This Evidence Could Change Everything For YNW Melly

Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape is finally dropping tonight and it could be the biggest rap release of 2023 yet. You might even get a new Playboi Carti song. In other news today:

• Gunna’s a Gift & a Curse streaming revenue 📈 

• This evidence could change everything for YNW Melly 🚘️ 

• Reactions to Drake’s book of IG captions, I mean poems ✍️ 

• Travis Scott avoids Astroworld charges amid ‘Utopia’ rollout 🎡 

• Industry Insights

Gunna’s ‘a Gift & a Curse’ Streaming Revenue

It’s a new Thursday and a new song revenue chart. As reported by Hits Double Daily, which tracks streaming revenue week over week, the above chart reflects the streaming period from June 16th to 22nd.

The numbers are in for Gunna’s album and the first week of streaming post-release. “fukumean” is the most popular song amassing 14.5M streams and 69K in revenue—you’ve probably already heard it on your TikTok fyp. Overall, Gunna made $250K from 5 songs off his new album with a total of 52M streams—not bad for an album with no features.

Gunna vs Young Thug

Young Thug’s Business Is Business was projected to be the first #1 rap album this year selling between 95K and 110K units for the first week but projections have since dropped to 87K. He’ll likely debut #2 which is 1 spot higher than Gunna’s #3 debut. Check back next week to see how Thug’s streaming revenue compares to Gunna’s.

This Evidence in the YNW Melly Trial Could Change Everything

The YNW Melly trial has wrapped until July 10th but the prosecution called their best witness yet on Wednesday (June 29th) to testify about evidence collected from the vehicle where the shooting occurred. It may be a setback for Melly—let’s review what happened.

Prosecution’s witness

Sgt. Christopher Williams, a crime scene detective, took the stand on Wednesday. His investigation of evidence collected by Miramar Police started 3 years after the murders occurred and he was hired to determine if it was a drive-by shooting or not.

His testimony painted a picture of how the 2 victims were killed based on his examination of the bullet projectiles from the crime scene.

YNW Sakchaser was sitting in the front passenger seat with his head down like he was sleeping when he was fatally shot in the back of the head. YNW Juvy was taken by surprise but had time to put his hands up before he was fatally shot in his left cheek and left hand. The shots were fired at close range from the backseat.

Williams was adamant that a drive-by shooting didn’t occur saying his analysis revealed that 3 fatal shots were fired from inside the car, while it was moving, and 17 shots were fired from outside the car by a shooter in a stationary position. He also said it was impossible for Corlen Henry to be the shooter if he was the driver.

Defense’s Cross-Examination

Sgt. Williams admitted that based on Henry’s height, he could have been the shooter if he was seated in the back of the car but not the driver's seat. He also divulged that the initial investigation by Miramar Police was the worst he had ever seen in his “entire life.”

Context for those of you out touching grass

Before the trial started, it was public knowledge that the police found no evidence of a drive-by shooting and determined through forensic evidence that YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser were murdered inside the car. Details were limited and initial testimony from the Miramar Police Department was unconvincing in framing Melly as the shooter.

The prosecution said a simplified summary of the evidence reports in their opening statement and if you remember—that statement sets the tone for the thesis of their case. Williams’ testimony was like the quotes used in the body paragraph of an essay—evidence to support the thesis.

Why this matters

The prosecution’s theory is that Cortlen Henry was the driver and Melly was in the backseat and acted as the shooter killing his 2 friends. Unfortunately for Melly, Sgt. Williams’ conclusions support the prosecution’s theory, saying it was impossible for the driver to be the shooter, and alluding to Melly as the person in the backseat capable of pulling the trigger.

However, no concrete evidence has been presented yet that places Melly in the car at the time of the shooting or confirms Henry as the driver. There was no DNA evidence of Melly found in the car and he had no gun residue on his hands but Henry did.

Reactions to Drake’s Book of IG Captions, I Mean Poems

Drake’s first poetry book, Titles Ruin Everything: A Stream of Consciousness, reads more like an archive of all his IG captions. You can take the captions out of the photos but you can’t take the corny out of the captions. Have you ever heard a Drake song about relationships? Then you’ve basically read the book.

It’s 168 pages of single-line text about women, sex, money, women, fame, fake friends, and did I mention, women? For a total of 84 puns—equivalent to an adult nursery rhyme. It’s accompanied by a forthcoming album, For All The Dogs, which succinctly describes the audience that his poetry will land with.

Find his best worst poems and suggested uses below.

Use this to befriend Andrew Tate

“There are two types of women in this world, women who like giving head and women I don’t like”

Use this to gaslight someone

“No one is gaslighting you, you’re just so toxic that you’re flammable”

Use this to caption a vacation IG

“You’re not thuggin you’re kidding…one-sided beef is not beef…it’s chicken”

Use this to text an ex

“You were in my dream last night, they call that a nightmare, right?”

Use this to reply to an IG story

“Having trouble figuring out if you’re a devil missing a horn or a unicorn”

Context for those of you out touching grass

Towards the end of 2022, Drake debuted a necklace with 42 engagement rings at Lil Baby’s birthday concert in Atlanta. The ice, created by celeb jeweler Alex Moss, was called “Previous Engagements” for all the times he thought about proposing but never did. Then came the backlash, headlines, and tweets calling him “corny” and “strange” for doing such a thing.

Earlier this year, during interviews with Caleb Pressley and Lil Yachty, Drake clarified that the concept of the necklace was a joke and he didn’t expect people to take it so literally. He came up with the idea to create an interesting story that was ultimately misunderstood.

Why this matters

Drake often does things with humor and the people that hate him are the ones who take him too seriously. As a parody of poems, the book is pretty funny and reminiscent of his engagement ring necklace. He leaves room for uncertainty in his self-parody making it hard to tell if you’re laughing with him or at him.

Does he know his “poems” are so absurd it’s funny? Or has he convinced himself they’re as profound as some of his lyrics? Much like the necklace, he’s probably in on the joke and released a collection of captionable punchlines as part of a larger punchline.

Travis Scott Cleared of Astroworld Charges Amid ‘Utopia’ Rollout

Earlier today, news broke that Travis Scott won’t face criminal charges for the 2021 Astroworld tragedy that left 10 people dead and hundreds injured. A jury in Texas deliberated today for a few hours and declined to bring criminal charges against the rapper.

The decision was part of a criminal case, brought forth by the Harris County District Attorney, and does not affect the dozens of civil lawsuits against him that are still in litigation.

After Astroworld, Travis took a break from the spotlight, pushing his plans to release his next album Utopia. The last few weeks have been full of anticipation as the rumored release date was set for June, which seems to be incorrect, but Travis keeps dropping signs—literally.

Utopia billboards went up in LA this week featuring the infamous briefcase and fans have speculated that the numbers on the combination lock hint at the release date. Reading “07211”, it’s a stretch to say that it means July 21st but take it as a sign that the album is otw.

Other billboards were strategically placed above a location, like the Gill Turner Wine store in West Hollywood, and read, “Is it in the liquor store?”

It was also announced today that his “The Road To Utopia” residency in Las Vegas will continue on November 16th, leaving some fans discouraged that the album won’t drop until November.

Context for those of you out touching grass

Travis and his Utopia briefcase have been jet-setting around the world and never missing a photo opp. They’ve done Cannes Film Festival, Abbey Road in London, Louis Vuitton in Paris, and stopped at the studio in between. Mike Dean, The Weeknd, and Bad Bunny have all taken turns babysitting the prized briefcase.

Why this matters

The Utopia rollout continues to be a case study for some of the best album marketing—period. It was unclear how central the briefcase was to the rollout until now. The billboards solidify that Travis has been checking off steps in a well-calculated plan.

First, he caught your attention by the extraness of a briefcase having its own bodyguard that supposedly houses Utopia. The paparazzi and social media continue to distribute every new briefcase sighting stirring excitement and speculation. The question of “Where is the briefcase?” on a billboard is genius and shows how confident Travis is in the effectiveness of his marketing.

• Kid Cudi cancels his upcoming Moon Man’s Landing festival. The city of Cleveland wouldn’t approve of the outdoor venue but he promises to a solution for next year.

• Logic sells publishing catalog for over $10M to Influence Media Partners. The music and rights company also bought Future’s catalog in a similar 8 figure deal last year.

• Lil Wayne set to receive BMI Icon Award at the 2023 R&B/Hip-Hop Awards. The award is aligned with Wayne’s “reputation as one of the most influential artists of all time,” said Broadcast Music Inc.

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