Moneybagg Yocaused mixed reactions after releasing a video next to his celebrity look-alike. Promoting the “twin,” the Memphis rap star was all smiles with the caption, “Got Twin With Me @DukeDennis.” The video would spark reactions, with fans claiming the rapper’s real look-alike is Girlfriends’ actor Reggie Hayes, who played William Dent. “No Moneybagg you look like the dude off Girlfriends,” commented an Instagram user in The Shade Room comment section. Other users equally desired them in the comments. A user compared them to siblings, commenting, “It’s kind of like when you see two brothers, it’s clear they related but one of them finer than the other.”
It appears that Sexyy Red started the trend in August by sharing a photo of a woman who resembled the rap star in striking ways. A social media user commented on the look-alike’s photo, “You look like Sexyy Red if she went to college and majored in physical science.” Another fan commented, “Twins but Red grew up with the daddy side.” Fans would go on to debate who looks better between the two.
Look-alikes are common in rap. Many rap stars have revealed that used them on occasions throughout the genre’s 50 years. Akon revealed that he used his brother Bu to be the superstar when he had multiple shows in a single day. MF Doom and his Doom Bots ran amuck during the peak of the underground legend’s career. Others acts would use look-alikes to humiliate during live shows to diss their rivals. In the 90s, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and Tupac used look-alikes of Eazy-E, Biggie Smalls, and Diddy to diss them on their iconic diss songs “Hit’em Up” and “Dre Day.”
Moneybagg Yo spent the last quarter of 2024 on tour with Rod Wave and Toosii. He released the deluxe version of his latest album, Speak Now, over the summer. This year, he collaborated with new artists BlakeANA, Nino Breeze, and Rob49. Moneybagg Yo collaborated with fellow CMG labelmate Big Boogie in October on “Stuff Her.” The song appears on the new album Ether.
Today, multi-platinum rapper / artist Moneybagg Yo unleashes a deluxe version of his latest album, now titled SPEAK NOW OR…,featuring seven new tracks. The 24-song project isn’t just expansive, it’s also packed with ferocious wordplay, infectious hooks and bumpin’ beats — not to mention brand new and exhilarating collaborations.
Among the new entries is “WYD” featuring Memphis heavyweights GloRilla and Big Boogie, a club-ready anthem that spotlights the raw talent from all three major players, and “OUTTA TOWN” alongside Tallahassee’s Bossman Dlow. Other highlights include “DO YO SH*T”, “SUM TO HATE ON” and Bagg’s typically raw and unfiltered “FOOT SOLDIERS.” All told, the deluxe edition expands on the vision of SPEAK NOW and delivers more than half a dozen new hits geared to captivate fans for months to come.
SPEAK NOW arrived earlier this Summer to widespread anticipation. One of the main highlights from the record includes massive RIAA Gold-certified collaboration “Whiskey Whiskey” featuring country superstar Morgan Wallen, a southern hip-hop / country hybrid which has taken both worlds by storm. Since release, the song has hit No. 28 on the Billboard Hot100 Chart, Bagg has joined Wallen on stage earlier this summer to perform the cross-genre hit, Wallen used the full track during the famous ‘walk out’ at his Hyde Park Concert in London, and the song was even chosen as one of former President Barack Obama’s top songs of the summer.
With SPEAK NOW OR…, Moneybagg Yo supercharges his most recent album and sets the stage for his next chapter. See full tracklisting below.
The Moneybagg Yo we know now isn’t the same one we met on projects like All Gas No Breaks or the Federal series. Before he penned a deal with CMG, he was already a household name among hustlers and trappers. In the past three and a half years alone, he’s reaped the benefits from his relentless hustle of high-quality mixtapes. Bagg has nabbed a #1 album on the Billboard 200 and secured several RIAA certifications, many of which have been the result of the grip he has every summer. His latest album, Speak Now, produced the Morgan Wallen-assisted country-rap banger, “Whiskey Whiskey,” which recently made it to Obama’s Summer Playlist 2024.
“I was like, ‘Damn, Barack.’ Like, he’s listening? That was a good feeling, but it was a shocking one,” Moneybagg Yo tells HotNewHipHop over Zoom. “You don’t think when you’re putting these songs together and you putting this stuff out that it’s going to reach and do what it do.”
However, Moneybagg Yo’s relentless hustle throughout his career has positioned him in such a way as to land on Obama’s playlist and have a sit-down with Denzel Washington. Today, he releases the deluxe edition of his latest album titled, Speak Now Or. It’s the bridge between the June album and his forthcoming follow-up, Forever Hold Your Peace, which he said will be out before the year’s end. He explains that the key to his prolific output relates back to his conversation with Denzel Washington who told him, “With me, you gotta know how to be Shakespeare, and you gotta know how to be the man in Training Day. You gotta know how to do both of them. That’s what made me different.”
“Every project should just be viewed and looked at like a movie,” Moneybagg Yo explains. “Like, all right, what can we expect from him in this movie? Like, the actor good. We know he plays good roles, and he do his thing when the camera’s on. But, what is this about that’s different from last time? Like, Malcolm X and Training Day are two different things, but it’s the same great actor, you know what I’m saying? So basically, that’s how I’m taking the approach with just Speak Now, Speak Now Or, and Forever Hold Your Peace. It’s just like you get a different movie every time.”
We recently caught up with Moneybagg yo to discuss his latest project, his immeasurable influence, and working alongside Morgan Wallen.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – AUGUST 4: Rapper Moneybagg Yo performs during MoneyBagg Yo Larger Than Life Tour at State Farm Arena on August 4, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage)
HotNewHipHop: The last time, we spoke was around the time “Hard For The Next” came out and you released AGangsta’s Pain shortly after. You’ve had a productive few years since then. What’s been the biggest difference in your life between that album coming out and now?
Moneybagg Yo: When I dropped A Gangsta’s Pain, I set the standard so high, you got to always be able to fill those shoes up when people expect you to fill them shoes over and over again. It’s just really me vs. me. I’m in a me vs. me type of situation. I’m battling me. So, that’s what I’m doing, just trying to be better than my last.
How’d you feel about the reception of Speak Now, especially after having the summer pass and still dominating?
It’s cool, you know? I feel like I could do better, you know what I’m saying? But I feel like, it’s just a different movie of me. It’s just a different thing. Like, AGangsta’s Pain was one thing, Hard To Love was a moment. and then, Speak Now. Even with these eight, or nine songs that I’m about to add to the deluxe, this is even different. It really could have probably been its own tape but it makes more sense to attach it to Speak Now, you know what I’m saying? Then, even the next project, Forever Hold Your Peace. The next body of work, it’s a whole other Moneybagg. You don’t get the same thing every time. That’s how you get bored.
On a creative level, what’s been fulfilling you creatively? What’s been impressing you when you step out of the booth?
The Forever Hold Your Peace project, I’m impressed with that. Like, how it’s coming out, how everybody is like hearing it, listening to it. They taking a liking to it, and just really happy for me and excited for the body of work. That’s a good thing.
I think I heard you say that it’s going to be more melodic. Is that accurate?
Yeah, it’s just a whole melodic bag. You know, you probably heard a lot–well, I know you heard a lot of melodic songs from me. Songs like “Wockesha,” “Scorpio”–that type of vibe. A lot of just different ways that you can think that I probably came like that, but that’s the tone.
It’s a sequel to Speak Now, right?
Yeah, it’s just like a sequel. Everything ties in. Like. this right here that I’m going to drop is Speak Now Or. Like, the deluxe is like Or, you know what I’m saying? It’s like Or then Forever Hold Your Peace. We’ll drop that in another couple of weeks, a couple of months or however it might go. Whenever it’s ready, and then, that’s that. And that’s the whole attachment.
How far along are you with Forever Hold Your Peace?
Probably like 75-80% done.
I imagine we’ll probably get a single from this before the end of the year or sometime in the next few months.
Yeah, you’ll get the whole thing before that.
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – JULY 10: Moneybagg Yo performs during the Wireless Festival at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) on July 10, 2022 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Katja Ogrin/Redferns)
I was reading your interview with Billboard a few months ago where you were discussing when you met Denzel. You recalled him telling you, “With me, you gotta know how to be Shakespeare, and you gotta know how to be the man in Training Day. You gotta know how to do both of them. That’s what made me different.” I want to know, how do you think this quote applies to your approach to music?
I feel like I took that like, basically what I was telling you. You have to be like, just a different character every time. Every project should just be viewed and looked at like a movie. It should just be really looked at like a movie. Like, all right, what can we expect from him in this movie? Like, the actor good. We know he plays good roles, and he do his thing when the camera’s on. But, what is this about that’s different from last time? Like, Malcolm X and Training Day are two different things, but it’s the same great actor, you know what I’m saying? So basically, that’s how I’m taking the approach with just Speak Now, Speak Now Or, and Forever Hold Your Peace. It’s just like you get a different movie every time.
Some people were feeling like Speak Now was a bit commercial or something. So Speak Now Or, they get this, I guarantee you, they ain’t gonna say that. This is strictly street records, energy, street records. And then you got Forever Hold Your Peace, it’s just melodic. It’s more of a vibe. It’s the “woo the ladies” in and talk like it’s good with that.
In that same interview, you mentioned how you don’t feel like you have much to prove because you’ve accomplished so much. Are you able to identify your influence in music and in culture at large these days?
Yep. The largest. Really, basically, to where it’s the largest. I feel like everytime I do something, people gravitate and bite onto it. Like, I’m not a person that like is meant to follow. I’m meant to lead. Every time I do something where I take the lead or take the initiative, I set the trend like that. Once I do it, everybody else does it or they try to act like they ain’t do it and then, do it [laughs]. Or try to like, see me halfway doing it and try to finesse it all the way to the T. Now, when I‘m coming me down there, I almost look like–once I finish what I’m doing, it damn-near look like they seen it before because he did it.
That’s another thing too, like I don’t like posting everything before it’s done. I like posting the finished product. Then I show you the behind-the-scenes of it, how I did it, instead of the other way around. Like, showing you the behind-the-scenes first, and then “this coming” and then I put it out. Because when you do that, you just opening up doors for people to be like, “Oh, he’s doing it. Let me do this. But I’m gonna put a twist on it. I’m gonna do it like this, this new wave. This gotta be it.”
They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Do you feel like people are giving you your flowers when they’re biting your style?
No, not really. They don’t pay homage all the time. They need to.
You’ve been an advocate for a lot of the women in the South who are crushing it in rap right now, even with your collabs with GloRilla. How do you think the women in the South complement what you bring to hip-hop? Obviously, it’s a different perspective but they bring that energy.
Yeah, I like what all the women doing right now. I like what all the women doing. I’m excited for them, I’m happy for them. It’s like a handful of them that I rock with. too. Another thing is I feel like we resonate well, the chemistry is good because of the substance and topics and like, how I come. How I come, I feel like this is just a versatility thing. Like I can do anything, you know what I’m saying? If it’s a song with a girl, I can do it. Like, if it’s a song with guys, I can do it. If it’s me singing like melodic, I can do it. Whatever it is, I feel like I can adjust to it whatever the case may be.
No, for sure. “Whiskey, Whiskey” is probably one of the more surprising songs that you’ve released. It just landed on Obama’s summer playlist. Can you just describe to me where you were when you first received that news, and what was your reaction to it?
I seen that yesterday. I was like, “Damn, Barack.” Like, he’s listening? That was a good feeling, but it was a shocking one. You don’t think when you’re putting these songs together and you putting this stuff out that its going to reach and do what it do. You don’t think that–some people do, though. Some people go in with that. I ain’t saying I ain’t confident, but some people go in with all the confidence. But my thing is with music today, you don’t never know. Like, you don’t know what’s gonna be this and be that, so it’s hard to say. So I just kind of like, let it do it.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 23: Music artist Moneybagg Yo performs during 2022 Rolling Loud New York at Citi Field on September 23, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
Have any singles surprised you with how successful they became?
Yeah, all of them except for “Wockesha.” I kind of knew that one was like–I was so passionate about the song, I kind of knew that song was going to be like, something special in some kind of way.
You’ve previously teased a country project with Morgan Wallen. How much progress has been made with that? If there has been any.
No, no, it just was an idea, a thought. Like, something that could happen.
Has he been receptive to the idea?
Yeah, he’s with whatever. Like, I’m one of his favorite artists.
I know it’s a bit of old news but you did some work with Kanye West a couple of years ago. What the biggest takeaway from being in the studio with him?
It was a good experience for me. I learned a lot and just saw how to do things, saw how stuff went, and just soaked up the game, and applied it to my situation. So shout out to Kanye. Unfortunately, what we did didn’t get used. But I understand like, as an artist, I understand it could be like that sometimes.
What was one thing that you learned from that session and started applying to your own sessions?
Just how to be creative. How to be creative with the songs, and start just making everything make sense. Like, starting from scratch, building the beats up. Already have the ideas on some of them and making the beats around them. Just different stuff.
I was recently watching Mannie Fresh explain how in the early days of Cash Money, they would take catchphrases and turn those into songs. I’ve noticed you have a similar approach to taking certain words or phrases and flipping them into hit records. How did Cash Money inspire your songwriting in that aspect? If they did at all.
I didn’t even know that they looked at it like that or they were doing it like that. To be honest, when I do it I just do it because–it’s gonna look like that, so it gonna be hard. But it’s just like, it’s a moment. I just feel like it’s just a moment in life to where it’s like, this is what’s going on right now. This is what I’m literally experiencing. I’m going through this or like, I’m dealing with this. It all circles back to like that term or that phrase, or whatever the case may be.
So I just feel like, use it. It makes sense, and that’s what’s going on in the world. So that’s more the more the key things is like, you gotta be relatable. That’s the only way your music is gonna get off. If they can’t relate to it, how they gonna play it? [laughs]
You’ve established yourself as a highly successful business person. On a business level, what would you like to tackle outside of music? I’m doing clothing right now. I got my Loaf Brand clothing. So, that’s in the process right now.
That’s high-end streetwear, right?
Yeah.
Any last words for the HotNewHipHop audience?
Stay tuned. I got a lot in store for you. A lot, a lot, a whole lot of stuff in store for you. Stay locked in. Follow me, I won’t misguide you.
Moneybagg Yo is unrelenting. The rapper has a rapid fire flow that manages to keep pace with the extremely hard-hitting instrumentals he chooses. Speak Now was a showcase of this talent. Moneybagg Yo’s fifth album managed to keep up the energy despite its lengthy tracklist, thanks to varied features like Morgan Wallen, Chris Brown and Lil Durk. Moneybagg is back to build on the solid foundations of his latest album. Speak Now Or, the deluxe version of his June release, features seven brand new songs. Longtime fans are going to be pleased.
Speak Now Or is not an instance of songs being tacked onto the end, either. Moneybagg Yo completely switches up the tracklist and rearranges songs. The result is an album that plays very different than its predecessor, and for the better. One could argue that the album starts off even stronger thanks to the one-two punch of new songs “SUM TO HATE ON” and “RAP N****S.” The latter is particularly catchy thanks to its bouncy instrumental and earworm flow. Moneybagg also has fun rapping with Bossman Dlow on the stylish banger “OUTTA TOWN.” There’s also “ON GOD,” which sounds absolutely epic thanks to its faint, horn-accented beat and ominous piano keys.
Today, GRAMMY-nominated artist GloRilla released her new video, “All Dere,” featuring her CMG labelmate MoneyBagg Yo. Continuing her streak of party-starter anthems, Glo enlists MoneyBagg to be her gym partner and help the ladies get their bodies right. Whether it’s Glo transforming into a cycling instructor or MoneyBagg becoming a personal trainer, the CMG stars look to help these women maximize their results in the gym before the end of summer.
Glo’s success this year comes from her 12-track project Ehhthang Ehhthang, which boasts big-name features, ranging from her Song of the Summer collaboration with Megan The Stallion on “Wanna Be” to her team-up with MoneyBagg Yo on “All Dere.” “Wanna Be” later earned the remix treatment when Cardi B was featured on the song, propelling the track back into the top 15 of the Hot 100 upon its release.
Ehhthang Ehhthang also includes her top 30 Billboard Hot 100 song “Yeah Glo!” After 23 weeks, the song remains a strong player on the charts, currently sitting at No. 50 this week. Her latest triumph came when she unleashed her Rihanna-cosigned track “TGIF,” which first became a viral hit when she teased the song when opening for Megan Thee Stallion on her sold-out Hot Girl Summer Tour earlier this summer.
Earlier this month, Glo was a presenter at the ESPYs alongside NBA star Draymond Green, where they awarded college phenom Juju Watkins with the Best Breakthrough Athlete award.
Once upon a time, fitness videos came with titles like “Buns Of Steel,” and the goal was to have a small, tight gluteus maximus. Fortunately, society has since learned better. GloRilla’s video for Ehhthang Ehhthang standout “All Dere” with Moneybagg Yo illustrates just how far we’ve come, showing nothing but love for jiggly butts and cellulite as the two Memphis rappers take on the role of freaky fitness trainers for a workout class aimed at getting “shawty thick as hell.” Stay until the outtakes at the end, in which Glo hilariously admits that exercise bikes make her legs hurt.
Happy belated birthday to Ari Fletcher, who celebrated with a luxurious vacation to Greece for which her boo Moneybagg Yo was very happy to travel. However, his birthday message for Fletcher drew some mixed reactions online due to its brevity and… parental language. “Happy BaggDay Queen @therealkylesister DaDa Love You [champagne bottle emoji] [confetti emoji] [flower bouquet emoji] #LōfYaWife.” Moreover, other fans brought up cheating allegations that have emerged concerning the couple across their bond. Well, Fletcher’s had enough, as she took time out of her birthday celebrations to clap back at a fan who said that “cheaters and dumb b***hes have the most aesthetically pleasing relationship moments for the media.”
“Who’s the cheater and who’s the dumb b***h?” Ari Fletcher retorted on Twitter, seemingly scrubbing off infidelity rumors around her and Moneybagg Yo, which have persisted for years now. “Poor slow miserable a** h*es always wanna have a moment. I live your dream life everyday. You the scum of the earth itching for a viral moment. The only attention you ever got in this life is this moment right here! My birthday 10/10.”
Still, Moneybagg Yo and Ari Fletcher fight pretty often on social media, so that’s another factor that also makes fans a bit more critical of their lovey-dovey moments. For example, they recently had a back-and-forth on Twitter that indicated there’s a lot of drama between them that they only let out small glimpses of, if any at all. “Watch out for ppl in yo life dat look for a reason to fall out with u,” the Memphis MC tweeted, and his partner’s direct reply was quick and scathing. “You ain’t really trying to play this game is you? I’ll finish it on this b***h.”
Meanwhile, Ari Fletcher recently claimed that Moneybagg Yo’s baby mama has harassed her for about five years, which was certainly a bombshell. In fact, maybe this is another factor in their occasional fights, although they always patch things up in the end. Hopefully they can continue to celebrate the birthday weekend without further hiccups, and they can hash some of these details out. But not for salacious and ravenous comments sections; for themselves.
J Cole and Moneybagg Yo have a couple of collaborations together, namely their solo track “Say Na” and their YG link-up “Scared Money.” With this collaborative experience in mind, it’s no wonder that the Memphis MC would have some fond memories of his time with the Dreamville boss in the studio. Moreover, he recalled a particularly impressive session with the North Carolina spitter during a recent HipHopDX interview at the 2024 BET Awards’ red carpet in Los Angeles last Sunday (June 30). Specifically, Moneybagg expressed shock and awe at how Cole was able to work so quickly, and how it’s very hard to create these “lightning in a bottle” moments even when you have one of the best rappers of this generation in the booth.
“”J. Cole gave me eight bars ASAP,” Moneybagg Yo remarked concerning their time in the studio. “I’m talking about, like, probably in 15 minutes. We was in there, he done it ASAP. Boom, boom, boom. It was God because he was stopping by, he ain’t know I was at the studio, I ain’t know he was pulling up. And it kind of just happened organically. You can’t ask for those, you can’t pay for those things.”
Previously, Moneybagg Yo had spoken on how Lil Durk also gave him a “classic” verse in record time. “Dat N***a @lildurk Sent Me A Verse Back In Less Than 20 mins Of Me Sending It To Em Da Night Before I Had To Turn My Project In And Its 1 of Dem Classic Day 1 Smurk Verses,” he wrote on Instagram earlier in the year. “Just Got A Crazyyyyy Feature In I Couldn’t Drop This Project Without. Now Everything Locked In Fasho sho Its Worth Da Wait.”
Of course, the project in question is Moneybagg Yo’s new album SPEAK NOW. Hopefully these fruitful and impressive interactions with both J Cole and Lil Durk continue to inspire him to put in more work with the pen and keep making great music. As fans, we often talk a lot about how our favorite artists captivate, inspire, and enlighten us in their own unique ways. But it’s always all the more special when that passion and craft inspires MCs’ peers above all else.
Moneybagg Yo is ready to don a cowboy hat and spurs it appears after showing some interest in going full country for a project. This news come from an interview surrounding the success of “WHISKEY WHISKEY” with Billboard at the 2024 BET Awards. For those who are not aware, this song lands on the Memphis rapper’s recent album SPEAK NOW. It sees him work with country star Morgan Wallen, someone who has been doing his own crossing over working with the likes of Lil Durk. These two genres melding together continues to grow more and more common, so seeing this trend is not all that surprising. Overall, it works pretty well, and “WHISKEY WHISKEY” is no exception.
The album cut debuted at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it is the only song to chart from it. Additionally, Moneybagg’s project is doing well too, sliding into 13th on the Hot 200. But due to him and Morgan Wallen displaying some solid chemistry he sees the vision and would not be opposed to dropping a country album or EP in the near future. The veteran hitmaker also mentioned to the publication that him and Morgan had been texting very often and that the latter was encouraging him to dive into this space.
@MoneyBaggYo discusses his collaboration with Morgan Wallen and why he felt he was a great choice, teases a country EP, and chats about how genre-blending Nelly who tapped in country inspires him #BETAwardspic.twitter.com/6Xf0qxyWYg
Furthermore, he has been hearing from a lot of other country mainstays since the release of “WHISKEY WHISKEY”. Yo claims they are down to collaborate, but before that happens, he still has some ideas he wants to tackle first. “After these next two albums I’m fixing to drop before the summer is over, I think after that, going into the winter or something, I think I’m going to do a country album, a country EP or something”, Yo revealed. He did say during the rollout of SPEAK NOW that he was going to drop an R&B tape soon, so clearly it is a great time to be a fan of his right now.
What are your thoughts on Moneybagg Yo having interest in making a country project? Do you think this is something that he should genuinely pursue, why or why not? Have you been messing with “WHISKEY WHISKEY” from his recent album SPEAK NOW? 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 Moneybagg Yo. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
(@iamtycole)