The past week in hip-hop and R&B was filled with major announcements.
On Thursday (Oct. 9), a federal judge dismissed Drake’s bombshell post-“Not Like Us” lawsuit against Universal Music Group.
“The artists’ seven-track rap battle was a ‘war of words’ that was the subject of substantial media scrutiny and online discourse,” the judge explained. “Although the accusation that plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that ‘Not Like Us’ imparts verifiable facts about plaintiff.”
While Drake has yet to publicly comment on the ruling, Mustard, the Grammy-winning producer behind Lamar’s “Not Like Us” and “TV Off,” posted several laughing emojis to his official X account. The Drake-UMG lawsuit was a jaw-dropping development in the rap battle that ruled 2024, and now Drizzy has been handed another L as he continues to roll out his forthcoming Iceman project. Lamar, on the other hand, is gearing up for his final four Grand National tour stops, all in Australia.
This week’s other big announcements included the official comeback of Verzuz. In partnership with Complex, the music battle series will return at ComplexCon on Oct. 25 with a face-off between No Limit Records and Cash Money Records. Additionally, on Monday (Oct. 13), Billboard exclusively revealed the title, artwork and tracklist for Wale’s forthcoming Everything Is a Lot LP, which also doubles as his Def Jam debut.
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from a new A Boogie banger to a sultry collaboration between Lojay and Tyla. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
