Coi Leray‘s a little over a year removed from the release of her debut album Trendsetter. Since then, her profile has grown by leaps and bounds, with her Grandmaster Flash-sampling single “Players” landing in the top 10 of the Hot 100 and soundtracking the upcoming WNBA season.
She’s as popular now as she’s ever been, so the time is ripe for a new album, which she announced today on social media. Titled Coi, the album’s due on June 23 via Uptown Records and Republic, with features from David Guetta, Giggs, Lola Brooke, Saucy Santana, and Skillibeng. Her more recent singles, “Bops” and “My Body,” will also appear among the new album’s 15 tracks, which will run the gamut of genres from rap, rock, pop, reggae, and even dance, according to the press release. Check out the cover art below.
Coi’s been a hot topic of discussion lately, thanks in part to a mention from Latto’s new single “Put It On Da Floor.” After Coi took issue to having her name mentioned in the lyrics, she received a good-natured shout-out from Latto during the Atlanta rapper’s performance at Coachella. This not only ended their “beef,” but established that they appear to be on good terms. Still, that didn’t stop some fans — you know the ones — from speculating that the two rappers had gotten into a fistfight, although that rumor was quickly debunked. As they say, all publicity is good publicity, and Ms. Leray will have plenty heading into the roll out of her new album, which should out-sell her debut now that she’s got some momentum.
Coi is due 6/23 via Uptown and Republic. You can get more info here.
It’s the playoffs and the Nuggets are up 2-0 over the Lakers, but it seems all anyone can talk about this week is Ja Morant and his ongoing inability to avoid being caught on camera showing off guns. Not only are sports commentators weighing in (that’s their job, after all), but even rappers like GloRilla and Vic Mensa are also sharing their thoughts. The latest hip-hop artist to contribute to the discussion is Lil Wayne, who had a much more patient outlook than many observers.
Appearing on Showtime’s All The Smoke podcast hosted by Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson (two of Morant’s finest forebears in the “NBA troublemaker” category), Wayne gave a considered, empathetic take, putting himself in Ja’s shoes and lending him the benefit of the doubt. Here’s the blockquote:
The best I could do is remember when I was younger and my homies, my squad, my n****s around me, at the age where they don’t have money. I’m the one with the money, and I don’t even know how much money I’ll end up with, but I’m the one with some money in my pocket — I know I got a bright future.
My homies, they ain’t on a payroll. They my homies, they live good when they with me. When I gotta go to work and all that, they gotta go back to being who they gotta be. So I’m saying that to say, they in them streets and I was aware of that. So if I was going through something at that point in time, something public what slime going through, I could imagine the rebellious attitude I would have if my homies is egging that attitude on.
In response to the oft-made point that Ja comes from a decent family, not the gritty streets he appears to want so desperately to appeal to, Wayne had one question: “Do y’all know that boy? ‘Cause I don’t.”
I know him from dunking and jumping, and I only started knowing him when I started paying attention to him in his last year of college. He come from a town with 3,000 people. Like, what? What y’all expect? Y’all gave him $200 million. I just said, a town with 3,000 people. You expect him to be responsible? Now we tripping. That’s magic. ‘Cause I could tell you now, I come from a real well-raised, beautiful mother, nice, you know what I mean? My mama would bust her ass to make sure everything around me was nice, and I still was a knucklehead. I shot myself. And that young man, I could imagine if I came from a f*cking place with 3,000 people and I became who I am.
Morant himself issued a statement earlier this week, saying, “I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me. This is a journey & I recognize there is more work to do. My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself.”
And while folks blame everything from Ja’s choice of friends to his love for rap music, let us not forget that the US is a nation with more guns than people, where many states continue to refuse common-sense legislation to prevent the frighteningly common mass shooting incidents that have plagued us since a national ban on assault weapons was repealed. So, let’s keep some perspective, yeah?
It’s been months since Spotify had its annual takeover of social media with Spotify Wrapped, a feature that allows listeners to share breakdowns of their most-played music. The most significant downside to Wrapped, though, is that it only comes once per year. So, a developer is now offering an unofficial solution to fill the void, and you can check it out right now.
How To See Your Spotify Pie Chart
As Metro notes, a California-based student named Darren Huang has unveiled Spotify Pie, which generates a pie chart based on the last month of a user’s Spotify listening activity.
Using it is pretty simple. Head to the Spotify Pie website (on mobile or desktop devices) and log in with your Spotify credentials. From there, the page will quickly populate a pie chart that breaks down your top genres. Hover over the slices (or, on a mobile device, tap) to see the top artists that fit into these genres. The genres can get pretty granular: My personal list included “edmonton indie” (Mac DeMarco), “seattle indie” (The Postal Service), and “dmv rap” (IDK).
Below the pie chart and its corresponding key is a list of the most-played artists, which the top picks presented in a larger font.
The site seems harmless, but as with any third-party application that accesses your data and login credentials, proceed with caution.
If that all sounds cool, check out Spotify Pie here.
Last month, Fike shared a new song called “Dancing In The Courthouse,” a victorious anthem that dipped its toes in rap. However, he’s back today with a teaser clip for a new album that he’s just announced is called Sunburn, and it has Fike diving headfirst into hip-hop as an unreleased track plays in the background. After an intense minute-long flow, he repeats in a Mac Miller-esque deadpan, “When I die, baby / Lay me in the sun.”
In November of last year, Fike talked about the new album while playing a show in Seattle. “It’s obviously been a while since I’ve toured. It’s been a while since I’ve released music,” he said. “I don’t stop working. I don’t go out or anything, so the only thing I do is make music, so I have like four albums. … I have this new album that comes out really soon. It’s really good. It’s very honest. I think the world is missing honesty.”
YoungBoy Never Broke Again was given a stern warning from Rap-A-Lot founder J Prince this week over his jabs at Drake. For several weeks, the 23-year-old rapper has been sending shots at much of the rap, from Lil Durk to NLE Choppa to Soulja Boy. However, J Prince drew the line at YoungBoy dissing Drake, with whom he shares close ties.
And although Drake himself hasn’t responded to YoungBoy’s provocations, fans may be wondering just why the Baton Rouge rapper keeps sending shots at Drake in the first place. On the song “F**K The Industry Pt. 2” from his new mixtape Richest Opp, YoungBoy raps, “B*tch, I send them hitters to hit at you, boy, don’t say sh*t to me / Talk to Drake ‘cross FaceTime, he wasn’t feelin’ me / Told me that he f*ck with Durk, damn, that sh*t was gettin’ to me / Told me that he like the sh*t I’m doin’, but can’t do sh*t with me / So when we cross our ways, f*ck what you say, b*tch, you my enemy.”
That verse may bear the answer for YoungBoy’s issues though. Drake is well-known as an associate of Chicago rapper Lil Durk, with whom YoungBoy has had a longstanding feud. That beef seems to stem from YoungBoy’s friction with Durk’s OTF artist and fellow Chicagoan, the late King Von. After Von asserted that YoungBoy “got caps in yo raps,” YoungBoy began issuing diss tracks directed at Von along with his O-Block affiliates. This prompted Durk to take up the beef on Von’s beef, notably making references to YoungBoy on “Ahhh Ha.”
It’s clear from “F**k The Industry, Pt. 2” that YoungBoy plans to continue his war of words with Durk, and apparently, that extends to just about anyone who counts Durk as a confederate. Whether he’ll actually prompt a response from Drake remains to be seen, but Soulja Boy and NLE Choppa have already pretty much shrugged off his attention-baiting antics, so it seems unlikely that the track will have much impact beyond garnering some petty buzz for his new tape.
For many, their first experience with Nigerian afrobeats singer Victony, born Anthony Ebuka Victor, came with the growing hit song “Soweto.” As of today, that record has three versions: the original, a remix with Don Toliver and Rema, and a remix with Omah Lay, which altogether, speak to the song sweeping virality thanks to trends on TikTok and more. However, for others, especially those entrenched in the afrobeats space, Victony is a name they’ve seen and heard for a couple of years.
His second EP Outlaw, where “Soweto” is housed, was released last summer following celebrated collaborations with Burna Boy (“Different Size”) and Mayorkun (“Holy Father”). These records aren’t pedestrian releases either, no, they found extended life and were undeniably popular with fans of the genre and even to those who weren’t its most loyal followers.
This is one of my favorite aspects of today’s afrobeats space. Especially over the last half-decade, the genre has been seen in more of a mainstream light than ever. Records have been graced with the “song of the summer” title, claimed high positions on the Billboard singles chart, reached gold and platinum status, and been present on award-winning projects. In short, afrobeats is hot right now.
The same could be said for Victony. In a matter of just over 12 months, Victony found himself as a worthy member of afrobeats’ new class of rising stars. What makes it more impressive is prior to 2020, Victony had no desire to be a singer.
“All I wanted to do was rap,” Victony, who is just 22 years old, says over a Zoom call. “In my teenage years, I started listening to Drake and Kendrick Lamar, a lot of rap stuff just trying to imitate what they were doing.” Victony just like many other musicians at this time, made use of the pandemic as an opportunity to explore this sound and try new things. “I tried out the singing thing and seeing it blow up was pretty interesting,” he says. “It gave me the confidence to keep on exploring and do stuff without limit.”
The result of that was his 2020 debut EP Saturn, a six-track release with a lone feature from Falz on the highlight track “Maria.” “The reception was amazing, the people liked it,” Victony recalls of this project’s release. “I decided to do more singing. That gave me the confidence to work in the afrobeats space and find comfortable ground and just build on that.”
That desire to continue his foray into afrobeats was almost cut short thanks to a tragic accident that left him in a wheelchair for months. Though Victony survived the crash, his close friend Doyin was killed as a result of it. It proved to be an extremely dark time for the singer, and he credits his supporters, from his family to his friends to his fans, for aiding his recovery.
“They reached out, and that just kept me going,” he recalls. “My family, friends, and fans being around to encourage me, just knowing I have people gave me the strength to overcome [those] dark times.”
It didn’t take long for Victony to reach a higher status and become more recognizable in afrobeats. “Holy Father” with Mayorkun arrived the year after Saturn, and in 2022, he teamed with afrobeats heavyweight Burna Boy for “Different Size.” Both records did wonders for Victony, and in the singer’s opinion, these opportunities came as a result of his most unique assets: his striking voice and crafty pen.
“My voice, I feel, is really unique,” he says. “That’s one thing that was really striking on the ‘Holy Father’ song. Once it comes on, you’re like, ‘Who’s this?’” As for his pen, Victony believes its sharpness is what helped him land a feature on “Different Size.” “The way I craft my words together is pretty unique,” he notes. “It’s really refreshing to hear to on a song like ‘Different Size.’ I feel like that’s what made Burna reach out to me.”
The success of “Holy Father” and “Different Size” bookend the release of Victony’s sophomore project, Outlaw. Its seven songs make for a much more refined body of work compared to Saturn. “What I wanted to achieve with the Outlaw EP is to show people that I’d finally gotten really comfortable with the genre and found my space and my unique sound,” he says.
May it be the sweet-talking and love-swept “Chop & Slide,” or the high-spirited “Jolene,” or the amapiano-leaning “Apollo,” Outlaw presented the very best of Victony. These undeniably strong records, though they support and reaffirm Victony’s talents, they did sit behind the success of “Soweto,” the penultimate and breakout track on Outlaw.
More than six months after the song’s release, “Soweto” was an undeniable viral hit thanks to the powers of social media. The song was due for a remix and Victony had plenty of candidates that were suitable for it. The first remix was initially supposed to feature Nigerian singers CKay and Omah Lay. However, Victony was able to put together a version with Rema, a Nigerian singer who is a growing star in his own right, and Don Toliver, an addition that would give “Soweto” more appeal in the States.
Still, Victony had a plan for the previous remix that he has somewhat been able to put into action. “We had all verses in and I thought we might release everything at different points just to give the song some sort of longevity,” he reveals. Though the verses have been teased in some manner, Victony does believe that the remixes will all see the light of day soon. “A lot of people really like Omah Lay’s verse on TikTok and Twitter,” he says. “On all my socials, people hit me daily telling me that I need to put it out. If they still want it, yeah definitely, I’ll release it.” True to his word, Victony would release Omah Lay’s remix of “Soweto” days after our interview.
One record that may see the light of day is the version of “Chop & Slide” with Burna Boy. A preview of that record made its way online which somewhat ruined the plans Victony had for it. “People weren’t supposed to know that Burna was on the song,” he admits. “That kind of put me in a very tight position. I can’t really guarantee what plans we have for the ‘Chop & Slide’ remix, but we’re definitely on it. Everybody wants Burna Boy on the song right now.”
It’s been just over two years since Victony took on the afrobeats world, and in that time he’s achieved great success, worked with top talent, and pushed his name to the masses. The limits Victony once hoped to break through are miles behind him and his newfound space in afrobeats is vast enough to continue his current operation without interruption while also giving him the room to try new things and achieve new goals, something he hopes to accomplish on his third project.
“This year, what I want to do is come in and solidify my identity, I really want to do that,” he says. “Over time, we’ve been working on some really unique stuff that will be new to the game and it’s gonna solidify the Victony name and establish a stronger presence.” There’s strength in numbers and Victony continues to prove that with each record and each accolade, but most importantly, there’s strength in having no limits towards what can be accomplished. Victony is proving that now with “Soweto” and it’s only a matter of time until he does it again with a future release.
Nicki Minaj has been much more active on social media lately, promoting collaborations with Ice Spice and Kim Petras, sharing the video for “Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” and telling fans that her new album will be the best of 2023. But with increased access to the star, her fans are also learning her tolerance for foolishness.
When one fan shared a less-than-attractive pencil illustration of her on Twitter, Nicki was apparently offended enough to block the user, who shared a screenshot of their blocked status and requested Nicki unblock them, insisting that “it was a joke.”
You know what they say about playing stupid games and winning stupid prizes.
Nicki Minaj fans, collectively known as Barbz, have been known to pull some pretty wild stunts over the years for her attention. Such is their devotion that last year, when she shoved a fan during a public appearance in London, fans on Twitter were actually jealous. Of course, they’ve also earned a reputation for taking things too far; they’ve been accused of harassing individuals who’ve been critical of Nicki in the past, with one YouTuber even plotting a lawsuit against the fanbase for an ongoing campaign of bullying behavior lasting years. But at least we know the one thing that they can do to get into her bad graces: Make her look bad, literally.
Social media has put fans into direct contact with their favorite stars but there’s a downside to that for both sides. While entertainers sometimes have to deal with bullies, trolls, and the occasional thirst bucket, fans are subject to stan army backlashes, being called out on the timeline, or even, in some cases, being directly insulted by their faves — which one fan seemingly learned the hard way when he tried to slide into Ice Spice‘s DMs.
“Hey mamas,” he wrote, which… is a horrible opener, kid. Sorry, not sorry. If you’re going to pull up from 40 feet like this, your form better be perfect. This is just a half-court heave. It’s no surprise that Ice didn’t hold back with her critical response (assuming that the post was real in the first place). “Small ass dreads and no Nike tech,” she wrote back. Ouch. The DMer showed his friends, who put him on blast via social media — and you just know whatever damage she did was nothing compared to how badly they cooked him for the rest of the day.
The so-called “Princess Diana” of rap is getting used to the attention after being one of hip-hop’s hottest names since her hit single “Munch” basically took over the internet last summer. It’s no secret that her looks have been a part of her success, prompting one fan to take out a billboard inviting her to their graduation party and sparking rumors of half-million-dollar dates with NBA stars. And in this era of doing anything for social media clout (shout-out to Cardi and ‘Set!), there’s no doubt the shenanigans are just getting started.
Despite being on house arrest in Utah, Baton Rouge rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again has been menacing the rap world for the past several weeks, taunting would-be rivals like Lil Durk, Soulja Boy, and Drake. And while it appears they’ve mostly ignored his attention-baiting antics, there’s at least one person who took him seriously enough to take action.
However, unfortunately for fans of rap beef, J. Prince decided to put YoungBoy and Drake on a video chat to see if they could work out their differences. The Houston rap impresario posted a photo of himself with the young rapper, detailing how he encouraged him to take Drake off his “enemy list.”
“As you all can see, I had a good time kicking it with the homies in Utah,” he wrote.
On behalf of the lil Homie YB, me and my brother Birdman were able to have a real conversation face to face. We talked about the past, the present, and the future. But most importantly, we left each other with a mutual respect moving forward. Even though I wasn’t there for a meeting with bird man I must say the lord works in mysterious ways. With that being said, I must address the song where my name and drakes name were mentioned. To the lil homie, as I said to you privately, I say to you publicly that Drake is my son, he roll with me. Therefore, I think it’s a good idea to take him off your enemy list because the truth of the matter is that we got nothing but love for [Lil] Durk and your accomplishments. When I put Drake on that facetime call with you, my intent was for y’all to move forward, not backward. “Two things we get every day is a chance and a choice. The choices we make determine our destination.
The trouble appeared to stem from NBA YoungBoy’s new mixtape, Richest Opp, which featured the song “F**K The Industry Pt. 2.” The “How To Rob”-style track found the prolific spitter calling out names. While most of his ire was directed at Lil Durk, it seemed Drake’s association with the Chicago rapper was enough to earn a dismissive bar or two.
“B*tch, I send them hitters to hit at you, boy, don’t say sh*t to me / Talk to Drake ‘cross FaceTime, he wasn’t feelin’ me,” he raps on the song. “Told me that he f*ck with Durk, damn, that sh*t was gettin’ to me / Told me that he like the sh*t I’m doin’, but can’t do sh*t with me / So when we cross our ways, f*ck what you say, b*tch, you my enemy.”
To be fair, Drake already takes enough heat for his associations with Chris Brown and Baka Not Nice, one of whom is on his label. With YoungBoy’s seeming inability to keep himself out of trouble for 6 consecutive months at a time, that’s one collab the Canadian just might continue to avoid.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
Atlanta rapper Deante’ Hitchcock‘s second album, Once Upon A Time, offers a prime example of what rap needs more of. It’s got a clear, well-executed concept, head-nodding, instantly engaging production, and most importantly, the sort of earnest passion that denotes a serious artist who doesn’t take himself too seriously — i.e., one who’ll stick around and grow with the game long after “cooler” contemporaries have burned out or been exposed as lightweights.
There are some in my line of work for whom the above traits are ridiculous, deserving of derision and mockery. Just look at the reception to Chance The Rapper’s debut album, The Big Day, or the very existence of the term “dad rap.” The idea of maturity in hip-hop music would seem like anathema to an outsider, who might think the entire point of the genre was either aimless rebellion, ostentatious braggadocio, or mindless physical movement.
But from Deante Hitchcock’s 2020 debut album Better, the 30-year-old rapper always radiated self-possession and that above-mentioned maturity (I remarked about it in my review). He’s been likened to a combination of hometown hero T.I. and early benefactor J. Cole, and while there are those who might not consider that a good thing, there’s a reason both of those names ring bells in the wider hip-hop community. Commitment to craftsmanship and easygoing, relatable charisma shouldn’t be considered flaws.
In fact, the artists who’ve proven the most resilient have always had these qualities in abundance. In a genre where the average career peak only spans about five years and hitmakers can turn into has-beens seemingly overnight, the stalwarts who’ve outlasted rap fans’ minuscule attention spans and rapid attrition as hyperactive teens age into responsible adults tend to be those who are most passionate about the craft. The ones who can wrangle a concept, who make you root for them even when they don’t fit into the archetypes of the gangster, the pimp, the scumbag, or one of the other toxic molds rap marketing departments have come up with.
In other words, Deante’ Hitchcock should remind you of names like T.I. and J. Cole, as well as other Atlanta mainstays like Big Boi and Killer Mike, and deeply rooted grown-man rappers such as Common and Phonte Coleman. His peers are names like Denzel Curry and Big KRIT, who appears here on “Callin’” alongside Westside Boogie, another rapper who taps into his emotional growth and sharp-eyed environmental observations to flourish. And yes, he’s got the charm of an early Chance The Rapper, who despite being semi-written off by fans, deserves more respect for both his technical skills and business success.
Once Upon A Time, which tracks Hitchcock’s growth from club-crawling player to committed family man, is the prime example of why he belongs in such esteemed company. From the party-ready “Woah!” to the introspective “U Were Right I Was Wrong,” Hitchcock deconstructs and expands on what mid-2000s-era rap writers would have called the “for the ladies” track. While each song prescribes a different mood and premise, they are all unified by the context of the sort of song that would have represented a brief break in the gun talk to baldly — and occasionally, badly — appeal to any potential female fans.
That Hitchcock avoids dipping too deeply into the saccharine schmaltz of that subgenre of songs — save on “Drunk AF,” which sounds like something Chris Brown would have done around 2010 — is an impressive indicator of his talent and how earnestly he’s considered the subject matter.
When I interviewed Deante’ last summer, he said of this project, “If you look at the legends, the Drakes, the Jay-Z’s, the Waynes, all of them guys, the thing that separates them – because all of them are technically inclined, they’re skilled at what they do, all of them can rap their ass off, get crazy with it – but they also have songs that the world can sing. And I mean, being a rapper, a lot of people will hit me up and be like, ‘Bro, you be rapping your ass off.’ I’m very appreciative of that. Because that’s the skillset I’ve honed for years. But bro, I want hits.”
There are plenty of songs here that could be considered hits — “Zodiac,” “Thinking ‘Bout You,” “Late Night” — but the fact that the quieter, more thoughtful moments — “2 Special,” “Royal” — are just as sticky testify to the effort Hitchcock made, and the growth he’s experienced since Better. And that sort of authenticity and passion is just what hip-hop needs. With the genre being increasingly infiltrated by soulless AI creations, algorithmically-written bids for TikTok viral hits, and disaffected, cynical interests more focused on sucking the culture dry for profit, that there are artists like Hitchcock still making this kind of effort is heartening. The rap business needs more like him.
Once Upon A Time is out now on ByStorm Entertainment and RCA Records.
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