Hot Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. Streaming data and digital downloads were added to the methodology of determining chart rankings in 2012. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single sold in that given week. The song with the most weeks at number one is "Old Town Road", with a total of 20 weeks.
The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 7, 2008, live from Paramount Pictures Studios, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. Nominations for a majority of the categories were announced on the MTV program FNMTV after being selected through viewer online voting at MTV.com. The remaining, professional categories were chosen by a panel of music industry professionals and announced via press release on August 27. When the nomination process was first announced, it mentioned a previously-unheard professional category named "Best Story;" however, this award did not come to fruition when the list of professional nominees was revealed the following month.
Aubrey Drake Graham is a Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. An influential figure in contemporary popular music, Drake has been credited for popularizing singing and R&B sensibilities in hip hop. Gaining recognition by starring as Jimmy Brooks in the CTV teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–08), he pursued a career in music releasing his debut mixtape Room for Improvement in 2006. He followed this with the mixtapes Comeback Season (2007) and So Far Gone (2009) before signing with Young Money Entertainment.
We Are Young Money is the first compilation album by American hip hop record label Young Money Entertainment, and released on December 21, 2009 by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Motown Records. The album garnered a positive reception but critics were divided on the quality of the label's choice of artists. We Are Young Money debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200 and spawned three singles: "Every Girl", "BedRock" and "Roger That". The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over 1,000,000 copies in the United States.
The Loud Tour was the fourth overall and third world concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. Performing in over twenty countries in the Americas and Europe, the tour was launched in support of Rihanna's fifth studio album Loud (2010). Critics acclaimed the show for its liveliness and higher caliber of quality when compared to Rihanna's previous tours. The Loud Tour was a large commercial success, experiencing demand for an extension of shows in the United Kingdom due to popularity. In London, Rihanna played a record-breaking 10 dates at The O2 Arena. The tour ultimately grossed an estimated value of US$90 million from 98 reported shows and a total audience of 1,200,800. The Loud Tour became the seventh-highest-grossing tour of 2011.
The Club Paradise Tour was the second headlining tour by Canadian recording artist Drake. The tour came following the release of Drake's second studio album, Take Care. The tour's name spins off from the 2011 song "Club Paradise", a promotional single released ahead of the release of Take Care, which, in turn, borrowed its name from a strip club in Toronto. An official poster for the tour was released along with the announcement of the venture, showing Drake in the same room as is on the album cover, expressing the despondent conflicting stance about growing wealth and fame prevalent in the album.
The Watch the Throne Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West that began on October 28, 2011 in Atlanta and continued until June 22, 2012 with its final show scheduled in Birmingham. Originally scheduled for 23 performances, the tour was expanded to 34 performances in North America due to heavy demand for tickets; 29 shows were confirmed in the United States with 5 shows in Canada. Following massive success in the United States and Canada, Jay-Z & Kanye West announced the European leg of the tour on February 21, 2012 which featured 23 performances, bringing the number of shows to 57 at the time.
"Take Care" is the title track from Canadian rapper Drake's 2011 studio album of the same name. The song features guest vocals from Barbadian singer Rihanna. The song heavily samples Jamie xx's remix of Gil Scott-Heron's version of "I'll Take Care of You", written by Brook Benton. "Take Care" was released as the fifth single from the album on January 17, 2012. It is a club song about a couple in a relationship acknowledging they have been hurt in their past, but will look after one another.
"HYFR (Hell Ya Fucking Right)", also known as just "HYFR", is a song by Canadian rapper Drake from his second studio album Take Care (2011). The song features Lil Wayne and was released as the album's sixth official single. It was released to radio stations on April 24, 2012. The song was nominated for the 55th Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance, but lost to "Niggas in Paris" by Jay-Z and Kanye West.
Would You Like a Tour? was the third headlining tour by Canadian rapper Drake. It began on October 18, 2013 in Pittsburgh and continued until March 5, 2015 with its final show scheduled in Brisbane, Australia. Scheduled for 66 performances across North America, Europe, and Oceania, the tour was produced by Live Nation in conjunction with his third studio album, Nothing Was the Same.
Drake vs. Lil Wayne was a co-headlining concert tour by Canadian recording artist and rapper Drake and American rapper Lil Wayne. The tour is based on the fighting game Street Fighter, and supported by Capcom, the game's creator. Each concert pits both rappers in a battle against each other in a Street Fighter-style battle to determine who is "the best rapper in the world".
The 2016 MTV Video Music Awards were held on Sunday night, August 28, 2016 at 9:00–11:54pm EDT at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. Adele's "Hello" was the most nominated video with seven categories. This marked the 33rd edition of the live broadcast. Beyoncé led all winners with nine awards. Rihanna received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award after performing several medley numbers during the ceremony. Britney Spears marked her first performance at the awards show since the heavily criticized 2007 show nine years prior. Beyoncé won eight awards to bring her career total of wins to 25 VMAs, overtaking Madonna's previous record of 20 awards, making her the artist with the most wins in the history of the award show.
The Revival Tour was the second solo concert tour by American singer Selena Gomez, in support of her second solo studio album Revival (2015). The tour began in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on May 6, 2016, and concluded in Auckland, New Zealand at the Vector Arena on August 13, 2016.
The Anti World Tour was the seventh concert tour by Barbadian singer Rihanna, in support of her eighth studio album, Anti (2016). The tour was announced on November 15, 2015 and began on March 12, 2016, in Jacksonville and ended on November 27, 2016, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Dvsn is a Canadian R&B duo composed of singer Daniel Daley and producer Nineteen85. The duo is signed to Canadian rapper Drake through his label OVO Sound.
The Untouchable Tour was the third headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. It was launched in support of her second major-label studio album Thank You (2016), and consisted of concerts in North America and Europe. The tour was announced in April 2016, with dates being released at the same time. The show was produced by Live Nation Entertainment. The set list featured the majority of the songs from Thank You, all four singles from Trainor's debut major-label studio album Title (2015), "All About That Bass", "Lips Are Movin", "Dear Future Husband", and "Like I'm Gonna Lose You", and a cover of Drake's song "One Dance" (2016). The tour was positively received by most critics.
The Boy Meets World Tour was the fifth headlining tour by Canadian recording artist Drake, to support his album Views (2016), and his playlist More Life (2017). The European leg began on January 28, 2017, at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam and concluded at the same venue on March 29, 2017. The opening acts for the European leg were the Canadian R&B duo dvsn, along with Young Thug for the UK and Ireland concerts. An Australia and New Zealand leg began on November 3, 2017, in Auckland, New Zealand and ended in Melbourne, Australia on November 20, 2017. The opening acts for the Australian and New Zealand concerts were Boi-1da and Pi'erre Bourne, both performing DJ sets.
The Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour was the fifth concert tour by Canadian singer the Weeknd, in support of his third studio album Starboy (2016). The tour started on February 17, 2017, at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm and concluded on December 14, 2017 at Perth Arena in Perth.
Aubrey & the Three Migos Tour, presented as Aubrey & The Three Migos Tour LIVE!, was a co-headlining tour by Canadian rapper Drake, and American hip hop trio Migos. The tour began on August 12, 2018, in Kansas City, and concluded on November 18, 2018, in Atlanta.
The Blink-182 and Lil Wayne Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American rock band Blink-182 and American rapper Lil Wayne. The tour was in support of the group's eighth studio album, Nine, as well as Wayne's previously released twelfth studio album, Tha Carter V (2018). The tour began on June 29 in Hartford, Connecticut and concluded on September 16, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. One date coincided with Blink-182's appearance on the Vans Warped Tour 25th anniversary reunion show, as well as at 2019's Riot Fest. Welsh punk group Neck Deep was the opening act on the tour. It was the band's last tour with guitarist/vocalist Matt Skiba before his departure in 2022 upon original member Tom DeLonge's return.
