Megan Thee Stallion — née Megan Pete — is the epitome of a real “hot girl,” constantly soaring to new heights and trusting the journey throughout it all. In a recent interview with Billboard, the 26-year-old explained how much it means to now be the product of a historically Black-owned college and university (HBCU). Back in December 2021, the Texas native walked among her peers to accept her bachelor’s degree in health administration from Texas Southern University, a feat that she managed to knock out of the park all while becoming one of the world’s biggest rap superstars. “I really feel like I did something that was very prestigious,” she said to the outlet. The accomplishment hits different for the “Savage” emcee, who says that she is most proud to continue the HBCU legacy of all of the women in her family. “I feel like I’m making all of the women in my family proud,” Megan Thee Stallion expressed. “All the women in my family went to HBCUs. I’m just going down the legacy of...

Aaliyah and her reign continues. When Aaliyah’s “One In A Million” album first released in 1996, it peaked at No. 18 despite influencing the music industry and being a fan favorite. Fast forward to 25 years later, HipHopDX reported that the late singer’s sophomore project — which recently became available on streaming platforms — has reentered the Billboard 200 and secured the No. 10 spot. According to MRC Data, “One in a Million” sold 26,000 equivalent album units. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Blackground Records 2.0 (@blackgroundrecords2.0) After a drawn out legal battle between her label Blackground Records — now renamed Blackground Records 2.0 — and her estate, fans were finally granted their wish of access to Aaliyah’s entire discography. As previously reported by AfroTech, Blackground Records 2.0 partnered with Empire, an independent distribution company, for Aaliyah’s music to go digital. On Aug. 20, 2021, “One In A Million” kicked off the R&B icon’s music...

A report from Billboard has revealed the highest-paid musicians and artists of 2020, and many of Hip-Hop’s favorites are topping the list. Amid a year with very little touring due to the pandemic, some of the biggest names in the music industry still managed to come out on top of Billboard’s 2020 Money Makers list bringing in millions and millions of dollars. “For the first time in the history of Money Makers, concert revenue did not determine the No. 1 spot on the list — and because of the pandemic had little influence over the ranking in general,” Billboard reports. The list of highest-paid artists was created based on data from the 2020 U.S.-only MRC Data and Billboard Boxscore statistics. The methodology mostly accounted for artists’ streaming and publishing, leaving off revenue from merchandising, synchronization or livestream gigs. Hip-Hop acts like Drake, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, DaBaby, Future, Roddy Ricch, Rod Wave, Kanye West and Travis Scott all...

Merch and ticket bundles have been a major point of contention for artists and fans alike. Now, Billboard is changing the rules . On Monday (July 13), the revered music authority announced that it will no longer count “albums bundled with merchandise and concert tickets on its album and song charts altogether.” The rule has no set date on when it will apply—for tours, it will begin in October 2020—but under the new mandate, all albums bundled with merch or tickets “must be promoted as an add-on to those purchases in order to be counted on the charts.” Billboard Announces New Chart Rules: No More Merch & Ticket Bundles https://t.co/xhb0mqaEWD — billboard pro (@billboardpro) July 13, 2020 If an artist chooses to bundle their release with add-ons, Billboard requires that both the album and extras must be available for purchase individually at a lower cost, alongside the music, on an artist’s direct website. Ever since the bundle wars began, the argument has been that sales don’t...

As Drake scores his seventh total chart-topper on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with “Toosie Slide,” landing at the top, he has now become the first male artist — and second overall — to debut three songs at No. 1. However, many critics and fans wonder how Drake manages to be successful with overexposure. Drake is one of the few rap stars left of the blog era of rap , which leaves him in a unique position to effortlessly navigate through incessant waves of the internet, particularly social media. This double audience, at its core, loves both hip hop and social media trends. He understands this and has used it to his advantage throughout his entire career. He went from releasing singles via his blog like the rollout of his sophomore album, “Take Care,” to creating his own music festival (OVO Festival). He then started releasing diss tracks through multiple social media platforms , all while fulfilling the traditional roles of an artist signed to a major label. His new single...