Artists come and go. Music trends change every year. It’s challenging for artists to keep skin in the game with the rapid fluctuation of an unpredictable industry––when it comes to staying persistent amidst crazy transitions. His goal is to collaborate as much as possible and strategize avenues to grow his platform in 2022. Enter Austin Z. Austin Z is a rare breed. Nowadays, it’s rare to rub shoulders with talents who bring worthy content to the table.
Musicians like Austin are so much more than just songwriters. He exemplifies leadership and influence, taking total control over his craft to ensure his song campaigns perform optimally. On a creative note, Austin Z has an intrinsic ability to bring people together; he intentionally keeps authentic themes in his music–radiating a soundtrack people from all walks of life can connect to.
For example, Austin Z keeps fans entertained by his reflective approach to songwriting and personal live streams; it’s indisputable that his music echoes his life story and where he is on his journey creatively. He’s worked meticulously on his craft to make his dream a reality; he’s working on his music in an untapped realm and seeking more ways to perfect his work through collaboration. I
In addition, Austin Z is committed to bringing his unique approach to the world, reminding listeners that there is no limit to blurring the lines and ingraining one’s personality in the industry.
Poor Yaseem was only 11 months old when he was shot four times in 2019. He was 3 years old. When he was under a year old, he father used him as a “human shield.”
Fox 29 of Philadelphia reported that he he was shot in the head, chest and lower body when his dad used him to stop bullets from hitting him.
“We are awaiting a medical examiner’s report on the cause of death, but we have reason to believe his cause of death is his original injury,” Krasner said, according to Fox 29.
In October 2019, Nafes Monroe, who is Yaseem’s biological father, was involved in a drug deal withs shooting suspect Francisco Ortiz. Ortiz said Monroe was using counterfeit money in the deal. Also, the authorities aid that Monroe pulled up to the drug deal with the kid to avoid being shot. That didn’t work.
Ortiz let his thang go and hit the kid anyway.
“He was using counterfeit money to purchase drugs, knowing that counterfeit money is something that is very upsetting to drug dealers, and when they find out that they’re being burned with counterfeit money, they act violently. And this was not the first instance of Mr. Monroe using counterfeit money,” said Anthony Voci of the district attorney’s office.
“It’s our belief and our investigation has led us to believe that he intentionally had his child with him when he was making such types of purchases with the idea or belief that if someone saw that he had a child in the car they would not fire upon him,” Voci added, “A human shield is probably the term that I would use.”
Chris Rock’s mother has addressed Will Smith slapping her son at the 2022 Academy Awards.
During the ceremony on March 27th, the “King Richard” actor walked onto the stage and slapped Chris after he compared his wife Jada Pinkett Smith – who has the medical condition alopecia – to G.I. Jane.
In a new interview with WIS News, Rose Rock insisted Chris is doing well but is “still processing” the incident.
“I told someone, when Will slapped Chris, he slapped all of us, but he really slapped me,” she declared. “When you hurt my child, you hurt me.”
When asked what she would say to Will Smith now, the motivational speaker replied, “I have no idea what I would say other than, ‘What in the world were you thinking? Because you did a slap, but so many things could have happened. Chris could have stepped back and fallen. You really could have gotten taken out in handcuffs. You didn’t think. You reacted to your wife giving you the side-eye, and you went up, and you made her day because she was bowled over laughing when it happened.'”
However, Rose noted that she was “really, really proud” of how her son reacted in the moment.
Directly after the slap, Chris said, smiling, “Oh, wow. Wow. Will Smith just smacked the s### out of me.”
After Will Smith briefly yelled obscenities at him, the comedian continued: “That was the greatest night in the history of television.”
Snoop Dogg considered remastering his debut album Doggystyle but then opted against the idea.
Appearing on the latest episode of the Full Send Podcast, the “Gin and Juice” rapper said he considered following Taylor Swift’s lead and re-recording his old albums.
“She ain’t an old artist at all, she’s quite new. What did she do? She remastered her album,” Snoop Dogg began. “Why? Because she wasn’t making revenues off of that (original) album. I was going to remaster my album. My son had told me years ago, he was like, ‘You should just remaster Doggystyle pops, f### all that. Just remaster it, you ain’t gotta worry about all that.'”
However, the hip-hop star decided that he wouldn’t be able to “recapture” the feeling of his 1993 debut.
“I didn’t wanna go that (remastering) approach, because you can’t remaster Doggystyle like you can remaster them R&B songs. That s### was a feeling, that s### was a moment. You can’t recapture that,” Snoop Dogg explained.
On the podcast, he said he wanted to convert his music into NFTs so fans could own, trade, and make money off his songs themselves, rather than copies of them.
“My fans coming to show up for me, me charging them for everything. T-shirts, concerts, this, that, but not giving them s### back. Don’t sit right,” he said.
Lizzo has confirmed she is still dating the mystery man she was photographed with on Valentine’s Day.
During a radio interview on Andy Cohen Live, the “Truth Hurts” hitmaker was asked if she and the man she was snapped holding hands with outside of Craig’s restaurant in Hollywood in February are still together.
In the photos, the man concealed his identity by wearing a mask and headwear.
Continuing on the subject, Andy asked, “You’re Lizzo, huge superstar, and this person is – whoever that person is – is that hard in the relationship?”
“If you have the right person then no,” the singer said. “Not at all, it’s not even a factor. It should be mutually supportive no matter what that person does.”
After being asked whether “that person” was in the crowd during her “Saturday Night Live” hosting gig earlier this month, she quipped, “Damn, you’re really good at this s###. You get the scoop, don’t you?”
However, she confirmed eventually, that her partner was in attendance. Lizzo has not identified whom she is dating.
This brother is going in for a minute. But he says it flat out: “You’re dealing with two Alphabet Boys.” I have seen parts of this conversation with Wack100, Hassan and Tekashi. In this 2 and a half hour talk, Hassan holds nothing back. I cannot paraphrase, because it is too much. But I will give you some Cliffs.
Hassan says both Tekashi 6ix9ine and Wack100 work for the government and that is why he recorded their convo.
Two. He alleges that Wack100 extorted Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. This is why The Game can make songs about Kim – that he hit it – and Kanye still do a song with him. Also : Wack100 says he has ANOTHER sex tape of her and Ray J.
Hassan says that Tekashi has gang members, but behind them are government hitters JUST IN CASE those people decide to act up.
He says that Nipsey Hussle is speaking to him from the grave.
Hassan charges that Wack100 sells guns to the Crip Sets so they kill each other, pushing the narrative that he’s 2022 Cointelpro.
He makes the claim that Nipsey was killed because he was working with cops to clean up the hood. He’s saying this makes Nip a “rat” to other gang members.
They said he was set up by the set.
Now, he’s saying that Wack100 threatened him, saying he can get him 3,000 miles away.
He says that Tekashi’s guys were about to shoot somebody, but he called them off. He didn’t want to ruin his life.
He says Wack100 had a gun.
He says Wack100 “put the squeeze” on DJ Kay Slay. He gave him a lot of props, but said that Wack bragged at “getting all the money” out of the legendary DJ. He says he has proof.
He said that his life is in danger, but he “stays dangerous” as well.
That’s about it, y’all.
There’s two other hours of this. Check it out. It is compelling stuff.
So, I have tried really hard to ignore this, but here we go. First of all “it” ain’t true. Wack100 has been totally disrupting everything we love. From Pac to Nip. But, I say this: Wack stands on just about everything that he says.
That said, the allegations against the homie Nip are not true. I am glad they are not true, but I know of a source that has seen said “tape” and insists its all BS. I will not expound but I hope we can learn to let the dead rest.
This Clubhouse phenomenon is still going on.
The Rolling 60s members and Wack said quite a lot on the app. Even death threats. They accused Wack100 of being a gang unit member/police. Honestly, this is not my world and I want nothing to do with it.
At any rate, Wack100 said he was going to put said tape out. These guys went hard out there on Clubhouse with death threats. At the end of the day, the Crips said no Nip slander will be permitted. Eventually, the famous Blood left the Clubhouse room.
I just wanted to acknowledge this and leave it alone.
Michelle Williams had a great experience working with rap star Romeo Miller and Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles-Lawson on the TV movie “Wrath: A Seven Deadly Sins Story.”
In addition to Michelle and Tina, the film also features Romeo Miller as a potential love interest. And the singer enjoyed working with the 32-year-old rapper, who used to be known as Lil’ Romeo.
“He’s not Lil’ Romeo no more,” she laughed. “So I had to definitely get that out of my head. He’s grown. He’s over 18. He was a jewel to work with. He’s so solid in who he is and even in his faith.”
For the new Lifetime project, Michelle plays lawyer Chastity Jefferies, who begins dating Xavier Collins, only to discover that his affection has turned into an obsession.
Tina portrays Michelle’s mother in the movie, and in an interview for the New York Post, the star noted that she loved reuniting with her Destiny’s Child bandmate’s mom.
“It was beautiful to work with Miss Tina because she’s been like a mother, a nurturer and a protector of me for 22 years. And so, when we got on set, we just looked each other in the eye, and it was just kind of natural for us to do what we do,” she explained. “I mean, there were moments in my life where Miss Tina has had to console me like a mother would. She’s had to give me advice like a mother would. So actually, when they mentioned her name, when I got the phone call about doing the movie, she’s the reason why I said yes. We knew with the mention of each other’s names that this is going to be great to do.”
Jada Pinkett Smith has indicated she will discuss her husband Will Smith’s behavior at the 2022 Academy Awards “when the time calls.”
During the ceremony on March 27th, the “King Richard” actor walked onto the stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock after he compared Jada – who has the medical condition alopecia – to G.I. Jane.
While fans wondered if Jada would address the shocking incident on the latest episode of her talk show “Red Table Talk” on Wednesday, she instead issued a message at the start of the video.
“Considering all that has happened in the last few weeks, the Smith family has been focusing on deep healing,” the note began. “Some of the discoveries around our healing will be shared at the table when the time calls. Until then…The table will continue offering itself to powerful, inspiring, and healing testimonies like that of our incredible impressive first guest.”
Will apologized to Academy members and his peers during his acceptance speech for Best Actor at the film event and followed it up with a lengthy apology on Instagram the next day.
Papoose was signed by DJ Kay Slay as a young emcees and together they were able to conquer the streets and Hip-Hop. Yesterday, Pap and his wife spoke at a memorial service for the world-famous DJ and graffiti writer. Last week, Kay Slay died at the age of 55 from Covid-11 complications.
Between 2006 and 2013, Kay Slay and Papoose released several classic mixtapes.
“This is hard for me. I can’t even sit up here and front,” Papoose said at the Apollo Theater. “I know they are telling me my brother is in this casket over here, but the body is just a vessel that stores the spirit of man, the soul of man, the mind of man. When it leaves that energy it goes into a universal storehouse , which is the Universe. He’s still here yall.”
The Brooklyn-born rapper also told the crowd that Kay Slay introduced him to the love of his life, his wife Remy Ma. Remy also spoke.
She quipped about how she felt jealous, because Papoose continually referred to the late DJ as “his friend.” But she clarified: she knew him first. It was a humorous moment that lightened a sober ceremony.
Kay Slay’s passing, tragically on Easter Sunday, began to trickle late Sunday night. As the world began to spread, the condolences rolled in.
Kay Slay, born Keith Grayson, died on Easter Sunday after a 4-month stay in the hospital. He started out as a graffiti artist in the 1970, but soon emerged as a DJ that was own as “The Drama King.” He would flood the streets with mixtapes in the 1990s and then take his persona and skills to commercial albums and radio. His “Drama Hour” ran at Hot 97 over two decades.
T-Pain has called out fans in Dallas, Texas for not buying tickets to his concert.
The “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” hitmaker took to social media to post a video in which he shed light on the most undersold stop on his latest tour.
Sharing a spreadsheet of ticket sales across each city on his “The Road to Wiscansin Tour,” the rapper revealed that only 26 percent of tickets available had been sold for his Dallas stop.
T-Pain, real name Faheem Najm, is scheduled to perform at The Factory in Dallas, Texas May 18th.
“On the tour, we do a weekly tour update kind of thing, you know, and we send out this little spreadsheet of the percentages of tickets we’ve sold in each city,” he explained. “I got to tell you, man, there’s only one question: ‘What the f###, Dallas?'”
He continued, “Dallas, what are you doing?! Y’all don’t f### with me?!
“What did I do! Let me know what I did! What’s going on?!”
To ingratiate himself to the Texans, T-Pain added, “I wore cowboy hats many times! I used to raise horses! I feel like I’m part of the city! I’ve worn a cowboy hat or two…regular cowboys and Dallas Cowboys!”
Aight. So what I’m gathering from all the responses, is the spot they chose to put me in for my tour date in Dallas doesn’t have a super dope reputation, is that correct? Do I need to make them move the show to a different spot/city?
Hip-Hop on social media was up-in-arms after vandals decided to cover-up a long-standing Sean Price mural in the late rapper’s native Brooklyn
The uproar quickly took on increased seriousness when Bernadette Price, the late rapper’s wife posted the mess on social media.
“So I was informed that the mural on Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn has been removed… ‼️ @albertusjoseph Thank You for that masterpiece ✌️💜 #seanliveson#50villainzdeep,” Bernadette said along with a video of her rapping in front of the mural.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccq9zwgrPBp/
The good news is, according to a social post on Sean Instagram, the situation will be resolved soon. The post said, “So them guys said they WILL. put up a new mural of Sean in the summer ‼️#seanprice#seanliveson.”
Rap star Megan thee Stallion gave her first interview discussing the night Tory Lanez allegedly shot her.
Gayle King scored the first interview with the Houston rapper about the incident. It is slated to air tomorrow (Monday, April 25th.)
During the interview, a tearful Megan tells Gayle King details about what led to the shooting following a pool party in the Hollywood Hills on July 12th, 2020.
“It was a argument because I was ready to go, and everybody else wasn’t ready to go. But that’s like normal friend stuff, like we fuss about silly stuff all the time. But I never put my hands on anybody. I never raised my voice too loud. Like this was one of them times where it was like it shouldn’t have got this crazy,” Megan thee Stallion said between tears.
What started as a harmless argument turned into gunplay, according to Megan thee Stallion. Tory allegedly lost his cool and began firing while telling her to “dance b####.”
“He started shooting, and I’m just like, ‘oh my God.’ He shot a couple of times. And I didn’t even want to move. I don’t want to move too quick like ’cause I’m like ‘oh my God’ if I take the wrong step, I don’t know if he can shoot something that’s like super important.’ I don’t know if he could shoot me and kill me. I was really scared because I had never been shot at before,” Megan thee Stallion said, crying.
Tory Lanez was finally charged with felony assault in October 2020 after a judge ruled there was enough evidence against him.
A judge ruled Tory violated a protective order when he tweeted about the situation on his account last February.
Shortly after his release in April, the rap star dropped a song called “Muckey James,” which many felt addressed the shooting case, which could have put his freedom in jeopardy again.
However, the rap star denied that the song was about Megan. Megan also dropped a song titled “Plan B,” which many assumed was directed at Tory Lanez.
However, the rapper denied that “Plan B” was about anyone in particular.
“I was just venting ABT experiences I’ve had in relationships I’ve been in the past,” Megan said on Twitter.
Tory Lanez will stand trial this is September over the shooting. He faces up to 22 years in prison if he is convicted.
Rihanna always thought she would raise her children in Barbados but now believes that plan is unlikely.
The “Umbrella” hitmaker, who hails from the Caribbean island, has a jet-setting lifestyle and homes in California, Barbados and London, so she is unsure where she will raise her first child with rapper A$AP Rocky.
“That gets difficult to say,” she admitted to U.S. Vogue magazine. “Rocky asked me recently if I had a dream place, where would it be? I told him home, Barbados. I always imagined it being that way. But realistically it probably won’t be.”
The 34-year-old also expects her mom and Rocky’s mother to be the first ports of call for childcare, although she has reluctantly put a night nurse on hold upon the recommendation of her friends.
“I’m sure that will be helpful, but they’re going to have to fight my mom, because I can’t imagine anyone telling her how to put her grandkid to bed,” she added.
Elsewhere in the interview, the music superstar recalled bringing Rocky home to Barbados to meet her family for the first time during the 2020 holidays.
“My mother has a really good read on people. She observes first and then she’ll move slowly. I guess I’m like that too,” she explained. “There are some guys that I’ve dated that she won’t even look at to this day. But she was charmed by him from the jump.”
Rihanna and Rocky began dating in 2020 and announced their baby news in late January.
Rihanna gave the interview before A$AP Rocky was arrested at LAX airport after spending time on Barbados with Rihanna, over a 2021 shooting.
Rapper Archie Eversole’s brother has been denied bond and remains detained behind bars for the shooting death of the anthem-making artist.
According to Fox 5, Superior Court Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson denied a bail bond for Alexander Krause, who is accused of fatally shooting his superstar brother. Judge Jackson said he would not only be a flight risk but a danger to the community at large.
She said, “I’m going to deny the defendant bond based on a couple of things, he’s likely to flee the jurisdiction, and he is a danger to the community.”
However, Archie Eversole was murdered on March 25th at his brother’s townhouse on Holf Vista Circle. The story is now drastically different than previously reported.
Prosecutor Tauri Thomas alleges Krause shot his brother in the jaw with a .357 pistol while he was sleeping.
“Inside the victim’s bedroom, you could tell there had been forced entry,” Thomas says. “The lock on the victim’s bedroom door was damaged as well as a portion of the door. You could just tell there had been a struggle.”
It is further submitted by the DeKalb District Attorney’s Office that both brothers had a history of violence, resulting in Eversole having an open case of battery and disorderly conduct for a prior assault on Krause.
Archie Eversole’s manager John Williams says the D.A. has it all wrong and that Krause and his artist had made peace in their relationship,
“Things that was said in [the] history of Alex and Archie, there have been amends to it. I actually have witnesses who were there and saw the amends. They had a complete understanding.”
Williams says the shooting was an accident and that the information will come out soon.
Burgerrockk is a Canadian singer-songwriter who was born in a conservative family and grew up under many restrictions. After singing in church during her childhood, she pursued a career in gospel music during her teenage years. Even though it was not allowed by her parents, Burgerrockk heard all kinds of music, which was provided to her by her friends, as she had an affinity for music right from the beginning. As an outspoken person, she stood by her desire to become a music artist and chased her dreams.
She did not achieve success at the beginning and had to face a lot of obstacles before receiving her first major break. Many of her songs got shelved before she was taken seriously.’
Her second studio album “Rockk My World” turned out to be a huge hit, marking a turning point in her musical career. Thus, she was launched as a singer and never had to look back ever since.
Her next single “No Playboy” won the hearts of many music lovers and became one of the best-selling albums of all time. It created many records and cemented Burgerrockk’s place as a prominent artist. Apart from writing and recording songs, Burgerrockk’s is also known for her philanthropic works.
The two men accused of killing rapper Young Dolph appeared in court to address charges connected to the death of the Memphis star.
According to FOX 13, Cornelius Smith, 32, and Justin Johnson, 23, stepped into a Shelby County courtroom last week to face first-degree murder charges for their part in the rapper’s fatal shooting outside of the Makeda’s Cookies bakery in November of 2021.
After Smith’s bond hearing was reset, to allow the lawyers to get witnesses ready to testify on behalf of their client, both men’s lawyers have requested to review video evidence and discovery linking them to the murder.
Now Smith’s bond hearing will be scheduled for May 27th. Johnson’s report date has been scheduled for the same day.
A week ago, Johnson was sentenced to 24 months in prison for a supervised release violation.
The 27-year-old was allegedly a passenger in Johnson’s car and was originally charged with being an accessory.
The state claimed Barnett helped Johnson escape from Memphis to Indiana after Dolph was murdered. Barnett was taken into custody in Indiana.
However, Indiana officials say Shelby County instructed them to let Barnett go.
Clay County Sheriff Paul Harden said, “On January 11th, Mr. Shundale Barnett was brought to the Clay County Jail by the Indiana State Police from an arrest on I-70. He was booked in the Clay County Jail on an outstanding warrant from Shelby County, Tennessee.”
“We held them (Johnson and Barnett), contacted Shelby County, and held him (Barnett) on their warrant, and we were contacted on January 21st, and they told us that they were no longer wanting to come up and pick up Mr. Barnett and that we were to release him at that time.”
The U.S. Marshals Service said he also faces theft of property charges when he is caught.
Austin Tolliver is here to put on for his own genre: country rap. With songs like “Ride 4 Me” and “Tip My Hat,” the rising star proves he has what it takes to become one of the greats, and mediocre is certainly not in his vocabulary. With his father being a professional football player in the NFL for over 13 years, the recording artist was always destined for greatness — only he’s here to tackle the music industry versus sports.
While the Louisiana native played football at New Mexico State University and college baseball at Texas Tech University, it was during his move to Nashville that he truly became enthralled with music. His ability to fuse both genres of country and hip-hop into one is one that does not go unnoticed, drawing influences from the legends from Tupac and Nelly to Tim McGraw and Billy Ray Cyrus.
In describing himself, Tolliver states, “I consider myself to be an eclectic man. I’d like for everyone out there to know I am the white Nelly and I take that moniker with pride. If you want to call me that, totally fine. Either way, I’m just a down-home boy who loves to get down and have a good time.”
And now, he’s ready to unveil his debut full-length album titled Ride 4 Me. Arriving on April 22nd, the 12-track project boasts lead singles “Yodelay You Down” and “Ride 4 Me,” showcasing his talents as a songwriter and simultaneously eager to bring the tracks onto the stage as a performer.
AllHipHop: How would you describe your sound?
Austin Tolliver: A lot of people say country rap, but I don’t like to put myself into a particular category. Because I grew up in a time in Louisiana where you could listen to all genres at a bonfire from George Strait, Garth Brooks, Vince Hill, and next thing you know Tupac, Nelly, and Luda came on. My whole thing is a gelling of sounds to give everybody something that they can hold onto.
AllHipHop: You’re from Louisiana, how does that play into your life and career?
Austin Tolliver: Louisiana is wild as hell! If you’ve been to Mardi Gras, you know it can get even more wild. Louisiana influenced me in a musical standpoint from the ability to blend cultures together, because we all grew up together. It’s really cool because I went to a public school that was almost 50/50 down the middle: white, black, whatever you want to put it at. None of us had a problem, all of us got along, because we all grew up in the same neighborhoods on the same streets and jamming the same tunes. I’m trying to send this message of positivity out to where people can understand it doesn’t matter what’s going on in the world, we could all party together baby. That’s what Louisiana taught me and that’s what it teaches everybody that goes down there. I tell everybody: if you go to Louisiana, you’re going to Louisiana to awaken your spirit because it’s going to show you a different world.
AllHipHop: When did you move to Nashville? I know you were playing football in college.
Austin Tolliver: My wife and I moved to Nashville about 7 years ago. My wife’s family was already living here. We had to come up here and help raise my brother-in-law’s while they were going through high school.
AllHipHop: Is that when you fell in love with country music?
Austin Tolliver: Nah, I’ve been a country music guy my whole life. I grew up on country music, hip hop music, blues music, everything. I fell in love with country when I was a kid. My dad used to jam to Tim McGraw, Vince Hill, Garth Brooks, and Trey Lewis…his musical taste inspired my love for it.
AllHipHop: When did you realize you could do music for a living? Was there a turning point?
Austin Tolliver: No, really it was all a bet. A buddy of mine, Ty Clark, bet me that I wouldn’t go to a studio and beat his song, so I said ‘bet that…bet I could get a record deal before you.’ Sure as s### here we are, and he still yells at me. I owe my buddy Ty for my start in the music business. Without him calling me and challenging me, I don’t know if I’d be where we’re at right now. And I’m really proud of where we’re at right now.
AllHipHop: I know you were a great football player. Do you miss it at all?
Austin Tolliver: Eh, football is different to me. I grew up with a dad who was in the NFL for 13 years. My dad got drafted in 1989, and I was born in 1988, so technically I’d already gone through an entire NFL career before I was even a teenager. He played for San Diego, Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans, and Green Bay as a quarterback. My whole life was sports, I was going to follow the same path to be a football player, but life took a different direction. My dad said ‘you can entertain the world in a different way.’ I said ‘hell yeah let’s do it,’ and here we are.
AllHipHop: Is Austin Tolliver your real name?
Austin Tolliver: Yeah, that’s the name the government gave me I guess. My mama put it on my birth certificate so that’s my damn name. If you want to know who I am, just Google my name. I don’t care!
AllHipHop: What did “Tip My Hat” do for your career?
Austin Tolliver: Oh, “Tip My Hat” started this whole thing. It was the first single that my label (Average Joes Entertainment) released after I signed with them. They put me in a position to shoot up the social ranks in the social media world. When “Ride 4 Me” came out, it changed the whole landscape career wise. Now, we’re steadily building every single day. I owe a lot of my success to that one record “Tip My Hat,” I put it on everything I possibly can.
AllHipHop: How’d it feel for “Ride 4 Me” to hit a million views on Youtube?
Austin Tolliver: See that’s what’s crazy, “Ride 4 Me” is at 1.5 million views on YouTube now. I know it’s over 4 million on Spotify and over 3 million on Apple Music. That song went nuts and it went nuts on social media. We had an idea for the music video to incorporate all my social media supporters. As soon as we did that, the video came out, and the song went crazy. That helped elevate me into a different level of the entertainment world. You go from the minor leagues to the big leagues, but you’re still sitting on the bench trying to force somebody out so you can get in the game.
AllHipHop: What can we expect from your full-length album, Ride 4 Me?
Austin Tolliver: My album’s going to put me in the game and put somebody else on the bench, that’s the whole idea. I hope people understand that Ride 4 Me is a story about my life and personal experiences. I also hope people will gravitate towards it, while learning who I am as an artist and as a person. It’s going to catapult me to the next stage… we’re competing with the big boys now.
AllHipHop: What is it you want fans to take away from the project?
Austin Tolliver: Learning who I am as a person, not just as an artist. I want fans to understand that I’m telling the story of me in all these songs. What I went through in my life, what we and my wife of 15 years have gone through and overcame… all that b####### is out there. At the end of the day, what I want everybody to understand is, it’s a ride. And if you’re taking the ride… guess what? We’re trying to blast off!
AllHipHop: How did you meet your wife?
Austin Tolliver: I met her in college, after the first month I was there. In 2007, I walked into a tanning salon and told her I needed a table for one, because I thought it was a breakfast spot. It was called the Sunshine Inn and it really wasn’t a breakfast spot, it was just a tanning salon. Essentially she told me to go F myself, so I turned around and walked away. After seeing her in some short shorts, I waited for her for 8 hours to get off work… we’ve been together ever since.
AllHipHop: You waited for 8 hours?!
Austin Tolliver: Yeah, like a creeper… just stayed in the parking lot with a lawn chair. It worked though, then I had a conversation with myself over text messages because she wouldn’t answer me. Sure enough, she went out with me that night and here we are.
AllHipHop: How does she feel about your music?
Austin Tolliver: She’s awesome because she doesn’t give two s####. She lets me go out there and be who I am, and doesn’t get jealous of the fact that who I am on stage isn’t who I’m bringing home. I’m out there having a good time, entertaining everybody that I can entertain for their hard-earned money. But when I come home, there’s a difference when I walk in my door than when I walk on a stage. I gotta make sure my house always sees that difference, and I don’t just become one man. She does a great job of seeing that.
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio at all times?
Austin Tolliver: Tequila, Jon Connor, and a microphone. Because if we don’t have a microphone, we’re really f##### up.
AllHipHop: Best encounter you had with a fan?
Austin Tolliver: Ooh, I had a lot of those. The best encounter I’ve had with fans was when I played a show in Prattville, Alabama and they sang my songs back to me. That was pretty cool, that’s never happened to me before. It was pretty dope. I’ll never forget that for as long as I live…that somebody sang my s### back to me. I remember thinking ‘bro, this is pretty dope! This is what Adele feels like.’
AllHipHop: Any features we can expect?
Austin Tolliver: We got Bezz Believe on this album, we got Colt Ford on this album. Coming up soon we’ll have Phillip Good on some singles. We’ll have, hopefully if I can make it work, get Jelly Roll on a track. We’re in the same circles right now, our names keep coming up. It’d be dope as hell if we can get something together. I also got one with Karen Waldrup. Karen Waldrup is off the chain. If you don’t know who she is, you need to look her up. She’s awesome.
AllHipHop: What do you like to do when you’re not doing music?
Austin Tolliver: Really and truly, I’m boring as hell. If I’m not doing music, I’m usually either doing something my wife needs me to do, cleaning up my yard or going to the gym. I’m very regimented. I like having a structure that allows me to get from A to B to C to D. If I don’t, I lose myself, so I try to stay to that structure to allow myself to be me.
AllHipHop: Who do you listen to at the gym?
Austin Tolliver: Oh s###, I listen to a wide variety. Elvie Shane, Muscadine Bloodline, Tupac, Nelly, Biggie. My playlist is weird. You’ll see Lenny Cooper pop-up, then next thing you know Vince Hill pops-up. I listen to everything.
AllHipHop: Goals yourself as an artist at this point of your career?
Austin Tolliver: Yeah, take over the damn world! I don’t know who you talked to in the past, but I ain’t in here to be mediocre. I ain’t in here to be second place. I’m going to take over this genre and someone’s going to have to compete with me for it. I’m not going to sit here and say I’m the best in the world, but I’ll tell you right now… I’m gonna be.
AllHipHop: Do you feel Lil Nas X paved the way for country rap to exist?
Austin Tolliver: No, I feel like he paved the way for being disrespected by the genre. I just don’t understand why he felt he needed support on “Old Town Road” from country legend Billy Ray Cyrus after already being a #1 hit, just to feel accepted into the country community. I personally think he should have kept it as his song which already had country tones to it, and be cool with whatever genre it may ‘fit’ into. Someone who did pave the way is my buddy Colt Ford, he’s had such an impact on country rap…not to mention is still having an impact. He’s on “Lifestyle” with me on this new album I’m putting out.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let us know?
Austin Tolliver: Y’all just listen to my s###! Come party with me, I love y’all. Make sure you listen to Shirley too ’cause obviously she knows what she’s doing, because she’s over here doing interviews!
If you’ve ever seen Bino Rideaux perform live in action, you’ve probably seen Coot Corleone by his side. With both artists’ roots in Los Angeles, it’s amazing to see unity and support amongst the community, especially when it comes to the rap game. With Coot, Bino gave him the opportunity to open for him on tour, exposing him to the good life and how exactly dreams can become a reality.
Of course, that means hard work, dedication, and passion, and the rising star is 100% all in. Coot describes himself as straight up king. He explains, “Anything with king, that gotta do with king. Loyalty, royalty, all that. I got a unique sound, it’s different. I feel it’s really a one and none. I don’t sound like nobody and nobody else sounds like me. I just be vibing to the beats.”
Fast forward to today, Coot has been releasing banger after banger for his fans. His newest release is his Still Unnoticed album, which he feels is the perfect depiction of where he is in his career, serving as the follow-up to his previous project titled Unnoticed. To date, Coot has worked with everyone from Bino Rideaux to Nipsey Hussle to Kalan.FrFr.
AllHipHop: What part of Los Angeles are you from?
Coot Corleone: Westmont. I tell everyone, that’s over there by Southwest College. It was crazy, the scene is just like how it is now. More active, the real trenches. It goes up over there, gang wars. Everybody from the city already knows: my part, Westmont, our city goes up. A lot of s### be going on over there.
AllHipHop: What does LA mean to you?
Coot Corleone: LA is life. This is where I grew up, there is where I feel I wanna die at. I’m not gonna say dreams come true over here, but this is where you can make something out of nothing. That’s LA.
AllHipHop: How would you describe your sound?
Coot Corleone: That’s hard. I got a unique sound, it’s different. I feel it’s really a one and none. I don’t sound like nobody and nobody sounds like me. ‘Cause I was even talking about this: who I sound like? I don’t know. I just be vibing to the beats.
AllHipHop: When did you fall in love with music?
Coot Corleone: I’ve been loving music. With music, you gotta grow into yourself. I’ve been in the studio as a kid and in the family, they dancing. I would like the dancing really, over the rapping s###.
AllHipHop: How did you first get into dancing?
Coot Corleone: S###, born in it. Family reunions, family parties, kids parties, parties. LA gon’ call on you, we party. Party and violence, that’s it.
AllHipHop: Who were you listening to growing up, who made you want to do this?
Coot Corleone: I grew up doing music with my boy Donny Love, we started doing music. I was doing party music right there. I stopped doing music and started the gangbanging. Got bored of that, new vibes. Got around OTB, Bino, that’s my family right there. All In, got around Nip. I still wasn’t really doing music. I only dropped a couple songs, I wasn’t taking music still serious like that. I was sitting there around them, learning, observing everything. I‘m like “f### it, it’s time.” It was time, I was around them a couple years before I started doing music. I started taking it seriously 2 years [ago], 2019/2020.
AllHipHop: When you first met Bino, at what point of his career was he?
Coot Corleone: Bino was just starting to buzz. I remember when I first got on the label, we went to Austin, Texas for SXSW. That was my first time on a plane and everything. I’ve never been out of the city, so that was a moment. I’ll forever remember that.
AllHipHop: Any highlights?
Coot Corleone: That s### was fun. It was fun, I learned a lot. I was just 19, I’m 24 now. I learned a f###### lot quick. I love them forever, for bringing me.
AllHipHop: How was it seeing Bino’s career take off?
Coot Corleone: Motivation. Inspiration. You gotta believe that s###, that you can come from nothing to something. It’s there. I really believe that s###, he’s living proof. Nip too. I’ve seen that s###, you can really come from nothing to something.
AllHipHop: What was your relationship with Nip?
Coot Corleone: Big bro, little bro. We was talking about gang s### and all that, but a lot of s### is personal. About life and s### like that, he was a real mentor to me fasho. I asked him about a lot of s###. If I started doing music, how all the homies will be on me with this, with that. He told me how to go about a lot of s###. Respect will take you far too, that’s one thing I’ll be on. Nip had a lot of congruence, he’s the reason I’m called Coot Corleone.
AllHipHop: How did that happen?
Coot Corleone: We was talking about Godfather, I’ve never seen it. I’m young, he said “you need to watch that s###.” After I watched the first part, man I’m smoking a cigar with Bino. I’m hitting the cigar like “man, Coot Corleone.” Bino’s like “yeah that’s hard.” I told Nip that, he said “yeah, that’s you.” Then I watched the other 2 parts. I feel I wasn’t officially Corleone until I watched the other two types. That’s me, I f### with that. Mob ties.
AllHipHop: Did you have a name before that?
Coot Corleone: I was just Coot, I had no last name. I hate my last name. Coot came from my hood, my section. Shoutout to the Coots. I’m the 5th to be exact.
AllHipHop: When did you start taking your music seriously?
Coot Corleone: At the end of 2019/2020, s### got serious when I dropped “Blacc Mercedes.” It really got serious when I dropped my first tape in 2019. In October 2019.
AllHipHop: What inspired “Blacc Mercedes”?
Coot Corleone: Nip for sure, “Blacc Mercedes” is for him. The Benz, the Mercedes is the last car I smoked with him in. I was thinking about that, all the cars I rode with him: Maybach’s, S’s, E’s, and everything was a Benz. He really made me want a Benz. I put him in that song because I was thinking about him when I was doing the whole song, when I was writing it. For the video, I had to do it in his section. I gotta do this for Nip. If I could’ve been by the Marathon store when we were smoking that, it could’ve been perfect. That’s one of them ones, that’s my classic
AllHipHop: How’s the independent grind?
Coot Corleone: Ups and downs for real. Independent is it if you can do it. It’s a lot of work, I feel you gotta go harder than a lot of other people that got it easier. I wake up everyday like what I gotta do new? What I gotta do different? I’m thinking ahead everytime. I gotta move different because they got it,. I got it too but not like they do with their resources and s###. But it’s gon’ come.
AllHipHop: New album Still Unnoticed. Why do you feel you’re Still Unnoticed?
Coot Corleone: I got a tape called Unnoticed already, before that Yeah so when I dropped another one its like Im Still Unnoticed. I just got off a tour with Bino, I was on the tour with Bino. After that, it’s time for me to work. I was going around these cities so if they don’t know who I am, they gonna remember. Still Unnoticed, let’s do it. I put a lot of hardwork and dedication into that project, definitely made a statement. Tell me the difference, separate myself from the other artists. Still Unnoticed, still right now.
AllHipHop: What do you want other people to get from that project?
Coot Corleone: To notice me. You didn’t notice me at first, I’m noticed first. I’m unnoticed first. I’ve seen you in a lot of places, with Bino. I’ve been around. Now I’m coming out with another project called Coming Up as my next one. You start noticing me, I’m coming up now.
AllHipHop: How was tour with Bino? What was that moment he asked you to go on?
Coot Corleone: Motivation. I was excited, and I just lost my mom. I just buried my mom, the next day we had a show in San Diego. This s### about to make or break me, what I’m about to do? I took all the motivation to go do it. When I saw crowd saw me performing and they’re f###### with me, yeah this what it is. This when I’m on, I wanna go all in. It’s all in right here. That’s the very moment I know I’m all in, right here. Big shout out to Bino, OTB fasho.
AllHipHop: I know you just released “Mama’s Boy” video.
Coot Corleone: Hell yeah, I dropped that for my mom’s birthday yesterday. And I shot another video on her birthday. That’s for her right there, that’s for moms.
AllHipHop: How did you lose her, if you don’t mind me asking?
Coot Corleone: From Covid-19, on August 30th. That’s what it was, Covid. That s###’s serious for sure, especially for the elderly. If that ever breaks out again, it’s serious.
AllHipHop: Did you see the Kanye documentary? He’s all about his mom.
Coot Corleone: Yeah I felt that one. I ain’t gonna lie, I felt that one. He’s all about his mom for sure, that was motivation. All that documentary is motivation.
AllHipHop: How supportive was she of your career?
Coot Corleone: Biggest fan. Mom’s always the biggest fan. She was calling me Coot Corleone, she wasn’t even calling me by my real name anymore. Singing my songs, that’s crazy. That was my biggest fan for sure. I don’t even know if she got to hear the project because she was sick, but Unnoticed was still out when she passed. My mom’s my biggest fan for sure, still is now. She knows what’s going on, she sees it. She’s motivating me, she’s here.
AllHipHop: What was the craziest moment on tour with Bino?
Coot Corleone: AZ was crazy! Wherever we were for that fool’s birthday, I think it was Fresno. Man they were going crazy. Shout out to Fresno, AZ, all these cities were lit. I’m talking about they was f###### with me. San Diego, of course LA we love the city. We wer ein the Bay, I f### with the Bay too. I gotta go back to the Bay. A lot of cities really, I was surprised ATL was f###### with me. I ain’t never performed out there so that was big. It was a moment for sure.
AllHipHop: You ever get nervous before performing?
Coot Corleone: The San Diego one was a make me or break me show. If I seen a reaction and all that, nah I can do this. This easy. I was already dancing so people were already looking at me. I’d rather perform and talk in front of a crowd. I ain’t nervous at all, hell nah.
AllHipHop: Talk about linking with Kalan.frfr on “She’s Mine Too.”
Coot Corleone: Man, that’s my dawg right there. Shout out to Kalan man, he’s looking out. I’d seen him in the studio with Bino one time, we said what’s up but he was working with Bino. I was working, I was shooting a video in the studio working. I bumped into him, he was doing the video with $tupid Young. He’s my n*gga too, shout out $tupid Young. He’s on the tape. We were complimenting each other: “you hard, let’s do something. Let’s work.” Sent the beat, sent that s### back. Listened to it, it’s crazy. I put my verse on there, we had a hit right there. “She’s Mine Too!”
AllHipHop: You started your own BOB clothing line. What does BOB stand for?
Coot Corleone: Bunch Of Bosses. I’m one of the CEOs. We all entrepreneurs, we doing everything. We’re going to start putting our stuff on everything, we need our own bag of chips.
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio?
Coot Corleone: Vibe. I guess the vibe is everything, that could be all 3 things. Weed for sure, lights. I like LED lights, you can change the colors and bring the vibe out more. Some snacks. I need some candy, fruit, some juice. We going in.
AllHipHop: What was your relationship with Drakeo The Ruler?
Coot Corleone: That’s big dawg. I always used to be seeing Drakeo at OTB headquarters, he used to pull up to the house. I’ve seen them work. When he got out of jail last year, I said “let’s do something.” His boy Killz, shout out to him, he said “yeah, do something with my lil bro.” Drakeo told me “send me something.” I did a song and sent it to him, he sent it right back. That song’s hard. It was crazy because I was playing it the same day he passed away, on Live. That s### was crazy. That song is a banger. I don’t know when I’m dropping it but that’s my dawg. Drakeo’s a real legend for sure, only Drakeo.
AllHipHop: What was your reaction when you found out he passed?
Coot Corleone: Unbelievable, that s### was crazy. Where it was at, how it happened, that s### was crazy. You’d never think of something happening like that, especially out here. That was crazy. That was tragic.
AllHipHop: Any goals for yourself at this point of your career?
Coot Corleone: S###, hell yeah. I’m tryna take it there. I’m tryna be one of them ones, one of the greatest. I’m tryna get a plaque, Grammy, whatever. I want to be the greatest, I’m tryna be a legend. In a day, that’s what I do it for. So when I do go, my name’s still gonna live on forever. That’s the whole point of beng a legend, I’m tryna be legend status.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let us know?
Coot Corleone: More s### coming, more pressure coming for the world. More projects, more visuals, more everything. More shows, just know my name’s coming. Coot Corleone, I’m coming for sure.
It seems as if “Murder Was the Case,” a drama inspired by Snoop Dogg’s life, is no longer on the STARZ schedule.
50 Cent has said the cable network that originally greenlit the project had dragged its feet in bringing the project to fruition.
The Queens native said in a social post that is now deleted, “Murder was the case is no longer in production at STARZ. I give them the alley-oop, and they drop the damn ball. Anyway, I hope snoop tell his story.”
The series, announced four months ago by the “Power” showrunner, would have focused on the West Coast pioneer’s career-altering trial for the murder of rival gang member Phillip Woldermariam. The “Gin and Juice” chart-topper was acquitted of the charges.
The then 21-year-old, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, was not charged with murder.
According to The Baltimore Sun, he was charged with accessory to murder after the fact. It was his security guard who was accused of the murder.
Evidence showed that the person who took the life of the “By Yourself Hustler Crip” was McKiney Lee, Snoop’s bodyguard. He said, and the jury believed, he was protecting the artist from Woldermariam in his capacity as security.
The trial, which was presided over by Judge Paul G. Flynn, lasted three months, from November 27th, 1995, to February 21st, 1996, and the verdict was “Not guilty of murder, assault, and accessory charges.”
A mistrial was declared on voluntary manslaughter charges. There is no word if the project will be taken to another studio or network.
