Baton Rouge rapper H3adband has turned his viral hit “Boo” — one of the first new hip-hop songs to reach the Hot 100 in 2026 (No. 90) — into a buzzy new record deal.
Billboard can exclusively announce that H3adband has signed with Tony Bucher’s Hitmaker Music Group, in partnership with Atlantic Records and 10K Projects, through a newly formed joint venture with WatchDatBaby Records, an independent label founded by Louisiana record executive Byron “Bjay” Landingham Jr., concluding a competitive label bidding war.
The new joint venture seeks to combine Hitmaker’s global infrastructure with WatchDatBaby Records’ artist-first deals, which prioritize creative control and long-term growth. H3adband will build on the momentum of “Boo” with an as-yet-untitled project slated for release later this year via Hitmaker.
“I’m ecstatic to welcome H3adband and WatchDatBaby to the Hitmaker family,” Bucher told Billboard. “H3adband is going to be a global superstar, and there’s no hotter label right now than WatchDatBaby.”
Billboard first reported on H3adband’s rising hit in its weekly Trending Up column last December, citing its astronomical streaming increases following its viral dance trend, which attracted celebrities like Savannah James, DaBaby, and Dancing With the Stars pro Valentin Chmerkovskiy.
H3adband’s signing comes amid a larger moment for burgeoning Louisiana rap stars, several of whom WatchDatBaby has been instrumental in their rise. Last fall, 3DCam, who hails from the city of Monroe, dropped “Crack,” which quickly took over TikTok (nearly 400,000 creates) and earned a remix from fellow Louisiana MC Fredo Bang by January. Baton Rouge rapper 42kbrook scored her own slow-burning hit with “Pookie Lean,” which launched a popular dance trend that brought the song to hundreds of thousands of posts across social media.
“We understand the culture, we control the business, and we’re building something that lasts — not just chasing a moment,” says Landingham Jr. “That starts with recognizing the talent coming out of Louisiana that’s often overlooked and giving it the push and resources it deserves. I plan on opening the door and not closing it behind me.”
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Hitmaker distributed both “Crack” and “Pookie Lean,” which have joined YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s “Shot Callin” and “What You Is” as recent Louisiana rap hits that have ascended beyond the regional level. YoungBoy scored the No. 7 highest-grossing rap tour of 2025, according to Billboard Boxscore, and his most recent full-length, Slime Cry, became his 17th Billboard 200 top 10 effort (Jan. 31). It looks like the South will always have something to say.
In addition to the Hot 100, “Boo” has also brought H3adband to Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (No. 19) and Emerging Artists (No. 8) charts.
