Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s brewing battle is certainly the main event in hip-hop at the moment, but aside from the kerfuffle that’s come from their diss tracks, it hasn’t been all that eventful. If you’re looking for entertainment, look no further than the side beef between Drake and Rick Ross. Things between the friends-turned-enemies reached its peak point when Drake dissed Ross on “Push Up (Drop & Give Me 50),” his response to Kendrick and others. Ross quickly responded with “Champagne Moments” just hours later, but the Florida native had plenty more to say to Drake after he released his response.
Hours after he jumped on social media to call Drake “BBL Drizzy” and OVO Sound “Pastrami Posse,” Ross continued his trolling on Instagram while at a party in Miami. Despite their beef, Ross seemed to enjoy when Drake’s records were played during the party. Nothing seemed to put a bigger smile on his face than when Drake’s verse on Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” played and Ross used that moment to make a big reveal about the song. “Who wrote this?” Rick Ross said into the camera. “Guess who wrote this. You would never guess who wrote this.”
Ross did not reveal the alleged writer behind the song, but it’s not the first time Drake has dealt with ghostwriter claims over the past couple of weeks. Fans were reminded of Future’s songwriter contributions to Drake’s “Feel No Ways” after Future and Metro Boomin put “This Sunday,” the alleged reference track for “Feel No Ways,” on their latest album We Still Don’t Trust You. More recently, Lil Yachty’s reference track for “Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin” off Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss album leaked on Twitter.
You can watch Ross make claims about “Sicko Mode” in the video above.
Rick Ross implied that Drake didn’t write his verse on Travis Scott’s hit song, “Sicko Mode,” while listening to the track on his Instagram Story, Sunday night. The accusation comes as the two have been feuding in recent days. “Who wrote this? Guess who wrote this, you would never guess who wrote this,” he said while the song played. It’s unclear exactly whether Ross was implying that he wrote the verse or he simply knows that someone else did.
Regardless, many fans came to Drake’s defense when Hollywood Unlocked shared the clip on Instagram. One user wrote: “Doesn’t matter who wrote it … ghost writing is an actual JOB … who made the beat?? Who played the drums? Who did the keyboards? Who was the engineer? Who did the edits? Who mastered the track? It’s all a PROCESS.” Another commented: “It don’t matter who wrote it. Who got rich off of it? Easy on Drake!” Others accused Drake’s fans of not being real hip-hop fans.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 26: Rick Ross attends the 2022 BET Awards at Microsoft Theater on June 26, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)
Drake first mentioned Ross on his leaked diss track, “Push Ups,” last week. Almost immediately afterward, Ross fired back with a diss of his own on “Champagne Moments.” He labeled Drake a “white boy” and accused him of getting a nose job. Drake took offense to the comments and called him “angry” and “racist” in texts shared with his mother afterward
Despite Ross’ reply, fans are still waiting on word from Kendrick Lamar, who started all of the drama with his bombshell verse on Metro Boomin and Future’s “Like That,” last month. Be on the lookout for further updates on Rick Ross and his feud with Drake on HotNewHipHop.
Since his studio debut Rodeo in 2015, Travis Scott has become one of the most popular rappers in the world. The Houston native’s ethereal trap sound has led to critical acclaim and some of the biggest hit songs over the last few years. Scott has recently teased a fourth album, Utopia, which the rapper is scheduled to release in June of this year. Here’s a look at some of Travis Scott’s biggest songs to date.
6. “90210” (2015)
Scott’s “90210” was not featured as a single on Rodeo. However, the song is one of the album’s standouts and is Scott’s self-professed favorite song from the project. Despite “90210” not being a single, it has the second-highest streams on the album behind “Antidote,” according to Streaming Masters. The song features background vocals from Kacy Hill and details Scott’s move from Houston to Los Angeles, as well as Travis’s experiences with family, women, and drugs after achieving fame. A year after the release of “90210,” Scott released a music video for the song that depicts the rapper as an action figure. Many fans regard “90210” and its visuals as Scott’s best of all time.
5. “Pick Up The Phone” (2016)
“Pick up the phone” is the second single from Scott’s sophomore album Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight. The song features Young Thug and Quavo. Much like “Antidote,” Scott released “pick up the phone” months before the album. Travis initially leaked the song on his Soundcloud because both he and Thug’s labels would not agree to release it. Regardless, the song ended up being a hit as it peaked at No. 43 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified double platinum. At the time, “pick up the phone” was Quavo’s highest-charting solo effort and also one of the highest-charting songs for both Scott and Thug. The music video for “pick up the phone” was also released in 2016 at the same time as the video for “90210.”
4. “Antidote” (2015)
By 2015, Travis Scott was well-known in the Hip-Hop community for his producer abilities and mixtapes Days Before Rodeo and Owl Pharaoh. However, it was not until the release of the single “Antidote” that Scott gained mainstream attention. “Antidote” was the second single on Rodeo, yet Scott did not originally intend for the song to be on the album. He released the song months before Rodeo; however, its popularity led to its placement on the album. “Antidote” has an atmospheric production and drug-induced lyrics that captivated fans and helped establish Scott’s unique sound. “The song peaked at No. 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 list and is certified quadruple platinum.
3. “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM”(2019)
In 2019, Travis Scott released the single “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM” to great fanfare. Scott debuted the song during his set at the Rolling Loud festival in Miami. After its release, it became Scott’s second No. 1 hit single after “SICKO MODE.” The rapper released a remix of the song in December 2019 that featured Rosalia and Lil Baby. The song’s remix is featured on the Cactus Jack label’s compilation album Jackboys. Scott also released a music video for “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM” which currently has over 500 million views on YouTube. The video reflects the song’s drug-induced lyrics with psychedelic visuals and depicts Scott on the top of a building in a futuristic city.
2. “Goosebumps” (2016)
Travis Scott released “goosebumps” as the third single from Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, and the song has since amassed over two billion streams, according to Streaming Masters. “Goosebumps” was the most successful single from Scott’s sophomore effort, and much of that is due to Kendrick Lamar’s feature. The Scott and Lamar combination may have seemed strange to many fans at the time, as the two rappers operate in two different lanes of Hip-Hop. However, their styles blended perfectly on the track. “Goosebumps” peaked at No. 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and as of 2018, the song is certified 4x platinum. Travis also broke the Guinness World Record for most consecutive song performances during a show with “goosebumps” after playing it 15 times in a row in 2017.
1. “SICKO MODE” (2018)
Perhaps Travis Scott’s most famous song is the third single from his album Astroworld, “SICKO MODE.” The track features Drake and has amassed over 2 billion streams, according to Streaming Masters. “SICKO MODE” features three beat switches as the song begins with Drake before the beat drops for Travis’ verse. Then, the two go back and forth at the end of the track. Rolling Stone Magazine declared the song to be the highlight of Astroworld,and many critics have held the track to high acclaim. “SICKO MODE” was also Scott’s first No. 1 hit and received nominations for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the Grammy. Scott also performed the song at the Superbowl LIII halftime show.
Unfortunately for hip-hop lovers, another Rolling Loud festival is gearing up for its final roster of performances for the season this evening (March 5). The past two days have been jam-packed with plenty of noteworthy moments. Among them was Playboi Carti debuting new music during his headlining set, as well as Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne reuniting on old favourites like “Truffle Butter” and “High School.” Those who didn’t attend the Louisana native’s set on Saturday (March 4) could likely be found elsewhere on the grounds, watching Travis Scott bring his signature rage to the stage.
As Variety notes, the father of two only got about 30 minutes of performance time. Afterward, his sound was abruptly cut off during “Sicko Mode.” This happened around 11 PM, which Rolling Loud had previously widely publicized as the mandatory end time for all headliners. Even as his music was shut off, Scott still sang for the crowd as a goodbye message was shown on the screen.
“Thank you very much, I love y’all. I wish I could do more but they’re making me go,” the Houston native told the audience. In response, they didn’t hesitate to let out loud boos, making their displeasure with the short concert well-known. Rolling Loud marked Scott’s return to the festival stage for the first time since 2021’s deadly Astroworld tragedy. Many were disappointed that it lacked the rapper’s usual strength and stamina.
According to TMZ, La Flame was possibly late for his set’s start time, which would explain the lacklustre half an hour-long performance. Elsewhere, some are speculating that RL maintained strict rules to avoid having another disaster unfold during Scott’s time on stage. Still, it seems those who did attend stayed safe while enjoying tracks like “Antidote,” “MAFIA,” and “Praise God.”
Travis’ NYPD Plans
Travis Scott performs at E11EVEN on October 30, 2022, in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for E11EVEN)
At this time, many fans are waiting for an update on the Rodeo hitmaker, as past reports claimed he would be turning himself in to the NYPD following his festival appearance. He’s facing accusations of assault and a potential lawsuit from another disgruntled person after seemingly throwing their phone. Keep scrolling for more videos from Travis Scott’s Rolling Loud headlining set, and check back later for more hip-hop news updates.
Hit-Boy recently revealed that Travis Scott has an alternate version of their smash hit “SICKO MODE” in the vault. Of course, the now iconic track has so many collaborators that this is hardly surprising. Moreover, it also features Drake, Swae Lee, Tay Keith, Mike Dean, MD Beatz, CuBeatz, and Rogét Chayahed. Furthermore, the legendary producer spoke to HipHopDX about a rumored extended version. After all, the very first beat only lasts a minute, and doesn’t feature Travis on the verse.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 11: Travis Scott performs during Michael Rubin’s 2023 Fanatics Super Bowl Party at the Arizona Biltmore on February 11, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Fanatics)
“I remember Travis first facetimed me when he first did it, like the next morning after the session,” the Grammy-winning artist remarked. “And he played it and it was extended, it was longer.” In fact, Hit-Boy might refer to the first beat, indicating that the track was even more of a progressive journey. However, as exciting as this news may be, it’s unlikely we’ll get the much-memes about “SICKO MODE 2.” At least, that’s what the California native suggested. “I know it’s for sure a longer version part,” he stated, “but it’s probably not gonna ever come out.” Still, only time will truly tell.
Travis & Hit-Boy’s Post “SICKO MODE” Moves
Meanwhile, La Flame has no real reason to inflate his iconic track any more than it already is. After all, the song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 52 weeks on the charts. In addition to its Diamond RIAA certification, it arguably became the most popular (and eventually annoying) Travis song ever. Regardless of its overplay, it’s also one of Hit-Boy’s most creative and forward-thinking beats to reach such huge success. While he produced it with many other collaborators, his talent surely etched itself indelibly into the track.
Speaking of Hit-Boy, he’s gearing up for another collaborative album with Benny the Butcher set to drop very soon. Moreover, his work with Nas on the King’s Disease series garnered most of his recent acclaim and celebration in the game, which came long overdue. In fact, King’s Disease IVwill feature50 Cent, which only heightens excitement for their next collab. Come back to HNHH for the latest on Travis Scott and Hit-Boy.
As Travis Scott appears to be inching toward his Utopia era, some of his past work is still doing numbers. Scott’s Drake-assisted single and video “Sicko Mode” has passed 1 billion views on YouTube.
“Sicko Mode” is Travis Scott’s first video to hit the Billy club, but is the sixth for The 6ix God, according to Billboard.
In December 2020, “Sicko Mode” officially an RIAA certified diamond single. The single is the first diamond single for the six-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated artist, designer, style icon, ASTROWORLD Festival curator, and Cactus Jack record label founder.
At the time, “Sicko Mode” was streamed on Spotify over 1.2 billion times.
Sicko Mode by Travis Scott featuring Drake is now certified DIAMOND
Travis’ first Diamond certification Drake’s 2nd (God’s Plan 11x Plat)
Travis Scott has been making adjustments in revitalizing his career as a performer since the tragic Astroworld incident. Since then, he apologized publicly and launched Project Heal. Project Heal is a safety initiative designed to create precautions to protect concertgoers. Now Travis Scott is back putting on shows.
Scott performed “Sicko Mode” at a short set at a private pre-Oscars party in Los Angeles. This was Trav’s first performance since the tragedy.
Along with the performance, Scott has been in the studio. Still no confirmed release date for his forthcoming album Utopia; it’s apparent that he’s working on it.
— TRAVIS SCOTT FAN PAGE RodeoTheAlbum (@RodeoTheAlbum) March 20, 2020
Although Travis is returning to music, he has become a strong advocate for concert safety. In addition to coming up with creative new safety hazards for attendees, Project Heal will be a multipronged campaign encompassing an HBCU scholarship fund and providing mental health resources.
Travis Scott has launched Project HEAL to help overcome issues impacting the youth pic.twitter.com/zHJyPkVvgC
— TRAVIS SCOTT FAN PAGE RodeoTheAlbum (@RodeoTheAlbum) March 8, 2022
The Astroworld artist expressed his feeling for the victims of the Astroworld Festival in a lengthy Instagram caption.
“I’ve been taking the time and space to grieve, reflect and do my part to heal my community,” Scott on Instagram.
“Most importantly, I want to use my resources and platform moving forward towards actionable change. This will be a lifelong journey for me and my family. While it’s easy for corporations and institutions to stay in the shadows, I feel as a leader in my community, I need to step up in times of need.”
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