For 403 seconds near the start of his new album, Lil Wayne makes Funeral feel like a transmission from the past. As long as “Mahogany” and “Mama Mia” are playing, it’s still 2006, the music industry is crumbling, and within the cinders of Cash Money is a young man who’s …
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Gravel or velvet, jagged edges or curved slopes, coarse scales or soft fur: A voice generally contains one or the other. But Rod Wave plays between extremes. His singing voice is gentle and yearning, while his rapping is akin to DMX after taking ineffective cough medicine. The Florida rapper plays …
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Nicki Minaj is walking away from the music game, according to Nicki Minaj. “I’ve decided to retire & have my family,” Nicki wrote on Twitter. “I know you guys are happy now. To my fans, keep reppin me, do it til da death of me.” The widespread implication from Barbz …
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“A lot of y’all are still sounding like last year/The game need change, and I’m the motherfuckin’ cashier.” Drake rapped these lines with casual bravado on “Successful,” one of the first hits from his free mixtape So Far Gonein 2009. The tape did not chart, due toBillboard‘s accounting rules at …
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When someone going about their life in America is apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the appropriate response is generally concern and support. When 21 Savage was arrested by ICE this weekend, though, a lot of people’s wires got crossed. A collection of fans, celebrities and journalists were …
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Future’s “Rocket Ship” is less music video, more extended Instagram clip. In under two minutes, the rapper does what he does best: look effortlessly cool as he brags about his drug-making prowess, selling said drugs and stealing your girl in the process. While the video isn’t exactly complex, the Uncle …
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30 years later, 1988 still stands as rap’s greatest year. The lyrical molotovs of Nation of Millions and Straight Outta Compton, the post-modern (and pre-lawsuit) free-for-all of sampling, the national spotlight of a new show called Yo! MTV Raps and much more. To celebrate 30 years, Rolling Stone’s Best of …
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Bittersweet, somber and haunting, “Cry Alone” is peak Lil Peep. The song was recorded in 2017, before the young rapper’s death, and features him singing about the intersection of drugs and death. “I don’t wanna die alone right now, I just did a line of blow right now,” Peep says …
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Drake and Michael Jackson are heading (back) to radio. Yesterday, October 2, Republic Records announced they will start promoting “Don’t Matter To Me,” featuring Michael Jackson, to pop, adult pop and rhythmic stations next week, via Billboard. The Scorpion cut was originally supposed to be a single this summer. When …
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There’s a new trend in rap: An embattled artist releases an album, faces considerable scorn and decides to host their own interview or radio show to explain away the controversy. It’s supposed to be eye-opening and candid, but usually comes off as simple PR maneuvering. Earlier this year, Kanye West …
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