What Rappers Took Over the Met Gala Blue Carpet?

The official trailer for Highest 2 Lowest, starring A$AP Rocky and Ice Spice, officially dropped. In other news:  

• Billboard Hot 100 📈 

• The Met Gala had bold outfits — and music drops 👀 

• PlaqueBoyMax held his first concert ever 🎤

• Industry Insights 🔎 

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Billboard Hot 100

The above chart shows Billboard’s Hot 100 ranking for this week. The Hot 100 ranks songs based on streaming activity, radio airplay audience impressions, and sales data—all measured by Luminate.

“Luther’s” hot streak continues as Drake’s “NOKIA” stays stagnant this week on the charts. As K. Dot’s other tracks like “Not Like Us” and “tv off” took a tumble, Doechii’s “Anxiety” is rising up the Hot 100 once again.

André 3000 & More Standout Rappers at Met Gala 2025

The Met Gala pulled up on May 5 (AKA the annual tradition where we judge outfits worth more than our rent from the safety of our comforters). The theme? “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” — which basically meant the carpet got hit with a wave of high-fashion menswear, great tailoring, and hats as big as Ye’s ego. Naturally, the rap world showed out in full force. However, one man walked in like he owned the damn place — and brought new music with him.

André 3000 will always deliver

Now, we saw some solid fits. Pharrell rolled up in a suit held together by 15,000 pearls, A$AP Rocky diabolically accessorized with a revolver handle umbrella after recently beating a gun case. Future pulled up with a hairdo that was similar to if Chuckie from Rugrats got a fire twist-out and Pusha T let it snow with his sparkle filled suit. Meanwhile, Doechii also stood out thanks to her A+ fro and dapper Louis Vuitton suit.

3 Stacks, though, said, “You know what this outfit needs? A piano.” So he strapped one to his back like it was a Jansport backpack and floated down the carpet. 

The look came courtesy of Burberry’s Daniel Lee and stylist Law Roach, with a jumpsuit tied to André’s long-dormant fashion label, Benjamin Bixby (yes, the brand he founded in 2008 is now making a comeback). The piano-on-the-back idea? That’s been living rent-free in his brain for over a decade.

He wasn’t alone either. GQ’s Global Editorial Director Will Welch also popped out in a denim tux from the resurrected Bixby line, so you know André’s not just teasing — he’s fully relaunching the brand. 

“With the relaunch of Bixby, I wanted to try out more ideas…I've been drawing and painting since I was a kid, so I draw out ideas all the time. And to be able to actually make them and to share them and see people wearing them, that's the joy in it. That's it. And so that's why I'm back at it again, you know. I have new things to say,” the rapper told GQ. 

Speaking of new things to say, André surprise-dropped 7 Piano Sketches (an Easter egg: his fit on the red carpet matched the album cover), a follow-up to 2023’s New Blue Sun, which also had zero rapping but still managed to slap in a meditative, incense-burning, third-eye-opening kind of way. And just like last time, he made sure to clarify: no lyrics, no hooks, no features. Just keys. 

What the EP lacked in lyrics, it made up for in song titles. Track 3 is legitimately called, “when you’re a ant and you wake up in an awesome mood, about to drive your son to school, only to discover that you left the lights on in the car last night so your battery is drained.” 

Giving fans a warning upfront that there were “no bars,” he said in his Instagram announcement that “This collection of songs was recorded almost a decade before New Blue Sun. It’s jokingly the worst rap album in history because there are no lyrics on it at all. It’s the best because it’s the free-est emotionally and best I’ve felt personally. It’s the best because it’s like a palette cleanser for me.”

So to recap: André returned to the Met Gala with a piano on his back, a resurrected fashion label, a new instrumental album, and probably some sage in his pocket. Oh — and he’s also getting an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee on May 10. Legend behavior only.

What Happened at PlaqueBoyMax’s First Concert

After building a massive following on Twitch (nearly two million fans strong) thanks to his In the Booth series, where he crafts songs from scratch with everyone from DDG to Will Smith — PlaqueBoyMax finally stepped off the stream and onto a real stage. Despite having viral tracks like “beaverskin” and collaborations like “Pink Dreads,” he hadn’t thrown a proper show… until now.

PlaqueBoyMax had a stacked guest list

Max kicked things off with his DDG collab “Pink Dreads” (DDG didn’t pull up, but still got a shoutout), and made it clear this wasn’t gonna be a solo act. He brought out a stacked lineup of guest performers, including 41, LazerDim700, D Savage, and NinoPaid. Together, they ran through crowd favorites like “inthej” and “Laced Max,” turning the crowd of 50,000 into one big, sweaty mosh pit of chaos.

He streamed the whole event from pre-show excitement to post-show outro, as one does when you’re a streamer turned rapper, and posted the hour-long recap on YouTube for those at home to enjoy.

“The performance shit is so cool, cause you really get to feel the energy. It’s not just through a screen, it’s real life—and then combining the two is crazy,” he said, speaking to Complex about the night.

Another big moment included Max performing his song “Yacht” live for the first time. Some people went all out for the concert (who knows how long it took to get all that paint off). However, others were just thankful for all the up-and-coming rappers they got to see all in one place for the same price as a Happy Meal. With the streamer already announcing plans to have another concert at a bigger venue on May 31st, the PlaqueBoyMax brand is only going up from here.

• Travis Scott hit a major goal. He is teaming up with FC Barcelona and Spotify for custom jerseys and an invite-only show for his biggest Spotify listeners in Barcelona.

• 2 Chainz is in his movie bag. He premiered a new short film he co-wrote with actor Omar Epps called Red Clay on May 3rd at the Atlanta Film Festival. 

• Finesse2Tymes is in legal trouble. He is currently in federal custody for allegedly violating his supervised release terms multiple times. 

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