Drake Blasts Charlamagne With Crazy Comparison

If you’ve ever been at a party and thought you could make a better playlist, Spotify has a new feature for that—read more in Industry Insights. In other news today:

• Billboard Hot 100 📈 

• Discover new music with The Rap Index 🎵 

• Drake blasts Charlamagne, who swears their beef is planned 🥩 

• Biden vows to end concert ticket fees 🎟️ 

• Tory Lanez wants general population in prison 😳 

• Industry Insights 🔎 

The Billboard Hot 100

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

Drake’s secured another #1 hit with “Slime You Out” ft. SZA. It’s his 12th #1 song on the Hot 100 and extends his record for the most #1 song debuts (eight total). Gunna and Doja Cat hold their positions in the Top 10.

Not pictured above, Rod Wave secures his third #1 album with Nostalgia, debuting at the top of Billboard’s 200 chart. He’s the second artist, after Taylor Swift, to have a #1 album in each of the last three years.

The Rap Index ft. Lil Tecca, Headie One, DC The Don, Doja Cat & More

The Rap Index is a way to follow and discover new music. Divided into 4 categories describing rap subgenres, songs are placed according to their style and sound—giving you a better idea of what songs will appeal to your musical taste. Only releases from the previous New Music Friday are included to help keep you up to date.

RapTV’s Ranking of NMF Songs Featured in the Rap Index

1. “Dead or Alive” by Lil Tecca (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

2. “Gun” by Doja Cat (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

3. “Smack Shit” by Doe Boy, Skilla Baby (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

4. “Call The Valleys” by Lil Kayla ft. Mally Bo (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

5. “Triple Threat” by Headie One, K-Trap, Clavish (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

6. “Tell Shyanne” by DC The Don (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

7. “Bobby Boucher” by EARTHGANG, Spillage Village, Benji (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

8. “Odd Ways” by MIKE, Wiki, The Alchemist (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

Drake Says Charlamagne Is “Really Obsessed” With Him

In case you missed it, Drake kicked off the week by beefing with Charlamagne via his IG stories. The two have been volleying insults back and forth like a tennis match for years, but the radio personality laughed off the serve and said the feud is actually hatched. So what happened?

There was a clip circulating over the weekend of Charlamagne claiming “nobody cared” about Drake’s new single with SZA. The criticism is not groundbreaking or unexpected from the radio host, but what probably activated Drake’s ego was the insinuation that his relevancy was questioned because the single’s popularity fell short of previous releases.

Drake dedicated multiple IG stories to Charlamagne, humorously calling him the off-brand Morris Chestnut. Even though “Slime You Out” was popular enough to debut at #1 on the Hot 100 this week.

Charlamagne responded to Drake on The Breakfast Club’s Monday morning episode and suggested their beef was intentionally cooked, like a perfect medium rare steak, as part of Drake’s album rollout.

Charlamagne’s Breakfast Club co-hosts didn’t believe his claims, but true or not, it was an attempt at saving face. Don’t put your popcorn away just yet because For All The Dogs drops on October 6th, giving Charlamagne a whole album to hate on.

Joe Biden Vows to End Ticket Fees as IRS Targets Resale Market

The real Hunger Games these days is trying to secure tickets to see your favorite artists. If you make it past the virtual never-ending queue, you’re congratulated by a tax on joy, also known as service fees. But President Biden has a message for those who don’t girl math their way through a surprise $100 or more extra at checkout.

Biden renewed his vow to decrease junk fees and increase transparency in the live music industry over the weekend. Tweeting that Americans deserve to know what they’re paying for upfront. The sentiment was coupled with the news that the IRS will be stricter in taxing the ticket resale industry, which is half of the problem with today’s inflated prices.

Tours like Drake’s It’s All A Blur, and Travis Scott’s Utopia sell out instantly, with bots snatching up a disproportionate amount of tickets for resale. The IRS plans to enforce the taxation of resellers who earn more than $600 annually from hustling tickets. How? By forcing platforms like Ticketmaster and StubHub to provide information about resellers using their site.

Cutting into resellers' profits will (hopefully) make the business less lucrative and increase the supply of tickets for fans. If you’d like to learn more about everyone vs Ticketmaster, read our previous recap here.

Tory Lanez Wants Gen Pop in Prison, Sends Voice Message to Fans

Despite reports that Tory Lanez’s new home, North State Prison, has a violent history among inmates, and he fears for his life, the rapper recorded a message behind bars to set the record straight.

Tory sounds in good spirits in the voice message below, assuring fans that he’s unafraid of the future and nothing can phase him. He also told fans that the music they’ve been waiting for is ready to drop, starting with the deluxe version of Alone At Prom. There’s no release date yet, but the 2021 project saw Tory reach into his throwback bag for an ‘80s-inspired album.

A legal representative for the rapper confirmed to TMZ that he’s currently being held in Administrative Segregation, where he has a cell to himself and bathes alone. But Tory reportedly doesn’t want special treatment and would like to be in the general population, which would give him more access to programs and support groups.

At Tory’s sentencing hearing, a jail chaplain testified that he started a daily prayer in the protective custody unit that lessened tensions among inmates, and two jailers wrote in support of his character. Perhaps he’s hoping to find the same camaraderie in gen pop.

• Playboi Carti’s jeweler previews Antagonist upside down cross-chain with intricate layers of diamonds. Reactions were mixed with comments calling out satanic associations and other fans defending Carti.

• Spotify launches Jam, a real-time collaborative playlist controlled by up to 32 people. The tech is designed for simultaneous listening among a group of people, like at a party, where anyone can add to a shared cue of songs.

• Chris Brown hit with lawsuit over $2M unpaid loan to purchase Popeyes Chicken franchises. The business deal never happened, and City National Bank wants their money back—plus interest.

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