Hip-Hop
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...
DMC Joins Anthrax, Volbeat, Suicidal Tendencies Members for Run-DMC Quarantine Medley: Watch
Rapper Darryl “DMC” McDaniels celebrated his legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC with a quarantine performance featuring members of Anthrax, Volbeat, and Suicidal Tendencies. Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante has arranged a number of socially distant performances during the pandemic. For this one, he was joined by his former Anthrax bandmate and current Volbeat guitarist Rob Caggiano and Suicidal Tendencies bassist Ra Diaz, as they back McDaniels on a medley of Run-DMC classics. “I always wanted to do a medley of Run-DMC songs, so back in March I decided to put an arrangement together and asked these amazing people to be a part of it,” explained Benante in the YouTube description. “How can you do a Run-DMC medley without the King of Rock — Darryl McDaniels DMC.” The drummer added, “I have been a...
Queen Latifah Wants ‘Gone with the Wind’ to be Gone Forever
While some have criticized HBO Max’s removal of Gone With the Wind from its streaming service — including those who wonder if it hurts the legacy of Hattie McDaniel, the first African American woman to win an Academy Award — Oscar nominee Queen Latifah says good riddance. “Let ‘Gone with the Wind’ be gone with the wind,” said the Emmy, Golden Globe and Grammy winner in an interview last week. Latifah, who portrays McDaniel in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix Hollywood series, says the story behind McDaniel’s Oscar win is not as shiny as the golden trophy. “They didn’t even let her in the theater until right before she got that award. Someone came outside and brought her into the auditorium. She wasn’t even allowed to sit in there. And then she had to read a speech that was written by a stud...
Universal Music Opens First-Ever Offices in Israel and Morocco
The new outposts, in Tel Aviv and Casablanca, continue the arms race among the labels of overseas resources sniffing for new talent. After broadening its footprint in Asia in 2019, Universal Music is continuing its global expansion with new offices in Israel and Morocco, marking the label as the first major music company to open standalone operations in either country. The new outposts in the Middle East and North Africa will add to UMG’s existing network of A&R and marketing in more than 60 countries. UMG Morocco will be based in Casablanca, while the Israel office will operate out of Tel Aviv. The moves come one month after Universal officially opened a new hub for hip-hop label Def Jam Africa based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Lagos, Nigeria. And the push into North Africa and...
Anthrax, Run-DMC, Suicidal Tendencies & Volbeat Host Charitable Jam Session
Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante and Suicidal Tendencies bassist Ra Diaz virtually linked up with Run-DMC‘s Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and Volbeat guitarist Rob Caggiano to perform a medley of rap and rock hits for a good cause. Benante praised McDaniels as the “KING of ROCK” in the video description of his highly anticipated six-minute jam session, which consisted of Run DMC’s “It’s Like That” and “Sucker MCs” from the hip-hop group’s 1984 self-titled debut LP and Anthrax’s “I’m The Man” titular track from its 1987 EP. The latter is still considered to be one of the first rap-rock hybrid songs. He made the combined virtual cover available for download on Bandcamp so the proceeds would go toward&nb...
