One of the biggest sources of entertainment to come out of the quarantine have been the Verzuz battles taking place on Instagram Live. There have been some special face-offs in recent weeks, including Teddy Riley and Babyface, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, Manny Fresh and Scott Storch, and more. 

The next announced battle will be between Jagged Edge and 112, which will be sure to cause tons of nostalgia for old-school fans of R&B. On the rap side of things, T.I. just answered who he would like to go up against.

Speaking with Peter Rosenberg for an extended interview, the Atlanta legend claimed that he would be down to battle anybody from his generation. If you started around 1999-2000, Tip wants the smoke.

M. Phillips/WireImage/Getty Images

"The people been asking for me and Young [Jeezy]," revealed Tip. "They been asking for me and Jeezy but I'll go hit-for-hit with anybody from my generation.

He goes on to name 50 Cent as a possible suitor, claiming that he's not afraid of the rapper. He also brings up Lil Wayne as another pick of his, serving confidence in his replies.

So far, T.I. has been a big fan of the Verzuz battles. Will he eventually participate in one of his own?

Who do you want to see him face-off against? Watch below at the 11-minute mark.

View this post on Instagram

T.I. joined “Open Late” to discuss who he wants to battle in the next @verzuztv, his pick for Joe Biden’s VP and his brand new movie ?

A post shared by COMPLEX (@complex) on May 21, 2020 at 8:16pm PDT

[]

Black Thought compiled a list for us of his top ten rappers of all time, most of which are heavy-hitters who paved the way in the early days of hip hop. On Sunday (May 17th), the Roots frontman sat down with Hot 97’s Fatman Scoop for a virtual interview, where Scoop inquired about who would make Black Thought’s Top 10 Rappers Of All Time list. Immediately, he begins naming a ton of legendary MCs, resulting in a list that looks like this:

1. Rakim
2. Chuck D (of Public Enemy)
3. Kool G Rap
4. Big Daddy Kane
5. KRS-One
6. The D.O.C.
7. Rev Run (of Run-DMC)
8. Schoolly D
9. EST (of Three Times Dope)
10. LL Cool J

Consisting mostly of East Coast artists, Black Thought’s list appears to be heavily influenced by his own regional roots. D.O.C., who hails from Dallas, is the sole rapper that doesn’t come from East Coast backgrounds, while Schoolly D and EST are both fellow Philly natives alongside Black Thought.

Theo Wargo/Getty Images for TIDAL

Thought also reflected on collaborating with some of the rappers listed in the past. “If I did a record with G Rap, the nuances of my style that come from G Rap will probably stand out more because that’s who I was paired with,” Thought explained later on during their conversation. “There’s certain artists that are one-fifth of who I feel makes me up, and Rakim is one of those dudes. I occupy a dope space where most of the MCs that I have a certain level of respect for, that respect is mutual. That’s all the validity, that’s all really the accolades, that’s all my flowers while I’m still here.” Watch the full interview below:

B.o.B has a handful of new projects in the works, which may include a joint album with T.I. Last Friday (May 15th), the rapper hopped on XXL‘s Moments of Clarity podcast to discuss what’s been up to in quarantine, including working on a ton of new music. Along with a joint project with Sonny Digital and a solo album titled Somnia, B.o.B hinted at his potential plans to put out a collaborative album with T.I.

“I’m making like three albums at the same time,” he said around the 2:00 mark. “I’m working on a project—me and Sonny Digital working on an album. I just finished my album, Somnia. I just—there’s rumours me and T.I. might be working on an album. I don’t know man. I’m working on a lot of sh*t.”

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for AXE

Later on in the conversation (1:05:00), B.o.B elaborates on his forthcoming music. “I’m working on a project with Sonny Digital, like a duo project,” he repeats. “I also just finished…my most recent album, Somnia, I just completed that…Music is on the way. Somnia‘s on the way. B.o.B x Sonny Digital’s on the way—Bobby Digital. And I got a couple more shits up my sleeve. But I got a lot of music though, a lot of music coming.”

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

If a collaborative album does pan out with T.I., it would mark the rappers first joint effort together. However, the two of them have linked up in the past on tracks such as “Chosen,” “We Still in This B*tch,” “Problems” and more.

Do you want to see these two join forces on a project?

Joey Bada$$ fans have achieved zen-like levels of patience, having been left wondering when and if the New York lyricist would ever return in proper solo fashion. It's been three years since his last album All Amerikkkan Bada$$, and though he did play a prominent role on Beast Coast's 2019 compilation Escape From New York, many have been eager to see what he brings to the table on his next release. And if Joey's strange and amusing Twitter rant is to be believed, the time is nearly upon us.

 Jason Kempin/Getty Images

"NEW MUSIC IS CUMMIN SO FCKIN SOON MY DICK IS HARD," he writes, taking a moment to get pornographic with his analogies. "THIS IS NOT A HACK. DROPPING MUSIC IS LIKE CUMMIN AND I HAVENT FUCKED IN SO LONG. Okay maybe it be less dramatic if I compare it to tears?? I haven’t cried in so long dawg, I just wanna cry Loudly." Well, that's one way to put it. 

Signs are officially pointing to a new collaboration between Tekashi 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj.

The two rappers worked together before the rainbow-haired shit-talker got locked up, achieving yet another Billboard hit in the process. Many people have been wondering who would be the first rapper to link back up with the glorified snitch after his return last month and it looks like our answer may officially be here.

Nicki Minaj has been hinting at something and several industry insiders believe that she's quietly revealing the title of her collaborative single with 6ix9ine.

Kanye West's new album will reportedly be called God's Country, and we may be getting the first taste of the highly anticipated project as early as next week. On Thursday (May 21st), cinematographer and videographer, Arthur Jafa, spoke to cultural figure and artist, Michèle Lamy, about his recent work with Kanye. Michèle asks Arthur if the new video he's involved with is part of Kanye's Sunday Service, but he indicates that it's actually related to Ye's upcoming album.

Gunna may very well be the man of the hour right now, having dropped off his brand new album Wunna last midnight. Now, the Atlanta rapper has decided to open up about his latest release, chopping it up with Ebro Darden on Beats 1 radio to discuss a variety of topics. Naturally, Ebro inquires about Gunna’s creative partnership with Lil Baby, a dynamic that has led to a variety of memorable bangers throughout the past few years.

Paras Griffin/Getty Image

“It ain’t forced. It’s like it’s easy now. It’s like we both developed and got ourselves together where we was doing this shit when we weren’t together,” he explains. “And now that we at a point where we stable and we controlling the market, it’s easier. You know what I’m saying? Especially when we do it together…Now it’s two minds, two great minds pulling together. So it’d be easier. A hundred percent, and he ain’t changed and I ain’t changed. Like he the same person, he just richer. I’m the same person, I’m just richer.”

He also opens up about one of his newer friendships, that of Roddy Ricch, with whom he collaborated on “Cooler Than A Bitch.” As he tells it, the pair are kindred spirits of sorts. “Once we did Start Wit Me, man he took me to the projects over there,” says Gunna. “Man, shit. I just like our energy, kind of like just me and Baby. He just from California, so he liked the same shit I like, it just might be different. You know what I’m saying? In a different way.But we still can relate to each other and shit. And then we were just rocking. I’m always in LA, so when I’m there now, it’s just like bro, where you at? Pull up. And we might not even doing something today, we just kicking it.”

Check out the full interview below, and sound off – are you enjoying Wunna?

Kid Cudi may not tease his upcoming music often, but when he does, the fans take notice. After all, talks of his upcoming album Entergalactic have been swirling with increased frequency, fueled in part by singles like the recent "Leader Of The Delinquents." Though last we heard the project was to be delayed until 2021, it seems as if Cudi isn't entirely set on keeping listeners in a suspended state. Yesterday, he took a moment to engage in a little bit of fan interaction on Twitter, delivering a tantalizing promise in the process. 

Michael Hickey/Getty Images

When one user declared 2020 to be the "year of Kid Cudi," the Man On The Moon rapper took the comment one step further. "Oh im just warmin up watch," he responds, prompting further speculation as to what exactly he might be planning. Lest we forget that the year is already half over, and while we have received some new tracks from Cudi, it doesn't feel like the full extent of anything. Perhaps we'll see him deliver a mixtape, or possibly a continuation of his Travis Scott-assisted "The Scotts" movement. 

Check out Cudi's confident declaration below, and sound off -- what kind of tricks do you think he's got up his sleeves? Remember, he recently made an open appeal to Eminem, who may very well be interested in hearing what the melodic rapper has to say. If there's one thing for certain, 2020 could definitely benefit from a new dose of Kid Cudi music, preferably in the long-form format. Only time will tell.

At this point, it feels redundant to say that J. Cole has gone platinum, once again, with no features. Yet the Dreamville rapper continues to do exactly that, proving yet again that he’s one of the most commercially ble rappers in the game — by far. Having twenty-two solo gold and platinum plaques to his name, the proof is in the pudding. Now, Cole has officially upgraded an existing gold into a platinum, this time with his 4 Your Eyez Only single “Immortal.”

Neilson Barnard/Getty Images 

Originally released in December of 2016, Cole’s Cardiak and Frank Dukes-produced track found him striking vivid and evocative imagery, covering themes of his come-up and mortality. “N***a I can tell you things that you probably shouldn’t know, have you ever heard the screams when the body hit the floor?” he rapped. “Flashbacks to the pain, wakin’ up, cold sweats / six o’clock in the mornin’, gotta hit the BowFlex.” By the track’s conclusion, he’s vowing to go out like Scarface, an ominous fate for one of the game’s wisest lyricist.

Lined with powerful reflections and typically thought-provoking bars, Cole’s “Immortal” proved to resonate with the masses. Even though 4 Your Eyez Only was somewhat of a slow-burner, the rapper’s presence alone kept it engaging in the long run. Congratulations to the Dreamville movement for another platinum plaque, and keep an eye out for new music from J. Cole whenever it ends up surfacing. 

DJ Khaled is on a rampage. Perhaps emboldened by the sight of his gargantuan plaque collection, it would seem as if the affable mogul has decided to lay the foundation for another one. And what better way to guarantee instant sales than lining up some new Drake vocals, a partnership we haven’t seen manifest since Grateful’s “To The Max.” We’ve already heard it from the source — “Up next: New Album in the works,” wrote Khaled, a few days ago. “First single BEEN done!”

Kevin Mazur/BBMA2017/Getty Images 

Given his strategic decision to place an owl emoji in the announcement post, it soon became widely accepted that Drake would be blessing Khaled’s new single, which will presumably arrive at some point this summer. Now, DJ Khaled has decided to double down on that particular narrative, going so far as to post a picture of an owl mid-hunt on his Instagram page. Leaving us to decipher his message through emojis, it can be read as “Owls” and “Keys,” roughly translated to “Drake and Khaled.”

Of course, Khaled is a master marketer and knows exactly what he’s doing — one does not gain as many platinum plaques as he does without picking up a few tricks along the way. Expect him to continue leaving owl-related breadcrumbs until we get an official announcement, though given the DJ’s preference for summer releases, it’s likely to come sooner than later.