The Crossroads Archives - New Hip Hop News

Cordae Shuts Down His Album Flopping Due to First Week Sales: ‘Why Spend Time Focusing on One Week?’

December 20, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Numbers this, numbers that. Everyone wants to talk figures these days. So let’s talk them. While on The Breakfast Club, Cordae was asked about his first week numbers, with Charlamagne Tha God asking did he flop. If you ask Cordae, he has not and that’s just Internet chatter.

“No. Because, probability of that, it’s some white boy in Indiana,” Cordae replied. “Not that it’s a race thing, but it’s the truth of the people that run those. If you look at channels like that, their whole channel subscribes to a bunch of negativity. That’s what they’re about. Every artist in music, you can find something negative and nitpick at where they lack in some department.”

He added, “I had other albums that didn’t have a strong first week but again, my tour ended up doing super well. And then later on it grows and becomes a larger thing. Why spend all this time focusing on one week? You’re focusing on one week when there’s 52 weeks out of the year? You’re gonna just gonna give up on an album because it didn’t have a super strong first week?”

You can hear his reasoning below.

Charlamagne asks Cordae if he feels like his album flopped after it sold 10k with the first week sales on The Breakfast Club pic.twitter.com/Rl57ue6G6z

— 2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2Blog) December 18, 2024

Cordae is hitting the road in 2025 with The Crossroads Tour, a 23-city trek that begins on February 5 at Ace of Spades in Sacramento, CA. The tour will stop in major cities like Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, Toronto, and New York before concluding in Chicago at Concord Music Hall on March 16. Fans can secure their tickets through Cordae’s official website.

The tour celebrates the release of his critically acclaimed album, The Crossroads, available now via Atlantic Records. Executive produced by Smoko Ono, the 16-track album features collaborations with Joey Bada$$, Lil Wayne, Anderson .Paak, Juicy J, Ty Dolla $ign, Kanye West, and more, with standout singles like “Mad As Fuck,” “Syrup Sandwiches,” “Saturday Mornings,” and “Summer Drop.”

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Cordae Makes His Mama Proud In The Nostalgic ’06 Dreamin’ Video

December 19, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Cordae wasn’t the only person in his family with dreams of musical stardom. In “06 Dreamin” from his new album, The Crossroads, Cordae recounts how his mom pursued the same dream he did, albeit through different means. The nostalgic song recalls how Cordae felt when he saw his mom audition for reality competitions like American Idol and Making The Band, and how it made him hungrier than ever to chase stardom when she didn’t make it. The best part? The beat is built around a sample of a song his mom recorded at the time, giving her a chance to experience a little of that success.

The video for the song, which Cordae shared today, employs actors to reproduce scenes of a young Cordae rapping for his mom as she struggled to make ends meet for the two of them. Like his real-life story, the video has a happy ending as well, closing on a shot of Cordae and his mom on the red carpet for the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards — where Cordae was nominated for Best Rap Album for his debut, The Lost Boy. While he didn’t take home a trophy that night, he did get an award: to make his mom’s dream come true.

Watch Cordae’s “06 Dreamin” video above.

Charlamagne Tha God Asks Cordae If His Latest Album Was A “Flop”

December 18, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Charlamagne Tha God asked Cordae if he feels his latest album, The Crossroads, was a “flop,” during the latest episode of The Breakfast Club. Cordae dropped the project on November 15 and it peaked at No. 143 on the US Billboard 200. In addressing the album, Charlamagne noted that he saw a YouTube video in which someone posited that Cordae is at a crossroads himself after his album flopped “horrendously.”

“No,” he said when asked if he felt similarly. “… It’s like some white boy in Indiana– not that it’s a race thing, but it’s like the truth of the people that run those. If you look at channels like that, their whole channel subscribes to a bunch of negativity. That’s what they’re about so you can nitpick every artist in music. You can find something negative and nitpick at where they lack in some department. But, no, because I had other albums that didn’t have a strong first week, but again, my tour ended up doing super well and then later on it grows and becomes a larger thing. Why spend all this time focusing on one week? We gonna spend all this time focusing on one week when there is 52 weeks out of the year. You wanna just give up on an album because it didn’t have a super strong first-week?”

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Cordae Performs During Laneway Festival

From there, he argued that he’s being compared to artists who are at another level than him. “I think I get compared to mega-stars,” he explained. “If you compare a Cordae first-week sales to Kendrick Lamar’s first-week sales, of course, there’s a discrepancy. But when it comes to my actual peers that do the type of music that I do, It’s all a balance. It’s there. We’re all doing to same comparative numbers. Even though comparison is the thief of joy. I have no worry about what some white man says about my career.”

Cordae Addresses His Low Album Sales

It’s not the first time Cordae has spoken about the lack of popularity of his latest effort. He also stated he didn’t care about sales numbers in a rant on social media at the time of its release. Check out Cordae’s full thoughts on the success of The Crossroads below.

Charlamagne asks Cordae if he feels like his album flopped after it sold 10k with the first week sales on The Breakfast Club pic.twitter.com/Rl57ue6G6z

— 2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2Blog) December 18, 2024

[Via]

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Cordae Claims “The Crossroads” Is The One

November 15, 2024 by newhiphopnews

“I wanted to get better, like, as a songwriter, as a rapper… verses… storytelling… beat selection and taste in beat selection… and that requires work and time, so I feel like this is my best foot forward thus far.” That’s Cordae speaking with Billboard on his brand-new and third studio album The Crossroads. Besides these aspirations and confident words, it’s been a project on fans’ radar. It’s for good reason too, because some of the singles leading up to today were pretty impeccable. “Summer Drop,” “Saturday Mornings,” and “Syrup Sandwiches” are some our personal favorites.

But does The Crossroads live up to its self-praise by its creative mind? Overall, we can see some improvements, especially in the wordplay and storytelling. It’s why those aforementioned tracks are thought of so highly. Where the album sort falls a little flat is in the more braggadocious pop rap cuts. “Mad as F*ck,” “Never See It,” and “Back on the Road” are couple of examples that just don’t have that oomph. While the beats on these tracks are certainly solid, we feel that this lane isn’t where Cordae truly feels at home. But generally speaking, there’s quality here and growth from the North Carolina spitter.

The Crossroads – Cordae

The Crossroads Tracklist:

Intro
06 dreamin
Back on the Road (feat. Lil Wayne)
Summer Drop (feat. Anderson .Paak)
Nothings Promised
Mad as F*ck
All Alone
Never See It (feat. Juicy J)
Pray (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)
Don’t Walk Away (feat. Jordan Ward & Ravyn Lenae)
Saturday Mornings (feat. Lil Wayne)
No Bad News (feat. Kanye West)
Shai Afreni
What Really Matters
Syrup Sandwiches (feat. Joey Bada$$)
Now You Know
Two Tens (feat. Anderson .Paak) – Bonus Track

[Via] [Via] [Via]

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Cordae Says He Doesn’t ‘Give One F*ck’ About First Week Album Sales Ahead Of ‘The Crossroads’ Release

November 12, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Cordae 2023 Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa (1024x437) — Getty Image

Cordae’s forthcoming album The Crossroads is due out this Friday, November 15. Before it hits streaming platforms, the “Syrup Sandwiches” rapper wanted to get something off of his chest.

Over on X (formerly Twitter), Cordae let data collecting critics know that he isn’t interested in The Crossroads‘ first week metrics. “Want to say this now I don’t give 1 f*ck about a first week sales,” he wrote. “It’s a very inaccurate way to calculate impact, especially with the current streaming metrics. I seen somebody do 11K first week and then do a ARENA TOUR off the same album. That’s the end of my Ted talk *2nd one.”

This year, there has been a growing trend of artists been shamed for album sales, streaming metrics, and chart placement especially in rap music.

Cordae went on to slam shamers, writing: “N****s said my last project first week numbers wasn’t good, and I ended up doing a sold out headline world tour.”

He then continued by taking a trip down memory lane reflecting on sales and consumer trends over the years. “In the 90/2000s music was consumed by people actually going to the stores and buying albums,” he wrote. “When you did 100K first week that meant 100 thousand people went and bought the CD. Now, you can have 300,000 people Listening to your album on streaming, and the units. Equivalent is 200.”

The Crossroads is due out 11/15 via Atlantic Records. You can find more information here.

Cordae’s ‘The Crossroads’ Tracklist Features Anderson .Paak, Lil Wayne, And More

November 11, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Cordae Creed III Los Angeles Premiere 2023 — Getty Image

Cordae, who has been rolling out his third studio album, The Crossroads, over the past few months, revealed the tracklist and album cover today. The tracklist confirmed that previously released tracks like “Summer Drop” with Anderson .Paak, “Saturday Mornings” with Lil Wayne, and “Syrup Sandwiches” with Joey Badass will all appear on the album, in addition to new songs with features from Jordan Ward and Ravyn Lenae, Juicy J, Kanye West, and Ty Dolla Sign.

The past Uproxx cover star is two years removed from his most recent album, From A Birds Eye View. Since then, he and tennis star Naomi Osaka welcomed their first child in 2023, but appeared to have broken up at some point in the past year. However, they seem to be on good terms, co-parenting baby Shai as Osaka returned to competition and Cordae began the rollout for The Crossroads earlier this year.

The Crossroads is due this Friday, November 15 via Atlantic Records. You can find more information here. See the cover and tracklist below.

Cordae The Crossroads Tracklist

01. “Intro”
02. “06 Dreamin”
03. “Back On The Road” Feat. Lil Wayne
04. “Summer Drop” Feat. Anderson .Paak
05. “Nothings Promised”
06. “Mad As F*ck”
07. “All Alone”
08. “Neva See It” Feat. Juicy J
09. “Pray” Feat. Ty Dolla Sign
10. “Don’t Walk Away” Feat. Jordan Ward & Ravyn Lenae
11. “Saturday Mornings” Feat. Lil Wayne
12. “No Bad News” Feat. Ye
13. “Shai Afeni”
14. “What Really Matters”
15. “Syrup Sandwiches” Feat. Joey Badass
16. “Now You Know”

Cordae & Joey Bada$$ Show Pride In Their Grind On “Syrup Sandwiches”

November 8, 2024 by newhiphopnews

In just one week, Cordae will be dropping off his third solo project The Crossroads. It will consist of 17 tracks with the currently known features being Anderson .Paak (x2), Lil Wayne, and Joey Bada$$. Speaking of the latter, he’s potentially on the final teaser track for Cordae’s tape called “Syrup Sandwiches.” For those who are unaware, syrup sandwiches are exactly what they sound like. However, they represent something much more than a sweet treat. They are brought up in rap music quite a bit, with Kendrick Lamar probably being the biggest MC to do so. He referenced the snack on his chart-topper “HUMBLE.”

“Ayy, I remember syrup sandwiches and crime allowances.” These are very popular amongst those growing up in poverty-stricken areas and are a cheap meal that many grow up on. They also symbolize how far MCs have come from those trying times during their childhoods, which is essentially what this song is all about. Cordae and Joey instead focus on all of things they have accomplished rather than recounting their pasts. Both rappers drop some terrific one liners and do so over a fellow laid-back, almost drum-less instrumental. Spin the new record below and let us know how hype you are for The Crossroads.

“Syrup Sandwiches” – Cordae & Joey Bada$$

Quotable Lyrics:

You’re butlers to me, them young n****s uppin’ the heat
They stuck to the streets, like concrete, the hustle’s in me
They say you gotta beat the block up ’til your knuckles’ll bleed
That mean a n**** gotta rap until the pen out of ink
Your team weak, like Justin Timberlake, y’all been out of sync
A n**** skatin’ on the beat, s***, I could rent out the rink

[Via]

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Cordae Hypes Up “The Crossroads” With “Mad As F*ck”

October 11, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Cordae has a lot of fans saying that he has an album of the year incoming with The Crossroads. So far, we have to sort of agree with the majority. Throughout the rollout for this project, the North Carolina bred MC has thoroughly impressed us with his lyrical displays and tremendous command of flow. With the exception of the more pop centric “Make Up Your Mind,” “Saturday Mornings” and “Summer Drop” feature some of his strongest performances of his career. So, with Cordae returning with another single, “Mad As F*ck,” after two standouts, how does he fare this week?

Overall, it’s a solid offering the now Maryland product. He does bring some nice flow switch-ups mid verses. The lyrics are pretty standard, both nothing that’s leaning towards offensively drab. It just doesn’t have that same punch as the Cole-produced “Summer Drop” nor the same presence as the Lil Wayne-assisted “Saturday Mornings.” Also keeping “Mad As F*ck” behind the eight ball (in our opinion) is the beat. Its predecessors were extremely jazzy and soulful, and they just had incredible aura. “Mad As F*ck” keeps it more traditional and trap focused. But again, it’s nothing bad, it just doesn’t have the same memorability factor. We are still thoroughly excited for The Crossroads, though, which is supposedly due November 15.

“Mad As F*ck” – Cordae

Quotable Lyrics:

Yeah, I keep the count, count, count, you think I’m Dracula
That thirty quick to flip a n**** a patty, like a spatula (Ha)
Bougie shawty, said she love my Maryland vernacular
My n**** keep the Uzi like JT, it get to actin’ up (Pop)
Bought my mom a Beamer, yeah, shе used to whip that Acura truck (Skrrt)
Had to get a new crib, ‘causе my old crib was inadequate (For real)

[Via]

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Cordae & Anderson .Paak Recount Their Childhoods Before Rap Over J. Cole-Produced “Summer Drop”

August 28, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Cordae is someone who has so much talent, but in that same breath does not have the most consistent full-length projects. Well, he might prove those skeptics wrong when the former YBN crew mate puts out his third studio album, The Crossroads. At the time of writing, the Maryland MC does not have a release date in mind for it, but it is coming very soon. So far, we know for sure of one song that will be on the record, and that is the stupendous “Saturday Mornings” which features Lil Wayne. Now, though, Cordae is bringing out the second sure-fire inclusion, “Summer Drop”.

This cut sees Cordae working with now-frequent collaborator Anderson .Paak, as well as J. Cole. For those hoping for a rapping performance, you are going to be let down some. He plays more of a background role, as he is credited as a producer here. However, that’s not necessarily a disappointment because Cole is one heck of an underrated producer. Him, along with Kelsey Gonzalez, lay down another soulful instrumental with constant rushes of horns and a punchy and glitchy boom bap drum pattern. Both .Paak and Cordae are getting nostalgic and personal on “Summer Drop”, recounting their respective childhoods before raking in the big bucks as rap superstars. Check out the incredible single below.

“Summer Drop” – Cordae & Anderson .Paak

Quotable Lyrics:

I saved up the whole summer, that’s how I got school clothes
I bought some Puma’s and some fake chains, that was fools gold
My n****, what you know about those hot summers? No air condition
My n****s got rare ambition, but pain and paired division (When the summer dropped)
I done lost so many homies, in summers I cherish livin’
Nobody care to listen, they suffer from their decision (When the summer dropped)

[Via]

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