After an eventful year Restlezz is ending it off with a bunch of moves. Soon putting out an E.P he’s also been busy doing features. He’s on some new tracks with V.I.C, juztdream509, Young prof1t toska nova, Opey Tailor and more. One song called illusions is a crazy track with V.I.C. The other one with juztdream509 is a song about PTSD. The one with young prof1t is a hardcore track called “Stacks” with a hard-hitting beat.
Restlezz is also working on something with Jake Strain, CEO and artist of Swaggertown Records. A track named “Why U Mad?” is a hype-type beat with crazy bars and flows. Should be something people can go crazy about. Looking to expand and join a team Restlezz is committed to putting in the necessary work to reach every goal he’s set for himself. Coming from a small town he’s made quite a name for himself. While dealing with legal trouble he’s been able to stay afloat and keep dropping tracks.
He’s said, “2023 is Going to be the year I put it all together and get where I want to be.” Make sure to check him out on all major platforms and to follow him on all social media outlets, and wait for the new drop “Why U Mad?” !
Sheek Louch is having a hard time accepting Quentin Miller wrote for Nas, despite him being a credited writer on Nas’ King’s Disease II song “The Pressure.”
“When you say ‘wrote for him,’” Sheek Louch asked the host. “Like, wrote his lyrics, or came up with the hook? ‘Cause you know that s### matters. Like, say you did a hook for me, I’m cool with that. You can write a hook for me, hell yeah. If you say ‘I wrote those lyrics that people said was amazing,’ then it’s different.”
Quentin Miller On Writing For Nas
Vlad then played Louch a clip of Quentin Miller explaining how he ended up with writing credits for a Nas song. While Vlad tried to “clear it up,” by asking, “what exactly did you do on the song ‘The Pressure’?” Miller refused to be tied down by specifics. He also suggested he wrote for Nas on other unreleased tracks.
“Man, I was just a part of it,” he offered. “I don’t even want to do all that. I was a part of the song though, man, and people gon’ have to live with it. People are hurt, people still comment at me like ‘You lying.’ Yes, man, I did. I’m not saying it to hurt Nas’s legacy, I’m only a part of one song. I worked with Nas, I’m gonna leave it at that. That’s the only song I worked on with Nas that came out.”
Nonetheless, Sheek Louch maintained that he “can’t accept” Nas didn’t write his own raps even though he acknowledged other rappers in the industry use writers. but was willing to believe he could have written the hook. “I think [Nas] need to write everything that comes out his mouth,” he added. “Whoever write your rhymes might as well hold your microphone.” Check out the clip below and listen to “The Pressure” at the end of the page.
As reported by AllHipHop.com, Sheek Louch also discussed Young Thug’s RICO trial, accusing his co-defendants of snitching on him.
Latto decided to capitalize off a troll’s comment about her panties by offloading her used underwear on eBay.
A Twitter user called out the “Big Energy” rapper on Sunday (Jan. 29) for seemingly wearing the same pair of panties more than once. While Latto initially clapped back at the tweet, she slept on it and devised a better response.
On Monday evening, Latto revealed she would be selling the panties in question, or at least a similar pair, via an eBay auction.
“Auction live on eBay since I can’t wear them twice Link in bio,” Latto wrote in the caption of an Instagram post. She also shared an image of the eBay listing featuring her cheetah-print panties alongside a description: “Latto’s everyday cheetah print panties,” she wrote in the listing before adding, “Used” and “As seen on Latto multiple times.”
Latto opened the bidding at 99 cents, and various screenshots show bids had risen to over $95,000. More than 100 people entered the auction before Latto took the listing down.
She also gave her Ifans a glimpse inside her underwear drawer during an Instagram Live on Monday. The Grammy-nominated artist also explained that she has multiple pairs of the same cheetah-print panties.
“These are all my Target panties that caused such a discrepancy yesterday,” she stated. “So um, $5 at Target. Here’s the cheetah stash. So, that’s two, three, four, yeah, clean. Five. Oh look, this one has a brand new tag on it. So that’s cute.”
A Twitter user kicked off panty-gate on Sunday by sharing two images of the Ohio native wearing two different outfits but the same style of cheetah-print panties. “Can’t afford new panties ?” they questioned.
Latto responded, “Oh no, it’s the panty police.” She also changed her profile pic to an image of the offending panties.
Detroit, Michigan has a reputation for raising young rappers who can effortlessly translate stories of street life into catchy, melodic rap songs. When a powerful music composer collaborates with top-notch lyricists the outcome transcends mythical proportions. Detroit-based super producer The ATG has assembled a diverse group of super talented artists on his Hip Hop compilation called the “Detroit Cinematic” album.
The ATG has become one of the most respected young composers in the music game due to his acclaimed work with Swifty McVay of D12 on the Devil’s Night soundtrack. In addition, he provided production on “Trap City” projects. Moreover, he has a long-standing working relationship with artist/actor Omar Gooding. Most recently, he collaborated with Chicago’s rap star Lil Reese to fully produce the “Demon Time” album. The ATG’s sound palette is intricate.
With uncensored emotion, hard-hitting beats and honest melodies, the “Detroit Cinematic” album tells the story of a unique path. From tragedies and heartbreak to glory and triumph, this project takes you on an inspiring journey about a city that is in the midst of a major comeback. Each artist uses his lyrics to vividly bring stories of his hometown’s crime infested streets to life. However, instead of only focusing on the negative, the project also paints a picture of pride and dignity. It offers a beacon of hope for many in Detroit and each artist carries his city on his back.
Joe Robinson, a Detroit native, is the project’s executive producer, The Grammy-nominated Earlly Mac (who has collaborated with Big Sean, Saweetie, Beyonce) and the up-and-coming IMBUNLEE are featured on the project’s lead track entitled “Overdue.” IMBUNLEE adds his silky delivery to Earlly Mac’s trademark flow. The song is a succinct two-and-a-half minutes long and keeps your attention the entire time as each rapper shows off his diverse styles.
If you’re a fan of lush sinister beats, dope lyrics and infectious hooks. then the “Detroit Cinematic” album is the project for you. The ATG is a maestro on the beat. He has a cinematic vision with his music. As a music producer, The ATG guides, coordinates, directs and inspires artists like how great filmmakers like Martin Scorsese directs films. His style is infused with a perfect blend of rebellious rage and charismatic cool. He delivers a fusion of musical score and Hip Hop compositions. His tracks comprise several orchestral, instrumental, and choral pieces combined with dark synth sounds.
The ATG’s sense for musical layering and production are top-notch, and the themes he displays on this album are powerful. While it’s one thing to be able to put together an intuitive beat or two, it requires a whole other level of skill to be able to compile some of your best instrumentals into an experience that flows seamlessly and remains entertaining for its entire run time. The album is a masterclass in production, not just because of how good it sounds, but also due to the emotion that The ATG is able to infuse into each track. The percussion arrangements serve as the heart of each song and push the emotional undertones forward. With a soundscape this intricate, The ATG makes an early entry in the race for producer of the year for 2023.Click the following link to check out the “Detroit Cinematic” album https://orcd.co/5q1jlre
Proving his versatile nature and delighting the fans is a young artist that does not shy away from innovation—2051 Paper just dropped “Even”, and it’s simply stunning! Charming thousands of new fans, 2051 shows off magnetic charisma as well as legit skill, which is the reason for his quickly rising popularity. Not your average young artist, but a hard worker and an incredibly dedicated artist, 2051 carefully crafts his verses and hooks, always leaving the interpretation to his listeners.
Addictive from the get-go, “Even” opens with an ominous intro, as the music clip sets the stage for a thrilling house party, followed by 2051 Paper’s melodic rapping and on-camera performance. Surrounded by gorgeous ladies and undoubtedly having a good time, there is still something about the music and the rapper’s voice that carries a hint of melancholy and sadness.
2051 Paper is an East Atlanta, Georgia-based artist, who is a part of the new generation of local talent that displays the raw trap and street music of hip-hop culture. He has big dreams of affecting his peers and helping them elevate themselves off the streets by gaining resources and sharing his stories through music. With several solid releases under his belt and hundreds of fans who adore this new direction of the genre, 2051 is at the right place and at the right time, bringing his talent and dedication to life.
2051 Paper’s previous achievements in music include singles like “OODLES & NOODLES”, “Aggravated”, and more, as well as a famous collaboration with Baby Boy and Lil Crack titled “Lace ‘Em Up”. The up-and-coming rapper takes another major step forward with “Even”. Listeners better hold on tight, because there is no telling what ecstatic jam 2051 Paper will come up with next!
Flavor Flav is reflecting on how substance abuse took over his life to the extent he was spending almost $1 million a year on drugs at the height of his addiction.
The Public Enemy founding member, who opened up about his struggles with drug addiction in his 2011 memoir Flavor Flav: The Icon The Memoir, celebrated two years of sobriety in October. During an episode of DJ Akademiks’ Off the Record podcast Flav revealed he “never really let people know exactly” how big the problem was.
“There was a time that I was spending $2,400 to $2,600 a day… for six years straight,” Flavor Flav admitted. “You do the math. That’s how much I spent on drugs.”
Flavor Flav Was His Own “Best Customer”
As he was spending almost a million dollars a year while under the grip of addiction, Flav was his own supplier.
“I ain’t gonna lie, I sold a lot. But I was my best customer,” he added. “I had a lot of money at the time too, I was just doing the wrong things with my money.”
Flavour Flav recalled that he “maintained myself very well” while at the height of his addiction and “kept it hidden too.” He explained that his faith helped him to quit using and begin his sobriety journey in 2020.
“I guess God wanted me to live. And he knows that I’m a mouthpiece to the world,” he said. “So, I feel that God let me live through that, so that way, I could teach people about the mistakes that I made. And hopefully, they won’t make them later on in life.”
Flav also had some words of advice: “Drugs are easy to get on, and they’re hard as hell to get off of.” He also urged today’s generation of rappers to be aware of how they portray drug taking in the lyrics. “Back in the days, when we used to make drug records, we used to talk about selling drugs,” he added.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx opted to drop sexual abuse charges against R. Kelly.
The prosecutor announced her office won’t pursue R. Kelly’s four pending criminal cases on Monday (January 30). Foxx cited “limited resources and court time” as the main factors for dismissing the charges.
“Mr. Kelly is potentially looking at the possibility of never walking out of prison again for the crimes he has committed,” Foxx said. “This office, in the pursuit of justice for the victims in our indictment – as well as those across the country – worked tirelessly to get us to this point. While today’s cases are no longer being pursued, we believe that justice has been served in the sentences that have already been handed down to Mr. Kelly as well as the sentence that will come down next month.”
R. Kelly, 56, was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Cook County. The charges dated back to 1998 and involved at least three minors.
The disgraced singer was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex trafficking and racketeering charges in New York. He awaits sentencing for a separate conviction in Chicago.
A Chicago jury found R. Kelly guilty of producing child pornography and coercing minors into criminal sexual activity. He faces 10 to 90 years in prison.
Kanye West’s old presidential campaign paid more than $14,000 to white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
Ye’s 2020 presidential campaign committee disclosed the payments in a filing with the Federal Election Commission on Monday (January 30). Nick Fuentes received $14,719 from the campaign.
According to Raw Story, the campaign sent $9,026.46 to Nick Fuentes on November 22, 2022. That same day, the white nationalist and Kanye West had dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
Ye’s campaign paid $5,693 to Nick Fuentes on December 27, 2022. The committee referred to both payments as “travel reimbursement.”
The Kanye West campaign’s financial disclosures also revealed $49,955 worth of payments to far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos. The former Breitbart News editor briefly served as an adviser to Ye in late 2022.
Ye and Nick Fuentes were rebuked by the Republican National Committee on Friday (January 27). The RNC took months to respond before condemning the two for their antisemitism.
“Antisemitism has no place in our political party, American politics or any political discourse,” the RNC declared. “Rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has repeatedly made statements that are antisemitic, shameful, wrong, offensive, bigoted and contrary to American and Republican principles.”
Read more about the RNC’s censure of Kanye West and Nick Fuentes here.
The network renewed 50 Cent’s show Power Book II: Ghost for a fourth season prior to the third season’s premiere. Starz also announced the addition of Michael Ealy as a series regular. The actor will portray Detective Don Carter in the fourth season.
“The high-octane drama of Power Book II: Ghost continues to resonate with our viewers and we’re thrilled to get season four production underway ahead of our season three debut,” Starz President of Original Programming Kathryn Busby said in a press release. “It’s clear our fans are ready to devour more of this explosive series and we look forward to having Michael join our incredible cast.”
Earlier this month, Starz renewed the 50 Cent-produced series BMF a few weeks into its second season. Last year, the network ordered new seasons of the G-Unit rapper’s shows Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Power Book IV: Force.
Power Book II: Ghost’s third season premieres on March 17. The show is the first spinoff in the Power franchise.
The original Power series ran for six seasons on Starz. The show’s finale aired in February 2020. 50 Cent’s Power Book II: Ghost launched in September 2020.
Lauren London better understood her Jewish ancestry thanks to her role in the new Netflix film You People.
The actress explained how the movie provided her with an opportunity to learn in an interview with PEOPLE. Lauren London’s father is Jewish and her mother is Black, but she never felt connected to her Jewish roots since her parents split when she was young.
“That’s where my disconnect is,” she told PEOPLE. “I just grew up with my mother in my household. I didn’t grow up with my dad living with us. My parents divorced when I was really young. I was three, so my experience is of my mother’s experience because I just grew up with a single Black mom.”
While working on You People, Lauren London enjoyed discovering more about her Jewish side. The film explores a cultural clash brought on by her character’s relationship with a Jewish man (played by Jonah Hill).
“I liked that they were Jewish ‘cause it was also some stuff that I got to learn via being in the movie that I didn’t know,” Lauren London said.
You People was directed by Kenya Barris, who co-wrote the script with Jonah Hill. The film is now streaming on Netflix.
The Universal Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx just secured $5 million in federal funding. The money will go toward completing construction of the Universal Hip Hop Museum, funding K-12 educational programming and building affordable housing in the surrounding area.
KRS-One and wife Simone G. Parker, Grandmaster Flash and Eric B. were on hand to celebrate the generous gift. They were joined by Senator Chuck Schumer, U.S. Senator Kristin Gillibrand and Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson who proudly declared they were “planting seeds for the next generation.”
“On behalf of Hip-Hop’s education piece, this is so important,” KRS-One said. Grandmaster Flash added: “I co-created what is unarguably the biggest music culture on planet earth.”
The Universal Hip Hop Museum was initially announced in 2017. Since then, it’s been collecting artifacts, constructing the building and securing funding.
“The Universal Hip Hop Museum may be the single most important project for the preservation of Hip Hop culture,” Kurtis Blow said at the time. “This new cultural institution will be a great new tourism destination for NYC and the Bronx. What a great day for Hip-Hop! Our four years of hard team work has paid off. I thank God, as I am elated to know that this mecca devoted to the cultural phenomenon of Hip-Hop will preserve not only my legacy but also the legacies of many others for the world to see.”
The 50,000 square-feet UHHM is part of a $349 million project alongside the Harlem River waterfront. Bronx Point’s first phase promises to deliver 542 units of permanently affordable housing to the Lower Concourse neighborhood with approximately 2.8 acres of public open space. It will also provide an array of cultural and community-focused programming, including the UHHM, an early childhood space run by BronxWorks and outdoor science programming run by the Billion Oyster Project.
In 2019, the State of New York donated a $3.5 million grant to the museum. Museum Director Rocky Bucano explained the museum will celebrate the four elements of Hip Hop culture: breaking, graffiti, DJing and MCing.
“The museum is part of the renaissance of the Bronx,” Bucano said at the time. “The Bronx is coming back, but the museum will be of the people and for the people.”
AI is officially taking over the world, with some deeming it “the future.” Specifically in the music industry, where recording artists (who are ahead of the curve) can use it to attend to their creative needs at a click of a button. In fact, Lil Yachty used Artificial Intelligence to generate the album cover for his forthcoming album.
Insert Darnell Williams, the Detroit rapper and music video director who just created the first AI music video in hip-hop. The newly released visual was made entirely using the new Encore Studio app. Co-founded by Kid Cudi, Encore first launched as a virtual performance platform, giving artists the ability to stream from their phones to their fans, who “clap” to support artists from the comfort of their homes.
Encore is now utilizing AI to allow artists to create unique, one-of-one video content for free — essentially offering a whole video production studio from their smartphone. Artists are able to generate unique images using their voice or any text description they can imagine and immediately place them into their room.
Darnell’s new visual is titled 23’ Lark Freestyle and is inspired “finally having the power to match some of the crazy ideas I have in my head to a visual canvas using A.I,” said Darnell.
AllHipHop spoke with Darnell Wiliams at the Encore office in Culver City, who had just wrapped the first AI performance on the app.
“It’s really exciting,” Darnell states. “It’s dope. I’m just blessed to be one of the first people to do it. I’m honored to be able to pioneer moving the culture forward and ushering rap and tech into one thing. People seeing us as more than rap artists that sing and dance, so I’m proud to be one of the pioneers of that. I hope that other people see it and take heed to it. Remix it, do the s### their way.”
Beyond the AI music video he created, Williams was the first to perform virtually live on Encore using AI to build his set design and background.
“That s### felt great,” he explains. “It felt great to make. The thing is, it’s always dope to see the product in motion. Usually, there’s so much work behind it that I’m doing by myself. But with the AI s###, AI does a lot of the work for me. It’s a different feeling because as dope as it is, it almost feels too easy. [laughs]”
Williams puts it into comparison: making a freestyle video for someone would take over two days of editing. But using AI? No more than 30 minutes.
Additionally, Williams launched his own Artificial Intelligence app called Rapswift, a song-generating AI app that can produce a full rap at the click of a button.
“It generates raps from any style, any artist, at the click of a button,” Williams explains. “You can take it and write a full song, but it’s really to show artists how to write and give you ideas. Eliminate writer’s block, it’s like having your own personal ghostwriter. At the same time, it’s inspired by the prompts that you put into it. It’s you, just in AI form. Definitely check that s### out. Rapswift: the first AI song-generating app made by a rapper, so you know it’s good.”
To summarize, AI can make anything in seconds as long as you have creative brainpower.
Lil Yachty dropped a new album called Let’s Start Here via Motown Records/Quality Control on Friday (January 27), another one I was completely ready to ignore. But then Questlove wrote such a convincing argument as to why I should listen to it that I found myself typing “Lil Yachty” into my Apple Music search bar. Not only did The Roots drummer—whose musical tastes I greatly admire—say it got him “hyped” about the future of music, he also labeled it Lil Yachty’s “departure” album, comparing it to the likes of Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique or The Beatles’ Sgt. Peppers. Me? I think of it more like his reinvention album in the spirit of Childish Gambino’s Awaken My Love! (although some would disagree).
Anyway, back to Questlove. As he explained, “I dunno man: after about 3 listens (and I thought I’d NEVER say this—-& not because ‘I didn’t expect this from Lil Yachty”——but just in general I didn’t expect this from MUSIC). How should I put it? I really really really really love this @lilyachty record and I love when artists pull off a good departure record (departure albums are when musicians pull a COMPLETE creative left turn —-most times as a career sabotage of feeling doomed to not be able to live up to a standard they set. Not being able to make the Thelma & Louise jump. Quitting the job/relationship before you give em a chance to fire you).”
But Questlove took it a step further and applauded Lil Yachty’s album louder than the audience at The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
“Some famous departure albums backfired (Sgt. Peppers wound up making the Beatles even MORE important,” he continued, “further proving you can’t just do tin pan alley showtunes & think THAT is gonna get rid of the screaming fanbase….now the entire world wants a piece of you). Some were pure art that turned off the fanbase that came to the party for seconds of what you served before (Paul’s Boutique/Around The World In A Day) some seemed like career disasters w critics (Dylan’s Self Portrait & Davis’s On The Corner & Gaye’s Here My Dear).
“And then some come just for the sheer sake of surprise & man it’s like ‘WTF did I just listen to?’ (Kid A/Kamaal The Abstract/Back To Black/A Seat At The Table). This aptly titled #LetsStartHere lp might be the most surprising transition of any music career I’ve witnessed in a min, especially under the umbrella of hip hop. I remember @divinestyler_1 has a sophomore release that shocked me & im still processing the 3rd @junglebrothers4life lp some 30 yrs later. But man….whatever you put in your Wheaties bro….keep goin.”
Of course, reviews are mixed. People still wanna hate the kid who couldn’t name five 2Pac or Biggie songs. But if the musicians in Questlove’s comment section are any indication, Lil Yachty made a good album. But we’ll let you be the judge.
Finesse2Tymes is on the rise, but he may have to start upping where he rocks. A recent show in Kansas City ended in a huge fight that seemed to involve the successful rapper. But was that the case?
Finesse2Tymes got my attention quickly because he had a crazy chain of KKK members hanging by a noose. Anyway, social media got to going, but they finessed the facts. They made it seem like the rapper, who happens to be down with J. Prince and Atlantic Records, was involved in a fight.
In a video, he seems like it could be Finesse2Tymes, but it is not.
DJ Rocky Montana told XXL that “the man” didn’t even hit the stage when the fighting broke out.
“No Finesse had not hit the stage yet. The altercation was between me and an opening artist. The artist ( went over their stage time and didn’t want to leave the stage. One artist walked up on me and got dropped then as I got my stance back together and waited to see which artist would rush and [that’s] when one of the artist tackled me and attempted to hit me while I was down however he wasn’t connecting with any punches,” he said.
This ends in Finesse hitting the stage with no issue.
A trial to get justice for slain rapper XXXTentacion is inching to its start as both sides grapple with jury selection.
As of Monday, Jan. 30, all jurors have not all been agreed on.
However, the courts are clear, after four years the effort to convict three men of the four men connected to the South Florida artist’s death will begin this week, according to NBC 6 Miami.
The shooting suspect is Michael Boatwright, 28. Boatwright allegedly had three accomplices, Dedrick Williams, 26, Robert Allen, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24.
The other three are set to stand trial, despite their former friend flipping. Sources say the trial is expected to start within days and wrap up in March.
The two men slipped up beside him and one fatally blasted the artist through his window, stealing from him a Louis Vuitton bag containing $50,000 and zipping off.
Four men were arrested in connection with X’s death.
The four men were arrested within weeks of his death, AllHipHop.com also reported.
The 2023 Billboard Women In Music Awards will recognize Atlanta-based Hip Hop artist Alyssa “Latto” Stephens at this year’s ceremony.
Lattowill receive the Powerhouse Award. Jessie J, Brittany Howard, Andra Day, Kelly Clarkson, Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa, and Doja Cat are previous winners of the honor.
After finishing in first place on The Rap Game reality competition series, Latto signed with RCA Records. She released Queen of da Souf in 2020 and 777 in 2022. The 777 track “Big Energy” peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart last year.
Latto also scored two nominations for the upcoming 65th Annual Grammy Awards which air on Sunday, February 5. “Big Energy (Live)” is up for Best Melodic Rap Performance. Latto also has the chance to win the coveted Best New Artist award.
In addition, Tampa-bred rapper Doechii will take home the Rising Star Award at the Billboard Women In Music Awards. Past winners include Lady Gaga, Jazmine Sullivan, Nicki Minaj, Janelle Monáe, Ariana Grande, and Chloe x Halle.
“Persuasive” by Doechii has racked up over 17 million plays on Spotify. She put out herShe/Her/Black B#### EP in 2022 via Top Dawg Entertainment and Capitol Records.
Doechii’s discography contains the self-released 2021 EP Bra-Less as well. Last year also saw the rising performer earn nominations at the Soul Train Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and MTV Europe Music Awards.
“We’re thrilled to recognize these groundbreaking artists across genres and generations who are defining today’s sound – and paving the way for tomorrow’s women in music,” said Billboard Editorial Director Hannah Karp. “With the inspiring Quinta Brunson as our host, this year’s Billboard Women in Music Awards is going to be an incredible night.”
The 2023 Billboard Women in Music Awards take place on March 1 at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles. Becky G, Ivy Queen, Kim Petras, Lainey Wilson, Lana Del Rey, and TWICE have also been announced as special award recipients.
Lil Yachty’s name was a top trending topic on Twitter over the weekend. People on the platform had a lot to say about the Quality Control Music recording artist’s latest body of work.
Let’s Start Here became a major talking point online with Yachty receiving praise and criticism for the new album. Did the social media conversations generate album sales?
According to HitsDailyDouble, Lil Yachty’s Let’s Start Here is on pace to open with 19,000-24,000 first-week units. It is not clear if that range will be enough to secure the Georgia native a Top 10 debut.
Lil Yachty Currently Has Two Top 10 Projects In His Discography
2020’s Lil Boat 3 peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200 chart with 30,000 first-week units. At the moment, Yachty has two projects in his catalog that have made it into the Top 10 region – 2017’s Teenage Emotions (#5) and 2018’s Lil Boat 2 (#2).
Last week, Lil Yachty informed his Twitter followers that he created Let’s Start Here in just six months. However, the FaZe Clan member apparently decided to hold off on dropping the 14-track project for over a year.
Some fans appreciated Yachty experimenting with different sounds, while others complained the 25-year-old songwriter went too far away from his Trap roots. Apparently, Lil Boat sees Let’s Start Here as a step in the right direction.
“Truth be told, all I ever wanted was to be respected as an artist,” tweeted Lil Yachty on January 27. That statement also ignited a polarizing response as some Hip Hop followers believed Yachty essentially disrespected rap as a genre.
Lil Yachty broke out with 2015’s 2x-Platinum-certified “One Night” single. Plus, the 2016 XXL Freshman scored an 8x-Platinum plaque as a guest on “iSpy” by Kyle and a 7x-Platinum plaque as a guest on “Broccoli” by DRAM.
Truth be told, all I ever wanted was to be respected as an artist.
R&B singer/songwriter SZA continues to cement her name in the music record books with SOS.
The Top Dawg Entertainment vocalist’s sophomore studio LP remains at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart for a seventh consecutive week. SOS earned 111,000 equivalent album units during the latest tracking period.
SZA’s SOS is now the first R&B album to spend its first seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since Whitney Houston’s Whitney in 1987. Whitney held the top spot for 11 straight weeks.
In addition, SZA’s seven-week reign atop the Billboard 200 puts her in rare company for the modern era. 2021’s Encanto soundtrack was the last album to hold the #1 position for seven consecutive weeks.
Only two other female acts from the 21st century have had an album lead the Billboard 200 for as long as SOS. Taylor Swift and Adele both have multiple projects that have pulled off that feat in the last 27 years.
SOS hosts the “Good Days”, “I Hate U,” “Shirt,” and “Kill Bill” singles. The latter track currently holds the #2 slot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart behind the #1 song “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus.
SZA’s 2017 album, Ctrl, is a chart juggernaut too. After peaking at No. 3 in 2017, the TDE/RCA Records-backed release has remained on the Billboard 200 for more than 290 weeks.
Elsewhere on the most recent Billboard 200, Trippie Redd debuted at No. 3 with his Mansion Musikproject. The Ohio-raised rapper now has seven Top 10 entries in his career.
An up-and-coming rapper from West London murdered outside his home has been named as 23-year-old Fernando Johnson.
The trainee electrician who was considered “a local hero” by kids in his Acton community was ambushed by two men while getting out of his BMW at around 2:15 A.M. on a residential street in West London.
Police rushed to the scene after receiving reports of a man “significantly injured”. Despite the best efforts of paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities are yet to confirm his cause of death, stating it was too early to say if Johnson, who used the stage name FDot, had been shot or stabbed.
However, a family member said Fernando “FDot” Johnson “lived on the road where he was stabbed.”
A cousin of the rapper told the Evening Standard the 23-year-old was set upon by two men before being stabbed.
“Two people jumped him and knifed him as he got out of his car. He had just popped out. It’s a tragedy – we are all devastated. He was such a lovely person who will be sadly missed. This isn’t gang-related, as far as we know. He was doing so well with his music and going places.”
Fernando “FDot” Johnson was a member of the 12Anti drill collective and had racked up hundreds of thousands of YouTube views on his music videos.
“He was going to be a big name. He was so positive and a lovely person. No one can believe it,” the relative added.
Central Cee Pays Tribute To Fernando “FDot” Johnson
Fellow U.K. drill artist Central Cee was among the rappers who paid tribute to FDot on social media.
A family statement issued by the cousin said: “He was greatly loved by family and friends and well known to the community,” who “always had a smile on his face and greeted everyone with a big smile and hug.”
The cousin described FDot as a “passionate” and “loving family man” who “wanted the world to hear his story through his music.” The West London rapper was also a “talented soccer player who played for London club QPR in his youth.“He was very polite and brilliant with people of all ages. It’s a great loss to the family and community, we will make sure his memory lives on. His mother, father, grandmother and two elder brothers are devastated like all of us. He was the apple of their eye,” the statement concluded.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed a murder investigation has been launched.
“A crime scene remains in place at the location. Work is ongoing to identify and inform next of kin. A post-mortem examination will be scheduled in due course. No arrests; enquiries continue.”
Atlanta-bred rapper Latto is known to fire off at her detractors on social media. Over the weekend, the “Big Energy” hitmaker responded to one Twitter user’s attempt to shame her over clothes.
“Can’t afford new panties?” wrote the @extraathique account. The derogatory tweet included two photos of Latto apparently wearing the same pair of leopard-print underwear.
Latto saw the tweet about her panties and clapped back at the online troll. The 777 album creator responded with a quote-tweet that read, “Oh no, it’s the panty police.”
That tweet picked up more than 5,000 retweets and 76,000 likes off 7.9 million impressions. In addition, over 1,000 people commented about the exchange under her post.
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards takes place on February 5 from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Latto heads into the ceremony with two nominations – Best Melodic Rap Performance and Best New Artist.
