Hip-Hop
Beyoncé Announces New Visual Album Black Is King
Beyoncé will return next month with a new visual album called Black Is King. It’s due out on July 31st exclusively through Disney Plus. The project ties back to Beyoncé’s previous collaboration with Disney on last year’s CGI remake of The Lion King and the companion album, The Lion King: The Gift. According to a press release, Black Is King “reimagines the lessons of The Lion King for today’s young kings and queens in search of their own crowns. The film was in production for one year with a cast and crew that represent diversity and connectivity.” Beyoncé wrote, directed and produced Black Is King herself. The album will incorporate music and visuals from The Gift in addition to featuring the album’s collaborators and other special guests. “The voyages of Black families, th...
Michelle Obama Stresses Voter Registration During Virtual Roots Picnic: Watch
Michelle Obama helped launch this year’s Roots Picnic with a passionate message about voting. Before kicking off the virtual festival on Saturday (June 27), the former first lady joined The Roots‘ Questlove and Black Thought on a split screen to urge voter registration for the upcoming election in November. “These past few months have been pretty heavy for just about everyone, and the truth is we still have our work cut out for us in the weeks and months ahead,” Obama said. “So before we dive into the Picnic, I want to remind everybody that we’ve got an election coming up, and it couldn’t be more important that everyone makes their voice heard this time around.” This year’s Roots Picnic partnered with Obama’s nonpartisan nonprofit...
Usher Debuts ‘I Cry’ With Emotional Performance For ‘Global Goal’: Watch
During Global Citizen’s “Global Goal: Unite For Our Future” live stream on Saturday (June 27), Usher performed his heartfelt new single “I Cry.” With powerful lyrics such as “I cry for the sons without fathers and the pain the mothers hold deep inside,” Usher’s new record sends a deep message of empathy and compassion. “If you chose to put yourself on the front lines of protests, if you chose to put yourself on the front lines by way of posting something or reposting something, know that you’re not alone and we can change this,” he previously said to Billboard. “Just know that you’re not alone and that we’re together in this fight.” He added: “I hope that the entire world, Black Americans and those who are Black in other countries, those who receive prej...
SZA Brings a Breezy ‘Normal Girl’ to Virtual Roots Picnic 2020: Watch
SZA took “Normal Girl” out to nature for this year’s Roots Picnic. The singer delivered a fresh, soothing vocal performance of the CTRL track outdoors for Saturday night’s (June 27) event. Surrounded by trees and accompanied by just a guitarist, SZA crooned about what it might be like to be the “type of girl you wanna take home to mama” and the “type of girl my daddy, he’d be proud of.” SZA was part of a packed lineup for the virtual rendition of the Roots Picnic, which kicked off with Michelle Obama urging viewers to take a minute and vote in this year’s elections. The Roots, H.E.R., Roddy Ricch and Kirk Franklin were among the many other performers. Check out a clip of SZA’s performance below. You Deserve to Make...
6ix9ine Releasing New Song & Music Video on Friday
6ix9ine just went to No. 1 with Nicki Minaj on “Trollz,” but there’s already another new music release in the works. With “Trollz” at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart — a first for 6ix9ine — he’ll be dropping another song and music video on Friday (July 3). “NEW MUSIC VIDEO THIS FRIDAY JULY 3RD,” wrote 6ix9ine on Instagram Saturday afternoon (June 27). “I have about 34 more days ’til house arrest is over, about 34 more days and the ankle monitor comes off and the king of New York is back on the street. I’m gonna give you all one more music video,” 6ix9ine teased in a video accompanying the post. “Just picture this, right. I’ve been on house arrest. I broke a whole b...
H.E.R. Rocks ‘I Can’t Breathe’/’Fate’ Medley for Roots Picnic 2020
H.E.R. brought a two-song medley live from a socially distant studio session to this year’s Roots Picnic. The Roots’ annual Roots Picnic went virtual this year, kicking off Saturday night (June 27) with Michelle Obama encouraging viewers to take action and vote in this year’s elections, and then launching into a series of virtual music performances. H.E.R. started off her spot in the lineup with a powerful, acoustic guitar-led “I Can’t Breathe,” the moving new song she debuted earlier in June inspired by current events and protests following George Floyd’s killing. She switched gears for the second part of her medley, picking up an electric guitar for a rocking rendition of “Fate.” The Roots Picnic began streaming at 8 p.m. ET Saturday ...
‘BET Awards 2020 Needed More Than Ever’: President Scott Mills Reflects on Show’s Lasting Impact & More
BET president Scott Mills wants viewers of this year’s BET Awards to understand one thing up front: don’t call it a virtual awards show. It’s a “complete mischaracterization of what the show is,” says Mills of the BET Awards which, like many other special events, has had to shift gears as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the ceremony will air Sunday evening (June 28) and also make its national broadcast debut on CBS. Noting that other media have tagged the show as virtual, Mills continues, “We actually never have described it as virtual. We said that we’re proceeding with the awards show and not doing it in front of a live audience.” Mills further emphasizes that the show won’t feature artists simply performing from their homes. Instead, performanc...
Lil Wayne Welcomes All-Star Lineup of Usher, Fabolous, Jadakiss and More to Young Money Radio
After taking a week off to commemorate Juneteenth, Lil Wayne returned to Young Money Radio on Friday (June 26) with an all-star guest lineup. Weezy discussed a wide variety of topics, ranging from new music to racial injustice, during the ninth episode of his Apple Radio show, as he welcomed guests Usher, Jadakiss, Fabolous, Juelz Santana, Jack Harlow and others. First up was Usher, who recently dropped the empowering song “I Cry” and penned an op-ed for The Washington Post highlighting the importance of Juneteenth. The superstar singer told Wayne that the inspiration behind “I Cry” came from the death of George Floyd. “There’s an outcry for us to be able to change the reality of what’s going on in our country,” Usher said. “And this so...
G-Eazy’s ‘Everything’s Strange Here’ Has Arrived: Stream It Now
After a slight delay, G-Eazy returns with Everything’s Strange Here. Originally scheduled to arrive on June 5, the new set dropped in full at midnight. The health crisis has turned many things inside out, including the Oakland rapper’s release strategy. In fact, if it weren’t for the lockdown, the new album wouldn’t be at our fingertips right now. These Things Happen Too was meant to come first, but, well, the coronavirus changes everything. In a social post last month, G-Eazy wrote: “8 weeks ago I didn’t know I needed to make this. The world has been turned upside down and inside out – but a lot of us have had the fortunate opportunity to self reflect, grow and evolve.” This new project,” he explains, “is a representation of where my heart and head have been at. It’s hon...
Megan Thee Stallion Unleashes ‘Girls in the Hood’: Stream It Now
Megan Thee Stallion apologizes to absolutely no one on her new release “Girls in the Hood,” which dropped at midnight. The Houston rapper is in total control on “Hood,” a statement track on which she lets her thoughts be known from the opening stanza. Channeling Eazy-E’s “Boyz-n-the-Hood” from 1987, Megan fires away: “F— being good, I’m a bad b—-/ I’m sick of motherf—ers tryna tell me how to live.” She teased the track Wednesday on social media, sharing its cover art and an audio cut. The “B.I.T.C.H.” rapper has been using her time wisely — and creatively — during the lockdown. Back in April, she dialled in for a chat with The Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon. “I’ve been recording. That’s the best thing about quarantin...
Megan Thee Stallion Flips Eazy-E’s Classic in New Song “Girls in the Hood”: Stream
Megan Thee Stallion is ready to break the internet… again. The Houston rapper has just released her latest single, “Girls in the Hood”, which flips Eazy-E’s classic rap hit “Boyz-n-the-Hood” on its head. “Girls in the Hood” is an obvious nod to Eazy-E’s famous single both in name and in sound. The track warps the original number’s backing track into something fresh and modern. Of course, Megan Thee Stallion makes the music into something memorable by turning rapid-fire verses into a straight-up vocal flex, flaunting her skills not just as a rapper, but as a musical artist who continues to climb the charts. Hear it for yourself below. This is the latest instance of Megan Thee Stallion stealing the spotlight in the midst of a pandemic. She dropped her star-studded album Suga in March to high...
Fabolous and Jadakiss Will Face Off For Next Verzuz Battle
The Big Apple is where the next Verzuz is going down. Veteran New York rappers Fabolous and Jadakiss will rumble next Monday, June 29 for the latest instalment in the online hip-hop and R&B face-off. Announced on a fetching jersey in traditional New York Knicks colors, the FAB vs. JADA battle squares off at 8 p.m. ET on Instagram Live and Apple Music. Neither has a shortage of tracks to revisit. Fabolous has impacted the Billboard Hot 100 on 21 occasions, with five top 10s, including “Into You” and Can’t Let You Go.” Jadakiss has nine credits on the Billboard Hot 100, including his work on Jennifer Lopez’ No. 3 hit “Jenny From The Block.” Verzuz was launched in March by legendary hip-hop producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. Starting life as a 20-song showdown between evenly matched pro...
