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Nicki Minaj Beats Aretha Franklin’s Record for Most Billboard Hot 100 Hits by Female Artist Ever

Nicki Minaj Beats Aretha Franklin’s Record for Most Billboard Hot 100 Hits by Female Artist Ever

Nicki Minaj Beats Aretha Franklin’s Record for Most Billboard Hot 100 Hits by Female Artist Ever

Source: XXLMag

March 20, 2017: Five years ago, Nicki Minaj achieved a major milestone in her career that proved she is one of the top hip-hop artists in the rap game. The Queen of hip-hop surpassed the late Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin for having the most Billboard Hot 100 entries by a female artist on this day in 2017.

For the Billboard Hot 100 chart ending April 1, 2017, Nicki Minaj premiered three songs on the tally, “No Frauds,” featuring Drake and Lil Wayne (No. 14), “Regret in Your Tears” (No. 61) and “Changed It” with Lil Wayne (No. 71). This bumped her total up to 76 Hot 100 appearances, which passed Franklin’s total of 73. The late soul singer held the crown for nearly 40 years, until June 18, 1977, before Nicki smashed it.

Following her historic chart achievement, Nicki spoke on her Queen Radio show in 2018 and paid homage to Franklin, who died on Aug. 16, 2018. “It’s no secret she’s an icon—an icon of all icons,” she said. “I don’t know anyone who she hasn’t inspired.”

The Queens, N.Y. rapper, who’s a doting mom of her two-year-old son affectionately named “Papa Bear,” also boasted about her accomplishment on her February 2019 freestyle “Barbie Going Bad,” which samples her ex-boyfriend Meek Mill’s 2018 song “Going Bad” and features Drake. On the song, Nicki raps, “Neck tatt say ‘Onika’/I got more slaps than Aretha.”

And Nicki continued to break records on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after that. On 16 May 2020, Nicki Minaj and Doja Cat became the first female rap duo to rule the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 100 with the “Say So” (Remix). Additionally, on July 18, 2020, the 40-year-old rhymer broke her own record of having the most Billboard Hot 100 entries by a female artist with 110 chart entries.

More information: https://www.xxlmag.com/nicki-minaj-aretha-franklin-most-billboard-hot-100-hits-female-artist-ever/

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Mack 10 Reveals He & Ice Cube Haven’t Spoken In Almost 20 Years

Mack 10 Reveals He & Ice Cube Haven't Spoken In Almost 20 Years

Mack 10 has revealed he hasn’t seen or spoken to Ice Cube in almost two decades since their falling-out.

Source: HipHopDX

The West Coast rap veteran was asked about his long-running rift with Cube in an interview with Bootleg Kev, admitting their relationship has remained frosty since they parted ways back in the mid 2000s.

“I fuck with who fuck with me, you dig? That’s where I’m at with it. If you fuck with me, I fuck with you. But if it’s fuck me, it’s fuck you,” Mack said.

“I ain’t seen him or talked to him in damn near 20 years, so there it is.”

Their bad blood has even deterred Mack from listening to Cube’s Mount Westmore album with Snoop Dogg, Too $hort and E-40, which dropped in December.

“I’ve heard bits and pieces of it, but not really,” he replied when asked if he’s heard the West Coast supergroup’s debut project. “Westside Connection was a movement. It was a little different.”

Mack 10 and Ice Cube joined forces alongside WC in the mid 1990s to form the supergroup Westside Connection, who released their critically acclaimed and commercially successful debut album Bow Down in ’96.

The California trio regrouped in 2003 for their second and final project Terrorist Threats, before Mack quit the group just a few years later after a falling-out with Cube.

In an interview with VladTV in 2020, Mack confirmed his departure stemmed from him getting into an altercation with Cube’s brother-in-law, who he alluded to “fuck[ing] my money up.”

“It was just an unfortunate situation, as far as what came out of all that,” he said. “It ain’t like that just happened … I went to Cube about four or five times before the conflict jumped off and told him to correct the situation. That’s the part that everybody leaves out.”

He added: “If it was my wife’s brother, I would’ve told him he can’t fuck my money up and he can’t be out of line with nobody I’m getting down with. And if you got that big of a problem with him, stay at home. My wife’s brother wouldn’t have stopped shit for me, with him.”

Mack clarified that his and Cube’s disagreement didn’t escalate beyond a verbal argument, saying: “Me and Cube didn’t have no fight or nothing like that. We had an argument, but okay, I thought that was it.”

For more details: https://hiphopdx.com/news/mack-10-ice-cube-beef-havent-spoken-20-years

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50 Greatest Rappers of All Time

Billboard and Vibe are counting down the best MCs ever in honor of hip-hop's 50th anniversary.

Billboard and Vibe are counting down the best MCs ever in honor of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary.

Source: Billboard

The Greatest of All Time, aka the GOAT. That’s a distinguished — and also contentious — honor when it comes to ranking who or what is the ultimate best, whether you’re talking films, TV shows, restaurants or any other subject.

In early 2023, Billboard/Vibe is ranking the Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time as part of our salute to this year’s golden anniversary of hip-hop. (The genre dates back to 1973, when DJ Kool Herc first set up his two turntables to rock a Bronx party.) The rollout began with the Jan. 11 reveal of the rappers ranked 50-41. We’ve revealed 10 more rappers each week since, with the final top 10 now unveiled below.

In determining these rankings, the Billboard and Vibe editorial teams opted first to limit the rap arena to North America. So for example, as estimable as his career is, British rapper Slick Rick isn’t on this list. We also opted not to include the significant contributions of reggaetón and dancehall MCs on this list, just to keep our pool of nominees a little more focused.

From there, the teams took into account the following criteria, not in any particular order: body of work/achievements (charted singles/albums, gold/platinum certifications), cultural impact/influence (how the artist’s work fostered the genre’s evolution), longevity (years at the mic), lyrics (storytelling skills) and flow (vocal prowess).

As is well known, GOAT and similar best-of lists always draw their share of criticism and praise from industry pundits and the public alike. So it took a lot of deliberation and deep discussion to reason our way to what we believe is a well-thought-out, authentic list that reflects hip-hop’s foundational pioneers, evolutionary trailblazers and contemporary mainstays. In addition, that mix also encompasses 50 years of cultural milestones for a genre initially dismissed as a passing fad — and now recognized as the industry’s market-share leader.

So now, let’s run through Billboard/Vibe’s Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time … and let the debate rage on.

See the Full List here: https://www.billboard.com/lists/best-rappers-all-time/

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Lil Wayne Reacts To Being Ranked 7th Best Rapper Of All Time

Lil Wayne Reacts To Being Ranked 7th Best Rapper Of All Time

Lil Wayne has responded to his placement on Billboard’s controversial “50 Greatest Rappers Of All Time” list, which saw him ranked at No. 7.

Source: HipHopDX

The Young Money mogul recently sat down with Zane Lowe at Apple Music to discuss his highly anticipated album, The Carter 6. Amid talks about the project, its Swizz Beatz-produced single “Kant Nobody” with the late DMX, Tunechi remarked that he is simply not concerned with the ranking as he’s confident that everyone knows he’s really the G.O.A.T.

“Man, who the hell is before me?” Wayne questioned. “Was the list including ALL Hip Hop, like before and after as well? I can deal with that… I will tell you that I am a muthafuckin’ one. Everybody whose names you named, they also know I’m number one. Go ask ’em. They know what it is.”

Ahead of Wayne on the list, in reverse order, were Biggie Smalls, Eminem, 2pac, Nas, Kendrick Lamar and JAY-Z.

Despite proclaiming himself No. 1, Wayne recently confirmed that, in his book, Hov remains the greatest rapper ever.

“The greatest rapper of all time is Shawn ‘JAY-Z’ Carter,” he declared on a November episode of Marcellus Wiley’s More to It podcast. “When you do this rapping thing, obviously like football, every sport is different. You play hockey, I’m sure they got something that they only know about. Something that they probably can’t explain, but only they know. That thing in rap, that we only know in rap, he has that. He’s the Tom Brady of that.”

Elsewhere in his new interview with Apple Music, Weezy gave a little insight on what fans can expect from the forthcoming C6.

“Everybody already know,” Lil Wayne said. “You already know. Come on – it’s Carter 6. I never even imagined. That didn’t even sound right years ago. I can’t believe we’re at Carter 6. My fans know I give my all. Go listen to my last feature and know it’s gonna be a thousand times better than that.”

While he has yet to set a release date for the LP, Lil Wayne has kicked off his roll out with the release of the DMX-assisted single and a tour announcement.

The 28-city Welcome To Tha Carter tour kicks off on April 4 at The Fillmore in Minneapolis. Wayne will trek through Detroit, Toronto, Houston, New York and other cities before wrapping in Los Angeles at The Wiltern on May 13.

More information and get Tickets at:
https://hiphopdx.com/news/lil-wayne-reacts-7th-best-rapper-all-time

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Rihanna’s Songs See 140% Increase In Streams Following Super Bowl LVII

Rihanna’s Songs See 140% Increase In Streams Following Super Bowl LVII

RiRi will likely have a few of her classics return to the Billboard charts.

Source: AllHipHop

The Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show featured Rihanna running through some of the biggest hits of her career. After watching the superstar perform on February 12, many viewers also streamed her music on DSPs.

Billboard reports the streaming numbers for songs from Rihanna’s catalog experienced a 140% hike in the U.S. following Sunday’s performance. The two-day total jumped from 25.8 million streams to 62.2 million streams between February 10-11 and February 12-13.

In addition, the Barbadian R&B/Pop singer sold 42,000 downloads on February 12 and February 13. That amounts to a 473% increase from the 7,500 downloads on February 10 and February 11.

Rihanna did exceptionally well on Apple Music since Super Bowl LVII. Sunday was the Roc Nation artist’s all-time biggest streaming day on the platform. Her concurrent worldwide Apple Music listeners total jumped 331%.

Over on Spotify, nine Rihanna singles climbed into the Top 20 of the streamer’s Daily Top Songs USA chart dated February 13. That same day saw “Umbrella” featuring Jay-Z climb 66 spots to #15 on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs Global chart.

The NFL’s full Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show video on YouTube collected 51 million views in three days. Rihanna’s mid-game set included “B#### Better Have My Money,” “Work,” “Umbrella,” “Diamonds,” and other records from her discography.

According to projections by HitsDailyDouble, two albums by Rihanna will return to the Billboard 200’s Top 20 on next week’s chart. 2016’s Anti is on pace to jump back to #13. Good Girl Gone Bad from 2007 will likely rise to #17.

More information: https://allhiphop.com/news/rihannas-songs-see-140-increase-in-streams-following-super-bowl-lvii/

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Jack Harlow Trades Rap For The Triangle In Missy Elliott-Assisted Doritos Super Bowl Ad

Jack Harlow Trades Rap For The Triangle In Missy Elliott-Assisted Doritos Super Bowl Ad

Jack Harlow is in a new Doritos Super Bowl ad with Missy Elliott and it looks like the chips giant has helped the Louisville rapper discover a new love when it comes to music.

Source: HipHopDX

Jack Harlow is in a new Doritos Super Bowl ad with Missy Elliott and it looks like the chips giant has helped the Louisville rapper discover a new love when it comes to music.

Missionary Jack puts his acting chops to the test in the big game clip unveiled in full on Wednesday (February 8). At first, Harlow struggles to find motivation in the studio until he stumbles upon the triangle, which is the same shape as a Doritos chip.

“It’s just not right,” he says in the clip. “Nah, I need to find something new.”

The 24-year-old sends the crowd into a frenzy when he shows off his unlikely triangle skills, but backstage Missy Elliott is questioning the move. “You gonna quit rap for a triangle,” Missy asks in disgust.

“I gotta do me, Missy,” Harlow states with Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell” booming in the background.

The triangle craze sweeps the nation with radio legend Sway Calloway making a cameo but it all comes to a screeching halt for Harlow when he loses out on Triangle Player of the Year honors to Elton John to close the Super Bowl commercial.

Look for the entire Doritos ad to air on FOX on February 12 during Super Bowl LVII, which will be held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Jack Harlow’s acting skills will also be put to the test in the upcoming White Men Can’t Jump reboot, which is set to land on Hulu on May 19.

A trailer arrived over the weekend showing the very first look at Harlow and his co-star Sinqua Walls in character.

More information: https://hiphopdx.com/news/jack-harlow-triangle-missy-elliott-doritos-super-bowl-commercial

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Missy Elliott, A Tribe Called Quest Nominated for 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Missy Elliott, A Tribe Called Quest Nominated for 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Missy Elliott and A Tribe Called Quest are in this year’s class of nominees up for induction into the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class.

Source: XXLMag

On Wednesday (Feb. 1), the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame revealed their list of nominees for the coveted honor. Hip-hop is represented, with Missy Elliott and Tribe being in a group that includes Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Cyndi Lauper, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against The Machine, Soundgarden, The Spinners, The White Stripes and Warren Zevon.

This is Missy’s first time on the ballot and her first year of eligibility. This is A Tribe Called Quest’s second time making the ballot after first making the list in 2022 but failing to get voted in.

“This remarkable list of nominees reflects the diverse artists and music that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honors and celebrates,” said John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “These artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps.”

Missy, a four-time Grammy-award winner, has enjoyed an illustrious career that has seen her break the mold for female rappers while excelling in rapping, songwriting, producing and singing. A Tribe Called Quest are cited at one of the best hip-hop groups of all time, with multiple critically acclaimed albums and undeniable influence. Fans can cast their vote at vote.rockhall.com.

Missy and ATCQ’s induction would mark the 11th and 12th rap acts to be allowed entry into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame including Jay-Z, 2Pac, LL Cool, The Notorious B.I.G. and others. Eminem made the final cut last year, becoming the most recent rapper to be recognized. 2023 inductees will be announced in May, with the ceremony taking place this fall.

Missy Elliott has been getting her flowers a lot recently. In 2019, she was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, joining Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri and The Neptunes as the only hip-hop artists to receive the honor. In 2021, she was honored with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Read More: Missy Elliott, A Tribe Called Quest Nominated for Rock & Roll HOF – XXL | https://www.xxlmag.com/missy-elliott-a-tribe-called-quest-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

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Chuck D & KRS-One Respond To Bow Wow’s ‘Hip Hop Needs A Board’ Comments

Chuck D & KRS-One Respond To Bow Wow's 'Hip Hop Needs A Board' Comments

Chuck D and KRS-One have responded to Bow Wow’s comments about Hip Hop needing a “board,” extending an invite for him to join a discussion about the topic.

Source: HipHopDX

Chuck D and KRS-One have responded to Bow Wow’s comments about Hip Hop needing a “board,” extending an invite for him to join a discussion about the topic.

Shad Moss sparked a debate among rap fans earlier this month when he fired off a tweet calling for Hip Hop to unionize in order to govern the culture and take care of its aging stars.

“Hip hop needs a board!” he wrote. “No different than the NBA w/ the players association. A committee. That can set rules and keep things in control and protect this thing we call hip hop! And have a retirement plan for the og rappers. I hate seeing my heros liquor’d out no money just washed.”

Chuck D, KRS-One, Kurtis Blow and Doug E. Fresh teamed up to establish the Hip Hop Alliance in July 2022 to address and represent the needs of the culture. Now, they’ve released a joint statement addressing Bow Wow’s comments.

“Like every other aspect of society’s workforce, the artists and creators of Hip Hop need protection, support and advocacy,” read the statement, per Rock The Bells. “From label disputes to intellectual property retrieval and the need for an overall governing body, the Hip Hop Alliance was established.

“Recent comments this weekend created a unique opportunity to bring forth a conversation that many in Hip Hop & R&B have been addressing for a long time. The need of a governing body of Hip Hop. The goal of HHA is to empower artists to make informed decisions about their career and ensure that their rights are respected and protected.”

The Hip Hop Alliance also extended an invitation to Bow Wow to join a conversation on Clubhouse on Friday (January 20) at 7 p.m. EST so he can become better acquainted with the organization’s efforts and goals. The former child star also received an invitation to HHA’s Black History Month online conference on February 25.

“As our culture comes together to honor and celebrate the 50th year of the creation of Hip Hop, now is the time for all of us to come together,” the statement continued. “In that spirit, we invite our brother Bow Wow to join us this coming Friday (January 20) at 7 p.m. EST on the Clubhouse app and/or our Black History Month online conference on Tuesday (February 25) at 4 p.m. EST on the HHA YouTube page.

“In fact, all of the Hip Hop community is invited to these two informative conversations about the HHA, as we continue to build this organization to advocate, inform and service our brothers and sisters’ needs and concerns throughout the Hip Hop ecosystem. We welcome all of the Hip Hop culture to roll up their sleeves and join us, as we work to uplift, honor, and protect Hip Hop, for its past, present, and future.”

According to its website, the Hip Hop Alliance is a “strategic partnership that represents the needs and concerns of the Hip Hop and R&B workforce through advocacy, information, and service.”

For more information:
https://hiphopdx.com/news/chuck-d-krs-one-bow-wow-hip-hop-board-response

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Dr. Dre Strikes $200M-Plus Deal To Sell Music Catalog Assets

Dr. Dre Strikes $200M-Plus Deal To Sell Music Catalog Assets

Dr. Dre stands to make over $200 million by selling a piece of his decorated catalog.

Source: HipHopDX

According to Billboard, the legendary producer is closing in on two separate deals to offload a share of music income streams and other assets to Shamrock Holdings and Universal Music Group.

The deals, which were shopped by Dre’s longtime attorney Peter Paterno, were being pitched for a combined sum of $250 million. While the final sale price won’t quite be that high, a source close to the rap mogul said the figure will still be “well above $200 million.”

The assets, which net almost $10 million in annual income, include artist royalties from two of Dr. Dre’s solo albums and his share of N.W.A artist royalties; his producer royalties; and the songwriter’s share of his song catalog where he doesn’t own publishing, which may include tracks from blockbuster 1992 debut LP The Chronic.

These account for between 75 and 90 percent of the package’s revenue and is likely being acquired by Shamrock. UMG is said to be purchasing the remaining 10 to 25 percent generated by owned assets, including the master recording of The Chronic, which is due to be transferred from Death Row Records to Dre in August.

UMG’s portion also includes Dre’s share of Kendrick Lamar’s releases through Aftermath’s joint deal with Interscope and Top Dawg Entertainment, and possibly some publishing, although it’s unclear which portion of his catalog that would include.

The bundle of assets doesn’t, however, include his ownership stake in Aftermath, which he founded in 1996 and co-owns with UMG’s Interscope.

The deal continues a recent trend of Hip Hop stars making major bank from their music rights. Last year, Future sold his publishing catalog between 2004 and 2020 to Influence Media Partners for an eight-figure sum.

That deal included 612 songs in total, including hits like “Life Is Good” and “Jumpman” with Drake, “King’s Dead” with Kendrick Lamar, “Selfish” with Rihanna, “Low Life” with The Weeknd and “Mask Off.”

Before that, Public Enemy’s Chuck D sold his full songwriter’s share of royalties and half of his “copyright interest” as the publisher to Reach Music.

“Doing this deal was the right timing for a forward and logical evolution of [their] business together in an ever-changing industry,” Chuck told Rolling Stone of the deal.

For more information: https://hiphopdx.com/news/dr-dre-sells-music-assets-200-million-deal