Hip-Hop
Mobb Deep Crafted Their Own Language
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS For decades now, rap and hip-hop has been the most fertile soil for slang and new language across pop culture. But when looking back on Mobb Deep, the duo didn’t just have their own slang, they had their own language. In this bonus episode of The Opus, host Andy Bothwell breaks down the history of “The Dun Language” with rappers Slug (of Atmosphere) and Evidence (of Dilated Peoples), who discuss the influence that language has played on their own work. Editors’ Picks Shortly after, we’ll hear from original member Havoc, legendary hip-hop photographer Chi Modu, and The Infamous executive producer Schott Free, who shed a light on the oft-elusive, secret third member...
Common’s #WeMatterToo Campaigns For Early Jail Releases Amid Pandemic
Rapper and activist Common went into quarantine concerned about incarcerated people he has met during visits to jails, prisons and juvenile detention centers around the U.S. and who aren’t able to maintain social distance or adopt rigorous hygiene routines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “It’s a troubling time for them,” Common said, “because they are the people who usually are overlooked.” On Wednesday, his criminal justice reform organization Imagine Justice launched a campaign with dozens of advocacy and activist groups calling attention to the threat that the coronavirus pandemic poses on millions of men, women and youths who are incarcerated in the U.S. The campaign, dubbed #WeMatterToo, is urging authorities to immediately release people who have served the vast majority of their ...
Cardi B and Anuel AA Join Secreto, Black Jonas Point & Liro Shaq For ‘La Bebe’ Remix: Stream It Now
Anuel AA and Cardi B are taking “La Bebe” to the next level. The hip-hop stars join up-and-coming urban artists Secreto El Biberon, Black Jonas Point and Liro Shaq for a remix. “It is exciting to know that Cardi B and Anuel AA are joining us to release the La Bebe remix,” said the rising trio. “It’s more than a dream come true and we hope all of our fans enjoy it to the fullest.” The original cut, produced by BlackFreestylo and Geral La Melodia, was released back in December and the video has more than 33 million views on YouTube. The new version, released under GLAD Empire and Flow La Movie labels, features Cardi B rapping entirely in Spanish. Listen to “La Bebe” remix below: [embedded content]
Erykah Badu and Jill Scott Streams Triple After ‘Verzuz’ Battle
The singer-songwriters’ combined streams rise from 2 million to 6 million after Saturday’s event. Erykah Badu and Jill Scott saw their combined streams more than tripled after the two contested in the first female battle of the popular Instagram Live #Verzuz series on Saturday night (May 9). The two singer-songwriters collectively pulled 6.7 million U.S. streams on Saturday and Sunday for their total song catalogs, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, compared with a 2.1 million haul for the Thursday and Friday preceding the showdown. Badu and Scott’s livestream drew more than 700,000 attendees at its peak and set a new series viewership record, overtaking the nearly 525,000 who tuned in to see Babyface battle Teddy Riley on April 20. [embedded content] Badu’s best streaming track wa...
Oh God, Post Malone Is Selling Rosé
Post Malone is the uncool suburban mom’s idea of hip-hop, and so it makes sense that he would release a name-brand rosé, which is — let’s be honest — the uncool suburban mom’s idea of wine. Fine, granted, that’s unfair to rosé, which doesn’t have to taste like a pile of sugar dumped into a bucket of food coloring. Perhaps Post Malone’s Maison No. 9 will be a dryer vintage — although, given his musical predilections for sugary-sweet hooks packaged with clever branding, perhaps not. Speaking of branding, the artist born Austin Post has created this wine with Global Brand Equities, the brainchild of nightclub-owner James Morrissey. Combined the two men have a lot more experience drinking wine than making it, and so they’ve brought on oenologist Alexis Cornu. The name Maison No. 9 means “...
Blue Ivy Carter Dances to Her Mom Beyonce’s ‘Mood 4 Eva’: Watch
Blue Ivy Carter clearly takes after her mom. The eight-year-old daughter of Beyonce and Jay-Z has songwriter awards, her vocals appear on hit records, and a new video proves she can dance. On Tuesday, the younger’s personal stylist Manuel Mendez shared a cute clip of Carter busting some moves to her mom’s music. Mendez’ Instagram show’s Bey’s eldest child grooving along to “Mood 4 Eva” from the 2019 soundtrack, The Lion King: The Gift. The clip originally appeared in Beyoncé’s 2019 Making the Gift documentary. Mendez, who previously worked as Beyoncé’s personal assistant, also shared the caption: “Mood 4 Eva. #love.” Despite her tender years, Blue Ivy Carter already snagged the Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award at the Soul Train Awards...
Run the Jewels Detail New Album RJT4 Featuring Zack de La Rocha & Josh Homme
After years of anticipation, Run the Jewels have officially announced their new album, Run the Jewels 4. The follow-up to 2016’s RTJ3, the 11-track effort is due out digitally on June 5th via Jewel Runners/BMG. Physical versions are expected later this year in September. The full-length includes an impressive roster of guests, including Greg Nice of Nice & Smooth and DJ Premier, who appeared on the early single “Ooh LA LA”. Rage Against the Machine’s Zack de La Rocha cameoed in that song’s video, but it turns out he also features on the LP alongside Pharrell Williams on a cut called “Ju$t”. Soul icon Mavis Staples and Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme join RTJ on “Pulling the Pin”, while 2 Chainz drops in for “Out of Sight”. The previously revealed “Yankee and the Bra...
Tekashi 6ix9ine’s $200,000 Donation Rejected by Child Hunger Charity
Looks like Snoop Dogg and Meek Mill aren’t the only ones who don’t want to hear from Tekashi 6ix9ine now that he’s out of prison. The rapper/glorified snitch recently made a $200,000 donation to the child hunger charity No Kid Hungry, only to see it rejected. 6ix9ine announced his donation on Instagram, writing in a since-deleted post, “During this pandemic I understand we have nurses and frontline Hero’s who risk there life daily to save others. But NEVER forget the children & families who depend on OUR PUBLIC schools for daily meals and nutritions to keep our future leaders growing to their best potential.” [sic]. The caption accompanied a still from the video for his comeback single “GOOBA”; that song and the merch released alongside it reportedly netted him $2 million in under a we...
Brockhampton Announces Two New Albums in 2020, Drops Surprise Singles
Brockhampton hit only a number of fans with quite the double whammy Friday night (May 8) during their secret, password-protected live stream titled “Technical Difficulties Radio.” Frontman Kevin Abstract announced the LA-based boy group would release two albums in 2020 and dropped two new singles “N.S.T.” and “things can’t stay the same” on YouTube later on. But while Abstract and the clan tie loose ends on both of their full-length projects, he revealed they’ll be dropping new non-album tracks every Friday. The latest batch of roughly mixed two-minute songs gives fans the first taste of Brockhampton’s new music since their album Ginger from August 2019, consisting of Abstract and Matt Champion’s nostalgic vocals about gr...
‘Rise Up New York!’ Telethon: The 10 Best Moments
“We care about our neighbors, and that’s why we want to help.” New York native and acting legend Robert De Niro kicked off Robin Hood and iHeartMedia’s Rise Up New York! telethon on Monday (May 11) with that simple reasoning about why the benefit show was happening. Since the coronavirus began spreading across the nation earlier this year, New York City has been the hardest hit, becoming the epicenter of the pandemic with more than 26,000 deaths to date and too many jobs lost. The telethon, hosted by Tina Fey from 30 Rockefeller Plaza, featured numerous famous faces with New York ties, from musicians to Broadway stars to chefs and beyond. Each offered messages of hope and urged viewers to donate to help the people of New York get back on their feet after the devasta...
Snoop Dogg and Meek Mill Blast Tekashi 6ix9ine After Post-Prison Song
Snoop Dogg and Meek Mill have both called out the media for their coverage of Tekashi 6ix9ine following his comeback single, “GOOBA”. The two vented their frustrations on Instagram, with Snoop going as far to say, “Fuck Tekashi 6ix9ine… Feel me on this, and if u don’t fuck u 2.” Tekashi 6ix9ine got a lot of attention for his new song — it racked up over 36 million views in less than 24 hours on YouTube — and part of that praise was coming from music writers and influencers alike. Snoop Dogg and Meek Mill had enough when they saw Elliott Wilson, Rap Radar founder and a longtime hip-hop journalist, share the cover art for “GOOBA” in his Instagram Stories, notes HipHopDX. Snoop Dogg has been a vocal critic of Tekashi 6ix9ine for a while, so it’s no surprise he was angry to see the felon ...
Uptown Records’ Biggest Billboard Hits: ‘Forever My Lady,’ ‘Real Love,’ ‘Candy Rain’ & More
Jodeci and Mary J. Blige, among others, gave the imprint its most successful singles. As both fans and leading industry figures mourn Andre Harrell, best known for founding the Uptown Records imprint, Billboard reveals and ranks the biggest hits from the label’s roster. Many of the tunes, from acts such as Mary J. Blige, Guy and Jodeci, bridged the gap between R&B and hip-hop as the genres surged in popularity in the 1990s. Harrell died at age 59 of an apparent cardiac arrest episode. The mogul founded Uptown in 1986, and it quickly became a home for some of the hottest emerging R&B and hip-hop artists. In addition to Blige, Guy and Jodeci, Uptown counted Heavy D & The Boyz, Soul For Real and Monifah as key players in its heyday. The organization kept its eye on industry talent...
