Concert culture thrived this summer with highly anticipated tours by Beyoncé and Drake, collectively raking in millions of dollars. However, the enjoyment of purchasing concert tickets has been marred by resellers inflating prices, limiting access for fans. In response, the IRS has initiated measures to compel concert ticket resellers to report their earnings for tax […]
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The hip-hop side of the music industry is about to get very busy soon. A slew of rap’s biggest names, from Drake to DJ Khaled to Nicki Minaj, are plotting to release new albums in the fourth quarter of 2023 (or early in 2024) and many of them have been so productive that they’re all featured on each others’ upcoming projects.
Nicki Minaj confirmed that she’s appearing on Drake’s For All The Dogs while expressing her hope that he’ll do the same for her Pink Friday 2. Meanwhile, DJ Khaled, whose albums are always star-studded events, recently revealed that his new album, Til Next Time, is going to have not just one, but two appearances from The Boy.
As you can see from the video clip above, DJ Khaled seems pretty excited about having two Drake features on his next album. He even holds up a sign announcing the features as he accompanies Drake through the tunnel of an arena.
It’s sweet that Khaled still gets so excited about working with Drake, especially after the duo has racked up such an impressive collection of collaborations over the past decade-plus. While “I’m On One” marks the beginning of their musical relationship, more recently, they’ve teamed up on “Staying Alive,” “Popstar,” and “To The Max,” while they’ve made a habit of semi-trolling each other on social media.
Last November, Drake gave DJ Khaled four luxury toilets for his birthday, while this June, Khaled’s hype video for Drake’s poetry book turned into an inadvertent burn when he noted it was “a sentence.”
Make no mistakes; Hip Hop is still very much alive and just as significant as ever. In 2023, several rap artists have dominated not just their peers but also those beyond the Hip Hop genre. Their influence and reach are broad and undeniable. From newbies like Ice Spice to icons like Nicki Minaj, the best rappers in 2023 didn’t disappoint. They have saturated the mainstream with their songs and exerted their dominance in the music scene throughout the year.
Rap had a relatively slow start in 2023. Until very recently, no rap song had topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart since Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” debuted atop the chart in August 2022. An entire year passed before Doja Cat broke the cycle with the release of her hit song, “Paint the Town Red.” Nevertheless, it’s been a good year for the genre, and artists have consistently released great tracks throughout. A good song doesn’t have to be a chart-topper after all, and sleeper hits are also making the rounds.
Lil Durk has steadily risen since he released his debut album in 2015. Since then, he has released seven additional solo albums, and his discography has grown exponentially. His last five solo albums have peaked within the Top 5 of the Billboard 200 chart. Additionally, several of his singles have enjoyed some success on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. His most successful single to date, however, is the J. Cole collab, “All My Life.” It was released in May 2023 and has taken over the airwaves since. “All My Life” was the lead single from Durk’s eighth solo studio album, Almost Healed. It peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart and is certified Platinum by the RIAA. The song is undoubtedly one of the soundtracks of the year and has solidified Lil Durk as one of the best rappers in 2023.
Nicki Minaj is already widely a legendary rapper, with nothing left to prove. However, the icon refuses to take the back seat. She continues to remain relevant almost two decades into her career. With the announcement of the highly anticipated Pink Friday 2, she is set to dominate the music scene once again. Her supremacy in 2023 can be traced back to her 2022 release, “Super Freaky Girl.” The track’s impact lasted well into 2023, but she went further to support it with a few new releases.
Most notable are her two collaborations with her protégé, Ice Spice. The “Princess Diana” remix was a hit upon its release. “Barbie World,” however, was the icing on the cake. Being attached to the billion-dollar blockbuster movie Barbie, the song was already destined for greatness. It exceeded expectations, though, and charted well in several countries across the globe.
This has been a remarkable year for Ice Spice, and definitely one the young rapper will not forget in a hurry. Besides the aforementioned collaborations with Nicki Minaj, 2023 saw the release of Ice Spice’s debut EP, Like…? Additionally, her guest appearance on Pink Pantheress’ “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” proved a huge success. It earned Ice Spice her first Top 10 appearance, peaking at No. 3 on the Hot 100 chart. She followed this with a feature on Taylor Swift’s “Karma Remix,” which peaked at No. 2. Ice Spice has also gone viral multiple times throughout 2023. Her impressive track record this year has cemented her as one of the best hitmaking rappers in 2023. Ice Spice is arguably 2023’s biggest breakout star.
Travis Scott’s last solo album before 2023 was the critically acclaimed Astroworld, released in 2018. In the five years since that body of work, fans hoped and prayed for a new album. Travis finally answered their prayers and dropped Utopia, his highly anticipated fourth album, in July. Utopia had been teased by Scott since 2020, so it was fulfilling to finally have the star-studded project.
Upon its release, the album debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart. Furthermore, all 19 of its songs appeared on the Hot 100 chart. In the short time since, it has raked in impressive streaming numbers. The album is already one of the most-streamed of 2023. Scott has dominated the charts and the music scene in such a short time. The album’s impact continues to grow, solidifying Scott’s place as one of the best rappers in 2023.
Since 2018, Gunna has been a notable figure in Hip Hop. In 2023, he added an impressive album to his already impressive discography. A Gift & a Curse was released on June 16, 2023, and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. It spawned two singles, “Bread & Butter” and “FukUMean.” The latter went on to become a viral social media hit. “FukUMean” received generally positive reviews from critics and was also a commercial success. The song peaked at No. 4 on the Hot 100 chart and is one of the biggest rap tracks of 2023.
In 2023, the discourse around Doja Cat has been very divisive. One thing remains unchanged, however, and that is that she is a massive star. Her talent is undeniable and has come well into fruition over the last few years. The rapper’s name has actively been present in the media for positive and negative reasons. She was again canceled on Twitter following some controversial statements about her fans. Upon the release of “Paint the Town Red,” however, they couldn’t help but salute her creative genius. The song is her biggest hit of 2023 so far. It was also a viral hit and rose to the very top of the Hot 100 chart. Further, it became the first rap single to top the chart in 2023. Doja’s fourth studio album, Scarlet, was released in September 2023 and is evidently making waves.
Drake needs no introduction. In 2023, the rapper effortlessly continued his impressive dominating streak. He is arguably the biggest Hip Hop star in the world right now and has been for a while. As such, he does not need to do much to greatly impact the music industry. In 2023, he appeared as a featured artist on a handful of tracks. The rapper has also released two songs as a lead artist: “Search & Rescue” and “Slime You Out” ft. SZA. The latter was released on September 15, 2023, and peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart. It is the second single from Drake’s eighth studio album, For All the Dogs. Following its release, Drake will complete his arc as one of the best rappers in 2023.
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The post 7 Rappers Who Dominated In 2023 appeared first on HotNewHipHop.
Kanye West and Drake may be (mostly) all buddy-buddy now, but it wasn’t so long ago that they were feuding so fiercely that West asked some of his closest collaborators — including Travis Scott — not to work with Drake at all.
According to fellow Chicagoan and frequent Ye collaborator Malik Yusef, West apparently took to (unsuccessfully) banning his various peers and proteges from collaborating with the Canadian star. Yusef appeared on the Rap Today With Francis podcast, where he tried to explain some of West’s more controversial behavior over the past few years, including recent antisemitic remarks in the media.
My interview with #KanyeWest collaborator Malik Yusef is out! We talk about Ye being mean, working on the new album, possibly touring and the artist’s relationship with Drake and Kid Cudihttps://t.co/sGSG5JgDQr
— Francis (@francisnewyork) September 25, 2023
“I think [the antisemitic comments] were for Drake [who is Jewish],” he elaborated. “That’s what I think. I don’t know who else you would say that was. I have never directly worked with Drake ’cause Kanye asked me not to. He said, ‘Please don’t go work directly with Drake.’ I said, ‘Okay.’ ‘Cause Kanye’s brother, but I love Drake too, though. He asked Travis [Scott] the same thing, but Travis said no.”
As far as why Kanye had it out for Drake for so long, Yusef is as stumped as the rest of us. “I think that Drake loves Kanye, and that Kanye hates that Drake loves him,” he reckoned. “I don’t feel like him being angry with Drake has any credence, because Drake has been nothing but kind and good and a good student of Kanye, so I don’t know where the anger comes from. ’He took my style!’ Okay, cool. Drake takes everybody’s style. To me, Drake has his own unique style — it’s a hodgepodge of several different styles.”
Malik Yusef was an early and frequent collaborator of Kanye’s, appearing on Kanye’s debut album The College Dropout and on the GOOD Music compilation Cruel Summer. West also produced much of Yusef’s second album GOOD Morning, GOOD Night. Kanye’s ongoing dispute with Drake appeared to have been settled with their Free Larry Hoover concert in LA a few years ago, but if Yusef’s right, it appears that West may still harbor some resentment for his longtime frenemy.
Adam 22 claims that he was hanging with a female friend who happened to have a picture of Drake’s package. Did he look at it? Of course he did. Then he hopped on No Jumper to detail the moment. “Somehow this just randomly came up and she’s just showing me,” Adam 22 said.
He would later state “The man’s got a missile on him. Like, a baby arm, if you will.”
You can hear it all from the controversial media figure below.
The post Adam22 Claims He Saw a Picture of Drake’s Package: ‘Man’s Got a Missile on Him’ first appeared on The Source.
The post Adam22 Claims He Saw a Picture of Drake’s Package: ‘Man’s Got a Missile on Him’ appeared first on The Source.
Charlamagne Tha God says we all fell for a trick that he and Drake conjure up every time The Boy is getting ready to release music. After being blasted by Drake on Instagram, Charlamagne states it was all a plan.
“I told y’all yesterday that Drake and I plan these things every time he drops certain records,” Drake said. “He wants me to hate on them because all noise is great noise nowadays.”
He added, “And I told y’all the play but nobody believes me ’cause I’m lying. But you should believe me even when I’m lying.”
Earlier in the week, The Boy fired off at The Breakfast Club host over his opinion on “Slime U Out,” Drake’s collaboration with SZA.
During his The Brilliant Idiots podcast with Andrew Schulz, Charlamagne stated no one cares that the single dropped. “Drake put out a song last Friday, and nobody cared.”
Charlamagne pushed back on others on the show who opposed his opinion, saying, “It came out last Friday, and people just started talking about the lyrics yesterday.”
He added, “He’s gone be fine but you look at the album cover and hear the title ‘For All the Dogs’ you expect something a little more hard. More aggressive.”
On Instagram, Drake had some words for Charlamagne: “You kinda weirding me out g. Like you really obsessed with me or something for years like you look in the morror and wish you say my reflection type shit…whatever you gotta do to let it out I’m sure your 435 loyal fans will stand by you ya fucking goof.”
In separate posts, Drake called Charlamagne an “off brand Morris Chestnut”
You can see it all below.
The post Charlamagne Tha God Says He and Drake Planned Their Online Rift first appeared on The Source.
The post Charlamagne Tha God Says He and Drake Planned Their Online Rift appeared first on The Source.
Aubrey Graham, better known as Drake, is close to wrapping up his incredibly massive It’s All A Blur Tour. Throughout most of his shows, the Canadian rap superstar has brought out tons of big names. The way he has done this is through bringing them onstage or walking out with them. Drake has gotten tons of stars to join him including even sports figures like LeBron James and his son Bronny. Additionally, his rap contemporaries have become a part of the tour’s attraction with Lil Durk, Meek Mill, and others joining The Boy.
What is also cool, is that for some of these shows, he brings out famous figures who are associated with the city he is in. For example, Meek Mill is from Philadelphia, so Drake brought him out for that reason. Furthermore, Drizzy has also been shouting out artists from the city stops he makes. He did this with Paul Wall and others at his Houston show. Now, he did the same for Bow Wow.
Read More: YNW Melly Insists That The State Attorney’s Office Concealed Evidence To Protect Lead Detective
In the Twitter video acquired from AllHipHop, you can see Drake greeting all of the fans on his walkup with the Atlanta native following behind him. This was his second show after he recognized ATL for its importance to the music scene. Additionally, during the first performance, Drake took the time to remember his friend Takeoff. NBA star point guard for the Hawks, Trae Young, Central Cee, and streamer Kai Cenat got shoutouts as well.
What are your initial thoughts on Drake bringing out Bow Wow for his Atlanta show during his It’s All A Blur Tour? Which walkout has been your favorite to see so far during his shows? How do you feel about him crediting Bow Wow for so much influence? We want to hear what you have to say about all of this. With that in mind, be sure to leave all of your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest breaking news around Drake and the rest of the music world.
Read More: Rick Ross Thirsts Over Travis Kelce’s Ex-Girlfriend Kayla Nicole
The post Drake Walks Out With Bow Wow During Second Atlanta Tour Stop: Watch appeared first on HotNewHipHop.
Drake is one of the most dominant commercial artists of all time and he recently proved he’s still at his peak. He just teamed up with SZA for the very first time and the pair’s song “Slime You Out” found immediate success. It became just the second rap for of the year to reach the top of the Hot 100 when it debuted at the very top spot on the chart. The song has also racked up nearly 40 million streams on Spotify in the weeks since it was released. The track helped Drake extend his career-long streak of number-one hits to 12, more than any other rapper.
All of that works as proof that a Drake feature could be a life-changing opportunity. The rapper likely earns quite a bit when he appears on a song as a result. But he recently used the stakes of a free feature in a bet. While competing with a fan in an arcade basketball game, he decides to bet big on his ability to score by offering a free feature if he loses. As you can see in the clip below, he backs up his words hitting nearly every single shot he attempts. It seems at this point like the feature he bet isn’t coming anytime soon. Check out the entire post of the video below.
Read More: Charlamagne Tha God & Drake Beef “Planned,” Radio Host Jokes As “Slime You Out” Goes No. 1
Fans in the comments cracked plenty of jokes about the clip. “He ain’t miss once 
he defo didn’t vibe with bro” reads one of the top comments on the post. “he has a whole a*s basketball court in his crib bruh what u expect,” another agrees.
Drake’s “It’s All A Blur” tour recently made a memorable stop in Atlanta. He shouted out the city’s hip-hop legacy and paid specific tribute to Migos member Takeoff who was tragically murdered last year. What do you think of Drake betting a free feature on an arcade basketball game? Let us know in the comment section below.
Read More: Malik Yusef Theorizes Kanye’s Antisemitism Was Aimed At Drake
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The post Drake Bets A Free Feature On A Basketball Game appeared first on HotNewHipHop.
Drake is continuing his run of IAAB tour shows in Atlanta. During his most recent show, Drake saluted the late Takeoff.
“The first time I came to Atlanta, was I hopped on the remix to the song called ‘Versace,’” Drake said. “And I just wanted to say while I’m in here, rest in peace to my brother Takeoff. One of my first brothers out here in Atlanta.”
You can see the moment below.
Drake shows love to Takeoff
pic.twitter.com/En40mCYIKS
— Wave Check
(@thewavecheckk) September 26, 2023
Previously in Atlanta, Drake brought out some stars like Trae Young and Kai Cenat. But the headline-grabbing moment was something he said, dubbing The A the “most important place in rap music.”
“What would any of us be without Atlanta?” Drake said. “All the love that you’ve shown. All the musicians that you birthed. All the contributions that you give. This is hands-down the most important place in rap music and you should be very proud of yourselves.”
In other news, Drake‘s new single, “Slime You Out,” featuring SZA, has made a No. 1 debut on the Billboard Hot 100. Proving Charlamagne Tha God was wrong about his assessment of the song.
The song is the 12th No. 1 single for Drake, bringing him into a tie for fifth most all time. It is the second for SZA, who also is in the Top 3 with the acoustic version of her hit “Snooze” with Justin Bieber.
According to Luminate, “Slime You Out” tallied an impressive 32.6 million streams, garnered 5.2 million radio airplay audience impressions, and achieved 2,000 downloads in the week ending Sept. 21.
READ MORE: Halle Berry Is Not a Fan of Drake Using Her Slime Photo as Single Art: ‘I Thought Better of Him!’
Drake now only trails Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, and The Beatles. Once he tops the last one, his line on “Going Bad”: “I have more slaps than The Beatles” will officially ring true.
Drake’s most recent No. 1 was “Jimmy Cooks” from the Honestly, Nevermind album.
The post WATCH: Drake Salutes Takeoff During Atlanta Tour Stop first appeared on The Source.
The post WATCH: Drake Salutes Takeoff During Atlanta Tour Stop appeared first on The Source.
The one-year anniversary of Takeoff’s death is quickly approaching, but for many loved ones and fans of the late rapper, his passing still doesn’t feel real. The Migos’ partner in rhyme, Quavo, spoke candidly about how he still feels his nephew’s spirit in an interview earlier this year, revealing that he still visits Take’s house to check on his things and make sure everything is in order. Others in the industry continue to mourn the loss of the Rocket Man as well, including Drake, who took a moment to pay tribute to his former collaborator during Monday (September 25) night’s tour stop in Atlanta.
“The first time I came to Atlanta, was I hopped on the remix to the song called ‘Versace,’” the 36-year-old recalled while wandering around his stage. The crowd instantly began cheering at the thought of him performing the classic club banger, but instead, he shared a heartfelt story about his late amigo. “And I just wanted to say while I’m in here, rest in peace to my brother Takeoff. One of my first brothers out here in Atlanta.”
Read More: Takeoff’s Posthumous Album Is Coming, Quavo Confirms
Besides the “Versace (Remix),” we also heard Champagne Papi and Take join forces with Quavo and Offset back in 2018 for “Walk It Talk It.” The Southern rap group joined forces with the father of one to tour across North America shortly after, leaving Drake with plenty of fond memories to look back on whenever he finds himself missing the “HOTEL LOBBY” hitmaker.
Speaking of For All The Dogs, the first single from Drake’s upcoming album has been receiving mixed reviews online, though it did still land at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. Charlamagne Tha God was among those criticizing “Slime You Out” with SZA, though he’s not joking that the entire feud between him and the Canadian was a planned part of Drizzy’s album rollout. Read more about that at the link below, and check back later for more hip-hop/pop culture news updates.
Read More: Charlamagne Tha God & Drake Beef “Planned,” Radio Host Jokes As “Slime You Out” Goes No. 1
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The post Drake Honours Takeoff During Atlanta Tour Stop: Watch appeared first on HotNewHipHop.
(@nojumper)