Hip-Hop
Public Enemy Takes on Trump In Scorching New Single “State Of The Union (STFU)”: Stream
Public Enemy has long been the soundtrack for the fight against inequality — and that hasn’t changed in Trump’s America. Today, the group returns with a blistering new single for the times appropriately titled, “State of the Union (STFU)”. Chuck D seethes with rage as he calls for the destruction of the current administration: “It’s not what you think/ It’s what you follow/ Run for them jewels/ Drink from that bottle/ Another for years is gonna gut you hollow.” Produced by DJ Premier, it’s a classic Public Enemy track in the truest sense and culminates in the chorus, which finds Chuck D and Flava Flav singing: “State of the union/ Shut the fuck up/ Sorry ass motherfucker/ Stay away from me.” In a statement on the track, Chuck said, “Our collective voices keep getting louder. The rest of th...
Astronautalis Shares First New Solo Single in Four Years “The Way I Am”: Stream
Rejoice! Astronautalis has returned with his first new solo single in four years, and his first new track since his 2018 collaboration with POS in Four Fists. It’s called “The Way I Am” and the Florida-Minneapolis bard has paired the melancholy jam with a hilarious new music video featuring a deepfake of Tiger King. Produced and mixed by Subp Yao, “The Way I Am” finds Astronautalis doing a little soul searching over balmy beats that sound like the aural equivalent of a meditative stroll. “I’m drunk on whiskey maybe,” he sings, “Passed in the back of the van/ You seen it all now, ain’t i crazy?/ Can you still love me the way i am?” “I was kind of a mess of a man when I met the woman who would later become my wife,” Astronautalis says of the song. “Thankfully, she saw through all my bullshit...
The 10 Best Moments From John Legend and Alicia Keys’ Juneteenth Verzuz Showdown
In a time of civil unrest throughout the country, Alicia Keys and John Legend’s Verzuz event was a healing balm. For more than two hours the pair played their biggest hits (20 each), including their solo songs and features. At times Keys sat at a fuschia piano as Legend took a seat behind a black piano. Other times, the pair got up and danced along to their hit songs, singing over the recordings. In addition to playing their biggest hits, Legend and Keys also performed their newest singles. More than 150,000 tuned into the event on Instagram Live at its peak. The Juneteenth-themed event — the latest in the Verzuz series created by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, Keys’ husband — was also the the first in the series to be streamed on Apple TV. The Instagram Live events, which sta...
Rapper Tray Savage Dies at 26
Chief Keef’s record label signee, Tray Savage, died on Friday (June 19), Billboard can confirm. He was 26 years old. According to TMZ, who first reported the news, Tray (born Kentray Young) was shot and killed while driving around on the South Side of Chicago. He was rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Canter, where he was later pronounced dead. “The entire Chief Glo Gang Family are extremely saddened about the loss of Kentray ‘Tray Savage’ Young who was taken too soon today,” a representative said in a statement. “His first love was always devoted to his fiancé, kids, family, and music. Regrettably, we can’t take back the actions done by others, but we stand firmly behind the fact that Kentray ‘Tray Savage’ Young shoul...
New Version of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Never Gonna Break My Faith’ Drops on Juneteenth: Stream It Now
A never-before-heard solo version of the late Aretha Franklin’s riveting and powerful collaboration with Mary J. Blige about faith and race, 2006’s “Never Gonna Break My Faith,” has arrived on Juneteenth. Sony’s RCA Records, RCA Inspiration and Legacy Recordings released the song Friday, June 19, aligning with the holiday celebrating the day in 1865 that all enslaved black people learned they had been freed from bondage. “Never Gonna Break My Faith” resonates today, featuring lyrics like: “You can lie to a child with a smiling face/Tell me that color ain’t about a race.” “The world is very different now. Change is everywhere and each of us, hopefully, is doing the best he or she can to move forward and make change as positive as possible,” Clive Davis, Sony Music’s chief creative officer a...
‘I Just Wanna Live’ Singer Keedron Bryant Signs with Warner Records, Releases Debut Single on Juneteenth: Stream It Now
Keedron Bryant recently drew national attention when his stirring acapella performance of “I Just Wanna Live” on Instagram went viral in the days following the May 25 murder of George Floyd. Now the 12-year-old is making news again, announcing both his signing to Warner Records and the Juneteenth release of the song as his official debut single. Warner Records is donating 100 percent of the net profits from “I Just Wanna Live” to the NAACP. In addition, Amazon Music will donate one dollar for each stream of the song to the NAACP through 9 p.m. PT tonight (June 19), up to $50,000. Of signing to Warner, Florida native Bryant told Billboard via email, “I really want to make an impact on this world, especially the young generation.” The young singer first gained notice on season four of t...
Common, Lena Waithe and More Set For ‘The Chi With Love’ Virtual Benefit Concert
Showtime has set a virtual concert that will feature headliners Lena Waithe and Common — creative collaborators on the network’s Chicago-set series he Chi T— and a focus on the Equal Justice Initiative. On behalf of the drama series, Showtime and parent company ViacomCBS will kick off the fundraising effort with a $500,000 donation. Waithe will appear on the one-hour special while Oscar and Grammy winner Common will perform a set during the concert that will also feature notable Chicago-based artists and The Chi cast members including Jacob Latimore, Twista, Ravyn Lenae, Jamila Woods, BJ The Chicago Kid and MFnMelo. The Chi With Love will stream on the series’ YouTube channel June 21 at 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET), ahead of the season premiere later that night on Showtime at 6 p...
J. Cole Drops Incendiary New Track ‘Snow on Tha Bluff’: Stream It Now
J. Cole is back with new music. The Fayetteville-native releases “Snow on Tha Bluff,” his first new song of the year as a lead artist. Produced with Wu10, “Snow on Tha Bluff” is Cole’s first solo effort since 2018’s KOD album, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, one of five chart leaders to his name. “Bluff” is lyrical dynamite. Cole flows on social injustice, hardship and life in the ghettos, his words pouring over a dreamy production. On it, he raps: “Feel like a slave that somehow done saved enough coins to buy his way up outta slavery/ Thinking just maybe, in my pursuit to make life so much better for me and my babies.” Cole has kept busy of late. He assisted Gang Starr on 2019’s “Family and Loyalty” and contributed to the all-star set Revenge of the Dreamers III, which de...
RMR Teams Up with Young Thug for “RASCAL” Remix: Stream
RMR may be semi-anonymous thanks to his mysterious masked persona, but that hasn’t stopped the hip-hop vocalist from trying to scale the hype charts rather quickly this year. First came his breakout song “RASCAL”, which he followed up last week with his debut EP, Drug Dealing Is a Lost Art. Now, RMR has dropped a remix for his hit single featuring the inimitable Young Thug. RMR — pronounced Rumor — found viral fame this spring with “RASCAL”, a song that opens with a beautiful a cappella rendition of Rascal Flatts’ “These Days” before launching into an interpolation of country classic “Bless the Broken Road”, complete with new lyrics about staying close to your crew and flipping off the boys in blue. In this remix, “RASCAL” gets a new, moving verse from Young Thug that reworks the trac...
J. Cole Drops New Single “Snow on tha Bluff”: Stream
J. Cole, photo by Ben Kaye J. Cole has released a surprise new single called “Snow on tha Bluff”. Stream it below. The track takes its name from the 2011 Damon Russell film Snow on tha Bluff, a drama about real-life drug dealer Curtis Snow. Russell shot the movie as if it were a documentary, leading some — including the Atlanta Police Department — convinced it was real. On his track, J. Cole turns that concept of perceived reality in on himself, wondering if he’s being active enough in the current Black Lives Matter movement. “He was like ‘Cole, ‘preciate what you been doin my nigga, that’s real,’” he raps in the rapid-fire cut. “But damn, why I feel faker than Snow on Tha Bluff?/ Well maybe ’cause deep down I know I ain’t doing enough.” Throughout the ruminative number, J. Cole cons...
Tekashi 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj Drop Colorful ‘Trollz’ Lyric Video
Tekashi 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj unveiled the lyric video for their new collaboration “Trollz” on Monday (June 15). The animated clip features rainbow-haired cartoons of the two rappers sharing a candy-coated lollipop as the track’s lyrics flash across the screen. “Dolla dolla bill, come get her/ Even ya man know Nickis do it better/ I know you don’t like me, you wanna fight me/ Always on my page, never double tap like me/ Baddies to my left and on my right/ Never chase a corny n*****, put that on my life,” Minaj raps on the second verse after taking the reins from 6ix9ine. The lyric video follows the release of the single’s official visual, which notched more than 32 million views in the first 24 hours after release. (In fact, the clip trailed just...
Eminem Reveals His List of Greatest Rappers of All Time
Eminem revealed a new list of iconic MCs that he considers to be the greatest rappers of all time. Mr. Mathers first waded into the G.O.A.T. debate on the 2002 song “‘Till I Collapse”. “I got a list,” he spit. “It goes Reggie [Redman], Jay-Z, 2Pac and Biggie/ André from OutKast, Jada, Kurupt, Nas, and then me.” Now, 18 years later, he’s provided an update, albeit in non-rhyming form. YouTuber NoLifeShaq precipitated the discussion, posting a video in which he DM’ed 30 rappers asking who they believe is the best. Eminem chose to answer publicly, replying to NoLifeShaq on Twitter. Over a series of posts, he wrote, “For me, in no particular order… Toss up between wayne, pac, royce, jay, redman, treach, g. rap, biggie & king crook….Plus redman, LL, nas, joyner, ken...
