It’s no secret that Doja Cat’s undergone something of a transformation in recent months, impressing fans with her latest album Scarlet, and earning the praise of plenty of her high-profile peers. She recently teamed up with Jeymes Samuel, Kodak Black, and Adekunle Gold on the track “Jeezu” for the soundtrack of The Book Of Clarence. Aside from the aforementioned artists, other performers like Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi, Jorja Smith, and more also make appearances on the star-studded soundtrack. Jay-Z even hopped on a 9-minute-long song with Jeymes Samuel and D’Angelo, “I Want You Forever.”
During a recent Twitter Spaces chat Jay-Z gave Doja Cat a shoutout for her contribution. “Even with Doja [Cat] on [the soundtrack],” he began. “Her performance on [‘Jeezu’] was unlike anything that I’ve heard from her. The way she attacks that music it’s like, ‘Wow, this is a different Doja.’ And it may not be different for her. I don’t know. That’s a question for her. It may not have felt different for her, but as a listener, as someone who has consumed her music and loves what she does, I was like, ‘Man, this feels new for her.’ This feels like a new space.”
Clearly, receiving praise from the Roc Nation founder is no small feat. He’s had his own fair share of successes throughout his career, to say the least. One that doesn’t go unnoticed is his four-minute verse on “God Did.” During the same conversation, he reflected on his writing process, revealing that he didn’t expect the verse to be so long.
“You’ve just got to obey your cr*zy,” he said earlier this week. “It’s really the song dictates the vibe of what’s going on. I didn’t start out to do ‘God Did’ as a four-minute verse, that’s not how it happened…It just kept going and kept unfolding.” What do you think of Jay-Z praising Doja Cat for her verse on “Jeezu” from the Book Of Clarence soundtrack? What about the hitmaker reflecting on his “God Did” writing process? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
Drake’s been making his away around the U.S. and Canada with 21 Savage lately, on his “It’s All A Blur” tour. Since the tour kicked off at the beginning of July, it’s been making headlines for fan antics, new music updates, and celebrity guests. Some fans even speculate that the Canadian performer is previewing some of the features on his upcoming album by showcasing them on the tour. With that being said, those rumors remain unconfirmed. Lil Yachty, Lil Durk, and most recently, Yeat have popped up at his shows.
In a new clip, Drizzy is seen shouting out the 23-year-old artist as he’s highlighted on a jumbotron. “Aye, put the camera on this man right here,” he says. The moment happened at Drake’s stop in Seattle last night. Fans have been calling for a collaboration between the two of them for some time, and this has only added to the anticipation. At the end of last year, Yeat even said they’re “going to have some sh*t on the way.”
Earlier this month, Drake gave Yeat another shoutout on his Instagram Story. He shared a screenshot from the artist’s “bigger thën everything” music video, adding the caption “Dialed In.” It’s safe to say that fans would appreciate an appearance from the masked rapper on For All The Dogs. Luckily, fans will find out soon whether or not he has a feature on the LP. “It’s not going to be that much longer,” Drake said of the drop at his recent performance.
In other Drake news, the artist recently got down to some DJ Khaled, as showcased in a clip shared by the DJ himself. The two of them are seen bobbing their heads to Lil Wayne’s verse on “GOD DID.” Drake appears to be really feeling the music. Keep an eye on HNHH for more updates on Drake.
Fridayy’s introduction to the world came in the late summer of 2022. The Philadelphia-based singer is responsible for the thunderous, sky-grazing hook on DJ Khaled’s Grammy-nominated record, “God Did.” The song is more often than not remembered for Jay-Z’s four-minute verse, which follows well-crafted appearances from rap legends Lil Wayne and Rick Ross as well as a soulful outro from John Legend. While Fridayy is undoubtedly the rookie in a room of legends, his chorus roars with the strength required to place itself in between these intricate verses from well-revered rappers in the game. In short, Fridayy holds his own on the song and that would not be the last time we heard from him in 2022 either.
Uproxx caught up with Fridayy just weeks after he, Khaled, Jay-Z, Ross, and Wayne reimagined The Last Supper for a divine performance of “God Did” at the 2023 Grammys. “Twenty years from now, n****s are gonna be talking about ‘God Did,’” Fridayy says over a Zoom call. “I’m marked in history bro, I’m marked in history… I’m just grateful.” It’s this longevity that Fridayy eyes more than any short-term popularity or accolades. “I know my music’s gonna live forever,” he explained. “I already know that if my music’s touching people on a whole other level, like saving lives, it’s not about being the biggest artist in the world. With the type of music I make, even if it’s one fan, I know it’s gonna live forever.”
Just two months after the release of “God Did,” Fridayy found himself beside another big name in rap: Lil Baby. The two connected on “Forever,” one of the more emotion-filled records from Baby’s chart-topping third album It’s Only Me. Fridayy enters his chorus with quivering qualms that sound like he’s nearing a breakdown all to break into a cry to the heavens in a plea for one last moment with a lost lover. At this moment, it was clear that Fridayy could become the latest go-to artist for hooks around the hip-hop world, especially for records that needed that touch of emotion that Fridayy successfully delivered alongside music heavyweights.
While those two records placed the spotlight on the singer, they only did so little to tell Fridayy’s story. To find that, you’ll have to go to his debut project Lost In Melody. Released in the fall of 2022, Lost In Melody arrived with seven songs that fully captured the artistry and foundation that laid within Fridayy. Months later, the project was extended with five additional tracks through a well-timed deluxe release. “I just wanted to give everybody something different you know?” Fridayy says about the project. “I been studying the game for a long time, so it’s like, how can I stand out?” Fridayy sought to be more than a name, and he knew he could reach his goals the same way he earned his breakout moment: through music.
“Coming off ‘God Did,’ it was like, alright, they’re about to know your name,” Fridayy says. “It don’t look like it but, n****s want to know your story. They not gonna accept you until they know who you are.” So he got to work, and through the first four songs of Lost In Melody, Fridayy tells you a lot about himself. “Blessings” showcases gratitude toward the opportunity to chase a dream and take one step closer to it and one step away from what once was. “Empty Stomach” is Fridayy’s own account of the struggles he endured after he moved to Los Angeles to chase his dream. “I got hundred beats, hundred songs in my pocket / They ain’t even hear my sh*t, they say, ‘Youngin, keep grindin,’” he quivers on the song. “I ain’t tryna hear this grindin’ sh*t, I’m starvin’ / Somebody show me where the money at, I’ma walk in.” The following record, “God Sent,” displays his faith and belief in what is destined for him will arrive in due time while “Don’t Give Up On Me” begs that others around him see this destiny and also believe in him. In just the first four songs on Lost In Melody, it’s clear to see that Fridayy is a man of faith and destiny, understanding that both have contributed to his present-day success.
Fridayy’s first interactions with music came when he was 9 or 10 years old. At that time, he began playing the piano in church. He eventually took on singing after being heavily influenced by Boyz II Men, a group that continues to shape Fridayy’s musical decisions today. “When you hear the harmonies, when you hear the four-part harmonies, the adlibs, it all comes from me listing to Boyz II Men,” he says. Fridayy later picked up Philly natives like Meek Mill and the late PNB Rock as additional influences in his career. While the aforementioned artists shaped his musicality, Fridayy says a critique from a girl he was dating a few years ago also had an effect on the future content of his songs. “I was playing her some music and she was like, ‘Damn, the way you talk to me is not how you’re talking in these songs,’” he recalls. “It wasn’t even like a crazy song, it was a love song, but even [with] the love song, the way I talk, I wasn’t putting that in my music. So when she told me that, it kind of opened my eyes.”
This note eventually helped Fridayy to create music with an emotional touch that helped him to achieve his goal of being versatile and standing out. It’s for this reason that he selects “Don’t Give Up On Me” as the song from the project that he feels best describes him as a project. “I’m telling a story, at the end I get real soulful [and] it’s so big,” he says. “I feel like that song is just me, it represents who I am. You don’t know what I’m talking about in that song. You don’t know if I’m talking about a girl, God, or my homie, but everybody takes that song and put it where they need to put it.” In its totality, creating songs like “Don’t Give Up On Me” proved to be a form of therapy that helped Fridayy see his growth by the time his debut was released. “It was seeing I really came a long way type sh*t,” he says. “I’ll listen to it and be like, ‘damn, when I was recording this, I was f*cked up.’ By the time this came out, things were a little different.”
Nowadays, Fridayy is putting the finishing touches on his upcoming debut album. With everything he accomplished with Lost In Melody and more, he knows that the bar is will be higher for his next body of work. Luckily for him, he’s already progressing toward that next level. “We just on a higher level, like it’s just different,” he says about the project. “Same me, just on a higher level: musically, production, melodies. I’m exploring, but you still gonna hear the same me that you hear on Lost In Melody.” The contents of that next level remain to be seen, but you can rest assured that Fridayy is stringing together a story that will help him accomplish the long-lasting legacy he seeks in his career.
Lost In Melody is out now via Lost In Melody, LLC/Def Jam Recordings. You can stream it here.
Jay-Z took over the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday night for a performance of his collaboration with DJ Khaled, “GOD DID.” John Legend, Lil Wayne, Fridayy, Khaled, and Rick Ross joined him during the event. The group performed the song outside of Crypto.com arena next to a set dinner table. “We did an 8-minute song on the Grammys!” Khaled remarked to the cameras.
“GOD DID” dropped back in August 2022 as the title track from Khaled’s thirteenth studio album. Jay-Z handles four minutes of the star-studded song’s runtime. The track peaked at 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA – APRIL 27: Jay-Z performs onstage at SOMETHING IN THE WATER – Day 2 on April 27, 2019 in Virginia Beach City. (Photo by Brian Ach/Getty Images for Something in the Water)
In addition to performing “GOD DID,” the group was also nominated for Song Of The Year, Best Rap Performance, and Best Rap Song with the track. Despite this, “GOD DID” failed to win in any of the three categories. The nominations left Jay-Z in a tie with his wife, Beyoncé, for the most in Grammys history. The couple both have 88 nominations throughout their careers. Beyoncé, however, become the artist with the most wins on Sunday night, reaching 32 total Grammy awards.
“I’m trying not to be too emotional and I’m trying to just receive this night,” Beyoncé said during her acceptance speech for Best Dance/Electronic Album. “I want to thank god for protecting me. Thank you, god. I’d like to thank my uncle Johnny, who’s not here, but he’s here in spirit. I’d like to thank my parents. My father, my mother for loving me and pushing me. I’d like to thank my beautiful husband, my beautiful three chid, who are at home watching. I’d like to thank the queer community for your love and for inventing the genre. God bless you. Thank you so much to the Grammys.”
Check out Jay-Z’s performance with John Legend, Lil Wayne, Fridayy, DJ Khaled, as well as Rick Ross below. The group was just one of several noteworthy performances during the ceremony. LL Cool J also took the stage alongside over 30 other artists to celebrate the history of hip-hop.
The week leading up to the Grammys is one of the most exciting in music, just for the sheer fun of speculating who will win and wondering what the performances will look like. But that still pales in comparison to actually watching the performances, when the nominated acts pull out all the stops. This year, in addition to a tribute to 50 years of hip-hop, the ceremony included a rare appearance by Jay-Z, who joined his collaborator DJ Khaled for a breathless performance of the song “God Did” from Khaled’s album of the same name.
Joined by Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, John Legend, and Giveon, the group performed outside the Staples Center — sorry, Crypto.com arena — at an opulently-laid dinner table.
Future owner of the Commanders, Jay-Z, killing this Grammy performance!!!
They didn’t only perform the song; they were also nominated for Song Of The Year, Best Rap Performance, and Best Rap Song, putting Jay in a tie for most-nominated artist of all time. His only competition? Why, his wife Beyoncé, of course. They both had 88 nominations total, although Beyoncé had more nominations this year with nine — and the opportunity to become the most-awarded artist ever. She accomplished it thanks to winning won Best Dance/Electronic Recording for “Break My Soul” and Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Plastic Off The Sofa” ahead of the televised ceremony and Best Electronic/Dance Album.
As rumors about his inclusion in this year’s Super Bowl run rampant, we have an update about Jay-Z’s appearance at the Grammys. In Los Angeles, things are heating up as Grammy weekend is upon us. Our favorite artists across all genres have descended on Tinsel Town, and events are firing off across the city. With the ceremony approaching fast, The Hollywood Reporter also offered news about performances. They say Jay and DJ Khaled will be gracing the stage.
Hov and Khaled will reportedly perform their acclaimed hit, “God Did.” The track comes from Khaled’s album of the same name and also hosts features from John Legend, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, and Fridayy. It was certainly a standout on the record, as Jay’s features are minimal these days. Already, fans are anticipating the epic display that only these superstars can erect.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 11: (L-R) Fat Joe, Sean Combs, DJ Khaled and Jay-Z attend the Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony for DJ Khaled on April 11, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
“God Did” is nominated for three Grammys—Song of the Year, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance. Additionally, Jay-Z also received an Album of the Year nomination for his songwriting on Beyoncé’s No. 1 album, Renaissance. He was also included in the Song of the Year category for co-writing “Break My Soul.”
This year’s Grammys are also set to be a huge tribute to Hip Hop as 2023 marks its 50th anniversary. Questlove is reportedly co-curating a Hip Hop 50th tribute for the ceremony in partnership with Nas’s Mass Appeal. The Roots icon also revealed performers are “some of the biggest names from the genre coming together to celebrate hip-hop history — its past, its present, its future.”
Fans have already begun speculating on the names of who will take to the mic for the epic tribute. Further, it is unclear if Jay and Khaled’s performance is tied to the Hip Hop tribute. Variety reports that other Grammy performers include Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, Lizzo and Sam Smith with Kim Petras. For the Hip Hop tribute, performers are said to also include “Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz and Too $hort.” Tune in to the Grammys this Sunday, February 5.
It seems like DJ Khaled’s made an enemy out of his former collaborator, reggae superstar Sizzla Kalonji.
Sizzla and DJ Khaled connected in the past, largely on Khaled’s recent projects such as Grateful, Father Of Asahd, and God Did. He handled the intro on Grateful. Then, he linked up with Mavado, 070 Shake, and Buju Banton onFather Of Asahd.Sizzla also delivered a stunning performance alongside Bouty Killer, Skillibeng, Capleton and Buju Banton on “TSKNM” off ofGod Did.
It seems that the working relationship between Khaled and Sizzla is no more, despite their successes together. This morning, the reggae star shared a video of himself burning several platinum plaques from his collaborations alongside the Miami-based DJ. The video shows him removing the platinum discs, and the photos of Khaled’s kids from the album art, before setting flames to the plaques. “You insult me, DJ Khaled,” he’s heard saying over the video. “Cut out the baby picture. The baby’s innocent. At this point, Sizzla sets all of the plaques on fire together.
The root of the issue appears to stem from Khaled’s approach to bringing dancehall sounds on his album. However, some also believe that Sizzla felt disrespected by the size of his name on the plaque.
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 07: DJ Khaled attends the 2022 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards on September 07, 2022 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images)
In the video, he claims that Khaled insulted Jamaica and dancehall culture. However, he did say that he wanted the pictures of Asahd and Aalam Khaled, who he called his God kids.
So far, we haven’t heard anything from DJ Khaled on the matter. However, his ties to Jamaica’s dancehall scene have been documented over the years. On his latest albums, Sizzla’s presence specifically helped bring authentic reggae and dancehall sounds to DJ Khaled’s project.
During an interview with Grammy.com in 2021, DJ Khaled explained how Jamaican artists played a huge role in his career.
“All those artists you saw on my album on that song, my friends that cosigned me in the beginning of my career. They use to give me dubplates and they put their hands around my shoulder saying we love this kid and I never forget where I come from,” he said. “Dancehall is a part of my story, you know what I’m saying, Jamaica is a part of Khaled’s story and it’s such a blessing… I love Reggae music and I love Dancehall.”
We’ll keep you posted if Khaled ends up responding to Sizzla.
Eminem is a notably explicit rapper with some of the most controversial lyrics in mainstream music history. In fact, his words (and the marketing practices of the entertainment industry more broadly) were once the topic of a congressional hearing in 2001, with one representative saying, “When you hear the words about raping your mother or killing your mother, I think that the industry should be embarrassed that that’s award-winning entertainment.”
Back then, it may have seemed unlikely that Em would ever top any Christian music charts, but here in 2022, that’s just what he’s done. On Billboard‘s latest Hot Christian Songs chart, DJ Khaled’s “Use This Gospel (Remix)” featuring Kanye West and Eminem debuts at No. 1. This gives Em and Khaled their first leaders on that chart and Ye his fifth.
The “Use This Gospel” remix has multiple lines in which Em expresses his love for God, including, “Bible at my side like a rifle with a God-given gift / Every single day I thank God for / That’s why I pay so much homage / Praises to Jesus,” and, “So my Savior, I call on / To rescue me from these depths of despair / So these demons better step like a stair / Because He is my shepherd / I’m armed with Jesus, my weapon is prayer.”
So, while a lot of Eminem’s past material may not have been gospel-chart-worthy, his latest is, despite how odd that may read as a headline.
Jay-Z recently set the rap world ablaze after the release of DJ Khaled’s latest album God Did, where he rapped for 4 minutes straight on the song of the same name. Fans and critics have called the verse one of Jay’s best of his career, and have called into question whether he actually did the verse in just one take.
Well, he did. And Hov’s engineer Young Guru recently posted to Instagram to show people that Hov did his verse in just one take. In the post he shared a picture of him and Hov in the studio and then the recording on the computer that shows Jay-Z unedited vocals.
“This is first and last time I’m gonna do this. I could care less if you believe me when I say that he did this @djkhaled verse in one take,” Guru wrote. ” Let’s be clear for the youth. Doing a song in one take is just a bonus of the level of talent. The song is what is important. You have to realize how much work is done before he goes in the booth.”
Guru went on to say “Questions like, “are these the right words”, “are you going in the right direction”, “is this the best flow” are all answered and addressed mentally way before you record. Then you say the verse over and over in teh control room to memorialize it. Does jay do EVERY verse in one take? No. But has he done A LOT of verses in one take? Hell yes!!! I have no reason to [cap]! Lookat the zoom in of the screen. There are no chops or breaks in that audio. This “I don’t believe you unless I see it” thing is foreign to me. So here is your proof. It doesn’t matter if you believed me….. God Did!!!”
Hov’s verse had been hyped up by DJ Khaled even before the release of the album. However, it seems like Khaled was right. Following the release of the song, Guru even broke down the double entendre’s Jay used in the verse.
SEA units account for 96,000 of the 107,500 equivalent album units that GOD DID has earned (equivalent to 129.82 million on-demand official streaming of the set’s music), album sales account for 9,500, and TEA units account for 2,000.
God Did features 31 guest musicians, 16 of whom have previously reached the top of the Billboard 200. Drake, Eminem, Future, Jay-Z, Lil Baby, and Travis Scott are among the features.
Giving a strong run to Khaled was Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti, which came in a No. 2 this week after nine nonconsecutive weeks at the top of the charts.
(@LilTunechi__254) 
