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It's only halfway through 2024 and we've witnessed some of the most iconic pop culture moments for the decade from Drake beefing with Kendrick Lamar and other rappers in hip-hop to some of the biggest pop stars dominating Billboard with music releases.
Whether you're a die-hard fan or a casual observer, these moments were celebrated online for leaving a major impact on the pop culture landscape and for capturing the essence of a year that continues to surprise and inspire.
From Miley Cyrus' first Grammy win to Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us': Recapping 2024's iconic pop culture moments
With another six months to go for the new year, this feature will catalog iconic pop culture and music moments that went viral this year. Join us as we look back on some of the biggest highlights that defined the first half of 2024.
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Disclaimer: Lyrics referenced here are rated explicit. Reader's discretion is advised.
1) Megan Thee Stallion drops 'Hiss'
Megan dropped Hiss as part of the rollout for her self-titled third studio album which was distributed to all DSPs two weeks ago. This single played a crucial role in what would become the Megan Thee Stallion vs Nicki Minaj beef, a major moment in pop culture, with both rappers going at each other's throats with vicious diss tracks.
Meg spent a few bars on this track taking shots at Nicki and her husband, Kenny Petty, where she alluded to his past convictions while referencing "Megan's law," a federal requirement that insists that all information about registered SOs be made publicly available.
As per reports online, Petty had assaulted a 16-year-old girl back in 1995 and spent four years behind bars, before being released and registered as a level two s-x offender in New York City.
"These ho-s don't be mad at Megan, these ho-s mad at Megan's Law / I don't really know what the problem is, but I guarantee y'all don't want me to start / B---h, you a p---y (You a p---y), never finna check me (Yeah) / Every chance you get, bet your weak a-- won't address me" - Megan Thee Stallion raps on 'Hiss'.
2) Nicki Minaj hits back with 'Big Foot'
Nicki Minaj would then respond with her own diss track titled Big Foot. While this record was not as commercially successful as Hiss, it did make waves in hip-hop and pop culture spaces for her threatening responses to Megan.
The Queen of New York spent the entirety of her four-minute diss track calling out Megan for being "fake". Nicki suggests how Meg lied about being shot by Tory Lanez in 2020, amongst several other bars, which also address the "Megan's law" reference from Hiss.
"This lil' beggin' wh-re talkin' 'bout Megan's Law / For a free beat, you could hit Megan raw (Ooh) / If you a ghostwriter, party in Megan jaw (Ooh) / Shots thrown, but I still ain't let Megan score" - Nicki Minaj raps on 'Big Foot'.
3) Miley Cyrus wins her first Grammy for 'Flowers'
Another iconic pop culture moment was singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus finally winning her first Grammy when she was awarded "Record of the Year - for Flowers" at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, held at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, on February 5, 2024.
After eight career nominations, with her first being nominated back in 2015, Miley took home two Grammy's in February for Flowers. The single dominated Billboard's music charts becoming the longest-running No.1 song in the history of the magazine's Adult Contemporary chart, occupying the top spot for a total of 54 weeks.
4) Female artists dominated music and pop culture spaces with brand-new albums
It was a major year for female artists as some of the biggest stars in the music industry dropped albums and projects, making significant waves in pop culture by taking over the charts with hit singles and LPs.
From Beyoncé's full-fledged country album to Billie Eilish's third studio album, these projects had a massive run between March and May. The list of albums dropped by these artists have been listed below:
eternal sunshine - Ariana Grande;
- Distributed to DSPs on March 8, 2024, via Republic Records and UMG Recordings.
Cowboy Carter - Beyoncé;
- Distributed to DSPs on March 28, 2024, via Parkwood Entertainment LLC, under an exclusive license to Columbia Records and Sony Music Entertainment.
The Tortured Poets Department - Taylor Swift;
- Distributed to DSPs independently on April 18, 2024.
Radical Optimism - Dua Lipa;
- Distributed to DSPs on May 3, 2024, under an exclusive license to Warner Records UK.
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT - Billie Eilish;
- Distributed to DSPs on May 17, 2024, via Darkroom and Interscope Records.
5) Metro and Future recruit hip-hops biggest stars for two collaboration albums
Metro Boomin and Future released their first career collaboration titled We Don't Trust You back in March, which hosted the No.1 single that sparked the biggest feud hip-hop had seen in decades with Like That (Feat. Kendrick Lamar). Marking a significant moment in hip-hop and pop culture, this project was filled with sneak disses aimed at Drake.
The duo would then follow up with the release of We Still Don't Trust You in April. Both these albums performed extremely well commercially and critically, topping the Billboard 200 Album charts as well as generating several conversations online regarding the status of rap's "Big 3" and their impact on hip-hop and pop culture.
6) J. Cole apologizes to Kendrick Lamar for '7 Minute Drill'
On April 5, J. Cole dropped his highly anticipated mixtape MIGHT DELETE LATER building up hype around his upcoming eighth studio album The Fall Off, which Cole has been religiously teasing for several years.
Included in this mixtape was a track titled 7 Minute Drill, an aggressive diss track aimed at Kendrick Lamar for the shots he took at Cole and Drake on Like That. He spends the entirety of the track downplaying K-Dot's career and discography, with bars like:
"He averagin' one hard verse like every thirty months or somethin' / If he wasn't dissin', then we wouldn't be discussin' him / Lord, don't make me have to smoke this n---a 'cause I f--k with him / But push come to shove, on this mic, I will humble him" - J. Cole raps on '7 Minute Drill'.
Two days later, during his performance at the 2024 Dreamville Festival, Cole discussed dissing Kendrick Lamar and publicly apologized to the Compton rapper for the shots he took on the diss track.
This was a significant moment in pop culture as the rapper would then delete 7 Minute Drill from all streaming services and step away from the beef to focus on himself and his album.
7) Drake claims he's in a 20v1 rap battle on 'Push Ups'
On April 19, Drake dropped his diss track Push Ups where he addressed every rapper who had taken shots at him on Future and Metro Boomin's collaboration albums.
This record became a major talking point in pop culture as Drake collectively targeted Future, Metro, Rick Ross, The Weeknd, and more in what he dubbed a "20v1" rap battle. A significant portion of this diss track was also aimed at Kendrick Lamar, stemming from the bars Dot dropped on Like That. Highlights from this diss track include lines like:
"What the f--k is this, a twenty-v-one, n---a? What's a prince to a king? He a son, n---a / Get more love in the city that you from, n---a / Metro, shut your ho a-- up and make some drums, n---a"
8) Drake and Kendrick go head to head in one of the largest rap beefs in hip-hop and pop culture history
Almost two weeks after Push Ups was distributed to all streaming platforms, Kendrick dropped his response on a lengthy aggressive record titled Euphoria, on April 30, 2024.
What ensued was a full-fledged rap beef and extremely viral pop culture moment, with both rappers dropping back-to-back diss tracks over a few days. This beef also resulted in Kendrick releasing the West Coast jam Not Like Us.
The complete list of records dropped during the Drake vs Kendrick Lamar rap beef have been listed below:
Push Ups - Drake;
- released on April 19, 2024
Taylor Made Freestyle - Drake;
- released on April 19, 2024.
Euphoria - Kendrick Lamar;
- released on April 30, 2024.
6:16 in LA - Kendrick Lamar;
- released on May 3, 2024.
Family Matters - Drake;
- released on May 3, 2024.
Meet The Grahams - Kendrick Lamar;
- released on May 4, 2024.
Not Like Us - Kendrick Lamar;
- released on May 4, 2024.
The Heart Part 6 - Drake;
- released on May 6, 2024.
9) Universal unveils the official trailer for Wicked
After months of teasing stills from the upcoming live-action Broadway adaptation of the hit musical "Wicked," Universal finally released the film's full-length trailer. Marking a major event in pop culture, the movie features Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo playing the lead roles of Glinda and Elphaba.
The film's plot is set in the Land of Oz, before the arrival of Dorothy from Kansas, and tells the story of a green-skinned witch Elphaba who forms an unlikely friendship with the popular Glinda the Good Witch. Both of their lives take a turn after meeting with the Wizard of Oz ultimately leading Elphaba to becoming the Wicked Witch of the West.
Universal's Wicked was directed by Jon M. Chu and was adapted from Frank Baum's classic 1900 novel, The Wizard of Oz, and Winnie Holzman's hit musical of the same name. Fans will get to witness the magic unfold later this year when the movie hits theatres on 22 November 2024.
10) Playboi Carti's verse on Camila Cabello's lead single 'I Luv It'
Another viral pop culture moment for the year was the unexpected collaboration between Camila Cabello and Playboi Carti on the track I Luv It. The song acted as the lead single for Camila's fourth studio album C, XOXO.
Playboi Carti's verse on the track was heavily discussed online for his mumbling vocal performance and ability to compliment Cabello's energy, delivering lines like:
"Pink cups, the big worm out, High as f--k, got the sherm out / I'm with two of 'em like Clermont / Leave a n---a face down, f--k around, b---h n---a gon' find out / I hope you know you need a flashlight, tryna follow 'round this ho / Told ya I got all the paper like hol' up, hol' up, I'm out of control"
11) Fans get the first look at Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in the trailer for Joker: Folie à Deux
The classic Batman villain, The Joker, was successfully brought to life with a solo movie in 2019. This movie had a massive impact on pop culture as it performed extremely well with over one billion dollars in realized box office revenue and earned lead actor, Joaquin Phoenix, an Oscar for "Best Actor in a Lead Role" at the 2020 Academy Awards.
Director Todd Phillips, along with Warner Bros, finally released the trailer for the movie's sequel titled "Joker: Folie à Deux" on April 10, 2024. This event stirred significant excitement across pop culture and film landscapes, as fans prepared for the film's debut in theaters on 4 October 2024.
The sequel features Joaquin Phoenix reprising his role as the deranged clown alongside Lady Gaga, who plays Harley Quinn, with a majority of the plot revolving around their relationship after the two meet during his incarceration at Arkham State Hospital.
12) Sabrina Carpenter dominates the Billboard music charts
Sabrina Carpenter has had an insane couple of months, dominating the music industry and pop culture space with her lead singles, Espresso and Please Please Please, having a massive debut on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 charts.
The singer released Espresso on April 12, 2024, before following up with Please Please Please on June 6, 2024. Both songs have gone on to garner hundreds of millions of streams across streaming platforms as well as bagging the No.1 spot on Billboards music charts.
Other notable music and pop culture moments for the year include Justin and Hailey Bieber announcing their first child together, Rihanna introducing "Fenty Hair," and Dr. Dre receiving his Hollywood star.
