Beyoncé blesses us 5.8.20
hip hop's new daily operation
Friday! TheMotto No. 5 is live.
I’m Elliott Wilson, and I’ve been covering hip hop on a pretty-much 24-hour basis via my social feeds since 2008. TheMotto brings it all together in one place — the most important stories and moments of our culture. We’re just getting started on this journey— subscribe to TheMotto.
top billin’:
thank you, Beyoncé! Amplifying the impact of her massive Megan Thee Stallion “Savage (Remix),” appearance, Mrs. Carter blesses us with a powerful playlist of women’s anthems and H-Town classics. Sounds provided by your favorite streaming platform: TIDAL. And don’t act brand new — ‘Yonce has been curating selections ‘pon your head-tops for a long time. A few of my formidable faves:
Hot Sauce ⏫📶
IV EVER EVER 🔼
Drop It For Summer ⤴️🔆
hold up, wait a minute:
Meek Mill on 6ix9ine’s return 🔽
The great Jon Caramanica on hip-hop’s IG Live takeover ⤵️📲
real MVPs:
DC’s IDK will music supervise Kevin Durant’s basketball doc (Carl Lamarre) ⤵️ 🏀
who’s world is this?
if rappers were countries? imagine that. (Zachary Schwartz) ⬇️
hunger for more: Action Bronson back in his culinary bag.
back to the Community: Childish Gambino reunites with cast for charity.
hope for Detroit: Big Sean and actor Jeff Daniels put on for the Motor City ⏬
words manifest:
will Benny get Drizzy to go bar for bar? check out the Butcher’s convo with Rap Radar’s Naji.
independence vision: Flipping Fab’s instrumental, Lloyd Banks sets the record straight ⬇️
west west:
what more can I say:
Salute the late, great Chris Lighty (May 8, 1968 - August 30, 2012). I can still hear him on our late-night phone calls, hitting me with the “Yo, B” when he’d break down his next power move. Vitamin Water?! I was a fan of Chris from way back in his road manager days with the Jungle Brothers so I interviewed him for this amazing contribution to hip hop’s greatest opus, 1999’s ego trip’s Book Of Rap Lists.
But Lighty and I really connected when he signed 50 Cent to Violator. Sitting with Chris, we planned out on how February 2003’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ album release would coincide with the March 2003 issue of XXL with Fif, Dre and Em on the cover. In those days, a March issue hit newsstands and mailboxes the first week of February. The way it worked was: 50 talked to Vanessa Satten, and Chris talked to me.
Another favorite meeting with Chris was at the Violator offices on W. 25th Street in Manhattan, when he finally agreed to help me clear songs for my XXL Raps Vol. 1 (Razor & Tie/Universal) 2005 compilation. I swore I was gonna do Now That’s What I Call Music numbers. It bricked.
Anyway, before I start crying, please read some way more eloquent words on the Bronx man’s impact on hip-hop culture by my wife, Danyel Smith. And peep this amazing tribute to Baby Chris by Ev Boogie at his brand-new UpNorthTrips substack, Rap Memory Box IG. All we got iz us.
If you like TheMotto, please pass it around like a 40. Don’t violate, B.
@elliottwilson tweets | @elliottwilson IG | follow HRDlist
a danyelliott production