After a nail-biter of a chart battle presented formidable opponents in Bad Bunny and ENHYPEN, A$AP Rocky emerged victorious this week, earning his first Billboard 200 No. 1 album in over a decade with Don’t Be Dumb. Rihanna — Rocky’s longtime partner and global pop superstar in her own right — took to X (formerly Twitter) to celebrate the achievement, writing, “Just me here to let [y’all] know my baby daddy got the NUMBER 1 ALBUM!!! Aaahhhhhh hah! DONT BE DUMB!!!”
Last week also brought along the news of Rocky’s forthcoming arena-headlining Don’t Be Dumb Tour, which joined newly announced treks from Summer Walker (Still Finally Over It Tour) and Kid Cudi (Rebel Ragers Tour).
On Saturday (Jan. 24), newly minted Oscar nominee Teyana Taylor hosted Saturday Night Live, joining first-time musical guest Geese. From promos spoofing Waiting to Exhale-era Angela Bassett to live sketches belting out flight announcements, Taylor flaunted her comedic chops as she continues her awards campaign for her dramatic, scene-stealing turn in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another.
Kicking off this week (Jan. 26), Ye (the artist formerly known as Kanye West) took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal to offer a formal apology for his wildly controversial and anti-semitic statements over the past couple of years.
“One of the difficult aspects of having bipolar type-1 are the disconnected moments — many of which I still cannot recall — that led to poor judgment and reckless behavior that oftentimes feels like an out-of-body-experience,” he wrote. “I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment and meaningful change. It does not excuse what I did, though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from breakout star Trim’s new banger to another killer single from DaBaby. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
