I sat down w/
@NipseyHussle
for an insightful conversation about "Racks In the Middle." Great song & the lyrics deserve this type of breakdown. Take out your notepads. This is the latest episode of
@Genius
' "VERIFIED." Preview below, full episode here:
"Dear Adonis
…
You a good kid
You need good leadership
Let me be your mentor
since your daddy don't teach you shit
Never let a man piss on your leg, son."
— Kendrick Lamar
"Always rappin' like you 'bout to get the slaves freed."
— Drake yesterday
"Once upon a time, all of us was in chains/ Homie still doubled down, calling us some slaves."
— Kendrick Lamar today
"It was fun until you start to put money in the streets/ Then lost money 'cause they came back with no receipts/ I'm sorry that I live a boring life; I love peace/ But war-ready if the world is ready to see you bleed."
— Kendrick Lamar
Here’s a video from Camp Flog Gnaw.
Drake: “I’m here for you tonight. If you want to keep going, I will keep going. What’s up?”
Some fans boo loudly. One yells “No!”
Drake seemingly cuts his set short & ends the show there. “It’s been love.”
“Why would I try to call around and try to get dirt on you? You think my life is rap?
That’s ho shit. I got a son to raise. But I can see you don’t know nothin’ ‘bout that.”
— Kendrick Lamar
The Weeknd just ended his show after only a few songs, saying he had unexpectedly lost voice. “This kills me,” he said, as he came out to personally apologize to the Los Ángeles crowd at SoFi Stadium. “I love you,” he added before making an exit.
Marcellus Wiley says Drake dissed Kendrick Lamar on his ESPN show back in 2014.
But Wiley says Drake then “hid” behind his team & threatened not to host the ESPYs if they actually published the interview so the clip was shelved.
This is dope. A
#MetGala
suit made to honor Nipsey Hussle, Kendrick Lamar, JAY-Z, 2Pac, Nas, J. Cole, Meek Mill & Drake. It features their faces and lyrics throughout. Designed, worn, & posted by
@kerbito
.
When I think of "FEAR." from DAMN, I think about how Kendrick masterfully weaved song titles into that last verse.
“I’m talkin’ FEAR. Fear of losin’ LOYALTY from PRIDE / 'Cause my DNA won’t let me involve in the light of GOD / I’m talkin’ FEAR. Fear that my HUMBLE-ness is gone.”
J. Cole's 'KOD' features kiLL edward. My first instinct said this is probably an alter ego. This year, an artist named kiLL edward released a song called "Tidal Wave (just a little reference)." Guess what? Voice is strikingly similar to Cole's.
“Where I’m feeling alone, I don’t feel so alone when I see the response and see that it’s affecting so many people. The music has always been one big S.O.S. out to the world to see who out there connects with what I’m saying, who feels the same way.” -
@KidCudi
(via
@Beats1
)
This is even more powerful now.
Kobe Bryant On Nipsey Hussle's Legacy: "It's a shame we lost a life so young but I think the legacy he has created will live on and create a far greater impact than he could have ever imagined or hoped to create."
Clip pulled from FoxSports.
I get how people can be frustrated, sad, etc. but I don’t understand how anyone can blame him. He’s a human being. People lose sight of that too often.
“I’m gonna do this random song that no one in here has heard.”
Tyler, The Creator with a special performance of the rare leak “Penny” during an intimate show at The El Rey in LA.
On "Like That," Kendrick Lamar says "[They're] clickin' up but cannot be legit, no 40 Water."
This is a reference to California legends E-40 and B-Legit, who were part of the Bay Area group The Click.
Dot previously famously shouted E-40 (Earl Stevens) out on "Money Trees."
“We have to love each other. If you don’t, just try. You don’t wanna die in a fire, right? You have to be nice then.”
I spoke w/
@the1975
’s
@Truman_Black
about “Love It If We Made It.” This was an insightful convo about the track & the world. Respect to Matty!
"Every day a battle
I'm exhausted and I'm weary
Make sure I smile in public
When alone, my eyes teary
I fought through it all
But that shit hurt me severely."
-
@Polo_Capalot
JAY-Z on Drake's "Love All"
"Shoutout to the family
I don't want friends no more
Not many understand me
Everybody wants something
You know the price of everything
but the value of nothing."
Eminem honors the Beastie Boys. His new "Kamikaze" album cover is an ode to the group's classic album, "Licensed to Ill," which dropped in 1986. It also contained 13 songs and hidden messages in the text.
There it is. Jay Rock’s
#Redemption
will feature Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, SZA, Future & Jeremih. The album is due June 15 and it’s available for pre-orders now (tracklist & photo via
@jayrock
’s IG).
I recently realized that I've conducted more than 300 interviews for
@Genius
' Verified.
As a kid, I'd type out lyrics & print 'em out. I'd hide those lyrics & rap magazines in my books to read during school. It was all I cared about. What a journey.
Eminem on Machine Gun Kelly: "Next time you don't gotta use Tech N9ne if you want to come at me with a sub, Machine Gun / I'm talking to you, but you already know who you are, Kelly." He goes on, explaining that this is a reaction to MGK's comments about his daughter Hailie.
Out here shooting. Here's a short video of
@kendricklamar
&
@rihanna
performing "LOYALTY." in Watts.
#TDEXMAS17
This is always one of my favorite events to cover. All for the kids. Respect to
@TopDawgEnt
.
Sat down w/
@THESLUMPGOD
.
We talked about all sorts of movies and TV shows from "Avengers" and "Lilo & Stitch" to "The Fairly Odd Parents." We also broke down the science behind his unorthodox flow.
Check out the full episode of
@Genius
' VERIFIED here:
Kendrick on Kobe
"How do empires last when there’s no longer an emperor?"
"Your blood, sweat, tears, even your DNA is placed in these LA concretes. Nothing will ever replace that or erase that."
"It's never goodbye. It's simply respect due."
From 2016, ESPN x Scoop Jackson
"I can see why people like Lil Yachty
But not me, though
Not even dissing, it just ain't for me
All I am, simply, is just an MC
Maybe 'Stan' just isn't your cup of tea
Maybe your cup full of syrup and lean."
- Eminem, "The Ringer"
My latest for
@billboard
: Why
@KendrickLamar
&
@TopDawgEnt
's Hollywood Takeover Feels Imminent: Op-Ed
TDE is in a position to make its mark on film & television, starting with "Black Panther: The Album."
"My last scrap was w/ Puff Daddy
Who would have thought it?
I bought his album in 7th grade
And played it so much
You would've thought
my favorite rapper was Puff
Back then I ain't know shit
Now I know too much."
-
@JColeNC
“And if you want mo’ / You don’t have to ask if the flow still cold / I brought gold bottles to the Golden Globes.”
Oooh, I can’t wait for the bars about this moment right here.
Eminem appears to address Machine Gun Kelly on "Not Alike."
"Next time you don't gotta use Tech N9ne if you want to come at me with a sub, Machine Gun / I'm talking to you, but you already know who you are, Kelly."
"I don't have any manners / You've got a couple of ghostwriters but to these kids, it don't actually matter / They askin' me what happened to hip-hop, I said I don't have any answers." - Eminem
I had the privilege of shooting
@kendricklamar
&
@rihanna
at
@TopDawgEnt
's 4th annual Christmas show. Amazing experience! I also got to write about it. 📷✍🏽
Here are some more of my photos + my full recap for
@RapUp
:
Sat down w/ the talented
@LaurenJauregui
for a special episode of
@Genius
’ VERIFIED. We talked about “On Guard,”
@Jahaansweet
’s brilliance &
@6LACK
’s artistry but also about love, instincts, scars & healing.
Preview below, full episode here:
No, no, no, silly. We didn’t actually set our music on fire. “Burning CDs” just meant “make a copy of these songs for me.” And we had these huge folders with our “burned CDs” in them.
If you like the quote that kicks off J. Cole's "p u n c h I n ' . t h e . c l o c k," here's the source:
@Dame_Lillard
.
This was a phenomenal interview and you could see that fire in his eyes and hear it in his voice.
"Worldwide Steppers"
"Writer's block for 2 years
Nothing moved me
Asked God to speak through me
That's what you're hearing now
The voice of yours truly."
- Kendrick Lamar,
#MrMoraleAndTheBigSteppers
This is why this is such an incredible line:
“I even tried suicide and I don’t know why / I know better than most that the Soul don’t die / Took a leap, shattered my leg and most my teeth / But I’m still standing behind every word I speak.”
"N95"
"Take off the money phone
Take off the car loan
Take off the flex & white lies
Take off the weird ass jewelry
I'ma take 10 steps, then I'm takin' off Top 5
Take off them fabricated streams
And the microwave memes
It's a real world outside."
- Kendrick Lamar
BECKY G. And the G is for Genius.
Had the honor of (digitally & safely) sitting down w/
@iambeckyg
for a dope convo about “They Ain’t Ready.” We talked about love, life & being above the noise.
#VerifiedAtHome
Preview below, full episode here:
"You playin’ dirty w/ propaganda, it blow up on ya / You playing nerdy w/ Zack Bia and Twitter bots / But your reality can’t hide behind WiFi / Ya lil’ memes is losing steam; they figured you out/ The forced opinions is not convincing, y’all need a new route." — Kendrick Lamar
Five years ago, I had the honor of interviewing the great Nipsey Hussle about
#VictoryLap
for
@RapUp
. I asked him about the album’s cohesion & storytelling. Here’s what he shared about that process & about how personal this offering was.
"Once an Addict" is an early standout on J. Cole's "KOD." It's a powerful song and perhaps one of the most vulnerable joints he's ever done. It feels like a personal breakthrough with an emotional pull. It's technically an "interlude," but it's much more than that.
I sat down w/ the talented
@LaurenJauregui
for an awesome episode of
@genius
’ VERIFIED.
We talked about her new song “More Than That,” substance over diamonds, and intellectual stimulation. She even threw some bilingual sabor in there!
Full episode:
“I like the uncomfortableness of progression” needs to be on a shirt or something. I loved this quote from
@isaiahrashad
. Go watch the full episode, it’s full of gems like this.
About to play “22 Twos” at 2:22 on 2/22/22 just to see what happens. Who knows? Might win a billion dollars or a life-changing dinner with JAY-Z. You just never know!
Sat down w/
@Truman_Black
once again! This time, he broke down
@the1975
’s “Sincerity Is Scary,” which was, in some ways, inspired by Dilla. Check out the full interview here:
A “Rare” honor. Sat down w/
@selenagomez
for a special conversation about one of her most empowering tracks, “Rare.” Photo by Luis Ferra. Thanks to
@heyitsstass
who booked it & to the whole
@Genius
team who worked on this episode.
Link:
Eminem on Joe Budden:
"Somebody tell Budden before I snap
He better fasten it
Or have his body bag get zipped
The closest thing he's had to hits
Since smacking b------"
"These rappers are like Hunger Games / One minute, they're mocking Jay / Next minute, they get their style from Migos / Or they copy Drake / Maybe I just don't know when to turn around and walk away." - Eminem