In this episode 'Billboard Unfiltered,' Billboard staffers Trevor Anderson, Kyle Denis, Damien Scott, Carl Lamarre rank the best Rap and R&B albums of 2024, go through the biggest scandals of the year, share their predictions for 2025 and more!
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00:00You're out here talking, you know, making the 2024 song about dating and getting to arguments.
00:08This is all Cat Williams fault.
00:12That's really where it started.
00:16In case y'all missed last week's episode, there were talks about y'all potentially being gone
00:20because Amber and Regina killed it.
00:23Oh, was that?
00:23Oh, oh, oh, whatever.
00:25That conversation's in the back.
00:27But the OG squad is here.
00:29I was going to say, them conversations got squashed quickly.
00:32We got Charles and Kenny back, you know what I'm saying?
00:35Whatever's best for the show.
00:37I'm going to go ahead and claim Charles real quick.
00:38No, no, no.
00:40Definitely, definitely.
00:42Shout out Kenny.
00:43Shout out Kenny, man.
00:44Houston Rockets legend, baby.
00:45Yeah, man.
00:46No, I was happy to have the gang back, especially for this last episode of 2024.
00:50We unveiled two fire lists this week, which include the best rap albums of 2024
00:56and the best R&B albums of 2024.
00:59So what we'll do, I'm going to give a quick breakdown of the top 10.
01:03The full list is on Billboard.com.
01:05So here's the top 10.
01:06But the best rap albums of 2024.
01:08Number 10, Freddie Gibbs, You Only Die Once.
01:11Nine, Future, Mixtape, Pluto.
01:12Eight, Lotto, Sugar, Honey, Ice-T.
01:14Seven, Megan Thee Stallion, Meganack1.
01:18Six, Schoolboy Q, Blue Lips.
01:19Five, Gorilla, Glorious.
01:21Four, Tyler, The Creator.
01:23I keep fucking this shit up.
01:24Somebody say it for me.
01:25Chroma Copia.
01:26I can't read.
01:27Number three, Dochi, Alligator, Bites, Never Heal.
01:30Two, Future and Metro, We Don't Trust You.
01:32One, Kendrick, G and X.
01:34And then quickly on the R&B side, 10, Chris Brown, 11, 11, Deluxe.
01:39Nine, Bryson Tiller, Bryson Tiller.
01:41Eight, Marshawn Brosius, Casablanca.
01:43Seven, Layla, Gap Year.
01:44Six, No Words, Why Lord.
01:46Five, P&D, P&D4.
01:48Four, Money Long, Revenge.
01:49Three, Ray Balanae, Birdseye.
01:51Two, Tems, Born in the Wild.
01:52And number one, Leon Thomas, the good brother of Leon with Mutt.
01:57A lot of, a lot of, a lot of bangers on both sides of the table.
02:03So let's try to go through both.
02:04Gentlemen, what were your overall favorites this year?
02:07Any albums that got snubbed?
02:10I'll start with Brother Dame first.
02:12Uh, I think we talked about, you know, all the future albums that came out.
02:21I think it's, it's hard to call it a snub because we have so much future,
02:28but out of the first two, out of the first two futures, my favorite future was the second future.
02:34Okay.
02:34We Still Don't Trust You.
02:35We Still Don't Trust You.
02:36Number two.
02:37That one reminded me more of, uh, Kendrick Hendrix.
02:41That was like the bag that I, I like him most in.
02:45Uh, so when that came out, I was like, oh, this is it.
02:48This is like, he's, he's back.
02:51He's back in like his pop adjacent street bag.
02:56And then, you know, when he dropped Mixtape Pluto, I was like, we don't need this.
02:59And I, but that's the album I find myself fucking playing most.
03:03Out of all the three or so he dropped this year, that's the one I find.
03:07But you know, I think we couldn't include all of them.
03:10Yeah.
03:11But so it's tough to call this now, but yeah, I think my answer would be part two.
03:15Yeah.
03:15Shout out to Future, man.
03:17I still be playing Too Fast in the gym, man.
03:19It's quite a banger.
03:21Too Fast.
03:22That number one on a lot of radio charts this week.
03:24So.
03:24Really?
03:25I think like three, right?
03:26That's number one on rhythmic radio, urban radio.
03:28So they really pushed that song and there it is.
03:30That was a song that all my boys, when it came out, they were like,
03:32I'm gonna get a speeding ticket to this.
03:34That's the one.
03:35That's the one.
03:38That's good to know.
03:39Damn, what a year.
03:40Jesus.
03:41Three-peat.
03:42Yeah.
03:42And there were talks.
03:44Year's not over yet, but there were talks that he may just say, fuck it and drop another one.
03:49Yeah.
03:49Just to go four-peat.
03:50I've heard that.
03:51Because I don't think that's ever been done.
03:53Like four number one albums in one year, has it?
03:58Maybe.
03:58I mean, I feel like Beatles or somebody could have.
04:01But you know, people used to put out like albums, you know, like they put them out three, four.
04:06Three, four in a year in the 60s was like common.
04:07Like not just to put out that kind of material.
04:10So if anybody, you know, you start with the Beatles when it comes to chart stuff.
04:13But like certainly recently, I can't think of anybody who would have done that in one calendar year.
04:18Like four brand new albums debuting at number one.
04:20Yeah.
04:21Because I mean, Taylor's done three a couple times recently.
04:24But yeah, four number one debuts.
04:27I mean, it is.
04:29I mean, like nobody puts out four in a year period.
04:31So even to have four successful ones.
04:34Do it.
04:34Why not?
04:36What's today, 20?
04:37So we got, oh, we got one more week of the chart calendar year.
04:41So time's running out.
04:44It has to be what?
04:44This Friday?
04:45Yeah, because we're on the 21st charts right now.
04:48So next week will be 28.
04:49And you know, he has enough music just to say, you know, fuck it.
04:52Yeah.
04:52Put 10 songs out.
04:54Well, he got about 24 hours to get that on DSP real quick.
04:58So it's going to be a race against time.
05:00Let's go.
05:01He's done nuttier shit.
05:03Trevor, why don't we pass it off to you?
05:05Keep the ball going.
05:06I don't know if I had too many misses that weren't on the list.
05:10There were a couple out.
05:10I wish it, you know, been a little rearranged.
05:14I mean, I'm not going to lie.
05:15I thought on the R&B front, I really liked the Bryson album.
05:21I thought in particular, just given where Bryson's career was at the top of the year,
05:24I know whatever she wants was, you know, more hip hop records.
05:26So, you know, you sort of question how that comes with.
05:29Does that lean into his R&B bag or not?
05:31But I think even like Chow as a follow up, excellent record.
05:34I really wish that that just got a little more love because I feel like whatever she
05:38wants got all the shine.
05:39And then it kind of became like people forgot about a couple of things, Calypso too.
05:43So I just feel like if you think if you just heard whatever she wants, and obviously it's
05:48a hip hop record, like I think you might have missed that.
05:50There's some great R&B like Bryson is still dedicated to core R&B and can still knock
05:55that shit out the park.
05:56So I would like to see that get a little more love, you know, and hopefully maybe next year,
06:01you know, we can kind of build on that.
06:03Obviously, whatever she wants, like I said, top 20 record, got him back in the conversation.
06:07I hope he can take that momentum and carry them.
06:08And it's not another sort of three, four years before we see him come back through.
06:12Because I think, you know, the lane is really open for R&B.
06:14We talked about that a lot, that especially for the men, there's really a lot of opportunity
06:19out there to really seize that mantle and keep going and, you know, dominate the streaming
06:22lane, dominate the chart numbers.
06:24So I still think he's got all the potential in the world to keep that moving.
06:27So I want to see him get a little more shine.
06:29But I think in general, just this album alone, like if you haven't heard it, you know, all
06:33you heard was whatever she wants to the singles or whatever, go through it because it's really
06:36dope.
06:37Yeah.
06:37Great pick.
06:38Kyle?
06:39Yeah, I'm really proud of the list we put together for both rap and R&B.
06:44I got to shout out all the amazing ladies on the rap list.
06:47You know, we got Dochi and Gorilla and Lotto and Megan and Little Sims.
06:51And they all put out really great comprehensive projects that, for me at least, really lasted
06:56throughout the entire year.
06:57And I was playing those albums front to back for months on end.
07:00So I'm really happy that they all got placed pretty highly on here.
07:03I think if there were any snubs for me, I would have loved to see, you know, The Force,
07:08LL Cool J, get some shine on here.
07:10Shout out to LL.
07:11Fuckin' album, bro.
07:13Really fucking good album.
07:14I've talked about that album so much.
07:16It's crazy.
07:16What's your favorite song on there?
07:17Man, so...
07:18Oh, he got hype.
07:19Yeah, let's talk about it.
07:21Come on, Proclivities.
07:23Shout out to Diamante.
07:26For the record, Sweeney got a couple hits this year on the low.
07:29Y'all not gonna sleep on Nani.
07:31He's in the way.
07:33Nani is in the way.
07:35Nani, Nani, Nani.
07:37A little Kid Bob joint.
07:38Come on, Kid Bob.
07:39Jesus Christ.
07:40That's vicious.
07:41The Eminem joint was hard on him.
07:42Yeah, Murda Grim doing it.
07:45I love the actual song, The Force.
07:47I love 30 Decembers.
07:49Postmodern is dope.
07:51I think the coolest shit to me is LL is just rapping incredibly.
07:55I think that's just...
07:56People need to take that into consideration that this man has been rapping since before
08:03the Jordans were a thing.
08:06That's how long he's been in this game.
08:08But also Q-Tip gave him the weirdest, most interesting, intricately, weirdly musical
08:18beats that I just did not expect him to fuck with.
08:23It just made me really happy that LL is taking this risk and making the album that he made.
08:27I think he could have done something very, very easy, or got some show off the shelf
08:33from some popular, young producer of the day.
08:38But no, he worked with Q-Tip, and Q-Tip made him some wildly off-the-wall shit,
08:45which just works super well.
08:47And man, props to him.
08:50Props to him.
08:50Yeah, I think 30 Decembers is the one that I played a lot.
08:53Yeah.
08:54Like you said, LL was like...
08:55This is like prime LL, the way he was rapping.
08:58Nas is LL, rapping alongside Eminem, Nas, Busta.
09:02He really got in that big boy bag.
09:05And it's comfortable and feels natural.
09:07The way he's approaching grown hip hop doesn't really feel like he's putting on an air.
09:11It's just, I'm challenging myself, and I'm conquering that challenge
09:14because I'm that good of an emcee.
09:16And I thought that was really awesome to see on display in a year
09:18where we had so many different kinds of emcees.
09:20And I guess the other side that I wanted to mention for hip hop
09:23would be Take Care, Big X The Plug.
09:25That was really great.
09:26Oh, for real?
09:27Oh, yeah.
09:28Shout out to Big X The Plug, man.
09:31He's had an incredible record.
09:32Yo, Big X.
09:33I'm going top 10.
09:34That's a really big win for him.
09:36Independent.
09:36Yeah, independent.
09:38And the R&B list, I'm super proud of the R&B list.
09:40I just gotta sing the praises of Mutt one more time.
09:43I've been doing it a lot on this podcast,
09:45and outside of the podcast, but it really is such a fantastic album.
09:48I think we saw a lot of big rock guitars come back to the mainstream
09:52in a big way at the top of the decade on the pop side.
09:54And it was cool to see that really bleed into the R&B side of things on Mutt
09:58in a really authentic way for Leon.
10:00And he just sounds phenomenal on the album.
10:02And he also had one of my favorite live shows this year.
10:05He was fantastic on his tour for this album.
10:08Just golden voice right there.
10:10So I really hope next year is the year that he gets a breakthrough single
10:14and can solidify himself as one of the leading R&B men in that space.
10:18But yeah, I'm really proud of those.
10:19You have a breakthrough song this year?
10:21I think Mutt was on the cusp.
10:23It's like slowly but surely still coming up.
10:26Yeah.
10:27Breakthrough.
10:27I feel like there's some songs that we're starting to-
10:30I think Yes It Is might be the song for him next year.
10:32What song?
10:32Yes It Is.
10:33Yeah.
10:33Yes It Is is a great record.
10:33That's the most straightforward R&B record.
10:35Yeah.
10:36I think that'll be his best shot next year.
10:39Like, I was surprised at how much I would hear Answer Your Phone
10:43in bars and lounges and shit.
10:46Yeah.
10:46I think I spoke to him when I did the Ty cover.
10:52And I heard Ty talk about this guy endlessly.
10:55And Ty was like, he's better than me.
10:58He sings better than me.
11:00He produces better than me.
11:01Oh, true.
11:03He's a no lies detective.
11:05He writes better songs than me.
11:06And I think for Ty, who is just one of the nicest people you'll meet,
11:11for him to go out of his way to be like, yo, I signed this kid because he is just-
11:16he's what I would want to see.
11:18He's that good.
11:20And then hearing the album, you're like, oh, yeah.
11:22You weren't fucking around.
11:23This kid is definitely for real.
11:26And this shit just made me more excited for his next joint.
11:29Right.
11:30I'm just super excited to see where he goes now.
11:31He's comfortable now.
11:32He understands the game more.
11:34Yeah.
11:35I'm amped to see what he does.
11:36You're such a great vocal interpreter, too.
11:38Answer Your Phone, in particular, is such a time for me because
11:43Diane Warren's a legend.
11:44I have not liked Diane Warren's song in years.
11:47And she penned this one, and he sang the fuck out of it.
11:50It's like, damn.
11:51You go to the credits, and you're like, Diane Warren did this?
11:53You really brought this to another level vocally.
11:56And I just think that's such a great sign for what's to come with them.
12:00Agreed.
12:00It's also crazy that Diane, she'd be on Twitter acting like she doesn't know what's going on.
12:04And then she writes a song.
12:04You write it for Leon Thomas.
12:06But it's also the type of song that she wrote for him is so modern.
12:10But if you follow her on social media, she's like, I don't know what's...
12:13I don't know what sampling is.
12:14Yeah, like, what is this?
12:16And it's like, yeah, you're out here talking, making the 2024 song about dating and getting
12:23to arguments.
12:24In 2024 specifically.
12:25Yeah.
12:26Shout out to Leon Thomas.
12:28Also, shout out to Freddie Gibbs, who's on the Mutt remix.
12:30Also on the rap list, as well.
12:31Number 10.
12:32Great album.
12:32Great album.
12:33Still mad that Anniversary got yanked from You Only Die Once.
12:39Raphael Sadiq said, no, sir.
12:42I missed that.
12:43What happened?
12:44You know, Freddie had flipped the Anniversary.
12:45Yeah, that's the song I brought up in the meeting.
12:47It got yanked from streaming.
12:49No way.
12:50It got yanked from the album.
12:52Yeah.
12:52I mean, you think about it.
12:53It's a love song.
12:54I'm learning this now.
12:55It's a motherfuckin' word.
12:58I'ma murk you to a type of record of...
13:01He said, we not doing that.
13:02It's somewhere on YouTube, though.
13:03You know what I'm saying?
13:03That's right.
13:04Yeah, we always have it on the rip.
13:05What?
13:05Yeah.
13:06No way.
13:06But real quick, I want to give a special shout out.
13:08I know Trevor shouted out Bryson.
13:10I want to keep it going with the males.
13:12Specifically, Party Next Door and Chris Brown.
13:15Chris is entering his 20th year.
13:18And the 1111 Deluxe, him being able to have residuals take off.
13:23Yeah.
13:24That brother stays with a fuckin' hit.
13:26Oh, yeah.
13:27Like, it was under the influence the last time.
13:30The thing about those hits is they both really started kind of underground.
13:34Yeah.
13:34They were TikTok kind of just user engagement movements,
13:38particularly under the influence.
13:39That was out five years before anybody found it.
13:41So the fact that there's sort of that ground support is not...
13:45Because he has a big machine behind him, obviously.
13:46He's one of the biggest stars on his record label.
13:48But it's not pushed top down.
13:50The fact that it really goes bottom up just goes to show
13:52how much support and appetite there still is for Chris.
13:55Like you said, two decades in next year.
13:57That's crazy.
13:58Yeah.
13:58And he's smart with the collabs.
13:59All the Afrobeat stuff, having Ira and Money Long on the tour.
14:03He's really, really good at bridging these different kind of fan bases
14:07that have common threads, but will also then show up for his solo stuff, too.
14:10Right.
14:10And I think he, hands down to me, had probably the best concert that I've seen in 2024.
14:17Knowing that Usher put on a show.
14:19And shout out to PnD.
14:20I thought PnD was solid.
14:21I know he was getting some flack.
14:23Because here and there, some shows were a bit inconsistent.
14:26But just to see him outside...
14:27That's a nice word for it.
14:28Right?
14:30I thought he was asking, hey, you know what I'm saying?
14:33He's got a fire band.
14:34I want to shout out to the band, because I think it's Justin Bieber's band.
14:37They are fucking fire.
14:39Okay.
14:39Come on, Canada.
14:40Yeah, the band is fucking fire.
14:42And he has the shorties turning up with him.
14:43But just seeing PnD outside.
14:45Like PnD, Bryson, Chris.
14:48I wouldn't have thought we'd be able to get all of them in one year
14:51and they all put out fire bodies of work.
14:53So to see them outside, it gives the male demographic for R&B, it gives us some hope.
14:58So let's keep that going for 2025.
15:01Before we shove off, I want to go back to the Dochi point.
15:05Because I think something that's real interesting with Dochi
15:07and how she did this year is...
15:10People might have just missed this,
15:11but the album itself came back on the Billboard 200 this week.
15:14So it debuted under 100.
15:17So obviously, you know how everybody's first week,
15:19they're always looking at the number.
15:20Oh my God, flop, flop, flop, flop.
15:22But it's back at number 82 this week.
15:24I want to say, I want to mostly point out that
15:26it's doubled what it did last week.
15:29And a lot of that is driven by the streaming.
15:31So I know, just to make the point that I know a lot of times
15:33people talk about the cultural hype and the disconnect
15:36where everyone's talking about it, how good it is.
15:38But where's the proof?
15:40Where are the numbers?
15:40The numbers are really starting to show up for this.
15:42And I think the right combination of just the marketing that she's getting,
15:46a lot of people talking about the performances she's putting in the work,
15:49the tiny desk, all the late night, all that kind of things.
15:52It's just great to see that it's really coming together
15:54in a tangible way that I don't want to compare to
15:59some of the other people that have blown up overnight or whatever.
16:01But I think that just even seeing that it's at a new peak this week,
16:05doubling in its streams for the past week,
16:07I think that really just bodes well for where it's going.
16:10And I think people are really latching on.
16:11And I think she really, even though it's coming under the wire,
16:14is really one of those breakout stories in 24
16:16and certainly sets her up for a really big 25.
16:18I think, especially with the Best New Artist look coming,
16:21people are really going to get to know her
16:23even better and even further next year.
16:25So shout out to Doja getting back on the 200.
16:28I mean, that's something that most albums,
16:29first week is their best week.
16:30So the fact that she's able to do this and get a second week,
16:35even stronger than the first, yeah.
16:36Four Grammy noms and the debut album comes out next year.
16:41So this was just a little appetizer.
16:43Yeah.
16:43I really love that it worked out that she got the top 40 hit last year
16:47and that just kind of has no bearing on what this moment is for her.
16:51I think that's so cool.
16:52I agree.
16:53It looks like you get artists like this sometimes
16:55and the response from rap media has been so positive
17:02that there's usually a backlash.
17:04People are like, oh, no one really fucks with her.
17:08It's all you guys just pumping her up.
17:10It's an industry playing kind of shit and all that.
17:13You don't hear her in the streets.
17:15It's very good to hear that people are actually playing.
17:16That people are really into it, yeah.
17:18Amen, amen.
17:19So shout out to everybody who delivered on a fire album in 2024.
17:25Of course, with some good, there's always a little bit of drama,
17:27a little bit of bad.
17:29Just a little bit.
17:29Just a little bit of bad in 2024.
17:32Where do we start?
17:32There was the blockbuster.
17:36This is all Cat Williams' fault.
17:37Cat Williams.
17:37That's really where it started.
17:41When we first saw that interview clip,
17:43we all said it was going to be bad news after he said that.
17:45It's not true, Drew.
17:47We didn't know.
17:48I mean, it is a bad Drew Drew.
17:50We could start with the myriad of feuds,
17:52whether it was with Drake v. Kendrick Lamar, Nikki v. Megan.
17:57We could talk about the lawsuits, whether it's Drake versus UMG,
18:03Puff and Jay going through their lawsuits.
18:06But we did get Young Thug come home.
18:09Thugger is home.
18:11So we have some positivity.
18:13Even that.
18:13Shout out Brian Steele.
18:14Shout out Brian Steele.
18:16How did that even happen?
18:17Well, the entire case was a shit show.
18:22So much so, I think I thought to myself one day,
18:25man, I'm very happy that the Trump case did not go forward.
18:30Because imagine what would have happened.
18:31Fonny Willis' office would have been.
18:34They can't even do this properly.
18:38But then when he came home, it was also weird because
18:44he came out and it was like he wants to work with Gunna,
18:47but then he came out and he was like, fuck you.
18:50So I still don't know where anything stands or what's going to happen in the future.
18:54I don't know.
18:56I kind of like that he's been laying relatively low since being released.
19:00There were tons of rumors at Rolling Loud last weekend
19:02that he would come out during Somebody Said.
19:04They were convinced it was going to be during Future Said.
19:06Then it was like, no, it's going to be during Cardi Said.
19:07And he never came out.
19:09But I think that was a good thing.
19:10I think he deserves some time to kind of just like not be in the mix.
19:15He's had a year that very few people can actually relate to and understand.
19:18Years.
19:19Years, exactly.
19:20So I'm not pressed that he didn't come out and do a surprise set
19:23or drop any music or anything like that.
19:25But it's still kind of sad.
19:28This is like the happiest-ish legal story in hip hop this year.
19:32Right.
19:32Yeah.
19:33I mean, yeah, that's it.
19:36Yeah.
19:38I mean, knowing, like I said, with these storylines, obviously, Thug coming home.
19:42Trev, which one really stuck out to you this year when you think of 2024?
19:48I mean, it's not over yet.
19:49I kind of feel like the long tail of the Drake UMG will be the most impactful.
19:54Yeah.
19:56And I mean that just like from an industry shaking sense,
19:58because, I mean, you know, it's been a long time.
20:01If almost never that we've had a star of this magnitude,
20:04going against the label of that magnitude,
20:07where it's just two powerhouses going against each other.
20:09And so the reasons I know everyone is sort of trying to figure out
20:13with the legal actions, how solid a case this is, how murky.
20:16And then I know we've talked about some of sort of the implications of it
20:20when it turns into, OK, you know, what are the lyrics and how accurate do they have to be?
20:26I mean, how that sort of dovetails into just hip hop culture in general,
20:29where people have always slung out arrows that were fabricated
20:32or embellished or a little bit like that.
20:34So, you know, we'll have to wait and see what the actual case that they bring forward is,
20:38if they decide to go, you know, to a full lawsuit is.
20:42But the implications of that just seem like they could be the most shattering,
20:45just in terms of, first of all, Drake and his,
20:47Drake and UMG's relationship already,
20:49which we know has been one of the most successful ever.
20:51I mean, that just feels like, I don't know,
20:54I can't even imagine being a fly on the wall in those conversations of,
20:58you know, how do you reckon one of your biggest artists
21:01with a guy who is publicly dragging you down
21:04and saying you're a collusion with one of your other bigger artists?
21:07So just the messiness of that will be something that'll be interesting to see.
21:10And, you know, sort of depending on who wins,
21:14if it does go that far, I think that also has real implications on
21:19sort of the artist label relationship and who's,
21:21you know, who is the ultimate shot caller in those things.
21:24You have Drake saying that lyric that, you know,
21:26hallucinate the CEO, you know, of UMG.
21:28He really is because he's bringing in the bags.
21:29And as we see artists become, you know, only more powerful,
21:33only more, you know, instrumental as a brand and an item,
21:36and they're the ones who can move and shake.
21:37And, you know, Taylor Swift can change her contract
21:40to help get Spotify royalties for everybody else.
21:42And all these kinds of actions that, you know,
21:45labels probably would have never thought
21:47that artists could have that kind of power.
21:49You need us, you know, we got to distribute,
21:50we got to put stuff on radio.
21:52We're the ultimate shot callers.
21:53And artists are saying, nah, that's not, you know,
21:55like I'm bigger than, you helped make me, sure.
21:57And now I'm bigger than you.
21:59So I just think that as far as the repercussions go,
22:03you know, for artists who aren't even involved in hip hop,
22:05you know, people who are not even signed yet,
22:07that could be the thing that I'm looking most forward to,
22:09to see just the ripple effects of that and how far they go.
22:12Cause they could go, I mean, for decades,
22:14generations beyond this.
22:15Yeah.
22:16That reminds me of a video.
22:17I don't know if you guys have seen it a couple of years ago
22:20when Steve Stout said in an interview,
22:22the day Drake goes independent,
22:24that's forever going to change the music industry.
22:28Yeah.
22:29And that's just a scary thought, you know,
22:31in terms of what he would be able to do.
22:33I feel like it's an exciting thought.
22:34Yeah.
22:35You're scaring a good way, I mean.
22:36Yeah.
22:37I mean, Drake is, he could be independent right now.
22:42And like, I think the thing also is that artists of that scale,
22:45like Kendrick, Cole, Drake,
22:50are in a way independent because they all operate
22:55in a way separate from the label.
22:57And they essentially just like license these things to them.
22:59And I tell you when it's going to happen.
23:01I tell you my plans.
23:02I'm dropping today.
23:03And they're like, all right, we got to figure this out.
23:04You know?
23:05And so they all operate and they just use like the entire
23:10mechanism of the label to, you know,
23:13grant their wishes.
23:14And I assume catch a check when needed,
23:17but I don't know what would change for the artists
23:21that much if they were to go independent.
23:24Like if Jermaine were, if Cole was to go independent tomorrow,
23:31I don't know what would really change for him.
23:35And it was interesting about Cole too.
23:36I kind of feel like, and you could correct me if I'm wrong.
23:40We're kind of getting like, he's foreshadowing his goodbye,
23:43the way it's looking like.
23:44It seems like it.
23:45Dreamville Fest, the fifth annual being the last one.
23:48Yeah.
23:49Ham just dropping the inevitable series
23:52and rolling out the mixtapes finally coming to streaming.
23:55This could be the end of an era.
23:57You know, I think we're getting to that point
23:58for some of our faves, you know?
24:00It's hard.
24:01I still believe it's hard for anybody to really just tie a bow
24:04on it and walk away.
24:05Yeah.
24:05Especially when it feels, I mean, Cole's obviously, you know,
24:08giving us a decade and a half's worth of material,
24:11but it still feels like there's always going to be more.
24:13He's always going to be itching to create.
24:15He's always going to want to be like,
24:16I think he might still drop songs here and there,
24:19but like, I look at like a Jay-Z,
24:20like Jay-Z is for all intents and purposes, like retired.
24:23But that was after what?
24:24Two times where he said, he said, I'm done.
24:26And technically he said, after reasonable doubt,
24:30that was a black album.
24:31Definitely, yeah, yeah, yeah.
24:33So, I mean, I'll say on the, on the label artist thing.
24:37I mean, I guess that's one of the things
24:39we might sort of unpack with this whole Drake thing is,
24:42cause you know, the label obviously helps things get on radio,
24:44helps with the promotion arm.
24:46Of course, people are going to argue,
24:47Drake doesn't need promotion.
24:48You know, Drake says he's doing this and that,
24:50but I think the backdoor mechanics,
24:52especially of, you know, how we get albums to DSPs,
24:56you know, what kind of, you know,
24:57merch setups or whatever happened,
24:59all those things that kind of move behind the scenes
25:02that people don't think about,
25:03those things I think could be impacted.
25:05And I, you know, I don't want to put it past anybody to,
25:08you know, once you leave, okay,
25:10you're not on our team anymore.
25:12Okay, we're working against you.
25:13So now we're going to position this person on this day
25:15and we're going to, you know, promote this up.
25:17And I think there's, I'd be really curious to see.
25:18There's never a moment in time for an artist
25:21to be able to build that like repertoire of services
25:25within themselves.
25:26It's now because you can just have that relationship
25:28with the streamer.
25:28The, the crux is that the labels also own a part of them.
25:32So then it's like, maybe that's what comes to light
25:34in the suit is just like how incestuous all of this is.
25:38You know, like if I were to really,
25:40if Drake's like, if I were to really,
25:42if I were to really go at this alone,
25:44I can't break into it because Universal owns
25:48these 10 spots on these playlists.
25:50And so like, it's impossible if, you know,
25:52if they're not fucking with me
25:53and they're fucking with the guy who's battling me,
25:57then that's not going to work.
25:58You know, like speaking of stout,
26:02like United Masters has all of those services
26:06available for people.
26:07Are they as plugged in as a UMG?
26:09Of course not.
26:10So like, how do you really work that, you know?
26:13Yeah.
26:15Yeah.
26:15I'm interested to see if this actually goes through and what,
26:18I think the, the things we discovered during discovery
26:22would be the most interesting part of all this.
26:24That's like what I'm excited to see.
26:27Like, I hope it goes forward just for that.
26:30I was going to say, it makes you wonder
26:31if somebody is going to run to try to, you know,
26:32settle before all the text messages get exposed
26:36and the emails get leaked.
26:37Yeah.
26:38That's yeah.
26:39Skeletons.
26:40Like, you know, it's like when the,
26:41like when the government essentially
26:42was going after Google and Apple
26:44and you saw all the emails from Google,
26:47essentially being, you know,
26:48or like Apple being like,
26:51there's no way we're going to put,
26:53you know, iMessage on Android.
26:55And someone's like, why?
26:56It's like in an email, they're like, why not?
26:57And you're like, are you an idiot?
27:01We're not doing this because of money.
27:02And it's like, I can't wait for those emails
27:04to come out of the music industry to be like,
27:06you know, of course we're not going to do this.
27:08You idiot.
27:10It's about money.
27:12I think going back to like, you know,
27:14wanting Kat Williams to close the portal.
27:16I don't think any of us had on our bingo card
27:21our 90s heroes, you know, Puff and Jay,
27:25you know, Puff being charged with sex trafficking
27:29and racketeering.
27:31Yeah.
27:31And then, you know, the allegations
27:34that Jay had to deal with these past few weeks.
27:37Dame, these were...
27:38It was the biggest bombshell for me this year.
27:40Right.
27:41Yeah.
27:42So, you know, yeah.
27:42So talk about that coming to light in 2024.
27:45I mean, it's, you know, I think for a lot of us
27:48who grew up as fans of this culture and music
27:54and then working in the music industry
27:56or at least, you know, aligned to the music industry,
27:59you would hear all the stories,
28:00never knowing like how much of it is true
28:03because they're always like whispered
28:05and things like that.
28:06But I think like the bigger hit for me personally
28:13is just, as you said, like these were heroes
28:16of a number of people,
28:20entire generation of rap fan,
28:24you know, grew up idolizing Diddy.
28:27And I don't know,
28:30I don't think we're going to understand
28:32what effect that has on a generation until much later,
28:35because now what do you do?
28:37How do you reconcile with that?
28:38How do you reconcile with someone who was such a...
28:42Diddy wasn't even so much a part of the fabric of the culture
28:46and so much as he was the seamstress.
28:48He was the person that built the thing
28:51that we were all so a part of.
28:54And to now have to figure out,
28:59you know, how to live in a world
29:00where you're not able to interact with that
29:03and to, you know, have to think of him in different terms.
29:07I think it's tough, you know,
29:08because it's just not the same anymore.
29:10And I think dealing with that
29:11is going to be hard for a lot of people.
29:15It's like, oh, this person did this really bad thing.
29:18He's gone.
29:19Like R. Kelly was just like, he's gone.
29:21You know, no more R. Kelly music.
29:24He's not going to be featured anywhere.
29:26He's out of sight, out of mind.
29:27I think it's a little tougher with someone like Diddy.
29:30Yeah.
29:31And I think we're going to have to figure out
29:32how to actually do that.
29:34Yeah.
29:35So that's the tough part to me.
29:37He was denied bail once again
29:39and then he decided to opt out
29:41and just wait until his trial,
29:43which will be in May 2024.
29:47Five.
29:48Five.
29:48Yeah.
29:49Thank you for catching that.
29:50I don't know why I jumped so quickly.
29:51The way I was like, don't like,
29:54like forwards like the nuclear code.
29:56Thank you for catching that.
29:57No, I was going to ask you guys.
29:59I know he touched on Puff about Jay.
30:02I'm just hearing that bombshell.
30:04Yeah.
30:04The Jay news was particularly painful to sit with
30:08because I said on the last episode,
30:10that guy's genuinely my hometown hero.
30:12Like one of my favorite artists of all time
30:15across all genres.
30:16So hearing anything like that attached to his name
30:18was always going to give you like a real moment of shock.
30:22Obviously there've been developments
30:26since the allegations first arose.
30:30I think my biggest takeaway from all of that
30:31is probably that I am interested to see
30:34what happens with this Busby guy.
30:37And I hope that whatever goes down
30:40with this specific allegation
30:42doesn't have too negative of an impact
30:45on the other cases that are being brought up
30:47against Eddie by the same lawyer.
30:50Because they also may be a bit more,
30:53may have a little less holes in them
30:55than this particular one.
30:56And I hope that that doesn't fuck up
30:58what's going on over there.
31:00And justice can still be brought
31:01for the people who are victims of Diddy
31:05and anyone else who did do anything
31:09along those lines at that time.
31:11But yeah, it's something that I just have to sit with
31:14for a long time because it's like,
31:16okay, how do you square your love for this person
31:20and their work with the understanding
31:21that they might be a very violent and dangerous person
31:25with the understanding that that also
31:26might not be the case either.
31:27We just have to wait for all of this
31:29to go through the courts
31:31and let the legal people do what they do
31:33because that is not my bag.
31:35That's why I'm here on a podcast
31:37and not in a courtroom.
31:38But yeah.
31:39Yeah.
31:41Hey, Busby, he gonna need my nigga Saul Goodman, man.
31:44Better call Saul.
31:45Better call Saul.
31:47Trev.
31:49Yeah.
31:51I mean, I think everything Kyle said is right.
31:52And with the Jay thing,
31:54there's obviously so much we don't know.
31:56You know, where the sort of tide is right now with Jay,
31:59you know, sort of, I guess,
32:01seemingly having the momentum behind him,
32:03if you want to put it that way.
32:05NBC had that report with the inconsistencies in the story,
32:07but the woman, you know, stands by the majority of the claims
32:12and that the incident happened.
32:13So we'll see what happens in, you know,
32:16when the facts come to light
32:17with the whole sort of the whole Busby versus Jay angle.
32:20In that sense, I'm curious to see what happens
32:22because it sort of takes me back to
32:24when Cardi had her lawsuit that was very public
32:26and other artists, you know,
32:28artists are really, you know,
32:31starting to get litigious and fight back.
32:34And, you know, we've been so, I guess,
32:35used to maybe 10, 12 years of social media
32:37where people throw out all these kind of wild claims
32:39and everybody said, you know, runs their mouth off.
32:40And for the most part, everyone's just kind of ignored it.
32:43But it seems like in the past, you know, two, three years
32:47and certainly, you know,
32:48you have to fight something like this.
32:50If you really don't believe it's true,
32:51the allegations are just so heinous
32:52that you can't just quietly let that go.
32:55But I do think that, you know,
32:57seeing like Jay and seeing Cardi
33:00and even what's going on with, you know,
33:02Jay and Jaguar, right.
33:03And the situation that that brought
33:04and how quickly, you know.
33:05I mean, yeah, today we saw, yeah.
33:10So like artists are really taken to their lawyers
33:13and making sure that, you know,
33:15things that are not true are being rooted out and exposed.
33:18And people who are responsible for those things
33:20are paying the price, you know,
33:22with their reputation financially,
33:24whatever media they have.
33:25So I think that's, you know,
33:27I don't think it's like a chilling effect
33:29that, you know, you shouldn't say anything about anybody.
33:30But people need to understand
33:32that if you talking outside of your neck,
33:34there is a good chance these artists
33:36are going to come after you
33:36and hold you fully accountable.
33:38If you want to, you know,
33:39make sure that your ass get cash to check
33:41that your fingers are typing on Twitter.
33:43That's all.
33:45That's my legal.
33:46I'm not a lawyer,
33:46but that's my legal advice to you in 2025
33:48is you better be ready.
33:50Yeah.
33:51And if you got that Alex Spiro money,
33:53shit, Spiro out here.
33:55Roc Nation got some dogs out there.
33:56Shout out to Spiro.
33:57Shout out to Brian Steele.
34:00These lawyers, they earned and they checked in 2024, man.
34:03I'm curious to hear y'all thoughts.
34:05Biggest storyline of 2024.
34:07Make sure you drop it in the comments.
34:10Before we exit out of here,
34:12we got to look forward into the future.
34:152025.
34:16Sounds like a year out of a movie.
34:18Right?
34:19Can't believe it, man.
34:20Crazy.
34:20Went from Y2K to 2025.
34:23Let's dish out each dish out a prediction for 2025.
34:27Good, bad, ugly.
34:29I will start with Dane.
34:31I tried to think of something that
34:33I was like sure would come true.
34:36And I can't, I have no idea.
34:38Like I'm so, I'm not terrified of next year,
34:40but my prediction is that
34:43just how we see all of these like tech CEOs
34:46buddying up to Trump,
34:47I think we're going to see like a major swift,
34:49swift change in musicians
34:53who otherwise were very anti-Trump
34:56and anti-Republican in the past.
34:59I think we're going to see them,
35:00more of them move over to the other side
35:04as the tide changes.
35:05I will say this,
35:06the inauguration is the same day as MLK next month.
35:10So that will be interesting to see
35:13on the 20th of January.
35:14Hope I'm wrong, but.
35:15I wonder who he gets to perform.
35:18Oliver Anthony music.
35:22Chef G.
35:27That is crazy.
35:28Kyle?
35:29I have a couple, you know,
35:30I mean, we spoke about Leon Thomas earlier.
35:32I do think he'll have a breakthrough single next year
35:35I mean, I'm hoping.
35:36I think SZA is, you know,
35:37poised for another massive year.
35:39We got this SOS Deluxe coming out this week
35:42and we got the Torway Kendrick next year.
35:44Also on that note,
35:46I'm really intrigued to see
35:47what Doja Cat does next year.
35:49It's been kind of quiet for her for a minute.
35:50She's like wrote out the last sort of
35:53couple months of her last album,
35:55which was obviously a success,
35:56not as big as playing at her,
35:58but her pop fans are hungry for her to,
36:00you know, cater to them.
36:01And it is looking like
36:03we're going to get pop RB Doja back
36:04for this next album.
36:06So I would not be surprised
36:08if she just like cranks out hits
36:09all through next year.
36:11But I also think broadly,
36:13I feel like we might be moving away
36:15from the country influences next year
36:17and start moving towards Motown.
36:19That's how I know or what I think,
36:21but that's the sense that I'm getting.
36:24You mean non-country artists
36:26who have tried to ride the wave?
36:27Yes, like how like everyone's getting
36:28like on the Western cowboy aesthetic.
36:30I think we'll move more towards like Motown
36:32and like I think we'll be looking at Detroit,
36:35both retro Detroit and modern Detroit
36:37a lot more next year.
36:38I think, you know,
36:39sort of on an industry note,
36:40we know in the past quarter
36:43in particular at Atlantic Records,
36:45there's been a lot of turnover,
36:46new, you know,
36:48new management leadership coming through.
36:50So I think with 2025,
36:52I think they are going to look
36:54for two of their marquees to come back.
36:56I'm gonna say it.
36:57I think it's finally time for Belcalis.
37:00Let's go.
37:00I'm gonna put Cardi B's album
37:02is gonna come out and it's gonna be better.
37:06It'll be better than y'all think.
37:08Y'all ain't got no faith,
37:09but I got a feeling.
37:11Yes.
37:11Yeah.
37:12Yes.
37:13We'll stay there for a minute.
37:15There will be a,
37:16I'm gonna say though,
37:17I feel like it'll be good.
37:18Will she have a number one song?
37:20Yes.
37:22I would call it a quick yes.
37:23That was quick.
37:24Okay.
37:24I think, and I'm glad you said that.
37:27That's what I was gonna say with Cardi,
37:28but I'll let you finish.
37:29Yes.
37:30It'll be seven years next spring.
37:33What's her last top five record?
37:37Good question.
37:37Well, she got a lot of them,
37:38so it's hard to pick, you know.
37:41Don't let me pull it up.
37:42Her last top five.
37:44And lead.
37:44I'll look it up.
37:45Lead.
37:45That's what I'm trying to do.
37:46Are we really gonna do up?
37:47Well, up maybe?
37:48Let me see.
37:48Yeah, maybe up or WAP.
37:50Let me see.
37:51Well, up was after WAP.
37:52That was 2020.
37:53Okay.
37:53Lead was, yeah, up 2020.
37:55So spring 2021 is when it went to number one.
37:58Damn.
37:58So someone graduated high school.
38:01Last time Cardi had a top five hit.
38:03Was she going number one?
38:05Heard it.
38:06Okay.
38:06And you know what?
38:07Listen, Sade did a put out.
38:09When did Soulja Love come out?
38:10Was it 2013?
38:11You were in my series bringing up Sade and Cardi B conversation.
38:15I'm just saying, it's been a while.
38:17This is a guy who compares her to Lauryn Hill.
38:19Oh, this is true.
38:21Cardi gonna say the charts compare me too
38:23when I got that number one on the company.
38:26But I do think Cardi B.
38:28I think it's time.
38:29I think everything is set up right.
38:32I also think Bruno Mars.
38:33It's time for him to come back.
38:35You think he's going more pop or R&B with this next album?
38:37It's simply he's giving pop.
38:38I think he's going back to pop.
38:38It could be poppy.
38:41I mean, obviously with the collabs that he's done.
38:43I mean, even Die With a Smile, people were kind of...
38:45It's got a little singer songwriter, a little folk,
38:47a little country, a little adult contempo.
38:49So part of me thinks that might be a little outlier
38:53when Bruins does himself.
38:54We'll see.
38:54But I think both those people, Cardi and Bruno,
38:57are going to come back next year in definitely big ways.
39:00No, Lizzo.
39:00Atlantic needs it.
39:02Oh, Lizzo.
39:04That's right, Lizzo.
39:04She's been quiet.
39:06Cause it'll...
39:06She be making hits too, actually.
39:08I didn't even...
39:09Yeah.
39:10Yeah, okay.
39:11I'll throw Liz in there too.
39:12The big three.
39:12I'll throw Melissa.
39:13The new big three.
39:14The new big three.
39:14Lizzo, Bruno, Cardi.
39:16The house that Atlantic, you know, remodeled.
39:19That was the 2019 era right there.
39:20They upholstered the house.
39:23Real quick.
39:23I'll go with mine since you took Cardi.
39:25Shout out to Cardi.
39:26I'm gonna go...
39:28I gotta close it right.
39:28Wait, uh...
39:29The Boy, he's gonna drop...
39:32Not one!
39:34Not two!
39:36But three albums next year.
39:38That's not...
39:38Go ahead.
39:39He ain't doing nothing.
39:41Yo.
39:41He's gonna drop three albums next year.
39:43Yo.
39:44One with Party.
39:45He gonna try to out Future Future?
39:46One with Party.
39:48One with Future.
39:50The gang getting back together.
39:52The band is getting back together.
39:53The Banana Boat is getting back together.
39:56Okay.
39:56And then his solo album.
39:59I want y'all to remember this day.
40:00You think he'll ever do...
40:01There will be three albums.
40:03We're gonna manifest this.
40:05And they're all gonna be number one.
40:07And that's gonna put him at what?
40:0816?
40:09Yes.
40:0916?
40:1016 number one albums?
40:12Do you think he'd ever make a Nostalgia Play
40:16and do like a Take Care 2?
40:17I think so.
40:18I think he needs to.
40:19What, his label made...
40:21I think he kind of needs to.
40:22And a little bit of Desperation.
40:24Has he ever made a Part 2?
40:26I feel like that could be something that he does next year
40:28to like get his foot.
40:30Plays a Nostalgia Game, played a Cold Game.
40:32I mean, does he have like a...
40:33So next year is what?
40:34If you're reading this, it's 10 years next year.
40:36What a time.
40:37What a time it's been.
40:37What a time too.
40:39Remember, that was supposed to be a thing a couple years ago.
40:41And it got canceled.
40:42Yeah, and a lot of shit has changed.
40:44Couple of things have changed between now and then.
40:46I'm saying we're gonna have a Drizzy 3P next year.
40:49We're probably gonna get like a More Life, dude.
40:50Just a massive playlist of just shit.
40:52And hope that's something we can.
40:54I'm here for a Take Care 2.
40:55I think a Take Care 2 would be fine.
40:57That would be really dope.
40:58I'd be so here for that.
40:59Let's bring the Owls out next year.
41:02I'm about to hold Team Hoodies.
41:03I'm good, bro.
41:04Y'all let me know the sizes.
41:06Chat, let me know y'all size.
41:07I'll mail some.
41:09You know.
41:09Can I get a Naomi Sharon hoodie instead?
41:11Shout out to Naomi Sharon.
41:12She had a great year this year.
41:14That was a good album.
41:14I love it.
41:16But in all seriousness, y'all let us know also your favorite R&B albums,
41:22hip hop albums this year in the chat.
41:24That was your serious pick?
41:26Yeah.
41:26Okay.
41:28I mean, you said, well, you said now getting serious.
41:30I thought, you know.
41:30Wow.
41:31Okay.
41:31Okay.
41:32I think you said your picks were all highly uncertain.
41:35I think Doja is gonna like do it.
41:37Annihilate?
41:37Yeah, absolutely.
41:38Doja's debut album.
41:40Shout out to.
41:40I think she's gonna be number one on our list next year.
41:43Hell yeah.
41:44I'm going Cardi.
41:46I think Doja is gonna be number one on our list next year.
41:48Shout out to DJ Head.
41:49You know, he said this album is gonna be fire and change the list up.
41:52But thank y'all for rocking with us for 2024.
41:57We're gonna come back stronger 2025.
41:59Shout out to our team, of course, holding it down.
42:03Yeah.
42:04And Cat Williams, man.
42:05Just chill out, bro.
42:06Don't talk next year.
42:07Truly.
42:09But now we'll see y'all next year.
42:11Signing off.