It’s a dog eat dog world, and tonight, one pup will come out on top....
J. Cole Drops Two New Songs “The Climb Back” and “Lion King on Ice”: Stream
J. Cole, photo by Ben Kaye J. Cole is back with new music. The North Carolina rapper has just released a pair of singles, “The Climb Back” and “Lion King on Ice”, both of which can be streamed below. “The Climb Back” was produced solely by J. Cole, whereas “Lion King on Ice” features additional production credits from jetsonmade and T-Minus. Apparently both songs are from The Fall Off, the long-hinted-at follow-up album to 2018’s KOD, which means yes, the album is actually real. But according to J. Cole, there’s no set release date scheduled. “Taking my time, still finishing,” he wrote on Instagram. Editors’ Picks Just last month, J. Cole dropped a surprise single called “Snow on tha Bluff” after marching in the streets with protestors. On the track, he appeared to take aim at Chicag...
Smino Teams with J.I.D and Kenny Beats on New Song “Baguetti”: Stream
J.I.D. (photo via artist’s Instagram/@jidsv), Smino (photo by Heather Kaplan), and Kenny Beats (photo by Aris Chatman) Three months after dropping his surprise mixtape She Already Decided, Smino is back with a new single called “Baguetti”. And this time around, the Chicago MC is joined by rising Atlanta rapper J.I.D and social media star/producer extraordinaire Kenny Beats. “Baguetti” is the sound of three artists working together with ease — not just because they so smoothly align with each other, but because the whole thing has a breezy, laid-back feel. While barely seeming to struggle for speed, the two vocalists layer lines atop of lines over Kenny Beats’ bluesy, sparse production. Speaker-vibrating bass pounds on the chorus like another vocalist, emphasizing lines likes, “I...
Drake Teams Up With Headie One for New Song “Only You Freestyle”: Stream
Drake has teamed up with British rapper Headie One for a new collaborative track called “Only You Freestyle”. The standalone single sees both artists splitting the song in half, with each getting just under two minutes to freestyle nonstop. “I had to go hard, especially on a track with one of the best drill artists in the world,” says Drake in a press release. “Scratch that — the best drill artist in the world.” Produced by M1onthebeat, “Only You Freestyle” wastes no time letting Drake and Headie One lay down some new thoughts. While the Scorpion star’s verses see him charging forward with a tight speed, even speaking in Arabic for a spell, he eventually trips over his own tongue and begins to fall off tempo — a cringeworthy moment for anyone who can keep time. Meanwhile, Headie One k...
Pop Smoke’s New Album Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon Receives Deluxe Edition: Stream
Pop Smoke’s posthumous debut album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, was released earlier this month, boasting cameos from Future, Swae Lee, DaBaby, and more. Now, an expanded deluxe edition of the album has arrived, along with a new video for “The Woo”. Check out both below. For a high-definition listening experience, you can sign up for a 60-day free trial of TIDAL HiFi. This deluxe edition of Shoot for the Stars includes 15 (!) new songs and guest contributions from Burna Boy, BloodPop, Jamie Foxx, PnB Rock, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, and Fivio Foreign, among others. There’s also a somewhat controversial track called “Paranoia” with Young Thug and Gunna. A previously leaked iteration of this cut had reportedly featured Pusha-T and a diss reigniting his 2018 beef with Drake,...
Kanye West Holds First Campaign Presidential Rally in South Carolina
Kanye West held his first presidential campaign rally at Exquis Event Center in North Charleston, South Carolina on Sunday. The event began at 5:00 p.m. ET. Kanye took the stage wearing a bulletproof vest and with his head shaved to say, “2020”. During the early portion of the rally, Kanye invited fans to the stage to speak about the issues that matter to them. In between these remarks, Kanye offered his own personal andecdotes. Notably, he accused social media and prescription drugs of brainwashing culture. Additionally, Kanye boasted about having a 132 IQ and how he went “to the hospital because my brain was too big for my skull.” He also said Harriet Tubman “didn’t free the slaves, she had them go work for other white people.” He explained his stance against Planned Parenthood, at one p...
Kanye West Announces New Album in Since-Deleted Tweet
2020 presidential candidate (?) Kanye West may be releasing a new album next Friday, July 24th. In a since-deleted tweet, Kanye tweeted the tracklist for a new album called Donda. The tweet contained a hand-written tracklist listing 20 songs, including the previously revealed title track as well as the Travis Scott collaboration, “Wash Us in the Blood”. Kanye previously said “Wash Us in the Blood” would appear on a new album called God’s Country. It’s unclear whether he’s simply changed the name of that album, or if Donda is a separate release altogether. Whatever the case, if Kanye does indeed follow through with plans to release a new album next Friday, it’ll serve as the follow-up to 2019’s Jesus Is King and its companion LP, Jesus Is Born. In related news, Kanye still appears to be run...
Open Mike Eagle Drops New Song “Neighborhood Protection Spell (Lana Del Biden Nem)”: Stream
After wrapping up a prolific year in 2019, Open Mike Eagle still had a lot on his mind — and rightfully so. From a global pandemic to a jumbled party of political nominees, this year hasn’t exactly gotten off to the best start. So he did what any talented rapper would do: pick up a mic and recorded a new song. It just so happens that the single, “Neighborhood Protection Spell (Lana Del Biden Nem)”, is as prescient as it is astute. According to The New Negroes star, he decided to write the song because felt like public figures were regularly taking aim at the Black community, seemingly without even realizing it. Instead of venting about the ignorance of and low-flying racist remarks by celebrities — especially, but not excluded to, Joe Biden and Lana Del Rey — he chose to turn his obse...
Joey Bada$$ Reveals New Project The Light Pack: Stream
Joey Bada$$ has returned with his first solo release in three years. The project, titled The Light Pack, is streaming in full below via Apple Music or Spotify. The long-awaited follow-up to All AmeriKKKan Bada$$ consists of three new songs: “The Light (Mind)”, “No Explanation (Body)”, and “Shine (Soul)”. According to social media posts teasing the release, this bundle serves as a “rebirth” for the Brooklyn rapper, which likely means it’s a precursor to a full album and not than just a standalone effort. Since his last proper full-length in 2017, Joey released a collaborative album as part of Beast Coast, a supergroup featuring members of Pro Era, Flatbush Zombies, and The Underachievers. The MC’s also been particularly busy with TV projects; in addition to portraying Inspectah Deck in...
Drake and DJ Khaled Reconnect on New Singles “Popstar” and “Greece”: Stream
As someone who likes to shout-out his own name whenever he gets the chance, DJ Khaled has come up with the best title for his next album: Khaled Khaled. The project was announced earlier this week, and today it’s being teased with not one, but two major key collaborations with Drake. Stream the new pair of singles, “Popstar” and “Greece” below. “SOME BOY DEM MAKE POP CHUNE WE MAKE CHUNE THAT GO POP! POP PON THEY HEAD!!” DJ Khaled wrote in an Instagram post about the tracks. He also took the time to thank Drizzy and his longtime OVO label crew, saying, “Great to collaborate wit the team prod @ozmusiqe we work AMAZING together ALSO BIG UP @ovo40 @ovonoel @chubbsview @futuretheprince @oliverelkhatib always great to work wit the OVO team. WE WORK AMAZING TOGETHER! DRAKE LUV FOREVER !” “Popstar...
Japanese Rapper Awich is “Shook Shook” on Her New Single: Stream
Japanese rapper Awich is ready to break through to America with her upcoming EP, and there’s no better track to make a memorable introduction with than “Shook Shook”, the new song she’s dropped today. Over the past few years, Awich has been busy establishing herself as a rising force within Japan’s hip-hop scene. And now, in a few weeks, she will cross over to western audiences with Partition, her upcoming EP due out August 21st via Universal. “Shook Shook” is our first taste of Partition, and it comes on strong in the best of ways. Awich alternates between Japanese and English while rapping about her experiences as a women in the male-centric music industry. Behind her, a dark piano loop can be heard atop a gritty bass beat, all smoothed out by producer Chaki Zulu. It’s almost reminiscent...
Megan Thee Stallion Says She Was Shot in the Foot
Megan Thee Stallion has issued a social media statement regarding the incident over the weekend that led to Tory Lanez’s arrest and her own trip to the hospital. The “Girls in the Hood” rapper was taken to a Los Angeles hospital with what was reported at the time as a foot wound caused by broken glass found in Lanez’s car. However, Megan has now said the injury was in fact “gunshot wounds” she sustained “as a result of a crime that was committed against me and done with the intention to physically harm me.” She also clarified that she was never arrested, and the police only drove her to the hospital. Despite her public statement, the Los Angeles Police Department told TMZ that while Megan Thee Stallion was with police, “she did not report that she was the victim of any crime.” Accordi...
