Fans clowned Akon to no end for actually going ahead and collaborating with 6ix9ine, after the rapper posted a clip of them vibing to their unreleased song "Locked Up Part 2," a remix of Akon's 2006 track of the same name. It's no secret how Akon feels about 6ix9ine, as the singer has defended his snitching ways on multiple occasions, insisting that he would've done the same thing. The two of them were even supposed to go head-to-head for a hit battle last month, but it never panned out. Akon might be one of the only artists in the industry that still associates themselves with 6ix9ine—at least publicly—so it should come as no surprise that the two of them are working together, but for some reason, it still does.

6ix9ine posted the clip of the two of them previewing the remix on Sunday (June 7th), and it didn't take long for fans to pass judgement on Akon for his questionable choice of a collaborator. 6ix9ine's curious rainbow wig was also a big point of focus, for obvious reasons. 

This week on our “R&B Season” playlist, we decided to highlight a few of the protest anthems that R&B artists have recently dropped in order to show our solidarity with those speaking out against systemic racism and police brutality in light of the police killing of George Floyd and countless others. These past few weeks have been heavy and emotional, as they’ve served to further highlight these issues that have been prevalent in America for decades. People across the globe have been protesting these injustices in many different ways: signing petitions, donating to organizations that help Black communities, standing on the frontlines at rallies. Others have been using music to get their message across, including artists like Trey Songz and Eric Bellinger.

On Wednesday, Eric dropped his new song, “ENOUGH,” drawing on his own experiences with racism and calling for the end of this treatment of Black people. Trey Songz also protested through the art of music with the thematically similar tune, “2020 Riots: How Many Times.” We’ve also decided to include Trey’s duet with Summer Walker titled “Back Home” on “R&B Season” this week. Although “Back Home” already dropped earlier this year, Trey included it in the single release for “2020 Riots: How Many Times.” Check out our “R&B Season” playlist below, and stay safe out there.

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Ever since 6ix9ine came home from jail, legendary artist Akon has been going to bat for him. Akon defended why 6ix9ine ended up snitching on his fellow gang members and at one point, Akon seemed to be interested in doing a hit battle with Tekashi. Now, the two are going even farther with their newfound friendship as Akon has been hanging out at 6ix9ine’s house where the rainbow-haired rapper has his very own makeshift studio.

In the clip below, Tekashi and Akon are jamming out to a brand new track in which 6ix9ine speaks on being thrown in prison. Akon can be seen bobbing his head and eventually, we hear his hook from the classic track “Locked Up.” In 6ix9ine’s post, he refers to the song as “Locked Up Part 2” and that he is currently in album mode.

6ix9ine urged his fans to comment on the IG post and said that if he gets 100,000 comments, he will release the song. Tekashi has been teasing another track over the past few weeks and it was originally going to come out on June 5th but it got pushed back to June 12th.

With this latest collaboration in mind, perhaps there really is some steam to this whole 6ix9ine comeback tour.

The music industry may have pushed things back this week in wake of the ongoing injustices in America but the eruption of protests has clearly provided inspiration for some. Young Thug hasn’t ever been incredibly political in his music. However, if there’s one political statement that became a recurring theme in his music it’s ‘Fuck 12.’

The rapper recently hit Instagram where he shared a snippet of an upcoming single that he’s been recording. With luscious piano chords backing him, Thugger discusses the ongoing harassment of Black people by police officers and paints an image of the protests and riots that have taken place across the U.S. Thug didn’t clarify if this song has a release date or even a title but if it’s like anything else out of Thug’s catalog, it will likely find its way to the public in some sort of fashion. 

Thug made his position on the current protests clear once the riots began to erupt. “They’d rather let the nation burn than arrest 3 of their own… let that sink in,” the post reads.

Earlier this week, the four officers responsible for the murder of George Floyd were arrested. Derek Chauvin, the former officer who suffocated Floyd, was charged with second-degree murder. The three other officers were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

The road to Hollywood hasn’t been an easy journey for Rome Flynn. Prior to winning an Emmy for his role in The Bold & The Beautiful and before he starred in three seasons of How to Get Away with Murder, the Chicago native periodically lived in shelters with his mother and siblings when he was a child. As he got older, he learned from his mother’s tenacity, watching as she built a life herself and her eight children. Rome moved to Los Angeles on a whim and a prayer, working odd jobs until he landed his first major role in 2014: Drumline: A New Beat. Since that time, the past six years have seemed like a whirlwind as he’s shared acting spaces with Viola Davis, Cicely Tyson, Richard Roundtree, Tyler Perry, Loretta Devine, Tia Mowry-Hardrict, and many other noteworthy actors. Yet, not many people know that music is Rome’s first love, and while the budding actor is returning to a space that’s familiar to him, it’s a side of himself that he has yet to share with the world.

Recently, Rome Flynn released his single “Keep Me In Mind,” a sultry, sexy, side piece R&B jam that the musician has admitted is about his good friend Kehlani. The track is the second song we’ve received from Rome, as it follows “Brand New,” his first release last Fall. We spoke with Rome last October about “Brand New,” so it was only fitting that we follow up with the multihyphenated performer to discuss his transition from acting to the music industry. He described this stage of his journey as a “freeing experience” as he shared that he’s also “in a really good creative space.” Yet, there are multiple levels of vulnerability in choosing to walk this path of creativity, and as he presents this side of himself that people aren’t used to, he forges ahead into unchartered territory.

“I think that artists that do music and grow their fanbase from people that [have] grown accustomed to seeing them as artists, it’s a different kind of vulnerability,” said Rome. “For me, I’m really putting myself in a position where I’m allowing people to really judge who I am personally after kind of navigating them to judge me through the characters that I’ve played.” According to the actor-singer, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. “When I come and try to reintroduce myself to people [outside of my roles on televison], there’s a little bit of pushback just because change is always scary for people. And anything that doesn’t align with who they think you are, it doesn’t feel natural to them. It feels forced or it feels fake maybe or something to do. So, it’s a road that I’ve been having to travel…It’s a different vulnerable space.”

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“Brand New” and “Keep My In Mind” are but two pieces to a grander puzzle as Rome has been laboriously crafting his debut EP. When he spoke with us last year, Rome was clear that the project would be titled Energy, but things seem to have shifted. With growth comes movement, and Rome has put the idea of “energy” on the shelf for the time being. “As I was writing most of these records for this EP that will have probably six or seven songs on it, they’re in line with the vein I want to be in with [‘Keep Me In Mind’], so I don’t think ‘energy’ is something that—that’s something I may revisit another time but, yeah,” Rome said. “With art, it just evolves and I’m just allowing myself to grow. If I do grow in a different direction, I have to allow myself to do that.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many artists to press the pause button their plans as studios have closed, social distancing keeps people away from one another, and tours have canceled. Rome’s untitled EP, an album that’s “geared toward love,” is still slated for release this year, but things may take a bit longer to come together than he expected. Rome holds his cards close to the chest when sharing details about the project—a record the self-proclaimed “hopeless romantic” describes as “Trap-R&B”—but he did let us know that he’s looking at having “maybe two or three” features on the record, including a collaboration with Wale.

“I just spoke to him a few days ago about doing something with him,” Rome shared. “I’d love to do something with Bia. We’ve been talking about it.” His music tastes are clearly influenced by our favorite classic oldies as Rome told us he has Soul icons like Marvin Gaye and Teddy Pendergrass on rotation, but that doesn’t mean that this current generation of artists doesn’t move him. “I’ve been listening to Tory Lanez. I think that he has such a unique, kind of this Trap-Soul thing that’s similar to why I listen to Bryson Tiller a lot,” Rome admitted. “I listen to Chris Brown’s album a lot, Indigo. I like Eric Bellinger. He has his own kinda style. Erykah Badu. Those are a few R&B people. Khalid, too.”

While Rome Flynn’s looks have set him apart in Hollywood, the 28-year-old has often been pigeonholed as a vacant-minded pretty boy. If you take a quick stroll through his social media pages, you’ll find thousands of messages from people who have defined him strictly by his outer appearance—but his “intellectual property,” as he calls it, is a personal quality that Rome would rather be exalted over any physical characteristic. His life experiences have made him a person who sees far beyond the surface and he hopes that his audience will take the time to do the same as he exposes inner parts of himself rarely seen by the public. It’s clear that his river runs deep, but the assumption of superficiality plagues the rising star.

“I think that a lot of times people just see me for my photos and they only see me as some sex symbol or something like that. I never asked for any of that. It just kind of happened,” he said. “And because of that perception of people seeing the amount of attention that women give me or whoever, they have this idea that I believe it or I buy into it. But really, when people give me compliments on how I look, I frankly don’t take them with much credibility.” He added, “I’d rather be [noticed] for the work that I have put in, for my career, and where I came from. Those kinds of things. I think people think I’m pretty shallow and I’m actually the exact opposite. I probably think deeper into things than I should.”

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Regardless of how he hopes people will perceive him aside from his exterior, Rome understands that when it comes to being in the public eye, it’s impossible to control the minds of the masses. “Whether or not people love you or hate you or like your music or not, your job is to always just try to be true to yourself and allow those other things to weed themselves out,” he told us. It’s a bit of advice he’s received from his fellow artists as he moves from portraying Gabriel Maddox on HTGAWM into hopefully becoming the next R&B star. 

“I had a conversation with Kehlani about how she navigates being an artist. She’s one of very few artists who are just out in the open with everything and it’s a really vulnerable space, but she kind of elaborates it to being a freeing place to be,” Rome continued. “I can see how that can be. Having a conversation with her and recently having a conversation with Sevyn about her journey, too… Her kind of perception on that is being true to yourself. People are going to hate you or love you regardless, so as long as you’re happy with what you’re doing, that’s really all you really have control over.”

While fans await the Spanish version of “Keep Me In Mind,” watch the Riley Robbins-directed music video for Rome Flynn’s latest single below.

Gunna is still riding high off of the release of his latest project, Wunna. Though the album arrived a few weeks ago and launched to the top of the Billboard 200, the rapper admitted that it’s been hard to celebrate with everything going on in the world. However, he’s still plotting on the release of the deluxe edition, as most his peers do when they drop an album.

The deluxe version of Wunna will launch along with a special edition collectibles item. The rapper took to Instagram this week to reveal that the Wunna Mann action figure will be available in the near future. But the action figure is only part of a bigger world surrounding his new album and his lifestyle. Along with Wunna Mann, there will be action figures available for Gunna, Wheezy, Young Thug, Turbo, Taurus, and Ator Keys.

“Wunna Mann?? & Duluxe Otw Who ready,” he captioned the post. 

“Gunna is Wunna. He’s wealthy, he’s unapologetic, and he got the D R I P. The life purpose of Wunna is to be seen, be heard, and communicate. Through his new project he will reflect this purpose in a warrior like manner — energetically, outspoken and recklessly, while shining his brightest light to others,” the product description reads.

Though no tracklist has been revealed for the deluxe version, it feels like it’ll be arriving in the neat future. Are you scooping a Wunna Mann action figure?

It looks like not everybody is all that familiar with Playboi Carti‘s discography, especially self-proclaimed “smart Conservative pages” on Instagram. On Friday, @conservative.genius, a right-wing IG account that claims to post “Facts and Logic” as well as “Smart Conservative Content,” shared an anti-protest graphic that included a collage of photos. Along with the shots from recent demonstrations as a message that read, “if their cause is worth hearing, why do they resort to this?” However, among the photos of burning cop cars and establishments was one image that didn’t quite seem to fit. This account appears to have mistaken the album cover for Playboi Carti’s 2018 debut album, Die Lit, for a Black Lives Matter protest photo.

Of course, Carti’s diehard fans quickly took notice of this hilarious blunder, and promptly roasted whoever was behind this “smart” account. “THE DIE LIT ALBUM COVER dude calls himself a genius, yet cant differentiate a real picture from an album cover LMFAOOO delete ya entire account sir,” one user wrote. “This can’t be real there no way you used the die lit album cover,” another commented. Many fans also flooded the comments with the lyrics to some of the songs off the album, while others just spammed the post with clown emojis for obvious reasons.

Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET

The user behind the account eventually caught on to their critical error, although they don’t quite seem to understand the extent of their mistake. “Sorry all, I didn’t realise that picture of a riot was also used as an album cover, however I won’t be taking it down,” the account posted to its story, along with three American flags. Someone please tell them that the photo wasn’t taken at a riot at all, and even if it was, it certainly wasn’t in recent weeks.

The death of Breonna Taylor is among the recent murders at the hands of the police that have called for an imminent change in police conduct. Her murder has gained attention over the past few weeks since protests erupted across North America in support of Black Lives Matter. Breonna was murdered in March. Months later, her family, friends, and supporters of all social backgrounds have called for justice.

Yesterday would’ve marked Breonna Taylor’s 27th birthday. Many took to social media calling for charges to be laid against the officers involved in her murder including Beyoncé. Sharing an animation wishing Breonna a happy birthday, she captioned the photo, “Justice for Breonna. Click the link in my bio to take action.” Her bio redirects you to a petition demanding justice for Breonna Taylor that you can go to here.

At this point, no charges have been laid against the officers but the family did file a wrongful death lawsuit. Additionally, the FBI is now doing an investigation into her death. Police shot her eight times during a no-knock warrant after entering her home. Her boyfriend thought they were intruders and began firing shots at them. Police then open fired and killed Breonna Taylor with eight shots.

If you’re looking for more information on how you can help, we’ve shared a list of organizations you can donate to and petitions you can sign.

These past few weeks have been heavy and emotional, as they’ve highlighted the issues of systemic racism and police brutality that have existed not only in America but in places all around the world for decades. People across the globe are protesting these injustices in many different ways, whether it be through signing petitions, donating to worthy and helpful causes, or standing right out on the frontlines. Others, still, are using music to get this message across, which is why we decided to highlight a few of the protest anthems that dropped this past week on our “Fire Emoji” playlist this week, along with a cut off Run The Jewels‘ new project.

One artist who’s been outspoken issues of racism for years now is Meek Mill, so it came as no surprise when he dropped the poignant “Otherside of America,” serving as a reality check to those who still insist on denying what’s really going on in the United States. YG also dropped a politically and socially charged track this week, the message of which could not be clearer. On “FTP” or “F*ck The Police,” a follow-up to the rapper’s anti-Donald-Trump tune, “FDT” YG calls out all the corruption and violent misconduct within the American police force. Check out the rest of our new additions to “Fire Emoji” below, and keep on fighting the good fight.

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Quando Rondo admitted that he actually isn’t that fond of his debut album, QPac, which dropped in January. He explained that the album was mostly just what his label, Atlantic Records, wanted him to put out, and that he didn’t, in fact, even contribute that much of the writing. 

“I’m not even going to lie to you, I didn’t really like QPac,” the rapper told HipHopDX. “That project was based on money because the label put so much money into that sh*t for no reason. Half of the songs I didn’t even write and I’m just being honest but don’t get me wrong. A lot of rappers won’t say that but I don’t give a f*ck because, at the end of the day, I’m a Crip. This is who I am. What am I going to fake for?”

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He goes on to name some of the songs he didn’t write, but recorded anyway because he was getting paid. “I feel like QPac didn’t really do what I wanted it to do because that sh*t wasn’t really me,” he explains. “Don’t get me wrong I wrote verses but like, that ‘Collect Calls’ sh*t, that was not my hook. I didn’t want to do that sh*t but I got paid to do it. I got like $75,000 to do that sh*t. The song ‘Bad Vibe’ I got with A Boogie and 2 Chainz, I didn’t write that hook either.”

It all came down to a lack of creative license and control from his label for Quando. “How do you invest in me if you took your money and did something that you guys wanted to do?” he stressed. “You are doing stuff for yourself and using me as a source. There’s nothing wrong with that because you’re not supposed to be around people for no reason, but I feel like the only way I’ll get a big song is if I have a real meeting with the label and use my ideas. Look how far I made it doing me!” A fair point.