We’re currently focused on next year’s Super Bowl halftime show headliner, but the 2024 master of ceremonies is still at the center of the culture.
After the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays at the 2025 World Series on Saturday (Nov. 1), the City of Angeles reached for the only appropriate song for moments of total victory: Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us.” The baseball team’s official Instagram account shared a flick of the whole gang with the all-caps caption, “They still not like us,” a reference to both Lamar’s Grammy-winning Hot 100 chart-topper and their 2024 World Series triumph.
As is seemingly the order of things these days, when K.Dot gets some praise, a jab at Drake isn’t too far behind. To commemorate the Dodgers’ consecutive victories, the official ESPN X account posted a picture of the celebrating team in the style of Drake’s “Back to Back” single cover. Notably, this is a nod to a separate Drake beef — the Toronto MC’s 2015 back-and-forth with Meek Mill. Not only did Drizzy take an L by way of the Blue Jays’ loss, he also got slammed in a new lawsuit against Spotify, which alleged that the streamer used bots to generate “billions of fraudulent streams.”
Drake isn’t the only rapper whose beefs made headlines in the hip-hop world over the weekend. On Thursday (Oct. 30), NLE Choppa (who’s currently going by NLE the Great) shared his new “KO” single, which finds him rapping over the same Dennis Edwards “Don’t Look Any Further” sample that 2Pac flipped for “Hit Em Up,” his iconic Biggie diss track. The subject of NLE’s ire? None other than NBA YoungBoy, one of the few rappers with a song sitting just outside the Hot 100’s top 40, a news story that sent the hip-hop space into a tizzy last week.
On Wednesday (Oct. 29), Billboard reported that, for the first time since 1990, there were no rap songs in the Billboard Hot 100‘s top 40, after Kendrick Lamar and SZA‘s smash hit “Luther” was deemed recurrent and removed from the ranking due to recent changes to the chart’s methodology. Though those rule changes mostly explain what’s going on with hip-hop on the Hot 100, the shocking stat spurred heated debate across social media channels. Grammy-nominated producer The Alchemist chimed in on X, simply writing, “No rap in top 40 has nothing to do with the music being bad or good.” Click here for a full breakdown of the Hot 100’s new recurrent rules.
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from a new Jai’Len Josey joint to Rozzzqween’s new single. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: Jai’Len Josey, “Won’t Force You”
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For the latest taste of her forthcoming Serial Lover debut album, which will be executive-produced by five-time Grammy winner Tricky Stewart, Jai’Len Josey tapped into the warm acoustic guitar of mid-late 00s pop-facing R&B ballads. Out now via Def Jam, the evocative new single finds the Atlanta-based singer-songwriter-producer and former Broaway star parsing through the hurt and shame of unrequited love. “If you don’t want to be here, I won’t force you to love me,” she sings in the refrain, her tone pairing well with the delicate strings, ethereal guitar and lush background vocal arrangements that ground the track. — KYLE DENIS
Rozzzqween, “Family Ties”
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Co-written and co-produced by Rozzzqween (born Roselyn Mugabe) and Ilya Borodulin, “Family Ties” drapes raw vulnerability in sleek, moody production. The pulsing bassline helps the haunting reflection on inherited habits, generational pain, and the struggle to break free from cycles of addiction. Rozzzqween’s voice moves between confession and confrontation: “My daddy drinks and so do I,” she repeats, turning the phrase into both a curse and a confession. Lines like “Malbec in my backpack” and “Air Force 1’s cocaine whites” pair elegance with escapism, revealing how cycles of addiction often hide beneath aesthetic calm. It’s a sobering yet beautifully composed reflection on what we inherit, and what we choose to break. — CHRISTOPHER CLAXTON
Saint Harison, “Ghosted”
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Smartly timed to Halloween, Saint Harison’s new single tackles the uniquely spooky sensation of being ghosted — and being somewhat okay with that. A remarkably soulful number produced by Akeel Henry and John Fellner, “Ghosted” finds the Southampton singer-songwriter working through his frustrations with a lover who seems to only know how to make things difficult. “If it’s so hard just loving me, I’d much rather you ghosted me,” he croons in the chorus, his fluttery falsetto and always-impressive agility helping him weave through each phrase with the finesse of a star fighter. — K.D.
BJRNCK, “AGLM”
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BJRNCK stakes her claim with unapologetic confidence, backed by production from Slikk Muzik, Tiggi and Nico Baran that blends punchy trap percussion with shimmering piano accents. Co-written with several collaborators, “AGLM” pairs her assertive melodies with lyrics that double as a manifesto for self-worth: from “buss down Cartier” to a penthouse view, every indulgent image is a symbol of empowerment. The repeated line “You said you was okay wit’ it” cuts through the luxury flex, highlighting the tension between promises and follow-through, while BJRNCK’s delivery balances grit with poise. It’s a statement that demands attention, an anthem for anyone who refuses to settle and knows exactly what they deserve. — C.C.
Icewear Vezzo & 2 Chainz, “Status”
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Icewear Vezzo spent the last year recentering himself. After indulging in the lavishness of rap life, Vezzo found what he was yearning for back at home, with his wife and family. The Detroit native delivered his lean-splashed Purple Passion project last week, which finds him trading bars with ATL’s 2 Chainz on standout “Status.” Booming drums mixed with starry production serve as a cinematic canvas for the pair of veterans to paint a masterpiece: “I been quiet for some time and that was damage time/ I never jump right into nothing, I like to strategize/ From lean house to juice bars, I built an enterprise,” Vezzo raps. — MICHAEL SAPONARA
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