song

Although the newest generation of Hip-Hop fans may view Future, Young Thug, or even Playboi Carti as the most influential artists to come out of Atlanta, there’s no debating that T.I. once firmly held the title of “The King of the South.” With three back-to-back number one albums between 2006 and 2008 as well as a classic movie in the form of 2006’s ATL, T.I. had the mid-2000s in a chokehold

Yet, while 2006’s King and 2007’s T.I. vs. T.I.P. remain two of the highlights from the Atlanta artist’s lengthy discography, 2008’s Paper Trail remains T.I.’s best-selling album to date, having been certified two-times platinum within a year of its release. Released on September 30, 2008, Paper Trail celebrates its 13-year anniversary today, so in honor of the chart-topping album, we revisit T.I.’s commercial peak.

Rick Diamond/Getty Images

Having debuted atop the Billboard 200 with career-high first-week sales of 568,000 copies, Paper Trail pumped out eight singles, including the multiplatinum-certified songs “Whatever You Like,” “Live Your Life,” and “Dead and Gone.” Yet while any of those songs would make a great throwback, the album’s second track, a braggadocious song titled “I’m Illy,” is worth revisiting as well. T.I. was commercially unstoppable from 2006 to 2008, and you can hear his confidence oozing from every line on “I’m Illy.”

Scroll down to listen to “I’m Illy” below and share your favorite songs from Paper Trail in the comments.

Quotable Lyrics

Rebel for the hell of it, hella rich
Never have to sell a brick again—must I tell a bitch again?
The bullshit, I’m addressing; check, I’m on some next-level shit
Never been fucked in the game: I’m celibate
Rarely out my element, barely out the ghetto with
One foot out and one foot in, intelligent as fellas get
Listen, let’s settle this; be clear—
I could fall back seven years; still, it ain’t no one ahead of me

It’s been a minute since we last covered r’n’b singer Amaal. The singer burst on the scene with her debut EP, Black Dove, in 2019, with quite the journey behind her– Amaal was born in war-torn Mogadishu, Somalia where she and her family (including nine other siblings) had to eventually flee, finding a new home in Toronto, Canada. 

Amaal then grew up with the weight of her background and history, and this is what first led her to create music that was more centered on socially conscious and political topics. It was only with the creation of Black Dove that Amaal found the courage to express her true self and explore the depth of her emotions as well as her sound. 

Fast-forward to present day, and fans are anxiously awaiting the singer’s new EP, Milly, scheduled for release on October 28th. Ahead of the EP, Amaal also released the song “Honey.” As a pair, both “Honey” and “Heaven” do offer a taste of this “afro-futurism” sound (a description per her press release)– however, there is also this slight ’90s/vintage r’n’b influence that pervades both singles, particularly with the inclusion of certain sounds and samples. Amaal shared the music video for “Heaven,” which also recalls a certain ’90s style of music video.

The song itself is a sultry, sexy late-night jam, including a creaking bed, while Amaal’s voice floats delicately and easily over the slinking production.

Check out the new jam and let us know what you think. Stay tuned for Milly and check out more on our R&B SEASON playlist on Spotify here. 

Quotable Lyrics

Open up the gates of Heaven, yeah, Heaven, yeah
Holy water dripping blessings, oh, blessing
Open up the gates of Heaven, yeah
I’m your lucky number seven
Holy water dripping blessings, my blessings are you

Many mainstream rappers tend to find themselves facing an interesting creative conundrum; do they double down on a more commercially accessible and universal sound, or attempt to gain credibility from the hip-hop heads? For Latto, who continues to rise and find success exploring songs like “Big Energy,” being boxed in does not appear to be an option.

Today, she took a moment to hold it down for REVOLT’s new OFF TOP freestyle series, queuing up Mobb Deep’s timeless “Shook Ones” for the occasion. Though she only spits for a little over a minute, Latto manages to impress with a few notable punchlines, showcasing a clever pen game as she references Big Tigger, Quality Control, and more. Check it out for yourself now, and sound off if you think Latto should experiment with the boom-bap style more often.

Quotable Lyrics

The name Latto, short for the lottery
So if a n***a hit, I can take him out of poverty
Huh, nah for real, honestly
I put words together better than an apostrophe

“Just in time for my favorite season,” Megan Thee Stallion teased on Twitter last weekend. “Collabed with @maluma for ADAMS FAMILY 2 out Oct. 1st.” The second animated Addam’s Family film arrives at the top of the morning on Friday (October 1), and to help build a buzz about the family-friendly film, “Crazy Family” has hit DSPs.

The track, as Megan revealed days ago, features the Houston Rapper, Maluma, and Rock Mafia. Those explicit lyrics are kept on ice this time around as “Crazy Family” will be included on a soundtrack made for both kids and adults. In Addams Family 2, viewers will find Gomez, Morticia, and their creepy and kooky relatives embarking on a road trip while crammed together in a camper. The film stars Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Snoop Dogg, Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Kroll, and many other notable entertainers.

Stream “Crazy Family” and share your thoughts.

Quotable Lyrics

Ayy, I’m finna pull up in that creepy crawly all-black Bugatti
Bag full of money but it’s lookin’ like a body (Yeah)
Weird, but I’m wonderful, crazy, but I’m confident (Confident)
I can find a brighter side to any name they hit me with
I’m in that all-black (Yeah), I think I’m all that (All that)

“Just in time for my favorite season,” Megan Thee Stallion teased on Twitter last weekend. “Collabed with @maluma for ADAMS FAMILY 2 out Oct. 1st.” The second animated Addam’s Family film arrives at the top of the morning on Friday (October 1), and to help build a buzz about the family-friendly film, “Crazy Family” has hit DSPs.

The track, as Megan revealed days ago, features the Houston Rapper, Maluma, and Rock Mafia. Those explicit lyrics are kept on ice this time around as “Crazy Family” will be included on a soundtrack made for both kids and adults. In Addams Family 2, viewers will find Gomez, Morticia, and their creepy and kooky relatives embarking on a road trip while crammed together in a camper. The film stars Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Snoop Dogg, Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Kroll, and many other notable entertainers.

Stream “Crazy Family” and share your thoughts.

Quotable Lyrics

Ayy, I’m finna pull up in that creepy crawly all-black Bugatti
Bag full of money but it’s lookin’ like a body (Yeah)
Weird, but I’m wonderful, crazy, but I’m confident (Confident)
I can find a brighter side to any name they hit me with
I’m in that all-black (Yeah), I think I’m all that (All that)

After much teasing, “Last One Standing” has arrived. We’ve reported on the gossip and updates leading up to this release, and just ahead of Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage hitting movie theaters, the anticipated Skylar Grey collaboration with Mozzy, Polo G, and Eminem was revealed. The slow-burning single seemingly complements each of the different artists as they approach the track in their own style and rhythm. 

Back in 2018, Eminem championed “Venom,” a song pulled from his acclaimed Kamikaze album that also served as the title track for the first Venom film. Just prior to the release of “Last One Standing,” Eminem was in his hometown of Detroit at his newly opened downtown restaurant, Mom’s Spaghetti. He posed for photos with fans and surprised them by serving food at the walk-up window.

Make sure to check out Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage and stream “Last One Standing.”

Quotable Lyrics

But all you see is the fame and the millions
You don’t see the strength and resilience (Nah)
How I rack my brain but it feels as if I’m tryna explain it to children (Damn)
So a lot of this pain isn’t healin’, you’re escapin’ at this dangerous feeling
Almost like recreatin’ a feelin’ of 9/11 when the second plane hit the building
So let ’em paint you the villain

After much teasing, “Last One Standing” has arrived. We’ve reported on the gossip and updates leading up to this release, and just ahead of Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage hitting movie theaters, the anticipated Skylar Grey collaboration with Mozzy, Polo G, and Eminem was revealed. The slow-burning single seemingly complements each of the different artists as they approach the track in their own style and rhythm. 

Back in 2018, Eminem championed “Venom,” a song pulled from his acclaimed Kamikaze album that also served as the title track for the first Venom film. Just prior to the release of “Last One Standing,” Eminem was in his hometown of Detroit at his newly opened downtown restaurant, Mom’s Spaghetti. He posed for photos with fans and surprised them by serving food at the walk-up window.

Make sure to check out Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage and stream “Last One Standing.”

Quotable Lyrics

But all you see is the fame and the millions
You don’t see the strength and resilience (Nah)
How I rack my brain but it feels as if I’m tryna explain it to children (Damn)
So a lot of this pain isn’t healin’, you’re escapin’ at this dangerous feeling
Almost like recreatin’ a feelin’ of 9/11 when the second plane hit the building
So let ’em paint you the villain

Evert well-established rapper has a duty to bring up a new artist under their wing. Lil Wayne brought Drake into the game, Jay-Z brought Kanye, and Gucci Mane and Young Thug are practically responsible for introducing a solid 75% of artists from Atlanta, if not more. Lil Baby has certainly become a pop star in his own right but in the past few years, he’s also introduced some incredible new artists under the 4PF label. Of course, 42 Dugg has been crushing the game but Rylo Rodriguez has been on the come-up as well.

Coming off of his recent appearance alongside Lil Keed On Millie Go Lightly’s “Jealousy,” Rylo Rodriguez just blessed fans with his latest record, “Pallbearer.” The record arrives days after he linked up with Nardo Wick for their new collaboration, “Murder.”

Check the song out below.

Quotable Lyrics
Tuxedos, all slacks, them niggas used to that 
Hearse, all black, them niggas used to that
They get off first, we send ’em back, and make your dawg carry
They plan to kill us in they heart, they know they pallbearers

Soulja Boy has been on a spree this year. He kicked off 2020 by announcing a joint deal with Virgin Music before beginning the release of a spree of music. A few singles, like “Rick N Morty” and “She Make It Clap” became immediate highlights while many of the song singles simply fell into the abyss of Soundcloud. Meanwhile, the rapper came through with the release of his project, Big Draco in the summer which, unfortunately, didn’t do the type of damage you would’ve expected after such an impressive promotional run.

No matter what, the rapper continues going. After dropping off his single, “Do My Lil Dance” last week, he returned with his latest single, “Act Up.” 

Check out the latest from Soulja Boy below and sound off with your thoughts in the comments.

Quotable Lyrics
Lil Bro got the .57 in this bitch
N***a, ridin’ with that stick on my hip
N***a, I done fucked a n***a bitch, lil n***a
Slide with that stick up in my whip, lil n***a

Since garnering national editorial attention for his breakout Beautiful Pimp mixtape series, Rome Fortune has been continuously releasing gems over the past half-decade, from his experimental Fool’s Gold debut Jerome Raheem Fortune in 2016 to his eclectic ten-track project FREEk at the top of 2020.

Now, a pandemic and a major makeover later, Rome Fortune is gearing up to share his next full-length effort next month, on his 33rd birthday. Titled Mr. Fortune, the forthcoming album will be independently released, and today, the Atlanta-based artist has given fans an early glimpse of what to expect from the promising new record. 

After being teased on Rome Fortune’s Instagram earlier this summer, “Liquor Store Fiend” is finally here, and the brief is a subdued, yet lyrically robust new track that finds the multifaceted artist waxing poetic over a piano-driven beat courtesy of JeDi P. 

Refamiliarize yourself with Rome Fortune by giving “Liquor Store Fiend” a listen below.

Quotable Lyrics

It was liquor store fiend liquor store fiend liquor store trap
It’s my environment why would I be threatened where Im at
It’s that mentality in fact
That make a wack nigga wack you
Gargoyles all around ready leave you stiff so they can stat you