Last week (the week of April 20th), there was a lot going on the hip-hop world. Catch up on all your latest hip-hop news here at TheOriginalChatman.com
Last time we heard from Ab-Soul was December 2016, from his solo album Do What Thou Wilt Do. Soulo’s “Dangerookipawaa Freestyle” song title borrows inspiration from Top Dawg’s social media handle @dangerookipawaa. On the track, he compares himself to greats of the past and present such as Craig Mack and Eminem, meanwhile name-dropping frequent collaborator and fallen rapper friend Mac Miller.
Tuesday 4/21/20
Lone wolf (his EP title from last year) Zacari, notably remembered from his assist on Kendrick’s hit song “LOVE.”, dropped “Edamame” and “This Woman’s Work.”
“Edamame” is about the loss of a love interest, and “This Woman’s Work”, an homage to the original song by Maxwell, expresses his relationship regrets.
Wednesday 4/22/20
Isaiah Rashad built a cult following, especially after Rashad’s sophomore effort 2016’s The Sun’s Tirade. While Rashad may be an artist on a highly-sought after rap label, his “everyday man” feel within his music attracts his fan base. That’s not the case with his latest single. “Why Worry” deals with forever changing rules to the ugly side of “fame.”
Thursday 4/23/20
SiR‘s latest sophomore album, Chasing Summer, did some big time placement on the Billboard 200 reaching the 64th placement. Following the success of this album, he released the Boogie-assisted song “Rapper Weed” which surprisingly doesn’t have a drug-induced sound to it. The vibe is very relaxed as always on any song by SiR.
Friday 4/24/20
Reason has made a name for himself outside his home label–especially fiercely rapping and competing with fellow Californian rapper Cozz of the Dreamville camp. “Might Not Make It” is another brash comparison similar to “LamboTruck.” “Might Not Make It” fantasizes about the crazy things Reason would do if he had 24 hours left to live on this planet. This is the biggest name-drop I’ve heard in a while!
Jay-Z and Beyonce dropped a joint album last night! While on tour! Oh yeah, some other things happened to. TheOriginalChatman.com
Welcome to a new installment ofTheOriginalChatman’sWeekly Wrap-Up! Happy Father’s Day weekend to all the fathers and fatherly figures around the world! Here’s what happened this past week.
Mon. 6/11
1. Jay-Z and Beyoncé reveal risque photos from their On the Tour Run II tour.
Without a doubt, Jay-Z and Beyoncé have been extremely influential in crafting the narrative behind the term “power couple.”
This week the pair granted fans access to some NSFW photos promoting the second installment of their On The Run Tour.
Beyoncé looks effortlessly comfortable in these photos while Jay-Z looks..well..uncomfortable! Be sure to give your comments below about the new tour photos.
2. PEOPLE Magazine reveal the scoop about Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson’s surprise engagement—after only weeks of them dating!
Saturday Night Livecast member Pete Davidson (24) and pop superstar Ariana Grande (also 24)are engaged after weeks of dating. The engagement has been confirmed by People.
The month of May was a shaky time for both Davidson and Grande, as they both were somewhat fresh off breakups with their previous significant others.
Moments after the news went public, Grande tweeted a emoji-filled message full of bliss. Check out Grande’s tweet and the beautiful new couple’s Kodak moment below.
“i love u 🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈 sm 🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈 ok bye”
5. Cardi B and Offset’s Rolling Stone photo-shoot was leaked early!
There’s no stopping the meteoric star power of Cardi B. Cardi has a busy summer schedule, on top of prepping to be a new mommy!
Despite her and Offset‘s Rolling Stone July cover being leaked early, Cardi put the cover on her Instagram and informed her fans that they’ll be having a girl!
Check out the cover below and be sure to hit up the comments with your thoughts.
Sat. 6/16 – Sun 6/17
6. Jay-Z and Beyoncé drop their joint album, Everything is Love, while currently on the second installment of their “On The Run” tour.
Album art for Everything is Love.
Imagine being on a world tour with your superstar wife and dropping an album because you BOTH felt like it!
That’s exactly what Jay-Z and Beyoncé did last night via their exclusive streaming service, TIDAL.
The couple’s joint project, Everything Is Love, boasts only nine songs. They refer to themselves as “The Carters.” Stream it here to listen.
Weekly Wrap-Up of your favorite trending topics the week of February 18th-24th. TheOriginalChatman.com.
SPOILER ALERT: Most of these trending topics are about “Black Panther”!
Happy Sunday everybody! Who’s seen Black Panther? Better yet..the questionI SHOULDbe asking is who H A S N ‘ T seen Black Panther yet? Man ohhh man—this film is making a killing in the box office. I hope it does so for the rest of the year tbh. This entire wrap-up contains news about the movie, no spoilers or anything, so please enjoy what you see! #WakandaForever
Sun. 2/18
1. Sylvester Stallone releases the movie poster for “Creed 2.”
Sylvester Stallone took to his Instagram (@officialslystone) to share a fan-made poster for the upcoming sequel to Creed, Creed 2.
If you may recall, the original film follows the footsteps of Adonis Creed, the son of deceased boxer Apollo Creed— played by Michael B. Jordan. Check out the poster below!
According to IMDB, Adonis Creed will face Viktor Drago, the son of Rocky Balboa’s old nemesis, Ivan Drago.
2.Lupita Nyong’o honors her Black Panther co-stars Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan by imitating their latest magazine cover photo shoots.
As Black Panther‘s box office success continues to break records, the one thing also growing with time is the bond between the film’s cast members.
Lupita Nyong’o paid homage to her Black Panther co-stars Michael B. Jordan and Chadwick Boseman as she re-created Michael’s GQ photo shoot and Chadwick’s photo shoot for Rolling Stone.
Sidenote: Lupita….if you’re single, please don’t afraid to slide in my DMs on (@thechatmanjay/ @theoriginalchatman) Instagram. I promise I don’t bite!♥
Lupita Nyong’o recreates Michael B. Jordan’s GQ photo shoot and Chadwick Boseman’s rolling stone photo shoot 🖤 https://t.co/tmMVuUBWzS— MEFeater Magazine (@mefeater) February 20, 2018
3. Will Smith congratulates the cast of Black Panther in a celebratory Instagram video.
A co-sign from Will Smith must mean you out here killing the game!
Earlier this week, he took to Instagram to name drop and congratulate the entire cast of Black Panther—as the film deserves endless amounts of praise according to Smith.
Smith claims he was “damn near got brought to tears.” He adds on, “I’m proud and I’m excited, damn near giddy.” Feel free to check out Will Smith’s full-length heartfelt expression to the Black Panther cast below.
5. Ryan Coogler writes letter to fans of Black Panther.
Black Panther director, Ryan Coogler. Photo Credit to Jerod Harris/Getty Images.
As I mentioned earlier, a huuuuuge majority of this wrap-up is related to Black Panther. If you’ve made it this far without growing tired of me rambling on about the movie, I owe you big time!
Long story short, the brilliant director behind the movie, Ryan Coogler, penned an emotional letter to Black Panther fans and it just made every other negative thing in the world temporarily not matter. While the letter is a tad lengthy, Coogler basically expressed his gratitude while also admitting he didn’t expect the film to perform so well. The lesson here boys and girl is to NEVER underestimate yourself!
Here is the full letter from Coogler himself, posted from Marvel’s Instagram (@marvel):
I am struggling to find the words to express my gratitude at this moment, but I will try.
Filmmaking is a team sport. And our team was made up [of] amazing people from all over the world who believed in this story. Deep down we all hoped that people would come to see a film about a fictional country on the continent of Africa, made up of a cast of people of African descent.
Never in a million years did we imagine that you all would come out this strong. It still humbles me to think that people care enough to spend their money and time watching our film- But to see people of all backgrounds wearing clothing that celebrates their heritage, taking pictures next to our posters with their friends and family, and sometimes dancing in the lobbies of theaters– often moved me and my wife to tears.
For the people who bought out theaters, who posted on social about how lit the film would be, bragged about our awesome cast, picked out outfits to wear, and who stood in line in theaters all over the world– all before seeing the film…
To the press who wrote about the film for folks who hadn’t yet seen it, and encouraged audiences to come out…
And to the young ones, who came out with their parents, with their mentors, and with their friends…
Thank you for giving our team of filmmakers the greatest gift: The opportunity to share this film, that we poured our hearts and souls into, with you.
Sincerely,
Ryan Coogler
P.S. Wakanda Forever
[Source: Instagram (@marvel)]
Thurs. 2/22
6. Chris Tucker confirms a fourth installment of Rush Hour in the making?!
“I took a hiatus, now I’m back on you haters!” (Hov voice/Hov laugh)
Not a real Jay quote as far as I know. TheOriginalChatman.com!!
“I took a hiatus, now I’m back on you haters!” (Hov voice/Hov laugh)
P.S. Not a real Jay-Z quote, as far as I know. Anyways, check out the weekly wrap-up for the second week of February brought to you by TheOriginalChatman.
Mon. 2/5
1. Cozz’s new album Effected is on the way, so the Dreamville-affiliated rapper releases the album’s tracklist along with the release date.
While Top Dawg Entertainment (Kendrick Lamar, SZA) is tearing up the industry with its tours and imminent Hollywood takeover, the J.Cole-helmed label Dreamville is quietly making moves also.
Cozz’s new album Effected— a title paying homage to his first mixtape Cozz and Effect— will be available this Tuesday, February 13th. He’s already released two singles, “Badu” featuring Curren$y and “Ignorant Confidence.” Check out the album art below.
2. Donald Glover appears in the first trailer for “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”
Donald Glover is constantly balancing duties between music, film, and television like it’s nothing. No biggie, to be honest!
Originally, a teaser dropped on SuperBowl Sunday with the full trailer available for fan enjoyment the following day.
While Glover’s Lando Calrissian character doesn’t do much speaking in the Solo trailer, it’s assumed Glover supporting role will be one for the ages. Here’s the full trailer for the film. What does everyone think of the film’s trailer?
3. Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s video for “All the Stars”continues to build anticipation for Marvel’s Black Panther.
Can we skip over other movies for the rest of 2018 and crown Black Panther as the best film of all time? No? Yes? Is my geek showing? I know the movie hasn’t been released yet, but my expectations are already out of this world!
Dave Meyers and The Little Homies (Meyers and Kendrick Lamar himself) blessed us with the official music video for “All The Stars”, the lead single from Black Panther The Album.
In the video, Kendrick and SZA are seen surrounded by literal black panthers, an aesthetic of bright colors and a biblical-like landscape similar to Wakanda, the fictional setting from Black Panther. Check out the visually stunning and wonderfully illustrated video below.
4. Bruno Mars proposes that the NFL take place in Atlanta next year, and that the half-time acts be prominent hip-hop artists from the past and present.
Taking one step ahead of everyone, Bruno Mars boldly proposes via Twitter that the 2019 SuperBowl honor hip-hop by allowing prominent artists of the city play the half-time show.
“NFL, you have the opportunity to celebrate incredible Hip Hop Artist from Atlanta next year. Outkast, T.I., Gucci, Lil Jon, Jeezy, Jermaine Dupri just to name a few. it would be the best party Tv has ever seen!”
While hip-hop has long transitioned into the mainstream, I find it hard to believe the NFL will allow any of Atlanta’s rap gatekeepers that Bruno tweeted about to actually be there. Not because they are sub-par as artists/performers, it’s just that hip-hop and the NFL seem like an unlikely partnership moving forward in already divisive political climate we live in.
5. R&B/soul virtuoso Anderson .Paak promises a new album sometime this year!
It’s been two years since we’ve last received a solo project from Anderson .Paak.
According to .Paak, the album is in its mixing stages and will be released sometime this year, as he is still under the guidance of Dr. Dre and Aftermath Records.
Check out the weekly wrap-up of the hottest trending topics for the fourth week of January–here at TheOriginalChatman.com!
Happy Sunday everyone! Welcome to TheOriginalChatman’s™GRAMMYs Edition weekly wrap-up for the final week of January. In honor of the Grammys, I’ve hand-selected topics regarding two potential winners for tonight. 7:30 on CBS, don’t forget! Will you be watching? This past week, a lot of great talent has made power moves within and outside the music industry. Also, Top Dawg Entertainment (home to Kendrick Lamar and SZA among others) will be putting on a mega tour with all its artists! CAN WE ALL AGREE THAT THIS WILL BE THE TOUR OF A LIFETIME THOUGH!?
Mon. 1/22
1. Childish Gambino signs a deal with RCA Records.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Modern day renaissance man Donald Glover, better known to the world as Childish Gambino, has signed a new deal partnering up with RCA Records.
Glover left his long-term indie label Glassnote Records over creative differences between him and Glassnote stemming from his 2014 album, Because the Internet.
According to Billboard, Glover’s new music will be released sometime this year. (Sidenote: SZA is also signed to RCA Records. If they happen to do a collab record, I would be here for it all the way!)
2. Complex’s Everyday Struggle web show started a new season and new co-host!
Photo Credit: Complex New
Exit stage right Joe Budden, and enter stage left Star!
Complex’s popular web series Everyday Struggle lost one-third of its Internet firepower when Joe Budden left the show amidst contract negotiations in late December.
The show still features Dj Akademiks as host, and Ndeska Alexis as moderator. Their new co-host is legendary New York radio personality Star of the Star and Bucwild Show.
4. SZA appears in commercials for MasterCard and The Gap— all within one day!
SZA is making a name for herself with everything she touches. This week, the TDE songstress made an appearance in global ad campaigns for MasterCard and The Gap.
MasterCard uses her uniqueness to push the “Start Something Priceless” narrative, meanwhile The Gap celebrates their 50th anniversary alongside other cultural personalities including renowned producer Metro Boomin. Feel free to check out both ads below.
For almost 50 years, our iconic logo has represented our heritage. To celebrate this special new collection showcasing its evolution, we brought together a cast of the world’s leading culture remixers. Shop #GapLogoRemix on 1/27. pic.twitter.com/5U1CySGMsy
Trending topics from the week of January 8th-12th. Read more on TheOriginalChatman.com!
Happy Sunday! Two weeks into 2018..how’s everyone holdin’ up with their resolutions? Personally, I abandoned resolutions and decided to break them down into long-term and short-term goals to be accomplished throughout the year. Anyways, this week was lit! Check out the trending topics for the second week of January.
Mon. 1/8
1. Christian Combs will serve as the newest model for Dolce&Gabana.
Rapper Christian Combs — whose father is hip-hop mogul/ icon Diddy — adds another title to his resume. Christian inked a deal as the new face of luxury fashion brand Dolce & Gabana. Combs had a previous relationship with the company modeling for them last summer and fall, so the deal with D&G naturally makes sense.
2. Swedish retail company H&M has received criticism for its “Coolest Monkey In The Jungle” hoodie—modeled by a young black child.
Taking notes from last year’s Pepsi advertising hiccups, retail giant H&M caught hell when they released an ad of a young black boy modeling a green hoodie that said, “Coolest Monkey In The Jungle.”
As a result of their blunder, artists The Weekend and G-Eazy have denounced their partnerships with the retail company due to its offensive ad.
H&M issued a statement apologizing for its ” unintentional casual racism” vowing to prevent it happening again in the future.
3. Kendrick Lamar reveals a sneak peek into his shoe deal with Nike.
Kendrick Lamar teamed up for his first signature deal with Nike in the Cortez Kenny 1. K.Dot originally debuted the kicks on Monday’s CFP National Championship in Atlanta.
Sporting a white leather upper with red stitching and identical DAMN. branding, the Cortez Kenny 1 drops on January 26th, and retail price is $100. Will you be getting a pair?
Image via Kendrick Lamar’s Instagram (@kendricklamar)
4. Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon, is currently the world’s richest man. He pays it forward literally in the best way possible!
Bezos donated $33 million for college scholarships to ‘Dreamers’, a group of illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. by their parents.
The donation was made in his father’s name who fled Cuba at 15 and went to college in the US.
5. The Black Eyed Peas return with new music after a seven-year hiatus.
Their newest single, “Street Justice” is in the same vein as their 2003 big hit, “Where’s the Love”, and serves as an ode to several of America’s socioeconomic issues such as discrepancies in the school system, gun violence, and prison reform.
Ryan Reynolds reveals the new release date of Deadpool 2 will be May 18th instead of June 1st.
According to Ryan Reynolds, the new release date for “Deadpool 2” is May 18th. The film was originally slated for a June 1st release. Image via Reynolds’ Instagram, @vancityreynolds
Top Dawg Entertainment pushed out another release from the soundtrack for Marvel’s Black Panther. The latest cut “King’s Dead” is by Jay Rock featuring KendrickLamar, Future, and JamesBlake. Check it out here.
The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which also happened to be her 47th birthday too!
TheOriginalChatman covers trending topics that took the Internet by storm for the first week of January.
For 2018, I have big plans forTheOriginalChatman™ brand. I’ll slowly reveal them as the year goes on, so be on the lookout! Until then, I’ll be blogging as much as I can during the week. Whenever posts are absent during the week, I’ll be blogging what you’ll be reading shortly: TheOriginalChatman’s Weekly Wrap-up. Check out the trending topics for the first week of January.
TUES. 12/9
1. Justin Timberlake announces new album, Man Of The Woods.
JT is looking to make 2018 his year! Five years after his two-part album The 20/20 Project, his new album Man Of The Woods drops on February 2nd—which is two days short of this year’s Super Bowl.
In a promo clip for MOTW , Timberlake cites this as his most “earthy” album ever as he runs thru snow-covered forests. Production is from superproducers Timbaland and The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo).
2. Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It” has been renewed for a second season.
Photo Credit: David Lee/Netflix
Spike Lee’s 1986 breakthrough film, She’s Gotta Have It (which chronicles a Brooklyn artist as she tries to juggle relationships with three different men), got the Netflix original series treatment over the Thanksgiving break. The first season aired on the popular streaming service with ten episodes.
Season two–which will be produced by Lee and his wife Tonya–will be two episodes shy of it’s ten-episode original season.
3. Cardi B is the third artist in history to have her first 3 songs simultaneously inside Billboard Hot 100.
The Love & Hip Hop: New York reality TV star turned rapper keeps on winning!
“No Limit”, “Motorsport” and “Bodak Yellow” hit Billboard’s Hot 100 chart at numbers 4, 7, and 10, respectively. Cardi shared the news on her Instagram page.
That’s it for the first week of January! Of course there were other prominent stories, but the these were the ones that stood out the most to me. Catch y’all next week!
Three days into 2018, Coachella and Governor’s Ball have released their 2018 artists line-ups. Are y’all excited or could you care less?
Happy New Year everyone! Three days into 2018, and two big name music festivals have released their artist line-ups for their spring and summer shows. Music festivals come and go, but two of the greatest festivals out there are Coachella and Governor’s Ball.
Last year, she was pregnant with twins. This year she’s one of three major Coachella headliners. Beyoncé is back like she never left. Fresh off the heels of his latest album Revival, Eminem will headline The Governor’s Ball in addition to Coachella. The Weeknd will also join forces with Em and Bey at Coachella’s Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Mark your calendars for April 13-15 and April 20-22. Check the full line-up below.
Image via Twitter (@coachella)
Returning to Randall’s Island Park in New York City, The Governors Ball Music Festival will be June 1st-3rd. Travis Scott is headlining while other notable artists include N.E.R.D., 2Chainz,DRAM, BROCKHAMPTON, Khalid,and several others. The poster below details more Governor’s Ball artists. What does everyone think of the line-ups for both festivals? Let me know in the comments below!
Eminem releases the Beyoncé-assisted track “Walk on Water” from his upcoming ninth album rumored to be titled “Revival”. Is the song HOT or not? Chime in the comments below!
Eminem and Beyoncé team up for “Walk on Water”, a song ripped from Em’s upcoming ninth album rumored to be titled “Revival.” Just as a heads up, the song is more of a ballad than Eminem’s Trump-bashing fiery freestyle he released at this year’s BET Hip-Hop Awards. Sound off in the comments to let me know if the track is hot or not.
Lil Uzi and Nav (from the XO camp) team up on “Wanted You.” Is the track HOT or NOT? Sound off in the comments!
I’m gonna be honest…I may not be the biggest fan of Lil Uzi Vert; however, I must admit that his album slaps in the whip now and then. Luv is Rage 2 charted at number one on the Billboard 200 with his hit song “XO Tour Llif3.” In addition to “XO Tour Llif3”, Uzi released his follow-up single “The Way Life Goes” which chronicles the same vein as “Tour Llif3”—a failed relationship.
Furthermore, with an assisted verse from Nicki Minaj, she helped Uzi take the song to new heights. Minaj took to Instagram to preview a snippet of her “The Way Life Goes” verse and bam—it’s now an official remix.
The charismatic Philly rapper isn’t slowing down. Uzi and XO artist Nav released “Wanted You” on Thursday night, a heavily auto-tuned track dedicated to a bitter relationship that shouldn’t have happened. Listen to both tracks below and sound off in the comments if they’re hot or not.
Sidebar: The sample from Uzi’s “The Way Life Goes” is from a 2015 song called “Landslide” by Oh Wonder, an R&B duo from the U.K. I’ve been bumpin’ their eponymous album and it’s pretty solid. Feel free to check it out!
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