R&B/Hip-Hop
Kanye West Talks Kobe Bryant, Racial Inequity & More at ‘Jeen-Yuhs’ Documentary Screening in Los Angeles
Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) appeared at a screening of the first episode of Netflix’s three-part documentary Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy on Friday (Feb. 11) in Los Angeles to celebrate the doc’s release on the streaming service. Part 1 of the Coodie and Chike-directed doc features previously-unseen footage of young Ye on the road to stardom and all of the hustle that went into getting his first album, The College Dropout, noticed by Roc-a-Fella Records. An inspiring, raw portrait of the “old Kanye,” Jeen-yuhs showcases early moments in the rapper’s career with celebrities like Mos Def, Jay-Z, Kobe Bryant, Beyonce and others. It also features touching moments between the artist and his beloved late mother, Donda West. Explore Explore Kanye West See latest videos, charts and news See la...
NYC Mayor Eric Adams Links Drill Music to Gun Violence & Wants It Pulled From Social Media
Newly elected New York City Mayor Eric Adams is expressing concern over the drill music scene that has been quickly growing in his home borough of Brooklyn over the past decade. Adams spoke to reporters on Friday (Feb. 11), linking the musical subgenre to gun violence, and appearing to put pressure on social media companies to remove the music from their platforms. “I had no idea what drill rapping was, but I called my son and he sent me some videos, and it is alarming,” he explained. “We are going to pull together the social media companies and sit down with them and tell them that you have a civic and corporate responsibility.” “We pulled Trump off Twitter … yet we are allowing music displaying of guns, violence.” — NYC Mayor Eric Adams (D), after his son sent him drill rap videos, says ...
Young Dolph Shooting Suspects Plead Not Guilty in Memphis
“Memphis is already past ready for justice in this case,” Hagerman said. Both Johnson and Smith have prior felony convictions for violent crimes. Johnson, 23, was traveling on a highway in Indiana on Jan. 11 when he was stopped and arrested on a murder warrant outside of Terre Haute by the U.S. Marshals Service, authorities said. Smith, 32, was arrested in December on an auto-theft warrant involving the vehicle used in Young Dolph’s killing. Both defendants were being held without bond. Juni Ganguli, Johnson’s lawyer, said he spoke with his client after the hearing. “I don’t think anyone’s ever happy when they’re indicted for first-degree murder, so he’s sad and confused,” he said. Ganguli and Smith’s lawyer, Michael Scholl, are both well known in the Memphis legal world and both have work...
Drake Bets More Than $1.25 Million on 2022 Super Bowl: See a Breakdown of His Wagers
Drake is pushing all-in on the Los Angeles Rams this weekend. The Toronto native revealed his seven-figure wagers on Sunday’s (Feb. 13) Super Bowl LVI in an Instagram post on Thursday (Feb. 10), detailing three massive bets he’s put down on the home team. Explore Explore Drake See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news According to the post, Drizzy is betting more than $1.25 million, which is a huge amount by any standard, but just a drop in the bucket compared to the estimated $7.6 billion that will be wagered on the contest between the Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bitcoin bets break down to $472,364 for the Rams to win outright (which would pay out $713,244), $393,636 on wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to put up more than 62.5 receiving yards (for...
Kanye West Joins Forces With Fivio Foreign and Alicia Keys on Drops ‘City of Gods’: Stream It Now
Kanye West does more surprises than Santa. The rap star jumps on board the surprise single “City of Gods,” an ode to the Big Apple with two of its favorite citizens, Fivio Foreign and Alicia Keys. If the west coast has the City of Angels, the east has its City of Gods. With an impassioned chorus, Keys inserts some soul into “City of Gods,” complementing the rhymes of her collaborators. On it, she sings: “New York City, please go easy on me tonight / Nеw York City, please go easy on this hеart of mine / ‘Cause I’m losing my lover to the arms of another.” The track dropped at midnight and is led by Foreign with assists from Keys and Kanye, who is credited on the release as Kanye West, not Ye as he now likes to be known. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and...
‘Still Making History’: Toosii’s ‘Black Love’ Playlist Features Drake, Summer Walker, Bryson Tiller & More
This year, Billboard is celebrating Black History Month with different playlists catered to “Black Love.” We’ve handpicked artists, producers and songwriters to highlight songs that best embody the amorous theme, and explain why these records give them that butterfly feeling every time. Be on that lookout every Tuesday and Thursday for new playlists from some of your favorites. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news After “Way 2 Sexy” producer TM-88 kicked off our playlist series on Feb. 3 with his playlist, today (Feb. 10), “Love Cycle” singer Toosii dishes out his 10-track collection. “These songs all represent different aspects of Black Love to me,” he tells Billboard. “It ranges from songs that I’ve released myself that have a more personal m...
Machine Gun Kelly, Anuel AA, Quavo Set for NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
Machine Gun Kelly, Jack Harlow, Anuel AA and Quavo will bounce into The Land next week for the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. MGK, the 6’4″ Cleveland native, and his fellow hip-hoppers will showcase their ball skills alongside the likes of country artists Kane Brown and Jimmie Allen, comedian Tiffany Haddish, actor Ranveer Singh, skateboarder Nyjah Huston, and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb. Quavo, a founding member of rap trio Migos, is a veteran of the run-and-gun “Celebrity” game, with four previous appearances under his belt. The two teams will line up next Friday (Feb. 18) at Wolstein Center in Cleveland, and are respectively coached by retired NBA superstars Dominique Wilkins and Bill Walton. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The all-celebrity e...
Snoop Dogg Calls Super Bowl Halftime Show ‘Dream Come True’
Snoop Dogg says he won’t let the big Super Bowl stage rattle his nerves. The ultra-smooth rapper said he will worry about his upcoming halftime performance after the fact. “For me, when performing, I never let the moment get bigger than me,” said Snoop Dogg in a recent interview with The Associated Press from his studio compound in Inglewood, California, a suburb of Los Angeles where the Super Bowl will be held Sunday (Feb. 13). He’ll take the stage with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “I’m not going to understand it until it happens,” he continued. “While it’s happening, I’m in the zone. I’m stuck to the script, laser focused, being on point, sounding good, looking good and feeling good. I want to give off a great presentation....
Kanye West Declares February ‘Black Future Month’ in Poetic Video: ‘America Is Made to Enslave Us’
Kanye West is preparing for the release of Donda 2 on February 22 with a celebration of Black culture and the transformation of Black History Month into “Black Future Month.” The six-minute, cinematically shot speech uploaded to Instagram on Tuesday (Feb. 8) finds Ye at the center of a group of people wearing hoodies, describing the disparities he feels as a Black man in America and, more specifically, as a Black man with a family. Explore Explore Kanye West See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “America is made to enslave us, what they ever gave us?” he proclaims rap-style in the clip. “We’d improve. We didn’t show, it’s documented, now it’s cemented, lack future it’s time to invent it. If Ye said it, you know that he meant it. There’s no more Black History...
Pusha T Releases ‘Diet Coke’ After Collaborating With Ye: Stream It Now
Pusha T‘s new song “Diet Coke,” produced by Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and 88-Keys, is out now. The track, which dropped at midnight Tuesday (Feb. 8), comes after Pusha T and his manager Steven Victor teased it early Monday. Victor began the song’s rollout by sharing a clip from the black-and-white music video with no caption. In the snippet, Pusha is seen rapping as Ye grooves to the beat in the background. “Imaginary players ain’t been coached right/ Master recipes under stove lights/ The number on this jersey is the quote price/ You ordered Diet Coke, that’s a joke, right?/ Everybody get it off the boat, right?” The song’s lyrics, which were released before the tune, continue, “But only I can really have a snow fight/ Detroit n—a challenge, what’s your dope like?/ If your Benz bi...
Rappers Sean Forbes, Warren ‘WaWa’ Snipe to Perform ASL Interpretations During Super Bowl Halftime Show
A pair of deaf rappers have been tapped for the gig of a lifetime at this Sunday’s (Feb. 13) Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Detroit MC Sean Forbes and Washington, D.C.-bred Warren “WaWa” Snipe will be on hand during the face-off between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams to perform American Sign Language renditions of the songs in the halftime show from the all-star lineup featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news According to the Detroit Free Press, it will mark the first time the NFL has incorporated ASL interpretations into the halftime show, with the sign language versions viewable at NBCsports.com and on the NBC Sports app. “The...
Fans Choose Nicki Minaj & Lil Baby’s ‘Do We Have a Problem?’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby‘s new collaboration “Do We Have a Problem?” has topped this week’s new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Feb. 4) on Billboard, choosing the blazing new track as their favorite new music release of the past week. “Do We Have a Problem?” brought in nearly 91% of the vote, beating out new music by Machine Gun Kelly and Willow (“Emo Girl”), Mitski (Laurel Hell), Jennifer Lopez and Maluma (Marry Me soundtrack), Red Hot Chili Peppers (“Black Summer”), and others. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Do We Have a Problem?” marks the Trinidadian rapper’s first single since “Trollz” with 6ix9ine and “What That Speed Bout?!” featuring Mike Will Made-It and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. The sizzling new track refe...
