BET and ASCAP teamed up to celebrate music’s fresh faces at the “BET Music Matters Showcase” during SXSW in Austin, Texas, on Thursday. T.I. headlined the concert, which featured performances from some of today’s rising stars including ScHoolboy Q, Bridget Kelly, BJ the Chicago Kid, Lecrae, and Joey Bada$$.
Chrisette Michele hit the stage to perform new material off her upcoming album Better. The evening capped off with a performance from Tip. In addition to staging his biggest hits, he brought out some special guests including Trae Tha Truth, Kendrick Lamar for “Memories Back Then,” and Pharrell, who danced onstage during “What You Know.”
Backstage, the King held court with his wife Tiny and pals including Usher and Pharrell.
Kendrick Lamar is getting the ultimate co-sign from one of hip-hop’s greatest. Jay-Z has jumped on the official remix to “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe,” which Young Guru previewed during his set at SXSW in Austin, Texas. The good kid, m.A.A.d city cut contains new bars from Kendrick and a verse from the “God MC” Hov.
“Look inside of my soul and you can find gold and maybe get rich/ Trinidad James in four weeks, but now my album platinum and shit,” raps Kendrick before throwing it to Jay.
“Told you motherfu**ers all I do is ball/ No, I don’t remember you, I don’t intend to,” quips Mr. Carter.
Get a first listen to the remix before the full version drops.
Alicia Keys surprised her L.A. fans by bringing out Kendrick Lamar during the fourth stop on her “Set the World on Fire” tour at the Staples Center. The R&B songstress started singing the Janet Jackson-sampled hook from Kendrick’s hit “Poetic Justice” before the Compton rapper emerged in all white to perform the rest of the song.
“Kendrick, come on the stage with me!” said Alicia before handing the mic over to K-Dot, who also performed “Swimming Pools (Drank).”
In honor of her L.A. show, Alicia also debuted a video entitled “Illuminate Me” as part of her “Keep Moving Projects” with BlackBerry.
Life on the road can be rough, but Kendrick Lamar learns how to make the best out of his boredom in the third episode of his world tour vlog. After his flight out of Paris is delayed by three hours, MTV’s “Hottest MC in the Game” and his TDE crew find a way to entertain themselves.
The Compton MC does his best Weezy impersonation as he rides through Charles de Gaulle Airport in a baggage cart while rapping along to the Hot Boys’ ’90s hit “I Need a Hot Girl.”
The King of the South headed west to shoot the video for “Memories Back Then” in L.A. last week. Rap-Up TV was on set with T.I., Kendrick Lamar, B.o.B, and Hustle Gang singer-songwriter Kris Stephens as they filmed scenes downtown, by the beach, and in the hills with director Phillyflyboy.
Kendrick pulled up to the 6th Street Bridge for the first shot of the day. “It’s a great feeling to have T.I.’s support,” he told Rap-Up TV. “I’ve been listening to him since day one. I consider him amongst the elite still to this day, along with Jay-Z and Nas and people I looked up to coming up. For him to actually acknowledge my talents is a great feeling.”
B.o.B linked up with his Hustle Gang boss Tip at the Santa Monica Pier for their sunny scenes. “It’s just something about a beach and a coastline that really makes you reflect,” he said.
The song, which was recorded for Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head, originally sampled Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know.” “I rocked out as soon as I heard it. It felt relevant, it felt urgent,” said Tip. “However, I was not able to work out a clearance… I didn’t want to waste the opportunity because it was such a great performance and meaningful message from myself and B.o.B and Kendrick.”
While the track didn’t make Trouble Man, it may appear on B.o.B’s next album or the upcoming Hustle Gang compilation.
Bridget Kelly nabs a coveted feature from MTV’s “Hottest MC in the Game” Kendrick Lamar on her new single “Street Dreamin’.” The Compton kid kicks things off with a vicious verse, while Bridget sings sweet lullabies over a sample of Tupac’s “Got My Mind Made Up.” The Shea Taylor production will appear on Bridget’s upcoming Roc Nation debut.
Just hours before being crowned MTV’s “Hottest MC in the Game,” Rap-Up TV caught up with Kendrick Lamar on the Los Angeles set of T.I.’s video for “Memories Back Then.” Compton’s new king discussed future collaborations with Drake, sharing the stage with 50 Cent in New York, remixing Emeli Sandé, and his next album.
While he hasn’t chosen a follow-up single to “Poetic Justice” just yet, he favors “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe.” “I really do like ‘Kill My Vibe,’ but who knows,” said K-Dot of the good kid, m.A.A.d city cut.
After their work on “Poetic Justice,” he hopes to collaborate more with Drake. “God willing, for sure. Drake is a good dude, great artist. When you put two good artists in the studio, their chemistry always meshes properly with the right energy, the right personality, and the right vibe.”
Earlier this month, Kendrick performed two back-to-back sold-out shows in New York and brought out A$AP Rocky and 50 Cent. “It was a great moment. Fif a fool too. So entertaining, so I had fun. I had a lot of fun,” laughed Kendrick.
He explained his decision to jump on the remix to British sensation Emeli Sandé’s single “Next to Me.” “I’m really big on songs that I like. I never was really big on who’s really doing it,” said Kendrick. “I like the song and she reached out. She’s a great artist, great vocalist, and it’s a great song, so I just had to do it.”
He has ideas for his sophomore album, but hasn’t hit the studio yet. Next up, he will embark on a college tour and later hit the road on the “good kid, m.A.A.d city” tour.
