This continued throughout the height of COVID, and it felt like hip-hop’s dominance was never going to end. However, in 2023, things took a sudden turn, as albums started to sell fewer units, especially in the first week. Young artists struggled to emerge as future superstars, while the same three artists remained at the top.

Fans began remarking how fewer hip-hop and R&B songs were topping the charts. Meanwhile, albums weren’t staying at the top for as long as they used to. Now, data from Luminate appears to back all of this up.

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Hip-Hop and R&B Struggling On The Charts

Hip-Hop and R&B have gone from 40% market share on the Billboard 200 in the first half of 2023 to roughly 30% at midyear 2026. This is a steep decline, with pop and country dominating the charts right now. Country music specifically has had a major rise over the past three years as artists like Jelly Roll, Morgan Wallen, and others become mainstream stars.

This doesn’t necessarily mean hip-hop and R&B are in a bad place. Instead, it just means that pop and country have become part of the monoculture again. There are still plenty of great artists making amazing hip-hop and R&B albums.

These latest statistics are sure to lead to some interesting conversations over the coming days. That said, it’s important to just listen to what you like and ignore the noise.

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The post Hip-Hop & R&B Experience Sharp Decline On The Billboard 200 appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Now that he remains incarcerated while his codefendant, Big30, it back home, there have been a number of rumors and some speculations surrounding his case. Some have even gone as far as accusing Big30 of snitching on Pooh Shiesty, leading to his ability to come home as he awaits trial, while Pooh sits behind bars.

The rumors became so rampant that Big30 has now responded to them. In a post shared to Instagram, he declared that he never snitched on Pooh Shiesty and never would. “Don’t believe the hype… NEVER WILL I EVER,” he said on his Instagram Story.

Much of this speculation came, not only after Big30 was given pretrial release, but once a judge gave him clearance to go to the studio, too. Of course, he needs to be able to work and feed his family but considering his alleged involvement and Pooh Shiesty’s return to jail after being released last year, many felt as though Big30’s release was possibly part of a deal. 

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Big30 Allegedly Recorded Robbery

What makes matters here worse is that Big30 was allegedly responsible for the video of Gucci Mane’s robbery. “Unsatisfied with merely obtaining the written release of contract, [Pooh Shiesty] announced that he wanted to film [Gucci Mane], and Wright Jr. recorded [Gucci] on his cell phone stating that ‘Pooh Shiesty dropped from 1017,'” the U.S Attorney wrote in a filing responding to Pooh Shiesty’s attempts for bail. 

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The post Big30 Fires Back At Critics Claiming He Snitched On Pooh Shiesty appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Overall, this tour is a celebration of the blog era. Lupe, Gym Class Heroes, and B.o.B. were all responsible for some incredible songs and albums during this time. Their careers have continued to expand, and now, fans will have an opportunity to see all three of them in concert.

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Lupe Fiasco x Gym Class Heroes x B.o.B

“Back To Basics Tour” Dates:

September 10th – Cleveland, OH (Jacobs Pavilion)
September 11th – Pittsburgh, PA (Stage AE Outdoors)
September 17th – Denver, CO (Mission Ballroom)
September 18th – Phoenix, AZ (Arizona Financial Theatre)
September 19th – Ruidoso, NM (Jacks Backstage)
September 23rd – Minneapolis, MN (The Armory)
September 24th – Omaha, NE (Steelhouse Omaha)
September 26th – Columbus, OH (KEMBA Live! Outdoors) **Without B.o.B
September 27th – Detroit, MI (The Fillmore)
September 30th – Sugar Land, TX (Smart Financial Centre)
October 1st – San Antonio, TX (The Espee)
October 2nd – Lemoore, CA (Tachi Palace Casino Resort)
October 3rd – Henderson, NV (M Resort Pool)
October 10th – Mashantucket, CT (Foxwoods Resort Casino)
October 11th – Boston, MA (Citizens House of Blues Boston)
October 14th – Waukee, IA (Vibrant Music Hall)
October 15th – La Crosse, WI (La Crosse Center)
October 24th – Apopka, FL (Apopka Amphitheater)
October 25th – Pinellas Park, FL (England Brothers Park)

Tickets for the “Back To Basics” tour will be available HERE or HERE on Friday, July 17th at 10 AM local time. Let us know if you will be attending in the comments below.

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The post Lupe Fiasco, Gym Class Heroes, & B.o.B Announce “Back To Basics” Tour appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Release Date: July 15, 2026

Genre: Hip-Hop

Album: Pretty Girlz Run The World

The post Bag Rite – Song by Loe Shimmy appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

JAŸ-Z brought out some of the greatest artists of all time. Beyonce, Nas, Jeezy, Jadakiss, and Rihanna all made appearances. As it turns out, Rihanna’s appearance on night three caused the biggest stir as fans debated her vocals and whether or not she should really release another album.

Meanwhile, on The Joe Budden Podcast, the retired rapper echoed some of those fan sentiments. As he explains, it doesn’t really appear as though Rihanna has her heart in the music anymore. Instead, Budden looks at her as a legacy act in the same vein as Stevie Wonder.

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Joe Budden On Rihanna and JAŸ-Z

This comparison raised a few eyebrows amongst his co-hosts, although they eventually came around to what he was saying. At the end of the day, it has been difficult for some to wrap their heads around the idea that Rihanna will never make another album.

Back in 2016, it felt as though Riri was at the height of her powers with ANTI. It was an album that ushered in a new era, and it felt like a true revolution for pop music. Those days are now long gone, and while Rihanna’s catalog is still incredible, the appetite for a new album is certainly dying down.

It will be fascinating to see what Rihanna’s next move is. She is currently raising her family with A$AP Rocky, all while managing a clothing and beauty brand. It only makes sense that music would take a backseat.

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The post Joe Budden Compares Rihanna To Stevie Wonder After JAŸ-Z Show appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Unfortunately, Boosie didn’t do his Googles prior to hiring the two men. Had he done so, he would have seen that the two men are convicted fraudsters. Probably not the people you want to be putting your criminal record in the hands of.

Today, Loren Lorosa of The Breakfast Club revealed that the White House made a statement to her about the situation. It was here that they made it crystal clear that you cannot simply pay lobbyist groups and expect pardons. President Donald Trump is even saying that he is disturbed that people would try to profit from such an enterprise.

“A White House official ..made it clear in a statement to me that they DO NOT support the work of Wohl or Burkman (the men boosie sued) and allege that anyone seeking clemency that involve these men will actively harm their chances,” Lorosa wrote.

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Boosie Badazz Gets Response From The White House

Interestingly enough, the White House did say that they received Boosie’s documentation. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything one way or the other. Overall, the clemency team at the White House still has to assess the case and make a decision.

While Boosie Badazz still has a chance of receiving a pardon, paying to make it happen faster was the ultimate mistake. Now, he remains in a fight with Burkman and Wohl for the aforementioned $300K.

This is a developing story, so stay tuned to HNHH for updates.

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The post White House Responds To Boosie Badazz’s Botched Pardon Request appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

On numerous occasions, R. Kelly has made the claim that his life is in danger. He believes that he has been subjected to cruel prison conditions, and that this is reason enough to have him released 25 years early.

Now, according to The Neighborhood Talk, new filings from the Department of Justice’s Office of the Pardon Attorney suggest R. Kelly is going a different route. Instead of a full pardon, he is asking Donald Trump to commute his sentence. By how long is still yet to be determined.

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R. Kelly Wants His Sentence Reduced

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At this time, the Department of Justice has not decided on R. Kelly and his case. However, there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding the pardon and commutation process right now, especially in light of what happened to Boosie Badazz.

This week, it was revealed that the artist paid $600K to have his record expunged. He paid this money to Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman, who are two far-right convicted fraudsters. They promised Boosie that they would secure him a pardon. However, it’s been almost a year since signing the deal, and a pardon has not arrived.

Overall, it is a very unfortunate situation that highlights how grifters are everywhere these days. Although it should be noted that in R. Kelly’s case, his legal team has gone through the correct avenues. Whether or not the commutation ever comes remains to be seen.

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The post R. Kelly Is Now Asking Donald Trump To Reduce His 30-Year Prison Sentence appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Boosie is now suing the two men for breach of contract. He is also seeking the partial refund that was allegedly promised in the contract. However, Wohl and Burkman are refusing to give him back any funds. This has subsequently led to public comments, in which Boosie has made it clear he is not to be messed with.

However, some believe that Boosie is snitching. That somehow, by engaging in this fight, he is going against his own morals. In a video on Instagram, Boosie made it simple. This is not snitching because this has nothing to do with the streets. Instead, this has everything to do with the white conservatives who stole his money and breached his contract.

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Boosie Badazz Speaks On His Latest Legal Fight

In one Twitter post, Boosie called out the likes of Laura Loomer, Mike Cernovich, Erika Kirk, and many others. Cernovich has since responded, stating that he was unaware Boosie was looking for a pardon.

“Hey Lil Boosie, I don’t privately advocate for pardons nor accept money to do so,” Cernovich wrote. “I do promote pardons publicly, with full transparency. Nothing against you, but never recommended a pardon for you nor even knew you wanted one.”

Ultimately, this is an unfortunate case that demonstrates how pardons have become a for-profit industry under Donald Trump. Some believe Boosie is admitting to bribery, although that probably isn’t up to the internet to decide. Either way, a lesson has certainly been learned here.

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The post Boosie Badazz Explains How He’s Not Snitching On MAGA, Mike Cernovich Responds To Call Out appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Scott, who was married to Eminem twice, reportedly cut her wrists with a knife. This claim was made by Scott’s nephew, who made the phone call to emergency services. TMZ previously reported footage of Scott being loaded onto a gurney and being placed in the back of an ambulance.

Today, TMZ followed up the story with an audio of the 911 call. It was in this audio that it was revealed why Scott needed to be taken to the hospital.

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Kim Scott Taken To Hospital

Back in May, Scott was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. This arrest came just two days after pleading no contest to a previous DWI case. It is an unfortunate situation, and one can only hope that Scott gets the help she needs.

If you are struggling and need help, please call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

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The post Eminem’s Ex-Wife Kim Scott Rushed To Hospital Following Attempted Suicide appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Most recently, NBA Youngboy had some words for Gillie Da Kid, even mentioning the name of his late son, YNG Cheese. In a new song snippet, NBA Youngboy claims that Gillie never did anything to avenge Cheese after his murder. “Had thought bout killing Gillie but that b*tch ain’t kill none about his son,” he raps in the song. Frankly, it’s unclear where this beef started since the two seemingly had a productive conversation on the Million Dollaz Worth Of Game podcast. 

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Gillie Da Kid Responds To YB

Naturally, Gillie responded, but it wasn’t in the way that YB hoped. While he likely anticipated a crashout for crossing a line about Gillie’s son, the podcast host went on a livestream to respond to the lyrics. Gillie rapped lyrics from Lil Durk’s “AHHH HA” and explained how he practices old school principles as it relates to street conflict.

“I’m an old school n***a,” he said. “We don’t say what we was going to do on the internet and all that type of sh*t. That’s kid sh*t. Like if you were going to do something, you would’ve done it.”

Gillie added that he views it as the nature of rap music and doesn’t necessarily take it personally. “I don’t take it no type of way. You can’t make me feel no type of way mentioning my son,” he continued. “I already come to grips with what happened… I’m not threatened,” he added, stating that his youngest child is older than NBA Youngboy. Check out his comments above. 

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The post Gillie Da Kid Fires Back At NBA Youngboy With Lil Durk Lyrics appeared first on HotNewHipHop.