Album of the Year 2018 #9: Mac Miller - Swimming - HipHop | HipHop Channel

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Album of the Year 2018 #9: Mac Miller - Swimming - HipHop

Album of the Year 2018 #9: Mac Miller - Swimming - HipHop

Album of the Year 2018 #9: Mac Miller - Swimming

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 08:48 AM PST

Artist: Mac Miller

Album: Swimming

Listen:

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Spotify

Apple Music

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TIDAL

Album Background

I was 16 when I first heard about Mac Miller. Walking down the hallway in between classes at my old high school, I noticed a pile of flyers laying on the floor promoting a gig for someone who was, at that place and time, just a local rapper one year older than myself, trying to make it big in a city that was, up until Wiz's ascent, not known for rappers or hip hop music of any sort. I couldn't have predicted that the kid I saw on the ad, performing in a small venue that likely didn't seat more than a couple hundred people, would have the first independently released Billboard #1 in nearly two decades by the end of the following year. I couldn't have predicted that he would be making music with some of the biggest names in the industry not long after that. I couldn't have predicted that I would meet Mr. Miller myself on a couple occasions and, especially considering his earlier material pre-Watching Movies with the Sound Off hadn't wowed me, that his later music would someday resonate with me in a way that not too many other artists' music would.

 

I also couldn't have predicted that eight years later I would be legitimately shaken by his passing, more so than any other musician or public figure who had left this Earth earlier than expected in my lifetime.

 

The tumultuous final months of Mac's life were well-documented, as his break-up with Ariana Grande and subsequent drunk driving incident came within a week of one another in mid-May. It was at this point that I, along with plenty of others, became genuinely concerned for where Mac's headspace was at. The drunken joyride was only part of the problem, as Grande confirmed that Mac's inability to remain sober was what ultimately led to their estrangement. Her short-lived engagement to SNL star Pete Davidson one month after couldn't have made matters any better. With the walls of Mac's life seemingly crashing down around him, it only seemed inevitable that his next project would be used to address these controversies.

 

Mac released three singles at the end of May following his car crash, only one of which made the album (a shame in a way, as I'd really enjoyed "Programs" and "Buttons" and feel the record would have benefitted from their inclusion, either in addition to the songs included on the final project or as replacements for one or two of the album cuts). The album was officially announced in mid-July alongside the music video for lead single "Self Care", and officially dropped on a jam-packed August 3rd which coincided with the releases of Travis's Astroworld, YG's Stay Dangerous and of course, the project that would end up overshadowing them all, Iggy Azalea's EP that I can't remember the name of. As a result, Swimming may not have gotten the initial shine it deserved, but this was unfortunately rectified with Mac's passing five weeks after its release, which propelled the album back onto the charts and prompted "Self Care" to become his first top 40 single.

 

Swimming was crafted with a lineup of all-star producers and collaborators, including the likes of J. Cole, Snoop Dogg, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, John Mayer, DJ Dahi, Cardo, Dâm-Funk, Steve Lacy from the Internet and Dev Hynes of Blood Orange, just to name a few. Mac's producer pseudonym Larry Fisherman is also credited on several cuts, and film composer Jon Brion (most famous in Mac's chosen genre for providing additional instrumentation on Kanye's Late Registration and Frank Ocean's Blonde) was brought in at the last minute to flesh out the production. The album goes in many different directions and almost works as a summary of all the different styles of music Mac had approached making over the years - perhaps fitting for what would end up being his final piece of work.

 

Review

Mac starts the proceedings with "Come Back to Earth", a gorgeous guitar and keyboard-laden ballad which perfectly encapsulates a lot of the themes that permeate the rest of the music to follow: past regrets, social alienation and a pervasive sense of depression. Mac's singing chops aren't always perfect on this album but on this cut in particular they're wonderful: there's a dual sense of melancholy but also hope that comes across in his performance, and while the track serves as not much more than an introduction (Mac's performance lasts just over 2 minutes) it's so powerful that I wound up enjoying this song perhaps more than anything else on the record. This isn't a slight against the rest of the album, though; more so it's a testament to how impactful Mac's message comes through along with his vocal, particularly the lyric "I'll do anything for a way out of my head", which, along with the rest of the album at large, has taken on a whole new significance now knowing he was doomed to find the way out sooner than he, or anyone else, expected.

 

Contrasting with the calmness of "Come Back to Earth", "Hurt Feelings" picks the energy up with a brooding trap instrumental courtesy of Hollywood Cole himself, with Dev Hynes and Jon Brion contributing as well. Mac's lyrics are equally celebratory and disturbing here: he alludes to the various worldly pleasures his success has brought him, referencing new cribs with blue fountains and his infamous jacuzzi video, but at the same time recognizes that his success hasn't actually helped to solve his problems; in turn, it's merely exacerbated them. This is a pretty solid kick off to the record and helps to pick up the pace vibe-wise after "Come Back to Earth".

 

The album's second single "What's the Use?" comes next, an upbeat funk number for Mac to vibe over courtesy of Pomo and Dâm-Funk that falls in line stylistically with what Mac was doing on his previous album The Divine Feminine. The production on the track is the easy highlight: it's infectious and will get stuck in your head for days, with an indelible bass line and backing vocals from Snoop, Thundercat and Syd from the Internet helping to flesh everything out. The musical high point for me has to be the synth cacophony complementing a soaring vocal that interrupts the proceedings in the middle of the track before launching back into the chorus. Unfortunately, though, there is one semi-glaring flaw here that I cannot get past completely, and that's Mac's singing. The chorus on "What's the Use?" serves as the most obvious example on the record where his singing voice just doesn't connect with me. His raspy vocal doesn't compliment the smoothness of the instrumental very well and, considering the hook is a major element of the track, does bring the song down a degree for me as a result.

 

Things pick back up again in a major way on "Perfecto", a song which finds Mac torn between his hedonistic tendencies and the true sources of happiness in his life (primarily Grande) that are trying to save him from drowning in the former. My own interpretation of this song is that it finds Mac in between his breakup with Ariana and the eventual release of the album, as he references being "on album time" and presumably holing up in the studio ("I gotta get out to shine"). He seems on the verge of regressing to the drugged-out lows of his yesterdays, referencing it "feeling like a weekend on a Tuesday" and making excuses to dip out on prior commitments to drink with his friends. At the same time, he keeps up the appearance of being in a good place mentally ("On the surface I look so fine, but really I'm buggin'") even while he's treading water and unphased by the potential for him to drown. The instrumental, courtesy of Tee-WaTT, is smooth as silk and fits the vibe of Mac's delivery and lyrics like a glove. For me, though, the best part is Jon Brion's orchestral outro, where Mac delivers a few lines spoken-word style about Ariana and peters out with one last "perfect". This song succeeds at pretty much everything it does.

 

Following is the aforementioned "Self Care", the most engaging track on the record and an easy highlight. The near 6 minute epic is divided into two halves. The first half has a much darker, more sadistic vibe to it, yet it manages to be catchy as hell at the same time (it's easy to see why this ended up being the big single off the project). I'd always taken Mac's allusion to "self care" in the first half to refer to him self-medicating through drugs and alcohol as opposed to seeking professional help for his issues, and something tells me that "the medicine … on call" that he refers to in the first verse probably wasn't prescribed by a doctor. Mac's paranoia is evident through this part of the song, with allusions to losing his mind and not being able to trust anybody (himself included). The most relevant line has to be the one about Mac speeding in his Mercedes, but ironically enough, "Self Care" was actually written prior to his infamous car accident in an eerie instance of art imitating life. All of this builds up into the grandiose second half, which feature an excellent beat switch and a rejuvenated Mac reflecting on where he is in his life and how he's been handling his substance abuse. I'd initially suspected this part of the song had him recognizing the faults of his actions because of one line I'd apparently misheard: "I was doing too much, got stuck in oblivion". However, every lyric site I've checked has it written as "I was thinking too much", which has me wondering if Mac is instead embracing his use in the end and not letting the thoughts surrounding it bother him any longer. This is substantiated through further references to the oblivion being "a beautiful feeling" and the unfortunate assertion of having "all the time in the world" (it even hurts just having to type that out knowing what we now know in hindsight…) All that said, this song just straight up rocks.

 

"Self Care" leads right into "Wings", which, in contrast to "Self Care", has a decidedly calmer tone to it. Alexander Spit's instrumental feels pretty odd for a hip hop song: slow and fairly minimal, but it has a lot of different sounds and other effects popping up and exiting as Mac does his thing over top of it. Mac covers a lot of different topics lyrically on here, but all in all feels like he's in a better place than some of the other tracks on here, saying he "ain't feelin' broken no more" and that he "never felt so damn good where he's at" (this might have had something to do with him recording the song in Hawaii – he even references the sun shining during the pre-chorus). Not all is cheery in the second verse, though, where Mac acknowledges that he "doesn't know how the normal shit go" with life given his celebrity status. Mac's singing up until the "These are my wings" refrain is pretty on point, but I've never really cared for the hook, honestly (though it isn't as damning as "What's the Use", for what it's worth). All in all, this is a pretty smooth cut, though I wouldn't consider it a highlight personally.

 

"Ladders" picks the tone back up nicely and is a much better go at the funk sound Mac tried out on "What's the Use". Pomo and Jon Brion lace this thing with an infectious groove, some seriously funky synth work and an awesome horn section following Mac's hook. Mac sounds like he's having a blast here: the hook (one of the best on the record) insinuates he's likely in the middle of a night out (and probably high) and wants to make the most of this moment. While the song's got a primarily positive tone to it, like most of the more upbeat tracks on the album, there's still something sinister lurking underneath, with Mac referencing how he "just might slip into the sea", continuing with the swimming theme of the record. Still though, this sits firmly as the best party number on the record, and it's not surprising to see why this wound up being one of the most popular songs off the album.

 

The introspective "Small Worlds" comes next and seems to represent the hangover after the high of "Ladders". The two songs seem connected, as one line on "Ladders" had Mac saying that "it's a very small world, we don't fuck with the size", while another mentioned "turning the hotel to a castle" (a possible reference to cocaine). On "Small Worlds", the world is no longer small to Mac, as he's left alone to ruminate on his feelings in the five star hotel. The musical backing on the song, courtesy of Tae Beast and Carter Lang with John Mayer providing some additional guitar work, has a stoned and hazy feel to it, which is exactly my type of production style, so this was a real treat (and also sample free, which is surprising – the vintage feel of the instrumental had me swearing he must've looped it from somewhere). It's almost reminiscent of something Mac would have rapped over on one of his druggier mixtapes back in the day. Mac's flow on this joint isn't anything flashy but it's just right for this beat: ambivalent and a bit lackadaisical, but also perfectly fitting for the lyrical content. For as great as the actual song is, though, the most moving moment is probably the outro, where Mac's flow takes a more serious turn as he references "feeling his fingers slippin'" and anticipating his demise while dwelling on how fame isn't all that it's cracked up to be. I really can't praise this song enough.

 

"Conversation Pt. 1" sees Mac talking to someone who lives a "basic" life, spending all their time getting faded and wasting whatever money they manage to come across. It's hard to tell whether Mac is speaking to the listener, to himself, or someone else. I did find it interesting that he says, "My head up in the clouds but my feet be on the pavement", which is the exact opposite of a line he'd delivered on "Perfecto" ("My feet on the clouds, head on the ground"). It make sense, as on "Perfecto" Mac seemed more on the fence (or possibly in denial) about where his life was at at the moment, but on "Conversation Pt. 1" he feels supremely confident in himself (whether or not that's the result of whatever got his 'head up in clouds' is up to interpretation). Cardo and Yung Exclusive's work behind the boards here is decent, if not a bit forgettable (which came as a surprise to me as Cardo is one of my favorite producers). Flying Lotus also has a production credit – I'm guessing he helped with the muted horn parts at the end. This wasn't bad but didn't really feel all that exciting for me.

 

Mac delivers the most obviously Grande-inspired cut on the album next with "Dunno". While this song was never explicitly confirmed to be about her, a few of the lyrics do seem to reference songs of hers (most notably the last line of the song, "That's really your favorite, I know", which supposedly references Mac & Ariana's 2016 collaboration "My Favorite Part"). Grande also shared a screenshot of her listening to "Dunno" after Mac's death on her Instagram story, which seemingly confirms it to be true. Admittedly, this song was never really a favorite of mine on here, as Parson Brown's production work feels a bit stale and Mac's singing is rough at times, but as a peek into Mac's psyche as he reminisces on the good times he'd had with his girl, it's pretty touching.

 

"Jet Fuel" follows with a laid back beat courtesy of DJ Dahi and Steve Lacy that Mac is able to ride and talk his shit on. The hook brings back a common theme from throughout the record of being up in the clouds, with Mac stating that he'll only come down after running out of jet fuel before quipping, "But I never run out of jet fuel". I took this to be a commentary on the endless supply of drugs someone like Mac can afford, being rich as fuck and all. There's another reference to swimming and drowning at the start of the track as well, with Mac stating "his head's underwater but he ain't in the shower and he ain't getting' baptized". Outside of these two lamentations, the track mostly consists of brags 'n' bullshit, with Mac flowing over the beat pretty effortlessly. This one didn't really wow me until the last minute, where the instrumentation drops out in favor of a single warbling synth line and a vocoder-aided vocal performance from Mac that honestly sounds like nothing I've ever heard him do before. It's a great display of his artistic side and showcases a style I wouldn't have minded seeing him explore in the future.

 

Up to this point, the album felt like it had been starting to take a dip in quality in the 2nd half, but fortunately Mac saved two of the best songs he had for very last. "2009" sports a beautiful string-laden intro courtesy of Mr. Brion before transitioning into a mid-paced Eric G production built on a delicate piano loop. Mac uses the nostalgic sounding instrumental to reflect on where life has taken him over the past decade, stating that "It ain't 2009 no more", referring to the last year he had before he really started to blow up (ironically enough, it was 2010 when I first discovered Mac in the hallway of my high school). Mac doesn't seem completely content with this passage of time on "2009", but the song is ultimately an optimistic one, with Mac stating, "I don't have it all but that's alright with me", though a few lines later he does ponder how his life might have been different had he "taken a simpler route". In spite of the mistakes he's made, Mac seems at peace with himself here. A really beautiful song all around, and one that's highly relatable for me personally as, like Mac, it really does blow my mind to think 2009 was almost 10 years ago now…

 

…which brings us to "So It Goes", the last song Mac Miller would ever officially release. It seems fitting that it would be a Larry Fisherman production. Mac's instrumental starts with a sole guitar strumming and tapping for percussion as he dwells on his ascendency to fame ("You could have the world in the palm of your hands, you still might drop it"), harkening back to simpler times as he had on "2009" ("There was nothin' in my wallet, just a lot of dreamin'"), and delivering some premonitions that are especially disturbing in hindsight ("Nine lives, never die, fuck a heaven, I'm still gettin' high"). The instrumental continues to build on itself as the track progresses, until the last two minutes, where Mac breaks into the final chorus and Jon Brion returns with a huge swell of synthesizers that play Mac out in the most wonderful way possible. In a sad twist, Mac's final tweet before his death expressed his appreciation for the way the song's outro was executed. In the end, the man's final publicized thought was concerned with the final part of his final song. And just like that, Swimming comes to a close.

 

I wrote the Album Background section of this review shortly after Mac's passing when I was still in a complete state of shock over him not being around anymore and in a pretty emotional state (which is usually rare for me). I was playing the album a lot at the time and reflecting on just how much context can come into play in music. First hearing this record at the beginning of August, it felt like a proper transition point for Mac: sure, the drug references were abound and plentiful, but the album had just as many moments of clarity, and it really did feel like Mac had gotten to the point of being able to swim against the tide of his life. Only a month later did we come to learn this wasn't to be the case, though. Now, the album stands as a memorial for one of hip hop's most tragic stories, not unlike the memorial at Blue Slide Park that I've stood in front of in disbelief, reading through notes and letters from fans and old friends and just appreciating how much of an impact the man had left on the world in the incredibly short span of time that he was here.

 

Swimming isn't a perfect album. I wouldn't even peg it as the man's best album (though it'd probably end up in my top 3 Mac projects at the end of the day). But as an insight into the final months of one of the biggest voices in this decade of hip hop, it's a pretty compelling piece of work. In spite of Mac's death, this record is just so full of life that when you put it on, it almost helps you forget that he's gone for a little while. It isn't his sharpest lyrically or his most consistent production-wise, but the feel of this record is what keeps me coming back to it more than maybe any other Mac project has. You can tell from the interviews and live performances surrounding this record that Mac was really satisfied with what he'd been able to pull off here. It makes the circumstances surrounding the album all that much harder to bear, but at the same time, it all comes back to the overarching theme: Mac Miller was drowning on Earth, but now he's swimming somewhere else, and even if it's wishful thinking on my part, I'd like to think that wherever he is now, he's finally found peace.

 

Favorite Songs

  1. Come Back to Earth

  2. Small Worlds

  3. Self Care

  4. 2009

  5. So It Goes/Perfecto (I honestly couldn't leave either out of the top 5)

Favorite Lyrics

"Do you want it all if it's all mediocre? … I guess you gotta see it to believe" -Small Worlds

"I'll do anything for a way out of my head" -Come Back to Earth

"It feels so good right now, but it all comes falling down, when the night, meet the light, turn to day" -Ladders

Discussion Questions

• Do you feel like Mac's death changed this album for you from your initial perception of it? How so?

• Where do you think Mac's music would have gone from here? There are so many different flavors he tried out on this thing that it makes me wonder how he would have followed it up

• Would you want to see any posthumous material released from Mac? For myself, the idea of an artist's unreleased work coming out without them having a say in it has never sat right with me, but then again, I'm still hoping we might get to hear Pink Slime someday…

Yesterday saw u/mikeest write about Busdriver's Electricity Is on Our Side. Tomorrow we'll have /u/-Moonchild- writing about Avantdale Bowling Club's self-titled.

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Daily Discussion Thread 12/11/2018

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 07:30 AM PST

Welcome to the /r/hiphopheads daily discussion thread!

This thread is for:

  • objective questions with right/wrong answers (e.g. "Does anyone know what is happening with MIXTAPE?", "What is the sample in SONG?")
  • general hip-hop discussion
  • meta posts...e.g. ideas for the sub

Thread Guidelines

  • Do not create a separate self post for these types of discussions outside of this thread - if you do, your post will be removed, as stated in the guidelines.

  • Please be helpful and friendly.

  • If a question has been asked many times before, provide a link to a thread that contains the answer.

Weekly/Monthly Threads

Other ways to interact

There are a number of other ways to interact with other members of HHH:

New to /r/hiphopheads or hip-hop in general?

Check out these:

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Denzel Curry says he has a dubstep album and a collab with Willie Nelson coming soon

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 07:45 AM PST

https://twitter.com/denzelcurry/status/1072515340398198785

Edit: It could very well could be a joke (and probably is). He tweeted this a few minutes beforehand and I got the timing wrong, thought he tweeted these in the reverse order. Also this is definitely related to all the "King of R&B" stuff

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Action Bronson - Baby Blue feat. Chance The Rapper

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 02:19 PM PST

Blueface gets Mic cut off and boo’d off stage at Lil Uzi concert in Philly

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 04:55 PM PST

[FRESH ALBUM] $ilkMoney - I Hate My Life and I Really Wish People Would Stop Telling Me Not To

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 09:00 PM PST

Vince Staples announces tour, support from Buddy + JPEGMAFIA

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 09:22 AM PST

ITS TIME BITCHES

https://twitter.com/vincestaples/status/1072542081996988417

SAVE YOUR CHILD SUPPORT ITS TOUR TIME

tour posteR: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DuJvVhJW0AEQHcw.jpg

this info is based on the Toronto date and might not be the same for your trash city

  • All Ages

VINCE STAPLES VIP MEET & GREET package

  • One GA FLOOR Ticket to the Show

  • Meet and Greet with Vince Staples

  • Individual Photo with Vince Staples

  • One Vince Staples 2019 Exclusive Merch Item

  • One Signed Item

  • One Commemorative VIP Laminate

  • First Entry Into The Venue

VINCE STAPLES VIP TICKET BUNDLE

  • One GA FLOOR Ticket to the Show

  • Early Entry to the Venue

  • One Vince Staples 2019 Exclusive Merch Item

  • One Signed Item One Commemorative

  • VIP Laminate

LiveNation presale is Thursday @ 10 AM, code is "CHILL"

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Kodak Black’s Dying to Live TRACKLIST

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 05:12 PM PST

  1. Testimony

  2. This Forever

  3. Identity Theft

  4. Gnarly (ft. Lil Pump)

  5. ZEZE (ft. Travis Scott & Offset)

  6. Take One

  7. Moshpit (ft. Juice Wrld)

  8. Transgression

  9. Malcolm XXX

  10. Calling My Spirit

  11. In the Flesh

  12. Close to the Grave

  13. From the Cradle

  14. If Im Lyin, Im Flyin

  15. Needing Something

  16. Could of Been Different

from Kodak

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A Day In Ladera: OFWGKTA

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 09:13 AM PST

Yung Gravy dropping new track “Alley Oop” feat. Lil Baby this friday

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 07:54 PM PST

[FRESH ALBUM] Lil Keed - Keed Talk to Em

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 09:00 PM PST

DRAM - Gilligan (ft A$AP Rocky & Juicy J)

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 11:02 AM PST

Billboard Hot 100 Discussion - November 30-December 6 2018 | Meek Mill Gets His First Top 10 Single with 'Going Bad'

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 04:10 PM PST

From the Billboard Hot 100

After the Top 40, Only Songs w/ Hip Hop Artists Are Listed

Position Title Artist From Last Week
(4x) 1 Thank U, Next Ariana Grande ▲+1
2 Sicko Mode Travis Scott ▼-1
3 Without Me Halsey ▲+1
4 Happier Marshmello & Bastille ▼-1
5 High Hopes Panic! At The Disco =
6 Going Bad Meek Mill ft. Drake NEW
7 All I Want For Christmas Is You Mariah Carey ▲+7
8 ZEZE Kodak Black ft. Travis Scott & Offset ▼-1
9 Drip Too Hard Lil Baby & Gunna ▼-1
10 Mo Bamba Sheck Wes ▼-4
11 Girls Like You Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B ▼-2
12 breathin Ariana Grande ▲+1
13 Lucid Dreams Juice Wrld ▼-3
14 Youngblood 5 Seconds of Summer ▼-2
15 Better Now Post Malone ▼-4
16 It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year Andy Williams ▲+5
17 Sunflower Post Malone & Swae Lee =
18 Eastside Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid =
19 Wake Up in the Sky Gucci Mane ft. Bruno Mars & Kodak Black ▼-4
20 What's Free Meek Mill ft. Rick Ross & Jay Z NEW
21 Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree Brenda Lee ▲+2
22 A Holly Jolly Christmas Burl Ives ▲+4
23 Trip Ella Mai ▼-7
24 Taki Taki DJ Snake ft. ▼-2
25 MIA Bad Bunny ft. Drake ▼-6
26 Jingle Bell Rock Bobby Helms ▲+7
27 Love Lies Khalid & Normani ▼-7
28 Money Cardi B ▼-4
29 The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) Nat King Cole ▲+10
30 On Me Meek Mill ft. Cardi B NEW
31 Dangerous Meek Mill ft. Jeremiah & PNB Rock ▲+17
32 Leave Me Alone Flipp Dinero ▼-5
33 Better Khalid ▼-4
34 Last Christmas Wham! ▲+9
35 Natural Imagine Dragons ▼-10
36 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Gene Autry NEW
37 Beautiful Bazzi ft. Camilla Cabello ▼-7
38 Shallow Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper ▼-10
39 Uptown Vibes Meek Mill ft. Fabulous & Anuel AA NEW
40 Speechless Dan + Shay ▼-2
42 I Like It Cardi B ft. Bad Bunny & J. Balvin ▼-11
43 MAMA 6ix9ine ft. Nicki Minaj & Kanye West ▲+15
44 KIKA 6ix9ine ft. Tory Lanez ▲+15
46 Pure Cocaine Lil Baby NEW
47 Taste Tyga ft. Offset ▼-12
50 Uproar Lil Wayne ▼-10
51 WAKA 6ix9ine ft. A Boogie ▲+20
52 FEFE 6ix9ine ft. Nicki Minaj ▼-16
53 TIC TOC 6ix9ine ft. Lil Baby ▲+9
54 24/7 Meek Mill ft. Ella Mai NEW
55 Intro Meek Mill NEW
57 Respect the Game Meek Mill NEW
58 Ring Cardi B ▼-11
60 Good Form Nicki Minaj ft. Lil Wayne NEW
61 Trauma Meek Mill NEW
62 Time Lil Baby ft. Meek Mill NEW
63 Nuketown Ski Mask the Slump God ft. Juice Wrld NEW
64 Calling My Spirit Kodak Black NEW
66 Ready Lil Baby NEW
70 Championships Meek Mill NEW
72 Tic Tac Toe Meek Mill ft. Kodak Black NEW
73 Almost Slipped Meek Mill NEW
74 Arms Around You XXXtentacion & Lil Pump ft. Swae Lee & Maluma ▼-17
75 BAD! XXXtentacion ▼-21
76 Armed and Dangerous Juice Wrld ▼-21
77 Splash Warning Meek Mill ft. Future, Roddy Rich, Young Thug NEW
78 Pay You Back Meek Mill ft. 21 Savage NEW
80 That's On Me Yella Beezy ▼-13
81 Foot Fungus Ski Mask the Slum God NEW
82 Crush a Lot Lil Baby NEW
83 TAlk tO Me Tory Lanez ft. Rich the Kid ▼-8
84 Close Friends Lil Baby ▼-21
85 Oodles O' Noodles Babies Meek Mill NEW
86 Backin It Up Pardison Fontaine Ft. Cardi B ▼-10
88 Fine China Future & Juice Wrld ▼-21
89 STOOPID 6ix9ine ft. Bobby Shmurda ▼-28
91 Global Lil Baby NEW
92 Smile (Living My Best Life) Lil' Duval Featuring Snoop Dogg & Ball Greezy ▼-24
93 Close to Me Ellie Goulding & Diplo Ft. Swae Lee ▲+7
95 No Stylist French Montana ft. Drake ▼-22
98 Word on The Street Lil Baby NEW
100 You Jacquees ▼-10

Notable:

  • Meek Mill gets his first Top 10 single ever with Going Bad. Going Bad is also Drake's 33rd Top 10 single and 13th in 2018 alone.
  • Meek Mill debuts 15 songs from his 'Championships' album, with Going Bad, What's Free, On Me and Uptown Vibes debuting in the Top 40.

 

  • Lil Baby debuts 5 songs from his 'Street Gossip' album, with the highest, Pure Cocaine, debuting at #46.

 

  • Ski Mask the Slump God debuts 2 songs from his 'Stokeley' album, Nuketown and Foot Fungus, which debuted at #63 and #81 respectively.
  • Nuketown is Ski Mask's first entry on the Hot 100.

 

  • 6ix9ine's MAMA, KIKA, WAKA and TIC TOC all jump 9 spots up or more due to them getting their first full week on the Hot 100.

 

  • Nicki Minaj's remix of Good Form with Lil Wayne debuts at #60 on the Hot 100.

 

  • Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You rises to #7 this week, the highest the song has ever peaked at. If AIWFCIY were to reach #1, it would be Mariah's 19th #1 single.

 

  • Drake's In My Feelings drops out after 22 weeks, peaking at #1 for ten weeks and spending its last week at #37.
  • Drake's Nonstop also drops out after 22 weeks, peaking at #2 for one week and spending its last week at #46.
  • Drake and Lil Baby's Yes Indeed drops out as well, after 29 weeks, peaking at #6 for one week and spending its last week at #44.

 

Billboard 200 (Albums):

Position Title Artist From Last Week Sales
1 CHAMPIONSHIPS Meek Mill NEW 229k (42k pure)
2 Street Gossip Lil Baby NEW 88k (5k pure)
3 DUMMY BOY 6ix9ine ▼-1 83k (5k pure)
6 Stokeley Ski Mask the Slump God NEW 51k (5k pure)
8 ASTROWORLD Travis Scott ▼-7 47k (2k pure)
17 Some Rap Songs Earl Sweatshirt NEW N/A
submitted by /u/aaliyaahson
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Playboi Carti - "Talk" (ICYTWAT Remix)

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 07:57 PM PST

Tracking down Kanye West’s “Christmas In Harlem” - Vice NOISEY

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 12:03 PM PST

Frank Ocean - Acura Integurl

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 07:25 PM PST

Prince Paul will bring back Handsomeboy Modeling School next year, with Dan the Automator!

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 11:33 AM PST

So this is on it's Twitter:

Finally going through tracks to make the new Handsomeboy Modeling school album next year with @dantheautomator . Blame it on me for the delay . Chest is getting back to his best #stayhandsomemyfriends

​

https://imgur.com/a/xCh8DrQ
https://twitter.com/DJPrincePaul/status/1072258620727934976

​

submitted by /u/Yoshideking
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Kavinsky & The Weeknd - Odd Look

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 07:57 AM PST

Pusha T - R.I.C.O. (Freestyle)

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 08:09 AM PST

Black Thought & Salaam Remi - Streams of Thought, Vol. 2 Needle Drop EP REVIEW

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 06:23 PM PST

‎'Matangi / Maya / M.I.A' documentary is now available

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 08:13 AM PST

J.I.D: DiCaprio 2 gets a 7.7 from Pitchfork

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 10:08 PM PST

The Game cancels Edmonton show because of the death of a young man due to negligence on the venues part.

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 10:50 AM PST

Kid Cudi - Girls (feat. Too $hort)

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 09:51 AM PST

Rare post Faces Mac Miller interview. It's my favorite Mac video - a beautiful moment in time.

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 09:23 PM PST

Domo Genesis - DAPPER feat. Anderson .Paak

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 08:47 AM PST
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