Lil Uzi Vert vs Metro Boomin, Who Do You Think Made More From Streams?

Yesterday was Ja Morant’s triumphant return to the court after an 8-game suspension. How did he celebrate the Grizzlies win over the Rockets? With an NBA YoungBoy “Fresh Prince Of Utah” lyric, of course, echoed by his daughter in the clip below. Sorry not sorry to Skip Bayless. In other news today:

• Song streams & revenue: Verzuz edition

• 42 Dugg facing possible 5-year sentence

• More details on Kendrick Lamar’s film with South Park creators

• Jadakiss reveals Biggie’s rule about compliments

• RapTV’s SXSW Takeover: best moments, future star predictions

• Up Your Aux: SXSW underground rap

• Industry Insights

• $100 cash giveaway

Song Streams & Revenue

It’s a new week and new numbers, Hits Double Daily’s latest song revenue chart only shows data from the previous streaming week but the chart above reflects the compilation of the last 6 weeks from Feb 3rd to March 16th.

Ice Spice vs The Weeknd 👑 

Not pictured, The Weeknd’s “Die For You (Remix)” with Ariana Grande has only been out for 3 weeks and has made $366,928 from 76,445,000 streams during the period of Feb 24th to March 16th. In comparison, Ice Spice & PinkPantheress’ “Boys a liar Pt. 2” made $362,758 from 75,575,962 streams during its first 3 weeks from Feb 3rd to 23rd. The Weeknd wins this one 👑 but not by much.

Metro Boomin 👑 vs Lil Uzi Vert

“Creepin” outperformed “Just Wanna Rock” during the last 6 weeks by 1,214,903 more streams and $5,832 more revenue.

Drake 👑 vs Metro Boomin

“Rich Flex” stays true to its name but only by 126,139 more streams and $604 more revenue than “Superhero” during the last 6 weeks.

42 Dugg Facing Possible 5-Year Sentence

42 Dugg appeared in court this week to plead guilty to failing to surrender and serve a 6-month prison sentence in 2022 for illegal possession of a firearm. He could face up to 5 years in jail if the presiding judge William Ray II decides to overrule the prosecution’s recommendation for Dugg to serve the original 6-month sentence as punishment. Sentencing is set for May 10th.

When did his legal troubles start?

Back in 2019, Dugg was arrested for firing a weapon at an Atlanta gun range. As a convicted felon (for prior carjacking and firearms possession), Dugg wasn’t allowed to fire a weapon. The Bureau of ATF received a tip about the gun range and Dugg was charged with felony firearms possession in March 2020.

In March 2021, Dugg’s legal team negotiated a plea deal to avoid jail time and only get probation. The deal was revoked and a judge slapped him with that 6-month jail sentence which he failed to turn himself in for and is now facing the repercussions.

More Details on Kendrick Lamar’s Film w/ ‘South Park’ Creators

Almost a year ago, it was announced that Kendrick Lamar and his pgLang partner Dave Free would produce a live-action comedy for Paramount alongside South Park co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. There haven’t been many updates on the project until now.

Emmy-winning South Park writer, Vernon Chatman, wrote the script about a young Black man who is interning as a slave reenactor at a living history museum and discovers that his white girlfriend’s ancestors once owned his. It’s giving Get Out meets Black Mirror but it’ll be interesting to see how the live-action and comedy tie into the plot.

Parker will be directing the film but production has been delayed due to his South Park commitments. The project marks pgLang’s first production of a feature film and their 2nd collaboration with the South Park creators who lent their deep fake technology for the creation of “The Heart Pt. 5” video.

Jadakiss Reveals Biggie’s #1 Rule About Compliments

Jadakiss sat down with The Starting Five podcast and divulged some things you may not know about the late ‘90s legend Biggie Smalls. First, he didn’t allow anyone to compliment him on his music. “We had this thing where we couldn’t talk about each other’s craft or we couldn’t say how dope we were to each other,” Jadakiss said.

Apparently, Biggie preferred not to talk about rap at all outside of the studio Jadakiss’ anecdotes was said as examples in the context of how humble and down-to-earth Biggie was.

When they were in the studio, Biggie liked to have a bar to set the vibe and would offer anyone that came in a drink. He even preferred to play bartender and make the drinks himself rather than delegate to an associate. “Playboy, you drinking?” Jadakiss recalls Biggie asking.

“He’d get the ice, get the stirrers, all that. He’d wanna make you a Malibu, so he was just extra golden.”

RapTV’s SXSW Takeover

SXSW has become a staple on the festival circuit for decades, artists like Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, and Chance the Rapper have performed at SXSW when they were still relatively unknown. It’s a testament to the festival’s legacy of spotlighting the future rather than the now.

RapTV returned to Austin, Texas for the second year in a row at SXSW with a 2-day showcase highlighting over 30 emerging rap and hip-hop artists. It’s not every day that we get to be involved in live events and we wanted to stay true to the roots of SXSW by curating an unforgettable showcase that provides opportunity and discovery for fans and artists alike.

There was crowd jumping, an impromptu rap acapella, shred guitar, and a whole lotta rap. Below, we’re breaking down the best moments, the evolution from last year’s showcase, and our predictions for future rap stars.

JELEEL’s Parkour Performance

If there’s anyone who comes with insane energy, it’s JELEEL and this year was no exception. He spit bars over thumping trap drums as effortlessly as he scaled a speaker truss and dismounted with a backflip onstage while performing “UNCIVILIZED!”. No stage structure was safe, “When I say real, you say raw,” he chanted from the balcony’s edge, staring down at the crowd.

The intro for “RAIN ON YOU!” cut in right as he jumped down into a mosh pit of fans. Back on stage, he took a fan to new heights and put them on his shoulders while he finished the rest of the song. It’s an immersive experience to see JELEEL perform and his set was one of the most memorable from the weekend.

BBY KODIE’s Stage Crashers

Right at home in the south, Kodie decided to share the love and brought a large group of people from the crowd on stage to get hyped with him. They rushed to jump over security like they were in The Last of Us and the rest of the crowd was infected but it made for an eventful performance.

Mike Dimes’ Acapella

Mike Dimes was one of the highly anticipated acts and his fans were waiting for one song in particular—”HOME”. Right as he was about to perform it, his DJ had technical issues. So he went in acapella style, proving his voice can stand alone. Midway through, the tracks cut in and the crowd went off rapping “This young boy from Texas so excuse my grammar” as Dimes ran it back. Watch the footage on YouTube shorts here.

Then vs Now: JELEEL & Mike Dimes

2022: When Mike Dimes performed at our SXSW showcase last year, he’d just released his album In Dimes We Trust and been named one of Spotify’s 10 Most Necessary Artists to Watch in 2022.

2023: Since then, he’s kept the momentum going with songs like “HOME” and “BACKROOM” becoming breakout hits from In Dimes We Trust. Dreamville’s JID jumped on the “HOME (Remix)” and Dimes has linked up with Pharrell, Joey Bada$$ (one of his main inspirations), and Denzel Curry—potentially to work on music as he’s currently in album mode. His new single “HEAVY METAL” is out and 2023 might be his biggest year yet.

2022: JELEEL had already released his project, Angel From Heaven, and his EP, Generation Z, before he hit the SXSW stage for the first time at our showcase last year. He credits the traction of his single, “DIVE IN!” on TikTok and his performance at SXSW as the early signs of his continued success.

2023: Since then, he’s signed to 10K Projects, home to Internet Money and Trippie Redd, and continued to release a string of head-spinning singles with features from Denzel Curry and Armani White. He performed at Rolling Loud and Made In America for the first time, modeled Kanye’s Yeezy x Gap sunglasses, attended the 2023 Grammys, and performed at GRAMMY house during the award week.

Prediction: Future Rap Stars

If we had to bet on the artists most likely to blow up in the next few years, these are our top 4 picks. Head to Up Your Aux to familiarize yourself with their standout songs.

1. BBY KODIE, the Houston rapper has a sinister sound mixing confident rhymes with dark, menacing beats, boom-bap drums, and ambient melodies.

2. Fresco Trey is all about the melodies, guitar riffs, and feel-good vibes. He effortlessly blends elements of R&B in his music showcasing his ability to sing and rap.

3. Dom Corleo from the Bay area blends elements of underground rap reminiscent of Yeat with dynamic flows and raw lyricism.

4. Startheonly1ne is one of those SoundCloud rappers with rockstar energy, he had a shred guitar open his song “ITALY” at SXSW and brings the same energy to every song.

SXSW Edition

Consider this the essentials playlist from our SXSW showcase last weekend featuring emerging rappers BBY KODIE, Fresco Trey, Dom Corleo, and Startheonly1ne. Discover them before they blow up and add some new songs to your rotation.

1. “Feel Good” by Fresco Trey ft. Lil Tjay. Listen on Spotify & Apple Music

2. “7/11” by Fresco Trey. Listen on Spotify & Apple Music

3. “Italy” by Startheonly1ne. Listen on Spotify & Apple Music

4. “Hope I Don’t Crash” by Startheonly1ne. Listen on Spotify & Apple Music

5. “Children” by BBY Kodie. Listen on Spotify & Apple Music

6. “Korleone” by BBY Kodie. Listen on Spotify & Apple Music

7. “Luv Drunk” by Dom Corleo. Listen on Spotify & Apple Music

8. “Notoriety” by Dom Corleo. Listen on Spotify & Apple Music

• The Weeknd was named the “World’s Most Popular Artist” by Guinness World Records. He also holds the Guinness title for most monthly listeners on Spotify.

• China says it will firmly oppose the forced sale of TikTok and CEO, Shou Chew, is scheduled to appear before US lawmakers today.

• Hidden concert fees would be banned under new senate bill titled the Junk Fee Prevention Act. The proposed legislation would transform how concert tickets are sold—no more surprise Ticketmaster checkouts.

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