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Metro Boomin Blesses Fans With OG Version Of “Knife Talk”

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Over the course of the past few years, Metro Boomin has been one of the hottest go-to producers for some of the best rappers in the game.

On top of producing full-length projects for artists like 21 Savage and Big Sean, he also puts together impressive compilations with an array of artists on his own albums.

GQ Hype celebrates Metro Boomin in New York City at Public Records on December 08, 2022 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for GQ)

On Tuesday (January 3), the “Ric Flair Drip” producer randomly took to his Twitter account to share the original version of Drake and 21 Savage’s “Knife Talk.” Of course, the song is from 2021’s Certified Lover Boy and is a fan favorite.

However, the beat was originally just a collaboration between the Savage Mode artists. The original title for the song, “Gang Sh*t” is appropriate, considering the repetition of this phrase on the hook.

As a result of Drake not appearing on the original, the second verse from the “Glock In My Lap” rapper is extended. The song was first meant to be on Metro and 21’s SAVAGE MODE II. However, the Atlanta native explained to DJ Akademiks that the 6 God heard the song only a few days before CLB‘s release. He subsequently added his own verses, putting it onto the album as a last-minute addition.

“He did his verse the day before the album came out. I had that song. That song was supposed to go on Savage Mode II, but something was just telling me, hold on to it,” explains the 30-year-old.

Evidently, Metro and Drizzy continue to be locked in together. Just a couple of days ago, the “One Dance” artist’s unreleased verse on “Stance” leaked on social media. The song already features Travis Scott and Young Thug. Obviously, it didn’t make the final cut of Metro’s latest album, HEROES & VILLAINS. Check out the verse in the tweet below.

Furthermore, the 29-year-old also has a production credit on “More M’s” off of the Toronto star’s latest album. Of course, this is the 21 Savage collab, Her Loss.

What are your thoughts on the OG version? Do you prefer it over the one that we officially got on CLB? Comment below. Finally, make sure to stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest music news.

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Boldy James Gearing Up To Drop New Physical-Only EP

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Boldy James is undeniably one of the busiest rappers in the game. Over the course of the past few years, the Detroit native has worked tirelessly to maintain this title.

Ever since 2020, the 40-year-old has dropped several projects each year. He’s now getting ready to drop yet another one. However, this offering will only be releasing physically.

Boldy James of The Alchemist x Boldy James performs during the NBA Leather tour at The Warfield on February 01, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

The new EP, titled ADU, will be entirely produced by Real Bad Man and will be released via RCC Music. Copies on vinyl, CD and cassettes will be available to purchase on January 16. The official announcement was made by the producer on his Instagram account. “This is a physical release through @rrcmusic.co[.] No digital, no streaming […] no pre-orders,” he writes in part of the post’s caption.

Furthermore, he also reveals the tracklist in small font at the bottom of the photo. It appears as though the project will contain six new tracks. Side A will feature the first three tracks, “Hellblock to the Sunnyside,” “Hot Cakes” and “Big Bags.” Meanwhile, Side B will contain the last three songs, “Sweetest Taboo,” “Jonny On the Spot” and “Give Or Take.”

Additionally, ADU will mark the duo’s third collaborative album. The first one is 2020’s Real Bad Boldy.

In 2022 alone, Boldy released four different albums. All of which are full-length collaborations with different producers. He kicked off his year with the release of Killing Nothing in May, which serves as his second full-length album with Real Bad Man.

The Nicholas Craven collab, Fair Exchange No Robbery arrived in September, followed by the Futurewave-produced Mr. Ten08. Afterwards, he closed out his year with Be That as It May, with Cuns producing the entirety of this one.

Will you be trying to get your hands on the new physical-only album? Comment your thoughts below. Finally, make sure to stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest updates and releases in music.

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Westside Gunn & Benny The Butcher Throw Shots At B.Dot After Exclusion From Best Rappers Of 2022 List

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Now that 2022 has officially come to a close, many have finalized their lists containing their favorite things of the year. Most popularly in the music industry, fans and media figures alike tend to share their lists of their favorite songs, albums and artists over the past 365 days.

Of course, hip-hop is one of, if not the most competitive genre. Everyone’s year-end lists surrounding rappers and hip-hop albums usually stir up some heated discussion online.

Westside Gunn and Benny the Butcher attend Conway “God Don’t Make Mistakes” Album Listening Party on February 16, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

2022 is no different. One media figure who has become notorious for sharing his year-end lists is hip-hop journalist, B.Dot Miller. On December 23, the Rap Radar co-host took to his Twitter account to share his list of the best rappers of the year.

As per usual, he bases his list on skill, performance and presence. For 2022, he has Pusha T, Gucci Mane and J. Cole as the top three, in that order. Kendrick follows in the fourth spot, JID is fifth, then 21 Savage at sixth. The seventh to tenth spots belong to Kodak Black, Drake, Ransom and Lil Wayne, in that order.

The Griselda camp had an incredibly busy year yet again, collectively dropping several projects. Regardless, none of them are present on B.Dot’s list. Westside Gunn evidently isn’t happy about it.

He and some of the other Griselda crew members, including Stove God Cooks and Rome Streetz, recently sat down for an interview with B.Dot and Elliott Wilson for an episode of their Rap Radar podcast. However, this was clearly before Miller released his list.

“This was a great interview but that was some weeks ago, now it’s F*CK @bdotTM bc he just don’t get it & I wasted 2hrs of my time[.] its @GriseldaRecords ALL YEAR[.] S/O to my guy @ElliottWilson he still good he rode thru the hood w/me in the Bach,” writes the “327” rapper.

“This THURSDAY let’s start my Finale yr with a @RapRadar interview with @ElliottWilson and a few good men @BoldyJames @Stovegodcooks & @Rome_Streetz the ALMIGHTY GXFR @GriseldaRecords,” the Buffalo native writes in another tweet afterwards. In the promo picture of the group, Gunn scratches out B.Dot’s face and writes “Chump” above him.

Furthermore, Benny The Butcher is also taking exception to being left off the list. A fan replied to the Rap Radar co-host’s list asking Benny if they were left off because of a bar from Conway the Machine that mentioned B.Dot. “If so, that’s mad corny. I thought it was harmless,” the fan writes.

The bar in question is seemingly from Benny and Conway’s collaborative track from earlier this year, “Tyson vs. Ali.” The 40-year-old raps, “Tell B.Dot I said, f his list.”

The “Johnny P’s Caddy” rapper replies, insisting that this is the case. “Def tht and I had a brush in with 2 of his rap friends lol,” he says.

Additionally, Benny replied to another comment about the group’s absence when the list was originally posted in December. “F*ck smokin crack he gotta be Eatin it,” he says.

The full Griselda interview with Rap Radar is set to release this Thursday (January 5).

What are your thoughts on B.Dot’s list? Should at least a few of the Griselda members have been on the list? Comment your thoughts below. Finally, make sure to stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest updates.

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Logic & Dwight From “The Office” Spotted In The Studio Together

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Logic is certainly no stranger to a fun studio session. Fans consistently get a look into his life and recording process through his YouTube series, Just Another Day.

However, a recent Instagram post shows him in the studio with a rather unexpected collaborator – none other than actor, Rainn Wilson.

Logic performs at Alexandra Palace on September 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Burak Cingi/Redferns)

The “Everyday” rapper took to his account on Saturday (December 31) to share footage of the surprising duo making music together. “My man is making beats right now and he’s really snapping,” says the 32-year-old. He subsequently shows the actor using an MPC beat-making machine. “Look who stopped by to cook some beets,” he writes in the post’s caption.

Of course, Wilson is best known for playing Dwight Schrute in the comedy series, The Office.

Logic is a documented fan of movies and TV shows. He has even teased about his involvement in various films over the years. In 2018, it was announced that he was set to star in a film produced by J.J. Abrams. However, it’s still yet to see a release and has reportedly been scrapped.

Further showing his passion for motion pictures, the video for his collaboration with Marshmello, “Everyday,” is actually a 10-minute long short film.

Earlier this year, the Maryland native dropped his seventh studio album, Vinyl Days. The monstrous 30-track project shows off his love for old-school boom-bap. Additionally, it finds him spitting verses with a wide array of guests including Wiz Khalifa, RZA and Action Bronson. Furthermore, it features skits from some pop culture figures like J.J. Abrams, Aaron Judge and Anthony Fantano.

It’s certainly not hard to imagine Dwight Schrute delivering an entertaining skit or an intro on a Logic track. We can only hope that we’ll get to hear what they’re making soon.

What do you hope Logic and Rainn Wilson are cooking up? Comment down below. Finally, make sure to stay tuned to HNHH for the latest music and pop culture updates.

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Ab-Soul Calls His Latest Album, “HERBERT” Top 5 Of The Year

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As 2022 quickly comes to a close, fans and artists alike are continuing to share their favorite music of the year.

Ab-Soul’s latest offering, HERBERT, has only been out for a couple of weeks. Regardless, the L.A. native thinks it’s a top-five album of the year.

Elliott Wilson and Ab-Soul attend backstage at Irving Plaza on October 6, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

He took to his Twitter account on Friday (December 30) to share his thoughts on his own fifth studio album. “ALSO. My album IS top 5 of da year. F*cc all dat humble sh*t. Dead homies,” he writes in his remark. Evidently, being humble isn’t in the “Illuminate” rapper’s New Year’s resolutions. However, the argument is definitely a fair one, as the album has garnered a positive reception.

The project serves as the TDE rapper’s first album in six years, following 2016’s Do What Thou Wilt. Throughout HERBERT‘s 18-song tracklist, the 35-year-old explicitly addresses the state of his mental health and his battles with depression.

As part of the rollout for the album, Ab-Soul sat down with Charlamagne Tha God for an intimate interview. During the pair’s talk, which lasted for over an hour, Soulo opens up about a suicide attempt.

“I pretty much finished the album before I did what I did. I jumped off a freeway overpass, man. It was about 50 feet. I think a car broke my fall. [I] walked from my mom’s house to the bridge and jumped off on the freeway overpass. Imagine, like, you’re walking and you blink and then you’re further. You blink and then you’re further, you blink and then I’m on a fence,” he details.

“My jaw is f*cked up. I got a lotta work to do still. I’m about 85% on my foot. My foot is completely reconstructed, all the way to my pelvis, my femur, everything, was affected except my knee. If my knee would’ve been affected, I might not be walking,” he says after stating that he wasn’t in control while it was happening.

HERBERT boasts features from the likes of Joey Bada$$, Jhené Aiko, Russ, Big Sean and others. Furthermore, it evidently showcases Soul getting deeply introspective.

Considering it was released so late into the year, it will certainly be interesting to see how many year-end lists it makes its way onto.

What are your thoughts on HERBERT? Is it cracking your year-end list? Comment down below. Finally, make sure to stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest updates in music and pop culture.

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Old Drake Lyrics Found In Memphis Dumpster

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Regardless of your thoughts on him, Drake is continuing his run as one of the most dominant acts that mainstream music has ever seen.

Although he’s been in the game for over a decade, he continues to be all over the charts and pull in quite impressive sales and streaming numbers with every new release.

Rapper Drake performs onstage during “Lil Baby & Friends Birthday Celebration Concert” at State Farm Arena. (Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)

However, he didn’t get to this point without a little bit of dedication and hard work.

According to reports from TMZ, pages of the Toronto superstar’s old handwritten lyrics were recently discovered in a dumpster. At the time of these lyrics, the Take Care artist was allegedly working on music in his uncle’s Memphis factory. Once it closed down, the pages somehow ended up in the garbage.

It’s certainly hard to tell exactly what year the “Jimmy Cooks” rapper penned the lyrics. However, one of the pages does contain lyrics for a song seemingly titled “Come Spring.” On Drizzy’s very first mixtape, 2006’s Room For Improvement, there’s a song called “Come Winter” within the tracklist.

“We’re in the age of conflict and knowledge / But we’re trapped in this cage of barbed wire and wreckage with the freedom to go to college / The freedom to indulge and dissolve ourselves in the process / The law says / You have witnessed / an audience in the race of silence,” young Drake wrote on one of the pages.

Thanks to Moments In Time, a famous authentic autograph and memorabilia dealer, the notebook is going up for sale. The price point is reportedly $20,000.

2022 has proven to be yet another majorly successful year for the 36-year-old. In November, he claimed another Billboard record, becoming the only artist ever to occupy at least eight of the top 10 songs in the the Hot 100 chart simultaneously, on two different occasions. This feat is thanks to his most recent album, the 21 Savage collab, Her Loss. Furthermore, the album marks the biggest opening week for a hip-hop/R&B album in 2022, selling 411,000 copies.

Would you consider buying this piece of music history if you have a cool $20,000 kicking around? Let us know in the comments down below. Finally, make sure to tune into our newest holiday playlist here.

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Lupe Fiasco Expresses Interest In Doing A Song With Drake

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There’s a long, documented history of Drake and Lupe Fiasco having a complicated relationship over the years.

The two share a mutual respect for each other’s craft. There have, however, also been a couple of assumed subliminal shots sent in songs.

Lupe Fiasco visit SiriusXM Studios on January 25, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)

It now appears as though the Chicago actually wants to put their admiration for one another to the test. He says he wants them to collaborate on a song.

It all began when a fan took to their Twitter account on Monday (December 19), simply tweeting that they want to hear the “Kick, Push” rapper and Drake on a track together. Lupe subsequently replied, writing “Me three…” in a quote tweet.

On at least two occasions in the past, Lupe has kicked freestyles over a Drake song. In 2018, he rapped over Drizzy’s collab with Travis Scott, “Sicko Mode.”

More recently, he took his turn going in over the “Champagne Poetry” instrumental, titling it “Diet Soda Poetry.” “Just left album mode with me and my n***a Trakk / and Drake dropped this sh*t, got me thinking about going back,” he raps while paying homage to the Certified Lover Boy rapper.

Furthermore, the 6 God rapped over the 40-year-old’s iconic “Kick, Push” instrumental on his debut mixtape, Room for Improvement.

Nonetheless, Drake seemingly took some shots at the Chicago native while rapping on his 2015 throwaway track, “5 Am in Toronto.” The Toronto star raps, “It’s funny when you think a n***a blew up after Lupe / N****s treat me like I’ve been here for 10 / Some n****s been here for a couple, never been here again.”

However, in a 2020 interview with Rob Markman for Genius, Lupe provided his side of the story. Initially viewed as a subliminal shot toward him, the consensus now seems to be that it was actually praise. “I can just tell you that Drake has a lot of respect for me and I have a lot of respect for Drake,” he says in the interview.

Additionally, the DRILL MUSIC IN ZION rapper came to Champagne Papi’s defence amid his beef with Pusha T. Namely, he spoke out regarding Pusha’s choice for the cover art of his notorious diss song, “The Story of Adidon.” Drake is seen wearing black face in the photo.

In some since-deleted tweets, the 40-year-old seemingly defends the cover art. “Yes it’s two pictures of 6 in blackface…the one Pusha has as the cover is connected to another one but it’s cropped off. The one you saw is happy the other is dark and sad. Both together actually presents a powerful duality of representation and race and its expectations on art,” he wrote.

The tweet from Lupe teasing the collaboration has certainly stirred some interesting reactions from social media users.

Regardless, we can only hope that this collaboration will actually come to fruition.

Do you want to see an official collaboration between these two heavyweights? Comment your thoughts down below.

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Ab-Soul Freestyles Over “Die Hard,” Calls Kendrick Lamar’s TDE Departure An “Evolution”

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Ab-Soul is on pace to drop his forthcoming album, Herbert in a little over a week. In recent times, he’s made more media appearances than he has in the past. He showed face on the Joe Budden Podcast earlier this week where he previewed new music, and now, he’s made his way to Sway In The Morning.

As you’d expect, Soulo came through with some bars for Sway. This time, he takes on Kendrick Lamar’s “Die Hard” and adds his own spin to the record. He also makes reference to Kanye West’s infamous visit to Sway’s studios in 2013.

hardLOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 27: Hip-hop artist Ab-Soul performs onstage during the Ice Cube, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock concert at Staples Center on June 27, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson/BET/Getty Images for BET)

“Yeah, I’m a Pisces but can’t screw the fish, that’s food that’s cool to fish,” he raps. “Class is in session, Sway had the answers all along, that was never a question.”

Ab-Soul’s verse comes a few months after Ye admitted that Sway was actually in the right.

“Shout out to the homie Mr. Morale, that was an honor,” he said. “I don’t think I ever rapped over another one of the homie’s beats before. I was kinda nervous, I ain’t gonna lie. That was like another feeling. I see you, brother.”

Elsewhere, Soul addressed Kendrick’s departure from TDE to establish pgLang.

“I think that’s evolution, man,” he said. “That’s still my brother. I don’t feel a difference. I don’t know how to [explain]. We haven’t spoke on why it happened or why he did it, but I think it’s love, I think it’s growth on his behalf. That’s what he felt like he had to do on his path, on his journey. So I’ma always support him and what he do, you know what I’m saying? But you know who the gang is.”

He reiterated that Kendrick will always be family, regardless what he’s doing musically.

“I don’t care what company he’s with or where they go, if I speak to ’em, it’ll never change,” Soulo continued. “That’s the foundation. I think if you remember that, if you hold onto that, no matter how far you go, I think that’s the practice, to keep that balance. Everything is as it should be. Nothing is out of alignment, at all.”

Check the full freestyle and interview below.