T.I. is commemorating the musical embodiment of Trap Music. As a trailblazer in his own league, T.I. originated a term that evolved into a music genre embraced by the realm of Hip-Hop, particularly within his hometown of Atlanta. His second studio album, “Trap Muzik,” which dropped on August 19, 2003, marked a collaborative effort between Atlantic Records and his newly established Grand Hustle record label. During this conversation at WonWorld Studios, hosted by Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur and DJ Thoro, T.I. delves into the genesis of his contribution to the musical landscape, his discovery of camaraderie within the trap community, the role of Jeezy in defining the genre, and the commonality of all trap stars as “war on drugs” survivors. T.I. provides ample insights and context into this artistic phenomenon that is undoubtedly captivating.
T.I. also offered his Mt. Rushmore of Trap Music:
Trap Music originated in the Southern United States, particularly in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, during the early 2000s. The genre takes its name from “trap,” which refers to the environment in which illicit activities like drug dealing take (or took) place.
Trap Music is typically characterized by its use of heavy, aggressive beats, prominent hi-hats, and deep basslines. The genre often features elements of traditional Hip-Hop that often leans into use of electronic synthesizers. The beats in Trap Music are usually slower in tempo compared to traditional electronic rap music.
Lyrically, Trap Music often reflects the realities of hood life, including partying, hustling, and personal struggles. Sometimes they lyrics appear to glamorize the gritty lifestyle, but, more often than not, the artists provide insight into the challenges of these settings.
Trap Music continued to soar in popularity well into the 2010s and influenced various music genres, fashion, and even pop culture. While its roots are in the Southern United States, Trap Music has become a global phenomenon with artists and producers from all around the world creating their own interpretations of the genre. Salute.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued a warning, saying California will be hit by its first-ever tropical storm. The storm prompted a storm warning that extended from Los Angeles to the Golden State’s most Southern region.
According to CNN, the tropical storm was birthed out of the ferocious Hurricane Hilary, the first of its kind since 1939. The NHC said the storm is expected to unleash heavy rainfall and cause flooding in the Southwest, beginning on Saturday (August 19). The stronger core winds of Hilary could hit on Sunday morning (August 20), accompanied by potentially hazardous rainfall.
Southern California and Nevada might witness three to six inches of rain, with some areas getting up to 10 inches, as per the center. Other regions are predicted to receive one to three inches. The NHC cautioned that Hilary’s impactful core aside, strong winds and rain will start well before its arrival.
Many people are using this as an opportunity to address climate change.
“It would be nice if we had a pro-science president that declared a climate emergency day-1,” one person tweeted. “We also have an ongoing insurance crisis. Be ready: A significant, dangerous flash flood event could unfold in Southern California by Sunday/Monday as Hurricane Hilary approaches.”
It would be nice if we had a pro-science president that declared a climate emergency day-1. We also have an ongoing insurance crisis. Be ready: A significant, dangerous flash flood event could unfold in Southern California by Sunday/Monday as Hurricane Hilary approaches. #cawxpic.twitter.com/c4gajIPrTe
Others are giving updates. As one explained, “Here are the 8 PM PDT Friday Key Messages for Hurricane #Hilary. Life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flooding likely over much of Baja California and the Southwestern United States this weekend and early next week.”
Here are the 8 PM PDT Friday Key Messages for Hurricane #Hilary. Life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flooding likely over much of Baja California and the Southwestern United States this weekend and early next week. pic.twitter.com/PeB2WbvI9F
Beastie Boys exploded onto the Hip-Hop scene in 1986 with their one and only Def Jam Recordings release, Licensed To Ill. The album was a massive success and put King Ad-Rock, Mike D and MCA on the map. And while Licensed To Ill was full of party anthems and irreverence, ensuing albums Paul’s Boutique (1989), Check Your Head (1992) and Ill Communication (1994) established the group as serious musicians.
The Beasties took a break from recording for a few years but re-emerged with Hello Nasty in 1998 and a new DJ—Mix Master Mike. Once again, the Beasties had another hit on their hands, and Hello Nasty was certified 3x-platinum just two months after its release. Two additional albums—To the 5 Boroughs (2004) and The Mix-Up (2007)—followed, but in 2009, as the Beastie Boys were getting ready to release Hot Sauce Committee Part 1, MCA was diagnosed with cancer in his left salivary gland.
“I just need to take a little time to get this in check, and then we’ll release the record and play some shows,” he said in a written statement at the time. “It’s a pain in the neck (sorry had to say it) because I was really looking forward to playing these shows, but the doctors have made it clear that this is not the kind of thing that can be put aside to deal with later.”
It was the beginning of the end. In April 2012, right before the release of Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, MCA was forced to sit out their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was a sign of what was to come. MCA died a month later. Needless to say, Mix Master Mike, Mike D and Ad-Rock really didn’t want to go to the Rock Hall ceremony. It didn’t feel right.
“During that time, I knew he wasn’t doing so well,” Mix Master Mike tells AllHipHop. “So at the moment, we’re on standby. We were like, ‘Oh, s###. When’s that day going to come?’ It was actually got to a point where it’s like, there’s nothing they could do. We were all in this weird space. And being at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was a weird space. I really didn’t care. Like none of us really cared about it. We were just going with it.
“And actually, the boys were gangster about that situation. They were asked to be part of the Rock Hall of Fame two or three years prior, and they denied it. I’m just like, ‘Wow, you guys are probably the only dudes that’s denied the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honor.’ Yeah, that was f###ing gangster.”
At that point, they felt like an induction signaled the end, and they had more to do. While Beastie Boys were ultimately inducted by LL COOL J and Chuck D, MCA’s absence was overwhelming. His death just a few weeks later was paralyzing.
As Mike D, Ad-Rock, Mix Master Mike and all those who loved him grieved, it was unclear how the Beasties would move forward. Understandably, they didn’t. Unlike De La Soul—who lost Trugoy the Dove in February—Mike D and Ad-Rock didn’t continue performing under the Beastie Boys name. They didn’t put out any music nor did they promise an eventual reunion.
“It was just a weird, weird time,” Mike adds. “But yeah, it happened and we were devastated. We just had to adapt to that reality of him being gone.”
While the Beastie Boys career came to an abrupt end, Mix Master Mike wasn’t ready to give up. In July 2021, he had an idea. As he explains, “I pushed to make something happen—and this is something that people don’t know. I actually reached out to Eminem. I called him and Paul [Rosenberg], and I pushed for a song. I had the beat made and everything. It was gonna be Beastie Boys, Eminem and a Mix Master Mike track. Eminem was like, ‘Let’s f###### go.’ I was spearheading this, so I brought it to Mike and Ad-Rock’s attention.”
But Mike D and Ad-Rock had some reservations. He continues, “They were like, ‘It’s kind of weird we don’t have Yauch anymore, so we feel a way that out of respect of Adam that we don’t do it.’ I’m like, ‘What are you talking about? Adam would love this.’ I was really trying to push this. It would have been f###ing insane. I was like, ‘Mike just give me 32 bars. Just rap.’ But I respected their wish to not do it. Our captain is not here anymore. But maybe if I push it again, who knows?
“I was in the process of getting bars from Eminem. He was so pumped cause these are his heroes. I was kind of fulfilling his dream. I’m the gatekeeper of his dream. I felt that was a responsibility on my behalf to present that to him. The great white hopes of Hip-Hop [laughs].”
In the meantime, Mix Master Mike is focused on his upcoming documentary, an audiobook, a book and touring with Godsmack, Ad-Rock is “low-key” scoring films and Mike D is helming The Echo Chamber on Apple Music. If all else fails, Mix Master Mike jokes he has a plan B.
“I had a plot that I would go and kidnap Adam [Ad-Rock],” he says with a chuckle. “I was kind of plotting it like a Grand Theft Auto thing. I was gonna kidnap Adam and bring him to my studio and not bring him home. Like, ‘We’re making music. That’s what we’re doing. I’ll feed you, you have a shower, you have everything you need [laughs].'”
In April, Ad-Rock did tease the possibility of sharing some unreleased Beastie Boys music during an interview with Kreative Kontrol. When asked about the status of Hot Sauce Committee Part One, he said, “We actually have a whole full album. I’m not even kidding.” When pressed for further details, he admitted, “That I can’t disclose, but I can tell you, with all honesty, there is a whole other album.” For now, we’ll just have to wait and see.
So So Def label founder Jermaine Dupri becomes the latest Hip-Hop veteran to express complaints about the culture’s 50th-anniversary celebrations.
Fans, performers, and media figures from around the world commemorated the day widely recognized as Hip-Hop’s birthday – August, 11. However, Jermaine Dupri indicated he expected more corporate-sponsored activities in his hometown.
“Just for the record! No brands have done any dinners or get-togethers in Atlanta celebrating the 50 anniversary of Hip-Hop. That’s Crazy!!!” posted Dupri on the X platform.
Jermaine Dupri also reposted a social media user who wrote, “It is truly insane how Coke doesn’t take advantage of things like this when it comes to Atlanta. They’re right here.”
Just for the record! no brands have done any dinners or get togethers in Atlanta celebrating the 50 anniversary of HipHop That’s Crazy!!!
The City of Atlanta did offer several Hip-Hop 50 events during the month of August. For example, Atlanta officials partnered with the Coca-Cola Company-owned Sprite to present the free “ATL 50 Hip Hop: Yesterday, Today and (404)ever Concert” on the 13th.
Jermaine Dupri took part in “ATL 50 Hip-Hop” performances at the Lakewood Amphitheater. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens hosted the show which also featured T.I., Goodie Mob, Crime Mob and other local legends.
According to atl50hiphop.com, Atlanta also partnered with Amazon, Mercedes Benz and more brands to sponsor the “ATL 50 Hip-Hop” campaign. Mayor Dickens stated, “It’s only fitting the City of Atlanta joins our community in celebrating the industry and culture we helped shape and helped shape us.”
Shad “Bow Wow” Moss asked a judge to throw out a lawsuit, which accused him of fleecing a child rapper for $3,000. According to Radar Online, Moss denied any involvement in the scam in a court filing in Georgia.
Last month, a man named Steven Roberson sued Bow Wow. Roberson claimed he paid Moss to record a verse for the plaintiff’s daughter’s song “Daddy’s Girl.”
Roberson sent $3,000 to someone he assumed was Bow Wow via Cash App in 2021. No verse was ever sent back, prompting Roberson to file a lawsuit.
Bow Wow insisted he never dealt with Roberson when the allegations surfaced in July. Moss said he didn’t even have a Cash App account. He assumed someone used his name to scam Roberson.
“I don’t conduct business on apps,” Bow Wow wrote on Twitter. “I do NOT use or have cash app. So if you ain’t call management and send a wire .. you def was NOT dealing w me. Be careful who y’all send y’all’s money to online. This happens everyday to folks. This the 3rd time somebody acting like me catfishing people.”
Roberson sought $15,000 in damages. Bow Wow wanted the claims against him dismissed, but he intended to cover his own legal fees.
Darius Jackson denied approving any press statement about the status of his relationship with Keke Palmer on Friday (August 18). Jackson spoke out after reports claiming he “moved on” surfaced this week.
“I haven’t spoken to anyone about anything or gave permission to anyone to speak for me,” he wrote on Twitter. “So all these sites & post about me making any type of statement is false.”
People and Radar Online were among the websites citing sources saying Jackson “moved on” from Keke Palmer, who gave birth to their first child in February. The couple’s relationship has been under scrutiny since he publicly criticized her for wearing a revealing outfit to an Usher show in July.
“It’s the outfit tho,” he wrote in reaction to a clip of Usher serenading her. “You a mom.”
Jackson’s comment sparked outrage on social media. He defended his remarks amid the backlash.
“We live in a generation where a man of the family doesn’t want the wife & mother to his kids to showcase booty cheeks to please others & he gets told how much of a hater he is,” he wrote. “This is my family & my representation. I have standards & morals to what I believe. I rest my case.”
Keke Palmer embraced the controversy by selling merchandise with the phrase “I’m a motha” on it. She also starred in the music video for Usher’s new single “Boyfriend.”
A singer-songwriter sued French Montana for allegedly failing to pay her for a sample. According to Billboard, Skylar Gudasz claimed the rapper released his song “Blue Chills” with an unlicensed sample of her track “Femme Fatale.”
The lawsuit said French Montana agreed to compensate Gudasz for the sample but never did. Clearance specialist Deborah Mannis-Gardner contacted the singer-songwriter to clear the sample in May 2022.
Gudasz and her lawyer worked out a deal where she would be paid more than $7,000 in upfront fees, .08 percent of master royalties and 50 percent of the copyright for “Blue Chills.” French Montana allegedly dropped the song before the deal was finalized.
“Despite repeated promises from defendants …. no signed agreement, fees, royalties, licensing agreements or monies have ever been sent to plaintiff,” the lawsuit contended.
Gudasz contacted Mannis-Gardner at one point to rectify the situation. The music industry executive said she would touch base with French Montana’s attorney, but the matter was never settled.
“The unauthorized and infringing use by defendants of the song ‘Femme Fatale’ has caused irreparable harm, damage and injury,” attorneys argued in the lawsuit. “Plaintiff has been deprived of the rightful experience of benefitting and enjoying the fruits of her labor.”
French Montana’s “Blue Chills” appeared on his 2022 album Montega. Harry Fraud produced the entire project.
The Donda Academy continues to face legal drama. The former assistant principal is reportedly fixed on seeing Kanye West in court for breach of contract. The administrator is also vowing to fight to the end, and his lawyers aren’t backing down to any pressure from Ye’s attorneys.
According to Patch, the first tactic Ye’s team tried to play was to have the judge dismiss Isaiah Meadow’s lawsuit. They argue the case should be thrown out because the complaint is actually outside of the statute of limitations.
Meadows and his lawyers disagree. They say their lawsuit addresses Ye and the Donda Academy’s breach of contract and state Labor Code violations. One complaint was about the very peculiar ways of the “College Dropout” rapper.
As noted in the lawsuit, Kanye didn’t like glass and allegedly refused to fix a broken skylight. Consequently, rain soaked the floor and hit exposed electrical and telephone wires.
Meadows says Yeezy told him to lease a $60,000 home in Calabasas and he would reimburse him. He reneged on this paying the educator’s rent— leaving him with the bill. While West has a heavy-hitting legal team, so does Meadows.
Spearheading Meadow’s defense is Ronald Zambrano, who’s also representing three ex-dancers from Lizzo’s camp. These dancers have leveled allegations of sexual harassment and the establishment of an unfriendly work environment against the musician.
“We are aware of the response to Mr. Meadows’ lawsuit filed by Ye and his attorneys this week,” Zambrano said in a statement. “It changes nothing. We stand by our case and the allegations contained in the complaint and are looking forward to taking this to trial.”
Carson City’s TRUF is ready to release his latest single, “When The Last Time” featuring the legendary Suga Free,. TRUF knew he had to come correct on this collaboration, so his production team created a beat tailored specifically for Suga Free’s one-of-a-kind style.
Suga did his thing, and TRUF came up with the catchy hook on the spot, no pen and paper needed. And the end result is a true West Coast classic-in-the-making with BIG PIMP ENERGY.
As TRUF explained in a recent interview, “I was in Puerto Rico the next week and they called me and said that the song was done. I was like, ‘Wow. Crazy. I got the real Suga Free, the Suga Free that I grew up to.’ When you do features with an artist, you never know what type of verse they’re gonna give you, but he gave me an official OG West Coast Suga Free Pomona verse. He killed it.”
After their chemistry on the track, the dynamic duo linked up to shoot a music video set in a luxury car rental spot with fly whips and a bevy of models as car saleswomen.
TRUF is an artist on his own grind with a powerful vision for his new project, and the fire of “When The Last Time” is just the beginning. His album Undeniable has been in the works for four long years. He’s cooked up more than 200 tracks, honing his skills and perfecting his craft.
When the opportunity came to sign a record deal with Compound Interest alongside signees like DJ Quik and produce his final version, he had to choose the cream of the crop, the top 15 tracks that would make his album a classic.
This is no ordinary drop-and-forget album. TRUF is here to change the game, to make music that stands the test of time.
With impressive features from The Game, Suga Free and Boosie Badazz, he’s put his heart and soul into this project, and he’s ready to show the world what he’s made of.
As the artist explains, “I want everybody to know that they are not alone, because I know it’s millions of people that think hip-hop sucks now. I know it. I want them to know that I’m coming. I’m coming to save the day like f**king Batman. I am here to do real music, I’m here to go against the grain, none of my songs are going to sound like these other songs that are out right now. I’m just in a whole other lane.”
Here are the top 10 services for Spotify submission
One Submit
Playlistpump
MySphera
Indiemono
TuneMunk
MusicVertising
Soave Records
Playlist push
Independent Music Promotions
Cyber PR
With more than 345 million monthly active users globally, Spotify is the biggest music streaming platform. Spotify has more than 155 million paid users and it offers a catalog of over 70 million tracks across a wide range of music genres.
How big is Spotify compared to its competitors? Apple Music has more than 85 million users, while Tidal and Deezer have a few million users each.
Spotify has changed the music industry, and as of today, artists don’t need to be signed to major labels in order to succeed and promote their musical careers.
If you are releasing new music as an independent artist, you cannot afford NOT to be on Spotify, It is also very important to be on the platform as an artist and manage your profile so your music, follow your statistics, understand where your new fans are coming from, and decide how to take future decisions regarding your musical career.
The Power of Spotify Playlists
Spotify’s playlist placement has disrupted the traditional way of promoting music, offering independent artists a way to promote their music, reach out to playlist curators, and grow as artists while staying independent. This wasn’t available for independent artists one decade ago, and that’s a big game changer for the music industry. By the way, Spotify playlist curators can also build a career from managing playlists, gain followers and make an earning from managing their musical assets, but that’s for another article.
Before we share our Top Spotify promotion services, it’s important to explain what kind of playlists are there, which services are legit, and which are not.
So what kinds of playlists are there, and how do I submit music to them?
There are three types of Spotify playlists: playlists created by users, algorithmic, and editorial.
Playlists created by users
These are individually curated playlists that were made by Spotify users.
Every user has the ability to create their own playlists, and they may decide whether to make them public or private.
The majority of users are casual users who organize their playlists by musical style or theme for enjoyment. Some Spotify users make playlists for more business-related purposes; for instance, they create playlists for bars, restaurants, music charts, workouts, various companies, etc.
The more popular the playlists are, the more exposure your music will get when it is included on one of them.
There is a whole ecosystem of Spotify playlisters and curators since these playlists have grown to be in great demand for independent artists over the past several years.
Some of these playlists are natural and authentic, with real followers, while others are built using fake or bot followers.
Algorithmic Playlists
The Spotify algorithm keeps track of every time you like a song, play it repeatedly, follow an artist, or save a song. Spotify makes a customized playlist based on the listener’s musical preferences using the data gathered. Usually, when an artist gets a lot of streams and likes for his new song, Spotify’s algorithm recognizes this and starts to add the song to his algorithmic playlists. This could be good news for the artist who manages to get his song on algorithmic playlists.
There are three kinds of algorithmic playlists: Discover Weekly, Daily Mix and Release Radar.
Editorial Playlists
The playlists that the editorial team at Spotify creates are known as editorial playlists. Since they have the most followers, they are regarded as the top Spotify playlists. Because Spotify placed the most popular playlists there, they are the first options when you search for a playlist. As a result, users’ listening habits prefer to stream these playlists. The majority of the songs on these playlists are big singles, well-liked songs, or brand-new songs by well-known musicians like Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Tove Lo, or Michael Jackson. Read more on how to get on Spotify editorial playlists.
Most of the playlist promotion platforms on the market offer Spotify promotions for playlists created by users. You might find some services that offer playlist submission to algorithmic playlists, but these are, in most cases, frauds, so stay away from them.
There’s a way to submit music to the Spotify editorial playlist, that can be done throughout your artist dashboard on your Spotify profile, and you can currently submit only your unreleased music. Google about it for more information.
Which services should you avoid at all costs?
You should always avoid any service that offers you guaranteed playlist submissions, streams, or followers. These are bot-based services, and using them could lead to your account being disabled by Spotify.
Think of it this way: If a playlist would add songs based on a client payment and not based on the quality of the song, it is most likely that this playlist would be terrible and no one would like to listen to it. So as a general rule, when choosing a music promotion service, never choose one that guarantees playlist submission in return for payment.
This article is about the top legit music marketing services that offer artists with new music a way to create a playlist promotion campaign.
Here are the top 10 services for Spotify submission
One Submit
One submit is a Spotify promotion service that helps artists submit music for playlist consideration in an easy and efficient way, with the option to submit music to big playlists with more than 50,000 followers.
As well as submitting music to Spotify playlists, the platform also offers music promotion to TikTok influencers, music blogs, YouTube music channels, radio stations, and labels. Your music is sent only to independent curators, and for every music submission, you will receive a written review from the curator. If he likes your music, he will add it to his or her playlist. The platform works in multiple genres, including hip-hop, pop, rock, classic, dance, electronic music, and more.
Playlistpump
is an independent playlist marketing and PR firm with the tools to get you heard. They connect the dots for our artists and curators to optimize visibility and streaming statistics thanks to our enormous partners, access to millions of followers across Spotify playlists, Apple Music playlists, TikTok playlists, and a very broad independent playlist network.
MySphera
is an independent marketing and PR firm with the tools to get you heard. They connect the dots for our artists and curators to optimize visibility and streaming statistics thanks to our enormous partners, access to millions of followers across Spotify playlists, Apple Music playlists, TikTok playlists, and a very broad independent playlist network.
They have different plans for campaigns, from $20 to $135.
Indiemono
A number of genre-specific playlists, such as pop, rock, indie, and electronic music playlists, are available on the well-known Spotify playlist submission website known as Indiemono. They offer a straightforward submission form on their website and accept entries from independent artists.
TuneMunk
A platform for promoting music called Tune Munk offer you to submit your new release to a range of Spotify playlists, including ones for different moods and events as well as playlists that are categorized by genre. They provide independent artists with both free and paid submission options.
MusicVertising
MusicVertising is an agency offering music promotion for artists, with different services Independent musicians can submit their playlists for free or for a fee using MusicVertising’s playlist submission services. They collaborate with a number of playlist curators and offer a selection of playlists that are particular to various genres, such as hip-hop, rock, and electronic music. Press releases and social media marketing are two other promotional services that MusicVertising provides.
Soave Records
Soave Records has been around for a few years now. it has a vast range of playlists with a nice number of followers and listeners. They have a section for new artists to drop a demo and hopefully get promoted on one of their playlists. They do not accept submissions directly to playlists, but you can submit your song to their label. The service accepts only unreleased tracks.
Playlist push
Playlistpush offers TikTok and Spotify campaigns, they work similar to One Submit. Prices range from $11 per submission, and campaigns are starting at $300, but bear in mind that prices are changing all the time. The service exists since 2017 and it offers playlist submissions to Spotify curators.
Independent Music Promotions
Their services are based on an SEO-oriented strategy. The service promises a variety of written music reviews, interviews, radio additions, music podcast features, shoutouts, social shares, and streaming playlists in each campaign. They represent our clients with an art-first mindset and enjoy curating exciting new music, according to their website. Service is more PR and it is based on pay for consideration.
Cyber PR
Cyber PR is a press agency to promote your music. They offer Spotify promotion and music marketing, and in addition to coaching artists through the modern music industry and managing social media posting and growth strategies, They develop long-term marketing programs dubbed Total Tuneups, help with the musician’s bio, websites, and more. They are not self-service like most of the services we’ve mentioned here, but they have a personal, old-school touch.
Just before creating your campaign
In some cases, when using these legit services, your song will be rejected by the curators. We know it could be disappointing and frustrating, but bear in mind that for most of the services we’ve mentioned in the article, you will receive a review from the curator, If you are willing to take the advice and consider it, this could be very effective feedback for your next song production.
We hope this article was helpful in choosing the right service to submit your music to independent playlist curators. It is important to say that if you have an unreleased track, you’ll need to get it on the different streaming platforms, prior to submitting it to the different music marketing platforms and to the Spotify curators. Be sure your release date isn’t old enough and you are submitting music to playlists that are similar to your music genre.
Sprite has had a relationship with Hip-Hop for years. They’ve tossed endorsement deals left and right and locked in on milestone movements in the culture to show the brand’s alignment. It starts as far back as 1986 with Kurtis Blow and the “Now More Than Ever” campaign.
All one has to do is look at the KRS-One vs. MC Shan “Rhyme For Rhyme” campaign they ran in the ’90s to show the company isn’t new to this but “true to this.”
As previously reported, Sprite presented a campaign called “Icon’s Delight” in honor of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary earlier this year. As the title suggests, it included a spin on The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” Eric B. & Rakim’s “Don’t Sweat the Technique” and Latto’s “Big Energy.”
Now, the soda company has dropped a 3:44-minute clip of Latto’s tribute to Eric B. & Rakim’s “Don’t Sweat the Technique,” the title track from the duo’s 1992 album. In the promotion, Latto and Rakim sit together to talk about the legendary song. The “God MC” tells Latto he came up with the title of the track as a slick way of getting at his biters.
“So I was new in the game, doing my thing,” he says. “I started realizing everybody was kind of catching on to what I was doing. Some of them seemed to be biting. Like you’re gonna hear a bunch of you know Latto impersonator soon. So, you know I mean that was my little sarcastic remark like ‘don’t sweat my technique,’ don’t sweat what I do.’”
The legend says he would have never thought Latto “would be rhyming on” his hit song. She admits she was “nervous as hell” to be on the song but decided not to imitate anyone else but to talk from her own perspective. As she explains, “You can’t go wrong with you saying your story, you know.”
Doja Cat has recently faced backlash on social media, causing her to lose a ton of followers. It seems like close to 800,000 “fans” have decided to unfollow her. Why? You remember her fans wanted to be called “Kittenz,” but she wasn’t with that. She hated it so much she basically told them to get a life. “My fans don’t get to name themselves s–t,” she said in June. And then she dug in even more. “If you call yourself a ‘Kitten’ or f–king ‘Kittenz’ that means you need to get off your phone and get a job and help your parents with the house,” she stabbed farther.
Doja didn’t apologize nor retract her statements. She has actually doubled down and feels good about it. The singer/rapper believes that shedding these fake fans allows her to be her true self. In a recent Instagram post, she expounded on her position. “Seeing all these people unfollow makes me feel like I’ve defeated a large beast that’s been holding me down for so long and it feels like I can reconnect with the people who really matter and love me for who i am and not for who i was,” she wrote on Instagram. “I feel free.”
Confident in her genuine supporters, she forges ahead. In an audio clip, she said, “I don’t care if you like my music or not. There’s a lot of people I don’t like who I listen to their music, and there’s a lot of people I don’t know that I listen to their music. If I knew them, I probably wouldn’t like them.”
The situation has sparked conversations about the dynamics between artists and their fans, especially on social media. Doja Cat is truly different and really holds her position even though she has lost a lot of following on social media. She has even demanded her personal life was off limits. But will this really hurt Doja Cat?
A massive social media followings doesn’t always translate into substantial record sales. The number of followers doesn’t even always correlate with genuine engagement or support. Doja Cat seems to make the distinction between nosey followers and dedicated supporters.
Her new song, “Paint The Town Red,” has 11 million views on YouTube alone. Somebody is supporting.
Mopreme Shakur, Tupac’s brother and rap group mate, has seen so much. As a member of both Thug Life and Outlawz, he used to roll with Big Syke, Stretch, Rated R, Macadoshis, E.D.I. Mean, Young Noble, Kastro, Napoleon. But, what about Biggie Smalls? In part 2 of our conversation, he reveals that a young Christopher Wallace was almost a member of the iconic 90’s collective headed by ‘Pac.
Mopreme explains how as a young father, all of the tension and drama forced him to pull back from the game. He’d peeped the inner workings of Death Row Records and also experienced first-hand the duality of his life at that time. Just like the lyrics, there was violence, poverty, and struggle.
Mopreme’s involvement with both Thug Life and the Outlawz is connective tissue that links Tupac, father Mutulu Shakur, the streets, and the consciousness. Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur and the East/West OG discuss it.
AllHipHop: You were in Thug Life and you were also in The Outlawz, but you left. What made leave The Outlaws?
Mopreme Shakur: Well, originally we were Thug Life Outlaw Immortals, Outlaw Immortals, because it included me, Pac, and Syke, and there came a point where it was supposed to be a jump off for the Outlawz for the little homies, the young homies, to finally get they album, finally get they deals and spread wings and fly. We just felt we needed to be there for them a little bit, springboard, and then it was open for them to do they thing.
AllHipHop: Got you, so you didn’t feel like you needed to continue?
Mopreme Shakur: Well, we had completed a mission. We had springboarded them off, and they were still with Pac at Death Row on a daily. They were younger, they were teens. I’m a grown-ass man. My first child was about to be born, you know what I mean? I had things to do.
AllHipHop: Did you have a bad feeling about Death Row at all? Did that concern you at all?
Mopreme Shakur: Not initially, not initially. Coming from where we was coming from, this is another Black company, Black ownership. They doing they thing. We were pro-Black, and we felt like maybe they getting a bad shake over there. They are number one. It was still the number one rap label, but once you got over there, you see how things work. It wasn’t exactly my cup of tea.
AllHipHop:Understood. As far as Thug Life, so let me say this. I’ve always been fascinated by Tupac and also confused too. I won’t lie. I gravitated very, very heavily to the pro-Black part, that I considered the pro-Black. Then I started getting the thug… Thug Life started to be like, oh, now, it’s a different energy. To me, at least to me, it was a different energy. Did you feel a change in the energy, or you knowing him personally, did it stay consistent?
Mopreme Shakur: What we were going through, what the people were watching was a young man growing into be being a man, so it’s a journey. It’s education. As a young man turning into a man, you start experiencing things. You seeing the people around you go through things, and Pac was very intelligent. So, he’s questioning everything.
Our elders, they did their thing, but they not here for us right now. You know what I mean? Most of them had passed away, incarcerated and in the system, that’s destroyed them. So, here we are, and the only ones looking out for us is these good brothers in the streets where you could find them, the thug life. My favorite uncle was a heroin addict.
So, that’s what we were tapping into as well as dealing with, at that time, the [1994] crime bill. So all of us, we all thugs, we all hoodlums and thugs and gangsters, that’s all we are. Well, let’s stick together because they coming for us. You know what I mean? We talked about the project with my pops [Mutulu Shakur] and he was like, “What hell that mean, thug life? What the hell? Y’all going to knock a old lady over her head with a bat? What that mean? You better make it mean something.” And we worked on, “What does it mean?”
And Pac was like, “[Mutulu], you sitting up there in jail, write this for us. We got to do shows. We got to work.” And my Pops created Thug Code. He wrote it out and we put the project together. It was part of the whole movement.
AllHipHop: That’s dope. I love the thug code too, by the way. It’s something we need to bring it back.
Mopreme Shakur: Amongst ourselves, we need every tool we could get our hands on. We need every tool we could get our hands on, because I’m in LA. I know what it’s like out here and I’m seeing what it’s like around the country, so it is good to have some tools to work with.
AllHipHop: I had a question on the rumor side. Is there any truth to the rumor that Biggie Smalls was supposed to be a part of Thug Life?
Mopreme Shakur: There’s some validity to that before things fell apart. Before things fell apart, Pac was a uniter. We knew were from New York, we knew we were from the East Coast, and Pac liked to work with the best talent around. So there was a period, there was a time when we was all cool. There was a time where Pac wanted Biggie to be part of the East Coast faction of Thug Life, because we was kicking with each other anyway. Pac wasn’t just a hater just to be hating. He liked them. We liked him.
AllHipHop: They were tight. They were tight. Did you meet-
Mopreme Shakur: They did a song, they did “Runnin’ (Dying To Live)” with the album.
AllHipHop: Then they got that freestyle Funk Master Flex always plays, the one with Big Daddy Kane, Shyheim, they always cut those people out, but the whole thing is dope.
Mopreme Shakur: I was there that day.
AllHipHop: You were there that day?
Mopreme Shakur: That’s the Garden one?
AllHipHop: Yeah, man.
Mopreme Shakur: Yeah, that was massive. That was a massive scene.
AllHipHop: I hadn’t jumped off the porch by that time, man. I was still home with it. You know what I mean?
Mopreme Shakur: I knew Pac was cocked and ready. I like, “Pac is ready for this moment. Pac is ready for this moment.” He killed, he murdered it.
AllHipHop: He killed that joint, oh my God, that was amazing. I can only imagine, I had never seen a video, I don’t think. But the audio is almost like a video. It’s almost like seeing it. It’s crazy.
Mopreme Shakur: There’s a video, but it’s from the back of the stage. Somebody on stage took it. I seen it once.
AllHipHop: That’s crazy. How did you feel when things started to change? And I won’t say fall apart, but I mean, myself as an observer, really. I mean, I was a fan of everything in Hip-Hop. But it bothered me, man, to see brothers at odds like that. It really hurt my heart, because I felt like we had fought really hard with stuff like “Self-Destruction” and “All In The Same Gang.” Where did you stand in that time? What was your position and what were you feeling?
Mopreme Shakur: My position is that I’m going to look out for my brother. I’m not going to try to question his authority. He had the authority at the time. He had the power at the time. I was going to support him and try to help him not make mistakes. It did not look good for me to ridicule and criticize him in public. So no, you ain’t going to see none of that. But I counseled him from home, and I did the best I could and went good for a few years, and then that young man growing into a man, things changed.
AllHipHop: Have you ever, I don’t know, there’s a lot of stuff around counseling and stuff nowadays. Have you ever gone through any sort of counseling or therapy or anything?
Mopreme Shakur: I think I need something though. Word is bond.
AllHipHop: Man, it’s a lot. I mean, seriously, bro. I, when I think about it, when I think about it, just me, I’m talking about myself personally. It’s traumatic. For real, for real. I’ll never forget the day Pac died and the day Big died. I mean, it was like I went home. You know what I’m saying? I cried, man. I went laid down and stuff. So being in your position, I can only imagine it’s infinitely more traumatic.
Mopreme Shakur: I’ve had to develop quite a thick skin, a lot of loss, a lot of loss. If you look at our whole crew, there are like 10, 12 of us gone. I talk to my friends. I never sought out counseling, but I get it out by talking to my friends and family. They say it’s action therapy. They say it’s talk therapy, great. I can do that. Let me scream, holler. But you got to keep it moving.
New details about Mike WiLL Made-It’s upcoming releases and his surprise “Blood Moon” collaboration featuring Lil Uzi Vert, co-headlined by J. Cole, are emerging.
For starters, it appears “Blood Moon” bares its name from Mike WiLL Made-It’s spontaneous creative relationship with Lil Uzi Vert. In fact, according to his recent interview with Apple Music, Mike WiLL Made-It and Lil Uzi Vert rarely schedule their studio sessions.
“Once we started doing music, every time me and Uzi do music, we’ll be randomly staying in the same hotel, maybe in New York or LA or somewhere—We’ll just run into each other and then be like, ‘Oh yeah, studio tonight,'” Mike WiLL Made-It said. “Then we go to the studio, knock out a couple joints—Our linkup is as rare as a blood moon, you know what I’m saying?. But it’s a big deal, you know what I’m saying?
:I feel like everybody going to run and try to look and see when it’s a blood moon or it’s an eclipse or whatever, people running outside trying to record that zoom in, trying to see how it looked.” I just was thinking about that like, “Man, our link-ups and our sightings is as rare as a blood moon type s###. Then I was like, ‘Man, yo, I’m going to name the track that s###, man. Blood Moon.'”
Also, in addition to remarking on the entire process of working with Lil Uzi Vert over the years, Mike WiLL Made-It explained how J. Cole actually helped put the battery in his back while he was creating “Blood Moon.”
“With me and Cole, it was just natural,” Mike WiLL Made-It said in part. “Literally, I made, that day I was in there with Cole, I made 10 beats that day. Know what I’m saying? One of the other beats that I made that day is actually coming out next Friday. I ain’t even going to tell you who on that one, but you all will see.”
Mike Will Made-It in the studio with J Cole for his new song “Blue Moon” with Lil Uzi dropping Friday 🔊 pic.twitter.com/1LGEkuCaKM
I gotta admit, it’s definitely refreshing to see Milke WiLL Made-It is leaning into dropping high-powered collabs again—considering he last delivered one of his ear-ringing Ransom compilation albums more than six years ago.
As for what the next single will be, your guess is as good as ours! Fingers crossed we’re getting some toxic Future or vintage Rae Sremmurd.
Rapper/producer Russ is best known for releasing commercially successful singles such as “Losin Control,” “Best on Earth,” and “Handsomer.” The Diemon collective member also made headlines for his controversial comments.
A new conversation with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 may shed some light on Russ’s state of mind around the time of his contentious quotes. The Santiago album creator revealed that alcohol consumption played a role in his actions during his career.
“I was drinking a lot, and it was just because when I first started making music, that’s what it was. The studio was a party. You’re smoking weed, you’re drinking. And so I would drink when I was in the studio. It just felt normal. It felt regular,” recalled Russ.
He continued, “But then I was drinking before interviews, and that’s how a lot of those interviews went left. I was pretty hammered in some of them. Because it’s all that’s coming out, but I never had a problem. I wasn’t waking up and like, ‘I need a drink.’ I would just drink in certain situations, but that in and of itself was an issue.”
“And it was easier to just do that than actually be authentic and be like, ‘You know what? I am nervous, I am feeling insecure, I am all these things.’ And now it’s, yeah. I’m not rigid to the point where it’s like, ‘I will not drink.’ It’s, ‘I’ll have a drink whenever I want to have a drink.’ It’s just now I don’t want to have a drink when I wanted to have a drink back then,” Russ explained to Zane Lowe.
Santiago by Russ came out today (August 18). The 13-track project, inspired by the book The Alchemist, follows morethan a dozen previous studio LPs by the 30-year-old recording artist. He received a Platinum plaque from the RIAA for 2017’s There’s Really a Wolf. Plus, 2018’s Zoo and 2020’s Shake the Snow Globe went Gold.
Mario “Yo Gotti” Mims is not just a recording artist. The product of Memphis, Tennessee works as a record executive and entrepreneur too.
As the head of Collective Music Group, Yo Gotti oversees the careers of Moneybagg Yo, GloRilla, EST Gee, and others. The CMG label boss also serves as a co-owner of the D.C. United professional men’s soccer club in Washington.
“As D.C. United continue to grow it was important for us to add a diverse blend of experience and expertise to our ownership group to further elevate our business,” said Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan, Co-Chairman of D.C. United in a 2021 press release.
The Co-Chairman added, “As we continue to evolve, we are confident that the expanded ownership group will help us to further engage our fanbase – both existing and new, create additional forms of entertainment, and ultimately deliver a pathway for success for our club both on the pitch and in the community.”
Fellow businessmen Adam Gerry, Jake Silverstein, and Joe Mamo also joined D.C. United’s ownership group alongside Yo Gotti in September 2021. Apple Music 1’s Ebro Darden spoke to Gotti about signing up for Major League Soccer’s Black-and-Red Family.
“It was a few years ago when I joined the club as an owner, part of the ownership club. I think diversifying growth as an entrepreneur, I mean, whoever thought we would own part of a professional sports team?” Yo Gotti told Darden.
Gotti also said, “I try to show to the young guys in my city by action, what we can do and what we can become if we stay determined and disciplined and on top of what we’re trying to do as young hustlers and entrepreneurs.”
When it comes to his music career, Gotti recently dropped the I Showed U So mixtape with DJ Drama. That Gangsta Grillz project is part of an extensive discography. Gotti’s catalog also contains albums like The Art of Hustle and CM10: Free Game.
Lil Duval polled his social media followers about three contemporary female rappers. Memphis-raised rhymer GloRilla and Miami-based rhymer Sukihana had something to say about the 46-year-old entertainer as well.
“Out of Sukihana, Sexxy Redd, GloRilla……Marry, f###, kill,” posted Lil Duval on the afternoon of August 17. That tweet generated a lot of reactions on the platform, including from two of the women named.
Sukihana fired back, “Lick Lil Duval’s ass or go to jail for the rest of your life only gay men can answer.” In addition, GloRilla quoted Duval and added, “Granddad why you worrying about dese young hoes p####?????”
GloRilla heads into the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards with two nominations – Best New Artist and Best Hip Hop (“Tomorrow 2” with Cardi B). She won Best New Hip Hop Artist at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards.
“Casamigos (Pour It In My Cup)” performer Sukihana has become a reality TV show veteran with stints on Love & Hip Hop: Miami and Baddies. Plus, Suki just teamed up with Sexyy Red for the “Hood Rats” collaboration.
Out of Sukihana, sexxy Redd, glorilla……Marry,f###,kill
HOOD POET by Polo G will arrive on DSPs next month. This week, the Chicago-bred rapper warned his fans about his potential retirement following the release of the album.
Will HOOD POET be Polo’s final body of work? The chart-topper took to the X social media platform (formerly Twitter) to share his thoughts on his possible future.
“Honestly, after my HOOD POET album I’m considering retiring from music.💜🫶🏾🫶🏾So I appreciate everybody ridin for me 10 fold🌪️,” posted Polo G on August 18.
The Columbia recording artist later added, “This rap s### got so lame and watered down it ain’t no fun in it no more.” At just 24 years of age, Polo has already been in the industry for over five years.
Honestly after my hood poet album I’m considering retiring from music💜🫶🏾🫶🏾so I appreciate everybody ridin for me 10 fold🌪️
Polo G earned a 2x-Platinum plaque for 2018’s “Finer Things” single. He later made it into the Top 20 region of the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Pop Out” featuring Lil Tjay.
“Pop Out” received 8x-Platinum certification. Polo G then led the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the 6x-Platinum “Rapstar” in 2021. Juice Wrld’s “Hate the Other Side” featuring Polo was a Top 10 entry as well.
The new “Barely Holdin’ On” serves as the lead single from Polo’s HOOD POET album. A video for the track landed on YouTube today (August 18) and has already amassed more than 180,000 views.
HOOD POET follows 2019’s Die a Legend, 2020’s The Goat, and 2021’s Hall of Fame. The latter project debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The RIAA certified all three projects as 2x-Platinum.
A shirtless Logic was feeling himself during a recent performance, gyrating his hips and twerking before bending over for the audience to copy the Ice Spice signature dance move.
A video of his July performance resurfaced online Thursday with users on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Not only does he mimic the Ice Spice move, but the Maryland native also bizarrely poked a finger in his belly button. He then gives his finder a little wiggle before bringing it up to his nose for a little sniff.
“Logic don’t got a single song where he need to be doing all this,” one user wrote sharing the video.
However, Logic also had his defenders. “Bro WHO GIVES A F### if he doing the ice spice signature move,” wrote one fan. “let this man be bruh . Logic hate is so corny.”
Bro WHO GIVES A F### if he doing the ice spice signature move , let this man be bruh . Logic hate is so corny https://t.co/hq9EyTrtP8
Earlier this week, Logic took to social media with an exciting announcement for his fans. On Wednesday (August 16), he shared his plans to drop a free new mixtape called Inglorious Basterd alongside a snippet of the newly released intro track “Still Pushin.” The song is a remix of Lupe Fiasco’s early-career classic, “Kick Push.” Check out the album artwork in his post below.
Meek Mill is continuing his war against the labels, accusing “culture vulture” record labels of scamming artists and taking their money.
In a post on Threads, Instagram’s sister app, the Philly rapper claimed he can’t be duped as he owns 100 percent of his masters and publishing. However, he won’t stop calling out the major labels. He claimed labels profit from Black “murder and poverty” without contributing to the community.
“F### these labels they operating without consequences in the biggest scheme to date!” Meek Mill declared. He also lashed out at lawyers who he says make young artists sign contracts they don’t understand, comparing it to “stealing.”
“IF YOU LETTING LABELS TAKE YOUR MONEY HOW YOU BEEFING WITH N##### IN THE HOOD OVER NOTHING,” he questioned. “yes I own 100% of my masters and pub as we speak! We catch y’all stealing we in the streets with it.”
However, he called for others to take a stand. According to Meek Mill, he is willing to lose his life and his freedom for his principles. “IF YOU BEEN TAKEN ADVANTAGE BY PEOPLE THAT YOU WOULD REALLY MAKE CRY TAP IN THIS GOTTA STOP… I’ll die for this or go to jail but take from me shiddddd,” he added. “This is for all culture vultures eating off black murder and poverty with out giving back and taking advantage! Til my last [breath]!” Read his post in full below.
