Madonna is often referred to as the Queen of Pop but apparently, Waka Flocka Flame thinks Doja Cat has claimed that crown in 2023.
“Am I tripping or Doja Cat is [the] Madonna of this era,” Waka Flocka posted on the X platform. The December 13 tweet generated reactions from other social media users.
Doja Cat originally broke out as a recording artist with 2018’s viral single “Mooo!” She went on to earn her first No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart when “Say So” rose to the top spot in 2020.
This year also saw Doja achieve Hot 100 success. “Paint The Town Red” spent three weeks at No. 1. Plus, the Los Angeles native made it into the Top 20 with “Agora Hills.” Both tracks live on the Scarlet studio LP.
Madonna is one of the most accomplished musicians of the last 40 years. The 65-year-old legend has 12 career No. 1 songs on the Hot 100. That total puts her in a tie with The Supremes for seventh place on the all-time list.
Diddy has taken another loss. The Hip-Hop mogul’s upcoming reality show, tentatively titled Diddy+7, has been dropped by Hulu.
Reports suggest the multiple sexual assault allegations against Diddy played a role in the TV series getting scrapped. Former The Late Late Show host James Corden’s Fulwell 73 company was set to produce the show.
Diddy’s ex Cassie Ventura filed an Adult Survivors Act lawsuit in New York against the Bad Boy Records founder, accusing him of rape, sex trafficking and abuse before the two sides settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
Diddy previously oversaw the second iteration of the Making the Band reality series. The program introduced the Bad Boy music acts Da Band, Danity Kane, Day26 and Donnie Klang. Diddy also appeared as a judge on The Four: Battle for Stardom.
After going viral following a comical Instagram Live session with Twitch streamer Kai Cenat, Nicki Minaj pulled up to meet him in person with hilarious results.
Cenat was kept waiting indefinitely after the Queen of Rap delayed while on her press run to promote her Pink Friday 2 album.
“Kai gone have to wait,” she explained as she prepared for her Funny Marco interview. “I hope Mama Kai and Sister Kai is there. That’s who I’m really coming to see to give them their gifts.”
Although Cenat threw a little fit, his patience paid off as Minaj eventually arrived to grace the golden throne he got for her. Entering to the sounds ofthe PF2 cut “FTCU,” Minaj twerked against the throne before showing off some moves for the audience.
As promised, Kai Cenat brought his Trinidadian mother and twin sister to meet Nicki Minaj. It wasn’t long before island music took over the playlist with disastrous consequences.
While acknowledging Cenat tried to be an attentive host, Nicki Minaj only gave his hospitality a five out of 10. After chastising him for yelling, Cenat dutifully obliged when Minaj asked her to bring him a drink to help her cope with his “annoying” tendencies.
“Put some alcohol in a plastic cup that’s clean,” Minaj directed before telling Cenat to add a lot of juice. “Because I’m not an alcohol person but I might need it dealing with you because you’re very annoying.” Although he tried to protest, the NYC icon playfully ignored him before asking for help connecting to the internet.
Rick Ross plans to make good on his promise after challenging himself to climb the highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, next year. After announcing his intention to make the climb back in 2022, the MMG honcho is pounding the pavement in preparation for the mammoth task.
He took to Instagram Wednesday (December 13) while on an evening run with his friend and The Perfect Day To Boss Up: A Hustler’s Guide To Building Your Empire co-writer Neil Martinez-Belkin, who’s also set to make the trek.
“I mentioned on the podcast last year we was climbing to the top of Kilimanjaro,” Rick Ross began. “It’s official. Early 2024. It’s going down.”
While displaying impressive breath control, Rozay confirmed he and his fellow climber are “in the best shape of our lives,” before promising, “I won’t fall out on you muthaf###as.”
Rick Ross also joked that he has a backup plan to whisk him off Mount Kilimanjaro if things go wrong.
When announcing his Kilimanjaro plans last year, Rick Ross admitted that he hadn’t done much research. “I’m the boss, I don’t look into nothing,” he said. However, he insisted he would spend the following two years preparing mentally and physically.
Although he said he hadn’t looked into it, he seemed to have a pretty good idea of the task ahead of him. He guessed the climb would take between five to 10 days but said he was in no rush.
According to the Climbing Kilimanjaro website, the mountain takes around five to nine days to climb, and most trekkers fail because they try to complete the trek too quickly without acclimatizing to the altitude.
Pardison Fontaine is responding to the backlash after Megan Thee Stallion questioned why Pardi was bashing her in interviews.
After dropping Megan diss, “THEE PERSON,” Pardi addressed their relationship breakdown. He also spoke on infidelity accusations during an interview on Wednesday (December 13).
Pardi claimed the song was a “necessary response” to “give some context to the things” being said about him. He also spoke on Megan’s allegation that she walked in on an ex “getting head” in her bed in her song “Cobra,” stating, “It’s a loose interpretation of events.”
However, Megan Thee Stallion hit back at Pardi during an Instagram Live just hours later. She questioned “why the f### is you responding to me?” if the events described in “Cobra” are untrue.
After receiving backlash, Pardi also went live on IG, doubling down on his decision to talk about Megan Thee Stallion.
He claimed he was only responding to the questions put to him and that he’s never spoken ill about anybody. Pardi also insisted, “I have no problem taking accountability,” but added, “I just don’t appreciate people throwing rocks and hiding their hand.”
Pardi continued, “Everything I needed to talk about, I talked about on the song,” adding, “when you paint things in ways that they didn’t happen, you got to clear it up.”
He also said although “I didn’t start this,” he’s been painted as the “bad guy” in the situation. “This is not no clout thing,” he said, adding that “this song is not on my album.
Nicki Minaj is on pace to top the charts with one of the biggest debuts of her career, but Pink Friday 2 still has its critics.
The NYC icon took to social media Wednesday evening (December 13) to announce some special upcoming PF2 surprises and thank her fans for the love. However, she also had to “address one thing,” concerning the album’s featuredartists.
“Ppl can make WHAT they want WHEN they want,” Nicki Minaj wrote on X. “Especially when they’re a GENIUS- a CONSISTENT GENIUS- & have given us their ALL for over a decade, changed music forever, for the BEST. Especially when they’ve given us “mature” content when it wasn’t even COOL to do so.”
She went on to explain that fans “don’t dictate where an artist is at in their artistry,” and although supporters “may feel close to them,’ they cannot speak for the artist.
In addition, Nicki Minaj expressed her sincere gratitude to her Pink Friday 2collaborators.
“Everyone on this album elevated ME,” she added. “Not just what they contributed. They elevated ME. I’m honored that they’d share their gifts, their fan bases, their TIME with me.”
Check out her post below.
Guys,
I SOOOOO appreciate the love on this album. 🥹🤍 I’d like to address one thing.
Ppl can make WHAT they want WHEN they want. Especially when they’re a GENIUS- a CONSISTENT GENIUS- & have given us their ALL for over a decade, changed music forever, for the BEST.…
Nicki Minaj also made The Barbz ecstatic after teasing the return of one of her most beloved alter egos, Roman.
She updated fans with the latest PF2 additions and revealed she has several surprises still in the works.
“But!!!! one thing is for CERTAIN,” she said, announcing Roman will be in “Gag City,” PF2’s fantasy world. “Show out? get him. simple. Get on Onika nerves? risk him being sent back to boarding school yet again.”
Nicki Minaj also teased an upcoming Pink Friday 2 Future verse. “I hit Future,” she said before adding, “Hopefully he in #GagCity.”
Now leave them alone, show respect, & enjoy the music. You have no clue how much they go above & beyond whether I hit them at 9am or 3am.
KRS-One has never shied away from expressing his opinion, no matter how dogmatic or controversial it may be. In the case of the Grammy’s Hip-Hop 50 celebration, the proud culture conservationist didn’t hold back his feelings either. Sitting down for a recent interview, the Hip-Hop architect was asked about the event and what he thought about it. Anybody who’s familiar with KRS-One knows they are going to get a thorough answer—and he certainly delivered.
For starters, KRS-One revealed he got a call from LL COOL J asking him to participate at the event and instantly declined. While he admitted he’s “insane with this culture,” he noted he remembers Hip-Hop as being something “sacred.” And, judging by his comments, he feels it’s no longer being treated as such.
“I carry myself in a certain way because I know who I am in this culture,” he says. “You’re in the temple of Hip-Hop. This is our home. This institution can never side with, come under, understand the exploitation of our culture. Never will you ever see me standing in the environment while our culture is being exploited. Or, if you do see me there, the next moment this thing’s gonna fall. I’m there to bring this sh## down.”
He continued, “So when I got the call, I immediately say nah. First of all, it’s the Grammys? You get no respect here. None. Now, we respect your existence. We know you exist and we know you’re the Grammys. We understand, and we respect that. Your existence. But you ignored Hip-Hop for 49 years. At the 50th year, you wanna call us? The 50th year? That’s when you call? You wait ’til the 50th year to wanna call Hip-H0p’s authentic teacher? Nah, you don’t get that privilege.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIyQLKlZ1mM
KRS-One also laid out what Hip-Hop is at its root and lamented the fact that so many people seem to have forgotten.
“What we know as Hip-Hop is breaking, MCing, graffiti art and DJing,” he added. “Now, we can argue these other ones, but we know for certain that what we call Hip-Hop is breaking, MCing, graffiti and DJing. We’ve all agreed on that. So what is all this other stuff? What is this other stuff that you’re calling Hip-Hop? That’s not Hip-Hop […] Hip-Hop wasn’t there. Rappers were there. Very respected rappers were there. But it wasn’t Hip-Hop because Hip-Hop would have got on that mic and said, ‘F### the Grammys.'”
Essentially, KRS boiled it down to nothing but a “party.”
A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop premiered via CBS on Sunday (December 10). The special tribute show featured Nelly, E-40, YG, Will Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Common, Public Enemy, Doug E. Fresh, MC Lyte, Ladybug Mecca, Rick Ross, Jeezy, Queen Latifah, Jermaine Dupri, Too Short, De La Soul, Akon, Black Thought, Gunna, Rakim and Chance The Rapper, among others.
Questlove recently talked about whose “no” hurt him the most via Twitter (X)— “MC Hammer.” He said, “We really wanted him to have his flowers. We begged him to open.”
Pete Rock cosigned KRS-One’s sentiments with an Instagram post in which he wrote, “Some of yall aint gon like this. What burns me is to hear people say how good this show was lol. Not when you missed 60% of major artist and producers and DJ’s,thats not a complete hip hop 50 show. You know what? smh go siddown or sum. i know Real Historians did not appreciate what they saw if they even saw it. #rp @iamnikkid__ Stop playing with #HIPHOP it’s a culture not a rapper! @teacha_krsone I LOVE YOU!! You always respectfully put things in perspective! #Thisishiphop #Krsone #grammys #scammys2023.”
GloRilla dismissed criticism of female rappers in an interview with GQ published on Wednesday (December 13). The CMG artist questioned the notion of her male counterparts offering more diverse content in their music compared to women in Hip-Hop.
“What men rap about?” she asked. “Killing, f######, robbing, cars, money. Females rapping about the same s###. But guess what? We’re not killing. We’re not in gangs. We’re not robbing. That’s what men be doing. What we doing? We’re sitting pretty, we’re popping our s###, we’re hustling, we’re getting money. We f###, so we rap about what we do.”
GloRilla defended herself and other women in Hip-Hop when asked about comments made by Fabolous. Last July, Fab said there was only one style of female rap music being promoted in today’s current music climate.
“Love hearing female rappers talking some real s###,” he wrote on Instagram Stories. “Women are so strong. Have so many stories and perspectives that we need to hear in pure form.”
He continued, “No disrespect to any female rappers out, but I think there’s only 1 style of female rap/Hip-Hop being promoted, programmed and looked at as successful now.”
Fabolous’ opinion received a mixed reaction on social media. Some observers agreed with him while others thought he was disingenuous and hypocritical. Fans pointed to him collaborating with the City Girls on Diddy’s single “Act Bad,” which dropped a few months before he griped about the type of women finding success in today’s Hip-Hop landscape.
GloRilla rose to fame when her Hitkidd-produced song “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” became a viral sensation in 2022. The track’s success helped her secure a record deal with Yo Gotti’s CMG. Last year, she scored her first Top 10 hit when she teamed up with Cardi B for “Tomorrow 2,” which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Kash Doll is gearing up to release a litany of content, including new music, via the subscription-based software platform OnlyFans (OF).
On Wednesday (December 13), the Detroit lyricist shared the announcement–accompanied by a suggestive and festive flick of herself–on her social media accounts. In the brief message, Kash Doll gave fans a taste of the type of content they’ll have access to should they choose to invest in her subscription, which will include everything she doesn’t want in view of the “public.”
“I’m officially on Only Fans,” she wrote in part. “Get my exclusive music, pics, behind the scenes and things I just don’t want public period! You can now get it all on OnlyFans! #LinkinBio.” Kash Doll also spoke about her arrival to the platform in a separate collab post with OF on IG.
“OnlyFans is revolutionizing the way artists share… it gives me true freedom of expression. I’m constantly inspired by my fan base, and having this platform where I can connect with them on a personal level will be a way of giving back to them,” Kash Doll said.
Countless artists flocked to the comments section of Kash Doll’s original post, including fellow rap OF creator Rubi Rose, who wrote “Welcome home” and shared a heart along with the message. Kash Doll also followed up in the comments section herself, seemingly confirming that releasing explicit content isn’t necessarily in her plans. In response to an IG user who wrote, “Where did she say she was uploading P###? OF isn’t just for that content,” Kash Doll replied “Right lol.”
Megan Thee Stallion pleaded for peace in her life as she continued to deal with drama on Wednesday (December 13). The multi-platinum-selling rapper vented about her ex-boyfriend Pardison Fontaine, Tory Lanez and more on Instagram Live.
“If this man is saying, ‘I didn’t cheat on her, I didn’t do that,’ well, why the f### is you responding to me?” Megan Thee Stallion said regarding her ex. “Do you know how many n###s y’all claim I done f###ed with? Why are you answering? Why are you trying to make that shoe fit? Was it you getting your dick sucked in the same spot I was sleeping? If you say it wasn’t you, why the hell is you dissing me? What the f### is going on? Why are you talking to me? If you say I wasn’t talking to you, I wasn’t talking to you. You just wanted to f###ing find a reason to bash me. It seems very strategic.”
Megan rapped about catching her man cheating on her on the new single “Cobra,” which dropped in November. But she told fans she had nothing bad to say about Pardi on Instagram Live.
Later in the livestream, Megan turned her attention to Tory Lanez and his defenders in his infamous shooting case. She refuted claims suggesting her former friend Kelsey Harris was the real shooter. Megan urged people to find more reliable information about the case instead of relying on random social media accounts and bloggers.
“Y’all trying to pretend like Kelsey shot me,” Megan said. “Kelsey did not motherf###ing shoot me. And I really wonder why she—her main problem with me was, ‘You won’t tell people I didn’t shoot you!” I was like, ‘Kelsey, I don’t want to talk about this on social media at all.’ But now you won’t even get online and defend yourself. So, that really just proves my point: either you took some money or your life is in danger.”
She added, “I know who shot me. I said who shot me. And that’s why the f### you in jail. Y’all motherf###ers are dragging it online like it’s some new evidence. There is no new evidence.”
Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion. He’s appealing his conviction.
Pardison Fontaine has been more visible in the wake of his breakup with Megan Thee Stallion. On Wednesday (December 13), the songwriter/producer sat down for an interview with The Breakfast Club, where he was bombarded with questions about their failed relationship. He was also asked about the diss track he put out last month, “THEE PERSON,” in which he addresses the split.
“I just felt like I wanted to give some context to the things that have put out about myself,” he explained. “I feel like that was necessary.” He was pressed further about Megan’s allegation that she walked in on him “getting head” in her bed. He replied, “I do know the truth, and I know what was discussed between us. It’s a loose interpretation of events.
“This is why I was like this is absolutely not the case, and that’s why I felt like a record like ‘THEE PERSON’ needed to happen. That one line made people not want to interview me. ‘He’s this, he’s that.’ […] I’ve never been a bad person, never been painted any type of way in the media at all. One, that hurt me personally and two, it tarnished my image.”
As the conversation continued, Charlamagne Tha God wanted to know if he was curious about who Megan Thee Stallion had been with in the past, particularly Tory Lanez. During the whole shooting debacle, Megan denied she had been intimate with him, but it came out in court that she actually had. Fontaine said who she was with in the past wasn’t really the issue but added, “Something to be judged is honesty in a relationship. If I ask a specific question and you choose to tell me the opposite of the truth then it becomes a lie, that I have a problem with.”
Fontaine then plugged his new single “Sex Tape,” which Charlamagne said only brought up more questions. As he tried to explain what the title meant, he was asked if he had a problem taking accountability for his role in the split.
“I have no problem taking accountability,” he said. “First off, in most situations, I normally just blame myself […] That’s just my natural thought process, like what did I do to make them feel that way? I am a person that is always trying to avoid a conflict […] I don’t mind taking accountability.”
Megan Thee Stallion and Pardison Fontaine dated for roughly two years before their acrimonious split earlier this year. Watch the full interview above, with the relationship segment beginning around the 14-minute mark, and find “THEE PERSON” below.
Tems revealed she faced death threats over a baseless rumor claiming Future got her pregnant. The Nigerian singer-songwriter discussed the rumor, which spread online in September, during an appearance on The Beat 99.9 FM in her hometown of Lagos.
“I didn’t actually think anybody believed it,” she said. “I didn’t know it was serious. I didn’t know until I started getting messages, like death threats. Like, ‘How dare you! Of all the people in the world, Future? Really? Really, of all the people?’ And I’ve never even—I’ve never met him in my life. So, it’s crazy.”
Tems previously reacted to the pregnancy rumor on X (formerly known as Twitter) in September. She did not explicitly debunk it at the time but gave fans an exasperated response.
“In conclusion, you people are all mad!!!” she wrote.
The Beat 99.9 FM interview also featured Tems reflecting on the pressure she’s feeling in her career. She wondered if she could live up to the standards set by her past releases but admitted she’s reached a point where she’s not worried about the public reaction to her new music.
“It’s hard to not feel pressure,” she said. “It’s like I’m in competition with my past self. And sometimes, I don’t know if I’m evolving. I’m learning a lot of things at once. I’ve realized I’m not that—I’m not the best at production. How can I be better? I’m trying to be better all the time. But I feel like I’ve also gotten to a point where I just don’t care anymore. I just want it to be out. I just want the music to be out. If it’s not fine, it’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. I’m still going to be making music anyway.”
Shreveport City Council members approved the lease of the city-owned Millennium Studios to 50 Cent on Tuesday (December 12). The G-Unit boss boasted about the bipartisan support for his takeover of the Louisiana facility on Wednesday (December 13).
“The significance of this picture is great,” he wrote on Instagram. “A Republican mayor’s office and a democratic majority City Council have never voted unanimously together on anything. This picture is historic this day actually represents the future of Shreveport, betting on me is not a gamble it’s a sure thing.”
According to KSLA, 50 Cent leased Millenium Studios for 30 years with a 15-year option. He thanked Shreveport’s mayor and the city council as he touted the impending expansion of his film and television empire.
“I would like to thank Mayor Tom Arceneaux, Head of City Council James Green and Tabitha Taylor along with everyone else who voted for us,” he wrote. “Thank you for welcoming myself and G-Unit Studios along with G-Unit Film and Television to Shreveport, Louisiana. I am excited to get started on building a state-of-the-art production facility.”
He continued, “Founding my own studio is the next step in my plan to expand G-Unit Film and Television’s output of premium, diverse content across all media and to provide more opportunities for artists, crew members and more jobs within the community.”
50 Cent will only pay $2,400 annually to rent the facility. But he will be responsible for the maintenance, which reportedly costs $180,000 per year.
G-Unit Film and Television must stay active with film, television and music productions at the studio in Shreveport. The lease agreement requires 50 Cent to not have any lapses in production for more than 180 days. 50 Cent and his G-Unit team will officially take control of the facility on January 1, 2024.
Rakim and Will Smith just shared a full-circle moment. Following Smith’s performance as part of the Grammy’s Hip-Hop 50, video of their interaction circulated on social media. During the brief clip, Smith recounts the studio session in which he recorded the DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince hit “Summertime” and revealed Rakim was the source of the sonic direction of the track.
“I was absolutely trying to sound like you on ‘Summertime,'” Smith said in part. “I had been screaming all night and I couldn’t get my happy-go-lucky high voice and Hula said, ‘Yo just give me that Rakim s###.'”
Smith previously remarked on the recording during a 2020 podcast interview in which he claimed Rakim was his favorite rapper long before he got into the booth to record the Hip-Hop classic.
Rakim reposted the clip on his Instagram page and wrote “All love” in the caption.
In addition to receiving praise from Smith, Rakim was also a given his flowers by Ed Lover during a Hip-Hop 50 panel conversation with the New York Giants. Along with explaining his relief that Hip-Hop’s tree of life originates from Rakim’s own lineage, Lover claimed there wouldn’t be MCs such as Nas and JAY-Z without The God MC’s influence.
Tory Lanez, Megan Thee Stallion and her ex friend Kelsey Harris became trending Twitter (X) topics on Wednesday morning (December 13) after new court docs hit the net. The paperwork included statements from Lanez’s former driver/bodyguard, Jauquan Smith, who claims he never saw Lanez holding the gun—but he did see Harris with it. (In the following statement, Tory Lanez is referred to by his government name Daystar Peterson and Megan Thee Stallion as Megan Pete.)
“I saw Ms. Harris with a gun in her hand,” he states in the docs. “Mr. Peterson ran from behind Ms. Pete and myself, toward Ms. Harris. Mr. Peterson and Ms. Harris began struggling as Mr. Peterson tried to unarm Ms. Harris. I was still pulling Ms. Pete and did not see who shot the weapon. I was lucky I was not harmed, and in my opinion, Ms. Pete was also fortunate.”
Smith went on to say he wanted to present the evidence in court but was unable to because the District Attorney wasn’t ready to cross-examine him.
Tory Lanez driver and body guard broke it all the way down and I must say y’all make me sick the way y’all tossed him to the dogs over that lying horse girl, who burns every bridge she crosses. Bro saved her life, and is behind bars! pic.twitter.com/HDkk9bumjy
The incident between Tory Lanez, Megan Thee Stallion and Kelsey Harris took place in July 2020 after leaving a party at Kylie Jenner’s home. As Smith claims, they all got into an argument that resulted in Megan being shot in the foot. Although initially silent, Megan eventually came forward and pointed the finger at Lanez. Following an exhaustive trial, Lanez was convicted and sentenced to 10 years.
Lawyers are appealing Tory Lanez’s conviction but failed to convince to judge to release him on bail. He was transferred from Los Angeles County Jail to North Kern State Prison on September 19.
Matt B might have just dropped the most important project of his entire career. Titled ALKEBULAN, the Afrobeats album pays homage to his African ancestry in the most pure and genuine way. The 10-track project sees Matt embarking on a journey to reconnect with his heritage, all while balancing his personal life and family dynamics.
In describing himself, Matt B states he’s “a down-to-earth guy who does music.” He adds, “I really want to have an impact as much as possible, in a positive way.”
For an independent artist, Matt B has accomplished what most musicians wish they could in their lifetime—a Grammy nomination. Last year, Matt B’s song “GIMME LOVE” featuring Eddy Kenzo was nominated for Best Global Music Performance at the 2023 Grammys. The two recording artists performed “Gimme Love” at the Eddy Kenzo Festival at Kololo Airstrip in Uganda to a crowd of more than 20,000 people, including Uganda’s Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja.
Coming from the bottom, Matt’s journey in the music industry is far from linear. His hope is that his story will inspire others to also follow their wildest dreams, to do whatever it takes to get there while staying true to who you are down to the core.
AllHipHop spoke with Matt B in downtown Los Angeles to discuss his background, getting signed in Japan, the new project, his journey to Africa and more.
AllHipHop: How would you describe your sound?
Matt B: My sound is eclectic. I draw from so many different genres and facets of music. Even growing up in Chicago, I was homeschooled. So a lot of what we did, we’d go to a lot of museums and things like that. You can draw inspiration from so many different places outside of just music, so I’d say eclectic.
AllHipHop: Chicago is home to a slew of greats in the rap game. What was it like growing up there?
Matt B: It was a tale of two cities, right? I was raised on the Southside of Chicago. I was raised in the straight up ghetto. l came from nothing, literally. Living in a three bedroom apartment with my siblings, I’m the youngest boy. There wasn’t enough room for all of us so all of our beds were inside of the dining room. That was our room, the dining room. A lot of hungry nights, a lot of cold nights in the winter. It was one of those things.
Being where I am now, as an artist, I’m grateful for what I have. Because I know what the bottom feels like. Outside of that, Chicago truly is what they say it is to an extent. That’s not all that it is, but there’s some truth in it. From the dramas we deal with to the crime, sometimes you’re just trying to survive. I was lucky to live past 25.
Matt B: Music has always been there for me. It’s always been a big part of my family and my upbringing. It kept me grounded. It kept me out of trouble and out of the shenanigans. Whereas I had a lot of acquaintances that went down the wrong path, for me, music kept me focused.
AllHipHop: What did you realize you could do music for a living?
Matt B: That’s a good question. [laughs] For me, even if I wasn’t able to survive off of my music, I’d always do it. Because that’s how much it means to me. It goes beyond being able to live off of it. It really has been a confidant to me. It’s been a best friend to me. It’s been somewhere that I could turn when things got rough for me. But to fully answer your question, I got signed out in Japan. I had a #1 album out there for R&B on iTunes.
AllHipHop: How’d that happen in Japan?!
Matt B: It was random. I was uploading songs online and they randomly reached out to me. They said “hey, these 14 songs you have right here, we want it to be your album.” It ended up being distributed in over 1500 stores out there. They did physical and digital distribution for me. I then subsequently had another #1 album, two years later. From there, I kept pushing. I ended up with over 150 million streams in China because it bled over. That answers your question of when I found out I can live with my music [laughs].
AllHipHop: Definitely want to talk about your new album, ALKEBULAN.
Matt B: ALKEBULAN means “mother of mankind” or “garden of Eden.” That started during the pandemic. I was really trying to figure out what I wanted to do next and why. Angela being my wife and manager, she said, “You want to know what? You always said that you wanted to dabble in Afrobeats and African music. I think now’s the time to do it because the whole world has slowed down.”
I was constantly telling her, I want to do it the right way. I don’t want to be disrespectful to the genre. I didn’t feel I knew enough about the genre at that time, so I spent almost a year just learning. Learning the music and what Afrobeats was. I took an ancestry DNA test to learn where I came from and what my heritage was. I really wanted to do it the right way. From there, I hit the ground running. I had a lot of people helping me out, a lot of co-writers to guide my writing to make sure that I was being as authentic as I possibly could.
AllHipHop: Why did it take three years?
Matt B: [Laughs] Honestly, we went through a lot of songs. Easily probably about 30 or so. This version of ALKEBULAN isn’t the original version. This is version three. We have two other albums that were supposed to come out. Honestly, even last year in December pushing into January, we scrapped version two and made version three.
AllHipHop: Are you a perfectionist? Is that why?
Matt B: [Laughs] I don’t like to think of myself as a perfectionist, but a lot of people call me that. Someone once told me that music is never finished, it’s just abandoned. That’s a really good perspective to have because if we all had the ability to continue to work on it, work on it and work on it, we probably would never truly release it. But at a certain point, you have to really let it go. Let it out to the world and just see what happens.
AllHipHop: How’s the reception been?
Matt B: It’s been overwhelmingly positive [laughs], and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. You put your art out into the world, you put your heart and soul into it. From there, you wait to see how people are going to react to it for better or for worse. It’s like giving a baby to the world, you let people react to it for better or for worse. For me, I’m really happy that people are receiving it well. I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from people. “This album has changed my life. It’s put things into perspective for me.” “Thank you so much for highlighting Africa and for showing we’re way more than grass huts. That we really do have culture out here and we have something to say musically, that Africa is beautiful.” “You have inspired me to seek after my ancestry and to figure out what’s going on there.”
This isn’t just people from African descent telling me this, these are across the board. All races of people are telling me this, so I’ve been really shocked. But music is supposed to do that, it’s a conversation. There’s always going to be a divide for better or for worse. Some people love it, some people will hate it. But ultimately, it’s a conversation worth being had.
AllHipHop: Talk about the journey it took to get to shoot the “GUNJALE” music video? Twenty eight- hour flight, 10-hour car ride.
Matt B: Let me take you on that journey. For starters, we filmed almost all the music videos out in Africa. We were out there for seven days. We filmed seven music videos in seven days in two different countries. When we landed in Uganda, right off of the flight, we were already running behind. We jumped into the van and we drove those 10 hours into Karamoja, which skirts the border of South Sudan. We had to get permission from the chiefs of the tribe in order to film there, literally hundreds of miles into the interior of Uganda where there wasn’t a soul in sight except for the tribe. During that time, it was one heck of an experience. There’s no running water, no electricity. It’s literally houses that they built out of straw, sticks, and mud. It was an amazing experience.
Now. [laughs] Also during that time, apparently my wife caught the eye of one of the chiefs of the tribe. So much so, he tried to buy her for 600 cows, which is worth about a half a million US dollars. We didn’t even know because we didn’t speak the language. We found out after we left. He wasn’t even negotiating with me, he was negotiating with the other artists that spoke a shared language where some words overlap. That was for two days that he was trying to do that. As if that wasn’t bad enough, during our time there, I was trying to feed some of the members of the tribe. A lot of the children, because they didn’t have running water, they had no electricity, none of that, they didn’t have any food either. We left and we went way way up the road to one of the only shops that was there. Bought water, chips, juice, apples, all of that.
When we came back, we were going to give it to them. Well, that didn’t go over very well because everybody got p#####. They said, “You’re not going anywhere!” Because apparently when you feed a few people from a tribe, you’re supposed to feed the entire tribe. I didn’t know that. Now they’re bickering back and forth with us. They end up slashing one of the rear tires with a machete on the bus. We get back inside of the van. We drive off like what the heck is going on? We didn’t know whether or not they were going to be able to leave. They ended up calming the tribe down and being able to drive off. Then we had a run in with the Ugandan military.
AllHipHop: That’s insane!
Matt B: Yes [laughs]. It was a culture shock. All of this happening because really, we were to an extent ignorant about how to go about moving through that country. It was crazy. We also didn’t know that we were filming drone shots on an off-the-grid Ugandan military base. One of the generals came up to us and said “what’re you guys doing?” Talking in their language, we stayed in the van. They were bickering back and forth for 40-something minutes. He wanted us to delete all the video footage. Eventually, he said “Hey. You can keep it, just delete the drone footage.” We ended up deleting the drone footage, but crazy stuff like that would happen to us. Insane.
AllHipHop: All for the music.
Matt B: For the love of the music, and to tell the right story. And to tell it in the light that it deserves to be told. Because ultimately despite all that adversity, Africa is a beautiful continent. Uganda is a beautiful country, and beautiful people are there. But it had more to do with us not understanding the culture, than it had to do with anything negative or any negative perceptions of what that country is about.
AllHipHop: How’d it feel getting a Grammy nomination for “Gimme Love”?
Matt B: That really came out of nowhere honestly. That was one of the songs from version two of the album that still stayed on version three. “Gimme Love” was a freestyle. We were looking for artists to collab with from the continent. Eddy Kenzo is an amazing artist from the continent, we hit it off right away. We hit the studio a few days later. We were really vibing with one another, we ended up creating “Gimme Love.”
From there, we ended up filming the music video. It came to a point where based off people’s reaction to the video, reaction to the song, we really thought we should submit this for Grammy consideration. We submitted it and our minds were blown that we were nominated. It meant a lot to me as an artist. It goes to show that all that hard work pays off and that it’s not fallen on deaf ears. You should continue to push your music as much as possible, because you never know who’s paying attention to you. You never know who’s listening or what may happen.
AllHipHop: Three things you need in the studio at all times?
Matt B: I don’t eat enough [laughs]. Angela tells me that all the time. Maybe a really good vibe. Creative people, because sometimes artists like to be in the studio by themselves. I’m all about co-collaboration, so creative people would be one of them. I like the lights turned down. I’m boring, I need water. [laughs]
AllHipHop: What’re you most excited for next?
Matt B: I’m excited to continue pushing out ALKEBULAN. I know it has a lot of life left in it. It only dropped in August this year, so I’m excited to see how my fans continue to react to the music. I’m excited to tour both nationally and internationally, to create more music and to continue to be blessed enough to do what I love doing. To wake up everyday knowing this is a dream. I’m living in a dream world, so many people desire for this to happen in their life. For me to be one of the lucky people where it’s happening, how could you not be grateful for that?
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let the people know?
Matt B: I love my fans. I love all those who support me and those who have dedicated their time to listening to my music. I don’t take that for granted. I’m humbled by it all. I hope ultimately that I continue to create music that’s worthwhile and worth listening to, and we’re creating a conversation around it.
Mathew Knowles published a memoir titled Racism From the Eyes of a Child in 2017. The father of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Solange Knowles secured a deal for screen adaptations of his autobiography.
According to reports, Knowles has partnered with the Say Unkel Entertainment production company to create a feature film and a limited series based on Racism From the Eyes of a Child.
The motion picture version will cover the first half of the book. That section focused on Mathew Knowles growing up in Alabama during the racial tensions of the 1960s.
Racism From the Eyes of a Child highlighted Civil Rights icons like Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy. Mathew Knowles told Variety, “These are the men who made me proud and women who taught me to fight back.”
After founding Music World Entertainment in 1992, Knowles began managing the Houston-based girl group Destiny’s Child. His daughter, Beyoncé, was the lead singer of the R&B act.
Mathew Knowles secured Destiny’s Child a label deal with Columbia Records and led them to multiple Grammy Award wins. Beyoncé eventually went solo and severed professional ties with her father.
In 2016, Beyoncé released the song “Daddy Lessons” as part of her sixth studio album Lemonade. The country track featured Queen Bey reflecting on her relationship with Mathew Knowles.
There is no doubt that hip-hop is one of the most popular genres of music out there with a huge following ever since it originated in the 1970s. In fact, like many music genres, hip-hop addresses a range of themes which keep the songs appealing to a modern audience. As many hip-hop songs touch on exciting themes such as gambling and casinos, it is worth exploring the various hip-hop tracks that you might have known relate to these activities.
Firstly, it is important to note that gambling is one of those themes that dominate the hip-hop industry. This is partially because gambling has become such a popular practice around the world. With the increased competition, many popular Irish online casinos offer slot games based on hip hop such as Wild Beast, a slot featuring a soundtrack rap fans will love and Hip Hop Panda which amusingly features a rapping panda. They’ve done this to attract as many players with different interests to their site. Gambling is also a popular theme in the entertainment sector inspiring music, TV and film and games with many video games now incorporating casino themed mini games.
One song that highlights gambling themes is “Mo Money Mo Problems” by The Notorious B.I.G. Featuring Puff Daddy & Ma$e. This track is the second single from the hit album Life After Death. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks back in July 1997 It is one of the most noteworthy hits in hip-hop past. With guest vocals from Puff Daddy and Ma$e, it also has instrumental samples from the Diana Ross song “I’m Coming Out”. The reason why this song has been successful with both casino fans and music fans is because it has a feel-good vibe that makes you feel just as you would in a casino.
Furthermore, released in 2011, Vegas by Kendrick Lamar is known as one of the most famous gambling themed songs in the hip-hop genre. One of the most sung lines in this song is ““If Gambling’s A Sin, Then I’m Rollin’ Dice With Lucifer To Make Sure I Ain’t Losin’ You”. The song exposes how Lamar fuses the thrill that comes with gambling and casinos to the way he feels about a woman. With many references to gambling woven throughout the song, not only does it get listeners excited to gamble but it also gets them thinking about their own love life. Listeners will also be pleased to hear a variety of casino games mentioned in the song such as blackjack, poker, craps and slots.
Moreover, a more recent song release in the hip-hop genre is Vegas by Doja Cat which came out onto the charts in 2022. Not only is Doja Cat one of the best female rap artists around today, but her song touches on gambling themes as it is based around Las Vegas which is known as casino central. Also touching on relationship issues, this song has helped to firmly cement Doja Cat as an incredibly successful artist whilst demonstrating her vocal range and her talent.
Of course, “Life is a Gamble” by Big K.R.I.T. is another great song relating to gambling released in 2013. This rapper and producer was very successful with this song as it touches on deeper themes relating to life while still having a catchy beat. Just like gambling, the song discusses the risks that we take in life and reflects on how they can pay off. One of the lines that resonates most with listeners is “They say life (is a gamble), so be careful when you shake ’em up.” Not only does this song give every listener advice on how to move forward with their lives, but it also inspires them to remain positive.
In addition, as the title hints at, “The Gambler” by Xzibit is one of the best songs in the hip-hop genre relating to casino activities. Released in 2002, this song is part of his album “Man vs. Machine”. A part of what makes this song so interesting to listen to is how honest Xzibit is when conveying his emotions. Alluding to the world of gambling, the streets and the rap realm, this song will certainly go down in history and will remain on many people’s playlists for years to come.
Ultimately, there are a huge number of hip-hop songs that linking to gambling and casinos that inspire people to reflect on their own lives. In the future, as more online casinos come out onto the market, it is likely that there will be even more songs in the hip-hop genre that resonates and links to gambling. So, why not add a few songs to your hip-hop playlist that relates to gambling or even play them while you are gambling to get you in the perfect mood?
Toosii has reason to celebrate this holiday season. The rapper/singer’s viral smash “Favorite Song” earned the distinction of being America’s most-watched music video of 2023.
According to Vevo’s year-end statistics, Toosii’s “Favorite Song” totaled 101.8 million views in the United States this year. Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” came in second place with 97.9 million views.
Hip-Hop stars Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj also made the U.S. Top 5. Their “Princess Diana” collaboration amassed 52.3 million views for fourth place behind the 84.1 million views for KAROL G and Shakira’s “TQG.”
Taylor Swift is Vevo’s “Most Watched Artist” in the U.S. for 2023. The singer/songwriter amassed 649.5 million total views. Atlanta rapper Lil Baby landed in the runner-up position with 612.7 million views.
Billboard listed “Favorite Song” at No. 21 on the 2023 Hot 100 Year-End chart. Additionally, Toosie’s biggest hit took the No. 6 spot on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Year-End chart.
Jodeci will be the latest R&B act to take their talents to Las Vegas, Nevada. “The Party, The After Party, The Vegas Residency” will premiere at the House of Blues Music Hall at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
Fan pre-sale tickets for the show will be available beginning today (December 13) at 10 am PT. General tickets for the first ten shows go on sale Saturday (December 16) at 10 am PT.
“The Party, The After Party, The Vegas Residency” kicks off on March 15. A second run begins on July 5. The series of performances drew its name from Jodeci’s 1995 album The Show, the After Party, the Hotel.
Additionally, the highly influential group released 1991’s Forever My Lady, 1993’s Diary of a Mad Band and 2015’s The Past, The Present, The Future. The RIAA certified Forever My Lady as 3x-Platinum.
Jodeci also collected a 2x-Platinum plaque from the RIAA for Diary of a Mad Band. In addition, The Show, the After Party, the Hotel reached Platinum certification.
DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo became one of the standout R&B acts of the 1990s. The foursome scored five No. 1 songs on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Jodeci heads to Las Vegas as another legendary R&B performer just ended his residency there. Usher’s headline-generating My Way The Vegas Residency at Park MGM led to the Atlanta native receiving a Key to the City.
