Latest news with #Rob49
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dwight Howard Sends Tyrese Haliburton Message After NBA Finals Heroics
Dwight Howard Sends Tyrese Haliburton Message After NBA Finals Heroics originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has provided some unforgettable moments this postseason. Back in April, he was anonymously voted 'Most Overrated' by his peers around the league. Since then, it's safe to say he's been on a mission to prove them wrong—and Thursday night was just the latest example. Advertisement In Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Indiana Pacers led the Oklahoma City Thunder for just 0.3 seconds but ultimately pulled out a 111-110 win. The victory was a collective effort as Indiana shot over 46% from three. However, the night will be remembered by Haliburton's fourth game-winner of these playoffs. The shot and unprecedented victory attracted conversation around the sports world, including a shoutout from Hall of Famer Dwight Howard: "People saying What the Hell got into Haliburton," Howard wrote on social media. "It was that song once he heard his name in that song that man jumped to a top 5 player." The song Howard is referring to is the viral hit, "WTHELLY" by Rob49, released back in March. Haliburton caught wind of his name-drop earlier in the Pacers' playoff run and gifted the rapper courtside seats for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Advertisement Although brief, the lyric stuck in Indiana. Haliburton was seen wearing a shirt repping the rapper's track. Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) and Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7).© Kyle Terada-Imagn Images The 6-foot-5 guard is in his sixth season in the NBA after being selected No. 12 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. In these playoffs, Haliburton has averaged 18.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game. Coverage for Game 2 of the NBA Finals tips off on Sunday at 8 pm ET on ESPN. Related: Pacers Make History With NBA Finals Game 1 Win Against Thunder This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Axios
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter VI" arrives
After a nearly seven-year wait since "Tha Carter V," Lil Wayne fans finally get to listen to the next installment of the rapper's series with Friday's release of "Tha Carter VI." Why it matters: Lil Wayne remains New Orleans' most influential modern musician. What they're saying:"You got to think like how people study Bach and Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and Shakespeare," rapper Wyclef Jean told Andre Gee for Rolling Stone. "He's going to be regarded as one of the greatest renaissance wordsmith composers of our generation. Between the lines: It's not like Lil Wayne hasn't been busy since 2018. In just the past few years, the famously prolific artist has collaborated with fellow New Orleanian Rob49, Doja Cat, Nas, Jack Harlow and alongside 2 Chainz for an entire album. He's also made stops at home in New Orleans, dropping in for a surprise appearance at Essence Fest. It's hard to overstate how much Lil Wayne has accomplished since he was a young boy growing up in Hollygrove, begging for a chance to be on Ronald "Slim" Williams' and Bryan "Baby" Williams' Cash Money Records. That relationship helped Lil Wayne become a star, pairing him up with the Hot Boys and providing a platform from which he leapt into the stratosphere. Since then, Lil Wayne etched his way into rap history with his own style, which he has reinvented again and again. Meanwhile, he created his own label, Young Money, through which he signed stars like Drake, Nicki Minaj and DJ Khaled. Yes, but: The scope of his entrepreneurship can be overlooked, a fact that doesn't seem to bother him much. As Wayne told Gee for the Rolling Stone piece, "I'm fine being the best rapper, and then you just found out, 'Oh s—, he owns [Young Money]? Oh, he put Drake out? Oh, my God.'" Zoom in: "Tha Carter VI" is reportedly set to include an eclectic list of collaborators, including Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, Bono, Wyclef Jean and even Andrea Bocelli, who decided to sign on after hearing about how Wayne accidentally shot himself when he was 12 years old. Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, also receives production credit. The first single, "The Days," dropped this week as part of ESPN's promo for the NBA finals. The intrigue: Lil Wayne is touring to support the album, with a string of dates that doesn't include his hometown.
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
Rob49's rising success in the rap world
Rising rap star Rob49 joins ABC News Live to break down his career and his viral song WTHELLY.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rob49 Has the Whole World Saying ‘WTHelly'
Rob49 has something big to tell me: He's just realized that Bart Simpson said 'What the Halle Berry?' on an old episode of The Simpsons. On two occasions, the 'WTHelly' rapper interrupts our Zoom conversation to excitedly mention the revelation, asking someone offscreen to go to the Amazon Prime app to find the exact episode. 'That made my day bigger than the song going big,' he raves. Given the magnitude of his success with 'WTHelly,' the Simpsons clip must have really made his day. Since he dropped the song in March, you've probably seen an influx of people jokingly following up 'what the hell?' with 'what the helly?,' the lead query of his high-octane song-of-the-summer contender. With millions of streams on Spotify and Youtube, it's the kind of viral hit that everyone in the family can enjoy, provided they're all old enough to say the word 'hell.' More from Rolling Stone Leafs vs. Panthers Livestream: How to Watch Game 7 of the NHL Playoff Series Online Free 'What Happened to Justin Bieber?' How to Watch the New TMZ Documentary Online Free Justin Bieber Denies Rumors of Sean Combs Abuse in Rare Statement Rob says the song almost didn't make his recently-released album Let Me Fly, but his mother insisted it would be a hit; she was right. Now, Justin Bieber, Latto, Big Sean, and G Herbo are all tabbed for four upcoming 'WTHelly' remixes. They're just the latest artists to co-sign him, joining New Orleans great Lil Wayne, who featured on Rob's 'Wassam Baby' last year, and early advocate Birdman, who Rob says asked him to be on every album he ever does. Rob ended up releasing 'WTHelly' as the lead single from his album, which he says shows him taking more creative control of his music than ever. Rob debuted with 2020's Vulture and broke out with 2022's Welcome to Vulture Island, which marked him as an aggressive, blunt rapper with an ear for uptempo production. Songs like 'Homebody' and his short, graphic appearance on Travis Scott's 2023 hit 'Topia Twins' show that he has no problem telling the ladies everything on his mind. But he also makes mood music for the people who come from gruff environments like his native Fourth and Ninth Wards of New Orleans. When he raps 'I done took two pills, I'm bussin'/I'm clutchin', middle of the jungle' over the surging production of 'Pack Flipper,' he's a reminder for the people who've been there, and a tour guide for those who would never go physically. Throughout his catalog, Rob raps with an untamable presence that feels like a speeding Porsche set to skid off the road at any second. Listeners can take the ride through Rob's rhymes, and he knows the kind of velocitized beats to augment the experience. Rob admits his prior projects have often followed trends, but he's grown more confident in his own musicality as his career has developed. His new process resulted in a project where fans get the Rob49 they know and love on 'WTHelly,' like 'Preach' (with YTB Fatt) and 'On Sight,' but he also digs deeper than ever on introspective tracks like 'Hear Me Momma' and 'Where I'm From,' where he raps, 'I ain't never think I'd be rich, livin' how my life is.' When I ask him what kept him motivated during the dark times, he says, 'Just knowing you can be the one to change everything.' In five years, Rob's life has been totally upended. Things are moving fast — on this day, they're moving a bit too fast when he prematurely cuts our interview before I'm done asking questions. 'I'm damn near busy as hell right now y'all,' he says in his bellowing New Orleans twang. 'I'm not even going to lie.' How are you feeling about the feedback you've gotten for 'WTHelly'? Does it feel like it's hitting differently than your previous hits?Yeah, yeah, it is hitting definitely different than everything. It never was this crazy. This is the cleanest song I ever made that was a hit, honestly. The cleanest dirty song. It's crazy, right? It's almost like the dirtiest song, but it's clean because 'WTHellly' is not a curse word. It wasn't intentional at all. I just realized it a week ago. I heard you say that the title came from something you and your friends say. Do you remember the first time somebody said it and how y'all reacted?I remember I was like, 'Brother, stop fucking saying that shit around me. Brother, say, 'What the fuck?'' And they kept saying, 'What the helly? What the helly?' Until one day I made a mistake and said it. And then that shit was stuck in my head. I was on tour and they was in the studio, I'm like, 'Man, I'm about to make the 'WTHelly' song.' Do you have a favorite meme or reaction of somebody playing the song?The choir and the old ladies. That's my favorite. [They say] 'What the hell? What the hell? What the hell?' — that's what they were saying on that. 'What the Halle Berry?' In church?Yeah, for sure. They're going straight to where they was talking about. They didn't say 'helly-lujah.' They should have said that. They should have went that way with it, but they just went the straight doggish way. You posted a screenshot with four 'WTHelly' remixes. How did they come together? All of them reached out to me. Every single one. The only one I reached out to was [G Herbo]. And I reached out to Herb because we did it months before. We did it five months before it came out. So the other three artists just sent you a file like, 'This is a version of your song with my verse on it. Here you go?'Exactly. I actually called Justin Bieber and was like, 'Man, you should get on the remix.' And he's like, 'I thought you was going to say that.' And while we were still on the phone, he's like, 'Check your messages. I just sent you the remix.' He had already recorded it, waiting on Had already did that shit. Probably did it before because I called him right then and there. You and G-Herbo have a collaboration on the project called 'Swerve.' When did y'all first meet?On Nardo Wick's tour. When I met him, I'm like, 'Man, I listen to you all day, brother.' I had showed him my Apple Music to show him like, 'Man, your shit been downloaded. I really do this.' He showed me I been downloaded on his phone. [Then] I had seen an interview of him saying, 'My favorite songs right now is two.' He's like, 'Rob49 actually got both of the songs.' Do y'all share music with each other?Hell yeah. We always be on that. That's really the nigga I look at and take what I like from what they do. That's my nigga. I been with him a lot. Do you know your plan to roll out the remixes?I don't feel like you don't need no rollout, man. I think we just go. First I'm going to go with the Justin Bieber first, then I'm going to go with the Latto and Herb one together. Then I might drop one more. I don't know. Might drop the Big Sean one. I saw that you opened a venue called the Nest Lounge in New Orleans. What made you want to open a lounge?I always just wanted, when people come to New Orleans, them to have somewhere to go. And that's how I came up with it. For real. It's not a lot of choices. [We] really don't have nothing. Really? I thought New Orleans was a big party But not for people like us. Lil Baby not bouta' go walk on Bourbon. You feel me? Everybody came down [to the lounge]…. That's my shit. 100 percent my shit. Ain't no partners. These niggas be doing partners and all that. How important is it for you to give back to the community in New Orleans?I don't know. I really don't think of it like that. It's just like, I know I'm in love with my hometown. Everybody in love with their hometown. I know a lot of niggas leave, but I be trying my hardest to stay there even though it's not the best thing for me. So I don't be there as much, but be trying. What's the meaning behind your album title, ?When I put it as my title, a lot of people [were] like, 'Man, you tripping with that.' But I put it because I'm like, 'Man, this is going to be the one.' This before 'WTHelly' came. I'm like, this going to be the one that be like, 'Man, give dude his shot because he coming crazy.' Let Me Fly. It's my turn. And it actually worked out in my favor. Why did you think people would say you were tripping with it?Because they didn't understand the meaning behind what I was saying. But I understand that. It's all right. What do you think is the story being told on the project? Is it just your evolution, like you said?Yeah, it's an evolution. This not everyday Rob, you heard all that. Now this is what we doing. This just popping shit. It ain't even too much storytelling. I probably got three of them on the song. But other than that, just popping it. Every song, every line, every ad lib. I heard Birdman talking on the intro and then on 'Scarface.' How did that come together?He just called me one day and was like, 'Man, Neph', do me a favor.' I'm like, 'What?' [He's like], 'Man, I want to be on every album you ever drop in your life.' I told him all right and I told him I promise, and that was three albums ago. So when I said I promised, even though I shouldn't have promised that, I just was like, 'Fuck it. I told him. So that's what it is.' He just fuck with me. He been fucking with me since before I even made it. When I ain't have nothing. Nigga flew me to L.A. and was like, 'Man, I wanna sign you.' This before I was even signed to anybody. I probably had a thousand dollars to my name. He was telling me, 'You going to be the biggest. Trust me.' So he been believing. How much does outside opinion factor into what you want to do with your music?It mattered too much, honestly. But now I'm in a state like, man, I don't give no fuck what nobody think. I know this shit hard because I said it out my mouth. I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't hard. On two of the features on your album — Meek Mill on 'Supposedly' and Herbo on 'Swerve' — you're doing verses back and forth with them. Was that on purpose, or did it just happen like that with both of the songs?It wasn't on purpose. We just really recorded it together. With Meek, I had wound up structuring that like that because he had been had the song. He played 'em for me. Do you write your bars or do you write in your head?I be punching in. I ain't writing. I ain't write in four years, five years. What made you decide to make that shift?I don't know. I just felt it was better energy with the punch. Listening to the project, your energy and your cadences are some of the most unique things about the project. How do you decide how you're going to approach a track, cadence-wise? It's a feeling that you get. You asking me that question, I kind of was like, 'Huh?' But it's like when you hear the beat, whatever vibe you get from it, whatever feeling you get from it, that's what you're going to say out your mouth. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rob49 on Viral Stardom, ‘Let Me Fly,' Collab Album With G Herbo & Making Music With Justin Bieber
In an age of elusive algorithms and viral fame, Rob49 has had an uncharacteristically steady rise for a young rapper. After an uneventful stint in the National Guard and two semesters at Southern University, Rob49 picked up the mic for fun during the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost immediately, he garnered co-signs from industry vets like French Montana, and inked a record deal before the year was out. From there, Rob's uptick in popularity hasn't ceased — much to the surprise of everyone, even him. 'I ain't never wanna be no rapper. I used to really be looking at rappers like they were lying,' Rob told Billboard of his early days. 'Like, 'Ain't no way you doin' what I'm doin and made it out this s—t.' Now, I feel like all rappers gotta be doing what they're talking about — because ain't no way your hood let you [fake] that, let you say what you say and get away with it.' More from Billboard Morgan Wallen Reclaims ARIA Albums Chart With 'I'm the Problem' Miley Cyrus Performs Live Debut of 'More to Lose' on 'Kimmel' Rob Thomas Announces 2025 Australia and New Zealand Tour Rob49's latest album, Let Me Fly, is a testament to that relentless hustle, and to the acceptance that clearly he was built to be a rap star. The lighthearted nature behind his inescapable hit 'WTHelly' shows that making hit songs, even if the origin of it is rather silly, comes as easily to Rob as breathing. 'I don't be looking for a catchy record,' Rob says. 'I really just be doing what I want.' Below, Billboard talks with Rob49 about 'WTHelly,' linking with Justin Bieber, and the key to making good music. Let's set the record straight: Who was the first person to say 'what the helly?' I don't know who the first person was, but a lot of people are trying to take credit for it in my city. It's New Orleans slang right now. How are you feeling about the reception to 'WTHelly' so far? Were you expecting it to be a hit from the jump? I knew it was gonna be good, but I was kinda scared. A lot of the other releases I had, I was kinda thinkin', 'Oh this is gonna be it!' and it was not what it was supposed to be. I was scared ['WTHelly'] was gonna be one of them ones. I'm grateful for it [catching on]. It must be nice to see it starting to get the traction the song is getting. Did you see it? Did I see what? Did you see 'WTHelly' on your socials? I had to search it, it didn't just pop up for me. Ah, see that's why I asked you that. We ain't go hard enough then. What's your favorite 'WTHelly' flip? What the helly-Bron James. I came up with that one, and my friends came up with the rest. How are you feeling about the reception to the remix? Justin Bieber's verse seemed to really divide people, and I can't help but notice you haven't dropped it. I was gonna drop the [remix] with [G Herbo] first and add it to the album, but we wound up doing it too late. So it might come out the next day on the album, then we're just gonna go from there with it. Do you plan to drop the Justin Bieber remix as well? I talked to Justin a couple of days ago and he was telling me he wanted to do some more songs. So I don't know. How is he feeling about the reception to his verse? It was pretty divisive when it dropped. It's funny — when he first did it, he was like, 'What you think? You think I can go harder?' I told him like, 'Man I love it, bro — if you feel comfortable about it, if you like it, then I love it.' You know? Were you surprised by people's negative reaction to Bieber's verse? No, not really. I knew it was a possibility, because — it was the same way when he asked me, 'Do you think I can go harder?' What do you think people misunderstood about it? Probably the singing part. You just never know what it's gonna be — and fans don't understand that all the time, that you don't know what a hit is. Like, it just kinda happens. Some people might've been, like, 'Oh my god he sung!' and if it would have been a hit it would have been a crazy banger. That be the difference between songs. Tell me about the work you did with Birdman on this album. What did you learn from working and talking with him? Just go hard, cause you get a lot of motivation from him like that and I just be accepting it. We don't really be talking about too much. Don't let up, don't take it for granted, stuff like that. You mentioned New Orleans — what's your relationship like with your hometown right now? I love my city, but when I go back there now it just feels like dry energy. There's nothing really there, in terms of anything. I saw so much stuff traveling the world, it just doesn't feel like enough for me — and that's scary. I ain't never wanted it to be like that because I like going home. I noticed Skilla Baby's not on — is that collab album still coming? I'm gonna call him and talk to him about that. Right now, I'm working on a collab album with me and G Herbo. I don't know what we're gonna name it — one of my close friends be saying, 'Ghetto Poet' or something like that. I think I wanna name it that. I was gonna ask [G Herbo] how he feel about that. 'Ghetto Poet' sounds great for an album, right? Absolutely. I'm curious about how you approach dropping music. For a lot of young guys the blueprint has been too flood the streets with as much music as possible, but you've been very intentional with the singles you've dropped since 4 God II. I just didn't wanna drop no bulls—t. But at this point in my life I don't care. I know if it's hard, it's better than yours. They got a lot of people out here dropping stuff that's not better than mine. Do you ever worry about losing momentum? I definitely feel nervous about it. I was nervous this time, but I wasn't nervous for myself, I was nervous cause everyone around me was getting nervous. I keep tellin' em we good, but then they keep getting nervous! But you gotta be a strong-minded person, and not let people around you dictate your movements. How did you creatively approach differently than ? I just wanted to be myself for real. 4 God II, it did good, but I felt like I was listening to the people a lot about the songs I was picking and stuff. This time, no one has say so but me. Do you feel pressure with this record to take it to the next level? I don't feel no pressure, I just feel like we gotta go hard. Right now, we don't have to come out with a fake roll out. The songs are going up for real — it's not a game. Right now, I feel like I gotta show you [who I am], because a lot of people hold they nuts. You not gonna be able to hold your nuts this year. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
