New Hip Hop News

In terms of RIAA certifications, Wednesday was a good day for Lil Baby, because the popular Atlanta rapper was able to add five new plaques to his growing collection of gold and platinum records. Of his five new certifications, the My Turn cut “Consistent,” the 2018 Rylo Rodriguez-assisted “No Friends,” and this year’s EST Gee-assisted “Real As It Gets” have all reached the gold threshold.

Lil Baby’s other two new plaques are actually double-platinum certifications, with “Life Goes On” with Gunna and Lil Uzi Vert as well as last summer’s “The Bigger Picture” both officially moving two million album-equivalent units.

While the double-platinum certification for 2018’s “Life Goes On” is still impressive, it’s even more noteworthy that Lil Baby’s 2020 protest anthem has moved so many units so quickly. The Grammy-nominated single arrived during the midst of social turmoil in the United States that followed the globally covered death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.

As the protests spread across the country and eventually to Atlanta, the QC rapper hit the streets to protest as one of the people, and shortly thereafter, “The Bigger Picture” emerged, with many calling Lil Baby a legend in the making. Despite the song’s cultural impact and commercial success, the Voice of the Heroes rapper has revealed that he’s not interested in making politically conscious music anymore. 

With that said, revisit Lil Baby’s now-2x platinum single “The Bigger Picture” by watching the official music video below.

By now, we know you’re invested in the release of Drake’s Certified Lover Boy, which has been frequently delayed throughout the year. Though some have grumbled at the push-backs, others chose optimism, believing that Drizzy’s meticulous process will ultimately lead to a stronger product.

In any case, Drake has been relatively vague about his intentions, offering up general “coming soon” updates every so often. And while LeBron James has hinted at an imminent Certified Lover Boy release, it would appear that Drake isn’t quite ready to unleash his new album into the world. Today, the man who seems deadset on injecting romance back into the game took to Instagram to share another progress update. 

 Christopher Polk/Getty Images 

Well, sort of. His latest IG story finds him back in the booth, staring with the locked-in focus of a man who has experienced love and loss with equal intensity. While some commenters suspected that Drizzy was merely hoping to catch a flattering angle of his haircut, others noted that Drake was probably laying down a few last-minute vocal overdubs – or perhaps even late-game verses. 

Some wear their heart on their sleeve; others on their head. We can only hope that the self-declared Lover Boy finds it in said heart to share a more concrete update about the project, as it remains one of the year’s most anticipated releases. One has to wonder if the sudden emergence of Kanye West’s Donda has thrown a wrench in his intended release plans, as it’s possible the pair will be eyeing similar real estate. At this point, perhaps Drake is better off living up to his October’s Very Own moniker and going for a fall release.

Are you looking forward to Certified Lover Boy?

Kanye West still hasn’t released his highly-anticipated studio album DONDA, but he’s already breaking records for it. With his two listening events at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in which he played unfinished versions of the project, the music legend has continued to create hype around DONDA, nearly doubling his previous Apple Music streaming record with the viewership from the second party.

The second event was held in Atlanta, Georgia last week, and it ended with a death-defying floating stunt from Kanye, who floated levitated out of the arena. As reports suggest he’s already made $7 million from DONDA merch alone, it’s now being reported that Kanye almost doubled his viewership numbers from the first live stream, which broke an Apple Music record.

The second DONDA listening event reportedly had over 5.4 million people tuned in concurrently to watch the rollout continue. In the two weeks that ‘Ye was living inside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the artist seemingly worked non-stop on the album, previewing a much-more refined version of DONDA on Thursday. Perhaps by the next listening event, 10 million people will be watching and even more updates will have happened.

The first listening session broke a record previously set by Gucci Mane and Jeezy’s Verzuz battle on Apple Music, clocking in a total of 3.3 million viewers.

Have you been enjoying the DONDA rollout, or are you anxious for the album to finally arrive? Let us know in the comments.

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Following Kenneth Petty’s plea deal in his case as a sex offender in the state of California, it appears as though Nicki Minaj may be trying to distance herself from her husband on social media. Or, at least, that’s what some fans are fearing.

For nearly the last two years, Nicki has gone as “Mrs. Petty” on Twitter. The name change sparked marriage rumors at the time, which turned out to be true. Considering the fact that she low-key teased her marital union on the platform, could it be that she’s also hinting at trouble in paradise by reverting back to her old name?

Some fans have noticed that sometime last week, The Queen changed her name on Twitter back to “Nicki Minaj.” The move was made shortly after Kenneth Petty’s latest case with the state of California, reaching a plea deal after initially failing to register as a sex offender. Nicki hasn’t commented on the change, but fans are fearing the worst from it.

“It’s the end of an era I fear,” said one fan about Mrs. Petty changing her name back to her stage moniker. “I used to pray for times like this,” said another Barb, quoting Nicki’s lyrics and suggesting that they’re hoping she drops her husband.

It’s unclear what prompted the change, but it could also signal some new music on the way from the legendary rapper. After all, she never went by Mrs. Petty in her music, so she might finally be ready to return with a new album.

What do you think of the minor change?

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