Nicki Minaj Reunites With Lil Wayne for Fiery ‘Banned From NO (Remix)': Listen
Fans were disappointed after a rumored C6 collaboration didn't come to fruition, but the latest chapter in the Nicki-Wayne lyrical marriage arrived less than a week later, while Minaj emptied the clip with a fiery verse on 'Banned From NO (Remix).'
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Nicki crafts a delectable chorus with short-stopping bars, using NBA teams as double entendres for the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Lakers.
The Queens icon then dives head-first into her bristling verse, which finds her sniping at NFL player-turned-podcast host Shannon Sharpe, who has been critical of Minaj in the past.
'If I send a pic of Shannon you ain't that Sharpe/ Cause you still can't spell Prague and that's horrible,' she raps.
Minaj then salutes a classic Wayne bar from the Pharrell-produced 'Yes.' 'Weezy F Baby and the F is for Phenomenal,' she mimics.
Before leaving the burning booth, Nicki wasn't done and she sent a shot at the NFL about their choices for the Super Bowl Halftime Show, which overlooked Wayne in his hometown earlier this year. 'NFL, fire some n—s and then call us,' she spews in defense of the Young Money boss.
Tha Carter VI arrived on Friday (June 6) filled with 19 tracks and features from Kodak Black, MGK, Bono, BigXthaPlug, Jelly Roll and Big Sean. The 'Banned From NO (Remix)' marks the first Weezy-Minaj collaboration since 2023's 'RNB' from Pink Friday 2.
Listen to the 'Banned From NO (Remix)' below.
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Everyone is listening to secular praise music. Yes, even you.
Artists like Benson Boone, Teddy Swims and Alex Warren have tapped into a genre of music that sounds religious, but isn't. It's working. 'They say, 'The holy water's watered down, and this town's lost its faith,'' a man sings soulfully. This is not a religious condemnation of the terrible things that have happened on Earth. It's a tune that follows you as it plays on car radios, blasts from the grimy speakers in dive bars and rears its head in countless Spotify playlists. You can't escape it — the deep-voiced crooning of a former TikToker who finally cracked mass virality with a hit that sounds religious but isn't. Those words are the opening lyrics to 'Ordinary,' Alex Warren's 2025 breakout hit, which has now spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's just a love song. And it's everywhere. If its sheer ubiquity hasn't given it away, there's a strong chance 'Ordinary' could become 2025's song of summer, according to Billboard's annual chart. Even when the speed and mood of the song pick up, it stays borderline religious. Warren sings about 'the angels up in the clouds,' the 'hopeless hallelujah on this side of Heaven's gate' and 'at your altar, I will pray, you're the sculptor, I'm the clay.' He references the Bible frequently, but he's talking about his real-life, present-day wife. It sounds religious, but 'Ordinary' is part of a growing genre of secular praise music. 'Close their eyes, lift their hands and transcend the moment' As someone who grew up playing music in church, Americana artist Nate Currin has seen the way religious music gets a physical reaction in its audiences. There's something 'inherently emotional about praise and worship music,' he tells Yahoo, that 'invites people to close their eyes, lift their hands and transcend the moment.' Secular praise music takes that feeling and emotion, harnesses those elements and markets it to both religious and nonreligious audiences. It's a trend now, but it's been around forever. 'Artists have long wrestled with themes of God, heaven, mystery and meaning. Some call it 'Christian' or 'worship,' but to me, it's simply a poetic exploration of the universe and what might lie beyond,' Currin says, citing U2 as an example. 'The continued connection people feel to this kind of music reveals something deeply human — a curiosity, a longing, a hope — that maybe there's more to all of this than what we can see.' So, how do you know if a song is secular praise music? For starters, it sounds like something that might be performed by a band in a church, when the congregation is asked to stand and sing along as they worship God. It's a common occurrence for many Americans — 62% of U.S. adults describe themselves as Christians, according to the 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study from Pew Research Center. Those who go to church are listening to many of the same songs — ones that are trending among other members of their denominations and timeless classics — but the sound of worship music has pervaded even nonreligious airwaves. There are at least four other songs like 'Ordinary' on the Billboard Hot 100 right now, including 'Lose Control' by Teddy Swims (No. 9), 'Beautiful Things' by Benson Boone (No. 16), 'Good News' by Shaboozey (No. 24) and 'Backup Plan' by Bailey Zimmerman featuring Luke Combs (No. 44). Take me to church Secular praise songs like these include poetic verses that build to a striking, emotional chorus that singers belt at the top of their lungs. The lyrics appeal to members of a community or to someone powerful — a woman, a family member or the concept of a better time — and when they mention God, it's usually as part of a familiar phrase rather than an actual appeal to a spiritual being. Elements of stomping and clapping in the background — or even the addition of a backing choir — only add to the praise song vibe. Tero Potila, a music producer and composer, tells Yahoo that streaming has shaped this format, because now, 'songs must grab the listener's attention quickly and deliver a strong emotional payoff to keep them engaged.' 'From a producer's perspective, the use of reverb, gospel-like chord progressions and dynamic builds all help create a church-like experience — something that uplifts and draws listeners in,' he says. 'Artists like U2 and Coldplay have done this for years, but what's different now is how emotionally raw and direct this style has become.' Take 'Ordinary,' for instance. Mentions of angels and altars distract from the fact Warren is clearly singing about his wife, who's featured in the song's music video. 'You got me kissin' thе ground of your sanctuary. Shatter me with your touch, oh, Lord, return mе to dust,' he sings. His passion borders on sexually suggestive without going explicit. That means it's fine for the radio. One of the biggest radio hits of all time, Teddy Swims's 'Lose Control' has been on the Billboard charts for a whopping 100 weeks — the first song to crack that milestone. It came out in 2023, when Taylor Swift's 'Cruel Summer' and Morgan Wallen's 'Last Night' were ruling the airwaves, and it's still unavoidable. He sings about his desire for the presence of a woman he loves, saying 'I lose control when you're not next to me,' after crooning that 'the devil's knockin' at my door' when he's left alone. He admonishes himself for acting like an 'addict' and giving into 'bad habits' — admitting his flaws and begging for forgiveness — two common elements in worship songs, sung in that context to God rather than a nameless woman. The religious elements of these two songs make them sound vaguely like they could be played in church. They aren't overtly explicit, so you could play them on a loudspeaker in mixed company. They're slow with repetitive choruses that are easy to memorize, led by smooth, easily digestible voices. All those elements make it easy for them to become radio hits. And once a song is in a radio station's rotation, it's hard for it to get out — just look at 'Lose Control' and Benson Boone's 'Beautiful Things,' which has been on the Billboard Hot 100 for 77 weeks and is still No. 16. That makes it a mainstay on the chart and feeds into its streaming success. These are artists that the music industry sees as culture-making budding superstars — it's no coincidence that Teddy Swims, Benson Boone and Shaboozey were all Best New Artist nominees at the 2025 Grammys. 'Big, cathartic hooks' Though secular praise music is clearly a huge trend at the moment, it's not a new phenomenon. In addition to Coldplay and U2's use of praise music sound in rock, alternative artists like Florence + The Machine, Hozier and Mumford & Sons ushered us into a secular praise music era 10 years ago, music consultant and founder of the artistic development program Music Industry Mentor Atlanta Cobb tells Yahoo. 'This trend in big anthemic production and layered choir-like vocals that sounds like it was made from the church is simply coming back around again 10 years later,' she says. 'What's different now is how listeners use music.' Cobb believes that secular praise songs are still the soundtracks of people's big life moments, and we see that a lot with influencers and content creators. They'll record and upload videos of breakups, breakthroughs and gym sessions and edit them down to mini-cinematic masterpieces, backed by songs like 'Ordinary' and 'Beautiful Things.' The millions of viewers who watch those videos feel particularly emotional with those powerful songs in the background. 'And worship-style production works perfectly for these apps that need music with strong builds, releases and certain lyrical hooks, which work for social media usage,' she says. 'It also performs well on streaming. Slower intros give you space to lean in. Big, cathartic hooks get replayed. It's a clever style of writing.' There are a number of bona fide religious songs on the Hot 100 right now, including 'Your Way's Better' by Christian artist Forrest Frank and 'Hard Fought Hallelujah' by Jelly Roll and pastor/singer Brandon Lake, though they haven't found the same success as secular artists emulating religious songs. However, they are appealing to an untapped market for religious bro music and crafting a new genre which musicologist Kelsey McGinnis calls 'barstool conversion rock.' Those songs include heavy doses of masculinity, faith and party culture, though they're undeniably religious. They're borrowing elements from mainstream songs to elevate Christian messages, whereas secular praise music is borrowing elements from Christian music. Crossing over benefits both sides of the aisle. 'Labels are so desperate for community' There's a reason mainstream artists might want to emulate what church bands and Christian artists are doing. Chad Gerber, a Christian musician who first started playing in church bands when he was 6, has a hunch that members of the mainstream music industry may have noticed how religious artists have maintained audiences. 'Churches do not have to chase listeners because their audiences are already part of the community,' he says. 'Labels no longer get that kind of reliable connection from clubs or festivals because everything else is oversaturated and constantly competing with new forms of media.' He explains that praise music has always been functional — it's written to aid worship rather than to simply be listened to. 'Labels are desperate for community because selling community is the only way they make money now,' Gerber says. 'They see the community, the emotional connection and the numbers, so they copy the sound, the feeling and sometimes even the overall aesthetic.' Praise music is meant to be simple so that 'weekend musicians,' or people who play music as a hobby, can easily pick up the songs and perform them for large congregations without extensive rehearsal. 'The formula now is to simplify the song, repeat the chorus to help people engage in worship and repeat that pattern,' he says. 'The congregations respond most to this, so worship pastors give them more of it.' 'Deeply personal, massively shared' With secular praise music, we're going through that same phase. 'Lose Control' and 'Beautiful Things' haven't fallen off the charts as most songs naturally do, which helps to elevate newer, similar-sounding songs like 'Ordinary.' Though these songs walk the line between pop and rock, it's happening in country music as well, as Shaboozey's 'Good News' and Bailey Zimmerman's 'Backup Plan' also hold firm. Unlike their pop-rock counterparts, they're less about women and more about overcoming bad behavior and bad circumstances to achieve something more in life. Keith Urban tells my colleague Taryn Ryder that it's understandable that country songs have become part of the secular praise trend. 'So much of country music is the existence between a hellacious Saturday night and a redemptive Sunday morning pew,' says the country star, who's currently on his High and Alive tour, says. 'That's so much of where country resides is in those dualities of the human experience.' Secular praise music genres transcend country too, according to Amani Roberts, a music professor at Cal State Fullerton who also works as a DJ. She tells Yahoo that in the 1970s, the Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire weren't technically gospel artists, but they were spiritual. R&B groups in the 1990s like Boyz II Men ('A Song for Mama'), Jodeci ('Forever My Lady') and En Vogue ('Don't Let Go (Love)') used 'gospel-rooted vocals and lyrical arcs of devotion and redemption.' 'These were secular love songs that hit like sermons,' she says. 'What's different now is how genre-blending and streaming culture have made these songs feel both deeply personal and massively shared. We're in a moment where vulnerability isn't just accepted, it's expected.' So, releasing songs with vague religious elements, as well as memorable, anthemic choruses and family-friendly lyrics can unite listeners across the country despite how we're fractured in other ways by algorithms and political tension. 'Musical tastes are cyclical, and this format is resonating right now because people are craving emotional release,' Roberts says. 'We're living in a time where everything feels loud — digitally, socially, politically. These songs slow things down, pull you in gently and then give you that euphoric burst in the chorus. It's a structure that mimics the arc of a personal breakthrough.' Amen. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Penguin Random House editor shared post mocking murdered exec Wesley LePatner
A top editor at Penguin Random House allegedly mocked the murder of Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner in a bizarre Instagram post which blamed her for the housing crisis and ending with 'rest in piss.' Thomas Gebremedhin, vice president and executive editor at Doubleday Books, shared the vile Instagram story highlighting an X post about Monday's mass shooting at 345 Park Ave., where LePatner, 46, was gunned down while trying to shield herself behind a marble pillar. 'Her sole job was making sure housing is expensive and that we all rent for the rest of our lives,' read the original post portraying LePatner — a Jewish mom of two — as the face of unaffordable housing. 4 Thomas Gebremedhin, a VP and executive editor at Penguin Random House, reposted an X post screenshot about LePatner's death, sparking backlash across social media. William – 'She made $9,000 a minute … Rest in piss.' Social media users were quick to point out that LePatner did not earn '$9,000 a minute,' and condemned the post, which was first made in response to Blackstone's official memorial tweet and flagged by Free Press reporter Maya Sulkin. 'It's not just people in the dark corners of the internet justifying LePatner's murder,' Sulkin wrote in a Friday X post. 'It's people like Thomas Gebremedhin.' 4 LePatner's 14-year-old daughter tearfully called her 'my rock' at Thursday's funeral service at Central Synagogue, held just blocks from where she was killed. Zuma/Billy Tompkins / The tone-deaf repost stunned many in the publishing world, where Gebremedhin moves in elite literary circles. His Instagram, @tgebremedhin, is private but screenshots of the story began circling online this week, triggering widespread condemnation. 'Book publishing industry is full of scum. Probably more woke than the worst universities,' one user commented under Sulkin's post. Another wrote: 'The Left be like: anyone with a lot of money deserves to be murdered, unless they're Hamas terrorist billionaires.' 4 Wesley LePatner, a mother of two and top Blackstone executive, was shot and killed Monday in the lobby of her Midtown office building during a mass shooting. Blackstone '[He] should be fired … absolutely deplorable,' a third chimed in. LePatner, who was global head of Core+ Real Estate and chief executive officer for Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, was mourned by her firm and family as 'brilliant,' 'warm' and 'deeply respected.' She served on the board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, mentored young women and was honored by UJA-Federation for her Jewish philanthropy. She was shot dead Monday by gunman Shane Tamura, who killed four before turning the gun on himself. LePatner had crouched behind a pillar in the lobby of 345 Park as bullets flew. 4 Shooter Shane Tamura opened fire inside 345 Park Ave., killing four — including LePatner — before fatally turning the gun on himself, police said. Obtained by NY Post Her teenage daughter called her 'my rock' during a tearful funeral Thursday at Central Synagogue in Midtown, where more than 500 mourners gathered just blocks from the site of her death. Neither Penguin Random House nor Gebremedhin immediately returned messages seeking comment.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement: Jared Allen, Sterling Sharpe, Eric Allen, Antonio Gates express gratitude to those who lifted them
The Pro Football Hall of Fame added four members on Saturday, with Jared Allen, Sterling Sharpe, Antonio Gates and Eric Allen enshrined as the class of 2025 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. The four new inductees received their signature gold jackets during a dinner on Friday night. Prior to the quartet giving acceptance speeches on stage, the ceremony honored host Chris Berman, who emceed the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony for the 25th time. Pittsburgh Steelers legend Lynn Swann, class of 2001, presented Berman with a silver anniversary football. Coach Marv Levy, also part of the 2001 class, was recognized for his 100th birthday, which is on Sunday (Aug. 3). Thurman Thomas, class of 2007, who played for Levy from 1998-97 with the Buffalo Bills, called him "the best coach I ever had." [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Jared Allen was the first of the inductees to take the stage. He was presented by his father, Ron Allen. Wearing a cowboy hat, Allen joked that he felt bad about giving bad advice — such as eating three jalapeno peppers before a game — to parents who asked for tips to a successful football career, often when he was having dinner or with family members. Finally enshrined in his fifth year of eligibility, Allen thanked his wife for elevating him and their two daughters, who he called "his legacy." From Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab: "[Allen] was entertaining as a player, with 136 career sacks during stints with the Vikings, Chiefs, Bears and Panthers, and also unapologetically himself. His famous calf-roping celebration after sacks was a part of who he was, and maybe the most memorable part of a great career." Up next was Sterling Sharpe. Appropriately, he was presented by his brother Shannon Sharpe, class of 2011. The two now comprise the first brother tandem to be inducted into Canton. Sharpe thanked his mother for giving him the name "Sterling," which helped him stand out as a young black man in rural south Georgia and inspired him. He also thanked the women in his life for helping him get to where he is, including his two sisters. Schwab on Sharpe: "Sharpe won the NFL's receiving triple crown in 1992, leading the NFL with 108 catches, 1,461 yards and 13 touchdowns. The 108 receptions set an NFL single-season record. He broke that record the following season with 112 catches. In his final season, he caught a league-best 18 touchdowns." Sharpe was followed by Eric Allen, who was presented by his oldest son, Austin. Allen thanked his mother and grandmother for teaching him kindness and instilling a work ethic, in addition to his three sons. Allen played three seasons for the New Orleans Saints and four with the Oakland Raiders, but singled out the Philadelphia Eagles and owner Jeffrey Lurie. Allen was drafted by the Eagles and played seven seasons with the team. Schwab on Allen: "Allen was one of the best cover corners of his era. He wasn't the biggest player, at 5-foot-10, 184 pounds, but he was quick and had tremendous anticipation. When quarterbacks threw his way, he often ended up with his hands on the ball. Allen had 54 interceptions and returned eight of them for touchdowns. He led the NFL in pick 6s in 1993 and again in 2000." The ceremony's final speaker was Antonio Gates, who was presented by Los Angeles Chargers owner Dean Spanos. With 116 touchdown catches, Gates is the NFL's all-time leader in that category for tight ends. He made sure to thank quarterbacks Doug Flutie, Drew Brees and notably Philip Rivers, who threw 89 of those TD passes. Schwab on Gates: "Gates' path to the Hall of Fame is literally unlike any other. The longtime Chargers tight end is the first one to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player without appearing in a college football game, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. There's at least a little more history for undrafted players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Before Gates, 22 players went from undrafted to a bust in Canton." The Pro Football Hall of Fame now has 382 members, including the class of 2025. All of them were arguably overdue to be honored for their careers and enshrined in Canton. Yet that likely won't be remembered amid the fond memories of being recognized for their achievements and getting the opportunity to publicly acknowledged those who helped lift them to football immortality.
