September 5 proved to be a sad day in music. Rich Homie Quan died at age 34. There are countless album releases and events going on, but rappers everywhere are feeling the loss. Nowhere was this more evident than the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players Awards. Playboi Carti won his first ever award at the event. The rapper had already paid tribute to Quan earlier in the day, but he took the time to give a shoutout to Quan before he exited the stage.
It’s bizarre to think about Playboi Carti having never won an award. Yet, those were the circumstances in which the elusive rapper came to the stage. He thanked his mother, he thanked God, and he thanked the Billboard organization for giving him the award. Carti took a beat before continuing his speech, looked at the award in his hand, and shifted directions. “RIP Rich Homie Quan,” he told the crowd. He proceeded to shout out Quan’s crew, which drew cheers of support from those in the audience.
Playboi Carti previously posted music video footage of Quan on his Instagram Story. The two men never collaborated on a song together, but Carti has made it clear that he respected Quan as a musical talent. This is not the first time that Playboi Carti has talked about a fallen rapper in public. He paid tribute to the late, great Fredo Santana during a concert in 2022. “I miss Fredo like a motherfucker,” he told the crowd before wiping tears from his face.
Playboi Carti also got emotional talking about Juice WRLD. “That sh*t blew my mind bro,” he explained. “He was really a GOAT.” Carti’s voice cracked in the middle of the interview, and he reflected on the fact that he didn’t spend as much time with Juice as he intended. “Even if we wasn’t seen together like that,” he noted. “We was close.” Carti also noted that he regularly talks about the rappers who pass with peers like Lil Uzi Vert. He’s seen a lot, and sadly Rich Homie Quan is the latest to join the tragic list.
Once again, hip-hop fans are complaining about other publications and media companies passing judgement on the genre’s offerings. However, this time around, we’re sure that there’s a specific set of rap die-hards in support of a particular Canadian superstar that aren’t complaining. Moreover, Kendrick Lamar fans are outraged at how Billboard did not rank the Drake diss “Not Like Us” as “the song of the summer” for 2024. Instead, the outlet gave the crown to Post Malone and Morgan Wallen’s “I Had Some Help.” However, Billboard does have a metric and an explanation that details how they arrived at this conclusion.
According to the publication, “the 20-position Songs of the Summer running tally tracks the most popular titles based on cumulative performance on the weekly streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Billboard Hot 100 chart from Memorial Day through Labor Day (this year encompassing charts dated June 8 through Sept. 7).” As such, the early May release of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” is probably what impacted these numbers. Still, for the wider hip-hop, music, and pop culture spheres, you can’t deny that there wasn’t a more inescapable and moment-creating track that dominated the summer.
Maybe we’re not giving Sabrina Carpenter and others their due flowers, but it’s hard to deny the sheer scale and impact of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle in the summer of 2024. We’re still seeing developments in this area, such as the Toronto lyricist’s new music releases and the promise of a “Game 2” on his behalf. But when it comes to K.Dot, we really have no idea what he’ll do next apart from a few speculative theories and hints from his camp here and there. Will the robbed song of the summer become song of the year if this beef rages on?
Fans React
“Not Like Us” and that 5 million it sold must have came out in a different summer that I’m not aware of https://t.co/eDWchI1Kkb
Kendrick, Glorilla, Shaboozey and other BLACK artists put out fire all summer but y’all give it to these stank culture vultures?? Billboard be so fr…https://t.co/TtpCepw5cjpic.twitter.com/16SxrtU4HU
It’s no disrespect to Posty, he seems lovely, but this summer was DOMINATED by Kendrick, Charli, and Chappell. I don’t know what the fuck going on at Billboard, and I’m not super up to date on modern pop music, but can we please be for real for a second https://t.co/nzy3ie3ZH1
Nevertheless, we have to acknowledge how ridiculous it is that folks even care about what Billboard has to say about Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” Even if the summer is wrapping up, this battle definitely has more legs. Some of it is reflective, like Adam22 thinking that the Compton MC should support his colleagues more. But as for what the future holds as the epilogue to this story, all we can do is excitedly wait.
ASAP Rocky says that Rihanna is the “perfect person” for him to be with and explained why during a recent interview with Billboard. He noted that, as two incredibly successful artists in multiple industries, their schedules can get “chaotic.” In turn, however, they both understand the difficulties of that and respect one another. He began by describing her as “my lady” and the “love of my life.”
“It’s crazy how we find balance with our chaotic schedules,” Rocky said. “[The relationship] is going great. I don’t think there’s a more perfect person because when the schedules are hectic, she’s very understanding of that. And when the schedule’s freed up, that’s when you get to spend [the] most time together. It’s all understanding and compatibility.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 01: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky attend The 2023 Met Gala Celebrating “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 01, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Rocky and Rihanna began dating just before the COVID-19 pandemic, the isolation of which sped up their relationship dramatically. They already share two children together. Speaking with Mel Ottenberg for Interview magazine, earlier this year, she revealed that they’re opening to having even more. “I don’t know what god wants, but I would go for more than two,” she admitted. “I would try for my girl. But of course if it’s another boy, it’s another boy.”
As for Rocky’s upcoming album, Don’t Be Dumb, he’s expected to be collaborating with Tyler, the Creator, Pharrell Williams, Metro Boomin, Madlib, The Alchemist, and more noteworthy artists. Further speaking with Billboard, he described his mindset as “grim” and explained that it affects the nature of the project. “In this very moment, it’s very grim. That’s an abbreviation,” he said. “It’s infusing German expressionism with ghetto futurism.” Be on the lookout for further updates on ASAP Rocky and Rihanna on HotNewHipHop.
ASAP Rocky’s new Billboard cover story is an expansive piece, which should come as no surprise. After all, he’s just as involved in music as he is in fashion and film these days, and his family life with Rihanna and their children supersedes all of that. But of course, there was no way that the outlet wasn’t going to ask about the Harlem creative’s beef with Drake, one of many stemming from a group of Kendrick Lamar-led artists dissing the Toronto superstar this year. While his thoughts definitely fulfill a fan-fueled need to learn more about their rift, his comments also make it clear that he considers this a largely irrelevant footnote when he’ll look back at 2024.
“You got to realize, certain n***as was throwing shots for years,” A$AP Rocky’s words on the Drake beef began. “I ain’t in the middle of that s**t. That’s not how I retaliate right now. I got bigger fish to fry than some p***y boys. It is real beef outside. It is real. N***as getting really clipped and blitzed every day. N***as sniping n***as every day. That little kitty s**t ain’t about nothing.”
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 23: *Exclusive Coverage* – A$AP Rocky and Drake attend the FIFA 14 Launch at The Union Square Ballroom on September 23, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
As such, it seems like A$AP Rocky’s pot shots at Drake on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Show Of Hands,” plus the ones that Drizzy for him on cuts like “Family Matters,” are just that to him: pot shots. They’re boastful but well-documented bars from two MCs who don’t like each other, but it was never going to escalate to the level of a full-blown battle. Perhaps Rocky’s next album Don’t Be Dumb will contain even more disses, but it’s clear that it’s not a focal point. It’s just lyrical content like any other in the rap game.
Meanwhile, for those unaware, A$AP Rocky and Drake’s beef might stem back to when the former first started dating Rihanna, leading up to their marriage. The fact that it seems like a petty exchange over women they’ve both been with and whether or not they’re dropping good albums makes it even more likely that not much will come from this feud. Again, we have to wait until Don’t Be Dumb to fully see, as the 6ix God may have dissed Rocky again on the recent “It’s Up” with Young Thug and 21 Savage. But if it does continue, their jabs will be nothing like the actual showdown with Kendrick Lamar, and neither lyricist probably wants to take it there at this point.
In the 1994 movie Airheads, Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, and Adam Sandler play members of a rock band with big dreams. The story of the film is that the three decide to hijack a radio station in an effort to get their demo played on the air.
The idea was that fame and riches would follow, presumably. To be frank, I haven’t seen the film (sorry not sorry, my movie backlog is packed and Airheads is not above Air). I’m just aware of the general premise. Regardless, it sets up the point I’m about to get to: That movie synopsis reads as very ’90s and alien in relation to the music industry in 2024. Things are different now, both in terms of music itself and the ecosystem that surrounds it.
In times of change, it’s important to self-reflect and reconsider the things we value, what’s working and what isn’t. As I’ve aged, I’ve come to realize that one serving of vegetables per week isn’t part of a successful plan to remain alive, for example. I’ve also reached this question: Is landing a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart today going the way of getting a demo on the radio in 1994?
My answer, to an extent, is yes: Getting a No. 1 single doesn’t matter like it used to. That’s a big-sounding claim and I don’t want to present it without nuance, so let’s look at some information.
In 2023, 19 songs were No. 1 on the Hot 100. In 2013, that number was only 12. The figures are shaping up similarly for this year, too: We already have 15 chart-toppers so far in 2024 with so much time left, versus just 10 in 2014.
A simple lesson in supply and demand: The more there is of something, the less valuable it is. Please indulge me briefly as we go back to 1953, when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first two people to summit Mount Everest. It was a big deal! Since then, over 6,000 other people have done it, too. Climbing Everest is still a noteworthy challenge, especially when you consider the 200 or so people who didn’t make it and whose bodies are still frozen on the mountain right now. But, the gravity of the feat is definitely diminished. That chilling detour was to illustrate that as the distinction of having a No. 1 single becomes less rare, it becomes less impressive.
There are some external factors that impact the perceived value of a Hot 100 No. 1, too, that have nothing to do with the Billboard charts themselves (or Mount Everest).
For one, more ways of measuring a song’s success are available to us now, and these metrics can have different significance to different audiences. For example, perhaps fans who live their musical lives on Spotify care less about chart placement and more about streaming numbers, which have increasingly come to indicate the music many people most spend their time with.
Well, according to data from Luminate (as shared by Billboard), the most-streamed song in the US of the first half of 2024 was Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things,” with 448.7 million plays. Yet, despite being early 2024’s most popular song by a widely valued and impactful metric, “Beautiful Things” never wore the Hot 100 crown. It spent many weeks in the top 10 and even some time at No. 2, but never in the captain’s seat.
More anecdotally speaking, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” is a contender for the 2024 song of the summer. But, it never hit No. 1, despite consistently out-performing, for example, Taylor Swift and Post Malone’s No. 1 hit “Fortnight” on the weekly US Spotify charts after the collaboration’s first week (half-fortnight, if you will). It could be the year’s biggest song so far, but it’s not a No. 1 single in the US.
Then there’s TikTok. That’s a world that’s beyond me (aside from seeing viral TikToks on Instagram three weeks after they’ve already blown up), but I won’t diminish the impact it has on music culture and the value of musical success on the platform. Songs like Tinashe’s “Nasty,” Artemas’ “I Like The Way You Kiss Me,” and, somehow, Pharrell’s Despicable Me 4 song “Double Life” have all gotten major attention on one of the internet’s most-trafficked spaces. None of them have hit even the top 10 on the Hot 100.
To music fans who are mostly on TikTok and aren’t paying attention to the big Spotify favorites (a valid type of person that I’m guessing isn’t uncommon among the app’s users), those are the biggest songs, not some Hot 100 hit they stopped listening a hundred trends ago.
To be clear, this isn’t Billboard‘s fault. They haven’t passively rotted away as the world blooms around them. They regularly tweak the Hot 100 rules as they deem necessary, like they did with major changes in 2013 and 2018. But, it’s seemingly just impossible to keep up, to perfectly quantify and represent how consumers interact with the always-changing music industry.
I don’t mean to diminish the value of a No. 1 single. It’s still a tremendous achievement: Of the thousands and thousands of songs that have been released this year, only 15 of them have gone No. 1. 15! My point is more so that with how diverse and splintered the infrastructure around music consumption has become, the Hot 100 is no longer the singular, be-all-end-all authority on what the biggest songs are. It’s not the metric anymore.
Like getting a demo on the radio, it doesn’t mean what it used to.
Kendrick Lamar is back on top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts, as “Not Like Us” returned to the No. 1 spot this week after the release of its music video. Moreover, it becomes his longest-running chart-topper with two weeks, and it follows shifts within the top ten of the charts since the song’s initial release. Specifically, it was at number three last week, and shuffled between spots two and six in the eight weeks between its two chart-topping weeks. All in all, this goes to show that there is still a lot of interest in bumping this song over and over, and we’ll see how long the hype lasts.
Furthermore, whether or not you think that Kendrick Lamar and company are “milking” this Drake beef and “Not Like Us,” it seems like most people are just content with enjoying the moment and the song instead of roping in Drizzy into everything. For example, Kendrick supporter and fellow West Coaster Wack 100 chose to recently talked about the music video itself, arguing that there’s still a lot of gang unity needed in Los Angeles that this video couldn’t achieve. As such, everyone’s got this moment in the rearview mirror still: we’re not fully demanding more, but we’re not wholly forgetting about it anytime soon, either.
Also, this comes as “Not Like Us” is possibly gaining life as an anti-Kendrick Lamar sentiment, at least according to fans. Die-hards were quick to comment on Lil Wayne singing the hook of the song during a recent performance of the Drake collab “The Motto,” and he sang “They not like us” while seemingly holding his OVO pendant. Did Weezy say that to troll K.Dot and use his words against him or is he just singing the hook for fun and making light of the battle? Either way, conspiracy theories and hypothetical rap battle matchups are rampant.
Meanwhile, we’ll see whether or not Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” will have more chart-topping weeks, or if this is its last breath as a No. 1 hit. We’re sure people will still play the track regardless, so we’ll see how far they can take it. As folks learn of his and Dave Free’s creative process for pgLang, there’s a lot of excitement over what could come next. So let’s strap in, keep enjoying this West Coast banger if we want to, and wait patiently for the next astonishment.
Album rankings are always going to inspire debate. It’s part of the fun of ranking in the first place. Billboard courted controversy (as all list-making outlets do) when they decided to roll out the 100 greatest hip-hop albums of all time. Their selection for the number one, however, was undeniable. Billboard chose Illmatic as the greatest release in the genre’s history, and fans were pretty much in agreement that Nas’ 1994 debut was as close to perfect as an album can get.
Nas reposted the number one ranking on his Instagram July 12. He also thanked the outlet for giving Illmatic such a glowing write-up. “Thank you to @billboard,” he wrote. Of course, the rapper took time out to thank the generations of fans who grew up with Illmatic, as well. “N the people,” he added. “We here #1 Illmatic.” Nas also claimed the number 57 spot on the Billboard list with his 1996 album, It Was Written. The rapper has had a fascinating relationship with his debut over the years. There was a time where he considered it an albatross, something that affected the way people listened to the rest of his music.
Over time, however, Nas has made peace with the legacy of Illmatic. It exists, in many ways, outside of the rest of his catalog. A catalog that has actually gotten better over the last decade. Nas talked about the gift and the curse of dropping a classic debut back in 2014. He likened Illmatic to another acclaimed debut, Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, and told Complex that there’s a lot of pressure that comes with making a successor. “They called it the sophomore jinx back then,” Nas recalled. “So many artists never got past their first album… It was so crazy that I had to take it seriously.”
Illmatic has gone from albatross to crown jewel in the rapper’s estimation. Nas released a deluxe version of the album for its 20th anniversary in 2014. He also participated in the acclaimed documentary Time IsIllmatic, which chronicled the album’s making. For the album’s 30th anniversary, which happened back in April, Nas praised his collaborators in an Instagram post. “Even tho the album leaked months before the release date,” he wrote in the caption. “We still are apart of music history.”
Will Smith’s inaugural Christian/gospel single, “You Can Make It,” featuring Fridayy and Sunday Service Choir, has made a notable entry onto Billboard’s charts dated July 13.
Released on June 28, the track debuts at No. 3 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart and No. 23 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. According to Luminate, the single garnered 726,000 in radio audience, 665,000 official U.S. streams, and sold 1,000 copies through July 4. This debut marks a significant milestone in Smith’s musical journey, showcasing his versatility and appeal in the gospel genre.
“I was really talking to myself,” Smith said to Billboard. “To see so many people resonate with the intention gives me a clear North Star for this next chapter of my creative life.”
Will Smith performed the song at the 2024 BET Awards, which you can see below.
Kendrick Lamar not only took down one of the titans of the rap game in Drake, but he also unified an entire segment of the genre. The iconic Compton, California MC did so through orchestrating an incredible one-time concert called The Pop Out – Ken and Friends. It took place a few weeks ago, and it is still fresh in a lot of fans’ minds. Honestly, it will probably never be forgotten amongst the community, as it generated amazing moments galore. To help immortalize The Pop Out even more, a billboard reusing the photo of Kendrick Lamar and other West Coast greats has now appeared in Inglewood.
Complex‘s Instagram account shared the image, and it is equally awesome as the original picture. It also borrows the “Not Like Us” title in a clever and simple way with the billboard reading, “Us.” Below that, you can see that it was a collaboration with Lamar’s pgLang label, Amazon Music, among other entities. This really signifies how impactful this victory was even beyond one rapper. When Kendrick rapped on “euphoria”, “I’m what the culture feelin’“, it is incredible how accurate that statement is.
While the debate between who won between him and Drake is totally out of the question, the only thought that now remains is, “When will the “Not Like Us” video drop? There have been several headlines surrounding the alleged filming of its visuals, but nothing in terms of when it is coming. Just like The Pop Out, it figures to be another major moment in this event-packed timeline. Kendrick’s victory lap can last as long as it wants in our opinion.
What are your thoughts on this Kendrick Lamar Pop Out billboard in Inglewood, California? Is this event going to go down as one of the most iconic moments in hip-hop history, why or why not? Is this West Coast officially on top of the rap world right now? Do you think he will drop a music video for “Not Like Us” sooner than later? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Kendrick Lamar. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
Kanye West’s various controversies continue to follow him throughout his career. According to Ty Dolla Sign, however, that hasn’t been a deterrent for him. During a recent interview with Billboard, he spoke about his Vulturescollaborator, dubbing him one of the best people he knows. Moreover, he theorizes that Ye’s talent is what’s allowed him to recover from all of his past scandals, and continue to retain a fanbase.
“Ye is the best artist of this generation, besides me, and I don’t give a f*ck about what people were talking about,” Ty told the outlet. “I know my n***a. He’s one of the best people I’ve ever met.” He went on to share how he thinks Ye is able to bounce back so quickly, which is why he claims he wasn’t concerned about the performance of Vultures 1.
(L-R) Rappers Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign perform onstage during the “Vultures 1” playback concert during Rolling Loud 2024 the at Hollywood Park Grounds on March 14, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
“Just with my analysis of how it goes with him, he goes all the way to the top,” he explained. “And something may happen and he’ll say [something people find offensive] — and then people [get] right back, you know. Because this sh*t is undeniable.” The duo has more on the way, and hopefully, it’ll arrive sooner rather than later. Vultures 2 was initially expected to arrive in March, which came and went with no album in sight. According to the NFR Podcast, however, he recently revealed that “The album is almost done and could be released any day now.”
What do you think of Ty Dolla Sign’s recent remarks about his collaborator, Kanye West? Do you agree with him or not? Are you looking forward to their upcoming album, Vultures 2? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
pic.twitter.com/r1AwigOLt1
(@NedStanley) 
(@KwanWhoo) 
Lost Laaaands 
(@svddenstache) 
