The wait for a Black Hippy album has gone on for roughly a decade at this point, though there aren't any signs that truly indicate we might hear a whole project with ScHoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock and Ab-Soul going bar-for-bar. However, following another highly successful TDE Fan Appreciation week that unveiled a string of new songs from the Top Dawg camp, the head honcho might be hinting at even more music dropping in the near future.
SiR's "John Redcorn" video will be equipped with appropriate King Of The Hill-themed animations but the opening of the recent visual shared by the TDE artist may have indicated something even more promising. While Sir takes on the role of John Redcorn for the video, the members of Black Hippy portray Hank Hill, Dale Gribble, Bill, and Jeff. Kendrick is notably the only one out of the four drinking water rather than beer.
Top Dawg and Ab-Soul, however, shared screenshots of the Black Hippy members and shared it to socials which prompted speculation that perhaps there's a joint album in the works. Some fans began pleading with Top Dawg to unleash the project while others simply stated that they weren't going to hold their breath.
Whether or not a Black Hippy album is in motion, we do know that Kendrick Lamar has been grinding away on his forthcoming project which has been rumored to drop this year.
Rapsody Declares Ab-Soul To Be A "God MC"
The old adage of “real recognize real” holds true once again as Rapsody shows some love to Ab-Soul.
Ever since he dropped off his latest studio album Do What Thou Wilt at the end of 2016, Ab-Soul essentially disappeared off the face of the Earth. News surrounding the self-styled abstract asshole has been scarce — in fact, he’s easily one of the more elusive rappers in the game at the moment. Therefore, when he does emerge to deliver some new music, it’s hard to miss.
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Today, Soulo dropped off “Dangerookipawaa Freestyle,” a signal that his promise of a 2020 album might not be so far-fetched. And while it’s difficult to discern anything concrete about a possible release date, it’s clear that Ab-Soul’s check-in did not go unnoticed. Esteemed lyricist Rapsody took to Instagram to pay homage to Soul’s artistry, sharing a picture of the TDE rapper alongside some genuinely kind words.
“Herbert IV!! Soulo ho!” she captions. “One of my favorite people on this planet! god MC. That is all.” It should be noted that Rap and Soul’s friendship has already extended to the booth, specifically the song “2 AM” off Rapsody’s Crown EP and “The Law” on Ab’s aforementioned Do What Thou Wilt. Check out the homage below, and sound off — do you want to see another collaboration between Rapsody and Ab-Soul whenever the latter decides to drop in full?
Top Dawg Entertainment Is Dropping New Music All Week
Does this mean we could very well be getting new music from Kendrick Lamar this week?
It looks like the TDE camp is finally blessing us with some new music during this period of self-isolation and quarantine. Earlier today, the ever-elusive Ab-Soul popped in with the release of “Dangerookipawa Freestyle” in honor of Top Dawg’s birthday. Now, it’s not only rare to hear from Soulo but pretty much every other artist on the roster. We can’t blame them, either, knowing how hard at work they are.
Thankfully, Soulo isn’t the only one dropping this week. Top Dawg hit the ‘Gram to announce that they’ll be releasing a new song every day for the rest of the work in honor of #TDEFANAPPRECIATIONWEEK. “Celebratin my BDAY 2day, releasin New Music ALL WEEK,” Top Dawg wrote. “Startin wit @souloho3 “Dangerookipawaa Freestyle” Available on ALL PLATFORMS #TDEFANAPPRECIATIONWEEK”
No mention was made of who we’ll end up hearing from this week but it could very well be the beginning of a new album campaign for someone. Currently, artists like Isaiah Rashad and SZA have fans eager for new albums while Kendrick Lamar, of course, has been said to be preparing the release to his follow-up to 2017’s DAMN. Ab-Soul is also said to have an album that he’s conjuring up. Though “Dangerookipawa Freestyle” is only a loosie, it could also be a signal that Soulo has a new album roll out on the way.
Who do you want to hear new music from off of the TDE roster this week? Sound off in the comments. g
Danny Brown Highlights The Best "Really Doe" Verse
During a recent Twitch stream, Danny Brown took fans behind the scenes of "Really Doe" with Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, & Earl.
If one were to ask about the greatest posse cut of the past five years, it wouldn't be surprising to see many fans throw Danny Brown, Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and Earl's "Really Doe" into the mix. Stemming from Brown's acclaimed Atrocity Exhibition album, many have often wondered how such an epic and unexpected collaboration came to manifest in the first place. Last night, Danny Brown engaged with fans during a Persona 5 Twitch stream, and he proceeded to shine a light on some interesting behind-the-scenes insight into "Really Doe."
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"Really Doe was me with two verses," reveals Danny. "It was never a posse cut. That was my song. That was never a song with a lot of people on it like that. But then one night I wake up, that's when I'm in LA mixing the album with Ali. And Kendrick send me a take and it's 'Really Doe'...I think when he did it, he wanted it to be me and him. That was his whole intention. So I'm like fuck it, whatever, but when I kept listening to it I was like 'damn.' He set up to body me kinda though. That's how I looked at it. I gave him a song I wanted him to do, and he [did a verse to 'Really Doe' instead]."
"I was hanging with Ab-Soul a lot then, and I was at Ab-Soul's crib, so I played him the shit," he continues. "Ab-Soul did a verse. That was cool, we put it together. But then Ab-Soul got mad at me cause he thought it was just me and him. When I asked him to do a verse to that beat, he didn't know Kendrick and Earl would be on that song. He got mad at me. On some funny shit. That [Do What Thou Wilt] song with Da$h, I was the verse on that shit! He cut me off and put Da$h on it."
"Everybody felt that Kendrick's verse should go last," reveals Danny. "To this point, people in the studio were saying Earl's verse was trash. That's the crazy part. I remember being in the studio and we putting that shit together and people telling me Earl verse trash. Kendrick verse need to be last. I kept listening to the song. You know me, I'm a battle rap fan, a rapper fan. I wanted this shit to be about sparring, and this n***a Earl bodied all of us!"
If that wasn't enough, Danny Brown also reveals that he and Kendrick have an unreleased track together, in which they both body an Alchemist beat with no hook -- while he doesn't have any plans to officially release it, he promises he'll play it for the fans one day. Check out the videos here, and sound off - do you agree with Danny assessment that Earl massacred the competition on "Really Doe?"
Jhene Aiko Drops "Chilombo" Tracklist Ft. Future, Big Sean & More
Jhene Aiko’s “Chilombo” includes appearances from Big Sean, Future, Ab-Soul, Nas, and more.
Jhene Aiko is preparing for the release of her forthcoming project, Chilombo which is set to arrive next month. The “Triggered” singer unleashed the tracklist for the project earlier today which includes 20 tracks in total. Singles like the previously mentioned “Triggered,” the Big Sean-assisted, “None Of Your Concern,” and the recently released, “P*$$Y FAIRY” also appear on the project. Jhene Aiko’s Chilombo does include a variety of old collaborators and new ones. Ab-Soul and Ty Dolla $ign appear on the tracklist as well as Future, Miguel, H.E.R, Nas, and John Legend. Oh, and her dad, Dr. Chill who also did the album art.
Jhene Aiko’s new project is set to arrive on March 6th, serving as her official follow-up to 2017’s TRIP. Over the last few years, her ups and downs in her relationship have spilled into the limelight which presumably influenced a portion of this album. However, she did state in a series of tweets recently that this album was the “realest shit I ever wrote.” For her die-hard fans, she described it as “if sailing soul(s), sail out, souled out and trip had a baby.”
With the release date approaching, we’re hoping that she pulls up with a brand new single or at the very least, a new visual, to hold us off until she drops Chilombo.
Peep the tracklist below.