Pharrell Williams’ life story is officially on the big screen. The famed producer’s Lego style biopic, Piece By Piece, can be viewed at your nearest theater and to promote it Pharrell is opening up about some major moments in his career.
During an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Pharrell made a shocking confession about his optimistic hit, “Happy.” The track, which featured in Despicable Me 2 and its soundtrack served as positive reinforcement for listeners. But according to Pharrell writing the smash “broke him.”
“I had written 9 songs that were rejected,” he said. “It was only until you were out of ideas, and you asked yourself a rhetorical question, and you came back with a sarcastic answer, and that’s what ‘Happy’ was. How do you make a song about a person that’s so happy that nothing can bring them down? And I sarcastically answered it and put music to it, and that sarcasm became the song, and that broke me.”
However, Pharrell managed to find the silver lining, saying: “It’s so crazy for us to think like as individuals, everything comes from us. Your ideas, everything that you get, is coming from a library of existence. Nothing is new under the sun.”
In the past, Pharrell admitted that after a while he grew annoyed with the record just like the rest of us after it become unavoidable.
Watch Pharrell Williams and Morgan Neville’s full interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe above.
Detroit’s very own golden boy, Big Sean, has returned with a new album, and fans can’t seem to get enough. The celebrated rapper delivered Better Me Than You last Friday (August 30) after a slight delay, and as usual, the project has been dissected by Hip Hop enthusiasts worldwide. Sean is known for putting his heart, soul, and thoughts into his rhymes, and Better Me Than You highlights a new era of maturation. Not only has been working on this body of work for sometime, it also ushers in his next rollout: a book that Big Sean says will arrive at the top of the year.
In his recent sit-down with Zane Lowe of Apple Music, Big Sean revealed why he returned with “something substantial” with the release of Better Me Than You. “I was inspired to have fun, first and foremost,” he said. “But, I was also inspired by just the events that were going on in my life and the experiences that… You know, becoming a dad. I am a person who is very conscious. Every morning, I like to get my meditation on, I like to try and figure out how I can offer something to the world. And this album is just definitely me doing that in my own way. I was inspired enough to also write a book as well, so I’m writing a book that comes out in January.”
Further, Sean spoke about sharing his experiences through literature and music, learning from others, not feeling as if he has to prove himself anymore, his motivations in life, fatherhood, and why at times, he feels as if his latest album isn’t finished. Read a few standout moments from Big Sean’s conversation with Zane Lowe below.
On Viewing Himself More As A Student Than Teacher
Yeah. Well, I don’t really look at myself as a teacher. I do look at myself more of just sharing what we go through, I think we all have a lot of information to give. And I have been so, I guess the word is blessed. I’ve been so fortunate to be around a lot of my heroes in all different fields, spiritually, musically, even some of my favorite athletes ever. It’s like, I learned a lot from so many people, and so many great practices to get to where you want to be in your life, and how to live a life to where you attracting a life you really desire, and the one that you can benefit from the most, because we’re only here for such a short amount of time
On Embracing Low Moments In Life As Lessons
What is really important to me is the progression of myself and passing that on to my family and to my audience or to whoever I can, and enjoying your life, man. Because, if we’re here for such a short amount of time, this may be our only time as souls to progress ourselves, and to learn, and to go through the ups and downs. That’s kind of like why, lately, when I do going through those, you go through the highs and the lows. And when I’m going through the lows, I kind of been learning to embrace them more, because that’s where the growth happens. And that’s where, once it’s all said and done, we may not be able to go through that again, because we may not need it. We may just be beings of light and unplugged to the next part of ourselves. And so I really been looking at life a lot differently, but I also still been having fun with it.
On Not Competing Or Trying To Prove Himself
And it’s not that I’m trying to prove myself. I’m really trying to improve myself. So, it’s kind of a little bit of a different… Same word in there. I think Jhené [Aiko] said one time, “You’re not trying to compete, you’re trying to complete.” And it’s like, that’s really what I’m on. I’m not really… There’s nothing wrong with competing, but where I’m at, I’m just trying to do me, and express myself, and express the different sides of me. And I’m not a monk or nothing like that. I’m just somebody who I’m just living a life of sustaining, and doing what I got to do to get by, and doing what I got to do to thrive, and to be a great dad, and to be a great son, and to be a great partner, and to be a great team member, you know what I mean? So, to me, this album is just a reflection of that, and it’s still one of the most important parts of life is having fun, though, bro.
On Why He Doesn’t Necessarily Know If His Album Is Finished
Zane Lowe: Was it hard to finish?
Big Sean: Well, I don’t even know if it is finished, man, to be real with you, because it was hard to just stop and be like, “Man, let’s just start giving it to the world.” Because yeah, I had ideas that I was still working on, ideas that me and Alchemist were still cooking songs… There was a Twenty88 song that I thought fit well on my album that just didn’t get all the way finished in time. So, hopefully, I can get these things done, and if not—
Zane Lowe: So how did we get an album out of this, then? I mean, who or what prompted you to finally finish this record and be able to at least close the loop on this collection of songs?
Big Sean: Well, the thing was, I had been putting out music, and I was just like, “Man, I don’t want these songs that I put out to get stale. I don’t want to keep pushing it back.” I just kind of want to move forward. It’s been years and years since I put some music out, and I also didn’t want to rely on other people as well, you know what I mean? I didn’t want to wait, in that sense. So, it’s like I’m at a point in my life where I just let things happen when they’re supposed to happen. And I embraced that, and I embraced the other guy’s time. And so I just felt like it was time. And when I did IG Live, I was super emotional about it, because I had just decided then, a few days ago, that I was going to put my album out this week. And it was a real human moment for me, because I was very tired. I just had had COVID, and I was just going through a lot, man. And I was just thinking about all of the advice that when I was on the phone with my mom the night before, she gave me, and she was just like, “Baby, just go.”
It is gradually becoming more challenging for artists to keep their projects locked away. Many recording artists, including SZA and now Asap Rocky, have found themselves fighting off music pirates.
Still, the “Highjack” rapper is moving full steam ahead with the release of his highly-anticipated album, Don’t Be Dumb. During his recent appearance on Apple Music’s New Music Daily, Asap Rocky addressed the recent leaks. In the chat with Zane Lowe, Asap Rocky confessed that any things floating around online won’t make the final project.
“And once it’s leaked it’s just like, nah, it’s not on the project,” he said. “I might perform it here or there, but it’s leaked. It is what it is. It’s out already. A lot of these records didn’t make it because they got leaked at some point.”
Asap Rocky doubled down on his decision while shaming the leakers. “It’s very important and special if it makes it on the album,” he said. “Most of the songs that I usually perform and sh*t like that, motherf*ckers leak it.”
Back in June, Asap Rocky seemingly confirmed the project’s release date. If plans haven’t changed, fans should expect it at the end of the month.
Watch Zane Lowe’s full interview with Asap Rocky for Apple Music above.
Don’t Be Dumb is due on 8/30 via ASAP Worldwide, Polo Grounds, RCA. You can find more info here.
Childish Gambino is an experimental artist. He’s found incredible mainstream success, but at the end of the day, he likes to tinker with established formulas. It’s what makes him such a consistently engaging artist. Gambino is also smart about who he aligns himself with in the studio. He only works with people who generative creative sparks, as evidenced by the eclectic feature list on his new album. The most unexpected feature on Bando Stone and the New World has to be rage phenom Yeat. That said, the rapper claimed that Yeat was the one who impressed him the most.
Childish Gambino sat down with Apple 1 host Zane Lowe to discuss the new album. He touched on the album’s themes and aesthetic in detail. It was the topic of Yeat, however, that drew the most praise from the rapper. Childish Gambino and Yeat collaborate on the song “Cruisin,” which is wild blend of tempos and sounds. Lowe asked about the process behind the song, and Gambino heaped praise on his creative partner. “He’s a workaholic, he’ll make something so fast,” the rapper stated. “I’m just super impressed with him, and he loves music. He’s the man.”
Childish Gambino Was Impressed By Yeat’s Work Ethic
Childish Gambino speaks on working with Yeat for ‘Bando Stone & the New World’
“I’m just super impressed with him, and he loves music. He’s the man. […] He’s a “creative prepper”, where he’s like, ‘I can do this at any point, at any time.'” pic.twitter.com/jsnTMtAZZy
Childish Gambino elaborated on the making of “Cruisin,” and revealed that the collab came together in Paris. He recalled being shocked by how adaptable Yeat was to different working conditions. “We were in Paris working together,” he explained. “I’m just surprised by how resourceful he is.” Gambino was wowed by the fact that Yeat didn’t have to resort to plug ins or additional software to get the sound he wanted. “I was like ‘What are you using?’ and he’s using all the stuff that comes with the stuff,” the rapper stated. “He’s not getting like ‘Oh I need this plug in.’”
Childish Gambino is not the only one who has taken notice of Yeat’s talent. While him and Zane Lowe laughed about Yeat’s cult status among fans, the artist is slowly building up his profile. In addition to being on Bando Stone and the New World, Yeat has linked up with some of the biggest artists in the world. He scored a hit with the Drake collab “IDGAF” in 2023. He has also landed collabs with Gunna, Young Thug and Don Toliver. All signs point to him leading the new wave.
Some collaborations often catch fans off guard, and Lil Yachty and James Blake’s upcoming joint album, Bad Cameo, can fall into that category. Yet, it hasn’t been uncommon for Blake to partner with Hip Hop artists throughout his prolific career. He has worked with artists like Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé, Vince Staples, Chance The Rapper, and Frank Ocean, and was featured on the Black Panther soundtrack. Yachty’s catalog of hits speaks for itself, and these two decided to band their skills together for what they hope is an unforgettable project that both say inspired their best songwriting.
“As soon as we started making songs, and I think partly it was to do with this conversation we had pretty early on where Yachty was like, ‘James, you’ve made enough,’” Blake told Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1. “‘You’ve worked on enough Rap records. Let’s make something completely different.’ And I was like, ‘Totally, what do you feel like working on?’ And I just started playing him….it’s not that I assumed we’d make a Rap vocal collab record. I just didn’t know what he wanted to do.”
“So when he said that, I was like, ‘Great, obviously the door’s open for any type of thing I’m going to play him,” Blake added. “So, I just started playing him ambient things. Things I’d been working on actually from a similar era to the Robots‘ era stuff. If you look around here, this is all just since that. I’ve made all that stuff on and I was playing him some stuff like that. Then, he had a couple of things that he brought in that kind of matched that mood.”
Both Blake and Yachty expounded on Bad Cameo, detailing why they were drawn to work with one another in the first place. Read through a few highlights below, including lessons Yachty learned from Blake and why Blake almost swore off collaborations altogether before this partnership arose. Additionally, make sure to stream Bad Cameo when it arrives this Friday, June 28.
James Blake On Why He Wanted To Work With Lil Yachty
The thing that I think it was for me—because I already respected you as an artist in the genre you started in. To me, the music you were making already was amazing. And I think lyrically you stood out energetically. You stood out, and I just felt like every time your voice came on something, it was like, oh, I just knew there was going to be a level of quality to it. I also got a sense early on that some of the kinds of genre associations and the kinds of ways that some people felt about that genre were reflecting on you unfairly. And I could see that there was someone unbelievably special who just happened to make this kind of music. And it’s also music that I love.
Lil Yachty On What He Learned From Working With James Blake
Lil Yachty: I think I have a better understanding of quality and I feel like he pushed me to—he didn’t push me physically. Like, told me, ‘Do better.’ But just being around and experiencing him work pushed me to try to have reason in my songwriting and to just live up to the quality of James’s catalog. I didn’t want to put a project out and then his fans be upset with me. Kind of slaughtering all of the—
James Blake: That could never happen.
Zane Lowe: No, but I do understand what you’re saying. Pushing yourself to connect to the music in a way where—
Yachty: Just to be as great as everything that he has done. No, seriously, I wanted to make sure he knew how serious I was. Because I, myself, have worked with so many artists who are just so unserious. They don’t understand true effort or just don’t apply themselves. It’s so easy to say, ‘Yeah, man, let’s make a project, man, let’s work. Let’s do an album. Let’s do a mixtape.’ But to genuinely apply yourself, show up, and devote time because it’s my time and his time that we spent to create this child. [I] just really wanted to show that I was there and this was as important to me as it was to him.
Lowe: It says less about the value it creates after the fact and more with actually just being completely present in the process.
Yachty: Well, we just never once had a conversation about what happens after. It was always just what we liked and what we felt was right. We never was like, ‘Oh man, we going to go number one, or…’ We never had that conversation. It’s just like we went with it.
Blake: We knew that wasn’t going to happen because I’m involved. But we definitely had conversations about the ideas of the—
Lowe: The British humility at play here.
Yachty: Well, I think he’s going to possibly help me get my Grammy.
James Blake Swore Off Any More Collabs Before Working With Yachty
Blake: I’d say before even before we even met, I decided not to do many more collaborations.
Lowe: What was the purpose behind it? What was the thinking?
Blake: Well, my thinking was in most sessions, I don’t enjoy it that much. I think, there’s a lot of great artists, but are they going to make you laugh? Are you going to actually have a good time? Are you actually going to form a friendship that is like, you actually want to see them come into the studio? I mean, there’s a certain point in your career where you’re like, ‘Well, I don’t have to do this.’ I’m not trying to cross-pollinate fan bases and get—there’s no A&R moves anymore. I’m just making music. Not that there really ever was, but now I’m like, ‘How can I preserve my space? How can I be only have fun?’ And we just, I mean, our sessions are 99 percent unserious. This is probably the most serious conversation we’ve ever had, I think.
Overnight, Ice Spice released her new single “Gimmie A Light” the track is the second single from her upcoming debut album Y2K. It follows “Think U The Sh*t” which dropped earlier this year on the back of a teaser of the evocative lyrics on its chorus. “Gimmie A Light” was subject to a similar tease with a snippet of some of its most eye-catching lyrics preceding both a teaser trailer and a marketing stunt involving pink Range Rovers being driven through New York.
Now the song is out alongside an accompanying music video that have both been racking up plenty of plays. The song has more than 25k streams already in less than a day with the video racking up an astonishing nearly 250k views in just a few hours. She discussed the song with Zane Lowe during a recent appearance on Apple Music. The track makes prominent use of a Sean Paul sample, something she explained she didn’t take lightly. “I was really nervous because we really wanted to have a very authentic Y2K sample in there, and Sean Paul, he’s legendary. And that song alone, his ‘Gimme the Light,’ is so iconic that I was so nervous to sample it, because I’m like, ‘This isn’t going to get cleared, so what’s the point?’” she said in the interview. Check out the full interview she gave below.
Ice Spice has achieved her tremendous level of fame without even dropping a debut album yet. The follow-up to her breakthrough EP Like..? is due out later this year. It’s her debut album and its fittingly titled Y2K as the rappers birthday is January 1 2000. The project doesn’t have an official release date confirmed yet.
What do you think of Ice Spice being nervous to sample Sean Paul on her new single because “he’s legendary?” Do you think her new version of the song did the original track justice? Let us know in the comment section below.
Earlier this week, Ariana Grande released her new album Eternal Sunshine. The highly-anticipated new album is her first since 2020’s Positions. The album was already led off by a successful lead single “yes, and?.” The song debuted at the very top spot on the Hot 100 and is still hovering inside the top 30 weeks later. To celebrate the release of the album, she sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. They discussed some of the most relevant details of the project.
During the interview, she spoke on one of the tracks that grabbed fan’s attention immediately. The track is called “The Boy Is Mine” and it draws heavily from the Brandy and Monica smash hit of the same name. The track spent a stunning 13 weeks at number one on the Hot 100 and went on to win a Grammy. “I love that song. I’ve always wanted to reimagine that song in some kind of way. I was kind of like, ‘This is a very bad idea.’ But there is a large group of my fans that really do love a bad girl anthem, and this is kind of an elevated version of that,” Grande explained. Check out the full interview below.
Ariana Grande’s new album is expected to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 next week. The project has the chance for a massive debut and could be one of the biggest first weeks of any new album in 2024. With it, nearly the entire tracklist of the album is expected to debut on the Hot 100. That could also include a major rise for “yes, and?.” Chart speculation sites project that it could go as high as the top 5 in next week’s charts.
What do you think of Ariana Grande’s initial skepticism to making “The Boy Is Mine?” What do you think of the final version of the song? Let us know in the comment section below.
Usher says that he’s still upset that his iconic 2004 album, Confessions, didn’t win Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards. Ray Charles’ final studio album, Genius Loves Company, took home the honor that year instead. Usher reflected on the loss during an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe following his performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
“I didn’t win Album Of The Year that year, and I’m still a little like, ‘Damn.’ I don’t know if there’s been an album that has actually sold as many or been as influential as that album has been,” he said. From there, he explained that artists do care about what happens at the Grammys.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 11: Usher performs onstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“Artists care [about winning Grammys]. And I’m happy to see the progress that they are making, but it doesn’t change the fact that we have feelings and we have lived in a time where you’re supposed to be poised and conduct yourself in a certain manner,” he said. “But I think when you finally get to an age where you’re like, ‘Hey man, love it or hate it, this is how I feel,’ rather you choose to do something for history, not just for me or these young artists. That’s good. But do you do things for history? I did.” Check out Usher’s full conversation with Apple Music below.
Usher Speaks With Zane Lowe
Confessions was Usher’s fourth studio album. While it didn’t win Album of the Year, the project did help Usher take home three Grammy Awards. He won Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (“My Boo”) and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (“Yeah!”). Be on the lookout for further updates on Usher on HotNewHipHop.
Life’s too short to be tied into unnecessary rap beef. If “Heaven’s Galaxy” musician Kid Cudi could repair his previously rocky relationship with Kanye West, mending things with Lupe Fiasco was a piece of cake. Shortly after Fiasco’s abrasive comments on X (formerly Twitter), the pair seems to have ironed out their issue. Unfortunately, that moment of peace didn’t last long.
However, on January 20, Cudi revealed that after a tense conversation, their beef had officially come to an end. “Just talked to Lupe,” he wrote on X. “[We] had a great talk. I know I was wrong and told him I shouldn’t have done that fuck sh*t I did. I called myself looking out for the fans in the moment, but in reality, I was just hating. I apologized, and he accepted it. Which I appreciated for real. I understand the anger and vitriol he had for me all these years, and I wasn’t mature enough to step up and just have a conversation and admit I was wrong.”
“We, as black men, need to be united.,” he added. “He always had love for me. Always supported me. I shouldn’t have done him like that. I wanna thank my guy Ibn for setting the call up, and u, the fans, for being real with me and urging us to speak. We are good now. Brand new journey.”
Just talked to Lupe. Had a great talk. I know I was wrong and told him I shouldnt have did that fuck shit I did. I called myself lookin out for the fans in the moment, but in reality I was just hating. I apologized and he accepted it. Which I appreciated foreal. I understand…
During Cudi’s interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, he revealed the origins of their friction, which triggered Fiasco’s online remarks. The beef between the two music had been brewing for a long while.
Cudi recently sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe for an interview, and during the chat, he spoke about his time nearly brushing into Fiasco in 2008 while working at Bape’s retail store in New York. Cudi spoke about hiding from rappers when they would shop at the location to avoid giving them ammunition for future diss tracks. One of those rappers so happened to be Lupe Fiasco.
“If I get famous one day, I don’t ever want these n****s saying, ‘Yo, you sold me clothes. You my son,’” he said. “I couldn’t have that. This was my explanation. And when you think about it he hates me ’til this day. He hates me. So, it’s like I was right. I was onto something. I sensed something in the universe.”
On January 19, after getting wind of Cudi’s interview, Fiasco took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a message with his longtime foe. He wrote, “Kid Cudi is a b*tch. And continues to be a b*tch. Ain’t nobody finna bring up he used to work at the Bape Store to diss his b*tch ass for having a regular job before he was a famous b*tch with a cool job.”
Kid Cudi is a bitch. And continues to be a bitch. Ain’t nobody finna bring up he used to work at the Bape Store to diss his bitch ass for having a regular job before he was a famous bitch with a cool job.
