R. Kelly was sentenced to 20 years for several child pornography charges in a Chicago court. The disgraced R&B singer was already serving a 30-year bid for his conviction on racketeering and sex trafficking charges in a New York federal court. Updated By: Chris Samuel (2/24/23 at 2:35 pm) R. Kelly was sentenced to 20 […]
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Despite previously retiring from rapping, this New Music Friday finds Logic making a triumphant return on his first independently released album. College Park arrived on DSPs at midnight on Friday (February 24), running over an hour in length and boasting several impressive collaborative efforts. The 33-year-old shared “Wake Up” featuring Lucy Rose as a single prior to his project, as well as “Highlife.”
Closer to College Park‘s debut, the lyricist also delivered “Lightsabers” in tandem with C Dot Castro. In the upbeat song’s accompanying music video, Logic gets his bars off for the camera while standing in the midst of flowing lava, rising buildings, and beautifully decorated rooms. Fans of the song’s guest feature will be happy to know that it’s not C’s only appearance on the album.
Logic tapped Castro to join him twice more, first on “Gaithersburg Freestyle” and later on 38.9897 °N 76.9378 °W. Both tracks also boast bars from Big Lenbo, and the former additionally finds Fat Trel and ADÉ showing out. Other noteworthy names on the tracklist include RZA, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, and Joey Bada$$.
As Hypebeast notes, College Park‘s title is a tribute to the town in Maryland where the Grammy-nominated artist slept in Lenbo’s basement for a year. Throughout the tracklist, Logic paints a sonic picture of what that time was like for him, markedly reflecting on his personal growth.
Stream Logic’s College Park album on Spotify or Apple Music below. Afterward, tell us your top three titles from the tracklist in the comments. Make sure to check back all weekend long for more hip-hop and R&B release recommendations.
College Park Tracklist:
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He’s been belting out hits since childhood, and Usher’s talents have inspired several charting artists who came after him. The R&B icon is still making records and releasing singles—but these days, he’s wearing the crown of the R&B King of Las Vegas. His residency has received rave reviews, including many from his peers. It’s reported that fans will still have the opportunity to catch the “My Way” hitmaker in Sin City as 15 more dates have been added to his residency.
To further promote his time in Vegas, Usher recently caught up with GQ. He chatted about the show and the various stages of his career, including recent years that he has called “frustrating.” Usher said, “It’s not Hip Hop enough, it’s not current enough, it’s not TikTok savvy, it’s not memeable. That sh*t can be frustrating for an artist who is all about passion. I literally want to go and sing and perform for audiences.”
However, he isn’t dismayed. “I’m feeling inspired again, to now launch new music and also to continue to keep this phenomenon going,” Usher noted. “It’s just really been about [a] celebration of entertainment, celebration of the standard that was set by these incredible guys who inspired me.” These entertainers include Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly, and Prince.
One of his most celebrated albums is Confessions, his 2004 chart-topper that spawned several classic singles. Usher recognizes the project’s influence and how audiences continue dissecting its impact. “The conversation, the music, the entertainment, the dialogue, the energy around it. The toxic R&B of it. Because [it] was the birth of toxic R&B.”
He then offered an explanation. “Yo, but by the way, toxic was just being honest,” he added. “It’s how you choose to say it.” Confessions, for the singer, was about being truthful regarding relationship and the issues that come from making ill-thought-out decisions. Now, “toxic” holds a different meaning. “Toxic now is like: I’m f*cked up and I’m just sayin’ I’m f*cked up, and that’s it, with no remorse,” said Usher.
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Drake & 21 Savage just dropped the music video for their Her Loss cut, “Spin Bout U.” Moreover, it tells a pretty over-the-top but dangerously entertaining tale of excess, love, loss, and revenge. While 21 and Drizzy enjoy their time on a lavish cruise, they find a woman drowning next to them. After saving her, the 6 God tries to get cozy but she drugs and kidnaps both him and the Atlanta MC. Then, more women arrive to steal their jewelry, tattoo thing on their faces, trash their ship, and eventually burn the whole thing down. A bit before the video ends, they even steal Drake’s engagement ring necklace and execute him, while 21 jumps off the ship to try and escape.
Overall, it’s a pretty ridiculous but also tongue-in-cheek portrayal of toxic love, much like the collaborative album it lands on. Also, this track was an interesting choice for an MV with this theme because of the Canadian superstar’s infamous lines. While they’re peppered all over the tracklist, “Spin Bout U” has some interesting bars about women and relationships. One of them is “Damn, just turned on the news and seen that men who never got p***y in school are makin’ laws about what women can do.” Also there’s “Four words when I think about them is crusty, musty, dusty, rusty / Eight words when I think about us is f**k me, f**k me, f**k me, f**k me.”
Meanwhile, the Slaughter Gang head honcho drops some more simple, but still lovey-dovey lines, at least for their standards. “F**k your main page, what’s your Finsta? I wanna know the real you,” he raps alongside typical bars about body counts, material gifts, and, uh, intimacy. Regardless, “Spin Bout U” is a really entertaining video that feeds into criticisms of their perspectives while having fun with its extravagance. In fact, it makes one wonder why there aren’t more music videos from this album, but I guess the rollout’s not over yet.
Speaking of rollout, 21 and Drake recently settled their lawsuit from Condé Nast for their fake Vogue cover promotion for the album. While the company sought at least $4 million in damages, no specific settlement amount was revealed. Still, at least it’s another headache they don’t have to deal with as they continue celebrating their collaboration’s success. With all that in mind, here’s hoping that we get a sequel to this wild and campy narrative from this new visual. Check out the music video for “Spin Bout U” above and return to HNHH for the latest on 21 Savage and Drake.
It’s officially Glock season. In the past year and some change, Key Glock ascended as the de facto frontman of the Paper Route Empire roster. Following Young Dolph’s death, the rapper took a step back from the limelight, though he didn’t hold out on releasing new music. The rapper dished out the deluxe edition of Yellow Tape 2, which practically served as a project in its own right. It served as his first release since Dolph’s passing, and it became clear that he made it his mission to keep his cousin’s name alive.
Since then, Glock hasn’t slowed down his pace by any means. Between the influx of guest verses and the release of PRE5L in 2022, he kept his grip on the rap game as fans anticipated his next body of work. In recent weeks, he began plotting out the sequel to 2018’s Glockoma. He placed billboards up during Super Bowl weekend. Then, fans noticed that Glockoma 2 had online advertisements plastered across WebMD. It was a subtle yet effective marketing campaign that helped build anticipation for his next project, Glockoma 2.
The wait is officially over. Key Glock came through this morning with the release of his highly-anticipated new album, Glockoma 2. His latest project boasts 15 songs in total — including singles like “Work” — with not a single feature attached to the tracklist. Glock shines all on his own, flexing his lyrical tenacity and showcasing his dominant presence in the rap game from the moment you press play on “Dirt.” For fans waiting on a full-length from Glizzock, Glockoma 2 surely won’t disappoint.
The rapper comes through with an array of producers to flesh out the project. Of course, Paper Route Empire’s Bandplay boasts several credits on the project. However, the essence of Memphis is also captured by HitKidd, who contributes to two songs on the project. Additionally, Glock links up with King Ceeo, AIM ON MY NECK, Teddy Walton, Bankroll Got It, Mannie II, Blondobeats, and more for his latest effort. Press play on Glock’s new project, Glockoma 2, above and sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below.
Dionne Warwick is the undisputed Queen of Twitter. Whether she’s scolding the social media platform’s CEO, Elon Musk, roasting the stage names of some of today’s biggest stars, providing her two cents on trending topics, or pledging her allegiance to different recording artist’s stan clubs, the “Walk On By” singer has become everyone’s favorite Internet Aunt.
However, Warwick’s rich musical legacy often goes unacknowledged despite her popularity with the younger generation due to her online presence and likeness being the focal point for a few viral Saturday Night Live sketches. Now, that is where her documentary, Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over (named after her 1963 song), comes in.
Co-directed by Dave Wooley (the co-author of Dionne Warwick: My Life, As I See It and Say A Little Prayer) and David Heilbroner, the documentary serves as a reminder of Warwick’s impact has had in her over six-decade-long career. The conversation about nepotism babies in the music industry has fizzled out. However, there is there’s still a conversation to be had about musical families to which Warwick belongs to one of New Jersey’s most famous ones.
The Drinkard Singers, Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston, and Warwick all share a bloodline. Although her late cousin Whitney Houston may be more widely known to today’s music lovers, Warwick has an equally robust catalog and impact. In fact, pop singers like Rihanna and Lizzo owe a great deal to Warwick for the doors she knocked down in the genre after she became the first African-American woman to win a Grammy award in the pop category in 1968 for her song “Do You Know The Way To San Jose?”
While we await the day Warwick gets her major studio-backed biopic like her cousin, in which she hopes Teyana Taylor will play her, the documentary Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over is a great place to start familiarizing yourself with Warwick’s life story.
As a classically trained musician and songwriter, Warwick’s music is the actual musical manifestation of trickle-down economics. As a result, Warwick’s music has influenced and been covered by some of the most revered musicians, including Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, and Ahmad Jamal, not to mention the dozens of times her work has been sampled.
Warwick’s 1967 song “I Say A Little Prayer” was reimagined by the late Aretha Franklin. It became one of the singer’s most popular songs receiving several placements in television and movies, the latest being Sing 2. Her 1964 song, “A House Is Not A Home,” was covered by jazz music icon Ella Fitzgerald in 1968, gospel music trailblazer Mavis Staples in 1969, and R&B titan Luther Vandross in 1981. Her 1973 song “You’re Gonna Need Me” was sampled by one of hip-hop’s most respected producers, the late J Dilla, in 2006 on his song “Stop!,” Usher in 2004 on his song “Throwback” featuring Jadakiss off his diamond-certified album Confessions, and “Want You Back” by rapper Fabulous in 2012 which features Joe Budden and Teyana Taylor.
Next, her 1964 song “Walk On By” was sampled by rap legend Slick Rick in 1988 on his iconic track “Mona Lisa,” Logic in 2013 on his track by the same now. The song was also covered by Aretha Franklin the same year and in 1969 by the late Isaac Hayes. Lastly, Warwick’s 1963 “Anyone Who Had a Heart” was sampled by Mos Def on his song “Know That” in 1999, and former G.O.O.D. Music signee Cyhi the Prynce in 2014 on his song “Napoleon.”
Warwick also embodies what it means to be socially responsible with your platform as an entertainer. Neck and neck with her lengthy discography, Warwick’s advocacy work is just as vast. A large portion of Warwick’s documentary Don’t Make Me Over is dedicated to showcasing her philanthropy and advocacy work across several causes, including AIDS research and LGBTQIA+ rights.
Long before Lady Gaga was singing about being born this way or Sam Smith spoke out supporting the Marriage Act, there was Dionne Warwick’s 1985 song “That’s What Friends Are For.” The track, a cover of Rod Stewart’s 1982 single by the same name, was recorded by Warwick featuring Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder to raise funds for AIDS research during the height of the epidemic. After its release, the song became a major hit raising over $3 million for amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. According to the documentary, it has raised $10 million for AIDS research. It will continue to raise money perpetually as Warwick signed away the rights to the profits to the organization. The song also earned Warwick another Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group and the top spot on the charts.
Another cause Warwick lent her voice was misogyny in rap music in the 1990s. While it remains a pervasive problem over twenty years later, at one point, the New Jersey native called a meeting of hip-hop’s biggest names to discuss the matter. Rap legend Snoop Dogg, an attendee of the meeting, recounted how he was out gangstered by Warwick, making him rethink his role in the problem. In recent times, Warwick’s advocacy work has mainly been done behind the scenes. Still, there are moments when the musician takes to her beloved Twitter page to speak on a matter (most recently, Britney Spears’ conservatorship).
Yes, Dionne Warwick is the undisputed Queen of Twitter and everyone’s favorite Internet Aunt, but let’s not forget her hefty contributions to popular music as we know it today.
