Hip Hop News

The Kid LAROI Shares Spotify Singles Version Of “Without You”

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The Kid LAROI has been on the go for a minute now, and today the Australian melodist has come through with a pair of new Spotify Singles. For those unfamiliar with the format, Spotify Singles tend to be acoustic reimaginings of existing songs — either that or covers of influential tracks. In addition to a new take on Drake’s Take Care gem “Shot For Me,” LAROI also slid through with a stripped-down version of his own “Without You.”

Over a lush arrangement of fingerpicked guitars, LAROI delivers a passionate performance, alternating between emotional vocals and a soaring falsetto. While it’s not entirely different from the recorded version — which currently holds thirty-five million views on YouTube alone — it’s impressive to see how his voice translates to a live studio setting. Perhaps we’ll see him explore a more guitar-driven sound on future releases, as he certainly has the vocal chops to make headway in that particular musical realm.

Check out LAROI’s Spotify Singles version of “Without You,” and sound off if you’re a fan of what the young artist has been offering so far. 

QUOTABLE LYRICS

Can’t make a wife out of a ho, oh
I’ll never find the words to say, I’m sorry
But I’m scared to be alone
You cut out a piece of me, and now I bleed internally

Travis Scott Flexes Drip W/ L’OFFICIEL Hommes Mag Cover

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Houston rapper Travis Scott can’t help but remain in the headlines. The rap star lights up social media with his L’OFFICIEL Hommes cover. Travis Scott Flexes Drip Cactus Jack hits up Instagram with the must-see issue. Travis goes the extra mile by unloading a handful of shots from the cover feature. “Relax” Within the cover […]

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Rod Wave Releases Second “SoulFly” Single “Tombstone”

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Rod Wave is releasing his third studio album SoulFly this week, dropping the second single from the project alongside a new music video on Wednesday morning.

The Florida-based rapper/singer has been buzzing for a few years, going viral with his emotional raps about heartbreak. The introspective young man has a way with words, using his vocals to deliver his message soulfully and with plenty of hurt. Listening to Rod Wave, you can hear the trauma in his voice. It’s clear that the 22-year-old has seen a lot. He’s officially back with his new video “Tombstone”, which will appear on SoulFly. 

In the song, Rod Wave focuses on his come-up story, speaking about the “lames” that constantly keep his name in their mouths and how he wants to be remembered as one of the realest in the game.

Listen to the new release below. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Quotable Lyrics:

And f*ck these n***as ’cause they lame
Since they love saying my name
Make sure you write the truest in the motherf*cking game
On my tombstone when they bury me
By the river, they will carry me
Finally, I’ll be resting in peace

Kanye West’s “Yeezy Stem Player”: Closer Look Revealed

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At the height of Sunday Service, Kanye West was seen utilizing a portable audio engineering device to control musical levels, sparking curiosity from fans and the audio engineering community alike. As it turns out, the device was the Yeezy Stem Player, as designed by Kanye West and Teenage Engineering. Now, thanks to a few close-up photos, we can catch a closer look at the upcoming device. 

Kanye West

Taylor Hill/WireImage/Getty Images

At its core, the Yeezy Stem Player is designed to give users individual control of a song’s various stems, which roughly translates into a song’s individual elements; think “vocals,” “bass,” “drums,” “synth,” and so on. With a final mix being comprised of several balanced stem tracks, the Yeezy Stem Player will theoretically provide users with the ability to remix the levels of songs in real-time. 

As details surrounding the functionality are scarce at the moment, it’s as of yet unclear whether or not the Yeezy Stem Player will be able to effectively work with an existing piece of pre-recorded music. For audio engineers and live-music professionals, however, it’s easy to imagine several different purposes for the Stem Player. For one, it could allow even the most casual DJ to experiment with various mixes, all without having to commit to a massive setup, as one of the key benefits of the Yeezy Stem Player is its portability. 

Though it’s as of yet unconfirmed as to when the Yeezy Stem Player will hit the market, it should be interesting to see how Kanye’s foray into the realm of audio technology ultimately fares. Given how user-friendly the device appears to be, don’t be surprised to see this one attract demographics only peripherally involved in sound engineering — inevitable, given Yeezy’s prestige branding. 

Saweetie Bounces Off Quavo Split Onto Cosmopolitan Cover

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West Coast rapper Saweetie is making people turn pages – literally. The hip-hop star surprises fans by landing the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine. Saweetie Bounces Off Quavo The California native went to her Instagram page to show off her new cover shot. Along with the issue’s front page, Saw unloaded a grip of feature pics […]

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Kodak Black Has Recorded 167 Songs Since Being Pardoned

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Kodak Black hunkered down and recorded approximately fifteen albums worth of new music since being released from prison two months ago, proving that his work ethic is unmatched.

Much like some of the greats that came before him, including Lil Wayne, Kodak Black knows that his life could bring legal challenges that make it hard for him to have access to a recording studio at all times. For his entire adult life, he’s been in-and-out of prison, fighting cases and being forced to interact with his fans from behind bars. In January, Kodak had his sentence commuted by President Trump, but he’s not off the hook yet. He’s still fighting a few other cases, namely sexual assault allegations, in different states across the nation. Knowing that his freedom can be taken away at any instant, Kodak made sure to record a bunch of material during the time that he is free in case anything happens to him.

According to somebody close to the Florida rapper, Yak has recorded 167 new songs since being released from prison two months ago. That means that he has about fifteen albums worth of new music to give to the fans at any given moment should he need something to drop. Not many artists can pull that off.

One of those tracks was previewed in recent weeks as Kodak name-dropped Megan Thee Stallion, who he has been beefing on-and-off with, for weeks. “Everything I say turn into a quote, boy, go ask Meg Thee Stallion/I ask her let me drive the boat they thought I was Lil Yachty,” raps the Project Baby on the song.


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Are you excited to hear some of Kodak Black’s new music?

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Kobe Bryant’s Wife + Daughter Get Remembrance Tattoos

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Late NBA icon Kobe Bryant‘s widow Vanessa and his daughter Natalia are keeping both his and family member Gianna’s memories alive. The duo have revealed getting tattoos in their honor. Kobe Bryant’s Wife + Daughter Get Tats According to reports, the journey went down Tuesday night to honor both Kobe and GiGi following their January […]

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Works By Nas, Janet Jackson, And Kermit The Frog Have Been Inducted Into The Library Of Congress

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Columbia

Having a work preserved in the National Recording Registry of the Library Of Congress is a significant honor, and now that feat is something a handful of artists can add to their resume. Today, the Library Of Congress announced its 2020 selections for the registry and among the highlights from the world of modern music are Nas’ 1994 album Illmatic and Janet Jackson’s 1989 album Rhythm Nation 1814.

Some other notable works include one of the oldest known audio recordings via Thomas Edison, Kermit The Frog’s “The Rainbow Connection,” Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s “Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World,” Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration,” Jackson Browne’s Late For The Sky, and the This American Life episode “The Giant Pool Of Money,” which is the first podcast recording to be included in the National Recording Registry.

Librarian Of Congress Carla Hayden said, “The National Recording Registry will preserve our history through these vibrant recordings of music and voices that have reflected our humanity and shaped our culture from the past 143 years. We received about 900 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry, and we welcome the public’s input as the Library Of Congress and its partners preserve the diverse sounds of history and culture.”

Check out the full list of recordings from the 2020 class below.

1. “St. Louis Tinfoil” — Thomas Edison (1878)
2. “Nikolina” — Hjalmar Peterson (1917) (single)
3. “Smyrneikos Balos” — Marika Papagika (1928) (single)
4. “When The Saints Go Marching In” — Louis Armstrong (1938) (single)
5. Christmas Eve Broadcast — FDR & Winston Churchill (Dec. 24, 1941)
6. “The Guiding Light” — Nov. 22, 1945
7. Odetta Sings Ballads And Blues — Odetta (1957) (album)
8. “Lord, Keep Me Day by Day” — Albertina Walker And The Caravans (1959) (single)
9. Roger Maris hits his 61st home run (October 1, 1961)
10. Aida — Leontyne Price, et.al. (1962) (album)
11. “Once A Day” — Connie Smith (1964) (single)
12. Born Under A Bad Sign — Albert King (1967) (album)
13. Free To Be…You & Me — Marlo Thomas And Friends (1972) (album)
14. The Harder They Come — Jimmy Cliff (1972) (album)
15. “Lady Marmalade” — Labelle (1974) (single)
16. Late For The Sky — Jackson Browne (1974) (album)
17. Bright Size Life — Pat Metheny (1976) (album)
18. “The Rainbow Connection” — Kermit The Frog (1979) (single)
19. “Celebration” — Kool & The Gang (1980) (single)
20. Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs — Jessye Norman (1983) (album)
21. Rhythm Nation 1814 — Janet Jackson (1989) (album)
22. Partners — Flaco Jiménez (1992) (album)
23. “Over The Rainbow / What A Wonderful World” — Israel Kamakawiwo’ole (1993) (single)
24. Illmatic — Nas (1994) (album)
25. “This American Life: The Giant Pool Of Money” (May 9, 2008)

Cardi B Denies Payola Rumors After “Up” Tops The Billboard Hot 100

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Ever since “Up” climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, Cardi B‘s celebration has been cut short by haters and skeptics. On Tuesday, the Invasion of Privacy artist went off on social media users for diminishing her achievements, and now Cardi is setting the record straight on the success of “Up,” following rumors and allegations that she has been using payola to boost the single’s success.

Responding to the payola rumors, the “WAP” rapper chalked the payola rumors up to pure hate and speculation, saying, “It’s sad that when I win people gotta scramble with lies for my success. Like they ain’t saw everybody, people coming out Amazon trucks and ambulances dancing my shit.”

After adding a slew of laughing emojis, Cardi continued to deny the payola allegations against her, saying, “They love to run with that ‘Payola ‘ to make them feel better mind you I didn’t debute number 1 because of my low radio play and WAP barely made radio cause it was so explicit yet still made number 1.”

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Cardi also came with some receipts that showed that “Up” hasn’t even been getting a lot of airplay in comparison to the other hits hovering around the top of the Billboard 100. On the matter, she wrote, “Look at the second slide look at my AirPlay ( radio) compare to other artist radio spins.WHEN YOU START WINNING THE STORIES START SPINNING!!! Imma adress all the hate on my album tho wait on it !!!”

The recent surge for “Up” came quickly after Cardi B’s high energy performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, so the boosts in streaming and purchases could very likely be attributed to that. Plus, it is exciting to see that she is once again teasing her follow-up to Invasion of Privacy, so perhaps fans will get to hear that sooner than they thought.

Check out her Grammy performance of “Up” and “WAP” below.

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