“I believed for a very long time that there was strength in vulnerability, and I really don’t believe that anymore,” Ocean told W magazine, discussing themes he is concerned with musically. “‘Strength’ and ‘vulnerability’ sound opposite as words. And so to combine them sounds wise, but I don’t know if it is wise.” 

Curiously, Ocean claimed his interest in music had to do with becoming successful rather than an artistic desire. “It was a driver to get out of the neighborhood,” he explained. “I remember feeling no attachment to music necessarily, more an attachment to what music could bring if I succeeded, you know, financially. And that meant freedom from my situation at the time, and maybe what I was projecting onto my own future.”

When asked if he’s currently working on any projects, Ocean replied, “My answer to that is that I’m always working on music and other things. Right now I’m working on doing four underwater laps in the pool.”

While we wish Ocean all the best with his aquatic endeavors, we do hope he’ll find the time to release some new songs between laps!

The post Frank Ocean Shares Thoughts on Strength, Vulnerability, Music and Underwater Laps appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

Modern rap artists often use the distinctive 90s vibe in their songs or music videos, and rap fans, in general, bear nostalgic feelings for the era.

The story of rap begins in the ’70s, when DJ Kool Herc, who was also hip hop’s first DJ, started simple freestyle rapping at his home parties. Completely different than anything created before, the genre really took off in the ’90s in New York City, sweeping the music scene with its unique authenticity and successfully connecting old and new musical concepts in a way that hadn’t been heard before.

Here are the best rap tracks from the genre’s golden age.

10. It was a good day – Ice Cube

09. Gangsta’s Paradise – Coolio

08. Gin & Juice – Snoop Dogg

07. C.R.E.A.M – Wu-Tang Clan

06. The world is yours – Nas

05. Mind playing tricks on me – Geto Boys

04. Nuthin’ But a G Thang – Dr.Dre

03. My name is – Eminem

02. Juicy – Notorious BIG

01. California Love – Tupac ft. Dr.Dre

The post 10 Influential 90s Rap Songs That We Still Can’t Get Enough Of appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The rapper, who is famous for his ability to inspire a seldom seen level of devotion from his fans due to his pioneering work and his openness about his mental health struggles, hasn’t released an album since Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ in 2016.

Last Friday, Cudi updated his fans via Twitter about his plans, saying that he has been ‘mad busy’ and that he has a lot of new exciting stuff for them, so they should stay tuned.

The superstar made it clear that he will not be going on a solo tour in the near future but that he would make an appearance on the festival scene.

Concerning the topic of new songs, the Cleveland native said that there will definitely be new music next year, explaining that he plans to work really hard for the latter part of 2019 but is in no rush produce anything new right now. In addition, the rapper said that he doesn’t want to drop new albums every year anymore and he needs to give himself time to do other things and relax more.

The post Kid Cudi Announces Plans To Release New Album Next Year appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

Rapper Young Thug has been building a fanbase with constant mixtapes and hits such as “Stoner” and “Best Friend.” Let’s not forget about his multitude of features in songs with T.I., Nicki Minaj, and DJ Snake.

For the release of his 2017 mixtape Beautiful Thugger Girls, he wanted it to be special. He dropped the 14-song release on June 16th, which is the birthday of iconic rapper Tupac Shakur. In a tweet, he declared himself to be finishing what the late artist started by calling himself the “new Pac.”

This isn’t the first time someone put Young Thug and Tupac in the same sentence. In a 2016 interview with Pigeons and Planes, Wyclef Jean said that Thug reminded him of the platinum-selling artist. The two worked together on Thug’s mixtape Jeffery and Wyclef’s J’ouvert EP.

Will Young Thug ever be as popular as Tupac? It’s too early to tell, but you can bet he’ll have a career full of accolades and praise from his peers.

The post Young Thug Labeled Himself This Generation’s Tupac Shakur appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

Gates has yet to publicly reveal whether he will be releasing new music. However, his wife Dreka Gates has said that he had been working really hard in the studio and that fans can expect to hear from him soon.

Dreka also revealed that Kevin is unable to travel at the moment as the Illinois Department of Corrections have prevented him from leaving the state.

“The Illinois Department of Corrections has prevented Kevin from leaving the state of Illionis,” she said in a video. “He isn’t even allowed to come home to California where we live. Since he was released in January, he has not been able to come home not one time.”

While Gates did not give the names of any of his new songs, he offered an example of what fans can expect by playing snippets of his new songs and then rapping along to them.

The post Rapper Kevin Gates Gives Fans a Preview of his New Music appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The two were introduced to each other by their mutual friend Proof, who was shot dead in 2006, and something they have in common is that both of them have had their battles with addiction.

The two even worked together as a duo named Bad Meets Evil, however plans were cancelled after Eminem rose to fame in the early 2000s.

Eminem has often referenced his battles with addiction in his songs, and he nearly died in 2007 following an overdose. The 45-year-old rapper admitted that at worst, he could take “40 to 60 Valium” and “20 to 30 Vicodin.”

In a bid to turn his life around, Eminem checked into rehab in 2008 and started his 12-step program Relapse, Recovery and Revival.

The song “Arose” from Revival goes into deep detail about his battles.

Happy sobriety birthday to my mentor @Eminem … Keep fighting the good fight homie … I love you for life

— ROYCE (@Royceda59) April 21, 2018

The post Royce da 5’9” Congratulates Eminem on Being Clean and Sober for Past 10 Years appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The Pulitzer Prize website described the 30 year old’s album as “a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.”

Lamar has often drawn praise for the way he uses deep lyrical content and delivers politically charged performances through a mix of hip-hop, spoken word, poetry and African sounds.

Since first achieving success on the music scene through his album Section.80, Lamar has gained tremendous commercial success and critical acclaim and has so far gone on to win 12 Grammy awards.

He has also gone on to release albums such as Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, To Pimp a Butterfly and Damn, which have done well and featured Lamar writing about issues such as blackness, police brutality, perseverance, survival and self-worth.

The post Kendrick Lamar Becomes First Rapper to Win Pulitzer appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

Since then, Linkin Park have only played one show which was a tribute show to Bennington in October. Shinoda did, however, reveal this January that the band has “every intention” to continue.

“A week after Chester passed, the idea of the studio was scary,” Shinoda says. “And it wasn’t just the idea of attempting to make a song and being overwhelmed by those memories. There’s another layer of fear for artists in this situation that is, ‘What if I can’t make anything good [without that person]?’ Those hurdles start to accumulate, whether that’s fear or depression or the chaos of the outside world, it creates an echo chamber of anxiety.”

Shinoda revealed that he was making bad music during that period.

“I was making bad ’90s grunge songs, making bad rap songs… and then I made something good,” he says. “I’d make all these different things with no intention of putting them out, but just diving into some of the ideas that were already in my head.”

The post Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda Reveals He Wrote Bad Songs After Death of Chester Bennington appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

However, even in the boy’s club environment, some were bound to stand out above the rest. Drake and Migos were the top two R&B hitmakers that ruled the charts with an iron fist.

For all of the four years, Drake has topped the list (with the last three occurring consecutively), Drake has consistently proven the benefits of getting in touch with your sensitive side. His 2017 release “More Life” only further cemented his reputation as the reigning king of silky-smooth tunes, rocketing him straight to the top of Billboard’s year-end list.

Migos are newcomers but managed to sustain their uproarious success from the previous year all throughout 2017, partially in thanks to a well-timed meme that started their year on the right foot.

After lyrics from their hit single “Bad And Boujee” spawned a wave of internet jokes (and even a Golden Globes shoutout from fellow Atlanta native Donald Glover), it seemed as though the slick rap trio could do nothing but win.

The post These Were The Top R&B Acts Of 2017 appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

“I believed for a very long time that there was strength in vulnerability, and I really don’t believe that anymore,” Ocean told W magazine, discussing themes he is concerned with musically. “‘Strength’ and ‘vulnerability’ sound opposite as words. And so to combine them sounds wise, but I don’t know if it is wise.” 

Curiously, Ocean claimed his interest in music had to do with becoming successful rather than an artistic desire. “It was a driver to get out of the neighborhood,” he explained. “I remember feeling no attachment to music necessarily, more an attachment to what music could bring if I succeeded, you know, financially. And that meant freedom from my situation at the time, and maybe what I was projecting onto my own future.”

When asked if he’s currently working on any projects, Ocean replied, “My answer to that is that I’m always working on music and other things. Right now I’m working on doing four underwater laps in the pool.”

While we wish Ocean all the best with his aquatic endeavors, we do hope he’ll find the time to release some new songs between laps!

The post Frank Ocean Shares Thoughts on Strength, Vulnerability, Music and Underwater Laps appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

Modern rap artists often use the distinctive 90s vibe in their songs or music videos, and rap fans, in general, bear nostalgic feelings for the era.

The story of rap begins in the ’70s, when DJ Kool Herc, who was also hip hop’s first DJ, started simple freestyle rapping at his home parties. Completely different than anything created before, the genre really took off in the ’90s in New York City, sweeping the music scene with its unique authenticity and successfully connecting old and new musical concepts in a way that hadn’t been heard before.

Here are the best rap tracks from the genre’s golden age.

10. It was a good day – Ice Cube

09. Gangsta’s Paradise – Coolio

08. Gin & Juice – Snoop Dogg

07. C.R.E.A.M – Wu-Tang Clan

06. The world is yours – Nas

05. Mind playing tricks on me – Geto Boys

04. Nuthin’ But a G Thang – Dr.Dre

03. My name is – Eminem

02. Juicy – Notorious BIG

01. California Love – Tupac ft. Dr.Dre

The post 10 Influential 90s Rap Songs That We Still Can’t Get Enough Of appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The rapper, who is famous for his ability to inspire a seldom seen level of devotion from his fans due to his pioneering work and his openness about his mental health struggles, hasn’t released an album since Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ in 2016.

Last Friday, Cudi updated his fans via Twitter about his plans, saying that he has been ‘mad busy’ and that he has a lot of new exciting stuff for them, so they should stay tuned.

The superstar made it clear that he will not be going on a solo tour in the near future but that he would make an appearance on the festival scene.

Concerning the topic of new songs, the Cleveland native said that there will definitely be new music next year, explaining that he plans to work really hard for the latter part of 2019 but is in no rush produce anything new right now. In addition, the rapper said that he doesn’t want to drop new albums every year anymore and he needs to give himself time to do other things and relax more.

The post Kid Cudi Announces Plans To Release New Album Next Year appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

Rapper Young Thug has been building a fanbase with constant mixtapes and hits such as “Stoner” and “Best Friend.” Let’s not forget about his multitude of features in songs with T.I., Nicki Minaj, and DJ Snake.

For the release of his 2017 mixtape Beautiful Thugger Girls, he wanted it to be special. He dropped the 14-song release on June 16th, which is the birthday of iconic rapper Tupac Shakur. In a tweet, he declared himself to be finishing what the late artist started by calling himself the “new Pac.”

This isn’t the first time someone put Young Thug and Tupac in the same sentence. In a 2016 interview with Pigeons and Planes, Wyclef Jean said that Thug reminded him of the platinum-selling artist. The two worked together on Thug’s mixtape Jeffery and Wyclef’s J’ouvert EP.

Will Young Thug ever be as popular as Tupac? It’s too early to tell, but you can bet he’ll have a career full of accolades and praise from his peers.

The post Young Thug Labeled Himself This Generation’s Tupac Shakur appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

Gates has yet to publicly reveal whether he will be releasing new music. However, his wife Dreka Gates has said that he had been working really hard in the studio and that fans can expect to hear from him soon.

Dreka also revealed that Kevin is unable to travel at the moment as the Illinois Department of Corrections have prevented him from leaving the state.

“The Illinois Department of Corrections has prevented Kevin from leaving the state of Illionis,” she said in a video. “He isn’t even allowed to come home to California where we live. Since he was released in January, he has not been able to come home not one time.”

While Gates did not give the names of any of his new songs, he offered an example of what fans can expect by playing snippets of his new songs and then rapping along to them.

The post Rapper Kevin Gates Gives Fans a Preview of his New Music appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The two were introduced to each other by their mutual friend Proof, who was shot dead in 2006, and something they have in common is that both of them have had their battles with addiction.

The two even worked together as a duo named Bad Meets Evil, however plans were cancelled after Eminem rose to fame in the early 2000s.

Eminem has often referenced his battles with addiction in his songs, and he nearly died in 2007 following an overdose. The 45-year-old rapper admitted that at worst, he could take “40 to 60 Valium” and “20 to 30 Vicodin.”

In a bid to turn his life around, Eminem checked into rehab in 2008 and started his 12-step program Relapse, Recovery and Revival.

The song “Arose” from Revival goes into deep detail about his battles.

Happy sobriety birthday to my mentor @Eminem … Keep fighting the good fight homie … I love you for life

— ROYCE (@Royceda59) April 21, 2018

The post Royce da 5’9” Congratulates Eminem on Being Clean and Sober for Past 10 Years appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The Pulitzer Prize website described the 30 year old’s album as “a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.”

Lamar has often drawn praise for the way he uses deep lyrical content and delivers politically charged performances through a mix of hip-hop, spoken word, poetry and African sounds.

Since first achieving success on the music scene through his album Section.80, Lamar has gained tremendous commercial success and critical acclaim and has so far gone on to win 12 Grammy awards.

He has also gone on to release albums such as Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, To Pimp a Butterfly and Damn, which have done well and featured Lamar writing about issues such as blackness, police brutality, perseverance, survival and self-worth.

The post Kendrick Lamar Becomes First Rapper to Win Pulitzer appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

Since then, Linkin Park have only played one show which was a tribute show to Bennington in October. Shinoda did, however, reveal this January that the band has “every intention” to continue.

“A week after Chester passed, the idea of the studio was scary,” Shinoda says. “And it wasn’t just the idea of attempting to make a song and being overwhelmed by those memories. There’s another layer of fear for artists in this situation that is, ‘What if I can’t make anything good [without that person]?’ Those hurdles start to accumulate, whether that’s fear or depression or the chaos of the outside world, it creates an echo chamber of anxiety.”

Shinoda revealed that he was making bad music during that period.

“I was making bad ’90s grunge songs, making bad rap songs… and then I made something good,” he says. “I’d make all these different things with no intention of putting them out, but just diving into some of the ideas that were already in my head.”

The post Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda Reveals He Wrote Bad Songs After Death of Chester Bennington appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

However, even in the boy’s club environment, some were bound to stand out above the rest. Drake and Migos were the top two R&B hitmakers that ruled the charts with an iron fist.

For all of the four years, Drake has topped the list (with the last three occurring consecutively), Drake has consistently proven the benefits of getting in touch with your sensitive side. His 2017 release “More Life” only further cemented his reputation as the reigning king of silky-smooth tunes, rocketing him straight to the top of Billboard’s year-end list.

Migos are newcomers but managed to sustain their uproarious success from the previous year all throughout 2017, partially in thanks to a well-timed meme that started their year on the right foot.

After lyrics from their hit single “Bad And Boujee” spawned a wave of internet jokes (and even a Golden Globes shoutout from fellow Atlanta native Donald Glover), it seemed as though the slick rap trio could do nothing but win.

The post These Were The Top R&B Acts Of 2017 appeared first on Hot Pop Today.