Following the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, many have felt compelled to stand up in the face of racial injustice -- a systemic injustice that has claimed the lives and shattered the safety of black people for years. Even now, disgraced police officer Derek Chauvin's fate remains uncertain, with questions on whether George Floyd's murderer will end up doing significant jail time to begin with. 

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Amidst all the pain that these killings have caused, the entire hip-hop community has been mobilizing. Several rappers have already issued statements; some have taken to the streets alongside the people to demand justice. For Denzel Curry, the scars of police brutality run deep. In March of 2014, Denzel's brother Treon Johnson was killed after sustaining fatal injuries at the hands of police officers, who tased and pepper-sprayed Johnson into a state of sepsis. Yesterday, Denzel took to Twitter to share a powerful reflection on current events. 

"After looking at most of your comments in my last few posts about the current situation happening in the U.S.A," begins Denzel, addressing his fans and supporters. "It seems a lot of you are Extremely insensitive, Extremely Ignorant, and most likely come from places where you don’t have to face the prejudices that my people face on a daily basis. To you I’m just an entertainer and I’m suppose to dance for your support of my music and craft but now I’m here to say FUCK ALL THAT. We are living in one of the worst times in America."

"It’s even got to the point that I don’t even want to consider myself as an American, most people don’t treat us as Americans let alone human," he continues. "Most of you say there’s no reason to riot but in our defense there’s no reason to be killing my people. The tension in the United States has got me at a crossroads and I’m here to tell you it’s either you With Me or Against Me. I don’t agree with senseless violence and that goes for both ends... I advocate for doing the right thing." 

Our thoughts go out to Denzel Curry, and everyone hurting as a result of systemic racism and police brutality. Rest in peace to George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. 

Smokepurpp is fresh off the release of his new music video for “It’s Whatever,” his latest single produced by Ronny J. The Florida native has been promoting his upcoming album Florida Jit for the last week and fans have been wondering when the full project was set to drop after Purpp previously gave a mid-June timeline. We were lucky enough to speak with the rapper over the phone and he blessed us with some exclusive information, announcing the official release date.

You heard it here first– Smokepurpp’s new album Florida Jit will be out on June 5. 

When asked about the upcoming body of work, Purpp had a lot to say.

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“I wanted to make the project good,” he said, claiming that he did not rush things. “It took me about two, three months to do the project and the rest has been mixing and clearing. You know I got to get [Young] Nudy on there too, Jack Harlow on there, Pump is on there.”

Perhaps the most exciting feature marks a mash-up of generations as Rick Ross joins the fray, re-connecting with Purpp.

“He been giving me the stamp in my city, and the key to the city is next, watch,” he said.

Stay tuned for Smokepurpp’s new album, out on June 5.

Smokepurpp‘s reputation precedes him. One of Florida’s most prominent new-school rappers, the 23-year-old has been referred to as one of the leaders of his generation. He is emblematic of the SoundCloud rap wave that took over the Sunshine State so fervently several years ago. Alongside XXXTentacion, Denzel Curry, his best friend Lil Pump, and others, Smokepurpp took charge as a chaotic rapper that loved to get the hype train rolling.

You’ve likely read all the headlines about his antics with his close buddy Pump on social media. The two love to get the world talking, often getting into situations that mimic those of a frat house. While he loves to party, Smokepurpp is more than just a party-boy.

With Florida Jit, it’s time for Purpp to earn back your respect. While it will take more than my words to entice you, he plans on shutting up the critics with the arrival of his new album.

This week, I hopped on a call with Purpp to speak about his upcoming project, his relationship with Lil Pump and Ronny J, his upcoming reality show, what we can expect from him moving forward, and much more.

Read our exclusive interview below, edited for clarity and length.

HNHH: Hey Purpp, how’s it going?

Smokepurpp: Sup fam! Everything’s good, everything’s good, what about you?

Everything is good, I’m happy to talk to you. I was just listening to the album, actually. I got an advance copy. I wanted to start off by congratulating you on that.

What do you think about it?

I don’t want to say it sounded like the old Purpp but it sounded like the SoundCloud material, if you know what I mean.

That’s exactly what it is, that’s exactly what it’s supposed to be.

That’s amazing. Aside from a return to that sound, what did you want to communicate with the album? Is this kind of like your gift to the people who have been asking for the old Purpp?

Yeah, so I’m a Florida kid, so basically me being a Florida kid, it’s just going back to the basics, it’s going back to being a Florida kid. So basically I’m just being on my day one, you know what I’m saying?

I appreciate that. It’s a little chaotic too, in a good way. What made you want to release a Florida-themed album?

I grew up in Florida, and like Florida is really what made me, what made my character. Florida pretty much made me, so it’s only right I do this for my city and I do more and more for my city. This isn’t enough but this is a start. I want to do a lot of stuff for the city. I want to donate money, I want to donate to charity, and this is just the start of that.

That’s amazing, man. I found you were experimenting a lot with new melodies and different kinds of voices. Did you go into the album wanting to try new things?

I wanted it to still be chaotic, still that hard-hitting shit, but I kind of threw melodies in there, which is something I haven’t done before. I’m like you know, like that hard-hitting type.

Definitely. You worked a lot with Ronny J this time around. I know y’all have a good relationship.

That’s my boy. We both got our first platinum plaque together, so we go way back. Even before that he was pulling up to me and Pump’s house recording us. Then he was living in Florida, so even before we grew up we were already friends, so me and Ronny have a good relationship, you know what I’m saying. The project is basically me and Ronny.

I feel like Ronny kind of represents the current sound of Florida as much as you do, so it’s nice to see you guys working together again on this.

Right.

You recently fought back claims from people saying you had fallen off. What would you say to them?

Look out (laughs).

I respect that. After listening to Florida Jit, I feel like this is like a whole different kind of avenue for you. I think once people listen to it, they’ll understand you more.

Right. They usually say [I’ve fallen off] when I go like a month or two without dropping a song, and then I drop a song and it goes crazy. I’m in the news the first day like “he’s back!” and it’s like, well, I was never gone.

Photo credit: James Pereria

That’s always how it is. You announced the album just last week. Did you complete it quickly, or have you been sitting on some of the songs for a long time?

I didn’t rush it or nothing, I wanted to make the project good. It took me about two or three months to do the project and then the rest has been mixing and clearing. You know I got to get [Young] Nudy on there too, Jack Harlow on there, [Lil] Pump on there. The producers, shout out all the producers on there besides Ronny. So, the past two months have really been clearances and stuff like that, shooting videos. We just now getting ready for the fire.

Speaking about Nudy, Denzel Curry, Jack Harlow, and a few others being on the album, do you have any cool stories about working with anyone in particular?

Rick Ross. I met Rick Ross– Pump had a song on his album, the self-titled one. That was me, him, and Rick Ross. “Pinky Ring.” We made that song and we shot the video and the video had never even came out. I never talked to him since then, and being able to link back up with him, that’s cool because we’re from the same city. I’m saying no more than ten blocks away. He been giving me the stamp in my city, and the key to the city is next, watch.

How did you re-connect with Rozay? That man is a whole legend in Florida.

I sent him the song to see what he thought about it and he ain’t even told me he liked it. He just sent it right back with the verse on it, so I knew he loved it.

That’s when you know! For Deadstar 2 you said that you wrote about 800 songs. What was the process this time around?

I really recorded Deadstar 2 like six times. All the leaks were fucking it up. So we wasted a lot of money having to go back to the studio and record new songs, and shoot new videos because we already wasted the budget on videos the first time it got leaked, so it’s a lot of wasted money because of these fucking leaks. So Deadstar 2 was a hard process. At a point, it was just like, you know what, with the leaks or not I’m just gonna put it out there ’cause I don’t even care no more.

Yeah, I feel that.

It was just too many leaks so I decided I’m just gonna put this out. Like, I can’t just keep remaking the album when I’m wasting hundreds of thousands on videos for people to leak it, you know what I’m saying?

It’s nice because I feel like this time around, you didn’t have to deal with any of that shit. It wasn’t as many leaks and things were more under wraps.

They tried, but this time we had Universal on deck blocking everything the second it got leaked.

The first single from Florida Jit is with Lil Pump. You guys just dropped the video for it. How’s everything with him doing?

Amazing. That’s my best friend, my brother. We grew up together, you know what I’m saying. We came from Florida together and that’s my brother for life. We’re never on bad terms, that’s my brother. We talk every single day.

That’s amazing. Are you guys working on more music? I feel like you always have something going on.

Of course. We have like three projects done, and we have a Gucci Gang project. That’s me, him, and Gucci Mane. That hasn’t come out yet. It’s all about timing you know.

That’s true! What ended up happening with that? Y’all did that around Coachella, right?

Yeah, so the original plan was to drop the album before Coachella and then perform the album there, but, you know, clearances and shit. It couldn’t happen on time, and then after that, we all three dropped an album and right now we’re all thinking about dropping an album again. It’s just hard finding the right time.

It’s nice to hear about that though because a lot of people want that shit.

No yeah, it’s coming. It’ll come.

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I wanted to ask another question about Pump. He tweeted a few weeks ago some scary shit about wanting to die. Did you talk to him about that? What’s going on? 

I mean, shit when I tweeted at him that specific day, he didn’t call me, but I hit him the next day and he was straight, so I really don’t know what that shit was about. To be honest, I can’t really answer that question, you know what I’m saying. That’s more personal stuff that I didn’t know, he didn’t tell me anything about that. I tried calling him that day but he didn’t answer. I talked to him the next day though and he was cool.

That’s nice to hear. You see that stuff and it just hurts.

Yeah, man.

Moving back to music, I’ve got to ask. Is there a third Deadstar tape coming at some point?

I don’t know yet, I don’t know if I want to do a 3 yet.

For Florida Jit, have you set an exact release date yet?

June 5th, you heard it right here.

Let’s go!

Hot New Hip Hop, you heard it right here. June 5th!

Shit, let’s go! How do you plan on promoting the album? With the coronavirus and shit, touring isn’t really an option. I’ve seen some stuff about virtual touring, do you have any creative ideas with that?

With the coronavirus, it just comes down to entrepreneurship, you know what I’m saying. You got to have multiple sources of income. At this point, you already should have had multiple sources of income because, you know, you never know when something like this is gonna happen. I already have multiple sources of income. I had signed artists, I have producers I signed. I do real estate. I own a couple of properties. So I’m not gonna say it didn’t affect me that much because it affected the whole world, but you know I had things to back me up.

You’re absolutely right on that. Anything can happen, so it’s nice to hear that you got shit lined up.

Yeah, exactly. I’ve always been the type of person to think like that so I’m always prepared for whatever. Before the coronavirus came– I’m not saying I was thankful about it, but I was definitely thankful that I was already getting multiple sources of income. I’m just doing what I can do like rent out properties, make merch, stuff like that. Talent shows, just stuff that I can do that my fans like too besides real estate shit. An artist should always have that set up, you know what I’m saying?

Once the pandemic is over, what’s the first Smokepurpp performance going to look like?

It’s going to be insane. I was supposed to be on an arena tour right now and that was gonna be my first time headlining an arena tour by myself, but it’s nothing. When shit comes around, it ain’t nothing. I’ll probably have another project out by that time. It’s gonna be lit.

That’s it. I feel like at most, this shit’s probably gonna last like another year. You’re not going anywhere, so that’s not an issue.

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. I already have three projects finished and dropping this year besides this one.

Dropping this year? Three projects?

Dropping this year. I’m going Future, Beast Mode.

Shit, that’s crazy, bro I’m excited to hear all that. At the end of 2019, you quit drinking lean. On “24s”, you say you drank some lean. Are you still off it or what’s happening with that?

Yeah, so I recorded “24s” in 2017. I actually quit drinking lean in December 2018.

That’s amazing. Congratulations, man.

Yeah, I haven’t drunk lean since then type shit. I smoke weed, you know what I’m saying. I’ll turn up, I’ll do some shit. But lean, shit, that’s out the window.

You hear so many horror stories about it so I wanted to definitely ask you about that.

Yeah, man and not only that, but I used to rap about it because I was doing it. But I don’t want other people to do it because I’m doing it. That’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m just telling my story, you get what I’m saying?

Exactly.

Some people don’t take it as that. Some people take it as ‘yo, I gotta do this shit too if I’m gonna be cool.’ That plus my health, it just made me want to quit the lean, like that shit’s out the window. You do lean, that shit’s lame. I’m making that a new thing. Lean is lame.

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I love that. There’s also been some shit on The Shade Room about some girl who has a tattoo of yours… What’s going on with her, can you just clear that shit up?

To be honest, I don’t know what’s wrong with her bro, I don’t know that girl. I never even fucked that girl, nothing like that. I don’t know what that shit’s about. I would’ve understood if I knew her like that and I dicked the bitch down and gave her some good dick and she was traumatized, but none of that went down. I don’t know her like that (laughs) you know what I’m saying, like.

I mean, at least she’s listening to the music, so that’s nice (laughs).

And it’s no disrespect there either by what I’m saying, but it’s just the truth like I don’t know you.

Aside from the three projects that you have lined up, what else do you have planned for the rest of the year?

A lot of music videos, a lot of merch. I’m actually dropping merch this week. I’m gonna be dropping merch all year. I have a line that I’m working on which is a clothing brand that we launched, so that’s gonna be coming this year too. I actually have a reality TV show about to come out too. We’re shooting the first season right now.

Shit for real? A reality TV show?

Yeah, man. That’s what I’m saying about different sources of income, that’s what I’m talking about. My shit is funny, cause my cameraman records what I don’t want him to record.

Yeah, that’s incredible, man. I’m excited about all of that. Is there anything else you wanted to add for the readers? 

Be on the look out. Shout out all the fans. Merch dropping. Florida Jit.

That’s amazing Purpp. I had a pleasure speaking with you, thank you so much for me giving me the time.

Ah, yeah thank you. I have a lot of love for you guys.

I appreciate you man, thank you very much.

As everyone knows, the posse cut is one of the great hip-hop track formats -- this isn't disputable, as the list of fantastic classics simply speaks for itself. Unfortunately, it feels as if this new generation has yet to fully embrace the posse cut as their predecessors once have. That's not to say it's gone altogether extinct, but is it fair to call it endangered? In any case, Rich Brian seems ready and willing to do his part in the preservation efforts, calling upon a variety of his compatriots on Instagram and Twitter.

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His premise is simple -- line up an extensive roster to take turns bodying an ever-changing instrumental, one that presumably morphs to suit the talents of each party. "Yo imagine a long ass song with ALL of us going OFF on every verse and it has hella production changes & tempo transitions????" He writes. "Lets do this man fuck."

Nothing like a good-natured roast between close friends. On Thursday (May 14th), Joey Bada$$ and Denzel Curry linked up over Instagram live where they hilariously dunked on each other's music. At one point during the exchange, Joey began roasting Denzel for the lack of appeal that his hypothetical after-parties possess.

Retirement and hip-hop have a tricky relationship — after all, which rapper hasn’t chewed on the possibility of calling it quits and riding off into the sunset? For Denzel Curry, the thoughts of bowing out gracefully have already started circling, as revealed during an in-depth interview with XXL. 

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Explaining that he foresees “three more albums” before his exeunt from the game, Curry makes it clear that his perspectives and goals have changed significantly. “I’m not trying to hold onto the same thing that I was holding onto when I was 16,” he tells the publication. “You know, trying to make the same thing over and over.” Clearly, he values the album as a means of expression, one with worth beyond simple streaming numbers.

As he tells it, his mentality derives from a love of film and art, two mediums he seeks to explore further upon his “retirement” from rapping. “I always liked my album short,” he explains. “Ten tracks is enough. Enough to listen to. I just want you to enjoy my music the way you enjoy a film, you know? “Like it’s meant to be consumed that way. It’s not meant to be like fast food. It’s meant to be like, damn, what did I just have? A full course meal.”

While it would certainly be sad to see Denzel Curry leave the game entirely, at least we can take solace in knowing that his next three albums will be meticulously crafted. “I want to actually use real instruments,” he teases. “The last two albums were in short time frames. So, this one, I’m going to really sit down and take my time to do it.”

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Sometimes a creative vision can be enjoyed in a variety of different ways. Kendrick Lamar‘s DAMN, for example, took on a second life with a reversed tracklist; Run The Jewels went full crazy-cat-lady with the batshit insane Meow The Jewels. Now, the dynamic duo that is Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats have decided to offer up a different take on their popular Unlocked projected, which arrived back in February complete with an extensive companion film. 

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Today, Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats have revealed their plans to expand on their recently established world, announcing an official Unlocked 48-page comic book and instrumental album by way of their “dark” counterparts. With Psycho Films handling the plot and illustrations from Sam Hochman, Joey Prosser, Forrest Whaley, Justin Johnson, Chaz Bottoms, Malik Bolton, Rachel Headlam, Borboev Shakhnazer, and Asekov Tilek, it’s likely that Unlocked will continue to take on a life of its own. Should you be interested, check out the trailer below, and be sure to place your orders right here. 

If that wasn’t enough, the pair will also be delivering an instrumental version of the album, as Kenny Beats believes that the beats can stand comfortably on their own. “UNLOCKED is so much more than a few songs, it’s a feeling we all have,” Kenny told Complex. “For the first time I’m releasing my instrumentals because I truly believe these beats can live on their own. Put them on while you read the comic and stay tuned for part 2!” Look for that to land on May 1st. 

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Guapdad 4000 has been filling a void in this post-quarantine world of ours, picking up where Funkmaster Flex and the LA Leakers left off as a key purveyor of BARS. For three weeks now, the Valentino Viper has been hosting the "Rona Raps" series, which finds he and his friends kicking bars Instagram. The first week featured he and Buddy ripping a J. Dilla banger. The second brought Chris Brown into the mix for a take on Q-Tip's "Vivrant Thing." Now, Guap has linked with Wiz Khalifa and Denzel Curry for his biggest installment yet.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images/Andreas Rentz/Getty Images 

Over Luniz classic "I Got 5 On It," Guap sets it off with yet another fire verse, proving that even in a casual state he's deadly with the words. "Walls famous like the Chinese one that hold the greatest / came up from running with cons, we all gangest," he spits, keeping the bars coming. "I might call up Chance The Rapper ask him what the Lord do, cause my raps is getting acidy they hydrochlorical."

"With all this Rona shit I got the ski mask on," spits Denzel Curry, growing out a quarantine beard for the occasion. "I ain't rapping fast, this ain't a ski mask song." As his verse progresses, the commentary emerges. "Fuck, I tell em it's no love," he declares, a changed man. "I don't want to dap, clap you up, and there's no hugs / stay your ass home, dance around in your bitch Uggs."

Sliding in from Denzel's makeshift hook, Wiz closes things out with a veteran's swagger. "Roll the weed pass it, n***as taking pieces of styles I already mastered," he spits. "Kush tastes fresh I just busted it out the plastic / social detachment being practiced, just me and a bad bitch plus I'm still stackin'." Check out the full episode below, and sound off - has "Rona Raps" made you pledge your loyalty to Guapdad's cause? 

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@guapdad4000 @denzelcurryph & myself #taylorgang

A post shared by Wiz Khalifa (@wizkhalifa) on Apr 1, 2020 at 7:38pm PDT

“It’s written all over my face

It’s tattooed, it can’t be erased

One of a kind, I can’t be replaced” 

It’s usually easy to trace an artist’s lineage. On the whole, there’s usually a trait or two that’s derivative of someone that came before, or a contemporary that spearheaded the wave. Yet from the moment that he seceded from The Hot Boyz and placed Cash Money’s rickety future on his shoulders as a solo performer, seeking parallels to understand Dwayne Carter quickly became a futile pursuit. A singular entity that implanted his New Orleans drawl into the commercial and critical foreground, Weezy made the vast majority of his contemporaries seem mundane by comparison. In response, he began to identify as something otherworldly.

“I’m different from y’all. So instead of saying, ‘I’m different,’ I have a cool way of saying, ‘I’m a martian’,” he informed XXL in 2008. “I’m so glad I’ve developed into that type of artist. Cause I never could see that shit from the Hot Boys days, to become a n***a that’s just lyrically out there. And make a muthafucka love it.”

Based not only on his own prolific catalogue of mixtapes, albums and even his dishearteningly underexposed TIDAL exclusive album project, the barriers that Wayne levelled have given today’s hungry young artists a set of flexible guidelines to follow if they hope to attain a similar status of greatness.

Approaching the traditional “legacy act” age-range, conventional wisdom would dictate that Wayne wouldn’t be able to sustain his status as an innovative force in music. However, the Young Money mogul has overcame expectations at every interval in his career. Yet with the announcement of his Las Vegas residency and the hit-filled, career retrospective that he’s likely to deliver each night at DRAIS, it naturally leads to speculation over who, if anyone, has the attributes to follow in Weezy’s trailblazing footsteps.

In order to have any hope of entering the same stratosphere as Wayne, there are 3 key characteristics that they must have or be capable of manifesting as the years tick by– 1) work ethic, 2) raw talent that can be converted into star power and, 3) longevity. Although it’s not an entry requirement as such, it’s perhaps telling that each artist that may take up Wayne’s mantle also harbours a deep-seated appreciation for the rapper.

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The most natural recipient of the title and one that he’s been grooming himself for since the embryonic stages of his career, the obvious answer to the question would be Young Thug. Described by Jeffery himself as his “idol for life”, everything from Thugger’s aesthetic to his bewildering flow and Birdman’s eagerness to align with him made it clear that he’s cut from the same cloth as Wayne. Coupled with the steadily mounting eccentricity that’s became one of Thugger’s calling cards, his commitment to transforming mixtapes from throwaway to something more enduring and artful has been evident since the days of I Came From Nothing, and feels indebted to the revolution that Weezy oversaw. Having claimed that he’d “get in the studio with Wayne before Michael Jackson” in 2014, the overt hero-worship may have tapered off as Thugger found his own, often-imitated artistic voice but the connection is alive to this day.

For all that animosity between the two of them has festered ever since he was embroiled in Birdman’s longstanding feud with Tunechi, Wayne saw Thugger’s homage to Tha Carter series with The Barter 6 as something that was made with “total respect.” Cited as an inspiration in his own right for a new breed of rappers, Thug has put in the necessary hours to be considered with his hero and did so while continually pushing the boundaries of his sound. To his credit, when a BBC article that discussed the most influential artists of the decade proclaimed him to be number one, Thugger went out of his way to endorse Wayne’s protests of “me, that’s who” with a simple “facts.”

Boasting his own famed mixtape series with Slime Season and showing no signs of slowing down as we barrel towards his upcoming album Punk, he’s certainly doing his best to emulate the productivity levels of his hero but only time will tell if the cultural relevance can be upheld.

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From his overt rock influences to his garish, individualistic style, there’s certainly grounds to point the finger at Philadelphia’sLil Uzi Vert as a clear descendent of Weezy F. Once derogatorily described by Fat Joe as “a bad version of Lil Wayne,” the Terror Squad don also assessed that Uzi would never been seen among the elite of the game. Well, in the midst of Eternal Atake and its deluxe expansion pack arriving to a frenzied response from the world, Uzi officially entered the ranks of hip-hop’s winner’s circle by repeating Weezy’s feat of having three songs inside the top ten of the Billboard chart simultaneously.

After saluting Weezy on EA’s “No Auto” by retooling the boisterous Tha Carter classic “BM JR,” Uzi inspires a similar level of fanaticism from his fans as Tunechi does. Not to mention, he’s all too acquainted with making his adoring public wait for a project due to a spate of label drama.

Although he’s not known for his efficiency, reports from inside his camp suggest that producers such as Supah Mario sent Uzi upwards of “300 beats” and implies that he’s as eager to churn out content as Wayne. So, if the charismatic artist can establish a run of momentum, there’s no telling where his ceiling lies in comparison to that of Weezy.

On the subject of keeping yourself in fighting condition, two modern artists that have set the wheels in motion for long, illustrious careers by staying active are Lil Baby & Gunna. Both hailing from Atlanta, GA, the two platinum-selling “Close Friends” keep themselves in heavy rotation, churning out features and collaborating with artists across the gamut. Both armed with iconic mixtape themes in the shape of their Drip and Hard series, it’s Lil Baby that’s found himself courting overt comparisons to Wayne while Gunna has discussed how the NOLA sound that brought Weezy to the fore was crucial in igniting his creative drive.

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In response to the parallels that’d been drawn between the two, the man that was drafted in to feature on Funeral’s lead single “I Do It” was humbled by the suggestion that he was in the same league. “I’m definitely honored! That’s the perfect word for it,” Lil Baby explained. “Even if it’s far-fetched to somebody, but just for more than one person to compare me to somebody like him, I’m definitely honoured and it makes me want to go harder.”

For all that they’re riding high, the real litmus test of this pair’s capabilities to follow in Wayne’s footsteps is whether they can produce a succession of projects that have either the impact or versatility of a classic instalment of Tha Carter, Da Drought or Dedication.

Heading away from the Dirty South, the South Florida region has quietly become a hotbed for musical ingenuity. Rising from an outpost to become synonymous with innovation, the rise of Carol City and the surrounding areas recalls the stream of artists that billowed out of Louisiana to make a worldwide commercial impact in the mid-to-late 90’s.

At the nucleus of the area’s rise, Denzel Curry certainly has a lyrical pedigree to rival a young Wayne as well as a refusal to rest on his laurels before returning to the studio. Among labelling Wayne “the goat” in 2016, Zeltron has actually mirrored Weezy’s journey in a lot of ways. After setting out as a member of The Raider Klan, Zel’s shift away from their ranks enabled him to refine his style and in turn, usher in the SoundCloud rap era just as Wayne took 50’s lead and challenged music’s traditional format with his string of iconic, DJ Drama-hosted mixtapes in the mid 2000s.

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As Wayne did before him, Denzel has been vocal about setting the pen aside in favour of the spontaneity that rhyming off the dome provides. Concerned that writing may result in material that sounds “too stiff and rigid,” the organic feel that imbued 2019’s mostly freestyled Zuu record had that same fascinating spark of ingenuity that made post-“10000 Bars” Weezy such a uniquely unpredictable MC to behold.

While Carol City offers a worthy, lyrically gifted candidate to follow Weezy’s lead, there’s a fair amount of speculation over whether the true heir to Wayne’s throne could emanate from closer to home. Hailing from nearby Baton Rouge, Louisiana, NBA Youngboy, much like Wayne in the Hot Boyz days, has been making a name for himself from a prodigious age. Carrying himself with a simmering bravado that invokes the spirit of a young Weezy, the enterprising artist has been plying his trade since charging out of the gate with his first mixtape at the tender age of 15. 2019 aside, Youngboy has averaged a minimum of two tapes a year since 2015 and has displayed a willingness to lend his distinct vocal style to anyone that wishes to enlist his services.

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Much like the young Weezy, the 20-year-old MC is no stranger to a run-in with the law but he’s refused to let it halt his progress. Along the way, he’s been sure to express his pronounced respect for the elder statesman. Stated most explicitly on the swaggering “Diamond Teeth Samurai”, its use of the refrain from “The Block Is Hot” recalls Wayne’s youthful exuberance and desire to prove himself. In line with today’s supply-and-demand dynamic, NBA has flooded the market and, in particular, made YouTube his domain with visual after visual in a way that a younger Tunechi likely would have, had he came up in this era.

In addition to guesting on a litany of tracks with Weezy’s former “daddy,” Birdman has been forthcoming with his praise for Louisiana’s new leading light. “I think NBA YoungBoy gon’ be one of the biggest artists that we done ever seen,” said the rap mogul. “I think he gon’ be real big.” Granted, NBA is still in his relative infancy as an artist. If he can keep chipping away and place an emphasis on creating his own sound, there’s no reason why he can’t become the Bayou state’s next great artist.

While no one can ever usurp Weezy, this eclectic bunch of MCs look to be among the prime candidates to forge his path onwards in 2020.

Who do you think has the potential to be the next Lil Wayne? Sound off in the comments. 

News of this year’s Record Store Day comes after we learned from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) that last year, vinyl record sales were set to top “traditional” CDs for the first time in 30 years. 

We have all watched vinyl records steadily grow in popularity over the past few years, so it’s no surprise many of us are excited about the new and exclusive releases coming up. Our generation grew up on CDs, but have since chosen to embrace vinyl. I guess history does repeat itself, and old really does become new. 

Since 2007, Record Store Day has celebrated and promoted independent record stores across the United States. The initial reception was so good, that it has since become an internationally celebrated event. This year, on April 18, record stores across the world will have plenty of great music to share with their customers. 

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Artists such as Tyler, The Creator, Summer Walker, Billie Eilish, Chief Keef, and Freddie Gibbs & Madlib are just a few who will be commemorated this Record Store Day, however, there are hundreds more.

You can check out the full list of classic and current releases that are coming to shelves on April 18 here. 

Let us know what release you’re most excited for in the comments below!