Drake has been having an incredible year in 2026. After dropping three blockbuster albums that brought him back in fans’ good graces, his old feud against Kendrick Lamar almost feels like an asterisk. Despite the nasty beef, it’s as if he never stopped being the biggest rapper in the world.

To help with his case is his number one hit “Janice STFU”, a darker, moodier track that saw him take subliminal shots at Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar. However, despite this success, a new lawsuit suggested that he actually stole the catchy chorus for it. A member of his team essentially scoffed at the accusation.

In a new report from TMZ, they said, “These allegations are categorically, unequivocally, and unequivocally denied. There is not one iota of truth to these accusations.”

Additionally, they called it a “manufactured and baseless attempt” at gaining publicity and discrediting his work. “Drake wrote this song and has no connection or knowledge of this person, full stop,” they stressed.

The lawsuit was reported by Billboard, where hip-hop artist, producer and engineer Aviel Calev Hirschfield claimed he wrote the infamous hook. Moreover, it was made with the Toronto MC specifically in mind after hearing Lykke Li’s “I Follow Rivers”. He alleged that the final products were basically identical and the stem recordings were still intact to prove it.

Drake Gets Hit With Hefty Lawsuit Over His Hit Song ‘Janice STFU’

This isn’t the only time that he’s been accused of ripping off another artist. Back in May 2026, Florida rapper 1900Rugrat felt slighted, alleging that the ICEMAN rapper reached out about working on music. As a result, he sent over a few different records and immediately gravitated to a song that would eventually become his intro.

Once it was made clear that he was saving it for his album, Drake still allegedly affirmed that he would utilize him on the album. However, the stars never aligned, and afterwards, he claimed he heard a record on ICEMAN that sounded like his work. “Twin, that’s the only beat I’ve ever produced,” he said. “Don’t rip my s**t and repitch it like that, fam. That’s fried out and f**ked up, twin.”

After the video he made, he posted DMs between him and Drake that proved he wasn’t lying about the potential of them working together. In the end, he never took him to court for allegedly stealing his work, though.

Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images

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Not long ago, Diddy was living as well as you could possibly live in prison. He had his other inmates doing a litany of favors for him at any moment. Massages, special meals, and people to do his laundry and clean restrooms at any given notice. He even had his own phone and a tablet to watch 50 Cent’s documentary about him.

According to a fellow prisoner, this is the kind of lifestyle you have when you’re as rich as Puff Daddy. “You can pretty much get anything except a key to the front door and a female,” one person told NBC News. “He’s a billionaire. People are in awe of him. Money is power, especially behind bars.”

However, after an alleged fight with Jamaican drug lord Christopher “Dudus” Coke, Diddy suffered a head injury that landed him in the hospital. Apparently, Dudus didn’t take kindly to the special treatment that was being given in prison. Reports suggested this led to prison raids and cell phone confiscation.

Now, according to TMZ, the Bad Boy mogul was transferred from his usual New Jersey prison to a new facility in Pennsylvania. The security isn’t as intense, and there are only 1,000 inmates. TMZ presumed that this meant there would be more eyes on him and allow for more protection from massive fights.

Diddy Transferred to Pennsylvania Prison After Nasty Brawl at Fort Dix

Currently, the state of Sean Combs’ health is unknown. What we do know is that his archenemy 50 Cent finds the whole debacle to be extremely amusing. He joked on Instagram that Diddy is bound to make the next prison he goes to even crazier than Fort Dix. Then, he posted an absolutely deranged video of a toy that resembles Combs blowing bubbles out of his butt.

50 has notoriously trolled his enemies, Puff included. He even made money off trolling his adversaries through a partnership with DoorDash. Back in February 2026, he was in a Super Bowl commercial that saw him tease Diddy’s lengthy 50-month prison sentence and make reference to his name through cheese puffs and a pack of combs.

“I’ve always been about keeping it real, so when DoorDash approached me about a social campaign around beef, it felt authentic from the start,” 50 Cent said in a statement. “They’ve got everything you need, and just like with beef, the receipts speak for themselves.”

Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images for Sean “Diddy” Combs

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It’s been over a decade since One Direction decided to go their own way and pursue solo careers. It seemed to work out for all parties involved, especially Harry Styles, one of the biggest pop stars working today. Still, fans dreamed that one day the group would eventually reunite, even if it was for just a performance or a throwback tour.

However, tragedy struck when Liam Payne died in 2024 after a horrific fall from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Argentina. Two years later, Styles had a concert at Madison Square Garden and decided to honor his old friend and bandmate with an unreleased song. Check it out below:

Harry Styles performs an unreleased song he wrote for Liam Payne at his show at Madison Square Garden. pic.twitter.com/NL8Y6PP5Sq

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 17, 2026

Before he performed the song, Harry Styles gave a heartfelt speech to the crowd, addressing the whirlwind feelings that revolve around grief. Ultimately, he stressed the importance of being there for the people you care most about in life.

“I’m sure a lot of you have been through similar things. I hope you haven’t. But really, it’s just about looking after each other,” he told the audience. “So many people who have touched my life in such special ways. I wouldn’t be here without. I’m gonna play you a song I wrote for my friend about two years ago, if that’s all right.”

Harry Styles Pays Tribute to the late Liam Payne Two Years After His Tragic Death

Currently, the “As It Was” crooner is on a lengthy residency tour, where he’ll perform a string of shows at dedicated venues across the world. Currently, he has taken over Madison Square Garden for seven more shows. Then, he heads overseas to Australia for four shows at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne and two shows at Accor Stadium in Sydney Olympic Park in December. After a small hiatus into the new year, Harry Styles will complete the rest of his world tour and eventually finish at Wembley Stadium on August 28th, 2027.

At the time of Liam Payne’s death, One Direction reunited for a group statement to pay tribute to their late friend. “We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly,” they shared on behalf of Harry Styles, Zayn, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson.

Photo by Jason Howard/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

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Politics have made rock royalty beef now more than ever. During a recent concert, James Hetfield seemingly threw shade at the Macklemore controversy by affirming that they’re not like that. Instead, they’re politically neutral and don’t want to convince any fans to feel strongly about anything in particular. Just have fun and rock out at their shows. “Metallica is not here, like some other entertainers, to influence you with their bulls**t,” he shared.

Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame found this perspective to be essentially useless. What kind of artist makes it a point to not say anything at all? Consequently, he called Hetfield a “prick” on the latest episode of The Katie Halper Show.

“He’s just showing that he’s a complete prick,” Waters said of the Metallica frontman. “He’s got an IQ of about three, and why we’re talking about him, I don’t even know, because he’s a nobody. He may have a few hundred million dollars or whatever, but he’s a prick.”

Additionally, Roger Waters slammed Hetfield for his artistry, claiming that Metallica aren’t real musicians. “I heard them playing acoustic instruments and it was appalling,” he scoffed.

In the war between the two rock legends, the Osbourne family made their loyalties very clear by calling out Waters. For a limited time, they released a shirt that says ‘Another Prick In The Wall’, in reference to the Pink Floyd classic. Then, you can see Ozzy Osbourne peeing a rainbow on it.

The Osbourne Family Stood up for Metallica in Their Feud With Roger Waters of Pink Floyd

Waters is also on the record for not liking Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath that much either. In a 2025 interview with The Independent Ink, he shrugged off their music in the aftermath of his death. Moreover, he recalled the “idiocy and nonsense” that Osbourne publicly spouted over the years.

“I don’t care about Black Sabbath, I never did, I have no interest. I couldn’t care less,” Roger Waters said at the time. “Ozzy Osbourne, who just died, bless him, in his whatever that state that he was in his whole life. We’ll never know, we didn’t, you know? Although he was all over the TV for hundreds of years with his idiocy and nonsense.”

Naturally, the Osbourne family was quick to defend Ozzy from the onslaught from Roger Waters. As captured by PEOPLE, Jack Osbourne revealed that his dad never quite cared for the Pink Floyd singer. “Hey @rogerwaters. F**k You. How pathetic and out of touch you’ve become,” he wrote on Instagram. “The only way you seem to get attention these days is by vomiting out bulls**t in the press. My father always thought you were a c**t – thanks for proving him right.”

Photo by KMazur/WireImage

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One of the most infamous albums in hip-hop history is Once Upon A Time In Shaolin. Back in 2014, RZA, Method Man, and the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan were fed up with how streaming made music feel like it doesn’t have any value. Consequently, they made the album to be consumed like high art and only made one copy of the album. Then, they deleted every master recording so that there would be no possible way for the album to ever be leaked.

By 2015, only 150 people got to come together and listen to a fraction of the album. Then, Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli bought it for $2 million and thought about destroying it just to really make sure no one heard it. By 2021, PleasrDAO had acquired it and revealed that it could only be heard at listening parties and art exhibits.

Decades later, Method Man finally got to hear the work they spent so much time working on. Now, we get a pretty solid review for it. During an episode of the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, they brought the New York legend for an informal listening party with Once Upon A Time In Shaolin. According to Meth, it’s reminiscent of the prime work RZA used to make.

Method Man Finally Got To Hear the Lost Wu-Tang Album After its Inception over a decade ago

“I could see why people will like this album, and I could see why people will love this album,” he shared. “I don’t hate it. The production is on par with some of the stuff that RZA used to do back in the day … I’m gonna give him his props on this one. And I’m gonna validate, this is a valid piece of art right here.”

How come Wu-Tang Clan can’t just buy the album back? After all, it is still their work. Why can’t they just take the record back and finally release it for die-hard fans to listen to? Or at the very least, Method Man and co. would be able to play it again like normal.

According to RZA, he tried to buy it back when Martin Shkreli was trying to get rid of the album. However, due to limitations in the contract of their sale, it prevented the Wu-Tang Clan from ever having real ownership over the record again. Instead, it could only be heard in listening parties, like the one Pablo Torre did for the New York legend.

Photo by David A. Smith/Getty Images

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Rappers love to be rockstars. The aesthetic around being this untouchable, larger-than-life figure is extremely alluring. But rarely do you hear of rockstars wanting to be rappers. Unless you’re Kid Rock, it’s not often you get your average rocker busting out rhymes or taking inspiration from the grandiose rap personality.

But Fall Out Boy was never the average band either. Considering they featured 2 Chainz in a music video for “My Songs Know What You Did in The Dark“, they’re clearly not averse to hip-hop. It wasn’t just general aesthetic, though. Pete Wentz found massive inspiration in his songwriting by listening to the best rappers of the moment.

In 2006, that was all Lil Wayne. He was going around touting himself as the ‘best rapper alive.’ Frankly, he wasn’t wrong to think so either. He rapped in an absolutely dizzying amount of punchlines that even put Jay-Z to shame.

Naturally, at the time, Pete Wentz was trying to apply that apex form of lyricism to Fall Out Boy. In a 2006 interview with MTV, he talked about some interests that their fans might not have immediately expected from them. He declared Weezy the best lyricist working and highlighted a line that left him especially impressed.

How Pete Wentz and Fall Out Boy Learned From Lil Wayne in the Songwriting Department

“And as far as lyrics go, I’ve been taking a lot of influence from the best lyricist of the past year: Lil Wayne. He’s insane. There’s this one song [‘Hit ‘Em Up’] where he goes, ‘I eat up catastrophe/ Swallow the truth/ And belch reality,’ and I’m like ‘Wow,'” Pete Wentz recalled.

Additionally, the Fall Out Boy bassist marveled that Patrick Stump was just as into R&B and Motown vocally as he was in rock and roll.

“There’s a song we’re calling ‘Me and You,’ and in it, Patrick is doing things that are straight-up Motown,” Wentz added. “If there wasn’t a rock band playing, it’d be straight R&B, and he’d go on tour with just an upright bass and a drum and open up for R. Kelly.”

As far as Lil Wayne is concerned, he believed his own hype just as much as Fall Out Boy did. In 2007, he told XXL that anyone hating on him needs to treat him the way you would civil rights activists.

“Darling, I don’t care what nobody think. Talk to me like you talking to Martin Luther King or Malcolm X. You’re not about to ask him about what he think about what somebody said about him. You ’bout to ask him about his greatness, and his greatness only. I don’t care what nobody think,” Lil Wayne scoffed.

Photo by James Looker/Avalon/Getty Images

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Britney Spears has long been the prototype pop star for many. When looking at the modern superstars today, all of them emulate what she did to some degree. Whether it’s the dancing, the singing, or just the general look and aura of her, she was the blueprint for a lot of artists.

But Spears didn’t become this influential out of nowhere. Even she admired other pop and R&B stars to become the seismic force in pop culture she became. For her, that person was always Janet Jackson. On an Instagram post, she paid tribute to The Velvet Rope legend.

In the caption, she recalled being a young teenager, watching her music videos in awe. For Britney Spears, it was an experience she could hardly understand. But she knew she wanted to experience her magnetism over and over again.

“At 13 years old, if a Janet Jackson video came on the TV, my mouth dropped open,” she wrote. “I kept repeating in my head, ‘No, no. Please come back, I wanna see that again. Where the hell did that come from?’ It was her ability to be incredibly mysterious, so dark with a vibe that sucked you in immediately, and then this haunting, simple, angelic tone.”

Britney Spears Honors Janet Jackson With a Post on Instagram

Then, Spears admired her stylistic choices as a vocalist and as an entertainer. “[Janet Jackson’s] not trying to be sexy, she just is,” she continued. “She can’t help it. She has always been god to me. She’s not just a singer, she is an entertainer in people’s eyes. Not only do adults feel her presence in such a spellbound way, she’s able to captivate the hearts of children as well! I was so young, and she spoke to my heart and soul like no one else.”

Then, at the end of her tribute, Britney Spears even admitted that she was kind of rambling. Still, she felt the need to give flowers to an artist that means so much to her. “I have no idea why I’m writing this, but I do believe people like her are here for a reason … Just her smile alone changed the world forever … She’s my girl crush this month,” she concluded.

Janet Jackson’s impact on Britney Spears is especially evident when looking back at some of her forays into R&B. Her Neptunes-produced “I’m a Slave 4 U” nods to a lot of the same whispery, sensual qualities that made Jackson such an alluring presence throughout her career.

Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

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The state of the music industry is confusing from every angle. Making money feels impossible. Streams pay fractions of pennies, and tours don’t last forever unless you’re like The Weeknd, who has been on the road for years now. Artists are stuck trying to figure out brand deals and licensing since no one actually buys albums anymore. This is particularly rough for veterans in the industry like Nas. Frankly, he’s tired of it.

In a statement on Instagram, he mused over the current state of culture as a whole. Ultimately, the Queens MC had a sour taste in his mouth about how the industry discards its legends and innovators. It’s a ‘what have you done for me lately’ kind of industry. Even if they give the art and culture their everything, they don’t always get the care they deserve.

“For the past year I’ve been watching so much happen in the culture while working on music,” Nas wrote. “I think about how it started, I think about the Mississippi Delta to New Orleans to New York. I think about Robert Johnson at the crossroads, how he changed music, and how we can’t even find his grave.”

Nas Addresses The State of Music and Culture While Teasing New Music

“Sometimes I look at all artists, creators, and executives the same way. The music game forgets or doesn’t compensate the foundation. Our greats have been stolen from and ripped off of,” the Illmatic legend continued.

Consequently, Nas advocated for artists to stop desperately chasing trends in favor of a more communal experience within hip-hop. That way, when the industry leaves people out to dry, artists still have something to rely on.

“We can’t keep creating music for the sake of a “trend”. We have to remember the purpose and our contribution and how many things we created. Where’s the love for each other at?” Nas questioned. “We gotta take a stand as one. It’s time for a celebration of the music.”

Then, at the end of his manifesto, he stressed the importance of knowing yourself and teased that it’s time to address what that actually means. At the bottom, he added “BLAK MUSIC 2026”.

Clearly, this suggests another album could be on the way. What we know for certain is that it won’t include any Hit-Boy production. Back in August 2026, the producer shrugged that he’ll never work with Nas again for reasons that weren’t immediately clear.

“We did a lot of great work, but I don’t see us working again,” Hit-Boy told DJ Vlad and Elliott Wilson. “There’s a lot of reasons, you know what I mean? But it’s something I don’t really wanna dig too deep in ’cause it’s pretty deep. Respect to what we did get accomplished in three years.”

Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for BMI

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During a Super Bowl party earlier this year, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Keion White was shot in the ankle. Speculation surfaced in the aftermath that Lil Baby might’ve been connected due to an altercation earlier in the evening. However, after a new report, police didn’t connect him with any of the actions that took place that night.

According to KQED, authorities have arrested four people in connection with the shooting of Keion White. 35-year-old Curtis Green, 36-year-old Gregory Walker, 36-year-old Antoine Washington, and 38-year-old Marquis Davis were all arrested in Atlanta and different parts of California.

It’s currently unclear what roles Davis and Washington played in the incident. Green was released from custody because his charges were all misdemeanors, one of which was carrying a firearm. However, Walker was charged with assault with a semi-automatic weapon, a felony charge. He’s being held without bail. Police didn’t make any connections between Lil Baby and the shooting of Keion White.

According to Police Chief Derrick Lew, the investigation “expanded rapidly”, with search warrants spanning all over California and into Atlanta, Georgia. “It involved over 50 search warrants and assistance from over 250 law enforcement personnel,” he said in a press conference.

Lil Baby Not Involved in The Shooting of 49ers Defensive End Keion White

Walker’s attorney Jeff Wozniak stressed his client’s innocence and that such a shooting isn’t reflective of his character. “Mr. Walker is a family man, a longshoreman, a union member,” he said. “We’re gonna show that he’s innocent, get him back to his family.”

Despite this, authorities displayed a litany of guns and drugs seized during their investigation. According to the outlet, they found 15 pounds of drugs, thousands of dollars, and three firearms during the proceedings.

With Lil Baby no longer connected to the shooting of Keion White, he’s busy collaborating with YouTuber, philanthropist, and multi-millionaire MrBeast on Pharrell production. On a remix of his hit song “Dead Fresh”, the YouTuber actually stepped to the mic to brag about his money and his good work behind the scenes.

“Richest rapper on the scene, call me Mr. Lean,” MrBeast raps on the Lil Baby track. “30 million pounds of trash, we got that ocean clean/Take a minute, feel the breeze, it’s 20 million trees.”

It’s exactly as jarring as you might imagine. Check it out down below, if you dare:

Mr. Beast linked up with Lil Baby for his remix of “Dead Fresh” pic.twitter.com/zDDjxMNy28

— Kurrco (@Kurrco) August 30, 2026

Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage

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Years after the passing of late Los Angeles rapper Drakeo The Ruler, his estate finally reached a resolution in court. After a lengthy wrongful death lawsuit against Live Nation, they finally settled matters out of court. Currently, the terms weren’t disclosed, but according to PEOPLE, the ruling is “conditional.” Additionally, if the preapproved terms are reached within 45 days, then the case will finally be dismissed.

This came after the Cold Devil rapper was fatally stabbed at the Once Upon a Time in L.A. music festival back in December 2021. They argued it was malpractice that her son was jumped so viciously at what seemed like a secure event. All of this was done on behalf of Drakeo The Ruler’s 5-year-old son Caiden Caldwell.

“[Caiden] lost his father and has endured great pain, anguish, and loss of emotional and financial support due to this completely preventable, yet recklessly permitted act of violence,” the suit read in another report.

The lawsuit also claimed that certain parties involved looked at the murder as a form of “street justice.” He served three years in prison and was eventually acquitted in charges related to the murder of a Blood gang member. With only one security guard at his hip and barebones security for the venue, he was jumped by “scores of people, many dressed in all red and wearing ski masks.”

Drakeo The Ruler Lawsuit Finally Settled Out of Court With Live Nation

Journalist Jeff Weiss tragically recalled the night in 2022, calling the event a full-blown “assassination.” His performance was slated to be his second in LA since his release. After an initial “decoy” fight, security and police never showed up. Then, Drakeo The Ruler and seven others were left to defend themselves against 113 people donning all red.

“Directly in front of me, I watch one of the attackers leap up on a ledge, rip off his mask, beat his chest, and screech with apparent glee. As if on cue, the attackers all remove their red hoodies and scatter. Seconds later, security and the police finally arrive, much too late. So do a team of medics, who rush up to a prostrate body writhing on the asphalt. It is Drakeo: mask off, blood pouring all over his face and neck. It looks like his throat has been slit. In the distance, I hear the wail of sirens,” Weiss wrote.

Years later, YG was detained by police in connection with the murder of Drakeo The Ruler. However, he was eventually released shortly afterward.

Photo by Timothy Norris/WireImage

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Radiohead is one of the most historically respected bands of all time. Their influence across rock, pop, and even hip-hop shows up through sampling and by emulating their songwriting. The last thing you might initially expect is to hear Kanye West, Pharrell, and Lupe Fiasco rap over one of their songs on “Us Placers“.

However, that influence wasn’t just one way. Though it might not be immediately evident, they’re on the record for admiring arguably the greatest underground rap star of all time, MF DOOM. Back in January 2021, Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke paid tribute to the late icon. Above all else, he marveled at how incredible he was at stitching words together. In hip-hop and all of music, he hadn’t heard anything so transformative before. Then, he linked the 2009 track “Gazzillion Ear“. Both Yorke and bandmate Jonny Greenwood worked with him on the remix and for the 2011 record “Retarded Fren“.

“I am so sad to hear MF Doom’s passing. He was a massive inspiration to so many of us, changed things,” Yorke tweeted. “For me the way he put words was often shocking in it’s genius, using stream of consciousness in a way i’d never heard before.”

How MF Doom Inspired Radiohead and So Many Other Influential Artists of the 21st Century

Additionally, back in 2013, Thom Yorke told Dazed that DOOM was his favorite rapper. “Ultimately to me it’s not rapping at all, it’s poetry. The way he freeforms his verses and puts it all together, I don’t think anyone else quite does it like that,” the Radiohead frontman shared.

“I don’t necessarily like a lot of the beats, but he’s always amazing. ‘Guvnor’ was my single of 2012. It’s genius, that tune.

On the other side of the spectrum from Radiohead is Playboi Carti. Though he may not be the lyrical marvel that MF DOOM was, he raps with a lot of the same color and imagination stylistically. Still, when he made a reference to him on Whole Lotta Red in 2020, it threw a lot of people by surprise, his friends included.

That fact made Carti extremely giddy to share with his friends. As he told MARVIN Magazine in 2021, he was anxiously waiting to see if DOOM ever heard the lyric.

“I was more hype than anything. He’s alive to hear this s**t boy. I couldn’t wait for DOOM to pop out his shell and shout out Playboi Carti. I ain’t even do it for him to shout me out, I just did it to show older people who hear me. Yeah, I f**k with Doom, feel me. I love Doom,” he told journalist Yoh Phillips.

Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images

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R&B is finally regaining its presence in the mainstream. With rising acts like Kehlani and Leon Thomas and established artists like Chris Brown, it has quietly become a part of pop culture as it did in decades past. It’s no longer just a launching pad for artists to go pop or an extra skill for rappers like Drake to wield. Hopefully, in time, we’ll go back to having the energy Jodeci and Usher once brought to the table.

But in the background, artists in the underground kept R&B alive and fresh for die-hard fans of the genre. Moreover, some of them have been holding down the fort for years while pop culture lagged behind. So, we’ve spotlighted three underground R&B singers who have been integral to the genre’s spirit for years and still thrive today.

Three Underground R&B Singers That Have Quietly Made Great Careers for Themselves

Liv.e

The neo-soul label tends to get tossed around a ton very loosely. Frankly, anyone even vaguely earthy and not mainstream contemporary might get the claim. But not many of them capture the true essence of artists like Erykah Badu or D’Angelo. Typically, they’re derivative copies that don’t bring anything fresh to R&B.

That’s what makes Liv.e’s music especially potent. The Dallas born crooner takes the funk and grooviness and applies it to the modern world. She’ll take the universal aspects of love and relationships and juxtapose it with social quirks and problems of today. For instance, her album with Karriem Riggins as GENA saw her go from lovesick to needing an emergency therapy session due to her anger. There’s a nuttiness to her songwriting that differentiates her from anyone working in R&B today.

Phonte

You could easily argue Phonte is just as good of a singer as he is a rapper, if not better. Naturally, underground hip-hop fans adore his work with Big Pooh as Little Brother, rapping on classic 9th Wonder beats. But it’s his work with Nicolay as Foreign Exchange that has made for some of my favorite R&B songs of the 2000s and 2010s.

Additionally, Phonte doesn’t let the traditions of R&B forsake the mature songwriting and sense of humor that make him such a distinct artist. Records like Leave It All Behind shows Phonte singing about the trials and tribulations of long-term, committed relationships. Sometimes, those moments will lead him to having to sleep on the couch or having to quell anxieties amidst the mundanities of a healthy love life.

Other times, you’ll get songs like “Beverly Hills” where Phonte croons about a sweet West Hollywood romance while Devin Morrison prods at the annoying artificiality of LA socialites and how that manifests in some truly horrid dates. You’re unlikely to get any R&B artist provide such a fresh perspective in R&B as a whole, let alone the underground. The fact he’s been able to do it for decades is a testament to the good will and discography he’s built.

JMSN

Save for some viral moments on X with his music video for “Soft Spot“, JMSN has been operating in R&B’s underground for decades now. When he wasn’t producing for rappers like Kendrick Lamar, he wielded a wild falsetto and fused rock and funk with a gorgeous old soul.

Take “Talk is Cheap”, an old-fashioned sex jam that would’ve thrived in the 70s performing in smoky bars. In a sense, you could say he was born in the wrong generation. But I’d argue he’s simply suggesting we go back to a time when R&B was loved and adored and expand on its roots.

Photo by Todd Williamson/WireImage

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Fans are always having an existential crisis over the state of hip-hop. The mainstream never feels as fresh and lively as it could. But the underground is blooming with so much talent. All fans have to do is get out of their comfort zone and embrace what the future looks like. Despite all the anxieties, one of hip-hop’s biggest artists, A$AP Rocky, isn’t worried in the slightest about its future.

In an interview with Complex, the Harlem MC said he makes it a point to examine what’s happening in the current cultural landscape. Moreover, since he can’t fully control what fans are into, he tries to stay hands-off. However, through his connection to Playboi Carti, he feels some responsibility for the state of hip-hop today.

“My artist that I birthed is like the godfather of the new contemporary rage-vamp music. And he came from A$AP. He came from AWGE. He is still signed to AWGE,” A$AP Rocky explained.

“At the end of the day, if that’s what hip hop is going and that’s where it’s going, then technically I’m somewhat responsible for whatever it is and whatever it turns into. So I’m more embraceful towards it, even if I don’t get it, even if it’s not for me.”

A$AP Rocky Embraces The Current State of Hip-Hop and Shares Some of His Favorite New Artists

Rocky argued that the best thing about the current state of hip-hop is that he isn’t beholden to any one style. If new artists aren’t scratching that itch, he suggested diving back into the past.

“If I wanted to listen to hip hop in a certain form, I could always go into my favorite artists’ catalogs and go into that time capsule and enjoy it. That’s why stuff like jazz is even prominent or just relevant today to me,” A$AP Rocky added. “That’s why Golden Era Hip Hop is Tribe Called Quest. All these guys, Kanye and Pharrell, all these guys in the R&B. We could just go into their catalogs if nobody’s making something like that.”

As far as what Rocky is into nowadays, he highlighted Laila! and Teezo Touchdown as incredible artists that are “pushing the bar.” Moreover, his favorite albums of the year show that he’s not worried about mainstream hip-hop in the slightest.

“Bruno Mars’ album was lit, bro. F**kin’ Don Toliver album was fire. I f**k with J. Cole and Baby Keem, Ca$ino,” A$AP Rocky shared.

Photo by Stefano Mazzola/Getty Images

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Lady Gaga has been one of the biggest pop stars of the last 25 years. Every millennial can recall exactly where they were when they heard “Poker Face” for the first time. In her prime, her hits never seemed to run out. Nowadays, she oscillates between acting and singing, recognized as an icon within pop music. But R&B legend Stephanie Mills begs to differ. In fact, she argued that Gaga has quietly been a culture vulture this entire time.

In a sneak peek clip from The Jason Lee Show on BET, Mills teased that she probably shouldn’t even say anything. However, after Lee egged her on, she suggested that Lady Gaga is a culture vulture, based on an experience she had years ago. An old manager once informed Stephanie Mills that her classic “Home” was one of her favorite songs of all time.

Since Lady Gaga was having a fashion shoot in New York, Mills was asked if she could surprise the pop star and sing the song. Initially, she was hesitant. But eventually, she was talked into making the appearance. Then, when she sang for her, Gaga didn’t react in the slightest. “She looked at me like I had two heads,” Mills scoffed.

Stephanie Mills Explains Why She Thinks Lady Gaga is Just a Culture Vulture

Additionally, the “Never Knew Love Like This” singer said that this wasn’t a paid appearance. Instead, she said the photographer would take her photos in exchange for the performance. However, before they left, they were instructed to delete every picture they took at the studio.

“And they did not let us leave until they saw every picture being deleted. Very disrespectful,” Stephanie Mills said. “That’s why I say she’s a culture vulture because she was managed by Black men… I hope she watches. I hope you remember what you did. And I feel like you owe me an apology.”

Stephanie Mills isn’t the only one who feels like Lady Gaga gets more love than she deserves. Back in 2018, Donald Glover joked that talent doesn’t always win out in the end. Then, he uses the pop star as an example to amplify his point. “I went to school with white people who had less talent than me,” Childish Gambino said in a profile with The New Yorker. “Because I’m talented as f**k—and they’re doing way better than me. I went to NYU with Lady Gaga.” 

Photo by Romain Maurice/Getty Images

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Anyone would think suffering a heart attack would mean taking a long time away to recover. However, for R&B singer Angela Northern, it took only days to be cleared to sing again after a medical emergency onstage. During a performance at a B.B. King’s Blues Club in Memphis, she revealed that she had “100% blockage” in one of her arteries. As a result, she needed a stent immediately. Thankfully, she’s no longer in the ICU after such a massive health scare.

“Fortunately, I was surrounded by friends and loved ones who immediately went into action and I received life saving medical assistance,” Angela Northern wrote on Facebook on October 10, 2026. “Sooooo many things could have gone soooo much worse, but I’m sooo grateful that they didn’t. I love all of you guys that helped me in the middle of it as well as those who checked on me afterwards. Full recovery is in view!”

Naturally, you would think that full recovery would take quite some time. After all, the body needs some time to adjust after such a traumatizing experience. However, mere days after the emergency, she revealed she’s hitting the road once again to perform. After clearance from her doctors, Northern will go back to B.B. King’s and then play a festival in Brownsville, Tennessee.

R&B Singer Angela Northern Brushes Off Heart Attack in Order to Get Back on Stage

“I am at home, and I’m very grateful,” she shared in a video on Facebook. “I’m so grateful to God for giving me a way to come through this ordeal practically unscathed. I drove myself home from Memphis. The doctors cleared me to perform this Friday and Saturday. I’ll be at BB Kings this Friday and Saturday again. We are going to try it one more time and see what happens. Also, Saturday, I’ll be in Brownsville, Tennessee at a fall fest.”

Naturally, fans and supporters were overjoyed to see Angela Northern make such a tremendous recovery, especially in such a short time. “Thanks be to God for giving you another opportunity to be a blessing to many with your beautiful personality. May your experience be a testimony to to many!” one person replied to Angela Northern.

Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

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The 90s were a fruitful time to make money in hip-hop. With the rise of G-Funk and rap gradually making its imprint in pop culture, the genre was going commercial. However, this also meant hip-hop culture was bound to be used for corporate purposes. Many didn’t bat an eye at this shift. They’d do whatever it took to chase the dollar, even if it meant selling the culture in the process.

This was the core issue The Roots had on their 1996 classic “What They Do”. The Philadelphia band, alongside Raphael Saadiq, criticized rappers who didn’t truly love hip-hop. It was just a way to make as much money as possible.

The counter to this was that rapping was the only safe option for some people to get out of their rough, ugly environments. In a sense, it’s looking down at how young people are battered and kept down by the system in a cycle of violence.

Nuance and all, The Roots still had a point. But it also made The Notorious B.I.G. extremely mad. He told The Source (per Billboard) at the time that he felt disrespected by the Philly ensemble’s music video. Biggie suggested that they were making fun of his music video for “One More Chance“. However, according to Questlove, it was all a big misunderstanding.

How The Roots Made an Enemy Out of Biggie Smalls Before He Died

In a conversation on the Juan Epstein podcast alongside Chris Rock, Questlove recalled how Biggie used to love their work. Moreover, he argued that he was the driving force behind Brooklyn loving The Roots. However, when trying to make a “sarcastic look” at the culture on “What They Do”, they didn’t realize the similarities to “One More Chance”.

“We told the director we don’t want to do a direct reference to someone’s video… Based on the way the set looked, we didn’t know we were doing a direct reference to ‘One More Chance.’ So, when we saw the final cut… They showed it to us, and I was like, ‘Oh, damn.’ But it was too late,” Questlove said.

Rather than make a simple statement to The Source, he thought he could really address The Roots’ intentions in an op-ed. However, when the “1,000 pages” were ready, Questlove learned that Biggie was killed. “And that killed me. I never made it right,” he sighed.

Photo by Clarence Davis/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

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Over 30 years after the murder of Tupac Shakur, the convicted killer finally knows his fate. According to AP News, 63-year-old Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis has been sentenced to life in prison without any possibility of parole. Back in August, he was convicted of first-degree murder and is the only person who has ever been charged over Pac’s death.

For years, what happened to the hip-hop icon largely went unsolved. All we knew was that one night, he was in a black BMW with Suge Knight when another car pulled up at a red light and fired off several shots at them. Tupac was hit multiple times and died six days later in the hospital.

However, people found that Keffe D was speaking about that infamous night for years. He was granting interviews and even spoke about his role in the shooting in his 2019 memoir. Shakur and his crew had previously beaten up his nephew in Las Vegas. Consequently, he sought revenge and was in the passenger seat when the incident went down. The other people in the car who shot Pac had long passed away, leaving Davis and Suge Knight as the only ones who could recall that night.

Additionally, detectives knew some of these details. However, he was able to avoid prosecution for years because of a deal he made with law enforcement.

Keffe D is Sentenced to Life in Prison for the Murder of Tupac Shakur

Sentencing and all, Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis maintains his innocence. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he and his lawyer are already working on avoiding the life sentence.“S**t, I ain’t worried. I’m getting out on an appeal,” Keffe D told journalist Jeff Weiss. “We already filed it before the trial even started. They violated my civil rights!”

Additionally, throughout the interview, he doubled down on his innocence. He insisted that he wasn’t in the car the night that Tupac Shakur died. Instead, he was far away at a bar near UCLA. The next morning, he was home eating breakfast with his family.

Ultimately, he viewed the trial as a series of lies to try and implicate him in the murder. “Man, they lied about me so much. I don’t even know where to begin,” Davis said of the Tupac trial. “All those cops in there was lying like a motherf**ker. The prosecutors were lying about me. The only one who didn’t was [former FBI agent] Wade Lee.”

Photo by STEVE MARCUS / POOL / AFP via Getty Images

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Tragic news struck the family, friends, and fans of rapper and reality TV star Kash. In a report from Fox KTVU 2, she passed away at 29 years old after a shooting in downtown Oakland.

Currently, not much is known regarding the exact details of the tragedy. Officers reportedly responded to calls at around 1:30 am, when the late TV star was found suffering from a gunshot wound. She was taken to a hospital shortly afterward, but died at the facility. A woman based in Richmond has been arrested in connection to the shooting, as the police department investigates what led to the tragedy and why it happened.

Born Mackayla Paige, Kash was best known for her time on shows like “Real West Coast Baddies,” “RoomH8z” and “Young & Reckless”. Friends and family described her as the life of the party in any setting. “Oh my God, she was so fun. Was she not hella fun? Oh my God, this girl was so fun. She had us everywhere,” one of her friends, Poodah, shared with the news outlet.

Additionally, the late Mackayla Paige had serious visions of becoming famous and successful. Whether in reality TV or business, she worked hard to make it big.

Reality TV Star Kash Passed Away at 29 Years Old After Fatal Shooting in Oakland

Her cousin Nicky Clayton shared with KTVU 2, “She still had morals, don’t get me wrong. She wanted to be a reality star. She [wanted] to start her own business, she was modeling for a lot of companies, and she really wanted to do makeup.”

The tragic shooting took everyone by surprise, with her cousin getting teary-eyed, recalling how Kash had just been with family earlier that day. “She was chilling. She was with family. So she supposed to be good. I don’t know what transpired, but I know she’s supposed to be here,” Clayton said.

Meanwhile, her friend Poodahh reflected on what giving Kash was like as a person. She was somebody who would push her to be the best, most successful version of herself. As a result, her death hit especially close to home.

“She pushes me to be better every day. She sees when I’m not giving it my all, and she pushes me to be what she knows I could be,” Poodahh said. “I’m sorry for all of our loss, because she’s a star.” 

Photo via Instagram/@spoilmewitkash

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Hardcore rock snobs can be especially thorny towards hip-hop. Back in the day, people scoffed at it as if it wasn’t “real music.” Eventually, hip-hop became the premier genre in pop culture, and rock slowly faded out of the zeitgeist. Still, some maintain it could never compare. But one of rock’s all-time stars, Bruce Springsteen, advocated for the genre and culture, highlighting two artists who defined music in the 2010s.

During a Q&A at an Apple store in New York, Springsteen spotlighted Kendrick Lamar as a rapper he absolutely loved. One thing he loved most was that he’s “intense” above all else.

But perhaps the rapper he was kindest towards was arguably the most controversial, especially today. “I like Kanye West,” Bruce Springsteen said, per Billboard. “He makes great records. They are creative, amazing records.”

This wasn’t the first time he shared his love for Ye either. Back in 2014, he told Ann Powers for NPR that his Yeezus classic “Blood On The Leaves” left him particularly intrigued. Ultimately, his relationship to hip-hop allows Springsteen to keep his fingers on the pulse of music and culture.

Bruce Springsteen Shares Why He Loved the Controversial Kanye West

“I saw him on television. He did the song called “Blood on the Leaves” on the Later…With Jools Holland — it was fantastic, you know. I still find him very interesting,” Springsteen shared. “I’m not necessarily driving [to] it in my car, you know. I probably fall back on the stuff that I listened to as a kid or something if I’m driving around. But I do listen. I listen to a lot because there’s a lot of information in it and it’s just fascinating record-making.”

Kanye West has always wanted to be a rockstar like Bruce Springsteen anyway. Back in 2007, his only way to do that was to settle down with someone he loved.

“I think real rock stars get married and have little rock star kids. At some point, you have to add some sort of stability to your life,” Ye said. “You have to have something real that you can hold on to. There can be a point where your records don’t sell as much, or you’re not as popular as you used to be. The best thing that any of the Backstreet Boys could have had was a really good woman in their life.”

Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images

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Drake has frequently gotten into ridiculous beefs throughout his career. Obviously, there’s the infamous Kendrick Lamar feud, which has left the Toronto MC sending shots all by himself. Then, there’s his spat with Meek Mill or Common or even his beef with Jay-Z that revolves almost entirely around subliminal disses.

But none of those have ever gotten actually physical. There’s never been a threat of violence where fans need to be worried for the artists’ lives. Nor did you ever have to think about them getting into messy fights in public.

However, back in December 2014, Drake and Diddy got into a serious brawl, where the Bad Boy CEO allegedly punched him. By the end of the night, the Take Care rapper was reportedly in the hospital with a dislocated shoulder.

Then, a couple of nights later, footage was released of Diddy fed up and possibly intoxicated, claiming Drizzy stole the beat for “0 To 100” from him. “I gave this s**t to this n***a, and this n***a stole this s**t,” he told the audience.

Months later, Rap-a-Lot CEO and ally to Drake, J. Prince, went on the record to say that putting hands on his friend was unacceptable. He scolded Diddy by saying that if any further action takes course, real violence would take place.

The Weird, uneasy history Between Drake and Diddy

“Drake is family, and the weak s**t from Puffy and Suge is on my radar. First of all, Puffy feeling like he can put his hands on my family opens the doors for his family to be touched. You reap what you sow,” J. Prince said in February 2015.

By May 2015, TMZ claimed that Diddy had made amends with the Toronto MC behind closed doors. Since they were going to inevitably run into each other throughout the summer, they wanted to make sure things weren’t uneasy.

To ensure that, Diddy also went on the record to clarify what happened with “0 To 100”, revealing it was a mixup with producers. Moreover, he stressed that he didn’t put hands on him and that he’s actually one of his favorite artists.

“Yeah, ‘0 To 100’ was initially a record that was my record and somehow it became a misunderstanding because he was working with the same producers,” Puff said. “Honestly, Drake is my favorite rapper as far as songwriting and albums… It wasn’t anything that was that big of a deal at the end of the day.”

By 2016, Drake released “4pm In Calabasas”, which included some alleged disses towards Diddy. In the verse, he references the Puff Daddy classics while side-eyeing fake love.

“Certain s**t just too wild to reconcile/Take that, take that, no love in they heart so they fake that/DiCaprio level the way they play that/Damn n***a, what is that?/Even had the OG’s tryna press me Ha-ha-ha-ha/No way out cause I’m already in it,” Drake rapped.

Despite this, Diddy never responded. In fact, he randomly showed up to a Drake performance in North Carolina just a few months after the song.

Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for Time Warner Cable

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