An artist to watch out for is YBN Cordae. Last year, the 22-year-old rapper released his debut studio album The Lost Boy, a project that was hailed by the new generation of artists along with the legends in the rap game. The Lost Boy earned YBN Cordae a nod from the Grammys as he was nominated for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song, and his single “RNP” with Anderson .Paak was a hit among fans. Lil Wayne chatted with Cordae on a recent episode of Young Money Radio where the young rapper couldn’t help but let Weezy know how influential the Young Money Cash Money artist had been on his career.

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During this COVID-19 quarantine, YBN Cordae has been grinding hard in his home studio as he works on his next project that’s slated for release later on this year. Lil Wayne tried to get as much information as he could about it, but Cordae admitted that he’s still in the early stages of crafting the record. However, he did share that he has at least 50 songs he’s completed, so now it’s all about finding the right records, cutting things down, and adding in features. Wayne let it be known that he’d be more than happy to hop on a track.

“All you gotta do is give me the… All you gotta do is text me the song, I’ll murder it and send you the finger so you know it’s dead,” Lil Wayne said. Cordae replied, “Say less. Say no more.” Check out the full interview between Lil Wayne and YBN Cordae below and let us now if you think a collaboration between these two would be fire.

Seeing as the radio freestyle has been all but retired indefinitely, BARS have been yet another commodity to suffer from a shortage. Where we might usually get our fix by way of suppliers like Funkmaster Flex and the LA Leakers, ongoing social distancing practices have rendered their trade obsolete for the time being. Instead, artists have flocked to Instagram to fire off their freestyles, with YBN Cordae recently coming through with some absolute heat.

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Donning the night-time pajamas for the occasion, Cordae let fly a salvo of wizened lyrics, prompting unanimous praise from many prominent hip-hop names in the comment section. Off top he makes sure to set a tone, addressing the predicament facing the world at large. “Let me tell you about the times that we facin’,” he spits. “This ain’t a zombie invasion but when you think shit finally amazing, it hits a wall / now honestly only the fickle fall / we gotta stick together like my dick and balls, n***a pause.” 

Lamenting that he’s been “stuck in the stu for three days, just to keep safe,” Cordae proves that crisis can indeed spark unexpected bouts of inspiration. Unfortunately, he hasn’t exactly been picking up his phone — should Joyner Lucas‘ comment prove any indication. “But I can’t get a verse back. Smh,” he laughs, playfully trolling his fellow lyricist. Be that as it may, we’re glad to see Cordae keeping himself busy — the bars must live on, and who better to keep the tradition alive than one of the game’s great young hopes?

Grammy-nominated rapper YBN Cordae hasn't released much new music since he dropped his debut studio album The Lost Boy but it's looking like he's been spending time inside the studio prepping his next release because he just asked fans if they're ready for something fresh.

With a single musical appearance following the release of The Lost Boy on the Godfather of Harlem soundtrack, 22-year-old rapper YBN Cordae is making sure his fans are ready for what he's got planned. Without sparing too many details about what's up his sleeve, the Maryland--North Carolina artist teased the arrival of some new music, taking to Twitter to hype up his fans.

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"Y'all want some new music?" asked the rising star, who was nominated for his first-ever Grammy Award at this year's ceremony. As you would expect, his replies are filled with excited fans who have been waiting for this moment. The timing seems somewhat interesting, given the fact that most new music releases take place on Thursday nights when the clock hits midnight. Could we possibly be getting a new song from the lyricist as soon as tonight?

I'm pretty sure I already know the answer but are you guys down for some new YBN Cordae vibes?

For some reason, the Oscars allowed Eminem to touch the stage to perform his hit single, “Lose Yourself” seventeen years after its release. It stirred up social media with both confusion and excitement but unfortunately, not even that was able to help the Oscars’ record-low ratings. The song won Best Original Song at the Oscars in 2003, even though he didn’t even decide to show up.

“I kinda figured maybe since I didn’t get a chance to do it at the time, maybe it would be cool,” he explained to Variety. “Back then, I never even thought that I had a chance to win, and we had just performed “Lose Yourself” on the Grammys with the Roots a couple of weeks before the Oscars, so we didn’t think it was a good idea. And also, back at that time, the younger me didn’t really feel like a show like that would understand me.”

The rapper later dispelled rumors that the reason he turned it down was that they asked him to perform a censored version of the song. He did, however, find the timing for last night’s performance since recently released a new album. 

Em also dished out some rare insight into his listening habits. After being asked about the new generation, he revealed that Young M.A., who appeared on Music To Be Murdered By, was one person he’s into right now. Along with Griselda, he revealed one more artist that he’s feeling. “YBN Cordae, he’s dope,” he said. 

Longevity in any career is admirable, but to have a lengthy, successful career in rap is a blessing for many artists. We’ve watched as rappers have rotated in and out of the hip hop limelight in our social media-driven culture as many artists catch waves and eventually fall off. Jadakiss has been a well-respected emcee for decades, and The Lox rapper caught up with HipHopDX to reflect on what it’s like to be involved in the industry for this long.

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“To have a career as a rapper is a beautiful thing,” Jadakiss said. “You can pull out the Great Wall of China list, probably longer than that, of dudes who have hit songs and had special moments in rap, but the career part, it might not be that long. It might just be the white picket fence. Dudes who had a lengthy, healthy, sturdy, career. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Jadakiss added that he recognizes that many artists have “moments,” but he likes the direction where hip hop is headed in. “We just gotta get to the next stage of what it’s gonna be. Get the authenticity back up. Lyricism, along with some of this new digital stuff that’s going on. It’s coming, though. It’s taking a little slow, cardio ain’t really there for it, but it’s coming.”

He continued, “There’s a lotta dudes that can rap, really rap. [YBN] Cordae, Russ, Drake, J Cole… a lot of these dudes is super nice. A lot of ’em. I like Young Thug. A lotta people might think I don’t like Thug. I listen to Thug more than I listen to a lot of them. You gotta listen to the music and absorb it. Some people are seeing him on a centerfold or something and just automatically judge him. You gotta listen. He’s saying some incredible sh*t.”

Jadakiss also noted that hip hop is the only genre of music that gets broken down into factions like West Coast, East Coast, Down South, etc. The rapper said that’s not done with country, R&B, or pop. “It’s not West Coast Pop,” he said. “They trying to figure out a way to put everybody against each other ’cause it’s growing fast.” Watch his clip below.

Fresh off an appearance at the 2020 Grammys where he was up for two awards for his The Lost Boy debut, YBN Cordae is entering a mainstream rite of passage with a feature in new Super Bowl commercial set to air during the Big Game Sunday evening.

The brand that has tapped Cordae is Coca-Cola has he will start opposite filmmakers Martin Scorcese and Jonah Hill for the company’s newest Coca Cola Energy drink. In a new interview with Billboard, however, Cordae reveals that prior to the new project, his only point of reference for Scorcese was a Drake lyric. 

“I didn’t know who Martin Scorsese was. I was born in ‘97, but I heard him in a Drake line [on “Tuscan Leather”] that was tough: ‘Life is soundin’ crazy, 40 on Martin Scorsese/ And I wouldn’t change a thing if you paid me’.”

Elsewhere in the chat, Cordae opened up about his plans for the coming year, voicing his interest in working with more female artists while also exploring his bounds on a personal level.

“Just stay true to myself,” he told the publication of his current goals. “That’s not even my goal. That’s what you always have to do, ‘cause at the end of the day when the cameras are off and you put your phone down, you got to live with yourself, be comfortable and sleep at night with the decisions you’ve made so I’m just always myself unapologetically. And if you like it, that’s dope. If you don’t, that’s cool, too. 

Following the official announcement of Governors Ball 2020 a little over a week ago, we're now getting a clearer breakdown of who will be performing over the three-day music festival and the exact day each artist will be hitting the stage. 

While all three days are expected to be filled with show-stopping performances, Day 3 is definitely looking like the highlight. Day 1 is pretty packed as well, with acts like Danny Brown, Tame Impala, Pink Sweat$, Miley Cyrus, Alessia Cara, Maxo Kream, Vampire Weekend, Chase Atlantic, rising Brooklyn-based emcee KOTA The Friend and music legend Stevie Nicks amongst others gracing the stage on Friday. Day 2 keeps the high energy at peak with Vampire Weekend, Flume, Ellie Goulding, Chiiild, Steve Lacy and rap/R&B collective EARTHGANG making for key standouts on Saturday. As we stated earlier, Sunday will be the apex of the  festival's 10th anniversary year as Missy Elliott, Solange, H.E.R., Summer Walker, John Bellion, YBN Cordae, Girl Talk, Johnny Utah, Black Midi, Swae Lee and Princess Nokia spearhead a long list of musicians closing out Day 3.

Governors Ball 2020 goes down on June 5, June 6 and June 7 at Randall's Island Park in New York City. Get your 1-day, 3-day and cabana experience tickets now by clicking here.

It was a big night for Tyler, The Creator on Sunday (January 26) as the three-time Grammy-nominated artist took home his first win for Best Rap Album for Igor. Although he was favorited to win, he was up against noteworthy talents including Dreamville (Revenge of the Dreamers III), Meek Mill (Championships), 21 Savage (i am > i was), and YBN Cordae (The Lost Boy). He later tweeted, "YALL GON STOP COUNTING ME OUT!"

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The 28-year-old artist also made sure to show just how petty he could be by revisiting a tweet that's nearly a decade old. Back in 2011, a Twitter user named Mark shaded Tyler by telling he was undeserving of a Grammy. "@fucktyler dont b too excited. u wont get one.....," the person wrote. Tyler retweeted the old jab with a new message of his own.

"I FAVORITED THIS 9 YEARS AGO JUST FOR THE MOMENT TO TELL YOU I GOT ONE," Tyler tweeted. "YES IM PETTY AS F*CK, GOOD DAY MARK." Noticing Tyler's response to the 2011 tweet, Mark replied, "Congrats ?." He also wrote, "So this is how celebrity Twitter mentions feel like? Lmao" and "Thank God I got a new phone or my Twitter would've crashed." 

There’s something to be said about an impeccable flow. The ability to navigate uncharted pockets and become one with an instrumental. For many of the most technically proficient rappers, flow serves as a defining characteristic. A means of establishing individuality, even if one rapper covers similar thematic territory as another. Though some recognizable flows have become commonplace, the true artisans have developed their own through years of experimentation. And yet, what about that old adage: is two really better than one?

There’s something special about a well-structured Back and Forth. Everyone has likely heard one song in which two artists share the load, trading bars as if driven by a singular mind. Think of all the timeless classics, from Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg’s “Dre Day” to Big Pun and Fat Joe‘s “Twinz.” Only the most well-established duos can pull it off; not unlike a barber offering a straight razor shave, trust must first be built. Of course, there are exceptions. We recently saw Anderson .Paak and YBN Cordae employ the practice with cavalier swagger on “RNP,” a lead single off Cordae’s 2019 debut The Lost Boy. Despite having never worked with one another prior, “RNP” was instantly fueled by a “big brother/little brother” vibe, its back-and-forth structure enhancing the song’s playful nature. For the most part, however, only the tried and true camarades opt to go back and forth. And while uninhibited technical prowess tends to take a backseat, the sheer spectacle of two artists trading bars ultimately makes up for it. 

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For many, the benchmark back and forth duo has to be Jadakiss and Styles P. Their seminal work and magnum opus is the Alchemist-produced “We Gon Make It,” a classic single off 2001’s Kiss Tha Game Goodbye. It’s unclear how the pair pieced this one together, but it’s evident that the writing of these verses was highly collaborative. Lines flow into one another masterfully, each emcee’s personality shining through. “Real n*** say that they be wilding, we on the Cayman Islands on a yacht with our favorite albums,” raps Styles, setting up the scheme. “A bad ho and a plate of salmon, smoking and drinking, n*** is you thinking that our fate is violent?” tags in Jada, closing the rhyme out both internally and externally. The pair would soon make the back-and-forth a habit, setting the pace for Fabolous’ “Keepin It Gangsta Remix,” and carrying on the tradition with Kiss Of Death’s anthemic “Shoot Outs.” 

In keeping with New York tradition, another legendary duo who engaged in the practice were none other than Ghostface Killah and Raekwon The Chef. Though the Wu-Tang lyricists had established themselves as kindred spirits and harmonious collaborators on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… & Ironman, they seldom arranged verses in such an intimate fashion. On Mobb Deep’s grimy classic The Infamous, Ghost and Rae shared a sixteen, delivering lines as a well-oiled machine. “You know what’s out there, thousands of grams wrapped in Saran / sealed tight, keep the freshness,” sets up Rae, only to be concluded by Ghost’s “that’s how we expand.” The beauty of this hard, albeit brief verse, is that you know it was crafted in the studio; how they decided who spits which line remains a mystery, but there’s something refreshing about such a blue-collar creative process.

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Unlike the former two New York classics, The Firm’s “Phone Tap” employs back and forth bar trading to accomplish a different goal. Over brooding Dr. Dre production, Nas and AZ’s cult classic find them operating two distinct roles having a real-time discussion with one another. The simulation of a conversation makes a back and forth structure necessary, creating an immersive and cinematic experience befitting of the song’s criminology themes. They’re not merely adding emphasis to punchlines or segueing in new flow-schemes, but propelling a narrative forward complete with individual character arcs. For that reason, they’re allotted more space to move, spitting miniature verses and responding to one another with fleshed out answers. Though not quite as prolific as some hip-hop duos, Nas and AZ have amassed one hell of a joint catalog; perhaps that’s why “Phone Tap” stands as a crowning achievement in mafioso rap. 

A back and forth can also be the perfect means of celebrating your favorite wingman. Look no further than Busta Rhymes and P. Diddy’s lavish and obnoxiously opulent “Pass The Courvoisier” series, a pair of Neptunes-produced bangers circa 2001. The first part was far more frantic, with Busta’s signature “dungeon dragon” energy juxtaposing nicely with Diddy’s dangerously cool swagger. In keeping with tradition, Busta and Diddy weave in and out as the scheme demands, particularly in the song’s second verse. “They call me Mr. Diddy, the boss, you know me, the only G to willy a Porsche,” boasts Diddy, as Busta closes out declaring “we get dough in all land the size of Philly, of course.” On their second go-around, Busta relaxes a bit to meet Puff’s energy, culminating in a sequel that’s at once seductive and classy, an arguable triumph over the first. Despite any potential differences in net worth or technical prowess, in the context of “Pass The Courvoisier Part 2,” Busta and Diddy stand on equal footing.

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In a modern-day setting, the TDE camp is no stranger to the back and forth. ScHoolboy Q and A$AP Rocky have traded lines on “Brand New Guy,” and the entirety of “Vice City” seems to be an exercise in collaborative penmanship. Reason even brought a bit of that sauce to the Dreamville camp with his triumphant turn on the darkly comedic Cozz duet “Lambo Truck.” Yet perhaps the hardest-hitting Top Dawg back and forth banger arrived on Jay Rock’s 90059 by way of “Easy Bake.” Given the superstar that Kendrick Lamar has become, it’s hard to imagine him as anything other than a larger than life leader. But once upon a time young Kenny occupied the position of Jay Rock’s symbolic little brother, a protege of sorts to the buzzing Watts rapper. It’s only made sense to honor the dynamic on “Easy Bake,” as Rock and Dot trade verses a la Jada and Styles, setting each other up with line after line; Rock busts them, Kenny punishes em’. The fact this two-headed verse feels like such a far cry from Kendrick’s solo material makes this one all the more special, a time-honored tradition stemming from a deep-rooted pre-fame dynamic. 

It would be foolish to ignore the work of Royce Da 5’9” and Eminem, known collectively as Bad Meets Evil. No more is their madcap chemistry more evidence than on the outlandishly depraved lullaby “A Kiss” off 2011’s Bad Meets Evil: Hell The Sequel. Speaking with Royce, he explained how he and Em approach each song with a competitive spirit: “We challenge each other with the back and forth shit,” he told me. “He’ll go in, do a certain amount of bars, and stop. We try to finish connecting each other’s syllables to continue the scheme.” Deep though their catalog may be, “A Kiss” exemplifies that character on a variety of levels. Not only is it a constant spree of hilarious one-upmanship, but a testament to their similarly structured minds; well-matched in gallows humor and better matched in technical prowess. Their chemistry is best revealed on the song’s latter half, with both parties effortlessly baton-passing over a Bangladesh banger. “What a demon, a behemoth evil just seems to be seething through him,” spits Em, only for Royce to continue the scheme with “I like the little strip tease you doing.”

To comb through all of hip-hop’s classic back and forth bangers would be a Herculean, albeit highly enjoyable task. In essence, the art of bar-trading best serves as a validator of chemistry, a tangible expression of camaraderie on wax. It’s no surprise that only trusted collaborators tend to attempt the practice, as the writing process likely requires the presence of both body and mind. In other words, what might be a highly introverted process becomes a collaborative one. And yet the results tend to speak for themselves, with back and forth verses proving to be crowd-pleasers damn near every time. Which one is your favorite? 

If you liked this, check out:

The Art Of The Dark Banger

The Top 50 Best Flows Of All Time

Album Number Seven: Examining The Lucky Number

Masters Of Cadence: The Art Of Voice In Hip-Hop

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