In this episode of 'Billboard Unfiltered,' Billboard staffers Carl Lamarre, Kyle Denis, and Damien Scott discuss A$AP Rocky’s cover profile, his one-on-one conversation with Damien, and the industry’s expectations for his new album. They also dive into Complex’s Best Atlanta Rappers of All Time, debate who should have taken the number one spot, explore Billboard’s greatest pop stars of the 21st century, and more. Let us know what you think about A$AP’s current head space, or who you think is the greatest pop star in the 21st century in the comments below!
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MusicTranscript
00:00He sticks with his own vision.
00:01He sticks with his own ideas.
00:03I'm really excited to hear the rest of the album.
00:04What I heard sounds great.
00:06Andre 3000, number one without a solo rap album.
00:12You can spit, you can spit.
00:13I mean, you're a rapper, can you not rap?
00:1550 Cent, Alicia Keys, Kendrick Lamar,
00:16Megan Thee Stallion, J-Lo, Missy Elliott,
00:19Nelly, Cardi B, Doja Cat, Future, Post Malone,
00:22SZA, Sean Paul, Chris Brown.
00:26These are the names that did not make the top 25.
00:33So shout out to this brother right here.
00:34Yes sir, yes sir.
00:35Big time dame, did a big time cover story.
00:38If you guys haven't, make sure you check it out
00:40right now on billboard.com with ASAP Rocky.
00:42Yes sir.
00:43Had a fire profile piece, man.
00:45Pretty motherfucker.
00:47Man, the album's supposed to come out this Friday.
00:49It's gonna be pushed coming out this fall.
00:51But bro, talk about your experience kicking it
00:54with Rocky, how that was.
00:55It was great.
00:57I've known Rocky, not known him, I've watched,
00:58I've had the pleasure of watching his career grow
01:03from the moment he released Purple Swag to now.
01:07I've worked at publications where we've covered him,
01:09we've had him on the cover for various albums
01:12and I've been fortunate enough to be close enough
01:16to see the different machinations of his career
01:19and I've always been a fan.
01:21I think he is, to me, an originator.
01:25He is somebody who, and I told him as much,
01:28I think he has such an innate sense of self
01:33that a lot of rappers don't have
01:35that it's refreshing to see him work.
01:38It's refreshing to see the things he does.
01:40I know it doesn't always connect
01:41and I know a lot of people think
01:42that he should have probably been bigger
01:44and that he could have done more with his career
01:48but I think what he envisions himself doing
01:51is a bit more difficult in the sense
01:55that he's always trying to do something new
01:57and that's not as easy as it is for everybody.
01:59For Kanye, he's always trying to do something new
02:02and he just pours out of him.
02:04Whereas Rocky, I think it takes him a bit of time
02:07to land on what that new thing is
02:09and to get that out of there.
02:10With this album, we talked about Don't Be Dumb.
02:14He talked about Grimm, which in his mind
02:17is like an abbreviation of sorts
02:20for German Expressionism and Ghetto Futurism
02:24and how he's melding those two things together
02:26and I thought that was very interesting.
02:28I think him being a father has changed him.
02:30He's much more calm.
02:32He was very just happy at the shoot.
02:36Not that he's been historically grouchy
02:39or anything like that but it's work
02:42and he was very affable, very friendly and very open.
02:47He was joking around, he joked about disliking
02:50how much his kids watch Cocomelon, which I can relate to,
02:54and talked about the parenting styles
02:58between him and Rihanna.
03:01Just the way he talks about Rihanna is amazing.
03:03He talks about her like, yeah, it's my girl.
03:06Calm flex.
03:08It's such a flex to just be like,
03:10yeah, it's my girl, I love her dearly
03:11and she's the mother of my kids
03:13but yeah, she's, that's just who she is.
03:17I know you thought it was crazy when he was like,
03:19yeah, I wanna raise my kids in Harlem.
03:21Yeah, we were, one of the scenes of the story,
03:25we shot a video in Harlem and he took us
03:27around the neighborhood, which was crazy
03:29because there was a street fair going on
03:32and he gets out the car, sneaks into Mel's restaurant,
03:38Elvis' restaurant and when everyone realizes
03:41that he's there, it just goes crazy
03:44and he's like, still, he's like,
03:45I wanna walk around, walk you guys around,
03:46which I thought was just nuts
03:47and even crazier is that he stopped and did everything.
03:51Everyone who gave him a phone to take a selfie with him,
03:55he did it, there were some old people
03:56who didn't know how to work their phones fast enough
03:58and he was like, it's all right, I got you
04:00and he would help them turn their camera around.
04:03He was very sweet and you can tell
04:05how much he just loves Harlem.
04:09He just really felt at ease.
04:11He was there with one security guard
04:13and he left him a lot.
04:15He was just walking without him
04:17and he just felt so at ease and so comfortable
04:21and he was like, yeah, I want my kids to experience this.
04:23I want my kids to live here and I'm like,
04:25bro, that's great, I like Harlem
04:27and I'm sure you love Harlem,
04:28but it's like your kids are already living
04:32such a different life than you lived.
04:35He took us to his building that was across the street
04:39from Morningside Park and this guy,
04:44it's like your kid's bedroom is probably the size
04:48of the apartment you grew up in.
04:50And they have handlers that are probably
04:54at their every beck and call.
04:55But even you saying that, I think about it,
04:58I remember when I was watching your interview,
05:00his brother got clipped on that block.
05:04So him still being able to walk around
05:06with one security guard.
05:07He loves Harlem, bro.
05:08And still, yeah, that's just.
05:09That's like, you know, it's like the old Jay-Z lines,
05:13like they say, Jigga can't go back home.
05:17Like, you know, when I heard that,
05:18when I was back home, like he was literally,
05:21he's like, I come back all the time.
05:23And at first I was like, no, you don't
05:26because people wouldn't go this crazy
05:28if you came back all the time.
05:29But because he was so comfortable there,
05:33I was like, you do come back here all the time.
05:35Like you were just waltzing around like it was nothing.
05:37He was just like, yeah, this is my block.
05:39This is where I came up.
05:40This is where my friend lived.
05:41This is where we used to go.
05:42This is where I used to bring my dates.
05:45My school was right here.
05:46I used to go shopping right here.
05:48And he felt so, he felt at ease
05:51as if one of you were to go back home
05:54and just be like, yeah, this is where
05:57I feel most comfortable.
05:58And I thought that was really cool.
06:00And he, it just seems genuine.
06:02You know, he seems like a really genuine person.
06:04He seems like he only cares about, you know,
06:07his vision for things.
06:10And he like believes in that vision.
06:12You know, we talked about it on the show before
06:14and I told him directly, I was like, yo,
06:16one of the things that's so impressive to me
06:18is that you have, by all accounts,
06:20the hottest rapper out right now.
06:23The guy who all the kids love in Playboi Carti.
06:28You signed him and, you know,
06:31if you were anybody else,
06:35Ye, Drake, hell, even Kendrick maybe,
06:39like your next, I would expect Don't Be Dumb
06:41to just be a Carti album with you on it.
06:44Right.
06:45Yeah.
06:45You know, I would expect Don't Be Dumb
06:46to just be 12 songs that has Carti's name in the credits.
06:51And, you know, that sound like
06:54whatever the next step in Whole Lotta Red is.
06:57But he doesn't do that.
06:58You know, he doesn't lean on that,
07:02even though that would be so easy for him
07:04and so available to him.
07:06He sticks with his own vision.
07:07He sticks with his own ideas
07:09and he tries to push his ideas forward
07:11in a way that I really respect.
07:13And, you know, I'm really excited
07:15to hear the rest of the album.
07:16What I heard sounds great.
07:19He has Danny Elfman producing on it, which is nuts.
07:22So yeah, a song with Danny Elfman and Alchemist.
07:25I don't know what that will sound like,
07:27but I'm excited to hear it.
07:28That's a lot.
07:29And that's like, you know,
07:30it's hard to thread a needle like that.
07:31And I think it's like only someone like Rocky can do that.
07:37Someone who has all these,
07:38who's ingesting all of these different inputs
07:43can only make that kind of output.
07:45So yeah, it was dope.
07:47I hope this album does well.
07:48I know people are expecting it to be like a definitive
07:51kind of remark on his career.
07:56Like, does he still matter?
07:58Yeah, cause that's what I was going to ask.
07:59Like, and I've mentioned this to you guys.
08:03I just always wondered with the ASAP Collective,
08:07you know, mainly Ferg and Rocky,
08:09is that urgency, is that love still there?
08:14For them?
08:14For each other or for the music?
08:16For the music.
08:17I think for Rocky it is.
08:19I think for Rocky, I can't speak for Ferg.
08:20I haven't talked to Ferg in a while.
08:22I know Ferg loves making music.
08:24You know, Ferg probably has more hits than all of them,
08:26but he's got a record with Jaylen Brown now.
08:28I mean, that's interesting.
08:30Yeah.
08:31Yeah.
08:32Rebel NBA cats.
08:33We'll save that for another conversation.
08:35But I think Rocky still loves creating.
08:39I think he still loves to push himself to make new things.
08:43You know, he just loves art and he loves creating
08:46and he just loves like seeing how far
08:50he can push his creativity.
08:51And a lot of people, you know,
08:53kind of roll their eyes when you say that type of stuff.
08:55But if you look back at hip hop culture
08:58over the past 15 years and look at the major
09:01cultural artifacts that have been left behind
09:04as we move forward.
09:06Think about like the leather joggers
09:08and think about, you know, things like that.
09:10A lot of those came from A$AP Rocky.
09:13He's the guy that was like wearing these things
09:15and doing these things and making these things
09:17that people were like, oh, that sounds weird.
09:18Like, why would you put those things together?
09:20Why would you put, make pants out of that?
09:23And didn't Ye Ye always gave a nod to Rocky?
09:25Yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:27And so, you know, I think he just loves creating.
09:29I think music is, you know,
09:30one of his preferred formats.
09:35And I, you know, I think he understands
09:36that he's getting old.
09:37He called himself an OG a lot when we spoke.
09:40But yeah, it's crazy to me, he's 35.
09:42He understands, he sees himself as, you know,
09:44no longer like the young upstart,
09:46but you know, he understands that his role
09:48in the game has changed.
09:50So I'm excited to see what that person makes going forward.
09:54And you know, I think there's still space
09:56in the game for A$AP Rocky.
09:58Kyle, do you think Rocky still got a classic album in him?
10:01Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.
10:03I think just based on that interview
10:06and just based on the way he was speaking
10:08about his general interest in film and music and fashion,
10:13I think they're the makings of a classic album
10:15still like in him.
10:17Whether or not it lands the classic
10:18in the moment that it drops,
10:20that's probably another conversation.
10:21I definitely anticipate him dropping something
10:23that we really fully appreciate five years later,
10:2610 years later, and might not get all the acclaim
10:29and love that it should upon release.
10:32But that's kind of the risk you run
10:34when you're on the cutting edge
10:35and you're a kind of artist that Rocky is.
10:37Yeah, yeah, that's a great point.
10:39I mean, TBD, Don't Be Dumb is gonna come out this fall.
10:42I just hope the brother sticks to it, man.
10:44I think he will.
10:45I think that the album is basically done.
10:47I think he's gonna stick to it.
10:49He wants it to come out.
10:50He really wants it to come out.
10:51That's good to know.
10:52When he talked about all the leaks that came out,
10:54he was really hurt by it.
10:55You could tell in his face that he was like,
10:58he's not one of those guys that just pours out music.
11:02He's not always just like, oh, fuck that.
11:05I can make 10 more of these.
11:06He's more like a pusher where he's like,
11:09I make these songs.
11:11Like these 12.
11:12And I believe in these songs.
11:14And if one of them gets loose,
11:17then it's like, fuck, I gotta keep toiling away
11:21until I land on something that I really believe in.
11:25Which I respect.
11:26A lot of people don't do that.
11:27Yeah.
11:28I mean, A$AP, we are rooting for you, brother.
11:30Don't Be Dumb.
11:31Let's get it on this side of the year.
11:35I mean, can't wait any longer.
11:38Switching over, let's go and talk about Complex's
11:41best Atlanta rappers of all time.
11:44Shout out, Complex.
11:45Yeah, shout out to Complex.
11:47They had a social media game and a little tizzy
11:51with this one right here.
11:53If one of y'all, could y'all bring up like the top?
11:55Cause I'm curious.
11:56I want to not just jump into number one.
11:59Here.
12:00Well, we'll give them the top five real quick.
12:02All right.
12:03You want me to say it?
12:04Or five through one?
12:05Five through one.
12:06Yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:07So number five, Jeezy.
12:08Four, Gucci.
12:10Three, T.I.
12:12Two, Future.
12:14And one, Andre 3000.
12:18This is a top 50 GOAT list for Atlanta.
12:23They have some notable people in there.
12:24Cosgirl Lotto, I believe was number 25.
12:27Yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:28Already making noise.
12:30Gentlemen.
12:33Andre 3000, number one without a solo rap album.
12:39Yes, sir.
12:40That is fucking nuts.
12:41You can spit, you can spit.
12:42I don't really know what else there is to say about it.
12:45Can you rap or can you not rap?
12:46There we go.
12:47Do you have hits or do you not have hits?
12:49Do you have classic records
12:50or do you not have classic records?
12:52There we go.
12:53But the floor is yours.
12:54I mean, listen.
12:56Again, shout out to the good people at Complex
12:57for putting this list together.
12:59I am a huge Andre 3000 fan.
13:01I think he is a perennial wordsmith.
13:07What he's been able to do with Big Boy, obviously.
13:10Yeah, they're the greatest group of all time.
13:11We know that.
13:13I get lost.
13:15Don't do that.
13:17Don't do that, Emily.
13:20Emily's like, ah, no.
13:22No, no, no, cos I remember, you know,
13:24shout out to us, we did do our groups list.
13:26We did name them number one.
13:28But no, I think Andre, man,
13:31like his feature verses all time.
13:34Yeah.
13:35I was just playing freaking players ball this morning.
13:39Like, I could spit that off the top.
13:43I think what befuddles me so crazy
13:46is you do not have a singular body of work
13:52to put against somebody like a T.I.
13:54who has 11 albums himself.
13:57I'm gonna say probably three classics, solo.
14:00Somebody like a Jeezy, TM 101, ATL Staple.
14:04I think T.I. has three classics.
14:06Paper Trail.
14:08Yeah.
14:09I'm gonna say King.
14:12Interesting.
14:13Yeah.
14:13I like King a lot.
14:15Okay, yeah, I mean.
14:16You could even say, he has at least his two.
14:19Yeah, yeah, yeah.
14:19And you don't wanna give a shit.
14:20No, I love T.I., I love T.I.
14:23I'm saying, I was just curious.
14:25You're an Atlanta Rushmore, at least?
14:27Wow.
14:28Hey.
14:29Hey, y'all talk about me.
14:30He not even know.
14:31Let me finish my point.
14:32Yeah, yeah, yeah.
14:33Go back, go back.
14:35But I think when you're talking about individuals,
14:39it would help to have a body of work,
14:42a singular body of work to represent that output
14:45and accolade.
14:46He has a fucking flute album.
14:48And it has zero rapping on that album.
14:51Yes.
14:52Yes.
14:54You know what I'm saying?
14:55And that's not to discredit, again,
14:56what Three Stacks has been able to do
14:58from a outcast standpoint, a feature standpoint.
15:02But I just think knowing that these cats,
15:05who are super prolific, like a Young Thug
15:07who's on that list, it kind of puts him lower on my list.
15:14His influence is nuts.
15:15We know that.
15:17His ubiquity in ATL is fucking crazy.
15:20But I think he has to have something
15:22besides a solo flute album.
15:25And some people count the love below, which is fair.
15:28I was gonna say, but it's not a Andre 3000.
15:33Yeah, it's a disc.
15:34In a double album, that's his.
15:37So that's where my complaint comes in.
15:39Love Three Stacks, but like everybody,
15:41we yearn for that solo project.
15:44But congrats.
15:45For the purposes of this list, we can call Love Below,
15:49as in that disc is a double.
15:51Why are we playing by technicalities?
15:54Is it a technicality?
15:55It's not a solo album.
15:57It's a disc that is solo.
16:00That he made on his own.
16:01But it's billed under outcast.
16:03Yeah, yeah.
16:05Yes.
16:05That disc, though, is a Three Stacks disc.
16:08Yo, I love Love.
16:09Yo, I can't wait to lower the bar for Cardi B.
16:12Let's do this.
16:13The way we lower the bars over here.
16:15Y'all already lowered the bar for us.
16:18Don't even get me started on that one.
16:20The way we lower the bar for Cardi.
16:22I don't even think we need to delve into technicalities
16:24to argue Andre is number one.
16:27And I think Future is an incredible artist.
16:30I think he had an incredible run.
16:34A lot of people that I've seen arguing Future
16:35have been like, look at the run he's on.
16:36He's been going for X amount of years.
16:38And it's like, yes.
16:39But that argument posits that he's been going
16:44at a time when he's outlasted Outkast or Andre,
16:50which is not true.
16:52They're like two different eras of music.
16:55Basically, Outkast had a crazy run.
16:59They went for almost 13 years.
17:03And guess who's on his 13th year right now?
17:05Yeah.
17:06But it's like, that's-
17:07Number one album this year, by the way.
17:09It's weird to me to tout one 13 year run
17:13and not another 13 year run.
17:15I agree.
17:16I would say in Andre's defense that,
17:21I would say Outkast has three or four albums
17:23that are better than any Future album.
17:25But it took, it was a collaborative effort, bro.
17:28And that's why they're both in the top 10.
17:30But it's, when you start,
17:31and I think I said this to you over text,
17:33like when you start, in my opinion,
17:34when you start to debate the rigor of creativity,
17:37it gets slippery.
17:38When you start to try to peel away
17:41how one person contributes to something
17:45versus somebody else, how ideas are formed,
17:48how art is actually put together into the console,
17:55I think things start to get a little tricky
17:58because we weren't there.
18:00We don't know how these albums were made.
18:01We don't know what goes into it.
18:03But all we do know is that they created
18:05something incredible.
18:06And he was a major part of that creation.
18:10Agree.
18:10And so if the creation itself is just insanely good,
18:16which I believe a lot,
18:17I believe at least three of them are just undeniable
18:20classic records, probably better than a lot of albums
18:23that have come out in the genre of rap music.
18:29And he's the, by a lot of people's opinions,
18:34the better part of that.
18:36Why can't he stand as the greatest
18:40from the city that he's from?
18:43Would be my argument.
18:44Kyle, go ahead, bro.
18:46I have a problem with number one,
18:48to be completely honest.
18:49I was more interested in that 15 through 10 range.
18:53I was concerned about this, personally.
18:58I was like, what is this man doing here?
19:03But, but, so what in terms of 17 or he should be higher
19:08or lower?
19:09He's not, he's a barely a rapper.
19:11Timeout, timeout, timeout.
19:13I like Jermaine Dupri.
19:14One of the best albums he had in 98.
19:17The story of 1472 or some shit.
19:20Yeah. Money in a thing.
19:21Yeah. That's a fucking classic.
19:23Undeniable.
19:24Did it?
19:25Listen, sure.
19:26He had a shit ton of guests.
19:28He had Jay.
19:29He had Nas.
19:30Number 16.
19:31He had CeeLo Green.
19:31Off a 98 album, bro.
19:33That's crazy.
19:34Listen, Goody Mob, you know.
19:38I'm just saying like he, like CeeLo to me
19:41is one of the illest ever.
19:44I have an essay in me that would argue
19:49that Soul Food is better than Outkast's first album.
19:53That's the better Dungeon Family debut.
19:57And to have him right next to it is insane to me.
20:02Good to mention all these casts
20:03come from the Dungeon Family,
20:05which I do think is dope.
20:06Yeah.
20:07You know?
20:07I think Future being a Dungeon Family descendant
20:09is not a coincidence.
20:11I think that is a large reason
20:14why he's able to do the things he does.
20:15I think Future being able to mix the types of music
20:21that he's able to mix,
20:22or like the sentiments he's able to mix
20:24is not a coincidence that he comes from that lineage.
20:28I think he is standing on the shoulders of Andre 3000
20:31in a lot of ways.
20:32I don't think,
20:35like I, you know,
20:35as being the age I was
20:37when all those Outkast albums come out,
20:38I very clearly remember people in the North
20:40being like, what the fuck is this?
20:41This shit is weird.
20:43Right.
20:44And if the music Future is making now came out back then,
20:48yo, niggas be like, what is this bullshit?
20:50This is weird.
20:51Right.
20:51Like if he made,
20:52if Future came out two decades ago,
20:55people are like, get this shit the fuck out of here, bro.
20:57I feel like there's more descendants of Future,
21:00especially as we now.
21:02Yeah.
21:02But if we've established that Future's a descendant
21:04of Andre, aren't they also?
21:06No, and Andre's goaded in that sense.
21:07Andre, like grandkids?
21:10Yeah.
21:11I would say like a lot of people right now sound like Future.
21:15For sure.
21:15Like I think a lot of kids like look at Future as like music.
21:20Like, I remember like listening to A Boogie
21:23and him being like, Future was just like, he was it.
21:27He was like, what great music is to him.
21:29Juice WRLD.
21:30Tried, yeah, Juice WRLD as well.
21:32All these kids like look at Future as this thing.
21:34And if you like break down.
21:35And not Atlanta cats, by the way.
21:37Yeah.
21:38Like Uzi was not, you know, Juice WRLD, not Atlanta.
21:41You look at like what these kids are looking at in Future,
21:43like what Future was able to do,
21:45like what made Future such a accessible,
21:50but also admirable target for them.
21:56A lot of that shit came from Andre.
21:58Like a lot of that would not be able to happen
22:01without what Andre did.
22:02Like if the argument is you can't be the GOAT
22:04without a solo album, hey,
22:06I'm not gonna fully disagree with that.
22:09Like if that's the standard by which you believe
22:13needs to be held, then sure.
22:15Can I pose you this?
22:16But.
22:17Big Boi's on the list at what number?
22:18Five?
22:19Eight.
22:20He's in the same group.
22:21I think that's crazy.
22:22He's in the same group.
22:22I think that's crazy.
22:23As Andre 3000 has put out solo albums as well.
22:27I think Big Boi should be at least two or three.
22:30Okay.
22:31Yeah.
22:32As long as we keep it at six.
22:33I think that's crazy.
22:34Kyle, he's like.
22:35I love you.
22:35You think?
22:36Why can't we keep the same energy for Big Boi,
22:39Louis Hill?
22:39Well, because you know, he has a larger solo discography
22:42and I don't love the latter releases from Big Boi
22:48in their solo discography.
22:48I think the great stuff outweighs so much of it.
22:51Knocked down a little bit,
22:52but I think top 10 is definitely where he needs to be.
22:54I think you can take OutKast.
22:56I think I really like the top three that they have,
22:58which is why I'm like, hmm.
22:59Who would I kick out of the top three to make room
23:01for Big Boi?
23:02I'm mad he would just dismiss Tip so easily though.
23:03Because it's three steps future TI.
23:06Like that's a pretty tough one.
23:08Top three.
23:09And who was number four?
23:10Gucci.
23:11Gucci, like.
23:12And like, this is a pretty good top five.
23:14Yeah, that's a good top five.
23:16I'd probably put Jeezy over Gucci.
23:19I would too, yeah.
23:20Yeah, I think Tip is great at three,
23:23but to that point, it's weird to me to have Big Boi
23:27so far back because I think you can,
23:32if you were to bifurcate OutKast,
23:34you can make Atlanta family trees
23:37that grow from both of them
23:39that wind up to where we are right now.
23:41And you know, he was a big part of that.
23:43He was a big part of Atlanta.
23:44He was a big part of what made OutKast OutKast.
23:46He was a big part of the balance
23:48of what people disliked about Andre at the time.
23:53He was that counterweight to be like,
23:55oh, but look, look what I'm doing.
23:58I rhyme as well as, and in the same way
24:01as a New York rapper, just my accent is different.
24:04So I think he's extremely important.
24:06I mean, TI is just TI.
24:08He's the guy who's like, I'm the king of the South.
24:10And everyone was like, you got it.
24:12You're the Jay-Z of the South, for a point.
24:13You guys don't wanna say that.
24:14I think people who aren't old enough
24:17to remember that moment, it may seem silly,
24:21but that was a crazy moment when TI came out
24:25and he was like, I'm the fucking king of the South.
24:27Not a city, not a state.
24:29He was like, I'm the king of this entire region.
24:31And everybody, everybody, except for Lil Flip,
24:35was like, yeah.
24:38Lil Wayne, who was a fucking comet at the time,
24:43just soaring.
24:45Even Lil Wayne was like, yeah, he's the king of the South.
24:49I might be the best rapper alive in my head,
24:51but he's the king of the South.
24:53And he held, he actually did the things you need to do
24:57to be the king of the South.
24:58He did not back down from beats.
25:01He had number one songs.
25:03He had super smash hit records, super smash hit albums.
25:06He was in a top, he had a top three movie, song,
25:10and album at the same time.
25:12Cult classic ATO.
25:14He was that guy.
25:16He's like, I actually feel that people
25:19don't appreciate TI enough right now.
25:22I think this generation doesn't really appreciate
25:24or give him the flowers that he deserves.
25:29It's tantamount to what he's done.
25:30He's a giant of Atlanta, in my opinion.
25:34So real quick, let me ask y'all, Rushmore for Atlanta.
25:37Ooh, man, that's tough.
25:39Real quick?
25:41You should have told us that before.
25:42So I'll do mine real quick.
25:44How you gonna think of it and hit us with it?
25:46Also like, surprise shit.
25:48I'll do mine real quick, in no order.
25:50This thing was at home like a whiteboard.
25:52Like, future, future GZ tip.
26:01Thug.
26:02Wow.
26:04Yeah.
26:05Future GZ tip.
26:06I'm super critical.
26:06And Andre, like I said, he's one of my favorite
26:09rhymers of all time.
26:10It's just, I'm gonna be hard on him
26:12just because of the no album.
26:14It goes Reggie, Jay-Z, Tupac, and Biggie.
26:17Andre from OutKast, Jadakorup, Nas, and Nemi.
26:21Shout out to Eminem.
26:23Who wants to, who wants to?
26:25Oh, y'all are stuck with this.
26:26Do we gotta save it for next week?
26:28Let me see if I can do something.
26:30Let's see.
26:32Andre.
26:35Can Andre and Big Boi share a bust?
26:38Half-baked?
26:39Nah, that's probably not that big.
26:40Half-baked?
26:42Or you do Andre, then you put Big Boi right here?
26:46Since Andre apparently gets all the love.
26:49Are these like personal Mount Rushmores?
26:51Yeah, personal.
26:51Okay, cool.
26:52Yeah, personal.
26:53Of Atlanta.
26:54Just Atlanta.
26:56Yeah, I think Andre, CeeLo, T.I.,
27:01and even though I think Jeezy is the better rapper,
27:11I think Gucci built more of the infrastructure
27:16of Atlanta rap than he did.
27:18They're one of the most that probably anyone did.
27:20So I kind of have to throw him on there
27:23because I think he, there's so much of Atlanta rap
27:27that without Gucci, if you take it away,
27:29so much is gone.
27:30Egos, yeah, a lot of cats.
27:32So many producers are gone.
27:34So many sounds are gone.
27:36And Zaytoven, all those dudes are just gone.
27:42So I kind of have to put him because he,
27:44at a time when Atlanta was kind of like discovering
27:47who it was in the wake of OutKast,
27:51when it was kind of like a land grab,
27:53he was building this thing for himself.
27:56And that's the sound that kind of prevailed
27:59more than T.I.'s sound.
28:02The Jeezy sound was very close to it,
28:04but it was really, really the Gucci sound
28:07and aesthetic that took off.
28:10I would say Sexy Red is a Gucci descendant.
28:12Oh, absolutely.
28:13Absolutely.
28:14That fucking kid Ian is a Gucci descendant.
28:16Absolutely.
28:17So yeah, I would say Andre, T.I.,
28:21CeeLo.
28:22Gucci and CeeLo.
28:22Okay.
28:25Future.
28:26Okay.
28:27T.I.
28:282 Chainz.
28:30Soulja Boy.
28:312 Chainz?
28:32Yeah.
28:33Wow.
28:34Titty Boy, man.
28:34Interesting.
28:35Titty Boy had a fucking run.
28:36Interesting.
28:37What was it, 2012, 2011, 2012?
28:41Had one of the best feature runs of all time.
28:43Wow.
28:44I just, I love a lot of 2 Chainz features.
28:46And that True Religion tape, what he did?
28:47Fire.
28:48Fire.
28:49And like just manages to still pop up every now and then.
28:52Like he's consistent in that regard.
28:54Has a very dope discography, by the way.
28:56Very underrated, I would say.
28:59So shout out to 2 Chainz.
29:00Shout out to the ATL, man.
29:01Holding it down, as always.
29:04Let's bring it back to Team Billboard.
29:07As we have put out our greatest pop stars
29:10of the 21st century.
29:16We already unveiled just a few cats.
29:19Honorable mentions.
29:21Yeah.
29:21The honorable mentions, which we have 50 Cent,
29:24on the R&B hip hop side, by the way.
29:2650 Cent, Alicia Keys, Kendrick Lamar,
29:28Megan Thee Stallion, J-Lo, Missy Elliott,
29:31Nelly, Cardi B, Doja Cat, Future, Post Malone,
29:34SZA, Sean Paul, Chris Brown.
29:38These are the names that did not make the top 25.
29:42And no J-Lo love.
29:44You said what?
29:45No J-Lo love.
29:46Listen, I tried to tell Miss Jenny from the block.
29:50She ain't R&B enough for you?
29:50We gotta give J-Lo some love.
29:52I know she going through it right now.
29:53Okay, I didn't say all that, hold on.
29:55You know why?
29:56I saw a photo of Ben this morning
29:58and he ordered from DoorDash
30:00and he had a huge smile on his face.
30:00He was giddy as shit.
30:01He was giddy as shit, just like me.
30:03I gotta pay the $600 no more.
30:05I'm getting my little $40 meal.
30:07J-Lo, we love you, baby.
30:10But yeah, when you see the caliber of names on this list
30:15that did not make it, I'm curious,
30:17anything that was really glaring for you guys?
30:20I'll start off by saying that
30:22as someone who helped put together the list,
30:2525 is such a small number
30:27for the past 25 years of popular music.
30:32Oh my God, there were names
30:33that didn't even make the honorable mention list
30:34that I was giving shout outs to on the other podcasts,
30:38like Mary J. Black was a big one for me,
30:40who I felt should have been on the main list.
30:42How did she not get honorable?
30:44Because even though we're not even talking about her 90s
30:47when just her thousands and tens contributions
30:49to the culture and to music,
30:51I'm like, yeah, she's gotta be there.
30:53I also was going to back for Ciara,
30:55someone who despite varying returns on her album,
31:00she always secures at least one radio hit per album
31:02and has for the past 20 years
31:04and also didn't make the honorable mentions list.
31:06So I was like, the benchmarks are super, super high.
31:12But I was happy to write blurbs for SZA
31:16and Megan and Sean Paul.
31:19I think those were the three on the R&B hip hop side
31:21that I wrote blurbs for.
31:23Those are a couple artists that I think
31:26on the SZA and Megan side,
31:27they're just a little bit too recent
31:29to really get 21st century love.
31:32That was the issue for a lot of people
31:34in the honorable mentions list.
31:35They just popped off in the latter five years or so.
31:39But someone like Sean Paul, for me, I was like,
31:41well, this guy helped usher in what we came to know
31:46and love as dance hall stage side
31:48from the early 2000s onward
31:50and still path back up the 2010s
31:52with Bailando, with Cheap Thrills.
31:54Those are Grammy nominated chart topping hits
31:57in the late 2010s.
31:58And he's having a massive moment in the Latin market
32:01right now with his crossover songs there in the 2020s.
32:04And he's on a national tour,
32:05was on a national tour earlier this summer.
32:07So that's the one person
32:08that I really went to bat for personally.
32:11But off of this list,
32:13I think the people who I really wish did get a chance
32:19to squeeze into the main list,
32:20I think Nelly was the big one for me.
32:23I think there's just so much happening in 2024 specifically
32:26that you don't get without Nelly.
32:29Like we don't get a Shaboosie tipsy.
32:31We don't get half of what Beyonce's doing
32:33on Cowboy Carter on the back half.
32:35We don't get a lot of Morgan Wallen shit
32:38in the way that he attacks certain songs
32:40with the cadence that he uses without what Nelly does.
32:43And talking about Midwest rappers, you don't get sexy red.
32:46Like someone like Nelly is just like-
32:49You see Cancer Rapper doing the country rendition
32:51of Hein here?
32:52I did not see that.
32:54What?
32:55It's very good.
32:56I got to see that.
32:56But yeah, Nelly was my guy off the list
33:00that you just read off.
33:01Yeah, no, the sing rap, Nelly had that on lock.
33:04I wrote a piece this year last year
33:08when Nelly was on the shop
33:09and he said something to the effect of,
33:11it was harder to blow back then than it is now.
33:18And everyone was like, no, that's not true.
33:19And I wrote a piece being like, yeah, shit was.
33:22To be like a legitimate superstar,
33:24you had to have massive hits, which Nelly had.
33:29Like in the piece I wrote about how Nelly dropped his album
33:32and then Eminem dropped the Marshall Mathers LP
33:36and Nelly had a slow burn.
33:38But then boom, and then they're going neck and neck
33:42in the charts against Eminem,
33:45against like this, the Eminem album.
33:47And it's the country grammar.
33:48And it's crazy, you know, it's like when Jay-Z says,
33:52you know, the only dudes moving units is Pimp Juice and us.
33:56That was a very, that was very telling.
33:59Not many people say they can't say
34:01they have like diamond selling rap albums.
34:03So Nelly can say that two times over, like.
34:07I love Nelly, man.
34:08I remember I traded a, I think it was a Ja Rule album
34:12for country grammar.
34:12What's Ja Rule album?
34:13That's how, whatever was out at that.
34:15Smart guy.
34:16Nah, not paying his love.
34:17Whatever was out at that, I forgot what year that was.
34:19But I remember being on the train.
34:21I hope it was that one.
34:22Being the train, being on the train to school.
34:24I remember like this kid was like, I got this Nelly album.
34:26And I was like, I do fuck with that, like the single.
34:29I was like, all right.
34:30I hope it's one of mine.
34:31And I traded it for him and I became a fan.
34:33I bought every album after that, since then.
34:35I was a huge fan of his.
34:36Yeah, I think what derailed Nelly.
34:40Cause I'm thinking 01 to, when did Sweatsuit drop?
34:4306, 05?
34:46Maybe 05.
34:48I think that was his run.
34:49Cause, and that's the thing.
34:50I think of like a lot of these cats,
34:51like y'all know I'm a huge 50 head.
34:5350s run was probably like five.
34:55But I'll say for Nelly, 2013.
34:57Florida Georgia Line, Cruise Remix.
34:59That ushers in like the bro country thing.
35:03I mean, I also don't know how 50 Cent
35:04did not make the actual.
35:06Five year run.
35:08Massive, but it was over in a week.
35:09He was another one that was just like,
35:10the run is just like where,
35:12if we're talking about the first 25 years of the century
35:14and musically you kind of stop being relevant
35:17before the 2010s really kick off.
35:20It's like.
35:21It was like.
35:21Yeah, and I get money.
35:23Yeah, but like.
35:24I mean, look who else is up.
35:25You got Christina Aguilera is another similar one
35:27where it's like the early part of your run
35:30is just so freaking massive,
35:31but then musically it kind of falls off from there.
35:35Yeah, I think.
35:37Alicia Keys is another one.
35:38A Keys.
35:40I don't know.
35:40I feel like A Keys kind of got cold after.
35:43She has such a run though.
35:44Yeah, Girl on Fire is such a run.
35:46The last one.
35:47I think it was from.
35:47Hers was probably.
35:48It's definitely a decade plus.
35:49I think for me, you know, Chris.
35:53I look at Chris and it's like,
35:55yo, 20 years of Chris Brown's next year.
35:57Yeah.
35:58What he's been able to do on the R&B circuit.
36:00Freaking phenomenal.
36:01Just him and Beyonce are the only artists
36:03at this point to still do arena tours.
36:07So for him to do that on a consistent effort
36:10is amazing to me now.
36:12Obviously the blemishes do and say a lot.
36:16You know, we can't dispel what, you know,
36:19he did in his past, obviously with Rihanna
36:21and just other incidents
36:22and how that came and affected his career.
36:24Yeah.
36:25Fucking tsunami the shit out of him.
36:27But I still think of certain records,
36:29like a Go Crazy that went top five
36:31and No Guidance that went top five.
36:34Like Swep's Ultra Awards that year too with that album.
36:36Right.
36:37And then even like the features,
36:39he did a freaking Friday with Lil Dicky that went top 10.
36:42You know, like Chris Brown, his tone just,
36:45I think he has one of the best voices in music
36:47that can just penetrate radio to this day.
36:50I think he changed radio.
36:51Yeah.
36:52I think if you listen to radio pre,
36:57let's see, pre fame or graffiti or fame around then
37:03and then post, you will see a lot of artists
37:07glomming onto that like alchemy
37:12that Chris Brown put together for his hits.
37:15Yeah.
37:16Like there's so many artists that just try to sound
37:18like Chris Brown, try to make Chris Brown songs.
37:20Like I remember going to hear,
37:22who's the dude from One Direction?
37:23Zayn.
37:24Zayn and like they were pushing his music
37:25and they were basically like without saying it,
37:27they were like, yeah, we tried to make Chris Brown songs.
37:29Yeah.
37:30For him.
37:32He had a demo of How Do You Sleep or maybe a remix.
37:35No, not How Do You Sleep, Back to Sleep.
37:37Back to Sleep.
37:38Oh yeah.
37:39Oh yeah.
37:40I like very much believe that they were like,
37:41they had Chris Brown as like, you can be this.
37:44That Bieber, not journals, changes was also very,
37:48very Chris down to his,
37:50just even the way he was riffing on that album.
37:52I was like, oh, okay.
37:53You only had Chris Brown playing in the studio.
37:56I mean, he stayed with the radio hit.
37:58And he was like one of the few R&B acts
38:01to like actually survive the EDM era
38:03while also playing into it.
38:05Like he did the EDM pop stuff,
38:06but still was able to sustain real R&B hits afterwards.
38:10They didn't really tarnish his overall rep in the genre.
38:15I agree.
38:15I agree.
38:16No, I mean, I think-
38:17Chris is ridiculously consistent.
38:18Like this is, he's very rarely
38:21without a song charting somewhere on Billboard.
38:24Like he's, longevity wise, that's pretty undeniable.
38:28Last year and this year, it was freaking sensational.
38:31What was the joint-
38:32Residuals right now is going crazy.
38:34Yeah, yeah, yeah.
38:35Like he just stays with a hit.
38:36He's the best dancer.
38:38Easily.
38:39Out easily.
38:40Yeah.
38:40You know, the guy is just, who's better?
38:42He's like, he listened.
38:45On the men's side or the women's side?
38:48Both.
38:49I'm curious.
38:50Okay.
38:50Normani absolutely is a better dancer.
38:51I was going to say Normani, yeah.
38:52I think Normani is great.
38:53Yeah, I think Normani is great.
38:54Technically, cause she's like trained.
38:55Like she is going to be a better dancer,
38:57but yeah, no.
38:58I think Chris has like, you know,
38:59it's like the way Usain Bolt was able to run faster
39:04cause his body was just built in a weird way.
39:07I think Chris Brown has that where his body-
39:08He's probably the best natural dancer that we have right now.
39:11Do things that you can,
39:12like this guy was like doing back flips in Timbs
39:14and like then moonwalking in them.
39:16I was like, what the fuck is this?
39:19Yeah, just a prodigiously talented individual
39:23who has managed to release hit songs and records
39:28and albums for, just looking back at this,
39:30at least 20 years, 20 years is nuts.
39:34Next year makes 20 for the debut album,
39:36which is freaking nuts.
39:40Classic.
39:41Shout out to the honorable mentions.
39:43Y'all, y'all, we love y'all over here.
39:45You know, shout out to team GoBoy for that list as well.
39:47If you haven't already, make sure you check it out.
39:49It's, it's a fire, it's a tough list.
39:51So kudos to y'all.
39:52Rolling up the whole top 25
39:54throughout the rest of this calendar year, so.
39:56Stay tuned in December for number one.
39:58I can't wait to see how it looks at the end.
40:02Before we wrap, of course, we got to give our picks.
40:07New, old, whatever y'all feeling for the week.
40:11Gentlemen, who would like to go first?
40:13I'll go first.
40:14Okay.
40:15Bringing it back to Atlanta.
40:17I've been, I weirdly stumbled across, not weirdly,
40:20I was just on streaming and it popped up.
40:22That can feel weird sometimes.
40:24I just clicked, yeah, I saw it and I was like,
40:26what the hell is this?
40:27It looked fake.
40:28Oh, wow.
40:29I was just like, I just had no idea about it.
40:33The song called Thank God by T.I. Young Dro.
40:36And Kirk Franklin.
40:38And Kirk.
40:39And Sunday Service.
40:41Okay, this is new.
40:42Yeah, it's a new song.
40:43Wow.
40:45I believe it's a T.I. song.
40:47I don't know what it's on.
40:48I don't know what it's going to be a part of,
40:52but it's a T.I. song.
40:54Starts off with Young Dro and Young Dro,
40:57who I haven't seen in a while.
40:58And I was actually wondering a few months ago,
41:00where is Dro?
41:02Because for a while, Dro had a bunch of regional hits.
41:05He would stay with a regional hit every few months.
41:07They all didn't make it up here,
41:08but he would stay with some hits down in Atlanta,
41:13but he just was gone for a while.
41:15And in the verse, he's talking about how he was
41:20a sex addict who was addicted to fentanyl.
41:24This is Dro.
41:24Dro.
41:25Wow.
41:26And how he almost died.
41:27And he's like, thank God I made it.
41:35And then T.I. has a really touching verse
41:40just about his career thus far
41:42and how he's been in a lot of trouble
41:44and he puts his faith in the Lord and all the other stuff.
41:48And Kirk Franklin comes in and does his Kirk Franklin thing.
41:51And Sunday Service is on it.
41:53Wow.
41:54I didn't know it was a standalone thing.
41:58Jesus is Born is a better album than Jesus is King.
42:01That's a fact.
42:02Amen.
42:02That's a fact.
42:03Amen.
42:04They're on it and they do their thing.
42:07It's a pretty enjoyable song.
42:08I was surprised.
42:09When I clicked it, I expected it to be complete trash,
42:11but I sat there and just like-
42:15How many?
42:15So is it better than the Will Smith Kirk song to you?
42:18Way better.
42:19Okay.
42:20Way better.
42:21How many of them are there in Sunday Service?
42:24I have no idea.
42:25I was thinking, how do you get paid?
42:26Well, that was the problem with Ye, right?
42:29They were just like not getting paid for traveling
42:31to like Jamaica.
42:32And it was like 50 of them, yeah.
42:34Like took over an entire plane.
42:36Of course, Ganga assembles a mass choir.
42:38Imagine paying 50 of them.
42:39Who flies them around the world and does not pay them?
42:42So yeah, I don't know what that song's gonna be on.
42:43I don't know why they made it.
42:44I don't know.
42:47I don't know.
42:48He had a testimony to share.
42:49He didn't need to attach to anything.
42:50Yeah, maybe it was just weighing heavy on his heart.
42:53He had to talk to God.
42:55He did it.
42:56And it's called Thank God.
42:58Okay.
42:59Wouldn't be surprised if this is hopefully
43:01on T.I.'s supposedly his last album.
43:04So it could be a good way to close out.
43:06Yeah.
43:07It's very adult.
43:09Amen.
43:10Adult contemporary.
43:11Very adult contemporary.
43:11Amen.
43:13Brother Kyle.
43:14I was talking to our lovely producer, Emily, yesterday
43:17about this being Sabrina Carpenter's week.
43:20Shout out to Sabrina Carpenter.
43:21I'm going to pick the song Bad Chem off the new album.
43:26She samples Tamiya's So Into You.
43:28Great song.
43:29Great sample choice.
43:30But my actual choice is Mutt by Leon Thomas.
43:34It is the lead single for his new album
43:36coming out in the fall.
43:38Basically, it's kind of just him processing
43:41post-breakup hoe tendencies of his own.
43:44I was like, I feel you on this.
43:47And I want to put this on repeat.
43:48And I had it on repeat my entire commute here.
43:51So Mutt is my pick for this week.
43:53Shout out to Leon Thomas.
43:55Bad boy.
43:56Songwriter, producer.
43:57Under the T.I. tree, right?
43:59Yes.
44:00He's a monster.
44:01On his imprint, I believe.
44:02He's his first artist, yeah.
44:05Shout out to T.I., he's tied on his executive shit, too.
44:07He told us in the story that we did on him,
44:11he was saying how he was looking for an artist
44:14that could basically do what he does.
44:16Play multiple instruments,
44:18write their own songs,
44:20write for others, you know, sing.
44:22And I think he does all that.
44:23Yep.
44:24And T.I. was like, he's better than me.
44:27Wow.
44:28I'm excited to see what he does.
44:32It's a better singer.
44:34Love T.I., love T.I.
44:35Yo, the stray is crazy.
44:37Is he a Disney kid?
44:38No.
44:39The Nickelodeon kid.
44:40He and Ariana were on Victoria's Studio.
44:42And Sabrina's a Disney kid.
44:43Sabrina's a Disney kid.
44:44She's like the last generation we probably will get
44:48of a Disney to pop star thing.
44:49Low key, Nickelodeon.
44:51That's what Bob Iger needs to get back on.
44:53He needs to get that pipeline.
44:55I was gonna say, Nickelodeon, Disney,
44:56they just need to be like record labels, honestly.
44:58They were.
44:59Disney had Hollywood records.
45:01That's what they released all their stuff on.
45:03That was what, Sabrina's like sixth, seventh album,
45:07but she had like five Hollywood records.
45:09It's funny, there was a tweet that was going around
45:10yesterday that was like, or a few days ago,
45:12that was like, man, look at pop.
45:15Dementing brand new stars.
45:17Sabrina Carpenter, why can't rap do this?
45:21And I'm like, she's not new.
45:22She's been around for literally 10 years.
45:24I was watching with my sisters, Girl Meets World,
45:28was the spinoff of Boy Meets World that Disney produced.
45:30That's what she was on.
45:32This girl's been around for fucking ever.
45:34She's been working like crazy.
45:37It is nuts because I've been seeing Cash
45:39trying to give it his best new artist nod,
45:40and I'm like, but she's been out here.
45:42It's one of those weird things
45:43where it's like she's been percolating forever,
45:45and then this is finally like her actual breakthrough year.
45:47It's more like old record label.
45:50I mean, old music industry,
45:52where you're allowed to develop and find your voice,
45:56try things, whereas now it's like,
45:59if you don't come fully formed, we don't want it.
46:02Fuck you, respectfully.
46:05Shout out to Miss Sabrina.
46:07She is vying for a number one spot
46:09against Mr. Travis Scott, so we will know next week
46:12and see the final tally on that.
46:15For me, I'm gonna go with Mr. Isaiah Falls,
46:19Drugs and Lullabies.
46:22I got into Isaiah because he put out a record
46:25called Florida Baby.
46:26Came out fucking heater, and that record alone,
46:30I was like, let me give this guy a follow on IG,
46:32and he pretty much took all the snippets
46:35that he had for this album,
46:36and he was just teasing them on the gram,
46:38and each teaser, I was like,
46:40yo, this guy fucking got it.
46:44There's certain cats who just know
46:45how to fucking pen sticky melodies,
46:47and if you look at him,
46:49he doesn't give you that natural artist look.
46:52He's just probably a dude in his do-rag,
46:54just happy to be here shit.
46:57I love it.
46:57So when the project finally came out,
47:00and I got to hear all the snippets in full,
47:02I'm hearing bits of Justin Timberlake
47:06in terms of the production.
47:07I'm hearing a little bit of Drake.
47:10My go-to tracks, Honey, Diva, Candy,
47:13and it's 12 songs, but it's fucking,
47:16it's a brisk listen.
47:17It's 20 minutes, so it doesn't even feel like it.
47:20So he has a tour coming.
47:23He's only doing five dates,
47:25and he's doing New York.
47:26He's doing Baby Alright.
47:28I will be at that show, God willing,
47:31because I want to see if the live,
47:32that's the main thing, how you know an artist's got it,
47:34that the live matches the studio.
47:37So shout out to Mr. Isaiah Falls.
47:39He has a banger on his hand.
47:40No features, by the way, just all him.
47:43So that's my pick for this week.
47:44I love it.
47:45Yeah, check it out.
47:46So thank y'all for tuning in
47:47for another episode of Billboard Unfiltered,
47:49and we will see you guys next time.