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Secretary of State Antony Blinken and YouTube Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen announced the inaugural roster of U.S. Global Music Ambassadors on June 24 as part of a U.S. Department of State-YouTube Global Music Diplomacy Partnership.

The roster includes Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, Jelly Roll, Kane Brown, Grace Bowers, BRELAND, Denyce Graves, Herbie Hancock, Armani White, Teddy Swims and Lainey Wilson. 

Each Global Music Ambassador will use their music to bring people together and promote peace worldwide.  The Department and YouTube will announce additional U.S. Global Music Ambassadors in the months ahead.

Each artist was chosen because they "exude excellence in their fields and have demonstrated a commitment to public service and giving back."  Beginni

LL COOL J is back with a new single and video called "Saturday Night Special" featuring Fat Joe and Rick Ross out now via Def Jam Recordings, his original label, and Virgin Music Group.

Produced by A Tribe Called Quest's de facto leader Q-Tip, the track serves as the lead single from the Radio legend's forthcoming album, THE FORCE, which is expected to arrive this fall. 

Q-Tip also executive produced the album, a perfect marriage of two legends coming together to continue breathing life into Hip-Hop culture. 

Ahead of its release, LL COOL J teamed up with Coors Light for five exclusive listening experiences throughout the summer, providing guests a chance to preview the new project. Cities include Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Atlanta and New Yo

Eminem has a monster single on his hands in the form of "Houdini." The track, which serves as the lead single from his forthcoming album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), arrived May 31 with a video starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, The Alchemist, Jimmy Iovine, Pete Davidson, longtime manager Paul Rosenberg and more. 

At Spotify, the song has already been streamed more than 51 million times, while the YouTube views are inching toward 49 million. The comic book-themed visual, directed by Rich Lee, takes a comedic approach to Eminem's career and finds him in true Shady form—irreverent as ever. 

It begins with the old Eminem—also known by his alter-ego Slim Shady—getting a call from Rosenberg. The scene suddenly cuts to 2024 and Eminem waking up to a cal

MC Sha-Rock Day Presents: Women in Hip Hop Festival, billed as "a vibrant celebration of the contributions and influence of women in Hip-Hop," takes place on Saturday (June 1) from 2p.m. to 7 p.m. ET at Gun Hill Playground in the Bronx, New York.

Hosted by Roxanne Shanté, the free event promises an enticing lineup of live performances, games, giveaways and more. Named after the first female rapper, MC Sha-Rock, the annual celebration was formally recognized by former Councilman Andy King in 2019.

The sixth annual soirée is produced by Tia Evette Productions in conjunction with New York Music Month from the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and Monster Energy and aims to preserve the legacy of pioneering female artists while providing a platform for emerging v

The ongoing discourse between Kendrick Lamar and Drake has captivated the rap community in what some are calling an "unprecedented" beef. For those who have lost track of how this all unfolded, we've provided a timeline to get you back on track.

While the tension between Kendrick and Drake can be traced back to 2013, when Big Sean recruited Kendrick for "Control," the bad blood came to a boil in the last few weeks. 

MARCH: Future & Metro Boomin drop "Like That" featuring Kendrick Lamar, who fires a few shots in both Drake and J. Cole's direction for their collaboration, "First-Person Shooter." He raps, "Motherfuck the big three, nigga, it’s just big me / Nigga, bum, what? I’m really like that / And your best work is a light pack / Nigga, Prince outlived Mike Ja

Dallas Penn, former co-host of The Combat Jack Show and longtime writer, has died. His wife, who goes by Chocolate Snowflake (C.S.), made the announcement on his personal Facebook page Wednesday morning (May 1).

"Dallas has ascended to the music that was waiting for him," she wrote. "From September 1970 to April 2024, he always said it don’t stop, it won’t stop, and he’s waiting for us all at the Funkadelic Stevie Wonder Sean Price party in the sky. Rest my love and see you in our other lifetimes. Love you always, for all time."

Upon further exploration of Penn's page, it's clear how sick he was. On April 18, Penn, who was diabetic, revealed he was typing from a hospital bed and being moved to the intensive care unit. He also noted he'd been enrol