The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Doja Cat, GloRilla, J. Cole and more.

Just when you thought it was going to be a chill week in hip-hop, here comes J. Cole with a surprise album release to upset the apple cart as he responds to Kendrick Lamar’s very loud call-out a few weeks before. This happened, of course, in the same week that brought us:

Latto putting the “L” back in “TLC” as she joined her fellow ATLiens onstage to perform their hit “Waterfalls“:

The official announcement of the return of NxWorries with “86Sentra“:

Lil Yachty remixing a 30-year-old McDonald’s jingle out of nowhere:

The long-awaited return of G-Eazy alongside Coi Leray and Kaliii (a true ally):

And GloRilla and Megan Thee Stallion teaming up to affirm that the “girl rapper wave” still ain’t “dead”:

Whew, what a week.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending April 5, 2024.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Doja Cat — Scarlet 2 Claude

Doja Cat adds seven new tracks to her table-shaking fourth album Scarlet. Again, she goes out of her way to avoid categorization, despite features from ASAP Rocky and Teezo Touchdown (who are also nominally known as rappers but have run the gamut of psychedelic sounds over the course of their respective careers). No, she doesn’t diss Cardi B on the new tracks but she does continue to take fans and industry frauds to task for their meddling in artists’ lives.

GloRilla — EhhThang EhhThang

Yeah, Glo! The Memphis rapper rediscovers her groove after a successful media run that once again endeared her to the fickle hip-hop audience. More homespun wisdom and elbow swinging trap realness bounds on her latest, which features appearances from Megan Thee Stallion, Moneybagg Yo, and more.

J. Cole — Might Delete Later

Hey, man, weren’t you just working on that album you’ve been teasing for the past six years? While the world has been waiting for The Fall Off, Cole’s been building a separate body of work, which he unleashed on the unsuspecting public with no prior warning. Accomplices in this act of audio terrorism include Dreamville mainstays like Ari Lennox and Bas, peers like Ab-Soul and Daylyt, and even inspirations Cam’ron and Gucci Mane.

LaRussell — Live From The 206

It’s been hard to keep track of the Bay Area distruptor’s output, mainly because there’s been so much of it. LaRussell doesn’t sit on anything; he just drops as he goes and lets the world catch on (case in point, this is his third in less than two months). LaRussell’s independent mindset may make it tougher to keep up, but it’s always worth checking out his latest work.

Reuben Vincent — General Admission

I wasn’t looking for the 9th Wonder protege on my release radar but there he was on my Tidal this morning. I ain’t complaining; those who say “hip-hop has been boring” between bouts of high-school gossip would do well to actually, y’know, check for new hip-hop. Lots of good stuff out there… like this.

Singles/Videos

Concrete Boys — “Where Yo Daddy” Feat. Karrahboo

After officially launching his label, Lil Yachty has done a terrific job of supporting his new rap crew. Karrahboo is the obvious standout, as demonstrated by “Where Yo Daddy,” and it’ll be fascinating to see the Concrete Boys’ trajectory as they move out of the shadow of his old group Sailing Team to establish themselves in their own right.

Courtney Bell — “Word II Conway” Feat. Conway The Machine

Detroit wordsmith Courtney Bell has been on a bit of a hot streak this year. Following up January’s “Westside” with fellow Motor City motormouth Royce Da 5’9, “Word II Conway” sees him match wits with the Buffalo bully. Bell is exactly the sort of rapper who flies under the radar for a while but produces so consistently that one day you look up and he’s got a tremendous body of work, a fervent fanbase, and respected reputation among his peers, elders, and successors, just like the guys he’s been working with lately.

Lil Wayne & Wheezy — “Bless” Feat. Young Thug

I wish I could have sampled the sound my girlfriend made when Wayne suddenly popped up onscreen during our weekly watching of WWE Raw (she’s a big fan) and turned it into a beat. It was mind and eardrum-blowing. This is probably the song he’ll be performing at Wrestlemania this weekend (we’ll be watching, of course). Free Young Thug already, darnit.

ZelooperZ — “WOA!” Feat. Zack Fox

Zack Fox is a maniac. That is all.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Have you ever come across something online that instantly made you smile? That’s what happens when people see Locklan Samples pop up on their Instagram feed. The cute dimple-faced toddler has a rare condition known as uncombable hair syndrome, which results in locks that stick straight up no matter how you try to manipulate them. It also causes the hair to be extremely fragile, so frequent combing can cause it to break off. The syndrome is so rare that Locklan is just one out of 100 people known to have it.

Locklan’s parents spoke with People magazine about how they discovered he was living with this ultra rare condition. Katelyn Samples, Locklan’s mom, explained that when he was born he had a head full of jet black hair, but eventually it fell out and was replaced with peach fuzz. A newborn baby’s hair is often completely different than the hair they end up with by the time they’re toddlers. It’s not uncommon for their hair to fall out in one spot or another, but it’s also not unheard of for their whole head to end up bald while their second sprigs of hair grow in.

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Hair can grow back coarser, curlier or a completely different color. In Locklan’s case, his hair went from being jet black to platinum blonde peach fuzz, which eventually grew into hair that stood on end. Locklan’s parents said the color of his hair matched his brother’s hair, so it wasn’t a surprise, but the texture threw them for a loop.

When Katelyn posted pictures of Locklan on Instagram, a stranger messaged her asking if he had “uncombable hair syndrome.” This started Katelyn on a journey to find answers to what was going on with her infant’s hair, and if the condition was something she needed to be concerned about health-wise. Katelyn told People, it sent her into a “tailspin on Google.” Eventually, after climbing out of the Google rabbit hole, Katelyn called her son’s pediatrician to get answers. This turned out to be the first step toward an accurate diagnosis.

See on Instagram

See on Instagram

Locklan’s pediatrician had not heard of the condition and referred them to Atlanta’s Emory Hospital to see a specialist. It was there they got the diagnosis. Katelyn explained to People, “We went to see her and she said she’d only seen this once in 19 years.” The doctor “didn’t think it was uncombable hair syndrome because of how rare it is, but they took samples and a pathologist looked at it under a special microscope,” and confirmed the diagnosis, she said.

He joins the very small club of people with the syndrome. Thankfully, this condition only affects the toddler’s hair and he is developing normally in all other aspects of his childhood. Katelyn revealed she hardly ever has to wash his hair unless it gets visibly dirty as it doesn’t collect oils at the scalp. Everywhere they go people are fascinated by Lock’s locks and ask to touch his soft tresses.

See on Instagram

The family documents their journey on their Instagram account, and have found a support group via Facebook, where Katelyn says “it’s cool to see how other kids’ hair has changed over the years—for some people it does not go away, and for others it becomes a little more manageable.” For now, Locklan enjoys the attention he gets from strangers, and he continues to bring a smile to people’s faces wherever he goes.

This story originally appeared on 03.02.22

One of music’s biggest artists just pulled a Beyoncé, quietly dropping a new album without warning in the middle of the night. No, it wasn’t J. Cole, whose mixtape Might Delete Later has been dominating social media discussion today as a result of his “7 Minute Drill” call-out of Kendrick Lamar. While y’all were arguing about whose entry in the Burn Book was more vicious (smh), Pharrell Williams released Virginia: Black Yacht Rock, Vol. 1 —City Of Limitless Access for his 51st birthday. It sounds exactly as its title suggests.

Of course, it’s fair if you didn’t realize such a thing happened. I myself didn’t catch on until Pharrell superfan Tyler The Creator posted about it on Twitter, at which point, I scrambled through the DSPs (yes, all of them, music writers can write off all those memberships on our taxes — this is me reminding myself to actuall do my taxes) only to find out that its only available on its own website. Hit up blackyachtrock.com to hear it. Feel free to throw on a linen suit first, make yourself a tropical drink. You can also download it and take it on a yacht with you laters. Whatever… ahem… floats your boat.

Pharrell’s new album arrives, strangely enough, after news of friction between him and his former production partner, Chad Hugo, over the name of their production group, The Neptunes. You can read about it here.

Virginia: Black Yacht Rock, Vol. 1 — City Of Limitless Access is out now via blackyachtrock.com.

The following news is big for me, personally, as a Clippers fan since the raggedy Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena days of the 1990s. The “other” LA basketball team is finally getting their own venue for the first time in 25 years after sharing Staples Center — fine, “Crypto.com Arena” — with the Lakers. The Intuit Dome’s grand opening has been set for August 15 and 16, with opening shows by none other than Bruno Mars. The Las Vegas fixture — who is NOT $50 million in debt to MGM — is returning to the City of Angels for the first time in six years.

The Inuit Dome project broke ground in September 2021 after being approved by the City of Inglewood for a new arena just for the Clippers. It’ll actually be the first time the Clippers had full ownership of one of its arenas. It’s also the planned site of the 2026 NBA All-Star Game and the 2028 Summer Olympics. As for why Bruno Mars was chosen to be the arena’s first-ever performer, he explained in a video announcement. “I moved to Inglewood, California when I was 18 years old,” he recalls. “Opening up this arena is a full-circle moment and I can’t wait to celebrate.” Watch that below.

Bruno Mars is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight just took a major step towards becoming the next Game of Thrones prequel. The series will reportedly adapt the “Tales of Dunk and Egg” stories by Thrones author George R.R. Martin, and we now know who is playing said Dunk and said Egg.

According to Variety, Peter Claffey has been cast as Dunk and Dexter Sol Ansell has been cast as Egg. Claffey is a former rugby player whose recent credits include the Apple TV+ series Bad Sisters and the BBC Three horror comedy series Wrecked. Ansell, who started his acting career at four years old, was last seen in The Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.

Over the years, Martin has written three stories starring the knight and squire: The Hedge Knight all the way back in 1998, The Sworn Sword in 2003, and The Mystery Knight in 2010. All three were collected in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which was published in 2015 during the height of the original Game of Thrones series run on HBO.

Here’s the official synopsis for the prequel series, which will be the second to make it air following House of the Dragon:

A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight does not have a release date, but with filming set to take place in 2024, the series could potentially debut on HBO some time in 2025.

(Via Variety)

If you, to quote Space Werner Herzog, would like to see the baby, you’ll have to wait until 2026. Disney announced the release dates for multiple films on Friday, including The Mandalorian & Grogu, Toy Story 5, Tron: Ares, and the live-action remake of Moana.

The Mandalorian & Grogu, which acts as a “fourth season” of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, is scheduled for May 22, 2026. It will be the first theatrically-released Star Wars movie since The Rise of Skywalker. Hopefully this one is slightly better. “I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created,” director Jon Favreau said when the project was announced. “The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting.”

Additionally, Disney will release Pixar’s Toy Story 5 on June 19, 2026, while the live-action Moana was pushed back a year to July 10, 2026. That gives it more space from Moana 2, which comes out this November. Parents, prepare to hear the soundtrack 47,000 times now.

The other two films that were added to Disney’s calendar are The Amateur (April 11, 2025), a thriller with Rami Malek and Rachel Brosnahan, and the Jared Leto-starring Tron: Ares (October 10, 2025), which the Hollywood Reporter notes “is said to take place mostly in the real world as an AI escapes its digital confines.” It’s a bold strategy away from the thing everyone remembers about Tron and Tron: Legacy — the digital setting — but sure, why not. Maybe they’re saving money to pay for a Daft Punk reunion.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers are teaming up for a new podcast called… well, The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast. While it’s not the most original title, the endeavor sounds pretty interesting.

According to the recently launched Instagram account for the audio collab, the podcast will take a deep dive into each of The Lonely Island‘s digital shorts that instantly became viral hits after airing on SNL.

“We’re launching a podcast!!” reads the first official post for the podcast. “Episode by episode we’ll discuss how each short was created, what the response to it was at the time, and what impact, if any, it still has today. We’re so excited to relive our time at SNL and reminisce on the nearly 50-year-old show. Along the way we’ll talk all things SNL from guests, fellow cast members, and favorite live sketches including many that never aired!”

The first episode launches April 8 on the podcast network of your choice, and new episodes will drop every Monday.

You can also listen to the official announcement below that also teases the first short, “Lazy Sunday,” which instantly became a smash hit for not just SNL, but also YouTube.

The Lonely Island consists of Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer who dropped a litany of viral hits during their time on SNL that includes “D*ck In A Box,” “I’m On A Boat,” “Like A Boss,” and of course, “Jizz In My Pants.” They also made the masterpiece that is Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.

(Via Instagram)

It’s finally (almost) here: J. Cole’s Dreamville Festival is returning to Raleigh, North Carolina for its 2024 edition this weekend, on April 6 and 7. In case you missed it, there was a last-minute lineup change, with 50 Cent in and Chris Brown out. As for when 50 and the rest of the artists on the lineup are performing, take a look below.

Here Are The Dreamville Festival Set Times For 2024

Dreamville is a relatively small festival, with just two stages and two days, so running through the set times is fortunately simple.

Playing the Rise Stage on Saturday, April 6 are Luh Tyler at 1:20 (all times p.m.), Amaarae at 2:05, Earthgang at 3:30, Jeremih at 5, Schoolboy Q at 6:30, and 50 Cent at 8:15. Over on the Shine Stage, there’s Domani at 1, Lute at 1:40, Teezo Touchdown at 2:45, Sexyy Red at 4:15, Lil Yachty at 5:45, JID at 7:15, and SZA at 9:30.

For the second day (Sunday, April 7) at the Rise Stage, performing are TiaCorine at 1:20, Coss at 2:05, Key Glock at 3:15, Monica at 4:45, Jeezy at 6:15, and Nicki Minaj at 8. On the Shine Stage, there’s Chase Shakur at 1, Omen at 1:40, Hunxho at 2:35, Bas at 4, Rae Sremmurd at 5:30, Rema at 7, and J. Cole at 9:30.

If you’d prefer that info as a graphic, check it out below. There’s also a listing on the Dreamville website.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

We know how Donald Trump treats classified documents — so is it any surprise that he had the most obvious Twitter password imaginable? In the Netflix documentary The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem, hacker Aubrey Cottle claims, “I did indeed discover Donald Trump’s Twitter password, which was ‘Maga2020’ with an exclamation mark. He changed a single digit to ‘Maga2024!’ That was the password for @realDonaldTrump. I had that sh*t!”

Eric Trump is going to be distraught the password wasn’t “FatherOfEric!”

According to Decider, Cottle, who claims to be an early member of the hacktivist group Anonymous, also helped the feds track down the individuals who stormed the Capitol on January 6th. “All of it was right there, right for the taking, and we pulled it all down and released it to the public,” he said. “It was poetry in motion. This is the environment that I thrive in. I’m like, who’s next?”

Here’s more on the documentary:

From the rise of QAnon to the January 6th riots, The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem explains how a group of bored teenagers built an online community out of their shared loneliness but accidentally shattered consensus reality in the process

The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem is streaming on Netflix. You can watch the trailer below.

(Via Decider)

GloRilla and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Wanna Be” video find the two rappers crashing a raucous frat party where they show off their dance moves and prove that they are two of a kind. While Glo asserts her dominance over men, Meg lashes out at fake friends and again flaunts her anime geek bonafides with a reference to the ultraviolent Attack On Titan.

“Wanna Be” appears on GloRilla’s new mixtape, EhhThang EhhThang, which also features appearances from Boston Richey, Finesse 2x, Kevo Muney, and Moneybagg Yo. The Memphis rapper’s latest arrives on wave of posivite press generated by her down-to-earth interviews and relatable, unpolished charm. Glo was also recently tapped to accompany Megan on her upcoming Hot Girl Summer Tour, strengthening the two rappers’ chemistry and their reputations as girls’ girls.

Meanwhile, Megan is on the comeback trail after severing her previous record deal with 1501 Certified. She’s hard at work on her first independent album and out to prove that she can really rap, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t finding time to have a little fun, as well.

Watch GloRilla’s “Wanna Be” video with Megan Thee Stallion above.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.