Artists like Kehlani, Vince Staples, Denzel Curry, and more took to social media to remember the late Chynna Rogers, a Philadelphia rapper and model who tragically died at the age of 25 on Wednesday (April 8th). “Chynna was deeply loved and will be sorely missed," her family wrote in a statemet. Her cause of death is currently unknown.

Chynna began her career at the age of 14 when she was signed to Ford Models. She was then take under A$AP Yams' wing, and launched her rap career. Plenty of fellow artists, including the late Yams' crew A$AP Mob, paid tribute to Chynna on social media. "REST EASY CHYNNA," the A$AP Mob account on Instagram wrote. "WE GON MISS U SIS" Kehlani also took to Instagram to write a lengthy message about her fallen friend. "You never forgot to check in," she said in her tribute. "You never forgot to tell yourself you were proud. I will always be proud of you." "Everybody needs to know that you were special," said Vince Staples. "Too special for words."

Though streaming platforms offer many conveniences in the listening experience, every so often fans are faced with an irritating conundrum. For years now, Dr. Dre‘s beloved debut The Chronic, released in 1992 as a flagship drop on Death Row Records, has been exclusively available to Apple Music. Those who prefer to use Spotify or Tidal have been forced to go without one of hip-hop’s greatest albums of all time, a cruel fate indeed.

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Now, however, it would appear that Dre and his team have decided to spread the love. As of 4/20, The Chronic will be officially appearing across all streaming services, all the more reason to celebrate the weed-fueled holiday. Expect many playlists to be adjusted accordingly, and it wouldn’t be surprising if some younger fans moved to discover the project for the first time.

Songs like “Nuthin But A G Thang,” “Dre Dre,” and of course the oft-memed “Deeez Nuuuts” have been long ingrained within the culture, and it stands to reason that this digital expansion will help highlight some of the album’s deeper cuts. The transition also falls on the heels of The Chronic’s induction into the Library Of Congress, a testament to its significance in hip-hop history. Come 4/20, check back to your chosen DSP and take a trip down memory lane with everybody’s favorite Doctor. 

Future has earned his place among the game’s most respected veterans, having amassed an impressive catalog of studio albums and mixtapes alike. For many,  the Atlanta rapper formerly known as Meathead first captured attention with an impeccable mixtape run, one that all but forced him into the conversation of artists to watch. In fact, it could even be argued that Future’s mixtape discography is one of the best in the game, with classics like Monster, Beast Mode, and 56 Nights solidifying those claims. 

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As is so often the case with mixtape-era holdovers, a fair number of our favorites have yet to make the transition onto streaming platforms. Luckily, Future seems intent on ushering the entirety of his catalog into this new age of ours, with The DJ Esco-hosted 56 Nights being the most recent to make the jump. Featuring songs like “March Madness,” “Purple Comin In,” and “Diamonds From Africa,” the project was recorded following Esco’s 56 nights in a Dubai jail after he was arrested for marijuana possession while on tour with Future.

Should you be so inclined to do so, load up your DSP of choice and spark up 56 Nights in high quality — feel free to adjust your playlists accordingly. Where do you think this one ranks in Future’s mixtape catalog?

A little Instagram ban won’t stop Tory Lanez. The Candian artist recently shared the artwork and release date for his forthcoming project The New Toronto 3, and now he returns with the album’s tracklist. “TRACKLISTING FOR #TheNewToronto3 THE MIXTAPE DROPS TOMORROW !!!” he said of his April 10 release. “PLUS I HAVE A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT tomorrow.”

The New Toronto 3 will be a 16-track offering that only hosts two additional appearances by Mansa and Lil Tjay. Unlike his feature-heavy Chixtape projects, The New Toronto 3 will show Tory once again carrying the bulk of his album on his own back. It’s unfortunate that Tory won’t be able to host a special premiere or Quarantine Radio Instagram Live release party for the project, especially since the world is on lockdown and we’ve all turned to social media in the midst of social distancing.

We’re sure that Tory will come up with some inventive way to celebrate the release of The New Toronto 3. Check out the tracklist below and let us know if you’re looking forward to this one.

Tracklist

1. Pricey & Spicy
2. The Coldest PLayboy
3. Stupid Again
4. 10 F*cks ft. Mansa
5. Dope Boy’s Diary
6. Accidents Happen ft. Lil Tjay
7. Broke in a Minute
8. Pain
9. Adidas
10. Who Needs Love
11. Do the Most
12. Do ME
13. Letter to the City
14. Back in Business
15. D.N.D.
16. MSG 4 God’s Children

Her style may have been heavily influenced by the late singer Aaliyah when she was growing up, but Bia has created her own lane. The rapper’s star has been rising for quite some time, especially after she was signed to Pharrell Williams’s i am OTHER record label. However, her career came to a bit of a standstill in the years to follow after she was shelved. Now that she’s able to spread her wings, we’ve seen much more of the Massachusetts native. 

Russ added Bia to his single “Best on Earth,” a hit song that not only introduced Bia to a larger audience but also received a co-sign from Rihanna. “I would say that was one of the best days for me of my career,” the rapper told HipHopDX. “Because Rihanna, she is one of my favorite people in the world. And to have a co-sign like that from a peer, it already means a lot. But to have co-sign, like that from your favorite person. Like one of the people that you look to for inspiration or one of the people that you feel like set the bar. It was overwhelming for me. It just hit different.”

Bia calls herself a “real student of rap” who studies the styles and flows of those to be considered icons as well as her peers. “When it comes to rap and flow, I’ve always been heavy on rap. I’m a flow type of person,” Bia added. “I love Big Sean’s flow. I love Nicki Minaj. She influenced me a lot. I love Bankroll Fresh. Bankroll Fresh to this day is one of my favorite rappers of all time. People ask me, ‘Who was my biggest inspiration?’ They always think it was Big Sean and I always tell people it was Bankroll Fresh. I’m a real student of rap. I just love rap. I love music. I’m onto sh*t at least a year or two before it pops.” Check out Bia sharing a sexy clip of herself as she raps along to her latest single “Cover Girl”  and watch her interview with us on Between the Lines below.

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Fans were curious as to whether or not Usher would issue a response to The Weeknd‘s recent remarks. The After Hours hitmaker is the cover star for Variety‘s latest issue. Inside, The Weeknd talked about his latest album and the rise of his career that began after he made waves with his 2011 mixtape, House of Balloons. One year later, Usher shared his single “Climax,” a track that The Weeknd says mirrored his talents.

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“I heard ‘Climax,’ that Usher song, and was like, ‘Holy f—, that’s a Weeknd song‘” he told the publication. “It was very flattering, and I knew I was doing something right, but I also got angry. But the older I got, I realized it’s a good thing.” That was a bold statement to make about the R&B veteran and fans were divided while discussing The Weeknd’s comments.

Instead of clapping back, Usher decided to kick off a “#ClimaxChallenge.” The singer took to his Instagram Story to share a video of himself singing his track while also highlighting other vocalists who wanted to give their take on his sexy single. Not everyone could hit those high notes like the R&B icon, but they did their best. Check out a clip of Usher along with the music video for “Climax” below. Let us know if you think Usher was a tad influenced by The Weeknd for this one.

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Hip hop has suffered another loss of a young, rising artist. On Wednesday (April 8), news began to circulate online that Chynna Rogers passed away. The 25-year-old rapper from Philadelphia's death was reportedly confirmed after her family issued a brief statement. “Chynna was deeply loved and will be sorely missed,” they said. Chynna's cause of death has yet to be shared with the public.

The death of Chynna Rogers is added to the list of other young artists that have lost their lives in the last few years. Mac Miller, Lil Peep, Lexii Alijai, Juice WRLD, Cameron Boyce, Hella Sketchy, and others have all had their lives cut short before reaching their full potential. According to Pitchfork, Chynna inked a coveted deal with Ford Models at just 14-years-old, launching her career in the fashion industry. She then became a mentee of A$AP Yams and began crafting her career as an emcee. 

Chynna gained a following after releasing her singles "Glen Coco" and "Selfie." She later shared a number of projects including I'm Not Here. This Isn't Happening, music 2 die 2, and her final EP in case i die first that she dropped in January 2020. Back in August 2016, Chynna reportedly celebrated three months of sobriety by releasing her Ninety mixtape.  “It got to the point where I had to do something just to be able to get on stage and do my job," she said. "I didn’t like that.” 

Chynna Rogers is being celebrated by her friends and fans who have shared loving messages about the fallen rapper online. Check out a few messages below.

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.