It’s been two-and-a-half years since the Astroworld Festival disaster where 10 people died in the crowd. It happened during the 2021 edition of Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival and led to discussions about crowd safety and emergency protocol for similar live experiences. There’s still a long legal battle ahead of Scott and some of the companies that helped promote and run the festival. But one person who won’t have to be concerned with the legal proceedings anymore is Drake.
Drizzy appeared on stage alongside Travis Scott during the now-notorious performance. He was named as a defendant in some of the lawsuits filed against the festival as some believed he helped contribute to the chaotic nature of the event. When the dozens of lawsuits filed were collected into one big lawsuit his name carried over as a defendant. But his days of having to worry about the case are officially over. According to TMZ, a judge has ruled in the rapper’s favor in his request to be released from all claims in the lawsuit.
The new ruling releasing Drake from the lawsuit follows his original filing last month. Travis Scott himself also attempted a similar move claiming that he wasn’t responsible for things like festival safety since he was merely an artist performing at the event. The judge shut that claim down and denied his motion to be released from the suit. Apple was also declined a release from the lawsuit. The tech company streamed the performance through their Apple Music platform.
After an extended absence from new studio albums, Travis Scott returned with his new album UTOPIA last year. The record even featured a collaboration with Drake on the track “Meltdown” which would become one of the record’s biggest hits. What do you think of Drake being dismissed from the Astroworld Festival lawsuit? Do you think it’s the right move to let him off the hook for what happened at the festival? Let us know in the comment section below.
It’s no secret that Future has made his mark on the world of hip-hop, and according to Charlamagne Tha God, he may have even earned himself a spot in the big three. During a recent episode of his Brilliant Idiots podcast with Andrew Schulz, he weighed in on the viral feud between Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and J. Cole, praising the rapper for the influence he’s had on music over the past decade or so. He noted that there are now several artists making music similar to his, indicating how much of an impact he’s made.
“They talking about a Big Three but really there’s a Fantastic Four. If you really wanna get a little spicy, Future could be in the Big Three,” he explained. “For better or worse, I can find a million Future clones all around the world. I don’t think there’s any rapper that’s influenced culture and music more than Future over the last decade. I think Future has influence. People wanna be Future, people wanna sound like Future.”
Charlamagne Tha God Praises Future For His Influence On Music
Charlamagne then went on to highlight a few of Future’s latest feats. Most recently, for example, the hitmaker topped the charts with his collaborative album alongside Metro BoominWe Don’t Trust You. His Kendrick-assisted track on the album, “Like That,” also quickly went viral for igniting beef between Kendrick, Drake, and J. Cole. He also revealed who he thinks belongs in the big three, notably leaving out J. Cole entirely. “I would have Drake, Future, Kendrick, personally,” he shared, also adding “Statistically, if you’re talking about numbers and all of that, Future’s over Cole.”
What do you think of Charlamagne Tha God’s take on Future? What about him claiming that he’s one of the most influential rappers of the past decade? Do you agree with him or not? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
The longstanding feud with Chris Brown and Quavo is somehow still relevant to hip-hop discourse in 2024. Over the years, Chris Breezy’s picked up feuds with several artists, whether R&B stars or rappers, for petty reasons. Frank Ocean, for example, allegedly got into it with Chris Brown over a parking spot and also had a rift with Drake that reportedly resulted in a club brawl. In the latter circumstance, their shared affection for Rihanna led to the kerfuffle, though she isn’t the only woman whom Breezy has been noticeably willing to go to war for.
In the wee hours of Thursday morning (April 11th), Chris Brown unveiled the deluxe edition of his latest project 11:11 containing the single, “Freak.” Though the record serves as a posse cut with verses from Lil Wayne, Tee Grizzley and Joyner Lucas, the singer’s bars have already taken over the timeline, though not necessarily for the right reasons. On the song, Chris Brown disses Quavo, and the Migos, by extension.
Chris Brown’s “Freak”: What Did He Say About Quavo?
In “Freak,” Chris Brown plays with phonetics between the name of the Migos rapper and a famous tequila brand as a means to get his point across. “Okay, now f**kin’ my old bitches ain’t gon’ make us equal/ Sippin’ that 1942 ’cause I don’t do no Cuervo (Quavo)/ Freak bitch, she like Casamigos, not the Migos,” Breezy raps over the nostalgic sample of Nelly’s hit record, “Air Force 1s.”
Though certainly not a scathing bar that would warrant a response, the issues between the two surround their romance with Karrueche Tran. For context, Quavo and Karrueche were the subject of dating rumors shortly after her split from Chris Brown. And while Tran has gone as far as filing a restraining order against the R&B star, it seems that he still hasn’t entirely gotten over her, nor the fact that Quavo, his then-friend and collaborator, had supposedly “betrayed” him.
Quavo has yet to acknowledge Chris Brown’s recent bars. Considering their history, it seems unlikely that Quavo engages with this on wax. Over the years, the two haven’t necessarily made any attempts to bury the hatchet, either. In 2017, they nearly got into a physical altercation at the BET Awards After-Party, nothing really came of it after. Even at the top of the year, when organizers seated Chris Brown and Quavo next to each other, the former explained that he didn’t really have any control over the situation. “Can’t pick who u sit by. F*ck all that growth sh*t. N***a not finna fumble my bag for little n***as,” Brown said on Instagram.
Interestingly enough, that specific seating arrangement sparked an even bigger dialogue about who the bigger star is between Quavo and Chris Brown. Though Breezy remained mum on the matter, Quavo later poked his head out and stated that his star-power is undeniable, writing, “The biggest QUAVO HUNCHO!! Aint goin back and forth.” With the release of Chris Brown’s “Freak,” perhaps we can expect a word from Quavo in the future.
In February, Peso Pluma signed his first-ever brand partnership with Sony. “I’m excited for the opportunity to collaborate with Sony’s ‘For The Music’ campaign to continue opening pathways for Latin music,” Pluma said in a statement at the time. On Thursday, April 11, Pluma and Sony jointly announced the launch of the ULT POWER SOUND series, which is described in a press release as “a new series of Bluetooth speakers and headphones designed to make users feel like they are front row at a concert.”
“The powerful sound and massive bass of the ULT POWER SOUND® series excites me,” Pluma said in a statement. “As a musician who relies heavily on bass when creating my music, I feel that these products provide the best listening experience for my fans, and there is nothing else like it.”
How To Buy Peso Pluma & Sony’s Ult Power Sound Series Speakers
The product launch includes ULT TOWER 10, ULT FIELD 7, ULT FIELD 1, and ULT WEAR. According to a press release, each product will be available sometime in “spring 2024” at Sony’s official website, Amazon, Best Buy, and “other Sony-authorized dealers.”
The pricing is based upon “suggested retail price”:
ULT TOWER 10: $1,199
ULT FIELD 7: $499
ULT FIELD 1 in black, forest gray, off-white, or orange: $129
ULT WEAR in black, forest gray, or off-white: $199.99
In one of Sony’s promotional videos, Pluma jaunts into a quiet museum with a smirk because he knows he’s about to use the ULT TOWER 10 to put on an impromptu concert for the unsuspecting museumgoers. The paintings even come to life!
Watch that video above or the behind-the-scenes video below.
Only J. Cole would include Gucci Mane in a list of features on the opening track of his new mixtape, Might Delete Later, and then turn him into Big Rube. Like most of J. Cole’s output, how you feel about this probably depends on how you feel about J. Cole, in general.
Personally, I’m sort of mystified by him. As a beneficiary of the Wild West days of the blog era, he’s been unexpectedly successful using a style that, by practically any other metric, should be woefully out-of-style, a quixotic, backward-looking flow harkening to the days when Rawkus Records had backpack rappers overachieving left and right. (This isn’t a slight on Rawkus, by the way. But let’s just say that the rappers who most inspired J. Cole weren’t exactly known for their commercial successes amid the shiny suit era.)
I wouldn’t call Cole a “relic,” but his worshipful, borderline quixotic approach to lyrics-over-everything rap has made him a divisive figure among hip-hop fans. My pet theory is that his connections to Jay-Z and the anything-goes openness of the era into which he made his entry into the public consciousness meant he got way further than perhaps he should have with a style that many fans see as regressive and boring. Certainly, he got further than a whole slew of similarly ’90s-obsessed underground sound revivalists.
This isn’t even a new observation for me. In myKOD review in 2018, I said his fifth studio album “doesn’t hold up when you think about it critically for more than ten seconds.” In my review for its follow-up, The Off Season, I questioned whether his commitment to the craft of rap “leads to a more entertaining product” at the end of the day.
I even wrote a feature in 2021 comparing him to controversial director Zack Snyder — a comparison that has taken on some fascinating dimensions in the wake of the critical panning of Syner’s latest two-part film project, Rebel Moon. The obvious parallel is Cole’s new mixtape, which has drawn attention for its warlike intentions — and Cole’s meek withdrawal thereof in the span of a weekend.
That it was the second project overshadowed by this overblown feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar is telling. Even more so is the microcosm of the project in the example I cited above. I’m unsure who exactly was clamoring for Gucci Mane, Big Guwop, the godfather of trap, to perform Def Poetry spoken word like Dewey Jenkins in The Boondocks. And I hate to fall back on cliché, but I found the effect more soporific than energizing, the way their previous collaboration, “There I Go” with Mike Will Made-It was.
Might Delete Later arrived by surprise as fans awaited word of Cole’s long-promised seventh album, The Fall-Off. He’d previously explained the portentous title as the ultimate answer for his self-questioning after reaching the mountaintop of his success. “I had a real talk with myself… ‘You made it to where you wanted to make it to. Do you wanna keep going or do you just want to chill and go start a family? Do you want to retire right now?’”
Might Delete Later might have been better served with a release date after fans had also received that answer, because its misplacement ahead of The Fall-Off suggests mileage on those metaphorical legs that encourage — or even demand — a little more time on the sidelines. Or maybe even the purchase of a spiffy suit and putting that communications degree to work on a regional cable affiliate (what’s the rap equivalent of a broadcast analyst job? Please, just no more podcasts [shudders]). Cole does what he does here, admirably, but… it doesn’t feel like he’s pushing himself, growing, getting better, or feeling the exhilaration he touted as his goal in Slam‘s profile of him a few years ago.
Even the highest point of the tape, the Dipset-sampling “Ready ’24,’ is a nostalgic nod to Cole’s high-school days, complete with an appearance from an original Diplomat, Cam’ron. It’s a moment designed to invoke the same excitement of The Rock reappearing in the WWE a few months before Wrestlemania, but winds up having a similar effect to that particular stunt; a crowd disappointed that the focus had shifted from the possibility of an electrifying future to a storied but stodgy past. Hip-hop has always been about moving forward; why is J. Cole so obsessed with looking back?
And if he’s going to insist on holding over traditions from rap’s past, why, of all things, does he keep employing rap’s problematic treatment of queerness? In an era in which Cakes Da Killa, Lil Nas X, Saucy Santana, and more can share space and mic time with vanguards like Jack Harlow and Latto, J. Cole’s antitrans punchlines on “Pi” feel like the most cumbersome ball of cobwebs clouding his ambitions of immortality. For someone who wants to sit on the mountaintop, he still seems more cozy in his caves, excavating lyrical gems — and the occasional lump of coal — than surveying the landscape and spreading his wings. J. Cole may not be falling off just yet, but his approach could use a refresh.
Might Delete Later is out now via Dreamville/Interscope.
With Coachella kicking off just about a day from this writing, you might be looking to get familiar with the works of the headlining acts, Doja Cat, Lana Del Rey, No Doubt, and Tyler The Creator. While you can learn more about what songs the latter might be performing right here, you can click the others’ names to see their potential setlists.
So, what songs will Tyler The Creator be performing?
While there’s no way to know for sure until he’s actually onstage, we do know he won’t be performing any songs from his new album — because he doesn’t have one coming (yet). At least, that’s what he says, but you know Tyler… always looking to surprise his fans.
Naturally, that setlist was dominated in large part by Tyler’s most recent album, Call Me If You Get Lost, with performances of “WUSYANAME,” “LUMBERJACK,” and “DOGTOOTH.” Meanwhile, fan favorites from across his career popped up in the set, with early breakout “Yonkers,” fan-favorite “IFHY,” and “Tamale” filling out the midpoint. Of course, his critical darlings Flower Boy and Igor were both well-represented, with examples from each making up the remainder. I wouldn’t be surprised if he performs “See You Again,” “Earfquake,” and “New Magic Wand,” which were some of the standouts from those albums.
We’ll find out on Saturday at 11:40pm. For more set times, click here.
First of all, always expect the unexpected with Doja Cat. Predicting Doja Cat’s Coachella 2024 setlist seems like a losing exercise, but it’s worth a try. A few details are confirmed as fact: Doja Cat will headline on Sunday, April 14, and Sunday, April 21; Coachella 2024 headliners also include Lana Del Rey and Tyler The Creator; Coachella 2024 will pump out so many headlines over the next two weeks.
Beyond that, who knows what’s about to happen at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California?
What Songs Can You Expect Doja Cat To Perform At Coachella 2024?
All that said, we can form a solid hypothesis because Doja staged her headlining Scarlet Tour last year. It would make sense for Doja to at least pull from her Scarlet Tour setlist because Scarlet is her most recent album — and it would make a ton of sense for her to use the Coachella stage to debut live performances of Scarlet deluxe album songs, such as “MASC” featuring Teezo Touchdown. Maybe she brings out SZA as a surprise guest for “Say So”? Post Malone for “I Like You (A Happier Song)”? Saweetie for “Best Friend”? It’s all on the board.
For a more concrete guess, check out Doja’s setlist from her Scarlet Tour stop in Chicago on December 13 below (as relayed by setlist.fm).
Fans are now waiting to see what this new release will bring — or if there will be any other disses in store. As of right now, though, the tracklist and those featured on We Still Don’t Trust You have yet to be revealed.
For those who are using Apple Music, here’s what to know about when it will be on the streaming platform.
When Can You Play Future And Metro Boomin’s We Still Don’t Trust You Album On Apple Music?
Future and Metro Boomin’s We Still Don’t Trust You will be available starting at midnight ET, or 9 p.m. for those who live on the West Coast. If you’re in a different time zone, it will be out whenever albums typically drop in that location.
Until later tonight, fans can build up their anticipation by listening to their album titled We Don’t Trust You that dropped back in March.
We Still Don’t Trust You is out 4/12 via Epic Records/Boominati Worldwide/Republic Records.
When Can You Play Future And Metro Boomin’s We Still Don’t Trust You Album On Spotify?
We Still Don’t Trust You will be released on Friday, April 12. So, the album should be available to stream on Spotify (and across all DSPs) at 9 p.m. PST on April 11 and midnight EST on April 12. As its title suggests, Future and Metro’s collaborative album follows in the footsteps of We Don’t Trust You, which dropped on March 22.
On April 4, Metro Boomin posted on X (formerly Twitter), “This is not a deluxe. This is a completely separate body of work. #WeSTILLDontTrustYou 4/12/24.” Metro also teased the album with a clip of the late Kobe Bryant at a press conference after the Los Angeles Lakers went up 2-0 in the 2009 NBA Finals. “What’s there to be happy about?” Bryant said, looking disgusted. “Job’s not finished.”
Wanya Morris is hailed as a key member of the iconic R&B group Boyz II Men. He’s reportedly earned a net worth of $60 million as of 2024, according to CelebrityNetWorth. His journey through the music industry has seen him achieve remarkable success. This is as a performer and in his entrepreneurial ventures. It further helped to cement his financial status and lasting influence in music.
Rise With Boyz II Men
American R&B group Boyz II Men (American singer Michael McCary, American singer. Nathan Morris, American singer Wanya Morris, and American singer and songwriter Shawn Stockman) attend the. 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, held at the Pauley Pavilion, UCLA in Los Angeles, California, 9th September 1992. (Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images)
Born July 29, 1973, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wanya Morris rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of Boyz II Men. The group quickly became synonymous with R&B excellence, known for their smooth harmonies and ballads. Their breakthrough album, Cooleyhighharmony, was a critical and commercial success. It also featured timeless hits such as “End of the Road” and “I’ll Make Love to You.” These tracks topped the charts and set new records for longevity at the number one spot. This confirmed the group’s dominant place in music history.
Solo Projects & Musical Endeavors
DETROIT, MICHIGAN – SEPTEMBER 03: Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men performs onstage at. The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre on September 03, 2023, also in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
Beyond his achievements with Boyz II Men, Wanya has explored various solo projects and collaborative ventures. His solo efforts allowed him to experiment with his musical style and reach new audiences. Additionally, his role as a producer and mentor to younger talents has expanded his influence within the industry, showcasing his commitment to nurturing the next generation of artists. These endeavors have enriched his career and been instrumental in maintaining his relevance and financial success in the ever-evolving music landscape.
Philanthropy & Personal Life
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 19: (L-R) Singers Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men discuss their album “Under the Streetlight” at Build Studio on October 19, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
Morris’s impact extends beyond the music scene through his philanthropic efforts. He has been involved in various charitable causes, focusing particularly on music education and support for underprivileged youth. His personal life, marked by his role as a family man and a mentor, reflects his dedication to giving back to the community that has supported his career. This aspect of his life adds depth to his public persona, enriching his legacy as more than just a musician but also a benefactor. Overall, Wanya Morris’s significant net worth reflects a career that spans hit records with Boyz II Men, solo musical pursuits, and a thoughtful engagement with philanthropy. His continued presence in the music industry, business acumen, and charitable work ensure that his impact will be felt for years to come.
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