Alicia Keys Reveals Jay-Z Almost Replaced Her On “Empire State Of Mind”

During a recent interview with Mix 94.7, Alicia Keys discussed her hit 2009 collab with Jay-Z, “Empire State Of Mind.” The songstress revealed that she was close to being replaced on the track, due to Jay-Z having difficulty contacting her. According to Keys, her famous part in the song was almost sung by somebody else.

“He had this idea, he wanted to build it out. He wanted to make it the New York energy,” the artist explained. “The crazy part of that story that I just love is that he actually couldn’t get in touch with me because you go through the different channels, management, all these different places.” Jay-Z initially had the song’s original writers, Angela Hunte and Janet Sewell-Ulepic, singing the hook. They suggested that the Roc Nation founder tap Keys for the chorus, and the rest was history.

Read More: Jay-Z & Alicia Keys’ “Empire State Of Mind” Has Gone 9X Platinum

Jay-Z Thought He Had “To Move On”

He couldn’t really get movement on it. And so at one point, he was like, ‘Alright, I might have to move on, I can’t connect with her. I guess I have to do it with somebody else,’” Keys continued. “Could you imagine if that ended up happening? I think about it all the time.” The iconic song certainly wouldn’t be the same without the stylings of Alicia Keys, and surely fans are glad they were eventually able to connect.

“Empire State Of Mind” went 9X platinum at the end of last month, now selling over 9 million units. It was a major success upon its release, landing at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks straight. It was the first of Jay-Z’s songs as lead artist to hit No. 1. The song went gold, and platinum within only two months, cementing its place in hip hop history. Apparently, the song has even done so well that the artists worry about creating something on the same level. Last year, Keys told E! News that she feels it “hinders” the collaborators, as they fear the 2009 track can never be topped.

Read More: Alicia Keys Tour 2023: Dates, Tickets & More

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Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, & Nelly Furtado Reunite In The Studio

Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, and Nelly Furtado all reunited in the studio, sparking excitement for new music from the longtime collaborators. Furtado shared a screenshot of herself face-timing into the session on Instagram, Wednesday. It comes after Furtado recently confirmed that she had discussed working with Timbaland again during an interview with Vogue in June.

“We have plans, for sure. I actually talked to Timbaland recently, and we had this amazing two-hour FaceTime call,” Furtado confirmed at the time. “We were talking about when we made Loose, and getting into all these stories.”

Read More: Nelly Furtado Confirms She & Timbaland “Have Plans” For New Music

Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, & Nelly Furtado At The VMAs

LAS VEGAS – SEPTEMBER 09: Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado performs at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards at the Palms Casino Resort on September 9, 2007 in LasVegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Polk/FilmMagic)

Timbaland has also confirmed that he’s been working on a new album with Justin Timberlake. Speaking with Variety in April, he revealed that the project is “done and it’s coming.” He added that, while the two are still making finishing touches, it’s a return to “fun Justin.”

“It’s fun Justin — it’s like FutureSex/LoveSounds but nothing too heavy, just giving you what you’d expect from us: not overthought, the lyrics are not so deep, it’s bob-your-head, dance-to-it music. Music is a young sport, and you have to keep it fun — fun and young. We’ve both seen a lot of life, but you can’t overthink it because of that, you have to bring out the 13-year-old, 18-year-old again, you know? If not, you can get into the old-fogey stage real quick. (Laughter) That’s just the world we live in,” Timbaland explained. “So you have to know how to be authentic and true to the art and understand it, and that’s what this album is. We took our time. We had songs that maybe were too complicated, but we said ‘We want it to feel like FutureSex part two,’ so we picked songs that will fit that.”

Nelly Furtado FaceTimes Timbaland

Image Via Instagram @NellyFurtado

Timbaland famously produced both artists’ hit albums, FutureSex/LoveSounds and Loose. It’s unclear when new music from the trio will release, but we now have visual proof of them in the studio together.

Read More: Timbaland Confirms He & Justin Timberlake Have Finished A New Album

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Nas Shows Off His Hennessy Collaboration

Nas hopped on Instagram today (July 21), showing off a new collaboration he has with Hennessy. The French cognac producer is now offering a limited-edition “HenNASsy,” in celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip hop. The hitmaker shared a photo of himself sporting a sharp white suit and holding a glass of the spirit, noting that the collab also conveniently works to celebrate his own 50th birthday.

“In 2023, Hennessy V.S marks a unique cultural milestone, celebrating a half-century of Hip Hop with one of the genre’s most prolific talents, Nas. A long-term friend of Hennessy, the multi-hyphenate, multi-platinum, Grammy Award winning rapper and artist captures the movement and the moment in a vibrant limited edition cognac,” a message on Hennessy’s website reads.

Read More: Nas Reveals Interesting Tupac Story On New “Magic 2” Album

Nas Promotes “HenNASsy”

Nas also just premiered his latest album with Hit-Boy today, Magic 2. The sequel to 2021’s Magic features 21 Savage and 50 Cent. The artist teased the album for a short time prior to dropping it, with fans correctly guessing that it’d be a sequel. On the new album, Nas name-drops Hennessy on his track “Pistols On Your Album Cover,” revealing that he actually put 2Pac onto it. “I remember I put 2Pac onto that Henny. Howard University, Howard Homecoming, D.C. He’s like, ‘What’s this?’ He drank that sh*t though, word,” he says. He also goes on to give the late artist’s father, who passed away earlier this month, a shoutout. Mutulu Shakur died at the age of 72 following a battle with cancer.

In a recent interview with XXL, 50 Cent also reflected on his first time meeting his collaborator. He revealed that he quickly realized Nas was smarter than what he had previously thought based on his songs. “[Nas] was ahead of us,” he explained. “What he had, and I was looking at it going, ‘You gotta be careful’ because he was smarter than the music he was releasing… He was smarter than things he was saying on the records,” Fif continued.

Read More: Nas Unveils “Magic 2” Tracklist

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Maino Shares His Apathetic Thoughts On The 6ix9ine & Kodak Black Collab

As if this Friday wasn’t stacked enough with high-profile music releases, 6ix9ine decided to throw his hat into the ring with his new song “Shaka Laka.” Moreover, it features Kodak Black and Tekashi’s girlfriend Yailin la Mas Viral, and given the rapper’s history with snitching, a lot of people aren’t happy with Yak’s decision to work with him. Regardless, other hip-hop figures said that it doesn’t even matter so much at the end of the day, because rappers do things wrong all the time that one can’t stop by themselves. Furthermore, one of these believers is Maino, who recently spoke to Angela Yee on Way Up about the link-up.

“Nah, I’m just saying, I don’t think nobody cares,” Maino expressed. “I mean, I’m not surprised at what no rapper does. When you’re talking about morals and principles that’s supposed to be based around a street code… I mean, listen, we’ve seen rappers do whatever they wanted to do, do things that they shouldn’t do. It don’t even matter to me at this point. Nobody cares. People gon’ do what they gon’ do, like, regardless. I ain’t even got no opinion about it, it’s whatever.

Read More: Maino On Tupac: “Nobody Spoke To The Black Male Experience Like He Did”

Maino Speaks On Kodak Black Working With 6ix9ine

“Absolutely not,” Maino answered to a question from Yee about whether he’d do that collab, and then she asked her cohost the same thing. “Well, I’m not a guy, and my street code is different,” ChellaH said. “A lot of ways that I think is different from a lot of guys. I don’t think, you know, the whole ‘no snitching’ thing for somebody who don’t care about you and stuff like that- I think totally different. I don’t know, for that check, I probably would.”

Meanwhile, Boosie Badazz was one of the hip-hop figures who denounced this collaboration. “That n***a Yak f***ed me up,” he said on Instagram Live. “I wonder how all them Zoes feel, dawg? I know them Zoes f***ed up right now, I know the state of Florida f***ed up right now. Thought that little n***a wasn’t like that, bro. N***a ain’t no street n***a, at all. F***ed me up.” For more news and the latest updates on Kodak Black, 6ix9ine, and Maino, come back to HNHH.

Read More: Kodak Black’s Baby Mama Weighs In On 6ix9ine Song

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Quavo & Future Bring Rocket Power On New Single “Turn Yo Clic Up”

Quavo’s back with another one. As the rapper continues to tease his forthcoming solo album, he’s continued to release new singles throughout the year, such as “Greatness” and “Honey Bun,” each with the underlying theme of paying homage to the late Takeoff. Although a release date hasn’t been set, it’s clear that he’s coming for the summer. This morning, he unleashed a brand new single with Future titled, “Turn Yo Clic Up.”

The latest collaboration between Quavo and Future first surfaced in an Instagram snippet on Thursday. The production is handled by Atake, basobeats, Sluzyyy,  and macoshooter49, who bring out a grimey and spacey soundscape for Quavo and Future’s gruff flows. “Turn Yo Clic Up” is a strong reminder of Quavo’s tenure in hip-hop since the early days with the Migos. “We turn the jeweler up, just look at the diamonds we bust/ Look at the people we touch,” he raps. His signature ad-libs slyly sit behind the command as his vocals before Future slide in one the second verse.

Read More: Quavo Net Worth 2023: What Is The Migos Hitmaker Worth?

Future Namedrops Exes & Disses Russell Wilson On Quavo’s Single

Quavo and Future’s chemistry undoubtedly thrive every time they team up. In the past, they’ve linked up on records such as “Picasso” off of Migos’ Culture III and also on Pop Smoke’s “Snitching.” However, it seems as though “Turn Yo Clic Up” gave the I Never Liked You rapper the platform to air out some grievances. While Future’s verse undoubtedly provides us with plenty of quotables, he fearlessly calls out Russell Wilson and his exes, such as Lori Harvey, who was coincidentally entangled in relationship rumors with Quavo on Thursday. “I got it out the field, f*ck Russell/ Go and ask Lori about the Patek/ Then go and ask Joie and ask Dess,” he raps on the single. Regardless of the clickbait-y bars, his verse continues to get better, finding different pockets across the record.

The release of Quavo’s new single comes on the heels of his recent tribute to Takeoff at the BET Awards. Following what many perceived as a falling out between Offset and Quavo, the two reunited for the first time since Culture III to pay tribute to the late Migos member. We’ll keep you posted on more information surrounding the release of Quavo’s forthcoming album. Check out his new single above. 

Quotable Lyrics
Turn up with shooters with switches go bad
Stay with some scammers, my dawg movin’ packs
Trappin’, no rapping, my dawg, he fall off, no cap, I’m buyin’ him a brick
F*ck on your b**ch then I told her to call off, actually, I’m makin’ her quit

Read More: Quavo’s “Rocket Power” Pop-Up Draws Big Crowds In Paris

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Logic Set To Produce New Asher Roth Project

Logic is someone that has been putting out a whole lot of music as of late. Overall, he is someone who has a very strong and dedicated fanbase. Although he has been clowned over the years, he seems to have matured as an artist. Consequently, many are starting to resonate with his music again. That was especially true of his latest project College Park, which was filled with a ton of massive features. Not to mention, he dropped three singles over the course of three weeks and they all featured unique sounds.

Now, however, it would appear as though Logic is about to embark on a new creative endeavor. In an episode of Fly Fidelity with Luke Bailey, former frat rapper Asher Roth spoke about what he has in store. A new EP is reportedly on the way, and to make things sweeter, Logic will be the one producing the entire thing. At the time of writing this, a release date for the project has not been revealed. However, it remains apparent that the EP is on the way, which will make fans very happy.

Read More: Logic Sells His Entire Music Catalog For Eight Figures

Logic x Asher Roth

A lot of fans remember Asher Roth from the “I Love College” days. However, throughout his career, he has become much more than that. He is constantly working on new music, and there is no doubt that this Logic-produced project will be a hit among fans. Not to mention, it is yet another instance of Logic showing off his creative endeavors. Whether it be rapping, writing books, or producing the albums of others, he is always working.

Additionally, we recently reported on how Logic became partnered up with Rubik’s Cube. He has always been an avid fan of the popular problem-solving device, so the partnership just made a lot of sense. Let us know your expectations for the Asher Roth project, in the comments section down below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news and updates from around the music world. We will always keep you informed.

Read More: Logic Becomes Official Partner Of Rubik’s Cube

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Nelly Furtado Confirms She & Timbaland “Have Plans” For New Music

Nelly Furtado says that she and Timbaland “have plans” to reunite for new music. She discussed the idea during a recent interview with Vogue. Together, Furtado and Timbaland worked on the singer’s third studio album, Loose, which spawned the hit singles “Promiscuous,” “Maneater,” and “Say It Right.”

“We have plans, for sure. I actually talked to Timbaland recently, and we had this amazing two-hour FaceTime call,” Furtado said. “We were talking about when we made Loose, and getting into all these stories.” The comment comes as Furtado finishes work on her seventh studio album, which will be her first in six years.

Read More: Timbaland Delivers A Unique Hip-Hop Mount Rushmore

Nelly Furtado Performs With Timbaland

Singer Nelly Furtado and rapper Timbaland perform onstage at the 2009 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 22, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/AMA2009/FilmMagic)

Furtado also revealed that Timbaland praised her recent EDM collaboration with Dom Dolla, “Eat Your Man.” “He told me he loved how I sounded on ‘Eat Your Man.’ It was nice to have his blessing on the new stuff, because Dom [Dolla]’s a really big fan of his as well,” said Furtado. She also said that fans can expect her new album, “soon,” but didn’t provide a specific date.

Furtado isn’t the only collaborator Timbaland is reuniting with. He also recently confirmed that he’s got an album with Justin Timberlake on the way. Speaking with Variety, he explained: “I just left working with him, we just finished up and everything sounds great. Now it’s really on him how he plans to wrap it up and how and when he envisions it to come out. With an artist of his caliber, everything has to be aligned, but it’s done and it’s coming.” Timbaland produced Timberlake’s hits “SexyBack,” “Cry Me a River,” “Summer Love,” and “My Love” as well as the entirety of Timberlake’s 2006 album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, and his 2013 album, The 20/20 Experience. Be on the lookout for more details about both Timberlake and Furtado’s new music in the coming months.

Read More: Timbaland Confirms He & Justin Timberlake Have Finished A New Album

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Cardi B’s Impeccable Feature Run Continues On FendiDa Rappa’s “Point Me 2”

It remains unclear when Cardi B will release her follow-up to the highly-successful Invasion Of Privacy but her recent features have been a strong indication that she’s been working hard. Throughout the past few months, Cardi’s extended her talents to uplift budding women in hip-hop, such as GloRilla (“Tomorrow 2“)and Latto, who she worked with on “Put It On The Floor Again.” The song’s already transforming into the song of the summer but Cardi’s golden touch may have also produced another anthem to ride out to alongside budding Chicago rapper FendiDa Rappa.

This morning, Cardi B and FendiDa Rappa’s highly anticipated collaboration, “Point Me 2” arrived in its entirety. The song is an official remix of Fendi’s “Point Me To The Sl*ts,” which has slowly gained traction since its release in December. The song also appeared on Fendi’s debut project, Str8 From Da Raq. Already a smash on TikTok, Cardi B swoops in with another show-stopping verse that pairs her gritty delivery with exhilarating production. 

Read More: Charlamagne Tha God Compares Cardi B To Jay-Z & Drake

FendiDa Rappa and Cardi B’s new collaboration already sounds like it’ll take the records to new heights. Fendi’s infectious cadence and quotable bars made the song a viral sensation. However, Cardi B’s energy elevates it further, charging the record with lavish flexes and cheeky bars. She even shouts out Kehlani, Normani, and T.I and Tiny. “One of my b***es like Kehlani, one look like Normani/Me and my n**** ’bout to flip ’em, we like Tip and Tiny,” she raps.

“Point Me 2” comes along with the announcement of her deal with Irving Azoff’s Giant Music imprint, which includes artists like K. Flay and Tay B. “Point Me 2” is an incredible way to kick off this new chapter in FendiDa Rappa’s career and we’re certainly excited to see what she has in store next. Check out the song above and let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Quotable Lyrics
B**ches talkin’ all that rah-rah, I don’t feel it though
Like the Plan B didn’t work, baby, I’m in this h*e
This b**ch all wetty and she ready, ooh, she tryna f**k 
He think he handsome, it’s a ransom, we done light ’em up

Read More: Cardi B Has The Most Streamed Album By Female Rapper On Spotify

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Logic Becomes Official Partner Of Rubik’s Cube

Most longtime fans of Logic are likely to have seen at least one video of the rapper solving a Rubik’s Cube. He’s long been a fan of the 3D-Puzzle cube and seems to be willing to take any opportunity to show off his skills at solving one. Now after years of public association with the brand, he’s officially partnering with them.

The collaboration was announced with a joint Instagram post earlier today. “It’s finally happening!! After all these years of cubing I’m officially partnering with Rubiks!” Logic says in the caption. “I’m so hyped to bring you guys incredible cube content and keep sharing this passion of mine with all my fans. Maybe an official Bobbyboy cube on the way? Who knows we’ll see!” Fans in the comments rushed to show support for the collaborative venture. Many pointed out that Logic’s own interest in Rubik’s Cubes is what got them involved with the puzzles in the first place.

Logic Teams Up With Rubik’s Cube

Earlier this year, Logic dropped his feature-heavy new album College Park. The tracklist of the record sports tons of collaborations with high-profile artists. RZA, Redman, Joey Bada$$, Norah Jones, Bun B, and more all make appearances. Since the album was released Logic has continued to keep fans fed releasing new songs almost every week. His most recent new outing “Noell” dropped just yesterday and sees the rapper paying homage to his wife.

Rubik’s Cube isn’t the only brand Logic has partnered with recently. He also teamed up with the therapy company BetterHelp. Together he and the company began an initiative to try and get more of his fans, and more people in general, connected with therapists. Just last month the rapper joined an increasing number of artists who’ve sold their entire catalogs of music. He sold all 185 songs he’s recorded in the past 15 years to Influence Media Partners for a payout that was in the 10s of millions. What do you think of Logic teaming up with Rubik’s Cube? Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: Logic Shares Video Of Himself On Stage With Seth MacFarlane

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Jack Harlow & Lil Durk Join Forces In New York

Sometimes, we get the mash-ups we never knew we needed. For example, if, say, Jack Harlow were to pair up with Lil Durk, that would be a collaboration of the highest order. Especially right now, while both are at the top of the rap game. That’s exactly what happened on Independence Day; Jack and Durk paired up in the Big Apple for a photo. Posted on the Instagram page @nojumper, the caption reads, “Jack Harlow and Lil Durk tapped in. Would you want to hear a collab between these two?”

The answer to whether we want a Harlow-Durk song, of course, is “absolutely.” Whether that’s what they’re up to in New York is speculative at best. But we know they can make solid music together. Back in 2020, Jack Harlow and Lil Durk were on the French Montana song “Hot Boy Bling.” To get another certified banger from the duo would be a blessing in 2023.

Read more: Jennifer Lawrence Stunned By Jack Harlow Revelation

What Are Jack Harlow & Lil Durk Up To?

Kentucky-grown Jack Harlow has been doing shows and going to fashion events. Classic Harlow vibes. Funny enough, Jack did a show in Paris recently where the crowd had zero clue what the lyrics to his songs were. However, he got some cool praise from the iconic Kendrick Lamar, as well as Ludacris. Harlow has been accused of being a “culture vulture,” a white person making his millions in a predominantly Black art form. Despite this, he has many fans and many accolades, plus the praise of his peers.

As for Lil Durk, his song “All My Life” hit Platinum a few days ago. He’s also embracing his spiritual roots, posting photos of him engaging in Muslim prayer traditions. To see him and Jack Harlow mobbing in the streets of New York is a promising sneak peek into what might come soon. Lil Durk used to record his songs in a closet, and Jack is a nobody from the South. Together, they could make some rap gold.

Read more: Lil Durk Celebrates “All My Life” Going Platinum

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