Mixtape Mixup
Even while in quarantine, Ludacris made the most out of his May. The legendary MC battled Nelly in a high-profile clash on Verzuz — which Billboard‘s scorecard gave Luda the narrow victory — and released the dynamic “Silence of the Lambs” alongside Lil Wayne. Hip-hop editor Carl Lamarre caught up with the ATL native to reflect on […]
On Monday (June 8), Will Smith kept the conversation regarding racial injustice alive when he released his “No Justice, No Peace” montage on social media. The two-minute clip includes former President Barack Obama’s recent speech on George Floyd and some enlightening commentary by Smith himself. “You’re always gonna have a fight you’re going to see […]
As protests continue to rise across the nation demanding justice for George Floyd and the entire Black Lives Matter movement, YG joined the Los Angeles demonstrations over the weekend–but Chika is calling him out for misusing his platform. “YG said he here to shoot a video,” the rapper and activist tweeted on Sunday (June 7) from the […]
6ix9ine is hard at work on his next album, and he’s recruited Akon to assist in the process. The 24-year-old rainbow-haired rapper, who was recently granted an early prison release amid the coronavirus pandemic, took to social media Sunday (June 7) to share a clip of himself rapping new lyrics over the beat of Akon’s […]
This year, Black Music Month has taken a different turn. Following the horrific deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and more, we at Billboard hope to uplift and empower African Americans during this cloudy and dubious time. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the remainder of the month, an artist will provide a playlist designed […]
After teasing the track, Meek Mill has released his new song, “Otherside of America.” The politically-charged tune arrives as the rapper just appeared on CNN to discuss criminal justice reform. “Otherside of America” opens up with one of Donald Trump’s many racist remarks. “”What do you have to lose? You’re living in poverty,” he said. […]
Republic Records is banning the word “urban” from its company verbiage, doing away with the term for hip-hop and R&B, which many consider an antiquated generalization that marginalizes music by black artists. The label, which is home to artists like Ariana Grande, The Weeknd and Taylor Swift, said on Instagram today that it will remove […]
Moneybagg Yo banks a trip to the top 10 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart as “1 2 3,” featuring Blac Youngsta, darts 13-9 on the latest list (dated June 6). The single ascends through a 1% boost to 11.7 million in audience in the week ending May 31, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. The climb […]
Talib Kweli had a lot on his mind when he Zoomed into The Tonight Show on Wednesday night (June 3) from the studio to chat with his old pal Jimmy Fallon. When the host jumped right in and asked the activist/rapper why the killing of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer […]
Run the Jewels member El-P had a big update for fans on Wednesday night (June 3): They helped raise a huge amount of money in the first day of the surprise early release of the hip-hop duo’s new album, RTJ4. The free 11-track album, which was originally slated to drop on Friday (June 5), came […]