Re-visiting Jay-Z’s “Streets Is Watching” 24 Years Later

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Before the days of Jay-Z rapping about real estate and Picasso paintings, the Roc Nation founder spit about what his life was like moving weight from Brooklyn to Virginia and back. 

On his second full-length release, 1997’s In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, Hov attacked some of the most iconic beats in hip-hop history, including “A Million and One Questions/Rhyme No More” and “Where I’m From,” but also spit some of the best bars of his career on album cuts like “Friend or Foe ’98” and “Streets Is Watching.” 

And 24 years after In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 dropped on November 4, 1997, “Streets Is Watching” remains one of the most underrated Jay-Z tracks of all-time. 

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Whether it’s because it doesn’t reside on a major album, like Hov’s 1996 debut, Reasonable Doubt, or 2001’s The Blueprint, or because it’s easy to lose records in his prolific discography, “Streets Is Watching” just doesn’t get the respect it deserves. (Despite it being turned into a movie with the same name in 1998.) 

Rapping over Ski Beatz production, Jay lays out the specifics of his early-90s operations and all the money they made him, but with the fair warning that, once you start walking around with something in your pocket, everybody starts watching. From other hustlers to the boys in blue, everybody wants their piece of the pie when the cashflow is crazy and life is luxurious.

Starting with one of the most iconic Hov lines ever (Look, if I shoot you I’m brainless // But if you shoot me, then you’re famous, what’s a n***a to do?) “Streets Is Watching” is the perfect throwback to a time when Jay-Z was on the edge of superstardom, but still had to deal with his old life.

Quotable Lyrics
The streets is watching you when you froze your arms
N****s wanna test you when your gun goes warm
Can’t get caught with your feet up, gotta keep your heat up
Sweet n****s running ’round swearing shit is sweeter
Once you’re tagged lame, the game is follow the leader
Everybody want a piece of your scrilla, so you gotta keep it realer

Travis Scott Is Dropping New Music At Midnight

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The wait for new Travis Scott music is over. 

With the 2021 Astroworld Festival set to kick off tomorrow, the “Franchise” rapper took to Instagram early this morning with an exciting announcement — he’s dropping tonight. 

“F*CK IT LETS START IT UP NEW MUSIC AT MIDNIGHT,” Scott captioned his post. And the IG post itself, a 90s-style newspaper cover portraying Scott as a goblin with the pointed message, “THE TRUE DYSTOPIA IS HERE,” might just be a hint of what’s to come tonight at midnight.

Back in October, after Scott confirmed that his upcoming album is called Utopia, fans speculated that we would first be blessed with a mixtape called Dystopia. Similar to when he dropped Days Before Rodeo as a prequel to Rodeo, the belief was that Travis would ease fans into the Utopia world with a mixtape. 

There was no confirmation from Scott, or anybody in his camp, that a mixtape was on the way, but with this Instagram announcement and Astroworld set to kick off in less than 24 hours, it’s not crazy to think that Travis might have something special in store. 

However, all speculation must be taken with a grain of salt. While a new mixtape would make sense, and there is already a precedent for Travis Scott prequel tapes, this “new music” might just be a new single, or a couple song EP. 

Jason Koerner/Getty Images

Scott’s fans, some of the most dedicated in all of hip-hop, would surely be happy with anything new from their Cactus Jack leader, but have also been waiting patiently for more than three years for a new project. Astroworld was released back in August, 2018 and, aside from side projects and feature verses, we have yet to hear anything full-length from the Owl Pharaoh rapper. 

Keep your fingers crossed for a new Travis Scott tape at midnight, and let us know what you’re expecting down in the comments. 

Coi Leray & Pressa Share Lovey-Dovey Photos After Sparking Breakup Speculation

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Well, that was fast. Not even a few days after Coi Leray tweeted and deleted that she was “single” after venting about going to bed mad every night, the New Jersey-based rapper is back with her boyfriend, Toronto rapper Pressa. The two reunited to celebrate the release of Pressa’s new Gardner Express deluxe project, which has five new songs.

The self-proclaimed “biggest purr” showed off in her new Fendi x SKIMS collaboration, which was gifted to her by Kim Kardashian, before sharing some lovey-dovey photos with Pressa. It’s been a while since they shared the limelight on social media after Pressa started popping up in her TikToks, but after they were spotted together at Rolling Loud New York this weekend, it seems they are back on the best terms. 


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In two of the new pictures, Coi and Pressa are coupled up, kissing in one of the shots. Pressa also shared footage of them spending the night together, showing off the custom cake that Coi commissioned, featuring Pressa’s album cover. “@coileray got me right baby,” he wrote on Instagram Stories.

Coi and Pressa started dating less than a year ago, meeting when they worked on the remix to “Attachments.” Do you think they make a cute couple? Check out their latest photos below.

Offset & Quavo Deliver An Impromptu Performance Of Mario’s “Let Me Love You”

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Whether they’re the hardest street rapper out or the most conscious, every artist has that one song that just makes them break character. Over the years, we’ve seen it countless times, from when Kendrick Lamar was driving while singing along to Drake’s “Controlla” to when 21 Savage was jamming to Keyshia Cole’s “Heavent Sent” during her Verzuz with Ashanti. 

Thanks to a viral clip, it appears that fans now know Migos members Offset and Quavo’s guilty pleasure as well: Mario’s classic 2004 track “Let Me Love You.”

(L-R) Quavo, Cardi B and Offset attend Offset's Birthday with Uber Eats on December 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
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In a video shared to Cardi B’s Instagram story, the two QC rappers are seen singing their hearts out to the Grammy-nominated single, which was produced by Scott Storch and housed on Mario’s sophomore album Turning Point. 

Once again, Offset shows that his dance moves are top tier, as he ticks his way through the song’s pre-chorus. Although Quavo is positioned further away in the video, viewers can still see the “Strub The Ground” artist vibing out to Mario’s hit single, and by the end of the clip, the cousins break out into similar choreography in unison.

Now that you’ve seen Quavo and Offset jamming out it, scroll down and revisit Mario’s “Let Me Love You” for yourself.

Key Glock Confirms “Dum & Dummer 3” With Young Dolph Is “Already Done”

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Key Glock is gearing up for Yellow Tape 2, dropping tomorrow. Ahead of the mixtape’s release, we released our new episode of On the Come Up with the South Memphis rapper, where he spoke about the upcoming tape and gave us a hint at what else might be arriving in the new year. 

If there is one thing fans can rely on the Paper Route EMPIRE family for, it’s a consistent array of quality releases. Between Dolph, Key Glock, and the Paper Route crew as a whole — whom we are slowly being introduced to by way of feature appearances and compilation projects like PAPER ROUTE iLLUMINATi— they manage to put out two to three projects every year, at least. 

At this point, though, it appears like Key Glock is overtaking even Young Dolph in terms of output. The rapper hit fans with both Yellow Tape and Son of a Gun in 2020. 2021 brought fans Dum & Dummer 2 (following up the debut collab effort in 2019, a surprising underground-verging-on-mainstream success that hit #8 in the Billboard 200 chart), and on Friday, we will be treated to his second project of the year– and the year is not over yet.

Before getting into a discussion of the only “feature” on Yellow Tape 2, the rapper confirmed with us during our interview that Dum & Dummer 3 is more than just a possibility; it’s already completed.

“It’s already done,” Glock answered sneakily when asked about the project’s existence. While we pushed to find out whether or not it would receive a 2022 release, Key Glock replied: “That I can’t tell you. But it’s already done.” So there you have it. There’s certainly a strong chance we’ll be blessed with Dum & Dummer 3 in the near future, and the near future is also, basically, 2022.

Watch the video interview with Key Glock below, or read the full interview here. Check back with us tomorrow for Yellow Tape 2. Peep the tracklist here in the meantime.

N.O.R.E. Announces Kanye West On “Drink Champs” Tonight

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Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, will seemingly be appearing on Drink Champs tonight. The news broke when N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN shared a video of “Donda Chant” playing as the podcast’s logo rotated on Thursday morning.

“Tonight 10pm on @revolttv the yalla wit the yalla Yande,” said N.O.R.E. on Instagram, seemingly confirming that Ye will be appearing on the podcast.


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The upcoming must-watch episode of the show comes following the return of Sunday Service this past weekend. After a lengthy hiatus due to the pandemic, Ye’s chorus-led weekly service returned with additional appearances from Marilyn Manson, Roddy Ricch, and more.

The announcement also follows teasers from the Drink Champs team that Drake would be making an appearance on the show soon. Considering the fact that Ye and Drake aren’t the closest friends, Ye’s presence on the podcast may offset Drake’s own appearance by a few weeks.

One of the best hip-hop podcasts, Drink Champs will be sure to get a good interview out of Ye. Make sure to tune in tonight to hear everything that the enigmatic recording artist says because you already know it’ll be making headline news tomorrow morning. 

Will you be watching at 10 PM tonight as Kanye West seemingly appears on Drink Champs?

A$AP Ferg Shows Off New Bald Look

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It appears that some rappers have grown tired of the hair on their head lately. Just this past weekend, Ye made news appearing at his Sunday Service after shaving his eyebrows off. 

Now, A$AP Ferg has joined in the fun, shaving all the hair off of his head. Ferg posted a story to Instagram with the new cut with the caption: “New start.”

This haircut comes on the heels of A$AP Ferg’s new single “Green Juice” featuring Pharrell Williams, released on Oct. 29. “Green Juice” was Ferg’s first solo release of 2021, as he has not released a song or project since Sept. 2020.

At the same time he first announced “Green Juice,” Ferg was fresh off inking a new management deal with Roc Nation stating: “It has always been a dream to work with Jay-Z. For decades I have looked up to the moves he’s made with his diverse range of business ventures but especially with companies like Roc-A-Fella and Roc Nation. His ability to build brands and create teams alongside leaders like Jay Brown is unmatched, and it feels good to be officially a part of the family.”

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On Wednesday (Nov. 3), the Harlem rapper shared another angle of his haircut on Instagram as he is clearly growing comfortable with the new look, captioning it with a UFO emoji.

The extra-terrestrial vibes the 33-year-old have been giving off coincide with the message of his latest single, so this haircut could potentially be a promotional tactic for an upcoming project.

Check out A$AP Ferg’s new bald look below!

Rich Brian Spits Relentlessly On New Single “New Tooth”

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Two months after making multiple appearances on the soundtrack for Marvel Studio’s Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, and subsequently becoming the first Indonesian artist to amass 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Rich Brian is back with a new single, “New Tooth.” 

Produced by frequent collaborator, Diamond Pistols, “New Tooth” finds Rich Brian going insane over a heavy, piano-driven instrumental. Spitting for what feels like three minutes straight, the “Run It” rapper flexes his lyrical prowess and ability to switch flows seamlessly across every part of the song. 

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With a beat switch just under two minutes in, “New Tooth” transforms from intense and urgent to a more laid back, Sunday afternoon stroll-type record and Rich Brian handles it with ease. Skating all over both halves of the Diamond Pistols instrumental, Rich Brian shows a maturity on “New Tooth” that we haven’t necessarily seen before. 

Accompanied by war-inspired visuals, “New Tooth” is much more serious than the title implies, and is an example of Rich Brian at his absolute best. 

Quotable Lyrics
It’s a simple question, do you got it or not?
I been talkin’ to God ’bout the garage
Afford the crib that I still haven’t bought
Boat rockin’, my thoughts goin’ too fast
And irrational, I need the 42 on the rocks

Check out “New Tooth” below and let us know what you think in the comments. 

Boosie Badazz Reacts To Rumor That He Got A White Woman Pregnant

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Boosie Badazz is a prominent figure in Hip-Hop who often finds himself at the center of controversy and rumors, and while many of his most infamous situations can be attributed to his own actions, empty allegations are launched his way from time to time. One such allegation surfaced earlier this summer when a white woman went on TikTok with a video claiming that she had gotten pregnant after hooking up with Boosie in 2020.

Shortly after her video went viral, the woman insisted that it was merely a joke, and now, several months later, Boosie Badazz has shared his to claims that he got a white woman pregnant.

“Hell no!” the Goat Talk 3 artist exclaimed. “I ain’t never seen a woman in my life. That’s a fan picture. Hell nah. I’d be worried like a motherf*cker. That movie [would’ve] been a month late.”

DJ Vlad went on to point out that all of Boosie’s baby mothers are Black women and ask if the Baton Rouge artist has ever dated any white girls. Boosie proceeded to double down on love for Black women, but he admitted to fancying a specific type of white woman.

Lil Boosie performs at Legendz To The Streetz Tour at State Farm Arena on September 30, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.
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“I wouldn’t say dated, but I’ve had a couple of white girls,” Boosie responds. “I love my Black women, but you know, I’m attracted to white girls also. But I like real white girls. Long backs! Yeah. Denim jeans! Yeah. I like real white girls — swimmers! Shit, beautiful with jeans on and sandals.”

Boosie goes on to explain that he likes white girls who are authentic to their cultural roots, saying, “I like the real Bay Watch, the real white girls. High school white girls, who just pretty and beautiful you know? The long backs. With that little booty — that bitch soft though! And when it comes out the draws it’s bigger than what it look. You know what I’m talking about, Vlad!”

Watch the full clip from Boosie Badazz’s latest interview with DJ Vlad below.

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Billie Eilish, Kacey Musgraves, And Anderson .Paak Are All Guesting On ‘Sesame Street’

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Billie Eilish 2021
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Elmo and his Sesame Street cohorts have welcomed a bunch of guests onto the program over the years, and as the show gets ready to enter its 52nd season, more new friends have been announced. The music world is well-represented in the upcoming season, as a recently shared trailer shows a clip featuring Jon Batiste singing with Elmo and a character who appears to be a garbage collector. We also get a glimpse of Kacey Musgraves sharing smiles with Elmo, Big Bird, and a handful of other characters.

Furthermore, USA Today reports that the 35-episode season will also feature Billie Eilish and Anderson .Paak. Eilish will appear alongside The Count, while .Paak is set to perform a song for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day episode. The new season starts streaming on HBO Max on November 11 before coming to PBS Kids in the fall of 2022.

Musgraves has forged a strong connection with the world of Sesame Street over the past year or so. Back in May 2020, she guested on The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo to sing “Rubbie Ducky” alongside the red-furred host. Then, earlier this year, she was the face of a new line of Sesame Street clothes from Moschino.

Watch the Sesame Street trailer above.