Kendrick Lamar rarely lends his stamp of approval publicly, but K. Dot gave his co-sign to a rapper in his former Top Dawg Entertainment family.

Lamar declared Doechii to be the “hardest out” with an Instagram Story post on Thursday (Oct. 17), which featured the Florida native’s cover art to her acclaimed Alligator Bites Never Heal mixtape.

She returned the favor, reposting the IG Story thanking Dot for giving her the spotlight. “Thank you Dot, you the greatest,” the 26-year-old wrote.

Doechii added in a separate post: “Getting your flowers while you can smell them >>>”

Kendrick with the Doechii co-sign: “the hardest out ” pic.twitter.com/LxshwzicSR

— Pigeons & Planes (@PigsAndPlans) October 18, 2024

She joined the TDE family in 2022, while Lamar left the label that helped turn him into a rap titan later that year following the release of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Kendrick also shared The Barbershop short film starring Doechii, which was created in collaboration between his pgLang agency and Cash App. Calmatic directed the clip featuring Doechii, serving up some financial literacy in a straight-forward format as she explains interest in its simplest terms.

“I’m at a place now where I’m starting to make a budget and set financial goals for my future,” Doechii said in a statement. “I think it’s so important to be honest with each other when we talk about money, which is why I’m excited to be part of this campaign and share what’s been working for me.”

Lamar doesn’t speak out often when it comes to publicly wrapping his arms around younger artists. In the past, he gave his stamp of approval to XXXTENTACION’s 17 project in 2017. “Listen to this album if you feel anything. raw thoughts,” he tweeted at the time. “5th listen.”

Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

This week, Morgan Wallen shakes things up, ROSÉ links up with Bruno Mars and Gracie Abrams adds to a breakthrough project. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Morgan Wallen, “Love Somebody” 

On the first taste of his follow-up to last year’s blockbuster album One Thing at a Time, Morgan Wallen rearranges his tried-and-true formula, mixing his country twang with Latin rhythms on “Love Somebody” — but still prioritizing a massive chorus for his stadium crowds.

ROSÉ & Bruno Mars, “APT.” 

As her BLACKPINK group mates forge ahead with solo careers of their own, ROSÉ, who shined on her 2021 two-pack R, has teamed up with Bruno Mars for “APT.,” a slick pop confection full of clap-along refrains that will inspire wide-ranging shimmying if it ever gets a proper live performance.

Gracie Abrams, The Secret of Us (Deluxe) 

Gracie Abrams continues the most successful year of her career with this deluxe edition of sophomore album The Secret of Us, which boasts both her quick-rising hit “I Love You, I’m Sorry” as well as emotionally piercing new tracks like the delightfully pissed-off “That’s So True.”

Bon Iver, SABLE, 

Five years after his most recent Bon Iver album, Justin Vernon returns with a triptych of songs that echo previous highs from his most well-known musical project: “Things Behind Things Behind Things” recalls the mighty indie-folk of his sophomore album, while “SPEYSIDE” is as hushed and gorgeous as the landmark debut For Emma, Forever Ago.

Yeat, Lyfestyle 

Yeat started the year with his compelling full-length 2093, and new album Lyfestyle finds the futuristic rapper on a creative tear, raging over hazy synths and trap beats alongside guests like Kodak Black, Lil Durk and Don Toliver.

Wizkid feat. Brent Faiyaz, “Piece of My Heart” 

To preview his upcoming sixth album Morayo, Wizkid has corralled Brent Faiyaz for a slinky love jam that doesn’t shy away from old-school R&B pleasures while also allowing the Nigerian superstar to showcase his nimble flow.

Farruko, CVRBON VRMOR 

Fans of Farrago’s signature hits and remixes will find plenty to enjoy on new album CVRBON VRMOR, as the Puerto Rican singer often pushes the tempo with the same vigor as “Pepas” — but the sprawling, 26-track project also includes mid-tempo delights like “Vibe” and “Blessings.”

Kylie Minogue, Tension II 

The viral success of “Padam Padam” helped draw attention to Kylie Minogue’s Tension, the pop veteran’s most complete project in years; with Tension II, Minogue offers another electro-tinged dance kaleidoscope, still delivering onomatopoeic hooks and sounding reinvigorated.

Riley Green, Don’t Mind If I Do 

Alabama singer-songwriter Riley Green has been turning heads in Nashville for a bit, and new album Don’t Mind If I Do aims at the mainstream with polished balladry and concise country jams that abide by the history of the genre.

Editor’s Pick: Mk.gee, “Rockman” 

Mk.gee’s debut album Two Star & The Dream Police has been fiercely beloved by tastemakers and indie fans since its February release, and the elastic bounce of new single “Rockman” plays out like a victory lap, with the harmonies reaching high and evoking celebration.

Amid the outpouring of grief and love in the wake of Liam Payne‘s shocking death at 31 on Wednesday following a fall from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina came a touching reminder from the former One Direction and solo star’s recent past to put things into perspective.

That prompt came from BBC Radio 2 host Scott Mills, who on Thursday (Oct. 17) played a letter Payne wrote to his 10-year-old self in 2020 and read on BBC Radio 1 as part of a pandemic series. Mills noted that during the COVID-19 shutdown, Payne came on his show to participate in the project asking artists to speak to their younger selves, and, looking emotional, added that the singer’s take now feels especially “poignant” in light of his tragic death.

“Dear 10 year old Liam. Get ready! It’s about to get a little bumpy,” Payne says in a fuzzy close-up video in which he’s wearing headphones. “Cherish every moment with your loved ones right now as there’s only a few more family holidays to enjoy, life is about to turn surreal. You know that thing you love, singing, keep it up and when you turn 14 something magical is going to happen and I’m not talking about puberty.”

The singer tells his 5th grade self that not only will he audition for “one of the biggest music shows in the world,” The X Factor, but that he will also meet the future mother of his now seven-year-old son Bear, Girls Aloud member Cheryl Cole.

“I know it seems early but just trust me it’s all gonna work out however it’s supposed to. I suggest you watch Back to the Future, it might help,” Payne joked at the time. “You are now famous and it feels like you’ve peaked way too early you cocky little bugger, but you have barely even started yet. Take it down a notch and remember it’s a marathon not a sprint,” he said, noting that his first audition for X Factor in 2008 as a solo act — where judge Simon Cowell said he wasn’t quite ready yet — wasn’t even “base camp” in his wild ride to global stardom.

“For a while you’ll feel like giving up. But don’t, as you’re about to meet four other guys on the same track as you,” he said of his second try in 2010, when Cowell paired him up with his eventual 1D mates: Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson.

“When you first meet them it’s going to be chaos but just remember to enjoy yourself, stay young at heart as that’s what this point of your life is all about. Forgive more and learn to listen,” Payne counseled. “You will have the most amazing time of your life, travel the world and live a life you barely imagined. Then it will end for a while and you’ll be left with nothing but the steering wheel.”

Payne also told his young self that after 1D’s hiatus in 2016 things would feel “scary” for a bit, “like you’re alone, but you are not. You’re about to start a totally new journey with the most amazing person you’ve ever met, your son Bear.”

Bear, Payne’s only child, was born in 2017, a year before he and Cole split. “Don’t doubt yourself at this Dad thing, just look at all the things you’ve learnt along the way, surely that must mean you have a lot to give,” he said. “Be grateful and try to remember very day you’re doing something you love that took ten years to build. The first single will skyrocket and you’ll never see it coming but stop with the self doubt and you’ll be fine.”

The letter ends with Payne giving a “big hug” to his mom, dad and his entire family.

Payne’s death has prompted tributes from around the globe, including personal notes from all his former 1D mates and a are joint statement from the living members on Thursday, as well as tributes from Payne’s family and his former school.

Local authorities said that believe Payne was not sober at the time of his death, reporting that they found substances that appeared to be narcotics and alcoholic drinks in his room. A preliminary autopsy confirmed that Payne died from multiple traumas and internal and external hemorrhages sustained from the impact of a fall from the third-story of the Casa Sur hotel in the Palermo district in Argentina. 

In the moments leading up to the star’s death, a hotel manager called 911 to report that a guest was “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol” and “destroying [their] entire room”; by the time police arrived on scene, Payne had already fallen from the balcony of his room and died due to his injuries.

Watch Payne reading his letter below.

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Dorothy “Dottie” Leonard Miller, an entrepreneurial executive who founded several influential gospel and Christian music companies during a career spanning decades, died Friday (Oct. 11) at age 79.

After launching her own distribution company, New Day Christian Distributors, in 1981, Miller went on to create a veritable empire in the faith-based music business, with subsequent ventures including DayWind Soundtracks, DayWind Records, DayWind Music Publishing, two recording studios, and a cassette and CD manufacturing facility. More recently, she expanded her businesses to encompass DayWind Worship (choral music), Spiritus Distribution (Catholic products), Billy Blue Records (bluegrass), Billy Jam Records (country and Americana), Billy Blue Publishing and the DayWind Music Foundation, which provides an internet radio station focused on Southern Gospel.

“Dottie was a visionary, a pioneer, she was determined, humble, and generous,” said Rick Shelton, vp of DayWind Publishing, in a statement. “Serving her vision, her artists, her songwriters and the industry she loved has been a tremendous honor. What she did with her life touched the lives of so many.”

Across her various music ventures, Miller worked with a laundry list of gospel and Christian artists including the Cumberland Boys, Greater Vision, the Crabb Family, Karen Peck and New River, Brian Free and Assurance, The Isaacs, Triumphant Quartet, Down East Boys, the Perrys, the Hoppers, Jonathan Wilburn, the Steeles, the Nelons, Lefevre Quartet, Michael English, Appalachian Road Show, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Tennessee Bluegrass Band, Carolina Blue, Kristy Cox and Grasstime, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, and Bob Minner.

Miller’s success garnered her a slew of awards over the years, including lifetime achievement awards from the Gospel Music Association, BMI and the Southern Gospel Music Guild. She was also inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

“Dottie Leonard’s story is a woman with vision, faith, and courage to make a difference,” said Jackie Patillo, president of the Gospel Music Association, in a statement. “Her work and tenacity will be forever remembered as will her legacy as a single mother, founder of Daywind Records, and New Day Distribution, and member of the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame. On behalf of the GMA Board of Directors and the entire gospel music community, we say farewell to Dottie and offer our deepest condolences to her family as she has now received her greatest reward.”

Born Aug. 10, 1945, in Wilmington, Del., Miller’s early jobs included clerical work at an accounting firm and a law firm, selling Jhirmack hair products, and working for the Democratic Party of Tennessee on campaigns for Senator Jim Sasser, President Jimmy Carter and more. As a single mother raising two children in Hendersonville, Tenn., she made ends meet throughout this early period by working a second job in ER admissions at a local hospital.

Miller’s first music industry job came when she was hired as a receptionist at Calvary Records in Nashville. She went on to work with radio stations and Christian bookstores promoting artists including the Hinsons and the Telestials. She later took a job at Windchime Records, where she worked with artists including the Paynes and Heavenbound before founding New Day with funding from her father, brother Bill Golt and family friend Ray Lorrig.

In addition to her family, co-workers, friends and artists, Miller enjoyed spending time in Florida and at her cabin in Lafayette, Tenn., where she had alpacas, donkeys and goats. Her travels took her throughout the U.S., Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.

Miller is survived by her daughter, Susan Leonard Sovine, and grandchildren Taylor McKellar and Kennedy Sovine; her son, Ed Leonard, his wife Kathleen, and their children Eddie Leonard, Mary Leonard, Evan Leonard, Aidan Leonard (Caroline Leonard), Rachael Zuckett (Joey Zuckett), Caroline Leonard, Ian Leonard, Liam Leonard, and Emily Leonard; her great-grandchildren Leo Zuckett and Eloise Joyce; her sister, Cynthia Paranczak; and her longtime companion, Jere Miller. She was preceded in death by her brother, Bill Golt, and her parents, William and Dorothy Golt.

A celebration of Miller’s life will be held at a later date.

You can read more tributes to Miller below.

“For the more than forty years of our friendship, Dottie was a champion for our genre’s Music. She was a pioneer in her field, and she was passionate about her mission to get The Gospel to as many people as possible. I will miss her enthusiasm and our conversations, which always included lots of laughter. My friend is with The Lord, but we WILL meet again, soon!” – Gerald Wolfe, Greater Vision

“Dottie was one of my greatest heroes and influences. She blazed the trail for many of us in Southern Gospel Music. I love that she always trusted the Lord in fulfilling her dreams of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ into all the world. Those dreams became realities. Now she is reaping the harvest of the many souls she touched for the cause of Christ. I love and appreciate Dottie more than words can express. She will be greatly missed. Her legacy will live on forever.” – Karen Peck-Gooch, Karen Peck & New River

“Almost 30 years ago I met a wonderful, smart, classy lady named Dottie. She had the ability to make you smile even when you didn’t necessarily feel like it. She lit up a room the moment she walked in no matter who else was there. She also showed the world she was a savvy businesswoman by starting the best record company in the world. I’ll miss you Dottie and so will many other people but I’m glad you’re not in pain anymore. I’ll never forget your smile.” – Brian Free, Brian Free & Assurance

“I’ve been with Daywind Records for over 20 years. I’ll never forget Dottie taking a chance on signing me after I got out of rehab and I was only six months clean and sober. She will be truly be missed” – Joseph Habedank

“She was a front runner in a world where businesses were run by men. She was an incredibly strong woman. She gave a lot of families hope and jobs. Nothing got in the way of her vision. On a personal side, our family has been a part of Daywind for over 25 years. We love Dottie. When Shellye and I first got married, we were doing everything we could to make ends meet. Dottie would give us her condo to have a vacation. Dottie was special to all of us. She is forever going to be miss. BUT can you imagine what she’s doing right now? She’s having a time. We wouldn’t bring her back for nothing. Dottie, enjoy it. You told everybody about. You helped everybody tell others about it. Welcome into the kingdom.” – Jason Crabb

“We can only imagine the reunion our beloved friend Dottie is having with so many artists she helped and loved along the way. She is home and at perfect peace with her Savior who is no doubt smiling with her because of the incredible heavenly choir she helped ensure with her earthly faithfulness. We will join them one day and we will all finally feel complete. Dottie, you are so loved and will be missed so much.” – The Isaacs

“Our beautiful Dottie Leonard has taken her flight like a mighty eagle. What an exceptional woman of faith, wisdom, foresight, courage and excellence; she paved the way for so many of us! She was a true fan of Gospel Music and believed it was her lifelong calling to ensure that great gifts in us are to be celebrated & given worldwide platforms. On a personal note…. she was/is a dear friend whose legacy will live forever. She was the treasure of encouragement. We didn’t ‘lose’ her… we know exactly where she is! Please give Mama Dottie Rambo a hug from me. Love you so much… see you at The House.” – Reba Rambo

“Dottie was one of the most respected and admired people in Southern Gospel music and beyond! Her work ethic was what one should strive to emulate. Awarded here, rewarded on Heaven’s shore!” – Doyle Lawson

“We will always remember Dottie as a sweet, dedicated, woman of God, who changed the world with her love of gospel music, and we will be forever grateful for the gift of her encouragement in our lives.” – Jim and Melissa Brady

“I met Dottie over 30 years ago, and I knew then I had met a “life friend”. She was a friend, business partner, and great counselor. Life was made sweeter because of her love for me. I will meet her again because of our belief in the savior, Jesus Christ.” – Jonathan Wilburn

“Had it not been for Dottie Leonard Miller, you would have never heard a song I’d written, a track I’d produced, or an orchestration I’d created. She believed in me when others didn’t. She believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. She gave us the truest example of how faith in motion works. And now her faith has become sight. I am heartbroken, but I know I will find her again.” – Wayne Haun

“Dottie Leonard Miller wasn’t just a pioneer; she was a trailblazer with a heart full of faith and a vision that reshaped the landscape of Southern Gospel music and the Christian bookstore industry. Through Daywind Records and New Day Christian Distribution, she brought light, and hope to so many, empowering artists, songwriters, bookstores, publishers, record labels and touching countless lives. Her legacy is one of unwavering dedication and belief in the power of the gospel to change hearts. We have lost a true giant and a treasured friend, but her spirit will continue to inspire us every day.” — Dusty Wells, Director of A&R and Label Relations, Daywind Music Group

“Dottie Leonard Miller was a true inspiration and encourager to many across this country and around the world. Her love for others and leadership through Gospel Music will continue to impact lives for decades to come.” – Gary Casto, Tribute Quartet

“Dottie was a visionary and a pioneer. People with that gift and calling are a breed apart, often questioned and sometimes misunderstood, but fiercely dedicated to allowing the dream inside them to manifest itself in the physical realm. Dottie’s dedication to that dream and its’ subsequent value will only fully be recognized in eternity. The music she championed reverberates not only on earth but in heaven as well, and countless lives have been changed, hearts have been encouraged, and burdens lightened by the message of the resources provided by New Day Distribution and Daywind Records. Thank you, Dottie, for being true to the call God had on your life. We are all blessed by the fruit you bore and your faithfulness to never give up.” – Billy Blackwood, Blackwood Brothers Quartet

“Dottie Leonard Miller’s passion for music was unmatched. And, her vision and God-given ability to use the power of that music to reach people in a positive way through the companies she has built, has literally impacted millions of lives over her long and illustrious career. She was easily one of the strongest women and most faithful servants of God I have ever known. She was so proud of our Daywind, New Day, and Billy Blue family, and she loved and appreciated each and every artist and member of our family. She will be greatly missed, but her legacy will be honored by continuing to spread the Gospel and love of Jesus Christ through the music and products we create.” – Jerry Salley, A&R/Creative Director, Billy Blue Records