Since then, B.G. has been busy catching up with his friends in the hip-hop community, and hopped on his Instagram Story to share welcome home messages from fans and others.
What Has B.G. Been Doing Since Being Released From Prison?
On Tuesday (Sept. 5), XXL confirmed that B.G. had been released from prison after being incarcerated for almost a decade. In 2012, Baby Gangsta, popularly known as B.G., was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for gun possession and witness tampering. Once B.G. became a free man, Birdman hopped on Instagram Live and recorded himself greeting B.G. at what seems to be an airport, which can be seen below. Additionally, Birdman gifted the New Orleans rapper with an icy pendant.
With his newfound freedom, B.G. has also gotten a chance to catch up with Maino, The Game, Wack 100 and Bun B on FaceTime. The footage can be seen below.
On Sept. 5, Bun B went on Instagram and posted a picture of himself on FaceTime with B.G. and Birdman. Underneath the post, the legendary rapper stated that a Hot Boy Reunion was in the works.
“The call we been waiting for!” Bun B typed in the caption of the post below. “@birdman hit me up to show me @new_bghollyhood is a free man! This put a smile on my face! God is great! Hot Boys reunion coming soon!”
Bun B, B.G. and other members from Hot Boys collaborated on the 1997 track, “I’m Com’n.”
B.G. has also been working on new music. On Wednesday (Sept. 6), the rapper went on Instagram and uploaded a snippet of his upcoming single. In the caption for the post, B.G. hinted at dropping a new record soon.
“The rebirth of the #ComeBackKid #RealN***a Season #OTW,” B.G. typed in the caption of the post below. “The love and support is overwhelming [praying hands emoji].
Thank you for holding a real n***a down. #IAppreciateYOU [100 emoji]. I will not disappoint you #WorthTheWait [music note emoji]. #BGFREE #LivingLegend.”
Additionally, he’s been sharing dozens of messages from fans on Instagram and reposting them on his Instagram stories.
ScHoolboy Q’s teaser comes shortly after he debuted a new song during TDE producer Kal Banx’s Boiler Room set in Los Angeles earlier this month.
Q was on stage and rapped some of the lyrics into the mic as the unreleased track played through the speakers. Fellow labelmates Ab-Soul, Isaiah Rashad and SiR could be seen turning up with him behind the turntables.
ScHoolboy Q previously gave an update on his long-awaited new album in June.
The South Central native reposted a clip from the Back on Figg podcast where the hosts revealed they’d been in the studio with Q and his album was dropping “very very soon.”
“We been in the mixing process of ScHoolboy Q’s album. That shit is coming very very soon,” they said. “The album sounding fire. We just now letting y’all know.
“This is something big right now. We have been in the studio with my brother every week. The album sounding fire. Fire, you know what I’m saying?
The 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop™ will be the most epic year in Hip Hop history! Celebrations will be held all around the world to uplift and honor every aspect of Hip Hop culture. From concerts and tours to battles, competitions and exhibitions, all of your favorite DJs, MCs, Breakdancers, Beatboxers, Graffiti artists and more will show up and show out to make this golden anniversary of Hip Hop culture the most extraordinary year yet.
But we’re going to make sure we party with a purpose!
THE HISTORY
In the rec room of an apartment building on Sedgwick Avenue, an eighteen-year-old Clive Campbell throws a back-to-school party with his younger sister Cindy.
Friends and neighbors dance to the familiar sounds of artists like James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and The Meters — only something has changed…
Behind two turntables, Clive, better known as DJ Kool Herc, plays two copies of the same record, a technique known as the merry-go-round where one moves back and forth, from one record to the next, looping the percussion portions of each track to keep the beat alive.
And amongst this community of dancers, artists, musicians and poets…
HIP-HOP IS BORN.
On Monday (July 31), the Georgia native joined Way Up With Angela Yee for a chat, during which he discussed the influence of the now defunct trio. While expressing his appreciation for his former group being featured on Billboard‘s “50 Best Rap Groups” list, he also said that they should’ve been ranked higher than No. 11.
“It depend on how people lookin’ at it,” he explained. “If you talkin’ bout culturally change the sound of music, ’cause then we went past Hip Hop and we went to country and all the different genres … I just feel like we could’ve got Top 5.”
Watch the “Red Room” hitmaker discuss Migos at the beginning of the interview below:
Though Offset does believe that his group belonged higher up on the list, he took no issue with his fellow Southern MCs bagging first place, saying: “I agree with OutKast being No. 1.”
In the same spirit, Rakim recently shared that he had no problem with the Atlanta duo being placed six notches above Eric B. & Rakim on the Billboard list.
The rankings were released in late June, causing heated debates within the Hip Hop community. TMZ caught up with The God MC while he was out in New York a few days after the article was published and got his reaction to both being ranked at No. 7 and being behind André 3000 and Big Boi.
“Nah mean, I’m always gonna say I shoulda been higher, but it’s a blessing to be recognized and it’s a good time to be recognized as well,” Rakim said. “It’s not really my place to say who else deserves or not, but OutKast pushed the envelope, a group that a lot of people got love for. So, you know we have to give the flowers to who earns them.”
Filling in the six notches between Eric B. & Rakim and OutKast are Public Enemy at No. 6, Run-D.M.C. at No. 5, A Tribe Called Quest at No. 4, N.W.A at No. 3 and Wu-Tang Clan at No. 2.
The publication said the criteria for its rankings included: body of work/achievements (charted singles/albums, gold/platinum certifications, other awards), cultural impact/influence (how the group’s work fostered the genre’s evolution), longevity (years at the mic), lyrics (storytelling skills) and flow (vocal prowess).
“Our definition of groups includes duos, proper groups and more nebulous collectives. Most notably, inclusion on this list is based on the accomplishments of the group as a unit — not what the individuals may have separately accomplished. We tried to walk the line between what constitutes a group versus a collective or a crew, though at times that was not entirely clear,” the publication explained.
Latto hit the jackpot with “Seven,” her new collab with BTS’ Jung Kook, which has risen to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking the first time a rapper has had a No. 1 song on the chart in 2023.
On Monday (July 24), Billboard announced the updated top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which revealed Jung Kook’s new single “Seven” with Latto is in the top spot. This marks the “Big Energy” rapper’s first No. 1. Jung is now the second member of the K-Pop boy band to have a No. 1 record after Jimin’s “Like Crazy” debuted No. 1 in April. Other rappers with songs on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 chart include Gunna (“F*kumean), which sits at No. 6., and Lil Durk and J. Cole (“All My Life”), which is No. 10.
It’s been rough sledding for hip-hop in 2023. The genre has only had one album to top the Billboard 200 chart this year, Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape, which dropped on June 30. Last month, Coi Leray called for unity among female rappers and urged them to come together to make 2023’s first No. 1 hit. It looks like Latto hit the winning number first.
The annual awards show went down at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California on Sunday night (June 25), which proved to be another eventful night as cultural icons were celebrated, emerging legends were coronated and, in Quavo and Offset’s case, brotherhood was restored.
Beyoncé and SZA were this year’s biggest winners with three awards each. Queen Bey’s Renaissance was crowned Album of the Year, while her “Break My Soul” music video took home the Viewer’s Choice and BET Her awards.
SZA’s record-breaking SOS also won Album of the Year in a rare tie in the standout category, while her “Kill Bill” mini-movie claimed Video of the Year.
The TDE songstress was also crowned Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, fending off stiff competition from Beyoncé, Lizzo, Ari Lennox, Tems, H.E.R. and Coco Jones — the latter of whom was named Best New Artist.
As for Drake, the 6 God trailed closely behind with two wins: Best Group alongside his Her Loss cohort 21 Savage and Best Collaboration for his appearance on Future’s chart-topping hit “Wait For U,” which also featured Tems.
Elsewhere, Kendrick Lamar won Best Male Hip Hop Artist for a second year running, Chris Brown and Usher were jointly named Best Male R&B/Pop Artist and Latto beat out Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Ice Spice, GloRilla, Megan Thee Stallion and Coi Leray to the Best Female Hip Hop Artist award.
During her televised acceptance speech, the “Big Energy” hitmaker saluted both her peers and the pioneers who paved the way, while also showing love to the female MCs who missed out on a nomination in the category.
“I’m not gon’ cry this year,” Latto began, referencing her tearful Best New Artist victory at last year’s BET Awards. “Shout out to God. He be doing his big one on me! Shout out to all the other women in the category, all the women who paved the way for this to be even be possible, this category is going crazy this year.
“Oh, shout out to some women who I think should have been in the category: Doechii — I love you, baby — Maiya The Don, Flo Milli, Mello Buckzz, TiaCorine. Shout out to all the women, we killin’ it. This is the year of the female, year of women. Hopefully we gon’ see an all-female tour very soon, you feel me?”
“Momma, I love you. And my man, thank you to my man,” she added with a wry smile and sexually suggestive gesture, referencing the long-running speculation surrounding her love life.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
GloRilla — Anyways, Life’s Great
Chris Brown — Breezy
DJ Khaled — God Did
Drake & 21 Savage — Her Loss
Kendrick Lamar — Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers Beyoncé — Renaissance — WINNER (Tie) SZA — SOS — WINNER (Tie)
BEST FEMALE R&B/POP ARTIST
Ari Lennox
Beyoncé
Coco Jones
H.E.R.
Lizzo SZA — WINNER
Tems
BEST MALE R&B/POP ARTIST
Blxst
Brent Faiyaz
Burna Boy Chris Brown — WINNER (Tie)
Drake
The Weeknd Usher — WINNER (Tie)
BEST GROUP
City Girls Drake & 21 Savage — WINNER
Dvsn
FLO
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin
Quavo & TakeOff
Wanmor
BEST COLLABORATION
Latto & Mariah Carey f. DJ Khaled — “Big Energy (Remix)”
Pinkpantheress & Ice Spice — “Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2”
Chris Brown f. Wizkid — “Call Me Every Day”
King Combs f. Kodak Black — “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop”
Metro Boomin, The Weeknd & 21 Savage — “Creepin’”
Hitkidd & GloRilla — “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)”
GloRilla & Cardi B — “Tomorrow 2” Future f. Drake & Tems — “Wait For U” — WINNER
BEST FEMALE HIP HOP ARTIST
Cardi B
Coi Leray
GloRilla
Ice Spice Latto — WINNER
Megan Thee Stallion
Nicki Minaj
BEST MALE HIP HOP ARTIST
21 Savage
Drake
Future
J. Cole
Jack Harlow Kendrick Lamar — WINNER
Lil Baby
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Chris Brown — “We (Warm Embrace)”
Peezy, Jeezy & Real Boston Richey f. Rob49 — “2 Million Up”
Lizzo — “About Damn Time”
Steve Lacy — “Bad Habit”
Jack Harlow — “First Class” SZA — “Kill Bill” — WINNER
GloRilla & Cardi B — “Tomorrow 2”
VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
A$AP Rocky for AWGE
Benny Boom
Burna Boy
Cole Bennett
Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar
Director X Teyana “Spike Tey” Taylor — WINNER
BEST NEW ARTIST
Ambré Coco Jones — WINNER
Doechii
FLO
GloRilla
Ice Spice
Lola Brooke
DR. BOBBY JONES BEST GOSPEL/INSPIRATIONAL AWARD Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin — “Bless Me” — WINNER
Tamela Mann — “Finished (Live)”
CeCe Winans — “I’ve Got Joy”
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin f. Naomi Raine & Chandler Moore — “Kingdom”
Tye Tribbett — “New”
Yolanda Adams — “One Moment From Glory”
PJ Morton f. Lisa Knowles-Smith, Le’andria Johnson, Keke Wyatt, Kierra Sheard & Tasha Cobbs Leonard — “The Better Benediction (Pt. 2)”
VIEWER’S CHOICE AWARD
Lizzo — “About Damn Time” Beyoncé — “Break My Soul” — WINNER
Jack Harlow — “First Class”
Drake f. 21 Savage — “Jimmy Cooks”
SZA — “Kill Bill”
Burna Boy — “Last Last”
Nicki Minaj — “Super Freaky Girl”
Future f. Drake & Tems — “Wait For U”
BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT
Aya Nakamura (France)
Ayra Starr (Nigeria) Burna Boy (Nigeria) — WINNER
Central Cee (UK)
Ella Mai (UK)
Ko (South Africa)
L7nnon (Brazil)
Stormzy (UK)
Tiakola (France)
Uncle Waffles (Swaziland)
VIEWER’S CHOICE: BEST NEW INTERNATIONAL ACT
Asake (Nigeria)
Camidoh (Ghana)
Flo (UK) Libianca (Cameroon) — WINNER
Maureen (France)
MC Ryan SP (Brazil)
Pabi Cooper (South Africa)
Raye (UK)
Werenoi (France)
BET HER
Lizzo — “About Damn Time”
Pinkpantheress & Ice Spice — “Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2” Beyoncé — “Break My Soul” — WINNER
Megan Thee Stallion — “Her”
Rihanna & Ludwig Göransson — “Lift Me Up”
Coi Leray — “Players”
Lizzo — “Special”
BEST MOVIE Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — WINNER
Creed III
Emancipation
Nope
The Woman King
Till
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody
BEST ACTOR
Amin Joseph
Brian Tyree Henry Damson Idris — WINNER
Daniel Kaluuya
Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr.
Donald Glover
Michael B. Jordan
BEST ACTRESS Angela Bassett — WINNER
Coco Jones
Janelle James
Janelle Monáe
Keke Palmer
Viola Davis
Zendaya
YOUNGSTARS AWARD
Akira Akbar
Alaya High
Demi Singleton
Genesis Denise Marsai Martin — WINNER
Thaddeus J. Mixson
Young Dylan
SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Alexis Morris
Allyson Felix Angel Reese — WINNER
Candace Parker
Naomi Osaka
Serena Williams
Sha’Carri Richardson
SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Aaron Judge
Bubba Wallace
Gervonta Davis Jalen Hurts — WINNER
LeBron James
Patrick Mahomes
Steph Curry
There have been a lot of high-profile all-female rap collaborations in recent years. As women continue to dominate Hip-Hop in 2023, Coi Leray wants her peers to come together for a potential chart-topping posse cut.
Hip-Hop legend Lil Kim famously linked up with Da Brat, Missy Elliott, Angie Martinez and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes for “Not Tonight (Ladies Night Remix)” in 1997. The song reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track’s music video featured cameos by Mary J. Blige, T-Boz, Queen Latifah, SWV, Xscape, Total and more. Coi Leray wants to recreate that moment.
“Ain’t been a #1 rap song at all this year. Calling all the female rappers to [the] front,” she tweeted. “[Hear] me out. Ladies night. Hip Hop. Unity. #splash. Let’s make history with a number 1… together… with love. #justanidea.”
Ain’t been a #1 rap song at all this year. Calling all the female rappers to front. Here me out. ladies night. Hip hop. Unity. #splash🎏🌊 let’s make history with a number 1 … together .. with love. #justanidea
Coi Leray has worked with other female rappers throughout her short career. For example, she collaborated with Nicki Minaj for 2022’s “Blick Blick” single. The record peaked at No. 37 on the Hot 100 chart.
“Blick Blick” lives on Leray’s debut studio album, Trendsetter, which arrived in April 2022. The Republic recording artist will drop her self-titled sophomore LP on June 23.
Before Coi lands on DSPs, Coi Leray will hit the stage on June 19 for CNN’s televised Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom. She’ll also be part of the lineup for Kid Cudi’s 2023 Moon Man’s Landing.
This year has already seen well-received, all-women collaborations such as Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s “Princess Diana” as well as Latto and Cardi B’s “Put It On Da Floor Again.”
On Thursday (June 8), the official nomination list was released to the public. The 6 God’s nods include Best Male Hip Hop artist, Best Male R&B/Pop Artist, Best Group with 21 Savage, and Album of the Year for Her Loss with 21 Savage.
Similarly, Big Glo nominations include Best Female Hip Hop Artist, Best New Artist, and Album of the Year for Anyways, Life’s Great…, Video of the Year for “Tomorrow 2” with Cardi B, and two nominations for best collaboration (“F.N.F. Let’s Go” and “Tomorrow 2”).
Last year, GloRilla took home the award for Best Breakthrough Hip Hop Artist Of The Year at BET’s Hip Hop Awards.
Check out the complete nomination list below:
Album of the Year
Anyways, Life’s Great – GloRilla
Breezy – Chris Brown
GOD DID – DJ Khaled
Her Loss – Drake & 21 Savage
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers – Kendrick Lamar
Renaissance – Beyoncé
SOS – SZA
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
Ari Lennox
Beyoncé
Coco Jones
H.E.R.
Lizzo
SZA
Tems
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
Blxst
Brent Faiyaz
Burna Boy
Chris Brown
Drake
The Weeknd
Usher
Best Group
City Girls
Drake & 21 Savage
DVSN
FLO
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin
Quavo & Takeoff
Wanmor
Best Collaboration
“Big Energy (Remix)” – Latto & Mariah Carey feat. DJ Khaled
“Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2” – Pinkpantheress & Ice Spice
“Call Me Every Day” – Chris Brown feat. Wizkid
“Can’t Stop Won’t Stop” – King Combs feat. Kodak Black
“Creepin’” – Metro Boomin, The Weeknd & 21 Savage
“F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” – Hitkidd & GloRilla
“Tomorrow 2” – GloRilla & Cardi B
“Wait For U” – Future feat. Drake & Tems
Best Female Hip Hop Artist
Cardi B
Coi Leray
GloRilla
Ice Spice
Latto
Megan Thee Stallion
Nicki Minaj
Best Male Hip Hop Artist
21 Savage
Drake
Future
J. Cole
Jack Harlow
Kendrick Lamar
Lil Baby
Ludacris has had a career filled with chart-topping hits, but at least one of those successes came as a shock to him because the song was just a rush-job to fill an album.
The rapper and actor stopped by Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson’s All The Smoke podcast last week, and revealed he had no idea his hit 2000 song “Southern Hospitality” would go on to be as big as it was.
According to Luda, the song was made at the last minute to repackage his independent album, Incognegro, for his major label Def Jam debut, Back For the First Time.
“If anybody can give you a hit at the last minute, it’s Pharrell and Chad and The Neptunes,” Luda explained. “He throws on this beat, and I’m vibing to it. I’m thinking it’s cool. I’m not like thinking, ‘This is a hit… I did not know that it was the hit that it became.”
Luda then recalled going to the studio’s parking lot to sit in his car and write to the instrumental Pharrell and Chad had just cooked up. He said he thought it was good, but everyone else felt like the record could be huge.
Check out the full interview below:
“Southern Hospitality” was released as the second single off Ludacris’ Def Jam debut, Back For the First Time. The song peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard 100 and No. 5 on the Billboard Rap Songs chart in 2001.
Elsewhere in the interview, the Atlanta rap legend reflected on his larger-than-life music videos and revealed Hov once said to him that he believes they’re the reason he doesn’t get the credit he deserves as an MC.
“It was big, but there was a downside to it because even JAY-Z was one of the ones that said, you know, he don’t think I get the lyrical credit that I deserve because of the visuals,” Luda said.
“People ask me, ‘Why don’t you think get the credit?’ Because I played too goddamn much, that’s what I do! And I wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s why my name is Ludacris, because it’s beyond crazy, it’s wild, it’s ridiculous.”
