This Week in R&B / Hip-Hop: News Roundup (Sep 18, 2026)

Photo: GabboT / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Last issue (Sep 15) we flagged Drake's "tonight" premiere — and it turned out to be a roughly hour-long film. New Music Friday was heavy too: rap forefather Rakim, joined by Kurupt and Masta Killa, dropped an album that put Eminem and Jay-Z on the same track for the first time in about 25 years. On the West Coast, AZ Chike delivered a record carrying LA's hopes; New Orleans' two signature labels are crossing the country on a joint tour; and there's a sad update — the cause of death for producer Tay Keith, who died in June, was revealed. Here are 10 stories, ranked by our own editorial judgment — reach of coverage, hard numbers, scale, and how central they are to this week.

🎤 This week in hip-hop and R&B

Drake's "FOMO" is an hour-long short film — pulled, then restored on Sep 17

Photo: GabboT / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

As promised, Drake's "FOMO" (Fear of Missing Out) premiered the night of September 15 (9 p.m. ET). He'd called it a "not so short film," and it clocked in at about 57 minutes — a self-funded project about squeezing everything out of one summer, stitching together the existing "HABIBTI" and "MAID OF HONOUR" videos with unreleased records, ridiculous flexes, celebrity cameos and random side quests.

The rollout got funnier afterward: Drake made the film private shortly after the premiere, giving anyone who missed it a genuine case of FOMO. It returned to his official YouTube channel on September 17, finally letting everyone watch. One clip — Drake wearing a sweatshirt from the animated series "The Amazing Digital Circus" — went viral and pulled an unexpected fandom into the memes. Reactions split, but after weeks of teasing, the mysterious plan landing as a film made it the week's most-discussed story.

Source: Complex / The Source

Rakim, Kurupt & Masta Killa drop "The Godbody LP" — Eminem and Jay-Z share a track after ~25 years

Photo: Flowizm / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Rakim — one of the architects of modern rap — released "The Godbody LP," a collaboration with Kurupt and Masta Killa, on September 18. It's 15 tracks, produced by Rakim himself and Nick Wiz, with features from Snoop Dogg, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, KRS-One, Kool G Rap, Daz Dillinger, Buckshot and more — a gathering of 1990s greats and a grounded, purist record.

The biggest talking point: Eminem and Jay-Z appear on the same song. It's their first shared track in roughly 25 years — and rather than trading verses, they team up on an interlude paying tribute to Rakim. Jay-Z quotes one of Rakim's lines ("constant elevation causes expansion"), and Eminem speaks to how Rakim rewrote the very craft of rhyming. That the two legends line up in tribute rather than in battle says a lot about the album's intent.

Source: Wikipedia (The Godbody LP) / VIBE

AZ Chike's "NO REST FOR THE WICKED" — an LA hope with Tyler and Pharrell aboard

Photo: JD Sports / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

Los Angeles rapper AZ Chike released "NO REST FOR THE WICKED" on September 18 via Warner Records. The 14-track album features heavyweights including Tyler, the Creator, Pharrell Williams and Hit-Boy, and it's being received as a flagship for LA's current street-rap wave — a record carrying real hometown expectations.

Ahead of release, a Kendrick Lamar collaboration was teased alongside studio photos and generated plenty of buzz. But Kendrick's name was missing from the final tracklist, leaving fans to speculate about whether he actually appears. That's still unconfirmed — but between the album's confirmed features and the Kendrick chatter, it was the week's central LA story.

Source: The Source / HotNewHipHop

Producer Tay Keith's cause of death revealed — an accidental drug toxicity

Photo: MILLION DOLLAZ WORTH OF GAME / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

The cause of death for Grammy-nominated producer Tay Keith — who died at 29 in Nashville, Tennessee this June — was revealed to be an accidental drug overdose. According to an autopsy report obtained by ABC News and others, it stemmed from the combined toxicity of several substances (kratom-derived compounds and ketamine among them). Tay Keith was one of the defining architects of late-2010s trap, behind BlocBoy JB's "Look Alive" and major hits for Drake and Travis Scott.

Hip-hop has lost too many young talents to drugs in recent years, and the reminder that the same shadow reaches producers behind the boards landed heavily across the community. Rest in peace.

This item touches on drugs and sudden death. If you're struggling, please don't carry it alone — reach out to someone you trust or a professional support line.

Source: ABC News / Wikipedia (Tay Keith)

Cash Money x No Limit — the first-ever joint arena tour is on the road

Photo: Mikamote / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). No Limit's Master P.

New Orleans' two signature labels, Cash Money Records and No Limit Records, are touring the country together for the first time ever. The roughly 17-city arena run opened September 11 in Houston and is hitting venues around the country this week — a lineup that plays like a one-night history of New Orleans hip-hop.

The bill pairs Cash Money's Birdman, Juvenile, Mannie Fresh and B.G. with No Limit's Master P, Silkk the Shocker, Mia X, Fiend and Mr. Serv-On, plus special guest Boosie. Birdman and his brother Slim have framed the once-rival camps sharing a stage as a way of giving back to their city. In the streaming era, it's a rare chance to feel the roots of Southern hip-hop live.

Source: Variety / The Music Universe

Macklemore off the Ed Sheeran tour — Robert Kraft's role sparks a divided reaction

Photo: Selbymay / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Rapper Macklemore ("Thrift Shop") was removed from Ed Sheeran's Gillette Stadium date. The trigger was Macklemore's pro-Palestinian ("Free Palestine") stance; multiple outlets reported that Robert Kraft — owner of the New England Patriots, which own the venue — objected to his appearance, leading to the removal. Kraft's side reportedly viewed Macklemore's messaging as antisemitic, while support for Macklemore was also strong, and reaction split sharply.

Kraft was later reported to have pledged $2 million to aid Palestinians. The story moved well beyond music into a broader U.S. debate touching politics and religion. Beat Lab takes no side here; we're reporting the facts only, because it was one of the most-covered stories of the week involving a hip-hop artist.

Source: WBUR / Jewish Telegraphic Agency

DJ Akademiks and Meek Mill trade shots — private messages spill into public

Photo: AlfredGoodach / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Media personality DJ Akademiks and rapper Meek Mill have been feuding, and it's escalating. Akademiks leaked private messages between the two and tauntingly invited Meek to come to his house, ramping up the back-and-forth. Given that the pair were once close, the sight of their private exchanges going public has drawn plenty of eyes.

It isn't about a new release, but as a clash between two influential voices it dominated the week's social feeds — and reflected how deeply hip-hop media figures have become part of the story themselves.

Source: HotNewHipHop / AllHipHop

Coi Leray and Benzino keep it private, "rebuilding" off social media

Photo: Gabriel Brooks / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Rapper Coi Leray said she and her father — former rapper and media figure Benzino — are keeping their disagreements off social media and rebuilding their relationship privately. With a history of public clashes, her choosing not to air it out was noted approvingly.

It's a family matter, but it suggests Coi Leray is finding her own balance between career and personal life. Not a flashy headline, but a measured move that drew a warm reception.

Source: AllHipHop / HotNewHipHop

"GTA VI" to release a special album on the same day as the game

Rockstar Games is reportedly dropping a special album alongside the launch of the long-awaited "Grand Theft Auto VI," on the game's release day. Games and hip-hop have been deeply intertwined for years — through soundtracks and artist cameos — and the series' latest is drawing major attention for its music. Which artists will be involved remains to be seen.

Past "GTA" titles turned their soundtracks and radio-station programming into a part of the culture. Pairing the game launch with an album underscores just how close the two worlds have become.

Source: HotNewHipHop

Looking ahead: an early-October release rush and the next courtroom dates

On the release side, October 2 is the day to watch. Victoria Monét's "Frequency of Love" (which we covered last issue) and Quavo's "QRÖMELIFE" (executive-produced by Pharrell) are both due that day, and the weekly New Music Friday rush looks set to continue.

In the courts, Lil Durk — acquitted on all counts this week — still faces a separate federal racketeering (RICO) trial expected around October 5. The sentencing for Keffe D (Duane Davis), convicted of first-degree murder in the 2Pac case, is set for October 13. Sean "Diddy" Combs' appeal is also in motion. We'll round it all up next issue as things develop.

Source: Billboard / HotNewHipHop

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