DMX Releases New Song 'Hood Blues' Ahead of Posthumous Album

DMX Releases New Song 'Hood Blues' Ahead of Posthumous Album

 


DMX’s legacy continues.

On Tuesday (May 25), the late star’s second posthumously released song, titled “Hood Blues” made its debut. The track, dropped by Def Jam Recordings, was produced by Swizz Beatz and features Benny the Butcher alongside his cousins, brothers Conway the Machine and Westside Gunn.

“Hood Blues” comes nearly two months after DMX, born Earl Simmons, died on April 9 at age 50. The all-new track will appear on X’s first posthumously released studio album, Exodus, which debuts Friday.

DMX begins his verse rapping, “I grew up at the dark side, apartheid/ Where goin’ against the grain will get you kidnapped and hogtied.” He later adds, “I ain’t 50 years old for nothing/ I’m not 50 years old for nothing.”

Westside Gunn kicks off the song, rapping in the first verse, “I’m in the hood, 80 K house, million dollar net.” In verse two, Benny the Butcher joins in, “You know how I rock six figures off zaza/ Come and spend at my shop, I turn your hood to a hotspot.”

Just before DMX finishes the song in the final verse, Conway the Machine begins, “Ah, you throwin’ shots you better be precise/ If I only squeeze it twice, that’s me bein’ polite.”

Machine Gun Kelly Celebrated the One-Year Anniversary of Megan Fox's Endless Love

Machine Gun Kelly Celebrated the One-Year Anniversary of Megan Fox's Endless Love

Love, it's a many splendored thing. Especially when it takes place in public and you're a world famous rapper and actress in the midst of a whirlwind romance. Case in point: on Tuesday (May 25), Machine Gun Kelly, 31, noted a very special moment in his relationship with Megan Fox. "She said 'i love you' one year ago today," the rapper/rocker tweeted out.



For those of you keeping score (thanks Cosmo), that carbon dating appears to reveal that the couple got serious a month before they were first officially thought to have begun hanging out in mid-June 2020. The pair reportedly met on the set of their upcoming film, Midnight in the Switchgrass, in March 2020, which was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fox's ex husband, actor Brian Austin Green, confirmed on his podcast that the pair split in Dec. 2019. Fox later appeared in the May 2020 video for MGK's "My Bloody Valentine" in which she played his heavy handed girlfriend.

Ever since, the pair have made their love public, on a series of dates with pals Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker, as well as at Sunday night's 2021 Billboard Music Awards, where Fox, 34, wore a daring cut-out dress and MGK flashed his black-stained tongue on the red carpet at the show where he took home the awards for top rock album and top rock artist for Tickets to My Downfall.


Nas Returns to Sony With New Mass Appeal, Orchard Deal

Nas Returns to Sony With New Mass Appeal, Orchard Deal

 


Independent music distributor The Orchard -- a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment -- has penned a new deal with Mass Appeal Records, a label co-founded by Grammy-award winner Nas in 2014, alongside Peter Bittenbender. The new partnership was announced on Wednesday (May 26).

Through the venture, Mass Appeal will sign artists directly, with access to The Orchard’s suite of services, including full-service marketing, sync licensing, video services, transparent data analysis, advertising, rights management and radio, among other resources.

Nas -- who began his career at the Sony-owned Columbia Records -- will also release new music through the partnership. Mass Appeal was previously signed into a distribution deal with Universal Music Group, which included releasing Nas' albums NASIR (2018), The Lost Tapes 2 (2019) and the Grammy-winning King’s Disease (2020) in collaboration with Def Jam Recordings.


“This is a full circle moment for me,” Nas said in a statement. “To come back to Sony Music with my own label is a major milestone. We see this multi-phase initiative as an opportunity to continue to push the culture forward, educate and inspire.”

He added, “It’s what we do it for, I couldn’t be more excited.”

Brad Navin, CEO of The Orchard said in a statement, “As a company and strategic partner, The Orchard will continue to empower and reinforce their creative vision and help all artists under the partnership [to] expand their global reach.”

Olivia Rodrigo Rules Streaming Songs Chart, While J. Cole Claims Nine of Top 10

Olivia Rodrigo Rules Streaming Songs Chart, While J. Cole Claims Nine of Top 10

 



"Good 4 U" — or the third song in Olivia Rodrigo's unofficial breakup trilogy (following "Deja Vu" and "Drivers License") — sees the 18-year-old phenom taking the moral high ground through a pop-punk prism, screaming and sermonizing over bright guitars about her former "sociopath" beau, who's "doin' great out there without me." Meanwhile, Olivia "spent the night, cryin' on the floor of my bathroom"; as the accompanying video shows, she knows exactly where to channel those emotions.

Leon Bridges' "Motorbike," the first single from his forthcoming record Gold-Diggers Sound, pulls some of the wandering psychedelic soul he and Khruangbin used on their 2020 collaboration. Gliding over a lightly picked, heavily reverbed guitar, Bridges sings of an effortless love who's along for the ride: "Look back, see me behind you/when it feels good you don't have to try to."

J. Cole has long been hip-hop's Steve Vai — a technically proficient artist who thinks his music sounds a lot deeper than it really is. He finally scratches past the surface on "Pride Is the Devil" — a cut off his new album The Off-Season, and a poignant self-reflection on early trauma and hubris. "Pride be the reason for the family dichotomy," he raps over a stuttering piano and syncopated beat. "Got uncles and some aunties that's too proud to give apologies/Slowly realizing what the root of all my problems be."

Margo Price, one of the country's preeminent songwriters, uses her pen for a triple tribute on the studio version of "Long Live the King," a song she's been performing live since 2019. Each of its three verses pays tribute to a titan: Elvis Presley, Martin Luther King Jr., and John Lennon. History frequently scrubs each of these icons of their darker side, but Price makes sure to give credence to the good and bad (Presley's drug addiction, King Jr.'s womanizing, Lennon's assholish-ness).

J. Cole, Kid Cudi & Future Top 2021 Rolling Loud California Lineup

J. Cole, Kid Cudi & Future Top 2021 Rolling Loud California Lineup

 


Rolling Loud is returning to California with headliners J. Cole, Kid Cudi and Future. For the first time, the festival will run for three days instead of two with a stacked lineup of hip-hop artists.

Wiz Khalifa, Playboi Carti, Moneybagg Yo and Lil Durk will also appear at the festival, taking place Dec. 10-12 at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, Calif. The lineup also includes young superstars like Polo G, Rod Wave, Lil Tjay, Jack Harlow and Ski Mask the Slump God.

Additional artists for the 2021 event include Pooh Shiesty, Coi Leray, 42 Dugg, Morray, $NOT, and Latto. California will be represented on the stage as well by Ty Dolla $ign, Tyga, Drakeo The Ruler, Blxst, Kalan.FrFr and Bino Rideaux.

The Southern California festival will also feature a special duo performance by Young Thug and Chris Brown, who will perform songs from their Slime & B album.

Rolling Loud California 2021 is Rolling Loud's first SoCal event since Rolling Loud Los Angeles 2019, the most recent in-person Rolling Loud event.

The announcement comes just two months before Rolling Loud Miami will return to Hard Rock Stadium in Florida. The Miami festival will see headlining performances from Travis Scott, Post Malone and A$AP Rocky for its sixth edition.

Presale tickets for Rolling Loud California 2021 are available June 1 at noon PT. 

Eminem Drops 'Killer' Remix Featuring Jack Harlow & Cordae: Listen

Eminem Drops 'Killer' Remix Featuring Jack Harlow & Cordae: Listen


 

Just in time for Memorial Day Weekend, Eminem enlisted fellow rappers Jack Harlow and Cordae for a "Killer" remix that dropped Friday (May 28).

On the reworked track, the trio trade verses, with Harlow sharing how he aspired to be like Em in his. "I used to rock a toboggan/ Headphones around my neck, tryna be like Shady," he raps. Cordae takes the second verse and looks ahead, rhyming, "A whole generation of geniuses I'm influencin' ... I manifest nothing less than the best outcome/ Just watch my moves with this next album."

Em also shows off his ability to rap at what feels like the speed of light, dropping beats in the middle of the third verse so quickly that his verbal gymnastics fly by faster than you can read the lyrics.

Eminem (born Marshall Mathers) teased the remix only a day before it dropped, tweeting, "You know we had to do a remix, right?" After the song arrived, Cordae shared that fans should expect more. "S/O to the [goat emoji] we got more otw too," he not so subtly hinted Friday with the hashtag #killer and two shush emojis.

"Killer" was originally released in December 2020 on Music to Be Murdered By -- Side B, the deluxe edition of January 2020's Music to Be Murdered By.

Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X & More of the Week's Biggest Winners

Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X & More of the Week's Biggest Winners

 



Musicians had plenty to celebrate this week, whether they took home trophies from the 2021 Billboard Music Awards or at the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards. And the latest seasons of American Idol, The Voice and The Masked Singer each crowned a new winner.

But some award shows -- like the Grammys -- announced new changes that will make even more people eligible to win big on Music's Biggest Night. Well, let's keep the ball rolling, shall we?

Take a look at Billboard's new weekly roundup and the "awards" we gave to this week's headlines.


  Funniest Music News: Lil Nas X ripped his pants on Saturday Night Live 

The rapper (literally) let it rip during his SNL debut on Saturday (May 22) during a pole-dancing stunt in the middle of his performance of his Hot 100 No. 1 hit "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)." Lil Nas X's flame-emblazoned black leather pants couldn't handle the heat, and he went on to explain on Monday's (May 24) episode of The Tonight Show how he felt "a breeze going on" while he was attempting the "sexy drop down." Watch the hilarious video here and see LNX's explanation here.

Sweetest Music News: Drake brings out Adonis, Pop Smoke's mom accepts his award at the BBMAs

The 2021 BBMAs on Sunday (May 23) proved to be a family affair, with Artist of the Decade winner Drake bringing out his whole OVO team, parents and one very special, tiny guest to help him accept his award: his 3-year-old son, Adonis. While the video montage of 6 God's odyssey to the top might have made fans emotional, it was ultimately Drake lifting Adonis up to the mic that left his toddler in tears. Pop Smoke posthumously won the top 200 album award for Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, and his mother Audrey Jackson accepted it on behalf of her "young warrior." Read Drake's acceptance speech here and Jackson's speech here.

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