Critics Blame Rap Music and NBA YoungBoy for Ja Morant's Antics

Among things you can’t unsee is DJ Khaled twerking 😳 the producer went viral this week for a clip that includes the real Khaled jumping in the pool followed by a likely fake Khaled throwing it back. See for yourself how remarkable the resemblance is. In other news today:

• Billboard Hot 100 chart & streams 📈 

• Why Travis Scott’s Utopia rollout is so effective 🎯 

• Lil Durk calls Gunna a snitch, the law says otherwise 👨‍⚖️ 

• Critics blame NBA YoungBoy and rap music for Ja Morant’s actions 🔫 

• Discover new music with The Rap Index 🎵 

• Industry Insights

Hot 100 Chart & Streams

The above chart shows Billboard’s Hot 100 ranking, as of today, and the corresponding song streams for the week of May 12th to 18th as reported by Hits Double Daily. Hot 100 ranks songs based on a combination of streaming activity, radio airplay audience impressions, and sales data—all measured by Luminate.

Lil Durk’s “All My Life” ft. J. Cole debuts at #2 tieing “Laugh Now Cry Later” as Durk’s highest charting single on the Hot 100 to date. Toosii’s “Favorite Song” holds the #2 spot while all other songs drop in ranking.

Travis Scott Drops More ‘Utopia’ Hints as Alleged Release Date Approaches

The road to Utopia has been a long and slow one but Travis Scott seems to have shifted gears dropping more hints about the album and it may be approaching faster than you think.

Last week, on May 18th, Scott was photographed rolling up to a studio in West Hollywood with a bodyguard carrying a brown briefcase labeled “Utopia”. The briefcase was also handcuffed to said bodyguard, theatrical? Yes. Intentional? Obviously.

This week, he was spotted at the Cannes film festival attending the premiere of The Weeknd’s The Idol show with none other than a bodyguard, handcuffed to the same briefcase, and a pair of unreleased Jordan sneakers. Scott’s reverse swoosh branding could be seen on the side of the suede sneakers with the Jordan Jumpman logo on the tongue.

According to Page Six, Utopia is still set to arrive in June and a “crazy rollout” is planned with “more disruptive events” and album previews for legends across multiple industries. The plan is already in motion with reports that LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Tom Brady have already heard the album in its pre-final master.

The Utopia logo has been revealed in a rotational ambigram design that reads “Utopia” when viewed right side up and upside down. In an IG post, producer Mike Dean disclosed that he’s working on mastering Scott’s Utopia.

Context for those of you out touching grass

If you remember the song “Escape Plan”, whose release coincided with the 2021 Astroworld tragedy, the vintage newspaper-style cover featured a date—June 23rd, 1992 which happens to be a Friday this year. The math is mathing except Scott released this before he knew that Astroworld would result in an almost 2-year break from the spotlight for some healing aka PR rehabilitation.

Why this matters

Aside from the excitement of ending Scott’s 5-year album drought, the continued rollout can be seen as a case study for the successful marketing and promotion of a hip-hop album. Notice how he started doing more performances a few months ago? That was phase 1, slowly coming back into the public eye without much mention of Utopia but building anticipation for his return.

The “Utopia” briefcase with a bodyguard is extra but effective, Scott uses the paparazzi and press as a distribution method stirring excitement and speculation. The sneaker teases double down on the anticipation, getting rap and sneakerheads excited for what’s to come. He seeds information through influencers using athletes and producers to co-sign the album before it drops.

What’s key about Scott’s Utopia rollout is curiosity, we know a little but we don’t know too much and if executed properly, he’ll continue to do this for the right amount of time so that fans don’t get frustrated and lose hope. If there’s one thing Scott knows aside from music, it’s how to build hype.

Lil Durk Believes Gunna Snitched on Young Thug, YSL Lawyer Says Otherwise

In a clip from DJ Akademics podcast, Off The Record, Lil Durk didn’t hold back when sharing his thoughts on Gunna’s plea deal and release from jail in the YSL RICO case. “That man told, You should’ve went in there and kept ya mouth closed,” he said. “If you a rat, I f*cking hate you, cause I love Thug,” he continued.

Quite a direct statement from a rapper who loves to subtweet, often calling things out on social media without mentioning names unless it’s NBA YoungBoy. Earlier in the interview, Durk expresses his contempt for rats and snitches saying it was a codefendant’s confession that got his father locked up which made him feel that half his life was “stolen” from him.

Durk is gearing up for the release of his Almost Healed album and the Akademics interview is part of a standard press routine with the full episode dropping tonight (May 23rd). He revealed the tracklist and features including Future, 21 Savage, Kodak Black, Juice WRLD, and country artist Morgan Wallen. The reactions to his statement have been mixed with a surprising amount of fans coming to Gunna’s defense.

Context for those of you out touching grass

Gunna’s been ostracized from the rap community since his release and acceptance of an Alford plea deal in December 2022. As Jay-Z raps in “A Week Ago”, “the labeling of a snitch is a lifetime scar / You’ll always be in jail, n***a, just minus the bars”.

A lawyer for another YSL co-defendant was interviewed about the legalities of Gunna’s plea deal and said the following, “The agreement was that I will not testify at trial, I will not say that I did anything wrong or anyone else did anything wrong but I’m going to answer these series of questions. That’s technically not cooperation with the government.”

Why this matters

A critique of Durk’s statement is that it’s designed to incite headlines and conversation for the ultimate goal of album promo. This is the first public statement he’s made calling Gunna a snitch and the timing does seem coincidental. Akademics specifically chose that clip to tease the full podcast episode for its marketing value.

The online exposure may boost first-week sales of Durk’s album, given rap fandom’s fascination with beef, but beyond that, it likely won’t do much for the replay value or longevity. Durk’s personal reasons aside, which are understandable, he’s part of a community facing a war with the justice system on rap music. The YSL trial is the most recent example of prosecutors using lyrics and music videos in indictments to portray artists as criminals.

Maino Defends NBA YoungBoy From Ja Morant Gun Critics

Rapper Maino has spoken out against critics who’ve blamed Ja Morant’s recent off-court antics on his consumption of rap music and NBA YoungBoy in specific.

“It don’t have nothing to do with NBA YoungBoy, it don’t have nothing to do with rap music. All of us—as men, as adults—we have responsibilities and decisions to make,” he said in a clip to TMZ. He suggested instead that the issue might stem from Ja Morant not having the right people around him.

Fellow NBA player Patrick Beverly was one of the first to draw conclusions about Morant’s actions being influenced by rap music and Ja Rule echoed similar thoughts. Meanwhile, Cam’ron and Lil Wayne have voiced different opinions. Killa Cam called it the Gary Coleman Syndrome, when someone receives a lot of money at a young age and doesn’t know to act to which Lil Wayne added that Morant grew up in a town of 3,000 people.

Context for those of you out touching grass

Morant was first suspended from the Memphis Grizzlies for waving a gun on IG live inside a Colorado strip club on March 3rd of this year. Two months later, he was spotted holding a gun again on a friend’s IG live while NBA YoungBoy’s music could be heard blasting in the background. Morant’s a notorious YB fan, adopting his lyrics “it’s a parade inside my city, yeah” as a celebratory tagline.

Why this matters

The relationship between rap music and violence is a heavily studied topic with complex debates and no clear answer. The connection between the two is a broader conversation taking into account the influence of socioeconomic conditions, individual differences, and community dynamics. It can’t be reduced to the simple cause-and-effect dynamic that Morant totes guns because he listens to YB and rap music.

Some scholars argue that rap reflects the social realities of violence and inequality providing a platform for marginalized communities to share their experiences. Research on media effects suggests that violent content, like music videos, can have short-term effects on aggressive thoughts and behavior but real-world consequences have not been determined.

It’s unlikely that any of these critics took the time to properly research the topic and widening the blame to an entire genre of music is problematic and misinformation.

The Rap Index ft. Kendrick Lamar, Toosii, Future & More

The Rap Index is a way to follow and discover new music. Divided into 4 categories, describing subgenres of rap, songs are placed according to their style and sound—giving you a better idea of what songs will appeal to your musical taste. Only releases from the previous New Music Friday are included to help keep you up to date.

1. “Lost All My Feelings” by SahBabii (Listen on Spotify & Apple Music)

2. “Daydreaming” by NxWorries ft. Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge (Listen on Spotify & Apple Music)

3. “Who He Iz” by Aminé & Kaytranada (Listen on Spotify & Apple Music)

4. “America Has A Problem” by Beyoncé ft. Kendrick Lamar (Listen on Spotify & Apple Music)

5. “Favorite Song” [Toxic Version] by Toosii ft. Future (Listen on Spotify & Apple Music)

6. “No Good” by Juice WRLD (Listen on Spotify & Apple Music)

7. “Backstreets” by Swavy (Listen on Spotify & Apple Music)

8. “MHM” by Luh Kel (Listen on Spotify & Apple Music)

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