Just over a week since they released their joint single "Obama," Blueface and DaBaby share bits from the set of their music video. The track is set to be included on Blueface's anticipated release Find The Beat, a project that the "Thotiana" rapper has been teasing for a while now. The Cash Money West rapper had a huge year in 2019 as his viral track topped the charts, and many are waiting to see if he'll be able to follow in the footsteps of his own success with his official debut.

On Tuesday (February 18), both Blueface and DaBaby shared some behind-the-scenes clips of themselves filming the visual that nicely coincides with an election year. The video is complete with a mock Oval Office and a fake Barack Obama behind the Commander-in-Chief's desk. The two rappers show off their shining jewelry for the camera as they take orders from the director as to how the scene will play out.

Blueface also uploaded a video of himself alongside the Fake Obama as the rapper attempts to teach him how to do his signature dance move. Unfortunately, it didn't come out just right, but that's because Impostor Obama has hip-action all his own. Check out the clips below along with Blueface and DaBaby's new single "Obama."

Hip hop and R&B fans were floored on Tuesday (February 18) when a flyer for an upcoming concert began to circulate on social media. The Lovers & Friends Festival popped up on Instagram and for their first post, they uploaded a flyer that has caused quite a bit of controversy in less than 24 hours. According to the information provided, the Goldenvoice presented show will take place on May 9 in Los Angeles at "the grounds at Dignity Health Sports Park." However, there have been a few hiccups as both artists and fans have called out the alleged promoters for misinformation.

Artists reportedly performing at the one-day event include Lauryn Hill, Usher, Ludacris, Lil Jon, TLC, Jhené Aiko, Summer Walker, Megna Thee Stallion, Nelly, Sean Paul, T-Pain, Brandy, Monica, Ja Rule, Fat Joe, SWV, Saweetie, Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Ginuwine, Dru Hill, Next, 112, Mario, Twista, Eve, Trina, Tweet, Amerie, Mase, Cam'ron, Mike Jones, Montell Jordan, Umi, Jon B, Baby Bash, Frankie J, and Nina Sky.

This lineup is every 1990s and 2000s hip hop and R&B fans' dream, but all may not be what it seems. Initially, Twista insinuated that he hadn't been paid for the show, but later he confirmed that he'd be playing all of his hits. Lil Kim reposted the flyer on her Instagram Story with a message written over it that read, “This is SO FAKE! I am not a part of this.” Mase simply commented, “Best of wishes on this show but pls take my name off this flyer.”

Fans have been voicing their confusion in the comment section as they've stated that although T-Pain is scheduled for Lovers & Friends Festival, he's reportedly also supposed to perform at Rolling Loud the same day. Some also stated that Megan Thee Stallion is supposed to be performing at another event in Washington, D.C. that day, as well, but Broccolli Festival shared that she's scheduled for both events.

Some people have expressed that they're feeling "Fyre Fest vibes," but all id legit, according to Snoop Dogg. The rapper made a brief video where he shared that he was one of the booking agents for the concert and verified that everyone is confirmed. He stated that he thought he was speaking with Lil Kim's representatives when booking her, but if not, he told the Queen Bee to DM him so they could officially add her to the roster.

Snoh Aalegra is one of the most angelic voices gracing R&B at the moment. I’m sure the Swedish-Iranian singer was on many people’s wishlist of artists to appear on NPR Tiny Desk and that dream has now become a reality. Her songs conjure the kind of intimate atmosphere that would obviously translate well to the series’ stripped-back performances. 

Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Watching her perform her velvety tracks, her singing appears just as effortless as it sounds. Her Tiny Desk setlist mostly consisted of cuts from her 2019 sophomore album, – Ugh, those feels again, which propelled her closer to stardom and earned her Swedish Grammy nominations. From that project, she performed “Love Like That”, “I Want You Around”, “Find Someone Like You” and “Woah”, which received a remixing by Pharrell last week. She dove further back into her catalog for “Fool For You” from her 2017 debut. This song attracted much love through her appearance on the “COLORS” web series. 

Snoh Aalegra remains a favorite on our R&B-centric Spotify playlist, “R&B Season”, which is updated weekly with new releases and throwbacks that fit the calming vibe. You can listen and subscribe to that here. 

Setlist

• “Love Like That”
• “I Want You Around”
• “Whoa”
• “Fool For You”
• “Find Someone Like You”

Rick Ross and Dwyane Wade have stepped into the booth to do it for Miami one time. Rozay, a.k.a the Biggest Boss, hit Instagram to share the official cover art for his new single, “Season Ticket Holder,” a collaboration with Dwyane Wade as well as Raphael Saadiq and Udonis Haslem. The song is set to arrive this Friday, serving as one of Ross’ first singles since the release of Port Of Miami II this past summer.

This marks another huge stride in a big week for Dwyane Wade. Fresh off of his controversial job as the judge at the NBA All-Star dunk contest this past weekend, he’s been promoting his upcoming documentary, D. Wade: Life Unexpected which is set to premiere on ESPN just two days after his new single with Ross, on Feb 23rd. The documentary is set to detail the highs and lows of his career from personal aspects of his family life to his journey in the NBA.

“I’m looking forward to sharing this very personal documentary that peels back the layers of my emotional sixteen season journey with all of its twists and turns, and peaks and valleys,” he said of the documentary. It has been a roller coaster ride and the never-before seen footage will show my fans how I’ve made my own way throughout this incredible adventure.”

There’s nothing quite like flexing on your haters, especially when you can do it while accepting one of the top honors of the night at a prestigious awards ceremony. For Tyler, The Creator, he got the chance to do just that by accepting his trophy for “International Male Solo Artist” at the 2020 BRIT Awards in the most Tyler way possible.

Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

For those that don’t remember, Tyler was actually banned from the UK for a couple of years back in 2015 by then-prime minister Theresa May, citing his controversially violent and at times homophobic lyrics as a reason for her decision. Fans of the IGOR rapper suffered right along with him being that he had to cancel many European tour dates in promotion of his 2015 album Cherry Bomb. While closing out his speech at the BRIT Awards today, airing live from the 02 Arena in London, Tyler said, “I want to give a special shoutout to someone who I hold dear to my heart, who made it where I couldn’t come to this country five years ago — I know she’s at home pissed off. Thank you, Theresa May!” Now that’s how you make a memorable comeback!

Watch the clip from Tyler, The Creator’s speech at the 2020 BRIT Awards below The Independent: 

There’s no telling when a rapper will blow up from up-and-comer to superstar, but there’s no denying DaBaby and Roddy Ricch have done exactly that. As of now, Ricch has been holding on to the number one album for a minute, and DaBaby recently linked up with Drake, Future, and Lil Baby for a stacked “Life Is Good” remix. Clearly, both rappers have solidified themselves as a force to be reckoned with — at least commercially speaking. All things considered, is it really a surprise to see the two hitmakers in the studio together? 

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images, Roger Kisby/Getty Images 

Roddy Ricch took to Instagram to tease their upcoming collaboration, a brief clip you can catch by way of his IG story. Though he doesn’t preview any music, he does show DaBaby sitting in the driver’s seat and issuing a warning to the game at large. The confidence is contagious; Ricch’s own “caption” positions the pair as “two of the greatest,” complete with GOAT emoji for emphasis.

As of now, it’s unclear as to when the fruits of their labor will arrive in full. Given that Ricch’s Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial is exhibiting no signs of slowing down, it’s entirely possible the song will be reserved for DaBaby’s eventual Kirk follow-up. Either way, we’re destined for a banger one way or another — which of these two do you prefer? 

After leaving his fans under the impression that his next album would be titled “Chapter VI” for some time, The Weeknd revealed last week that we actually have After Hours on the way. Regardless of what the project may be called, people were still left itching for a release date. There was speculation that it would drop shortly after that announcement to coincide with the Toronto crooner’s birthday on February 16. Well, it’s now the 18th and the album is still M.I.A. and its release window remains a mystery. 

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

We now have more reason to believe that After Hours is not too far away. The Weeknd just shared its cover art, which tends to be one of the final stages of a rollout. The cover is a headshot of the character that Abel has been embodying for the project’s promo so far, all bloodied as he has appeared in the manic music videos for its first two singles, “Heartless” and “Blinding Lights”. This reveal comes along with some more info: “Heartless” will serve as Track 7 and “Blinding Lights” will serve as Track 9. The total length of the tracklist is still unknown. 

We will also be getting Track 13 of After Hours tonight, which will be the album’s title track. We don’t know whether it will be a midnight release or earlier, but stay tuned. After Hours is on the horizon. What do you think of the cover? 

If you’re only familiar with Pi’erre Bourne from his production, then we’re going to do something about that right now. While he has provided artists like Playboi Carti and 21 Savage with immaculate beats and has largely redefined the sounds of today’s trap music, he deserves just as much credit for his solo work. You can start to get acquainted with his catalog through his major label debut released last year, The Life Of Pi’erre 4. 

Pi’erre is currently on his first European headlining tour. While he has been selling out shows and appears to be having a blast, he experienced a minor inconvenience at his last stop. Mid performance, a fan dove onstage and Pi’erre wasted no time handling the situation. As he pointed out in the caption, he had no security to protect him, hence had no option but to take matters into his own hands. Luckily, his hands possessed the power to swiftly launch the overzealous fan back into crowd. The chaos of the clip is amplified by the girl in the front row (seen in the bottom right corner), screaming that she lost her phone due to the dude that flew over her. One well-liked comment on the post made the obvious observation that we all probably couldn’t help but think of: “Pierre didn’t want him to come out here.” The superproducer’s caption summed up the situation best: “No security. Toss em back to the wolves.”

It’s been a while since Lil Baby impacted the world with a brand new album and, in a number of weeks, the Atlanta star will be returning with My Turn, his latest body of work. Announcing the project earlier this year, the Quality Control rapper shared his cover artwork and continued dropping singles to promote his recent material, including “Woah,” “Catch The Sun,” and “Sum 2 Prove.” Alongside the release of the fresh music video for “Sum 2 Prove,” the pre-order is officially open for My Turn, unveiling the tracklist as a result. 

Bennett Raglin/Getty Images

It’s Lil Baby’s turn to take over the world. He’s been watching from the sidelines for far too long and he’s fed up of watching his peers get more shine than him. Aiming for a successful debut, Baby is loading his upcoming album with twenty songs and some very exciting features. In addition to Gunna, Moneybagg Yo, Young Thug and others, the body of work will be complemented by Lil Wayne, Lil Uzi Vert, and Future. All of the aforementioned singles will be included and we’re expecting to hear even more before the official drop next week.

Take a look at the full tracklist below and let us know which song you’re most excited to hear on February 28.

Tracklist:

1. Get Ugly
2. Heatin Up (feat. Gunna)
3. How
4. Grace (feat. 42 Dugg)
5. Woah
6. Live Off My Closet (feat. Future)
7. Same Thing
8. Emotionally Scarred
9. Commercial (feat. Lil Uzi Vert)
10. Forever (feat. Lil Wayne)
11. Can’t Explain
12. No Sucker (feat. Moneybagg Yo)
13. Sum 2 Prove
14. We Should (feat. Young Thug)
15. Catch The Sun (From “Queen & Slim: The Soundtrack”)
16. Consistent
17. Gang Signs
18. Hurtin
19. Forget That (feat. Rylo Rodriguez)
20. Solid

Not many artists can say they have a song with both 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G in their repertoire. The legendary Method Man had the honor of dropping “The What” with Biggie off Ready To Die, as well as “Got My Mind Made Up” off 2Pac’s All Eyez On Me. Buju Banton provided vocals on one of Pac and Big’s rare collaborations “Runnin’ (From The Police). Yet for many hip-hop fans, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s respective sessions with Pac and Biggie led to two of the greatest collaborations the culture has ever seen: “Thug Luv” and “Notorious Thugs.”

2Pac and Bone’s “Thug Luv,” which was recorded prior to Pac’s passing in 1996, was released as part of the classic The Art Of War. Released on July 29th, 1997, Bone’s first double album became an instant commercial success; by the following year, it was already certified quadruple platinum — four million copies. Though the project houses many enduring records, “Thug Luv” stands out as a lightning rod, the quintessential blend between horrorcore and unflinching gangsta rap. Sparking off with an electrical hum evocative of Frankenstein’s laboratory, DJ U-Neek’s eerie instrumental is reminiscent of vintage horror flicks from the seventies and eighties. A tense synthesizer loop provides the basis, an ominous piano triplet alluding to the unknown. In the background, Bizzy Bone’s hellish chants of “POP POP run with us, Pac and Rip with Thug Luv” strike a disorienting chord, lost beneath the intensity of Pac’s brazen shit-talking; you can almost picture him in the booth with two shotguns drawn, the inspiration for the gunfire-based percussion.

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection

Though Bone and Pac seemed destined to clash over a misunderstanding gone awry, they eventually found mutual respect for one another upon crossing paths in Cleveland. Said respect eventually led to Pac and Bizzy Bone hitting the studio with LA rapper Sylk-E-Fyne, where they laid down an original version of “Thug Luv.” Interested parties can actually check out that version below, featuring a stripped-down version of the instrumental, an additional verse from Bizzy Bone, and Sylk-E-Fyne rapping in place of Krayzie, Layzie, and Wish. It’s not entirely clear as to why the group decided to replace Sylk and revisit the track for their sophomore release, but given “Thug Luv’s” undeniable quality it’s easy to formulate a theory.

In its current iteration, the one that served as track two of Art Of War’s second disc, U-Neek’s instrumental revisions enhance the preexisting sense of menace. Violence permeates “Thug Luv,” and Bizzy himself plays a pivotal role in magnifying the track’s unsettling qualities. His opening verse is frantic yet graceful in its delivery, his opening biblical imagery poetic in its juxtaposition against murderous threats. Perhaps emboldened by the 2Pac’s presence, Bizzy lets fly one of the best verses of his career — one that can stand alongside any rapper’s finest work. Everything from his chilling cadence to his impeccable melodic navigation serve in elevating “Thug Luv” from a thriller to a full-scale horror flick. And that’s all before Pac himself bursts in, his baritone threats clearing the room before any gun need be drawn.

Likely recorded around the time he was working on All Eyez On Me, Pac’s thug persona was at an all-time high. Musically, songs like “Ambitionz Az A Ridah” and “No More Pain” spoke to his gravitation toward the darkness; not to mention ongoing feuds with Biggie Smalls and nihilistic warnings like “Hail Mary” and “Troublesome 96” all but foretelling his tragic fate. On “Thug Luv,” all his sneering arrogance spilled into the mic, cementing him as hip-hop’s ground-level boogeyman figure; not only would he rain death upon his enemies but he would laugh while doing so. A stark contrast to Bizzy’s rapid-fire flow, Pac opts for a more methodical delivery, choosing his words carefully and letting the gravity behind them resonate. Pac’s cadential mastery comes alive as he stretches his syllables, drawing from personal experience as he pens reflections on crime and punishment. “I’ll probably be punished for hard living, blind to the facts, thugs is convicts in God’s prison, hands on the strap,” he raps, in his opening bars. “Praying so Father please forgive me, police be rushing when they see me, I flaunt it — America’s Most Wanted, live on T.V.”

LISTEN: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony ft. 2Pac – Thug Luv

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Where “Thug Luv” is the pre-war battlecry, “Notorious Thugs” is the post-massacre reflection. Dead bodies litter the floor as a grand piano is ushered in. Recorded at some point between 1995 and 1997, the Notorious B.I.G’s double album Life After Death saw Bone Thugs-N-Harmony once again setting disc-two ablaze. In many ways, the sprawling and dreamlike epic that is “Notorious Thugs” draws many parallels with its darker counterpart. Each song begins with a chant of sorts, both centering around the respective names of Pac and Biggie. Each song features the presence of piano, albeit used to different effects. Where “Thug Luv” utilized the keys to drive tension, “Notorious Thugs” uses them to soothe. It’s over a minute before Big actually starts rapping, giving the hypnotic refrain of “it’s Bone and Biggie Biggie” room to sink into your subconscious.

During the recording sessions for Art Of War, Puff Daddy reached out to Bone Thugs with an invitation to record — as specifically requested by Big himself. Honored by the request, Bone hit the studio only to find an assortment of various liquors and an abundance of marijuana. Before long, they succumbed to the sweet call of studio inebriation to the point where Big was left prodding their unconscious bodies. Luckily, the Thugs were able to rally and hit the booth as intended — you can actually hear Krayzie reflecting on the hilarious experience right here. He explains that Big wasn’t feeling laying a verse then and there, instead opting to bring the instrumental back to his pad and continue his writing there. When he returned to lay down his verse, “Notorious Thugs” transformed from a regal posse cut to a genre-defining anthem.

Serving as a snapshot on his career, Big’s reflection arrives by way of razor-focused flow. Allusions are made to his beef with “you know who,” to his relationships with several female artists. His complicated history with the Wu-Tang Clan is addressed by way of homage. Dominance is asserted through classic East Coast mafioso imagery. His inclination to share wisdom as famously seen on “Ten Crack Commandments” shines through as he warns of the perils of inexperience. For those who value technical prowess, look no further than Big’s transition from two different schemes, rapping “Then I blew like nigga move like Mike, shit, not to be fucked with, motherfucker better duck quick, cause me and my dogs love to buck shit, fuck the luck shit — strictly aim, No aspirations to quit the game.”

Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

Though Biggie’s verse remains the most impactful — fair, given that the song stemmed from his album — Bizzy, Krayzie, and Layzie kept pace with the late legend. With each member bringing their own unique personality into the fold, it’s hard to say which Bone Thug emerged with the standout verse. Bizzy’s frantic delivery brings no shortage of highlight quotables, while Krayzie’s restrained performance gives his harmonies room to land the most effectively. Tasked with closing the six-minute-plus epic on an elevated note, Layzie Bone opts to channel the macabre energy of one Stephen King, planting a melodic refrain Redrum on anyone looking to contest. Together they combined to live up to their namesake, and it’s no wonder an artist of the Notorious B.I.G’s caliber was eagerly seeking them out to collaborate.

Over twenty years removed from the release of “Thug Luv” and “Notorious Thugs,” they endure. Each member of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony should be proud of what they contributed to the game — not only as a collective, but as respected collaborators to a pair of hip-hop’s most celebrated figures. Only a handful can say they worked with both 2Pac and Biggie. Not only did Bone Thugs do exactly that, but they also happened to give us two of the hardest-hitting anthems of all time, keeping pace with artists often deemed GOAT-tier. And with that in mind, what does that say about Bone Thugs? 

LISTEN: Notorious B.I.G. ft. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – Notorious Thugs