For those that have been hankering for new music by Kevin McCall, you're going to have to wait a little while longer. The troubled artist has faced a few heavy obstacles as of late. The last year has proven to be a difficult one for Kevin McCall, more personally than professionally. He's been entangled in multiple legal dramas involving domestic violence, assault, and trespassing allegations. 

 McCall's legal issues with ex-girlfriend Eva Marcille has taken center stage as he has sued the Real Housewives of Atlanta star for custody of their daughter. She claims he also petitioned for her to not only turn over custody but to pay him child support, as well. After McCall was involved in a physical altercation with a court officer while on his way to a custody hearing, he was arrested and his case was dismissed. Eva would later admit that McCall hasn't been involved in their daughter Marley Rae's life for years and she recognizes Eva's husband Michael Sterling as her father.

This doesn't mean that McCall is giving up on seeing his daughter, even though Eva has stated that there is a restraining order in place against him. McCall took to Twitter that he's on a music strike as he refuses to share his artistry with the world until changes are put in place. "No new music until I see my children. I cant choose the world over them," the singer-songwriter wrote. It also seemed as if he took a jab at Eva without naming her outright, but that's just speculative. "I'll figure out music when I have visitation with police around to protect us from the lies and abuse the mothers have put us thru the past 6 years...I've won this fight with my oldest. I'll win again. JESUS." Check out his tweet below.

50 Cent told La La Anthony on Instagram live that he’s certainly not opposed to battling either Snoop Dogg or Ludacris, and that he’d be interested to see Mase go up against Fabolous, as well. The seasoned rapper-turned-television-tycoon hopped on La La’s IG live session just days after he left a low key thirsty comment on her bikini photo. With all the battles going on between producers, songwriters, and artists in general in the hip hop and R&B world, La La wanted to know who Fif should go up against, in his opinion.

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“Snoop’s catalogue would probably do it,” he said, speaking to the vastness of both their discographies. “Outside of that, wait…maybe um….who else, who else?” he pondered, before settling on another worthy opponent. “It would be fun to do Ludacris.”

“Luda, okay! A lot of people wanted me to get Luda on here, too,” La La said. “So, you versus Snoop, or you versus Luda.” She went on to note that, since the Teddy Riley vs. Babyface battle was postponed, the last one she saw was T-Pain versus Lil Jon, which was “crazy.” “Yeah, they got some music,” Fif acknowledged. “You know who else people are asking for?” La La continued. “Who could go against Fab? They said Fab versus Mase.” When she asks him if he’s on board with that, he agrees with the selection. “That would be good,” he concurs, “because Fab made a lot of female-oriented records.” What do you think? Would you want to see Fabolous versus Mase? What about 50 versus Snoop, or Ludacris? Let us know your dream IG live battle in the comments.

The only thing saving us right now is music, as well as all of the hard-working essential workers on the frontline. If it weren't for music though, our self-quarantine journey would likely be a lot less entertaining. Thankfully, home studios are a thing and artists are still able to blast off some tunes for our eardrums to allete boredom. During the fourth week of quarantine, we've got an action-packed playlist for you, including some brand new bangers from the likes of Drake, Young Thug, DaBaby, and more.

Each week, our staff-curated TIDAL Wave playlist includes some of the best new releases of the month. This time around, we're coming out swinging with that brand new Drake single "Toosie Slide." Was there any other acceptable way to begin? After transitioning into new music from DaBaby, Tory Lanez, and others, we've got our favorite COVID-19 cut "QUARANTINE CLEAN" by Turbo, Gunna, and Young Thug. After a couple more hits from Future and Famous Dex, we head into our customary cooldown session, brought to you by Frank Ocean this week.

With "Cayendo" and "Dear April," Frank Ocean dropped two new smooth records that he premiered last year, finally blessing streaming services with them last week. The R&B breakdown also includes Kiana Ledé, Alina Baraz, and Jessie Reyez. 

If you're not signed up to TIDAL, get you a free 30-day trial here and enjoy the best quality sonics out of all the other streaming services. Enjoy the playlist below!

Alex Zidel (Editorial)

Tory Lanez - Who Needs Love
DaBaby - Find My Way
42 Dugg - Hard Times
Frank Ocean - Dear April (Side A - Acoustic)
Famous Dex - What I Like (feat. Rich The Kid & Tyga)

Alex Cole (Editorial)

Don Toliver - Wasted
Marshmello & Southside - Been Thru This Before (with Giggs & SAINt JHN)
Turbo, Gunna, & Young Thug - QUARANTINE CLEAN
Future - Tycoon
DaBaby - Find My Way

Lynn S (Editorial)

Frank Ocean - Dear April (Side A - Acoustic)
Frank Ocean - Cayendo (Side A - Acoustic)
Drake - Toosie Slide
Jessie Reyez - IMPORTED (feat. 6LACK)
Jessie Reyez - FIGURES

Paul Pirotta (Sales)

Turbo, Gunna, & Young Thug - QUARANTINE CLEAN
The Lox - Loyalty And Love
Drake - Toosie Slide
DaBaby - Find My Way

Rose Lilah (Editorial)

Kiana Ledé - Movin.
Lil West & Brevin Kim - Luck
Alina Baraz - More Than Enough

Cole Blake (Editorial)

Frank Ocean - Dear April (Side A - Acoustic)
Frank Ocean - Cayendo (Side A - Acoustic)
DaBaby - Find My Way
Turbo, Gunna, & Young Thug - QUARANTINE CLEAN
Drake - Toosie Slide

Aron A (Editorial)

Headie One & Fred again... - GANG
Sleepy Hallow - Deep End Freestyle
Sheff G - Moody
Tory Lanez - Who Needs Love
DarkoVibes - Different

Mike Rapp (Sales)

Future - Tycoon
DaBaby - Find My Way
Rich The Kid - Stuck Together (feat. Lil Baby & Future)
Jack Harlow - WHATS POPPIN

Erika Marie (Editorial)

The Lox - Loyalty And Love
BIA - COVER GIRL
Famous Dex - What I Like (feat. Rich The Kid & Tyga)

Mitch Findlay (Editorial)

DaBaby - Find My Way
Turbo, Gunna, & Young Thug - QUARANTINE CLEAN
Conway - Shoot Sideways (feat. ScHoolboy Q)
Drake - Toosie Slide

There isn’t a self-respecting rap fan out there who doesn’t hold Lil Wayne in high esteem. Not only is the man widely considered to be one of the deadliest lyricists on a competitive basis, threatening to decapitate even his own signees on wax, but also one of the most stylistically versatile. Though his forays into different genres have not always seen glowing reception — 2010’s Rebirth remains an interesting sidestep into the murky waters of rap-rock— his bold creativity is nothing short of admirable. It’s likely one of the main factors behind his universal appeal, a fanbase made-up of myriad demographics for an equal number of reasons.

Quick though die-hards may be to cite his esteemed lyricism, some of Weezy’s most successful chart-toppers find him operating in melodic territory. Few managed to sustain universal interest like Tha Carter III’s lead single “Lollipop,” originally released on March 13th, 2008 — a little over twelve years ago. It has been certified 5X platinum by the RIAA, though it’s highly likely the numbers have expanded significantly since it was archived in December 2009. In the year of its original release, “Lollipop” became the crowning achievement in ringtone rap back when that was still a thing. To this day, it stands triumphant as the most successful single of Weezy’s career. It might also be one of his least lyrical. Considering how much of Wayne’s appeal stems from his “best rapper alive” mentality, the staggering admiration of “Lollipop” is curious to say the least.

Mat Hayward/Getty Images

On paper, much of “Lollipop” is almost comically anti-bars; gallows humor that resonates all the more given its proximity to Nas’ own Hip Hop Is Dead and Jay-Z’s nail-meet-coffin anthem “Death Of Autotune.” Nearly sixty percent of the song’s lyrical content centers around repetition, with the late Static Major holding it down with the song’s iconic hook. The same man who once laid waste to a blistering mixtape run that many still revere to this day won hearts and minds with his wizened smut mantras: so I told her back it up like burp, burp, and I made that ass jump like jerp, jerp. Yet somehow, it all comes together to work in magnificent fashion. Perhaps because Wayne already proved his acumen as a lyricist, he was able to pivot into mindless frivolity without much backlash from fans. Lest we forget, on the same album “Lollipop” came from stand songs like “3 Peat,” “Mr. Carter” and “Shoot Me Down.” A little fun should not only be expected — it should be welcomed.

Listen, putting the bars of “Lollipop” under the microscope for analysis feels almost condescending. Simply put, the song is a celebration of oral sex, a topic that has been known to bring people together on a worldwide level — social distancing notwithstanding. Could it really be so simple? That “Lollipop’s” rampant success was simply sex sells in action? It certainly didn’t hurt the cause given that it was clearly designed for club-rotation, strip or otherwise. But we’ve long seen x-rated bangers come and go throughout the genre, with few ever coming close to “Lollipop’s” success. It stands to reason that Weezy’s musicality played a role in cementing the song’s appeal.

Denise Truscello/WireImage/Getty Images

The instrumental, produced by the tandem of Jim Jonsin and Deezle, centers heavily around the repetition of a truncated minor scale. As such, it has become easy jam fodder for a variety of different instrumentalists, with the song sounding especially punchy on the guitar. The band Framing Hanley’s emo take on the anthem has assembled twenty-two million views on YouTube, and countless others have ventured their hand at covering the banger. Blame it on the simplicity of the arrangement. Either way, it’s tempting to document “Lollipop” as one of Weezy’s earliest bouts of pre-Rebirth experimentation. It definitely stands as one of his earliest documented instances of autotune usage, a practice that would remain in his arsenal for the remainder of his career.

In fact, Tha Carter III feels like a major detion for Weezy in general, with the first installment being produced in its entirety by Cash Money legend Mannie Fresh, while the second found him working with a core that included T-Mix and DVLP. With the third Carter arriving on the heels of his legendary mixtape spree, Wayne was forced to contend with a since-developed macabre habit: bloodletting the instrumentals of his fellow emcees. Determined to prove himself as not only an elite lyricist but an artist as well, Wayne allowed himself unprecedented space to gamble with new sonic directions.

While some might look to Weezy’s minimalist “Lollipop” bars with a scornful eye, others might applaud his borderline surgical use of restraint. A solid quality in a genre where the threat of doing too much forever looms. Much like the track’s cleverest lyric suggests, “Lollipop” feels right when it should be wrong. If only because it managed to not only survive, but thrive in an era where hip-hop was deemed to be on life-support by critics and elder statesmen alike. 

The Weeknd is well aware of the impact he had on pop and R&B music with his debut mixtape, House of Balloons, but he wasn’t always happy about it. The singer dropped his highly-anticipated album, After Hours, just under three weeks ago, marking his fourth studio album and his first in four years since 2016’s Starboy. Although his sound has evolved a fair amount since he catapulted onto the scene in 2011 with House of Balloons, The Weeknd’s initial debut was unlike anything we’d ever heard at the time.

“House of Balloons literally changed the sound of pop music before my eyes,” he told Variety in his cover story for the publication’s latest issue. However, despite how exciting it was that his sound was impacting the landscape of the music scene, he didn’t always appreciate that other artists seemed to be emulating him.

“I heard ‘Climax,’ that Usher song, and was like, ‘Holy f*ck, that’s a Weeknd song,'” he recalled. Although “it was very flattering,” that, according to The Weeknd, the R&B heavyweight had seemingly taken inspiration from his own sound, he “also got angry.” However, he recognized that it also meant that “I was doing something right,” and, “the older I got, I realized it’s a good thing.” Do you think “Climax” sounds like a Weeknd song?

Though some might warn to never meet your idols, others would welcome the prospect of such connections. Luckily, Joyner Lucas counts himself among the latter camp, having recently engaged in a face-to-face conversation with his personal hero Will Smith. The meeting of the minds transpired on Smith’s ongoing Snapchat series Will From Home, which finds the legendary and multi-talented rapper slash actor enjoying the subtle pleasures of home life — something with which we’ve all become well acquainted of late.

In the latest episode of Will From Home, Smith took a moment to connect with Joyner Lucas, to whom he previously reached out following the release of ADHD single “Will.” At the time, Will expressed a desire to meet face-to-face, and so began an intergenerational bromance fueled by mutual respect. Now, Joyner has officially crossed another item of the bucket list, having recently linked up with Will and Jaden Smith to watch the “Will” video and have a meeting of the minds. 

Jerritt Clark/Getty Images, Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

“You’ve always been my idol,” gushes Joyner. “For me, I feel like you’ve done everything the right way and I really look up to that.” Ever the loyal son, Jaden chimed in with a co-sign of Joyner’s assessment, noting that his dad “did go from first making music in Philly, winning the first-ever rap Grammy, and then making that transition from mainly music into film.” Smith couldn’t resist the set-up, coming through with some peak dad humor in the clutch: “Then, Jaden, after all of that, I made you!”

Should you be interested in catching Joyner and Smith’s face-to-face conversation, you can check that out exclusively on Snapchat, the official source for all things Will From Home.

DaBaby teased the alternate ending for his “Find My Way” visuals, starring one of his biggest fans and admirers, B. Simone. The actress/singer/Internet personality has never been shy about making her love for DaBaby public, so when she shared a photo of the rapper grabbing a handful of her behind on Instagram last week, folks were floored that she had seemingly managed to manifest a relationship with him. However, it turned out that she hadn’t cuffed DaBaby just yet. Instead, he’d reached out to her to star as his love interest in the music video for his new single, “Find My Way,” a track that sees the often-consistent-sounding rapper switching up his flow quite a bit. He officially dropped the song and accompanying visuals a week ago, and now, he’s teasing an alternate ending to the Reel-Goats-directed crime-thriller.

The original ending to the Bonnie-and-Clyde-themed video saw DaBaby and B. make a break for it after racking up a significant amount of casualties during their criminal escapades. However, based on this sneak peek, it looks like DaBaby and the Reel Goats crew considered a different outcome to the crime spree that seems to have some of their would-be victims driving off with their truck. Check out the clip below and let us (and DaBaby) know if you’d be interested in seeing this alternate ending.

Kanye West, Mariah Carey, and Tyler Perry are set to contribute to Joel Osteen’s virtual Easter service this weekend, and the Lakewood church pastor has provided some more details about each act’s plans. We reported that these performers and speakers would be a part of Osteen’s online Easter congregation, and it looks like most or all of these acts’ performances and speeches will be pre-recorded and streamed on the Internet in some fashion. Although he’s proud to have Kanye, along with his Sunday service choir, and Mariah perform and Tyler to speak, Osteen doesn’t take full credit for getting these acts together for his Easter service, noting that it “it just all came together…it just kinda fell into place.”

While it’s well known that he and Kanye are tight since Ye and his Sunday Service choir have performed at Osteen’s Lakewood Church on several occasions, not many people know that the pastor and Mariah go way back. Osteen said Mariah actually contacted him first about putting something together because “she wanted to show some support and honour to the first responders. She wanted to share us a song and put some video footage of the first responders [together], just to do her part to bring hope and uplift the nation.”

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Yeezy Season 3

However, Osteen knows less about Kanye’s specific plans, but he’s seen a few photos that demonstrate that the “one-of-a-kind” artist and his Sunday Service choir are maintaining social distancing. As for Tyler Perry, Osteen says the filmmaker, who “is a very powerful speaker” and has spoken at Lakewood in the past, “sent us a 5-minute clip where he’s just encouraging everybody through this difficult time.” Osteen actually reached out to Perry first and asked him to provide some encouraging words for the virtual Easter service.

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for SiriusXM

While Osteen has been conducting his own services online for a few weeks now amid the coronavirus pandemic, he’s asked about other pastors who have been going forward with their congregations in-person and defying the government’s orders. Osteen says he doesn’t “want to judge anyone else, because people feel strongly about their faith and some of these pastors, I’m sure, are my friends.” However, because his own auditorium seats a whopping 16,000-17,000 people, “it felt right to me to honour the authorities. I’m probably more old school…I don’t mind that—it’s not a lack of faith that we’re not having services, it’s a respect to mankind.”

One of the most accomplished rappers of all time, Eminem also apparently has a heart of gold. Who would have thought that we would describe one of the most ferocious battlers using those words but, in the midst of the coronavirus quarantine, he came through with a major announcement that will entertain so many as we fight back boredom.

Taking to his rarely-used social media channels, Eminem announced that Shade 45, the hip-hop centric radio station that the rapper operates, will be available for free for a limited time during quarantine.

Theo Wargo/Getty Images

“Make right now sound a little better,” wrote Em, using the unfortunate circumstances we’re all navigating to drive attention to his SiriusXM channel. “The @shade45 crew can help keep you sane. Right now, you get Shade 45 for free, along with full @siriusxm access!”

Streaming on SiriusXM will be free until May 15, ensuring that listeners have enough audio content to keep them away from the woes of restlessness. With free Shade 45, you can stay up to date on some of the best new sounds coming from the world of hip-hop, while also remaining in touch with one of the most skilled rappers of all time.

Take advantage of the offer here. Thanks, Marshall!

XXXTentacion and Lil Wayne have collaborated several times posthumously, with the late Florida rapper appearing on a couple of Tunechi's albums. In return, Weezy F Baby delivered vocals on Bad Vibes Forever, one of the albums that X was working on before his death. One of their more recently-released team-ups, "School Shooters," will soon be earning a new chapter as it has been announced by the estate of XXXTentacion that a music video is on the way.

This could go one of two ways. At the end of the day, we all know that a ton of controversy is likely to come from this video. A music video about a topic as sensitive as school shootings -- especially one that appears to show scenes of bullying from the short preview shared on XXXTentacion's Instagram page -- could garner negative reactions given the current state of the world. Gun violence in places of education has become an unfortunate trend in the United States.