GORDO (FKA Carnage), the Grammy nominated producer and DJ announced his new album Diamante last week.
Today, he has unveiled the official tracklist for the project which comes out this Friday. The biggest highlight is of course the Drake feature on it, called ‘Sideways’. DIAMANTE is his most heartfelt project yet, dedicated to GORDO’s family, friends, and loved ones, inviting fans along his personal journey to freedom as “he reconnects with his Nicaraguan-American roots.”
GORDO produced six tracks on Drake’s house music-infused album Honestly, Nevermind and two on the Canadian artist’s For All The Dogs album, including ‘Rich Baby Daddy’. “We’ve been friends for years but had never actually properly collaborated on music before ‘Honestly, Nevermind.’ To have him on my debut album speaks volumes about what people can expect on it,” says GORDO about his first official collaboration with Drake.
Apart from Drake, Fuerza Regida, T-Pain, Maluma, Nicki Nicole, Feid, Leon Bridges and more will also appear on the album which can be pre-saved here.
Lupe Fiasco, who recently dropped a heavy conceptual piece as his latest album, Samurai, has just announced his upcoming tour.
The announcement comes out as part of an exciting rollout, beginning with the release of his latest single, ‘Tickets‘, which has just come out and is available for your listening pleasure below!
The countrywide tour picks up as early as this Fall, beginning with an opening performance in New York City, on October 3rd. With nearly two months of continuous touring, Lupe plans to end the tour with Los Angeles as his final stop on November 24th. And in case you find yourself wondering when Lupe is going to pop up in your city, fret not, we’ve got the dates right here:
“Samurai Tour” Dates 10/3 New York, NY (Terminal 5) 10/4 Hartford, CT (The Webster) 10/5 Philadelphia, PA (Union Transfer) 10/6 Boston, MA (Royale) 10/10 Columbus, OH (Columbus Athenaeum) 10/11 Cleveland, OH (TempleLive Cleveland Masonic) 10/18 Fort Collins, CO (Washington’s FoCo) 10/19 Denver, CO (Summit) 10/24 Solana Beach, CA (Belly Up) 10/25 Ventura, CA (Ventura Music Hall) 10/26 Pomona, CA (Fox Theater Pomona) 11/9 St. Louis, MO (The Factory at The District) 11/10 Chicago, IL (Salt Shed) 11/14 Atlanta, GA (Variety Playhouse) 11/15 Norfolk, VA (The NorVa) 11/16 Washington, D.C. (The Howard Theatre) 11/21 San Francisco, CA (The Warfield) 11/22 Santa Cruz, CA (The Catalyst) 11/24 Los Angeles, CA (The Novo)
The tickets go up for grabs on Friday, July 26th at 10am local time, but in the meantime, you can lose yourself in the want of them by listening to the new Lupe record which, by the way, has not compromised one bit on the raps. Impressive, considering it is primarily a promotional single for the tour. He also promises that he’s got tickets for the low on the track, so it’s definitely something to look forward to; unless you’re a synth-head, in which case, you can also look forward to the wobbly synth bass on the record with a dash of crisp drum breaks that cut perfectly through the mix.
For a deep dive, though, we reccommend diving deep into the experience that is the Samurai album. It is essentially a loose impersonation of singer Amy Winehouse, reimagined as a battle rapper. Why would someone imagine Amy Winehouse as a battle rapper, you ask? Check out the clip below to find out for yourself!
Big Sean dropped a freestyle on On The Radar yesterday that turned a lot of heads for a lot of reasons. Many heard a few lines from it and theorized that they were about Kendrick Lamar. The two traded shots years ago but since squashed their issues, with Sean rapping about Nipsey’s death being a factor in it.
I talked to Sean. The bar was
“I got better things to do then find someone to beef with”
And it was not for Dot. Bar was directed at a different Gemini
DJ Hed took to Twitter to reveal that he spoke to Sean about the line. Sean reportedly told him that the bar was for a different Gemini, which many quickly put together was about Kanye West, whose birthday is on June 8th.
Sean and Ye’s issues stem from Ye owing the Detroit rapper millions of dollars and going on Drink Champs to disparage him. The pair haven’t seen eye to eye for years, with Sean addressing it on multiple songs.
Earlier today, a leaker took to the internet to put out 14 Big Sean songs that they claimed made up his album as of a few months ago. They claim that Nas, Jhené Aiko, The-Dream and others are on the album. The leaker then implied that Ye was the one who told him to leak it.
https://x.com/BigSean/status/1813747366505369950
Now, Sean has responded to the leak, saying that he might as well drop soon if his music’s going to leak. He then previewed a song produced by The Alchemist. We never want artist’s music to leak, but if it means Sean drops the album sooner, maybe we can consider it a silver lining.
Is Kanye West done with doing music professionally?
In a text conversation with Rich The Kid, the rap mogul says he’s “retiring from professional music.” He adds that he isn’t sure “what else to do” before his regular collaborator chimes in with some advice.
Rich tells ye that the people need him and that the music they made together on Vultures 1 was “the biggest stamp in culture to this date in 2024.” He then suggests that taking some time off to chill is good but “retiring ain’t it.”
It isn’t very clear what Kanye really means by the text he sent to Rich The Kid. Kanye and Ty recently announced a Vultures listening event at South Korea’s Goyang Stadium next month on the 23rd. Vultures 2 was originally slated to arrive on May 3, but nothing came out that day.
Ty recently told Billboard that the new album was pretty much done. “We got all the songs. Basically, it’s just like, ‘How can we get it there? How can we go bigger than the first album?’” he said. “Certain people will probably expect you to just do the same exact sound. But that sound’s already out.”
UPDATE: On further inspection, Kendrick Lamar’s jacket actually reads S/S/2024, as in it’s part of the spring/summer collection. You can see a better quality picture of the Martine Rose jacket below.
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Compton legend and arguably one of the greatest hip hop lyricists of all time, Kendrick Lamar, has occupied the mind space of fans of rap across the globe for a hot minute now.
Doubling down on the momentum from his feud with Drake, the rapper recently released the official video for ‘Not Like Us,’ and safe to say, fans are dissecting every frame for clues to a potential full length project.
Sure enough, one peculiar thing that stood out has been the date on Kendrick’s jacket from the music video, which reads the date “8/8/2024,” which is being widely interpreted as the release date for the upcoming project. Now, one would assume it’s just a coincidence, if it weren’t for the overwhelming evidence in support of the theory — especially considering Kendrick’s love for Easter Eggs with numbers and dates. For starters, his latest concert ‘The Pop Out: Ken & Friends’ took place on Juneteenth, while the music video has come out on the 4th of July (the American Independence Day).
Now, we all know how much Kendrick was inspired by Kobe Bryant (and vice versa), and we also know Kobe’s jersey numbers to have been 8 and 24 respectively. As an LA legend that passed away before his time, the date has special relevance and is one of those rare opportunities for Kendrick to double down on the love he has for LA.
Now at the risk of over-speculation (which hilariously, and even valid reasons, is a mark of the Kendrick fanbase), a personal observation is how the date August 8 when added divided by the year 24, gives us 0.666 [(8+8)/24= 0.666]. This only becomes relevant if indeed intended, and would allude to Drake’s association with the Six, as well as Kendrick’s opening of ‘Not Like Us,’ where he references the phrase, “I see dead people” from the movie, The Sixth Sense.
Now look, we know it seems over the top, but if you’ve heard Kendrick’s mental mathematics on the Pusha T collab, ‘Nosetalgia,’ you just know it isn’t too far fetched for a man like Dot. Not to mention the fact that 666 would tie in well with Kendrick’s portrayal of Drake as the devil who plays manipulative tricks.
All this speculation is, of course, in follow up to a series of diss tracks by Kendrick, one of which was the track ‘6.16 in LA.’ This track itself follows the same kind of patterns Kendrick is famous for: layer on layer of meaning and significance. For instance, 6.16 is speculated to be a play on Tupac’s birthday, the date Kendrick met Drake for the first time, the reference to Drake’s timestamp based releases, and so much more. The video below perfectly captures the hidden (or speculated) meanings behind the track.
With Kendrick teasing a new snippet at the beginning of the ‘Not Like Us’ video, it is extremely likely that a project is coming soon. Even Kendrick’s close associates, the likes of DJ Hed, insinuated that something big is underway. All we have to do now is sit back and wait to see if the predictions are true in any way, shape, or form. Stay tuned!
This past Friday, Jeremih returned with a new single called ‘Wait On It‘ featuring fellow R&B heavy hitters Chris Brown and Bryson Tiller. Apparently, PARTYNEXTDOOR wasn’t the biggest fan of the music video.
Appearing in the video is Desma, PARTY’s ex-girlfriend. He took to social media this morning to air out Breezy, Jeremih and Tiller for putting her in the video. Interestingly, he brought Jeremih out at his show on Thursday night just hours before the song dropped.
Check out some of his since deleted tweets below. He also called his ex broke and bragged about having $40 million in the bank.
ASAP Rocky has announced the release date for his long delayed new album Don’t Be Dumb.
Rocky announced last minute that he was launching a collection at Paris Fashion week under his creative agency, AWGE. “It’s just me trying to encapsulate just all of my experiences, everything that I’ve learned, everything I’ve experienced about the social issues and the social climate of America. I think fashion is an expression. It’s to express how you feel. This is no different. I think each great creative director, designer, artists, they always have that fine balance between conceptualization and manifestation,” he told GQ.
“I think hip-hop is a ghetto expression. I believe urbanwear style, demeanor, swagger, pizzazz, a lot of this is derived from ghetto expressionism,” he continued.
Coinciding with the collection, Rocky revealed that he will release the new album on August 30th.
Multiple versions of the album are now available to pre-order on his official website here.
Rod Wave has been teasing the release of new music for a while. Today, he finally drops his single ‘Lonely’ which has a typical sound from the St. Petersburg, Florida artist. Watch the video below.
“[I’m] dropping some gas [on] Friday,” he had tweeted earlier this week, getting listeners ready for what’s to come. He had also talked about his new project last week. “This f—g project hurt so bad, but [I’m going to give] it to y’all,” he added on Instagram.
However, it’s confusing that Rod Wave decided to go for this sound where he was clear that he wants to switch it up. “Stop sending me sad a—s beats. [That] s**t [is over]. I need some Future type s—t,” he tweeted and deleted last month.
Awaited with baited breath for eight years, Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge mark their return together with their latest collaborative project, Why Lawd? Positioned as the sequel to the earlier Yes Lawd! (yet another collaborative project from the duo), the album is finally out on streaming!
It is official Anderson Paak and Knxwledge just stole AOTY as NxWorries. Their new album Why Lawd? is phenomenal, and I cant wait for more people to enjoy it. pic.twitter.com/px856hzRDs
The album was bound to be a hit, having set the tone with Knxwledge’s directorial debut with ‘Daydreaming,‘ which was stylised Anderson .Paak and the world around him in the GTA reminiscent graphics. Also then there was the immensely enjoyable ‘86Sentra,’ with its unconventional snare and drum pattern, soulful and funky and RnB all at once. The album clearly delivers well on the promises portrayed by the hype and transports the listener to worlds beyond and within.
Have to say, the artwork was a bold move too; a mountain in monochrome with two goats in the middle, the duo definitely followed up on the statement made. Going head to head (like GOATs do), the two only amplify each other’s strengths. This constant elevation builds throughout the project, resolving into relaxing melodies and the unique voice that is Anderson .Paak.
Speaking of uniqueness, the feature line up is no less bold. The album kicks off with a Dave Chapelle feature, only for you to find Thundercat waiting for you on track 4. Further down, there’s also H.E.R, Snoop Dogg, October London, Earl Sweatshirt and more. Check out the tracklist and features below before you take a deep dive into the project!
Tracklist 01. ThankU feat. Dave Chappelle 02. 86Sentra 03. MoveOn 04. KeepHer feat. Thundercat 05. Distractions 06. Lookin’ 07. Where I Go feat. H.E.R. 08. Daydreaming 09. FromHere feat. Snoop Dogg & October London 10. FallThru 11. Battlefield 12. HereIAm 13. OutTheWay feat. Rae Khalil 14. SheUsed 15. MoreOfIt 16. NVR.RMX feat. Charlie Wilson 17. DistantSpace 18. WalkOnBy feat. Earl Sweatshirt & Rae Khalil 19. EvnMore
As speculated in our last coverage around Common and Pete Rock‘s release of ‘Wise Up,’ the duo indeed have an album on the way — THE AUDITORIUM, VOL. 1, due for release July 12, 2024.
Now, whether there will be a series of full-length projects as different volumes, is up for contention, although what is clear that another single off the album is out now; it’s called ‘Dreamin’.‘ Complementing the audio is a set of visuals packed into a VEVO Ctrl session performance video, available below!
The song pays incredible homage to Common’s influences and pretty much to all the legends in hip-hop with the verses, while Pete Rock’s exceptional sonic arrangement shines through with brass instrumentation. In the video, the duo can be seen performing their song in a brass-golden set, with ample light elevating the nostalgia of the golden age of hip hop. The single’s anachronistic quality is similar to that of the last release, ‘Wise Up,’ further suggesting that this upcoming album will follow such a thematic approach over tracks.
To be perfectly clear, this nostalgia isn’t just for the fans; for Common seems to be representing a fan of the culture with this one. In fact, speaking on the experience of working with Pete Rock, he reportedly said “Pete Rock is one of The Greatest Creators Hip Hop and Music has ever seen. It has been a dream of mine to work with him on an album. And once we got together and I I was around him and all his records and his MPC I felt the spirit of what I always loved in hip hop in soul music and why I wanted to be a part of the artform. His beats, his production, his scratches, took me to a place where I could just MC freely. It felt I like I was home.” In more ways than one, Common really drives this one home for many of us, through him.
Now, in case you’re wondering what the tracklist looks like, look no further (instead, look below):
Kendrick Lamar has announced a ‘Ken & Friends’ show at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
Presented by pgLang and Free Lunch, The Pop Out show takes place on June 19th and is expected to feature special guests.
General ticket sales for The Pop Out begin this Friday at 10 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster, while Cash App Card customers will get first priority one day earlier. This will mark Kendrick’s first live show after the heavy back & forth with Drake.
More details about the show are expected to be revealed in the coming days.
Rapper Ice Spice, most famous for her viral track ‘Munch‘, has finally announced the coming of her debut full length project Y2K.The album title is a reference to her birth year, 2000, and according to Billboard, will not be too lengthy of a project.
To build hype for the album, the rapper also released a song earlier this year, which had fans divided; probably understandable, considering it is titled ‘Think U the Shit (Fart)‘. That said, J Cole received little to no criticism for a similar bar (double standards, maybe?)
Regardless, the Bronx rapper is known for putting out hit after hit, so best believe the album is going to be jam-packed with jams that pack a punch. The artwork for Y2K has also been released, and features the rapper in her natural habitat; in New York, at a subway, next to a fire hydrant, in short-shorts wearing Dior and overlayed with graffiti. If the vibrancy of the cover is any indication, the album is going to be full of different flavors. Some that we expect from the ‘Munch’ rapper, and some that might (we hope) put doubters to shame.
Following up the announcement, the rapper also announced a world tour alongside Cash Cobain and Riotusa, starting July 04, 2024. Check out the dates and places below!
Hot97’s Summerjam, held in New York at the UBS Arena, drew an electrifying crowd of 19,000 fans. The festival began with a high-energy Pre-Summer Jam festival, leading into a night full of music, dance, and unforgettable moments. From long-time listeners to new fans, everyone found something to enjoy, creating a unifying experience that celebrated hip-hop’s rich history.
Doja Cat, Sexyy Red, French Montana, and Davido headlined the event with breathtaking performances. Hip hop legends Method Man and Redman energized the crowd with “Da Rockwilder,” while Lola Brooke mesmerized with hits like “Don’t Play With It.” Viral star Cash Cobain kept fans on their feet with “Fisherrr.” Big Daddy Kane honored Mister Cee with a heartfelt tribute, and Doja Cat closed the night with a mesmerizing set featuring surprise guests ASAP Ferg, Busta Rhymes, and Gunna.
Celebrating Hip-Hop’s Legacy
HOT 97 Summerjam’s 30th anniversary wasn’t just a concert; it was a celebration of hip-hop’s enduring legacy. The event showcased both the genre’s historic past and its vibrant future, highlighting how integral Summerjam has become to hip-hop culture. This year’s festival reinforced Summerjam’s status as a crucial event for fans and artists alike.
Exclusive Media Lounge
The exclusive media lounge hosted artists like Offset, ASAP Ferg, and Davido. Celebrities enjoyed gifts from Ellesse and engaged in interviews with Fox 5’s Lisa Evers and HOT97 personalities DJ Mike Medium and DJ Wallah. Sexxy Red turned heads on the red carpet with her unique teddy bear, adding to the night’s excitement.
Hot97’s Summerjam has consistently been a cornerstone of hip-hop culture, bringing together the biggest names in the industry and highlighting emerging talents.
This celebration of hip-hop continues as the genre evolves and grows. Next up, fans are eagerly awaiting the release of new music from some of the artists who performed at Summerjam, promising even more excitement in the hip-hop and R&B world.
Legendary rap duo Tha Dogg Pound (Daz Dillinger and Kurupt) are back with their much awaited new album W.A.W.G. (We All We Got).
The album has been released through Death Row Records in partnership with Gala Music and marks Dogg Pound’s first album with Snoop Dogg since 2005. It is also their first with Death Row since 1995’s number 1 LP Dogg Food.
Blxst, Butch Cassidy, DaBaby, Jane Handcock, Lady of Rage, October London, RBX, Snoop, Soul Cat, Stresmatic and Tha Eastsidaz are the guest appearances on the album while the album boasts production from names like DJ Premier, Jelly Roll, Mike & Keys, Rick Rock, Battlecat and Soopafly.
Daz and Kurupt said: “It’s been almost 30 years since our first album. So reuniting with Death Row and partnering with Gala Music for this is special. We love that we’re able to give our fans new music and bring them into the Web3 space as well.” Stream the album below.
This is not a drill; The Real Slim Shady is back, back again — and this time, he’s making his career disappear! Or so he claims, although we don’t think we will ever be rid of hip-hop’s most menacing anytime soon. In any case, Eminem is back with the first single to kick of what seems to be the final phase in his career with Houdini, which is out now for your listening pleasure.
After having teased the track extensively over social media the past couple of days — first with cryptic chats that disappear, succeeded only by sepia laden found-footage style promos of circus-magic tricks, the anticipation has finally come to an end in the wake of a David Blaine collaboration.
Yes, the trick is finally revealed with the release of ‘Houdini,’ a track named after the magician best known for disappearing in mysterious fashion.
The release comes in hot in the middle of much speculation and theorising. For starters, the sepia footage Eminem shared on his story a couple days back teasing the now released song is actually footage from Eminem’s 1999 release, ‘Role Model,’ the beat for which was later used by rappers Juice Wrld and Cordae. But it didn’t stop there, for Eminem hopped on a flip-version of the beat again on the song ‘Doomsday Pt. 2.’
Now, was this all some elaborate foreshadowing tying into the theme of ‘Coup de Grace,’ the overarching idea behind The Death of Slim Shady? For Coup de Grace refers to putting an end to suffering, and well, Doomsday refers to a time marking death and destruction.
From fans conspiring along the lines of Eminem pulling a rabbit (or rather, a B-Rabbit) out the hat in some way, to the call back to the artwork’s Slim Shady and Curtain Call motifs, Stans have long been reading into the ‘trick’ trying to decipher hidden meanings.
Interestingly, the release date (5.31.24), too, features the numbers 1,2,3,4,5 in a different order. Now, whether it actually means something, or is just release frenzy and pandemonium created in anticipation of the album or not will become clear only with time.
Although, it must be stated that, in the past, the numbers on the Curtain Call 2 artwork referred to (as decoded by a Reddit user) “558008 = BOOBSS 771534 = HE’S ILL 451734 = HELISH 104554 = ASSHOL,” making use of the ‘Calculator Language,’ — so the mystique is befitting of Slim Shady’s weird antics. If one thing seems certain though, it is that some clues definitely lie in the artwork for ‘Houdini,’ which is out now for you to piece together!
Watch the music video reminiscent of old times, below. It features cameos from Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Denaun, Royce, Alchemist and more.
