The-Dream was met with plenty of criticism after he urged protestors not to destroy property owned by Black folks in Atlanta. On Saturday (May 30th), after witnessing some of the looting and damage done in Atlanta as a result of the protests against police brutality in the wake of George Floyd's murder, The-Dream took to Twitter to send a message to all the protestors in ATL, reminding them who owns most of those businesses.

Getting a co-sign from Jay-Z probably feels surreal for an artist that has been hustling to make it for years. Known globally as one of the best rappers of all time, the Roc Nation head honcho is respected as one of the premier faces in the music industry. His ideas surpass music though, heading over into all aspects of sports and entertainment.

As we near the midway point of the year (already!?). Jay-Z gathered together a list of his personal favorite songs of 2020 so far, showing love to some of the usual characters, and also taking notice of some younger talents.

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The list starts off with Lil Baby and "Emotionally Scarred," before the Atlanta rapper appears again with "Sum 2 Prove" and "Grace" with 42 Dugg. Jay-Z is also clearly a big fan of what Polo G has been bringing to the table, shouting out the rising star for "Heartless" with Mustard. At #3, his wife makes an appearance on the remix of Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage." Elsewhere on the 20-song gathering, Jay Electronica makes several appearances, which makes total sense given Hov's involvement in the release of his debut album.

Jay-Z was also busy listening to some of the newer releases, including Future's High Off Life, of which he included "Hard To Choose One." Drake and The Weeknd earn their spots before Westside Gunn, Boldy James, Benny The Butcher, and Conway of Griselda impress the legend.

Check out the full playlist below.

The-Dream has officially launched a free OnlyFans account in order to allow his fans the opportunity to create NSFW videos using his freshly released SXTP4 album as a soundtrack. As tons of folks remain stuck in quarantine, many celebrities have taken to joining OnlyFans; some as a platform to share explicit content, others simply to have a medium through which they can more easily connect with fans. The-Dream has decided to use the social media service to give some of his fans more exposure, while promoting the "baby making album of the year" in the process. According to a press release, the page will reflect the erotic nature of the music on SXTP4, by giving "the opportunity to several fans to perform their own sensual choreography to his latest tracks." The content that will come out of these efforts is described as "a modern twist on the music video," essentially allowing fans to come up with their own visuals to accompany the music they love.

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The-Dream advertised his new venture  Twitter on Tuesday, writing, "S/O @OnlyFans and all the beautiful ladies involved!!!"

These Instagram Live Battles have everyone desiring a chance to show off their catalog. Sure, any two artists can decide to go head-to-head at any time to please their fans, but because Swizz Beatz and Timbaland have created Verzuz, many artists want their stamps of approval. We've watched friendly battles between Scott Storch and Mannie Fresh, T-Pain and Lil Jon, RZA and DJ Premier, The-Dream and Sean Garrett... and now Ray J wants his turn.

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While Teddy Riley—who just faced off against Babyface in a battle between legends—was livestreaming, Ray J was spotted in the comments letting it be known that he's ready. "Yo @timbaland I'm next up!! Who want the smoke?" The innocent request quickly circulated on social media, and since then, people have been weighing in with their opinions. Let's just say, not everyone has been kind. 

"Ray J wants to do an IG live battle, and I say let 'em. He can play 'Wait A Minute' and clear the place out," one Twitter user wrote. Another added, "Not everybody that’s in the music scene deserve a battle. Im not trying to see a Ray J, Romeo, Bow Wow, Lil Salt Shaker, mixed paprika smoke or emcee basura go beat for beat or bar for bar. Let’s cut the bulls**t people. ???‍♂️."

Supporters of the singer-reality star pointed out his discography including tracks like "Wait a Minute" with Lil Kim, "Another Day in Paradise" with his sister Brandy, "Sexy Can I" featuring Young Berg also known as Hitmaka, "Famous" with Chris Brown, and "Tie Me Down" with the New Boyz. Some have suggested Ray J battle against artists like Fabolous or Chris Brown, but not everyone was on board. If Ray J did participate in a Verzuz battle, who do you think he should go up against?

The-Dream‘s new album, SXTP4, along with offerings from Kehlani, Kelly Rowland, and dvsn have our “R&B Season” playlist looking hot as hell. It’s been a minute now since we started curating our “R&B Season” playlist on Spotify in order to round up today’s best R&B offerings for our wonderful audience, and this week we were blessed with some exceptionally good content. The-Dream delivered a 13-track collection of sultry slow jams in the form of SXTP4 on Friday. A major highlight on the project is the Jhené-Aiko-featured “Wee Hours,” which you’ll find amidst our selections alongside three other joints off the mood-setting album.

Kehlani also came through with a quarantine treat, dropping off her single, “Everybody Business” on Thursday. The singer let us all know that she’s well aware of all the sh*t people talk about her romantic history, but she’s trying to not let it get to her. Ms. Kelly Rowland made a mini comeback this week with her new track, “Coffee,” a fun-filled ode to morning sex and caffeine. Of course, dvsn released their latest project, A Muse In Her Feelings, on Friday, and you’ll be sure to find one of their new joints on our “R&B Season” playlist as well. Check out all the latest additions and be sure to follow our other specially-curated playlists.

Follow HNHH on Spotify.

Follow FIRE EMOJI on Spotify.

Follow R&B SEASON on Spotify.

Follow our freshly-updated Wake & Bake playlist here.

Follow our G.O.O.D. Music playlist (for a GOOD ASS FRIDAY) here. 

In less than 24 hours, the world will receive a new project from The-Dream. The accomplished multi-faceted artist, songwriter, and producer is returning with Sextape Vol. 4 and fans are gearing up to hear some R&B jams to tie them over during this COVID-19 quarantine. The hitmaker chatted with Complex about his forthcoming album, and during their discussion, The-Dream was asked if he ever answered Rihanna‘s call and hit the studio with the singer.

 
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He mimicked Rihanna’s Instagram “save the world” moment with a laugh. “I heard Ri went off the other day,” he said with a smile. “She said, ‘I’m trying to save the world, here!’ She ain’t lying. She’s definitely about to do it. She’s so inspiring as an individual. That’s my n*gga, man. I love Rihanna to death and everybody knows that. Inspiring. We talk a lot. Recently, of course. Probably my fault, too, because we haven’t been talking about music as much.”

The-Dream said he and Rihanna have been mostly corresponding about fashion and added that if one thinks his schedule is busy, you can’t imagine how crazy Ri’s calendar is. “I’m sure there’s a lot of families that appreciate what she’s doing,” he added. “I’m sure her fans, her fans that really love her soul, appreciate what she’s doing. and she understands the difference between fandom and fan love.”

Check out what else he had to say about his career and whether or not he’s still working with Beyoncé below.

A week after The-Dream shared the tracklist for Sextape 4, the multi-hyphenated entertainer has given fans a release date. While many artists are opting to delay their albums because of the COVID-19 quarantine, The-Dream has decided to press forward with confidence. He made the official announcement just moments ago on social media where he stated that Sextape 4 would arrive on April 17.

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“SXTP4! April 17. Honestly, I didn’t want to put it out with what’s going on in the world and here!” he wrote in a caption to a post on Instagram. “I had so many people tel me , NO music is what we need right now more than ever. Love and Blessings to everyone touched by this moment in our lives. 4-17 out EVERYWHERE! @apple @Tidal @Spotify @amazonmusic.”

We learned last week that Sextape 4 would be a 13-track offering that wouldn’t have any features. The-Dream last shared the first, second, and third installment of his Sextape series back in 2018 when he released Ménage à Trois: Sextape Vol. 1, 2, 3. We can only imagine what he has in store this time around. Check out the tracklist for Sextape 4 below and let us know if you’re looking forward to new hits from The-Dream.

Tracklist

1. Passion
2. Nothing Will Feel The Same
3. Sang
4. Hard 4 Me
5. Notice
6. Spiritual
7. Ecstacy
8. Wee Hours
9. Body Work
10. Fuck My Brains Out
11. Say Something
12. Take Care
13. Coltrane

When 2020 first arrived, music listeners were eager to see what the new decade had in store, nothing but promise on the horizon. Though things started strong with new albums from heavy hitters like Lil Wayne and Eminem and rumored drops from J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Drake, the situation quickly took a turn for the worse when the coronavirus reared its ugly head. Now, with the entire rap game in self-imposed quarantine, the entire masterplan has been swiftly and decisively derailed.

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Yet The-Dream has never been one to follow a script. Today, the singer –who probably wrote one or two of your favorites on the low– took to Instagram to reveal the tracklist to his upcoming album Sextape 4. The release is set to mark his first since the ambitious and erotically-charged triple album Ménage A Trois, which landed back in December of 2018. Now, he’s gearing up to unleash a thirteen-track endeavor upon us, though he neglects to provide a date. 

From the sound of some of these song titles, it would appear we’re looking at another sexually-charged dose of R&B from one of the game’s sharpest songwriters. Check out the tracklist below and sound off — are you looking forward to a new album from The-Dream?

1. Passion
2. Nothing Will Feel The Same
3. Sang
4. Hard 4 Me
5. Notice
6. Spiritual
7. Ecstacy
8. Wee Hours
9. Body Work
10. Fuck My Brains Out
11. Say Something
12. Take Care
13. Coltrane

At long last, Jay Electronica's debut studio album, A Written Testimony, is set to arrive on March 18th, and the elusive and stoic rapper has officially sent the tracklist out into the world. Dropping the reveal exclusively in Arabic, his English-speaking fans took the additional measure of hitting that Google translates with the quickness. As such, it didn't take long before a rough translation began circulating the internet, revealing ten songs, features from Travis Scott and The-Dream, and the alarming absence of Jay-Z. 

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Roughly translated, we're looking at:

1. The Omnipotent Event
2. The Ghost of Soulja Slim
3. Blinding (feat. Travis Scott)
4. The Eternal Tale
5. The Cosmic Soldier
6. The Brilliant Suit Theory (feat. The-Dream)
7. Intensive Flowing
8. The Fruits of the Soul
9. The Wheel of Ezekiel (feat. The-Dream)
10. Praise Be to God

Curiously, it was originally reported that the project would feature a "heavy Jay-Z presence," with the legendary rapper said to be blessing over seven of the album's tracks. It's entirely possible that Jay Electronica has decided to keep the Jigga Man uncredited; these days, discovery is half the fun, and the suspense will certainly encourage fans to simply sit back and hit play. Otherwise, the fact that one of the only features comes courtesy of Travis Scott, who might be the antithesis of Jay Elec's style, has already piqued our interest.

Though it's arriving during a time where shit has hit the fan and the blades have yet to stop spinning, the hype for A Written Testimony continues to build. Perhaps it's the product of its own mystique, the long-awaited conclusion to a narrative years in the making. Whether it lives up to the hype is anybody's guess, but we won't have to wait much longer to find out. 

Prior to becoming a movie star, Jodie Turner-Smith was one of many models looking for their big break. The Queen & Slim star has gained worldwide recognition for her leading role in Lena Waithe’s 2019 black Bonnie and Clyde drama, but it was just over 10 years ago that Jodie landed her first entertainment gig as a video vixen. The artists? The-Dream and Kanye West.

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Back in 2009, The-Dream released his Kanye-assisted single “Walkin’ On The Moon.” The synthy, pop-R&B track was given a futuristic visual starring both artists and their model sidekicks, and during a recent visit to BBC’s The Graham Norton Show, Jodie shared the story of how she stumbled into that job. She was introduced to famed director Hype Williams—the man behind many of our favorite music videos in hip hop—and told to hit him up when she visited L.A. Jodie did just that and Hype allegedly told her that his office wasn’t far from the airport so she could just stop by.

Upon arriving, she saw that there were a number of large SUV’s outside and people running around everywhere. When she did meet Hype, he apparently gave her a quick glance, told her to put on a little bikini, got her into hair and makeup, and led her right onto the video shoot without even questioning her. It was Jodie’s first gig ever so it was a bit overwhelming, and for the video, Jodie was supposed to look afraid.

“Me and Kanye are supposed to be walking through like, this tunnel thing,” Jodie remembered. “And he’s holding my hand and he keeps shouting at me, ‘You need to look more scared!’ And I was like, ‘I’m sh*tting myself!” Then, they pulled up a photo of Jodie and Kanye together in the video. “I look so confused,” Jodie said. “Because I really was.” Check out her story, and the music video, in full below.