Last month, PARTYNEXTDOOR released his new album P4. It’s the first new album the OVO R&B star has dropped since 2020 when he released PARTYMOBILE. It’s the first new entry in his self-titled series in 8 years since the 3rd edition dropped in 2016. For the new album he chose to go with no features and handles the entire 14-song tracklist on his own. That’s why it’s no surprise that it was one of his most personal albums yet. Earlier this week PND took to Twitter to explain some of the motivation behind various songs on the new album.
“This album was full of self reflection, being a good guy, tryna to stick to my mother’s morals while having my way for so long, being in lust, being in love & being heartbroken, dealing with friends and family passing away. being empathetic but revengeful & never looking back” the R&B singer said in a recent tweet. In the replies, fans debate which track from the new album is their favorite. The new record has received rave reviews from R&B fans in the weeks since it dropped. Check out the tweet he made explaining the motivation behind his new music below.
This album was full of self reflection, being a good guy, tryna to stick to my mother’s morals while having my way for so long, being in lust, being in love & being heartbroken, dealing with friends and family passing away. being empathetic but revengeful & never looking back.…
Just a few days after P4 dropped, PND’s fans got even more great news. He announced the “Sorry I’m Outside” tour dates revealing where he’ll be playing shows later this year. He’s already played a few festivals like Rolling Loud Los Angeles earlier this year. But there’s still plenty of deep cuts remaining on the album that haven’t had their live debuts yet. Tickets for the tour have already gone on sale with fans once again taking to social media to share their excitement for the upcoming shows.
What do you think of the details PARTYNEXTDOOR shared about what inspired him while writing his new album? Which of the songs on the album have been your favorite since it dropped? Let us know in the comment section below.
Stevie J recorded himself shirtless in the mirror rapping along to King Combs’ new diss track aimed at 50 Cent for a video on his Instagram Story, on Tuesday. Stevie has come to Diddy’s defense several times in recent months as alleged victims have been coming forward with accusations about the Bad Boy mogul. When HollywoodUnlocked shared the clip, fans labeled Stevie corny in the comments section.
“Bro… he’s legit legendary corny,” one top response reads. Another user writes: “Soooo thirsty to stay on Diddy payroll, dude going on 55 years old…. Built like a Kangaroocrodile.” One more follower wrote: “Why does he make everything corny?!”
Stevie J Performs On The Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour
MIAMI, FL – SEPTEMBER 10: Sheek Louch of The Lox, 112, Mase, Faith Evans, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs aka Puff Daddy and Stevie J preform onstage during the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour at American Airlines Arena on September 10, 2016 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Johnny Louis/FilmMagic)
Akademiks premiered the diss track on Sunday night while live streaming. On the track, Combs references the Homeland Security raids on his dad’s properties, 50 Cent’s recent Instagram posts, and more. “I dare one of you n****s scream out ‘no diddy’” Combs raps, referencing the viral meme. “… Police raid the crib like they think we selling crack, but we out here selling tracks / multimillion dollar plaques.” He also brings up 50 directly, adding: “When all they had was 50 Cent who put the city on the map?/ Stop lying, pops been hated on by many men and n***a, that’s fine/ They gon’ try to stop these Eminems and they gon’ die tryin.’”
With the spirit of rap beef in the air in 2024, Meek Mill and 50 Cent have picked a fight with each other. It began after months of 50 attacking Diddy online. The attacks were over the various lawsuits filed against him alleging decades of abusive behavior. Meek came into the equation back in February. That’s when he was mentioned in producer Lil Rod’s lawsuit against the rap mogul. 50 re-sparked their hostility earlier this week with a post taking aim at Meek’s low record sales. Earlier this year, Meek dropped an EP that didn’t get much attention and 50 claimed that he should be working on getting his numbers back up rather than being on vacation.
Meek quickly responded, taking to Twitter in an attempt to explain why the project didn’t perform well. That turned out to be just the start of a series of posts he made in self-defense. “I never seen Black people laugh at Black people getting indicted… he really be online enhancing people’s cases… and he got real statements against n*ggas… You ain’t feed Mike Knox yet… everybody on to you!” one follow-up tweet reads. ““But let me stop… These the n*ggas y’all look up to… these people that destroy Black famines [sic] and success like bad cops” yet another tweet begins. Check out just some of what Meek had to say in response to 50’s allegations below.
Meek has found himself under attack by many rap fans in recent months. The reaosns are pretty similar to 50. Largely spawning from his recent EP’s poor commercial performance and his association with Diddy. Before 50’s post, Meek was already online trying to defend his importance to hip hop. He felt the need to in the face of months of what he saw as disrespect.
What do you think of Meek Mill’s responses to 50 calling him out over his association with Diddy and recent low album sales? Do you think Meek did a good job defending himself and clapping back at 50? Let us know in the comment section below.
Chief Keef may be the youngest legend in hip-hop history. After his first mixtape at 14 and becoming a Chicago superstar by 16, the breadth and weight of his influence and impact became immediately clear by the time Almighty So dropped in 2013. Few rappers can claim this achievement in such a short amount of time, and with a lot of legal controversy and trouble along the way, this pioneer spirit only became more apparent over time. While this run didn’t result in the strongest string of projects due to its prolific nature, it kept Keef’s identity at the forefront, birthed classic full-lengths, and inspired realms beyond just drill, trap, and rage. Now that he’s as reflective on his legacy as he is committed to further planting it, this unique and youthful position made a diamond out of the rough.
Moreover, Almighty So 2‘s been in the works for years, and with delay after delay, many fans held it in the mythical regard of a Whole Lotta Red or ASTROWORLD. Fortunately, it was so worth the wait. This is Chief Keef’s most upfront, immediate, and instantly gratifying album in a long time, and revamps the original installment’s often woozy and genre-fusing formulas with a more direct, boisterous, and consistent approach. Despite that, reflections on loyalty, partnership, family, and self-worth don’t take the bite out of its relentless runtime and still fit well. Overall, it feels like we’re right back in 2012 with today’s knowledge, even before the first Almighty So, and we say that in the best way possible.
The most apparent way in which Chief Keef achieves this throwback reimagining is through the aggressive, layered, well-structured, and expansive beats on Almighty So 2. Snares and kicks don’t just hit; they drill… pardon the pun. On the opening tracks alone, “Almighty (Intro)” and “Neph Nem” with Ballout and G Herbo, their triplet sequencing beats the instrumentals into the ground, paired with dramatic and grandiose samples like “O Fortuna.” Rather than sticking to a particular style of drill or trap, he mixes them together and focuses on developing sample usage to its fullest potential for maximum enjoyment. For example, multiple elements of Nancy Wilson’s “Streetrunner” on “Runner” provide an anticipatory intro, a catchy refrain, and orchestral instrumentation throughout the cut.
Still, some moments here take more of a breather, such as the breezy “Drifting Away” with a West Coast/Midwest-inspired bounce, and the piano worship with a similar rhythmic treatment on “Prince Charming.” The sheer aggression throughout most of the tracklist doesn’t lose its luster because of how uncompromised yet controlled it comes across. 16 tracks add up to an hour of runtime thanks to Chief Keef’s hard work at giving songs proper transitions, movements, and third verses, and the vividness of the punchy production keeps you engaged all throughout. There are even some slight dips into rage on “Never Fly Here” with Quavo and mixes between guitar-backed calmness and operatic moshpits on “Jesus” with Lil Gnar, meaning that the volatile peaks always have earned and fulfilling build-up. Above all, this will hook you the most with Almighty So 2 on the first listen.
But if the production hooks you, Chief Keef is the reason you stick around. In a rap world full of hedonistic writing, flexing, and evocative phrasing, Sosa is able to make the best out of his production with lines that are equally in-your-face while still feeling grounded. He calls himself a wolf howling at the moon on “Grape Trees,” flaunts “blue cheese” and a “thousand islands” on “Tony Montana Flow,” and is able to perfectly mix the glamorous with the gritty (or even the mundane) through his bars. “Six hundred for the shoes that’s on top of my bunions, n***a / Yellow truck, it’s Funyuns, n***a, it just smell like onions, n***a,” the Chicago icon raps on “Banded Up.” The lyricism is often confrontational, almost always funny, sometimes clever, but most importantly, never boring.
While the flows lock you in, Chief Keef is also able to provide a lot of variety through his deliveries on equally combative instrumentals. In other words, even if a song is going hard, there are many deliberate choices to either scream alongside it or balance it out with a calmer tone, such as most of “Too Trim.” But there is also some topical balance here, even if it mostly appears towards the end of Almighty So 2. The track “Treat Myself,” for example, is all about the Glo Gang boss’ self-worth, and how he evades roads to self-deprecation by wanting to push himself to his fullest potential. “Take a look up in the mirror, I just wanna squeeze myself / I done been through so much smoke to where I couldn’t even see myself / I’ll never need a b***h, but I’ma always need mysеlf.”
Elsewhere, Chief Keef equally reflects on the hard times it took for him to get here and remarks on his current success and what’s next for him. “Believe” has a killer and nostalgic sample flip, honors his late grandmother, processes the horrible exposures and actions that he experienced and perpetrated as a young man due to his circumstances, and even promises himself to be a better father to his daughter. While much of Almighty So 2 delivers these themes as a staunch retort against these evils, there’s plenty of levity and blunt honesty throughout, no matter how it’s delivered. The fact that each song is relatively long makes the rollercoaster ride much more enjoyable from track to track than most “one-note” albums. It’s up to you to live in the moment and then look back on what deeper truths the album holds.
What’s more, is that Chief Keef does most of this solo. He handles almost every song’s production except one; additional production assistants include Mike WiLL Made-It, Young Malcolm, SantanaStar Beats, and more. On the other hand, features from Sexyy Red, Tierra Whack, and the like match Sosa’s energy like a glove, whether for their unbridled bravado, fiery performances, or unflinching confidence. Yet they don’t overwhelm him at any point, and their inclusions don’t bloat Almighty So 2. Other inclusions like Michael Blackson on the “Jesus Skit” provide a lot of life and character to the album, whereas more traditional cuts like “1,2,3” continue the prominent horn picks and overall larger-than-life persona that this record paints. There’s just enough novelty sprinkled between what we love Chief the most for, and few full-lengths in his catalog achieve that balance as well as this.
That push-and-pull is perhaps best exemplified on the closing track, “I’m Tryna Sleep.” Tender pianos and vocal samples, a combative delivery, hard-hitting percussion, and themes of partnership and fearless street confrontation are a microcosm of what Chief Keef was able to achieve on Almighty So 2. It’s a classic all the way for Sosa fans with its dramatic and magnanimous presentation. He taps into what he influenced in contemporary hip-hop and contains the maturely simple and hedonistically loyal reflections of a man who did not seem to change at all with the fame. The prolific catalog will prove that in one way, but it’s only through meeting Keef on his own terms with his writing that you’ll see this God-fearing, authentic, and unstoppable drive for yourself.
The 28-year-old’s been off the lean for a couple of months now, and there’s definitely a clarity to the production, songwriting, and rapping performance here that could reinforce that personal achievement. But more importantly, it speaks to his self-consciousness and evolution as an artist: how he sees his legacy, his talents, and the authenticity of his perspective. It’s not about loving being high, hating being sober, or the other way around. Like many amazing MCs before and after him, Chief Keef recaptured what made him so special before the first Almighty So with all the experience and lessons that he’s collected since. Almighty So 2 is a true return to form in that regard and one that you might not like if you didn’t like Sosa to begin with. But he’s a Chicago champion who’s stuck to his guns and continues to evolve and influence the game; why wouldn’t you?
That Mexican OT is a rising star. The Texas rapper has watched his profile rise precipitously in the past year, with two albums, Lonestar Luchador and Texas Technician, land in the top 100 and a slew of collaborations with high-profile stars from his home state like Maxo Kream, Paul Wall, Slim Thug, and Z-Ro.
Now, he’s taking the show on the road with his upcoming summer tour, backed by Maxo Kream and Drodi. Tickets go on sale on Friday, May 17, at ThatMexicanOT.net. You can see the tour dates below.
06/12/2024 — Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom
06/13/2024 — Milwaukee, WI @ The Eagles Ballroom Headline
06/14/2024 — Chicago, IL @ Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash
06/16/2024 — Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore
06/18/2024 — Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
06/20/2024 — Albuquerque, NM @ Revel
06/21/2024 — Amarillo, TX @ Azteca Music Hall
06/22/2024 — Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion
06/23/2024 — Wichita, KS @ Cotillion Ballroom
06/25/2024 — Omaha, NE @ Steelhouse Omaha
06/26/2024 — Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom
06/27/2024 — Kansas City, MO @ The Midland Theatre
06/28/2024 — St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
06/30/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
07/03/2024 — Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Pavilion
07/05/2024 — San Angelo, TX @ Riverstage Amphitheatre
07/06/2024 — Lubbock, TX @ Lonestar Events Center
07/09/2024 — Laredo, TX @ Casablanca Ballroom
07/10/2024 — Beaumont, TX @ Roxy Theater
07/11/2024 — Waco, TX @ The Backyard
07/12/2024 — Plano, TX @ The Lexus Box Garden at Legacy Hall
07/14/2024 — Tyler, TX @ Country River Club
07/17/2024 — Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall
07/19/2024 — Newport, KY @ Megacorp Pavillion
07/21/2024 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
07/23/2024 — New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
07/24/2024 — Washington, DC @ The Fillmore
07/25/2024 — Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
08/17/2024 — Odessa, TX @ West Texas Truck Show
10/06/2024 — Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
10/10/2024 — Columbus, OH @ Kemba Live
10/13/2024 — Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
11/10/2024 — Fayetteville, AR @ JJ’s Live
In NxWorries’ new video for “FromHere,” Anderson .Paak looks like he might have to leave the party alone. Everyone else at the bar is not only paired up, the PDA has begun as Anderson looks for his lover — at least for the night. However, not even his bandmate Knxwledge can help him out (even though he’s got two of his own), and Andy’s left looking for advice from Unc, Snoop Dogg, as Death Row Records singer October London croons in the background. The video was shot at Gold Line in Los Angeles and directed by Anderson .Paak himself.
The latest NxWorries single will appear on the duo’s upcoming second album, Why Lawd?, which is due on June 14th. That brings the total number of singles to five, after “Where I Go,” featuring H.E.R., “Daydreaming,” and “86Sentra.” The album is the first from the group since 2016’s fan-favorite Yes Lawd!, and also features guest appearances from Charlie Wilson, Dave Chappelle, Earl Sweatshirt, Rae Khalil, and Thundercat. Fans who pre-order vinyl of the new album can expect to receive it a week early, on June 7th.
You can watch the video for “FromHere” above.
Why Lawd? is out on 6/19 via Stones Throw. You can find more info here.
DJ Akademiks is facing some incredibly serious allegations right now. According to a new report from Rolling Stone, Akademiks is being sued for rape, sexual assault, and defamation. The lawsuit was filed by a woman named Fauziya “Ziya” Abashe. Previously, the two had a brief relationship in 2021 after they met through the internet. However, after having not seen each other for over a year, Abashe claims Akademiks invited her to his house in New Jersey on July 16, 2022.
Abashe goes on to recount some truly disturbing allegations. As she explains, when she got to Ak’s place, two of his friends allegedly drugged her and then raped her on his pool deck. Subsequently, at 4AM the next day, she alleges being woken up by Akademiks, who was allegedly “pulling her hair, prying open her legs, and brutally raping her.” From there, Abashe alleged that Akademiks showed her surveillance footage of what happened on the pool deck that same morning. In text messages, Akademiks allegedly told Abashe to get tested and that he would too. Overall, the lawsuit claims that this is proof that the two had unprotected sex.
DJ Akademiks’s Friends Are Also At The Center Of The Suit
LONG BEACH, CA – NOVEMBER 03: DJ Akademiks attends 2018 ComplexCon-Day 1 at Long Beach Convention Center on November 3, 2018 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/Getty Images)
As Rolling Stone reports, Abashe got a rape kit which showed traces of Akademiks’ DNA. Furthermore, the police had her do a wired phone call with the media personality, where he went into detail about the alleged encounter. However, Abashe eventually decided not to press charges and leave things be. That said, this situation went viral at the end of 2023 as clips emerged on social media. Additionally, Akademiks went on his stream and said that he was asleep when his friends had sex with her. He also said he never did anything and that everything was consensual. This led to her suing Akademiks for defamation for “accusing her of voluntarily having an orgy with his friends at his home while maintaining that he never participated at all.”
At this time, Akademiks has not responded to the allegations. Rolling Stone contacted him for a statement, although he declined to give one. This lawsuit comes on the same day that Akademiks’ Instagram page was either suspended or shut down by Ak himself. Stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest updates on this situation.
Ice Cube has shared his opinions about celebrities supporting Donald Trump and his pursuit of presidential reelection in the midst of many ongoing legal proceedings. The legendary West Coast hip-hop artist and businessman said as much in a recent interview with Fox Business. Cube not only called the choice “private,” but it also questioned the legitimacy of celebrity endorsements in general. Cube said, “I think it’s a personal decision. I don’t know if they care if any rappers or entertainers get up there and say anything. It’s really a personal decision.”
Ice Cube further asserted that the public, despite the influence of political leaders and their supporters, retains the power to make independent decisions during elections. He stated, “People know who Trump is,” he said in part. “People know who Biden is. They’re going to make their decision no matter who gets up there and pushes whatever agenda they want.” This emphasis on the public’s autonomy in decision-making is a powerful reminder of their role in shaping the political landscape.
“I think that people have realized that neither party really speaks for minorities, maybe for the Black audience, and it comes down to who they think will really help them on the issues that they care about,” said Big Three League President Jeff Kwatinetz, who also voiced his opinion alongside Ice Cube. As Trump seeks a second term in power, a number of rappers have recently been connected to him.
In addition to earlier support for Trump from musicians like Wocka Flocka and Kodak Black, Lil Pump confirmed his support for the president back in January by getting a tattoo. Additionally, Ice Cube discussed the most recent changes to his professional sports league, having secured a $10 million contract with the sale of its first franchise. He said of THe Big 3, “It’s a league that we kind of started from scratch in 2017. We’ve been, for eight years, growing this league, and it’s not been easy. We had to go through COVID.” Overall, ice Cube is a man about his business.
NAV is an artist who has been instrumental to the Toronto sound. Overall, he came up producing for huge artists such as Drake. However, he was eventually signed to The Weeknd’s XO imprint, and he has not looked back since. During the late 2010s and even the early 2020s, he was a prolific artist of sorts. He was always coming through with new albums and singles, while also being featured on big albums. That said, as of late, he has taken a bit of a hiatus, much to the chagrin of all of his supporters.
Well, it appears as though NAV is ready to make his comeback. Today, the artist took to YouTube with a brand-new album trailer. This new project is called On My Way 2 Rexdale which is a reference to where he grew up. Throughout this trailer, we get some snippets of songs that will be found throughout the album. Moreover, there are even some clues as to which artists will be featured. The most obvious clues involve Future, Don Toliver, and even Playboi Carti.
At this time, there is no release date for the project. Instead, it has been teased for a Summer release. Overall, that is a great time to drop as people are going to want summer anthems. NAV’s melodic stylings have always suited that time of year, especially if we are getting ourselves an upbeat album. No matter what, this should be an interesting listen. After being gone for so long, we are definitely in for a new sound and a revitalized NAV.
Let us know what you think of this upcoming NAV album, in the comments section down below. Are you excited for him to come out with a new full-length LP? What kind of features do you think will be found throughout the project? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.
Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s recent beef is likely to go down as one of the biggest in rap history. The two superstars are near the peak of their popularity and held nothing back while going at each other with rapid-fire new song releases. That pressure chamber led to massive commercial success for nearly every song involved with 5 different diss tracks from the two landing in the top 20 of this week’s Hot 100. But with the massive stakes and popularity of the beef, rap historians are judging its best songs within the lens of all time great disses.
Elliott Wilson took the newly sparked beef as an opportunity to count down his all-time greatest diss tracks. His list delivered100 ranked diss songs. Drake himself appears all over the list with songs like “Charged Up” and “Duppy Freestyle” from prior spats. His lethal Meek Mill diss track “Back To Back” lands at number 4 all time. Kendrick also landed all five of the songs he released during the recent Drake beef within the top 40 of the list. The highlight of the bunch is “Not Like Us” which lands at number 3. Only two certified legendary disses in Nas’ “Ether” and 2pac’s “Hit Em Up” rank higher on the list. Check out the full list he shared below.
Fans aren’t just loving “Not Like Us” as a great diss track, they’re loving it as a song period. The track got off to an absolutely astonishing start breaking Spotify streaming records for its first 24 hours. That led to a commanding number one debut on the Hot 100. That came despite only having 5 days of tracking streams rather than 7.
What do you think of Elliott WIlson’s ranking of “Not Like Us” as the third greatest diss song in the entire history of rap? Do you agree with him placing the song that high and including nearly every track from Drake and Kendrick’s current beef in the all time list? Let us know in the comment section below.
FULL LIST: