[Saturday Spotlight] – Elujay, Doughboy, Brandon Marcel, OYABUN + Lil Lonnie

It’s that time of the week again! We’re back with the newest edition of Saturday Spotlight, the second of this month. This weekend we have Elujay, Doughboy, Brandon Marcel, OYABUN and Lil Lonnie. Enjoy!

Kendrick Lamar Shakes Up The Super Bowl With Bold Drake Diss And Surprise Guests

Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl 59 halftime performance was nothing short of legendary, leaving fans buzzing with surprise cameos and bold moments that took his long-running feud with Drake to new heights. Kicking off with an unreleased song snippet and followed by “Squabble Up” from his latest album GNX, Kendrick immediately set the tone for a game-changing performance. Fans eagerly waited to see if Kendrick would play his diss track Not Like Us, especially with Drake's ongoing lawsuit against him and his label for defamation and harassment. Lamar's performance included an unexpected appearance by SZA and a quirky cameo from Serena Williams, along with Samuel L. Jackson’s comedic interruptions, all building the suspense around the Drake drama. In the middle of his performance, Kendrick turned up the heat, looking straight into the camera and directly addressing Drake with his famous lyrics, “I heard you like them young," as fans held their breath. Despite the tension, Kendrick censored himself when it came time to call Drake a "certified lover boy" and avoided saying “pedophile,” which had been widely speculated. Social media lit up with mixed reactions, with some fans mocking the performance as a "mid mashup" and others noting the intense hostility toward Drake. With the hashtag #KendrickBowl trending, it’s clear that Kendrick’s performance was a cultural moment that pushed boundaries—but has he gone too far, or is this just another chapter in hip-hop history? Only time will tell, and Drake has yet to respond.

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Elujay

First is Elujay, a rapper from the Bay Area who is very eclectic with his sound. On his recent collaboration with fellow California native YMTK, he expresses the pain of a past relationship and the steps he took to get over it. Listen and download the Ekazakt-produced record below.

Doughboy

Next up we have St. Louis rapper Doughboy who is currently prepping the release of Sakrifices 2, a mixtape which will be hosted by DJ Victoriouz. To give us a preview of what to expect, he puts a spin on TLC’s ‘No Scrubs’ for ‘No Thots’ produced by Judge Beats. Stream below via The Fader.

Brandon Marcel

Our third pick this week is Brandon Marcel, an R&B/Soul singer who links up with OG Maco on ‘New World Order’, an a anthem-sounding record which gives a production credit to FKi. Check it out below.

OYABUN

Penultimately we have OYABUN, a 23 year old Miami native by way of Brooklyn. His new record ‘Pick Up Lines’ fuses Electronic music with Jazz and Hip-Hop, a combination which sounds weird at first but turns out pretty well. Listen below via The Fader to find out.

Lil Lonnie

Last but not least is Lil Lonnie, a 20 year old rising star from Mississippi who just announced that he is working on his next project. His new record ‘Change Up’ is produced by Big Fruit and features Bryson Tiller on the chorus which should bring him a lot of attention. Check out the Billboard premiere below.