Doja Cat made a striking statement at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City on September 7th. The “Jealous Type” rapper arrived in a lime green and gray checkered minidress adorned with hot pink jewels, but it was her bold lipstick moment that stole the show. While posing for photos on the red carpet, Doja applied MAC’s “Lady Danger” red lipstick to her already bright lips. She then shocked onlookers by biting into the lipstick, chewing it, and swallowing it, creating one of the most talked-about moments of the evening. I saw @DojaCat eating lipstick, so now I’m going to start eating lipstick #VMAs pic.twitter.com/4hSHVQ9mg6 — MTV (@MTV) September 7, 2025 The stunt was also a showcase for Doja’s latest role as global ambassador for MAC Cosmetics. She shared her excitement with InStyle, saying, “I’ve been a MAC girl forever, and now I get to take that love to the global stage. Makeup is my paint, my armor, my way of creating characters—and MAC has always stood for that kind of artistry and freedom.” She added, “We’re going to push it even further and make people see beauty in a whole new way.” Beyond her work with MAC, Doja Cat has had a busy year. She received a nomination at the VMAs in the Best K-Pop Song category for her collaboration with Lisa and Raye on “Born Again.” She is also preparing to release her new album Vie later this month, continuing to develop the sound and style she has been refining over time. In a New York Times interview, she reflected on her new music chapter, saying, “I’m doing what I was perfecting in the beginning. I’m doing what I know I know how to do.” Doja will also perform at the awards ceremony, which was hosted by LL Cool J and included performances from Sabrina Carpenter, sombr, Mariah Carey, and Jelly Roll.

Ice Spice has shown that her friendship with Taylor Swift is strong and untouchable, even when faced with playful pressure for a viral moment. The two artists first connected while working on the 2023 remix of Swift’s hit “Karma,” and their bond has continued since then. Ice has described Swift as “my sis,” recalling a time they spent chatting and laughing while enjoying a drink together. Kai Cenat tries getting Ice Spice to call Taylor Swift during stream. pic.twitter.com/VPhQhPCAWq — Pop Base (@PopBase) September 6, 2025 Swift has also praised Ice, highlighting her professionalism, focus, and ability to balance fun with clear boundaries. She said, “I relate to Ice in many ways, but I think her dedication and focus is what blew me away from the very start. She’s extremely professional without being cold. Playful and fun without ever taking her eye off the prize. She knows what is and isn’t ‘her’ and sets those boundaries with grace. She studies the industry and other artists’ careers but is very clear about charting her own definitive, original path. It’s her ability to carefully find that balance that impresses the hell out of me.” Recently, Ice appeared on Kai Cenat’s livestream alongside Latto to promote their new collaboration, “Gyatt.” Cenat attempted to coax her into calling Swift live, even suggesting she congratulate the singer on her engagement to Travis Kelce. Ice immediately turned down the idea, joking, “No, ‘cause if she don’t answer, I’mma lose aura,” and added, “You peer pressuring me into calling my best contact.” Cenat insisted, claiming her aura would skyrocket if the call went through, but Ice remained firm. The clip of the exchange quickly went viral, with fans praising Ice for protecting her real-life friendship over creating a viral moment. Many commented on social media that she made the smart choice by keeping Swift’s privacy in mind, noting that Swift is likely busy with her music and personal life. Through both public admiration and personal interaction, Ice Spice and Taylor Swift’s relationship stands out as one built on mutual respect and genuine camaraderie. Ice’s recent livestream moment was a reminder that she knows how to balance fun with loyalty.

Singer Montell Jordan, the voice behind the 1995 hit, “This Is How We Do It,” recently announced his prostate cancer has returned. On Wednesday (Sept.3), Jordan sat down with the Today show to share the devastating news. In 2024, Jordan was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and despite having his prostate removed, the singer tells the outlet that his cancer has not only returned but also spread. “I always imagined I would be telling my prostate cancer story from the other side of prostate cancer because I had a radical prostatectomy surgery,” Jordan tells Today. “My prostate was removed. There were clear margins.” “I’m trying to give a template for people that get diagnosed with this,” Jordan says “Close to a year post-prostatectomy, I still need to go back and have additional treatments because it’s [been] detected that there is still cancer,” Jordan continued. In an effort to combat the cancer, the singer will undergo a “targeted radiation” treatment program. The gold would be to treat his lymph nodes as well as “take home blockers that stop the growth of the cancer.” “It is a seven-and-a-half week interruption of life to make sure that I have a longer life,” he added. The singer also told Today that he plans to document his cancer journey with a documentary in collaboration with nonprofit organization Zero Prostate Cancer. The project is set to be released next year. “I’m trying to give a template for people that get diagnosed with this to … know they have options available to them,” Jordan noted when asked about the forthcoming film. “It’s okay to cry…It’s okay to shake your fist at God…It’s okay to navigate and do what you need to do, but doing nothing is not an option. I never knew there was such a thing as being a two-time cancer survivor, so that’s the journey that I’m on right now.”

On Thursday (Sept.4), TMZ reported that Juan Raymond Harper, also known to the online masses as “Rolling Ray,” had died unexpectedly at only 28 years old. Not long after the news broke, fans and celebrities, like Cardi B, hopped online to honor his memory. “Rolling Ray was a menace lmaoo… but he changed soo much and became so positive,” she wrote in an X post. “I know that soul made it to heaven…You will truly be missed BIG PURRRR!!!” Along with being the face behind dozens of popular memes, Rolling Ray also starred in several shows on the Zeus network, like Bobby I Love You, Purrr. In addition to Ray’s mother confirming the news to the outlet, the Zeus network also confirmed the passing with an Instagram post, writing: “Gone way too soon. #RestInPeace to the BIG hearted, most Raw, & #Zeus Star #RaymondHarper aka @iamrollingray.” Rolling Ray was a menace lmaoo… but he changed soo much and became so positive. I know that soul made it to heaven…You will truly be missed BIG PURRRR!!! — Cardi B (@iamcardib) September 4, 2025 In other news, Cardi B has been in full rollout mode since announcing the release date of her forthcoming album, Am I The Drama? Unlike with Invasion of Privacy, the rapper is stepping into a new era; however, it’s much darker than expected. Aside from the album’s eerie cover, the usage of crows, which are often a symbol of death, has even been reflected in her recent fashion choices. Last month, at Schiaparelli’s Paris Couture Week, she made quite the entrance, rocking a live crow as an outfit accessory. Cardi B recently sat down with Zane Lowe on Apple Music and noted the album’s dark “energy” stems from “something dying inside” her. “I really like to do my things very colorful. I’m a very colorful person. But it’s just like this past year, I feel like something kind of was dying in me.” “My humbleness, me trying so much to be unproblematic, me trying to avoid drama, avoid the disses, avoid the b*tches, avoid the talks, it’s like that sh*t is dying, that’s dying out in me,” she added.

On Thursday (Sept.4), Billboard held its annual R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players event. Anthony ‘Top Dawg’ Tiffith, the CEO and founder of Top Dawg Entertainment, was crowned as the ‘Executive Of The Year.’ Tiffith founded the independent record label in 2004 in Carson, California. TDE has helped launch the careers of industry heavyweights like Kendrick Lamar, SZA, and most recently, Doechii. He took to the Billboard stage with TDE executive Terrence “Punch” Henderson, along with his son, TDE president Anthony “Moosa” Tiffith Jr, by his side before giving a moving speech. “I like to stay behind the scenes,” he began. “Billboard pulled me out tonight, I got a couple words for y’all. I want to thank Billboard for honoring me with this award, Executive of the Year. I feel like I should’ve won this three, four, five times.” Top continued: “I am low-key, not promoting myself and letting my artists shine, they don’t recognize that. But tonight is that night, this is the MVP trophy of the music industry.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Billboard Hip-Hop/R&B (@billboardhiphop) Top Dawg Entertainment has been on quite a run the past year. Back in June, Kendrick and SZA’s Grand National Tour became the highest-grossing reported co-headline tour ever, according to Billboard’s Boxscore. At the time, they were only halfway through, and the pair had already grossed nearly $256.4 million and sold over 1.1 million tickets. In February, the label’s newest star, Doechii, won the Grammy for Best Rap Album for her mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal. Released in August 2024, the 19-track project earned critical acclaim and peaked at No.10 on the US Billboard 200. Alligator Bites Never Heal has now been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). During the Grammys ceremony, she gave a moving speech that went viral after a clip of it circulated online: “Anything is possible. Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you, to tell you that you can’t be here, that you’re too dark, or that you’re not smart enough, or that you’re too dramatic or you’re too loud. You are exactly who you need to be to be right where you are, and I am a testimony right now.”

Doja Cat seemingly launched into pop superstardom with her projects like Hot Pink (2019) and Planet Her (2021). However, the rapper-singer felt her skills as an MC were being doubted and decided to drop off Scarlet in 2023. According to Doja Cat, the project was almost like a “massive fart” she needed to release. “Not to diminish it, but it was a bit of like, I just need to get this out,” the rapper tells the New York Times. Doja continued: “I thought fixing that would entail making music that was more visceral or more emotional or maybe more angry or more sad. And I enjoyed performing it onstage, but it didn’t get me all the way there.” That said, these days, the rapper reveals to the outlet that she’s ready to “return back” to what she knows. Doja Cat talks to the New York Times about her album ‘Scarlet’: “Not to diminish it, but it was a bit of like, I just need to get this out — it was a massive fart for me, I thought fixing that would entail making music that was more visceral or more emotional or maybe more angry… pic.twitter.com/jbmkgNE7Pw — Pop Base (@PopBase) September 5, 2025 On Friday (July 15), Doja Cat announced that her forthcoming fifth studio album, Vie, is coming this September. The singer-rapper hopped on Instagram to share the exciting announcement with fans, writing, “Je sais que tu es ma vie Vie out 9/26.” The French phrase translates to “I know you are my life.” Judging by the video and caption Doja posted, this upcoming project is heavily inspired by Parisian culture. The “Say So” singer has been teasing the album since last year. Back in March, she shared snippets of a few tracks that will appear on the album, including one named “Lipstain.” Similarly to her past work, the tracks seem to pull inspiration from a variety of genres. In a recent interview with V magazine, Doja Cat revealed that Vie would be a “pop-driven project.” “I know that I can make pop music, and pop is just that it’s popular. It starts to become a bit of a thing that’s viewed as a sport by people who are just bystanders to it, who enjoy it, but maybe also don’t respect it or what it is, which is just music … They see it as if this is some kind of football for girls and gays,” she told the outlet.

Earlier this week, audio clips of Young Thug’s jail conversations began to circulate online. Most recently, new audio has leaked of Young Thug revealing that, despite public appearances, he and Future aren’t close as one would expect. According to the “Digits” rapper, the two “haven’t been tight in a minute.” Thug accuses Future of doing “lame stuff” behind the scenes and in the studio. “I pull up to the studio, chillin’ wit him, you asking me what to say on the song and how you should start off your song,” Thug says. “…Then [when] it’s girls in the room, now you actin’ like you don’t hear me tellin’ you nuthin’” “I don’t be likin’ that, n*gga I’m a playa,” Thug continued. “I don’t know what image you tryna get off to these girls, but you an idiot, n*gga.” However, Thug claims that when the “March Madness” rapper is alone, he’s “all ears. The YSL rapper also used a derogatory term in reference to Future when noting his ignorance on certain topics.”When I talk to him about God, or when I talk to him about certain things, he just don’t know nuthin’. He doesn’t know nuthin’ but music,” Thug added. Young Thug slams Future in newly leaked call, calls him an “idiot” and “r*tarded” “Me and him ain’t been tight in a minute, he do lame stuff. I don’t know what image you tryna get off but you an idiot, everything you know I done taught you […] He just don’t know nothing he… pic.twitter.com/VUuu8CKT7K — Hip Hop All Day (@HipHopAllDayy) September 6, 2025 Young Thug has come under fire this week after alleged leaked comments targeting some of hip hop’s biggest names, including J. Cole, André 3000, GloRilla, Kendrick Lamar, and Gucci Mane. The controversy comes as he navigates legal troubles and a snitching scandal, adding more heat to an already complicated situation. A clip shared on Twitter reportedly captures Young Thug criticizing J. Cole and André 3000. In the conversation, he questioned why J. Cole had not collaborated with rising artists. “YB [is] the biggest artist in the world on YouTube. Why wouldn’t J. Cole do a song with him?” he allegedly said. He went on to call out artists for avoiding collaborations, explaining, “Like, come on, bruh. You ain’t never in your life sold more records than this boy, this young na. F*ck is you thinking? Like, tripping. Na just be on that, ‘Oh, I don’t like your music. I ain’t doing no music with you.’ Man, n*ggas don’t like y’all n*ggas’ music either.

According to Cardi B, winning a Grammy is the most “prestigious award” and that “nobody can take it” from her. In 2019, the Bronx native’s debut project, Invasion of Privacy, won Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. However, in a recent interview with Billboard, while the rapper expressed her happiness about receiving one, she emphasized that her definition of success has evolved. For the mother of three, “success” isn’t about awards and praise from critics, but “putting out good music.” “Winning a Grammy, the most prestigious award, you can never take that from me. Everybody wants to downplay it, but everybody wants one. [But] times have changed,” Cardi B tells the outlet. “Success for me will be people saying, ‘She put out a great album.’ If [at] 3 a.m., people are talking about the album, that’s going to be success for me because people can’t wait to downplay it. I even want the people who don’t like me to be like, ‘Yo. That sh*t is fire.’ Yeah, eat your f*cking fruits, n*gga.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by billboard (@billboard) In another section of the interview, Cardi B described the balance between motherhood and music, a juggling act she carries largely on her own. Raising three children—Kulture, seven; Wave, four; and Blossom, who recently turned one—she has taken pride in stepping fully into the role of provider. “I do everything for my kids. I’m the only provider, and you know what? There’s no complaining about it. I love them so much, and they keep me grounded,” she said. Her approach to parenting, she added, is shaped by her own upbringing. “My mother worked incredibly hard to support us, and I want my children to understand that I made sure they had everything they wanted,” she explained. That determination has become central to her identity, reinforcing her belief that family anchors her, even when the spotlight demands otherwise.

Latto and Ice Spice have closed the door on more than a year of discord, returning as collaborators with a new track that reframes their relationship. The reconciliation stands out in a genre often defined by rivalries, signaling a shift from friction to partnership. For much of the past year, speculation surrounded the two rappers as fans dissected their lyrics and social media posts for signs of animosity. The back-and-forth seemed to cement them as competitors. That perception began to unravel in early September when they appeared together at Kai Cenat’s Mafiathon 3, presenting themselves not as adversaries but as allies. Cenat welcomed the pair into his home, where they unveiled “GYATT,” their joint single released September 2. The performance quickly became the centerpiece of the stream, punctuated by an impromptu twerk session that spread across social media. Cenat, who has been publicly linked to TikToker Gabrielle Alayah since late 2024, kept the spotlight firmly on the music, giving their reunion room to resonate. Reactions Online The livestream drew widespread attention, with comments amplifying the moment’s cultural weight. In DJ Akademiks’ feed, one user joked, “We gotta get rich brothers,” while another praised the show, writing, “Latto’s moves were on point.” Many welcomed the reconciliation outright, including one viewer who called it, “the best squashing beef ever.” The response captured a sense of relief that two of hip-hop’s rising stars had chosen to bury the tension. Their rift stretches back to 2023, when pointed lines in their music began fueling speculation. Ice Spice’s “Think U The Sh*t” and Latto’s verse on Offset’s “Fine As Can Be” both contained lyrics that listeners interpreted as thinly veiled shots, pushing the idea of rivalry into the spotlight. By 2024, the feud had become a constant backdrop to their careers. Now, Latto and Ice Spice appear intent on leaving the conflict behind. Their reunion not only reflects personal growth but also highlights the potential for collaboration in an industry often consumed by competition. Fans, meanwhile, are waiting to see how this new alliance translates into future music and performances.

Cardi B is on the cusp of releasing her long-awaited second album, and the moment carries unusual weight. Two weeks removed from a victory in a civil assault case, the Bronx-born rapper is reemerging in the public eye, navigating the intersection of personal upheaval and professional momentum. Offset, her estranged husband, has said he hopes to “move on in peace,” but Cardi shows little sign of slowing down. Speaking with Billboard, she described the balance between motherhood and music, a juggling act she carries largely on her own. Raising three children—Kulture, seven; Wave, four; and Blossom, who recently turned one—she has taken pride in stepping fully into the role of provider. “I do everything for my kids. I’m the only provider, and you know what? There’s no complaining about it. I love them so much, and they keep me grounded,” she said. Her approach to parenting, she added, is shaped by her own upbringing. “My mother worked incredibly hard to support us, and I want my children to understand that I made sure they had everything they wanted,” she explained. That determination has become central to her identity, reinforcing her belief that family anchors her, even when the spotlight demands otherwise. A New Chapter with AM I THE DRAMA? In July 2024, Cardi filed for divorce from Offset for the second time, a rupture that has unfolded in full view of her audience. The separation has played out across social media, while reports link her to NFL wide receiver Stefon Diggs—an evolution that may influence her creative work. Her new album, AM I THE DRAMA?, arrives September 19. It features the singles “Outside” and “Imaginary Playerz,” alongside chart staples like “Up” and “WAP.” Seven years in the making, the project reflects a period marked by both family milestones and legal battles. Still, she insists on precision. “I always knew I would release a second album; I just didn’t have a project that was well organized,” she said. “I’m very selective about my music and need to make sure everything fits perfectly before I put it out.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by billboard (@billboard)