 Benny the Butcher has announced a new EP. It’s called The Plugs I Met 2 and is scheduled to come out on March 19th.
The Plugs I Met 2 will be the first record the Butcher has dropped since putting out Burden of Proof in October 2020. As the title suggests, this new EP will serve as a sequel of sorts to his The Plugs I Met, which came out back in 2019. So far, the only name attached to The Plugs I Met 2 is Harry Fraud, who will serve as the EP’s producer. It’s likely a handful of other rappers will hop on the joint considering the original 2019 EP saw the Butcher link up with Black Thought, Pusha T, Jadakiss, Conway The Machine, and more. “March 19th THE PLUGS I MET 2 EP,” he wrote on Instagram on Friday. “Me and @harryfraud linked up on niggas I could sit here and type a bunch of shit but y’all know my work and if u don’t where the fuck u been GxFr B$F.” Attached to that post is the cover artwork for The Plugs I Met 2, which once again nods to the classic 1983 film Scarface. Last year, Benny the Butcher stayed very busy despite taking a literal hit in the fall. The rapper teamed up with the rest of Griselda Records to create a feature-length film called Conflicted and a stacked soundtrack to accompany it. He also contributed guest verses on records by Conway the Machine, Armani Caesar, Westside Gunn, Heem, and Freddie Gibbs.  Rapsody has proven her rhyming prowess time and time again on albums such as 2012's The Idea Of Beautiful and the Grammy Award-nominated Laila's Wisdom, which arrived in 2017. But it was 2019's EVE that firmly solidified her place among Hip Hop's elite and established her fierce omni-presence in a historically male-dominated industry. Charlamagne Tha God appears to appreciate the Snow Hill, North Carolina MC as much as her fans. During a recent episode of The Breakfast Club, Charlamagne, Angela Yee and DJ Envy were talking to author Sister Souljah about her latest book Life After Death: A Novel (The Coldest Winter Ever Book 2) when Yee asked what female rappers she likes. As Sister Souljah explained how her young nieces turn her on to plenty of contemporary rappers like Young M.A, Charlamagne chimed in with, "I think you would really like Rapsody Sister Souljah. She's from North Carolina. I think you would really, really, really dig it. She's a huge, huge fan of the Coldest Winter Ever. True lyricist. I think she's the best rapper out — period." Rapsody released EVE to rave reviews in August 2019 with HipHopDX granting it a rare, perfect 5.0 rating. The 16-track project beautifully paid tribute to 15 powerful Black women who played some kind of role in Rapsody's life, including Tupac Shakur's mother Afeni, Nina Simone, Aaliyah and Oprah Winfrey.
The project was so potent, it was turned into an English course at both Ohio State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In April 2019, Rap shared an Instagram photo from UNC grad student Tyler Bunzey who revealed he was helming a course called "Black Womanist Criticism and Rapsody's EVE."  Boosie Badazz reflects on Jeezy and Gucci Mane's Verzuz battle, and how he would have reacted had somebody dissed his dead friend. DJ Vlad's latest interview with Boosie Badazz has unearthed no shortage of gems, as the vocal Baton Rouge rapper has reacted to damn near every topic in recent memory. In today's installment (part 37), Boosie touched on the widely publicized Verzuz battle between Jeezy and Gucci Mane, during which the late tempted fate with a performance of the incendiary "Truth." All the while, onlookers watched amidst palpable tension, wondering if Jeezy would react to Guwop's clear provocation. "I watched the part with Pookie Loc, I watched that shit," says Boosie. "He said 'I'm smoking on that Pookie Loc tonight.'" After Vlad jokes about a meme insinuating that Gucci Mane was armed during the performance, Boosie has a hearty laugh before circling back to the topic at hand. "I like how they bossed up, but I would have charged that n***a," admits Boosie. "If he had said he was smoking on my partner, I'd have felt that was a type of disrespect...I thought we were walking about music. You can say that in a song if that's part of a song, but you ain't gon' say..." "They was supposed to have that understanding before they got there," he continues. "But I like how they handled it as bosses. I got a lot of respect for them for not taking it there and really bossing up and letting it be." Vlad remarks that while Jeezy appears to have moved past the incident, Gucci has yet to fully shake the grudge. "Jeezy done showed the world he a real n***a," reflects Boosie. "He not trying to prove he a real n***a again by going back. That's what Jeezy stood for." Check out Boosie's take on Jeezy and Gucci Mane's Verzuz battle below, and check back for further insight from the Baton Rouge rapper as it surfaces.  "When I was around 18-years-old, there was a crazy story that took place where I was in the bank getting some cash for a weekend vacation and the bank got robbed," explained the singer. So, these two guys came in with masks, automatic weapons, and told everyone to get down on the ground. And so, I ended up writing this whole song about my experience going through a live bank robbery, and years later, Lil Wayne ended up doing a verse on it and put it on his album, and he won a Grammy on that album, actually." Clarkson couldn't get over how Thicke relayed his story with ease. "It was a little traumatizing, however, once it was over, I was okay with it," he said. "It reminded me of the movies. It seemed kind of surreal at the time. I didn't really feel threatened as much as I did, like, 'Wow this really does look like a movie.'" Thicke believes he has figured out why he wasn't as affected as some think he should have been. "It was probably because [the theives] were very young. They seemed like they were 19, 18-years-old kids," said Thicke. "They looked just like my friends, dressed up in masks, you know what I mean? I didn't see these big muscular, adult men. I saw like, two slim teenage men come in and they looked like my buddies." Check out his clip, and the music video for "Shooter," below. 
It's been three years since J.I.D dropped his second studio album DiCaprio 2, and since then, he's been working on other projects with his Dreamville family and Spillage Village crew. Fans have been patiently waiting for a solo effort from J.I.D, and their wish was granted in January when the Atlanta-born rapper announced his third studio album, The Forever Story.
J.I.D hasn't said much on the upcoming album but a few rumblings on Twitter provided some insight on The Forever Story. On Monday (March 1), J.I.D took some time to shout out his fellow Atlanta native Metro Boomin for his contributions to Hip Hop music. "Dis man @MetroBoomin one da most talented and realest innnit," J.I.D wrote with a goat emoji attached. Metro saw the tweet and replied with mutual praise, saying, "Likewise my boy it takes 1 to know 1 4sho we applying PRESSURE."
What turned out to be a simple interaction on Twitter between two friends turned into a revelation that will have fans of both artists talking. Spillage Village affiliate Lou Spill sent a tweet about an hour later revealing J.I.D and Metro were working on something in the studio.
"@JIDsv & @MetroBoomin makin some of the craziest shit I’ve heard in a minute," Spill tweeted. "Watchin em work it's like they both respect each other’s craft so much they both goin crazy to make sure they do each other justice."
If this collaboration comes to light, it will be the first time J.I.D and Metro have worked with each other, and it couldn’t come at a better time. J.I.D is fresh off Spillage Village’s debut Spilligion, while Metro is on a monster run following Savage Mode II, his collaborative album with 21 Savage.
f you've noticed billboards around Buffalo teasing something called "Buffalo Kids," this weekend you'll actually be able to go see what all the hype is about.
Westside Gunn, the Buffalo-native rapper and member of hip-hop group Griselda, is opening a brick and mortar store for his lifestyle brand, named Buffalo Kids. The brand features, as the name implies, apparel inspired by the Queen City. Buffalo Kids will open in the Walden Galleria on the ground floor near Starbucks on Saturday, March 6 at 9 a.m. The store will have specific rules to help with social distancing, such as time limits for groups in the store, cash won't be accepted, and masks will be required.
“I’m excited to bring my vision to the City of Buffalo, this was a dream of mine and I’m trying to lead by example to show every Buffalo Kid with hard work, anything is possible,” says Gunn. Westside Gunn will sell his merch, the Buffalo Kids brand, his wrestling company’s clothing line Fourth Rope, and Griselda merch by Fashion Rebels. The rapper hopes to host future meet and greets with celebrities in the store. The store also says customers are allowed to take photos in the store. Buffalo Kids says they strive to create apparel of high quality and claim that their online offerings are always in high demand. As of Tuesday, it appears most of the Buffalo Kids website is sold out. The store will have a limit of one of each item per customer. 
Morray already made a stamp with the release of his "Quicksand" single and was named a HipHopDX Rising Star 2021 earlier this month. With more cosigns coming his way, the North Carolina native is making it work in the studio as well.
The burgeoning rapper spent time in the studio in Los Angeles working on new material Friday (February 26) and happened to run into fellow Carolina Tar Heel Cordae. Although the former YBN member has yet to detail when the follow-up to his Grammy Award-nominated album The Lost Boy will arrive, he did show love to Morray.
The cosign from Cordae isn't the only Carolina love Morray's felt since his arrival on the scene. DaBaby also showered him with praise along with one of the state's most successful acts J. Cole
Since its November 2020 release, "Quicksand" has not only vaulted Morray's name into the ranks of the up and coming, but it's also made him a major player on the charts. With over 30 million YouTube views, the single officially cracked the Billboard Hot 100 on February 16. 
Conway retweeted a rumor that he is working on a collaborative project with Eminem and The Alchemist.Conway The Machine has fans on the edge of the seats after retweeting a rumor that he, Eminem, and The Alchemist have a collaborative project in the works. After retweeting the report, he followed up in the replies by adding "I'm just here for the comments."
"POSSIBLE PROJECT IN COLLABORATION BETWEEN EMINEM, CONWAY AND ALCHEMIST CAN BE ON THE WAY, NOTHING CONFIRMED UNTIL THE MOMENT!!!," the tweet reads. I’m one of those type of dudes I’m not no public talkin’ n-gga. That’s just how I move. It’s like sayin’ me and Benny or me and Conway or Conway and Benny or whoever, we might have a disagreement, but the world will never know. We still gonna be brothers and cousins. It’s the same way even with business, because at the end of the day, this a big world. Even if somebody else is a sucka, I’m never gonna play that sucka role. Westside Gunn, who signed with Eminem's Shady Records in 2017, recently revealed that he's no longer affiliated with the label. He disclosed the news in an interview on The Joe Budden Podcast in November 2020. “I’m off Shady. I’m actually a free agent. It feels great," he told Budden. "Who Made The Sunshine was it. I already spoke to Paul [Rosenberg]. Everything’s good. Like, everything’s signed, sealed and delivered I have my paperwork, like I’m off Shady."
 On “If It Bleeds It Can Be Killed,” his second full length collaboration with producer Big Ghost LTD., Buffalo rapper and founding member of Griselda Records Conway the Machine continues to carry the torch of classic, throwback rap into the modern era. Supported by stellar beat-making from Big Ghost LTD., the album stands tall among the Griselda catalogue and sees Conway in peak lyrical form.
Conway and the rest of the Griselda lineup have been on a hot streak — releasing nine projects in 2020 among the five official members — with no end in sight. 2021 will mark the fulfilment of Griselda’s contract with Eminem’s Shady Records following the 2020 release of “Who Made the Sunshine” from Griselda Records president Westside Gunn and upcoming Conway record “God Don’t Make Mistakes,” which is rumored to drop at the end of February. Yet, free agency seems to suit the Griselda outfit best. “From King to a God,” Conway’s last album, which was jointly published by the rapper’s own label DrumWork Music Group and EMPIRE, earned him a spot on the Billboard 200. “If It Bleeds It Can Be Killed,” is a comparatively small-time project, available exclusively on Bandcamp, that nonetheless matches the quality of any high-profile Griselda release. Big Ghost LTD.’s production showcases stellar vocal sampling and guitar loops, which perfectly support Conway’s paced delivery. “Commencement,” the album’s spoken word intro featuring Lukey Cage, sets the tone with a moody electric guitar riff that acts as the creeping engine for the beat. On “Way We Move” and “Highly Praised,” the producer shows off his sampling skills — looping harmonized gospel samples over minimal drums — to create a warm soundscape that expertly envelopes Conway’s laid back flow. The last track, “Forever Ago,” combines the guitar motifs set up in the intro with the vocal sampling used in the body of the album in a luscious culmination, making it the best beat on the project. Big Ghost LTD. shows artistic improvement and growth, especially in his sampling, from the duo’s last full length outing, “No One Mourns The Wicked,” which was released in 2020. Conway, who regularly works with big name beatmakers like The Alchemist and Griselda in-house man Daringer, acknowledges the chemistry he has with Big Ghost LTD. on “Way We Move,” comparing them to the legendary 90s duo Gang Starr made up of rapper Guru and producer DJ Premier: “Me and Ghost like the new Guru and Preem.” Throughout the project, Conway’s lyricism is infectiously confident, speaking on his influence in the rap game and owning his success. On “J Batters,” he addresses the resurgence of throwback hip-hop spearheaded by Griselda over the past couple years: “Ask your guys, the Machine the n**** responsible for keeping grimey rap alive.” Conway and Griselda’s presence in rap is undeniable having garnered co-signs from the Wu-Tang Clan, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Eminem and the late MF Doom. On “Toast,” Conway raps about his ascension to the A-list of hip-hop, which has placed him within striking distance of all-time greats like Lauryn Hill: “Miseducation when I push the foreign, only shit this missing is a hook from Lauryn.” The five features on the album are well placed, serving to complement Conway’s lyrical prowess without ever overshadowing it. For all the time Conway spends flexing, the rapper takes equal space to unpack his emotions and personal struggles. While at the peak of his career, Conway has experienced considerable hardship during the pandemic. Westside Gunn, Conway’s brother, was hospitalized last summer due to complications from Covid-19. Conway’s cousin Benny the Butcher was shot in the leg in Houston during a robbery attempt last fall. On “Losses to Blessings,” Conway opens up about his grief surrounding the death of his friend and longtime Griselda producer DJ Shay who passed away from Covid-19 last year: “Man, I done lost Shay, I’m feelin’ lost lately.” With the album closer, “Forever Ago,” Conway acknowledges his own mortality and expresses his desire to provide for his family: “I compartmentalize, I never try to find closure / I wanna see my family straight before my eyes closin’.” Combined with the vocal samples and guitar loops from Big Ghost LTD., Conway’s stream-of-consciousness delivery informs the raw emotion behind his words. Only thirty minutes in length, “If It Bleeds It Can Be Killed” is a short and sweet offering from Conway with some of his sharpest lyricism to date. The project ranks in the top tier of Big Ghost LTD.’s extensive catalog, which includes collaborations with Ghostface Killah, Wale, and rising D.C. MC Ankhlejohn. With his major label debut “God Don’t Make Mistakes'' set to drop via Shady Records in the coming months, Conway the Machine has set himself up nicely for another year of rap domination.  Conway The Machine's Drumwork Music Group signee 7xvethegenius absolutely bodies her new single "Break Soul."
Conway The Machine is one of the game's most prolific artists, and with his upcoming Shady Records album God Don't Make Mistakes in the pipeline, the Griselda lyricist has set his sights on building up the next wave of emcees. Enter his Drumwork Music Group imprint, on which rising rapper 7xvethegenius has been putting in work, most recently delivering a standout verse on Conway's "Crack In The Nineties." Now, she's come through with another bar-heavy single in "Break Soul," a glimpse at what she's been cooking up. And for those who enjoy lyricism, there's plenty to enjoy on this one. Over a hard-hitting boom-bap beat, 7xvethegenius (seemingly pronounced Love The Genius) weaves together dexterous schemes as she lets fly relentless punchlines. "Speak to my n***a every day but it ain't on that phone," she spits. "he know they listening / a loose lip, six feet deep, socially distanced / trying to do different like let's see how that is hittin / ended up dead, the news said he only missin'." 
Right away, what intrigued me the most about this single was the title. “Ballads” sounds so grand and angelic – yet the cover art features a mystically dark forest, with two hollowed out lids glaring at you like a black cat’s eyes at night. The only light that appears on the cover art is found from these two outlines of eyes. We can infer this image may be symbolic of JID and Conway the Machine’s energy remaining steady like a torch, despite the shadows and demons trying to demolish it. The word “Ballad” is defined as “a poem, or song narrating a story in short stanzas. Traditional ballads are typically of unknown authorship, having been passed on orally from one generation to the next as part of folk culture. “ The beat itself takes on the form of the unknown, the most high. The instrumentation is both haunting and whimsical – acting as a premonition to the story JID and Conway the Machine are about to tell. JID starts the single off acapella, as the piano keys follow his voice like a ghost. Both MC’s allude to their darker days of surviving homelessness and hunger. The folk culture that can accompany a ballad is pronounced in the way both rappers tell their stories of not only survival, but their gateway to success – passing it down orally to their fans as if they were talking to their grandchildren. JID looks upon himself as a student to the rap game and the MC’s that came before him – while still illuminating the originality he has contributed to it as well. He regards himself as the ultimate archetype to hip hop. His lyrics reflect a sense of both historical and spiritual knowledge that has led to him fulfilling his prophecy. He spits, N****, I’ve been hungry; for a time I was homeless. I honed in my skill, sharp sword swings along for the moment. Atonement in my tone, ownership is the only shit I’ve been voyaging. Voices in my head and then I go record it. I’ve been ordered by the lord.” It’s no secret that JID has become a master of his craft. It’s evident in the individuality of his flow, rhyme schemes, and obscure beat choices. He has somehow been able to take inspiration from his idols while remaining grounded in his own unique purpose. On the first bar, he references what his life looked like before the music took off. His endurance to flourish out of poverty came to him like the strength of a deity. JID’s music is a way for him to not only tell his story, but to rewrite the narrative as well – the messages behind his lyrics come through in the form of clairvoyance. The last line JID spits before Conway the Machine makes his dramatic entrance to his upcoming verse is, “And we rejoice when real n***** lift their voices for the voiceless.”  The songstress is the latest to be featured on the web series to talk about all things cannabis.Jay-Z launched his very own cannabis brand under the MONOGRAM banner at the tail end of last year. Along with launching the brand, he debuted a new High Tales web series, which aims to bring funny weed-infused stories from all your favorite pop culture figures who dabble in the green. The last episode of the series featured Queens-bred rapper N.O.R.E. where he explained his relationship with cannabis and its impact on his creativity. The third episode of the series features none other than Tinashe, who spoke about growing cultural acceptance of marijuana and the overall social experience of smoking weed. “It’s been interesting to see how weed culture has changed over the past few years,” shares Tinashe in the video. “How we get our weed and talk about it has definitely evolved since it became legal, but at the end of the day, good weed still sets a special vibe."
She continued, "Whether it’s bonding with strangers at a concert or freestyling in the studio, I’ve always loved the way it brings people together.” 
Swizz Beatz and Timbaland suggest Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon & Ghostface Killah might go hit-for-hit on the next "Verzuz."
Last night, we witnessed a true celebration of music. D'Angelo & Friends was more of a concert than your typical Verzuz battle and it was incredible. D'Angelo brought out a slew of friends including Method Man & Redman as well as H.E.R., among others. The Internet continued raving about the event but for Timbo and Swizz Beatz, it was back to business. Each event they host gets better. We've received some incredible moments in hip-hop, from West Coast celebrations with E-40 and Too $hort, and down South, Jeezy and Gucci Mane made amends after roughly 15 years of beefing. In the world of R&B, they recently brought together Ashanti and Keyshia Cole (finally). So, how do they raise the stakes for the next edition? Wu-Tang fans rejoice as Swizz Beatz and Timbo have hinted that we could expect Raekwon & Ghostface Killah to pair up with each other in the Verzuz arena. During the post-show IG Live, Swizz Beatz and Timba went through classic Ghost and Rae joints before Swizz suggested that they will be going hit-for-hit. "Hol' on, hol' on, hol' on. Raekwon verse Ghostface. Hol' on bro," said Swizz before turning the music back on. This wouldn't be the first time a Wu-Tang member appeared on Verzuz, of course. RZA previously faced off against DJ Premier as one of the first Verzuz battles. Check the clip below. How do you feel about Ghostface Verzuz Raekwon? 
Cardi B has another viral hit on her hands with “Upâ€. The track has inspired a frenzy of TikTok challenges and has inspired delivery drivers across the country to get in on the action.
In a post shared by The Shade Room on Friday (February 26), various drivers from the likes of UPS, Amazon, FedEx and the Postal Service are seen jumping out of their vehicles or in warehouses getting off their best dances moves to the Yung Dza, Sean Island and DJ SwanQo produced track.
The Bronx natives latest single is her ninth Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. When it debuted at No. 2 on the chart on February 24, it became the highest-charting debut for a solo woman in rap since Lauryn Hills "Doo Wop" in 1998. The other history Cardi shares with Lauryn’s breakthrough solo work is her "Bodak Yellow" and "Doo Wop" are the only No. 1 solo rap songs in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.
Although "Up" has given Cardi yet another song to take over TikTok and earn an extended shelf life, she’s been quick to shut down any conversations about whether or not she's making music strictly for the powerful social media platform, or taking credit from how fans have taken the songs and made their own challenges. "My videos been A1 from start!" she tweeted on February 8. "They got better the bigger of an artist I got soo the budget is going to double up. At first I only had 15 hours to shoot a video now I get two days. Killed it wit money & did choreography ever since Please me & press & never stop since. She continued, "Dont try to play me like I just started this shit cause of tiktok. My last 4 videos I gave choreography & at award shows as well. Please me, press, wap & up was my last videos. EAT IT UP!"
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Hip Hop Music BlogMusic Video PromotionLatest Featured ArtistsGrizzly BeatzGrizzly Beatz is an American Hip Hop Producer from Los Angeles, CA. He has produced for Curren$y, Dizzy Wright, Hopsin, Gatorade, Chief Kamachi, Nike, Activision and more. Shop Merch
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