genius.com - 1 121 Showbiz News and Updates

Baby Smoove has become one of the breakout stars of Detroit’s underground rap scene. On today’s episode of Verified, which premiered exclusively on Apple Music, Baby Smoove breaks down “Akorn,” the ode to lean that put him on the map.

On his new song, “Letter to the City 2,” Canadian rapper Tory Lanez takes the opportunity to address his issues with Interscope Records while borrowing a line from his former foe Drake. It appears on Tory’s latest album, The New Toronto 3, which marks his final release on the label.

Tory Lanez is known for being very confident in his own skills, not unlike Irish UFC fighter Conor McGregor. Considering their similarities, it’s no surprise that McGregor’s voice shows up on Lanez’s latest album, The New Toronto 3. Tory uses one of McGregor’s infamous post-match speeches as the intro to the project’s third song, “Stupid Again.”

When The Weeknd set his release date for After Hours, he couldn’t have imagined the viral pandemic the world would soon be facing. Despite the looming uncertainty, however, he never thought about pushing back the project’s release—even though his team and label wanted him to.

Selena Gomez just released the deluxe edition of her third album, Rare, which comes three months after the original version. On April 7, she announced its release with an Instagram post revealing the new cover art that shows off her Rare-inspired neck tattoo.

The Strokes‘ comeback album, The New Abnormal, features cover art that might be familiar to Jean-Michel Basquiat fans. It contains a portion of the late artist’s 1981 painting, Birds on Money.

Less than six months after he dropped Chixtape 5, Tory Lanez is back with his new album, The New Toronto 3. It’s set to serve as his final release on Interscope after recent issues with the label.

The Strokes are back with The New Abnormal. The New York City rock band’s sixth studio album is produced by Rick Rubin and marks the group’s first full-length release in seven years.

Jack Harlow has been all over the internet this year after his hit, “WHATS POPPIN,” took over TikTok. He’s been in the rap game for a minute, and as his career has grown, his fans have devoured every song he drops.

Selena Gomez just released the deluxe edition of her third album, Rare, which comes three months after the original version. On April 7, she announced its release with an Instagram post revealing the new cover art that shows off her Rare-inspired neck tattoo.

In his new Variety cover story, The Weeknd reflected on the success of his debut mixtape, House of Balloons, pointing to Usher’s 2012 single, “Climax,” as an example of the project’s influence on R&B. The comment sparked a widespread debate on social media (and an indirect response from Usher), and now “Climax” producer Diplo has weighed in to confirm that he drew inspiration from House of Balloons.

Singer-songwriter Ed Maverick’s “Fuentes de Ortiz” is a breakout hit, racking up millions of views on YouTube and Genius. On today’s episode of Verified, which premiered exclusively on Apple Music, Ed Maverick explains how he fuses norteño influences with indie rock to create his unique sound.

Future recently announced his eighth studio album, Life is Good. It follows a recent flurry of singles highlighted by the Drake-assisted title track, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this year.

Open Mic has seen a ton of amazing rap performances. Today, Genius is counting down the Top 10 rap performances from the series. From Ashnikko and Yung Baby Tate’s high-energy “STUPID,” to Denzel Curry’s impressive performance of “RICKY,” here’s a roundup of the top rap performances we’ve seen on the show.

Rod Wave just dropped his new album, Pray 4 Love, but it’s a song from mid-2019 that’s burning up the charts for him. The St. Petersburg, Fla. singer earned his first Top 40 hit this week with “Heart on Ice,” a song that he first dropped in May 2019 as a single for his album, PTSD. Nearly one year later, it’s introducing him to a whole new audience after blowing up thanks to a live performance going viral and a little help from TikTok.

Future’s 2015 mixtape, 56 Nights, is now available on all streaming services. The joint project with DJ ESCO was previously available on TIDAL under Esco’s name.

Before dropping her debut album, Canadian singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez had already released a platinum single, nabbed a Grammy nomination, and worked with artists like Calvin Harris. Her years of work finally culminated in her official debut, BEFORE LOVE CAME TO KILL US, which arrived on March 27.

Detroit legend Eminem is known for more than just his bars. The hip-hop veteran isn’t afraid to show humor along with emotion in his music and his videos. Early hits like “My Name Is” showcased his sense of humor with memorable costumes ranging from Bill Clinton to Marilyn Manson, which provoked both praise and criticism from fans and rivals alike.

The Weeknd’s “Scared to Live” is just one of many Top 40 hits from his latest album, After Hours. While it features an interpolation of Elton John’s 1970 hit, “Your Song,” it turns out the inspiration was unintentional.

Kendrick Lamar’s final DAMN. track, “DUCKWORTH.,” is an elaborate piece of hip-hop storytelling built around a trio of diverse samples. In a new interview with NPR, producer 9th Wonder broke down each one and explained how he succeeded at interweaving three very different songs together.

Philadelphia rapper Popp Hunna’s “Single” has gone viral on TikTok and has been used in over 1 million videos on the platform. On today’s episode of Verified, which premiered exclusively on Apple Music, Popp Hunna explains what inspired the feel-good breakup anthem.

On Tuesday, influential country folk singer John Prine died at 73 years old while hospitalized at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He passed away from complications due to coronavirus, his family confirmed to Rolling Stone.

The Weeknd’s debut mixtape, House of Balloons, made a massive impact upon arrival in 2011. As mystery swirled around the R&B star’s identity and his connection to Drake, the music set the stage for not only The Weeknd’s rise but an entire movement in the sound of R&B. He reflected on this influence in a new interview with Variety.

Future and Drake’s latest collaboration, “Life is Good,” sparked a whole new set of rumors that the duo’s long-rumored sequel to 2015’s What A Time to Be Alive could finally be on the way. In a new interview with XXL, he addressed the idea without offering too many specifics.

Future and Drake’s latest collaboration, “Life is Good,” sparked a whole new set of rumors that the duo’s long-rumored sequel to 2015’s What A Time to Be Alive could finally be on the way. In a new interview with XXL, he addressed the idea without offering too many specifics.

Singer Madison Beer’s highly anticipated debut album, Life Support, is due out later this year. The album’s official third single, “Stained Glass,” was released last week. While she is making a name for herself in the pop music world, she listed some diverse influences, citing Kid Cudi, Radiohead, and Tame Impala as sources of inspiration for the song.

Future has been a busy man so far this year, and he’s looking to kick things into high gear with his upcoming eighth album. He revealed in a new XXL interview that the project is titled Life is Good, the same name as his recent Drake collaboration.

Before dropping her debut album, Canadian singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez had already released a platinum single, nabbed a Grammy nomination, and worked with artists like Calvin Harris. Her years of work finally culminated in her official debut, BEFORE LOVE CAME TO KILL US, which arrived on March 27.

Lupe Fiasco famously had a contentious relationship with his former label Atlantic Records before leaving in 2015. In an appearance on Joe Budden’s Instagram Live, the Chicago rapper claimed Atlantic “slowed down” the promotion of his single, “Kick, Push,” so they could buy the rights to the song it samples. Purchasing the rights would give the label a controlling portion of Lupe’s track and an opportunity for higher profit from its success.

On today’s episode of Verified, which premiered exclusively on Apple Music, LA rapper Blueface returns to break down the meaning of “Obama.” The track features DaBaby and is the lead single from his debut album Find the Beat.

Dua Lipa is riding the wave of another global hit with “Don’t Start Now,” the lead single off her sophomore album, Future Nostalgia. While the track turned out to be a smash, she faced a lot of uncertainty before releasing it due to fears that it wouldn’t measure up to her previous high-water mark: “New Rules.”

Drake continued his busy 2020 on Monday night by teasing half-a-dozen unreleased songs, including tracks with Playboi Carti, Popcaan, and Fivio Foreign. He previewed the tracks during an appearance on OVOMark’s Instagram Live.

Megan Thee Stallion built her brand as an unapologetically raunchy MC, and she’s sick of catching flak over it. In a new interview with Marie Claire, Megan sounded off about facing gendered double standards in rap music when she thinks men get away with much worse.

Quibi is set to launch a number of new shows on its app, one of which is hosted by Offset and features him driving around in fancy cars with other celebs. The show debuts today, and we get to see the Migos rapper hanging out with the likes of T-Pain and Chance the Rapper. But the most interesting thing about the show might actually be the name. Titled SKRRT with Offset, the show got its name from one of the most popular ad-libs in rap.

On Friday, producer 9th Wonder decided to remind hip-hop fans of JAY-Z’s status as one of the greatest rappers of all time by breaking down the Brooklyn MC’s prodigious output in the recording booth. In a lengthy Facebook post, the North Caroline native recalled hearing about Jay recording seven songs from The Blueprint in one weekend.

NAV’s unusually quiet vocals on Travis Scott’s 2018 single, “YOSEMITE,” sparked a litany of memes upon its release. While the odd mixing choice was eventually changed on streaming services, no explanation ever materialized—until now.