NEWS
OVO Sound rapper Preme has attacked the idea that Kendrick Lamar destroyed Drake‘s career in their feud.
Posting a screenshot on X of Drizzy’s “Nokia” at number one on Apple Music’s Top 100: Global chart ahead of Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” and “Luther,” Preme wrote: “They said we were dead. They said it was over. They said Super Bowl was checkmate.
“They said he should take a few years off and disappear. Back on top even while beefing with the label and it’s only April! This why yall hate the boy.”
He later added: “The best revenge is success.”
The 39-year-old rapper, who is more of a member of Drake’s entourage these days than an active musician, is best known for his 2014 single “DnF” which featured the 6 God and Future.
Despite “Nokia” reigning supreme on Apple Music, Kendrick still has the edge over Drake on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Compton native’s “Luther” collaboration has now spent six consecutive weeks atop the chart, while “Not Like Us” and “TV Off” are also in the top 20.
His Canadian rival has seen his commercial success suffer a downturn since their beef erupted last year, but “Nokia” — the standout from his joint album with PARTYNEXTDOOR, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U — is offering a glimmer of hope that the tide may turn.
The ’90s-inspired call-and-response track initially debuted at number 10 on the Hot 100 and quickly fell out of the top 10. But on this week’s chart, it sits at number 7 after rising four spots — and may continue to climb the chart thanks to its recently released music video.
If Drake does manage to dethrone Kendrick (or whoever is occupying the top spot) on the Hot 100, it will be his first chart-topping single since 2023’s “First Person Shooter” — coincidentally the song that set the stage for their long-simmering rivalry to ignite.
Just days after landing her fourth No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Drop Dead,” Olivia Rodrigo is now getting major recognition from Niall Horan.
In a recent conversation with Rolling Stone published April 30, the former One Direction member shared insight into how he approaches songwriting, highlighting the comeback of bridges in pop and pointing to Rodrigo as a key influence behind it.
“It’s great to hear [bridges]. I feel like Olivia Rodrigo has been a big influence on that for pop writers,” the Irish artist said, before singing part of the “Drivers License” bridge. “What I like about Olivia’s music is [that] you feel like you’re getting one song and then you get a completely different song. It completely flips on its head musically, goes somewhere different, brings you to a bridge, brings you to some weird musical breakdown thing. Whatever [she] and Dan Nigro are up to is a good little team they’ve got going there. It’s definitely influencing people, including myself.”
Horan also spoke at length about his upcoming project Dinner Party, set to arrive June 5 through Capitol Records. He has already released two tracks from the record, including the title cut and “Little More Time,” both produced alongside Afterhrs, John Ryan and Julian Bunetta. The album rollout will be paired with an extensive 22-date tour across Europe, Ireland and the U.K. The Irish singer’s new release follows 2023’s The Show, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. During the interview, Horan also mentioned that his next era leans more into rock elements, something he connects back to his long-standing love for bands like Blink-182.
“That drum sound is something that we were trying to chase, and that comes from that late-’90s, early-2000s punk-rock era,” he said. “Rock’s been a big influence in my life since I was a child. I write pop songs, but dressing them up in a different way sometimes is quite cool. And now, the way my career is going, I’m completely thinking about live shows all the time. I learned so much from being on the road and being out there every night. There’s only so much sitting on Spotify you can do and reading comments before you actually get an idea of what people actually think. You can see it in the room. The rockier stuff really goes off at the shows.”
The “Slow Hands” hitmaker also has two U.S. stadium dates lined up for this year. Joining longtime friend and Grammy-nominated country artist Thomas Rhett, Horan is set to perform at GEODIS Park in Nashville on July 9 and Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania on July 19, with Live Nation handling promotion for both shows. Kashus Culpepper and Emily Ann Roberts will open the concerts. With such a packed touring schedule, all four remaining members of One Direction are expected to be on the road with new music this year. When asked about attending his former bandmates’ shows, Horan gave praise to Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson.
“I went to Harry’s show a couple of years ago, and that was just wild. Madness going on there,” he said. “It reminded me of the 1D stadium shows where it was just seas of people jumping up and down. Watching the things going on on the floor, all the fans dancing around, I love that. You feel a sense of pride watching the boys doing what they love to do, and the communities that they’re able to create. I’m going to try and get to a Louis show of some capacity in the next few weeks.”
Horan is now the fourth One Direction member to drop a new album this year. Tomlinson released How Did I Get Here? in January, Styles hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally in March, and ZAYN followed with Konnakol earlier this month on April 17.
