Author: Rap Hooks

Real recognizes real. According to Hayley Williams of Paramore, rising rap star Doechii is as real as it gets.

In a touching tribute penned for Them, the “Ain’t It Fun” singer offered plenty of praise for the “Denial Is a River” rapper, sharing that she’s been closely watching her career since her performance at the 2022 BET Awards. “Watching her on that stage, I had the same feeling I did the first time I saw Missy Elliott on MTV as a kid,” Williams said. “It was raw, bold, unmistakable talent — the kind that doesn’t wait for permission. She came out swinging, and I remember thinking, Oh, she’s taking it. This is hers.“

Prior to Williams’ discovery of Doechii, the rapper had already paid tribute to Paramore through a sample of the band’s hit ballad “The Only Exception” on her 2020 single “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake.” Williams pointed out in her tribute that she “hadn’t even caught” the interpolation when she first saw Doechii’s performance.

The singer went on to praise Doechii’s self-assured artistry, and even added that she still aspires to that level of confidence more than 20 years into her career as a performer. “People sometimes assume because of how I am onstage, that I carry that same confidence. But the truth is, that kind of boldness is something I still have to work to access,” she said. “With Doechii, though, that energy feels inherent. When I listen to her, I feel it — like it transfers through the speakers. And I think a lot of her listeners feel the same way.”

Williams added that the rapper’s openness about her sexuality is just another example of how Doechii is doing music stardom on her own terms. “It’s powerful to watch an artist like her speak openly about identity in the public eye,” she said. “We need that. We need women who are unapologetic about who they are, who they love, what they believe.”

Closing her tribute, Williams thanked Doechii for giving performers everywhere — including herself — something to aspire to. “Watching someone emerge with that kind of confidence, that kind of clarity, is a gift,” she said. “She reminds me — and probably a lot of people — that moving through the world with certainty doesn’t mean you stop learning or growing. It just means you know your worth as you go. And that, to me, is something to look up to.”

Doechii is coming off yet another big win, this time at the 2025 BET Awards, where she took home the trophy for best female hip hop artist. During her speech at the ceremony, Doechii called out President Donald Trump activating the National Guard in response to the ongoing Los Angeles protests around ICE raids in the city.

“I want y’all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that?” she asked the crowd. “People are being swept up and torn from their families, and I feel it’s my responsibility as an artist to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people.”

DJ Akademiks denied taking payola from Drake in exchange for favorable opinions on his media platforms.

During a recent livestream, the popular rap media personality said he had a conversation with pgLang co-founder Dave Free when he attended a Grand National Tour stop about the integrity of his coverage during the Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle.

“Dave Free had a moment — he asked me — he said, ‘Ak, what are you getting from this?’ He says, ‘Is he paying you,’” Akademiks said, allegedly that Free asked him about taking money from the Toronto rapper. “And that was the most insulting thing — and I’ve had conversations with these men for a while — but the very idea that I was like a purchasable commodity was so disgusting,” he revealed.

Ak then went on to say that he told Free that he was already popular before the beef reached a boiling point last spring. “I reminded him,” he began. “I said, ‘You know I’ve been doing this for over 10 years. I’ve been doing this for over 15 years. How did you think I became me?’ I said, ‘You knew about me before this sh—t… Did you think I was a cheap h— that just could be bought?’”

He added, “That was the most insulting thing I could have heard. Because his idea was, ‘Well if you’re not getting paid by this guy, if Drake ain’t paying you, why do you lean that much in that direction?’ The people who I’ve defended the most I’ve never gotten paid from.”

He did admit that his favorable coverage has benefited certain artists he likes, but reiterated that he doesn’t take money, saying, “Now, has my platform benefited them? Yeah, of course. But, again, we don’t do pay-for-play. You can’t buy my opinion. I’ve always said, ‘The moment you could buy my opinion, I don’t matter.’”

Ak continued by also admitting that he was biased during the back-and-forth because Drake is his favorite rapper and because Kendrick’s team cut off communication with him. “Throughout the battle, we probably definitely came off very biased,” he said. “Not only because I like Drake and he’s my favorite rapper… but you guys lost communications with us at that time because if you chose not to involve yourself in clarifying the narrative, the narrative gets written without you. It always happens like that. I’m in the media, I know how it goes.”

Billboard reached out to reps for pgLang for additional comment.

You can watch the full stream here.

As MCA continues to fine-tune its Nashville operation under new president/CEO Mike Harris, the company has laid off nearly 20 employees in a round of staff cuts across multiple departments.

Among those let go are several high level executives including Leigh Malleus (vp of media marketing), Karen Naff (vp of creative services) and Gary Keffer (vp of strategic marketing), as well as Michelle Hall (senior director of marketing), Troy Scott (senior director of e-commerce) and Leah Ducey (senior director of digital marketing).

Also impacted are Megan Youngblood (director of regional promotion), Kathryn Huffman (director of strategic marketing), Alyssa Logan (director of marketing & project management), Lindsey Terry (director of marketing & artist development) and Chance Maxwell (director of streaming marketing), Sarah Marie Burke (A&R manager), Chandler Stebbins (strategic marketing manager), Chris Jones (e-commerce & retail manager), Kaitlin Mays (digital marketing manager), Alex Mazza (marketing project coordinator) and Taylor Steele (media marketing coordinator).

Representatives for MCA and parent company Universal Music Group (UMG) either didn’t respond to a request for comment or declined to comment, but sources say the new MCA will operate as a smaller unit than the former iteration of the label previously known at UMG Nashville did under former chairman/CEO Cindy Mabe, who was let go in January.

During her two-year tenure, Mabe greatly expanded UMG Nashville, including launching a comedy imprint, Capitol Comedy Network, as well a distribution and independent artist services arm, Silver Wings Records, and a TV and film production company called Sing Me Back Home Productions. She also moved the company into live production by partnering with Cirque du Soleil to present Songblazers: A Journey into Country Music.

Harris, who was named president/CEO in February, will work alongside chief creative officer Dave Cobb and Rob Femia, who added COO to his duties as executive vp of business and legal affairs earlier this month, as well as executive vp/GM Katie McCartney.

Since Harris returned to UMG Nashville (which rebranded as MCA in April), UMG’s coastal labels have continued to add to their footprints in the country music capital. In April, Los Angeles-based Interscope Geffen A&M (IGA) Records announced the relaunch of the iconic Lost Highway imprint, which had previously been part of UMG Nashville until 2012, when it went dormant. Former Thirty Tigers executive Robert Knotts and Universal Music Group Nashville (UMGN) executive Jake Gear will serve as co-heads and executive vps of the resurrected label.  

In May, former Big Loud executive Candice Watkins was named president of Capitol Records Nashville and executive vp of Capitol Christian Music Group.

Watkins’ new role comes as Los Angeles-based Capitol Music Group, under the direction of CEO Tom March, brings Capitol Christian Music Group (CCMG) and its country division, Capitol Records Nashville, under the Capitol Music Group Nashville umbrella. 

MCA’s imprints include EMI Records Nashville, Lucille Records, Mercury Nashville and MCA Nashville, representing artists including Eric Church, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Dierks Bentley, Alan Jackson and Little Big Town.