Starting with Future’s The Real Me, his first solo studio effort in four years, Aron and I were sadly disappointed by the tracklist. We pointed out some highlights like “No Misery” and “Feeling I Give” that show off more experimentation and dynamism. But we discussed the album’s lack of direction and innovation for the most part, as well as the debates surrounding the Atlanta artist’s lovelorn persona.

As for Yung Miami’s “Spend Dat” controversy, we looked back at the history of lyrical controversy in hip-hop. The response to the former City Girl’s new track is as much a reflection of cultural disconnect as it is a reaction to her involvement in the Diddy scandal. But we highlighted double standards that make some criticisms unfair, as well as the undue backlash people receive for pointing out promotion of societal ills. These days, it’s more about the discourse surrounding the art rather than the art itself.

Read More: Future’s Not Quite Done Being Our Toxic King

HNHH Live

Then, Aron and I highlighted our picks from HNHH‘s best of the mid-year list, including a rift over Drake’s ICEMAN and a debate about the mainstream’s leader right now. We specifically highlighted Isaiah Rashad’s IT’S BEEN AWFUL and the new By Storm album, My Ghosts Go Ghost as our favorites of 2026 so far.

Finally, we discussed JAŸ-Z’s Yankee Stadium shows this weekend, going over predictions and expectations. Aron was right on the money with Beyoncé, Nas, and Jaz-O emerging as special guests. We’ll see if our other predictions of Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, or Mary J. Blige come to fruition. There’s a lot to look forward to this weekend with Hov’s run, and we discussed whether or not he should diss more foes or focus on the music.

Check out HotNewHipHop‘s full livestream panel on all these topics above.

Read More: Five Guests We Want JAŸ-Z To Bring Out During His Yankee Stadium Shows

The post Is Yung Miami’s “Spend Dat” Bad For Hip-Hop? appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

“By age 29, contentment began to settle in, along with the idea of calling it quits,” the magazine entry reportedly reads, followed by a quote from the Dreamville MC: “After Born Sinner, when I was working on [2014’s] Forest Hills Drive, I was saying, ‘Yo, this might be my last album.’ Me and Kendrick [Lamar] was on a plane to Australia going to Eminem’s [Rapture] tour, and I remember telling him, ‘I think after I do this album, I might be done.’ He was like, ‘Get the f**k out of here.'”

After this, the two rappers collaborated on the “Black Friday” remixes and dropped some of their best material. The rest of the Fall-Off magazine probably contains even more curious and revealing moments, which fans are excited to dive into.

Read More: Five Guests We Want JAŸ-Z To Bring Out During His Yankee Stadium Shows

Is J. Cole Retiring?

Of course, this opens up the question of retirement again, something the North Carolina lyricist has talked about a lot during this run for The Fall-Off. He has said in the past that he’s done making albums in the Cole persona and feels satisfied with his contributions.

But J. Cole isn’t fully retired, as he just proved with the release of NEVER SAY DIE. The new album from fellow North Carolina lyricist PFG features full production from Cole, plus three guest verses. So he’s not out of the game entirely. But it’s interesting to contrast this current era with his FHD doubts.

Elsewhere, J. Cole just kicked off The Fall-Off‘s tour in his home state of North Carolina, specifically with the first of two back-to-back shows in Charlotte. Fans have been going wild over the trek online, and they expressed praise for this opening night.

Debates also emerged about Cole and K.Dot comparisons following the opening night thanks to similar stage set-ups. Although the 2024 beef saga disrupted the dynamics between them, it doesn’t erase over a decade of support and camaraderie.

Read More: Future’s Not Quite Done Being Our Toxic King

The post J. Cole Reveals Kendrick Lamar Convinced Him To Not Quit Rapping appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Manifest Martins caught a clip of the full freestyle online, and it definitely has some divisive lines. Hov called out the hypocrisy of people criticizing his Target exclusive deal for a Reasonable Doubt reissue while still supporting other major companies. He also addressed ongoing criticisms for partnering with the NFL after the Kaepernick controversy, as well as defending his billionaire status and affirming he’s given back to the community through positive change.

It’s not as diss-heavy or hyper-specific as the Roots Picnic freestyle, but it still has plenty of room for debate and discussion. Now, the question is whether all three of these Yankee Stadium shows will include something off the top. We’ll have to wait to find out…

Read More: Five Guests We Want JAŸ-Z To Bring Out During His Yankee Stadium Shows

JAŸ-Z’s Hair Cut

Elsewhere, new JAŸ-Z album rumors are flying wild thanks to his opening move at this first Yankee Stadium show, which celebrated the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt. Beyoncé came out not only as a guest performer, but also cut his hair in the concert’s opening video. This has led to new music speculation in spades, which is not that surprising. After all, Hov album rumors are pretty common, albeit in overdrive these days.

JAŸ-Z also had many special guests during this Yankee Stadium performance. He brought out Nas for a medley of the “Dead Presidents” tracks and some Esco classics, as well as Blue Ivy on the piano for “Feelin’ It.” In addition, Memphis Bleek hit the stage for “Coming Of Age,” Jaz-O came out for “Bring It On,” and Alicia Keys surprised the crowd with an “Empire State Of Mind” rendition.

But just like with many things related to the Roc Nation mogul, the bars stand out above all else. After all, as he said in the freestyle, “My presence is a present, and my gift is rapping.”

Read More: Future’s Not Quite Done Being Our Toxic King

The post JAŸ-Z Targets The Haters And Mentions Colin Kaepernick In New Freestyle appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Alicia Keys, Jaz-O, Blue Ivy, Nas, and Beyoncé were all guests throughout the evening. Before the show, a video of Beyoncé cutting Hov’s hair was played on the big screen. As you can imagine, this led to some big reactions, as well as speculation online that a new album might be dropping.

Hov likes to switch up his hair whenever he has something coming out. With these recent shows re-igniting fans’ love for JAŸ-Z, it only makes sense that the legend would want to drop an album. Whether or not we get that announcement, still remains to be seen.

Read More: The 10 Sneakers We Want To See Jay-Z Collab With Next

Is JAŸ-Z Dropping A New Album?

Below, you can find the setlist for the Reasonable Doubt portion of JAŸ-Z’s weekend. Tonight, he will be playing songs from The Blueprint, although we’re sure there will be plenty of other big surprises.

JAŸ-Z 30 Setlist:

• Can’t Knock The Hustle (Beyoncé)
• Politics As Usual
• Made In America
• Brooklyn’s Finest
• I Love The Dough
• Dead Presidents
• World Is Yours (Nas)
• NY State of Mind (Nas)
• Where I’m From (Nas)
• Feelin It
• D’evils
• No Church In the Wild
• Can I Live
• Jigga My
• Ain’t No
• Excuse Me Miss
• 22 Two’s
• Friend or Foe
• Coming Of Age (Memphis Bleek)
• Cashmere Thoughts
• Allure
• Bring It On (Jaz-O)
• Regrets
• Empire State of Mind (Alicia Keys)

Let us know what you think of this setlist below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more coverage of JAŸ-Z’s Yankee Stadium shows.

Read More: Five Guests We Want JAŸ-Z To Bring Out During His Yankee Stadium Shows

The post Beyoncé Cuts JAŸ-Z’s Hair, And Now Everyone Thinks An Album Is Imminent appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Release Date: July 10, 2026

Genre: Hip-Hop

Album: The Real Me

Quotable Lyrics from Tank Top Pluto

Trap out apartment, I’m whippin’ the pole
Run to the money, gotta run through a check
Vacay, birthday, gotta go jet
Shawty know how to eat it up, baguetty

The post Tank Top Pluto – Song by Future appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Release Date: July 10, 2026

Genre: Hip-Hop

Album: NEVER SAY DIE

The post Whole House – Song by PFG featuring J. Cole appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Release Date: July 10, 2026

Genre: Hip-Hop

Album: N/A

The post No More – Song by Memphis Bleek & Cool & Dre appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Overall, Cole is one of the biggest artists in the world, and last night showcased that. He was performing in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is his home. As you can imagine, the fans came out in droves to show love.

If you are going to be attending the tour, we have you covered with the setlist. Of course, it is pretty heavy in terms of tracks from The Fall-Off. Although there are quite a few classics here for all of the day-one fans to enjoy.

Read More: Five Guests We Want JAŸ-Z To Bring Out During His Yankee Stadium Shows

J. Cole Back On Tour

The Fall-Off World Tour Setlist:

• 39 Intro
• Two Six
• SAFETY
• Run A Train
• Poor Thang
• Legacy
• A Tale of 2 Citiez
• Fire Squad
• WHO TF IZ U
• Old Dog
• Raise Up (Petey Pablo)
• MIDDLE CHILD
• a lot
• Johnny P’s Caddy
• Lights Please
• 2Face
• In the Morning
• Nobody’s Perfect
• Work Out
• Can’t Get Enough
• The London
• She Knows
• The Let Out
• Bombs in the Ville / Hit the Gas
• January 28th
• Wet Dreamz
• G.O.M.D.
• Life Sentence
• Love Yourz
• Power Trip
• Planez
• No Role Modelz
• Quik Stop
• The Fall-Off Is Inevitable

Let us know what you think of this tour setlist in the comments below.

Read More: The 10 Sneakers We Want To See Jay-Z Collab With Next

The post J. Cole’s Setlist For “The Fall-Off” World Tour appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Release Date: July 10, 2026

Genre: Hip-Hop

Album: DOOMED! (due August 14)

Quotable Lyrics from Watching A Movie Called Freedom By Myself

Ain’t no post-credits scene, we can all just leave,
Credits just came and went, and we can all just leave,
We’ve been here from April to August, we can all just leave,
I heard it’s no post-credits scene, we can all just leave

The post Watching A Movie Called Freedom By Myself – Song by Open Mike Eagle & Kenny Segal appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Overall, fans got exactly what they had bargained for. The evening began with a rendition of “Can’t Knock The Hustle,” with Beyoncé on the hook. With Mary J. Blige at her residency, it only made sense that Bey would ultimately get the call.

From there, we got to hear Blue Ivy Carter on the keys for “Feelin It,” all while Nas came out to perform some of his biggest hits. Jaz-O made an appearance towards the end, and we also got to see the incredible Alicia Keys at the end.

For those who weren’t able to attend the event, you are probably wondering what JAŸ-Z performed. Well, fear not, as we have the entire setlist for you down below.

Read More: Five Guests We Want JAŸ-Z To Bring Out During His Yankee Stadium Shows

JAŸ-Z Delivers An Incredible Performance

JAŸ-Z 30 Setlist:

• Can’t Knock The Hustle (Beyoncé)
• Politics As Usual
• Made In America
• Brooklyn’s Finest
• I Love The Dough
• Dead Presidents
• World Is Yours (Nas)
• NY State of Mind (Nas)
• Where I’m From (Nas)
• Feelin It
• D’evils
• No Church In the Wild
• Can I Live
• Jigga My
• Ain’t No
• Excuse Me Miss
• 22 Two’s
• Friend or Foe
• Coming Of Age (Memphis Bleek)
• Cashmere Thoughts
• Allure
• Bring It On (Jaz-O)
• Regrets
• Empire State of Mind (Alicia Keys)

Let us know what you think of this setlist in the comments section below.

Read More: The 10 Sneakers We Want To See Jay-Z Collab With Next

The post JAŸ-Z’s Setlist For Yankee Stadium Night One appeared first on HotNewHipHop.