Will Smith may have been in a Bad Boy in his latest movie, but in his new song, he’s a man of hope. “You Can Make It” sees him team with Fridayy and the Sunday Service Choir to provide inspiration to those trying to overcome hardships.

“Through some of my darkest moments, music has always been there for me – to lift me and help me grow,” he wrote on Instagram. “It’s my humble wish that it can do the same for you and bring you all the joy and light you deserve.”

Available on digital platforms, “You Can Make It” marks Will’s first independent release. He’s set to debut the song on the BET Awards 2024 Sunday.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Megan Thee Stallion is not the only one with new releases this season. Here’s some of the latest and greatest to hit the culture:

JT told us she was “Okay,” but Jeezy apparently is too. He appears on the “Okay Remix,” on which the now divorced rapper raps he’s “single as a dollar bill.” The two dress in all black in the video directed by Gerald Victor.

“Higher” is where Burna Boy wishes for his hometown of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, to be. In the video, he pays a visit to childhood home and hands out essential supplies with volunteers from The R.E.A.C.H. and his initiative Project PROTECT.

Offset teams with Gunna for “Style Rare” and directed the video alongside Joshua “Mid Jordan” Farias. “I got that s*** on now,” Set says of the song.

Lucky Daye may just dominate your Algorithm with his new album, released alongside the video for “Think Different.” “‘Algorithm’ is the continued exploration of my sound, leaning into more futuristic and alternative sounds,” he says.

Tinashe‘s following up her first Hot 100 hit with “Getting No Sleep,” which will appear on her upcoming album, Quantum Baby, arriving August 16.

Marsha Ambrosius is back with Casablanco, executive produced by Dr. Dre. She says, “Dr. Dre dared me to dream bigger and aim higher” with the project.

Latto gushes about her man in “Big Mama.” The video finds her and sister Brooklyn turning up in a Miami club, on a yacht and driving the streets in luxury cars.

Doechii‘s “Rocket,” released as part of Sprite’s Limelight series, is about a past situationship with no future. A video for the track is out now.

Tamar Braxton and Eric Benét‘s “Something in the Making” was “a long time in the making.” Both tell People the experience was a “fun” one.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

T-Pain is years into his music career, but it seems he’s still not used to fans’ reaction to his fame and stardom. In an interview with GQ, he says he began experiencing fanfare “a little bit before that, kind of the ‘I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper)’ era” but that it made him ask questions like, “What’s the big deal?” and “Why do you think I’m important?”

His reaction has remained the same over the years. “Even still to this day. I’m a person like you. If we’re both in the same airport, on the same flight, there’s nothing special about what I’m doing. It’s not a big deal that you get to see me,” he says.

“It’s become a thing that people know about me. They know how I feel about pictures and videos and stuff like that. I installed in everybody like, Chill the f*** out,” T-Pain continues. “We’re all doing this together. I’m only as important as you make me. I get it, and I appreciate it, but we’re all supposed to be chilling together. I just get to be on the other side of the camera more than most people.”

While he notices “the appreciation is there and the love is there,” T-Pain says that “trying to make me more important than anyone else that’s also waiting on their flight…just doesn’t make sense to me.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Blxst has new music on the way, and this time, it’s not an EP. He announced Thursday that he’s readying for the release of his debut album, which will be titled I’ll Always Come Find You. 

The announcement came via an Instagram post featuring a teaser that sees him in a Buick Grand National with a “Birdie” license plate, taking a late-night drive through the city and eventually stopping at a chauffeur car service garage called Evgle & Son. He ends the video saying, “If you’re ever lost, I’ll always come find you,” and revealing the release date: July 19.

“This is the most confident I’ve ever felt in my music. What I had to overcome while making this album changed my entire creative process, and the fans deserve to see the growth from that,” Blxst said in a press release. “I would be doing a disservice to not reach the heights I dreamed of reaching when I first started as an artist. No better time than now.”

To kick off the album, Blxst has released the Anderson .Paak-featuring single, “Dance with the Devil,” and its video.

“I’ve been a fan of Anderson .Paak since his Malibu album. His approach as an artist and tone of voice inspired me while coming into my own artistry,” Blxst said. “Full circle moment, he organically reached out to me summer 2023 to collaborate with him and the group Free Nationals. I took it as an opportunity to shoot for the stars and asked for him to be a part of my debut album as well.”

“This song is a perfect blend of two artists from California and is sonically undeniable from first listen,” he added. He said the song’s about “the tug-of-war with temptation in love and relationships.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Dopamine was released two weeks ago, and coincidentally, Normani is experiencing a sense of joy as a result.

“I have gratitude. Like I said, I’m still processing my feelings but more than anything, I’m so glad the weight is lifted,” she said during an appearance on the Zach Sang Show, when explaining how she feels post her album’s release. “I feel like I can be present. I feel like I can live as opposed to feeling like I’m surviving and trying to fight to keep my head above water. That gets exhausting, so I’m in a much better place.”

After experiencing delays due to various reasons, including her parents’ cancer diagnoses, Normani already has a goal to ensure that recording her sophomore effort is “much more enjoyable.”

“I can’t wait, especially knowing what I know now,” she said.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Megan Thee Stallion delves into MEGAN the person on her brand-new album, released under Hot Girl Productions. The project boasts 18 tracks, including previously-released songs “Cobra,” “BOA” and “Hiss,” and features Victoria Monét, Big K.R.I.T., Kyle Richh and partner of her Hot Girl Summer Tour, GloRilla.

Meg also teamed with UGK on a song titled “Paper Together,” featuring a posthumous verse from one of her favorite rappers: Pimp C. Additionally, Yuki Chiba, who Meg worked with in Tokyo earlier this year, appears on the album in a track titled “Mamushi.”

MEGAN, now available on digital services, comes after the extension of her Hot Girl Summer Tour, which sees Meg’s return to Atlanta and Charlotte, as well as an appearance at Lollapalooza. She also announced a few dates in Europe and the U.K. in July.

According to Taraji P. Henson, who saw Meg perform in LA, the concert is “amazing.” “That was my first time seeing her perform live on her stage, headlining. She’s amazing,” Henson told People. “She has been able to withstand all of the adversity and rise above it. She’s incredible. I love you, Megan, and I’m so proud of you. That’s my baby girl, by the way.”

“I’m like auntie, you know? I’m a girl’s girl. Anything women are doing, I’m there,” she continued. “I’m the cheerleader. I’m the loudest one in the front cheering them on, and that’s what you should be as an elder.”

She added, “Be here for these babies! You know, it’s hard enough out here for women, and what I’m not gonna be is another obstacle for another woman. So, I’m a champion. I’m a team player. I’m a girl’s girl. Go Meg. Go Meg. I got you. I love you.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Lil Baby, Usher and Victoria Monét have brought home the gold from the 2024 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards, which took place Thursday night in LA.

Lil Baby received the Songwriter of the Year Award for his work on It’s Only Me cuts “Forever,” “Freestyle” and “Heyy,” while Victoria’s ASCAP Vanguard Award was given to her for “On My Mama” and the “innovative work that is helping to shape all of music,” a press release states.

Usher was awarded the ASCAP Voice of the Culture Award for his contributions to music and culture. He was also praised for his pen on “Glu” and “Good Good.”

Other winners of the night include SZA‘s “Snooze” as R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap Song of the Year, “ICU” by Coco Jones, “Just Wanna Rock” by Lil Uzi Vert, Summer Walker‘s “Karma” and 21 Savage for “Spin Bout U.”

A full list of winners can be found on www.ascap.com/rsawards24. 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

— Common and Pete Rock have released “All Kind of Ideas” and its accompanying video. The track is the first new studio record Pete Rock has rapped on in five years. The video captures the two working during a studio session, with the process embodying “the nostalgic underground hip-hop scene of the 90s.”

“All Kind of Ideas” is the third cut off Common and Pete’s joint album, The Auditorium, Vol. 1, following “Wise Up” and “Dreamin.'” It’s due out July 12.

— If you’re wondering what label Gunna is on, he told Spotify’s RapCaviar the answer. “I’m still providing. We still pushing. No paperwork has been changed,” said the rapper, who was released from jail after entering an Alford plea in the YSL RICO case. “So it’s like, whatever’s been getting and how we’ve been pushing this s***, it’s still going.”

— Earl Sweatshirt, Yasiin Bey, Daniel Caesar and more are coming together for a special cause. They’re set to perform at the Troxy in London on July 4 for the Artists for Aid concert benefitting the people of Gaza and Sudan. Tickets are now available to purchase.

— XXXTentacion‘s father is the latest to sing Kendrick Lamar‘s praises. While many have praised K. Dot for his lyrical ability, Dwayne Onfroy simply shared a message thanking him for supporting his late son.

“Special big-up, shoutout goes to Kendrick Lamar…I just want to say, first off all, thank you for giving my son a platform when he was an unknown artist. On his first single.You gave him a shoutout when his album released. You stepped up to the plate for him when a lot of people just stood by and stood back,” he said, in part.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Megan Thee Stallion‘s album MEGAN comes out on Friday, but just ahead of its release, she was forced to make a change. Taking to Instagram Live Wednesday, she revealed she had to rerecord a song that referenced an anime series to avoid losing the entire sample. As she explains, the production company instructed her that the new version must not include characters’ names or other references to the series. She was also told she couldn’t cosplay as any of the characters for a music video.

“Y’all will never believe what the motherf*** just happened to me! I’m not talking bad because I’m very grateful. Y’all know how I told y’all I got an anime sample on my album? This has probably been the hardest song to try to have on my album — but like I said I’m not complaining ’cause I’m grateful,” Meg began.

“This is a very big production company so for them to even say yes — and I be cussing and s*** — like I said, I’m grateful. I’m not complaining,” she continued. “I really wanted this sample. I really wanted to do it, so I’m doing everything I got to do to keep it. But change the names? Change the names the day before the album out? That was nuts.”

Meg says fans will understand why the production company “was giving us a hard time” once they hear the track. She hopes they “think this s*** sound fire, ’cause I had to jump through 8 million hoops to get this s***.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Roddy Ricch calls 911 in his latest single and video, directed by Spike Jordan.

In it, he takes on the role of a man who saves people from danger, including a woman who almost got hit by a train. 

“Shake my hand, and I might take you on a trip/ Pretty, smooth skin, nice toes, you just my type/ Usually I don’t take her home first night/ But for you, I just might/ I know you know, these b****** can’t f*** with you/ On your worst day when you come around my way,” Roddy sang. 

“911” follows Ricch’s “Survivor’s Remorse” and appears on his upcoming third studio album, The Navy Album.

(Video includes uncensored profanity.)

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.