Maybe Ludacris should have left this one in the drafts. During the rapper's rollercoaster ride of a Verzuz battle with fellow 2000s hip hop heavyweight, Nelly, on Saturday (May 17th), most viewers couldn't help but joke about the technical difficulties that Luda's opponent was facing, as his Internet connection posed a quality problem on his end throughout the majority of the evening.
Between Nelly's blurry, pixelated dancing and his questionable song choices, there was plenty to focus on, but one unexpected detail of the night that rubbed people the wrong way occurred early on while Ludacris was waiting for Nelly to reconnect on live. Luda decided to keep viewers entertained by previewing an unreleased song featuring Lil Wayne and produced by Verzuz co-founder, Timbaland, playing a lengthy snippet of the track three times in a row. The song, titled, "Silence of the Lambs," opens with a mention of Cosby: "the world screwed if n*ggas pouring drinks like Bill Huxtable." In the next line, Ludacris declares, "I love R. Kelly but around my daughters, I'm not comfortable."
The lyrics, especially the questionable sentiment about Kelly, caused an uproar on social media.
Ludacris Plays Unreleased Lil Wayne Song & Nelly Version Of "Moneymaker"
During his Verzuz battle with Nelly, Ludacris played some unreleased music, including the original version of "Moneymaker," which had his opponent on it.
Ludacris and Nelly went hit-for-hit on Saturday (May 16th), and while there were some technical difficulties that impacted the mood of the night a little, it was nonetheless a wonderful celebration of two of the best rappers to come out of that particular era. The evening got off to a rocky start, as Nelly's connectivity issues proved to be an obstacle. However, Luda managed to keep everyone entertained while he waited for his opponent to fix the problem. Looking for a way to stall, Luda asked Timbaland if he was permitted to play their unreleased song with Lil Wayne, "Silence of the Lambs." Timbo gave the go ahead, and Luda let the record play not once, not twice, but three times in a row.
Since Nelly still hadn't returned, Luda decided to play another never-before-heard track, this time featuring Chance The Rapper, or, more appropriately, Chance The Singer.
Once the battle officially kicked off, Luda and Nelly proceeded to play some of their biggest hits, including "My Chick Bad," "What's Your Fantasy," "Stand Up," and "Move B*tch" on Luda's part, and "Country Grammar (Hot Shit)," "Ride Wit Me," "Tip Drill," and "Pimp Juice" on Nelly's part. At one point, the two MCs discussed how they had never actually put out a song together. Nelly then mentions that had a joint ready to go, though, at which point Luda plays the original version of his Pharrell-produced hit, "Money Maker," that had Nelly on it.
It's unclear why they decided to exclude Nelly in the final product of the song, especially since he fits right in.
What was your favourite part of the Nelly & Ludacris Verzuz battle?
Lil Jon Previews New Usher & Ludacris Song On T-Pain IG Live Battle
Lil Jon played almost the entirety of his unreleased song with Usher and Ludacris during his battle with T-Pain over Instagram live on Saturday.
Lil Jon finally gave fans a pretty substantial taste of his unreleased track with Usher and Ludacris during his Instagram live battle with T-Pain on Saturday night, and it feels like it's 2004 all over again. Producers battling it out over IG live to has become a prominent trend since widespread quarantine started, and it's quickly turning into one of the greatest sources of joy for people (and, in particular, hip hop fans) during these stressful times. The latest battle took place on Saturday (April 4th), and saw two of the most prominent producers of the early aughts go head to head.
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Lil Jon and T-Pain proved worthy opponents, with many unable to decide who exactly emerged victorious, but one of the highlights of the session actually came after the battle had finished. After each bumping a few extras that they didn't get a chance to play during the actual battle, Jon played the highly anticipated collab with himself, Usher, and Ludacris, that we were officially made aware exists last November and have high key been waiting for since like 2005.
The track follows the trio's multiple collaborative hits in the past, including "Yeah!" and "Lovers & Friends." Many are saying that this new song feels like a sequel to the latter track, incorporating 2000s R&B sound and bearing a similar lyrical theme. Jon revealed that they actually wrote and recorded the untitled track two whole years ago with Jermaine Dupri. He also kept teasing Usher about not letting them release the song, since it's meant to debut on his upcoming album, Confessions III. However, both Jon and Pain, as well as the almost 250K viewers in the comments, urged Usher to let Jon drop it in full. Hopefully, this public pressure will be enough to make Usher change his mind and put it out on streaming platforms, so we can all enjoy it. What do you think of the track?
Mannie Fresh Samples Alicia Keys’ "Un-thinkable" On Unreleased Lil Wayne Song
Mannie Fresh debuted an unreleased Lil Wayne song over Instagram live this week that samples Alicia Keys’ “Un-thinkable.”
Among the many tracks that Mannie Fresh played on Instagram live this week, his untitled, never-before-heard Lil Wayne track was definitely an exciting surprise. Like many artists stuck in quarantine searching for a way to help keep the world entertained at home, Mannie hopped on IG live earlier this week to interact with some fans. The legendary producer held an IG live session called “Virus Killaz,” where he played some of the most iconic songs he’s produced throughout his lengthy career. However, he also played a snippet of an unreleased track with his frequent collaborator, Lil Wayne. Sampling Alicia Keys‘ “Un-thinkable,” which was co-written by Drake, Wayne’s song was recorded for Tha Carter V back in 2018, but didn’t quite make the cut.
Anna Webber/Getty Images for National Museum Of African American Music
Mannie not only gave fans a taste of the track during his “Virus Killaz” session, but he also played it during his beat battle with fellow producer Scott Storch over IG live on Wednesday night (April 1st). According to HipHop-N-More, the track is likely to to appear on Mannie’s joint album with Wayne called The Fresh Files. Listen to almost the entire track here Lil Wayne HQ and let us know what you think about this lost Weezy gem.
Juice WRLD’s Girlfriend Previews Posthumous Single
Juice WRLD’s girlfriend, Ally Lotti, shared a snippet from a song he was working on before his death.
Chicago rapper Juice WRLD passed away at the young age of twenty-one last year, breaking the hearts of so many hip-hop fans excited about his progress. During his short career, the superstar had impressed so many people with his freestyling skills, his melodic magic, and his electric performances. The late artist’s record label has already confirmed that they will be releasing a posthumous body of work by him, and the first single has possibly just been previewed by Ally Lotti.
Juice WRLD and Ally Lotti had been dating for several months before the rapper suffered a fatal seizure because of a drug overdose in December 2019. She played a major part in his happiness, posting lovely photos of themselves on a regular basis. During a recent live-stream, Lotti teased the release of his first-ever posthumous record, which appears to be about her.
“Put your left hand in my right/I’m your best friend, you’re my wife,” rhymes Juice WRLD on the song before describing the tattoos on her chest. Hearing his voice is bittersweet, but it’s clear that the fans are hungry for new music from the late star. Comments from the live-stream were begging Ally to drop the song. Surely, when it’s mixed and mastered it will be out.
Listen below and let us know if you’re feeling it.
Drake Leak Inspires TikTok Dance Challenge
An unreleased Drake song has already kicked off a viral dance challenge on TikTok.
Drake is taking to TikTok like a moth to flames. The rapper is currently seeing boosted numbers for his song "Nonstop" due to the viral "Flip The Switch" challenge on TikTok and, already, another one of his tracks is picking up traction on the social network.
An unreleased song by Drake, tentatively titled "Slide," was featured on social media influencer Toosie's page as he and his friends showed off their quarantine choreography to the cut. The song is not on streaming services yet as it will likely be included in a pack of new releases by the Toronto star but, already, it's become a huge trend for people to re-create the dance. With lyrics guiding the listener with their moves, Drake invites us all to bring our left foot up before sliding to the right, repeating the process on the other side. The ultra-simple moves were bound to go viral.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
The video was posted on Sunday, and it's become a big thing ever since. Originally shared by @TheRealYvngQuan, TikTok users around the world are using the audio to make their own versions.
In other Drake-related news, the rapper recently shared photos of himself and his son Adonis for the first time ever, penning a sweet message to his little boy.
Are you hoping this song gets an official release soon?
Isaiah Rashad Previews New Music Off "House Is Burning" Album
Isaiah Rashad references Doja Cat on unreleased song from his sophomore album, “The House Is Burning”.
Every now and then you’ll be going about your day, minding your business, when the thought strikes you: “Where in the world is Isaiah Rashad?” It’s a rhetorical question, really, because Isaiah Rashad lays low. While social media allows fans to keep tabs on their favorite artists, Rashad operates off the grid. Honestly, this arrangement is probably better for both him and the fans. Whenever new music from him arrives, the anticipation will be at a peak after having fully digested 2016’s The Sun’s Tirade.
Aside from a few stray tweets, the TDE rapper isn’t very active on social media. Therefore, not much is known about his forthcoming sophomore project, The House Is Burning. He announced this title on IG Live last year, but there’s a chance Rashad has changed his mind in the interim. Every now and then, he will tease unreleased music. On Monday night (Mar. 9), he went on Live from the studio and previewed a track that had his whole crew bopping. “Told her, bitch, eat it like Doja Cat” is one bar that jumps out from the mellow joint. Some songs off The House Is Burning were also played at Reason’s listening party about a week ago.
While TDE keeps their roster’s release rotation a secret, it would make sense if Rashad was next at bat. However, he isn’t inspiring much confidence in this likelihood. When a fan asked him on Twitter to at least drop a single, he replied, “picking it soon or something… emphasis on the something.”
Frank Ocean Is About To Drop New Music
Fans who ordered "Little Demon" with Skepta on vinyl were informed e-mail that Frank Ocean would instead be sending them a brand new song.
Ever since the release of Blonde, which has been hailed as one of the defining albums of the last decade, Frank Ocean fans have been kept in the dark regarding the potential of new music. Last year, the reclusive star re-emerged from the shadows to organize a series of PrEP+ parties in New York City, where he would go on to debut a handful of previously-unheard songs. The former Odd Future standout released "In My Room" and "DHL" to a worldwide audience, but other songs like "Little Demon" with Skeptaremained unreleased on streaming services. If you wanted to listen to the track over and over, you could pre-order the vinyl copy on Frank's official webshop. While that offered an opportunity for stans to get their fix of new music, they're celebrating an even greater announcement today as it was revealed that, instead of getting "Little Demon," Ocean would be gifting them with a brand new unreleased record on vinyl.
Karwai Tang/Getty Images
As reported by The Fader, anybody who ordered the physical copy of "Little Demon" received an e-mail this morning that claims that it will be replaced by a "new, unreleased Frank Ocean song." Fans are able to cancel their orders before the end of the week with a full refund but, to be honest, why would anybody want to do that? It's such a rarity to hear new music from the superstar so, when the chance arises, you've got to go for it.
There is currently no known information as to when the new song will arrive and if it will hit streaming. Knowing Frank Ocean's history though, we can safely assume that the drop will be pretty quiet if he does end up coming through on a global scale.
Lil Wayne Performs New Unreleased Song While Filming Commercial For ESPN: Watch
Weezy’s relationship with ESPN going strong.
It’s no secret that Lil Wayne is well-loved over at ESPN. Not only has Weezy been the designated go-to artist for providing theme songs for various ESPN shows, he’s also been asked to come on and offered his own sports takes. Weezy has also developed a close personal friendship with ESPN host, Skip Bayless, and has managed to maintain a good relationship with everyone over at the network for many years. Weezy’s latest collaboration with the Sports network appears to be in the form of a commercial for ESPN, in which he will debut a brand new, never-before-heard song.
A video from the set of the commercial shows a camera crew filming Weezy as he dances around on stage in front of a small crowd, while the band in the background goes to town on their instruments. Wayne hypes up the musicians, which include a saxophone player and a trombone player, before the video cuts to a clip of him rapping an unreleased track. Just from this brief snippet, the song already sounds fire, and we can’t wait for the full version of Wayne’s genius to be bestowed upon us.
It’s a relief that Wayne has been spotted working on a new project, considering the unfortunate circumstances he was in recently. Roughly two weeks, Wayne was involved in a frightening incident in which he was a passenger on a private jet that was searched by the police in Miami. While the whole ordeal made many people anxious about what the outcome would be, Wayne informed his fans that he was fine and that the whole situation was just a big misunderstanding. While there were reports that drugs and weapons were found in Wayne’s bag, the story has not been confirmed by his reps, and Mack Maine, the president of Wayne’s company, Young Money Entertainment, asked that everyone “STOP running these bogus ass stories without all the facts.”
