Pop

Drake And Taylor Swift Each Had More Streams Than Every Pre-1980 Song Combined Last Year

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Drake is the king of streaming. Even just looking at Spotify numbers, he’s been the platform’s most-streamed artists on three separate years (more times than anybody else) and he was the platform’s most-streamed artist of the 2010s. His popularity continued in 2021: Billboard reports last year, his music had more on-demand audio streams in the US than the combined total streams of every song from before 1980.

Billboard breaks it down:

“Music released in the 1990s generated 60 billion streams in 2021, which translates to 6.07% of streams; music released during the 1980s accounted for 33.84 billion streams, or 3.42%. Music released before then doesn’t even account for a single-digit percentage point: Music from the 1970s scored 3.51 billion streams, or 0.36% of the total; music from the 1960s had 2.64 billion streams, or 0.27%; and 1950s material generated just 212.85 million streams, or 0.02%. (The market share of music released before that is too small to count.) All told, music released before 1980 accounted for 0.6% of 2021 US on-demand streaming – while Drake himself generated 7.91 billion streams, or 0.8%.”

Looking at other data, it would seem Taylor Swift also beat everything pre-1980 last year (in a notably close call), as Billboard previously reported, “Drake racked up nearly 1.9 billion more on-demand audio streams [in the US] than Swift, the country’s second most-streamed artist, who accounted for 0.61% of all on-demand audio streams.”

While the all-time streaming charts tend to favor new music, there is one song from the ’70s that has thrived: Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” is the only song from the decade in the top 100 most-streamed songs on Spotify (and just one of two from before the 2000s, alongside Oasis’ “Wonderwall“). On Spotify’s official 240-song “BILLIONS CLUB” playlist, which collects songs with a billion streams on the platform, Queen has four songs, while Drake has eight. Swift’s sole entry on the playlist is her Zayn collaboration “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever.”

Post Malone Pops Up At A Billy Strings Concert To Join Him For A Bluegrass Johnny Cash Cover

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Bluegrass and Americana favorite Billy Strings is fresh off some decent exposure, as he performed on the outdoor stage at the 2022 Grammys, where he also had a pair of nominations. He’s also captured the attention of at least one household name: Post Malone, who joined Strings on stage last night for a cover of Johnny Cash’s “Cocaine Blues.”

Yesterday, Strings and his band performed at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California, where Malone unexpectedly popped up. Strings introduced Malone, saying, “I saw this guy lurking around backstage and figured we gotta drag him up here to f*ckin’ sing for us.” Posty then offered a compliment, saying, “Billy Strings is the best to ever f*ckin’ do it.”

They then launched into the cover, with Malone strumming an acoustic guitar as he sang lead vocals on the bluegrass rendition of the song. When Malone wasn’t singing, he was smiling, and based on the audience reaction, it looked like a good time was had by all.

This comes shortly after Dre London, Malone’s manager, claimed Posty’s next album, Twelve Carat Toothache, is slated for a May release, which has yet to be confirmed by Malone himself.

Watch Malone and Strings cover “Cocaine Blues” above.

Vince Staples Explains Why Hip-Hop Is Not A ‘Game’ But A ‘Business’

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Vince Staples has never been one to mince his words about… anything. It was just last month that Vince criticized record labels for seeking “money in the violence” against rappers. “It’s money in it and they gonna keep selling it and we gonna keep perpetuating it and we gon’ be hurt when somebody die,” he said during the interview on Hot 97. “I don’t necessarily know if they care. If they did, man the album ready in four weeks once you die. You get more press on the album after you die.” Fresh off the release of his fifth album Ramona Park Broke My Heart, Vince took a moment to give his thoughts on the way hip-hop is presented.

Rap is often referred to as a “game,” and during a recent interview with Complex’s Speedy Mormon, Vince explained why hip-hop isn’t a game in his eyes. “What’s the game? In basketball, you dribble, you shoot, you score, you win,” he said. Vince added, “The reason it’s an expression is because somebody has to lose. So that way, when it ends up and you do it and it takes everything from you, then you just lost the game. But that’s not what it’s supposed to be. This is a business, you’re supposed to have good business [and] good morals. [Instead], they pay you, and you know [they say], ‘Oh, this is an opportunity so you don’t deserve ownership of your project,’ ‘This is an opportunity, you don’t deserve this, you don’t deserve that.’”

Vince continued, “They don’t call any other genre ‘the game.’ They call the rap game the ‘rap game’ because there’s a bunch of n****s running around and they don’t want to give Black people sh*t.’”

You can watch the full interview in the video above.

Ramona Park Broke My Heart is out now via Motown Records. You can stream it here.

Ty Dolla Sign is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Newly Unearthed Footage Of Jay-Z’s Iconic 2001 Summer Jam Set Includes A Michael Jackson Cameo

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Months before the release of his critically acclaimed album, The Blueprint in 2001, Jay-Z performed a memorable set at the annual Hot 97 Summer Jam. For over two decades, Jay-Z‘s hour-long set has remained one of the hip-hop festival’s most iconic moments, footage has proven difficult to find.

Until yesterday, when Jay’s set resurfaced via a YouTube account called HipHopVCR.

The set consists of Jay performing several of his hits and debuting new tracks. He performed “Takeover,” a response to Nas’ scathing diss track “Ether.” “Takeover” was produced by Kanye West, who, at the time, was relatively unknown. “Takeover” was targeted at both Nas and Mobb Deep, particularly one-half of Mobb Deep, late rapper Prodigy. During the performance, Jay broadcast a photo of a young Prodigy in dance classes on the jumbotron.

Later on in the set, Jay brought out Michael Jackson. Though the two didn’t perform together, Jackson can be seen blowing kisses and tossing peace signs to a roaring crowd.

Jay would later collaborate with MJ on Blueprint cut “Girls, Girls, Girls,” on which, Jay claims Jackson sang background vocals, despite not appearing in the song’s credits. In 2010, a song called “(I Can’t Make It) Another Day appeared on Jackson’s posthumous album, Michael. The track was originally written as a collaboration between Jackson and Lenny Kravitz for Jackson’s 2001 album Invincible, but did not make the final tracklist. It was later rewritten and recorded as “Storm” and included on Kravitz’s 2004 album Baptism, as a collaboration between Jay and Kravitz.

Though footage of the Summer Jam set has remained scarce over the years, the performance has been held to high regard in the realm of hip-hop. Jay would reference the performance in a remix of Jeezy’s 2008 hit, “Put On,” rapping, “I put Mike Jack on stage at Summer Jam, Billie Jean / I put Prodigy in his place on that Summer Jam screen.”

Check out the full Summer Jam set above.

The Library Of Congress Honors Music By A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan, And Others

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There are plenty of music awards out there but perhaps the most prestigious is a work being selected for preservation in the Library Of Congress’ National Recording Registry; Recordings are selected after being deemed “worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical, or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.” It’s a major achievement, as only 600 recordings have ever been honored.

That total counts the newly announced selections for 2022, which include Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory, Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), and Alicia Keys’ Songs In A Minor, among noteworthy others.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden says, “The National Recording Registry reflects the diverse music and voices that have shaped our nation’s history and culture through recorded sound. The national library is proud to help preserve these recordings, and we welcome the public’s input. We received about 1,000 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry.”

Keys also noted, “I’m so honored and grateful that Songs In A Minor, the entire album, gets to be recognized as such a powerful body of work that is just going to be timeless.

Find the full list of 2022 selections below and read more about them here.

1. “Harlem Strut” — James P. Johnson (1921)
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt: Complete Presidential Speeches (1933-1945)
3. “Walking The Floor Over You” — Ernest Tubb (1941) (single)
4. “On A Note Of Triumph” (May 8, 1945)
5. “Jesus Gave Me Water” — The Soul Stirrers (1950) (single)
6. Ellington At Newport — Duke Ellington (1956) (album)
7. We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite — Max Roach (1960) (album)
8. “The Christmas Song” — Nat King Cole (1961) (single)
9. Tonight’s The Night — The Shirelles (1961) (album)
10. “Moon River” — Andy Williams (1962) (single)
11. In C — Terry Riley (1968) (album)
12. “It’s A Small World” — The Disneyland Boys Choir (1964) (single)
13. “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” — The Four Tops (1966) (single)
14. Hank Aaron’s 715th Career Home Run (April 8, 1974)
15. “Bohemian Rhapsody” — Queen (1975) (single)
16. “Don’t Stop Believin’” — Journey (1981) (single)
17. Canciones de Mi Padre — Linda Ronstadt (1987) (album)
18. Nick Of Time — Bonnie Raitt (1989) (album)
19. The Low End Theory — A Tribe Called Quest (1991) (album)
20. Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) — Wu-Tang Clan (1993) (album)
21. Buena Vista Social Club (1997) (album)
22. “Livin’ La Vida Loca” — Ricky Martin (1999) (single)
23. Songs In A Minor — Alicia Keys (2001) (album)
24. WNYC broadcasts for the day of 9/11 (September 11, 2001)
25. WTF With Marc Maron (Guest: Robin Williams) (April 26, 2010)

Post Malone’s New Album ‘Twelve Carat Toothache’ Is Coming Next Month, His Manager Claims

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New Post Malone music may be coming sooner than we think. According to his manager, Posty’s long-awaited fourth studio album Twelve Carat Toothache is set for release next month.

Malone’s longtime manager Dre London shared the news in a recent Instagram post. In a video, London is seen playing tennis, saying, “We out here on a Monday. Monday f*cking motivation. We making excuses, or we getting results. It’s either results or f*cking excuses.”

Though Malone doesn’t appear in the video, nor does the video seem to have much to do with Malone or the album, the video is captioned, “Results Or Excuses Choose Your Side! @postmalone album coming next month! What u want in life results or excuses!! #MondayMotivation.”

Though Malone has not confirmed the album’s release date, he is set to play a slew of festivals this summer, including Hangout Festival and Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash Festival, which has fans speculating that he may release new music beforehand.

This isn’t the first time London has implied that Post Malone is ready to release new music, Back in January, London took to Instagram to express frustration toward Republic Records for allegedly delaying Twelve Carat Toothache‘s release.

“Our sync & energy always on a Insane level!!,” London said. “Album has been done!! We Ready!! But seems @republicrecords @universalmusicgroup isn’t [shrugging emoji] Posty fans no more need to press me anymore we did our part!! Now it’s time for the label to get the business right before we drop BIG Album! Hit them up! We been ready like u are! #DreVision #2022 It’s Time!!!”

Also next month, Malone is set to appear in court alongside producer Frank Dukes, both of whom are being sued by Canadian musician Tyler Armes, who claims to have contributed a guitar tune to the song’s final composition.

Kehlani Reveals The ‘Blue Water Road’ Tracklist, Featuring Justin Bieber, Syd, And Thundercat

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Just weeks away from their third studio album Blue Water Road, Kehlani has revealed the star-studded tracklist. With the album intro “Little Story” already setting the stage for a cohesive body of work and the album’s lead single “Altar” demonstrating Kehlani’s powerful vocals, Blue Water Road is promising to be their most intimate work to date.

Earlier this month, Kehlani dropped their Justin Bieber collaboration “Up All Night,” showcasing a groovy musical chemistry between the two. Upon the album’s release, we’ll hear collaborations with LA singer Blxst, Jessie Reyez, and Syd.

Kehlani recently collaborated with Syd on “Out Loud” from her sophomore album Broken Hearts Club. The two first collaborated on “Birthday” from electronic duo Disclosure’s 2020 album, Energy.

On the album’s closing track, “Wondering/Wandering,” Kehlani shares the bill with Thundercat and Ambre, the lattermost they collaborated with on a 2016 single called “No Service In The Hills.”

Check out the tracklist below.

1. “Little Story”
2. “Any Given Sunday” Feat. Blxst
3. “Shooter Interlude”
4. “Wish I Never”
5. “Up At Night” Feat. Justin Bieber
6. “Get Me Started” Feat. Syd
7. “Everythin Interlude”
8. “More Than I Should” Feat. Jessie Reyez
9. “Altar”
10. “Melt”
11. “Tangerine”
12. “Everything”
13. “Wondering/Wandering” Feat. Thundercat and Ambre

Blue Water Road is out 4/29 via Atlantic. Pre-save it here.

Kehlani is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Rihanna Is Approaching Her Next Album ‘Completely Differently’ Now Than She Was Before

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While it’s been a good long while since Rihanna dropped her last album, 2016’s Anti, but in recent years, she has regularly offered brief updates on it. Now, she’s back with another as she noted her approach to the project has changed.

In a new Vogue profile, Rihanna noted, “I’m looking at my next project completely differently from the way I had wanted to put it out before. I think this way suits me better, a lot better. It’s authentic, it’ll be fun for me, and it takes a lot of the pressure off.”

As for balancing that album with everything else she always has going on, Rihanna said, “Balance is one of my biggest challenges and always has been. And now there’s another human being coming into play, it changes what that means again. Still, I have businesses that aren’t going to run themselves. My mom handled the three of us with not even close to the amount of resources that I have, so I can absolutely do it. What it looks like? I’m not sure.”

Elsewhere in the conversation, she also revealed that Anti is her favorite album of hers, calling it her “best album to this day.”

Check out the full interview here.

Lizzo Teases ‘About Damn Time’ With A Confident Instagram Video, Calling It The ‘Song Of The Summer’

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A new era of Lizzo began late last year with the unveiling of her first single in two years, “Rumors.” Last month, Lizzo announced on Instagram that her follow-up to 2019’s chart-topping Cuz I Love You was finally finished. It was clear from the caption that she’s happy with the material and excited to share it with the world.

She’s so stoked about her new music, in fact, that she can’t help but give us glimpses of it. On The Late Late Show a couple of weeks ago, she previewed an unreleased track titled “About Damn Time.” Corden pulled out a vinyl record with a simple sleeve that said, “TOP SECRET Lizzo New Music 2022.” He then popped the record on a portable turntable and played about 30 seconds.

Now, she’s back with a brief clip of the ’70s-inspired song again, this time on Instagram with a fierce video that shows off a lot of skin while she walks onto a plane. Her caption reads: “SONG OF THE SUMMER DROPPING 4/14.” Fans in the comment praise her confidence — both in herself and her body as well as in her forthcoming music. Considering the success of her last album, she has every reason to believe these new songs will take over the world.

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Camila Cabello And Willow Performed The Angsty, Frantic ‘Psychofreak’ On ‘SNL’

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Lately, Willow Smith has been a secret weapon for pop star who want to add an influx of punk energy to their sound. Since she started coming up as an adult artist, Willow has evolved far past “Whip My Hair” and has become a full-fledged “Emo Girl” — or so her recent collaboration with Machine Gun Kelly asserts. Since Camila Cabello has never been edgy or punk at all, this is the perfect chance for her to explore what a song with those undertones would be like, and “Psychofreak,” her recent collab with Willow, does not disappoint.

The track is off Camila’s third album, Familia, which she just released this past Friday. Of course, Camila has been on a press blitz promoting the record, and she was lucky enough to get an appearance on Saturday Night Live as part of that. As collaborations become more and more popular, it’s not necessarily surprising that Willow joined her, but kicking off her set with this recent collab is definitely a pivot from the earlier sounds of the record, including “Bam Bam” featuring Ed Sheeran, and one of the record’s earliest singles, “La Buena Vida.” Check out the high-energy performance of “Psychofreak” up top, and look out for Camila’s second performance of the night, “Bam Bam” as well.