Between Megan Thee Stallion‘s “Hiss” and Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar‘s “Like That,” hip-hop rang in 2024 with war. Now, as Halloween approaches, peace might be the new name of the game.

On Friday (Oct. 18), Young Thug wrote on X, “@Drake @1future @MetroBoomin we all bruddas. Music aint the same without us collabin.” The Billboard Hot 100-topping rapper — who has collaborated with all three of the rappers he mentioned — appeared on We Don’t Trust You, the Billboard 200-topping joint album between Future and Metro, which ignited the Lamar-Drake feud by way of “Like That.” Future did not respond to Thugger’s post, but he did share it on his own page, prompting fans to speculate about a truce that would bookmark one of the most shocking battles in modern hip-hop.

Lamar, for his part, did not acknwoledge the post — but he did sit with SZA for an interview in the latest issue of Harper’s Bazaar, in which he details what “Not Like Us” means to him. Megan, whose “Hiss” also took aim at Drizzy, announced the release of Megan: Act II, a deluxe reissue of her self-titled June LP, which topped R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Out Oct. 25, the revamped set will arrive just six days before her In Her Words documentary premieres on Prime Video on Halloween (Oct. 31).

In legal news, Diddy was hit with yet another round of lawsuits on Sunday (Oct. 20), including one shocking allegation that he “drugged and raped a thirteen year-old girl at a house party” in the presence of unnamed celebrities (who also participated in the assault) following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.

With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Dajah Dorn’s ode to the ’90s to Jordan Adetunji and Lil Baby’s new link-up. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.

Freshest Find: Dajah Dorn, “90s Fine”

The current era’s obsession with the ’90s is already insufferable, but if it gives us more records like Dajah Dorn’s “90s Fine,” then, by all means, let it continue. “They love my Southern demeanor/ Doing what I want, I’m a R&B diva, okay/ I’m just having my way/ Ain’t nothing bringing me down, I’m up now,” rap-sings over a laid-back drum-heavy hip-hop soul beat reminsicent of the subtle sensuality of ’90s Mary J. Blige. As the pre-chorus comes in and morphs into the hook, Dajah sharpens her delivery into straight singing, her honeyed tone and gentle vibrato complementing Buda and Grandz & Saint Cassius’ unfussy soundscape. It’s not often that a song inspired by the ’90s doesn’t sound like paint-by-numbers creation of a track from that era, but leave it to Dajah to truly deliver.

Nija, “Unruly”

In between penning Hot 100-topping hits for Ariana Grande (“Positions) and tracks for Beyoncé’s Grammy-winning Renaissance LP (“Cozy”), New Jersey multi-hyphenate Nija still finds time to write some bangers for herself. “Unruly,” her first solo offering since 2022’s “Love Like This,” extends her stay in the moody drill-meets-R&B lane she helped cultivate with 2022’s Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You. “Rude, unruly/ They don’t come as bad as this, no/ One of one,” she proclaims over a skittering beat that nods more to sexy drill than its brasher forefather. With her lyrical embrace of raucous freedom when it comes to her love life — and life in genreal — Nija offers up a worthy female perspective to the still-raging slizzy era of New York drill.

Ari Lennox, “Smoke”

Back with her first solo singe of the year, Ari Lennox is throwing it back to Motown. Lennox has been open about both her struggle with social media and her sobriety journey, and she lets out all of her frustration on “Smoke.” “Talk shit now/ I might just slap a bitch in the face/ It could blow up/ You’re lucky I’m just lightin’ my sage,” she promises in the second verse of the doo-wop-infleceted, BongoByTheWay-helmed track. The driving force of “Smoke” is Ari’s impassioned vocal performance, her piercing timbre ringing across the track and nailing the sense of urgency that the hook is anchored by. “Save all your f—s for me/ I want all the smoke,” she proclaims — and she gives us no choice but to wholeheartedly believe her.

Lexa Gates & Zeelooperz, “Sweet.. Time”

Lexa Gates is here with her Elite Vessel debut album after spending the final 12 hours until the project’s arrival inside a glass box case in the middle of an NYC park. Brass woodwinds produce a jazzy backdrop for Gates to nestle her way through a timeless beat that could’ve arrived any of the last few decades. “Sweet.. Time” displays Gates’ full repertoire as a talented singer-rapper and she doesn’t waste a second packing a punch through listeners’ chests. “I love you so much I want to kill myself,” she pleads, before eventually handing the baton to Detroit’s Zeelooperz for a spicy assist. 

Jordan Adetunji & Lil Baby, “Options”

If something’s not broken, don’t fix it. Jordan Adetunji builds off of the massive success of his Billboard Hot 100 hit “Kehlani” with “Options,” featuring an appearance from Lil Baby. JA continues experimenting with melodies, but installs a similar bass drum pattern that became looped in fans’ heads on “Kehlani.” Partners are only as faithful as their options and Adetunji has plenty of avenues to explore, but he prefers to hone in on a certain love interest. Lil Baby makes it two for two when connecting with singers recently following his 4batz collaboration last month. 

Sofia Ly, “Needy”

Romance and an acoustic guitar have been a cathartic formula for R&B success throughout the genre’s existence. Sofia Ly returns with her second single “Needy” as the Cambodian-Canadian singer peels back the layers of a turbulent relationship while vulnerably sifting through her insecurities. “I wanted Needy to feel like having a conversation with myself,” she says about the poignant track. “It’s about battling that inner voice when you’re not sure if someone still cares, and how easy it is to second-guess everything when they start pulling away.” Essentially, love fades but the scars last forever. The 19-year-old recently inked a deal with LiveHelpLive/Pulse Records and is a name to keep an eye on going forward. 

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Monday Night Football is back with another doubleheader! The Baltimore Ravens take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, plus the Los Angeles Chargers face the Arizona Cardinals for MNF Week 7 on Monday (Oct. 21).

The Buccaneers are set to host the Ravens at Raymond James Stadium for tonight’s game, airing live on ESPN and ABC.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals will host the Chargers at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The Phoenix Children’s Chorus will perform the national anthem ahead of the game.

For the football fans who want to watch the teams face off in person, there’s still time to score tickets at an affordable price. The cheapest tickets for the Ravens vs. Buccaneers game are currently priced from around $125 and up at StubHub and Gametime. Tickets for the Cardinals vs. Chargers game cost around $41 and up.

Read on for a schedule of upcoming games, plus ways to watch and stream tonight’s games live and on-demand (with and without cable).

How to Watch Monday Night Football on ABC, ESPN & More

Good news for fans who don’t have cable: MNF has expanded into network TV! ABC will simulcast select games this season, as the network announced last September, per The Hollywood Reporter. This season, six additional games will be simulcast across ABC and ESPN, the network announced last week.

You can stream MNF games on DirecTV, Fubo, Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV.

Although the Ravens vs. Buccaneers game will simulcast across ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+, tonight’s Chiefs vs. Cardinals game will be the first NFL game to stream exclusively on ESPN+. As with most MNF games, the Ravens vs. Buccaneers game kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET/5:15 p.m. PT. (Monday Night Kickoff with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman is at 7:15 p.m. ET).

The Chargers vs. Cardinals game is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

DirecTV customers offers a free trial at sign up and over 90 cable and local channels including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ABC and ACCN. New customers can save $30 off for a limited time.

Not interested in DirecTV Stream? For sports fanatics looking for streaming alternatives, Fubo, Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV are some of the streamers that provide instant access to ABC, ESPN and other channels.

Depending on which package you choose, DirecTV’s streaming plans lets you access specialty channels like Big Ten Network, ACC, SEC, MLB Network, CBS Sports Network, Starz, Encore, Max, Ion, NHL Network and more.

There are also several other affordable ways to watch local channels such as ABC, NBC and CBS. For example, you can buy an HDTV antenna like this one on sale at Amazon for $22 (free shipping for Prime members), and of course, football lovers can subscribe to streamers such as FuboTV and Sling TV.

For around $20-$75, you’ll get to stream live TV and on-demand content, including sports channels and DVR storage. And now that the football season has officially arrived, many of your favorite streamers are offering streaming deals for the NFL season and beyond.

For example, you’ll get a free trial with Fubo to watch your favorite football games for free for up to a week and a discount at sign up.

Looking for more streaming deals? Sling TV is half off for your first month. That means you can subscribe and stream all TV shows, movies, football games and other sports content starting at just $20. One of Sling’s best streaming deals is the Orange & Blue packages and the Sports Extra bundle starting at $199 when you prepay four months in advance.

Looking for another affordable option? Subscribe to Fubo and save $20 off your first month.

Fubo’s streaming plans start at $59.99/month (reg. $79.99) after a week free. Fubo Pro, one of the cheapest among the aforementioned streaming plans, includes 202 channels, 1000 hours of Cloud DVR and streaming on up to 10 screens. For Spanish speakers, Fubo Latino is $19.99/month (regularly $32.99/month) to stream 62 channels.

You can also watch NFL games on YouTube TV and NFL+, the latter starts at $6.99/month for the base subscription and $14.99/month for NLF+ Premium.

With NFL+, football fans can watch or listen to games live and on-demand, plus enjoy recaps and more.

How to Watch Monday Night Football Games on ESPN+

Gone are the days of simply switching channels to catch all of your favorite NFL games, and it can be hard to keep track of which games are streaming on which platforms. For example, Prime Video is the streaming home for Thursday Night Football, while Sunday football games are available on NBC, CBS, Paramount+ and Peacock, and some Monday Night Football games are scheduled to simulcast on ESPN+ and ABC.

With ESPN+, you’ll get access to football and more for $11.99 a month (or bundle with Disney+ and Hulu). Watch the NFL, college football, soccer, MLB, NBA, NHL, UFC, PGA Tour, Top Rank, PLL Playoffs, Premiere League, La Liga, cricket and other sporting events on ESPN+.

What else can you stream on ESPN+? Sports lovers can binge dozens of must-watch series and TV shows, and original content such as PPV fights, the entire 30 for 30 series and tons of other exclusives such as Shohei Ohtani: Beyond the Dream, In the Arena: Serena Williams, The Captain, Tom Brady: Man in the Arena, Al Davis vs. The NFL, Vick, Be Like Water, Breakaway, More Than An Athlete with Michael Strahan, Eli’s Place, Abby’s Place, The Place’s Universe, Why Not Us: Grambling Dance and Our Time Baylor Basketball.

ESPN+ isn’t on sale right now, but you can subscribe to the annual plan ($119.99) to save around $22 off the monthly price. Also, Hulu offers a student discount for just $1.99/month and bundle deals allow you to save on streaming packages. For example, the Disney+ Trio Basic bundles Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ for $16.99/month.

Keep in mind, while there are different ways to watch football games from your TV, phone, laptop or computer, the price will vary depending on the platform. Fortunately, ESPN is available on several streamers including Fubo, Sling and Hulu + Live TV.

Hulu + Live TV gives you access to 90+ channels in edition to ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+, and DVR storage, for $59.99/month under the limited promo. Click below to redeem the promo before it ends.

Monday Night Football: Games, Dates & Time

Monday Night Football kicked off on Sept. 9 and will continue into January 2025. The season’s debut game between the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers averaged 20.5 million viewers, down from the previous year.

By comparison, last year’s MNF kickoff game between the Jets and Bills drew a record-breaking 22.6 million viewers, making it the most watched MNF game in history beating out the previous record-holder, a 2009’s game between the Packers and Vikings.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2023 win over the Chiefs last November drew a record 29 million viewers in total, a 27-year ratings high and the highest numbers of the season for a single game since the Super Bowl.

Beyond the game itself, NFL ratings have received a boost thanks in part to Taylor Swift who appeared at the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens season kickoff, and has shown up to a few other games to support for her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Swift attended the Chiefs vs. Saints MNF game earlier this month.

NFL ratings hit another high mark last Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Last year’s Thanksgiving game between the Cowboys and Commanders snagged a whopping 44 million viewers, the third-largest audience for a regular season game in history. The game, where the Cowboys beat the Commanders 45-10, aired on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.

The NFL team is no stranger to Thanksgiving games as the Cowboys have played a game on Thanksgiving day nearly every year since 1966. Next month, the Cowboys will play the New York Giants in one of three NFL games on Thanksgiving. Lainey Wilson is slated to perform at halftime.

Will this new season score even bigger ratings? We’ll have to wait and see, but fans who want to watch games live, either from home or on-the-go, can easily stream select NFL games and more on ESPN+.

MNF sounds a bit different this season. That’s because ESPN enlisted the help of J Balvin to curate the music for select games. Chris Stapleton, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake curated the music for last year’s games, preceded by Marshmello in 2022, Drake in 2021, DJ Khaled in 2020 and Diplo in 2019.

To kick off the collaboration, the NFL debuted a remix of Balvin’s song “DOBLEXXO” featuring Feid from his new album Rayo.

“ESPN’s Music curation program with Monday Night Football continues with an artist that will amplify the bold and new music strategy,” said Curtis Friends, ESPN vice president of sports marketing. “J Balvin is a global icon whose influence hits with diverse cultures and genres. His music choices embrace the anticipation and excitement the ESPN football season offers, and we can’t wait for him to come along the season-long ride with us.”

With the season is nearly halfway over, there are a ton of games left on the MNF schedule, and plenty of opportunities to watch them live. Click here to get tickets to see your favorite NFL games in person.

Want to stream MNF from outside of the U.S.? With ExpressVPN, NordVPN and PureVPN you can access several streaming platforms and channels.

See the full 2024 MNF schedule here.

Snoop Dogg wants to see more originality in rap these days. The Doggfather said in a new interview that he believes there are too many copycats running around hip-hop and there needs to be more artists looking to stand out rather than following the trends.

Snoop and Dr. Dre stopped by The Stephen A. Smith Show on Friday (Oct. 18), where the legendary West Coast duo spoke candidly while giving their thoughts on today’s landscape of rap.

“Be original,” Snoop said when asked what he would tell an aspiring artist. “Right now there’s so much copycatting, mimicking, sounding alike and imitation. Find your production, your sound — find your ear for who you are and be original even if it ain’t hitting. Stay you.”

Dr. Dre chimed in about wanting to see artists find their sound with a specific collaborator, as he isn’t a fan of songs or albums with a multitude of producers involved in the creative process.

“Find your collaborator. I don’t like the fact there’s nine different producers on one album. I like the idea of one producer on one album,” Dre added. “The continuity is everything for me. I don’t know [when that started], but I don’t like it. If you’re a producer, you should be able to produce the entire album. That’s what I thought it was supposed to be. That’s what I was doing at the beginning.”

Snoop Dogg chalked it up to there being a plethora of beatmakers in rap rather than traditional producers. “I think the fundamentals was taken out of it,” Snoop said of the industry. “Now it’s just a phone that makes you an artist. Something stupid gets you five minutes of fame, and you take that and make a record and you got a two-and-a-half-minute song saying the same thing somebody else just said and now you considered hot.”

He continued: “It used to be about creativity and understanding the musicianship, harmony, melodies and that don’t even matter anymore.”

However, Dre feels there’s a shift in the market from “mumble rap,” and he thinks there’s the next Prince or Michael Jackson out there coming up to change the game.

“I feel like it’s a change happening now from all this mumble rap that’s happening now,” the legendary producer predicted. “There’s somebody in somebody’s garage that’s gonna be the next Snoop or Dre or the next Prince or the next Michael Jackson that’s coming up with something that’s change the game.

“It’s gotta happen right now and it’s wide open because everything that’s happening right now in the music game — especially hip-hop — is weird as f–k,” Dre declared. “It’s gonna get back to the musicianship. I’m seeing it happen.”

Snoop and Dre are reuniting for their first album in more than three decades since 1993’s Doggystyle with their Missionary follow-up, which is expected to arrive in November.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is facing a lawsuit over allegations that it illegally displayed a copyrighted image of Van Halen, the latest of more than 50 such cases filed by veteran rock photographer Neil Zlozower over the past decade.

In a complaint filed Friday in Ohio federal court, attorneys for the litigious photog say the Rock Hall never paid to license Zlozower’s image – a black-and-white photo of late-70’s Van Halen in the recording studio — before blowing it up into an eight-foot-tall display in the Cleveland museum.

In his lawsuit, Zlozower says that an operation like the Hall, which is full of copyrighted images and sound recordings, ought to have known better.

“Defendant is a sophisticated company which owns a comprehensive portfolio of physical and digital platforms and has advanced operational and strategic expertise in an industry where copyright is prevalent,” his lawyers write. “Defendant’s staff have significant experience in copyright matters and are familiar with specific practices including the need to ensure that all of the works used in their exhibits have been properly licensed.”

A spokesman for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame did not immediately return a request for comment.

The Rock Hall is just the latest company to face a lawsuit from Zlozower, who also snapped images of Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen over a decades-long career. Since 2016, court records show he’s filed more than 57 copyright lawsuits against a wide range of defendants, demanding monetary damages over the alleged unauthorized use of his photographs.

He’s twice sued Universal Music Group, once over an image of Elvis Costello and another time over a photo of Guns N’ Roses, and sued Warner Music Group this summer over an image of Tom Petty. A different case targeted Ticketmaster, accusing the Live Nation unit of using an image of Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde. In 2016, Zlozower sued Mötley Crüe itself for using images he had snapped of Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee and other band members during their 1980s heyday.

In his new case against the Rock Hall, Zlozower’s attorneys say the museum made an “exact copy of a critical portion of plaintiff’s original image” for the exhibit, which they say “did not include any photo credit or mentions as to the source of the image.”

“The photograph was willfully and volitionally copied and displayed by defendant without license or permission, thereby infringing on plaintiff’s copyrights in and to the photograph,” the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit is seeking an award of so-called statutory damages – which can potentially reach as high as $150,000 per work infringed if Zlozower can prove that the museum intentionally infringed his copyrights.